I'm not cut out for manual labor - though doing it reminds me what humans can get used to.
Yesterday, after a darkish joke was made, a conversation started about black humor and someone mentioned how they had heard that it was common in the concentration camps as a way to cope with circumstances. I think this makes a lot of sense, as dark humor tends to face and accept the perceived reality of the situation whilst still putting some kind of positive spin on it - if there is enough will to joke, there is enough will to hope.
I think that humor is being rapidly lost in the world and it is probably due to the internet and how it has encouraged the deliberate misrepresentation of what and when something has been said to be used to punish people indefinitely. Not only that, the internet has simultaneously encouraged safe space mentality where everyone should be siloed and protected by anything that might upset them, which is anything that isn't aligned with their own thoughts or feelings.
It is incredible to think that with all the advancements we have made as a species, we don't seem to be much better at managing our emotional states. Yeah, there is probably less murder and violence in some ways than say, in the dark ages, but we still tend to find outlets for the same kind of emotional violence against others. The internet is perfect for this. What else is interesting is that the incentive to inflict pain on others seems to be getting lower as is the connection to the person we are going to attack.
Imagine back in the day with a sword or knife, it was all very personal and required close proximity to do damage - this meant that the target was either random (like a robbery on the road) or had a relationship that was close enough to warrant an attack for a slight. There was also a payoff of some sort - some gold coins in the robbery, or a problem relationship ended in the personal attack.
From the safety of their screens, people attack strangers across social media platforms that they have never had a relationship with in any way prior, and use whatever information they can possibly gather and skew into some kind of weapon to inflict some kind of pain. What is even more interesting in my opinion, is that they have no incentive to do this other than likes and stars from their "peer" group, other strangers who they have never interacted with and actually have no idea what kinds of people they are. There is something highly perverse about this and those who partake in it - people who take some kind of pleasure in hurting strangers, sadists.
The internet is a strange place when one looks at what incentivizes the interaction on social media platforms and what gets the majority of the transactions. People love drama, people love inflicting pain, people love to feel powerful - digitally. Maybe those who enjoy this side of it are compensating for a lack of attention, possibility and power in the real world where they feel like victims of circumstance, rather than agents of their experience. Lonely people who have some unsatisfied need and no way to fill it, so they "act out" against others.
I would predict that people who enjoy inflicting pain on unwilling targets are probably not the mentally healthiest among us. It has little to do with intelligence however, I assume that there are some kinds of unresolved psychological/ emotional issues that they are unable to overcome. I think there is a reason that people feel better "at peace" than angry - yet a lot of frustrated people will look to mitigate their anger through violence, rather than find peace through acceptance. Right or wrong, I believe that in general, we as a society are becoming emotionally weaker as we protect ourselves from conflict by curating experience or having it curated for us, whilst simultaneously finding unhealthy outlets for our frustrations from the protected position without physical consequence.
We are out of balance because so much of our interaction is outsourced to systems and while we feel we are getting stronger due to the support we receive, that support is actually making us weaker, like wearing a brace so that the muscles no longer have to work and start to atrophy. I think that we have been encouraged so heavily to seek emotional support, that we have become reliant on it and no longer have the emotional strength to stand on our own two feet.
When things don't go our way, we feel victimized and then, we become the aggressor to inflict pain on strangers to make us feel like we have some control. And this creates drama, moar drama. And it drives transactions and fills news feeds and articles, it gets broadcast and repeated, shared across the globe and pulls more people who feel powerless into the mix to gain back their control by attacking those who they think have wronged them in some way, even though they are strangers.
I don't see this driving society in a better direction, I don't see the individual improving themselves through this - So, who does this benefit?
One thing I love about manual labor around the house is that it is me doing it, me shoveling the gravel or hacking through the wood, and I can see the results of my work and the progress I have made. Not only that, I know why I am doing it and I know what what incentivizes me to do so, I know what I am aiming for, I know what the expected result is, I know when I have failed or succeeded. I think a lot of people interact on the internet blind to why they do what they do and likely mistaken in what they actually get out of it. The benefits are there, just not for who is doing the work.
Funny.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
I have never done much manual work in my life, don't even know to what level it has affected me.
In 2017, a friend of mine, who is a national level athlete, told me that he wasn't training for the last one year. So he asked me to start running, going to gym etc, from the next day. Basically start training again with him. He would have some company.
He told me to come at 5:30 the next morning. I was waking up at 11-12 in the noon at that time.
I have never run in my life prior to 2017, and I was 23.
But the next day, I showed up, exactly at 5:30. Started running, training with him. And continued for the next 6 months. It is one of the best memory in my life in terms of achievements.
Those 6 months taught me how much physical fitness change a person. Now, everyday I work out, play badminton, go for a jog, it makes me more happy.
The thing in today's world is that there is no manual labour. Nobody wants to do it.
My dad was a cop, he retired and now grows crops, does 10x more work than me or someone of my age. All his life, he loved doing hard manual work, work in and around house.
So, he is quite strong mentally.
Then I see kids, who cries for two hours because their pizza isn't right.
I don't know, but lack of physical movement has weakened the people. Sitting in front of laptop to do all the work might have made life more easy but surely made people mentally weak.
I am pretty sure that if the world goes back to swords, most won't survive today.
It is good for the soul.
Because of this. Activity matters.
In general, you will likely notice that the people who keep physically fit all their life through meaningful activity, will generally also have a strong mind later in life.
lol...They are screwed by the time they are 40 :D
Survival of the fittest is less relevant at the moment, because we have built a haven for the feeble. There is social value in some protection, but it moves into weakness if expanded into wrapping in psychological cotton wool.
Thanks for your great comment
!ENGAGE 50
Lol...
ENGAGEtokens.Interesting topic!!! One of the most powerful weapons that exist and that people are using in these critical times is the word. With the word you can kill and there is no evidence left! Moreover, with the word you don't kill directly, you can make the other person commit suicide and the victim consider himself or herself the victimizer. But it's also happening that people are living in fear of everything, especially what others will say. These days, in my town, a boy committed suicide because he got tired of verbal attacks from his friends because he was gay. While it's true that verbal humiliation can be a problem, how weak a person's character can be to commit suicide as a result of teasing. I think we're giving importance to things and people that don't matter! That's my humble opinion. Greetings
I like how you visualized this. :)
This is the power and stupidity of social movements - they don't care about people, they care about killing.
Precisely. People have become soft and unable to cope with even the slightest of negative emotional reactions. We have made children weak, but as always, in the end, it is survival of the fittest of the group.
Yes. We want to be entertained, while our future slides down the drain.
btw, part of your comment ties into my likely next post - after my daughter was "teased" at daycare :)
!ENGAGE 25
ENGAGEtokens.My brother in law came to the farm to help with harvest (before they were married). As we were washing up for lunch he looked in the mirror and said "I'm way too handsome to be a farmer." My brother and I weren't amused, and that may have been the high point of my relationship with him. Manual or at least semi manual labor involved :)
Is it humor that is leaving? That could be it. It could be that we are as you say 'siloed into ourselves' Where almost nobody but me matters. It's a pretty tragic picture.
When I'm feeling really good about life I think that most of the noise I hear is actually put out by a very small percentage and that most people are actually OK. But in reality, influencers influence and every body wants to be like Mike.
Sometimes I'm really glad I'm old, that my life is essentially lived.
I am guessing the delivery was poorly timed :D
It makes - people sit alone at their screens, laughing at their own jokes.
I think it is only a small percentage, but that minority is given spread through traditional media too. Many articles now post Twitter comments as content as "proof" of public sentiment.
I fear for moy daughter more - I have been around the block enough not to take this stuff too seriously in relationship to myself. most in my age group are still affected, those younger much more so.
I think it is only a small percentage, but that minority is given spread through traditional media too. Many articles now post Twitter comments as content as "proof" of public sentiment.
I can't tell you how crazy I get when I read an innerwebs article and it ends with tweets that 'bear' on the story. Like it's some sort of freaking source or something. Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhh.
!ENGAGE 15
ENGAGEtokens.No, not funny at all :)
This reminds me of my father. He is someone who thought there should be equity and equality and believed in its true sense the meaning and sentiments of class less society. No, he is not a communist but an atheist in his true form who believes in non-duality.
Guided by these unique philosophies, he made us do manual labour when we were kids. Others would laugh at us and used to tell my father that he is using his sons as labourers to save money. Some would suggest that they know cheap labourers to do the work. But, he never listened to them. To be honest, I never liked it. I thought people are looking down on us and I never understood why we cannot hire someone else to do the job. We were not that poor.
He always said, we need to do our jobs if they do not require expert consultation. Looking back, I think that's a great lesson for kids who are growing up. I never hesitate to do house jobs or any other manual labouring for that matter. I am not saying hiring others to do a job is not good. It's a personal choice but as you said, if you decide to do the job on your own you are making yourself responsible. And, there's also a slight risk that the table you worked on has rough edges with a drawer without a screw 🤣
ra
There's an incredible lack of introspection there. So many 'champions of the working class' on the left will hound an internet thought-criminal's employer into sacking them, and be proud of themselves for it. They have to know this won't change his mind, so the only real motivation I can imagine, is economic terrorism.
To gut him publicly as a warning to others.
This is why they're so hung up on gun control. They know they can't be trusted with that kind of power and assume the same of the rest of us.
The entire "woke" movement is of economic terrorism and life control impotence.
I enjoy the drama on occasion, most of the time I find it pretty funny, especially the online spats between total strangers. I don't think it is limited to just the lonely or basement dwellers, I do think a lot of it is from people with mental issues though. Anyone that strives to inflict pain on anyone for any reason is not operating with a full deck of cards.
A lot of the drama is like a car wreck or a derailed train, we just have to look, to see if people are hurt, or to imagine what if it was us in there scenario's. I don't think it is so much looking for the gore of the situation, it is more of how did this happen, what caused it, and how the hell do I make sure it doesn't happen to me. A not so healthy person would see it different, and view it with different thoughts.
Last night I was trying to think of the last time I saw a Wholesome movie. One with out the violence, the bloodshed, the sex and sexual innuendos. One where the kids were not the outcast, were not the dregs, were not the problem kids. There are no wholesome movies made anymore. The last one I remember would be Charlie, the lonesome cougar, and even that had some violence/cruelty.
A lot of the enjoyment from drama on line is I think because we are glad it is not us in their shoes type thing. I have grown very weary of all the movies with the violence on and from kids in movies lately. That there is no depiction of normal kids, just the violent losers, or the super geeks. No normal.
Neither do I, but I do think many of them are lonely - not necessarily alone though.
THere is very little "good" out there now. I have been meaning to write a piece for a while on how superhero movies and shows potentially have the opposite effect of having people to look up to - if anything, it makes people feel more powerless as they are not special, therefore have an excuse not to be extraordinary.
I think though, that a lot of people are jumping on topic bandwagons they have no real intereest in, but like to take part enacting social group punishment.
Not much normal anymore. I was just thinking about this today in regards to a family member.
"Social group punishment" that is something I have never really understood. It is part of why I am at odds with myself concerning blacklist, I hate them, but see them sometimes as needed, but then there is no coming back from the brink of a black list once on it. Then again, we can not just blindly forgive for a promise not to do it again, or the simple statement I made a mistake.
I believe everyone can change if they want to, but when it comes to making money/profiteering people have a strong tendency to not change and make simplistic excuses like I'm doing it for my family. It's an excuse, should they be blacklisted for life, some individuals I have seen I feel yes, some I see I feel no.
I do feel that if a person or a group is going to run a blacklist then they need to state why a person/account is on that list and show the initial reasoning, not just a blanket statement they plagiarized.
This is a problem, but after 4 years I have learned, most don't want to come back - they start a new account and attempt a new vector of abuse.
Perhaps a link (from the blacklist number) to a page that lists the reasons with some details.
This or something similar I would like to see. It is something I need to work out for myself I guess in my stance on blacklist. I know of bad actors, so for now since I really do not want to be associated with black listed accounts unless I know the person/account has changed, I sort of follow the black list when it comes to following accounts/voting on content from those accounts.
!ENGAGE 25
ENGAGEtokens.!ENGAGE 25
ENGAGEtokens.It’s funny, but certainly not haha funny. I think the desire for contest via petty scores remains the number one motivator in online spaces. I think back to last night, as I played a game with @ithinkitsrose. It came to end but unfortunately we did not win the match of Quick Play in Overwatch. Is there any reason I was called a trash bag, other than to invite discontent? Why would anyone incite another in what remains a largely singular experience, that is of a team-based casual, first person shooter with random teammates? Maybe it’s the rush, or a projection of insecurity, but it’s not in my interest to understand it. I’m a long way from mastery, but I feel the progress because the comments did not cause me to even blink.
Definitely not haha funny :)
Yes, but what is keeping score?
Insecurity for the most part - though people like to think they are Jordan and it is all intentional. What I found from playing was how emotionally uncontrolled most people are when it comes to even the most insignificant of activities.
Use it as part of your practice :)
!ENGAGE 25
ENGAGEtokens.Could also be blunt rage! An outburst of anger that overwhelmed your teammate.
How did you feel after losing?
Isn't that a potential legal defense?
Yes, I think so, too. Still never worked for me at Home-Court so far, that I can testify under oath.
Home court is the toughest of all to beat and the punishments are the most severe.
You know how it is and young adults are the most ruthless judges, by FAR - no joke.
You know that experiment where they get people to electrocute a stranger by pressing a button? Millennials would demand it be made into an app and have a social movement to make it a legal right that it can be used on anyone who doesn't agree with them.
This was an excellent question. I felt amused the game could incite such emotions unrequited that insults flew. The feeling involved much reflection so, I felt pensive. Do I play to win or play to socialize? I do both; which sometimes come into conflict with each other. Winning ain’t everything.
It sounds like you are emotionally way more centered and calm then you might consider urself to be. Maybe you can't expect random web encounters to be as balanced as you are.
I like your comments a lot. I would do well to remember what you've said here.
I totally agree with you, and I understand that all these problems also have to do with the level of empathy that each person has. Since most people do not care about what the other person is going through, nor do they put themselves in their shoes, they always prefer to criticize before understanding.
The only thing I do not agree with what you mention is this:
I do see society improving, because just as before there were no social networks or the internet, we did not know what other countries were going through or what situations others were going through.
For example, I, who am from the Dominican Republic, could not be answering your comment, nor would I realize that there are many people who think the same as you and me ...
I do believe that we can make a change, and this time we can make a change worldwide .. and although the process is slow, I understand that by sharing our opinion, and making a few understand that our attitudes can improve .. We can create a better planet!
I think empathy might be a flawed position most of the time. We can't put ourselves in others shoes, but we can feel like we can. This means that we can act thinking we are helping, even if our "other's shoe simulation" is flawed. I prefer compassion instead.
The internet has given as the potential for insight into other cultures, but it has also given us tools that can be weaponized for control - such as the identity politics drive the last decade or so. We end up concentrating on the wrong things and spending resources in the wrong areas.
BTW, how's your bachata?
Yes, but I understand that we must try to positively help this change, little by little I believe that we can!
And the bachata is good! I really miss dancing at parties and activities, right now we can only afford to listen to the songs... I can´t wait to the end of this pandemic.
Yep, it will take time - normally longer than our patience.
I haven't had a chance to dance at all this year and only a handful of times last year. One day :) This pandemic sucks on many levels.
I feel you, what type of music do you normally dance?
Bachata and Kizomba - Since I only speak English, the lyrics aren't important, but I have a weird style that definitely isn't authentic for either styles.
This is older, but something that my wife and I danced to when we first met:
Wow, I'm impressed, where are you from?
First of all, do not worry about the style, that varies in each person and in each country! Just feel free and enjoy the dance!
Juan Luis Guerra is a Dominican singer-songwriter !! We love him very much and his lyrics are very good, I recommend you translate some of them, they are worth it. He is very romantic, perfect for couples. ¨Burbujas de amor¨ and ¨Tus besos¨ are two other good songs from him ... and you can also listen to some merengues (native Dominican dance) ¨La Bilirubina¨ is a classic ...
Romeo Santos right now is the most famous bachatero here, ¨Eres mía¨ and ¨Cancioncitas de Amor¨ are classics. Prince Royce is anotherone, sometimes he sings in English, for example¨Stand by Me¨.
If you liked the merengue, you should listen to Elvis Crespo (Puerto Rican), a good one is ¨Suavemente¨.
About Kizomba, we don't dance it much, it really is a rhythm that came practically less than 5 years ago ... but I'm crazy to enroll in classes and learn it. (I once practiced Tango, which is a bit like Kizomba and the truth is that I loved it)
We also dance salsa, I think Juan Luis has some songs but what we dance the most is Marc Anthony (¨Valió la pena¨), Yiyo Sarante (¨Corazon de acero¨), Chiquito Team Band (¨La Llamada De Mi Ex¨ ).
Well, I left you a lot of songs, hahaha, let me know if you liked them and if you need more. And if you can't find any of the songs, I can send you the link ... What happens is that if I put them all in this comment would be a mess.
Oh, if you have some suggestions, please add them :)
Excellent, wise words. Personally, I find it very difficult to force myself to do a task when I vaguely imagine the final result of this work. Perhaps this is the main trap of remote work on the Internet.
Working remote has a few challenges I think, a big one being that it is hard to build relationships fast in comparison to face to face meetings.
Emotions are one of the most difficult things to manage however, the mastery of ones emotion is the beginning of the knowledge of one's self.
This seems to be rampant on Twitter and among people of my age group.
For me, i just feel this is a way of craving for attention and sometimes validation.
I don't get why someone will want to inflict pain on someone they don't know. It's crazy
It is like the extremes of high school personalities at the aggressive end of the scale.
Perhaps they are psychopaths or the culture we have built makes people appear psychopathic.
Mental health is mostly measured by how comparatively to others, you are fit for society or not. In my experience that does not make that person anyhow well behaved online/offline. Lot’s of people are healthy jackasses of the worst kind. The Human heart is flawed by nature.
It is interesting to imagine what some of these internet people would act with face to face adversaries. Still as outspoken?
Maybe 1 out of 1000. I'd guess in-person these people get scared by loud noises and angry cats.
well that one looks really annoyed... xD
That is definitely an angry cat....
I can't believe your level of engagement, you're a legend. PROPS
The trick is - never sleep ;D
I am off to bed now though
I first wrote about the desensitization to killing back in the 70s. We watched Movies and TV where the good guy killed bad guys and the bad guys had the good graces to just fall down and be dead. Now a days in video games they don't even leave a carcass behind, just poof away.
I imagine the first time somebody would plunge a knife or sword into a person that needed it that they would be mighty surprised at the amount of blood that can gush from a human. Lots of shooters are really surprised at the violence and just how hard people can fight back when their lives are at stake.
You know what? This is getting completely out of control and I will come back later to actually answer your most excellent post. I'll have my soap box completely put away by then.
Sun Tzu wrote something like. always give your enemies an exit, no one fights harder than with their back against the wall.
I think it is not just desensitization, it is also productization. We have made ourselves products and therefore, we are disposable and without feeling, thought or life of value. We have created a society of strangers, while we discount and treat badly the people who actually care about us.
Nothing wrong with soap boxes, it is good to air thoughts :)
Honestly, it makes me want to rip my hair out from my scalp. I can not and do not think i can ever understand it. I know we are all different and tend to express or handle emotions and situations differently but there is just no excuse, non whatsoever for inflicting emotional damage on anyone. Truth be told, we may not be as savage or as brutal as the dark ages but i am sure we definitely have more suicides and suicide attempts than that period.
People have been told to "show their feelings" without learning to control them. People have become more violent as a result as they have no safety or skill, but are very easily triggered.
I just wish we could find that balance between being expressive and being considerate of other people's feelings and struggles. It really is a thin line, yes but also very possible.
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Do not miss the last post from @hivebuzz:
Why do manual labor when you can have someone else do it for you.
Believe it or not, I don't even clean up after I poop, I have someone else do it.
Well, your name is Ciara Scat.