Josh F

but holding yoursel to a standard and taking it easy, which I agree are good, are not really about philosophical consistency. Like exercising a lot and also relaxing a lot isnt a contradiction like being a black guy in the KKK is, lol. Lians, I really liked the IDEA of this test, but I agree the wording was sloppy. I also don't think it challenged enough beliefs.

The day a troll actually looks at his own behavior as the cause of his negging, thats the day they'll begin to get positive feedback. And think about it... I don't have negative points and you do, but I'm subjected to the same chance of being abused as you are by anonymous people. Feedback is good, ignoring it is not.

Yeah but the question says the money is being spent on saving lives. The question isn't "do you think government can save lives", right? I just thought it made sense to me personally so I'm trying to get an idea about where we diverged.

The contradiction is that you've said financial considerations are irrelevant to saving lives, and then considered the financial impact of sending money to save the lives of Africans. You were right to take the financial impact into consideration, too, I shared the same answer as you for the Africa question. As to your second question, same thing. Why do you think it isn't okay to damage the environment unnecessarily in the pursuit of human ends? In terms of the NAP, is it immoral to cut down a tree or emit poisonous gas from your car?

Does the reputation system prevent people who are negged from posting new topics? If not, it totally should. To the trolls: This is a microcosm where we practice holding people to a higher standard. Welcome to the higher standard. Let me say, I'm truly sorry you weren't properly prepared for it. God knows I wasn't 4 years ago.

What was his childhood like?

What is your daughter interested in?

I remember a comic book called Johnny the Homocidal Maniac. He goes to heaven, and everyone has the ability to think and create nuclear explosions. But the way it looks is a bunch of people rocking in rocking chairs, not talking to each other, for fear of angering someone and setting off a chain reaction. He of course begins mauling the people until the chain reaction begins killing everyone.

Let me start with just a general thank you to people in this community. Many of you have been privately sharing some really good advice on my project this last month and those notes have been put to good use. I am an entrepreneur. I have spent the last 4 years contemplating how to provide completely free education to people around the world. Projects like Khan Academy and Dan Carlin's Hardcore History have been big inspirations. Now it is my time to enter the fold.... I am developing a 3d virtual reality encyclopedia, with fully immersive historic and scientific simulations, absolutely free to the end user. New technology in VR, crowdsourcing, and game development have converged to make this fantastic idea of simulated reality very real. Imagine riding with Genghis Khan, plummeting through a volcano into the earth's lava core, touring the cardiovascular system, experiencing birth, meeting Socrates.... well... if that sounds cool to you then check out my kickstarter. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/380527404/hololibrary-the-3d-encyclopedia Please do not let this take away from any donations you might make to FDR. And please share it on your facebook and with your friends. I've gotten to know a lot of you since I've been here and I feel very honored to share this project with you guys. Any questions, ideas, feedback, or anything else just reply below and I'll get back to you. PS. FDR contributors do get a special Philosophy Nerd SOCRATES shirt instead of the other shirt on the site (if you want).

I hit reply already into the first paragraph because it resonated so succinctly with my own experience, and as I kept reading that feeling magnified. My own history with this is that about a year and a half ago I began confronting both my parents, separately, and talking about our issues. Like you, my dad has become a much calmer and level headed person in his old age, so conveniently. By the end of one of our 2 hour lunches he apologized to me. My mom and I had even longer lunches, sometimes into 6 hours. And I kind of grew up with her being very open and aware of her own abuse as a kid, aware of my dad's abusive behavior, and always willing to comfort all parties involved. But, as you've mentioned, I came to remember how integral she was to my abuse, not just allowing it but as a kid often using my Dad as a weapon and threat. We also came to some kind of understanding, or so I thought. Then I moved to another country, and my parents came to visit about 6 months later. From the get go, nothing was different. Even though they planned to spend 2 weeks in this country, we both instantly offered up and agreed with each other that we shouldn't spend more than 1 week together. The week we spent was alright, lots of superficial chit chat and tourist stuff. They met my girlfriend, who they seemed to like. Though, my dad for the first time in my entire life professed to me the sexual disappointment he has in "having to fuck the same woman for the rest of his life." We also got into some bullshit argument about intellectual property. With my mom, we spent an hour long bus ride, where she asked my advice on how to help my sister with depression and over eating, and all I could mention at the time was that our childhood was full of verbal abuse which became self attack and eating disorders were a product of that, but that I didn't have any specific recommendations for how to undo the damage done. Anyways, fast forward to about 3 months ago I was upset at a story I heard about some cop killing a kid, and my Dad's sister mentioned something on facebook defending the cops, and I sent her a message and told her I can't keep her in my life. Then quickly realizing my distant aunt, who I didn't even grow up with, was not the person I really wanted to defoo. So I typed a letter to my parents telling them I didn't want them in my life any more, and inviting them to respond back one last time. My dad's reply was that I had a chemical imbalance, was misremembering, and needed help. My mom, which my sister told me later, basically spent 5 days confused as to why she was included, talking to my Dad about it until he convinced her I had a chemical imbalance as well, so she recommended some books. So I blocked them. And it has been really liberating, difficult, but I feel like I've made epic milestones as a result in understanding my own history, my own desires, etc. It has brought my closer to my girlfriend, who proved really comforting almost in spite of never being exposed to this kind of thinking, and now she has begun a process on her own independently with her own family that has made me very proud. I've got the motivation and passion to go after my dreams. I've recovered memories! Honestly, and I don't mean this to insult anyone else, but I only thought repressed memories were for sexual abuse victims. I've come to wild realizations about many experiences I had previously normalized. I kind of feel a little bit invincible, if that makes sense. That being said, I don't know if contacting my parents as confrontationally was required. Like I was already only speaking to them 4 times a year or so anyways, and lived thousands of miles away. I think I could have sent a more passive "I'm going to think about things alone, dont worry, will talk to you again when I'm ready" and maybe reduce some anxiety I have now about them somehow contacting me. Though, I think part of me also needed to know how they would ultimately respond. Neither one even asked a question. It made me realize no amount of therapy or apology or restitution was possible. It was difficult, don't get me wrong. Unfortunately, I can't really answer any of your questions with advice, I think you'll ultimately make choices you're comfortable owning. It kind of just happens, if that even makes any sense? Good luck man!!!

Not to detract for the brave and difficult question presented, but I just want to heap piles of praise on the FDR community, this might be the only place on the internet where people are offering advice on working through and maintaining the relationship. I'd hate to see how an atheist forum, for example, might respond.

met a couple of these guys who bullshit disability and then just live abroad like kings.

Everyone is into precious metals, but I prefer storing my wealth in noble gases. Krypton retains its value and also has the intrinsic value of being able to defeat superman. Bad jokes aside, if you're preserving your wealth in general fine art and collectables have a good track record as well. If the goal is specifically to preserve wealth in the event of some kind of epic disaster (which might be a tiny bit paranoid, just had to say it) then go for guns, they retain their value well in a normal market and will skyrocket in value in the event of something more epic/paranoid.

This site is dedicated to peaceful parenting and I don't want to put undo pressure, but instead of defending your ideology maybe you'd find your time here better spent learning about the rest of us. After all, you came here, we didn't go visit a muslim forum.

Matilda. Roald Dahl

firing rounds into the air might not kill anyone, a surgeon on LSD might perform an operation well, etc. It is incumbent upon empathetic people to be aware of the potential suffering we cause on others. I think in a free society, the owner of the roads will likely continue to prohibit alcohol consumption while driving. If the road was my business, certainly I'd manage it (not micromanage which actually refers to something else)

Teaparty Fail.

There is no way spending in Japan could mirror the US, the Japanese don't have an empire to maintain with soldiers. You can ind those stats out quickly, but our budget spending is inconsequential. Consumer and government debt, inflation, etc, is more important. Plus our GDP is including government expenditure, so it isn't the most reliable qualifier.

its quite strange stuff, just do a search

Personally I am into posterity, the future I won't be here for matters to me, and space exploration is this sort of timeless project that has crossed cultures and generations and centuries, from the earliest astronomers to modern engineers, it has been an almost inevitable human project. Like ants building a new ant hill there is something almost biologically deterministic about a mars colony.

I have a theory I would like to share. I believe the musical tastes expressed in a culture or subculture are all subconscious expressions of the desires of their true selves. Let me give a few examples. Latin Music: After living in latin America for over a year now, let me reaffirm some stereotypes... they cheat on each other a lot. And latin music is notorious for being the most corny, over the top, love songs on the planet. Every song is about undying love. To paint the picture, a macho married latino guy picking up a girl at a bar while the music says "I will always love you." Rasta Music: I also spent the last year and a half living in a Caribbean part of latin America with a lot of Caribe Culture. The black communities here comprise the hot spots for extreme poverty, violence, theft, drug dealing and use, etc. And the music is all about peace, and a world without violence. I've literally seen drug dealers getting in fights while the DJ is playing music about ending war, violence and suffering. The list goes on.... Rap songs about how women aren't shit, coming from a community with possibly the most over bearing and abusive mothers in American society. It is also about being rewarded with fame and wealth for selling drugs and being a criminal, when the reality is that most drug dealers and criminals end up poor and or dead. American Rock American Rock music is about freedom. It exploded during the Vietnam War where Americans were being drafted, the opposite of freedom. Its popularity has persisted as a theme in metal, hair bands, punk, and pop music in corresponding to the growing lack of freedom in the US. Lets see what else... Oh Death Metal, most of those kids are the most timid and non-violent people I've ever met, but they have the most violent imagery in their music. I suspect they have a lot of inner rage at their parents and society, and they suffer to express it because they're so shy. I'll admit, this theory probably doesn't work on polka or Mongolian throat chanting.

haha I've never heard that, very funny.

I saw a video on youtube where someone is being racist in public and they use hidden cameras to show how many people ignored the act. Its a cliche thats hinting on some truth though... and what binds all those experiences together would be a hidden video where actor kids were being screamed at or insulted in public by actor parents.

The only person completely lacking empathy is the wife, who has hired a psychiatrist to investigate her ex-husband to revoke his guardian rights. I suspect she is a horrific rotten cruel woman, but I am only suspecting considering she seems to be using dirty tricks and the strong arm of the state to control both her child and exhusband on something way more important than McDonalds.

Well said, Kevin. This sounds dope though. Something in me wants to be the first, even without internet, though I'm quite certain I wouldn't qualify. When we think about climate extremes on earth, though, would I want to spend even a month in a snow storm or in the middle of some massive sand desert? Nope. I feel like going to mars might be the last big mistake your ass ever makes.