Interviewing ChristineM

[JustGeorge]

Hi @ChristineM ! Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed!

While my other interviews have focused on religion, I understand that is not an important topic to you. So, instead, in this interview, I will ask about your life philosophies, and how you've gotten to them(and how you live them).

To start out, what do you think constitutes a meaningful life?

 

[ChristineM]

Chuckle, i think as much of philosophy as i do about religion... Yes this is going to be difficult ;-) but I'll try.

A meaningful life to me is one that gives you satisfaction and contentment that you have done the best you can. A life that you achieve your goals.

One where you can pass those qualities and the results on to those you love.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Which scene from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life best encapsulates your approach to life? Asking for a friend...

 

[JustGeorge]

Chuckle, i think as much of philosophy as i do about religion... Yes this is going to be difficult ;-) but I'll try.

Well, don't worry, I mean "philosophy" in the most general sense... What I know of formal philosophy could fit on the head of a pencil eraser.

A meaningful life to me is one that gives you satisfaction and contentment that you have done the best you can. A life that you achieve your goals.

So far, do you feel you've had a meaningful life? What goals have you met worth noting? Do you have any left to achieve?

One where you can pass those qualities and the results on to those you love.

Which of these are you most hoping to pass on?

 

[ChristineM]

What I know of formal philosophy could fit on the head of a pencil eraser.

That much? Wow where did you earn your Phd?

So far, do you feel you've had a meaningful life? What goals have you met worth noting? Do you have any left to achieve?

Apart from childhood at school and church where i was considered to be thick (technical term) and unteachable, and an adult 6 months in hell I've led quite a satisfactory life.
Goals,
I've had children, that was originally thought to be an impossibility. That on its own gives me a feeling of fulfilment and completeness.
From being thick and unteachable to literally just before retirement I've continued to learn, earning 3 bachelors and 2 masters to help keep me on top of the business hubby and i build from nothing to an international success.
Selling the business in 2015 allowed us to retire to France and live the dream.
What's left? I just want to continue to live until the children fledge the nest and I'd like to see them begin a promising career.

Which of these are you most hoping to pass on?

The children are reaping the benefits of our business success. Not to much (wouldn't want to spoil them) but enough to set them going in the direction they want.

So far the children are turning out as i would like them to be. It seems that what I've (we've) passed on has hit the mark. They are satisfied as am I

 

[ChristineM]

Which scene from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life best encapsulates your approach to life? Asking for a friend...

 

[JustGeorge]

That much? Wow where did you earn your Phd?

A cereal box!

Apart from childhood at school and church where i was considered to be thick (technical term) and unteachable, and an adult 6 months in hell I've led quite a satisfactory life.
Goals,
I've had children, that was originally thought to be an impossibility. That on its own gives me a feeling of fulfilment and completeness.
From being thick and unteachable to literally just before retirement I've continued to learn, earning 3 bachelors and 2 masters to help keep me on top of the business hubby and i build from nothing to an international success.
Selling the business in 2015 allowed us to retire to France and live the dream.
What's left? I just want to continue to live until the children fledge the nest and I'd like to see them begin a promising career.

You've had quite a life! What was the business?

What do you attribute your success in business to?

The children are reaping the benefits of our business success. Not to much (wouldn't want to spoil them) but enough to set them going in the direction they want.

So far the children are turning out as i would like them to be. It seems that what I've (we've) passed on has hit the mark. They are satisfied as am I

That's wonderful that the children are heading in the right direction. Few things bring greater joy, I'm sure.

What are the most important values that you've passed on to them, do you feel?

 

[ChristineM]

What was the business?

3D Industrial graphics with sidelines into military, science, government, music and film.

What do you attribute your success in business to?

Being among the first to produce 3D displays helped. Innovation, in the early days we had to create software that wasn't available. Understanding the needs of the customer. Bending over backwards to meet deadlines.

What are the most important values that you've passed on to them, do you feel?

Honesty, courage, consideration, love.

Honesty is the most important to me.
Courage got us (hubby and i) what we wanted.
Consideration and love help to keep the family close.

I think this may be the last for tonight, the dreaded lag has hit early.

 

[sun rise]

Honesty, courage, consideration, love.

For people who can see beyond the atheist vs theist intellectual duels, I've found that both theists and atheists often agree on those qualities.

 

[ChristineM]

For people who can see beyond the atheist vs theist intellectual duels, I've found that both theists and atheists often agree on those qualities.

Often being the key word. As you can see on these pages, honestly is often overridden by belief. Love has different meanings between atheist and theist, personally i think giving your love to an imaginary being cheapens the emotion.

 

[JustGeorge]

3D Industrial graphics with sidelines into military, science, government, music and film.



Being among the first to produce 3D displays helped. Innovation, in the early days we had to create software that wasn't available. Understanding the needs of the customer. Bending over backwards to meet deadlines.

Forgive my ignorance... but what is industrial 3D graphics?

Honesty, courage, consideration, love.

Honesty is the most important to me.
Courage got us (hubby and i) what we wanted.
Consideration and love help to keep the family close.

How do you live your values on a daily basis? What are some of the 'little things' that keep them alive, now?

I think this may be the last for tonight, the dreaded lag has hit early.

Hoping it'll leave early, too...

Often being the key word. As you can see on these pages, honestly is often overridden by belief. Love has different meanings between atheist and theist, personally i think giving your love to an imaginary being cheapens the emotion.

What are some of the ways in which you feel love differs between atheist and theist?

 

[ChristineM]

Forgive my ignorance... but what is industrial 3D graphics?

Industrial plants are controlled not by guys running up and down the miles of lanes and pipes to specific valves to turn on or off but by Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) or computers housed in a cosy, warm control room. When required to change something out in the plant the operator will call up a schematic diagram onto a screen and operate the valve or tap from there. Our idea was to do away with hundreds of schematic diagrams and replace them with a single 3 dimensional image of the plant. The operator would move through the plant on screen and select an operation as if out in the plant.
Difficult to imagine, so consider say 500 2 dimensional platform game of the 90s, any one can be selected and controlled compared to something like this.

Hope that helps.

How do you live your values on a daily basis? What are some of the 'little things' that keep them alive, now?

That is so difficult, it's not something i/we think about, it just is.
We talk, do things together, everyday family things, i don't know what else to say.

What are some of the ways in which you feel love differs between atheist and theist?

Only one way... reality. An atheist (certainly in my case) does not have gods to give emotion/love but does (usually) have people. It upsets me to see people go on and on about how much they love their god(s) while neglecting their spouse and children.

 

[sun rise]

Love has different meanings between atheist and theist,

How do you define "love"?

 

[ChristineM]

How do you define "love"?

Its not the definition but the object of the emotion. No atheist is giving their love to whatever a god is imagined to be.

 

[sun rise]

Its not the definition but the object of the emotion. No atheist is giving their love to whatever a god is imagined to be.

Of course. But when you wrote "different meanings" I had assumed you meant a different definition of the word. "Love" has been used in the sense of satisfying lust, for example or strictly as the action of chemicals in the body or given a meaning in the realm of emotion

Without bringing in theism, my definition of love is when the well being of another person is essential to your own. The obvious example is parents sacrificing for the well-being of their children. This can be generalized into prioritizing time and energy for non-persons such as "loving one's garden".

 

[JustGeorge]

Industrial plants are controlled not by guys running up and down the miles of lanes and pipes to specific valves to turn on or off but by Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) or computers housed in a cosy, warm control room. When required to change something out in the plant the operator will call up a schematic diagram onto a screen and operate the valve or tap from there. Our idea was to do away with hundreds of schematic diagrams and replace them with a single 3 dimensional image of the plant. The operator would move through the plant on screen and select an operation as if out in the plant.
Difficult to imagine, so consider say 500 2 dimensional platform game of the 90s, any one can be selected and controlled compared to something like this.
View attachment 88112
Hope that helps.

Wow! Thanks for educating me.

How did you ever get it in your mind this is what you wanted to do?

That is so difficult, it's not something i/we think about, it just is.
We talk, do things together, everyday family things, i don't know what else to say.



Only one way... reality. An atheist (certainly in my case) does not have gods to give emotion/love but does (usually) have people. It upsets me to see people go on and on about how much they love their god(s) while neglecting their spouse and children.

Is this something you've often witnessed happening?

 

[ChristineM]

How did you ever get it in your mind this is what you wanted to do?

Long story cut quite short...
I've always been arty, having been a failure at school i wanted to do something at college and uni that i could use to create a (hopefully) successful career in something art related.
Computers were new and advertising the future. Further education facilities were falling over themselves to create courses to educate the masses about thrse wonderful machines.
The second year at college a new course started focusing on mathematics in computing. I took the course. Next year was uni, i took a couple of art/animation computer courses.
For the introductory class a guy sat at the next desk. A short chat showed me he was a "proper right wing oik" (British term for conservative idiot), i was about as left and wild as you can get but against the odds we got on, mostly because of our (still blind) vision of the future. Over the months, over coffees, we put the idea together and worked our way through uni to that end. We married, we scrounged money to buy a couple of computers and other tech stuff and rent a room to launch our 3D graphics business.

Is this something you've often witnessed happening?

Yes, though it depends. We visit areas where families are one. River beaches and picnic areas for example. A lot of family fun is happening, thought what happens once they are home I don't know.
Just along the road is an infants school. The catchment area is quite large and most children are bused in. But local parents walk (or drive) their children to school. Some are obviously loving, others seem indifferent.

Another point, back in the UK Paul and I would sometimes be working 18 hours a day, we had a live in nanny who looked after the children well. But to us, any time we could spend with our children was precious.

 

[ChristineM]

This can be generalized into prioritizing time and energy for non-persons such as "loving one's garden".

I don't consider that to be love but a term for like, enjoyment, possibly even infatuation.

 

[JustGeorge]

Long story cut quite short...
I've always been arty, having been a failure at school i wanted to do something at college and uni that i could use to create a (hopefully) successful career in something art related.
Computers were new and advertising the future. Further education facilities were falling over themselves to create courses to educate the masses about thrse wonderful machines.
The second year at college a new course started focusing on mathematics in computing. I took the course. Next year was uni, i took a couple of art/animation computer courses.
For the introductory class a guy sat at the next desk. A short chat showed me he was a "proper right wing oik" (British term for conservative idiot), i was about as left and wild as you can get but against the odds we got on, mostly because of our (still blind) vision of the future. Over the months, over coffees, we put the idea together and worked our way through uni to that end. We married, we scrounged money to buy a couple of computers and other tech stuff and rent a room to launch our 3D graphics business.

A husband and career, all together!

Did you ever see yourself with a "proper right wing oik" at the beginning of your time in college?

Yes, though it depends. We visit areas where families are one. River beaches and picnic areas for example. A lot of family fun is happening, thought what happens once they are home I don't know.
Just along the road is an infants school. The catchment area is quite large and most children are bused in. But local parents walk (or drive) their children to school. Some are obviously loving, others seem indifferent.

Another point, back in the UK Paul and I would sometimes be working 18 hours a day, we had a live in nanny who looked after the children well. But to us, any time we could spend with our children was precious.

Looking at all these families, do you think there's any common factors as to which ones are the more loving ones, and which ones the more aloof? Or, all pretty random?

 

[Estro Felino]

Why did you choose a skull as your avatar?