temporal1 wrote: mike wrote: Stay out of such discussions.
boot, if you are serious about ending the political part of your life, i will pray for you to be successful. it's no easy matter to turn away from deeply seated habits, it's serious business, and can be excruciatingly painful. i'm sure many would offer of themselves to help you.
it can be done, it's deeply personal, '
can't be done as a community, it requires daily commitment, often moment-to-moment commitment. everyone (i know) has something they personally struggle with, typically silently, never/rarely spoken.
peace be with you.
i wanted to clarify about "community." i'll try.
community can be of great importance, when they affirm and support serious attempts at change.
this forum can be very helpful (as mike and others here patiently+consistently attempt to lead to better choices.)
i was thinking, it might be like learning to swim (?) .. it's far easier to learn from others, but the commitment and effort must be our own, no one can do it for us. riding a bike, similar.
it's very hard for anyone who does not know how to swim, or ride a bike, to teach these things.
years ago, a common saying was, "you wouldn't choose someone with a poor driving record for lessons on how to drive a car!"
occasionally, i visit my forum profile to check percentages of posts. that's a clue (for me.)
recently, i wondered about putting political discussions in a private sub-forum (?)
(i imagined) it could be open to any for participation, but would be away from public view.
i wondered how that would work. i imagine some benefits.
non-political current events could stay on open forum (?) ..
not lumping them together.
some members have described they formerly had addictions to politics.
i wondered, if having political discussions on this forum might be similar to drinking alcohol in the presence of former alcoholics? .. if this is the case, then, shame on us. (i'm not sure, and, not my decision.)
i did not mention this before, thinking it would not be of interest.
my offer stands.
i empathize with anyone who is attempting to reach for higher ground. it's a battle.
sigh. all-these-words, when mike said it best, first, and in just a few words.