I need help adapting to current society with my new way of thinking

[Aleenik]

First of all, hi everyone. I'm new to posting here, but I've been lurking every now and then for a few weeks. Can't wait to discuss politics with some like minded people instead of my Republican & Fox News watching family members.

Now onto the real issue that is really... twisting my life around. It was only about 3 years ago when I still liked Republicans and watched Fox News. Over those few years though I went farther and farther to the left until a couple months ago I aligned myself with anarchism. I'd say I lean towards Anarchist communism. I'm 18 now.

Well, that is causing many problems in my life. I'm happy that I finally see that governments and capitalism are horrible, but at the same time the way I look at everything is now so different. I feel so confused & somewhat depressed. Sometimes I wish I could just go back to being a capitalist, but that won't happen.

Here are some examples.

2 of my favorite things in life are video games and Star Wars. I still love them, but it's harder to do so and feels weird. The following can be applied to many different forms of entertainment.

I look at things and I am like how can I enjoy something that involves killing? I am against violence. Then I try and be like, well, ok, it's just a video game, movie, etc. That doesn't really help though. Then besides the violence in forms of entertainment the good guys are often some form of a hierarchical society. Police, governments, etc. So I look at stuff like that and I am like how can I enjoy something that portrays the good guys as something I am against? In Star Wars, for example, the Galactic Republic are the good guys. Not just entertainment wise though. Everywhere I look I see the things I am against portrayed as fun and/or good. It has become harder to enjoy many things.

Besides all that stuff, I look at the society in which I live and I just feel down that I and others have to live in it. I am surrounded by a majority of people who are against my way of thinking. I mean life overall for me is alright, but it's just the knowing that it could be much better for me and others. Then I look at the prospects of an Anarchist communist society ever being implemented. It seems like it will never happen. If a Communist revolution were to happen, it seems there are many more authoritarian Communist then there are Anarchist communist. So, if there ever was to be some great communist revolution it would seem the odds are it would end up being an authoritarian one. I can't stand the thought of vanguard parties or dictatorships. So in that regard I just feel hopeless. Not only do the prospects of an Anarchist communist society being created seem incredibly low, if there was some great communist revolution it would probably not be the one I was looking for at all.

EDIT: I forgot to mention I'm even looking at food in a different way now. I eat meat, but I am considering stopping. Just thinking about the fact that I'm eating another living being and the suffering it had to go through is sickening.

Hopefully you guys understand what I mean. Everything just feels so different to me now and somewhat depressing. Advice is welcome.:)

[Bitter Ashes]

Don't laugh, but it was Star Wars that got me into politics.
Things are changing these days and things are looking more and more hopefull. Might be an idea to get over to a demo in your area or something to meet people. It does your confidence the world of good to know there's other like minded people nearby :)

[El Rojo]

hannah, how on earth did star wars get you into politics? :confused:

@ Aleenik, remember that it is impossible to totally live by your convictions in a capitalist society. everytime you buy something, you give money to corporations. but unless you are prepared to live in a forest, its impossible to live outsideof capitalism, and if you did, then you would not be able to engage enough to change it. however, if you do live by your convictions, and make sure you get out into the real world rather than just become an armchair warrior, then I think you get away with enjoying the odd war film

[Tim Cornelis]

Excuse me if I sound oblivious, but... the Star Wars Universe is governed by a federation is it not? Rebels fight against the Empire right? Sounds a lil anarchic

I cannot really relate to the video game and movie thing, I do not have such opposition to it. Perhaps you could buy GTA IV and shoot up some cops, or buy a realistic shooter and kill some Chinese state capitalists (dragon rising). I don't know.

And in relation to your family and a conservative environment you could adopt right-wing rhetoric (freedom and liberty for all!), if you use the argument that social hierarchy and freedom are mutually exclusive your views may be more accepted. Perhaps you could even point out the Apostels lived and worked communally on collectively owned property. Or you could look at a Founding Father like Thomas Jefferson whose views of democracy are somewhat similar to anarchism (I've been told). Thomas Jefferson also opposed private property:


It is agreed by those who have seriously considered the subject, that no individual has, of natural right, a separate property in an acre of land.... By an universal law, ... whatever, whether fixed or movable, belongs to all men equally and in common, is the property for the moment of him who occupies it, but when he relinquishes the occupation, the property goes with it. Stable ownership is the gift of social law, and is given late in the progress of society.

Jefferson's liberal anti-capitalism http://www.luc.edu/politicalscience/katz/Jefferson.ajps.doc

He's also described as a left-libertarian: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-libertarianism#Identifying_a_tradition

[Bitter Ashes]

hannah, how on earth did star wars get you into politics? :confused:
I lost touch with a friend who I used to share a Star Wars interest with. When I wanted to find him again, I started typing his email into google and first thing that came up was Revleft. I thought he'd gone mad, but seeing as though I respected the guy, I gave him and others here, a chance to explain why he'd "gone over to the dark side" and it made sense and here I am :P

[Ingraham Effingham]

"The reasonable man adjusts himself to the world. The unreasonable man persists in trying to adjust the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." -Shaw

[Aleenik]

Excuse me if I sound oblivious, but... the Star Wars Universe is governed by a federation is it not? Rebels fight against the Empire right? Sounds a lil anarchic

I cannot really relate to the video game and movie thing, I do not have such opposition to it. Perhaps you could buy GTA IV and shoot up some cops, or buy a realistic shooter and kill some Chinese state capitalists (dragon rising). I don't know.

And in relation to your family and a conservative environment you could adopt right-wing rhetoric (freedom and liberty for all!), if you use the argument that social hierarchy and freedom are mutually exclusive your views may be more accepted. Perhaps you could even point out the Apostels lived and worked communally on collectively owned property. Or you could look at a Founding Father like Thomas Jefferson whose views of democracy are somewhat similar to anarchism (I've been told). Thomas Jefferson also opposed private property:



Jefferson's liberal anti-capitalism (Removed link from quote cuz I'm not allowed to have links until I have 25 posts or more)

He's also described as a left-libertarian: (Removed link from quote cuz I'm not allowed to have links until I have 25 posts or more)In the prequel trilogy there is the Galactic Republic, which is a Republic that spanned most of the galaxy. Each planet in the Republic elects representatives to serve them in the Senate as far as I'm aware. However, each planet also has a local form of government. Quoting wiki here "There were a wide variety of different local governments along the political spectrum: from Monarchies to Republics to Hive-like communes". The head of the Galactic Republic is the chancellor, who is elected by the representatives. There is also widespread corruption of course. As for the Rebels being anarchistic, they aren't. They want to, and eventually are able to, restore the Republic. So ya, not my preferred thing. Star Wars is just one of many things though that I look at differently now cuz of my new way of thinking. And it makes me enjoy it less.

I have GTA IV and that's a perfect example of a violent game. I still play violent games of course, but like I said it feels weird now and I enjoy it less. It feels weird going on rampages in it and acting like all I want to do is cause chaos. It just feels weird and wrong to enjoy the violence. Virtual or not. I look at the world differently now with my new political viewpoints. I don't like cops, but I'm peaceful. So, it feels weird to enjoy a violent game, killing cops or not.

Thanks for the advice about the right wing stuff, but since I don't like the apostles or Jefferson it would feel weird using them to justify my positions. Even if Jefferson was a left wing libertarian, he was still for government. And he also was a slave owner.

[pluckedflowers]

"The reasonable man adjusts himself to the world. The unreasonable man persists in trying to adjust the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." -Shaw

I read the first two sentences and was about to whack someone with "Theses on Feuerbach," but then I got to the third sentence and all was well again.

[The Dark Side of the Moon]

video games are not real, your not killing people in the sense that they dont exist. its only a problem when kids get video games and then carry that knowledge into the real world, my dad gave me a hard time when i had grand theft auto vice city and San Andreas. /and we live an a capitalistic society, you stopping doing what your doing will not stop corperate monsters from making billions of dollars

[Ele'ill]

Get active in your community if you are not already. If you want a hand finding groups/organizations near your city let us know and we might be able to help. Everything in the world starts by talking to one another. Life gets easier when you're problem solving with others and there is a lot of work to be done.

[Lenina Rosenweg]

Aleenik,

Interesting post.You seem to be experiencing or going though a coming of age period-when you are finding who you are, discovering your identity and then figuring out how you will fit in to this incredibly fucked up social system we live under. You deserve a lot of credit for doing this.

As others said, it will help to connect with like minded people. Go to demos,maybe check out the local anarchist/radical scene if there is one near you. If not, read and learn as much as you can and bide your time until you can make your escape.

If you enjoy psychology and you want something to read I could recommend two interesting books. The first is Identity Youth and Crisis by Eric Ericcson, You may also want to read "Man's Search for Meaning" by Victor Frankl.

http://www.amazon.com/Identity-Youth-Crisis-Austen-Monograph/dp/0393311449/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312228231&sr=1-4

BTW One thing about Star Wars I couldn't figure out is why a republic is led by a monarch (Princess Amandela?)and what looks like a hereditary aristocracy,

[OhYesIdid]

Princess Amidala is more of a figurehead, I believe. However, the prequels have already been defeated by Plinkett, so...

[Arilou Lalee'lay]

@ OP:
I find all spectacular entertainment (movies, most video games, most novels) revolting. The analysis of such entertainment is way more entertaining to me. There is a detourned novel about a man in your situation called Miss Lonelyhearts. It's on the Australian Project Gutenberg. Rita Barnard wrote an excellent analysis of it (and it's rather unlikely that anyone will get the book without reading an analysis) called "The Storyteller, the Novelist, and the Advice Columnist: Narrative and Mass Culture in Miss Lonelyhearts" which I think you'll be finding shortly.

A great book on the topic is Cultural Theory and Popular Culture by Storey. Another is The Revolution of Everyday Life which can be found here:
http://library.nothingness.org/articles/SI/en/pub_contents/5

Miss Lonelyhearts is a very fun read, even if you have no idea what the political content is, and shouldn't take more than a few hours. The Cultural Theory book gives a good introduction to Marxist groups like the Frankfurt school, as well as other thinkers who play an important role in many analyses of our fucked up culture, like Lacan, Judith Buttler, and Joke Hermes. The Revolution is a fun read with extremely interesting ideas which can easily fly right over your head. The situs did not try to make easy reads. The last few chapters are the most relevant to your situation but I'm not sure how much of them you will get without reading the first ones.

On a more personal note, I went from a anti-socialist capitalist to a sort of anarchist at the age of 18, then became a sort of reformist Marxist at the age of 19, a revolutionary Marxist a month or two later, and am currently a council communist and situationist sympathizer. So I'm pretty close to you politically. But it was very Earth shattering, at 18, to suddenly realize that school was an incredibly messed up sham, our culture is despicable, and most of the goals and values I had were irrational and often, well, evil. So I started reading texts like the ones above, and through critiquing our society live a much happier life now. Obviously there are two big constraints on how good of a life you can live in our society: you need to work to survive and there are very few people around capable of forming an authentic community. In practice there's always a third constraint, and that's that we grew up in such a messed up society that we're all broken.

So what do you do in place of video games? I enjoy hallucinogens, exploring the mountains around me, trying to get into adventures/trouble as often as possible, sex (which requires acting like a normal cog-person and killing your liver), killing my liver just for the hell of it, and reading (just not novels).

If you agree with the above and end up trying to put it into practice it's very easy to get obsessed. Don't.

I still haven't found a satisfactory way to live, and doing so isn't possible. Our problems are systemic and so are our solutions. But try not to worry about things you can't change, and feel blessed that you have the opportunity to live a much better life than those around you because you understand the world you live in. Though, obviously, look for ways to change society.

[Rss]

I'm a stalinist gamer and I assure that there will be video games after revolution.

[Hit The North]

Hopefully you guys understand what I mean. Everything just feels so different to me now and somewhat depressing. Advice is welcome.:)

At the beginning of his career as a revolutionary, Karl Marx wrote to his friend, Arnold Ruge, the following:


But, if constructing the future and settling everything for all times are not our affair, it is all the more clear what we have to accomplish at present: I am referring to ruthless criticism of all that exists, ruthless both in the sense of not being afraid of the results it arrives at and in the sense of being just as little afraid of conflict with the powers that be.
So if you're questioning the propaganda models which lie beneath the films and video games that capitalism creates for us, or questioning the social relations and human consequences of the products in the shopping mall and the grocery store, then that is a good start and you are in good company. :)

[Hit The North]

I'm a stalinist gamer and I assure that there will be video games after revolution.

Yes, but hopefully no Stalinists. :p

[CommunityBeliever]

Don't concede to defeatism yet. There are many crises across the planet right now that will open the doors to revolutionary change, I therefore believe that we may see a rejuvination and a transformation of society in our lifetimes.

And indeed, they may not create a perfect anarchist utopia like you are suggesting. However, it has been said that "perfect is the enemy of good." Marxists realise that society evolves in stages, and there is never any sort of omega point.


I eat meat, but I am considering stopping

Go for it. Being a vegan is enormously beneficial to ones health and long-term well being and it is is better for the environment too since it is more energy-efficient.

"If slaughterhouses had glass walls, the whole world would be vegetarian." - Linda McCartney

[Madslatter]

I would say the best option would be to check the infoshop directory and see if there is an active group of anarchists nearby.

(http://%20wikia.infoshop%20.org/index.php/Directory_of_Infoshops)wikia.infoshop .org/index.php/Directory_of_Infoshops (http://%20wikia.infoshop%20.org/index.php/Directory_of_Infoshops) (edit:mod fix)

[Tenka]

2 of my favorite things in life are video games and Star Wars. I still love them, but it's harder to do so and feels weird. The following can be applied to many different forms of entertainment.
Some (maybe many) movies and games promote reactionary ideologies, and it would be better to seek out ones that do not; but from the former (or brief summaries thereof) can occasionally be gained some dumb entertainment -- or if you're above that, an opportunity to offer some critique from the Left of these sorts of ideology injections regularly given to people.



I look at things and I am like how can I enjoy something that involves killing? I am against violence. Then I try and be like, well, ok, it's just a video game, movie, etc. That doesn't really help though.Anti-violence, IMO, is not something that will be of any use as a principle in revolutionary change, but I guess people can't help what turns their stomachs.



If a Communist revolution were to happen, it seems there are many more authoritarian Communist then there are Anarchist communist. So, if there ever was to be some great communist revolution it would seem the odds are it would end up being an authoritarian one.There are also a lot of authoritarian anarchists, some number of anarcho-communists, and communists with a pacifistic bent, though none of this really matters that much.

A revolution is certainly the most authoritarian thing there is; it is the act whereby one part of the population imposes its will upon the other part by means of rifles, bayonets and cannon — authoritarian means, if such there be at all; and if the victorious party* does not want to have fought in vain, it must maintain this rule by means of the terror which its arms inspire in the reactionists. Would the Paris Commune have lasted a single day if it had not made use of this authority of the armed people against the bourgeois? Should we not, on the contrary, reproach it for not having used it freely enough?
*The aim is for the "victorious party" to be the proletariat -- the working masses -- who, through means of revolutionary "terror" or what-have-you, will abolish the Bourgeoisie, and subsequently themselves, as a Class. (I think that's how it goes anyway, I am not yet very well developed Theoretically....)


I can't stand the thought of vanguard parties or dictatorships. So in that regard I just feel hopeless. Not only do the prospects of an Anarchist communist society being created seem incredibly low, if there was some great communist revolution it would probably not be the one I was looking for at all.Most of us might have had (or still have) this general sentiment at one time or another. At the minimum I think we all strive for a revolution whereby political power is assumed by the proletarian class, the exploitation of our labour is ended, and the state is abolished (or withers away, depending on your tendency). There are many means by which this could happen, I guess.


EDIT: I forgot to mention I'm even looking at food in a different way now. I eat meat, but I am considering stopping. Just thinking about the fact that I'm eating another living being and the suffering it had to go through is sickening.Women routinely go through more suffering than is involved in being slaughtered for one's meat just giving birth. I look at birth in a different way now, and think that some day it should be totally artificial; but people have grown 'fond' of the old ways for some reason or other, the ways in which we've hitherto reproduced or gained our sustenance.
To be perfectly honest though, I only really care about the suffering of homo sapiens. I've never been able to sufficiently anthropomorphise non-humans to identify much with them or feel their suffering. But anyway, it must be terrifying to have strong sympathy for all of the animals we eat... maybe even all of the animals other animals eat, too.:(

Apologies for chopping up your post and rambling at it, etc.

[Pioneers_Violin]

Hello

Star Wars is just a series of movies. I happen to like them too. It's no big deal, it's just Art and you don't have to be in agreement with its statement to enjoy it.

Video games have a wide variety of topics.
Try Zuma or Machinarium or many, many other non-violent games.
Red Alert 3 is a humorous alternate history game where you can play as the lovable Soviet good guys and defeat those bad old cappies.

Being a pacifist vegetarian is your choice but you may not want to commit just yet.
So far as Pacifism, why not wait and see how your attitude develops over time? There is an awful lot of evil in this world and it must be revolted against or at least stood up to. Study history and current events too.
Why not work for some bloodsucking parasite of a Capitalist for awhile and see if you still feel non- violent about it? If you can, then maybe pacifism is your calling.
Before you commit to vegetatiasm be very sure you research it carefully and NOT by reading only the pro-vegetarian stuff. You can easily deprive yourself of vital nutrients by doing so.
If it's any help, insist on humanely treated animal products.
And... please don't end up calling everyone else murderers and throwing blood at us.

Good luck and all the best,
P..V.

PS.
Ever notice that the self-centered Sith would make pretty good Objectivists?
Or that the selfless Jedi would make decent Communists?

[CommunityBeliever]

Before you commit to vegetatiasm be very sure you research it carefully and NOT by reading only the pro-vegetarian stuff. You can easily deprive yourself of vital nutrients by doing so.

You can also easily deprive yourself of vital nutrients on a meat-based diet. I don't see how transitioning to vegetarianism would pose much risk, since meat is unhealthy as it is.


Women routinely go through more suffering than is involved in being slaughtered for one's meat just giving birth.

I have heard from multiple sources that natural births can actually be a very enjoyable experience for humans, since they are evolved to reproduce.

Nonetheless, the claim that suffering underwent by human mothers is much more then livestock is undoubtedly false. First of all because there are animal mothers give birth just like humans (our main difference is our brain) and they definitely suffer more when they give birth because they aren't given modern amenities.

Additionally, their children are often taken from them immediately after birth, which increases their suffering.


To be perfectly honest though, I only really care about the suffering of homo sapiens.

If you believe in a specieist or anthropocentric ethic rather then an anti-suffering ethic then you probably won't see anything objectionable about meat rearing conditions.

I don't believe in specieism (which I believe is irrational), so I believe there is no considerable difference between turning a cow into a milk machine and turning a human female (that happens to be mentally on par with a cow) into a milk machine as well. There isn't significant different between these two material difference between these two organisms because they are on a par physically and mentally.

On the other hand, if a human female isn't impaired mentally then she will be significantly more intelligent then the cow. Under these circumstances a significant difference between these two organisms can be observed.

Since a significant difference between them exists, that can be the basis of a consistent ethical theory.

[Tenka]

I have heard from multiple sources that natural births can actually be a very enjoyable experience, since humans are evolved to reproduce.
Got a link to a source or anything? This claim is quite surprising to me, that we enjoy giving birth because (obviously unlike other mammals:rolleyes:) we "evolved to reproduce".


Nonetheless, the claim that suffering underwent by human mothers is much more then livestock is undoubtedly false. First of all because there are animal mothers that give birth just like humans (our main difference is our brain) and they definitely suffer more when they give birth because they aren't given modern amenities, and then their babies are usually taken from them immediately afterwards, which is where the real suffering begins.



If you believe in a specieist or anthropocentric ethic rather then an anti-suffering ethic then you probably won't see anything objectionable about meat rearing conditions.Animal liberationists and those who use terms like “speciesist” are the most anthropocentric of all; you project your feelings about how animals are treated onto the animals themselves, whose minds in many cases cannot even begin to grasp it, cannot have any strong feelings regarding their immediate pain other than fear, which, I’ll agree should be minimised, but what we do to them is no different from what they do to each other -- we just do it on a larger scale. Your anti-suffering principle, if honestly applied to non-human creatures, might find you in the path between a lion and its prey.


I don't follow any specieist ethic, so I believe that if it is okay to turn a cow into a milk machine, I see no reason that a human female (that is hypothetically implanted with a cow brain) shouldn't also be able to be turned into milk machine, using her breasts as a milk source.

To believe one of these things is okay and the other isn't just seems to me to be inconsistent and irrational. Intelligence should be the defining characteristic, not the species.Your hypothetical scenario is ridiculous. Human milk is disgusting and, more importantly, you're taking an absurd "all or nothing" stance with your "Oh if we can treat animals like that based on their inferior intelligence then we can treat humans implanted with cow brain (wtf?) the same". We place our own, as all other animals place their own, species first and foremost; this isn't "speciesism" but simply the way we've survived, and probably will continue to survive for a while -- why do you think we keep those in "permanent" vegetative states and the like on life support? It's not due to some "anti-suffering" ethic which would not realistically factor into such a decision at all; it's due, most often, to the fact that they're our own. Depending on our emotional relation to the person, we may be desperately hoping for a cure, something to bring life back into their features, and though acknowledging this as wishful thinking, who could willingly pull the plug?

This is dreadfully off-topic now and if you have another response or some sources, a new thread might be in order.

[o well this is ok I guess]

I used to constantly buy a new phone every year before I realized I had never needed a new phone.
Do you know what's the worst part about this? What changed was not your life, but your view of it. Life had already been miserable before you were aware of it.
Rethinking society necessarily means to rethink ones relationship to it.

[CommunityBeliever]

Got a link to a source or anything?

My main sources are anecdotal and from people who decided to have a "natural" childbirth, in their own homes rather then in a hospital. For example, I wasn't born in a hospital.

I don't know of too many online sources for this claim though, perhaps this site should provide interesting data:

http://www.achildbirth.com/childbirth-delivery-videos.html

In countries in which young men were forced to join the army for training, young women compared childbirth with going to the army. Pain was so ingrained as association to childbirth that it was considered similar to be sent to war. Nowadays we are luck to have internet, where women share the secret they found about enjoyable childbirth. In childbirth delivery videos we can witness women having peaceful, lovely and pleasurable childbirth.

It is commonly taught that childbirth is painful in western societies, however, I have also heard contradictory claims from multiple alternative sources so I think more data is needed to form an objective conclusion.


This claim is quite surprising to me, that we enjoy giving birth because (obviously unlike other mammals:rolleyes:) we "evolved to reproduce".Yes we evolved to pass on our genes through reproduction.


whose minds in many cases cannot even begin to grasp it, cannot have any strong feelings regarding their immediate pain other than fearThis isn't true. They can suffer and feel basic emotions just like we can. These things were evolved as defence mechanisms against damage to the organism.

The difference is not in their capacity to suffer, it is in their intelligence and their ability to form complex thoughts and language.


I’ll agree should be minimisedI never said suffering should be minimised. I am a nihilist/hard-materialist so I do not hold any sort of ethic against suffering or anything else for that matter.

I merely stated that I recognise the fact that these animals do have the capacity to suffer like we do, how you deal with that is your own choice. You may choose to have an anti-suffering ethic then you will want to minimise it.


but what we do to them is no different from what they do to each other -- we just do it on a larger scaleThis is true. Animals generally treat one another poorly. This applies to human animals too.


Your anti-suffering principleLike I said before, I am a nihilistic materialist so I don't have any anti-suffering principles, but some other people do.


might find you in the path between a lion and its prey.The theory is that animals (including predators and lions) won't have autonomy so they won't be able to attack other sentient organisms. See reprogramming predators. (http://www.hedweb.com/abolitionist-project/reprogramming-predators.html)

Electrodes implanted in the brain could be used to control the animal. This will make that animal follow instructions and prevent it from taking destructive actions.


Your hypothetical scenario is ridiculousNo it isn't. It is pretty easy to imagine alternative conditions if you have a relatively advanced mind.

Assuming you have a functional human mind then it shouldn't be hard to imagine an alternative situation where there is a human female who is mentally on a par with a cow. Under these circumstances this female could be transformed into a milk machine and her breasts could be used as a milk source. The gathered milk then could be sold on the market not unlike the conditions of most cows.


Human milk is disgustingIt is only disgusting to some individuals. I doubt that a human infant for example would believe that human milk is disgusting because it is needed for growth.


We place our own, as all other animals place their own, species first and foremostThis at irrational and emotion-based.


this isn't "speciesism"In that case I would like to know how you define the term "speciesism."


This is dreadfully off-topic now and if you have another response or some sources, a new thread might be in order.Feel free to move this discussion here (http://www.revleft.com/vb/do-you-eat-t104650/index36.html) instead.

[La Peur Rouge]

My main sources are anecdotal and from people who decided to have a "natural" childbirth, in their own homes rather then in a hospital. For example, I wasn't born in a hospital.

I don't know of too many online sources for this claim though, perhaps this site should provide interesting data:

http://www.achildbirth.com/childbirth-delivery-videos.html


Sorry for being off topic... but in what ways are "natural" births in a home different from "natural" births in a hospital?

[Aleenik]

Ya... I kinda forgot to post a reply here lol. I meant to a few days ago, but forgot. Thanks everyone for your responses.:)

Being a vegetarian is something I am still looking in to, but I might try and back away from that because hopefully I can go to Japan to study in a year or two. And while people can be vegetarians anywhere, it would, from what I've heard, be harder to be a vegetarian in Japan than in say the US.

As for pacifism, I think I actually lean more towards non-aggression. If someone is attacking you, you should be allowed to attack back in my view.

As for things just being games, movies, etc. I know they are just forms of entertainment, but it just feels harder to enjoy them since I look at the world differently now. When your favorite things in life suddenly feel weird and not as enjoyable, it's a depressing feeling. Been playing Saints Row 2 the past few days and been having fun with it. It feels weird though, like it's not right to enjoy violent things. Yet I am enjoying it. Maybe I need to go back to counseling lol.