I’d put it to you that suffering, in the sense that we’re discussing, would be something more than the pain of exercise - the people of Gaza are suffering, when I go into the ‘pain cave’ on a bike ride I’m enduring something for the benefit of it; I can stop, pause or relent if it becomes overbearing. It’s type 2 fun. It’s not suffering if you can opt out; challenge, and difficulty arent bad; suffering is.

It’s interesting that your anti-theistic approach has led you to what I would see as a very religious adjacent approach to reproduction; my worry with approaches like the outline you gave is that it can end up punishing any sort of reluctance to have kids (and can paint those who aren’t able to as immoral in some way). Not saying that’s you’re intention, just saying.

Could an artist not suffer for their work that brings great joy to themselves and others? Is that suffering not then worthy and good?

This is an awful take. Not suffering is always preferable to suffering.

If something is worthy and good then denying others the opportunity to exist and be worthy and good is itself immoral.

Does this mean that you have a moral imperative to have children because there are “worthy and good” things in the world? Is the logic “I can have children, there is good in the world, therefore it’s immoral to deny a potential life the opportunity to experience life”?

I say this as someone who can, but won’t, have children, and who grew up in an evangelical church - that’s a bizarre logic that feels an awful lot like some fundamentalist Christian quiverfull shit.

Please! Although I’d hesitate to say I have any “claims” as such - I’m ex religious and flip-flop from agnosticism to some kind of atheistic nihilism depending on the day. “I don’t believe in anything” is as close to a solid statement of belief as I’m likely to get.

I’d love to hear more about your belief system. This kind of stuff is endlessly fascinating.

It’s fun when it’s both.

The UK would be one if anyone could be bothered to run it properly.

Artificial diamonds are still diamonds! Just because nobody died to make it they are identical on a chemical level.

They don’t just look purer, they are purer!

The problem is that rich people have been fleeced by diamond sellers for so long that they over value the “story” of a diamond (IE, carbon forged into a diamond over millennia etc etc. as a symbol for love blah blah).

+1 for this.

If I write it, I usually remember it. I have project specific trackers which I’m forced to use for work (an ERP), and occasionally I’ll use some spreadsheets for “complex” note taking, but at the end of every day I write what I need to do tomorrow (top tasks, at least), and add to it as I go.

I do that most days and most days I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do to keep things moving.

Huh, TIL.

Should probably get some therapy soon then - had a bunch of uncles top themselves.

Fixing things is nearly always cheaper than buying new

This really depends on what you’re fixing. My laptop has a crap battery. To buy a new one is a few hundred quid. Plus various proprietary/niche screw bits. Plus the time to actually do it.

An equivalent new laptop is fractionally more expensive, and I can have it delivered to my home, freeing up the time element.

Tomfix my bicycle? I might need some internal components for my brifters; cheap AF and I know what I’m doing (and where to buy from). New shifters several orders of magnitude more expensive.

Can depression be genetic?

Try 3 cats, it’s the shit.

My sloth demon wants me to play the new mario kart and eat curries. I have married her.

What constitutes “more than a few” here?

Aus or NZ?

Okay, all of those are amazing.

I have lots of weird little “widgets” I love and would probably hold close to my heart forever (Mr Toad, Quar, etc.) so I suppose a mishmash of things is as good as something “meaningful”. And I guess those things are more likely to stay dear to me over something “big”!

I remember getting a hand written letter from my MP when I hit 18 - I loathe the party he represented but he was a proper gent. His seat was taken over by the current leader of the opposition party who is undeniably mental too, so I doubt she writes to her constituents to welcome them to the democratic process!

I’ve wanted a tattoo since I was about 15 (and I’m 35 now) but I never pulled the trigger on it.

I never found an artist who was just right or a design I would be happy having on my body forever!

They’re awesome though, and I love seeing other people’s.

The only time the “crush” at a bar has been acceptable to me is in small pubs. Anything bigger than a neighbourhood/village scale battle and it’s oppressive.

Long live the queue.

Is it like the celery in a bloody Mary, or you swig your beer then pop in a little pepperami afterwards?