Ask Penumbra Stuff?

[Revoltingest]

What decorations do you think looks best on boxer shorts.....penguins or dollar signs?

 

[Penumbra]

What decorations do you think looks best on boxer shorts.....penguins or dollar signs?

Penguins.

Unless it's some rich guy- because the idea of a rich guy in a suit unashamedly wearing boxers with dollar signs is really funny to me.

 

[Father Heathen]

The username comes from the word penumbra, rather than from the video game title Penumbra.

Well I figured that.

 

[Katzpur]

The only picture I have posted here is this: (picture of my eyes with contrast turned up, sort of looks weird because it makes the bridge of my nose disappear)
http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/2562070-post4506.html

Just the eyes?

I'm caucasian, fairly small, light build, medium length straight brown hair, brown eyes.

So I guess the answer would be that I don't particularly look like that, but the build and facial structure is close enough that I could probably dress as her for Halloween or something pretty convincingly.

Thanks for the answer. The reason I asked is that whenever someone's avatar is a picture of a human, that's how I picture the person as looking, no matter how often I remind myself that they may not look like that at all. (For the first year I was here, I pictured Jay as looking like Groucho Marx. )

 

[Tathagata]

I think you may be my female counter-part.
We're parallel in many ways given your OP.

 

[Nooj]

Is being a vegetarian cheaper than not being one?

What are the benefits (however you want to define it) of being a vegetarian?

 

[Penumbra]

Is being a vegetarian cheaper than not being one?

What are the benefits (however you want to define it) of being a vegetarian?

I have been a vegetarian for many years, including when the OP was written, though in the past few months I have been eating a bit of fish once in a while, which makes me a pesceterian.

But to answer the questions, no, it has not been cheaper. I spend a ton of money on food.

Benefits can vary, depending on what one's goals are. Eating lower on the food chain can reduce resource and land use, assuming equal transportation costs and other factors. Philosophically or ethically speaking, harming or not harming certain types of animals may be a factor in the decision. Health can be a reason as well, if one eats well.

 

[Me Myself]

If you would compare yourself with some animal (symbolicaly or something like that ) which animal would you be?

 

[Penumbra]

If you would compare yourself with some animal (symbolicaly or something like that ) which animal would you be?

Not sure.

Maybe a cat or a falcon.

I like them.

 

[Penumbra]

I like homo sapiens the best, though. The animal I most closely compare myself with is a human, seeing as how I am one. I guess the next closest genetic comparison would be a chimpanzee.

I'm not a pet person, at all.

But I like birds, cats, and snakes. (I think snakes are adorable.)

 

[Koldo]

I found a pic of Penumbra on the web.
I hope she won't mind me posting it here:

Spoiler: Penumbra

 

[Nooj]

have you read the nichomachean ethics?

 

[Penumbra]

have you read the nichomachean ethics?

Yes, and I think it's a great read.

Aristotle's school is my preferred philosophical school compared to his contemporaries (though I like many of his contemporaries as well).

 

[Indira]

Hi there Penumbra...What is DIR? Thanks

 

[Penumbra]

Hi there Penumbra...What is DIR? Thanks

A DIR is a Discuss Individual Religion subforum. On the home page, if you scroll down, you'll see the DIR subforums. These are areas for specific groups, like Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, or Muslims, and other groups, to have a place for themselves where they can discuss aspects of their faith. Non-members of those groups can only post respectful questions, so it's a place that is mainly for use by members of that group and also a source of knowledge for other people.

Your title says you're a Buddhist, so for example, here is the Buddhist DIR:
Buddhism DIR - Religious Education Forum

 

[Indira]

A DIR is a Discuss Individual Religion subforum. On the home page, if you scroll down, you'll see the DIR subforums. These are areas for specific groups, like Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, or Muslims, and other groups, to have a place for themselves where they can discuss aspects of their faith. Non-members of those groups can only post respectful questions, so it's a place that is mainly for use by members of that group and also a source of knowledge for other people.

Your title says you're a Buddhist, so for example, here is the Buddhist DIR:
Buddhism DIR - Religious Education Forum

I must say, this site is the most organized, well put together I have encountered so far. I`m relatively new to message boards and only been using the computer for about 2 years. Kudos to you people for a job well done.

 

[Aquitaine]

How do you cope with learning and understanding multiple complex issues, whether they're Philosophical, Political, Economic, Engineering-related etc?

I ask because you seem to know a great deal about a lot of things, and have formed perspectives which appear deep, experienced and insightful.

Do you ever feel mentally/intellectually overwhelmed - especially when trying to fit Ethics into the equation?

 

[Penumbra]

I've been on somewhat of a hiatus lately, so it took me a while to see this.

How do you cope with learning and understanding multiple complex issues, whether they're Philosophical, Political, Economic, Engineering-related etc?

I ask because you seem to know a great deal about a lot of things, and have formed perspectives which appear deep, experienced and insightful.

Well, thanks. ^-^

I think I just have a natural tendency for whatever reason, whenever I encounter something I don't understand, to look it up that day, or for multiple days if it's a big thing. That's the case whether it's a word I don't know the definition of, or a science topic, or something that sounds neat in macroeconomics, etc. I keep going out of my way to expand my circle of understanding.

Some of it is related to my professions. I'm an engineer by trade, and then I also own a small financial research business. So I have to know a lot of science/engineering topics, and then also a lot of economic topics.

My interest in philosophy and politics likely comes from hardship in my life. I experienced homelessness as a child, and grew up in relative poverty. I was also rather sickly, and continue to have health problems to this day, requiring surgeries and medicines, despite keeping myself physically fit. So from early on, I started being more interested than perhaps most people are, in questions like what's the meaning of life, or what is a just society, or what are the best strategies to cope with suffering or improve well-being, especially for things that seem out of our control. So I read a lot of philosophy like Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Stoics, Epicureans, then later European ones like Kant, Locke, Nietzsche, Spinoza, Camus, Sartre, Mill, Bentham, then going into America with Emerson and others. To stay relatively efficient, usually what I would do is read a lot about them, like detailed overviews (the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy tends to be a good start), and then for ones that interest me more thoroughly, I would read some of their works and research them more directly, and compare differences and similarities. Then for religion and spirituality I read the Old Testament, New Testament, some non-canon early Christian writings, the Tao Te Ching, the Qur'an, some Buddhist sutras and other info about Buddhism, the Bhagavad Gita, the Mukhya Upanishads, some stuff from pantheists or New Age, and so on. And then for politics, it can pretty much be broken down into economics and civil rights, so I research a lot about both.

Do you ever feel mentally/intellectually overwhelmed - especially when trying to fit Ethics into the equation?

I've generally felt intellectually overwhelmed when attempting to learn advanced mathematics and advanced physics such as quantum mechanics. Part of it is related to interest- I tend to learn better at things that interest me, and to have more difficulty when I feel apathetic about something. When numbers literally start becoming imaginary, my interest begins to wobble.

I guess ethically it can be a matter of overcoming feelings of futility. Like, I try to eat ethically, reduce the environmental impact of my life, contribute to some causes or help where I can, all while being very busy with work and living. There's always a way to do way better. Sometimes it just seems that living in the modern world, is inherently kind of a losing battle, as I try to both get by, and reduce the negative aspects of just getting by. And sometimes I find myself thinking more than doing, and I try to achieve a balance there.

 

[Aquitaine]

My interest in philosophy and politics likely comes from hardship in my life. I experienced homelessness as a child, and grew up in relative poverty.

That does seem to be the case with those who've had similar upbringings: that their hardships shaped who they were etc. I'm sorry to hear that you had to experience that as a child.
I will say though, that even with odds stacked against you, you've come out as an intelligent, moral, considerate and succesfull individual.

I was also rather sickly, and continue to have health problems to this day, requiring surgeries and medicines, despite keeping myself physically fit.

That sucks. :/
I hope your health improves as time goes on.

So from early on, I started being more interested than perhaps most people are, in questions like what's the meaning of life, or what is a just society, or what are the best strategies to cope with suffering or improve well-being, especially for things that seem out of our control. So I read a lot of philosophy like Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Stoics, Epicureans, then later European ones like Kant, Locke, Nietzsche, Spinoza, Camus, Sartre, Mill, Bentham, then going into America with Emerson and others. To stay relatively efficient, usually what I would do is read a lot about them, like detailed overviews (the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy tends to be a good start), and then for ones that interest me more thoroughly, I would read some of their works and research them more directly, and compare differences and similarities. Then for religion and spirituality I read the Old Testament, New Testament, some non-canon early Christian writings, the Tao Te Ching, the Qur'an, some Buddhist sutras and other info about Buddhism, the Bhagavad Gita, the Mukhya Upanishads, some stuff from pantheists or New Age, and so on. And then for politics, it can pretty much be broken down into economics and civil rights, so I research a lot about both.

Wow, that's quite an impressive and comprehensive collection. Given that you've read such a variety of religious texts, how would you describe your overall religious beliefs (or lack of)?

Sometimes it just seems that living in the modern world, is inherently kind of a losing battle

Aye. I think it was you actually, who once made the point that living in the Developed World kind of requires a certain amount of blissful ignorance, given the nature of how our system is sustained etc.

Anyways, thanks for taking the time to respond in such an in-depth manner!

 

[BSM1]

Hey, P.
Do you believe there's a reason why tofu tastes so bad?
And have you read or are you familiar with The Urantia Book?