I found Elite: Dangerous incredibly cool. How many chances will we get to explore some version of our solar system? I know the game feels empty, but I found it relaxing for the same reason truck simulator is relaxing, just cruising and enjoying the scenery

Thank you for reminding me to call me out on my own bullshit :D

I suppose we will have to agree to disagree on that one. If you aren't concerned about the information that others collect on you and you don't care to imagine how it could be used against you then I'll stop there

That's true, but I'm also cynical. Policy makers only have to serve up a phantom to instill fear into the general public and then they can drum up support for policies that appear to serve the public interest; for the sake of "protecting" the public.

To me such language signals that the author's purpose is not to enlighten or dispell ignorance, but to get the upper hand, be the one who is "right" and the opponent is made "wrong." It's not only a lazy way of thinking, but it prevents anyone from actually learning anything. Instead we just get to be self-righteous for being "smart."

Any time I see an article that attempts to bash, slam, destroy, demolish, etc, etc. I cannot take it seriously because the author has convinced me from the start they are not interested in inspiring honest dialogue about a social issue. They just want to draw you into their own limited, biased way of thinking.

It's really a nasty habit too. It precludes any kind of reasonable, honest discussion. Criticism is too often conflated with insult.

I've experienced LSD a few times and Mushrooms once. They are subtly different but I like to lean into the difficulty of the experience (when or if it starts to go that way). I feel like I'm being taught something important and doing so has been beneficial. To me it feels like a death and rebirth experience. I'm not foolish enough to think it's the answer to my problems, but boy does it ever shine a light on things! For me, they bring me back to being a kid, experiencing everything with wonder and curiosity. It's a breath of fresh air because I spent my young adult life trying to "grow up" by trying to fit into everyone else's expectation if what adult means. It made me realize I am individual as well as connected to the human race and I should enjoy and embrace that.

You know I've not been diagnosed but I relate to practically every post in this community and now it makes me wonder. No insurance to see a professional about it though.

It does depend on the state you live in and the industry you work in. This is just my opinion, but I get the sense that a rather significant proportion of the US population regards any kind of assistance as synonymous with admitting defeat. It's not just unions, but for any kind of welfare too, people think they are leeches if they have to ask for help. But it's what our tax money is for; we pay a certain percentage of our income to support the unemployed and medically needy. We also have food programs and shelter to provide to the poor and homeless. Many of these programs don't get enough funding to provide enough for those in need because their use is stigmatized and importance minimized in our culture. The propaganda about the American dream is at least in part responsible, I think. When people speak against welfare programs you hear a lot of selfish talk, such as, "I work hard, why would I pay more taxes so that someone else can sit on their ass all day?" Or sometimes these heated discussions have a racist overtone; that immigrants will come and sponge off our welfare programs if we expand them. Whether that is true or not is irrelevant to me. Compassion for fellow citizens is the point for me and it's why I would support any assistance programs no matter the risk of whether bad actors will try to take advantage, that's the government's responsibility to provide a tidy set of policies so that help falls into the hands of those truly in need.

Sorry for the digression but I see the attitudes about welfare as linked to that about unions. Many citizens don't believe that unions would have their best interests in mind (as with government on welfare programs) and that to pay dues would be simply to line the pockets of the union reps at the top for little to no benefit. Some people also buy into the notion that they can rather earn the trust and loyalty of their employer by working hard and that working hard is a virtue in and of itself. If they mean working hard to achieve a personal goal, then I do see the virtue of that point of view, but otherwise, I disagree, work is simply a means of making an income to support life in society.

The donuts aren't even that good, any local "mom 'n' pop" shop beats them by a country mile.

Starting this day (and week) with a new diet full of fresh produce and lean proteins. Doing a trial run to see what sticks. Trying to improve relationship with food. I feel satisfied with breakfast, so it's off to a positive start.

I made a reddit account 7 years ago and used rif most of that time. It was the only thing keeping me on reddit because I was never satisfied with the official app. With rif gone, reddit will only be used as a means of finding answers to questions I search Google with. I hope that I won't have to depend on reddit for long in that regard either.