Posts by goldenpuma84

redtinker36 said:.. Dan... this looks pretty interesting.. does it lead to any specific conclusions.. regarding the future.. perhaps..? Or.. could we expand on this somehow.. just so I can get a better sense of it..?

Here’s my take. At the core of human nature—that one thing that separates us from animals we constantly feel the need to bond with or compare ourselves to (I haven't heard anyone in an American conversation comparing themselves to an oak tree lately)—is supposedly the mind. It's that capacity for rational perception of the world and oneself, acting as both a part of the world and something somehow detached from it through the act of perceiving. When I strip everything else away—my desires, my vices, my passions—and face my own limitations, nothing feels as certain as the possibility that it's all just an illusion. All this material gathered by the senses might just be a trick... but hey, I think, therefore I am. It's like the ability to think, even though it's biologically hardwired, isn't something you actually learn. You have to start with individual pieces (like Legos, or a pigeon, or even just myself as a thinking entity) before you can truly grasp the concept of thought itself.

But honestly, reading some modern thinkers—take Karl Loewith, for example, who deconstructs the history of Western thought—it doesn't feel like the mind is what provides the final answer to "Do I exist?" More than the mind, which usually gets caught up in the daily grind and sensory inputs that we know can lie to us, it's my own body that tells me I'm alive.

When I'm hating or kissing, when I'm starving, when I'm cheating, when I'm jealous, or when I have a toothache... that's when I know I'm real. Why do we even need a mind to tell us that, to rescue us from that terrifying void of ignorance and give us the ultimate answer: yes, I exist! You can go ahead and manufacture souls and minds, self-consciousness and collective consciousness, slice them into a hundred different pieces and assign them specific tasks—but meanwhile, our fundamental reality, this one crappy, mortal body, gets forgotten. And even when people do remember it, it's treated as secondary, something dirty that constantly needs to be corrected and steered toward God knows what "metaphysical" substances.

rustymaker5 said:But isn't instinct and raw feeling actually part of spirituality, or if you prefer, the immaterial side of things? So I'm honestly not sure what point you're actually trying to make here...
And as for consciousness and self-awareness, aren't those just the bridges connecting the spiritual and material sides of being human? The problem seems to be that people only see that when they're busy ignoring one half of the equation—specifically the spiritual side, of course...

What I'm saying is that instinct and gut feelings aren't spiritual or supernatural... they're physical.

Consciousness and self-awareness are just products of the body trying to survive in a chaotic environment, mostly because the unconscious wasn't enough on its own.

I'm not against the "spiritual" side of being human—not at all. It's just that for millennia, people have treated it as this primary thing that somehow overrides the physical, acting like the body is something dirty or unworthy that keeps us from the truth...

Why the obsession with inventing things like the soul or some "immaterial" essence? It feels like this constant distrust of our one physical body—this need to belittle it by chasing "higher states of consciousness" that inevitably end up trying to control or micromanage the flesh. Why keep stirring up this conflict between an imaginary spirit and reality, especially when we give the spirit all the credit...

Is the mind actually superior to instinct? Personally, I feel alive through my senses, not my thoughts. It’s like what they tell soldiers before a fight: your eyes might deceive you with shadows and illusions, but pain is your real ally. If it hurts, you know you're still in the game...

Aren't consciousness and self-awareness just extensions of the physical? Like everything else that evolved later, they seem to be trying to dominate the much older, primal stuff...

Every time a crisis hits, those big-shot economic theorists—including our own Council of Economic Advisers—always suggest tightening the belt on the poorest folks. They constantly try to convince workers that because there’s a crunch, we have to save money, which basically means cutting our paychecks. All just to make sure the elite keeps living the high life.

What is even the point of having this Council? I haven't heard a single smart piece of advice from them... besides the usual "cut wages" or "boost exports" nonsense. Just generic platitudes.

Actually, there is one thing I'm curious about: how much do the members of this Council get paid for every hour they spend in those useless meetings?

That should've been in quotes.

Those separatist assholes up North just want to ditch the South. Why? Probably because life is actually decent in places like Chicago, Detroit, or NYC, where people actually have work ethic and at least pretend to follow the law. You head down south toward cities like Atlanta or New Orleans, and the local crime families basically run the show more than the cops do. I even read somewhere that these mobs post hit lists of "troublesome" officers right out in the open. It's like something straight out of a bad situation in Mexico. The folks up North are fed up with dealing with all that mess, which is likely why they want out. But honestly, it’s not happening... there's just no momentum behind it.

Angela Bailey30 said:Yeah, sure. Why don't he just start paying child support for two right now... obviously.

I don't get why you're comparing this to a mistress instead of his wife. Look at it from her perspective: she's shared a bed with him for years, and then he goes and has a kid with someone else. On top of that, now he's footing the bill for support and calling to check in on the little guy. Most women would struggle to deal with that... Honestly, the best way to fix things is trying to rebuild that bond through the child. But that's got nothing to do with the law...

If a young woman takes advantage of an opportunity involving high-quality genetic material—especially from a successful, wealthy, and famous actor—you can't really deny she played her cards right. But let’s be real: first, he got himself wasted. Second, everyone needs to know their own limits when it comes to drinking. And third, you have to be able to predict how you'll act in those situations. She didn't force him into anything; he was just in that headspace where his inhibitions are gone and his ego is running wild... basically showing who he actually is. It’s like when someone causes a car wreck while drunk; by that logic, they could claim they aren't responsible because they were intoxicated. Sure, they were, but they chose to drink and they chose to get behind the wheel knowing the risks. Being drunk isn't an excuse for the fallout...

Nah, we're talking about self-inflicted recklessness here—basically, he got himself hammered and used that state to justify getting intimate. Honestly, if he doesn't focus on starting a family with his wife soon, that marriage isn't going to last much longer...

Sebastian Vettel...
Lewis Hamilton...
Sebastian Vettel
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Lewis Hamilton
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher

hollowtrucker77 said:Sorry, but you've got that completely wrong here.
A police officer is an officer twenty-four hours a day, which is a massive distinction compared to, say, a private security guard.
That’s exactly why security guards have to check their gear at the end of a shift and aren't allowed to just wander around in uniform whenever they feel like it.
An officer has the right—and honestly, it's more of a duty—to step in and intervene regardless of whether they're officially on the clock or not.
Now, I’m struggling to wrap my head around how that badge can be used for personal business, whether that's while they're on duty or just out living their life.

Like, imagine someone's speeding, a cruiser pulls them over, and they flash their badge like, "Hey, we're on the same team," or they're at a convenience store with a buddy and try to slide a beer past the register because "I'm a cop, I'll handle it." At the end of the day, everyone's expected to help out if there's an immediate danger, unless it puts them in harm's way or they're just calling it in to dispatch...

For personal stuff, strictly outside of work hours, they aren't allowed to use official police markings anywhere. At that point, he's just another guy on the street...

That's only allowed if there's an international treaty backing it up...