the_funky_buddha's recent activity
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Comment on Anyone here suffering from low testosterone? in ~health
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Comment on Anyone here suffering from low testosterone? in ~health
the_funky_buddha Link ParentYou don't think you're over-training? That can reduce T levels. I don't like to take days off but I force myself, otherwise if I worked out for 7 days a week, like I have before, I get to feeling...You don't think you're over-training? That can reduce T levels. I don't like to take days off but I force myself, otherwise if I worked out for 7 days a week, like I have before, I get to feeling bogged down and it just feels like my T levels get lower as motive and libido get lower also.
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Comment on Scattered thoughts on the absurdity of existing in ~talk
the_funky_buddha Link ParentIs this in relation to going from a believer to not being one? There's an argument to be made that if a "theory", if you want to loosely call belief, doesn't appear true anymore then whether...The way it goes in the scientific community is that, if you want to throw away an existing theory, you must provide another theory that's just as testable and satisfies the many many many experiments that previous theories endured.
Is this in relation to going from a believer to not being one? There's an argument to be made that if a "theory", if you want to loosely call belief, doesn't appear true anymore then whether there's a replacement or not is moot, false is false. I don't recall science having an issue with completely throwing away a theory regardless if there's a replacement or not. I'm not that versed in it so I can't think of any good examples but ether was a theory and even if there was no replacement, it was just thrown away after it proving false. I guess you could say it was replaced with fields but those didn't completely fill all the gaps of ether theory.
My point being that at some point if the results don't prove observably true then it's time to let go and move on, which is what I've done with theistic belief, not spirituality of course. At one time I even thought I could prove God exists with science/math (something about number theory, sequential ordering, nothing into something, etc) but of course then I was young, horribly naive and knew little about science or religion but as I've learned, you can't exactly reconcile religion and science and to try to do so is a lesson in insanity, they're two different disciplines. As you were mentioning, at different layers rules break down, ie, with classic and quantum physics models, and the former two reside at different layers that will likely never be reconciled.
If this is your first time discussing theology, I'm so sorry, lol. There's so many good forums out there for discussing theology that could give you way more insightful answers than I could. I know people don't like to endorse reddit here but there's many subs there where religion is discussed, can't think of any at the moment as it's been a long time. I rarely ever get involved in it anymore unless as I've done lately and fall into that trap.
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Comment on Childhood loneliness linked to later psychosis in ~health.mental
the_funky_buddha Link ParentAs a fellow loner, you're not alone there. Those are my favorite hobbies. I enjoyed Opal, didn't realize Stauber was multi-talented. I just know him for that weird, and good, song that got popular.reading, video games, long motorbike rides, hiking
As a fellow loner, you're not alone there. Those are my favorite hobbies. I enjoyed Opal, didn't realize Stauber was multi-talented. I just know him for that weird, and good, song that got popular.
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Comment on An honest assessment of American rural white resentment is long overdue in ~misc
the_funky_buddha Link ParentYou have my intentions confused. I don't want to "put an end to it". People are just always going to be unsatisfied about something and not every minor problem can be solved. Yeah, those people...You have my intentions confused. I don't want to "put an end to it". People are just always going to be unsatisfied about something and not every minor problem can be solved. Yeah, those people have problems. I have problems. Everyone has problems. I'm just not quick to resort to saying other people are the cause of my problems and I think it's something we'd be better off learning.
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Comment on Scattered thoughts on the absurdity of existing in ~talk
the_funky_buddha Link ParentYou start working on a new test to prove your theory? How many will it take for you to actually change your theory? I think I've always doubted my faith when I was religious, that's like the whole...If a test proves my theory false, I'll start working on a new one.
You start working on a new test to prove your theory? How many will it take for you to actually change your theory? I think I've always doubted my faith when I was religious, that's like the whole definition of it as it isn't knowledge. If gods fall because of mere questions imposed, I'd say they're weak gods, if gods at all. You say you have no doubts yet you're seeking questions. By saying your opinion isn't original, I don't mean to demean it as it is somewhat original but in the whole, there's common arguments used by theists that I recognize in your replies. But I understand, I was in your shoes as well. Good luck on your journey. I've no problem with religion as long as there's some mutual respect between parties.
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Comment on Where will people commune in a godless America? in ~humanities
the_funky_buddha Link ParentMaybe I'm not qualified to comment here then because the social part isn't something I went for. My parents speculated I might be autistic and I may be, not sure, but there's many aspects of...Maybe I'm not qualified to comment here then because the social part isn't something I went for. My parents speculated I might be autistic and I may be, not sure, but there's many aspects of social longing I just don't understand.
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Comment on An honest assessment of American rural white resentment is long overdue in ~misc
the_funky_buddha Link ParentYou sound like you want to put an end to BeanBurrito's argument. Why not understand their cause and where they're coming from? Why does one side deserve compassion and understanding but the other...You sound like you want to put an end to BeanBurrito's argument. Why not understand their cause and where they're coming from? Why does one side deserve compassion and understanding but the other doesn't?
Many political sides tend to have some amount of validity. Being against that side doesn't always mean you don't understand that side but that the person may realize when you do sympathize with it, it makes that side stronger and the extreme versions of that side feel emboldened to commit violence. In some climates, tolerance for some political ideologies can create flare-ups which won't have tolerance for you and your ideology so people are cautious to sympathize with it, it doesn't mean they don't understand it.
I'm white, male, rural and I've never felt like people should cry for me because I don't feel understood; if anything I feel like that notion is way over-played. The relatively recent upheaval that initiated with the Tea Party a decade ago when they de-cried that the world wasn't giving them enough attention, I just don't understand it. Then again I'm rural because I like the world to forget about me. I don't expect people to pay attention to me as I do my own thing and expect the world not to evolve around me.
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Comment on Scattered thoughts on the absurdity of existing in ~talk
the_funky_buddha Link ParentIs it supposed to convince me of gods? I've been in the spiritual game for 30 years and an atheist for 25 of those and nothing yet has convinced me. At one time early on I thought I believed in a...Is it supposed to convince me of gods? I've been in the spiritual game for 30 years and an atheist for 25 of those and nothing yet has convinced me. At one time early on I thought I believed in a god but I quickly learned I didn't once I started investigating. None of what you wrote convinced me and it's the same rhetoric I've seen for 30 years of people arguing for gods, which was a side of debates I was on at one point. Are you trying to debate or just doubting your faith and asking if it checks out with me? Anyway, thanks for sharing though. I know your intentions are well.
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Comment on Where will people commune in a godless America? in ~humanities
the_funky_buddha LinkAs an ex-Christian, I'm now free to commune anywhere I damn well please. What's the problem? More seriously, I just stopped going to church and then commenced to find other communities, generally...As an ex-Christian, I'm now free to commune anywhere I damn well please. What's the problem? More seriously, I just stopped going to church and then commenced to find other communities, generally online. I mostly went to church not to fraternize as I didn't care so much about being around people, but to ask questions and find out more about this life, to which there were very few answers. I had better luck communing with people online and asking relevant questions. To me, the title just seems an alien and naive question but admittedly I'm not like most people, I go to people for information and rarely for any kind of friendship or communion. And has happened in the past, when one online interrogation place doesn't suit me, I just go on to another. It's not about the place, it's the information and the information creates this spiritual connection to the universe. If I feel my information syncs with the universe, I feel a spiritual connection. Spirituality for me is found in music, in hard work (testing myself and often in the end I find me and the universe are agreeable, aka, a spiritual connection), riding and working on my motorcycle, which makes me feel 'at one'. I'm so tired of this notion of people thinking organized religion has a monopoly on spirituality and communion.
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Comment on Scattered thoughts on the absurdity of existing in ~talk
the_funky_buddha Link ParentI think your answer assumes theism = purpose. I didn't get that when I was a Christian, it only birthed more questions for me and just abstracted the question of purpose, ie, first-mover problem...I think your answer assumes theism = purpose. I didn't get that when I was a Christian, it only birthed more questions for me and just abstracted the question of purpose, ie, first-mover problem as OP mentions instead of solving it. I didn't find OP's observation any more smug than any theists who assume they know or have connection to a purpose in, not only their life, but everyone's lives. But I suppose you can view it as smug when anyone, theist or not, assumes they know the answer or purpose of your life or that they have this special knowledge or connection to that knowledge that you don't.
But I do get your point and we'd likely agree that we have so little knowledge about this universe, ourselves, etc that it's very pre-emptive to state anything with regards to purpose.
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Comment on Scattered thoughts on the absurdity of existing in ~talk
the_funky_buddha Link ParentSure, I do that as well, disregarding any philosophical labels as those just come off as pretentious. I just don't ascribe them to gods, tribalistic place-holders. Once again you're trying to...I believe there are valuable truths to be lived, and beyond those which man himself assigns.
Sure, I do that as well, disregarding any philosophical labels as those just come off as pretentious. I just don't ascribe them to gods, tribalistic place-holders. Once again you're trying to discern yourself from OP and I by alluding to gods and in that you're not "post-modern" and passively implying that other people aren't living valuable truths. I get your well-meaning intent but this is something that those trying to proselytize their gods don't seem to get sometimes. Also the idea of not assuming you have the answer to life, the universe and everything, even by extension of a thing or gods who seem to, is probably one of the most classical views there is. It seems that with the label 'post-modern', many religious people use it in a derogatory way and ascribe it as any view which doesn't conform to the tribe's religious view, like Jordan Peterson does, while barely knowing anything about it. Maybe that's not your intent but that's how I've seen it used.
This ineffable is not approachable by reason alone
This is another argument I've seen time and time again where some try to use reason to suggest reason doesn't work for some knowledge but at some point you have to use reason to argue for the ineffable. You can't just say 'gods cats balloons', that wouldn't convince people of gods, would it? It's the same debate where some Christians I've questioned say faith led them to Yahweh, not reason, when you have to some some logic and reason to lead you to those conclusions. The "ineffable" can't exist without a logical, rational basis. Reading on, you seem to allude to this so pardon me, I just tend to reply as I read.
The latter paragraph, I get it, I was once religious and still consider myself spiritual. But with that description, it waters the gods down so much as to be impotent and far from their classical definition. I just see no reason to invoke gods, impotent or not, in OP's answer as they always provoke more questions than answers in curious folks like OP, if OP is anything like me, and so solves nothing.
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Comment on Scattered thoughts on the absurdity of existing in ~talk
the_funky_buddha Link ParentThat's a self-defeating statement and one who commits to it inherently devalues their own knowledge. In a world filled with many lies and deception, fruitless branches of knowledge, at some point...Until one can legitimately claim to have all knowledge, one cannot exclude any knowledge.
That's a self-defeating statement and one who commits to it inherently devalues their own knowledge. In a world filled with many lies and deception, fruitless branches of knowledge, at some point you have to exclude some "knowledge" as valid. We see it time and time again in threads where people try to argue for certain odd philosophies or certain gods.
Your argument does very little to help OP find real answers other than the same response heard time and time again to many's dissatisfaction through the ages, namely 'seek the gods' which OP mentioned with the 'first-mover' problem, was not satisfactory.
Which of the thousands of gods of thousands of years of thousands of interpretations and thousands of denominations should OP seek to find THE truth or THE answer? Sorry to interrogate but it just gets tiring seeing threads like this and people proselytizing gods as the answer when it solves nothing. The 'gods' answer typically is just a placeholder for highly interpretive personal opinions, which can be valid and useful, but when you throw a 'god' in, it becomes much more of a tribalistic answer that historically has setup walls between otherwise good-fellows, the haves and the have-nots. Those who believe and those who don't or can't find the rationale to believe in those same gods; one just has to have this god or that god in their life to find enlightenment eventually.
When will we learn? There are answers that the gods themselves can't solve, as you so admit in the latter. The gods of therapy (in the psychological world), the gods of knowledge (teachers, physicists, philosophers, etc), the gods of various religions, the gods of medicine, none have all the answers.
Maybe a part of me was hoping that for once, OP's existential questions would finally have no answers in the thread as I get tired of everyone implying they have the answer to these questions or a monopoly on 'the truth' as many religious groups do but it just comes off as deceptive, usually self-righteous and privileged as in they have connection to something OP doesn't and they just 'gotta believe'. I'd much rather have no answers than bullshit people make up.
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Comment on KDE Plasma 6 is (mega) released in ~tech
the_funky_buddha Link ParentJust chiming in to say thanks. I'm using KDE on EndeavorOS and love it. There's a few small issues here and there so I think focusing on reliability this time was a wise choice.Just chiming in to say thanks. I'm using KDE on EndeavorOS and love it. There's a few small issues here and there so I think focusing on reliability this time was a wise choice.
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Comment on If happy people do nothing? in ~talk
the_funky_buddha Link ParentFrom what layers do you want those answers? It's not a simple answer as you have to turn to philosophy about the existential (higher softer layers), science about the physical reasons we do things...From what layers do you want those answers? It's not a simple answer as you have to turn to philosophy about the existential (higher softer layers), science about the physical reasons we do things (as I was discussing with someone else here, the lower layers), the softer sciences like psychology and some might even say religion but it's even softer than philosophy as far as real answers go. But yes, OP postulates we desire what we lack, basically, which is pretty obvious.
As an honest reply to your question here, I see life as having both positive and negative motivators. Sometimes both work, as in motivating others to help you, teaching others, with childcare, etc, sometimes it's one or the other. No offense but I think your question is much ado about nothing, as it can be with some philosophy and hence why I don't follow it much anymore. That or those answers can be found in other harder disciplines to much more satisfaction.
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Comment on If happy people do nothing? in ~talk
the_funky_buddha LinkYes, life is driven by what life lacks, it's not news to most people. Is Haig's commentary prescriptive or just rather descriptive? His observations are just the merchant class doing its thing,...Yes, life is driven by what life lacks, it's not news to most people. Is Haig's commentary prescriptive or just rather descriptive? His observations are just the merchant class doing its thing, the political classes doing their thing, the psych and beauty classes doing their thing. We're humans and we're doing things, that's what we do.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
the_funky_buddha LinkI'm late to the party for discovering this band but Smoke - Freak. They were an indie/folk (not something I normally listen to) band from Georgia whose lead singer was unabashedly a cross-dresser....I'm late to the party for discovering this band but Smoke - Freak. They were an indie/folk (not something I normally listen to) band from Georgia whose lead singer was unabashedly a cross-dresser. We don't think much about it now but then and there, that was a really brave thing to do. RIP Benjamin. They have so many good songs but another favorite.
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Comment on CMV: Once civilization is fully developed, life will be unfulfilling and boring. Humanity is also doomed to go extinct. These two reasons make life not worth living. in ~talk
the_funky_buddha Link ParentIt's Carl Sagan's son and a co-writer, forgot the name, so just as Sagan his writing is more directed at the layman. By power-based, the book doesn't quite get into that but by that I mean power...It's Carl Sagan's son and a co-writer, forgot the name, so just as Sagan his writing is more directed at the layman. By power-based, the book doesn't quite get into that but by that I mean power is our driver and what motivates us; I'm not just directly talking about the thermodynamic level the book talks about. Be it the powers of intellect, love, financial powers, martial powers, etc, those are in some way indirectly related to the lower physical layers of thermodynamics the book talks about, imo.
Many people may not get much from that perspective but if you want to know our "purpose" and every other answer you get from preachers, philosophers and such just seems a rehash, not touching on the more physical layers of life, it'll have some answers which is what I needed. Of course not just the book, I'm not one who stakes my life on one author, book or one discipline, but in general that way of looking at life helped me with seeing science's take on "purpose" in as much as it can gather without dwelling into other softer disciplines.
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Comment on Does anyone else have posting anxiety? in ~tech
the_funky_buddha LinkOnly here because I tend to like to sum things up as I value brevity while this place is almost the opposite. I think intelligent people can grasp a whole lot from very little if need be so I...Only here because I tend to like to sum things up as I value brevity while this place is almost the opposite. I think intelligent people can grasp a whole lot from very little if need be so I think a lot of long-form answers just tend to be redundant filler so when I have no filler to add for a simple post, I just don't post.
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Comment on CMV: Once civilization is fully developed, life will be unfulfilling and boring. Humanity is also doomed to go extinct. These two reasons make life not worth living. in ~talk
the_funky_buddha Link ParentI should edit that, I meant the book Into the Cool. That take is Sagan's take, from the perspective of thermodynamics as to the question of purpose and I found it pretty enlightening as a layman....I should edit that, I meant the book Into the Cool. That take is Sagan's take, from the perspective of thermodynamics as to the question of purpose and I found it pretty enlightening as a layman. But it's been so long since I read it that I butchered the gradient part. It doesn't tackle the existential questions on just wtf we're doing here, but that wasn't the kind of answer I was seeking. Mine was more from a perspective based on harder sciences because the softer sciences, religion and philosophy, provide no definitive answers and that book tackles it well, for me, anyway, as I've found the former subjects too soft and shallow. Maybe it doesn't provide purpose to others but the subject matter satisfies me. Of course we're all seeking different things, somewhat, except one thing's assured, we all seek power being power-based entities and seek to disperse it as determined unless new thermodynamic laws are discovered that might tell us differently.
As for the survival comment, who knows? I think we'll be here long enough to survive into a species a bit different than what we are now. We seem to be evolving towards less sexual dimorphism as tourney societies become less pronounced, machines do more work so there's less need for more very strong men and with medical breakthroughs, less need for certain female traits like wider hips and boobies (heh). Also more neotenous traits have slowly been selected for as those are seen as more domesticated which becomes more important with increased population. But hopefully we can colonize space and disperse before the nutcases or something else ruins this planet.
I thought so, working out as long as you have. When I was younger I could work construction, then come home and workout an hour a day. Now my job's easier but sometimes it's a struggle alone just to complete a workout. Sucks getting older as T makes recovery and effort easier per same weighted workout. It's so tempting to want to do TRT or even steroids, hate to admit, but I'm pretty determined to be all natural.