Friday Bullets: Receiving Facebook Badges/Living in Peace/China

• It has been a very busy last few weeks for me with work and potential more work. A lot of time on the computer.

• Much eye strain...

• But, Facebook to the rescue, handing out badges.

 • My former secondary school friend, now living in Norway, Arne, sent me that first image today. He received a Facebook badge.

• I find this type of promotion from Facebook amusing. Yes, technically it is a Business Page, but I am presenting my academic work from my Blogger website on the page.

• Promotion on my Business Page could result in more related work for me, and certainly has assisted in potential work situations.

• With the second image, I also received a humourous Facebook badge.

• When for a laugh, I have clicked on the Complete Page, supposed link, nothing happens.

• Nor sure what I am supposed to complete, anyway.

• I remember in Cubs we were supposed to earn a set of badges...

 

• I viewed the news programs from Australia, dated September 20, 2021, last evening on You Tube.

• I am by conversion, baptized within the traditionally, Anabaptist, Mennonite Brethren (MB) Church and have been a member of three MB churches, and I am presently. 

• Realistically, theologically, I am more Reformed than Anabaptist, and although not a pacifist, or non-resistant, I do take Anabaptist, biblical calls to live in peace, very seriously.

• New American Standard Bible (NASB) Romans 12: 18: If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people.

• I also reason that China's Marxist, communist state is trying to promote its own interests.

• The Western nations are also trying to promote their own interests. 

• British philosopher, Blackburn, describes communism as 'A socioeconomic system based on communal ownership and production of goods, communal and self-government....' (70). The entry under Marxism includes that its aims 'toward a revolution of the proletarian' (232). This being working class people.

• Marxism and Communism, including the Chinese version, does have a strong military component and also a strong revolutionary component.

• I have zero interest in living in any kind of Marxist state, may that be a radical socialist or communist state. (I realize that Western states all have more moderate forms of socialism within)

• I do favour a strong Western military defence and deterrent against any non-democratic worldview, including Marxist, communist, fascist or religious.

• I do not favour any form of military imperialism, by any political ideology.

• From: BBC.com July 1 2021 and in agreement with what is documented from the video...

• quote On Thursday Mr Xi said China maintains an "unshakeable commitment" to unification with Taiwan. "No one should underestimate the resolve, the will and ability of the Chinese people to defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said. 

 • quote "Only socialism can save China, and only socialism with Chinese characteristics can develop China," he said, referring to the system under which the party embraced markets to reform the economy. He added that "we will never allow anyone to bully, oppress or subjugate China". "Anyone who dares try to do that will have their heads bashed bloody against the Great Wall of Steel forged by over 1.4 billion Chinese people," he said. 

BLACKBURN, SIMON (1996) Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford, Oxford University Press.