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To: nommedeguerre who wrote (20289)	6/28/1998 2:08:00 PM
From: Andy Thomas	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24154

I suppose it's true that you can't change the laws of nature (life being black and white). That doesn't change my opinion that "skank" is a bit too harsh a term for someone... anyone. There are people who struggle there... the same woman said once "I have to pretend I love the company and..." this was after she'd been hanging around with me for a few days <g>.... maybe she'd just noted my mortfication at her earlier comments and was later trying to mollify me... Andy

To: nommedeguerre who wrote (20289)	6/28/1998 4:41:00 PM
From: Charles Hughes	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24154

WAY OFF TOPIC: >>>Life is black and white; people are gray. Ever see a wild animal roll a drunk for a 'pack of smokes'?<<< This is an interesting issue to me. Actually I think animals are pretty conflicted too. For instance, recent genetic and behavioural research shows that animals frequently have altruistic tendencies. For instance, some individuals will care for the young of other species, a fact that has benefited humans on occasion. Human personality is just a small extension of mammalian personality, far as I can tell. What's different it that we have the mental resources to rationalize about our behaviour, attempting to portray it as under conscious control, but not the self control or intelligence to actually act out of character much. We have dangerous mental resources and technologies, but I do not think our emotional range or degree of emotional confliction are much different. Nor do I think the process of being conscious from moment to moment is that different for animals. We get, we protect, we prey, we dominate, we fear, we attempt to attract mates. We posture, we associate, we trample weaker animals that get in our way. We are shaped by circumstance, react inappropriately based on past stresses, make alliances with other species, sometimes even taking care of their young for no reason. We feel pain and fear death. We seek the comfort of others and the pleasures they may give us. We attempt to procreate. We approach and retreat. We fight to the death, and stage fights that are in no way serious. My horses and dogs have done all that. We also think about this and sometimes hold ourselves to a higher standard, but the product of that is mostly illusion. We are just poorly equipped for running the world that we have inherited, and the evidence of that is that whole percentages of the species on Earth now disappear every generation. Are we to be scorned for our behaviour, or pitied for having the conscious ability to appreciate our situation but not the abilities and emotional set to be capable of truly controlling ourselves and preventing what seems to be our inevitable tragedy? Have a nice day, Chaz