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	<title>CelestialFamily &#187; climbing</title>
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	<description>Making our way back home</description>
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		<title>The King Swing</title>
		<link>http://freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com/2011/10/king-swing.html?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-king-swing</link>
		<comments>http://freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com/2011/10/king-swing.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:55:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[climbing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[critical thinking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[introspection]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LDS Church]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[life lessons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[religion]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.celestialfamily.org/?guid=153928c77114c7d0fedd581a24bbac93</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[(Warning!! This post is of a very personal nature and may offend some readers.)This is a video from a very popular rock climbing route in Yosemite. This technique is called a pendulum traverse. Climbers call it "The King Swing” and it takes place on ...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<b>(Warning!! This post is of a very personal nature and may offend some readers.)</b><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="200" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/01GFIn27Hh8" width="300"></iframe><br />This is a video from a very popular rock climbing route in Yosemite. This technique is called a pendulum traverse. Climbers call it "The King Swing” and it takes place on a route called “The Nose” on the 3000’ feature called El Capitan. About halfway up this particular route the cracks and features kind of peter out once you get to the top of that flake the photographer is standing on. Since the rock doesn’t have any little cracks or bumps there is subsequently nothing to pull up on or stand on. Therefore, no way to climb it.  The only solution is to go back down and see if you can find another path. Sometimes you see another path but there really isn’t any way to get to it from underneath. The only feasible solution is to do a pendulum traverse. Just as the name implies you lower down as far as you have to and swing back and forth until you can grab a section of rock that is will allow you to climb it.<br /><br />I’ve done several pendulum traverses, although not this one. They can be quite intimidating. Sometimes you’re not quite sure if you’re swinging into a section that will be just as unclimbable as where you were. One time it was an emergency situation and this was the safest technique to get off the rock during a thunderstorm. But every time I was more than a little apprehensive. The technique requires much more planning than it appears and things have to be done just right in order to stay safe.<br /><br />Even though the route ahead seems insurmountable it’s quite a weird feeling to hang your butt on the end of a rope and run back and forth hoping to grasp something better, something that will allow you to keep progressing. It’s not exactly the safest thing to do. The times I’ve done them were only in situations where I was absolutely sure that it was the only way to keep on progressing. The risks can be high, but the rewards can be even greater if this leads you to better climbing or a way out of the current predicament. <br /><br />I’m at a point in my life where I need to take the King Swing. I’ve been on a path that has provided me with much joy and happiness up to this point. I felt like I was growing, learning and progressing. But for the last several years I’ve been stuck on a ledge looking for ways to keep moving up and not finding anything to hang on to. It has taken me quite a while to even consider looking for another path. I’d been raised to believe that the path I was on was perfect and there was no reason to stray from it. But I just couldn’t see where or how to continue. Consequently, I’ve lowered down a little bit and begun to swing back and forth looking for another path.<br /><br />I believe I’ve found a path. I’m not quite sure how good the climbing will be over there but I’m sure it is more promising than where I am now. Who knows? This new path may lead me back onto my original path from a different angle. Or I may end up having to lower back down this new route too and look for yet another path. I just don’t know right now.<br /><br />To those of you who aren’t having any problems negotiating the blank sections of the original route, I have no criticism at all. Congratulations. You are better skilled at finding the route than I am. Simply because I am looking for a different path I have no criticism at all if you are making it work for you.<br /><br />I’m not suggesting that anybody take the steps that I about to without doing at least as much thorough research, soul-searching and earnestly looking for all of the answers. This decision, to take the swing, has not be reached casually. In my case it has been years and years of agonizing study and prayer that has brought me to when I am now.<br /><br />It’s time to set the metaphor aside. This post has nothing to do with rock climbing. I’m talking about my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For the past several years I’ve been stuck on a ledge and could find no way to keep moving forward. I’ve discussed some of the specifics on this blog numerous times, but I don’t wish to get into them today. To my friends and family who are members of the church I hope that you will take this with the spirit with which it is intended. I am very grateful that you are in my life and I mean absolutely no disrespect to you at all. I have never felt that absolute agreement on everything was necessary for me to love you and this decision will not stop that. I hope that you can see it in your heart to still love me. The most apprehensive part of this decision has been the considering, reconsidering and re-reconsidering the effects it will have on my family.<br /><br />I fully expect that many of you will not understand my decision. I’m under no delusion that this will be easy. But I believe it will be better in the long run. I’ve seen other friends and family members struggle with some of the same issues that I have. It’s been very selfish of me to let them struggle alone while I conceal my struggles and go through some of the same things they have been.<br /><br />I am grateful for everything that I have learned so far on my path. Please don’t think that I am going to consider abandoning all of the progress and the good things that I’ve learned in the process.  I have no plans to start stopping by liquor stores or breaking any other of the moral and ethical codes the church has taught me. Quite the opposite; I cherish those values and I look forward to continuing to incorporate them into my life.<br /><br />The private answers to the questions I have asked in my prayers have led me in an unexpected direction, a spiritual path which, at least for now, has proven incompatible with Mormon doctrine. This search for a new route has brought me some of the most profound surprises and also the deepest sadness of my life. It is very hard for me to leave a path that I love so much.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/28750528-2523123688158007781?l=freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Prophet&#8217;s Prey</title>
		<link>http://freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com/2011/09/prophets-prey.html?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=prophets-prey</link>
		<comments>http://freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com/2011/09/prophets-prey.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climbing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LDS Church]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[polygamy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.celestialfamily.org/?guid=b64dccccb94a151e9575292aaad28393</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[﻿One of the most disturbing books I’ve ever read. If you think that Big Love and Sister Wives represents a realistic depiction of what it’s like to live in a polygamist sect of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints you could not be more...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WYEvd_F2iFs/Tni1C0K4yoI/AAAAAAAAAt8/8g6T5y7NCl8/s1600/prey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rba="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WYEvd_F2iFs/Tni1C0K4yoI/AAAAAAAAAt8/8g6T5y7NCl8/s320/prey.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><br />﻿One of the most disturbing books I’ve ever read. If you think that Big Love and Sister Wives represents a realistic depiction of what it’s like to live in a polygamist sect of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints you could not be more mistaken. If anything these programs are convenient distractions from horrors that are really going on behind the walls of most FLDS communities. <br /><br />Yes, popular TV programs like to portray modern polygamist groups as just a bunch of quirky little consenting adult Christians who live normal healthy lives, they just all consented to being married to the same guy. However in most FLDS areas, especially those under the control of Warren Jeffs, these shows couldn’t be further from the truth. Most live in squalor because they consecrate everything they earn back to the church. They live on church owned land with no legal lease arrangement so the “prophet” can kick&nbsp;them out for any perceived infraction, the most common of which is just happening to have been born male because that means&nbsp;they will eventually be a competitor for the little girls in the group. Yes I said girls, not women or females. These are little girls that are being married off to much older men to gain political clout within the community. Some of these girls are as young as 12 and most are married off well below the legal age of consent.<br /><br />So if you&nbsp;happen to be born as a girl in a FLDS community the odds are that you will be denied to play with dolls because the prophet has said that girls “should learn to raise real children”. You won’t have any other toys. You’ll be home-schooled but most of that will be only church sanctioned propaganda, like the fact that we never landed on the moon. Then in your early teens you’ll be married off to some man three times your age and brutally raped before you’ve even had the basics of sex education (see comment above about propaganda). You see if girls knew what normal sex was supposed to be like they’d surely resist what the men in the FLDS culture force on them. Now you’d just better hope that your husband&nbsp;overts his eyes from the prophet fast enough ‘cause if he's too slow he might get banished from the cult and you and your sister wives are doled out to the prophet’s political cronies and you just have to submit to him and his abuse and hope the cycle doesn’t repeat itself.<br /><br />Being born male isn’t exactly an easy life either. You’ll be put to work on church projects when you are so young that the hammer you’ll be given reaches all the way to the ground when you sling it in your work belt. The only way the church elites can maintain their high number of wives is to restrict the number of men in the community. So the odds are pretty good that right about the time you start thinking about starting your own family that you’ll be driven out of town and dropped off on the side of the road adn told never to return. If you get lucky enough to be allowed to stay well hog dog, You will be allowed to follow in your indoctrination and become a serial child abuser. But don't get too comfortable in your role as abuser/rapist. You still could lose all that at the drop of a hat if the prophet decides he doesn't like you anymore. <br /><br />No matter what your gender your odds are the greatest in the world to develop serious genetic defects due to inbreeding. FLDS geneologies boggle the mind. There are only about four suranmes and they recycle a lot of the same given names and middle names. Wives are sometimes taken from a father and given to his son, or from one brother to another. So you'll have children growing up in the same house whose father is also an uncle or a brother or a cousin. The CDC has estimated that over half of the world’s cases of fumarase deficiency are in Short Creek UT/AZ. So you may be stillborn or only live a few weeks.<br /><br />The author of this book is LDS. Not FLDS, just LDS. He lived only an hour away from where much of these atrocities were taking place but just didn’t give it much thought. The FLDS were just the red-headed step children of the “true” church. Not until he got involved as a private investigator on a simple eviction did he come to understand the lawlessness and church sanctioned abuse that was taking place in his backyard.<br /><br />As American’s we are proud of our First Amendment. We like the government to stay out of our worship. People should be able to believe or not to believe what ever they want to and the government is supposed to let that be. But when beliefs turn into actions there is something that the government does care about and does make laws to prevent. You can believe that god will bring destruction on the world, but if you try to fly a plane into a building to start the process then we should expect some intervention, not against the belief, against the action.<br /><br />Somehow religions that profess a link to Jesus get a little more of a pass than others. If I were to tell you that the Taliban had taken control of a small city in Utah had completely converted to Sharia law all hell would break loose to end the process and establish order. However since the FLDS claims a link to Jesus’ teachings all the same Taliban-like behavior is tolerated now and has been tolerated for almost a century. It’s a serous double standard.<br /><br />As if he had a chance before, this book more than convinced me to vote against Rick Perry. When close to 500 children were in the custody of the state of Texas Perry went before cameras and read all his talking points about, "safety of the children" etc. etc. Yet the Department of Child Protective Services was pressured from above to release all of these kids back to their abusers for no logical reason except that it was costing too much. Just confirmed my suspicions about him. He'll say whatever he has to to look good, but not offer any real support where it is really needed. I'd like to see how he would have responded if it had been a Taliban group and not an FLDS sect.<br /><br />Polygamy would not exist to the extent it does in the United States if it were not for one man, Joseph Smith. Joseph took his desire for sexual impropriety and canonized it. Officially the mainstream LDS church has since stopped practicing polygamy a century ago, however the FLDS still claim Joseph as their justification for continuing. <br /><br />Read this book. It’s not a pleasant read. It will challenge a lot of what you believe and think you know about polygamy in the United States. Bower had unique access to the facts that put Warren Jeffs behind bars. It’s quite an eye-opener. Far from just being a quirky little sub-culture, in every measurable way FLDS communities are the most lawless cities in the United States and generation after generation of children are being taught that this is normal and god’s way. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">﻿</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/28750528-793709036509831451?l=freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Priorities</title>
		<link>http://freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com/2010/07/priorities.html?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=priorities-2</link>
		<comments>http://freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com/2010/07/priorities.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:52:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[climbing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[life lessons]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One of the reasons I really enjoy rock climbing is because so much of what you learn on the rock carries over into our daily activities. Maybe this is just me but hear me out for a little bit.A few weeks ago I guided a small group of boys form our chur...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/TDNfutXZNEI/AAAAAAAAAn0/RbwbPJ9ilYY/s1600/yonah.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490837626751104066" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/TDNfutXZNEI/AAAAAAAAAn0/RbwbPJ9ilYY/s320/yonah.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />One of the reasons I really enjoy rock climbing is because so much of what you learn on the rock carries over into our daily activities. Maybe this is just me but hear me out for a little bit.<br />A few weeks ago I guided a small group of boys form our church on a rock climbing trip. We went to a place that I know better than any other climbing area, Mount Yonah near Cleveland Georgia. After spending half the day climbing some relatively easy stuff a few of the guys wanted to do something harder. So I took Aaron and another boy, Alex, up to help me set up a few top ropes on the harder stuff. They had both shown considerable interest in learning how to safely set up the anchors. In order to get to the anchors for these routes we had to rappel off of the top of the rock which was over 200 feet tall and down to a ledge in the middle of the rock. I let Aaron rappel down to the ledge first since he had a little more experience than Alex. Alex would go next and I would come down to the ledge last. That way I could inspect everybody’s set-up before they rappelled.<br />So Aaron gets his rappel set and heads down to the ledge with no problem. That’s when all the drama started. You see the ledge was home to hundreds of biting ants. They were big red things with black abdomens. No sooner than Aaron got on the ledge and they were attacking his legs. It also seemed that the death of their sisters brought out even more worker ants to join in the attack. As bad as the ants were Aaron really had no choice but to stay on the ledge until Alex and I could get down to him, bring down the ropes and rappel the rest of the way to the ground.<br />So we did just that. Alex, knowing full well what he was getting into, rappelled down to the ledge, safely clipped into the anchors and proceeded to help Aaron slap off the ants until I could get down. I followed as quickly as I safely could and set up the ropes to get us off the rock. The whole process took about half an hour and we all had quite a few ant bites when the event was over.<br />I was very proud of Aaron and Alex for keeping their cool. It was a very stressful place to be. My biggest concern was that in spite of the ants they would abandon the relative safety of the ledge, unclip from the anchors and try to go over to another ledge without as many ants. They both realized that the ants were annoying but they weren’t deadly. Yet unclipping from the anchors to get away from them could be deadly. It’s in exactly these types of situations that it is even my important to do things correctly. Both the boys realized this and did everything they could to help me set up the anchors as fast a possible yet also as safely as possible.<br />As their guide for the trip I regret that they had to learn this lesson in such a stressful way but I’m glad that they learned that some things in life just aren’t worth the gamble. Many times in life what may seem like the quick and easy way to solve a problem may in fact be risking a whole lot more than if you patiently solved it the correct way.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/28750528-6370921111963958978?l=freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Our &#8217;76 VolksWagen Westfalia</title>
		<link>http://freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com/2010/04/our-76-volkswagen-westfalia.html?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=our-76-volkswagen-westfalia</link>
		<comments>http://freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com/2010/04/our-76-volkswagen-westfalia.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 04 Apr 2010 22:28:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Camping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climbing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[funny stuff]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[VW]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false"></guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I had a couple people ask why I hadn’t posted anything for a while. So I figured a little bit of an explanation was in order.<br />I have a confession to make. I've been having an affair with a high maintenance 34 year-old. She's really cute but she need a lot of attention. I've had to run errands for her on my lunch hours and she's made me spend most of my evenings with her lately. So she's been getting in hte way of some of typical blogging time.<br />Here are a few pictures.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S7ok2-Lc0aI/AAAAAAAAAmU/YoqbeU4Sc0o/s1600/IMG_0349.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S7ok2-Lc0aI/AAAAAAAAAmU/YoqbeU4Sc0o/s200/IMG_0349.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Here she is. She's a 1976 Volkswagen Campmobile.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S7ok3_0VCKI/AAAAAAAAAms/mPtBuF78vXM/s1600/Easter004.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S7ok3_0VCKI/AAAAAAAAAms/mPtBuF78vXM/s200/Easter004.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Eve loves to help me work on her. She's helping me change the fuel lines in this picutre.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S7ok3TagSkI/AAAAAAAAAmk/h1PXUwt2zXY/s1600/Easter001.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S7ok3TagSkI/AAAAAAAAAmk/h1PXUwt2zXY/s200/Easter001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S7ok3HCEdYI/AAAAAAAAAmc/VQSI036GF9k/s1600/IMG_0353.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S7ok3HCEdYI/AAAAAAAAAmc/VQSI036GF9k/s200/IMG_0353.jpg" border="0" /></a><div><img width="1" height="1" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/28750528-1451383875065040682?l=freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com" alt="" /></div>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[I had a couple people ask why I hadn’t posted anything for a while. So I figured a little bit of an explanation was in order.<br />I have a confession to make. I've been having an affair with a high maintenance 34 year-old. She's really cute but she need a lot of attention. I've had to run errands for her on my lunch hours and she's made me spend most of my evenings with her lately. So she's been getting in hte way of some of typical blogging time.<br />Here are a few pictures.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S7ok2-Lc0aI/AAAAAAAAAmU/YoqbeU4Sc0o/s1600/IMG_0349.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456714425335337378" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S7ok2-Lc0aI/AAAAAAAAAmU/YoqbeU4Sc0o/s200/IMG_0349.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Here she is. She's a 1976 Volkswagen Campmobile.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S7ok3_0VCKI/AAAAAAAAAms/mPtBuF78vXM/s1600/Easter004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456714442955098274" style="WIDTH: 133px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S7ok3_0VCKI/AAAAAAAAAms/mPtBuF78vXM/s200/Easter004.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Eve loves to help me work on her. She's helping me change the fuel lines in this picutre.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S7ok3TagSkI/AAAAAAAAAmk/h1PXUwt2zXY/s1600/Easter001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456714431035624002" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S7ok3TagSkI/AAAAAAAAAmk/h1PXUwt2zXY/s200/Easter001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S7ok3HCEdYI/AAAAAAAAAmc/VQSI036GF9k/s1600/IMG_0353.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456714427711911298" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S7ok3HCEdYI/AAAAAAAAAmc/VQSI036GF9k/s200/IMG_0353.jpg" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/28750528-1451383875065040682?l=freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>This Post is So EPIC!!</title>
		<link>http://freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com/2010/02/this-post-is-so-epic.html?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=this-post-is-so-epic</link>
		<comments>http://freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com/2010/02/this-post-is-so-epic.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:48:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[climbing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[language]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rant]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[I'm really getting tired of the word "epic". But only because I rarely hear it used correctly. My kids seem to think it's a synonym for “very” or “really” or just “neato”. Twenty years ago everything was “awesome”. And before that I guess it was ‘cool”. I guess I’m from the “cool” generation, which seems to have come after the “hip” generation.<br /><br />Hollywood used to call movies that told the life of a historical figure an epic. Lord of the Rings is an epic.<br />But the kids were really excited that Victoria had bought Reese's Puffs cereal. I'm sorry but there's nothing epic about that.<br />In 1995 I went on a climbing trip to Yosemite. My partner had exaggerated his abilities and lied to me about having climbed the route we were planning on climbing before. We had to back off of a dangerous climb because he couldn't do a relatively simple technique. I ended up getting a massive sunburn after standing the whole day on the same little ledge 2000' up the rock. Then the next day we had to get rescued off another route because we made a mistake while trying to get back down off a climb. Somebody was at the base of the rock stealing our packs and we got in too much of a hurry. Then on the way home I blew the engine on my car in the middle of the Nevada desert and had to hitch-hike to the nearest city and then get a ride home to Salt Lake in a tow truck. Now that was epic.<br />As good as Reese’s Puffs cereal is, "epic" just isn’t the right choice of words.<div><img width="1" height="1" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/28750528-8444164374443249071?l=freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com" alt="" /></div>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm really getting tired of the word "epic". But only because I rarely hear it used correctly. My kids seem to think it's a synonym for “very” or “really” or just “neato”. Twenty years ago everything was “awesome”. And before that I guess it was ‘cool”. I guess I’m from the “cool” generation, which seems to have come after the “hip” generation.<br /><br />Hollywood used to call movies that told the life of a historical figure an epic. Lord of the Rings is an epic.<br />But the kids were really excited that Victoria had bought Reese's Puffs cereal. I'm sorry but there's nothing epic about that.<br />In 1995 I went on a climbing trip to Yosemite. My partner had exaggerated his abilities and lied to me about having climbed the route we were planning on climbing before. We had to back off of a dangerous climb because he couldn't do a relatively simple technique. I ended up getting a massive sunburn after standing the whole day on the same little ledge 2000' up the rock. Then the next day we had to get rescued off another route because we made a mistake while trying to get back down off a climb. Somebody was at the base of the rock stealing our packs and we got in too much of a hurry. Then on the way home I blew the engine on my car in the middle of the Nevada desert and had to hitch-hike to the nearest city and then get a ride home to Salt Lake in a tow truck. Now that was epic.<br />As good as Reese’s Puffs cereal is, "epic" just isn’t the right choice of words.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/28750528-8444164374443249071?l=freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Emotional Distance</title>
		<link>http://freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com/2010/02/emotional-distance.html?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=emotional-distance</link>
		<comments>http://freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com/2010/02/emotional-distance.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:49:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[climbing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[emotions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[introspection]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S4MmdPNWlMI/AAAAAAAAAks/3a6yJu6VfDQ/s1600-h/touchstone.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S4MmdPNWlMI/AAAAAAAAAks/3a6yJu6VfDQ/s400/touchstone.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><em>(Warning: personal content)</em><br /><br />In the spring of 1998 a friend of mine and I went down to Zion National Park and climbed a very pretty sandstoen route that was about 1000’ tall. I was recovering from leg surgery and didn’t do much if any of the leading, but I was rather proud of what we’d accomplished. This wasn’t a first ascent but it was a very nice line that took us over a day to finish. We took a fair amount of pictures because our employer, REI, wanted us to do a slide show for the customers. Several times when we could have just moved on and made better time we took extra effort to get the climb on film. The climb was particularly important to me because I would soon be moving away from Utah and back to Georgia. It was unlikely that I would get another chance like this to climb at this grade. Indeed, I haven’t climbed anything nearly that hard ever since.<br />When we got back to Georgia we put the slides together for the presentation. I wanted some friends and family members to see what we had done. So one day when they stopped by the store I pulled them aside and gave a small private screening. After only a few shots one friend, who has a serious issue with heights, asked to be excused. I showed the rest of the slides, but it was a little bittersweet. It was clear that in order to have a relationship with this friend they had to maintain a certain level of cognitive dissonance about my hobby. Which meant that I would not be able to share this aspect of myself with them.<br />I understand this friend’s apprehensions and I fully accept them. But at some level it saddened me. Here was something that was important to me, something that I enjoy and I had to hide it away in order to not upset them. Since this event I’ve learn about several other things that I do that upset certain people that I am close to. Don’t get too hung up on the first example. This is about much more that just the fact that I like to go climbing and caving. I have a long mental list of topics that I need to avoid cross-referenced to friends and family members. It seems that as I get older the lists just keep on growing too.<br />So what are my choices? I can have a relationship where I personally hide nothing and stay completely open about my opinions and activities even though that makes loved ones uncomfortable. Or I can hide a few details about things that are important to me in order to not upset people, but in turn I come across as emotionally distant. Or I can not have any relationship at all with people who don’t accept me as I am. Granted there are shades of grey between each of these. Ideally I’d like to be completely honest with everybody and still not upset people. But so far I haven’t had much luck with that one. Perhaps it’s something about my personality. I don’t know.<br />This post would not be complete without stating how grateful I am to the one person who I feel really understands and accepts me. Victoria and I disagree on many issues. And that’s great. She doesn’t need to be just an echo of my views, likes and dislikes in order for me love her and have a relationship with her. If I could only figure out how to be just as honest with the rest of the world as I am with her and not drive them away.<div><img width="1" height="1" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/28750528-8729476197137012439?l=freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com" alt="" /></div>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S4MmdPNWlMI/AAAAAAAAAks/3a6yJu6VfDQ/s1600-h/touchstone.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441235058534290626" style="WIDTH: 465px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 324px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lsBn5AWfx7A/S4MmdPNWlMI/AAAAAAAAAks/3a6yJu6VfDQ/s400/touchstone.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><em>(Warning: personal content)</em><br /><br />In the spring of 1998 a friend of mine and I went down to Zion National Park and climbed a very pretty sandstoen route that was about 1000’ tall. I was recovering from leg surgery and didn’t do much if any of the leading, but I was rather proud of what we’d accomplished. This wasn’t a first ascent but it was a very nice line that took us over a day to finish. We took a fair amount of pictures because our employer, REI, wanted us to do a slide show for the customers. Several times when we could have just moved on and made better time we took extra effort to get the climb on film. The climb was particularly important to me because I would soon be moving away from Utah and back to Georgia. It was unlikely that I would get another chance like this to climb at this grade. Indeed, I haven’t climbed anything nearly that hard ever since.<br />When we got back to Georgia we put the slides together for the presentation. I wanted some friends and family members to see what we had done. So one day when they stopped by the store I pulled them aside and gave a small private screening. After only a few shots one friend, who has a serious issue with heights, asked to be excused. I showed the rest of the slides, but it was a little bittersweet. It was clear that in order to have a relationship with this friend they had to maintain a certain level of cognitive dissonance about my hobby. Which meant that I would not be able to share this aspect of myself with them.<br />I understand this friend’s apprehensions and I fully accept them. But at some level it saddened me. Here was something that was important to me, something that I enjoy and I had to hide it away in order to not upset them. Since this event I’ve learn about several other things that I do that upset certain people that I am close to. Don’t get too hung up on the first example. This is about much more that just the fact that I like to go climbing and caving. I have a long mental list of topics that I need to avoid cross-referenced to friends and family members. It seems that as I get older the lists just keep on growing too.<br />So what are my choices? I can have a relationship where I personally hide nothing and stay completely open about my opinions and activities even though that makes loved ones uncomfortable. Or I can hide a few details about things that are important to me in order to not upset people, but in turn I come across as emotionally distant. Or I can not have any relationship at all with people who don’t accept me as I am. Granted there are shades of grey between each of these. Ideally I’d like to be completely honest with everybody and still not upset people. But so far I haven’t had much luck with that one. Perhaps it’s something about my personality. I don’t know.<br />This post would not be complete without stating how grateful I am to the one person who I feel really understands and accepts me. Victoria and I disagree on many issues. And that’s great. She doesn’t need to be just an echo of my views, likes and dislikes in order for me love her and have a relationship with her. If I could only figure out how to be just as honest with the rest of the world as I am with her and not drive them away.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/28750528-8729476197137012439?l=freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>The Peltzman Effect</title>
		<link>http://freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com/2010/01/peltzman-effect.html?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-peltzman-effect</link>
		<comments>http://freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com/2010/01/peltzman-effect.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[children]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climbing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[introspection]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sci-fi]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday I listened to a podcast that talked a little bit about the Peltzman Effect. In simplest terms the Peltzman Effect is a theory that claims that the safer people believe they are the more likely they are to engage in risky behavior. I need to d...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Yesterday I listened to <a href="http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4188">a podcast</a> that talked a little bit about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peltzman_effect">Peltzman Effect</a>. In simplest terms the Peltzman Effect is a theory that claims that the safer people believe they are the more likely they are to engage in risky behavior. I need to do more reading on this but the topic seemed to confirm my own observations. From what little I’ve read this is primarily an economic theory. If you believe that your investments are insured to a certain amount you’ll take more risks than if they were not. I’ve also seen many manifestations of this in other areas. Do high-wire walkers take more chances if they have a net? Increase the safety of cars by adding anti-lock brakes and massive crumple zones and some people take this as permission to bump draft on the highway like it’s a Nascar race. In my own experience I can think of several examples from the years when I used to do much more rock climbing. I did much more dangerous things on top-rope that I ever would have done on lead. And I took much more risks on lead that I ever would consider without a rope.<br />It seems that the appearance of removing the risk, even if it’s only marginally safer makes people behave disproportionately to the added benefit of the safety net. The net effect seems to be that people feel even more detached from the consequences of their decisions. The safety nets, the ropes, and the ABS brakes may actually encourage more risk taking and be less safe.<br />I’ve given this issue a lot of thought lately for many reasons. I’ve been considering getting my VW bus on the road again and it has no ABS brakes and the crumple zone is pretty much the driver’s and passenger’s legs. I’ve been trying to get in shape to do more rock climbing than I have in years past. But the biggest reason I’ve chosen to blog about this today comes from just being a father.<br />It’s natural to want to pad the sharp edges that you bumped into as a kid so your kids won’t have to learn the hard way. I also try hard to provide a decent financial safety net for my children. But I fear that in a small way I may be experiencing a little bit of the Peltzman Effect. By making things a little nicer for my kids than I had it I seem to be encouraging them to take risks that I would not have taken. I made a lot of stupid mistakes as a child. I wasn’t shielded from the consequences and in most cases felt the full brunt of those mistakes. As a parent it’s much easier said than done.<br />There’s a British sci-fi comedy that I really love, <a href="http://www.reddwarf.co.uk/news/index.cfm">Red Dwarf</a>. I think sci-fi allows you to explore ideas and themes that you really couldn’t explore in other formats. In one episode one of the main characters met his alter ego from a parallel dimension. In one dimension this character, Rimmer, was a sniveling middle management suck up with no loyalty and was inept and virtually friendless. In another dimension the same person had become, Ace, the dashing space pilot that everybody wanted to be around and was the hero of everything that he attempted. The two tried to figure out at what point in their life their paths took such drastically different paths, one becoming Rimmer and the other becoming Ace. They concluded that many years ago one of them cheated on a test and got caught, the other did not. The ironic thing is that Ace was the one that got caught and Rimmer had gotten away with it. Having that wake up call early in his life had caused Ace to sit up and re-evaluate what his life would become while Rimmer never had such a wake up call.<br />My fear is that I’m doing too much to interfere with the natural consequences and not letting my kids get the wake up call they need. As a parent who wants only the best for them that’s much easier said than done.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/28750528-4042301631181464010?l=freephilosophicaldiscussions.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>]]></content:encoded>
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