Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller for July 08, 2010

Gotta be a nightmare… for Danae anyway.

Yes, he’s getting bigger!!!

Yep, you’ve come to the right place for that.

Looks like this’ll be a seven course meal.

The Average Comic Strip Reader said, 1 day ago

Don’t want to see her change, Danae is my favorite comic strip [character]. Noooooo!!!!!

Keep him away from the tea party, or he’ll really be the elephant in the room.

Danae was planning on marketing a service to fill a need. To charge someone for this is “capitalism”——the motivation to make a profit which spurs development of all society. That is NOT greed……it is what gave us electricity, modern medicine, air conditioning and the computer you’re reading this on. Careful now………………

Just wait til he discovers internet trolls.

Yes, this is capitalism - the attempt to harness and exploit something which is given away by another of his own free will.

Yes, he’s growing fast on Danae’s attitudes. Growing on her nerves too…

Poor Danae. She’s going to be so confused.

Ekert is not good. He is removing free will which is the biggest negative thought of all time. This is the reason he was locked away. Ekert must eat himself!

Bring him to a tea-party-convention for dinner and FoxNews for dessert.

Runar, interesting article. I’m guessing those rich girls could argue that their parents made all that money and have chosen to do with it what they want, which is letting their children spend a tiny bit of it by giving away lemonade. Of course, those parents probably made gazillions of dollars through an economy like no other – not even similarly wealthy countries distribute the profits so unequally with most going to the top and the least going to the bottom. So, in a way, that free lemonade probably cost us all a whole heck of a lot more than it would in, say, Denmark (where they saying is: Few here has too much, and even fewer have too little).

Feeds on negative thoughts?! Quick, save him/her for the next Democratic National Convention!

So he was a little white lie! (Not so little now)

As the lie grows and gets out of hand…

What a good place to keep little white lies, locked away in the shed…

HA HA!!!!

Let’s send Ekeret to a session of congress(either house). He’ll pig-out and probably grow as big as a house…bigger!

Ekert’s getting bigger.

An endless supply of rich thought for food.

cdward, runar: I’m seeing an entirely different point to the lemonade-stand story.

First, it’s true that nothing is absolutely free – everything costs something to make it available for use.

But it’s also true that someone who has something has the absolute right to give it away if they freely choose. Even if they received it as a gift from someone else, like the little girls’ parents in this story, the same still applies. Why? Because a gift – if it’s truly a gift – has no strings attached, or else it’s not a gift but merely a transaction. (That’s why receiving a no-strings-attached gift may make you feel uncomfortable: you feel like you owe them something in return, and it would get you off the hook if you could “pay” for the gift.) And in the last analysis, none of us has anything except what we’ve been freely given by Someone Else, so we have no grounds to be stingy with each other – one of those “hard sayings” of Jesus that makes serious Christianity such a radical concept, and such a hard sell in this desperately practical world.

Sure, it would have been a useful life lesson if the little girls had to learn how to run a business – if only as a not-for-profit. :) But it’s at least as important a spiritual life lesson to learn how to give something to someone in need, with no thought of return.

All of that having been said, Danae is being robbed of her free will to be an evil little brat – and Ekert is a scary creature who bodes no good. Mind control is no decent solution to anything.

Wow, i didn’t know my name was Ekeret. I continually feed on my negative thoughts. Even Wiley is out to get me.

“NOW CUT THAT OUT!” -Jack Benny One of his most famous lines.

Unleash flying “Ekert” on the world!!!! Now!!!

I love this creature! I wonder if Wiley Miller is going to keep him?

Maybe it’s from alt-Earth?

So what would happen if Ekert met a shmoo?

With Danae as a host Ekert will be as big as a house by lunchtime.

Send him after the spammers!

Gotta go with SCAATY on this one. Christianity is truly a radical religion if you take it seriously. It is subversive to authority and economics. A philosophy professor I had called it the greatest religion never practiced by human beings….

RichardSRussell: I suspect that Charles Darwin, personally, cared a lot about whether others were good, or fair, or nice to him…as do we all. :)

The natural, objective universe, including evolution by natural selection, of course is indifferent to such things. But it’s meaningless to discuss religion in those terms, because it’s a uniquely human interest (as far as we know!), and humans care very much about “whether it’s true, or good for people, or fair, or nice…” – in fact, those are exactly the criteria by which one would consider a religion.

aircraft-engineer said: “all religion is an utter waste of time and energy”

A lot of it may be, perhaps. Personally, I think a religion is useful only to the extent that it leads you to a fuller, more purposeful understanding of who and what you are, both within yourself and in relation to other people and your place in the universe.

Looked at that way, almost every religion is of some value, and not at all a waste of time and energy for an intelligent and caring person. It also follows that some religions are more useful for their purpose than others – “better”, in that sense – and the same intelligent and caring person does well to find whatever best leads him or her in a good direction.

You can’t go wrong if you keep an open mind and never give up on pursuing your understanding of the truth to the limits of your ability.

So are comic strips, sports and most celebrities. What’s your point?

Varnes said: “A philosophy professor I had called it [Christianity] the greatest religion never practiced by human beings….”

Gandhi said something very similar – a reporter once asked him what he thought of Christianity, and he replied that it sounded like a very good idea.

Religion has nothing to do with neither economics nor government. Hitler rightfully drew a circle around the Vatican to show the Pope how far his authority went. Our founding fathers said the same thing in the first article of the Constitution.

Danae has met a nemesis.

Ekert may be more dangerous to the common culture and it’s good opinion of itself than Jesus the Human was.

Lewreader said: “Religion has nothing to do with neither economics nor government.”

It might be more accurate to say that neither economics nor government should have to do with religion.

Economics has no more to say about questions of ethics or equity than does physics, or chemistry – that’s not a criticism of economics; it is what it is, and it isn’t what it isn’t. Religion, in practice, is a matter of values, and economics has no contribution to make other than factual insights about how things work. (People, of course, often do use both the value-neutral findings of economics, and the value-heavy prescriptions of religion, to support their own personal prejudices – but that’s another matter.)

Government, on its part, can be usefully informed in its legitimate work by the insights of both economics and religion. Trouble usually results when government tries to seize control of either to its own ends – carried to extremes, either the disastrous mess of a centrally-controlled economy, or the tyranny of a state-controlled religion/religion-controlled state.

The discussion this morning is fascinating. How amazing that a comic strip should evoke such a philosophical exchange.

Wiley having fun yet?

so, who locked him in the shed? and why?

Wow – you guys are really pushing my starter button today. My apologies for all the bloviation, but it’s just so dang much fun…! :)

Joe-Allen “Joe” Doty said:

“But, when the Roman Catholic Church’s Pope speaks, he claims to speak for all Christians.”

Well, not exactly. (Not in this century, anyway.) Besides, the Pope only claims global spiritual authority in matters of faith and morals, which turn out to be pretty much common to all Christians – not about the practices of those who aren’t Catholics.

“But, he can only speak for those who are RCC members.”

His Holiness would undoubtedly agree…and he probably wishes he could speak for all of them.

“In my opinion, the Vatican is the political government of the Roman Catholic Church.”

Well, sure. That’s exactly what it is, and not as a matter of anyone’s opinion.

“It doesn’t even make sense that the USA has an ambassador to the Vatican when there are no US Ambassadors to the other church denominational headquarters in the USA.”

That’s because no US denomination has an independent territory equivalent to a sovereign nation – which is also what the Vatican is, geographically. (An incidental artifact of history, but there it is.) I should think we have an ambassador to the Vatican more for symbolic and American political reasons than practical ones…but those reasons are potent ones. Anyway, who said diplomacy always has to make sense? :)

A feast to feed a kingdom.

cdward said that in Denmark “where they [sic] saying is: ‘Few here has too much, and even fewer have too little,’” but one of the problems comparing the US with most European countries is diversity(or lack of). Most W. European countries are relatively homogeneous, of the same ethnic background, race, etc. In the U.S., we have should a diversity of races, religions, etc., that it is impossible to try to make things equally standardized for everyone. Add in the problem of illegal aliens, which most other countries in the world don’t have to deal with on such a large scale as the US.

Ekert should be eating most these comments, including mine. lol

i will choose a path that’s clear. i will choose free will. i hope ekert lets me.

Rush, yyyguy?

who else? been a fan since Fly by Night.

If he feeds on the seven deadly sins, I can understand why someone locked him up in a tool shed.

Let Ekert loose in the Vatican! I’ll BET it would disappear completely!

@algurka= I’m no expert, but I think you are wrong about Europe. The countries there are having the same racial problems that the US is having. Right now in France, the president wants a law banning full Muslim dresses for women. And if Masterpiece Theatre on Sun night is indicative of life in England, there seems to be a lot of racial strife, and racial gangs, too. Bombs on busses and subways have made the news. France is dealing with Morroccan aliens.

Varnes said, about 5 hours ago

Gotta go with SCAATY on this one. Christianity is truly a radical religion if you take it seriously. It is subversive to authority and economics. A philosophy professor I had called it the greatest religion never practiced by human beings….

Some do make an effort–such as those theistic communists, members of religious orders. But, as G.K. Chesterton famously said, “It is not that Christianity has been tried and been found wanting, but it has been found too difficult and not tried.” At least one college professor pointed out that the Rule of Benedict, which tells the monks to “set prices a little lower than others can” is really capitalistic, but he misses the point–we don’t set prices low to increase profits, but to reduce them.

Joe-Allen “Joe” Doty said, about 3 hours ago

In my opinion, the Vatican is the political government of the Roman Catholic Church.

It doesn’t even make sense that the USA has an ambassador to the Vatican when there are no US Ambassadors to the other church denominational headquarters in the USA.

In one or two senses, it does: (1) Among churches, only the Vatican is also a sovereign state, with its own diplomats, passports and land, albeit tiny (44 hectares or 110 acres), and (2) compared to any other denomination, the Catholic Church is huge: about 50% of all Christians, ten times the size of the next largest, groups such as “Baptist churches” or “Pentecostalism”–and both of those are composed of a large number of independent churches. (I see SCATTY_423 has also responded on this point…)

Another reason for the diplomats to and from the Vatican: tradition. The Pope has sent and received diplomats for many centuries. Other churches have not, or done so only rarely. In part, I suspect, this was because they tended to be set up along national lines, such as the German or Swedish Lutheran Church, or even the Anglican communion, with its component national churches. Obviously, a nation is not going to send an ambassador to its own church, and would not have much reason to send one to another nation’s church. It’s only the Catholics, with their global organization, for which ambassadors make sense.

it all depends on how you define “negative”….

Radish you nailed it! I knew I could not be the only Non Sequitur fan who also reads and listens to Eckhart Tolle. “Eckert”is for Eckhart.

He teaches what most people would recognize as the Buddhist approach to being in the world, part of which is that our thoughts have no lasting reality, and negative thoughts in particular keep us from focusing on the present and understanding our true nature.

He might also say that negative thoughts actually make us very unhappy, and keep us in a state where we cannot truly enjoy anything in our lives. Buddhist masters all teach that learning to release and not “feed” destructive thoughts and habitually negative thought patterns is an important step to enlightenment.

Ekert is going to get too fat to shove back in the shed door

Mr. Miller; Think of the pot you could stir up if you really wanted to:-)…

I know this is random and Wiley didn’t do the connection on purpose, but there’s an NPC in the game World of Warcraft called Eckert… ran into him yesterday and giggled because of this cartoon.

Wiley doesn’t want any more religion talk, so I won’t respond to your comment, SCAATY, though we don’t disagree.

On the Denmark comment, it’s true that it is a smaller country (and that is far more significant than the homogeneity issue), but that’s not the reason for the disparities within the US. Those disparities were not so great even here for many years – only when the laws changed to favor the rich.

For the record, Europe has in the last fifty years or so experience intense immigration, both legal and illegal. It’s just not Mexicans. I’ve lived in Europe, and I assure you they are not the pure white Europe of Queen Victoria’s era.

Atma: You’re right about the Gandhi quote – thanks for the correction.

Another brilliant storyline from Wiley. How do you do it? Please don’t stop writing anytime soon. You are too good at what you do.

Hey Wiley - I liked the cartoon!