this post was submitted on 26 Jan 2025
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
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    • If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
    • A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
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And what are we pretending to be?

"Humans".

And what are Humans?

"Not animals, that's for sure!"

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[–] Jimbo@yiffit.net 55 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I knew the furries were right all along

[–] NONE_dc@lemmy.world 28 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The Furries saw the truth and transcend.

[–] algorithmae@lemmy.sdf.org 17 points 2 months ago (1 children)

"I am cringe, but I am free"

[–] NONE_dc@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago

That's literally my mantra, and I'm waaaaay more happy since I accepted it

[–] TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world 38 points 2 months ago (2 children)

We still have this notion and hubris that we're above animals, and animals are below us who are alright being stepped on and abused. I noticed that in a lot of cultures, their insults and profanities is being compared to an animal (in Europe, the profanities seem to be generally sexual).

Also, for the religious, admitting we're animals is definitely an insult and denial of biblical teachings that god created humans. When Charles Darwin's theory of evolution first became a mainstream sensation, some cartoonists drew him as a monkey. I debated with a religious before who believes in conspiracy theories. After pointing out about evolution, I was called a monkey. I wasn't even insulted though because, yes, that is basically what I'm trying to say. But technically I'm not a monkey, I'm an ape. Humans are apes. The monkeys are our cousins. Religious folks don't like to admit we're animals because it contradicts their beliefs.

[–] OutlierBlue@lemmy.ca 19 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Religious folks don’t like to admit we’re animals because it contradicts their beliefs.

Their religion is based on the idea that we're special somehow. It allows their followers to feel better than the 'lesser' animals, and the 'lesser' races/cultures. They teach that we're the chosen ones with our tools, and language, and emotion, and thoughts.

The fact that we're all equal, and that other animals have all of those qualities is a threat to their power.

[–] gens@programming.dev 9 points 2 months ago

To be fair, if I took my cats values and morals there would be a bloodbath.

[–] ThatGuy46475@lemmy.world 19 points 2 months ago

You and me baby ain’t nothing but mammals so let’s do it like they do on the discovery channel

[–] Forester@pawb.social 15 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Pretending to be an animal doesn't solve much either but it's fun from time to time.

[–] NONE_dc@lemmy.world 17 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

If we pretend to be other animal, sure isn't helpful. Is not about pretending to be this or that, but to stop the antropocentris and start to see ourselves as part of something, not something apart of everything else.

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[–] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.org 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

This is called speciesism, the believe that your live is worth more/you are better simply because of your species.

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[–] Aarrodri@lemmy.world 13 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Agree we are animals..but not sure that is the biggest problem..

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[–] y0kai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I love people who are like "we need to return to nature!"

Like, I get the sentiment and we should definitely try to coexist with the rest of the animals since were smart enough to, but i think its important to remember that we are nature. We cannot separate ourselves from it. Even skyscrapers are natural. Just ask a termite.

[–] samus12345@lemm.ee 6 points 2 months ago

Yup. Pollution is natural. It's not about what's natural, but what keeps our environment in a state where we can thrive.

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[–] FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io 11 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I don't know that taxonomy is our biggest problem...

[–] Zorque@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago

There's psychology that goes along with it, it's not just scientific classification. It's also about ego.

[–] ijon_the_human@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Jonathan Swift had the same showerthought.

Overall, he preferred horses.

[–] NONE_dc@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

And who wouldn't? They are neat.

[–] Diddlydee@feddit.uk 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

They are neat, but I trust no animal less than I trust a horse.

[–] Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 2 months ago

You’ll be sorry when one day that plastic bag that wasn’t in the path yesterday jumps up and kills you!

[–] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Humans could all be grey blobs and people would still argue they are greyest and blobiest. They love to feel special.

[–] NONE_dc@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Hey, I recognize a The Fairly OddParents reference when I see one. That's good taste, fella 👌

[–] jerkface@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 months ago (3 children)

We don't pretend we are not animals. We pretend we are the ONLY animals, and all others are merely objects.

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[–] Harbinger01173430@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

That's why furries were invented

[–] OpenStars@piefed.social 7 points 2 months ago (3 children)

If aliens were to visit Earth, human vs. not-humans (aka sentient vs. not) would be the single biggest thing to consider. Far more so than male vs. female, plants vs. animals, even alive vs. nonliving (rocks), humans can literally send nukes in their direction while they hang in outer space, while literally nothing else can. We light up the night sky... on purpose and could stop it in a moment if we wanted.

We're kinda a big deal.

Although now computers (e.g. Skynet) could do it too, so it's humans and those highly specialized rocks together on one side, vs. literally everything else on the other.

So humans are not "just" animals, like computers are not "just" rocks.

[–] NONE_dc@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

So, what we are then?

(And, at the risk of sounding harsh, what's with the constant duology? Why the mania of dividing everything into "this" and "that"?)

[–] OpenStars@piefed.social 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

We are humans. We are animals. And we are more than that. Perhaps we are also lesser than that at the same time?

The duality was how the idea was presented to me - this is not my OC, or perhaps the words are but the concept I first heard told by an atheist apologeticist (if that's a thing) Daniel Dennett speaking out against Intelligent Design (which at the time was still a thing that people bothered arguing against). I believe he was relating it to a binary classification scheme such as machine learning approaches are often built to follow. Anyway it's just a vehicle for the conveyance of the idea - obviously nuances exist irl, yet there is some value in keeping things simple too, especially at first.

[–] NONE_dc@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Hmm, ok. Now I can see the point you where making. Thanks for elaborate.

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[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The only animal capbable of destroying the earth and creating stock exchanges. And vaping. And sending a message to the universe.

Plus the 1969 Chevrolet Corvette.

Ha! Suck it, trilobites!

[–] MrPoopyButthole@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 months ago

Only second to cyanobacteria.

[–] poplargrove@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (3 children)

We may be animals but we sure arent animals.

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[–] Thcdenton@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)
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[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

You might be interested in looking into Cynic philosophy and into the sparse but colorful stories surrounding Diogenes of Sinope

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[–] Windex007@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (6 children)

What would it mean to you, to stop pretending to edit: NOT be animals?

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[–] Dorkyd68@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Speak for yourself. I'm a filthy mo fo

[–] spujb@lemmy.cafe 3 points 2 months ago
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