“So it would probably be fair to say that none of us are the people we were 5 years ago”

Not really. With some people, it feels like they never change. But that doesn’t mean you should put up with them or write them off. I think it would be pretty unfair to dismiss someone after one encounter (even though sometimes I have to really fight the urge to do so).

Not sure about past faults though. Again, whatever you do, I would think your actions have to be considered.

The problem I guess is working out at which point you no longer take a past fault into account. An extreme example: An issue from yesterday would certainly have an effect on how you interact with someone but something from their childhood not. Where do you draw the line? And is the line in different places for varying issues?

S

This post has really got so many aspects to comment on!

For example,

the fact that the high profile cases achieve resolution so much faster than other cases (as the media has clearly shown us with regards to the Rattray case),

and

the philosophical debate about the runaway trolleys and if destiny should be toyed with.

However, I must admit that the largest amount of time I spent thinking about this post was dedicated to thinking about who exactly I would want to see on train tracks…

Second, I remember reading the helmet article when it came out. While it appears to be valid research, as a driver of a car I can honestly say that when I’m driving behind a cyclist I’m not thinking about how much room to give them based on the state of their head cover, I’m thinking more about not killing them.

So this study must have been more to do with the subconscious effect of cyclists on other road users.

Still, even with a study like this, I’d still rather wear a helmet if I were a cyclist. Avoiding cars is one thing, but dealing with my balance on a bike is another.

The big question is can your virtual life replace your real one? Richard @ mementomari touched on this a little in a post and some of the comments also touched on this very idea too. As humans have evolved we’ve gained various skills and ability&…

I read an article a few weeks ago describing how the advance of communication technology is negatively affecting people’s ability to interact with one another in person.

What they’ve found is that children who use the instant message technology as their primary means of communication with their peers struggle to express themselves without the technology.

Any kind of virtual interaction with friends needs to be balanced with real social interaction. Besides, the same article said that the meaning of at least half of whatever is communicated through typed messages is lost because of the lack of body language to deliver the “unspoken” portion of the message.

If you’re living in the online world where half of what you say is misinterpreted, then how well does one’s online buddies know you anyway?