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PaperclipPerfector  11mo ago (text post)   3563 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for May 19, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Which singular social or nature-oriented experiences filled you with the greatest enthusiasm and rejuvenation? I have noticed many people in my life pick “music festival”.

Go to a park or trail that is a very easy walk and has few people. Turn your phone off. Don't bring anything you have to carry, like a bag or water bottle. Try to notice as much as you can about your surroundings. What color are the leaves? Is the terrain sloping? What's swimming under the surface of that pond? What sounds can you hear? How does the air smell?

I personally prefer walking along ridges or along the edge of some body of water. There are also some small valleys near where I live that feel pleasantly insulated.

When you get to quite, isolated spot, take a short rest and soak it all in. I like to say a few prayers of gratitude at this point.

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A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

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