Icedude

I was hoping for this thread to die down, but as it's evidently not going to, here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to make a thread in my Icedude cultivation subforum in a minute, where you can continue any discussions you may have with me, about diplomas or otherwise. I'll link to it in this post afterwards. I'm going to sleep soon, but that's where I'm going to post my next answer to these things when I wake up. You don't have to continue any discussions over there if you don't want to - it's just in case you have something left to say to me. I'm relocating because I don't want this insignificant topic to crown an official subforum. Then I'm going to ask the mods to have this topic locked. If they won't agree to that, I'm going to rename the first post here into basically "This is the general Taoist discussion chat. Feel free to talk about anything you want.". If you really want to take over this thread with derailment, and want to have somewhere to discuss general things, then you can have it. I don't mind. ...so good night. Edit: Here's a link to the new topic: http://thetaobums.com/topic/34229-discuss-things-with-icedude/

You know what, troll? I kind of agree with you at this point. I solved my issue a few pages back, and all I'm doing now, is small talking. I'm considering setting up a discussion thread at my journal instead, so people can go there if they want something. We'll see. I give this thread a few hours more to die down on its own. Because I don't believe in not feeding the trolls. I think that's a very cruel practice. I believe in feeding the trolls a healthy diet of discussion. Usually that turns them into normal people.

Would I be worried about any of you, I wouldn't be humoring you. Yes, we did actually compare symbols, but it's futile to derive anything from such comparisons, as symbols are rooted in individual conceptions. If you ask somebody else, he could describe the same thing in completely different terms. It's not really that "mystical" to me. This isn't the same as symbolism magic. The ultimate truth isn't a trance state. It's the opposite. It's like being sober. Liminal, you are promoting shutting somebody up for a week, at minimum, for him calling somebody stupid, under any circumstances, seemingly even under circumstances like "You're not stupid.". You are saying that there should be a "high standard of civility" that you want to hold, in a taoist forum, all while ignoring the full onslaught that's going on about diplomas. I don't even have to call you anything. I think your stance speaks for itself, whether you're just playing innocent, or you fully believe that.

Look, I can play your game too, where I very carefully and friendly question your sanity and other talents, and have you drown in a swamp of defenses after I pick apart everything you say, using very kind words. Do you think you're some kind of genius for trying that on me? Come at me straight or not at all.

When you're comparing symbolism, prepositions are like adjectives: They vary from imagination to imagination. Up and down, against and from, can mean the same thing. That's why you can't make an accurate comparison of symbolisms. No. Bah. I'm trying to speak clearly, and you think I'm being tricky. Be glad I'm not being tricky with you.

Well, there's a difference. "Stupid" has a context. These "fun pokers" have been trolling for over ten pages now, and don't really know when to give up. They're hoping that I either cry or get angry enough to say something that warrants a ban, and judging by me getting warned for simply saying "stupid", I'd say that the mods are standing by, eager to ban me as well. That's completely destructive behavior. However, what the flame-baiting trolls are disguising themselves as, is people who's just having a laugh, and even that disguise is wearing thin when they've been doing it for over ten pages, so even as "plain innocent jokers", they don't contribute to anything - they're not being constructive. Boy, on the other hand, is stating a fact that you at least can build something constructive out of.

Bah. I was just called stupid by Boy, and I only considered it constructive. You guys are weaksauce, and you can put that in your report.

Thank you. I try.

No, I obviously like jokes, otherwise I wouldn't have joined in at times. It's just that if you find that you can't stop beating a dead horse over and over again, then maybe you could be doing something more meaningful. Some people laugh when they're nervous or scared, and no matter how timid I'd like to be, I am a scary dude if you take me seriously. I feel like I'm intruding everywhere I go. All I can do is apologize for myself. This "freedom of expression" doesn't really go as far as harassment, so some of you guys are breaking the rules by making fun of me. You are only free to do so because I allow you to. Further, this is my thread in the sense that I've set the topic, and made a request, so changing the topic (like making mindless puns) is spam. If you want random topics, there's a chat, and there can probably be a chat thread as well if you make one. I'm tempted to make a "How enlightened is Icedude really?" thread, but I figure one huge thread about me is plenty. Well, yes - it is. Everything you choose to do, is stupid. So what? Can't I be stupid? Do I have to be "the clever Buddha guy"? Every adventure begins with doing stupid things. Adventures are cool.

Dude, it's symbolism. Comparing symbolism is like comparing imaginary friends. ...but no. If I'm even interpreting your symbolism correctly, I think what you are describing is somebody who has reached Nirvana a few times - stream-enterers. I think I'm "on my last reincarnation". Once I die, I simply collapse back into Nirvana. I've sort of lost my self inside Nirvana. I think it's called "arahant". It's something completely different. It's just that I wanted this to be a serious and deep topic. I haven't kept up with who made what joke, but if you're going to joke, at least make the jokes meaningful. It seems many have reached a point where their jokes are just "Diploma!" now, like they are choking on laughing gas. Some are joking about how I don't have a brain. There's no depth in it. I think I said that it was somewhat silly in my very first post, didn't I? In my introductory post in Lounge, I actually mention how people are suckers for names. Coming up with a name when you have no self, is quite a task. It usually takes a day to come up with something abstract enough that you think you're clear from people forming a name-based opinion of you. ...but no, apparently I'm "the guy who should watch my mouth, or we'll shoot you" now. Luckily there's a simple option to change my name if I come up with something better. I hear you haven't studied zen, if you think I'm tricky in conversation.

Yeah, pretty much. I think the difference here, is that I'm not reporting you guys for ridiculing me, because I don't take offense if you guys make clowns out of yourselves. Yes, it's borderline spam as well, but I'll tolerate it for now.

Well don't look at me. It's not like I'm tickling you. It's like learning how to play a guitar, and then reading a book on how to play a guitar: The book is completely useless to you.

I think you get what I'm trying to say here, regardless. Crucifying Jesus was "knocking him down a peg or two". I can manage my self-doubt fine without "help". It's not me being crazy. It's you wanting to think that I am.

I'll try as best as I can to describe it to you, but I don't think it will be enough: I dissolved my subjective concepts, or had them dissolved for me, and as they dissolved into nothing but awareness, my awareness came to halt in the place that you call Nirvana. From there I exited by rebuilding myself: By stacking subjective concepts upon subjective concepts, fully knowing that I can collapse them back into Nirvana at any time. If I visualize it symbolically, which probably makes even less sense, it's like hanging up side down from the sky, constructed of building blocks that you can take apart.

Ah, it seems you're the one who missed something, because Trunk later added this: