Love or Power?

Power is nothing more than an illusion—a cocktail of deception, deceit, and outright fraud

.. it strikes me as one of the most glaring symptoms of a psychopath .. 😁

Love, on the other hand, is a genuine feeling .. at least for me ..

Donna White50 said:Oh, Great All-Powerful and All-Knowing one, please reveal to us the secret of love...😁
I separated love from infatuation a long time ago...
It clicked for me ages ago that love isn't about possession—it's about sharing, respect, acceptance, and giving both yourself and your partner the freedom to grow...
Things go sideways when desires, feelings, and dreams start drifting apart... then "love turns into" being demanding and pulling on the leash... but that's not love anymore... it's just a hungry, angry animal that's been neglected for months, if not years...
Nobody owns anyone, and nobody owes anyone anything... those are all just fictions in our heads... and love is just a pleasant fiction... because in reality, there's nothing exists besides this exact moment you're living in... burn out your brain and it's over—bye bye to love, feelings, the good, and the bad...🙂
That's about it from me...

🙂No, I think I'll pass .. I prefer to leave that particular pleasure to the individual. I feel no urge to convince anyone else of my specific philosophy or way of life, though I suppose I might offer a critique whenever the opportunity presents itself .. I'm just grateful for the love that kept me tethered to this life long enough to possess that ability and capacity

As for power, it can kiss my ass😁

Respect!

Lawrence Bailey77 said:Power is nothing more than an illusion—a cocktail of deception, deceit, and outright fraud

.. it strikes me as one of the most glaring symptoms of a psychopath .. 😁

Love, on the other hand, is a genuine feeling .. at least for me ..

🙂No, I think I'll pass .. I prefer to leave that particular pleasure to the individual. I feel no urge to convince anyone else of my specific philosophy or way of life, though I suppose I might offer a critique whenever the opportunity presents itself .. I'm just grateful for the love that kept me tethered to this life long enough to possess that ability and capacity

As for power, it can kiss my ass😁

Respect!

Kind of a weird way to look at things for someone whose entire life is basically dictated by power... you know? Like, the government, the laws, money, trade, your career... it’s all built on that foundation. Power, the law of the jungle, hierarchy... there isn't exactly much room for love or compassion in those spheres—it's just cold, hard reality...😛

Man, I totally missed that... a scorpion just crawled past me, so I guess those low-level impulses finally bubbled up to the surface. Smokey, you’re seriously out of your mind, but honestly, I love it 👍 Everything makes sense and you guys are all spot on, but let’s be real—I still haven't found someone willing to just lay down and love me without asking a million questions. I haven't found that yet, and once I do, they'll probably be just as chaotic as I am... damn... well, go ahead and settle down with some total crybaby like Donna White50... honestly, we’d probably just burn the whole place down together hahah

ambercrane722 said:Man, I totally missed that... a scorpion just crawled past me, so I guess those low-level impulses finally bubbled up to the surface. Smokey, you’re seriously out of your mind, but honestly, I love it 👍 Everything makes sense and you guys are all spot on, but let’s be real—I still haven't found someone willing to just lay down and love me without asking a million questions. I haven't found that yet, and once I do, they'll probably be just as chaotic as I am... damn... well, go ahead and settle down with some total crybaby like Donna White50... honestly, we’d probably just burn the whole place down together hahah

Calling your mom a crybaby? Man... I can't even remember the last time I actually shed a tear... But that's the whole thing, you don't get it... Having a stone-cold face while everything inside you is falling apart... and that's just how you live every single damn day...
Just go find yourself some alpha guy who’ll snap you out of it when you start talking nonsense... he’ll definitely have zero internal drama, won't ask too many questions, give you a reality check, and move on... plenty of women actually thrive on that kind of energy, which is why they end up being such pushovers... 🙂

Morgan Bishop4 said:Honestly, if you want to talk about real power, it’s all about that self-love vibe...
I mean, I truly believe that love is just pure acceptance—embracing yourself and letting another person be exactly who they are, without trying to fix them or anything like that.

Nah, that's what real, mature love looks like 😁

haha look, you aren't some fragile little snowflake, you’re just an emotionally volatile mess who tries to play everything off with logic... but those mood swings? They're definitely there. Honestly, we're basically cut from the same cloth since I'm a Libra with a massive Scorpio influence in my chart too—it's like looking in a mirror, if you want the truth. And yeah, you *are* a crybaby because you sit there weeping in the dark when nobody's watching... just like I used to do, so stop lying. As for being crude, you couldn't be more wrong. That doesn't fly with me because I'm far from primitive; if anything, I have this deep, elevated intuition and a level of awareness that lets me grasp the heavy stuff happening in this world, which honestly hits me hard sometimes much more than you'd think.

Donna White50 said:Kind of a weird way to look at things for someone whose entire life is basically dictated by power... you know? Like, the government, the laws, money, trade, your career... it’s all built on that foundation. Power, the law of the jungle, hierarchy... there isn't exactly much room for love or compassion in those spheres—it's just cold, hard reality...😛

Are you implying that I am being strange, or are you just complaining about how cruel the world is?

Forgive me, but I suspect you might need some professional guidance... I mean, how could you possibly know anything about me? Where on earth have we met, precisely? How could you claim to know what—or who—governs my life?

Why on earth do people lie so incessantly? Why is there such a desperate need to deny that there are individuals out there who don't simply bow down or sell their souls?

Why is there such an allergic reaction toward people who actually possess character and a backbone, instead of just blending into the crowd?

And then you moan about a lack of tolerance and love... it seems somewhat abnormal, perhaps, to lack even self-belief when you hold such cynical views...

Am I wrong here? Have I essentially contradicted myself? 😵

Lawrence Bailey77 said:Are you implying that I am being strange, or are you just complaining about how cruel the world is?

Forgive me, but I suspect you might need some professional guidance... I mean, how could you possibly know anything about me? Where on earth have we met, precisely? How could you claim to know what—or who—governs my life?

Why on earth do people lie so incessantly? Why is there such a desperate need to deny that there are individuals out there who don't simply bow down or sell their souls?

Why is there such an allergic reaction toward people who actually possess character and a backbone, instead of just blending into the crowd?

And then you moan about a lack of tolerance and love... it seems somewhat abnormal, perhaps, to lack even self-belief when you hold such cynical views...

Am I wrong here? Have I essentially contradicted myself? 😵

I have no idea where all these assumptions are coming from, and I really don't feel like digging into it..
Wishing you the best... 🙂

If this topic is framed as a choice between two options, then I’m putting my money on love... 🙂

But in all seriousness: Love and power are fundamentally incompatible.

It’s like trying to mix cheap gasoline with premium high-octane fuel...

True intimacy doesn't allow for dominance. Real love is about acceptance and being someone's support system—providing that deep-seated emotional nourishment we all crave but refuse to admit we need because we're too afraid of looking "weak." In this hyper-competitive American culture we live in, emotions are treated like a liability, something you're supposed to suppress just to stay ahead of the pack. We're told that showing vulnerability is for losers, while power and control are the hallmarks of the "smart" players. What a load of garbage. It’s a total fallacy, yet we keep feeding into this massive, contradictory mess of a society. Meanwhile, the media keeps peddling sex, romance, and everything in between as commodities, regardless of the substance. It’s all just relative at the end of the day. 🙂



Here is a somewhat witty little clip regarding sexuality and love... 🙂

Look, I’m talking about that whole game... you know, the power trips, the illusions, and finding something real amidst all that fake stuff... that's what actually gets me hooked.

I’m just talking to the wind here 😁

And that seems to be exactly where the catch lies. I’m talking about genuine, healthy sexuality and actual love—concepts that are fundamentally incompatible with power games and the manufacturing of illusions in my book... 🤷
While pure sexual desire can have its own charm, the absolute mess that happens far too often is when people mistakenly assume those two things are even remotely compatible...

I honestly can’t tell if you’re flying solo or what, but once life throws you a few curveballs, you'll get exactly what I'm talking about. Life is basically just one big game—sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and frankly, it's pretty damn boring otherwise. As for all this sickness talk, who knows? We’re all a little twisted in our own way, right? Let everyone else go ahead and play house in their perfect little healthy relationships; let 'em enjoy it while it lasts!

Relationships are basically just a way for one person to exert control over another.

Hell yeah they are, anything else is just straight-up lies

Look, I’m telling you right now—never, and I mean NEVER, go all in when it comes to love. You can give your absolute everything to your parents, sure, but your partner? Absolutely NOT.

redbear2 said:Relationships are basically just a way for one person to exert control over another.

That is spot on. It’s honestly wild how many people still don't see that today.

ambercrane722 said:I honestly can’t tell if you’re flying solo or what, but once life throws you a few curveballs, you'll get exactly what I'm talking about. Life is basically just one big game—sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and frankly, it's pretty damn boring otherwise. As for all this sickness talk, who knows? We’re all a little twisted in our own way, right? Let everyone else go ahead and play house in their perfect little healthy relationships; let 'em enjoy it while it lasts!

So, you're trying to sneakily fish for my relationship status, are you? 😛 Look, I'll give you this much: I agree that without a bit of psychological maneuvering behind the scenes, some people find their relationships incredibly dull... but again, the emphasis there is on *some* people...

Michael Diaz6 said:For most of my life, I was totally obsessed with perfection. Like, if it wasn't flawless, it wasn't good enough, and I just didn't know how to be anything else.
At the end of the day, you're the one who knows yourself best, including all those messy flaws.
I used to beat myself up over them, honestly. It got to the point where I felt like I didn't even deserve the "perfect" things I was chasing.
So yeah, I wouldn't even dream of getting involved with a guy who seemed perfect to me.
It wasn't about trying to manipulate anyone—I just wanted the freedom to be myself, flaws and all. And the only way to do that was with someone who actually gets it.
The urge to control people completely died after my first boyfriend. I realized it’s just exhausting, and at the end of the day, everyone does their own thing anyway. You can't manipulate me, and you definitely can't change me, so how could I expect to control anyone else when I can't even force myself to be what I want to be?
If I ever stumble upon some magic formula that works on other people, I'll let you know. 🤣

Until then, I'm embracing imperfection. I'm making a conscious effort to fall for the imperfect stuff, because I'm certainly not perfect myself.
That’s not just some cheesy cliché; I mean it. I’m a bit eccentric and don't really fit into a neat little box. I know I *could* fit in—I spent most of my life training myself to be perfect, which helps out in my career and stuff, but in love? It’s a disaster. It leads you straight to guys who don't match your vibe at all. Eventually, you realize that once you're honest about who you are and what you want, very few people actually fit. Honestly, you might have stayed innocent longer if you'd just waited for that one person who fits like a puzzle piece.
Back then, I couldn't figure out why people struggled so much to find a partner when it felt like the world was just overflowing with love...

But once you finally figure out who YOU really are, everything changes. You start seeing your uniqueness. You realize your flaws aren't actually flaws, and that perfection is a myth. If perfection existed, the world would be totally out of whack—you need darkness to define the light, right?
Now, I accept my dark side as part of the whole package. Those shadows are there to highlight my light. My flaws and virtues are all part of the same person.
I don't need perfection anymore because I've realized I'm already perfect in my own weird way. I stopped trying to bend myself to fit things that go against what I actually want. I finally get it now—loving someone's entire being is hard. And loving me? That's not easy either. Loving isn't easy.
It's supposed to be this explosive connection where two whole people just click... that's the only time you can truly say you love and are loved.
How many people can actually say they've experienced that? Who knows. I'm 25... I have no clue.

The world is just crawling with the "illusion" of love. It’s easy to play pretend—mirages don't feel pain, even if they know how to scare you.

Michael Diaz6 said:For most of my life, I was totally obsessed with perfection. Like, if it wasn't flawless, it wasn't good enough, and I just didn't know how to be anything else.
At the end of the day, you're the one who knows yourself best, including all those messy flaws.
I used to beat myself up over them, honestly. It got to the point where I felt like I didn't even deserve the "perfect" things I was chasing.
So yeah, I wouldn't even dream of getting involved with a guy who seemed perfect to me.
It wasn't about trying to manipulate anyone—I just wanted the freedom to be myself, flaws and all. And the only way to do that was with someone who actually gets it.
The urge to control people completely died after my first boyfriend. I realized it’s just exhausting, and at the end of the day, everyone does their own thing anyway. You can't manipulate me, and you definitely can't change me, so how could I expect to control anyone else when I can't even force myself to be what I want to be?
If I ever stumble upon some magic formula that works on other people, I'll let you know. 🤣

Until then, I'm embracing imperfection. I'm making a conscious effort to fall for the imperfect stuff, because I'm certainly not perfect myself.
That’s not just some cheesy cliché; I mean it. I’m a bit eccentric and don't really fit into a neat little box. I know I *could* fit in—I spent most of my life training myself to be perfect, which helps out in my career and stuff, but in love? It’s a disaster. It leads you straight to guys who don't match your vibe at all. Eventually, you realize that once you're honest about who you are and what you want, very few people actually fit. Honestly, you might have stayed innocent longer if you'd just waited for that one person who fits like a puzzle piece.
Back then, I couldn't figure out why people struggled so much to find a partner when it felt like the world was just overflowing with love...

But once you finally figure out who YOU really are, everything changes. You start seeing your uniqueness. You realize your flaws aren't actually flaws, and that perfection is a myth. If perfection existed, the world would be totally out of whack—you need darkness to define the light, right?
Now, I accept my dark side as part of the whole package. Those shadows are there to highlight my light. My flaws and virtues are all part of the same person.
I don't need perfection anymore because I've realized I'm already perfect in my own weird way. I stopped trying to bend myself to fit things that go against what I actually want. I finally get it now—loving someone's entire being is hard. And loving me? That's not easy either. Loving isn't easy.
It's supposed to be this explosive connection where two whole people just click... that's the only time you can truly say you love and are loved.
How many people can actually say they've experienced that? Who knows. I'm 25... I have no clue.

Life is a paradox—and so are people. Even that obsession with being perfect follows the same pattern. While one thing gets "frozen" in place, something else just spills over.

I think the best move is to just "mess up" the clean structures a bit; it makes morality way more complicated, sure, but it also feels a lot more free.

Lawrence Bailey77 said:Power is nothing more than an illusion—a cocktail of deception, deceit, and outright fraud

.. it strikes me as one of the most glaring symptoms of a psychopath .. 😁

Love, on the other hand, is a genuine feeling .. at least for me ..

🙂No, I think I'll pass .. I prefer to leave that particular pleasure to the individual. I feel no urge to convince anyone else of my specific philosophy or way of life, though I suppose I might offer a critique whenever the opportunity presents itself .. I'm just grateful for the love that kept me tethered to this life long enough to possess that ability and capacity

As for power, it can kiss my ass😁

Respect!

I've spent most of my life chasing "power"—nothing fancy, just so I could finally live life on my own terms. To me, love is about understanding, which is a skill... and you need power to actually be skilled.

Life is way too messy for that. Those rare moments where I feel "real" usually happen when I'm totally alone; the second you step into the social grind—that whole web of human interaction—lacking power is what breaks you down and pushes you toward a total breakdown.

In this frantic hunt for "power," I’ve learned how to be a bit of a ghost—someone who steers the vibe without being obvious. Think of a pro swordsman keeping his blade sheathed, giving just a tiny hint of what he can actually do; some amateur walks around flaunting it, just showing everyone how powerless they really are.

ambercrane722 said:Look, I’m talking about that whole game... you know, the power trips, the illusions, and finding something real amidst all that fake stuff... that's what actually gets me hooked.

Yeah, it really is interesting, I guess.
The second someone who was playing hard to get suddenly becomes available and that whole "crash and burn" feeling happens, you just know it wasn't actually love—it was just a desperate grab for control, maybe.

Real love doesn't require you to chase someone down or set up these elaborate little traps; if they're the right person, they're just there, and honestly, I can't even imagine it working any other way.