SOB's Collected Ramblings

Who am I?

I am a big, warm, kind but ferocious Bear (not a teddy bear). An equalist. Danish, well spoken, loyal, caring, history buff, spiritual, ACDF, socially anxious, musical, artistic, dog owner, married, and Jewish.

What am I about?

My life is dedicated to Tikkun Olam - Mending The World - if need be one being at a time. I don't have time for stupidity, I have no patience with arrogance, false humility, hypocrisy or intellectual dishonesty. If I think you are either of the above, I will call you on it. I will say that the Emperor is naked, even if the whole world says he is dressed and even if it hurts the Emperor's feelings.

I am very passionate about Human Rights, Children's Rights and Equal Rights, and chances are that if you are not, I am going to be up your rear with a chainsaw.

I believe that G-d, the Creator of all there is, meant us to be His hands, eyes and voice to each other in Life. That is the task we have been charged with, and that is what we are here to do. It doesn't matter to me what path you choose to do this on, as long as that is what you are doing.

In addition to being a Bear, I am also an Ogre - like Shrek - and like all Ogres I am bound to respond forcefully to kicks in the groin, burnings of my house, beating of my kids and friends. I am also VERY grumpy in the morning. I am true to myself, not to you or to social conventions. I have been through and seen so much bull crap and horse manure in my life, that I'll bet my last dime that I recognize both when they come across my path. If you poop on my floor, I will ask you to scoop it up and put it in the trash. If you do, that's the last you will hear about it, if you don't, if you don't, I'll come after to you till you do or one of us die, which ever comes first.

Here are all the blogs that I am allowed to link to on Care2:

Silly Old Bear/Ogre

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Pro-Isms vs. Anti-Isms

Aug 8, 2006

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Something struck me yesterday, when contemplating the Raging War between the those in support of Israel and those opposed to Israel.

The pattern of reasoning, the techniques used to propagate the ideas of each side, the deceptions, the selective reading of arguments that don't fit the own view etc., is the same regardless of what you put after the "pro-" and the "anti-" It places the pro and the anti at opposite ends of a linear scale where 0 is the position of not taking sides.

There can never be understanding, compromise, openmindedness and peace where there is polarization. Like I said in another Blog-entry "Extremism is the opposite of Truth."

I usually get accused by the Anti-Israeli Camp of being Anti-Palestinian. When the truth is that I am Pro-Both.

That is really interesting - it seems that if you consider yourself to be Anti-Something you a more or less assume that "the opposition" is Anti-SomethingOther. While those who are Pro Something, usually think that their "opposition" is Pro-SomethingOther.

Negative thinking and Positive thinking...

No-one seem to be able to contemplate the possibility of changing the approach. Of thinking that perhaps it's possinble to be Pro both Something and SomethingOther, without having to compromise.

If the General Scale looks like this:

Then you can apply it to anything - and place the Pro and the Anti at each end - now imagine that you place your Pro at the end of one scale and the "other's" position at the PRO end of another scale - like this:

http://dingo.care2.com/pictures/c2c/galleries/albums/131592056/News/Scale2.jpg

See what happened? Your position and the position of "the Other" is exactly the same. This is Absolute Equal - not being in the middle of the scale. By applying this "Dual Scale Model" it is possible to be equally pro or anti two seemingly opposite positions.

The best of it all is that you get rid of the polarization.

It seems to me that if you look at the pictures and think about the + and the - what you find is that those who position themselves on the AntiSomething/AntiSomething Other end up in Negative thinking, while those who take position of ProSomething/ProSomethingOther end up in Positive thinking. The former negate both, while the latter affirm both. The Anti-People don't get either. The Pro-People get both.

Shalom!

This article, including artworks and photos are © Henric C. Jensen aka Shadow Bear and are NOT public domain, unless otherwise specified.

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Tags: israel, anti, palestine, pro, extremism, shadowbear
Posted: Aug 8, 2006 6:08pm

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