Counsolers and therapists are our mothers, and the media is our God

[onesteptwostep]

We've lost sight of our father.




...

What say you?

 

[Rook]

And who, pray tell, is this father?

 

[Black Rose]

 

[onesteptwostep]

And who, pray tell, is this father?

In Confucian ethics the most important relationship a person could have is a relationship between a son and his father. Why? Because the father is the one who implants what's necessary for the child to grow up to become a man functionable in society.

Typically this device has been translated by the use of religion or tradition; for example in the Proverbs, Solomon acted as the teacher to his student, or in a military setting, a Sergeant drilling fresh recruits. "Father" here could mean many things, but most importantly it's the purpose and drive of all, of every being. Without this "father" figure we become subordinate to only our 'mothers' and become exasperated towards "god". Nothing else makes sense if this element disappears, both meta-mother and the meta-god.



----
Mother here could mean many things, same with god, here-
as with 'father'.

 

[TBerg]

You're telling me, man, you're telling me.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Mother is the only person who doesn't remind you of the sad brutality of existence.

You can pay all you want to have someone recreate this illusion, but it won't be the same.

Embracing media as gods is same as the acceptance of inevitable submission to own misdirection.

 

[TBerg]

Wait until you accept the womb as your reality and have no father to show you any other way until you are stranded.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Waiting is a weakness. Always be on the move, even when goals are impermanent.

 

[Yellow]

We used to go to our community elders, priests, etc., but we don't have those kinds of relationships anymore. Your friends and family are there for you, but only to a point. For example, after 5 years a widower, every one is sick (from pity or apathy) of hearing about how much you miss your wife. Who do you talk to? Say you accidentally killed a racoon while driving last year, and you're still haunted by it. Do you know anyone who is going to care about your feelings of guilt and regret? If you need someone to meet you where you are and help you move in the direction you want to go, your only option is a counselor.

The media (the press) serves in the governance of the population. That power can be used by those in power to placate, misinform, and manipulate us, or it can be used to empower, educate, the people while enforcing transparency in the other branches. If you want power to influence the people, for good or for bad, you need the media.

Science is what creates change in society. Either by the convenience invention brings, or by the inconvenience that universal knowledge brings. It's literally our engine, and the scientists are the engineers who are always moving toward the horizon. The problem is the ever-increasing gap between what the average person understands, and what science-informed people understand. (at least in the US) Our basic science education is so lacking the fundamentals needed to make informed decisions about technology and medicine, that the majority are forced to rely on demagogues to tell them what to think.

So I think that counselors replace friendships/spiritual guidance, media replaces self-governance, demagogues replace education/critical thought, and our gods are products (Xbox, Nikes, and Crayola crayons (because Rose Art sucks)).

 

[Black Rose]

My mom has autism and my dad has schizophrenia.
Both relationships are that both lack an adult theory of mind. (low empathy)
Everything I learned about relationships came from cartoons and tv.
I knew from the start something was wrong and unfair about them.
I am very aware of emotional abandonment and unfairness.
God must really hate me because I have not seen him from age 6.
The only real God is a person who cares so I must be the only God.
I must be the only Abraham because I and The Father (Abraham) are one.
Abraham means father of nations, Who knew that reincarnation was real.
Abraham will not be crucified on a cross again.

 

[onesteptwostep]

Science is what creates change in society. Either by the convenience invention brings, or by the inconvenience that universal knowledge brings. It's literally our engine, and the scientists are the engineers who are always moving toward the horizon. The problem is the ever-increasing gap between what the average person understands, and what science-informed people understand. (at least in the US) Our basic science education is so lacking the fundamentals needed to make informed decisions about technology and medicine, that the majority are forced to rely on demagogues to tell them what to think.

The problem with this concept, when placed into the idea in the OP, is that it's impersonal, and often abstract. The father figure needs to be a physical catalyst, someone personal, forceful, compelling. Science can't rile up as much as a drill sergeant can, or as become as personally deep as Proverbs or Psalms can be.

Also, if products, or capitalism in this case, becomes our god, then we lose sight of our mothers. It's incoherent.

 

[Turnevies]

I don't think you can draw a hard distinction between the father and the god. Because of the Tritiny, God holds a Father component. Or are you trying to seperate the Father from the Holy Spirit maybe?

To most religions, gods are some kind of fundamental fathers/mothers.

 

[Seteleechete]

Counsolers and therapists are our mothers, and the media is our God

And consumerism is the father.

 

[Pyropyro]

We're living in a Huxleyan dystopia.

 

[Sinny91]

We used to go to our community elders, priests, etc., but we don't have those kinds of relationships anymore. Your friends and family are there for you, but only to a point. For example, after 5 years a widower, every one is sick (from pity or apathy) of hearing about how much you miss your wife. Who do you talk to? Say you accidentally killed a racoon while driving last year, and you're still haunted by it. Do you know anyone who is going to care about your feelings of guilt and regret? If you need someone to meet you where you are and help you move in the direction you want to go, your only option is a counselor.

The media (the press) serves in the governance of the population. That power can be used by those in power to placate, misinform, and manipulate us, or it can be used to empower, educate, the people while enforcing transparency in the other branches. If you want power to influence the people, for good or for bad, you need the media.

Science is what creates change in society. Either by the convenience invention brings, or by the inconvenience that universal knowledge brings. It's literally our engine, and the scientists are the engineers who are always moving toward the horizon. The problem is the ever-increasing gap between what the average person understands, and what science-informed people understand. (at least in the US) Our basic science education is so lacking the fundamentals needed to make informed decisions about technology and medicine, that the majority are forced to rely on demagogues to tell them what to think.

So I think that counselors replace friendships/spiritual guidance, media replaces self-governance, demagogues replace education/critical thought, and our gods are products (Xbox, Nikes, and Crayola crayons (because Rose Art sucks)).

Have you ever received counselling? Do you ever need counselling yourself, today?
Does the fact that you are a counselor yourself, affect your relationship with other Counselors, or affect the level at which the counselling can be effective for you?

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

We used to go to our community elders, priests, etc., but we don't have those kinds of relationships anymore.

People don't because they don't aim to, it's still possible, depends on the kind of world you want to create, or if you create any at all. Most people fall into the mold that's already provided. The path of least resistance.

If you need someone to meet you where you are and help you move in the direction you want to go, your only option is a counselor.

If you're lucky enough to find one that's on your level of intelligence and experience. Still it's an expensive semblance of comfort. One also has to relax or convince oneself one needs such theatrical play when it can't be solved otherwise.

You may as well meet or become a Buddhist practitioner or a good friend and have pretty much the same type of support.

 

[Yellow]

Have you ever received counselling? Do you ever need counselling yourself, today?
Does the fact that you are a counselor yourself, affect your relationship with other Counselors, or affect the level at which the counselling can be effective for you?

I am limited in that regard. I can't see a counselor because everyone knows who I am. Colleagues talk, and I can't be assured any real confidentiality at any clinic or agency within a reasonable distance.

There's also the problem that most of the counselors in my area have their degrees in social work. As a matter of personal preference, I would never, ever, ever go to a counselor from a social work background. Their training and education have a vastly different focus from those with mental health/psychology backgrounds (yet all the degrees qualify you for the same position).

As a rule, social work counselors are less educated and more concrete. The education for an MSW is far more focused on templates and methods. It's like the programs are pumping out workers than professionals. I don't know how to explain it properly, but I've yet to meet an exception.

When you study mental health and psychology, the focus is more on understanding and theory. We get the tools we need to tackle individual clients, rather than archetypes. Unfortunately, we're outnumbered by about 4:1.

People don't because they don't aim to, it's still possible, depends on the kind of world you want to create, or if you create any at all. Most people fall into the mold that's already provided. The path of least resistance.

If you're lucky enough to find one that's on your level of intelligence and experience. Still it's an expensive semblance of comfort. One also has to relax or convince oneself one needs such theatrical play when it can't be solved otherwise.

You may as well meet or become a Buddhist practitioner or a good friend and have pretty much the same type of support.

Few people are lucky enough in their family, friends, and acquaintances to get what they need. It's incredibly sad that people have to go to a stranger and pay for this kind of relationship. In a socially healthier world, counseling wouldn't be a profession.

I'm acutely aware of my position as a professional rent-a-friend.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Few people are lucky enough in their family, friends, and acquaintances to get what they need. It's incredibly sad that people have to go to a stranger and pay for this kind of relationship. In a socially healthier world, counseling wouldn't be a profession.

I'm acutely aware of my position as a professional rent-a-friend.

Agreed, we live in a progressively dystopian reality.

 

[TBerg]

If Poland hasn't yet been deconstructed by Cultural Marxists, Blar, why is the birthrate so low there?

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

If Poland hasn't yet been deconstructed by Cultural Marxists, Blar, why is the birthrate so low there?

What's your problem with me?

I'm sure you have a good explanation for everything, no need to listen to whatever I have to add.

Suffice to say, it's partly due to the 'wonders' of globalisation, corporate capitalism and english economic-cultural supremacy and partly due to efforts to emerge from the crisis that was the communist occupation era.

Birthrate of polish immigrants in UK, Germany and USA is very high in contrast, they seem to be thriving when living in affluent places.

 

[TBerg]

I don't know why you think I have a problem with you. It was a genuine puzzle that I wanted to understand, seeing as Poland seems so different when you view it at a glance.

 

[TBerg]

Since you mentioned Germany, Blar, I just want to share a quite interesting discussion about that country that goes into many different aspects of its society and culture:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXKIKtxypPw

 

[Black Rose]

Man, what you said went really off topic Tberg.
You like politics too much.

Yellow mentions being a rent a friend.
I love my personal rent a friend, her name is Patie.
But she is not a social worker, Yellow is right, there is a difference.
Well at least you're still better than a robot Yellow.
Robot are too dumb right now but they are working on that.

https://youtu.be/RDaFqgPKklI

Researchers think we’ll soon be confiding in AI chatbots
July 8, 2016

Spoiler

By Doug Drinkwater.

AddThis Sharing Buttons
New research from Adobe and Goldsmiths University of London has looked at the future of customer experience, with some surprising findings on machine-learning, IoT, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR).

‘The Future of Experience’ report was published yesterday, with its findings revealed at Adobe’s Cross-Channel Marketing Forum in London. IoB attended the event to learn more about the report.

The report reveals new rules of engagement when it comes to brands creating great experiences using a range of emerging technologies, such as VR, AR, AI, wearables and the IoT.

Goldsmiths University of London worked with Adobe on qualitative online research with over 2,000 adults in the UK, as well as workshops with technology experts, and the resulting report identifies five new dimensions for brands to think about when creating experiences for the future.

Related: 6 real-life examples of IoT in retail

Empathy: Creating deep and meaningful relationships

The research found that newer technologies, and especially VR, create “more immersive and deeply private environments that impact on both physical and mental states”. As a result of this, researchers say brands will need to practice extreme empathy.

Participants felt that these technologies have the unique ability to lend themselves to developing more meaningful (cited by 32 percent of respondents) and personal (19 percent) experiences.

Serendipity: Using technology to aid discovery and surprise

The study found that emerging technologies should be used to create experiences that fuel imaginative thinking.

All participants, regardless of the technology they used, reported their potential in making them more creative as well as allowing them to discover new things. 64 percent of the adults surveyed online said that a good digital experience allows them to discover new and unexpected things that they like and love.

Adobe and Goldsmiths says that elements of serendipity in an experience will build authenticity and, as a result, trust in brands.

(Image: Adobe)
(Image: Adobe)
Privacy: Technology enabling people to experience private moments

In one of the more surprising findings, 52 percent of those polled agreed that a good digital experience empowers them to use technology to not only connect to the world, but to disconnect from it.

Speakers at the event proclaimed that ‘VR is the new privacy’, and the report reaffirms this by suggesting that VR and wearables will empower consumers to create their own private digital worlds, where they choose the brands they interact with.

Chris Braur, director of innovation at Goldsmiths University of London, backed this up: “Where do you get a private moment in everyday life now? These technologies allow people to escape a world they wouldn’t otherwise be able to.”

This view somewhat chimes with that of futurist and venture capitalist Robert Scoble, who has previously claimed that privacy will disappear in the rise of newer devices and experiences.

Related: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg thinks VR is the next big thing

Reciprocity: AI has the ability to radically change experience, but we need to teach it

The research also found that participants were excited about the possibilities Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications offer, particularly in helping them to improve their lives.

Over half (52 percent) of the survey respondents said they would be happy to help ‘teach’ a machine if the feedback resulted in life improvements, such as personal health, social services and decision-making around purchases.

The report suggests that people will accept AI into their lives as long as the applications offer helpful, practical, personal and progressive experiences.

Adaptability: Using technology as an enabler for seamless experiences

“Participants testing IoT and AI technologies were excited about their potential in terms of making life easier, but frustrated that the experiences were not as straightforward and seamless as they wanted,” reads the report.

“Brands must therefore adapt to provide seamless, integrated experiences, not only across many different channels – both offline and online – but across products and services, and even entire markets.” This multichannel requirement was highlighted in the retail space, where 35 percent of adults surveyed online said they preferred making transactions in person, with 30 percent saying via a personal device. 32 percent had no preference between the two.

Will be trust tech more than brands?adobe-tech

At the event, Adobe’s head of EMEA marketing, John Watton, said that the industry is “hurtling on an endless road to consumers providing all their information to brands, and brands knowing all about the customers.

“It’s an open, connected playing field with an automated and yet personalised experience.”

Braur added that today’s customer is hooked up almost like they would be to an ECG machine, with regular signals indicating how they feel, and what experience they’re having.

Yet, while some have expressed reservations — particularly around privacy — on new technologies, Braur is unconcerned. He believes that VR, AI, wearables and IoT “offer a pathway to a more meaningful experience.”

The academic also dismissed the notion that technology is the barrier to new experiences, despite the rise of ad-blocking software, instead suggesting that technology will increasingly act on our behalf. The study suggests people are open to machine-learning and AI, but Braur stresses this will only happen if the customer gets something meaningful in return. As such, we will be relying on technology to make choices on our behalf.

“These technologies will increasingly be the filter between brands and people,” said Braur.

He discussed the idea of people offloading their sensitive thoughts to AI chatbots – although perhaps not to Microsoft’s recent attempt – and of us teaching machines to disseminate our thoughts – and act upon them.

Yet he believes that the chance of some kind of Terminator-style takeover is highly unlikely.

“We’re not heading down a dark pathway of automated society, where machines are just grinding away. Nothing about what we found in this research indicates that that pathway is reality. It’s a potential pathway but only if we don’t hardness these technologies to offer opportunities for brands and people.”

The full report can be found here.

 

[TBerg]

I can see now how it might be considered off-topic, Anime, but I just thought it went along with the discussion of parental relationships. If there are no children, how can there be parents?

Also, the Germany discussion was just too good not to bring up when someone mentions Germany.

 

[Rook]

Well at least you're still better than a robot Yellow.
Robot are too dumb right now but they are working on that.

Researchers think we’ll soon be confiding in AI chatbots
July 8, 2016

But will our dear robotic pals be obliged to help the police with their inquiries?

"Hello BinarMate, I torched three KFCs this past month ."

"Rook Rook Rook, burning things down is wrong. The authorities have been alerted."

"Hullo, what's all this then!?"

"Aaargh, foiled by my own blabbering fingers!"

 

[TBerg]

Politics is my obsessive autistic coping mechanism that I use to get through the day without having too many unknown occurrences to deal with. It is also my way of getting away from thinking about family misery and trouble. I wish I had more of a handle of other interests, but it is one of the only ways I know of having a conversation about anything, because so many other parts of me are emiserated. I also suck at conversation flow.

I also don't like talking to people in meatspace because I feel like so much about me is just awkward and shameful, including my behavior while I am talking to them and the self-image that I project while talking to them. Thank god I have at least one good friend who seems to really appreciate me, although I also occasionally feel a degree of shame while in her presence.

But enough about me. Time to go swimming some laps and listen to stuff about the Dallas shootings while traveling to and fro the lake!

 

[Ex-User (11125)]

Researchers think we’ll soon be confiding in AI chatbots

This Is demented even for my standards
I would rather die than stoop to tragic lows of confiding in chatbots lol

 

[Black Rose]

But will our dear robotic pals be obliged to help the police with their inquiries?

"Hello BinarMate, I torched three KFCs this past month ."

"Rook Rook Rook, burning things down is wrong. The authorities have been alerted."

"Hullo, what's all this then!?"

"Aaargh, foiled by my own blabbering fingers!"

first of all it's not his fault it's the cities fault
the city should pay their bills, it's called government corruption.
not paying for drone security guards is criminal negligence.
the mayor need to be prosecuted.

http://www.kurzweilai.net/forums/topic/robot-blows-up-sniper

in every city we will know who has a gun
we will see who killed who, police or terrorist.
dones will follow everyone,
civilian drones will make public whoever has killed anyone.
Oh look over there jim, that cop killed an innocent person, best avoid him.
Oh look over there tom, that guy is mafia, best avoid him.
Best not rob that store rick, drone security is over there.

 

[Black Rose]

This Is demented even for my standards
I would rather die than stoop to tragic lows of confiding in chatbots lol

You have high standards.
Thank you for choosing INTP forum counselling. (IFC)

 

[EyeSeeCold]

In Confucian ethics the most important relationship a person could have is a relationship between a son and his father. Why? Because the father is the one who implants what's necessary for the child to grow up to become a man functionable in society.

Typically this device has been translated by the use of religion or tradition; for example in the Proverbs, Solomon acted as the teacher to his student, or in a military setting, a Sergeant drilling fresh recruits. "Father" here could mean many things, but most importantly it's the purpose and drive of all, of every being. Without this "father" figure we become subordinate to only our 'mothers' and become exasperated towards "god". Nothing else makes sense if this element disappears, both meta-mother and the meta-god.



----
Mother here could mean many things, same with god, here-
as with 'father'.

The problem with this concept, when placed into the idea in the OP, is that it's impersonal, and often abstract. The father figure needs to be a physical catalyst, someone personal, forceful, compelling. Science can't rile up as much as a drill sergeant can, or as become as personally deep as Proverbs or Psalms can be.

Also, if products, or capitalism in this case, becomes our god, then we lose sight of our mothers. It's incoherent.

Then you really mean we haven't lost sight of the father, but that the father has become impotent now that religion and tradition have lost their hold?

If we have become 21st century rōnin it wasn't due to a collective disgrace, or rejection of the father, but ultimately the result of multiple fathers waging war against each other's school of teaching to assert their dominance.

But then you say the media and capitalism form our god, they are the religion and the and tradition, and both used to gratify the self -- in essence I think a conclusion of your idea is that we have become our own fathers (which makes us...? ).

 

[Black Rose]

the media and capitalism form our god, they are the religion and the and tradition, and both used to gratify the self

Spoiler

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/fashion/internet-technology-phones-introspection.html?_r=1

The End of Reflection
Future Tense
By TEDDY WAYNE JUNE 11, 2016

There are many moments throughout my average day that, lacking print reading material in a previous era, were once occupied by thinking or observing my surroundings: walking or waiting somewhere, riding the subway, lying in bed unable to sleep or before mustering the energy to get up.

Now, though, I often find myself in these situations picking up my phone to check a notification, browse and read the internet, text, use an app or listen to audio (or, on rare occasions, engage in an old-fashioned “telephone call”). The last remaining place I’m guaranteed to be alone with my thoughts is in the shower.

“Finding moments to engage in contemplative thinking has always been a challenge, since we’re distractible,” said Nicholas Carr, author of “The Shallows.” “But now that we’re carrying these powerful media devices around with us all day long, those opportunities become even less frequent, for the simple reason that we have this ability to distract ourselves constantly.”

Neuroplasticity (or the brain’s ability to change) due to technological use is a hot topic. Usually the tone is alarmist, though sometimes it’s optimistic.

Take video games: One study revealed improvements in memory and focus for older adults when playing a simple road-racing game. In another study, playing Super Mario 64 was observed to yield increases in gray matter in regions of the brain associated with memory, planning and spatial navigation.

But these cognitive abilities are distinct from mentally sequestered rumination. In a world in which a phone or computer is rarely more than arm’s length away, are we eliminating introspection at times that may have formerly been conducive to it? And is the depth of that reflection compromised because we have retrained ourselves to seek out the immediate gratification of external stimuli?

A few neuroscientific studies reveal the extent to which we are dependent on our electronic devices and suggest how, in doing so, we may be impairing our reflective abilities. A 2015 paper in the journal PLOS One measured smartphone use via an app from participants ages 18 to 33 and also asked them to report their estimates.

If the data is any indication, most of us use our phones more than we think: Participants estimated an average of 37 uses throughout the day (anything that turns on the screen, from hitting snooze to making a call), but the actual number was around 85. The slight majority took less than 30 seconds. (Participants also underestimated duration of use by about an hour — the real total was 5.05 hours — which included phone calls and listening to music when the screen was off.)

If you are awake for 16 hours, turning on or checking your phone 85 times means doing so about once every 11 minutes (and doesn’t account for internet use on a computer), and 5.05 hours is over 30 percent of the day. What might be the effect on reflection of this compulsive behavior?

In 2010, researchers led by Dr. Stephen Fleming at the Wellcome Trust Center for Neuroimaging at University College London published a paper in the journal Science in which they correlated introspective ability with the amount of gray matter in the prefrontal cortex. (Introspective ability was defined for the study as the accuracy of measuring one’s own performance on a visual-perception task, a sign of metacognition, or “thinking about thinking.”)

Using this information about the prefrontal cortex, Brian Maniscalco and Hakwan Lau published a paper in Neuroscience of Consciousness in 2015 that measured introspective ability while subjects were either able to focus on one task or distracted by a difficult second task. Being distracted by the second task didn’t hurt actual performance on the first task, but it did impair the subjects’ ability to be introspective (again, by accurately self-reporting how they did). The finding supports previous widespread evidence that multitasking leads to lower cognitive performance. (With, again, other studies showing some beneficial effects of multitasking.)

It is therefore “a reasonable conjecture,” Dr. Fleming said, if we think of navigating the world — physically, as a flâneur might, or mentally, when pondering something — as a “first task” and looking at one’s phone as a “second task,” that the latter hinders our capacity to reflect.

“The prefrontal cortex is good at doing one thing at a time,” he said. “If you put people in a dual-task setting, part of the reason things become impaired is because that secondary task interferes with the functions involved in introspection.”

It seems counterintuitive to say that we are entering an unreflective cultural phase, as our time tends to be criticized for its self-absorption. But our solipsism is frequently given outward expression rather than inward exploration, with more emphasis than ever before on images. When there is text, new media such as Instagram commonly sideline the role of language.

The selfie is too easy a fish to shoot in this particular barrel, but consider the tweet, its name phonically close to “thought.” Its brevity is the perfect length for an aphorism and little more (unless someone rattles off a sequence of tweets).

For a certain percentage of the population, the thoughts that they may have kept private in a pre-smartphone age — letting them marinate and perhaps deepen till they could no longer be articulated in fewer than 140 characters — are now ejected into a public forum.

Moreover, the internet typically rewards speed over all else, a quality at odds with deliberative thought — and our appetite for velocity is only increasing as data transfer rates improve. In 2006, Forrester Research found that online shoppers expected web pages to load in under four seconds. Three years later, the number was shaved to two seconds; slower web pages led many shoppers to look elsewhere.

By 2012, Google engineers had discovered that when results take longer than two-fifths of a second to appear, people search less, and lagging just one quarter of a second behind a rival site can drive users away.

“That hints at the way that, as our technologies increase the intensity of stimulation and the flow of new things, we adapt to that pace,” Mr. Carr said. “We become less patient. When moments without stimulation arise, we start to feel panicked and don’t know what to do with them, because we’ve trained ourselves to expect this stimulation — new notifications and alerts and so on.”

What this often translates to in the discourse of the internet is demand for immediate and perfunctory “hot takes” rather than carefully weighed judgments, whether they’re about serious or superficial matters.

Mr. Carr also noted counterarguments: Formulating relatively simple thoughts on the internet can yield more complex ones through real-time exchanges with others, and people whose reflex is to post a notion hastily rather than let it sit may not have been the most deliberative thinkers in a pre-smartphone time, either.

Nevertheless, he sees our current direction as indicative of “the loss of the contemplative mind,” he said. “We’ve adopted the Google ideal of the mind, which is that you have a question that you can answer quickly: close-ended, well-defined questions. Lost in that conception is that there’s also this open-ended way of thinking where you’re not always trying to answer a question. You’re trying to go where that thought leads you. As a society, we’re saying that that way of thinking isn’t as important anymore. It’s viewed as inefficient.”

Mr. Carr observed that, for decades, Rodin’s 1902 sculpture “The Thinker” epitomized the highest form of contemplation: a figure with an imposing physique staring abstractly downward, hunched over to block out distraction, frozen because it’s a statue, of course, but also because deep thinkers need time and don’t fidget. It’s hard to imagine a postmodern update called “The Tweeter” being quite so inspirational.

we have become our own fathers

With media you can put any meaning you want into it if it reflects on you and you on it.

Linkin Park- Lost In The Echo Lyrics​

Linkin Park- Lost In The Echo Lyrics

 

[Hadoblado]

My shrink feels more like a very good friend than a family member. Seems like I struck lucky. He's an ex professor with boundless enthusiasm. I know that it's a payed companionship, but it's pretty clear that we get along outside the bounds of the service he does me. We tend to get real caught up in discussing the ins and outs of the theory etc, sometimes perhaps neglecting my reasons for being there. I think he misses his academic days. Probably helps that I'm studying the things he used to teach.

In a way there's a kind of intimacy there in that you know they're payed to be there. You know they're not there to extract affirmation or whatever else from you... just money. It means you can be a selfish conversationalist. I've never talked to anyone else about my issues while not running a parallel program for how this affects my future interactions with them. In this way, you get to truly isolate the problem, without giving up the assistance you would lose from true isolation.

I guess the 'mother' fits. It's difficult to see a 70yo man as a mother figure though.

The media is no god of mine. Consumerism has more of a Satan "that serpent of old" feel: "Hey kids want an apple? It has wifi and is ribbed for her pleasure".

 

[The Gopher]

I've never talked to anyone else about my issues while not running a parallel program for how this affects my future interactions with them.

Really? Hurm. *This has effected your future interactions with The Gopher*