[m'kay] wrote:Spoiler: showI like to write and lift weights, smoke weed and drink from time to time, and also think that video games are pretty cool. Going to spend a lot of time with my dad's side of the family since I started re-connecting with them, so i'm gonna be hanging out on house boats and swimming and paintballing and it's gonna be so [m'kay] great! Also everyone on my dad's side thinks i'm swole as [m'kay] even though a lot of it is actually fat, so that's some pretty good motivation to actually get really ripped because if I start looking weak now i'm gonna feel like a massive tool.
Also apparently i'm smart as [m'kay], which is nice. Got a 92 on the ASVAB back in high school, had more fun scraping by high school with the exact amount of credits I needed rather than doing AP bull [poo], and had a lot of fun learning how to work with and occasionally use people.
I'm also an (admittedly [poo]) Buddhist. I started getting interested in Buddhism early on in high school, and since then i've gotten progressively more serious about it. I appreciate the fact that it puts a great emphasis on the will of the individual rather than the collective. Those who achieve Buddhahood aren't revered as gods, and we don't pray to them or anything - they're just teachers that impart wisdom to those who seek it. But it's not any kind of meritocracy, really - the will of the individual is paramount, but that doesn't mean that the individual in question is only beholden to themselves. A great part of the teachings revolve around compassion - reducing the pain of your fellow man using the methods you've been taught.
Many Buddhists take this to heart in many different ways. There are quite a few that practice pacifism, some who use politics as a tool to prevent suffering, those who act as community leaders, etc. I'm not really good enough to do any of that. However, I still try to live up to the teachings in my own way - I may not be able to keep from fighting, I might not be patient enough for politics, but at the very least I can help to dissuade those who would cause pain to others. I know that this might seem rather hypocritical considering my usual demeanor on these forums, but honestly about 90% of the time i'm genuinely trying to help the people I insult. It's just that in real life, you have many more options than on the internet. In real life, you can be kind and understanding and be a great help to everyone, children in particular. But on the internet, where a lot of suffering is beginning to gather, kindness does nothing but exacerbate the problem.
Humans are meant to have physical, personal relationships. The internet is a great tool, but as it's hardly even out of infancy, it's incredibly easy to abuse. I, for one, was raised predominantly by the internet. Whether or not I came out well is up for debate, but no er what the result i'm probably an exception. I managed to stay fairly social, happy, and well-adjusted. And yet there are grown men on the internet who define themselves not by their deeds, but by which My Little Pony they want to marry. Completely unironically. Obliviously. And these people, among other obvious suspects, are the ones who found acceptance on the internet when they never should have. That's what I try to nip in the bud on these forums - which is why most of my "targets" end up being children.
So everyone i've talked [poo] to in the past, I really want you to understand this. I don't do it because I hate you, outside of a couple - and even that's more of a very deep dislike - I do it because I really, really don't want you to end up being 30 year old manchildren someday down the line. These lives only come around once every long, long while - and to waste it on a novelty like the internet is very unfortunate. Also because having a huge throbbing ego over an internet space war game is really, really stupid.
Also I like kitties.
I read it all, and let's just say that whatever respect I had for you before just about increased tenfold. As far as I can see, you're actually pretty damn awesome.
I gotta say, if I wasn't Christian the other 'religion' that looks really great to me is Buddhism.
So rock on, Narg, and I wish you the best.