Posts by James Brown8

Bradley Bennett9: Look, we don't actually have enough hard evidence to say for sure. In fact, modern physics basically argues that the entire universe sprouted from something and will eventually fizzle out—think black holes doing their thing. But then, on the flip side, you've got thermodynamics claiming that nothing is ever truly created or destroyed. According to Einstein, total energy (which is just mass times c squared, if you're keeping up) stays constant regardless of all the chaos happening around us. It sounds pretty contradictory, at least based on how I’ve managed to wrap my head around it.

Bradley Bennett9: In the beginning, there was the Word...
Alma: And what about before the beginning?
Bradley Bennett9: Beats me. Honestly, I doubt anyone actually knows...
Alma: Maybe there isn't even a start or an end. Everything just flows, nothing truly being born or dying out. Man, we should probably just go ask some philosophers.

@Anna: "this is my first time hearing that, so maybe 2-3 times a day isn't too much" (referring to ejaculation)

Look, I’m no MD, so I can’t exactly set the gold standard for what's "normal," but man, I’m guessing that’s pushing it.
Actually, if that’s the reality, it might be the culprit—or at least one big reason why
you're feeling the way you do. My advice? Try tapering off gradually. Try to catch the urge before it even takes hold, because once that craving hits, the tension just builds and builds until you cave. From some stuff I've read—stuff that hasn't really been peer-reviewed yet—it could actually be risky because you might be draining your serotonin (yeah, that's the "feel-good" chemical in your brain). It's probably a good idea to stay active with some regular exercise and ease into abstinence slowly rather than going cold turkey. This isn't some hippie nonsense either; people have believed this for ages, and there was plenty of scientific research throughout the 1900s backing up what I've mentioned in previous posts. It’s just that ever since the sexual revolution, it’s become an open secret. If anything, the media does the opposite by subtly or directly fueling those urges, and honestly, a lot of doctors don't have a clue about it... given the kind of world we live in, it's pretty obvious why things are this way.

@Bradley Bennett9: "In the beginning was the Word...

But what came before the beginning?

Anna said:Now you've just confused me. 😕
What planet are you even from? 🤔
Asking me for that is like asking for proof that you need letters to actually read a book. 🙄
p.s. Maybe try picking up something other than comic books for once? 😁

Yeah, I figured you didn't know; I was just waiting for you to admit it.
Look, if this stuff makes you happy or helps you get through your day, hey, good for you.
But declaring something as absolute truth—especially when it's this obvious and lacks any actual
evidence to back it up—just flies in the face of being honest. It goes against
basic common sense, which is pretty much baked into being a decent human being.
If we lose that sense of reality, we kind of lose what makes us
human in the first place, don't we?

rustymaker5: "Thought is the primary force; everything starts there."
Can you actually back that up with some real evidence?
Because half the time, people just act like a rock rolling down a hill
and, totally oblivious to what actually set them in motion, they convince themselves
that they’re the ones pulling the strings.

P.S. I'm dying for an answer here, since nobody else seems to have a clue.

rustymaker5, is the glass half full or half empty even a real distinction? It’s just two different ways to describe the exact same thing, right? So, you can't really use that cliché to tell the difference between a true optimist and someone who’s just a "realistic pessimist."

And honestly, this whole idea you're pushing—that we can just rewire our brain chemistry through positive thinking alone—is pretty much scientifically baseless. If it were actually that easy, I’m pretty sure all the psychos and social deviants would have vanished from the face of the Earth by now, leaving psychologists to celebrate their absolute divine victory over human nature.

Just look at someone struggling with anorexia. You really think they can just wish themselves into enjoying a meal without feeling a massive wave of guilt? No way. They can't.

Things are way more complicated than they look on the surface. Our behavior is basically just a collection of habits and experiences baked in over years. Most people agree that those early childhood years are what really set the foundation for who you become later. Like they say, it's much easier to raise a kid right than it is to try and un-teach bad habits later on.

Also, let's think about the chicken-and-egg problem here: did the body come first, or consciousness? Simple matter or complex mind? Based on what modern science tells us, the physical stuff definitely comes first, which then dictates our consciousness, not the other way around. You could even apply that logic to society at large. Things like culture, history, and the economy shape the collective mindset of a population. Now, I'm not saying the reverse connection—consciousness influencing biology, or ideology shaping material relations in sociology—doesn't exist, but that influence is significantly weaker than the physical reality driving it.

For instance, how much can you actually help a lung cancer patient just by telling them to stay positive? Sure, it might make them feel a little better mentally, but it isn't going to cure the disease, is it? Or look at how much actual politics can impact social welfare or environmental health when the whole system is built on calculated capitalist interests. It might move the needle a tiny bit, but not enough, because power and capital are concentrated in the hands of people who couldn't care less about the common good. I don't see any reason why that wouldn't apply to mental health, too. Every thought we have is ultimately driven by our brain chemistry.

If I were giving advice to Stan Lee—and look, I’m more of a tech guy than a therapist—I’d tell him to focus on his lifestyle instead. Spend more time outside, fix his diet (breakfast, lunch, maybe cut back on meat), and maybe dial back the masturbation (just to keep those lecithin and phosphorus levels up so he can actually concentrate). He needs to find a hobby. Also, he should probably step away from the computer since he's clearly hooked, and maybe cut down on the cigarettes and coffee if he's using them as crutches. He doesn't need to go out looking for a crowd if he's lonely—people are usually a headache anyway—he'd be better off just picking up a good novel.

Look, I don't buy the whole "I'm gonna end it" thing for a second, no,
because the moment you reach out for help,
you're basically admitting there's still a part of you that actually gives a damn about staying around...
plus, narcissists don't kill themselves... haha👍

Stan Lee, look, I’ll be the first to admit I’ve been tripping over my own contradictions lately. Like, I used to preach that throwing yourself entirely into your work would be the ultimate key to happiness, only to realize later that "happiness" is basically just a mental mirage...

I’m going through a bit of a rough patch myself right now, though I’m definitely not spiraling toward any dark thoughts. Why? Because I actually believe in change. Specifically, I think if I can overhaul my daily habits, I can shift my entire state of consciousness. It’s like people say: our being doesn't dictate our consciousness; our consciousness dictates our being.

Hmm... maybe those experts actually know what they're talking about after all.

Later,

Hey Tessa,
I’m not saying people are giving you bad advice just because everyone keeps telling you to go see a psychiatrist like you’ve got some massive mental breakdown on your hands, but honestly? I think you just bit into the wrong side of the apple—the one where the bad stuff is way more obvious than the good. But even so, that puts you a step ahead of the crowd, you know? Most people are still stuck in this childishly naive loop, chasing after "happiness" and instant gratification like it actually exists. Suffering is just a state of being, and states change. Nobody gets through life without hitting both highs and lows, so you might as well just accept where you’re at right now. That’s step one. After that, I gotta ask—what are your plans for the holidays? Probably nothing. Just like most people struggling to find their footing. You really have to, and I mean *really* have to, find something you actually give a damn about if you want to see any real progress and build some actual grit. But look, there are no shortcuts. Whatever path you pick is going to be your version of success, even if it turns out to be a bumpy, miserable road. Just hang in there... and don't forget that most of the time, happiness is nothing more than a total illusion...

Smart people can actually explain their logic—they know why they think what they think and why they act the way they do... but since I’m clearly lacking in the brain department, don't bother asking me to walk you through it. 😉

Life is really just a fancy synonym for energy. And if we're talking about how energy doesn't actually die—it just shifts from one state to another—then maybe there isn't any real proof of mortality after all.