FlyingLotus

Something to keep in mind is that psychedelics are still useful for emotional and psychological healing, even if you never get a full awakening. Yay, I made @Nahm laugh!! Haha!! ... ...

You're welcome! It's always nice to be appreciated

Learn the basics of joke writing. Jokes are the building blocks of humor. When you practice writing jokes a lot you’ll be amazed at how they pop into your head without you trying (and sometimes when it’s really inappropriate and gets you in trouble…?) Analyzing and deconstructing jokes will also make you funnier. A basic joke consists of: Setup + Punchline = Laughter -The Setup is an emotional statement or opinion about a topic. It’s not meant to be funny. It’s short, to the point and contains one idea only. -The Punchline is the funny part of the joke. It contrasts against and twists the Setup. It pulls the rug out from under the Setup and re-contextualizes it. It violates certain logical assumptions about the Setup, thus creating laughter. Examples: Setup: Follow your passion, stay true to yourself, never follow someone else’s path. Punch: Unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path, then by all means you should follow that. Setup: My mom ruled our house with an iron fist. Punch: She also used to breastfeed with an iron nipple. Setup: Pop-tarts can’t go stale, Punch: because they were never fresh. Here’s a longer example: Setup: -Leo always wears a white button down shirt when he films Actualized.org videos. Notice how boring and matter of fact this premise is. It’s an observation. It’s thoroughly unfunny. Don’t be funny here. Be observant. The funny part is in the Punchline. Now identify the Setup’s no-brainer assumptions. Then ask, “what else could this mean?” No brainer assumptions: Leo wears something neutral to not distract from what he’s talking about. Leo wears the same white shirt because it’s easier for filming. People care about way more about his content than his outfit. What Else Could This Mean?: Setup: Why does Leo wear a white button down shirt when he films Actualized.org videos? Punchlines: a) He’s secretly a white shirt model. You’re supposed to play the videos on mute. b) He’s has over 500 episodes, some are three hours long, and you expect him to dress nice too? Kinda picky, gee… c) That’s not a white shirt! It’s a cotton blend picture frame for his glistening chest hair. d) It's his super, special filming shirt. You can tell because he also wears it to shoot pornos. e) That white shirt is his second skin, because Leo's a never nude!! I’m not saying these are professional level jokes you’d see on an HBO special, but they’re good examples of asking, “what else could this mean?” You’ll have to write a lot of crappy jokes to get to the good jokes. Just notice how each Punchline violates assumptions about the Setup. Option a) challenges the assumption that the videos are more important than the shirt. Also assumes Leo’s not a model. Option b) points out the elephant in the room. Caring about his shirt is fairly stupid compared to enlightenment work. Option c) challenges the assumption that he’d rather you focus on what he’s saying than what’s happening below his neck. Option d) assumes you haven’t found Leo’s Only Fans account…? Option e) is the truth . !!! Sorry Leo !!! Don’t ban me…(or hopefully he won't see this thread ?) -This is just the tip of the iceberg. Read books on joke writing. A good one is Judy Carter’s “The New Comedy Bible.” It’s all about creating a standup routine. Scott Sedita’s “The 8 Characters of Comedy” is also good for understanding and performing comedy. If you’re stumped when asking “What Else Could This Mean” try different points of view. Ideally very emotional ones. The most effective, I find, are: Weird, Hard, Stupid, Scary. -Weird doesn’t necessarily mean bad, just unusual. “Go suck a bag of dicks” is a weird thing to say. According to Louis CK, it’s not bad, just confusing. -Ronny Chieng: how weird US state mottos are. -Ronny Chieng: how it’s hard to fix your mom’s computer. -Ronny Chieng: Life in America is so convenient it’s stupid. -A man’s sign at Jon Stewart’s “Rally to Restore Sanity”: My wife is Iraqi and she’s not a terrorist, but I’m scared of her anyway.

I really hate to break it to you, but you can't bring down the walls of someone with an avoidant attachment style. They can only bring down those walls for themselves. Going from an avoidant to a secure attachment style requires major work, even if the avoidant person is committed to changing. It's impossible if the avoidant person doesn't actually want to change. If you're dating someone like this, the wisest course of action is to ask yourself why you're attracted to an emotionally unavailable person. There are tons of books and videos online about attachment theory that can help you navigate all of this. If the avoidant person has said she wants to change there could be some hope, but that person could also be trying to manipulate you. Sorry...

Totally. If you combine self-compassion with a commitment to excellence, it's like having a superpower. Read "Pursuit of Perfect" to know the difference between healthy and maladaptive perfectionism. Here's a thread on perfectionism you might also find helpful.

I call this the boofing emoji: ?

@Lyubov Good outfit picks! The last one has a bit too much denim for me, but it'll look a lot better with the jacket opened up so you can see the shirt underneath. The red shoes in the previous pics are a good example of a nice pop of colour. Reread my post. Spend a weekend at the mall going to different clothing stores and trying stuff on, even stuff that seems weird. You're just trying it on to see what it looks like and how it feels. It might look and feel better than you expect. If all else fails, wear this: ?

There's definitely stuff I disagree with her on, like conspiracy theories and boycotting vaccines, but other parts of her work are excellent. She's really good at explaining shadow work and relationship dynamics. It's valuable to learn from people even if you disagree with them, even over significant issues. Leo actually has a good video about this on his blog. Learning From Partially False Perspectives. It's like that Bruce Lee quote: Absorb what is useful. Discard what is not. Add what is uniquely your own. Good advice for all teachers, except for Bruce Lee. You should absorb 100% of everything that Bruce Lee says, thinks or does, because he's Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee is so cool, Batman wishes he was Bruce Lee

I think both topics are worthy of discussion and deconstruction. It’s absolutely realistic for a woman to be happy with a guy who’s a foot shorter than her. I’ve known a few happy couples where the woman was noticeably taller than the guy in fact. For example, I took a year long Intro to Politics class in college. The professor for the first semester was a 6ft tall, blonde, skinny, pretty lady. She said her husband would be teaching the second half of the course next semester. I was pretty much expecting him to be tall and fairly attractive. Surprisingly he was 5’5, average body, average face. He had a nice smile, but the best thing you could say about his raw physical attractiveness was that he was “cute.” Thing is, within about ten minutes of him teaching it became super, duper obvious why he had a hot wife. He was funny, smart, charismatic, very enthusiastic about politics, just had very attractive, positive energy all around. IMO, it’s totally possible for a tall woman to be happy with a short guy, depending on the personalities of the people involved. Some people could be married to the perfect woman or man and still find a way to be miserable! Of course, all things being equal, short men have it tougher than tall men. However, it’s always a good idea to make the most of your situation, short, tall, fat, thin, etc. I think a conflict of values is way, way more of an issue than a guy being a foot shorter than a woman. Even things like one person wanting kids when the other one doesn't, or one person being a drug addict, or a cheater are much bigger obstacles to a happy marriage than height. Of course it depends on the individuals involved.

I second this motion ? Yeah, he mentioned that here on his blog: https://www.actualized.org/insights/things-ive-been-wrong-about

I also get free 5-MeO for life....in my dreams, lol.

That's me you're probably thinking of! You can get upgraded if you write at least 40 summaries . Editing summaries and those compilation threads is the only difference between my account and other accounts, btw.

It might be useful to also include protocols for post tripping and integrating the experience. Psychedelic Integration: The Most Important Part of Your Journey

Leo's episode on The Top Dangers Of Using Psychedelics (Summary is here) How to Prepare for a Trip

Lots of good advice in this thread. It’s one thing be inspired by beauty and another to put it on a pedestal as something separate from you. Energetically they’re pretty much opposite. This video explains that really well. Honestly, the difference between a 7 and a 9 is hair, makeup, wardrobe, nutrition and lighting. In the hands of a good makeup artist a brush becomes a magic wand. Even 90s supermodel Cindy Crawford used to say, “I don’t wake up looking like Cindy Crawford.” As you heal this pain, don’t be surprised if your taste in women naturally changes. You’ll start to focus more on personality and less on looks, and you’ll be much happier for it. Shadow work, psychedelics, meditation, journalling, IFS are good ways to start. I personally don’t think you should resist or shame yourself for wanting what you want, as long as you also work on the real problem. If you resist or shame yourself, your desire for supermodel lady will only get stronger. Work on your goals, but stay open to the possibility that as you get healthier, your wants will get healthier too. Teal Swan has a good video on this. You can’t heal yourself out of a desire, although as you heal, your desires will likely change.

That’s interesting. I know a lot of male doctors who vastly prefer female nurses because they get a lot of ego and bad attitude from male nurses. Ultimately it boils down to the individual, but men can be very competitive and underhanded with each other. They don’t get called on it the way women do and probably feel less comfortable talking about it unfortunately. I personally find women are more friendly. They’re socialized to be more friendly, empathetic and value relationships. Also, if you’re dating a woman who says “most women are catty,” that’s a huge red flag. A lot of woman who say that use it to excuse away their own toxic behaviour. Some women (not all) seek validation from men through sexuality and flirting, but ironically don’t actually want sex. They’ll be very inappropriate with other women’s boyfriends or husbands, get called on it and say, “women are catty and jealous of me. Why can’t I make female friends?” Of course this doesn’t explain all cattiness, but it’s something to watch out for.

Thanks @Gregory1. Maybe I should setup a Patreon page . I wouldn’t mind getting early access to Leo's next course, especially if he’s looking for beta testers! There’s a few posts for navigating Actualized.org, including the psychedelics one. Leo can definitely add these links to the main page if he wants to. ⁍ Actualized.org Video Summaries! ⁍ ? Leo's Blog: Table of Contents ? ⁍ ? Actualized.org on Psychedelics ? ⁍ ▶️ Blog Videos, Summaries & Interviews ▶️

@Gregory1 Thanks . It would be nice to get paid financially and not just spiritually

That should be in the fine print of every dating app. Warning! Side effects of this app include a sober realism that makes dating less than fun ?.

Totally. Reminds me of Steve Jobs' brilliant commencement address about connecting the dots of your life.

What an interesting, entertaining talk. Thanks for sharing. (I described it as fun before, but parts of it are a bit depressing!)

Those two books are great. If you have trauma, shadows and limiting beliefs they will skew your perspective about reality and yourself in unhealthy ways. So anything to heal all that is great. I'm not familiar with Ken Wilber's version of shadow work but it sounds intriguing!

@itachi uchiha If your goals are about developing a clear, empowering personal epistemology (or worldview, beliefs or perspective) you should check out the books in the Emotional Mastery section.

Episode #495: Leo's Worst Bad Trips - Psychedelics Gone Wrong

There's something else worth mentioning. Whether you do psychedelics now (which I personally wouldn't recommend) or when you're 21, DMT is not a good choice for a first time psychedelic, especially if you're mixing it with LSD. A better first time psychedelic is shrooms. You can absolutely shed limiting beliefs, do consciousness raising work and have an ego death experience with shrooms. That doesn't mean I recommend you do shrooms now, btw! I personally think you should wait, but shrooms are a better first time psychedelic for pretty much anyone, regardless of age. Also, the first time you do either DMT or LSD it's best to take a small dose by itself and not mix it with other stuff. You don't have to worry about this so much if you focus on building valuable skills that will carry you throughout life. Stuff like discipline, life purpose/vision, fitness and nutrition, cooking, becoming a super learner, emotional mastery among other things. You definitely don't need psychedelics to learn all that. At your age the skill building matters more than whatever specific major you choose in college, or part time job you work in high school or hobbies you do. Leo's actually a good example of this. His childhood passion was to become a game designer. He learned a bunch of skills to make that happen. Got hired by a big company, then left when he discovered he didn't like it. Thing is, he applied all those skills to develop an online business that provided the financial capital to do Actualized.org. So, choosing game design wasn't a waste. It was a great stepping stone. Also, if you haven't already, watch Leo's episodes on "Life Advice for Young People." If you're feeling ambitious, also check out his episode on "Valuable Things Develop Over Time."