I must not understand people

[liberty]

I must not understand people. I try, but I’m just on a different wavelength than most. A while back, after my diet had changed, I found myself with a 20-pound bag of white rice that I could no longer eat. I had a choice: I could simply throw it away, which would’ve been the easiest thing to do, or I could give it away.

I have three neighbors—two of whom are Black and one who is white. The two Black neighbors are closer: they’re friends. But I don’t know the white man who lives some distance down the street.

My two closer neighbors are not at home so I go up to his house and tell him, “I’ve got 20 pounds of white rice I can’t use, and I wonder if you’d like to have it.” The bag was sealed, never opened, nothing wrong with it as far as I knew. So, he takes it, and that was that.

Later, I learned that he has diabetes—but he ate the rice anyway. On top of that, he lives in a 12-by-65 trailer. The top of his trailer is rusting. I later mentioned to him that he will soon have holes in his roof. He said, “I already have a tiny hole over my stove.”

I said, “You know what you need to do? Get some Cool Seal and a brush with a long handle. Brush the Cool Seal on Top of your roof, and it’ll most likely fix your leak.” He replied, “I know, but I hate to spend the money.” He decorates his tree each year with whiskey bottles. He evidently has plenty of money for whiskey, but not enough to seal his roof.

I realize I just don’t understand people. To me, logic rules. As I always say: logic is a cold taskmaster. Either obey its will or suffer its wrath.
This guy may end up without a home, because he’d rather buy whiskey than a five-gallon bucket of Cool Seal.

[Joe Guy]

It's because you only see things in black and white.

[liberty]

It's because you only see things in black and white.

How is that? Does it make any kind of sense to ignore a problem until it’s too late to do anything about it?

You see a strange-looking mold on your skin; something more bizarre than anything you’ve ever seen in your life, but you ignore it. Later, it turns out to be melanoma, and you lose your life simply because you failed to act in time.

Does that make any sense?

[BoSoxGal]

It's because you only see things in black and white.

How is that? Does it make any kind of sense to ignore a problem until it’s too late to do anything about it?

You see a strange-looking mold on your skin; something more bizarre than anything you’ve ever seen in your life, but you ignore it. Later, it turns out to be melanoma, and you lose your life simply because you failed to act in time.

Does that make any sense?

There is a lot in life that doesn't make logical sense, like the MAGA crowd who vote themselves into poverty and early death in order to put more nickels in the pockets of billionaires.

For some people, there is much greater pain in life than a leaky roof. For some people, drowning their despair in whiskey so they don't blow their brains out is of greater importance than the small leak over the stove. For some people, life is so full of pain and insurmountable challenges that sugar in its various evil forms becomes the balm that keeps them from losing their minds entirely - there would be better options available through mental health treatment, if they hadn't voted against their interests and defunded rural healthcare.

Aren't you a Xian, liberty? Judge not.

[liberty]

The problem with mobile home roofs that leak is that the space between the roof and the ceiling is sealed and has no ventilation. It's a perfect habitat for dry rot spores. Once it gets started, it can spread like cancer.

To do anything about it, you have to tear out your ceiling. I’ve seen a lot of people just build shelters over the top of their trailers.

He could literally end up without a home to live in, homeless on the streets. I would be willing to help if he would just show some indication of concern.

And as far as “Xian” is concerned, you can say “Christian.” It's not prohibited in the United States, at least not yet. I am a Christian, but I'm not judging him. I haven’t condemned him; I just don’t understand him.

Just because someone’s a Christian doesn’t mean they stop being a man or a woman. They’re merely a sinner trying to do better.

[BoSoxGal]

I would be willing to help if he would just show some indication of concern.

There's the judgy bit.

Just help, without expecting him to respond any kind of certain way. If it wouldn't hurt you to give the time and maybe even some materials toward sealing this guy's roof, JUST DO IT.

Jesus wouldn't ask for a groveling public thank you like Vance did of Zelenskyy in the WH; that's expressly prohibited by the Good Book, in fact.

Do the charity quietly, without expectation of praise.

If you come back here after and tell us all about the project - you can even vent about your ditzy alcoholic diabetic neighbor - I will heap praises upon you.

[Big RR]

There are all kinds of people; some are mentally ill, some are stupid, some are just plain lazy... and you are not going to change them. It' hard to understand why some would choose to drink (or take drugs or...) rather than care for what they have (be it their home or their family or...), but that's pretty much the way life is. There really isn't much you can do about it. Sure, mental health treatment can help if they are, indeed, mentally ill and are motivated to work at it, but it will not make a difference to many of the others. FWIW, I have known alcoholics who drink just enough to remain functional (the same for some drug addicts), others who go through a binge/abstain cycle again and again, and still others who are always "under the influence" and neglect all else. there is no one size fits all. If you want to help, just offer a helping hand, but don't expect much more than for it to be rejected, and keep the offer open.

As for ""Xian" vs "Christian", the use of X as a symbol for Christ goes back centuries; there are different theories why, but the one I hear most is the "Chi" is symbolic of the cross, and is/was used by those who thought writing the name of Christ was somehow disrespectful or blasphemous. Xmas was and is not a way to remove (or "x" out) Christ from Christmas, but a respectful way to include Christ in the word without blaspheming.

[Bicycle Bill]

As for ""Xian" vs "Christian", the use of X as a symbol for Christ goes back centuries; there are different theories why, but the one I hear most is the "Chi" is symbolic of the cross, and is/was used by those who thought writing the name of Christ was somehow disrespectful or blasphemous. Xmas was and is not a way to remove (or "x" out) Christ from Christmas, but a respectful way to include Christ in the word without blaspheming.

It might be that this the text-speak way of saying 'Christian' because it's only four letters and civilization has become such a bunch of screen junkies that we can't be bothered to use nine keystrokes to type out the entire word — ANY word...

-"BB"-

[Big RR]

Interesting; I did a quick check and it appeara that the general consensus now is the the "X" (Chi) is the first letter in the name/title of Jesus (Cristos) and was used as an abbreviation of the name for centuries.

[BoSoxGal]

How is that? Does it make any kind of sense to ignore a problem until it’s too late to do anything about it?

You see a strange-looking mold on your skin; something more bizarre than anything you’ve ever seen in your life, but you ignore it. Later, it turns out to be melanoma, and you lose your life simply because you failed to act in time.

Does that make any sense?

I forgot to speak to this specific example you proffered, which was negligent on my part because the example is such a good one about how the less fortunate die early deaths.

People who ignore a problem until it's too late to do anything about it in the realm of personal health, usually do so because the cost of accessing healthcare is too high and out of reach of their monthly budget. Millions are uninsured and tens of millions more will be thanks to the new MAGA/MAHA budget which throws 11? 17? million off healthcare.

Many of us who get healthcare through the ACA exchanges struggle to meet the co-pays and deductibles of our policies and so yes, we put off going to see the doctor, the specialist, or to get the pricey scans. We tell ourselves that 'rash' is nothing, that fatigue we are feeling is just the norm for middle age and a manifestation of our despair, things will get better on their own the sun will come out tomorrow.

And then when we finally get diagnosed in advanced stages of disease, sometimes terminal, we lose our jobs, become eligible for Medicaid and cost the system tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars while we get the kitchen sink thrown at us before we die and exit our wage slavery.

The single greatest argument for universal healthcare is the far greater outcomes enjoyed in countries where people can readily and at very little expense access routine, quality preventive care and screenings that catch disease processes at early stages when the patient can recover and return to being a productive cog in the capitalist machine.

[Burning Petard]

Here in America we enjoy the circumstances where every problem has a solution that is cheap, quick, and wrong. We (meaning most of the population) don't want to take the time to process a big bundle of information about anything beyond a few topics that we personally find interesting. Some times some sources try to give full description to a situation (called long form journalism) That seldom works. Compare the readership of Atlantic Magazine and People magazine.

Now the big beautiful bill has been signed into law and NOBODY knows what it all includes. Only pieces. Not the president, not the Trumper Senators, Not the Democrat congress critters, not the pundits of CNN or Fox, or NPR.

The health care implications have caught my attention. First thing I notice is that anything that might cause pain to the ordinary voter does not kick in til after the next congressional election. Next is the permanent complaint from the GOP that we gotta get those freeloaders off the government free lunch. This version is that health benefits should not go to people who are capable of employment but won't work. If you do not fill out monthly reports about your job hunt, your federally subsidized health support is gonna end. No government flack who gets a bonus based on their performance success at not spending money is gonna recognize all the problems that make it necessary to stay home and take care of kids or other disabled members of the family rather than go to work at three different fast food joints for about 15 hours each per week. Just file the proper paperwork and there will be no problem. OH ? Just imagine the effort it would take to file an income return not just once a year, but every month.

And what is wrong with a diabetic eating white rice? I admit the nutritional value is not much, but the storage requirement is certainly less than for many other carb sources. If one really believes the rice is not appropriate for a particular individual, don't offer it.

I notice there was a an account of a simple coating process that would slow down or stop the roof leak. But no account of just doing it for this neighbor.

snailgate.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Wiki she say:
The Chi Rho (☧, English pronunciation /ˈkaɪ ˈroʊ/ KY-roh; also known as chrismon) is one of the earliest forms of the Christogram, formed by superimposing the first two (capital) letters —chi and rho (ΧΡ)— of the Greek ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ (rom: Christos) in such a way that the vertical stroke of the rho intersects the center of the chi

The Chi Rho symbol was used by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great (r. 306–337 AD) as part of a military standard (vexillum). Constantine's standard was known as the Labarum.



I doubt it had anything to do with fear that saying the word Christos (which is not a name at all but has the meaning of Messach / Messiah or Anointed One) in the context of church and worship was blasphemous. That may be a pre-social media conflation with the Jewish YHWH symbolism for the name of God, to say which aloud was blasphemous.

(As in "All I said was, 'That piece of halibut was good enough for Jehovah'").

[Joe Guy]

The problem with mobile home roofs that leak is that the space between the roof and the ceiling is sealed and has no ventilation. It's a perfect habitat for dry rot spores. Once it gets started, it can spread like cancer........

This is a good opportunity for you to be a good Xian and not question why your neighbor is like he is, but instead help him because you care about his well being....

A good neighbor doesn't ask why there is a problem.... he asks for permission to fix it

[Big RR]

Meade--

I doubt it had anything to do with fear that saying the word Christos

You may be right; maybe in a time when everything was written by hand the use of some sort of abbreviations was common to save the writing labor. Or perhaps it had some sort of inclusiveness among the believers who would immediately recognize what it meant.

And yes, Christ was not a name, more like a title (such as when Peter said in Mark "you are the Christ"); Jesus never used it during his life ministry, but it was later used by followers to emphasize his position as the Messiah. But then, Jesus (which, as I recall, comes from the Hebrew Jeshua) also had a meaning--from what I recall God (or Jehovah or Yahwee) is our salvation--so it may also have been a title as well ( do not know if it is the name he was given at birth.

[BoSoxGal]

For whatever it's worth, I think I picked up Xian - along with a lot of other writing quirks I've developed in the last couple of decades - from somebody who posts here. I'm not sure exactly who, so I guess it's time to use the advanced search feature and suss out the suspect.


eta: Search reveals that I must have picked up this particular quirk elsewhere, and not here. Maybe CSB? Maybe another board I've posted at over the years.

It certainly does not come from my understanding of ancient Greek or Christian history etc.

[liberty]

I would be willing to help if he would just show some indication of concern.

There's the judgy bit.

Just help, without expecting him to respond any kind of certain way. If it wouldn't hurt you to give the time and maybe even some materials toward sealing this guy's roof, JUST DO IT.

Jesus wouldn't ask for a groveling public thank you like Vance did of Zelenskyy in the WH; that's expressly prohibited by the Good Book, in fact.

Do the charity quietly, without expectation of praise.

If you come back here after and tell us all about the project - you can even vent about your ditzy alcoholic diabetic neighbor - I will heap praises upon you.

No, I'm not going to do his work for him. Especially since I can't even do more myself; I'm not permitted to do ladder work anymore, and I won't be able to paint my fascia boards until I build a mobile scaffold with safety rails. The medication I take lowers my blood pressure and sometimes makes me dizzy, so ladders are out of the question.

If I were to help, I'd give him the money disguised as a loan and purchase the materials myself. I’d do it discreetly, because you don’t want to be seen as a sucker—that could make life very problematic.

I live in a neighborhood were, with the exception of one neighbor, I’m probably the most prosperous. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not wealthy; I just have a very good retirement. The neighbor across the street may be equally well off, maybe even better. He says he made his money working as a mercenary for the State Department in Iraq during the Iraq War.

I would provide him the materials to do his roof—but I can't do it for him.

[ex-khobar Andy]

Meade he say:

(As in "All I said was, 'That piece of halibut was good enough for Jehovah'").

Peace of cod, shorely . . .

[MajGenl.Meade]

I must not understand people

When I first read that, I thought it was some kind of daily affirmation. But if I understand Joe properly, he's suggesting that JHWH might need a codpiece?

[BoSoxGal]

I would be willing to help if he would just show some indication of concern.

There's the judgy bit.

Just help, without expecting him to respond any kind of certain way. If it wouldn't hurt you to give the time and maybe even some materials toward sealing this guy's roof, JUST DO IT.

Jesus wouldn't ask for a groveling public thank you like Vance did of Zelenskyy in the WH; that's expressly prohibited by the Good Book, in fact.

Do the charity quietly, without expectation of praise.

If you come back here after and tell us all about the project - you can even vent about your ditzy alcoholic diabetic neighbor - I will heap praises upon you.

No, I'm not going to do his work for him. Especially since I can't even do more myself; I'm not permitted to do ladder work anymore, and I won't be able to paint my fascia boards until I build a mobile scaffold with safety rails. The medication I take lowers my blood pressure and sometimes makes me dizzy, so ladders are out of the question.

If I were to help, I'd give him the money disguised as a loan and purchase the materials myself. I’d do it discreetly, because you don’t want to be seen as a sucker—that could make life very problematic.

I live in a neighborhood were, with the exception of one neighbor, I’m probably the most prosperous. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not wealthy; I just have a very good retirement. The neighbor across the street may be equally well off, maybe even better. He says he made his money working as a mercenary for the State Department in Iraq during the Iraq War.

I would provide him the materials to do his roof—but I can't do it for him.

You might want to do a little bit of research and see if there is an agency in your state that provides discounted or even free help to low income people to do emergency home repairs and/or energy efficiency improvements, such as fixing a leaky roof. If I recall correctly you reside in a southern red state so it's possible there is no such assistance, but it's worth looking into. My cousins with whom I reside recently had a bunch of energy efficiency fixes done on their home by such an agency and there was no cost to them - so long as they signed a contract that they wouldn't be flipping the house within the next year. These agencies are funded by federal taxes and are meant to assist low income people in staying in their homes and making them more affordable via energy efficiency improvements. If you found a resource like that in your state you could point him to it and they might very well provide the labor, which it sounds like your neighbor might not be physically fit enough to engage in either. If you'd like and are willing to tell me the state you live in, I could do that research for you I'm pretty good at that kind of thing being a former legal aid attorney.