sholomar

Not at all... enlightenment is really more a mental game. You can still choose to help save the world, you just approach it from a psychological standpoint, from a perspective of liberation rather than one of a ball and chain. David Hawkins does bring this up in a couple of his books, I just don't remember which ones off hand. The so called "evils" of the world no longer affect you to the same degree, because you are free, but that doesn't mean you necessarily have to sit in a cave, nor does it give you an excuse to play video games and be lazy all day, chuckle... promote green causes, go and spend time helping children in Africa, eat vegan just don't let the "evils" of the world get you so upset you want to kill yourself, because that is the opposite of what liberation is. Nor should one try to shame others for eating meat, or hold some moral high ground that generates negative emotions including pride, especially if you do this all the time. David Hawkins calls all this the "spiritual ego." This is not enlightenment. Use power, instead of using force. When Jesus was getting beaten in the stories, he wasn't screaming in anger going "Fuck you Assholes, I'm going to come back and kill the whole lot of you!" ... he stood there peacefully and took it. Enlightenment doesn't necessarily equal passivity, but it does imply radical acceptance... by definition in order to be liberated, you need to be at peace regardless of the externals of the world. If you're just using this place as somewhere to promote liberal causes and vent without actually working on your repressed negative emotions, in my opinion that's not really what it's here for. Great video on the spiritual ego... the guy in the video by the way... alpha male... even I find him attractive. Chuckle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uqpq2_13nk

Haha. I laughed out loud! So true!

When you are relaxed you will naturally breath more slowly and deeply resulting in enhanced activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. You can try to alter your breathing to hack the nervous system to be calmer, but I prefer mindfulness work, or open focus attention such as described in the book "The Open Focus Brain" which is really just a variation of mindfulness where you are taught to focus your attention in an immersive, diffused way that helps the brainwaves go into a synchronized alpha state, thus relaxing your body, deepening your breathing, and activating your parasympathetic. This will give more long term results that are more beneficial if done consistently than trying to change breathing alone. I pretty much don't use any sort of breathing techniques at all.... it's all being and consciousness techniques for me.

The science on this one is obvious... we are omnivores.. when we left Africa and expanded into colder climates we hunted and ate a lot of meat, along with eating insects, fish, roots, and the like. To deny this is to deny basic good old fashioned science. I will not argue with vegans on this because I consider the "humans are vegans" statement to be akin to people who say "the earth is flat." I've studied enough ancient cultures, read about what the stomach contents of mummified remains had in them. I've found the plant based alternatives do a good job of providing fairly complete protein sources though, and I actually prefer them to the meat versions when I'm in a hurry and just cooking on the stovetop. They cook quickly, and fast, and hit the spot. I really only like meat when I grill it with charcoal and applewood chunks, or it's made in a restaurant. I don't like the fact that industrial farming exists, but I'm not going to totally give up meat at this juncture either. Besides, a diet too high in carbs and fat causes lots of health problems in the long run, especially for the obese. The best diets are lower carb, higher fat, or lower fat, higher carb, but not lots of carbs and fat together.

People who live in integrity with themselves do it for me... meaning they don't say one thing and do another. For example, a lot of progressives talk big about being green but jet all over the world and live rather lavish lifestyles that are carbon heavy... that makes me limp. On the other hand, you have Greta Thunberg who doesn't like to fly and rides a carbon neutral boat called the Malizia II has solar panels and underwater turbines that generate electricity onboard. Experts say that the Malizia II offers the lowest-carbon way to cross the Atlantic... aside from her also being an aspie like me so she has that same stone cold angry looking face, I find that sort of radical sticking to one's principles a turn-on. Chuckle.

You're welcome.

I'd like too but I have a feeling the game "Days Gone" will end up wasting some of my time the next couple of months.

Acknowledge there's a good chance that other people see right through these stories and know you are like this, so there's no point in even doing it. There's a guy at work who embellishes stories and it's so obvious he makes up the majority of the ones he tells, for no other reason because he said he has 1000 bitcoin, that he bought years back from the profits he made selling illegal drugs in Arizona.. if he really had that much he wouldn't be working at a factory... oh and he says he has a large hidden doomsday bunker out in the black hills of South Dakota buried under a rock that you need to use a 4 wheeler to pull out of the way to access the entrance... things like that. He said he spoke fluent German once so I tested him on it... not a clue. If your stories are anything like his, everyone knows you make things up. He always has this need to one up other people's stories to make it seem like he has the most interesting life. Here's what you do... stop doing it, forgive yourself for doing it, because it really doesn't matter that you did it, in fact forgive yourself even if you keep doing it, because it really doesn't matter if you tell white lies if it's not hurting anybody... the real question is, is it hurting you? Is it hurting others? That's all that matters. Oh, and about the guy, if he's taken, get over him. If he's not, come onto him very strongly and just be blunt about your interest. Either he'll respond or not, unless you really enjoy obsessing over him. There's no point in not acting due to fear. Women can initiate. The longer you pine over what could be, the more time you waste, and time is precious. If he's not interested, at least you have closure. Do not spend years pining over a person. There are almost 8 billion people on the planet. You'll find somebody else. See Leo's video "why women fall for assholes" for some of the psychology of attraction.

Accept the emotional reactions as they occur, and try not to become involved in the stories these emotions try to create... merely mindfully observe the emotions and sensations and let them flow out until they are used up. Books that can help achieve this state of being... "Letting Go" by David Hawkins ... "The Open Focus Brain" ... "Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself" ... these three come to mind but of course there are many. "Disappearance of the Universe" .. whatever clicks with your ego mind and helps undo the karmic entanglements it has. Some good videos of Leo's that come to mind... The Happiness Spectrum, 40 signs you are neurotic, How to deal with strong negative emotions, Meditation Techniques: Do Nothing, Overcoming Addiction, and of course, 65 principles for living the good life. I see the guy above me had the same idea. Chuckle. I guess that means you better read that book!

Where I tend to disagree with many here is this need to "fight evil" ... what is evil? It's an ego perception of something in a dream that is perceived to be negative. What if instead I simply forgive everything, accept that there are circumstances outside of my control that I can't change, and live by example? I can still help people without all the spiritual ego emotions that come up as a result of holding onto that baggage that comes with being so upset about the state of the world... I get the sense a lot of the stage greens here have a lot of this baggage from always being upset that the world doesn't fit their idealized image that they hold in mind.... so they have all these opinions that this must change, that must change... this is also known as having a large spiritual ego. The goal is to undo all karmic entanglements, but sometimes getting too impassioned over some cause does the opposite. They say that merely being in the presence of a master can provoke peace because of the vibrations they put out... those vibes are caused by total consciousness, mindfulness, present moment awareness, undoing of karmic entanglements. They are not ruminating over how evil the world is or in some struggle trying to fight what is.. that would destroy those high frequency vibes they eminate and end up doing more harm than good... for everyone. They merely "are" ... "God Is..."

For chronic pain and other ailments like Fibromyalgia, "chronic lyme" and other hard to pinpoint disorders, try reading the book "Healing Back Pain: The Mind Body Connection" because a lot of chronic pain is actually caused by buried emotions and stress and can be relieved by prolonged mindfulness or Leo's "do nothing" meditation, or use a physical therapist. That book specifically addresses "disc bulges" and the pain related to them though it can be applied to the neck and shoulders or any pain. I still do spinal decompression exercises though even though I read the book just to cover my bases. Plus maintaining good posture helps with the overall self mastery process for me.. a reminder to stick to new habits. I don't have a lot of faith in most chiros, especially when they bring up "subluxations" as a need for continued treatment. They can be good, but so can a physical therapist. If you have disc bulges, back cracking won't do anything. In fact aggressive yoga can just make things worse.. be careful with yoga if you do it, get a good trainer that knows how to prevent injury and which things to avoid.

You could take a double or triple dose of "Natural Calm" which is magnesium citrate, before starting the fast if you wanted... or if you wanted to go hardcore, take the concentrated lemon flavor magnesium citrate you can find at pharmacies that they have people take before a colonoscopy... will empty the pipes and the average person could use the magnesium. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Equate-Magnesium-Citrate-Saline-Laxative-Lemon-Flavor-10-Oz/34772430 That stuff tastes fairly pleasant also... like lemon diet soda.

I've known about proper chewing for years but that's a habit I still haven't made part of my brain yet. It mixes in saliva which helps the body not recognize the food as "foreign" so it can reduce allergies along with making it easier to digest. Thanks for the reminder!

I would not try to nag to him about his diet, just let him be and accept him, but of course eat your healthy diet, that's fine. Nagging tends to sometimes just bring on resentment. If people really want to eat a certain way, they'll tend to do so until they are forced into a corner, such as some sort of chronic disease... they say 1/3 of american adults have prediabetes... from a high carb, high fat diet. I'm lucky my father and I are very alike when it comes to diet and fitness... he eats plant based 4 days a week and I have also lately. My stepfather had heart bypass surgery and his diet is still not the best, but I don't really nag him. It's not going to accomplish anything except fuel resentment. Some people have the attitude they'd rather eat what they love and die early than live on celery stalks, and you know what, that really is fine. There's no right or wrong way to do it, not in the grand scheme of things. Even if my father and I agreed on everything, I still wouldn't want to live with him. Perhaps like others have said, get out on your own so you can be your own person. My father unlike myself is a nagger... he will promote his plant based diet over and over to anyone that will listen to the point of enough already.. chuckle. I'll mention it once.. beyond that, it's up to the individual to make whatever choices they want. I don't know how much you bring it up, but consider that mentioning it all the time might have caused his resentment. I noticed the tendency of the stage greenies here to have a sort of judgement of the lower stages, which of course is normal for greens... but you'd have a lot more peace of mind if you accepted what is outside your control, namely the behavior of others, rather than getting upset about it. To me that's a key part of the self development process, something I continually work on. I don't nag, I just live by example when I can... well when I'm not playing keyboard warrior on other forums. Chuckle.

You'd probably end up passing gas, or worse, nocturnal emissions.

Leo has a video about this one... it's about breaking addictions. Monkey mind is an addiction. If you pay really close attention you can feel the cravings that come along with the urge to be in monkey mind, or your habitual emotional state, habits, etc. Self mastery has been a slow process for me, because I always go back to the old habits which slows growth. Basically like Leo said when he first tried to start giving up junk food, he just sat there, did nothing, and let the craving be there... he didn't distract himself with TV, he just sat there with the craving. Plus the mind can only process so many inputs at once.. it's not a very good multi-tasker, so when too many things come up on the plate, or especially too many stressors, the body will lose it's ability to remain conscious unless extensively trained by you, and then the old habits, emotions,and monkey mind flare up. Consciousness to a degree is just a form of mindfulness... there's a book called the Open Focus Brain that might be able to help train you to stay mindful and in a relaxed state. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. They say it takes 60 days to create a habit. I find I have to almost make new habit creation a part time job, which is fine otherwise I spend way too much time in front of a screen. Chuckle. Nothing that was worth anything in life ever had an immediate payoff. Eudaimonia.

I've found "Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself" to really click with the scientific part of me because it explains how the brain works, how it forms habits, and how to reprogram it to create new habits. It's more about working to fix the dream to make it a happy one versus waking up from the dream though... it's like an in depth explanation of the law of attraction... for waking up from the dream I found this article I came across resonated well with me. https://www.thetruthaboutenlightenment.org/unresolved-negative-emotions-2/karma-part-1/

As someone who is a moderate this 8 minute clip describes why so many americans don't embrace the democrats. https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2020/11/13/maher-democrats-too-often-come-across-as-lacking-common-sense/ "Republicans are the party of don’t wear masks, kids in cages, ‘Lock her up.’ And Democrats are the party of every hypersensitive social justice warrior woke bullshit story in the news. They’re the party that disappears people or tries to make them apologize for ridiculous things.” Maher further stated, “Democrats kept saying in the campaign, you can’t possibly think Trump is preferable to what we’re selling, and many voters keep saying, yes we can. In fact, our primary reason [for] voting for him is to create a bulwark against you. Because your side thinks silence is violence, and looting is not. Because you’re the party of chasing speakers off college campuses and making everyone walk on eggshells and replacing let’s not see color with let’s see it always and everywhere, formerly the position of the Ku Klux Klan. It would be so easy to win elections if we would just drop this shit.”

I'd say it depends on where you are in your personal development journey. If you have achieved all your life goals, are insanely happy, have a loving partner, everything you ever wanted, and your psychology has been sufficiently reprogrammed, go ahead and enjoy the show with your partner. When I look for a movie I look for comedies and light hearted ones. "50 First Dates" is a particular favorite of mine. Basically things that promote affection, laughter, and positive emotions and/or help me expand my tolerance levels for different perspectives in life without being too violent or bloody.

That's a really good analogy.. I was just thinking this today as I was looking at houses around here... there's a shortage of housing all over and a growing trend of large highly liquid investment firms and corporations buying up housing including residential real estate so it creates a scarcity. Another example... it's really easy to be happy and peaceful when you found your one and only and are in a happy relationship with a happy family. As a man who always wanted that but doesn't have it due to being an aspie among other things, it's not quite so easy to just be at peace and be happy and selfless, but I've made a lot of progress with the peace of mind. This can be applied anywhere in life you get scarcity... it's like maslow's heirarchy of needs.. it's easiest to take care of the base before taking care of the top. I'm quite self aware and aware of my selfish aspects.

If all we do when we get enlightened is to end up reborn as a new soul in a universe where life goes in forever in an endless cycle of birth and rebirth, really what's the point of trying to achieve sainthood? It seems like every endeavor done in life is done to chase pleasure and avoid pain... and virtually everything done is pointless because it's all been done, forgotten, done again, forgotten again... In a million years nobody will remember our species and nothing of what we have done will matter unless we've managed to spread around the galaxy but even then in a billion years we will be long forgotten. There just seems to be a sense of futility to life with this knowledge... we do all this personal development to avoid some "unfulfilled" feeling when we get old because we didn't "live life to the fullest?" meanwhile we're just going to reincarnate an infinite number of more times to do it all again, over and over... It's all a mind trick. I'm not really as negative as I appear I'm just pondering.

Great post and I agree. I'm fine with stage greens until they become fundamentalists that support dictatorships, communism, or mass censorship or control of the masses. Anyone who thinks their viewpoint is so right that they want to break the prime directive to try to play dictator because they think they can build a utopia are suffering from delusions of grandeur and don't really understand human psychology. Mass censorship has never worked anywhere it's been tried. Like you said, most emotionally unstable fundamentalists aren't really stage green though. "The closest cultural parallel to the SJW online cancel culture mob of bullies was the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The similarities are creepy to say the least. We're on the same trajectory and will remain so as long as it is culturally acceptable to silence, deplatform, deperson and cancel anybody at all." Bill Maher has been attacking the extreme wing of the democrat party for many of the same reasons. More of a classical liberal he is. https://www.city-data.com/forum/politics-other-controversies/3249316-bill-maher-took-aim-cancel-culture.html

It's best to dollar cost average and invest for the long term. Personal development helps with this because it's emotional decisions that often lead to investing mistakes. Having a disciplined plan in place and not looking at day to day moves is important. Betting on deflation is like shorting a stock. It can work for a while ... timing the market and trying to bet against it, but in the long run, inflation will kill you. There's no doubt about it we've had the biggest market pump in US history in 2020 and everything is in a bubble, but interest rates are so low that combined with unlimited QE and stimulus it affects the risk-free rate of return and makes stocks (and real estate, cryptos, commodities) more attractive than holding cash or bonds. Will we see a period of inflation and deleveraging? Will it be different thing time and the central banks be able to completely prevent recessions by continual pumping, UBI, and helicopter money? Time will tell. It's best to diversify.. I personally have bitcoin, various stocks, gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and rhodium. Also buying a house with as close to zero down as possible and taking advantage of low interest rates to let inflation work for you....

Don't slouch when sitting keeping your lower back in a state of flexion for long periods of time (recliners are bad for this.. people who spend countless hours gaming in a soft chair) because this will cause the disks to bulge outward and hit nerves over time.. usually it won't affect you until your 30's though. Also lifting sloppily.. trying to squat or deadlift with bad form does the same thing. You don't really want this to happen. Work out smarter, not harder. Fortunately at age 19 your body should jump back from injuries quickly assuming you develop some healthy habits. Get an office chair with good lumbar support or a kneeling chair. Sleeping in firm beds is preferable to soft ones also. Move around every half hour to 45 minutes when you are sitting.. get up.. do a couple of cat cows and sit back down. The spine likes movement. Hanging from a pullup bar, doing press ups and extension exercises to work the back the opposite direction and push the bulges back in, core work to support the lower back such as planks, side planks, hip flexor, hamstring, and piriformis stretches, not sleeping on your stomach... all good things. https://the-eye.eu/public/Books/Bibliotik/8/8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back - Esther Gokhale.pdf There's lots of yoga that can do more harm than good if you don't use perfect form also such as forward folding. Core work is more important than static stretching for back pain anyways. Focus on hip hinging or squatting when you lift things in life instead of rounding the lower back. Get these healthy habits in place at your age and you'll be good for life. Most people don't make major habit changes unless faced with a crisis... be proactive in this regard. https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/5-best-and-worst-exercises-for-back-pain-mens-journal/

On top of the gay crowd you have the increasing number of MGTOW and incels.. the less attractive men with boring personalities who used to make the cut back when women were more dependent on men and there were less men to compete with due to wars, but don't really make the cut today because they lack the traits that turn women on like crack (confidence, humor, indifference, edginess, and wild dirty sex) Our society is emasculating men in the school system and demonizing masculine traits but the problem with that is it doesn't mesh with what women's biology tends to see as "sex appeal" so a growing number of men are becoming frustrated with the dating market and society as a whole. They tend to be the target of hate and ridicule when society and culture and biology/DNA helped to produce them. As someone who used to be one, a little bit of sympathy might be better given to them but I understand human nature... we like to bully. I'm fortune to have dug myself out of my hole and am transforming myself, but a lot of them are stuck in their habit loop. A look back at history shows that this is nothing new.. you can see the majority of males never did breed with females during the evolution of our species... the "alpha fucks beta bucks" as it's been known.. it seems like monogamy is a relatively recent thing. We still have a lot of animalistic/tribal characteristics wired into our biology/DNA which is not surprising for anyone who's researched all this. https://psmag.com/environment/17-to-1-reproductive-success Also, homosexual behavior was far more common than some would have you think. In fact if you look at other mammal species homosexual behavior is common. You can also look at our closest genetic ancestor, bonobos, for hints on behavior, as well as the few remaining indigenous tribes that remain largely untouched by humans. It's fascinating.