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PCIntern

(25,705 posts)
Wed Dec 20, 2023, 09:50 AM Dec 2023

One thing of which I am certain:

All the predictions made: the USSC will or won’t do such and such, Trump will pick so and so as VP, such and such a group won’t vote for Biden/Harris because of whatever, and the like are purely specious speculation and conjecture.

No writer, not Shakespeare, not William Goldman, not Ian Fleming, not Tom Clancy could have scripted the political narrative beginning in November, 1963 to today. It is the epitome that truth isn’t just stranger than fiction, it is orders of magnitude stranger and utterly unpredictable by the common folk. It exists in a four or five dimensional matrix of which we have no concept.


This is not because we are not rational, thinking individuals. It is largely because there are forces of which we are utterly unaware as well as the vagaries of random events, including but not limited to, disease, accidents of various types, and metaphorical lightning strikes. The former “forces” to which I refer involve individuals who exert influences and powers from a metaphorical “subterranean lair”.

The randomness coupled with the plotting and planning creates a syncytial weave which is like a diffuse network of events, utterly unpredictable as a roulette wheel’s white ball. Sit back and watch…and yes: vote and attempt to convince anyone on the fence that we are facing an extinction event in this nation.

(As an aside, and I know how many people despise diagnosis by HDTV, I believe that there is a decompensation process ongoing which is going to be manifesting itself upon awakening some morning within a few months. Yes…I know what you’re thinking. But something is palpably different in the last few weeks. I could be mistaken but the hair on the back of my neck stood on end the other day. This happens after years of seeing people in his age range and dealing with their issues which present similarly.)

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cachukis

(2,303 posts)
3. I remember while reading Paradise Lost, after
Wed Dec 20, 2023, 10:16 AM
Dec 2023

thinking deeply over Satan's conversation with Jesus, Satan's justification for his role. In essence he said to Jesus, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't be here.
When we let down our guard, evil sneaks in.
I remember when Hill Street Blues first hit the TV, hearing from watcher friends how they hated the camera darting around rather than staying focused on one point. It dawned on me, having grown up in the city, that I looked around like that camera did to keep wary of my environs.
Never forgot those conversations and I use that metaphor to judge whether people are aware of what's happening around them.
Guess what, most don't.

Moostache

(9,897 posts)
4. Bonus points for making me look up a word meaning!
Wed Dec 20, 2023, 12:45 PM
Dec 2023

Syncytial : Characterized by interdependence and a sense of mutual identity.

Kudos indeed!
Also cogent and well articulated views always make the morning coffee taste better!

erronis

(15,566 posts)
6. There is so many firehoses of info (real and fake), and the human brain has limited input
Wed Dec 20, 2023, 01:10 PM
Dec 2023

capabilities.

We need to make decisions based on what we've received and what our brains have already decided is a reasonable model. Overwhelming the input channels can make us make bad decisions.

Interesting article just came across which sort of fits in with information overload:
https://scitechdaily.com/fake-news-paradox-the-shocking-way-your-google-searches-could-be-fooling-you/

usonian

(10,096 posts)
8. Humans are complex systems, subject to tipping points and mutual causality
Wed Dec 20, 2023, 01:35 PM
Dec 2023

Physicists study such systems.

It's all way above my pay grade, but I do know from experience that persistent belief in what's right and sharing positive feelings always help.

I am in "that" age range, or damn close to it, and I maintain my belief in equality, the inherent deep down dignity of all people, and fairness. In fact, they grow every day.

I guess it all boils down to whether one is grateful for being alive, having done good things, and looking to do more good, or trying to fill one's emptiness of spirit, being resentful that others seemingly "have it better" and feeling guilty deep down inside for having stepped on and robbed other people.

Tell the truth and you'll never have to walk back a chain of lies every minute of the day.

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