Two questions:

1.  Can someone explain what self-pity is?   What does it mean in your own words?  I assume it is an emotion of some kind.

2.  What is the logical purpose of self-pity?  If one is not allowed to feel this emotion whatsoever then why does it even exist?  What is self-pity's purpose exactly?  I simply want everyone's take and opinion on it. 

Sounds like you know what it is because you live it and don't want to. Self loathing is another, or delusional dreamers with grandiose ideas that are unachievable on any level, emotions out of whack.

IMO, God gave us the gift of life, included in this gift was the hope that one would experience love, but to find love one must experience hate to actually appreciate love.
Both are the extremes of the emotional spectrum, with a shitload of gray in between, such as self pity, avarice, jealousy, greed etc. all to be tempered in pursuit of love, the ultimate emotion.
God knew that this would be quite the task for many, so he gave us the Dog, (spelled backwards, "God"), accident? Nope, the lowly dog gives man unquestionable love and adoration without question.

Tell you what, it's pretty hard to be in a shitty mood when you have something that sees only the best in you and nothing else. A tail wag, a lick to greet you after waiting all day for you to return home.
One simply doesn't have time for apathy when you have a dog depending on you for your love and affection.
Get the fuck out of the city, you have imprisoned yourself with fear.

I think it's about time the kid had a army drill instructor for about 2 years.   A good therapist would not help him as he would play a therapist like a fiddle, like he does the government.

Quote from: walkstall on February 25, 2019, 06:55:16 AM
I think it's about time the kid had a army drill instructor for about 2 years.   A good therapist would not help him as he would play a therapist like a fiddle, like he does the government.

Oddly enough, military would be perfect for him, total structure, rules not to be broken.
However, I doubt they would take him, but something like a volunteer group that travels around the world helping the poor in other countries might be a great experience.

Quote from: Solar on February 25, 2019, 06:00:02 AM
Sounds like you know what it is because you live it and don't want to. Self loathing is another, or delusional dreamers with grandiose ideas that are unachievable on any level, emotions out of whack.

IMO, God gave us the gift of life, included in this gift was the hope that one would experience love, but to find love one must experience hate to actually appreciate love.
Both are the extremes of the emotional spectrum, with a shitload of gray in between, such as self pity, avarice, jealousy, greed etc. all to be tempered in pursuit of love, the ultimate emotion.
God knew that this would be quite the task for many, so he gave us the Dog, (spelled backwards, "God"), accident? Nope, the lowly dog gives man unquestionable love and adoration without question.

Tell you what, it's pretty hard to be in a shitty mood when you have something that sees only the best in you and nothing else. A tail wag, a lick to greet you after waiting all day for you to return home.
One simply doesn't have time for apathy when you have a dog depending on you for your love and affection.
Get the fuck out of the city, you have imprisoned yourself with fear.

With the dog, I actually know what you are talking about. When I was a child my dog was Max the dog.  Whenever I was down he knew how to brighten my day.  And, not just love and affection but feeding as well and bathing.

As with emotions I wish I was a Vulcan. 

Quote from: walkstall on February 25, 2019, 06:55:16 AM
I think it's about time the kid had a army drill instructor for about 2 years.   A good therapist would not help him as he would play a therapist like a fiddle, like he does the government.

Here is how it would go down with me and the army drill instructor. 

Drill Seargant:  Yells "ABOUT FACE"

Me:  I turn left to face the wall on the left b/c in my mind that's what I heard him say.

DS:  I SEE WE HAVE US A FUCKING COMEDIAN IN HERE!  A CANDY ASS SHIT STAIN!  DROP AND GIVE ME 20!

Quote from: alienhand on April 07, 2019, 02:24:25 AM
Here is how it would go down with me and the army drill instructor. 

Drill Seargant:  Yells "ABOUT FACE"

Me:  I turn left to face the wall on the left b/c in my mind that's what I heard him say.

DS:  I SEE WE HAVE US A FUCKING COMEDIAN IN HERE!  A CANDY ASS SHIT STAIN!  DROP AND GIVE ME 20!

20? How about 200! The Drill Intructors always say, "If your not gonna be smart, and least you'll be strong"

Quote from: walkstall on February 25, 2019, 06:55:16 AM
I think it's about time the kid had a army drill instructor for about 2 years.   A good therapist would not help him as he would play a therapist like a fiddle, like he does the government.

Here is how it would go down with me and the army drill instructor. 

Drill Seargant:  Yells "ABOUT FACE"

Me:  I turn left to face the wall on the left b/c in my mind that's what I heard him say.

DS:  I SEE WE HAVE US A CANDY ASSED COMEDIAN HERE!  TRYING TO BE CUTE!  DROP AND GIVE ME 50.

Me:   *confused as to what he did wrong*  ummmm huh?

DS:  DROP AND GIVE ME 100!

Me:   100 what?

DS:  100 what sir?

Me:  100 what sir?

DS:  PUSH-UPS YOU DUMB ASS PIECE OF SHIT!

Me:  Can you repeat the first part sir since I only heard the dumb ass piece of shit part sir?

DS:  He screams louder in my ear and yells PUSH-UPS!

Me:  Thinks to myself "All I hear is ups this time and also don't understand why he is upset and singled me out.  What exactly did I do wrong?  Now, I'm stressed trying to figure out what he wants and maybe the man means push-ups.  I go ahead and take the guess.  I could be wrong and it could be sit ups.  It can't be pull ups b/c there is no bar to pull up from."   I do the push-ups.  They end up being what he expects and after I do them he yells at me to "fall in."  I fall in.

DS:  He yells "TURN RIGHT, TURN LEFT, FACE THE WALL, "

ME: Thinking " Everyone else faces the wall to the left that I faced earlier and I still don't know what I did wrong from b4.  I face wall from another building that is a longer distance from the field we're in. 

DS:  He yells "WHAT THE LIVING FUCK!  DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO FACE THE GODDAMNED WALL!

ME:  Becoming more stressed and thinking what the fuck did I do wrong this time?   I say to the DS "sir, I am facing the wall."   

DS:  He yells "I see you didn't learn your lesson from the first time of being funny."

ME:  I say "I wasn't trying to be funny sir.  I'm facing the wall like you told me to do.   I can't help that your communication style is extremely vague and garbled especially when you're yelling.   

One of the female recruits laughs.

DS:  Yells "Is something funny cadet?"

Female recruit yells "Sir, no sir.  Sorry Sir!  May I have permission to speak freely." 

DS:  "Permission granted!"

Female recruit says "I suspect this guy has a form of Higher Functioning Autism sir.  He's not trying to be funny or to be a clown.  He may not be understanding your orders correctly especially when you're yelling at him."   

DS:  says "And, how the fuck can you know this." 

FR: "B/c I had a younger sister who was killedr who had his condition and would've given similar responses this man gave.  And, may I give you my opinion from being the older sister of someone like this man."

DS:  says "permission granted."

FR says "In my opinion, this man does not belong on this unit or in the military at all.  He needs to be given a Honorable Medical discharge."     

I was told to report to the mental health part of the medical unit.  The medical staff looked over my paperwork, gave me more thorough medical tests then the average recruit, I was deemed medically unfit for service and was given a medical discharge. 

DS:  Send him to clean all the Army Latrines for the next 2 years.  He will learn how to do one job right before he gets out.

Quote from: alienhand on April 07, 2019, 03:48:57 AM
Here is how it would go down with me and the army drill instructor. 



ME:  Becoming more stressed and thinking what the fuck did I do wrong this time?   I say to the DS "sir, I am facing the wall."   

The thing about the Military and what you're not getting, is it matters not that you understood why you're being yelled at, that doesn't matter, what they do is break you down so that you obey an order unquestionably.
That's what Boot camp is all about, it's the DI's job to get you to do as you're told, your individualism is irrelevant, everyone is the same in the end, you all experience the same demeaning treatment, so in the end, you all share a common experience and a common bond.
Case in point. it was the 6th week of basic training, my platoon was dropped off miles from Fort Ord, told to find our way back, simple enough, right? Nope, no compass, taken out in a cattle car without windows in a driving rain.
We used the knowledge we were taught and headed out, hours later we stumbled on the parade grounds, which were actually a huge landing strip about a half mile wide and a mile long used for troop transport.
Out in the middle of the grounds, we all spot a poor caterpillar near drowning, everyone shared the same idea, we needed to save this bug.
Why? Because we had all been stripped of our individuality and freedoms. As a kid, not a one of us would have given a second thought to its plight, but we all suffered the same experience.
we took the bug to a lone latrine in the middle of nowhere and placed him inside where it was dry.

Something I'll never forget...

Quote from: Solar on April 07, 2019, 06:44:56 AM
The thing about the Military and what you're not getting, is it matters not that you understood why you're being yelled at, that doesn't matter, what they do is break you down so that you obey an order unquestionably.
That's what Boot camp is all about, it's the DI's job to get you to do as you're told, your individualism is irrelevant, everyone is the same in the end, you all experience the same demeaning treatment, so in the end, you all share a common experience and a common bond.
Case in point. it was the 6th week of basic training, my platoon was dropped off miles from Fort Ord, told to find our way back, simple enough, right? Nope, no compass, taken out in a cattle car without windows in a driving rain.
We used the knowledge we were taught and headed out, hours later we stumbled on the parade grounds, which were actually a huge landing strip about a half mile wide and a mile long used for troop transport.
Out in the middle of the grounds, we all spot a poor caterpillar near drowning, everyone shared the same idea, we needed to save this bug.
Why? Because we had all been stripped of our individuality and freedoms. As a kid, not a one of us would have given a second thought to its plight, but we all suffered the same experience.
we took the bug to a lone latrine in the middle of nowhere and placed him inside where it was dry.

Something I'll never forget...

I see.

Quote from: alienhand on April 08, 2019, 03:05:59 PM
I see.

Yeah, the military demands conformity, don't ask questions, just follow orders, if you don't understand them precisely, you ask the squad leader.
There is a chain of command for a reason, so the lowly private doesn't waste the time of his commanders.
If you still don't understand the orders, they simply give you a new assigned task, like latrine duty, grounds keeping, painting everything green that doesn't move.

Anyway, that's how it was 40+ years ago. I highly doubt it has changed all that much.

Quote from: Solar on April 08, 2019, 03:41:44 PM
Yeah, the military demands conformity, don't ask questions, just follow orders, if you don't understand them precisely, you ask the squad leader.
There is a chain of command for a reason, so the lowly private doesn't waste the time of his commanders.
If you still don't understand the orders, they simply give you a new assigned task, like latrine duty, grounds keeping, painting everything green that doesn't move.

Anyway, that's how it was 40+ years ago. I highly doubt it has changed all that much.

I would bust my ass to do all three of those things.  And, if it was my choice amongst the three I would choose latrine duty.  I would do it well.  Or, do they still peel potatoes?

Quote from: alienhand on April 08, 2019, 09:29:23 PM
I would bust my ass to do all three of those things.  And, if it was my choice amongst the three I would choose latrine duty.  I would do it well.  Or, do they still peel potatoes?

Did when I was in, but I kinda doubt it now, most of the food comes nearly ready to serve from what I understand..

Quote from: Solar on April 08, 2019, 03:41:44 PM
Yeah, the military demands conformity, don't ask questions, just follow orders, if you don't understand them precisely, you ask the squad leader.
There is a chain of command for a reason, so the lowly private doesn't waste the time of his commanders.
If you still don't understand the orders, they simply give you a new assigned task, like latrine duty, grounds keeping, painting everything green that doesn't move.

Anyway, that's how it was 40+ years ago. I highly doubt it has changed all that much.

Srry to be the bearer of bad news but it has. I was in in the late 2000s and I had a squad leader who had been in since the first gulf war and he wld tell me about how much it had changed since then.

For instance as I was getting out I was hearing that in basic they now get at least one Stress Card that they can use to stop the drill sergeants if the kid was too stressed out. I can only imagine that under obozo it just got worse.