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thinking - the silent disease

It started out innocently enough. I began to think at parties now and then -- just to loosen up. Inevitably, though, one thought led to another, and soon I was more than just a social thinker. I began to think alone -- "to relax," I told myself -- but I knew it wasn't true. Thinking became more and more important to me, and finally I was thinking all the time.

That was when things began to sour at home. One evening, I turned off the TV and asked my wife about the meaning of life. She spent that night at her mother's.

I began to think on the job. I knew that thinking and employment don't mix, but I couldn't help myself.

I began to avoid friends at lunchtime so I could read Thoreau, Muir, Confucius, and Kafka. I would return to the office dizzied and confused, asking, "What is it exactly we are doing here?"

One day, the boss called me in. He said, "Listen, I like you, and it hurts me to say this, but your thinking has become a real problem. If you don't stop thinking on the job, you'll have to find another job."

This gave me a lot to think about.

I came home early after my conversation with the boss. "Honey," I confessed, "I've been thinking..."

"I know you've been thinking," she said, "and I want a divorce!"

"But Honey, surely it's not that serious."

"It is serious," she said, lower lip aquiver. "You think as much as a college professor and college professors don't make any money, so if you keep on thinking, we won't have any money!"

"That's a faulty syllogism," I said impatiently.

She exploded in tears of rage and frustration, but I was in no mood to deal with the emotional drama.

"I'm going to the library," I snarled as I stomped out the door. I headed for the library, in the mood for some Nietzsche. I roared into the parking lot with a social reportage on the radio and ran up to the big glass doors. They didn't open. The library was closed.

To this day, I believe that a Higher Power was looking out for me that night. Leaning on the unfeeling glass, whimpering for Zarathustra, a poster caught my eye: "Friend, is heavy thinking ruining your life?" it asked. You probably recognize that line. It comes from the standard Thinkers Anonymous poster. This is why I am what I am today: a recovering thinker. I never miss a TA meeting. At each meeting we watch a non-educational video; last week it was /Porky's/. Then we share experiences about how we avoided thinking since the last meeting.

I still have my job, and things are a lot better at home. Life just seemed...easier, somehow, as soon as I stopped thinking. The road to recovery is now nearly complete for me.

Today I took the final step. I joined the Republican Party.

(stolen from http://www.psych.upenn.edu/humor.html)
 
Of course. People who think don't really know more than anyone else. Scientists and professionals don't know any more than the average person. Anyone and everyone can refute people who study things for a living because nobody knows anything. Every profession everywhere is at the status medicine was when they used leeches. Mechanics once believed steam would power everything so how can I believe what the guy who changes my tires says. Weren’t these they guys who once thought there would be wood-burning cars?

Down with government because we hate being told what to do.
Down with science because we hate people who are smarter than us. They were called nerds and dweebs in school and disdained. You enjoy intellectual activity. LAME! Just watch football and sports like the rest of us and keep your thinking to yourself you... you... thinking people!
 
No, I like science. I pulled my back out and won't be able to run for like two weeks lmao. I was landscaping and I overworked myself. I worked my butt off and my back out and when I saw what I had done, I realized the amount of sand, mud, and rock I had shoveled was only enough to fill two of the scoopers on a tractor, and was only about 25% of what needed to be done. I never really appreciated tractors or ditch diggers until that day. I was cut-off from the internet for a week, so instead of downloading music I was playing Halo. We had our TV on the wrong channel (it was on three and should have been on four) and we were totally frantic because we thought out satellite dish was broken. Right now, my dad is surfing on our desktop and listening to an AC/DC DVD on the PS3 in the background, and I sit here type debating whether or not to get my PSP and listen to some music.

We're TOTALLY dependent on science. If the power goes out, most of us have no idea how to entertain ourselves. Being dependent on science isn't necessarily a bad thing, but we can't really do anything complicated, or inconvenient, for ourselves without machines at this point. I tried to open a can when I couldn't use the can opener once. You should have seen my trying to get into the can, stabbing it with a fork lmao.

Something you said is in conflict with my experience, Finch. Maybe I live in a weird, parallel universe, or maybe my experience was the exception. For some reason, there's a stereotype that football players, hot girls, and the "in" crowd are all stupid. In my school, most of the football players, most of the hot girls, and the "in" crowd were (well, are.) in ALL honors classes. I was always in all honors classes except math (I was always average in math, much to my disdain) however my other friends were in ALL honors classes. The two most popular (in everyone's view, although they had few if any true friends. Think Mean Girls) had the highest GPA's, and the worked for it and were really, really smart. I've never met a stupid football player either, and for some reason there's a stereotype that they're all A-holes. All but like.. one were always cool with me and they were all average to above average. I never cared for watching sports either, but that doesn't make you stupid. They have to think pretty quickly, and ever see those thingies up on the board the coach makes with the arrows and stuff? No way could I ever learn that and apply it while I was on the field! These are just stereotypes, just like the stereotype that you implied all smart people were "nerds and dweebs". OMG who says those names anymore anyway? Lol. Those terms are more about appearance and mannerisms, not about actual intelligence. Words like Prep, Jock, Stoner, Emo, etc., and the associated groups, don't mean very much after high school. People put so much interest into these social groups and labels, when the truth is they probably won't see each other after high school, except at reunions. I remember when I was in middle school, and about to be a freshman, I thought high school would be like in the movies. It's nothing (at all) like the movies. The exciting things aren't nearly as good as portrayed, and the bad aspects aren't nearly as bad as they are in the movies.

In retrospect of re-reading what I typed, the question popped into my head. Is that what really happened, or is that what I think happened because of who I hung out with? They were nice to me, but someone that fits the dork stereotype, or the gay stereotype, or the "ugly girl" stereotype may not see things through the same prism that I did. Maybe my friends were REALLY huge, stereotypical butt holes, but I didn't really realize it. They treated me with respect, but if I was short, scrawny, wore bad clothes, had broken glasses held with tape, was a total flamer, or didn't fit the "norm" then maybe they would have tortured me and I wouldn't have enjoyed my time there. I'm thinking probably not, but it was just a thought. We weren't saints. We did make fun of people. We did gossip. No more than anyone else, and it wasn't malicious. Things like that are just part off high school. It's expected, and I guess part of finding yourself and perhaps expressing the subconscious. Or at least for some people, I think. Of course there are people who take it too far and torture other people mentally. That's where harmless fun becomes pain. That's when people start cracking up and bringing guns to school. I hope the above doesn't make me sound mean. It was really typical high school stuff, nothing unusual. To be honest, I think that harmless (IMO) poking and teasing and gossiping is helpful to the other party. People need to learn to deal with it in a positive manner instead of hurting themselves or others. The adult world isn't all nice and politically correct and safe. They won't be coddled by their mothers and they need to learn to deal with it. Of course there are medical exceptions, so before you angry mothers PM me about your "special" kid, send it elsewhere. The above opinion is meant to be applied to the general population. I really sound horrible, but these are just my thoughts. I believe it helps to embrace who you really are, or change it if you aren't happy with yourself. It's sort of like the people on some talk shows who were made fun of a lot when they were young because they were "ugly"/fat/whatever. Then they changed themselves for the better (usually pretty hot now.. rawr.) and it many instances it was to prove the other person wrong. This begs the question. If that had not have happened, would they have ever changed? There's also a big difference in someone who's made fun of for being fat/"ugly"/whatever, and then go crazy with plastic surgery into adulthood, or develop anorexia or bulimia, or abuse diet pills, and someone who decides to change themselves the healthy way. This is where my opinion on exceptions for people who really aren't mentally stable, or have medical issues, comes in. I'm not telling you to go make fun off your peers because it will help them; I'm just saying it's a normal, expected part of growing up. Stuff like sexual harassment is totally bad, though. Don't do that lol. On a more animalistic (we are animals), it's sort of like "conform or leave the pack". Thinning out the weak so that the strong remain. That's not a happy, nice thing to say, but the world is not always a happy and nice place. People will also make fun of you for not being confident. Show them it doesn't bother you and they stop lol. Even if it DOES bother you, don't let them see that. Fake it 'till you make it, and you're secure with yourself (for whatever reason) that it genuinely doesn't bother you. I'm in no way suggesting you bottle up your emotions. Talk about it with someone you trust if you feel you need it. I'd like to use myself as an example. You wouldn't believe how many rednecks (and I'm not supposed to be stereotyping! But they did fit...) made fun of me for being gay at first. I came out when I really wasn't very sure of myself at all. When they made fun of me, it did bother me. Until I became secure with who I was. It no longer bothered me, I could joke about it, and most of the insults stopped. Or it may have been the physical threats.... I'd never do anything but my saving grace was that I'm not scrawny and probably could have taken them (if I knew how to fight :p) if I wanted. When they saw they couldn't screw with me, and more importantly that I'm not a wimp and would screw back, they backed off. Of course there were a few hard core homophobes, but they didn't do anything beyond verbal insults and they didn't really bother me. I never backed down either and always countered their insult with a far better one that usually left them dumbfounded or made them say something like "Shut up!" or "Yeah well at least I'm not gay!". I think I won those if that's the best they can do :p See? All part of growing up, thickening your skin and building confidence. Chicks dig confidence.


Wow.. that was off topic :p Maybe that will help someone reading who's going through a hard time.

I tend to think I'm pretty smart (although some of you may disagree :p ) and I don't read books lmao. In the last 12 months, I think I've read two. The last Harry Potter and A Million Little Pieces. Does that make me stupid? I like to think not. I'd just rather watch a movie than read a book. I'll concede that the movies are never as good as the books (which is why I've been meaning to pick up copies of Friend Green Tomatoes and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil to read) but they're visual, convenient, and don't take forever to finish.
 
Wow and when I read this, my first response was to print this out to tape up in the crapper at work.
 
Clint

... If that was in response to my post, my post was 110% sarcasm at how ridiculous the anti-intellectual argument was. I really only mentioned sports not because of any real implied stupidity but as a umbrella subject in that is was meant not to be taken literally but in the context of what the action implied. My argument was that there is a degree of anti-intellectualism in American society and that it starts in many cases at the younger level. I have never personally had any issues or problems with any harassment or things. I get along well with people and they don't give me problems, but thanks for that?

Scientists and professionals don't know any more than the average person. Anyone and everyone can refute people who study things for a living because nobody knows anything. Every profession everywhere is at the status medicine was when they used leeches. Mechanics once believed steam would power everything so how can I believe what the guy who changes my tires says. Weren’t these they guys who once thought there would be wood-burning cars?
My sarcasm was meant to represent the argument “aren’t these the same scientists who told us the earth was flat and that there were sea monsters? Sometimes scientists don’t know anything at all” attitude that is depressingly common. I was speaking about soil nutrient problems with this lady who gardened and how to fix it and I started talking about soil Iron availability but dismissed because “soil science is at same place now as when doctors used leeches” or similar augments with western medicine on how it does not cure anything etc. That the experts “really don’t know anything” is a disturbingly common sentiment in society and I feel it is fundamentally flawed and my belief is that it may start early in the classroom. That’s why I brought up classroom and nerd stuff because I believe it has relevance with the anti-intellectualism seen in adults.

I really did not go into that, I tried a sarcastic representation to show that there is indeed a anti-intellectual sentiment and the arguments are ridiculous. Therefore my post is completely ridiculous.

Sports don’t really play a part besides the fact that they don’t have a similar anti- sentiment because its universally accepted. Beyond that, there was no real relevance.

Clint, I am fascinated by your response but I am not exactly certain where you are coming from. That is not surprising because my own post was less than clear I suppose.
 
:-D

Am I the only one getting the joke Bruce told or just the only one loose enough here to laugh?

Finch that first response should be sent off to the Colbert report, just like something they'd have as Word of the Day, a rant on "Thinkers" . Good laughs there too!
 
Duh lol. It was not directed at you, but your post in general and the attitudes and expectations of people in general are what prompted my post. I did admittedly start rambling lmao. I realize you were being sarcastic, I just wanted to elaborate on some of your comments (not TO you) of the stereotypical stupid person. Thinks aren't so one-dimensional. You did make a sarcastic joke (and yes, I knew it was sarcastic) but it was mocking the "sheep" of society. I haven't really seen this. You can be smart and not be labeled as a dork. Football is not a mindless sport, the players are not mindless, and the people who watch it are not stupid sheep. I've really haven't seen any off this.

I don't believe there is an anti-intellectual movement. I believe that with a retard like Bush as a president, it was fostered ignorance. Not so much anti-intellectual, but rather pro-ignorance. The circular reasoning of the ignorant, and let's be honest, when I say ignorant I mean the religious right, is so prevalent. They can be book smart, and many of them are, but many of them can't seem to think for themselves. They depend on an ancient book written by people FAR more ignorant than anyone alive today in the West, and they apply it to modern times. You can not apply a book, when taken as literal fact, to modern day society. They like to think God made man. That's fine. I think he did, too! THROUGH evolution, starting with a single cell. I have no qualms about being related to an ape, but I believe they have a superiority complex. I believe this is why almost all of them refuse to believe that humans are animals. I believe this is why they want to regulate morality: because they think they know what's best for everyone else.

You can't argue with :
_______Is immoral, and you shouldn't do it!
Why?
Because it says so in the Bible.
So?
Because the Bible is the word of God.
How do you know?
Because God can not lie.
Why not?
Because it says so in the Bible.

It reminds me of the paradox "If God is capable of ANYTHING, can is create a rock so heavy that he can not lift it?"




This isn't a rant about religion. I don't care what religion people have. I care about ignorance and wanting to put disclaimers on science books. Some comic said Evolution is just a theory. Right, it is just a theory and not a proven fact. Gravity is just a theory, too. Maybe we should put disclaimers on text books to give the children an alternate to gravity? One thing I am envious of is the easy way they go about things. When you believe a book to be factual, without modern context, it's simple. You know what's good and what's not. When you think for yourself, however, you're really faced with huge moral dilemmas. And it's not so much whether something is good or bad, but whether or not the concepts of good and bad mean anything whatsoever. It's hard to believe in a god (any god at all) when, in order to have faith, you have to believe something completely ridiculous, with contradictions, a thousand interpretations who each claim to be correct, etc. I guess that's why it's faith. You just have to believe and go against everything that makes sense. It's very difficult to do that, especially with fears in the back of your mind such as "What if I'm wrong"? I can see how someone could direct those fears inward. Push them down and ignore them without reasoning through them. This could lead to zealotry by "making up" for those fears. It's hard enough to believe in something you can not sense by any means, has not been measured, observed, etc. And then questions start to pop up like "What if I don't really believe in God even if I think I do?"It's sort of like calling someone an alcoholic, then when they deny it you tell them "See? You're in denial." so then they start questioning if they really ARE an alcoholic, when they were never an alcoholic to begin with. I think it's possible to think too much, too, and dwell on issues. If you try not to dwell on them, you could then start to think you're suppressing them (when you're really not) and then you're just as screwed up as you were before lmao. It can be circular.

I dunno. Why am I rambling so much today? Maybe I'm typing more for my own benefit than the reader's, or mayb... oops there I go rambling again.
 
Bush / Fox News America, A real Canticle for Leibowitz! :-D
 
Ah, I see.

I agree with you on football. The tactics are very complex and even if it was explained to me (It has been) I am not certain I would be able to grasp some of it.

I believe anti-intellectualism exists because it is necessary to attack evolution and geology scientific establishment that is promoting the blasphemous theories. They must be diminished to boost the other's argument. Thinking in regards to evolution, the scientific community is attacked for inhibiting free speech in the classroom and for weakening religion. Public representatives who have a science / academic background who run for public office have their academic and scientific backgrounds attacked and criticized simply because they are intellectuals. If that is not anti-intellectual I don’t know what is.
 
  • #10
"Raise your hands if anyone of you doesn't believe in evolution."

-Republican debates
 
  • #11
Today I took the final step. I joined the Republican Party.

You forgot the last line that says "

... and now I never have to think again.

George W. Bush
 
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