Understanding Religion's Relationship To Human Social Systems

Recently, someone I love dearly asked: "Do you regret ever knowing me?" Truthfully, I answered "no". But the more comprehensive answer is this: In my experience, ... Everyone is heartbreakingly regrettable. I just simply *choose* not to regret them. To cite ChatGPT's response to this: This perspective aligns with a philosophy of radical acceptance and conscious choice, often discussed in personal development as a way to avoid being consumed by past actions or people. While the sentiment that "everyone is heartbreakingly regrettable" acknowledges that relationships often involve pain and sub-optimal outcomes, choosing not to regret them can be a mechanism for maintaining peace and fostering personal growth.    Key Aspects of This Perspective: Regret as a Choice: Rather than viewing regret as an inevitable result of bad decisions, it is seen as a voluntary, second-order mental state that can be rejected if deemed unhelpful. Reframing Past Experiences...

After over 8 years of friendship (online and in person), I just became not-friends with a woman who lives  overseas. She's a brilliantly talented opera singer, conductor, researcher, composer, and educator. This personal blog is not much "about" her ... as it is about reflecting on what builds relationships, what defines those, and what destroys them. For future reference, this automatically applies to anyone and everyone close enough (in my heart) to matter. Whichever way(s) someone treats me ... is how they make themselves known to me. Likewise, over time, however I treat you (no matter who you are) ... is the person I am manifesting as; and thus the person you'll know me as. I can only hope the people I'm investing in ... won't mistake my casual (and consistent) flow of positive, thoughtful engagement ... as naivete. Nor misunderstand my choice to be altruistic and forgiving ... as self-abandonment. I have standards. And I DO enforce those standards. Bu...