All those fancy ‘avatars’ I see and all the clever signature quotes… What do they tell me? - That you want to be noticed. You think that they define you but it’s just like wearing a feather in a your cap! You’re trying to influence us, be it consciously or not, but all it does is distract … and why would you want to do that? - perhaps because you doubt yourselves and are afraid of being seen naked? Let’s get some honesty involved and a bit of intellectual cleanliness and see where these discussions go. If you have to display yourselves let’s have photographs of your own faces and a 2 line summary of your OWN philosophy.
Funny timing! I got up to 100 posts without an avatar, and only added this one today - I hope you like it 
The posts contain the information you’re looking for. Avatars and sigs are like poverty - you train yourself to play them down and ignore them.
While we’re at how about our last names, Martin.
If that is your real name. 
Great idea Martin! Looking forward to seeing your photo up in the photo thread alongside mine and everyone else’s. 
Two line summary of ‘personal philosophy’. Erm…! Two thousand line maybe? What are you after, a principia metaphysica?
here you are, a photo of me, instead of an avatar, look how much space it takes up, are you happy???
I can’t speak for martin but I know I am!
oh dear oh dear…
Do you really want to see me naked ?..
I think you’re nuts, Martin.
I use a signature quote as randomly as I pick up a book at the library. I am the one who suggested changing them frequently, but I am also not the kind of guy to hang pictures or posters on the wall. I can’t look at something for a long time without losing interest in it.
A signature quote is no less trivial than a little pop up window that reads the words of some person either famous or not…and then on with the weather.
Signature quotes are quite alright unless they stay there for eternity.
My present quote is a brilliant improvisational response [ thank you…thank you…] to a quote in GCT’s signature box. A playful parry that is witty, and not much more important than that.
I think you should drink a smoothie and sit out on the deck for a while, and think up something clever to say, whether a famous quote or something of your own making.
We’re counting on you, Martin. Don’t let us down.
I’m hiding everything but my thoughts.
i attempt to hide everything including my thoughts, even though i dont always succeed. after all, if you show no weakness, you cannot be defeated.
I usually don’t reveal my young age.
I believe in democracy - you can put your picture instead of an avatar or whatever.
My name? Vladimir. Feel better?
Uh, I feel tired. Need to go get some sleep. This was the most uselles post I’ve ever made.
I totally need to do this. I am so seventies in my last picture it disgusts me, however much I might claim to have no concern for such trivial nonsense.
Ever since Uniqor said, and I quote “his hairstyle is gay,” I have felt deeply wounded and self conscious of being mistaken as someone who would purposely try to maintain such a hair style rather than having no concern and ending up looking like a goof because of fate’s sense of humor.
I have had several hair-cuts since that picture, some borderline crew cut, which is usually the eception because my head is so big I tend to want to try to conceal its size in a full head of hair. Unfortuantely, my hair tends to poof out if it is at such lengths that it is possible, in all manner of obnoxious fiery glory, rather than staying down on my head in a calm manner.
Try as I might, I always look rather odd, because a large head looks as bad with little to no hair as a head would look with a seventies hair-cut. If I am to sacrifice such inequities as the stereotypical association made between hair styles and sexual preference, then it is already obvious I am speaking to an idiot, and I’ve lost nothing by letting it grow out toward the disco ball that hangs above my head, and the vicious tongues and trend-mongers of moderm consumerism.
I plan to post a short-haired eyebrow propped version of myself with a smile instead of that psychotic freak look with the gay hairstyle.
You hurt me, Uniqor, really you did. And no this is not an excuse for you to start talking to me again. You are still on ignore.
Ah Martin, if you look real close, there between the lines of each and every one of our posts you will see all of us in our full nakedness, and that my dear includes you. You just gotta know how to use your eyes to see.
A
That’s my point. Why do we have to squint our eyes trying to ‘see’ through the smokescreens to the human mind behind ? Why not use language to communicate our ideas to each other. There are a couple of issues here; If people feel in some way alone or vulnerable then they’ll naturally feel safer peeking out from behind a mask this is self-deception of one kind or another and not who they ‘really’ are. People assosciate themselves with great figures or a clever saying or generate secret characters because they feel a connection and a kinship or it’s unique and makes them feel special and makes them feel powerful. They think it says something about them and so makes them feel part of a group and they therefore feel in less danger from attack than when alone. Consider football fans for example and the wearing of club colours… Another reason for these displays can be sexual - Like peacocks. Consider the fashion industry - they make millions convincing people that wearing certain clothes makes them more attractive. And it does - but only to others who think the same and still feel it important to make a display to attract a mate. These are possible evolutionary factors and these urges to be part of a group and to reproduce and to announce your virility has been essential to survival in the past and in philosophical discussions I don’t find it an obstacle to ‘truth’ i suppose, rather as signposts to places to avoid.
‘Squinting our eyes’ as you put it is your take on my words. My words are loud and clear. But for you to understand them as they are intended, you need to have a certain insight, drawn from your very own life experience. Each of us expresses ourselves the way that we do. Human beings are complex creatures and to squeeze each of us into a rigid box called language is quite narrow minded and controlling. Art is an expression of our deeper core as are our words, whether we wish to convey what is ultimately conveyed or not. That you prefer language to express yourself is wonderful Martin, joyful in fact. There are a myriad ways of communicating, from time to time we connect with another human being, and it is rare that our connection comes through language. It usually arrives on a heart level where language has no place anyway.
Aside from heart to heart connection which is what we all experience here to some degree on ILP, we are all here because we enjoy communication.
By the way, my avatar is a self portrait. How much more naked will you have me?
A
My avatar is one of our many babies. They are much cuter to look at then me. I might bust your screen or clog your puter.
G.
I steadfastly refuse to use an avatar.
I’ll take this is a joke as even an box with words in it is an avatar. I think this touches on something important though, and that is: where do we really draw the line?
I mean, in a forum where almost everyone has an avatar, -not- using one, in a sense could be considered a more active act than simply throwing up a picture.
Take Siatd and me for instance, for the most part we just throw up whatever seems to be nagging at our interest at the time, so in that sense our avatars mean a whole lot less than someone like Jerry who has made it quite clear what type of message he wants to put out there - which is nothing at all.
In contemporary physics when a particle comes into existence there is also an antiparticle. It’s not nothing, it’s an anti-something.
No matter which way you look at it, in the end to have a pic of any sorts or not is based on a particular decision, a will that I would think for the part stems from the desire to make someone else think.
As much as I feel like it helps me personally at times, I’m not here just to hear myself talk