Natasha Tori Maru

To compoud the spiritual vs material persuit dichotomy further; there are tangible, real rewards dangling like carrots in front of you with material pursuit/pleasure. This can falsely give you the impression there is value in the endeavour. And there definitely is, maybe in the experience, but the meaning isn't there. Pursuing spiritual matters and God - you are diving into the unknown. There is no clear path. No clear outcome. Makes it harder for the average Joe to find any value in it at all. But there is meaning there, which makes the discipline and work the pleasure.

This is the way. Speaking from practice to echo the statement above. You really have to have clear boundaries and excellent communication. If you don't have the qualities of the above, it can work if each individual is quite empathic; you will naturally see when someone is not feeling right and open up channels for honest communication. But they have to be confident to call it 'Hey, you said this is okay. But your body/tone/expression runs counter to it'. This can be exhausting though, so good boundaries and honesty are better. Spirituality doesn't have much to do with successful polyamoury. Maybe the crossover lies in the quality of openness being the commonality.

Yeah, it was a bog standard image. No makeup or fancy hair. I was wearing my normal spectacles. Not sure why it didn't work - my brother is trying it now, I will let you know how accurate it is

This caught me. Real. I know this is possible. I did this to myself. I had such a huge realization that every thought to take action that I didn't act on, caused anxiety. If a thought to take action arises, I just do it. Or I take action to progress toward it. I simply stopped attaching any judgement to the act. I don't have so many personal feelings toward actions now - I don't dislike vacuuming. I don't dislike early starts. I don't dislike caring for my plants. I'm cool with folding laundry, paying bills. It's just stuff to do that I don't have any feeling towards. Sure, I have activities I take pleasure in, but I simply stopped labelling anything with my personal judgement. Now I just do stuff. All the time. And if I have my shit in order, no thoughts pollute my mind. I get to be serene and focused. In the moment.

I agree. It is the most strategic next move. His ego is really in turmoil here. Trauma is the inability to resolve responsibility. We are watching his mind try to resolve this responsibility in real time. The brain is like this giant error-detecting machine (this is its survival mechanism), so when it cannot resolve/understand something like this it loops into this emotionally charged up state. You can see this also, he is being triggered to emotional outflow so easily. Fragile state. If he cannot fully understand the situation, he will walk away with trauma. And this combined with his ego will create a terrible friction of instability for some time. This echo chamber move is a real attempt to self soothe because he is just NOT getting it and the emotions won't recede internally for him. If he is able to correctly resolve responsibility and face truth, it will involve a large amount of ego dissolution. I just do not see this podcast as progress toward that outcome. His ego is essentially protecting him by blocking him from the truth.

It failed with me on all counts.

I'm 80% through this nothingburger podcast & so far agree with this take. I genuinely suspect he thought this little echo chamber was going to be some new revelatory perspective that would help shift the narrative. It's almost like he's speaking to AI.

@Aether Phoenix You might like this read, it touches on both points we raised: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/08/is-art-generated-by-artificial-intelligence-real-art/

As I was reading I was about to comment you sound very balanced and integrated. And then this at the end 😊 Very refreshing to see 🙏

Nice little recursive eco chamber it can be. I see my family using it as a delusion enhancer.

I agree with this also, I think it comes down to how we view and use AI. It is just, to my eyes, not always just a tool. I think I am attempting to illustrate how using AI effects ones perception of the work. How it is received. If Leo has to stipulate he used AI in his book, how do we think this will effect how it is received? Do we need to state exactly where and how it was used? Why do we need to state when AI was used when posting on this forum? How often do we dismiss replies when we know AI was used? It's the perception I am fascinated with. Food for thought. Good topic for mind meals. Appreciate your input

It sounds like you found someone beautiful ❤️ and shared yourself in an authentic way. What may have occurred is, you fell so hard you were a bit blinded to incompatibility. I've been there, and it hurts. And in hindsight I wish I would have screened harder for this initially, it would have saved me pain. But what I did have, when I had it, was glorious and I wouldn't trade that memory for the world. It's a difficult question - do you save yourself the pain, or relish in the memory of a life well lived? Back to your question. I cannot be sure, but you sound like you haven't moved through the grief process before jumping back into life. When a relationship dissolves - it is literally as if something died - what you both created together. If you need to take time and process, do so. Sometimes we need to move through grief and not avoid it. The danger becomes, it may not be processed, and come back to kick you in the face later. I don't have much advice. The stupid cliche that time heals is pretty much true here. The fear you feel is natural. It is a protection mechanism - your mind and heart don't want to be hurt again, don't want to be vulnerable again. My top advice; don't run from love, or further experience. Don't think about how you could be hurt again, just trust that if you find love again, you are strong enough to recover if it doesn't last. That you will survive it... because you will 🙏 Every time I fall for someone now, it's 'alright we are doing this again, let's go balls deep, and if it goes belly up I know what I am in for and can bounce back'

I know exactly how I can leverage AI to write a great piece. Or images etc. I use it consistently at work every day running a construction business. I haven't attempted to master it, but I've fucked with it enough to know it is only as good as it's prompts. So theres that aspect for sure. But. What I am actually talking about is Art. It's craft, the process. My mind goes to the age old statement 'Seperating the Art from the Artist. Do you think people would revere the Mona Lisa as much if it was partially AI generated? Or do we value the labour, the skill, the knowledge applied, to it's creation? Mediums, knowing theory, form, light. Mastery. Is the Mona Lisa just a panting? Or is it the culmination of a lifetime of work? Is it about the artist? When you think about art, we often don't seperate the art from the artist. There is reverence in something hard earned. Skill. Mastery. It's not just all output. In reality often we cannot seperate the art from the artist. The person behind is as fascinating as the content itself. I for one wouldn't put as much stock in an AI generated Mona Lisa. I realise I am also raising the topic of Art and creation into this debate, and it goes deep. You can have taste and vision, and this translates to your creative direction and output. If we consider AI as a medium/tool, it is not superior. Just another medium for an artist. Like watercolour, oils. Pen and paper. I just view Leo as not selecting this medium/tool.

Health is 99% genetics, 1% effort? Busted statement. Oversimplification. Mostly false for the general population.

Sure, that could definitely be the case. But there is something to be said for the creative process one engages in through their own thought and abilities. I can pump out some good shit with AI, but it cannot hold true to be my own creation like it can when I alone generate it. I am not so focused on just output. But the actual process itself. The mystery of the creative process when it is purely your own. I just can't own something authentically when AI is involved.

I have been thinking on this, and the conversation it arose from. As we age the need for connection grows. The progression for myself has gone from being a tadpole with a massive family, massive connection needs -> insular teenager and adult with little need for connection (mostly due to autonomy) -> approaching midlife and branching back out for connection. I can actually foresee the need for connection returning in my future. I can only extrapolate and see myself in age, and needing care and assistance. As for us all. Working in hospitals refitting them for future use, everything is tailored around age care. This sector is exploding in growth - as well as heavy investment in mental health. I gain a lot of satisfaction building in this sector. I love to give back to the community in this way. But it has opened my eyes to the harsh reality of age and mental health. There are so many small things to be mindful of in service to the aged - and it makes you realise how much we take youth for granted. Even mental health. The design of facilities like this is extreme - everything is STRICT anti-ligature and high lockdown security for acute sectors. I digress. Back to connection ~ The difference now is the type of connection I want. Quantity has been replaced with quality and depth. Need less, but higher quality. So I think circling back to the topic, having a significant other is a serious consideration. Being alone in age has serious, serious ramifications. That's not to say I want to have a romantic partner so I can use them for help when I am old, just that it is an added 'bolt-on' benefit, as well as love, companionship, communion, affection, sacrifice, and all the good stuff

@Jordan Yes, its always interesting the flaws one has that act as a dichotomy with our purest aspects. My grandfather always showed up to me as quite enlightened. He just had ferocious appetites for wine and women. It might be interesting to note, in my experience, those coupled with a large drive to assist others, or creative drive, labour under some extreme sensory addiction burdens. How aware one is of them is really a function of how conscious they are. Being able to actually handle shadow drives, is another thing entirely! The gifts we are given, if not used, backfire inwardly on oneself. Sometimes those who shine brightest project the deepest and darkest shadows. Inescapable.

It will depend on how AI is utilised but for the writing process, but I think I agree with Leo's take. There is so much art within the nature of writing. Crafting prose that flows, has tone and pace, is a skill (and an art) in and of itself. I consider a well written and crafted book as being on par with the artistry of poetry. Tone is also an important aspect - this can be injected into text without emojis but it takes some skill. Even word use. Using words in unexpected ways (as synonyms) helps the reader visualise something in new way. This assists when approaching concepts that are new and have to be integrated. 'He performed the task with precision' can be reimagined to 'He took action in a surgical manner' The latter helps you conceptualise how the individual in question didn't just do the thing, he crushed it. It helps with your own writing process, as visualising and playing word substitution helps to form images for concepts to be fleshed out into words. There are patterns within language you can only learn through using imagination. Many LLM AIs use predictive text which has its own flaws. LLM's just cannot add the poetry to prose like a human can - I might be wrong here, I just haven't seen it yet. Plus if you use AI to write like the above with endless prompts you are robbing yourself of the pure joy and mystery of divine creation. It is a labour of love. In terms of idea generation I cannot see the need in Leo's case. Adding on as well - don't you think we would all value and appreciate a book written by a person, in totality, more? I certainly would

What makes you believe this to be true?

@samijiben You might be curious to know - screens before sleep reduce the quality as well as duration (for myself). I track how I sleep because I take it very seriously. Shit sleep makes every moment a pain. Good sleep means I enjoy picking up dogshit even If I don't wind down and remove screens for at least 1hr my REM and deep sleep is lowered. ymmv - tracked with a Garmin so take it with a grain of salt

@aurum Wow - this is a remarkably similar process to my posting style. Thank you for sharing. I have 2 differences: 1. Occasionally I just let fly and don't hesitate with a subject if I feel there is creative leeway, this is when stupid Aussie slang finds its way in. 2. I often walk away for hours at a time, return, and reread my responses for logical accuracy and correctness. During the away time, if the subject is very nuanced and requires diligence and care, I will often go for a run, walk the dog, etc and process. This helps me fit patterns and be able to use metaphor to better illustrate the idea. Also to ensure I have addressed the arguments properly. I often visualise and imagine verbally each argument & counter argument as a spar in my mind - especially when I go for runs. I find this method very useful when others have presented an argument that has changed my mind and I am incorporating it into a new frame to regurgitate back to them. If you get my meaning. There is a lot of care in your thought process - very admirable. My hat off to you

Pleasure! It is an aspect everyone should be driving into. In relationship to others repression is further revealed, also. There is a lot to gain from solo inner work. But there is a reason the polarity of masculine/feminine exists. I take pleasure in experiencing this inner friction as everything to me is a learning experience. Even suffering... especially suffering

My subconscious has been revealed in this strategic play...

you little shit Brb with the pitchforks 😈😈😈 🤣

All of my largest growth steps, revelations and unravelling of inner deception (which is synonymous with belief) have been through repression work. Just my 2C