River

It's strange to be young in America these days. I'm almost considered Generation Z (the cut off was 1995), and we've been so inundated with mass culture vis a vis technology that it can seem like utter chaos out there. I have a tremendous fear that I will never know any kind of truth, and that I am merely a composite of the ideas/beliefs being thrown around me. It's quite alarming how easy it ease to become atomized, alienated, and ahistorical, especially with the encouragement of careerism, sexual experimentation, and agnosticism. I cannot even describe what my life is, and all the things that have come to influence the way I think. It's hard to not participate in Beatnik-type criticism that was abound in the 1960s. The emptiness of Suburbia, the monotony of work, etc. etc. I can sympathize with their distaste for materialism and conformity, but I don't think that aimless wandering was a proper response. I've seen the "modern hippie" - they're running around at Burning Man and Lightning in a Bottle, calling it enlightenment. I've seen what my generation might call "civic engagement" take the form of antifa and Kekistan-types. How do I contend with all of this? Where do I go? It's too much sometimes and very easy to get depressed about it honestly. *Edit: Oh and thank you for the encouragement. It's going to be challenging, but I'm glad communities like this are full of people who are critical of what passes as "progressive" these days!

Hello JamiMacki, I have no specific anti-trans arguments, but I do have questions about being a transwoman. 1) How have you dealt/currently deal with ritualistic introductions to family members of someone you are in a relationship with? Have you had to answer uncomfortable questions or had to deal with transphobic parents or siblings? The expectations and judgements that family members have on people's boyfriends/girlfriends is already bad enough, so I'm just curious about your personal experience with that. 2) Because of your unique perspective into being perceived (and potentially socialized) as both a man and a woman, which gender do you think suffers the most amount of social difficulty? In other words, is it more difficult to be a boy or a girl these days? And, how do you propose that be fixed? Also, am I wrong to assume that you were socialized as a boy growing up? 3) How do you deal with fear of getting hurt/hurting yourself? There are some horrifying statistics out there regarding transpeople. Suicide and homicide rates are astonishingly high. This hits close to home. I've been in a homosexual relationship before and dealt with occasional harassment. It was enough to make me hesitate to hold hands and show affection in public for fear of provoking the wrong reaction. How do you deal with fears regarding your safety? 4) Why do you think there are so many young people (18-22 year olds) jumping on the non-binary/queer bandwagon? Has it really become trendy for some people? 5) What are your thoughts on having a family? Because I am partly identified with the gay community, I have trouble reconciling with knowing that there are reasonable conventions to live up to. Two parents- preferably maternal and fraternal figures. And biological children - for better bonding-potential. My understanding is that hrt basically sterilizes you. And, I'm not sure how being trans might effect the motherly/fatherly dynamic. I'm sure that depends on whether or not you are hetero?

Yes! I finally got to it. I have plenty of homework to do with some of the links/references you posted. I started listening to that new-age critic and was very entertained and relieved that someone out there is telling the truth about it. Great stuff about asking people out too - definitely something I needed to hear considering my introversion.

Hello, Siegfried. Very worthy points you've made, thank you very much! Regarding point two about honesty - what are some ways you have learned to trust yourself and your ability to discern the good folks from the bad? There have been many circumstances in my life where I have passively accepted people into my world b/c I needed friendship. Sometimes I think that if I were completely honest with myself and others, I might be alot lonelier. Maybe this is a touch of neuroticism, but it seems rather difficult to develop really good friendships. Regarding step five - any reason why you suggest Roman Catholic over others? I always found the Catholic Worker Movement a little extreme, is it at all representative of the church's beliefs? I appreciate that you brought up this point at all, because I find it the most challenging. My parents were very easy on me growing up, tolerating a lot of my mistakes. Public school was a mess and I learned nothing about making proper choices that will ensure a dignified life. Any tips for getting over some resentment about the people/institutions that failed to tell you about how you ought to live? Thank you for putting all this together, much appreciated.

You make a valid point. I am investigating Christianity for its utilitarian purposes, while making generalizations about atheists that are easily refutable (Stefan being a primary example). I simply haven't found, and don't know where to look for, agnostic/atheist communities that offer the same types of social opportunities as a church. Are atheists congregating with their children and discussing/analyzing mythological stories to apply to their everyday lives? Are they having youth socials and moments of prayer and moments of grief/silence for when members have been hurt? Surely, I will be wary and cautious, but my curiosity right now is in the direction of getting together with a bunch of other people and picking their brains about things they have believed with such conviction for decades. I really don't have a better explanation other than it seems to be socially-driven. I still intend to give Stefan's videos a listen and learn what it is to be cautious about.

Thank you so much! I'm very intimidated to call Molyneux, but I will tell you when/if I do manage to call-in!

Hey Jot. I have not listened to Stefan's arguments against God, nor have I read that book. I got interested in Christianity because of three factors: 1) The happiest people in my family are the ones who have learned about traditional approaches to living and traditional gender roles through their Baptist upbringing. Everyone in my family who is an atheist has no interest in having kids, no interest in traditionalism, and has feminist-leanings. Also, my atheist friends and family are very easily consumed by materialism, particularly movies. It's easy to fall victim to this anti-family propaganda that Hollywood pumps out. I just watched American Beauty the other night and was reminded of this reality. When I went to Church the other day, it was the first time I saw so many families and children together all in one room, laughing and smiling and taking care of each other. 2) I've really enjoyed Jordan Peterson's Maps of Meaning lectures, which argue for the importance of understanding archetypal stories (as found in the Bible). 3) I think church communities celebrate certain values that are challenging to find in other communities. They value peacefulness (prayer), humility, grace, meaningful conversation, family, altruism, etc. Other communities that I've been tangentially involved in have much narrower values, some of them actually being antithetical to these.

Hey Dylan, Thanks for such a considerate response, and the great link! Really helpful. I had tried going on a ketogenic diet before and had so much brain fog the first week that I had to get off of it. What has been your experience with diet-changes to help balance out your hormones? I'm just curious, how/where did you meet your wife (congratulations on the marriage!)? I've heard many people speak highly of match.com because you can filter by political preferences. Living in a liberal city is a bit of a challenge in terms of the dating arena. Many men I run into don't even think about marriage or having a family. I feel really sad that my parents had such horrible Catholic experiences that they actually raised us to be quite agnostic/uneducated on the religious front. I've checked out a few churches in my town but am overwhelmed by all the denominations within Christianity. It is challenging to choose the right fit. But, I'm very seriously interested in Christianity and feel I want to explore my religious roots. Thanks again!

I've made some poor choices as a young woman. Most were driven by nihilism, a lack of purpose, and leftist indoctrination. I thought that I could have a lot of sex, travel without much direction, and do drugs socially because progressivism! I thought that I could avoid the college trap and pick up a trade (didn't work out due to an injury), but I find myself in-and-out of community college, constantly running into the "burden of choice". "What should I do with my life?" is a question I surely wanted to have answered 5 years ago. But, here I am, 23, asking the same question. Only within the last year have I realized that I want a family one day, and that I need to cultivate more attractive feminine qualities. How can I build humility, social skills, friendliness, and just a better/happier disposition? No one wants a directionless lost soul. Especially not any conservative types. What are the wisest choices for young women to make that can help them become resilient, amazing moms? That can help them become contributing, loving, and helpful wives? How can I stop getting so anxious about finding the "right career"? Should I just get a job and go to Church? I feel embarrassed to be asking all this on an internet forum, but I really enjoy Stefan Molyneux and I imagined that this community would have some interesting things to say.