Author Topic: At the heart of the matter  (Read 5485 times)

Offline Caenus

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At the heart of the matter
« on: August 01, 2008, 10:18:00 pm »
Okay, general discussion is a good place to have some serious philosophical conversations.

So here we go:

It could be said that at the heart of every man is a deep and profound sense of fear.  This fear motivates everything that he does.  What fear drives you?  It isn't limited to a single fear, and you needn't worry about someone ridiculing you for posting.

Be honest.  Strip away everything that you hide behind, and tell me.  What frightens you?  Not things that go bump in the night, or heights, or spiders, or even Mickey Mouse.  But rather, the sense of terror that gnaws you beneath the surface.

I'll go first.

I fear failure.  Not failing something specific, but being a failure in the end.
Merciful Father, I have squandered my days with plans of many things. This was not among them. But at this moment, I beg only to live the next few minutes well. For all we ought to have thought, and have not thought; all we ought to have said, and have not said; all we ought to have done, and have not done; I pray thee God for forgiveness.

Offline contingencyplan

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Re: At the heart of the matter
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2008, 07:50:25 am »
Stupidity - either being seen as lacking intelligence, or pulling a stupid stunt, or saying something really dumb. Basically anything that results in people thinking "geez that guy's a retard."

When you know you only got the one ace, you're always scared of losing it. Not necessarily of it being beaten, since I'm rarely jealous or competitive with people about their intelligence. But falling short of an ethereal threashold value that makes people conclude "You? Smart? baahahahahhahahahhhahahahaahaha."

(e: this is one reason I broke up with the last girl I dated - I frequently felt stupid around her, and her constantly and sharply giving me a hard time, while very rarely indicating I was doing something well / right, only made it worse. She wasn't malicious, it was just an aspect of her personality that meshed wrong with mine, but motherfucker did it suck.)

Failure's similar for me, but it's because it leads toward this, rather than being a standalone thing.
« Last Edit: August 02, 2008, 07:53:37 am by contingencyplan »
We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true. 
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It is not bigotry to be certain we are right; but it is bigotry to be unable to imagine how we might possibly have gone wrong.
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Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction.
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Offline Morgul

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Re: At the heart of the matter
« Reply #2 on: August 04, 2008, 07:51:24 pm »
Mine is the fear of being unlovable. It's been at the core of everything I've ever done, and even though I have the love of a beautiful, amazing woman, I still am afraid that one day she'll leave me with the words, "I lied to myself long enough. I'm sorry Christopher, but I simply cannot love you. I tried." I still am afraid that even my closest friends will leave me with a similar message.
"Just because my math may tell lies doesn't mean that I don't understand the quantum mechanics of it all." --Caenus

The popular videogame "Doom" is based loosely around the time Satan borrowed two bucks from Vin Diesel and forgot to pay him back.

"In the beginning there was nothing. And it exploded." --Terry Pratchett

Offline TrajanMax

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Re: At the heart of the matter
« Reply #3 on: August 04, 2008, 09:30:56 pm »
My deepest fear, I should think, would be that years from now, I'll lay on my death bed and look back and see wasted opportunities to enjoy life for what it is.  Life is about one thing, living, and enjoying living.  That is why I will never allow myself to get wrapped up in a job, or worry over trivial things because all that gets in the way of what really matters. Living.  I've seen too many friends waste their lives working too much just so they'd have more money to buy things, and in the end?  where are they?
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!
   
    Our God is marching on.

        Glory, glory, hallelujah!
        Glory, glory, hallelujah!
        Glory, glory, hallelujah!
        While God is Marching on.

Offline windshipper

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Re: At the heart of the matter
« Reply #4 on: August 04, 2008, 11:22:05 pm »
Mine is being left friendless and loveless. It's not so much one of everyone I know leaving me so much as just not having any... I'm not sure how I can best phrase it beyond that.

That and styrofoam rubbing against another piece of styrofoam. *shudder*
What foes are we to meet in battle that we have not vanquished in the shadows of the human soul? What Daemons scream that have not cried to us from the dark places of the mind? What fear have we of death who know there is immortality in the great and noble deeds of men?

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Some people say I need to find my innerchild. I tell them that I found him already. He's now hog tied and wrapped in a tarp stuffed in my trunk.

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Re: At the heart of the matter
« Reply #5 on: August 14, 2008, 09:37:45 am »
It seems as though a lot of us have this in common, but, being alone is one of my biggest fears.

I'm afraid of failure. I'm afraid that I won't make my parents proud. I'm afraid of letting those I care about down, but I'm afraid of letting them in. I don't want to let my walls down.


Offline xofelf

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Re: At the heart of the matter
« Reply #6 on: August 28, 2008, 11:23:48 am »
i'm afraid of anyone i love will leave me. so i don't let people close and i hide my feelings as much as possible. It probably has to do with my dad dying when i was 7 and then my older sisters not being allowed to contact us. and just other people. That's why it's so hard for me to not just express my feelings, but understanding how others feel...and when i've offended them.

I also fear for the people i have let close and that i care about. that someday when they need me, i won't be there. Or that i won't be able to help them. Part of that is also, i fear that i won't be able to say goodbye to them. There was this lady at church i was really close to and she was really sick and wanted to see me. We were going to go this one day, but things came up. And i never got to see her before she died and she had said there was something she wanted to tell me...and i never found out what it was.

I also fear death. Not me dying. But everyone i love dying. I believe that they go somewhere better, but it doesn't seem quite good enough. Like i don't believe that even after i die that i will be good enough to see them again. I've known so many people who have died and it's very difficult for me to accept that they're not here anymore.

on a less serious note, i'm afraid not just of heights but of falling from them.
~Erica~

"if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving is not for you"

Offline Corthos

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Re: At the heart of the matter
« Reply #7 on: August 29, 2008, 11:43:27 am »
I am afraid of never mattering. My greatest hope is to leave a lasting, positive impact on the world, to leave it a little better then I found it. I live in terror of that not happening.

Offline Wattie

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Re: At the heart of the matter
« Reply #8 on: July 13, 2009, 10:18:24 pm »
Fearing is not the issue, I think when we consistantly think about life and it's ups and downs we stress ourselves out. Making us fear certain things about life.

p.s holy crap it's been a while since I've been on here.
Only the logicality of everything can distinguish your absolute possibility.