Do you think the Hurricane will cause people to understand the sufferring

[still_one]

we have inflicted on Iraq?

Especially since the national guard who could have helped them have instead been employed to Iraq

The bankrupcy law will take effect October 1st. When the Democrats were in charge, it was defeated. The states affected by this tradgedy voted for bush, against their own interest.

Ironic isn't it?

[benito]

1. nice blanket statement there...

yep, we *all* voted for the asshat. 100%

[still_one]

5. it wasn't meant to be blanket, it was an observation, right or wrong

I have donated today to the red cross to help those poor people in the gulf. I do not care whether they are right or left, suffering knows no party

What I was trying to express was that many people voted against their own interests. I didn't express the point well, but it is something that has bothered me.

I have an associate who voted for bush BOTH terms, and now is thinking about declaring bankrupcy. Why do people vote against their own interest?

Sorry if I offended, I definitely did NOT mean to, and god knows I don't want any harm to come to ANYONE there

[benito]

9. sorry for being testy

[still_one]

10. I don't blame you, and I am so sorry what is happening to your state

I love the New Orleans

[Up2Late]

2. No, most of them will just blame God for this...

...or say it was God's will.

[BlueJazz]

3. Ah..Geez...I didn't think about that. The very people who voted ....

..for Bush and the Republicans (who NOW will find themselves in dire financial trouble)
will not be able to file for debt relief...

[still_one]

6. That was my point

WHY do people vote against their own interest?

And yes, I do understand, many didn't vote for bush that were affected

[SammyWinstonJack]

7. And they still won't get it!

They never will!

[still_one]

8. That is quite sad

even looking at the father who already sacrificed one son in Iraq, crtisizing Cindy Sheehan, and in the same breath saying I would sacrifice all my children

Is there any difference between a parent encouraging a suicide bomber and him?

[wli]

4. I doubt it. The fundies will swoon about Jesus & fetuses etc. n/t

[marcus_b]

11. "Only the death of people you love is real."

"Only the death of people you love is real." This is a quote from a new book by a German author, E.W. Heine, I can highly recommend if you are interested in European history at all (but I don't think they are translated, though).

This is universal. Without empathy, without people caring about other people, nothing matters. If you have at least the ability to love people in, say, Afghanistan, then you will be willing to keep their concerns in mind when deciding about actions you undertake or support. If you don't have that ability, then such people will be outside of the set of people you care about, and their fate will not bother you one way or another.

I strongly believe, but have no scientific evidence for it, that suffering yourselve will put you in a position where you can more easily relate to people who are also suffering. But there is no automatism involved. It's not necessary to suffer to be able to feel empathy, and it is not guaranteed that suffering will increase empathy. It can go either way, and it depends on other circumstances as well.

Off the cuff, I think there are two good strategies: 1. Talk to people and educate them about the people in the rest of the world, so they can see that those people in remote places are just like them. 2. Point to common solutions for the problems of both groups of people, at home and remote.

If you want to test your own moral values, I strongly encourage you to take part in the Morality Play game at philosophersnet:

http://www.philosophersnet.com/games/morality_play.htm

I promise you it will tell you something about yourself you didn't knew already.