Was Robin Hood a good guy?

Sandi,

Thanks for your comments.

WARS are caused by governments. Right now there is never a Need for war, but they happen anyway.

There is nothing wrong with Coveting, as long as you do not take Wrong Action upon your desires. Wrong Action being to infringe upon someone else's property rights. Right Action being to use the desire to Rightfully Acquire your own copy of the coveted item.

What hope is there to preventing Coverting and Wrong Action when the government does it on a Mass scale. It is imprinted upon our psyche.

You can talk about right and wrong and knowing the difference... and I'll agree with you. People should be held accountable for their actions and wrongful actions. However, just as a child is imprinted and brainwashed with religion, it also absorbs that coveting and taking wrongful action to obtain the coveted item is okay - it sees it go on on a daily basis without repercussions.

cooperation should be the name of the game for the good of all

According to WHOM? And WHO judges what is good for me?

In any transaction, the name of the game should actually be... to the best YOU can get from mutual agreeable and uncoerced dealings.

Otherwise you turn me into my Brother's Keeper and force me to look after his interests in any deal we make. To Compromise.

Let me tell you about Compromise... there is no such thing. What you call Compromise actually means, one person gains at the expense of another. Because it stems from a Have giving up something tangible to a Have Not, while all the Have Not gave was their Desire - their coveting.

E.g. A company pays its workers $20 an hour. The workers WANT $30. The "Let's compromise" phrase it heard and suggested Compromise of $25 is bandied about. Maybe even agreed to.

All that happened was... the workers gave up their Desire - they lost nothing. But in reality and in a very real and tangible way, the company lost for no gain. It COST the company but not the worker.

THAT is what Compromise is when it is stripped of its Feel Good clothing.

Cooperation with one another to achieve individual development and goals is the best model for a successful, sustainable, community, IMHO

Why is this the "best model for a successful, sustainable, community"? What REASONING do you have to back up your general statement?

Doesn't this just turn me into my brother's keeper again. Needing to co-operate with him so he can achieve his goals and desires. Doesn't it turn me into a sacrificial animal giving up my life and efforts for the desires and goals of others? Placing Their Need above my own? And what is so righteous about that? Why is that a good thing?

Michael Ross

Thanks for your opinions, Michael.

I simply stated things the way I see them...in other words, my opinions. No need to defend them to anyone. They're mine, I own them. Period.

Sandi Bowman

Sandi,

Thanks for your post.

I'm not asking you to Defend anything. I AM asking what Reasoning you have behind your Statements. How you came to the conclusion you came to. Surely you know Why you think you do? Or don't you?

It's easy Sandi. I'll start you off and you finish...

"I think Cooperation with one another to achieve individual development and goals is the best model for a successful, sustainable, community because..."

"I think cooperation should be the name of the game for the good of all because..."

And please don't come back with the old standard "I don't have time right now".

Michael Ross

Michael, I'm not stupid but you're certainly dense. There are some things of MUCH higher priority than satisfying your nosey curiosity.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to prepare for surgery in about 3 hours...just one of many lately.

Sandi Bowman

Mr. Ross, while I agree with some statements you have made, I disagree with the following:

Originally Posted by MichaelRoss

There is nothing wrong with Coveting, as long as you do not take Wrong Action upon your desires.

Isn't coveting the very seed that grows toward the fulfillment of the desire?

Can't a desire be fulfilled in a wrong way or a right way?

Originally Posted by S1ERRA

Mr. Ross, while I agree with some statements you have made, I disagree with the following:



Isn't coveting the very seed that grows toward the fulfillment of the desire?

If it were a "good" desire, then by all means, yes. The desire being discussed above is defined [by thefreedictionary.com] as a blameworthy/reprehensible desire.

Did you know many of the Ideas Edison had were stolen from other people but he knew how to steal. He said as much. You can't blame him, he had little education. It was the workers he hired that did the inventing in many cases. He gave them the ideas which he stole. Now a man that lived during the same time names Emer Gates had twice as many patents and never stole a thing. He sat in a sound proof office thinking of ideas, according to Napoleon Hill. He used Creative Vision.

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by Joetrevison

Now a man that lived during the same time names Emer Gates had twice as many patents and never stole a thing. He sat in a sound proof office thinking of ideas, according to Napoleon Hill. He used Creative Vision.

Hi Joe,

Thanks for mentioning Elmer Gates...

I didn't know much about Elmer Gates, so just did some reading. Apparently part of "Think and Grow Rich" is based on Elmer Gates's work (in particular, part of chapter 12 on developing your creativity)...

Elmer Gates (as Joe says) was a prolific inventor, during the same time as Edison. He invented the foam fire extinguisher, plus a type of air-conditioner and many other inventions...

You can read many of his books online... Check out http://www.elmergates.com and also http://www.emeralda.com/gates/

However, Gates seemed to die in poverty (according to this page)... In this, he reminds me a little of Nikola Tesla - another incredibly brilliant inventor, who however wasn't always the best at business. Edison, on the other hand, was a very successful businessman and entrepreneur. Edison started General Electric - also known as GE - now the 7th largest company in America (according to the Fortune 500).

The lesson? Creativity is important, but you'll do best if you couple that with knowledge of business too!

- Dien

S1ERRA,

Thanks for asking.

Covet as found on Google "define: covet":

# wish, long, or crave for (something, especially the property of another person); "She covets her sister's house"
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

# A strong desire for something that does not belong to you.
www.godonthe.net/dictionary/c.html

All property that is not mine is, by default, someone elses - the business owner who sells it for example.

People tend to buy only what they desire, only what they covet.

If the item belongs to a business ower who is selling it we think nothing of it. But if the item belongs to someone who is not in business, our desire can lead us to...

1: Wrong action - theft.

2: Right action - the acquisition via standard means of trade (we buy it) and have thus kept up with the Joneses.

Thus, there is nothing wrong with coveting as long as you do not take Wrong Action upon your desires.

Michael Ross