Hey there I’m thinking about changing my handle because this one is way too long and it's honestly starting to get on my nerves. 😁 Is it possible to switch it to Illuminati? If not, maybe I could go with One Question?
The first one isn't an option since it doesn't really match what you have now, but the second one works. Though, if you want, feel free to grab One Question since it's still available. 🙂>
I guess I have a pretty strong distaste for behavior that just feels revolting—mostly when it comes to things that are straight-up immoral or twisted.
I can't stand hypocrisy. You know, those people who point fingers at everyone else while being just as bad, if not worse, themselves. Injustice of any kind gets my vote too. Like people exploiting others just because they’re greedy or stingy. The heavy stuff, too—child abuse, animal cruelty, human trafficking... all that sickness. Corruption and bribery? Yeah, I'm against all of it. It also bugs me when people try to mask their shady motives behind some noble cause. I suppose I find it even more aggravating when immoral behavior isn't just some irrational, animalistic impulse, but actually seems calculated and rational. Now, I don't judge addicts, drunkards, promiscuity, or how people dress or wear makeup... as long as it isn't hurting anyone else. To me, it's perfectly normal to condemn deviant or immoral actions. That's basically why we have judges, juries, penalties, and prisons in the US. And honestly, humans have always had this internal moral compass that pushes them to reject deviant behavior. Or, well, they should. It's just natural. Judging something proves that humans have the capacity to tell good from bad, which doesn't necessarily mean you can't understand the reasons or motives behind that behavior. So, yeah, I get the motivation, but I still judge. I don't see that as being hypocritical or narrow-minded at all.
P.S. Just to be fair, if someone does something to me personally, I tend to get emotional and judge them pretty harshly. I guess I end up magnifying their flaws and blowing their behavior way out of proportion, more than I usually do with others. Anyway, I'm definitely not one of those super "tolerant" people who lets everything slide. Sometimes, I know I can be a total moralizer. Pretty often, actually.
2. God is basically just a bored kid. He’s up in heaven having nothing to do, so he’s just messing around. Imagine throwing maybe 7 billion marbles—roughly the population of Earth—into a bingo cage and letting them rattle around for a bit. When one marble finally pops out, God reads the lucky name written on it and "graciously" hands over some divine wisdom. That lucky guy ends up down here being recorded in history books as some great mystic, an enlightened soul, or maybe just the founder of some random cult. 😁 As for everyone else who didn't win the heavenly lottery, I guess God just shrugs and mutters, "The rest of you can go try your luck with The Los Angeles Times. Better luck next time."
3. Maybe God thinks we’re smart enough to figure things out ourselves. Or maybe he just wants us to actually work for it; I don't know, he probably can't stand lazy people, so he stays quiet on purpose.
And when humans go overboard with wars, debauchery, and whatever else, then he gets annoyed. He burns down a few cities, wipes out some "Satan-influenced" nations, and stuff like that... just so it doesn't look like he's doing absolutely nothing.😁
4. Or maybe God actually wants us to know everything, but then there's that jerk Satan—the Adversary, the Prosecutor—constantly messing with his plans by tempting and lying to people. And poor God just lets him run wild, I guess, just to see who stays loyal and who doesn't. He could probably wipe out Satan in the blink of an eye, but he just won't decide. Like, he's just dragging his feet. He's waiting for the right moment or something. There's always some Apocalypse in the works, but God seems to be playing around with the dates. Maybe the heavenly accountants are always messing up the paperwork... nobody's perfect, I suppose. 😁
I’ve been dealing with these awful period cramps, and instead of getting better as I get older, things seem to be heading south. I move around a lot and my diet isn't exactly the healthiest, either..
It feels like my cycle has gone totally haywire over the last six months, and honestly, it's just getting worse. At first, my cycle stretched out to 40 days (instead of the usual 28), then I got hit with such intense pain that I took three Advil, which I ended up throwing up because I have a super sensitive stomach and pills usually don't sit well with me. My actual bleeding only lasted three days (usually it's about 3-4). The first two days were brutal, which is pretty much my norm. After that, my cycle was only 21 days long, and I was shocked when it showed up seven days early.
The pain was heavy again, plus I had a killer headache and felt nauseous. My cycle is just completely messed up; it's never been this bad. Before, maybe things would be late by four or five days at most, and that was it. But I've always dealt with painful periods. Now, though, I'm getting these sharp uterine pains even in the middle of my cycle, almost like when I'm actually bleeding. And regarding libido, things seem a bit off there too, since it’s either way too high or non-existent... it's hard to say. Everything used to be pretty normal before. I'm not really sure what's causing all this. Maybe it's just massive amounts of stress, not getting enough sleep, or just being run down.. For the first time ever, I'm actually thinking about seeing a gynecologist, because this is literally wearing me out.
Has anyone else dealt with stuff like this alongside painful periods? And any idea what might be causing it? I don't really know much about women's health issues.
I mean, this whole thing smells rigged to me too, but let's move past that for a second. I want to circle back to the question from the original post: what kind of fallout comes from experiencing extreme terror? If we assume—just for the sake of argument—that this wasn't staged and she wasn't just acting, I guess things could go a couple of different ways. 1. Sure, you could deal with massive stress and shock, maybe even lose your mental footing for good. That’s a real possibility if someone has a particularly sensitive nervous system. 2. Then there’s the other side of it. Extreme fear can actually be liberating. Once you face it, you might realize it wasn't even that big of a deal. As a result, you could end up losing all those little phobias and fears you've carried around forever. People say that when you go through an intense brush with death or pure terror, you either hit a total emotional shutdown or find this crazy sense of freedom. It probably just depends on how your brain is wired.
So, I guess sometimes these extreme situations act as a trigger to break through internal blocks...
As for the guys who totally overlooked her, honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing something even worse happen to them.😁
Maybe then they could actually get into making horror movies instead.
Ronald Nelson2 said:What reality are you living in? God is love, and He only knows goodness. It is humans and Satan who are capable of doing evil. Humans have the power to stop all the evil they produce, but they don't want to; instead, they intentionally spread it further and further and further. Wake up. Look into the Freemasons, the Illuminati, Big Pharma, the European Union—open your eyes. How do you think pharmaceutical companies make their money? By inventing new diseases and selling shots against viruses.😲 That's just one example. Why doesn't God stop it?Because He wants us to become aware of the evil we commit so that we might finally put an end to it. That is how we truly become His children. Do you even have eyes?
God, if He even exists, feels way too abstract to just pin down with a single word like "love." I mean, sure, when believers start talking about God, they always fall into that same predictable pattern—it’s always this long list of goodness, love, light, mercy, wisdom... you know the drill. When people start trying to justify all the evil in themselves and the world around them, that’s when you see his dark mirror stepping onto the stage—the Unholy, Satan. Of course, you always get that whole "insight" where people claim God could wipe out Satan whenever He feels like it, but somehow He just chooses not to. They say He’s intentionally letting the Devil run wild just to test us. I guess that's how they make sense of it. So, we're back to this logical loop again: If God is actually all-powerful and all-knowing, then He already knows exactly what’s going on in everyone's soul. I guess that makes Satan pretty much redundant if God doesn't even need a tempter to tell the difference between good and evil. And even then, I guess believers just don't get it, and they definitely can't explain it. Man, there’s just endless talk about Masons, the Illuminati, those reptilian overlords from some 4D Matrix, the Demiurge, and all those massive Big Pharma conspiracies. It’s a lot. I guess we really need to sit down and figure out what actually holds water and what's just straight-up paranoia or some sci-fi movie plot. Honestly, I think people do evil to one another, not some entity called Satan. To me, Satan is just an archetype—kind of a projection of our own darkness. It seems like mystics throughout history have just used that concept to label a wicked spiritual force living in those lower astral planes, basically a way to explain how people get tempted and led astray. Even if the Devil actually existed, I mean, are we really that full of ourselves? Like, are we all just massive egomaniacs thinking we’re important enough for him to even care about tempting us? As for God and that whole idea of receiving knowledge "from above," it feels like some people are just totally bypassed by the Creator, no matter how hard they try. It makes it seem like you can only realize anything if the Almighty decides to grant you grace—and apparently, He’s pretty stingy with it. I guess maybe God is just sleeping on the job up in heaven, and then he finally wakes up right when some lost little sheep asks a question, gives a quick yawn, and tosses out a satisfying answer just to be done with it. And boom, suddenly that person is enlightened and happy. I guess God just falls back asleep again, totally tuning out those thousands, maybe even millions of voices... It’s all upside down and backwards. Honestly, God, maybe a little less sleep next time?😁
Sean Watson48 said:I’ve been in a similar spot. On her end, we were, I think, best friends. She is lovely and all that good stuff—we never fought, our relationship was perfectly civil, there's no argument there—but after a while, I just stopped finding her fun. It felt like hanging out with her was becoming a chore. I definitely felt like this friendship didn't carry much weight for me anymore, and honestly, it started feeling suffocating. Just a "friendship" existing for its own sake. I’d find myself wondering more and more often, "What the hell am I even doing here?" 🤦 And now... how do you actually explain to someone close to you, out of nowhere, that you don't want to hang out intensely anymore? Honestly, I have no clue if there’s a smart way to handle it. My solution, as cowardly and selfish as it was, was the simplest one: I just cut all ties. It was definitely selfish and a total jerk move, but I couldn't bring myself to say it to her face. 😢 On the flip side, ignoring everything swirling in my head and pretending everything was fine seemed like an even worse option. So, I started ghosting her. It was incredibly difficult, and I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing, but enough time has passed that we don't just stop hanging out—we don't even say hello anymore. It was an excruciating situation, but looking back, it feels like things ended up where they should have. My advice to you is: if you have the guts, tell her to her face. If not... well, learn from my mistake. Just be prepared for your conscience to sting for a long time. But even that fades eventually. Anyway, good luck. 🙂
Yeah, honestly, what you did was pretty selfish and just plain low. You really think it’s okay to just ghost someone without any explanation and leave them spinning their wheels, wondering what they even did wrong? I mean, being direct might sting at first, but ignoring someone and cutting ties like that... it doesn't exactly scream "good character." People always say they can't "look someone in the eye and tell the truth," but most of the time, that's just a cover for being too cowardly to face the music. Thomas Rodriguez14, you should definitely just be upfront with that girl. Like, totally straight up. No need to play games or beat around the bush.
Just wanted to circle back to my point—what I was getting at is that criminal behavior is pretty much biologically hardwired. It’s linked to how the adrenal glands pump out cortisol, that stress hormone. It basically works in opposition to testosterone. In most people, cortisol levels spike when things get tense or stressful, but for folks prone to vandalism or sadism, those levels might actually drop or just stay weirdly low. I guess you could say these types are just... numb. Or, if we're being blunt, just thick-headed. Since they need way higher amounts of that hormone just to feel fear or any kind of emotional buzz, it happens that someone else's suffering doesn't move the needle for them at all. With hardcore sadists, their blood cortisol is so low that they might only feel an emotional spark when they're actually causing pain.
So, does this mean we could eventually treat antisocial and psychopathic disorders with hormone therapy?? If it's a known thing that extremely low cortisol levels "create" criminals, why aren't they trying to fix it by injecting cortisol into the system?🙏 Has anyone heard if any experiments like that have actually happened yet? And if so, what was the outcome?
Personally, I think it's a toss-up between genetics and the environment a criminal grows up in. I was reading this book about serial killers, and it seems like most of them had pretty traumatic childhoods. A lot of them even dealt with serious head injuries growing up, which triggered some massive personality shifts afterward.
But then again, the fact that some people have perfect upbringings and solid moral foundations, yet still show psychopathic tendencies from a young age, suggests that genetics probably play a massive role. On the flip side, plenty of people probably wouldn't turn into criminals if they hadn't dealt with such traumatic environments. There's just so many variables involved, I guess..
Melissa Barnes4 said:I honestly don't get why people do this. Why is there such a desperate need to drag others down, gossip about their private business, or dissect everything they do? It’s like they find some weird sense of fulfillment in it, acting as if sticking their noses into everyone else's affairs somehow makes them superior or more important than they actually are. It's exhausting to watch.
In my experience, these kinds of people are just fundamentally unhappy. I truly believe that someone who is actually content with their own life wouldn't spend their energy trying to maliciously tear someone else down. If you're genuinely happy, you don't feel the need to meddle in things that have nothing to do with you. Now, I’m not talking about those trivial comments about what someone chose to wear or other superficial nonsense.
What’s your take on all this?
p.s. I tried searching for a thread on this already, but came up empty.
People like that are just unfulfilled, miserable, and empty. Honestly, they're exhausting and super awkward to be around. That obsession with gossip is one of my biggest pet peeves; those types of people literally drain your energy with all their pointless, useless chatter. Usually, if someone has a full life and a bit of depth, they aren't wasting time on trifles. And let's face it, for a lot of them, it's probably just deep-seated insecurities—they try to validate their own worth by pointing out everyone else's flaws. The only real fix is to just stay away from them.
gentlefalcon said:I used to get so exhausted by all that. There were times I’d miss the Gospel on TV because I’d switch the channel too late, only to catch that one segment about the puppet. Then I’d end up spinning my own little allegories. My mom thought the Devil was living inside me. So, I started messing with her, making these huffing and puffing sounds like some demon straight out of a movie (waaaaaaaa!), and then she started lecturing me. I began acting like I was possessed. It was pointless. There was just no sense of humor there. 🤣
I could never quite grasp that sense of spiritual bliss during Mass; for me, I’d just feel sleepy, start sweating, feeling overheated. Back when I was a kid, they used to move us around to be closer to the altar, so we’d just stand there the whole time. Once, they actually had to escort me out of the church because I felt physically ill. 🙂
When it comes to any sporting event, if my mom sees someone wearing a disguise, she’s convinced they’re going to come in first, whether it's skiing or football. If it involves anyone other than Catholics, she would never say they were any good. The reality is that most of the most successful football players are Catholic. It’s just a deep-rooted tradition in those countries; Saudi Arabia isn't exactly a powerhouse in football, and neither is China.
😂😂 Haha, if you're feeling creative enough, you should try reenacting that scene from The Exorcist where little Reagan crawls down the stairs like a spider..😁 Then maybe the joke would actually land.. man, you really have it rough.. I mean, you put on some nice deodorant and a clean shirt, and she just ruins it all with holy water.. very, very bad.. but hey, at least you still have a sense of humor, even if your mom's humor is basically dead on arrival.. William Williams13, I don't belong to any specific religion, but I read a lot about different beliefs that pique my interest and offer a fresh take on spirituality. If gentlefalcon's parents had one conversation with me, they'd probably call the most famous exorcist in the world.. after that, they'd likely burn through a gallon of holy water trying to "cleanse" the spot where I was sitting.. there'd probably be a flood.
frozenraven5 said:I mean, honestly? I love this stuff. It’s hilarious how it works—someone just drops some random claim out of nowhere, offers absolutely zero actual evidence to back it up, yet we all just... collectively decide they're right? We just blindly swallow it whole! It’s wild, man. Like, where did the logic go? Gone. Just vanished. We're all just sitting here acting like these people are geniuses when they haven't said a single thing of substance. It’s ridiculous!
Alright, look—it’s obvious there’s a fanatic on both sides of this mess. Seriously, if you can't think rationally, just jump out a window already! This conversation is strictly reserved for people with tunnel vision who refuse to see anything except their own side.
Absolute disaster. Total train wreck.
It’s really no secret that this stuff happens. Honestly, I’m not looking for a fight with anyone specifically, unless we’re talking about those religious psychopaths who spend their time wrecking young lives. That's the kind of thing you actually have to stand up against. When I say I’m against Catholic doctrine, I know exactly what I’m talking about. It just clouds your judgment and misleads people, and I wasn't about to let myself fall for that trap.
gentlefalcon said:I used to sit there and listen to the news on TV for a few minutes to get the rundown on what the Mass service was about and when they’d be arriving around noon; I actually knew the schedule down to the minute. Then they went and shifted everything around, moving the whole thing to the early morning hours. Even if they had arrived on time, I would have still been sitting there waiting for another two or three hours until that 11:00 AM broadcast hit so I could finally catch all the details. ☕ But they never really understood my process—the fact that I was staying informed through the internet and television. Instead, people just sat there judging me, thinking I was some kind of dropout who wanted to leave the church early. Eventually, I started telling them that the constant updates from the parish office were just plain annoying; honestly, why should I care who is getting married? The problem was, I couldn't find any way to make them believe I was actually staying home. I tried everything to create an illusion; I’d move my shoes around, pull clean clothes out of the closet and spread them in my room just so my mom would think I had actually headed out. That little ruse worked for maybe two years. Beyond that, how was I supposed to explain that I didn't want to pile into the car with them? I would much rather spend my time going to see local theater productions than ride along with the family. So, I tried reasoning with them, saying that leaving an hour early for the Rosary didn't work for my schedule, and that I’d just show up specifically for the Mass itself and stay for that one hour.
😂😂 Hehe, some pretty sneaky ways to pull one over. Not bad, seriously, not bad... you little rascal...😁 That sounds like the devil whispered a few ideas into your ear just to steer you away from the "Truth" offered by the Church, sighing happily thinking, "Hehe, almost got this soul!"😁
gentlefalcon said:I was forced to attend church services all through my childhood and teens. I did my First Communion, my Confirmation, and even sat through religious education classes in school after being confirmed. Eventually, I checked out of the parish activities entirely. I used to lie to my parents, telling them I wasn't attending, only for them to find out during Mass that I actually had been elsewhere. 🙂 Once I started college, they tried to push campus ministry on me, but I shut that down immediately. That was when they finally realized they weren't going to win this one. ☕
Religious fervor can be a dangerous thing. I've heard psychologists actually warn parents to be careful with how intense they get about religion, because it can end up severing family ties completely. In my case, I ended up cutting off entire branches of my family because they were such fanatics. They just wouldn't stop interrogating me about it. I don't even want to fight them anymore; I just try to stay oblivious. I don't want to know which holidays are coming up or when Sunday is. The second Mom realizes I'm not at service, she starts her whole "conversion" routine, acting like she's struck by a sudden wave of guilt because she didn't raise me "properly." ☕
The alternative would be for me to start arguing with them about holy days, or fighting against the priest coming to the house—even though I'm standing right there when he visits. If I did that, Mom might soften up and try to be closer to me. She'd start hoping that maybe, just maybe, I've found my way back to the Church. Then the next Sunday rolls around, she sees nothing has changed, and she feels that sting of shame in front of the priest because everyone knows her kid doesn't show up. There was even a time they whispered that I was sneaking off to a different parish with my friends.
Mom honestly thinks the devil has taken hold of me. 😁 When I was a kid, maybe around 11 or 12, she actually wanted to call a psychologist because she’d been listening to some religious radio program that gives advice on how to help "lost souls" find the right path again.
Those people are real. There are certain "Catholic psychologists" whom parents bring their children to, hoping for a spiritual intervention. Under the thin veil of science, they basically label you as unfit for society. It’s funny, though—I just looked up the name and the street of one of these psychologists who supposedly "treats" kids for not attending Mass, and they don't even exist as legitimate scientists online. It seems we're dealing with certain individuals who present themselves as experts while hiding behind a fake scientific persona.
Man, reading about those Catholic psychologists makes me want to go to confession...😠 Society really ought to ban those people from practicing. But then again, we live in a broken society with broken standards—religions that destroy people's brains way faster and more intensely than Mr. Muscollo can scrub a floor stain.😁 Whenever I say that Catholic doctrine has only brought harm to people, I find proof in reality pretty quickly. It's just that most people find it easier to look the other way and let this stuff happen in a society where psychological and sociological insights should, by all rights, be shedding light on human behavior.
silentcrane11 said:Good grief!!! I guess you really do hate the Church if you're passing up such an easy, comfortable life—one that you could arguably secure just by showing up to Mass once in a while, at least while your parents are still around.🤣
So, I guess this guy is supposed to just sell out and ditch his convictions for some material comfort? Just trample over everything he believes in because religious fanatics are breathing down his neck?🙏 Pretty sketchy advice, honestly.. Anyway, I mean, any kind of forced pressure usually leads to a rebellion sooner or later. The guy is at a crossroads: either sacrifice his principles for a smooth ride, or strike out on his own, skip the services, and earn his own way. Either way, there’s a trade-off. Only he can sit down and figure out what actually matters to him. It's honestly sad what happens in some families because of this religious fanaticism—this warped mindset children are raised in and the toxic pressure fanatic parents put on a kid who doesn't want to follow in their footsteps. And then they use blackmail... like, "Go to Mass, even if you're the worst kid ever, and you'll have everything." But if you don't go like we do, you could be an absolute saint and still have nothing. You might as well pack a bag and leave. It's pathetic, gross, and totally hypocritical.😢 Religion can seriously turn people into monsters.
Every coin has two sides, I guess. All these tech breakthroughs can be used for good or bad—and honestly, they already are. Judging by the level of pollution, all the new illnesses, genetic experiments, and other "joys" of modern life, the dark side seems to be winning out lately... I mean, look at how splitting the atom gave us massive energy, which led straight to building the atomic bomb. Or how genetics keeps advancing; we see more and more manipulation of animal and plant genes in labs (like GMO food), while who knows what kind of monsters are being cooked up in secret facilities. It wouldn't even surprise me if there are human test subjects involved somewhere. So, yeah, the same science that might help wipe out genetic diseases is also a double-edged sword when giant corporations decide to use those discoveries for shady, criminal stuff. And when you think about technology and how fast we can get around now, you can't really ignore the fallout from all that gas and exhaust pumping into the atmosphere... From a modern perspective, today's lifestyle and tech definitely bring perks and make things easier, I suppose. It’s just that the flip side of the coin looks a whole lot darker. Humanity didn't really evolve to the point where we can have our cake and eat it too—meaning, using scientific progress purely for good without wrecking the environment or creating other messes. Big government and massive corporations won't hesitate to weaponize knowledge for the wrong reasons. Plus, general environmental awareness is just... pathetic. A total disaster, really. We might be screwed.
silverfalcon952 said:Hey everyone! Just wondering—how many of you are actually ready to roll up your sleeves and put in the work to heal your soul? Also, can you even tell when the people around you are struggling with their own internal mess, and if so, how are you stepping up to help them out?🙂
Hey there...
Hmm... first off, you might want to clarify what you actually mean by a "sick soul." I'm guessing you aren't talking about clinical mental health issues that a psychiatrist would deal with, right?
When it comes to measuring what makes a soul "healthy" versus "sick" from a spiritual standpoint, I guess it all boils down to personal perception. It feels pretty subjective to me. I don't really see it as some objective standard that every single person following a specific faith or spiritual practice has to hit. It’s more of an individual thing, I suppose.
When are people finally gonna realize that there’s no such thing as one universal truth or a single way to see things?
The soul exists, I guess, just as it is. But if you’re actually looking to undergo some kind of transformation there, you first have to dive into those dark depths. You have to accept whatever is lurking down there as your own, without any fear or trying to push it away. We’re just one big messy whole—light and dark, good and evil, all of it. We are exactly who we are, I guess. When we try to strip away our darker side, I guess we’re basically just sterilizing ourselves. That part of us we're so desperate to peel away from our souls? It's actually there for a reason. Maybe it's meant to help us figure out who we really are and actually grow.
By denying that, he’s basically turning us into this sterile, empty vessel. It feels like he's stripping away the very duality that holds the whole world together—so why wouldn't that apply to our souls too? I guess. I guess if you try to ignore the darker parts of your soul, you're just setting yourself up for an illusion. You end up lying to yourself. That’s why I don't really buy into the whole idea of having a "sick" or "healthy" soul. It just doesn't work like that. Everyone chooses their own path, I guess. It's all about listening to your gut, but maybe our modern way of life just makes it harder to hear anything at all. Religious leaders are always hanging around, trying to lecture everyone on how to reach "enlightenment." You’ve got guys like Benedict or that guy Homeini, just peddling the same old nonsense. Honestly, I guess all they really achieve is spreading stupidity and selling people a bunch of illusions. It's basically just selling smoke. Waking up really just means finally seeing things for what they are and choosing your own path. I guess.
Let me try to weigh in on this... people are just incredibly complex creatures, maybe too much so given how diverse we all are. What even is the ego? It’s basically that conscious part of your personality—your self-awareness, your sense of worth, knowing who you actually are and who you aren't. Pride is pretty much baked right into that ego structure, and I guess that’s exactly what stops most people from being able to forgive... How does it work? Someone puts you down, hurts you, or treats you unfairly, whether it’s physical or emotional pain. Maybe you realize in a relationship that you’re being suppressed, pushed to the sidelines, or that you’re giving way more than you’re getting back... when someone has an oversized ego, they might only be able to take an insult once. There isn't a second chance, and there's certainly no forgiveness. The ego is too strong, pride gets in the way, and the relationship just ends... It’s nice to see someone writing about forgiveness and trying to make people more "human" and enlightened through it, but we shouldn't forget that humans are emotional beings. For most people, I guess emotions carry way more weight than whatever their superego tells them to do... Suppressing negative emotions, or even the ego itself, just to achieve forgiveness is a lot harder than people like to admit...
Like I said, people are complicated, and I think we're still very much driven by those primal, caveman instincts... The ego is necessary, though. It has to exist so we can maintain some level of self-respect. Without an ego, I don't know who we'd be—just empty shells, I guess... Now, I'm not talking about those "inflated" egos where someone's sense of self-worth has zero basis in reality. Like those idiots who buy a Ford or a Ferrari and immediately act like they own the place, trying to pull God's beard while looking down on everyone else like they're ants... I’m talking about having a strong ego built on certain principles that shouldn't be violated—like being true to yourself. You shouldn't sacrifice that for some ideals that leave you stuck in compromising relationships where your deepest self is constantly fighting back...😁😁
Samuel James2 said:This is just insane! I mean, seriously, what is going on with those parents and doctors? It’s honestly wild how much craziness is actually out there in the world... I guess you really can't have everything, but still. They should be absolutely ashamed 👎
I'm basically just echoing what was said. I overslept, so I haven't had time to write out a whole essay on this... but when you let sick people try to "treat" healthy ones, this is exactly the kind of mess you get. And that bitch psychiatrist? She probably belongs behind bars for life.
Susan Lewis2 said:Here is an example of a study conducted here in the USA—though I suppose it isn't much of a surprise, since we see similar patterns domestically too; I recall even President Obama addressing this very issue on national television just a few months back. In my estimation, these represent the most glaring injustices one faces when navigating life as a woman. I suppose one could bring up arguments regarding maternity leave or childbirth, and while those issues certainly bother me, I suspect one eventually just accepts them as part of the female experience. However, when you see such blatant discrimination at the executive level in what is supposed to be the 21st century—where you possess identical qualifications and hold the exact same position as a man, yet receive significantly lower pay simply because of your gender—it really forces you to consider whether being male offers a distinct advantage from a purely financial perspective. In today's climate, where wealth and earnings are so central to our existence, it’s hard to ignore; education is becoming increasingly accessible across the country, whereas things have always been structured differently elsewhere. Women drive cars now, too, and they aren't just sticking to some tiny subcompact like a vintage Volkswagen Beetle just because they're women. It seems clear that societal norms in the modern West have shifted, yet this remains a critical issue that we must continue to fight against as time moves forward. I am reasonably certain that things will eventually balance out, but perhaps not within our own lifetime—or so the experts seem to suggest.
Yeah, Susan Lewis2, times are changing for the better...🙂..and they could change even faster if women become more empowered, independent, and self-aware—especially regarding money. And yeah, they should definitely demand their rights, because that just means they aren't letting themselves be denied the respect and justice they deserve... BTW, Jamie Jackson3, I mentioned cardiovascular disease as one of those issues that hits men harder in an earlier post, so... Elizabeth Newman2, you seriously need to rethink those views. I hope you grow out of them as you get older, because the way you're thinking right now? Not a good look. Your theories don't really hold water, especially when it comes to intelligence and creativity... but honestly, I don't have the energy to argue with someone acting like a teenager😁😁..so...🙂
Jamie Jackson3 said:You are dramatizing again instead of actually READING the thread from the beginning—reading ALL the posts (not just mine) to understand the CORE. We are discussing things REALISTICALLY, including the shortcomings and the reasons why one might want to be male for a day, a week, a month, or forever. You seem to have some serious issues since this affects you so deeply. However, I have little desire to explain myself to someone who REFUSES to understand. But fine, I will write this one last time; if you continue to pretend you don't get it and insist on your own way, so be it—I am not here to re-educate you. Let us proceed methodically.
and that is it, that if you are sufficiently strong in head and character, if you are a developed personyou WON'T desire to be someone else even when you are gripped by the most intense menstrual cramps..
I have never met a girl or a woman who has wished for that even a hundred times due to minor pains or trivialities. The comparison to toothaches also fails to hold water; when you have a toothache, you think, "Why don't I have healthy teeth like Henry Williams? I should have taken better care of them earlier, and now it hurts." And if we are going to extremes, let's consider someone paralyzed after a car accident or suffering from a tumor... by your logic, that person should never wish they could run or jump like their healthy friends, because that would show weakness?? Your definition of weakness is entirely flawed. Do work on that.
If menstruation and pregnancy bother you, then manage the period with pills—adjust the dosage based on your pain level—and as for pregnancy, YOU HAVE A CHOICE. If you don't want to endure the physical discomfort and the leakage, simply decide NOT to have a child, and that is that.
Menstruation is a vulnerability and a drawback, as no pill can help you feel completely normal; it can only dull the pain. It cannot fix the bleeding, the mood swings, the bloating, or the lack of focus (unless you intend to claim you are a "superwoman" who feels nothing). And regarding pregnancy, I DO NOT have a choice if I want to be a MOTHER and the mother of MY OWN child. Whereas men CAN achieve this WITHOUT pregnancy. Is that clear? Therefore, there is nothing wrong with saying it is EASIER and PAINLESS for men to have children because it is handed to them ready-made. That isn't a sign of weakness; it is a REALITY that you are RUNNING FROM.
I believe you’ve strayed quite far from the mark with your generalizations. Honestly, a few of your points only serve to confirm that you are far too dependent on external validation. For instance, you claim that when one is a man, they can retain their surname without facing societal judgment—as if being overly preoccupied with public opinion prevents someone from ever being truly satisfied, self-aware, or free. I have to ask: who exactly is stopping you from keeping your own name if that is what you truly desire? Society? Please. A functional society has much more pressing matters to attend to than trivialities like this. Even if someone were to offer a critique, you remain the master of your own decisions and your own life. Only by embracing that agency can one find true contentment.
Everything I wrote stands. It is all accurate, particularly regarding the surname issue. You really ought to learn how to read. Nowhere did I suggest it is impossible to keep one's maiden name while ignoring outside opinions; rather, my point was that men simply do not face these specific dilemmas or indecision in the first place. So, whether you possess self-awareness—which, judging by your tone, you clearly lack, otherwise this truth wouldn't sting so much—or you don't, a man will never encounter these particular struggles. It isn't a matter of being a "self-aware" man or not.
Furthermore, if a woman is sufficiently empowered, she won't use certain biological "limitations," as you call them, as a justification for preferring to be male. For a truly grounded woman, such things are insignificant trifles compared to the fulfillment found in embracing her femininity to its fullest extent.
Biological constraints, when coupled with social ones, are the only actual limitations and the sole reasons why being male might be easier. If you strip those away, there are no other reasons left. The fact that a woman might be strong or self-assured, or possesses everything you listed, doesn't change the reality that it would be easier for her if she had been born into a male-dominated environment. That is the subject of this discussion. We aren't talking about invincible, unstoppable women capable of saving Private Ryan; we are discussing the inherent feminine limitations that provide reasons why someone might prefer to be male on a daily, weekly, monthly, or permanent basis. What you rambled about regarding the "truly grounded woman" belongs in a different thread. I assume even you realize that. But we can take it offline if you like. Allow me to enlighten you: a truly grounded woman who embraces her femininity does not undergo unnecessary breast augmentations, does not exploit herself, does not dress provocatively just to seek attention, does not loathe her cellulite, does not get lip fillers, does not obsess over halting the aging process, does not gossip about her friends, does not pry into the neighbor's yard, and focuses on her own life. She wears her age gracefully, dresses appropriately for any occasion—from sweatpants to evening gowns—knows how to dress well, doesn't judge others, and carries no complexes... should I continue?
In my view, a woman who argues that being male is preferable due to real, tangible constraints isn't struggling with self-awareness or femininity. Rather, the struggle lies with the woman who engages in the behaviors I just mentioned—the one who hates her body, starves herself, views marriage solely as a financial transaction, and sees other women as threats. A woman who acknowledges her limitations is a real woman, unlike the one who poisons herself with pills and pretends that a menstrual cycle isn't a limitation. She plays at being "strong" while hating her own cellulite, spending half the day grooming herself just to mimic someone else.
Do you see now how much you and your cohort have missed the point? What you are discussing has nothing to do with this topic. If you feel such a desperate need to share your theories on "strong women," I suggest you start with high schools or middle schools. That is where the future "strong" women are molded—those who swallow painkillers, birth control, and all sorts of other toxins (pills are essentially poison, by the way) while rotting away on the inside.
By the way, the only thing I took away from your post is that you don't understand anything at all, and certainly that what you are saying is irrelevant to this discussion.☕ The only thing I would hope you grasp from my words is that acknowledging the truth and reality is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of strength. Those who flee from the truth are the weak ones, hiding behind hollow platitudes about "strong women." I suggest that next time you step outside, you try looking for actual strong women... you might just find one. You are far too entrenched in your own little dogmas to ever concede that I am correct, even though deep down, you know I am.
No, the only fact here is that you haven't understood me, period. I've embraced truth and reality in my life, so... and truth isn't the same for everyone, especially with a topic like this where things are pretty relative, honey. That's why we have voting. And seeing as there's quite a few people who are happy in their own skin, I guess thank God there are plenty of people who agree with me.