Quote:

It's time for me to exit this thread. It has gone from a well reasoned discussion into a realm I don't want any part of.

Bob



This is a recurring theme in discussions of the heated sort. But I think there is real value in giving all participants the leeway to express whatever point of view they have, even when some people in the discussion see it as offensive. Why?

Because no matter WHAT your opinion is, SOMEBODY thinks it's offensive! If we live by the rule of forbidding talk that offends somebody else, then nobody would ever be allowed to talk.

By analogy, discussion is much like pouring hot water into a cup full of cold water. In both cases, the substance is water, but the temperatures are extreme in opposing directions. If you perform this as an experiment, and test the final temperature of the water, it will NEVER be as hot as the hottest nor as cold as the coldest. Mixing extremes, at least in nature, always seems to have the effect of bringing both extremes toward the middle.

Using the same analogy, if you put the resulting mix of water in the freezer, it will all become colder... if you put it in a kettle on the stove, it will all become hotter. This is the functional equivalent of eliminating one point of view in order to homogenize the whole.

Personally, I like different points of view. And discussion exposes me to things I would not have considered otherwise. Discussion is good. It keeps us centered.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ey71h8ep047758h/AAC12jNM0Hz9Q8zsh5iDeqNHa?dl=0