Malik Shabazz

I think the "extremism" represents the current political climate worldwide. The fact of the matter is that people are pissed about the state of our society, and the more they are antagonized by society, the further they are pushed into extremes. Even folks like Hereno and Biohazard, before they disappeared, became more radical than they were when I was Loki which surprised me. The climate here when I came back, vs. when I was Loki, was completely different.

The upcoming elections have reminded me of something, something that is evident to most people in the world, except, for whatever reason, Americans: The American culture and ethos, for the past 40 years, has been based on selfishness (or its PC-term, "individualism") and neo-liberalism, the misguided belief that rich and powerful people can somehow solve all of our problems, and therefore we must protect and defend them at all costs, with Trump being the clear example. Trump's appeal is that he is a rich man who owns his own company, so that automatically means that he knows how to run a country, despite the fact that he has not given an intelligent and outlined plan, and really is nothing more than a buffoon. This Gallup poll outlines the frustration, alienation, and disapproval with American politics: http://www.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/179477/americans-frustration-congress-elections.aspx American political discourse is dominated by neo-liberalism, in every considerable way. So much, that any policy advocated that will help the disadvantaged, and limit the privilege of the rich, is considered to be "class warfare", even though class warfare is conducted, every single day, by the privileged against those who are privileged, through law, the structure of our education system (another subject in its entirety), and other means. This is not limited to politics, it is us, our society, that have been influenced by this neo-liberal philosophy. If our politicians represent us, then they do a very good job at it. It's why I choose not to vote, simply because I have no illusions that a politician can improve these conditions. A government is only as good as the society it represents. What's the solution? I honestly don't know if there is any solution outside of a revolution, not a violent revolution, but a spiritual one, one that is based on truth and radical love, and also a cultural and philosophical one, a new renaissance of sorts, considering the fact that stupidity and ignorance greatly contribute to these conditions. But I don't see that happening... and it's worth noting that I, by expressing this opinion, am not being self-righteous, nor am I speaking from a position of intellectual superiority. I am saying this because I believe it to be true, not because I'm not guilty of being an acolyte of this philosophy as well. The truth is that I, quite honestly, no longer care because I, as an individual, am powerless to do anything about it on the macro-level. We, as a nation can, but do we want to? Do I want to? Do you want to? The only thing I can do is be the change that I want to see in my everyday life, opposing unfair hierarchies, materialism, and individualism, and trying to be as altruistic as possible. It's hard, and it is why I use the term "we" instead of "you" or "y'all", because I am as influenced by this Age of Selfishness as the next man, and I am as guilty in perpetuating it. That does not mean, however, that we can't try. But we don't, we just continue to perpetuate it. I don't follow the "human nature" argument, and that is not the argument I'm making, it's complete BS, and it's also a cop-out. Human beings have the capacity to do good, however, we live in a society that rewards greed and selfishness more than it rewards justice, which is what makes it much more difficult to do good because "what's the point?" right?

I'm starting to get into it too. I'm trying to read Seneca next. I think Stoicism is a very good philosophy for life.

-From The Enchridion. by Epitctetus, Chapter 9 http://www.ptypes.com/enchiridion.html

On the road to true peace and happiness. Cutting off people you don't need and/or mean you no good will give you a much more happier life. In addition, not reading people's whiny statuses will make you much happier. Trust me. "Misery loves company." It's a proven fact that depression and angst are both contagious. Having done some meditation, I came to the conclusion that my own depression partly stemmed from hearing other people talk about their problems. I've come to find that the less you have, the happier you are. I'm much happier with the small circle I have, than the 200+ friends who I don't talk to or care about. Not so much becoming a hermit, but, rather, just having less. Also, you don't need social media to be connected to the world. If my friends or family need me, they can call or text me.

Deleting your facebook is a start.

Well I don't consider CN, or any other online game, to be social media. I'm speaking more in terms of Facebook, twitter, and the like.

Delete all of your social media (Facebook, Twitter). Just do it. I would make a hypothesis say about 85% of those 500+ friends of yours are people you don't, and will never talk to IRL. So you basically log on everyday to read about what's going on in the personal lives of people you probably don't care about. Not only that, but Facebook is depressing in general. Whether it's somebody you went to high school with dying, or whatever tf is going on in the world right now, you don't need it. It's not good for you. I didn't realize how much Facebook affected my emotional health until I finally realized how pointless and stupid it was to have one and deleted it. So if you want to be happy, and stay happy, disconnect yourself from that stuff and never look back. You will thank yourself for it.