daywalker's recent activity
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Comment on "Accepting the world" doesn't mean you have to give up on effecting meaningful change in ~health.mental
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Comment on "Accepting the world" doesn't mean you have to give up on effecting meaningful change in ~health.mental
daywalker Link ParentI think that's somewhat true, and tempering expectations is a good idea to an extent, but I don't think it's entirely true. I think dreaming big and trying to make that dream into reality is a...I think that's somewhat true, and tempering expectations is a good idea to an extent, but I don't think it's entirely true. I think dreaming big and trying to make that dream into reality is a good idea too. Things often seem extremely rigid and unchanging until they fall apart. Change can happen very fast. It's not always incrementalist. Sometimes it reaches a tipping point and then happens all at once.
I think we're often told this isn't possible and that we should give up on big changes, and we should accept our lot of incrementalism. I'm definitely not saying you're doing this, but this often comes from people trying to dictate the timeline of another person's fight. I'm not comfortable with that. I think it's a counterproductive mindset for a struggler to have, as it limits what is accepted as possible, therefore affecting reality. This is especially true in the context of climate crisis, a cause I care a great deal about. We need everything and fast.
However, I want to stress that I really do think you have a point. I'm just trying to say to keep an open mind about what is possible, because what we think about reality affects our reality.
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Comment on What is a non-professional situation, area or activity in which you are uniquely experienced or skilled? in ~talk
daywalker (edited )LinkI think I'm in the top 0.0001% of population in terms of understanding Nietzsche's philosophy. I'm more well-versed in Nietzche's philosophy than vast majority of philosophy majors, even though...I think I'm in the top 0.0001% of population in terms of understanding Nietzsche's philosophy. I'm more well-versed in Nietzche's philosophy than vast majority of philosophy majors, even though I'm not one and nor have I ever taken a formal class that covered his philosophy.
He's been an interest of mine for over a decade, and throughout the years I read many of his texts, read from different translations, read academic articles and books interpreting his philosophy, watched open access philosophy course that covers him as well, learned about his life and health and how it affected his work. I also wrote essays utilizing his philosophy that offer a new spin on it.
I have criticisms of him that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere, academic or public, and I think they are very solid criticisms. Some of them are probably touched upon somewhere, considering how vast the literature is and how many years it's been since his time, but I imagine at least some of my criticisms must be original.
Either way, as far as it can be said about a poetic and open-to-interpretation philosophy, I have a solid grasp of it. I don't have a way to use this in my work, and lately his philosophy even lost a lot of appeal for me, but I have this accumulated knowledge about it.
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Comment on "Accepting the world" doesn't mean you have to give up on effecting meaningful change in ~health.mental
daywalker Link ParentMaybe it's partially because, in this context of personal responsibility regarding ideology, we realize that truth often hurts and we should not shy away from what hurts. So we associate pain with...It is about not torturing yourself with angst while do something about an issue.
Maybe it's partially because, in this context of personal responsibility regarding ideology, we realize that truth often hurts and we should not shy away from what hurts. So we associate pain with responsibility. This then leads to putting the cart before the horse, and we perceive being subjected to any pain as the responsible thing. Combined with the way social media and the news cycles are structured, then we associate getting demoralized by endless deluge of negative news and discussions as paying due diligence.
Further playing into this is the consumerist & conformist habit of passively being objected things being the main way of engagement. So, doomscrolling, a passive habit, replaces active endeavors of ideological practice, which actually feel good and fulfilling.
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Comment on Atheists of Tildes, what alive religions do you find fascinating, excluding Abrahamic ones and Buddhism? in ~talk
daywalker Link ParentI only know of Rastafarianism from the western appropriations and the parodies of those appropriations, and didn't know it was such an interesting belief system under that.I only know of Rastafarianism from the western appropriations and the parodies of those appropriations, and didn't know it was such an interesting belief system under that.
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Comment on Atheists of Tildes, what alive religions do you find fascinating, excluding Abrahamic ones and Buddhism? in ~talk
daywalker Link ParentHoly hell, I thought you accidentally replied to the wrong topic at first. I didn't even know Happy Science existed haha.Holy hell, I thought you accidentally replied to the wrong topic at first. I didn't even know Happy Science existed haha.
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Comment on Atheists of Tildes, what alive religions do you find fascinating, excluding Abrahamic ones and Buddhism? in ~talk
daywalker Link ParentYeah, I meant Buddhism. I was tired when I created the post and made a mistake. Will try to fix it.Yeah, I meant Buddhism. I was tired when I created the post and made a mistake. Will try to fix it.
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Atheists of Tildes, what alive religions do you find fascinating, excluding Abrahamic ones and Buddhism?
Fellow atheists, what alive religions (still practiced to a significant degree) do you find fascinating, not including Abrahamic ones and Hinduism? Are the reasons ethical, aesthetic, or something...
Fellow atheists, what alive religions (still practiced to a significant degree) do you find fascinating, not including Abrahamic ones and Hinduism? Are the reasons ethical, aesthetic, or something different? I'm excluding these two categories, because they are the answers of most people in English-speaking online spaces.
My reason for asking this to atheists and not all nonbelievers is because I wonder what religions pique the interest of people who don't believe in anything supernatural.
Edit: I was tired when I created the post, and accidentally wrote Hinduism. I meant Buddhism.
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Comment on "Accepting the world" doesn't mean you have to give up on effecting meaningful change in ~health.mental
daywalker Link ParentYeah, I definitely agree that some feelings require action. I stopped following social media politics other than here years ago, including reddit. I found that it was extremely unproductive and...Yeah, I definitely agree that some feelings require action. I stopped following social media politics other than here years ago, including reddit. I found that it was extremely unproductive and not at all good for my mental health. I made the mistake of undoing this a bit some time ago, for a short while, and it again resulted in useless mental stress.
I also stopped personally checking daily news in my country. The news cycle does quite a bit damage to me mentally, and I already know enough about the country to know the actors, ideologies, etc.
I try to separate between useful and useless pain/suffering/stress when dealing with these things. Some things I'm willing to accept due to seeing them as leading to productive things. For example, right now I'm reading a critical article about a social topic. It's a bit heavy because of its implications, but it increased my understanding of the world, and I might utilize this knowledge. But stuff like doomscrolling, getting into fights on social media, "meme-ideology" wars? I don't see them as productive. In no way am I claiming I figured this out, but it's progress.
I'm actually thinking of creating another topic for that some time, because lately I feel like we are focusing so much on the spectacle of what matters rather than what actually matters, and I wonder how others decide on their priorities.
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"Accepting the world" doesn't mean you have to give up on effecting meaningful change
This is something I've been thinking on-and-off for years. I'm an ideologically driven person. I want to do good, create a more equal and better world. However, reality -being as is- makes this...
This is something I've been thinking on-and-off for years. I'm an ideologically driven person. I want to do good, create a more equal and better world. However, reality -being as is- makes this very hard to accomplish. This sometimes causes much strife and suffering for me, as I am demoralized by lack of, slow pace of, or loss of progress.
Often in times like this, I turn to what other people think. One of the most frequent advices is about "accepting the world". In my experience, this advice almost exclusively came from people who I see as subscribing to conformism. They too are of course people, and they are bothered by things too, but they don't try to effect change.
This is why I've had an incredibly difficult time with this widespread advice. At times I even felt as if I'm pathologically attached to my drive to effect change. Especially at the start of this questioning, I felt like it. I felt as if I was a spiritual masochist. But in time I realized how much meaning and eudaimonic happiness it brings to me. I've also realized how much conformism and "hedonism as the only legitimate way of happiness" diffused into everything. Many people can't seem to fathom struggling for a cause as a fulfilling and happy process, because their interpretation of happiness is based exclusively on a pleasure-principle.
However, I still felt like this advice had some kernel of truth. Today, I realized what I think is a better way of interpreting it: accepting the world doesn't mean giving up on effecting any significant change in wider society or the world, it just means you're better off accepting your feelings.
Put another way, the conditions of the world creates these emotional responses in you. Whether you strike back or not, you should not deny yourself the opportunity to feel these responses. These often include feelings of anxiety, fear, loss, hurt, loneliness, sadness, etc. When handling ideological topics, these can be buried under anger. While anger is not unhealthy or bad, and can be motivating to do good, it can also sometimes deny a person the chance to feel the situation to the fullest. This is what I mean by accepting the world. It means accepting what it evokes in you.
I decided to share this, because I think these topics are mostly handled from a perspective I see as too one-sided and alien (to people like me). They are often filled with advice that tells driven people to stop being driven, telling them to give up what causes them pain and instead to focus on personal things, enjoy a movie, etc. Basically telling them to be someone different. But that's not what makes them happy! They just need to figure out how to healthily engage with what drives them. And I think this is an important part of it.
There is, of course, nothing wrong with taking some time off, or reducing or stopping certain habits, learning to take care of yourself. But every time I read the "acceptance" argument, I was left completely unsatisfied, and even irritated, because I was feeling as if people were telling me to become an orange. Not only was it impossible, they didn't even realize how much these things meant to me. They were basically telling me to give up, and that -for me- was unacceptable at an existential level. More to the point, my ideological drive is a core part of my personality that enables me to cope with living with depression and numerous physical illnesses. It's a key motivator that energizes me to do things, even though I often feel like not doing anything. Without this drive, I'm a much less happy person. So, it was an advice that wasn't even remotely suitable for me, because our personalities and motivations in life were extremely different.
So, if there are others like me here, I thought I should share my two cents on this, and hope that it helps someone see things a bit differently. If you've had experiences with these things too, you're welcome to share them :)
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Comment on Six distinct types of depression identified in Stanford Medicine-led study in ~health.mental
daywalker Link ParentAh, thank you. I wonder what criteria CDC uses, because while they say suicide is a leading cause of death, they don't list in their top 10 list of leading causes of death. And they the published...Ah, thank you. I wonder what criteria CDC uses, because while they say suicide is a leading cause of death, they don't list in their top 10 list of leading causes of death. And they the published leading causes of death -annoyingly- seem to focus on top 10. It's close to the cutoff point of top 10 reasons though, so I think it's reasonable to say it must be in top 20.
So that's a much stronger hypothesis, but I'm still not convinced they are entirely attributable to depression. There are a lot of different mental illnesses that lead to suicide, including mood disorders. I don't think this is any less reason to study depression, of course. It's a serious issue that affects a lot of people (including me).
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Comment on Bangladesh imposes curfew after dozens killed in anti-government protests in ~news
daywalker LinkWashington Post does a disservice by painting a vague picture, as if the death toll or responsibility is equally partitioned between protestors and government forces (official and unofficial)....Washington Post does a disservice by painting a vague picture, as if the death toll or responsibility is equally partitioned between protestors and government forces (official and unofficial).
Meanwhile Amnesty: Witness testimony, video and photographic analysis confirm police used unlawful force against protesters
Witness testimonies, video and photographic evidence analysed and authenticated by Amnesty International and its Crisis Evidence Lab confirm the use of unlawful force by the police against student protesters. Further witness testimonies confirm the continuation of a multi-year pattern of violence against protesters, allegedly committed by members of the Bangladesh Chatra League (BCL), a group affiliated with the ruling party.
Eyewitnesses that Amnesty International spoke with said that the protests were entirely peaceful before individuals from the BCL started attacking them on 15 July. They claimed to have identified BCL members coming out of multiple residential halls in Dhaka University, particularly the Surja Sen and Bijoy Ekattor halls, armed with rods, sticks, and clubs with a few even brandishing revolvers. The description of the violence against protesters is consistent with that previously documented by Amnesty International in 2023.
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Comment on Six distinct types of depression identified in Stanford Medicine-led study in ~health.mental
daywalker Link ParentI don't think I've seen any data that shows or suggests this. For example, it's not among the WHO top 10 causes of death. My second guess is you could have meant that depression leads to worsening...This seems urgent as depression is one of the leading causes of death, in our modern age.
I don't think I've seen any data that shows or suggests this. For example, it's not among the WHO top 10 causes of death.
My second guess is you could have meant that depression leads to worsening physical health, which results in the said causes. But then again, that's a hypothesis, and while it's certain that depression leads to a bunch of other health problems, I don't think again I've seen any data that suggests these leading causes are mostly attributable to depression. I think it's very unlikely that's the case.
So I'm a bit baffled on what you meant by this. Could you elaborate?
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Comment on California grid meets and surpasses demand during the day in heat wave due to renewables, batteries in ~enviro
daywalker LinkI changed the title, because I felt it was a bit misleading. Still, it's very good news that the infrastructure can outproduce the demand during the day. Solar especially is the play of the game....I changed the title, because I felt it was a bit misleading. Still, it's very good news that the infrastructure can outproduce the demand during the day. Solar especially is the play of the game.
Also, California seems to be doing a lot of work regarding climate change. I shared another article some months ago, about its cooperation with China for climate change. I think it's important to share these good news as well, because it shows people it's doable and how.
Edit: If anyone was at first confused by the bottom graph like me, don't forget to check the Y axis label :)
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California grid meets and surpasses demand during the day in heat wave due to renewables, batteries
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Comment on DuckDuckGo seems like a significantly worse search engine than Google despite SEO bloat, and I think community discussions mislead people by omitting that in ~tech
daywalker Link ParentI have used DDG almost exclusively to search in English, and my post is based on that. I very much agree that image search is definitely much better for Google. It's one of the worst parts of DDG....I have used DDG almost exclusively to search in English, and my post is based on that.
I very much agree that image search is definitely much better for Google. It's one of the worst parts of DDG.
Often times when I'm looking for one specific thing, where there's a ton of semi-related results that I don't want to see and one correct one, Google is the one to find it and put it somewhere around the top.
This is definitely my experience too.
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Comment on DuckDuckGo seems like a significantly worse search engine than Google despite SEO bloat, and I think community discussions mislead people by omitting that in ~tech
daywalker (edited )Link ParentIt's hard to recall specific examples, but I generally don't use it for "precision strike" searches. Here are some broad examples from the last few days. When I used it to search for mods for...It's hard to recall specific examples, but I generally don't use it for "precision strike" searches. Here are some broad examples from the last few days.
When I used it to search for mods for games it sometimes didn't even list some sites, even when I added the name of the site to the query. It's very hard to search for artwork or fanart I'm looking for, as it gives too nonspecific results. Often when I search for a specific concept, it gives me the more general results instead of the specific one I want.
Also, call it a crutch, but even when I add reddit to the end of my query, it doesn't list many reddit results, while Google lists a lot of them. Reddit is too good to not properly utilize.
A specific example I can provide is searching for the query "free world lord of the rings". I was trying to remember what exactly Tolkien called the free peoples of Middle-Earth. This is easily answerable in wikis. I had to scroll down significantly in DDG, while the correct answer was the top result in Google.
Edit: u/AaronNight
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DuckDuckGo seems like a significantly worse search engine than Google despite SEO bloat, and I think community discussions mislead people by omitting that
In the recent months I started getting dissatisfied with Google the company in general, but also with its search engine due to privacy reasons, and SEO bloat affecting certain searches. A few...
In the recent months I started getting dissatisfied with Google the company in general, but also with its search engine due to privacy reasons, and SEO bloat affecting certain searches. A few weeks ago I switched to Duckduckgo from Google. Some searches are fine but there are three main issues I've been experiencing with Duckduckgo since the switch.
- The search "fails" and shows me results that are tangentially related to the query. Happens quite often and for various topics.
- It shows me a semi-related search results instead of the one I searched for, because it says there are not enough results for my query. Then I have to click again on the small text to search for the actual query.
- The automatic prompts that complete your query are scarce and unsatisfactory.
Because of this I've been switching back and forth between Google and Duckduckgo lately. I don't want to use Google, but Duckduckgo is definitely the worse option in general in my experience. It's better in some searches and shows useful results instead of big site bloat, but my overall experience was one of getting heavily downgraded.
This led me to a criticism about the discussions around this topic. People talk a lot about SEO bloat affecting search results, and it's definitely a real issue. It's especially a problem for some political searches, as it results in you getting propaganda results. However, recommending people Duckduckgo without mentioning its significantly worse search quality seems misleading.
I am of course not against using or recommending Duckduckgo. In fact, I wish them greater success in market share and development, as I think their policies are much better. But I think mentioning Duckduckgo's downsides is important to adequately inform people. I expected a noticeable downgrade, but I didn't expect it to be this worse because nobody mentioned it. As a result, I felt misled, and I definitely didn't know what I was getting into. Being adequately informed would have prevented that, as I would adjust my expectations.
So, this seems to be largely unaddressed in discussions around this topic, and I suspect the echo chamber effect around anti-Google discourse and privacy issues might be to blame.
What are your thoughts? Has anyone experienced something similar?
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Comment on Donald Trump whisked off stage in Pennsylvania after apparent gunshots rang through the crowd in ~news
daywalker Link ParentSummarily put. I am in complete support of this. I also want to add my two cents to the matter. I'm not a US citizen, and I initially made a different comment sharing my thoughts on how to...Summarily put. I am in complete support of this. I also want to add my two cents to the matter.
I'm not a US citizen, and I initially made a different comment sharing my thoughts on how to leverage this situation. But it seemed a bit off to me, so I deleted it. As an outsider you can sometimes overlook how this emotionally affects people in the moment, and instead of recognizing that you come up with "solutions". There is, of course, room for international discourse on how to solve matters, but I don't think the time for that is right now (at least on this platform).
Anyway, I just want to say that it's a very shitty time to be anti-Trump or a minority. I really get your fear, anxiety, uncertainty, and a jumble of hard to explain emotions. I've witnessed some historical moments in my lifetime, and they really can be nervewrecking. Praxis is important, especially when fascism is rising, but doomscrolling is not praxis. Neglecting yourself is not praxis. Endlessly reading far-right comments and getting demoralized is not praxis. Remember to take care of yourself, because praxis is about improving people's lives, it's not about hurting yourself. Pain is of course inevitable in struggles, but not all pain is productive.
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Comment on Do you get bored? in ~talk
daywalker (edited )LinkI have ADHD, meaning I need more stimulation than neurotypical people, and I've been in (mostly) functional depression due to health issues for years. I'm also taking several medications. All...I have ADHD, meaning I need more stimulation than neurotypical people, and I've been in (mostly) functional depression due to health issues for years. I'm also taking several medications. All these combine and make it harder for me to get satisfaction out of things. Normally, I'd partially offset this by reading longer things, playing intense games or watching intense shows, and other activities that require commitment and focus. However, I often am not able to do these to the degree I want, due to the issues I mentioned. So, it leaves me with getting bored.
Boredom is nightmare to me. When I think of a personal hell, it's not something that is constant physical torture. That's always good, of course, as nobody can top that. But a more personal, more creative hell for me would be being sent to sensory deprivation. I also get extremely upset at things that are not only evil, but also boringly, banally evil. Interesting evil at least enables me to get some satisfaction from its examination. But boring evil doesn't even provide me with that. It's just mindnumbing, and that makes it much worse. There's also the factor of being even more demoralized by stupid but evil people having power over me. I'm a smart person, and I hate it even more when stupid people are the overlords (which constitute the majority of them, at least in ways that actually matter).
One wouldn't consider that I'm constantly bored, if they didn't know me closely. On the surface I'm always mentally active, every day reading things, analyzing things, and often writing things. But none of these give me the healthy satisfaction I used to be able to get.
There is nothing good to the constant, chronic boredom I'm feeling. Regular boredom is healthy, it pushes you to do things. It's a motivator. Chronic boredom is an "existential" suffering. It feels like your very own soul is sick. I'd wager many people suffering from depression or similar health issues would sympathize with that.
Thank you for the kind response :) Eloquently put.