Happy fourth board anniversary

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I'm glad I've been able to be a part of this for pretty much its whole existence. Definitely had a lot of problems with Alex's stance that there is such a thing as objective evil (and that he, of course, knows exactly what it is) and I called him on that a few times.

I had joined Skeptiko in a very different mindset than I have today, much more stressed and still dealing with a decent amount of paranormal stuff in my life. I had the intent to develop magic and share what I was learning then, and I still do now. And these days I've actually finally hit what I call stage 2 of that process which is amazing to me since it happened a way I never expected. And as such I've been very quiet on the forum as I pour everything into training that into stage 3, where the real fun will start.

2020 was probably the biggest blow to me for all of that yet, given how it was hard not to think of the entire reason I even incarnated and how the very rapid push towards totalitarianism that covid was and still is resembles what I was told back then. Obviously I'm someone that, on here, is considered in the "conspiracy theorist" camp, though I don't know a single person among those I follow that even mention anything about the illuminati let alone believe anything like that so I'm not really sure where that side of things comes from. Much like the "5G causes Covid" idea, It seems like something only the mainstream seems to talk about while saying its what conspiracy theorists believe. That being said there are some theories that have no evidence behind them perpetuated by people, I'm looking at you, Qanon people.

But on my end I do find it sort of funny that I'd get lumped in with those types given the sheer amount of citations I can bring to bear on anything I talk about. Whereas the other side seems to have stalled at "buT wE hAd To Do SoMeThInG..." while things that were laughed off as crazy conspiracy theories that would never happen in 2020 are now treated like obvious solutions that must be done by those same people in 2021. The term "conspiracy orthodoxy" also makes me laugh, given my last post that got moved included a clip of a certain someone stating that attacking them was attacking science. I've come to accept that some people just "want to believe" and are totally unwilling to look at evidence let alone present their own, while claiming that's what the other side does... while they're presenting evidence of their claims. As Whitney Webb put it in a presentation earlier this year, "How long are these people going to be able to say its like a kooky conspiracy theory when people like Ryan, Derrick and I, and other people who cover this stuff, keep being right?"

However, such discussions don't really need to happen on a forum dedicated to paraspsychology, so I've refrained for the most part unless I felt it was relevant to a wider discussion about science and scientism.

I'm glad this place is still going, it is still probably the only place that anyone can have reasonable discussions about psionic ability and etc without it necessarily devolving into madness. that being said it does make me sad that, almost every time a new person joins who has, say, a different opinion or a few questions about things like NDE research they get pushed out of the community within a week or two. I am pretty sure I'm the reason that Oliver and TheRaven don't post anymore and I fully own that. But they're not the only ones.

Its nice to have a place where the talking points aren't either crystal healing and legitimate new age nonsense or that all notion of psi is woo woo psuedoscience that only stupid people would think about researching.

At some point I can hopefully get back to writing up some of the stuff I've been working on for awhile but until then I'll probably end up being rather quiet. I have a lot of work to do solidifying what I'm attempting with magic and making sure things are as air tight as I can make them. Nothing is set in stone yet, but who knows what the future will hold for that.
"The cure for bad information is more information."
(This post was last modified: 2021-08-18, 11:41 PM by Mediochre.)
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(2021-08-18, 11:23 PM)Mediochre Wrote: At some point I can hopefully get back to writing up some of the stuff I've been working on for awhile but until then I'll probably end up being rather quiet. I have a lot of work to do solidifying what I'm attempting with magic and making sure things are as air tight as I can make them. Nothing is set in stone yet, but who knows what the future will hold for that.

While I disagree with you on conspiracy theories, I can't fault your intellectual integrity and "putting your money where your mouth is" in trying to push your personal Psi/Magic ability.

FWIW I consider your experiments and reports a cornerstone of the forum.
'Historically, we may regard materialism as a system of dogma set up to combat orthodox dogma...Accordingly we find that, as ancient orthodoxies disintegrate, materialism more and more gives way to scepticism.'

- Bertrand Russell


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(2021-08-19, 02:40 AM)Sciborg_S_Patel Wrote: FWIW I consider your experiments and reports a cornerstone of the forum.

Wow! Since Mediocre has written over 700 posts, can you point me somewhere that illustrates what you mean please?

David
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(2021-08-18, 11:23 PM)Mediochre Wrote: I am pretty sure I'm the reason that Oliver and TheRaven don't post anymore and I fully own that.

I'm not so sure about that. I think you're probably being too hard on yourself (again!).
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(2021-08-19, 02:40 AM)Sciborg_S_Patel Wrote: While I disagree with you on conspiracy theories, I can't fault your intellectual integrity and "putting your money where your mouth is" in trying to push your personal Psi/Magic ability.

FWIW I consider your experiments and reports a cornerstone of the forum.

Thanks, the entire reason I try posting all that is for other people to take whatever they can from it and use it for their own training.
"The cure for bad information is more information."
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(2021-08-19, 11:38 PM)David001 Wrote: Wow! Since Mediocre has written over 700 posts, can you point me somewhere that illustrates what you mean please?

David

Will direct message you - sci
'Historically, we may regard materialism as a system of dogma set up to combat orthodox dogma...Accordingly we find that, as ancient orthodoxies disintegrate, materialism more and more gives way to scepticism.'

- Bertrand Russell


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(2021-08-18, 11:02 PM)Kamarling Wrote: It would be interesting to talk to Alex in person although I get the impression that I wouldn't get the chance to say much if his interviews are indicators. I get flustered when I'm badgered.


Actually, I had occasion to talk to Alex via Zoom a few times last year. He didn't come across like you might expect from his interview technique and or the general tenor of the Skeptiko forum. In fact, I found him to be enthusiastic, engaged and a good listener.

That said, I strongly disagree with some of the directions the show has taken and can't help but feel that the Skeptiko forum has gone completely off the deep-end lately (and taken its moderation team with it).

Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY PSIENCEQUEST!
Formerly dpdownsouth. Let me dream if I want to.
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(2021-08-24, 12:29 PM)woethekitty Wrote: good listener


Ironic then that he effectively chased away a mass of really smart and thoughtful posters which resulted in the creation of this space.  Of course there were always trolls and folks more interested in talking than listening, but when I first found Skeptiko I found a lot of posters worth "listening" to.

To your point, the forum is now dominated by prosthelytizors versus listeners/knowledge-wisdom seekers.
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(2021-08-24, 03:02 PM)Silence Wrote: Ironic then that he effectively chased away a mass of really smart and thoughtful posters which resulted in the creation of this space.  Of course there were always trolls and folks more interested in talking than listening, but when I first found Skeptiko I found a lot of posters worth "listening" to.


I don't find it ironic, not really. Many people display contradictory behaviour in different settings and situations.


(2021-08-24, 03:02 PM)Silence Wrote: To your point, the forum is now dominated by prosthelytizors versus listeners/knowledge-wisdom seekers.


Indeed. The trick is, I think, to never be entirely sure on which side of the divide one is sitting.
Formerly dpdownsouth. Let me dream if I want to.
(2021-08-24, 03:02 PM)Silence Wrote: To your point, the forum is now dominated by prosthelytizors versus listeners/knowledge-wisdom seekers.



(2021-08-25, 03:08 PM)woethekitty Wrote: Indeed. The trick is, I think, to never be entirely sure on which side of the divide one is sitting.


Upon reflection, the above reply seems to imply that I think you're a prosthelytizor. This was not my intention. I have always enjoyed any online interactions we've had (I used to be dpdownsouth here, and still am on Skeptiko) and have never considered you to be an overly dogmatic or argumentative type of guy. 

Just wanted to clear that up.
Formerly dpdownsouth. Let me dream if I want to.
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