Raptorsin7

@Angelite Sigh... The verse is literal. You are trying to tell me that I shouldn't read that verse as if a man is allowed to strike or beat his arrogant and disobedient wife? This is paradigm crush... You invited people to argue against your paradigm... Then you ignore arguments and cherry pick verses to avoid uncomfortable realities of following Islam as it's written. Those verses are part of the whole. A woman's intellectual deficit compared to a man, and the man's right to beat arrogance out of his wife. That is part and parcel of Islam. That's why i'm trying to argue against it because those are obviously wrong and not from god...

Men are in charge of women by [right of] what Allah has given one over the other and what they spend [for maintenance] from their wealth. So righteous women are devoutly obedient, guarding in [the husband's] absence what Allah would have them guard. But those [wives] from whom you fear arrogance - [first] advise them; [then if they persist], forsake them in bed; and [finally], strike them. But if they obey you [once more], seek no means against them. Indeed, Allah is ever Exalted and Grand. “…And get two witnesses out of your own men. And if there are not two men (available), then a man and two women, such as you agree for witnesses, so that if one of them (two women) errs, the other can remind her…” Allaah has commanded the testimony of two women so as to be sure that they remember, because the mind and memory of two women takes the place of the mind and memory of one man. (See I’laam al-Muwaqqa’een, part 1, p. 75). https://islamqa.info/en/answers/20051/why-is-the-witness-of-one-man-considered-to-be-equal-to-the-witness-of-two-women Are there verses in the Quran that say this? These are translations so it's not 100% the same. You basically called me a liar fyi...

I have 3 weeks off until next semester starts. This time is incredibly valuable. I don't want to over extend myself so i'm going to focus on a few things that I want to grow over these next few weeks. Read Abraham Hicks, and try to understand her videos more and LoA teachings more. Begin Leo's life purpose course. Not sure if i can or should finish it in 3 weeks but I need to just start it. 3 hour continuous meditation sit. Learn how to lucid dream I feel good about these things, and I can get the ball rolling on each of them in the coming days.

I have been a devil on the forum over the past few days. I've triggered multiple people. I also missed an appointment with Nahm. I've also got into an argument with my family since I just came home from break. I am very confused right now. I just want to get my life together and make progress. I have felt stuck for a long time. Emotionally and physically stuck. Spiritually I feel like i am growing and becoming more open minded. I have to do this on my own. I care too much about what others are doing. On this forum, in my life, everywhere. I'm always giving other people advice, but i am a huge fucking mess right now. I do not have my shit together. I think this is big devilry, by giving advice without me actualizing my own potential first. I need to prove that this stuff works on myself first. Before i start preaching to others. I am scared. And i don't really know what I can do that will actually work. I feel like i'm running on a hamster wheel with the meditation, the yoga, the time on this forum. I don't know if it's going to work or not. I mean i'm not even happy. I'm going for enlightenment and i'm not even happy in my life right now.

I'm very confused about how to control my thinking. Sometimes I hear people say that you don't control thinking, and that thoughts are simply arising in awareness. But on the other hand I think that my thinking habits are the reason I am unhappy, and so i need to change thinking habits to improve my feeling in life. But how do i resolve this paradox? Am in control of thinking or are thoughts just arising outside of my control? Also, can someone expand on the role of thinking in how we feel about our lives. Why is it that thinking is important to happiness?

@tsuki Have you ever looked at @Nahms threads or comments. He is very wise, and has helped me a lot. He could probably help you. Good luck friend. As i learn more i'll come back and try to help.

@tsuki Yeah sorry I get that what i'm saying may not be resonating. I'm just trying to help. I just believe that major life improvements are much closer than people realize.

@tsuki No, then you are not understanding it fully. You are thinking too much. The more concepts you have about this stuff the farther away you are from the truth that will set you free. I don't know exactly what you're doing, or what beliefs you have, that are causing you so much suffering. But i'm confident that there is something subtle about your reality and direct experience that is fucking you. You are the source of your own suffering. Not your boss, not your parents, YOU. Keep trying your best though. I hope things get better soon (:

@28 cm unbuffed Are you happy and satisfied with your life then? If you are already happy and satisfied what is your motivation to continue with spiritual work?

@28 cm unbuffed So you're enlightened?

@28 cm unbuffed Yea that is what i'm seeking too. I accept that my happiness will have to be unconditional for it to be meaningful. But how to start this process?

@Max_V Very good. I have a similar complex around achievement. Part of the reason i'm on this forum is because I want to be super successful, and achieve my greatest potential. But then I think why i even care about this. That why is the important part. Whatever reason you think you have for researching this stuff is bullshit. Examine the why, and you will learn so much more.

@28 cm unbuffed agreed

@Surfingthewave I don't agree necessarily with that. Life never stops, and we will always be growing throughout our lives i have no doubt. But in terms of happiness and satisfaction with life that is binary. I am looking for happiness, the same way people look for water in a desert. It's not true to say that a thirsty guy in a desert is on a lifelong journey to improve his water getting. No, he gets his water he's done and now he moves onto other issues. This is how i view happiness. It's like a character trait. Some people are just happy and satisfied for some reasons. Others, like me, are looking hard for it. I'm the guy in the desert looking for water. When i get my water i'm good

@Max_V Why do you care about intelligence at all?

@Bluff I can that stand for only moments at a time before i get dragged back into content. I know changing thinking can work wonders that's why im so interested in it. I want to get this little win, before i move onto something more advanced like trying to embody just plane awareness in every moment of my life.

@tsuki I understand. There's no problem with looking for another job and trying to get out of the toxic situation. But don't make a rash decision out of anger and fear. You have a lot of emotional baggage clearly, and it seems you aware of a lot of your issues. What do you think of what i wrote above. Do you believe you can change your happiness from within? Do you even believe it's possible?

@28 cm unbuffed Yea i'm not arguing any of that at all. But if it's you vs Nikolas Tesla and there's a math problem. Good luck with all those nootropics, and psychedelics.

@Max_V Genes will determine the content of your brain. The types of neurons, etc. Then the brain is responsible for your intelligence or problem solving ability. But the brain is very complex so I'm not sure how intelligence will change in the future.

@Surfingthewave I don't believe in the chemical inbalance theory of depression. I agree with the other parts though, I also have poor discipline so i can't implement those things at will. I have a lot of soft addictions that are difficult to uproot.

@Max_V Yea. Think of the brain as a computer. Computers have different RAM, Hard drive space, graphics cards. Each computer is the sum of it's parts, which will define the limits of the what the computer can do. Human brains are the same. Those underlying structural differences are due to differences in our genes.

@Max_V I think intelligence comes down to your ability to problem solve. So people are limited in their ability to think creatively, work with multiple concepts and paradigms at once. Their minds operate like computers and they are efficient at solving problems, and recognizing where the next problems are going to arise in their problem. So those guys I mentioned are at bottom elite problem solvers. If you ask me how to solve a complex math equation I will have no clue wtf is going on. If you ask Einstein. He will learn the relevant math, he will go through the steps and problem solve until he reaches a point where he can solve the math equation. And he will do efficiently so he's not spending a lifetime learning Calculus.

@Max_V Based on personal experience I think we have innate limits to our intelligence based on our genes. Guys like Albert Einstein, Nikolas Telsa, these guys are a different breed. To make the argument that genes don't limit our intelligence would be to say that anyone could be Einstein or Telsa which I think is foolish.

I don't really know what's preventing happiness. It's just when i stop and look at my life, and more importantly how I feel about my life it just doesn't feel good. I feel like life should feel way better than this, and I've experienced times in my life where life was much more satisfying and enjoying. So i'm trying to solve it with meditation by going for enlightenment but I think what I really want is genuine happiness. @Nahm gave me great advice about aligning thinking with feeling and stuff. But i'm still confused. I don't know what specific thoughts are causing me to be unhappy. I just know right now i'm not happy. And i feel like I could feel 10000 million times happier but I just don't for some reason.