There's a few things about the world that are bugging to me...

Well, I've had a very powerful bowl of hash after 2 weeks abstinence, and some other things going, and I thought I'd get these off my chest. :stoned:

- First of all, why don't we ever see wild vegetables? I mean think about it; you never go walking around in the wild, and suddenly "hey! There's a patch of carrots/potatoes/beans/peas/radishes/beats/etc" Conspiracies are afoot people. :wtf:

- Secondly, is it just me or is the world getting stupider? Or has it always been this stupid? It frustrates me to no end. Most people don't even want to analyze the logic of various claims, they just get easily impressed and instantly believing by phrases like "studies show". Never mind looking at the methodology, the criteria, the logic of the analysis; instead some article will say "studies show a link between marijuana and violence", or something like that, and they think "Well, it's been scientifically proven!"
And that's another one I hate, people saying things have been "scientifically proven". They so harshly lack any understanding of the scientific method that they think once a "study shows", that means it's been "scientifically proven"; which is infallable, of course.

Furthermore, another jewel of human idiocy is the way people choose a side (politics, religion, whatever), and just interpret everything to coincide with that presupposition. Or even worse, they only listen to/consider arguments that support what they've already decided. It's like "I've chosen what I believe, and I'm going to fight to make sure nobody changes that!" You can't claim your decision is a logical one if you're not willing to change that belief in the face of new and better evidence.

It's like when President Ahmadinejad (Iran) came to Columbia University, and everybody was just outraged that they would let him speak and debate his side. If you're so certain of all your beliefs regarding the guy, then you have nothing to fear by engaging him in logical debate. Nobody has ever been able to explain to me what terrible consequence will happen by letting people hear him, despite my asking for said explanation. But the "don't let him/her speak!" mentallity is everywhere, and I think it's because deep down people don't want anything to threaten their presuppositions.
Just look at how many people pick a political party to hate, one to support, and then their's never, or almost never, does anything wrong, while the opposition is always wrong, of course. They always have criticisms galor for the other sides; the other religion, philosophies, parties, liberals, conservatives, but never or seldom a one for their own; as if a perfect (or even near-perfect) entity actually exists.


- Chronic pain sufferers are not treated as well, by the medical system or just people, as you might think. Stigmas abound, completely contrived and uninformed in their nature. I've done my research, and we (folk in harsh chronic pain) all face the same roadblocks and predudices. That being:

1. Friends (which I'm now almost out of) and people in general think that after years of it every day, you should just be getting used to it by now. BULLSHIT. If anything it just wears you down and wrecks your mental condition the longer it lasts. It makes you way more resistant to acute pain, like stubbing your toe, but the persistant, deep down pain, just sucks you for all you're worth. So please, don't think that about people living with it!

2. Every doctor visit (and there are many), you have to contend with this prevalent attitude that you're just trying to score painkillers to get high. Roughly 80% of doctors have this attitude.

3. Even worse with the doctors, many of them have an attitude that you should just learn to deal with it; I get it all the time. They don't understand at all that intense pain for years is a much harder thing to have than the same intense pain for a matter of minutes or hours. When they picture how you feel with the pain, they picture how they would feel with the pain right now, at this moment - not after years of it beating you down.

4. People who see you take painkillers (even tylenol or whatever) think you're just casually popping one out of shere laziness, like you could deal with it and it's not that bad, but you just can't be bothered.

and 5. This one possibly irks me the most. When somebody asks me to help with something or go somewhere, I say I'm in too much pain, and they act like I'm just using it as a canned excuse to get out of doing something I don't feel like.


Anywhoo, we've got an ignorance pandemic on this planet!


- Is it really such an outrageous notion that we stop pumping all our food with monosodium glutamate and corn syrup? We could incure massive health care savings just by phasing these two things out; but ohhhh no, gotta keep feeding the North American obesity addiction.

- No presidential contender with a chance of winning; not Obama, Hillary, Edwards, McCain, Romney, or the rest, have even talked about putting the Federal Reserve back fully into government/public hands, and out of corporate ownership. That's just a disgrace, and grossly economically irresponsible. It should at least be discussed and brought fully to public attention.

- You know why we have such an epidemic of depression and anxiety? Because we live in a hedonistic, selfish, consumer-driven, instant-gratification society where we try to buy our hapiness, smother it in useless crap and food, and judge each other through narrow views of acceptability. This is an unhealthy society, and it's only gonna get worse.

- People's understanding of spelling, grammar, and punctuation these days is just atrotious. Just read the comments on youtube, you can barely understand what these nitwits are trying to write. And they just keep getting dummer...

- On that note, I have no friends spare one that lives very far away. Know why? Because all anybody wants to talk about is mindless dribble, chit-chat about nothing - just whats goin' on today, who's doing what social thing with who, and that wretched media media culture that gets everybody obsessed with mindless dribble like American Idle and what celebrity's cheating on who. And so here I remain alone still, because I can't find anybody who doesn't give me a blank look and slink away as soon as I say something that might present the threat of having to work a neuron or two.
I don't even try hot-button topics like politics or religion either, they really do just hate having to work their brains at all. I blame television, all the crap in our food, and a growing society where people think there's nothing wrong with the government mandating personal morality. Well, partially anyway.



And then they wonder why, in a world like this, we want to get high. These "high on life" people are actually content with this screwed-up world, blissfully unaware of the real reasons why we have all these problems.


Yep, I'm thoroughly dissolutioned with life at this point; quite miserable with it in fact. Nothing ever works out, no hope for humanity, and good things happening are just those rare little moments that give you a quick breath before holding your head under water again. "Life is suffering": Buddha was right.

:thumbsup: Well said Gandalf!

Thanks for those words of wisdom Gandalf :thumbsup:

Congratulations! you have reach a level of consciousness achieved by few, you see thru most of the bullshit that blinds the people. There is a purpose to everything that is happening, now your job is to find out what this purpose is, and who is behind it. Free your mind and the rest will follow

While I agree with several of your points, there is a little too much of a condescending nature in your rant. Basically, you're calling everyone stupid, and you think of yourself as a rare found intelligent know-it-all. That smacks of arrogance. I'm sorry but it does. Although I agree you seem to be of a higher standard of both intelligence and relevance, and you are of course in a minority, pointing it out does nothing but hurt others, and give you a temporary pick-me-up.

I agree with everything you said about chronic pain sufferers. Not a thing disagreeable there.
But the part where you speak of an 'ignorance pandemic' gets a little more interesting.
You preach that society is plagued by a narrow view of acceptability, yet you rant about some typos/incoherence on a youtube comment forum???? WHY DOES IT MATTER?????
You made several of your own errors in grammar and spelling while calling out those people...somewhat of a hypocritical statement, no? It would seem that you have your own small errors, and should stop commenting on others' faults while so clearly exposing your own.


I know I'm going to be flamed for this, but you know, I read your post and couldn't help but feel a bit offended.:wtf:

Try to see the good in people before the negative. I know you must be having a hard time seeing the good in many things, but if you try it might induce a bit more happiness for you.
There are millions of intelligent people on earth. You can't blame having no friends on the stupidity of everyone around you. There are smart ones around you I'm sure, just find them.

dude, i completely agree, though i dont know much about the chronic pain part, i believe you of course though, i just dont have any experience in such fields, but believe that doctors are assholes and believe you are just trying to score a high.

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Originally Posted by Gandalf_The_Grey

And they just keep getting dummer...

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hehe :D forgot the b matey

All these things that are annoying are the not the only things in the world. Even though it seems like these issues might be forced into your mind, try and focus on the positive a little more. I see a lot of dumb and/or cruel behaviour in the world but I see an equal amount of kind and/or smart behaviour e.g. a person holding a door open for you, someone you hardly know who is being genuinely nice, ongoing developments in science and technology.

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Originally Posted by Gandalf_The_Grey

This is an unhealthy society, and it's only gonna get worse

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Or it won't? Is it me or does everyone always believe the future looks bleak?

Ps. Your rant about science is a pet peeve of mine, especially journalists masquerading as scientists using vague statistics to try and prove a point "this graph may suggest". I suppose though, the people who take this information as fact do not matter because they won't be the people actually influencing science.

Hey hey everybody. First and foremost, apologies for sounding like a complete condescending asshole. That wasn't my intention, but I'm sure it sounded like that. Really I was just completely wrecked last night, having something akin to a bad trip, and feeling extremely frustrated and angry.


Anywhoo, great replies all (I expected all-negative reactions actualy), and I especially like FreshNugz' post which I'll reply to right off the bat.

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While I agree with several of your points, there is a little too much of a condescending nature in your rant. Basically, you're calling everyone stupid, and you think of yourself as a rare found intelligent know-it-all. That smacks of arrogance. I'm sorry but it does. Although I agree you seem to be of a higher standard of both intelligence and relevance, and you are of course in a minority, pointing it out does nothing but hurt others, and give you a temporary pick-me-up.

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Actually I hardly think of myself as some rare, mega-intellectual guru. Were that the case, I would actually have my life together, and I really don't. To this point I've been a real failure if anything, but I'm working on changing that (going back to college this September, for one). As I said above, twas all a result of pure (stoned) frustration and generally hating my life.

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You preach that society is plagued by a narrow view of acceptability, yet you rant about some typos/incoherence on a youtube comment forum???? WHY DOES IT MATTER?????

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I just feel it's frustrating, and a bleak indicator of where humanity is right now, that so many internet-goer's write so rediculously incorherently, and often offensively. I'm sure you know what I mean my good fellow; not just in poor articulation, but the pure sub-standard intelligence that so many seem to take pride in. Youtube, I feel, is a prime example; when somebody makes an argument, or expresses themselves somehow, and 75% of the replies are somewhere around "fuk yu faggot I screwed your mom last nite and yur an idiot and dont know shit abotu anything!!!111" I just wish people would take value in their mind, because most of us do have a LOT more potential and ability to articulate ourselves, but so many refuse to use it.

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You made several of your own errors in grammar and spelling while calling out those people...somewhat of a hypocritical statement, no?

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Actually, no. But to clarify (which is badly needed), I wouldn't expect anybody (myself included) to write completely free of typo's. Even my favorite authors, internationally renowned for the literary prowess, make mistakes here and there. I'm just referring to this swarm of folk that write so incoherently, putting NO effort into their writing, that you can barely even make out what they're trying to say.

Of corse than theres me, and I NEVRE make riting mistakse! :D

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I know I'm going to be flamed for this, but you know, I read your post and couldn't help but feel a bit offended.

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You suck!

No, just kidding, no flames here. You're very good at articulating your thoughts FreshNugz, and I appreciate that greatly. You have good reason to be a bit offended, seeing as my rant was a pretty anger-fueled one.

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There are millions of intelligent people on earth. You can't blame having no friends on the stupidity of everyone around you. There are smart ones around you I'm sure, just find them.

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I know there are a lot of intelligent people in the world, many smarter than me, the stupidity that permeates society just has a way of overrunning ones perception at times. My prolonged isolation is definately self-imposed in large part, and those I meet aren't necessarily idiots perse. It's just that when I got talking with students in my classes, they always wanted to talk about stupid things like celebrities and what happened at parties. These same people are the ones I initially talked with because they showed a glint of intelligence; it just seems most don't have much desire to make use of it.

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dude, i completely agree, though i dont know much about the chronic pain part, i believe you of course though, i just dont have any experience in such fields, but believe that doctors are assholes and believe you are just trying to score a high.

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Thanks for the reply Jimmy. :thumbsup: Doctors aren't generally assholes (though I've met a couple), but many do seem to have this preconcieved notion that no 23 year old could actually be in that much pain, and therefor I must be faking or exagerating it. There are two in town that I seldom get to see though, and both are brilliant men that I wish would have an oppening to take me.

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All these things that are annoying are the not the only things in the world. Even though it seems like these issues might be forced into your mind, try and focus on the positive a little more. I see a lot of dumb and/or cruel behaviour in the world but I see an equal amount of kind and/or smart behaviour e.g. a person holding a door open for you, someone you hardly know who is being genuinely nice, ongoing developments in science and technology.

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You're qute right BTS, though I don't know if there's an equal amount of good vs bad in the world. I guess it gets hard to see the good when everything seem to keep falling through for me, everything good always ending up as a set up for disappointment. I guess pain and isolation are all I experience any more, and it muddles the rest. I agree though, I badly need to work and seeing and finding the good. But as far as actually figuring out how to reach a fulfilling life, I'm fresh out of ideas.

I do make an effort to be nice to people though; holding doors open, offering support, always being nice to service people and making their job as easy as possible. etc. I truly believe Ghandi's old saying "be the change you want to see in the world". This attitude has generally made people take a real liking to me at first, but they NEVER want to take it to any level of friendship, and women certainly never have any interest in me (I've never even been kissed, how sad is that? doesn't help being ugly as I am). It makes my perception kind of bleak, knowing I'll be alone forever, but I think I'm learning to accept that and stop fighting it.

Oh, and for the love of Buddha, please nobody tell me to watch The Secret! lol

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Or it won't? Is it me or does everyone always believe the future looks bleak?

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Very true, I've noticed this myself. I'm sure during the 1940's and 50's, after seeing the Great Depression, WW1, WW2, a massive deadly flue pandemic, Korean War, and the Cold War, everybody thought the world was going to hell in a handbasket too. But I'd actually say things have improved in many respects since then. I guess there's a pessimist inside me that needs a good beat-down.

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Your rant about science is a pet peeve of mine, especially journalists masquerading as scientists using vague statistics to try and prove a point "this graph may suggest". I suppose though, the people who take this information as fact do not matter because they won't be the people actually influencing science.

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True, but the problem isn't their influence on science, it's on public perception.




Well... seeing as I've been more and more depressed and kind of suicidal over the last several months, anybody have a suggestion as to how a guy is to find hapiness? Any ideas on a life-change I should make, something I should take up, a change in my routine? You know, a big reason I took up the username "Gandalf" is because it reflects how I feel inside; like an old man, worn and tired with the world.


But much thanks to all of you for your constructive comments! You guys really are all awsome.

Well, I know I didn't need to respond the way I did. But I did it because I knew you were smart enough to realize I wasn't attacking you personally, just being somewhat of a devil's advocate. The reason I do this Gandalf is because I want you to see the good in life. You are 23 man. There's so many good things out there possible, you just haven't found them all. I want you to WANT to see them, instead of only recognizing things which anger you.
With all said and done, there was only 2 or 3 things in your post which I took offense to. Everything else got a hearty "Right on!".

I understand you when you say students in classes talk about nothing but celebrities and useless crap. You know what I do when I'm at university and I come across that kinda thing? I am always in a political science/law/history class, which means debate is always happening. You take that person...wait until a debate starts, and you take the extreme pleasure of articulating yourself better than they ever could. For every bullshit argument they have, make a better one. I have seen you hold your own, I know you can. When all is said and done, take pride in it. There are few who can do this.
The best thing by the way is when you ask them to defend their argument, and they say "...because". You, my wizard friend, can have a ball with that one.
Thank you so much for being intelligent, and not completely chewing me out for what I wrote. I know you wish someone was around who had a neuron so you could talk to them..well lets just say thats what canncom is for, right?
Don't give up yet. Stay smart and positive. Life will surprise you. :jointsmile:

i have to write good in reports the hell with it here or any where else for that matter five pages or 1000 words of crap every week and thats just one class. i dont care what people think and i hate typing

with that out of the way, i understand your rants and venting i would do it too but i dont want to type that much

all of america is addicted to drugs it helps keep your mind off things. they take something too im sure of it probly psyche meds

have you heard of the Illuminotti, maybe you should check it out it may provide you with some thoughts on alot of the things that anger you

understanding is key, whats said not how pretty it is

do you believe in magic?

a perfect entity does exist. the Universe from the minute differences in beak length of birds to the depth of the waters in the gallapagoes depending on season or how the circle of life works every thing has a purpose or it wouldnt be there
dont get me wrong i dont believe in a god with human likeness or even an entity that has a conscience thought but youmust say that all these things are quite miraculous and beautiful

but back to the og thread yo that stuff is deep meng evrybody got side tracked cause u had a bad day but the matter at hand is the content of your rant and so forth i must cocure with that stuff about the fed especially so, someone speak on it man thats enuf typing study break os over

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Originally Posted by Gandalf_The_Grey

- First of all, why don't we ever see wild vegetables? I mean think about it; you never go walking around in the wild, and suddenly "hey! There's a patch of carrots/potatoes/beans/peas/radishes/beats/etc" Conspiracies are afoot people. :wtf:

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As for the other stuff in your rant, yeah I agree, etc etc etc...
But damn I never realized that about vegetables. I've always found fruit trees growing in the wild, or black walnuts, chestnuts... things basically growing on a tree. But never vegetables, except for wild onions. Around where I live, they can be found in many places and they're good too. Peppermint and spearmint I've also found, rarely, but those aren't veggies.... still an awesome find.

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Originally Posted by Gandalf_The_Grey

True, but the problem isn't their influence on science, it's on public perception.

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Yes this did occur to me when I was typing my reply, probably why this is still a pet peeve of mine :D

Anyway hope you cheer up, maybe your just stuck in a rut and things will gradually fall into place. You could try and take up a hobby or sport to get some variety in your life, a new skill and a way of meeting new people. I know it sounds a little cliche, but maybe that's because it works for a lot of people. I've made a lot of new friends recently through sports.

And if all else fails listen to That's life by Sinatra over and over (at least it shows even the coolest cats on the planet get bummed out too!) :rastasmoke:

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Originally Posted by Greenthing

Thanks for those words of wisdom Gandalf :thumbsup:

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Sorry man, You lost me about 3 lines into it.. No pictures!!
Im not trying to be a funny guy.. Just a ADD head and i lost interest..

"Keep on keeping on".. in the wise words of Good ol Justin "spag daddy"spagnolo

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Originally Posted by Gandalf_The_Grey

Well... seeing as I've been more and more depressed and kind of suicidal over the last several months, anybody have a suggestion as to how a guy is to find hapiness? Any ideas on a life-change I should make, something I should take up, a change in my routine? You know, a big reason I took up the username "Gandalf" is because it reflects how I feel inside; like an old man, worn and tired with the world.

But much thanks to all of you for your constructive comments! You guys really are all awsome.

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During one of the darkest ages of my life, i did read a book called Journey to Ixtlan, and it changed my views of life... after reading it, i decided to stop to be a victim and become a warrior... i would recommend it to you... in fact, i have a pdf copy of it... if you want, just say so, or email me... :thumbsup:

And, indeed the people are becoming stupider... stupidity IS a very contagious disease, which is spreading around the entire world like a plague... anyway, i think it is an advantage... as more people becomes stupid, more intelligent (compared to them) you become... :p

yea man the world in general is Bullshit........one thing i hate is how we took this beautiful land and made it into a weird land of stores and cement its all F'd up we're overbuilding over nature and nature is gonna fuck us all up and yea all these religions and laws and government is all bullshit too

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Originally Posted by Gandalf_The_Grey

- First of all, why don't we ever see wild vegetables? I mean think about it; you never go walking around in the wild, and suddenly "hey! There's a patch of carrots/potatoes/beans/peas/radishes/beats/etc" Conspiracies are afoot people. :wtf:

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Wild vegetables are rare, but they can be found. I have found wild patches of artichokes and asparagus. Technicaly they are not "wild," they are "feral." They are formerly domestic artichokes and asparaguseses who have escaped from captivity and now live free on their own terms. Approach with caution --- they are no longer tame.

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Originally Posted by Gandalf_The_Grey

- Secondly, is it just me or is the world getting stupider? Or has it always been this stupid? It frustrates me to no end. Most people don't even want to analyze the logic of various claims, they just get easily impressed and instantly believing by phrases like "studies show".

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Well, Gandalf, studies show that people are getting stupider. It's scientifically proven that the world on average gets a bit stoopider every day. The world started out really stupid, then it started to get smarter, but now it's back on the downswing and getting stiupider by the minute.

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Originally Posted by Gandalf_The_Grey

- Chronic pain sufferers are not treated as well, by the medical system or just people, as you might think. Stigmas abound, completely contrived and uninformed in their nature. I've done my research, and we (folk in harsh chronic pain) all face the same roadblocks and predudices. That being:

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This I think is very true. I've had several episodes of severe pain that have lasted for a week or more, and I was surprised at how much the pain took out of me. The conditions were not medically serious or severe in other ways, but were extremely painful. The pain just wore me down. I can't imagine what it must be like to have to live with chronic pain, but I've had enough of a taste to know it can suck the life from you.

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Originally Posted by Gandalf_The_Grey

- Is it really such an outrageous notion that we stop pumping all our food with monosodium glutamate and corn syrup? We could incure massive health care savings just by phasing these two things out; but ohhhh no, gotta keep feeding the North American obesity addiction.

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I think the answer here is probably high-fructose monosodium glutamate. Once we get that perfected, we won't even need other forms of food. We'll be able to just pump it directly into our fat asses.

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Originally Posted by Gandalf_The_Grey

- You know why we have such an epidemic of depression and anxiety? Because we live in a hedonistic, selfish, consumer-driven, instant-gratification society where we try to buy our hapiness, smother it in useless crap and food, and judge each other through narrow views of acceptability. This is an unhealthy society, and it's only gonna get worse.

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I agree that most people think they can buy their way to happiness and are mostly unfullfilled by that approach. Every day we are bombarded by thousands of messages that reinforce the idea that products make life better, faster, easier, and happier. It's not true. What makes people happy are things like knowing that what you do in life matters, being around people who you care about and who care about you, doing nice things for others and having them do nice things for you, learning new stuff, making things. There are a lot of things that make people happy, but buying products is not really one of them. Not having enough money can make you unhappy, but beyond the point of having enough, money and the things it can bring you do not add to your happiness.

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Originally Posted by Gandalf_The_Grey

- People's understanding of spelling, grammar, and punctuation these days is just atrotious. Just read the comments on youtube, you can barely understand what these nitwits are trying to write. And they just keep getting dummer...

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This has always bugged me too. I think the decline in speling and grammar has to do with the amount of texting, emailing, and online posting people do now. It used to be that most of the written communication you would see day-to-day was written by professionals. Now everyone texts, emails, and posts. You are exposed to the written communication of a lot of people who you never would have been exposed to before. Some of them are just not very good at it. And even the ones who are good at it take shortcuts because of the volume of writing they have to do and the casual nature of most of it. I hope it gets better.

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Originally Posted by Gandalf_The_Grey

- On that note, I have no friends spare one that lives very far away. Know why? Because all anybody wants to talk about is mindless dribble, chit-chat about nothing - just whats goin' on today, who's doing what social thing with who, and that wretched media media culture that gets everybody obsessed with mindless dribble like American Idle and what celebrity's cheating on who. And so here I remain alone still, because I can't find anybody who doesn't give me a blank look and slink away as soon as I say something that might present the threat of having to work a neuron or two.

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There are a lot of ding-dongs out there who would rather not use thier brains, but there are a lot of smart people too. You've re-enrolled in college, so you should meet plenty of very intelligent people. Some of the smartest people I knew were in college and plenty of them liked to have deep conversations.

I've also known many many smart people at work. I've worked at software companies and met the highest concentration of geniuses there, along with people who were not geniuses but just extremely competent, which is almost better than genius really. My wife is in consulting, and those folks are sharp. I recently had my kitchen redone, and the contractor was a really smart, competent guy. Being in the professional world focuses and sharpens people. You are a very young guy, and a lot of your peers are probably still sort of doofuses, even the smart ones. You'll meet the people you are looking for in the professional world.

But no matter how smart people are, everyone likes to talk about drivel now and then. Small talk and chit chat are social lubricants. You can't launch straight into quantum physics --- talk about a movie or some music first. Or something else that you are interested in that is accessible to most people.

I really enjoyed your thoughts. I have many of the same type of thoughts myself. Sometimes getting smarter makes it worse. The more I know, the more I study, the more I realize the many catostrophic ignorances that abound. You are the first person I have put on my "buddy list". Your speaking of all these many issues created several engaged readers.
I did want to say...
the world is getting more stupid. Could this be because there is so much more to know now days. Could it be because of lazy minds. Could it be because people are struggling to be happy however that might occur and this occupies a majority of time for them. Could it be that intuitively people know that the more they learn the more they wish they had not set out to learn.
I agree with everything you said and it is angering. I was not the least putoff by your knowledgeable venting. People are hedonistic. Debates are good stuff.
I was studying the other night and a psychologist said something so neat. He was talking about the mentally ill and crime. He said that he believed mentally ill criminals were simply dealing with this world the only way that seemed reasonable because the world was so unreasonable. I'm not saying your mentally ill by any means. What I'm saying is that smart people (weather they are criminals or not) could not possibly see this world as being anything other than odd, crazy, irrational. I think you are smart and normal. I suffer from depression. Many times people ask me about life and why I do not want to live, as I have children and a husband. I reply...
I think it's crazy to actually want to stay in this world. I do not see myself as the crazy one. I see a majority of humanity as the odd ones.
Who can close off hearing from monocultures, earthly destruction, religious domination, corrupt government, the mistreatment of people and a hundred other injustices that could make one sick. I can tell you who, most everyone. I am doing a painting right now that deals with many of these issues. It is a painting of what society would concider a perfect 10. The woman has french manicured nails, long highlighted hair, much makeup, a tiara on her head and she is wearing a red evening gown that hugs tight to her wafer thin body. She is reaching, but will not find. She has turned away from balance, the earth and hands are webbed and laced. This is to say she is still wanting for material posessions and her hands are laced with guilt. The caption at the bottom of the painting reads...

There is an ignorance collectively sublime
it is taking over both heart and mind
fearfully reaching through webbed fingers laced
the evidence of consequence on the face

It is not just you who feels the pressure and the sting. Many people like you don't have friends not because they are hidden. No No you have no friends because of the very reasons people bother you. You make a brain think and as you have said people are too lazy to do that anymore. I get more blank stares when I speak to people. I simply can't see the virtue in talking about fashion and superstars when there are obviously so many other topics that need to be spoken of.
For the record I never thought your thread was for the purpose of making yourself smarter than anyone else for an ego boost as one person commented. Always remember what mandela said about the fact that there is no virtue in making yourself small so that someone else can feel comfortable. We are all to manifest the glory in us that is God given.
With all that said my mom has to remind me constantly to "keep it light Shan" because she knows the intensity of my thoughts and how this can affect my depression. When I really need a vacation from what is happening in my head or in the world I paint, write short stories, write poetry or HUNT FOR WILD VEGETATION.
There are many blackberry bushes where I live. I juice them, add water and sweeten it, I make preserves out of it YUM. I also hunt blueberries to put in smoothies and bake with. I hunt mushrooms also. These are all activities that I can do even though I am in pain often.
I am sorry you experience pain so consistently. Very few people understand pain espessially when your not bleeding. With chronic fatigue, fybramyalgia, depression and countless other conditions I think it will be getting easier eventually. Too many people are walking around in too much pain to ignore the collective nature of it all. This includes doctors. Numbers are powerful.
Thanks. Please excuse any spelling or typo errors it is sooo late and I don't have a spell check downloaded for online spell check and I'm too tired to even go back over the document. I hope you enjoy the post anyway.

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Originally Posted by Gandalf_The_Grey

anybody have a suggestion as to how a guy is to find hapiness?

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You could watch "Dancing with the Stars."



Well, maybe that might not be the right thing for you. One thing I would suggest is to not DWELL on all the horribleness of the world. I don't mean to ignore it, but the kinds of problems you are talking about out there in the world are too big for you personally to fix, so it does not do you very much good to FOCUS on them, especially if you are depressed. Maybe try to find one small thing in your life that you don't like and try to fix that one thing.

It's good to have a big-picture perspective, but when you are trying to solve something, you need to break it down into smaller pieces and do one at a time. For now I would just acknowledge that many people are stupid, there is a lot of bad spelling, monosodium glutamate and corn syrup are poison, and society is hedonistic --- and then just move on from those things because there is so little you can do about them. Pick one thing, like how to communicate to people about chronic pain, or how to meet people with common interests, or the wild vegetable connundrum, and then break THAT problem down into smaller pieces that you can maybe do someting about.

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Originally Posted by Gandalf_The_Grey

- First of all, why don't we ever see wild vegetables? I mean think about it; you never go walking around in the wild, and suddenly "hey! There's a patch of carrots/potatoes/beans/peas/radishes/beats/etc" Conspiracies are afoot people. :wtf:

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Oh you didn't know? Vegetables were domesticated close to 1,000 years ago.

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Originally Posted by Gandalf_The_Grey

- On that note, I have no friends spare one that lives very far away. Know why? Because all anybody wants to talk about is mindless dribble, chit-chat about nothing - just whats goin' on today, who's doing what social thing with who, and that wretched media media culture that gets everybody obsessed with mindless dribble like American Idle and what celebrity's cheating on who.

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Well don't forget that the present is the only thing that is real. The past and future are just figments of our imagination. Some people have an easier time with not worrying about the future or past and just having a good time living in the present. I do agree with you that a majority of the population never even seems to think about stuff that matters and instead is worried about celebrities or sports teams, but those things are ok in small doses and there are millions of other thinkers out there. Just look at these boards.

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Originally Posted by Gandalf_The_Grey

Yep, I'm thoroughly dissolutioned with life at this point; quite miserable with it in fact. Nothing ever works out, no hope for humanity, and good things happening are just those rare little moments that give you a quick breath before holding your head under water again. "Life is suffering": Buddha was right.

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I feel you, and Buddha was right about some things. Desire creates suffering. I believe he also had a point when he suggested people should abandon hope, because hope is desire. But I would disagree that "Life is suffering". I see the world shrouded in darkness, and all living creatures as lanterns. Humans have a great opportunity to choose if we will resist the darkness. Life comes down to one simple choice really, either be the light in a dark world or wander in darkness. Either way you may find yourself alone during some parts of the journey, but as long as you are in the light you can see some of the beauty in the world around you.

I disagree that humans are becoming more stupid; however, I feel that we (at least in the society to which I am privy) are becoming excessively COMPLACENT and unwilling to put in effort for what we want. When a packet of ramen noodles is 25 cents, and takes only a stop at the gas station, why grow a field of wheat? When American Idol is on, why put aside the time to read a book?

Our brains still work; we simply choose to be ignorant. You can choose to empower yourself through knowledge. You don't have to hold yourself in higher regard than you hold others, just to a higher STANDARD. Find solace in that you carry the secrets of whatever it is you have worked to educate yourself on, and that is a treasure, and a gift you can give if you wish.

This is a neat discussion, and I'm so happy to see how polite it is! That, in and of itself, should be enough to give you a glimmer of hope that there's still people in the world, and even in your [virtual] community who have NOT chosen complacency, and can still form an intelligent argument without resorting to bickering!

You guys are the best.

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Originally Posted by stinkyattic

I disagree that humans are becoming more stupid; however, I feel that we (at least in the society to which I am privy) are becoming excessively COMPLACENT and unwilling to put in effort for what we want. When a packet of ramen noodles is 25 cents, and takes only a stop at the gas station, why grow a field of wheat? When American Idol is on, why put aside the time to read a book?

Our brains still work; we simply choose to be ignorant. You can choose to empower yourself through knowledge. You don't have to hold yourself in higher regard than you hold others, just to a higher STANDARD. Find solace in that you carry the secrets of whatever it is you have worked to educate yourself on, and that is a treasure, and a gift you can give if you wish.

This is a neat discussion, and I'm so happy to see how polite it is! That, in and of itself, should be enough to give you a glimmer of hope that there's still people in the world, and even in your [virtual] community who have NOT chosen complacency, and can still form an intelligent argument without resorting to bickering!

You guys are the best.

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You are so right about this.

People are actually no smarter or stupider than they were 10,000 years ago. We have the same basic intrinsic intelligence that our species did when it first evolved. But now life is very easy in a lot of ways when you talk about basic survival. Basic food and shelter are not a challenge for most people, as it was even in the very recent past, and there is a lot of frivolous, distracting entertainment available. People can easily become complacent because they don't have to worry about their basic needs and there is a lot to take their mind away from trying to be somethieng more or achieve something. There are some people who are basically entertaining themselves into worthlessness.

And then the opposite side of that coin is that those who are driven and want to achieve are mostly driven by the desire to want more stuff. Going to college, getting an education, working hard at a job, and building a career are often just seen as paths to the "good life" of more material pleasures. The drive to achieve is good, but the goal is wrong.

Sitting on your ass, being lazy, not achieving anything, and just passivly enjoying entertainments and distractions all your life is a waste, and not a way to happiness. And working your ass off for bigger houses, bigger cars, more wealth and status is also not a path to happiness. But working toward something and achieving something of value that has meaning to you is satisfying, and there is certainly room for enjoying some entertainment along the way.

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Originally Posted by stinkyattic

This is a neat discussion, and I'm so happy to see how polite it is! That, in and of itself, should be enough to give you a glimmer of hope that there's still people in the world, and even in your [virtual] community who have NOT chosen complacency, and can still form an intelligent argument without resorting to bickering!

You guys are the best.

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You knew it couldn't last:

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Originally Posted by suhl

another loser who blames his social failings on everyone else. have fun being miserable and thinking you have it all figured out, cretin. have you ever read the book confederacy of dunces. you are a deadringer for the main character. i highly recommend it it would be a nice eye opener for you.

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Ironically, we joined the site on the same day.
So sad; I thought this was an interesting discussion, whether or not we all agree on the validity of the content :(

Edit:
You-all should go run grab a copy of 'amusing ourselves to death' by Neil Postman. It fits this train of thought perfectly. Excellent book on our culture's need to have even education and facts presented in an entertaining way in order for them to be assimilated.

Yeah, it's sad.

When a person is dealing with chronic pain and depression, it really doesn't help them to call them names. Gandalf already mentioned he was in a sort of mood when he made the original post and apologized for the tone, so I don't see where this "cretin" comment is very helpful.

Let's drop it if y'all don't mind, and try to get back on a positive track?
After all, IT'S FRIED-DAY! And there is a ssssssshmokin' bowl of something spicy waiting for me at home.

An' I ain't talkin' no chilicheezfries neither! :D

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Originally Posted by stinkyattic

You-all should go run grab a copy of 'amusing ourselves to death' by Neil Postman. It fits this train of thought perfectly. Excellent book on our culture's need to have even education and facts presented in an entertaining way in order for them to be assimilated.

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I never read this book, but one of the professors I had in college mentioned it several times in a lecture on this topic. I definitely beileve that our society makes it very easy to distract ourselves away from things that matter. A cynical mind might even believe that the volume of entertainment and distraction we are constantly bombarded with makes us easier to control as a society. Hmmmm....

But back on happiness... One of the resaons I think that a lot of people have not found happiness through our society's focus on buying new and better junk is something called the "Hedonic Principle." The idea is that you might a get small surge of satisfaction from owning something new or having a new experience, but after awhile you get used to it and need a new "jolt" to get the feeling back. So you get back on the cycle of having to earn more money to buy the next things to make you happy for the next moment. After a point, there is nowhere left to go down that path. You actually enjoy special things more if they are rare and novel, than if they are commonplace and everyday.

One example would be if you went one time to a great restaurant with a bunch of people who could afford to go there every day. For you, it might be the best meal you ever had in your life and you would really enjoy it. But for the other people, they may have enjoyed it the first few times, but now it is just a meal like any other. You are actually in the better position, because you will return to your everyday meals and can hope to maybe someday have that same great experience again. But those other people have nowhere to go. They are used to the great experience to the point that it is no longer special, and they have little hope of experiencing something better. That is the self-limiting nature of hedonism.

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Originally Posted by dragonrider

A cynical mind might even believe that the volume of entertainment and distraction we are constantly bombarded with makes us easier to control as a society. Hmmmm....

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We Unwashed Masses need our bread and circuses. Otherwise we have more time to challenge the Emperor.

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Originally Posted by stinkyattic

We Unwashed Masses need our bread and circuses. Otherwise we have more time to challenge the Emperor.

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Indeed... it used to work some 2,000 years ago... and it works still today... its interesting how the human nature remains the same with the passing of the ages...
(and still there are people who believes in evolution...)

One of the ways I "amuse myself to death" is to spend WAY too much time on this site. I have a lot of important things I should take care of that I don't get around to because I have a strong compulsion to come here. I have more of a compulsion for this cannabis website than I do for cannabis itself, really.

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Originally Posted by dragonrider

I have a lot of important things I should take care of that I don't get around to because I have a strong compulsion to come here.

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Intellectual masturbation...feels great yet still unsatisfying.

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Originally Posted by 40oz

Intellectual masturbation...feels great yet still unsatisfying.

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The thrill wears off, and I have to come back for more.

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Originally Posted by dragonrider

One of the ways I "amuse myself to death" is to spend WAY too much time on this site. I have a lot of important things I should take care of that I don't get around to because I have a strong compulsion to come here.

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Just thinking about this makes me realize how many important things I have to get to right away. I've got to shift priorities for a week or so. I will see you all on Monday 7/21.

Gandalf, I hope you get out of this funk. Good luck with everything. The world is not as bad as it sometimes seems. Try to find some joy in simple pleasures, and let the rest of the crap go. I watched a bumblebee gathering nectar and pollen out of a clump of wildflowers today, and that was enough to reassure me that life is good.

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Originally Posted by Coelho

Indeed... it used to work some 2,000 years ago... and it works still today... its interesting how the human nature remains the same with the passing of the ages...
(and still there are people who believes in evolution...)

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What do you mean by this?
Just interested..can you explain a bit?
Why does this mean people can't believe in evolution?

I too like this discussion and feel we can make it even better. We've popped into some interesting things!

And where are you Gandalf??! Come back and join in

Well... i meant that this "bread and circus" thing worked at Rome, which is considered an old and underdeveloped civilization, if compared with our own... but it still works today, so even after 2000 years the human nature is the same, despite all the increase in technology, knowledge, science, culture, which we would expect to raise peoples minds, goals, and intelligence.

What i said about evolution was only a touch of irony, meaning that our human minds had evolved nothing since Rome (or even since longer ago...)

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Originally Posted by Gandalf_The_Grey

- People's understanding of spelling, grammar, and punctuation these days is just atrotious. Just read the comments on youtube, you can barely understand what these nitwits are trying to write. And they just keep getting dummer...

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You mean... 'atrocious?' :rolleyes:
You mean... 'dumber?' :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by dragonrider

Just thinking about this makes me realize how many important things I have to get to right away. I've got to shift priorities for a week or so. I will see you all on Monday 7/21.

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I said I'd be back today, and here I am. Gandalf, are you feeling any better about life?

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Originally Posted by Darth Vapor

You mean... 'atrocious?' :rolleyes:
You mean... 'dumber?' :rolleyes:

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Dude, for somebody wrecked off their ass, having an intense bad trip, and rapidly typing out a very long post with no proof-reading; the mistakes aren't all that frequent and atrocious.

Again: my issue isn't with inevitable typo's that everybody will make; it's with dumbasses who write 200 lines of material all in one paragraph, no punctuation, and riddled with typo's at every 3rd word. Even in my tripping-balls state I knew I would make spelling mistakes, and guys like you would cry "hypocrisy" while completely missing the point.

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I said I'd be back today, and here I am. Gandalf, are you feeling any better about life?

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Meh, gettin' by.

Amazingly thought provoking post Gandalf. If I might offer some ideas, perhaps the reason wild vegetables are rarely seen is because most modern vegetables have been bred for years specifically to be raised on farms and sprayed with pesticides and can no longer survive as well in the wild, plus, anything that grows without human attention grows smaller and more covertly... unless the human is going for that effect...
My mother is a doctor and from what I hear most people that claim chronic pain are just trying to score painkillers to get high, probably 80%, they train themselves to think that way so they don't fall into the habit of feeding addictions and don't feel bad about denying medication.
I love what you say about letting people speak, I couldn't have said it better. People that deny that right to others really need to re-evaluate whether they want to live in a free country.
Anything can be proved scientifically so I've been told, so I choose not to listen to anything I haven't experienced myself. This is part of the reason I smoked in the first place, I needed to know the truth whether it damaged me or not, it didn't.
I've never met anyone with chronic pain before, sounds like a nasty condition and I'll keep what you say in mind in the future.
As for corn syrup and stuff, I say keep it. There's lots of stuff that doesn't have it and it's easy enough to find if you pay attention but nothing beats pigging out on sugary unhealthy trash every once in a while :D. I do think that it's drawbacks should be common knowledge though.
I hate politics.
I love your posts. Hope I helped

man, when i was reading your posts it sounded like I could have written them myself you just sounded smarter lol

but if your feeling down or anything you should write song lyrics/poetry, it always helped me and still helps me when i'm feeling the way you described

to qoute the beatles "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see"


people would rather live in their fake american dreams then see the truth

remember it's called the american dream because you have to be asleep to beleive it.



peace:hippy:

i believe that this world is going to hell, i think that people dont think for themselves anymore. why do the have to when they have tv to comfort them?. i believe entertainment like televeision is causing the world to not think and just let the government do as they please. this world is no longer run by the people,never has been and never will. the best thing you can do these days is think for yourself. iv talked alot with some old timers and thats my knowledge, i dont need to watch the history channel bullshit or the text books that schools give there students which arnt even actutal events!