Comments on: Last Lecture http://www.mandikaye.com/2007/10/02/last-lecture/ But by the grace of God, I am what I am. Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:50:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: techskeptic http://www.mandikaye.com/2007/10/02/last-lecture/#comment-2747 techskeptic Tue, 02 Oct 2007 19:27:25 +0000 http://www.mandikaye.com/2007/10/02/last-lecture/#comment-2747 I realize my posts tend to mention atheism a lot. I'm not sure why I feel compelled to do this. I know why it came to me today though. I was reading through an old article in Time magazine (How the democrats got faith). In it, is a truly disturbing poll. They asked how a view some one matter or another would affect the participants opinion. the answers were: positively, negatively or not at all. The most negatively reviewed trait out of all of them, higher than pro-choice, higher than pro-gay, higher than being a mormon, jew or anything else was if the candidate was atheist. 60% of the participant said that an atheist would negatively affect their opinion of the candidate. I could not believe my eyes. In this divided country on such truly nonsense topics like gay marriage, less people think poorly of a pro-gay candidate than a atheist one. Well then I saw this post. I saw someone who truly embodies almost every atheists attitude, I saw someone who made people <i>feel</i>. I saw someone who uses data and learns from mistakes. I saw someone who has great faith in humanity. Someone who examines the importance of events and reflects upon how to best react to them in a way that promotes the prospering of humanity. I saw an atheist... the type of person who could not get elected in this country. Very troubling. I realize my posts tend to mention atheism a lot. I’m not sure why I feel compelled to do this. I know why it came to me today though.

I was reading through an old article in Time magazine (How the democrats got faith). In it, is a truly disturbing poll.

They asked how a view some one matter or another would affect the participants opinion. the answers were: positively, negatively or not at all.

The most negatively reviewed trait out of all of them, higher than pro-choice, higher than pro-gay, higher than being a mormon, jew or anything else was if the candidate was atheist. 60% of the participant said that an atheist would negatively affect their opinion of the candidate.

I could not believe my eyes. In this divided country on such truly nonsense topics like gay marriage, less people think poorly of a pro-gay candidate than a atheist one.

Well then I saw this post. I saw someone who truly embodies almost every atheists attitude, I saw someone who made people feel. I saw someone who uses data and learns from mistakes. I saw someone who has great faith in humanity. Someone who examines the importance of events and reflects upon how to best react to them in a way that promotes the prospering of humanity. I saw an atheist… the type of person who could not get elected in this country.

Very troubling.

]]> By: ontheedgeofmyseat http://www.mandikaye.com/2007/10/02/last-lecture/#comment-2744 ontheedgeofmyseat Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:47:39 +0000 http://www.mandikaye.com/2007/10/02/last-lecture/#comment-2744 Techskeptic, I agree that "kharma" is fully involved with the law of probability. Christians have the principle too, although it's stated a different way. It's basically a farming analogy: What you sew, you will also reap. If you sew resentment, bitterness, anger, that's what you'll reap. That is so awesome that his family let him write equations on the walls! I will definately listen to the whole lecture! Techskeptic, I agree that “kharma” is fully involved with the law of probability. Christians have the principle too, although it’s stated a different way. It’s basically a farming analogy: What you sew, you will also reap. If you sew resentment, bitterness, anger, that’s what you’ll reap.

That is so awesome that his family let him write equations on the walls! I will definately listen to the whole lecture!

]]> By: techskeptic http://www.mandikaye.com/2007/10/02/last-lecture/#comment-2742 techskeptic Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:04:30 +0000 http://www.mandikaye.com/2007/10/02/last-lecture/#comment-2742 He said something that truly rang true with me, because its something I have told many people many times (although I have said ti in a different way). "if you lead your life in the right way, the karma will come to you" or something like that. Im guessing he is an atheist or Buddhist because THAT is right attitude (I of course could be wrong, I dont know for sure, and I know plenty of cheery Christians). He truly embodies an atheists outlook on life. i could be wrong, but when you think of an atheist, everyone I know has this exact perspective on life. BTW, we are all dying, that is why atheists are generally cheery and active, we know we got 78 years on average (85 if we can make it to 60) to get all the fun stuff done. The concept of Karma happens within one lifetime, not over many. Its a statistical process, NOT a mystical one. If you put yourself in an environment where you are trusting and nice to people, on average people will be trusting and nice to you. If you put yourself into a violent, or dishonest environment, you can expect to watch your back you whole life (no thanks). There is plenty of times "shit happens" there are plenty of times that you get a windfall of some sort or another.There are good people who bad things happen to, and bad people who get away with murder. Outliers do not define the averages. The golden rule is a product of the success of humanity as a species, not a mystical truth handed down by magical beings. from his website: "Somewhere during my treatment, somebody asked me if having cancer had made me believe less, or more, in God. I replied that I didn't know, but it sure had made me believe more in <b>people</b>." Exactly. Thanks for posting that, amanda. Its really an inspiring lecture Here is the <a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=362421849901825950&hl=en" rel="nofollow"> whole lecture </a> I fully recommend seeing the whole thing. Pausch's website http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/news/index.html I highly recommend seeing the whole thing (first 8 minutes are just introductions) "I want to close by once again thanking everyone at Carnegie Mellon, <b>our church</b>, and our friends and family, who have been so wonderful to us." I stand corrected. Still, when you think of an atheist, Pausch embodies what you should be thinking. That is an attitude I recognize not only in myself, but in almost everyone I know (mostly atheists). Not Stalin. He said something that truly rang true with me, because its something I have told many people many times (although I have said ti in a different way).

“if you lead your life in the right way, the karma will come to you” or something like that.

Im guessing he is an atheist or Buddhist because THAT is right attitude (I of course could be wrong, I dont know for sure, and I know plenty of cheery Christians). He truly embodies an atheists outlook on life. i could be wrong, but when you think of an atheist, everyone I know has this exact perspective on life. BTW, we are all dying, that is why atheists are generally cheery and active, we know we got 78 years on average (85 if we can make it to 60) to get all the fun stuff done.

The concept of Karma happens within one lifetime, not over many. Its a statistical process, NOT a mystical one. If you put yourself in an environment where you are trusting and nice to people, on average people will be trusting and nice to you. If you put yourself into a violent, or dishonest environment, you can expect to watch your back you whole life (no thanks). There is plenty of times “shit happens” there are plenty of times that you get a windfall of some sort or another.There are good people who bad things happen to, and bad people who get away with murder. Outliers do not define the averages.

The golden rule is a product of the success of humanity as a species, not a mystical truth handed down by magical beings.

from his website:
“Somewhere during my treatment, somebody asked me if having cancer had made me believe less, or more, in God. I replied that I didn’t know, but it sure had made me believe more in people.”

Exactly.

Thanks for posting that, amanda. Its really an inspiring lecture

Here is the whole lecture
I fully recommend seeing the whole thing.

Pausch’s website
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/news/index.html
I highly recommend seeing the whole thing (first 8 minutes are just introductions)

“I want to close by once again thanking everyone at Carnegie Mellon, our church, and our friends and family, who have been so wonderful to us.”

I stand corrected. Still, when you think of an atheist, Pausch embodies what you should be thinking. That is an attitude I recognize not only in myself, but in almost everyone I know (mostly atheists). Not Stalin.

]]>