Why so many dark, foreboding, negative avatars?

reply to post by 5ealchris


Quick end-of-thread-check response . . .

Your avatar, to me, is a real fascinating combo of both dark and light.

I'm a sucker for blue. And then red.

Yeah, the darkness, knife and blood are dark and a bit offputting.

The blues in your background and the sky . . . and the red caligraphic character . . . are kind of bright, somehow.

The chains are small enough as to not be overly additive to the dark aspect over all . . . to me. The tattoo on the face and the dark robe are plenty dark but not as absolutely dark and foreboding as some such are.

It's really and odd combo, to me. and the smiley face really makes it more so. LOL.

Guess I may as well follow through.

QUESTIONS:

1. What have the martial arts studies added to your life?
2. What have they taken away?

3. What has changed about your self-concept and identity from such studies?

4. What do you like most about the Japanese culture vs Western culture?

5. If you could have one fantasized Ninja super power, what would that be?

6. When are you the opposite of a ninja in ways that you like, enjoy, value?

7. What are your 2nd and 3rd most important values, interests, foci after Ninja/martial arts?

8. Do you feel more emotionally close to your Master, your lover or your best friend?

9. what martial arts achievement that you've not yet reached, would you like to have reached in the next 5 years?

10. If you had to take all the martial arts stuff you've learned about focusing . . . if you HAD to . . . shift and use all that focusing skill and training to focus on LOVING others . . . what would change in your life?

Enough.

Thanks for your very interesting contribution to our thread.

You can do a psych study on my avatar. You'll only find out that I'm a very deranged person.

No, not really. But I am attracted to the darker side of life.

[edit on 21-7-2008 by Enrikez]

reply to post by MischeviousElf


DISCRIMMINATING has gotten a bad rap . . . for understandable and valid reasons . . . to a point.

We could not function without discrimminating and judging.

We must discrimminate red lights from green at intersections . . . and how close to the next car is too close . . . which is one reason that even one can of beer can be too much--as it has already begun to put that judgment center to sleep which tells us how close is too close . . .

We must discrimminate between

--significant threat and insignificant or no threat . . .
--in terms of disease,
--drunken drivers,
--lying pseudo-friends;

--violent neighbors;
--diseased sex partners;
--safe/unsafe tomatoes; adequate,
--safe hiking shoes and clothes;

--a sociopathic vs a safe taxi driver in our own or a foreign land;
--a safe private plane ride vs an accident waiting to happen;
--a friendly Muslim vs a Jihadi with bombs strapped on;
--a moderately lying politician vs a horrifically traitorously lying politician;

--a house/car we can live comfortably with vs one that will always keep us barely ahead of the bankruptcy train.
--a satisfying, fulfilling, secure job environment vs constantly testing the limits or constantly being the brunt of a psychopathic boss.
--Fulfilling, mutually enriching, satisfying family relationships vs petty constant debilitating angry fighting 24/7.

WE MUST discrimminate to survive.

However, when we discrimminate on the basis of petty, worthless or even unnecessarily destructive criteria, values for no good reason beyond ego, ear, insecurities, pathologies . . . problems arise beyond what need have arisen.

And when we demean and devalue others for no valid reason . . . our stuff . . . then we have demeaned and devalued ourselves.

However, it serves no good purpose and does not help the perpetrator to call an axe murderer a sweet fellow who has a way with tools. He needs to be called an axe murderer. He's worked hard at the role. He's earned it.

Labeling darkness light; evil good; down up and white black is crazy making and destructive.

Political Correctness is often idiocy gone to seed. It mangles reality and teaches social insanity in the name of hogwash.

Kindness and civility do not need political correctness to express themselves 24/7.

Of course, if kindness and civility are not in the heart . . . it's difficult for them to come out in actions routinely.

And without good parenting . . . how do we get them in the hearts of so many where they are not currently?

reply to post by Enrikez


Thanks for your moving contribution to our thread.

I'm going to discipline myself and return to the sequence. I'll get back to yours in sequence.

My quick response is . . . you have succeeded grandly in finding and selecting an avatar which vividly harkens to dreary to dark elements in life.

Thanks for your moving contribution to our thread.

reply to post by BO XIAN


Not sure what you mean by 'moving contribution', but would your choice of 'Bo Xian' as a screen name have anything derogitory to due with Christians?

Anti-Christians and Lavey Satanists in particular have gotten into the habit of replacing Christ with an 'X', as in X-Mas X-ian etc.

I haven't looked into your posting history, but let's just cut through the veil and see what you're all about oo.

reply to post by Enrikez


By moving, I could have said--impactful. Your avatar is not wimpy nor neutral.

No, it's part of my legal Chinese name.

And, I'm a fairly intense Christian, Pentecostal, actually. I guess you haven't read my signature line very thoughtfully.

I'm also very candid in my subjective responses to the posts and avatars. There's plenty on this thread alone about who I am.

If you are unaware, it's by choice in choosing to avoid reading the whole thread.

There's also something, IIRC on my profile page.

Cheers.

reply to post by BO XIAN


Yeah dude, I fully admitted in my post that I knew nothing about you and was making a jump to the Xian name.

No worries

Originally posted by andolin
reply to post by Rumrunner

 

Well it is listed as the number 1 "Conspiracy Theory" related website.
There is a dark implication and possible attraction. There appears to be plenty of white lighters here so I wouldn't worry to much.

Thanks for your meaningful comments.

1. Certainly dark subjects could have a lot of attraction for folks focused on and attracted to the dark side of life and reality.

2. Plenty of white lighters? I wonder. I'd love to see some stats on that! I'm skeptical. Sometimes, it seems like the darker oriented folks number in the 65-85% range. But that's just a wild haired guess. Would sure be tricky to collect stats on. LOL.

3. Even self-reports . . . asking folks to weigh in on say how they placed themselves . . . if 0 were absolute darkness and 100 absolute light . . . where on the continuum would they place themselves??? There could be a variety of reasons why folks would not be completely candid even in that self-report. Tricky question.

=============

To your avatar . . .

What a beauty. Though I'm afraid the details are too obscure, to me, to make much out of--even when enlarged significantly.

I don't know what's in her right hand. I don't know what significants the golden plates are.

But I love the colors.

I love that she's looking up and to the right, for some reason.

There's a sunburst sort of seeming focus up and to the right . . .One could fantasize that she's rising above the darkness . . . perhaps above chaos.

The colors are bright, lively,

Not sure what to make of the ephemeral aspect . . . She's strong and rising and seemingly forceful in her rising . . . yet so much about her, her dress etc. is ephemeral, wispy. Not sure what that signifies.

Feelings evoked:

1. hopefulness
2. curiosity
3. a vague kind of upliftedness
4. puzzlement
5. "GO GIRL!"
6. Slight concern--who or what is left behind.

Thanks much for your interesting contribution to our thread.

I had a long response typed and was ready to get into your avatar when some unknown keystrokes obliterated what I'd had typed.

And undo was somehow not an option. GRRRR.

Anyone know how to solve that problem?

I know, compose in Word and paste in. Doh. Sigh.

I'm running out of gas for tonight so will try and get back to it tomorrow.

I very much appreciated your substantive msg and the beautiful avatar is very pleasant to view. The larger image at the link was quite welcome.

Thanks for your substantive contribution to our thread.

reply to post by Enrikez


Are you aware of the factors that attract you to darker things?

How many might you list?

i.e. Is it like a moth to a flame or what?

Thread starts at 2008 and now revived in 2013. What are you looking for Psychologist? What is scaring you and your ilk?

I used this one because I used to collect the cards when I was little and thought it was funny... nostalgic in a sense.

reply to post by BO XIAN


That is why I took a picture of something with lots of color, way to many dark Avatars on here. I really enjoy looking at the Avatars on this site while I am reading, a lot of talented people who create their own.

Originally posted by porky1981
I used this one because I used to collect the cards when I was little and thought it was funny... nostalgic in a sense.

edit on 8/31/2013 by porky1981 because: funny.

Wow Garbage Pail Kids, I still have a bunch of those in a box somewhere. I used to trade those in High School.

Originally posted by BO XIAN
This is the psychologist in me speaking . . .

The psychologist in me is wondering why the psychologist in you wants to know?
Only kidding. Interesting question you have.


What do you think of my avatar? Is it dark, foreboding, negative?
Or is it just etherial with a touch of the spooky? How do you see it?

For those interested .. THIS IS MY AVATAR .
It's a painting in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Originally posted by Emeraldous
What are you looking for Psychologist? What is scaring you and your ilk?

SNOTTY.
What makes you think the poster is scared of avatars?
What makes you think psychologists in general are scared of avatars?
"ilk" ...

reply to post by BO XIAN


1 usually associates it to something... Metaphysical

The Avatar 1 uses now is a MER KA BA (energy of some form mass transport) with a conscious LIGHT tug

reply to post by BO XIAN


Good point... Fortunately for me my avatar isn't exactly horrible. But I'd like to know why people choose awful avatars too!

reply to post by BO XIAN


If it wasn't "negative" it wouldn't be interesting. It would only be "peaceful" and "relaxing" and to most people that is boring. People crave the excitement. People crave creepy things and adventure (think of the huge attraction to horror movies).

Originally posted by FlyersFan

Originally posted by Emeraldous
What are you looking for Psychologist? What is scaring you and your ilk?

SNOTTY.
What makes you think the poster is scared of avatars?
What makes you think psychologists in general are scared of avatars?
"ilk" ...

Snooty. What is the OP's motivation to revive a thread about dark avatars? Curiosity? Concern is also fear, like when presidents flash devil horns like an avatar they like to portray. Psychologists and their ilk have been trying to figure out human consciousness, for lofty goals? Not by the results. Point your attention to the Alphas who are causing people to stress and degrade. Not a quick pill fix or coping skills to allow the malaise to be bearable and the society adapt to it, it won't happen. Are you a real psychologist or a pill pusher?
Psychologists are scared because "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it"