Amelius

I don't usually aproach non-human animals from a deontological perspective; rather, I do from a consequentialist one: If one can arguably live a healthy lifestyle without bringing unnecessary suffering unto sentient beings, then one ought to.

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Thank you for your reply.I have also wondered about how parenting might have affected me in this way. I reckon it's not so cut and dry, and that there are numerous contributing factors that have all played into this "perfect storm". Also, when it comes to confronting my parents about their parenting, I tend to be quite honest in my questions with them("Why was I circumsiced?",...), yet feel sympathetic towards them because of my attachment towards them and because I am somewhat understanding that back in the day, they didn't have the best resources of information like we do now.I have also started writing down my dreams, in hope of getting something useful out of them.I'm not entirely sure what to think of SSRI's, as I haven't really seen any compelling evidence for taking/not taking them. For now, I guess I'll have to stick with them while I undergo therapy.Again, thank you for your input; it was helpful.

Hello, this is going to be something of a long rant concerning my college life thus far, so if you're interested, stick around:(NOTE: IF YOU ARE PRONE TO ANXIETY, CONSIDER NOT READING ON AS SOME OF THE THINGS BELOW MIGHT BE DEPRESSING TO CERTAIN PEOPLE.)I got into one of the highest rated colleges in the middle-east due to my high high-school grades and good SAT scores; I chose electrical engineering as it was the most logical choice, having had specialized in the most advanced math and physics classes in high-school. I was at the top of my class for a while and was amongst the best of students.During my final years of high-school, certain compulsions started manifesting(checking the stove, checking the water taps, cleaning the sink in fear that my mom would get impregnated from any seminal discharge,...)These types of compulsions carried on with me, although I was able to get through my last year of high-school somewhat unscathed.During my transition from high-school to college, these compulsions would start being accompanied with obsessions. I would start obbsessing about my online activity, about watching pornography, about doing anything illegal online... I would get plagued with thoughts that something I had done would come and haunt me and ruin my chances of getting any job in the future. I would obssess about a lot of things, from the mundane("are my keys placed where they ought to be?") to the more serious("did I do anything unethical earlier today?")My obsessions would then start becoming more concentrated around law and the state. I would start questioning various laws and norms; I would start obssessing about going to prison and being locked up; it was also during this time that I had formally anounced my atheism.(I remember obsessing that my mother would probably burn in hell because she had not accepted Jesus, and I would have nightmares where my mother would be chained to a wall and would be screaming in agony...)These obsessions would start taking up a lot of my time, derailing me from being able to concentrate on my studies. Most, if not all people, would not understand what I was going through and would assume that I was being lazy or was uninterested in the subject. This was far from the truth; During my college years, I have almost never gone to any "party" or "wasted my time" doing social things. I would not play any video games or watch endless TV... I would just sit there, with my thoughts, staring at the ceiling and picking at my brain, all the while trudging through all the orgies of thoughts that would bombard me constantly.I would think of ending my life at times, seeing eternal oblivion as a way to escape the constant hell that was my life; yet, I would not act on it since I knew that doing so would leave my folks in utter despair at the loss of their only son's life.I would get high grades at classes that invloved critical thinking(Philosophy, Psychology,...), nyet my engineering classes were tormenting me since they would be taught at a quick pace.; I didn't like that... I'm a person who likes to understand every single detail of what I'm learning, and so I would slack behing because I had to study longer, all the while dealing with unwanted thoughts and obssessions.At around the end of my second year in college, I sought psychological/medical help, and I was diagnosed with obssessive-complusive disorder and clinical depression; I was put on SSRI's and I'm still taking them to this day.Just over six months ago, my best friend commited suicide, having jumped from the sixth floor of the men's dormitory. That was a somewhat strong blow to me, although most of my anxiety came when I was being questioned by the police, to whom I had confessed to smoking pot once. They locked me up for a few hours and made me go through senseless, pathetic questioning and made me miss an exam I had studied for so well. All this flared up my angst, and I would go into fits and rage, punching walls and almost severing my hand in an incident where I punched a pane of glass.My atheism/anarchist idealogies would put me at odds with a lot of people around me, fueling my anxiety.(I was threatened with death at one point by some Muslim, although nothing really came of it)...and here I am, four years into college, still struggling with some courses; I'm taking it somewhat easy this summer, only taking one major course; I will be beginning REAL therapy on Monday, hopefully.I'd like to think that I am somewhat of a smart person, having been told by others and having my high-school grades and college scholarship as testimonial evidence to that; yet, all that seems moot because of my debilitating OCD that has been crippling me all throughout these years.If anyone has gone through anything similar, or has any advice, please feel free to share.Thank you.

I have recently ended some friendships with statists and the religious, due to the former supporting a monstrous group of people who threaten me with the initiation of force and the latter worshipping a non-existent entity who promises to torture all those who disbelieve in him; also, due to a lot of other vices that I will not go into here.Have any of you gone through such experiences? I am feeling a bit of anxiety and anger at something that recently happened that was the final straw that led me to ending the aformentioned relationships; how does one deal with some of that anxiety?

Check out Rush; not only are they one of the most talented bands of all time, but some of their songs (like "Freewill") have relevant philosophical lyrical themes. Actually, the song "Freewill" contains quotes from Ayn Rand. Also, I think their drummer identifies as a Libertarian.

If you're looking for some anrcho-capitalist/Libertarian philosophy/history, check out this dude's channel; he's quite intelligent.https://www.youtube.com/user/lengthyounarther

Thank you for your replies.What I still don't understand is this: Is spreading what I know worth it? I mean, I've been hearing and reading about a lot of cases of police raids and unwarranted arrests(like they're ever warranted) to non-violent people. In my area, there has been a crackdown on non-violent activists and bloggers recently. So now, every-time I'n in a public sphere where there are people who can track me or read what I say(although I don't find myself this scared in classroom discussions, for instance), I get very anxious about what to say in fear of them eventually retaliating and using force to subdue me and take me away. I want to voice my opinions without the fear of being stopped, investigated and tortured for having a different opinion. What should I do? Should I keep silent?

I am starting to find the pursuit knowledge to be a pointless endeavor(except for more pragmatic fields like engineering, which I'm in); I find that every time I learn something, I run the risk of exposing myself to social/physical attacks from the society I live in.So, for instance, when I came out as an atheist, I experienced a lot of anxiety due to the society's negative outlook unto the matter(I live in Lebanon); same thing happened with libertarianism/anarchism.If I don't speak out and voice my opinion, I would inevitably live my life in a sort of cognitive dissonance state of affairs, which would probably lead to much anxiety. On the other hand, speaking out might also cause backlash which would also cause much anxiety. I mean, I keep envisioning myself wanting to get a job and helping out my folks by becoming financially independent when I finish college, but on the other hand, I keep having these negative thoughts of something happening to impede my goals(like what happened with Kokesh, or being killed by some religious zealout)I was encouraged by a friend to start a Youtube channel, since he thinks I have quite a lot of valuable things to say, although I think I'm somewhat paranoid to do that.What do you think I should do? Speak up or not? And if so, to what extent?

I'm curious as to what Stef's views are on pornography.In a recent podcast, Stef mentioned how he's perceived as a Victorian(puritan), and how some of his conclusions(like dating between people with vast age gaps, especially when one partner is below 18) might seem to be too conservative.He recently stated that he will be doing a podcast on sexuality. I hope he tackles the issue of pornography.Also, in the above mentioned podcast, Stef seemed to have no ethical issues with masturbation; yet I would like to know what he thinks of pornography, as most masturbatory practices involve some consumption of pornographic material, I would assume.What are your thoughts on the subject of pornography? It does not violate the NAP; so, what's your take on it?

Background: I have been clinically diagnosed with OCD and depression; previously, my OCD had more to do with compulsions like checking the lights and similar stuff, but since some three years ago, I've had obsessive, paranoid thoughts concerning the state, and in particular, laws.Recently, a friend of mine died(we're not sure if it's suicide or an accident) and when I was being questioned by authorities, I confessed to have tried weed once with my late friend. The authorities didn't seem to care and reassured me that this wouldn't affect me negatively, but I keep obsessing about it.More generally, I have had similar paranoid thoughts about doing something illegal(watching a copyrighted Youtube video, buying photocopied books for college) and ending up being prosecuted for it.I would say I am a generally moral person and strive to be virtuous, but the insanity of laws keeps me down and in constant stress. This has affected my grades, health, smoking habits,...What is your take on dealing with the ever, perpetual "opinion with a gun"?

Cool story, bro.

Atheism and Anarchism; two topics that are considered somewhat of cultural taboos where I come from.(Lebanon)...and although I have been open about them to my close entourage, I feel very frustrated and anxious when I refrain from voicing my opinions about any random topic in fear of negative consequences.(I received an informal death threat once, for example)What should I do? Stef seems so confident and voices his opinions publicly, yet I don't know if I can do that without drawing too much unwanted attention.PS: On the other hand, I have voiced my opinions quite strongly on sites like Facebook, just under a pen name.

I'm somewhat over halfway through with my undergraduate education(I'm majoring in electrical engineering and have a minor in philosophy). However, throughout my college experience I've been very depressed. Most of the experience has felt like merely going through the motions; I look around me and all I see are people who don't appreciate the pursuit of knowledge as an end, rather they treat it as some loathsome burden which they can't wait to get rid off. I've also suffered from OCD and paranoia which have made my learning experience very bad at college.(I used to be top of my class in high-school) When I see other people nagging about how they loath some upcoming exam, I start feeling angry and wish I were in their place with some peace of mind because I sometimes feel like most students don't deserve the brains they've been given by the millions of years of evolution.My question boils down to this: How should I approach my learning experience? On one hand, I can view it as something to get over with and aim to get good grades, without necessarily learning anything of value.(There are tons of people I know who just solve previous exams and do well on exams without understanding the essence of the material). But with this approach, I get tempted to slack off since I would not be as engaged. Also, this lack of interest and curiosity inevitably permeate to other parts in my life. For example, call this weird but every time I get into this mode, I start taking everything else less seriously(like my atheism, anarchism, veganism,...) and just non-chalantly say "Fuck it!"On the other hand, I could approach the learning experience from the perspective of the love to learn(and of course with the purpose of securing a potential job in the market), yet I have seen that people who do this do not do so well with grades since the way the educational system is is that it rewards people who practice to take exams and not to actually learn anything.(...and the college I go to is considered to be one of the best in the Middle-East...pfft)What do you think? Any type of feedback would be appreciated; I apologize if the question is somewhat ambiguous.