Does anyone here wish to claim they are not a lab rat?

1. 60

   paradigmsearchposted 6 years ago

   I would really like to know.

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2. 78

   colorfuloneposted 6 years ago

   I believe we are all apart of the big picture, the great big plan.

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      lovetherainposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Yes it seems that way

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   2. 77

      Kathryn L Hillposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      How can you believe this, colorfulone? Wishful thinking?
      I think I will adopt this belief:
      
      Sounds so simple:
      
      I am part of the big plan.
      I am not a victim of alien set-ups.
      I am not a victim of myself's ego.
      I am part of the (great) big picture.
      
       
      
      yeah, right.
      
      I feel that if I do not take steps to BE part of the big picture, it will not happen.
      
      And how can we take steps to be part of the big picture if we do not know what the big picture IS?

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         lovetherainposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         You don't "take steps" to be a part of the big picture. You 're a part of it, there is no in or out just in.

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3. 69

   tritrainposted 6 years ago

   Say "Cheese!"

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4. 77

   Oztinatoposted 6 years ago

   Yeah me.
   Also I've asked numerous times what you consider a human lab rat to be but there hasn't been any response. I assume you mean we are supposed to be in a dystopian future where there is a huge experiment going on with humans.
   If this is the case then no I'm not a "lab rat".

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5. 77

   Kathryn L Hillposted 6 years ago

   I am a victim of myself. I have done things which were so stupid, so hurtful, so ignorant of what truly bring me, myself happiness. I am not a lab rat for some one else. If anything, I am my own lab rat.
   Rats.

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6. 77

   Kathryn L Hillposted 6 years ago

   "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
   
   Who has not said this after reaping negative consequences?
   Why did it seem like a good idea at the time?
   
   were we set up by ….
   aliens?

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7. 77

   Kathryn L Hillposted 6 years ago

   Do lab rats have free will?

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      paradigmsearchposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Yes. Well, leastwise I think so. To a point and within boundaries. The closer we get to the boundaries, the more resistance we encounter.
      
      Meanwhile, I had no idea what to expect when I started this thread. All of the responses here are truly excellent. The forums here have become a lot more saner than they used to be.

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      1. 77

         Kathryn L Hillposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         For me, your lab rat theory becomes more interesting to think about as time go on …
         
         If the rats understood that boundaries help them move toward a food supply maybe they wouldn't resist them.
         
         No rat runs a maze for the sheer sake of running the maze. Or do they? What would happen if there was no stimulus for them to go after?
         
         Do they learn from their mistakes?
         
         Do the proceeding generations of maze runners become more adept at getting to the cheese? Is the memory of the course of the maze passed on genetically?
         
         Or does each new generation forge its way in equal ignorance. If so, how could there ever be a rat who is enlightened enough to evolve toward a higher incarnation, say a cat?   
         
         (1870 — Willard S. Small was the first person to use the behavior of rats in mazes as a measure of learning.)
         
         http://www.yorku.ca/christo/podcasts/Small-maze.htm

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8. 61

   Live to Learnposted 6 years ago

   The man behind the curtain requests that you, paridigm search, cease and desist.  Or, there will be no cheese for you at the end of the maze.

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9. 69

   tritrainposted 6 years ago

   I've often wondered why I like cheese so much.

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10. 71

    Aime Fposted 6 years ago

    In what way?
    
    If you’re implying that there’s some greater being that’s watching over us and taking notes on what we’re doing then yes, I would very much like to claim that I’m not a lab rat.
    
    But we kind of are like lab rats in that until we can all get everything right and collect all the information in the world we’re all just living our lives by trial and error and then hopefully everyone after us can learn from what we did right/wrong and be better for it.

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    1. 77

       Kathryn L Hillposted 6 years agoin reply to this

       Is the one who wears the white lab coat very intrigued with all us rats?
       Probably.

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11. 77

    Kathryn L Hillposted 6 years ago

    Of course, lab rats are used for other types of experimentation despite the facts:
    "Mice and rats are mammals with nervous systems similar to our own. It’s no secret that they feel pain, fear, loneliness, and joy just as we do. These highly social animals communicate with each other using high-frequency sounds that are inaudible to the human ear. They become emotionally attached to each other, love their families, and easily bond with human guardians. Male mice woo mates with high-pitched love songs. Infant rats giggle when they are tickled. Not only do rats express empathy when another rat or a human they know is in distress, they also exhibit altruism, putting themselves in harm’s way rather than allowing another living being to suffer.
    
    But even though these animals feel pain and suffer as much as dogs, cats, and rabbits do, they are excluded from the meager federal Animal Welfare Act provisions that extend at least some protection to these other species. Because mice and rats are not protected by the law, experimenters don’t even have to provide them with pain relief …" 
    FROM
    https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-use … oratories/

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12. 60

    paradigmsearchposted 6 years ago

    You do understand we could talk in person?

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13. 60

    paradigmsearchposted 6 years ago

    But only if we meandering feel like it.

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14. 60

    paradigmsearchposted 6 years ago

    Forget it, I've gone paranoid. You would have to pay me to see you.

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    1. 77

       Kathryn L Hillposted 6 years agoin reply to this

       Don't you hate switching from day-light savings time?  I think they just enjoy watching us adjust to it.
       

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15. 60

    paradigmsearchposted 6 years ago

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iSxu9xb7Lo

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16. 77

    Kathryn L Hillposted 6 years ago

    Here are some people attempting to wear lab coats.
    http://www.scag.ca.gov/about/Pages/Home.aspx

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17. 77

    Kathryn L Hillposted 6 years ago

    "SCAG is now a League of American Bicyclists recognized Bronze Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB℠)!
    
    SCAG joins a cutting-edge group of nearly 1,200 local businesses, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies across the United States that are transforming the American workplace.
    
    Learn more about the League’s Bicycle Friendly Business program at bikeleague.org/business."
    http://bikeleague.org/business

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18. 60

    paradigmsearchposted 6 years ago

    Hmm. First, I would have to get a bike.
    
    Second, considering the town I live in, I'd have to figure out how to not get run over or shot within a week.
    
    Third, considering the town I live in, I'd have to figure out how to not have the thing stolen within a week.
    
    Fourth, not so sure it is a good idea for a 67-year-old to be riding a bike in the first place. I've already personally witnessed an old person falling off their bike. It was all over after that: the pain, the ambulance, the broken hip, the botched surgery, the wheel chair.

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    1. 77

       Kathryn L Hillposted 6 years agoin reply to this

       No, they (SCAG members) want Boomers taking the bus. Actually, I checked all the links about bike manager positions: I couldn't get through to the application sites. I think this program got shut down after Trump was elected. The slow crawl of government takeover has been halted to some extent with Trump in office.
       
         "In 1992, SCAG expanded its governing body, the Executive Committee, to a 70-member Regional Council to help accommodate new responsibilities mandated by the federal and state governments, as well as to provide more broad-based representation of Southern California’s cities and counties."
       
       'Generally, SCAG develops long-range regional transportation plans including sustainable communities strategy and growth forecast components, regional transportation improvement programs, regional housing needs allocations, and a portion of the South Coast Air Quality management plans. SCAG expanded its governing body, the Executive Committee, in 1992 to a 70-member Regional Council to help accommodate new responsibilities mandated by the federal and state governments, as well as to provide more broad-based representation of Southern California’s cities and counties. With its expanded membership structure, SCAG created regional districts to provide for more diverse representation. "

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