Yeah, Dartmoor. Hound of the Baskervilles and all that.

Fascinating. The create/evolve comment was a (admittedly lame) joke, of course.

The name RGT was suggested by me in honour of RGT who was a frequent poster at the time.

never go into RGT these days, too many atheists and not enough discussion with religious posters.

This inspired me to maybe visit the forum.

But even if there are atheists, the themes they are discussing probably aren't interesting, so maybe not. You can't change a cat to a dog.

Why on earth would anyone want to?

Here's a question for you smart guys, I never asked to be born so how is life my responsibility?

How can I be responsable for something that I never wanted or asked for? How am I obligated?

Because if you act like crap we will beat you. If you complain that you aren't responsible you get the ball-gag and extra beatings.

Yep fear mongering

I know little of Buddhism, but I'm pretty sure a basic tenet is that you have had previous lifes and that your predicament in this one is a consequence of your previous actions.

Thats a extraordinary claim! I see no reason for this to be true.

I was watching to catch a predator and how the predator is responsible for his actions. The part where Chris goes "but you are in room, you drove down here" etc...so therefore he shows intent and thus responsible. I maybe born and got here but I don't think I'm responsible for those actions.

Is that a double bind? I'm here but didn't want to be here, and now I got to do something about it! Double bind?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebirth_(Buddhism)

Sorry I was looking for extraordinary evidence.

The correct term is "enlightened self interest".

Generally speaking, you take responsibility for your actions so someone else doesn't. You agree to behave yourself according to certain standards in order to gain the freedom to do what you want otherwise.

Asking to be born has nothing to do with it -- infants and toddlers are responsible for nothing.

It is asking to have some freedom of control over your life that makes you responsible for your actions.

Whether you realize it or not, you likely asked thousands (probably millions) of times while you were growing up for various increases in decision making authority.

The adults around you gave you more and more freedom/control as they felt you were becoming a more responsible individual. Or they just got sick of taking care of you all the time...

When I behave myself I feel worse. When I behave myself to gain those freedoms you talk about I consider suicide an option. The rewards for behaving myself don't add up to much, and all rather depressing. And I know I don't want to misbehave either. (is this a double bind? or a paradox?)

That is to say all I know is to obey authority, so when it comes to the act of thinking for myself I'm unable to do so in fear of doing something wrong. I must check with mum and dad, or the police or any type of authority. More laws don't protect instead they leave the individual unable to decide. ultimately the more laws a society have shows a deep mistrust in our fellow human beings.

I'm probably the most responsible person I know, which also makes me boring but very dependable. I no longer want to live that life, and since I can't see any other option but to live that life I feel stuck. I must be responsible, I must work 9-5, I must pay my taxes, look at me go, really responsible I don't noitce that my life is being pissed away in an office cubicle, just because I'm obedient to authority, I have no good stories, but I'm getting a lot of work done just look at me go.

Yeah stuff that life up your ass!

Sorry.

Possibly you've internalized responsibility in a less than helpful way. There is much more gray area than I think you are seeing.

Have you considered studying ethics?

I have my own ideas and thoughts about ethics and morals and no one I have meet has come to close to falsifying them.

It doesn't sound like they make you happy.

thats because I don't have the power to change them.

Familiar with this? It will be you once a stressor comes that makes you snap.

yeah only I was never married and I don't have kids. love that film shows exactly what I'm getting at.

Which is why I thought maybe you would enjoy studying ethics...

but there is no right and wrong jb9. just like money has no real value or that there so no such thing as monday.

Which is why ethics exists as a field of study. If there were some clear right or wrong, there would be no need for it. Just like we don't need books analyzing tic tac toe strategy.

but it shouldn't be a field of study, it stops and starts with power and whoever has it.