Interview the poster below you

[Vito]

Next question: Why are we here?

AJ

Assuming you mean the question in the most general sense (that is, "Why are variably self-aware, volitional humanoids here, in the universe (nickname = "Bob", as distinct from BoB, this discussion group)?", that's essentially the same question as "What is the meaning of life?"

That's easy: The meaning of life is purpose. That covers it, universally, fo' evvihboddih.

The meaning of your life is whatever your purpose is, the meaning of my life is whatever my purpose is, ...etc. It is each person's primary task in life to figure out what his/her purpose is.

That's the short answer. :mrgreen:

Question to the next poster: What is the second most amazing thing in human history?

 

[AJ]

Next question: Why are we here?

AJ

Assuming you mean the question in the most general sense (that is, "Why are variably self-aware, volitional humanoids here, in the universe (nickname = "Bob", as distinct from BoB, this discussion group)?", that's essentially the same question as "What is the meaning of life?"

That's easy: The meaning of life is purpose. That covers it, universally, fo' evvihboddih.

The meaning of your life is whatever your purpose is, the meaning of my life is whatever my purpose is, ...etc. It is each person's primary task in life to figure out what his/her purpose is.

That's the short answer. :mrgreen:

Question to the next poster: What is the second most amazing thing in human history?

Vito I usually agree with most of your posts but I'm afraid thus time you missed the mark.

Your answer doesn't take in account of those that do nothing but fry their brains on drugs or destroy their lives with alcohol. Their are those in that group that have never worked but have lived their entire lives on welfare contributing nothing to their own welfare much less contribute to the welfare of their family or society. Some live on the streets, some in junk cars, and some in our prisons doing nothing but counting time. They have no purpose and some don't even want to live and take their own life. I don't believe purpose is the correct answer to my question.

To answer your question , What is the second most amazing thing in human history?"

Answer: Man hasn't destroyed himself and all life on the planet.

Next question: Why does Tuesday follow Monday?

 

[RDPipes]

Because it does.

 

[arkansaspiper]

What's the next qesrion

 

[Vito]

...I don't believe purpose is the correct answer to my question.

Brothah AJ: Oops...I guess I didn't understand the point of this thread. Since I chose to answer your question, I thought you were supposed to be interviewing me...you know — asking me what I think. I answered truthfully. The interviewer always has the option of asking for clarification if he doesn't understand the answer, or it doesn't sound quite right to him. That's generally the way an interview works.

For the record, I don't see any inconsistency with my answer and the examples of apparently purposeless behavior you gave in your response.  For a person who lives with the behavior you described, that is his/her purpose. I didn't say the purpose has to be coherent, or well-considered, or rational (much less moral), or even in the best interest of the person who follows it.

Anyhow, it's not a wrong answer. There's a semantic disconnect somewhere. That's what I get for providing the short answer. If you want the long answer, or you want to understand how my answer is actually consistent with the behavior you described, we can take this discussion to another thread.

BTW, I've generally agreed with your posts as well...which is exactly why I suspect this is more a matter of semantic noise than an actual disagreement.  
_________

Here's a question for the next poster: How come people just assume they know what you mean, and don't even bother to ask whether their assumptions are correct? :mrgreen:

 

[Thistleoak]

...I don't believe purpose is the correct answer to my question.

Brothah AJ: Oops...I guess I didn't understand the point of this thread. Since I chose to answer your question, I thought you were supposed to be interviewing me...you know — asking me what I think. I answered truthfully. The interviewer always has the option of asking for clarification if he doesn't understand the answer, or it doesn't sound quite right to him. That's generally the way an interview works.

For the record, I don't see any inconsistency with my answer and the examples of apparently purposeless behavior you gave in your response.  For a person who lives with the behavior you described, that is his/her purpose. I didn't say the purpose has to be coherent, or well-considered, or rational (much less moral), or even in the best interest of the person who follows it.

Anyhow, it's not a wrong answer. There's a semantic disconnect somewhere. That's what I get for providing the short answer. If you want the long answer, or you want to understand how my answer is actually consistent with the behavior you described, we can take this discussion to another thread.

BTW, I've generally agreed with your posts as well...which is exactly why I suspect this is more a matter of semantic noise than an actual disagreement.  
_________

Here's a question for the next poster: How come people just assume they know what you mean, and don't even bother to ask whether their assumptions are correct? :mrgreen:

I believe you are both correct as my answer to that question is different as well.  Some questions cannot be answered for everyone but singly an individual can speak for themselves

 

[AJ]

Vito I've continued this discussion in the Rubber Room. Please respond to my latest post there.

A thousand pardons to the OP if I've somehow caused any problems or done something inappropriate. It was unintentional.

AJ

 

[Ozark Wizard]

Vito I've continued this discussion in the Rubber Room. Please respond to my latest post there.

A thousand pardons to the OP if I've somehow caused any problems or done something inappropriate. It was unintentional.

AJ

Good show AJ, and thanks....

 

[Eric Furgeson]

Sadly it looks as though this thread was accidently steered off course. So in an effort to help bring it back in line I wil askl the next poster this. What is the most life conferming thing you have ever experanced and how did it affect you long term?

 

[Stick]

To answer AJ's question first...

...to make way for Wednesday.

Now yours Eric...

... having children. The experience has highlighted a completely new set of priorities and has been an education in tolerance, giving and self reflection.

My question. If you could give any gift at Christmas what would it be and to whom?

 

[Ozark Wizard]

To answer AJ's question first...

...to make way for Wednesday.

Now yours Eric...

... having children. The experience has highlighted a completely new set of priorities and has been an education in tolerance, giving and self reflection.

My question.  If you could give any gift at Christmas what would it be and to whom?

I would give peace of heart and mind to those who feel neither..

My question:

When faced with a potential 'Check' of your king(chess), is it good form to attempt to 'castle' your king, or employ Rooks and Knights to remove the aggressor's threat?

 

[Eric Furgeson]

To answer AJ's question first...

...to make way for Wednesday.

Now yours Eric...

... having children. The experience has highlighted a completely new set of priorities and has been an education in tolerance, giving and self reflection.

My question.  If you could give any gift at Christmas what would it be and to whom?

I would give peace of heart and mind to those who feel neither..

My question:

When faced with a potential 'Check' of your king(chess), is it good form to attempt to 'castle' your king, or employ Rooks and Knights to remove the aggressor's threat?

I don't know if would say it is bad form to castle. However when my opponet does it during a match I see it as more of an act of desperation then stratigic game play. As to the employment of rooks and knights to remove the aggressor that is often part of my stratigy. To draw them forth so I may remove their piece from play. After all a weakened opponet is more likely to fall. I will admint in an ideal game there should be victory with a minimum of pieces los. Sadly my skills are not at that level so I must play the strongest game I can.

Now for the next person. What would you say was the most difficult and rewarding age for you thus far in your life?

 

[Stick]

Mmm, most difficult age would have to be when I was about 41.  I was in a really bad place; trying to balance an overly demanding career with a young family (and failing) led to myself and my wife being very unwell and challenged the very integrity of our family unit.  Most rewarding has to be now (46).  Gaining my Masters' degree in Leadership a few years ago has opened new doors.  I've now 'retired' from one career and started another.  No longer faced with having to move every few years we've finally been able to buy our own home so we're settled with a huge feeling of everything coming together.  It's been a long difficult path, but we're now reaping the reward.

My question:  Speaking of leadership, who in your view has been the greatest leader of all time (non religious please) and why?

 

[Eric Furgeson]

Mmm, most difficult age would have to be when I was about 41.  I was in a really bad place; trying to balance an overly demanding career with a young family (and failing) led to myself and my wife being very unwell and challenged the very integrity of our family unit.  Most rewarding has to be now (46).  Gaining my Masters' degree in Leadership a few years ago has opened new doors.  I've now 'retired' from one career and started another.  No longer faced with having to move every few years we've finally been able to buy our own home so we're settled with a huge feeling of everything coming together.  It's been a long difficult path, but we're now reaping the reward.

My question:  Speaking of leadership, who in your view has been the greatest leader of all time (non religious please) and why?

I have given this a lot of thought and have to say this is a very tough question. But I think I would have to say in my opinion it was George Washington. Because he not only managed to hold his armies together and achive victory over what was at the time the worlds greatset army. He also stepped down from power when he could have truely become a king. He set the example that helped form so much of this nations early history. He was far from purfect and there is much that could be said about him that detracts from the common historical view of him. Still in the end he allowed the power he spent years seaking to pass from him. I find this to be the mark of true leadership. Knowing when it is time to withdraw from power before you do damage to that which you worked to build.

Now my question for the next person in line is. What would you identify as the most important advancement of the human race in the last 100 years and why?

 

[Stick]

Eric, I'd love to answer with something very profound but think I'll have to settle on the silicon chip. Why? Because they've been pivotal in advancing technology to the extent we see today. The advancement has been truly mind blowing. Even the act of posting this reply is reliant on them!

My question: What is your fondest memory from your school years?

 

[Old Nate]

I'll add a different perspective to this thread:

My greatest memory from school days... I was 18 and played on a terrible baseball team. Always considered myself to be a pretty good athlete and of course I had overzealous dreams of one day playing professional baseball... I was that good, or at least I thought so. The fact that this team was terrible, however, brought me down a peg and as I slowly understood that those last set of games I was playing when I was 18 would likely be my last, it hit hard. Anyway, I was pitching... we were losing 9-0 and just as it seemed nothing was going our way we started to climb back in that game. We chipped away. Started to actually play baseball, and in the process ended up getting the lead in the last inning by way of me stealing home. One of the few stolen bases I ever had... in the bottom of the inning I (still pitching) took the mound and struck out the last batter on my 176th pitch of the game. Nearly 16 years ago they only had an inning limit... regardless, it was just another game, but it was me at my best, not quitting, giving everything I had to a sport I loved. I'll never forget the look on my dad's face when I threw that last pitch.

My Question:
If you had the patience, time, and skill to write a novel, what would it be about, who would the main character be, and is he/she someone that mirrors your own life?

 

[user 1862]

I'll bite on that, as I'd previously answered on favorite books, ah the literary world!

I'd toyed with this, per the request of two very dear friends. I've outlined it, drafted some portions of it, yet I do not have the strength to actually proceed any further. I once married into a very nice family. They were good people, they touched lives gently and in quiet ways. In the fullness of time, the mother and father became quite elderly, and died under our care. Then out of the blue, my wife became terminally ill. She was so strong and young for her age. We'd always been quite something, but in her last two years we became something far more. She died peacefully at home, just us together. We walked into the valley of the shadow together, and we had to part ways. Then, her sister died, and now that beautiful little family is gone. They live in my memories, and I'll make this post my homage to them, and thus the "great"novel. The story doesn't quite end there though. After quite a few years, two lives intersected and discovered they could both live again--thus a new Mrs Lesath, and another life to experience. So, the main character should perhaps be the pertinence of our life experiences, how they mold and change us, and how perhaps we need to above all be patient and see where life takes us. But NEVER forget.

So I ask the next of our brethren, what is your favorite holiday and why?

 

[Brewdude]

So I ask the next of our brethren, what is your favorite holiday and why?

Les, I guess you mean Christmas, Thanksgiving, or something, right? Frankly I don't have one. And not to be disrespectful, but I don't celebrate or observe any commonly recognised holiday.

Not a religious, political, or otherwise held belief. Too difficult to explain here, so I won't. I just don't. Maybe that sounds hard, but there it is.

So my question to the next poster is this-


What was your favourite car that you owned, and why? Pics appreciated.


Cheers,

RR

 

[Eric Furgeson]

What was your favourite car that you owned, and why? Pics appreciated.
Cheers, RR

I would have to say my favorite car was my 1964 ford falcon sprint. It was a two door hard top with a 289 and three speed in it. Black with a red and white interior.  It was my first car. When I bought it in 1979 it was setting a horse pasture and had been for 6 or 7 years there where actually two of them out there and I bought them both for four hundred dollars. The one had been wreaked and was only good as a doaner car. My Brother in law and I spent the next two years rebuilding the car. You know body work, paint job, new interior. Setting that engine up so it ran like a milk fed kitten purrs.by the time I was 16 and old enough to drive it was like a new car. God I loved that car. But two years later I got into some legal troubles as had to sell it to cover my fines and legal fees. I have done my best to aviod that type of behavior since. Because sure I regret what I did but selling that car still hurts to this day. Sadly as for showing pictures. My exwife got rid of them. Or at least I think she did I never saw them after we split up.



Now for my question to the next person in line. What is your favorite song or piece of music and why? Also please share your favorite memory that it invokes.

 

[Brewdude]

Now for my question to the next person in line. What is your favorite song or piece of music and why? Also please share your favorite memory that it invokes.

On the basis of how many times I've listened to it and the influence it had upon me as a musician, composer, guitarist, and music lover in general - hands down it would be "Thick as a Brick" by Jethro Tull.

I'd been a Tull fan for several years starting with "Stand Up" when this groundbreaking work came out in '72. I bought it as soon as it was in the record stores on the strength of their other albums, but not knowing anything about it. It was just released and there wasn't yet any chatter from the music rags.

At first I didn't quite know what to make of it, as each side of the album (this was vinyl of course) had no individual track grooves as one would normally see. What I didn't realize, of course, was that this was, in fact, one continuous song of some 43 minutes or so with no individual selections with short periods of silence between them.

Equally, it soon became apparent that this was a "concept album" with a story line that weaved in and out of the sections as they appeared and re-appeared in slightly different forms, meters, or keg sigs. This was very interesting to me as a musician of many years, since I was familiar with Classical forms and how they developed the sections and re-stated them to strengthen the main melody.

Plus, this new form of progressive rock had found a willing listener through Tull, ELP, and Yes, to name but a few. In short I found I enjoyed layered, complex and challenging music.

All to say, that TAAB changed the musical landscape for me in a very profound way as it influenced my development as a musician from that period in a way that no other work or group had ever done.

In fact, one of my own compositions from that period is a direct influence that TAAB had upon me. Back in the day my group named it "The Symphony" and while we failed to bring it to fruition for audiences due to various reasons, I endeavoured to bring it to a conclusion after re-uniting with 3 of the original 4 band members some 30+ years later.

This work can be found on my website for free download-

www.randereed.com

And while some of the tracks are somewhat, shall we say, unpolished (ahem), it does rather capture the excitement and energy the work was meant to do. I do have it in mind to re-mix this at some point in order to correct the embarrassing moments here and there, but at that time I was at the mercy of the studio and technology available to me. Not an excuse, just a statement of fact.

Yes, the music of Tull and Ian Anderson in particular has had a very profound effect upon me. To date, I've studied no other composer so closely nor learned more more songs from. And while that's been of service to me in many ways, I also don't strive to parrot his style, apart from a lark occasionally. After all, Ian Anderson created his own signature, and so should I.

Yes, this is all TMI. More than you all bargained for, no doubt. But if you've persevered, my heartfelt thanks as I've never bared my soul in this fashion previously. Must be the 3 pints speaking, with the 4th calling........


So, my question to the next poster is this-

If you could have lived in a different period/century what would it be and why?



Cheers,

RR