Posts by steelridge58

wiredmaker18 said:That internal drive is nothing more than pure persistence—call it willpower if you want.

Is it fueled by fear of failure, the hope for a payoff, or just a raw obsession with something? Whether it’s collecting coasters, lurking on some hyper-niche forum, or killing yourself at the gym to jump further, run faster, or lift heavier while playing pretend as Tarzan from Appalachia... it doesn't matter.
All of that is just a reflection of the impressions life leaves on you. If I’d been into Star Trek instead of Conan as a kid, there’s a good chance I would’ve gravitated toward science over fantasy. To put it bluntly—though I'm oversimplifying here—I probably would've headed to an art school instead of a tech institute.

How does it all play out? Why does one person lean toward Conan while another goes for Spock? Since we're on the topic, it mostly comes down to your environment and what was shoved in front of you growing up. Did you spend your time building model planes and ships, or were you obsessed with action figures—warriors, princesses, witches, monsters—building imaginary castles and haunted ruins in your head...

Besides a bit of parental influence and them bleeding their own interests onto their kids, what else tips the scale between Conan and Spock? Maybe a psychiatrist could give me a straight answer, but honestly, I don't think there's any grand mysticism or cosmic purpose behind it.

Sure, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe destiny exists, or spirits, or reincarnation, or whatever. But since there’s zero hard evidence proving fate exists, I’m leaning toward the idea that it’s all just chance. A chain reaction of micro-events and a natural predisposition toward certain things. Is interest in something predestined? I don't know. It's like wondering why one kid is genetically built to sprint while another is naturally better at math. Heredity? Some forgotten gene from the early days in Africa, or just a random spark from an ancestor who happened to be good at numbers? It's no more mystical than wondering why someone ends up with curly hair when both parents have straight hair.

I think if people feel they need the concept of "fate," it's because they can't stomach the idea that everything they see—including themselves—is just the result of a random initial impulse followed by a mess of coincidental causes and adaptations. To avoid that discomfort, they invent some massive hidden plan. They sit around hoping Peter Pan, King Arthur, Captain Picard, or Neo will show up to reveal the terrifying possibility that none of this actually means anything. Or maybe it does, and I just don't know... but again, no proof...

I guess you could also say it’s the power of love... if you want to look at it that way.

🙂

Jonathan Rogers4 said:Man, that's deep. In just one tiny sentence, he manages to hit on a few different things:

1) Happiness is basically just a quick breather between two bouts of suffering.
2) That whole Markovian law—believe it or not—where people say stuff like, "If anything can go wrong, it will," or even worse, "Of all the things that could go wrong, the one that causes the most damage always does."
Why is it like that? One of the big reasons behind that Markovian idea is just how humans work—we have this massive bias where we obsess over every single bad thing that happens to us, while we just take all the good stuff for granted, like it’s just supposed to be there.

Oh, man, you hit the nail right on the head! And if you look at what Camus was getting at, he also pointed out how, regardless of the era we live in, happiness is always within reach—though it often leads people to stop looking toward the heavens for answers—whereas misfortune feels much more likely, which usually sends people scrambling to pray for divine intervention; it really makes you wonder if a person can actually steer their own life toward meaningful goals by relying solely on themselves without ever looking upward for help.

And honestly, I take Murphy's Law personally! There have been so many times in my life where I've had to force myself to laugh through the chaos just to get the one thing I actually needed most—a little bit of genuine laughter.

I honestly feel like Nobody isn't even touching upon that other invisible force we all carry—that internal spark that gives us the actual strength to change things, which is already so incredibly influential and creative just by virtue of being a part of who we are, because it flows directly from within ourselves... and it has this capacity to build entirely new constellations of relationships and be truly life-giving and effective.

Then there’s the idea that fate can be viewed as a kind of lineage, a category, or simply a mode of being. It’s a specific way of existing. In that sense, every single living thing in this shared world has its own destiny, its own particular mode of existence. For us humans, that destiny is largely shaped by the choices we make, which in turn define the people around us, all within this massive, tightly woven web of a world we inhabit together...

Morgan Cooper34 said:You’ll get used to it.
In the beginning, it’s rough. Her reality and yours just don't align. But honestly, it's much easier to just lean into it—to play along with this fiancé business—than to watch her suffer because you won't validate her experience. To her, it is all very real.
Just support Grandma. Tell her you're happy if she's happy, and that you're fine with her choice. And please, stop trying to force her back into your version of reality. 😢
It reminds me of the hallucinations my grandfather had right before he passed away. We all played along just so he could feel some peace. There was no point in arguing facts with him. 😢
It takes very little effort from your side, but for her, it means everything. 🤷

I'm with you on that.

🙂

Rebecca Morris2 said:Is it, like, totally crazy to look at life as this constant battle against fate? You know, like we're just playing out some script that's already been written? No matter how hard you grind, things don't always go your way, but there’s always that feeling like... I don't know, "if this hadn't happened, then *that* wouldn't have happened," right? So I end up spiraling into this whole apocalyptic thought process where I'm wondering what I'm even fighting for. But then again, maybe fate is just us sitting on the couch, waiting for life to happen to us? Like, just idling?
What do you guys think about all this? Do you actually feel that invisible force pulling your strings through life—guiding you toward some ultimate goal that makes zero sense while it's happening, but somehow works out in the end?!

I mean, I think it would be, because if we truly believe everything is already set in stone, then any effort we make feels pretty much pointless, doesn't it? But please, just "listen" to this passage:

To shake a heart decisively, fate doesn't need to always swing with violent force or strike with crushing blows; its wild, creative energy is actually fueled by letting destruction bloom from seemingly tiny, fleeting causes. We clumsily call that first subtle touch of a breeze "fate," and we wonder why such a small thing can swell into a force so massive. But just like a sickness doesn't start the moment you feel its symptoms, human destiny doesn't only begin when it finally manifests as an event we can see. Fate has been steering things from deep within, through our very spirit and blood, long before it ever touches the soul from the outside. Realizing this is a form of defense, though most of the time, it's a futile one.
( Stefan Zweig )

On the other hand, Albert Camus would probably tell us: The human heart has this awkward tendency to label only the things that destroy it as "fate." But happiness, too, is inexplicable in its own way, simply because it is inevitable. So, I find myself agreeing with that sentiment as well.

Rebecca Morris2 said:Is it, like, totally crazy to look at life as this constant battle against fate? You know, like we're just playing out some script that's already been written? No matter how hard you grind, things don't always go your way, but there’s always that feeling like... I don't know, "if this hadn't happened, then *that* wouldn't have happened," right? So I end up spiraling into this whole apocalyptic thought process where I'm wondering what I'm even fighting for. But then again, maybe fate is just us sitting on the couch, waiting for life to happen to us? Like, just idling?
What do you guys think about all this? Do you actually feel that invisible force pulling your strings through life—guiding you toward some ultimate goal that makes zero sense while it's happening, but somehow works out in the end?!

Exactly.

Ronald Rogers27 said:Yeah, I definitely feel it. And I let my gut lead the way. That doesn't mean I'm just sitting on my couch waiting for a meteor to hit me in the face, though. I play these weird, complicated little games with life that most people wouldn't understand if I tried to explain them... 😬

Everything is set in stone, unless we decide to change our own Destiny...

And honestly, you need (and only have) that invisible force to make that happen... 👍

Ronald Rogers27

I'm not sure I'd use the word "change," though, because that implies we actually know what's coming and that we have the power to alter a specific outcome—when really, all we can do is guess. Or maybe it's more accurate to say that we're actually out here creating our own destiny as we go.

hiddenhound3 said:Children need to be allowed to play, socialize, and learn spontaneously for as long as possible, developing the creativity and sensitivity that will eventually serve as both their toolkit and their weapon in the real world. I fear, however, that our American mindset tends to instill the exact opposite within our educational system. Children are practically being stripped away from their childhood, when we should truly be striving to let them remain children for as long as we can.

So, what I'm trying to say is... there is this step-by-step approach that is genuinely brilliant and well-conceived in certain schools—I remember about ten years ago, if I recall correctly, they didn't even use grades, just descriptive feedback—but the rest of the educational path just doesn't sustain or build upon that philosophy at all. So, everything I can possibly say about the school system these kids are subjected to—and I use the word "subjected" intentionally—is that it's just inhumane! It’s truly inhumane toward children who are still so young, who practically still smell like baby formula, yet they are expected and forced to conform to something that is completely unnatural for them.

Here is what Valery said: "Ask young people to express things they don't even think or feel—topics far beyond their own experience or interests—and they won't struggle with the expression itself, but rather with the difficulty of having to conform."

Sean Cruz said:Exactly. 😁 My daughter once wrote in an English assignment that she loves playing with her friends because it's fun, but she hates school because it's boring. 🤣

You've reminded me of the poems at the start and end of "Mažuranić"... wait, no, the book "elementary particle". If you get the chance, read them (they are too long to post here, but here is one excerpt...) which offer a glimmer of hope, quite the opposite:

... And so today we can listen to that tale of the materialistic age
Like an old story about people.
It is a sad story, yet it won't truly sadden us
Because we no longer resemble those people.
Though grown from their bodies and desires, we have cast off
Their divisions and affiliations
We haven't known their joys nor are we acquainted with their pains,
We cast them aside with indifference
And without any effort
Their world of death.
Those centuries of pain are our heritage,
Today we can pull from oblivion
Something akin to a second parting,
And now we have the right to live our own lives.

🙂

I haven't read that book, but I'll look for it. Perhaps it will provide a small dose of hope. 🙂

p.s. personally, I'm more terrified of those robots in lab coats, looking as if humanity died out long ago.

They are a whole other issue entirely.

Man, if you think those folks are something else, just wait until you realize the book itself is its own thing, and don't even get me started on the poems... they are really something else entirely. 🙂

Olivia Evans8 said:

Wait, are we really talking about servantes? Like, the actual concept? Because if we are... oh man... that opens up such a massive rabbit hole! I honestly could go on about this for hours... just thinking about how it all ties together... it's wild! Seriously though, let's dive in... kaže:
Man, I still remember back in '66 when I started first grade... we spent the entire year just grinding away at uppercase and lowercase letters. That was it! Just ABCs all day long...

When I say logic, I’m not talking about some boring math equation, okay? I mean the actual game of it! You gotta use simple little games to show them basic concepts first. Then, you slowly layer on the complexity, getting more and more precise until they finally land on the actual definition. Because honestly, what is a kid even going to do with a textbook definition? My brother was stuck in third grade being forced to memorize these super technical definitions for things like "media," "television," and "the TV set." Like, seriously? Do you even know the difference between a television and the concept of television? By the time you're 30 or 40, sure, you get it. But at nine years old? It’s just exhausting... and totally boring...

So, think about it... from elementary all the way through high school, they basically throw a massive pile of subjects at you, just hoping one of them actually sticks. But honestly, is that even the right way to do things? Ever since my freshman year, I knew math was the only thing that actually clicked for me. Everything else? Total snooze fest. But I still had to grind out those grades and waste so much precious time mastering stuff I’m probably never going to use in the real world. It feels like such a waste... I know so many bright people who totally burned out trying to chase this "well-rounded education" dream, and because of that, they ended up way less prepared for the careers they actually love. It's such a double-edged sword, though... you could learn everything and maybe find a passion, but man...

How am I even supposed to find the headspace to actually critique my physics experiments when I'm stuck drowning in textbooks about Abraham Lincoln, trying to memorize the US GDP, and reading endless stuff about the Romans... seriously...

🙂 Yeah, and that's exactly the heart of the issue—it feels imposed on you, like you have no choice but to comply. I don't know, I suspect there must be different educational models out there somewhere that start from a completely different premise and actually pay attention to a child's specific needs and interests. I've heard from some friends of mine living in Sweden that their kids actually look forward to going to school, almost like they're heading over to a friend's house or somewhere they genuinely enjoy being.

Sean Cruz said:School principals are mostly micromanaged by the Department of Education, which trickles down to the teachers. That’s just how it works here, according to sources I trust. Essentially, if you want to keep your job, be grateful you have a paycheck, stay quiet, and get to work. That’s the reality. Even when specialized schools receive donations, the Department decides how to distribute those funds at their own discretion. I’m not sure if you remember that case involving the school for the visually impaired. The principal received a donation from a Frenchwoman specifically intended to buy a van for student transport. He fought for over a year to access those funds, only for the Department to decide they didn't actually need a van and refused to release the money. Eventually, the woman requested her money back since it wouldn't be used for its intended purpose. They bought the van in the end, but the principal lost his job. You see similar patterns in almost every other school.

Don't worry, I won't go picking a fight with the shaman. 🤣

Well, the future is already manifesting in our "now"... and it isn't looking pretty. It's something we should be changing for the sake of what's to come.

My father shared a sobering thought with me recently: my generation might very well be the last one before humanity fades out. The little "robots" following us will largely be indoctrinated with various ideologies, and through them, true humanity will perish. It's not far from the truth—we can see it right now in our own backyard through things like religious segregation in public schools and such. I won't dwell on the darkest examples from our recent history...

It’s such a shame. I know they’re often under immense pressure, and that deviating from the Department's "recommendations"—though let's be honest, they're actually mandates—can cost them their careers. But, thank goodness there are still people out there who try, despite everything... In the meantime, the kids are always happiest when there's no school!

Sean Cruz said:School principals are mostly micromanaged by the Department of Education, which trickles down to the teachers. That’s just how it works here, according to sources I trust. Essentially, if you want to keep your job, be grateful you have a paycheck, stay quiet, and get to work. That’s the reality. Even when specialized schools receive donations, the Department decides how to distribute those funds at their own discretion. I’m not sure if you remember that case involving the school for the visually impaired. The principal received a donation from a Frenchwoman specifically intended to buy a van for student transport. He fought for over a year to access those funds, only for the Department to decide they didn't actually need a van and refused to release the money. Eventually, the woman requested her money back since it wouldn't be used for its intended purpose. They bought the van in the end, but the principal lost his job. You see similar patterns in almost every other school.

Don't worry, I won't go picking a fight with the shaman. 🤣

Well, the future is already manifesting in our "now"... and it isn't looking pretty. It's something we should be changing for the sake of what's to come.

My father shared a sobering thought with me recently: my generation might very well be the last one before humanity fades out. The little "robots" following us will largely be indoctrinated with various ideologies, and through them, true humanity will perish. It's not far from the truth—we can see it right now in our own backyard through things like religious segregation in public schools and such. I won't dwell on the darkest examples from our recent history...

Now you've actually reminded me of those poems found in the prologue and at the end of the book "elementary particle," so if you ever get the chance, you really should read them (they're quite long, and if I tried to type them all out here, I'd be here forever, but here is just a snippet...) and they actually offer a sense of hope, which is almost the exact opposite of what you're feeling:

... And so today we can listen to that tale of the materialistic age
As an old story about people.
It is a sorrowful tale, yet it won't truly grieve us
Because we no longer resemble those people.
Though we grew from their bodies and their desires, we cast aside
Their divisions and their loyalties
We never knew their joys, nor were we acquainted with their pains,
We cast them off with indifference
And without any effort
Their world of death.
Those centuries of pain are our heritage,
Today we can pull them from oblivion
Something like a second parting has occurred,
And now we have the right to live our own lives.

🙂

p.s. personally, I'm much more terrified of those robots in business suits, looking as though humanity died out a long time ago.

Sean Cruz said:I can't speak to how things work in America, but here in the States, teachers aren't even consulted. It’s not like they want to teach from subpar materials, either. From what I can tell, choosing textbooks around here is strictly a matter of political affiliation. Now, that's separate from the fact that the shaman completely disrespects the teaching profession.

That wasn't even what he was getting at, honestly... 🙂 and I truly don't think that was his intention, but rather more of a speculation regarding my own question, especially since I wasn't entirely sure whether it's the Department of Education or the individual teachers who actually call the shots on textbook selection. But still, if it's the government or some other authority making those calls and the books end up being terrible, shouldn't the teachers be the ones trying to push for better options?

Sean Cruz said:I feel like I’m becoming a bigger pessimist with every passing year. Honestly, I’m even losing the will to engage in these debates anymore; I used to be so passionate and ready to fight for my side in discussions like this, but that fire just isn't there lately.
What worries me most right now is this whole situation with Bolden—and honestly, what it means for our kids.

Well, it feels like we're already seeing the future manifest in the present... and it doesn't look particularly bright, even though it's precisely because of this future that we ought to be making changes.

Sean Cruz said:I suppose it comes down to political connections, just like everything else in this country. All I know is that parents are dealing with a massive headache. And don't even get me started on the terrible reading lists—or the total lack thereof—while so many of my colleagues sit around waiting for a spot to open up at the local school district.🙄

Anyway, no matter which slice of society you look at, it feels like you could stick your finger right into the rot (at least here in the States, where you and I are living). Of course, the education system is just a reflection of that larger decay within our country. And they always say the kids are the ones who end up inheriting the mess...

Edward Flores4 said:Publishers basically send out these sales reps to woo teachers—they drop off little gifts, sponsor all these weekend trips... it’s a whole production. And then, once they’ve built that rapport, the teachers are the ones actually deciding which textbooks our kids end up using. 😉

Honestly, I kind of suspected there was some kind of shady setup going on behind the scenes, though I had originally assumed the whole thing was being managed directly by the Department of Education, so I was just sitting here wondering why teachers don't have more of a say in selecting higher-quality materials for their own classrooms.

Sean Cruz said:I’m with you on this. I’ve been navigating the school system with my nine-year-old daughter—she’s part of the first cohort under the current setup—and frankly, I am not impressed with how they handle the students. For the first two grades, they used the "Step by Step" method, but once third grade hit, they just dumped a mountain of raw data on them. It was a nightmare for everyone; parents and teachers alike were drowning trying to keep up with the massive syllabus. The kids were just lost.
In my view, the American school system generally overwhelms children with a deluge of useless facts. The real culprits are the bloated curricula and textbook authors who seem incapable of writing material that is actually age-appropriate.
At the end of the day, school is just the starting line; real learning is a lifelong pursuit. 🙂

EDIT: There is already an existing thread where we discussed the distinction between schooling and true education:

Education is…

That bolded part hits the nail on the head! Some of these textbooks are an absolute disaster, truly. I find myself wondering how on earth they even pass the approval process? It’s not like there isn't a huge pool of talented writers out there who could easily craft something appropriate for young students, but somehow it always seems like the people who lack that basic understanding are the ones getting the licenses to write them—though I'm not entirely sure how the whole selection process works, to be honest....

Olivia Evans8 said:The real issue is that school basically acts like a mandatory knowledge dump that everyone’s forced to swallow. Sure, actually *understanding* things is the goal, but if you're slammed for time, just grinding through memorization is "good enough." There's zero room left for actual deep thinking or building up your intellect. It gets pushed aside as this "nice-to-have" thing rather than a necessity...

If we’re being idealists about it, education should be a lifelong journey where you're constantly being nudged in the right direction starting from elementary school (or even earlier!) with all this extra layers of knowledge. Like, kids in first grade should already be getting a taste of logic and critical thinking—developing those essential life skills that aren't part of the standard curriculum. Everyone loves to bash "philosophers" these days, but they totally miss the point that healthy, critical thinking about everything... is actually healthy!

So, school isn't necessarily making people stupid because there's nothing there to make them dumb... it just fails to give them enough to work with.

Honestly, I think we should focus more on teaching logic to elementary schoolers—but specifically *their* logic! We need to nurture that natural curiosity they have and use it as a bridge to introduce them to the actual world of knowledge. In that sense, I think the "step-by-step" programs some of our local public schools implement through fourth grade are actually quite wonderful for developing various skills, though the real headache starts when they move up because the curriculum stops supporting that creative, hands-on approach. It can make it pretty tough for kids to adjust to the rigid, traditional way things are done later on, but hey, I suppose that’s still better than overwhelming them with heavy-duty requirements that are way too advanced for their age right out of the gate.

rustymaker5 said:Don't kill me within yourself, and don't kill yourself within me.
Well, that’s basically the gist of it, though I suppose if you look at those old commandments they handed down, they were way too heavy and cumbersome, so he just decided to trim the fat and make things a bit more concise...

There’s just something incredibly beautiful about that sentiment, though I suppose the real weight of how true it actually is is something only those who have committed a murder without truly killing their victim—by losing that piece of them inside themselves—could ever really grasp, because those kinds of deaths are just so far beyond anything we can reach or even begin to understand...

mistyscout2 said:Yeah, I know it used to work that way, but honestly, I'm not quite sure about the rules lately. Maybe it's just because I haven't been active on the boards for a while, or maybe there's some weird glitch somewhere? I haven't the slightest clue, though it’s probably not like my posts are hogging up too much space on the server anyway. I’ve already cleared out some of the less important stuff, but I’m definitely not touching the rest—no way, no how.

Who would be the best person among the admins to reach out to about this? Or am I going to get a lecture from one of the site owners if I ask? 🙂

Desiree, please don't just sit around waiting for things to happen. 🙂 Just head over to the mod queue and ask them directly.

And since he used to be a moderator, he should have at least 300 posts on his record, so you really ought to double-check everything in the admin panel before you go ahead and start deleting any of his messages.

Donna Campbell6 said:Back when daily newspapers were just starting to take off in Europe, it was actually pretty wild how many writers, philosophers, and big-time intellectuals fought against them. They hated the idea of cheap news.
Take Goethe, for example. He saw it coming from a mile away when he said: "The time is coming when one man's misfortune will become the entertainment of a thousand others. Every single day."
Basically, he called out exactly what you're pointing out here...

And now we see that happening in real-time through live TV broadcasts, just like what we're seeing today. But I think there's a deeper layer to what Goethe was getting at here; he wasn't just predicting technology, he was really tapping into certain human traits and inclinations, essentially observing how media would eventually provide a platform for those darker impulses where someone else's tragedy becomes a spectator sport for the masses.
Ultimately, it boils down to whether media editors can accurately identify what people actually crave—what they want to watch, listen to, or read—which really means pinpointing that specific market segment they can target to drive up circulation, ratings, and, of course, their bottom line.

You can't really look at this issue in a vacuum, though, because it’s deeply tied to our own everyday lives, which I suspect is the main anchor that allows the tabloid media to find its footing, stay relevant, and honestly, probably even thrive.

Here is what Paul Bruckner had to say about the nature of the everyday: The everyday is stripped of the very thing that captures our attention most: tension. There is nothing in it to make us wait with bated breath or feel a sense of trembling anticipation, because everything simply repeats itself endlessly. It’s this exhausting cycle of asking "what's new?" only to be met with the answer, "nothing special!" If, according to Baudelaire, ennui is the inability to unravel something, then banality is quite the opposite—it’s the total inability to weave something together, to start something fresh, or to create even a tiny crack in that monotonous dough of identical moments.

In a way, the media acts as a sort of surrogate for the life many people don't actually have—or perhaps even wouldn't want—offering a substitute for reality that feels far more gripping and intense than the supposedly "exciting" scenes of our actual daily existence.

Harold Adams5 said:Honestly, this poem sounds like something our own moderator wrote 😵

I won't say which one 🙂

But hey, at least we know how to read, which really means looking past the literal words to grasp what the poet was actually trying to get across! 🙂

Donna Campbell6 said:I don't know if it's even possible to show the world the same face we see when we're staring at ourselves in the mirror. Maybe we're just stuck wearing masks. Even before we realize it, subconsciously...
But hey, I think when you're dealing with the tabloid media, you have every right to put on the most fake mask you've got, just to shut them up and get them away from... well, you know.

What I really wanted to get at was how there is always a way to find a person's true humanity, despite those who love to act "outraged"—like those tabloid outlets you see on every corner in America that thrive on judging the intimate details of someone else's life, essentially feeding into this petty, small-minded need to feel morally superior and righteous through their indignation.

Life has a funny way of throwing things at us that completely flip our worldview upside down, doesn't it? For instance, someone might spend their whole lives condemning homosexuality, only to suddenly find themselves staring into a completely different version of their own soul when they discover their own son is gay. Or it could work the other way around, where someone considers themselves incredibly progressive until they hit a reality check that forces them to face a side of themselves they didn't know existed—maybe it's a teenage daughter getting pregnant after they spent years judging a neighbor's kid or a cousin for the exact same thing, or just any number of those heavy, life-altering moments we all eventually stumble into.

There is also this beautiful piece by Wislawa Szymborska that captures something so profound:

happy love. Is it even normal,
is it serious, is it even useful—
what does the world gain from two people
who don't even see the world around them?

Elevated to greatness without merit,
two souls, one in a million, yet certain
that it had to be so—as a reward for what? Nothing.
Light falls from nowhere—
why specifically on them, and not on others?
Does it not offend justice? It does.
Does it not disturb the carefully ordered rules,
does it not shake morality from its height? It does both.

Just look at those lucky ones:
if only they would hide themselves just a little,
feign some sadness and thus comfort their friends!
Listen to the way they laugh—so provocatively.
And the language they speak—as if it were understandable.
And those ceremonies of theirs, those little rituals,
the way they attend to one another with such care—
it's almost as if they’ve conspired against all of humanity!

It is hard to even imagine what would happen
if others could follow their example.
What would religions or poetry have left to lean on,
what would be thought about, what would be neglected,
who would even want to stay in the game?

happy love. Who actually needs it?
Tact and reason dictate that we should be silent about it,
treating it like a scandal from the higher spheres of Life.
Wonderful children are born without its help.
It could never truly fertilize the earth,
anyway, it rarely happens.

Let those who have never known happy love
peacefully insist that it simply doesn't exist anywhere.

With that conviction, they will find it easier to live, and to die.

🙂