Just finished watching a Star Trek episode.........

[OwnedByFerrets]

Called "Errand of Mercy". The gist of it was that war between the Klingons and the Humans was averted by a "higher" class of beings who "compelled" both sides from waging war or hurting another.
My question is..... If some "higher being" stepped in now and prevented any more war or any single person to harm another, would you be for or against it?
It would take away the "freedom" that we all seem to so highly prize......also known as Free Will, but would it be worth the obvious advantages.
Personally, I cant think of a downside, but will listen to any dissenters.

[CatWoman]

1. hey!!

I watched that at about 4 this morning :)

and I would definitely be for it!!

[sam sarrha]

2. If there are not ET's that will help us .. we are screwed !!!

[HysteryDiagnosis]

3. Free will is dandy, but the Karma it can help develop is

"not so nice" in many instances. If people knew the facts about Karmic debt reduction, they might behave somewhat differently.
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EelXmu8RL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Karma-Rebirth-Nagapriya/dp/1899579613
When Stephen Batchelor's BUDDHISM WITHOUT BELIEFS appeared in 1997, a new chapter on philosophy and ethics was added to the evolving story of Buddhism in the West. Batchelor questioned, amongst other things, the need to understand karma and rebirth in such ways as to require belief in lives after lives.

Nagapriya's EXPLORING KARMA & REBIRTH takes the discussion on these pivotal matters even further. In easily readable and convincing prose he asks how the facts of karma and rebirth can be understood without seeing the former as a kind of cosmic retributive principle and the latter as implying reincarnation.

Nagapriya's Buddhism is very much this-worldly, centered on what one does in this life rather than what one should do in preparation for the next.

Rather than cut to his conclusion I would rather people read the book to see how arrives at it. Suffice it to say that people who would otherwise be attracted to the Dharma but are put off by much of its metaphysics will find a solid approach and a good teacher with Nagapriya.

I do have to say, however, that if enough Buddhists and would-be Buddhists take seriously what Nagapriya is suggesting, and if they flesh out the ramifications of Nagapriya's thesis, Buddhism as we know it will change significantly in the West perhaps first, then (I suspect) wherever the Dharma is practiced.

[sam sarrha]

5. the book, 'Buddhism with an Attitude'.. is a detailed explanation of Meditation.. the finest

it was suggested reading before a teaching by the Dalai Lama..

we did a book study on it and read a chapter and discussed it after our weekly meeting at the Chenrezig center.. we started with 6 and just word of mouth about a dozen non Buddhists started attending also..

[sam sarrha]

4. i tend to feel that personally overcoming the tribulations thru development of higher mental states

is our ticket off this suffering rock.. but then you have the option of becoming a Bodhisattva and helping the the "Others"

Mark Twain said, when asked what the purpose of life was,... 'the Purpose of life is to help others... however what the "Others" are here for... i have not a clue.'

[seemslikeadream]

6. Thanks sam sarrha

[politicat]

7. That is a wonderful Jizo, SLaD!

Is that your photo?

[rasputin1952]

8. Then again, there was a Twilight Zone where an alien dropped

in on the UN, and threatened the world w/extermination because we were placed here eons ago to breed as an experiment for them. The UN people got it all wrong, and got worldwide peace, when what the aliens wanted was a race of warriors for their amusement. Earth was subsequentially scrubbed clean of human life.

Guess it depends on what aliens you get...I kind of figured if aliens "seeded" this planet eons ago, as some now speak of; we got the dumb ones, and other planets got a much better deal...:D

[CatWoman]

9. To Serve Man

:)

sounds similiar to the episode where the aliens talked Earth into disarmament, and proceeded to fricasee everyone :)

:hi:

[rasputin1952]

11. LOL...that was a good one too...much later than this one,

but had the same type tall, bald, big-headed creepy alien type. This one used telepathy, and at the end, the ships were floating all around NYC waiting to blast it to smithereens.

BTW...one of my favorite episodes is the one w/Art Carney as Santa on Christmas Eve...:D

[CatWoman]

17. yeah

I like that one, too :)

[Madspirit]

10. I watched it too!

Of course I have them all on tape but I did watch it last night on tv. It was also the theme of the four star SciFi flick, "The Day the Earth Stood Still".

It doesn't remove free will on ANYTHING except war and since we can't seem to stop ourselves from killing other humans, including children, I would totally support those aliens.
Lee

[yurbud]

12. that's how we got in this mess--the righties surrendered their will to their "higher power"

the Tard King.

[KG]

13. that 'higher being' resides within us now.

[blogslut]

14. One of my faves

Wish I had known it was going to be aired. Oh, well. Next time. :)

[Greyhound]

15. How twisted are we to believe that some people declaring a war on some other people,

and forcing still other people, with no stake in it, to go and die in that war that the declarers will not fight in, is freedom?

To put it another way, just how many kinds of stupid are there?

[omega minimo]

16. "higher class" or higher consciousness?

"My question is..... If some "higher being" stepped in now and prevented any more war or any single person to harm another, would you be for or against it? "

The beings were pure consciousness with no need for corporeal form as Spock pointed out. :hi: They did it as an example, not a permanent fix.

"They are as far removed from us on the evolutionary scale as much as we are from the amoeba."

FWIW the consciousness to prevent war already exists.....................