Comments on: The Hard Work Of Being A Citizen http://www.diamondcutlife.org/the-hard-work-of-being-a-citizen/ Sustainable Living: More Joy And Less Consumption Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:46:06 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Alison http://www.diamondcutlife.org/the-hard-work-of-being-a-citizen/comment-page-1/#comment-22116 Alison Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:12:11 +0000 http://www.diamondcutlife.org/?p=1372#comment-22116 I agree with you, Ms. Poet. Green Power Guy, I think my example concerning drinking was unclear, not well expressed. I meant for drinking to be an example of wanting to always feel good and ward away any discomfort. I think the Sarah Palin camp does a similarly undisciplined thing, in dismissing any facts or information that would lead to them feeling uncomfortable. Healthy adults and healthy nations deal constructively with hard things. Being self-indulgent, by whatever means, gets in the way of doing that. I agree with you that we're in an information-based economy . . . . . but it hasn't necessarily led to increased quality of life for most people. I think you and I agree that we would like to see that happen :) I agree with you, Ms. Poet.

Green Power Guy, I think my example concerning drinking was unclear, not well expressed. I meant for drinking to be an example of wanting to always feel good and ward away any discomfort. I think the Sarah Palin camp does a similarly undisciplined thing, in dismissing any facts or information that would lead to them feeling uncomfortable. Healthy adults and healthy nations deal constructively with hard things. Being self-indulgent, by whatever means, gets in the way of doing that.

I agree with you that we’re in an information-based economy . . . . . but it hasn’t necessarily led to increased quality of life for most people. I think you and I agree that we would like to see that happen :)

]]> By: Crafty Green poet http://www.diamondcutlife.org/the-hard-work-of-being-a-citizen/comment-page-1/#comment-22048 Crafty Green poet Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:35:04 +0000 http://www.diamondcutlife.org/?p=1372#comment-22048 there's a strong vein of anti-intellectualism running through British society too and some of our politicians love to tap into that. We need a different kind of education, one that builds up people's knowledge about the world as it is but also builds up their abilities to be genuinely citizens in the ways that you outline, to think for themselves and to develop the type of curiosity that makes them want to find solutions. We also i think need to find a way of making people more active with their leisure time, all that time that the average person spends in front of the tv (which is pretty undemanding stuff intellectually for the most part) could be spent in ways that are more stimulating and more enjoyable. there’s a strong vein of anti-intellectualism running through British society too and some of our politicians love to tap into that. We need a different kind of education, one that builds up people’s knowledge about the world as it is but also builds up their abilities to be genuinely citizens in the ways that you outline, to think for themselves and to develop the type of curiosity that makes them want to find solutions. We also i think need to find a way of making people more active with their leisure time, all that time that the average person spends in front of the tv (which is pretty undemanding stuff intellectually for the most part) could be spent in ways that are more stimulating and more enjoyable.

]]> By: Grnpwrguy http://www.diamondcutlife.org/the-hard-work-of-being-a-citizen/comment-page-1/#comment-21950 Grnpwrguy Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:22:32 +0000 http://www.diamondcutlife.org/?p=1372#comment-21950 I think all humans have some "faults" and within reason the taking of wine seems to be just one fairly minor example. What seems to be needed in response to Sarah's anti-intellectual posing, is less a call to a more puritan lifestyle, rather I would point to the increased quality of life that can occur in an information based economy such as ours! I think all humans have some “faults” and within reason the taking of wine seems to be just one fairly minor example. What seems to be needed in response to Sarah’s anti-intellectual posing, is less a call to a more puritan lifestyle, rather I would point to the increased quality of life that can occur in an information based economy such as ours!

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