X:
Must you naturally speak in the collective. You may well be a precursor to the Borg!! I said NOTHING of your family, just referred to your earnings. The topic was taxes and how much is/was given to the needy. And charity vs. enforced altruism. As far as I know, taxes are only assessed on money (and in certain cases barter, if they can prove it). Do I measure individual's self worth by money? No. Actually, each person must measure their worth and success by their own standards, not by other's or society's.
Thank you for sharing with me some of the ways I could impress you, but you must know I do not live my life to impress others, even you. Since you hardly know me to call me shallow, narrow-minded and pathetic is ludicrous. Actually there have been psychological studies done that indicate that individuals who make snap character judgements about people they know very little of are often projecting their own character traits onto another person. Perhaps that is the case here.
Unless obtained illegally or through gambling winnings, money is a fairly good barometer of how much value a person has created, for money is the root of all good. Of course there are exceptions. Artists come to mind that may have little during their lifetime, create masterpieces of inestimable value, and are never compensated for the creations they brought in the world -- from a monetary standpoint. But they were compensated from within. The expression "Art for the sake of art" has many valid, multiple meanings.
That you are now turning extremely nasty illustrates that you are beginning to realize that much of what I say is true, and you're now attempting to protect the illusions you have carefully fabricated in your psyche.
You may desperately wish me to be a liar, but as Christine, John, Jim, Skipper, Ignatio, Holly, Mike, Hank, etc., etc. on this thread and others know, I am not. Actually, I am extremely honest, except when I'm teasing -- and I always let people know when I'm teasing.
I am NOT teasing right now.
That you despise me matters not one iota, for from your admissions of political preferences, philosophy and view of moral issues, I choose not to think of you. Obviously you have faulty judgment, so it is no surprise that you misunderstand me -- or perhaps, let's just say you don't WANT to understand me.
The Kindly and Good-hearted Father Terrence |
