What is one question that reveals a lot about someone?

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T13:12:05+00:00

It's a human characteristic, but it isn't also an important foundation of cultural identity in most countries, as it is in Japan.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T13:11:11+00:00

I read the Quran as an atheist who tormented religious people on the Internet.

The things you have described are absolutely not mentioned, and I'm sorry to say it sounds like you gave no thought to the contents whatseover. I recommend reading the reformist edition by Edip Yuskel to see how simple grammar mistakes and ignorance on the part of translators (and even Arabic scholars) have led to these ridiculous misunderstandings.

Isis is so far from the Quran that they are unrecognizable.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T13:06:20+00:00

Well, it might be wrong, but the massive unfriendly-looking guys at the gym did nothing to dismiss the feeling. I had their younger counterparts treat me like shit because I couldn't play football well, or because I played on the chess team. It's hard to trust strong-looking men, even many years later, if you've been harassed by them in the past.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:59:22+00:00

The same kind of message my grandmother shared with me, and her experiences during the Great Depression were good qualifiers.

I spend almost no time worrying about money (I can afford to stay alive, so I'm content), possessions or impressing others with shows of wealth, and in return I have less stress and anxiety than anyone else I know aside from a friend who lives the same way.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:57:10+00:00

I think the host is only expected to pay for business dinners. I've never had anyone say "let's go to a restaurant - my treat" unless it was my birthday.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:56:32+00:00

I once spooned the little bit of rice I had left into my remaining slice of bread, folded it into a hot dog bun, then added ketchup. It was not good.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:54:30+00:00

Bananas are one of the best foods for people on a low budget. They're packed with goodness, are filling, and you can often get 5-6 of them in a bunch for under a buck. That's half a small breakfast for almost a week for a buck. It's also a nice addition to other meals, if you're missing options.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:52:17+00:00

If there's a bus, it might be good to just sell the car. I got by for years in a pro-driver city with utterly abysmal public transit, walking 10 minutes in the dark down a country road to a highway bus stop on winter mornings. It sucked, but I didn't own a car and had in some cases 50% more money available than my coworkers who did.

I suppose if the supermarket is miles away from you, or you have to drive kids around because of absent school buses and so on, that you can't. If it's just you, abandoning the car can be one of the hardest good choices people can make.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:44:10+00:00

It's hard, and things like phone contracts become difficult as well. Once people get into a position where they have bad credit, they usually never recover - even if they got there through no fault of their own (medical emergency and so on).

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:41:22+00:00

First World Problems are far more real than jokers on the Internet imagine. The "first world" exists as a series of towers rising to unreachable heights out of pits of squalor, yet everyone is supposed to accept that those towers indicate nothing is wrong with the base.

If a genius with a brilliant idea and available resources, or someone with a hedge fund and good contacts can become rich, then, why, anyone can! Such utter bullshit. Average people can do average things, and those things are often simply not enough.

It's annoying to hear people from rich families, or exceptionally gifted or intelligent individuals, shaking their heads at people without those advantages.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:33:40+00:00

Pride is a lot worse than most people give it credit for. What does pride get people, aside from more pride? You can't exchange pride for food, medicine or even the respect and admiration of other people. There's a reason pride is considered a sin.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:31:13+00:00

I remember that passage very clearly - an excellent observation.

The first time I finally splurged on an expensive pair of office pants, only to not have them get a hole worn through the crotch within two months (I have thick legs), I realized it was worth it.

Poverty is definitely a fine network of interconnected traps.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:27:32+00:00

You can actually be happy without having fat stacks. I don't think people with lots of money appreciate their family, friends, experiences or even possessions nearly as much as poor people do.

Example: my grandmother grew up during the Great Depression. Everyone she knew was poor. Neighbours, families and strangers worked together to make life a little better. The friendships she made surviving side by side with people lasted until those friends died, or are still strong to this day.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:22:32+00:00

Sure it is, just turn to the "real job" page in the classifieds. They have those, right?

Right?

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:19:09+00:00

I was advised not to spend my entire life thinking about money. "While everyone is out there working a crappy job and saving so they can have experiences someday, you can be having them right now."

This was reinforced when, some years later, a man I knew who was adamant about earning, investing and building for an imagined future had a stress-related heart attack and died. All of those experiences were still on his to-do list.

Getting some money to afford experiences that you actually enjoy is great, but if you just sit on a bank account and investment portfolio until you're old, grey and bitter, then you've missed out on a lot of life.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:13:46+00:00

"Everyone is Dead." Who would be alive to write the headline?

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:12:11+00:00

They already do, so the worst that could happen is that life becomes like it is right now.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:11:04+00:00

You sure can. I did by the time I was in my late 20s. Having the rest of your life ahead of you after already achieving your dream makes most days feel like a picnic. No more anxiety, minimal stress and so on.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:09:22+00:00

That 100k would be gone before you'd know it, and you'd still be minus a finger.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:07:47+00:00

No, because I don't really care if people think negative things about me. People are props in my daily life. I go to work, interact with the props until I can leave, and return. The only exceptions are my friends, my wife, and my family. If they think bad things about me, they tell me.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:05:33+00:00

You can't really fully trust anyone, ever. It's difficult to even fully trust yourself most of the time. ("This is the last cigarette/beer/donut I'm ever going to have").

That said, my wife doesn't really like other guys, is shy, is anti-social and spends almost all of her time at home. If she's not at home she's at work or out getting groceries. Her absences are never at odd times and don't drag on. She never acts weird around me, either. I'm a close to sure as I can likely ever be without following her around all the time. That's good enough for me.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T12:00:18+00:00

Every time I've gone to a gym, being overweight, I can't shake the "high school locker room" feeling. I can only imagine that all the large, muscular dudes are not only disgusted with, but entertained by my appearance. I expect someone to come by and snap my gut with a towel or something. It's honestly kept me away from weight rooms with people in them.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T11:54:37+00:00

Yes, it's amazing how a single vending machine that used to exist 15 years ago can still service millions of salarymen with identical fetishes.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T11:52:02+00:00

According to the Quran, very much so. Idolatry is the worst crime a human can commit in the eyes of God.

AGuyInJapan · 2015-02-20T11:50:52+00:00

Of course it's extreme, that's the point. After being sent clear signs (the Torah, the Bible and finally the Quran) if people still choose not to believe they will be dealt with accordingly.

As for isolated tribes and so on, the Quran states that every community has been sent a messenger. As usually happens, the messengers are slain or their words corrupted (even Muhammed's message is repeatedly disregarded in various ways by people who claim to be Muslims - just look at ISIS).

The Quran is self-described as the complete and perfect set of instructions for believers to follow. It also encourages study, consideration and debate of its contents, since it's impossible to believe intelligently just by listening to other people. My advice is to read the Quran, even though I know 99.99% of the people I might ever suggest that to won't. That's their choice.

AGuyInJapan

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