# Thoughts on quitting cubing



## Fire Cuber (Sep 1, 2016)

Good Night,

This is the first thread that I made after 5 years of hiatus in this forum. Why is that? For years I've literally "wasted" money and time dedicated to cubing. I have quitted 4 years ago and I still wonder,

*What is the point of all of the cubing matters that I had onto?
*
You see, this is not a rant or anything. Just a basic question of *WHY* and *WHAT FOR* cubing pretty much is. I spend a lot of money and time onto it, and now I end up with nothing after quitting. But the *time and money I've spend are pretty much irrecoverable*.

I know, sure, it was fun and entertaining. But isn't it just like other hobbies? I'm convinced by what it is, and what it's all about. But I'm still wondering around with this. *Is this supposed to happen, or not? *Yet, there's a very little chance that you're going to not quit!

True, nothing lasts forever. However, we still have to use the time that we have as efficient and as well as possible and *I regret all of this! *I felt like I was trapped into some addiction and I happen to be quite grateful that I'm out of it. *Why did I waste my money and time on something that gets me nothing? Why didn't I use the money and time for better purposes if I KNOW *that I'm going to quit and that's it?

This can develop into a more complex situation. If I know that you have a very few chance that you're going to not quit, shouldn't I hesitate to *quit as well?
*
Thanks for reading. I'm excited for your input!


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## Ollie (Sep 1, 2016)

It sounds like you want to quit, just quit if that's true. My opinion is:

1. If you made friends...
2. If you got to travel and see new places...
3. If you learnt skills from cubing that transfer to other hobbies or to the real world...
4. If you enjoyed the time you spent cubing...

...then it wasn't a waste of time.


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## sqAree (Sep 1, 2016)

"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."

I think it's a common misconception that only things that stay are worth it ; that pretty much applies to everything in life, let it be people, love, hobbies, etc.


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## JustinTimeCuber (Sep 1, 2016)

If you don't have the money to be a cuber then don't, but like Ollie and sqAree mentioned it's not a waste of time if you like doing it and you have that spare time. If you feel like it's becoming an obsession then you don't have to completely quit. Most people wouldn't consider doing an average of 12 or two a day an "obsession".


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## Yes We Can! (Sep 1, 2016)

Ollie said:


> 2. If you got to travel and see new places...



Aaah, Paris!


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## PenguinsDontFly (Sep 1, 2016)

Yes We Can! said:


> Aaah, Paris!


Can we go to Worlds? Yes We Can! Can we quit? Yes We Can!

I think the most important things you can gain out of any hobby or any community are friends. Friends make life better, and if cubing helps you find friends then cubing makes life better.


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## Rcuber123 (Sep 1, 2016)

PenguinsDontFly said:


> Can we go to Worlds? Yes We Can! Can we quit? Yes We Can!
> 
> I think the most important things you can gain out of any hobby or any community are friends. Friends make life better, and if cubing helps you find friends then cubing makes life better.


Can we not? Yes we can!


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## Fire Cuber (Sep 1, 2016)

Huh? Who changed the title? If you think that's the best title, so be it. It's not about quitting,* but finding the real meaning of cubing. 
*
The thing that you fail to understand is the other hobbies that I tried gets you all the things that cubing gives *with less chance of quitting.
*
My little 12 y.o mind at that time was able to realize all of this, I could have done something better that lasts longer and is potentially more enjoyable. Yes, I gained friends and travel experience, but *does it apply only to cubing? 
*
I'm still solving cubes once or twice daily now, but for you who started to become obsessed and addicted, my story can be read throughly so that you won't regret later. I'm sure we're not trying to put straw men on the farms, right? Never did I mentioned someone is stopping me from quitting.

And of course, back to the main question!

PS sorry for grammatical/spelling mistakes, too lazy to check them.


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## genericcuber666 (Sep 1, 2016)

what else will you do with you're life you go to school/work and then what? play games no that costs money do a sport like swimming no that costs money go out with your friends no that cost money watch tv no that costs money complain on the internet that your wasting money no internet costs money sit on the street and stare at the birds? good idea if you have nothing to do why not cube it is cheaper than most hobbies a $15 cube will entertain most of us for atlest 2 weaks a $10 movie ticket intertains you for 2 hours make youre choice?


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## Rcuber123 (Sep 1, 2016)

Cubing is actually a really cheap hobby unless your that noob who buys every cube that comes out


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## Fire Cuber (Sep 1, 2016)

We're not strictly talking about money here, I'm trying to differentiate the use of the money in a particular hobby, which I then quit. 

Honestly I'm not listening what you are trying to judge about me. If you wish to continue, go on, but I'm not going to. 

Let me break this down so it's easier for you. Your situation isn't relevant in this question, it is a fact that I used a first person form in the main question. Apply your thoughts as if you are in my situation. 

Sure, I have enjoyed a lot of it, but knowing that I'm going to quit sometime in the near future, *what is the point? *


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## Hssandwich (Sep 1, 2016)

Is the point of this thread just to try to encourage other people to quit? It seems like it since you could just summarise your posts with 'Cubing is a waste of time and money and you should just do other things with your time'.


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## sqAree (Sep 1, 2016)

Fire Cuber said:


> Sure, I have enjoyed a lot of it, but knowing that I'm going to quit sometime in the near future, *what is the point? *



Knowing that sometime we all end up dying, what is the point of living?


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## shadowslice e (Sep 1, 2016)

Fire Cuber said:


> Sure, I have enjoyed a lot of it, but knowing that I'm going to quit sometime in the near future, *what is the point? *


But if I'm know that I'm going to die at some point in the future, if I know that most of what I do will be forgotten, _*what is the point?*_

E:ninja'd


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## JustinTimeCuber (Sep 1, 2016)

Just because everyone will quit cubing eventually doesn't mean that it's a waste of money. Sure, whenever I quit, my cubes will seem worthless to me, and it will seem like I wasted $1000 on something that I would eventually quit, but is $1000 such a high price to pay for years of good memories? Not just my fastest 3x3 sniggles, but also all of the people, all of the competitions, etc.


sqAree said:


> Knowing that sometime we all end up dying, what is the point of living?


puts it perfectly


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## Rcuber123 (Sep 1, 2016)

If you are expecting to gain something out of an activity then it's not a hobby. Cubing is a hobby. For almost every hobby u need to buy equipment. Either you have never had a hobby before except Cubing or u make a rant like this on every hubby's forum because Cubing is like almost every hobby. The difference for me between Cubing and every other hobby is that I enjoy Cubing more. If u don't enjoy Cubing(which is totally fine) then move on to a different hobby. If u don't want any hubby's then that's fine too just don't expect any gain except entertainment out of these kind of things.


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## Fire Cuber (Sep 1, 2016)

The question is crystal clear and repeated throughout the thread, I'm not going to mention it again. The details are put on the initial post, you may refer to that if you are perplexed.

For others, I want to encourage them to not be too obsessed and addicted (like I was), this is normal for any sort of enjoyment there is on the planet. In my case though, the question is still not answered convincingly yet.

I want to keep this discussion as civil as possible, from now on I'm going to only respond to convincing answers. Thanks in advance.


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## Rcuber123 (Sep 1, 2016)

Fire Cuber said:


> The question is crystal clear and repeated throughout the thread, I'm not going to mention it again. The details are put on the initial post, you may refer to that if you are perplexed.
> .


BTW the answer has also been repeated many times in this thread


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## porkynator (Sep 1, 2016)

sqAree said:


> "Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."
> 
> I think it's a common misconception that only things that stay are worth it ; that pretty much applies to everything in life, let it be people, love, hobbies, etc.



I agree with sqAree. Did you enjoy cubing?


Fire Cuber said:


> I know, sure, it was fun and entertaining.


Yes, you did. So you didn't waste time. You could say the same about watching a movie, playing (video)games or hanging out with friends.

You don't enjoy it as much anymore? Ok, you can quit, or cube less, as you're doing.

If money is your concern, you can try selling your used cubes and get back some of it.


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## mark49152 (Sep 1, 2016)

Please keep your negativity to yourself.


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## JohnnyReggae (Sep 1, 2016)

Just quit and move on ... Agree with Mark ...


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## turtwig (Sep 1, 2016)

'Cause your 12 year old self would've occupied himself with something so productive if he wasn't cubing.
I don't want to sound mean, but unless you were planning on studying/working all the time, then you would have to have fun sometimes. It's not a waste of time if you had fun. You will forget most things you do in life.


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## JustinTimeCuber (Sep 1, 2016)

Shoo. You quit cubing but no one else will also quit cubing as a result of that. For now, we're cubers and we cube.


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## Loiloiloi (Sep 2, 2016)

Cubes rarely depreciate in value, unless its like a type C or something. Anything relatively modern can be sold for about the same price you paid, so you really didn't lose any money cubing unless you destroyed/lost any of your cubes.

(I know this doesn't apply to competitions but they are quite cheap, I've never seen anything over 25 dollars)


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## Daniel Lin (Sep 2, 2016)

Fire Cuber said:


> *Why did I waste my money and time on something that gets me nothing? Why didn't I use the money and time for better purposes if I KNOW *that I'm going to quit and that's it?



Well, how else are you going to fill your extra time?
Your options are most likely:
-study more, spend more time on school(or work if you're an adult)
-find another hobby

What do you mean by "cubing gets me nothing?" Cubing is no different from any other hobby or sport, like basketball. What do you get from throwing a ball into a hoop? Isn't practicing that a waste of time?


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## DGCubes (Sep 2, 2016)

Cubing is fun. If it's not fun to you, then you should stop wasting your time and money on it. The "better purposes" that you could have spent your time and money on are only better to you now. Cubing makes most people feel good, and spending a thousand dollars to feel good, make friends, see the world, and feel like you're making a difference in the community is, in my opinion, money well-spent. Sure, you could have spent the money on more important investments, like a house or a car, but everyone with a steady flow of income who isn't so strapped for cash should have a little extra money to spend on fun stuff. As far as time, time is something you can never get back, so why wouldn't you spend your time doing something you love (maybe cubing; maybe not)?

Besides, while this is not true for everyone, cubing can often lead to a source of income. I personally have made more money with cubing than I've spent on it, what with the wonders of YouTube. Many people have gotten full-time jobs working at cube stores, and even more are sponsored by them for being fast or popular. Like I said, this is not true for everyone, but it definitely can be done.


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## One Wheel (Sep 2, 2016)

Cubing is a luxury, in that you do not need a Rubik's cube, or anything related to it, to survive. If you can afford it, I think it's a fun extra; cheap entertainment, meet new people, etc. Does it matter? No. A Rubik's cube is a cheap, silly, child's toy. As others have pointed out, what else would you have done with that time and money? There are people who work their fingers to the bone, so that they can get that next raise, and buy a house, or rent a nicer apartment, that they can sleep in when they're not working. Time and money management are very important skills, but if you can learn their importance by spending a few thousand dollars and a couple of years worth of spare time, and later looking back to regret those decisions, that in itself is a good investment. Just bear in mind that because you can't point to dollars in the bank or a nicer car in the driveway, or whatever, that doesn't mean that you've failed. Money and stuff are not the end-all.

It seems like you are asking a religious question (what's the point of everything?) in a very non-religious place (these forums) and you are being frustrated by superficial answers. I personally find the book of Ecclesiastes very encouraging, if that's the kind of answer you are looking for.

Hang in there, and remember that cubing or any other hobby is not what life is about.


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## Ordway Persyn (Sep 2, 2016)

Whats the point in anything then? Everything could very well be a waste of time and money. Sure cubing isn't exactly productive, but it's enjoyable, and isn't the point of life to enjoy it. No one want's to live a life without fun. I personally think when I quit speedcubing I will look back at it not with regret, but with all the good memories I had with it.


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## AlphaSheep (Sep 2, 2016)

I was sitting here trying to remember what my hobbies were when I was 12 years old... I remember that it was around that time that I got into Magic: The Gathering, and sunk practically all my pocket money into that for a couple years until PC games took over... I remember 6 years later when I was a broke university student trying to sell my cards to get money for games. I may have regretted it back then but now i honestly don't regret any of my hobbies when I was a kid. The money that was everything I had when I was 12 and seemed like a small fortune when I was 18 looks like pocket change now that I'm 30. I barely remember it. All I know is I enjoyed myself as a kid.

What I'm saying is you're still a kid and you will get a little more perspective once you grow up. You must have enjoyed it to some extent otherwise you wouldn't have become obsessed.


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## Schmidt (Sep 2, 2016)

By addicted do you mean that you stayed home from school everyday to cube instead? Stole money to pay for new cubes?


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## Douf (Sep 2, 2016)

You're absolutely right. If you plan on quitting before you start then you're not truly going to get into it and shouldn't bother. Find a hobby that you think you'll never quit. If you then after a while decide you don't like it anymore, so what? 
Don't live with regret. If you don't have any find memories from cubing then you did it for way too long. 

Just be like Chris Cooper's character in the movie 'Adaptation'.


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## wir3sandfir3s (Sep 3, 2016)

Idea: Get a job like I did and get all the money yourself. It's not like you're paying taxes or anything.
Another idea: If you're complaining about time, gaming or watching TV/YouTube is the same thing. If you don't consider them wasted time, watch them while practicing.

Mind blowing, right?!?!?
Although the I doubt he'll even see this lol


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## Fire Cuber (Sep 3, 2016)

Alright, sorry for the late reply. Let me quote the ones that I found interesting. This isn't any sort of trolling or anything (I'll be honest, don't worry). Just sharin' something.



porkynator said:


> Yes, you did. So you didn't waste time. You could say the same about watching a movie, playing (video)games or hanging out with friends.



Maybe the reason why is that I don't watch movies, play games or hang out (uncontrollably or unnecessarily) with my friends that much anymore. I can do this for any hobby, in fact. I chose cubing because I've experienced it myself and I've a very clear illustration of that.



shadowslice e said:


> ninja'd



Let me make this clear. Do you know what is the definition of *the near future*? (Relative to your lengthy life)



mark49152 said:


> Please keep your negativity to yourself.



I'd return that. There's no negativity, I'm not trying to troll around and/or writing fiction here. *Your negativity* might be the result of why you tried to beg me.



turtwig said:


> 'Cause your 12 year old self would've occupied himself with something so productive if he wasn't cubing



It is never too early to pursue your graceful dream that you always wish, ain't it? Not a direct relation, but I enjoyed a lot of stuff that time .



Daniel Lin said:


> Cubing is no different from any other hobby or sport, like basketball. What do you get from throwing a ball into a hoop? Isn't practicing that a waste of time?



There you go, That's what I've been asking.



AlphaSheep said:


> ...
> 
> What I'm saying is you're still a kid and you will get a little more perspective once you grow up. You must have enjoyed it to some extent otherwise you wouldn't have become obsessed.



A very good point made... But I'd say that doesn't exactly answer the core of the question.



Douf said:


> You're absolutely right. Don't live with regret. If you don't have any find memories from cubing then you did it for way too long.
> 
> Just be like Chris Cooper's character in the movie 'Adaptation'.



Hmm... Didn't know about that film. Brilliant reference, though .

(Cont.)

I always wanted to ask this since I pretty much quit cubing around early 2013 (when I studied for my graduation exam). Actually, it was strongly influenced by a very famous cuber in my country who quitted in mid-late 2012. For the sake of simplicity, I'm not going to say his name, the site that he wrote on stopped its service around 2 years ago. He said something like this:

_"Now, I might've lost all the courage, the willing and the passion for cubing. I gather around other cubers and wasn't enjoying it that much except for meeting my 'family'. All we did was scramble the cube, solve it and then bang the table. Repeat and then Repeat. And so on. It is maybe very clear that cubing is not actually about the cubing itself, but the community. It's time to focus in life without abandoning the connection with the community"_

I was really puzzled by this. At first glance, I thought, well that's what cubing is all about, can't help if you lose the enjoyment of doing it. But then, I started to feel this situation myself. Until now I've been puzzled on what it really is. (Getting a bit serious here) *Is it just a short-term enjoyment, or something else? *You can choose whether you want to help me to solve that question or not (Y'know, some of you're very experienced on this), but so far it seems that it is...

BTW, I'm into photography now, I've always dreamt that I started this the time when I started cubing. There was actually a big chance for me to go there as a "very young photographer". There was actually a fairly big photography community in my family's environment. So far I didn't find any sort of possible way that I will lose the passion short-term, so I hope you know my situation. I think this summarized things very well:

_"What I'm saying is you're still a kid and you will get a little more perspective once you grow up. You must have enjoyed it to some extent otherwise you wouldn't have become obsessed."
"Don't live with regret. If you don't have any find memories from cubing then you did it for way too long."_

I've always been trying to do that since the time I quitted. Feel free to add your polite opinion. Heck, you can ask me about photography if you want to  (Not here, of course). Cheers.

And one more question. Why do peeps here often tried to bring OOT things (in a serious discussion) without being noticed? It's disgusting seeing it, to be honest. Just stop it.


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## shadowslice e (Sep 3, 2016)

Ok, my final response to the question is that you seem to be going through a mid-life crisis or similar. Religious views aside, there isn't really much point to doing anything. Do what you find fun and what you will enjoy doing.

I suppose in many ways once you take away my religious views, I don't think that there really is much point to most activities. There are few things worth doing so do what you enjoy or think is right. If cubing is no longer fun, don't do it anymore, if you don't think that playing video games if fun anymore, don't do it.

Also, at the age of 12, most people really aren't that mature in anyway and are horrible at long term planning.

Basically, if what you have done hasn't hurt anyone, don't regret anything you have done in the past. The past can sometimes hurt but you can either run from it, or you can learn from it; you can spend now moping or you could do something different.

My final questions for you is if you weren't cubing what would you have done instead? Would you really not regret whatever else you did? Would you really be any better off if you did something else you enjoyed?

I would be interested to know what activities you actually think are worth it. Why? How long term are you really planning for? What if you find that a few years down the line you don't actually enjoy it? Will you be Annoyed? Ashamed?

Don't be. It's not worth it. If there is something that is not worth doing, it's beating yourself up over liking or enjoying something which you don't anymore.


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## JustinTimeCuber (Sep 3, 2016)

Cubing isn't superior or inferior, objectively speaking, than any hobby. The reason I've been cubing for a few years is mainly that I get to go to competitions, which are really fun.


Spoiler



UIUC Spring 2013: My first competition, making the OH cutoff was nice, and just the new experience was fun.
Indiana 2014: I got 3 sub-20 singles on 3x3 and was only hoping for 1. Really nice at the time. 2x2 was similarly good.
Lawrence 2014: Really good at 2x2 for some reason. I got a counting 3 in the first round (good for me at the time) and managed to make the finals.
Lawrence Spring 2015: 3rd best 3x3 single ever: 11.90. It would have been a PB if I hadn't cubed in the car on the way there, so in hindsight I guess it was my best non-handscramble time.
KCubing 2015: Made 3x3 finals for the first time, my friend was there
Music City Winter 2016: Made 3x3 finals again :3, got my first sub-10
OKC 2016: I almost podiumed with an 11.86 avg lol, and I actually podiumed in 7x7 wth
KCubing Spring 2016: A little generic, but I did get a good 4x4 time (57.xx) and made the 3x3 finals again
US Nationals 2016: Lots cubing = verrrry funs


If a hobby gives you so many good memories then it's the least pointless kind of hobby that there is.


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## GoldCubes29 (Sep 3, 2016)

Whenever I spend 20 something dollars out of my own pocket to go to competitions and before I know it, it's over, I may think "Dangit, that was a waste of money now that it's over." Its wasn't. During that competition, I got to meet other people who have the same passions and ambitions as I do. I also get to solve there so I could improve my times and compare my skills with others. Similarly, when you choose a hobby and you grow bored of that hobby, you may think "this was a waste of time", "I should've done something more productive", "all the money I wasted". BUT, if you had great experiences while you were attached to that hobby, I'd say it was well worth your time. Us humans strive to do things that we enjoy, since our lives don't last forever. So if you grow attached to something and think "This will be a huge waste of time, money, and energy later" you're incorrect! Instead, enjoy it while it lasts! We are all here on the Speedsolving Forums because we enjoy the same hobby; to cube. So if I eventually give up all of this because I'm bored of cubing, I would be glad that I was able to live all of the experiences and enjoy them. I'm not trying to call you out or anything, just trying to say that anything that makes you happy is well worth it.


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## SenorJuan (Sep 3, 2016)

Photography is a good hobby, though it can get expensive. But it can be a lifelong hobby, and it can also become a profession. So it's a hobby choice that you could feel less 'guilty' pursuing.
I suggest you let the puzzle-solving become a bit of casual fun, and pursue some of your other interests.


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## Fire Cuber (Sep 5, 2016)

Indeed, I think being "a lifelong hobby" is very important. Photography isn't expensive actually. A D3300 and 18-105 does all the job for me  It only cost around $600. +$150 for Lightroom, the camera will probably last 10 years or so if handled well. They're built like tanks!

Thanks for the nice answers, I appreciate it. Time to not regret things and better move on.

Have a good day, you can choose whether to cube or not. I'm not encouraging you to leave.


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## Yetiowin (Sep 5, 2016)

Fire Cuber said:


> Photography isn't expensive actually. A D3300 and 18-105 does all the job for me  It only cost around $600. +$150 for Lightroom


I'm pretty sure $750 dollars is more than most people spend on their cubes.


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