helot

Since I can only post twice a day, I want to thank all of those who offered constructive feedback. I apologize in advance that I cannot address and quote every piece of this thread and respond accordingly, but I do have something further to say. And now for the vitriol. Okay, so it is apparent some people are locked into semantics. Perhaps I need to play by some unknown set of rules and get a list of definitions, sort of like a legal dictionary to be able to participate in a meaningful way and not be misunderstood. Apparently "the state" is explicitly defined as "violence" which in itself has a very narrow definition that I am not yet privy to. I will distill that one out later. "Persuade" has many definitions, and I apologize for not taking the time to set my definition. The problem is, if you need me to explain every word I use because your definition does not meet the dictionary definition, we could be here for a very long while. I do see that jumping directly to "persuasion" being solely a reference to the use of force says more about you than it does me. persuade 1. to prevail on (a person) to do something, as by advising or urging: 2. to induce to believe by appealing to reason or understanding; convince: Advising. Urging. Appealing to reason... Oh the horror! Put the gun of understanding away you brute! Of course you are entitled to your interpretation. If you prefer, I can choose a different word, but again, we are going to get into a lot of trouble with definitions. Coax, enlist, urge, woo, cajole, incline, seduce, wheedle.... Pick your poison, an argument over semantics is futile but I will engage if you like. I mean seriously folks. I am not trying to convince you that the state is good, or that I like violence. I have even said as much, yet I am misunderstood and slathered with contempt for exploring an idea. I suppose the abhorrence of violence does not pertain to intellectual sparring. Let me just say, I am offended by "posturing", and I will leave that definition open for interpretation. I wonder if anyone has ever posited that sarcasm or accusation is a form of violence. Dang it. I am not ready to distill that word quite yet. Regardless, it is difficult to coax, enlist, urge, woo, cajole, incline, seduce, wheedle or otherwise persuade a large number of people to work together to produce something unimaginable, something wondrous, something not explicitly designed to benefit a corporate interest or personal ego. Perhaps the use of the pyramids as an example was a bad choice because it appears the focus wants to be on why it was built and for whom. Somehow that makes it worthless despite the money being generated via tourism and trinket sales 6000 years later. Maybe I need another example... People didn't like the whole moon landing thing... Hoover Dam? Nope. Utilitarian, but an argument exists there that some corporation might build something like that. Interstate Highway System... Probably should go there either... Fine. You got me. There isn't a single worthwhile thing that has ever come from the state, or violence, or the boogeyman, or whatever word you need to feel you have triumphed over this post. Beat your chest and tell your friends. You won the Internet. Violence BAD! Napster GOOD! To those who felt inclined to attack, I apologize if you thought my questions were somehow a respect and desire for violence because that was not the intention. I will choose my words more carefully in the future. Do you prefer canoodling? How about globule? I know lots of words. I might just find one you agree with. Anyway. The pyramids had an unintended consequence, and learning from that reality the question was, can that occur again without violence? If you believe it can, I would like to know the mechanism you would employ. I am asking because without the collective effort, the world is simply going to continue down its current path. If you don't, that's fine. I don't need you to explain why you don't. You see I am in the business of trying to solve problems, not listen to people rehash problems. So I ask that you take a moment and step outside of your fundamentalism and try to understand what I am asking. You are not going to solve the issue of violence, of "the state", of your personal need to be intellectually superior to those who disagree with you, by being a snarky pseudointellectual to a stranger in an internet forum. You cannot defeat this beast through philosophical pissing matches or the hope that your ideal is going to somehow magically transform thousands of years of momentum. Humanity needs a pyramidain effort to turn this course, so how does that happen? Obviously the use of "persuasion" is off the table, so how about some violence? Somehow, according to the philosophy, it is okay to express violence in "self defense" so can it be argued that the state is attacking and the individual needs to react violently. Oh so slippery the slope becomes when we begin the distillation. If you don't have any positive ideas to contribute, then please don't come at me ad hominem. While I can play this game all day, it is not benefiting the community. I am also not interested in any possible future scenario tripe about how things would work if there was no state. Let me explain it to you simply. There is a state. What do we do about it besides blowing hot air at each other and stroking our own egos through selectively choosing what ideas best support our dogma?

It is difficult to imagine the pyramids or other megalithic structures without a state dictating what a society does with its resources. It is also difficult to imagine the advances in propulsion ans space exploration without states rattling their sabers. It is easy to imagine people being free to chaotically knock about without direction or desire to create something unimaginably large or of epic scale. If you want proof, just try to get a small group of people to decide on where to go for a meal. This is not to say that I am a fan of states, but it leads to some questions that cannot be answered through shaming people into behaving a certain way, or offering some kind of monetary incentive to join forces. Are the pyramids worth the life cost? They have generated untold millions in revenue of the years and will continue to do so virtually indefinitely. I suppose what my mind is trying to comprehend is some sort of compromise in ideology. There are thousands of arguments against statism, and all of them are very valid. What I would like to know is, does everyone here belive that there isn't a single aspect of statehood that has a positive outcome? Is it that we choose not to accept that there is benefit to a power structure, or is it that there really is nothing good about people being persuaded to collectively focus their energy? I imagine that given structure, groups of people can accomplish bigger tasks and do so more quickly, and I have a hard time believing that a corporation has the capacity to do that. It wasn't the MoonCo Inc that sent a rocket into space and it took a long while before a corporation had the incentive to even try. I am willing to bet that it would have taken a lot longer for a corporation to make that leap if the state hadn't put all the leg work in ahead of time killing astronauts and monkeys in the name of patriotism. Crowdsourcing, crowdfunding, crowd dancing.... I don't know if they can pull it off in the same way. Reminder, during WWII there was a lot of voluntary effort, collecting tin cans and such that was used for a state effort. Perhaps not the most beautiful effort, but it hints to a way to collectivise without violence. Apologies for the rambling thoughts. The underlying question I suppose is whether or not there is any possible positive aspect of a state and if so, how can it be implemented without violence to push the envelope of human potential?

The issue surrounding retirement is how to satisfy your needs. So a young person needs to be educated about what needs are. Food, shelter, clothing, and sanitation are about all there is. Now, as an American that has been indoctrinated, you might think that wifi and starbucks are needs, but when it comes down to base survival, you can probably get away with only the basics. Now, the first thing a young person needs to understand is that proper nutrition and exercise are the most effective ways to maintain health. What does this have to do with anything? Well healthcare is something you will need to consider when retiring, and you don't want to be stuck with the state offered plans or even the market version of prescription medications and surgery. You want to care for your body all through your life and know that it is the best defense against illness. No, you cannot rub herbs on a broken leg, so you will want to consider some kind of contingency for emergency services and dental visits, but I assure you, the most cost effective healthcare plan is to never go to the doctor, and this is accomplished through eating well and exercising properly. Don't forget to brush your teeth. Now, the other issue is shelter. This can be difficult because young people are not always ready or able to settle into one spot. Idelly you would purchase property and sit on it until it is paid off. Retirement means not having a mortgage. You will also want to consider some form of alternative energy on that property. Energy will only become increasingly more expensive, so having a way to generate your own will lessen the burden of hard cash you will need to have under your mattress for the day you get out of the workforce. This translates into food as well. Grow a garden. Have some chickens. Learn that stuff or you will be paying more for food when you retire than food costs now. As for vehicles, buy an old GMC vehicle or VW bug. Why? Because there are tons of parts, they are easy to work on, and they get the job done. You can have flash and expense, or you can have practical transportation for the long run. It really is your choice. There are dozens more ways to prepare for retirement, but the basic question you have to ask yourself is this. Do you want to just amass fiat or precious metals in the hope that your stash will outlive you, or are you going to take the necessary steps to build a future where you do not need massive amounts of cash to survive and live comfortably. Think about what you are willing to sacrifice, and know that the money can disappear in an instant, but gardens and VW beetles will be around for a very very long time.

As the father of unvaccinated children, I can offer the following. The "science" of vaccines can be argued, and this is especially true of the physiology of an infant compared to the assumptions made by vaccine scientists and proponents. Many of the diseases your child will be vaccinated for were in decline because of sanitation and nutrition, and not the mass injection of a society. We speak of violence and we think of things like spanking or verbal abuse, but how violent is it to inject pathogens and suspect preservatives as well as other biological contaminants resident in vaccines into a day old infant under the guise that they need protection against Hepatitis B? Do the research. I do not know the number off the top of my head, but the number of day old infants that contract Hepatitis B when the mother does not have it is basically 0. Still, the state wants to "protect" society and stop the spread of that disease, so they make it a mandatory injection before your child has even aged 24 hours. This is not to say that all vaccinations are evil or worthless. This is to say that perhaps we can take a longer look at the effect an aggressive vaccine schedule has on a developing immune system. Studies show that if a child contracts mumps and measles as a child they are less likely to contract other diseases. At the same time mumps and measles can be quite dangerous, so where to draw the line? All I know is my children are exceedingly healthy and intelligent beings and they have posed no risk to society. I have educated myself about vaccines, and made the informed decision to allow my children to develop unadulterated for as long as possible. Perhaps one day we will vaccinate them, but for now, they will be allowed to develop and grow without them. Just google the statistics surrounding the possibility of receiving a vaccine tainted with pig viruses or other nasty elements and compare them to the statistics of a child contracting the diseases being prevented, and then compare those numbers to the deaths or damages caused and you will begin to see something interesting. As well, your doctor will not discuss the side effects. They will say there are few, and that they are mild. The CDC lists brain damage as a side effect. I suppose that is mild right? If you decide to vaccinate, please ask your physician for the data sheets for every vaccine they are instructing you to administer. Read them carefully, then research the actual side effects. To conclude, the state has a department to deal with the adverse reactions vaccines cause. They pay out millions of dollars a year to families damaged by this practice because even the scientists know vaccines are not harmless. Terms to search: Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (Public Law 99-660) Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)

At an early age I was fondled by my paternal grandfather who later proved to be a notorious pervert who assaulted many children. I am unaware of anything specific my core family, but I have to assume I was not the only one. This became more apparent when I was raped by my brother some years later. As a side note, my brothers are 7 and 10 years older than me, which provides perspective surrounding a lot of my experience as a child. As an example, when I was 6 years old, my oldest brother was driving a car, so there was not much connection happening between me and my siblings. There was another child born 11 months prior to me who dies shortly after birth. I cannot say if I only felt this or was told this, but I was a replacement for that child. This came with a double edge because my mother loved me in a way that my other brothers saw as favoritism, but there was pressure for me to be exceptional. When I failed to live up to her expectations, emotional abuse became a common tactic for her. Mostly it has devolved into guilt trips and a complete lack of empathy for me, my children, or anything but herself at this point. My father is a good man, but again, the grandfather issue seems to have played a role in the fathering I received. He gerw up in a generation where gender roles were more strict yet there was an aspect unexplained in who he became as a result. I can remember hugging my father one time in my life and that was when I left for college. Other than that, the affection really only came from my mother, (brothers being irrelevant in that regard because of the age gap) but that affection came only when I was meeting the exceptional expectations. From the age of 7 I was latch key, and I explored the world alone for most of my life. I made friends easily, but never quite fit in with any clique or group. I could interact with anyone, but always felt strange and often was the butt of jokes due to being exceedingly small and uncoordinated. I was bullied and developed a harsh verbal defense that I maintain in the present. I learned how to break people down emotionally and became an emotionally bully in defense. To put things in perspective, I weighed 45 pounds at age 10 and at age 18 I was 6'1" and weighed 125. I was tested at age 5 with an IQ of 149 and placed in a "gifted and talented" program at the public school. The most vivid memory I have is being taken to a room where I was sat in front of a screen where a monarch butterfly raced around. I was told to follow the butterfly and remember feeling as if I was cheating because I would lose track of it and catch back up to it without letting the adult in the room know I was unable to track the path exactly. I don't remember anything after than and it feels as if I was hypnotized in some way. I had lost this memory for over 15 years when something caused it to flood back in my mind. I went back to the school to get some answers only to be told that they destroy records after 10 years. It eats at me a bit to have this memory and often I find myself deciding I have made the whole thing up. It is possible after all given that my memory of childhood is very poor. I didn't realize how sparse my memory was until I got married and my wife did not believe I could not remember more than I do about being a kid. I sat down and tried to journal every memory I had about being a kid, and the time from age 4 to about 14 is very cloudy. I can't give an accurate number, but I can say the gaps are quite extraordinary. Needless to say, a genius IQ came with a heavy dose of expectation that I rebelled against as a teenager. In some regards I tried to dumb myself down because I could not fit in with my peers, and I could not find romance. I also found that I did not enjoy the company of highly intellectual people in the rare cases where I found myself in their company. I suppose I equate it to the fact that I have never found myself as a superfan of anything. I enjoyed Star Wars, but I do not dress up in costumes and clutter my house with memorabilia. I enjoy Hockey, but I do not plan my life around watching every game, playing fantasy leagues or again cluttering my house with memorabilia. This translated into my intellectual side. I enjoy digesting hard to comprehend topics and participating in heavy conversation, but I do not chase down expertise or cement my feet into any singular mode of thought or series of dogma. The only consistent method in my life is to choose the third path. Generally in an argument there is a tendency to choose one of two sides, and the conversation usually devolves into a pissing match or intellectual masturbation. Given any topic, I find the third path, the one where both sides are correct and both sides are incorrect, trying to glean a more accurate view of the world as opposed to one that locks thought into a box. So why am I here? Long story short, Joe Rogan (who I regard with both respect and loathing) introduced me to Stefan who has reinforced some ideas I have had about gender equality, anarchism, and peaceful parenting. On that note, there have been anarchistic societies in the native populations of the Americas as well as Australia and others that existed for 1000's of years so the process does work so long as you remain "uncivilized". Anyway, I have found myself today having severed most of my relationships for one reason or another, struggling with my marriage for one reason or another, not being the kind of father I want to be for one reason or another, and fighting my desire to challenge the philosophies of this board through exposure of the flaws inherent in trying to force a chaotic world to conform to human ideals. Really I am hoping to find something useful I can apply to my life while exercising polite interaction with others.