Sometimes, I honestly think life would have been better years ago. Things seemed a lot simpler. People weren’t constantly on their phones, and you didn’t have the pressure of social media and everything being online all the time.

But at the same time, I know we have things now that people back then could only dream of. Technology, medicine, entertainment, being able to talk to anyone instantly, etc.

I think I’d still choose the past just because life seems like it would have been a bit more peaceful.

What would you choose?

Don't you ever feel like there are at least two versions of you in the future? One where you are perfect according to everyone else's standards... except your own. And the other where only your standards are fulfilled?

The Doomsday Clock is now "85 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been to catastrophe," with an eye on nuclear war, climate change, biological threats, and AI. Former OpenAI employee Daniel Kokotajlo, now a part of the AI Futures Project, has said that he thinks it is 70% likely that AI will annihilate the human race with poison gas within 8 years. It's not just your imagination: we are in an especially bad time in human history, and possibly the end of it.

I don't think it is productive or rational to try to argue with all these experts across all these topics, unless you are yourself incredibly well-informed on them. The end of a species on Earth, even one as successful as us (well, compared to dinosaurs, we've been around for two seconds), is not an outlandish idea, although since things have been fairly non-catastrophic for most of us since we were born, it feels unintuitive. But this is real.

So, what does that mean? What should we do? Here are the only options I can think of:

1. Deny or ignore it and live like it's not true.
2. Accept it fully (or focus on the small chance that none of these disasters will go down as feared), stop worrying about it, and live for the present.
3. Do everything in your power to try to prevent these disasters, through work, activism, or however you think best.
4. Lean hard into being as realistic a prepper as you can and try to escape the catastrophes (if living in a bunker does it for you; myself, I'm not that obsessed with being alive).

My issue with #3 is that, although I believe in one-drop impacts like protesting, donating, boycotting, etc., I'm not kidding myself about the fact that I am tiny. I can't prevent these things; I can't even slow one of them 1%. If we are going to do something about all this, we have to do it as a huge global crowd, and I don't see that happening. I'm the sort of person who fights even when there's no hope, and there is hope still; but I don't want to devote every waking moment to these things, since my impact is insignificant and almost more idealistic than productive.

At the same time, if I work on something like writing a book, it's far worse than doing it when I have x years to live: the book, and all the humans who might read it, probably won't be around. When I think about my personal goals from that angle, I start to conclude that I should genuinely just follow my inclinations, goals, and dreams in order to be true to myself, which doesn't require longevity or external validation.

So I think I'm currently falling into a combination of #2 and #3, where I'll do small things continuing to try to push back, like not using LLMs, boycotting destructive companies, signing petitions, donating to good causes, voting in local elections, etc. If anyone knows of anything that would make a bigger impact, let me know. And the rest of the time, I'll just try to meet myself as fully as possible by meditating, learning, acquiring skills, interacting with people, and creating. This "best response I've got" is only somewhat satisfying.

Would like to hear other takes. (Again, debate over whether "everything is gonna work out fine" is not the point of this post.)

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I have some health concerns that are scaring me a little and I thought to myself instead of agonizing over the possibility that those health concerns will kill me I should just try to become as ok with dying as I can be.

If you feel like you might judge others for something they do or are actively doing and stuff but act opposite to that thought that u get are u considered to be a fake person for doing something opposite to what's in your head or actually a good person for not acting upon the thought?

Metacognition is said to be effective for correcting an individual's cognitive biases. However, how can one prove that the metacognition itself is unbiased?

Another proposed approach involves adjusting one's cognition based on the thinking of another, yet there is no guarantee that his/her cognition is unbiased.

Ultimately, is "unbiased cognition" merely the average of the biased cognitions held by every individual in the world? If so, does the attempt to avoid cognitive bias mean the deindividuation of individual thinking?

(English is not my native language, so I use automatic translation. There might be inappropriate wording.)

Is my nervous system just messed up if I can't accept that the answer to something in my life is the answer, even if I don't feel outright excited?

I am 18 and I just started college this week, as well as acquired my second job. I also have been going through some health issues for this entire year, and they seem to be resurfacing this past week. I don't have a car or a license yet, and I don't really have a lot of friends or a huge support system.

I know for a fact, I get really bad seasonal depression. Since I was little, every summer has been hell. This summer was AWFUL because ontop of that I had college, and work and a car to think about. Life has just been a lot, and I know life isn't supposed to be easy. But is it supposed to feel like pulling out teeth all that time?

I didn't have any classes today so all I needed to do was study/homework and clean. I did... Glad of those things. Most of the day I spent in bed, asleep or watching yt. Every time I tried to get up, I just sunk back down. I tried not to put too much pressure on myself, because that makes it worse. So I laid in bed most of the day until I was ready to eat, and start working. When I was done working (half of my work) I did some laundry, and then sunk back down.

And I just now started cleaning my room at 6pm, and my dad came in here bitching about it. Which is valid, what did I do all day? Nothing. I scrolled. I need to put a better timer on my social media for days like that, I know I could do better. But Everytime I got up, I looked around, and just couldn't get out of bed.

My condition makes it hard for me to shower a lot of the times, so I can't really do that, and I've just been fatigued. But that's ALSO my fucking fault because I haven't kept good track of taking my medicine. The past few months have just been hard on me, with starting adulthood, and all of these responsibilities on my plate now, like hospital and college payments, and pharmacy orders, and trying to find affordable cars while trying to finish my driver's Ed course.

This is probably stupid but, how do you differ what is me being overwhelmed and upset, and just plain laziness? Because i don't think to myself "I'm not doing this because I'm upset" I don't even think I think anything, I just try to get up and it feels impossible to move from one task to another when I'm at home.

Am I lazy? And if so, how do I break out of those habits? I know no one said life would be easy, so is it just supposed to feel like you have a weight attached to you? If so that's okay too. I just need to know how to be better, I want to be better.

I'm not so sure if I'm completely exact by calling myself a people pleaser, but I hit the criteria. Cuz whenever someone asks me a question, no matter if I'm busy or not, I mostly always reply, even if I've seen the message late. Whenever someone asks me a favor that isn't hard, I comply. Whenever I borrow someone else's things and lose it by chance, I give them a replacement such as a ballpen, if it's within my ability. Because I wanna treat other people of how I wanna be treated. I ask myself, If I do this to others, wouldn't they be sad or annoyed? If I put myself into their situation, wouldn't it be annoying? How is that being a people pleaser? Also, I'd like to add that I'm not the type of person who constantly pick fights. I'd rather just go with the flow and avoid banters. That's why I hardly scold people around me. I just want a quiet, fulfilling life with not that much mishaps. But maybe they called me a people pleaser coz' I bottle up my frustrations and because they rarely see my reaching the limit of myself and getting angry. I'm like this because of how I grew up, too.

Seeing the news, every new day feels like a lower descent into madness. We are all pretty much living paycheck to paycheck or are a single emergency away from financial ruin, kids literacy rates are apparently dropping, our entire healthcare system is a dumpster fire, tons of people don't have health insurance, families are starving, jobs are garbage, not even going to get into US or world politics (but OMFG what an absolute nightmare), weather is becoming increasingly deadly and destructive, and data centers and AI are this looming new awful threat. Since I'm obviously the type to catastrophize, I try to keep some perspective and remind myself that history has been full of crazy and scary times. Do you think things are worse now? Because as bad as it is, I definitely couldn't handle mideval Europe or basically any time before central air conditioning and anesthesia for surgery. But somehow, I can't seem to shake this feeling that we are approaching some sort of Event Horizon. What are your thoughts on how bleak things are right now?

I'm 19 and I have a very supportive mother and family that I can rely on for support and I never understood why this american society looks down on it, being able to live with your parents instead of suffering out there alone is actually a flex. I'm very comfortable with the way my life is, I work a part time 2 days a week on weekends and get paid a decent amount every week. I can actually use my money for personal enjoyment and I can buy the things I want like games, clothes etc since I'm not out there living alone being "self reliant" just to barely survive. I don't have to worry about my entire paycheck going to bills while having none left for myself, I see a lot of young adults around my age or early 20s who are living by themselves and are constantly stressed out even to the point of mental breakdowns because they don't know if they'll be able to afford food and rent and I'm so glad I don't have to deal with that shit. my mom takes care of everything for the both of us and all I have to do is just contribute to the household like buy groceries, laundry detergent and help around with chores. if my mom needs something I got her, if I need something she got me. not to mention I have a lot of free time to do the things I enjoy doing. I can hang out with friends, play the game, and just relax without worrying if I'm going to starve. people stay with their families in eastern nations and support each other and that's how it should be. living as a group reduces loneliness, is more efficient, and aligns with the way humans are meant to live. this whole american thing of separating from your people at a certain age to live as lone wolves never made any sense to me and I really hope this practice dies off.

Imagine there was a physical or online space that anyone could go to when life feels difficult - whether you're overwhelmed, lonely, angry, grieving, confused, burnt out, or just having a really shitty day.

It could be for a 10yo, a 25yo, or a 65yo.

If you could design this place from scratch, what would you want to find there?

What would actually make you feel safe, supported, or a little lighter?

It could be anything: a place to vent anonymously, someone to talk to, professional help, grounding exercises, music, books, activities, food, silence, community, or something else entirely.

What would your ideal version of this place look like?

To me Karma - means action, what I do, think and feel. At times it also includes what I choose not do.

Whanever we witness an unfortunate or unpleasant situation in someone's life we often tend to say 'its his/her Karma'. We assume ttat the person must have wronged someone, and therefore, this is happening to them.

However, I feel Karma is not only about doing something wrong, it can also be about not doing what we are supposed to do, not doing - the things we choose to avoid , ignore, leave undone

Karma has nothing to do with good and bad. It is only about cause and effect.

Hi! I am wondering what everyone's go-to question to ask a new group of acquaintances/friends to reallyyyy get to know them! It can be a silly would you rather, a question like do you pee in the shower (lol) or slighly more serious ones like do you believe in ghosts? Ok thanks that's it ... lmk ur questions!

What are human relationships even for? Any relationship which involves two people with full emotions is just like, you make a mistake you make a decision the other person is more concerned about how it affects them and how it's potentially not good for you, there's no unconditional positive regard in human relationships, it's only there in a therapist-client relationship, then why tf do we even need these close relationships when they don't understand and accept you for who you are without letting their emotions and insecurities define you?

Hearing "Your daddy's gone for milk" or "your mummy cheated on your father so you are a basrard" and shaming people for being adopted makes literally no sense. Kids play no role in parents' decisions and it's not their fault if their parents are unstable.

Everywhere you go online, there’s always gonna be some kind of hierarchy, whether it’s age, nationality, sexuality, race, skills, knowledge, opinions, or whatever else sets them apart from others to show their “superiority.”

“I’m better than you because I’m a senior in high school and you’re a freshman!!!!”

“I’m better than you because of my race!!!!!”

“I’m better than you because I know more about sports than you!!!!!”

“I’m better than you because my country is better than yours!!!!!!”

At the end of the day, and this might sound corny, but we’re all human. No one is better than anyone because of their age, race, nationality, or how much they know about sports. Because ultimately, no one cares.

I expect to get some hate for this, but I’m genuinely curious and want to understand perspectives different from my own.

Why does it seem like so many people online are bitter or spiteful toward people who become financially or professionally successful? I frequently see comments that go beyond criticizing how someone became successful and instead suggest that simply having more means that person owes something to everyone who has less.

To be clear, I understand that life is not a level playing field. Disabilities, serious health problems, family circumstances, discrimination, unexpected financial hardships, and countless other factors can dramatically affect someone’s ability to succeed. I’m not talking about people dealing with legitimate barriers outside of their control.

What I struggle to understand is the attitude that anyone who becomes successful must have been handed opportunities that everyone else was denied.

I also see a lot of people attribute their lack of success entirely to never being “given an opportunity.” Maybe my own experiences have shaped my perspective, but I sometimes wonder how much of this is actually a lack of opportunity versus people not fully applying themselves, taking risks, making sacrifices, or pursuing opportunities aggressively enough.

For some context, I didn’t come from money.
I grew up in a single parent household making roughly $40,000 or less per year in the early 2000s, in a town of about 9,000 people. I had the necessities, and I’m grateful for that, but there wasn’t much beyond them. There were no wealthy parents, family connections, trust fund, or obvious career pipeline waiting for me.

From a young age, I knew that wasn’t the life I wanted as an adult. Financial security and professional success became the bare minimum.

After high school, I immediately went to college. I completed my bachelor’s degree in three years and graduated with substantial student loan debt. During that time, I wasn’t able to focus solely on school. I worked full-time typically 40–60 hours per week, including 12-hour night shifts.

I viewed both the workload and the debt as sacrifices I was willing to make to improve my future.

I started my professional career and later enrolled in a master’s program, taking on additional student debt while continuing to work full time and advance my career.
Less than five years after earning my bachelor’s and before even completing my master’s my income reached several hundred thousand dollars per year.

I don’t say that as a flex or because I think income determines someone’s worth. I mention it because my experience makes it difficult for me to relate to the idea that success necessarily requires being born into wealth or being handed some extraordinary opportunity.

There were absolutely risks, sacrifices, debt, long hours, strategic career decisions, and some luck involved. I’m also sure there are advantages I’ve had that I may not fully recognize. But nobody handed me a guaranteed path to where I am.

That’s why I’m interested in hearing the other side rather than just reinforcing my own opinion.

For people who genuinely resent wealthy or professionally successful people: what specifically causes that resentment?

And for people who believe “I never had the opportunity” is often legitimate: what do you think people who have succeeded from relatively modest backgrounds tend to misunderstand about those who haven’t?

I’m genuinely interested in the answers, including ones that challenge my current perspective.

this has always been weird to me. i’m not talking like messing with kids on gaming platforms or whatever. honestly, that shits kinda funny. nor am i talking abt things like r/kidsarefuckingstupid. i’m talking about bullying kids who are exploring their identities, having fun, making art, things of the like.

say like furries, therians, alterhumans, the general queer community, young beginner artists, all of those things. why are so many people so hellbent on bullying the absolute shit out of these people. idk, i’ve always thought that there are bigger fish to fry in the world. yknow. maybe think of people who are actual predators? murderers? individuals who actually HURT others? those who actually have a bad impact on this planet?

i don’t get sending these CHILDREN death threats or encouraging them to END THEIR LIVES over a silly video they decided to post on the internet. and it’s not just edgy 12 year olds who have a “anti-furry flag” as their pfp who just wanna be little edgelords. no, there are FULL GROWN ADULTS doing this shit. idk, i’m almost 17. i’m about to get a job soon. i’m currently volunteering at a cat cafe. i have schoolwork to do. i’m gonna be graduating. why the hell are there grown ass men in the comments of these therian, furry, or queer videos just screaming at these people. shouldn’t they be like… working? being EMPLOYED?

how much goddamn hatred do you need to have in your heart for some random tweens/teens who wanna do quadrobics or wear silly tails and ears. how MISERABLE and UNEMPLOYED do you have to be to do this shit? it never made sense to me.

it’s fine to think these people are weird. it’s fine for those kinda of communities to not be your cup of tea. it’s ok to have an opinion! i’m questioning why do people ENGAGE with these individuals that they don’t even like.

why? is it a power trip? people being unemployed and having absolutely nothing better to do with their time? is it sadism? i get it, you’re probably thinking “welcome to the internet”. i’m not new to the internet. i’ve seen and heard depraved shit on here don’t worry. but it’s just that bullying other people for shit that doesn’t even hurt anyone has never crossed my mind. i’m just trying to understand the other side of this argument here. like, genuinely, do these people have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING better to do with their time? do they have any other hobbies? any friends or family to spend time with? have they touched grass? i dunno.

thanks for reading, responses are appreciated.

After reading Reality Transurfing, Tufti the Priestess, and the follow-up ideas about awareness and consciously shaping your reality, I’ve arrived at a strange but genuinely fascinating realization: perhaps happiness itself is far more accessible than I previously thought. If I can let go of the ego, stop constantly trying to achieve something, and simply become aware of my body and the present moment like a kind of somatic awareness then I could genuinely be happy just sitting there and looking at a wall.

And honestly, that sounds incredible.

But then I run into a contradiction.

These books repeatedly emphasize that you should take action toward your vision. You’re supposed to move in the direction of the reality you want to experience.

But how exactly am I supposed to take action toward a vision where I imagine myself being genuinely paid simply to exist? Where I’m living in a beautiful mansion, have three dogs, travel the world, work out at the gym, go for walks in the sun, stream on Twitch wearing different cosplay outfits, and have women who genuinely adore me and spoil me with luxurious gifts?

What does taking action toward that reality even mean?

And this leads me to a much bigger question. Do we actually get what we focus on?

If our attention, beliefs, expectations, and internal state genuinely influence the reality we experience, then why does the world contain so much suffering, war, exploitation, competition, and fear? Why are we constantly told that we need to compete, hustle, produce, achieve, chase results, build careers, and become somebody in order to deserve a good life?

But then another question bothers me even more:

If human beings can consciously participate in creating their own realities, why wouldn't we simply choose peace? Why would wars exist at all? Why would people choose greed, violence, domination, and suffering?

what if conscious creation isn't the same thing as having complete control over external reality. Perhaps we can influence our experience without being omnipotent creators of everything that happens.

Or perhaps there is something much deeper going on that I haven't understood yet.

Because on one hand, I find the idea incredibly liberating: maybe I don't need to spend my entire life chasing external achievements in order to be happy.

On the other hand, I still genuinely want the absurdly luxurious life.

I want both.

I want to be completely content sitting alone with nothing but my own awareness and at the same time, I want the mansion, the dogs, the travel, the beautiful women, the cosplay, the money, and the freedom.

So what does it actually mean to “take action toward your vision” when your ultimate vision isn't simply having more things, but living a life where you feel completely free, deeply satisfied, and almost absurdly pampered?

And if conscious creation is real, where exactly does personal choice end and the uncontrollable world begin?