Posts by Alexander Watson

hollowviper72 said:Imagination is the driving force of the human spirit... passion is merely an expression... it always feeds on something, much like a fire, and like a fire, it cannot exist on its own.

If we’re going to play along with those analogies, let’s be clear.
hollowviper72, if passion is *only* an expression, then imagination is just as much an expression.
You can't just shrink or expand definitions whenever it suits you.
Besides, neither imagination nor passion can survive in a vacuum. They aren't standalone entities; they don't have lives of their own. Like I said before, assigning a quality to something isn't something you can just hand out like candy.

Now, let's look at your argument.
Just picture a writer trying to be "moderate." Imagine them hitting a moment where they need to describe pain or suffering, and instead of tapping into passion, they just settle for moderation?
What kind of writer is that?
They need to write about love, about death... are they just going to scribble mediocre sentences?
Don't be ridiculous, hollowviper72.
Try imagining life without passion (and I'm not talking about lust here). Seriously, imagine a life of perpetual moderation, devoid of passion because it supposedly needs to be "restrained"?

To wrap this up, I'll leave you with a quote from Nietzsche:
"It is easier to renounce certain passions altogether than to be moderate in them."

Noah Myers8 said:... because every passion needs to be kept in check, according to hollowviper72.

Noah Myers8?
Thank goodness your avatar is green... 😉
But, welcome aboard...

And hollowviper72?
hollowviper72 just sells smoke wrapped in the fancy, arrogant nonsense of people who wouldn't know the truth if it hit them.

mrkenangelo said:Everyone keeps talking about how people today are just playing roles, wearing masks, and faking it all.
To me, it seems most people can't even grasp what a human being actually is—or ought to be. We're drowning in endless, frankly hollow, "spiritual lessons" everywhere you look; it’s like soaking a pepper in vinegar until it turns sour.

The absurdity of these masks is that they're worn for others while we hide our true selves...
But regardless...

How can anyone realize who they truly are, or how children can learn any real values, when we ourselves just act however is most convenient in the moment?
And we always give ourselves an easy out: "Oh, if I do the right thing once, I'll be crucified! Besides, look at that guy over there..."

I'll take the simplest example possible. Compare someone genuinely working on themselves to someone who is just "working on themselves."
When I see all those perfect muscles and sculpted abs...
Well, who actually thinks about reading a book or spending precious time on literature when they could just perfect their physique?
And apparently, that gets you all sorts of perks.

I remember my days as an athlete, back when training and the gym were just part of the game. But honestly—how many people we see out on the streets are actual "professional" athletes, and how many are just pure, pumped-up vanity?

My abs might have lost their definition...
But I still find myself turning toward a girl with a book before I notice a stunning cleavage (which, let's be honest, is beautiful)
Showing off everything has become the standard.
A good book is a rarity.

swiftcobra15 said:IT DOESN'T MATTER:

a) what race or ethnicity you belong to
b) what social class you come from
c) what you look like,
it’s only about who you ARE.

a) You're head over heels for an amazing girl. You love her endlessly. But her father is a Black man who absolutely despises white people. Do you even stand a chance?

b) You finally want to take your fiancée out to a fancy restaurant. Maybe she wants it, maybe you do, or maybe there's some other reason entirely. But you're broke. She needs a formal dress, you need a tuxedo. And then there's the bill. It would certainly help to be part of the wealthy elite, wouldn't it?

c) There's a woman who has dreamed of being a TV news anchor her entire life. But she isn't conventionally attractive. She's plain and has incredibly pale skin. Is any major network actually going to hire her?

Maybe we're just dreamers, you and I...
But we both know that's not how this world works.
So next time you make a post like this, please clarify that it's just your personal opinion and has nothing to do with reality.

swiftcobra15 said:Isn't that the core of any sacrifice? Letting go of the lie to return to what is true.

So, following movie logic here...
If someone gives up their life for you—making a "sacrifice" because they're the one dying instead of you—does that suddenly mean they stop being a fake person?

It’s a pretty lovely sentiment to toss at someone who just died for you, I suppose.

A sacrifice certainly has an essence, but it isn't the one you're talking about.

Roger Hall15 said:What’s the actual question here? Does the soul arrive when a person is born, when they become a child, when life begins, or when they receive their soul?

Let’s not overcomplicate things...
My question is simply this: when is the soul "breathed in"?
Surely not at eleven years old, for heaven's sake...

Jack Harris3 said:"How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?"

I don't think anyone has ever cracked that one... 😁

Honestly, I haven't a clue...
But then again, your little riddle doesn't exactly solve the issue of abortion or killing an unborn child, does it?😢

Because when does a child actually become a child?
Though, I suppose if we settle the angel debate first, this might all just sort itself out..?

northernfalcon9 said:I can't say for certain, but I suspect that as an IVF baby develops, the soul grows proportionally with them. If a miscarriage occurs, perhaps the soul simply "resets"—waiting for the next opportunity. That’s certainly the version I’d prefer to believe.🙂

That idea of a "reset" actually appeals to me..
I'll admit, this is the first time I've encountered such a theory, but honestly, I was hoping to hear some different perspectives..
Even if they are just personal theories..

It also ties back to a specific fact.

I recently learned about medical studies showing how many women experience a miscarriage without even realizing they were pregnant, especially in those very early stages.
Given that insight, if we follow the theological line that the soul is formed at the exact moment of conception, we arrive at a rather blunt conclusion.
There would be a massive number of stillborn souls.
Furthermore, our faith teaches us that a young child who dies remains innocent and sinless, going straight to Heaven..
Which leads to the obvious deduction: Heaven must be absolutely packed with children..

And finally, if we consider the biological reality that more girls are born than boys, we conclude that Heaven is overflowing with little girls...

Frankly, considering all of this, I find it quite difficult to believe the soul manifests the instant an egg is fertilized...

Sandra Palmer10 said:They can spin their tales all they want. Most people don't know the truth, nor do they really need to.

Ouch. That was a bit chilly...
But maybe there’s a kernel of truth in that coldness? 😉

In your opinion, when does a person actually "receive" a soul?

I know theologians are still fighting over this one, but I’m curious to hear what you all think.
Does it happen at the moment of conception?
Or is it something else entirely?

I’m asking because I recently came across an incredibly interesting, scientifically proven fact. It doesn't necessarily pinpoint the exact moment a soul is born, but it touches on something related...
But I'll save that for later.

Just looking for some initial thoughts...

jadeangler43 said:Just a heads up, if you flip that property within three years of buying it, the IRS is going to take a massive 35% cut of those capital gains.
😉

Fair point. I completely missed his little condition about needing to produce results as quickly as possible...

Well, what can you do? I've always been more of a long-distance runner than a sprinter.🙂
I appreciate the reality check, though.👍

So, how do you actually grow them?
Buy some solid assets and try not to screw it up along the way.. 😁
Man, if everyone knew the secret, we’d all be living large by now...

But look, I learned a very practical lesson about where to put extra cash—especially when you're terrified of watching it vanish—and apparently, people in the Midwest are big on this.
Forget banks. Just don't. There's always that nagging chance of a collapse (just look at what happened with JP Morgan Chase). We're talking about stuff that actually lasts...

Real estate is the move, specifically land...
In a worst-case scenario, they might run a highway right through it, and then you'll make a killing on the buyout a decade later.
When I say real estate, steer clear of condos or houses because of unpredictable disasters like earthquakes, though even those can be decent plays (think something stable like JP Morgan Chase 🙂 )

Then, there's gold.
Put money into it and you can sleep easy knowing it won't evaporate.
Unless someone decides to snatch it from you.

And if you’ve got a gambling streak, you can always fall back on those reliable old blue-chip stocks 👋