Basman

It's not a big deal. It only happens intermittently and you shouldn't be spending too much times on online forums anyway.

@Ero What teaching methodology did they use at Harvard? I heard they use a form of PBL where students regularly meet in groups to discuss what they've learned. What was your experience with the teaching methodology?

I think many progressive tend to be more "elite" than the average conservative and therefor much more open to liberal ideas and have access to more education, travel, etc. The average trans activist is likely going to be middle-class at least. Conservatism is much more survival oriented and poorer. Conservatives tend to be too busy with paying bills to care about ideas that rock the boat too much, even if they might agree on certain kinds of policy on an individual level (like free health-care). They don't have the same opportunities to develop themselves as thinkers. Because many liberals tend to be wealthier (among other reasons), they tend to not have the same "common sense" that many conservatives possess. They are bad at reading the room and it hurts them politically, like being uncompromising with their ideals. Like for example demanding completely free access to abortion as opposed to trimester-based access to abortion. You can argue for which one is most correct ideologically but only one of them is something a conservative could at least try to stomach. Read my previous reply above yours about the tragedy that many conservatives are in. Education is fundamental to a democratic society.

The predicament of many conservatives is having genuine issues with society and their current living standards but lacking the understanding of why or being able to put it into words and being captured in cultural normativity. It's the tragedy of kind of being idiots. They are easily manipulated to vote against their interests by authoritarians like Trump or Farage. Conservatism is the default state for humans because it doesn't require an education. Just having a decent grasp on reading and writing is fundamental. I believe the reading comprehension of the average American is equivalent to about a fourth or a fifth grader. They are not going to spend much time reading and learning about how society works, even if they did the have the time for it when they are not busy working. They are not going to stomach some moderately difficult to read nuanced text, especially if they ideologically disagree. Their tolerance for ideological vagueness is going to be low.

Conservatism is necessary because we need to survive. But in the grand scheme of things, there is no real rational reason for why "you" need to exist (and by "you" I'm really pointing at one particular kind of identity). Conservatism has both healthy and unhealthy manifestations, and the healthy manifestation is deeply necessary for a functioning society. That is something many progressive don't tend to appreciate. But society itself is not a given. There are like-wise unhealthy manifestations of leftists, primarily in how they are bad at survival and therefor will lead to societal failure and death. It is frustrating because it is well meant but also sorely ignorant. Those "unhealthy" leftists are still marginally more evolved and conscious than the average conservative, who's largely on autopilot and takes life for granted. Note, at no point am I saying that current leftists are at all perfect. They are quiet flawed in fact.

Falling asleep comes easy for me if it is as dark as possible, not too hot and quiet as possible. I tend to cover light with blankets/towels that I can't otherwise turn off. It is also better that it is a little bit cooler where you sleep, such that your duvet actually warms you. If it is too cold, I put on a shirt or a sweater and I can instantly feel it is easier to fall into rest. Rumination is probably what keeps me up the most. A good practice is to note what your grateful for that day, you accomplishments, etc. as a kind of mental hygiene. I can feel a distinct difference if I try sleep with or without an orgasm. Orgasms make it easier in my experience.

Being an artist runs in my family. Parents, grandparents, siblings, a significant chunk of the family are/have been artists. I have a great-grandfather who's paintings hang in the town hall of my town. I can see it being a matter of proximity, in the sense that you are exposed to the same values your entire life. Your exposed to art and the meaning it has to people. But I wonder if it is genetic to a certain extent? My brother looks a lot more like my dad, including his technical interest, making him both a kind of exception in the family and a mirror of our dad. Thoughts? Do you think your zone of genius is inherited by your family situation/genetic?

Conservatism is by definition about maintaining the status quo and ultimately about preserving one's identity. Liberalism is about changing that identity for a more loving vision, which makes it about the annihilation of the self ultimately. The ability to recognize a reality outside of what is good for one self politically makes one more evolved than the alternative because it is a more complex position to hold. It requires relativity and selflessness. Conservatism only requires self interest to operate. The overton window is relativistic and leftists aren't pure vessels of ideology, but a hodge-podge of different ideas, identities and life situations (like being middle/upper-class). Today's liberals are tomorrow's conservatives. The hippies of the 1960s became our modern day suits.

There's a distinction between conservative/liberal mind and what is realistically feasible politically. The conservative mind is much more driven by fear and finitude while a liberal mind is driven more by love and idealism. A liberal mind is necesarilly going to be relativistically bad for raw survival because survival is selfish. Pure unadulterated survival is just unlimited selfishness, which is pro-slavery, self-dealing, murder and whatever else benefits one individually and can get away with. I have a liberal mind myself but I tend towards center-left politics because I think it is more realistic. I can see how many liberal ideals are untenable in real life in the way they are sometimes expressed, but the underlying principles counts.

Liberals are broadly more conscious than conservatives. They have more access to empathy and relativistic thinking. Most conservatives are ignorant and entrenched in survival. Being anti-slavery is a highly progressive stance for instance that isn't concerned with practicality. It is staunchly idealistic, as slavery is highly practical (free labor). You can make some good arguments for why different forms of slavery are beneficial to society, but if you are progressive on this issue, IE. You value liberty and humanism, then any form of slavery is unacceptable. In politics itself, right-wing parties tend to be a front for corruption ultimately. Conservatives often get into politics with ulterior motives while believing that they are doing is the right thing. They tend to think what is good for them personally is what is good for society, because they are less conscious. Libertarian policy for instance just so happens to not negatively effect the politicians themselves. Very convenient. Tightening of the belt for thee but not for me. Budget cut everything except their pensions. A progressive is more likely to recognize that what is good for society might not be good for them personally, like paying higher taxes. Or regulating big corporations that would otherwise shower you with favors and gifts.

America is a country that has enough resources to effectively fix most of its social problems and then some but can't/wont due to cultural and developmental reasons. There is one thing that has remained true throughout my entire life, and that is that there is nothing more frustrating than unfulfilled potential. America is a great country, but it could be so much better.

@Ero What got you into self-help/spirituality in the first place?

I don't know about more evolved, but in my opinion center-left parties tend to be the most realistic while also having a vision for a more fair and loving society. Further left parties tend to be more uncompromising with their ideals and unwilling to cooperate with conservative parties, which in practice results in them having less influence overall. The left is a minority, whereas the center-left is a politically conscious voting base (a generally conservative majority). I think having non-obligatory voting is detrimental to a country's politics, especially America, as it put pressure on parties on surviving till the next election as opposed to making long-term plans for society. Big issues don't get addressed till it is kind of too late because they take too much political will to execute on. American politics is dominated by a minority of highly polarized and extreme views in part due to normal people broadly not caring about politics and parties having to appeal to tribalism to ensure a voting turn-out. One of the advantages the CCP has is because it is an authoritarian state with a single party, they can plan for the long-term unimpeded. The Chinese government is to a large extent invincible to average Chinese because the populace doesn't need to be convinced of any one sort of politics and it is actually better that politics isn't in their minds for the most part.

Oh? What happened?

Art isn't limited to admiration the same way music isn't limited to classical music. It would be like saying hip-hop isn't real music. Games are art but for many it is just a toy. There are different ways to percieve and use art. Don't be limited by the conventions of high-art just because they use the same word.