Posts by Hannah Alvarez2

So how are we even supposed to navigate life then?🤷

Let me ask you again: how do you actually define judging someone? Is it just this binary way of weighing "good" versus "bad"?
To me, judging isn't about morality—it’s more like slapping a label on someone the second you see them. It doesn't even have to be a positive or negative thing.
The truth is, we all carry around this massive mental filing cabinet of stereotypes. We instantly try to shove people into little boxes: the bum, the genius, the trust fund kid, the hipster, the grumpy old lady, the guy who lives off his mother-in-law😁, you name it. Honestly, I don't know why we bother, or if we even have the energy to figure everyone out. And if they aren't part of our inner circle, why even care?
You walk down a street in Chicago or NYC, building this whole worldview based on the quick labels you toss at strangers. Is it possible we’re totally wrong about people sometimes? Absolutely. But is it also true that those labels are usually built on stuff we've already been through? Yeah, that's true too.

Lisa Parker6 said:I try my best not to be one of those people who constantly judges others. I mean, if we’re being honest, most of us probably deal with enough situations in our daily lives to realize that people are way too quick to pass judgment based on information that's usually wrong or just totally incomplete anyway.

As for judging someone based on their clothes, their haircut, or whatever other superficial stuff they have going on—I just don't do it. Everyone has their own vibe, and that's fine. To me, picking on someone for their style feels about as nonsensical as judging them for their race, religion, or where they come from. It just doesn't hold water.

At the end of the day, I think whoever said that judging others says much more about the person doing the judging than the person being judged is actually right.

I really think we need to take a much closer look at what we actually mean when we talk about "judgment." We can't just throw that word around without breaking it down first.
Every single thought you have about someone else is basically a mini-trial. You’re sitting there acting like a judge, weighing the evidence and passing sentence. Honestly? That’s actually a good thing. It’s totally fine. That’s exactly how we build our mental map of the world and figure out where everyone fits in.
Picture this scenario: You’re stuck in an elevator, the doors won't budge, and you've got to kill some time. Who would you actually rather be trapped with? On one hand, you’ve got this massive, six-foot-six meathead wearing nothing but a white undershirt and a chunky gold chain. He’s looking all intimidating, with some intense gang tattoos plastered across his shoulders—one side says something like "Rangers" and the other has some hardcore patriotic slogan. Or, you know, just your average, chill guy from around the neighborhood wearing a flannel and jeans. Who are you picking?
Look, maybe that first guy is actually a total sweetheart—like, a real "salt of the earth" kind of dude. But then you’ve got this second character who’s clearly a stone-cold professional killer. Honestly? We don't know for sure yet, but I bet my bottom dollar that 99% of people would choose to be stuck with the assassin every single time. It’s one of those things where you don't even need to spell out the reasons; we all just get it.

Look, let’s be real here—you can tell a whole lot about someone just by looking at them. Physicality actually says something. But things like religion, race, or where they come from? That tells you absolutely zero. It's just not how it works.

I was scrolling through some half-baked article about how people swear in different parts of the world, and I can't get this one Chinese insult out of my head. It’s wild. It was basically along the lines of calling someone’s mother massive or something equally ridiculous. Seriously, the logic behind some of these insults is just next-level crazy.😕 Green.😲 Man, I feel like such a total snail lately. Just moving at a snail's pace through everything, you know? It’s like I’m stuck in low gear while everyone else is hitting the gas. Slow and steady is supposed to win the race, right? But honestly, sometimes it just feels like you're getting left in the dust.🤣

Look, here’s the deal: turtles have zero clue who their parents actually are. So, if you follow that logic, you’re basically looking at a third-generation bastard. Just saying!🤣 And something just as brain-dead!

Forget Romania—honestly, screw them. It’s like some massive, starving wolf just showing up and trying to ruin everyone's day. Total joke.

Look, maybe we’re being a bit unrefined here, but I truly believe that the way different cultures swear says something deep about them. It's like there's some underlying logic to why people pick certain words to vent their frustration. Honestly though, I can't quite put my finger on what that specific trigger is.

It feels like around here in the States, people just love to ramble on forever, thinking that if they pack enough nonsense into one sentence—usually topped off with some random string of profanity and a shoutout to the LA Galaxy—it somehow makes them sound smarter.

Give me a break, man. You’re gonna burn yourself out before you even finish your first semester. Once classes actually kick off, everything changes—new crowd, late-night drinking, hookups, wild parties... all that classic college chaos that everyone goes through.👍
And seriously, this is just a phase. I can tell by the way you write that you aren't an idiot; you clearly realize the mess you're in right now. Trust me, once life throws a major curveball your way, this mindset will pass.
In the meantime, if you really feel like you need someone to talk to, go see a counselor, not a psychiatrist.
Good luck!

Jamie Chase6 said:I’ve attached an article I found online in the header.
If you just type in the phrase mentioned above, you'll get the full text.

Basically, the article argues that possessions are actually incredibly rare. Historically, people suffering from mental illnesses were subjected to exorcism methods, and obviously, the results were disastrous. It’s the same story when cases of supposed possession are treated with standard psychiatry—the "healing" process often leaves them looking like "walking zombies." Further down, there's a checklist of criteria that must be met before a proper diagnosis can even be considered. It makes a point that those who are possessed are also mentally ill. That mental instability could be a direct consequence of the possession, or it could be the actual underlying cause.

Here is the list of requirements—let's call them symptoms. Pay close attention to the lists under sections II and III.
Section III is titled "******d manifestations"—meaning "External Indicators." I have no clue why the English version of that specific title won't show up for me; every time I type it in, I just get asterisks, so I went ahead and translated it myself.


I ) Mental Changes Affecting The Person
1 Mental Changes Affecting The Person 1 look for changes in personality. This usually shows up when someone who is normally friendly suddenly turns completely silent.
2 An active person suddenly starts isolating themselves.
3 Watch for shifts in sleep patterns.
4 Look for sudden spikes or drops in weight.
5 Monitor changes in attitude and behavior, which typically lean toward hostility.
6 Note if they start swearing excessively when that is totally out of character.
7 See if they develop a sudden aversion to religious items. A regular churchgoer might suddenly find the mere thought of it repulsive.
8 Check for any evidence of self-mutilation.
9 Watch for changes in their style of dress.
10 Pay attention to their personal hygiene and any sudden decline in it.
11 look for evidence of occult materials in The room.
12 Look for destructive tendencies, particularly if they are targeting religious objects.
13 They might become verbally abusive or threatening without provocation.
14 They may turn violent, frequently attempting to harm animals.
15 The individual might suffer from intense nightmares or night terrors.
16 They might engage in humiliating acts, like wetting themselves and so on.
17 They may become hyper-fixated on sexual matters, including excessive masturbation or doing it in front of others.
18 Take notice if they seem to exhibit a different persona or multiple personalities.
19 Watch for bizarre dietary shifts. Foods they used to love might become revolting, or they might start eating things they previously hated.
20 Note if they seem to be experiencing memory blackouts.
All of The above Can be cries for Help or signal The beginning of drug Use or mental illness; because of this, you have to be extremely careful about labeling these as signs of possession. When these are the only symptoms present, you need to seek psychological counseling first before even entertaining the idea of demonic involvement. Honestly, a lot of these changes are perfectly normal, especially with teenagers. Don't jump to the conclusion of possession unless there's a reason to believe they are actually vulnerable to it—for instance, if they've been messing around with rituals or the occult and *then* the personality shifts start. Most likely, it's a natural issue, meaning it's psychiatric or psychological in nature.
As you'll see, there are plenty of other red flags. Look for those before you buy into the possession theory. Also, whatever you do, never tell someone going through personality changes that they might be possessed. You could be planting a very dangerous seed in their head.

II) Physical Changes Affecting The Person
1 The person might go for extended periods without blinking. (This could actually point to a neurological condition.)
2 The individual might lapse into a catatonic state. (All of The above Can be cries for Help or signal The beginning of drug Use or mental illness)
3 The person starts speaking languages they haven't studied. (Or maybe they're speaking English but with bizarre, unidentifiable accents.)
4 They start speaking in tongues.
5 The person becomes totally rigid—we're talking "unmovable" even if several people try to shift them.
6 Pay attention to the eyes. They can turn pitch black, almost like a shark's eyes.
7 Watch for blatant shifts in their facial features.
7 The person might display superhuman strength.
9 They might show signs of “precognition,” basically predicting things before they happen.
10 They might display “retro cognition,” knowing details about past events they had zero way of knowing.
11 They might be able to sense things about someone they’ve never even met.
12 Their voice could shift wildly, jumping from high pitches to deep, guttural tones.
13 They might actually be able to read your thoughts.
14 Their movement might get weird. For instance, they might seem to glide through a room rather than walking.
15 You might see welts or scratches appearing on the skin like symbols or writing. Check the spots they couldn't possibly have reached themselves.
16 They might actually levitate.
17 Their hair or eye color might suddenly change.
18 You might hear multiple voices coming out of one person simultaneously.
19 Note if animals seem terrified of the person, especially if the pets start acting skittish right when those personality changes kick in.
Now, look, a handful of these symptoms could easily be tied to medical issues or psychological struggles, but most of them? Most of them sit way outside the boundaries of science. If you start seeing a cluster of these, you need to take it seriously. At that point, you look back at the first category of symptoms and see if they line up with what's happening in this second category—or the third one I’m about to lay out. Obviously, some signs carry more weight than others. You have to weigh the severity of each symptom when you're trying to figure out what's actually going on. You should call on the Holy Spirit for guidance and discernment, particularly when the manifestations are vague or hard to pin down.

III) ******d manifestations
1 Objects move around as if they have a mind of their own.
2 Things might vanish and never turn up again. (Asporting)
3 Items might disappear only to pop up somewhere else entirely. (Teleporting)
4 Objects might vanish and then reappear exactly where they started.
5 Things might just manifest out of thin air. (Apports)
6 You might hear knocking, banging, or heavy thumping echoing through the house or a specific room.
7 Objects might fly through the air like invisible hands threw them.
8 You might hear knocks at the door when nobody is standing there. This often happens in sets of three—it's a classic way of mocking the Holy Trinity. Same goes for doorbells.
9 Religious items might go missing or get smashed. They can also be desecrated.
10 You might hear growling, but you won't be able to find the source.
11 Scratching sounds might occur without any clear explanation.
12 Foul, stinking odors might drift through the air with no logical source. They tend to come and go.
13 You might see strange lights darting around a room.
14 Heavy pieces of furniture might slide across the floor on their own.
15 You might catch glimpses of people or dark, shadowy figures that don't quite have a solid shape.
16 Strange-looking creatures might be spotted.
17 Doors and drawers might swing open or shut by themselves.
18 Electronic appliances might flip on or off without anyone touching them.
19 Fires might spontaneously ignite.
20 Pets might get spooked and refuse to go near the person being targeted.
21 Animals might growl at something they see that you can't see at all.
22 Any mention of God or religious topics might trigger a sudden burst of activity.
23 Glass might shatter for no apparent reason.
24 You might hear the sound of breaking glass, even though nothing is actually broken.
25 You might experience sudden temperature swings—usually a sharp drop—though they can go both ways. You can actually track this on a thermometer.
25 A person might suddenly feel freezing cold even if the room temperature stays the same. You might even see a one to two degree drop on a thermometer held near them.
26 You might get that unsettling vibe that someone is staring at you, or just a heavy sense that you aren't actually alone in the room.
27 People frequently report hearing distinct voices when there isn't a soul around.
28 It’s common to hear your own name being called out, only to realize the house is empty. I've even heard stories where a husband and wife both swear they heard the other person call to them at the exact same time.
29 You might feel a sudden, sharp draft of wind blowing through a room, even when every single window is shut tight.
30 Electrical issues become a thing—lights flickering out or switches failing to work entirely for no logical reason.
31 If you try to fight back or shut the activity down, you'll often see what looks like direct retaliation.
32 The activity tends to ramp up aggressively the moment you try to pray.
33 There’s often a visible backlash if a priest or any clergyman visits the house to help.
34 Then there are physical attacks. We're talking real violence here: punching, scratching, biting, or having your hair yanked.
35 Don't forget the psychological warfare. The devil is smart enough to target your specific vulnerabilities. If you’re struggling with shame, he’ll crank that emotion up to eleven. It works the same way with depression, anxiety, or whatever else keeps you up at night.
36 There are also sexual assaults involved. This can range from unwanted touching to full-blown penetration. And let's be clear: this happens to men just as much as it does to women.
37 Finally, there is the levitation of objects or even people.

Alright, looking at those mental shifts—honestly, they sound exactly like those moody teenage years during puberty.🤣 Like, seriously, it’s basically the same thing.

As for everything else? Show me a picture or it never happened. No proof, no truth.

By the way, I know this would probably fit better over in the religion sub, but does anyone know if there are actual cases of "possession" in non-Abrahamic religions out there?

Jamie Chase6 said:There were several articles out there, and I've read interviews with prominent theologians discussing specific cases from their years of practice.
My point was that Vatican City has incredibly strict criteria when deciding if someone is actually possessed; if someone is just mumbling gibberish and showing symptoms of schizophrenia, then obviously, it's not a case for an exorcist.

The symptoms I listed are what point toward possession.

Come on, does anyone have a video of this?😕 The whole thing sounds totally insane to me.
People walking on... walls? (not like some crazy movie🤣)
And as for all those other things, like speaking in weird tongues—just Google "glossolalia." It shows up in people who are "filled with God" and also in people who are "possessed." Linguists actually agree that it's basically a regression to some earlier stage of life, like when you were just a baby, for example.😍 Plus, it generally has a calming effect on people (kind of like how some older folks have a hard time giving up sucking their thumb because it settles them down, just like it did when they were little).
Basically, that kind of language doesn't follow any actual linguistic rules; it's just throwing out random, disconnected syllables.

silentsurfer70 said:Yeah... you often see it at spiritual retreats where people fall into a trance and all these issues surface that clearly require an exorcist. As far as I know, the Bishop appoints them, but apparently, there are very few of them. And regarding how well it works—well, some people just need one session, others need it repeatedly over several years, and some get so stuck that even the exorcists eventually give up.

So, basically, a guy lives his life totally normally, goes to a church retreat, and finds out he's possessed?😕

Mark Campbell5 said:Yeah, focusing on positive influences is almost always better than leaning on negative ones. Positive motivation tends to yield much better results.

Negative reinforcement is used for intimidation, and honestly, it can be incredibly effective. For instance, humans are basically the only animals—if you consider us just a specific subspecies of primate—that you can actually intimidate using the threat of future punishment.

If you tell a dog you’re going to punish him, he doesn't really process the concept. But if you tell a person they’re facing consequences, you can essentially turn them into a slave. Granted, that depends on the individual, but that’s the fundamental logic behind slavery. That’s precisely why those systems functioned the way they did.

Here’s a decent video on the subject:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbp6umQT58A

That brings up the question of whether evil can actually cross over from one dimension to another. Because possession would imply someone from another reality is controlling a person in ours. Right now, that’s impossible to prove, which is why cases of possession are usually left to the exorcists.

Currently, there’s zero empirical evidence to confirm possession, so it’s not really a scientific reality. It remains in the realm of illusion or faith—which, let's be honest, is often just the influence of people in your immediate circle. An exorcist will often "confirm" the presence of outside influences just because they're nearby. So, in a strictly factual sense? It doesn't exist.

I know this is a bit of a tangent, but that's not quite how it works... If you beat a dog every single time he chews up your shoes, after a while, he’s gonna start getting "triggered" just by seeing the shoes themselves. He won't even think about chewing them again because he's terrified of what happens next.

Jamie Chase6 said:Look, based on what I know from movies and books, there are certain symptoms that suggest a case belongs to an exorcist rather than a psychiatrist.

1. A person might suddenly develop a "gift," like clairvoyance, that they never had before.;
2. They start speaking in languages they’ve never studied—like Latin or ancient Aramaic.;
3. They speak in a completely different voice, or they levitate (and not in a graceful way 😍)—anyone who's seen "The Exorcist" knows that terrifying scene where the girl just flies right out of the bed.
4. Walking on walls in a way that is definitely not humanly possible.

So, in those specific scenarios, it’s pretty hard to argue that you're just dealing with a psychiatric issue.

Look, sorry, I'm just way too much of a skeptic to buy any of that until I see it with my own two eyes.
Anyone here actually work in the field? Psychiatric professionals, obviously.🙂

Susan Price30 said:Speaking as a theologian, I can tell you one thing: very few people experience what is classically and "by the book" defined as possession. Most of those who think they are possessed actually aren't, which is why they end up seeing a psychiatrist rather than seeking help from clergy or religious institutions. And I think it will stay that way...

Furthermore, those dealing with spiritual disturbances almost always have underlying psychological or mental health issues, but it doesn't necessarily work the other way around.

For instance, I can often tell quite quickly whether someone is experiencing a spiritual issue or if there is another cause, and most experts in this field can do the same. The symptoms in the first case are distinct from those with purely mental health struggles, even when their outward behavior looks identical...

Wow, can you please give me an example??😲
Have you seriously run into possessed people?? How do you know they didn't just hit their heads or something?

P.S. Sorry mods, I didn't see this post earlier, otherwise I would've used the multi-quote feature..

So, I was talking to this former friend of mine once—she was a total, hardcore Catholic fanatic—and she mentioned that in their local parish, they send the most extreme cases straight to Linic or some other specialized exorcist. I'm curious, does anyone here actually know anything about how that works?
Personally, I’m not really buying into that kind of stuff, but hey, since the topic's already on the table...

driftingpilot2 said:Good evening, everyone.
I find myself in this position—or maybe it's more like an unfortunate recurring situation—where people constantly ask me to weigh in on things. They want my take, you know? A breakdown of the pros and cons, supposedly so someone can "improve" or some entity can fix its flaws. It’s a constant cycle of being asked to judge, though I’m never quite sure if they actually want an honest assessment or just someone to validate what they already think.

Look, I’ve always been the type to just lay it all out there—no fluff, no sugarcoating—just telling it exactly how it is.

So then you’ve got this person—someone looking for an honest appraisal, I guess—who goes running to a third party just to hear them say:
You’re doing just fine—honestly, don't even sweat him. He’s one of those people who genuinely believes he knows more than he actually does.

I honestly can't wrap my head around what that's supposed to mean—"thinks they know more than they actually do." It’s one of those vague, pseudo-intellectual phrases people toss around when they want to sound deep without actually saying anything at all. Just feels like empty noise, really.

If anyone comes looking for an objective opinion from me, they’re going to get it—straight up. I’m not here to sugarcoat things or play nice just to make someone feel better. I don't do lies, and I definitely don't do fluff. You get the truth, raw and unvarnished. That's just how I roll. 🤷

Why doesn't anyone actually value honesty anymore? People seem more interested in sucking up to someone just to avoid the awkwardness of an uncomfortable truth—it’s exhausting. It reminds me of those teachers back in high school who would just hand out straight A's and B's to everyone—not because the work was actually good, but because they couldn't be bothered to grade anything objectively. They just wanted to play the "nice teacher" role and keep the peace in the classroom. It's all about avoiding conflict rather than being real.

🤷

I’m honestly just done with this whole facade of Anglo-Saxon morality—it’s exhausting. They look you right in the eye and tell you everything is great, that you’re doing an amazing job, while they’re busy stabbing you in the back the second you turn around. It’s all just theater. Honestly, the whole WikiLeaks affair pretty much stripped away the mask and showed everyone exactly what was going on behind the scenes.

Why people are so terrified of the truth—it’s a question that keeps coming up, isn't it? It’s funny, really. We spend our entire lives building these elaborate little mental fortresses, layering brick upon brick of denial just to keep a single uncomfortable fact from breaking through. It’s not even about being "wrong" anymore; it's about the sheer exhaustion of having to rebuild your entire worldview once you realize the foundation was made of sand. Most people would rather live in a comfortable delusion than face a jagged reality—it’s just easier that way. Truth is messy. It doesn't care about your feelings or your carefully curated social media persona, and it certainly doesn't offer any easy answers. It’s much more convenient to cling to a nice, polished lie that tells you everything is fine, rather than dealing with the actual, grinding mechanics of how things work. People fear the truth because the truth demands action, and most people are just too tired for that. 🤷

That's all I've got for you.
Look, let’s just be honest here—no need to play that diplomatic, shady game like the Anglo-Saxons do, always working behind everyone's back.
So, you can offer them a wry little smile all you want—it won't stop them from sticking a knife in your back. Just look at what WikiLeaks revealed.

The real deal is all about how you deliver the critique. Personally, I don't have any habit of dressing up the truth, but if the reality is a bit harsh, I'll wrap it up nicely first.

Think about it: saying "this is total garbage, everything is wrong" versus "you've still got some work to do to hit your target" can basically mean the exact same thing. But the reaction? Totally different. One leaves people feeling completely defeated, while the other actually lights a fire under them.
It's like weather. Rain and hail are both just precipitation—it's all just water hitting the ground—but one helps things grow while the other just wrecks everything in its path.