Feeling like there's no hope

[Els]

I don't live with my parents - all my parents and grandparents are dead. I live alone and scrape by. Looking to use my degree for better employment, but I don't like my degree...

 

What is your degree (or at least the broad field) and why don't you like it?

 

When you're 38, your long-time friends are gone away / have families and have no time to spend with you. My friend-base has collapsed almost completely. I basically have to start from scratch again. And I also don't know how to approach that. Get back into geeky gaming like Magic cards? The average age is probably 20... big generation gap and I don't fit into the group. Get into a racquetball or golf club? Nearly the same thing. Even if a golf club would have people my age (mostly guys...) the guys would have families and I'd have little in common with them. When you're a 38 year old bachelor with no friend base and haven't established yourself financially or otherwise, you are simply weird and awkward and won't fit in, no matter what you're trying to get into.

 

Well, the last MTG draft that I went to, one of my opponents was a 60+(?) yo guy with a greying beard. He was endearing, and fun to talk to. Like an incarnation of Dumbledore. Obviously I wouldn't go out with him even if I'd been single and he'd asked, due to the humongous age discrepancy, but what I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't worry about what people think about your age or you. People who are going to judge you, will do it no matter what. If you like MTG or golf or racquetball then just go.

 

Aside from that, I do think that you need to build up your foundation first. It's hard to work on things that are higher up the 'pyramid' - socializing and dating and such - when things are going poorly in your own life. You need a career, and you need to take better care of your health and lose weight if you're obese. By all means stay open to opportunities if they arise, but if you focus on your foundation first, then you won't be finding yourself in this same Catch-22, five or ten years from now.

 

I'm not entirely sure, but when I think about never having them, I don't like the idea. Logically the world needs less humans, and having kids is basically (logically) a selfish act. Nevertheless, I can't fix the world as a whole, and it shouldn't be my burden to have no kids just so irresponsible people can have more kids. It also seems to bring joy and meaning to people's lives. Even people who are divorced and depressed find fulfillment in having their kids. Like it or not I am still human and bound by human motivations and feelings.

 

It's totally fine to want children. I was curious, as I wouldn't have pegged you for it based on your previous posts.

[littleplanet]

I'm also aware I dwell on the negative. If something is absent (for instance dating prospects in my life, a good job in my life) I assume the unknowns as negative, until there is something or someone actually there which is concrete.

 

I met a girl recently who is into missionary work, we hit it off quickly and my constant negative assumptions were turned around pretty quick by this selfless individual. It was exciting in that respect. Unfortunately, she has a BF. Thus reinforcing the assumption that all the good ones already have BFs. I don't even let that stop me, I still try -- in fact, I believe the last 4 girls I've asked out or simply asked to spend time with have all had BFs at the time. (And all said no...)

 

So, if you could paint me a positive mental picture of what I could try for, or share positive experiences which you believe would relate (guys succeeding without acting like dominant animals) that would be helpful.

 

Okeedoke, OP.

 

Unknowns are just unknowns, until known.

It's entirely up to you if they're negative, or positive.

If you throw a negative at a positive, chances are it's going to come back negative.

For instance - throwing a positive at a negative....can sometimes change it to positive.

Especially with strangers who don't really know you.

People (bless their hearts) often like positivity. It can endear them.

They often dislike negativity.

Just a general rule of thumb, I know.......

 

Moving right along.

Assumptions can set you up for a fall before you even take a first step.

Social excercises can move along much smoother from a neutral starting point.

Laws of attraction being what they are....

not everyone is so shallow as to narrow it down to one or two traits.

There are endless subtle levels.

 

Not all nice women who might appeal to you have boyfriends.

That's just the luck of the draw.

So.........how many hands do you have to play in that game?

One? Ten? A Hundred?

You decide.

 

Many romantically successful men do not act like dominant animals.

They just act like decent human beings. Something that many good women find astonishingly attractive!

 

I understand that your track record has no doubt, kicked the crap outa your self-confidence......

But you have to start somewhere.

Too late?

Hell no.

Compared to me, you're a pup. Lots of time.

I wasn't much younger than you before I finally got it right.

(Though I started off at a very young and tender age.)

......and wasted two decades in between.

 

If you have the ability to recognize and appreciate a good woman, that's money in the bank.

Why wouldn't you deserve one?

The answer to that question - is germane to your problem.

 

Good luck!

[ChessPieceFace]

What is your degree (or at least the broad field) and why don't you like it?

 

Engineering. So far all the engineering jobs I've seen I either ethically disagree with, find incredibly boring, or otherwise wouldn't want to do (sales / customer service positions always seem to be open... puke.) I wish I had gone for comp sci, since I've been coding on and off since I was 7 years old, and like it far more than circuits. But, maybe I'd hate that too - not sure.

 

Ideally I want to create groundbreaking video games, and I've written out a lot of ideas for some of them. (The way I figured out what I wanted to do was to imagine that I won the lottery, bought all my the toys I'd buy, and then wanted to actually do something with my life before I died.) I guess the only thing stopping me from creating my games is lack of motivation to do the work necessary for that in addition to working my job (and lack of artistic ability - I could probably do everything for a game except the art.)

 

I don't see it as realistic to get a job making games, at least not living where I am - and even if I somehow did, I'd be making someone else's game, not my own vision, so it probably wouldn't be the same. Coding other stuff like databases or whatever... probably would be as boring to me as designing braking systems, or whatever stupid boring engineering jobs are available in my area.

 

you shouldn't worry about what people think about your age or you. People who are going to judge you, will do it no matter what. If you like MTG or golf or racquetball then just go.

 

I hate the skyrocketing costs of MTG constructed, but mainly since my personal magic group disbanded (had 2 close friends who played for a while, getting me back into the game, but they've quit, I lost one of the friends and the other I have nothing in common with other than MTG) I don't have the interest. And as far as the people go - it's not that I care that people will judge me for playing games with kids - it's that the players are generally juvenile, lacking manners & hygiene. That doesn't describe everyone, but it's still the general environment you're in if you play MTG, around here anyway.

 

I never made any genuine friends playing MTG as an adult. Only back in college when we were all 19yo kids. In fact, I tried to make friends with some of the better individuals a few years back, but it never happened. One example - one of the kids played racquetball like I do, and he was always cool and friendly with me in the MTG environment. I asked him several times if he wanted to play racquetball - it never happened. It just doesn't work. I can't build a new friend base with 20 year old MTG players.

 

Find a group with men and women your age who are single

 

I'm 38. 38 yo single people are going to be divorced with kids, or broken rejects like me. I could get some socialization there, but what kind of love interests could I really find? I see what you're saying, it's a good suggestion which I will explore, I'm just very pessimistic about it (justifiably so I would say in this case.)

Edited July 29, 2014 by ChessPieceFace

[Els]

Engineering. So far all the engineering jobs I've seen I either ethically disagree with, find incredibly boring, or otherwise wouldn't want to do (sales / customer service positions always seem to be open... puke.) I wish I had gone for comp sci, since I've been coding on and off since I was 7 years old, and like it far more than circuits. But, maybe I'd hate that too - not sure.

 

Ideally I want to create groundbreaking video games, and I've written out a lot of ideas for some of them. (The way I figured out what I wanted to do was to imagine that I won the lottery, bought all my the toys I'd buy, and then wanted to actually do something with my life before I died.) I guess the only thing stopping me from creating my games is lack of motivation to do the work necessary for that in addition to working my job (and lack of artistic ability - I could probably do everything for a game except the art.)

 

I don't see it as realistic to get a job making games, at least not living where I am - and even if I somehow did, I'd be making someone else's game, not my own vision, so it probably wouldn't be the same. Coding other stuff like databases or whatever... probably would be as boring to me as designing braking systems, or whatever stupid boring engineering jobs are available in my area.

 

You don't necessarily need a compsci degree to start coding - it will help you get in the door as a graduate with no experience, but if you have made something impressive it won't matter. Some of the coders hired by the big guns in the video game industry (or who are making decent money off their own indie games) don't have compsci degrees.

 

That being said, I think it would benefit you to really sit down and think about where you want your life to go besides having a girlfriend. You seem to hate every single possibility in your career (or believe it to be impossible) - so what do you plan to do about that?

 

Also, if you already hate your current job... it seems to make sense to just work in engineering instead even if you'd hate it too, since you'd at least have more money than just scraping by. Then perhaps with that additional money you could go back to school, or invest in a startup, etc.

 

 

I hate the skyrocketing costs of MTG constructed, but mainly since my personal magic group disbanded (had 2 close friends who played for a while, getting me back into the game, but they've quit, I lost one of the friends and the other I have nothing in common with other than MTG) I don't have the interest. And as far as the people go - it's not that I care that people will judge me for playing games with kids - it's that the players are generally juvenile, lacking manners & hygiene. That doesn't describe everyone, but it's still the general environment you're in if you play MTG, around here anyway.

 

I never made any genuine friends playing MTG as an adult. Only back in college when we were all 19yo kids. In fact, I tried to make friends with some of the better individuals a few years back, but it never happened. One example - one of the kids played racquetball like I do, and he was always cool and friendly with me in the MTG environment. I asked him several times if he wanted to play racquetball - it never happened. It just doesn't work. I can't build a new friend base with 20 year old MTG players.

You don't necessarily HAVE to go back to MTG if you don't want to. All I'm saying is, you seem to shoot down every possibility of doing anything. You're making things much harder on yourself than anyone else is. This is all your prerogative, and it's really no skin off my back if you carry on as you are. We do want to help you, but we can only do so much.

[littleplanet]

Why is it so damn important to women that a man does what he loves doing and is the best version of himself? Is always self-improving? Why is it that the way relationships are, the woman is supposed to look up to the guy and respect him, he is supposed to be a winner in her eyes?

 

 

This is a topic for a whole new thread.

The greatest things I ever aspired to in my life were originally romantically-inspired. It was a no-brainer.

When I first picked up a guitar - it was to impress the chicks.

Original attempts at poetry....lyrics......same thing.

 

The payoff now - is that it is the fundamental foundation of my social life.

I can be pooped out royally, get the hell out of the house and go jam in a club, and hang out with great people. It is not at all a shallow or meaningless thing.

Not to mention that music of course, has turned into the secret elixer of a loved life. It keeps me young. It keeps me engaged. It opens up the spiritual pores. It exercises the emotions. It tosses down calling cards that invite back genuine responses.

(and the missus is still impressed...........for her, I did not have to be a "success.") She doesn't look in my bank account for that.....she looks into my heart.

 

I never looked for a woman who wanted a rock star for a husband, or was addicted to fame, mansions, and designer bathroom fixtures.

When I was 18 - I knew that wasn't the only way to "win" in life.

It was easy. I wanted to be real. Not cardboard.

 

And music is just what I do for love.

 

I love books and learning just as much. And that's what I do for a living.

I love kids just as much.

And about 80,000 of them pour through my life every school year. I fuss and fret over their futures constantly.

All it takes is caring. Giving a damn.

My "success" is only human.

 

And would I have accomplished all this without my woman in a million?

Good question.

Maybe so, maybe no. (I'm a stubborn piece of puzzle.)

Point is though.....long before I ever met her, I was well on the way.

 

But I don't live for the admiration in her eyes.

I live for the confirmation of her respect.

No money in the bank ever buys that.

 

And you have to really know and understand a woman, to get that.

There is no quick route. It takes living and sharing a life.

 

Funny thing, though. Where did I pick up the confidence?

Getting kicked around on a stage, not knowing what the hell it was all about.....but determined to learn. So I did.

[ChessPieceFace]

You don't necessarily need a compsci degree to start coding

 

But then almost none of my major helped prepare me for what I want to do.

 

I think it would benefit you to really sit down and think about where you want your life to go besides having a girlfriend. You seem to hate every single possibility in your career (or believe it to be impossible) - so what do you plan to do about that?

 

I can't fix the world. I won't remove my ethical standards. I can't make myself like things I don't like. That leaves me few options I will like. Yes I need to get my life in order before having a GF. However, I could also argue that if a girl doesn't like me for who I am inside, then it's all a bunch of BS anyway. So then I'm just a walking paycheck to be used. If that's all girls value then I might as well pay for sex outright. Like another poster said -- why do I have to achieve such a high standard for my life before girls will consider me? Answer - because western women expect way, way too much.

 

if you already hate your current job... it seems to make sense to just work in engineering instead even if you'd hate it too, since you'd at least have more money than just scraping by.

 

Except if I'm working 60+ hours a week in engineering then I'd be experiencing things I hate twice as much. I truly might not be able to tolerate that. Doing things you hate part time leaves a lot of mental recovery time. Also leaves me time to do what I want to do - work on my game. Working 60+ hours a week in engineering means I'd never be able to work on it. Only after I was laid off & on unemployment. That isn't a bad plan but still requires I be able to tolerate 60+ hours a week of engineering.

 

you seem to shoot down every possibility of doing anything.

 

No, but I will point out the flaws in things. I'm checking out gaming groups already.

Edited July 31, 2014 by ChessPieceFace

[camillalev]

Yes I need to get my life in order before having a GF. However, I could also argue that if a girl doesn't like me for who I am inside, then it's all a bunch of BS anyway.

 

How do you expect someone else to be happy with you if you aren't?

 

I relate to some of the stuff you write, I went through and am going through a difficult time as well, but I'm active to change. It's not easy at all, I know what you mean when you say you see it as an uphill battle. It's worth it though, just to be happier with yourself and see improvements in your life, even though it may be slow.

 

From what you've written you seem pretty unwilling to put extra work into anything. Or any effort at all. Multiple times you've said your too lazy to do it.

 

As for a girlfriend, with how you are operating, you won't be able to find or be with the kind of woman you maybe imagined for yourself. I'm sure you can find someone else who is lonely and kind of unhappy and settling as well. Like attracts like.

[Glinda.Good]

honestly, just sick and tired of being told to grow a pair and man up, be a man:mad:

 

You really, really seem to hate the fact that you are male. And everything about what is considered to be "manly" traditionally.

 

You live in a world where people have a lot of choices about accepting or rejecting traditional gender roles. If you don't want to be what our culture traditionally thinks of as a "man," you do NOT HAVE TO BE.

 

But you will need to have some courage about it. Bucking traditional gender roles is challenging and pretty hard, but lots of people do it and there is support out there.

 

This complaining, whining and blaming the world because it does not conform to what you'd like, and because things you want are not coming to you when you remain totally passive, is just nowhere.

[lollipopspot]

However, of course, all women are the same, to some degree. Women are still women after all and, even in other cultures, they're not perfect.

 

Ever consider hooking up with guys, since you like them better?

 

Nevertheless, I can't fix the world as a whole, and it shouldn't be my burden to have no kids just so irresponsible people can have more kids. It also seems to bring joy and meaning to people's lives. Even people who are divorced and depressed find fulfillment in having their kids. Like it or not I am still human and bound by human motivations and feelings.

 

Sure, but you can't look to having kids to bring you fulfillment. If you can't be fulfilled without them, how can you show them how to be content and happy in life? I read a post once where someone who was clinically depressed and suicidal was deciding whether or not to have another kid. It kind of blew me away. Here she is deciding if she wants to live another day on a planet that she can barely tolerate - and simultaneously deciding whether or not to subject someone else to life on the same planet she hardly wants to be on. I think people need to have some basic life satisfaction in order to model that for their kids.

 

I'm 38. 38 yo single people are going to be divorced with kids, or broken rejects like me. I could get some socialization there, but what kind of love interests could I really find? I see what you're saying, it's a good suggestion which I will explore, I'm just very pessimistic about it (justifiably so I would say in this case.)

 

There are plenty of childfree people, or people who were/are unable to have children. In fact, here's a UK statistic (too lazy to look up the US one) that shows that 1/5 of women do not have children by age 45.

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/fertility-analysis/cohort-fertility--england-and-wales/2012/sty-cohert-fertility.html

 

You are too negative.

 

How obese are you? I do recommend that you get in better shape and lose some weight. Make yourself a more attractive partner in the ways that you can. Weight is not a deal breaker for me, but at least having an active lifestyle is appealing to a lot of people - and that's not just about aesthetics, but also health and vibrancy.

[scobro]

If you want your life to change stop being negative and change the things in your life

[ChessPieceFace]

If you want your life to change stop being negative and change the things in your life

 

Right. Just summon the will and desire to change your entire life from ... somewhere. Just do it. Magically make it happen. Even after you've lost most everything in your life that kept you going, everything you lived for, lost almost your entire family and all your friends and your whole life is totally derailed, just play pretend that something will be worthwhile. Thanks a bunch for that.

 

How obese are you?

 

50 lbs overweight. It was 60+ but I dieted and have been more active. Nevertheless, even at +60 I walked daily, now I also have an active job where I probably do more physical work than most people in this thread. I probably eat healthier and have better general health than the majority of people in the thread as well. My body simply clings to calories and naturally wants to hover at a certain weight. I have to make a concerted effort every single day to force weight loss. That's how it is for most overweight people. I'd certainly never be naked in front of anyone, am not happy with myself and wouldn't want a GF who was +50 lbs either.

 

From what you've written you seem pretty unwilling to put extra work into anything. Or any effort at all. Multiple times you've said your too lazy to do it.

 

Right. That's why I lost 15 lbs in 2 weeks through nothing but strict diet and exercise. And obviously I've also made no effort viewing the hundreds of worthless job listings I've read which demand job experience or experience with things I've never heard of. Go find any entry level position in electrical engineering which is legitimately an entry level position, and doesn't ask for experience with things they never taught in class. Good luck with that. I honestly don't understand how any EE gets started. The seeming impossibility of that task is why I persist in crap jobs, not "laziness."

[inpeices]

Seek the spiritual side of yourself and join a group support in your country for Aspergers.. Both will bring you the answers to your questions x

[Elias33]

Never too late! /thread.

[Elias33]

Sorry, I should do better. Hoping is something you do while sitting, doing nothing as if it isn't in your hands. Hoping serves a purpose, for the one's who fight a life threatening disease, for the one's who are locked up or fight in a war. But hoping for a girlfriend, or hoping to get rich, just no.

 

Hoping is you watching your life go by. Where there is hope, there can be disappointment. In hoping there are no pay offs. You do away with control and replace it with hope and guiltless you may watch your life go by.

 

Say something positive for every negative comment you tell yourself. Force yourself. This battle will tire you quickly but may awaken you.

[scobro]

Right.

Just summon the will and desire to change your entire life from ... somewhere. Just do it. Magically make it happen. Even after you've lost most everything in your life that kept you going, everything you lived for, lost almost your entire family and all your friends and your whole life is totally derailed, just play pretend that something will be worthwhile. Thanks a bunch for that.[QUOTE]

 

That's exactly correct have the desire to change the things that you don't think are working for you or that you think will improve your current way of thinking and living situation.There is no esoteric system in changing for the better, only you know exactly what that is.If you need to lose weight and get healthier start exercising and eating better.Its not magic its just taking action to do little things.The more little things you change over time you will see a big significant change.Start with one thing and make it a habit of doing whatever it is you want to change.It usually takes 28 days to break or form a habit

 

I lost everything too so don't play the victim.I was jobless and spent 3 days living under a bridge before I went into a homeless shelter.So I have been there and probably worse than you.I sold everything I owned and moved into a room with just a bag of clothes and had to start over.I lost my GF of 5 years due to no job no money and it hurt like hell but the only thing you can do is make changes or sit and feel sorry for yourself until you are clinically depressed.

 

So yes I know what its like to have your life derailed.If I was you just start reading a lot of self help books and really get honest with yourself about what you need to change in order to start living a happier life.Once you take action and actually do it you will start feeling a lot better and good things start happening.If you focus on negativity thats what you will attract negative situations and people.If you are positive you will find positive things start taking effect in your life.

 

Its up to you get busy living or get busy dying its your choice and if you think your life will get better or you think your life will get worse ....you are right and nobody can do it for you other than you.

 

Good luck!!

[ChessPieceFace]

get busy living or get busy dying

 

Quotes from Shawshank aren't going to help, unless of course you can tell me what hole I can dig out and crawl through to get off this planet to someplace better (suicide doesn't count, sorry.)

 

The human race is pretty much garbage. Western women have been anointed and programmed to be garbage by our man-destroying society. Our materialist society based on money at the expense of all else is definitely garbage. I'm an evolved human on a planet infested with unevolved humans & subhumans whose highest goal is to reproduce, while destroying the planet they live on and stealing from everyone around them, directly or indirectly. How can I believe in a higher purpose or noble pursuits when I can see so clearly that I live amongst a race of filth?

 

Almost no one has the audacity to see the world for what it really is. Many of the ones who did undoubtedly ended themselves because it's too tragic a truth to live with indefinitely. The rest of you persist in your illusions, delusions, in your apologies for the life you live and the crimes of the species you belong to. You go about your daily routine pursuing small bits of happiness, or perhaps deluded to think you can make a difference, or perhaps are another sociopath out to do anything and destroy anyone for a buck. You reproduce and add more humans to this planet while having a massive amount of information to tell you it is a selfish act. You take jobs which involve destroying the planet, giving people cancer or killing them directly or indirectly through any number of ways, taking away people's freedom & spying on them etc. And the saddest part is you convince yourself it's acceptable. And, most of you believe you have some understanding of loss and claim you "cope" because you just haven't lost enough.

 

I do recognize a fundamental truth which is that most unhappiness comes from unfulfilled expectations. I was raised with high moral and ethical standards and then thrust into a world I'm far too good to be a part of. If I want to be happy I either have to wrap my mind once again in illusions & delusions (unlikely to succeed) or sufficiently lower my expectations. I just don't know if I can or want to lower my ethical standards enough to persist in a society with the animals I'm surrounded by. If you don't understand my perspective (very likely) it's because you are incapable or unwilling to connect enough dots. Consider yourself lucky.

[KaliLove]

Gee..I can't imagine why people don't like you...your God complex is just so appealing...

[Mopparon]

I just don't know if I can or want to lower my ethical standards enough to persist in a society with the animals I'm surrounded by...

 

 

This is why you can't find anyone to relate to, because your mind is telling you that you cannot relate to anyone. When you put on bitter-tinted spectacles everyone appears to be nothing more than an "animal" to you (or at least the majority of people you are surrounded by do), and this further taints your view of the world.

 

The truth is the world isn't black or white, and people aren't animals or saints, the truth is that the world is covered in a myriad different shades of grey and each person in the world is unique with their own unique list of faults and merits.

 

-----

 

Suppose someone had been wearing blue tinted spectacles for 25 years, to them everyone and everything would appear to be blue, which is sad because there are sooo many colours that they would be missing out on.

 

Further, suppose this person refused to take their blue-tinted spectacles off, or found it incredibly difficult to take them off because they'd become glued to their head, and a blue world is all they'd ever known, to them, refusing to believe how vibrant and colourful the world appears in reality to the majority of people around him, would be perfectly logical.

 

But with help (and maybe a glue dissolving solvent ) he has the potential to be free of those blue tinted spectacles he's clung to all those years, and has the potential to be free to see the entire spectrum of colours that surround him.

 

-----

 

Just take a moment and really think about what you just wrote above... try to imagine how you would feel if someone were to say something similar about you, i.e. -

 

"I just don't know if I can or want to lower my ethical standards enough to persist in a relationship with a bitter, negative, woman-hating reject like ChessPieceFace"

Would you be attracted to that person, would you want to spend time with that person?

 

I'm guessing that would be a huge turn off to you as well?

 

But if not, great! Because I'm sure there are plenty of bitter women in the world too that will share your mindset, only they will primarily see ALL the men in the world as the animals.

Edited August 30, 2014 by Mopparon

[ChessPieceFace]

This is why you can't find anyone to relate to, because your mind is telling you that you cannot relate to anyone.

 

Actually it's because over 99% of humans don't know what's going on.

 

You seem to like analogies. Imagine if you knew an asteroid would annihilate the human race 10 years from now. Over 99% of people denied it and were hostile toward the information. No one you knew in real life believed you. A few people online knew it along with you, but since they are just distant strangers that is small comfort. So, you're forced to either be ostracized for telling people the truth, or ignore the truth and pretend to remain in ignorance like all those around you.

 

Now extend that further and say that the asteroid wasn't going to hit by chance, but that the true, behind-the-scenes powers of the world had set it in motion. And again, you were alone in that knowledge. Now, live in that world and be happy. Go contribute to that world and believe any of it means something. Good luck.

 

I'm not the one with tinted spectacles on, all of you are. I see the world as it is, or at least closer to as it is than anyone I know and anyone (so far to comment) in this thread.

 

Gee..I can't imagine why people don't like you...your God complex is just so appealing...

 

Does the animal handler have a god complex because he's more evolved than the animals he's around? Proof is in the pudding. I have superior ethics, intelligence (99th percentile), and have not only the ability but personal courage to realize what's going on in the world. I could prove to anyone certain very key points that would rip the fabric of their beliefs apart, but people resist knowing. INTENSELY resist it. Humanity has not evolved.

 

Do you know the Earth goes around the sun? Of course you personally didn't discover it or even bother to personally verify it, you just accepted it because it's the prevailing wisdom - almost all of you would have also accepted that the Earth was flat if you had been born 1000 years ago. Just like almost all of you would be christians when born in a christian nation, muslims if born in a muslim nation, etc. But table that debate for now.

 

Say you, your amazingly learned self were transported back 1000 years and forced to live in the ignorance of those times. Would you not scoff at the people around you? Would you not feel superior to them? Most people would be arrogantly hostile to your claims of the Earth orbiting the sun, of tiny invisible organisms causing disease, of matter being made up of atoms according to a periodic table of elements and many other things proven in our time. And of course most would also be hostile to any assertions you made about the equality of women & men, blacks & whites, poor & rich, etc. You would be ethically and intellectually superior to most of the people around you. Could you prove that to them? Would they listen? Congratulations on your newfound "god complex."

Edited August 31, 2014 by ChessPieceFace

[KaliLove]

Redacted, out of fear of provoking a crazy person to take violent action.

Edited September 1, 2014 by KaliLove