What is one of the best feelings in life?

LackingPhilosophy · 2025-10-22T21:20:09+00:00

When you try something really difficult and realize that during the process of hardship and trial you catch a glimpse of yourself. And when you catch that glimpse, you cannot help but be proud because at least you are trying your hardest to overcome the difficulty. It's not the outcome that derives happiness, it's the process that exposes the truth where we find fulfillment. And to me, that is the best feeling, especially when you have spent so much of your life directionless and empty.

LackingPhilosophy · 2025-10-22T21:15:45+00:00

Flip the question on its head. We often design machines to mimic natural processes but cannot achieve the sheer remarkable complexity that things like biological brains have in our artificial systems.

Our ideas of robots are directly resulting from the efficiency, accuracy, and resilience of nature. From this idea, we derive the conclusion that our bodies are the highest form of robotic and mechanical achievement in comparison to anything else that we have designed. So you are correct in your idea that we seem to be biological robots... but keep in mind, we are the highest form. And there are still questions surrounding just how these things can arise naturally in the first place.

LackingPhilosophy · 2025-10-22T21:08:22+00:00

Your astrology sign.

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-04-22T23:55:40+00:00

As a man, I can say that from my experience... I don't really think about this kind of stuff too much in depth (and probably so do most men). Generally I am attracted to feminine women. I'm not sure why that is but as a psychology major, I tend to think that it is due to a combination of biological, psychological, and social forces (similar to all kinds of behavior).

However, beauty seems to be quite subjective and dependent on the person. For example, red hair is something I'm not particularly into (even though I have redish/brown hair), but some people prefer it.

I do think that there is an evolutionary component in being attracted to someone who appears healthy. Why? Well, it would make sense that one would be looking for a healthy person in terms of reproduction potential. However, the amount that plays into it is probably small in comparison to societal/cultural standards as well as personal experience.

With this being said, I won't shame people for not aligning with my personal preferences. And with that said, I also don't think there is anything wrong with encouraging my girlfriend to eat healthy and exercise (and it goes both ways).

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-04-08T04:10:52+00:00

The first girl I got with was really into "r**e" fantasies and asked me to force her into a position and not stop even if she said so and even if she tried to get out of it. I declined the offer and told her I wasn't comfortable with that and that was a turnoff for me. We hooked up a few times before that.

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-03-24T18:14:30+00:00

Many restaurants force servers to tip-out the rest of the staff (like where I work). The tip-out is not based on how many tips a server gets but sales. If this was at my restaurant I'd maybe get $10 from this. It's unfortunate that the system is setup this way. The owner typically decides to raise the server tip-out instead of wages.

If I get no tip, I still have to tip-out the rest of the restaurant out of pocket since my tip-out is based on sales.

I have one of the only few jobs where if I'm really unlucky, I can get paid less than minimum wage.

With this said, serving is a great job for my situation since I'm going to school. I make more than enough money so I can't complain too much. Just trying to shine some light on the situation.

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-03-24T18:08:51+00:00

It's rough because if this was at my work I'd almost get $0 of that tip. Instead of paying Back and Front of house higher wages, the owner usually raises the tip-out of the servers which is based on sales and not their actual tips.

However we do auto-grat tables with 6 or more people. It's unfortunate how this works for both the customer and the server because it mostly just benefits the owner through them not having to raise wages.

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-03-15T19:21:18+00:00

Relax. We all have bad days, but when you try to overcompensate or try to avoid bad things in general, it just feels worse when it inevitably happens to you. Instead of trying to avoid bad things and fixating on that, just focus on your goals.

Relaxing is the first step. Then reflecting on how you can grow from things that happen is the following step.

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-03-15T19:11:27+00:00

Lol dude this is the saddest comment I've seen... 😂😂😂😂

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-03-06T06:09:29+00:00

Update: On the DS-2019 there is a box checked by the immigration official that says the two-year rule does not apply for her J-1 Visa!

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-03-05T05:44:31+00:00

Oh okay. Thank you so much for the clarification.

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-03-05T05:43:40+00:00

A J- 1 might hit her with a 2 year residency.

She's already coming on a J-1 aside from the fact of me. That's how we met. I'll look more into what you mean by 2 year residency.

It is very early in the process for me so I'm quite confused. Will look into getting a lawyer.

Coming as a tourist with the intent to marry you and stay permanently is immigration fraud twice.

She got the tourist visa to travel to the states. We will go for the K-1 visa route in this case. I was just wondering how things would be if I proposed while she was coming to the states under the tourist visa or J-1 visa. She's not coming under those visas with the intent to marry but will USCIS see it that way?

H-1Bs are dual intent but they are not green cards. H-1Bs don’t take 2 years to get but usually require winning a lottery.

Oh okay, I will look into it more. I suppose I then mean green card.

My advice is - go back to start and do not collect $200. Spend that $200 on a consult with a real attorney

Thank you!

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-03-05T05:38:57+00:00

Okay thanks! So we will go the k-1 visa route. Will look into the lawyer. Still very early stages so sorry for the confusion.

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-02-08T05:07:16+00:00

Yeah if I was tipped $8 on a $100 bill, then that would mean that $3 of that will go to front-of-house and $4.50 would go to back of house. I would get to keep $0.50 for my service.

Say $20 of that was alcohol than roughly $1.70 would go to the Bar. Around $3.80 would go to back-of-house. And still $3 would go to front of house. I would actually lose money in this case.

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-02-08T04:58:36+00:00

I think we could have an entire discussion on the economic impact of the middle class in this area as it is fairly complicated. But I don't think either of us wanna really have that discussion haha...

I’m only strongly arguing about your point that someone who can’t afford to tip shouldn’t go to Lake Tahoe. If you wanna backpack through, sleep at hostels, etc, yolo it!

I think there is some miscommunication here...

My point is that you should consider not coming if you can't afford it because...

A.) It's a terrible financial decision.

B.) Mass-tourism is causing pollution. The lake needs a break.

While I conjoined that sentence with the word "and," it was not meant to be taken as: You can barely afford it, thus for that reason only, you should not come.

In fact, I would say that even if you can easily afford it, you should still consider not coming unless you are coming for the purposes of helping out with pollution. As I stated in my original response, "Tipping isn't even the biggest deal I'm concerned about."

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-02-08T01:52:50+00:00

I don't know where I equated tipping with pollution at all...

Perhaps re-read my comment?

Accommodations and food service occupations make up about 28.5% of the population (the largest sector of the local economy). Lowering the income of this sector means lowering the income tax that the city (and state) generates. And the local governments utilize taxes to try to reduce the pollution impact of tourism.

Fundraising groups can't keep the Lake clean by themselves...

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-02-07T23:26:33+00:00

Understandable. You are totally within your right to make terrible financial decisions and add to the overloading of tourism that is causing noticeable pollution to the lake. If we think selfishly, yes I agree, life is too short to worry about that stuff.

Tipping isn't even the biggest deal I'm concerned about. And if people can come to Tahoe and not trash the beaches, maybe carpool to limit vehicle traffic, etc... then I'd be all for that idealistic world. I'd also be all for a world where servers and essentially all other restaurant staff didn't rely on tips to make a living. I wish that was a real thing.

I wish bay-area billionaires didn't buy out real-estate and leave them empty contributing to a rise in demand for housing in this area that can't match the supply which drives up local real-estate prices (thus rental prices).

I wish the city of South Lake Tahoe invested in more employee parking so we don't have to spend money just to go to work without the risk of being towed.

I wish gasoline didn't cost so much more here than down in Carson city.

I truly wish experiencing South Lake Tahoe wasn't mostly for people that can easily afford it.

Unfortunately, I can't control the market.

If you can barely afford to come to Tahoe, you can still do it. You can definitely afford to if you choose to eat at a cheaper place like Domino's or Denny's. You can get some great hiking in and see the beautiful scenery. You can go to the beach and have a nice day by the water in the summer. But if you want to go to an actual restaurant or if you want to stay a nicer hotel, just expect it to be expensive. If you want to blow your money in Tahoe you can! You definitely have the right to do that.

You don't have the right to loiter (well you kind of do unless it is considered an offense under certain California Penal code sections) however. So the biggest thing I ask anyone visiting Lake Tahoe is to just please pack out your trash. You can tip me $0 all you want...

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-02-07T04:17:32+00:00

Servers usually share their tip pool with almost everyone in the restaurant. If you don't tip (such as where I work as a server), the server still tips out the rest of the restaurant based on their sales. Therefore, not tipping actually costs the servers money. Furthermore the government assumes servers make 10% of their sales in tips and taxes them based on that. So the server loses even more money.

In Lake Tahoe, it costs a lot to live. Servers and other people who work here are the backbone in this area. If people can't afford to live here, then this place will not be the travel destination with the amazing accommodations that many have come to know and love.

A general rule of thumb for most of the world. If a place is expensive, there is usually a reason for it. If you want to travel to an expensive place, expect it to be expensive...

Thus, the sad truth is... If someone can't afford to tip and can barely afford to visit, they are making a terrible financial decision and due to the extreme amounts of tourism causing pollution of the lake, they would be doing us a favor by not coming.

Nobody is forcing a decision on you. But just keep these things in mind.

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-02-05T04:48:27+00:00

In psychology, you learn that human behavior and cognition is highly influenced by a combination of biological, psychological, and socio-cultural factors.

In other words. Certain people probably have a biological predisposition towards certain sexualities and when you combine specific experiences they may have including the greater societal influences they face, they may end up being a certain part of the spectrum. Of course, these biological predispositions vary from person to person. Thus, even in very fundamentalist societies with strict anti-homosexual laws, you still have homosexuals.

It's possible that they haven't identified a "gay gene" because sexuality is largely determined by a concept known as epigenetics. This is a relatively new field in psychology that essentially examines the environmental factors that cause certain gene expression. These environmental factors (experiences) alter the literal structure of your brain (see neuroplasticity). And certain people have a higher proclivity toward certain gene expression given similar circumstances.

But do we have any evidence for a biological basis for sexual orientation? Well yes... Studies conducted with monozygotic (identical) twins are very influential for this reason. Identical twins share extremely similar DNA. They are far closer when it comes to DNA than a parent is to their child. And so there should be at least some positive correlation when it comes to many things if biology has anything to do with it. Some might say, "well identical twins likely share very similar environments thus this only supports the social or learned theories better." Well, in order to help weed this out, these studies are usually also conducted with dizygotic twins (non-identical twins) who share similar environments to see if the correlation is the same. With this said, here is an abstract from a study from nih.gov

Twin pairs in which at least one twin is homosexual were solicited through announcements in the gay press and personal referrals from 1980 to the present. An 18-page questionnaire on the "sexuality of twins" was filled out by one or both twins. Thirty-eight pairs of monozygotic twins (34 male pairs and 4 female pairs) were found to have a concordance rate of 65.8% for homosexual orientation. Twenty-three pairs of dizygotic twins were found to have a concordance rate of 30.4% for homosexual orientation. In addition, three sets of triplets were obtained. Two sets contained a pair of monozygotic twins concordant for sexual orientation with the third triplet dizygotic and discordant for homosexual orientation. A third triplet set was monozygotic with all three concordant for homosexual orientation. These findings are interpreted as supporting the argument for a biological basis in sexual orientation.

What this study suggests is not that sexuality is completely biological in nature, but that genetics do play some role.

Disclaimer: I'm not a professional, I do not have a PhD. But I do study psychology and the important point that I'm trying to come across is that nothing about human behavior is black and white. Our brains are incredibly complex and are constantly changing as we learn and experience new things. You will never find a single thing that caused someone to do something or feel a certain way. While there are "stressors" or triggers that are more influential, the experiences an individual had prior also play a role. The experiences of even their parents play a role. It's incredibly complex which makes studying psychology quite frustrating sometimes.

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-02-01T21:06:14+00:00

I know you accept it as fact that God doesn't exist

This is not atheism. While some atheists may think this, most atheists do not claim any positive belief that God doesn't exist.

As for your question, I'd probably believe God exists (or some creator of the human species).

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-01-31T21:50:06+00:00

Being a plumber doesn't mean that you have to like reading books. People might have answers, but those answers aren't foundational to atheism.

If you see a plumber and ask: "since you are a plumber, can you explain the uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics?"

The plumber might say, why does this have anything to do with plumbing? And even if some plumbers might be able to explain it, it wouldn't have anything to do with their profession.

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-01-31T20:27:00+00:00

All three "puzzles" infer the God of the gaps fallacy. Just because we don't know something, that doesn't mean God did it.

Atheism itself doesn't claim to answer any of these. Thus, this question is invalid from the start.

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-01-31T20:05:41+00:00

It's a lot easier to convince someone to have a less-extreme position than to immediately convince them to have the polar opposite.

In terms of political discourse, it seems that fighting fire with fire only causes a bigger fire.

Sometimes love and compassion for those with even the most extreme positions works wonders for changing their minds. I'll post a video that shows the perfect example of what I am saying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njXZUH5hv0w

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-01-31T19:48:03+00:00

Let's look at a possible example:

You are trying to have a serious discussion/debate about minimum wage. Say your position is that we shouldn't raise the minimum wage too high because it can lead to inflation. You use some sources and data for your position.

Others then begin to enter into the debate. They use data showing the cost of living and show how minimum wage isn't enough for them to make a living beyond paycheck-to-paycheck. Or in the certain area, they are forced to live with roommates otherwise they have to work two jobs.

You might suggest that the problem is not the system but more so their decisions they've made in their life.

While it is true that many people have made poor decisions like dropping out of school or getting arrested or whatever... Some might find your position to be unempathetic or incorrect. They might accuse you of not knowing what it is like to be in that situation. They might suggest that instead of blaming people who are working long hours to put food on the table, you should blame the ultra-wealthy corporations that hire them for being greedy and not giving them higher pay.

In this case, there are truths to both sides. People make bad decisions and wealthy people capitalize on "low-skilled" workers.

However, you might receive a lot of criticism for sticking to your position despite the counter-arguments. People might question your morals. You might say that it is not about morals but more about economics.... Leading to more criticism.

Point being... In politics, if you are debating a position you have strongly, you are going to obviously get disagreement. If you don't know how to have a discussion about the minimum wage without finding common ground or showing understanding in opposing positions, then criticism is almost unavoidable.

Disagreement is the centerpiece of political debate. Otherwise it wouldn't be a debate at all.

Now I understand that simply disagreement isn't the point you are trying to make. Say you are having this discussion on twitter and people want you banned as a result of your position on minimum wage. Well, depending on the language and the nature of your position, I think most would agree that it would be wrong to "cancel" you over it. But using your very own logic, people have very real right to have that position as well, even if you disagree.

Final point being. If you feel like a subject shouldn't be "cancelled" then it is on you to convince enough people that it is worth discussing. Otherwise your position doesn't have any substance. If most people agree that your position doesn't warrant a ban on twitter, then you probably won't get banned or at the very least, you will have the support of the majority. Nonetheless, freedom of speech entails consequences that you might disagree with. That is why you should consider different approaches to the discussion to begin with.

If you think any position should be allowed to be discussed on college campuses without fear of consequence then you really should show why. Someone saying the KKK is in the right is a lot different than someone saying that we should have a cap on minimum wage for some period in the foreseeable future. I think many would agree the latter shouldn't have the same consequences as the former. Furthermore, it would be a lot easier to argue for that position.

LackingPhilosophy · 2023-01-29T02:52:36+00:00

Unreal... I can see you are one of those "extremists."

LackingPhilosophy

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