The monster called self-importance

[Priincesss]

Why people feels ofended? Because they feel they are so important that they cant afford to be disagreed, or called names, or whatever. Feeling ofended is only possible when one feels very important.

While I am guilty of self-importance I do feel offended by being disagreed with sometimes but I am working on it. I also think though that some people may be offended not because they think they're better and their ego is taking a beating.. but maybe because they feel de-humanized and less important then everyone else? They feel offended because they know everyone is equal but the person who is calling them names is making them feel less equal or inadequit (sp?)

Other then that little tidbit I definatly know what your talking about and I totally agree. It's time we all took a step off our 'high horse' and realize we're all walking on the same ground so-to-speek, no ones floating above anyone else or wearing a golden halo. We're all the same.

How about killing 3 birds with one stoner: donate organs, use healthy flesh for food, use what's left over for compost.

Hmm.. this could change a lot of things in the world. Although it may take time for people to mentally accept that they are eating other people but why not? We are definatly a large supply/food source that doesn't look to be decreasing any time soon. Not to mention (well okay you already did) all those healthy extra organs that can be given to those in need. And what evers left.. grow some vegtables in it or something.. we decompose back into the earth anyways.. im sure the left over nutrients must be able to help plants grow.

anyways good suggestions:thumbsup:

[rebgirl420]

Another thing that bugs me about people's obsession with self-importance: death rituals.

Too many people have an unhealthy obsession dealing with dead bodies... pumping it full of chemicals, adding makeup, dressing them up nice, putting them on display, burying them in a box that costs thousands of dollars, and erecting a tombstone to serve as a mini-monument to the deceased.

Am I the only one that finds that to be extremely psychotic and disturbing?

People will argue that the funeral ceremony is for grieving... what a joke! Sure, people will grieve AT a funeral but all that crap isn't necessary for healthy grieving. Or, it's to honor their memory... why not do that while they're still alive; honoring a rotting corpse is freaky.


Organ donation should be made mandatory. Helping others in need is more important than any self-righteous religious/cultural doctrines that say we can't dismember a corpse. If the extremists still won't budge, let them have their preserved bodies while the rest of humanity evolves.


Cremation is a decent way to go.
Natural burial's better, it gives back to the earth, keeping the soil rich.
Cannibalism isn't a bad thing as long as you don't eat nervous tissue - why can't people get over their insane self-importance trip to legalize consumption of healthy flesh from the recently deceased?

How about killing 3 birds with one stoner: donate organs, use healthy flesh for food, use what's left over for compost.

That's a modest proposal

[stinkyattic]

Sympathy, on the other hand, is what you'll find more of in the world. I view it as the evil twin of empathy. Empathy is totally understanding how someone feels, but sympathy is trying to assimilate the feeling from the one who is suffering. Sympathy feeds the ego. Another person's suffering can not be taken or copied to become your own suffering - that would fall into the category of coveting. Each person's suffering is unique, even if the same event causes their sufferings, total sympathy is not even possible.... it is a path to the dark side.

This is one of the wisest observations I have ever seen posted here.
And the concept of pity falls into this as well. By pitying someone, you hold yourself above them; the act of charity due to pity implies a feeling or knowledge that one has power over the well-being of another, and I feel it is profoundly insulting to the person being pitied.

And your noting that cooperation can itself become corrupted into competition- that, my dear Destiny, explains the wholesale failure of so many communal living experiments.

[apocolips31]

So you are basically saying we shouldn't help anyone out? How can you give to someone if you don't think they need it(sympathy)?

[stinkyattic]

Re-read. Not saying that at all. One can help out others from empathy instead, which is understanding the situation and doing what's right.

[apocolips31]

Empathy is kinda the same in that you make a clear distinction that you are better off then someone else and are giving to them because you feel that they need it more then you. No matter if you understand the situation or not, giving to someone is basically the same as saying you are better off then them. In not such direct words of course.

[stinkyattic]

I'd make the distinction that empathy is an acknowledgement that where one person is better off, so is the community- that your struggle IS my struggle.

[40oz]

Sympathy, on the other hand, is what you'll find more of in the world. I view it as the evil twin of empathy. Empathy is totally understanding how someone feels, but sympathy is trying to assimilate the feeling from the one who is suffering. Sympathy feeds the ego. Another person's suffering can not be taken or copied to become your own suffering - that would fall into the category of coveting. Each person's suffering is unique, even if the same event causes their sufferings, total sympathy is not even possible.... it is a path to the dark side.

really? You think sympathy is the path to the dark side? Sympathy is what leads to action. While I agree that empathy is really important and a great skill to cultivate, I don't think you can really say that sympathy is evil. When you feel sympathetic for someone, that is because their situation causes you to have negative feelings for yourself. You will than do what you can to relieve your own negative feelings by either leaving the situation or helping the person you feel sympathetic towards, because if you help them it will help you.

When you feel empathetic towards someone, you are (like you said) really understanding how they feel. You are "putting yourself in their shoes". You are feeling what they feel. Depending on your view of the world, empathy may lead to action (if you believe people are capable of doing something for other strictly for altruistic reasons) or empathy plus sympathy will to action (if you believe all of an individuals actions serve to bring some sort of benefit to the individual).

We're still a stone's throw away from living in caves, we gotta do something to ensure the dominiance of our higher brain or else we'll be fighting forever with each other.

Might as well start combat training now.

[daihashi]

really? You think sympathy is the path to the dark side? Sympathy is what leads to action. While I agree that empathy is really important and a great skill to cultivate, I don't think you can really say that sympathy is evil. When you feel sympathetic for someone, that is because their situation causes you to have negative feelings for yourself. You will than do what you can to relieve your own negative feelings by either leaving the situation or helping the person you feel sympathetic towards, because if you help them it will help you.

When you feel empathetic towards someone, you are (like you said) really understanding how they feel. You are "putting yourself in their shoes". You are feeling what they feel. Depending on your view of the world, empathy may lead to action (if you believe people are capable of doing something for other strictly for altruistic reasons) or empathy plus sympathy will to action (if you believe all of an individuals actions serve to bring some sort of benefit to the individual).





Might as well start combat training now.

While sympathy is not evil (in my opinion) I do believe that it is not genuine; which I believe is what is meant when the term "evil" is used. Because any actions you take due to sympathy are just to satisfy yourself. Even if someone else benefits from it, you're initial step to action was because you felt bad for someone first, not because you genuinely wanted to help them first.

Sympathy can be said to be related to selfishness.. even if good does come out of it, it was only initiated because of selfishness even if they are seemingly innocent.

[stinkyattic]

Sympathy can be said to be related to selfishness.. even if good does come out of it, it was only initiated because of selfishness even if they are seemingly innocent.

Please tell me you've read The Fountainhead!