Interview meme
The meme:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "I love answering questions."
2. I respond by asking you five question. You will answer them, because you like talking about yourself.
3. You will update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
_earthshine_ offered up these
1) Let's say you were given a commission to address Congress on a handful of critical issues that required legislation, and your reports and discussions would be given both a few weeks' time and a serious ear by both the House and Senate. What would your platform be?
My platform would consist of these items, in this order:
A. The need for a national mandate on reducing green house gasses. The science is clear, what is now lacking is political will.
B. The need to reform the health care insurance industry. We have incredible health care professionals in this country. We have the best hospitals and diagnostic equipment that humanity has ever seen. And there is an entire industry that derives profit by making it more difficult for patients to get access to the care they need.
C. Repeal the no child left behind act, and set up a commission to radically reform the educational process in this country from the ground up. We need our citizenry to become better thinkers, and that starts with the educational process. We need a higher emphasis on multiple language proficiency, mathematics, science, geography, and how society works here and in other countries. Maybe we need to look at the Jesuit approach, the Montessori method, and the education systems in other first world secular nations for ideas on how to push our education system from an incubator for perfect corporate employees into an incubator for people ready to lead and serve the world.
D. We need to remove the corporations control the government. Corporations are not citizens, and do not deserve a larger voice in government then the citizens.
E. Push for an amendment that clearly defines equal rights for all citizens, regardless of race, age, gender, gender orientation, gender identity, or religious beliefs.
F. Reform the tax code. Make it clear, easy to understand, and a flat percentage for every person and organization that lives or does business in this country. Reduce tax breaks for citizens and corporations. If you enjoy the services and resources of this country you should have to pay to keep the place running. A part of this would to tax the religious establishments in this country. If your god gets money, he or she owes a portion back to the country.
2) What do you feel are the essential elements of an enjoyable role-playing campaign?
First and foremost, the players need to make characters that can and want to work together. Too many campaigns are fubared from the get go because the players don’t have any reason to be together which results in too much railroading of plot because otherwise the characters would split for different corners of the world.
Second, the gm has to provide at least an illusion of choice and risk. I want to contribute to the flesh of the story, and I’m willing to play with the plot lines given, but at least let the party choose which ones are going to be picked up. And make sure when the party takes the “this is suicide” option, that they actually risk losing characters.
Third, I like a wee bit of the violence. I game for escape and to vent some of the rage I feel in daily life. Whether I’m role-playing or playing a computer/console game I feel better after a bit of simulated violence.
3) How have your views on environmentalism changed over the years, and where are they now?
I am as much of a hypocrite as the next environmentalist on the internet. I’m trying to train my actions to more closely match my beliefs. Our world is a beautiful place, and we need to do a better job as stewards of the planet. We only get one, we should leave it better then we found it. I think on most days I fail to achieve a positive change on the world.
4) Over the years, we've had the chance to share some spiritual views and experiences, and I’ve always been intrigued by the depth and diversity of yours. How would you summarize your current spirituality/faith/religion? How has it evolved over your lifetime?
My current spiritual understanding is polytheistic. I believe the universe has room for more then one desert tribe’s god. I think the belief of the people sustains the deity in question. Which makes me curious as to whether or not Allah and Yahweh are still the same entity? And if not, is Jesus now a separate entity as well? These are questions that I doubt I will get the answers for before my death. I believe that we should live as our deity desires. If your deity doesn’t want you to eat meat on Friday, well, my deity thinks it is silly, but hey go for it. If your deity wants you to pray to her before every meal and every morning, be my guest. Just don’t be upset with me if I don’t join you.
I feel most religions have something of value to offer. The Cults of Kali, Satan, and Scientology still have the full range of my disgust and dismay. I think a religion fails the moment it teaches hate and fear.
I think that evolution is the process that was used by the deities to create this world, and to continue to modify it. I don’t think Science and Faith have to be opposed to each other. I believe in past lives, and young souls. I’m pretty sure I’ve known some of us previously.
5) I feel as if the changes kicked off in my life by my becoming a parent have ushered in some major life lessons -- some of which were hard-won, many of which are still being internalized, and many of which are still only new awarenesses of lessons i need to learn. Do you feel this has been true for you? If so, what are some of lessons you feel you've gained? Are there others you feel are "in progress"? Are there others you wish would come along faster?
I don’t quite understand what you are asking me, I am confused by the term “major life lesson”. I need more clarification on this term before answering.
_earthshine_'s clarification: "How, if at all, has being a parent changed your outlook on life? What do you feel you've learned? What do you wish you'd learned before you started?"
Ah. Well, I think that I've grown accustomed to seeing pink a lot more. I'm also learning to appreciate "kid songs". I wish I knew more about childhood sickness, and how to cure it more quickly, but I'm learning. I'm not sure my outlook has changed much, but I might be to close to the mirror to notice the changes.
1. Leave me a comment saying, "I love answering questions."
2. I respond by asking you five question. You will answer them, because you like talking about yourself.
3. You will update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
_earthshine_ offered up these
1) Let's say you were given a commission to address Congress on a handful of critical issues that required legislation, and your reports and discussions would be given both a few weeks' time and a serious ear by both the House and Senate. What would your platform be?
My platform would consist of these items, in this order:
A. The need for a national mandate on reducing green house gasses. The science is clear, what is now lacking is political will.
B. The need to reform the health care insurance industry. We have incredible health care professionals in this country. We have the best hospitals and diagnostic equipment that humanity has ever seen. And there is an entire industry that derives profit by making it more difficult for patients to get access to the care they need.
C. Repeal the no child left behind act, and set up a commission to radically reform the educational process in this country from the ground up. We need our citizenry to become better thinkers, and that starts with the educational process. We need a higher emphasis on multiple language proficiency, mathematics, science, geography, and how society works here and in other countries. Maybe we need to look at the Jesuit approach, the Montessori method, and the education systems in other first world secular nations for ideas on how to push our education system from an incubator for perfect corporate employees into an incubator for people ready to lead and serve the world.
D. We need to remove the corporations control the government. Corporations are not citizens, and do not deserve a larger voice in government then the citizens.
E. Push for an amendment that clearly defines equal rights for all citizens, regardless of race, age, gender, gender orientation, gender identity, or religious beliefs.
F. Reform the tax code. Make it clear, easy to understand, and a flat percentage for every person and organization that lives or does business in this country. Reduce tax breaks for citizens and corporations. If you enjoy the services and resources of this country you should have to pay to keep the place running. A part of this would to tax the religious establishments in this country. If your god gets money, he or she owes a portion back to the country.
2) What do you feel are the essential elements of an enjoyable role-playing campaign?
First and foremost, the players need to make characters that can and want to work together. Too many campaigns are fubared from the get go because the players don’t have any reason to be together which results in too much railroading of plot because otherwise the characters would split for different corners of the world.
Second, the gm has to provide at least an illusion of choice and risk. I want to contribute to the flesh of the story, and I’m willing to play with the plot lines given, but at least let the party choose which ones are going to be picked up. And make sure when the party takes the “this is suicide” option, that they actually risk losing characters.
Third, I like a wee bit of the violence. I game for escape and to vent some of the rage I feel in daily life. Whether I’m role-playing or playing a computer/console game I feel better after a bit of simulated violence.
3) How have your views on environmentalism changed over the years, and where are they now?
I am as much of a hypocrite as the next environmentalist on the internet. I’m trying to train my actions to more closely match my beliefs. Our world is a beautiful place, and we need to do a better job as stewards of the planet. We only get one, we should leave it better then we found it. I think on most days I fail to achieve a positive change on the world.
4) Over the years, we've had the chance to share some spiritual views and experiences, and I’ve always been intrigued by the depth and diversity of yours. How would you summarize your current spirituality/faith/religion? How has it evolved over your lifetime?
My current spiritual understanding is polytheistic. I believe the universe has room for more then one desert tribe’s god. I think the belief of the people sustains the deity in question. Which makes me curious as to whether or not Allah and Yahweh are still the same entity? And if not, is Jesus now a separate entity as well? These are questions that I doubt I will get the answers for before my death. I believe that we should live as our deity desires. If your deity doesn’t want you to eat meat on Friday, well, my deity thinks it is silly, but hey go for it. If your deity wants you to pray to her before every meal and every morning, be my guest. Just don’t be upset with me if I don’t join you.
I feel most religions have something of value to offer. The Cults of Kali, Satan, and Scientology still have the full range of my disgust and dismay. I think a religion fails the moment it teaches hate and fear.
I think that evolution is the process that was used by the deities to create this world, and to continue to modify it. I don’t think Science and Faith have to be opposed to each other. I believe in past lives, and young souls. I’m pretty sure I’ve known some of us previously.
5) I feel as if the changes kicked off in my life by my becoming a parent have ushered in some major life lessons -- some of which were hard-won, many of which are still being internalized, and many of which are still only new awarenesses of lessons i need to learn. Do you feel this has been true for you? If so, what are some of lessons you feel you've gained? Are there others you feel are "in progress"? Are there others you wish would come along faster?
I don’t quite understand what you are asking me, I am confused by the term “major life lesson”. I need more clarification on this term before answering.
_earthshine_'s clarification: "How, if at all, has being a parent changed your outlook on life? What do you feel you've learned? What do you wish you'd learned before you started?"
Ah. Well, I think that I've grown accustomed to seeing pink a lot more. I'm also learning to appreciate "kid songs". I wish I knew more about childhood sickness, and how to cure it more quickly, but I'm learning. I'm not sure my outlook has changed much, but I might be to close to the mirror to notice the changes.