Posts by Linda Taylor11

Man, this sucks. 🙂

Back when we were just kids in elementary school, all the guys in my class used to pick on him constantly.

Listening to Linkin Park always takes me back to a much better chapter of my life.

🙂

Zachary Mendoza2 said:We consider humans more intelligent than animals, possessing mental capacities far beyond them. Speech, abstract reasoning, technology—these define us. At times, it feels as though we have grabbed fate by the reins, establishing ourselves as a unique species: creators and rulers over nature.

Conversely, psychology views the human psyche through two lenses: genetic inheritance and learned behavior.
Regarding learning, we acquire knowledge through experience, meaning we absorb whatever we encounter.
In this context, I want to introduce the concept of "original thought," which I will attempt to clarify, as it is something I am curious about.

Unlike simply adopting what already exists, true insights occasionally emerge. These are breakthroughs like mastering fire, or the use of tools and weaponry. The first person to conceive of such things could not have observed them beforehand. It was not programmed into their genes. They simply thought, and they realized. They did not copy an existing insight; they created a new one. I would argue that such moments are what make us creators. Without them, we are merely blank slates upon which the environment can write anything, potentially leading to total indoctrination (Goebel's successes serve as a known example supporting this view).
Now, I am interested in this human creativity we take such pride in. Truly, we enjoy countless blessings today—the fruits of human genius—and we can trace their development through written history over the last few millennia. Writing allowed us to accumulate all this progress across generations, moving from very simple lives to our modern era in just a few thousand years. One might assume humans are highly capable of "original thought" given how much has been achieved in such a short span.
However, if we expand the timeline to several million years since the first human appeared, we see that over those millions of years, humans did not invent fire, weapons, agriculture, or anything else that significantly improved life 😕
There were thousands upon thousands of generations of people born, living, and dying without anyone ever conceiving of anything new. 😕
Based on this, one might say that humans are actually quite incapable of "original thought." Indeed, looking back at recorded history, the knowledge that accumulates is largely learned through experience; "original thought" is only required when creating entirely new knowledge, which is relatively rare considering the number of people and the length of their lifespans.

This is what puzzles me—how capable is a human, truly, of creating or independently gaining new insights? Currently, I have the impression that we are not particularly gifted in this ability. Even my own life experiences suggest that most people are simply dullards who lack the capacity for independent thought. 👎

I guess I’ll just say that it seems to me like most big breakthroughs were basically done by lone wolves. The masses, man... they just seem like this mindless, conformist machine that dulls everything down and exists just to exist. Everyone is so obsessed with fitting in at any cost, and once fitting in becomes the whole point, it’s pretty hard to come up with an original thought from that.

Plus, that ability to have an original thought gets totally choked out by the sheer amount of info we’re fed constantly. We just take it all for granted, soaking up pre-packaged data and processing it without really giving anything back. 😉 It’s always about grabbing knowledge just for the sake of it, but hardly anyone ever stops to ask what they’re actually gonna do with it. Like, how do you even turn it into something useful? 🙂

Can we do this at Znaš? 🙂

Man, this username has been driving me absolutely insane for the longest time.

Thanks a million! 🙂

Yeah, sure. Just hit up Tyndall.

Angela Newman33 said:And honestly, for some people, just having kids is basically their entire personality
it’s like they have nothing else to offer the world besides churning out more taxpayers
they actually think sitting around at home is some kind of massive contribution to society—and they judge everyone else based on it, too

👍 Man, you hit the nail on the head with that paragraph... 😍

Just to be clear, I'm not some jerk who thinks certain people are more valuable than others, but I do think people are kind of on their own when they feel like they have nothing better to contribute to society.

I mean, how blind do you have to be... there's like how many of us on Earth? Seven billion already? And does everyone really deserve to exist and have value regardless of whether we actually contribute anything or just sit around waiting for a handout? Or even worse, if we're out here doing massive screw-ups? I think not. 😁

It reminds me of this fight I had with a friend who felt guilty—like, a total hardcore Catholic 🙄 —because she had an abortion and now she's rationalizing it in that typical Catholic way, like "every life is special and unique" and "we're all one of a kind," blah blah blah. She practically threw a fit at me when I told her I don't believe abortion should be punished by the electric chair. 😬

Personally, I think it’s only when most of us realize we’re pretty much unremarkable and not "special" that we can actually start contributing, mostly by understanding that there are plenty of other people dealing with way bigger messes and problems than we are. That mindset of "I deserve something just because I was born, so I deserve to pass on my genes regardless of whether I'll be a decent parent" is just going to land us all in even deeper crap.

And honestly, it feels pretty unfair how most women face this constant pressure from other women to have a whole brood of kids or just to have kids in general. 🙄

Even though I already posted this in the thread (it would’ve been such a pain to go back and delete 🤣), I honestly think the author is just being sarcastic and making fun of the whole thing with those five kids.

It totally went over my head at first. 🤣 🙈

I just realized who actually started this thread. briskpuma23, are you seriously messing with us again? 🤣

Someone please tell me to just delete this before I end up being the total party pooper here 🤣

briskpuma23 said:I know it’s not exactly trendy to advocate for large families these days, unless you’re coming from the Catholic Church—but it’s easy for them to talk when they don't even recognize their own kids.

To be clear, my stance on needing at least five kids has nothing to do with some nonsense about "procreation" or any kind of moral crusade.

The truth is, you have children for your own sake.

When our time finally runs out, most people—especially people today—will find it pretty hard to sing My Way while looking back at their lives as a selfless sacrifice for others. There's no way. Most of us are just focused on how to cut corners, how to get the most out of life while spending the least, how to hustle, how to score a weekend trip to a beach house, then head to work, maybe join a committee, and so on. In short, we'd rather people didn't judge us by our actions.

And given the kind of shallow people society has turned us into, we can barely manage to bring one child into this world; having two would already feel like an incredible sacrifice.

Because we are so spiritually numb and, let's be honest, lazy and immature, we’ll probably end up ruining the kid too. We’ll pass all our neuroses down to them, instill hypochondria and cynicism, blast them with antibiotics the second they cough, and then complain at the office about how "fragile" our child is. Besides, if you spend your time talking about your kid at work, only the worst kind of boss would actually trust you with a serious project. So, that one child becomes the perfect excuse to stay lazy and avoid doing any real work.

But again, after fifty or sixty years of dodging actual life, retirement rolls around with its tiny pension, and you realize that your one precious child doesn't really love you. They’re busy living their own selfish little lives with an equally rotten spouse and an only child of their own—an obnoxious, spoiled brat who won't even bother to visit Grandma. That's when you realize you have nobody.

That wouldn't happen if you had managed to have five kids. Granted, one would probably be an idiot. One might get hit by a bus, but that still leaves you with three healthy individuals. Healthy because, by necessity, they had to learn how to share, and because you didn't have enough time to focus all your dysfunction on just one person, they didn't develop those stupid neuroses. Plus, a big family naturally builds a competitive spirit, starting from when they're toddlers fighting over fries at McDonald's during a Happy Meal you take them to on Sundays because you're too lazy to cook a Sunday roast.

And those three healthy ones will actually love you. They’ll remember how warm and happy the home felt, conveniently forgetting the fact that it was only warm because you could only afford to give them one bedroom. They’ll turn all the flaws of their upbringing into beautiful memories. And they’ll take care of you in your old age because they grew up to be decent people. When you die, someone will actually cry for you. And honestly, there’s nothing more a person can wish for than that.

Look, I’ve got a few points to throw out there:

Look, just to be clear, it’s not like I don't want kids because I don't like them or anything. I mean, I actually totally adore them. It's just... I don't know, maybe I just don't want that life for myself right now? I guess it's more complicated than people think. 🙂I mean, I don't know, maybe I just wouldn't be able to raise them right, which honestly feels like a much bigger deal than just having the love or the desire to have kids in the first place. You’ve gotta be a whole, functional person yourself if you want to raise a whole, functional human being. And let's be real—and I'm including myself here, just to stay fair—a huge chunk of people out there just aren't that.

It’s honestly pathetic how some people build their entire sense of self-worth around nothing more than raising kids. You know the type—they spend years acting like they’re saints, only to turn around later and weaponize that same upbringing against their own children. They start piling on the guilt trips, making everyone feel like an absolute monster because their parents had to "sacrifice" everything for them. Look, I get it, parenting is a massive sacrifice. Believe me, I'm a bit of a mess myself, so I totally get the grind. But it shouldn't be *only* about the sacrifice. It’s not like some twisted martyr complex you see in those old religious stories where people try to act like suffering is their whole personality. It's just not right. 🙂 I mean, look, you really need to actually live a little first. You’ve gotta go through high school, maybe hit up some community college or a university, get out there into the workforce, whatever... you just need to mature mentally before any of this becomes a thing. I guess the criteria shouldn't just be about whether someone has healthy reproductive organs or something. It's deeper than that.🤷

Look, let's be real for a second—money matters. It’s huge. Honestly, it might even be the most important thing on the whole list. I mean, anyone can have five kids, right? That part is easy. But actually raising them? How are you supposed to do that without them feeling every single bit of the struggle? If you don't have the funds, their quality of life is just going to tank, and that's a heavy thing to deal with. I guess it's just... complicated.

I don't know, I feel like you're kind of romanticizing the whole thing. Like, sure, it sounds pretty on paper, but maybe it’s all just a little too unrealistic? I guess it's just a bit unserious if you ask me. 🙂

Wait, hold up... so you’re saying you didn't sacrifice anything for anyone else just because you don't have kids? I mean, whatever. You sacrificed for yourself, and honestly, that counts for just as much, I guess. 😉 Unless you actually think you're somehow less important than everyone else? 😁 Look, I’m gonna start rambling again, but here's my two cents on this... I honestly think this whole obsession with cranking out kids comes from a deep-seated lack of self-love. I'm not saying you hate yourself or anything—it's not like you're advocating for having kids because you despise your own existence—but I guess that massive urge to create a literal clone of yourself suggests some kind of insecurity. Like, maybe you feel inadequate on your own? For me, personally, it kind of hurts to even think about—from that perspective, anyway—whether anyone will actually love me or if I'll leave any kind of mark on this planet. Maybe that's why I don't really feel that social pressure to procreate. And even if I did feel it, there are plenty of other ways to find purpose... I don't know, maybe through work, learning stuff, or just being creative...

Look, it’s not like I’m some shallow materialist obsessed with self-actualization or whatever blah blah blah (I mean, if you actually saw my life, you'd get what I mean 🤣), it's just that I honestly think how someone is raised matters way more than the society they grow up in (Lady Gaga and all those pop star types totally mess with kids' heads, for sure 🤣). Because of that, I feel like people should be a little more... thoughtful about the whole idea of having kids and raising them.

Ugh. I need coffee. Like, right now. 😳

And no, I'm not saying I'm 100% right here. I'm just throwing some counterpoints at your arguments.

Patrick Brown45 said:Personally, I think you two are actually perfect for each other 😍

Man, look at this. Now they're actually trying to pin stuff on me online too. Unbelievable. 🤣

EDIT: lol, just kidding obviously. 🙂

Laura Murphy3 said:Look, it all sounds great on paper, but honestly, damn it... just when I finally stumble upon someone who feels genuinely real—someone actually worth putting in the effort for—I start trying. I really fucking try, you know? But then, out of nowhere, some random, bullshit distraction pops into my head and completely derails everything. Suddenly, I just don't give a damn about them anymore. It’s like my brain just resets. 🙂

It’s like I can't trust my own gut about anything anymore.

Was it for that girl you were obsessed with before? Look, you're probably still pretty young. We need to live a little, I guess, and maybe later someone will come along and we'll just settle down. 🙂

It’s pretty obvious you didn't care that much if you could change your mind that easily. Or maybe, I don't know, maybe you're subconsciously scared of that post-infatuation crash that totally sucks... at least for me. 😢

About being bold: can I ask if you have a diagnosis, and if you don't mind sharing, what it is? 🙂

EDIT: because people with anxiety or OCD feel this massive need to overanalyze everything until, eventually (and trust me, I know this one well 😉 ), they analyze themselves right into a corner where they aren't sure about anything anymore. That's why I'm asking. 😉

Laura Murphy3 said:Alright, look... I’m gonna try to lay out my train of thought here, because for years now, I haven't been able to wrap my head around what's actually going on with me—or even explain it to anyone else. Hopefully, someone actually sticks with this until the end.
It all kicked off when I left home and started college. I’ll keep this brief because if I tried to write down every single tiny detail, we'd be here forever. Things basically happened in order, and each phase dragged on for a while 🙂

Scenario 1.

So, at college, I meet this girl, fall for her, and eventually, we start dating. There was also this other girl at one of those big house parties—someone who was honestly really attractive, and I almost ended up with her before things went official with my girlfriend. But, I played it safe, stayed disciplined, and didn't go there. Still, I remember being drunk and things almost getting weird. A few days later, I’m walking through town with my girlfriend and I spot that other girl, and suddenly, I’m hit with this massive wave of shame. Just pure, unadulterated embarrassment. I felt like I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. After running into her a couple more times, it turned into this pathological thing where I’d go out of my way to avoid her for over a year. It was constant. I couldn't figure out why I was spiraling or why I felt so incredibly gross about it. Eventually, after a year and a half, my girlfriend and I broke up—for different reasons entirely—and the very next day, I saw that other girl again, and the feeling was just... gone.

Sounds pretty trivial and harmless, right? Whatever. Let's move on.

Scenario 2.

About six months later, this random thought just pops into my head—I won't get into the specifics—asking if maybe I was gay. That spiraled into two straight years of living in a mental hellscape, constantly questioning my sexuality. I’d find myself staring at some guy, maybe someone a bit more effeminate, trying to monitor my own physical reactions. Like, *is something happening?* Is there a spark? Then I'd see him on the street the next day and that exact same sensation would hit me. This whole cycle lasted a year—just me obsessing over whether I was gay—and it peaked with this one guy where seeing him felt like the literal end of the world. Cold sweats, legs turning to jelly, total anxiety. It was the exact same visceral reaction I had with that first girl. It wasn't there at first, but after all that self-inflicted overthinking, that's where I landed. Seeing certain people just makes me feel revolted. In the meantime, I was going through this:
http://www.neuroticplanet.com/hocd.php
That's the gist of it, word for word.
In the interim, girls would drift in and out of my life—nothing serious, just a little flirting here and there—but I was still terrified that I was gay underneath it all.

Scenario 3.

Then there's my friendships. I'll meet someone new or hang out with an acquaintance. Everything's cool, we have stuff in common, we joke around, etc. But then, out of nowhere, I get hit by this feeling. I don't even know how to describe it properly. Once it hits, that person becomes an obsession because I'm hit with that same sensation I described earlier. Identical. Nervousness, fear, anxiety. I start avoiding them entirely. And it just keeps jumping from one friend to another as I get closer to them. What used to be a normal, chill friendship turns into pure agony. *What if I'm attracted to them? What if this, what if that?* From that point on, I can't tell what's a real emotion and what's just my brain glitching. I'm totally lost. Honestly, this happens with most of my friends. Even acquaintances, eventually.

Scenario 4.

Finally, I meet a woman I actually like. Despite my usual baggage and how hard it is for me to build real connections, I manage to make it work. She accepts me, and things feel good. But then, one day, that same feeling hits me regarding her best friend—who also happens to be my brother's girlfriend. Same nightmare. *Do I like her? Is it this, or is it that?* Even though I've always respected her and enjoyed having her as part of the family circle, the second we get close, boom. The feeling.
I don't even know how to put this into words. Basically, everything starts with a nice feeling of liking someone, but then I freak out thinking I might like them in a romantic sense. That's the closest I can get to explaining it. Also, for instance, once I'm hyper-fixated on one person, I can usually hang out with anyone else perfectly fine, like nothing ever happened.

Look, I know this sounds like some weird internet troll bait, but I’m being dead serious here.

If anyone actually takes this to heart, you’ll probably tell me there isn't enough detail to even make a judgment call. But hey, if you’re reading this, feel free to grill me—ask anything. I’m down to expand on the story and answer whatever questions come up. I know how stupid this looks, but honestly, what else am I supposed to do?

I really just want to hear what someone else thinks about it. Now that I'm sitting here staring at my own words, it sounds pretty idiotic. Dammit. I’m hoping someone responds, because I could really use some kind of help—any kind—since I don't think anyone can guess from this post just how much all of this is messing with my head. And it’s messing with me a lot. Like, a lot. 🙂

The reason I'm dumping this here is because this whole situation has caused me massive psychological issues. I've spent a huge chunk of my life basically teetering on the edge of depression while trying to deal with this stuff, and man, those last four years while this was happening were incredibly hard to get through. I'm 22 now (I think...)

Thanks, catch ya later.

Your brain just won't let you chill out for some reason, kind of like those intrusive thoughts, but way, way milder—not enough for an actual diagnosis (unless you already have OCD or whatever), but it definitely makes life a bit more complicated.
It's totally possible you end up messing up relationships by basically self-sabotaging through "falling in love" with other girls. Then again, you did say yourself that it isn't really falling in love, it's just being terrified of it. It's like you just can't trust your own gut.

As for the whole falling in love thing, I'm kind of a pro at it, but in a weird way: I'm pretty much crushing on someone new almost every month. 🤣 I don't mind it, though; it keeps me happy and feels like a hobby or something. 😬 🙈

Jessica Chavez4 said:If they start deleting everything at the borders, they'd be left with maybe three posts total on this whole thread.

🤣🤣
...and honestly, they wouldn't even leave those three constructive posts behind (I don't know, GPL, Alexandra Daddario, I don't really care about any of that 😬 ), they’d just leave that absolute slaughterhouse—just to show everyone what moderation looks like in practice. 🤣

electrichound94 said:If only that were true.😁 But it looks like that isn't the case—psychology is full of all sorts of different schools of thought. Less experienced.🤷 So, I’m still struggling to wrap my head around the logic they're using to distribute these...—I mean, I've been looking at the breakdown, and honestly, I just don't get the principle behind how they're dividing things up.

Man, oh man, here goes Depression too, then. What are they gonna do... just wipe out the non-experts on the Border Patrol website and leave only the pros?

🤔 😕

fadedbear92 said:Wait, what? Are there actually specific topics set for the couch?😲🙄🤷

Yogi Berra. Honestly, I think this is a way better setup. Stuff like anxiety, depression, BPD, OCD, Microsoft, all that heavy stuff stays over on Georgia, while these more...🤔 😬...casual, less medical topics move over to Kodak.

I love it! 🙂 Lisa Hernandez3, Tinker Bell 🙏

wearyowl29 said:I'm in! Let's go...😁
I hate myself, just myseeeelf
I hate myself, and I hate you too...🙂🙂

🤣🤣🤣

Or maybe: "Just pop some Xanax All the answers will find you eventually
Just take your Lexapro And finally see the light at the end of the tunnel"

🤣 🤣

Samuel Martinez19 said:Just look at how everything has shifted; now psychology is nothing more than some "beginner's guide to the mind" for hobbyists, and therapy sessions have devolved into just being part of the "Prozac Nation" crowd...

Great... 🙏

Bravo! Like, this is exactly what I’ve been saying for at least two years now. The main admin needs to clear out all those endless "What if..." and "How about..." threads and actually build a solid archive of professional, informative topics. Otherwise, this little sub-forum is just gonna end up being a place for nothing but whining and melodrama.
🤣

Fantastic! 🙏 👍

fadedbear92 said:But... is that couch big enough?😁
I mean—so much could happen there... and we're all ready!http://images.cheezburger.com/comple...6014493952.jpg

I mean, if you put a hand on every armrest, one direct hit on the couch, and then maybe some others right in their laps—you know, just keeping things strictly platonic so nobody feels harassed or anything 🤣—then yeah, I guess it should be fine. 🙂

fadedbear92 said:Is this more like a spot to just catch your breath and grab a quick nap?

More like an excuse to fuel a binge-eating habit and rot your brain watching trashy reality TV. 😬

🤣

casualharbor9 said:... hmmmm, interesting; just me and the great outdoors 😍... feels a bit like a corner for the banned, only with emojis and without all the preaching... am I allowed to pull something like this here?

It's just gone now. Gone. 😈 🤣

I honestly have no clue if this is supposed to be a general chat sub-forum, a place for personal venting, or just... whatever this is. I’m kind of lost. Could someone maybe explain how I can actually start some super intelligent thread on here today? Like, what's the process?

Thanks! 🙂 😬

George Clark19 said:So I’ll be scrolling through the news, right? And I see some headline about a kid passing away, and my brain just goes—okay, fine, but what am I supposed to do with that? Tomorrow it’ll be someone else, and the day after that, it'll be another one... I mean, that’s just how the world works, I guess. Life is just a constant cycle of this stuff, isn't it?

And then I start feeling like a total jerk because I figure a "good" person—you know, one of those genuinely empathetic types—would probably be sitting there thinking about how absolutely devastating and heartbreaking it all is, whereas I'm just kind of staring at the screen like, "Well, there it is."

George Clark19, I feel like we’ve crossed paths on other forums before too, and if I remember right—assuming it's actually you—you mentioned some stuff that went down in your life over the last few years. I gotta say, from where I'm sitting, your life hasn't exactly been a walk in the park.

You’ve probably dealt with enough emotional heavy lifting that your brain is basically shielding you (with this fake numbness) just to keep you from totally crashing. Like, emotional burnout. And honestly, I get it. I can relate. I deal with so much stress myself that sometimes I just wish I could go numb so I wouldn't have to deal with all these intense, negative vibes.

It’s really nothing to lose sleep over. Psychopaths don't just pop out of nowhere. 🙂

EDIT: I used to be such a huge empath, you know? Crying over everyone else's tragedies, feeling everything for them... but you can't do that forever. You just run dry. Eventually, you realize there's no point in spending all your "emotional currency" on strangers when caring about them doesn't even change the outcome. 😁

Me personally, aside from a few bright spots in my own life, I don't really give a damn about humanity anymore. And honestly? It feels pretty refreshing. 😍

Daniel Wilson5 said:So, look, what I’m actually getting at isn't about nymphomania... it's something else entirely. I just don't wrap my head around these impulses where sex becomes the absolute priority. Honestly, I can't even relate to that mindset, which is why I struggle with it. I thought maybe someone could give me a professional perspective here. For instance, the idea of sex without any emotional connection makes my skin crawl—though I suppose that's just labeled a "female dysfunction" by some... And sure, I get the occasional grooming thing, but treating constant sexual pursuit as a full-blown lifestyle? It’s bizarre. How is it possible for some people to never develop actual feelings for others? Are they just brain dead? You know... are they just flatliners? That's what scares me. I genuinely cannot fathom where that state of being comes from. I just want to understand it so it feels less alien... and so I don't feel so threatened by people like that. That's all.

I have a completely different take on this: to me, sex addicts are just people trying to cope with depression, an internal void—like borderline stuff—or massive inferiority complexes. You know, like that one friend of mine who basically builds her entire self-worth around putting other people down. Addicts are just like anyone else: whether it's drug users, binge eaters, alcoholics, or smokers, it's all the same MO. Most of the time, they're just using short-term hits of pleasure to deal with stress or depression.
But hey, that's just my two cents. And man, it's actually pretty hard to draw a clear line between just enjoying sex and being straight-up addicted to it. 🤷