Someone here

I will play the leo role here and say : Only YOU can become enlightened

Well..solipsism is both true and false simultaneously. Let me clarify.... The Self is the only thing that exists .its all of reality . But it all depends on how you define the Self . It's not the human self. The human self is a subset of the infinte Self . Don’t say “I am Alone,” just say “I Am” and be satisfied with that. Every human is an island unto themself, solipsism or not. The fear at the core is loneliness, rejection, shame, etc. Solipsism is uncomfortable because the emotions that were secondary nuisances are now the core component of your reality. This sudden shift can trigger psychosis (as it did for me few months agon) so make sure to seek help if you need it. At the very least have someone to talk

Good . It will take time to integrate. As it did with me . I'd suggest just socializing with someone you don't usually talk to that often, going for a jog, taking up meditation , etc solipsism is interesting but I find the anxiety that comes with thinking too hard about these things is pretty confusing. feel free to shoot me a PM if you want some references, want to talk about something in particular, or just need someone to scream your frustrations at. Just please don't one-track-mind the conversation into a circle, philosophy actually requires learning multiple points of view on the same subject, even if you cant believe them yourself . Have a nice day /evening ?

@puporing I'm not halfway there..I completely integrated solipsism . I struggled years with solipsistic ideas . Probably most important advice I can give you , stop thinking about life. You cannot prove nor disprove solipsism, so taking it as a serious philosophy is pointless. Its just an interesting perspective. One of the things I took comfort in, how there seemed to be other people that had things to offer intellectually and otherwise that I could not provide for myself. It made me feel like I wasn't alone, despite that not really proving such. You'll be fine, just dont pick at the scab too much. there will be people on this forum that will try to philosophically flex on you, try to sound smart, explain solipsism to you. Ignore those fucking losers. Itll make your problems worse. You do you. Look up derealization / dissociation. The right therapist could help but not all of them are knowledgeable on the subject. Make sure to interview / ask questions on what they’re knowledgable on in your first session / consultation. I used to feel this intensely when I was younger but now it happens so seldom. It changes over time with overall wellbeing. Apologies if that’s not fully accurate to your situation, as I’m speaking from my own experience / knowledge. Hope it helps regardless.

@puporing I know this will sound weird, but I will give it a try. Since I was a teen I used to feel like I was the only real person and everyone else and everything only existed when I saw them like in a dream. I am 25 now and feel that way again. When I leave a room I feel it no longer exists. I feel that nothing existed until I was born. This means no real person won the 100 million dollar lottery last week and at the same time nobody died in an earthquake last week because neither of them really exists. Sometimes I feel I created the universe and made myself a part of it but purposely forgot so that it would be more interesting. I am just your average person. Maybe this is how I wanted it. I feel the answer will be revealed when I die, as if my life is just a long dream. Does anyone else feel this way? Even the guy who bullied me in 8th grade, did I create him ? I just ask myself are there really 7 billion souls on this earth plus the 20 billion that ever lived or just one: me. Sometimes I really think hard about this. When I see someone leaving work, do they really go home to a family or do they no longer exist til I see them the next day. I am not mentally unstable and would like to share your thoughts. Thanks.

Yeah yeah i agree with you Antinatalism is the way, the truth, and the light. Nobody chose to be born. We were all rudely and selfishly forced into this horrible world to have to endure this horrible thing called life. Our parents did not have us for our benefit, but theirs. And it is for the worse. Procreation is the supreme act of evil. Life is horrible and it would have been better never to have existed.

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the majority of people are slaves to adhering to social norms and would never think to question themselves on such matters. Are far as they are concerned all life is precious regardless of the misery incurred. More people are becoming childless for a variety of reasons, however humanity is far more likely to become extinct through more violent means rather than logic.

It came to me because I was a hardore seeker for happiness for the whole of my life . I tried porn,junk food ,cigarettes, sugar ,caffeine, luxury items etc and none of it ever make me happy. In fact every time I do these things i end up feeling a mild existential crisis where there is a deep void or hole within me that just doesn't get enough of things and keep seeking endlessly. So I changed my mentality and my paradigm to meditation and just accepting existence as it is without running around chasing after stuff ..and that did actually work in enhancing my overall happiness and well being.

I think that some languages are objectively more beautiful or less beautiful than others. My impression of a language is heavily linked with what my mother tongue is(Indian), and what other languages i already speak(English). For example, many people say German sounds very “rough” and generally don’t like it. I started learning German a while ago and the more I studied, the more this “roughness” disappeared. Now that I somewhat speak it, it actually sounds very pleasing But still, German sounds rough compared to French. French is the most sexy and beautiful language in the world . I don't know why honestly lol There also might be a psychological factor in this. People from the Anglo-sphere stereotype Germans as very orderly, cold and serious individuals. And so naturally their languages must reflect that, no? So, What makes some languages sound more beautiful than others?

@Something Funny cheers

And I'm ready to discuss all of these assumptions. But it's gonna take a lot of time and effort . Let's just start with suffering. Suffering is a fact . Everyone suffers in this life .there is no escaping it. Suffering is part of life. Just like birth, growth, and death, suffering is an unavoidable part of life. One way or another, almost everyone suffers from something throughout one's life. The degree of suffering differs depending on the cause of our suffering; It could be a swing of mood from a good one to a less desirable one..or it could be a degradation of our health.. it could be the demise of our loved ones. Etc As long as we age, get sick, and will die eventually, and as long as we have loved ones, we will suffer someday when our body's conditions deteriorated or when we lost our loved ones. Buddha became enlightened when he finally understood the source of suffering of man kind. Even if we have happiness, it only means that we would suffer when our mood swings from the happy one to a less happy one. That's why Buddha advocated a simplistic life that helps us to maintain a smooth and calm mood. That's also why Buddhist monks and nuns don't get marrie.. no offspring simply means less suffering or discontinuation of suffering.

Maybe it’s just me but I resent my parents for creating me. Life will inevitably contain some pain, and for many an unbearable amount, from which the only escape is death. Suicide can be very difficult: a failed attempt can cause more suffering, and can cause it for those around the person doing it. No sane person would say we should subject an innocent being to undeserved suffering without consent . it’s unjust by societal standards, why should doing this to someone not yet alive be different? Since there is no possible way to get the consent of a being not yet alive, antinatalism seems like the only logical position.

But life surely contains a shit ton of suffering and misery that anyone can potentially experience and endure . Isn't suffering inevitable and inherentl part of life? It's basically unavoidable. Even if you are rich and iving a kick ass life ..someday for some reason you MUST suffer. Because what goes up must come down .we live in a world of duality. Pleasure and pain. Life can get very gross sometimes. My primary question here is an ethical one . Is it moral to bring a human being into this world without taking their permission to experience all sorts of suffering in this world (since nobody chose to be born )?

no lol .I'm serious. Do you agree with the argument that by looking at history, that one can conclude that humans are somehow destined to barbarism or war. Many profound philosophers have held such a view and I believe that that view is correct .

The best song ever made. Can't get enough of it . @Leo Gurathanks Leo for creating this subforum

How to grow in every aspect of my life ? I have a lot of dreams and goals but they seem impossible to me given my current situation in life . I want financial independence..I want to have a girlfriend..I want to build a strong body but I never work out or go to the gym (I always procrastinate)...I want to stop smoking cigarettes but I can't no matter how hard I try. I want to stop the spiritual bypassing and mental masturbation and get access to incredible resources that can grow me spiritually but also mentally . Can you give me a list of at least 10 tips on how to grow and achieve your goals in life ? Thanks .

What makes someone beautiful and someone ugly ? I'm asking about the metaphysics of beauty . Leo would say that all of reality is equally beautiful but our biases and judgment distorts our perceptions of reality . What is beautiful about a beautiful face? Some argue that the more symmetrical your face is.. the more beautiful it is ..But why? Why is symmetry beautiful and asymmetrical faces ugly? I guess I'm asking a question similar to why is sugar sweet or why sweet is sweet.?.. . At some point we just hit rock bottom and well.. It's just the way it is. A biological evolutionary explanation is that it's a survival mechanism. The brain colors your perception of the world and show you beautiful the stuff that is necessary for survival. You see a super model beautiful because that's helpful for urging you to mate with her and breed. Your dog doesn't find beautiful people to be beautiful because it's unnecessary for his survival. While he does see beauty In dogs more easily. and you don't.

@gettoefl ??

I like your posts bro.

@Gesundheit2 so it's just a survival trick from our brain to associate beauty to the stuff that is good for enhancing our survival?

I agree . Although sexual attraction is 100 % dependent on physically being beautiful. For both men and women . I mean that's what it's called "attractive " because it's beautiful. then we have beauty in things like music and art in general. I've gotten the idea or sense at times, that perception IS the expression of pure beauty. The more you undo the disortions of perception, the more perception itself feels like pure beauty. Some forms seem to take you to the experience, that you could call beauty, faster than others. Or perhaps you can say, some forms can direct your focus on the reality of beauty better than others, but beauty doesn't seem to be in my sense of things, to be confined to form. Rupert Spira says something similar, that if you come to realise the infinite through perception, you call it beauty, you come to realize it through feeling, you call it love, you come to realise it through thinking, you call it understanding.

@King Merk I will simplify the job for you ..what makes Scarlett Johansson beautiful and Donald Trump ugly ?

Some of Schopenhauer's best insights were his ideas about the centrality of boredom. Boredom sits at the heart of the human condition. If we were in a survival situation, that is all we would be consumed with...the means to putting food in our mouth, getting hydrated, and finding comfortable shelter from the elements. In an industrialized, complex network of production and consumption, this is all atomized into our little "work" pursuits. On the other side of the spectrum, waiting for us is boredom. Boredom lays bare that existence isn't anything BUT striving-after. We strive to survive and be comfortable. Then, if we do not have any entertainment pursuits to occupy our mental space, we may get existential. "Why are we doing this repetitive upkeep, maintenance, and thrashing about?" It becomes apparent about uselessness of existence. Then we start looking for an ounce of pleasure.. we all try to submerge in these entertainments to not face the existential boredom straight on. That would be too much to dwell in for too long. We design goals, and virtues and reasons, and entertainments, and standards to meet, and trying to contribute to "something". We cannot fall back on the default of existence.. the boredom. So what is one to do? If suicide isn't a real option, there is only the perpetual cycle. The illusion is that it can be broken. Schopenhauer deigned freedom by asceticism. but it's simply training the mind to live with the existential striving-after more easily. That is all .a mental technique. It is not a metaphysical escape hatch.