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Old 06-24-2009, 11:10 AM   #1 (permalink)
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Nobility

What is the noblest way of life?

A profession? A religion?

Is a man who devotes his life in preparation to saving lives (like a firefighter), but never saves one, nobler than a man who steals for a living but has saved a life?

There are no wrong answers. I'd like to hear everyone's personal opinion.

Are you living your life in a noble way? If not, why not?

My answer is I have no clue. Seriously, every one of you probably has a better idea of nobility than I.

I'm not living my life in a noble way, and I can't decide how to change. I can't figure what matters the most. If furthering knowledge is more important than saving lives for example. I'm stuck in a purgatory of my own making.
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Old 06-24-2009, 11:29 AM   #2 (permalink)
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i have a colleague and his wife who take in stray dogs and cats and houses and feeds them, at his own expense. i think that is a noble thing to do. he does this because he cares for the rights of animals and respects their roles in this world.

i think in order for someone to reach a noble position, one needs to sacrifice something of themselves be it time, money or some other resource. it cannot be a noble thing is it is not a sacrifice.
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Old 06-24-2009, 11:32 AM   #3 (permalink)
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I think of my parents as noble people. I may not agree with their religion and that life is not for me, but they are faithful and devout and kind and generous people. They adopted 5 children and none of us feel any different than if we were their flesh and blood. We were always loved, even though some of us were a lot of trouble growing up, they have stuck by us and helped us though it all.

Edit to add:

My dad is an accountant and my mom is a school teacher.
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Old 06-24-2009, 11:41 AM   #4 (permalink)
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Seriously, though, I'm not sure what a "noble" life is. If that's the case, then most "people of the cloth" live noble lives. There are whole professions that are noble. Is an ER doctor "noble"?

I guess I just need a better definition than the one in my head.
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Old 06-24-2009, 12:16 PM   #5 (permalink)
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INTEGRITY comes to mind.

...a person of integrity stands up for what is right even when it's not popular...doesn't even have to think about it...knows what's right and just does it....keeps promises and stays true to their word. A person of nobility walks in his integrity.

...he avoids bad company knowing that bad company corrupts good character. His good character is developed through adversity. How he handles adversity signals who he is deep inside.

...knowledge is key. Samuel Johnson said, "Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless...and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful".
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Old 06-24-2009, 12:41 PM   #6 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shell View Post
INTEGRITY comes to mind.

...a person of integrity stands up for what is right even when it's not popular...doesn't even have to think about it...knows what's right and just does it....keeps promises and stays true to their word. A person of nobility walks in his integrity.
This fits my parents as well, they stand up for what they believe and follow it faithfully. They will never lie, even when it is for a good reason. I had a crazy ex that used to call the house when I still lived there, I had to run out of the house so my mom could say I wasn't in at the moment.
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Old 06-24-2009, 01:01 PM   #7 (permalink)
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I believe promoting awareness of anything at all is a noble action, for it provides insight and knowledge to those within our scope of reach. It can help comfort, catalyze response, and inform those that care enough of such notifications, which pertain to their specific pursuits to learn more of whatever particular interests they follow. Whether you are a columnist for Sports Illustrated, a small-time wedding photographer, a middle-school teacher, a television producer, a storyteller, an online comic illustrator, a cartoon voice actor, a street perfomer, a restaurant host(ess), a tailor, an all-star athlete, a prime minister, a religious mentor, a mother, a father, a friend, or an antagonist, we all spread a message & image to those around us that lingers for years, generations even, of how we lived, and what our purpose was. It molds our current being and shapes our future actions.

It is a broad definition of the endeavor in which we seek to communicate uniquely amongst each other, but it is also a simple enough task for anyone to reach through to someone who resembles our own characteristics and just speak locally with them. If given enough time and parameters, we all become teachers unto one another. Together with luck, we each gain an innate knowledge of self, and building upon our values, we explore the knowledge within the community, inquire of the bulletins, and through discussion, we are able to bestow contemporary wisdom upon the ears & minds that are lent to us.

But, I also witness those who try to obfuscate and bury certain truths and opinions as the villainy in which noble purveyors must struggle against; an aim to charge through the censorship which may arise in contention, to be allowed freely our right to proclaim our chosen rhetoric, and our stake to find somewhere we belong.

Quote:
If I have been of service, if I have glimpsed more of the nature and essence of ultimate good,
if I am inspired to reach wider horizons of thought and action, if I am at peace with myself,
it has been a successful day.
—Alex Noble
As such, my current signature reflects such a notion of spreading goodwill, news, entertainment, tragedy, interests, joy, science, etc., and/or whatever, all in a conscientious effort to welcome and relate with humanity as we each individually see it. Personally we, one and all, are a beacon of the particular and individual acumen we have come to possess. It is by our method and medium in which we differ, with whom we try to correspond with, and why we incline toward promulgating our especial message throughout the seasons.

(In reality, most of my past signatures convey the ideal of enhanced expressions.)

selected recitations   click to show 
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Old 06-24-2009, 01:43 PM   #8 (permalink)
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Nobility, I believe, is like striving to be a man of value instead of a man of success. Hey I just quoted Einstein ... but he is spot on. If you value your life, others lives, and strive to make a change to better the world around you ... you are of noble heart.

Unless you just have blue blood, then ...

I'm a god. All my kids were noble. (they're dead now ... long story, it involves revolutions and cruelly crushed rebellions in a nutshell)
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Old 06-24-2009, 04:35 PM   #9 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeraph View Post
What is the noblest way of life?

A profession? A religion?

Is a man who devotes his life in preparation to saving lives (like a firefighter), but never saves one, nobler than a man who steals for a living but has saved a life?

There are no wrong answers. I'd like to hear everyone's personal opinion.

Are you living your life in a noble way? If not, why not?

My answer is I have no clue. Seriously, every one of you probably has a better idea of nobility than I.

I'm not living my life in a noble way, and I can't decide how to change. I can't figure what matters the most. If furthering knowledge is more important than saving lives for example. I'm stuck in a purgatory of my own making.
I'm going to assume you are using this definition of noble:

no·ble (nō'bəl)
adj. no·bler, no·blest

Having or showing qualities of high moral character, such as courage, generosity, or honor: a noble spirit.
Proceeding from or indicative of such a character; showing magnanimity: "What poor an instrument/May do a noble deed!" (Shakespeare).

No one ever has to do "great" deeds. Most of us won't get the opportunity to save lives and you don't need to further personal knowledge to be noble.

What you need to do is be the best person you can be, every day. Some days that is eventful, full of activites, some days that is a sloth on the couch and not calling your sister to bitch her out over something.

If you want to be noble, be nice, smile, don't judge, love all who will accept, be kind and helpful, be polite, love the sunlight, love the stars, don't hate, be tolerant, don't ask for more than you can give and remember when the moon gives you daylight.

Appreciate sunsets.

Your next sunrise may be your last sunset.

Enjoy your time here while being a good person. That is how you are noble.
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Old 06-24-2009, 08:00 PM   #10 (permalink)
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I'm not sure that one can strive to be noble. It's more a state that is obtained by facing life with dignity, integrity, honesty, charity and conviction. If you are successful, nobility is a quality that others observe in you. You don't pin the label on yourself.
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Old 06-24-2009, 08:09 PM   #11 (permalink)
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What is the noblest way of life? A nobleman, of course.
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Old 06-24-2009, 11:33 PM   #12 (permalink)
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No particular career or profession is any more noble than the people doing it.

The mark of true nobility, IMO, is to cherish the wellbeing of others and work for it, to foster justice and compassion and lovingkindness wherever possible, and to seek as much and as powerfully as possible for those around oneself to be empowered and improved by education, opportunities, and freedom; and not to seek for oneself either glory, or fame, or riches, nor to be mired and distracted by gross materialism, intolerance and hatred, or egotistical self-service.

That said, it is certainly true that one cannot, of one's own accord and decision, suddenly become noble. By living one's life with integrity, grace, and an eye toward the problems of others, one may perhaps be called noble by others. But nobility is a thing conferred, and cannot be purchased, or taken by force, or acquired by self-acclamation.
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Last edited by levite; 06-24-2009 at 11:36 PM..
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Old 06-28-2009, 01:05 PM   #13 (permalink)
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I am not sure which is more noble profession or religion? I do believe some professions are noble. As long as they have noble intent. I know that being a mother may not seem noble, but I think in a lot of ways it is. Being a mother takes a lot of love and devotion. Being a young parent has not been easy, but it has been worth it. I would do anything for my kids. I would give up my own life to save there's. Now I don't know if I qualify as noble but I do believe that there are many parents that give so much for there children. I feel that qualifies as noble.

Now I don't know much about religion but my sister is very religious. Now in my family I do believe that it is noble to believe so strongly about something that even when you do not have the support of your family is very noble. Not that my sister doesn't have our support, it just had to be hard to grow up in a family like mine and be religious.
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Old 07-17-2009, 08:54 AM   #14 (permalink)
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Zeraph wrote:

I'm not living my life in a noble way, and I can't decide how to change. I can't figure what matters the most. If furthering knowledge is more important than saving lives for example. I'm stuck in a purgatory of my own making.

You are being pretty hard on yourself. Your choice of the word "noble" tells me that someone has taught you to set very high standards for yourself and that you feel that you are not measuring up. If this is correct (or close), I think that the remarks of others in their reply to you are giving you permission to choose some other words (such as honorable, respectable, compassionate, trustworthy) by which to measure yourself. I would add that it is not what you do (for a living), but who you are and how you treat others that will tell you whether you are living a noble life.

Best wishes.
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