Omegahero09

I got that exact feeling from him actually. He prides himself on his ability to fight, and has some pretty gnarly stories about altercations he has been in. I think he may just want a reason to excercise power over people, and his fondness and justifications for police militarization, and even making justifications for cops when people share horror stories about police interactions indicates a sort of weird comfort and favoritism for the police. Alright d, if his mind is beyond saving, what should I look for to indicate so? Post script: The justifications really started to come out last night when we were hanging out after work with our girlfriends. So it's looking a little more grim than before. I do still think that it isn't too late yet PGP Thanks for your input man, it's awesome because I've never talked with anyone who has seen someone go in and change like that. Did anyone else notice anything different about your sister, or cut ties with her? Did you talk with anyone about it or notice anything? Even something small like unfriending someone on Facebook (shudders) is a pretty significant sign in most cases.

Shirgall yes, he is open to making sense of concepts with logic and evidence. Dsayers thanks for your input man. I know he hasn't connected universal principles from himself to others yet. He's perfectly comfortable with buying illegal substances from dealers, and working to shut the same dealers away and ruin their lives a couple years later, which is terrifying. The angle that he comes from is from survival. The cops are the biggest baddest group around, and he can protect himself and his family from them, if he joins them. He continually compared being a cop to being on a sports team- horrifying. He hears me when I tell him that it's horrifying; he processed and paused to chew on my points, which tells me he has never heard of universal principles though we didn't have the time to put that vocabulary on the table. I only got to ask questions, I haven't hit definitions yet.

I've brought up a couple statistics and facts about cops. The domestic violence statistics, how addictive and dangerous power is on the scientific level, how the system is broken (it's immoral, worsens the problems it tries to solve and is a recepie for corruption, violence and injustice), but the party we were at moved forwards and I wasn't able to further the conversation to the NAP. We are hanging out more and more though, and this conversation will come up again. He brought the conversation to me- knowing I'm an anarchist. He is open to reason, and he is willing to talk to just about anyone to learn other points of view. I'm not certain yet if this is an appeasement tactic or a genuine search for knowledge, but either way he dialogues with me so that's a plus. Additionally- he takes correction very well, he conceded a couple points to me, which is why I have hope to bring voluntarism and philosophy to another individual. Does anyone have any experience with these kinds of situations? What works? What doesn't? I'm going to bring up the "against me" argument, as well as Kokesh's "do you own your body" argument. But I want a couple more tools to help illustrate the philosophy. I can bring utilitarian points all day, but I want to avoid those points until after he has universal principles and the NAP down. Any help, would be massively appreciated. I also remember a couple points that he brought up if that helps- he is statist, and he thinks he is a 'bad kid' for the basic spectrum of nonviolent crimes, but thinks he can help and protect he and his family best if he is on the side of the state. He loves the tools of the police, and their ability to hunt and track down drug dealers, as believes that with the growing threat of domestic and Islamic terrorism, that militarizing the police is justified.

Jesse is still rooted in statism. I mean the man bases his opinions around the state. He has non-universal principles so...

Alright, I'll have a go:1) How comfortable would I be walking the streets locally in shorts without my fiance, assuming I had not been with her nor any other woman for a year?Decently uncomfortable. She helped me grow into myself tremendously and expanded my confidence.2) What clothes would I be the most comfortable in while failing at something while being watched?Pants and a t shirt, the preference still sticks. Now I'm not afraid to wear shorts in that context, I just like a good pair of jeans.3) How often do I think about this aspect of my legs? From time to time, along with other things I've changed about my appearance: my hair, my weight, how I dress etc4)Does it change my mood "positively"?When I do think about the memory, and empathize with myself I feel embarrassed, and frustrated. When I think about my legs now, I think about what I can do to make them stronger, how they've carried me up and down mountains, and how goofy they are. It does in fact change my mood positively.5) Why did I choose to exert such a high amount of energy when writing about my current opinion of my legs?To help illustrate the evolving context of this topic of teasing. I.e. This topic was sensitive to me before, and now I've changed, and so has my view of the topic.The origin of my sensitivity comes from my transition in 8th grade from homeschooling to jr high, and learning that most (including girls I liked) chose to not talk to me because of how I looked. My parents told me not to worry but I wasn't close to them, so the sensitivity was the result. My fiancé- the center of my new support system has nurtured my self-confidence in this area, and I attribute my progress between her and Stef's work

Oh yes they are fine being the focus of the teasing when it comes around to them. The practice is accepted in my group, we laugh at the teasing itself, and we don't include others in it unless we really know them. But again I'm not sure why this phenomenon takes place. I love it now, especially since we share a trust when it comes to serious issues. For example we'll never let a stupid question go, but if say you screwed up in your relationship with your girlfriend we're going to talk about it and figure it out together, then go back to making fun of your car, or how you're "bad" at super smash brothers and shit-talking abound

Oh wow. So companies competing for your business is fundamentally the same as Che shooting you and your family in the head for X Y and Zed. Someone trying to sell you a toaster is the same as being burned at the stake for not renouncing 'x' religion. Other anarchists are so enlightening! All your have to do is point at the pistols. And if who you are arguing with ignores the pistols then well... You have to define property. Etc etc

Ohhh mann I love this community! Thanks to everyone for chiming in! MMD, this thread I think will do, but thank you very much for the invitation. Perhaps an anecdote will help? I don't have hair on my legs. They're like, really smooth and soft and you have to get really close to even see the teeny tiny little hairs on my shins. I used to be very very insecure about my appearance- and especially about my legs. I think about 6 or 7 years ago my long-time buddies and I were heading out to play magic the gathering at our town's card shop, I was a little late so everyone was already there. Right when I walk in, one of our friends from outside our friend group noticed my legs for the first time, and said: "Whoa Zach, do you shave your legs?" Immediately, my friends all burst into laughter. I remember being frozen in my shoes, and my heart racing, not sure what to do. "I'll leave." I said sincerely, hesitantly restrapping my backpack. Whatever man, they said, cooling down and resuming their games. So I did, I picked up my shit and left. My friends would bring it up every once and awhile, like any of our other jokes and stories, but they never let that particular joke leave the group. I remember that sometimes one of them would be tempted with bringing it up in front of someone new, and once even a prospective girlfriend I was introducing them to- but the others always shut it down. Now- years later, I have overcome my insecurities and I love my sexy-ass legs and so does my fiancé. The joke has become part of the pool of inside jokes, classic lines and stories that we pull from when we all hang out- and I laugh about it right along with them. How does this play with dsayer's point on the teasing being mechanically the same as abuse? Keep in mind, I have been friends with these guys for over a decade. We've been through phases, we've seen other people come and go from our group, we've seen heartbreaks and even death. There has been a couple times when there was a topic too sensitive to tease about, and those were addressed openly, and my tribe always complied. I really do think it comes down to trust between the individuals involved. But I'm still not too sure as to why we do it, for any deeper or truer reason other than it's funny...

Assist me in defining some terms and understanding friendships and abuse? What is the difference between teasing and abuse? Is teasing universally preferable? Or is it an activity what's harm is entirely subjective to the circle of friends or persons involved? Stef teases Mike all the time in their podcasts, could friendly teasing be a marker of trust and friendship on a deeper level?

Wow. Thank you guys I'm so glad I'm not alone in this. Anger helps alot, actually. I took a tip from Bill Burr- he uses a technique called "screaming at your windshield" lol which helped me accept anger as a self-soothing tool. I think I know where the analysis and meta-analysis comes from- my dad from very early on used fear and intimidation on my brothers and I to think. You know, teaching your children how to think is necessary and virtuous, but not by death glares and shoving. It also comes from break-ups that happened with girlfriends in the past, who wouldn't tell me why specifically they were breaking up with me, causing me to internalize voices which constantly break everything about every interaction down I have with people ceaselessly. Pepin, I experience precisely the same things you are- slipping into my head without even realizing it in conversations and being too good at mimicking listening, having to quickly catch myself up to the present conversation. This happens to me driving too. Turning the analysis to the road is hard, and never stays there for too long. Responding to stimulus is fine and dandy, but it adds to my anxiety, and personally I don't think it's a safe way to drive, though I'm sure everyone on the road is doing the same thing. My goal isn't always to be in the moment, that sounds almost hedonistic, but it's difficult now because I rarely experience emotions from the present. I remember as a kid, especially as a teenager and especially as a freshman in college being aware and happy with my ability to live in the moment and experience the present and all it's emotions and empathy with myself and everyone around me and being able to slip into my mind when needed. Now it's almost impossible. I've broken some ground yesterday because I realized that I had hated myself because of this reason, and instead chose to love myself- turning up the rational selfishness to full. I felt an immense relief, the girlfriend was proud I was back on the self-loving boat, and was happy to see my improvement on myself since we started dating 4 years ago. What's your theory on 'living in the moment?' Do you think it's the mind experiencing pure empathy with the people, self, and environment around you? Or perhaps something else?

Living in the present, and genuinely feeling emotions without slipping into a meta analysis is becoming more and more fleeting. My biggest fear is going comatose into my own head, being so lost and detached from the present I am unresponsive to stimuli. Does anyone have any advice for shrugging off the inner analytical voice, that slips in regardless of any reasoning I do with it? Breathing helps, paying attention to my body helps, sitting or standing still for too long doesn't help. Any words on this would be so helpful. -Zach

Rough, very rough. Are your other friends on the same page with you as far as voluntary relationships and truth goes? If they are I'd figure out a solution with them. Ostracizing this guy should be the last thing you do, but perhaps showing him a little truth will go a long way. You should find comfort in knowing that you are miles ahead of this guy on the mature spectrum- and your friends too for defending you. Good luck!

I think there are two ways to consciously approach classes like the one you've got here. You could challenge her, and probably generate more stress for yourself and learn little but the depth of your professor's (and her students) indoctrination. Not to mention in doing so risk your grade taking a hit. Or you could just blend in and bleat with the sheep, securing your grade in bullshit while turning your swords of truth to your fellow classmates, and have a better chance at having some great conversations.

This is exactly what I was thinking. Thank you dsayers for that clarification. I'm starting to think that women who abuse raging periods is just another marker that points to dysfunction in childhood. Also good old fashioned marijuana cools her down. In all seriousness it's amazing what that stuff does for stress, pain, and trouble sleeping.

Spot on Jamz. Genuine apologies are for overt confirmation to another individual/individuals that you've done wrong; also implying commitment will be applied to behavior in the future. Regret is like an internal apology pointed at the self.

So as we all know, some women experience some pretty severe hormonal surges when that time of the month comes around. I've seen some women use their periods as an excuse to be an asshole, and others have genuinely difficult periods and apologize and dismiss their behavior. What does the forum think about the time of the month and the period and how does it run with UPB?

As an Eagle Scout, and someone who has spent a long time in the scouts and their programs in the South West, I can tell you that it's not as bad as it sounds. The camps and programs I have been a part of have always been very respectful of atheists. In fact- most of my troop were atheists, and Jews. So you never really know. They leave a lot to the different troops to have final say on what is really taken home about religion (it actually comes down the parents). If the camp or program is going to be really laced with highly patriotic or highly religious dogma- you will know ahead of time. It comes down to the troop as J-William says.

Ah, the wall you've come up against is the Subjective Morality trap!People can quibble and debate about whether or not murder is wrong, or frame it however they like to warp it into justification- but because morality must be objective in order to exist, murder is still immoral.

If your 'peaceful' trespasser doesn't leave your property if you tell him to, he is violating your property rights, and it's up to you to figure out how apply self-defense. It's just like Teabagger said, the violator risks the entire spectrum of self-defense from the individual/individuals he is violating, and from witnesses acting in the defense of the person violated. And actually the 'peaceful' trespasser isn't uncommon- there is a reason why celebrities hide away in seclusion. Technically paparazzi and journalists act peacefully, but how many times do you see celebrities act out against them? Tool's frontman Maynard is notorious for shooting paintballs at crazed fans who trespass on his property here in Arizona for crying out loud. So in short, it's not an exception, because once the person doesn't leave, they are violating your property rights. Property rights are an agreed negotiation between individuals. If he doesn't leave, he's not negotiating- that mother fucker is making a stand.

Training the mind to be quiet and the still-mind practice is the same thing. It's the traditional meditation of Buddhism, where the objective is to empty the mind entirely for a short while to "be one with the earth" or some spiritual thing like that, it's been awhile since I've looked into it. However the practice itself has been widely reported to have health benefits, there is even a great Ted Talks about "thinking about nothing." Buddhists believed it was necessary for enlightenment, science says it's healthy for the mind. I like it to be a tool of discipline, the practice amazes me because I can't come close to a "still mind." However thinking meditation is the looser less formal mediation, whereby you relax and solely think about one object/concept. Like, visualizing having more confidence in your life, or seeing yourself doing well on your next math test, or how you're going to ask the red head out. This practice is more commonly known as self-hypnosis. It's objective usefulness depends on the person I think, and I have had some success with it, just not with this over-thinking habit I have. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzR62JJCMBQbam

Thanks for replying Ron, We met in school, like most of my generation, and our relationship is fantastic. On our second date she pointed out that I think too much, and too much into things. She didn't mind it, and she's always pushing me to better myself- especially the things I set out to do myself, as I do with her. However this habit had been going on since before her... so I think they are mutually exclusive. She is my escape, more often than not. There's nothing wrong with stirring more emotion and passion however, so I'll take some steps to stoke the old fire even hotter, thank you I have yes, but I haven't experimented with it as much as I should. Do you take the deep, relaxed thinking practice for meditation? Or the still mind meditation practice? Both are difficult for me :/ As for the psychological root... I think that's where the answer and key lies... but I'm not sure where to go to find those things. I suppose I need to 'let go' more often. Training the mind to be quiet is difficult, it's always commentating on something, always existing in some form of ad absurdum meta.

For as long as I can remember, my father has always drilled it into me to think. My earliest memory of this was being a little kid, I don't know the age but I do know I was way too short to be pushing a shopping cart. My mother and father and I were perusing a grocery store, and I wanted to push the cart. They let me, and for a little while I was doing okay- not hitting anyone, not tipping anything over, staying with my parents, stopping and moving along with them. Until I saw a pile of beans- a tall floorstack of red and gold cans of beans. I had to knock the thing over, naturally. It was tall and no doubt very heavy, so I needed a lot of speed to knock it over. Well I charged the thing and knocked it over, almost tripped over the cans rolling on the floor underneath me and the cart which had shook and skipped to the tile floor. I immediately understood I shouldn't have done it, so I turned in fear to my parents. Mom was shocked and a little scared, with her hands to her face. Father though was furious, he got to me very quickly, jabbed my chest (it didn't physically hurt, though it was jarring), then grabbed my arm and said in a charged whisper: Think! After listening to the Stef and hours and hours of his work, I connected this memory to my current... habit I think to call it. I've noticed that as I have grown older I can't rest my mind. It's always turning over information and ideas, to the point where I get distracted from my world around me, try to then experience what's around me (for example, just watch game of thrones without thinking about the lighting in the show, or what the actor might be thinking etc), then realize I'm thinking, then try to keep experiencing Repeat ad absurdum, ad nauseum. See I used to have this emotion all the time which I dubbed "childhood" for the lack of a better name. It was the emotion of wonder and awe, in a full enclosed experience- without almost no words spewing up from my mind. I haven't experienced this in years- my mind cuts itself off from those emotions with thinking. And since as I've grown older I can't even watch tv or movies any more without thinking about the movie, then thinking about my thinking about the movie etc etc etc Keep in mind this... thing I do is only about superficial stuff, it literally is thinking about things, for the sake of thinking about something. Even the wife says I think too much. She's smart, she sees me do it, sees me caught up in myself. I don't know how to shut this off, when I do it, it gives me anxiety, makes me paranoid, and I turn to easy things just to make it stop, instead of other more productive stuff. It dominates most of my day, every day. I'm sorry for the long post, but anything on this would be hugely appreciated. What do you think forum?

Holy crap I didn't even notice... I too have been doing this, but sometimes it does slip through- it does show you how deep it is though because I go over my posts three or four times before posting. Thanks for the correction!

Couldn't be any better said. This reason is why I take such an immovable stance on people being responsible for what they are believing in, and what they support. People's opinions do matter, because it's precisely what keep everything rolling along. Most people pass it off inside the statist "that's just my opinion; that's your opinion" trap, and take no responsibility for the things they advocate. I still shudder at my proud pro-war family members who shrug and dismiss facts about our occupation in the middle east.

Apparently they are trying to rope in the internet... again...