₦airaland Forum

SpyMaster1:
Let me give you some examples that show why I admire Diogenes.

Plato’s Man
He lived at the same time as the famous philosopher Plato, who he spent a lot of his life ridiculing. The most famous case of this was while Plato was attempting to define a man, he came up with the definition that a man was a featherless-biped. On hearing this, Diogenes found a chicken, plucked out all its feathers and then ran into Plato’s school holding it while proclaiming “Behold, Plato’s man”.

Meeting Alexander the Great
Alexander was greatly interested in philosophy and was a great fan of Diogenes. Upon visiting Diogenes, he was excited to see him and asked if there was any favour at all that Diogenes asked of him. In response, Diogenes, when offered a favour from among the most powerful men alive, replied:

"Yes, step away. You’re blocking my sunlight."

Impressed by this Alexander famously said:

"If I were not Alexander, then I should wish to be Diogenes."

To which Diogenes responded:

"If I were not Diogenes, I too would wish to be Diogenes,”

Living Conditions
Diogenes spent many years living in a ceramic vase on the streets (entirely by choice) possessing nought but some clothes and one wooden bowl. He reportedly then broke this bowl upon seeing a servant boy drink from his hands proclaiming:

"Fool that I am, to have been carrying superfluous baggage all this time!”

Henceforth he drank from his hands.

Searching for an Honest Man
He would also on regular occasion walk around in broad daylight carrying a lamp and go around looking through crowds and when asked what he was doing, he would proclaim that he was looking for an honest man but unfortunately could not find one.


Public Indecency
Many complained about his actions as he was frequently known to:

—Eat in the marketplace

—Defecate in the theatre

—Urinate on people who insulted him

—Masturbate in public

A story upon similar lines states that, when someone took him into a magnificent house and warned him not to spit on anything, he promptly spat straight into the man’s face claiming he could see nowhere else to spit.

Burial
When asked how he wanted his remains to be treated after death he requested that he be thrown over the city walls as long as he was given a stick with which to fend off animals. When it was pointed out that he would not be able to use this seeing as he would be… well, dead, he responded by asking why then he should care what happens to him as he would already be dead.

Although he certainly wasn’t as influential as many other philosophers and never wrote any books or taught classes, there are no other philosophers as entertaining to read about.

DaddyCoool:
In this economy? Who philosopher epp??

I know the economy is bad but worrying and thinking about it consistently can adversely affect your mental health (by worsening anxiety and depression), it can also affect your physical health (by raising blood pressure and making it more difficult to recover from illness). These are just a few examples of how mindset and health are connected.

I am interested to see which philosopher r/philosophy likes the most...

My favorite is Socrates, just for the story of the oracle of Delphi telling him he was the wisest man on earth because he was the only one who knew of his ignorance...

There's a lot more that I could say about Socrates, but I'm more interested in hearing which philosophers other people like the most and why!

King Solomon actually knew what was up. “Everything is vanity and striving after the wind”. The wisest man in history turned his back on God for a reason. It baffled me as to why would the wisest person to ever exist would turn his back on God. Whether or not he actually existed, the story still makes complete sense to me.

Apparently having maximum wisdom leads a person away from the worship of a bronze-age deity that has now been defunct for at least 2000 years.

I believe he actually nailed it here in Ecclesiastes 2:24 where he says “there is nothing better for a man to eat and drink and find his enjoyment in his hard work”. Conspicuously no mention of slaving away to a god, or anyone claiming to represent a god.

What is most ironic, is that this very man supposedly wrote the typical “clapback” to critical thinking: “Do not become wise in your own eyes”, and “Do not lean upon your own understanding”. (Prov 3:5, 7). Though later in the same book, the opposite sentiment is expressed where it says in 18:17: “The first to state his case seems right, until the other party comes and cross examines him”. Objective and critical thinking expressed in a nutshell.

pansophist:
Yes. Life will become less meaningful.

Just as sand isn't valued compared to let's say gold, immortality will make life less valuable.

When there is only birth and living forever, without death and living shortly, there is no mourning for the dead, and no value for life.

Threatening someone with prison is meaningless because they will be out and live forever anyways. Concepts like procrastination, intentionality, and living uprightly won't exist.

The very essence of mortality and fleeting time gives meaning to all these things.

I think we have a very limited time. There is so much that I would like to learn and do but it is unlikely that I can get everything done in my lifetime.

If I had an infinite life, I could live a year or 5 years in each country in the world so I could learn about culture. Then I could spend a few decades learning about physics, chemistry, or biology. Then I could start a farm and learn how to live on the land. By that time, I’m sure I would have other goals that I could work on.

Some people are saying that without death, we would never get started on anything. I very much doubt that. I don’t go to work because I will die. I go to work because I need money and I like what I do. My life is interesting when I am productive.

Other people are saying that the world will be overpopulated if we have infinite lives. I imagine that people would have less children if they knew the children would live and they didn’t need children to take care of them in old age. We have already seen that when people are more wealthy, they have less children.

Imagine what you could do with the wisdom and knowledge you would have after a few hundred years of life. It would be a lot closer to meaningful than it is now.

And who in his RIGHT SENSES will vote for APC? Waste of time and resources

;

Sapasenator:
My parent me each other on Nairaland. All thanks to Oga Seun.

my dad is an engineer.my mum went to have sometin repaired and the rest became tori.my dad ended up repairing and marying my mum

pansophist:
I've written about this subject before.

I use to have the wallpaper on my laptop screen, and each week, a box was ticked off, giving a general overview of how many years more I'll live, within the space of 100 years.

It can help with procrastination, and also to make you value each day and realise that time is all you have.

Hypothetical: If somehow humans would achieve immortality (both defeating aging, disease and let's say gunshot wounds and such) would life be any less meaningful?

Just curious about people's answers.

When play time comes to an end and it's time to go home or get ready for bed, young children will get upset and they do not want the play time to end. They get upset because they have not learned any other way to respond and because they do not have the rational thinking to understand that all things eventually come to an end. This is normal and even healthy for young children.

In his last interview before his death from esophageal cancer, Christopher Hitchens was asked what he dreaded most about his impending death. He said "The party will go on without me." I felt that he was sharing his feelings, those feeling that we had when we were young children. I also felt that he knew that it was a feeling, and nothing more.

The ancient Stoics often compared living a life with virtue, following nature, to maturing from a child into an adult.

Following nature is the same as being virtuous, which is being a fully mature, flourishing rational being, while being vicious is the same as being childish, sick, or injured. The intuition for what is mature and what is not seems similar to that assumed by modern English idioms like "He was the adult in the room." or "He was acting childishly." FAQ

I wonder if your liberation is the mature adult looking at life, and death, with reason, and the depression is the young child wanting play time to not end.

Brendaniel:
Yes is I'm not disputing your explanation, though I am not a propagandist, but Igbos are not joining...

That's your opinion and you're entitled to it.!

Bigkoko:
Hahahahahhaa..... . They even asked the werey to send his Cv, mumu he go send am. Instead of am to ask them to make him an aide to a powerful Minister...he dey salivate on Aso rock! The excuse has been created. Pasta Reno na wife beater, so he can not speak for the President. The mumu will be blaming the poor lady for blocking his path back to Aso Rock, but the odey no know say na planned work! I seriously loathes guys wey no get sense to see danger on time and aviod it. Once a new media aide is announced and its not pasta Reno, tell me how that Ethiopian bitch go dey look am?

The same trick they used on El Rufai is what they are using on him......Bros midget submit he name as Minister designated, only to get insider Info from his DSS boss brother that a memo came to disqualify him. Poor Reno no get who go give Intel's......

Words of Advice.
If you no come from a powerful & rich family, make sure you go school well, learn well, get street ok and get hand work, other you go be like Reno!

Served him right

Poor rhino

Brendaniel:
I've been a member of this forum since 2011, you can check all my posts, I have more than 11,000 posts, check to see if I am a paid propagandist or I work for the government or if I am not Igbo...

I have told you guys, Igbos are not joining, Igbos don't want problem with anybody...

If you're not a paid propagandist you'd have known that protest provides an opportunity to amplify collective grievances, ensuring that the issues at hand receive national and international attention. This collective action can pressure the government to address and resolve critical issues affecting the populace.

Brendaniel:
I am actually speaking the mind of a lot of Igbos, the same way we did it the last time we will do it again, we will not protest...

Or rather the mind of your paid masters
Your divide and rule tactic is dead on arrival, keep fooling yourself because of 30k stipend,

Kobojunkieee:
I tend to suspect that these people who pretend to be spokespersons for an entire tribe are paid to engage in such foolishness.

Yeah you're right, you will know them by their fruits 😁😁 because no man in his right senses (Or a devil) will try to sabotage any protest that is aim to force the government to change their bad policies that have plung millions of nigerians into abject poverty 🙁🙁

MEEVEET:
I can bet my balls Tinubu is the one sponsoring this protest... Why you may ask? To control the narrative of the opposition that's his style

Any protest should be at the national Assembly to demand for electoral act amendment to force polling unit transmission of results

But tinubu is distracting u from the main goal

Nice reverse psychology tactic, sorry it won't work 😏😏

Brendaniel:
Good you voted Peter Obi and thank you for your support, you can protest because you are not Igbo so they will not blame you, for Igbos it is a different thing because they will be blamed, that is how some sections of the country have been blaming Igbos for all the problems of Nigeria since 1960, the last election they still did it, the last protest they still blamed Igbos for it even though Igbos did not join in the protest...

So I beg you please just let Igbos be on this one, we are tired of getting blamed all the time, you can protest but Igbos will not join...

We don't want problem with anybody and we don't want to be blamed...

Nobody ordained you the mouth piece or spoke man of the entire Igbo people. If you won't join then you can crawl back to whatever hole came from, majority of reasonable/patriotic igbos will join, you are insignificant.!

Brendaniel:
We will keep talking and reminding you guys that elections have consequences especially when you make bad choices because of tribal or religious reasons...

What rubbish are you spewing?? I voted peter Obi so what's your point??

Brendaniel:
How are Igbos the problem, we have said we are not joining any protest, we don't want to be blamed for anything in Tinubu's government besides we warned about the man.

So what is your problem with Igbos, Igbos don't want problem with anybody, why always blame us?

If you won't join then shut that stinking thing of yours you called mouth and let reasonable/patriotic nigerians that are affected by bad government join 🙁

etrouble:
We will be waiting for you on the streets, we will deal with you mercilessly before security agents pump bullets into your bodies

Shut your stinking smelly thing you called mouth if you don't have any reasonable thing to say 🙁

The pro-democracy group described Tinubu’s policies as a symbol of corruption and economic oppression, while further criticising his administration for the skyrocketing cost of living in Nigeria.

The Take-It-Back Movement has called on Nigerians to unite and brace for the upcoming #FearlessInOctober protest, aimed at addressing the rising hardship under President Bola Tinubu-led government.

The pro-democracy group described Tinubu’s policies as a symbol of corruption and economic oppression, while further criticising his administration for the skyrocketing cost of living in Nigeria.

In a statement released on Tuesday via its official X handle (formerly Twitter), the movement encouraged Nigerians to mark October 1 for a nationwide protest under the hashtags #FearlessInOctober and #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria2.0.

The statement read: “Nigerians, brace yourselves: General Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a symbol of hardship and corruption, has taken the helm. Mark your calendars for October 1 and join the #FearlessInOctober #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria2.0 protest to fight for our nation's future and end the oppressive rule.”

Tweet URL

The protest comes as Nigerians struggle with unprecedented fuel price hikes following the removal of petrol subsidies in May 2023.

According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), prices now range from N855 to N897 per litre, depending on the location. Independent marketers have adjusted their prices even higher, ranging from N930 to N1,200 per litre.

Since the subsidy removal, petrol prices have more than tripled, worsening the economic challenges faced by citizens who rely heavily on fuel for transportation and electricity generation.

With October 1 fast approaching, the Take-It-Back Movement’s call is expected to ignite further debate on the state of the nation’s leadership and the impact of Tinubu’s policies.

Earlier on Tuesday, SaharaReporters reported that oil marketers expressed growing concerns about the potential price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, as the landing cost of imported petrol has surged to approximately N1120 per litre.

The increase in the landing cost, which was reported at N1117 per litre in July, has put pressure on dealers to consider alternative sources for their petrol supplies.

With pump prices fluctuating between N600 and N700 per litre in July and rising to between N855 and N897 per litre last week, the cost of petrol has been on a steady upward trajectory.

However, some independent dealers have even set their prices above N1,000 per litre.

The delay in announcing the price for Dangote's petrol is exacerbating uncertainty among marketers. This uncertainty is prompting discussions with foreign partners to explore the feasibility of importing petrol, given the open market for competition.
Abubakar Maigandi, National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), revealed that the organisation is in talks with international partners to assess the costs of importing petrol.
https://saharareporters.com/2024/09/10/take-it-back-movement-urges-nigerians-brace-october-protests-against-general-bola

I'm in 🖐️🖐️ let's take back our country into our hands!!!

Interesting topic though, this should be on front page.

You may have somewhat of a grasp on the economic side but that's not the end all of everything, the continent has enough navigable waters to trade in basic goods, the importance of which is often overestimated because rivers don't need to connect to the ocean to be useful (which is what most people refer to by lack of navigable rivers); there is PLENTY of arable land, don't know where you got that from; we produce cash crops because that's the focus of most african administration, not because we can't grow anything else. Africa is rich in resources, why would we be exporting them if they weren't abundant, easy to access and useful, you yourself said that DRC exports $5.99 billion, that's not rich to you. The biggest obstacle we face is governance, we have to stop exporting every goddamn resources, we have to stop pretending to be westerners and capitalist by copying and pasting what other people are doing (they've been doing it longer than us and they benefit from institutions that were already in place, institutions that we don't have so catching up to them is out of the question).

We need to actually develop a rule that actually exclusively addresses and focuses our own populations needs. We need to stop exporting our resources and trade amongst ourselves to the point of isolationism. we need better military coordination to de-escalate and de-arm out all the jihadists and anarchists that are destabilizing regions. Africans need to build and develop within Africa, not outside of it, we need our young people to usurp influence and power from the old generation (the West is having its own challenges with this problem now), our old people have proven themselves incapable of the job due to ethnic allegiances and other nonsense, everyone just wants to do their own thing.

Is atheism a product of human reason and intellectual inquiry? Or is it a form of intellectual laziness that refuse to engage with the complexities and mysteries of existence?

DaddyCoool:
There's no such thing as pursuing happiness. Unless induced by drugs, happiness is a byproduct that you simply become aware of as you're living your life

I think pursuing happiness is a multifaceted journey that involves self-discovery, goal-setting, and fostering meaningful connections. It is an ongoing process that can lead to a more fulfilling and enriched life.

Happiness has a lot of perspectives in philosophy and psychology (to cite a few):

Eudaimonia: the highest good for humans is a life of virtue

Utilitarianism: actions are right if they promote happiness and wrong if they produce the opposite (happiness is equated with pleasure and the absence of pain)

Stoicism: happiness comes from accepting the moment as it presents itself, not being controlled by desire for pleasure or fear of pain

Existentialism: emphasizes individual existence, freedom, and choice; life has no inherent meaning except what each person gives it, which may or may not center around happiness

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: suggests that humans have various levels of needs, from basic physiological needs to self-actualization. Fulfillment and happiness might be seen as part of self-actualization.

Positive Psychology: posits that happiness is derived from factors like relationships, meaningful work, and personal growth.

Given the diverse perspectives and the subjective nature of happiness, is it universally advisable for every individual to make happiness their ultimate goal?

CyrusVI:
This one wey the girl dey talk, na for her pocket o, I go still sample a lot of SA girls Inshallah

Their hips so huge you'd just wanna die between them. Any man that never hit something that big should be thrown into hellfire in the afterlife. They only wasted their space on earth. Wetin u come earth con do then?

Bad guy

Germany in 1914-18 fought the United Kingdom, France, Russia and numerous other countries largely by itself and pushed the UK and France to a breaking point and beating Russia. Then after a devastating peace treaty, a total economic collapsed and numerous revolutions, they fought the previous alliance again and (again) pushed them to the breaking point and defeating France(as opposed to Russia this time). Now 80 years later having lost even more territories, being occupied by the allies (Before becoming West and East Germany), being divided into two for half a century and being partially de-industralized, they are AGAIN the leading power in Europe. I'm mesmerize

CodeTemplar:
They had jews to rub minds with. You know, iron sharpener iron.

Even during WW1, German scientists were able to kick the rest of the world's ass with their mustard and chlorine gas. How they were able to beat everyone else to create the first manufactured WMD still baffles me.

I've heard and read multiple times that the Nazis were insanely advanced. I also heard that after the war ended both Americans and the Soviets fought to get the Nazi scientists and recruit them for their respective programs. I've done some slight research and found out that one of the main reasons the American space program succeeded was because of these guys. Does anyone know how the hell they were so smart? How advanced were they? What exactly made them different from U.S scientists.