Breathe

I was thinking about the four threads I mentioned in the original post today. I forgot to mention BRICS. How in the fuck does BRICS tie into all of this? One of the things I don't get is how Trump always has Putins balls in his mouth but is constantly talking shit about China. How can this be when China and Russia are allies?

He's not doing this for the American people. Of course it's going to be a disaster. How could it not when you're burning down protections for the people that need it. The rich will survive, god help the rest. I don't think people think that at all. It is clear that we've been on the decline for a long time. Rent has more than doubled in less than 10 years while wages haven't even come close to keeping up. I could go on and on, that's just one example. Trump is just accelerating the inevitable. The dems were trying to keep a dying dog alive while Trump just took it out back and shot it in the head. What people don't realize is that no-one is coming to save us. Nor have they been. Corruption runs too deep. The US empire is done.

It's not so much a phase as it is a journey. You might want to learn about the differences between nihilism, absurdism, and existentialism. As you navigate through life with a certain level of insight, your perspective will change to suit one or more of the above descriptors. Meaningless isn't a bad thing unless you are attached to life or things being one way or another. Otherwise, meaningless will eat you alive, destroy your soul. It can get nasty. You are asking the right questions. The happiness I described above is the only way out of the existential rut. Life has no meaning. Meaning is subjective. One's interpretation of meaning is dependent on getting what you want or things going your way. No such luck mister. People get hit by semi-trucks, die in fires, lose their kids, their job, etc. Shit happens. As you alluded to, you just roll with the punches. But you NEED a spiritual practice that prevents you from getting sucked too deeply into the drama of life. And this will certainly happen. Over and over and over. The practice is navigating this cycle and becoming more skillful at doing so. Good luck!

Yes But this type of happiness is different. This is where the term "happiness" becomes murky. I would describe this more like contented enjoyment, or contented joy. You don't experience it for any other reason except that the mind is calm and tranquil and fear, sadness, anger, fatigue, etc are not present. All of those conditions must be met. An other way to describe it is that it feels pleasant to let attention rest in the body. It is a meditative happiness. There is no need to be anywhere else. I would also like to point out that one is not likely to experience this if their needs are not met: social, financial, emotional, food, water, shelter, etc. One in survival mode cannot get there. Depression, stress, and anxiety are major hindrances. Lastly, you said, "Explain it to me.. Maybe then I will change my mind" It cannot be explained, but when you begin to touch on this state of mind again and again you will KNOW.

Jiu-jitsu is actually pretty fucking cool. And don't knock butthole sunbathing until you try it ya close-minded prick

It's been a while since I've seen anything from Wilbur. I wonder what he's saying right now. Not interested enough to watch hours of his videos, but still curious.

Yeah, but that's what all the cool kids are doing these days. This was two months ago. I wonder if they still think the administration is trying to "bring back family values" I hope they're at least now like, "Oh fuck, they're trying to burn it all down." Or maybe their spiral cult sees this as part of the unfolding of perfection. A lot of stroking of each other's nuts in this video. Really though, they need to learn more about fascism and corruption. They don't seem to see it. They see orange vs green. They took the "war on wokeism" bait. If I hear one of them say, "It'll be interesting to see what happens when..." one more time, I'm gonna chop off one of my own nuts. I don't think it'll be that interesting to see people starve and die due the oligarch's fascination with destruction.

After watching that video I don't think we're going to see much in the way of actual political positions. They just made integral into an ideology and want to flaunt the egos they think they've transcended.

Jesus Christ that video is annoying. Just a big intellectual circle jerk. These guys are enlightened as fuck alright.

All is well and good until your wife gets deported for having brown skin.

Does it matter what kind of syringe you use for plugging? What do you guys recommend?

You're making my point here. If you have a fear of psychedelics, then you have to face that shit. If you have a fear of consciousness, then you have to face that shit. I am well aware of this fear of psychs. I have had terrifying trips. I had my first taste of MALT recently and I sat in a chair for the first 30 minutes scared out of my mind. I would say that psychedelics are about dealing with whatever comes up. Including fear. And yes, that surrender is the name of the game. I do feel like there's a disconnect though. Here's an example of what I'm saying... Tripping balls in your mom's basement when you're afraid of public speaking at a coliseum is not facing your fears of speaking at a coliseum. You might have insight into your fear. It might help a bit. But thinking that a trip is going to eliminate your fear of speaking in front of 1000s of people is wishful thinking. I don't disagree with this at all.

The other thing I'll add, is that sometimes insight is enough to make permanent change. For very deep fears though, that shit takes time.

I second this. This is exactly what I was saying. Integration means facing the fears you were made aware of during your trip. If you have social fears, then, tada! Time to make some friends, join some groups, talk to people, go on dates, etc. Psychedelics do not take those fears from you on their own. Think of psychedelics just making you aware of your "stuff". It's up to you to work through it. Integration also means getting off your bum and doing the things that your heart desires. Most people do not pursue the things they actually want. Most aren't aware of what's holding them back, usually some form of belief or fear or just laziness in general. Again, psychedelics just offers insight into these mechanics and offers clarity into one's true desires. Often times people don't know what they actually want. If one is conflicted (incompatible desires), psychedelics can offer insight into which is more valuable. Other times people just need to get out there, experiment, and figure out what they like and want. It's up to us to learn about our place in life, what makes it worth living, etc. Life experience is what's called for, not psychedelics (although, nothing wrong with indulging or experimenting with them). I am pro psychedelics. I've been using them for a LONG time and still do. At this stage in my journey, though, I am very aware of their limitations. There is no substitute for life.

That is scary for Europe. Damn.

He seems to be running on a platform of "anti-wokeness". Same as the GOP in the US. Canada would best learn from the US and how we got to where we are now. Canada take heed

Doing psychs is not facing your fears. It's just doing psychs.

I would say that it depends. If you have social fears, like the OP mentioned, then sitting in your room tripping balls isn't going to help with that. Depression is usually some form of feeling stuck, trapped, or hopeless. The past sucks and there's no point in moving forward. Anxiety also comes with the territory. So, there's the feeling of being stuck and crippled with fear. Self-loathing is another symptom. All of things combined can be overwhelming and extremely difficult to walk through alone. Fear has to be faced, not wished away with psychs. To beat the flavor of depression that I mentioned, it takes an extraordinary amount of determination. The problem is, there's no really anywhere to go because nothing seems worth pursuing. But as the OP mentioned, you can have insight into the mechanics of mind on psychs. That's cool, just doesn't always lead to healing. But to answer your, LSD was my goto. I don't do well with mushrooms or DMT.

I tried psychedelics for years to treat depression and got nowhere with it. What I really needed was love, healthier habits, and enough stability so that I could work through all my shit without a veil of misery. Psychedelics don't address the underlying cause so just keep that in mind. Treating depression is really difficult to do on your own. I think for most that some form of community for stability and professional help for guidance and support is needed. Keep fighting the good fight. Wishing you the best.

Ok, so it's clear that there has been an underlying strategy in the gutting of democracy for a long time. It is a well-executed coup. What is also clear is that Trump is not the mastermind. He's too impulsive and doesn't think ahead. When watching him talk about tariffs it doesn't seem like there's any strategy there. Trump is just reacting. Which makes me wonder, is anyone on Trump's team actually backing his executive orders? How would any of these tariffs benefit even the oligarchs? His back and forth with the tariffs is creating fear and turbulence in the local economy. Why is he upping tariffs, then dropping them? There can't be strategy here. Just listen to him talk, he's just like, "It's not fair how they're treating us." FAIR?!! What a child. Canada is like, "Bro, we don't have fentanyl here, the border is secure, WTF else do you want from us?"

I was reading the "cat in the hat" book, eating cucumbers, and then it dawned on me. I haven't gone on a journey in a while. I went to my goodie jar and realized that I had a problem.

That could be. Will def keep that in mind.

That is absolutely not what he is doing. That's like saying seeing Hitler as totally negative is confirmation bias.

It is very much the US's war. Trump is effectively telling Putin he can go fuck the rest of our allies in Europe. Our trading partners, those who have our backs against our enemies. Then there's China, the next superpower in line. We need all the help we can get to prevent economic collapse. We just fucked ourselves. We just said, "Dear Putin, we don't mind if you destroy our economy if you let us suck your dick."

I mostly just pay attention to journalists these days just because the go deeper. The guardian isn't bad. CNN and BBC just to get a quick overview current events.