My bad, I meant the activity depicted in the picture (popping a wheelie to try to impress a girl) could easily be from a pre-internet time.

Right, I guess I mean I don’t see how the sentiment of wanting to show off for ladies has really changed that much post internet. To me this picture speaks more towards how motorcycles impacted simping, and I’m pretty sure that’s the whole reason motorcycles were invented.

In what way? Guys popping wheelies to impress girls was definitely a thing before the internet. I’m pretty sure that’s why the wheelie was invented.

“There’s no such thing as ethical consumption under capitalism so fuck everyone.”

Good luck ever defining “good”.

Because people want to look cool and not be judged for it!

It’s my belief that everyone is a masochist to a certain degree, and those who don’t realize it are in denial.

I drive a vehicle that burns gasoline and contributes to pollution. I purchase products that come in plastic packaging. I participate in an economy that can only exist by taking advantage of people in other countries where labor is “cheaper.” These are all things that I enjoy doing even though I know they’re inflicting suffering on people.

If I don’t do these things I pretty much won’t be able to function in society. And I certainly wouldn’t be able to contribute anything that I think is valuable.

One option would be to end myself, but that would inflict suffering on all my friends and family.

Another option would be to believe that the good I’m doing will outweigh the suffering I inflict on other people.

I’m interested in your thoughts on this. Do you think it’s possible to live a life where you don’t inflict suffering on anyone else?

You’re right, but you’re ignoring a crucial part of the equation which is the person who is suffering enjoys it or else they wouldn’t be doing it.

Haha, agreed. I used to love “going fishing” with my grandparents until I actually caught a fish, then I just felt terrible. I used to have nightmares where there would be fish hooks in my food.

Now “going fishing” to me just means hanging out by the water and being peacefully bored while other people enjoy the things they enjoy.

True, but not always true. Sometimes it’s the boss at work, or the bills on the desk, or the son you used to take fishing before he moved away for college.

Holy crap two fun back and forths leads to a book recommendation, today has been a great day. Thank you!

The curve could definitely be S shaped, but it’s hard to say.

I think that I would be really unhappy/bored in a world where I got to experience “everything” I wanted to do. In fact, just the idea of not having to make any trade offs/compromises is incredibly paralyzing to think about right now lol

If the clones don’t allow me to live forever, eventually dying would be the most interesting thing for me to do because it would be the only “new” thing left to experience in my lifetime.

Being able to clone myself and sync with my clones is something I’ve thought about since I was a kid.

I don’t think increasing the number of clones would ever allow me to satisfy all my wishes. The number of things I want to do increases with the number of experiences I have in a non-linear way. If I want to be satisfied I need to be willing to accept all of my wishes will never be fulfilled.

To answer your question specifically: 0 clones

No. Peace of mind comes from trusting, not from knowing.

Yeah for sure. You can’t logically prove that world view one way or the other, but it’s something worth thinking about and meditating on imo.

I broadly interpret “form relationships with people that make your life better and avoid shitty people” as “Do what makes you happy with the assumption that everyone is doing the same thing, and that the choice to pursue happiness is correct.”

I definitely get the sentiment of “avoiding shitty people”, but I do think that there is a time and place for it. I have some family members with some really hurtful world views and I still choose to engage with them when I know it will bring happiness for both of us.

But yeah, I don’t think my philosophy is logically perfect by any means. It is admittedly irrational, but it’s the best thing I’ve found for being able to live my life the way I feel like I should be living.

Unless you think that everyone is the same person and humanity is just a distributed consciousness. In which case anyone you end up with at any time is the person you’re supposed to be with. At which point the key to moving forward is trusting and forgiving “yourself”.

Exactly! I think one of the fun things about growing up is realizing that your personal experience isn’t completely unique, and that other people have shared similar experiences. I also don’t think it’s weird to have the idea that many of the things we enjoy and find funny (like puns and silly sounds) would cross language and cultural boundaries.

How so?

Because “gas” is an informal and quicker way of saying gasoline that was adopted by the general public for convenience sake.

Language doesn’t exist to be technically correct, it exists to facilitate practical conversation. The more you look at it from this perspective the more things will start to make sense.