r0ckyreed

You didn’t mention anything positive, so what you said is half-truth at best. Reality includes both positive and negative elements.

@Leo Gura You bring up some good points that I will contemplate more. Thanks for your detailed responses. In the context of this post, I am still curious about what women are really looking for in physical attraction. Like is it symmetry of face, muscles, or what? Is there such a thing as a universally attractive male? If so, what makes a man a 10/10 on looks? Brad Pitt is an example that comes to mind. A lot of women would rate him highly as physically attractive. But why?

A lot of negative beliefs. Not a single positive belief in this post.

I appreciate your thoughts on this. I am just struggling to accept this because that would mean that more than half of the books on your booklist are full of shit. It is just hard to accept given that people like David Goggins were once 300 lbs and illiterate and were able to persevere through hard work. That’s David Goggins secret to success. He didn’t have the best genes. In fact, his Sickle Cell held him back and almost took his life according to his book. I don’t know how you would explain that. The philosophy of Rocky Balboa is all about hard work. Rocky didn’t have the best genes or anything. His work ethic was the best and that’s what made him the best. Ivan Drago had the best genes and Rocky was still able to beat him because he trained harder. David Goggins was very similar. He didn’t have the best genes in the Seals. But it was his determination that helped him achieve the pull-up record, run ultras, and get through hell week. Genes without discipline are nothing. There are many child prodigies who get forgotten. Robert Green talks about this concept in his book Mastery. He says discipline is more important than one’s natural talent. That mastery is achieved through deliberate practice. Of course, a person with Fragile X will probably have limits on their intelligence that would prevent them from being a mathematician no matter how hard they practice. And a person with Anterograde amnesia will never be able to learn a new skill. So there are limits on consciousness. But from my personal experience, there were people who were more naturally talented than me, and I still kicked their ass at tennis, trumpet, chess, and education through my deliberate practice.

Hello. I am flying for the first time alone. I went through the airport security millimeter wave technology, and I can’t help but wonder how it works and whether I am getting radiation exposure and what this will do to my long-term health if I will be a more frequent traveler. What do you all do? I heard you can request for a thorough pat down instead. The millimeter seems less time consumption but am concerned about the health risk. I typed my question into ChatGPT and this is what it said: “Millimeter wave technology is used in some airport security scanners, such as body scanners and luggage scanners. These scanners emit non-ionizing radiation in the form of millimeter waves, which are a type of electromagnetic radiation. Non-ionizing radiation has lower energy than ionizing radiation and is generally considered to be less harmful. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the United States states that millimeter wave scanners used in airports emit far less energy than other common devices such as cell phones and microwave ovens. The scanners are designed to operate within safety guidelines and limits set by regulatory agencies to minimize any potential health risks. The millimeter wave scanners used in airport security are considered safe for most people, including pregnant women and children. However, individuals with certain medical conditions or concerns about radiation exposure may request an alternative screening method, such as a pat-down search. It's important to note that while the risk of radiation exposure from millimeter wave scanners is generally considered to be low, it is not entirely zero. However, the amount of radiation exposure from these scanners is typically well below the safety limits established by regulatory agencies. If you have specific concerns about radiation exposure or airport security, it's always a good idea to consult with relevant experts or authorities who can provide you with the most up-to-date and accurate information.” Thanks!

But Owen’s looks aren’t that great and he gets many girls? Isn’t it all subjective?

Hello. I just recently filed my taxes for 2023 through H&R Block. But I am interested in how you all go about filing your taxes and keep your expense and savings records for your tax year. Please share what you do because my school never taught me. I did some research and some websites like TurboTax, cash app, or Creditkarma offer a free service to do taxes in. But I am curious if there is a more efficient way that I am overlooking like some app or something. Thanks.

Thanks guys! I will try to utilize these resources for next tax season.

Right. The paradox of freewill/control. Still, it is important to not adopt a victim mindset. Genetics is important but epigenetics is even more important. It is possible to have good genes and do nothing with your life and have poor genes and do something with your life. It does me nothing to adopt negative beliefs around genetics. In all honesty, genetics are imaginary and all we should really focus is our direct experience. Genetics do not exist in the present moment but are a mental construct that humans invent just like gender and race. We can’t control our biology, so it is a waste of time complaining about it and developing negative beliefs. It is all about our choices. Discipline can be developed. Mastery is all about deliberate practice.

Health is also lifestyle. We cannot control our genetics, so it doesn’t help us to worry about them. We need to focus on what we can control which is our lifestyle. If you aren’t going to the gym 5 times a week, then the results are on you. This genetics stuff is just victim mentality. We can overcome and persevere with discipline, will, and lifestyle factors. Of course, our health will die in the end, but it is no point in being a victim to the fact that you can control your energy levels through your lifestyle. Anything otherwise is victim mentality.

I would say personality is at number one. Fame and status get you gold diggers or low quality girls. So, I guess you are right that it will get you girls, but just not ones that I would want to be my girlfriend. What I look for is a woman who can fall in love with my own intelligence the way that I do and to love her mind as well. Not very many women I know are existentially-oriented, so it is gonna be a challenge for me. But I will not lower my standards. I’d rather be single than to have a girlfriend/wife that is below my standards. I want someone I can trust, respect, go on outdoor adventures with, who is athletic, who I can meditate with, and who I can have philosophical conversations with. Being with a woman who doesn’t fit that criteria, I am better off just masturbating to my own intelligence.

You make some good points. I am not sure what the stipulations of that law are. But I think it should only be legal for medicinal use and not recreationally. From my experience, legalization = more people using. Because somehow people get this idea that if it is legal, then it is okay. In America, we make a lot of things legal that are destroying adults and youths health. I am more liberal because I don’t think people are wise enough to make responsible choices. If you look at Covid, many people didn’t make the wise choice of choosing vaccines and masks. I am not saying that ice cream should be illegal. But it is the governments job to protect the public and community. If weed is legal recreationally, it will be harder to enforce laws of people using it in the wrong ways such as driving while high, going into restaurants while high. It should be like alcohol that if they catch you using it on the streets, you are getting fined. You need to use the substance in a controlled area like a bar or at your own home. I honestly don’t know the answer to the hard questions, but I exercise caution in legalizing drugs. As much as I want psychedelics legalized, I see so many people even on here abusing them. What do you think the average person will do with these dangerous substances especially with significant mental health issues? I think we honestly need a drug license just like we have a drivers license. People need to see a psychologist and do a psychological evaluation before they are able to have a license to drink, smoke, and use psychedelics. It’s just like gun control. We need drug control. However, that is a whole other issue that I think the USA needs to have a psych eval for that too and not just a background check.

It’s not a good idea. Studies show cannabis destroys the gray matter in your brain, which also correlates with lower levels of concentration, impairment in cognitive functioning, especially when used in adolescence. Not very wise.

Realize that without suffering, there is no conflict. Without conflict, there is no challenge. Without challenge, there is no growth. Without growth, there is no adventure. Without adventure, there is no meaning. Without meaning, there is no creation. Without creation, there is only death.

I know it’s in the guidelines but it doesn’t make sense if you are in a God-Consciousness high where you are in infinite love. People post worse things on here sober. It just seems weird to be discriminatory to states of consciousness, especially in this type of circle. I mean I am naturally high, and I can reach high states in contemplation/meditation that people who smoke weed can get. So, I shouldn’t be allowed to post if I can meditate into a “high” state?

We can’t post in God-Consciousness? WTF. How would you even enforce that rule because it is literally impossible to prove. I could type shfhjsjehshdjwbeheb jsjdhejshs and I could be completely sober but just dumb as hell. I would argue that many sober people post more dumb stuff than people in the God state. To answer the OP’s question. Reality is perfect because reality just is. It exists and in order for something to exist or even possible to exist takes infinite orders of balance and intelligence. You sitting there typing and a person born with Fragile X are perfect because reality includes everything. If reality was just rainbows and butterflies, then it wouldn’t be perfect. It would be unbalanced. There could be no free will if evil cannot exist.

That’s not the reason. It’s because society doesn’t make it a priority. It is a systemic issue with state curriculums and boards. We are all going to face some of these issues in life no matter how prepared we are because we are going to lose our health, our mind, and finances one day.

I am curious as to how me sitting down and focusing on my breath is not going to be a waste of time. 2 years ago, I meditated for 4 hours straight, and it seemed like a complete waste of time. I was sitting, focusing on my breath, and counting my breaths, and that was pretty much it lol. I don't really see how meditation is going to add to any existential understanding of reality. One thing that I did gain from my meditation retreat was that I learned how to deal with discomfort and boredom, but me sitting and counting my breaths didn't add anything else. There was no insight from no thought. It is kind of frustrating because I have read a lot of meditation books, and it just doesn't seem to be as effective as simple contemplation. The only meditation technique that has worked was Leo's Satisfaction Meditation. But that meditation doesn't gain me any insight that reality is imagination. All meditation has ever done for me is give me insights into equanimity and suffering. It seems like I gain more contemplating something for 10 minutes than I ever could from a 2 hour sit. I think a good 10 minute meditation session a day is good, but anything longer than that seems like a waste of time, and one is better off approaching women to see if their meditation practice can hold to the test. I agree with Owen Cook that sitting down and meditating is a waste of time. I can meditate while I am thinking, making a business, and socializing with women. I see the benefits of a 10 minute sit and an occasional 1 hour sit, but there is a threshold to where a certain amount of sitting time on the cushion doesn't add anything more to your life.

Why is there nothing rather than something?

The modern United States Public School System is objectively a waste of time. College is debatable and dependent on one’s study, but public schools K-12 do not teach people how to become wise adults. They just teach math, history, science and English. This alone will not make you wise. Most people’s problems stem from lack of education in their health, psychology, finances, etc. I could have a field year with why K-12 school system is objectively futile.

I have been practicing memento mori - remember, you are mortal, from the Stoics. Reflecting on my mortality and death has allowed me to be more adventurous and courageous in my life because I know this is the only one I get. The teachings of reincarnation and death being imaginary seem like dangerous teachings to me because they dismiss the value of this life and assume that this isn't the only life we live. If I think I am going to live forever, it seems to make me think I have all the time in the world. But the truth is the everyday I grow closer to death. Some people will object saying that "death is imaginary because you are literally imagining that you will die but the only thing you have is this present moment and death is something you are imagining in the future." I don't really agree with this argument because I may be imagining that I am mortal and that death will come, but the reality is that it will. To state this argument is foolish because that's like saying that Sylvester Stallone being dead is imaginary. It is like saying that the tree falling down is imaginary. But the reality is that Sylvester Stallone will die just like Carl Weathers and everyone else before him. The tree will fall down someday. And more babies and more trees will come to existence. Death and mortality might not exist in the immediate present moment and may be something I am thinking about right now, but they are still realities present in the human condition. We can see just how fragile a human being is. To say "death is imaginary" is like saying that "covid and being sick is imaginary" since I am healthy right now. But the reality is that change does exist and is not imaginary. The present moment exists right now and is not imaginary. Everything that you imagine takes place in the present moment of course, but that does not mean that it isn't a reality. Imagination is part of reality. So, therefore, anything I imagine is part of reality. Death is part of reality whether I am imagining it or not. This is what objectivity means. My main criticisms of Actualized Teachings is that they dismiss the concept of "objectivity" and focus on Absolutism and Relativism, but hardly any discussion is on the concept of Objectivity. Objectivity is things that exist whether I am imagining them or not such as gravity, death, and immortality. When I am talking about imagination, I am using that synonomously with thinking. At a higher level, the Universe is creating reality, but at my human level, my human imagination is not creating reality in the same way the Universe is. For instance, I cannot imagine myself being immortal and it becoming true. I cannot change the laws of Consciousness/Physics/Gravity because these things are being "Imagined" by the Universe, which the Universe's power exceeds my egoic power. So, objectivity does exist. People can be wrong about reality. Why would we argue if people couldn't be wrong? Ever thought about that? If it was all just opinion and subjective, then there would be no point in arguing because to say your opinion is more true than someone else's would be a subjective statement, and, hence, you would be contradicting yourself. Saying that death is imaginary is like saying that being blind is imaginary. Sure, I am imagining blindness and I am not blind right now, but if I stick a knife in my eye, I will become blind. I don't need to actually stick a knife in my eye to prove that this will happen. That is just foolish. Me knowing that blindness will happen without directly experiencing it is an example of implicit/intuitive understanding. All I am trying to express is that we should balance the teachings of death being an illusion with the teachings of death being a reality. Death of Consciousness may be an illusion at a higher level, but the death of this human experience is a reality waiting to happen just like how a seed is bound to grow into a tree, and then the tree is bound to fall over. That is its fate. Our human fate is to turn to bones. I find it helpful to reflect on my mortality rather than my immortality so that I can be ambitious in life. I may reincarnate after this lifetime, but I am not going to attach myself to that belief system. I am going to live like this is the only life I get, and I am going to put all of my effort, ambition, discipline, and love into creating the best ego I can create. What are your thoughts?

I’m thinking a short 5 minute daily practice in morning and evening would be good for me and then go and experience life while I am still alive. I never know when I will die. I don’t want to spend my existence in a monastery or cave. I want to spend it being adventurous, curious, and ambitious. Awakening is mysterious, and I believe it can happen when I least expect it.

I watched the Samadhi Documentary. It is good. Anybody else have any good documentaries?

Mega Thread for sharing the best spiritual documentaries. Please share yours! Here is mine: Limitless with Chris Hemsworth

He's referring to it in the context of insight, which is what I am referring to as "a waste of time" in this thread. There is no denying that meditating can give me peacefulness, but truth and bliss aren't the same thing.