On Carelessness

It is my opinion that we, Humans, have lost the ability to think. By that I don't mean we are incapable of linking two and two together. There was a time when people thought of their lives, made stops to think them through and adjusted them. Philosophy is dead, people are connected with each other 24h/7 and are not willing to use philosophy. When sad, we text someone, hoping that will cheer us up. We don't allow sadness and melancholy in our lives anymore. Yet there is nothing wrong with an occasional sadness, putting everything and everyone aside and thinking about the reasons for this sadness can be quite useful and insightful.

For this reason, I have decided to reflect a bit on my life, I tried putting everything away and laying on the floor, silent, absorbed in my own thoughts. That was a terrible experience. The floor was cold, the carpet was itchy, the heating system was blowing in my face. I sat down and experienced similar results. That's when I realized in terror that I'm no better than those who I love criticizing so much. Resolved not to be like everyone else, I recalled that the best tool for focus is writing. Now writing by hand is great - I admire my own calligraphy and I take pleasure in it, but hand-written manuscripts are not lasting and reveal too much. Here, on the Internet, there are more chances of my written works being immortalized. Here I am anonymous. Here I am free. Or am I? For the sake of the anonymity of those whom I shall refer in the next paragraphs, I will refer to people who play a role in my life as capital letters.

After learning about Stoicism I was sure that it wasn't for me. I liked the Epicurean philosophy  of life much better as it dictated to enjoy the little things and to be happy among friends and your surroundings. After an event with individual X that I thought I appreciated enough to share a bed with (never have I been so wrong) I realized that Epicurean philosophy has one big flaw. Since you allow yourself to care about your surroundings, if your surroundings suffer, you shall suffer with them. You'll suffer twice as much if you are incapable of helping your surroundings. And so one can imagine how heartbroken and miserable individual X must have been, and me among with her. It is only a few days later that I realized (after a philosophy class) that Stoicism would have prevented such a dreadful ending. In fact, were I to have adopted the Stoic view of life, I wouldn't have felt a thing. The Stoics say that any negative thought or even should be greeted with the good old ''So what?''. You broke her heart? So what? However, I cannot fully approve of the Stoic view of life. The problem with that is the concept of Fate. In order to be able to say ''So What'' to the most unfortunate events, one must first think that these events were meant to happen - by God or series of coincidences. I am not yet ready to admit that I'm not in control of my life. Another approach, one that is quite... dark, is similar to the ''Dark Side'' presented in ''Star Wars'' movies. I could adopt a Hedonistic view of life. That is, to live and seek personal pleasure and satisfaction and to avoid confrontation and pain. If I was completely submerged in such a philosophy of life, I would have told her to leave. The moment I realized I didn't want X to be in my house. I would also have broken-off all contact with her, as that would be, I have to admit the way to remove this unnecessary pain in life. Perhaps that would have been better than what I did. I wasn't cold enough, I should have burned all the bridges. Now it's too late... or is it? Among with this Dark Side ideology comes plenty of fears. What if I don't have anyone else to talk to? What if something happens to her and that is blamed on me? What if she tells all my friends how cold-hearted I am and they all end up hating me? Doing all of this pain/pleasure calculus has brought me back to Epicurean philosophy. Since I'm being torn apart between these two philosophies, I will combine them. From the Epicurean philosophy I will take the need for friendship, the enjoyment of the small things and the seek for pleasure. From Stoicism, I will take the coldness when dealing with unpleasant events. In fact, I won't deal with them anymore. It is decided, when dealing with something that doesn't please me at all, I will leave or make it (him/her) leave, thus avoiding the problem. No longer will I feel obliged to see/invite individuals who are not pleasant to me.

Being done with individual X, let's move on to individual Y. Y is a person that I suspect has an eye on me. She somewhat seeks out my company and writes me messages from time to time. Yet there are a few things that are making me hesitate and feel uncomfortable. First of all, I do not appreciate her friends. They have a bad influence on her which make her behave less like a lady. They practice activities such as smoking and getting intoxicated that are simply disgusting to my gentle soul. It's a shame really, because Y is a smart girl full of potential. Another thing that is bothering me is that individuals A, B, E and F know about this girl's interests (me). They often like to point that out and make fun of her for not being very discrete about her whole thing. I made the mistake of laughing the first time and now it's too late to change anything. If I do get interested in Y, my prediction is a fair amount of mocking and a difficult relationship because of very different interests. What am I saying, all of my relationships were difficult because of different interests. They all ended the same way too. I don't want to hurt her too, so I'll be keeping my distances for now.

That being said, I'm clearly turning into a Sith. Their ideology (in red) is starting to make sense...

For now, I've only completed the understanding of the first clause. There will never be peace within me, there is only a growing passion for the things I like and the people I love. It has not yet played to my advantage.

On Fate

We humans, pathetic creatures, are so insecure that we have to make up concepts to make us feel better about our life decisions. While religion is slowly being whipped out of our modern society (at least in developed countries), a new form of life governance is replacing it. This new form of life mentality justifies what we deem to be ''uncontrollable''.

Fate is not a new concept. Even the Greek philosophers have previously compared life to a pre-written story. Now, it's just the easiest way to carry on from difficult life decisions. Your girlfriend left you for someone else? ''It's fate, I can't do anything about it''. A lot of things in life seem to be predetermined. It is true that one does not choose his family; nor does he choose in which life conditions he comes to this world. Many believe that you don't even choose your friends, they come in a bundle with your life. What you will do of your life, what will interest you, what will be your hobby are things you have no control over.
It is known that Stoics were one of the most prominent group of people who thought that live would bring plenty of misfortunes, yet all you can do is let them come carelessly. Stoics argue that we don't really have control over our lives, we can only decide the little things, while the big check-marks are already established at your birth.

To that, I can only say that those people are a bunch of cowards. These people don't assume responsibility for what they have done. When their girlfriend leaves you, why say ''I can't do anything about it?'' If she did leave you for good, don't you want to know why? Don't you want to improve so that the next one doesn't leave you the same way? Is it comforting to know that you're not in charge of your life? Reduced to the point of being a Greater Creature's mini ''experiment'' that will be long forgotten after it dies out? Don't you want to give meaning to your life, a meaning that will be yours, that won't be pre-written by some power you'll never encounter?
Ladies and Gentlemen, stop blaming the supernatural for everything that happens in your life. If you are born in poverty, that's because your parents copulated in such an environment. If your girlfriend left you, you clearly did something wrong. It's time for humanity to take control over their lives and do something meaningful for the greater good. Start living for yourself. Know your values; know your hobbies; ''Know thyself''. There is no Greater Being; you are the author, write your book the way you want it to be written. 

Angels

Kids are not evil. Their parents are.
I was traveling to school, listening to music peacefully. At some point, a little blond girl with beautiful blue eyes, accompanied by her mother sat in front of me. The girl was eating a big bag of grapes - more than she could ever eat. She was smiling, clearly of satisfaction. That's when she noticed me.

She offered me a grape. I refused politely. What happened next astonished me: the little girl offered grapes to every single person sitting in the bus. She did not care if she person was black, Asian or Caucasian. She offered the same way, smiling in a very adorable way. But that isn't what surprised me. What her mother did next angered me. She hit the child on the head and told her to eat her grapes and not to share with strangers. The child seemed to understand something that her mother didn't. She clearly didn't need all those grapes and was willing to share with the hungry. Instead of encouraging sharing behaviors, the mother stopped them. She is teaching her child property. Now this wouldn't be a problem. We were all told at some point in our lives that strangers are dangerous.

The problem is here: how are we ever going to get to the Anarchist society if we keep teaching our kids to consume more than they need; if we keep telling our kids that accumulating wealth is the way to live? In an anarchist society, sharing would be encouraged. The child would receive encouragement and praise from her mother. The child would know that if she doesn't need something and someone is in the need, the best thing to do is to share.

I don't blame the mother though... We were all stopped at some point. Even I was stopped. I should have accepted the child's offering. I refused for hygienic purposes, which is a whole other debate. 

I Was Told a Story

The man was on his back. He opened his eyes. Everything was dark, the house was quiet. All he could hear was her calm, slow breathing. Clearly, she was asleep. However, he couldn’t do the same. His feet were cold, and the thought of his wife made him feel rather uncomfortable.

“Why did I let her stay here? How can she sleep when it’s so cold?” Negative thoughts tormented the man as he was lying to himself about the reasons he let her share his bed for the night. You can lie to your friends, you can lie to your family, but you cannot lie to yourself. The desire was quickly escalating in him. “Should I go satisfy myself in the bathroom? Good idea!” He tried to get up. The drinking before going to bed had its effect. The man was too cold, too tired and too drunk to get up. “It’s true what Shakespeare said: The drink increases the desire but diminishes the performance”.

She moved. “Are you asleep?” “No”. The man turned towards her. She turned the other way. He grabbed her by the hips and pulled her closer. Their feet touched, “she is as cold as I am”, he remarked quietly. They lay motionless for a while, he started to gently caress her back, moving towards her shoulders; she shivered. “She is ticklish too”. The man gently went back down, gently touching her spleen. He made his way to her hips, feeling the smooth, soft and boiling hot skin. He tried to put his hand further down; she made a little movement with her hips restricting his access. Disappointed, we went back up, passing by her nice flat stomach, making his way to her breasts. There, she didn’t seem to mind. However, as confused as he was, he didn’t dare going under her bra. Instead, he went around, making little movements, picking the edge of the bra slightly, teasing her. He went back down, passing by her back, getting to her calves. From there, he tried going up again. As a result he got the same hip movement. It made him moan with desire. “How can she be so cruel?”

The man took his hand away. “Don’t stop”. “Ah, she wants more! As cruel as she can be, she is still human and needs some affection”. The man decided to use that, teasing her by stopping his caresses every few minutes, getting the same “Don’t stop”. Every time, these words become more and more satisfying. The man never knew that torturing could be as fun as making love. His desire faded away. All he wanted was revenge. So he got up; left the bed; pursued his morning occupations.

It’s only by the end of the day he decided to meditate a bit. It’s not the first time the man has been treated like that. He doesn’t seem to learn. He concluded that since this happened regularly, he would no longer invite women in his bed so easily. He will be cruel, mean and desire-thirsty.

Satisfied, the man went to bed.

Anarchist World VS Modern Society Part 2: Schooling and Education

In our 'modern' society, kids go through a complex schooling education that will 'prepare' them for their further life. The students are categorized and selected by their grades. The better performing ones get the good job and the better education. Sometimes, those that get good grades are rewarded, their education costs less, or in some cases it's free! And what do children learn? When they become mature individuals (by that I mean able to reproduce) they do not know how to provide for themselves. They cannot defend themselves and all they have seen in their life, all the knowledge they have is from a room full of desks and chairs. Toss these kids in the wild and they will die in matter of days.

In an anarchist society, the children will learn what they need to know to survive. Boy and Girls will be able to fend-off a wild beast. They will know how to plant the crops, how to collect them and how to make bread. They will know what is edible and what is not. Do not think these kids will be uncultured savages. They will be able to learn about relationships by working together. They will learn all they science they need to be crafty in the art of survival. They will learn how to count by precise applied examples. These kids will be healthy and most important of all, they will be independent of their parents. By the age of 12-15, they will be functioning individuals, members of the society. This society will protect them until they are old and wise enough to make the decision of staying or leaving.

Anarchist World VS Modern Society Part 1: Introduction and Relationships

Anarchy is an utopia, yes. However, for someone that hates all types of human societies, from Democracy to Dictatorship, it might be pleasurable to fantasize a little bit about the perfect world. I know, most of what is written lower is impossible. But maybe the fact you were educated in a democracy is making it absolutely impossible? 

In an Anarchist world, there are no countries. There are no borders. No leaders, no collective decision makers. Most of the earth's land surface is covered in forests. Humans live in small communities where everyone provides for himself. Morality and the instinct of having our specie live throughout the ages is keeping us alive. We don't need cars, we don't need electricity. The humans remember once again the joys of living without having the need to stare at a screen. Humans are healthy, strong and proud creatures.


In our modern society, it is a habit for a man to bring his significant other to eat out. This act is an act said to be ''Civilized''. However, if we do consider primitive humans as ''uncivilized'' we didn't do much progress. If would be reasonable for the savage to offer food to a female. That way, he shows her that he is capable of providing for her and their future family. Ironically enough, whom do you think usually pays for the lunch/dinner? It's quite daring to say we are civilized considering how deep our primitive instincts are in our minds.
The Anarchist world would present a totally different scenario. If the man and woman are to go to a restaurant, they would, certainly split the bill in half. Certainly, this is a very feminist statement. The thing is, in an Anarchist society, man and women would be equal. Each would provide for his own needs. The only time they would share what they have is when they have children.

In our modern society, marriage is still considered important. It is the popular opinion that a man should love only one woman and that is for a long time. Divorce is considered morally acceptable, yet one must pass by a complicated series of sharing and dividing.
In the Anarchist society, women and men are free to make love to whom ever they desire. Since duo-ownership is impossible, in the case when one leaves the couple each will take with him what belongs to him/her. Since there is no marriage, there is no divorce. Now one might ask what will happen to the children of separated parents. We have already established that humans will live in small communities where each will provide from himself, yet live close enough to help those in the need in order to satisfy his needs of interaction. Hence, since humans are kind creatures and cannot see the suffering of another, the children will be taken by one of the parents or adopted until they are capable of providing for themselves.

Neo-Addiction

Addicts.
Many of us are absolutely addicted to our precious little device. Yes, I am talking about cell phones. Have you ever been on a date with a girl constantly checking her phone? Here is a post to those who have and to those who use their phones during dates and other public events.

Regarding dates and tête-à-tête events. If you are constantly checking your phone, you are not only rude. You also make the person sitting with you worry for no reason. Now if you are a sadist and you love seeing your better half anxious; you definitely are doing the right thing. However, if you want the person sitting next to you to be happy, just put it away. You'll check your text messages after your date. Nobody is going to die if you don't open Facebook or Twitter five times to notice that you have not received any notifications. Here are examples of what your partner may think:
''Am I that boring?''
''Is she/he in a hurry?''
''Am I not worth her/his full attention?''
And I could just go on and on! So here is some piece of advice. If you are so addicted to your phone, turn the beast off. Or even better, if you can still make decisions, leave it at home. I guarantee the time you spend with the other person will be of bigger quality. Hell, you might even find out the person is actually boring and not worth your time!

At big events, you're suppose to meet people. The message you send to other when you are on your phone is ''Don't approach me, I'm busy''. Then again, the phone can save you from an awkward conversation so it's not pure evil either. But if your purpose of going to parties is to meet new interesting people, please reread the last paragraph.

Finally, selfies. Seriously. What is wrong with you people. Sure, there is no harm in taking a picture of yourself before going out, just to remember how you looked to that you can ask your boyfriend and be mad at the fact he doesn't remember such priceless piece of information. But there is a fine line between taking one picture and fifty. Now I understand that taking pictures in a public bathroom with your friends is without doubt a way to socialize. Do you honestly think it's a good one though? Are you really going to look back at all those 50 pictures? Do you think anyone wants to see all those 50 pictures?

Get rid of your dependence. Don't let your phone become your best friend. Make sure he stays a tool and you don't switch roles with it. After all, you're the human with the brain...

The Neo-Human and Shaving

Humans have shaved for centuries. But why? Why is the human race so obsessed with hair?
Now, I'm not going to go through all of the history of shaving, let's concentrate on the present. No matter what your opinion on hair is, you have one for sure. Is there a right way of doing things? Of course not.

Facial Hair:
Some women have an obsession. They absolutely need to have their men clean shaved. I've come to the conclusion that it's often the women dating older men that require them to shave. Although they will immediately deny that fact, they are trying to hide from themselves the fact that they are a little bit ashamed of dating an older man. The same works the other way around. Mature women tend to like having a man with a little bit of hair to show the world that they are dating a man that is also mature enough for them.

Now what about the girls that ask their boyfriends to have some facial hair? The answer lies in the word girl. It's a girl that wants the show the world that she is dating a man, not a boy. That way, she pretends to be a mature woman.

Finally, women dating younger men may ask their lovers to shave off facial hair. Now that is a rare situation, but when it happens, the woman may be feeling motherly affection towards her man... beware!


Armpit Hair:
While shaving armpit hair is very common among women world-widely, it isn't the case with men. In fact, North-American men in their majority don't shave their armpits. Europeans on the other hand do. I understand both parties. Although shaving isn't very comfy it provides a better hygiene. Perhaps a compromise would be trimming?


Chest, Arms, and Legs Hair:
If you are a girl with chest hair... All jokes aside, unless you are a professional athlete, you for sure asked yourself if you should shave. Now women usually get rid of the undesired hair by plucking, waxing, trimming, shaving (or any other techniques I have not clue about). What is interesting is when men shave those off. It appears to be a trend these days. In fact, the hairy manly look is losing ground; new generations want a smooth, hairless, body (I exclude the head, but my prediction is that soon enough being completely shaved will be a trend). Why? Read next section.


Pubic Hair:
Shaving pubic hair is now very popular. There are many theories out there that try to explain why it's done by both men and women.
1. We are strongly influenced by pornography where shaving is often a requirement in order to show more.
2. We try to fool ourselves in thinking sex is less sinful by having a shaved body. Babies don't sin, babies are also hairless. Now if you don't agree, once again, beware of denial. All of this is on a subconscious level.
3. We became very aware on personal hygiene matters, shaving is in fact not an unhealthy habit (please use your razor though).
4. For oral sex reasons. (Face it, men and women, how pleasant is munching on hair?)

I've been asked multiple times by insecure people about shaving their private areas. To these people, I can only say: ''Why are you asking me?'' (unless of course you are dating me, then yes, please to ask me.) I advise you to ask your partner. If he/she doesn't agree with you, don't forget about the sweet compromise of trimming! If it's a really big deal, consider dating someone else.

Russia and Ukraine

I have been asked numerous times about the situation in Russia/Ukraine. Honestly, I don't have much to say. In fact, I am ashamed of both parties.
The Russians should know better than sending troops to Ukraine and annexing its parts after rather debatable referendums. The Ukrainians should know better than to fight among each other.
The problem is that Ukrainians and Russians are not that much different. Apart of the obvious language difference, the two cultures are rather similar. Let me remind you that Kiev, now capital of Ukraine, use to be the capital of the early Russians (or should I call them Slavs). It is only a few centuries ago that Moscow became the capital of an almost 1000 year old empire.
The Ukrainians and the Russians are brothers. Together, they have fought off the Mongols, the Polish invasion, Napoleon's invasion, the Nazi Germany invasion, and many others. And what are they fighting about now? Who will Ukraine negotiate with? Where will the Russians place their pipelines? Which part of Ukraine should belong to Russia because the majority of citizens are Russian?
This fighting between brothers deceives me profoundly. Once again, economics and politics are standing in the way of a peaceful and lovely life. Yes, an Anarchist society is commonly seen as an Utopia, but how can we be absolutely sure about that if we haven't given Anarchy a real tryout?

I was surfing the World Wide Web and I found some interesting pictures of popular opinions about the Russian/Ukrainian conflict: