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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
NewYorkLawyer
Published Letters: 132 Editor's Choice: 13
Whether mirror neurons are a metaphor for empathy, create it or merely reflect it, the one thing that emerges from this article that in humainty, empahy has reached an evolutionary zenity. Whteher it is a metaphor or a physical reality, this qual;ity which lies at the heart of what a human is has another name: love
You might be interested in a comment on mourning posted to my blog: http://www,johnklotz.blogspot.com
And please n ote one crusicial aspect of empathy illustrated by the failure of the writer to act on his feelings for woman in the subway. He chose not to act. Lo0ve, more than any other human act, is act of FREE WILL>
Typos are my bain, but my above post is ridiculous. This will be better.
Whether mirror neurons are a metaphor for empathy, create it or merely reflect it, the one thing that emerges from this article that in humanity, empathy has reached an evolutionary zenith. Whether it is a metaphor or a physical reality, this quality which lies at the heart of what a human is, has another name: love.
You might be interested in a comment on mourning posted to my blog: http://johnklotz.blogspot.com
And please note one crucial aspect of empathy illustrated by the failure of the writer to act on his feelings for woman in the subway. He chose not to act. Acting on empathy -love -more than any other human act, is act of FREE WILL. Excuse the caps, but given the drive of some scientists to reduce every human act to some kind of determinism or other, the fact is we do have a the freedom of choice.
WE must not think that the the barrier between science and theology is so immutable. Many things which were "theology" in the past are now science. Perhaps the most obvious example is Adam and Eve's sin being the genesis of evil and the evil inclinations of humanity. Wind and volcanoes were once the province of theology, not science. So to declare that this point or that point will always be the demarcation, or that there always will be a demarcation, may be either arrogance or an intellectual exercise of the territorial imperative.
The key is consciousness and the key to consciousness is the shared consciousness we call love. As to what love is, the Evangelist said it all. God is love.
I recently lost my youngest son to kidney disease and my thoughts dealing with love and consciousness ("Coping with the Ultimate Event Horizon") can be found at http://johnklotz.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.html
JCK
johnklotz@johnklotz.com
The one candidate the elites really fear is Edwards. When you read the fine print in the Obama campaign, especially about heath care, you get the impression that he really doesn't understand that real problem dogging the country is greed and that while the middle class is plummeting to the ground, the "Greed is good" crowd is still soaring - with only a few notable, sacrificial exceptions. Wall Street bonuses set a record this year, again.
The concept that the solution for America's Health crisis is through the HMO's giving-up their greedy ways through reasoning is ludicrous.
Might I suggest one fractured biblical reference to Isaiah: "When the lion and the lamb lay down together, the lion does not awake hungry." [Not original by me. Might have been coined by Jesse Jackson]
Or maybe, as one in who still believes in the sanctity of the ideals of the Declaration of Independence: "My house is a house of prayer but you have made it a den of thieves." [Not a paraphrase]
Come to think of it, that's the kind of language Huckabee is using and if you want to read an insightful dissection of why liberals lose, I might suggest Gary Wills: "Under God: Religion and American Politics." [Please note: NOT George Will]
The debate moment that pushed Huckabee to the forefront, in my opinion, is when he stepped in, took Giuliani off the hook, and answered the question about "Do you believe in the Bible?" by responding in words paraphrasing the Golden Rule and the parable of the Last Judgment and then brushed-off nearly everything else as too complex to discuss. It was a brilliant moment and any Democrat ought to have been able to do the same. I think the only one who could do so honestly is John Edwards.
As for the other Democrats, too many of them are represented by Hillary supporter and consumer sell-out Barney Frank. See
I think the reaction of the Republican establishment to Huckabee's ad centers on the real danger of Huckabee to the Republicans - he really cares. That's not to say he's my candidate, he isn't. But whether sincere or not, Huckabee has on occasion evoked (not invoked) the true message of Christianity - love for all and an obligation to provide for those in need.
That he doesn't see that obligation as including homosexuals, or yields on others who are outcast by society means that he is human and not free from fault.
The one thing that the reactionaries, especially the economists of the Chicago and Austrian schools of economics can not stand, is a faith-based philosophy that takes seriously the commandments of love. That also includes at least one "liberal" member of the Supreme Court who seems to have brought the "God is the market place" argument.
Take note,there is only one instance in the Gospel, where the Prince of Peace actually commits an act of physical violence on other human beings: he took a whip to the money-changers in the temple. The last thing the right wing wants is a candidate or President who really takes that message seriously.
Merry Christmas. Vote Edwards.
See http://johnklotz.blogspot.com
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
219 Democrats and one Republican join in favor of the legislation, which passed by a narrow margin
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Salon headlines in your mailbox
