Ask me anything, mid 2023 edition

[PoetPhilosopher]

Hello everyone, I hope you are having a great day. I thought it would be fun to do an Ask Me Anything thread of myself for 2023. So, feel free to ask me anything you are curious about!

Before we start, I want to share some answers to some questions that I think might be common or interesting. Here they are:

Q: Are you transgender?

A: This is a personal question, but I don't mind answering it. I explored my gender identity from late 2019 to early 2022, and I came to the conclusion that I am Gender Fluid and use they/them pronouns.

Q: What made you decide to become "atheist", or at least "non-theist"?

A: A while ago, which was before joining the forum in 2019, I had a medical setback that made me look for some extra inspiration in my life. I found some comfort in religion and religious music at that time. However, I also realized that relying on something else as a lifelong safety cushion was not the best thing for me. I wanted to find myself, and create my own path in life. So, I decided to identify as non-theist, which means I don't believe in any gods. This is my personal choice, and I respect other people's beliefs as well. I don't want to debate about this topic here, as I have already discussed it many times in the past, and I don't have anything new to say. But, if you have any questions for clarification purposes, I might answer them.

Q: When you leave for months at a time from the forum, where do you go?

A: In my first two or more years here, I had to focus on recovering from that medical setback I mentioned earlier. So, I prioritized my health and well-being, which sometimes meant taking a break from social media, including this forum. I apologize if that affected the quality of my interactions here.

But lately, when I leave for a few months, it's not because of that reason. It's more because of my real life responsibilities and obligations. Sometimes, I have things to do that take up a lot of my time and energy.

 

[JustGeorge]

How do you handle change?

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

How do you handle change?

I have some flexibility when it comes to that, and I'd say a part of that flexibility comes from my upbringing. Because of various things going on at the time, like having to move multiple times, and often having near-opposite views to some of the people in my life, I learned to take little for granted. So I'd say 'not taking things for granted' can be one way of accepting change.

 

[Yerda]

Have you ever been in love?

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Have you ever been in love?

Many times. Admittedly, I feel my best stories are from my 20's. This may make me think that finding love in one's 30's is harder.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Is your username tied to some feeling of connection to the Disney character, or a reflex callout as reaction to a traumatic 'yellow snow' eating incident in your past?

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Is your username tied to some feeling of connection to the Disney character, or a reflex callout as reaction to a traumatic 'yellow snow' eating incident in your past?

Lol. I do like the Disney movie.

That being said, I feel my username was something decided in a matter of maybe a day or so. I like it overall though - I feel it's fairly unique.

 

[Ella S.]

Do you have any thoughts about the rivalry between Sartre and Camus?

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Do you have any thoughts about the rivalry between Sartre and Camus?

This is a difficult one. I think Sartre may have been in the wrong in the dispute, and I'm not even sure, based on what I've heard, that Sartre was even that great of a person, in general.

That being said, I think Sartre's philosophical ideas were great. And in regards to philosophy, I'm a closer follower to Sartre's ideas regarding philosophy than Camus', to the point where if anyone tells me I follow Camus, I'll at times correct them.

 

[Ella S.]

This is a difficult one. I think Sartre may have been in the wrong in the dispute, and I'm not even sure, based on what I've heard, that Sartre was even that great of a person, in general.

That being said, I think Sartre's philosophical ideas were great. And in regards to philosophy, I'm a closer follower to Sartre's ideas regarding philosophy than Camus', to the point where if anyone tells me I follow Camus, I'll at times correct them.

That's essentially my position as well, interestingly.

What do you make of the Sisyphean struggle?

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

That's essentially my position as well, interestingly.

What do you make of the Sisyphean struggle?

I think in regards to it, that there are some things in life, that certainly look like it. And when they do, I think change is needed. And that it's usually a sign of something, or a system, being broken.

In regards to how Camus views the subject, though, I don't fully understand his views. It seems like he's saying that one must find meaning, but then it's like he goes on to say that life is meaningless anyway. He may have been talking about finding joy, and that joy being at times meaningless, but I still find it a hard concept to follow, that isn't really that clear. To the point where sometimes, in a broader sense, I feel Camus will make a great point and be onto something, then in the next step, try to completely undo that point he just made and dismantle it. He'll make tight statements, then make them vague.

 

[Ella S.]

I think in regards to it, that there are some things in life, that certainly look like it. And when they do, I think change is needed. And that it's usually a sign of something, or a system, being broken.

In regards to how Camus views the subject, though, I don't fully understand his views. It seems like he's saying that one must find meaning, but then it's like he goes on to say that life is meaningless anyway. He may have been talking about finding joy, and that joy being at times meaningless, but I still find it a hard concept to follow, that isn't really that clear. To the point where sometimes, in a broader sense, I feel Camus will make a great point and be onto something, then in the next step, try to completely undo that point he just made and dismantle it. He'll make tight statements, then make them vague.

Have you read "The Rebel" yet?

I ask because I had a similar relationship with Camus's writings, but after I read and re-read that work it made much of his other material much clearer for me.