Your favorite person?

[Harvey]

I have never had more admiration for a single person than Mr. Rogers, the late host of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.

My mother would always refer to him and even go as far as to call him her genuine father since her real father tended to be an alcoholic and verbally abusive. I took it for granted at the time then I began to tune into reruns of his show and read his books: I fell in love with his philosophy on life, his acceptance of other people and the reverence he held for children. I have never heard of a man that could truly see the value in people -- and man in general -- like this man could. Everything I can say now would be understatements.

What I most admired was that he thought children were thoughtful people and that they deserved intelligent television. I find that children are looked down upon nowadays but this man gave them the credit they deserved and he especially did it through his program: He treated them with respect, he treated them as equal human beings.

Mr. Rogers will always hold a special place in my heart through how he comforted my mother, the insight he has given me and through his virtues I admire.

Now, how about you? Who do you hold dear?

[Yankee (BitInstant)]

Menachem Begin and David Ben-Gurion. Although they opposed each other most of their political career's, they were actually good friends.

Both are the undisputed founders of the modern state of Israel and prime ministers, both had to go thru so much shit in their lifetimes.

If I got into it now, it would take pages to explain why both of them were amazing people, but having read their diaries, autobiographies and books from other people as well as my degree in middle eastern studies, I can tell you that you should read about them both.

"In order to be a realist, sometimes you must believe in miracles" - David Ben Gurion

[Phinnaeus Gage]

Here's mine. He's the man!



And I'm truly buying you lunch or dinner during the convention. I honestly believe that you, being you, will be one of the main highlights of the convention. And I don't mean that in a snide way.

[teflone]

Whos that? Hawkings ?

[Harvey]

Both are the undisputed founders of the modern state of Israel and prime ministers...

I'll definitely look into them but considering the massive genocide, violence and exile it took to establish Israel, I can't help but find myself perplexed. I remain open to other virtues though.

[Harvey]

Here's mine. He's the man!

http://25.media.tumblr.com/R4ne3Fp4npxolxujGWgCvgIho1_400.jpg

And I'm truly buying you lunch or dinner during the convention. I honestly believe that you, being you, will be one of the main highlights of the convention. And I don't mean that in a snide way.

Don't worry and don't be tactful, Phinnaeus. I look forward to seeing you.

[Yankee (BitInstant)]

Both are the undisputed founders of the modern state of Israel and prime ministers...

I'll definitely look into them but considering the massive genocide, violence and exile it took to establish Israel, I can't help but find myself perplexed. I remain open to other virtues though.

Which genocide? The 6 million Jews that were killed in the Holocaust?
Which Exile? The millions of Jews living in Muslim countries Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Morocco and others before 1948 which were kicked out without notice and any of their money? My family lived in Syria for hundreds of years and then one day "get the fuck out!"

[Harvey]

Both are the undisputed founders of the modern state of Israel and prime ministers...

I'll definitely look into them but considering the massive genocide, violence and exile it took to establish Israel, I can't help but find myself perplexed. I remain open to other virtues though.

Which genocide? The 6 million Jews that were killed in the Holocaust?
Which Exile? The millions of Jews living in Muslim countries Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Morocco and others before 1948 which were kicked out without notice and any of their money? My family lived in Syria for hundreds of years and then one day "get the fuck out!"

The previous wrongs are irrelevant. Those generations are gone. The Palestinians who occupied Israel at the time of their exile did not commit the atrocities that were committed by their forefathers. If the Jews want to set an example of love and forgiveness, they would not hold a grudge against an innocent generation of people. The lives that were lost had committed no crime to deserve their fate.

Do not force sentient individuals into a collective that can't think, feel nor much less be considered an organism. Innocent individuals were lost in the name of mere whims whether you considered them a part of a people that has hurt you or not.

It's a travesty that individual, innocent and important sentient beings can be lost only due to mere generational conflicts.

[RodeoX]

Mr. Rodgers is cool enough. Back when the U.S. invaded Haiti I spent some time with the army special forces. Being the new guy, the troops could not resist screwing with me. They had me convinced that Fred Rodgers had been a baddass sniper.  In retrospect, wtf was I thinking?

But my favorite person? Well, I wish I was as smart as Richard Dawkins.

[teflone]

Please, for the love of god.. THINK of the Sentient beings!

[Harvey]

Please, for the love of god.. THINK of the Sentient beings!

Why not?

[Andrew Bitcoiner]

At different ages of life I could answer this with names of different men.  At this point I have so many favorites that I can't.  But for some reason a name comes to mind that very few- that I know of- can claim as noble or as a well lived a life as Erwin Rommel.  That he willingly chose to end his life to protect his family from a terrible tyrant's wrath speaks more then words can express when compared to the vain and selfish age we live in.

[Yankee (BitInstant)]

Both are the undisputed founders of the modern state of Israel and prime ministers...

I'll definitely look into them but considering the massive genocide, violence and exile it took to establish Israel, I can't help but find myself perplexed. I remain open to other virtues though.

Which genocide? The 6 million Jews that were killed in the Holocaust?
Which Exile? The millions of Jews living in Muslim countries Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Morocco and others before 1948 which were kicked out without notice and any of their money? My family lived in Syria for hundreds of years and then one day "get the fuck out!"

The previous wrongs are irrelevant. Those generations are gone. The Palestinians who occupied Israel at the time of their exile did not commit the atrocities that were committed by their forefathers. If the Jews want to set an example of love and forgiveness, they would not hold a grudge against an innocent generation of people. The lives that were lost had committed no crime to deserve their fate.

Do not force sentient individuals into a collective that can't think, feel nor much less be considered an organism. Innocent individuals were lost in the name of mere whims whether you considered them a part of a people that has hurt you or not.

It's a travesty that individual, innocent and important sentient beings can be lost only due to mere generational conflicts.

'Palestinian' just refers to someone who was living in that land. Palestine does not exist, there are Palestinian Jews and Palestinian Arabs.
There was no such thing as a Palestinian nationalistic dream, as the terrorist organizations like to make you believe. It simply did not exist.
They were not exiled in 1948, they were scared the Israeli military would murder them- which they did not. All Palestinian Arabs that stayed are Israeli citizens and have more rights then if they lived in Muslim theocracies.

In fact, both prime ministers Golda Meir and Itzhak Shamir traveled to all the Muslim cities in Israel BEGGING them not to leave, granting them full citizenship and telling them the Israeli state is not a religious one.

The Israeli government has shown love and forgiveness. Isn't it time the Palestinian's do the same, stop shooting rockets every day our cities, killing our people and acknowledge out right to exist?

Honestly, this is not a conversation for a Bitcoin forum. If you wanna respond, we can gladly jump on a skype call and discuss  
I should warn you though I consider myself a historian in this subject, hold degrees and have spoken on this subject.

Cheers

[Harvey]

Both are the undisputed founders of the modern state of Israel and prime ministers...

I'll definitely look into them but considering the massive genocide, violence and exile it took to establish Israel, I can't help but find myself perplexed. I remain open to other virtues though.

Which genocide? The 6 million Jews that were killed in the Holocaust?
Which Exile? The millions of Jews living in Muslim countries Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Morocco and others before 1948 which were kicked out without notice and any of their money? My family lived in Syria for hundreds of years and then one day "get the fuck out!"

The previous wrongs are irrelevant. Those generations are gone. The Palestinians who occupied Israel at the time of their exile did not commit the atrocities that were committed by their forefathers. If the Jews want to set an example of love and forgiveness, they would not hold a grudge against an innocent generation of people. The lives that were lost had committed no crime to deserve their fate.

Do not force sentient individuals into a collective that can't think, feel nor much less be considered an organism. Innocent individuals were lost in the name of mere whims whether you considered them a part of a people that has hurt you or not.

It's a travesty that individual, innocent and important sentient beings can be lost only due to mere generational conflicts.

...the terrorist organizations..

Cheers

If there wasn't organized-oppression, there wouldn't be organized-resistance; what you call "terrorism" would not exist. The Palestinians were rightfully scared because they were truly under duress; their political sovereignty was threatened and removed. Anyways, that's all I have to say in regard to this matter. The current state of Israel was not founded on peace.

In the end, it's all just a globalist plot by UN and friends to create further conflict in the area. We're on our way towards World War III.

[ineededausername]

Both are the undisputed founders of the modern state of Israel and prime ministers...

I'll definitely look into them but considering the massive genocide, violence and exile it took to establish Israel, I can't help but find myself perplexed. I remain open to other virtues though.

Which genocide? The 6 million Jews that were killed in the Holocaust?
Which Exile? The millions of Jews living in Muslim countries Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Morocco and others before 1948 which were kicked out without notice and any of their money? My family lived in Syria for hundreds of years and then one day "get the fuck out!"

The previous wrongs are irrelevant. Those generations are gone. The Palestinians who occupied Israel at the time of their exile did not commit the atrocities that were committed by their forefathers. If the Jews want to set an example of love and forgiveness, they would not hold a grudge against an innocent generation of people. The lives that were lost had committed no crime to deserve their fate.

Do not force sentient individuals into a collective that can't think, feel nor much less be considered an organism. Innocent individuals were lost in the name of mere whims whether you considered them a part of a people that has hurt you or not.

It's a travesty that individual, innocent and important sentient beings can be lost only due to mere generational conflicts.

+1... tribal (or essentially tribal) allegiance is the downfall of diplomacy, all around the world.

[Andrew Bitcoiner]

+1... tribal (or essentially tribal) allegiance is the downfall of diplomacy, all around the world.

tribes are essentially diplomatic by definition.  primary loyalty's always trump secondary ones and globalization makes this tendency more pronounced, not less.

[Harvey]

Tribal loyalty and xenophobia made sense when humanity was in small groups. It rarely led to huge conflicts that reached outside the people who were involved.

Allegiance to large overreaching governments with countless nuclear weapons -- now that's dangerous to everyone on the planet.

[Andrew Bitcoiner]

Tribal loyalty and xenophobia made sense when humanity was in small groups. It rarely led to huge conflicts that reached outside the people who were involved.

It makes even more sense in large groups.

[Matthew N. Wright]

Throughout my childhood, my favorite person was defaulted to me up until I discover someone who can do something I can't at which point my new favorite person became them until a point at which I was moderately professional at what I do or lost interest in it. Rodney Mullen for example is a good model for "favorite person" to skateboarders, especially myself since I skate his style (freestyle/flatland/old school) much more than new school break-every-bone-in-your-body-as-early-as-possible-in-life style.

These days, having been hurled into economics, politics and cryptography thanks to discovering Bitcoin, I have thousands of "favorite people". I doubt I'll ever be my own favorite person again in this lifetime. From this understanding I deduce that the whole concept of having a favorite person, much less being your own, is a juvenile concept that comes from a lack of social and international awareness. I see everyone as just a different plant now at different stages of growth.

[genjix]

I love this video from Mr Rogers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXEuEUQIP3Q

There are lots of interesting people, but one of the greatest was Carl Sagan.

Others I like: Thomas Henry Huxley, Ahmad Shah Massoud, James Burke, Jane Jacobs, Chung Ju-yung, ... They all either have interesting life stories or enlightened me in a huge way (Burke and Jacobs). There are many more on my list:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Genjix/Backroom_storage