"In old age, we all regret not having killed laziness in ourselves." Epicurus.

Willow_Wisp comments on Jan 23, 2023:

Why do I always get to have a different experience. I'm old, and I regret not getting enough time on my ass, and working so hard I'm physically damaged from it. I think Epicurus had a posh life, what a GD diva!

Fernapple replies on Jan 23, 2023:

He certainly did have a posh life.

"In old age, we all regret not having killed laziness in ourselves." Epicurus.

ASTRALMAX comments on Jan 23, 2023:

Probably a true reflection on his personal life. However, contrast that with the words of Bertrand Russell: "Time that you enjoyed wasting is not wasted time."

Fernapple replies on Jan 23, 2023:

If you don't ever learn how to do leisure, especially early, then you will reach your grave without ever having a meaningful exprience, is very true. But perhaps Epicurus, who appreciated leisure most of all, was meaning too lazy to take leisure properly.

"In old age, we all regret not having killed laziness in ourselves." Epicurus.

Sticks48 comments on Jan 23, 2023:

I appreciate my laziness. Most people l know who don't have that bit of laziness seem to spend a lot of time doing "busy work", a mostly useless non-productive waste of time. Stop and enjoy your "lazy".

Fernapple replies on Jan 23, 2023:

If you don't ever learn how to do leisure, especially early, then you will reach your grave without ever having a meaningful exprience, is very true. But perhaps Epicurus, who appreciated leisure most of all, was meaning too lazy to take leisure properly.

"In old age, we all regret not having killed laziness in ourselves." Epicurus.

KateOahu comments on Jan 23, 2023:

Quite the opposite, “I” regret not having taken more leisure.

Fernapple replies on Jan 23, 2023:

Yes I could go with that. See Sticks below.

"If you shape your life according to nature, you will never be poor, if according to people's ...

ASTRALMAX comments on Jan 22, 2023:

I do not know for certain but think that Epicureanism and Daoism probably originated around the same historical period.

Fernapple replies on Jan 23, 2023:

@MsKathleen Thank you, you may over estimate me, but I try to make useful/amusing gifts of knowledge when I can, and at least I get a warm glow from knowing it is valued.

"If you shape your life according to nature, you will never be poor, if according to people's ...

Mcfluwster comments on Jan 22, 2023:

Priorities IS the secret of life

Fernapple replies on Jan 22, 2023:

@Mcfluwster That is sad, but It does not take long to get to four no.

"If you shape your life according to nature, you will never be poor, if according to people's ...

ASTRALMAX comments on Jan 22, 2023:

I do not know for certain but think that Epicureanism and Daoism probably originated around the same historical period.

Fernapple replies on Jan 22, 2023:

They are from more or less exactly the same time yes, Epicurus and Laozi may even have had overlapping lifetimes, though several thousand miles apart. And of course they have very similar views, you could perhaps say that the civilizations of the old world, were ready for those ideas at about that time.

"If you shape your life according to nature, you will never be poor, if according to people's ...

LenHazell53 comments on Jan 22, 2023:

I am quite fond of Epicurus as a philosopher.

Fernapple replies on Jan 22, 2023:

Me too. Especially since he was all but atheist.

Well the world turns, and strange things happen.

Pralina1 comments on Jan 22, 2023:

Man 🙁 I had a lengthy discussion w my sister last week ( face time ). My sister is the brains in the family , the doctor , and I am lazy AND a freak 🤡 All my life I ate nothing than nuts , tomatoes and mozzarella and goat cheese , bread , pasta , tones of olive oil / lemon / vinegar , steak ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 22, 2023:

My thoughts exactly. I try to eat the best stuff when I easily can, in part because I tend to like the Med diet anyway, but I do not bother much at all.

"If you shape your life according to nature, you will never be poor, if according to people's ...

Mcfluwster comments on Jan 22, 2023:

Priorities IS the secret of life

Fernapple replies on Jan 22, 2023:

How come you are on level four ?

Church of England apologizes for treatment of LGBTQ people “For the times we have rejected or ...

KKGator comments on Jan 21, 2023:

I don't believe them. They're lying.

Fernapple replies on Jan 21, 2023:

Well he also said, that they were not going to recognize same sex marriage at the same time !?

Well the world turns, and strange things happen.

JackPedigo comments on Jan 21, 2023:

All of these are a part of my diet (except the fish). One can get the omega's from flax seed. One thing consistently not discussed is the fact some people's body reacts to certain foods and that reaction can cause inflammation. I took, what is known as a blood anti-gen test. It showed a high ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 21, 2023:

Good advice.

"Not what we have, but what we enjoy constitutes our wealth." Epicurus.

Garban comments on Jan 21, 2023:

I’m with Horace: “As for me, when you want a laugh, you will see me in fine state, fat and flourishing, a hog from Epicurus's herd.” - Quintus Horatius Flaccus - Letter to Tibullus

Fernapple replies on Jan 21, 2023:

Speaking as a nice well fattened old porker from Epicuruses herd, I shall be quoting my trough filler a lot more soon.

Well the world turns, and strange things happen.

Garban comments on Jan 21, 2023:

Mackerel is one of the few fish I don’t care for. King Mackerel especially, yuck. I need to try Edamame, it doesn’t sound appealing, but my taste buds aren’t in my ears. All the other recommendations are regulars on the menu.

Fernapple replies on Jan 21, 2023:

@AnneWimsey Yes that was the one I did not know. Thank you, I will look it up.

Free For All

Fernapple comments on Jan 21, 2023:

I have not blocked anybody. If you don't like their posts or comments, it is easy to ignore them, but sometimes even the worst trolls post something interesting, so why miss out.

Fernapple replies on Jan 21, 2023:

@LovinLarge That is the other reason why I did not block anyone, you have to meet them head on now and again, if only so that anyone else watching, gets to see the obvious holes in their arguments. (OK, so the site's toxic narcarssist runs away with his fingers in his ears, at the sight of me, but if people are not ready for personal growth, that's not my problem. )

Well the world turns, and strange things happen.

LovinLarge comments on Jan 21, 2023:

Will have to try mackerel one day.

Fernapple replies on Jan 21, 2023:

Try smoked, its very tasty, and the smoking is slightly unhealthy, so you don't have to feel too guilty about going against your principles by taking health advice. It worked for me. LOL

Another world, filled with wonderful things. Alien beauty. [youtube.com]

Julie808 comments on Jan 20, 2023:

Fascinating! Yes, some of those fungi do like like sea corals! Nice that his love of photographing the fungi is helping the mycologists. I'll have to finish watching it later. Now it's time for my evening walk. :-)

Fernapple replies on Jan 21, 2023:

@Julie808 It is a long one yes, but I thought worth the time. Fun-gee would be the way here in England, but this is Australian of course.

50 Things Basically Every Single American Believes Are Completely Normal But Are Actually Very, ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 20, 2023:

Interesting list yes. It would be nice to know though which countries the comments came from.

Fernapple replies on Jan 20, 2023:

@David1955 So did I, but Europe being very variable, it would be nice to be more specific, since some of the things listed are true of some parts of Europe, but not others.

“The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike.” ― Delos Banning McKown

Fernapple comments on Jan 16, 2023:

The silent and the non-existent also sound very alike. Do not go to god for advice.

Fernapple replies on Jan 18, 2023:

@Mcfluwster And not an especially bright or honest human at that.

A Big Step Towards Hydrogen Fuel Out of Thin Air—Just Like a Plant [goodnewsnetwork.org]

vocaloldfart comments on Jan 17, 2023:

Gladstone qld has just built it's own hydrogen plant. operational who knows when. there is presently a lot of kafuffle about the production of hydrogen. Apparently there are two sorts of hydrogen. Green hydrogen and some other kind. Then you have hydrogen fuel cells, which seem to be as easy to ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 18, 2023:

Here you go all the gen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zklo4Z1SqkE

I don't know why I assumed this site would be better than facebook.

yvilletom comments on Jan 17, 2023:

Naming-calling is a form of violence - verbal violence, and one of those ancient Romans said violence arises from powerlessness.

Fernapple replies on Jan 18, 2023:

Those who know they can not win the arguments, reach for their weapons.

A Big Step Towards Hydrogen Fuel Out of Thin Air—Just Like a Plant [goodnewsnetwork.org]

vocaloldfart comments on Jan 17, 2023:

Gladstone qld has just built it's own hydrogen plant. operational who knows when. there is presently a lot of kafuffle about the production of hydrogen. Apparently there are two sorts of hydrogen. Green hydrogen and some other kind. Then you have hydrogen fuel cells, which seem to be as easy to ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 18, 2023:

The "other kind" I would think, simply means using fossil fuels as the energy source to split the water. So still the same greenhouse gas, perhaps even more since the system willl involve some energy waste, you just get to use the hydrogen in the city streets, and generate the polution in some distant power station, much like none green electric.

One reason I love talking economics with my son, a respected economist, is that I know his opinions ...

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Jan 15, 2023:

Yes. I know nothing of rocket science, so I rely on scientists with good reputations in the field for information. The crocks are easily weeded out for educated people in any field. My field, literature, is subjective, but not many people outside of academia argue about literature. On the other ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 17, 2023:

@Gwendolyn2018 And I am told that they added the eleventh comandment, just to annoy the Catholics. As well as the final verses of the Song of Solomon, the ones which tell you that it is in fact a metaphor for the so called, love of god, in case anyone thought that it was just a romantic/soft porn, poem.

"Never sleep with someone who doesn't want to show up on the streets with you." Aristotle.

Marionville comments on Jan 17, 2023:

That’s a great quote…and you can turn it round the other way too!

Fernapple replies on Jan 17, 2023:

In my case that would leave me very lonely on the streets.

One reason I love talking economics with my son, a respected economist, is that I know his opinions ...

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Jan 15, 2023:

Yes. I know nothing of rocket science, so I rely on scientists with good reputations in the field for information. The crocks are easily weeded out for educated people in any field. My field, literature, is subjective, but not many people outside of academia argue about literature. On the other ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 17, 2023:

@Gwendolyn2018 And of course most of the fundamentalists prefer the King James, which is arguably at least , by far the worst, most miss translated and even rewritten version you can get.

An interesting point, don't you think?

lerlo comments on Jan 16, 2023:

What am I missing? The answer to both is are people selfish? But the main difference in the questions is stealing is illegal, hoarding is not. It's up to the state to regulate rationing in serious situations. However as you probably know, mandating masks to protect Society still resulted in ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 16, 2023:

Hoarding has been illegal in my country on several occasions.

What world awaits Gen Z? | Malcolm Gladwell x Brain Bar

Fernapple comments on Jan 16, 2023:

Moderate quite good, though I have doubts about whether the sports analogy works for real life, quite so perfectly as he claims.

Fernapple replies on Jan 16, 2023:

@rainmanjr It seems to in the video, but I am just always wary of analogy and metaphor, you can use those to prove anything.

One reason I love talking economics with my son, a respected economist, is that I know his opinions ...

LovinLarge comments on Jan 15, 2023:

Trumpers are the worst. They don't understand or appreciate the significance of expertise because none of them have any. Trump himself has none. A good example is how they've berated Dr. Fauci throughout the pandemic because someone having devoted their lives to developing a body of knowledge is ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 16, 2023:

@LovinLarge I just wrote this for Gwen below. None of us can have a deep knowledge of everything, or even most things, and therefore when dealing with subjects of which I have no deep knowledge, which is most of them naturally. I fall back on the default position of using whatever seems to be the consensus among the acknowledged mainstream experts. While, where there is dispute among even them, I try to look for the side which seems to be using the best methods, using my experience in the fields which I do know to tell me what works best. The problem is, that when you have reject education in principle, as something that is a threat to your world view, then you can not use either of those methods, or even admit to yourself that there could be such things as methods. And rejecting education is sadly for many a tribal issue, where membership and status in the tribe depends upon the degree to which you are anti-education.

One reason I love talking economics with my son, a respected economist, is that I know his opinions ...

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Jan 15, 2023:

Yes. I know nothing of rocket science, so I rely on scientists with good reputations in the field for information. The crocks are easily weeded out for educated people in any field. My field, literature, is subjective, but not many people outside of academia argue about literature. On the other ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 16, 2023:

None of us can have a deep knowledge of everything, or even most things, and therefore when dealing with subjects of which I have no deep knowledge, which is most of them naturally. I fall back on the default position of using whatever seems to be the consensus among the acknowledged mainstream experts. While, where there is dispute among even them, I try to look for the side which seems to be using the best methods, using my experience in the fields which I do know to tell me what works best. The problem is, that when you have reject education in principle, as something that is a threat to your world view, then you can not use either of those methods, or even admit to yourself that there could be such things as methods. And rejecting education is sadly for many a tribal issue, where membership and status in the tribe depends upon the degree to which you are anti-education. I tend to find that my knowledge of the bible is quite good, not great, but quite good when compared with most of the American Christians I hear from. That is probably because in the UK , the schools are/were often Christian, and like many in the UK, I was therefore taught about the Bible in school. Yet here is the strange thing. That does not seem to have prevented, and may even have helped, the UK to become very secular.

You get one life to live, don't waste a minute of it on your knees, praying to an imaginary sky ...

racocn8 comments on Jan 15, 2023:

That is the downside of Pascal's Wager that is never mentioned, wasting the one life you have living in a state of threat, delusion and hatred of everyone else.

Fernapple replies on Jan 16, 2023:

The other downside to Pascal's wager is. If there was a god/supernatural/second life/higher intelligence/great unknown, whatever, surely it would prefer atheists anyway. After all we do not tell it what to do, pretend to speak in its name to fool others, or set up imposters in its place.

Types of Atheists (Psychology of Atheism Part 1) - YouTube

silverotter11 comments on Jan 15, 2023:

I sure wish my Dad were still here. I know what I can't be bothered with (like church and that dogma) but I've never considered there was such a range of terminology to explain it all. I suppose it depends on how important it is to each person. My Dad studied the Bible. He said to me one ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 16, 2023:

The more false the product you are trying to sell, the more attractive you have to make the advert, and that applies to the high and sacred arts as well. Therefore the better the art the more you should distrust it as a source of truth.

Let's get personal.

ASTRALMAX comments on Jan 14, 2023:

Around the age of ten years it was decided that I would attend Sunday school for religious instruction. It had been agreed between our parents that a friend and I would go there together. We deliberately walked slowly because neither one of us did not want to spend and hour reciting religious ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 15, 2023:

That's not so much a fun fact, as a, smart kid well done.

Some really beautiful animals, and their history.

Diaco comments on Jan 14, 2023:

Awesome! love this 😍

Fernapple replies on Jan 14, 2023:

Thank you.

The Asshole Hypothetically speaking there's a person named John.

Beowulfsfriend comments on Jan 13, 2023:

Zorasterism, while not a major religion, Freddie Mercury was born one, does not seek out nor allow converts. Those would be my kind of neighbors. Plus, they used to put the dead out to be eaten by animals, mostly vultures. When I visited the large Baih'i temple in Chicago, I was surprised to ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 14, 2023:

Yes there are a few like that, the Samaritans for one are very famous thanks to the Bible story, though in reality thanks to their no converts rules, there are now only a few thousand left.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Hated More Than Andrew by Older Brits—Poll

Fernapple comments on Jan 13, 2023:

Actually no, a lot of us Brits think that they are all a waste of space.

Fernapple replies on Jan 13, 2023:

@barjoe I know. That's what you get for using social media, lots of unneeded information on minor celebs, who did little or nothing to earn their celeb status. LOL

Warning.

ChestRockfield comments on Jan 12, 2023:

1. I will likely never vacation within the US again. For the cost of just the hotel in the US, I can get flight, hotel, transportation, food, and alcohol in Jamaica... and have better weather. 2. Everything is failing here. I would not be surprised at all if we stopped being a democracy some ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 12, 2023:

It is rare that you are actually sad to find out that you were right, but I happened to me today.

Take a deep breath and remember: even the roughest days get better Good morning.

LovinLarge comments on Jan 11, 2023:

Again, agnostic or atheist?

Fernapple replies on Jan 12, 2023:

@LovinLarge The more time I spend on this site, where the majority are from the USA, the more I start to think that the USA is a broken society, and a failing democracy. The other day someone posted, about there being no cheap hotels in the USA like there are overseas. Well yes, because it seems to me that, in the USA, most people, especially the poor and middle income people, are not encouraged to travel, so of course there are no hotels for them. That no doubt, helps to keep people from widening their horizons and broadening their minds. Which is great if you want a nation of mindless drudges, who work, get their pay, go back spend it where they earned it, and never question anything. But, in Europe many companies, and institutions actively encourage travel. So that taking your vacation, especially abroad, is almost, compulsory, and you would be seen as strange with poor promotional prospects, if you did not show an appetite for widening your horizons. Generally speaking has nobody ever noticed that trying to restrict and discourage travel, is what countries like North Korea and the old Soviet Union did ? Presumably in case anyone finds out that it is possible to improve on the workers paradise, and woe betide, by how very much. ( I like this may post it just to get the hornets buzzing. LOL )

This applies to UK. No idea what happens anywhere else.

Fernapple comments on Jan 11, 2023:

Yes, it is called animal hygiene, in case they are carrying diseases, that could transmit to others. At the moment we have an outbreak of bird flu, so you would not be able to walk your parrot past a chicken farm, but nobody told the sparrows of course.

Fernapple replies on Jan 11, 2023:

@Jolanta Yes it is very sad. When I was a child in the UK, growing up around farms and villages, the "cheap cheap" of sparrows, was the perminant background sound track to our days. Now you rarely hear them. I am told that in part, it is due to modern farm practices, farm hygiene means that there is no spilled grain about these days, so they have lost a major food source.

Take a deep breath and remember: even the roughest days get better Good morning.

LovinLarge comments on Jan 11, 2023:

Again, agnostic or atheist?

Fernapple replies on Jan 11, 2023:

@LovinLarge It is sad to hear about your friend, especially since a bad diet can actually cause depression, making it perhaps a self sustaining cycle.

Take a deep breath and remember: even the roughest days get better Good morning.

LovinLarge comments on Jan 11, 2023:

Again, agnostic or atheist?

Fernapple replies on Jan 11, 2023:

In the UK terriers are much respected, because of the way they don't let go when once they have got their teeth in. Its a thing we greatly admire.

Psychologist Stanley Milgram found that 80% of people do not have the psychological and moral ...

SeaGreenEyez comments on Jan 11, 2023:

Huh? This is America. We don't take orders unless we're working in the service industry, being harassed by the police, paying attention to a doctor, or in the military. I'd suggest this story is deeply flawed from the outset (or onset, depending on who's English language you're using.) 🙄

Fernapple replies on Jan 11, 2023:

@Castlepaloma I agree with your basic line, but a small correction of fact. There were at least six other democratic republics at the time the American Constitution was written, some of which continue to this day.

There are thousands of religions around the world.

skado comments on Jan 8, 2023:

Humans did not make the universe. The universe made us. People of all cultures recognize this obvious fact, and give that system which created us various names according to their respective language, tradition, and time period. Early civilizations personified the system as a god or gods. ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 11, 2023:

@Garban And when we realize that there are no big purposes, then we know that belief in big purpose, is vanity and narcissism, and that those failings are the main trade of religion. Build up the vanities and people will obey you and pay, to have those vanities confirmed, over and over again. So, as they say. Being none religious, we are free to choose our own purposes. Which must by definition be small, so that humanism is by definition a philosophy of humility. Yet here for fun is an irony. Suppose for one second, hypothetically, that there is a creator, though one who has probably not revealed any purpose to us. Then what can we discern is most likely to be pleasing to it, if pleasing it matters at all ? After the possible givens, such as be kind, the only thing I think that seems likely, is that we should appreciate its creation as much as possible, down to the smallest detail. And what are we doing when we create our own small purposes, if not appreciating its creation down to the smallest detail ? Therefore being an atheist could be the most pleasing thing to the creator. Nice joke ?

Cardinal George Pell dies in Rome aged 81 after hip surgery; former Vatican finances chief was ...

David1955 comments on Jan 10, 2023:

I'm inconsolable with grief. How can I get through the rest of the day. Oh no wait, that's Tony Abbott. Pell once told Richard Dawkins and an audience that he thought we evolved from Neanderthals. In his case I think that was about right.

Fernapple replies on Jan 11, 2023:

No Neanderthals were way smarter than that.

There are thousands of religions around the world.

skado comments on Jan 8, 2023:

Humans did not make the universe. The universe made us. People of all cultures recognize this obvious fact, and give that system which created us various names according to their respective language, tradition, and time period. Early civilizations personified the system as a god or gods. ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 10, 2023:

@Garban Very true. And since ever religion assigns a different purpose to creation, then we have at least five possibles. 1. There is no purpose, so they are all wrong. 2. There is a purpose, but it is not known, so they are all impostors. 3. There are many purposes and truth is relative, so that freeing yourself from religion and becoming agnostic/atheist, is just as viable a route to enlightenment as any other. 4. There is only one purpose known to only one religion, so you have to take a ten thousand to one bet, and creation and/or the creator is politically and racially motivated in dispensing truth. 5. Religion is a metaphor which needs to be interpreted, to extract deep hidden truth which is equally as viable as science, but only when interpreted and carefully cherry picked, and so, any narcissist may be a prophet. Did I am miss one ? I am sure I did, please input.

I love human ingenuity. Including Russian.

vocaloldfart comments on Jan 9, 2023:

Good idea. I wonder if it will take off?? Imagine the police planting fiberglass cutouts. Be better than the revenue raising method they use now to keep the road toll down.. Speeders or drunks would never know if they passed a cutout or a cop car until it is too late.

Fernapple replies on Jan 10, 2023:

Yep, someone near me painted an old wreck to look like a police car and parked it in the end of his drive.

There are thousands of religions around the world.

skado comments on Jan 8, 2023:

Humans did not make the universe. The universe made us. People of all cultures recognize this obvious fact, and give that system which created us various names according to their respective language, tradition, and time period. Early civilizations personified the system as a god or gods. ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 9, 2023:

We used to have a common bat here in the UK. called the Pipistrelle. Then it was discovered that it was in fact two species the common type and a smaller one. Until 1999, the soprano pipistrelle was considered as conspecific with the common pipistrelle, but then they made the discovery and so they gave the new species a new name, Pipistrellus pygmaeus keeping the old name Pipistrellus pipistrellus for the larger of the two. Usually, changes of names represent real improvements in knowledge and understanding.

Re-introducing myself - anyone remember me?

Fernapple comments on Jan 6, 2023:

Welcome back, I do remember you, and its still quite fun here. I do not think that it matters one little bit what words you do or do not use, as long as you are careful to ensure that you define the meaning of your words each time you use them. Especially so if your usage deviates from the ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 6, 2023:

@MarkWD That is exactly my gardening too. That certainly looks a wonderfu;l border.

My first time having a serious discussion with a Christian friend.

hankster comments on Jan 5, 2023:

if a person is happy I hesitate to mess with it unless they try to share their happy.

Fernapple replies on Jan 6, 2023:

My possition exactly.

West Coast storms hitting again. This one is bigger.

Mooolah comments on Jan 4, 2023:

Batten down the hatches

Fernapple replies on Jan 5, 2023:

@PondartIncbendog Just have another drink.

We're not human beings having a spiritual experience.

xenoview comments on Jan 4, 2023:

What do you mean by spiritual being? Can you prove that we are spiritual?

Fernapple replies on Jan 5, 2023:

Everything always seems bigger in the dark. Switch the light out, or use an ill defined term, and your speculation can be as big as your vanity wants to imagine it.

We're not human beings having a spiritual experience.

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Jan 4, 2023:

That indicated that there is something beyond being "human" and spirits exist outside of a body. They don't. What is your definition of "spirit"?

Fernapple replies on Jan 5, 2023:

Everything always seems bigger in the dark. Switch the light out, or use an ill defined term, and your speculation can be as big as your vanity wants to imagine it.

We're not human beings having a spiritual experience.

Castlepaloma comments on Jan 4, 2023:

When spiritual is the 99% unknowns. How is it possible if a human even knows its a spiritual being or high energy being? Or when it's weaker side of a human, is experiencing more ignorance and choas then anything esle. Could be a silly question, I'm sure I will get plenty of silly answers from ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 5, 2023:

Everything always seems bigger in the dark. Switch the light out, or use an ill defined term, and your speculation can be as big as your vanity wants to imagine it.

We're not human beings having a spiritual experience.

The-Krzyz comments on Jan 4, 2023:

“Spiritual” has become one of those words given so many meanings (often based on convenience) that it is left with no meaning at all. That’s besides the unfortunate historical baggage the word is burdened with, which I assume many of us on this site would rather leave behind.

Fernapple replies on Jan 5, 2023:

Everything always seems bigger in the dark. Switch the light out, or use an ill defined term, and your speculation can be as big as your vanity wants to imagine it.

West Coast storms hitting again. This one is bigger.

Mooolah comments on Jan 4, 2023:

Batten down the hatches

Fernapple replies on Jan 5, 2023:

@PondartIncbendog Enjoy, but get plenty of food and candles in first.

How cool is that! The incredible ocean statue of Neptune (Poseidon) in Gran Canaria, Spain.

The-Krzyz comments on Jan 4, 2023:

Wonder how many surfers he has skewered over the years … 🤔🏄🏻🔱😧

Fernapple replies on Jan 4, 2023:

Hazard to shipping.

A sad but true observation on today's social-media driven world: "The reason is because ours is ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 3, 2023:

Mainly true, but be careful not to glorify the past. Schools in my day, half a century plus ago, existed mainly to suppress education, and to propagate ignorance, there was just as much disinformation about then as now, it just cost more money to get it, and it was called education. I was for one, ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 4, 2023:

@MizJ I guess that there will be formal taste, but what that taste will be I could not begin to speculate. Future-ology is no science, and is alway little better than fortune telling, but I would guess that wearing socks with sandals will be all the rage.

"So be aware that the priests, by means of terrorizing threats, will seek to cause you to fall away ...

Mcfluwster comments on Jan 3, 2023:

True. Now how do we bring back reasonable reason to the church?

Fernapple replies on Jan 3, 2023:

@Diogenes There is no logic in infinite punishment for finite sins, even Mohammed understood that. Which means that either their god is illogical, or the people who made him up, were not of the brightest.

“Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of ...

Pralina1 comments on Jan 3, 2023:

Friends are EVERYTHING 🙌♥️🙌♥️🙌♥️

Fernapple replies on Jan 3, 2023:

“Of all the means to insure happiness throughout the whole life, by far the most important is the acquisition of friends.” “It is not so much our friends' help that helps us as the confident knowledge that they will help us.” ― Epicurus ( Who Cicero may himself have been quoting, because he often did. )

"So be aware that the priests, by means of terrorizing threats, will seek to cause you to fall away ...

Mcfluwster comments on Jan 3, 2023:

True. Now how do we bring back reasonable reason to the church?

Fernapple replies on Jan 3, 2023:

You don't, because that is not the purpose for which the church exists. Reason is self justifing, it does not need a church or a god to explain it, you only need a church or a god if you have something unreasonable to promote. And as or if reason, evidence based science, and education advance to explain more to more people, so it is increasingly only those with something untrue/criminal to sell, who need churches, so the chuches grow ever more unreasonable with time.

"If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously ...

Fernapple comments on Dec 12, 2022:

Very true, I do love B. R.. Although it has to be said, that you can be angry on behave of others, if you catch someone teaching that two and two are five, (especially if they don't believe that themselves, and/or are doing it for selfish ends ) then you may be quite justified in feeling anger.

Fernapple replies on Jan 3, 2023:

@johan17 Thank you, I stand corrected.

“Empty is the argument of the philosopher which does not relieve any human suffering.

FrayedBear comments on Jan 2, 2023:

And several thousand years later Cipolla refined it with "an intelligent person benefits both themself & others with their decisions & actions"

Fernapple replies on Jan 2, 2023:

When they can.

Sometimes I think that well intentioned had work should just be appreciated for its own sake, ...

Julie808 comments on Jan 1, 2023:

We all gotta do what we have in our instincts to do, even if we don't have a reason, it seems!

Fernapple replies on Jan 2, 2023:

Well he does have a reason, after all, winter may be coming, and his new family need to be protected against the cold, while the house is clearly leaking, he can hear it when the taps are running or the bath is emptying , got to look after the home.

Would you prefer that this site be more welcoming to religious people, or screen them out more ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 1, 2023:

Yes please, I love to talk and debate with any opinion. But it also has to be kept in mind that this is a refuge for some people, so that while diversity is good for people like me, it should not be gained at the expense of making an unfriendly site to those who need the community, and the religious...

Fernapple replies on Jan 2, 2023:

@David1955 Indeed I quite agree, that is my possition exactly.

Sometimes I think that well intentioned had work should just be appreciated for its own sake, ...

Redheadedgammy comments on Jan 1, 2023:

He is a good builder with the items that were available!! 🤣

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2023:

Trying his best to be a good family member, and contribute to getting the house ready for winter.

Happy new year.

Julie808 comments on Jan 1, 2023:

Yes, the most pious of the religious people in my circle growing up were also the most unhappy and the most vicious in their treatment of others. I was made to believe that if bad things were happening to me, and God wasn’t watching out for me by assisting me with guardian angels, it was ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2023:

Perfect, if there is wisdom in this world, then I think that you are its enbodiment.

Happy new year.

Cyklone comments on Jan 1, 2023:

So what is the difference betweeen a religion and a cult, other than just the number of members?

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2023:

The difference is, that a religion is big enough and rich enough, to buy a share in the government.

The Five Laws Of Stupidity [youtu.be]

ChestRockfield comments on Dec 31, 2022:

This is the same dumb-ass shit Frayedbear always posts. After looking into Cipolla, it seemed like a joke (contrary to what the narrator of the video thinks). IF he was joking, then people shouldn't be quoting it as if it were a serious theory. If he wasn't joking, then he was a fuckin' idiot and ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2023:

@ChestRockfield All life is absurd, and only fools think that they can rise above the absurdity.

The Five Laws Of Stupidity [youtu.be]

ChestRockfield comments on Dec 31, 2022:

This is the same dumb-ass shit Frayedbear always posts. After looking into Cipolla, it seemed like a joke (contrary to what the narrator of the video thinks). IF he was joking, then people shouldn't be quoting it as if it were a serious theory. If he wasn't joking, then he was a fuckin' idiot and ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2023:

@ChestRockfield You are quite correct on all points.

Happy new year.

Aaron70 comments on Jan 1, 2023:

Happy New Year, from one babbling narcissistic heathen to another! ☺️

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2023:

You don't babble, its only really old farts like me who do that.

Happy new year.

xenoview comments on Jan 1, 2023:

TLDR, all religions are cults.

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2023:

Correct. The only difference between a religion and a cult, is that a religion is rich enough to buy some part of the state.

Happy new year.

Mcfluwster comments on Jan 1, 2023:

Thanks for posting. It helps when anyone gets down to fundamentals. I presume that the step out of religion gave you progress. Where do you look for progress now besides this site?

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2023:

I am always moving, and philosophically an Epicurian, with the love of nature at the heart.

Hello dear agnostic friends.

Fernapple comments on Nov 14, 2022:

Hello and welcome, enjoy the site. And yes there are quite a few like you here.

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2023:

@kafeel007 Fine thank you, and a happy new year to you. Would you like to share how you came to be agnostic or atheist ?

Happy new year.

Scott321 comments on Jan 1, 2023:

Surely they have their downsides, but I had thought Jesuits to be a step above the Catholic rank and file priesthood. George Coyne was a cosmologist Bill Maher interviewed for **Religulous** and another Jesuit came up with the Big Bang.

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2023:

They are great educators yes and have been thinkers, but they also are at the core of the Catholic propaganda machine, and run cult of original guilt and have been involved in some of the church's darker right wing activeties, and managed some of its worst schools.

Happy new year.

DenoPenno comments on Jan 1, 2023:

Thanks for posting. I put up with Christian apologetics which are lies the entire time I studied for the ministry. Dropping away from that, I lived in guilt for a majority of my life. Drinking was wrong but I became alcoholic and would sometimes cry over my lost Christianity. One day I woke up to ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2023:

Sorry to hear about the drink, that is not good. I was raised in a heavy drinking culture, but fortunately it never grabbed a deep hold on me.

Happy new year.

KateOahu comments on Jan 1, 2023:

I think that generally people are as “good” as they are able to be, with the tools they have. Some are lucky to be born with many tools, some are able to acquire tools…and some are denied access to the tools that would allow them greatness. Societal and familial scripting go a long way ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2023:

There is a lot more, but even someone as patient as you would run for cover if I went on at full length.

Happy new year.

Moravian comments on Jan 1, 2023:

An interesting journey. Although made to go to Sunday school and then church the whole religion thing went right over my head and only in later years did I read widely including the bible at length and came to the conclusion that religions are just archaic superstitions that are long overdue to be ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2023:

Yes i try to keep to secular subjects when talking to clergy. A lot of them are good people if misguided, and I see no point in causing hurt when there is no need.

Happy new year.

waitingforgodo comments on Jan 1, 2023:

Thanks, although I didn't have a headache before.

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2023:

You are welcome.

The Five Laws Of Stupidity [youtu.be]

ChestRockfield comments on Dec 31, 2022:

This is the same dumb-ass shit Frayedbear always posts. After looking into Cipolla, it seemed like a joke (contrary to what the narrator of the video thinks). IF he was joking, then people shouldn't be quoting it as if it were a serious theory. If he wasn't joking, then he was a fuckin' idiot and ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2023:

I don't disagree with you about a lot of the interpretations placed on Cipolla, but I do think that he is hard done by and misunderstood to a degree. Cipolla's "stupid" was not originally intended to be the same thing as the popular meaning of the word, it was originally intended to be a technical term and idea, to be used in modeling human behaviour, when trying to create models in economics. For the understanding of things like the workings of the stock market, and for that use, the idea works well enough.

Sometimes you have to wonder about humans.

TheInterlooper comments on Dec 31, 2022:

I believe political satire shows (the daily show, real time, etc.) have normalized responding to opposing ideas with snark and sarcasm. Unfortunately, most fans of those shows do so without the wit and grace of the comedians who host them.

Fernapple replies on Dec 31, 2022:

Very true.

One less christian nutter in the world!!! Hallelujah!!!! Praise the Lord!!!! Thank you baby ...

nowhereman55 comments on Dec 31, 2022:

What happened? Somebody died?

Fernapple replies on Dec 31, 2022:

Just some old sad pedophile protector and nazi sympathizer, nothing to get excited about, sadly there are a lot more like him.

Would you prefer that this site be a comfortable echo chamber for like-minded individuals only, or ...

JackPedigo comments on Dec 30, 2022:

Depends on what is meant by mutually, 'respectful' debate. I thought we already had that so should we open the door to the Musk type of thinking!? I hope not.

Fernapple replies on Dec 31, 2022:

Examples of blunt refutals without evidence or reasoned argument. Bear in mind that these statements are often made to new members who just joined, and are often trying to test the water and gain confidence. If not bullying then the next nearist thing perhaps ? https://agnostic.com/post/651566/religion-the-root-of-most-evil?aid=2789735 https://agnostic.com/post/647094/the-lies-start-early?aid=2777535 https://agnostic.com/post/646897/the-concept-of-hell-serves-no-purpose-other-than-to-instill-fear-and-control-others?aid=2777081 https://agnostic.com/post/646913/immortality-sociopaths?aid=2777063 And there are dozens more. And Ad homien. https://agnostic.com/discussion/666471/the-happiest-nations-on-earth-are-strongly-secular?aid=2826636

The early history of something which is never dug up by archaeologists, ice, and be amazed by just ...

waitingforgodo comments on Dec 30, 2022:

I say, "Waiter, there's sand, clay, egg-white , ash and goat-hair in my ice cube". "Certainly sir", the waiter foamed frigidly, "I shall add a slice of lime". The IceCube Neutrino Observatory (or simply IceCube) is a neutrino observatory constructed at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 31, 2022:

Wonderful.

And it is also error to argue that, in the absence of the restraint that comes when evil men fear ...

waitingforgodo comments on Dec 30, 2022:

Did he construct a rectangular pizza as testament to his love of epicurean treats, or some such? A wise man would read up on this.

Fernapple replies on Dec 31, 2022:

You maybe know, but for those who don't, he actually did something nearly as strange. He had a large wall, round a city square, inscribed with an Epicurian text, including sections on physics and ethics. So that everyone could read the teachings of Epicurus, which were mainly agnostic, even if they could not afford books or a visit to a philosophical school.

Sometimes you have to wonder about humans.

AnneWimsey comments on Dec 30, 2022:

So i should exert myself to charm assholes into changing their minds??? which Isn't going to happen, not them changing their mind or me using feminine wiles on them.........

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2022:

Only if you want them to change their minds, if you don't want them to change, be as charming or not as you like. My point was about as said, only people who obviously want people to change, and there seem to be a lot of people banging their heads against the wall and asking. Why does nobody buy my ideas, no mater how hard I shout, about how stupid and immoral they are ?

And it is also error to argue that, in the absence of the restraint that comes when evil men fear ...

zeuser comments on Dec 30, 2022:

He ain't wrong.

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2022:

And just think about the age when that was written !

Sometimes you have to wonder about humans.

hankster comments on Dec 30, 2022:

same reasons non-believers do.

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2022:

@hankster Yes.

Sometimes you have to wonder about humans.

hankster comments on Dec 30, 2022:

same reasons non-believers do.

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2022:

Oh, every shade of opinion has some who do it yes. My remarks were quite as generalized as I could make them, without being long winded, so I hoped that, " religion, social and political " would be taken to include non-believers.

The early history of something which is never dug up by archaeologists, ice, and be amazed by just ...

Oldman51 comments on Dec 30, 2022:

How much of this society would be left in 1 thousand years and what would people think digging it up in the future.

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2022:

I often thought that if they dig up one percent of our civilizations sites, which would be a good percentage. Then it is unlikely that they would hit on a rocket launch pad, since there are only three or four at most, so they would conclude that we never went into space.

Sometimes you have to wonder about humans.

vocaloldfart comments on Dec 30, 2022:

The first tenet of advertising is get yourself noticed. You are more likely to remember the message of someone obnoxious than someone who spreads feel good stories. the feel good message soon fades in the memory once we have processed it especially if it is not relevant to us at the time. Get the ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2022:

Yes that is true, but you are unlikely to accept a message which is presented in nasty form, rather to get noticed you have to presents the lack of your message in nasty form, and your side as a pleasant alternative. If I wish to sell a car, I first tell you a story about how bad the other make of car is, and how their after sales service let someone down very unjustly, bad enough to make you mad. I then tell you how good our after sales are, and what kind thoughtful methods we use. Not the other way round.

Sometimes you have to wonder about humans.

ASTRALMAX comments on Dec 30, 2022:

The simple answer is that social media presents an easy outlet for many people to vent their general discontent with their life.

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2022:

True. But should it not be easy you would think, to make a difference between venting and promoting, yet so many people seem not to be able to do that.

Would you prefer that this site be a comfortable echo chamber for like-minded individuals only, or ...

TheInterlooper comments on Dec 29, 2022:

https://agnostic.com/discussion/700620/whats-the-difference-between-a-man-made-god-and-a-man-made-government I think I know where @anglophone and @Betty stand on this issue.

Fernapple replies on Dec 29, 2022:

The difference is that. If you chose not to believe in a religion, it will go away, if you chose not to believe in government, it will still take your taxes.

Lies travel faster than the truth.

Robecology comments on Dec 27, 2022:

But...but...

Fernapple replies on Dec 28, 2022:

@LenHazell53 Thank you, great trivia.

Why Do These Deadly Insects Look Like Flowers? - YouTube

Paul4747 comments on Dec 27, 2022:

Because of evolution. But try to explain that to the ID people.

Fernapple replies on Dec 28, 2022:

@Paul4747 Sorry, I don't remember now.

Why Do These Deadly Insects Look Like Flowers? - YouTube

Paul4747 comments on Dec 27, 2022:

Because of evolution. But try to explain that to the ID people.

Fernapple replies on Dec 28, 2022:

Sadly I have even heard a creationist ask. "Why are polar bear white, when nothing eats them ?" As though he had come up with a clever challenge to evolution theory.

Lies travel faster than the truth.

Robecology comments on Dec 27, 2022:

But...but...

Fernapple replies on Dec 28, 2022:

Two and three may be Ok, but I think that one is perhaps itself fake news, I am pretty sure that I heard the term, "fake news" long before Trump ran.

I don't get the concept of prayer.

skado comments on Dec 26, 2022:

Literalism ruins everything. I think it’s better understood as a practice of mindfulness, like meditation. It’s a tool for managing personal psychology, not a hotline to emergency services.

Fernapple replies on Dec 27, 2022:

@skado I do remember nearly all of what you have posted on here, and I would never say that you are an apologist for literal belief in god. But to be an apologist for belief in theist religion, with all its evils and limitations, as if it were itself a god, and to be blind to the many better ways of achieving all of its doubtful benefits, which are available today, because of that. Without even the poor excuse of a literal belief in the god superstition, that is indeed fundamentalism of the worst sort.

I don't get the concept of prayer.

skado comments on Dec 26, 2022:

Literalism ruins everything. I think it’s better understood as a practice of mindfulness, like meditation. It’s a tool for managing personal psychology, not a hotline to emergency services.

Fernapple replies on Dec 27, 2022:

@skado The sickle cell analogy is indeed a true one. Especially since it should be remembered, that we now live in an age when there are better ways to combat malaria available, and whatever benefits sickle cell anaemia may have had in the past, it is now today a wholly harmful disease, which will hopefully be eradicated soon. Theist religion, of the sort most people here reject, has not been around for sixty thousand years. In fact it is quite a new thing in religion, and goes back perhaps twenty thousand years or so plus, in a very few cultures if that. In many western cultures perhaps ten thousand, about the same length of time as piracy in fact. I now long to hear your explainations for the continuation of piracy, and it benefits to humanity.

I don't get the concept of prayer.

mischl comments on Dec 26, 2022:

Trying to "make sense" of religion is an exercise in futility. It's all make-believe. However, I've learned that for some people, praying has certain benefits. It's a sorta kinda cousin to meditation, which can indeed have a calming effect on the human mind. I have told more than a few people, yeah,...

Fernapple replies on Dec 26, 2022:

( Other meditation substitutes are available. )

What it should be is the first item which would lead to Atheism but what it is in fact is the second...

skado comments on Dec 23, 2022:

Nobody owns or defines Christianity all by themselves - not even a majority of Christians. There are many practicing Christians who fit the first statement. Apparently it did not lead to atheism for the Rev. who posted it.

Fernapple replies on Dec 24, 2022:

If he is an honest man, it will in time, but if he is able to live with high levels of cognitive dissonance, in other words if he can not do the first, then it wont.

i am writing this post primarily because its cold, I'm tired of you tube, it's cold, and I've built ...

Beowulfsfriend comments on Dec 23, 2022:

Unless you are planning on doing repairs, I vote leave it. Some squirrel will find it. Studies have shown that squirrels find about 90% of the nuts they hide.

Fernapple replies on Dec 24, 2022:

@MsKathleen Beowulfsfriend is quite correct, indeed there is some debatable evidence that squirrel's brains grow larger in the Autumn to enable better memories. If so they may be one of the few mammals able to grow brain issue in later life.