Posts by ironrider11

William Roberts3 said:Just some thoughts
My vision actually got sharper after my hearing dropped by maybe 35%—all thanks to those wild chemical experiments I used to run back in the day.
I was obsessed with chemistry, so I’d pull off little loud explosions here and there.

As they say, "experience comes at a price."
In my case, the cost was losing part of my hearing.
Which, honestly, isn't all bad since I occasionally miss out on a ton of the stupid stuff people blather on about... 🤣
Now that I'm hitting my 40s, I'm seeing even smaller letters than what you'd see on an eye exam in a doctor's office.

I should also add something that might be interesting to some, but it's huge for me. I've always been a researcher at heart, so
I've noticed how my racing mind just... quiets down. It's like this hyperactive mental noise fades away, replaced by this sharp, raw sense of just experiencing everyday life. Everything feels way more fluid and easier to navigate without overthinking everything.
You end up thinking just enough to get things done.

It seems like we've become way too addicted to over-analyzing the world. We rely so heavily on constant thinking, analyzing, and trying to calculate the perfect move for every single moment.
The "sense of thinking" is totally overrated these days, and it's ironic how much that "sense" is responsible for giving us such a distorted view of reality.

That overrated "thinking sense" has such a strong grip on our vision that it can "see" things that aren't even there. Plus, instead of seeing fifty shades of light, it tends to perceive fifty shades of gray... 🤔

It’s honestly amazing how much fuller and fresher life feels when you stop mentally interpreting everything you experience.

You just experience the moment itself, rather than mostly experiencing your own thoughts *about* the moment.

Maybe we really should dial back our mental processing a bit... dampen that overactive "thinking sense" to sharpen our ability to directly experience life, so we can live more fully and feel more fulfilled.

Without that same "sense"... there is no world, no vision, no recognizing yourself, no understanding yourself within any "it"... there's no cause, no effect, no distorted or undistorted image. There's nothing. It's something primary... or maybe even... impossible to categorize as "overrated."

You know..
When I first started out working up in New York, there was this 3-year-old boy.
Parents brought him into the hospital. A routine operation.
But the anesthetist made a mistake.
Little boy ended up deaf, dumb, blind.. and paralyzed.
For good. Think of it?
Think when that little boy first regained consciousness.
In the dark. You'd be frightened, wouldn’t you?
You'd be frightened in the kind of a way that you know the fear is going to end.
Has to. Must.
Your parents couldn't be too far away.
They'll come to your rescue.
They'll turn the light on.
They'll talk to you.
But.. think of it.
Nobody comes to rescue you.
No light is turned on.
You are in the dark.
You try to speak.. but you can't.
You try to move.. but you can't.
You try to cry out.
But you are unable to hear your own screams.
You are entombed within your own body.
Howling with terror..

What the fuck?
Why the fuck would you tell me a story like that?

No reason.

William Roberts3 said:Just some thoughts
My vision actually got sharper after my hearing dropped by maybe 35%—all thanks to those wild chemical experiments I used to run back in the day.
I was obsessed with chemistry, so I’d pull off little loud explosions here and there.

As they say, "experience comes at a price."
In my case, the cost was losing part of my hearing.
Which, honestly, isn't all bad since I occasionally miss out on a ton of the stupid stuff people blather on about... 🤣
Now that I'm hitting my 40s, I'm seeing even smaller letters than what you'd see on an eye exam in a doctor's office.

I should also add something that might be interesting to some, but it's huge for me. I've always been a researcher at heart, so
I've noticed how my racing mind just... quiets down. It's like this hyperactive mental noise fades away, replaced by this sharp, raw sense of just experiencing everyday life. Everything feels way more fluid and easier to navigate without overthinking everything.
You end up thinking just enough to get things done.

It seems like we've become way too addicted to over-analyzing the world. We rely so heavily on constant thinking, analyzing, and trying to calculate the perfect move for every single moment.
The "sense of thinking" is totally overrated these days, and it's ironic how much that "sense" is responsible for giving us such a distorted view of reality.

That overrated "thinking sense" has such a strong grip on our vision that it can "see" things that aren't even there. Plus, instead of seeing fifty shades of light, it tends to perceive fifty shades of gray... 🤔

It’s honestly amazing how much fuller and fresher life feels when you stop mentally interpreting everything you experience.

You just experience the moment itself, rather than mostly experiencing your own thoughts *about* the moment.

Maybe we really should dial back our mental processing a bit... dampen that overactive "thinking sense" to sharpen our ability to directly experience life, so we can live more fully and feel more fulfilled.

On a perfect summer day, taking a deep breath of the surroundings, of life, just letting go of holding onto... thoughts that drift off into some quiet corner of the "brain, soul, mind"... feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin.. that perfect, harmonious, rhythmic, pulsing symphony; the play, the unity of wind, birds, insects... standing barefoot, feeling the safety, the belonging to the earth...... merging with the moment.. would actually allow the environment to become invisible, where a rabid fox, unnoticed just two feet away, is all hunkered down, focused solely on its bite—not as its own character, but as pure madness, which is now just the vehicle for its existence.

From this "safe" corner of being.. which we've shaped through all the traumas (that require attention and premature contemplation of possibilities, based on non-personal insights) nature has thrown at us.. we've become (I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.)... making it possible.. alongside those survivalist need for ruminations about all kinds of rabid foxes during this conformist, safe moment.. to "fantasize" about "zen, harmony.....".

Life isn't the miracle here. It's this "thinking sense." Without it, a person could spend days just sniffing the air for food... never actually realizing, or even knowing, that they need to "eat via this sensory exploration of the surroundings." The senses are just the vehicle—the dashboard, the controls, the tactile way we perceive being... "No reason." But without that "thinking sense"... man, you're just an animalistic, biological capsule perfectly synced with nature, nothing more. "Spirit, mind, soul, ego, self..." acting like some kind of informational intruder... a "cosmic" traveler, a "well-meaning" passerby... riding inside the experience of biological perception. Life is just a safari.

Maybe the problem is that this "cosmic traveler, well-meaning guy"... because of some poorly advertised, overpriced promo for the safari and the booking process... wants to experience things the primal way... exactly how it was pitched. Total absence of the "self." He can't wrap his head around the fact that to actually grasp the self, he has to move beyond basic animal instinct—that mechanical, simultaneous, symbiotic, kinetic stuff. You have to maintain at least the basic functions of perception (observing, noticing, cause-and-effect, contemplation, rumination, ego...)... you need those baseline models of the "thinking sense" to gather perception and experience into a coherent model of life... a way to actually understand it. Maybe he wasn't cheated, maybe he didn't overpay. But as a consumer... he's still a consumer.....

Jack Smith4 said:Look, I’ve had about two beers and now this looks like some ancient hieroglyphic nonsense... what's even the point here?

The "point" is that if the therapy works as intended, everything goes smooth...
Calling it a "stupor" is just manipulative. It's way easier to control someone when they're like that...
Compared to being in a state where you actually need antipsychotics to function...

cheers..

If your "logic and feelings" have pushed you into a corner where you actually need antipsychotics just to function...
Then maybe being totally numb isn't such a bad thing... might even be the whole point of the therapy... right?

Eric Gray said:Guilt breeds a sense of inadequacy—one that forces you to build walls between yourself and the rest of society, effectively handicapping your own life through your past actions.

If you ask me, this is the most common daily struggle anyone faces.

A truly fortunate person is someone who can realize that every action is fundamentally human—and becomes even more human when they manage to extract a meaningful lesson from it.

Happy as Gennady Mikhasevich..

Segregation, division, sorting, grouping, labeling... basically the foundation of solid psychology when you're trying to actually use your resources effectively.

Daniel Kelly57 said:Poor lady. She’s out here trying to be someone's best friend, but they just keep blowing her off and only want to hang out whenever it's convenient for them. 🍿

Only when it suits her, right? Totally playing by her own set of rules. "Personal friendship"... my foot.
"Let's hope" the lady doesn't work at Comcast... 🍿

Don't you ever forget to hang some deep, nihilistic quote from some random XYZ author on a wall somewhere... maybe toss in a half-baked explanation right above or below it too. You know, the kind where someone wails about how we're all drifting apart, blaming technology as this terrorist force stealing our ability to actually connect... claiming this whole distancing thing was part of some twisted, demonic plan to dehumanize us. Or maybe just look at where they're sitting—how unnecessary any actual logic is when everything is just instant, mindless forgetting... total brain fog. A massive, wide-open door for manipulation...

Maybe people just have this desperate need for connection. Maybe it’s so intense they don't know how—or simply won't—package it, tone it down, or read the room regarding what's actually appropriate. They lack the social finesse to ask for attention, instead throwing it all out there because they assume everyone else is just as socially awkward and needy as they are ("...it's nice to have friends..."...). Anything is possible, I guess...
It’s also possible to be direct and clear... or you could just be quietly polite and civil. If you give someone a blunt "get lost" paired with a tiny bit of explanation, you might not even "offend" them. And if you follow the classic pattern of "ghosting" or rolling your eyes at the wrong crowd, you might avoid the drama too... but they’ll still find a way to hit you with those bitter, sweeping generalizations... where basically everyone is just tactically friendly... pretending to be honest, open, and decent....

Just pull the plug. Block the number, blacklist the address, unfriend them on Facebook... just flip the switch and cut them off. It’s the go-to, socially acceptable way to dump someone these days. Honestly, friendship is such an impractical concept anyway. No wonder it died out or mutated into whatever messy, basic mix of acquaintances and contacts we deal with now... among "dear" friends...

Daniel Kelly57 said:Where's Dad?🤔

Out in the woods. Does it really matter? 🤔

From empathetic prose... to me "starting to lose my patience"... putting everything on a pedestal...
"Maybe you should try it"... don't force "actions" (or models) on her if they mean absolutely nothing to her right now. Instead... or rather, before... you try to find the core of the "problem" alongside her (if it actually matters... don't act for "me"... act for "her"... or at worst, "us"...) regarding what she's going through... while she navigates it alone (regardless of whether someone is there watching... or feeling that... loss of patience...)..

Walter Rivera4 said:I’ll be honest—I wear a mask when I'm around people. Since I'm anonymous here, it's easy to admit, but I definitely wouldn't say this out loud to my coworkers or neighbors back home.

The "mask" is this super composed, steady woman who dresses all classy in black, keeps her hair perfect, nails done, and everything just... polished. But underneath? I'm actually a total goofball who loves bright, neon t-shirts, someone who gets teary-eyed over injustice, laughs way too hard, and is just super creative and spontaneous.

I just realized over time that playing this part helps me get by much better in society. Things just run smoother, people accept me more easily, and it’s way easier to make friends and earn respect.

The only time I ever let that guard down was with my ex or when I was hanging with my immediate family... but to the rest of the world, I keep the mask on.

Honestly, it’s totally normal, though, especially in places like Japan where fitting in is such a huge cultural thing.

Nowadays, I feel like everyone is wearing some kind of mask—whether it's the "I don't care about anything" look, the "ice queen" persona, or even the "class clown" act where they force a smile and pretend to be happy.

I really think everybody has one; people who are truly unfiltered are incredibly rare. And honestly, you can always tell. It’s like we all have these built-in sensors that go off whenever someone isn't acting true to themselves. I almost always pick up on it.

Easier to make.. friends.. by wearing a mask.. and people suddenly respect you more.. mask... 👍

A real (honestly, let's face it) wake-up call for the times we're heading into...
At least for those who actually want to live a life they're actually responsible for...

Long live the unmasked primal side!

analogviper9 said:From what I can see, we make a choice every single day. We get to decide whether to be decent human beings or complete villains. As for this whole "profitability" argument—I truly believe that, deep down, every human soul leans toward something higher. And let's be honest: it's nearly impossible to reach any kind of greatness through sheer malice.

"Higher"? You mean like... how do you even define that?
It's about free will; making a choice; not "having" brain cancer...

Reading ("guys find it gross and it's just not natural for us to see, while girls are split on it") books ("e-book format")?

Anonymous said:Sometimes I can’t help but feel like life would be a lot easier if I were just more ruthless. But honestly? That’s just not who I am, and I don't know how to function in an environment like that. Even when I’m surrounded by people who seem well-meaning on the surface—even though we all know deep down they’re total snakes—I still give them the benefit of the doubt until they eventually stab me in the back. When they do, I just end up feeling disappointed, angry, and heartbroken, wondering how this keeps happening to me. I truly love genuine, good people, but they tend to live in their own little bubbles. Nowadays, if you actually want to build a meaningful life and surround yourself with decent human beings, it feels like you have to fight through a gauntlet of chaos just to establish a sense of security and independence.

I’m curious to hear from you guys: how have you structured your lives to find peace? More importantly, how do you navigate around the materialists, the egoists, and those selfish power-trippers with warped values who seem to hold all the cards?

So you think... "I'm giving myself a shot." A shot at actually feeling like you're in an environment where not everyone is total garbage (even if we all know they are). It would be brutal—like dealing with dysthymia or depression—to live in a world that's nothing but absolute filth...

Anonymous said:Sometimes I can’t help but feel like life would be a lot easier if I were just more ruthless. But honestly? That’s just not who I am, and I don't know how to function in an environment like that. Even when I’m surrounded by people who seem well-meaning on the surface—even though we all know deep down they’re total snakes—I still give them the benefit of the doubt until they eventually stab me in the back. When they do, I just end up feeling disappointed, angry, and heartbroken, wondering how this keeps happening to me. I truly love genuine, good people, but they tend to live in their own little bubbles. Nowadays, if you actually want to build a meaningful life and surround yourself with decent human beings, it feels like you have to fight through a gauntlet of chaos just to establish a sense of security and independence.

I’m curious to hear from you guys: how have you structured your lives to find peace? More importantly, how do you navigate around the materialists, the egoists, and those selfish power-trippers with warped values who seem to hold all the cards?

You mean you've convinced yourself yet again how powerful your own self-suggestion really is?

Anonymous said:Sometimes I can’t help but feel like life would be a lot easier if I were just more ruthless. But honestly? That’s just not who I am, and I don't know how to function in an environment like that. Even when I’m surrounded by people who seem well-meaning on the surface—even though we all know deep down they’re total snakes—I still give them the benefit of the doubt until they eventually stab me in the back. When they do, I just end up feeling disappointed, angry, and heartbroken, wondering how this keeps happening to me. I truly love genuine, good people, but they tend to live in their own little bubbles. Nowadays, if you actually want to build a meaningful life and surround yourself with decent human beings, it feels like you have to fight through a gauntlet of chaos just to establish a sense of security and independence.

I’m curious to hear from you guys: how have you structured your lives to find peace? More importantly, how do you navigate around the materialists, the egoists, and those selfish power-trippers with warped values who seem to hold all the cards?

Maybe you don't. Maybe you just hit that breaking point where sharing little bits of yourself (the fuel for self-suggestion, the antidote to depression...) becomes way more valuable than some fragile material existence. It's existentialism, whatever you want to call it...

Anonymous said:Sometimes I can’t help but feel like life would be a lot easier if I were just more ruthless. But honestly? That’s just not who I am, and I don't know how to function in an environment like that. Even when I’m surrounded by people who seem well-meaning on the surface—even though we all know deep down they’re total snakes—I still give them the benefit of the doubt until they eventually stab me in the back. When they do, I just end up feeling disappointed, angry, and heartbroken, wondering how this keeps happening to me. I truly love genuine, good people, but they tend to live in their own little bubbles. Nowadays, if you actually want to build a meaningful life and surround yourself with decent human beings, it feels like you have to fight through a gauntlet of chaos just to establish a sense of security and independence.

I’m curious to hear from you guys: how have you structured your lives to find peace? More importantly, how do you navigate around the materialists, the egoists, and those selfish power-trippers with warped values who seem to hold all the cards?

Once enough illusions have shattered, after that kind of self-suggestion kicks in... once you realize that just to exist, you're basically operating within that same sphere of trash and garbage... then that's what you are. More or less... little or much... you're just part of it. You lose that need to belong to that "elite group" of rare, quality people... it just vanishes...

Amanda Robinson3 said:Listen,
when it comes to psychiatrists, I think it would be best to find someone who actually believes in God. If things go sideways, many of them are atheists who don't believe in anything other than the idea that man is the smartest thing on Earth.
With those types, you can't even explain things properly; they're typical idiots. It's useless, like talking to a brick wall.
On the other hand, you can't trust doctors too much because we're dealing with economic medicine tied to massive corporations. Helping a patient often takes a backseat to pushing pills and promoting drugs, so I don't even know what to tell you.

Maybe the best thing is to confront this guy if he's really as bad as you say. If he starts threatening you with his connections, just handle it. If he ever lays a hand on you, hit him back with a piece of wood until he realizes that isn't how this works. Fortunately, at the end of the day, everyone is just a mortal human being—whether they have connections, power, money, or are just corrupt bureaucrats.

It’s the same thing with certain dog owners; they threaten to let their dogs loose on people, and you can't do anything about it. At least, that's what plenty of people have told me. When I ask if they're a cop or a security guard, they just laugh in my face and let the dog go.
When I finally lose my cool, they won't be able to walk their dogs for a while, so that’s the best solution right there.
Try to stay polite and civil, but if they act out and you've already been waiting forever, and the person is truly immoral, the best thing is to just take them out. These people have connections everywhere, but everyone understands force once it's applied. Then, suddenly, the little kitty cat doesn't bite or make threats anymore. If they threaten to kill you again—which is what these thugs do—you preempt them before things get messy in their heads.

An eye for an eye... or whatever... right?
A thug who doesn't "get" how much of a thug he is... hitting him with a bat... repeatedly... until his thoughts... whatever they are... aren't in sync with mine anymore... oh boy...

it's just like they say... as above, so below...

Jeffrey Ramos4 said:That was quite the summary 😬

I follow your logic, really, because I’ve certainly spiraled through those same thoughts myself. But the real question is: where does this all lead? What’s the actual, practical value for an individual living their life? If you dedicate everything to this kind of deep analysis, you end up stuck—either there’s no way out, or there are too many paths, which just leads to total chaos.
For instance, what is the tangible benefit of knowing that a schizophrenic patient perceives the color red differently than you do? Maybe the only point is that it helps you grasp their perspective, allowing for better empathy. Even then, you can't fully bridge the gap because, as you noted, everyone lives within their own subjective experience (solipsism). If that's the case, then things feel incredibly deterministic and hopeless. Isn't it also true that you don't necessarily have to *fully* understand someone? Sometimes you just decide to be there for them—to choose to try and understand—and that intention alone opens the door to everything else, whether as a friend, a partner, or a mentor...
Regarding the concept of being "stupid," that's exactly why I mentioned how pointless it is to define it. Meaning shifts from person to person, and besides, who are we to judge anyone else like that? That’s where empathy starts: realizing we can't view someone else's reality through our own lens. We have to have the will to let them explain their world to us. Only then can we actually begin to see them for who they are.
But what if it were possible to reach a collective level of consciousness without losing our individuality? Imagine being able to step entirely into someone else's shoes while still remaining yourself—where your thoughts and theirs coexist. You could see red through a schizophrenic's eyes and then snap back to your own vision. Then you could actually compare the two. But that introduces a whole new set of problems. If we could maintain a collective consciousness alongside our own, it would be far too easy for people looking to exploit others. It's a dangerous territory. How do you regulate that? Imagine having the power to use a collective connection to overwrite someone's individual identity, effectively erasing who they are. 😲 These are massive ethical dilemmas. It opens the door to much deeper manipulation. 😲 Everything has its pros and cons. It’s probably no coincidence that in Star Trek, the Borg exist as a hive mind without empathy or feeling... just one collective consciousness. Totally robotic. In a way, that’s the endgame. One day, maybe robots will rule the world simply because it might be the only way a collective consciousness could exist without being manipulated by human nature. Ultimately, having emotions is a double-edged sword. 😲 And honestly, without them, there wouldn't even be sex. 😲 And who would want to give that up? 😲🤣

Outside of "practicality"... chaos finally hits... it's always partial, never absolute... it can be perceived... but not fully grasped, understood, or closed off... like something that, unlike perfection (and can perfection even exist?)... is by default something we try to quiet down, degrade, devalue, turn away from, or pretend not to see... all in the name of building structure, meaning, sequence, logic, or reason... trying to force an unquestionable cause and effect. Just blindly following unknown patterns... modeling yourself to meet the expectations of some imaginary version of yourself in some imaginary tomorrow... trying to navigate correctly without at least a thin script of real instructions, practical application, purpose, or significance... It's like a second adolescence based on rebelling against the self (which, just like adults in that first adolescence, breaks everything down just to try and survive within certain constraints... just a collection of trivial inheritance... from the very people they were originally rebelling against...). Is there a third adolescence... when after the sheer force of life and its centrifugal madness... the self crumbles... and perceives that the only constant... all along... was actually just some form of revolt... against itself. And there it is, in the later, most defining years... the only spark still smoldering, keeping that magic vitality alive....
Regarding exits... within the timeframe or essence (years of accumulated density of memory/perception) of a life that can either cradle you or crush you... regardless of whether you want to fight it or just passively cling to where you are... That moment of realization happens in... at... the very place where there is no exit, in the prison (whether it's a gorgeous mansion or sewer pipe #18) that you built yourself... that moment is capable of turning into eternity. It only depends on how much attention or focus you put into measuring it, defining it, or giving it weight.... Without a personal reaction, it just dissipates... just like all those other "incredibly important or totally irrelevant" ideas within a single moment (allowed or forced by "the ether"). Free will... hmm... You aren't exactly free... except to react to ("impulses, urges, intrusive thoughts, hallucinations...".. from "the ether"..) during a given moment. Do these practical constructions actually serve you? Are they just denials of those "Epiphany" moments (which aren't always blissful)? Being practical just serves to create a buffer so that primary thoughts (from "the ether"), fears, and paranoia... don't have enough time to break through to the surface. When they do break through, you make a little noise... spend a stint in the hospital... just like any other normal illness... so you push it all down as fast as possible... and keep grinding forward... into new practicalities/victories (over your own fears). Even though you know you aren't winning any battles or wars... you're just wasting time, money, and energy... trying to prolong things. Practicality is practical... only... for its own sake.

Jeffrey Ramos4 said:That was quite the summary 😬

I follow your logic, really, because I’ve certainly spiraled through those same thoughts myself. But the real question is: where does this all lead? What’s the actual, practical value for an individual living their life? If you dedicate everything to this kind of deep analysis, you end up stuck—either there’s no way out, or there are too many paths, which just leads to total chaos.
For instance, what is the tangible benefit of knowing that a schizophrenic patient perceives the color red differently than you do? Maybe the only point is that it helps you grasp their perspective, allowing for better empathy. Even then, you can't fully bridge the gap because, as you noted, everyone lives within their own subjective experience (solipsism). If that's the case, then things feel incredibly deterministic and hopeless. Isn't it also true that you don't necessarily have to *fully* understand someone? Sometimes you just decide to be there for them—to choose to try and understand—and that intention alone opens the door to everything else, whether as a friend, a partner, or a mentor...
Regarding the concept of being "stupid," that's exactly why I mentioned how pointless it is to define it. Meaning shifts from person to person, and besides, who are we to judge anyone else like that? That’s where empathy starts: realizing we can't view someone else's reality through our own lens. We have to have the will to let them explain their world to us. Only then can we actually begin to see them for who they are.
But what if it were possible to reach a collective level of consciousness without losing our individuality? Imagine being able to step entirely into someone else's shoes while still remaining yourself—where your thoughts and theirs coexist. You could see red through a schizophrenic's eyes and then snap back to your own vision. Then you could actually compare the two. But that introduces a whole new set of problems. If we could maintain a collective consciousness alongside our own, it would be far too easy for people looking to exploit others. It's a dangerous territory. How do you regulate that? Imagine having the power to use a collective connection to overwrite someone's individual identity, effectively erasing who they are. 😲 These are massive ethical dilemmas. It opens the door to much deeper manipulation. 😲 Everything has its pros and cons. It’s probably no coincidence that in Star Trek, the Borg exist as a hive mind without empathy or feeling... just one collective consciousness. Totally robotic. In a way, that’s the endgame. One day, maybe robots will rule the world simply because it might be the only way a collective consciousness could exist without being manipulated by human nature. Ultimately, having emotions is a double-edged sword. 😲 And honestly, without them, there wouldn't even be sex. 😲 And who would want to give that up? 😲🤣

To even reach a decision... if there's any way to find "meaning" at all... it comes from de-rationalizing our own attempts to grasp things. It's almost healthy (read: superficiality/generalization) combined with that typical lack of interest in anything external that doesn't serve us personally. On a macro level, this creates a world where, through digital literacy, we can define the exact tone or shade of red (like rgba or hsla)... but still... primarily... what one person can't transmit or absorb from another—regardless of how many languages they speak or how much code they know (rgba(255,0,0,1); hsla(0/360,100%,50%,1))... is that core perception of red. It stays trapped in that individual "head." Just like that specific shade of red (rgba(255,0,0,.666)). Making the choice to be near someone, just for a moment, for an eternity, despite knowing the empirical barriers... that choice is based on one's own "complex of everythingness." Whatever it is... destructive or constructive... it just exists. It just is. There's no way (and I mean no way, imho...) to categorize it. Being aware of that, after rolling around in the "destruction" of de-rationalization, might lead to nothing more than a convenience... to simply be near someone. To have contact or touch without judging, without belittling them, without putting them on a pedestal or measuring them against yourself... just being part of the moment... for yourself and for them. A fragment of nothingness where there's no need to overthink the hopelessness...

Jeffrey Ramos4 said:That was quite the summary 😬

I follow your logic, really, because I’ve certainly spiraled through those same thoughts myself. But the real question is: where does this all lead? What’s the actual, practical value for an individual living their life? If you dedicate everything to this kind of deep analysis, you end up stuck—either there’s no way out, or there are too many paths, which just leads to total chaos.
For instance, what is the tangible benefit of knowing that a schizophrenic patient perceives the color red differently than you do? Maybe the only point is that it helps you grasp their perspective, allowing for better empathy. Even then, you can't fully bridge the gap because, as you noted, everyone lives within their own subjective experience (solipsism). If that's the case, then things feel incredibly deterministic and hopeless. Isn't it also true that you don't necessarily have to *fully* understand someone? Sometimes you just decide to be there for them—to choose to try and understand—and that intention alone opens the door to everything else, whether as a friend, a partner, or a mentor...
Regarding the concept of being "stupid," that's exactly why I mentioned how pointless it is to define it. Meaning shifts from person to person, and besides, who are we to judge anyone else like that? That’s where empathy starts: realizing we can't view someone else's reality through our own lens. We have to have the will to let them explain their world to us. Only then can we actually begin to see them for who they are.
But what if it were possible to reach a collective level of consciousness without losing our individuality? Imagine being able to step entirely into someone else's shoes while still remaining yourself—where your thoughts and theirs coexist. You could see red through a schizophrenic's eyes and then snap back to your own vision. Then you could actually compare the two. But that introduces a whole new set of problems. If we could maintain a collective consciousness alongside our own, it would be far too easy for people looking to exploit others. It's a dangerous territory. How do you regulate that? Imagine having the power to use a collective connection to overwrite someone's individual identity, effectively erasing who they are. 😲 These are massive ethical dilemmas. It opens the door to much deeper manipulation. 😲 Everything has its pros and cons. It’s probably no coincidence that in Star Trek, the Borg exist as a hive mind without empathy or feeling... just one collective consciousness. Totally robotic. In a way, that’s the endgame. One day, maybe robots will rule the world simply because it might be the only way a collective consciousness could exist without being manipulated by human nature. Ultimately, having emotions is a double-edged sword. 😲 And honestly, without them, there wouldn't even be sex. 😲 And who would want to give that up? 😲🤣

I agree with the "fullness" part... but... 🙂... why this violent (it feels like a violation) need to "understand" ("Isn't it more important to realize you don't necessarily have to fully 'understand' someone")? Rationalization often kills any real "understanding" at its most primal level. Why do we always feel the need to say something motivating or encouraging? Why is it impossible... or actually quite common to notice... that just being human—not "humanity" as a concept, just being human—is enough to connect with someone? To give and receive... without words, without deep empathy, without needing a logical reason... just the banality of being human... a look, a touch, a tear. Saying "I don't know what to tell you..." Well, nobody asked you to give a speech. And even before opening up my soul like that, I knew the reaction would be... "I don't know what I'd say to you..." I put myself out there just to test your "I don't know... driven by my little abstraction..." Neither of us actually knows... what to say to the other's "I don't know"...31>>

Jeffrey Ramos4 said:That was quite the summary 😬

I follow your logic, really, because I’ve certainly spiraled through those same thoughts myself. But the real question is: where does this all lead? What’s the actual, practical value for an individual living their life? If you dedicate everything to this kind of deep analysis, you end up stuck—either there’s no way out, or there are too many paths, which just leads to total chaos.
For instance, what is the tangible benefit of knowing that a schizophrenic patient perceives the color red differently than you do? Maybe the only point is that it helps you grasp their perspective, allowing for better empathy. Even then, you can't fully bridge the gap because, as you noted, everyone lives within their own subjective experience (solipsism). If that's the case, then things feel incredibly deterministic and hopeless. Isn't it also true that you don't necessarily have to *fully* understand someone? Sometimes you just decide to be there for them—to choose to try and understand—and that intention alone opens the door to everything else, whether as a friend, a partner, or a mentor...
Regarding the concept of being "stupid," that's exactly why I mentioned how pointless it is to define it. Meaning shifts from person to person, and besides, who are we to judge anyone else like that? That’s where empathy starts: realizing we can't view someone else's reality through our own lens. We have to have the will to let them explain their world to us. Only then can we actually begin to see them for who they are.
But what if it were possible to reach a collective level of consciousness without losing our individuality? Imagine being able to step entirely into someone else's shoes while still remaining yourself—where your thoughts and theirs coexist. You could see red through a schizophrenic's eyes and then snap back to your own vision. Then you could actually compare the two. But that introduces a whole new set of problems. If we could maintain a collective consciousness alongside our own, it would be far too easy for people looking to exploit others. It's a dangerous territory. How do you regulate that? Imagine having the power to use a collective connection to overwrite someone's individual identity, effectively erasing who they are. 😲 These are massive ethical dilemmas. It opens the door to much deeper manipulation. 😲 Everything has its pros and cons. It’s probably no coincidence that in Star Trek, the Borg exist as a hive mind without empathy or feeling... just one collective consciousness. Totally robotic. In a way, that’s the endgame. One day, maybe robots will rule the world simply because it might be the only way a collective consciousness could exist without being manipulated by human nature. Ultimately, having emotions is a double-edged sword. 😲 And honestly, without them, there wouldn't even be sex. 😲 And who would want to give that up? 😲🤣

Jeffrey, you're leaning a little too hard on that "one day" stuff and all those fancy terms like "collective, digital, universal, magically collective consciousness"... 🙂. In a true collective... there is no "other." There aren't different types of people... no hidden agendas, no secrets, no "this guy" or "that guy"... nothing is private or individual anymore. Everything happens at once, everything is one, everything is now. There's no "your" thought vs. "my" thought. All thoughts become one single thought. Individuality is dead. An aggressor wouldn't even exist, or they'd be wiped out by the sheer momentum of the majority, because a collective feels, knows, and thinks as one... it knows exactly what it wants and doesn't want. Nobody gets violated; there's no violator. Nobody is going to be unknown... unknown doesn't exist. Everyone just wants to be, to do... unknown is primacy, universality, unity. "Think about it"... you're getting way too caught up in that "one day" fantasy 🙂 Sex is just like language or writing. It's the perception of two different versions of the color red. It's the merging of two entities... whether it's surrender... or dominance/violation (even the calculated, consensual, or manipulative kind...). In a state of being where "you" (me, you, him, her, us, them...) can actually open your soul and hand over every single thought about you, about me, about everything... the way I see you (because that's still the core priority, obviously... 🙂), experience you, love you, worship you... that's already handed over to you by default. It's wide open... it's accessible. It's a reality where masks quickly become forgotten relics. Sexual animalism might be useless at a level where there are no barriers between intellects. Where there's no barrier between "you" and "me." Merging one isn't even logical. 🙂
I'm ready to ditch all that animal instinct right now... just to be a pioneer in a new model of possibility like that... SpaceMonkey...

Jeffrey Ramos4 said:Actually, that's exactly it. The problem with people is that they measure their own success by external factors—specifically, the reactions they get from others. We can't define ourselves from just one position, whether it's our perceived "I" or the perceived "him/her" from someone else's side. If an individual has a built personality—meaning they are secure in their goals, their virtues and flaws, the thoughts that are part of them, etc.—then the reaction of their surroundings can't destroy their view of themselves. On the other hand, without a social circle, a person can't see their mistakes or flaws, or rather, the personality markers they could use to mature and become more aware of certain parts of themselves. If they don't succeed in this environment, they'll surely succeed in another. If they aren't appreciated here, they'll be valued somewhere else. It's like that saying...Every cloud has a silver lining. If he personally views working at a small-town high school as a genuine success and a fulfillment, rather than playing grandmaster chess against Bobby Fischer, then nobody has the right to tell him he’s wrong or a failure. So, I find myself agreeing with what you wrote here, quoting: Jt might be (theoretically) easier to redirect all that effort, time, and criticism... toward searching for one's own universal (un)success, instead of trying to define oneself by wriggling around on some artificial, globally validated scale of (un)success (where success equals being useful, justified, permitted, or desirable....)....
But then there's this part you mentioned, quoting: "measured" through the perception of those living under certain tensions, in combination with a deficiency of the abilities required to achieve them
Hmmmm, interesting 😬

"Stupid." I really don't care for that word. What does it actually mean? It's such a broad, imprecise term. Someone might seem stupid to one person but not to another. Maybe he thinks he's stupid when he isn't, or maybe others think he is when he isn't. If someone is truly stupid but lives under the conviction that they are brilliant—and it isn't hurting anyone—then let them live like that 😬
But these examples feel a bit cliché and vague. What matters is the specific field where you're defined as smart or stupid, because the consequences vary wildly in terms of how much damage they do to yourself or the world around you.
However, looking back at this section, quoting: Is someone truly "smart"—really smart... if their intellect denies intellect and attempts... through intellectual revisions of the "self"... to not be.. or rather to be.. anything other than a predetermined idea?
Hmmmm, interesting again 😬

So, there's no more free will, no individuality, no sense of "self"... because everything eventually cancels itself out. We all just merge into one—becoming nothingness, insignificance, a mere memory... the human race goes bye-bye. Maybe we evolve into that. Maybe we establish a collective consciousness, or that nightmare of a virtual consciousness I mentioned once before. And there you have it: eternity. Brrr, sounds terrifying.
If everything eventually becomes just a fragment of an illusion of time and space, as you put it, then it's probably best for the "smart" people to convince themselves they are "stupid"—or better yet, to actually become stupid. Why not follow the example of someone like Epicurus and just enjoy everything life has to offer? 😬 That last part was my clumsy attempt at sarcasm, not my actual ideology, just so there's no misunderstanding.
And one thought for the road from one of the great minds 🧐

Let me sum this up for you...

We’re all just stuck in this loop. Living in a space, a time... a reality where the whole concept of "self" is just as shaky as everything else around us. Sure, maybe a "me" exists without any outside input, but not in any way that actually matters to the world right now. Why does the global perspective matter to one person? Because trying to live in some imaginary version of existence outside the mainstream is just... well, imagination. It’s not even that different from just imagining things within the norm. Think about someone stripped of sight, sound, smell, touch... what kind of existence are they even living in? How are they any different from the rest of us—people who are convinced of their own reality—when they're living entirely outside the standard model? All this material stuff we take for granted is really just our own personal, subjective memory of what's real. A schizophrenic experiencing stimuli that aren't "available" to me... those are just symptoms of his illness. If I try to figure out how he sees "red," or if I try to visualize his red versus my red... I'll just end up with my own version of the truth. My own "lucid" conclusion. I'd probably tell myself that because of his "heightened senses," his red isn't my red. But that's just me overthinking it. Me, the color red, and my ability to sit here and analyze it all... defining ourselves through labels and differences is just something happening inside my own head. Without the senses—without the hearing, the smell, the touch that breaks into this existence—my mind would be drifting through God knows where. It would be totally disconnected from anything we call common sense, logic, or reality. With others, or without them, one way or another... it doesn't really matter. As long as it is... whatever it is. When it's gone, it's gone. Or maybe it won't be. Someone without senses might perceive "non-existence" in a way we can't even begin to wrap our heads around...

Everyone’s entitled to whatever they want. Period. Anyone else trying to tell you, convince you, or lecture you that you don't have the right to something... they're just some random person. They’re just trying to force their own little version of reality down your throat. They think because they’ve got a degree or a fancy title or "experience," they somehow know better than you. It's all just an ego trip... Trying to fit you into their narrow little worldview. People say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but I think there's something way deeper to that than just some tired old cliché...

Smart design... this whole existence thing... it all comes down to being individual. Every single person lives inside their own little bubble—this unique, custom-made capsule that’s both a prison and a way to escape being just another face in the crowd. Without those boundaries, everything would just blur into one big mess. The only reason anything actually moves... the real engine behind it all... is because we have this primal urge to fit in. To blend, to identify, to act like we belong to some group of "others" who are just like us. But if you really look at it... a grain of sand isn't just a grain, it's part of the sand. A drop of water isn't just a drop, it's the ocean. A leaf isn't just a leaf, it's part of a branch, which is part of a tree, which is part of a massive forest growing out of a pile of dirt and water... If you strip everything down to the basics... if you break it all into its smallest parts... we're all made of the same stuff. We share everything. And once you break things down to that absolute core, you just vanish into nothingness. That weird, unmeasurable void... Spending days, months, years trying to figure out who we are or what our surroundings mean... beating ourselves up for being lazy or stuck, or patting ourselves on the back for working hard and actually achieving something... it's honestly the only thing worth holding onto. As long as possible. Thinking life is beautiful or total garbage is just a matter of perspective... how you interpret the "sameness." One moment feels huge and significant, while another feels totally useless or destructive... like just a cruel, pointless fragment of wasted time...

I don't even know what to say to you... just weird. ironrider11 says:
"Stupid"... I'm really not a fan of that word. What does it even mean? It's such a vague, overused term...

See the irony here? You hate the word, but if you actually stop to think about it, you end up questioning what the hell it even means. Who is it for? When does it apply? What’s the context? There are different shades of the same color, right? Is there anything that actually exists outside of a broad definition? Nobody likes being generalized—we all dodge those labels... but isn't everything we call "existence" just a bunch of individual reinterpretations of general ideas? Isn't all knowledge basically just one massive generalization? All these theories, opinions, and perspectives... they’re just fluid, shifting variables. They only look like solid, undeniable truths because we freeze them in a single moment in time. But as a permanent thing? They don't exist. It's all just these tiny, short-lived flashes where one person decides someone else is "smart" or "stupid"... which really just proves how impossible empathy is. We can't occupy two different worlds at once. We're stuck in our own little bubbles, trying to find logic, while the individual is just lost, trying to figure out where they even stand in the grand scheme. Science, spirituality, religion... none of it gives a real answer. None of it even gives you a starting point. Clinging to some "universal truth"—like who's smart and who's dumb—isn't exactly stupid... but it's definitely not smart either...

Jeffrey Ramos4 said:Actually, that's exactly it. The problem with people is that they measure their own success by external factors—specifically, the reactions they get from others. We can't define ourselves from just one position, whether it's our perceived "I" or the perceived "him/her" from someone else's side. If an individual has a built personality—meaning they are secure in their goals, their virtues and flaws, the thoughts that are part of them, etc.—then the reaction of their surroundings can't destroy their view of themselves. On the other hand, without a social circle, a person can't see their mistakes or flaws, or rather, the personality markers they could use to mature and become more aware of certain parts of themselves. If they don't succeed in this environment, they'll surely succeed in another. If they aren't appreciated here, they'll be valued somewhere else. It's like that saying...Every cloud has a silver lining. If he personally views working at a small-town high school as a genuine success and a fulfillment, rather than playing grandmaster chess against Bobby Fischer, then nobody has the right to tell him he’s wrong or a failure. So, I find myself agreeing with what you wrote here, quoting: Jt might be (theoretically) easier to redirect all that effort, time, and criticism... toward searching for one's own universal (un)success, instead of trying to define oneself by wriggling around on some artificial, globally validated scale of (un)success (where success equals being useful, justified, permitted, or desirable....)....
But then there's this part you mentioned, quoting: "measured" through the perception of those living under certain tensions, in combination with a deficiency of the abilities required to achieve them
Hmmmm, interesting 😬

"Stupid." I really don't care for that word. What does it actually mean? It's such a broad, imprecise term. Someone might seem stupid to one person but not to another. Maybe he thinks he's stupid when he isn't, or maybe others think he is when he isn't. If someone is truly stupid but lives under the conviction that they are brilliant—and it isn't hurting anyone—then let them live like that 😬
But these examples feel a bit cliché and vague. What matters is the specific field where you're defined as smart or stupid, because the consequences vary wildly in terms of how much damage they do to yourself or the world around you.
However, looking back at this section, quoting: Is someone truly "smart"—really smart... if their intellect denies intellect and attempts... through intellectual revisions of the "self"... to not be.. or rather to be.. anything other than a predetermined idea?
Hmmmm, interesting again 😬

So, there's no more free will, no individuality, no sense of "self"... because everything eventually cancels itself out. We all just merge into one—becoming nothingness, insignificance, a mere memory... the human race goes bye-bye. Maybe we evolve into that. Maybe we establish a collective consciousness, or that nightmare of a virtual consciousness I mentioned once before. And there you have it: eternity. Brrr, sounds terrifying.
If everything eventually becomes just a fragment of an illusion of time and space, as you put it, then it's probably best for the "smart" people to convince themselves they are "stupid"—or better yet, to actually become stupid. Why not follow the example of someone like Epicurus and just enjoy everything life has to offer? 😬 That last part was my clumsy attempt at sarcasm, not my actual ideology, just so there's no misunderstanding.
And one thought for the road from one of the great minds 🧐

Free will... the individual self... without some kind of ultimate erasure, it’s basically nothing. It only matters because of its scale. But if you're stuck inside some other structure where that scale is totally irrelevant, then your "significance" doesn't mean squat. Everything is relative. It all depends on who's watching and from what angle. No eyes, no sight. No intellect—no diversity—and the perspective becomes impossible to grasp. If you're stripped of even a fraction of your ability to perceive things, your free will gets effectively neutralized. You're forced into a predetermined path. If someone is deprived of the capacity to understand their situation, they probably wouldn't even want to change it. But since they can't see it, they don't have the freedom to choose. These tunnels of conditioning leave you with nothing but a basic yes or no. And even that choice is entirely dictated by those predefined limits...red, flat surface"..) perception/choice).... Free will is, or better yet... free will acting like relativity. Does anyone actually know—regardless of how many identical examples are logged (two different shades of red, for instance)—if what someone says, writes, records, experiences, or feels... has anything to do with how they "identically" perceive it within their own little bubble? This digital collective symbiosis... it’ll be an interesting ride, I guess... but if you look at the pessimistic side of things regarding human "spirit"... it’s a place, a space, a way of existing where no "normal" person would ever want to hang out. This whole thing with individualism and conformism over "personal identity, perception, choice..."... maybe it's the final stop before absolute chaos. One more step and we vanish. All aboard! To find yourself unaware... because inside the "dream," there's no need for dreaming, and waking up is impossible.... Just being there, steady... absolutely permanent, with no way out (even if you lose someone dear)... without having your own little corner for yourself and your own... hmm... your current, virtual self... inside this cacophony of every single thought from everyone who exists... who is allowed to move through it just like in a dream (creating the entire virtual reality by participating) via the sheer inertia of imagination..... Ugh... makes me sick..... But then again... regardless of the gag reflex... that’s just... a reflex caused by a current lack of vision, a lack of capacity to understand..... If you consider that even though it isn't obvious to me... it's extremely narrow and nothing like what it could be... there is still the possibility of consciousness evolving into the collective. But then once more... in the collective "I"... (theoretically speaking) you stop being a drop and truly become the water.. losing individuality.. and regardless of any collective understanding or feeling of oneness, of everything... being one... within everything.. there's just this urge (where does that counter-drive come from?) to be universally... fragmented, divided, separate.. just a tiny bit of "me".... The same scream, the same whining, the same repetitive trauma.... Never good. Ever. In short, "intelligent design" is always only a certain (fluid, shifting...) percentage intelligent. And it’s probably just like everything else, subject to... or just part of duality. Balancing between perfection and absolute "idiocy" ("sorry lord"... I had to riff on that...)...

Jeffrey Ramos4 said:Why unsuccessful?
Maybe he actually enjoys that kind of work. Maybe he never had the drive or the ambition to go down any other path. And why is it bad that a man found work at a rural school? Perhaps he truly found his calling in teaching.
We once had a music teacher who was incredibly gifted—a literal musical genius—but he struggled with schizophrenia. Everyone wondered why someone so talented was working in a local school. He just told them straight up that he loves the job and loves teaching.

To the OP: you’re still young, green, and inexperienced. Focus on what you’re good at and what actually interests you, but don't keep your head stuck in the clouds. I hate to burst your bubble, but you aren't anything special, no grand persona. Not you, not me, not anyone else. Except maybe Tesla 🐔😁 What I mean is, at the end of the day, raw knowledge isn't everything; it's about how you apply your own potential in a positive direction. For yourself and for others. You can't change the entire world. You can change yourself, grow, gain experience, think, draw conclusions, and let those things lead to progress. If you want to see change, look at your own immediate surroundings. Pick a realistic goal, and if you want to make a difference, help someone using the skills and experience you have. For instance, you could get involved in your local community and volunteer.

Maybe because success isn't really "measured" from the perspective of someone who actually has a gift or a skill... and doesn't bother defining themselves or making a big deal out of what they haven't reached yet. Or maybe success is just measured by people living in tension, mostly because they lack the actual ability to pull things off. It would probably be easier, theoretically, to just redirect all that effort, time, and criticism toward finding one's own universal failure, rather than trying to define oneself on some artificial, globally accepted scale of "success"... where success is just a mold for what's needed, justified, or socially acceptable...

The "stupid" person will always try to present themselves, mask, or become... smart. Within that duality, it's no surprise when the "smart" person tries to do the exact opposite. Just an observation, testing the waters based on my own experience. Is a "stupid" person successful if they manage to convince themselves they aren't? And by that same logic, were they ever even "stupid"... if they succeeded in doing that? Is the "smart" person truly smart... if they use their intellect to negate their own intellect, trying through intellectual revisionism to not be... or to be... anything other than their predetermined idea? Are "both" sides just a tension, a drive, a level of unfulfilled self-creation... a kind of heat, an energy... that doesn't care how it's done, how much is done, or even if nothing is done at all... where just existing within these "neural storms" is enough...

The definition of "self" might just be found in the perception of its own resistance... not on some linear scale of cause and effect. Being "smart" or "stupid," in a state of being that knows everything but understands nothing... knowing the price of everything but the value of nothing... might be the only choice left within the "wide spectrum of free will." Regardless of the choice, the pressure to react, the approval or denial, the tendency... this core essence that we all can't... can't ignore... everyone here will eventually have to cross out at some point. After that crossing, everything that was—or wasn't—right, wrong, intentional, or accidental... before... maybe then, for the first time, it's all perceived and summed up... just as a faint vision of a former storm... which, according to some unknown laws of nature... entropy of everything... is now absolutely extinguished, quieted, fading... becoming a past that is never again important or even noticeable to anyone... just a fragment of an illusion of time and space...