How to stay sane in a world that rewards insanity

Post by EB-Barrington » Thu, Nov 20, 2025, 11:48 AM UTC

volkk wrote: post #22

HeinzStuckeIt wrote: post #2

The author writes, “You end up in a world where changing your mind becomes impossible because you've built your entire identity around being right”. Yet social-media personalities regularly do a 180° turn on some issue (e.g. pro-Ukraine to anti-Ukraine or vice versa) and still keep their following and ability to monetize it. Social media is full of parasocial relationships; followers are in love with an influencer’s…

the words we use matter a lot. the "pro" and "anti" anything is a pretty large reason why all discourse has become so stupid sounding and talking with people about any issue is enraging. nuance is dead. the cultural zeitgeist is being controlled by algorithmic feeds that create neuroticism (i am definitely affected), general anxiety, and anger.

Post by uniq7 » Thu, Nov 20, 2025, 11:50 AM UTC

ekjhgkejhgk wrote: post #112

> One friend became “convinced” that every major news story was manufactured consent. Another started treating political disagreement as evidence of moral corruption. A third began using the word "liberal" as if it was a personality disorder rather than loose coalitions of sometimes contradictory beliefs. Uh.... The vast majority of new stories from major outlets ARE manufactured consent.

Post by ricardobeat » Thu, Nov 20, 2025, 11:54 AM UTC

kakacik wrote: post #180

grodes wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

> Jesus is not fictional. Strong claims require strong evidence. Some book written by many, some properly delusional or crazy folks, claiming various outlandish things not physically possible these days (staying away from word "lies" but not too far, basic physics laws worked the same 2000 years ago). Or preaching behavior absolutely unacceptable these days (Old testament would force you to be murderer pretty quickly…

Post by creata » Thu, Nov 20, 2025, 12:06 PM UTC

ricardobeat wrote: post #190

dspillett wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Jesus is not fictional. There is apparently evidence that there was a Jesus¹ who preached and was crucified for causing a pain for those in power. But the version of Jesus in the bible is likely no more real than the Abraham in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012). -------- [1] or someone going by another name which became Jesus over time, many names in the new testament are suspiciously unlike those likely to be…

Not at all. The bible is famously allegorical which is known by everyone who practices catholicism, but the historical evidence and written records are quite clear - there was this incredibly charismatic guy who grew a following, helped the poor and got crucified.

Post by williamcotton » Thu, Nov 20, 2025, 12:07 PM UTC

Y_Y wrote: post #171

mc3301 wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would replace your number 5 with "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" or "MacBeth" or "Calvin & Hobbes" or maybe even Natsume's "I am a Cat." Also fun fictional books with impressive protagonists. Other than that, your first four points are wonderful.

Strongly agreed. Reading the actual bible is (mostly) boring as sin. There are a couple of gems in there that you can just take on their own though. My personal favourite is Ecclesiastes which, apart from a couple of lines of slop added by a later author, has little to do with Abrahamic religion and is more just a little nugget of proto-existentialism. “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningles…

  The more the words,
      the less the meaning,
      and how does that profit anyone?
  
  Ecclesiastes 6:11

  ---

  “We, and I personally, believe very strongly that more information is better, even if it’s wrong. Let’s start from the premise that more information, more empowerment, is fundamentally the correct answer.”

  Eric Schmidt