kb5462

I am so intensely embarrassed to be British today, and even more so to be English. A foolish, foolish choice, and one we will undoubtedly regret.

This is a question that has been floating round all my IR friends, with a wide variety of answers: Does a society need to have justice in order to have peace? Justice/peace can be defined as you like - effectively interpret the question as you will. I'm just interested in seeing responses!

There is a difference between the flag being racist (overt racism - i.e. this flag is only used to denote the racist elements of the old South etc.), and the flag being associated with racism (inferred racism - i.e. the flag might have other representations, but it gets associated with racism, or is seen as a representation of racism, because of the way it has been used). I think the Confederate flag ultimately falls into the second category - it's not racist in and of itself, but you can't take it out of context; there is a certain capability for menace in that flag that people will exploit. Then again, I am torn when I consider things like Stephens' Cornerstone Speech. I firmly believe that nothing in this world occurs in isolation. So it's all well and good talking about the flag's way back in the Civil War... but you also have to look at the meanings that flag has had attributed to it in the time that has passed since then. It is a flag with ugly connotations, there's no denying that, and it's certainly divisive; it makes sense not to fly it on state buildings etc. Whether or not it should be banned is an utterly different question, and I'm erring on the side of no, because ultimately it's someone's choice if they want it flown on private property. I do wonder, though, whether approaching this from a Christian perspective would define the flag as an idol, considering the societal mess surrounding it. Thoughts?

Please don't underestimate the efficacy of medication for mental illness. If you've never experienced the gut-wrenching, soul-destroying phenomenon of major depressive disorder, it's hard to understand. But, the idea that SSRIs (or indeed, other antidepressants) "cover up your feelings" is both scientifically incorrect, and doesn't tally with the experiences of the vast majority of those who have been treated with them. For example, the best way I can explain my experience with SSRIs is that they allowed me the opportunity to be normal - to experience a wide range of emotions, from happiness to sadness to excitement to joy to anger, rather than just explosive emptiness. In combination with therapy, they are considered to be the most efficacious treatment for major depressive disorder, and it's utterly irresponsible to comment on them without properly understanding them. That said, OP, have you tried speaking to your parents? It might be worth telling them you are feeling left out and upset. It's probably not intentional, from what you describe, and it may just take a quick conversation to realign things.

Trigger Warning: Is the Fear of Being Offensive Killing Free Speech? by Mike Hume The Atom Station by Halldór Laxness

I eat them regularly. Have you ever been outside the country you were born in?

I'm not suggesting that isn't the case, but what I am saying is that purely because something does happen, doesn't mean it should happen. We can't sit on our high horses in the West, with our comfortable lives and our national security, and condemn the Palestinian people for putting their faith in people like Hamas, all the while pouring funds into Israel who are equally violating human rights with our support. I won't support Israel's violation of human rights, any more than I'll support the US/the UK's violation of human rights in Kunduz last October, any more than I'll support the violation of human rights in Rwanda in 1994 etc. Human rights are human rights.

The Peacock Spring - Rumer Godden

That latter question's really got me thinking about teaching styles, Montessori, Rudolph Steiner etc. I'm gonna have to sit back and ponder awhile, but I'll message you later I guess I am very much conditioned by British culture; homeschooling is a rarity in the UK, and with no requirements to follow any kind of national curriculum, very little information is actually known about what kind of education is being provided. The law simply states that you have to have a 'suitable education' provided.

I think there are valuable and nuanced social skills garnered from going to school (whether it be public/state or private), that you simply cannot learn being homeschooled.

That doesn't make a difference in terms of war crimes.

Not American, but I'll weigh in. I'm for a two-state-solution, with international recognition of the state of Palestine, and a suitable solution to Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. Furthermore, we need to hold Israel and Palestine accountable for their war crimes - Israel does not have a get-out-of-jail-free card for deliberately targeting UN shelters for Palestinian citizens. Significant human rights abuses are occurring every day in the Occupied West Bank, and those are no more justifiable than Hamas suicide bombers.

Yet, the world doesn't work like that. People don't think like that. I'm not really interested in persuading people to be pro-choice or pro-life. But I do think we should be realists. What's going to be more effective for the pro-life side, "I understand how hard it is for you right now. Hearing your story and your situation is important to me. I can see why abortion is appealing to you; please, let me offer you an alternative where you are not alone.", or "you're killing an innocent person." ? I think we can all work out which.

I'm gonna disagree with Becky slightly here, but hear me out. What I'm gonna say is meant in love. You need to meet people half-way. Facebook/text etc. are different kinds of communication, not a failure to communicate. I sense a lot of judgement in the way you talk about people who are connected through social media, and I can understand it to an extent. But, the simple fact of the matter is that we live in a world where instantaneous connection is the norm now. We live hectic lives with busy, jam-packed schedules, and therefore, face-to-face or over-the-phone communication isn't necessarily what's practical anymore. Throughout my teenage years (and just before), even though smartphones were a thing etc., it was still very normal for me to call up my friends on their landline. But, times have changed, and it's now much more common for me to call someone on FaceTime or through Facebook! So, perhaps some practical suggestions: Get Skype. If people want your Facebook or whatever, tell them you don't have one, but you can chat over Skype if they get the app (which is free). It'll go straight to their smartphone, and you can still communicate from your home computer. It's instantaneous social media for them, no need to get a smartphone for you. It's free, it's easy, etc. If possible, when you go to college, get a mobile phone you can text on. It doesn't have to be fancy, doesn't have to be a smartphone etc. but it's gonna mean you get included in things. People aren't not communicating with you out of malice, they're assuming that you communicate in the same way as them. The mass text that goes round to your Bible study group saying "Let's get ice cream tonight!" isn't designed to exclude you... it's probably just that people totally don't realise that you don't use that kind of media. I just looked on Amazon USA and you can get a standard, no frills cell phone for $6.50, and a pay-as-you-go SIM card (with 100 pre-paid minutes on it) for $4.90. Ask people if they want to do things before or after already scheduled events. For example, why not ask someone if they want to grab a coffee the hour before your youth group? Sometimes what people want is a chilled activity that lets them get to know you, rather than something super organised. There is a point where you've got to stop trying, though. And it's really clear that you're putting in the effort here. Just remember people see the world differently to you

I was doing some reading on Christian fasting, and I found this great quote from Methodist minister William Arthur Ward that I thought others might also be blessed by!

Congratulations! May God bless your marriage and the adventure you're about to embark upon!

Let Me Be A Woman, by Elisabeth Elliot Coromandel Sea Change, by Rumer Godden

^^^^^^^^

I don't know where other people live, but I live in the UK, which is arguably a post-Christian society, and I've seen plenty of people holding religiously-motivated signs outside abortion clinics.

I'm obsessed by self-improvement. Mindfulness, Christian living, prayer, organisation, productivity, efficiency, exercise, health, diet, meditation - you name it, I've probably got a notebook crammed with jottings on the subject. I spend a large amount of time researching slightly odd topics. Current flavour-of-the-month is secret societies and the global conspiracy. Low-key obsessed with perfecting the ultimate iTunes playlist, too.

Black Narcissus, by Rumer Godden One of my favourite books by one of my favourite authors