Greta wrote: ↑Wed Jul 05, 2017 1:02 am
Is it that there's just a lot of lonely and/or unhappy people stalking the web in search of connections?
How much scope is there for philosophy forums to be uplifting? Or is that, like the news, the slant will always tend towards the negative for the above and other reasons?
How positive are you about yourself, life, existence generally? What uplifts you and what brings you down?
Some general thoughts... not directed at you Greta...
It seems that there are many reasons that people come here and do what they do. I've wondered about it myself -- as there seem to be a lot of nutjobs (which surely some people think of me too). Some people might not see from the things that I write that I'm a positive and joyful person, and I love people despite all of the crazy crap that they do. It's just that since coming here, I've found it devilishly entertaining to question people who proclaim themselves to be heralding truths that apply to all. And because these people typically do it in such an arrogant or foolish way, it only seems natural to make fun of them.
If a clown is strutting around like a king, it's natural to laugh at them. If they are mad enough to truly believe themselves to be a king, should we be gentle with them and allow them to spew their toxic delusion onto everyone, or should we persevere in knocking them off of their pedestal? I often think lately, that much of the turmoil we see might be because humankind is trying to evolve beyond certain kinds of ignorance and madness. The resistance to that seems epic... perhaps because so many people are so completely identified with one intoxication or another... and they will fight to the death to not be "wrong", and to believe that they "know" something.
So it seems that there are lots of extremes and counter-balances going at each other. I guess it's natural... and maybe the only way to evolve.
It does appear that many people indiscriminately disagree or rage against whatever they cross in their path. I think this is their way of imagining themselves "better than that"... or "better than all else". That seems a perfect way to be evolved out of existence. It doesn't seem very smart to view everything as separate and in competition or at war. What the fuck? That doesn't build anything beyond that limited (and primitive) mentality. It's just a bunch of chest-beating apes fighting over sticks... for eons. Get over it already!
But alas, here we are in this life -- and I'm guessing it's for the entertainment. Whenever I share something heartfelt on this forum, it's like throwing something into the pond for people to look at -- and I fully expect that some people won't appear to "get it" or accept it, and that's okay. Often, I'm just doing my part to counter-balance or counter-challenge some of the crazy crap I see -- and hopefully people are entertained by the process, if nothing more beneficial comes from it. I don't take this or myself very seriously. It's just a dance that I have fun with.