UnbornTao

Generally speaking, I get it. But day to day there might have been discomfort, doubts, boredom, etc. And you've also had bad trips. So that sentence may be a bit misleading.

Several long free lectures from the great David Hawkins. If you want more, check out veritaspub.com. His entire video catalog is in there, available through a membership. https://mindsquare.video/david-r-hawkins-2002-video-lectures-1/

First time I watched a HP movie was in 2016, a bit late to the party. Then I watched the entire saga. big fan. A new PS5 game is going to be released soon.

Then I would word it differently, as that's asking different things. That's great. But I think it's up to each individual to decide. In the end, you'll live however you want to.

Of course. Not doing that is precisely what depression is about: holding a negative future. So yeah, focus on a positive future. For that, creating goals based on what you want helps a lot, I'd say. Not only creating goals but consistently going after them.

I wouldn't have started it in the first place. "Should" implies it is coming from a value system, usually from society and others. How to live is a matter of preference. People live the way they live until they die, regardless of the preconceptions they hold about how one should go about living it. There's no "right" way life should be conducted. Perhaps, since it has a similar focus, but with a more real and profound approach, a thread could be opened called Principles for Life.

Sounds like you want to convince yourself of this perspective.@Girzo

Ideal: "conceived as perfect; existing only in idea." You're confusing being inspired with following ideals (a fool's errand). Ideals are a detriment, and unnecessary. Yes, following role models is fine. That's not following ideals. Goals are grounded on actual possibilities. An ideal might be holding an image that one day you'll finally be transformed, whole, loving, complete, etc. by doing such and such. The content itself is secondary. The point is that ideals are the cheese you're running after. The cheese is there not for you to catch it but to keep you running after it. You want to be superman or superwoman and see that you can't do it, that you still get angry, are jealous, get tired, can't fly, etc. So you suffer. It's best to get clear on what you want, and establish goals towards reaching that. When you're actually committed, intent on getting something done, all else is rather irrelevant, even motivation.

You can be happy with life and content with who you are while also setting up and pursuing goals for yourself. Ideals, on the other hand, are a constant pain generator, since your current experience doesn't, and will never match, the ideal and imagined pleasure it will supposedly bring. Ideals are by definition not possible to accomplish. They're not grounded on reality, and are disempowering in various ways, as mentioned above. Goals and purpose vs ideals and fantasies.

By following ideals, you're setting yourself up for misery.

No. If I recall correctly, he said something along the lines of wanting to make sure that whatever happens within experience doesn't alter direct consciousness. I think he wanted to make sure or test whether his enlightenment was untouchable by experience. It is, hence his position towards psychedelics. I may be misrepresenting his story, though I don't think so.

Maybe two grounded distinctions to clarify this line of inquiry are direct experience and intellectual understanding. Seems like the mind wants to keep this work abstract, where it is safe. For sure they sound better. For some it can even give us pride by showing our intelligence and eloquence. It's useful to ground it on something tangible and specific.

I prefer that formulation. If you think meaninglessness is bad, then you are still operating from a meaning paradigm! You could say that Being is itself, and that it transcends meaning. That sounds better.

Not a fan of generalizing stuff. However: There's a lot of disempowering (ineffective, unhealthy) behavior done by pretty much everyone. And it isn't necessary. So I'd say no.

What about Zentered? Replace cen in related words with zen.

Framing this discussion in terms of dating is myopic, in my view. You might not be an introvert even if your self-image is consistent with that behavior. Dig it. I'm trying to point out the possibility that you might not be yourself. Therefore, you could behave in any way that is effective in interaction without thinking that it is you. It boils down to knowing yourself at all levels, metaphysically and personality-wise. Is an actor who plays a role being himself? I'm saying that how we show up to the world is through a character, and that it is existentially unreal.

@undeather @undeather Fair points

@undeather You can tell where someone is coming from just by listening and paying attention to their communication. You could use the same logic with dictators, or ruthless liars. Sounds like nonsense, but intuition may play a role in assessing what someone's like. It's intelligent and holistic. Not perfect though. Would you need to know the life of a X (ruthless manipulator, etc) before deciding whether to relate or listen to them? In your experience, for example, you already make decisions of this kind when it comes to who to socialize with, among many others.

Interesting question to contemplate on your own. Don't limit it to the context of dating, or even relationships. I think this issue is about the principle of authenticity. What does it mean to be oneself? In your experience, there are times when you assess you haven't been authentic. Why? What have you done that didn't arise naturally in you? Etc. It's not acting out every impulse that arises in you.

The social domain, which includes culture, is lived as an objective reality, something existing out there independent of, and separate from, us, as if it were a hidden "third person," object, or realm operating on its own.

Where is pain to be found? Try to locate it.

I'd say there's study, contemplation and practice. All three together can be called inquiry or research. @Leo Gura Study gives you the fertile ground for contemplation.