Who Knows
All systems are go. Err. Almost. Our IT Division still has to bring up Internet connectivity. So, if this doesn't hit the wires at the appointed time it's not MY fault. Really. It's not. <g>.
So Charles Schultz is hanging up his pen today. And while others lament how he is no longer relevant to the present day, I say that to the extent that is true is the extent of our own loss. His character Charlie Brown had a quiet determination that we should all emulate. I can't speak for others, but as for myself, I think a giant has fallen. Good Grief. Long live "Peanuts"!
Hmmm. Connectivity is back and a check of my email finds *nothing*. Hmmm. Me thinks things are still not right in emailsville. Oh well, stiff upper lip old chum. Matt! Matt!
BlackICE detected a failed TCP/IP scan of my ports at home. I sent off the logs to abuse@rr.com. Actually, I first sent it to support@kc.rr.com since since that's were the attack originated but KC responded and said to send it to the other address. I wonder if rr.com is trying to overtake AOL as the home of the lame (and I say this as a new user of rr.hawaii.com or is it hawaii.rr.com)? Soon after that attack, BlackICE erroneously, as it turned out, logged several attacks it called something like failure to set filter error. A quick check with BlackICE found that this was a false positive and that the latest version, 1.9.4 corrected this. So remember, keep your software updated.
***** Noon Update *****
A quick check of the other Daynoters finds that they are indeed in a philosophical mood. If you are offended by such discussions, do not go there and do not read what is below. If not, check out Dr. Pournelle (see it here now or here later) and [Sorry. Dr. Keyboard has moved his site and this page is missing in action - Ed.] Dr. Keyboard. Not being an Intellectual Giant® like these two, I can only say that Dr. Pournelle appears to be saying, if there is no God, then what is the meaning of life? And Dr. Keyboard seems to say there may not be any. If Dr. Keyboard is right, then the concept of purpose becomes a very slippery thing.
No one, except God, can peer into the souls of humankind and see what lives there. And I won't even try. But I think each of us, who has a sense of right or wrong, came by that sense by being taught it. That is, I don't think there is a genetic coding for knowing right from wrong. We have to learn it and we have do right (if for no other reason other than in the long run, it is in our own best self-interest).
What does seem to be hard coded is a need for direction or meaning and stability in our lives. The noted psychologist, Maslow seems to indicate that before we could move up the ladder to self-actualization, we had to build a stable base that first satisfied the more immediate needs.
But to get back to the original premise, if we need to be taught right from wrong, who is qualified to do that and what is it should we be taught? I will leave for another time who is qualified to teach and concentrate on the what should be taught.
While acknowledging the work of anthropology in our understanding of cultural bias, Christianity seems to say that there are certain self-evident truths. And that these truths span boundaries and cultures. The basis of which is a love and respect for God and our fellow human beings.
If one does not believe in God and the basis for His commandments, then what does one believe in? It seems to me that without the unifying force of Christianity, one can believe in anything they want without anyone having any authority to say otherwise. This path is indeed a very steep, slippery slope. There is no right or wrong without some authority to make it so.
However, does that mean a non-Christian can not lead a moral life? No. One can indeed lead a moral life, by any definition, and not be a Christian. But what if we Christians are right? That there is God in heaven and that He did tell us what is right and wrong and that further; He gave us the option to choose which to follow? And that to make up for our failed attempts at being moral, He sent His Son to die for our transgressions?
The power of Christianity lays in its truth. Whether others acknowledge that truth does not make it less powerful and just because others would believe otherwise does not make it so.
I have great respect and aloha for Dr. Keyboard, but I respectfully disagree with his saying that God does not exist and is instead a construct dreamt up by superstitious fuzzy thinking dweebs. On the other hand, even if Dr. Keyboard were right, even he admits that the world would be a better place for people who follow God's commandments.
Sheesh. Enough of this. You decide who/what is right and follow that.
Oh. By the way. All of our drives spun up fine from their short sleep over the weekend. No reports of bad things happening anywhere on our network. No stiction here. Phantom Menace indeed.
Aloha!
