[armenia4ever]

One point that kept being brought up in the NTP plagiarism thread was how he could and maybe did have too much influence on new members. What became the primary issue for them seemed to be not the plagarism persay, but the exaggeration of his experiences - which in turn put his character into question. (Something that made his "input" something that one might actually act on and emulate?)

So I thought to myself, "How many new members actually look up to older and established men here and employ their advice?" I suppose you could also throw in men who have newly stumbled upon the manosphere and are soaking in RP/Neo knowledge for the first time.

How much should you become like them? Usually we learn from the mistakes of our friends and the lessons they pass our way. Or do we?

For example, consider that if you want a badass player lifestyle where you travel and fuck tons of different women, you are going down a path that makes family life much harder then you realize - and many other life choices tougher.

Sowing one's wild oats is a necessity for most men, but there are consequences. It's alot tougher to bond with that unicorn once you find her in light of the tons of other women you've had.

Essentially there are alot of pros and cons you really have to balance. I wonder if you have to live some of those cons, and if you do too much, the effects are permanent.

Having kids at 40 is thrown around alot, but are you as equipped physically to handle it later in life than earlier? That's a question you must answer yourself.

I throw this out there for some of you newer members as well as the rest of you: How much do you really want to emulate not only the established members here, but many of the known faces of the manosphere and the life styles they have had?

Consider that they have made all sorts of sacrifices - permanent ones regarding their reputation and futures so that we don't have to. Essentially you stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before you.

Roosh has gone through his player stage and is searching for more. However that stage and his search through more has put him through some of the roughest life experiences as well as a reputation that could essentially make him unemployable in major cities. All that slander is hard to counter and most people will always assume the worst about him.

Do you really want that?

How about Clarey? He's made sacrifices - including a vasectomy. Think of Aurini. His reputation has been slandered as well and because of it so many are willing to dismiss him outright as well as assume the worst. (Imagine having to explain every time you meet someone you aren't a holocaust denier, a hater of blacks, ect.)

Even men like Quintus who I deeply admire are at a stage where children would be a difficult thing, even if he wants them. He has much to teach us in wisdom, life and historical lessons, and incredible insight, but he had to live his life on his terms - terms that shut off other paths and branches.

When you look at the men on here, I wonder if you can really appreciate their advice and insight without having lived through what they have to realize the price of it.

With human nature, even if the lessons have been taught, you still sometimes have to hit your head on every step as you tumble down life's stairs. I wonder if some of us will have to do that before we really understand the true cost of what some of the men here have been through as well as to see if we have to experience it for ourselves.

Rambling over.

[Onto]

Nobody does anything they don't want to do.

[Delta]

A common pitfall for people who are exposed to this material is to interpret game as a lifestyle. You even hear it often in RSD videos; phrasing like "When you first get into the game..."

That's a horrible way to think of it. Game is not synonymous with the lifestyle of fucking lots of random women. It is not an end, it is a means. It is a skill set you have at your disposal to obtain whatever lifestyle you choose. You can use game to be a player until old age, or you can use game to lock down a high-quality future wife when you're in college. Neither option is inherently better than the other.

People need to individually evaluate the pros and cons of different lifestyles rather than mindlessly tending toward the one they feel is most socially approved. In the end, it comes down to your own values.

[AnonymousBosch]

^
I was stuck on a plane for 11 hours last night, so had time to think about this.

From an email I wrote about six hours ago to another older member discussing the ego resentments and insecurities at play in that NTP thread:

Quote:

To some degree, I'm at an age where I can't relate to these issues any more. As I said, they're the sins of young men. My curse seems to be generating attention that I don't want, so I'm going to drastically-dial down my use of the forum in future and let these younger guys take the spotlight. Maybe I shouldn't be guiding and should let these guys make their own mistakes and formulate their own theories from failure. Maybe I'm finally becoming a Father, if that makes sense.

My logic being, well, as a Father, it must hurt to see your children fall flat on their face, but it's a necessary process in letting them develop their own skills and emotional resilience, and perhaps, by doing so, they'll develop skills that outshine your own.

Anyway, I'm taking a well-earned holiday from the forum to drink some beer and chase some skirt. I've left some pizza money in the cookie jar. You can have one or two friends over to play video games, but no parties.

[Peregrine]

AB, your post reminded me of Venkatesh's assertion that the 40+ crowd are employed by society as meaning-makers. Not sure if you're in that set per se.

http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2016/04/28/imm...-at-forty/

Life is weird, shit happens, and then you die. Figure out what you want, and then try to get it.

[GlobalMan]

(05-19-2016 10:55 PM)AnonymousBosch Wrote:  

Anyway, I'm taking a well-earned holiday from the forum to drink some beer and chase some skirt.

Travel well and enjoy

[Roosh]

This thread does look like it will be used to continue NTP discussion. In that case it will be locked.

[Speculation]

There is no substitute for personal responsibility and independent critical thinking.

One of the biggest facets of masculinity is self-reliance. Its no different here. We try to create an environment of trust so members don't have to constantly second guess what they're reading, but in the end its up to all of us to choose what to believe and who to 'let into your head'.

If you choose an extreme path in life by mirroring someone else, that responsibility is on you.

Perhaps we need to telegraph that more to new members; that no matter how convincing or experienced other posters are, their words may not be applicable for you and its up to you to decide if you should take what they say on board.

I think someone more eloquent than me should write up a data-sheet on the virtues of resisting the consensus (even if that consensus is made up of your heroes).

All that said, I think it would be a shame for more experienced posters (*cough* AB *cough*) to take the NTP debacle as a sign they should stop posting. The fault lies with people not thinking critically, not the posters. If our more experienced posters disappeared, all that would happen is that the forum would diminish in usefulness as keyboard jockeys fill the void.

[Days of Broken Arrows]

This brings up an issue that goes beyond the basic topic here. Anytime anyone (or anything) seeks to have a large degree of influence, consider the source and get some context.

This doesn't just go for the manosphere. It should be directed at the media as well, plus other people you come into contact with. I'd even throw college professors and high school teachers into this category. Even some parents.

It pays to be a bit skeptical and ask (as one of my old editors used to always ask): "Why are you telling me this?"

Sometimes the answer to that might just be that the person really is trying to help. There are a lot of good teachers out there, and some genuine media figures who at least attempt to do good unto others.

But other times, people seek to influence others to inflate their own egos or to push an agenda or -- worst of all -- to purposely bring down the other person because of jealousy or other negative emotions. I can't tell you how many times I've been fed disinformation because someone wanted to knock me down a peg. This happened in both the personal and professional realms.

In all these cases, taking a step back and assessing the person and why he (or she) saying what s/he's saying is crucial. There's a saying in journalism that goes something like "If your mother tells something to you, check the source." This means get some verification before believing anything you put in print. Such skepticism can be crucial in real life too.

[Hotwheels]

My thoughts are along the lines of AB's in this case, although I really hadn't thought about it.

I must say, I am impressed with those that will put into words what boys need to learn to be men. Other than a few snippets here and there that is not my forte. Never has been, never will be. One learns from doing, not reading.

You will rarely, if ever, see a wall of text from me. I'm direct and to the point.

Understand one thing however; If I say to do something, you best do it.

You'll thank me later.

[thoughtgypsy]

Once a community becomes large enough, hierarchies begin to form. Those who are perceived as the leaders are able to dictate the social expectations and overall cultural direction of the community going forward.

Advancement within that community is based on the ability to show adherence to the practices of that community and one's level of deference to the leaders. Men are competitive by nature, and will seek to excel on the measures that a community sets as the goals to strive for in return for social approval.

Measures which are held up by that society as virtues will be increasingly emulated. Social status will begin to be defined not by achievement, but rather by one's faith to the virtues of society. Adherence to virtues is social capital. People will begin to compete in showing greater adherence to those virtues regardless of their merits. Another word for this practice is virtue signalling.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.ph...signalling

Those who practice the values of that society come to be considered "good" and those who don't come to be seen as "evil". Those who fail to observe the virtues of society, question the approved narrative, or question the motives of the leaders are subsequently chastised, banished from society, or in some cases executed. You're either with us, or against us.

Those who implicate others who aren't conforming to the group show their loyalty to the dogma and win social approval and a pat on the head from the leaders. This can quickly descend into an arms race where people go to greater and greater lengths to show that they're part of the "good" group, and not part of the "evil" group. Information and messengers will be attacked if the message questions the approved narrative of the community.

If left unchecked, this arms race can quickly descend into a witch hunt where anything but absolute submission to the narrative is purged. Mere suspicion could be used to implicate and slaughter entire families. This is what happened in the USSR against the "Kulaks", in Communist China during the great leap forward, and in Cambodia under Pol Pot.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Roug...ric_legacy
https://bloodyshovel.wordpress.com/2015/...-currency/

It's endemic to all communities, it's only a matter of degree.

[bacan]

The big life question that I'd most like guidance on from older members is the choice of if and when we should settle down and even have kids. Of course this is a personal decision, but really would value input from other guys that have been doing the player lifestyle for years instead of the average schmucks in my life..

[cascadecombo]

(05-19-2016 10:55 PM)AnonymousBosch Wrote:  

My logic being, well, as a Father, it must hurt to see your children fall flat on their face, but it's a necessary process in letting them develop their own skills and emotional resilience, and perhaps, by doing so, they'll develop skills that outshine your own.

I've always figured the more it hurts to watch them fall will only increase just how much you'll enjoy seeing them get right back up and start to succeed at what they're doing.

Until at least the student becomes the master.

[Fortis]

I don't think it has to be a set in stone thing. A number of older guys here carry on side conversations with younger guys and help us out all the time. It's just the nature of this sort of forum. That said, no older guy should feel pressured into mentoring or anything.

Some guys simply don't have the time, and we should respect that. Likewise, sometimes the younger guys here are very in tune with the nuances of the game and don't need much guidance.

What I do? If I see someone here I can help, I'll reach out. If I can't help, I stand back.

[General Stalin]

To answer OP; a lot.

I have seen plenty of confessions and stories on here of younger members (and even older members) taking huge risks and totally changing the direction of their lives because of the suggestions and wisdom given by other members. How many members packed up their lives and moved to the Canadian Oil sands to make six figures in six months?

I've seen my share of "transformation stories" where members directly cited influence and inspiration from other members.

It's accurate to say that this forum is not just a bunch of keyboard jockeys, but it's actually a digital club of men who are doers. Men of action who will actually take it upon themselves to trust and act upon the advice of others.

This is a great community.

[H1N1]

It would be hard to overstate the value that the best older posters can have for us younger members. On a personal note, it is not an exaggeration to say that I have been reinvigorated, and significantly improved, by my correspondence with a senior poster here. I get a genuine thrill when I see that certain aged ( ) posters have written something new since my last visit to the forum, or have sent me a message, and I will always rush to those threads where they have been active to be stimulated by the quality of their ideas.

There are posters here who are truly original thinkers, whose content and genius cannot be faked. These ideas and commentaries are of a kind that can only come from a mind that is fertile, perceptive, and brilliant. To be consistently exposed to this, as a young man, is an extraordinary thing to have at your disposal. In many respects, this place is exactly as a University *should* be. You cannot have a university without the wisdom and direction of those who are older and wiser, and at its best, that is what this forum provides us all. And of course, for the older posters, it represents a wonderful opportunity to put that wisdom to one of its finest uses: the education of bright young minds that are hungry to be better and receptive to ideas and criticism.

Younger posters shouldn't beat themselves up for being duped occasionally, or for being slower to see the inconsistencies that are more apparent to our older brethren. However bright and motivated you are, as a young man you cannot hope to compete with a mind of similar or superior brilliance that has been usefully focused for far longer than yours. This is why we accord more weight to the wisdom of older, consistently perspicacious and interesting members, and why it is natural that we should be more easily taken in. It is why guys like NTP should be banned swiftly when they appear, because doing so allows the younger and more impressionable amongst us to continue being open and receptive to the wealth of wonderful ideas shared here.

[kaotic]

How many new members actually look up to older and established men here and employ their advice?

I absolutely look up to the elders in this forum, specifically in Game and Everything Else (world politics and discussions)


How much should you become like them? Usually we learn from the mistakes of our friends and the lessons they pass our way. Or do we?

Every man is his own, you should take away what you find useful and employ them.

Sometimes we fuck up and don't learn. Most on here I believe had some serious event in their life from which they learn from.


For example, consider that if you want a badass player lifestyle where you travel and fuck tons of different women, you are going down a path that makes family life much harder then you realize - and many other life choices tougher.

Sowing one's wild oats is a necessity for most men, but there are consequences. It's alot tougher to bond with that unicorn once you find her in light of the tons of other women you've had.

Not necessarily harder, our eyes are just more open to the others with the risks involved and the true sacrifice one man must make to have children and be in marriage.

I don't believe in a unicorn to begin with, I believe in finding a woman that's cohesive, who compliments your life, supports your goals, is feminine, and will take care of your children. I think most men can agree with that.


I throw this out there for some of you newer members as well as the rest of you: How much do you really want to emulate not only the established members here, but many of the known faces of the manosphere and the life styles they have had?

Quite a few mixed into one:

-The don't give a fuck sarcastic asshole attitude
-The philosophical mind blowingly intelligent historians
-The guy who keeps shit real and keeps you grounded
-The traveler who flys around banging bitches and having great stories
-The revolutionary who wakes up other men and creates a movement
-The man who meets alot of people off the forum

These are traits I'd love to have and emulate. However, I know my limitations and where I'm at in life. These are very long stretch goals.


When you look at the men on here, I wonder if you can really appreciate their advice and insight without having lived through what they have to realize the price of it.

We all make sacrifices, my last two major ones was not moving to an island when I had the chance, and letting my ex go because she wanted kids and marriage.

Now mine may not be major, and like you said we all have pros and cons.

I absolutely appreciate all their insight and wisdom because they had the balls to do what needed to be done to get where they are at now.


I wonder if some of us will have to do that before we really understand the true cost of what some of the men here have been through as well as to see if we have to experience it for ourselves.

I think I'm beginning to understand how serious these costs are, on the flip side I see the results of their work, and they seem pretty damn happy.


Disregard my "rep" points and look at my start date - basically the start of 2014.


I've only been here 2.5 years and still feel like a newbie sometimes. I'm hardly a figure like these guys on page 1 memberlist.php

I'm still learning, still reading, still listening, and still asking questions.

This will never stop, I admit I probably won't be some historian, or some cat living some ridiculous awesome lifestyle (at the moment).

But the influences and advice I got from these older members is priceless.



I never ask anyone to look up to me, to rep me, or praise me.

I simply ask that you give back to the forum, like I have, create data, give valuable/thoughtful input, shit post once in awhile , and above all:

help your fellow man on this forum and in the real world.

[CleanSlate]

According to the recent age poll here, I was surprised to see that I'm in one of the older age groups here.

There are a lot of guys on this forum whom I look up to and turn to for advice here, and some of them are younger than me. But they have had a TON more life experience than I. Yes, I have experience going through a divorce and I like to think I learned from it, but I can't be sure until I actually get in the next LTR and see if I don't repeat the same mistakes.

Even with 130+ rep points as of today, I still feel like a newbie and that I have much more life to experience before I'm remotely qualified to mentor any of the younger guys on here.

I guess the answer to the OP's question is it depends on what specific area of life, be it game, business, finance, travel, or fitness, the younger guys need help with. Then the older and/or more experienced guys in that specific area can step up to help out or impart valuable advice. For example, a fitness expert with decades of bodybuilding and nutrition experience can help guys who specifically want bodybuilding and nutrition advice, but probably would do better to leave business tax structuring to other experts.

[samsamsam]

I think anything you read has to be taken with a grain of salt.

And this isn't to insult some of the wisest and experienced guys here. While some of the posters here do like to present themselves as amazing and write as if they cannot be wrong, many of the best here do not have that air about them. While he is going to take a grandpa break (sorry ) AB, to me at least, always presents his thoughts in a clear and humble way. And this guy is clearly the shit. But I am sure even he would agree with, everything must be thought about it before incorporating it into your life.

I think some young guys (NOT ALL) have a sort of anxiety about their lives. Uncertainty of the future, maybe not having a strong father/male energy in their lives - so SOMETIMES, SOME guys take what is written and start repeating some of the stuff they read here without even thinking if it is applicable to them.

You are a man, you have a vision for life and you are smart enough to know that you don't know everything. But you owe it to yourself, to read and process and think about what is being written and see if it works for you. If you have questions or thoughts, write it without text speak, or sarcasm. Write it from a place of thoughtfulness.

I will be honest, I am a little concerned this thread was created. What I mean by this, is that some may defer too much to others. You are responsible for your life, don't hand over your future to anonymous internet posters, you must think about what you read and see if it makes sense to you. To surrender that right is foolish. It could hint that you have a victim mentality because most victim mentality types always seem to have no idea what personal responsibility is.

Also, not all the solid posters here are older. I find myself taking advice from men younger than me who are more experienced in something I am trying to learn about or improve on.

Don't get hung up on age. Don't be that guy on reddit who says, "I am 20 years old and I made this XYZ - looking for constructive criticism." They throw out their age as a pre-excuse in case it sucks. They ask for constructive criticism so they can dismiss what they do not like as not constructive. Don't be weak like that. When I was in my early 20s I was a fucking star in terms of goals I achieved. Way before peers who were older. I never brought up age, I knew it wouldn't help anything. I was to be measured by the job I had, tasks I was given.

If you find yourself obsessing about your age, you got issues. Meaning that with everything you do, you throw in "but I am only X years old." I probably am not wording this right, but you get my point. You are over 18, you are considered a man. If you are not feeling like a man yet, seek the knowledge and experience to get you there. But don't throw out pre-excuses.

Once again, AB is da man.

[Rigsby]

I'm an older member, age wise. I'm low post count and low rep, I know, so I humbly put forward these words, knowing my place. I haven't really contributed that much here. I've done my fair share of shitposting too. I'm not anyone to be looked up to, or taken seriously.

However, know this: I am always sincere, if not always serious. (That was 'lifted' from Alan Watts by the way, who first made the subtle distinction.)

I offer my real world experiences. In a genuine and honest manner. I've had a bit of a wasted life, truth be told, and for that I accept total responsibility. If I can give value to younger members, it is by my frankness with regard to my many failures, and pointers of things NOT to do. Ironically enough, I was joking around with myself earlier (I'm the funniest guy I know), about doing a data sheet titled something like: How NOT to be a failure in life, when you have everything going for you. I reckon that would give massive value to younger men - to show them where NOT to go wrong. There are actually only about a dozen or so things that you need to learn, to NOT go wrong in life.

Having said that, I don't think I have that much wisdom really. I am constantly learning from the wisdom of younger members. Because they aren't just wise, they are clever. To quote that famous saying: It's easy to be wise, it's not so easy to be clever. I am neither wise nor clever. To the extent that quite a few members are here, anyway. I am truly humbled.

I once met a man in a pub. He was lost, and he was broken. We knew each other straight away. We also recognized, that even though we were indeed broken, we had not given up. It's quite something to have the wherewithal to be able to firstly see that you are indeed broken, and secondly, to be able to admit that to yourself without shattering your own sense of self. My sense of self has been stripped away so many times, I don't even worry about it anymore. Every time it happens, I get deeper to the core of not just who I am, but who others are. There are teachings like this not just in Buddhism but in other Eastern religions as well. It's not a new concept, of what I speak.

This man in the pub told me about his 'guru'. The man in question was older than me at the time, perhaps knocking 50 himself. His 'guru' was only about 10 years old. That's right. He was serious as well. He had met a child that had totally changed his world viewpoint, providing him with some kind of sense in a mad world, and showing him a path forward to rebuild himself. So a man of 50 was influenced by a 'man' of 10. So be it.

So when I take great comfort myself from the words and thoughts that others have provided to me on this forum, also helping me to make sense of this mad world, and showing me a possible path ahead, I don't worry that they are a few years younger. I even get massive rewards from some of the barely 20 year old posters. How I wish I had their wisdom when I was their age. It is immaterial. They share their knowledge, and if the cap fits, I wear it, even if it hurts. And believe me, it does hurt a lot, sometimes. My problem, not theirs.

I just want to take this moment to say a few little words to AnonymousBosch, if I may. It's no secret that I'm a big fan of his writing. AB is one of the chaps younger than me, that is so far ahead in so many ways, and a person from whom I have learnt so much. Not just about myself, but about my family, about my friends, about my enemies.

AB, this is for you:
I'm genuinely saddened that you feel the need to take a little respite from the forum. I wish you well and nothing but success in your pursuits. I understand your personality type - the type that is a self contained go getter, that doesn't really need the approval of others, and in fact, finds it a little 'distasteful' shall we say. I really do get it. I'm not a go getter, but I don't like attention either, so I can relate. I know you felt a little uncomfortable with your appreciation thread, and I did wonder if I had 'over-egged' the pudding a bit with my eulogies to you and your writing.

I'm sorry (for want of a better word) if my posts laid it on a bit thick, and I'm sure some members (quite rightly) saw it as a cheap attempt to ingratiate myself with you. I'm sure you took things in the spirit they were intended, and even though I wasn't always serious in that thread, I assure you I was nothing less than sincere. I just wanted to say that, and I don't think I'll get a better opportunity. I've resisted the urge to PM you (as I have several other members), as I believe that would be a bit 'forward'. I'm also from the school of 'No guru, no method, no teacher'. I take what I can from all men. But it is extremely important to me to give credit where it is due. It was nothing more than that. I could have said nothing, but I wanted you to know, you had 'reached' somebody, and that your words had made a real life difference to somebody, who you have never met, and probably never will. And even though you were uncomfortable with that thread, you were still extremely gracious about it all.

That is the kind of influence an older member can have on a younger one. Who is going to haggle about a few years here or there, when life experiences level the playing field so much. I honestly thought you were older than me, and you are in a way, as I have stagnated. Realising that was a bit of a shock. But it's all good. There's work to be done, as always.

If I may just offer a few words of advice to you, young man, by way of giving something back, I would just say: Get back out there (wherever 'there' is), get as drunk as you can can, let your hair down, and bang those young hotties that are so enthralled by you. Happy trails to you...



I'm also very impressed by one or two other posters who I thought were much older due to their deep wisdom and insight. Back to the old 'It's easy to be wise, not so easy to be clever' thing. I'm wise enough alright. And I recognize wisdom in others when it presents. I just hope I don't ever give the fraudulent impression that I am clever. Then again, this old dog is learning new tricks, to an extent, and while you still have that 'core' of yourself, no matter how broken and battered you might be, there is always room for improvement, if you are prepared to do the work, within the parameters of knowing your own limitations and being realistic about your end-goals.

So I suppose this post has been the opposite of what it was supposed to be about - about the influence that older posters have on the younger ones. This is just my honest viewpoint and hopefully someone somewhere can take something from it, old and young alike.

[All or Nothing]

(05-19-2016 10:43 PM)Delta Wrote:  

A common pitfall for people who are exposed to this material is to interpret game as a lifestyle. You even hear it often in RSD videos; phrasing like "When you first get into the game..."

That's a horrible way to think of it. Game is not synonymous with the lifestyle of fucking lots of random women. It is not an end, it is a means. It is a skill set you have at your disposal to obtain whatever lifestyle you choose. You can use game to be a player until old age, or you can use game to lock down a high-quality future wife when you're in college. Neither option is inherently better than the other.

People need to individually evaluate the pros and cons of different lifestyles rather than mindlessly tending toward the one they feel is most socially approved. In the end, it comes down to your own values.

Game and lifestyle are interconnected though. We cannot deny this connection.

Where you live, the frequency with which you go out, whether or not you live alone, how healthy you are physically, your personality, all play into what lifestyle you live and ultimately the Game you develop.

Personally I am a more cerebral person, so my form of game tends to play into one on one conversations and a certain kind of solitude. I have found that pairing up a more lone wolf lifestyle with that kind of natural personality works well for me. I do leave the door open to develop an engrained network of close contacts since that boosts my level of opportunity.

[Matsufubu]

At the end of the day, this is an internet forum and we don't know that we can 100% trust nearly anyone we know in the real world, never mind on the internet. You can only judge someone by their posting. Someone like AB I can take at his word as it's obvious he's the age he is with the experience he's got, because as a mid-30s guy I can see through most bullshit. I never took much interest in NTP, as he seemed like a 'one in a billion, I'm never going to be that' kind of guy with interests dissimilar to my own.

Anyway, younger posters should glean what they can from what they read here, see if it works in the real world, and if it does, fantastic. I know there's plenty of guys ten years younger than me that would cream me in a picking-up-girls contest, and there's guys ten years older I have helped in real life. Experience over age I think. Age is only useful if it's been used usefully. God knows, failure is a learning experience, success is a reward. Learn from your failures and turn it into success. I guess older members have had more failures that younger ones so they're good to learn from.

NTP is the perfect reason to respect rep here, but not treat someone like a god. If I wanted to trawl the internet and post loads of useful info to gain rep quickly, I could. However, I have a business to run and a family to look after and enjoy, so at the end of the day I'm not going to rack up crazy rep, but I still have things to teach, right? Like I said, I'll respect the high rep, high post guys for making the forum the great place it is, but I won't idolise them or adopt a "yes, massah" just because I'm new-ish. The only man worthy of that from me is my father, in real life.

I'm on this forum because it's like being in an old-fashioned pub: masculine men sharing stuff, complaining about the world, shooting the shit, having a laugh, talking about chicks, etc. If I learn something, great. If someone else learns something from me, also great...but I'm not here looking for a replacement father, and neither should anyone else.

[armenia4ever]

(05-21-2016 07:29 AM)Matsufubu Wrote:  

I'm on this forum because it's like being in an old-fashioned pub: masculine men sharing stuff, complaining about the world, shooting the shit, having a laugh, talking about chicks, etc. If I learn something, great. If someone else learns something from me, also great...but I'm not here looking for a replacement father, and neither should anyone else.

I get that idea as well. Iron sharpens iron, and we go through great lengths on this forum to prevent the iron from rusting, degrading, etc.