Nobody here understands me!

[Jim]

Is it a contest to see who can look the most foolish? I might have a chance at winning, then. Do people get more points for persistence in the same foolishness? I might not have a chance after all. Then again, I do persist in the foolishness of thinking that people are being serious in what they’re saying. That’s always been my problem in Internet discussions, thinking that people are really doing what they appear to be doing, and that forum descriptions and rules are meant to be taken seriously.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Is it a contest to see who can look the most foolish? I might have a chance at winning, then. Do people get more points for persistence in the same foolishness? I might not have a chance after all. Then again, I do persist in the foolishness of thinking that people are being serious in what they’re saying. That’s always been my problem in Internet discussions, thinking that people are really doing what they appear to be doing, and that forum descriptions and rules are meant to be taken seriously.

There have been a few times on this forum when I've been really serious and have invested significant time in trying to help someone. Upon doing so, my advice was rejected, without even so much as a "thank you" or a "that's nice", leaving me burnt out each time for a good 12-24 hours. I now weigh when to respond seriously and put an emotional investment in.

 

[Jim]

There have been a few times on this forum when I've been really serious and have invested significant time in trying to help someone. Upon doing so, my advice was rejected, without even so much as a "thank you" or a "that's nice", leaving me burnt out each time for a good 12-24 hours.

The same thing happens to me a lot. For example a few days ago I posted some ideas for someone that I thought was sincerely asking for help with a question. Then it turned out that the question was clickbait for something the person wanted to preach about, and he flamed me viciously. I fall for those clickbait questions every time.

 

[Jim]

Even if it’s all just a game, it traumatizes me to see so much contempt for religion and science, in people who are pretending to value them. I never get used to it. I know that it’s poisonous, so why do I keep coming back for more? It’s always just one more thing before I go.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Even if it’s all just a game, it traumatizes me to see so much contempt for religion and science, in people who are pretending to value them. I never get used to it. I know that it’s poisonous, so why do I keep coming back for more? It’s always just one more thing before I go.

I'm sorry to hear you are struggling. It just sounds like your patience is growing thin

 

[Jim]

Now I see a possible reason for me to keep coming back: to help bring light into this darkness. I need to learn to be more gentle.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Now I see a possible reason for me to keep coming back: to help bring light into this darkness. I need to learn to be more gentle.

Maybe you should take up role-playing on here and bust out the DnD dice. Me and Father Heathen will warm up the audience for you

 

[Jim]

Aupmanyav, please see this post.

The person whose post was like an oasis for me was you. Ever since then, I’ve felt a lot of affection for you, with occasional feelings of annoyance. I’m not sure how serious you are in what you say about my motives and intentions, but if you really believe that and you want people to know, then I don’t think it’s wrong to say it. I do see a problem though in you thinking that, because you’ll be misunderstanding what I’m saying, which will complicate communication between us. If you really do think that I’m lying about my motives and intentions, I hope that you’ll examine critically your reasons for thinking that.

 

[Terry Sampson]

There have been a few times on this forum when I've been really serious and have invested significant time in trying to help someone. Upon doing so, my advice was rejected, without even so much as a "thank you" or a "that's nice", leaving me burnt out each time for a good 12-24 hours. I now weigh when to respond seriously and put an emotional investment in.

The best advice my father ever gave me was: "Don't give advice." [Bet you'll never figure out why he gave me that advice. ] Actually, he repeated it to me several times over the course of a decade or so, ... until I finally pointed out to him that he was giving me advice. He laughed and never did it again.

That said, I still think it was the best advice he ever gave me, ... even though I rarely follow it.

 

[Jim]

Aupmanyav, there might be some things I can tell you that will help improve communication between us. Maybe not, but I want to give it a try. I think that the best thing that can happen to people, and what the world needs most of all, is for people to learn to love, trust and follow Bahá’u’lláh. I want to do as much as I can to help spread that news, and to help people learn about it if they want to. That isn’t all I ever think of everywhere all the time. For me, there’s a lot more to learning to follow Bahá’u’lláh than trying to get other people to do it. I’ve never thought of Internet forums as places to try to spread the news about Bahá’u’lláh, or to try to find people who might want to learn about it. I have much better ways of doing that, and trying to do that in Internet forums would be contrary to my purposes.

Even if you think I’m lying about that, I think that telling you about it still might help improve communication between us.

 

[Aupmanyav]

I think that the best thing that can happen to people, and what the world needs most of all, is for people to learn to love, trust and follow Bahá’u’lláh. I want to do as much as I can to help spread that news, and to help people learn about it if they want to.

That is your view and please continue to do so. But I have completely different views. I am a strong atheist, a non-believer whether it is one God or many. I consider all claims of being a prophet/son/messenger/manifestation/mahdi with a mission ordered by a God as being false. And as to what these people say, I do not consider that any better than sales talk.

 

[Jim]

That is your view and please continue to do so. But I have completely different views. I am a strong atheist, a non-believer whether it is one God or many. I consider all claims of being a prophet/son/messenger/manifestation/mahdi with a mission ordered by a God as being false. And as to what these people say, I do not consider that any better than sales talk.

Yes, I know all that, and the first part of my post was just confirming what I thought you already knew about my view.

The point of the second part of my post is that even though I want to help spread the news of Bahá’u’lláh, and help people learn about if they want to, that is not all I ever think about all the time, and it is never my reason for posting in Internet forums. It would actually be contrary to my purposes in Internet forums, to try to use them to tell people about Bahá’u’lláh or the Baha’i Faith. If you’re always thinking of that as my reason for posting, you will always misunderstand what I’m saying.

 

[Vinayaka]

The best advice my father ever gave me was: "Don't give advice." [Bet you'll never figure out why he gave me that advice. ] Actually, he repeated it to me several times over the course of a decade or so, ... until I finally pointed out to him that he was giving me advice. He laughed and never did it again.

That said, I still think it was the best advice he ever gave me, ... even though I rarely follow it.

I had an old Aunt that gave similar advice to all the newlywed nieces and nephews. But hers was 'don't listen to anyone's advice'. In particular this was about marriage.

 

[Aupmanyav]

If you’re always thinking of that as my reason for posting, you will always misunderstand what I’m saying.

I agree and realize that proselytization is not your sole purpose in this forum as it is with some other Bahais and I appreciate that. You are more than just an evangelist, just like some Christian missionaries also were in recording myths, history and language of regions where they worked. As I said elsewhere, you are more subtle.

 

[Jedster]

I had an old Aunt that gave similar advice to all the newlywed nieces and nephews. But hers was 'don't listen to anyone's advice'. In particular this was about marriage.

So...do the nieces and nephews follow her advice and ignore her advice ( ..sorry couldn't resist)

 

[Jim]

@Revoltingest @PopeADope @Audie
I’ve joked about you being my forum gods, but you really are special to me, and you light up these forums for me in special ways. Maybe for other people too, in those ways or others.

A while ago I was thinking about something I want to do different in these forums, and I imagined telling it to someone who is following my progress. I didn’t know if anyone could be, or if so, who it would be. Then I thought of telling it to my forum gods, and that felt good to me, even one of them does decide that my oars is catchin crabs.

What I’m trying to do in the forums keeps changing. I made a list of current goals a day or two ago, which included having friendly conversations with people, and trying to see through all the smoke, dust and mirrors, to see what people might be thinking, as they see it. Today I went out and did just the opposite. I was very unfriendly, and I dived right into the smoke, dust and mirrors, with just a passing thought for trying to see what people might be thinking.

I’ve been talking about a light that I would like people to see more and better. A while ago I thought a good place for people to see that light might be in the friendship and fellowship that are already happening in these forums, across the lines that people imagine between religions and between science and religion. I’m hoping that now I will pay more attention to that and learning to be part of that, and not get sidetracked so much by things that stir up my Righteous Wrath.

 

[Jim]

Note to self: Don’t try to have a friendly conversation with anyone when you’re feeling hostile. Even better, don’t try to have any kind of conversation with anyone, when you’re feeling hostile.

 

[Revoltingest]

Note to self: Don’t try to have a friendly conversation with anyone when you’re feeling hostile. Even better, don’t try to have any kind of conversation with anyone, when you’re feeling hostile.

That might be the best time to have one.
But it would mean committing to a change.
Hmmm.... a thread: Anyone Else Feeling Hostile?

 

[Audie]

That might be the best time to have one.
But it would mean committing to a change.
Hmmm.... a thread: Anyone Else Feeling Hostile?

Always

 

[dfnj]

Nobody here understands me!

I'm looking for some volunteers to try to understand me.

You seem like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. If you remember the story, Dorothy is bonked on the head. You seem bonked on the head. Then Dorothy goes on a journey down the golden road. She meets the Tin Man who is looking for a heart but he's the only character with compassion and empathy. Then she's meets the lion who is looking for courage but he's the only one acting courageously. Then she meets the Straw Man who is looking for a brain but he is the only one who acts intelligently. It's not until she meets the Wizard behind the current does she have the realization she's been only a heel click away from being home. She clicks her heels and wakes up from being unconscious. You are Dorothy. You need to click your heels.