I've been looser in keeping the forum separate from my "real life" than is probably advisable.
EDIT: Okay, so I'll post this anyway, after cutting it down. I've also come to think of the Atlas as a place that I can reliably go to if I ever want to feel like I am stupid. The thing stopping me from seriously questioning how much I really know is probably the fact that I've held my own academically, tangible proof.
Maybe you are really just all smarter than the people I go to school with-- certainly there are many people here, not that much older than I am, whose knowledge, in its breadth and depth, seems to far outstrip that of almost anyone I know-- Xahar, Foucaulf, Al, Gully, the Mikado, Averroes, and Maddy come to mind, to name just a few--not to mention my own. Perhaps it is because I am far more careful as to what political views I choose to share in public than I am here- this is the internet, after all. Then again, if I were to apply such a level of self-censorship on the Atlas, I'd probably be demonised as a "moderate hero" all the same.
So TL;DR, the Atlas has destroyed my life by making me feel stupider than I would otherwise. Also if you think that I actually am stupid feel free to say so because if true I'm probably an insufferable twat in “real life” and don't even know it
I have always appreciated the variety of posters here, especially those who are way smarter than I'll ever be. There are some wonderful minds about, and it's fun to listen to these intelligent people talk, and other intelligent people rip them a new one in turn. At least, it was for a while. I don't bother with that stuff much, but I keep wasting time here anyway. I like the people here most of the time. They're interesting in ways you don't find often in real life.
