Skip to main content

School of Thought: Existentialism | Hri-Write

Existentialism is a philosophical school of thought that deals with human existence, trying to explain the purpose of a human life. Existentialism, like many other schools of thought, is of course only a speculation and something we made up, take what you read here with a pinch of salt ( after all, I don't know any more about life than you do! ) If I were to try to explain existentialism easily, I'm afraid I'll lose out on its intricacies, but I'll give it a shot anyway. Existentialism, at its most fundamental level, says that every person is responsible for defining their own purpose in this world and that we are governed by our free will. Existentialism says that we are not here to 'find purpose', but rather to 'create our reality and purpose'. It sounds simple, but that's because I've tried to break down roughly a few centuries worth of study and philosophical evolution into four sentences. Existentialism originated as a school o...

Why I use Reddit (and you should too)

As I click on the orange app that reads 'Reddit' on my iPhone, my eyes widen as I open to a barrage of dark humor from /r/imgoingtohellforthis. Laughing agonisingly as I get out of bed, I scroll further down to posts from /r/space and see what's making top news related to space and astronomy.

I'm 203 days old. At least that's how old my Reddit account is. In those 203 days, I've seen, stumbled upon, laughed at and shared things that I've never seen and possibly would never if I hadn't signed up for it. And that's why I love it.
Anybody that's spoken to me in the last 203 days has probably heard me talk about Reddit, and rightly so. Reddit changed the way I used the internet, because of its sheer size and diverse communities.

 I've fallen in love with its early 2000s reminiscent albeit ugly homepage, its hierarchal commenting system, and its non-existent search feature. But that's what makes Reddit, well, Reddit. It wasn't made to look nice, or 'aesthetic' if you will.



It was made to be as simplistic as possible, and it was made to be a place to share things for people with all kinds of interests, no matter how strange or common they are (looking at you, /r/rant). It was made to be a platform for the internet, summarized by its welcoming tagline, 'The frontpage of the internet'. And it's done all of those things and done them well.

If you're unfamiliar with Reddit, let the Reddit team explain it to you:

The key to enjoying reddit is finding the right communities to follow.

They say there’s a subreddit for everything. Type in an interest and Snoo (our time traveling alien mascot) will help find the right subreddit for you!

How it all works:

Users post to communities, also known as subreddits. Other users vote and comment on those posts. Based on those votes, the best posts rise to the top for all to enjoy. Users who post or comment earn karma points when their content gets voted up, or upvoted.

As you’re participating, be aware that each subreddit has its own unique personality and rules, usually found in their sidebar. Those are the basics! Once you poke around the site a bit, please feel free to check out a more in-depth explanation about what reddit is and how it works."











For me, Reddit has made news, articles, funny content and other things accessible. The communities (subreddits) follow the general naming convention (/r/communitynamehere) and users (/u/usernamehere).

I'll admit that you'll see some rather unpleasant things if you choose to see NSFW (Not Safe For Work) content, but that's disabled by default. If you're anything like me, you'll enjoy /r/watchpeopledie and laugh sadistically as people meet their unfortunate end on video.
(I'm a sadist and a degenerate, I know this. I embrace the dark overlord.)

What I love particularly is how systematic Reddit is. Once you subscribe to subreddits, they appear on your front page and the best posts are chosen automatically so that you're always up to date with what's new in your favorite interests, fields and other things. Like I said earlier, Reddit wasn't made to look pretty. It was made to be fast and smart, and once you start using it, trust me, you'll realize this. Some things I've fallen in love with are subreddits like /r/photoshoprequest, where you can submit photos and ask them to make minor or major edits to those as you like, or caption it '[Random]', and let other Redditors work their magic on your beautiful images (sarcasm).

"Find a subreddit dedicated to a topic you’re interested in and dive on in. To get started, take a look at this list of subreddits with less than 5,000 subscribers. It’s amazing: there seems to be no such thing as a topic too narrow or specialized to form a subreddit around. That said, in the unlikelihood that there won’t be a subreddit about your given interest, you can create your own and become the king of your (sub)Reddit domain. Also, by subscribing and unsubscribing to various subreddits, you create your very own “front page of the Internet.”

Like most online communities, Reddit has its own language, which you’ll notice right away. Redditors tend to talk in abbreviations such as: “OP,” “TIL,” IAmA,” “AMA”…Well, “OP” just refers to the “original poster” in a thread. “TIL” means “Today I learned” and is one of the most common abbreviations you’ll see on Reddit. Many posts are simple “TIL” observations and realizations." - Digital Trends

And to conclude, just remember, Reddit's just like a group conversation with a bunch of friends. Bring a casual attitude to the site and you'll have a worthwhile experience. Bring a foul attitude and your life will become a worthless race of farming karma (Reddit's version of likes) as you inch closer every second to your inevitable demise.

It's a fun time.

To download Reddit on iOS, click here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/reddit-official-app-trending-news-and-hot-topics/id1064216828?mt=8

For Reddit on Google Play, click here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.reddit.frontpage&hl=en

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Where is all the 'alien life?' - Fermi Paradox and other theories

My first blog, ever, was about understanding the odds of alien life. I've gotten much better at writing blogs since then (or so I like to tell myself), and it would only be right if I reinstate the legacy of that one. We should openly admit that when we happen to be under a starry night and see a sight similar to this, we all have a react in a different and interesting way. Some people are left boggled by the immense size of the universe, others by the sheer glamour of the scene and if you're anything like me, you're paralysed by the sudden realisation that you have a negligible impact on the universe. The point is, we all feel something . When he looked up at the sky, Italian physicist Enrico Fermi too felt something, a thought that lingered around this question, "Where is everyone else?" It's been half a decade since Fermi passed on, but he left us with a fundamental query and idea. Fermi realised that in a universe as old and vast as this, there s...

The Psychology of External Validation

A recent conversation intrigued me to explore this topic, and I find it perhaps one of the most relevant ones I have written about. So, here goes. I've known people who always get hundreds of likes on their posts hours within posting them. I have never been one of these people. I've never received many likes or shares, and when I was in my younger years, it was hurtful, in a way. I used to see my posts and shares sit on my wall for days with only a few likes, and back then, it was painful for me, so to say. It made me doubt my worthiness, and created a feeling that no one cared about what I had to say. I used to post a lot on Facebook just to see how many likes/shares/comments would accumulate in a few hours. I would be disheartened when that number didn't live upto my expectations. I'm sure some of you have had this feeling, and it's okay. Why? Why, just why is it like this? Why do we doubt our worth, why do we feel so bad just because someone didn't press...

Our growing dependence on technology may be our greatest weakness

Here's an essay I had written for my Grade 10 assignment. I think it's still pretty relevant, and before it gets lost in time on my hard drive, I'd like to share it with you. Our world has grown over the past hundred years in an unimaginable direction. Even though we still have to discover plentiful about this planet, we have managed to supply ourselves with bare necessities, such as food, water, shelter and security. Matter of fact, not only bare necessities, we have managed to provide ourselves by using our wit with most of the luxuries available at our disposal. However, the increase in machines within our homes themselves has a large impact on how we live our lives. Some aspects of technology have become household items, such as the television, or the fridge. Even though it seems that some are necessary to survive in this world, we may have crossed the line between necessity and luxury. In a fast-paced world such as ours, technology is present everywhere. From...