Welcome to General Chat - GAW Community Area
This General Chat area started off as a place for people to talk about things that are off topic, however it has quickly evolved into a community and has become an integral part of the GAW experience for many of us.
Based on its evolving needs and plenty of user feedback, we are trying to bring some order and institute some rules. Please make sure you read these rules and participate in the spirit of this community.
Rules for General Chat
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Be respectful to each other. This is of utmost importance, and comments may be removed if deemed not respectful.
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Avoid long drawn out arguments. This should be a place to relax, not to waste your time needlessly.
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Personal anecdotes, puzzles, cute pics/clips - everything welcome
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Please do not spam at the top level. If you have a lot to post each day, try and post them all together in one top level comment
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Try keep things light. If you are bringing in deep stuff, try not to go overboard.
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Things that are clearly on-topic for this board should be posted as a separate post and not here (except if you are new and still getting the feel of this place)
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If you find people violating these rules, deport them rather than start a argument here.
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Feel free to give feedback as these rules are expected to keep evoloving
In short, imagine this thread to be a local community hall where we all gather and chat daily. Please be respectful to others in the same way
The western idea of riches and luxury are a trap. I suppose if someone from extreme wealth saw my homestead and my 14 year old car , my home, etc, I would be considered "3rd world", and yet I feel like my life is full of riches. I often think of these things, and who puts that envy and lust into a man's heart that makes him a slave to "more". People do not value what they have not earned, it's a fact that it does not buy them happiness, not for long, anyway. Everything I have I worked for, and I have to remind my son sometimes through his life, that what we have will someday be priceless, 5 acres, living in a beautiful and sometimes harsh climate, but warm and a home full of food enough to share, the bills are paid every month because I do not buy on credit, clean and pure artesian well water, healthy animals. A youth who would be given a life of luxury and wealth and glamor, never having to work for it, would probably by age 40 have already turned to alcohol and drugs, or sex, or another addiction, willing to throw away their life because it is meaningless without livlihood and struggle. The cattle that live a good life only to be shipped off never knew anything else, so it really isn't so bad for them in the long run, but they are not conscious. Humans have a seed inside them that can grow consciousness, so, take a man born into wealth, some of them have chosen to challenge themselves because life has given them no challenge, think of the millionaires who pay to climb all the mountains, or go to extreme areas of the earth to experience challenge, because they missed all of that with their poofy lifestyles. I think the ultimate achievement is consciousness of God, to see each blade of grass and each tree and each other human being as a creation of God, and to see Christ in the poorest child or the suffering cripple. If you can achieve that degree of sight, and respond to God with love in all of his creation, and remain humble knowing that, a peace of mind and contentment can be reached, and that is what it is all about. It has worked for me, Praise God, is all I can say.