#great conversation

[random-xpressions]

The art of conversation has much to do with listening than the general misconception that it is all about how to talk...

Random Xpressions

#listener #great conversation

[still-got-no-idea]

"are you saying all of my jokes are dad jokes?" "yes"

#aster talks #irl things #great conversation #“great news! one i killed your scarecrow-” #“two i make you a better one!” #there are great conversations

[musewrangler]

Things I love:

Having a conversation with a friend on the phone while I scrub all the downstairs floors. No, I don’t have ear buds. Yes, I was scooting the phone along floor as I went.

#Life #cleaning #scrubbing #friends #great conversation #Now my floors are clean #for five minutes

[kyousystem]

Angels (part 1)

I started working my way through the "Syntopicon" collection of essays today, beginning with the one on the concept of angels (if for no other reason than because it comes first in the alphabetical listing, heh). The essay is really only meant as an introduction to the history of thought on the idea, serving as a jumping-off point for further and more thorough readings, but I found it very interesting all the same.

Most of the ideas mentioned in the essay, especially for modern discussions on the subject, were heavily filtered through the lens of Christianity, which I suppose is to be expected. Of course, the writers took great pains to try and be objective, so they included not only pagan / polytheistic viewpoints, but some purely philosophical ones as well.

In fact, with how it was presented, there seemed to be a clear dichotomy in how angels are conceived: One from before Christianity became dominant throughout Europe (during so-called "antiquity"), and one from afterward up to the present. Again, I'm not surprised, considering the immense influence of the Catholic Church on much of Western thought... but it makes me very curious to learn more about these pre-Christian idea of angels.

It also talked a lot about angels in the sense of their being both an intermediate existence and an intermediary between God and Humanity, similar to demigods and the like in ancient poems and tales. That comparison, however, feels very hollow to me: While demigods and angels can indeed be conceived of as halfway between God and Man, depictions of demigods have their own desires and agency like any other human, whereas angels (especially Christian angels) effectively always exist strictly as an extension of God's will, machine-like in their singlemindedness of purpose.

Despite them often being used as a measuring stick for the perceived divinity or moral rectitude of a person, angels are ultimately quite inhuman...

There was another point, only tangentially related, that was mentioned as an aside but which caught my attention. Specifically, in discussing the notion of "good" and "bad" angels, there was a passage in the essay that underscored how Satan is not just inferior to God, but moreover subservient to God. Now, the notion of Satan basically being controlled opposition is very interesting in its own right, and I definitely want to explore that idea more another time, but that's not the point I meant.

The point that caught my eye was the following, paraphrased: In Christian theology, Evil must necessarily be subservient to Good, otherwise it'd risk falling into the Manichean heresy of light and darkness being warring forces of equal magnitude.

I honestly know very little about Manichaeism, but I'm intrigued and would love to learn more about it, about this notion and worldview where Evil is an equal-but-opposite force rather than controlled opposition. Hopefully it'll come up in more detail as I read further~

#syntopicon #angel #great conversation #great books of the western world #writing #essay #i doubt anyone or anything will bother reading this but I wanted to write it anyway

[geopolicraticus]

TODAY IN PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY

James Fitzjames Stephen and the Right Side of History    

Sunday 03 March 2024 is the 195th anniversary of the birth of Sir James Fitzjames Stephen (03 March 1829 – 11 March 1894), 1st Baronet, KCSI (which means “Knight Commander Star of India,” a chivalric order founded by Queen Victoria), who was born in London on this day in 1829.

James Fitzjames Stephen was prominent nineteenth century jurist who also wrote on philosophical matters and was a critic of John Stuart Mill. I will use the disagreement between Mill and Stephen to examine the idea of being “on the right side of history.”  

Quora:             https://philosophyofhistory.quora.com/ 

Discord:          https://discord.gg/r3dudQvGxD

Links:              https://jnnielsen.carrd.co/

Newsletter:    http://eepurl.com/dMh0_-/

Podcast:         https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nick-nielsen94/episodes/James-Fitzjames-Stephen-and-the-Right-Side-of-History-e2gipb4  

#philosophy of history #youtube #James Fitzjames Stephen #great conversation #John Stuart Mill #fallibilism #epistemic hubris #epistemic humility #Youtube

[adventures-in-poor-planning]

On Saturday I hung out with my 84-year-old ecologist great uncle and he stopped in mid-conversation (abt the return of the whooping crane) and very seriously told me that "you can go one of two ways, as a naturalist"; either you keep sight of the hopeful possibilities, or you don't. I'm one of nature's wretched little pessimists but when an old ecologist literally holds your hands in his and tells you, "don't despair," you have to try, I feel.

#I'm not doing the scene justice i genuinely wanted to cry #like. both him and my great aunt are in middling health and he jumps all over the place in conversations now #but he was very serious about that bit #nature tag #;-;

[welegi]

#jerma #jerma985 #jermaposting #mii #Unfortunately. he does looks like a mii #had a great conversation with my grandma on the signs of how to tell that yoghurt has expired #and why it actually doesnt matter while making this mii. would recommend

[fxck]

#great conversation

[thegizka]

They’re really calling the extra clips on 슈취차 “Cookie Clips” and transition to it with a clip of our Golden Maknae. 😭

#whoever is in charge of these edits and embellishments is hitting it out of the park #I love it #delightful #슈취타 #bangtan boys #giz speaks #so many moments from this episode that were adorable #great conversation

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

HAPPY SPOOKY SEASON! Have some merch

recently received new stock photos for the Terrible Pink T-Shirts i sell on etsy, and i find them so funny for some reason...

look at the smiling attractive people wearing their (also smiling!) attractive fashion wear!

#smiling. leering. same difference #i'm not saying that this is seasonally appropriate attire bc i would never imply this is appropriate attire #but a nonzero number of people have worn them trick-or-treating so... #i don't know why i find these stock photos so funny but i do #look at the hot normie couple casually posing showing off their fun normal t-shirts to consumers #yes this shirt is soooooo wearable to so many occasions #and a great conversation starter! #also it's super soft fabric. which means this shirt is both comfy (for you) AND uncomfy! (for everyone in eyesight) #(your eyesight? the shirt's eyesight? i will leave it to you to decide!) #p.s. there are pins/badges

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

An unbothered queen has entered, and subsequently left.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

#poorly drawn mdzs #mdzs #wen qing #wen ning #jiang cheng #wei wuxian #In the audio drama she quite literally opens the door and then leaves after seeing them without breaking conversation. #It is both so impressive and deeply funny to me. #I imagine her just literally pivoting in one foot and walking right out. #She came home after a long day at work and in 0.5 seconds went “I would rather go back to the office than deal with this right now”. #Besides tickling me to near tears - this scene is also a great introduction to Wen Qing - her first instinct is to protect! #She lives by the code of 'I don't care who you are - if you need help I will lend it.' a true doctor and professional. #Sure she is *mad* that Wen Ning puts himself (and her to a lesser extent) at risk by helping 'the enemy' but she gives in quick. #I love Wen Qing a lot - she is such an unsung hero in this story. #Sorry that her first appearance on this blog was...what it was. I'll let your curiosity take you down that path...

[lucabyte]

i feel like people are sleeping on the occam's razor situation of how buckwild it is to outright accuse a guy of being a clone of your friend even if you DO have a lot of circumstantial evidence. there's other options is what im saying. they could just be like. a guy. that's a sensible deduction. you should explore that deduction. ignore my shirt that reads I <3 RED HERRINGS.

i still think odile has the correct theory on lock but she's smart enough to know it needs like... a real smoking gun to be able to bring it up without sounding insane.

anyway. (mirabelle voice) i know its rude to speculate but has anyone else noticed the grieving? they seem to be grieving. does anyone have any thoughts on the grieving? i have some thoughts on the grieving.

#[isabeau voice] am i insane or does sometimes loop talk like they might have killed their whole family. is that just me? just checking. #nille design highly inspired by @kiwibrain's since its the one that imprinted in my mind. liberties taken since i didnt look @ reference #anyway i have a lot more thoughts on this? i guess ill hide them in the tags...? scroll down i suppose. #isat #in stars and time #isat spoilers #in stars and time spoilers #isat act 6 spoilers #isat loop #isat siffrin #isat bonnie #isat nille #isat fanart #in stars and time fanart #doodlebyte #---------------------------------------------------------------------- #anyway the extra thoughts. are literally just my general thoughts on postcanon. (and thus are the context for all of my postcanon doodles!) #which is i think nille joins the party before loop reappears for a start (either from a period of nonexistence or just wandering around) #and that like. i think the party should be able to integrate loop as a completely new person. because they are! the secrecy isn't great but #They and Siffrin shuffle into different ecological niches in the party (eg. i think sif is more squeamish after it all but loop isnt) #and while it's not *exactly* what Loop wanted they get that beggars can't be choosers. and its pretty good #(i am glossing over how i think loop's reappearence drags both them and siffrin into a massive behavioural backslide and is likely a bit #distressing to watch go down. cycle of argument -> lovebombing -> normalcy -> repeat. etc etc. but since they are no longer literally #stewing in the worst pressure cooker of all time they do resolve it via productive conversation on their own time. its fine) #the party well-meaningly tries to deduce things from loop's vagueries and are able to pin down the DEAD FAMILY vibe pretty quickly. #but eventually the question of their prior identity falls by the wayside because well! they're just their friend loop! (also change belief) #as for how The Truth Come Out... this is what i mean by The Isabeau Torment Nexus(tm). which is that i think... isiloop should almost occur #BEFORE isabeau knows who loop is. he's just genuinely charmed by them eventually and tries to close the open end of the polycule #which FREAKS LOOP THE FUCK OUT because thats just too genuinely sick and wrong. and obviously w emotions high its not a great confrontation #ANYWAY told u i had more thoughts. if i were normal itd be a text post but.

[nelkcats]

Refuge

Danny was not retired, technically he came when people needed him, he helped or protected them as the case may be. It just turned out that over the years they stopped needing him.

And that was fine, it meant humanity could take care of itself, it meant they were safe. That was what had to matter, no matter that deep down, the halfa was hurt by the information.

It was harder to accept change when you weren't part of it. Danny was immortal, eternal, and powerful, things that no longer fit the world. Not with all the heroes and wizards running around, not with Amity Park fading away, becoming nothing more than a part of his memories.

He fit in perfectly in the Realms, sure, but he knew that if he stayed there too long he'd stop feeling human, and that was dangerous.

So, no, Danny wasn't retired. But he lived in a simple house in Metropolis, though sometimes he got tired of Superman being able to hear literally everything and moved to his house in Fawcett. He used to switch between the two houses frequently, not that it was difficult since he had figured out how to make portals.

He had a few friends, like the orphan boy who lived at the train station and Conner, a teenager who sometimes just needed a house to stay in when he couldn't stand his father.

Neither Conner nor Billy minded his age, which was comforting, although they both got curious when he visited the other house. Danny didn't know how to explain that Eternity Rock and Superman made him nervous if he stayed too long (he didn't like feeling watched), so he just shrugged and told them he had two houses.

Neither of the kids understood but they accepted it. They both had a habit of calling him "Uncle", Danny thought it was odd, given that his appearance wasn't exactly...adult, but it seemed they were comfortable with that, and he left them alone.

Apparently his house (occupied or not) had become a haven for them. Danny always greeted them with a sandwich, or cookies, even though he felt like a grandmother doing so. He smiled for the first time in years, feeling happy to fit into someone's life.

That's why it was quite disconcerting to find the Justice League outside his door asking him to join them. Danny chuckled internally, because the current heroes actually believed they could force him into something, but he accompanied them anyway.

Superboy and Captain Marvel scowled at the League as soon as they entered the Watchtower, when they were told they were bringing in a "dangerous individual" they didn't expect to see their unofficial uncle.

#dpxdc #immortal danny #he took care of Billy and Conner #Conner found his home after a fight with Clark #He thought it was weird when Danny just invited him in and taught him breathing exercises to calm down #Danny knows what it's like to deal with angsty teens because he's one forever #Well for that and for Jazz #Billy found Danny's house after he offered him food #Danny managed to cheat the system and buy two houses while they were not paying attention to him #Halfa powers and Vlad's fortune came in handy for something #dp x dc #dc x dp #Danny would change houses whenever he felt Superman or the Rock were paying too much attention to him #he hates being noticed when there is no reason #Billy and Conner know about each other even though Danny doesn't know that they know #They think it's fun to keep the secret #The conversation came up on a mission #The League sensed a large source of magical power and decided to interrogate it #Danny thinks it's cute that they think they can question him #He is the great source of power obviously #Uncle Danny

[transmascissues]

today, my coworkers’ refusal to see me as a man put one of our patients in a position where they felt unsafe for the third time. i’ve been at this job for less than two months total. i don’t even care about getting misgendered anymore, i just want the people we’re supposed to be taking care of to feel comfortable around me.

i work at a hospital where we have to supervise our patients in a lot of vulnerable situations. there are safeguarding rules in place for certain things that male employees aren’t allowed to be present for when it comes to female patients. and yet, the people training me and telling me what to do have repeatedly put me in situations where i’ve been forced to do things that the female patients aren’t comfortable with me doing. and because they have repeatedly failed to teach me the rules for doing my job as a man, i have no way of knowing when i’m crossing one of those lines unless one of the patients tells me.

i’ve had to watch a victim of SA stare at me in abject terror as my coworkers asked her to strip naked with me still in the room. it took several minutes for her to even be able to speak enough to ask if i could leave the room. i found out after that she broke down crying the moment i walked out. my biggest regret is that i didn’t realize what was happening fast enough to leave before she ever had to say something, because she shouldn’t have had to say it. i never should’ve been allowed in the room in the first place, because that’s not something male employees are supposed to be present for. but i didn’t know that yet, because i was training and i thought surely, they wouldn’t train me to do something that directly violated their own safeguarding rules. that moment was the first time, and it’s haunted me ever since, but it wasn’t the last time. not only did it happen for the third time today — it almost happened for the fourth, and would have if someone hadn’t spoken up to say they should pick someone else. i care for these people so deeply, it’s why i took this job, and i’m so tired of hearing the fear in their voices when they have to ask me not to do something i never should’ve been told to do.

i’m very used to the personal discomfort of being misgendered. i willingly deal with it a lot at work as well as in other situations, not because i’m in the closet (at this point in my medical transition that would be impossible), but because it’s such a frequent occurrence with my coworkers that we would never get anything done if i took the time to correct them every time. but to see it get to the point of causing such visceral discomfort in other people? people i’m supposed to be taking care of and keeping safe? that’s something else entirely, and i’m fucking exhausted.

and after all of that, some of them still look at me like i have two heads when they tell me what to do and i say “i can’t do that, only female employees can” because i’m learning now. clearly i’m already seen as a man by our patients, but my coworkers would still rather put them in an unsafe situation than just train me as a man.

#to be clear it’s four different things they’ve asked me to do that im not supposed to #as soon as i find out about one rule they ask me to violate a different one that i didn’t know about #i will never ever forget that girl’s face and i’ll never stop being angry for her #for all three of them but especially her #i hate my coworkers for a million different reasons #the patients are the only reason i didn’t quit this job after the first day #i just want to do right by them and sometimes it feels like i’m the only one working there who does #it kills me because the patients who know im trans have been so great about it too #most of them know nothing about trans people but they’re so willing to learn and so respectful and we’ve had such great conversations #they’re getting fucked over by someone else’s transphobia when they themselves don’t have a single transphobic bone in their bodies #i hate this place because i care about the people in it too much to stand by the way it treats them and it’s killing me #transandrophobia #transandromisia #transmisandry #virilmisia #virilphobia #anti transmasculinity #transmascphobia

[yrsonpurpose]

#he's just like me fr

#nicholas galitzine #the idea of you #mine* #yeah.... #he's always keeping it real #introverted king its okay #also i love that he always says this yet he is ALWAYS spotted talking to famous people at events #so like... it shows he is actually respected by others #and they want to have a conversation with him #in general he just gives off welcoming and warm energy and i think thats great #you mean to tell me there is the possibility of more interviews with him looking like this #okay!