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Perceiving things as good or bad is what makes them good or bad

The Transcended Omniverse

Well-Known Member
I'd like to being with a quote by William Shakesphere:

"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."

All things in this world are nothing good, bad, beautiful, horrific, tragic, disgusting, valuable, precious, worthwhile, etc. by themselves. So, life just is, and things just are. They're nothing good, bad, etc. You even hear this being said by meditation gurus because they'd say to not attribute any judgment of good, bad, etc. to anything, given that all things are nothing good, bad, etc. Such advice is given to help people have a quiet mind that's free of judgment. But, according to my philosophy, perceiving things as good is what makes them good, perceiving things as bad is what makes them bad, etc. That's because our perception colors our world in goodness, badness, beauty, horror, etc.

For example, if someone perceives nature as beautiful, then that colors nature in beauty, which makes nature beautiful in his personal life (mental universe). If nobody perceived nature as beautiful, then nature couldn't be beautiful because nobody would be coloring it in beauty. Perceiving something as good, bad, beautiful, etc. is the same thing as seeing said thing as good, bad, beautiful, etc. So, if someone sees it as a good thing to help others, then he's perceiving it as a good thing to help others, and that perception is what makes it a good thing. If someone helped others, but didn't see it as a good thing to help them, then that means it wasn't a good thing that he helped them. That's because perceptions of good are the only good things, perceptions of bad are the only bad things, etc.

That means the only goodness and badness that exists is the goodness and badness we perceive (i.e., good and bad only exist in our minds). So, good and bad only exist as perceptions, and don't exist anywhere else in the world. That's why acts of kindness, by themselves, wouldn't be good deeds. We make them good deeds by perceiving them as good. Criminals make their crimes good by perceiving them as good. But, as for the police, those crimes would be bad, since they see them as bad. So, in the mental universe of the criminals, their crimes are good. But, in the mental universe of the police, their crimes are bad. In other words, those crimes are good for the criminals, but bad for the police.

It would be like how a work of art is beautiful for a person who perceives it as beautiful, and disgusting for a person who perceives it as disgusting. So, things only become good, bad, beautiful, disgusting, etc. for us when we perceive them as such. But, the only way we can perceive things as good, bad, etc. in the first place is through our emotions, and not through our thoughts or beliefs alone. A life without emotions would be a dull, gray world (an apathetic existence). So, it's our emotions that color our world in goodness, badness, etc., which means our emotions are the only perceptions of good, bad, etc. An example of some emotions would be a feeling of panic from being in a dangerous situation, a feeling of sexual arousal, a feeling of rage, a feeling of misery, etc.

As I said before, emotions are the only perceptions of good, bad, etc. Just having the thought or belief alone that something is good or bad isn't the same thing as perceiving it as good or bad. It would be like how just having the thought of red isn't the same thing as seeing (perceiving) red. If we're not seeing red, then we'd just be perceiving the idea of red in our minds if we thought of red. But, we wouldn't be perceiving actual red. So, when a person just has the thought or belief alone of something being good or bad, he's just perceiving the idea that this thing is good or bad. But, he's not perceiving it as good or bad, which means he's not perceiving actual goodness or badness in regards to that thing.

His thought or belief needs to make him feel good or bad (which are emotional states). If he felt good about that thing, then that means he perceived it as good, since feelings of goodness are the only perceptions of goodness. The same idea applies to bad, beauty, horror, tragedy, etc. Feeling good is the only good thing in life, since perceptions of good are the only good things, feeling bad is the only bad thing in life, feeling horrible is the only horrible thing in life, etc. Also, not only do our emotions color our world in goodness, badness, etc., but they color our world in an angry, loving, hateful, happy, sad, frightening, etc. mood (perception).

Without our ability to feel emotions, then we'd be apathetic, which means we'd be in an apathetic state of mind, which means we'd have an apathetic perspective. We'd still be in this apathetic state, regardless of our mindset because having the mindset alone of caring about people and things won't allow us to care about them, just as how our mindset alone of being sleepy, hungry, thirsty, emotional, mentally fatigue, etc. won't allow us to be sleepy, hungry, etc. A person needs to feel sleepy to be sleepy, he needs to feel hungry to be hungry, etc. So, a person without his ability to feel emotions can't make himself care about people and things through his mindset alone of caring about them, just as how a person with insomnia can't make himself sleepy through his mindset alone of being sleepy.

Without emotions, good, bad, etc. wouldn't exist, and neither would anger, love, hate, fear, etc. After all, when we're apathetic (emotionless), nothing matters to us, and we can't love anyone when nobody matters to us, we can't be angry or sad, etc. Even though a person without emotions can act like he cares about people and things, he still doesn't care about them, which means you shouldn't trust his acts, tones, and expressions, regardless of how much he claims he still cares about them. As a matter of fact, it's often the case that a person's acts, tones, and expressions can't be trusted. For example, a serial killer can act loving. But, that doesn't mean he's loving. He could be filled with hate on the inside. Another example would be that a depressed person can fake a smile and act happy, even though he's not happy.

So, regardless if a person claims he cared about someone, or was loving, angry, happy, etc. in the absence of his emotions, you shouldn't trust that claim because I think it's a false claim, based upon my personal experience of being apathetic during moments where I was unable to feel emotions. Also, if you want an example of how love, hate, anger, sadness, fear, good, bad, etc. wouldn't exist in the absence of our emotions, then here's an example of how fear wouldn't exist. When a person has a phobia, and he overcomes it, then he's no longer afraid of the stimulus he once feared, since he no longer feels afraid of it. This indicates that, without feelings of fear, then fear doesn't exist, which means nothing would be colored in a frightening tone (mood).

In conclusion, the positivity is what we need in life (which would be the goodness, beauty, magnificence, awesomeness, value, worth, love, happiness, etc.). We should avoid the negativity (which would be the badness, tragedy, horror, disgust, hate, misery, etc.). That means we need the positive emotions (pleasant emotions), which would be feelings of goodness, beauty, etc. We should avoid the negative emotions, as well as apathy. After all, the more positivity we have in our lives (mental universes), the more goodness, beauty, etc. we have. So, life's all about coloring ourselves and our world in positivity through our positive emotions (positive perceptions). We should avoid coloring ourselves and our world in negativity or apathy.

The more positive moments we have, the better, which means, the more moments we have of feeling positive emotions, the better. But, having an absence of positive emotions is no way to live or be an artist, a teacher, a parent, an athlete, etc., regardless of how much a person helped others, made them feel positive, and contributed to the world in the absence of his positive emotions. Unfortunately, it's often the case that people do have an absence of positive emotions because positive emotions, along with negative emotions, are transient, fleeting things, since brain damage, mental illness, stress, etc. can render us without the ability to feel them. For example, people who struggle with clinical depression often lack the ability to feel positive emotions. Thus, they have few moments where they can have a positive experience.

I, myself, have had many emotional traumas, which were horrible feelings that made my existence horrible. These emotional traumas have disabled my ability to feel positive emotions, which means I couldn't perceive my hobbies as good, valuable, precious, beautiful, worthwhile, etc. I had no emotional drive to pursue them, which means I was apathetic in regards to them. Not only that, I only felt a lot of negative emotions during my emotional traumas, such as hate, misery, disgust, rage, etc. Since feeling positive is the only positive thing in life, then that means there was nothing positive about my suffering, and suffering like that was no way to live. Therefore, I don't know why god or the heavenly beings (astral beings) have allowed me to suffer like this.

They should be preserving what's positive (the positive emotions) by healing people of illnesses and forms of suffering that take away their positive emotions. If god and these astral beings somehow think there's more positivity to life than positive emotions, and that positive emotions are unnecessary, trivial things, then they're wrong. That's why they should be healing people, rather than allowing them to suffer. That is, if they do exist. It could be the case that we live in a natural, godless universe, where they don't exist, and there's no paranormal or afterlife. In which case, it's up to us and science to preserve our positive emotions the best we can. As a matter of fact, it could be the case that science will create a blissful, utopia life for us in the future that's free of illness and suffering.

But, if we're going to be blissful, non-suffering beings in the future, then that bliss needs to be feelings of goodness, beautiful goodness, loving goodness, happy goodness, etc. Those feelings would bring different forms of goodness into our lives (mental universes). Not only that, since these would be blissful feelings, then that would be bringing our lives intense goodness, since bliss is an intense, positive emotional experience. Also, if these are profound feelings of goodness (perceptions of profound goodness), then that would be even better because having intense, profound goodness is better than just having intense goodness.
 
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February-Saturday

Devil Worshiper
I don't have positive emotions, either. I also don't have many negative emotions outside of directionless anger and frustration. It's not really an easy thing to live with, It's exactly as you say, it's a gray, dull world with an almost entirely apathetic experience. I have a bit of a leg-up on you in that I've been this way for most of my life. It's sort of my normal. I wouldn't even know I was like this if I didn't have other people to compare myself to. I spent a lot of my life thinking I was normal, until I realized one day that other people don't choose what emotions they feel.

I don't know what it's like to suffer the negative symptoms. Not really. I'll have outbursts of anger when I'm under pressure, but most of the time I just feel empty. I don't think that means that there's nothing positive in my life, though. While I have no motivation to do anything, I'm still here doing things thanks to philosophy. It helps me rationalize my existence and what actions I should be taking. I'm not exactly a fully functional normal person, but I'm still capable of holding down a job, publishing books, and contributing to my field.

I once tried to force myself to have positive emotions. Actually, in what would be shameful if I could feel shame, the reason I was able to make meditation a habit is that I pursued it once sort of obsessively. It's very easy to focus on one goal and get tunnel vision when you don't care about anything outside of it, as long as you have the discipline to continue pursuing that goal despite your lack of attachment to it. I will say that I was partially successful. I ended up feeling positive emotions for a short period after months and months of work, but as it turns out I don't know how to cope with those emotions because I haven't had them most of my life. It also made me realize that positive emotions are kind of overrated.

I'm not super stoked about you saying that nobody should trust me because I can't feel emotions, though. Indeed, I'm not sure I agree that I can't love just because I can't feel sentiment. I think love is too abstract to really pin down like that. There are things that I seek to understand and unconditionally accept, and I think that's more meaningful than being forced to over-idealize something because of an oxytocin high. Good still exists to me, it's just intellectualized. As you said in the beginning, it's our perception. These are cognitive facets as much as emotional ones. Anyone can be untrustworthy or rationalize their behavior. I'm constantly surprised by how easily people ignore their own feelings of shame and guilt to do petty, terrible things that I would never engage in. In their case, emotions are what make them untrustworthy, because they prioritize lust or greed or hate above their conscience. I don't have those things, though. I'm mostly incapable of them.

I don't blame you for wanting to make me your bogeyman. I'm a Satanist and a woman, I'm used to being blamed for all manner of things. I realize that it likely says a lot more about the way you're experiencing and struggling with the world than it does about me or even your perception of me since we've never really acquainted ourselves. I would say, however, that emotions aren't the only source of what we individually consider as good or bad. I can tell you that much from experience.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
If we never complain, if we never get angry, if we never get upset, nothing gets better. Nothing changes. Nothing improves. People walk on you, use you,amd won't respect you.
Negative emotions aren't toxins or demons, I promise. They just mean youre human and intact of your humanity.
 

The Transcended Omniverse

Well-Known Member
If we never complain, if we never get angry, if we never get upset, nothing gets better. Nothing changes. Nothing improves. People walk on you, use you,amd won't respect you.
Negative emotions aren't toxins or demons, I promise. They just mean youre human and intact of your humanity.

According to my philosophy, when a person feels horror (a negative emotion), he's perceiving horror, since feelings of horror are perceptions of horror. Perception and experience are the same thing. For example, when a person sees (perceives) the color red, he's experiencing red. So, when a person feels horror, he's perceiving horror, which means he's experiencing horror, which means he's having a horrific experience. But, negative experiences (negative emotions), such as bad, tragic, horrific, horrible, and disgusting experiences, can't be positive. In other words, they can't be good, beautiful, awesome, or magnificent. That's because the only negativity that exists is the negativity we experience. Thus, a bad or horrific experience (feeling) can only be bad or horrific. The same idea applies to positive experiences. So, that's why I think positive emotions are the only good, beautiful, awesome, magnificent, etc. things in life.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
According to my philosophy, when a person feels horror (a negative emotion), he's perceiving horror, since feelings of horror are perceptions of horror.
Its a given as there must be the perception of danger to trigger the sympathetic nervous system so we have the sensation of "horror."
For example, when a person sees (perceives) the color red, he's experiencing red.
Red is just a color. There is no "experience." It's nothing more than a specific wavelength along the electromagnetic spectrum. It's not even actually "red." It's just how our eyes and nervous system are wired to interpret it this beam of energy.
But, negative experiences (negative emotions), such as bad, tragic, horrific, horrible, and disgusting experiences, can't be positive.
Many of them likely evolved to keep us alive. Such as, if one person in a tribe starts puking from eating something, theres a chance others eating it may also vomit as the first one doing it could be sending a signal the food is somehow poisonous. Or, as our very ancient ancestors roamed Africa, those not being leary and cautious of rusting grass wouldn't have lived long.
In other words, they can't be good, beautiful, awesome, or magnificent.
Life is beautiful and majestic. But life requires death. Life feeds on life. Everything ends. Everything dies. But there is beauty in that. We will die and decay, but yet however we got here here we are with this chance to be alive, despite all the violence and horrors that occured to get us here.
Thus, a bad or horrific experience (feeling) can only be bad or horrific. The same idea applies to positive experiences.
I have Asperger's. This means many social situations deemed pleasant and enjoyable by most people may be very unpleasant for me, if not downright uncomfortable and anxiety provoking. This also means I have a tendency for sensation seeking. Hot and spicy foods give me just that, with the sensation being very intense but with no risk of harm. What I find to be greatly pleasurable, highly enjoyable, and a very satisfying meal many would call cruel and unusual punishment.
Amd that's just one facet of emotions just are not black and white. Crying is another. Tears can be of fear or enrapturement, pain or joy. It may even be allergies and dry eyes and not really bad or good, just a nuisance. But even when the cause is bad, it still often feels good to cry.

So, that's why I think positive emotions are the only good, beautiful, awesome, magnificent, etc. things in life.
If that were the case, I doubt wed still celebrate Halloween with themes of horror, horror movies wouldnt be popular, no one would say they like to be scared, amd it would make people and life way more simpler and easier than it is. And just not good. We need our negative emotions for survival,we need them to remember lessons, we need them to improve our situation and right an injustice (it wouldn't be an injustice if we didn't get mad enough to label it as such). The Stonewall Riots, for example, it's unfortunate circumstances lead to it, but its a wonderful thing people did get pissed and stood up for themselves and an entire community.
 

The Transcended Omniverse

Well-Known Member
Its a given as there must be the perception of danger to trigger the sympathetic nervous system so we have the sensation of "horror."

Red is just a color. There is no "experience." It's nothing more than a specific wavelength along the electromagnetic spectrum. It's not even actually "red." It's just how our eyes and nervous system are wired to interpret it this beam of energy.

Many of them likely evolved to keep us alive. Such as, if one person in a tribe starts puking from eating something, theres a chance others eating it may also vomit as the first one doing it could be sending a signal the food is somehow poisonous. Or, as our very ancient ancestors roamed Africa, those not being leary and cautious of rusting grass wouldn't have lived long.

Life is beautiful and majestic. But life requires death. Life feeds on life. Everything ends. Everything dies. But there is beauty in that. We will die and decay, but yet however we got here here we are with this chance to be alive, despite all the violence and horrors that occured to get us here.

I have Asperger's. This means many social situations deemed pleasant and enjoyable by most people may be very unpleasant for me, if not downright uncomfortable and anxiety provoking. This also means I have a tendency for sensation seeking. Hot and spicy foods give me just that, with the sensation being very intense but with no risk of harm. What I find to be greatly pleasurable, highly enjoyable, and a very satisfying meal many would call cruel and unusual punishment.
Amd that's just one facet of emotions just are not black and white. Crying is another. Tears can be of fear or enrapturement, pain or joy. It may even be allergies and dry eyes and not really bad or good, just a nuisance. But even when the cause is bad, it still often feels good to cry.


If that were the case, I doubt wed still celebrate Halloween with themes of horror, horror movies wouldnt be popular, no one would say they like to be scared, amd it would make people and life way more simpler and easier than it is. And just not good. We need our negative emotions for survival,we need them to remember lessons, we need them to improve our situation and right an injustice (it wouldn't be an injustice if we didn't get mad enough to label it as such). The Stonewall Riots, for example, it's unfortunate circumstances lead to it, but its a wonderful thing people did get pissed and stood up for themselves and an entire community.

As for the color red, it's a visual state (a mental state), which is an experience, since mental states are inner experiences. Red could also be called a perceptual state. Also, I realize people do derive positive emotions from feeling negative emotions, such as if a person felt good from feeling sadness or horror. But, without positive emotions, then only negativity would exist, such as horror, badness, tragedy, etc. That, or just apathy. So, when it comes to Halloween, we still need to feel positive in order for Halloween to be something positive. Otherwise, Halloween would just be a negative or apathetic experience for us.

Lastly, no matter how much I have a discussion with others, no amount of objections to my philosophy will convert me to a different philosophy. It would be like me trying to convert you or anyone else to my philosophy. It's just not going to work. I think the only way my philosophy can change would be if I had some sort of powerful, life-changing experience. I've obviously never had such an experience. So, this is the philosophy I have for now, and I don't know if my philosophy can ever change, no matter how hard I try to change it. Even if I lived for trillions of years (let's pretend), I might still have this same philosophy.
 
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Jayhawker Soule

-- untitled --
Premium Member

Nothing to see here, folks. It's all in your mind.


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