Life is far more interesting when you try to find the stuff you are wrong about as opposed to trying to convince others about the stuff you think you are right about. #grownostr #thinkdangerously

Now I’m struck again by the thought of why I post anything to #Nostr. This happens every so often as it does create dissonance within me in terms of being pretty content with my life choices, not caring/having no control over what others do with their lives, but also not wanting to completely isolate myself from other humans since there could be others I could still learn from. So then I realize I still post here selfishly, in the hopes that something I say will reveal a flaw in my reasoning that someone else will realize and somehow be able to convince me of. The risk of doing so though is the additional exposure to the sheer mindlessness that is most people’s lives. This does still make me sad but I guess it can also be a useful reminder since I really shouldn’t let it bother me at all. Anyway, here’s hoping I eventually come across someone who can change my mind about something important, but if not, that’s okay too. #thinkdangerously #grownostr

Another day spent using both sides of my brain, exercising, and enjoying what’s left of nature. Another day spent not caring about religion, political theater, the fiat price of anything, children, or the meaning/purpose of life. It’s been another great day. #thinkdangerously #grownostr

I’ve thought for a long time that it would be very easy for the ruling elite to identify and eliminate threats to their systems of control. Step one would be to create a honeypot that seems like a legitimate grassroots movement. Examples of this could very well include such things as #wikileaks, #Bitcoin, and #nostr. Step two is to sit back and allow all the dissidents to flock around these false freedom technologies and reveal themselves. Step three is usual cloak and dagger stuff whereby the core dissidents are slowly and selectively silenced. As much as I love #bitcoin and #nostr, I do have to keep such things in mind. Yes, the technology is open source but using them is not fully anonymous unless extreme precautions are undertaken. The threat to the current financial system and global elite that true freedom money and speech represents all but guarantees that big brother is watching and closely entwined with it all. I personally view the situation as one where something is better than nothing though, which is where the world was before #bitcoin and #nostr. So yeah, even if these are just honeypots designed to identify and entrap people who are anti-government, at least it provides some kind of platform for people to learn about the flaws with the current system and a benchmark by which to measure other available options for money and communication. While most people will continue to choose captivity over choice, I am still grateful for the chance to experience some degree of freedom when it comes to money and speech in my lifetime. #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

Freedom sounds like something nice but most people are so institutionalized from birth that they actually prefer to live under the systems of control that have been built around them. These systems are especially difficult to escape when they provide their captives with near constant distraction and neatly packaged versions of community, purpose, and sense of superiority over others. It’s like an especially potent form of Stockholm syndrome develops. The truth is that very few people can actually handle thinking for themselves. From my own experience, I can say it has taken me years and plenty of resources to even begin to do so. And still, I regularly catch myself regressing into the patterns that define the systems that I seek so desperately to escape. I’ve said it before but it bears repeating (mostly for myself): humans are stupid and anxious animals who represent nothing special at all in the context of the universe. We only make fools of ourselves and others rich by believing differently. I reject meaning or purpose. I can and do still find joy and fulfillment without believing the lies that are constantly being sold to me by those who seek to profit from my human weaknesses. Talk about first world problems. :) #grownostr #thinkdangerously

My latest goal for myself is to understand and reprogram the greed that has been instilled in me since birth. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to go out and sell all my possessions and give away all my wealth. This is more about a life goal of total awareness of why I do things, how I think, and how I came to be this way. The fact that I (and so many other humans) are so motivated by the concept of “more” is really interesting when you think about it and it guides so many of our life choices and day to day actions. #grownostr #thinkdangerously

A fire in the fireplace. Classical music. Crisp fall weather. Ahhh… #grownostr

Today I would like to introduce a new term/label. The term is “wedgie”. Wedgie is a noun and can be used in a sentence such as “don’t be such a fucking wedgie” or “you’re such a stupid wedgie, you should be ashamed of yourself”. Unlike its malpositioned undergarment cousin, a wedgie in this sense is someone who has fallen for one of the oldest political tricks in the book, the so called “wedge” issue. These people feel super important and smart when discussing issues like democrat versus republican or the merits of gay marriage or things like trans people using the bathroom. They are fools because they are so easily distracted by trivial issues with no real bearing on their lives while politicians steal even more from their pockets and blatantly give it back to the elite who got them elected. We see this plainly all the time now, most recently to the tune of $6T dollars, which we are all now paying back via inflation and higher interest rates. While the politicians are ultimately to blame, the wedgies deserve our ire just as well, as instead of giving the middle finger to the criminal politicians, they remain content sucking on the tit of CNN or Fox News, and haplessly blathering on about what dumb fuck celebrity has a penis or not. So yeah, thanks wedgies, you fucking stupid bunch of grade A moronic assholes. Keep that laser focus on what the orange dipshit or senile old bastard has for breakfast while the global elite pick your pockets yet again. #grownostr #thinkdangerously #getoffended #wedgie

If you punish the many for the acts of the few (think TSA, internet controls, FINCEN, etc) then you effectively hand over control to the few. Those who sacrifice freedom for “security” really don’t deserve either. #grownostr

After a recent interaction with @duchess on here, I am still undecided if she is a chat bot or not. Regardless, I think it would be hilarious if someone developed a series of AI hot girl chat bots to post the occasional selfie and reply to random posts here. We are culturally and biologically so drawn to youth and beauty that the temptation would be irresistible to many. For the mere chance to peer into the fantasy world we build for such people, some will do almost anything. I wonder how many personal details or private keys @duchess could collect if so interested. The truth is, being young and beautiful, like being famous, is very much unlike our imagined reality. People grossly misunderstand what it is like for strangers to want to be/get close to you and experience “what it must be like”. If you’ve never experienced it, it is quite possibly one of the scariest and most unpleasant things to deal with. Famous, beautiful, or otherwise, we are all subject to the same realities that come with human life. Humans do not do well with influence over others and the resulting excesses can prove quite detrimental to one’s physical and mental health. Even as a former athlete (where health is supposed to be quite important), it got to the point where I was asked to go beyond what my body could naturally withstand. Sadly, at the highest level of competitive sports, few escape without lasting damage. I am forever grateful that I set that career aside and chose medicine instead. So my advice to everyone is to abandon any quest for fame or fountain of youth. There are many much simpler and healthier paths to happiness. And @duchess, for what it’s worth, you seem like you have a decent head on your shoulders, robot or otherwise (despite the wanting kids thing-my admitted bias). I wish you and all others on #nostr well. #grownostr #thinkdangerously

Art is an interesting concept to me and my own definition of it seems to change frequently. This is odd given how central to my happiness being surrounded by beautiful things and artistic people has been. Today I’m hiking up a mountain and the way light is bouncing off natural objects made me think of photography and all the science that has gone into it over the years. Does that make the camera itself art I wondered? If so, how much can the photographer really take credit for anymore? This then led me to think about fashion and how odd I find it that some people care so much about it while others like me strive to be able to get dressed in the dark. The fabrics, colors, design, coordination etc are no less impressive however than what an oil painter must do on canvas or a chef in the kitchen. For me, what has always mattered most is the body beneath the clothes, specifically it’s function, and it’s merely coincidence that function seems to align with our current popular perception of beauty (cosmetic surgical enhancements aside). I think where I will leave this at today is that life seems to be an endless pursuit of aesthetic whose definition varies widely both across time and across individuals. Making art and, more generally, transforming everyday things into beautiful things, will always bring me joy. Now back to nature. :) #grownostr

The power and peace that anonymity brings is so impressive. In a world where everyone is always trying to shout louder than everyone else, #Nostr is like a quiet comfortable room, where you can sit, gather and work through your thoughts with others, and leave no trace of yourself when you exit. What freedom. #grownostr

As someone who has had the good fortune and opportunity to experience most of life’s pleasures, I can say that few compare to the experience of laying your head in the love of your life’s lap and having them reflexively start to pet your head and play with your hair. Bonus points if you both still do this for each other without thinking about it many years into your marriage/relationship. #grownostr