No more Mr Nice Stimbo?

[Angrboda]

Meh. If there's one truth we all share, it's that we all wish we were somebody else, at least some of the time. (Except me, I'm speshul.)

I'm sure if our fairy godmothers granted each of us the wish to be that somebody else for a while, we'd find the problems they have to be as equally vexing and pernicious as the ones we have now. Nobody's got a lock on what it takes to be successful in life. And how boring it would be if they did. For every person that doesn't like you for who you are, there is another person who wouldn't like you if you were somebody else.

(I'm reminded of a psychological experiment from a documentary I just watched. They asked people whether they would prefer a $100 a year from now, or $102 a year and one day from now. Given the trivial difference, most opted for the $102 by waiting the extra day. However, if people are asked if they would prefer $100 today, or $102 tomorrow, people inevitably opt for the smaller amount, even though the time difference is the same. The psychologists called this "present bias" [though I believe other biases figure in]. The fact is, psychologically, we're geared to be myopic, to focus excessively on what's in front of us right now, and the features we can easily see and pick out. I think, if not acknowledged, this can lead to some rather short-sighted appraisals of what we need and what our goals should be. [Perhaps I'm a bit too obvious in my not wanting you to be somebody else....])

For what it's worth, and this may have simply been my bias, it seemed to me that for a while after you were named moderator, you became more aggressive and tenacious; I might even say, "bullying." Perhaps it was all in my head, but what was also in my head was that I lamented the passing of the Stimbo I knew and loved and wanted him back.

Anyway, now for the obligatory sprinkling of random quotes to add confusion while appearing to create clarity.

"The grass is always greener on the other side." (Walk around a while and you'll see that this is true. Plus, it will tire you out.)

"Change is the only constant." ~ Heraclitus

I don't have a ready quote, but paraphrasing Sam Harris, one might look upon the goal of consciousness as always being to produce an 'altered state' that is different from the current one we now have; our goals are all about changing what it feels like to be us right now, from eating when hungry, to smoking weed or drinking alcohol, to pursuing education and a career, and of course, to deciding what we need to do to get some nookie.

Oh, and I'm told that conventional wisdom has it that each new love is different. What I think this suggests is not to worry about making comparisons, as you won't recognize any of the landmarks anyway and you're likely to always feel like you've been cast in an episode of "the Prisoner."

And finally: "Good advice is often a doubtful remedy, but generally not dangerous because it has so little effect......" ~ Carl Jung

Best wishes.