old3bob

if you join and take vows under a particular teacher and order that is far more applicable than here with our widely eclectic group ranging from A-Z. Where btw. anti-god or no-god folks can also roam without being nixed, and who are not in harmony with those that are 180 degrees from where they are at. So please don't lecture about there being one big happy community of like thinkers or people. We have more like total diversity which can get messy but is also flexible and can be instructive. Another thing imo that does not help such diversity is the unspoken cowardice of downvotes except when used for gross or violent attacks on other members.

Oh my goodness, "my" truth is not the nut we are cracking about, its the truth(s) of millions of people that are suffering and those that are not afraid to mention it reasonably and with proven facts. Where in any spiritual precept or order is such not an issue, including Buddhism with its core teachings about suffering in any or all forms? Enjoying "grumpy crustiness" sounds like something in the eye of the beholder...and you are welcome ;-) Btw I'll give it some rest. .

Btw. no one is forcing me to read someone else's posts or preventing me from putting them on ignore, so why the heavy handed censorship here by mods when it comes to members speaking truth to corrupted power which is an important part of brass-tacks "spirituality"?

then and now...

the end of duality will be the end of large pastries' and countless other things, oh my! (or can they coexist?) question everything and eat your cookies first hand ....

hmm, you guys look pretty hip. (and we can hear your voices which are not very thinly veiled....)

watch out for that one, it looks like poisonous red dye #2 is in its blood!

This is your captain, full steam ahead.... (but then the first mate says, "oops, we should have seen this coming years ago"

but true which should count there?

are these guys common?

Jesus Christ....

Actually that might have been a king snake but i did not stick around to take a closer look. (they have some similar markings) here is king snake, btw they kill and eat rattlers.

duality has a valid place in the grand scheme, I'd say the unmanifest is better left to the unmanifest.

I've only had small bites by what we called (as boys) alligator lizards located in S. Calif.. They have very small teeth but will draw some blood and tend to latch on to you when biting. I also had several of them as pets and hand fed them grasshopper's which they really liked to gobble! Lizards are interesting creatures... As for snakes I almost accidently stepped onto a coral snake once (which are very poisonous) and I think it would have bit if I had, regardless of any decisions of mine ;-) Also heard rattlers from a fairly safe distance. (which is their form of a warning) As for real alligators and crocks I've only seen them in Florida at a preserve. Their dark black eyes are always looking out for their next prey! No hesitation if something comes along for them.

It has little to no effect to call out and criticize those that have little or no conscience or human decency and expect them to feel ashamed !! They laugh at such efforts except for some concern about its impact on recruiting new suckers for their agenda. (or maybe turning a few off) Btw, if they already have an army of ass kissers doing their bidding then even that concern is minimal or negated. Yet for those on the borderline who that still have an "x" amount of conscience and humanity then calling out vice as not being virtue is important....