Re: virus: Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.

Bill Roh (sodom@ma.ultranet.com)
Tue, 16 Mar 1999 20:27:40 -0500

Reed Konsler wrote:

> >Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 11:20:55 -0500
> >From: "Sodom" <sodom@ma.ultranet.com>
> >Subject: RE: virus: Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.
> >
> >Im trying not to beat a dead horse here - but wouldn't the word "confidence"
> >instead of "faith" do just fine by itself?
> >I know the "faith" discussion has been run around a million times, but with
> >all these definitions and meanings, cant simpler words without the same
> >connotations suffice? It seems like the word "faith" is just being added to
> >please the mind aesthetically, not to actually mean or achieve anything
> >outside of self-glorification or self-repair.
> >
> >Bill Roh
>
> Yes, Bill...other words would serve. Emerson called it "self-reliance".
> But if I agree the confidence can be used in place of faith can you agree
> that faith can be used in place of confidence? Are they next to one
> another in your thesuarus? Or, as I suspect, does the word faith raise
> red-flags where confidence doesn't? I'm flexible, can you be? I listen
> to televangelists and I hear the message, do you? I'm not saying that
> the televangelists are brilliant as you or I are, nor as popular as Oprah.
> Sometimes they make mistakes and some of them are plain looney.
> But most of them, most of the time, are still preaching that message
> of tolerance.

I dont think that confidence and faith are interchangable. I do think that sometimes they are used as though they are though. I would not supplant the tire on my car with a brick, though both can hold the car up. No, the words are not next to each other in my thesuaras. I think I can be flexible as to how the word is used, but I also think you are taking it further than it was ever intended or needed, perhaps to make a point.

I have never heard a televangilist preach tolerance, despite listening a bit, I do have anti-tolerance pamphlets written by the venerable Billy Graham.

What seems to be happening in your writings of late is a blurring of differentiation beyond what I would consider reasonable. I dont mean this to be or sound like an insult, and I acknowledge that far too often, there are harsh lines drawn where blurry ones would suffice. It just seems to me that you are using the word "faith" as a blanket when a napkin is all that is called for.

> Or maybe I just surf by the real wierdos?
>
> In my department the word "education" is considered taboo...to warm
> and fuzzy for cold rational scientists. Instead we talk about "management".
> You would be amazed at the lengths people will go to with euphemistic
> language just to avoid saying those terrible taboo words.
>
> Boogy! Boogy! Boogy!
>
> [laughing]
>
> Reed

haha, that part is funny, but reminds me of your fear of certain words also, and ambition not to even see words you dont like.

That is quite strange about the Management - education thing. Tell me it aint so!

Bill Roh