Fat is a type of crazy

I have some similar feelings about the last 18 months. The fact that I have been able to get out of bed at 7am and start work at 7:01 am and not have all the office bureaucracy and politics and small talk to deal with has been a godsend. No transport too. At 3:00 turn off computer. Done. I have been separated from my Thai girlfriend for that time but, truth be told, I haven't minded that as much as I thought I might. Being with her is fantastic except when it's not. I live in an area near forest so I can get exercise and fresh air during lockdowns. Feel bad for those in apartments. Still can talk to friends and see them if lockdown allows. But sometimes not being able to go to social events e.g. 21 st birthday parties of kids of friends, boring dinner parties and some family stuff isn't so bad too. If you ask me what happened in 2016 I couldn't tell you but 2020 will remain memorable, and now 2021, a time for solitude that turned out to be better than I thought.

Still. Better than nothing and if they give fans probably tend to give too.

18 months since my girlfriend left Australia. 2 years since been in Thailand. Could be why I hang around here a bit. Talk to my girlfriend on line but not the same of course. Hang in there.

In case it seemed like I said a whole lot of nothing, if someone said to god, ' Make a stone heavier than you can carry' God called say ' You dont understand my nature since by definition the initial premise has to be I can lift any stone. If you said "Fly faster than you can fly" I can reject the premise since I can fly as fast as I wish so it doesn't make sense. Your question has a limit that does not exist therefore the proposition is not sound'.

It comes down to the definition of god. If a god is by definition all powerful with no limitations then the human who made the statement has erred in logic as by definition god can make any stone and lift it. God can make a stone as big as he chooses. God can lift that or any stone. If a god can be defined as non human but with limitations then God could possibly make a stone so big he couldn't lift. They are two different skills - making stones and lifting stones. It is about the definition of God.

Australia Not perfect, there is influence by the powerful, rich, and the media, but pretty good. Free and fair elections. You seem to be aiming for absolutes so you become disappointed. Same with people. Most I think have some natural moderation process to keep us between too good and too bad. There are exceptions, and some of those are the high profile leaders who get the headlines, while your neighbours, friends, and family and most people on this site are fairly goodish people. Things such as drugs, money, and power can intoxicate and throw us off track towards taking actions that hurt, or hinder others, but the sign that people are not too bad are the societal controls in place to either help us or punish us when we go to far. In countries like Australia. You can do your thing each day. That's a sign people aren't too bad where you are.

Facebook in Myanmar let free speech reign. Not for ethical reasons but because they didn't want the cost of moderation. Chatter started about the Rohingya and that they were responsible for this and that. As usual there is a tiny bit of truth but then constant lies and exaggerations led to a full blown massacre, and those that could, had to flee to the neighboring country. That's despite them having a history in the country for 100's of years. It is widely accepted that facebook added to it by letting lies, fear, and hate spread so much faster and get out of control than it would otherwise. That's an example where I think free speech has to be moderated and it can apply to certain similar situations. What if Jim Jones could have got on Facebook and told people around the world to drink the Kool aid. For covid there are possibilities, ideas, half truths, exaggerations and out right lies. Yes it is hard to define which is which but not impossible - most things should be left alone but outright lies by powerful and influential people should at least have a warning sign. These are just examples where some moderation may be appropriate if lives are at stake.

It's an interesting topic as to if people who believe in god, i.e. who have faith, are more akin to those who are suspicious of power to a strong degree, e.g. many on Asean Now who believe in conspiracies about elections, covid and or climate change etc , or those that accept the consensus of science and are more likely to comply with such consensus. I am more like the latter and see the former as extrapolating way beyond what they actually know, and on basing their opinions on feelings, and on joining dots for which there is no evidence. This is similar to a belief in god where faith means you start with a belief and work back from there. Others might say I am like a sheep who needs to question things more, and look behind the scenes, and that this is similar to a belief in god where I am making a leap in faith. To that I would say that life in general probably requires some leap of faith from time to time but that no leap is required for following the consensus if you have an open mind. Starting with the premise of things being all due to power, corruption, and lies is a leap of faith that human nature is bad and that nothing is as it seems - a type of paranoia. So we all probably think we have an open mind but stick to our positions. I would like to think following science and not being unnecessarily cynical about each and every decision made by the educated and powerful, while still hopefully keeping an open mind, requires the least leap of faith.

Is belief in god really like actions taken to stop the spread of a disease? I am interested who benefits from the so called covid con in Australia. And how do those that benefit influence government decision making? You seem pretty sure so you should be able to provide a clear and articulate response. Sydney shut down a bit late and they have 10 times the cases of Melbourne. Thanks Dan. Imagine if no lockdowns in Sydney. Lots in hospital right now. The causation between junk food and cancer, compared to covid and illness, is just a bit weaker. Also if you eat junk food and drink beer it doesn't affect me. Except taxes in hospitals. That's the reason they don't ban it. They give people a choice. Hard to give people a choice with covid because your actions affect others. I said I'll stop talking covid because it's boring. After this.

Why? Many countries doing OK with this thinking. My idea is self interest through being informed and thinking it through for yourself. Not indoctrination leading to no logic and common sense. Just a cultish belief in heaven and hell and tribalism leading to wars and dodgy crusades and not letting other cultures be. Priests acting badly. A bit of charity too. Put it on the scale and the bad outweighs the good because it's based on a fantasy and control and not on human nature. It's all been said before.

Religion can often be a good thing for a sense of community and many do help people in practical terms. It also adds to the 'us' and 'them' mentality. So what if god and religion is gone. It would be nice to think it could be love to bring us together but self interest might be enough. As Morrissey said 'If it's not love then it's the bomb that will keep us together'. As we become aware that there is not likely to be a god, and if there is, they are not protecting us, the importance of self control becomes necessary. This is since now we are able to destroy ourselves with bombs, or climate change, or a slow disintegration of society or whatever. Human nature seems to be to protect ourselves and our tribe. It could be that we are not so bad and that, without a god, it can still feel good to help our tribe and others even if it doesn't lead to heaven. It might help if our leaders can send the message, and have policies that back it up, that self interest can be consistent with the interest of society, and that our tribe is now bigger than just your family, political party or religion whether we like it or not. The economic and social policies could act as a carrot and stick to ideally lead to the conclusion that the world is, if not totally fair, a place where if you work hard you can give you and your tribe a decent and free life, and can assist those who can't fend for themselves. The outcome being that you can benefit yourself and that this is consistent with not destroying what others have created. It might sound a bit hopeful but in my opinion an imperfect form of the above exists in many countries like Australia and New Zealand.

You would still have the odd charismatic leader pushing people astray but it would be a lot less. It is shocking sometimes just how much people can be influenced by stuff on the internet and if the tool of extreme religion was gone it would make a huge difference. Religion has the advantage of uniting people and controlling them as a force whereas a lot of conspiracy lunacy is disjointed and often involves some sad guy separate in his little world.

I see some posts where people try and put together a theory whereby things are being done to benefit politicians and their ilk. Politicians, if you are cynical, want popularity and money leading to further power. In Australia the government has been spending much more with less tax. Thailand would be the same. Both governments would be less popular than before covid. So I think covid is covid and politicians are politicians and I don't buy what people are selling when they say politicians are keeping it going in some way to benefit themselves.

I think this topic is mixing two concepts that can be similar but not the same. You can be narcissistic, i.e. admire oneself and one's appearance, and still be aware and sympathetic and helpful to others e.g. Hollywood stars helping in Haiti might fit this category where you might say there is a mixed motive. On the other hand in terms of caring for others you might have, at one extreme, psychopaths, and at the other, people who are just cold, apathetic, uncaring, cold and just indifferent. I think it comes down to the nurture nature thing. Some are just born cold. I think most people feel good helping others but some don't. On the nurture side it can relate to how successful you have been in the past at fulfilling your objectives of helping others and what treatment you got in return. You may lose confidence in what you can achieve. You may have helped others and they burned you in return. I think in the end we are all after something which is a bit greedy which is to feel good. I enjoyed the works of Ayn Rand, not because of the right wing politics, but because she reminds us that the final motivation is to benefit ourselves even if it is just to feel good. Selfishness can be a good thing if you can believe in yourself and that you are a good person. That could be getting a bit narcissistic though.

Hope to see your thoughts and ideas on other topics. Best wishes.

Happy to as a kid since as long as Easter eggs kept coming that was good enough for me

He got his inspiration from Lord Krisna, and famously, from He's so fine from the Chiffons. Was disappointed to see it was such a close copy as this is one of the first songs I remember liking as a kid. Bought the Jesus Christ Superstar original soundtrack album at a second hand shop and loved it for a time. Saw the show in the 70's as a kid but it all seemed a bit serious. Lyrics from King Herod's Song, familiar to fans, are appropriate to last nights debate about if Jesus was a thing: So You are the Christ You're the great Jesus Christ Prove to me that You're divine Change my water into wine That's all You need do And I'll know it's all true C'mon King of the Jews Jesus, You just won't believe The hit You've made around here You are all we talk about The wonder of the year Oh, what a pity If it's all a lie Still I'm sure that You can rock The cynics if You try So if You are the Christ You're the great Jesus Christ Prove to me that You're no fool Walk across my swimming pool If You do that for me Then I'll let You go free C'mon, King of the Jews

Hope things are OK. A week now. Maybe you have gone with some of the others. Like the book Atlas Shrugged where one by one people disappear to start a new community. The gold situation sounded difficult. Hope you sorted it out.

You have interesting posts and it can be hard to know if posts are serious or are in jest. You appear to recognise there could be an issue. It doesn't hurt to take stock and make sure all is well. You don't have to trust .. if serious you could get a couple of opinions from professionals and see how you feel.

There's some truth in this and I have seen many guys stupidly manipulated into buying stuff and pandering to their girls and it can be disturbing. At the same time I am sure we have all seen a lot of dickish arrogant men who think they are right all the time and drive there women to despair. Yes they might stop their women acting like this but it can be by pushing them into compliance by bullying, boredom, and control. That 'no matter what they say' sounds good but I don't think it is healthy approach and depends if you want a fun life with an equal or someone pushed into compliance. My girlfriend has had her moments and I certainly don't pander to or reward her. I can recognise that a relationship that is 95 per cent good and 5 per cent bad can be good if you feel she is learning how to handle her emotions and I keep an open mind as to if I am a bit responsible. That last part doesn't mean being pussy whipped into submission, or leaving common sense behind, but just being aware that men can be crazy too in different ways.

Allegedly linked to Epstein too in more ways than one. Putting that aside I think Big Tech should stay out of censorship as much as possible. For significant issues though, such as Trump and associates attacks on democracy, and people making dangerous and clearly false claims about the pandemic, the downside of limiting free speech may outweigh the upside. It's all been said before. So you can say that free speech should never be limited or you can look at where that line is between a safe and orderly society and the rights of free speech. Big Tech is not government too so up to them. You can stop using them and tell others to do the same.

They did buy the rights to make Astrozeneca but that wasn't popular. They backed the wrong horse a bit. Though it's risks seem to be exaggerated. They definitely should have moved faster to get others but it's understandable they didn't buy millions of everything at first just in case. I think the rules about leaving Australia are a bit exaggerated too. If you have a good reason you can go. Just have to apply and show you won't come back in a short period and have to be put in quarantine. Definitely far from perfect on Covid but not sure Thailand is a shining light in comparison.

Not sure how Australian manhood is threatened as compared to other countries. Yes there's political correctness here and there but most Australians are down to earth. Women do have all the rights they should have and if they don't want to be like Thai women it's up to them - they don't threaten my right to be who I want to be. I wouldn't let them. I can't see how Thailand at it's worst, i.e. corruption, pollution, tiresome heat etc, is better than Australia at it's best i.e. beautiful beaches and wilderness, the best weather though a bit cold in the south in winter, and free and fair elections and press. It is a bit expensive but for the average person much better - I'd rather live off the minimum Australian wage or the dole in Australia than the pittance paid to many in Thailand. A lot is made of our response to Covid, and I can see that it can be seem as a bit extreme and tough for some businesses, but I just say if you can keep the numbers super low, and the government can support it's people, that's not a bad outcome. I like Thailand and Australia. Each to their own though.

You had a previous story called 'Should I call'' about whether you should call a possibly sick ex girlfriend but never told us what happened. What happened? I think there are 2 sorts of people in relation to retirement. Those that are happy to take it easy. Those who have their identity through work or just miss work. Maybe he's the latter. He'll get back here in time. Not too shabby with nice weather in a likely nice apartment in Jomtiem near the beach in the meantime. I have been in lockdown on and off in Melbourne for about 15 months. Strict lockdown now. Only 5 reasons to leave home and no further than 5 kilometres. Working from home is good but it sounds good to be in Thailand with warm weather with empty beaches and cheap hotels. Can support the local economy too. Not right now with lockdowns there too but could be better than lockdown through a cold Melbourne winter away from the girlfriend. The hardship faced by the average Thai is terrible compared to the relatively easy life in Australia with government support. But he's retired. Maybe he could help the local people. Give him something to do. He may forget that there's stricter lockdowns back home.

Exactly.. Saw the Sweet a few times but all post Brian so not the real deal. Andy's the only one left. His Sweet is not too shabby.