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Well, guess everybody has run out of things to say. Not surprising. The discussions here always evolve into debates, and few of us are swayed by the arguments of others. Anecdotal evidence, sociological studies, and scientific proof all muddy the picture and we end up with a negative that isn't developed. We all embrace our truths and distrust the source of rebuttals to them. What goes on here is kind of a reflection of the world-at-large and the reason why this country is in disarray. I find myself withdrawing from what is happening all around me, pondering if intelligent design is involved in the Universe, it needs to go back to the drawing board because humanity, in its imperfect form, is on a collision course with self-destruction At the age of 83, I'm shooting for 85 and then I'm ready to call it a day, keeping in mind that my whole life time may just be the wink of an eye in a larger world where I am the equivalent of a fruit fly in this one. I'm rather tired but I am grateful that sleep comes easily to me, and it is a haven for my body and the dreams that have insomnia. Wonder if ant colonies have leaders who are assholes.

It's Magus. Troy I come here because i believe on your vision. Cynique I have also withdrawn from engaging with people. Although my job is talking with people. I only find a few people trying to peel the onion of self life and consciousness. Understandably they are busy trying to survive a life that is death by design. Cynique I am a moth and your post the Moon.

Yes this forum is truly is indeed a microcosm of the world particularly as we "embrace our truths and distrust the source of rebuttals to them." That fact has indeed made be sensitive to the characteristic in my own behavior. I try to keep and open mind and have adjusted my position when new information, or a different perspective, was introduced here. @Cynique, I have changed my position a number of times based upon your commentary. For example, after Hillary became the democratic nominee for president, I, like so many other Black folks decided to simply not vote. But after reading your words it became clear that I needed to vote and I did (obviously for Clinton). As you know Cynique, I have always appreciated your mind and have personally benefited from it. Del calls you a "Magnus" (I still have not looked it up to know what it means), but a rose by any other name... I think it is society's loss that we spend so much time consuming on social media consuming and spreading the "wisdom" of inexperienced children, and dumb rudderless celebrities while ignoring the sage words of our elders. This is the primary reason I've stopped using social media. You have to be careful where you consume information. Now that we know social media is used to manipulate people, I refuse to use it. How many Black people, I wonder, decided not to vote in the last presidential election because of the "information" (propaganda really) that was deliberately fed to them in order to dissuade them from voting? This, I guess, is also the reason why I've dedicated my life to selling books. It is not so much about the books themselves, but the knowledge contained within them. This is also why I spend so much time promoting what others may feel is my competition-- other booksellers. It is also why I promote the Black press and Black journalists. I think platforms like this forum are necessary. The goal is not to compel you to spend every waking moment with a handheld device in your hand scrolling through the content here. Nor is the goal to sell your information to big data firms and marketers to manipulate your behavior. The goal is to exchange ideas and hopefully learn something new. I appreciate the majority of people look for ideas that reinforce what they already believe. That is why social media excels and why it is so popular. I think what has always set regular contributors to these forums apart is that we are not afraid to exposure our ideas to critique. This is really not an easy thing to do. So while we may exhibit traits of the general population, of holding fast to our ideas. You can't do that here very long and enjoy or benefit from the process.