Is moderation actually a sign of wisdom?

Paul Campbell3 said:Look, this conversation belongs in a completely different thread. But clearly, you and I aren't even living on the same planet.😁
The sheer amount of depression, aimlessness, and total ignorance of basic reality—combined with this modern "collective delusion"—is unprecedented. Honestly, we didn't even see this level of dysfunction back in the Middle Ages.

Are we really supposed to believe that measuring human progress just by scientific breakthroughs and tech advancements is actually valid?

The sheer amount of depression, aimlessness, and total ignorance regarding basic facts—not to mention this whole "collective delusion" we're living through—is honestly unprecedented. Even the Dark Ages didn't feel this lost.

velvetpilot212 said:But honestly, what I find even more fascinating are the women they’re actually talking to. They just sit there nodding along, looking incredibly naive, giving them those wide-eyed, innocent little glances, while internally thinking, "Honey, you couldn't charm me if you tried... I can play the ingenue way better than you can play the smooth talker." Then, they give him exactly what he wants—not chocolate, mind you, but his undivided attention—and the guy walks away thinking, "Wow, I'm a natural; she didn't see through me at all!"
To reiterate, essentially: "You aren't half as clever as you think you are, but I can pretend to be clueless better than you can act suave" plus that look 😍 "Oh, you're just darling, you're not even a player, I could just kiss you... though maybe not."
I suspect (😁 ) that this might actually be the root cause of all our earthly problems. We should probably write entire philosophical treatises on it; one would have to be exceptionally brilliant and sharp-witted to truly penetrate her, or rather, his, thought process. And here I am, claiming to be smart, eh?

hollowviper72 said:Look, folks, if you're willing to take a bit of advice from someone who actually writes—even if I'm just an amateur—here’s the thing: when you're working with allegories, they have to actually make sense through association. I can see what boldsailor32 is trying to get at, really I can, but the associations here are completely off the mark. A fighter jet brings to mind noise, warfare, killing, and death. It doesn't suggest adaptability in any universe. No matter how much I grasp boldsailor32's underlying point, I simply cannot agree with him; to do so would be to accept that a military aircraft represents some sort of noble ideal, which, as a pacifist, fills me with nothing but pure disgust.

Has anyone here seen "Hero"? It’s a stunning film, and it carries one of my absolute favorite lessons:

"A Mačevati's first success is unity with the blade. At that moment, he has no equal."
"A Mačevati's second success is having the blade in his heart while his hand remains empty. Then, even a blade of grass becomes a weapon."
"A Mačevati's greatest success is the absence of the blade in both heart and hand. For the Mačevati swears not to kill, but to bring peace to mankind."

I refuse to view life as a battlefield, because existence is far more profound than that. I don't seek to conquer; I seek to understand. That is why a sailboat is my ideal; the wind isn't something you conquer, but something you harmonize with. It’s the fundamental difference between that aggressive Western mindset and a more passive, Eastern approach.

hollowviper72 says:
Listen, if you want advice from someone who actually writes—even if just as an amateur: when you use allegories, they have to make sense. I understand what boldsailor32 is trying to say, but the associations are completely off. A fighter jet represents noise, war, killing, and death. It does not represent adaptability. No matter how much I grasp boldsailor32's intent, I cannot agree. To agree would be to accept a fighter jet as a symbol of some higher ideal, which, as a pacifist, I find absolutely revolting.

Has anyone seen "Hero"? It’s a beautiful film, and it features one of my favorite lessons:

"A swordsman's first success is becoming one with the sword. Then, he has no equal."
"A swordsman's second success is having the sword in his heart, but not in his hand. Then, even a blade of grass can be a weapon."
"A swordsman's greatest success is having no sword in his heart or his hand. The swordsman swears not to kill, but to bring peace to people."

I cannot view life as a battle, because life is more than that. I don't want to conquer; I want to understand. That is why a sailboat is my ideal. A sailboat doesn't conquer the wind; it moves in harmony with it. That is the difference between an aggressive Western attitude and a passive Eastern approach.

hollowviper72 said:I see. And how exactly did boldsailor32 reach that highly, uh, informed conclusion?

hollowviper72 said:Who cares if they try to feed us some narrative? We aren't sheep meant to just swallow whatever gets shoved into our pen. 😉

hollowviper72 said:What I see becoming popular lately is this "fatalistic" mindset. The idea that the world is going to hell, everything is falling apart, and so on. When I think about it—why would I even bother thinking like that? Who am I helping with an attitude like that? Not myself, and I doubt I'm helping anyone else either. You get what I'm saying? 🙂

boldsailor32 says:
Basically, it comes down to reading the crystal ball and following a gut feeling about how things are playing out.

It’s an intuition—one that I can’t quite break down with math, logic, or any legalistic argument.

But I trust it.

Paul Campbell3 said:I’m honestly afraid that we already are—even during those moments when we like to convince ourselves that we aren't.

What exactly does it mean to take a fatalistic approach? It’s one of those concepts that people often throw around in conversation—usually when they're feeling particularly discouraged—but it deserves a bit more nuance than just "giving up." If we’re looking at it from a philosophical standpoint, fatalism is essentially the belief that all events are predetermined. It’s the idea that the script has already been written, and no matter how much you struggle, pivot, or try to change course, you’re ultimately just following a path that was set in stone long ago. It’s that heavy, somewhat somber realization that certain outcomes are inevitable—not because of cause and effect, but because they simply *must* happen. Think of it like watching a movie for the second time. You might see the protagonist making choices, sweating, and fighting against their circumstances, but you—as the viewer—know exactly how it ends. For someone living with a fatalistic mindset, life feels exactly like that movie. There’s a sense that human agency—our ability to actually make an impact through our own willpower—is, well, somewhat of an illusion. It’s a bit different from simple determinism, too. While determinism suggests that everything happens because of a chain of previous causes (like a row of falling dominoes), fatalism carries this much heavier, almost mystical weight. It implies that even if you changed the preceding events, the final destination would remain the same. It’s less about "A caused B" and more about "B was always going to happen, regardless of A." In everyday American life, you see this pop up when people say things like, "Well, if it's meant to be, it's meant to be," or "Whatever will be, will be." While that can sometimes be a comforting way to handle grief or unexpected setbacks—allowing us to let go of things we truly cannot control—it can also become a bit of a trap. If you lean too hard into that "it's all predestined" mentality, you risk sliding into passivity. Why bother working hard for a promotion at a place like Google or striving for a goal if you believe the universe has already decided your fate? So, while there’s a certain quiet peace to be found in accepting the uncontrollable, a purely fatalistic approach can strip away the very thing that makes the human experience so vibrant: the belief that our choices actually matter.
Closing your eyes tight doesn't make the facts disappear—it just means you're choosing to live in a fantasy.

You’ve gone and built this entire mental framework—this massive, intricate system that you sail through like a solo yachtman out on the open ocean. But here’s the thing: you’re constantly tinkering with it, aren't you? You’re always poking around under the hood, pulling out anything that feels even slightly off or anything that might start to emit an unpleasant odor. It's like you can't help but tidy up the deck to make sure everything stays pristine.
Do you really consider yourself a pacifist? Because I’m curious—what exactly would happen if I walked up to you right now and pressed a knife against your throat?😁

I can't help but wonder—what actually happens when the wind finally picks up, turns into a gale, and snaps your wings right off?😉

boldsailor32 said:Based on peering into my crystal ball and just following some vague, subjective gut feeling about how things are going. V.

boldsailor32 said:No, hollowviper72. You can say whatever you want to say...

But what you’re actually chasing is power.

The ability to pull the strings on people.

hollowviper72 said:I get it. That’s your whole "judge by actions" routine. In reality, you'd rather rely on some crystal ball or just a "gut feeling." Look, I respect anyone trying to tap into the Force, but that takes serious discipline. And even when you master it, your intuition doesn't always grasp the full truth.

Anyway, believe your feelings if you want. It's no skin off my nose. 🙂

Gaudrath said:It sounds like you both just caught a glimpse of one side of the coin... and then mistook that little slice for the whole truth. I think there might be a bit of a lesson in there for you guys somewhere...

mrkenangelo said:You forgot to mention the beans.

I assume you swore an oath before the Great Forum Leaders that you wouldn't go around swinging swords, but would instead bring peace to the people of this sub-forum.

Whether they want it or not.