IslandWild

I am probably not the person to ask these questions, I am a Firefighter and Paramedic LOL.

Yea I was 2nd guessing myself because I was looking at the poll results. Knowing the parameters it's abundantly obvious it's not a complicated, nor thought provoking test. The fact it's not 90%+ blue votes is astonishing to me. I think most people are just overthinking it. "Hey if you just press this button everything will be fine. OR you can press this other button that will potentially fuck everything up for no reason."

I'm not sure if I'm just dain bramaged and there is something I'm missing. Isn't pressing the blue button the ONLY tenable answer because you are guaranteeing everyone lives? From the framing of the scenario logically you are essentially throwing it all away by voting to kill people pressing red, when nobody has to die at all by pressing blue. This seems like low IQ rage bait poll that pretends to be deeper than it actually is. It's like asking people to pick up a loaded gun to play Russian Roulette, except they don't have to pick up the gun at all in the first place.......................

NO. It's obvious to me it's the exact opposite. Trauma is absolutely crippling. It can set you back years, even decades in your development as a person. Look at the majority of stable and successful people that have their lives together with no significant issues. A quick investigation with reveal most of them had safe, privileged upbringings - so nothing really slowed them down or got in the way from them accomplishing the things they wanted. While if you interviewed people with debilitating problems, or even regular people with significant issues and got an honest history - you could trace a lot of it back to their traumatic source and event or environment from their childhood. It's even more brutal than you realize. Some people NEVER recover from their trauma and it ruins their life or just straight up kills them. They never seek out or get the help they need and turn to drugs, commit some significant crime, or die from being around other unstable, violent people. Of course there are some who rise to the occasion and overcome it, but I would say they are the exception not the rule. I would argue trauma is the source of all our problems and why the world seemingly has so many issues. Imagine a world without trauma. We would have a utopia on Earth and colonized our entire solar system by now. I had a pretty decent upbringing by comparative standards, but I am aware that even the minor trauma that I was a victim of significantly shaped my personality and attitudes in life which has slowed me down relative to where I would be if those things didn't happen.

Yes fighting and martial arts are very stupid in the grand scheme of things. Sure, there are some positive benefits like improving one's physical health, teaching basic self-defense, increasing self-esteem, and using your skills in the defense of the innocent - but a number of those things can also be attained through playing sports or basic exercise and weight lifting. It's not really necessary to indulge in the subtle glorification of violence. It's an ego-centric survival activity that seems like a relic in the modern world we live in now. If that's not immediately obvious, just pay attention to the culture and the kinds of people that partake, it has a lot of parallels and tropes to gun culture. There are just so many more worthwhile endeavors to spend your time and energy on as a human. Besides that, it's almost comical that years and years of effort can be instantly erased in about 3 seconds by some unstable person or anyone willing to escalate things when they pull a knife or a gun on you. No amount of physical fitness, training, or fantasizing a scenario about using some secret martial technique in your head over and over is going to help you when you're bleeding profusely from your abdomen. Source > Paramedic. Obviously those situations can be rare but they are definitely more likely among the fighting crowds and people who carry themselves the wrong way from an inflated ego.

@Joshe Your post brings up a lot of good insights. I will remind myself of them as I go forwards. Thank you.

Hey everyone! So either subconsciously or by reckless circumstance I took a long break from the knowledge gathering (mental masturbation) part of self-development so I could "go it alone" so to speak, and just follow my own understanding about things to take action for about 3 years, which was the last time I frequented this place. I also stopped seeing my therapist at the time. This ended up having mixed results. To sum it up I had my longest relationship come and go, which was ironically the only one that ended nastily (I think she cheated on me but I never "confirmed" it. Oh well). I also ended up starting the career I wanted as a Paramedic, and doing Firefighting part-time as well. I broke my hand Firefighting a little over a month ago so it's given me a lot of time to think about things as I'm off work, and I've decided to dive back into all this. To give a sense of where I am at, I feel like finally getting my feet in the water with my careers has lifted a large weight off my shoulders that I've had for many years, I've noticed about half of my general depressive feelings have gone away. My self-esteem has gotten better, and I'm WAY more content knowing that my survival/financial situation is being taking care of because of my work. I'm using my body and my mind on a daily basis to resolve chaos in the world and help people at their worst moments, which feels great. However, I still feel like there is another level to my growth and potential I need to start pursuing now, and that I know I am capable of. I don't just want to rest on my laurels and be content. Obviously from the nature of my work I see people from ALL walks of life, and how reality can just abruptly and brutally SLAP you in the face one day with death or severe injury/illness. This of course is also a vulnerability of mine. I just turned 33 and I realize I will likely never have more energy or capability than I do now, so I'd like to maximize this time while I can, before reality decides it's my turn to "get slapped", so to speak. I know I'd like to help others and the world in an even broader interpersonal sense than what my work allows me to do locally. Either through coaching or teaching etc. so I can help people with their mental/psychological/spiritual health, in whatever medium that suits my abilities best. Apart of growing and "leveling up" myself further will make that easier to accomplish as I go forward. TLDR - I guess what I'm asking is for the people here that are mostly self-actualized, after you established yourself in a comfortable/ideal spot in your life, what effective actions and things did you do for yourself to take that next MAJOR steps in your life so you weren't just coasting? I don't just want to feel "mostly" good and be content with paying my rent, and all the basic shit that the majority of people seem to be happy with until they die. I want to reach the fucking MOUNTAINTOP of my own journey, whatever that ends up looking like. How did YOU get direction to the top of your own personal mountain? Do you just climb and figure out the holds as you went along?

I mean I kind of laid it out explicitly in my post I thought. I want to help lots of people not just physically, but mentally and perhaps spiritually as well. I'm already doing half of that from my current jobs, I just don't want to feel too content because my intuition tells me that's going to be a trap. I certainly would like to make more money but not just for selfish material reasons, but to use it as a resource to help my surrounding environment and community in some way. I don't particularly care if my impact scales that high, I just want my presence to be a positive, powerful thing that is felt if that makes sense.

1. I show up. Even when I am sick or don't want to go to something, I basically always arrive. The best ability is availability as they say. 2. I take responsibility for things that aren't necessarily mine, or "my problem". It's not really my personality as I am generally a passive/reserved person, but I make an effort in this area because I know it will round me out. 3. I am a genuine person. I make a concerted effort to be honest with people about my values/goals and don't waste time manipulating or trying to get something from people, and if the relationship is transactional I make it clear. I try to respect their time and energy as much as my own.

My intuition has always leaned me towards idea that the experience of dreaming is closer to what the substance of what reality is more than the actual "solidified" existence we experience when we are awake. I find an unusual comfort in dreaming, even when they are unpleasant. Perhaps I am mistaken, but my intuition seems to be one my stronger qualities.