WilliamS Posted October 22, 2014 Posted October 22, 2014 Hi there, first time poster. I thought i'd post here because I didn't know where else to ask and comment about this. I'll try to keep this brief. I do not follow news media at all and get most of my "news" from other sources or in conversation with family/friends. I do have a few alternative sources that I trust and visit quite regularly. I'm having a hard time getting the thoughts out.... I've been listening to FDR/Stefan for almost 2 years now. I try and keep up to him (Stefan) with his youtube vids and am taking my time going thru the past podcasts (just getting into the 300's now.) Some podcasts i listen to many times, some only once. It's changed my life. I live in a small, very small Canadian, east coast town. The mentality here is just as predicted thru the experience of my gained knowledge of FDR and Morals, NAP, etc... and man I gotta say, it's the hardest, loneliest uphill climb i've ever taken. I'm isolated... everyone seems sick, delusional. And thru the podcasts I know, I understand why myself and the others are the way we are. This latest event, the shootings at the parliament hill in ottawa, man, i can't have a simple conversation without people wanting to shoot all the "fucking assholes over there" or "string them up" or one guy even said: "It's simple line them up and ask one question do you support our Canadian troops or you against if there extremists and living in Canada and answers the latter then shoot them" (From Facebook) How do you respond to that without either getting into a long debate, or shrugging your shoulders and changing the conversation. I felt I made a good move by responding that even though I disagree with his point of view i'd be willing to talk if he would like to private message me or call. i'd be happy to discuss this topic with him. No answer as of yet lol. I mean I understand the NAP, UPB, Morals, or at least i have a firm grasp of the basics. It's just incredibly isolating.. Perhaps i'm just at that stage now.. like a transition phase.. like going from gathering knowledge (which i know is ongoing) to comparison in my personal life... I'm doing my best, but maybe this post is just a rant or whatever...anyone else have experience with this stage of their.. life? Maybe I just need to post this to get it out... Thanks everyone. 1
Josh F Posted October 22, 2014 Posted October 22, 2014 Well, as a gringo, this sounds like 9/11. England and even France are going through similar bouts of nationalism in light of the ISIS beheadings. I have no unique solutions, sorry to say.
Soren Posted October 22, 2014 Posted October 22, 2014 Well I don't know what to do, but personally I am a total coward around people like that, just blend in to the background. If I have to say something then its along the lines of "yeah thats a really bad situation" maybe I would go as far as saying that shooting people for not supporting the soldiers is not something I agree with. And then I would just stay away from that person as much as posible.
fractional slacker Posted October 23, 2014 Posted October 23, 2014 Challenging ridiculous dogma in a public forum (FB) is not for the faint of heart. When someone makes or supports a retarded statement like "line them up and shoot them," this is very helpful. You now know who to avoid, at least in the way of a public discussion. If it's someone you know and care about, you can reserve the right to challenge their violent solutions in a one on one conversation at a later time. You might ask questions such as do you really support initiating violence towards those that disagree with you? Something along those lines. That would be my approach.
WilliamS Posted October 23, 2014 Author Posted October 23, 2014 Thank you guys... This has been helpful
Filip S Posted October 23, 2014 Posted October 23, 2014 Remember that you are not obligated to respond to people who make immoral, stupid, or crazy statements. There is no right way to respond to people with such opinions - since they are not opinions at all, but psychological defenses. I think your move with the facebook guy is a good idea. Personally, I try to gauge people, trying to get a feel for how much truth one person can handle. Think of it in Star Wars terms: morality is like a lightsaber. If you're familiar with Star Wars, only jedi can effectively wield the power of the lightsaber - people who are not jedi (not proficient in the Force, i.e. knowledge) end up cutting their own limbs off with it. Don't spar people with your lightsaber who are not Force-Sensitive: their limbs will end up being lobbed off either by your hand, or theirs. The lightsaber is the most powerful weapon (in conjunction with the Force) a single person can wield. If you want to go out and be a force for good (a Jedi Knight) and fight the evil Sith (illusion, irrationality, myth), you need training, support, and discipline. Welcome to the Jedi Academy of FDR!! PS I think I may have gone too far with the Star Wars metaphor, but the lure of the metaphor is hard to resist!! 1
fractional slacker Posted October 23, 2014 Posted October 23, 2014 Sorry, I know this is a bit off topic, but apropos in light of the lightsaber metaphor. 1
In the belly of the beast Posted October 24, 2014 Posted October 24, 2014 Sorry, I know this is a bit off topic, but apropos in light of the lightsaber metaphor. I think that might be close to a new speed record for achieving overt displays of hostility from a non-cop/non-soldier.
-------- Posted October 25, 2014 Posted October 25, 2014 How do you respond to that without either getting into a long debate, or shrugging your shoulders and changing the conversation. Welcome to philosophy. Where you wake up to you as a new person, only to see that you live in hell surrounded by the dead. You can't respond to that. There is nothing to respond with. I interpret those kind of responses as a good shortcut to see where people are in self-knowledge, and what their environment is like. And then I run. The only people you can connect to are the people who are willing to listen to you. And it's very hard to find people who are willing to listen to you. Especially after philosophy. But you have come to the right place. Connect with some people here. You'll find we all have the same story.
ancapzeebo Posted October 25, 2014 Posted October 25, 2014 Welcome to philosophy. Where you wake up to you as a new person, only to see that you live in hell surrounded by the dead. Can confirm
J. D. Stembal Posted October 25, 2014 Posted October 25, 2014 Engaging with people about philosophy on Facebook is almost totally pointless. At best, you or they will give up and block the other. If it's an unknown troll, and not a friend, it's best to not respond at all.
Ken Cotton Posted October 27, 2014 Posted October 27, 2014 My advice as a fellow Canadian is to harness that instinct toward a productive end. People are naturally going to get upset about something as serious as a political attack at the capital. Is it wrong for that anger to manifest in a desire to kill the attacker? I certainly think it is completely acceptable for the gunman to have been shot dead. I also think its perfectly acceptable that any co-conspirators or people otherwise aligned with ISSI be banished or executed. The best thing we can do is redirect the anger away from generic groups and focus it onto specific perpetrators. 1
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