It’s a great connection. Beyond Descartes, the Wachowskis explicitly cited Buddhist philosophy as a primary influence, specifically the concepts of Maya (illusion) and Samsara (the cycle of suffering which people unfortunately tend to misunderstand a lot).

The “There is no spoon” scene is a direct nod to Sunyata, or emptiness. It suggests that “reality” isn’t just subjective; it lacks inherent existence. In this view, it’s not just the world that is a construct, but the “self” perceiving it as well. Lana Wachowski has also stated that the trilogy was designed as a “meditation” on the nature of choice and the self, influenced by their interest in Eastern philosophy.

There’s also an Upanishadic mantra in the third movie soundtrack, appropriately:

Asato mā sad gamaya (from the unreal, lead me to the real)

Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya (from darkness, lead me to the light)

Mṛtyor mā’mṛtaṃ gamaya (from death, lead me to immortality)

Unpacked here (a bit, but it’ll correct the likely, immediate misconceptions people unfamiliar with eastern philosophy would get)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoEcSc064YY

Okay? No. Normal? In the context of that person’s life, yes it’s normal, else they wouldn’t do it.

Being hurt by perceived rejection is normal and valid. Making another person “wrong” for holding a boundary for whatever reason is not valid, though it might be understandable which is NOT the same as excusable.

People need to learn more non-violent communication, and general understanding of boundaries.

Great idea, let’s get parents to raise their kids.

Now, how do we suddenly make them actually do that? Last I checked this idea has been around about as long as people have been around but it’s still not happening.

Parenting matters, but it’s not the only layer of protection. We don’t rely solely on parents to keep kids from walking into bars or buying cigarettes, we have laws and systems to back them up. Why should the internet be different?

Finland. Genuinely can’t say. I suppose that’s a good thing for everyone involved.

I have very different values than my parents. I know there was a time when things were very rough for them… which unfortunately was also the same time that was very rough for me. Overall I definitely went through more hardship than they did, for much longer. Very alone. But objectively I’m doing pretty fucking good now, despite being technically poor. My parents were middle class, but they did value money more. I value other things and I get to enjoy them. But my parents were pretty happy, though their health failed them too early I think. Trying to avoid the same fate but honestly not looking good on that front. We’ll see.

Would I swap places with my parents? No.

I feel like this was a very Finnish answer…

Interesting question, good job OP!

What? Someone actually gives reasonably actionable suggestions here?

deleted by creator

I think people not being able to answer “how does it feel” questions is partly due to the cultural quirk where “what do you think” is replaced with “how do you feel”. Meaning even the asker is in fact posing the question as “what do you think”, rather than inviting actual reflection on one’s emotional state. Think of TV interviews for example.

I also suspect that there’s a subtle desire to make the answer a bit more inarguable. Because it’s socially acceptable to argue about one’s thinking. Less so about feelings. “All feelings are valid” is taken to mean that anything that follows the phrase “I feel…” is automatically true and you’re not allowed to disagree. Which is precisely what the “all feelings are valid” is not about. “All feelings are valid” points to the subjective experience of an emotional state. A war veteran freaking about fireworks is valid. A war veteran saying fireworks mean they are actually getting bombed is not. Rape victim feeling insecure when walking alone is valid. Rape victim saying everyone’s trying to rape them is not. A highly nuanced and volatile issue which people really want to reduce into very simple dogmas.

Yes and I’ve been there. It took me a lot of conscious effort to get past that wall.

It’ll sound weird and it’s possible you might feel a bit inhibited but I strongly recommend trying. It’s just getting your locked up nervous system to cooperate. Kinda like pushing a car to start it up.

Use music with any of these if you want. Find the safest place you can.

You can just go somewhere in nature and sit there until tears come. Sometimes you need to just create space for it.

Another is to actually just make noise. Moan. Shout. Or just hold a note. Whatever. Just keep doing it for a few minutes or so. For whatever reason I like to do this in the car. Not to cry anymore but it’s just become a habit of letting out steam.

Then more involved is to move your body. Shake it. Jostle it. Make more noise and let it sound weird from all the moving. Dance without trying to be good at it. Don’t think about it.

TRE https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FeUioDuJjFI

If you feel a lot of inhibition because of the imagined cosmic judge, be gentle with yourself. Some people get this immediately, for me It took a bit of pushing. I had already tried everything else and sure, cried a tiny bit here and there but still felt like I had a fucking ocean on uncried tears in me. I had to learn to go to it via the body, not the mind.

People hate on Yoga and meditation but it does work for this. Problem generally is in finding competent teachers. But I’ve been on retreats where grown, burly men burst into tears because for the first time in their lives, they actually connect with their nervous system, they’re allowed to be vulnerable and actually FEEL their feelings. Instead of “dealing” with them, “letting them go”, intellectualizing them away, suppressing them or drowning them in substances or work/hobby. It’s a hell of an aha moment.

https://youtu.be/VsNcjRSBhGA

My bad, I probably should’ve clarified that I meant clicking on it thinking that there’s a respectable porn site on the other end lol but I actually don’t recall ever clicking them, even by accident, so fun to hear there isn’t anything more sophisticated there than just “hey, download this totally not suspicious .exe”. Have you ever tried running those tools on a secure computer?

True. But important to remember their legacy isn’t the only one, just the one that most western people have been deeply exposed to.

Of western people. Particularly Christian people.

Cat welfare because I like cats, and animal welfare as I consider it my meat tax.