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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/22/12 in all areas

  1. In many ways I think it is like life in general. While civility is an admirable goal, it can take two to be civil. But It think the best response to feeling one's blood start boiling is just the same as in real life: don't punch the other person, just walk away, with as simple and neutral parting statement as you can muster. Of course it is much easier to be civil when everyone is being honest (which one would hope for on a forum like this!), and giving people the benefit of the doubt ("this person is not an idiot/evader/troll - this is an honest disagreement between two people both seeking an objective truth") always helps. But if you can no longer give the benefit of the doubt - give enough benefit to just walk away.
    2 points
  2. An inherent weakness(and strength) of internet discussions is the lack of non-verbal indicators due to the relative anonymity of the internet. When having a discussion in person with a "snarky 14 year old" I am far less likely to push inconsistencies in his or her thought or require a 60 year old level of wisdom and experience to support his statements. I'll simply take them for what they are. Likewise, I'm not likely to try to change a 60 year old's fundamental outlooks on life, cause what's the point of that?. Without a word being said, in person I can ascertain a persons relative age, sex, level of income, and many more things with fairly consistent accuracy while online this isn't the case. For example, say I meet a 47 year old who starts lecturing me on the benefits of a paleo diet. I can tell right away from his immediate access to facts and understanding of the subject that he has a solid grasp of the field. Maybe I inquire and then find he is a nutritionist by trade and has studied and lived by paleo for 7 years and has a flawless physique. I'm going to sit back and enjoy the lecture. Online, he could just as easily be the snarky 14 year old pulling up wikipedia to make an argument on his half-baked notions of dietary nutrition. I have no way of knowing how much weight to place so I'm going to press harder than usual. A benefit of being online is that we are all perceived equally in the valuation of our opinions so ideas aren't as immediately discarded. The downside is that we usually shouldn't be regarded equally because some of our opinions are more valuable than others. Not sure that I have any contribution on how to alleviate the problem but to note that the more time I spend online the more often i can get a sense of whether a continued argument is worth having. I feel that I've gotten better at avoiding the continuation of useless conversations...not..you know...a lot...but a bit better.
    1 point
  3. As a "self-made soul", it may help to hold in the front of your mind, that every thought, action and feeling - and even, non-thought and non-action - is contributing to (or detracting from) that "made soul." We can't do much about what went before, of our own doing, or of others - except examine it, indentify it, and move ahead. This moment, and all that follow, are within our power, however. The first steps you take towards dissipating your anger, will lead to increasing self-awareness, and greater pride in your 'efficaciousness', in order to accomplish more. Of this I'm sure. Just an addition to some very good advice.
    1 point
  4. An investment is something that you stand to gain from. Standing up to evil isn't just an investment. If you don't stand up to evil, you don't just lose what you would've gained by doing so. You eventually lose everything. What we gained, when we went to war against the Communists, isn't just trading partners in South Korea. We also gained everything else we would've lost: the whole of Asia, and probably the whole world. So the question should never be "Is it worth it to stand up to evil?". It's always worth it. The question should be "What's the best way to stand up to evil, at any given point?". Also, in answering that question for past generations, you should always keep in mind that you have the luxury of hind sight, and they didn't. Judge their decision making with that in mind.
    1 point
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