Your last 10 OP's

[PoetPhilosopher]

For starters, I wanted to say that not everyone on RF may know how to access their list of previous threads from their profile. But for the ones that do, I propose a little game. Take your 10 last OPs, and talk about how you could have presented the OP post more effectively. Please avoid discussing what others have said in your threads or how they responded, even if you silently consider those factors. Just focus on how you could have improved the threads. Here are mine, my last 10 threads:

My observations and concerns about mental health in the New Age community - I think this would have been a better thread if I spoke more generally about the subject, and presented some sort of side instead of an inquiry. I just didn't know exactly how to. And I also wanted to keep the subject delicate, as well, at least how I presented it.

RF: A forum that helped me overcome some challenges and learn some new things - I felt this thread came from the heart, and that there's not much more I could have said.

The positives of the Bible from a secular perspective - This was a narrow topic, and unless I expanded the breadth of it, I don't think I could have improved it much.

The current distinction between humans and gods - This topic was fun and a change of pace, but maybe a little too abstract for the forum.

Are there ways the Left can have better conversations with the Right? - I should have put more meat into the OP to give people more to discuss.

Exploring the common ground between Marxism and conservatism - I don't think I could have improved this inquiry much.

The celebration of birthdays - I think I did good on this thread, but it was kind of an uninteresting and abstract subject I think, the way I presented it at least.

Would you change yourself for a long-time partner? - I felt I did pretty good with this thread. Not perfect, but good.

How pre-conceived notions lead to social awkwardness - I actually felt I did solid, for myself, with this thread.

Ask me anything, mid 2023 edition - Honestly, the OP, as I presented it, could come off a bit boring.

I have been on a personal journey lately. Some of it is related to RF, and some of it is not. You can read more about it in the Journals board, in my thread [RF: A forum that helped me overcome some challenges and learn some new things]. But here is a brief summary:

I have faced a lot of obstacles in my life, and they have affected my mental sharpness. I used to be able to form good arguments, but I lost some of that ability. Now I am trying to get back to my old self, and I think I am almost there. I want to make good threads and sharp posts, and I am experimenting with different ways to do that. I don't want to push myself too hard or exhaust myself, but I want to see if I can reach the level of clarity and logic that I once had. This will take some time, but I am curious to see how far I can go with that progress.

At the same time, I'm trying to strike a balance, too. It's not always about being the smartest. It's also about being good to yourself and others. I'd say that being surrounded with friends, like my RF friends on the forum and in the Games section, for example, is also a joy sometimes. The occasional rest and relaxation is too, as well as maybe the occasional soft drink and the occasional Rice Crispy treat. Sometimes, life's small moments are good too, such as, for example, petting a dog or cat, or taking a trip to the mall.

Also, if you're not the type to critique yourself (not everyone is), I still welcome conversation in this thread should you have anything to say. I think I'll go with the flow a bit for this thread.

 

[YmirGF]

For starters, I wanted to say that not everyone on RF may know how to access their list of previous threads from their profile. But for the ones that do, I propose a little game. Take your 10 last OPs, and talk about how you could have presented the OP post more effectively. Please avoid discussing what others have said in your threads or how they responded, even if you silently consider those factors. Just focus on how you could have improved the threads. Here are mine, my last 10 threads:

My observations and concerns about mental health in the New Age community - I think this would have been a better thread if I spoke more generally about the subject, and presented some sort of side instead of an inquiry. I just didn't know exactly how to. And I also wanted to keep the subject delicate, as well, at least how I presented it.

RF: A forum that helped me overcome some challenges and learn some new things - I felt this thread came from the heart, and that there's not much more I could have said.

The positives of the Bible from a secular perspective - This was a narrow topic, and unless I expanded the breadth of it, I don't think I could have improved it much.

The current distinction between humans and gods - This topic was fun and a change of pace, but maybe a little too abstract for the forum.

Are there ways the Left can have better conversations with the Right? - I should have put more meat into the OP to give people more to discuss.

Exploring the common ground between Marxism and conservatism - I don't think I could have improved this inquiry much.

The celebration of birthdays - I think I did good on this thread, but it was kind of an uninteresting and abstract subject I think, the way I presented it at least.

Would you change yourself for a long-time partner? - I felt I did pretty good with this thread. Not perfect, but good.

How pre-conceived notions lead to social awkwardness - I actually felt I did solid, for myself, with this thread.

Ask me anything, mid 2023 edition - Honestly, the OP, as I presented it, could come off a bit boring.

I have been on a personal journey lately. Some of it is related to RF, and some of it is not. You can read more about it in the Journals board, in my thread [RF: A forum that helped me overcome some challenges and learn some new things]. But here is a brief summary:

I have faced a lot of obstacles in my life, and they have affected my mental sharpness. I used to be able to form good arguments, but I lost some of that ability. Now I am trying to get back to my old self, and I think I am almost there. I want to make good threads and sharp posts, and I am experimenting with different ways to do that. I don't want to push myself too hard or exhaust myself, but I want to see if I can reach the level of clarity and logic that I once had. This will take some time, but I am curious to see how far I can go with that progress.

At the same time, I'm trying to strike a balance, too. It's not always about being the smartest. It's also about being good to yourself and others. I'd say that being surrounded with friends, like my RF friends on the forum and in the Games section, for example, is also a joy sometimes. The occasional rest and relaxation is too, as well as maybe the occasional soft drink and the occasional Rice Crispy treat. Sometimes, life's small moments are good too, such as, for example, petting a dog or cat, or taking a trip to the mall.

Also, if you're not the type to critique yourself (not everyone is), I still welcome conversation in this thread should you have anything to say. I think I'll go with the flow a bit for this thread.

Although we have distinct differences in our views, I always read every word of your posts. I think you are quite articulate and use language quite effectively. As for your "sharpness", "Jeez, Louise", I can't imagine what you must have been like before if you are "dull" now in comparison. LOL.

Frankly, I love your thinking, even when I don't agree, you do make me think. Congratulations.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Although we have distinct differences in our views, I always read every word of your posts. I think you are quite articulate and use language quite effectively. As for your "sharpness", "Jeez, Louise", I can't imagine what you must have been like before if you are "dull" now in comparison. LOL.

Frankly, I love your thinking, even when I don't agree, you do make me think. Congratulations.

Thank you very much. It means a lot.

 

[ChristineM]

For starters, I wanted to say that not everyone on RF may know how to access their list of previous threads from their profile

Give us a hint. On the old software it was no problem but i just cannot find my threads on this new version.

Edit. Don't worry I've found it.

Edit 2 : Sorry i can't list them, some are birthday thread's, no problems there but kind of boring, some (most) are on eros and what's on eros stays on eros. So... Ho hum... Twiddling fingers.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Give us a hint. On the old software it was no problem but i just cannot find my threads on this new version.

Edit. Don't worry I've found it

Okay cool. For others who might want to know.... I think you go to profile, click Find, click Find All Threads:

 

[YmirGF]

Okay cool. For others who might want to know.... I think you go to profile, click Find, click Find All Threads:

View attachment 81188

WOOT! It works!

 

[ChristineM]

Okay cool. For others who might want to know.... I think you go to profile, click Find, click Find All Threads:

View attachment 81188

I found it on the main menu > Forums > Your threads

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Although we have distinct differences in our views, I always read every word of your posts. I think you are quite articulate and use language quite effectively. As for your "sharpness", "Jeez, Louise", I can't imagine what you must have been like before if you are "dull" now in comparison. LOL.

Frankly, I love your thinking, even when I don't agree, you do make me think. Congratulations.

To expand a little more, my obstacles started before I joined the forum in 2019, so it's kind of been a long journey. For an example of what I was like in 2019 during that obstacle period though - one of my first posts basically said "A person can be both atheist and theist. And atheism is the path to God." Most of my posts were a bit more coherent than that, though. Not all, though.

When I was at my prime, however, I would write, build computers and benchmark them, and debate a couple of people who came from really fancy colleges. I once also gave an engineer computer advice which he used on a product later. I was seen as gifted, and the smartest person in my immediate family.

As for what happened to cause my long path to recovery, I may have mentioned it once or twice before to RF'ers, but I don't bring it up too often. It was a freak accident that most people don't even think of as a possibility. But I think the important thing is that I'm starting to do better. Sometimes I worry that if I talked much about the freak accident that happened, that people will try to replicate it and experience some of the same problems. Or, myself talking about it could also bring awareness. I'm really not sure what would happen.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

All right, @Snow White , I'm game...

1. Discussion on the role of...well...discussion.
I'm going to grant myself a pass on this one. The OP is not great, but it's a discussion started in a previous thread that @Debater Slayer and I moved out to a new thread to avoid sidetracking, and it led to interesting discussion. It was terrible at explaining what was going on to anyone jumping in directly at this point though.

2. Discussion for those too lazy to switch religions
I think the OP was clear enough. I'm sure my attempts at humour aren't to everyone's tastes, but I occasionally amuse myself, at least. The responses I got were all on the money in terms of the conversation I was seeking, but there were very few of them. So either the title or the OP itself wasn't engaging, or the topic that interested me, interested few others.

3. If it ain't broke...
Well...I was really just having a dig at our American friends. It basically amounted to a one liner, which I put up as an OP. So...limited responses. But I like to think a bunch of Americans opened it, rolled their eyes, and muttered 'idiot', before closing it.

4. How to Fix US Federal Politics
This was a topic I was both sincerely passionate about, and hoping for different answers to what I got (from many). Mostly, I wanted to explore moving away from a system where there is inherent reinforcement of a two party system, and instead encourage a preferential voting system, like we have in Australia. Some engaged with the topic in the manner I was hoping (by their critiquing my view, or offering up alternative pragmatic improvements for discussion), but I got a whole raft of flippant comments around throwing politicians off buildings, or whatever. I get that, and I'm never against a pithy comment, but I was definitely hoping for a more serious discussion about election mechanics.

I think sometimes my tone doesn't promote serious discussion, even when that is my intent, but on this occasion I was a little more straight-forwards (perhaps apart from the title). I wonder if I didn't set clear enough parameters. Like...pick one electoral rule you would implement or change, or something.

5. Do Home Invaders Respect Manners?
This was just me sharing. It was really more about me than the audience, RF is sometimes a nice way to dump. My dumps don't tend to me emotive, particularly, but this served it's purpose.

6. Had to let someone go
Much the same as above, this was a dump after a tough day. It was all of one sentence, without detail.

7. Announcement of Presidential Candidacy
I was amusing myself here. I read a transcipt of Reagan's announcement in '75, and it struck me as something you could almost say today. So I tweaked it a little and posted it. Not even really my words, for the most part, so hard to defend or critique too much. It was largely without point, and was literally a vehicle for me to fill in 20 minutes whilst between appointments and sitting in a room. It was kinda a weird idea, to be honest.

8. Lewisnotmiller's 'Watch out what you ask, I might just tell you...' thread
Pretty simple premise that I'd actually answer whatever was asked, but people were pretty polite anyway, which was unfortunate. @Curious George came to the rescue by actually asking a more difficult to answer question, which I appreciated!

9. High School Coach has a Protected Right to Pray
I actually don't mind this OP on reflection. I hadn't done much research on the issue, and was just posting my reaction to an article. I don't generally do that. Normally I'm either posting on an issue I've reflected on a lot, or I'm posting crap.
But rereading the OP, I think I got the mix fairly okay. I kept it pretty straightforward, and didn't make any jokes. I was also loosely taking the side of the praying coach (in the OP) which I daresay was a little unusual in the eyes of some. But all in all, I'm going to tick this one off as a decent OP, with some actual effort invested.

10. Changing the words in Roald Dahl's book to remove offence strikes me as...
I kept the OP pretty simple, and was mostly interested in polling opinions. Whilst I've never found RF as being very useful in changing people's minds in any grand sense, it has served pretty well in helping me make up my mind. Both #9 and #10 on this list were basically versions of me trying to get different perspectives to help me develop my thoughts.

The main thread running through all of these is that my OPs are generally self-indulgent. I try to be a little more giving when I jump in someone else's thread. Like this one!

 

[SalixIncendium]

1. Does Your God(s) Exist Objectively?
   • Inspired by a post that stated that claimed that the vast majority of people think that their god exists objectively. I elected to put the suggestion to the denizens of RF. I probably could have presented it more effectively if I was at my desk when I posted in rather than driving down the Ohio Turnpike. But as it turns out, the poll results appear to indicate otherwise (though very few participated in the poll).
2. Hinduism Is Not a Religion
   • Inspired by a Facebook Reel where Sadhguru stated that there is no religion called Hinduism. The thread title was intended to be clickbait. I intentionally left out my own opinion because I didn't want to influence the responses. But this is one of many thing I don't see eye to eye with Sadhguru on.
3. Can God Microwave a Burrito He Can't Eat?
   • A parody thread of Can God make a rock He can't move? inspired by one of @mangalavara's responses in that thread.
4. Evidence for the Existence of Love
   • A thread comparing and contrasting subjective experiences. Inspired by something I read here discussing God and love and my mind just wandered off on a tangent about the experiences of both. Probably would have been more effective if I had posted it early in the day when my brain works better.
5. First Impressions
   • IIRC, this thread was inspired by something @Debater Slayer said in a thread whose title currently escapes me. This thread inspired other "first impression" threads by other members.
6. Luck
   • Inspired by a thread where an atheist (apologies; I can remember which one) wished another member luck and my brain went off on a tangent of why an atheist would believe in something called luck, but not something called a god. Not sure how I could have presented the thread more effectively, as it was just a series of questions.
7. "I Don't Have to Prove a Negative"
   • Inspired by an atheist on the forum claiming in a thread that no gods exist that had nothing to do with whether or not gods exist, and shifting the burden of proof on to the theist by saying they don't have to prove that no gods exist. The thread title is the actual quote from what was written in the thread. I think I did okay on this one, but I'm open to criticisms.
8. Are You Ready?
   • I was pondering my renunciation of the world, how I've prepared my daughter from my inevitable departure, and was curious about if and how others have prepared. Again, just a series of questions. Nothing really presented.
9. Historical Accuracy in Scripture
   • Inspired by a thread where two members were arguing about a Bible verse and whether it was historically accurate or an allegory and the verse's validity in either case.
10. Cardinal Directions for Prayer/Meditation/Ritual
    • Inspired by a post where a member was discussing ritual and what direction they were facing that got me reminiscing about my Neo-Pagan days. Again, just a series of questions to sate my curiosity.

It's pretty evident that most of the threads I create here are inspired by what others have written here on RF, and being the curious person I am, I have questions about what I've read and create a new thread in favor if derailing someone else's thread.

I don't really hold strong opinions an am not interested in changing anyone's views or beliefs, so my OPs typically aren't usually presented in such a fashion. They're more for the purpose of sating my own curiosity of why people think they way they do or for the purpose of amusing myself and others.