#Nostr is a great place for controversial opinions. In fact, it may be the only place where genuine discussion of complex topics can still be undertaken without censorship. If you’re not getting offended by some posts on here, you’re not doing it right. Similarly, if all you’re doing is posting circle jerk content and memes that appeal to #Nostr’s known user base, you are also not doing it right. Just my unpopular opinion. #getoffended #grownostr #thinkdangerously

Family is a cultural norm. It’s a nice concept, but not all family are people you should necessarily maintain relationships with. In fact, it may be best for you to eliminate such people from your life. They are just people after all, and you owe them nothing more than anyone else. So again, here’s to living a life on your terms, and not cursing others with the same inheritance of a broken world. Make the most of what little time you have left to live free and with maximal awareness. When the time comes, rejoice in the fact that your portion of the meaningless cycle of human nonsense ends with you. Being honest with yourself is harder and a constant struggle, but infinitely better than the other fake and pre-packaged recipes for happiness that are out there. Just some thoughts for myself on this Christmas Eve. #grownostr #thinkdangerously

Does anyone else wake up feeling the weight of nearly 8 billion human lives worth of suffering? Does watching others inflict more suffering on children who have no choice but to be born into our overcrowded and severely broken world fill you with the deepest sense of dread and disbelief? Does anyone else feel as though human consciousness has been wasted on a fundamentally flawed creature who has only managed to use such a random gift as a tool of their own self-destruction? Does anyone else see the futility and narcissism of thinking we have meaning or purpose in the context of the larger universe? And finally, does anyone else say “fuck it, I had no choice in being born to this shithole, I’m gonna still make the best of it”? If so, I see and respect your struggle. #grownostr #thinkdangerously

Having grown up very poor, it has become obvious to me over time that the perspective poverty offers relative to my now very comfortable life has been a necessary condition for my overall happiness. Had I grown up middle or upper class, I would have faced many of the same challenges (school, figuring out jobs, relationships, etc) but would have struggled only to regain the security that I knew as a child, not capture said security for the first time. Poverty also means that you have to become pretty creative to still find joy in life (you can’t just buy an ersatz version), and this was truly useful for me. It was how I found nature, exercise, creativity/art, good relationships, accomplishment, efficiency, etc. All the actual sources of joy that life has to offer. Also, since humans do far better with improving circumstances than deteriorating ones, poverty has been a distinct advantage for me over many middle class people I have known. My life has been a steady state of leveling up instead of just a slow grind or decline towards death. I am becoming more aware that people who have only known wealth and security simply don’t know how to be happy, so they do the things society tells them will bring happiness (like having kids, believing in God, consuming garbage products and experiences, practicing brand and political tribalism, etc). They then get trapped by the system that knows exactly what it’s doing. The kids they bring into the world keep these people distracted and obedient, as do their political and religious leanings, and the debts they incur to afford all the other garbage they bring into their lives. They are creatively barren, and most can’t even start to think for themselves, let alone begin to examine their own behavior so that they may one day escape the prisons they live in. It’s sad to watch really, and there’s really nothing that can be done about it. Good luck out there. #grownostr #thinkdangerously

Hope can be a form of procrastination. #grownostr

Big brother has gone to a lot of trouble to convince the masses that fame is something desirable and worth seeking. Yeah, put all your inner thoughts out there and tie them to your identity. That can never lead to you being exploited. Anonymity will always be my primary goal. #grownostr #thinkdangerously

It can be hard to separate what is depression, a personality disorder, or simply realism. If you can’t find joy in anything in your own life, you are likely depressed and this can probably be fixed by restoring a chemical balance with medications such as SSRIs etc. If you can’t find joy in your life and can’t stand it when others find joy in their lives either, you probably have a personality disorder. Unfortunately, these are almost impossible to treat and other people likely think you’re an asshole. On the other hand, if you can acknowledge all of the meaninglessness and futility of human existence yet still find joy in the few things that make life bearable (such as exercise, nature, good relationships, efficiency, accomplishment, art/creativity, etc) and don’t mind it when others find joy in things you don’t, you are not depressed. You are simply a realist. #grownostr #thinkdangerously

The concept of expertise in creative fields like fine art, music, literature, etc is interesting. On the one hand, it is impressive to see what humans can achieve with untold hours of training and hard work. On the other hand, creativity is a natural human tendency that gets unnecessarily suppressed when we are taught/told what art, books, or music is good or bad. In this sense, our creativity gets poisoned and sold back to us. The fact is that there is a massive benefit to the human psyche that comes from doing creative things. In other words, don’t miss out on one of life’s few legitimate pleasures just because you aren’t the next Van Gogh or Mozart. Be creative in order to use your brain and see what it can come with just because it’s fun and rewarding. Note, like all my posts, this is mainly a reminder to myself, but I write it here in the hopes that someone else has an interesting take on the issue. #grownostr #thinkdangerously

Another amusing paradox of human existence revealed itself this morning. Because there are so damn many of us, even when you finally figure some stuff out for yourself and get to or near the point of beating this pointless game called “life”, you still are left having to contend with like another 8 billion idiots in this world. Then you have a choice to make. You can a) let it get you down as you witness others dither about their silly paths, b) find joy in the misery that is nearly everyone else’s existence and feel superior, or c) try to not let it bother you and instead focus on the things about existence that aren’t so bad like exercise and nature. I admit to still doing all three at times. If I were still stuck living life in future mode, I’d probably try to choose option c more, but present-living me is content to now just have an awareness of the issue. #grownostr #thinkdangerously

Things that can provide unlimited joy: 1. Nature/the outdoors 2. Good relationships 3. Physical fitness/health 4. Creativity and art 5. Introspection and personal growth 6. Efficiency 7. Accomplishment Hedonistic pursuits like food, sex, drugs, etc are fine but require moderation as the pleasure/joy they provide is physiologically limited. Going beyond these limits will ultimately cause harm. Does anyone have suggestions for other things that should be added to the list above? Thanks in advance. #grownostr #thinkdangerously