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Jake Maddox

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Do you find it difficult to engage in intellectual conversations with people in general?

It happens to me all the time. My wife encourages me to have dinner with her friend and her friend's husband. "It's the opportunity to socialize and meet new interesting people!", she proclaims. And yet the same boring conversations unfold. The guy rambles on about how many yards this guy ran, and how many interceptions this guy threw, and did you see how many spiders that guy ate on Fear Factor, etc, etc. I ask something like, "Hey, did you see that they possibly discovered the Higgs Boson at the LHC?" And the guy looks at me like I'm from Mars, "The LH what?". Then my wife makes a comment like I'm a nerd then everyone laughs. I'm far from a social misfit or hobbit, I just prefer to discuss things that stimulate me intellectually. I hope I don't offend anyone for saying so, but most of the time I feel like I'm surrounded by people that are intellectually challenged, to put it kindly. And maybe that's just it, if you consider that the average intellectual quotient is around 100. They're easily entertained and amuzed to watch television shows cataloging the "real world" of college kids living in a house together, arguing over who got the most trashed the night before at the club.

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    Don Wesley 50+

    • +2
    Aug 30 2012: To: Dear Jake.
    The lesson I have learned, over and over again, is that even in so called intellectual conversations, with good people, we can still hurt one another, with small ugly, cutting, snide and facetious remarks. Wise memories tell me to “Think before spilling the Ink” [writing], Otherwise we may miss the opportunity to deliver "Kindness from our Hearts."
    I think about that and say to myself "Don, you missed an opportunity to deliver some Kindness."
    We need to deliver true Kindness [at every opportunity] and not just say “we agree or disagree with them.” We must truly thank each other for their ideas; “trend softly upon them,” the saying goes
    We can reply that we were only being funny but, misperceived the cuts do hurt.
    I think about the old words - "Death by a thousand cuts." I didn't intend to hurt you, but obviously I did. Forgive me Jake?
    I know, God wants us to be Kind with one another.
    I ask you, please look at a picture of a young boy; I know him very well. http://innjustice.blogspot.ca/2011/05/look-of-kindness-in-action.html
    Here is another lesson picture I keep for myself - http://innjustice.blogspot.ca/2011/12/hear-no-evil-see-no-evil-and-speak-no.html
    I do Love you, Jake.
    I can imagine that even this comment of mine maybe misperceived; hopefully not.
    Don
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      Justin Elkin

      • +2
      Aug 30 2012: I empathize with this viewpoint and understand and admire your ability to imagine misperception. Faith is a tricky subject I have found. My experiences have led me to think the difficulty lies in the individuals logical ability. Most employ either a deductive logic/argument system or a abstract logic/argument system. The more of one way one employs the less of the other it can and in this way extraction of inherent collaborative effort in life suffers. A battle of "good and evil", "ignorance and enlightenment", etc. Pervades our existence with understandings of this to varying degrees. The implications and personifications of this are immeasurable. Perhaps the missing link everyone is privy to is inherent inability to deductively abstract a "faith", a raison d'etre, from the state of mind alluded to before the "battle of good and evil" began.
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        Don Wesley 50+

        • +1
        Aug 30 2012: Thank you Justin, for Caring enough to tell me.
        I can see your Awareness is broad and deep.
        For me the State of Awareness and Caring, is the State of Love.
        There are things that logic cannot lead us to; but faith in 'Intuition' can allow us to predict that some stories appear to reveal a whole truth, while other stories, have us looking for the stories behind the story; endless stories. To keep in this faith-metaphor; the Devil keeps us looking endlessly while he does his evil work right under our nose. That way we miss opportunities to be in a State of Love. In a State of Love, we deliver more Kindness. You can see therefore why I feel your contribution has exceptional value.
        I am not saying you believe what I believe; only you can reveal that.
        When life doesn't shield us from ‘man-made-suffering,’ Kindness is the Power that gets us back up on our feet and into a State of Love. When we have belief in this Truth we see the Awesome Power of God.
        http://innjustice.blogspot.ca/2012/07/to-create-what-intuition-reveals.html
        Aware and Caring about you,
        Don
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      Jake Maddox

      • +1
      Aug 30 2012: You seem to be a good-hearted and genuine man Don. Much is lost in communication without our intonations and inflections. No hard feelings here. Take care buddy.
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        Don Wesley 50+

        • 0
        Aug 30 2012: Dear Jake,

        I am very pleased with your kind reply.
        I intuitively knew it was coming.

        Spilling those feelings out in Ink.
        Aware and Caring about you,

        Don
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          Jake Maddox

          • +1
          Aug 31 2012: I can often be unknowingly quite brash Don. It's a personal flaw. You'll see it in my replies and comments. I have good intentions I just can be a bit too straight forward at times. Best wishes.
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      Elizabeth Gu 30+

      • +2
      Aug 31 2012: I'll keep that in mind even if it wasn't for me lol :)
      Appreciate your sincere advice, Don.
      You seem truly wise and warm-hearted...

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