Socrates Cafe
 

Are we getting younger in spirits as we age older? Are we getting stubborn as we age or more forgiving as we age older?

WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT??:a040::a040::a040:

He's philosophizing.....
 

He's philosophizing..... a la Socrates. Opening the door to conversation and speculation about our outlooks as we age:)

As we age mostly we just shrug our shoulders and deflate.;)

I went on a fishing expedition to see if a deeper dialogue would be possible on TOTV but guess I was wrong. Or, perhaps my questions were too vague for starting a dialogue. So, let me try again.

Recently I had an experience at our neighborhood bank where I had business for decades. Now with bank mergers, we have some new staff. I had a State Tax refund check with both of our names on it. I asked my wife to counter sign where appropriate and brought it to the bank. The cashier told me that my wife has to be present with her ID. for me to deposit in my account. We have separate account. I told her I have done this before but she said this was the rule. Now, I know technically she is right but the small branch is really a neighborhood bank and I know most of the staff there. I thought I would get that 'friendly' treatment. I know she is right but I felt cheated. Rules are rules?

Or, recently I read on a post about a 5 some on a golf course. We do that occasionally on our club. We start off as three some and two some and join together later. Technically amongst five of us, we are using two tee times but rules says no 5 some. Could there be a wink or no?

Or, on another post I read that if one sees someone walking at 10 p.m. on a golf course, she will call the police. How about if a couple with two flashlights walking between 8 and 10 p.m. in winter where no golfers around, would she still call a police? Carrying flashlights a must.

I won't start on questions such as "what is love", "what is beauty", "what is justice", "what is insanity", at least not yet or this post is a total failure.:icon_wink:

Bank mergers and friendliness vs policies
 

Hi Yorio - Some of my friends and myself have experienced changes in bank policies with recent mergers. I know it can be disconcerting, but I try to be resilient, and adjust my expectations to be realistic, not taking it personally.

Even the familiar staff may be expected to follow new policies, and I'm sure they don't want to be less friendly. On the other hand, they may feel more scrutiny on them with the merger, worry a little about keeping their jobs, and feel more pressure to be sure to support the merged bank's policies.

Maybe try to put yourself in their shoes, and you can both be understanding.

I was a philosophy minor in college. Went to Loyola U and at that time if you were catholic you had to minor in religion and if you weren't you had to minor in philosophy. So, I will try to dialogue with you on things philosophical. However, I was a kid when I studied it, so my memories are rooted in things younger and more ignorant. I knew even then that 18 was too young to really comprehend philosophy on more then a shallow level.

I think things bother us less when we get older....we know, hopefully, what is worth fighting for and what is not. If we don't know this, we have not learned life's lessons. More and more, I try not to sweat the small stuff and more and more things seem like small stuff to me.

I am a big believer in the socratic method of teaching. I would ask my students a series of questions guiding them to the right answers. It worked most of the time.

Ladydoc. I had only one semester of philosophy and though I liked the course I could't pursue further. Remember those debates about not being able to get decent work if you had a BA vs BS? I took the latter but I wished in hind sight I wish I had taken more liberal art courses. Now that I am retired I read only what I enjoy reading and not what I shuld read to further my carrier.

Now, I have a question. I agree to your points but what are some of the things you feel worth fighting for?

Challenging ignorant prejudices is a big one. Changing opinions is tough work, but occassionally you can make a dent. It is making that first dent that is really hard. Intermittent reinforcement is what keeps us all going!!! LOL

I'm not sure you ever change someone's opinion but in time after they think about what you said, they may be able to understand. Maybe... I'm not sure why we get so locked in our "opinion" that we can't see it from another angle, but we do... I know I do. When I stop and try to understand, or if, then we can discuss the issues.

This is an interesting thread.

You are right. Let me mull them over and get back to you but hopefully others will jump in also.

Quirky3. Yes, indeed when the bank manager called, I told her not to reprimand the teller as she was only doing her job. She was indeed doing her job yet I felt cheated. My wife said you felt cheated because you didn't get that cuddly treatment you get from other tellers. I guess I am philosophizing and thinking what if all the people went by the book, will it be a better world or not. If people did not go by the book, will chaos reign? Is there a leeway?

I think there are friendly ways to "go by the book". (And unfriendly ways). Maybe you can charm her into being more friendly ("what goes around comes around").

Yes, Angiefox10, why is it so hard to change one's own opinion? Why is it difficult to say "right, I never thought from that angle" or just plainly state "you are right". Is it because one is stubborn and if so where does it come from?

Maybe, we all just have a little "right fighter" in us. :) But of coures I'm a woman and you know we are ALWAYS right!