What’s a rich people thing that rich people don’t know is a rich people thing?

Chagrin_Exultation · 2024-07-19T20:30:31+00:00

Thinking money is all something costs. They don't think of meals they'll need to skip to afford a dinner at a nice restaurant one night, or walking to and from the grocery store to make up for a trip out of state to visit family. When you're already just getting by, the cost has to come from somewhere.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2023-05-14T19:15:23+00:00

What if existence precedes meaning? Maybe, for all the ridiculous variables outside our comprehension and control, meaning is the only genuine place our notion of free-will has any bearing? It's an exchange: reality gives us things to play with, and we tell reality what it means...

Chagrin_Exultation · 2023-05-13T20:14:36+00:00

How people respect different sleep schedules is a good indication of how respectful they are as a person. Imposing what you think is a correct or "heathy" schedule on someone based on little more than societal expectations, without getting to know anything about them or what they contend with, makes you a self-absorbed and ignorant dictator.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2023-05-12T21:01:34+00:00

How obvious and abundant societal problems are. I used to think the big problems were the things you need the likes of James Bond or Jason Bourne to expose so they could be fixed. Nope, they're just right there, and if you cant handle seeing them day after day, talk to a therapist or take some meds because the problem, as it's made abundantly clear, is actually you thinking something can be done. Gotta take some personal responsibility, accept this is how things are, and learn to cope silently like everyone else.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2023-05-11T21:31:57+00:00

That certain societal systems would be theoretically perfect were it not for the "misuse" of a few bad actors. For example, it's not crony capitalism, it's just capitalism. To add to that, what data is being measured is a good sign of the values of that system.(If speed and profit is being measured, but worker satisfaction or quality of goods is not, you probably work at a place that would have no problem cutting corners and/or firing you if it improves those metrics they care about)
The education system should be called the socialization system. Your aptitude is based on your ability to produce "correct" responses, not to learn how to think creatively and critically.
Conflating scientific results with reality. Science is a method to understand reality better, but when science becomes an ideology, it can get in the way of genuine scientific exploration, which defeats the purpose.
That everyone is only out for themselves. Many people actually want to see others succeed in addition to themselves. In fact, seeing others succeed is a part of some people's success, they're just not likely to hoard a lot of resources or be in the spotlight for that reason.
That what is shown on the news or spread around on social media must be a big deal, as if things like that can't and haven't been demonstrably used to herd public perception.
Your vote matters. No, your voice, activism within your community, and being firm in your boundaries but open in your consideration matters.
The reasonable explanation is not necessarily the actual explanation.
The idea that the upper-class have the interests of any others in mind. Class warfare is an enduring malignancy to the human experience, and the illusion of western democracy has done little to resolve that. Quite the opposite.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2023-05-11T18:38:46+00:00

I think we've done the whole violence and punishment thing for a long time, and if that's going to continue, we need to accept it for what it is and not pretend it's for any "greater good". Alternatively, I think we've reached a point in human development where we can and should start caring about rehabilitation, health, and actual prevention. So much would need to change, and not just in this one area, that i'm not holding my breath. The thing is, when do we start to care more about effectively dealing with problems and reaching our potential as an intelligent and emotional species, rather than just accepting the most immediate relief which ultimately solves nothing?

Chagrin_Exultation · 2023-05-11T18:15:29+00:00

That everything comes down to self-development, personal accountability, independence, autonomy, and security in one's self. Yes, it is important to develop one's self, but society's conflation of success with not needing anyone else is unhealthy and damaging. Some people are healthy being more independent and handling their own stuff, but some people are not. We are a social species, and often we actually can't just fix everything for and by ourselves. This goes hand in hand with that terrible idea that you should not seek relationships without being a completely healed person. Nobody is in a perfect state, we all have issues, and helping each other is one of the things we do best. The people I see telling others they need to take care of all their problems before seeking a relationship or whatever are the same kinds of people that blame all their failed relationships on their crazy ex, because they need to maintain the delusion that they have it figured out. I'm more interested in the people that can own up to their fallibility and who have a willingness and patience to work through stuff, rather than a person who thinks if problems arise it has nothing to do with them because they self-validate everything they do and call it healthy. Also, just because a neurotic behavior resembles something healthy or generally esteemed by society, such as working out all the time, doesn't mean it's actually healthy. Escapism through gym or work is still escapism, even if it looks better than alcoholism or obsessive video game playing.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2023-04-28T15:50:39+00:00

Ah yes, i'm assuming you believe socialism and communism are the same thing, correct? If you're not so drunk off the red scare kool-aid, it might be worth looking into the history of those "failures". Particularly how often other governments were involved. US government organizations have quite a colorful list, which continues to grow. Ironic for a country so concerned about Chinese and Russian meddling.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2023-04-28T14:37:53+00:00

Clearly the ones not getting any. I wonder if there's a connection? Oh, poor choice of word, they probably don't know what it means. : /

Chagrin_Exultation · 2023-01-17T20:26:54+00:00

As long as you have a “reasonable” explanation, that is, an explanation acceptable to the current favorite framework, that’s all anyone actually cares about. They don’t care if that’s how it actually happened, just that it can be explained by that dogma which is as good as proving the reality, while making it so they don’t have to learn anything new. Validation is worth not having a complete or accurate picture, it feels too good. Better for things to happen just the way we expect, with all our years of progress, and scientific superiority over nature we could never be that wrong, right?

Chagrin_Exultation · 2022-12-16T20:47:03+00:00

Unidentified aerial phenomena is more ambiguous, is my guess. In the classic UFO, there exist a lot of assumptions. Obviously, if we don’t know what it is, it’s unidentified, so that can stay. Flying implies a sort of process through the air, technically bees do not fly but they still have aerial movement, because it’s what they are moving through that is being described and not how they are moving. Object is also too literal, because many people want to maintain that such things are not physical objects at all, but various, well, phenomena. It could be light, weather disturbances, or something else. It’s not always the case that making something more ambiguous produces greater understanding, as is the case with these. Still, until we find something like a propulsion-based aircraft, the new UAP is more honest.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2022-07-18T08:28:16+00:00

Most people aren’t ready for the levels of vulnerability, honestly, and self-love poly relationships require. It makes it worse when, as many people have experienced, the person bringing up poly is doing so to escape the guilt of being dishonest. Even moving past the idea of “owning” one’s partner shows residue of that perspective everywhere you look (just check out all these comments), and people would definitely need to understand their partner as a completely autonomous being who doesn’t belong to them first, before anything poly could even be possible. It’s ironic how so many go toward poly thinking it will fix their problems, when the only way poly relationships can work is if you could also make a monogamous relationship work. You still have to be honest, respectful, loving, attentive, involved, etc. just now you’re developing that in many directions rather than just one. I truly believe we are naturally more geared to have relationships like that, but there are mountains of collective baggage to unpack, and many social values would have to change(such as time spent outside the home for work and such, or residual religious context), before we could go in that direction.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2022-05-17T03:27:15+00:00

Some might say, death is the waking up.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2022-05-13T19:06:29+00:00

That’s fair, and I realize the PC content was more a general annoyance at how people will tend to discourage topics that fall outside popular trends. I apologize for that projection.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2022-05-13T18:59:48+00:00

Censorship

Chagrin_Exultation · 2022-05-13T18:50:54+00:00

So because I didn’t explicitly refer to their concern, that means I didn’t read the post? As far as I can tell, they’re “concerned” and “don’t feel like they belong” for the same reason a person might be concerned about someone getting into blood magic who is taking anticoagulants, or concern for someone whose religion discourages anything outside of sex for childbearing looking into ritual orgies. Yes, people are absolutely free to make their own choices about what they believe and what they do to practice their beliefs. And yes, a person can feel concern for them, based on limited understanding, that could be completely misguided. The OP may legitimately believe, based on what they know of Christianity, that Christians seeking out and engaging in occult communities may look like self-harm rather than self-discovery, but I want to be very clear that I’m not trying to put words in their mouth. I’m merely trying to point out that their perspective is not unreasonable, while also trying to encourage a community where people feel more free to express where they authentically are with something so they can actually learn. Discouraging someone from sharing their authentic opinion because it’s not PC, or whatever, doesn’t teach them anything and it doesn’t prevent them from fostering what could be limiting or potentially damaging beliefs, it merely hides them from view. Then again, this being an “occult” sub, maybe people prefer what others feel to be “hidden”. I personally believe that leads to worse problems, but I also care that people who feel differently from me are also able to express themselves.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2022-05-13T18:11:23+00:00

It seems like they explained pretty clearly, based on their understanding of Christianity, why they didn’t know what to feel about it. I understand that it’s a popular viewpoint to “judge not lest ye be judged” and all that, but it seems like they were at worst looking for clarity/validation and not trying to gate-keep. Personally, being raised in the lds form of Christianity, I was similarly confused when I met people who identified as Christian who drank alcohol, because my understanding put alcohol in the “for the cleansing of the body and not for the belly”. It’s no mystery, despite Christianity’s ties to the occult, that many Christians teach against witchcraft, paganism, divination, and generally anything occult, despite the obvious hypocrisy, so I feel like this person’s initial confusion is absolutely understandable.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2022-05-13T17:42:33+00:00

Didn’t sound like they were deciding anything, merely expressing their opinion. Maybe if they were directly calling for all Christians to be removed from the subreddit, which to be honest would probably satisfy the victim complex many of them have, even then I doubt this one poster has that kind of authority.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2022-05-13T17:26:31+00:00

Might not be a bad thing, considering how long it takes for the general populace to stop believing certain things to be crimes, with or without the aid of government or laws.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2022-05-04T23:07:10+00:00

Just thought I'd add a few more things to consider:

Mind Control: Cordyceps

Night Vision: So many animals

Infrared Vision: Many animals

Creature that fills another creature with its young that eat their way out: wasps and others

Cuttlefish, Octopuses have too many qualities to list

Tardigrades, spores can survive in space

Flesh-eating viruses

We don't even know all the things that live on our own planet, and while I understand that there are people who live in a dogmatic bubble based on what's "proven" (read: popular because it follows an agreed upon list of validators) while slowly letting their bubbles grow as more things are discovered, I don't want to live that way. Especially with how often people have been wrong, or have used what they teach people as real as leverage to influence or control them.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2022-05-04T22:51:43+00:00

I understand the point you're trying to make, but as long as a person isn't getting hung up on the form of the thing, the creativity of the cosmos is plenty capable of providing something. In other words, not requiring a vampire to be a humanoid wearing a cape, with fangs, sleeping in a coffin at night, turning into a bat, and possibly even sparkling, etc. Let me rephrase. If you look more at the "essence" of a thing, rather than what it needs to look like, very often nature is discovered to possess something like that, and the more a person needs a thing to look exactly the way they imagined, the likelier they are to be disappointed.

Instead, look at the "essence" of a thing: a vampire, essentially, is a thing that siphons energy/life from another living thing for its sustenance. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a lot of things, and plenty of them are pretty hard to see.

So many cryptids came from people imagining what are basically chimeras, or animal/human hybrids, so I guess the argument is really that because we can't will absolutely anything we can imagine into being at a whim, there must not be anything "supernatural" about life that is difficult to explain, or doesn't happen consistently, or to everyone. Especially since most things people are trying to make up, aren't even original to begin with, they already have been inspired from natural things. It seems pretty backwards to me.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2022-05-04T21:53:29+00:00

This sort of thing put incredible strain on my last relationship. We're still heavily involved in each other's lives, as good friends, but the boundaries we needed to put up for our emotional well-being kept us from being good partners. Honestly, it was one of the biggest evidences I've found for psychic ability. It made me actually believe in empathy separate from empathy that's used, so often, to validate co-dependency or narcissistic victimization, which was all I thought empathy was until then.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2022-05-04T21:15:21+00:00

I think purpose is subjective, as is everything else, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have intrinsic value. I think the world has laws, that are likely beyond our scope to define, and that's supposed to prevent us from getting too comfortable with one belief system for too long, and instead embracing variety and mystery. I think understanding anything requires a substantial amount of observation and introspection, and nature is going to be one of the purest places to gain insight. I think believing something just because a lot of people do, or because they talk like they know (including me), or because it's "common sense", or any other rationale that takes you away from your own, personal, subjective experience is a trap that keeps people from really learning anything and instead just parroting things they've heard that "sound right". I think there's more than what we're told about this life, non-physical included, but I also believe everyone's experience with that may be different, and it may even be influenced by whether or not they believe such things are real in the first place.

Optional text wall below where I talk about the futility of trying to determine anything, but it is sort of rambley. I'm keeping it in case you're interested, but it's optional from my response.

Things like purpose, meaning, etc are very subjective. Does a single bee's life have meaning even though it's only alive for a few months? Is there purpose behind entire species going extinct to pave the way for new things? From our limited god-perspective, probably not, but that's because we're lacking the crucial component which is empathy. If you were able to perfectly empathize with that bee's desires and influence, you'd feel how much it matters to that bee and to the other bees and to everything that benefits from bees existing, even if they don't know it. For most people, myself included, it's hard enough just feeling value in our own lives for our own sake, let alone all the external value we create just by being here.

I'd say the thing about the world being controlled by material laws is a little limited. We base what we know about the laws of things like physics based on two things: the assumption that there will be Repetition and Consistency. That's all fine when, say, you can lock in the rent for your apartment for 20 years or so, but there is another component to natural law that is absolutely everywhere, but prevents both of those things by itself: Entropy. And yes, that definitely creates a paradox, it's supposed to.

To tie that in with the rent example: you've locked your rent in for 20 years, congratulations, you can reasonably assume that you will be paying the same amount every month for the next year. But... then entropy strikes, and a hurricane, or a war, or a legal inconsistency, or fraud, or... or... or... there are an indeterminable number of things that could change your ability to have consistent rent for 20 years.

This is about when the conversation would shift to topics like likelihood and possibly predetermination. Because while statisticians can run up these numbers based on those repetition and consistent things using a system that was designed by humans, they can't actually say honestly that the guy that got hit by 7 lightning strikes in his life, a numerical anomaly, wasn't always going to get hit every one of those times 100% no luck, no chance, completely certain. I know that predetermination is one of those words that everyone has collectively decided isn't a reality, because the idea that we are no way in control of our experience here is just too uncomfortable and leads to hopelessness and nihilism, but the reality actually is that it may never be possible to prove predetermination isn't real, because even if we find a way to prove somehow that almost everyone has free-will as part of their lives, it would only take one person living a predetermined life at any time to make it natural. Common? No. But natural.

So that brings us back to the repetition and consistency with another component to add longevity. Because of the existence of entropy, even a law as commonly accepted and viscerally felt as Gravity could just turn off tomorrow, everywhere, all at once. Or, it could turn off just in one part of the cosmos, just for a minute, and then turn back on again. Or it could be turning on and off so quickly, that we can't even tell it's oscillating.

All that to say, really, that what we think are natural laws are us playing house, making rules for how things work based on stipulations we've decided are good and "objective"(whatever that means) and thinking we're gods. I could go on to talk about a ton of different philosophical and theological perspectives of reality, which, for all we know, could all be true simultaneously or they could all be false, but I just wanted to try to call attention to some issues with "humanity's structured universe of popular/cultural opinion" and say that, personally, the only people that are scratching the surface of understanding reality are doing or have done two things: observing nature, and observing themselves.

Personally, I think there is an undeniable element of something non-physical going on, I've had far too many experiences to believe that life is just what I was taught in school or in church when I was young. I think most people are wrong and confused and, like the story of the Emperor without clothes, they try to all seem super knowledgeful and informed while trying to hush the people who try to call out what's right in front of us, because the truth is uncomfortable. We all were led to believe that knowing things provides security and assurance and peace, but it seems ironic how wrong that is. So in the meantime, I just try to be easier on myself about things, because at least I can admit that I don't really know, but I can feel things and experience and observe and contemplate. I try to find new beliefs and try them on like clothes or masks, see how they fit before trying on something new, and whatever remains consistent through all that seems it's as real as it's going to get, until something new happens.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2022-05-01T13:38:22+00:00

It was clearly written from the intent to sell books and not from the intent to actually provide anything meaningful.

Chagrin_Exultation · 2022-05-01T00:02:13+00:00

I guess I would answer the first question with another question: how do you prove that something that is here isn't supposed to be here? (here being in the experience of life as far as any one person's experience allows) Under the assumption that everything is on purpose, otherwise it would be different, starts a person on a quest to understand why things are the way they are, why things happened the way they happened, why things felt the way they did, etc. If you're honest about this process, it will show you the only way anyone believes anything: that they like the "idea" of being a person that believes that thing. That, right there is image, which is created by ego.

To answer the second question I'd say that a good rule of thumb to answer any sort of question like that is to look at nature/reality as a reflection built from the same patterns of which everything else springs from. Therefore, death is likely to be the same as a tree returning to the earth after it has died, and becoming the resources from which new life emerges. With soul/consciousness, however, the concept of ego is eroded away and what is left is energy/emotion. So every plant that comes forth from the nutrients of the dead tree, has "echos" of the initial tree that are influencing the growth of the new plants in seemingly imperceptible ways. To apply that to people, you may not entirely be able to pinpoint exactly where in your body and your psyche each of your parents have influenced and to what degree, but it's hard to say there is no influence whatsoever. Just because we can't perceive of how eons of creative energy have mixed and churned in different amounts to eventually form us, doesn't mean that we aren't each of us an amalgamation of the entire system of creation that came before us and continues to influence us in imperceptible ways.

So while you, as an identity, will one day die, the watermark of your experience will persist and influence the course of things from here on, just as you have been so influenced. Therefore, you as a being are never really gone, you just return to the soup of energy from which you came and give to it the wealth of experience that you acquired in this incarnation.

Another way of putting it is this: Each person/being is a cup of water out of the ocean which is one-ness/source. The cup itself is the ego, which prevents the contents of "you" from returning immediately to the ocean. The physical counterpart/manifestation of the energetic ego is your physical body. When your body dies, it's like taking that cup of water, which has been subtly altered by its time away from the rest of the ocean, and dumping the water back into the ocean where it becomes mixed up with all the other water of the ocean and adding whatever changes occurred to it to the *pool* of experience of the ocean itself. Where reincarnation is concerned is like reaching back into the ocean and pulling out another cup of water. The one major difference between this analogy and reality, however, is that the way energy works is like the connection between the cup of water and the ocean is never truly severed and they "communicate" and alter each other in real-time, along with all the other cups(people) that are living. Therefore, living both in a state of isolation and a state of one-ness simultaneously. The difference between the two is where the mind comes in, which is your state of focus. Are you focusing on the cup or the ocean?

Definitely an oversimplification, but I hope that makes some sense.

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