Kindly gestures from lunatics

@ghost-of-a-duke said
You post this thread in the SF and your OP speaks of blessings and delusions and lump believers in gods (people who give blessings) alongside lunatics.

Did you not?

Why do you associate blessings with gods?

@kevin-eleven said
Why do you associate blessings with gods?

I associate blessings with believers in gods.

You don't?

@ghost-of-a-duke said
I associate blessings with believers in gods.

You don't?

You haven't answered my question. Why is that?

@kevin-eleven said
You haven't answered my question. Why is that?

Because believers in gods give blessings.

Are you unaware of this? Do you require examples? Are you trying to row back from a disastrous OP?

@kevin-eleven said
. . . or blessings from people you consider to be delusional

that's jesus, dude
invite him in
wash his feet
oil his hair
feed him for christ's sake

@ghost-of-a-duke said
Because believers in gods give blessings.

Are you unaware of this? Do you require examples? Are you trying to row back from a disastrous OP?

I notice that you stop short of saying that ONLY believers in gods give blessings, although that is what you seem to imply without taking the brave step of actually coming out and saying so.

As for "rowing back" -- have you been taking lessons from the Wonder Twins?

You really should have stopped with your first post in this thread -- but no. You had to go on and make the untestable/unprovable/undisprovable assertion that there are no gods, didn't you?

Despite your recent revelation that you are indeed secretly a bully in fuzzy slippers, I still do generally think well of you.

Also, I think Suzi will know what I mean when I offer this to you:

"Bless your heart."

😉

@rookie54 said
that's jesus, dude
invite him in
wash his feet
oil his hair
feed him for christ's sake

I think you said it right, rookie.

Some people might -- with the best of intentions -- have the wrong idea and wash his hair and oil his feet because of that weird woman with the alabaster jar (who reminds me of Kirstie Alley in a way), but what would washed hair profit him if he went for a walk and had a bad fall because of the oiled feet?

@kevin-eleven said
. . . or blessings from people you consider to be delusional:

Do they trouble you?

Is there proper etiquette for dealing with such gestures or blessings?

Do they have a positive influence on you, even if your mirror neurons and cosmoconception tell you that the other person is crazytoons?

Does kindly intent have its own influence that cannot be described by mathematics or physics?

No they don't trouble me, and I don't equate delusional to being either nuts or dangerous. To me delusional are those that can't perceive reality.

As for etiquette, a simple smile and a "thank you" is all that you need, as you would to anyone that tries to help you.

Yes, it does have an influence, subject to you. If somebody is kind to me, I wish to reciprocate. Wouldn't it be great if a simple kindness could set off a chain reaction of kindness?

Am I delusional? You tell me ;-)

@medullah said
Am I delusional? You tell me ;-)

I am not really in a position to know. 😉

Thank you for your reply. 🙂

@kevin-eleven said
TBH, it's strange that you should respond in this way, defensively and challengingly.

I'm not trying to troll you, and not trying to lay any expectations on you, but I imagine that sometime in your life before you croak you might learn how to be kind rather than snippy because of your personal experiences.

I'm kind to people. Literally, more than you know.

P.S. I still don't know who you are talking about in your OP. I ask for illumination and get a Bic lighter. You might get a bit further on your journey if you don't just assign motives to people.

@kevin-eleven said
It was surprising to find out that Suzianne might have thought I was calling her a lunatic.

I thought no such thing. Why would I?

So the title plus the half sentence in the beginning of the OP say:

"Kindly gestures from lunatics or blessings from people you consider delusional: Do they trouble you?"

We need the definition of a "lunatic". Anyone with a diagnosis in the F-scale of the ICD?
How do we know if someone is a "lunatic"?
Do we use the word to describe (a very heterogenous) group or is it already a slur?

Then the OP groups "lunatics" with "people being considered delusional... So I become a psychatrist all of a sudden? Some people with F-diagnoses wouldn't be called "delusional" at all by the medical professional...

As some saw this is the spirituality forum, so the interpretation that "religion" in one form or another is the core of the thread, we have to ask who we call delusional.

In fact the question is not well put. I answer anyway: "any kind gesture (in fact what I perceive as kind) I take up as kind gesture and am happy. Any blessing I gladly see as a good wish and thus as a kind gesture in itself.

I can only imagine with difficulty any person who would refuse a kind gesture, because it isfrom someone not estimated. But I can easily imagine a person who interprets or perceives something whcich most people would count as "kind gesture" as a moch kindness and be enraged. (Example a priest who is about to absolve someone being absolevd himself by some lay person)

@ponderable said
So the title plus the half sentence in the beginning of the OP say:

"Kindly gestures from lunatics or blessings from people you consider delusional: Do they trouble you?"

We need the definition of a "lunatic". Anyone with a diagnosis in the F-scale of the ICD?
How do we know if someone is a "lunatic"?
Do we use the word to describe (a very heterogenous) group or is ...[text shortened]... nraged. (Example a priest who is about to absolve someone being absolevd himself by some lay person)

Exactly.

Did you think he was calling you a lunatic?

I'm guessing no.

@suzianne said
P.S. I still don't know who you are talking about in your OP. I ask for illumination and get a Bic lighter. You might get a bit further on your journey if you don't just assign motives to people.

Did you think I meant anyone in particular? I was writing about generalities.

As for the "Bic lighter" comment, that just seems typically snippy of you and unsurprisingly dismissive and unappreciative.

Where do you see me assigning motives to people?

And why have you introduced "motives" to the discussion when "intents" were already in play? Are you trying to derail the thread with subtle distinctions?

Maybe if you did not understand the questions posed in the OP, you should not have participated in the thread.

As for me, I didn't know whether it would be kinder to reply or not reply. Sometimes I do tell myself, "When in doubt, go slow or do nothing." So maybe I have made the wrong choice here.

@suzianne said
I'm kind to people. Literally, more than you know.

If you don't say you yourself! 😉