On the one hand, Muslim terrorists commit acts of violence in a protest against moral decadence and in an attempt to impose Islamic values upon the rest of the
world. On the other hand, ultra-permissive parents refuse to punish their children for any misdemeanours whatsoever.
Surely a middle way is possible. I've started this thread in an attempt to stimulate discussion about whether and how one should promote one's own standards. Some generally acceptable techniques seem to be: bumper stickers, television/radio/newspaper/internet advertisements, books, films, podcasts and debates - water-cooler, dinner-table, internet forum, etc.
One of the problems with promoting one's values too aggressively is that one can come across as a self-righteous zealot. Another problem is that people sometimes don't like to adopt other people's points of view because they don't want to feel that they have been browbeaten into it and lost control - they want to feel that they are coming to their own conclusions and making their own decisions independently - this probably applies more so to teenagers than to adults though.
Here's my own opinion prior to opening up the discussion to others. In a world of war and violence, extremes of wealth and poverty, over-population, over-consumption, over-pollution, deforestation, reduction in the number of animal species - to mention but a few of the woes that our planet currently suffers - it is important that people do what they can to help out. Part of helping out is encouraging people to place value on finding solutions to these problems, because in our largely democratic (at least for the majority of readers of this forum) societies, public opinion has a large influence on political action, not to mention that in all countries, public opinion influences the personal choices that people make in their lives.
As well as this, there are certain ways of interacting with other people that lead to a more harmonious and liveable world, and it is beneficial to promote harmony and goodwill in the world.
How much do you tolerate other people's promotion of their philosophy and values?
How confident are you in the general worth and applicability of your own philosophy and values?
How much (and through which techniques) do you promote your own philosophy and values?
Is it better to overtly promote your standards or to "lead by example", or is a mixture required?
Surely a middle way is possible. I've started this thread in an attempt to stimulate discussion about whether and how one should promote one's own standards. Some generally acceptable techniques seem to be: bumper stickers, television/radio/newspaper/internet advertisements, books, films, podcasts and debates - water-cooler, dinner-table, internet forum, etc.
One of the problems with promoting one's values too aggressively is that one can come across as a self-righteous zealot. Another problem is that people sometimes don't like to adopt other people's points of view because they don't want to feel that they have been browbeaten into it and lost control - they want to feel that they are coming to their own conclusions and making their own decisions independently - this probably applies more so to teenagers than to adults though.
Here's my own opinion prior to opening up the discussion to others. In a world of war and violence, extremes of wealth and poverty, over-population, over-consumption, over-pollution, deforestation, reduction in the number of animal species - to mention but a few of the woes that our planet currently suffers - it is important that people do what they can to help out. Part of helping out is encouraging people to place value on finding solutions to these problems, because in our largely democratic (at least for the majority of readers of this forum) societies, public opinion has a large influence on political action, not to mention that in all countries, public opinion influences the personal choices that people make in their lives.
As well as this, there are certain ways of interacting with other people that lead to a more harmonious and liveable world, and it is beneficial to promote harmony and goodwill in the world.
How much do you tolerate other people's promotion of their philosophy and values?
How confident are you in the general worth and applicability of your own philosophy and values?
How much (and through which techniques) do you promote your own philosophy and values?
Is it better to overtly promote your standards or to "lead by example", or is a mixture required?
