Forum Post: I have been requested for help. An individual would like direction to sources of learning and experiences.
Posted 12 years ago on March 8, 2012, 10:38 a.m. EST by DKAtoday
(33802)
from Coon Rapids, MN
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
I will copy off our short conversation. If you would like to contribute. Please do.
The conversation is as follows.
D.B. So just a quick question i see you posting on here a lot about an array of topics. So what kind of background do you have. I see you have a knowledge of many topics so i was interested in knowing where you got you opinions from.
Me I have always had a wide range of interests.
D.B. that's it to the mystery of _ is all down to you have a wide range of interest. I want to know what drives your reason what fuels your thought process
Me Why? Formal education is school - learning is a life times journey.
D.B. because i want to learn i want to sponge in knowledge that is why why are you refusing
Me I am sorry. My experiences are mine. Learning is a process. It never ends. So I have been learning for many years. That is not something I can give you. It is your journey too.
D.B. i know it is but part of that journey is to ask question from your peers. So im asking you not to be selfish and tell me where you learn your ideas from. Where do you go to gather information
Me Would you mind if I shared this conversation? Others like myself may be able to lend a helping hand. Selfishness is not an option with me never has been never will be.
D.B. That was trick question sneaky man and sure go fo it i asked nothing harmful i just want to know what you watch and read. maybe a story or two about yourself no personal information though
Me Nothing sneaky intended. I am more interested in your fishing trip. Is all. What are your intentions?
D.B. to find news sources, book and ideas i never thought about
Me This is where the conversation is at. Share if you would like. Try to be honest and helpful. Trolls need not apply.
I don't really know what is going on here but I have a few observations. 1, there is paranoia on this forum, I understand why but it sometimes makes it difficult to relate or talk to people you really just admire and want to know a little better 2, I sometimes ask people things in private because I'm shy; also it may not particularly relate to any conversation;3, Daniel I recommend reading a lot of history, without it you can't possibly get perspective IMO. There are many other things that shape your perspective but that is important to me.
thanks
There is no bibliography for life.
For each specific subject that comes up that peaks one's interests, there are ways to research, go deeper. If, on a website like this, you don't understand a SPECIFIC point, ask for clarification and reference sources. Most people wold be happy to provide both as long as the request is in good faith. The same is true in real life as well. Constant reading, looking, listening, and questioning, led by curiosity and a willingness to openly learn is what molds people. And as DKAtoday a;ready said, it is a life-long process.
Nor is knowledge itself the most important thing. Heart is more important. Caring for someone other than yourself is the thing that leads to the right knowledge, to the knowledge that makes a difference.
Exactly - taking notes D.B.?
i don't carry a bibliography but i still remember books that have changed my life and thought process
• Forever War
• 1984
• American psycho
• The Road
• The odyssey
• Master and Commander
• Any Tom Clancy book
• Lord of the Rings
• Red badge of courage
• Of mice and men
• Atlas shrugged
• Fahrenheit 451
these are some of the books who have changed me and sculpted me there are thousands more that i have read that have changed me. Poems to it not a bad thing to share knowledge. That list is not including my vast collection of engineering text books and old text books i have in my house.
• www.learnliberty.org/
• http://newsmap.jp/
• Wall Street journal
• Popular mechanics
• Popular science
• www.asme.org
• TopGear
• Wired
• IGN
that is where i get most of my news along with my schools independent paper. These news sources are what i can read and find valuable news sources. So all i was doing was finding news sources and maybe a story or two about your life it was not suppose to go on in a thread wasting energy and peoples time
Specious trolls.
I agree, this is a fine hate spawning troll post at it's very core.
Superlative arrogance!
I'm lovin it!
Hi BeautifulW -how you doin? Having a good day I hope? Thanks for stopping in. The education (?) of youth, it is a trying time in a young persons life when they are seeking answers to the questions of the universe. Funny that never changes - the seeking that is.
Such innocence.
Me? or my Friend?
For I am an innocent, wandering this big blue marble ............
LOL! Not you.
mark the two roles in the text
Putting It Together
OK sorry if it has been unclear so far.
thanks
You are welcome.
Some of the books that reside in my library that I would recommend:
The Communist Manifesto - Marx/Engles
Emerson: Collected Essays
Rules for Radicals - Saul Alinsky
Think and Grow Rich - Napolean Hill
The Richest Man In Babylon - Clason
Man's Search for Meaning - Frankle
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
King, Warrior, Magician, Lover - Moore/Gillette
Democracy in America - Alexis de Tocqueville
Common Sense - Thomas Paine
The Federalist Papers
The Sibling Society - Robert Bly
Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
Silent Power - Stuart Wilde
Walden - Thoreau
The Road Less Traveled - M Scott Peck
Callings - Greg Levoy
The Way of the Peaceful Warrior - Millman
The Book of Five Rings - Musashi
The Prophet - Khalil Gibran
The Prince - Machiavelli
The Divine Comedy - Dante Alighieri
Mastery - George Leonard
Who Moved My Cheese - Spencer Johnson
A Message to Garcia - Elbert Hubbard
Power vs Force - David Hawkins
The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
First Things First - Stephen Covey
The Hero with a Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell
Radical Honesty - Brad Blanton
Frogs into Princes - Bandler/Grinder
As a Man Thinketh - James Allen
Acres of Diamonds - Russell Conwell
Grimes Fairytails
Aesop's Fables
The Holy Bible.....not necessarily for the purpose of faith...it's actually an interesting book to read, with great stories
I could go on all night, as I have thousands of books in my personal library...those are on my re-read shelf though, and I revisit them regularly
for fiction I have a genuine love for Twain, Hemingway, Jim Harrison, Richard Russo, and F Scott Fitzgerald......
thank you i've saved that list
I am sorry but my first impression is that this is not a sincere inquiry.; Be careful DKA.
DKAtoday, I like you so I will advise you this, do not let the flattery fool you , DB is an evil character and I have told him so .
OMG DK! (Laffn).. You are Such a good person, you never thought this guy is a complete and totally Bogus Arsshole!
...He's a board Stoner!
Bless your heart, at least you tried, showed patience in the face of idiocy!
Thank you Marlow. I know what he is fishing for. Must be frustrating for him. Hey?
Thanks for the heads up. I know that he is basically fishing for stuff to throw in my face. But I like to be helpful. Its in my nature. So I give advice. And allow others to do the same or just allow them to sit-back watch and take notes. Thanks again.
I just don't want to see you get hurt.
Thank you.
please take my advise .. DB speaks with total dishonesty .. not sure what his game really is .. but it's pure evil. certainly
Pure evil, why because my teacher mocked you or the fact i debunked your idea with several question
Pure evil no not even close
Thank you. Have you read through the full conversation so far. I have added quite a bit. I was busy doing something else before so the updates got kind of behind. I think it may ease your mind to have a look.
I just read a bit of it .. please whatever you do .. don't open the door ..
Not to worry the door is as open as it is going to get.
Teaching life's lessons need not be intimate.
please be careful.. it's just so creepy that DB was sending you those questions .. as an onlooker .. it gives me shivers ..he is evil please don't share anything with him .. no life lessons .. nothing. promise me DKAtoday .. please promise me you won't
Only wisdom. If I have any that is. I can't promise not to respond, I can only promise to try and be aware.
No DKA, share nothing. DB is a wolf and you are a lamb. I can see his fangs He will eat you.
When many people tell a person they are a douche bag, only the most arrogant of them never stop to wonder why that is.
The most narcissistic of them, compare themselves to great spirits and their critics as mediocre minded savages.
You have a PR and image problem.
ill say he refuses to answer three dam questions
lol
He has answered your question far better than you realize or are willing to acknowledge. I have also answered your question. http://occupywallst.org/forum/i-have-been-requested-for-help-an-individual-would/#comment-669384
There is, however, a concern that you are not asking in good faith. Your very questions aren't legitimate. It is not appropriate or useful to ask, "What makes you who you are?", but rather "How can I become a better person, more compassionate and more informed"?
i saw your comment i know everyone is different i know that. What im trying to see is why people are that way. Im looking for books and news sources he didnt answer that. He said that i cant experience the same things and he is right i cant but i can read and watch videos and thats all i want. Im investigating the human mind here im doing something that people forget to do and that is see both sides of the argument. Im not looking to become him i just want to see what shaped him.
These insults of questing for knowledge is beyond reason.
I did ask for help im asking where he gets the base of his opinions from
So dont insult me on petty things for when i am trying to learn about society and how ideas are formed
Where is the insult? I am telling you that your question is the wrong one, since it is YOUR learning, not anyone else's that is the issue. I also laid out the way to acquire that learning, apart from formal education (which is necessary as well)
You ask where he gets the base of his opinions from. Which opinions? All of them? Each of us have literally hundreds of thousands of them, many of which we're unaware of until a subject comes up in conversation.
The real question is how YOU should go about legitimately formulating opinions, based on facts. And you can only do that one specific subject at a time. Eventually, with enough experience you begin to see a pattern of sorts emerging in your thoughts. And you would be unable to determine which of the literally millions upon millions of connections you have made in your mind between facts, events, and feelings that lead you to how you are "shaped".
Your question is overly broad. It requires someone writing an entire 1000 page autobiography, and do so in a way that is virtually impossible. You are essentially asking "Who are you" as an existential question. And it still would not help you formulate any valid opinions about any issues for yourself.
Ask specific questions to get specific answers about specific issues. Over time, you will be able to answer some questions yourself. The answer is: go to school and live a life, keeping your eyes, ears, mind, and heart open more than your mouth. That is the way to learn and grow, that is the way to quest for knowledge.
i did ask a specific question i just never gotten the answer so ill ask you i have been made fun speculated that im fishing for data to throw back into peoples faces. This thread was made to single me out and to make fun of me. Real mature by everyone in here while i try to discuss ideas people think i'm the one who is evil even though i just want to share news sources and data.
All i wanted was a website for news and a list of good books to read. i really could care less now about personal stories.
Where do you get your news? (websites,news channels, papers)
what have you read that has changed your thought process?
"All i wanted was a website for news and a list of good books to read."
On what subject in particular? You really have to be specific.
"Where do you get your news?"
Depends of what I'm looking for. I try to read from a variety of news sources from left wing to conservative. I watch mainstream news on television as well as Public television. I learn about specific subjects by seeking out articles and papers on them on the web. (For example I read scientists about science, artists about art, writers about writing, etc.) Google is a wonderful tool, but it can too often lead to finding information from a source I'm already likely to agree with, so i make sure to monitor my own potential biases and go to sites I'm less likely to agree with. I tend to get my print news about daily events from the New York Times, and find supplements from all around. When I have the time, I have no problem spending 8-10 hours a day reading; I love it.
I don't think this thread was made to single you out so much as it was to help you. That's what I'm trying to do.
The things I read that most influenced me were a very broad spectrum of books. But the time I read them probably created the greatest impact: my teenage years. Virtually anything and everything I read then was a revelation it seemed. I read philosophy, psychology, art theory, comparative religion, anthropology, and virtually all the great literature I could get my hands on. (Yes, I was a total geek.) And I took courses in all of them, too. (I also played chess, studied classical music, did theatre, rode a bicycle 50 miles a day, did technical rock climbing in the mountains, played hours of tennis every week and vainly chased girls.)
But for all of that, individual people I have known made the largest impact. My high school teachers, my college and grad school professors, friends I made, actual Indian Gurus and African Shamans I worked with for many years. They gave me what all the books couldn't. And there is no way to replicate that for anyone else.
If you want sources for information of PARTICULAR SUBJECTS, I am sure people would be more than happy to point you in a number of directions. And everyone will have different sources for what they think is important or valid. Asking such a general question, though, is, as I said before, too broad.
Thank you for that it provided almost all of what i expected and wanted from DKA
so i do have one more question Name three best books you ever read on political subjects( i would prefer no biography)
Hmmm, that's a tough one.
If we define "political" broadly, other than textbooks, I can cite a couple.
By far my favorite is "Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools" by Jonathan Kozol , 1991 It is as relevant today as when the ink was still wet on the pages. I think every single parent, politician and businessman should be required to read it. No one holding office of any kind should be allowed to do so without writing a report on it, as far as I'm concerned.
"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West " by Dee Brown . It is an enraging book.
Of course, "The Autobiography of Malcom X" (As told to Alex Haley) is irreplaceable. Yes, it's a biography, but it is first and foremost a political book.
"The Conscience of a Liberal " by Paul Krugman (Nobel prize winning economist) is a very accessible read, and he's very good at putting forward the Moderate Left's positions on what's happening today.
When talking about politics it is important to understand economics, too. "Das Kapital" (Capitalism) by Marx is the foundation for all modern economics. Unfortunately, it is 2500 pages long, and is tough slugging all the way through. I wouldn't begin to attempt it unless I was in college.
If you choose no other book to start with the Kozol one is by far the most pertinent today, and the implications on public policy are clear.
sorry to make it so tough those all have been noted thank you. Just trying to learn
May I ask, are you in school now?
yes university for engineering
Excellent. Good luck to you.
I would suggest that you go around the social science, political science, and economics departments, as well as the education department (if your school has one) and talk to people in them for bibliographies. Make sure to ask how the books are "slanted" politically, and get some from a variety of perspectives. (For example, the Chicago School of economics is heavily right wing and Libertarian, whereas the Keyensian school is more to the left. They are also called the "Fresh Water" and "Salt Water" schools, because their centers on either on the Great Lakes or on the coasts.) Definitely read some Noam Chomsky, too.
I include the education department, even though it is not a political department, because all politics impacts on education in one way or another, and professional educators often have a very good idea about larger social/political issues that impact their field, and all of us too, since we all went to school.
thank you for that advise i will also note that just want to become more aware of a thinker
you have no right to ask such questions .. it's a total violation .. now go away and never ever ever return ..
what violation i want to know what people watch and read so ill ask you
Where do you get your news? (websites,news channels, papers)
what have you read that has changed your thought process?
I don't think you have been insulted yet. People are just as curious as I to your intentions. They may not be willing to believe that your quest is altruistic. But they are still giving you educational material. You need to pay attention take notes and consider the information offered.
Even in a negative experience there is valuable information.
you have personally insulted me in this thread alone. Im am asking as a peer who wants change in the world and none of this tyranny that has been shown here and anywhere where people get power. I am trying to get a message of unity and idea sharing but you go and insult a potential friend and ally. I also will be going into the manufacturing world as an engineer.
so ill ask again
Where do you get your news? (websites,news channels, papers)
what have you read that has changed your thought process?(so any good books to read)
i don't carry a bibliography but i still remember books that have changed my life and thought process
• Forever War
• 1984
• American psycho
• The Road
• The odyssey
• Master and Commander
• Any Tom Clancy book
• Lord of the Rings
• Red badge of courage
• Of mice and men
• Atlas shrugged
• Fahrenheit 451
these are some of the books who have changed me and sculpted me there are thousands more that i have read that have changed me. Poems to it not a bad thing to share knowledge. That list is not including my vast collection of engineering text books and old text books i have in my house.
• www.learnliberty.org/
• http://newsmap.jp/
• Wall Street journal
• Popular mechanics
• Popular science
• www.asme.org
• TopGear
• Wired
• IGN
that is where i get most of my news along with my schools independent paper. These news sources are what i can read and find valuable news sources. So all i was doing was finding news sources and maybe a story or two about your life it was not suppose to go on in a thread wasting energy and peoples time
See D.B. ? - even when they know you are messing around good people will often still be helpful.
Another life lesson. Thanks epa1nter
And everyone repeat after me....
DKAtoday is a douche bag over-flowing with fluids crack whor witch doctors refuse to use.
So Hoar, have you tried decaff. Or maybe an anger management course.
Decaf? Bleuuk! Besides, it really messes up my coke and meth buzz.
Do I appear angry to you and dealing poorly with any that may manifest?
Tell me how that is.
Do you appear angry? Maybe just a tad. You are entertaining though.
Many that plow me say I'm an entertainment field.
Well the request has been made Daniel.
Now we will see what kind of answers you will collect.
There is likely to be honest help.
There is likely to be honest attacks.
This is life and this is learning.
The conversation continues:
D.B. Ah avoiding the questions by making it public are you sure your not a politician. That was a waste of a public forum post this can be solved 1 on 1. Since i want to hear where you get your news. not where someone else has
Where do you get your news? (websites,news channels, papers)
what have you read that has changed your thought process?
Finally what did you see that has changed you, Were you at major events like the Berlin wall falling or did you witness 9-11 in person?
please be a good person and tell me your answer
Me This is not pertinent to your inquiry. Living life with ones eyes and mind open is how I became the person I am today. I am an average man in most ways. No different than you. If you are looking for a guiding principal I would suggest you consider "the cause of good for all"
This again can be solved with one answer why are you delaying so much? What gain do you get
This is a small snap shot of life. Consider it real world experience. The search for knowledge is not always a straight path, instead you will find it wanders. So be patient. Try to work on being aware.
Why are you so interested in my life. It is for the most part inconsequential. And is not Germain to your wanting to learn.
actually it is as a student i am here to soak up knowledge so that i can move forward. I see that you post more than most people here so i wanted to find out why you post so much. So why are you refusing to let me know what you learned or how you learned it. Im not doing anything wrong asking questions is what your suppose to do as a student so i asked so one i thought had knowledge. So again this isnt an attack this is just a question, And hell if you ask me i would probably answer right away.
You will learn much by doing exactly that.
then why are you refusing what makes you so good that i cant get one book or one news source out of you
I do not carry a bibliography of everything I have ever read. I can tell you that I have had a wide range of working experience and that many starts to learning and aquireing knowledge has connections to doing a job and doing it well. I have been around high tech and I have been around various types of manual labor too most involved in the machining and manufacturing industries.
As for direction of consciousness it is in living well.