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~inquiry

> This post really rubs me the wrong way.

Would it rub you even more wrongly reading me admit I'm taking that as evidence of success?

> First, I don't like strangers telling me how I should spend my time or live my life.

Yes, I'm familiar with the notion of 'ego'. (Hence my ridiculously unnecessary/obnoxious first sentence worth of response.)

*But*, it turns out your replying feels like the possibility of us at least getting past the "strangers" part.

*And* I'm actually rather giddy about the prospect. The internet has been a mostly dismal place for me (I admit that could be mostly my fault, but.. still do I wonder...), so I'm always happy to encounter honest intelligence.

> Second, I had to manage without adults "investing in me" and I think today's children can do the same.

I'm not impressed with the phrase "had to manage". I believe you should have had it better, and *might* have if more adults had read - and acted upon - a post like the one rubbing you the wrong way before having interacted with you.

> Third, what leads you think the average adult has anything worth sharing with children, anyway?

Excellent point.

One thing does come to mind, though: manifesting a level of caring/interest/listening that builds trust in children that maybe at least one adult has more to offer than the nothingness the child is used to from other adults. The fact that someone is listening at all counts given it's obviously easy for a child to experience far less than that.

> Finally, do you honestly think that after working 40+ hours a week most people have the time, energy, or inclination to invest in kids who aren't their own?

I do. The proof of it is exchanges like this online, which likely aren't benefitting anyone. Yet we both wasted time engaging in it. We'd have both done greater service to the species doing the bare mininum (i.e. that "manifesting a level of caring/interest/listining" (above)) than this screen hypnosis bullshit.

(Oh dang... no idea why the formatting came out so weird, but I'm drunk off my ass and don't have time to dick with it because I need to get refocused on what to do with my classroom kids tomorrow.....)

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~starbreaker wrote (thread):

> I believe you should have had it better,

Maybe I should have, but I didn't. Life dealt me a hand, and I'm playing it as best I can for myself and for the people I've chosen as my own.

> The proof of it is exchanges like this online, which likely aren't benefitting anyone. Yet we both wasted time engaging in it.

You wasted your time. I got the same illusion of social engagement I might have gotten from sites like Reddit, but with less BS. A few idle minutes well spent while keeping an eye on the stove.

> We'd have both done greater service to the species doing the bare mininum

It's your life, and you can concern yourself with the good of the species if you like but don't expect me to share your concern.

The species cares nothing for individuals; why should I therefore care for the species? It's not like I've got skin in the game; my wife and I didn't get to have kids so what happens to humanity after I'm dead isn't my problem since we've no empirical evidence of an afterlife other than earthly fame.

I've noticed from your other posts that you're somewhat more of a traditionalist than I am, and we're not likely to agree on a great many issues. Nevertheless, I wish you well because you've done me and mine no harm. I think I'll leave you with a quote from /The Count of Monte Cristo/; maybe it will help you see where I'm coming from:

> “Perhaps what I am about to say will appear strange to you gentlemen, socialists, progressives, humanitarians as you are, but I never worry about my neighbor, I never try to protect society which does not protect me -- indeed, I might add, which generally takes no heed of me except to do me harm -- and, since I hold them low in my esteem and remain neutral towards them, I believe that society and my neighbor are in my debt.”

Incidentally, if you begin a line with an asterisk the Midnight will treat it as a bullet point even though you have another one at the end of a word or phrase because you intended Markdown-style italics, because this site treats all text input as Gemtext, not Markdown. If you used Org-mode slashes /like this/ the format wouldn't have gotten mangled.