Roy

Alright so I watch the film. Wow, paints a pretty stark picture. I never imagined just how perverse things are. I'm a little disgusted. The speech and scene at the end with the orangutans made me cry pretty hard. I'm glad I watched this, I have a renewed surge for my green attitudes and habits I need to clean up.

Those "exceptions" are why there is conflict.

@Leo Gura I'm kind of curious, when planning and starting Actualized.Org, how "all-in" were you with the idea of YouTube and videos being income generators (and a career) for you? Was it something you were extremely committed to making work or did you just start slow and kept pushing once you realized it was gaining momentum? Of course it's a great free marketing platform. But there is a lot of luck involved as well, the algorithms sometimes just don't work out for people despite how much effort they put in. So many great quality channels and content creators get buried under the saturation of the market. Just interested in what your experience was in this regard, would your Actualized.Org project have changed radically if YouTube didn't become a big thing for you? Thanks in advance.

It just depends on the kind of lifestyle you want to live. Really narrow that down and know the details, know exactly how much that is gonna cost, how much free time do you want for yourself, or how much autonomy do you want at your job so you don't have that feeling of being a "work slave". If you have the classic desire to have 2000sqft house in the suburbs, raise 2-3 children, drive new vehicles, and go on 2 week vacations to the tropics every year. You are gonna need a lot of money for that in this day and age, and the only way most people know how to do that is get a classic job and grind and grind away so you can afford all that stuff, or get lucky enough to become a supervisor or boss in that pyramid scheme lol. If you have really low standards like you mentioned though your example was the most extreme, then it's more and more affordable to escape the wage slavery. Personally I'd be happy with $50,000-$60,000 a year (in Canada), enough to live sparsely but comfortably, to build a tiny sustainable home, adopt 1 kid, and work as a life coach 20-30 hours a week so I have more time to be with my girlfriend and to pursue my hobbies and travel. It really depends on your standards to be honest. I don't think there is necessarily anything "wrong" with most wage slave jobs. Working normal jobs this day and age is definitely easier than it was in the past. The problem is most people in the West are culturally conditioned with bullshit ideas about what it takes to live the "American Dream" and they never question those standards. They just throw themselves into the meat grinder that is the modern capitalist system. Go into debt to get a nice car, go into debt to get a nice house, go into debt to pay for child care because parents can't afford to not work. It's becoming less and less affordable for not only our health but the planet.

You are so young, you should honestly just be focused on enjoying this time in your life. You shouldn't be stressing too much about having it all figured out (despite the pressures you may feel), chances are no matter how much you plan for the next few years, by the time you are done high school or college your interests will change in ways you couldn't even fathom right now. So much you'll be like wtf? Academically, if you want to get anywhere it's important you put in the work to get the good grades and not just skim by. It does suck and it's boring but that is what's valued in that sphere. Just bite the bullet and push through the lack of interest. Do what you have to do to satisfy your parents and teachers for now. No more, no less. It's most important you try a lot of different things right now so you begin to discover who you really are; - Go to parties - Drink with your buddies - Chase girls - Get in trouble (not too much ) - Play sports you like, and try new ones! - Join or start clubs - Volunteer or get a part-time job (having some money is huge for supporting your interests and building good financial habits early) - Make friends with many different kinds of people and cliques - Talk to your teachers outside of your class topics about this stuff, most are more wise than you think! - Explore, explore, explore. And so on. Do your responsibilities so you have the TIME to pursue your interests and do all the things I just mentioned. Trying out all those things and the experiences you get from them will start to erode that feeling of being "lost". You will start to become the own guide for your life. Remember you will eventually do that job better than anyone else could for you. Hope that helps! Cheers!

Imagine imagining that you were imagining, and on top of that was another layer of imagination. Now THAT is spooky!

What if indeed!

Too many people just want the spoilers, enjoy the show of life! You only get one chance to watch it so why miss it?

I like the way you think @electroBeam, but be careful not to put all your stock into one perspective or way of understanding.

I bookmarked it yesterday but haven't had time for it. I'll watch it as I go to sleep tonight and finish what I miss when I wake up, then report back to this thread for you @TrynaBeTurquoise I'm really excited.

I've read a lot of this thread and all I have to say on the topic is this - Remember guys (and gals), you don't owe Leo anything. He may have provided you with something valuable or improved an aspect of your life in some way, but you have no obligation to stick around. Especially if the path he's going down doesn't resonate with you and scares/worries you. If that's the case just say thank you for what you got, then leave. Remember all this is supposed to just be scaffolding anyways. You use it then throw it away. If you are sticking around just for the hell of it and not really fully grasping or integrating the content in a healthy matter it's probably an attachment issue, which is a problem in and of itself that has to do with the individual, not Leo. Don't be part of the reason people could justify calling this a cult. Yes Leo has a responsibility, but it's just not realistic for him to check-in with everyone and make sure they're up to speed and not going to misinterpret him and follow blindly. He is doing some cutting-edge radical stuff that the majority of people just won't be ready for. It takes time, careful navigation, and a lot of risk too. He shouldn't have to stop or hamper his process because he's constantly worried about babysitting. The fact is, yea a number of people are going to be blind and dogmatic about copying Leo will make catastrophic misinterpretations that could affect their lives negatively. If that's the case they weren't doing the work properly and we're probably fucked anyways. Accept that you can't control for every person in the world, you'd be so busy trying to put out the fires of stupidity you'd forget to work on yourself, which is why are all here (mostly). Personally I won't be sticking around or following as much in the future. I'm noticing that while the concepts are neat and speak to me, a lot of it is just mental masturbation and not practical for what I need at this point in my life to match my goals. Don't keep investing if you're getting diminishing returns. Remember you can always come back later. I'll leave this thread with a quote that's high relevant; "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him."

@Chumbimba Create a routine so refined you don't even need to think, they won't be able to help but laugh at some level just out of respect for your your effort. You have all the time in the world to come up with something, because there are no expectations if you've never gone and nobody has heard of you! Self-deprecation is a great category to start because A) It shows you don't take yourself too seriously B) If you are already bashing yourself what more can they do to you? Also mention that it's your first time and they'll be a lot gentler with you and cheer you on. That will help get rid of the fear almost right away. Besides even in an environment like a bar or club, most people are pretty chill and won't be dicks about. Most of them would never have the guts to get on stage and they know that. What's the worst that could happen if it goes bad anyways? You'll never see those people in your life again.

Shame is a sneaky defense mechanism of the ego in which it tries to indirectly or directly influence and nudge people into behaving or thinking a certain way. If it can get everybody to conform to be like it, then it can absolve all responsibility to change or improve itself without remorse. It feels safe, comfortable, and justified in the warmth of numbers. Notice how every cult, religion, political group, and any other kind of collective ego (or individual) uses shame as a tool for propagating itself and achieving it's goals. The intensity and frequency it uses shame should be one of the biggest indicators for how toxic and corrupt it is. It's another example of how negativity is an ineffective and unsustainable tool and as you said @Ethan1, love is a more viable alternative.

@MadeWithLove It could, but the positive effects might massively outweigh the negatives. Completely connecting humanity like this will allow important information to be shared with greater effect. Less developed nations will be kept up to date with important medical insights. Architects will get streamlined knowledge for building safer bridges roads. Beautiful music and art will get shared which will spawn more love and joy. People from different cultures will be illuminated to the fact we are really all the same and have nothing to fear. Of course that comes with a bunch of bad things you could imagine as well but everything in life is a trade off.

A review of Alex Grey's lifetime or artwork and how art helps evolve consciousness and connects us.

@28 cm unbuffed Learn to gamify it. Flip it on it's head. Besides is there anything better to do?

@Leo Gura That's really cool, didn't consider that. Explains why I can count the major insights and epiphanies I've had wide awake on one hand while I've done dozens lucid dreaming or half awake barely sleeping. There is a certain irony in being the most clear about life while everything is so blurry. Almost like reality is kind of playing a sick joke on itself, hah! Must be another instance of the counter-intuitive nature of life

The fact you are even in a place like this is a tremendous first step. Spend some time doing some identifying and think hard about where your biggest issues are coming from. There is an explanation for everything you just need to be willing to dig for it. I think you are willing otherwise you wouldn't be here, right?

You'd be amazed at what you can accomplish. The only thing getting in the way however, is you, and what you believe and think about yourself.

Don't know why he's bringing up feudalism other than to make a comparison that paints capitalism as barbaric. He's not really saying anything other than the obvious, "Pandemics are bad for human activity mmmkay?" Of course there are problems with the current system. It's rampant, reckless, and disregards supporting many necessary structures in pursuit of greed. That's not quite just the system but more of a problem with poor leadership and American idealism of freedom that everyone should captain their own ship, which obviously fails on a macro scale 21st century for many people. It might have been ideal for nation building in the 1800's and early 1900's but not anymore. Think of modern capitalism (in America mostly) as a work dog on a farm that isn't being tamed properly. If you don't discipline it or put it on a leash when there is food around, it will eat everything in the room and starve itself for the future. It just needs a stronger leash and a better owner (government) but it's still an effective work dog. The virus is just showing capitalism's limits. The correct path is a post-capitalist socialism in countries like Denmark where they invest a reasonable amount of the excess back into the society democratically (That will never happen in the US for at least 25-35 years though, a lot more older generations needs to die for that kind of narrative progress). The problem is we have is that there isn't really any other viable systems to generate the kind of wealth we would need to weather something like this. They are all weak dog breeds that can't work on a farm properly. The idea that we'd be better off under from this under an initially more interconnected social system, government run or not is a farce and naively goes against everything we know about human nature. The Marxist and Anarchist conversation has been played out so much it's so dry and just fucking annoying at this point. It just doesn't map onto reality and is a waste of time discussing.

@Serotoninluv I have to highly disagree with this. The content has become increasingly more interesting and advanced, but the quantity of messiness has certainly increased and things have become less polished over the past 10 months I'd say (probably starting at the conscious politics series onward). They've gotten longer and longer because he appears to be rambling a lot more and taking way too long to get to the important points. I have the patience and listen to hour+ long things all the time, but his videos are becoming less engaging. Just my opinion.

Meme trip report for various substances -

Probably would avoid a lot more of the backlash from the outside and infighting within the community if he gave a longer disclaimer at the start. Warning people that they need to go through a lot more earlier work to even scratch the surface of the deeper stuff. Otherwise it just sounds like him running his mouth. A small bit of lip service that "this is radical" and "this is super advanced" isn't enough. The videos are 2 hours long anyways it's not like a 10 minute thorough disclaimer would really make a difference. I think it's required because probably 95% of the view-count anyways are people who have almost no real comprehension of what he's saying.

I've done Salvia. I was decently high on pot when I did it so I'm sure how much that changed the trip if any. Anyways I'll keep it short. I took the bong hit and set it down. Within 20 seconds my vision started vibrating, then disappeared. Normal reality was completely replaced. I didn't have a body anymore, no feeling of breathing, no arms, no legs, no feeling of blood and warmth. Over the course of roughly 5-10 minutes I became the objects around the room. Literally became a TV and a couch. Felt what it was like to have a rigid plastic frame and soft cushy fabric as my physical body. It seemed extremely defined. I felt the function of my existence was to project light and images as a TV, and the purpose of letting people sit on me as a couch, like it was divine and fulfilling . I was more interested at what the hell was happening rather than panicking if I was going to be trapped there. I couldn't think in English thoughts like I would if I was sober, but I had a vague sense/feeling in the back of my mind that "everything was going to be fine, I'd be sober in a few minutes". I came down shortly after apparently slowly walking around the room for a bit. Patterns begin to wind down and rather quickly all my senses restored to normal. I didn't do it back then out of any spiritual inclination. I was 18 and just want to do drugs with my best friend. Even now on "the path" I don't think it would have much practical use. It's just an interesting short little psychedelic you can take that shows you completely different states of reality as possible. More foreign and radical you can really imagine, except it won't just be imagining it will literally shatter your current reality and take you there........... for a handful of minutes. Does that sound valuable to you? If that sounds really interesting then it's worth a shot.

@Ya know It only seems insane from a certain perspective on what the word "love" means. In the way most people perceive what love is, of course it would seem insane to love the holocaust. A lot of the work is just expanding and challenging contemporary meanings of what we feel certain stuff means. The resistance comes from when people (the ego) thinks it has a full understanding of something. When really they only understand about 1% of it.