goodbye god

[Resolute]

13 hours ago, IrmaJean said:

I believe that we can't know what life may be like for others.

what did i tell you, roger? this is a diplomatically disguised denial that some people have undoubtedly worse lives (due to uncontrollable circumstances/genes etc.) than others.

 

13 hours ago, IrmaJean said:

Why not place our focus and energy into helping ourselves?

because unless the problem is imaginary, truly fixing it is likely to be impossible.

[Resolute]

@RogerJay, the problem usually isn't comparing ourselves with other truly disadvantaged individuals. it's when we involuntarily and inevitably compare ourselves with people who aren't truly disadvantaged (unless you, beth or anyone else wishes to dispute that there are people who aren't disadvantaged in any meaningful way). that's where the true differences and injustice are most evident.

[Resolute]

17 minutes ago, RogerJay said:

I have certainly never disputed that there are people who are disadvantaged in a meaningful way.

i said "people who aren't disadvantaged".

[Resolute]

17 minutes ago, RogerJay said:

I see.

Well then I do disagree - at least insofar that we are all fast getting old and we will all soon be dead. For me, that is one hell of a disadvantage!

(However I would agree that - in the short term - there are some people who have a pretty good deal in life.)

then we do agree that in the "short term" (a few decades) some people have it much better than others.

[IrmaJean]

I wrote this before reading the past several posts. Will have to go back and catch up...

I don't contend that life is perfectly fair and even. We can't change or control that, though, I don't think.

My point with the above post is that others could be suffering immensely without it being noticeable or plainly visible to outside observers.

What is the purpose to proving one person's life is more painful than another's? We could compare endlessly, but how that is helpful?

I hear that some struggles and the situations might not be fixable, but maybe there are things we can work with to improve things?

 

[Resolute]

1 hour ago, IrmaJean said:

My point with the above post is that others could be suffering immensely without it being noticeable or plainly visible to outside observers.

i don't care what is and isn't noticeable or visible to outside observers. the point is that there do exist people who don't have significant problems in their lives (and some who do). either you dispute this fact or you accept it.

 

1 hour ago, IrmaJean said:

What is the purpose to proving one person's life is more painful than another's? We could compare endlessly, but how that is helpful?

how is beating around the bush helpful? besides, comparing endlessly might not seem of any value to you, but that doesn't mean that it holds no value to others.

 

1 hour ago, IrmaJean said:

I hear that some struggles and the situations might not be fixable, but maybe there are things we can work with to improve things?

then, by all means....

[IrmaJean]

Do I personally think there are people in the world who aren't in any way disadvantaged? I don't think I can fully know. I can't know how someone else's life is and how that person feels within their life, what challenges every person faces. To know that for a fact I would need to be that person or be God...

In saying that, I would guess that every person at some point during their lifetime does have significant problems.

55 minutes ago, Resolute said:

i don't care what is and isn't noticeable or visible to outside observers. the point is that there do exist people who don't have significant problems in their lives (and some who do). either you dispute this fact or you accept it.

 

how is beating around the bush helpful? besides, comparing endlessly might not seem of any value to you, but that doesn't mean that it holds no value to others.

 

then, by all means....

I appreciate and respect that. I want to better understand how things are for you, if you'd like to share. How then is it helpful to you?

I don't intend to beat around the bush... I am still working on ways to express myself and how to best do that while also being very mindful of the potentially different views others have and their feelings. That's a tricky balance for me sometimes and it's true that being direct has never been a strength.

Robert, would you prefer that we move this discussion elsewhere? I apologize for getting off track here. I hope you are able to feel some serenity this weekend.

[Resolute]

59 minutes ago, IrmaJean said:

Do I personally think there are people in the world who aren't in any way disadvantaged? I don't think I can fully know. I can't know how someone else's life is and how that person feels within their life, what challenges every person faces. To know that for a fact I would need to be that person or be God...

this is probably the same reasoning you use when asked whether 1+1 definitely equals 2 or not. that's relativism for you. never really knowing anything for a fact. anything and everything is possible. 1+1 might equal 2 and it might equal 574964584 (after all, nothing is absolute, not even math). no one really knows for sure.

 

Quote

In saying that, I would guess that every person at some point during their lifetime does have significant problems.

i think roger and i sort of established that already. the point is that there is overwhelming evidence (so overwhelming in fact, that not even someone as stubborn as roger could deny it ) that some people do have it much better than others for a number of decades. it's also clear that some people don't even get one good year, or even a day.

 

Quote

I appreciate and respect that. I want to better understand how things are for you, if you'd like to share. How then is it helpful to you?

it might not really be helpful per se, but it helps provide a clearer understanding of how the shitty universe works.

 

Quote

I don't intend to beat around the bush... I am still working on ways to express myself and how to best do that while also being very mindful of the potentially different views others have and their feelings. That's a tricky balance for me sometimes and it's true that being direct has never been a strength.

fair enough.

[Resolute]

45 minutes ago, IrmaJean said:

Robert, would you prefer that we move this discussion elsewhere? I apologize for getting off track here. I hope you are able to feel some serenity this weekend.

ya, man; sorry for hijacking your thread, bro. but it couldn't be helped lol.

[Shrimp Fried Life]

There are people who appear to have it pretty good in life but it's all relative. We see the world and our place in it from our own perspective.

A Wall Street banker who is worth millions and loses it all except for one million. To him this is worth committing suicide but for most of us having a million dollars would change our lives dramatically for the better.

A guy who has a 5 inch penis thinks he is worthless and would never please a woman but a guy who has 3 inches would love to be in his position.

All those rich, beautiful famous people who seem like they have it all and yet end up destroying their lives with drugs and booze and sometimes end up committing suicide.

[Resolute]

17 hours ago, lifelongvirgin said:

There are people who appear to have it pretty good in life but it's all relative. We see the world and our place in it from our own perspective.

A Wall Street banker who is worth millions and loses it all except for one million. To him this is worth committing suicide but for most of us having a million dollars would change our lives dramatically for the better.

A guy who has a 5 inch penis thinks he is worthless and would never please a woman but a guy who has 3 inches would love to be in his position.

All those rich, beautiful famous people who seem like they have it all and yet end up destroying their lives with drugs and booze and sometimes end up committing suicide.

these presumptions are based on the unfounded notion that it's impossible for anyone to not have any serious problems. clearly, giving a few examples does not substantiate this notion.

[Gryphon]

39 minutes ago, lifelongvirgin said:

A guy who has a 5 inch penis thinks he is worthless and would never please a woman but a guy who has 3 inches would love to be in his position.

I would agree with this. I have seen post from ppl with 5.5, 6 inches thinking that they are small. Gosh, I wish I had that...

[BurroBonton2]

Instead of putting your faith in God, put it in science. There's been so many scientific and technological breakthroughs over the years that anything is possible. God never gave us airplanes, computers, bionic limbs and artificial hearts.  Eventually when things get advanced enough they will figure out a way to enlarge penises.

[Resolute]

9 minutes ago, RogerJay said:

Resolute, you know I agree that there are (probably) people in the world who have excellent lives - at least for a time, while they are young.

But I do wonder whether such people are actually rarer than we may be tempted to assume?

i know they're probably rare, but i think they exist nonetheless.

 

9 minutes ago, RogerJay said:

I think the problems people have (whether some health problems, an addiction, or some emotional/spiritual issue) can often be well hidden from view - even from those who are quite close to the person in question.

(Random weird fact: from age 25 to age 33 I was addicted to a drug - almost no one in the world knew about it but me!)

the plot thickens lol.

[Resolute]

7 minutes ago, RogerJay said:

Oh, we're not talking about anything too dramatic! I was a secret smoker. (A damned German bitch got me into it, if you must know!)

And yeah, I know that this wouldn't be so much of an issue for most people. But for me...well...there were a lot of people around me who would have felt I was being massively stupid and irresponsible. (Which I was, of course.)

i see.

 

7 minutes ago, RogerJay said:

Giving up nicotine was, just maybe, the hardest thing I have ever done.

well, it is the most addictive substance known to man.

[Resolute]

maybe i'll take up smoking to experience youthfulness.

[Resolute]

i didn't misunderstand you, roger. my emphasis was actually on "youthfulness" (something which i've never been able to experience properly), not smoking.

[Resolute]

4 minutes ago, RogerJay said:

In my case I was doing:

In the UK - Marlboro Lights (as they used to be called before the word "light" got banned)

In Germany - Gauloises Lights

i was mostly doing fleshlights lol. just kidding; i've never used any toys.

[Gryphon]

15 minutes ago, Resolute said:

i was mostly doing fleshlights lol. just kidding; i've never used any toys.

[Resolute]

aren't we all?

[Gryphon]

Fleshlights are like size queens. They may ask, is it in yet?

[Shrimp Fried Life]

On 5/18/2016 at 10:30 AM, Resolute said:

these presumptions are based on the unfounded notion that it's impossible for anyone to not have any serious problems. clearly, giving a few examples does not substantiate this notion.

Well sure just by the sheer number of people there are in the world there must be some who have a pretty perfect life but are you going to judge your life by them?

 

that would be crazy. I don't judge my satisfaction with life based on how well or how bad other people have it. There are always going to be people who are better off than you and people who are worse off than you. I just ask myself "am I happy with the way my life is"

[Shrimp Fried Life]

21 hours ago, RogerJay said:

@Klingsor

This is nearer the mark! 

 

 she has such perfect skin. Pity she had to go and ruin it with those tattoos

[Resolute]

12 minutes ago, lifelongvirgin said:

Well sure just by the sheer number of people there are in the world there must be some who have a pretty perfect life but are you going to judge your life by them?

darn tootin'; among other things of course.

 

Quote

that would be crazy. I don't judge my satisfaction with life based on how well or how bad other people have it. There are always going to be people who are better off than you and people who are worse off than you. I just ask myself "am I happy with the way my life is"

hell no. it wouldn't be satisfactory even if it was 100 times "better" (after all, 100x0 is still 0).

[Resolute]

1 hour ago, RogerJay said:

It ain't zero!

(You are a very much more subtle and intelligent person than the average Joe - that alone is worth a lot.)

thanks man. the truth is, tho, as i've long maintained, intelligence is only an asset under the right circumstances. otherwise, it's just torment.