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I want to start out by saying that I appreciate you engaging thoughtfully and in good faith. The direct subject matter that spawned this talk and the discussion itself are both heavy issues, and I cherish the opportunity to talk with smart people who disagree with me on those kinds of topics. I hope that you see my pushback as a sign that I take you seriously, and not as mere fractiousness.
> people are allowed to feel anxious
Yes, of course. Anxiety is a natural reaction with huge benefits to biological fitness. But it's important to make sure that our evolutionary psychology is a source of useful signals and not a detrimentally dominating influence. And we need to be extra careful to prevent it from being weaponized against us by forces that are not aligned with our health and wellbeing.
> Some of us are [in conflict zones]
Yes, and I really do feel deeply for those who are. If that includes you, please say so (feel free to DM me).
I responded to android's original broad and sweeping claim with another broad and sweeping claim partly because I like the rhetorical effect of doing that and partly because of the norm of writing short posts. There is, of course, infinite nuance.
> physical proximity is not necessary to feel anxious about someone's health
Again, no one would dispute that this is true. But I hope it was clear that I was not addressing people in conflict zones or people with loved ones in conflict zones. If one's grandma is dodging bunker busters in Tehran right now, it would be understandable to be a bit of a mess. If one's taking sick days because of a story one saw on MSNBC, that's indicative of poor adjustment to reality.
> if you felt deeply for them (not saying you have to), likely you wouldn't be feeling well, thus rendering the argument somewhat inconsistent
I still don't see the logical inconsistency. Nor do I believe that feeling deeply for those who are suffering necessarily results in a pathological response. I think it's possible for one's heart to metaphorically bleed without any mental or physical symptoms of illness.
Again, thanks for talking with me about this stuff, for real. 1 reply
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i appreciate the detailed response. i think we're mostly on the same page, but have a different perspective on what "feeling off" means
while you seem to be focusing on pathological side (or even considering it an illness), i'm more curious about subtle, even subconscious effects, hardly observable, but still potent - whatever makes you burn the eggs, drop you favourite mug, hit gas instead of brakes. you can't put your finger on it, so you just tell your wife you're "feeling off". and while it may seem inconsequential, these little mistakes can have disastrous effects if left unchecked. and the first step towards making it go away is surfacing it. that's what android's cast was for me.
sort of "it's not your fault" moment from good will hunting (exaggerating, but ykwim)
the other point of friction is perhaps the infinite struggle between getting brainwashed vs getting desensitised, neither being good, i oscillate between them and while with my irl bubble i tend to take your stance, i feel fc is little more balanced and so i appreciated the opposite position (still imo quite balanced)
anyway, hope i make sense and didn't misinterpret what you're saying, just put kids to sleep and now i'm spent 0 reply
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