Sigh...
I seriously hope that everyone on here is not THAT gullible as to believe that this thread was started out of the goodness of his own heart.
Trying to get karma back. Once its back. Bang! Troll is back and the vicious cycle continues forever.
Example: Roflmao continuously, but he's a kid. But this from a guy going into year 12 is a bit of a joke tbh
I think Cloud deserves the benefit of the doubt here.
We are exposed to so many instances of individuals utilising the lack of identity and transparency over the internet to behave in a deplorable manner. Recently I found the acrimonious nature of some of the post-exams discussion thread quite disconcerting-with debate over discrepancies turning into personal vilification and displays of blatant arrogance. If some of these comments had been made in face to face interactions, there would have been serious repercussions. But sadly such instances seem commonplace and almost acceptable over the internet. The seclusion of identity on internet forums seems to predispose some individuals to relinquish accountability and responsibility for their actions, simply due to immunity from the consequences. Daniel could quite easily have been one of these people, but the fact is he apologised and went some way towards redemption by contributing positively to prospective Methods students on VN.
What this suggests to me is that Daniel genuinely regrets some of his past comments/actions and wishes to contribute to the community rather than hindering it. Consequently, I don't beleive that this apology was simply an opportunity to replenish his karma. It was merely an expression of feelings of guilt and a commitment to future improvement. Finally I beleive that regardless of Cloud's intentions, it is unfair to regard his apology with cynicism and doubt that 'it was from the goodness of his heart.' Obviously by apologising Cloud hopes also to relieve his own misgivings and absolve his own feelings of guilt concerning his past comments. At the end of the day we wouldn't seek to serve others if there was some inherent detrimental impact upon ourselves. The capacity to truly serve others while harming oneself is limited to only a few exceptional individuals in the history of civilisation. I guess what I am trying to say is Cloud's expression of an apology, regardless of his motivations for doing so, should be viewed as a step in the right direction.