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Posts by placidranger

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Depression or just a phase? in Psychology & Therapy ·
fair enough, fair enough 👍
Depression or just a phase? in Psychology & Therapy ·
Taylor Smith3 said:I suspect it stems from my lack of self-confidence (please don't ask me why 😬) and the fact that I spent a long time wanting a boyfriend, yet no one seemed interested—at least not the specific people I wanted. Eventually, I just grabbed onto my first boyfriend because I didn't want to let go, and I ended up swallowing a lot of nonsense. It was a similar story with the next one; even though I didn't have much patience for him, I still forgave various stupidities that I now regret. Back then, I lacked tolerance and would get angry over things very quickly, staying upset for days until he finally came to "beg for mercy," at which point I'd move past it, even though I think I consciously allowed myself to be mistreated in some instances. Nowadays, I overlook things because most of them are trivialities, and the guy I'm with now provides me with the most happiness I've ever had; I believe he doesn't deserve to be constantly messed with over nothing, and sometimes, it really is just nothing.

As for the downsides of arguing... hmm... perhaps it's the tendency for people to descend into a primitive state instead of resolving their disagreements through actual conversation.

Right. So you think being tolerant is fine if it's just stupid stuff, but bad if you let someone walk all over you.
What kind of things do you tolerate, and what's a dealbreaker?
The worst part about arguing... hmm... is when people descend into that primitive level instead of just talking through the disagreement.

Are there really no downsides to arguing? And is it always a bad thing to drop down to that "primitive level"—assuming that's even how you define it?
Depression or just a phase? in Psychology & Therapy ·
Taylor Smith3 said:I behave quite differently with men than I do with my family. For instance, there are things my sister would absolutely lose her mind over, yet if my boyfriend did the same, it might pass entirely unnoticed. It might sting, certainly, but I wouldn't make a scene; I would likely even find an excuse for him. In short, I am far more tolerant toward men than I am toward the rest of the world.

My current partner and I haven't been together very long, so he probably doesn't have a fully formed view of how I handle these specific issues. He describes me as being difficult, though he doesn't see me as someone who is constantly looking for a fight. Regarding this situation with my friend, he completely takes my side and doesn't think I'm overreacting just because I've asked about it a million times, even if he does tell me I'm being foolish or overcomplicating things and should just move on. Ultimately, he doesn't view me as an aggressive or high-strung person.

There, I managed one response before heading out; let me socialize in peace, as you can see I'm not going anywhere 😛

Fair enough. Now I'm curious about this "extra tolerance" you have for guys. Why is that?
Has it always been this way, or have there been specific guys where you couldn't let things slide?
If so, what was it about them?

One more thing: looking at all this talk about arguing, there's really only one downside: 'maybe the other person gets hurt.' It’s good that you can vent, see if they actually care, and then follow it up with some out-of-this-world makeup sex.
Is there anything else negative about it?
Depression or just a phase? in Psychology & Therapy ·
Taylor Smith3 said:I behave quite differently with men than I do with my family. For instance, there are things my sister would absolutely lose her mind over, yet if my boyfriend did the same, it might pass entirely unnoticed. It might sting, certainly, but I wouldn't make a scene; I would likely even find an excuse for him. In short, I am far more tolerant toward men than I am toward the rest of the world.

My current partner and I haven't been together very long, so he probably doesn't have a fully formed view of how I handle these specific issues. He describes me as being difficult, though he doesn't see me as someone who is constantly looking for a fight. Regarding this situation with my friend, he completely takes my side and doesn't think I'm overreacting just because I've asked about it a million times, even if he does tell me I'm being foolish or overcomplicating things and should just move on. Ultimately, he doesn't view me as an aggressive or high-strung person.

There, I managed one response before heading out; let me socialize in peace, as you can see I'm not going anywhere 😛

Man, today's trial runs were a mess... total disaster. I'll try to come up with some actual questions tomorrow.
Depression or just a phase? in Psychology & Therapy ·
Taylor Smith3 said:In essence, yes. With my family, I tend to speak up almost immediately when something irritates me; even if I don't say it out loud, my mood shifts enough that it becomes obvious, so there is little point in sweeping things under the rug. However, with certain people, I find myself constantly overlooking their behavior until I eventually reach a breaking point where I simply cut them out of my life entirely—much like that friend boldwalker12 was talking about. It just takes quite a while for my fuse to run out.

Though, looking at it from your perspective, it seems as though I am actually suppressing a lot, yet others perceive me as someone with a volatile temper. It feels somewhat contradictory, doesn't it? 🤷

We can pick up this psychoanalysis once I get home, so please don't feel pressured to wait for my next reply. 😉

Is it the same way with guys?
Now that you mention it, it sounds like I just shut down and swallow my resentment, yet my social circle sees me as this hot-headed person prone to outbursts. Isn't that a bit contradictory? 🤷

Hm. Yeah, it is contradictory.
How does your current boyfriend see you?
We'll finish this psychoanalysis once I'm back home, so you aren't stuck waiting on my next reply. 😉

Damn, hurry up and get home then.😁
Depression or just a phase? in Psychology & Therapy ·
Fair enough. You also mentioned that arguing serves as a sort of "exhaust valve" for whatever is eating at you. Does that mean you usually just let things build up until they boil over?
Depression or just a phase? in Psychology & Therapy ·
Taylor Smith3 said:He does. He is incredibly good to me; he listens, his affection is palpable in the way he touches me, and there is a fundamental respect in how he treats me. Regardless, I still find myself asking those irrational questions about whether he cares because he doesn't express his devotion through toxic behaviors. For instance, he isn't jealous, he won't send me psychotic texts just because I had a coworker hitting on me in the past, and when I broke down the other day because an ex rattled me, he didn't react with hostility or judgment; he simply let me vent. It bothers me that he doesn't exhibit his attachment through those darker, more intense channels. Clearly 😁 damn, I’m completely losing it 🙄

I suspect this is a learned pattern from a previous relationship where we would retreat into each other's arms for explosive, cinematic make-up sex after every fight. It is actually something I am currently processing with my therapist—the idea that some dysfunctional part of me craves that kind of intensity, even though my rational side knows better. We just haven't figured out how to quiet that broken 🤣
part of me yet.

I suppose a little bit. It was difficult because his behavior triggered memories of my ex. In those moments, my stress levels don't just spike; they skyrocket. I knew he realized he was wrong—I could see it in his eyes—yet he continued to spit out these arrogant, accusatory words. I had built him up in my mind as someone more composed and mature than I am, someone who reads me perfectly; I didn't expect him to "fight" back, I expected him to simply admit fault since he was clearly at fault. When that didn't happen, I gave him space to cool off, and eventually, he apologized once he regained his senses. But that window of time where he acted completely irrational drove me mad, simply because I wasn't prepared for him to act that way.

I couldn't say for certain, as I have always filled them out in the past. It is simply a fear of the unknown, clearly 🤷

So, I guess that's the silver lining of fighting?
Depression or just a phase? in Psychology & Therapy ·
Taylor Smith3 said:🤣 I'll go with the flow 😬

I think it’s acceptable sometimes. For instance, I dealt with a similar issue at the start of a previous relationship. Let's restart from the beginning, assuming we're conducting a little psychoanalysis here.

My first serious relationship—I won't go into the weeds—was relatively stable. There were a few disagreements, one major crisis, and then a sudden breakup initiated by him. Looking back, those minor frictions toward the end should have been a signal that things weren't working, given how rarely we actually clashed.

When I entered my next relationship, whenever something stung, I would simply shut down. It wasn't even that I was being quiet; I just went blank, which is entirely unlike me. I was like a dog with a conditioned response 😳 where any hint of conflict triggered memories of that breakup. Eventually, after a few months, I managed to move past that silent phase and started speaking up, even when he was being completely irrational. However, since I tend to be more sensitive than most, I started picking at absolutely everything that bothered me, which eventually led to me, quite objectively, nitpicking over trivialities.

With more experience now, I believe it’s fine to let certain things slide because fighting isn't always worth the energy, and often, if I just sleep on it, the issues seem much more trivial the next day. As for the upside of conflict, it allows you to vent whatever is bothering you, whether through an outburst or a constructive conversation, and it can almost give you the impression that your partner actually cares enough to get worked up, though that might be a silly observation. Then again, if you look at my thread on LIES regarding verbal abuse during arguments, the downside is clear: people can become aggressive and truly hurt one another.

Right before my last argument with my boyfriend, I was head over heels; everything felt perfect until this disagreement happened. It wasn't even catastrophic, I just didn't know how to respond in the moment, so I went home. We smoothed things over with apologies the next day, but I feel as though I built a wall around myself after that fight, and I haven't felt relaxed since. I suppose I have a bit of PTSD 😬. So, those are my personal downsides to conflict.

And it’s foolish to enter a relationship expecting everything to run perfectly. It won't. I need to learn that a disagreement isn't the end of the world.

Regarding responsibility, the downside for me is that I dislike people depending on me, I'm not a fan of group work, and I have a tendency to procrastinate. I worry about failing to meet both others' expectations and my own, yet I have to be responsible. I can't spend another few years just messing around at university or backpacking through Europe because of the financial situation I mentioned earlier. It feels as though responsibility has been forced upon me for years now; I dislike having to do things simply because I "have" to.

Your method is good. 😳

😍
Let’s start from square one—I assume we’re all here to psychoanalyze me now, right?

You write, I ask. At its core, all I’m doing is interrogating the questions—a minimalist approach. 🙂
Maybe you could help me clear my head.
Based on my own experience, I’ve come to believe there’s a certain wisdom in just staying silent sometimes—it’s rarely worth the energy to fight. Plus, if I just sleep on it, half those issues seem completely ridiculous by morning. I suppose there are merits to arguing; it acts as a sort of release valve for whatever is eating at you, whether that manifests as a screaming match or a productive dialogue. There’s even that slight, perhaps misguided, sense that a partner actually cares about you if they’re willing to get worked up over something you said. But then again, if you look back at my old thread on LIES regarding verbal abuse during conflicts, the dark side is pretty clear—people can get incredibly aggressive, and the damage done in the heat of the moment isn't always easy to fix.

So, you’re basically using arguments as both a pressure valve and a litmus test for whether he actually gives a damn. Why do you need the blowouts and the tests, though? Is he failing to show he cares anywhere else in the relationship?
Before that last blowout with my boyfriend, I was head over heels—everything felt effortless. Then came that argument. It wasn't even a massive blowup, honestly; I just froze up, didn't know how to respond in the moment, and ended up just walking out. We smoothed things over the next day with plenty of apologies, but I can't shake the feeling that I built this wall around myself after it happened. I'm just not relaxed anymore. PTSD is a hell of a thing. 😬Here’s my take on my own flaws when it comes to arguing.

What was actually so difficult about that last argument? You claimed you were "in love before it happened"—so what, did the feeling just vanish once the shouting stopped?

The problem with responsibility—if you can even call it that—is that I can't stand the thought of people leaning on me. I’ve never been much for group projects; they're just a slow way to let everyone down. My habit of leaving everything until the absolute last second isn't just laziness—it's this constant, nagging fear that I won't meet anyone's expectations, including my own. But here's the reality check: I have to be responsible. I can't spend another few years drifting through college or backpacking across Europe on a whim—not with the financial mess I mentioned earlier. It feels like this sense of duty was forced on me—something piled onto my shoulders years ago—and now everything I do feels mandatory. I don't want to do any of it.

What actually happens when you stop meeting everyone else's expectations?
Depression or just a phase? in Psychology & Therapy ·
Taylor Smith3 said:My current relationship is actually quite close to what I would consider ideal. My partner provides a sense of peace, security, comfort, and genuine fun—everything I’ve ever looked for in a boyfriend. We do butt heads occasionally, but we resolve things almost immediately. However, there is one recurring issue that bothers me, even though I recently sat him down to discuss it: I feel as though I am constantly swallowing my grievances just to avoid conflict. In my last relationship, the fighting was relentless, spanning days at a time. It was constant drama that inevitably dragged in my friends, his friends, and sometimes even our families. That level of chaos took a physical toll on me, causing several health issues, and I often found myself wishing I could trade all our beautiful moments for even mediocre ones if it meant avoiding a week of fighting. Now, I find myself staying silent about certain things—mostly trivialities—simply to prevent an argument. The last time we had a disagreement, even though it was nothing compared to the explosions with my ex, I felt borderline PTSD; I spent the entire day in such high tension that I couldn't function until we finally reconciled. I don't really vent to my girlfriends about our little friction points because I don't want them to think I'm back in a toxic cycle, and I haven't posted much about it here either, perhaps because these aren't massive issues, though they still weigh on me. Most of our clashes happen when I've had a few drinks and lose that internal filter, finally voicing what has been bothering me. So, I suppose you have a decent idea of where I stand.

As for ambition... just because I've polished myself up and finally decided on a direction doesn't mean I'm actually excited about it. To me, ambition implies having the drive and the hunger to pursue something, and frankly, I'm a bit terrified of my future career. Even though I know I can't afford to stop studying, I probably opened this thread because I really ought to be focusing on 😬 right now. I want to start earning my own money, yet part of me wishes I could just sign some contract committing to another five years of college, if only to dodge the weight of actual responsibility.

Do you think there's ever a time when staying quiet to avoid a fight is actually the right move? More broadly, what’s your take on arguing in a relationship? There have to be pros and cons to it, right?
As for ambition... just because I finally got my act together and decided on a career path doesn't mean I'm actually excited about it. That's what "ambition" implies to me—having the drive to chase something. But truthfully, I'm a little terrified of my future career. Even though I know I should be hitting the books right now (😬), I'd much rather sign some paperwork saying I'll be stuck in grad school for another five years just to dodge the weight of actual responsibility.

What's so bad about being responsible?

(I know, I'm throwing a lot at you. Just testing out a new way of communicating here—you're my guinea pig 😁 )
Depression or just a phase? in Psychology & Therapy ·
So, you’re feeling unfulfilled in several key areas of your life and you're wondering what the hell went wrong 🙂

In your eyes, what would an ideal relationship actually look like—and where exactly does your current situation fall short of that standard?

How can you claim you "lack ambition" when, just a few lines earlier, you mentioned you "know roughly what you want to do"? How do those two things even reconcile?
Best protein powders for muscle gain? in Hobbies & Leisure ·
maltodextrin 👎

sucrose goes for about $1.50 a pound 😁
it works just as well—it’s significantly sweeter and doesn't dissolve quite as easily.
How to compress a 3GB file down to 10MB? in Software ·
Peter Martin8 said:Has anyone actually tried installing this version of macOS?

The consensus on the forums is that it works—no major issues reported.
Anyone here interested in running some tests? 😁
How to compress a 3GB file down to 10MB? in Software ·
Thanks.
How to compress a 3GB file down to 10MB? in Software ·
Not every file can be packed like that.
This one probably has a massive amount of repetitive long strings, so you might see some decent compression.
It’s not about the software doing the compressing—it’s about the nature of the file itself.
Where's the file?
Women are villains, men are saints in Psychology ·
Steven Johnson3 said:So, what you're saying is I need to go create a copy of certain threads. For instance, there is one over on the Politics board that is actually wild—it deals with abuse and the whole debate regarding the legalization of killing from a female perspective.

about abused women and murdered men😁
Keep it real: Honest feedback wanted in Psychology ·
@driftingpilot2
I’m not entirely following the point here.

It seems to me we’re talking more about being backstabbed than actual honesty—though I’m not sure what the specific betrayal is supposed to be. You give some solid advice, they ignore it? Look, people have the right to be wrong. They can do whatever they want.

You know you gave sound advice, but some people just don't value it.
Keep it real: Honest feedback wanted in Psychology ·
What makes you think your opinion is actually objective?
Karma vs. Free Will in Spirituality ·
Paul Jones7 said:It seems kind of pointless, I guess—trying to hunt for some sort of error or flaw in something that’s really just a person's own private thoughts. It’s all pretty subjective, isn't it? 🙂 I guess what else we should probably consider is just how many variables are actually at play here. It’s crazy how one tiny little thing can completely shift the scales for us. Take something simple, like if someone walks up to me asking for a few bucks—spare change, you know? Sometimes I’ll dig into my pocket and help them out, sometimes I won't. But I wouldn't say it's purely random, either. There's a bit of determinism there, I suppose. My decision really hinges on my gut feeling about whether that person is actually being honest or if they're just playing me. And, well, there are a dozen different factors influencing how I perceive their sincerity in that moment. But then—and this is where the free will argument kicks in—if I were truly, completely free, I might look at someone, decide they’re genuinely struggling and being totally upfront, and still choose not to give them a single cent. Not because of who they are, but just because I'm simply not in the mood to part with my cash that day. I'm not saying that's how I always act or anything—it's just a way to illustrate the whole tug-of-war between determinism and free will.

If free will actually exists—and that’s a big "if," I guess—then the future isn't some pre-written script. It isn't determined. And if things aren't determined, then there isn't just one single possible future waiting to be predicted, right? But... there is this concept—maybe we could call it the collapse of possibilities into one—where a specific outcome becomes pretty much unavoidable. It’s a bit of a cliché, I know, but think about it like this: imagine you’re standing on a sidewalk in Chicago, and you realize you're maybe only a yard away from a semi-truck barreling toward you at seventy miles per hour. At that point, the impact becomes an inevitability. It doesn't really matter what the driver's free will is, or even yours, at that exact microsecond. The sheer amount of determinism involved in that situation is what turns a "possible" future into a certainty once you get close enough to the event.

So, I guess the takeaway here is that the future isn't entirely a complete mystery—it’s actually somewhat predictable. You have your set probabilities, certain things that could happen, and then you have those inevitable events that just seem destined to occur eventually. It's all a bit of a balancing act, really.

The other thing—and this is where it gets messy—is that we could be dealing with a completely deterministic system that’s just impossible to actually predict. It’s not that it isn't following rules, it's just that it's too damn complex. I mean, we aren't exactly in a position to isolate every single variable or pin down everything moving at once... it's basically just deterministic chaos. There's a huge difference between whether something *could* theoretically be done and whether we actually *can* do it. I guess that's the real question, right? Whether we have the capacity to even attempt it. 😉

I’ve been thinking—maybe just a late-night tangent, I guess—that there might be some kind of model of possibilities existing somewhere outside the boundaries of the reality we actually live in. It’s almost like a simulation of every single potential outcome... sort of a cosmic blueprint, if you will. And if someone could somehow slip past the edges of our perceived reality, they might be able to look out and see all those different paths laid out before them. Then there's the other side of it—the idea that there might be a "most likely" future already mapped out. You know, based on the choices we're making right now, if we just keep riding these current tracks without veering off. It feels like a predetermined destination that becomes inevitable unless, I don't know, free will manages to catch that one specific moment needed to pivot and change everything. Or maybe I'm just overthinking it.

It’s kind of an interesting thought, though—how determinism might actually pave the way for non-determinism. I guess the logical conclusion would be that if non-determinism is a thing, it had to have been there from the very beginning.

I don't quite follow that example. You have the freedom to do whatever feels right in the moment. You might even do something that feels "wrong" on one level but "right" on another. Say you want to help, but you're running late for a meeting in Chicago. The choice isn't predetermined.
The collision becomes an inevitable event, regardless of whether the driver had free will or not. It's the sheer amount of determinism that makes certain events certain once you reach a specific distance from that future.

True, I agree—we can't control much in this life. The window for free will is pretty narrow.
The conclusion is that the future is partially predictable. Probabilities are predictable, and certainties are predictable.

We can predict how a person (or ourselves) will act if we know their goals. What we can't predict is the exact method they choose to achieve those goals, unless we account for every single environmental variable acting upon them. A chaotic world: we just don't know.
The second issue is that we could be living in a purely deterministic system that we simply cannot predict because it's too complex—we lack the capacity to isolate or even identify all the variables... deterministic chaos. There's a difference between whether something *could* be done and whether we *can* do it... whether 😉

That's the big question. We still don't fully grasp how the brain and mind function. Some things are determined, others aren't. My take (and it's not my own original theory) is that new thoughts and knowledge—new ideas and beliefs—are products of chance and are therefore not deterministic. Just as genes mutate randomly, neural connections form randomly, giving rise to new thoughts. Freedom lies in our ability to select which ones are worth keeping.
If a new idea and a new value used for evaluation emerge simultaneously, nothing can be predicted.
There's some backing for this in neuroscience—though we're still waiting on concrete evidence either way.
Quincy:
I suspect there’s some kind of framework existing outside our known reality—essentially a map of all possible futures. Think of it like a simulation running every potential outcome. Someone capable of stepping outside our perceived boundaries could theoretically observe those possibilities. It’s also plausible that a "probable future" exists—a path determined by current choices if we just stay on the tracks we're currently on. That becomes an inevitability unless free will manages to pivot at the right moment.
My take? You can probably identify a general trajectory the future is heading toward. The smaller the slice of reality we look at—and the fewer living beings involved—the higher our accuracy. Something like that, 🤷
Quincy:
It's worth considering how determinism might actually lead to indeterminism. The logical conclusion would be that if indeterminism exists, it had to have been there "all along."
I've been chewing on this. Honestly, I'm not convinced that's the only logical way to read it.
It’s entirely possible that the interaction of countless deterministic variables creates an effect of indeterminism—simply because the complexity makes it impossible for us to predict.
Karma vs. Free Will in Spirituality ·
Paul Jones7 said:I could try to explain how I see it, though I’m probably the least qualified person to tell you how this all ties into astrology. To me, it feels less like a set of rules and more like these endless, meaningful threads weaving through our lives—sort of like a massive, multidimensional tapestry where everything is interconnected.

I just can't bring myself to believe we don't have free will. If you strip that away, you're left with this total, crushing determinism that swallows consciousness whole. That starts opening up some pretty heavy questions about where the conscious mind ends and the subconscious begins, and whether anything actually matters beyond just random chance. I mean, sure, I can't completely rule out the possibility that it's all rigged, but I don't really have a reason to believe that's the case.

The thing is, even if we do have free will, I suspect we don't have nearly as much of it as we'd like to think. Let's look at a simple example: most of us have a go-to response for certain situations. We have a default setting. When a specific scenario pops up, we tend to react the exact same way every single time. So, is that actually a choice, or is it just us following a pre-programmed pattern of behavior?

Every situation we face is basically a complex cocktail of different variables, and our personality is just the set of patterns that acts as the bridge between those inputs and our eventual reaction.

We pick up these patterns from our upbringing, the influence of society and our surroundings, our life experiences, and even our own self-imposed habits. A lot of these patterns are things we aren't even aware of—they're just automatic. Sometimes they're conscious, acting as an automated way of reasoning or choosing based on the internal logic of our mental framework. They're essentially the mental programs we’ve been filled with, whether we realized it or not, throughout our lives.

Each pattern adds a little more predictability and determinism to our existence. The more patterns we have, the easier it becomes to predict our own future. Free will is what introduces the branches—the actual possibilities. Every bit of automation or predetermination just narrows down those options.

When you really sit down and think about it, you have to ask yourself: are we actually making a choice in the moment... or are we just acting exactly how we were wired to act?

Free will seems to be a fundamental trait of life and consciousness. It's presumably what separates us from machines. Without it, we're nothing more than highly sophisticated biological machines, and honestly, it makes you wonder if we're even truly living.

So, where does karma fit into all this? I guess you could say our conditioning and development trigger karma through cause and effect. Our personality is shaped by what we've inherited (on a soul level) and our life circumstances, but also by the choices we make during this lifetime. Since our personalities dictate our experiences—because our reactions are often predictable—we end up attracting specific experiences. Our responses lead to corresponding consequences. In that sense, karma follows us because it's written right inside us. We are, in a way, the ones responsible for fulfilling our own karma.

How does this connect to astrological aspects? There are a few ways to look at it. One is that astrological aspects influence our personality, causing us to take on their specific traits. Another is that we might choose our astrological makeup through our soul's free will—essentially picking the "stage" or the framework for the experiences we want to have (and that isn't just about astrology, but the whole set of circumstances we're born into). A third option is that astrology doesn't determine us; rather, we choose the specific space-time moment of our birth to honor the overall cosmic design.

I used to lean toward that third explanation, but as time goes on, I find myself leaning more toward the second one. I've started seeing astrology as just one more influential factor contributing to the formation of what we call our personality.

I think you're missing the mark there. We won't always act the same way. If a specific behavior successfully hits our target, we’ll keep doing it—even if we technically have other options, there’s simply no reason to change.
If that behavior fails to reach the goal, we can choose a different path.
Through enough trial and error, we eventually hit the mark.
Quincy:
Patterns are forged through upbringing, social influence, environment, life experiences, and our own self-determination and prior choices. These patterns are often unconscious—a sort of automatic reflex—but sometimes they are conscious, acting as an automated framework for how we process information and make decisions. They are essentially the mental programs we’ve been loaded with, either by society or by ourselves, throughout our lives.
You might be stretching the computer analogy a bit too far. I’d argue that what we accumulate over a lifetime is really just a collection of beliefs and knowledge regarding the most efficient ways to achieve our objectives.
Quincy:
Every pattern adds another layer of predictability and determinism to our lives. The more patterns we possess, the easier it becomes to predict our own future—since free will is the only thing that introduces branching paths and genuine possibilities. Every instance of automation or predetermination narrows those possibilities down.
In my view, you can't predict your own future because of the sheer number of random variables that will inevitably crash into your life. We are free to react to those variables, but we have zero control over them.
Quincy:
When people ponder this, they ask themselves: are we certain that at any given moment we are truly exercising choice and free will... or are we merely acting out how we were programmed to act?
Both. Our biological makeup provides the capacity for free will. The thinking process itself isn't predetermined; it consists of a sequence of spontaneously generated thoughts that we can then evaluate and judge. In that evaluation, we effectively exercise our free will.
Quincy:
Free will is the hallmark of life and consciousness—the supposed line in the sand between us and our machines. Without it, we’re nothing more than sophisticated biological engines. It makes you wonder if we're even truly living at all.
Personally, I think we are machines—just the kind where the design actually allows for free will.
Karma vs. Free Will in Spirituality ·
karma doughnut 🙏