Divergence

[waitingman]

Someone I've known since 1988, worked with for about 3 years & played in a couple of music projects with was at the NYE gathering L-SP & I attended last night &... oh dear

We'd already found out she was an Anti-Vaxxer when our regular NYE hosts contacted me about NYE2021-2... To their credit, they didn't ostracise her, but wanted everyone to know so they could make their own decision - which turned out to be moot anyway when, oh the irony, our hosts caught Covid!!

Anyway, she was there last night & I asked what she'd been up to during the year. Turned out she's 'working' with a group called NO 5G who are "looking to cause trouble where trouble needs to be caused"... What her beliefs are about chemtrails, the Illuminati Lizard People, a flat &/or hollow Earth & 9/11 being an inside job remain unknown, as I tried to both change the subject & get someone else involved in the conversation so I could gracefully withdraw from it...

I really don't know where to start with people like this, so maybe the best option is actually to stop

Comments

[waitingman]

I understand where these 'conspiracy' ideas come from - people feel they're not being included in decisions being made about/for them, or they don't understand the science behind things & feel like they're being talked down to when scientists or leaders try to explain things in simpler terms, which fosters paranoia & mistrust in authorities in general... therefore anything they don't understand must be a plot against them hatched by the secret ruling cabal to keep them docile & controlled... & the fact that no evidence of any such things can be found, only proves how powerful this cabal really is

Please don't get me started on religion again - all of them are well-documented, man-made methods of keeping their respective flocks in line, flying in the face of scientific evidence & demanding doctrinal faith over free will & critical thinking

I love science fiction, because mostly it shows what improvements can be made if we aspire to greater levels of intelligence... I like fantasy too, but too often it's rooted in versions of feudalism & rarely shows 'people' (or dwarves/elves/fae/trolls/orcs etc...) as any kind of ideal to be admired

[paserbyp]

I agreed that religion is very sensitive topic to discuss, specially with people who feel atheistic or agnostic. Specially, I don’t like to be part of any religious war, because I must to make a choice to less evil… and I don’t want to choice any evil at all!

[waitingman]

See... this is the problem with religions... You shouldn't be a good person, do good things, or not be a bad person because some man in fancy robes & a silly hat tells you that some god will be pleased with you & you'll be rewarded in a 'heaven' when you die. You should choose to be a good person, do good things & not be a bad person simply because it's the right thing to do!!! It's not about sins & rewards & being holy, just be a good person. There's no prize at the end, it's not a competition - it's just life & living as best as you can

The whole carrot & stick bullshit of a god & heaven & hell is just to encourage those who can't be bothered to live a good, useful life without some form of threat or reward...

[paserbyp]

To be a good person? In religion it is very “easy”, because if you follow 10 commandments then you’re good one. Religion helps people to identify what is good and what is bad? However, some bad persons used religion to justify bad as good. The same happens with people who don’t believe in God…

So, I don’t see this the problem with only religion, because religion tried to address question what is good and what is bad, but failed…