#philosophy

If you really want to learn, you have to stop using English. I was basically forced to abandon it; taking classes à la fac meant I couldn't take notes fast enough in English, so I had to use French and my listening and writing skills exploded. My host mother had folks over for dinner, and they'd practice their English while I practiced my French.
Maybe it's my self-esteem, but I'm not comfortable with saying I'm fluent. However, a few weeks ago, one of my exchange partners and I had a 30-40min discussion about political ideologies and philosophy. It was mostly in French. I stumbled here and there but I was amazed that I was able to participate in such an abstract conversation at all. Now I'm ok with saying that I "speak some French." :P
I found myself accidentally eaves dropping on people in a restaurant. They were t talking about anything particularly interesting, but I remember thinking how cool it was that I knew that this couple was going to a different town tomorrow and they had said it all in French.
If you really want to learn, you have to stop using English. I was basically forced to abandon it; taking classes à la fac meant I couldn't take notes fast enough in English, so I had to use French and my listening and writing skills exploded. My host mother had folks over for dinner, and they'd practice their English while I practiced my French. Interesting point. Yeah, I can definitely see myself faltering in that area, except for the most simple of jokes. It's a good way to look at it. I'm sure you don't need to hear it from me, but your English is really good by the way. I certainly wouldn't have guessed you weren't native.
As things are starting to click for me too, I see it, fluency, as my native language when I was like 10. I didn't know what so many ancillary words or specialized words were. I had to ask or look it up in a dictionary. Nor could i write an essay and sound educated. There is just so much polish we are able to put on our native language as we get older through education, reading, media, and just plain immersion around others. But being that way at that age didn't break my flow of conversation. And that to me is what fluency is...being fluid in being able to converse. Sometimes you hear something that makes you say "hmmm...what does that mean?" but you will get the context from the rest or just ignore it and move on. Instead of thinking, you are just doing.
A turning point for me is when I realized I could listen to the radio or watch some videos without missing (almost) anything. Also being able to speak naturally and understand others, as if it were your native language. When you can talk about the weather or have a great philosophical debate in the same conversation naturally!

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Yes. Big Time!
When I attended college we did not study: gender studies, black history, feminism, equity and inclusion, etc. I studied composition, arranging, harmony, counterpoint, improvisation, music history, conducting, ear training, guitar, piano, bass guitar, digital systems, analog systems, power supplies, electricity, physics, calculus, English Literature, US History, Ancient History, Fine Arts, Public Speaking, Psychology, Philosophy, Network engineering, machine language, basic programming, pascal programming, C Programming, IP addressing, Subnet masking, OSPF, BGP, RIP, WAN, LAN, Routers, Switches, Firewalls, OSI Model, Access Lists, etc

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And after acquiring all of this knowledge I worked hard to apply what I had learned. In the case of music, I performed in bands and practiced to continuously improve. In the case of engineering I became a Cisco Certified and Baynetworks Certified Network Engineer and worked for many organizations over a 40 year career i.e. Motorola, Nortel, Cabletron, Bay Networks, Cisco, State of New Hampshire, Vital Networks, Bloomin Brands and Tech Data.

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Whenever possible, I studied subjects that interested me and that I knew would allow me to earn money and provide for my family. I also studied music, not for the money, but because I love Music and that has always been my dream to earn a degree from Berklee College of Music. Some people say, so what? Who cares? Here is the thing, when we are moments away from death and we reflect upon the life we have lived, what will we think? Will we regret our life because we only did those things that made us money? Or will we have a more balanced appreciation that we utilized our time to not only provide for our family but that we also achieved our dream and thus satisfied our soul? The choice is ours to make and only we, as individuals, can make those choices and be honest enough to own whatever choice we make, and refrain from blaming other people or society, and thus become "victims."

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My father once told me the following: "son you've made your bed, and now you must lie in it." Which translated, means that we are responsible for the decisions we make and the consequences of those decisions whether good or bad. Said differently, we must take responsibility for what we think, say and do.

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Anything is possible.
The question is this: why would you want to attend a party where people are drinking in excess knowing what negative behaviors are associated with excessive consumption of alcohol and drugs?

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I grew up in a family littered with mean and nasty alcoholics. There were many evenings when I literally had to scrape my drunk mother off the floor, with the help of my sister, and put her to bed. It wasn't pretty and I could provide many examples of the emotional and physical carnage caused by alcoholics and drug addicts just so they could have "fun."
Yea... fun at whose expense?
Who will the drunk hurt, insult, beat, injure, assault or rape tonight, right?

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My philosophy concerning drugs and alcohol is simple but effective: "Just say no!" I DO NOT allow this type of behavior on my property nor do I tolerate it within my life. I will end my rant here; but, I have many more real stories I could add including stories about relatives who have spent years in prison for alcoholism, drug addiction and the violent and insane behaviors that are directly attributed to such addictions and self destructive behaviors.

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I'm complex as hell. No one ever sees the full me because of that. My family sees one piece. People I work with see a totally different piece. People I like/friends see something else. And you people on Reddit see mostly a different piece from everyone else. When people from any of these four elements see me in one of the other elements, they get really confused. Some people think I'm intimidating as hell while other people think the idea that I'm intimidating is completely laughable. I'm old, but I look significantly younger than I am, i.e. at least a decade younger. So, I get a lot of amusement from people because of all of these things. I like dark blue and black and wear those colors almost all the time. I actually love sports, but I treat it like an academic subject. I'm into politics, psychology, reading, research, learning, social issues, pretty much all kinds of music (no "I have eclectic taste" followed by "I hate pop music," though, admittedly, I'm less familiar with modern music--but I just like anything that sounds good to me), old sitcoms. I like philosophical discussions. Great career, but always thinking about what the next step is and positioning for it. "Forever alone"--too weird and different to find someone who is compatible with me and actually wants me. Not "girly." Very calculating and always staying a step ahead of others. Usually have a plan B or a contingency plan. Very unemotional on the outside, more emotional and romantic on the inside. I'm on my early 20s. Very introverted. I find it hard to connect with people. I am picky with my relationships (platonic and romantic). Quite elitistic and arrogant. Loves fine art and the violin. Adores dogs. Pragmatic. Loves money money money! 🤑
I am kind of motivated but unmotivated most of the time. I am a highschool student and I used to go to a boarding school. It taught me a lot about people. And I dream of becoming an engineer and make stuff. I made friends when I used to attend the school, but only talk to one after leaving the school. And I don't really have a person to talk to a lot, but that dosent mean I am alone, have family and friends (2), but just lonely. Closest thing to a friend I have is a random french girl I found on omegle. I rarely talk, to a fistfull of people. I am just shy. Oh and the compliment I get the most by few people I talk to is "weird in an interesting way"
I am also interested in philosophy and psychology, especially applying it to my personal life or analysing the behaviour of others around me. I have grown more confident over time but I still feel very awkward or out of place. I am a very reserved person but I enjoy talking with my friends about meaningful topics. I usually mind my own business but I enjoy giving insightful advice to my friends because I know it will be useful for them. I have two cats. I like iced coffee. I am a good leader.

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I'm a 30-something, single, college educated, middle class woman. People describe me as strong-willed, confident, distant, aggressive and funny. I describe myself as a wordsmith (occupation), ass-shaker (hobby), car singer (secret talent) and sexy nerd who can have a conversation with anyone - but would prefer to be left the fuck alone. 9/10 times, I'm thinking, "move out of my way, don't start, you tried it (and failed), don't bother me, where can I get some chocolate?," or Spanish music lyrics. I love rarely, but hard and cut people off often and easily. Earth is ghetto, I wanna leave. But for now I'll just get high and wish I could be with the one man who knows how to turn on my body and shut off my brain. I collect things—comic books, bottles of cologne, sunglasses, platinum and tungsten carbide jewelry, art (traditional and digital), photographs and many other things. I enjoy strategy games like chess and Magic, my favorite formats being the older ones. I'm an atheist and skeptic. I wear black a lot, which I see as representing neither a brooding personality nor an inclination towards a gothic motif. My taste in music and film is eclectic. I'm currently writing a novel set in Afghanistan. I don't consume drugs or alcohol because I don't trust myself to do either in moderation. My sense of humor is dark, bordering on morbid but I still love Disney films like The Little Mermaid. I don't put a lot of stock in IQ tests and think people who brag about their IQ are generally losers. Sports involving a ball bore me to tears. I hate pop music and bright colors. I voted green party in the past two presidential elections. I love Coke and hate Pepsi. I put ice in all my drinks. My favorite colognes are tea scented. Whip Inflation Now. Make love, not war. Why are you still reading this?
I work as an engineer for the Director of Operations at a robotics company. I do what needs doing and enjoy it, but ultimately my career is just a job. I collect myriad hobbies and inevitably discard them, as nothing maintains interest. Principally, I read history, philosophy, and science, mostly during lunch. I also play guitar and study foreign languages. I feel very alive when listening to the right music, and I feel mostly dead otherwise. Regarding personality, I'm like a still ocean, occasionally disturbed by ripples in the wake of a passing ship, but only ever lightly, and never for long. I appreciate irony.
I'm quiet and scared shitless most of the time. I tend to come across as a know-it-all but this is usually just a mask for my insecurity. I have a fear of abandonment so I get emotionally attached too easily. I'm pretty intuitive and I like philosophy.

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Sigmund Freud once said, Emotions which cannot be expressed, never die, are buried alive, and then reappear in ugly ways.
Read the books of June, Parveen, Wasi, and other Urdu poets. If you analyze Google's statistics, Pakistan will be one of the countries where pornography is the most popular. Even if you travel from Khyber to Karachi, even if the woman is passing by wearing a shuttlecock burqa, the men around her will keep staring at her until she turns the corner of the street and disappears from sight. You can talk to anyone and see, after every two sentences, there will be insults on the genitals of mother and sister. If you listen to the statements of religious preachers and scholars, they will have shed light on the size of the ups and downs of better maidens. You will also see Pakistani dramas, novels, digests, movies, this love affair, and will be revolving around love affairs. You should also read the newspaper every day and see if someone has abused the BB or if someone has abused the BB, little children, even the honor of the corpses in the grave will not be found safe.You won't find any mention of science documentaries, life on Mars, or robots, no discussion of Nietzsche, Russell, Einstein, or philosophy. Imagine that the film Jinnah on Quaid-e-Azam was made by a British production house, and the Kingdom of Heaven film by Salahuddin Ayubi was made by Hollywood. We have never been able to get Quaid-e-Azam, Allama Iqbal, to make a film or documentary on our history that we can present to the world beyond pride. We put ban on Hollywood movies, but in the name of stage dramas, nothing else was shown.
Imagine for a second you were transposed into the karmic driven world of Earl. Make a car, bank balance, so that when the youth is over, then the thought of marriage, that is, the virgin who is more than half her age, keeps wandering. The burden of dowry on girls is different. If it is a recognized fact that sexual gratification is a basic human need, and unless this basic human need is met, man cannot concentrate fully on other creative works, he suffers from mental disorders. Why refuse to believe?How long will we continue to produce poets, lunatics, madmen, and grieving generations instead of Newton, Einstein, Bill Gates? How long are we going to force young people to spend two out of four days of life wishing and waiting for the other two days? What science of the world, what psychology of the world, would call this society right? Who are we trying to deceive? Who are we trying to lie to? What kind of system of life is this where the expression and fulfillment of basic human needs is restricted? When all the doors of truth and truthfulness are closed, then everything is still there, but under the guise of hypocrisy, every person claims to be an angel And no human being can be found even by searching.
Freud said, "Emotions that cannot be expressed, never die, are buried alive, and then reappear in ugly ways."

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Today at midnight, I don’t know why my pen was willing to write a passage of emotions. It may be because of facing a lot of hindrances to touch the rose of destination or due to receiving ‘gifts’ of sorrows and grief from the beloveds. So, I started thinking about what to write. I was very confused as to which quality either bad or good is common in all humans.
I couldn’t decide but one thing that came to my mind was that humans are naturally greedy. Then, besides this, which other quality is common to all? Time went on passing by but my pen wasn’t ready to write anything on the philosophy of human psychology. So, I used it for scratching my head and went to bed.
Finally, night doffed its veil and with a glowing face, a sun rose. I got up and after taking tea, started to find out the answer to the question that kept me perplexed the night before.
I kept on pondering but couldn’t get my answer. But, one day, when I was coming home at night, suddenly I felt the fear as nothing was around me.
This was my eureka moment, and I got my answer! My thought journey continued and it dawned on me that it is due to fear that other qualities — good or bad — grow up. We tell lies out of fear. A person thinks he hid the reality but he unknowingly opens hundreds of new questions in which he himself will be trapped. A child tells lies to his parents and teachers. Why? Just out of fear. Another such trait is jealousy which develops in the psyche of a person.
It too emanates from fear. You may not agree to my assertion but an example would make it as clear as crystal. If a person moves forward in life and treads the path to prosperity, another will be jealous of him just because he has his own fear of going backwards.
Another question which came to my mind was: what are the hardest works to do? One may feel that for a man who doesn’t take any interest in anything, everything will be hard. But, in reality, providing justice, making decisions and shouldering responsibility are the hardest things to do in the world.
All of these are inter-related phenomena. Before providing justice and taking responsibility, a man would take a decision on doing it. On every point of life, in every minute and in every second, a person has to make decisions. Then, why it is so hard a task? Here again the main culprit is fear; fear that this decision may not be beneficial in future.
Tolerance, compromise and encouraging others are the most coveted qualities in a human being. By tolerating the jibes and taunts of others, you will be able to know who actually is yours and you will be away from thousands of worries. By compromising on some things in life, you will be ideal personality for others.
I sum up my thoughts by famous saying, “Correction does much, but encouragement does more.”

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Yes I have a personal library that I continue to add to it. It contains historical books, psychology, spiritual, poems and political. Below is a random list:
* The Dying Citizen - Victor Davis Hanson
* The Devils Chessboard - David Talbot
* The Naked Communist - W. Cleon Skousen
* Fatal Conceit - F.A. Hayek
* The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis
* The Apostle of Common Sense - G.K. Chesterton
* Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
* Tragedy and Hope - Quigley
* White Guilt - Shelby Steele
* The Art of Loving - Erich Fromm
* An assortment of writings from America's founding fathers i.e. Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Lincoln, Grant, Franklin, Hamilton, Debate on Constitution, American Revolution,
* American writers: Longfellow, Cooper, Twain, Steinbeck, Douglass
* Mao A Life - Holt
* Hilter - Norton
* NAZI Terror - Johnson
* Team of Rivals - Goodwin
* Grant & Sherman - Flood
* Intellectuals and Society - Sowell
* The Gulag Archipelago - Harvill
Books on Poetry: Emily Dickinson, T.S. Eliot, Walt Whitman, Maya Angelou.

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I also have books on philosophy, psychology and music books on theory, scales, classical, jazz, blues, rock and of course the Beatles which is my all time favorite band.

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