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To everyone who joined these forums at some point, and got discouraged by the negativity and left after a while (or even got literally scared off): I'm sorry.

I wasn't good enough at encouraging people to be kinder, and removing people who refuse to be kind. Encouraging people is hard, and removing people creates conflict, and I hate conflict... so that's why I wasn't better at it.

I was a very, very sensitive teen. The atmosphere of this forum as it is now, if it had existed in 1996, would probably have upset me far more than it would have helped.

I can handle quite a lot of negativity and even abuse now, but that isn't the point. I want to help people. I want to help the people who need it the most, and I want to help people like the 1996 version of me.

I'm still figuring out the best way to do that, but as it is now, these forums are doing more harm than good, and I can't keep running them.

Thank you to the few people who have tried to understand my point of view so far. I really, really appreciate you guys. You are beautiful people.

Everyone else: If after everything I've said so far, you still don't understand my motivations, I think it's unlikely that you will. We're just too different. Maybe someday in the future it might make sense, but until then, there's no point in arguing about it. I don't have the time or the energy for arguing anymore. I will focus my time and energy on people who support me, and those who need help.

-SoulRiser

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Overheard at the Rave
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James Comey Away
Banished Oldfaf in Exile

Posts: 6,500
Joined: Aug 2013
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Post: #1
Overheard at the Rave

(Desu originally posted this in the Random section, but I felt as if it shouldn't be there. This is really useful)

http://www.electricsheepcomix.com/rave/

Okay, after last night, and letting out all my (hypo)mania, I can finally think rationally and read things.

After reading it a second time, I think I finally got the message. Sometimes, we fail to realize exactly what we're doing in life. Oftentimes, we're waiting for things. We wait for the deadline, we wait for that last day, we wait for that big sports event. We waste all that precious time doing things which take place on a specific day. That's really depressing when you think about it. All that time, that beautiful and precious time, is going to waste, and you don't even realize it. Oftentimes people never realize this, others realize it early enough that they can spare some years, others realize it too late, some are able to realize it immediately.

Other times, we're just procrastinating. There are some big things in life we swear we're going to do it, but we fail to do it anyway. You're letting things get behind you. You swear you want to do this, but you never do it. For example, right now, I have this big crush on this girl in high school. There's a part of my mind that says I should just not do anything and "get over it", but there's another part in my mind which says I should do it: tell her I like her, and regardless of the result, it's better I do it anyway, just to clear another chapter out of my life for good. I feel if we just put some things away and just "try to get over it", it will leave us with a scar in our brain that can't be healed until we finally truly deal with the problem. You have to be brave. You can't just let it pass by. (if anyone's curious, I plan on doing this in June, last day of school)

But I'll repeat it again: my second paragraph is also part of the problem: those big events we keep waiting for. We keep focusing on a specific date, we keep focusing on those particular events we look forward to. It's almost as if for most of the time we're in a "bored" mode, but when that specific time comes, we go into an "excited" mode. Why not have that excited mode on at all times? Why waste so many meaningful days and devote it to one specific day? Why not do something big while doing something big on another day? Indeed, life passes us by, and we don't even notice it.

The basic message is: don't wait. For many of us it feels as if we're waiting for something that usually never comes. We're waiting for that big event, we're waiting for that something which changes our life forever, or changes our direction. We're waiting for that. It's hard to get this mindset when you're still being controlled by parents, teachers, siblings, etc, but recognize that there are some things, right now, that are within your control, and when you're an adult, you have bigger control over your circumstances. Don't let waiting eat up your life, realize this before it's too late.

Whew, that was quite a post, but an important one. I'd say give Desu credit for even posting this. An important comic everyone should read.

RIP GWEDIN
RIP URITIYOGI
RIP NIGHT
RIP VONUNOV
RIP WES/THEWAKE
RIP USERNAME

[Image: Nas-One-Love.jpg]

Stop jerking off to porn and whining and do something about it

Make School Survival Great Again - MSSGA

Hidden stuff:

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(This post was last modified: 01-27-2014 10:36 AM by James Comey.)
01-27-2014 09:09 AM
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 Thanks given by: l1qu1d , Desu , xcriteria , Trar , mpoole , chained to desk , vonunov
l1qu1d Offline
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Post: #2
Overheard at the Rave

I appreciate this post
Thank you, to you and Desu :3

"We are like little butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever." - Cosmos, Carl Sagan
01-27-2014 09:54 AM
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Desu Offline
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Post: #3
Overheard at the Rave

The fuck? Surprised you made a huge post about this. I just thought it was a touching comic, and a gentle reminder to stop and breathe for a second, so life doesn't pass you by.

I listen to Duncan Trussell / Joe Rogan sometimes. They often criticize people who are constantly "doing" and they never fucking relax, ever. They never stop to just be alive.

It's important to not misinterpret this. This doesn't mean mindlessly playing vidya all day or something, or generally wasting your time browsing pointless websites all day. IMO that's the same thing as "doing", except it's even worse because you're not even being productive at all, you're absorbed in nonsense, you aren't in the moment.

Be in the present moment and work on things that will enrich your life in some way. Hobbies, nature appreciation, meaningful conversation, 1000 other things you could list etc.

Time wasters are fine. Also you have to put food on the table. But don't let life slip away.

RIP GORE GOROTH

He was an hero. He will always be remembered.
01-27-2014 10:37 AM
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James Comey Away
Banished Oldfaf in Exile

Posts: 6,500
Joined: Aug 2013
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Post: #4
RE: Overheard at the Rave

All right, time for another hindsight is 20/20 post.

I remember looking at this and feeling inspired a bit before going back to depressing reality. At the time I was crushing hard on a popular girl in school and my chances were shit. In the end, it ended predictably terrible though in a spectacular way.

Anyway, reading my old post, it felt that I had the right idea at the time but didn't really put it in principle. Most of the time I spent outside of school was just being indoors all day wasting my time with music, games or YouTube videos on my iPod, so ironically I was wasting my time anyway as the old man in the comic. In fact, looking back at it, it was all wasted opportunity... it seemed that during my time battling chronic depression (2005-2015) it was all wasted.

Looking at it from a new perspective, I read Power of Now by Eckhert Tolle, who stresses that the present moment is the most important. The past isn't really relevant unless it directly affects a situation, because it is all in the past, and no longer happens anymore. One shouldn't look at it as a current event. On the other hand, the future is pointless as well because it technically doesn't arrive. Every event happens in the now, and so do our consequences. Don't think of the future but instead focus on the day ahead of you.

It's like the man in the comic; he doesn't realize or appreciate the amazing things that are happening around him. He's so stuck and fixated on his stresses, worries, fantasies, nostalgia, etc that he forgets that he's living life right now, in the present moment, with so many awesome things that surround you.

School teaches us the opposite of living in the present moment. You're forced to adopt schedules, worry about tests, and wanting to get the hell out of that shithole. School has probably put in your mind the procrastinator's mindset who hates life.

The best advice I can give on this topic: forget about the past and the future, because it literally has no meaning. Instead, focus on every day and do something awesome with it, no matter what it is. Don't spend your time being mindless and doing shit that doesn't make you happy. Do shit that actually challenges you and gives you new ideas and perspectives. Every day you're constantly changing.

I started drawing and reading new books and I'm a lot more social than I used to be. Make the most out of every day, kids.

RIP GWEDIN
RIP URITIYOGI
RIP NIGHT
RIP VONUNOV
RIP WES/THEWAKE
RIP USERNAME

[Image: Nas-One-Love.jpg]

Stop jerking off to porn and whining and do something about it

Make School Survival Great Again - MSSGA

Hidden stuff:

[Image: BallsofSteel2.png]
[Image: mg_michelle_2020.png]
03-30-2017 02:21 PM
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