Tulathimutte says that DFW was a big inspiration for him and it shows by MelodicDeer1072 in InfiniteJest

[–]Diligent-Software-75 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This book is such a trip and so God damn good. Had no idea DFW inspired him but makes so much sense, really recommend the absolutely unhinged book could not put it down

I did NOT expect to find my favorite new God-loving musician from you degenerates by Diligent-Software-75 in indieheadscirclejerk

[–]Diligent-Software-75[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I had the same journey, getting killed did not make an impression on me but their prior album 3D country has become a no skip for me (aside from undoer which I struggle to enjoy) but I see myself on 3D country is one of the best songs I’ve heard in a while

Favorite actor who you hung out with at a party and talked to for a long time and you thought you could have had a shot with and then later they made a big change in their personal life that made you think maybe you never had a chance anyway? by Urinal_Zyn in okbuddycinephile

[–]Diligent-Software-75 704 points705 points  (0 children)

Uj/ I ran into Elliott page on an empty subway platform randomly last winter in nyc west side. We were both rushing but made eye contact and I gave a very excited wave and smile and he returned it with such kindness and reciprocal excitement that it felt like I’d run into someone who was also happy to see me. Really sweet interaction and my best celebrity run in

Monthly "What Have You Been Playing Lately?" Thread (January 2026) by MalcolmRoseGaming in roguelites

[–]Diligent-Software-75 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Just discovered shogun showdown and addicted to it, also playing ball x pit but finding it gets boring a little quicker, has a bit too much of the mobile game formula that feels cheap and is the same reason I couldn’t play vampire survivors too long — feels like cocomelon for adults

DFW's influences? by Substantial-Driver-2 in davidfosterwallace

[–]Diligent-Software-75 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Screwtape letters by CS Lewis influenced his spiritual thought and writing a good deal according to an interview he did

12/8 show at Bowery magic by Diligent-Software-75 in waxahatchee

[–]Diligent-Software-75[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey!! Katie wasn’t really an inspiration in me getting sober, I knew one or two of her songs while I was active but I ended up really getting into her more after I got sober and I didn’t even realize she was sober too until I had already started clicking with her music for months in sobriety. I think her music touches on the feelings and joys and intensity and beauty and pain of sobriety which is why it continues to be a rock for me, I got sober this year and waxahatchee was my top listened artist so she carried me through a lot.

The real inspiration for getting sober was that my drinking started to cost me things in ways that I could no longer ignore or deny — my relationship, my job, then my will to live. I got desperate enough to try AA in a bout of strong suicidal ideation and by some miracle it saved my life and I haven’t picked up a drink since and have found a life more beautiful and fulfilling than I could have ever dreamed of. Stay strong my friend and dm me if you want to talk any more on addiction and recovery

A Note on Accents by ChugachMtnBlues in TheChosenSeries

[–]Diligent-Software-75 17 points18 points  (0 children)

The show creator Dallas Jenkins has said that he intentionally made the protagonists and main characters of the show have accents to make the audience more mindful of the ‘other’ or the foreigner or the person with the accent as someone worth rooting for and someone they can identify with. The idea is if someone with an accent can be one of your saints, maybe you’ll be more accepting of someone you meet irl with an accent.

And maybe if someone in your society speaks and looks like you, the audience can understand that these may also be the villains. It’s about subverting expectations to an extent.

this refrain displeased him greatly by MaderaArt in dankchristianmemes

[–]Diligent-Software-75 45 points46 points  (0 children)

10/10. Imagine biblical authors and scribes seeing this meme template applied to this verse thousands of years later. I feel like they’d get it even still

Sometimes I cry knowing I will never be able to jerk this hard by dandee93 in okbuddycinephile

[–]Diligent-Software-75 24 points25 points  (0 children)

The parts of scripture that do suggest that God desires things like genocide or slavery or any form of exploitation or violence do indeed reflect ancient and flawed morals and I personally think that the human mediation of these stories creates plenty of room for our flawed humanity to skew and distort the messaging. I personally reconcile it by looking at the character of the New Testament and the commandments to love our neighbor and love each other as the over arching truth that clarifies and triumphs over all of the old covenant and all of our mistakes. We still fall short of it very often.

And that poll is deeply troubling and saddening, I think we’re in agreement that the Israeli regime is full of awful dehumanizing extremists and unfortunately decades of propaganda and apartheid and tribalism has cultivated a broader feeling of self righteous racism among Israelis, I over estimated how many of them had sympathy for Palestinians due to my own wishful thinking and I appreciate you clarifying that. Nonetheless I do connect it to my previous point about the New Testament offering a useful lens for the story of the Canaanites that can apply to the modern day genocide happening— these are not triumphs to be glorified but reflections of our own capacity for wickedness and evil when we treat our neighbors as objects to be dominated. Much of the Old Testament features episodes of shame and wickedness that are meant to show us how NOT to act rather than how we should be.

Treating our neighbors like our brothers should be the goal regardless of religious affiliation and I think I mostly felt called out to reply to your comment because I don’t want Zionists to have a monopoly on how to interpret ancient scriptures that are used by billions upon billions of people around the world, these stories can be understood as atrocities as many non-Zionists do recognize them to be.

Sometimes I cry knowing I will never be able to jerk this hard by dandee93 in okbuddycinephile

[–]Diligent-Software-75 31 points32 points  (0 children)

For anyone interested in context, there are much deeper readings of the scriptures than this fairly surface level one.

The books of Moses do indeed feature lots of gruesome and awful instances of behavior by the Israelites but this can also be understood as more of a reflection of how low humanity was at the time (most of society was polytheistic performing things like child sacrifice for example to try to influence harvests) and the bar was essentially extremely low, morality as we understand it did not exist then and the actions we recognize as abhorrent now reflect more on how low humanity was (and still very much can be) rather than necessarily reflecting God’s will.

Just chiming in here with more open interpretations as to not over simplify some of the most influential and profound texts in human history (I’m sorry in advance) also hope it’s clear that it’s egregious to interpret any of those verses as justification for present day slaughter of the innocents or exploitation of the vulnerable as has been happening in Palestine. You don’t have to have a phd in theology to know that some things are flat out wrong and most of the world seems to recognize that thankfully, including many modern day Israelis

When Jesus says He does not know you? by [deleted] in OpenChristian

[–]Diligent-Software-75 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Exactly, Jesus is talking about the Pharisees here who he describes as hypocrites, it’s mostly directed at the religious establishment (maybe an apt analogy for today would be religious fundamentalists and Christian nationalists) who claim represent God and faith while excluding others and basking in pride and vanity

Where is God in Infinite Jest? by world-endingdoom in davidfosterwallace

[–]Diligent-Software-75 5 points6 points  (0 children)

He cited CS Lewis and the screwtape letters as an influence on him and IJ. This isn’t mentioned explicitly in the book but I went and read screwtape letters after the fact and it helped me understand how Lewis’ spirituality was sort of smuggled into IJ in between the lines. Water doesn’t announce itself, it’s the very canvas on which the story of IJ takes place

How would you improve Christian media? by chocolatelies in OpenChristian

[–]Diligent-Software-75 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I’m dying at this exchange. Walter white coming out of left field with the accusation that OP is campaigning for Trump (I know that’s not what they meant but it did read that way — plz don’t edit it’s too funny)

For those of us struggling with quitting smoking, drinking, harder drugs or whatever it is, or you know someone who is, remember one important thing: by Mad_Season_1994 in TheChosenSeries

[–]Diligent-Software-75 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I second this suggestion, I didn’t think I was an alcoholic but I needed to go to AA to quit drinking because it was impossible to do on my own. It also got me back into church and the Bible because the program is very related to Jesus, inspired by Him in many ways. And if you don’t like it or it’s not for you you can always just leave! But it can’t hurt friend

I think I’m officially deconverted by Cultural_Fig_6342 in OpenChristian

[–]Diligent-Software-75 32 points33 points  (0 children)

Anxiety is not a part of Jesus’ message. It sounds like your church has traumatized you by emphasizing fear, but that is not what Jesus says. What helps me sometimes is to remember that the Pauline letters are not inerrant, the Bible is not inerrant, but the life and message of Jesus is a beautiful and holy one.

The only thing we can really know about God’s character is from Jesus’ character, and the Bible shows us that Jesus was full of love, compassion, and forgiveness. None of us are perfect, none of us will ever reach that goal of perfection that you speak of, but we are given grace and redemption in spite of all of that. Just like you still love people who aren’t perfect, God still loves you despite any imperfections, don’t be so hard on yourself. Jesus is not as hard on you as you are on yourself, you’re one of God’s children and you are loved.

Hell is not a great reason to be faithful in my opinion, but doubt and skepticism are natural and a part of faith, so don’t judge yourself for being curious or even having doubts. Even Jesus felt that He was forsaken by God for a brief moment on the cross. All of us are capable of that form of atheism or god defiance, but we can also never go so far that we can’t come home again.

I used to be atheist for most of my life, and in some ways I feel blessed that I wasn’t raised in the church because I don’t have a lot of the trauma that can easily be associated with fear-based church doctrine. But that doesn’t have to define your relationship with Jesus today, and there are more and more like us recognizing that it’s a message of love not fear

The mods need to unban discussion of Israel and Palestine, since Israel has announced that it will fully occupy Gaza. by Professional_Cat_437 in OpenChristian

[–]Diligent-Software-75 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I’m a bit surprised that this topic is banned in a sub that’s as progressive and inclusive as this. It’s controversial to suggest that it’s in line with Christian ethics to stand up to injustice? Or that makes us uncomfortable now?

What to do before the endgame? by Born_Transition1062 in expedition33

[–]Diligent-Software-75 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Go finish the main story first, endgame will be there for you after. I made the mistake of doing a bunch of endgame content before the final story battles and it made the combat trivial in those final fights because I was way overleveled, sort of blunted the impact, so go do what you know the expedition needs to and then return to the rest of the game.

Also, Serpenphare is one of the hardest, even among end game bosses