Write anything but write about yourself.
Dancing David,
To the posts that were removed by the cleaning crew, yrreg does not seem so much a troll as someone who seems to suffer like with an unhealthy obsession. I don't really think the 'Buddhism' threads are about Buddhism at all, but something deeper and in common with the 'moderator' threads. There are occasions it seems we approach understanding the deeper issue, and other times not. The drift to the 'moderator' issue seems to be part of the same suffering. I could be wrong though, maybe this is yrreg's idea of a good time. For good or ill, I sense that the mods have had enough of this particular perseveration.
That is what I am thinking about every time I indulge in forum postings, why do I do critical examination of Buddhism and also dwell on my bannings or other unpleasant experiences in forums I had been to from the beginning of my forum life.
Just one aside, dear Kopji, the way I see it the forum culture is undergoing a change for the better, better from my part as a judge -- who appointed me judge? I, myself, and me, because the "I" is a judge in and of and to anything and everything that presents itself to his presence, for example, a forum that is inviting membership with the welcome mat of general patronage like a movie classified thus.
Forum culture is improving because they are now more into temporary banning than eternal banning. This means that a new consciousness and value system is taking over owners, administrators, and moderators; just as it took mankind millennia to come to the realization that death is not the way of civilization in retributive justice, but rehabilitation and prevention.*
Now, I was saying that and even at this very moment as I write this post that I am asking myself why do I do critical examination of Buddhism and also reflect on my unpleasant incidents in net forums.
The first is because now I realize it is so amusing. Think of something you do that is so amusing that you can't stop doing it even though you feel some qualms of conscience about doing it but you can dismiss them for being possessed of liberty and independence in how you use your time and space and resources. James Randi is one guy who is into skepticism for a great time and makes good money from it, and I wished I could be like him in doing critical examination of Buddhism, making good money also.
But tell me, Kopji, as an adviser, should I stop doing critical examination of Buddhism, and at most take up another world-view to do critical examination of? Is doing critical examination of Buddhism instead of another world-view or not doing any critical examination of anything at all, is that what I should be doing or not doing with my free time and resources of space and interest? Otherwise I am not being what? possessed of a sound personality or mental health?
About the second, dwelling on my unpleasant episodes in net forums. I should not be doing that because society does not look kindly on people who do bring up their unpleasant passages in life. What is that verity? "Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone"? Because veryone is supposed to not trouble others with their disagreeable trips, but must put up a stoic front, like the Buddhist who is supposed to be imperturbable until the apprentice is the one to throw hot tea into his face instead of the other way around.
Think how much mankind has gained from whiners who do whine and do something about the object of their whining. Think Buddha(?), think Martin Luther King, think Mandela, think Moses, think Gandhi, think, yes, the unmentionable here, Jesus Christ, think the founding fathers of America, think the founders of modern Israel for the Jews; and if you are an immigrant or from immigrant parents to the US, they were whiners.
I know of people or at least one who whines about hate speech or extremely cruel content from yours truly, and he seems to be achieving some purpose of reward to himself.
So, the anonymity of the net forum is just the place for yours truly to dwell on self-commiseration as a luxury. That is the honest truth of the matter. However, I do exert some moderation in this luxury, just like every luxury in life, and there are few for people unlike Bill Gates with all his billions of dollars who much later in life realized that he could do some good for mankind by investing his cash in spreading computer technology and knowledge freely, aside of course from ensuring that he always comes out with more cash in his own computer enterprise.
Now, take this very important tip from my high school teacher of writing, what to write about? Write about yourself, your hopes, your fears, your pains, your joys, your pleasures, you hates, your likes, etc. And woe is the man who has nothing or dare not write about himself, but must always like a CD or DVD player repeat the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of others -- like many a Buddhist who can't say anything except to quote their Buddhist mentors, starting from the legendary Gautama who never wrote a word himself about himself but others some four hundred years later or more made up so many myths about the man if he did exist at all.
That is an example above of writing about myself, my feeling, etc.
Thanks, Kopji, for your interest in my inner psychology; there is a lot of truth or fact in it. Suffering, isn't that what Buddhism is all about and how to liberate oneself from it. In my case I would rather keep it provided it is still manageable by myself. No, thank you but no thanks to any world-view whereby suffering is the only light at the end of the tunnel. The philosophy of life for me is that there is more to life, of pleasure, delight, and joy than there is of suffering, and no one who has a good head set on perfect balance upon his shoulders should make suffering as Buddhists pretend to do or alas really do so, make suffering the begin all and end all of life and existence.
I like to continue our dialog about your friend's fear that your disbelief or what I call for myself your postgraduation from your lifelong faith is a threat to his faith, if you will permit; and also your new found trove in art as a solution or compensation to your postgraduation from your lifelong faith, again if you will permit -- all of course in the context of whether Buddhism can be some nostrum to yourself as to your friend's kind of predicament if I may use the term.
Sorry for the long post, that is what I do best in my leisure hours, talking about myself and things I love to do for amusement.
Yrreg
*What about vindictive justice? Just keep the convict in detention but still useful to himself and to society by being an exemplar to others to not commit acts whereby they would also be detained even for life. And what do convicts do in prison? Teach them arts and the letters or some useful crafts whereby they can entertain themselves and among themselves, and also allow visits from family and friends. They can also join net forums, no prohibition there, yes? I had a thread in a now defunct but very good forum in the About.com website, where I talked about asking for residency in a prison so that I could continue to live and enjoy a life of thoughts and letters, i.e., writing for the web about, yes, myself.
[Smile here.]
