7
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Those who call upon me do so to be content, but while I am here, they are not content, and will not be until I am no longer there. They call me always because they want to forcibly compel someone to obey, yet the other also calls upon me to forcibly compel the other to obey. I am always somewhere. I am always changing, yet not changing at all. People are afraid of me. Some people love me. Others adore me. Some dedicate their lives to me. Some come to me, others run away from me.

Who or what am I?

Edit: Here is an extra hint by pointing at a piece of the text, something which it always, always applies to:

They call me always because they want to forcibly compel someone to obey

Edit 2: an extra couple of hints:

I am always here because of a dispute, although sometimes I may drag others into it because of practical convenience. I am considered a disease, a terror, a gruesome act, an art, a theory or an adventure based on who you ask. They even may say that everything in this list applies to me.

Edit 3: an extra hint:

I am associated with suffering and death, though this is not absolute.

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  • $\begingroup$ Nice riddle, but you might have to add some minute detail, like length of the word for example, to constrain the possibilities further otherwise you might end to with having many speculative answers that fit your riddle. $\endgroup$
    – Ébe Isaac
    Commented Mar 4, 2020 at 13:19
  • $\begingroup$ @ÉbeIsaac all answers currently given do not fit the description in one way or another. It's already very specific yet something we all know about. $\endgroup$
    – Lucas
    Commented Mar 4, 2020 at 13:20
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ If you feel the need to post a full explanation yourself, please post it as a self-answer. The solution is not part of the question and shouldn't be included in the question post. Having said that, it is generally nicer to give a solver some hints and some time to let them come up with the full solution themselves, and/or to annotate their final solution with (e.g.) "Added by OP" notes that fill in missing or incorrect details. $\endgroup$
    – Rubio
    Commented Mar 5, 2020 at 13:59
  • $\begingroup$ (Rolled back the edit that added the explanation. @Lucas please see comment above.) $\endgroup$
    – Rubio
    Commented Mar 8, 2020 at 3:38

13 Answers 13

5
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Are you

War

Those who call upon me do so to be content, but while I am here, they are not content, and will not be until I am no longer there.

War usually starts because people are unhappy/disagree with each other. They are definitely not happy during war due to destruction and death.

They call me always because they want to forcibly compel someone to obey, yet the other also calls upon me to forcibly compel the other to obey.

Both parties wants to push their ideas on to the other party

I am always somewhere.

Wars exists everywhere, not just in humans but also in animals and insects like ants.

I am always changing, yet not changing at all.

Techonology always changes the way we fight wars, yet the death and destruction remains the same.

People are afraid of me. Some people love me. Others adore me. Some dedicate their lives to me. Some come to me, others run away from me.

Most people don't like wars. Some people dedicate their lives to being soldiers while others try to make money off it.

I am always here because of a dispute, although sometimes I may drag others into it because of practical convenience.

Allies of the relevant parties may also get drawn into wars.

I am considered a disease, a terror, a gruesome act, an art, a theory or an adventure based on who you ask. They even may say that everything in this list applies to me. I am associated with suffering and death, though this is not absolute.

All of these apply to wars depending on who you ask

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1
  • $\begingroup$ DING DING DING, WE HAVE A WINNER! $\endgroup$
    – Lucas
    Commented Mar 5, 2020 at 9:24
6
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Is it -

Silence

Those who call upon me me do so to be content,
People call upon silence to be content (peace of mind)

but while I am here, they are not content, and will not be until I am no longer there.
The people who usually seek silence for peace of mind are extremely busy and in a rush. After a few moments/minutes/days of silence, they must get back to the rate race.

They call me because they want to compel someone to obey, yet the other also calls upon me to compel the other to obey.
You can compel someone to obey with a shout of SILENCE, but silences goes both ways and now you must shut up and keep quiet too.

I am always somewhere. I am always changing, yet not changing at all.
Somewhere it is always silent, but a small noise will change the silence of that area, but not silence as a qiuality, so it never changes.

People are afraid of me.
Some people are terrified of silence (could be a metaphor for inaction)

Some people love me.
Some people absolutely love and crave silence (could be a metaphor for inaction)

Others adore me.
These are the people who love silence, but for short periods only. (What's the difference between love and adore anyway?)

Some dedicate their lives to me.
Monks, for example.

Some come to me,
Some people travel in search of solitude

others run away from me.
Some people yearn for action and hustle.

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1
  • $\begingroup$ Interesting, and I'm giving it a +1 for that, but not what I had in mind. Also, people call on X because they want someone or something to obey, and this is ALWAYS true, not ''sometimes''. $\endgroup$
    – Lucas
    Commented Mar 4, 2020 at 12:06
5
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Are you

TRUTH?

Those who call upon me me do so to be content, but while I am here, they are not content, and will not be until I am no longer there.

Some people want to feel they're seeking the truth, but the real truth may make them uncomfortable until it goes away.

They call me because they want to compel someone to obey, yet the other also calls upon me to compel the other to obey.

Two people are having an argument, and both think that their side is true and try to convince the other of that.

I am always somewhere.

The truth exists, even if it's hard to find.

I am always changing, yet not changing at all.

Facts may change, but at any given moment they are fixed.

People are afraid of me.

Can't you handle the truth?

Some people love me. Others adore me. Some dedicate their lives to me.

Some people always want to tell the truth. Some people spend their lives studying to find new truths.

Some come to me, others run away from me.

Some people seek the truth, but others would rather avoid it.

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Interesting and consequently I'm giving it a +1, but no. Also, giveaway; "Facts may change, but at any given moment they are fixed." A fact is something we take as the truth, but it may be misguided, and consequently never was the truth. $\endgroup$
    – Lucas
    Commented Mar 4, 2020 at 12:54
  • $\begingroup$ ... but I like it! +1 $\endgroup$
    – Ébe Isaac
    Commented Mar 4, 2020 at 13:14
3
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My guess:

Knowledge / Power (Is knowledge not power itself?)

Those who call upon me me do so to be content, but while I am here, they are not content, and will not be until I am no longer there.

People seek knowledge do so to be content, but one could never acquire all the knowledge in the world, neither be content with it what they know.

They call me always because they want to compel someone to obey, yet the other also calls upon me to compel the other to obey.

Most arguments start to prove who’s right and they are based on what they know, i.e., they knowledge they hold at that time.

I am always somewhere. I am always changing, yet not changing at all.

One’s knowledge of something evolves over time, nevertheless true knowledge itself doesn’t change.

People are afraid of me.

Knowledge itself is power!

Some people love me. Others adore me.

E.g., readers and writers

Some dedicate their lives to me.

E.g., scientists and researchers

Some come to me,

E.g., students

...others run away from me.

Somethings are better left unknown

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  • $\begingroup$ Interesting and you too are getting a +1, but no. Knowledge in itself isn't designed to compel others to obey, say just teaching yourself stuff to renovate your home or cook for your family. It also isn't power, as people who have power are not by default looking for more power and consequently aren't content with what they have. $\endgroup$
    – Lucas
    Commented Mar 4, 2020 at 13:13
  • $\begingroup$ @Lucas could the answer be any one of rot13(whqtr, oynzr be erfcbafvovyvgl)? $\endgroup$
    – Ébe Isaac
    Commented Mar 5, 2020 at 8:38
  • $\begingroup$ No, but you can say that words are used by either side to justify their actions. $\endgroup$
    – Lucas
    Commented Mar 5, 2020 at 8:44
  • $\begingroup$ @Lucas then is it an rot13(rkphfr)? $\endgroup$
    – Ébe Isaac
    Commented Mar 5, 2020 at 8:49
  • $\begingroup$ No, but you can say that ''X'' is often called upon using a ridiculous rot13(rkphfr) $\endgroup$
    – Lucas
    Commented Mar 5, 2020 at 8:51
2
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You are

God

Those who call upon me me do so to be content, but while I am here, they are not content, and will not be until I am no longer there.

They often say "Alhamdulillah", "Praise to be God" to become content with what is provided but humans are slaves of wishes.

I am always somewhere.

Pantheistic view of God - “God is everything and everything is God.”

I am always changing, yet not changing at all.

Spiritual view of God - God is energy, center and origin of everything. The energy multiplies in many folds yet stays small and simple like a dot.

They call me always because they want to forcibly compel someone to obey, yet the other also calls upon me to forcibly compel the other to obey.

One of the verses from Bible - 2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: Some Muslim and Christian extremists force others to change religion and obey their rules.

People are afraid of me.

Earthly definition of God like Allah is feared by their followers.

Some people love me. Others adore me. Some dedicate their lives to me.

God is love according to some verses of Bible. God like Krishna is adored. They open temples and organisations to do God's service.

Some come to me, others run away from me.

People go to temples to worship God's idol form. Some people dislike belief in God and reject such organisations. Extreme atheists for example.

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5
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ False: people pray to God because they seek aid and / or to simply build a relationship with God. This does not mean that they seek that God must force someone to bend to their will, and God himself does not require it either. $\endgroup$
    – Lucas
    Commented Mar 4, 2020 at 22:32
  • $\begingroup$ I think you have only one view of God. Please read this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theism $\endgroup$
    – m4n0
    Commented Mar 4, 2020 at 22:37
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ People do not always pray to God to get Him to force someone to bend to their will, and the prerequisite to this riddle is that X is invoked because someone wants to force another being to their will. So consequently, this cannot be because of religion, since prayer and divine intervention do not always need force. $\endgroup$
    – Lucas
    Commented Mar 4, 2020 at 23:20
  • $\begingroup$ Is the answer rot13[nyjnlf] because there is rot13[Gurl pnyy zr nyjnlf]? $\endgroup$
    – m4n0
    Commented Mar 4, 2020 at 23:33
  • $\begingroup$ When God is everything and everywhere, whatever you are going to "always" call would be a God thing which is always somewhere according to your question. $\endgroup$
    – m4n0
    Commented Mar 5, 2020 at 1:50
2
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Based on the updated question, you could be

AUTHORITY

Those who call upon me me do so to be content, but while I am here, they are not content, and will not be until I am no longer there.

People seek authority to satisfy a purpose, e.g, government, but the body of authority cannot cater to the needs of all of the members they have authority over.

They call me always because they want to compel someone to obey, yet the other also calls upon me to compel the other to obey.

An authority can be sought to solve a disagreement between two sides wherein both sides seek authority to support their cause.

I am always somewhere. I am always changing, yet not changing at all.

The level of authority can be attributed to a role (like in a company), though the people assigned to the role may vary in time, the authority itself doesn't change.

People are afraid of me. Some come to me, others run away from me.

E.g., people approach the police to seek justice whom the criminals fear and run away from.

Some people love me. Others adore me.

E.g., people admire leaders

Some dedicate their lives to me.

E.g., those who enlist in the army or people appointed to serve a sovereign

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1
  • $\begingroup$ close, but no. The relationship between you and the authority doesn't have to be involving conflict per se. For example, if the authority gives you an order and you obey it without hesitation or resentment, there is no conflict. $\endgroup$
    – Lucas
    Commented Mar 5, 2020 at 8:33
2
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Are you

Traffic Lights?

Those who call upon me me do so to be content, but while I am here, they are not content, and will not be until I am no longer there.

Those who stuck in a junction without a traffic light hope to have one for their way. While others who is passing by hope for none

They call me because they want to compel someone to obey, yet the other also calls upon me to compel the other to obey.

People crossing the road calls for traffic light for road drivers to stop. Similarly, people driving on the road call for traffic light for road crossers to stop and not crossing

I am always somewhere.

well, it's everywhere!

I am always changing, yet not changing at all.

The lights are always changing, but the body remains unchanged.

People are afraid of me.

People speed up when the green light is almost over and stops when it is red.

Some people love me. Others adore me. Some dedicate their lives to me.

There will always be maintenance people that takes care of the traffic lights.

Some come to me, others run away from me.

Some moving towards the traffic lights. Some move away.

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2
  • $\begingroup$ No. except for maybe one or two people out there, you don't ''love'' or ''adore'' a traffic light. You're getting a +1 though for this leftfield answer. Also, you don't call upon a traffic light, you simply wait and stare at it. $\endgroup$
    – Lucas
    Commented Mar 5, 2020 at 8:28
  • $\begingroup$ @Lucas yes, make sense. looking forward for the correct answer :) thank you. $\endgroup$ Commented Mar 5, 2020 at 8:40
2
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Is it

An attorney

Those who call upon me me do so to be content, but while I am here, they are not content, and will not be until I am no longer there.

You pay an attorney to defend your claims but as long as he's here he's expensive to have around

They call me always because they want to forcibly compel someone to obey, yet the other also calls upon me to forcibly compel the other to obey.

You call an attorney because you want him/her to win the case for you and compel someone to do something. That someone also has an attorney to defend his rights.

I am always somewhere. I am always changing, yet not changing at all.

There are always attorneys everywhere doing their job. Changing and adapting to the new and everchanging laws yet not changing in the basis of their job.

People are afraid of me. Some people love me. Others adore me.

Some people are afraid of attorneys that could ruin their lives. Others love / adore them when they get them out of tricky situations or get the best possible outcomes for their clients.

Some dedicate their lives to me. Some come to me, others run away from me.

This I'm the least sure about. Maybe dedicating their lives in the sense trusting the attorney with their lives like very rich criminals being able to have the very best attorneys to keep them out of jail. Some come to attorneys for help, others run away when they're in the wrong.

I am always here because of a dispute, although sometimes I may drag others into it because of practical convenience.

Attorneys are here to solve disputes between people, dragging witnesses into it for convenience

I am considered a disease, a terror, a gruesome act, an art, a theory or an adventure based on who you ask. They even may say that everything in this list applies to me.

Disease : attorneys defending guilty people, terror : guilty people being convincted because of good attorney, a gruesome act : attorneys defending guilty people again maybe, an art : pretty self explanatory, art of convincing others, a theory : theory of convincing others maybe, knowing the psychology necessary to convince a large panel of people, an adventure : each case is an adventure

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1
  • $\begingroup$ +1 for interesting answer, but no. You do not usually run away from an attorney if you want to flee, but from the court and the system. $\endgroup$
    – Lucas
    Commented Mar 5, 2020 at 8:50
1
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Is it-

Police/Law enforcement agents

Those who call upon me me do so to be content, but while I am here, they are not content, and will not be until I am no longer there.

You call them because you are unhappy/troubled, you will be content after they resolve your issue and go back.

They call me always because they want to forcibly compel someone to obey, yet the other also calls upon me to forcibly compel the other to obey.

Calling cops to make other people do something. Maybe your neighbor is making too loud sound ?

I am always somewhere.

They are everywhere, in uniform or undercover.

I am changing, yet not changing at all.

Police have 8-10 hour shift, after their time, officer as a person changes, but still from outside, the police is still there unchanged.

People are afraid of me.

Many people are afraid of the cops.

Some people love me. Others adore me.

Many people love cops.

Some dedicate their lives to me.

Officers themselves dedicate their life.

Some come to me, others run away from me.

Victims go to them, criminals run away.

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3
  • $\begingroup$ How did you guys make your answer disappear ? $\endgroup$
    – DrGeneral
    Commented Mar 5, 2020 at 5:58
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Like that :-) Just put >! at the beginning of each paragraph you want to hide. $\endgroup$ Commented Mar 5, 2020 at 6:07
  • $\begingroup$ This answer has been the closest until now. Still a bit off: if you call on the police because of a perceived ongoing criminal activity, it doesn't automatically mean that the other side will by default try to apply the same to you $\endgroup$
    – Lucas
    Commented Mar 5, 2020 at 6:15
1
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Is it

Voice / Sound

Those who call upon me me do so to be content, but while I am here, they are not content, and will not be until I am no longer there.

Listening to something until it ends then someone feels the content they seek

They call me always because they want to forcibly compel someone to obey, yet the other also calls upon me to forcibly compel the other to obey.

Argue

I am always somewhere. I am always changing, yet not changing at all.

Sound waves is almost everywhere, voice is basically soundwaves but depending the object emitting it the sound is different

People are afraid of me. Some people love me. Others adore me.

Weird noises, songs / melody , cute sound

Some dedicate their lives to me. Some come to me, others run away from me.

Singer, Alarm / Police siren

I am always here because of a dispute, although sometimes I may drag others into it because of practical convenience.

During argument it's easy to say someone is the wrong one

I am considered a disease, a terror, a gruesome act, an art, a theory or an adventure based on who you ask. They even may say that everything in this list applies to me.

weird voice / cough , screech / scream , blood splatter and stuff , singing , music theory , a tale

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2
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Interesting and consequently +1, but no. A voice/sound isn't always because of a dispute. $\endgroup$
    – Lucas
    Commented Mar 5, 2020 at 8:01
  • $\begingroup$ @Lucas aww, looking forward for the correct answer $\endgroup$ Commented Mar 5, 2020 at 8:24
1
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Is it -

Sin

Those who call upon me me do so to be content,
Sin is seductive. People dive into sin to fill the hole they have inside, believing they will find contentment...

but while I am here, they are not content, and will not be until I am no longer there.
... but sin always calls for more sin. Sin leads to separation from the true source of contentment. Until sin is removed from the world as promised, plenitude and contentment by default will never happen.

They call me always because they want to compel someone to obey, yet the other also calls upon me to compel the other to obey.
Sin is a means of enslaving. Seduction leads to practice, which leads to dependency. "They" would be "DevilCo, Inc.".

I am always somewhere. I am always changing, yet not changing at all.
The world is full of sin. Human nature is sinful. Everywhere you look around, you see a shade of sin. Sins come in all shapes, makes and models. Sin (singular) does not change: it is disobedience to God, and it advances in the world, taking ground little by little.

People are afraid of me.
Yes, people are afraid of the most visible parts of sin: murders, theft, lies they would suffer from, dependency on drugs...

Some people love me.
Sin is seductive, most of the times leads to immediate pleasure.

Others adore me.
Some people think sin is necessary to their lives, and go to great lengths making it perpetuate. (Making more and more money while denying there are people in need right before their eyes; having sex affair over sex affair; being a "freethinker" for the sake of "freedom";...).

Some dedicate their lives to me.
Some people make their lives revolve around sin. (Same people as above)

Some come to me,
Sin is seductive. People are attracted to sin.

others run away from me.
Some people know the true source of contentment, and go in that direction, instead of the always-letting-you-down sin.

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0
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"They call me always because they want to forcibly compel someone to obey, yet the other also calls upon me to forcibly compel the other to obey"

This clue sounds like

Promise?

Not sure how it fits the other clues though.

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0
$\begingroup$

I know this already has an accepted answer, but there's another option, besides all the other suggested:

Capitalism

Those who call upon me do so to be content, but while I am here, they are not content, and will not be until I am no longer there.

Business and sales people try to sell their product(s) or services in an attempt to gain money to be content with their lifestyle. Many are never content with enough stuff and will continue to not be content until they are either dead or retired.

They call me always because they want to forcibly compel someone to obey, yet the other also calls upon me to forcibly compel the other to obey.

Business people tend to use capitalism as a force of nature to get people to buy from them and only them. They will also claim that only capitalism can work for an economy and that no type of socialism or other economic system will ever work.

I am always somewhere.

There's always someone trying to sell something. Whether it's a big box store, a government selling weapons, or a child trying to sell baked goods for a school trip, capitalism is always there. At least it seems that way.

I am always changing, yet not changing at all.

The way capitalism works and is defined doesn't really change, but because of how it works and is defined, it's almost never used the same way twice.

People are afraid of me.

People are afraid of capitalism, because it can cause high prices, can create an artificial need for a product, can easily create junk/useless/worthless/fad products, creates severe economic gaps between people, and can often create unhealthy competition.

Some people love me.

Business people often love the competition, price wars, and money that capitalism generates.

Others adore me.

Investors adore capitalism, since they can get rich off someone else's work.

Some dedicate their lives to me.

Many people dedicate their lives to selling products, while some people dedicate their lives to consuming products. Others dedicate their lives to producing new products for sale.

Some come to me, others run away from me.

There are plenty of people who come to a capitalist country to get away from pre-industrial countries or because they think their product will make them rich. Others flee due to capitalism making them poor, whether it's moving to another country or, for example, living off the land in the mountains.

I am always here because of a dispute, although sometimes I may drag others into it because of practical convenience.

Capitalism can work to settle the dispute of the price of something. Is a cell phone worth a cow, 3 goats, 15 chickens, or 100 rutabagas? Other's get dragged into the conversation to help mediate the price negotiation.

I am considered a disease, a terror, a gruesome act, an art, a theory or an adventure based on who you ask. They even may say that everything in this list applies to me.

Depending on who you ask, capitalism might be the best thing that's ever happened or it could be the worst. It's definitely helped in some ways to push the industrial revolution, but it's also created a huge unemployed and homeless population. Capitalism is also a theory of how an economy can work.

I am associated with suffering and death, though this is not absolute.

Because there are still people who are unemployed, not selling something, under-paid, and more, capitalism still causes people to be under fed, lacking housing, depressed, suicidal, lacking basic medical care or under medicated, and more. Some of these things happening to the point where people die. Fortunately it's not taken to these extremes most of the time. Many people do live normal lives, even if it's not as comfortable as they want it to be, and for successful people, it makes their lives very comfortable and wealthy.


To be fair, you could consider a similar answer for

Socialism

But that would only apply to the extreme version of it, and not the modern versions.

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