MysterionMuffles

LOL I forgot about The Onion and their hard hitting satire.

Dang man, welcome to the boards. What a great introduction. I raised an eyebrow when I read you lead a church group and that eyebrow raised to the back of my head when I also read that you're going to start testing your religion. Hope you have a good time here and get the most out of philosophy when discussing stuff with us here. You never know, despite not being argumentive you might develop some good arguing skills.

gwho, wow I didn't notice that. Think I'll watch it again. And you're right Extraordinary_rendition, I think the genders play a huge role in it. If it was the boy being forceful people will be easily on about how he's a future abuser, but no girls are such sweet frilly things that it is good for them to exact the same kind of aggression men do. Because when they do, it's EMPOWERING. Not trying to be sexist, but there is that double standard. Clearly she is an abuser in the making if she doesn't seek help, likewise with the boy, he's gonna need to seek a lot of help in the future if his mother doesn't stop acting this way. The obvious thing is the public humiliation, but what I'm more worried about is what happens behind the camera. Why does he fear women so much? And why doesn't this woman reach out to him and comfort him? Just sick. Totally sickening.

Yeah I have a good anecdote in which I successfully negotiated my neice into a better behaviour. One afternoon I was babysitting my neice and she decides to go play with the DVD shelf we had in my living room. She started pulling and tossing all the DVD's off the shelf very carelessly, causing a ton of noise and possible internal disc destruction due to how aggressively she was throwing them on the floor. I already knew that I shouldn't spank her or slap her hand for doing this, but I did feel the need to yell at her. I was really tired, just wanted some peace and quiet, but those are just excuses. Thankfully I didn't yell at her, and instead decided to take a different approach: When she was just about to toss another DVD behind her, I held her hand for a moment and said, "I know you want to have fun with the DVD's, but you have to be careful with them if you want to keep playing. Why don't you be gentle with them and place them neatly like this?" She let me take the DVD out of her hand and I placed it very carefully on the floor. Then I took the other DVD's surrounding us and started placing them on a neat towering stack over each other. She stared at me for a moment and I had a moment of doubt thinking that she would ignore me and resume throwing the DVD's around. I underestimated her ability to listen because she doesn't know how to speak yet, but to my surprise when she turned back around to get another DVD, she placed it as gently and as neatly as she could ontop of the stack. Each time she took one DVD at a time and quietly and gently placed them on the stack, I would express my enthusiasm, meanwhile times she took too many which would cause them to slip out of her hands, I just sat there quietly until she figured out on her own how to be more careful with them. You can totally use at least my FDR user name if you decide to use my example and if it really counts as a "negotiation."

holy hell I'm having a braingasm...I'll provide my input when I can even wrap this around my head.

when you have that question burning inside you.

I think the tools for gaining self knowledge can be taught. It certainly is the case when I've picked up books like The Power of Now, The 6 Pillars of Self Esteem and Real-Time Relationships. The use of external information that gives perspective on things you may not be able to see too clearly when you're wrapped up in your own, I think, would help you...well...put things in perspective. It's hard to say, sometimes it feels like these things I've learned from books are things that I've already known inherently, but just didn't have the verbalization of concepts to understand them better. I'll get back to you on this after I see what everyone else's input is. Ultimately, self knowledge can only be obtained within the self, but I think the tools can be taught in the sense of learning how to ask yourself the right questions.

Awesome. It fills me with great joy you guys got into it. I just finished the entire series a week ago, watching with my sister as opposed to my brother this time around. She wasn't into anything with that kind of depth a couple years ago, but she was ready for the show's message this year. I feel like it's like that quote "the teacher will appear when the student is ready." When you're up for some enlightenment, you gotta let the show into your life. Which is weird of me to say because it's just a show, but that that's how damn powerful the writing is imo. Anyways cheers folks! Hope you can successfully share it with other people in your life as well

Jesus Christ man what a harsh assessment of them...but if they were really that vile, I am both sorry and proud for you. Sorry that you had to put up with them, but even more proud of you for being able to acknowledge the truth about them. Wherein most people would delude themselves into thinking that that's just how parents should be. I don't think it's wise to intervene. If they hit bottom without you or your sister there by their side, I think that would be a huge force in making them want to shape up as not just parents, but people in general. Depending on how old they are, they may be stubbornly stuck in their ways that their brains really just can't rewire their behaviour enough to make them even an ounce acceptable. You don't owe them that helping hand if they never extended the empathy towards you. I wouldn't bother.

LOL did Flander's really story get replaced by a Libertarian HQ? I do not remember that episode.

Im thinking of getting a hard copy of RTR and wanted to know if the compact edition still includes the Parable of the Apple or if that is removed as well. Thanks!

Hey everybody! I started a Youtube channel called From the Book Shelf to the Big Screen, where I review the latest novels that get adapted for film. Not only do I draw comparisons between both versions, but I also dissect the deeper meanings to each story. I would highly appreciate if you could take a gander at my videos, preferably leaving comments on the Youtube page so it gains some traction, but discussions in this thread would be welcomed too. Here are the videos I've made so far: Intro to BSBS Twilight by Stephanie Meyer The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold Kick Ass by Mark Millar & John Romita Jr. Kick Ass is my latest one, and I hope to follow up with Kick Ass 2 after I get a chance to watch the movie. Hope you enjoy!

I'm not sure of the impacts, but if I would have to guess, its a lot of stressful rewiring of the brain to what feels natural. I write with my left hand, but I play right hand guitar and pretty much throw balls, use knives, and just about everything else with my right hand. The fear of left handed users is an old religious thing that brands them as Satanists because they come from some reverse dimension or some stupid crap like that. My advice is not to force a child to switch which hands they use for writing or anything else. What feels natural to them to use is what will feel natural and so that is why there IS Ned Flander's Left Hand Emporium. Just kidding, but there are a lot of accomodations for left hand users. Most notably is guitars crafted so that the strings are reversed in guage for left handers to use their dominant hand (the left, duh) to pluck the strings as opposed to the traditional right. I don't think there's anything huge traumatic that happens to natural left handers who are forced to switch to using their right hand. If everything was meant to be right hand, we'd only have that one lol. My brother was born left handed but my parents forced him to write with his right hand, and its godawful messy. (Brilliant ideas though despite the chicken scratch!) I also have a friend who was born right handed, but he punched a window pretending to be Batman when he was a kid, and he had to learn how to write with his left hand. As for me, even though I usually write with my left, from time to time I write with my right hand (because I hate my hand getting stuck in the middle of a notebook lol) and its just as neat, if not any neater. Hands are hands. We're free to use which one for whatever task we choose and shouldn't be a big deal. Take it from an ambidextrous guy!

I dont know about the video, but the audio podcast had the time skips here: 10:03 11:32 11:52 12:52 13:05 13:28 13:56 14:18 14:25 16:15 16:26 16:49 17:29 18:48 19:11 19:44 19:50 20:24 20:28 20:33 20:36 22:00 22:02 22:07 22:12 22:21 22:25 22:47 23:03 24:58 Some just may be natural conversation breaks but there are a lot of times where it feels like some importamt points get skipped and a whole new topic comes out of nowhere.

This was a really eye opening interview to listen to. Because here in Canada with its "free" and socialized healthcare...my God the waiting can claim your death before treatment can even occcur. Glad to know our Southern Bretheren in the States at least have a leg up on us with free market and privatized health. Sounds like its more productive and affordable. However the technical issue I have with this podcast is that a lot of the parts get skipped over. Like midsentence either Stef or the doctor will be talking and so many words possibly even sentences get skipped over.

I totally agree. Even pre philosophy the news always disturbed me How they can flatly say that people are dying then onto the weather! Its so desensatizing to watch. What I am disturbed by is when my family watches to have their collective gasps of concern but can barely summon any real empathy towards anyone in our immediate world. I have always thought that the news is just a soul and mind crusher to increase our dependance on state power by making us feel helpless about all the troubles in the world. News casters talk like heartless robots, and it is scary how anyone can take them seriously. And on the tip of how our brains are hardwired to retain negative news more for survival reasons...its an attempt to keep us in the primitive state of simple die or survive mentality. For Canadians, I dont know if youve heard of a show called The Hour hosted by George Strombolopoulous, but its very different late nightv. Unlike Letterman or Leno (lamewads!) George conducts REAL interviews getting to the REAL person within the celebrity he interviews. Like instead of focussing on tabloid semantics or anything else mundane they focus in late night, his line of questioning iss geared towards what drives people to fulfill their aspirations. Also he used to have a segment called The World of Good News for the same reason what we're talking about here. And man was it refreshing to hear about hero stories and advancements in science rather than yet another person getting shot or house burning down nearby. There really needs to be more positive news programs out there. A wayy to determine if its good news if it doesnt cause negative emotion in the viewers like feeling sorry or sad for the victims Instead it should rouse ambition in the viewer to follow in the example of the good news portrayed. Like how great would it be to see a soup kitchen volunteer story and you get testimonials from the houseless folk as to how grateful they are for being helped out? Hell why havent they televised the Google Science Fair contestants and do a huge piece on all of their inventions? Conventional news SUCKS!!!

Lol that is hilariously truthful of real life relationships.

Oh man you bring a very good point. I think thats why some novels contain disclaimers saying that any similar characters names places and situations are entirely fiction, any resemblance to reality is purely accidental. As for changing your name after writing an autobiography the name used back then was and will still be a symbol that pertains to you and your life. So yes its still non fiction. Its likr how if Snoop Dogg wrote an autobiography but he is now known as Snoop Lion, that book still counts as non fictipn because even though Snoop Dogg isnt even his real name to begin with, it is representative to his being. Thay is the value of x being defined.

Thanks Mellony! Yeah what an insult to anybodys ability to think for themselves. Its a blatant invitation to be brainwashed. This argument ended long time ago but I remember her accusing philosophy as brainwash. If thats the case then religion was brain clutter.

Once again sorry for the delay. I know you already have someone in your immediate world who can offer feedback and thats great. I hope mine can be helpful also. I want to start off saying that this is an awesome idea. A reflection of how hard science can work to replicate the very same things that destroy us in order to destroy the destroyers. Thats a lot destruction lol. Anyways I like how you briefly introduced Casey and made the first chapter all about his father. The transition from the school bus bully throwing that weird food out the bus at someone near the labratory. I think that was handled well and I love perspective shifts in stories. What I would improve is not saying that kid is a bully because his actions already show that. Also it would keep me in the scene if he had spunky dialogue stating to throw the chicken egg out the wibdow to interrupt Caseys conversation with the girl. Was her name Hope?.. again sorry the details are blurry to me now. From what I remember I also preferred between Dr Reeds dialogue with the Soul Rippers, theres no need to tell the reader hes lying about Rex. We know that plus Strayden accuses him of it anyway. Lastly, I know in the narrative Dr Reeds thoughts are about loving and concerning over Casey, but I think his death would have more impact if you establish their connection better. Unless Casey will have flashbacksbto interactions with his father, I think its worth while to have them share SOME sparse but effective dialogue befote he drops him off to school or something. So those are my thoughts on it and for YA you use a little more sophisticated language in the dialogue and I love that. Youre onto something good and I hope your edits will flesh more of the moments out with the flare like you said. Because the setup of the world at the beginning is well detailed so to have that in action scenes that would bring it to life more. Keep it up!

Simply put; we can resume our friendship if I so choose to in the future. After this kind of openness I feel more confident about seeking out available and hopefully more virtuous women.

Well the whole thing has been very heavy on me and I feel greater that I got a chance to have this RTR. What I need to be ready for is to re engage in this friendship if I ever feel the need to. She let me off the hook to basically unfriend her for as long as I need to. That might be forever unless one day she'll feel compelled to contact me, in which case I'll be open to it. I dont know if I my self will ever be willing to refriend her but for now I need the distance to cool off. As for loving the self in this context means accepting herself, her habits, her need to change some of those habits, her need for courage and her nerd for integrity--all of which she doesnt feel she possess. I cant speak for her on that but I can agree lol. Since Im all about self love first before external love, she expressed to me that she doesnt have enough of that to be compatible with me. That she needs to achieve a "perfect self" in order to be with me. I argued theres no such thing but there is at least a well known self that which was what she really meant in that regard.

Hello again! So I finally got to sit down and have a chat with the "Man Hopper" I mentioned in this original topic, and by golly am I surprised at how it turned out. From the very first week I grew frustrated about her, I wanted to have this conversation for the sake of philosophically winning over her lack of reasoning (which would ironically be anti-philosophy I think). Like I intended for it to be my way of defriending her very harshly and officially, but over time I started to think of it as an opportunity to grow. A chance to have an open and honest discussion about what's been going on between us and seperately. When I thought there was only a 20% chance of our friendship growing, I didn't expect it to be the outcome I received. Anyways, I want to keep this as short as possible, so I want to briefly touch on the things I've learned and how VALUABLE AND GREAT REAL-TIME RELATING REALLY IS!!! RTR was my main weapon in this and that prevented me from being a judgemental, over bearing disapprover like this woman's parents. Which is of course the stem of her dysfunction. Her parents are very hard to please, she feels unlovable, so it's pretty obvious that she can only seek love through these men she gets into relationships with. That much is simple, and so is the next point, but just wasn't an easy idea for her to ever realize. Her lack of self worth derives from her parents, yes, because they are over protective and disapprove of everything she does. When I would judge her about her romantic choices, I just became another parent and she was honest with me for once saying that it frustrated her when I got into lecture mode about--well just about anything that had to do loving your self first. She knew that intellectually...but it's something she didn't really take into full account until today. For you see, I told her that I felt like she lead me on. I opened up about how when she first broke up with her previous boyfriend, that there was a week or so where I felt like I wanted to tell her that I MIGHT like her, and that we should spend more time together to see if our friendship can be anything more. I held back on doing so because I didn't want to enable her man hopping habit, but she enacted it anyway with the guy she's with now, and for me that stung. Even though I wanted to spark that with her only out of convenience and proximity...it still hurt. Then she told me that if there was a time in the future where she fully loved her self (so glad she was on the right track during this!) because she doesn't right now, and we were both single and we were still friends, she would give us a shot. Because on her side of things, she admitted that she was also attracted to me during that period but felt unworthy of me because of my philosophical insight. She felt like she could never add up to my level headedness, and I admitted that I could never add up to her sexual experience. It was just a very mutually levelling experience to see what we feared in each other and why we wanted so desparately to keep our friendship strictly platonic. We both resisted the change for our own reasons. For her it was lack of worth being with someone of my emotional intelligence, which she was right about because I KNOW myself enough to know that I would feel insecure to be in a relationship with someone with that habit. I would have to constantly be trying to please her to ensure she doesn't find a fall back guy. For me it was my fear of not being sexually sufficient enough for her (since I've never had sex, but she's had plenty) and of course of the innate jealousy that I have. I'm more mature about it now, but it doesn't make it go away. ANYWAYS I broke my promise and made this very long. I just wanted to share the basics of what happened. There is so much more about it that I can't even verbalize right now because I am just so greatful and happy how understanding we were to each other. And of course how awesome RTRing really was! So like I said, it was no longer about letting her go as a friend harshly, but she suggested that I take my time to digest this all, do my own thing, and contact her again when I'm ready. She knew exactly what I needed when I couldn't even state my own preference at the end of the conversation. I am just really happy that I know my input made an impact on her for once. Thanks for reading and feel free to add your input or ask me anything else about it.

I was wondering if anyone had instances in their childhood where they--even if for a brief moment--grasped the concept of anarchy and/or atheism. A memory just came to me today that I'm becoming very fond of. I remember walking around a Wal-Mart and looking at the video games I want to buy. I could have only been 5-8, but looking at the prices, and I muttered to my self, "that's not the real price. I WISH it was only $50, but I know I'm gonna have to pay TAXES. Who the hell are these people taking all this extra money out of my pockets?" And a more congruent memory that I've been conscious of for a while is every birthday and Christmas in my childhood, I would get loads of money from my family. Without even a negotiation, my mom just told me she was going to take a huge chunk of it to put in my school fund. I appreciate the sentiment that she thought I would go through that conventional route in life of doing well in school and post secondary to live the rest of my life living off the career I learned about IN that post secondary experience. Which I found really odd because that was around the time I was already skipping so much school because either my teachers were bullies, I had no friends, or the school work just didn't challenge me enough. SO it is beyond me why she would take my money against my will towards something that didn't even seem likely BACK THEN. Anybody else have experiences or flashes of insight when the were young in which you understood atheism/anarchy? Please share! For me, the concepts were always there, but thanks to FDR, they've been verbalized and attached to reason, so I'm able to understand these beliefs much better now.

Hell I even believe that non fiction can very well be fiction if it fails to do what its supposed to: which is retell real life events in the most accurate manner. What constitutes fiction is the intentional use of made up people and made up situations that may sometimes resemble real life people or situations, but it is deliberately delivered in a sequence separate from reality. I can create characters that resemble people in my life, but just because I portray that character to closely resemble their behaviour and even put them in similar situations they've been in in real life--its ultimately fiction because I choose to make them do or say what I want. If I put their real name however and try my best to objectiely portray events as they had happened, that would make it non fiction. But I say non fiction can verge on fiction still because we only do have subjective perspectives so we may twist things to our bias if we were to write an autobiography.