Codrina

Inspiring story. Thank you for sharing. ?

cute. I did not mean that at all. I am not sure you actually read my post. I do not disagree with Osho. I have been saying that for more than 10 years. I have been saying that people should take a test before being allowed to have children. You have to take a test to drive a car. Raising a healthy child is much more complicated than driving a car. Now, let me explain this, if you actually read my post and are still confused. I had the most beautiful garden last year. I took a piece of land in the back of the house where I had moved, which the neighbors were treating like their own personal garbage bin, dug it up, fed the soil, and planted everything, from all sorts of leafy greens to fruits and veggies. It was the most amazing experience to see it grow and thrive. It made space for a lot of other life as well. At one point it was caterpillar paradise. And it was enough food for everybody. Me, my neighbors and them. When you grow a garden, you have to plant some species inside. Like tomatoes. I had planted seeds and kept them on the window sill until they grew strong enough to be planted outside. Because you are not guaranteed that all seeds will sprout, you have to plant more than you will actually use. So, when the time came to move my tomatoes outside I found myself having to choose the bigger and stronger ones to live, and the smaller ones to turn to food for the soil. It was not an easy choice to make. It was a possibility for life which ended. Just like an abortion. People are so involved in their own species, they forget everything else is just as precious. When we will look at all life with the same eyes we look at a human life, when we will realize the sacredness of all, then we will be in a blessed world.

It is one thing to know the optimal path of action and a whole other thing to be capable of taking action

We overestimate what we can do in one year and underestimate what we can do in 5 years.

I too have the feeling that great changes are upon us. I don't know about the rest of the world, but the atmosphere in Europe is pretty tense. There is ever increasing dissatisfaction in most people and more unconscious coping mechanisms to deal with that dissatisfaction. I feel the tension will get to the point of either stare the truth, as painful as it may be, or self destruct in avoidance. I do incline more to the first outcome. I think people are slowly looking past the illusion and accepting their part in the dissatisfaction of their lives ( or at least I hope so) I was watching a commercial on my parents television one day and I got this (just a message in my mind, don't know where it came from) : ' I just want you to be happy. Will this do it for you? Or do you need more? I will give everything you want. What will it take for you to feel the love? I will give you everything. I love you!' I since then don't see commercials as evil and manipulating. As for the climate... after studying it for two years, I came to the conclusion that it is nothing more than the reflection of the collective mind. So, I just work on my mind now @Sartanion also, maybe you unconsciously desire a change in your life. Maybe give that some thought. In the end, all our opinions on the world outside are but a mirror of ourselves

Abortion is killing. Killing is destruction. Life is a play between creation and destruction. We all kill something every day. When people will be able to look at the tomato plant in their garden with the same degree of compassion as they look at an infant then we will be in a truly blessed world. I had two abortions in this lifetime - condom malfunction. Having a child without the possibility to care for it properly was not something I wanted. There is a lot of destruction in the world because of unconscious parents. I did not want to be one of them.

@exhale I do the same thing. I became aware of the process but didn't try to describe it. Thank you. Putting it in words helps. My mind likes to think that I am better than others, in a certain situation, but that is no longer a belief I hold. And it was never a totalitarian belief. I would see myself better in some situations and worse in other. (Hard to give up judgement when all we do is judge - judge the situation and the proper response to it...) I still think I am different than most people. Not better or worse, just different - obviously not on an absolute level - but just here; in persona. And I believe that it's the case with people here. We are here because we are somewhat different and this space allows us to meet the few out there with whom we share more than with people in our lives.

https://eand.co/why-self-help-is-mostly-self-destructive-bs-822af0aa85df I apologize. I didn't notice I didn't paste the link. This is the article. I understand very well what you are saying. I am working hard on improving myself, and everything else I do, except for my lazy days when I am too depressed to be bothered ( less days than they used to be, although more intense - everything is more intense now). I was curious about opinions on his perspective : the social situation which creates the vicious circle of more hard work. I can feel he's pointing to something. What I appreciate most about self help work is that you actually get to know the self, and if you keep looking, maybe the Self as well. And that is something people are missing in their lives. And sometimes I feel they get lost in the hard work for transformation and end up rejecting self. I have to agree that a lot of suffering people experience is a consequence of a poorly organized social system. At the same time, society is formed out of self and Self. How could you improve it if you don't understand your self, let alone the Self?

Hello everyone. I just read this article and couldn't help but acknowledge my own "everything is as it is because of me" (true on a metaphysical level) and if I work harder I will have a better life. "Just do the work" is something I read a lot on this forum. Can't help but wonder if more work is what we need... I would love to hear about your perspectives

@SoothedByRain His real name is probably Bob ?

@Dan502 That is something for me to discover

I find that studying nature helps see the relative concept of good and evil. There has always been killing and distruction. A never ending cycle of birth and death. If you can watch a volcano, a flood, a frost or draught annihilate all life around it and not perceive it as evil, there is no reason to look at destructive human action as evil. Let's not forget how much distruction humans have done to support the growth of their own species - the end result being a greater diversity in form. I think when in spiritual pursuit we sometimes forget that to create something you need to destroy something.

I have lived in 3 countries over the last 4 years. There is a feminist movement going on everywhere. And it gave me an uncomfortable feeling. I can feel energy quite well. And this year my awareness grew even more, thanks to me focusing more inward. In England there are men who are not allowed to spend time with their children, unless their mother agrees. Good, working men. The mother has all the rights. I see them lost in a stupid war over old grudges. Stories of 'I want to spend a weekend with my son and she said yes and now she changed her mind because she woke up feeling miserable and now wants to make me miserable as well'. And the children are the ones who suffer most. And it is a surprising amount of people in this story. I was truly shocked witnessing the same dynamic over and over again. In Spain there're feminist campaigns everywhere. Art, music, marketing, you name it. The more cosmopolitan the city, the more you see it spread. Like Barcelona is more into this paradigm than Madrid. What concerns me though, is that this story of feminism is not really about equal rights, but about revenge. There is a lot of hatred, blaming and shaming towards men. It is more like an annihilation of men, making them look mean, stupid and useless. The feminist propaganda I notice is not about how men and women share the same qualities, strengths and faults, but about how men hurt women through out history and how they are monsters and women are innocent victims. I feel this comes as an inevitable repercussion from women who denied themselves authenticity in favour of comfort. Comfort is the great temptation which suppresses growth. And women had more opportunities to choose comfort over authenticity than men, an offer many women took. I wish them to see beyond their pointless blaming and hatred.

When pursuing truth why create another storyline?

Waking Life - my all time favorite Earthlings - documentary - I saw it almost 10 years ago - turned vegetarian immediately after The Martian - a good lesson on shifting focus

I have always drawn, ever since I could hold a pencil. I used to just draw without anything in mind, quite a lot in school, when I used to get bored in the classroom. I took drawing, painting, sculpture and ceramic lessons for 3 years in highschool, learned the basics of drawing static nature and Human anatomy. I then went on to study architecture for 4 years and went deep into geometry. I then got into just creating different things: lamps, restoration of old furniture and old lamps, miniature decorative painting, more recently jewelry and actual painting. I am now working on an autumn landscape - a gift to my father. Few things I've learned: I always have an idea of what and how I want to create, but along the way the work morphs into something different and the end result is always better than what I envisioned - I let my hand go and trust the new vision as it unfolds. It is almost like I am the observer and not the doer. I didn't enjoy studying other artists. I think that helped me come up with new, original designs. I never had a lack of inspiration. I see everything around me as something to play and create with ( I often get lost into a creative project, ignoring everything else). In painting, I take an object and filter it through my own perspective. If I have to paint a cat, I can do it realistically, if I have to, but if I can play with the concept of the cat it might come out like this. My last discovery, however, blew my mind. I visited the Reyna Sofia Museum with my mom a month ago and I got to see Dali's work. I realized I paint like him, although I didn't study him. Same style, same finness in the brush strokes and same cartoonish vision. It was a very strange feeling. So, my advice is start with an idea and let it grow.

Totally agree @LfcCharlie4 'the purpose of life is to be happy, have fun and live the best life you can and help as many people along the way' And for some people fun and happy is greater diversity than the average mundane life - concepts, perspectives, inspiration in moment - I have to admit I enjoy reading quotes. A good quote is like a painting - condensed information - contemplation - nice way to end your Saturday evening. Or 'Mental masturbation', as Leo likes to put it. It's all a story in the end. It's your story and my story, and all stories ever told. One consciousness, lying to itself that it is more than one. With ever more intricate patterns. So why not enjoy it and play your role well - and in tough times remind yourself that all good stories have a plot

That would be really interesting to see. I think the time to bring more perspectives together is coming ( of course, there is the possibility of most names above dismissing Leo's content because of peer pressure)

I would say cold showers

I find myself in a new situation. For the first time in my life I have the financial freedom to do whatever I want. I worked hard to get this budget. I wanted to use it to start my career as an artist in Barcelona. (I dreamed about being an artist for the last 9 years) I got there, visited the city for a few days, looked for rent (I have the possibility to share a beautiful, huge industrial space with someone working in the movie industry). I was really excited being there. I then came back to Madrid, to my parents home and woke up thinking about my home town (small city in northern Romania). I thought about going back there, going back to school, working to be a teacher (I am thinking sociology, literature, philosophy or painting). I would still go on with art, but I would keep it more as a hobby. I am still trying to figure out where does this desire come from. Is it a genuine desire of my soul, or is it a fear of failure. When you decide to leave your country for a better future, how much of it is a running away from your own inadequacy and how much is reality? As a human being can you grow into your best version into your own culture, speaking your own language or is it the same being in a foreign country? Is this desire of mine a longing for Unity, a reunion with the space in which I spawned? How natural is it for humans to move from their birth place? I feel a lot of trouble in the world is caused by people thinking the grass is greener on the other side. I also felt like Barcelona was a really crowded place. I found myself asking while I was there: 'Does this place really need me to be here?' That poor piece of land looked really overused. Then I thought about the superficiality in the art world. I asked myself if the world really needs another artist, or there's something better I could do with my time. Barcelona would give me a good market, lots of opportunities. I want to use art to explore my thoughts on reality and bring awareness to people. How can I talk to Spanish people about their issues when I am not part of their community? People have a hard time listening to their closest friends when it comes to discussing issues. I just thought I could do more back in my home town, especially with so many young people leaving Romania. I also thought I would enjoy the amazing nature, and I would not be in a overcrowded space. I just wish I knew which direction to choose. I wish I knew if my dream of being an artist was just an easy way to avoid responsibility, my green stage of hippie dreams. Am I now growing up or am I still running away? I also realize that even though I have insights into the nature of reality I still have a lot of personal issues to work through. How can I do something for the world around me when me myself are in need of work? What makes a good life when there's no good without bad? How do you choose when there's nothing to choose? I apologise for my rambling. I am happy to hear your points of view

Hello. I searched online for Pharma Gamma. I found some which are called that, but on the ingredient list there is Gamma - Aminobutyric Acid - 100 mg for one capsule. Is that what it's supposed to be?

@Serotoninluv Thank you. I can see what Sadhguru says, but I don't know the science

'But to say you can transfer skills through genetics; a gold smith’s son is better at gold smithing because genetics... idk seems far fetched.'@Derek White It may seem, but it is not. Creation works on memory. You create something, you learn from it, you keep what works, you throw away what doesn't and you create something new. It is the whole mechanism of life. It works on memory - that is karma. The memory of life. You take a Shepard dog, who has never seen a sheep, take him to a heard and he will know how to keep your flock together. He will instantly just do it. It is his genetic memory. Just like all hunting dogs hunt without any teaching. Of course, humans have a very complex memory and your actions create new ones all the time. So, the son of a few generations of gold smiths will have a natural ability for it, that doesn't mean that he will cultivate it or that someone else, who has no history of it, can't learn it and get really good at it. My father has a very good drawing hand, and a good sense of aesthetics. He probably got that from his father. I got it from him. I think it is important to know the memory you carry, how it influences you and see what you choose to cultivate further. All the love!

Thank you for your advice. I do meditate, 30 min now. Sometimes for an hour. I also practice mindfulness throughout the day. I used to do an hour of yoga daily, until my work hours changed and I had to change my routine. Reading and writing are not much of an issue. I could work on oral communication, as I haven't practiced that since I was 15. I am well aware that the next stage of my life is going to be the toughest. That is why I want to choose the truest path to my heart. And I am just not sure which one it is anymore.

I am at a point in my life when I get to choose my path. I have a small budget which allows me to go anyway I choose. I had an idea of what I wanted to do, the reason I was working for my budget. I worked hard for almost two years and now, that I'm here, I am having second thoughts. I am trying to figure out if what I feel comes from truth or fear. I am soon to be 32. I always created. Loved it. I went to study architecture, probably for all the wrong reasons. Droped out after 4 years and went to be a bartender and trying to earn a living from my creations - never happened. I improved my technique and learned lessons along the years. Now I can afford to live in Barcelona and do art (my plan was be a bartender 20h a week, work on wooden jewelry 20h a week, and work some on my paintings - with the hope that in time I could give up bartending all together) But I feel like doing art is selfish and pointless. I feel like the world doesn't need more objects. I feel that more than anything I would like to help people find love again. I would like to be part of a community, to help, and I think that would be impossible in Barcelona. I know nothing of their struggles and communication to create deep connection is even more difficult with the culture barrier ( and my Spanish is nowhere near my English) I woke up the morning I was supposed to go and open a bank account here in Spain and thought if it would be better to go back to Romania, to my home town. It would be more difficult to get a job, but rent would cost a third of what I would pay in Barcelona. I could also do some good for the community which raised me. I thought I could study psychology and be a teacher. Work with people who stayed and create a better place to live, so maybe people won't feel like they have to run away, like me and plenty others. My family moved to Spain a few years ago. And it is better living conditions, for a worker, than in my home country. I wish I knew if it is a real desire, or if I am scared of my first dream and running away from it. Or have I just discovered that my first dream was not really a dream true to my heart, just a way to live a cool life in the eyes of others. In case it helps, I have a mediator personality and I am a natural leader - never liked to be a boss (I think the tyrannic aspect of leadership made me ignore that aspect in me) Thank you for taking the time to read