[Bulti]

Well, I pretty much said my previous boss to go and do things I won't mention here, so I'm actually available, lol.

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[ds968]

One of the protesters ( part of the recent chaos taking place in various cities ) was wearing a t-shirt with the logo:

God + Truth = Life .



I'm not a math major, but wouldn't that correlate to : Life - God = Truth ?



Just sayin'. LOL

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[flash]

brilliant - roflmao

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[ds968]

Or, Life - Truth = God. That's an equally amusing realization of the formula :-)



Funny, wondering if the t shirt makers gave that mater any thought.. Nah, doubtful . ( this was not a handwritten / magic marker job, it was a typical printed t, so probably more where that came from..)

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[Langley968]

My father always told me: "Not all wise men are intellectual, but few intellectuals are wise!"



I have been following this topic, and I see that most of the postings here are proving my father correct!



I say: "You cannot judge a man's character by his level of intellect, but you most certainly can judge his character by his level of wisdom!"



I pray for wisdom; for myself AND for those that I interact with.

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[flash]

roflmao - wisdom is defined as having good judgement, stemming from experience and/or knowledge. this would, by definition, require REAL events and REAL facts, not fantasy and conjecture (makes for a pretty good bed time story or movie though). waste your time however you want, but when you start with a flawed premise, you can only expect correspondingly disappointing results.

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[flash]

opp - just remembered - gotta go - need to go clean the chimney so santa claus can come down and bring me my presents

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[Rap]

Flash didn't you previously say you didn't like Christmas?

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[94SilverCab]

Flash basically hates everything...mean old curmudgeon (I mean Grinch).



Happy Holidays <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.png" class="smilie" alt="" />



Jay

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[Rap]

Jay it's ok to say Merry Christmas to your Christian friends!

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[flash]

yes, i hate christmas. i find nothing good about it. never did. if most people were truly honest, you would find that they too do not like the holiday and what it brings along with it. sure, you'll hear people say plenty of warm fuzzy things, but deep down, they are stressed about the money, travel, family issues, and everything else that comes along with that holiday. i grew up resenting the day for that very reason.

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[968Syncro]

It is often difficult to judge what authority governs ones actions. In this case we have to wonder what authority allows or prevents, or advocates or discourages a greeting of Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Winter Solstice, Happy School vacation, and many others at this time of year. Happy Pagan Winter Celebration or Happy Wiccan Turn of the Year might be the best since it is now a well documented fact that many of the traditions we associate with Christmas were in place well before Christianity was created (greenery, gifts, and feasting for example). As is often the case, newer religions adopt traditions that were already in existence and then claim them as their own.



Further ambiguity results from a complete unknown: nobody knows at all, not even close, when Jesus was born but the winter solstice celebration must have been a convenient time to celebrate Jesus that probably got convoluted into some convenient assumption that was his birth date. Too bad they didn't have better instruments, because they missed by 4 days (solstice is on the 21nd, not the 25th). People back then were wise enough to know that around this time of year the days would start getting longer again, and that transition was something to celebrate. Unfortunately we don't even know when Christianity was formally created, but the most likely date is the Council of Nicea in AD 325. At least that is apparently when the Christian Bible was created.



Anyway, the authority governing these greetings might be family traditions, your parents, your community, your city, various churches, the federal government. In this case, in the US, we have a legal basis because Dec. 25th is defined as "Christmas" by the federal government. So it seem perfectly acceptable to wish everyone you see a "Merry Christmas".



But flash makes a good point: this season has gotten totally out of control. I blame capitalism, not any of the Christan churches. I guess we could also blame PC (Political Correctness) which is a horrible disease in this country and is certainly the obligation of all of us to combat. We always kept three sets of holiday greeting cards: one with a Christian theme, one with a Jewish theme, and one generic. Then we would discuss and properly select the correct one, all the time wondering "....are you sure they are not Jewish?" I am not sure that this kind of activity enhanced my holiday experience.



Other bad stuff:

- yes, like a dummy, I pretended to my kids that there is a Santa. I lied. Why? Tradition I suppose, the governing authorities were my parents and the retail industry. Mostly likely reason I was too lazy to think about it honestly and "just followed the crowd".

- most likely as a child his parents sat Flash on Santa's lap at the mall and he cried. Probably one of those life changing events where we didn't choose wisely and this generated conflict (ha-ha!). So lighten up on him please, he gets to choose his views and actions.



So have a Merry Christmas everyone --We will have about 14 family members over for dinner, kids coming home, everybody around the same dining room table, with more dishes that can fit on the table! I have no idea who is a believer or not, and couldn't care less. My wife will play piano, some will be Christian Christmas songs (because they are really nice) others will be generic. I'll replay Adam Sandler "Happy Hanukkah" over and over again because it is hilarious may be the best "holiday song". We are going to celebrate family, friends, and neighbors and be thankful for everything that is good.



But I will protest if you put a Manger with sheep and wise men on any government property (ha-ha, NOT!).

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[94SilverCab]

I say Merry Christmas to friends I know are christian, and Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends, but honestly, so many of my friends are either "spiritual without being religious" or just plain atheist, that I hate to muddy the waters.



I had the good fortune of being Jewish (but not practicing), with a Father who was born December 25th, so we also had a big birthday celebration every year.



Mostly, I just enjoy time with friends, and any excuse to drink good wine is fine with me.



Jay

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[ds968]

Hey, what about Festivus ?! Happy Festivus everyone !!

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[94SilverCab]

Flash loves "the airing of grievances"...<img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.png" class="smilie" alt="" />



Jay

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[Rap]

I'm just concerned with some of these changes with Flash. First the 911 and then Christmas. I hope this doesn't mean a mid life cris or something! Of course a 911 isn't such a terrible solution. Flash didn't get sat on Santa's lap, he didn't get the Hot Wheels car he wanted. This is what set him on his life long love of cars and all things mechanical. To our great benefit I might add!



I say Merry Christmas to people and it's remarkable how many smile and say Merry Christmas back. Some even say it after they have said Happy Holidays. I'm tired of pc so I work on being politically incorrect. Some people look guiltily around and shush me. I remind them that we still live in the United States.



Jay is right spending time with friends and family is what it's all about.

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[flash]

lol - xmas attitude is no change. thought this way about it for pretty much my whole life. didn't even like it as a kid.



as for the car change, it's just time. i've planted my flag on that 968 mountain already. nowhere to go from here.

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[Rap]

And of course as you well know but some others might not, I'm just joshing you! Perhaps I missed it but do you even have a chimney?

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[flash]

lol - 2

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[94SilverCab]

For these freezing LA winters... <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/glare.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Jay

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