vizual

Hey guys, I am 26 years old and for the majority of my life I've been trying to my purpose, my "path". I've been looking everywhere, anywhere. Tried different majors in college, different jobs, different hobbies etc. Became really invested in spirituality, meditation, self help, everything. Still no answers. I can't get too specific right now but a few days ago I found my true calling. It came out of the blue, totally unexpected. I could have never dreamed this was my calling, but I know it is for sure. It was really surreal but in a few days my perspective on life changed. I realize now that me being lost on the path actually was the path. Me being totally lost in life led me to my true calling. The problem I have now is that I'm almost too passionate and excited about life, but that will probably cool down to a comfortable equilibrium over time The total trajectory of my life - and me being lost - makes so much sense now, everything clicks. I might sound like I'm talking gibberish but what I'm trying to say is, never give up on life becoming amazing. It may hit you from out of nowhere in a way you could never even imagine.

I think his popularity has to do with todays modern, technological society which is quickly breaking down all social convention and tradition, which leads to young people feeling lost in the world. A world in which everything is possible is a world in which nothing is possible. Basically, back in the day, there was a path that young people were expected to take. Learn some kind of trade which runs in the family, something your father or mother does. Or maybe something your father encourages you to do, like being a well paid lawyer or something. But nowadays, kids are learned that you can be anything you want, anything you can think of. Which leads a lot of people totally clueless how to live their lives. Because what if they make the wrong career choice? What if I waste my life doing something which I don't like to do? This choice overload leaves a lot of people depressed and anxious. A loss of connection to ones responsibilities and connection. I think Jordan Peterson reminds young people that life isn't all about you and your little ego. That there is great joy in taking responsibility and offering value to the world. That if we all just walk around aimlessly, we'd all be hopelessly depressed. And society would eventually regress and maybe collapse. He makes clear that there is value in tradition and social convention even if is isn't "cool" to admit that if you are young. Basically he is telling young people to grow up. Because our modern society is actually telling our youth the opposite, stay young, stay foolish etc. And staying young is fine, but not without adding value somehow to the world.

In your heart you know there is light at the end of the tunnel, even if your mind is thinking gloomily. Keep that faith in your heart alive. Sometimes the mind has to dance out its dance, and there is nothing you can do about it no matter how hard you try(and no matter how unpleasant it can be). Yes, even so unpleasant it can drive people to do horrible things, whether to themselves or others. But don't give into that. The heart prevails in the end my friend. The mind is a sprinter, it's always looking for the quick fix, the quick answer in some easily defined concept. But the heart is the marathon runner which will beat out the mind eventually.

The answer lies in the absence of the question.

Ok so your conclusion is that everything is 100% subjective. But how then, can I know, what you mean when you speak or write? Surely, if everything would be totally subjective, I would only see total gibberish on my computer screen when you try to communicate something. Gibberish which would only make sense to you.

People are attracted to people who feel good in their own skin. People can 'smell' that a mile away. It isn't even about what they say or do, but what they radiate. If you feel at ease and joyful, it will make other people at ease and joyful. But if you 'try' too much to make friends, people will smell that as inauthentic. They will feel like you are subtly suffocating them with your neediness, no matter how noble you think your intentions are. The more you try, the more your grip on other people's necks tighten. And so, people will not enjoy your company enough to keep hanging out.

Who is it that has seen through these concepts? You?

Well, the problem is to think of reality as anything. A long as you do that, there is a "problem". Even thinking it is nothing is a problem. Because, whether you like it or not, your mind automatically assigns a meaning to the word nothing, whether you like it or not. It can't truly know what nothing means when a spiritual leader talks about something like that. It's what the ego does, because the mind is not the least bit interested in finding truth. Because finding truth means the end of the little me which is residing in the mind (or is it? ;)).

You can only find love within, from your love that comes from within the outer manifestations can flow through your life experience. Looking for love outside you will be disappointed, because you actually create hate since it comes from a place of lack. Looking at how you choose your words, it would be wise to work on how you judge other people.

A good step would be to stop comparing your own happiness, success, and fulfillment to those of other people. You don't know anything about how other people experience life, you don't know what they do when you don't see them. And you most surely don't know what they are thinking or how they are feeling. You only have your own subjective perceptions of how other people experience life. And the saying goes that the grass is always greener, that's just how the ego works. Your own ego is never satisfied, it's always looking around, trying to steer the light from itself. Because if the light is shone on the ego itself, it will be seen for what it is. A bag of lies which thrives on its own unhappiness.

@alyra When I read your text it seems that you think you are writing something profound. All these absolute statements and claims about reality. But you are writing in all these vague terms without explaining what you really mean by them. This says to me you are deeply in the state of the "non-dual" ego. By a non-dual ego I mean that you think that non-duality(and all its "truths") is actually a part of reality. Sorry, just my interpretation of your text. Maybe I'm wrong.

It actually does learn, compare the ethics of our current society of the society of the Middle Ages. Huge difference, and 500 years in the totality of just human history is nothing. If anything, I am amazed how quickly our society is changing. On all levels, whether it be on a technological and ethical level. And yes, the progress is not linear. Sometimes a society has to take a step backwards before making two steps forward. Maybe you have experienced this in your own consciousness as well.

Anything the ego makes you do is the ego trying to "trick" you, it doesn't matter what it is. If you force yourself to meditate that is just as much the ego trying to trick you to meditate as when it's trying to keep you from meditation. You have to come to your own conclusions what is best for you. Meditation or no meditation, do what makes the most sense to you at this time. Insight comes from experience, not just blindly treading the same water.

The more conscious you become the more you let go of the self and signs of "progress". There is no progress in consciousness, trying to control that only holds you back. If you think you are actually making progress, you are only adding another layer of delusion to let go of. Let go of comparing yourself to others how "conscious" you are, everyone is exactly just as conscious as you and me. You are just as conscious as the Buddha, only "you" stand in the way of seeing that.

Beliefs and judgments are the same thing just worded differently.

Literally anything can be a distraction, even meditation. The paradox of enlightenment is is that the "conscious" mind isn't the thing that gains the enlightenment. The conscious minds thinks it is doing activity A, B and C to climb the stairs of heaven. But it doesn't work that way. A better metaphor of the road to enlightenment would be that you climb the stairs so long and intense that you realize you have been climbing an escalator(not stairs) that is going down just as fast as you are climbing it up. You reach insight when you look around and see that you are in the same exact spot as you were before you put in all that effort. But, the even bigger mindfuck is that you must put in that effort to see it. Just like in the Hero's journey, you have to go through all the trials and tribulations to realize that your pot of gold was at home sitting there all this time.

Unfair in what way? Does Bill Gates gets to decide what I want and need in life? And then arrogantly concludes that some people have more access to what he thinks what people want and need in life. Is life unfair because I have access to a a Microsoft computer, but someone living the Australian jungle doesn't? Maybe the person living in the jungle is actually happier and more fulfilled than me sitting between brick walls behind my computer. Who knows? Certainly Bill Gates doesn't.

Why would I consume exogenous cholesterol, when my body produces it adequately. Unless I have liver disease, I will not need to eat extra cholesterol lol. That's like saying I need to inject blood everyday into my vessels to stay healthy. No, my body produces enough blood that's exactly right for my body. I only need to infuse blood if something's terribly wrong.

According to the theory of MBTI, you can't be a borderline INTP/INTJ or INFP/INFJ, that's total nonsense. As an INTP uses totally different cognitive functions than the INTJ(actually the exact opposite functions), the INFP also uses different functions than the INFJ. These types may look similar from the outside, they reach their conclusions about reality in a totally different way.

When you have an authentic desire for something, and you put concentrated effort to manifest that. Then the tools needed to get there will come at your disposal when they are needed. Even 'intelligence'. But intelligence is such a vague concept that it can be anything. You can say, well, intelligence is problem solving. But then again, isn't life itself a matter of problem solving, every single moment of the day. Whether it be algebra, quantum physics or cleaning the toilet, there really isn't much of a difference if you pin it down to problem solving. If you have an authentic desire to become a successful mathematician. The barrier of the lack of intelligence is solely a mental thing. Everyone is 'intelligent' enough, to get what they want in life. Just like the concept of intelligence, 'hard work' is also just a concept. If you have a high desire for something, and regard all the time you put in as 'hard work', you likely aren't going to fulfill your potential. If I can alter the quote of Master Yoda a bit: " Do or do not, there is no hard work".

Well, almost everyone is weighed down by ego problems. And suicidal people also don't really want to physically die, they just want an end to their suffering and they think the best way to achieve that is to end their physical existence. People have actually experienced ego deaths during intense suffering, so much suffering that the only option is to let go of ego. In that sense, suicidal people who are extremely depressed are primed to let go of the ego. Most suicidal people probably don't even know of a thing such as enlightenment and ego death though. So in a way, yes, suicidal people have a good chance of dropping the ego. On the other hand, suicidal people are usually so intensely caught up with their 'story' that a concept like 'enlightenment' probably hasn't even occurred to them.

True, and people are massively addicted to technology. Smartphones, internet, tablets, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Netflix, pornography etc.

If you have to explain a joke it isn't funny anymore

"Spirituality" is big business, always has been. Just look at how rich the Church is. And people will always be suckered in in spending lots of money on it. Spirituality is really the devils greatest trick on this earth, and lots of people take advantage of it. The funny thing about it is that the message gets repacked every time, and sold as brand new. Like selling a piece of shit, just every time with a wrapper with a different color of shine. The biggest lesson people can learn from this is to put faith in no one teaching or teacher. No matter how "profound" his words may seem. It's just a magic trick, and people want to be fooled by it. There's nothing wrong with a good magic trick, but if you believe it to be true you are a sucker. Harsh, but true.

Ask the stoic this question and he will give you an answer. Ask the epicurean and he will give you an other answer. Now who is right and who is wrong? No one is going to answer that to a satisfactory degree for you since they are both just ideologies. They are values the ego wants to grab onto. And ego will never bring you the satisfaction of life you are looking for. Neither the epicurean nor the stoic will find ultimate happiness because they are attached, and attachment is fear the fear of annihilation.