I’m a linguistics major, and some of my profs say that language is solely a human trait (granted they don’t know about non-human people), and some of my profs say that some animals have language. I can conclude that the question of if animals have LANGUAGE is debated across multiple fields, but they undeniably have COMMUNICATION (of which language is a subset).

Yes, alright, let’s get technical. 

Do they have exact patterns that correspond to meanings?

Look up bird song and get back to me after you’ve crawled from the rabbit hole emaciated and exhausted.

Simon do you like cicadas?

To eat? Hmm. I can’t recall if I’ve eaten one, but I’m sure I have.

As a sound? Yes, very much because they dramatically increase my range of vision and perception. If the bugs are out, sometimes I can see for miles farther than I would.

The performer’s music has been popping up in my Pandora lately and I have to say it reminds me a great deal of Eminem when he first debuted. I don’t know if he’s as fast as Eminem or as creative in his rhyme schemes, but his substance is very deep. I also identify greatly with this song. It reminds me very much of what I see here on a routine basis.

It contains reference to suicide, abuse, and that sort of thing.

NF – Therapy Session

I don’t want to tire you (or your readers) out by bringing up another controversial topic so soon, so please feel free to take your time replying to this (or ignore it entirely if you prefer) but I am curious. What’s your take on Dissociative Identity Disorder? I’m personally diagnosed with it, but the entire thing is still intensely confusing to me, and if you’ve any knowledge or insight to share I’d be interested to hear it. Again, I understand if you’d prefer to not get into it, now or ever.

I know very little. Why? Because I reject the notion that resenting socially enforced behavioral cues is somehow a disease. It may be convenient to have this diagnosis, to help one deal with other side effects like depression, or to tangle with bureaucracy, but i don’t tend to think of many “mental disorders” as a disease. 

I think of it as someone living the life they want and I don’t understand what biology, or ethics, or faith has anything to do with it. I don’t think it’s anyone else’s business. Now, i am aware that there’s some debate over what it is, what it does, how society ought to deal with it. I ascribe it to the need to moderate identity, and therefore identities that differ from the collective become problematic to control.

Biology isn’t binary. Psychology is a complex overlay of biology, experience, uptake, interference, anchoring. So I don’t see it as a psychological disorder. To me that’s tends to be how humans label things they don’t like. I’ll reference “hysteria”.

Now I’m sure science will at some point show that there are biological components, issues with neurotransmitters, hormones, DNA copying or whatever, but so what?

Leave people alone and let them get on with their lives. If you can improve their quality of life, then do. If you can’t then stay out of it.

Humans overcomplicate things.

I’m about to go into work and I’m so depressed. Usually I can keep it under wraps but wow like the whole drive I had all my windows down and my brain just compulsively wanted a lake to drive into. (I would NEVER intentionally harm or kill myself) and it’s just hard. I dont want to be depressed at work I just want to get through the night. Any tips? Btw I’m actually a very optimistic life loving person, my brain just has major depression and anxiety.

Difficult to help without knowing what you do and the strictures of your environment or the codes of conduct for your occupation.

You know one thing I support that others don’t seem to? Cloning. For instance, I support cloning endangered species to try & bring the populations back up. I also support trying to clone JUST organs – healthy versions of sick ones. I can’t help but think if one’s own DNA was used to make healthy versions of our sick organs there’d be less need for anti-rejection drugs. Plus people wouldn’t have to wait as long & possibly die while waiting.

This is something I also support.

simon what do you know about the language of trees?

That it’s very wooden. They’re very stiff. Leaves much to the imagination. Has roots in more floral languages but saps none of the poetry.

I could go on for as long as it takes.

It’s not a language, in that it’s not a structure of words, but it is a feeling. Stress, peace, growth, difficulty, all these things can be read. 

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