sholomar

There are bad apples in every profession. Often bad cops can push out the good cops. Part of human nature. It's our job to find them, but sometimes we are complacent or the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. Seems like this is universally true in every country... they are varying degrees of corrupt, of course the lower the spiral dynamics stage of a nation, the more concerned you usually have to be with their populace in general, with a few exceptions.

To me traditional conservatism is about embracing the eudimonic aspect of life, if you watch Leo's older video on the happiness spectrum. When I think of "liberal" I think of rampant hedonism, people who like to experiment with drugs, have wild sex, party, and chase short term dopamine hits over long term goals. They want to be lazy, sit around, get paid to do nothing by the government. The reality is that these are black and white definitions and the truth is somewhere in the middle and more blurred. It takes self discipline to not chase hedonism. I know plenty of "conservatives" (or more accurately said "republicans") that chase hedonism, so my definitions are just a perception, and much like language, imprecise. My father and I are are both very environmentally conscious and go out of our way not to waste food and energy, and we both tend to be more frugal with our money. Most republicans I know are anything but.. they blow all their money, buy fancy carbon emitting toys, live paycheck to paycheck. How do you define a conservative? I know a lot of liberals who are picky eaters and will go to a buffet and throw away half the food on their plate, must have the temperature just so and will pay to keep it that way, among other things. What of the wealthy people flying private jets while they preach about climate change and carbon emissions? I always say talk is cheap. Look at what someone does, not what they say, and then forgive them, because they are only human. Should we be regulating what people can and can't do for their own good? Each "side" (two sides of the same coin) wants to tell people what to do, how to live their lives. Culture is a living, breathing, constantly changing entity. The base argument comes down to order versus chaos. What should people be allowed to do, what shouldn't they be allowed to do? How much power should one person be able to have over another? I'd say the terms "liberal" and "conservative" should not be linked with "democrat" or "republican" because there are plenty of each in both these parties. There are infinite perspectives. I hate being told I must pick only 2 options. I don't want to part of a herd, collectivist mindset. Maybe it's good to keep the sheep thinking they have a choice, but it doesn't work for me. I enjoy consuming Leo's content in Audio form during a relaxing, 45 minute drive each way to Sioux Falls on I-29, so I might just plan an impromptu Costco run just to enjoy his newest content.

When spiritual teachers become too caught up in the trees over the forest is where they lose their way in my opinion. David Hawkins in many of his books such as "healing and recovery" will mention that once you advance enough in your calibrated level of consciousness things that used to affect you no longer will. If you are doing this work correctly, you are not worrying about what color shirt you are wearing, because it's trivial and doesn't matter. You become immune to things that used to affect you, because you see they no longer matter in the way you used to think.

Trump may end up fracturing the republican party because some of his followers simply won't give up and move on. The amusing thing about his most hardline supporters to me is how they are all anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists despite the fact Trump has taken the vaccines and boosters and promoted them as safe. I'd say they need to push a Desantis/Noem ticket as their best chance of winning. I don't care if they win or not though. Like Leo said in part 2 of his video on the left, the republicans would at least present some value if they promoted fiscal conservatism, but most of their base are modern monetary theorists who want to use the central banks to do more QE and keep pumping asset bubbles and overspending. As it stands what do republicans actually bring to the table? They want to ban abortion and pot. Yawn. Trump killed his chances by saying he'd dig up things on Desantis. He's done now. It's time for his base to move on.

Read this thread. It's not mine but good advice. https://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message5280710/pg1 It's perfectly possible to be totally content doing nothing in life with the right perspective and mindset. Jed McKenna mostly lives that type of lifestyle with his small group of followers. That guy strikes me as a guy who would have been an incel had he not reached the void state and come back to talk about it and write books about it. I don't think he actually reached true enlightenment as described by David Hawkins by the way... seems to me his books talk about the path of intellect, which David Hawkins calls "the void." It's also mentioned by Gary Renard.. the state of no mind versus the state of oneness. The line between someone who has "success" and someone who doesn't really isn't that obvious, and much of it is a mind game. A person can be quite rich and quite unhappy. Look at how many wealthy celebrities end up overdosing and dying. Mindset is the first big thing to work on. Habits are the next. Leo has so many videos on this subject... the happiness spectrum is one of the best... you can be happy with hedonism but as you get older will you be able to stay content that you spent your life chasing hedonism over eudimonia? That's the tricky question. Does it really matter what you do? Bottom line, it matters to you.

I use credit cards because in theory debit cards it's easier for a thief to drain your account balances. Credit cards are unsecured debts. In practice you are mostly protected from all forms of fraud, but I have never had a problem of controlling my spending. I've never actually been in debt at the age of 40 besides mortgage debt. I've never had to check my bank account balance to make sure there's enough money in there. I use an ATM only card along with my credit cards. I can use it to draw cash to a daily limit without worrying about the account being emptied by someone. It IS good to build credit when young. Get a credit card, pay it off every month.

I'd say condescending can be good in measured doses. I work with someone where we've both helped each other grow through blunt, honest observation of one another. I have an ego that can be whiny, entitled, and defensive, as does he, and we both poke at each other's egos as a way to try to break them down. People are going to say things you don't want to hear. Discomfort is a part of life. When typical men, the type of men women love to be with, are bullshitting with each other, it's really a form of therapy for the ego. It helps a person learn to not take things so seriously, get butt hurt over little things, lower their defenses, and be relaxed and playful, which is what life should be about... confident playfulness. Most personal development gurus can come off this way to one degree or another. Like Gary Renard's masters said in his original book... they're not there to coddle you... your approval of what they have to say is NOT required. If you are so upset, ask yourself why you are upset... is it your ego defenses? For me the best growth comes when I ditch all the defenses and psychological barriers and just dive head first into an activity and if I screw it up, fuck it... get up and try again.

The humor becomes more subtle because addiction to lower level emotions of Tier 1 living become less prevalent. The bipolar and manic emotional swings that come along with excessive attachment to the mind are replaced with a more balanced peace of mind that comes with present moment awareness and being, generally speaking.

The body's alkalinity is maintained through breathing and carbon dioxide levels in the body. Diet has little to nothing to do with it. I would say follow a balanced diet that isn't extreme and doesn't make you overthink or fuel your ego too much thinking you must overly micromanage your diet which isn't really necessary, and use common sense. There's no one size fits all diet...everyone's body prefers slightly different food groups. I'd say a Mediterranean diet is probably best. The single most important things to do for a healthy body are address stress levels, toxic thinking, and lose weight if you are overweight. Also, coffee is generally good for you, so no need to give it up. Get a V60, burr grinder, a gooseneck kettle, scale, and learn what excellent freshly ground coffee tastes like.

I never used skin products or even washed my face with soap until I discovered retinoids (tretinoin) ... I would argue less is more when it comes to skin care. Just use sunblock and don't go out of your way to tan or burn your face with UV rays. If you don't have any major problems like acne or dry skin, don't introduce genetic cleaners or moisturizers you don't really need. If you must, retinoids combined with a basic moisturizer are by far the most effective.

I wouldn't eat highly processed, charcoal grilled, or heavily smoked meats on a daily basis. I would argue eating beef once a week is perfectly healthy. The main damage from meats come from how they are cooked combined with what they are eaten with. Lots of carbs and fat in the same meal can cause problems long term. Basically use common sense. Everyone reacts optimally to different diets based on genetics and blood type.

Bar none the best thing for facial skin is a combination of tretinoin, moisturizer such as cerave, and a sunscreen in the summer months such as P20 kids cream. You can order genetic tretinoin pretty cheap from online pharmacies. For best value get the .05% or .1% and dilute it with cerave when applying. You don't want to start out with .1% undiluted. Do your DD. You apply once every 2-3 days before bed at first and don't overdo it. You build up gradually over time. See reddit's skincareaddiction subreddit for more details or google. Basically we're talking about retinoids here. Apply sunblock to your face, for life. Tanning and burning age skin more than any other activity. It might make you look good when young but you will suffer the affects of increasing aging as you get older. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trucker-accumulates-skin-damage-on-left-side-of-his-face-after-28-years-on-the-road/

The main cause of inflation globally is the excessive quantitative easing and subsequent issuance of debt by major governments during the covid pandemic. Basically we temporarily shut down parts of society and paid people to not work. Quantitative easing is where central banks buy government debt to artificially lower interest rates by sucking up excess supply of government bonds. It really only became a thing after 2008 as a way to manage the economy, also known as "modern monetary theory." https://www.yardeni.com/pub/peacockfedecbassets.pdf Combine this with the fact that supply chains were disrupted during the pandemic, and still are thanks to Xi's "covid zero" policy, and it means more money chasing less goods. Any form of shortages such as chip shortages or real estate shortages can drastically drive up prices since in many cases even slight shortages can create major spikes due to supply in-elasticity. The supply chain is quite fragile and even a slight disruption in certain inputs can cause production to cease. More money chases fewer goods, basically. If everyone got wage raises to $20/hour they'd all ratchet up their spending and you'd see inflation in everything. Most people live paycheck to paycheck and spend up to their incomes. I buck the trend here preferring to work less and live a more minimalist life.

I voted republican because I see the democrats having too much power over the institutions that has made them potentially dangerous when combined with their lock step collectivist mentality where none of them are willing to question their own. I see some of their policy choices as quite questionable, from unchecked immigration to minor gender transitioning to lax on crime policies. That said, I congratulate them for their holding their own this election. I'm not particularly emotionally invested in any of the political parties or candidates. I prefer gridlock so little gets done, and I'm fine with everything being so split neither side can accomplish much of anything at the national level. Human nature and our genetic makeup means that this sort of political polarization is likely to be around awhile. We are likely to see more wars, countries rise and fall, new generations want to experiment with new ways of doing things, while the older generations reminisce about the past and resist change, and we will continue to go through growing pains as a species. Same crap, different generation. 20 years flies by, and before you know it a new generation of youngins is taking over society. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, keep positive, and lead by example.

It doesn't matter if there is or not, that's the point. You aren't going to change human nature or evolution so adapt and play the game by the rules you've been given. Complaining, anger, bitterness, are all pointless in the end. Improve you for you, regardless of external circumstances, female nature, or whatever excuse you have. If you have a disadvantage over other men because of looks, deformities, or social skills, tough shit. Life is not fair. Get over yourself and improve. Attitude and mindset are everything. The trap of stage greens is to blame others and externalize one's emotions instead of taking responsibility for your thoughts, attitude, mindset. If only (such and such) happens, (then) I will be happy. Should statements.... a sign one is neurotic.

For me conservatism's best points are encouraging people to be responsible and self sufficient. In general, it promotes hard work, delaying gratification, and pursuing eudimonic endeavors. It encourages having a good attitude, not being a victim, developing skills to excel, being fiscally responsible, not overdoing it on drugs or committing crimes, and punishing offenders properly for crimes so they learn their lesson. When I see lefties I tend to see the "reddit" lefties, the types who frequent subreddits like "antiwork" ... they think that a society that pays people to not work and ensures they have a basic comfortable life without having to contribute would actually work, when it would not. They are pining, depressed, always trying to change things "out there" to fix their lives when the real work occurs internally and mentally. Giving these people handouts won't help them grow. They need to be educated, guided, mentored... Things I like about the left... being environmentally responsible, wanting basic universal healthcare, promoting equality and non-discrimination. In general I support abortion rights and I'm mixed on the war on drugs... drug use destroys cultures. It just does. However, I tend to not want to take away people's rights either. There's a lot to respect in both political parties.. though the republicans would be a better party of they were more fiscally conservative and socially moderate. I don't understand their abortion obsession. I mean I do, but it's an issue they need to drop. The average republican voter doesn't care if abortion is banned or not. I personally don't care what people do with their bodies once they hit 18.

There's no easy fix to eliminate the cravings... you just need to sit there and let them be, without acting on them. Present moment awareness really helps with any craving or sensation.

What are they going to do that is so bad?

I finally listened to part 1 today and I have to say I agree with 95+% of what he said. He's definitely a tier 2 thinker. Props to making this video. I understand where he is coming from much better now. I would argue it's not his job to try to win over any particular audience. If you find yourself offended at what he has to say, maybe ask yourself why that is.... for what it's worth a lot of what might be dubbed as "spiritual masters" have had this abrasive approach. It's about breaking down ego barriers... I mean if you really get triggered that easily by someone's words... the path to mastery is not one of being coddled and told what you want to hear.

When does politics turn into a religion? When are one's beliefs so strong that one feels the need to go to war over them? To oppress the opposition for them? Kill for them? Seems to me religion does the same thing politics does, tries to control the populace while making them think they are free. They do the best job they can managing our evolutionary nature, depending on who happens to be running things at any given time. Someone has to be in charge. Our species wouldn't do well with no dominance hierarchy. That's why Gods were created in the first place. Religions themselves are only as good as the people running them. They have lofty ideals, that humans can't quite meet.

https://nypost.com/2022/04/29/elon-musks-right-the-left-has-gone-insane/ People get stuck in their echo chambers. I make it a point to actively listen to both sides, and I can tell you, the right is not so evil as the left makes them out to be. Most people are fairly moderate, just trying to pick from the lessor of two evils at the polling booth, and the democrats aren't making it very easy right now. It doesn't bother me. People are entitled to their beliefs. In the end it's just ego anyways. People with strong emotional positions either way are ego dominated, left or right. I've come to see that as I've had these increasing levels of peace of mind lately. I love the sense of liberation that comes with doing this deprogramming process. "Most people in this country don’t intensely hate anyone who mildly disagrees with them. We generally don’t demand ideological fealty as a prerequisite for friendship (or simple co-existence). We tend to care about the same things: jobs, safety and our kids. And we do believe in equality and forbearance. As Musk tweeted Friday: “The far left hates everyone, themselves included!” He followed up with “But I’m no fan of the far right either. Let’s have less hate and more love.”

I have yet to watch the video but my answer as to why the left has become dangerous comes down to this... they have so much power over our institutions, particularly the mainstream media and college campuses. Any group in power is apt to become dangerous if they amass too much power. It doesn't matter who they are. A good government has checks and balances to protect us from our own nature, our herd mentality, however that doesn't protect many of our institutions. Cancel culture, suppression of speech, ostracization of those with differing viewpoints, along with an inability to admit one is wrong, are all part of it. As a centrist, I don't see the right as demonic. I think they are seen as demonic from the perspective of the leftist echo chamber that spoon-feeds democrats these narratives. The same echo chamber feeds the right wing conspiracy theories. I think many of these people need to spend less time on forums (including myself haha) and turn off social media. What we should do... both sides make a list of what the other thinks goes too far and list it, like Leo said below, and then compare. For me the big one is gender changes in adolescents. Similarly to how we have laws about drinking age and consensual sex, I think it's irresponsible to do chemical castration and other surgeries on people who are barely out of puberty, or encouraging them from birth to be something other than what science would call their birth sex/gender. To me that's grooming, and I think there's a lot of money to be made by hospital administrators from these procedures. Kids go through phases throughout their youth where they don't know what they want and go with what's trendy, and it's dangerous to say just go change your gender, at 11 years old. Another one... unchecked immigration. The right are not radical racist nationalists, at least the ones I know. They believe in letting in the best and brightest who they know will better our society, letting in people who prove they can work, who prove they have no criminal record, as opposed to letting in anyone with a pulse. There's only so much aid you can give to people before you start to get housing shortages and other problems. Most of these Nordic nations are being forced to take in immigrants by the globalists also. I don't even see immigration as a left/right issue. There are plenty of more "left" leaning nations that have strict immigration policy. There are capitalists that want any immigration for cheap labor also. Make them legal citizens, you have to pay them more money, and not off the table. Too much what is basically slave labor goes into making lots of the items we take for granted. On the other hand, you can't save everyone. I believe in teaching people to fish, not giving them fish, and letting in people who can contribute to society, not be a burden or parasite on it. I know plenty of whites I would consider "welfare parasites" and immigrants often work far harder than their American counterparts since they are used to less, so it's not like I'm racist on this issue. On the other hand, I will acknowledge the wages suck compared to the cost of living and real estate prices these days. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/11/business/sweden-economy-immigration.html Another... this lax enforcement of crime, eliminating cash bail, and in general not enforcing laws. This is pure pavlonian conditioning here. If you don't put people in jail for less serious crimes, it encourages more serious crimes to occur, and more people to commit them. There are epidemics of high speed chases, car thefts ("kia boys") and increases in crime because liberal prosecutors and police chiefs don't want to enforce laws, largely in blue cities. Felons caught with firearms and people on probation aren't even losing their probation when they commit new crimes, and court cases are backlogged for 2-3 years also. Juveniles also never seem to be punished at all unless they murder someone. The increase in cancel culture... the left used to be the party that believed in free speech over all, but they've turned into the party where if you say the wrong thing, you can get expelled from college, fired or worse. I'm not saying people should go around saying the N word everywhere they go, but simple scientific statements like "there are two genders" should not get you the kind of backlash it now does.... or wearing a "white lives matter" or "all lives matter" t-shirt. The worst thing I ever see the left being called by the right are "Let's go Brandon" signs... whereas I see the left calling the right nazis, bigots, etc on a daily basis. To me the left seem like bullies. One area I really dislike what both parties are doing... we should be banning sale of R1 residential real estate to investors or people who don't "owner occupy" the homes. This notion that corporations and investors bought 1/4 of all homes the last year... this is going to lead to massive problems going forward, and neither party will do anything about it. There is a wealth disparity that is growing, and it's going to become a huge problem. There is a small group of people who have huge amounts of liquidity in society and their share continues to increase dramatically. There's no easy fixes, only hard choices. In my case, acceptance of what is would be the best option.. there's some things that are simply outside my control... it is what it is. There are other things I could criticize the right (and left) about, but my post is long enough. I apologize if I hit and run. I tend to do that or I'd be on the internet all day. I tend to be a habitual post editor and when I'm finally done with my 10 edits and long drawn out diatribes, I'm ready to shut the computer off.

Finding that woman that I just click with, one who is introverted, deep, esoteric, not absorbed into pop culture, or worldly drama. That's my ego talking though. In reality, my life is perfect as it is... I know what I have to do, it's just a matter of doing it. It helps that everything else in my life is in order... I don't want for money, health, etc, so that frees extra time and resources to focus on other aspects of self development.

Some health problems will never go away no matter how much "wishful thinking" you have. It's just part of incarnating into this universe, on this planet, as this species. The rules that govern it make life challenging. At best you can try to cultivate your parasympathetic to heal the body through present moment awareness and cultivation of love, gratitude, and appreciation, but in some cases there's only so much good that will do. A type 1 diabetic won't wishful think a cure to their genetic condition, as an example. Same thing with any number of other congenial conditions. My bicuspid aortic valve won't fix itself. Leo's Thyroid issues won't magically disappear. Yes I still subscribe to my "science" frame. Sometimes it comes in handy. I'm trying to become more meta, though. Old habits die hard, that's the big thing. My ego loves it's candy.

I was watching Leo's video on Infinity of Gods, I believe that's the one where he gets around to talking about life being a game to challenge us? What he was saying reminded me of speedrunners who get really good at mastering a single game, such as this guy who can do 120 stars in Super Mario 64 blindfolded. On the one hand you can use quieting the mind and present moment awareness to increase one's sense of awakening, on the other hand intellectual mastery can produce similar results. Use the ego to transcend the ego? I think of master pianists and guitar players, or anyone who is master in their field or line of work. It would be interesting to take brain scans of people who are masters at something versus the general population. That part in the matrix where Leo is amazed at how his brain just got injected with all this information instantly. I often wondered what it would be like if we could evolve to a state where we could do that, bypassing traditional limitations of learning.