(Really OT!) encrypting to expired certificates

[Robert J. Hansen]

> However, I can't help but feel angry by your dismissal of my beliefs

I did not dismiss your beliefs, nor did I mock them.  When I said "in
deference to Peter's hot-button issue of food expiration," there was no
perjoration or sarcasm attached to that.  I said precisely, exactly,
what I meant: in order to avoid tromping on something that is a
sensitive subject for you, I elected to use other examples.  You may
wish to rethink whether that amounts to a dismissal of your beliefs or
consideration of them.

> But even if you are of stone, maybe you should remember that it's 
> actual people you are conversing with who have emotions and might 
> feel strongly about things.

We are not our ideas.  Our ideas are separate things from us, and one
can be a virtuous and commendable soul even if one's notions are
nonsense.  A Young-Earth Creationist who volunteers to feed the hungry
is still showing great personal virtue.  Their idea may be flamingly
wrong, but only a heartless fool would think that fact should somehow
diminish their worth or value.

We live in a society that encourages us to wear labels.  Atheist.
Agnostic.  Buddhist.  European.  American.  Black.  White.  Arab.
There's nothing wrong with those labels, really -- but there's something
wrong with letting ourselves *be defined by* our labels.  And in the
end, the ideas you hold are just another label.  Don't let your labels
define you.  Especially don't let them define your self-worth.  You are
more, and richer, than that.  We all are.  Not just everyone on this
mailing list, but every human being throughout the world.  (Even the
ones currently kidnapped on Zarbnulax.)

I'm sending this to the entire list because it's something I'd like to
tell the entire list.  None of us are our ideas.  It is normal and
natural for ideas to come into violent collision.  If your idea
prevails, congratulations, but that doesn't make you a better human
being.  If your idea doesn't, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it: no one
worth knowing would think that having an incorrect idea was any kind of
reflection on you as a person.

You certainly don't have to agree with any of this.  They're just ideas,
after all...