US weighing military options if Syria uses WMD

[The Tiger Kingdom]

I think in modern, western, society, we have given cynicism far greater respect than it deserves. Misanthrope is easy, it's things like hope and faith that are harder to deal with, and ultimately, are the things which makes this world a better place. We should never confuse wisdom with cynicism, 'cause all it leads to are one liners on an internet forum.

I...can we be friends? Because I agree with this utterly.
I'm a pretty cynical person myself, but a lot of the time, I find that I get sick of it too, and it isn't right every time. It is, it seems, just easier and lazier to be misanthropic these days than it is to be realistically idealistic.

[Conserative Morality]

Pfft, please. And you want me to believe the only thing separating us from apes is the fact that we can 'transcend out circumstances.'?

No, not the only thing.

No. Men are animals. They deserve to die like animals.

It's a good thing animals like you aren't in charge of the world. Else we'd be choking on chlorine right now - assuming any of us would still be alive.

You are not a relic of the past - you're worse than that. You're a modern failure. An unpleasant side effect of humane modern culture; a nihilist, a man without direction, without conviction, only with the barest sense of misery that he can hardly justify even to himself.

[Conserative Morality]

I think in modern, western, society, we have given cynicism far greater respect than it deserves. Misanthrope is easy, it's things like hope and faith that are harder to deal with, and ultimately, they are the ideas which makes this world a better place. We should never confuse wisdom with cynicism, 'cause all it leads to are one liners on an internet forum.

I think in modern, western society, cynicism is far less widespread than we sometimes think it is. I think it's our negative reaction to it, the horror it inspires on some level of our minds, that causes us to put such attention on it.

[The Tiger Kingdom]

I think in modern, western, society, we have given cynicism far greater respect than it deserves. Misanthrope is easy, it's things like hope and faith that are harder to deal with, and ultimately, what makes this world a better place. We should never confuse wisdom with cynicism, 'cause all it leads to are one liners on an internet forum.

It takes all the wisdom in the world to realize that humans are not special. At all. They live on their hands and knees, eat and sleep and fuck, and then die. Just like animals.

It really doesn't take all that much wisdom to realize humans aren't intrinsically special.
It does take a little more wisdom, though, to realize we can strive to be better than that, and actually achieve it occasionally.

I think in modern, western, society, we have given optimism far greater respect than it deserves.

Oh ho, not these days. And certainly not here.

Positivity is easy

Not always. Really, really, not always.

it's things like failure and death that are harder to deal with, and ultimately, what makes this planet actually what it is-a planet, a rocky sphere in the middle of a cold, dark vacuum, devoid of life, warmth and comfort.

Failure and death aren't that hard to deal with intrinsically either. It's how you respond that dictates that.
And you must absolutely kill at parties with that second line.
The fact that Earth - and thus, some form of life, comfort and warmth - exists at all, proves you at least partially wrong. In the darkness, there is something there.

We should never confuse reality with fantasy, 'cause all it leads to are one liners on an internet forum...and the self-extermination of an entire race.

Idealism and cynicism are two sides of the same coin. Either can be good as a mentality in moderation, in a roughly equal manner
When one of those is all you ever let yourself feel, it is destructive.
Neither is uniquely "better" or "worse".

[Sulamalik]

I think in modern, western, society, we have given cynicism far greater respect than it deserves. Misanthrope is easy, it's things like hope and faith that are harder to deal with, and ultimately, what makes this world a better place. We should never confuse wisdom with cynicism, 'cause all it leads to are one liners on an internet forum.

It takes all the wisdom in the world to realize that humans are not special. At all. They live on their hands and knees, eat and sleep and fuck, and then die. Just like animals.

I think in modern, western, society, we have given optimism far greater respect than it deserves. Positivity is easy, it's things like failure and death that are harder to deal with, and ultimately, what makes this planet actually what it is-a planet, a rocky sphere in the middle of a cold, dark vacuum, devoid of life, warmth and comfort. We should never confuse reality with fantasy, 'cause all it leads to are one liners on an internet forum...and the self-extermination of an entire race.

Fair enough. Thank you for enlightening me!

So, for anyone here who wants to intervene in Syria, want to make good on that offer? I mean, if you aren't willing to fight for what you believe in, how can you expect anyone else to follow you!

I'm offering Paradise Flight Packages! Tickets to Homs, Damascus, Talkalakh, and more! Baggage and virgins included, one way-no return. If it's good enough for engineering students in Saudi Arabia, it's good enough for you guys!

[Conserative Morality]

Fair enough. Thank you for enlightening me!

So, for anyone here who wants to intervene in Syria, want to make good on that offer? I mean, if you aren't willing to fight for what you believe in, how can you expect anyone else to follow you!

I'm offering Paradise Flight Packages! Tickets to Homs, Damascus, Talkalakh, and more! Baggage and virgins included, one way-no return. If it's good enough for engineering students in Saudi Arabia, it's good enough for you guys!

I'm joining the US Air Force and hoping for an intervention. Does that count?

[Khodoristan]

Pfft, please. And you want me to believe the only thing separating us from apes is the fact that we can 'transcend out circumstances.'?

No, not the only thing.

No. Men are animals. They deserve to die like animals.

It's a good thing animals like you aren't in charge of the world. Else we'd be choking on chlorine right now - assuming any of us would still be alive.

You are not a relic of the past - you're worse than that. You're a modern failure. An unpleasant side effect of humane modern culture; a nihilist, a man without direction, without conviction, only with the barest sense of misery that he can hardly justify even to himself.

You're right, I am a failure. So are you. So is the entire human race. Deep down, we're all miserable, never quite satisfied, never quite happy, always trying to find ways to justify our own existence.

There is no reason for conviction. In the end, we all die. So why does it matter how we get there if the results are all the same?

[Khodoristan]

It takes all the wisdom in the world to realize that humans are not special. At all. They live on their hands and knees, eat and sleep and fuck, and then die. Just like animals.

I think in modern, western, society, we have given optimism far greater respect than it deserves. Positivity is easy, it's things like failure and death that are harder to deal with, and ultimately, what makes this planet actually what it is-a planet, a rocky sphere in the middle of a cold, dark vacuum, devoid of life, warmth and comfort. We should never confuse reality with fantasy, 'cause all it leads to are one liners on an internet forum...and the self-extermination of an entire race.

Fair enough. Thank you for enlightening me!

So, for anyone here who wants to intervene in Syria, want to make good on that offer? I mean, if you aren't willing to fight for what you believe in, how can you expect anyone else to follow you!

I'm offering Paradise Flight Packages! Tickets to Homs, Damascus, Talkalakh, and more! Baggage and virgins included, one way-no return. If it's good enough for engineering students in Saudi Arabia, it's good enough for you guys!

Why bother intervening, when we can just watch the course of the war from our couches?

[Sulamalik]

Fair enough. Thank you for enlightening me!

So, for anyone here who wants to intervene in Syria, want to make good on that offer? I mean, if you aren't willing to fight for what you believe in, how can you expect anyone else to follow you!

I'm offering Paradise Flight Packages! Tickets to Homs, Damascus, Talkalakh, and more! Baggage and virgins included, one way-no return. If it's good enough for engineering students in Saudi Arabia, it's good enough for you guys!

Why bother intervening, when we can just watch the course of the war from our couches?

So are you against any involvement in Syria, or just military engagement?

[Khodoristan]

And you must absolutely kill at parties with that second line.

Damn straight.

[The Tiger Kingdom]

Fair enough. Thank you for enlightening me!

So, for anyone here who wants to intervene in Syria, want to make good on that offer? I mean, if you aren't willing to fight for what you believe in, how can you expect anyone else to follow you!

I'm offering Paradise Flight Packages! Tickets to Homs, Damascus, Talkalakh, and more! Baggage and virgins included, one way-no return. If it's good enough for engineering students in Saudi Arabia, it's good enough for you guys!

Why bother intervening, when we can just watch the course of the war from our couches?

Why eat, when you can sit on your couch and starve?

[Khodoristan]

Why bother intervening, when we can just watch the course of the war from our couches?

So are you against any involvement in Syria, or just military engagement?

At first, I though bombing them would be a good option. But then I thought it over a few times. Regardless of what we do, Syria will still be the little fifth-world landfill it is today. Would you rather have Assad or the Salafis?

[The Tiger Kingdom]

No, not the only thing.

It's a good thing animals like you aren't in charge of the world. Else we'd be choking on chlorine right now - assuming any of us would still be alive.

You are not a relic of the past - you're worse than that. You're a modern failure. An unpleasant side effect of humane modern culture; a nihilist, a man without direction, without conviction, only with the barest sense of misery that he can hardly justify even to himself.

You're right, I am a failure. So are you. So is the entire human race.

Speak for your ownself, nihilist homeboy.

Deep down, we're all miserable, never quite satisfied, never quite happy, always trying to find ways to justify our own existence.

There is no reason for conviction. In the end, we all die. So why does it matter how we get there if the results are all the same?

Because you can have more fun in the process if you just let the horrible inevitability of death go for a little while.
So we all die. Things can be made better, at least for a little while, for us and the people around us. It seems to be in our nature to do such things.
I suggest you read The Plague by Camus if you haven't - it explains what I'm trying to say better than I can.

[New Rogernomics]

Fair enough. Thank you for enlightening me!

So, for anyone here who wants to intervene in Syria, want to make good on that offer? I mean, if you aren't willing to fight for what you believe in, how can you expect anyone else to follow you!

I'm offering Paradise Flight Packages! Tickets to Homs, Damascus, Talkalakh, and more! Baggage and virgins included, one way-no return. If it's good enough for engineering students in Saudi Arabia, it's good enough for you guys!

I'm joining the US Air Force and hoping for an intervention. Does that count?

Good luck CM, who knows you might fly over MD some day; and I might be one of those tiny dots below.

[Conserative Morality]

You're right, I am a failure. So are you. So is the entire human race. Deep down, we're all miserable, never quite satisfied, never quite happy, always trying to find ways to justify our own existence.

Speak for yourself. I have seen the depths of despair and the elation of self-fulfillment. I have been miserable, but I've been happy and satisfied, I was once aimless and lost; now I am justified and filled with purpose. Simply because you lack the imagination and will to find self-fulfillment doesn't mean the rest of the world is.

Stop trying to project your own faults on everyone else.

There is no reason for conviction. In the end, we all die. So why does it matter how we get there if the results are all the same?

Because the journey is important, because impact is important, because life is important. You can disagree if you want, but I find that the only logically tenable position at your point would be suicide, which is something I've had a brush with and cannot particularly recommend.

[Sulamalik]

So are you against any involvement in Syria, or just military engagement?

At first, I though bombing them would be a good option. But then I thought it over a few times. Regardless of what we do, Syria will still be the little fifth-world landfill it is today. Would you rather have Assad or the Salafis?

I'm going to sound like a gaping asshole but...

Just wondering, do you know what Salafism is? I'm not talking about the Salafis Jihadist bogeyman in the media, but what the actual ideology of Salafism is? Because if you did, I think you'd definitely find that your question is pretty black and white.

[Conserative Morality]

Good luck CM, who knows you might fly over MD some day; and I might be one of those tiny dots below.

Thanks, but a pilot position isn't looking particularly likely at this point in time.

[Khodoristan]

You're right, I am a failure. So are you. So is the entire human race. Deep down, we're all miserable, never quite satisfied, never quite happy, always trying to find ways to justify our own existence.

Speak for yourself. I have seen the depths of despair and the elation of self-fulfillment. I have been miserable, but I've been happy and satisfied, I was once aimless and lost; now I am justified and filled with purpose. Simply because you lack the imagination and will to find self-fulfillment doesn't mean the rest of the world is.

Stop trying to project your own faults on everyone else.

There is no reason for conviction. In the end, we all die. So why does it matter how we get there if the results are all the same?

Because the journey is important, because impact is important, because life is important. You can disagree if you want, but I find that the only logically tenable position at your point would be suicide, which is something I've had a brush with and cannot particularly recommend.

Bah, it can't be that bad, not that I'm advocating suicide. I mean really. If we die and that's it, than whoop dee doo, eternal nothing. If there's a God, whoop dee dee, eternal "happiness".

And as for the journey aspect, read some Nietzsche. And no, I don't mean read it for fun or glance over it from time to time. Devote your entire life to the works Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, and Sartre. I'm 22 years old, yes I still have much to learn, but I've spent enough time slaving over nihilism, as well as existentialism and absurdism, to know that the latter two are nothing more than wishful thinking.

[Conserative Morality]

Bah, it can't be that bad, not that I'm advocating suicide. I mean really. If we die and that's it, than whoop dee doo, eternal nothing. If there's a God, whoop dee dee, eternal "happiness".

And as for the journey aspect, read some Nietzsche. And no, I don't mean read it for fun or glance over it from time to time. Devote your entire life to the works Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, and Sartre. I'm 22 years old, yes I still have much to learn, but I've spent enough time slaving over nihilism, as well as existentialism and absurdism, to know that the latter two are nothing more than wishful thinking.

I'd advise you to do something other than skim Nietzsche. Familiarize yourself with the concept of the Ubermensch and free yourself from the foolishness and abject misery of nihilism. If you'd done any real study on Nietzsche, you'd know that your position is that of the last man, that of the sand flea. Speaking as someone who is fascinated by Nietzsche, even if I don't always agree with him, you need to take a good, long look at the man whose works you claim to have devoted your life to and take his advice. Sooner a Nietzschean than another nihilist, after all.

And Kierkegaard is unbearably dull.

[Quebec and Atlantic Canada]

At first, I though bombing them would be a good option. But then I thought it over a few times. Regardless of what we do, Syria will still be the little fifth-world landfill it is today. Would you rather have Assad or the Salafis?

I'm going to sound like a gaping asshole but...

Just wondering, do you know what Salafism is? I'm not talking about the Salafis Jihadist bogeyman in the media, but what the actual ideology of Salafism is? Because if you did, I think you'd definitely find that your question is pretty black and white.

But who's the black, and who's the white?

[New Rogernomics]

Good luck CM, who knows you might fly over MD some day; and I might be one of those tiny dots below.

Thanks, but a pilot position isn't looking particularly likely at this point in time.

Well most roles would be ground maintenance and office work I guess. Good luck anyway.

[Khodoristan]

Bah, it can't be that bad, not that I'm advocating suicide. I mean really. If we die and that's it, than whoop dee doo, eternal nothing. If there's a God, whoop dee dee, eternal "happiness".

And as for the journey aspect, read some Nietzsche. And no, I don't mean read it for fun or glance over it from time to time. Devote your entire life to the works Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, and Sartre. I'm 22 years old, yes I still have much to learn, but I've spent enough time slaving over nihilism, as well as existentialism and absurdism, to know that the latter two are nothing more than wishful thinking.

I'd advise you to do something other than skim Nietzsche. Familiarize yourself with the concept of the Ubermensch and free yourself from the foolishness and abject misery of nihilism. If you'd done any real study on Nietzsche, you'd know that your position is that of the last man, that of the sand flea. Speaking as someone who is fascinated by Nietzsche, even if I don't always agree with him, you need to take a good, long look at the man whose works you claim to have devoted your life to and take his advice. Sooner a Nietzschean than another nihilist, after all.

And Kierkegaard is unbearably dull.

Of course I know the concept of Übermensch, and to be quite honest, I don't see any precise meaning or concept behind it. It's like Freud's Five Stages of Psychosexual Development. Provocative? Yes. Brilliant? Absolutely. Relevant? Not at all.

And Kierkegaard is unbelievably rich in concept and thought. Though I agree, he can be dull at times, almost to the point of flaky. But I digress...

[Sulamalik]

I'm going to sound like a gaping asshole but...

Just wondering, do you know what Salafism is? I'm not talking about the Salafis Jihadist bogeyman in the media, but what the actual ideology of Salafism is? Because if you did, I think you'd definitely find that your question is pretty black and white.

But who's the black, and who's the white?

Salafism is actually one of, if not the, most benign movements within the whole "fundamentalist" Islamic sub-sect. Contemporary Salafism was created during the 19th century out of a desire to disengage the Arab Islamic community from Western influences and bring it back to a more "pure" and 'stable" version of Islam. They did this because they felt that Western values like Capitalism prevented Muslims from practising the sort of social justice and charity that Muhammed preached.

Unlike the moderate Muslim Brotherhood, Salafists aren't interested in sweaping Islamism, rather they seek to work within the existing civil system to allow them the freedom to practice their beliefs (read; Islamic Auto insurance, and banking) without usurping the entire structure. Leaders within the movement denounce violence and extremism in the harshest of terms.

A Salafist government in Syria would be one of the best outcomes we could hope for.

[Conserative Morality]

Of course I know the concept of Übermensch, and to be quite honest, I don't see any precise meaning or concept behind it. It's like Freud's Five Stages of Psychosexual Development. Provocative? Yes. Brilliant? Absolutely. Relevant? Not at all.

The problem is, all of Nietzsche's work revolves around the idea of the ubermensch. The idea of a new meaning to life; the replacement of God in the morality of man, the creator and the destroyer. Without the idea of the ubermensch, by rejecting it, you reduce Nietzsche's work to that which he so vehemently railed against.

In fact, any reading of Nietzsche's work would reveal the idea of the ubermensch, while quite often fluid in detail, is supported and justified for the vast majority of most of his writing. You're taking 20% of his work piecemeal and claiming that's dedication. That's not dedication; that's laziness.

[Khodoristan]

But who's the black, and who's the white?

Salafism is actually one of, if not the, most benign movements within the whole "fundamentalist" Islam sub sect. Contemporary Salafism was created during the 19th century out of a desire to disengage the Arab Islamic community from Western influences and bring it back to a more "pure" and 'stable" version of Islam. They did this because they felt that Western values like Capitalism prevented Muslims from practising the sort of social justice and charity that Muhammed preached.

Unlike the moderate Muslim Brotherhood, Salafists aren't interested in sweaping Islamism, rather they seek to work within the existing civil system to allow them the freedom to practice their beliefs (read; Islamic Auto insurance, and banking) without usurping the entire structure. Leaders within the movement denounce violence and extremism in the harshest of terms.

A Salafist government in Syria would be one of the best outcomes we could hope for.

Any form of religious government, Salafi, Wahabbi, or otherwise, is a no-go. Salafism does not have a good track record. And Wahabbism? Forget it.