Quote Originally Posted by Weezard
My dear D. of N.

I'm the, so far, single other vote.

Why is that?

Well, someone I respect said it for me.

"the entire purpose of this poll is to see how many of you believe that the possibility of excellence is worth the risks involved. i have my doubts as to whether its outcome will be of any use, so many seem not to understand the meaning of the term "individual" and others are too involved with the details of our political mess to see a broader picture. "

You just may be fishing in the shallow end of the gene pool, my friend.

If I had a clear, and objective view of our shared reality, I would be tickled to toss out an either/or, answer.

My only consolation?
Knowing that I do not know.
Hey! It's a start.

Try just bein' nice to each other and see if that don't help.
Aloha,
Weezard
you leave me a bit confused here (as does most of humanity, i have to admit). i thought i had made it quite clear that the question was not whether the individual should put the welfare of others ahead of his own, but whether he should be allowed to make that decision on his own. we seem to have reached a point where many people believe that compassion and empathy should be legislated into existence, we all know that there are many folks out there that just aren't capable of seeing the world that way and many more whose resentment at being coerced will drive them from what would otherwise be a natural inclination. being "nice" to each other is really the only way that a society can hope to survive more than a few hundred years without collapsing under the weight of its own disgust.

as for the pond i've been sampling from, it is large and varied. some of the most intelligent people i've ever met have been incredibly ignorant, being too focused on the minutiae to even realize the philosophy behind their ideals, and true individuality is so out of style that many believe themselves to be unique though they are merely mimicking the latest trends.