Random Chat, Thoughts, Posts, and/or Rants Thread

[StrikingViper69]

I actually agree with you @MTF regarding the meaningless bit. And I doubt any person of reasonable intelligence can really think it is ultimately meaningful (and yes, that’s an unapologetic challenge to anyone to prove otherwise).

I think most people talk about purpose and meaning largely as a means of marketing themselves and selling their ideas to others. People love aspiring to some greater meaning.

Does Elon Musk really believe that electric cars, going to Mars and all this stuff is ultimatey meaningful? Deep inside, I highly doubt it. But he’s managed to “convince” the market otherwise, and make himself very very rich in the process. And he’s done it by peddling meaning to them, knowing very well that human beings are suckers for deeper meaning.

Call me cynical, but this is what I think the reality is, even though you could never get someone like Elon to agree (too much self-interest in the opposite direction, of course).

But I don’t share your perspective. Yes, it is ultimately meaningless to build a huge company in the grand scheme of things. If there is no God, then obviously none of this matters. And if there is a God, then life in Heaven will be VERY different than earthly life, so once there, whatsoever you’ve done on earth will be irrelevant. Who will care whether you’ve built a giga corporation and provided value to millions or you just pushed keys in a corporation, had a nice family life, etc.? God certainly won’t - you’ll still be in Heaven, in ultimate bliss, just as blissful as the guy who added value.

But, and here’s where I differ from you, even though these things are not ultimately meaningful, they can still be meaningful to you. To you, it may be meaningful to become the kind of person who can build a billion dollar company for example.

Life doesn't require a deity to matter.

Our lives don't require external justification or validation, from other people or a deity.

The purpose of life is to be happy, find the things that mean something to you, and have more of them.

Whether that is building a healthy, loving family, developing a skill, or enjoying pursuits doesn't matter; as long as they hold meaning to you.

 

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[Black_Dragon43]

Life doesn't require a deity to matter.

Our lives don't require external justification or validation, from other people or a deity.

The purpose of life is to be happy, find the things that mean something to you, and have more of them.

Whether that is building a healthy, loving family, developing a skill, or enjoying pursuits doesn't matter; as long as they hold meaning to you.

I agree. In fact, I was arguing above that any other kind of meaning doesn’t even make sense. If there is no God there can be no ultimate meaning, and if there is a God, whatever the ultimate meaning is, is irrelevant to us on earth so long as we end up in Heaven, and whatsoever meaning we had on Earth, will be irrelevant in Heaven.

That leaves us with ourselves choosing to pursue meaning simply because it’s meaningful to us, exactly as you say…

 

[Lex DeVille]

Any resources that suggest what specific kinds of foods may cause that? How do you know it's really almond butter that's causing you these issues?

I don't have any specific resources. My diet is super simple. Mostly a result of reduction over time. I can tell you the ingredients I eat from one week to the next off the top of my head. If you eat simple enough, then it's easy to figure out what's causing issues just by removing suspected culprits.

Do you think hypnotherapy is better than other forms of therapy (CBT, Act, etc.) and if so why?

I wouldn't say it's better necessarily. Just another tool for the toolbox. CBT therapists are often trained in hypnotherapy, so there can be overlap between the two.

I'm not a therapist, so I can't speak from experience about which approach works best for patients. That said, I prefer Dr. Albert Ellis's Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) since it can be used by the individual experiencing mental challenges without necessarily needing to involve a therapist.

Ellis's book A Guide to Rational Living covers the approach well enough.

 

[ElleMg]

Fact checkers are a great business model. Not only do they fill the need people have to know the "truth" but companies and public figures spend millions on PR and will send you a lot of money to make them look good

 

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[Guest-5ty5s4]

Fact checkers are a great business model. Not only do they fill the need people have to know the "truth" but companies and public figures spend millions on PR and will send you a lot of money to make them look good

It’s so refreshing for someone to truly get it and see it for exactly what it is.

 

[MTF]

 

[Andy Black]

Building a huge corporation sounds like a nightmare, perhaps even worse than working for one. I love my freedom and don't want to trade it for something that would ultimately lead me to the exact same place I am in now (reminds me of that "Mexican Fisherman" story).

I’m with you on this. As we all know, there’s many ways to skin a cat.

When people pursue these big ideas, they're merely distracting themselves from the fact that it's all meaningless. I'm aware this sounds very nihilistic but it doesn't make it any less true.

“It doesn’t make it any less true” … for you, at this moment. Maybe your opinion will change over time? I personally find so much of life fascinating and genuinely awesome. I marvel at a child bursting with pride because you praise them in public, or a dog unable to walk straight because it’s wagging it’s tail furiously.

I'm barely in my early thirties and my life has already turned much darker after a traumatic event two years ago that still haunts me to this day.

Life is bitter-sweet. I didn’t appreciate life and what I have until I lost my brother then dad. I wasn’t sleeping properly (still aren’t tbh) and my wife sent me to see the doctor to check I wasn’t depressed. He said I wasn’t depressed, just sad. With that incredible sadness comes a new appreciation. Life is a gift. Life is short. What will you do with it?

I can't even imagine how people way older than me can keep living without going crazy from all the trauma they've accumulated along the way.

Ask them? Ask if they have any regrets. Ask how they keep going when they’ve experienced so much trauma and loss. Those old dears sitting on a bench watching us scurry about in a rush? They often have a slight smile on their face. I expect some actually see the wind move the leaves in the trees. Maybe they’ve found a peace that allows them to sleep at night?

 

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[ElleMg]

It’s so refreshing for someone to truly get it and see it for exactly what it is.

The phrase common sense is becoming increasingly ironic.

Phoned up regarding possibly staying on with my phone provider. Their 'upgrades' include signing up to a 24 month plan than I can get on a rolling contract elsewhere, unless I downgrade to 50GB monthly data, then it's a significant saving... my average data usage is 220GB.

 

[Madame Peccato]

Phoned up regarding possibly staying on with my phone provider. Their 'upgrades' include signing up to a 24 month plan than I can get on a rolling contract elsewhere, unless I downgrade to 50GB monthly data, then it's a significant saving... my average data usage is 220GB.

I'm in the market for a new ISP. My current one offers a plan that is double the speed of my current one at a lower price. I called them asking if they could just move my account to that plan.

The answer? "It's only for new users, so you have to first close the current contract then start a new one."

Canceling a ISP contract is painful and takes weeks.

I can't wait to move to an entirely new ISP soon.

 

[Antifragile]

I’m with you on this. As we all know, there’s many ways to skin a cat.


“It doesn’t make it any less true” … for you, at this moment. Maybe your opinion will change over time? I personally find so much of life fascinating and genuinely awesome. I marvel at a child bursting with pride because you praise them in public, or a dog unable to walk straight because it’s wagging it’s tail furiously.


Life is bitter-sweet. I didn’t appreciate life and what I have until I lost my brother then dad. I wasn’t sleeping properly (still aren’t tbh) and my wife sent me to see the doctor to check I wasn’t depressed. He said I wasn’t depressed, just sad. With that incredible sadness comes a new appreciation. Life is a gift. Life is short. What will you do with it?


Ask them? Ask if they have any regrets. Ask how they keep going when they’ve experienced so much trauma and loss. Those old dears sitting on a bench watching us scurry about in a rush? They often have a slight smile on their face. I expect some actually see the wind move the leaves in the trees. Maybe they’ve found a peace that allows them to sleep at night?

Great post Andy.

MTF is struggling but this too shall pass. If you let it. If you open up to the idea that the questions you ask cannot be answered with simple logic, they reside on an emotional level.

How can you appreciate a dog wagging tail so hard it can't walk straight? It's not a logical argument, it's something you feel.

When people say "what's the meaning of life?" I often feel it's like asking "how does colour white taste and smell like?". You could look for logical arguments to feel different but you won't find them. Have you ever told someone else "stop feeling so angry!" Did it ever work? Or "why are you so sensitive?" - did that work?

The directionality of how we feel is usually backwards too. Most people think "when I get this or that, I'll feel this way or that way". But in reality being happy is a fleeting moment after some action. We can be in a state of flow writing a piece, then for a brief moment feel a sense of happiness. As soon as we realize we are happy, that feeling just goes away, it is not totally gone but is reduced to barely noticeable. The other day I went for a run and 2km into it started feeling a rush of positive emotion, I could feel the fresh air entering my lungs, colour of the trees and road were move vivid. I even noticed the most minor things and saw beauty in them - like a neighbour's house with wood and beams. I had a grin on my face and was just happy. I then noticed how happy I was and poof, it all went away and I was back to "normal". Not sad, but "normal" in a way that most of our lives we notice less and are comfortably numb.

Nothing I say to you @MTF can make you feel better, only what you do can. There is meaning to life that cannot be logically described but can be felt and should be felt.

 

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[Guest-5ty5s4]

Is your business struggling to pay the bills?

Can't find good workers because government decided to print trillions of dollars and pay people to sit at home?

Well, accelerate your bankruptcy by giving everyone a raise !

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Facebook and Instagram have been down for a bit ... and I can almost feel the world is already a better place.

 

[Lex DeVille]

View attachment 40223
Is your business struggling to pay the bills?

Can't find good workers because government decided to print trillions of dollars and pay people to sit at home?

Well, accelerate your bankruptcy by giving everyone a raise !

The biggest school around here just approved something like a $1.50 raise for bus drivers because they already struggled to find people to do the job before the pandemic, and now they can't get anyone to do it.

People take the training, get their CDL, then go drive Trucks for bigger companies and more pay.

Even the senior drivers don't want to do the work because inflation is outpacing their pay rates and it's not worth it for them anymore. At least, that's my understanding.

I think this could be a major catalyst in schools and trucking companies starting the transition into alternative options, whether that is self-driving busses/trucks, or some other option like ride-sharing.

 

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[Andy Black]

The biggest school around here just approved something like a $1.50 raise for bus drivers because they already struggled to find people to do the job before the pandemic, and now they can't get anyone to do it.

People take the training, get their CDL, then go drive Trucks for bigger companies and more pay.

Even the senior drivers don't want to do the work because inflation is outpacing their pay rates and it's not worth it for them anymore. At least, that's my understanding.

I think this could be a major catalyst in schools and trucking companies starting the transition into alternative options, whether that is self-driving busses/trucks, or some other option like ride-sharing.

Apparently there’s a massive shortage of truck drivers in the UK.

 

[Guest-5ty5s4]

The biggest school around here just approved something like a $1.50 raise for bus drivers because they already struggled to find people to do the job before the pandemic, and now they can't get anyone to do it.

People take the training, get their CDL, then go drive Trucks for bigger companies and more pay.

Even the senior drivers don't want to do the work because inflation is outpacing their pay rates and it's not worth it for them anymore. At least, that's my understanding.

I think this could be a major catalyst in schools and trucking companies starting the transition into alternative options, whether that is self-driving busses/trucks, or some other option like ride-sharing.

Apparently there’s a massive shortage of truck drivers in the UK.

I believe there is a massive opportunity for privately owned trade schools that basically do short term programs for unemployed people to get licensing for a lucrative job (like truck driving).

That being said, if the government keeps paying people higher unemployment than what jobs can offer at market rates, we will continue to lack supply for important goods and services, making the world worse for everyone.

 

[Mammoth]

The biggest school around here just approved something like a $1.50 raise for bus drivers because they already struggled to find people to do the job before the pandemic, and now they can't get anyone to do it.

People take the training, get their CDL, then go drive Trucks for bigger companies and more pay.

Even the senior drivers don't want to do the work because inflation is outpacing their pay rates and it's not worth it for them anymore. At least, that's my understanding.

I think this could be a major catalyst in schools and trucking companies starting the transition into alternative options, whether that is self-driving busses/trucks, or some other option like ride-sharing.

I can't blame them.
I've been both a truck driver and a school teacher. I would NOT want to combine the two.

 

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[Mathuin]

Tough job.

 

[ElleMg]

Facebook 'tearing our societies apart' says whistleblower.

Yeah, let's not look at root causes.

The real issue here is social media is addictive, relies on people's insecurities and need for validation, community, and is a distraction. TikTok was literally built from the ground up to be addictive!

I like Facebook for business so I'm bias but the idea that only having TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, would solve the core issues that come with the territory is just misguided.

All of these sites/apps put 'profits before public good' because they're businesses fulfilling, or taking advantage of, needs to make money for themselves and their shareholders.

I agree such big corporations shouldn't be able to get away with things a small business couldn't but it's funny whenever a social network is exposed people use the news to validate their own social media addictions and thus continue the cycle of the perceived problems.

With articles such as this popping up it reinforces the prediction by William Rees-Mogg and James Dale Davidson in The Sovereign Individual that large corporations will eventually have the power of nations.

Hold Amazon and Facebook to Account As Global Superpowers

Given the scope of their ambitions and our dependence on them, behemoth brands should be treated, and held to account, for what they really are: commercial superpowers.

www.bloomberg.com

 

[Black_Dragon43]

Facebook and Instagram have been down for a bit ... and I can almost feel the world is already a better place.

Absolutely… I can’t stand Facebook, and if it wasn’t for ads, I would never be there lol. Even using it for business is troublesome because there is no way to avoid the typical Facebook drama. Mindless drones doing what mindless drones do…

 

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[WillHurtDontCare]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1445115837707341833

View: https://twitter.com/TheBabylonBee/status/1445115837707341833

Today I saw a father with two teenage daughters in a restaurant. Most of the time, the girls played with their phones, ignoring the father or responding curtly in that vicious, cruel way only ungrateful teenagers are capable of. The resigned father pulled out his phone, too.

What a sad, sad thing.

That's his fault for being weak.

 

[Andy Black]

I like Facebook groups. They can be a great way of finding answers or support.

 

[Guest-5ty5s4]

I like Facebook groups. They can be a great way of finding answers or support.

Classic example of the people within some entity being the reason the entity is worth it, despite the shortcomings of the entity itself.

 

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[ElleMg]

She looks exactly like Jeff Bezos too. So weird

 

[Guest-5ty5s4]

She looks exactly like Jeff Bezos too. So weird

When your organization has the word “health” in it but your actions reflect anything but.

The CDC, WEF, UN, et al are like an unelected global government

 

[Antifragile]

 

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[StrikingViper69]

View attachment 40229

triggered

 

[Andy Black]

I cancelled my monthly subscription to Microsoft Office. I've been using Google Sheets instead of Excel for the past few months. I've been using Excel since 1992. I wonder how many other hardcore Excel fans are moving to Google Sheets and the cloud?

 

[Madame Peccato]

Windows 11 is rolling out starting today. I want to try it, but I'm afraid it'll be another telemetry nightmare much like 10.

It's probably fixable through the shell / system registry, but privacy options should be easy to access. It doesn't really feel my PC is really mine with Microsoft's eyes spying every action.

I cancelled my monthly subscription to Microsoft Office. I've been using Google Sheets instead of Excel for the past few months. I've been using Excel since 1992. I wonder how many other hardcore Excel fans are moving to Google Sheets and the cloud?

What about Office 365? It has a free plan with 5 GBs storage, which is lower than Google's, but 5 GBs for sheets / documents is still a lot. And it syncs with OneDrive.

 

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[Andy Black]

Windows 11 is rolling out starting today. I want to try it, but I'm afraid it'll be another telemetry nightmare much like 10.

It's probably fixable through the shell / system registry, but privacy options should be easy to access. It doesn't really feel my PC is really mine with Microsoft's eyes spying every action.

What about Office 365? It has a free plan with 5 GBs storage, which is lower than Google's, but 5 GBs for sheets / documents is still a lot. And it syncs with OneDrive.

I think it's the Office 365 that I've cancelled? Maybe not.

I'm already paying for Google Drive, *and* for Dropbox. I'd like to consolidate but it's hard to copy everything over to Google Drive!

 

[ElleMg]