Leo Gura

@zenjen Yes, Detroit is def planned.

@Isaac Ben Seems like lots of demand in Toronto so it's gonna be top of the list in Phase #2 or #3.

@How to be wise I am currently single. We decided to go our separate ways and we are still friends. It was good but not quite the right fit in the end.

As with anything really, the value lies in the enjoyment of it. If you enjoy relationships, then do them for that reason. If you prefer to be a loner, enjoy being a loner. Life can be a lot richer with good relationships. Is it possible to engineer your life such that you hardly need any relationships at all? Of course. That's basically what I've done. But now I crave relationships just for the enrichment aspect of them. Not because I need people to do stuff for me. Transactional relationships aren't really much of a relationship at all.

@Outer Socialism is a flexible and broad idea. Like I said in the video, government and society is by definition full of socialistic elements. We live in a society where certain things are best done collectively. Most people don't like to think of roads, national parks, the post service, firefighters, food stamps, or the military as socialism. But they are. It's really just a matter of degree, not kind. The question is, what kind of things should be socialized and which shouldn't? That is obviously up for debate and empirical testing. There are no simplistic ideological solutions to governance. Each issue has to be considered on a case by case basis.

@Outer I said "socialistic", not socialism per se. I'm well aware of those various distinctions. In the end, even the Nordic countries may not go far enough if you want to totally level the playing field. It's a nuanced issue which requires careful fine-tuning. I am talking here more about what things will look like in 100 or 200 years, not necessarily what we should adopt today. In the long run, society will get more and more socialist in ways that most people today would balk at. But that will take time. It's not something Bernie is gonna just push through. It would require a rewiring of the entire culture.

The rich & powerful rig the game to make it easier for them to acquire more wealth & power. This has been the case since the dawn of mankind. This is just ego 101. Providing genuine value is important if you want to create self-made wealth. But since this is challenging and slow, many wealthy & powerful people instead just rig the game and exploit the system. This allows for accumulation of vast amounts of wealth without providing much value. If the system was designed better, many such loopholes would be closed. If you want a more balanced system then you want a more socialistic, a more directly democratic form of government.

All of this is relative and contingent. That's YOUR point of view. Don't expect others to agree with that, and don't expect that to be some eternal, objective truth. Right and wrong are constructs of your ego-mind. If you stop thinking a thing is wrong, it will stop being wrong. People will use force regardless of what you believe is right or wrong. People do whatever they want, period. That is always the case. You are free to do whatever you are physically capable of doing. All shoulds are delusion. There are no shoulds in the universe. Whatever is the case, is what is. The ultimate goal for most people is not happiness but survival. Which is why most people are not happy. Your beliefs are mostly dualistic. The opposite of nonduality. It would be wise to question and deconstruct them.

Consciousness is like an infinite field. Within this infinite field various forms arise. The brain is one of those forms. The forms arise and pass away but the field is never created or destroyed. Think of a video game. The player character's brain does not create the video game simulation. It is part of the simulation.

@Mafortu It's important to learn how to stop your mind and break trains of thought if you're gonna be tripping because sooner or later a negative one will come. Practice letting go, body relaxation, mind relaxation, and silencing the mind. That will come in handy.

No, the problem is they oversimplify spirituality and try to teach it to people who clearly aren't qualified. Their teachings lack depth and breadth.

@wingsofwax You are more than ready. Your mind will be blown.

That is precisely what I am suggesting you do. My words are merely describing what you will find there.

More accessible but far inferior.

In the best case, like Sam Harris or JP.

@VioletFlame I am no expert on Stockholm Syndrome.

No, sorry, drug sourcing not allowed.

@EternalForest Stockholm syndrome

@Aimblack That wouldn't be enough for most people. Plenty of Orange people read GEB and stay Orange.

@GabeN You'll know it when it happens. Upgrade from snorting to plugging. It will be way better. And you will have many breakthroughs.

5-MeO comes pretty darn close

Anger is definitely something your mind is actively doing. And you can learn to become conscious enough that it stops happening. Anger is a self-manipulation. It's a survival mechanism of the ego. Ego uses anger to get its needs met. But there are much healthier, more conscious ways to meet those same needs. In the same way that as an adult you don't need to yell and scream to get your food needs met -- the way you did as a child.

@Dan Arnautu That's where many of you are. It's a decent place to be.

@Sahil Pandit That's interesting but I'm not sure if it qualifies as recontextualization for me.

@Aimblack Precisely because you have to be at vision-logic to appreciate vision-logic. And he's kinda nerdy and not very practical as far as self-help goes. As great as GEB is, it will not actually develop you. It's mostly just food for thought. Like mind-porn.