Pony, for being a sociopath, you're incredibly sensitive.
Also, you seem to judge people based purely on whether or not they agree with you and nothing else. Come to think of it, that's pretty consistent.
Actually sociopaths tend to be total narcissists, which leads to a lot of emotional sensetivity. I'm skeptical about whether he actually is one, though.
I also take issue with the word "spirituality" being applied to things like finding purpose and meaning in life, like there has to be some kind of supernatural element involved in these things, like the soul has to exist in order for there to be meaning.
"Spirit" need not be supernatural. A person can be "spirited" - as in, having a lust for life or an inspiring presence. You can have the "spirit" of an occasion - like the spirit of Christmas, for instance.
"Spirituality" carries with it the connotation of the supernatural. Most of the time, referring to someone as "spiritual" means they are concerned with the supernatural and religious, and someone's "spirituality" is their concern with such.
But my other problem with the word is that no one can really agree on what it means, and so it means too many things, and becomes a useless word signifying nothing. I can argue the connotations, but it carries many, many connotations, and the meaning varies radically from person to person.
It's a stupid word.
I recognize where you're coming from.
My perspective is that there is a human need to find meaning in life - and the religions of the world were constructed around that need. So the core element of spirituality is not mysticism, but meaning. The mysticism is several thousand years of window dressing.
I am perfectly happy with that stance
Mysticism and magical thinking really bother me, and they're either the signs or roots of a larger problem, I'm not sure which.
Evil Multifarious on
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VariableMouth CongressStroke Me Lady FameRegistered Userregular
edited May 2008
this is vintage d&d. someone begs for the godtalk to stop and in a strident attempt at changing the topic of conversation we find ourselves talking about jerking off.
this is vintage d&d. someone begs for the godtalk to stop and in a strident attempt at changing the topic of conversation we find ourselves talking about jerking off.
Pony, this is going to sound stupidly cliche, but this is where that whole "have faith in yourself" notion comes from. You don't seem to be willing or able to rely on yourself as a moral authority, and since other humans are at least as fallible, you aim for an external, untestable moral authority.
My diet today was awful. I consumed the following:
-1 20 oz. bottle of Coke (highly unusual for me)
-personal size pepperoni pizza (sadly, not unusual for school eating)
-1 Gin & Tonic
-a few mozzarella sticks and fried zucchini sticks
-a small amount of popcorn
I pretty much have to eat cabbage and oats for the rest of the weak to balance things out.
I find this pretty fascinating. It almost sounds like you are religious only functionally, like you are aware at some level of the fact that your faith is only a tool to keep you socially acceptable for fear of hellfire and damnation. It suggests, to me, the capacity to control yourself on some level or another, for whatever reason.
What I have bolded is inaccurate, as my faith does not actually issue a punishment structure that keeps me in check.
My question is, why can't something else serve the purpose of religion? Why can't an existential moral system work in its stead? Do you literally only do good things for the reward of heaven, or to avoid the punishment of hell? You indicate that you feel you shouldn't be an immoral person, for the sake of not being an immoral person, at certain points in the post above. Can this evaluation not itself serve as motivation?
It can certainly serve as motivation, but is not a reason in and of itself. It isn't a framework that I can rely upon for strength in the face of challenges to my dedication to be better than I am by default.
Again, I re-iterate that my religious values are not based on a reward or punishment system. I actually do not concern myself with the "afterlife", I concern myself with my life.
Furthermore, as an intelligent rational person, how do you reconcile the obvious contradictions and logical failures of your religion? How do you internalize the supernatural and the miraculous? Do you just answer "faith" and hold to your beliefs because they serve a functional purpose? How do you reconcile that with the rationality that you seem to evince when it comes to other beliefs? How do you justify that selectivity?
Actually I can't think of any element of my religious faith directly contradicted by scientific fact. Nor do I consider it illogical or sporting any "logical failures". It certainly isn't perfect and doesn't hold the answer to everything, but that isn't its function for me.
I realize these are deeply personal questions and if you don't want to answer, or if you'd rather PM, that's fine. But these are really the important questions, not the stupid fucking revolving arguments about whether God can make a rock he himself couldn't lift, etc.
I don't mind such questions, really, as long as people understand that I'm answering them honestly to the best of my ability given the framework of the questions asked.
Pony on
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AegeriTiny wee bacteriumsPlateau of LengRegistered Userregular
Pony, this is going to sound stupidly cliche, but this is where that whole "have faith in yourself" notion comes from. You don't seem to be willing or able to rely on yourself as a moral authority, and since other humans are at least as fallible, you aim for an external, untestable moral authority.
my favorite parts are the beginning, middle, and end.
The beginning is great because you just know it's going to lead to somewhere fantastic. The middle is okay, but it's fairly repetitive. The end is bliss because you feel really, really wonderful for a second or two and then you feel really, really mellow for the next minute or two.
my favorite parts are the beginning, middle, and end.
The beginning is great because you just know it's going to lead to somewhere fantastic. The middle is okay, but it's fairly repetitive. The end is bliss because you feel really, really wonderful for a second or two and then you feel really, really mellow for the next minute or two.
Yeah, jerking off. What a concept.
imagine jerking off the guy who first thought of jerking off? that would be fucking legendary.
this is vintage d&d. someone begs for the godtalk to stop and in a strident attempt at changing the topic of conversation we find ourselves talking about jerking off.
my favorite parts are the beginning, middle, and end.
The beginning is great because you just know it's going to lead to somewhere fantastic. The middle is okay, but it's fairly repetitive. The end is bliss because you feel really, really wonderful for a second or two and then you feel really, really mellow for the next minute or two.
Yeah, jerking off. What a concept.
actually afterwards I'm just kind of pissed about all the time I spent wasting jacking off.
Then I feel like a morally shallow and spent being.
And then sleep comes. Slowly, but inevitably, to wash clean all doubt and disinterest.
Leaving only the oblivion of the void and the mockery and mimicry of dreams.
Posts
It is a fair criticism to say that I am a bit narcissistic and overly concerned with how I get along with people.
Irony:whistle:
just saw megadeth, i can barely type
fucking lost my left shoe during the second song
Yeah. I'm thinking his "diagnosis" was a bored hour with Wikipedia.
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Aegeri: No, but I'm not really much of a spree killer.
I am perfectly happy with that stance
Mysticism and magical thinking really bother me, and they're either the signs or roots of a larger problem, I'm not sure which.
we're pathetic and predictable, on the whole.
Did somebody just say sodomy?
'cause I think I just heard somebody say sodomy
I love going to shows like that!
my favorite parts are the beginning, middle, and end.
Fuck man time after time, i thought it was their last song.
I'm thinking, ok, ONE LAST TIME I'm throwing all my energy at this song.
10 songs later I can barely stand
Buddhism
Why shouldn't I hate it?
What's your moms number again?
-1 20 oz. bottle of Coke (highly unusual for me)
-personal size pepperoni pizza (sadly, not unusual for school eating)
-1 Gin & Tonic
-a few mozzarella sticks and fried zucchini sticks
-a small amount of popcorn
I pretty much have to eat cabbage and oats for the rest of the weak to balance things out.
What I have bolded is inaccurate, as my faith does not actually issue a punishment structure that keeps me in check.
It can certainly serve as motivation, but is not a reason in and of itself. It isn't a framework that I can rely upon for strength in the face of challenges to my dedication to be better than I am by default.
Again, I re-iterate that my religious values are not based on a reward or punishment system. I actually do not concern myself with the "afterlife", I concern myself with my life.
Actually I can't think of any element of my religious faith directly contradicted by scientific fact. Nor do I consider it illogical or sporting any "logical failures". It certainly isn't perfect and doesn't hold the answer to everything, but that isn't its function for me.
I don't mind such questions, really, as long as people understand that I'm answering them honestly to the best of my ability given the framework of the questions asked.
I hate the end because I have to be careful to shoot into a Kleenex or something. I can't stand the sight of cum.
it gets me off.
:winky:
You could hate it, or not. I'm just not certain you hate it for particularly informed reasons.
You are a strange, strange man.
I would say that is an accurate statement.
The beginning is great because you just know it's going to lead to somewhere fantastic. The middle is okay, but it's fairly repetitive. The end is bliss because you feel really, really wonderful for a second or two and then you feel really, really mellow for the next minute or two.
Yeah, jerking off. What a concept.
I can't even stand the idea of it. I finish off into whatever I'm wearing and then burn it.*
*-not entirely accurate.
imagine jerking off the guy who first thought of jerking off? that would be fucking legendary.
I bet he'd have some pointers.
stop being reasonable
besides the obvious "don't be a dick" teachings, what does Buddhism offer as a system for providing meaning, moral guidance, etc?
I think Senj summed it up pretty good couple posts back actually
actually afterwards I'm just kind of pissed about all the time I spent wasting jacking off.
Then I feel like a morally shallow and spent being.
And then sleep comes. Slowly, but inevitably, to wash clean all doubt and disinterest.
Leaving only the oblivion of the void and the mockery and mimicry of dreams.
actual sex
I could understand not liking the smell or the taste but man.
The sight of it covering a chick is just hot. :P
I take it you are not a fan of uncertainty and doubt?
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Senj: Not always.
Something tells me this is a trap.
You're married, what would you know about that?
Yeah...
not always.