Posts by placidranger

Gregory Jackson said:Okay, yeah, that makes sense, I guess. Though, it feels like there's a massive gray area in there somewhere—like, say, if a new boss comes in, and he's a total jerk who just hates your guts for no reason. You could say that just happened to you, right? Is that karma? And then do you fight him or just suck it up? If you thought it was karma, you’d probably just endure it and try to help him see the light, trying to get him to treat you like a human being instead of just some subordinate he can take his frustrations out on. But with free will, you could also just quit the company so you don't have to deal with him, but if it really was karma, then maybe the same situation would just pop up again somewhere else because you haven't actually learned how to handle a guy like that and turn it into something positive.
I'm not sure if that's how it works, but it's possible, I suppose. Looking back, I don't think my own situation was just a coincidence; that feels like a bit of a stretch. It felt almost like there was this "invisible hand" guiding me toward a certain point until I finally took charge myself. But honestly, the feeling was pretty uncomfortable, kind of like I wasn't actually running my own life, even though the outcome turned out to be a good thing.

Does group karma exist, though? Like, is there such a thing as karma for an entire nation?

It’s hard to distinguish between karma as a punishment and karma as a reward. Let's say you initially think a bad boss is a stroke of bad luck—a punishment—only for that same boss to give you a promotion a few months later because he finally realized you're actually good at your job. Meanwhile, your previous boss was "nice," but never once recognized your talent.

I think it’s generally just a matter of how we perceive things outside our control—labeling them as "good" or "bad."
If everything is just coincidence, fate, or karma, the main thing remains the same: refrain from judging. We still have the free will to choose how we react to that coincidence or that karma.

I don't know if that's how it works, but it's possible. My own experience didn't feel like a fluke—that would be too much. It felt more like a trend—an "invisible hand" nudging me toward a specific point right when I finally took control myself. But the sensation was unsettling, like I wasn't in the driver's seat of my own life (even though the outcome was positive).

You couldn't have known how that behavior would play out.
Maybe one part of you felt you were wasting time on nonsense, thinking nothing good would come of it, while another part hoped it might lead somewhere. That's how you get that feeling that "someone else is in charge."
I suppose that’s how I rationalize similar situations. I'm not sure there's any way to verify that theory.

Is there such a thing as collective karma? National karma?

I don't know. Honestly, I don't even believe in personal karma. 🤷 😬

Gregory Jackson said:I think those of you who have spent a bit more time exploring spiritual paths might recognize where I'm going with this right away. I figured I’d start things off by sharing a personal story of mine to set the stage. But first, I should probably ramble a little bit about how karma and free will actually play together in all of this.

When we talk about "Karma," I don't really see it as some cosmic scoreboard where you get rewarded or punished for stuff you did in a "past life." I guess it’s more like a tool for the soul—a way for our consciousness to evolve through experience. It’s basically designed to teach us lessons in the most direct way possible, which usually means learning things the hard way, you know? People tend to view it in black and white, thinking everything that happens now is either a blessing or a curse from the past. In my view, we live out certain old karmic patterns through things we didn't choose—like where we were born, our genetics, or even our parents—which sets the scene for what we have to work through. That’s kind of like "mature karma" playing out. At the same time, we’re constantly building new karma based on the choices we make in situations where we *do* have a say. Some extreme perspectives tend to blame everything on old karma, totally ignoring the fact that our current choices matter. They claim free will is just an illusion and we're all just "puppets on a string."

Then there’s "Free Will." In any given moment, I feel like a person has endless paths they could take—countless ways to grow or change direction. Ideally, these choices are truly ours, free from hidden influences. Now, philosophers sometimes argue that free will isn't quite so simple because we're often boxed in by social norms, the economy, or just our own mental baggage. I suppose they aren't wrong; they're talking about the *application* of free will—how much someone actually dares or is able to exercise it. Still, if I decided right now that I wanted to fly off to India, nobody could stop me except myself. There are some pretty radical views out there that suggest we are the absolute masters of our fate, that past-life karma doesn't exist at all, and that everything is just happening in the present based on circumstances we didn't pick.

Anyway, here’s the example to get us started.

It was summertime, and I was out for a stroll through town. I was walking with my wife and our little girl when we ran into an old acquaintance. She has a daughter about the same age as ours, and she dabbles in astrology as a hobby. Since we bumped into each other, we grabbed a drink and ended up chatting about the kids (because, let's face it, that's what parents do). I jokingly complained that our place is so packed with toys that I can barely find a spot to sit down. Our apartment is fine for now, but I mentioned that one day we'll eventually need to look for something bigger. Well, she offered to "take a look" using her astrological methods to see what the future holds regarding our housing situation. We both laughed it off—I mean, hey, if she wants to try, she can't hurt anything, right? This was at the beginning of August. About ten days later, she calls me with the news. She tells me she sees a larger place in my future and that I'll have everything sorted out by October—just two months away! She goes into all these technical details, and I just nod along because, honestly, I barely understand any of that stuff. She says I'll be really happy with the outcome. I told her, "Look, we were just joking; we don't have the cash, it's not urgent, and with the economic downturn hitting, we couldn't even sell our current place if we wanted to." For a few weeks, I just treated it like a funny little anecdote. Money was tight, the market had totally frozen up, and I was feeling pretty depressed about it, so I didn't take a single step toward finding a new home.

Fast forward to the start of September. I'm sitting on a park bench on a quiet Sunday morning, watching my daughter play on the slide. Out of nowhere, that conversation about the apartment pops back into my head. I noticed a local shop nearby was still open, so I hopped over to grab a newspaper and headed back to the bench. I had completely ruled out selling our place and buying a new one because the market panic was so intense that nobody was buying anything. But then I look at the paper, and it's full of listings. There were two houses in my city available for a swap. Only one of them even remotely fit my needs, but even then, the owner wanted something bigger than what I had. Whatever, I figured I'd give it a shot. The guy wasn't thrilled, but I thought, why not meet and see? So, I reached out.

To make a long story short, after weeks of back-and-forth, we finally signed the contract in the last ten days of October. Everything just clicked—the money for the difference appeared out of nowhere, and a bunch of other things fell into place perfectly. Our new place, once we finished the renovations, was a massive leap up from the old one. If we had been choosing locations, we couldn't have picked a better spot; the building had actually been voted the best in the city the year before. I honestly couldn't believe that something like this could happen out of thin air in just two months.

I mean, I honestly couldn't wrap my head around the fact that anyone actually knew about this before it all just... unfolded right in front of me. It kind of felt like I was just some puppet on a string, you know? To be honest, even now, I'm sitting here wondering if it was all just karma playing out—like something you'd see mapped out in an astrology chart—or if it was just me exercising my own free will when I decided to pick up that classifieds magazine, though, God help me, it was mostly just because I was bored out of my mind.

It really makes you wonder, though, how much of our life's situation is just karma (or "destiny," if that’s more your vibe) versus how much is just us making choices? Like, how much is stuff we've been dragging along from our past, and how much is just what we're doing right this second? Where do you even draw that line? How can you tell one apart from the other? If I decided to hop on a plane and fly off to India, would that be karma pulling the strings, or would it just be me using my free will?

I don't see a conflict between the existence of karma (or fate) and free will.
Karma only applies to external events beyond our control—the big strokes of luck or misfortune that just happen to us. Winning the lottery, losing a fortune, a birth, a death. That's the hand we're dealt.

Free will is our internal capacity to choose how we react. Our behavior can be aimed at various goals—whether innate or learned—but we alone choose the methods we use to reach those goals by weighing the potential consequences of our actions.

It's not that I believe in "karma"—I’d probably swap that word for "randomness"—but it's entirely possible for karma and free will to coexist simultaneously.

Bradley Wood3 said:Oh, really?
Seriously, I hear stories every other day about someone being used for sex, but rarely the other way around.
But whatever, that's a whole different rabbit hole.
Yeah, sure, because a 15-year-old is totally going to outsmart a 30-year-old... 🙄

Right, because teenagers think they’re the smartest, most mature people on the planet—and just because they feel that way, more grounded adults are supposed to accept their perspective as some universal standard of "maturity."🙄

Look, the point isn't about feelings—it's about consequences. Some girls end up hurt. Others? They know exactly how to pull the strings of older men and they do it intentionally. Maybe they’ll feel regret down the road, but they aren't exactly running to court to sue an ex. It’s just "another one from the past." They know why they did what they did.
And this isn't just my "impression"—this is how they actually act. They tell you straight up. There’s no lingering hatred for those older partners, and they don't walk away feeling exploited.

The legal age of consent is 14—though in reality, that individual line shifts constantly and can be much higher. Anything lower? Not really an option.

silentpilot6 said:For all of you who think they’d be rejected... let me just say you haven't seen 😁.
It’s easy to sit behind a computer screen and play the moral authority 😉
In the end, what is the point of such an attitude and this constant outcry about some kind of wrongdoing... one way or another?
A stunning girl who initiates things because she wants to sleep with you—she surely wouldn't face any consequences afterward (assuming safe sex is practiced 😁), because clearly, she's done it before, and she'll do it again.

And the idea that I should wait for her to stumble into me... well, a few months ago at a Duraglaze, some visibly drunk girl approached me. First, there was some rambling (to be honest, she was saying something to me but I didn't catch it 😬), then she hugged me... do you know what I did? I pulled away from her, only to see her making out with someone else, also quite an older guy, ten minutes later...

So... why lie? If some "temptress" hit on me at the beach and I said I was single... damn it... I'm telling you, before the waves of judgment start and people say "I could never do that"... you haven't seen her. Honestly, if you saw her hanging out with older crowds (not kids—I assume peers) and looking with perfectly clear eyes 😁, you wouldn't give her less than 19 or 20.

That is my point... there are situations and then there are "situations," girls and then there are certain types of "girls"... I'd bet that certain 15 or 16-year-olds have more sexual experience than most women who are ten years older. I don't consider it desirable or good, but you can't claim it doesn't exist or that it's a total rarity.

Many people have this image in their heads of some old, lecherous creep trying to lure innocent young girls with something like a candy bar 😬 but reality can be the complete opposite, and often is... you need to be aware of that.

Well, you have a point; I haven't actually seen that girl. Maybe I'd feel differently if I had.
To me, girls that age still seemed far too young whenever I actually spoke to them. 🤷
Maybe you'd think differently if you'd gotten to know her better. Or maybe not. 🤷

You're right on the second part, too. It's not like kids just started having sex at 14 or 15 today—especially girls—and it isn't always tied to pedophilia.

silentpilot6 said:It seems like guys who specifically target younger girls clearly struggle to satisfy 🙂 older, more experienced women.
On the other hand, I have eyes 🙂 and I haven’t once seen a "girl" where I thought she was at least 19 or 20—you look at the guys hanging out with her and realize she’s still just a kid...

So... can we really blame an older guy if he hits on someone like that? If he honestly doesn't realize he's talking to a 15 or 16-year-old because she looks older than she actually is?
Who among us can say they've never had a crush on a high schooler?
Look, having a crush is one thing, but cheating is another. Let me give you a real example... a few years ago while on vacation at the coast with some friends, this girl walked up toward our spot on the beach (we could tell by the group she was with). The five of us all agreed she was easily the most stunning person we'd seen all summer.
To be fair, none of us even considered making a move, regardless of how beautiful or well-endowed she was, mainly because she was clearly just a kid... but we all also agreed that if she were to approach one of us "on her own" without any provocation, we wouldn't turn her down—especially after a few beers. Does that make the five of us crazy? Pedophiles?

The law won't throw you in jail if the girl is over 14 and goes along with it voluntarily.
Still, plenty of people would judge you for it.

So there you have it 🤷—sleep with her and feel like garbage? Risk ruining someone's life? I don't know. Personally, I’d turn her down even if I were drunk, but I wouldn't judge anyone else who passed, depending on the situation.

Here’s a bit of something I came across—"lost my virginity at 13 to an older woman": http://www.experienceproject.com/sto...y-At-14/160505
If you actually buy the story, it seems to have passed without any lasting trauma.

Ethan Martinez6 said:I guess I just don't really get it, like, I'm 29 and I honestly couldn't tell you what kind of 15-year-old would even catch my eye, but seriously, if they still have baby faces and those skinny kid builds, there's just zero chance for me 🙂

I'm no expert on the legal definition of pedophilia, but I mean, people carry scars from dating someone in their early 20s, let alone having been involved with a 14-year-old!!??!

First off, attraction isn't just about physical appearance.
I don't see why "consequences" couldn't actually be positive in certain scenarios—just like I don't see why intentions couldn't be good. Not all cases are cut from the same cloth.
For instance, you have kids losing their innocence with sex workers around those ages.

Or, I don't know... child stars. Like Radcliffe. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...Radcliffe.html

Andrew Mendoza10 said:If the roles were reversed and there was no coercion involved, would you still be claiming this was acceptable?

It depends on age.🤷
In my view, shortly after hitting puberty and when those biological drives kick in, a person becomes stable enough that consensual sex doesn't necessarily leave lasting trauma—regardless of gender. In American society, teen sex is treated as a taboo subject, but it isn't universal. I'm being serious—there are certain tribal cultures in the Pacific where kids are encouraged to explore their sexuality with peers, or even older individuals, once they hit puberty.
The US is structured differently. Sexual activity at such an early age can lead to unplanned pregnancies, which creates a mess for both the parents and the child born into that situation. So, in our context, the circumstances themselves create the trauma, not necessarily the act itself.

Personally, I think any involvement with a pre-pubescent child is an incomparably worse crime—regardless of the child's gender or any concept of "consent"—than involvement with an older child. Once they get older, things become much more complicated.

hollowtrucker77 said:I’m pretty sure little girls have their own little fantasies about some rugged, silver-fox type uncle figure, but honestly, that’s not even what we’re talking about here
and let’s be real, if you start bringing force into the equation, you’ve completely missed the point and ended up in an entirely different conversation

What's the point? I don't follow what you're getting at.

Eric Jackson43 said:Exactly. Stop daydreaming about some hot teacher from a movie and start picturing a bloated old lady walking up to a twelve-year-old kid, slapping him across the face, and telling him to strip down before grabbing him—suddenly the whole vibe changes, doesn't it?

Honestly, you just have to look at the posters on a typical twelve-year-old girl's bedroom wall to see what's actually going on.

True. If force is used, it's rape regardless of who is doing it.
Without force, it's... well, it's a gray area. I'd say the act itself might not carry massive trauma, but girls face a significantly higher risk of trauma due to the possibility of pregnancy.
The risk of emotional scarring from the relationship itself exists for both genders—though perhaps it's higher for girls, but I won't claim that definitively.🤷 )

Teachers deserve medals, not just tenure 😁

But in all seriousness: male pedophiles—regardless of the victim's gender—need to be prosecuted with equal severity, primarily because there is almost always an element of FORCE involved.
On the flip side, female pedophiles, especially when targeting boys, tend to rely less on physical coercion. To me, that’s the fundamental distinction.

goldencrane72 said:They locked me out of my thread on Reddit because apparently I need "professional help," so here we go again... 🙂
Alright, check this article first so you actually know what I'm talking about: http://news.com/world/article/2010...06.html?pos=n0

So, I’ve been thinking—why is it that most people read a story like this and just laugh it off? You see comments like, "Oh, look at him, little guy thinks he's a player," or "The old man is just jealous and reported him." Total nonsense. But if the roles were reversed—if it was a young girl being seduced by an older man—the reaction would be instant fury. It’d be: "Pedophile!" "He should be hanged!" "I'd castrate him myself!" "Poor little girl!"
What is the actual difference between these two scenarios when they are fundamentally the exact same thing?
Don't get me wrong, maybe I don't view this specific case as terrifyingly as I would if the genders were flipped, but I honestly can't wrap my head around why society acts this way. :O

I think there really is a massive difference—mainly in how the sexual experience itself is perceived (traumatic vs. pleasurable). Personally, back in my younger days, I wouldn't have had an issue sleeping with some older woman. Then again, everything depends on the age gap, the level of coercion, and all that.

It isn't the same.

Hey, maybe we should move this debate over to the Politics section—or some other obscure corner of the site.

I honestly have no clue what you're getting at, which is why I'm asking. That quote from Jezebel seems pretty much aimed at inciting and spreading hate—so if your post was meant to be an opposing view, it basically looks like you're siding with that toxicity.

Don't sweat it—the admins will show up eventually.

We need Catholic women in the moderator roles 🙂 🙂

Did you post something against Mexicans?

Anyway, I'm under the impression that hate speech should be removed—even if it's directed at Mexicans, regardless of how hard that might be to swallow 🤷

bluemason3 said:places where free speech doesn't exist—where they punish the opinion itself rather than just the delivery (insults, trolling, spam, etc.)

Look at Alternative. Massive numbers of people have been permanently banned for some pretty idiotic reasons. I’m counting myself in that group. Is there an actual list of everyone who’s been banned from specific subforums? If there were, we could probably count red cards too.

A list like that would easily expose any "purge" that might have happened over at Alternative. My gut tells me most of those bans happen because someone said something "unacceptable," not necessarily because of how they said it. Maybe I'm wrong.

Charles Hill2 said:placidranger, you're about as interesting as watching paint dry.

Unlike Lovro's project—which I actually fund out of my own pocket. 👍

Whatever. Look, I just want to see how the man operates.
Did you buy him a drink or something?

Sure, number one looks pretty decent—aside from having a bit too much empty space between his head and shoulders.

I’m not familiar with any of those bands mentioned above.
"TARDCORE" actually sounds alright. ("tardcore enthusiast" doesn't quite hit the same way, so I'll avoid asking "how does a tardcore enthusiast craft their sound?"—those days of catchy genre labels like rock or punk are long gone.)
Where was I...

Oh! Say something about the creative process. How long does it actually take to make something? Are we talking hours, days, weeks? You sit down at the Casio and then what?

steelsurfer42 said:I think it would be logical and practical to group Spirituality, Religion, and Alternative together—maybe even as a single dedicated section of subforums.

The thing is, it’s all essentially spirituality, so I don't see why we need to split it up. For two of those, it’s obvious—but the Alternative category usually gets this special treatment, even though it functions exactly the same way. It has its own prophets, dogmas, and belief systems; it constantly oscillates between spitting on Science = Ideology and calling upon it. Besides, sociologists studying religion don't draw much more of a distinction between believing in Yahweh and believing in aliens.

P.S. S. Hippo made some attempt to silence people in the thread about quack cancer treatments by moving the debate to a separate topic and threatening to kick out anyone who dared mention anything pseudo-scientific. Isn't that just another way of stifling free speech?

Really, Sal, since this forum started, the trend has been breaking things down into smaller and smaller subforums, and now you want to merge them? 😁

And not even merging your stuff with someone else's, but rather "letting them unite"? 😁

By the way, yeah, I'm not a fan of the lack of free speech in the Alternative section either.
I think it would be much better if open discussion was actually allowed.

Dammit, their whole source is just some old CD-ROM 😁
CD-ROM

Raymond Bailey6 said:Dammit, the music mods already handed me a RED CARD. <- this isn't just some minor tweak.

Unbelievable—the sheer reaction to artistic expression here. 😁

Art happening on some half-baked, fever-dreamed Apple Beats sessions👍

By the way, yeah, "Blue" is a legitimate disco anthem. The others are less... disco ( 🤔 how would you describe your own work? )

And seriously, how can people even live in downtown Chicago—especially those who happen to be devout Catholics? What kind of hellhole is Chicago anyway? Isn't there supposed to be a beautiful face somewhere in that mess?

Raymond Bailey6 said:Interesting stuff, guys. Really interesting.

So, is this our guy? 😁

Come on, give us the backstory—how did this all start? When did you first pick up a beat?