Mind and Spirit | McCamy Taylor - 12:19pm Mar 28, 1999 PST (#127 of 154)

Here is my take on ceiling and floor. Forget political right/left, Christianity, atheism--these can occupy any position. The floor type starts with first principle "putting the individual first makes the group stronger." Anything derived from the indiviudual -- emotions such as love and anger, needs such as hunger and fear -- are of paramount importance to the floor person. The floor person trusts his instincts first, his reason second. The floor type will see a war and immediately focus in on the child in the mine field and say, "I must help her." He is willing to sacrifice himself to save that child because his anguish is so intense that he would rather die than live with it.

The ceiling type says "putting the group first makes the individual stronger." When he sees the child caught in the mine field, he may feel for her, too. But if, by ignoring her, he has the power to carry out some mission that will save thousands of children, he will probably opt to carry out the mission.

Which is nobler? Depends upon whether you are on the floor or the ceiling. The first risks his life. The second condemns himself to carrying around an enormous burden of guilt. Each gives what he is capable of giving. ...

A floor person looks at the ceiling and says "you are selfish"

A ceiling person looks at the floor and says "you are foolish"

Keep a balance of the two and you will never have fascism (all group) or chaos (all individual). And there is not a single human being who can claim to be all one or the other since humans are by definition animals (emotional creatures) who think.

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those multi-child parents with attitudes

Mothers Who Think | Jeanne Hultman - 06:54pm Mar 29, 1999 PST (#202 of 229)

Even when I believed myself to be infertile (right up to the day I was diagnosed as being nearly four months gone with Adrienne), people who didn't know the story would say things like, "You don't know what you're missing." "You'd make such a great mother." And people who DID know the story, which was severe endometriosis, would say things like, "Well, you can always adopt." "Maybe you're trying too hard; just relax."

I felt like beating my head against a brick wall on numerous occasions. As I said to my best friend shortly after finding out I was pregnant and Adrienne's dad was not handling the news very maturely, "I guess I'm supposed to get pregnant on demand, but ONLY on demand."

For what it's worth, I had a good friend in high school who was an only child. The concept of being an only child was a bit foreign to me at the time -- I mean, EVERYONE had at least one sibling, usually more (we were baby boomers, after all!) -- but after I had spent a few afternoons at her house, I was jealous of her. If you met my sister, you'd understand why.

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Pop, Smop - It's SODA, dammit.

Hometown | Judi Kay - 08:58pm Mar 29, 1999 PST (#40 of 65)

It looks like I am one of the token Southerners 'round these parts.

If you get nothing else from this entire thread, remember this: In the South, it's all Coke. You order a Coke, and yes, you will get asked what kind. For example, we're at Back Yard Burgers (y'all probably have never heard of that, either) and I turn to my friend and say. "I want a burger, seasoned fries, peach cobbler, and a coke." She will say, "What kind of Coke d'ya want?" And I will answer "Sprite." I will however never answer Mr. Pibb because I think it's gross.