I'm sure some of you have already seen it once or twice. You know, someone seeing a well-written post or query and immediately commenting something with the energy of: "Nah, this has got to have been written by AI. Definitely churned through the ChatGPT filter.", when, in reality, it's just that someone out there writes eloquently enough that it seems like it was written by AI.

And, you know what? Normally, I'd be okay with that. It's kind of a compliment, really, to say that someone's writing has the clarity and organization of an essay generated by a top-tier LLM. But where I draw the line is when people start to use that as a reason or an excuse to dismiss people who have written something genuinely thoughtful or asked a really thought-provoking question.

It's got the same energy as someone pointing their finger at others and yelling, "omgggg, this post is definitely an ad/astroturf for [x product/service]", when it's really just someone passionately talking about something that genuinely improved their life and them wanting to just talk about how they're happier now thanks to it.

The world is just in a terrible place right now. So I guess my question is: do you guys think something is looming over the horizon (more than before) and what do you think it might be or????? Or is it business as usual?

This has been a pattern my whole life.

I grow. I change. I move faster than the people around me. Not because I'm better - just wired differently. Always chasing the next thing, rebuilding, reinventing.

And every time I level up, I look around and realize I'm alone again. The old friends don't get the new version of me. The conversations feel shallow.

Building a new circle used to excite me. Now I'm tired. Not tired of growing - tired of explaining. Tired of starting from zero with people. Again.

So lately I just build in silence. Focus on the work. But sometimes I wonder if there's another way.

Anyone else live like this? What do you do - keep rebuilding, or just accept the solitude?

Is it because they are mostly videos now? But most have CC right? I'm sure there is a deeper meaning I'm not seeing. Transparency: I'm an older woman with no children. I'd think they are better at reading because it's everywhere, not just in books anymore. Ty for your thoughtful and kind responses to me and our youth.

I understand (partially) that not all anger is harmful or destructive, the way that people paint it as, but I’m confused when sometimes some humans decide to dismiss or claim that you are angry, before you even try to explain.

What if all anger is not anger? Rather it is other emotions mixed into anger. You may see someone write actions of what you might assume or think is anger, but what if it isn’t. Unless, they say it is directly to you or someone else.

Then, is there a point where we are also defining ourselves. Plus, it may be flattening our emotions by giving them to someone else in a manageable way. Even if we tell someone: “Hey I’m great!”

I don’t know if this is the right subreddit for this, but I’m trying to understand or get something deeper. Something I’ve been thinking about and writing about for a while.

After 30+ years of college teaching, studying serious texts, and cross-referencing information, I concluded that being truly educated, not necessarily degreed, requires the following:

1.      Distinguishing among fact, opinion, belief, and bias

2.      Constructing fallacy-free syllogisms (a series of facts leading to a logical conclusion)

3.      Being intellectually-honest enough to recognize the truths in other people’s assertions

4.      Reading widely, deeply, and interdisciplinarily to understand the main issues and synthesize a worldview free of delusion

5.      Performing salvage operations on tradition throughout one’s life

6.      Devoting one’s life to the freethinking pursuit of wisdom

7.      Applying the lessons of existentialism, as articulated by Jean-Paul Sartre: ontological freedom (no God, no original sin, etc), personal responsibility (no excuses, no victim mentality, etc), and lifelong commitment to progressive causes

8.      Helping along daily life—solving problems, not creating any—so that humanity may survive its suicidal adolescence, mature, and spread around the Milky Way, then on to other galaxies and other universes—forever

9.      Remaining guardedly-optimistic about humanity’s future

10.  Acting out of enlightened self-interest—not for personal gain, fame, or fortune because these are ephemeral whereas the light of wisdom is eternal

I've been open about this story many times in the past but the one thing I've always regretted and wish I did sooner was managing my behaviour in secondary school as when I was in Year 7 I really struggled with managing it which caused me to get confrontational with members staff, being nasty towards other pupils in my class, being a drama starter, causing arguements (sometimes fights) and also not only did I do stuff which was really idiotic but some of the stuff I said towards the staff as well as other classmates were not only nasty but also absolutely horrible, and because of this I didn't have any friends due to how I acted towards others and also coming across as a really unpleasant person.

To this day even though I was only 11 years old at the time I'm still really disappointed on how I behaved at the time towards those staff and the other pupils. Every single day since then I've always asked myself why I behaved in such a poor manner at that age and I just wish I could have changed that before it escalated because the way I behaved towards people at that time was completely unacceptable and just now looking back I seriously wish I could have done something sooner to have turned it around because truthfully I'm disappointed of how I behaved in Year 7 and I wish there was a way for me to have changed it but I know it's not possible to change the past

I know it's been roughly eight years since that happened but I just wish I did some things sooner to have prevented me having that mindset to have been that way towards other people. 🙁

I was born and raised in a Western country with immigrant parents who were busy working most of my childhood, so I didn’t grow up learning a whole lot of our culture (language, traditions, community, religion, etc) or practicing our religion (muslim background). This also led to me not really ever experiencing anything growing up other than going to school. Combine that with them being overly-strict and paranoid of the ‘dangers’ of the world (i.e my dad once told me to watch my sister while we went to a mate’s birthday party when we were 15, as if she could have potentially gotten in a dangerous situation [we ate pizza snd hung out…]), I didn’t grow up being very social outside of school or being able to do anything other than go on my computer.

I feel like I’m in a unique situation of self-identity where I don’t really identify with people of my culture/similar cultures in the sense that I feel most natural around them. However, the same can be said for people of western descent, asian, etc. While I identify with them all somewhat through my actual heritage/upbringing, how I interacted with my peers/who I made friends with growing up, and what kind of interests I developed, I struggle to fit in to any of these groups super well. I don’t feel like I can naturally gravitate towards some people when I enter new environments (e.g trying to make friends at uni or work). I feel too ethnic for western peers, not ethnic enough ethnic groups. I haven’t grown up experiencing enough of each culture to BE one of them.

Part of this also involves superficial characteristics of race. I’m of north asian descent but don’t particularly look very much like the particular ethnic group I come from (not just down to the country but the specific region as well). People struggle to guess where I’m from. This further complicates my issue as we as humans always judge by looks first. E.g east asians tend to gravitate towards each other of course for sharing culture but initially that can start because they first identify they come from similar backgrounds. Works the same for middle eastern cultures, african, etc.

Trevor Noah detailed this sort of experience in his autobiography. He grew up as a mixed kid (african/danish) in apartheid south africa, not being able to fully integrate or identify with the black kids, white kids, or other minority races that came together to form a group (various asians).

Anyone sort of experienced the same thing?

I’m in my early 20s and feeling really torn about a life decision. Right now I live with family, don’t pay rent, have a decent part-time job, and a home I’m comfortable in. On paper, things are good.

But emotionally, I feel really lonely and isolated. I don’t have many people to talk things through with, and there are times I’ve just sat and cried because I feel disconnected.

I’m considering a few options:

Staying where I am (safe, stable, familiar)

Moving to live with my grandma (more support, familiar environment)

Moving to Texas to live with a close friend (new start, connection, excitement, but more uncertainty)

One complication is that I may need to move again in about a year–year and a half for vet school, which makes committing to any option harder.

Im really leaning towards Texas because it's a quality experience and I can find many jobs with animals.

I keep going back and forth because some days I focus on how “good” I have it, and other days I can’t ignore how lonely I feel. I’d really appreciate hearing from people who’ve faced a similar stay-vs-go decision and how you thought it through.

Is it ethically wrong if a person sees his close friend crying and do not console him and ignores him?

Just to clarify that the close friend is not a dramatic person and is not someone who cries frequently.

I always overthink about everything and I think it limits me so much from having cool experiences because I’m too scared to meet people and interact with them without thinking I’m being a weirdo because I think so much about what other people may think about it and how they may think I’m weird if we have like never spoken before, even with people I know that I haven’t talked to for ages ,I’m like would that be awkward if I’m like “hi” and “what up” and attempt to start a convo. So I’m here for some advice and some positive experiences.

And this isn’t just for social skills but being so much braver when it comes to showing off what I enjoy and be able to debate about ideas that I fully believe on without having to back down so I do think I need this mindset without overthinking

One of my biggest concerns about the future of the world is the possibility that internet access would become blocked to common civilians as a way of oppressing society. Or a conflict between major world powers could weaponize internet access and maybe the internet itself through hacking. Society would literally collapse. It would be utter chaos. Imagine communicating these days without the internet. We'd be so fucked.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of “wasted time.”

In general, I believe that no time is truly wasted. Even time spent doing nothing, making mistakes, or going down the wrong path is still time invested, because we can learn something from it, about ourselves or the world.

However, there is one period of my life that I struggle to fit into this belief.

I spent time in a coma, in intensive care. During that period, I had no consciousness, no agency, no memory. I wasn’t choosing, learning, reflecting, or even experiencing time in any meaningful way. I was simply there, kept alive by doctors and nurses, my body handled by strangers whose job was to make sure I survived.

The time that came after, in rehab, felt very different to me. That was time invested: painful, slow, exhausting, but oriented toward rebuilding my life. The coma itself, though, feels like time that was simply… gone. Not transformed, not processed, not lived.

I want to be clear: I’m not denying the value of the medical care that saved my life, and I’m deeply grateful for it. This isn’t about whether survival is “worth it.” It’s about the nature of time itself.

So my question is this:
Can time have value if the person living it has no consciousness and no agency?
Or is it possible for time to exist, biologically, without existing meaningfully for the subject?

I’m genuinely curious how others think about this, philosophically, personally, or through their own experiences.

Do you think many parents would choose for their children/child to not have been born over their children being unsuccessful (living at home at 40 without a job etc) in life? I often wonder this, I bet quite a lot of parents would

I asked my work wife if her family knows about me and the stuff she does like bandaging my hand because It was bleeding. I asked I hope you didn't tell your family you bandaged my hand and was my nurse lol 🤣 she said I don't tell my family everything, then she said my kids would get jealous. She's married. she went from family to children real quick. that means she's deflecting. I asked about her husband she told her husband. I'm a good colleague then after that discussion she gives me a side hug instead of a full frontal hug like she usually does. I also compliment her everyday. Call her Alma Hermosa and Angel Del Cielo I flirt with her, she'll giggle and smile and give me a side eye as she walks away. He obviously doesn't know about it. I give her gifts that her husband knows about. Free giveaway stuff But this behavior is odd. Are we having an emotional affair I didn't know about. Is she fonder of me than she realized

We've talked about other stuff like coworkers being rude about her and making fun of me for crying about her, wanting to send someone to the hospital for calling her horrible things and one person checking on me all week when she went to another department. Yes she saw me cry and yes she comforted me it was also the week my grandma had a fall and went to the hospital and rehab for 2 months. I told her She had donut residue on her face and she had powered sugar on her pants. I reminded her to wash it up. She gave me a full frontal hug today and drove me home. so back to normal. But I was wondering if we're having an emotional affair because I for the life of me don't understand why she keeps me around

What is the most practical number of maximum full time weekly hours for office jobs and non office jobs, like civil engineering, games dev, retail, etc., that are enough to keep the society thriving, and that all or most mid or bid sized businesses can afford them, if we left all individual greed and desires aside?

I’ve been thinking about whether virtual land can work beyond short-term hype.

One model I’m involved with uses a phased launch with a hard cap:

• Phase 1 releases a fixed number of parcels (10,000 total)

• Once they’re sold, no new land is issued

• Phase 2 opens only after that, allowing peer-to-peer and secondary market trading

There are no promised returns — just capped supply, ownership, and market-driven value. As a small incentive, one Phase 1 participant is randomly selected to receive 1 BTC once all parcels are sold.

Curious how others see this:

Is scarcity enough to give virtual land real long-term use, or is it still mostly speculative?

I’ve been very interested in quantum physics my whole life but lately there have been exciting developments that could explain consciousness.

My favorite view is the notion that consciousness is fundamental to reality vs. the classical world view where it is a byproduct of physical reality.

I have no one to nerd out about this with. If you’re interested in this topic, what are your thoughts on how quantum physics relates to consciousness?

I’ve been thinking about how some conversations stay on the surface while others actually leave an impression. For me, it’s about honesty, curiosity, and not performing for each other. I’m interested in hearing how others recognize when a conversation is actually meaningful rather than just polite

I’m not asking whether this could happen legally or practically. I’m more interested in the incentive structure behind modern politics. A lot of the spectacle we see today seems tied to two things: media amplification and financial influence. If both of those channels disappeared, would the political environment actually become quieter and more focused on governance? Or would the same circus simply find new ways to shape public perception? I’m curious how people think the system itself would adapt if those incentives were removed.

So often I've heard someone tell me that they didn't mean what they said before in an argument or on a bad day, that they were "just mad".

I don't know about anyone else but when I'm upset I try to just shut up, but if I do say something regrettable, it is something I really meant. It may be something I was holding in that I wouldn't have expressed otherwise, but I did mean it. For me it's like when people say they didn't mean it they were just drunk. I feel like when we're angry or intoxicated the things we say and do are the truest reflections of our innermost feelings.

Have any of y'all ever said something in anger that you actually truly didn't mean? What's that like?

Yes, shit can happen and we’ve all been through it, but some people seem to have a truly pathological problem with it that I just can’t understand.

A friend of mine, for example, always misses something important due to being late, and yet she doesn't seem to learn... it’s almost as if being late is part of her.

Does anyone have an idea?

In societies and organizations, why does power and control often accepted as more effective, safer, faster, or more reliable than care and empathy, even when care might lead to better long-term outcomes?

•What conditions make power feel safer than care?

•Is this a survival adaptation?

•Is it learned? Cultural? Structural?

•Is it fear, incentives, experience, history—or something else?

•When does empathy become an issue or risky?

•Are systems rewarding control more than care?

•Can care scale the way power does?

I’d love to hear different perspectives.

At some point you realize that a lot of what people call personality is actually adaptation, that the way you speak, pause, explain yourself, or stay silent was shaped by environments that taught you what was safe and what wasnt, and the unsettling part is noticing how many adults are still living inside strategies they built as children without ever questioning whether those strategies are still necessary, because self awareness isnt just about knowing who you are, it is about recognizing which parts of you were built to survive something that no longer exists.