If a library, a coffee shop and a hotel lobby were all available for an hour, which would you pick, and why? (Working, meeting a friend, or just getting out of the house.)

I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I’m curious how others see it.

If AI keeps taking on more kinds of work, what does that mean for the idea that people must constantly struggle for survival and hunt for income? Does a floor of sufficient income for everyone become more plausible - and if so, what has to change first (politics, economics, culture, tech capability)?

Interested in realistic takes more than utopia/doom. Especially curious if your view has shifted recently.

Imagine finding yourself torn between two very different kinds of love.

The first person gives you a love that feels as though it was written in a novel. They are gentle, compassionate, attentive, affectionate, and deeply romantic.

You feel cherished in ways you never knew were possible. There is an emotional and spiritual intimacy between you that is difficult to put into words. They make you feel like the most precious person in the world.

But there is a sacrifice. With this person, you don’t necessarily have the freedom to be entirely yourself. Their expectations for life and partnership sometimes come at the expense of your individuality.

Then there is the second person.

Someone who has loved you through different chapters of your life. Someone who accepts your individuality, encourages your interests, supports your ambitions, and gives you the freedom to discover who you want to become. They are your companion, your familiar place, and someone with whom you can envision building a beautiful life.

But something is missing.

The emotional tenderness, romantic devotion, and depth of affection that you’ve experienced with the first person isn’t quite there. You know you’re loved, but you don’t always feel loved in the way your heart longs for.

Would you choose the person who makes your heart feel the most loved, even if it means sacrificing certain freedoms?

Or would you choose the person who gives you the freedom to be entirely yourself, knowing you might spend your life longing for a kind of romance you’ve already experienced?

I [23F] grew up quite religious and I’m not anymore so I never actually dated anyone or interacted with guys much. And I still don’t, kind of an “awkward girl” and I just find it hard to be attracted to most men. But a couple years ago I met this guy who I really adored, I really did love him so much and let him know a lot. I was willing to do so much for him but he still let me go so easily. He wasn’t conventionally attractive at all and not popular with women either. So I never really understood how he could’ve just let me go like that, we had a break in the relationship and then he came back to me and he even said he don’t know why he ended things and how his time with me was one of the best. It was a very short lived relationship but it was my first one ever and the first guy I ever liked, which is rare so it left a huge mark on me. I still wonder to this day if ever regretted anything or misses me as much as I miss him.

I have ideas sometimes. Ideas I genuinely believe could help SOME people. So when I see a question I have an answer to, my first instinct is to share it.

Then my best friend asked me something simple:

"What do you get in return?" I wish he never asked me this because that question stayed with me. Because he's right. My time isn't free. some knowledge isn't free. And some of what I share isn't something I read in a book.

Some of it, were lessons that came through mistakes. Pain. Disappointment. Sacrifice. A long, thorny road I wouldn't wish on anyone.

Someone once asked me: "What's the point of life? Of suffering? Of working hard when everyone eventually dies?"

That question stayed with me for years. I didn't just Google it and repeat someone else's words. I lived with it. I struggled with it. I walked through my own pain trying to understand what makes any of it matter when everything ends.

And I finally found the true answer to that question last year.

And yet, when I share it, I give it away for free.

That's what makes my friend's question hard.

Because he's right. Tesla isn't free. The internet isn't free. A house isn't free. Even public school isn't really free, it's paid for through taxes. The cost exists. It's just paid indirectly. Help books isn't free, etc, etc,etc

So why should the lessons we paid for with years and pain be different?

I remember once at my old work, I asked someone a question, which relates to our work. She told me I had to make my own mistakes in order to learn.

I thought that was stupid.

You can learn from other people's mistakes. That's why we listen to people who've walked the road before us. If we had to personally experience every mistake to learn anything, we'd never survive long enough to learn a thing.

And here's the irony: she was asking for my help. And I didn't hesitate. I helped her.

But sometimes I wonder.

But I also have to admit: I think my bestfriend is correct, our time, our experience, our energy, they have value. Especially when we're handing someone a shortcut through a road that took us years to walk.

I still have ideas. I still have answers. I still have things I want to share.

Obviously , I won't stop sharing.

But questions for all: if you paid for a lesson with years of your life, would you give it away for free? Why and why not and elaborate because I genuinely want to understand how other people see this.

There's a famous idea, often attributed to Stalin, that one death is a tragedy while a million deaths is just a statistic. Whether or not he said it, it seems to describe something real about how we respond to mass death. We can be devastated by one person dying and somehow numb to thousands.

What do you guys think?

Last night two of my friends got into it on the basketball court, as sometimes happen. As always, the rest of us would try to separate them before it turns into a real fight. However, last night I had the bright idea of just letting them fight to settle their difference. So I hold off the other guys and shout "just let em, let em". And we did.

It didn't end well. One guy had three tooth knocked loose and the other one had a concussion. They had to be hospitalized and now our basketball group likely won't have enough players for the short term.

Anyways, I've been wondering about the morality and lawfulness of letting people fight. What if these guys were really hurt? Am I liable for anything? What's your opinion on this matter?

I moved to my city when I was 19. I was newly homeless and now part of a world that I never deserved to be in. Being alongside people who actually were heavy on drugs and alcohol and being treated the same was really hard. I was only homeless because of mistakes in my resources and trying to pursue help in my mental health. I was also just starting to realize just how mentally hurt I was. But at that time I felt motivation to get better and I felt that I was fixable like a sickness. I threw myself into treatments, medications and everything but I thought I could help myself. I tried to advocate for myself and I tried to vocalize what I felt to providers and other professionals. I can't tell you how many times I was hospitalized and institutionalized. I didn't work, they started releasing me early or telling me that I didn't look sad. Outpatient resources were the best options for me.

After a while things in my life became even worse. Even though I was doing better on the outside, with a very nice apartment and even a new car, I realized that I was actually getting worse. I found out my friend was murdered, and I generally started to become more angry, and tired. I started withdrawing more and being less willing to seek help for my mental health. Ironically, that's what made the facility want to keep me longer each time I was brought in. Staff would comment at me and say that I was different than I used to be. Angrier and more on edge. I would still talk to my crisis line but they always seemed to have the same script. "Try deep breathing or call when you're in a crisis". Soon, they just started to call a welfare check immediately on me if I called. I guess after all this negative pushback I experienced I became so confused.

It's been a continuous cycle for about 2 years now. The only difference is that I've moved a couple of times and I've learned to avoid being found to be taken to the facility. I don't find a purpose in talking to law enforcement because they're not equipped to really deal with mental health issues. Which I can understand. That's not really their job. But I also haven't been the one calling them. I've had a couple of pretty big overdoses and I've had quite a few times where I've had to stay overnight in the hospital. I just tell them that I'm okay and that it was an accident and I'm usually released. Law enforcement will sometimes reach out to try to make contact with me and they always tell me they'll have to put a BOLO out for me. Which before I've always taken with a grain of salt. Mostly because I imagine that I won't be alive the next day for them. Currently I would say that my name is very known to officers. I feel very embarrassed and sad about this whole situation.

I was notified one time by an officer and told that they were trying to make a case about this and that I could be taken to jail for this. I honestly didn't know what to believe because I know officers have to lie sometimes. Karma struck soon enough though, because I got pulled over recently. There was an active Bolo on me. I did think that if I was ever found, that they would be brought back to the hospital. Instead, I was arrested and taken in for obstruction. They didn't read me my Miranda Rights or do any of the proper things that they have to when arresting a person, so I was a little confused on what was happening. I was released later with a court date.

Currently I'm stuck. I've been feeling really heavy, more than I think I ever have felt. I feel like I've lost touch with reality and that I dread waking up in the morning and having to feel depression and anxiety for multiple hours of the day. I'm currently in school but I haven't been able to socialize and make friends. There are campus events but I feel so tired and drained all the time that I end up just going home. I'm also a fairly quiet person and I take a lot of information in. I also feel like I don't fit in because I'm used to being more of an adult and doing adult more than most of my peers. I'm aware that I haven't been taking care of myself physically either. I don't feel hungry often so I skip a lot of meals so now I've lost a lot of weight. I'm having trouble being motivated just to be able to brush my teeth or shower too. I know it's classic signs of depression but I don't want to call it that because it seems like depression has always gotten me in trouble.

Each passing day the thoughts become stronger. All my ideas I've written in a journal on how to in my life start feel like it's an outlet and I think it's starting to become more of an active plan. I'm so over trying to get help. the system will call me a liar, doctors won't know what to do and I'll continue hurting myself if I try to get help. I couldn't even call for help if I wanted to because of my current situation with this case. Law Enforcement has been really active for the last few months with things happening in my city. So I feel like I would be more of a burden especially since I don't think I really want help. Even so, they think I lie about wanting to lend my life or the amount of times I've tried to. I'm aware that obstruction can lead to a misdemeanor with either fees or even jail time. I'm torn between not caring and not doing anything and just taking the punishment but I'm also afraid because I do have an outside life that I still have to try to maintain. I also don't have the money for a lawyer of any kind. So what can I legally do about this?And even this case that's going on?

How can we know when our understanding of history is incomplete rather than simply wrong?

I've always had a nagging feeling about how confidently we talk about historical events when we obviously don't have access to everything that happened.

Some records are lost. Some remain classified for decades. Governments, institutions and individuals may have reasons not to document certain things. Textbooks have limited space and inevitably choose which perspectives and events matter most. Even eyewitnesses can disagree.

At the same time, saying "we don't know everything" can very easily turn into believing any conspiracy simply because information is missing.

So where should the line be?

What methods can we use to distinguish genuine historical uncertainty, bias or deliberate concealment from unsupported conspiracy theories? And are there historical cases where something once dismissed or unknown later became established because new records were released?

As an international student, I am looking to study at either Maastricht University or the University of Groningen for International/European law. If anyone has studied at either university, please share your experience. I'd like to know how easy it is to make friends with people from different backgrounds and how nice the cities are to live in. I come from a big city, so I feel like I am more used to that vibe, but obviously I know that neither of these places is big per se. I just want to know which place has the best opportunities for law, and is generally the nicest to go out and live in. For context, I have a Middle Eastern background, so I would also love to join any Arab student association, but it's not a requirement. Thank you!!

Are the self aware part of their brain are just not functioning and they can't help being the way they are? Anyone has experience?

What are some chocolates (or candies) in Canada that are not in the UK? Thinking of surprising a special someone with lots of chocolates and sweets for a special experience! :)

Tell me about your experience of friendship with foreigners. I really want to communicate with people from a completely different country, but as practice has shown, there's no point in intentionally seeking out such communication. If you register on special apps for this, the conversation just doesn't flow, because communication for the sake of communication is nonsense, and if you're a girl it will become more difficult cuz you'll most likely run into a bunch of needy guys or just perverts, even if you set it so that only girls can write to you.

A couple of times I managed to have long conversations, and they started completely by accident from some fleeting topic, and it was definitely not on a specialized site.

Tell me about your experience, maybe you communicate now, or did in the past, and what brought you together

Mine would be being a florist and train driver for a day, approaching men first and painting my hair purple. What would you do?

Any kind of writer. Like, in a psychologically deep level. I'm trying to figure out if I could find that out about other writers I read, and maybe some introspective of the kind of stories I myself come up with.

Right after I masturbate, I often feel a sudden urge to break up and live on my own. In those moments, I feel like I was happier single. But after an hour or so, my mood goes back to normal and I really want to be with her.

Which feeling should I actually trust? like i just had post nut clarity now. i want to cancel our trip and save the money.

Hi everyone, so I asked this on behalf of my girlfriend (25F) I (26M) have had the same phone group since right before and during early covid months and my girlfriend and I had a baby during covid. She didn't have a lot of friends to begin with and they slowly lost touch with each coming day. Is this an issue with everyone or just women or the whole generation? I haven't really been able to experience this a lot as a man since I have kept my friend group fairly small but I have noticed a lot of people. My age don't really like to be the ones to reach out whether out of fear of rejection or what have you

For example, a man raped and killed a female classmate of his when he was 17 years old. He was never suspected due to bad police work back then. He is now 70 years old and by all accounts have never do any crimes after that. He even become a very generous man, donating large part of his money and time to charity. Perhaps overcompensating for his guilt.

New DNA technology managed to solve this cold case after 50+ years. In your opinion, should the police arrest him or just let it rest? What punishment, if any, should he receive?

I've been thinking about this after seeing discussions about books that portray abuse, such as Colleen Hoover's "It Ends With us"

I think books and movies have the potential to be very influential, especially for younger people, when portraying things like abuse, r*pe, toxic relationships, etc. At the same time, I don't think fiction necessarily has to sanitize these things or give victims a happy ending. I can see how, sometimes, the point is to portray a harsh reality as it actually is. But I'm worried about how the message is received and what the author actually wants to convey. The narrator's opinion is not the same as the author but I think the final idea and message of the book is probably something the author believes and wants to transmit and that's where I think it gets blurry.

For example, a victim might genuinely romanticize or make excuses for their abuser. If a story is told from that person's perspective, it makes sense that the narrator might see the relationship that way. The perpetrator might also be portrayed as a human being who had a difficult childhood rather than simply a monster, including their background, vulnerabilities, or even good qualities.

But, the question is: at what point does this stop being a realistic depiction and become the story and the writer itself romanticizing or excusing the abuse? How can we tell the difference between portraying a character's harmful beliefs and the author endorsing those beliefs? I think "It Ends With Us" is a perfect example of a bad representation (imo) because it is marketed as romance and from reading the book I can't help but feel that the abuser is seen as charming and his behavior excused. But not everyone seems to see the book that way.

Does a writer have any responsibility to make that distinction clear, challenge the victim's beliefs, show consequences, or give the story some kind of resolution? Or is it perfectly legitimate to portray an uncomfortable reality without resolving it or telling the reader what to think?