Maybe I would just declare myself a Prophet and start a cult. I wonder how many millions I could fool.

“Eat my shorts!”

A much better retort to the world. It doesn’t expect any communal sympathy, and challenges the world’s grasping attempts to co-opt human behavior in regards to socially acceptable treatment of undergarments.

We are far more alike than different. We want food on the table, a roof, and a future for our children. We want a world without war or tyrants. Good news! The world is capable of supporting ALL these needs for EVERY single one of us. The only obstacle is poor governance, either corrupt democracies or outright hostile dictatorships. For the people to achieve these needs, we MUST take a stronger control of our own governance.

That’s my 2-cents.

gary

If you were as one human being, you would be a delinquent teenager with serious behavioral issues, wait till you have kids of your own!

I read Faust in college and loved it. Here is an essay I wrote.

Why specifically does Faust sell his soul to the devil? Summarize and discuss his motivations and arguments.

Faust selling out to the devil does not mean he gives himself to evil. It basically comes down to a very important statement in which Faust describes his condition. “I feel I gathered up and piled high in vain the treasures of the human mind: When I sit down at last, I cannot find new strength within—it is all dry. My stature has not grown a whit, no closer to the infinite.” He is tired of human learning and feels that he stills needs something to satisfy his thirst. He has obviously thought himself finished with the knowledge men have gathered and writes off knowledge of God as something else… “I’ve studied now philosophy and Jurisprudence, medicine and even, alas! Theology, from end to end, with labor keen; and here, poor fool! With all my lore I stand, no wiser than before;” again, “Why would you, heaven’s tones, compel me gently to rise from my dust? Resound where tenderhearted people dwell: Although I hear the message, I lack all faith or trust; and faith’s favorite child is miracle. For those far spheres I should not dare strive, from which these tidings come to me; And yet these chords, which I have known since infancy…Faust is in search of something he can not really describe. Indeed when ponders the scope of human attainment today it would take eternity to explain and makes sense of each aspect and avenue of the sciences.

Taking into consideration the state and condition of Faust during that time period it could very well be that he learned all that there was to learn from books. Human intuition, and moreover, ego let us imagine that there has to be something more than what we have experienced. After searching high and low and finally amassing knowledge useless, one begins to ponder what else is there? Faust’s condition is not unique but it comes down to a very modern saying ‘curiosity killed the cat’.

His plight is apparent only to himself and naturally when he tries to explain it to others he is at a loss of words. While talking with Wagner he reveals the nature of his problem. “Two souls, alas, are dwelling in my breast, and one is striving to forsake its brother. Unto the world in grossly loving zest, with clinging tendrils, one adheres, the other rises forcibly in quest of rarified ancestral spheres…” Faust is simply torn between settling for that which is, and chasing after the forbidden fruit.

After meeting the deviling he is promised an experience to which his appetite would be satisfied. Knowing full well after a while that this spirit hides a certain intention he figures that he must be able to think or trick the devil back to his place and if worst comes to worst, he back to his. He is without fear and does not really take into consideration the consequences of the bet if he loses.

If the whole world was listening to you, what would you say?

“Eat my shorts!”

No, sorry! I don’t want to humiliate your nice post, but this was my first intention. And after rethinking it, I would say, it wasn’t the worst one.

I don’t want the world listening to me in the believing that I know all the answers of their questions and I know a solution to solve all of their problems. Thus the above mentioned statement might help me out of this gigantic burden. Perhaps it would also leads the people to rethink their mental bondage towards other persons. You might compare this with Karl Popper’s warning against false prophets or with Goethe’ Faust II:

“Und auf vorgeschriebenen Bahnen zieht die Menge durch den Flur; den entrollten Lügenfahnen folgen alle! – Schafsnatur!” (Goethe, Faust 2, IV. Auf dem Vorgebirg )

“And on presribed ways the masses are trolling through a corridor; they are following the uncoiled banners of lies! – A nature of sheeps!” (A try of a translation of Goethe’s statement)

But we should give suppressed persons a voice; the possibility that they can express it by themselves.

so long,
Marten