“The system is set up against me” by giving me free housing and income
(media.scored.co)
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If you really want to know...
Humans are designed to suffer. Suffering is an intrinsic quality of life. As mortal, finite, imperfect creatures suffering is inevitable, as we can't perfectly control our surroundings, and since we're at the mercy of our surroundings, we're sometimes harmed by it (i.e. naturals disasters, or merely chance bad luck).
However, it goes deeper than that. We don't have perfect memories. What happens to people over time? We get used to our current condition. Over time, we take what we have for granted. Interestingly, this subject also partly answers a fundamental question/challenge to religion (usually aimed squarely at Christianity): if God is all powerful and loves us, why does he allow us to suffer? So, I'll frame it to answer that question, and then connect it back to how society and people operate.
Let's pretend that humanity is suffering, and we cry out to God "woe is me". God comes down and eliminates the worst half of human suffering from existence. Now, people can only experience the top half of human experience, from neutral to pure bliss/happiness. People are overjoyed. They praise and thank God for his mercy. Then, over time, the joy, praise, and thankfulness wanes. They get used to their current condition. They take it for granted. Over people's lifetimes, perhaps over generations of not properly passing on their knowledge, wisdom, and memories, people forget how well they have it. Over enough time, people begin to equate the new scope of human experience within the suffering vs joy frame. People can see there is variance in human experience, that some live better than others, and some experience the (new) worst things. How dare God let people suffer such affronts, such horrible things as these? If God truly loved us, he would intervene, and prevent our suffering. God relents again, and comes down to remove the (new) worst half of human suffering, such that now only the top 25% of human experience is possible. People are overjoyed. They praise and thank God for his mercy. The cycle repeats.
We get used to our current condition. We take all that we have for granted. We compare differences in experience, and lament when things don't go our way. Our imperfect memory and ability to pass on knowledge betrays us. It doesn't matter how much God could intervene and remove any amount of suffering. Unless all human experience is made equal, at some point, someone would complain. Equality of experience, of outcomes, is impossible. In an infinite universe, where different locations result in different variables, equality of experience would require, either all positions and variances within the universe to be the same, such that, ultimately, the universe had no effect on people or was equal everywhere, or that all people inhabit the same location at all times, such that each person experiences the exact same thing. Both are impossible (at least for us), is some variant of a hellish existence, would completely unravel the universe, and/or would completely defeat the purpose of there being more than one of us, and for each of us to be unique and different.
Notice how this jealous forgetful mindset pervades modern Western thought? We're at the peak of civilization. We have all manner of technology, wealth, wonders, conveniences, safeties, and barriers to nature. And yet, people still lament their suffering, take what they have for granted, and want for more. Look at what our ancestors had and what they had to deal with only 100-200 years ago. No running water. No indoor plumbing. No electricity. No air conditioning or central heating. Most had to grow, slaughter, and cook their own food. No cars. No computers. No phones. No video games. No TV. Medicine was primitive by comparison. Untold suffering was abundant. And yet, they persisted, thrived, and overcame. All the things they built, invented, and achieved, we now take for granted.
This leads to another observation, that the more our suffering is removed and redefined upward, the weaker we become. I'd argue, quite easily that our ancestors were tougher than us. They could endure far more and thrive in spite of it. However, also notice how the insulated political left perpetually bitches about greater and greater minutiae? Nothing is ever enough for them (or for us). No matter how much we prostrate and bend to their demands and lamentations, it's never enough. This mindset is wholly connected to our ability to take things for granted. The current political left is philosophically focused on equality, the equalization of human experience, even though it's impossible. They've even framed unequal outcomes as somehow being the result of oppressors being at fault, and White people being forever labelled as those oppressors, as we seem to always have it better than non-whites. Most here (in right wing spaces) see what the left is doing, reject it, and in some small way try to do the right thing, of not taking for granted what they do, of bitching about infinitely small minutiae. But, if people were being honest, even right wingers would have to admit they still take a great many things for granted. It's just that the left is much farther along the "woe is me" path, and cemented the premise of it (the search for equality) into their politics and philosophy.
Still, the mindset of the quoted person in OP's screenshot goes a step further. Greed. It's a motivation associated with someone who intentionally forgets what they have, who intentionally isn't thankful, and always wants for more, every second of their lives. It might be one of the worst ways to live, where one's own mind is always stealing their joy. But, it's obvious that most/many of these people are happy, in some way. Currently, the rich just have to put on a charade to pretend they're suffering, to artificially insert themselves back into that false oppressor/oppressed globalist paradigm. "I'm suffering just like you", says the spoiled brat millionaire.
A lot of this is artificially pushed, false philosophies that keep us weakened, but a lot of it, the lion's share, is just natural human behavior. It's also a natural consequence of the rise and fall of civilizations. We're currently past the peak, have forogtten our forefather's lessons, became corrupted with comfortable falsehoods and lies, and now we're sliding toward collapse, under the weight of all the anti-truth. The higher a civilization climbs, the faster and harder it will fall, generally speaking.
The only way I can conceive of preventing this process, is by concrete societal institutions and traditions that pass on knowledge and wisdom, to make it much harder to forget how far we've come, implementing methods to somehow instill what it means to truly suffer (like rites of passage for the young, or annual events designed to take away all our comforts), and to pray every day, to remain cognizant and thankful for all the things we have. But, given human nature, these are probably just delaying tactics for a future civilizational collapse.
As a reply, I highly recommend C.S. Lewis "The Problem With Pain"
My god man, awesome read.
Thank you. That made my day.
Sure thing. Hopefully in the not too distant future, I'll be making my own posts with stuff like this, as I parse out my 2 books and release them a chapter at a time. It's relatively simple stuff, but stuff that far too many people have forgotten, or don't realize, and will help people understand the world, and more importantly, hopefully make better decisions.
Well written thanks. One point I would disagree with though is the suffering of the rich being pretend.
As you said, hedonistic adaptation and the like are part of human nature. If you objectively live a pampered life, but your brain says "you're depressed", then you're depressed. Our subjective feelings are not based on facts. We feel what we feel, whether or not it makes sense.
It's not unlike how a 2 year old can have everything: Warmth, love, safety, and freedom to play all day. Yet they can still be devastated when you won't give them ice-cream for dinner. There's nothing pretend about it, I assure you.
I only meant that many rich people, at least nowadays, pretend to suffer to play into the victim narrative that current globalist Western philosophy is pushing. The above quote of Cardi B is proof of that, and I've seen all manner of "woe is me" remarks from incredibly rich people who want for nothing. But...
I also agree with this. Self inflicted depression, whether factual or not, is a terrible experience. I would know, as I've been through it, so severe that I was about a millimeter away from killing myself (quite literally), when I was 15. The only thing that stopped me was love for my dad. I didn't want him to find me like that. Depression is terrible, but it's also a symptom of improper living, or improper society. That doesn't mean all depression is, but the depression rates for modern society are astronomically larger than when our ancestors lived harder lives. Proper diet, getting enough sleep, getting sunlight and being out in nature, getting exercise, having neighbors and a healthy community of people that are like you, having a loving wife and kids, these things engender well being and stave off depression. But modern society is designed to not produce, condone, or prosper these things, in fact modern society tries to achieve the antithesis, to keep people weakened and easily controlled.
I couldn't agree more.
I'm sorry to hear about your experience, I hope you're ok now.
I agree wholeheartedly with your comment here.
I think our thoughts run parallel, although I think we look at it only slightly different I'd love to hear your thoughts on my own screed on this topic.
This isn't true at all. I'm atheist and I feel happy and content and at peace. I love life, and I love my life.
It's your religion, Christianity, that brings the idea that life on this earth is a "vale of tears". Your religion defiles and demeans our earthy existence, telling us that we must suffer because of the original sin. We could just be happy and enjoy our lives, but no, we must be miserable and feel guilty.
It's your religion that brought to you the sense of dread and suffering that you feel (which you now think it's a natural part of the human existence), to which it then offers a solution, for which you are expected to be grateful for. It's a well know technique of manipulation: you feel grateful to Jesus for saving you from a sin... that he originally condemned you to.
Life is struggle. This has been recognized by philosophers that pre-date Christ. It is recognition of the second law of thermodynamics. The universe in general and your life in specific requires struggle, effort, energy to do anything but coast to a stop and die.
If you stop struggling, everything you've worked for, everything you have built will just drain away, and you'll be left with nothing.
Even if, by the grace of good fortune, you have a pile of resources that requires no effort or struggle to maintain or administrate, it just means that there was earlier struggle. You are coasting down from the top of a taller hill.
Moreover, if you want to improve more than your life, if you want to improve your family, city or country, then that will take fantastic struggle. Not only against the natural forces of empathy, but against the self-absorbed useful idiots, who work against you with every step.
That you blame Christianity for this universal condition says much more about you than it does about the world.
Of course life is struggle. It's a principle of Nature very well accepted by National Socialism.
But this doesn't mean that you can't find happiness on this earth. Go back reading my previous comment, because you haven't understood it.
I think I understand you just fine.
If you think you can struggle without suffering, then good for you.
My point stands. You are projecting like a motherfucker.
Cannot agree more.
Life was meant to be lived in the present. When mortal pain comes by, we even have biological measures (shock, uncousciousness) to just turn off so that we don't have to suffer all the pain of animal death.
The idea of being born a 'sinner' is utterly retarded and against all kinds of justice and to think it coming from a 'god'... really strips him of all godliness anyway.
There's honestly too much to unload on the topic as a whole, but I think you and ApexVeritas both have some good points. And when it comes to human suffering, whether talking about ourselves or others, it's difficult to avoid downplaying or overplaying things at least a little bit.
I've heard religious sermons that try to downplay the sheer depth of what people can suffer and experience, all while promoting the notion that God's comfort will carry anyone through anything. Which I find both absurd and insulting, when considering more extreme experiences that have been all too frequent throughout human history.
And then on the flipside there's woketards, who will lament just about anything they can conceivably bitch about and cry crocodile tears on social media about it all for years. Or woketard agendas that try to overplay the suffering of x, y, or y groups, all so they can throw more political money and power grabbing laws into the mix.
And then even when there are legitimate situations where people are suffering, there's only so much that can practically be done to do a damn thing. Whether we're talking about people in our own country, or in countries abroad.
It just all sucks sometimes. And far too many people claim to have all the answers.
You make good points, and I think what you wrote is compatible with what I said. The difference between me and the Christian vision is that for me suffering can exist in certain circumstances, but happiness and contentment in this life is not only possible - it's very common at least in our era. If you're physically healthy, you have a loving family, and enough money to have a roof over your head and food on your table: then you're not suffering and you should be happy.
Christianity on the other hand tells you that you are suffering regardless of how your life is, because suffering is intrinsic to human life. And it makes sure of that by instilling a sense of guilt for everything that is pleasurable in life. In the Bible a woman was basically saying to enjoy your life having sex and eating food, and Jesus... kills her children. Christianity hates the idea that people may be happy. Nietzsche is absolutely right on Christianity. Yes, I am anti-Christian because Christianity has brought so much suffering and misery to humanity. We could just be all happy eating, resting, fucking, loving, being proud of our accomplishments, but no... all of those are sins.
Oh I understand and to quite a large degree agree with what you're saying. I've read and agreed with a lot of what Nietzsche wrote as well.
But for myself at least I just can't hold religion totally responsible for human failings. It only plays into my own suppositions and sometimes misplaced anger/blame. And It's something I realized as one of the main things that's held me back for years from trying to pursue what I want out of life.
I'll still hold firmly onto my reasoning and beliefs, which lean very much towards atheism, but I let myself get far too tunnel visioned over my personal baggage with religion. And I realized I'd deluded myself into creating an enemy in my own mind that was nowhere near as much of an issue as I'd led myself to believe. Which is not only irrational, but ends up being very self defeating in a lot of ways.
I won't assume that's in any way shape or form applicable to you or your history, I'm just trying to explain my own reasoning as honestly as I can.
That specific user is a vociferous anti-Christian. He constantly misquotes scripture, often interpreting it to mean the opposite of what is says, and then when confronted with a refutation, refuses to acknowledge it, no matter how well laid out it is. There's lots of examples of him doing so in c/consumeproduct.
I thought I worded my initial comment well enough that it could be viewed through a Christian lens, or through an atheist or agnostic lens. The logic is sound and the relevant remarks on human behavior are blatantly obvious. But, since the above user is anti-Christian, he only wants to challenge what I said because I mentioned God in it, and presented an explanation for why God wouldn't intervene in human suffering.
I was also not implying that all suffering can be dismissed, or is equal. There's a clear distinction and difference between different forms and magnitudes of suffering. Some people truly do suffer terrible things in this life. We see all manner of such things posted here daily.
Sorry for the late response. And I hope this comment's clear, I'm drowsy as hell right now, so try and bear with me.
That section of my comment wasn't exactly directed towards what you wrote so much as in response to what I've hard from a handful of other Christians in the past year (Not from anyone on these boards, just for context).
And before I posted my previous comment I did glance through what you wrote and recognized that you weren't really trying to minimize human suffering. Which is why I was being broad in my words.
But I did want to get the point across that with some Christians I've encountered (and with people from other backgrounds/beliefs too) sometimes it comes off that way in the phrasing, or does come from someone with a legitimately dismissive attitude.
And I was trying to honestly... just try to do something to help heal some of the divide. I've been trying to do that for myself in my own personal life, still have some long lasting baggage with religion, but I try to recognize that my sometimes instinctive knee-jerk reaction is both rushed and often times misplaced blame.
I did no such thing. In fact, if there is a God like your religion envisions it, I do agree with your explanation. Only by knowing suffering we can understand happiness, so God cannot remove suffering at least not without making us lose a significant part of the life experience that makes it valuable. The concept of God creating sentient beings with free will and that will have to experience life even through suffering makes perfect sense. The atheist argument of "there's evil in the world so there's no god reeeee" is not a good argument. We wouldn't know good without knowing evil.
I was however responding to your claim that:
I disagree with this.
You're lying. Just yesterday I proved to you that Jesus destroyed the family bonds, and you refused to acknowledge it and even to answer my thought experiments that proved that.
You're the most dishonest user I've seen on here. Which of course you have to be, to keep believing in your Jewish religion. But please refrain from talking behind my back to other people. That's dishonorable even for a Christian.