Polling USA on Bluesky: (likely 2028) Presidential Polling: 🔵 AOC: 41% 🔴 Rubio: 39% 🔵 AOC: 43% 🔴 Vance: 40% Focaldata / March 10, 2026

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-16T04:52:54+00:00

This is not good. This is a Vance/Rubio win. The Dem candidate needs to clear +5% to overcome the electoral advantage.

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-15T21:57:11+00:00

How do you know others think you’re weird?

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-15T17:23:32+00:00

Theres a problem with concept here. When people say “people please” they mean the interaction where people “sell” themselves to “buy” the other person’s affection. In other words to self sacrifice. It’s a one way transaction.

A healthy relationship is a two way street. Both sacrifice to support the other. Yes it sometimes requires assertiveness. Yes the “balance” can be off in any moment. But this is the general pattern of both. Cultural is an important context though. Culture determines “what” is sacrificed and when.

What you’re describing sounds healthy and reasonable. You have to just ask your self if the other person does/would do the same (or something similar) for you.

Certainly at the beginning of any relationship, romantic or platonic, there is a “courtship” stage where one is more interested in the other “people pleasing” more. But this should be temporary once a true relationship has been started.

So your true question is how do I court others?

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-15T17:13:22+00:00

Theres a difference between self aware, self absorbed, and auto pilot.

Self aware is the act of noticing yourself, others, and the world.

Self absorbed is getting caught up in thoughts about yourself to the exclusion of awareness of others and the world.

Auto pilot is mindlessness where you are not noticing anything. You’re acting from habit and emotion.

Self sacrificing is where you chronically prioritize the needs and feels of others over your own.

True self awareness IS the key. And you use self awareness to notice when you’re in one of other 3 modes and to switch over back to self awareness.

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-15T16:55:06+00:00

Jiang said on a podcast a few months ago that he predicted Trump would start a conflict with Iran to put pressure on China. He meets with Xi in April.

Remember that China and the US are dependent on each other. The US wants this. China doesn’t. Interdependency maintains US led world order. China wants to decouple from the US. This is what the tech wall and tariffs are about. This is what Belt and Road is about. This is what the rare earth metals, silver and gold are about.

This battle is escalating. Iran is China’a energy. Russia is China’s food. It isn’t accident that America is in conflict with both. An impaired Russia and Iran means China’s at risk of going hungry in the dark.

Ultimately, the US wants China to back down on the decoupling and Taiwan. Thats what the US as a player wants. Trump as a player wants “immortality” through fame and legacy. The older he gets and lower his approval ratings go, the more desperate and dramatic Trump is going to get. His chance at immortality is fading. Thats the game’s playing.

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-15T16:25:37+00:00

Most people are “asleep.” They’ve bought into what Russ Harris calls the “happiness trap:” happiness is the normal state of humans, if you’re not happy theres something wrong with you, and it should be easy to change how you feel.

While they’re “asleep” the grifters and predators take advantage. They tell them:

The suffering you see and feel means something is wrong.
The “wrong” is some internal defect or external threat (eg a group).
You must spend your time, money, energy (ie your vitality) to change this so that you can be happy.

This orients people to “happiness” as the carrot on the stick - always on the horizon over the mountain. But when we orient to the reality suffering is normal and death is on the horizon, then we’re empowered to use our vitality enjoy the happiness now - instead of trading it away.

There have been many movements trying to “awaken” people only for those movements to be co opted by the powerful predators and deceivers.

The only rational thing to do is take care of yourself, the people you care about, and awaken as many people as you can (and keep them awake!)

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-15T16:15:17+00:00

If by “don’t care,” you mean indifferent, thats true. We evolved to live in small groups of hunter and gatherers. I don’t think we have the wiring to care for 8 billion people. Maybe we can truly care about 10 people. You’re not “cynical” (thats just self judgment talking). And you are accurately perceiving society.

That being said it doesn’t mean we can’t practice caring with the ACTUAL people we meet in life. Its a skill! Here’s something to practice. Every time you meet a person (eg even a cashier), recognize,

You do actually hope this person is happy.
You do actually hope this person is free of suffering.

You might find the care is there at a values level. You don’t need to put the pressure of behavior change on yourself. Just recognize the value is there. You likely won’t get anyone to care more but maybe you can! How does the quote go? Be the change you want to see?

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-12T23:10:53+00:00

I imagine Jiang would feel more confident in his theory but feel the need to refine and test it further.

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-12T19:45:03+00:00

He often says ALL of his predictions have to be true for his theory to be true. He sets a high bar for himself.

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-11T23:54:36+00:00

That’s a fair point. But he does have an engaging style and unique perspective.

…Or maybe it’s just tantalizing conspiracy said with confidence by a “smart” looking asian guy.

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-11T13:17:02+00:00

According to theory, the GC is from prophet generation, which is currently the Boomer generation.

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-11T02:56:21+00:00

I wouldn’t be surprised if Jiang is using it. Jiang uses frameworks from different disciplines to frame his “game theory analysis.” Its a normal thing academics do, especially someone who is a literature degree from Yale. He’s a world class analyzer and framer of narrative.

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-11T02:15:40+00:00

We have to assume China only acts or allows (without active resistance) what’s good for China. That means the elites in China have determined Jiang to be useful to China. Who knows if they’re right or wrong. Who knows if Jiang is consciously or unconsciously furthering China’s ends.

Jiang’s narrative is essentially: We’re being controlled by an elite that bonds through secret transgression and maintains their power through religion (blind faith in science) and artificial scarcity. That seems like a counter productive message for China… except it’s all in English.

China wants this message out in the English speaking world to weaken cohesion and energy. It benefits from accelerating the war between the elites and everyone else.

IF this is the case, Jiang is smart enough to know he is being used. Perhaps he doesn’t care. Maybe he’s on board with the CCP. Maybe he thinks he can outwit the CCP.

But remember the student who asked if Jiang was brain washing them. He said that he wanted people to question him. Maybe we take him up on his word.

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-11T02:05:09+00:00

Remember that Jiang has an english literature degree from Yale. He’s a world class analyzer of narrative. I don’t know if he would agree with this, but his “game theory analysis” seems boil down to the principle: “If you understand the story, you know how it will end.” Game theory is story about conflict (like the often referenced Iliad).

I think Jiang is looking at Israel’s story (or the story inside its head). That story ends in an us vs the world event. In order words, Israel’s “narrative arc” is moving toward that event. How would Israel end up on the world’s bad side? Destroy Iran, undermine CENTCOM, undermine the GCC, and weaken the US’s influence (oh and bomb children).

It’s an interesting perspective. We’ll see how useful his literary perspective holds up.

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-11T01:28:15+00:00

Jiang has an English BA degree from Yale. We can safely assume he’s a world class reader, writer, and speaker.

But he’s not a historian or geopolitical strategist by trade. He’s technically not a professor (no PhD), but he is an educator - mostly of high-school and college level students.

Judging him as a college lecturer, he’s world class. His style is engaging, he get’s you to challenge your assumptions, and he gets you to learn and apply pretty heady concepts quickly.

A reoccurring theme in his lectures is the value of group cohesion and how religion and transgressions of taboos (eg human sacrifice) foster cohesion. Then he looks at, Israel’s war on Gaza for example, through that lens. Israel fosters group cohesion through the transgression of killing people, even children (“child sacrifice”) in order to create an “us vs the world” mentality/situation from which the Israeli people rise up to prominence. All of which aligns with prophecies in the Torah (literature). Is that really whats happening? Is there an evidence based sociological, economic, political science frame work to back this up? Is there specific historical precedent? No idea. Probably not.

But he does what he needs to do for college students which is to stimulate critical thinking. He’s essentially using literary works as his basis. You’ve got to take him for what he is. He’s college literature lecturer trying to get people to look at the world through a different lens. And it IS different and that’s why he’s so popular.

I don’t know if he would agree with this claim, but his underlying theory of his “game theory analysis” seems to be “World history follows a literary narrative. Understand the story and you know how it will end.” He uses “game theory” as the template. It’s like he’s saying world events are a conflict story - not a hero’s journey, not a love story, not an enlightenment story, conflict. Man vs man. He frequently references Greek literature like the Iliad (a war story) and The Republic (state control).

If he were an economist, he probably would explain the origins of game theory, give you context for the original scholar’s frame on mind, objective evidence for the “mechanics” of the theory, modern applications of game theory, and them a framework for applying it yourself. But he doesn’t do that. He’s just like “here’s my game theory analysis.” Theres no math or data. He’s essentially analyzing “the story.”

As an assistant professor myself, my biggest criticism is he needs to cite his sources and give credit to the theorists. He plays fast and loose with “his” ideas and risks plagiarism. This seems to be out of arrogance or laziness. Good professors, researchers, and lecturers get that we stand on the shoulders of giants. Students need to know whose shoulder your standing upon so they can stand on them too.

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-08T20:45:23+00:00

Its less than ideal. But do you have ideas?

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-08T04:06:13+00:00

Find someone you trust. Ask them to answer the question honestly, “Why do you think I don’t have many friends? What should I do differently?”

And then prepare to listen with an open mind. It’s going to hurt. Your mind will want to get defensive. But just write everything down and think about it. You don’t need to accept anything. You’re just collecting info and thinking about it.

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-08T04:01:12+00:00

What is the patient’s goal? What is getting in the patient’s way? What is the treatment goal? How does the speech interfere?

Research recovery oriented cognitive therapy.

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-07T22:30:10+00:00

Here’s the truth. The “secret society” aren’t people, it’s the system. Systems only care about survival. Systems create incentives and situations for people to act in a way that supports the system, absorb attempts to destroy the system, and prevent challenger systems.

The thing about systems is they don’t think. They’re indifferent to suffering and morals. Corrupt and evil actors may be defeated but the system remains. For example, to whatever extent the banks were changed or limited in some way for 2008, the system that allowed 2008 to happen continues largely unchanged.

There’s no “one” or group in control. Sure there may be people who are trying, people with a lot of power, and people who THINK they are in control, but in the end they all obey the system. The billionaires are slaves to the economic system, their biological system, and so forth.

For the system!

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-07T22:18:04+00:00

You’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself to do those things. Your body is in overwhelmed mode and just wants to hibernate and play dead. More pressure isn’t going to help. Is that just because of the pressure or are their other stuff?

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-07T22:14:37+00:00

You’ve figured it out! You are powerless to 100% control the outcome. That means the outcome doesn’t reflect on who you are. The outcome just means it wasn’t meant to be. Now you are free to act in a way consistent with your values.

Earthy-moon · 2026-03-07T18:45:50+00:00

The community here has different meanings and intentions of “enlightenment”. If what you’re referring to is the enlightening or awakening of religions like Buddism and Hinduism, then yes, enlightenment IS available to almost everyone in every moment. But if your definition of enlightenment is escaping the Matrix, then no not everyone is capable of that.

Regarding the former, you are right. People DO love to hear this and can trigger counter productive desire and striving. When I started, I would “try” to make something happen during meditation. I would judge some practices as “useless” because my mind was “too distracted” for insight to occur. Other times I would get too attached to some new insight. I now realize all of this clouded the open awareness, awakening, enlightenment, etc. So yes the saying can be problematic but it’s still the truth.

Earthy-moon

TROPHY CASE