r0ckyreed

Seems like this is another BS leaving post. These posts are pointless and are just trying to get attention. The guy is still here. Lock the thread. It is a pollution.

If that is true? Why are you only posting videos of GMW? That is the only reason why I made that comment. It just seems like all your information is coming from one source.

A thought just came to me from reading Leo’s recent blog post on leftist politics. I was just thinking that it is ironic that Leo has a focus and deep critical thought about politics, but he doesn’t really have any content about morality. All of his content so far has been about self-help, metaphysics, epistemology, and politics. There is no content I have found except for the video he made called Why Good and Evil Do Not Exist. But this is a metaethics video and does not tell us anything about morality and the best ways to navigate through moral dilemmas This is what I feel is missing from Actualized.org. It is a deep inquiry and analysis of right action. Yes, morality is relative, but that doesn’t mean we should dismiss all conversation about it. Self-help is relative but we discuss that. Think of morality as another part of self-help that we can call other-help. Morality is the biggest issue in our society. Leo has discussed about corruption but there is nothing on normative ethics. Normative ethics and applied ethics are the missing pieces. We know morality is relative, but that means that there are true and false answers within the context that we arbitrarily define. For instance, we could say that health is relative based off of our definitions of health and other factors like epigenetics. But within our defined scope, there are true and false answers such as eating this mushroom will damage your health. In this same light, we can have true and false answers about morality if we have the parameters defined such as being focused on creating social harmony and social well-being, which those would also have to be further defined. I get the problem. Within every concept we have, people have different definitions but yet we are still able to refer to the same thing. This is the paradox of language. We need to talk about morality more because this is an essential part of our lives and personal growth. How can a Devil learn how to be moral if we never focus on answering the question of how to be moral? Why be moral? If we just say morality is a waste of time because it is relative, then you are missing the point. Your health is relative. Morality is social health.

Obsession over a guru won’t get you anywhere.

Yes. But watching the breath alone is time that you won’t be engaged in critical thought and contemplation. Contemplation is one of the best ways of gaining understanding, intelligence, and insight. To even type a logical response to this thread requires that you engage in critical thought and not just stuck on watching your breath. If meditation is making you dull, you are doing it wrong. Curiosity is number one.

Bird Box

That's the thing is that anyone who says they fear death are very good at lying to themselves. There is a difference between logical analysis and your emotional response. Fear is emotional, so there is no logic you can do that will eliminate that fear. When the gun goes to your head, your heart will pump blood like there's no tomorrow.

I do agree with what you are saying. I just think that is the missing piece when Leo talks about morality is that it is very metaphysical (which is good) but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of practicality in how to work through these ethical situations, especially when it goes into politics like trying to balance different issues such as drug legalization or whatever. But even these political issues are out of most peoples control and can be impractical for them. I think one of the best principles is devoting time to contemplate and dissecting each theory, the pros and cons, and then to establish your own view of morality.

You don’t know that. If a gun was pointed to your head and asked “what do you know for certain? Tell me a lie and I will blow your head off,” you wouldn’t be making these assertions about death. You honestly think that you are the exception to everyone else? Everyone dies except for you? How selfish of you, you Devil. You are gonna be put 6ft under just like everyone else. This kind of thinking gets us nowhere. You could make the argument that seizures are an illusion because I have never had them and have no evidence that I will ever get them. Yeah, all that sounds good logically speaking, but emotionally, your body knows it is going to die. That is why you have fear. That is the only reason why fear exists. Death is part of Infinity in the same way sleep is. There is absolutely zero evidence that I will lose consciousness and go to sleep tonight. But I will anyways. There are plenty of things in life that are true that have none or limited evidence. Evidence deals with conviction/belief and not with truth. What is true is beyond evidence.

The issue is being too metaphysical is too detached from most people. The masses aren’t going to be at that developmental level in this lifetime.

Right. That is simple on paper but is so complex in practice. Your blog post suggests that it is so difficult to implement morality in practice. We can create laws that are out of good intentions but turn out to have horrific outcomes. I went to Portland, Oregon and saw how the drug decriminalization has negatively impacted that state. Liberals can have utopian ideas that seem good on paper, but when implemented, they don’t turn out the best. Even ethics when it comes to mental health is so complex because mental health is complex. I can be selfless and compassionate and still make dumb mistakes out of my best intentions. I would say that it is more than selflessness vs selfishness. It is about wisdom vs ignorance. Reality vs deception. I consider myself really selfless, but my desire to defund the military out of a selfless desire to end innocent killings could lead to more innocent deaths.

It depends on how I get the sex.

We operate off of these theories whether we think about them or not. I am a mental health counselor and I have to do ethics all the time and I have to consider my ethics in my decision-making. I tend to use different ethical theories in my work. I treat clients as ends and not as means (deontology), and I weigh the consequences when faced with an ethical dilemma (utilitarianism). That video on Goodness is not what I am talking about. It is too metaphysical and disconnected from everyday human affairs. If a Devil were to watch it, they still wouldn’t know how to act good in society.

Please point out a video he has that analyzing all the normative ethical theories such as utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, contractarianism, Confucianism, etc., as well as articulated the limits of each theory and creating a grand big picture of morality. I am not interested in a moral code. That doesn’t work. I am interested in contemplating the grand picture of what makes a human good, what is the right behavior, what makes human flourishing possible, how to be moral, how to navigate through moral dilemmas, and why be moral. We are making moral decisions every day even when we don’t think about it. I don’t need Leo to answer these questions, I just found it ironic that he has been more political as time goes on and I find it interesting that there is no analysis of morality at a normative ethics and applied ethics standpoint. If there is a video, I have looked and have not found it.

Probably similar to Anesthesia.

Supreme Court 101

This is why polyamory exists. Look into it. Monogamy isn’t for everyone.

Amen. I would say on number 2 that you do have innate knowledge since you are the Universe. But the Universe is always a mystery to itself.

If an alien held a gun held to your head and said to you, "Tell me what you know with 100% absolute certainty about reality, consciousness, and awakening, or I will blow your head off!" What would you say? Me: "I can only know that Consciousness exists, but I do not know exactly what Consciousness actually is. I just know that experience of some sort is happening. I assume that this experience is true, but I do not know whether this gun you are holding is actually real or if it is not just a dream or some toy gun you have to scare me. I do not know if solipsism is true or if Infinity of Gods is true because all I know is within the limits of my finite human experience. The only thing I know with 100% certainty that exists is the Universe/God/Experience. The idea of a first cause is a belief because the human mind will invent distinctions between what is a cause and what isn't. There is nothing in the Universe that can tell me the first cause of you pulling the trigger of this gun you have to my head. Scientists will say it is neurons in the brain, but then if we study it further maybe something else could be found. But then we could trace it back to it being caused by an experience that you had (assuming you aren't a philosophical zombie) that led you to want to come down here and ask me this very stupid question in the first place. But then that "cause" would have another "cause" and another until we realize that we are literally in the Mind of God right now and it is infinite and eternal, which means that it is entirely uncaused. To even say that "causes" exist is to presuppose a duality and posit something outside of the caused and the causer. There is no such thing as a first cause. Alien: But then what is God but not a first cause? Me: God is simply All That Exists. God is not the source of existence. God is the very substance of Existence itself. Existence has no source because that would assume there is something outside of existence. But there isn't anything outside of existence because even non-existence would have to be an idea inside of existence. Alien: Then what are you so afraid of what will happen if I pull this trigger? Me: I am afraid of losing all of my attachments to everything I have experienced in the flesh. The Universe is experiencing itself through this human body. It has attached itself to survival and is afraid of non-existence. Alien: Even though you stated that non-existence is an idea in existence, you still fear death? Me: Yes, because it exists. If non-existence didn't exist, then I wouldn't have to worry about it right? But I will die, which all that means really is that I will lose this story and dream I have experienced in this body, but I will continue another story through your body right now. So, in essence, I am you, experiencing you right now in another life. But because time is not linear in the realm of eternity, I am experiencing all lives simultaneously together. I can feel secure knowing that death is an illusion, but I will still have the fear because I am attached. All fear is is attachment to the ego. But without ego, there can be no life at all. We have to have a reference point to have any notion of experience at all. That is the great paradox. Without a body, what would the Universe be experiencing? Can you see how perfect and intelligent this design of the Universe is? We couldn't be just a floating consciousness experiencing reality because then how could you have an experience of anything at all? How could you experience pain if there is nothing, nobody, and no-body? You see, God, the Universe is in a show playing with itself for all eternity. I am laughing now because this is what is happening now. Go ahead and pull the trigger. I am ready to experience your life and why you decided to shoot me. Maybe I will find out. Alien: See you. What are your thoughts?? What could you say that you truly know with absolute certainty?? The point of this thought experiment is to get you to really hone in on what is true knowledge vs. belief. If you claim you have had an awakening into reality, let’s put it to the test. Are you willing to put your life on the line for that “insight”? Or is it really just a belief? Edit: That alien would’ve blown my head off much earlier than it did.

If you truly know nothing, then what is awakening? If you truly know nothing, then how can you say anything is true or false? Clearly there is something you do know.

Just reading a book is self-discipline. Read the 5 am club by Robin sharma.

I asked Claude AI about how to get into investing and build wealth. Here is the conversation: Me: I am wanting to get into investing. Let me picture this scenario. Let's say I have $50,000 in my savings account. I make $3,100 a month. I plan to allocate $500 a month into investing. What strategy would you recommend? Please be specific. Claude: Here is a potential investment strategy I would recommend for your scenario: Build an Emergency Fund Before investing, ensure you have at least 3-6 months' worth of living expenses set aside in a high-yield savings account or money market fund. This emergency fund will protect you from having to sell investments during a downturn if you lose your job or have unexpected expenses. Open a Tax-Advantaged Retirement Account Open a tax-advantaged retirement account like a 401(k) through your employer or an IRA. Contribute enough to get any employer match if available. The tax savings and compound growth over decades can make a big difference. Open a Taxable Investment Account After maxing out tax-advantaged accounts, open a regular taxable brokerage account to invest additional funds. This will likely make up the bulk of your investable assets initially. Asset Allocation For the $50,000 lump sum and $500 monthly investments, I'd recommend a diversified portfolio of: 60% in low-cost total stock market index funds (e.g. VTI) 30% in a total bond market index fund (e.g. BND) 10% in a total international stock index fund (e.g. VXUS) Automate Investments Set up automatic transfers of $500/month from your bank into the brokerage account to purchase shares on a set schedule. This automates the process and takes emotion out of timing the market. Rebalance Periodically Once or twice a year, check your overall asset allocation and rebalance by selling some assets that are overweight and deploying new funds into underweight areas. This will control risk. Boost Savings Rate As your income grows, try to increase your monthly investment amount. Saving 15%+ of your income can build wealth rapidly over time. The key is developing consistent investing habits through a diversified, tax-efficient strategy that has you buying more shares without trying to time the market. Let me know if you need any clarification or have additional questions! Me: Would you recommend me keeping $15,000 in my savings account and then putting the rest of the $35,000 in a low cost index fund such as VTSAX, and then allocate $500/month into VTSAX? Claude: Yes, that could be a very reasonable approach given your situation. Here's how I would break it down: Emergency Fund: Keep $15,000 in a high-yield savings account as an emergency fund covering 4-5 months' expenses. Invest Lump Sum: Invest the remaining $35,000 lump sum into a low-cost total stock market index fund like VTSAX (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index). Monthly Investments: Invest the $500 per month directly into VTSAX as well. Here are some potential benefits of this approach: You maintain a solid emergency fund cushion while still investing a significant lump sum upfront. By investing the $35,000 and $500/month into a total stock index fund like VTSAX, you get excellent diversification across the entire U.S. stock market in a simple, low-cost way. VTSAX contains thousands of stocks but has an expense ratio of only 0.04%, keeping more returns in your pocket. This allows you to dollar cost average the $500 monthly investments, which can reduce risk somewhat compared to investing the entire $50,000 at once. It's an easy, straightforward approach that avoids overthinking or trying to slice the pie too finely between multiple funds initially. You can always branch out into bonds, international stocks, etc later if desired. But for starting out, putting that $35,000 lump sum and recurring $500 into VTSAX can be an excellent wealth-building strategy over many years. Let me know if you need any clarification or have additional thoughts! Me: If I did this strategy, how much could I make in 40 years given the previous history of the stock market returns and the history of VTSAX? Claude: Okay, let's run some projections based on investing in VTSAX (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund) using the details you provided: Initial Investment: $35,000 lump sum Monthly Investment: $500 ($6,000 per year) Investment Period: 40 years Assumed Annual Return: 8% (Based on historical averages for total stock market) Using a compound interest calculator, here are the potential results after 40 years: Total Contributions (Initial + Monthly): $35,000 + ($6,000 x 40 years) = $275,000 Balance After 40 Years With 8% Annual Return: $2,655,202 So if you invest that $35,000 lump sum upfront, add $500 per month, and earn a 8% annualized return over 40 years, your ending balance could potentially be around $2.65 million. However, it's important to note that returns vary year-to-year and 8% is just a long-term average estimate based on historical U.S. stock market performance. Some years will be higher, some lower. But this illustrates the powerful compounding that can occur when investing consistently over decades. The monthly additions, while modest, add up substantially thanks to time and compounding. Of course, there are no guarantees when it comes to investing. But based on the fundamentals of regular investing in a diversified total stock fund like VTSAX, you could potentially accumulate well over $2 million in 40 years from that $35,000 start. Let me know if you need any other projections or have additional questions! _____________________________________ What are your all's thoughts on investing, especially in low cost index funds through Vanguard? I am new to investing, but I really want to start investing my money wisely. Thanks!

I wanted to point out a trap that I noticed in others and in myself in regards to teachers and gurus. I have noticed the trap that people tend to pedestalize and give their authority away to spiritual gurus/teachers. But in reality, this will prevent you from reaching the highest levels of consciousness because you need to learn to listen and trust in your own intuition. You can never learn to trust your own instincts and think for yourself if you are always asking others questions before you contemplate them for yourself, especially to people such as Leo, Grandmaster Wolf, Jed McKenna, Peter Ralston, Rupert Spira, Noam Chomsky, or whomever. What you are forgetting is that everyone is filled with a false teaching. Within EVERY Actualized.org video, there is a false teaching. Within EVERY book you read, there is a false teaching. Within EVERYTHING you heard from Sadhguru, Jesus Christ, or your Buddha, there is a false teaching. It doesn't matter how awake you get, you are still human and in this finite form, and as such, are still subject to the attacks of self-bias and self-deception. Just because you have had a mystical insight into reality does not mean you have gotten rid of all your false teachings. One of the best practices I think is to burn all teachings, all teachers, and learn to trust in yourself again. You have all the answers within you. You have innate knowledge about the Universe/Consciousness, but you just are not aware of it because you keep chasing the answers outside of yourself through these so-called gurus. They may not be conscious of it, but their teachings can easily become a distraction and deception because the more compelling the teaching, the bigger the problem for you. The reason why I say this is because compelling teacher or teaching has your attention turned away from your innate knowledge of God. However, on the flip side of things, we could say that everyone and everything in your experience is your teacher and teaching. Beginner's Mind is still an important concept. We have to allow ourselves to not know and learn from other sources as well. The difference here is that there is no pedestalized teacher or teaching. As soon as you give authority and attachment to a teacher/teaching, that is when you have messed up. Everything is your teacher/teaching, but you become a slave to the Matrix when you become attached to anything outside of your direct experience. I hope you can see the difference in pedestalization/attachment to teachers/teachings vs. becoming your own greatest teacher through trusting in your own Self, your innate knowledge, and direct experience. This does not mean that we shouldn't read books anymore or listen to podcasts. It just means that we still question everything we experience and continue to take responsible for our job to contemplate everything directly for ourselves. This behavior of pedestalization and not taking intellectual responsibility is one of the main reasons for the existence of all the corruption, group-think, cults, and war that we see in the world and in our spiritual communities. Hope this is helpful.

One of my favorite blog posts: https://www.actualized.org/insights/the-metamorphosis-of-my-work

Thanks!