Recently there has been a lot of talk about 'the Big Picture (BP). This can mean anything. Often to fob off thinking or discussing uncomfortable issues(flaws)

To put some context MBP is.
Many typify me as 'lefty, bleeding heart, greenie etc. All wrong!
I am my version of a Secular Humanist.

(WARNING this is highly nuanced)

I don't believe in any supernatural being but I respect other peoples beliefs.

I view every thing in terms of human betterment.
Therefore I see it my responsibility to try and help (at least in the first instance biases and failings aside). In order to do this I tend to look at everything as objectively as possible.

Rules as they are designed (in theory) to make society more harmonious. That includes civility on the net.

The idea of racial, cultural purity, lifestyle discrimination are discretionary issues and cut little sway with me however I do comprehend other's views.

I work to protect the environment animals/plants included because it/they are what sustains humanity both from a physical/spiritual (?) levels. This is opposed to my daughter who wants to save the environment for its own sake (she's a pragmatic greenie) Subtle difference but important in that I have no automatic problem with the concepts like capitalism, development per se but I have problems with the way they're practised.
Clearly profit for a few isn't a valid argument for me.
Key point: Does it help humanity as a whole?.
Finally all things are up to change if appropriate
This permeates/colours all my thinking.
I think that's enough to give the gist. Ok so what IS YOUR big picture?

Dear examinator,

What is my "Big Picture?"

Mine is a world - "where every nation and
every people and every colour and every
religion finds at last the one heartbeat
we all share!"

But that would mean that I'd have to
create a new world on earth - and of
course that's not something that I'm
capable of doing. So all I can do - is
try to be responsible for my own actions.
Try to have a personl commitment to the
atributes of fair play and integrity.
Try as hard as I can to "not hate."
Because a little hatred is like a little
cancer. And who amongst us doesn't hate?

The ony way I know to protect myself from it,
is to check the hatred in my own mind.
I believe in our capacity to love each other
as human beings, and try to remember that we
are brothers/sisters on this planet.

It's an on-going job - but :

I try to change from an accusatory mind to a
loving one. I'm not aiming for perfection -
I'm only human - and a mere mortal, but
at least I try. To me it is important to try
to remove from my mind the tendency to judge
and the tendency to blame - and if I succeed,
then at least I may not have changed the
world - only my part in it - and at least
that's a start - right?
I may only be a very small part of the "Big
Picture," but if we all work on our parts -
we may end up with a beautiful painting!

Worth a try!

My Big Picture?
Thank you for asking.
Abortion is intrinsically evil.
Islam represents an existential threat.
Homosexuality is a psycho-sexual disorder.
I used to be right-leaning but now I'm a centrist.
Almost forgot - Obama is the anti-Christ.

Examinater - By and large it seems my BP is pretty much like yours. But experience has taught me that to go too far down personal paths on OLO can have distressing results so I am not going to get into the spiritual side of things.

However, Foxy -

Your post actually knocked me for six: "Try as hard as I can to "not hate." I was rather flabbergasted at that - especially knowing of your religious beliefs. Really? You actually have to consciously restrain yourself from hatred? I would not be intrusive enough to ask to whom this hate is directed, but the fact that you have to try so hard to restrain it makes me curious as to what form the unrestrained expression of this feeling would take?

The next sentence to completely flummox me was "And who amongst us doesn't hate?" Not to seem disingenuous...but I don't. In fact I have always considered hate to be a fairly rare emotion. Yet you subscribe to a world-view that believes that hatred is a dominant theme in peoples lives?

"The ony way I know to protect myself from it,is to check the hatred in my own mind." This I found both the saddest and most disturbing sentence of all. On this forum you have always given the impression of being a secure and happily married mother with only the usual kinds of frustrations and trials and tribulations most of us encounter. This sentence, however, paints a completely different picture.

I don't want to invade too much in your private life - but you did put the information out there - so is it possible to share a little of why you fight this battle? You have, from time to time, hinted at family history outside of Australia which was troubling. Is it this that has coloured your outlook?

My big picture?

Well, my big picture is securing the future both for mankind and the diverse array of other life forms whether they are of any use or benefit to humans or not.

In any case I see the fixing of environmental problems as being absolutely essential and a precursor to dealing with problems such as poverty, wars and all the other sorry afflictions we inflict upon ourselves.

In the past 15 years or so I have undergone a learning curve that started fairly slowly on a local environmental issue in Kununurra, minor in the scheme of things - extensive clearing of roadside vegetation packed with life of all sorts. My futile efforts to save it or at least some of it lead me on to develop a good understanding of state (WA) and national environmental issues and of the reluctance of governments to address them. The learning curve steepened as I quickly became aware of global environmental stresses we have to face, their seriousness, how they interconnect with societal problems and the proximate and ultimate causes of these.

Unfortunately what is driving all this environmental and resource destruction is unrestrained growth both economic and population which in turn are encouraged by our capitalistic value system that sets its eyes firmly on consumption and individual rights and growth at all costs.

So in the end my bigger picture is to see systems evolve that strive for a stable economy and reducing population and a fairer distribution of existing wealth amongst all rather than one that’s aims to exploit every last drop to increase wealth and hope enough of it trickles down to the masses to discourage them from adopting more violent means of extracting their share.

I wish myself luck in this Utopian dream.

PS. Examinater I suspect you and your daughter don't have too much to argue about. your interests are after all related are they not?

Total freedom to do anything you want as long as your actions dont hurt any other person.