Posts by rustymaker5

Edward Flores4 said:I always think of oak leaves when I try to wrap my head around "free will"—it’s probably the best metaphor out there. Every single leaf is its own thing, making its own way, but at the root level, everything is interconnected. We’re all part of the same tree, so one leaf's movement ripples through the rest because we're all drawing from that same shared foundation.

The whole free will debate is really just one big paradox. You can only really define free will by contrasting it against things that happen *against* your will—you know, those moments where stuff just happens to you without your input. In a weird way, if we didn't have those external forces acting upon us, the concept of free will wouldn't even exist. And honestly? If every single little thing happened strictly because we willed it... well, that sounds like a nightmare. You'd be stuck making a million tiny decisions every second and would probably lose your mind within thirty minutes.

At its core, free will is just the capacity to choose when an actual choice is available. If there's no option, there's no free will. Think about simpler organisms—they basically operate on a basic "action-reaction" loop. But humans? Because we have memory and complex perception, we get to operate on a much more advanced loop: "action—perception—choice—reaction."

“The spoken word was the first technology by which man was able to let go of his environment in order to grasp it in a new way. There is absolutely no inevitability as long as there is a willingness to contemplate what is happening."
Marshall McLuhan

It couldn't be put any more simply than that.

But does that mean there are actually situations out there where we have absolutely zero choice?

I mean, I can't help but notice it, but since she’s already joined this boys' club, why shouldn't she be appointed as the moderator? 🥳

Man, I wouldn't mind jumping into that photo myself... 😍

🙂 Way to go, steelridge58!

Grace Bennett4 said:I get where you're coming from, but that raises a massive question: does it even make sense to talk about God if that entity lacks any actual personality or traits? Let me clarify my own position and try to address the core issue from the original post. Personally, I see humans as souls—meaning we possess an immaterial, immortal component. I wouldn't call it "belief" in the sense of blind faith used to mask ignorance; I remember things from previous lives, which means I "know" death isn't the end. Broadly speaking, I believe there is an invisible, spiritual dimension to this world. It’s something you can feel and connect with, even if science can't pull out a ruler and measure it.

I can believe in the existence of various entities—good and bad, let's call them angels and demons—without viewing them through a strictly Christian lens, nor am I claiming to be an expert on them. It just feels logical and probable to me. Depending on our behavior, our nature, our history, and our goals, these forces influence us.

So, where does God fit into this mess? Suppose I believe the soul is a fragment of God, a piece that always remembers its origin and tries to find its way home, no matter how many layers of ego are covering it up. But do I believe there is a conscious, sentient personality out there that can be called God? I honestly don't know. When things go wrong—whether it's a personal crisis or global chaos—I tend to think we are the ones responsible. As a collective of souls, we are the ones who have to fix what we broke. No external consciousness, no God, is going to step in and do it for us. Non-material entities might help us or hinder us, but they don't hold ultimate authority. Whether there exists an omnipotent being with total power and infinite knowledge is the question Enchi posed, but I don't have an answer for that. I've chewed on it, but I'm still stuck.

Yeah... honestly, trying to wrap your head around a complex understanding of God isn't easy, not even for oneself, let alone when you're trying to explain it to anyone else... I don't really view God as a "person," or a distinct entity, or some being with physical traits like we describe things in our material reality here in the States.

The explanation that feels most straightforward and actually makes sense to me is this: God is the Absolute. And as such—as the apsolutan—He is simply pure Knowledge, Cognition, the ultimate outcome of all understanding... He is pure Love, Goodness, Light, Perfection—things that are incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to grasp from a purely material perspective... He is quite simply EVERYTHING.
And where does that leave us? Well, we are the medium through which God expresses Himself. And why would He bother expressing Himself? Well, if He is the apsolutan, pure Love, and possesses all knowledge, how can He actually experience those qualities? To do that, He needs an opposite... because you just can't recognize good without the absence of good, or beauty without the lack of beauty, or light without the presence of darkness, and so on... That’s why He created this material world, a world defined by relativity that allows for the coexistence of good and evil, beauty and ugliness, light and shadow... that's why He placed His fragments—which I recognize as souls—into material bodies, so that through us, the concept of sebe is transformed into the experience of sebe.
I don't know if you follow what I'm getting at... I have a tendency to oversimplify things, but personally, this is the most coherent way I can think of to reflect on God and the reason—the actual purpose—of our existence... 🤷

mistybison said:Is believing in something greater than ourselves—a deeper purpose behind our existence—merely the initial spark that sets us on a spiritual journey, or is it a constant companion along the way? Can spirituality truly exist without God, regardless of how one defines Him? Is it possible to be spiritual without being a believer? Furthermore, if you feel you "know" something for certain, how do you distinguish actual knowledge from simply having faith in what you know?

For those who view people primarily as souls merely wearing physical bodies while walking this Earth, spirituality isn't just an option; it's baked right into the core of who you are, making it pretty much impossible to ignore... though whether that ties back to faith depends entirely on how we define faith—specifically, if we define it as believing in a non-material reality and our own non-physical essence. Whether we decide to call that higher dimension God, a creator, a universal force, pure energy, or just love, it doesn't really change the mechanics of it...
So, I'd say if we don't believe there's some kind of non-material source out there, it's going to be incredibly hard to follow any spiritual path at all, mostly because we wouldn't even realize such a path exists in the first place. So, my take would be: you can't have spirituality without God, though I should add that this "God" doesn't necessarily have anything to do with religious definitions or the traditional ways people depict Him...

Now we’re just going to end up acting like grammar is the deciding factor for extremism, and pretending that most Muslims are all peaceful and tolerant toward non-believers... I’d really love to see how those supposedly tolerant folks would actually behave during a mass uprising in Western nations, which they find so alien, ugly, and religiously intolerant to begin with. "To hell with freedom" is just such a terrifying message.

People ought to just think whatever they can, really, provided they make an honest effort to keep their outlook positive...

Jacob Jackson50 said:Look, the people living on this planet are the ones who caused the pollution in the first place. That's just basic ecology. The Earth isn't going to magically scrub away human-made messes on its own. If we apply that same logic to how we think, every single person needs to work on their own mental ecology. It’s a total illusion to think one person can flip the switch for the whole world, but you can definitely start with yourself. If enough people actually thought and acted that way, then—boom—you have global change. Usually, the folks who are actually awake to this stuff are working toward a higher goal, trying to serve the greater good and spark a shift in everyone else's mindset. You have to actually *do* something instead of just sitting there waiting for a miracle. And honestly? People who actually try tend to annoy everyone else because they're constantly pointing out bad habits, suggesting lifestyle shifts, or trying to "reprogram" how society works. So, maybe that’s what you mean by "making a mess."

You hit the nail on the head there—they really do just irritate people... mostly because humans are fundamentally terrified of change. It triggers this deep sense of discomfort and pure anxiety, so most folks would much rather stay stuck exactly where they are, because at least that's familiar territory, whereas anything new is just a giant, scary unknown. And let's face it, nobody likes the unknown. When someone actually points out that changing your situation is possible, people tend to reject the idea outright... but then, when they see someone else actually succeed through that change, it just makes them even more annoyed, so they get aggressive or arrogant just to defend the miserable status quo they've built for themselves.

placidjackal36 said:But the subconscious isn't part of the brain? Everything is in the head, Morgan Hernandez5. It's been proven through heavy use of psychoactive substances, testing, lobotomies, electrical stimulation of brain regions, hypnosis... where all sorts of things float up into consciousness. It's all in the brain; it just sits deep inside until the right conditions are met for it to fly out.

Doesn't matter, let it stay. 🙂

Angela Newman33
Knowledge without empathy is dangerous
but empathy without knowledge is practically useless

When you marry those two together, you actually achieve wisdom. That’s the only point where you even begin to tap into your actual potential

Just hoarding a mountain of data in your head without any real understanding—I mean, having awareness of individual pieces but failing to see the big picture, the connections, the cause and effect--it just stays a pile of raw info that doesn't hold much real value (aside from feeding the ego, obviously), and it mostly just creates this illusion of being smart

I get the feeling you're accusing science of being what's bolded here. It isn't. Science evolves in two directions—breaking things down and synthesizing them back together. Eventually, you land at multidisciplinarity.

Science didn't spring from dogma; it came from philosophical, skeptical inquiry. And it doesn't deal in dogmas—it deals in theories.

Anyway, we've drifted off-topic again, and a few trolls who showed up (probably just because they love my style) are going to derail the conversation again.
The point is, the topic is how to save the planett. My take? We need to calm down and act locally. Trying to fix everything on a global scale is just a fool's errand.

Even if you sounded a bit contradictory there—talking about being calm while still taking action—I think I see where you're coming from...
The only thing we can truly influence is ourselves (which is strictly "local" in this sense), because at the end of the day, you can't force anyone else to change unless they actually want to...
And once enough individuals start making those shifts, it ripples out to the rest of the world almost by default... it’s just basic logic, really, since all those individual perspectives eventually coalesce into the collective mindset of society...
It's like a single drop of water in Niagara Falls thinking it doesn't matter... that little drop is actually vital to the existence of the whole falls. If every single drop thought it was insignificant, the entire waterfall would just cease to exist, wouldn't it? 🙂

placidjackal36 said:It’s all very lovely and poetic, rustymaker5, but he’s just fueling his own arrogance with this DIY version of pantheism—basically a commercialized grab bag of bits and pieces he’s plucked from Eastern religions and New Age movements.
He’s convinced himself that God exists solely for his benefit. Now, that might sound like a pretty sentiment, but since we're dealing with humans, it’s just as fatalistic as believing we exist solely for God (where we then project whatever traits we want onto Him and follow them blindly just because "that's what He said").

To be fair, Christianity has one distinct advantage: it values being small. Sure, the Church tends to blow that out of proportion by preaching "martyrdom and suffering as the only path to salvation"—which is a different beast entirely and served its specific purpose back in the day—but the core essence of Christianity isn't about ego. What he’s doing here (God is here for me, ME, ME, ME, ME) is way more dangerous.

You know better than anyone that I’m not a religious guy; I’m just fascinated by nature. Its sheer power, complexity, and beauty serve as a constant reminder that I am tiny, yet capable of making an impact. He doesn't get that. He’s twisted it in his head so that he’s the big player, that God is there for him, that everything is God (meaning everything is essentially there for gentlemaker6), and that he’s connected to everything in a way that allows him to manipulate the divine. In his mind, gentlemaker6 effectively *is* God. He influences everything; he is everything.

How am I supposed to agree with that level of hubris? Not a chance. You only need to take his arguments apart slightly, and logic immediately confirms what your gut already told you: he’s full of himself.

I’m happy to debate this with actual arguments, but since he hasn't learned how to do that—having only mastered the art of repeating his own fabrications—if you actually challenge him... well, prepare for some divine wrath.

🤣
I mean, seriously, how on earth did you interpret it that way?!?

My take is completely different—it’s more about the fact that we all, in other words every single one of us, all living beings here in America, are actually just fragments (tiny pieces) of Absolute Energy/ God/ The Whole, and we've just manifested into these various physical forms... It's like how every little part of our body (from a single eyelash right down to the heart itself) is a cell that makes up our being, in the exact same way that we all (whether you want to call it spirit or soul, whatever works for you) are parts of that Absolute, creative energy—which we call God—and there, let's just emphasize that sense of Oneness where we are all interconnected pieces...
There isn't any arrogance involved here, really; Simon is simply saying that you, me, him, and everyone else is divine in essence, much like how every individual drop in the Atlantic Ocean is its own distinct thing, yet remains an inseparable, fundamental part of the entire ocean...

As Shakespeare once put it: There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
That goes for all of us, really; there is just so much out there that we can't quite wrap our heads around, yet we find ourselves aching for some kind of explanation, which makes it such a massive tragedy when we end up just bickering with one another and trying to force our own narrow views on everyone else...
It’s nearly impossible to claim with any absolute certainty that there is only one single truth—truth—but maybe a better way to navigate this mess is to realize that true truth should naturally embrace perspectives that promote goodness, tolerance, and love, rather than those that try to bulldoze their way through with aggression, exclusivity, and total intolerance of anything different.
So, gentlemaker6 and placidjackal36, and honestly anyone else caught between these two ways of thinking, let's just allow each other to share our worldviews freely without the constant fear that someone else's perspective is going to threaten our own... because it won't.
Personally, I value both of these viewpoints here for different reasons, and it would be a real shame to see this exchange of ideas veer into hostile territory. You both have more to offer than you might realize, especially if you stop trying to cut each other down to size... after all, diversity is where the richness lies, while uniformity is just a sign of coercion and control. 🙂

placidjackal36 said:Sometimes I’m agnostic, sometimes I’m an atheist, and sometimes I’m a believer. For certain things, I believe simply because they can't be proven. When it comes to nonsense that flies in the face of hard facts, I'm a staunch atheist—or even an antitheist, if we're using your definition of the term, which seems more concerned with supernatural entities than what I'm actually talking about.

Life is created by energy-rich chemical compounds? Everyone laughed. 😂😂😂

If you aren't interested in what I'm writing, then stop replying to my posts.

Yes, life is driven by energy-rich compounds. You honestly think this is just my little invention?
What about the massive teams of researchers who have dedicated their lives to this? What about the millions of people every day who validate these discoveries?
Have you ever actually looked into physiology? People have spent lifetimes studying how a human being functions. They’ve run experiments. They’ve measured the intake and output of mass, calculated how much energy a single unit of a nutrient provides through complete oxidation versus what's actually utilized when someone eats, and then mapped out the metabolic utility of specific parts: muscle, brain, and so on. They’ve tracked oxygen intake and expiration during rest, during study, or while running.
They’ve analyzed bodily fluids using every method under the sun, put subjects through X-rays and NMR, and monitored brain activity via EEG and heart rhythms via EKG.

We know exactly why a person lives and why they die. We understand our own structure down to the histological details. We know what powers a cell—the breakdown of substances and their fusion with oxygen in the mitochondria to produce the ATP that drives everything else.
We know how the kidneys filter waste and exactly how much energy that process requires.
We know why a heart can keep beating even when the brain is effectively dead. We know where emotions reside and where memories are stored.
We know where the center of balance is, and why a person panics when their airway is obstructed.
We know why it hurts when you get hit. We know why the smell of smoke or the sound of a firecracker can trigger a panic attack. We know why a mother's breast produces milk the moment a newborn latches.
We know what reflexes are.

A human being is such a beautifully complex organism that you’re essentially dragging its incredible sophistication through the mud by denying it. You deny it in almost every single post you make. Honestly, it gets under my skin.

I guess it would be best if I just started reading books on physics, chemistry, and stuff like that. Apparently, that's the only way to be considered smart. Everything else is worthless. Maybe I should just toss all other books onto a bonfire. They probably just serve to make people stupid anyway. The most important thing is knowing which chemical substance my brain or some gland is secreting in a given situation. Bravo. You've solved many of life's essential mysteries with that one statement.😁

Look, you really ought to start reading more. You need to take a closer look at the very things you’re dismissing just because you refuse to acknowledge how complex they actually are. I never said things like the meaning of life were "stupid." But you know what is stupid? Denying the actual facts of life, which is exactly what you're doing right now.

Where on earth did you get the notion that I think nothing else has value? Is *Anna Karenina* garbage just because it isn't chemistry? Is Bach’s Third Suite worthless simply because it isn't physics?
Where are you even pulling these delusions from?

And where does this idea come from—that explaining a phenomenon somehow strips away its beauty? According to your logic, something is only beautiful if you’re too ignorant to understand how it works?
Is a night sky outside a major US city suddenly trash and stripped of its wonder just because we know it isn't some mystical shell of dots controlling our behavior, but rather a massive expanse of gas and plasma fusing elements?
Why would it be?

By your reasoning, does understanding how sound waves propagate through metal and air somehow degrade the raw, visceral terror felt when someone strikes a memorial bell in a quiet town square?

Man, what is wrong with you? Seriously, what is actually going on in your head?

placidjackal36, I’m honestly surprised to see you posting about spirituality, especially since you tend to view it through such a... mythic lens. 🙂
In this space, scientific data isn't some absolute, untouchable truth, and subjective values within one's own internal compass carry a lot of weight—not to mention those experiential insights into the beyond, that whole realm of existence you don't even acknowledge...
Under these circumstances, it’s hard to have a real conversation with someone like gentlemaker6; it’s kind of like trying to discuss literature with a kid who has barely mastered the alphabet but hasn't quite tackled Dostoevsky yet. 😉 And I say that strictly in terms of understanding that we all exist on different levels of consciousness, where no one is inherently better or worse than anyone else, we're just simply where we are right now... much like how you wouldn't—and shouldn't—compare the intellect of a third grader to an eighth grader back in middle school. I hope you follow my drift... 🙂

Yesterday I found myself watching Spades again, and man, it’s such a bloodbath... even though the whole thing focuses on the intense suffering of the Christian Messiah, I can't help but get hit hard by the realization of just how much people are capable of doing to one another. 😢 And honestly, it all stems from such petty impulses, just pure fear. It's this fear they nurture deep inside themselves, and once it takes over—it transforms into this horrific inhumanity, a kind of evil that exists only for its own sake, a mass hysteria fueled by a collective amnesia about our own nature, born out of this panicked sense of isolation, loneliness, and being completely disconnected from everyone and everything else around us. 😢

Yet it really doesn't take much at all—just Love—to actually feel connected, protected, whole, and truly happy... as human beings.

Paul Morales3 said:Lately, I’ve realized that one of the biggest things holding me back is this nagging sense of guilt because I’m not being the "perfect little girl" my mother expects. She’s drilled her own set of opinions and beliefs so deep into my head that whenever I do something "wrong"—which really just means anything she wouldn't approve of—I feel like a cartoon character pops up in my mind. It’s her face and her voice, staring at me with this look of pure disappointment or judgment. On a conscious level, I know exactly what I’m doing is fine, but subconsciously, it eats at me. 🙂

For instance, I feel like I have to hide the fact that I grab a drink when I go out, mostly because in her mind, having one cocktail is just a slippery slope straight to alcoholism.🙄 Or I have to keep it under wraps when I meet up with people I met online, because if she found out, she’d launch into a lecture about how there's something wrong with me or why I can't find "normal" friends in person.🙄 I realize I can't change her views, and frankly, I don't want to try. 😁

These are just small, everyday examples, but the cumulative weight of it is exhausting; it creates this constant pressure that’s starting to feel like a neurosis. I worry that when I eventually get a boyfriend, I’ll be too hesitant to be intimate because I know I won't get Mom's blessing. Or, if I do, I’ll end up spiraling into guilt because, deep down, I'll feel like I'm doing something shameful. 😵

Sometimes I have to laugh at myself, thinking about that old saying, "God is watching everything, nothing stays hidden," except in my case, it feels like Mom's eyes are everywhere. 🤣

How do I shake this off? Is anyone else dealing with something similar?

*I'm not some kid; I'm 20 🙈, so please don't mistake this for teen drama. 🙂

That’s actually a good way to look at it. Especially since your mom is just doing what she thinks is best for you. 🙂 It’s a completely different story when you view it through your own lens, though, which is probably why it gets under your skin subconsciously. But look, you still have a few years ahead of you, especially if you're sticking with school, to build a relationship with her based on actual trust and being open with one another... Don't sweat it too much, she knows you're becoming an adult, and the only thing that might really shake her confidence in you is if you start acting reckless. But if you stay responsible—and looking at everything you wrote here, I’d say you definitely are—then things should fall into place quite nicely. If not, well, eventually you'll just have to cut that umbilical cord once and for all. 🤷

One more thing, though... nobody hands you a permission slip to be happy. You have to go out and make that happen for yourself. 😉

gentlemaker6 said:Every single person on Earth needs to be part of this. I wasn't just talking about a select few; I meant everyone.

Each of us has a role to play, and we ought to play it. We should contribute at whatever level we are able. As the saying goes: "Think globally, act locally."

It's funny, really, how people always seem to feel like everyone expects them to perform some impossible feat they just can't touch. But if you strip all that away, it's actually quite simple: before you do anything, you should probably just stop and ask yourself, "Is this truly the best I can do?" or "Does this actually reflect who I am deep down?"... and if it doesn't, then you just try harder next time. If it does? Well, then you've nailed it.
That's the only way, I think—by working on ourselves, by being better, that we actually set a standard for everyone else to see. You can't just throw in the towel just because other people aren't stepping up the way you are. Maybe they will, maybe they won't, but if we all just sit around waiting for someone else to be the first one to move... we're never going to get anywhere at all.

gentlemaker6 said:I believe it is unnecessary to dwell on the current state of our world; the facts speak for themselves. Every person should be deeply concerned about what lies ahead. The most unsettling part is the lack of a visible exit strategy. To put it bluntly, if we persist on this trajectory, some madman will eventually press the wrong buttons, and it will all come to a very sudden end.

We face a choice, both as a species and as individuals: do we pivot away from this chaos, or do we continue down a path defined by deepening divisions, escalating wars, and total devastation? Regardless of which way we turn, we possess both the strength and the resources required to make it happen.

It is my conviction that this downward spiral can only be reversed through a new kind of spirituality—a fundamental shift in how we relate to God, to ourselves, and to those around us. We can achieve this by establishing a single, concise foundation for our existence:

We are all one.

It is brief, simple, and profoundly true. It suggests that God, our Creator, is not separate from His creation, but rather permeates it entirely. He is the very fabric of every atom and the smallest particle in the physical universe, simultaneously breathing His spirit and life into everything. Because of this, He resides within each of us, is each of us, and is everything surrounding us. This makes us fundamentally identical, as we are crafted from the same essence. It makes us one, because everything that exists is Him, expressed through infinite forms.

As Jesus taught, when we do unto others as we would have them do unto us, we are actually doing it to ourselves, for we are not separate from our neighbors. When we act upon ourselves, we act upon everyone else. By bringing joy to others, we bring joy to ourselves; by helping others, we help ourselves; by insulting others, we insult ourselves; by slandering others, we soil our own reputation; by belittling others, we diminish ourselves; and by loving others, we love ourselves. And by loving ourselves, we love others...

The list of opponents to this idea is exhaustive. Organized religions are first in line, followed closely by atheists. That alone covers nearly the entire human population.

Nevertheless, there are those who grasp this truth and work to spread it. There are spiritual people living this reality and leading by example. A movement is forming, a process unfolding across this planet. It is currently in its infancy, but it is backed by the power of Truth and the force of Love.

I have initiated several threads regarding religion and spirituality, all of which have been intended to lead back to this singular point. I invite everyone to participate.

Can we save our beautiful planet and transform it into a place truly worthy of habitation? Can we transcend our personal, social, and religious limitations to ignite a process of peace, unity, and genuine prosperity? What steps must we take to succeed? Are you willing to join this movement? Do you have a mission? Do you have a vision?

The problem is that people have completely lost sight of Wholeness and replaced it with individualism—but I mean individualism in the worst sense of the word... we've forgotten that through our thoughts, our words, and our actions, we are actively constructing our own relative reality, yet we walk around thinking this reality is some external thing happening independently of us, as if we have no hand in it at all. It’s just this profound alienation from our true Nature, which most people aren't even aware exists...
Once we finally grasp that everything occurring—every single thing—was prompted and triggered by us, and that all events are essentially the byproduct of the combined consciousness of all people, then, and only then, do we open the door to real prosperity.
An individual can't just go out and change external events (since those things were built by all of us together, and none of us alone has grown enough in our own awareness to shift something that was collectively manufactured), so as individuals, we can only, and really we must, focus on changing our own internal experience. Only when every person works on themselves—in terms of ethics and realizing who we truly are by our very Nature—can we reach that critical mass needed for humanity as a whole to make an evolutionary leap forward...

That Wholeness is what some people describe simply: when a butterfly flaps its wings, the entire world feels the ripple effect. 🙂

Maybe those self-righteous types, like the Catholics, just assume their sins are already wiped clean by Jesus, so they feel they can get away with breaking the law and then eventually end up behind bars... 🤷
Or, you know, maybe there are just more religious people out there in general. 🤷

stormygull22 said:I'm 25. Ever since I was 17—maybe even earlier—I realized I have zero intention of being a father. I have certain ways of living that just wouldn't mesh with raising a kid, and I'm not willing to give those up for anything. Honestly, I've been feeling this way for a long time. People say once you have kids, your whole perspective shifts and you start spoutin' all these different "wisdoms," but I've felt this way for years. Philosophers always have something to say, but my stance isn't changing; it’s just hardening with experience. My philosophy is simple: why should I want to be a parent? I wasn't built for it, and being a parent isn't my purpose in life. Everyone has a calling—some people are born to be mechanics, some are cops, some are doctors. They don't all have to be parents. This is who I am, and a child doesn't fit into that equation. If I did have one, the relationship would be skewed because the kid wouldn't be my priority. Also, I view the traditional family structure as something forced upon us by society. The whole "mom, dad, grandma, grandpa" setup feels imposed. To me, a family is just a man and a woman, and exclusively unmarried, because I'm against marriage as an institution. It's just something pushed by the government and the church. There are already too many kids out there anyway; if someone actually wanted to be a parent, they could just adopt. A child isn't just a biological product; you're a parent because of the bond you form. It doesn't matter who gave birth to you. What matters is who shows up for you. Ultimately, right now, there's no point in becoming a father when there are so many fatherless kids everywhere. But tradition, society, and pure ego all try to force parenthood on you. Anyway, enough. I've done enough philosophizing for one night.👍

It’s the exact same story for me; back then, the idea of being a mother didn't even cross my mind... 🥳
Fast forward to today, I am a mom, and I'm actually really happy about it, though it didn't fundamentally change who I am as a person at all... 🤷
Do you think being a dad feels any different?

Laura Bishop said:Why on earth are we all constantly trying to 'kill' time?

It’s just because people who feel like time is slipping through their fingers end up trying to murder it instead...

Sandra Wilson68 said:rustymaker5,

Look, I’ve been paying attention.

The truth is there's absolute reality and then there's relative reality. Most of us just deal with the relative stuff. Touching the Absolute would require massive shifts within ourselves. Letting go of the stupidity and nonsense that causes tears (and not the happy kind) isn't easy—it takes real work from every single person.

Thanks for "paying attention."

Absolute reality can't demand anything from us, because we *are* the absolute reality—our very SELF. Relative reality is just our physical and mental actions. Those can be stupid if they hurt our Self, or smart if they help it. So, I don't get why letting go of the stupidity that hurts us would cause tears. It's actually the opposite.

What I originally meant was that breaking free from this need for nonsense and idiocy—the kind that brings on tears (those were your words, right?)—referring to things like war, fear, heaven, and hell... it isn't some easy feat, and honestly, it requires a massive amount of effort from every single individual out there.
I have no idea how you managed to twist that into whatever your second sentence was implying... 🤷
Is it any clearer now? 🙂