Some Conversation Starters
Some thoughts.
Sometimes I think I'm exhausting to talk to. I have this annoying habit of taking things too profoundly much more than how it was intended. For instance, one minute we could be talking about selecting an ice cream flavor, and the next thing you know the conversation trails into deliberating whether or not we have the free will to choose. I begin to take notice that not everyone likes to be engaged in topics like these out of the blue. I can't blame them, though. Down to their very core, these subject matters have no final conclusion. It would be an endless search for an answer and that does sound tiring. On the other hand, it is easier to pick an ice cream and simply eat it. In turn, this made me learn to hold my tongue, or I should say, my mind? That latter one, I admit, is harder done. After all, overthinking is my specialty. In this entry, I jotted down some topics that could invite dialogue.
Some peeves.
I am open to any kind of topic...except for politics. I do not meddle with megalomaniacs, delusional dimwits, and systems that contrary illicit order. Bottom line: politics is out of the table (please).
Don't let me begin with people who enter into a debate only to prove their stance is the "right." If you need your pride to be stroked just say so. Maybe some incremental fool would give you the honor. A fool, or, an extremely humble person. Though the former seems to be more common to find than the latter. The point of dialogue is to broaden the scope, not to pinpoint it. That's the things with politics, how can you be so sure your "right" is the "right" of the masses?
Some prompts.
Here are some prompts spurred from sleepless nights and long showers:
1. Is it wrong to ask why?
Some people do not like to have their motives questioned. Is it some way of asserting dominance? I can imagine a scenario where someone asks, and the other person just T-poses angrily. Haha. Anyway...This I find rather faulty because it imposes one's authority over the other party. In logic, this is actually a fallacy of vericudiam. This condemns the person from assessing this task whether worthy of their time. And on a personal note, I think people have the right to decide what they want to do with their time. Consequently, condemning a person from asking "why" also condemns them from learning how to put value into time.
This scenario is rather common with parents to their children. The stigma of asking why could be rooted in filial piety which is a belief prevalent in Asian countries. (I admit I have no solid proof for this. Mind you, this is just is all based on my outlook and reflections.) Part of this belief is that children must obey their parents. (This, of course, is a very diluted definition of the philosophy.)
Moving on, maybe a reason why asking "why" is frowned upon by authoritative figures is that it can easily be misinterpreted as doubting.
Obligation is another aspect we could consider. Is one's responsibility a reason enough not to question further the task given?
However, I think it is in the manner of asking which could make the question seem mistakenly accusive.
On a completely different level, is it a sin to question God? (Okay, that escalated quickly.)
This is getting long. I'll end here first.
2. Who is the first person to discover milk? Did someone look at a cow and think, hey, I wonder how that tastes like?
Okay, the last question is not from me originally, but I came across it online and now it haunts me to the very shadows of my mind.
Author's note: I'm open for discussion, feel free to comment.
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