Tim R

Great book written by Erich Fromm, I absolutely love it. His thesis is that two modes of existence struggle for the spirit of humankind: the "having" mode, which concentrates on material possessions, power, and aggression, and is the basis of the universal evils of greed, envy, and violence; and the "being" mode, which is based on love, the pleasure of sharing, and in productive activity.

@dflores321 By getting rid of the idea of "a path of clarity and a path of confusion"

Being aware of the oneness of existence isn't obstructing you in any way. After all, the world was also one before you saw it as one That's right! And to be more exact; you can't do anything whatsoever with "it".

@Moksha That's actually how I feel a lot of the time very true what you say!

@Nahm Thanks for the reply. I'm gonna have to read it a few more times I guess

@mmKay As I already said, this isn't about bashing relativism or denying distinctions. This is about being careful to not get stuck on the idea of "high" or "low" consciousness.

@Nahm Sounds interesting, could you elaborate?

@peanutspathtotruth Sure! I agree with that, too. All I wanted to show is that we have to be careful not to get hung up on these notions.

I agree. It's like "artificial" and "natural". Basically, everything is natural, even cars or planes or quantum computers

Yes and no. It depends on what you mean when you say "true".

I could never understand why someone as intelligent as him doesn't understand that e.g. "evil" or "good" aren't actually real and just arbitrary attributions. You know how he's always out to "make things better". "You're wretched and horrible and useless and resentful, get your act together, bucko!" This sort of attitude. How come he never heard of nonduality? (or at least never talks about it?) He even took some Psilocybin for god sake, he knows about psychedelics, he knows about DMT and the entities, he knows that mystical experiences are real (although I think he's afraid of the implications they bear). He's so well-read and knows so much, his knowledge and his philosophical position are almost contradictory. He knows that there's something very fishy about materialism. He even knows that consciousness is fundamental to reality! So... Why is he not looking deeper into these topics? He's definitely smart enough to be a full-blown stage Yellow thinker, and yet he preaches that we are miserable worms who need to redeem themselves. Classic original sin guilt trip, why does he buy into this stuff? Or am I not seeing something?

@Preety_India That's just such a naive and inappropriate position, sorry. I live in Germany and since 2015 we took almost 2 million refugees. And it makes a difference, I can tell you that. When around 2% of the population more or less suddenly consists of completely foreign cultures which completely different values, it influences society on many, many levels, it also influences politics, both left and right, it influences the economy, etc. Even a country as stable and rich as Germany is troubled by something like that. Well then I strongly suggest you educate yourself on the 3rd Reich a bit more. You can't compare it with today's nationalists, that's grossly inflationary. Actual Nazis as they lived 80 years ago were absolutely ready and eager to kill and annihilate anybody who didn't fit their NS raciology. That's not how your average nationalist of 2021 who rants about foreigners while drinking at his local pub thinks. These people aren't even close to Nazis. I can only agree with those here who emphasized that it's a very complex topic, because it really is a big deal.

It is already melting. Technology is merging with us more and more, it began with things like the TV or radio - your body was separate from it, but you had a certain relation to it. Then mobile phones were developed and you could carry your technology around. Then smartphones entered our lives, we always have them with us, either in our pocket or in our hands. A few years ago smartwatches were invented; now you could wear your technology and it was so close to you, that it knew about your most private data like your heart beat. If that doesn't scream "cyborg!" I don't know what does. The next step would therefore of course be implantation. Look at this. Incredible. No wonder people find it scary; their human identity is threatened. We will keep merging with technology until there won't be any difference between "tech" and "human".

You can use anything as a mantra. You can sing "nooooodles" until it becomes completely meaningless. And then maybe you'll actually find out that you don't know shit. I don't think you'll get to not-knowing by trying to trick yourself into it with this "I don't know shit"-mantra, because then you're gonna get hung up on the meaning of the words of this mantra. But try it, I don't know what works for you.

This is gonna be me in a few years lol. Can't wait to have access to my own lab

To this day I don't understand why this bs system hasn't been reformed yet. It's not a proper democracy if the majority doesn't win.

Comparing the events surrounding the Capitol with the "Reichskristallnacht" from 1938 isn't appropriate though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristallnacht

At this point I feel that it almost doesn't matter who says what - because people will take sides; are you rep or are you dem? And then most people will simply dismiss whatever the other side has to say (even more so the current republican side for obvious reasons), even if a commission is established, MAGA supporters will not accept that Trump lost. No of conclusive proof or information will satisfy them. Every reasonable person thinks critically (of this election), of course - but the system is to be trusted, otherwise: why bother having one? Unreasonable people won't be persuaded though, and no commission will change that. Those who never trusted in elections and/or democracy are in a real dilemma: if elections are rigged, then the outcome is rigged no matter who wins, and if democracy isn't to be trusted - why are you still here then?

His life is based on being this way. Unless he gets out of his bubble, you're right, he won't be saved. But why should he bother? The country is deeply split and polarized, many folks, including him, leech off this.

Bro they aren't like white peacocks, you an find them basically anywhere. As Leo said, not every conservative gets fooled by MAGA.

Definitely. To say that he doesn't think conservatives in the US are any different from the KKK just shows his own deep ignorance. That's no better than being a radical ideologue who doesn't care to think.

Absolutely love this one

To look at another person and wonder "is he also conscious? Or is he just appearing to be there?" is like looking in a mirror at yourself and asking "I wonder if he is also conscious? Or is he just appearing to be there?" All people are like your reflection in the mirror. There's no difference between your reflection and "your" consciousness looking at its own reflection. If you understand that, solipsism immediately seizes to be an issue. Because there's no "you". It's lovely

What is openmindedness "made of"? Because it could actually be possible. If it's for example a mixture between lack of fear, curiosity and intelligence, we could actually create people who are more openminded. Question is "will it comply with the law?" and I'm afraid I know the answer to that one

What do you think about this?