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Yes! On Truth left a strong impact on me as well. “Cynicism validated” is a good description. I found it interesting how familiar a lot of FDR content seemed to me, which was my confirmation that these are not “new ideas” but stuff I’ve known, and we all know, but have to suppress to survive in the land of the irrational. I have more to respond with, but I’ll just message you.

Kevin, I definitely agree. I was instantly sucked into the show after my boyfriend had me watch the Handbook for Human Ownership. Then it was Origins of War and the BIB series that truly blew me away. I was hit with the clarity of the unprocessed childhood events I’ve spent a lifetime trying to normalize and avoid. And it’s been a domino effect from there. Once you see it, it cannot be unseen. I have tried one therapist so far, who only ended up teaching me what to avoid in a therapist, haha. But IFS is very intriguing from what I’ve been hearing, and I am planning on getting into it at some point very soon. By the ‘inclination’ comment I just meant that I’ve always had a curiosity to analyze how and why things worked. Growing up, I was often made to feel like I was “over-thinking things”, especially compared to how much superficial non-thinking went on around me. Listening to call-in shows and the way Stef reverse-engineers the callers’ actions, makes me a total kid in a candy store. It feels like my natural curiosity would be celebrated in this community, where it was something for me to control and be ashamed of in the past. What was your experience with your transition, if you don’t mind my asking? JP, Thanks for your kind words! M, Thank you! Definitely no going back from here, haha. Vulnerability is something so many of us have to shove aside to survive. It’s like a muscle, and not using it means it gets out of shape. Based on your photo, you also look older than me (I’m in my early 20s), so comparing us may be unfair. These changes probably would come easier to those like me, with less to lose. The longer you live with bad habits, the more cdifficult they are to change. I can only imagine the bravery it takes to face philosophy further down in life. I definitely admire what you're doing, too.

Beautifully said. That warning applies to me as well. I personally was very suseptible to being accused of, and briefly believing, that I was unloving, uncaring, and unempathic. In fact, the accusatory language should be our first clue that a person is scrambling in response to change in their friend. Thanks for sharing, and all the best to you.

Hey guys. I’ve joined the forum a while back, but frankly haven’t had the balls to say hello until now. I’ve been listening to heavy doses FDR for about a year now. I was initially most shaken by how Stef would repeatedly (though never in vain) denormalize familial abuse. This was the catalyst that got me to reevaluate my childhood, call things by their proper name, and begin the arduous process of self work. I’ve always had an inclination towards psychological and philosophical thinking, except I spent most of my lifetime not actually thinking, but rather reacting emotionally to things and ideas in a primal, comfort-based way. I had no principles, no sense of virtue, and subjectivity was applied to everything. I’ve grown up with a severed sense of self, and have been clueless to the fact that my needs and preferences matter. Reconnecting with reason and evidence has been a much-needed slap in the face! Inevitably, most of my existing relationships are now suffering, as most of the people in my life have no particular interest in empirical truth. I end up coming off as a douchebag to them, which is both frustrating and painful, since I do not want to hurt them. Now I find myself isolated, with little support, and a pressing need for meaningful connections. My goal is to live my values, and I think building a healthy community is among the most important first steps. If anyone reading this feels like chatting, just send me a message! Otherwise, thank you for reading this and see you around the forums.