houseoftolstoy @[email protected]

Those that equate "freedom" with getting happy outcomes or getting provisions show that they do not understand actual freedom. Freedom can give you the means to succeed, but it can also result in you failing as well.

For example, if you hit a baseball of a tee, you are far more likely to hit the ball. But if you are someone wanting to hit a home run, hitting a ball off a tee would limit that capability. "But I want to be free from striking out," means you do not understand freedom.

One theory I am willing to accept as possibly being true is Hitler not actually dying during WWII but rather that he escaped to another country such as Argentina. Who was it that claimed to have found his dead body? The Soviets? You mean those same people that became our enemy for the next 5 decades? Is it possible they lied to us? I would not be surprised by that.

Death is always inevitable, and it should always be understood as such. The songs of Ring around the Rosie and Rock-a-Bye baby were rather lighthearted about the idea (a baby falling from a tree could indeed be deadly). But today, if you have one person die, people think the whole world should stop to try to prevent that.

But what if, just think for a moment, they were going to die and there was nothing that could be done to prevent it? Should we panic over what we will never be able to stop?

With all the mantra of "if it will save just one life," it shows that way too many people are afraid of death. To the point that they think that it must be mitigated at all cost (though with many of the same people abortion is apparently a-okay).

It reminds me of a Shadiveristy video where he mentioned children's songs being rather morbid, showing that the attitude about death has not always been one that is in constant distress. People way back accepted death far better than we do today.

Sometimes you don't dodge the bullet, but rather it misses you.

https://www.dw.com/en/japans-kishida-vows-to-raise-birthrate/a-64484926

>Despite ​Japan's attempts in recent years to encourage people to have more children — including promises of financial bonuses and better benefits — birthrates in the country have been in continuous decline for 14 years.

It's almost like coaxing and bribing policies don't bring up birth rates. Let's just try to do it harder! That will surely work! And when the fertility rate goes up by .1, we will cheer and celebrate.

@Tfmonkey Some thoughts I had with your theory on the natural gas price being manipulated. I think there is a connection with that and the government floating a ban on gas stoves. That might just be a tell that they are indeed manipulating the market, and they are looking for ways to prevent more use of gas. Sure, there was no ban yet, but they are hoping to scare people from even buying a gas stove or to get rid of their existing one.

Not saying this is going to help, but it's the government.