61–70 of 79 posts
There is a growing culture of reaction videos on YT. People watch other people watching and reacting to stuff. That never sat well with me. And I always wondered - are people so alone or insecure that they need to watch other people's "reaction" to feel better? Given the rise of reaction channels on YT, I guess the answer is resounding - Yes.
In modern Western culture we've killed God and I think we're learning what the consequences of that mean.
Past a certain point, if a religion wants to survive, it must renew itself, otherwise it risks becoming irrelevant.
I bet there would be more people in church if the pastor said: hey, forget about the Bible, forget about the angry, prideful and violent "man in the sky" of the old testament. Forget about the old laws. Forget about the Pope.
Instead, go within. You don't even have to pray or bow down to anybody. Just be silent and still your mind. Jesus told us that the "kingdom of heaven" is within us, so that's what we going to explore today. And if you don't believe in Jesus, then that's cool, too. Let's go beyond beliefs and dogma and simply connect with ourselves and be present in the moment.
In modern Western culture we've killed God and I think we're learning what the consequences of that mean.
People left the church because it was stuck in a obsolete understanding of the world and did not offer people satisfactory answers to their questions. Past a certain point, if a religion wants to survive, it must renew itself, otherwise it risks becoming irrelevant. I bet there would be more people in church if the pastor said: hey, forget about the Bible, forget about the angry, prideful and violent "man in the sky"…
This article makes some decent points but it's a shame that it had to be weakly and opprobriously framed as a kind of 'wealth' struggle. As the article itself says, "the tribes have become weaponized", I guess.
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The war on drugs was never about legislating behavior. It was about criminalizing "undesirables" (blacks, hippies, etc.).
Regardless of the reason they did it, the end result was the same: failure to regulate behavior.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Regardless of the reason they did it, the end result was the same: failure to regulate behavior.
The war on drugs has been a resounding success at it's principle functions (none of which have anything to do with controlling drug use behavior). It helps maintain a permanent underclass which applies a downward pressure on wages via prison slave labor, allows the ruling class to more effectively criminalize dissent and propagandize against subversive groups, and provides an excuse to continue to militarize the poli…
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>"Cities are not much better for me, as most of places there are to go and things to do tend to cater towards the lowest common denominator." What do you mean by this? Are there not museums, art galleries, chess clubs and a variety of other venues that are adequate for your high standards?
Most museums and galleries here are pretty awful. There are a handful of good ones, but there's only so often I can go to those. Chess. I used to be really in to that, but have spent so much of my life playing chess, that I've weaned myself off of it and in to other pursuits. Theaters tend to have the most trite, lowbrow plays imaginable. Most movie theaters are the same, and for the handful that aren't, they play so…
In modern Western culture we've killed God and I think we're learning what the consequences of that mean.
People left the church because it was stuck in a obsolete understanding of the world and did not offer people satisfactory answers to their questions. Past a certain point, if a religion wants to survive, it must renew itself, otherwise it risks becoming irrelevant. I bet there would be more people in church if the pastor said: hey, forget about the Bible, forget about the angry, prideful and violent "man in the sky"…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Source connecting the two? I think most here would argue the the decline in magical thinking (at least as it influences policy and society on the whole) is a good thing
The original statement is ridiculous but the decline in magical thinking does lead people to stop going to church which has no obvious replacement. Atheists and agnostics don't get together every week to talk about God not existing. There are meetup groups and such now but usually there is some common interest, activity, etc. which is a higher barrier to entry than "I'll come and say we mostly believe in the same thi…
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Quitting Facebook doesn't cure the social bankruptcy, though. The only cures seem to be joining cults and gangs and militaries and other groups with high costs and low standards.
You develop social capital by fostering relationships with other people. By being responsible, and having positive interactions. You'll develop that capital not just with them, but also with the people around you and them. If you have a positive relationship with someone, and they think well of you, then their friends and family and colleagues will accept their voucher (assuming they have a positive relationship with…