elfpirate

[b][font=Comic Sans MS]Hmmm... for saying no to someone, I was once told " I dream about being with you all the time..." and I flatly responded "Keep dreaming." Good thing he has a sense of humor, cuz he's my best friend. lol For breaking up...let's see... I told one guy that I wanted to start seeing other women, cuz his boobs weren't adequate... and once, when I caught my bf cheating, I just laughed at him, called him a retard (but with a few funny explitives thrown in) and walked out, laughing hysterically. I told one of my girlfriends that I had to break up with her because I had "just found out she was a lesbian". (That one didn't go over very well...but it kept her from calling):animesigh Breaking up is no fun, so I try to make it interesting. *scratches head* Hm. I think I'm an ***hole when it comes to that sort of thing... [/font][/b]

[b][font=Comic Sans MS]I find the idea of fate to be rather ridiculous and depressing. Our lives are determined by our own choices and the choices of others...or by simple chemistry, physics, biology, etc. It wasn't fate that led to the events in my life--it was a conscious decision at some point by someone with an influence in my life. If there's some prefabricated route I'll take regardless of what I've learned, accomplished, etc, then the purpose for living is diminished to a truly depressing degree. I mean, why should I bother making decisions and attempting to make the most of this sinking ship called life if what I do makes no real difference in the scheme of things because life is a pre-determined factory line, anyhow, thanks to "fate"? Nah-- I much prefer the idea of creating our own destinies and changing the world as we blunder, stumble, and crash our way through our lifetimes. [/font][/b]

[b][font=Comic Sans MS]Benakitty, this is exactly what I was talking about. This disintegration of relationships and the deterioration of the personality that you once loved and found comfort in. That's the heartbreak I was talking about. Your aunt is not the devil, and I know you know that, as well. It's hard to look into their eyes and know that the person you love isn't in there anymore... and the brief little glimses of their old self that show once in a while only seem to make it harder. Just remember that she can't help it, and that she needs your mom and your family-- she wouldn't survive without you guys. She doesn't mean to act like "the devil"... [/font][/b]

[font=Comic Sans MS][b]Firstly, I apologise if I repeat what other people have written already on this topic, as I only skimmed the responses. This is what I was taught was the meaning of "Taking the Lord's name in vain". When the church decides to criminalise people in the name of God. And that is precisely what this group is doing. They are treating their "clients" like prisoners ...and like trainable beasts, under the guise of righteousness. They even take away inalienable human rights and needs, such as contact and communication. It's not very different from solitary confinement and torture. To break someone's will, you take away the things that make them a person--their self-expressions and their voice, as well as their freedom to make choices. These are the same kinds of tactics used by military personnel for interrogation and by abusive partners/parents for power and control. They are brain-washing tactics, and I do not doubt that these tactics were researched and implemented by the developers of this program for exactly that purpose... to brainwash the poor souls into believing that they've been "cured" of their "sinful sexual deviance". Personally, if I were forced into that "camp", I'd be happy to go to jail for assaulting the first person that tried to enforce those inhumane rules. At least you're allowed to speak to your cellmates in jail...:animesigh [/b][/font]

[font=Comic Sans MS][b]It is true that as the brain begins to mature (usually around the age of twelve), it changes a bit, making it more difficult to assimilate new languages and speech sounds. Generally speaking (and, of course, there are exceptions), if you have never used a certain speech sound, such as the trilled "r" in Spanish, or the gutteral "r" in French, it will be extremely difficult to learn it once you've reached the age in which your speech learning capacity changes. *wishing I had my Psychology books unpacked to look up the terminology for it* Also-- in certain parts of the US, second laguages [i]are[/i] mandatory. When I lived in El Paso/Juarez (Mexican border), Spanish was mandatory, so I took nearly 6 years of it, beginning in kindergarten. I'm sure it continues into high school there, as well, but I moved to a state that didn't offer Spanish in the public schools.:animeangr It wasn't until uni that I was able to take foreign languages again, but since I had studied on my own in the meantime, it wasn't as difficult for me as it was for most of my classmates, who had never learned the speech sounds in childhood. [/b][/font]

[font=Comic Sans MS][b]Meh-- I'm not sure why I'm bothering going up against the likes of Ozy, but here goes: [/b][/font] [center][font=Comic Sans MS][b] [url="http://img63.echo.cx/my.php?image=tundra0it.jpg"][img]http://img63.echo.cx/img63/2372/tundra0it.th.jpg[/img][/url][/b][/font] [/center]

[font=Comic Sans MS][b]I've never tried that with anything but real sticks/torches... it's probably really similar, though. I've been fascinated by it since I was little--like 7 or 8 years old--when I first saw someone doing fire-dancing in Hawai'i. I've thought a couple times of turning one of my sets of nunchucks into torches that I could light and spin, but haven't yet. I'm sure I have enough control with those to not set myself ablaze-- and if not--it'll be my own stupid fault if I get burned-lol. It's a fun hobby you've got there, to be sure. How much does a firestaff cost, anyhow? [/b][/font]

[QUOTE=Chabichou][color=#004a6f] Actually, I think there's some evidence that we do in fact see the same colors, and it's because of the way colors mix. We all agree what the three primary colors are: Red, Yellow and Blue. So even if we did see different colors, you can only mix these three up and start mixing them from there. [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v149/Chabichou/colors.bmp[/img] But then, why is it that we all agree that yellow is difficult to see, and therefore avoid using white on a yellow background? I think this shows (but maybe not proves) that we see the same colors. Meh. [/color][/QUOTE] [b][font=Comic Sans MS]I believe Baron wasn't questioning the fact that most people have distinct perceptions of red, yellow, blue, etc... The point was that what I call red may look entirely different than what you call red-- because our perceptions are subjective... but what difference does it make? Does this argument really have an impact on our world? Thanks for the colour charts, though... ^_^ [/font][/b]

[QUOTE=benakittie][font=Times New Roman] [color=DeepSkyBlue]I don't suffer, my mom does and I feel I have no right to say things are horrible when someone has it worst than I do...Hard to understand...I just really don't like it when ppl are like, "My life is a living hell!!" and the other typical teenager drmatics. My motto is, "Life is wonderful, it all depends on how you think of it." IT makes me feel better and gives me the courage to continue on. But...thank you for your condolences, although I was looking ppl to relate to...I don't take pity too well if you haven't seen my post on pity...but I'm always trying to be a more compassionate person. ^_^ Thank you.[/color][/font][/QUOTE] [font=Comic Sans MS][b]I suppose I should have offered my condolences to you [i]and[/i] your loved ones (your mum, etc). I guess what I'm going by is my experiences with schizophrenic people- and in my experience, it has been truly heart-breaking. Watching my young friend deteriorate (and having to protect him from those that don't understand and don't have empathy--ie:the people that think it's funny to mess with his head) has been really difficult. Of course, it's not good to be focused on the negative aspects of anything, and mental illness is no exception. I definitely agree with you there. My mate is still together enough to be aware of most things, and we can sometimes still have great conversations for a while before he slips back into disjointed psychotic babbling, and that just serves as a reminder that he's not okay, and that he'll get worse as time goes on. He doesn't really have anyone that looks after him and makes sure he has enough medication and that he's taking it, so sometimes it's really bad (Like the time he thought I and our mates pulled a gun on him-- and he sobbed hysterically for 3 hours, saying "I thought you were my friends! I thought you cared about me! Why do you want to kill me?" when, in fact, none of us were anywhere near a gun, we [i]did[/i] care about him deeply, and his life was never threatened). You can immediately tell when he's not been to hospital and has run out of meds. I assume that to be the primary care-giver would be quite difficult, indeed, and that, in your position, as an onlooker, it's a bit easier to deal with and probably doesn't seem "that bad". What exactly were you looking for when you said that you were looking for someone to relate to? There are plenty of us here that can relate to the struggles of mental illness, believe me. Oh-and I wasn't giving you pity. If you read through that thread, you'll see that I loathe the giving and receiving of pity (Condolences and understanding are [i]not[/i] the same thing as pity). I don't pity anyone--not even my dog. [/b][/font]

[b][font=Comic Sans MS]Wishin' you all the best, LP. Be safe, eh? You'll be in our thoughts. [/font][/b]

[b][font=Comic Sans MS]I don't agree with Lix on the "hate can be love" issue. I know it's possible to hate someone you love and vice-versae, but it's not the same emotion. What's the strongest emotion I've ever felt? Hmmm... I believe that's a tie between: 1) Agony and 2) A hateful desire for vengeance. I can't claim that one was stronger than the other--they were entertwined pretty thickly, to be sure. I can say, though, that without having experienced an intense love to begin with, those emotions would not have been so strong--so this agony and hateful vengeance were the direct result of the object of a very strong love being destroyed. So-- though I don't think that hate and love are the same emotion, I know that one can bring out the other-- or magnify the other-- to an incomprehensible degree. [/font][/b]

[QUOTE=benakittie][color=DeepSkyBlue] [font=Times New Roman]It's not THAT bad, you just have to get use to it that's all. My grandma and Aunt don't have multiple personality disorders, they just can't distinguish reality from past memories or their imaginations. [/font] [/color][/QUOTE] [font=Comic Sans MS][b] Hm. I thought I had clarified the whole "Schizophrenia/MPD" thing... ah, well... Schizophrenia is [i]most definitely[/i] deserving of my deepest condolences-- it [i]is[/i] that bad. I'm absolutely baffled that you think that the deterioration of your loved one's brain is "not that bad". :animesigh *Continues to gawk at the statement* [/b][/font]

[QUOTE=snarktastic]Psh. I don't need someone that can go crazy-go-nuts and turn on me. It's like having a pet tiger in your house. Oh, sure, it's cute and fun for a while, but then it decides that you look like a tasty sammich, and it all goes to hell.[/QUOTE] [b][font=Comic Sans MS]Well, it wasn't specified that it was like...Sesshoumaru homocidal-- I was thinkin' more like Vash (Trigun) or Ed (Cowboy Bebop). "Off his (or her) rocker" is a bit vague, so... They have to [i]at least[/i] be as crazy as I am or it wouldn't work--lol. [/font][/b]

[QUOTE=snarktastic][color=Indigo] A. Too whiny, B. Being chased by his harem of girls that I'd have to fight off, C. Too busy saving the world, D. Too busy trying to take over the world, E. Still pining for his first tru wuv, F. Secretly gay, G. Secretly a woman, or H. Completely off his rocker. Or any combination of the eight.[/color][/QUOTE] [b][font=Comic Sans MS]Hrmph. Reason "H" is a [i]deterrant[/i]? Screw that... they're no fun if they're sane. :tasty:[/font][/b]

[font=Comic Sans MS][b]Kagome from Inuyasha-- I'd kill her within a week. She's an air-headed teeny-bopper and I can't stand the sound of her voice-- she's like sandpaper on exposed nerves. There's no one anime character that I [i]would[/i] date, though-- it'd have to be a mix of a lot of them-- I like my partners as complex as possible--lol. [/b][/font]

[QUOTE=sakurasuka][center][color=Blue][size=1][font=Tahoma] To elf on the 4-H thing- I did say it was a horrible example, didn't I? My point with that was simply (As Retri stated) that many would be willing to do something they didn't neccesarily believe in to reach an eventual goal. What if the goal wasn't worth fighting for, but by not fighting it might be worse?[/font][/size][/color][/center] [/QUOTE] [b][font=Comic Sans MS]Actually, it wasn't a bad example--it illustrated both of our points well enough, I think. If the goal isn't worth fighting for, but the outcome that would come about if you [i]didn't[/i] fight was worse, then the goal[i] becomes[/i] something worth fighting for, n'est pas? Heh-- there are grey areas to just about everything. My entire point was that I would not fight for something I did not believe in. That doesn't mean that I would not fight unless everything were exactly in conjunction with my ideals. I mean, our beliefs are not black-and-white. The world would be a lot simpler if they were, but it's just not the case. For example: I believe pretty strongly that killing is wrong, but I also believe that it's a necessity sometimes and I also believe that some people deserve to die. (Sorry, Gandalf--lol) Does that mean that I'm wishy-washy on the subject? No, I don't think so. I think our beliefs are entirely circumstancial, not absolute. Therefore, I can state with certainty that I would not fight for something that I did not believe in. There would have to be some sort of intrinsic cognitive justification for it. [/font][/b]

[quote name='SpiritWolf']Pity is an emotion caused by the feeling that another is helpless. You feel sorry for them. It is rather demeaning, and yet we all instinctively seek it. Just one more of the peculiarities that make psychology so darn interesting.[/quote] [b][font=Comic Sans MS]No, SpiritWolf, you're quite wrong with that statement. There are those of us who do not seek it, and even avoid both giving it and receiving it as best we can. Thanks, Lore, for summing it up rather nicely in seven words. [/font][/b]

[font=Comic Sans MS][b]The chances of developing schizophrenia are elevated if there are people in your family that have the disease-- elevated by almost 50%, if I remember my studies correctly. There are also psycho-social stressors that can bring about the onset of schizophrenia--especially if you are already genetically predisposed. Yes, autism counts as a mental disorder, Break. @ Both James and benakitty: I am truly sorry that your loved ones suffer from such a devastating disease. From spending much time around my two schizophrenic friends, I can empathise with your struggles. It is especially sad when you know that they are aware of their inability to function properly, and heartbreaking to watch them deteriorate. As far as living with the mentally ill-- er... my family tolerates me, but they're often quite overwhelmed... let's put it that way.:animesigh [/b][/font]

[QUOTE=Break] What? Perception isn't just what you see with your eyes. It's what you touch, smell, see and hear. Of course touch is also a perception; if you threw a hammer at the head of a really drunk or stoned person, they would not feel it as much. Or if you threw it at a baby's head they would feel it a lot. Perception, despite what a lot of people say, is altered by what we physically and mentally possess. What we touch, smell, see and hear depends on our state of mind at the time and also our physical abilities, e.g. being able to see further (Australian aborigine), having a high pain threshold, being blind, having good hearing. So what you say is certainly not true. Everything in this world is a perception - as long as it can be picked up by at least one of our senses. Take for example a table. One half of a table has the light from a window across it, the other half is in shade. If one were to touch [i]only[/i] the bright side, one would say that the table is warm, however if one were to touch only the shaded side, one would say that the table is cold. Also, if from one angle one was to only see the bright side, you would say that the table is a light brown colour (also depending on whether you were wearing sunglasses or not the table would appear a different colour). Again, however, if seen from another angle so that one was only to see the shaded side the table would appear a darker brown. "Ergo" it can be, will be, was, had been and is merely a perception.[/QUOTE] [font=Comic Sans MS][b]*Sighs heavily* I never said anything about eyesight being the only perception, did I?[/b][/font] [b][font=Comic Sans MS]What I said was that it's not [i]just [/i]perception that makes our reality. Whether a person's perception of pain is altered by chemicals is irrelevant--it does not make the hammer any softer just because the head it hits is inebriated and the neurons within it aren't firing at optimum rates. The hammer is still real and the head is still going to suffer some damage to its very real cellular structure. My point was that matter exists, physics exist, and though our perceptions of those realities may differ slightly, it does not negate the existence of matter and physics. Our eyes only truly perceive two dimensions, and our brain adds the third dimension (and therefore depth perception) but that doesn't mean that a two-hundred foot drop is not a two-hundred foot drop just because I have crappy depth perception. Get my point? I do not denounce perceptions one bit-- but what would there be to perceive in the first place if there was no matter and physics to begin with? Our world is made up of these things and we perceive it to be so. It's our perceptions that prove false, if anything-- not the reality of the world around us. [/font][/b]

[font=Comic Sans MS][b]I'm a music whore, I admit it. I was the first-chair 'cellist in the symphony orchestra here by the time I was 14 years old, and played in the Duluth Philharmonic as a guest 'cellist. I've played duets and solos for audiences of 500+ people. But 'cello is not my only "classical" instrument. I can (and do) play both violin and viola, piano, mandolin, pennywhistle, dulcimer-- not to mention guitar (and the not-so-classical bass guitar) pretty much everything but band instruments, and only because I've never had the opportunity to play those. Beethoven's 9th is good...but his so-called "Moonlight Sonata" (By Beethoven, named Op.27 #2) by far surpasses his 9th in both depth and emotion, as far as I'm concerned. It alters me every time I listen to it. Beethoven is easily my favorite composer-- probably because of the melancholic intensity of his pieces--and because many of the most amazing works were composed after he had gone deaf. He inspired me to learn notes and keys by the feel of the vibration, instead of the sound itself- it came in quite handy when making sub-bass beats for a hip-hop artist's CD--as the equipment I was working on only vibrated at those decibles and I had to match up the key by feeling the floor vibrate. I did a damned good job of it, too--Ludwig would've smiled--lol. I love so many forms/genres of music, but I always return to classical music somehow. [/b][/font]

[b][font=Comic Sans MS]I've had several great friends who are schizophrenic. Yes, it can become a bit tiresome at times, but they don't know that they are being tiresome. Sometimes they're painfully aware that they are being "abnormal" (in comparison), and then they are upset and unaware how to act. But that's in the earlier stages of schizophrenia. Just to clarify things a bit-- schizophrenia is a degenerative brain disorder-- there is documentable grey matter deterioration occurring in the brains of schizophrenics. And despite the retarded messages of mass media, a schizophrenic is not the same thing as a person with multiple personality disorder. Schizophrenics have been mistaken as MPD cases for years, due to a grammatical misperception (AKA-- presumption). "Schizo" means "to split", and it was referring to the aspects of a whole personality, not the individual splitting into two entities. Basically, personality has many aspects, such as behavior, emotion, cognisance, etc, and schizophrenics cannot integrate all of those fundamental pieces of a whole personality into one--so it was referred to as "personality splitting"-- basically, the entropy of a personality. It had nothing to do with having multiple personalities, but just as "wherefore art thou..." has been transformed into "where are you?" (another horrible misinterpretation) the term "schizophrenic" and the phrase "split personality" have become synonymous with an entirely different disease. So--getting the little lesson in psychology/vocabulary out of the way...*whistles nonchalantly*... I think you should try to be a bit more patient with your loved ones that are experiencing this devastating disease-- they don't irritate you on purpose, and I'm sure that they never wanted to burden their family with it. Be a bit more empathetic, huh? And yes, it can be hereditary-- the typical age of onset for males is 18-25 yrs old and for females it's around 30-35 yrs old, but there is a particularly horrible form of schizophrenia that is "early onset" (that can onset well before that)--and the prognosis is especially bad (as far as development of the brain damage and worsening of symptoms). So--uh...good luck with that... [/font][/b]

[QUOTE=Siren] A better, more sound application of that idea ("limited perceptions") is in affections...how an event affects us. For example, while a friend of mine may perceive the Hayden Christiansen digital edit in RotJ as disgusting and horrible, I may not have a problem with it. [/QUOTE] [b][font=Comic Sans MS]That really made me throw up a bit--lol. Seriously, though-- the article writer sounds like they're stuck on some kind of acid trip or paranoid delusion--the kind that make people jump off a 50-story building because "gravity doesn't really exist" and is "all in our heads". Whether they want to admit it or not, matter and physics are a reality, whether we percieve them the exact same way our peers do or not. Just because my mate sees pink fields instead of green ones is irrelevant--the field is still there. Perhaps the issue of matter being "solid" can be debated to an extent, if relativity is disregarded, but it's a ridiculous notion to say that we are immobile, mind-trapped creatures in a universe of nothingness. If I throw a hammer at the back of someone's head, it will hit them, regardless of whether they perceived the flying hammer in the first place--ergo--it can't just be perception. [/font][/b]

[font=Comic Sans MS][b]I know for a fact that vitamin deficiency can cause terrible breakouts and generally unattractive skin. Try a good multivitamin and drink lots of water. And if you take drugs, quit--cuz those can cause severe skin problems as well. (Not implying that you do, of course-- just listing another factor in skin problems :animeswea ) Good luck! [/b][/font]

[font=Comic Sans MS][b]Nicely done. I especially like the first two-- you obviously have a sense of humor akin to my own. I can't afford a tripod, but it's a fun idea nonetheless. I suppose a partner in crime would work just as well... or I could just clone other people. *Runs through a mental list of possible cloning targets* Thanks for the idea! =P [/b][/font]

[b][font=Comic Sans MS]I honestly don't hate [i]anyone[/i] on OB, so...relax a bit-lol. I see the whole "lesser of two evils" argument, but you have to understand that when you choose the lesser of two evils, you are changing your mind a bit to the point in which it becomes doing something you believe in. As far as the 4-H example, you believe that you are doing the right thing for the sake of the kids--which makes it an act of doing what you believe in. I never claimed it to be black and white. Nothing ever is. [/font][/b]