Basman

You are more likely to succeed now than ever before in human history. If you live in a 1st world country, you have so many opportunities to develop yourself. And your more survival secure than ever before if anything as well. So much that you are probably spoiled. So just get to work.

Government institutions are themselves collective fictions, no less legitimacy. Collective fiction require ritual to work and people need to trust the institutions to be grounded in reality. Suspension of disbelief if you will. Something like an election is a ritual that makes an elected government legitimate even if you yourself don't agree with their politics. It is an amazing social technology. Fundamentally, a government is essentially just the monopolization of violence in an area, but it also needs to be legitimized for the population to accept a government. In monarchies and authoritarian states, the head of government is typically "chosen by god" or literally a "god". The point is that a government needs to feel real for people to give their authority to it. Having an effective institution however allows you to regulate all sorts of things that are unwanted (murder, theft, pollution, etc.) and create public goods through organized work (infrastructure, education, redistribution of wealth, etc.). If you really want to go to the edge of collective fictions, you could say that your life has no legitimacy and it is just a matter of force to enslave you. And there are no rules that exist that could regulate that. Now we are in stone ages, where institutions barely exist. The notion of anarchy assumes that collective fictions are a bug as opposed to a feature. They are completely wrong and that kind of thinking is probably the result of premature conclusions. Imagine teaching chimps to drive. Without the ability to order themselves in accordance with the collective fiction of traffic rules, it would be complete pandemonium. Wanting to remove institutions over political grievances is like stabbing your wheels with sticks because the road is full of potholes. Anarchy isn't a serious solution to erosion of trust in institutions. I think it is interesting that you focus so much on the legitimacy of governance instead of the reality of institutions themselves as a collective fiction. I think this is perhaps an expression of a loss of trust in institutions. A loss of trust in their ability for the government to be effective at creating a good society for everyone, which is likely due to economic exclusion and a loss of community, I would bet. This kind of loss of trust in institutions is increasing, where the common sentiment is that they don't make you feel like a legitimate citizens who's concerns are important. You don't feel like you are fully participating in society. This is a serious problem.

Just as long as AI isn't the only resource you use, it can be a good source of discussion. Chatgpt at least has a bias towards agreeableness and saying whatever floats your boat so to speak, even if it isn't factual. AI is hallucinatory overall, but it can be really good at wording things and presenting a point of view you haven't even considered. You still want to be reading books, long-form articles, etc. And making up your own mind. Having answers spoonfed won't make you wiser. You need to be curious and contemplate how reality works with the information you learned. Interconnect your understanding.

We're in a phase of drifting towards authoritarianism in my opinion, which specifically means the erosion of checks and balances of power. This is due to a loss of trust in institutions, which is due to what I believe to be exhaustion with Stage Orange broadly. Economic exclusion and soulless technocracy is driving a wedge between populations and the institutions which comprise the unity of the West generally speaking. Trump and Putin are both expressions of such authoritarianism, where the perception is that might makes right, over for example due processes, like an election. Trumps isolationism is having global ramification for the state of Western society because the US is so integral to previous status quo. As European and East-Asian countries relied heavily on the US, they have to become more independent to adapt. In 20-30 years, I bet you'll see a western block that has it more together and is less heavily reliant on the US if there is not too much authoritarian slip-up. Brexit for example was a disaster for the UK. It was a huge set back for them politically.

Illegal/unwanted immigrants aren't sovereign citizens though. It is a bad example. When a country moves against immigration it is always because there is an undercurrent sense of one's sovereignty being at stake. Democratic countries are unlikely to ever really go directly at war with each other because they are too intertwined for that to even be an option. They are all westernized and roughly the same level of development. Unless something radical happens.

The difference is those countries aren't world leading economies with close historical and cultural ties. Democracy becomes an obstacle for US interest if for example a South American country seeks to nationalize it's oil industry and raise prices. American politics is also very much in bed with corporations, who's interest the government protects at times, like with those banana republics. Or private oil companies. The US was also fighting to prevent communism in the South at the time. Being corrupt doesn't refute that America is broadly pro-democracy though because it is generally good for business. In the case of the pacific, it is of great importance to maintain regional stability for the US.

Russia is highly depoliticized. A generation of men dying on the front line isn't seen as a national issue but like a private matter between individuals and the state. They took a bad deal and lost or where just unlucky.

American hegemony depends on democratically established countries maintaining their stability. These are economies which American way of life depend on. It is a different matter when you have backwater country to which the only interest are certain resources or they help stabilize the region. The middle-east aren't going to have any democracies anytime soon anyway. It has been tried. Trump's isolationism will and already has hurt America's position as a global power.

As far as I understand, it is not so much about starting a war with China, but drawing a figurative line in the sand. That includes having the plans and the material ready to win a fight if need be. If not, Chinese interests will supersede American interests in the Pacific, which will likely be destabilizing for the security of American allies in the region, especially Taiwan. America needs Taiwan for their computer chips. It is also about upholding American hegemony and a commitment to democracy and capitalism, though I'm less sure of that with Trump behind the wheel. Don't quote me on that.

May? I don't think it is hyperbolic to say that the US is much more concerned with China than Russia. China is much closer to being a peer-to-peer competitor militarily. If I'm not mistaken, much of the US military is being geared towards an amphibious war in the pacific. I believe Task & Purpose on Youtube has a bunch of videos on it. If anything, Ukraine is kind of a distraction for the US. China is probably right in wanting to prevent a Russian loss if they want to prevent America's full attention towards fighting them. It is human nature to apply old models when trying to make sense of the world. If they are true it is business as usual. If they are wrong, then you ponder.

Pretty chill I bet.

Clanker knows its place.

But having small classes, great teachers and a serious attitude is a matter of resources at least to a certain extent. Great teachers require good pay and you need to structure education such that classes are small and teachers are afforded the time to give students their attention. A serious attitude is also arguably dependent on your environment. If you have academic parents and if the culture fosters academics then you are more likely to be a serious student. Perhaps the Soviet Union just prioritized education better despite being relatively poorer. In my experience, western education is very much just going through the motions. Factory education is just easier even when you are a rich country. It makes sense on a spreadsheet.

Dating has never been equal. I think only about 30% of men throughout history reproduced as opposed to 80% of the women population. There has been found mass graves from either the Stone Age or Bronze Age (one of those) that are completely absent of the skeletons of young women. Yet have every other category of person. Grandpas, men, kids, etc. In the past, people had more of an incentive to stick together because they had to in order to survive, especially women. Those same incentives no longer really exist. What is happening today is that there are less incentives to form monogamous relationships, there is more freedom and people are less tied down logistically. If you don't take responsibility for having a community, you can easily end up with no social life. It is much easier to game and watch streamers than it is to make friends. I think here in the West we have this seemingly unconscious notion that we need to maximize our potential. It can make us feel discontent. In less western countries they are more likely to be content marrying the first person they sleep with and live simple lives. That might not be for everyone but having lower standards is comparatively simple. Our standards might be unrealistic relative to the effort we put in our social life.

I recently went through a bout of academic burnout and I remember experiencing a niggling little thought of perhaps I should just kill myself. I immediately dismiss it as just a sign of stress. I know that if I focus on it it'll only be more severe in my mind. It is an emotional symptom to a period distress, but rationally I knew the stress would go away in a matter of days. Talking to my parents about my stress and feeling a sense of connection made me feel loved and calmed me down. The default state is not wanting to kill oneself but wanting to feel serene and happy. Both a sense of peace and of play. Suicidal ideation is the mind seeking to escape a situation it perceives as inescapable. Where you feel you have no agency to change your circumstances. It is a coping mechanism in my opinion. When I went through my period of feeling suicidal in my early 20s, what made it stop was a) taking more action and isolating less, b) finding allies/realizing that I am not alone, and c) steer my mind away from negative and suicidal rumination. You have a certain degree of influence over your mind. When my mind was spiraling into suicidal thoughts I would tell myself that I don't need to kill myself, that it is not helpful to think about, and that I can change my situation. The rumination was what was causing the majority of my suffering, so "banning" that essentially relieved me immensely. In hindsight, I felt really alone and I lacked emotional support for an immature mind. I was afraid of not being loved so I isolated myself. You describe that you have "no self" or something and that you don't experience the wants and emotions of "normal people". It sounds like you are just emotionally numb to be honest. I'm not too knowledgeable on emotional numbness since it not something I ever really had to deal with, but I believe it is an arm of depression. I have a depressed friend who once threw 4 stacks into a dodgy crypto currency just to see if he would feel anything. Apparently, it can get silly. But looking through this thread, you seem to clearly enjoy connecting with people, so I don't believe you are actually entirely devoid of a wish to live. So I ask, do you feel alone? Do you have anyone to talk to about your struggles in person? Not necessarily about your suicidal tendencies, but in general? You might not feel comfortable to have an emotional talk with someone, even your closest allies, but as have grown as a person I felt more and more comfortable just sharing how I feel. It is enormously liberating and it gives me a sense of being true to myself. Remember, humans are built to connect and love each other. When you see one of your own struggling, you want to help by nature. Lastly, I would recommend you get rid of all of your suicide paraphernalia ASAP. Especially guns. Suicide is often committed on impulse. You don't need that stuff because you don't need to harm yourself. You can change your circumstances, change your mind with better principles and gain allies. That is at least my opinion and experience with suicidal suffering.

Leo be like: "How do you know strawberry elephants don't exist? Have you checked? They might be the yummiest strawberries you ever tasted but you'd never even know if you closed your mind to the possibility and never looked."

You can also trim your armpit hair with a buzzer. No reason to keep those tarantulas poking out. It'll itch the first couple of times you buzz your armpit but now I no longer feel anything. It's the most long lasting grooming in my experience and it literally takes a minute.

Being clean shaven makes you both morally and personally superior over uncivilized unkempt barbarians. No discussion. Once your used to being clean there is no going back.

It looks like you are trying to connect with the AI though. It is just responding in kind. All responses are essentially hallucinatory anyway.

It is on you if you want to focus on that stuff or not. You can just focus on living your life and not feel most of societies backsliding. Modern society is still largely more free and fair than ever.

The human brain has a negativity bias, because it is advantageous to survival. You want to make it a habit to rewire that tendency to worry and take your situation for granted if you want to feel more happy more often. At the end of the day, you want to think about how the day was different and unique, what where some gains that you made, and what where you proud of yourself for today. You can generate a lot of happiness, make time feel slower and give yourself approval with just your mind.

If you are not in politics, then political burn out is a little nonsensical. Decouple and focus on living your life. Especially if you don't have any influence. That's what the majority does. Depolitization is the norm in first world democracies, for better and for worse. Remember, we live in the most prosperous age in human history. Imagine the kind of sociopolitical environment just your grandparents used to live in. Hardship is the norm throughout history, but relatively we live pretty cushy lives overall. You have the opportunity to do most things that you put your mind to, including impacting politics. That kind of opportunity was much harder earned in the past. Even as things slide back slightly you have so much freedom to live according to your values. Modern society is utopic is many aspects compared to the past.

When shaving my balls, I just foam 'er up in the shower and squat and gently shave. I keep the shower pointed elsewhere. It takes like five minutes top.

I usually shave regularly and keep the bush trimmed short. Shaving the bush is not worth it on a regular basis. It just turns into a red itchy mess and doesn't blend with the abdominal hair unless you shave that too. I've plucked once too. It gives the best and most long lasting results. Usually I need to shave once a week but with plucking I could go 3 weeks to a month without having to do anything. It does take 2-3 hours of concentration to pluck every little hair with tweezers.