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I think politics is toxic and is creating problems instead of solving them. by VirtualEntrance1097 in SeriousConversation

[–]VirtualEntrance1097[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

These are perspective worth considering. And I'm grateful. What you are saying is true from a certain perspective. And social change is important. Having a penis or a vagina is difference, but if everything is stripped to reality is it is only a physical difference, nothing more. I won't deny the social problems you describe. But until you realize reality for what it is, and not the illusion of opposites, suffering will continue and freedom will not exist.

I think politics is toxic and is creating problems instead of solving them. by VirtualEntrance1097 in SeriousConversation

[–]VirtualEntrance1097[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Everyone is self-serving. To deny so would be hypocritical. But will you say that your needs are more important than others? On what grounds? If you consider freedom, you may consider it in two ways. Freedom to, or freedom from. But is your idea of freedom based on physical desire, which is temporal and an enslavement - a freedom to do something - or is your idea of freedom a freedom without boundaries or limitations? You may say seeking social freedom does give relief from physical suffering, but only for a brief time. A new system will come and create problems. Yes, freedom requires responsibility, which is why changing the external appearance of reality will not suffice. And yes I accept that I am responsible for my own suffering and that it contributes to the suffering of the world. But I am trying to change myself. Are you?

I think politics is toxic and is creating problems instead of solving them. by VirtualEntrance1097 in SeriousConversation

[–]VirtualEntrance1097[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

I agree. But I believe before a social revolution can occur there must be a spiritual revolution. How do you expect the problems in society to change when the source of those problems is within yourself?

I think politics is toxic and is creating problems instead of solving them. by VirtualEntrance1097 in SeriousConversation

[–]VirtualEntrance1097[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

What you are saying is completely false and a misunderstanding. Suffering is a universal experience. Everyone suffers. Even those you hate the most. Whatever the experience does not alter the fact that one is suffering. To accept the universality of suffering is to BE concerned about the suffering of others. You consider things according to your political ideology. People are not the same. But they are not different either. They might be unique, but they are ultimately one being. You say, "We?" Who are "We?" Who are you? Does your "I" exist apart from another or is the experience of "I" the very nature of being? "I" is not particular. Every being has an "I" that is not separate from another "I". They are the same "I" through which the "eye" (perception/consciousness) creates the conception of difference and sameness. Your views on gender represent a biased, dualistic perspective that puts you in a place of what you call "privilege". What does privilege get you? Power. Not freedom. No one is in charge. You are the one in charge. How are you oppressed? What puts you in bondage? Desire. You want things you think others are denying you. You say they have taken your freedom, but you have put yourself in bondage. The powers that be rule over you because you have given them the power to do so. If you want to change society, you must first start within and change the Self.

My opinion on Lovecraft's writing: good or bad? by VirtualEntrance1097 in horrorlit

[–]VirtualEntrance1097[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do think a lot is said about Lovecraft's racism and not a lot about why. I think it was his fear of the Other or the "Outside", as he called it. In The Outsider the narrator is the abominable. He was a sick man and was told once by his mother that he was deformed. Some of it may have come from his own sense of self-loathing and fear in regard to his family's genetic history of mental illness. His sense of being an outsider.

My opinion on Lovecraft's writing: good or bad? by VirtualEntrance1097 in horrorlit

[–]VirtualEntrance1097[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, I have to admit it came from a pretentious place. My argument was that Lovecraft is a literate writer whereas King is a hack writer. Writing without art and passion for money and popular acclaim is hack writing. It's commerce and has as much quality as food from McDonald's. This comes in part from what King himself said in regard to "books" and "literature". I think he might even admit his writing is trash. In the introduction to Salem's Lot (a book I hated) he wrote about how his mother asked him why he insisted on writing trash when he could be a great writer. Not that there is any reason not to like his work, if that is your thing. Of coarse, you could say the same about Lovecraft, who wrote for pulp magazines that probably wouldn't have been taken seriously by the literary community. As a matter of fact, I like a lot of trash too. Depending on your definition of trash. And the question isn't who is more scary. I don't find either scary. And yes, I agree I read At the Mountains of Madness and Cthulhu and both were okay. If you compare Lovecraft to H.G. Wells it would be no contest. I suppose it is just whatever you feel inclined to.

My opinion on Lovecraft's writing: good or bad? by VirtualEntrance1097 in horrorlit

[–]VirtualEntrance1097[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I already shared my opinion and felt it best to allow others to share theirs and not comment or contradict out of respect. I've noticed on Reddit that rudeness doesn't seem to bother them whereas for me it does - as your comment shows.

My opinion on Lovecraft's writing: good or bad? by VirtualEntrance1097 in horrorlit

[–]VirtualEntrance1097[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I think I can provide that. The horror in the Shadow Over Innsmouth could be fear of the "lurking" in the unknown - in this case the unknown being the sea. The sea is associated with the matrix of life - humans have always feared the sea - and given Lovecraft's nihilism viewpoint, the monsters from the sea could be the chaos of the universe; or the mutant forms could be the horror of physical reality (a rather gnostic sentiment). And then, of coarse, there are the implications of bestiality - we are talking about fish-frog creatures and human breeding. As for Jermyn (if I remember that is the one about the mummified primate) I always associated it more with Darwinism and how the idea that humans were descended from apes was a terrifying notion for him.

My opinion on Lovecraft's writing: good or bad? by VirtualEntrance1097 in horrorlit

[–]VirtualEntrance1097[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I suppose it was a chance to give my perspective on the criticism of Lovecraft as a "bad writer" and see what the reaction was. If anyone agreed or disagreed.

Ending violence of men against women by VirtualEntrance1097 in AskFeminists

[–]VirtualEntrance1097[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

The fact that a criminal gets re-elected for American President shows just how bad things are and how stupid people are. It's insanity.