Destroy a city with a flower – a challenge

Talk about anything under the sun or stars - but keep it civil. This is where we really get to know each other. Everyone is welcome, and invited!
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Postby suminonA » Sat Sep 30, 2006 2:50 am

I’m still not convinced about that. Anything can be destructive, given enough intelligence.

A.
Destroy a city with a flower, I'd like to see you try.
I take the challenge.

This is what I come up, using my limited intelligence:

You give me a flower, and a city. You ask for the flower to destroy the city.

I suppose that the city is inhabited, otherwise it would be just “a bunch of buildings”.

Ok, in order to complete the task, some preparation is needed. (I keep the flower in conservation ready to be used when the time is right.)
I infiltrate the city and start a “rumor”, soon to become a “legend”, soon to become a “fact” that there is an all-powerful deity that watches all that is happening in the city. There are rules to be followed (I provide the list), otherwise the deity goes mad and will punish them all by destroying the city. There is no obvious danger, because the rules seem easy to follow, at least when each is rationally analyzed.
People are also warned that when the fatal moment comes (because they can’t really follow ALL the rules, by their nature) a very clear sign would be given (guess what’s the sign?), and then the next day the city will be wiped out of the face of the Earth. In time people become obsessed with it because they see the rules are not followed, not well enough anyway.
That alone is not enough, so “somehow” (another “rumor”) the leaders of the city come to the conclusion that the best defense is the attack, so they build powerful weapons, not only able to destroy a mere city, but the entire Earth.
Yet the deity, they are told, is so powerful that there is no way to fight it directly. Still, there is a way! If only someone would be intelligent enough to see the obvious solution… (One person’s overgrown pride –with access to the “red button” - would be enough to make him/her accept this “suggestion”: The deity would feel defeated if it can’t carry out its prediction, so using all the weapons a moment before the deity is able to act, would leave the deity a frustrated loser, wouldn’t it?)

All is set. At midnight, on top of the plate held by the statue of the deity (yeah, there was also a statue built) a single, very rare, specific and old flower appears (nobody knows how it got there). The deity has spoken!

---

Now, if you were going for the “throw the flower against the city to see which one stands” way, then my point was other: Even the most inoffensive object/substance, used intentionally in a destructive way can succeed. Usually by overusing it. You know, too much water makes a flood, too much oxygen (as in pure) makes an explosion, too many flowers thrown over a city would suffocate everything. That kind of thing.


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It's all just a matter of interpretation.

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Postby Jebus » Sat Sep 30, 2006 5:33 am

I infiltrate the city and start a “rumor”, soon to become a “legend”, soon to become a “fact” that there is an all-powerful deity that watches all that is happening in the city.
Well, that is certainly a solid start.

::covers eyes and refuses to read the rest of the post::

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Postby suminonA » Sat Sep 30, 2006 11:37 am

I infiltrate the city and start a “rumor”, soon to become a “legend”, soon to become a “fact” that there is an all-powerful deity that watches all that is happening in the city.
Well, that is certainly a solid start.

::covers eyes and refuses to read the rest of the post::
Oh, but the proof is everywhere. Do you need to see the "holy writings"?

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It's all just a matter of interpretation.

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Postby Jebus » Sat Sep 30, 2006 12:52 pm

Yea, could I?

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Postby suminonA » Sat Sep 30, 2006 1:47 pm

Well, you first need to prove yourself worthy of that revelation.

You know, the deity doesn't want you to feel forced into believing. And it won't be tricked by you either. It can sense true commitment, remember? If you don't choose to believe by your own free will, then you are not worthy of its gifts.

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It's all just a matter of interpretation.

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Postby zeroguy » Sat Sep 30, 2006 1:56 pm

Hmmm, this reminds me of something...
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Postby Hegemon » Sat Sep 30, 2006 2:01 pm

So he can only see the holy writings if he first believes in them?

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Postby Jebus » Sat Sep 30, 2006 2:04 pm

Well, you first need to prove yourself worthy of that revelation.

You know, the deity doesn't want you to feel forced into believing. And it won't be tricked by you either. It can sense true commitment, remember? If you don't choose to believe by your own free will, then you are not worthy of its gifts.

A.
But I like gifts.

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Postby suminonA » Sat Sep 30, 2006 2:25 pm

Hmmm, this reminds me of something...
I don’t only have limited intelligence, but also limited originality ;)

So he can only see the holy writings if he first believes in them?
That’s a very blunt way of putting it, but it is correct. If he doesn’t truly have the inner strength to believe it, then anyone who will say that the “holy writings” were fake would make him doubt himself. And doubting is the first step toward losing true faith…

But I like gifts.
I can tell you this: We all like gifts. And never let anyone convince you that it is a sign of weakness!

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It's all just a matter of interpretation.

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Postby Hegemon » Sat Sep 30, 2006 2:43 pm

Isn't doubting also the first step towards thinking?

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Postby suminonA » Sat Sep 30, 2006 2:52 pm

Isn't doubting also the first step towards thinking?
I never said it wasn't. But don't misinterpret correlation as causality. ;)

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Postby Jebus » Sat Sep 30, 2006 3:00 pm

He's always doing that.

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Postby anonshadow » Sat Sep 30, 2006 6:11 pm

If he doesn’t truly have the inner strength to believe it, then anyone who will say that the “holy writings” were fake would make him doubt himself. And doubting is the first step toward losing true faith…
Is it also inner strength to believe that the reason your car isn't running is because there's a little unicorn jamming the gears?

Inner strength is not about blind belief, nor does disbelief imply a lack of inner strength.

I don't think that inner strength has anything innately to do with belief at all. Some people draw their inner strength from their religion, where some do not. There are both believers and doubters with very little inner strength.

Belief is about being able to doubt and continuing to arrive at the same place again and again. Beliefs mean nothing if you cannot test them, and cannot take attacks (for lack of a better word) directed at them and still come out believing. If you can't look at yourself and say, "does this really make sense?"--I don't think that that implies inner strength at all. It implies cowardice, and cowardice=/=inner strength.



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working on the challenge

Postby suminonA » Sun Oct 01, 2006 7:13 am

NOTE: Please take into account the full context of my last posts in this thread. I’m answering to a challenge and the “reasons” I’m using are not necessarily what I (really/truly) believe, but what I think would work to accomplish the task. So, overall irony is unavoidable. ;)

I’ll treat your reply as an “attack” from a “disbeliever”. Ok, here we go:
If he doesn’t truly have the inner strength to believe it, then anyone who will say that the “holy writings” were fake would make him doubt himself. And doubting is the first step toward losing true faith…
Is it also inner strength to believe that the reason your car isn't running is because there's a little unicorn jamming the gears?
No, inner strength is a gift from the deity; it is the value one has to stand against those who lack faith, those who come with false reasons against the true teachings.
The matter of the working car is about technical knowledge.
And the little unicorns should remain invisible, as true IPU does.
Inner strength is not about blind belief, nor does disbelief imply a lack of inner strength.

I don't think that inner strength has anything innately to do with belief at all. Some people draw their inner strength from their religion, where some do not. There are both believers and doubters with very little inner strength.
Inner strength comes from enlightened belief. The deity does not want, nor endorse “blind belief”. The disbelief is the result of the individual’s choice. Everyone has been presented with a lot of proofs, those that are still “blind” are not trying hard enough. The deity would provide the necessary inner strength if the sincere desire to be enlightened is there.
There is no need for any kind of strength to remain ignorant. So if you have the strength but not use it, then it’s like you don’t have it anyway.
Belief is about being able to doubt and continuing to arrive at the same place again and again. Beliefs mean nothing if you cannot test them, and cannot take attacks (for lack of a better word) directed at them and still come out believing.
No, that’s blind stubbornness. If you are presented with proof over and over again and still not accept to change your false beliefs, then it is not a positive trait at all.

---
If you can't look at yourself and say, "does this really make sense?"--I don't think that that implies inner strength at all. It implies cowardice, and cowardice=/=inner strength.
See, that’s part of the irony.

A.
It's all just a matter of interpretation.

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Postby mr_thebrain » Mon Oct 02, 2006 8:25 am

personally i see two ways to destroy a city with a flower. but neither have anything to do with faith.
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Postby suminonA » Mon Oct 02, 2006 9:04 am

Present them if you will. We can surely turn it into a moral debate, as in : "Do you think it is ok to destroy the city with a flower, that way?" ;)

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Postby Rei » Mon Oct 02, 2006 11:11 am

Arrange a messy coup d'état that involves feeding datura/aconite/pick your favourite to leader.

Or if you use more than one flower, apply it to a major water source.
Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connait point.
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Postby mr_thebrain » Mon Oct 02, 2006 11:26 am

poppy. or the product of them.
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Postby suminonA » Mon Oct 02, 2006 12:17 pm

datura/aconite/pick your favourite
My favorite is the rose. Who said it is a poisonous flower?
And why would the death of the leader destroy the city? Are people without a leader worthless? I say as long as at least one of the habitants stand, the city is not lost.

Listhen to the crowd chanting: “The King is dead, long live the King!”

A.
It's all just a matter of interpretation.

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Postby Rei » Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:59 pm

You never defined your flower. You just said a flower, so I defined it for you and told you that I've chosen a poisonous one. Also, if there's a messy coup d'état, the city will be destroyed if the people want it or not. Or, with more poison, if everyone is dead, that's as good as destroyed.
Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connait point.
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Postby suminonA » Tue Oct 03, 2006 1:25 am

Ok, fair enough.

Can you find a way to do it if the flower is not poisonous ?

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Postby Rei » Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:30 pm

I see no point in looking for a way as the parameters of the challenge have already been met.
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Postby Hegemon » Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:31 pm

The way you do it is with a GIANT venus flytrap. Like on that has a diameter of 20 miles... it will just eat the city.

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Postby Young Val » Tue Oct 03, 2006 6:21 pm

feed me, Seymour.
you snooze, you lose
well I have snozzed and lost
I'm pushing through
I'll disregard the cost
I hear the bells
so fascinating and
I'll slug it out
I'm sick of waiting
and I can
hear the bells are
ringing joyful and triumphant

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Postby zeroguy » Tue Oct 03, 2006 6:32 pm

After not using the "thumbs up" smilie for years, now all of a sudden I have a need for it, from the previous reply. I guess I'll go for this one: :lol: because it makes me laugh, too.
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Postby suminonA » Wed Oct 04, 2006 3:26 am

I see no point in looking for a way as the parameters of the challenge have already been met.
So, you're not open to NEW challenges?

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It's all just a matter of interpretation.

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Postby suminonA » Wed Oct 04, 2006 3:28 am

The way you do it is with a GIANT venus flytrap. Like on that has a diameter of 20 miles... it will just eat the city.
Feasability question: How do you grow the GIANT venus flytrap?

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It's all just a matter of interpretation.

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Postby Dr. Mobius » Wed Oct 04, 2006 4:53 am

The way you do it is with a GIANT venus flytrap. Like on that has a diameter of 20 miles... it will just eat the city.
Feasability question: How do you grow the GIANT venus flytrap?
In a GIANT flower pot, of course.
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Postby suminonA » Wed Oct 04, 2006 5:52 am

Is that really enough in order to get the Giant flower?

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Postby mr_thebrain » Wed Oct 04, 2006 5:58 am

lots of sun. lots of water. i take it you don't have a green thumb.
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Postby suminonA » Wed Oct 04, 2006 6:00 am

You're right. I'm more on the "rational brain" side. :wink:

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Postby mr_thebrain » Wed Oct 04, 2006 6:08 am

since when? you don't even know how to grow a flower. pshhh :roll:
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Postby suminonA » Wed Oct 04, 2006 6:13 am

I know how to grow a flower. What my rationality doesn't "swallow" is the"GIANT" part. :?

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Postby mr_thebrain » Wed Oct 04, 2006 7:49 am

then perhaps what you lack is a proper sense of humor? :P

lots and lots of miracle gro
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Postby suminonA » Wed Oct 04, 2006 8:07 am

Could you provide me with some miracle gro please? The shipment with improved humour has an imminent ETA.

:D

A.
It's all just a matter of interpretation.


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