What qualities must an individual possess to be considered mature?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 10, 2018:

I don't know. I haven't got there yet.

Made it to Level 8 - woohoo! Only 150,000 points to go to get to Level 9!

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 10, 2018:

That's great! I don't think I've seen a level 9 person on here. Maybe I just haven't noticed. This is only my 2nd week.

Agree or disagree?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 10, 2018:

I agree, and I disagree. Trying to be perfect (which is impossible) does keep you from even trying sometimes, but striving to do as well as you can at some task, is good goal I think. Though maybe that's not actually perfectionism.

There’s something soothing about falling asleep to the sound of rolling thunder

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 10, 2018:

Yes, and trains. I grew up going to sleep to the sound of trains.

What does everyone think of the theory of Alternate or multiple Universes?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 10, 2018:

I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and say "Who knows?"

I've been away for a while.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 10, 2018:

I just saw this posted on Everything Guitar on facebook. Great job!

What is your earliest memory of a film (or scene) that really, really scared you.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 9, 2018:

When I was very little (maybe 3) we were at the theater to see Snow White, and mom had to carry me out when the witch came on because I was so scared and crying so loud.

Childhood mementos. Do you have any mementos from your childhood?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 9, 2018:

Some books and records, and I know this sounds awful, but an ashtray a friend made in art class and gave to me when I was 15, and had taken up smoking (though my parents didn't know). Oh, and I also have notebooks from High School when I first started writing poetry.

People are highly susceptible to social influence but rarely understand the full extent of that ...

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 9, 2018:

Absolutely. People thing they are these totally independent beings, with all their actions determined by their own thoughts or desires, when actually so much that we do is based on social norms, whether going along with them, or fighting against them. We are truly social beings. There's a good piece by John Dewey about this, but I can't remember what it's called right now.

It is truly disturbing how quickly anti-intellectual and pseudo-intellectual ideologies are spread ...

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 9, 2018:

Yes it is. As long as it sounds halfway reasonable, some people will believe it, even if it's wildly off base. The anti-intellectualism that seems to be spreading makes me angry.

Is it possible for you not to judge people based on their appearance?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 9, 2018:

I try not to, but it can be difficult some times. It also depends on what kind of relationship you have, or plan on having with that person. I usually don't judge random people that I pass by, but if I'm going to be friends, or if I'm interested in dating that person, then it matters more, whether it should or not.

Do you find yourself spending more time on Agnostic.com and less time on facebook and other sites?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 9, 2018:

Definitely. There is so much more depth here. And if I want to post stupid jokes or memes, I can do that, too.

Not getting everything we want is part of living.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 9, 2018:

I settled for not being a full-time working musician. If I had spent many more years playing in clubs, I would be dead by now.

Texas Bill Prohibiting Male Masturbation Moves Closer To Becoming Law

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 9, 2018:

And how, exactly, are they going to enforce this? Anybody wanna be on masturbation patrol? Not me.

Today I found my first grey pubic hair.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 9, 2018:

Lol

What are your views on the Epicurean Paradox?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 9, 2018:

Yep.

Does the thought of dying alone scare you?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 9, 2018:

It doesn't scare me, but I'd prefer not to.

Is sports useful?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 9, 2018:

It's useful for being healthy, and I also think that some sports help to positively channel aggressive tendencies.

Does anyone else here suffer with anxiety?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 8, 2018:

Yep. But not nearly as much as I used to. Between medication, life changes, and getting older, things are better than they used to be.

Do you raise your kids atheist?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 8, 2018:

I didn't force anything on mine. We had discussions about a lot of things, but I left it up to them to work out what they thought. I even took them to church once.

One of my favourite 90s songs - Joey by Concrete Blonde.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 8, 2018:

Loved Concret Blonde. "Free" was my favorite album of theirs.

Yesterday at Half Price Books, found this one.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 8, 2018:

That's one of the books (along with Goedel, Escher, Bach) that helped to change my thinking. For further elucidation on the subject, read Daniel C. Dennett.

What are your views on the Simulation Theory........anyone?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 8, 2018:

It is as unproveable as religion, and it seems to me to be as far-fetched. There are things we don't know yet, and maybe never will, so I guess it's as possible as anything else.

Do we have a soul?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 8, 2018:

I pondered this question for a long time. I feel like there is something that people identify as a soul, but is not a magical eternal spirit inside you. I like music that I think has "soul" for example. The more I have thought about it, the more I think that what a lot of people think of as soul, is merely a deep level of feeling that combines the body and the mind, and is close to the truth of a whole person.

ANYONE OUT THERE WHO MEDITATES - Can you relate to this experience?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 8, 2018:

Maybe not as intense as what you're describing, but a long time ago I was doing meditation with others to recording of a Japanese flute (Bell Ringing in an Empty Sky, which I now have the cd of), and I had an experience that played out in my head like a movie. I was traveling on a road going up and up into the mountains, to where there was permanent snow. Then I turned off and started downward into a steep valley, though still very high up. At the bottom of the valley a stream was coming out of a cave in the side of the mountain. I waded into the cave and was looking around, when I noticed a light coming from a small nook. When I looked inside, there was a shaman-type person sitting by a fire with his eyes closed. His dress was elaborate, though not specific to any culture I recognized. He opened his eyes, looked at me, and started laughing. This seemed very profound to me at the time, though I'm still not quite sure what it means.

Never have I Ever.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 8, 2018:

Never have I ever read War and Peace, though I plan on doing it soon.

The evidence suggests we just cease to exist when we die. Does this bother anyone?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 8, 2018:

It doesn't bother me in the least. The only afterlife is in the things you do here, and in the memories of those who have known you.

New here and very curious how everyone crossed the line so to speak to your current level of belief ...

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

I was raised Baptist, quit the church at about age 12 or 13, then for a lot of years was kind of a new-agey, mystical type, but kept reading philosophy and science, and then about 8 or 9 years ago, I just couldn't believe in a god anymore. I like to think I'm more reality-based now than I have ever been in my life.

Just do it.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

My first serious girlfriend (also the first girl I ever had sex with), my first wife, and my second wife, all were briefly waitresses at the same restaurant, though I didn't meet them there.

Generation Z - what do you think of them?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

My daughter fits in that category, and she is socially aware and active, and very much doing her part to change things. I'm very proud of her. All of her friends aren't like this, but enough of them are that I feel pretty good about turning things over to them. Of course they have flaws, but who didn't when they were that young?

Ok, for those of us who survived attempted indoctrination, what was the most surreal thing you saw ...

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

I was 17, and was dating a girl whose parents made her attend church regularly. I had promised her I would go with them to a Sunday night service. On the Saturday night before, my brother and some friends had done some super strong LSD. I was still tripping pretty good and had had no sleep, when I went to church and they had deaf-mutes get up and testify. I almost got up and ran out of the church.

What do you like to do that brings the most happiness and joy to your life?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

Talk to close friends.

What constitutes a religion?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

That's it's big enough to not be considered a cult anymore.

How do you maintain enthusiasm for online dating, when most experiences tend to be negative?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

I don't. I'm about to quit another dating site. Old guys can't catch a break.

Do you think the guy should always make the first step and why?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

I don't think he should have to, but I think a lot of times it's expected.

Whats on your mind when having sex?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

It's been so long I forgot.

Do you think the world would be a better or worse place if everyone suddenly could read each ...

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

Depends on who I'm with.

Does anyone else sit in with a book on Saturday night or am I dull as fuck?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

I'm pouring a glass of whiskey and picking up a book as we speak.

Does anyone else sit in with a book on Saturday night or am I dull as fuck?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

I do that too. Or TV. But then, I'm an old fart.

Has social media turned us into attention seekers?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

I've always been an attention seeker, though hopefully not abrasively so. My problem now is that since I'm divorced and retired, social media IS my social life. (Well, not completely, but mostly.) Just ask my dogs.

So here a loaded question, how does the group feel about pornography?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

I hate to say it, but everything in moderation. Unless you're single, lol. But seriously, I don't think it's harmful unless indulged in to the point that sex with an actual human is a letdown.

Seems like Hypocrisy among believers is growing by the day.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

I try not to engage on that subject. It doesn't do any good anyway. The more you try to persuade them, the harder they resist. No one likes to be proved wrong.

Ever had a magical close encounter with wild animals, with no bait food involved?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

I was hiking in the Black Hills with two friends, and we stopped for a break and to eat some trail mix. Suddenly a large mink ran right up to us, raised up on its hind legs, looked at us, and then took off. Don't know if he was looking for a snack, or what.

How many significant relationships/partners?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

I'm going by your specification of "significant" partners.

At the age of 60 Snoop Dogg will be 420 in dog years. Thoughts?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

Lol

A powerful observation from an unrivaled artistic genius.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 7, 2018:

Great quote! For the most part, I agree wholeheartedly. I could quibble about a couple of points, but I won't.

Aren’t you glad to have this site as an alternative to Facebook?! ?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 6, 2018:

Yes! Though I'm still on facebook, because so many of my friends and relatives are on there.

What are your thoughts on age gaps in a relationship?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 6, 2018:

It all depends on the individuals involved. There are no hard and fast rules, except being at the age of consent.

Will I ever find that one person.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 6, 2018:

I don't believe in "the one". There are people who you hit it off with, and people you don't. "The one" will be the one you decide to work on the relationship with.

What do some of you single Atheists, Humanists, and Free Thinkers do to meet folks for dating and ...

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 6, 2018:

Don't know. No luck yet.

Do you feel that Agnostic.com fuels your disbelief in the same way church fuels a believer's belief?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 6, 2018:

No. I would still feel the same without being on here. But it does give me a "safe space" to talk about my non-belief. And that's a good thing.

Being compassionate and being played for a fool. Safeguards?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 6, 2018:

It's always a risk. But I think you have to ignore it and do what your gut (heart?) tells you. Overthinking almost never works, in my experience.

I am absolutely hitting my stride as a person.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 6, 2018:

Yes. My wife and I had quit our jobs in Los Angeles, sold a bunch of stuff, cashed in a 401k (I was 35 years old) and went to Oregon and lived in the country for 6 months, reading, writing, and hiking. I have a book of memoir and poetry from that time that is available on Amazon. It was wonderful.

I don't believe my life has purpose, per se.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 6, 2018:

We create our own meaning, and we create our own purpose.

What music are you listening to right now?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 5, 2018:

My favorite lately is Radiohead's re-release of OK Computer, with an extra cd of tracks recorded in the same sessions but not on the original album. It's called OK NOT OK.

I've been exploring the idea that we do not have free will and it's kind off fucking with my mind.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 5, 2018:

There's a whole essay I wrote on this subject. In the end, I decided both yes and no, but it's too hard to explain here.

Finding it hard too connect

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 5, 2018:

I thought it was more of a dating site, too. But I'm happily surprised that it's more than that. It's good to find other people to talk to, and not worry about your reception. People here seem open minded and ready to discuss things with you. I like it!

Anybody else besides me who is now addicted to this site?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 5, 2018:

Yep.

I know this has been asked but my answer has changed and new members here.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 5, 2018:

My father. Or maybe Socrates.

When you're home alone do you ever grab a glass of wine and turn on some music and just sit in a ...

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 5, 2018:

I do that, but with whiskey and a book (and music).

Finally got the microphone up and running.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 5, 2018:

Can you post Soundcloud tracks on here? If so, how? I've got tons of stuff on there.

Do you still have CDs, or is all your music on an MP3 player/cell phone?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 5, 2018:

I'm an old fart. Almost all my music is vinyl, cds, and cassettes. And I have a good stereo system.

I love music and I am always exploring to find new stuff to listen to.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 5, 2018:

I've been really into Radiohead for the last few years. Also really like Queens of the Stone Age.

How about a childhood photo?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 4, 2018:

Me and my sister, me and my cousin, me and our Airedale, and me and a friend acting silly in a photo booth.

True or False: How we think is determined by the mind, not how things really are.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 4, 2018:

Definitely determined by the mind. Our perceptions are limited, and we don't consciously control what we pay attention to a lot of the time. Our ideas about things frame the world, and it's often hard to see past that.

Are we a superior design?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 3, 2018:

I don't know about "superior" design, but we've lasted this long and pretty much taken over the whole damn world. So I would say we are a successful design at the least.

Does someone have to be college educated to be intelligent?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 2, 2018:

Well, since I have no college education, I would say of course someone without one could be just as intelligent. My father had no college education, and was one of the smartest, as well as wisest people I have ever met. He read very widely and constantly. I've inheritied many of his books, and he would write in the margins, discussing things with himself. I have tried to read as widely and educate myself as much as I can, and I would like to think I'm almost as smart as he was. A college education is no guantor of intelligence.

“We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 2, 2018:

Great quote!

Are You Lonely?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 2, 2018:

I'm lonely, mainly because of the end of a 30 year relationship that I grew too dependent upon. That, and my kids grew up and have lives of their own. I'm slowly learning to deal with it. I still have a few friends, and I'm not estranged from anyone in my family, so I have people to turn to if it gets too bad. It's just a little tough to figure out when you've only very briefly lived alone in your life, and that a long time ago. I was somewhat excluded from groups in my youth, but I found/made a group of my own. Being an extravert, I've always tried to find things in common with whatever group I found myself in, without losing my own identity. For the most part, I succeeded, and always had my real group of friends and family to fall back on.

Do you feel a division happening in this country?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 1, 2018:

Definitely. I started really noticing after Obama was elected when the Tea Party and right-wingers started all the paranoid lies about him. It's just gotten worse since then, and now we have a president who furthers conspiracy theories and nonsense. The internet is one of the worst culprits, because all these like minded people find each other and that's all they'll listen to. Instead of using it to find facts and study a situation, they let these sites tell them what to think.I could go on and on, but I'll spare you.

How does someone create an atheist wedding.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 1, 2018:

My son had a non-religious wedding, and his half-sister officated, after getting a license from the state. Everything was the same as a regular wedding, except it was not in a church, and nothing religious was brought into it. I think some of the family were offended. Too bad.

What is the laziest thing that you have ever done

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 1, 2018:

Shouldn't it be "the laziest thing you haven't done"?

Which makes better art?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 1, 2018:

Sometimes positive art can be too cliche, and seem to lack depth because of overuse. For any picture to have depth and clarity, there has to be shadows.

Brought up as a Catholic, I learned the significance and power of symbolism.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 1, 2018:

When the church began, the vast majority of people were illiterate, and the mass was in Latin, so they had to use symbolism and ritual. Not an excuse; just a fact. It appeals to a non-rational part of our minds.

I thought this was pretty astute.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 1, 2018:

Lol.

I have had a rough time over the last 8 years.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 1, 2018:

Several years ago I had gotten to point similar to what you're talking about. On the surface, everything was very good, but there was a depression and emptiness underneath. Unfortunately, it took an extreme upset to snap me out of it. (Well, "snap" is not really accurate--more like a prolonged shove.) I lost my job, got divorced, and moved, within the space of 2 years. Then I REALLY had something to be depressed about. But while working through all of that, I got in touch with my feelings again. I'm able to feel joy and pleasure again, as well as pain. I feel more whole now. I'm not completely out of the woods yet, but I'm getting there. And it's not because my marriage was bad, or my job was bad, it was more just the complacency. Of course, I'm not recommending you go through anything like that. It's just that sometimes it takes drastic change to shake you out of it. Hope this helps some.

I think I'm going to be an oddball on this site.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 1, 2018:

I used to feel that way as well, but not any longer. The more reading I did, the less I could believe in a mysterious force. But if it works for you, then that's fine. We all have to be true to ourselves, and try the best we can to follow our own road.

What's YOUR warning label?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 1, 2018:

May talk excessively and wander off the point.

When did you first doubt religion?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 1, 2018:

I was about 12. My dad had quit going to church, but I was interested in a girl that was the pastor's daughter, so I kept attending. I had been raised going to church, but I hadn't really given it much thought; I had just accepted it, because it was all around me in my small town. But then I went forward to be "saved"--it was a Baptist church--just to see what it was all about. But I didn't feel any different, and though I was hoping to be inititiated into some "mystery," it was just more of the same prosaic stuff. I quit after that, and started the long philosophical road to where I am now.

Spiritual but not religious

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 1, 2018:

I used to describe myself that way, and there wasn't a lot of thought put into it. I just felt there was something more than physical reality. But the more I thought and read about things, the more I came to realize that physical reality is both broader and more expansive than I had imagined. I think a lot of people say that because they are scared to call themselves atheists or agnostics in our culture, and the arguments and isolation that might entail.

Please guys as well as women answer - Do you consider yourself a feminist?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Apr 1, 2018:

Yes, I am a feminist. A feminist is anyone who believes women are equal and deserve equality in all ways. I grew up in a family with strong women, I married one, and my daughter is one. In a lot of ways, they are stronger and better than I am.

@tnorman1236 -- Howdy, my friend, and welcome to the group.

Tomfoolery33 comments on Mar 31, 2018:

Thank you. I'm glad I found this site and this group.

What books have shaped the way you think, your philosophy for life?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Mar 31, 2018:

All of Alan Watts. More recently, Hannah Arendt "The Life of the Mind" and anything by Daniel C. Dennett.