XYZ

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  1. After my father died I found a report from a child psychology clinic I went to at 10 that recommended an Apergers' diagnosis. But I was never made aware of this before then, and had no idea what autism was until my mid 20s. A few years ago when I last saw a therapist, he had his supervisor sign off on a diagnosis of ASD for a bus pass application, the first official recognition. No record of it though, and I'm trying to get a formal diagnosis now at 30. I would seem perfectly normal in an office setting, hence my fear that I won't get accurately diagnosed- and then able to qualify for resources under the guise of having the "disability." They don't see me trying to walk around in public places like stores and busy sidewalks, and talking to people organically (other than doctors/psychologists), the situations when my autism is most obvious.
  2. I used to be like this and am on the autism spectrum. Lean to explain your point of view without reacting emotionally, or attacking the other person for being they way they are. Let go of the need to be right, and know even if you know you are, it isn't that important that you need to correct people. Because as you can readily observe, people tend to take things personally, and just like you, don't like being told what to do, leave them to their own dogmatism and other unconscious behavior. Even if you can't engage with other peoples' emotions directly, you can use cognitive empathy to imagine how you would feel if someone said to you the same things, and think before you speak.
  3. There is currently much talk in politics about making healthcare a basic human right and giving out basic income, but no one has mentioned addressing the housing crisis, having a place to live be a basic right as well. I have yet to read through Andrew Yang's entire explanations of UBI, but it seems to overlook the issue of "rent-slavery," that housing is unaffordable in many places even with $1000 a month, and I'd expect property owners to raise rents as soon as basic income rolls out. I have thought a lot about this nuanced concept recently and want to get other opinions on it, particularly if you've actually lived in a former communist country where they had such things. Basically: The government constructs residence towers everywhere. On government land, in open space, land grants form cities and philanthropists, seized properties, and purchasing private land. On VA land to house veterans who need housing. In cities the availability of space would be aided by enacting a ban on new residence towers other than the public complexes, forcing owners of land or existing buildings in poor condition to sell it to the government. The ban would be in effect until the native homeless population and others living in the city below the specifically poverty line are provided public housing. -Each unit would have 2 or 3 small rooms, 2 for individuals, 3 for families with children. -Would have sufficient soundproofing, climate control and indoor air quality. Also it's own appliances and toilets. -People would be qualified to live in these if they are below a certain income and wealth threshold, or meet other criteria such as having a disability or working in the public sector. -The system is managed at the county level, and only people born in the same county or having lived in a residence in that county before becoming homeless or incarcerated would be allowed in it's public housing complexes. This encourages local responsibility for taking care of their own population and prevents and open free-for-all, where the needy flood into and overwhelm resources in certain places. Homeless would need to be returned to where they came from to be housed and new immigrants are excluded from this program. -Complexes would be designed and assigned based on needs and preferences. For example, some specifically for elderly, some for homeless taken right off the street, some for those getting out of prison with no home to go to, some for families only, some for individual childless non-smokers with no pets who want it quiet.... If this were to become a reality, I would predict that: -The housing bubble would pop hard. Prices of average homes would fall down to a more accurate reflection of their value as places for people to live, not as investment assets. Private apartment rents would drop, and fewer luxury properties would be built. This would fuck Wall Street in the ass no doubt, but that fucking would have come anyway due to shrinking of the middle class, un-sellable homes and mortgage/loan defaults. -Homelessness could be eliminated, if everyone homeless is either provided housing or institutionalized. -Would have many positive ripple effects for real social justice and human potential if everyone is guaranteed a place to live: People would demand better working conditions and shorter hours, crime would drop way down, freedom to work on creative projects and risk starting a business, pursue things they are passionate about and talented in rather than worrying about making the rent... overall positive effects when people are no longer in desperate survival mode at the mercy of private property owners. Overall, in an ideal setup the government would provide a form of safe and modern housing for those who need it, and complexes would . It would be sufficient for meeting basic survival needs, while still incentivizing people to pursue financial success and move someplace better, and afford more than just rudimentary existence. What do you think? And do you think that Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren would be on board for this if either became president? Since both express strong passion to tax the shit out of millionaires and billionaires to create a more equal society.
  4. I'm starting to think politicians or their advisers have been reading my posts on here. Trump just proposed using vacant federal facilities as temporary containment camps for homeless living on the street in Los Angeles. And today Bernie Sanders announced a plan to make housing a right, including a major expansion of public housing and guaranteed federal assistance, also going after real estate developers who contribute to the housing crisis. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/461942-sanders-unveils-25-trillion-housing-plan
  5. Super deep belly breathing is best done seated or standing, so you can focus the breathing deep down as much as possible. Or as Elliot Hulse liked to say, imagine like you are trying to breathe into your balls. I still do it lying down sometimes, but gentler and more controlled, mostly to get the diaphragm to rise fully, rather than taking in as much air as I can hold. There is also a kriya where you stand up with feet together, breathe deep into the upper chest, hold the breath and push it downward, making your belly expand. It feels quite unusual if you never done anything like that, like squeezing a balloon pushing air from one end to another. I sometimes go directly into part 2 by breathing down into the belly directly, which can get you really high on oxygen while also stimulating the vagus nerve. Very easy to get lightheaded doing it, sometimes people pass out in my yoga class during the exercise so they say be careful, start with expanding the belly a little first and holding it a few seconds. And you can always go deeper, more breath, push it down deeper, push the belly out more and hold it longer. Sometimes when I push my limits I lose consciousness a brief moment as I collapse forward down to the floor gently on my hands, and more recently when about to lose balance I just exhale and separate feet, and am able to stay conscious through the intense vagus nerve stimulation that used to be overwhelming.
  6. Can't always tell what someone means through text only, whether something is mean to be just hypothetical or sarcastic. I'm thinking in terms of actual policy recommendations I wouldn't mind saying publicly, writing articles or talking to politicians about. And of course I am heavily self-biased since my own survival is obviously a factor in my reasoning.
  7. @Zigzag Idiot Population control is a whole different problem, deserving of it's own thread. Can't just stop people from fucking or forcibly sterilize everyone. Effective anti-natalist policies often would negatively affect children as if punishing them for being born, not just discouraging irresponsible procreation. For now I'd say the best we could do is make easy contraception and access to abortion widely available, and most radically, require anyone receiving benefits to take birth control (with rare exceptions for self-proclaimed celibates). But to tie it back to the original topic, unmarried and childless individuals are often left out of public benefits and low income housing programs, which give preference to families with children. Forthcoming basic income and public programs should acknowledge that childless adults receiving public assistance are actually doing them a favor by not creating more dependents, and be entitled to equal provisions as low income families.
  8. If the Soviets built these things all over their territory to recover from WW2 and rapidly industrialize and urbanize, why can't "first world countries" with massive homeless and renting-poor (low income earners spending most of their paychecks or benefits on rent) populations have publicly owned complexes built similarly. 2 main obstacles would be finding the company to construct it, since there is no state owned construction firm as there are in real socialist countries, and the space- much easier to build massively when everything was farms or buildings destroyed during a war. Nevertheless, it could be possible for the government to contract with or merge multiple engineering/construction operations that can become large enough to build public housing complexes all over the country. And while I would maintain that steps should be taken to build them in urban centers where those who need them are located, most could be built on undeveloped land, like master-planned communities in the deserts of California and Arizona for example. What I do see firsthand here in LA is that "luxury apartments" are being built in formerly commercial and industrial areas, often literally right next to homeless encampments. Certainly local governments could legislate to stop this kind of development through zoning laws and reserve such spaces for public housing. Only letting residents of the county live there, not just any bum on the street who came from elsewhere, would soften resistance to these projects, which would be seen as helping their community not importing more poor and needy.
  9. While it may not be realistically possible for straight males with high sex drives to stop wanting to experience physical intimacy with women we find desirable: It is possible for us to stop caring about wanting intimacy. I think that it is pointless to argue about whether or not sex or other forms of physical intimacy are a genuine human need or just a want, because it varies by individual and one's perspective on it can be changed. You undoubtedly would feel much happier if you see lack of intimacy as no big deal rather than something you desperately need and are starving for. And I would also caution against thinking in extremes, like believing you will never kiss, cuddle, fuck..., or that you absolutely must get to do those things. Admit that you have these unsatisfied desires, but without constructing an identity around that acknowledgement. This would help you stop obsessing over it, and let go of fear, both the fear of experiencing intimacy and not experiencing it. Genuine non-neediness (not suppressing emotions) is a win-win. Because you can be relaxed around women since you're not angling to get something from them, making you automatically more likable, but you are still in a good mood even if interactions don't go well.
  10. This is an important thread topic I didn't see posted in the new forum yet: How might we progress towards making some of these tools to expand consciousness readily available for those who wish to use them responsibly? It's understood that such tools are used to raise consciousness and diminish ego to levels which cannot be accessed any other way, and there are many threads on other forums about users' experiences and research. But the fact is these are banned substances in most first world countries, and for those without the right social connections, chemistry expertise, means to go on retreats abroad, nor willing to risk ordering contraband, they're basically off limits. I do think this is a realistic goal, since we are already seeing a trend towards decriminalization of psychedelics in certain parts of the US, and despite their illegality there is growing research into their therapeutic benefits, and even scientific acknowledgement that substances like 5-meo-DMT, LSD and psilocybin are far safe than alcohol, which in most states people are free to buy in unlimited quantities. Not just musing, here in California for example it could actually happen within the next few years, and would like to accelerate that process.
  11. Why is it harder for autistic men to realize love?
  12. Ideally you'd have a round bedroom and orient the head of your bed towards the true South direction using an accurate compass.
  13. What if objective reality is a collective psychosis, and intense spiritual awakenings are glimpses into actual reality?
  14. big bugs small bugs floor bugs wall bugs short bugs tall bugs black bugs red bugs trash bugs bed bugs live bugs dead bugs plant bugs street bugs cool bugs neat bugs smash bugs eat bugs
  15. You avoid credit card debt by setting it to autopay the full balance each statement. Carrying a running balance and then paying it off doesn't boost your credit score. If however you want more buying power than you currently have in the bank, there is an important reason to borrow money and you have the means to pay it off later, credit cards are a much better alternative than taking out loans. You can use them as a cheap or even free loan basically. Like let's say you want to invest some money in materials for learning useful skills that will pay off, some essential equipment for your work projects, or on the other hand if your immediate survival is threatened and you can't afford enough food. You can open a 0%APR for 18 months credit card and making minimum payments, or balance transfer with a zero interest period. The key is to view it as a short term loan you want to pay off before it charges interest, not free money to spend and then forget about.
  16. Needing to be socially graceful is also limiting though. The stress of pussyfooting around other people's feelings far outweighs that of pissing people off, hurting their feelings or scaring them. Facts over emotions, say it like it is, Mister Don't Giva Fuck is more my style. What often happens is that by being direct you cut through so much distraction and bullshit you avoid petty social games and end up connecting with people you resonate with well and share your ideas.
  17. No matter how clear and concise you express yourself, or not, others wills till react emotionally to you. You have no control over other people's feelings, and most often an emotional reaction is entirely subjective, it reflects someone's own feelings and has nothing to do with you or what you've said. I like to remind people to listen to the content of my words and distinguish it from their own feelings. But then they just emotionally react to accusing them of being emotionally reactive. Other people's feelings are not my responsibility, sounds harsh but that's the case here. You can know when you're saying certain things that might come off as hurtful or offensive, but even things that sound plan text devoid of emotional meaning to me trigger huge tantrums from people. There's no way to predict or control it, so fuck it, I don't care. I readily acknowledge when I've been emotionally reactive myself, as I'm never completely immune to it all the time, no matter how conscious my baseline is, still can be caught off guard getting hurt or offended because of emotional content I projected onto others' words.
  18. @Key Elements At least how I see it now, the greatest way to contribute to love is by eliminating suffering. This seems to be the case on so many levels. Doesn't matter if suffering is bad or good or neither, the physical hardships of existence get in the way of humans beings and societies evolving beyond primitive animals focuses on maintaining survival. Not that people are too stupid to understand spirituality and experience Love, but too busy wage slaving, being addicted to things, carrying out the daily chores of existence, and trying not to kill and be killed by each other. I have a sense that it all comes full circle. Another objection I have to spirituality is I ask why not can one be both selfish and highly conscious? Can one not be conscious of one's own devilry, and still be a devil? To be alive is to be selfish after all, and no one is immune to survival unless they literally physically die. It occurred to me that if I lived fully selfishly, no holds barred, with no creative limitations, I would basically heal the entire planet in the pursuit of my own devilry. Because it is all interconnected, reducing others' suffering reduces my own, not just in some airy fairy roundabout way, but literally every day. @Aakash Survival needs are recurring though. Still have to eat, drink, shit, piss, brush teeth, breathe oxygen, avoid getting killed or maimed by machines and people. Even without fear of death, there are infinite number of prolonged extremely painful processes of getting killed. Like imagine the process of being eaten alive by coyotes. It's the existence of this kind of extreme physical suffering that makes people doubt in absolute goodness.
  19. @Leo Gura I'm playing devil's advocate and demonstrating common arguments against spirituality per the point of this thread, this is not a personal attack on you or anyone. @Shadowraix @Aakash Understand what you mean, at least conceptually. But this issue is the biggest reason why people would object to there being absolute love and goodness, and why I might doubt it myself. Negate the survival of living beings, even one's own survival, that's something you can come to terms with. So too are the more common physical sufferings of life. But stuff I've seen on 4chan and liveleak showing the most painful suffering humans and animals experience, with the sound of their yelps and screams forcing me to uncomfortably empathize with them. When you're faced with that, even as an observer, it can make you doubt in any higher realities, your head falls out of the clouds and you're reminded that we're just biological animals living out a brutal existence with no purpose. That could be us, getting our heads cut off by terrorists. Could one still believe in divine goodness and love while being brutally murdered?
  20. It's easy to say that God is absolute goodness and everything is love when you're meditating or doped out on drugs. Go watch people getting tortured and beheaded, eaten alive by bears, crushed by machinery, blown up by IEDs, shot in the face, drowning and getting burned to death. Can you still say that, and claim we're just not conscious enough to see how such seemingly pointless horrific suffering is actually part of a grand design to maximize love and goodness?
  21. Is there really any difference though? If you saw an actual enlightened person, a commoner not some known guru, you'd think they're batshit bananas.
  22. Forgot link. Man I'd definitely suggest this WHILE tripping too, sounds like your there.
  23. Hmm, been wondering why I get trippy dreams sometimes during a morning nap after waking up too early still very tired. And this is without any substances. A few days ago though I finally managed to experience the deep love vibration and body spinning/dissolving sensation after going to bed at night, this time with lots of 'infinity' visuals. I directed sexual energy up to the heart chakra during a yoga class shavasana earlier, and listened to this with headphones right before bed. Closest thing to tripping I've ever experienced having never take a psychadelic before. I woke up in the middle of the night, as I usually do once to switch sides in bed, and my body was really heavy. Felt really good but I wanted to get up and piss eventually. Wasn't needing to urinate that woke me up though, cause I can sleep though a mostly full bladder even, it happens when the vibration gets most intense, I try to stay with it more and more each time and dissolve into it, but eventually the ego-mind woke up the body and I open my eyes.
  24. Cool story bro, inb4 locked.