The short term would be 'contentment'. — Shamshir

Yes, contentment is important. Otherwise, we would like in chronic dissatisfaction. But, to boil down the issue, I would have to say, who cares? The grass may or may not be greener than your underwatered lawn.

Back to play the therapist again. Maybe I should start psychologizing myself more. Haha.

Anyway, I want to highlight the fact that you receive benefits from society in terms of disability payments of some 600-700 USD a month depending on where you live. You stated that you were hospitalized due to an unsuccessful attempt at suicide fairly recently. So, society ain't all that bad. People, on the other hand, can be. So, I suppose what I'm trying to do is prod on your super-ego and encourage you to better yourself rather than get stuck in these endless rationalizations that can be psychology along with sticking with the wrong crowd, which can be exacerbated by homelessness. You've pretty much outlined your life struggles on these forums, and have found a semblance of care or empathy from others. I guess, I've fulfilled my role as forum therapist and hope you find your way in life. I'll shut up for now, then.

Then I was mistaken. I think I've run out of steam for the day, so I'll call it a night. Hope to see you posting more threads about your relationship with society or yourself.

Best regards.

Either retract the “persuading others” line or point out what you disagree with in the text. — I like sushi

Ok:

Next time you find yourself saying “How can people do such things!?” in what is nought but mock outrage, stop and understand that you KNOW what it is to do such a thing. You are that evil you view in others because you recognise it for what it is. You don’t see the misdeeds in others by having no experience of them yourselves.

How you deal with this is ‘morality’ and what you tell others about it is a lie. — I like sushi

Isn't this an attempt to at the very least convince others of a POV that you hold is quite important and worthy of contemplation? I'm going to refrain from calling this flat out psychological "projection".

Saying that you believe the majoritu of Schizophrenics wish resorting to heroism to achieve some status change in society's eyes misses the point. — THX1138

I'm not sure if you're being honest here. I'm going to (probably unsuccessfully) disentangle some things here. You stated that you found some sense of satisfaction in the relationship with the older man as some sort of act of defiance from society. Am I right here or is this a straw man?

Why is it “daft”? — I like sushi

I thought I already said that the use of these hypotheticals promotes the radicalization of philosophy. Have you by chance heard of The Third Wave (experiment)? Perhaps that can serve as an example at what I'm trying to say.

It sounds like you didn’t read the OP all the way through carefully? — I like sushi

I read it all. Your point is exposing prejudices and in some shape or form enhancing self-knowledge through/by this ethical dilemmas. I'm saying that the methodology is twisted and rather daft.

You may hold the typical connotative notions between Schizophrenia and Law Enforcement/positions requiring looking out for civilians by "danger scoping" that I'm eager to reasonably brain-pick. — THX1138

I'm acutely aware of the fact that schizophrenics are non-violent people. But, I've been to group therapies in my local behavioral health clinic, and most clinicians are aware of the fact that the majority of homeless people have mental health issues. So, not to pigeonhole you here, but, the issue is quite complex and a positive affirmation on the interwebs about a diagnosis of one's mental health is quite dangerous and problematic.

Plus, I have insight that you're probably uber grateful that you were re-diagnosed, for some specific reason, seemingly underlying a desired sense of competence at no longer being considered schizophrenic. — THX1138

Well, I still take the same meds a schizophrenic or bipolar patient does as an insurance policy. See, derealization through confirmation bias is just too easy a lure for many people suffering from mental health issues on the internet. I'm just trying to point that out to you.

Wallow, do you see Schizophrenics as a class of individuals whom are oppositional to "heroic" types (police, military personnel, firefighters, your general look-out-for-the-good-people-of-our-community position types)? — THX1138

As far as I'm aware most schizophrenics would jump at the idea of becoming a hero and recognition from society that they are worth more than they think they are worth in societies eyes.

Address the problem then as you see fit. — I like sushi

My point is that the problem itself is unfit for the domain of philosophic discourse.

Again, if you manage to persuade a person that blacks are deserving of elimination due to some deep-seated prejudice against them or that the baby who would turn out to be Mozart and produce such great works of art, on the tracks, is ultimately deserving of life than a Hispanic middle-aged group of people on the other tracks, then isn't this extremism or bona fide radicalization of philosophic discourse? These are no-win situations if one assumes a veil of ignorance, which is my original position whenever I encounter these situations, which leads me to always recuse myself from any part in decision making.

Demonic representations have always been allegorically thought up to symbolize the real evil that plagues Humanity -- their own negative thoughts and dark impulses. That's definitely not unique to Schizophrenia, not by a long shot. — THX1138

If memory serves me right, then I was under the impression that delusions of reference, delusions of persecution, and hearing (often) demonic voices are all typical for schizophrenics. But, this really isn't the appropriate place to talk about these issues despite you, perhaps, wanting to.

And I couldn't be more relived to be comforted by that fact. Policing others and taking lethal commands have never been aspirations I've gravitated toward, really. — THX1138

I respect your attitude or stance towards the issue. But, discounting or downplaying the fact that you are or aren't schizophrenic, per leo's post is not sound advice.

But, let's assume that you're having a moment of clarity here on this forum, and are in fact not schizophrenic, then what's the point to going to therapy or taking the meds? See here's the doublethink manifest.

The problem I have with proposed extremism towards situations or hypothetical dilemmas such as killing a billion or so is that it is in some form, shape, or manner the radicalization of philosophy.

Is that your goal here or what?

The gist I took from Leo's comment is that not everything I experience is automatically made invalid all because hey, I'm Schizophrenic. That's bogus. — THX1138

No, that would be a hasty overgeneralization and I never meant to imply that all you experience is automatically invalid, which is as you say "bogus".

Daunting conditions are duanting conditions, and are not extenuated by nor credited to degree of sanity. Sanity (or lack there of) does not have some surreal effect on non-internal happenings that individuals -- whom by coincidence are schizophrenic -- actually physically go through in reality. — THX1138

Hah, but, you could never become a police officer or soldier in the military. Just keeping it real here.

Being Schizophrenic doesn't make me that unreliable. — THX1138

True, but it ain't no walk in the park either. Those demons in the forest down by the mountain are quite terrifying and real too.

Given that psychiatry and psychology are the main fields of science in dealing with suffering and its alleviation, then what's the issue with treating the issue as a medical or therapeutic one? Personally, my favorite domain of psychology is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy along with logotherapy, which addresses suffering through the application of reason to irrational tendencies or cognitive distortions, like drug use which is a raving topic on the forum currently. Now, I understand that this is idealistic and non-material in terms of what relationship pain has with suffering; but, there's a tendency to equate suffering with pain, which isn't entirely true. It can be existential angst or anxiety or depression for the matter.

So, concluding my sermon and grandiose belief that suffering can be thought away through the application of reason and mindfulness towards inner struggles, I must say that the task is futile for N>1.

There is just the world. — Inyenzi

Rather, there is just a world, with it's various causes and conditions. One didn't come from nothing into the world, instead, various causes and conditions in the world brought a birth, within that world. You didn't come from nothing, into being. Instead, being is manifesting itself as you. — Inyenzi

This is very Wittgenstein'ian. Recall the first proposition of the Tractatus. The world is everything that is the case. And what the case is, is a state of affairs that can be represented pictorially. Now, assume that existence is the picture here and things like nothingness are nonsensical.

What do you think?

Great poem. :ok:

I'm going to boil down the issue to a utilitarian ethical schematic. Now, with this line of thought in place you can successfully produce a model to be applied to the issue of human suffering. But, I want to point out that it's near impossible to attain a deterministic model if we incorporate the notion of having a free will. Furthermore, quantifying a qualitative trait such as suffering will produce a loop of subjectivity and objectivity. The solution to this is to assume a pragmatic attitude of what is best for oneself with intersubjectivity in mind.

Good luck.

Sin City indeed.

Try Las Vegas. :blush:

Nope. You'd have to go to Hooters or some strip club for that kind of entertainment, and have the means to do so of course.

Anyway, who wants to go to Disneyland?

His last words were something about chronic dissatisfaction. Porn seems to coincide with that motive.

Hmm, I sense a lot of bitterness in this post. Expectations change due to circumstances within or beyond our control.

Yes, the issue is that we treat the self as a non-temporal abstract object, when in fact it is not all that abstract in the context of time itself.

Yet, you haven't suggested any kind of incentive structure to create the demand for higher quality posts. So, you've condemned your sentiment to a complaint.

Self-respect? — Baden

Here I am trying to quantify a qualifier. Go figure.

Try writing better posts. — Baden

Do I get a reward for that?

We only have sticks. You'll have to find your own carrot. — Baden

Oh come now, I'm sure there's something that can be done about our lack of incentive structure resulting in the endless psychologizing of people's intentions hereabouts. OK, before you say that we're not a business, then I protest that we can at least make this place more academic, hence my fixation of reading groups.

How about gold stars, like this :sparkle: — praxis

As childish as that seems, I could see some merit to the idea of having that idea implemented. Incentives, rewards, hmm humdrum.

While I'm on the fence on whether there should be an elite section to this forum, I would like to see some incentive for posting higher quality content hereabouts.

(1) How can Hegel claim that being and nothing are and are not the same? This is a contradiction. — philosophy

Well, the ordinary answer to this question is that he uses the term stipulatively in each case. Others more well read in the text can help point this out. This seems to be a common concern with Hegel, that is literal readings of the work.

And to this day you wear this label, as if you were somewhat sick or crazy, but I see you as neither, from all your posts what I see is someone who has suffered and who has coped to the best of his abilities with what he was facing. I see you simply as a human being who needs support and love, and I'm glad you can find some through talking with some people here. — leo

I've seen this kind of anti-psychiatry sentiments here and on Facebook. I don't know what purpose telling THX1138 that he isn't really schizophrenic serves here. The doublethink is a cause of distress and anxiety for any particular person.

Steve Jobs is a role model of sorts. The key to his success at making Apple the richest company in the world was that he was never happy with anything for long. He embraced a permanent state of chronic dissatisfaction. — Jake

I'm not sure what utility Steve Jobs endowed people with. Chronic dissatisfaction tends to breed unhappiness and anxiety.

EDIT: I wouldn't invest in Apple nowadays. They're struggling with market saturation.

Well, as I said, there are other forums that adhere to a different standard, such as peer-reviewed posts and topics. I happen to like the disagreements that arise here despite the lack of agreement. I mean, you can't have one without the other. And, we are discussing philosophy here, so every topic is going to be rife with disagreement.

Why the hostility, @Jake?

Are you not satisfiable with what we've got already?

Duty to what? Or who? Anyway, I speak my mind and take joy in playing with mice. That's just the sort of gadfly I am. A catlike gadfly, I guess. A catfly? My duty is to myself, my principles, my desires, my values, and my whims. Me, me, me. — S

Well, we've rather taken a solipsistic turn, haven't we?

I'm not sure if Socrates took joy in being the gadfly. Maybe it was some proto-Kantian duty he sought to fulfill.

Anyway, I see the issue in exalting the laws that govern the behavior of the Kantian that @tim wood is talking about. The problem is actually the personification of the laws with the individual. Tim, would you like to comment on this fusion of laws with the individual, which doesn't adhere to collective wisdom or opinion. There's something fishy about this whole concept despite its psychological appeal.

I'm not going to deny that, but I'll say that if you allow yourself to be startled by popped balloons, and if you allow your buttons to be pressed, then that's a sign of weakness, and weakness is something which one should learn to overcome. If you become strong enough, this ceases to be a problem. — S

Oh yeah, Freddy rears his head in agreement if at all possible with an ubermensch.

There's always a moral beneath the surface. — S

Yeah, and the abyss is pretty deep, so what?

Fat chance of that happening! — S

Well, you are a balloon popper and button presser, so whatever floats your boat, I suppose.