A corresponding story: I think I am the only one in my family who actually hates sitting down for dinner because either 1. no one ever sits down for dinner at the same time, or more importantly and more relevant 2. everyone turns to watch whatever is on the TV at the moment, even if their back is to the TV they'll take a bite and turn around to watch while continuing to chew their food. (And before anyone tries to cry foul and point out the obvious, yes, I have mentioned my extreme distaste for their actions more than once, but they don't listen)
I am usually the aloof and solitude type, but I would love to sit down to dinner and have a full conversation with my whole family and be interested in what is happening with everyone else's lives and have others be even slightly interested in what I'm doing (since I'm off at college except for about three or four weeks out of the year). That never happens though. They'd all rather be watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire or Dancing With The Stars or Desperate Housewives (yes I'm a guy living in a house with too many women).
You wonder why families seem to be so much more dysfunctional and broken nowadays? Well it's no illusion. Families are more discontent and broken nowadays because society is falling to the pits and worrying more about possessions, money, and kissing their bosses' ass than worrying about their families, loved ones, and the things that truly matter the most in life.
This also goes along with those people who take "vacations" yet take their smartphones with them and never really disconnect from the office and their work while they're supposed to be relaxing and enjoying time off from work. I never want my cell phone to do anything other than make phone calls. Like this phone: http://dvice.com/archives/2008/04/claritylife_pho.php Hell, I'd be happier without a cell phone.
I am disgusted with society today, but major props to these people for trying to do something right by the world and society.
We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot Drink up me hearties, yo ho We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot Drink up me hearties, yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
We extort, we pilfer, we filch and sack Drink up me hearties, yo ho Maraud and embezzle and even high-jack Drink up me hearties yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
We kindle and char, inflame and ignite Drink up me hearties, yo ho We burn up the city, we're really a fright Drink up me hearties, yo ho
We're rascals, scoundrels, villains, and knaves Drink up me hearties, yo ho We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs Drink up me hearties, yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
We're beggars and blighters and ne'er do-well cads Drink up me hearties, yo ho Aye, but we're loved by our mommies and dads Drink up me hearties, yo ho
Um, not much of a newsflash. Hell the major monotheistic religions figured this out way back. If God is omniscient, then he knows what I am about to do and everything I will do in my life. If he knows that, than I can't truly have free will. (Even if you try to weasel out that God decides to blind himself to my future, if it is knowable then its pre-ordained.) So unless you are willing to say God isn't omniscient, then there is no free will, kids.
The only chance we have of any free will at all is in quantum weirdness which is not much free will to speak of, and certainly not enough to be palatable to the average American who thinks his success or failure is a product of his own decisions rather than the sum total of a very complicated system that he has little control over and basically just experiences as the phenomena of his mind. We think we are in control, but largely we are along for the ride. I call bullshit! The only thing monotheistic religions have ever managed to do right is... well, nothing, but I won't go that far because all I simply have to state is that they took a stab in the dark and just happened to guess something that would later be proven by scientists thousands of years later. And furthermore, I don't think any of these religions or their founders had any real idea what they were talking about when they started spouting stuff out left and right. I think it's simply a mere coincidence that they decided that God gives us no free will and that suddenly scientists have proven that our actions are predisposed to our subconscious decision that was made slightly ahead of our conscious decision.
Furthermore, I think that we do, in fact, still have free will. Perhaps just not conscious free will. Free will of the subconscious to make a decision is still free will, is it not? I think humans are perfectly capable of interpreting, understanding, and manipulating the subconscious on a conscious level. We simply have not figured out the proper way to do so yet.
So does this take away free will? It depends on your definition of free will. But I think a free will decision made unconsciously is still a free will decision nonetheless because our brains, which are uniquely and inseparably a part of each of us, made that decision. And therefore, it is indeed ourselves that made the decision, and so it is can still be considered free will.
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You sir, then, are definitely looking for Love: http://www.quelsolaar.com/
I think this is a great idea!
A corresponding story:
I think I am the only one in my family who actually hates sitting down for dinner because either 1. no one ever sits down for dinner at the same time, or more importantly and more relevant 2. everyone turns to watch whatever is on the TV at the moment, even if their back is to the TV they'll take a bite and turn around to watch while continuing to chew their food. (And before anyone tries to cry foul and point out the obvious, yes, I have mentioned my extreme distaste for their actions more than once, but they don't listen)
I am usually the aloof and solitude type, but I would love to sit down to dinner and have a full conversation with my whole family and be interested in what is happening with everyone else's lives and have others be even slightly interested in what I'm doing (since I'm off at college except for about three or four weeks out of the year). That never happens though. They'd all rather be watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire or Dancing With The Stars or Desperate Housewives (yes I'm a guy living in a house with too many women).
You wonder why families seem to be so much more dysfunctional and broken nowadays? Well it's no illusion. Families are more discontent and broken nowadays because society is falling to the pits and worrying more about possessions, money, and kissing their bosses' ass than worrying about their families, loved ones, and the things that truly matter the most in life.
This also goes along with those people who take "vacations" yet take their smartphones with them and never really disconnect from the office and their work while they're supposed to be relaxing and enjoying time off from work. I never want my cell phone to do anything other than make phone calls. Like this phone: http://dvice.com/archives/2008/04/claritylife_pho.php Hell, I'd be happier without a cell phone.
I am disgusted with society today, but major props to these people for trying to do something right by the world and society.
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
We extort, we pilfer, we filch and sack
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
Maraud and embezzle and even high-jack
Drink up me hearties yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
We kindle and char, inflame and ignite
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
We burn up the city, we're really a fright
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
We're rascals, scoundrels, villains, and knaves
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
We're beggars and blighters and ne'er do-well cads
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
Aye, but we're loved by our mommies and dads
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
The only chance we have of any free will at all is in quantum weirdness which is not much free will to speak of, and certainly not enough to be palatable to the average American who thinks his success or failure is a product of his own decisions rather than the sum total of a very complicated system that he has little control over and basically just experiences as the phenomena of his mind. We think we are in control, but largely we are along for the ride. I call bullshit! The only thing monotheistic religions have ever managed to do right is... well, nothing, but I won't go that far because all I simply have to state is that they took a stab in the dark and just happened to guess something that would later be proven by scientists thousands of years later. And furthermore, I don't think any of these religions or their founders had any real idea what they were talking about when they started spouting stuff out left and right. I think it's simply a mere coincidence that they decided that God gives us no free will and that suddenly scientists have proven that our actions are predisposed to our subconscious decision that was made slightly ahead of our conscious decision.
Furthermore, I think that we do, in fact, still have free will. Perhaps just not conscious free will. Free will of the subconscious to make a decision is still free will, is it not? I think humans are perfectly capable of interpreting, understanding, and manipulating the subconscious on a conscious level. We simply have not figured out the proper way to do so yet.
So does this take away free will? It depends on your definition of free will. But I think a free will decision made unconsciously is still a free will decision nonetheless because our brains, which are uniquely and inseparably a part of each of us, made that decision. And therefore, it is indeed ourselves that made the decision, and so it is can still be considered free will.