tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post536822017451896638..comments2023-10-07T07:26:20.469-07:00Comments on Flux Capacitor: On Kindness in a Society of SnarksMaggie Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699674732274478502noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-80021122111964019902009-03-25T18:35:00.000-07:002009-03-25T18:35:00.000-07:00maggie, please keep doing what you are doing. you...maggie, please keep doing what you are doing. you make a difference each and every time and even if only one person is slightly changed, they may change one person and so on.Maggie Madisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05944610454486027594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-18774197410030186842009-03-19T17:58:00.000-07:002009-03-19T17:58:00.000-07:00So now, do you consider yourself to be a good pers...So now, do you consider yourself to be a good person? And what criteria does the author give for being a good person? Is kindness of heart and deed enough? How much sacrifice is enough? How much is too much, when it becomes a way of showing off, if only to ones self? <BR/><BR/>Interesting subject, interesting concepts.<BR/><BR/>The degree of cynicism you and your commenters have met is horrific. I am happy to report than when we reach out to help, when we have food drives in our condo complex for the food bank, we meet people who are grateful and thankful that someone is trying to do something to help. I have never once had someone question my motives or tell me it was pointless. I'm thankful for that.<BR/><BR/>By the way, I also have a strong moral compass, and for me also, it has nothing to do with a belief in a higher power. Just a belief in doing the right thing.Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00653383372182667361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-92083901619681834272009-03-18T09:36:00.000-07:002009-03-18T09:36:00.000-07:00Maggie, your posts brings up so many essential que...Maggie, your posts brings up so many essential questions about how we choose to live our lives. I am struck by how through such sadness your soul has decided to shine and bring beauty.<BR/><BR/>It is interesting that we have a culture of religion were people learn and talk the talk but so few are willing to walk it. A path of compassion is so hard for so many of us.Deedledeedeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16706647214514317802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-73483765605939567742009-03-18T07:14:00.000-07:002009-03-18T07:14:00.000-07:00It's a constant - how to be a good person, without...It's a constant - how to be a good person, without pissing too many people off. Why is it that goodness often entails that irritation of others? Guilt at the other end?Magpiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15460136246441367993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-64233367381605437052009-03-18T05:13:00.000-07:002009-03-18T05:13:00.000-07:00excellent post maggie--i just ordered the book aft...excellent post maggie--i just ordered the book after seeing peter singer on the colbert report (i know i know--it's where i learn @ who's who...!). I think there are two americas made up of very nuanced sorts on each side struggling with human nature...those who care about their neighbors and those who only care about their own. some don't struggle so much, some do...but since this country's inception, we were founded on an "every man for himself", and "each must pull himself up by the bootstraps" philosophy. i think you should keep on teaching lola these things--and ideally we can hope that she will teach these things to her children as well...maybe the goodness will keep spreading. And in the meantime, you can find a way to answer those snarky questions in a way that teaches the snarks that it's ok to help someone you've never met. you know? usually a smile and the truth about why you want to help. fight the power baby.<BR/>I'm going to read the book and then write back to you!Bonbon Oiseauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00217372750598243358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-66557641312500059512009-03-18T00:07:00.000-07:002009-03-18T00:07:00.000-07:00I would like some of you to rub off on me because ...I would like some of you to rub off on me because I think about myself a whole lot. Too much! Really admire your kind, genuine, passionate heart.michellewoohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15147367806011608664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-70872758966604819132009-03-16T19:30:00.000-07:002009-03-16T19:30:00.000-07:00I keep coming back to this, because it has so much...I keep coming back to this, because it has so much depth and truth. I want more people to be like you, to be more compassionate and to stop looking at society as a massive group but to begin looking at each person eye to eye trying to find the humanity in each person that we encounter, maybe then we'll begin to begin to function better as a group. Small kindnesses extended all add up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-63309078343259294522009-03-16T08:48:00.000-07:002009-03-16T08:48:00.000-07:00Hi Debb! nice to 'meet' you:)))Hi Debb! nice to 'meet' you:)))Maggie Mayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14699674732274478502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-62688549584704214602009-03-16T02:45:00.000-07:002009-03-16T02:45:00.000-07:00Hello,I happened across your site via a friend, wh...Hello,<BR/>I happened across your site via a friend, what a wonderful blog! May I stick around?<BR/><BR/>Cheers, DebAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-72926006770766178302009-03-15T12:06:00.000-07:002009-03-15T12:06:00.000-07:00This was a fantastic post, Maggie, thank you.This was a fantastic post, Maggie, thank you.Andrea Eameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15304706719936895188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-29613362530187307132009-03-14T13:13:00.000-07:002009-03-14T13:13:00.000-07:00This is a really interesting post--I will be think...This is a really interesting post--I will be thinking about it.Marinkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16489592695993949578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-61155715835715026672009-03-14T06:40:00.000-07:002009-03-14T06:40:00.000-07:00First of all the second, and I mean the second you...First of all the second, and I mean the <I>second</I> your book is published I want to hear about it because I will be buying a copy immediately!! I love your writing, it is like you jumped into my head and scribbled down so much of what goes through it on a daily basis. Egomaniac? Not a chance. I think it is awful that we should do so many kind things for one another and <I>not</I> talk about it. If we don't spread the word that nice/good/true/positive is a virtue then how will anyone else believe it enough to follow suit?CSD Faux Finishinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05947691876538206892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-41765686831975704052009-03-14T06:10:00.000-07:002009-03-14T06:10:00.000-07:00A “good deed” or even one’s sense of being a “good...A “good deed” or even one’s sense of being a “good person” often defies definition. I’ve learned to go by my own inner moral compass – it tends to steer me on the right path – regardless of what others say or do.<BR/>(This is not to say I consider myself a consistently good person – failures abound. It’s the always trying that’s important.)Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14110235078325434919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-64212865713810109142009-03-14T05:45:00.000-07:002009-03-14T05:45:00.000-07:00Hi Maggie May,Thanks so much for visiting my blog ...Hi Maggie May,<BR/><BR/>Thanks so much for visiting my blog and I apologize for the delayed note. "Life's what happens while you're making other plans."<BR/><BR/>I love your thought-provoking blog and will return soon and often. <BR/><BR/>PS I was originally a California girl born in LA but I've been in the Chicago area for many years. Still miss all that sunshine and avocados... :-)<BR/><BR/>TenaTena Russhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08630397939303203418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-15189327634179026322009-03-14T02:33:00.000-07:002009-03-14T02:33:00.000-07:00I am a Girl Guide leader, right? One of the reason...I am a Girl Guide leader, right? One of the reasons I am still a Girl Guide leader and continue to be a member of the movement is because it's hands on with the people who will go forth and be "good people". I teach - through a program of adventure and challenge and service and leadership - young women to look outside of themselves. I tell people it's the best way I have of saving the world. It shits me to tears a lot of the time, kids and their parents can be frustrating. A lack of support can be frustrating and I AM taking a break from it this year and lessening my own load over the coming four years. But this year I have been a Girl Guide for 25 years and damn it, will be 'til the day I die, no doubt. Part of the Girl Guide Promise calls for members to do their best. I tell the Guides that's what I am looking for from them - their best. They'll know when they haven't done it, and so will I, and we'll deal with it then. But I want them to be not just good - it's too high an expectation all the time - but to do their best.Kate Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11731006032499344619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-38408335369518862972009-03-13T17:22:00.000-07:002009-03-13T17:22:00.000-07:00this post was amazing...thought provoking and am g...this post was amazing...thought provoking and am going to ponder some of this...<BR/>i like that your blog makes me do just that,<BR/>have a nice week-end.<BR/>x ashleyashleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04163154559807391800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-89774120194590089202009-03-13T17:17:00.000-07:002009-03-13T17:17:00.000-07:00I think that Dr. Suess did a pretty good job of po...I think that Dr. Suess did a pretty good job of portraying society.juleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11029688047757771162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-32560556498238656992009-03-13T15:54:00.000-07:002009-03-13T15:54:00.000-07:00I have this friend who loves to debate BIG ISSUES....I have this friend who loves to debate BIG ISSUES. One day we were discussing the fact that I am not religious. I’m agnostic at best. Where did my morality come from then, he asked. I told him the best way I could explain my morality was something along the lines of The Golden Rule. You know, do unto others as you would have done unto you. <BR/><BR/>He tried to tell me that wasn’t any kind of “real” moral code, but it’s the best I’ve been able to come up with so far.Steph(anie)https://www.blogger.com/profile/01345590378662641435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-9255194429770660882009-03-13T15:03:00.000-07:002009-03-13T15:03:00.000-07:00Very good post. What I'd also like to figure out i...Very good post. What I'd also like to figure out is how to get my kids to think along these lines.Barriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04678698296265168217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-86178792981207535312009-03-13T12:12:00.000-07:002009-03-13T12:12:00.000-07:00Maggie - I'd like to read that book. I wish that ...Maggie - I'd like to read that book. I wish that I could properly express just how thought-provoking this post has been for me. What a good set of questions to ask.<BR/><BR/>Here are a few that come to me: Do you have to give until it hurts to be a good person? Is there a sliding scale of goodness? Is it possible to give, but still protect ourselves from suffering over every person in need?Beehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02375981493145612394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-13946474017391395642009-03-13T11:21:00.000-07:002009-03-13T11:21:00.000-07:00It's so easy to forget the suffering of people aro...It's so easy to forget the suffering of people around us when we're so numbed by the charms of consumption. Nevertheless, I frequently see people do kind and wonderful things while asking very little in return. And then I frequently see the same people behaving in shallow or superficial ways. Maybe that's because human life is complex and stifling; if we wore our heats on our sleeves all the time, we would probably break them.erin@designcrisishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16136933184090552672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-90639596040746444342009-03-13T09:17:00.000-07:002009-03-13T09:17:00.000-07:00I've asked myself these questions my whole life. I...I've asked myself these questions my whole life. I place my head on my pillow at night with the knowledge that most people are not as fortunate, not as healthy, don't have enough food. We've become desensitized. I wrote a post a few weeks ago about the wealth divide and how the concentration of wealth has shifted. I really didn't go into the consequences as deeply as I wanted to. It focused on the economy. <BR/><BR/>This was another great post, Maggie May.Jamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07551543776509110496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-73482732979597705092009-03-13T09:01:00.000-07:002009-03-13T09:01:00.000-07:00wrestling with these issues is, I believe, part of...wrestling with these issues is, I believe, part of the human condition (although I do hate that term). it's good to be reminded of them -- i'm always struck by perspective and relativism, battling both. i try to have compassion for opposing viewpoints, believing that there is nothing "good" about good without the opposite "bad."Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-85965592830184623642009-03-13T08:06:00.000-07:002009-03-13T08:06:00.000-07:00ooops, maybe they will come back, sorry I missed t...ooops, maybe they will come back, sorry I missed them.<BR/><BR/>What a post, so much to consider.<BR/><BR/>I think life is a complex journey. For me, I try my hardest to just be nice, and reflect good light. <BR/><BR/>It feels uncomfortable to be any other way. <BR/><BR/>In my lifetime though, I have been mean, I have been thoughtless, I have been selfish. It bothers me, but I have learned from that, I found the pain of hurting someone else, brings no rewards whatsoever.<BR/><BR/><BR/>I have also been selfless, and deeply caring, and given to others without thoughts of ever getting back. But even those moments are less than extraordinary, they are human. Its not hard to help someone, sometimes you do it, because it's just right, and you can imagine doing nothing less.rachael chatoorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15526352047122412500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-972647577919000054.post-69385151290175755082009-03-13T07:21:00.000-07:002009-03-13T07:21:00.000-07:00We ARE a society of snarks. Snark is a great way ...We ARE a society of snarks. Snark is a great way to deflect our attentions from thinking about issues that are painful or embarrassing. <BR/><BR/>I don't know the solution, because a lot of people either don't care about being good people or think that they already are because they go to church like they are supposed to.Kurthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01575708700735000787noreply@blogger.com