Body Modification.

A question kept on being asked during the lecture and was never answered… Is it right for people to take on traditions of cultures that the west have destroyed…? The traditions being tattoo and piercing….. My personal opinion is that I am not responsible for the actions of the ancestors of this country so I see no harm in adopting cultures that are now merely a memory.… What I cannot agree with is when people take it too far and sneer on the cultures and traditions that once thrived in parts of the world the west invaded. ]

http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoos_culture.htm

This site has some interesting information regarding tattoo’s… I myself have two tattoo, one on my back and one on my hip… I have my naval and tongue pierced also… I view them all to be spiritually significant… The tattoos have meaning, such as the one on my hip protects me from impiety … My piercing such as my tongue are a mark of rebellion and spiritual freedom. The link below shows a little history regarding tongue piercing…


http://bodypiercing.ygoy.com/2008/10/30/ancient-history-of-tongue-piercing/
 
Whether or not people think that this type of body modification is right or not… doest change the fact that it has a long spiritual history and those who are brave enough to deal with the pain are joining a tradition shared my millions of people… All those people cant be wrong… could they…?
 

Response to Cosmetic Surgery.....

 

http://cmph1000-philosophy.blogspot.com/2010/04/bad-cosmetic-surgery.html

It is soooo true that Cosmetic Surgery can go way too far... It is a good question to ask, Why aren't people happy the way they are...? I remember when I was younger, I always wanted straight hair... My friends who had straight hair always wanted curly hair... Its a less dramatic example but it illustrates that people always want what they havnt got... In this age where science and technology advances, we all must stop and ask ourselves... do we really want something that is unavailable or do we want it because its unavailable ...? Then what happens when it does become available... ?



Personally, even though there are aspects of my physical appearence that I would like to change... I wont go as far as Cosmetic Surgery... I just deal with it... Noone is perfect so there is no point in stressing about it... Lol...!

Lies... Trickery... Deceit... Betrayal...

-->...Condemned in the heart while the body is impaled...<--

-->...Standing at the Crossroads tears fill her eyes... Her heart still aches from the ongoing lies... Mendacious whispers circle in her mind... Agonising terror from the truth that she finds...<---

Ask a woman who has been cheated on if Infidelity is wrong and she will vehemently agree... It destroys families, trust and happiness... Ask a woman who is having an affair, if infidelity is wrong and she will have a different answer... No matter what justification she can come up with, she will, to a certain point defend her actions... So is infidelity wrong or are there situations where it can be justifyed as an act of compassion...?..

During the break in the lecture... A man told me that it is the right of a man to have more than one woman at one given time... This infuriated me as my opinion is so different... Personally, I beleive that if a man is with a woman who cannot compleate him... He shouldnt be with her... The same applies to woman... I am fully aware of the justification men give for infidelity... From the excuse of the past, with tales such as that of King Soloman... Who is said to have had 700 wives and 300 concubines...( :o )..... To the Statistical 'evidence' that women outnumber men... Giving a man the excuse to satisfy the women who are left out... ( :o ) ...

Regardless of the reason FOR it... It seems that people never concider the consequesnces of such actions.... Meaning the man, or woman who is been cheated ON... The one who enters the affair seems to do so without ever thinking of their partner's feelings and emotionally stability... It can destroy a person when they find out that the person they love and trust has deceived them... It leaves them unable to trust anyone ever again...

And what about the children... The innocent ones who are caught in the crossfire of their parents problems... Does the cheater ever concider the consequences on thier own children...?... Below is a link that leads to some information on the affects of infidelity on children...

http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewArticle.asp?id=17481

If, hypothetically, there are no children involved, and the partner agrees that their partner can go elsewhere for pleasure ... Then what would be the problem with it...?.. Given the person who gave the permission was not forced to do so... Or even in a situation where a man in a relationship is in love with someone else other than his partner and cannot leaver her... For what ever reasons... Is it then selfish to pursue his heart...?...

There are many blurred lines when it comes to defining infidelity... Is it simply a sexual affair without attachments or is it something more...?... Is flirting cheating...?... Is doing nothing in a failing relationship worse than infidelity...?

I have quite strong opinions when it comes to this subject... The reason behind my opinions is experience... I was 3 months pregnant when the father of my child started cheating on me... I went through hell in what should of been a happy transition into motherhood... I will never forget the emotional and physical pain his lies and lust put me through... And I will never forgive him... If a man needs more than one woman to satisfy his lustful ways then he need not cross my path... Go somewhere else where your actions can be justifyed... !

...Weed and Wisdom... ;)

Bad Behaviour or a Bad Reputation...?... Drugs have always been controversial... Our Society tells us through Law that Drugs are Bad... But are they really...?...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_and_spiritual_use_of_cannabis

This link takes you to a site where general information is given on the Religious use of Cannabis... I looked into this a few years back after having a discussion with my uncle - (who is a Rasta) -  about spiritual use of cannabis... He believed that cannabis use should be legal for religious use... As it aids Meditation and Calms fiery tempers... Cannabis is a drug that can grow from the earth and certainly has a long medical and spiritual History...  The sumarians mentioned it in their early writings as far back as 3000BC...! 

Cannabis use is contoversial because it harms some who use it... It is widely documented that drug use can cause mental health to break down... But is the fact that Drugs harm some Reason enough to label it as 'Bad'...?...

ASBO Nation...

They have been around for almost 10 years now... I have heard many times through the media about these Anti Social Behaviour Orders... I have heard kids shrugging the seriousness of such policies and even bragging they have been given one... ASBO's are supposed to restrict bad behaviour of young people who act in such a way that they cause the community concern. If ever there was a measure of bad behavior, then surely the ASBO is the one.

The link below takes you to a summery of a study named "ASBO Nation" which is conducted and peiced together by over 30 contributors.



"The aim of ASBO Nation is to illustrate the key questions surrounding the debate about antisocial behaviour and the government policies aimed at eradicating it from as many different perspectives as possible."...

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=403292§ioncode=26


It becomes quite apparent that this is the way that this current governement deals with bad behaviour within the community... But what is the measure and defintion of bad behaviour...?... According to the Home Office website, an ASBO forbids a person specific threatening or intimidating actions... ... Only an authority such as the Police can request an ASBO which forbids threatening, intimidating or disruptive actions, spending time with a particular group of friends, and /or visiting certain areas... The website offers no further definition and no indication is given as to the type of measure is used to ascertain whether or not a type of behaviour is bad or not...


ASBO's have always caused debate as to whether or not they 'work'... Perhaps if a new government is to take over then the ASBO will dissapear and be replaced by another measure of bad behaviour which remains ambigious.

Sexual Deviation...

A number of the topic we have discussed have had a Sexual theme... The Film we watched 'Kids'... Masterbation and Prostitution all have there place under the banner 'Sexual Deviance'... Sexuality in and of itself have blurred lines when it comes to whats Wrong or Right... What shocks one person seems perfectly acceptable to another... I once had a friend who was a Dominatrix... It shocked me when she told me but to her, she enjoyed it so it was acceptable to her....

I decided to try and see if there can be a line drawn between Acceptable Sexual Behaviour and 'Bad' Sexual Behaviour... I came across this website which is meant to be taken from a book titled 'The Architecture of Thought' by John A Hewitt...

http://www.sexandphilosophy.co.uk/oth_sexuality.htm

There is quite a lot of information on there which covers everthing from Masterbation to SadoMasochism... I have to point out that it enlists Homosexuality under the heading of Sexual Deviance and it may offend some who read it... Nethertheless I found the website interesting.

The Trouble of Alcohol...

Is it never seems to go away... City and Town centres are plagued by those under its infulence... Fights erupt when alcohol is used in excess and mixed with enraged feelings... Five minutes ago I had to run outside and break up a fight amongst some local teenage girls who had been drinking... Ahh.. The Joy..!...

It got me thinking... When did we start drinking...?... I dont mean at what age... I mean when humans discover this intoxication....?...

http://www.alcohol-stuff.co.uk/guides/history-of-alcohol.html

According to this website.. The Chinese used alcohol in thier lives from around 7000BC... (Ironic this as the fight happened right outside the Chinese takeaway..;)... The Ancient Egyptians used it from around 4000BC and the Babylonians used it from around 2,700BC... Incredible that this form of intoxication goes so far into history...

One significance difference between the way in which Alcohol is used is the reason behind it... Back in the Ancient day... Those who drank alcohol used it for worshiping their Gods... Now... Its a Quick, Cheap High... Oh How the Gods would look down and pity those who get lost in it's intoxication...!

Kids Will Be Kids....

We watched this film during lecture time... I was pre-warned that it is disturbing and shocking... I have to admit, it is explicit... But in truth I didnt really shock me... The reason why is that I witnessed most of the events that were depicted and perhaps have grown desensitized over the years...

This film follows these 'Kids' (even though their teenagers) over a 24 hour period... And a LOT happens... Fights, Drugs and most consistent was the raw Sexual theme throughout... In my own experience with what I witnessed... It didnt always happen to that extreame in the same day... Presented with those situations in such a short burst... Its understandable why some were shocked by it...

But who are targeted by the creaters of this film...?.. Initially I thought teenagers themselves... But in truth... I think it will glorify that type of lifestyle and encourage them to behave in such way... I believe it is a wake up call for parents... Watch this film as a Mother or a Father and it seriously gets you thinking...

Click the Link Below for the trailer...

http://www.reelzchannel.com/movie/198752/kids

Bad Attitude

I heard it thousands of times... "Enough of the Attitude"... or "Watch your mouth"... Each time I said a comment in a tone of voice my mother did not approve of... I found myself saying the same line to my daughter... Laughing at myself I wondered... Is this so called 'Attitude' a bad thing... I believe it can be... When used to offend... 

 http://articles.webraydian.com/article728-Bad_Attitude_a_serious_problems_of_teens.html

This website offers a short help guide for parents of teenagers with attitude... My own mother tells me my attitude began when I could talk... :o ... (Surely I wasnt THAT bad...) ... I have come across many people with a stinky attitude and wonder how they will ever get on in life when they cant help but be rude to everyone they come across... Truth is I look back at those people and the fact is they are no better off than when they were in school... Most are addicted to drugs or alcohol and have no aspirations other than their next high...   

I wonder if a Bad Attitude can be useful... I have found a poisoned mouth leads to a poisoned mind and those who cannot control their mouths have very little use of a rational mind... However... I myself still find Attitude useful when dealing with overt unwanted attention... But I dont LIKE using attitute... Sometimes Its funny, I'll admit... But generally... I believe that if you havnt got anything nice to say, then dont say it...

Attitude doesnt just involve certain words or phrases... It involves facial expressions and body language... Sometimes... Body language cannot be helped... If someone is getting too close to you, (And you'd rather be closer to someone else) Then the expressions cannot be helped... In my opinion that is...

So can Bad Attitude be Good...?...

 I'll leave it for you to decide...

Is Too Much Knowledge A Bad Thing....?

I have often wondered this myself... I have been told this many times and warned about the effect of 'Knowing too much'... Indeed.. In my own opinion... Certain types of knowledge such as Biological Research must be careful of moral and ethical issues... Over step the line and many more could suffer than benefit... Certain branches of science need to be constantly regulated to ensure no harm is done... Religion itself has a dark history of intolerence of certain types of knowlege... Not even the Great Library of Alexandria survived... Just imagin the knowledge that building contained the day it was burned to the ground... But now.. A study suggests that too much knowledge can be bad for the memory...

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-05/osu-tmk051005.php

"As people become smarter, they start to put things into categories, and one of the costs they pay is lower memory accuracy for individual differences." ....

"The inappropriate use of categorization can also lead to problems such as stereotypes of groups"...

This thus leads to discrimination and racism... Other types of bad behaviour I cannot abide... So if too much knowledge leads to bad behaviour... How can it be avoided...?.. CAN it be avoided in this age of technological evolution....?... Even If it can be regulated... Who is to say what knowledge is 'Good' or 'Bad'.... Is there such thing as 'BAD' Knowledge....?

Love, Lust and The Self.

The link below is a debate on masterbation... The argument begins by a claim that women can suppress their sexual urge better than men. A woman then goes on to refute this claim, stating that she is extreamly sexually active and chooses to masterbate to release the tention. The debate is whether or not masterbation is a Sin...



A few entries suggest that it is not... They argue from the point of view that God gave them the sexual urge so why not quench it... Providing the 'Thoughts' around the action are not lustful and provoked by porn... The debate continues into something we briefly discussed in the lecture... Children and Masterbation... Should a parent stop a child exploring their body...?... A mother posted that she teaches her child to only do it in privacy... Others comment on a suggestion that it should be beaten out of children... Personally, I have not witnessed my child playing with herself but if the day comes when I find her doing that... I have to agree with those who was against beating a child caught in the act... Violence is never the solution... Especially when I comes to children...




http://www.city-data.com/forum/christianity/278053-masterbation-sin-23.html





My personal view point is that, taken that masterbation is a release of sexual energy, done in private and totally individual... (I do not hold any grudge towards those who choose to)... But for me... It is not needed... What I mean by that is the sexual urge is a urge to, basically... Love and Mate... The energy that is called sexual is designed for male and female cooperation and love... Those who cannot control their sexual urges will have to masterbate to release it... And those who cannot control their sexual urges are consumed by lust...



Love and Making Love are most intense emotions that are highly addictive and can easily be mistaken for lust... The women who mentioned in the forum, that they are highly sexually active are meerly addicted to Lust... In my opinion that is...



I am a woman who has a dark history of lust and know how cunning and soul destroying it can be... I have been abstaining now for over 3 1/2 years and have strong opinions regarding sexual conduct... Some will call me repressed... (I vehemently deny that..!..)... Others will call me puritanical... Or even prudish... One thing that I hold firm to is that sexual energy need not be released for matters reduced to Lust...



My motto... "I will not make Love without Love"... If I have no man to love ... Then I will save myself for the day when a man I can Love comes along... Till then... I will rather abstain than succumb to Lust...!

Being A Bad Parent

A type of behaviour I cannot abide and find reckless is when a parent put themselves before their child. By this I mean when a Father, or Mother leaves the other parent to shoulder all the responsibility for raising their child. It takes two to create a child so if you willingly bring a child into the world, then shouldn't BOTH embrace equal responsibility..?

This is not a topic we will cover this semester but I believe this issue must be addressed.

http://www.bad-dad.com/

Website like this offers a book containing advice for father's wanting to improve the relationship with their children... Im reading this through and I am wondering how can such 'guidelines' work...?.. The most common phrase I heard when I was expecting my daughter was "There is not guide to parenting" ... So how can one expect to avoid being a bad parent when what will work for one family may not work for another...?...

Question are always asked and rarely answered... With no 'guide' on how to be good... Some end up bad parents and abandon responsibility.... Leaving the other parent to explain all to the child...

What would be best... To Lie...?... Or tell the Truth...?...

Lies Response…

Right…So you can hide your true intentions from people by lying… Mmm… I’m not entirely sure about that… To simply not comment, or hold your tongue is not the same as lying surely…. However, If your true intentions are malicious… You may need to lie… Lying will be of benefit to the malicious then… If you have only good intentions then why would you need to lie… Of course if your intentions are ‘Bad’ then to lie would be ‘Good’… As for compliments… If one was in habit of lying to women, “passing a compliment” for there own deceitful intentions, how is anyone to believe a single word passed through their lips…?…http://www.eloheem.blogspot.com/

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

http://0274076.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-love-being-lied-to-it-makes-me-feel.html

I find the above quite interesting… and Insightful… However, I cant agree with it entirely. I honestly believe that a bad reputation is easier to cope with than a bad conscience… I have experience with both and Id rather my conscience is clear than lie to cover something I probably shouldn’t have done in the first place… I have, in the past had a reputation grow based on lies others have told in a misguided attempt to destroy me… I just laugh it off… I have also lied to cover myself and the consequences have been indescribable… Since my last fall, I vowed to honour the truth and never do anything I have to lie about… Truth will out…!…

http://thinkgudthoughtz.blogspot.com/2010/02/me-i-always-tell-truth-even-when-i-lie.html

Regarding Santa Claus… I have always told my daughter, since she was old enough to understand… “Santa is pretend”… Society teaches my daughter Santa is real… I intend to raise my daughter to honour truth over lies so that she doesn’t get her hopes up to have them come crashing down… Most of us were told not to lie by our parents, then witnessed them lying in some form or another… I have learnt the hard way how lies can be destructive and I, personally would like my daughter not to have to repeat my mistakes… I suppose lying can be used in some instances for good… but how do you explain the distinction to a 4 year old…?…

Politicians… Lies… And the Line…

We all know that Politicians lie… We all heard it in Tony Blair’s claim that Saddam Hussein had Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq… Some believed him… Others did not… Dr David Kelly was one who said Iraq did not have the WMD… And he was found dead soon after…Some of us knew the threat did not exist to the extent that our government claimed and used to justify the war… Others believe that Saddam simply had to be removed for the greater good of the world… and so what if Mr Blair lied to us… He did it for the greater good right…(?!?)...

So can telling lies ever be for the greater good…?… I am sure there will be many examples where it can be justified… Each individual will have a individual concept of what is good and bad… So each individual will find justifications for lies being for the greater good… The question I would like answered is where is the line…?…

When a single lie is told… More lies are required to keep it alive… Enter the vicious circles of deceit… What happens to the truth…?… Do Politian’s really value lies above truth…?… If they do then why do we charge them with the running of our society…?… What ever happened to chivalry…?…

In my opinion… You should never do anything that requires you to lie… Why not tell the truth…?… Most will counter this by claiming a lie can spare someone’s feelings… But do they…?… Id rather be told that I’m ugly than lied to and told I am beautiful when I am not… Tough Love… ! …

I think we soften ourselves too much to want to believe lies over truth… Self deception may be comforting but how long can a lie last…?… And back to the question I would like answering… Where is the line to be drawn…? … How much lies do people like to believe for their greater good…?… Where is the limit…?

A film I suggest to watch, for an example of Politicians and their lies is...

...V for Vendetta…
　

http://vforvendetta.warnerbros.com/trailer.html

　
“Artists used lies to tell the truth… While Politicians used them to cover the truth up…”

This Picture is a depiction of Belial - Demon of lies... For more information... See...http://www.search.com/reference/Belial

Smoking Response.

A few posts have suggested that people smoke to be closer to death and smoking is “ A way of committing a lingering suicide.” … I cannot disagree with this claim more…!… One post was written by one who I assume to be smoker… and another is a response by a non smoker to the post that was written by the alleged smoker… I would like to point out that just because one person believes that a prolonged death is the reason why people smoke… doesn’t mean that all smokers continue to smoke for the same reason…



Also, on the point of depression… Some may smoke because they are depressed and other’s may be depressed because they smoke… Some are susceptible to depression who have never smoked in their entire lives and others smoke and are never depressed…



It is well known that a slow and painful death may befall those who smoke… Most actions have consequences and smoking is no exception… However… Some are exceptions to this rule… I know many people whose elderly relatives continue to smoke well into their 80’s and have known some elders who have passed away for reasons completely unrelated to smoking when they have smoked their entire adult life…



Death is not a consideration every time some smokers light up a cigarette… It is not the reason why I continue to Light up… As with many I know of to smoke… Some smokers continue to smoke because they find comfort in the action… For some it simply becomes routine… For others its simply a matter of addiction…



The last link at the end of this post I entirely agree with… Its is all down to choice… Many associate smoking to be ‘bad’… But I believe that to take away the choice of the individual is worse… ;)






http://theblackheartofgrahamquirk.blogspot.com/2010/02/in-response-to-al-mccallums-aaand-week.html
　
　
http://alpsessays.blogspot.com/2010/02/in-response-to-httptheblackheartofgraha.html
　
　
http://thinkgudthoughtz.blogspot.com/2010/02/smokers-cough.html

Bad by Definition

So far…During lectures we have discussed concepts of Bad Behaviour relating to Smoking, Prostitution, Stalking and Shoplifting. This week we are set to discuss Lying with Integrity… I assume we will question intentionally deceiving someone for a greater benefit and whether or not Honesty is always the Policy …

By Reflecting on the topics we have already discussed and speculating about topics we will cover in the future… I asked myself… What does ‘Bad’ actually mean…?… How is one to judge human behaviour as ‘Bad’ …? In order to begin to unravel these questions I decided I must first understand what is meant by the word ‘Bad’…?

In a common place dictionary… The word ‘Bad’ is defined as… Poor in quality, Unpleasant, Severe, Serious, Wicked, Harmful and Diseased. To apply ‘Bad’ to a type of behaviour, we must compare it to what is acceptable as Good Behaviour. To judge the quality or pleasantness of human behaviour, one must have a sense of morality, a sense of what is Right or Wrong…(Feel Free To Disagree…!)

So to define Bad Behaviour you must compare it to Good… Which leads me to question… Where EXACTLY do we get this divisible concept of Good and Bad from in the first place…? Our belief systems right..?.. Whether you are Religious or not… A Law abiding Citizen or not… The concept of Right and Wrong has evolved from SOMEWHERE… How can we be sure that what we assume is Right and Wrong IS actually Right and Wrong…?… What if that which we base our fundamental principles on is itself based on Lies…?… Lies that are continually told for the Greater Good…???

Most of the questions I have raised have been asked many times before… I believe them to be questions that cannot be answered directly and the ambiguity of the conclusions is the very reason they are still being asked….(Again, Feel Free To Disagree…!)

So with a New Moon smiling down on me… I sit with my pint cup of tea and contemplate ‘Right’ and ‘Wrong' … And wonder how I am to judge my Definition of Being Bad …?… Desire and Passion are often described as leading to Bad Behaviour… But by whose definition is ~*~Passion~*~ a type of ‘Bad’ behaviour…???

; )
　

In the Lecture on Thursday... We discussed issues to do with Prostitution, Shoplifting and Stalking...

The First link (at the bottom of this post,) is an interesting website on prostitution research which has quite a lot of information....


The Second link is a Research article on stalking and harrasment which has some good information on the legality of stalking... (Disturbing but interesting...)


The Third link is a transcript of a serman where Father Tim Jones has caused shock by saying that he would advice someone who had just came out of prison to shoplift... This is quite a remarkable read...!

http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/c-laws-about-prostitution.html

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/research/pdf_res_notes/rn00-58.pdf

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/4813866.Full_transcript_of_the_sermon_given_by_Father_Tim_Jones/

Suggestions For A Field Trip....

A Limited choice with limitless expectations... Where to go for our field trip.... ?

As we are studying aspects of 'Being Bad', Should I suggest an outing to a place where Bad behaviour is rife... Perhaps a trip into my area... plenty of 'Bad' behaivour there... But that wouldnt be very interesting.... Hmmm... Decisions ey...!

Studying 'Bad Behaviour' is quite amusing at times... Ive heard some say this modual is 'Fun'... So, Somewhere that we can observe some aspects of 'Bad Behaviour' which is fun and exciting...

I suppose the criteria for the field trip would be within the time allocated for this modual... So going clubbing may be out, though it may be interesting getting drunk with some of these characters.... ;) ... Then again... Thats nothing new... Been there... Done That...!!

Perhaps I should suggest something I have never even thought about before... Something that appears to be quite popular amongst some of the fellow students... Something that would be quite an experience for me...

A field trip... To a Sex shop or museum...!...

Thats something I have never participated in before... could be a interesting experience... ! ...

So thats my suggestion.