Where we evolved into men with balls, not into talking vaginas.

Me: Hey, what’s your name?
S: Sissy
Me: Fuck you, Sissy.

“S” stands for little “sissy”.

So I can kick them into your throat.

I pray you grow a pair.

I would respond to that, but I don’t respond to people who talk out of their vaginas.

About @S: You can lead a horse to the trough, but it’s illegal to hold its head down and drown it. :P

Certainly, many rituals are stupid and asinine. However, some may serve the purpose of putting the mind in a state that is conducive to spiritual experience. Fasting in some religions, prayer and meditation, and even taking psychoactive drugs or sitting in a sweat lodge can alter a state of consciousness. We do these things to “commune with God”. Other rituals that seem arbitrary and silly may still serve the purpose of keeping the mind on God.

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My question is that, why is there is a profound discrepancy between the philosopher's conception of what constitutes 'happiness' and what society at large thinks it equates to? — Wallows

Because no one gives a fuck what philosophers think.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m speaking as someone who has experienced your kind of suffering. A general depression and malaise that dominates every waking moment. It’s not normal and requires a shift in consciousness. I recommend seeking treatment.

What happens if there is no way around suffering- if it is intractable from the get-go? — schopenhauer1

I’m assuming you either live in the US or some other western country? You seem to suffer more than is normal for someone living in such a privileged place. It’s pathological.

Not a good excuse to use people. That has been a theme of mine actually. People shouldn't be born to be used by society. — schopenhauer1

People aren’t used by society. Society is used by people so there is less suffering and more convenience.

Are you getting help for your clinical depression and morbid thoughts? Serious question. I’m not bullying you. I’m genuinely concerned.

I hope the robot that is going to wipe my ass has a gentle touch.

Who’s going to take care of us when we’re 90 if people stop procreating? Bet you didn’t think of that.

I’m not sure you actually believe all this socialist stuff. I’m not sure you’re not a man in a black suit with a crew cut fishing for leftist extremists. But, I do have quite an imagination.

I agree. “Sociopath” fits. :P

I agree with @YnY. What is God first of all? People can disagree on this just as easily as whether God exists.

I could be mistaken here, but I don’t think the Stoic is supposed to go out of her way to find stressful situations. Aren’t the mental exercises supposed to prepare you for the everyday stresses that naturally occur?

I commend you for your honesty. I think you’re cool.

Do you even know what you’re talking about?

I suggest taking some Nugenix and start lifting weights. You’ll feel a lot better, and you won’t be so easily bothered by such things.

The reason for the question is to see why Michael thought it was necessary to rush to your defense while insulting me. — Sir2u

It seems you rubbed him the wrong way in the past.

You’re welcome to CCAP me. I live in Wisconsin.

How do you know he is not a mass murderer, or worse? — Sir2u

LOL Rest assured I am not a violent criminal. I just have religious guilt due to my upbringing.

There's nothing to despise about Atheists, per se. In fact, some of my favorite people are Atheists. — Michael Ossipoff

I agree. It’s the ones with chips on their shoulders that are best ignored.

That’s alright. I understand and forgive him. I was very angry and despised theists when I was an atheist, too. It’s a very dark and proud place to be.

Thank you both for the kind words and encouragement. God bless you both.

I agree with what @Bitter Crank said in his last two posts. I couldn’t have said it better.

There’s a difference between finding value in a philosophy and being a paragon of that philosophy. I think there is value to Stoicism as there is value in Christ’s teachings. Now, I don’t follow Stoicism myself because I am a Christian. However, I don’t think it would be wise of me to throw away Jesus just because I can’t be like Jesus. I can strive to be better following Christ’s message. Likewise, a follower of Stoicism can strive to be better keeping in mind the teachings of Marcus Aurelius without feeling defeated for not living up to his extraordinary example.

But, do whatcha gotta do.

I disagree to lengths that are too cumbersome to put into words. :P

Really? Begin each morning with negative visualizations of people in general? Who does this to themselves? — Wallows

Marcus was an emperor of Rome. He had to deal with the duties of his court which meant that he had to deal with these kinds of people on a daily basis. I don’t think he would expect the same from you.

To me, Ayn Randian philosophy mirrors Nazi philosophy. I think Randians should be banned, too. But, I’m biased, having worked at Senator Ron Johnson’s factory and listened to his evil propaganda.

Anaximander? Anaximenes? Anaxagoras? All three had cosmogony theories. Also, of course, there was Aristotle.

I don’t think Stoicism is the problem for you. It is good that you recognize that there are toxic people. Perhaps you would do well to avoid them. Nothing wrong with that, and I don’t see how that contradicts Stoic philosophy.

I have a similar problem. I try to follow Jesus’ philosophy, but it is really fricking hard to love Nazis. However, I am an INFP personality, so it often seems like almost everyone else is a Nazi! lol

I am trying to avoid toxic people, but when I can’t I am going to try to kill them with kindness. We will see how successful I am, though.

Well, it is not just a matter of willing, but rather logically willing it to be universal law where doing the opposite would result in the breakdown of society.

Personally, I believe there are at least some oughts. Just because we don’t always perform them is besides the point.

I guess I would argue that you cannot will that all abortion should be outlawed because there are cases where it should be permissible: the health of the mother or even the ability of the parents to care for the child are factors to take into account. So, I guess I believe that abortion is wrong is not a moral truth.

Ethics is all about ought. If you can will that everyone ought to lie to the murderer at the door to save an innocent person, then it is a moral truth. If you can will genocide to be a universal law, then committing genocide is not morally wrong. It seems to me that there are at least some moral truths.

Where do these moral truths come from and what do they consist of? — Andrew4Handel

The categorical imperative comes from the power of reason. Why are you bringing the Bible up with me? It’s a Kantian argument, not a religious one.