Someone told me to forget about guns and situational awareness because...

[conw]

A young Hindu apprentice was learning the art of meditation from a master. The master told him to center himself completely, as he would receive a lesson from God.

The apprentice walked until he found a nice spot, sat down in the middle of the road, and proceeded to meditate. He meditated peacefully, and began to enter a trance-like state of bliss.

People walked around him, puzzled, but did not bump into him. Oxen walked around him and snorted.

A man on an elephant approached him and shouted, "Get out of the way! Get out of the way, are you crazy?"

The young adept meditated on the fact that God would protect him, that he was holy, that he was learning the ways of the holy. Everyone around him shouted to move out of the way.

The elephant trumpeted and knocked him out of the way with its trunk. The man was not hurt physically, but his ego was bruised. He began to lose his faith in God and in his own potential. When he went back to his master, he asked what had happened.

The master replied, "God told you to get out of the way! Why didn't you listen? I could hear the voices all the way from here!"

--

Another one, a man is on his house, the neighbors have all evacuated due to the extremely dangerous flooding situation. He should have left when he could have left via automobile, but he is faithful. He knows that God will save him.

A man comes by in a rowboat and says, "Get in! Let's get the hell out of here, I know the way!" The other man simply replies, "I know God will save me!"

"Your choice..."

Finally, the Reserves show up with a helicopter and toss him a rope ladder. He refuses, because he knows that God will save him.

He drowns, and at the pearly gates, St. Peter asks him what happened. The man says, "I thought you were going to save me!"

St. Peter replies, "Not only did we give you a warning before the flooding got too bad to leave, we sent you a rowboat and a helicopter! What's wrong with you?!"

 

[conw]

Also reminds me of a conversation I had with some college classmates recently.

I mentioned being approached by some derelict weirdo in a parking lot, in a menacing manner--the guy even said "Let me see what's in the grocery bag"--and I said to my classmates (as part of the conversation) "I didn't let him flank me."

A classmate gave me a really weird look and said "Dude, you're in Greensboro...I'm from New Jersey, and I used to go to like, Camden all the time, and Newark...this is SUCH a small town."

I replied, "Sure, but all it takes is one person with bad intent toward you, and it doesn't matter where you are, no?"

He shook his head and "Didn't get it."

I don't get him...what's up with people who rely on such stupid thinking?

 

[Pilgrim]

Life is 100% fatal.

 

[Mad Chemist]

"You could die at any time". So what. I could also live to a ripe old age by avoiding danger. This former is an obvious fallacy. If I followed such "logic" then I should give up wearing my seat belt, forget all my first aid training, occasionally run with scissors, always drive twice the speed limit, and always have unprotected sex with drug addicted prostitutes.

Honestly Guywithquestions, you need to find some sharper friends because this guy obviously cuts with the dull edge of the knife.

 

[Robert Hairless]

I assume that the friend does not have a spare tire in his car, carries no insurance, never gets vaccinated, doesn't visit a doctor or dentist, has no use for condoms, and ignores traffic lights when he drives or crosses the street.

Who can tell what God thinks about people who value His precious gift of life so little that they refuse to accept responsibility for preserving theirs.

 

[Treo]

Tell your friend to read Isiah chapter 38 vs 1 to 5

 

[geekWithA.45]

Dude,

Life *IS* one giant Kobayashi Maru test.

At the end of it, we all end up dead, and then our character is judged.

 

[mljdeckard]

You can't ever make certain when it will happen. But you can certainly work to even out the odds. If it REALLY doesn't matter, then I guess we can all quit our jobs and go out in an open field where we can smoke pot and eat chocolate all day long.

MY life is worth saving, even if it is ME who has to do most of the work.

 

[Apple a Day]

One of the best movie scenes ever is in Razor's Edge, where Bill Murray is in Tibet studying with monks to achieve enlightenment. No this isn't a comedy. A monk sends Murray, who is infatuated with scriptural writings, to spend the night on top of a mountain in the freezing cold. Murray sits shivering on the verge of freezing and finally has enough sense to start burning the pages to keep warm... and begins laughing with understanding at the lesson the old monk was teaching him.

 

[bogie]

because you can die from anything at anytime. He said that you can die from a shark attack.

I'm in Wentzville, Missouri. If a shark can munch me here, more power to him...

9mm or .45 for shark?

 

[The Tourist]

All of these stories seem to have a central theme, that being learning common sense. In my family it is much the same.

As the 'story' goes, we have a lineage of being tinkers (men who sharpen and repair knives and pots) from what happened to my uncle Carmine.

Muggers used to wait around the docks in the early 1920's looking for immigrants right off the boat who might be unschooled to the ways of the New World. Carmine happen upon one of them in an alley less than one hour off the gangplank.

One of these robbers jumped out of the dark, demanded the Sicilian's money, produced a knife to make his point, and slashed the old man's sleeve.

Carmine set down his luggage, pulled out a bone-handled switchblade, seemingly sliced the air, folded the stiletto, and stuck it back into his palla.

The mugger laughed, "You missed."

Carmine shrugged, "Wiggle your head..."

There hasn't been a dull knife in my family for over eighty years.

However, we have needs here--as Carmine learned--and we have a spiritual side. It is foolish to leave a knife dull. It is also foolish not to feed your soul.

 

[Warren]

Well, maybe I am predestined to defend myself. Can't know for sure, but if God did not want me to carry a gun how come so many are so easy to carry?


This reminds me of the movie The 13th Warrior where the Viking XO explains that the Fates have woven the skein of your life long ago. Fight in this battle or go hide in a hole in the ground far away, it does not matter for if you are to die tonight you will.

What this means is that the Vikings had not yet been introduced to actuarial tables. If they had they would see that their insurance premiums would be far different depending on if they chose:

Hole: hide in

or

Battle: fight in

Which is to say that the OP's friend is a numbnuts. And his judgement on any matter is likely suspect.

 

[blackcash88]

The only condition that is 100% fatal is birth.

 

[cambeul41]

MakAttak (post 6) says: "Tell him he is right, when God wants to take you, it's your time.

"You carry the gun because when God wants to take some criminal attacking you, it's their time."

That sounds as if you are suggesting that we might function as an instrument of God. Actually, I agree, but the last time I suggested such in a THR post, someone chose to rip me up one side and down the other for so suggesting.

 

[benEzra]

Does he look for traffic before crossing the street? If so, why?

 

[sacp81170a]

Does he look for traffic before crossing the street?

No.

If so, why?

He's too busy looking for sharks, of course.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

I can say that some conversations you have with people are stupid. The other day I was talking with someone and they said to forget about firearms for self-defense and situational awareness throughout your day because you can die from anything at anytime. He said that you can die from a shark attack. He said that if its God's will, you will die. What would everyone say to that? Doesn't God only help those who help themselves? Although not always intentionally, don't you to a certain extent reap what you sow? Just because you can die at anytime from anything, wouldn't being oblivious to your environment when you should be aware possibly get you seriously injured or even killed? How do people usually respond to arguments like that?

Let's see, I don't see the hand of God coming out of the sky and squashing people and I see people who help themselves who often do get killed. So pretty much either view seems pretty wrong to me.

I don't think the person in your story was any more stupid than any pro-gun person such as yourself who claims a different interpretation of supernatural beliefs. Basically, you are claiming that your God is better than his God or that your beliefs about God are more accurate than his beliefs about God.

Personally, I would not know how to respond to either one of you. Both sets of beliefs are contrary to my own. That doesn't make you stupid. It just means you have a different cosmology.

 

[308win]

If I thought the person was worth talking to I would tell him that the Lord helps those who help themselves, otherwise I would walk away; some situations/persons are worth zero effort.

 

[brighamr]

All religions aside...

If this person washes his hands before eating, he probably does so due to his not wanting to contract disease or illness.

I carry a gun due to my not wanting to contract personal harm to myself and those I love.

Same basic principal (defense of known vulnerabilities), just different mitigation techniques.

 

[GuyWithQuestions]

Let's see, I don't see the hand of God coming out of the sky and squashing people and I see people who help themselves who often do get killed. So pretty much either view seems pretty wrong to me.

I don't think the person in your story was any more stupid than any pro-gun person such as yourself who claims a different interpretation of supernatural beliefs. Basically, you are claiming that your God is better than his God or that your beliefs about God are more accurate than his beliefs about God.

Personally, I would not know how to respond to either one of you. Both sets of beliefs are contrary to my own. That doesn't make you stupid. It just means you have a different cosmology.

I was just trying to say that if you don't ever do anything because God will just help you out, you're going to get in trouble. You don't jump off a cliff saying that God will just protect you. Some of our choices may increase decrease the odds that certain things will happen in our lives, although no matter what you do bad things may still happen. But can't you lesson the chances of some things? Like if you look both ways before crossing the street versus not doing that?

 

[ZXD9]

You will die when it is your time. However, I believe God gave us brains to use and we should use them to extend our life in intelligent ways. Whether that be through defensive use of a handgun or new medical break-throughs.

 

[MiddleAgedKen]

There is supposed to be an old Russian saying that goes, "Pray to God...but row for shore."

 

[Six O'clock Tactical]

Ask them if they look both ways before crossing the street. Only a complete d-bag would say no.

 

[pbearperry]

You can die from suffocation if your head is in your butt also.

 

[Stirling XD]

GuyWithQuestions,

I have seen a lot of great arguments posted for what your friend said. However, I wouldn't waste a whole lot of time making them. Not only does this guy believe in God, but he also seems to belive in "natural selection".