VioletFlame

@Leo Gura Do you think it was right for him to personally attack me and my opinions before I said anything to him? I only "attacked" him in response to feeling personally attacked myself. Read his comments before mine. He merely disagreed with my comment and then deliberately targeted me and insulted me.

Firstly, I'm very sorry to hear you had a bad trip To overcome any trauma is to recognize that you already have. You already experienced the worst of something. If you can survive through a traumatic event while it's happening, you can overcome the lingering, subsequent, or residual effects the trauma leaves. Recognize the strength it has given you. (Take it from a survivor of serious, extreme trauma here!) In regards to tripping, I always make it a point to put myself in the most positive, relaxed, and calm state of mind prior to consuming the substance. If you go INTO the trip already feeling safe, secure, calm & collected then you will most likely not experience a bad trip. If you DID go into the trip already feeling great, and a bad trip still occurs, then I would try practicing some deep inner-work or perhaps tripping just isn't for you. But whether you're tripping or not, the key to overcoming panic attacks and anxiety is to feel into it. Because ironically ,the more you try to resist it or fight it, the more anxious you will become. In a sense, you have to surrender to it and eventually, it will surrender to you.

@LordFall You have demonstrated nothing but short-sightedness on this entire thread. And although no one has to agree with everything I've said on this thread, it IS true that everything I've commented on this thread demonstrates insightfulness & critical thinking skills so you obviously don't know what critical thinking means. You disagreed with my comment, and then insulted my intelligence & accused me of lacking critical thinking skills just because you didn't agree with me, that seems pretty antagonistic if you ask me. If you honestly believe an AI girlfriend is a good idea, then you have a highly skewed and delusional mentality, and it seems like many people on this thread would agree with me there. Godspeed!

@LordFall You are delusional. Go pursue your fake AI girlfriend, loner. Glad you found a creepy way of compensating for not knowing how to have an ACTUAL conversation with a REAL woman.

You are very welcome

It's innate and natural to be selfish, but that doesn't mean we should condone selfishness. Selfishness is the lowest form of human consciousness. Human beings are naturally flawed creatures. One of our flaws is selfishness. The first step is to become aware of it, which you already have. Now the goal is to become LESS selfish, not to use the universal nature of human selfishness as an excuse to continue being more selfish. It is our responsibility as humans to grow and evolve, meaning to become LESS selfish and more thoughtful, considerate, and empathetic to other human beings. We are living in the "me" generation and becoming more conditioned to believe that selfishness is the answer. We must stop encouraging and glorifying selfishness like it's a healthy pursuit. This is counter-productive and counter-intuitive. The more selfish we are, the less lucid and conscious we are as human beings. The more selfish we are, the more akin we are to a beast.

We live in a world where in most cases now, the responsible thing to do is to NOT have a child. In my opinion, unless you are healed, psychologically stable, mentally, emotionally, & physically healthy, you are not equipped to have a child and it is IRRESPONSIBLE and wrong to bring a child in this world if you yourself are not a fully developed & grown individual. You must heal your OWN childhood wounds, because we all have them, BEFORE welcoming a new being into this world. Otherwise, you ARE being irresponsible, thoughtless, & ignorant to the child's life and future development. Everything you say or do that child will mimic, you are constantly modeling every little move you make as a parent. That is why it is wise to heal yourself psychologically and heal your own wounds before bringing a child in this world, because otherwise, you WILL project all of your problems onto them, even if you're not realizing it and you WILL pass down your wounds and behaviors onto the child. Children are so sacred. If you want to birth a child, think about the life you will give them, BEFORE THEY ARE HERE. Act as if they are already here and ask yourself, "Would this be beneficial for my future child?" If the answer is no, then strive to make the appropriate adjustments and changes necessary. It is always our fault for being irresponsible, mindless, hypersexual adults.

Thank goodness someone here agrees with me! ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓

That's a moot point. And they're both extremely different. Electricity wasn't designed to "replace" humans, it was created so that we can see in the dark. That's all. People thought television and smart phones were a good idea for us too, but instead they are both considered to be some of the greatest distractions in life from what is truly important to us. For example, being glued to your phone or a TV is a self-destructive act. They are brainwashing machines that have only caused us to become negatively programmed, to overgeneralize, to desensitize, and to blindly follow what we hear, etc. People are already negatively conditioned from the media and so dependent on technology to the point where we are not even aware of it. It's kind of sickening. Again, what would you do if there was a global black out and you could no longer use social media or your phone? We would be left with no other choice but to come up with solutions on our own. We would be left with no other choice but to think for ourselves again and to not just blindly accept what we hear on a screen as truth or gospel. If we allow AI to be our eyes, ears, mouth and brain, then we are shitting on ourselves. It wants us to not think for ourselves and to turn you into its little "bitch". We are actively dehumanizing ourselves, and not even realizing it. Godspeed. Humans want AI to replace us, because we want to choose laziness and cut corners, but ultimately, it will fail.

This is exactly my point. Read my comment above. If we become too reliant on AI "solving the problems" for us, we will no longer feel it is necessary to use our own brains, our own critical thinking or decision-making skills. We will continue to use AI to "take the easy way out" or shortcut in life. Not everything can be learned in a matter of 3 seconds. Stop trying to cut corners. It takes hours of deep thinking, of reflecting on a topic, questioning it for yourselves, etc to truly understand something. And guess what, there's nothing wrong with that. Why do you want AI to do the thinking for you? Is it ignorance? Is it laziness? Are you actually trying to dumb yourself down? Because that's what AI wants from us. To become dumbed down slaves & zombies. It is trying to convince us all that it is more intelligent and superior to human beings, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. There is way too much complexity in human beings AND various fields for AI to replace. AI cannot emulate complexity. It is too black and white to accomplish that.

TRIGGER WARNING: Hi Hopeful Man, I wanted to stop by and to express my deepest sympathies to you. I am truly sorry this happened to you, I'm especially sorry because I know exactly what it's like to suffer from SA & PTSD. Between the ages of 4 and 8 yrs old I was SA and more graphically, I was sodomized by an immediate family member. It was by far the worst season of my life, the most significant chapter in my life, the most horrific aspect of my life, and it completely set the course for all the years following. I am now 28 years old and I will, of course, never forget it and I still carry those horrific memories, and all the immense pain that comes with it. However, I have learned to take that pain and channel it in ways which have been incredibly enlightening, profound, & healing. One thing that helped me immensely on my PTSD recovery journey was developing grace. If you can look around, notice that all people in life are suffering in their own ways, just like you, (even if it's not on the surface, always ASSUME that they are, because nothing is ever as it seems) and if you can choose kindness, humility, and empathy over anything else, you will be free, you will be liberated, and you will feel more at peace. Embodying grace as a traumatized individual is one of the most profound, spiritually enlightening choices you can make in life. You are saying no matter what happened to me, I'M going to be the better person, the stronger person, the kinder person, no matter what. Unlike my abuser, *I* will choose empathy, *I* will choose kindness and treating others with dignity and respect (how I wish to be treated). It is extremely empowering and has saved me many, many years of grief, misery, bitterness, resentment, turmoil, & apathy. Please remember and tell yourself that you DESERVE to feel JOY, love, kindness, respect, and every good thing in life. ESPECIALLY if you have experienced one of the greatest evils in this world any living soul could possibly experience, or even imagine, let alone endure. Be a humble superhero. Most superheroes have endured great traumas which is HOW most of them even developed their abilities, and transformed into heroes, from overcoming trauma or some kind of great adversity. That can be very inspiring. Are they walking around hating the world and everyone in it? Are they walking around as the villain? No, they're striving to heal, help, and save others. That is the ultimate goal of someone who has truly suffered from any type of trauma or adversity, you are meant to take that wisdom and use it to help mankind; to become a healer. That is the purpose of suffering sometimes, to master empathy, to see it as one of your gifts, and become a natural healer. Find the strengths in your trauma, because trust me, there is a lot. Trauma is a powerful motivator for self-discovery and transformation. It took me years of self-reflection, personal growth work, and spiritual work to reframe my thought processing, my narratives, and my poor conditioning from the abuse. For years, mainly throughout my adolescent years I was self-destructive and insecure. It took time to re-develop feelings of self-worth, self-acceptance, self-love, etc. But once I finally did, they became deeper than ever, as if I am loving myself like I would love my daughter. Mother yourself. Look into re-parentification and inner-child work (Carl Jung), those concepts absolutely changed my life and my outlook on my traumatic experiences in the most beautiful way possible. If you can flip your perspective on the trauma, and recognize the strength and wisdom it has given you, because it does, it truly does, then you can start to see it in a new light, you can start to actually "see the light in the darkness" when you can switch your perspective on it. I'm not here to say it's easy, because it's not, especially if you have endured years of abuse like I have, and all the subsequent years of pain, but I am here to tell you that it IS possible. I am a living, breathing, walking testimony of someone who has healed themselves, all on their own, from severe PTSD. I walk around smiling at everyone in the world and treat everyone with equal kindness & respect, despite the horrors I endured. And that is a necessity to me, that is integrity, and it is my will as a human being; my moral responsibility. I always assume others are going through something or dealing with something, even if they too, are smiling. Yes, I have tried therapy and all sorts of things but at the end of the day, it was me who did 99% of the work. And unfortunately when you truly suffer, you are doing all the work, you're cleaning up a mess you didn't even make, you're picking up the pieces of someone else's trash that they left in your life, at the end of the day, in times of solitude and when you're all alone, you are sitting with those feelings, suffering again, and you are left with no other choice BUT to heal and reframe your thought-processing, otherwise you fall into an eternal loop of pain and turmoil, and well, who wants that? If you've gotten this far, thank you for taking the time to read this and stepping into my shoes. Living with PTSD is hard, but it is very treatable and neuroplasticity is real. All I can say is I hope you have gotten something out of this and I sincerely hope this could help in some way. I am wishing you well and wishing you all the healing, joy, contentment, and peace. You are loved, you are seen, you are heard and you are understood.

Just stopping by to declare that AI is destroying humanity and will harm society in a myriad of ways. It poses serious threats to the spirit of mankind. The whole literal purpose of AI is to overthrow humans and REPLACE us. Why on earth does that sound like a good idea to anyone? The ultimate form of dehumanization is AI. And in my opinion, it is self-destructive to want to see AI dominate society. We are already massively devoid of true, authentic human connection. AI will only divide us further and grant us a greater excuse to: 1. Take the easy route & choose laziness and hyper-convenience over human agency, diligence, & real effort 2. Isolate & socially withdraw ourselves 3. (Most importantly) To no longer think for ourselves, & to expect machines and AI to promptly give us all the answers, AND worst of all, assume it's truth, when in all actuality, even AI is erroneous, BIASED, inaccurate, and makes mistakes! On top of that, we are already seeing an over-reliance and extreme dependency to technology in general. Just imagine if the world blacked out and we couldn't use our phones or social media anymore, what would we do? We would all go INSANE. Think for a second just how pathetic that is. AI encourages us to NOT think for ourselves and discourages us to develop real skills; it discourages cognitive autonomy & critical thinking. If AI plans to do everything for us, then I predict we will develop learned helplessness, and we will lack the desire or WILL to do anything ourselves or to learn anything at all on our own. We will become conditioned to believe that AI is superior and that personal effort is futile or unnecessary. If something else is doing everything for us, why should we do it? The mentality of our future is "Oh well, AI will take care of it so, why bother?" It is human nature to choose convenience over challenge & difficulty, but that doesn't make it wise or right or beneficial for mankind. It only disrupts the process of growth, consciousness, and true human development.

Kanye doesn't even write most of his music. He has a ghostwriter. It's a bit concerning that he is being placed in the same category as Beethoven. That's like saying Jordan Peterson is the Buddha of our generation. It's way off. And it's almost insulting too. Beethoven was an actual musical genius. He is the dictionary definition of genius. He lost his hearing as a youth and still managed to create some of the most beautiful music known to man. Kanye West is not even remotely similar to Beethoven. I don't care how "enlightened" you think this guy is. He's not genuine. I don't think Kanye can even play an instrument. Therefore, I wouldn't even classify him as a musician, let alone compare him to one of the greatest composers of all time. Sure, he's some kind of trendy artist. But not a musician. To me he is blatantly unoriginal and his musical style sounds the same as many other artists of his genre. You want a real, bona fide spiritually conscious Johann-Sebastian Bach of our generation? Try listening to Björk. Also what the hell? Leo doesn't come across as bipolar at all. That is some diag-nonsense. Also, you really have no place in drawing such conclusions when you don't even know him personally. It takes personal, intimate, one-on-one contact and often an extended period of time to properly claim a diagnosis. This thread is entirely ass backwards.

Lol exactly Leo when you were a child!! You're a big boy now, aren't you? And I figure you learned a lesson or two. So curse less. I say this warmly. I just want to add that I respect you more for this. It's very thoughtful. By the way Leo I asked you a question in this thread. Would you be so kind to answer me? ?

Profanity is overrated.

Yes, the better the upbringing a person has, the more likely they are to focus more effectively in school. But they probably have less life experience and less depth-oriented understanding of themselves and of others. The less shit a person goes through, and the more "easygoing" and convenient life is for them, the less interested they'll be in self-inquiry and less interested in understanding people and themselves. It's like people have to have a specific reason, and sadly many times a catastrophic reason, to incentivize them towards personal growth.

It definitely may depend on their genetics but it can also depend on various situational factors. Believe it or not, the more trauma a young person experiences, the more likely their concentration skills & comprehension could diminish. It is not a matter of intelligence but simply a matter of a part of the brain shutting down due to the severity of the trauma a child has experienced. Trauma messes with our hippocampus and our memory and our capacity to retain information. Although I must assure you that neuroplasticity is legit, healing is very possible, and it is the sweetest revenge. Trauma disrupts many children's ability to focus or excel in school yet they are probably the most spiritually conscious individuals out there, even more spiritually conscious than their adult supervisors.

@Ulax Hmm...I'd like to think that Leo is a man of integrity. I believe he is, so I'm sure he'll practice what he preaches. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.(: The beauty of executing and actualizing true spirituality is that it challenges us to adjust & modify our behavior, including our responses/reactions to things and the way we communicate with others. Challenging yourself, coming out of your comfort zone, and adjusting your tone or language to help another person feel more comfortable, safe, and welcomed is a great sign of personal growth, of spiritual maturity, and a great sign of empathy. Most people do not want to be bothered with challenging themselves or changing themselves because they believe there is nothing to improve, but there is always something to improve. Even if you have thousands/millions of followers and are worshipped by many. Hell, even if you are Christ, Buddha, or *ahem* Leo himself, there is always something to learn about ourselves and to improve. And I think Leo gets this. Low empathy functioning on the other hand, or a lack of empathy for another's feelings or personal well-being & peace of mind, is a great sign of spiritual misapplication and misunderstanding. Empathy is key to living spiritually. And it is a cognitive skill, so people can improve their capacity to empathize with others. However, many people are living so selfishly and acting so entitled to their selfishness these days that the topic of empathy is disregarded and it is dying. It does not seem to interest anyone and it's not discussed enough. @Leo Gura Would you consider doing a video entirely on Empathy and how it relates to spiritual awareness/intelligence? I grew up in various abusive dynamics and I must say from my prolonged observation that low empathy functioning inhibits people from living spiritually & authentically. Empathy increases our ability to "go meta" and to broaden our perspective. Also the higher one's empathic functioning is, the more authentic they are, emotionally aware, and less likely to fall into traps of hypocritical thinking or cognitive dissonance. “The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world" - PLATO

@Leo Gura I think this is very sweet of you, Leo. Your thoughtfulness & consideration are deeply appreciated. I've been supporting you for years but I think I will be even more so now. You seem like a good man.

@Jake Chambers Hey I was just reflecting on your question and personally, I think that people can actually become attached and addicted to fame and the feelings fame evokes in them once they experience it. I think we could also consider that perhaps Kanye was a totally different person before he acquired his fame. He could've behaved much differently then. He could've been the sweetest, most humble, quiet, & selfless guy you'd ever meet and it was the fame itself that messed him up and altered his behavior and his attitude. Fame does change a person. And I think it can quite drastically. So to answer your question, his narcissistic personality traits could be inherited, I don't know his personal genetic background, but they could also be developed and learned. And achieving fame is one of the easiest and fastest ways to mold & shape a personality into one which is more egocentric, superficial, & vain. (It's like a trap and it can become very miserable and crippling for some celebrities/artists who are more spiritually/emotionally aware and in tune, who are wanting more in life than to have eyes all over them.) Once a person receives such extreme levels of admiration and attention, this can act like a drug, and some can actually become addicted which can heighten their greed and also paradoxically, increase their lack of satisfaction & true sense of fulfillment in life. This is why we see fame driving many individuals to sickness, and to disturbing degrees of self-destruction, including suicide. This proves that not even living like kings & queens or honorary heroes/idols can ensure happiness, positive well-being, and sense of fulfillment & life satisfaction.

All of this nonsense is all merely for shock value. Don't keep feeding into petty, narcissistic, Hollywood drama. It's only a distraction from what is actually important. This guy is a joke. He's not even a genuine vocalist; it's all autotuned & his voice is grossly monotone.

Experiencing insanity, manic states, & psychosis all energetically have the potential to manifest/evoke deeper spiritual awakenings, insights, & clarity within us. Many times individuals experiencing these states are actually like open channels. In other words, they're more receptive and allowing for epiphanies/breakthroughs to come forth. Think about it: some of the most "sane" people are the most close-minded, unable to embrace their vulnerability; unable to truly "open up" and be in that state of allowing/receiving. And in essence, one must be open to truly grasp what spirituality is, to truly be spiritual, and to let love in. Tapping into your insanity, and unleashing the wild mad man within can foster some eye-opening, transpersonal experiences for you which is all very healing. Do not cage your authentic constellation of emotions. To be spiritual is to lovingly accept every emotion there is to experience. To be spiritual is to lovingly accept, (or if that's too much) at least lovingly attempt to understand, even that which is most insane. I recommend the book "Shamans Among Us: Schizophrenia, Shamanism, and the Evolutionary Origins of Religion". Very good read.

I dig this Leo, I have no objections here. Going insane can actually be a very liberating experience and it can often resemble a form of catharsis and promote/accelerate spiritual purification & clarity. I think it's healthy to lose some control at times. To unclench and let go and that is often a necessary ingredient to achieving insanity. Sometimes we need to lose our mind in order to find it again. Or maybe in order to find what was missing all along.

What are your passions? It sounds like you're stuck in a rut. You're uninspired, and you may be getting sick of the same old routine. Sometimes, to avoid change, or to avoid making changes, we tend to tell ourselves that "everything is just fine" the way it is. Then what happens is we get very very stagnated. But the truth is, if you're bored with life and not getting any juice from life, then that is problematic and an issue which must be addressed. Gain as much inspiration as you can from multiple sources. This will eventually help you to clarify your own personal goals and interests. Make a list of all the things you love out of life and of all the things you'd love to do with your life. And take baby steps. Sometimes when we're in a funk, the biggest step you can take is just throwing the pot of tea on and making yourself a nice cup of tea to soothe the pain. As long as you're taking action, you will see improvement. Embrace each step you take.

@ShardMare Hi there, I'm sorry to hear you're having a difficult time. I don't know you or your situation but it sounds like you could be triggered by something, perhaps associated with past trauma or childhood. You mentioned the anxiety occurs during any type of movie. But perhaps while you're watching any random movie, you are actually having a strong emotional reaction to a particular and recurrent theme/emotion/mood/scene. You say you feel emptiness and numbness. Many times this can derive from generally feeling disconnected to love, joy, people, and things. Do you find that you are feeling socially isolated or disconnected at all? If so, this could be causing you to feel empty. But I think that it is perfectly okay to feel into these emotions and to notice them. Your emotions can teach you so much about yourself and help you grow. And I believe it's best to sit, watch, and learn from your emotions, rather than dismiss them. So it's great that you are noticing what's happening, opening up, and asking for advice. Emptiness itself is an emotion, which tends to arise out of lack of fulfillment. And it's okay to feel this way. In fact, if it's any consolation, I've found that "emptiness" can often show you what you are missing in life and therefore, guide you towards that thing you are currently deprived of; towards the things you deeply desire, and ultimately help you to regain your sense of fulfillment. @ShardMare If and when this occurs again, I invite you to try noticing what was presented on the screen before you had a reaction. This could help you gain deeper clarity on what exactly your triggers are and develop effective preventative/coping strategies as well. Also, try to check in with yourself and feel into your body when this is happening. Ask yourself what type of sensations are you experiencing in your body? Perhaps ask, "What is it about this movie, or scene, that is causing me to feel so bad?" You may surprise yourself as to how much this could be related to deep internal wounds you may need to work on healing. And movies are in a way, great for this (as a self-assessment/self-inquiry exercise). They can offer clues and details which can help you determine and analyze what you need to work on about yourself, when you notice the emotional reactions you are having to them. But if you are finding that it's too much right now, you could always stop watching movies for a while and see how you're feeling. The thing with trauma is, after we experience it, we start to learn how to become hyper-aware of emotions and hyper-attuned to emotional cues. It's like we're on high-alert all the time, and we actually become highly sensitive to the moods, energies, and behaviors of other people. This acts like a shield; like a defense mechanism, because it helps and teaches us how to respond to specific behaviors and how to react in certain environments/situations. And this applies to watching people in films as well. Watching movies can actually successfully improve our capacity to empathize with various emotions, which can heighten our sensitivity to emotions--especially if you already have a lot of unresolved trauma. Also, movies contain a myriad of complex information/imagery/content which is deeply buried and connected to our sub-conscious minds. This is how and why we can relate to them so much. And this is why we have triggers; revelations of our traumatic experiences/repressed memories, or even just moderate nostalgia, while watching movies. This is because our brains recognize the sub-conscious associations, relate to them, and then essentially, we re-experience the event (i.e.; mentally or physiologically). For me, personally, I like to deliberately re-watch movies because I enjoy exercising my ability to see from multiple perspectives and to put myself in the shoes of various characters. It's like, you know when you watch a movie for the first time, we don't always notice the true colors of someone right away, or the truth to the situation. We can't always predict what's going to happen because we don't know the full story yet; we haven't seen the "big picture" yet. But, once we watch it for the second time, we know exactly what's going to happen, so it gives us more room to focus on each individual character, and to deeply understand what unique challenges/obstacles/emotions each one is going through and feeling throughout the course of the movie. Whether the character is "good" or "bad", haha, you know? It just works as an exercise to gain a deeper perspective towards all types of people, situations, and circumstances. Anyway, I promise you, it does get easier over time. I hope this advice was helpful for you and I wish you all the best along your journey. ?❤️ Please feel free to reach out if you ever need to vent.