Well, Keith Phillips3, you know how this dance usually goes...
I honestly haven't a clue. Though, I can always check in with I.L. to get some clarity. As for me, I'm still right where I started—at the beginning. But I take comfort in the idea that sometimes an end is just a new beginning, or perhaps a beginning is an end. Or is it the other way around? 👋 Regardless, I always enjoy reading those who have managed to liberate themselves.
Suspicious motives, even if they are somewhat controlled... quite combustible, actually. 🙂
And who on earth wouldn't bite into an apple once and then, with a full stomach, go jumping after another one four steps away? Where have you ever seen someone acting on an empty stomach? Besides, one shouldn't be constantly jumping about. A little rest is necessary.
Yes, one really ought to stand up and flesh out a proper strategy. That said, you hit the nail on the head regarding the metaphor of chasing apples. 👍 By reaching for the smaller ones—the things that are actually within reach—we might eventually get to the big prize at the top, though maybe we won't. But in the meantime, we'll have all those smaller successes we've gathered along the way to enjoy. It wouldn't be a waste of effort if we were busy chasing them.
John Walker74: Once you finally manage to shake off one demon—or perhaps one god—you might at least find the mental clarity to contemplate whatever other devil or deity is waiting in the wings.
What happens when you finally rid yourself of all those demons and gods? What is left to contemplate once there is nothing left to break free from? 😉
Jack Harris3: If you actually managed to get everything you ever wanted, you’d eventually find yourself wishing for the one thing you specifically tried to avoid.
Would I want exactly what I don't desire? It's a question worth dissecting.
I would liken this to that old, tired cliché of "there is always room for improvement." For instance, what happens if we actually reach that specific "tipping point"—that threshold beyond which we can no longer... So, here’s the thing: suppose we actually reach that point where everything is perfect. We arrive at the absolute peak—the "best" possible scenario. At that moment, can we even attempt to aim higher? If perfection is truly achieved, what exactly is left to strive for? What becomes our objective once there is no longer any room for improvement?
John Walker74: It is at the intersection of our supposed desires and our actual capabilities where the most profound pain resides—provided, of course, that one even feels anything at all. Even the word "crossroads" carries its own weight. It implies that a decision is unavoidable—that you’ve reached a point where you can no longer simply drift, but must actually choose a direction.
There is an apple hanging four meters high. I can stare at it with pure longing—or I can simply turn around and walk away. It’s a total dead end; there is no way for me to reach it. Alternatively, I could spend my life exhausting every possible method to climb toward it, only to end up collapsing beneath its branches, defeated by the realization that success might be impossible. Meanwhile, just around the corner, there is an apple sitting only two meters up that I could grab without any struggle at all. And who knows what else might be waiting for me around the third corner? While I’m busy jumping through hoops to reach this unattainable goal, someone else is bound to swoop in and scoop up all the opportunities I’ve missed right around the corner. And even if I could actually reach it—it might just turn out to be rotten to the core anyway. 😉
Jack Harris3: I want to live in America again, yet I have absolutely no intention of ever moving back. It’s a complete contradiction, isn't it?
It isn’t just a mess—it’s a complete cloning of the situation. It looks like Jack Harris3 finally ended up exactly where he always intended to be, and he has no intention of ever looking back. That is how you cut ties for good. 😉 What was that one group talking about cloning again? I can't quite wrap my head around it right now.
Doesn't the Philosophy section list itself as "thought themes stripped of dogma"? I don't typically participate much in the philosophy discussions, but I simply couldn't let this specific post pass without weighing in. Besides, I can't stop laughing while reading it.
A certain... post: Regarding the question Sound & Fury's award-winning inquiry: If Nietzsche God is Man, and Descartes Man is God, then what is Descartes to God if Man is Nietzsche God?
Aganor responds:
If you are a fool, and your entry originates from an idiot, what is an idiot in relation to you, and what is a fool in relation to an idiot?
It is a thought completely devoid of any absolute dogma or framework in any sense whatsoever. Even the very structure of the question itself is discarded.
I’ll admit I can be a stubborn fool at times, but let's not mistake this for giving up—there is a massive difference between retreating and simply knowing when to pivot. As the saying goes, you have to be strategic about which battles you choose to fight. Once you’ve committed to a cause, walking away isn't just an option; it’s tantamount to a total defeat. Besides, not every obstacle is quite as immovable as it appears to be upon first inspection. Sometimes, the mind itself proves to be even more resilient than the wall standing in its way. 😉