NationStates Jolt Archive


What would you die for?

Neo Undelia
23-04-2007, 03:19
I'd die for something if it would look bad if I didn't.

Edit: Haha, I finally jacked a thread.
Mikesburg
23-04-2007, 03:19
Family. That's about it.
Neo Undelia
23-04-2007, 03:21
Now you die for stealing my OP!

Suck it easy Zilam.
Zilam
23-04-2007, 03:21
Well? Is there anything you'd die for, such as family, an idea, etc..?

for me, the only thing I live and will die for is my faith. And by that, i don't mean die in a radical, self martyrdom, ie a suicide bomber or some other religious nut job. Instead, I mean, when the time comes, and it is coming soon, I will willingly die for the Gospel.
IL Ruffino
23-04-2007, 03:21
I'm selfish.

I die for no one.
Mikesburg
23-04-2007, 03:21
and you die for timewarping too!

I did it for my family.


*dies with honour*
Zilam
23-04-2007, 03:23
I'd die for something if it would look bad if I didn't.

Now you die for stealing my OP!
Zilam
23-04-2007, 03:23
Family. That's about it.

and you die for timewarping too!
Infinite Revolution
23-04-2007, 03:24
i'd probably die for anything to be honest, i'm that clumsy and generally oblivious it's a wonder i've not been killed by any number of fast moving objects that i haven't noticed while in the pursuit of whatever i'm doing at the time.
Smunkeeville
23-04-2007, 03:24
only important stuff.
Kiryu-shi
23-04-2007, 03:24
family, close friends and if i knew my death would directly save innocent lives. i dont know, however, if i could kill for anything. :/
IL Ruffino
23-04-2007, 03:26
I don't have to ever worry about klling anyone or anything. :)

And you want to work in politics?
Zilam
23-04-2007, 03:26
family, close friends and if i knew my death would directly save innocent lives. i dont know, however, if i could kill for anything. :/


I don't have to ever worry about klling anyone or anything. :)
The South Islands
23-04-2007, 03:27
A man cannot truly live unless he has found something worth dying for.
New Genoa
23-04-2007, 03:28
Trying to save myself.
IL Ruffino
23-04-2007, 03:31
Amen to that!

What utter BS.
Posi
23-04-2007, 03:31
I'd die to steal an OP.
Zilam
23-04-2007, 03:33
A man cannot truly live unless he has found something worth dying for.

Amen to that!
Neo Undelia
23-04-2007, 03:34
What utter BS.

Agreed. Life is about subtlety. Pretending to be extreme about it is a mark of naiveté.
Zilam
23-04-2007, 03:36
What utter BS.

Your face is utter BS.
IL Ruffino
23-04-2007, 03:36
Your face is utter BS.

You bullshit is utter bullshit!
Neo Undelia
23-04-2007, 03:36
I don't think its about being extreme. I think its about having a passion for something in life.

A passion that would lead you to death is unhealthy.
IL Ruffino
23-04-2007, 03:37
I don't think its about being extreme. I think its about having a passion for something in life.

Well I'm not about to put my life on the line for legos or photography.

And believe me, those are my life.
Zilam
23-04-2007, 03:38
Agreed. Life is about subtlety. Pretending to be extreme about it is a mark of naiveté.

I don't think its about being extreme. I think its about having a passion for something in life.
Vetalia
23-04-2007, 03:39
Eh, I don't think anything, unless there was no other choice to save whatever it is I choose to fight for. If I die, I won't really be able to fight for the things I believe in; being careful and avoiding self-sacrifice might end up being more beneficial in the end and it will enable me to do far more than if I were to sacrifice myself. A passion that I feel so strongly about that I would die for without question might end up being more harm than good, since the path to fanaticism isn't too far off of that dedication; the last thing I want is my zeal to hurt rather than help advance what I believe in.
Soheran
23-04-2007, 03:41
Most likely? Myself.

Probably my family, if I were put in such a situation. And conceivably my politics.
Zilam
23-04-2007, 03:41
You bullshit is utter bullshit!

I miss the ruffy that used to love me. :(

A passion that would lead you to death is unhealthy.

Perhaps its about perspective. -shrugs-
New Genoa
23-04-2007, 03:50
What would you kill for?
THE LOST PLANET
23-04-2007, 03:57
Well? Is there anything you'd die for, such as family, an idea, etc..?

for me, the only thing I live and will die for is my faith. And by that, i don't mean die in a radical, self martyrdom, ie a suicide bomber or some other religious nut job. Instead, I mean, when the time comes, and it is coming soon, I will willingly die for the Gospel.Funny, that's the one thing I think is the least worth dying for...
New Stalinberg
23-04-2007, 03:57
I'd die for my kitty.

He's my baby. :D
Hamilay
23-04-2007, 04:00
NationStates General.

Just family or maybe hundreds of innocent people. It has to be a hell of a lot of innocent people, though. :mad::p I'm... meek... [read: cowardly], so I don't know what I could die for, though.
Zilam
23-04-2007, 04:28
What would you kill for?


Nothing :p
New Manvir
23-04-2007, 04:38
a klondike bar :)
Soyut
23-04-2007, 04:43
I would die for Jesus Christ
Soyut
23-04-2007, 04:43
I would also kill for Jesus
South Lizasauria
23-04-2007, 04:45
Well? Is there anything you'd die for, such as family, an idea, etc..?

for me, the only thing I live and will die for is my faith. And by that, i don't mean die in a radical, self martyrdom, ie a suicide bomber or some other religious nut job. Instead, I mean, when the time comes, and it is coming soon, I will willingly die for the Gospel.

When they come for you take a heck of a lot of them down before you die. ;)

:mp5:
Infinite Revolution
23-04-2007, 04:53
I would die for Jesus Christ

I would also kill for Jesus

in what respect? i'm often confused by this sentiment. you would die/kill for what? to further his cause? to defend his name from dishonour? because some rival modern day prophet came along and disagreed with him? because the voices in your head that you call jesus told you too? what really do you mean if not that you would happily engage in religious war (jihad)?
Sane Outcasts
23-04-2007, 04:57
I would die for Jesus Christ

You got that backwards. He died for you, remember?
The Scandinvans
23-04-2007, 05:14
You got that backwards. He died for you, remember?Nope, he must be Russian as there you die for him.
Soheran
23-04-2007, 05:17
I would also kill for Jesus

So much for "do not resist an evil person"...
Akai Oni
23-04-2007, 05:19
I'd die for my kitty.

He's my baby. :D

At last! Someone who has their priorities right! :D
THE LOST PLANET
23-04-2007, 05:25
I would also kill for JesusThe last time a bunch of people with that attitude got together I think they called it a 'Crusade'..
Ex Libris Morte
23-04-2007, 05:25
I'm of the opinion that it takes a far better person to live and fight for something than for somebody to die for the same cause. Martyrs only cause problems.
Vetalia
23-04-2007, 05:30
I'm of the opinion that it takes a far better person to live and fight for something than for somebody to die for the same cause. Martyrs only cause problems.

I agree; I'd only do it if absolutely necessary. The problem with martyrdom is that it can encourage fanaticism rather than just passion for what you've done. The last thing I'd want is what I believe in to be subverted by people who want to twist it for their own goals.
Jerusalem Light
23-04-2007, 05:32
Cancer, probably.
Or maybe a train.
Ex Libris Morte
23-04-2007, 05:35
I agree; I'd only do it if absolutely necessary. The problem with martyrdom is that it can encourage fanaticism rather than just passion for what you've done. The last thing I'd want is what I believe in to be subverted by people who want to twist it for their own goals.

Exactly. Fanaticism is the bane of all things rational. Kind of like the Daily Show episode where mobs of moderates marched on the nation's capital and shouted "Be Reasonable!"
Soviestan
23-04-2007, 05:53
Well? Is there anything you'd die for, such as family, an idea, etc..?

for me, the only thing I live and will die for is my faith. And by that, i don't mean die in a radical, self martyrdom, ie a suicide bomber or some other religious nut job. Instead, I mean, when the time comes, and it is coming soon, I will willingly die for the Gospel.

I would die for my faith, but its not the only thing worth fighting for. Though it is at the top. I also don't think its fair to say all suicide bombers are nutjobs or radicals. It depends on the situation.

edit: I would add not all or most suicide bombings are right.
Ex Libris Morte
23-04-2007, 06:03
I would die for my faith, but its not the only thing worth fighting for. Though it is at the top. I also don't think its fair to say all suicide bombers are nutjobs or radicals. It depends on the situation.

How can you say that suicide bombers aren't nutjobs? They get coerced into doing something that is unnatural for the sole purpose of killing others. Murder is unnatural, and when the means is suicide bombing, that is a radical and lunatic thing to even consider, let alone pull off.
Heikoku
23-04-2007, 06:06
Eternal life. :D
THE LOST PLANET
23-04-2007, 06:09
How can you say that suicide bombers aren't nutjobs? They get coerced into doing something that is unnatural for the sole purpose of killing others. Murder is unnatural, and when the means is suicide bombing, that is a radical and lunatic thing to even consider, let alone pull off.Dismissing such things as the works of 'nutjobs' and not trying to understand the underlying dogma, social and economic conditions and dispair that makes such choices possible is how we got to the sorry state of affairs we find ourselves in now in the mideast. I far from condone such actions but without at least trying to understand them you cannot formulate a solution.
Heikoku
23-04-2007, 06:11
I would add not all or most suicide bombings are right.

Do you know how the religion you claim to follow views suicide?

Do you know how it views murder of innocent people?
Soviestan
23-04-2007, 06:14
How can you say that suicide bombers aren't nutjobs? They get coerced into doing something that is unnatural for the sole purpose of killing others. Murder is unnatural, and when the means is suicide bombing, that is a radical and lunatic thing to even consider, let alone pull off.

Not under certain circumstances. I'm not talking about suicide bombings against innocents, because thats wrong regardless. I'm speaking in the context of a war where the only way to deliver the explosives to the enemy forces is through what is effectively a suicide mission. You do not have to be radical or a lunatic to do something like that. You don't even have to be religious. Just look at Japan in WW2.
Ex Libris Morte
23-04-2007, 06:14
Dismissing such things as the works of 'nutjobs' and not trying to understand the underlying dogma, social and economic conditions and dispair that makes such choices possible is how we got to the sorry state of affairs we find ourselves in now in the mideast. I far from condone such actions but without at least trying to understand them you cannot formulate a solution.

Don't make assumptions, I never dismissed suicide bombings, merely categorized them as the work of nutjobs and radicals, contrary to what Soviestan implied. I fully understand the reasons why someone would choose a suicide bombing as the way to go out, and while their intentions may have been good...you know what they say. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

I never offered a solution because I can't think of one, aside from turning the Middle East into a glass factory, and as far as I'm concerned, that's not a viable solution.
Ginnoria
23-04-2007, 06:15
Well, I usually use the die four to calculate the amount of poison damage my +3 Dagger of Venom does to the orcs I happen to be fighting. But other than that, I don't use it much.
Ex Libris Morte
23-04-2007, 06:16
Not under certain circumstances. I'm not talking about suicide bombings against innocents, because thats wrong regardless. I'm speaking in the context of a war where the only way to deliver the explosives to the enemy forces is through what is effectively a suicide mission. You do not have to be radical or a lunatic to do something like that. You don't even have to be religious. Just look at Japan in WW2.

I'm hoping you're referring to kamikaze pilots, as opposed to something I've never heard a reference for in all of the Second World War documentaries I've watched, or the books I've read on the subject. A suicide mission is not the same thing as a suicide bombing, in that there is a slim chance of survival, while in a bombing there is no chance of survival.
Soheran
23-04-2007, 06:16
Well, I usually use the die four to calculate the amount of poison damage my +3 Dagger of Venom does to the orcs I happen to be fighting. But other than that, I don't use it much.

You win the thread.
Heikoku
23-04-2007, 06:17
Not under certain circumstances. I'm not talking about suicide bombings against innocents, because thats wrong regardless. I'm speaking in the context of a war where the only way to deliver the explosives to the enemy forces is through what is effectively a suicide mission. You do not have to be radical or a lunatic to do something like that. You don't even have to be religious. Just look at Japan in WW2.

Again: Do you know how the religion you claim to follow views suicide?

Also, the Japanese have two main religions, both of which culturally rich, mingled and very present in their culture. "Kami kaze" means "God of the wind", and is a reference to a storm that helped out the Japanese against the Mongolians once, which they attributed to the divine at the time. The name itself is a reference to a deity.
Heikoku
23-04-2007, 06:20
Well, I usually use the die four to calculate the amount of poison damage my +3 Dagger of Venom does to the orcs I happen to be fighting. But other than that, I don't use it much.

You do realize orcs tend to have big Fortitude saves, right? Use a short sword with the same bonus or something bigger, you'd have more of a shot at dealing damage. Or a Burning dagger (1d4+1d6...).
THE LOST PLANET
23-04-2007, 06:26
Don't make assumptions, I never dismissed suicide bombings, merely categorized them as the work of nutjobs and radicals, contrary to what Soviestan implied. I fully understand the reasons why someone would choose a suicide bombing as the way to go out, and while their intentions may have been good...you know what they say. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

I never offered a solution because I can't think of one, aside from turning the Middle East into a glass factory, and as far as I'm concerned, that's not a viable solution.'Categorizing' something as the work of a nutjob or radical isn't dismissive? If you think of them in those terms you aren't really even trying to understand the root causes of their actions, which is what I'm talking about, not the actions themselves.
Ex Libris Morte
23-04-2007, 06:30
'Categorizing' something as the work of a nutjob or radical isn't dismissive? If you think of them in those terms you aren't really even trying to understand the root causes of their actions, which is what I'm talking about, not the actions themselves.

I understand the root causes. I feel influenced by those exact same causes every single day. I'm not making excuses for myself, and I won't do it for anybody who does this type of thing. Suicide and murder are not valid options no matter what border you live behind. The ends don't necessarily justify the means, and in this case, poverty being slightly relieved by jihadist supporters is only temporary, and hurts more people than just those who perpetrate the act.
THE LOST PLANET
23-04-2007, 06:38
I understand the root causes. I feel influenced by those exact same causes every single day. I'm not making excuses for myself, and I won't do it for anybody who does this type of thing. Suicide and murder are not valid options no matter what border you live behind. The ends don't necessarily justify the means, and in this case, poverty being slightly relieved by jihadist supporters is only temporary, and hurts more people than just those who perpetrate the act.I agree that suicide and murder are not valid options, but it is painfully obvious that there are those who feel that they are. Labeling them as nutjobs does nothing to change that and such an attitude can actually be counter productive to viable solutions. That's the only point I'm trying to make.
New Granada
23-04-2007, 07:02
If I had to die before the fullness of my life, I'd want to die saving another person.
Soviestan
23-04-2007, 07:05
I'm hoping you're referring to kamikaze pilots, as opposed to something I've never heard a reference for in all of the Second World War documentaries I've watched, or the books I've read on the subject. A suicide mission is not the same thing as a suicide bombing, in that there is a slim chance of survival, while in a bombing there is no chance of survival.

how many kamikazes survived?
Ex Libris Morte
23-04-2007, 07:17
how many kamikazes survived?

How many didn't?

The initial crash didn't kill very many of the pilots, I'm certain. It was the inevitable plummeting to the ground. In fact, it wasn't the fall at all. It was the sudden stop at the end.

You obviously have a gross misunderstanding of how kamikaze pilots did their work. There was very little explosive material on their planes, flammable, yes, explosive? Bullets, maybe.

My point was predicated on this statement here:
I'm speaking in the context of a war where the only way to deliver the explosives to the enemy forces is through what is effectively a suicide mission.

Since I know of absolutely zero such missions, as the Japanese kamikaze pilots were not bombers, I assumed you were speaking of something else entirely. Seeing as how the term "suicide mission" seems to represent a mission with extremely long odds against surviving.
UnHoly Smite
23-04-2007, 07:19
DIE!?!?!?! Sheeeeeeeettttt, I'm gonna live forever.:D
Terrorist Cakes
23-04-2007, 07:28
Sondheim! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-VXXZLh2a0)
UnHoly Smite
23-04-2007, 07:32
Sondheim! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-VXXZLh2a0)



That girl is pretty good.
Ginnoria
23-04-2007, 07:37
You win the thread.

Thank you, I accept this thread.

You do realize orcs tend to have big Fortitude saves, right? Use a short sword with the same bonus or something bigger, you'd have more of a shot at dealing damage. Or a Burning dagger (1d4+1d6...).

It's cool, I have a short sword equipped in the other hand.
Terrorist Cakes
23-04-2007, 07:56
That girl is pretty good.

Isn't she superb (and gorgeous, too)? And doesn't Sondheim seem like the nicest guy on the planet? And so smart? And so talented?
Wilgrove
23-04-2007, 08:02
I'll die for no one. Instead I'll go down fighting for my family, and what I believe in. I came into this world with guns a blazing, and I'll go out the same way. I am a fighter and will fight to the end.
UnHoly Smite
23-04-2007, 08:05
Isn't she superb (and gorgeous, too)? And doesn't Sondheim seem like the nicest guy on the planet? And so smart? And so talented?



Sarcasm maybe?
Terrorist Cakes
23-04-2007, 08:06
Sarcasm maybe?

No.
Sandkasten
23-04-2007, 08:22
Well? Is there anything you'd die for, such as family, an idea, etc..?

for me, the only thing I live and will die for is my faith. And by that, i don't mean die in a radical, self martyrdom, ie a suicide bomber or some other religious nut job. Instead, I mean, when the time comes, and it is coming soon, I will willingly die for the Gospel.

To die for something is just as silly as to live for something.
Neither life nor death have any form of sense, they just are.
Heretichia
23-04-2007, 08:23
To quote one of the better songs from the past decade, Queens of the Stone Ages "Go with the flow": "And I want something good to die for, to make it beautiful to live".

I'd die to protect my child in 6 months. (Since it's not actually born yet and the risk for spontaneus abortion ain't worth dying for hehe)
UnHoly Smite
23-04-2007, 08:28
No.



Oh well. Can't get em all right.
Cyrian space
23-04-2007, 08:44
i would really only straight up die for something if I could guarantee it would exist forever, or at least prevent it from being destroyed forever. Things that I would die for: Freedom, Culture, Equality, and Thought.

Otherwise there are a great many things that might fall under those categories that I would risk my life for, but not straight up, no chances out, die for.
Ellanesse
23-04-2007, 09:12
I would die for my husband and daughter.
I, personally, in my current living situations, can't imagine how it would happen that I would be in a posistion to need to sacrifice my life for my faith or my politics, so I've not developed that level of attachment to them. If I had to, I would most likely die for my faith but not my politics. Politics just aren't that important, or stable.
I would die in an attempt to stop a tragedy, would die to save lives.
I would not die for money. I would not die to preserve luxuries of any kind.
I would die if my death would make a large and important truth known that would change the worlds view/understanding.
I would not die for an item, no matter what it was, but I would most often die for a person, whoever they were.
I would not die for a pet -- that one feels hard to say and think about, but I wouldn't risk my kid growing up without me because of a cat or a fish.
I would die for true friendship.

I think in this context I mean 'die' as 'sacrifice myself' as in risking and giving up my life in order to preserve something else, whether that is a concept or a person or a choice.

I think another reasonable question is what would one be tortured for. Death is one thing -- but living through hours and days and weeks and months and maybe years of indescribable pain? Shortens the list considerably for me, anyway.
BongDong
23-04-2007, 11:35
What would I die for? Absoloutely nothing. Even if my death could miraculously end, Aids, Poverty and warfare I hold my life too sacred to sacrafice for anyone or anything.
Seathornia
23-04-2007, 11:44
I would much prefer to live for something than to die for something. I prefer double positive, whenever possible.

But eh, that's very far from what the poster above me has said.
Ilaer
23-04-2007, 11:49
Well? Is there anything you'd die for, such as family, an idea, etc..?

for me, the only thing I live and will die for is my faith. And by that, i don't mean die in a radical, self martyrdom, ie a suicide bomber or some other religious nut job. Instead, I mean, when the time comes, and it is coming soon, I will willingly die for the Gospel.

I'd die for quite a lot of things, but above all would be my country and the right to use my intelligence.
Seathornia
23-04-2007, 11:51
I'd die for quite a lot of things, but above all would be my country and the right to use my intelligence.

Why your country?

I can see the right to use of intelligence, sure.
Harlesburg
23-04-2007, 11:57
"For God, King and for Country."
Ilaer
23-04-2007, 12:02
Why your country?

I can see the right to use of intelligence, sure.

I'm extremely patriotic, although not to the point of being nationalistic.
The nations that make up the United Kingdom have done a lot for the world over the years, although I accept that they did some evil.
I'm proud of the good things.
Complete Malevolence
23-04-2007, 12:08
Although obviously I would prefer to live, if necessary I would willingly die for my family and my country.
Seathornia
23-04-2007, 12:09
I'm extremely patriotic, although not to the point of being nationalistic.
The nations that make up the United Kingdom have done a lot for the world over the years, although I accept that they did some evil.
I'm proud of the good things.

I'm going to ask again: Why die for your country?

Do people here actually understand the definition of patriotic?
Ilaer
23-04-2007, 12:11
I'm going to ask again: Why die for your country?

Do people here actually understand the definition of patriotic?

As in: I'm willing to die in the defence of my nation.

Edit: I don't suppose you're referring to something like Patton's 'Let me remind you that no goddamn son of a b***h ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor b*****d die for his.' view, are you?
Andaras Prime
23-04-2007, 12:12
It's one thing to say you'll die for an ideal, like it means something, you die in an instant and it's over and your gone, if you want to show commitment and loyalty, you should show that you can suffer and endure hardships, show fortitude and bravery in the effort of progressing that ideal. You accomplish nothing by dying.
Myu in the Middle
23-04-2007, 12:19
I would risk my life for a great many things if I thought it appropriate, such as stepping into a warzone to bring aid to the oppressed, standing up to an oppressive totalitarian regime or shielding a loved one from potential harm, but I don't think I'd willingly die for any reason other than to spare another the same punishment.
Seathornia
23-04-2007, 12:20
As in: I'm willing to die in the defence of my nation.

Edit: I don't suppose you're referring to something like Patton's 'Let me remind you that no goddamn son of a b***h ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor b*****d die for his.' view, are you?

No, I'm referring to the fact that it's quite a pointless thing to do. People willing to die in the defence of their nation have quite often resulted in others dying in defence of their nation. As in: You being willing to die in defence of your nation will result in someone else being the same and that inevitably leads to an unnecessary conflict, fueled by an unnecessary blind following (the definition of patriotism).

I was kinda hoping you would be referring to the ideals that your nation has forwarded in the past, say, two hundred years, such as being against slavery and whatnot.
BongDong
23-04-2007, 12:23
Dying for God is probably the most atrocious justification anyone could give for willingly ending his life. Why die for the sake of something you can't even prove exists?
The Infinite Dunes
23-04-2007, 12:23
I think death is such a huge part a person's life that I don't think anyone can truly say what they would die for until they are that position.
Ilaer
23-04-2007, 12:24
No, I'm referring to the fact that it's quite a pointless thing to do. People willing to die in the defence of their nation have quite often resulted in others dying in defence of their nation. As in: You being willing to die in defence of your nation will result in someone else being the same and that inevitably leads to an unnecessary conflict, fueled by an unnecessary blind following (the definition of patriotism).

I was kinda hoping you would be referring to the ideals that your nation has forwarded in the past, say, two hundred years, such as being against slavery and whatnot.

It is those ideals that have led me to be proud of the nation in the first place, though.
Seathornia
23-04-2007, 12:24
It is those ideals that have led me to be proud of the nation in the first place, though.

But they are not unique to your nation and it isn't your nation that you should be prepared to die for if anything, but those ideals. That may mean dying for your nation, should push come to shove, but it's important to maintain your perspective - It isn't all that hard to imagine a nation losing its integrity and pulling short of its values, but a value remains the same regardless of the nations supporting it.
Ilaer
23-04-2007, 12:38
But they are not unique to your nation and it isn't your nation that you should be prepared to die for if anything, but those ideals. That may mean dying for your nation, should push come to shove, but it's important to maintain your perspective - It isn't all that hard to imagine a nation losing its integrity and pulling short of its values, but a value remains the same regardless of the nations supporting it.

But would it be the nation that loses its integrity or merely the forces governing the nation?
Bottle
23-04-2007, 12:38
I'd probably be willing to die trying to save my parents or my brother or my lover.

There are also some situations in which I would choose to die rather than accept the alternative. I don't know if that really counts as "dying for" something, so much as it is dying in order to reject something, but there you go.
Ilaer
23-04-2007, 12:40
Dying for God is probably the most atrocious justification anyone could give for willingly ending his life. Why die for the sake of something you can't even prove exists?

Does truth exist? Does justice exist? Does mercy exist?
Grind the entire universe down to the finest powder, sieve it through the the finest sieve, and then show me a single atom of mercy, a molecule of justice, a particle of truth.
Slightly changed from Terry Pratchett's original phrasing, but nonetheless relevant.
Seathornia
23-04-2007, 12:48
But would it be the nation that loses its integrity or merely the forces governing the nation?

Does it matter? It is still the ideal you're dying for, not your nation.

I think in general, I can agree with you.

I stand by my original assessment that I would muchly prefer to live for the things I truly care about.
BongDong
23-04-2007, 13:01
Does truth exist? Does justice exist? Does mercy exist?
Grind the entire universe down to the finest powder, sieve it through the the finest sieve, and then show me a single atom of mercy, a molecule of justice, a particle of truth.
Slightly changed from Terry Pratchett's original phrasing, but nonetheless relevant.

Truth exists. Justice and Mercy can be achieved, but can only be measured subjectively. Not to be rude, but that statement is just vague rhetoric that doesnt explicitly answer my question, why die for something you cannot prove exists?
Myu in the Middle
23-04-2007, 13:13
Truth exists. Justice and Mercy can be achieved, but can only be measured subjectively. Not to be rude, but that statement is just vague rhetoric that doesnt explicitly answer my question, why die for something you cannot prove exists?
I think he was noting that you cannot prove anything exists, which may or may not be entirely accurate.
Ilaer
23-04-2007, 13:17
Truth exists. Justice and Mercy can be achieved, but can only be measured subjectively. Not to be rude, but that statement is just vague rhetoric that doesnt explicitly answer my question, why die for something you cannot prove exists?

As in: many people, in fact the vast majority, are ultimately willing to die to protect such things despite the fact that one cannot prove their existence.
One does not proof of the existence of an object n order to undertake an act for it; one only needs to believe in it.
BongDong
23-04-2007, 13:34
I think he was noting that you cannot prove anything exists, which may or may not be entirely accurate.

Fair enough. I dont beleive it's accurate because their are many true conclusions we can arrive at using appropritae methods, mathematical truths for example. And in other instances we can at least give very strong evidence that there is a high probability of something being true or that it exists. God falls in neither of these categories, as the beleif in his existance is a matter of faith.

As in: many people, in fact the vast majority, are ultimately willing to die to protect such things despite the fact that one cannot prove their existence.
One does not proof of the existence of an object n order to undertake an act for it; one only needs to believe in it.

Yes, I understand that people are willing to undertake tasks for what they beleive exists, I do not challenge that. I am merely stating that unless one has proof, or at the very least strong evidence that an object exists, it is foolish to willingly die for its sake.
Alpha Aura
23-04-2007, 13:54
I would die for a million dollars. It's my best "get rich quick" scheme to date.