Hello everyone,
I will be travelling from Sapporo to Tokyo this month, June 2023. I have 10 days to get from Sapporo to Tokyo and questions with which I would need advice are:

1. Which cities/places do you think I should visit?
2. How long to stay in respective stops?
3. What to do there?
4. (Optional) Food recommendations.

I generally like to spend time in nature, do not have to see too much of the fast life in Japan. I am definitely interested in their culture, so getting to know that by travelling is welcome.
Any tips and tricks?
Thanks a lot for any comments.
Juraj

TWBS Previous Next
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--- Hr3101m973S’s perspective---
---Tuesday, 31st of October, 2682 Terran Calendar---
---Southwestern Scotland---
I ride the speeder at an altitude of 307m over the rural landscape.
I have 158 other bodies making similar deliveries across Britain right now, as well as 29 in Ireland and 11 in Doggerland. Though, none of them have quite as spectacular a view as this one does so, for the moment, this is the body whose sensory feed I’m paying the most attention to.
I see a large herd of mammoths walking at the edge of the Galloway Forest.
Though it has a better view, the news I’m carrying with this body is just as grim as all the rest.
In hindsight, it’s probably a good thing that I was such a spendthrift with regard to my fleet of courier bodies… If I hadn’t been, if I’d selected abilities that let them do much more than deliver things, they may well have been requisitioned for military use… which, I suppose, they were anyway… but there’s a big difference between delivering notices on Earth and fighting on some distant planet!
Still, if sacrificing my replaceable bodies would save even a single irreplaceable life, I would definitely have done it.
The city comes into view.
Calling it a ‘city’ may be a little generous… it only has 2,507,963 inhabitants.
That may have been a respectable city in the 22nd Century but, for context, nearby Dumfries has 7,491,509 and Glasgow has 24,339,192!
Stranraer occupies a rare middleground between the historic hamlets that are allowed to exist in the countryside and the megalopoleis where around 98.32% of people on Earth live.
I land in the northern part of the town and step off my speeder.
I get some raised eyebrows as I walk from the landing pad to the residential home.
I don’t blame them!
Before the War, every single one of my courier bodies had a full suit of elastomer over their entire body, to make them seem more lifelike… Now, though, that’s considered a luxury and, so, this particular unit is walking around with its metal endoskeleton bare, bar its uniform.
The effect can be a little offputting… though, in truth, it may also have to do with the news they’ve inferred me to be delivering to some unlucky soul.
I cross the wall into the garden and begin walking up the steps, through the mosslawn shrouded by pinus sylvestris trees, to the house on top of the little hillock.
It takes me 12 seconds to reach the door from the gate… I can’t rush, I need to give this girl her due respect.
I rap on the door 3 times and hear the knocks echo through the cavernous hall behind.
A man opens the door.
I begin, speaking in the most popular local dialect of Lallans Scots that I know to be this man’s primary speech register “Greetings, Mr Baird. I don’t know if you remember me but…”
“I remember you! I’m organic, not daft! You’ve been here enough times already…” interrupts the residential care manager, his demeanour gruff and no-nonsense “…Come in, Hermes… You can wait in the kitchen while I go get her.”
I step into the building, passing below the lowest of 5 balcony walkways into an open space with a skylight ceiling, allowing in the natural light.
I let the man lead the way to a large kitchen.
He pulls out a chair for me.
“Thank you, Sir, but I believe I ought to remain standing to make this delivery.” I respond, politely.
“Suit yourself…” he shrugs before walking off, presumably to fetch the girl he knows I’m here for.
I wait several minutes before he reappears.
The girl he has in tow is the perfect match of the file photo (though a few years older). She is average height, 178cm, and has an average build. Her skin is pale, her eyes are emerald green and her hair is long, absurdly voluminous, curly and vividly red.
She looks to be in fine physical health and is making no pretence of illness or injury, though she is scowling at me.
The grey bearded man shuts the door, leaving me alone with the girl.
“Could you tell me your name, please?” I ask, already knowing.
“Esme Reid.” she answers, truculently.
“And your date of birth, Ms Reid?”
“31st of October, 2664. Come to give me a birthday present, have you(?)” she says, folding her arms, pursing her lips and looking away to the kitchen counter by the window.
“Thank you…” I say, reaching into my bag to withdraw a letter and a large holopad with a stylus attached.
I hold the letter out to her and say “This is your conscription notice, Ms Reid. Please sign receipt of it here.” indicating the holo.
Her eyes flick from the paper to the screen before she drily answers “I don’t suppose, if I don’t take that or don’t sign for it, that’d mean I couldn’t be drafted, would it(?!)”
I shake my head and respond “I’m afraid that no such loophole exists, Ms Reid… If you have a conscientious objection to fighting, you could request a nonmilitary national service. However, you would be asked to provide some proof of your conscientiousness and…”
“I’m no bleeding heart…” she says, snatching the letter from my hand, irritably “…I’ll sign for my bloody death warrant!” scrawling her name on the pad.
Without looking at the pad, I check the signature she provided against the one on file and find it a close enough match to proceed.
“Thank you, Ms Reid. Please report to your local recruitment office in Stranraer within 14 days for your physical and psychological fitness assessments. They’ll then interview you regarding your preferences for training and deployment and they’ll try to take those into account when assigning them.
“Great(!) Maybe if I can convince my evaluator that I’m cracked enough in the head, I won’t get sent off to die like my mam and dad did(!)” she quips, sarcastically.
“I don’t think you’ll have much luck with that strategy, Ms Reid… Sol’s government have had quite the interest in weeding out malingerers these past few years… I would put the odds of success below 1%.” 0.75619902%, actually, but that’s too many decimals for most biologicals’ patience(!)
She frowns up at me and demands “I’m being such a brat about this… Why are you still being so friendly!?”
I laugh “Ms Reid, though I strongly encourage you not to express the same demeanour to your drill instructors as you are with me, you are far from the worst person I’ve delivered this news to in even the last half hour!… Right now, I’ve got a draftee in Leeds who’s explaining a hairbrained scheme involving unethically cloning a replacement to fight in his stead, I’ve got one in Bristol who’s trying to beat up my body but only really succeeding in hurting herself, I’ve got one in Edinburgh that’s run away in an attempt not to be served… by comparison, a bit of scowling and sarcasm is rather tame!”
“Huh!… Guess I’m not quite the bad girl Ms. Larch always told me I was, am I(!)”
“It seems you shall simply have to work harder(!) I believe there is a leather jacket emporium in Stranraer that still does business…”
She smiles and laughs for the first time that I’ve seen.
That’s the real reason I don’t get touchy about the attitudes expressed to me by draftees: It makes my job so much easier when I soften the blow with good manners and good humour.
As unfair as it is that so many choose to shoot the messenger, it’s understandable when you consider the messages I carry.
“Ms Reid…” I start, seriously but softly “…if you truly do not wish to fight, you know there are alternatives? You can discuss them with your recruitment officer but…”
“I got no special skills, Hermes… Nothing I can do that an AI couldn’t do faster and better… The Merchant Navy’s basically as dangerous as the Navy Navy, just less armed… the Humanitarian corps has a waiting list so long that the War’d be over (one way or another) long before they got to the point of considering me… I know where I’m going… no use in fighting it…”
“Alright, Ms Reid… I wish you the best…” I say, turning to leave.
Mr Baird shows me out of the house.
Rather than walking back to the landingpad, to retrieve my bike, I walk the other way.
My bag is still heavy with conscription notices… it only makes sense to deliver all the ones in this town first…
---Oskar’s Perspective---
---Southern Doggerland---
The evening sun plays off of the calm waves of the North Sea.
It should be raining on a day like this…
This gorgeous weather is slapping me in the face and telling me to be happy, to be content…
I know the weather does not care for the happenings of people… I know that, if it rained everywhere and every day there was a funeral, the whole world would flood… I know this… and still… I hate this contrast between my grim, internal misery and the tranquil sun drenched beach where I stand, this autumn day… There’s barely even any snow on the grass…
When this War started, I was fourteen and had two loving parents…
My Father was too old to serve, at 51…
At 37, my mother was not…
Yet, it’s not my mother’s funeral I am attending right now. That was two months ago.
No… the strongly built 55 year old man, dressed in a long white robe and clutching a Norse langsverð, despite having been a fishfarmer and not a warrior, is my father… Lars ‘Walker’ Taylor.
His eyes are closed and he lies within a wooden boat, around 80cm wide and 3m long.
This boat was never meant to touch the water… I bought it from a supplier in Bankland that specialises in funerary boats for Doggerland’s Forn Siðr community.
I already recited a poem… there’s nothing else for me to do until the singer begins.
I’m not listening to the Goði prattle on about Valhalla and Ragnarök… I’m just looking at my father’s face… oscillating between hating him for doing this to me and hating myself for doing this to him.
The sermon concludes and a blonde woman, like everyone else present, dressed in snow white funeral clothes, steps forward.
One of the three men behind her brings his bow to the three strings of his tagelharpa, another raises a flute carved out of a cow’s leg bone to his lips, the last begins banging out a slow beat on his drum.
The band would definitely be larger if so many of the Hof’s musicians hadn’t been called up to serve.
The men begin playing a mournful tune and the woman begins a wailing, melismatic melody, not in English, the first language of most here, not in my father’s native Frisian, not even in New Norse, the liturgical language of his faith…
She sings in a strain of Norwegian that was spoken centuries ago, when there were barely any Forn Siðr practitioners living.
mf♫ Eg songane søkte
Eg songane sende
Då den djupaste brunni
Gav meg dråpar så ramme
Av Valfaders pant♫mf
I have a final part to play in this ritual.
The Goði picks up the torch and lights it against a flaming brazier before beckoning to me.
I step forward from the small crowd.
In contrast to most, whose clothes are pristine white robes and tunics and such, I wear the same simple white suit that I wore two months ago.
I may be a nonbeliever but no one at my father’s Hof challenged the idea that I was the most fitting person to perform this last rite for him.
I take the torch from the man and walk to my father’s side.
I hesitate before I touch it to one of the mounds of high energy, smokeless fuel that surround his body… but only for a moment…
The flame quickly takes and, before the current verse of the song is even finished, the entire boat is engulfed in fire.
I toss the torch in and step back from the conflagration.
Minutes pass as I watch the inferno consume the entire pyre.
I barely notice the music stop.
I barely notice the crowd thinning as people leave.
I just watch as the man’s existence is wiped from the Earth.
“Have you thought about what you’re going to do now, brother?” asks a voice from beside me.
Without looking at the Pagan cleric, I dully answer “I have.”
“And, what is that… if I may ask?”
“My birthday’s in January… I’ll be drafted… but I don’t have to wait… I’m going to go to the recruitment office and request an early start to my training… by the time it’s done, I’ll be 18 and they’ll be legally able to deploy me.”
“I… see… that’s certainly… an option… Have you thought about…?”
“I haven’t, Tormund. This is what I’m doing.” I state, still looking at the blaze.
“I see… I wish you well then, Oskar…” Tormund says, sincerely.
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TWBS Previous Next

24, female, white, 5'10, 190 lbs, Europe. I have pure ocd and cyclothymia, been taking Fluoxetine for about 2,5 years and saw some mid progress until I discovered I have a cyclothymia this January too and since I've started taking lamotrigine I saw a huge progress finally. Rn taking 80 mg of fluoxetine and 150 mg of lamotrigine. Every time I've started taking a higher dose of lamotrigine I've noticed how I actually feel better for about 14-20 days and then just slip into the same situation that was before( that is typical hard pure ocd, plus cyclothymia to the point I think of committing suicide and then the day later I can function or do some studying and so on, it's a cycle, I never know what it would be). I've told this to my doctor but he didn't react to it, he said that fluoxetine is good for ocd ( in my case just maybe 20% because it was a nightmare before but after I've started taking, it kinda became a little bit manageable nightmare). But idk, really starting to feel hopeless after so many years. Plus I have PCOS too ( I have period mostly on time, sometimes maybe once per 2 months in the last year), my hormones are okay, thyroid hormones are normal too, sugar levels too. I take inositol daily as a supplement, vitamin C, D, Zink, Selen, Magnesium, Omega 3. Also meditating, drinking lots of water and trying to eat healthy most of the time when I'm not in a bad episode where sometimes my binge eating can be triggered. Due to ocd and cyclothymia I guess I have some symptoms of IBS. I smoke weed sometimes too, but like once in 3 months or so. Before fluoxetine I had been taking citalopram ( 10 mg)for like myb 2 years but I was misdiagnosed at that time so it didn't help at all. So 2018- 2020 citalopram, end of 2020- now fluoxetine plus lamotrigine since early January this year.

My husband and I are just ending a 10 day trip to Norway and decided to spend our last day in a spa. I stumbled across The Well Hotel and Spa about 25 minutes outside the center of Oslo. This place was absolutely amazing! It’s coed and for the most part completely nude. You have to use their towels, robes and sandals. If you want to wear a swimsuit in common areas and pools you can but have ti buy one is theirs. In the steam rooms and all the saunas you must be completely nude, if your not the staff will make you leave the room or strip.
I can’t tell you how freeing it felt to go naked the entire time. I’m a growing, not shower and it was no big deal there. There is a men’s locker room you have to pre-show in with communal showers and a couple of semi private ones.
Once in the spa there are 15 saunas, half dozen steam rooms. Huge indoor pool, cold plunge pool, grotto pool. Outside there is another pool and outdoor showers.
Also, inside the spa there are different showers segregate by male/female. We enjoyed the mountain shower and tropical shower, but the waterfall shower room was fantastic and coed.
We did two rituals there as well. The first one was a Moroccan Scrub ritual where you first scrub yourself with salt and sit in a steam room for 10 minutes. Next step is to rinse the salt off then apply mud all over your body and go back to the steam room for 10 minutes. The Sauna Master told us it’s normally 10 people a time doing this, however for our session it was just my husband and myself. This room had coed showers as well.
The craziest thing we did was the “Friday Night Special” which took place in the hottest sauna with about 20 men and women nude together . The Sauna Master played calming music used essential oils, got the room really hot, threw ice water on everyone and fanned the heat on you. We all took a five minute break in the middle of it and headed to the cold plunge pool.
The crowd was pretty mixed as far a ages and sex. Not surprising it was the younger people who were more likely to have used a swimsuit.
Photos are from the website, obviously they don’t allow phones or cameras in.
If you make it to Norway go! It was so freeing.

Honestly I don't miss the 2000s much at all, not really nostalgic for that time period, I didn't have a horrible childhood but I just don't miss being a kid, and when I look back at the 2000s I still see mostly crappy movies and crappy music with the good thing to me being the shows which I still don't rewatch outside of Last Airbender and Naruto
But the 2010s? God I miss it so fucking much, to me the 2010s encapsulates my favorite time of day, late morning. It was like the springtime of youth, a magical time period where the most heart-rending struggles I faced, outside of losing my grandmother in the middle of the decade and grandfather later, were mostly adolescent problems like moderate social ostracization and not getting laid/laid as much as I wanted. And I hated the fact that I was a teen in 2012 to 2018 instead of 1982 to 1988 (younger zoomers may not know it but the 80s were fucking HUGE when I was a kid and teenager)
But outside things that mostly seem so small years later, it truly was a fucking magical time I wish I could have back. I remember so much music I loved at the time but barely realized it since I idolized 70s and 80s music. Got to see so many awesome movies as they were coming out. Got to see a Star Wars trilogy in theaters, got to see the absolute peak for the MCU. I remember being 16 and reading through chapter after chapter as the Naruto Manga was ending and me and my friends holding our breath to discuss what's going on after every chapter release. Remember being peeved that everyone liked Breaking Bad in 2013 which I didn't watch bc it was a "white people show" only to check it out years later and be like "Damn this shit pops".
I remember a world that seemed so much more joyous, so much more hopeful. I remember the terrible Great Recession, but also remember people in my city taking to the streets to protest the wealthy down at Wall Street. I remember watching the news with my mom in 2011 to watch while dictatorial regimes were toppled, I remember discussing how terrifying and evil ISIS was with my friends, remember when smartphones proliferated and when Obama mocked Romney for his Cold War mentality in thinking Russia was still a US enemy (ironic 10 years later). I remember listening to Thrift Shop and laughing along with my dad and my dad telling me about Weird AL Yankovich and all the funny parodies he made when my dad was young.
I remember the world before COVID-19 ever happened, playing smash bros and smoking weed with my best friends. All the dates I went on in college, my first girlfriends. The small streets packed by green plants and crappy frat houses in the springtime in my college town. Walking through the mall with my best friend around Christmas time when I was 19, doing acid and walking along a frozen lake with that same friend earlier that same year. The first kiss I ever had at the end of high school when I finally gave the cute girl that always had a crush on me the chance she deserved, and then ruining it by not taking her to prom. Back then it felt like my life was nothing but sadness, longing, loneliness, and self-hatred; but now, looking back what I remember most is the joy I felt, the hope I once had deep down, the faces of my friends that pushed away the loneliness, and the love I felt for the ones around me and was given in return. So many memories that come together spiraling in my head, bringing tears to my eyes, a world that felt so much brighter, and a self with so much more potential than what I have now, and so much more freedom as well. I truly miss those days, and I never thought I would. I truly miss the 2010s.
So I just wanna say to the younger zoomers on this sub, honestly, I'm begging you, cherish your youth, cherish every memory, cherish your friends, remember the faces of those around you, remember their hearts, remember the bonds you share, hold it to your hearts and cherish it now and forever.

30-year-old male and I've been smoking around 5 joints everyday for the last 10 years. This subreddit has been an invaluable resource so I thought it was appropriate to pay my learnings forward: 1. The withdrawals were a bastard. Insomnia, depression, anxiety, lack of motivation and appetite. The works. It might sound odd but these rough symptoms are great. Embrace them, because they serve as a reminder to stay off the green. And they will subside, day-by-day, they'll get weaker and you'll get stronger. 2. While coping with these withdrawal symptoms, just be gentle with yourself. It's not the time to worry about your diet or other concerns. When I struggled to eat, I found the simple foods were the best. Toast and butter. Liquid breakfast (in Australia we call them Up & Go). Watch comfort telly, play those video games, listen to helpful podcasts. Use media and entertainment to your advantage. 3. Substitute. Find a healthy alternative to trick your brain with the routine you were used to. For instance try replacing your herbs with herbal teas and scour the shops for different blends. Chamomile is a great choice and will help you get to sleep easier. 4. This subreddit. Every time you feel the struggles, jump back into this fantastic community and you'll find a tip or a quote that will help.
I've still got a while to go in my own journey with this addiction but these sorts of posts helped me immensely. I've been a reddit lurker for many years but had to jump in here and share my thoughts, in the off chance helps even one person struggling. I owe a lot to this incredible community and I love you all!

i should clarify that i can sometimes have trouble with saying the wrong thing which is why im asking
ive had alot of sex from mediocre to mindblowing. i hooked up with someone the other day and the sex was pretty good, we spent alot of time on foreplay but the actual piv sex was just a few minutes of missionary until he came (which is fine, i usually don't come the first time with someone new).
afterwards he was asking me if there was anything else he could do for me and i explained the above and he said 'okay just want to make sure you're satisfied'. i may have fucked up here becase as a joke i said "eh" but then immediately clarified that it was like a 7 out of 10. we talked for a while after that and went to sleep.
the next day he also made a joke about it and i asked him if he took it personally. he laughed and said 'how can i not take it personally' so i said 'come on was it a ten out of ten for you?' and he said 'i don't think either of us is gonna enjoy this conversation'. so i dropped it. we hung out for a little while and then he left and i cant tell if if crazy or if hes talking to me less now. the last date was my plan so ive been waiting for him to suggest meeting up again but he hasnt and its been a few days. i wanted to get other opinions before i started asking him about it. would you be upset if someone said this to you?

Why does my drinking Bud Light offend you?
May 30, 2023 4:39 pm • Last Updated: May 30, 2023 4:41 pm
By Mike DiMauro
Day Assistant Sports Editor
[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
News item: Anthony Bass, a pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, shared a video Monday via Instagram endorsing an anti-LGBTQ boycott of brands such as Target and Bud Light.
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"Here's the reason biblically why I believe Christians have gotta be boycotting Target, Bud Light, and any other corporation that's pushing the things they're pushing,” Bass said. “I think a lot of people make this into a political issue, or they say, 'Oh, what's the big deal?’
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“This is evil, this is demonic, we won't stand for it, we're not going to go to the stores anymore and we're not going to give you our money.”
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It would be impolite to wish that Mr. Bass, who throws a ball for a living, blows out his elbow. Perhaps then he could simply blow it out his tailpipe.
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Because I’ve grown tired of sanctimonious and hypocritical moral outrage over what Target and Bud Light are “pushing,” while it’s permissible that Bass and his ilk get to “push” their beliefs on the rest of us.
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Example: In the last two months or so, I’ve been questioned a half dozen times in public as to why I’m drinking Bud Light. Seems people like Bass have objected to Anheuser Busch’s marketing partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Their boycott of Bud Light has led to a decrease in sales both locally and nationally. (Local bar and restaurant owners say Bud Light sales are down almost 30 percent.)
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It is their right, of course, to boycott the product. I’m just curious as to why what I’m drinking is their business. I drink Bud Light because I like it. And I’m still drinking Bud Light because I will not marginalize people based on gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. I’m respectful enough to support someone else’s desire to evolve into another gender. And I’m not stupid enough to believe that my decision to drink Bud Light changes who I am or what I stand for in any possible way.
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But I wonder why it’s so important for people — and the questions to me haven’t all come from men — to announce their disdain for a bottle of beer, tacitly implying their sexuality is “normal.” Remember this one and write it down: If you are truly comfortable with who you are, you needn’t announce anything to anyone.
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And yet to further illustrate how screwed up this country really is, there’s this: Anheuser-Busch hasn’t merely been accused of alienating its traditional customer base with the partnership, but some LGBTQ+ campaigners have also criticized the company for not defending its ties with Mulvaney.
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Amid all the finger-pointing and fear-fanning, the truth hides in the corner, too scared to emerge. The truth is that we are supposed to think critically, weigh evidence from both sides and then make up our own minds. Instead, we’ve become a country hell bent on legislating whatever cause we think is right and just, while burying the other side from all consideration.
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It’s political tribalism. All or nothing. One side or the other. If you’re not in agreement with every morsel of the transgender movement, you are a snarling, hating, infidel. If you’re not in total agreement with Anthony Bass and his beliefs, you’re going to wither in hell.
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But what if — and hold on to your ascots here — two conflicting positions can still be true? Example: What if I support Bud Light’s decision to use a transgender influencer, but also believe that transgender high school athletes belong in their own division?
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I disagree with the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference’s policy complying with a state law that requires all high school students be treated according to their gender identity. We should consider a sports-centric law that acknowledges sports' unique challenges and accommodates the physical component for success that exists virtually nowhere else in society.
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Sex discrimination in education, health care, housing and financial credit have no place in this country. But we must — must — realize and accept that sports require a physical component to succeed that calls for different guidelines.
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Put it this way: Applying to a school or for health care, housing or financial credit requires no physical component to succeed. Sports require speed, strength and agility and do not fit under the same umbrella. And yet sports are routinely shoved into the same arguments about unfair treatment. Injustices get piled on for rhetorical usefulness, even though they're not applicable.
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The male born composition has inherent physical advantages, rare exceptions noted. But in the aggregate, there are physiologic differences between biological males and females. I don’t believe writing that makes me transphobic. We should respect a person’s pronoun of choice. But that doesn't mean we have to blindly agree with claims that are not supported by science.
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Yet that appears to be the new end game in this country. Blind agreement. Their side or yours. And here I sit, sipping my Bud Light, trying to figure out why so many of us act like the last three letters of Anthony Bass’ last name.
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This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro
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Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.
READER COMMENTS
Philip BroseJune 1, 2023 at 16:30Report
Robin great points the right can’t even keep track on who to be mad at. Why are they so sensitive? I here Chick-fil-a is evil now for they “ensuring equal access,” “valuing differences,” and “creating a culture of belonging,” under the title, “Committed to being Better at Together.” what monsters!
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Philip BroseJune 1, 2023 at 16:27Report
William Peter the guidance councilor?
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Joseph B De La CruzJune 1, 2023 at 15:15Report
This article pretty much sums up exactly how I feel about the situation. Bud Light basically sent someone a can with her image celebrating a milestone. The fact it turned the beer into enemy number one doesn’t surprise me considering the vitriol that has become commonplace in our country. I have had plenty of private messages regarding a video I posted supporting a beer, and more importantly a human being. Most have been vehemently against my support of both and relish the chance to send me a screen shot of Bud Lights stock on a daily basis with a “Go woke, Go broke” ending. I believe much of the vitriol comes from news and talk radio which is why Spotify now fills my vehicle with music instead of talk. I ask everyone to limit their news intake to 30 minutes per day regardless of your party affiliation to center your life. Sometimes my radio will land on a “news station”, and I can feel my blood pressure rise as the most divisive topic of the day is being discussed with a majority of the facts not being considered. I am not recommending folks to ignore what’s happening in our world, but would point out that our country has survived many decades without the need for “up to the second” news reports. Most of the things we worry about will never happen and it seems our country is living in a constant state of fear which is certainly to blame for the vitriol. There will never be a point where everyone in the country will collectively say we are all happy with everything, but I still have a deep believe that with constructive conversations and true empathy we can get us close. When I get my boat in the water I would love to have an ice cold Bud Light while listening to my relaxing boat playlist, and of course talking with my favorite sports writer. That’s an invitation Mike. Great article.
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Robin DaudaJune 1, 2023 at 13:41Report
“Bud Light sales are down between 26% and 35% nationwide additionally Budweiser and other AB brands (Michelob Ultra, Busch Light and Natural Light to name a few) have also taken a hit of around 11%.”
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All the more reason to explain what set this off. Completely unhinged.
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“My take, buy Coors stock now”
And that statement reinforces my point since Coors has been a decades long supporter of LGBT rights probably the biggest supporter (it all began with a workegay alliance boycott ironically… or not)
“Coors Light has been a sponsor of The Center and Denver PrideFest for decades,” says Rex Fuller, CEO of The Center on Colfax. “The work we have been able to do at The Center over the last four decades would not be possible without this support and we are grateful for it.”
Beyond supporting Denver PrideFest, Molson Coors has a distinguished history of supporting LGBTQ communities across the country, with significant support for organizations such as Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Matthew Shepard Foundation, National Amateur Gay Athletics Association of America, National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, LGBT Victory Institute, Out & Equal, and One Colorado.
In addition to these partners, Molson Coors works with local LGBTQ organizations in key communities through its Tap Into Change program. Annually, the summer program donates more than $100,000 to these organizations with a consistent growth in impact each year. Events take place in each city to help raise additional funds, awareness, and support for the missions of these local organizations. Over the past 10 years, Tap Into Change has raised nearly $600,000 for local LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS nonprofits.
https://denverpride.org/coors-light-supports-the-lgbtq-community/
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This is even though like 2006, 2010 and 2014 they had to go through boycotts for this. And they did shrink back in response, but also came right back and didn’t move backwards for long.
​
And what will I do?
Continue drinking Corona because I drink what I drink.
It’s damn near impossible to do a successful boycott long term. The web of corporate connections means when you think you’re hurting one, it’s actually benefitting another one connected to it.
The beverage brand that owns Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois, is suing US beer-maker Constellation Brands for using the Corona brand name in a hard seltzer, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.
​
Beverage giant Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) acquired Corona’s parent company, Grupo Modelo, in 2013, but US antitrust regulators required it to sell the company’s US-based business to Constellation. AB InBev retained rights to the products in other markets, and the deal gave Constellation the rights to produce Corona and other Modelo brands in the US.
​
William PeterJune 1, 2023 at 13:36Report
The virtue signalers didn’t like my harmless comment. I guess being offended by an opposing view is reason enough to silence someone in 2023
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Richard GoldenJune 1, 2023 at 12:57Report
Robin- not certain this article nor all the comments will move the needle. Bud Light sales are down between 26% and 35% nationwide additionally Budweiser and other AB brands (Michelob Ultra, Busch Light and Natural Light to name a few) have also taken a hit of around 11%. Bud Light has been the best selling beer in the USA for over 20 years and the normal volume of sales is 27 million barrels a year or 1134 million gallons. A 30% drop equals a loss of 340 million gallons a year. My take, buy Coors stock now
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Chris JawakaJune 1, 2023 at 10:12Report
People are allowed to drink or not drink whatever beer they want and for whatever reason they choose. End of story.
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Robin DaudaJune 1, 2023 at 09:05Report
Do people realize that Bud Light sent a pack of specially made cans with the person’s face on it and did a minute long or so bit released on like TicTok? It wasn’t some big nationwide PR campaign yet it rubbed someone the wrong way (or so they would like us to think) and it snowballed into this.
​
I don’t ever want to hear about people calling “the libs” snowflakes or use their center liberal stances as a weakness. These champions of “conservatives” are gullible whiny babies.
​
I watched in real time a bunch of idiots blow something up out of nothing and then saw them flocking to the internet people with their influencer pages and podcasts and publications where immediately they were being hawked “anti-woke” beer and all these other wares, often made by the same places they are boycotting for double the price.
There is a whole market opening up to people that will only get their businesses off the ground (temporarily for a quick cash grab) by using these outrage tactics and capitalizing (literally) on impaired brains that as Mr. DiMauro correctly observed “Blind agreement. Their side or yours”
Bless your little void of empathy and common sense hearts. Don’t spend all your money in one place now, spread the wealth to these people selling you overpriced junk.
​
Paul LevasseurJune 1, 2023 at 07:47Report
Mike is discussing one of this election cycles right wing culture war hot spots.
If you can’t get elected because of your governing skills you’re going to have to try to get elected by getting people angry and hateful. The right wing loves doing that. It’s their bread and butter.
​
TOM DONNEEJune 1, 2023 at 06:46Report
Preaching hate and preaching tolerance ARE NOT the same Evan
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DANIEL STORMSJune 1, 2023 at 05:56Report
I always liked this formulation: “In the first place, what makes it any of you business? And in the second place, my reasons for saying yea to [whatever it is that offends you] are at least as valid (and maybe more so) than yours for nay. And in the third place, what makes it any of your sodding business in the first place?” I agree wholeheartedly with your plea for reason and tolerance. Not to seem argumentative but rather to add information to the discussion, though, you might be interested in this blog post from a biologist about the supposed physiologic advantages a trans man or woman has over a cis athelete: https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2023/05/31/we-hunted-the-rabbit/
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Evan AndriopolousJune 1, 2023 at 03:10Report
For me… Bud Light as a “beer” sucks. I would rather support local breweries that provide far better beers. As far as this column… as far as AB selecting this influencer in their campaign I have no opinion on it or that person. Up to each to decide for themselves.
​
Regarding this column actually Mike what you are writing is basically the same as the boycott and the changes in attitudes (political divide) of the country. Often used by politicians on BOTH sides of the aisle screaming to be open, defending one´s right to choose, freedom of speech etc.. and this is the most important part..”unless it does not validate their opinion or view”. This is exactly what you are writing. So if someone elects to boycott something and we know the WOKE police and Leftists enjoy not only condemning opposing viewpoints to the point of boycotting, attacking employers for the “views” of their employees etc… and demanding they be removed from the position their are in. So if someone boycotts something let them… I would ask you… why does it offend you that others are using their constitutional right by boycotting (freedom of speech). I always respect other´s opinions and even when we do not agree. Sadly we live in a world where people are afraid to speak up due to the potential ramifications. None of us will always agree and I know the powers to be are trying to “force” us to all be uniform in our opinions which is sad. And btw Bud Light is terrible anyway… How about you focus on sports.
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Benoit BenoitMay 31, 2023 at 20:12Report
Ironic you drink because you like it but will continue to drink it because “ I will not marginalize people based on gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.” Not just because you like it.
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William PeterMay 31, 2023 at 17:46Report
This comment has been removed for violating The Day’s commenting policy.
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JAY DEMPSEYMay 31, 2023 at 16:53Report
TY Mike….. I drink Bud Light most all the time unless in Ireland…and support Levine Distributors in our area and my friends that work there. I think the cancel culture is terrible whatever your political party of choice is. Very sad that social media has done this to us. I have good friends that I can no longer talk politics with because of the “great divide” that enriches social media giants.
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ROBERT WARNERMay 31, 2023 at 16:45Report
I suppose a similar question could be asked, “Why does a person wearing a MAGA hat bother some people?”
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David NowakowskiMay 31, 2023 at 14:30Report
great column, Mike. I’d like to think there are far more folks who see this subject and all its nuances the way you do…but you are probably right again in saying that it is tough to go against your chosen tribe on any component, regardless of how you might actually feel. thanks again!
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Andrew RogersonMay 31, 2023 at 13:33Report
Mike DiMauro – well said sir, on all counts.
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Lynn YoungMay 31, 2023 at 13:28Report
Drink what you like. Be who you are. Live and let live.
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Richard GoldenMay 31, 2023 at 12:36Report
Light Beer is like Sex on the Beach….****ing near water.
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Paul NUNESMay 31, 2023 at 11:44Report
Does anyone remember the first light beer and the commercial featuring a slice of bread?
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THOMAS MORIARTYMay 31, 2023 at 11:05Report
Richard, must have been some other brand light. Bud Light? It was probably 10 years ago. But he could have been messing with me.
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Richard GoldenMay 31, 2023 at 10:17Report
Malcolm- The moral of the story is; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
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Richard GoldenMay 31, 2023 at 10:16Report
Thomas- as far as I knew and as far as I can tell Guinness is the most popular beer in Ireland holding a full 25% of the market share. Bud Light does not even show up in the top ten (https://www.beer100.com/best-selling-beers-ireland/) I think the guy was pulling your leg. Bud Light only became available in Ireland in 2020.
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Malcolm JulesMay 31, 2023 at 09:32Report
A corporation decided to target one of their products to a specific community and failed….end of story.
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Margaret KliseMay 31, 2023 at 09:12Report
Agree/agree. Good article, Mike.
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SUSAN HOTCHKISSMay 31, 2023 at 09:06Report
I always enjoy Mike’s opinion pieces. In total agreement about the transgender athlete issue.
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THOMAS MORIARTYMay 31, 2023 at 09:00Report
Tom, hope all is well with your daughter.
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THOMAS MORIARTYMay 31, 2023 at 08:57Report
A Bud Light story: Several years ago while in Ireland my son and I toured the Guinness brewery. Of course there’s a pub on the top floor and while getting a pint of Guinness the bar I notice several taps Bud Light. I asked the bartender “why in God’s name are you serving THAT stuff in here?” He replied that it’s the best selling beer in Ireland. Go figue!
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THOMAS MORIARTYMay 31, 2023 at 08:51Report
Good column Mike. These anti “woke” zealots claim to support democracy but would be no different from the Taliban if they had their way.
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Richard GoldenMay 31, 2023 at 08:42Report
All this talk of beer makes me thirsty…but I have found that drinking beer has become an unwelcome undertaking. No beer allowed at the beach, nor while night fishing in Waterford, nor surf fishing at Avery Point, nor at any state boat launch, nor is state parks- try walking down the street with a cold one….
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Chris JawakaMay 31, 2023 at 08:08Report
IMO The left loves their cancel culture but gets all grumpy when the right does the same. Hey it can go both ways. That said I really don’t care about the Bud thing. Its not like they sold beer with its face on it.
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Matther TookerMay 31, 2023 at 07:35Report
Thoughtful piece as always Mike. Perhaps the best offset for the 30% decrease in Bud Light sales would be a 30% increase in church attendance. I am betting that won’t happen. (Matt Tooker)
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KEITH J. ROBBINSMay 31, 2023 at 06:11Report
You drinking Bud-Lite does not offend me, although it is a horrible beer. What is my concern is a guy using the ladies room that my nieces use!
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TOM DONNEEMay 31, 2023 at 05:55Report
Agree Phil. Well done Mike!! Waiting for my daughter to come out of surgery. Then we’ll stop for a cold one, think I’ll make it a Bud Lite!!!
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Philip BroseMay 30, 2023 at 16:59Report
Mr. DiMauro is always thoughtful and intelligent. The best writer at the day. Give the guy a raise.

Hey fellow Bangaloreans,
Monsoon is upon us so I am looking for a very accurate rain forecasting app which is very accurate not just for whole of Bangalore but for my particular area of residence (Near Orion Mall, RajajiNagar)
I have bought subscription for AccuWeather but it has been mostly hit and miss.
Can you please suggest which weather forecast app has been the most accurate for you? TIA

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Ramifications of Plato's Cave

I think people have talked a lot about the nature of Plato's Cave and not enough about the ramifications of Plato's Cave.
If we are all stuck in a subjective view of the world, and we become illusioned by ourselves, and we rarely ever want to throw away this illusion (ie pursue enlightenment), what does that say about us?
We don't merely think in terms of narratives. We like narratives. We prefer the cave. We live our lives as though it were a narrative. We probably couldn't even stop this if we wanted to, to a certain extent.
What does it mean when we absorb this? What are we doing for ourselves at the point in time when we start thinking about these topics?
In short, we're unhappy with the narrative. It's literally like waking up from a nightmare. We're scared or upset about the nature of reality, so our goal is to recraft a new narrative that will put us back to sleep. That's the concept of "peace". That's the concept of "non-disturbance", which is something we've been chasing ever since we were born and wished to return to the womb, which was a period of forever sleep and forever peace.
All of the learning in the world starts with wanting to understand the world's parameters, so we can more effectively craft dreams for ourselves, so we can live out the narrative that will make us happy.
Neo in the Matrix is the "hacker" who wants to know deeply about the universe because he is someone who wants to craft the greatest dream of all, for himself and for his love (Trinity). Neo ends up sacrificing himself to save his love, which means he "dies" and so does the ever-present evidence of the Matrix existing (Agent Smith everywhere). This is again proof that he prefers the dream, although he also believes that he will one day overcome all of the ancient, deprecated "code" (memes, genes, traditions, culture, etc) inherent in human individuals and in human society.
This is representative of the mythology around christ consciousness. It is about sacrificing one's self for future reward, which comes in the form of a richer, more pleasurable, and more real story. Perhaps one in which we are all happier, healthier, and more prosperous. This is the summary of the entire mythos around Neo, Jesus, and many other individuals.
I think one of the main reasons old psychedelic aficionados will say "you didn't take enough" if you have a bad trip is that one of the main goals of trips is to remember why you went. Not just "what information are you trying to extract" from this trip, with altered consciousness, but why do you need this info? What are you really doing with your life?

Traumatic rituals

Another implication from this...
What is the purpose of traumatic rituals, perhaps some we might call satanic?
If we induce fear in someone, we can get them to keep waking up (not just in terms of sleep, but in terms of consciousness), and when they do that, they have a chance to advance themselves. It's totally abused though, and they aren't trying to create enlightened individuals so much as highly trained tools who can do things that ordinary sleepwalkers couldn't.

Sex Magick

This is related to operant conditioning. basically, the reward centers are so activated from sexual activity (or even masturbation) that it helps get you to agree and purify yourself before an idea.
Sexual activity puts you in a very suggestible and controllable state. If someone else is providing you with the sex and ideas at the same time, they can control you with this process. That being said, you can use sex to actually meditate and change your own mind as well, but this would not be broadly taught due to the inherent risk in doing so (only works as well as the individual makes good choices during it).
As I will get into later, the idea that thoughts and ideas are like lives, so the "lives" which learn to desire and crave sexuality find themselves to have complete and utter control over your body at times. The only way to cure such an addiction is to go around and exterminate these lives. It's not just about deciding to do it, nor is it about living in the vain belief you even do decide on a moment to moment basis what you do. You actually have to consciously do work to kill those devils. Also for this reason, sex magick is not widely taught.

Curiosity

There is this concept of simply "noticing the birds". Jesus was even quoted saying something along the lines of "make sure to smell the flowers".
Why though? We usually decipher this as just "enjoy your life" and don't think more about it. I have an alternative explanation.
Acts such as this are what keep you awake. They retain your consciousness. By continuing to be curious, your mind stays alive. And furthermore, it is the healthier alternative compared fear, which I said would keep you awake in a more nightmare-like state.

Waking up

As I said, we are all living out narratives. The question is, who is the narrator and the story planner? In a healthy, conscious adult, you are your own god. You are your own narrator and story planner. What does the entertainment/education/media complex attempt to do? It wishes to subvert your narrator and story planning, so that it is now in control, and you are merely observing something outside of yourself. This is mind control. Now, consciousness is always observing something, since it has a rather passive role in cognition, but the point is that it's no longer observing internal processes so much as an external "man behind the curtain", representative of all of entertainment/education/media available today. We do have a name for this complex. We call it "The Cathedral".
While it's certainly true that entertaining content has a market value, it's absolutely crucial for you to understand that The Cathedral is not an organic institution made up of profit seekers. The Cathedral is an ideological organization that is not concerned with making money. Why? The Cathedral is ran by the people who already own half the world. They run finance. They are the bankers. The purpose of the Cathedral is not to make profit, but to ensure their primary modes of business continue to profit them. It is disinformation. Yes, there are subcontractors who seek profit in the Cathedral complex, but these are not the people who run the system.
There are a ton of avenues for exploring this. We could talk about how old oil money was the primary means by which radio as a medium was researched in the early 1900s (The Radio Project, funded by Rockefellers). We could talk about how identity politics scarcely existed just 10-15 years ago, and when the Occupy Wall Street movement started gaining momentum, suddenly identity politics existed as a distraction from anything those nasty Wall St executives and their lackeys were doing. People seem to get angry because they think Disney is attempting to create a profit from selling the new Mermaid to a wider range of audiences than before, but they should be even more angry if they realize Disney ultimately doesn't care about making money from Mermaid. They simply are doing what they are told, to drum up conflict and loss of social cohesion, so that the real powerbrokers can operate unimpeded.
Yes, it is about money, but not necessary movie money. Not necessarily tech bro money either. Even Facebook showed up at the exact time that DARPA was shutting down an exploratory project called LifeLog that did the exact same thing. Did Zuckerberg "magically" pull himself up by his bootstraps, or was he connected like Bill Gates was connected, whose father was powerful in the intelligence community and who was a member of the early equivalent of the WEF dating back to the 1960s? Microsoft was a ploy for the government to have a backdoor into all computer systems. Facebook was a ploy for the government to have a backdoor into everyone's social lives. Google has become a ploy to control all searches (I have not found evidence to suggest it began this way though — not to say it doesn't exist).
You might ask yourself... Does it feel like something is missing in your life? Would you call it "meaning" or "spirit"? Is it possible you have lost communication with the center of yourself which has the answers for meaning and the feeling of spirit? And could this lost communication be due to the Cathedral's attacks on your mind?
The problem isn't necessarily waking up / not waking up. This is a false dichotomy. Simply change what you are dreaming about.
However, "waking up" could be considered an honorable task, since you are in effect becoming the lightbearer for everyone else. For that path, the most important thing to realize is that there are different reasons to wake up. It's really just like dreaming. You could wake up from a nightmare, or you could stay up all night out of curiosity for a thing that you just can't put down. "Waking up" out of fear isn't very productive (except insofar as you change your dreams, per my first point), but waking up out of curiosity and creativity is... simply world-changing.

Is that why they're banning books in Florida?

Which books are they banning? Those that serve curiosity, creativity, intelligence, and growth as a human being, or those that serve darker forces such as perverse sexuality?
People are equipped with limited options to fight the tyranny of the Cathedral. Book banning is a last ditch effort to stop the mind control put upon us.

Even if you don’t believe in conspiracy….. his words ring very very true

This is an interesting, albeit naive, place to be. You blame all bad things on the nature of people, rather than the actions of people.

Free Will

If we consider that language is composed of symbols, which indicate concepts, and that concepts seem to always be a compressed version of something that's beyond the logical mind's ordinary ability to work with, then it follows that free will is just such a symbol.
Further, our conceptual mind apparently gives all concepts their meaning by way of relating them to opposite symbols — e.g. free will has no conceptual usefulness in the absence of the concept of "fate" or "destiny", etc. I propose that neither free will nor destiny exist as anything other than concepts which aren't mapping the situation realistically.
Specifically they are symbols, and "we" exist within those symbols so long as there is an automatic assumption that if neither exists, something must take their place. If you tell someone they have free will, you automatically introduce the concept of destiny, and vice versa. If you tell someone who doesn't know themselves that they have free will, exactly who have you granted such "freedom" to?
All of these symbols are like "lives" themselves, and as long as they exist within us, they live and state their cases to be known. When you fully decide against something, you kill it within yourself. You kill the idea, which ends its life at least with you.
Consciousness isn't so much about "thinking" as it is deciding which lives to keep and which to kill. You're choosing which symbols to associate with. You're choosing which subconscious processes to follow.
That is perhaps the function of the thing we call free will. So in that sense, it's not so much that it is free will vs destiny, but it is this tiered concept of cognition. There are the "lives" existing within you, then there is the "god" who allows them to live or die.
This also frames the idea of destiny, which you might say is the assumption of a "life" within you existing forever. In other words, would it even be "your" destiny if parts of yourself could literally be created and destroyed? Perhaps we are like the ship of theseus in more ways than we realize. It's not even so much about destiny as it is the idea of object permanence or realism in the first place.
This description of symbols living within us is the concept of the noosphere, by the way. It's a "sphere" similar to a biosphere or ecosphere, which exists on top of conscious beings. There is our body (the hardware), then there is "the spirit" or whatever you want to call the "immaterial" (technically electrons are material but very hard to measure in large structures) resting on top of it, and the collection of all of these immaterial beings exist in the noosphere.

Ramifications of Plato's Cave

I think people have talked a lot about the nature of Plato's Cave and not enough about the ramifications of Plato's Cave.
If we are all stuck in a subjective view of the world, and we become illusioned by ourselves, and we rarely ever want to throw away this illusion (ie pursue enlightenment), what does that say about us?
We don't merely think in terms of narratives. We like narratives. We prefer the cave. We live our lives as though it were a narrative. We probably couldn't even stop this if we wanted to, to a certain extent.
What does it mean when we absorb this? What are we doing for ourselves at the point in time when we start thinking about these topics?
In short, we're unhappy with the narrative. It's literally like waking up from a nightmare. We're scared or upset about the nature of reality, so our goal is to recraft a new narrative that will put us back to sleep. That's the concept of "peace". That's the concept of "non-disturbance", which is something we've been chasing ever since we were born and wished to return to the womb, which was a period of forever sleep and forever peace.
All of the learning in the world starts with wanting to understand the world's parameters, so we can more effectively craft dreams for ourselves, so we can live out the narrative that will make us happy.
Neo in the Matrix is the "hacker" who wants to know deeply about the universe because he is someone who wants to craft the greatest dream of all, for himself and for his love (Trinity). Neo ends up sacrificing himself to save his love, which means he "dies" and so does the ever-present evidence of the Matrix existing (Agent Smith everywhere). This is again proof that he prefers the dream, although he also believes that he will one day overcome all of the ancient, deprecated "code" (memes, genes, traditions, culture, etc) inherent in human individuals and in human society.
This is representative of the mythology around christ consciousness. It is about sacrificing one's self for future reward, which comes in the form of a richer, more pleasurable, and more real story. Perhaps one in which we are all happier, healthier, and more prosperous. This is the summary of the entire mythos around Neo, Jesus, and many other individuals.
I think one of the main reasons old psychedelic aficionados will say "you didn't take enough" if you have a bad trip is that one of the main goals of trips is to remember why you went. Not just "what information are you trying to extract" from this trip, with altered consciousness, but why do you need this info? What are you really doing with your life?

Traumatic rituals

Another implication from this...
What is the purpose of traumatic rituals, perhaps some we might call satanic?
If we induce fear in someone, we can get them to keep waking up (not just in terms of sleep, but in terms of consciousness), and when they do that, they have a chance to advance themselves. It's totally abused though, and they aren't trying to create enlightened individuals so much as highly trained tools who can do things that ordinary sleepwalkers couldn't.

Sex Magick

This is related to operant conditioning. basically, the reward centers are so activated from sexual activity (or even masturbation) that it helps get you to agree and purify yourself before an idea.
Sexual activity puts you in a very suggestible and controllable state. If someone else is providing you with the sex and ideas at the same time, they can control you with this process. That being said, you can use sex to actually meditate and change your own mind as well, but this would not be broadly taught due to the inherent risk in doing so (only works as well as the individual makes good choices during it).
As I will get into later, the idea that thoughts and ideas are like lives, so the "lives" which learn to desire and crave sexuality find themselves to have complete and utter control over your body at times. The only way to cure such an addiction is to go around and exterminate these lives. It's not just about deciding to do it, nor is it about living in the vain belief you even do decide on a moment to moment basis what you do. You actually have to consciously do work to kill those devils. Also for this reason, sex magick is not widely taught.

Curiosity

There is this concept of simply "noticing the birds". Jesus was even quoted saying something along the lines of "make sure to smell the flowers".
Why though? We usually decipher this as just "enjoy your life" and don't think more about it. I have an alternative explanation.
Acts such as this are what keep you awake. They retain your consciousness. By continuing to be curious, your mind stays alive. And furthermore, it is the healthier alternative compared fear, which I said would keep you awake in a more nightmare-like state.

Waking up

As I said, we are all living out narratives. The question is, who is the narrator and the story planner? In a healthy, conscious adult, you are your own god. You are your own narrator and story planner. What does the entertainment/education/media complex attempt to do? It wishes to subvert your narrator and story planning, so that it is now in control, and you are merely observing something outside of yourself. This is mind control. Now, consciousness is always observing something, since it has a rather passive role in cognition, but the point is that it's no longer observing internal processes so much as an external "man behind the curtain", representative of all of entertainment/education/media available today. We do have a name for this complex. We call it "The Cathedral".
While it's certainly true that entertaining content has a market value, it's absolutely crucial for you to understand that The Cathedral is not an organic institution made up of profit seekers. The Cathedral is an ideological organization that is not concerned with making money. Why? The Cathedral is ran by the people who already own half the world. They run finance. They are the bankers. The purpose of the Cathedral is not to make profit, but to ensure their primary modes of business continue to profit them. It is disinformation. Yes, there are subcontractors who seek profit in the Cathedral complex, but these are not the people who run the system.
There are a ton of avenues for exploring this. We could talk about how old oil money was the primary means by which radio as a medium was researched in the early 1900s (The Radio Project, funded by Rockefellers). We could talk about how identity politics scarcely existed just 10-15 years ago, and when the Occupy Wall Street movement started gaining momentum, suddenly identity politics existed as a distraction from anything those nasty Wall St executives and their lackeys were doing. People seem to get angry because they think Disney is attempting to create a profit from selling the new Mermaid to a wider range of audiences than before, but they should be even more angry if they realize Disney ultimately doesn't care about making money from Mermaid. They simply are doing what they are told, to drum up conflict and loss of social cohesion, so that the real powerbrokers can operate unimpeded.
Yes, it is about money, but not necessary movie money. Not necessarily tech bro money either. Even Facebook showed up at the exact time that DARPA was shutting down an exploratory project called LifeLog that did the exact same thing. Did Zuckerberg "magically" pull himself up by his bootstraps, or was he connected like Bill Gates was connected, whose father was powerful in the intelligence community and who was a member of the early equivalent of the WEF dating back to the 1960s? Microsoft was a ploy for the government to have a backdoor into all computer systems. Facebook was a ploy for the government to have a backdoor into everyone's social lives. Google has become a ploy to control all searches (I have not found evidence to suggest it began this way though — not to say it doesn't exist).
You might ask yourself... Does it feel like something is missing in your life? Would you call it "meaning" or "spirit"? Is it possible you have lost communication with the center of yourself which has the answers for meaning and the feeling of spirit? And could this lost communication be due to the Cathedral's attacks on your mind?
The problem isn't necessarily waking up / not waking up. This is a false dichotomy. Simply change what you are dreaming about.
However, "waking up" could be considered an honorable task, since you are in effect becoming the lightbearer for everyone else. For that path, the most important thing to realize is that there are different reasons to wake up. It's really just like dreaming. You could wake up from a nightmare, or you could stay up all night out of curiosity for a thing that you just can't put down. "Waking up" out of fear isn't very productive (except insofar as you change your dreams, per my first point), but waking up out of curiosity and creativity is... simply world-changing.

Is that why they're banning books in Florida?

Which books are they banning? Those that serve curiosity, creativity, intelligence, and growth as a human being, or those that serve darker forces such as perverse sexuality?
People are equipped with limited options to fight the tyranny of the Cathedral. Book banning is a last ditch effort to stop the mind control put upon us.

Even if you don’t believe in conspiracy….. his words ring very very true

This is an interesting, albeit naive, place to be. You blame all bad things on the nature of people, rather than the actions of people.

Free Will

If we consider that language is composed of symbols, which indicate concepts, and that concepts seem to always be a compressed version of something that's beyond the logical mind's ordinary ability to work with, then it follows that free will is just such a symbol.
Further, our conceptual mind apparently gives all concepts their meaning by way of relating them to opposite symbols — e.g. free will has no conceptual usefulness in the absence of the concept of "fate" or "destiny", etc. I propose that neither free will nor destiny exist as anything other than concepts which aren't mapping the situation realistically.
Specifically they are symbols, and "we" exist within those symbols so long as there is an automatic assumption that if neither exists, something must take their place. If you tell someone they have free will, you automatically introduce the concept of destiny, and vice versa. If you tell someone who doesn't know themselves that they have free will, exactly who have you granted such "freedom" to?
All of these symbols are like "lives" themselves, and as long as they exist within us, they live and state their cases to be known. When you fully decide against something, you kill it within yourself. You kill the idea, which ends its life at least with you.
Consciousness isn't so much about "thinking" as it is deciding which lives to keep and which to kill. You're choosing which symbols to associate with. You're choosing which subconscious processes to follow.
That is perhaps the function of the thing we call free will. So in that sense, it's not so much that it is free will vs destiny, but it is this tiered concept of cognition. There are the "lives" existing within you, then there is the "god" who allows them to live or die.
This also frames the idea of destiny, which you might say is the assumption of a "life" within you existing forever. In other words, would it even be "your" destiny if parts of yourself could literally be created and destroyed? Perhaps we are like the ship of theseus in more ways than we realize. It's not even so much about destiny as it is the idea of object permanence or realism in the first place.
This description of symbols living within us is the concept of the noosphere, by the way. It's a "sphere" similar to a biosphere or ecosphere, which exists on top of conscious beings. There is our body (the hardware), then there is "the spirit" or whatever you want to call the "immaterial" (technically electrons are material but very hard to measure in large structures) resting on top of it, and the collection of all of these immaterial beings exist in the noosphere.

For the past two years i have done nothing but waste all day on my phone. I spend on an 10 - 15 hours scrolling on an average. I try fix my problems, Like make really grand plans about getting back on track but somehow I always stop following through those plans after 2 or 3 days. I don't know what to do. I tried everything, reading self help books (making notes of their proposed methods), watch helpful YouTube videos, making a diary to track progress, excersing daily and whatnot but I just can't seem to study. The only thing I am actually supposed to do.
Whenever I sit to study:

1. I start feeling DROUSY even though I get around 7 hrs of SLEEP.
2. I start PROCRASTINATING.
3. If I turn my phone off. I just sit there thinking about something all the time. I don't even get bored.
4. Also, I can't get myself to write anything. And writing is the key to learning anything.
5. I have absolutely no hobbies and friends whatsoever. This shit is breaking me from Inside.

I have started running, cycling, gyming 2 to 3hrs everyday to get my mental health back. But nothing seems to be helping. Right now I am even taking help from my brother and send him my daily screen time. But that is not helping either.
Everyday I think about getting better. I don't how many times I have made up my ming to get better but every goddamn time I fail. 😭 IF I WASTE THIS YEAR TOO. I AM DONE FOR. SO, PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME! I WANT TO GET BETTER.
Also, Please do not recommend me to get medical help , I can't do that.

https://www.cityofrochester.gov/article.aspx?id=21474852307
City of Rochester News Release
(Friday, June 2, 2023) – Mayor Malik D. Evans and County Executive Adam Bello proclaimed today through Sunday as Gun Violence Awareness Day and Wear Orange Weekend in Rochester and Monroe County, joining a national movement to associate gun violence with the color hunters wear to protect human life.
City and County leaders joined dozens of orange-clad members of the Rochester Peace Collective and the Roc Against Gun Violence Coalition Friday to read the joint proclamation and announce activities taking place throughout the month of June to enhance community collaboration in the fight against gun violence.
“The City of Rochester and County of Monroe are committed to ending gun violence with the support of law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal levels; and a host of community partners, including the ROC Against Gun Violence Coalition and the Rochester Peace Collective,” the Mayor and County Executive stated in the joint City-County Proclamation. “We call on the people of Rochester and Monroe County to Wear Orange and come together as one community to heal, offer comfort and support, and join the movement to make gun violence a thing of the past.”
The wear-orange movement was initially conceived by the classmates of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendelton of Chicago, who was shot and killed on a school playground one week after marching in President Barack Obama’s inauguration parade.
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a national grass-roots advocacy agency with a chapter in Monroe County has since played a leading role to promote the message across the country. Hadiya would have been 26 today. Now, Gun Violence Awareness Day and Wear Orange Weekend takes place on the first Friday and weekend of June.
Members of the ROC Against Gun Violence Coalition and the Rochester Peace Collective are hosting a series of events throughout the month of June.
They include: • Cameron Community 9th Annual Peace Walk: Friday, June 2 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Meet at the Cameron Teen Center, 48 Cameron St. • Center for Youth Fashion Week: Friday, June 2 at 7 p.m., City of Rochester Public Market, 280 N. Union St. • In-Person Faith Leaders Summit on Gun Violence: Tuesday, June 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. • Pathways to Peace BBQs: Friday, June 16, 5 to 8 p.m., corner of Jefferson Avenue and Iceland Park; Friday June 30, 5 to 8 p.m., corner of Joseph Avenue and Wilkins Terrace. • Fatherhood Connection Father’s Day Breakfast: Sunday, June 18, 10 a.m. to noon, Ark of Jesus Ministries, 63 Hebard St. • Hope Initiatives Workforce Trainee: Friday, June 23, 9 to 5 p.m., 506 W. Broad St.
The ROC Against Gun Violence Coalition seeks to end gun violence in Rochester by bringing attention to the causes and effects of gun violence and promoting quality of life in Rochester's neighborhoods. The Coalition is made up of community partners and stakeholders who are already working to end gun violence using three unified tools: to educate, advocate and eradicate.
The Rochester Peace Collective guides investments in innovative and proven programs that work to prevent violent crime by collaborating with community-based organizations and agencies working in the fields of re-entry and violence prevention.
###
News Media: For more information, contact Communications Director Barbara Pierce at [email protected].

24, female, white, 5'10, 190 lbs, Europe. I have pure ocd and cyclothymia, been taking Fluoxetine for about 2,5 years and saw some mid progress until I discovered I have a cyclothymia this January too and since I've started taking lamotrigine I saw a huge progress finally. Rn taking 80 mg of fluoxetine and 150 mg of lamotrigine. Every time I've started taking a higher dose of lamotrigine I've noticed how I actually feel better for about 14-20 days and then just slip into the same situation that was before( that is typical hard pure ocd, plus cyclothymia to the point I think of committing suicide and then the day later I can function or do some studying and so on, it's a cycle, I never know what it would be). I've told this to my doctor but he didn't react to it, he said that fluoxetine is good for ocd ( in my case just maybe 20% because it was a nightmare before but after I've started taking, it kinda became a little bit manageable nightmare). But idk, really starting to feel hopeless after so many years. Plus I have PCOS too ( I have period mostly on time, sometimes maybe once per 2 months in the last year), my hormones are okay, thyroid hormones are normal too, sugar levels too. I take inositol daily as a supplement, vitamin C, D, Zink, Selen, Magnesium, Omega 3. Also meditating, drinking lots of water and trying to eat healthy most of the time when I'm not in a bad episode where sometimes my binge eating can be triggered. Due to ocd and cyclothymia I guess I have some symptoms of IBS

I’m a student at the U and im trying to get the monthly student pass, but the app keeps trying to f*ck my student account.
When trying to purchase it’ll say I have an “invalid zip code” when im using the exact zip code for my billing address associated with my card.
Then after trying over and over, and not getting through, it’ll say I’ve “reached my transaction limit of the day.” I called customer service yesterday and they have me send an email but I haven’t heard anything. If anyone’s gotten this kinda thing before, please let me know, I can’t pay $10 bucks a day just for freaking transportation.

I've got the day to myself, no plans and the weather is good. I'm gonna take an edible around midday (first time during the day!) go for a walk in the sun and grab plenty of snacks.
Is taking a 2nd edible around 4-5 hours later worth it? Or does it have no real effect. Thanks guys x