I mean if you realize how hard it is, sounds like you’re doing a pretty good job at meditating tho

Well i am kinda alluding the the free will thing in the OP actually.

https://nesslabs.com/pink-elephant-paradox

Everyone has those. Again, clinically speaking intrusive thoughts need to be persistent.

How do you know if a thought is wanted or unwanted before it happens though?

No, the latter is not any more or less intrusive than the first.

If you want to talk about clinically intrusive thoughts, they’re persistent, reoccurring and relentless, not just a random spooky thought that pops into your head - everyone has those, and most people move on from them.

Sure, clinically speaking. But generally speaking, every thought came unbidden.

If speaking clinically, persistence and emotional disruption. But the way most people these days use the phrase it’s basically just people noticing that we don’t actually have control over our thoughts.

Best I can do is offer you a 3000 page manifesto on how much capitalism sucks and why communism is a great idea :^)

I don’t want to ban porn but I agree that it should be a taboo, with some nuance.

First let’s remember what taboo means:

*Taboo:

a subject, word, or action that is avoided for religious or social reasons:*

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/taboo

Again, I don’t want to ban porn but I do think it’s social acceptance should dial back a bit. I don’t think it’s good for people to have so little barriers to consume it. Even if the barrier is just a vague, cultural norm. I think porn contributes a lot to loneliness. It’s simply a too low barrier band-aid for something that should motivate people to go out, have hobbies, learn to be around people and find an actual human partner. I also think it’s another feature of predatory capitalism that sells convenience, instead of human connection.

It’s just that we generally lack the delicacy to somehow socially discourage something, without shaming people about it. There are very real issues, neurodivergence etc. which can make socializing very challenging and having some outlet for sexual expression can be good and healthy. But there are a lot of people who will always take the route of least resistance, which tends to just perpetually lower their capacity to tolerate any kind of challenge. Lack of nuance and inability to accept that there are as many differences between people as there are people, is a very real problem. What’s good for one person can be bad for another. In the case of porn, it can be very detrimental to a lot of people, while genuinely helpful (and also liberating, reclaiming autonomy of one’s body etc.) to some people. Which is why I don’t want to ban porn, I just want more consciousness around consuming it.

I’ve said “I don’t want to ban porn” 4 times now and I still wouldn’t be at all surprised to be called a fascist for wanting to ban porn. Because people’s capacity to handle nuance is just that bad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ7wB4rm5Hw

This is why I abandon morality and just do what I feel like doing.

For me it seems to lead to making conscious choices at the store, setting up a monthly donation for a charity I believe in and generally trying to indiscriminately treat people as I would prefer to be treated (I just don’t expect reciprocity, because fuck morals).