empyblessing

What do you mean by self-contained? Do you mean robots that repair robots, deliver robot parts, etc? What's halting progress on it becoming self-contained? How long till it's likely to happen? What I worry about is the transition into this new way of living. I believe that's where we are now where production increases but purchasing power decreases. My brother was talking about saving money to send his kids to private school and then to college. The boy's only a few years old and I wondered if it would be worth it. Consider how less valuable a college degree is now than it was ten years ago. The problem only becomes worse as more people get more degrees and less jobs are available. http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.html What's really going to shake things up is when the automation starts hitting the service sector. There's no way that the displacement can be absorbed. Where are they going to go?

Would you read a diet book from a man who weighed 400lbs? Would you read a physics book by a woman who followed her horoscope every day? Would you take ethical advice from a serial rapist? 1. I might if he had a good reason for being fat. 2. I don't follow the logic here. 3. If the choice is between raping someone and dying, is there any ethical decision?

You're right. It's best not to condemn people because people have feelings, an organization doesn't. So I condemn the system and not the person. As in, I understand Obama is only doing his best. No man in his position and with his experience could do anything differently. Removing blaim from the person not only lightens people's guilty feelings but also places emphasis on the root cause, the system itself. Which is another reason why voting is pointless. It enables the system. To vote you must believe that the system isn't fundamentally corupt but that it's not being operated correctly. Voting is the opposite of change then since it affirms conservative ideals. Here's another question to answer though. Would you still read the books of an anarchist if you knew he took money from the government?

I collect food stamps from the government and in the near future I'll probably begin collecting a monthly payment for disability as well. This is not derived from any labor I've performed and the money for this is taken directly from a form of theft called taxation. Does my acceptance of this money make me complicit with the crimes of the state? Would I be more accountable if the money came from a mafia family whose occupation was murder and extortion? By accepting the money do I not support the behavior and by supporting it am I part of the crime? Consider this, without the money and medical insurance, I'll probably die. The reason I accept the money is not because I believe that it is moral but out of necessity. In other words my need to survive is greater than my need to be virtuous. However, things like not driving on a road are out of my control but the money is not. I have the options of pursuing more money from the state as well. I can have my student loans removed through disability. That's 33k. I can increase the disability I receive to 12k a year. The worth of the medical coverage is also very large, potentially greater than all of the others. I can receive free or near free housing, heating, electricity, clothing, etc. How can I condemn the parasites when it's obvious I am one? Isn't that the root of state control, dependence? Why did Obama get elected? Because of the state backed unions. In other words, no one votes themselves out of a job.

tIf the state is a criminal than accepting money or support from that criminal organization would be enabling and supporting that criminal behavior. How does this apply to public buildings and infrastructure? How about people who support the statement either overtly or through their actions?

I think the canary just croaked.

So much for gun control when you can just print an ak-47 out in your home.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/breaking-printable-ar-30-round-magazines-now-available-for-download-seriously.html

Hi empyblessing, do I understand correctly from your quote of Willie Lynch (on another thread but I was asked not to post there) and the words you've highlighted that you believe this is what your mother has done to you? That you were raised to be mentally dependent and scared, and that you had the male image in you destroyed? That this is the reason you have these feelings of worthlessness and anxiety, and that as a result your need for connection with others, for warmth and trust and and security and support, as well as your need for spontaneity and independence and freedom, and also your needs for stability and ease and harmony, and for honesty and for joy, all these needs are severely frustrated to the point that sleep has become difficult? I would appreciate if you would correct me where I am guessing wrong, I would like to understand so I can then try to help you as much as I can. I believe you are not mentally ill, and that anyone with the same circumstances as you've lived through would be in pretty much the same mental state. It's not your fault! Take care, Marc It's a theory but I can't know for sure. Sleep is impossible for me to regulate even with drugs. I've been up all night so I'm not thinking clearly as I should be.

My parents got divorced when I was 8 because my mother found out my father was a homosexual. They kept this from me my whole life and I only discovered it on my own. My father was molested as a child and my mother was beaten by my grandfather who was a “war hero” during WWII, who drank himself into unconsciousness every night, and then suicided when my mother was 15. I know almost nothing about my father except what I figured out on my own. My mother was terrible at spanking me but she did it anyway. She was a christian and all good Christians know that to spare the rod is to spoil the child. God couldn't be wrong, could he? Well that thought never ever crossed my mother's mind. After the divorce I went and lived with her in a very conservative part of Ohio. We often fought and it would devolve into shouting matches frequently that sometimes ended with me being beaten with a wooden spoon or some other implement. While she would often ignore anything I said if she wasn't in the right mood she didn't ignore me completely. She was very affectionate and enjoyed cuddling and hugging. There was always lots of hugs and kisses with her as well as lots of intimidation. This was only part of the mixed messages I received. There were no rules in the her house either. I could do pretty much whatever I wanted so long as I didn't anger the irrational, semi-diety like female who repeatedly emphasized her ownership over me. While she often felt the need to exert her control and power, the opposite was also true. As a child I had an advanced development. While the other kids sat at the children's table during the holidays, I sat at the adult table and amazed everyone because I could talk about politics and form complete thoughts when I was four years old. I only point that out because it's significant with the relationship I have with my mother because she was not an intelligent person. She would often come to me for advice, career or relationship advice, when I was nine years old. She often disregarded everything I said but she kept asking anyway. She was also extremely emotional and would cry or become sullen for little reason I could understand. I felt sympathy for her though and often tried to comfort her. I believe that I project the fear and attachment of my mother onto women. My mother recently admitted that she was “a sick person” while I was growing up, but justifies it by saying she did her best but also admits she was a selfish person. I believe that through both the physical abuse, the intimidation I felt of her, and her strong displays of affection created a sense of attachment and fear in me that I direct toward other females. Jung might say it's the psyche confusing the anima and the shadow. The anima image being created by my attachment and imprinting onto my mother's form but projecting the energy and actions of the shadow (abuse) onto that image. My life now is all about staying stable. I have trouble with sleep, mostly keeping to a routine. I'm agoraphobic, rarely leave the house, and don't really talk to anyone. I live with a lot of fear, anxiety, and feelings of worthlessness. I'm a vulnerable person, not strong. I don't really have many defenses. One of the things Stefan helped me with was realizing that I didn't owe my mother anything. I was under no obligation to her at all. It's discouraging to go through all the doctors and therapist I've seen and not had any improvement. It's hard to believe that I'll change for the better. Thanks for your replies.

I've been involved with psychiatry for 15 years but I get the impression that when Stefan mentions therap he's speaking about something totally different than I am. From my exerpience, cognitive behavorial therapy has been useless or regressive. I've seen dozens of therapists and doctors and have no lasting help or change in my situation. I'm desperate. Are there any books I could read? It just seems like people on this forum seem to know something I don't.

"If a man knows more than others, he becomes lonely." -Carl Jung. I'm lonely a lot as well. I have few friends and no one close to me. What helps for me is to focus on my work, writing fiction. Also, learning to accept loneliness in the present will abate some of the pain. But take action to find people that you can bond with. There's lots of clubs and groups you can join.