Talking About Suicide

October 29, 2020 by Joe Gray in Cultural Musings, Psychology, Rants, Thoughts

Some people think that talking about suicide will cause more suicide. I doubt it. The thing that causes more suicides is indifference, hate, and physiology. Abuse and neglect. Biological abnormalities and shitty luck cause suicides. Talking about suicide or joking about suicide doesn't cause suicide. Not any more than talking about violence causes violence. Talking about something removes the burden of trying to ignore it. Maybe talking about why we don't talk about suicide from more angles will help us see it more clearly. Here are some angles.

Forgotten Decisions

October 29, 2020 by Joe Gray in Consciousness, Free Will, Language/Linguistics, Personal Development, Philosophy, Psychology, Rants, Thoughts, Whimsies

There's no reason to think that people are able to remember everything they think about. We are constantly going through internal ruminations, whether we are paying attention to them or not. I don't think that the internal monologue is something that we turn on and off at will or consciously. I'm not sure if the stream of consciousness that is verbal is always running but when it is running our focus on it fluctuates. Sometimes one can really focus on observing the random thoughts that happen inside the mind. Sometimes one can direct the stream and try to focus where it goes. Sometimes one is completely unable to grasp the internal messages.

Microdosing Mushrooms

October 05, 2020 by Joe Gray in Balance, Consciousness, Lifestyle, Memoirs, Psychology, Thoughts

I hadn't taken psychedelic mushrooms in a long time for many reasons but mostly because I was afraid of having a bad experience. I wrote a blog post a while back about two experiences I had with large amounts of magic mushrooms. One experience was great and one was horrible so when thinking about taking mushrooms again I always worried about having another bad experience. Earlier this year, though, I decided to try them again but in a more deliberate way. Another reason to take less is that mushrooms can make you vomit or have diarrhea and that didn't seem like a pleasant experience, especially out in the woods. I decided to microdose instead of taking a larger amount and just see what happens.

Pretend I'm Your Friend

September 30, 2020 by Joe Gray in Cultural Musings, Ethics, Language/Linguistics, Personal Development, Philosophy, Psychology, Thoughts

Most people have two or more "personas". They adapt to their environments by filtering their speech. At work, I have one filter and when I'm at home I have another. Sometimes I omit certain words because they are crass in one environment but perfectly acceptable in another.

Fuck Ego.

September 28, 2020 by Joe Gray in Balance, Lifestyle, Personal Development, Philosophy, Psychology, Rants, Thoughts

Ego is when you put the mask on that you create that you think makes you look like the person you wish you were. It's you confusing yourself for an illusion. Ego is pretending you don't make mistakes. Ego is thinking that you did it the best you could when you could have done more.

What is wisdom? (No Answers Here)

September 28, 2020 by Joe Gray in Epistemology, Personal Development, Philosophy, Psychology, Thoughts

Growing up I always thought that intelligence was the most important quality a person could have.

I believed my mom was smart and my dad was dumb. Turns out my mom is intelligent. Alternatively, characterizing my dad as dumb might be disingenuous as it is filtered through anger and resentment.

Now, as I realize more and more the limitations in my intelligence and desire to know things I think that I would like to focus on being wise. But what does that mean?