Matt23

I'm no techno junkie, nor a techno optimist either, but I've been reading a bit on AI and experimenting with ChatGPT a bit, and if it doesn't become this massive godlike entity that some claim it will, I think it will still be significantly relevant. So, the question that came up for me (perhaps coming from Leo's blog since I remember him asking a similar question) is.... How are you going to implement AI in the future for your career, life purpose, and creative pursuits?

This post I speak of is titled "Leo's worst outburst yet" and can be found on the bottom of page 3 (maybe page 4 now) of this Personal Development - Main sub-forum Leo, I think that what you're doing, the way you've behaved, is developing into something not too great. Though there may be aspects of what you do that feel and are true and good or useful, it's just with the lack of leadership that I feel you've definitely deluded yourself and others. The issue that came up that sparked this post was when you pretty disrespectfully, and even in breach of your own rules for the forum (it seemed you were probably on psychedelics, and you called him names like stupid etc., which are against forum policies), spoke and chastised a member. This breaking of your own rules and guidelines is a big red flag and signifier to me that your maturity is still not wholly great. I just think that that was totally and unequivocally out of line and should be told as such. Just don't try to be so arrogant and then be so dismissive of your behaviors. One thing I believe that would help is being in a community more where your behaviors and ideas can be checked. I think you've done lots alone and maybe have lost touch with what feeling and helping others is about. Or that you even consider others much when you interact with them (not in a detached sense of love for them when alone, etc.). Maybe even your entire formulation of spirituality and reality are not real as well. What you said was just atrocious and just really fucking shitty tbh. Plain and shitty. Like, let the people do what they do, don't yell at them etc.. Just relax. Goddamn, like, ya, it was just really bad behavior for you to react that way. I know you probably have tons of reasons and excuses. One being "you can't be too nice, you gotta be disagreeable", etc.. Seems like you can just excuse any shitty behavior of yours now. But save them. I just hate all that talk. That's totally some negative-guru behavior that's common and has been pointed out by many people in the field as toxic behaviors. I believe you should definitely apologize and not do it again. You often come out saying you're trying to change your behaviors, but I don't see it in all the years I've followed you. It may even seem to be getting worse in my opinion. I believe connecting with a group more tightly, and exposing yourself to more people online in interviews etc., having discussions, etc., is probably helpful too. It was just atrocious and I don't see how people can put up with that and follow him any longer tbh. It's just atrocious. I believe it's not so good to stay here and take all this shit. So I'm gunna be leaving. I love ya'll, especially @Michael569. Appreciate muchly the services and kind banter and opinions. Though sometimes maybe too intellectual for me. I hope ya'll find some peace of mind and mindfully be aware of how people treat you and each other. Join together if you can. Create shit together. Believe that transcendence without a sense of grounded naturalism won't be very beneficial and healthy. Develop personal autonomy and don't put up with people yelling at you, breaking their own rules, etc., especially as a "leader".

How dare me?! Fuck you Leo. Honestly man. THis is just shitty leadership and you know it deep down. Even going so far as to like fucking break your own rules and shit. LIke jesus this is fucked up man. This is just shitty leadership. Like, jesus, your mind games you fucking play. Get a life. live a little. live outside of your mind. You're trapped in it. That's what it looks like to me and what I see. Someone who's gone way off the rails into their own mind. And no... this is not the problem since I DONT THINK I HAVE IT FIGURED ALL OUT! That's probably projection from you since you believe that about life and yourself. Nobody said this, not me at least. Strawmanning. Like, you don't need to be a pious fucking saint to be mature. Jesus. You don't have to be a pious saint to not break your own guidelines, and call people shitty names and demean them. Cut the zen bullshit out. Just realize you belong to people and they you and that if you tried to be more kind and mature about things you'll be better off. Maybe try being in nature more. I dunno. Again... like wtf. I had said nothing of the sort. I don't even follow any spiritual teachers anymore. Again, you're assuming so much about me and I believe others like... also, this sounds so arrogant and is. Like, "nobody but me can understand since I'm the smartest." Jesus. Like, just get off the high horse and believe that maybe you have been unkind and acting foolishly and do not have it all figured out. I know this is it. But I've said enough I believe. It doesn't matter cuz it won't reach anyone. Felt I need to let it out and loose for once. Maybe later will see.

I get that and have no doubt about it. Do you see my point though? In regards to the specific post, not the other stuff I tossed in there. Like... that was pretty outrageous and just... like common decency, teacherly decency, seemed to have gone completely out the window there, and this seems to be a common issue with you. I don't want to leave and feel bad about saying that since I feel some good people reside here and community is important to me. I value that much. But I just feel it's time to step away... I duno. That doesn't really matter though. The point is that what you said was like... pretty out-there, and to like not see that is sort of messed imo. But I just think that it was definitely a poor judgment to react the way you did and feel it's not in the best interest of people to treat them that way. Primarily since, at the bottom of it, it's unkind and demeaning.

Ya, I scored pretty high (in the "excellent" range) when I did the test from his book. But then I did the other tests in his book as well as other tests online and scored higher predominantly towards autism. So I dunno... Seems like maybe the eye-test thing may not be totally accurate in relation to autism, or may simply mean something else. Yes, would be nice to hear what he has to say about it.

Balance doesn't necessarily mean equal amounts. I think words like "fair" or "just" are better words in politics as opposed to "balanced" or "equal" since the latter two tend to imply a sense of things being of the same amount, which usually doesn't allow for actual, legit critiques to be made and thus choose wisely which side/arguments are better and worse. Thus succumbing to an egalitarianism that demolishes any ability to create hierarchies of better-worse, thus not allowing one to make those better-worse decisions. I'm not saying you're wrong or w/e, I don't follow politics much and didn't watch the video, but what I'm making a point on isn't a political one but rather a philosophic, epistemic, or logical point in how we think about things. A "meta-point" if you will. Something to consider.

I'm interested in getting into Nietzche (or however you spell his name). Any book recommendations for a beginner? Nothing tooo dense. I don't mind too much of an intellectual workout, but would love something easier to start. Maybe even a book that's not Neitzche himself, but a commentary or explanation of his ideas and that also includes some of his writings. Cheers

This is also kinda scary; who knows what he'll do now that he knows he doesn't have long to live. Seems like a person who values his own legacy (at all costs) as opposed to leaving peacefully or without what he wants.

I disagree... I just think using Spiral Dynamics as the be-all-and-end-all model for humans is kind of limited. Thus, I think your analysis is probably missing lots and not giving some of these philosophers their due. This has been a general grudge I've had with Spiral Dynamics here on the forum; people taking it as the ultimate model of human development and not studying more broadly beyond it and realizing the human system (socially and indidivually) is probably way more complex than Spiral Dynamics. Sure, it's a useful frame perhaps... but also very limited. Thus, when improperly used (only using this model and nothing else for example) it can give a very partial view of who your looking at at since you've already disqualified them as being of a "lesser stage", thus you don't even bother with them or their ideas and dismiss them. Additionally, lets say spiral dynamics is "the great model". This doesn't mean you can't still learn from others if they are of a "lesser stage" than you. I think any idea can spark new connections, new creations, and a deeper understanding of things. It helps expose you to more and more. Even if you don't agree with the ideas, I think there's something akin to ''meta-learning" that can happen; you disagree maybe with the ideas they explicitly teach but you start to learn, maybe, about how that philosopher thinks, or that stage, for example. I agree... In a general sense in that not everyone needs to read philosophy in order to develop. There are, in my opinion, other great ways of developing yourself; having experiences being #1, or creating things, travelling, having relationships, etc.. I know Leo emphasizes intellectual study and that's his jam... but I just think studying can actually be a big distraction from actually living life and witnessing the beauty of it. At least in my experience. Not that I dislike studying, I do love it... But just not the same amount as I thought I should be doing, and I'm aware that creating things and adventuring give me way more pleasure and fulfillment than study.

Really? I don't listen to him much at all... be just the initial impression I get from him is, yes, more rationally minded but yet still having a high-degree of openmindedness. So, I would expect him to ya, maybe not agree with Leo's points, but at least respectfully disagree and not be a dick about it. ?

Do you really want to do that? -- Would be my question. Like, are you just doing it because you believe you should, are told it's something good to do, etc.? I think if you truly find it meaningful and something enjoyable, you'd be doing it. I used to try and read tons, study, and be diligent intellectually. But it did feel like a grind sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy studying, reading, and understanding stuff and "nerding out" on things, but faaaarrrr less than I initially believed. Recently I've just sort of realized that no, I don't really want to be the intellectual guy and have cut down my studies faaaaarrr more recently. Instead, I realize that being creative gives me fffffaaaaaarrrrr more joy and love than studying; The simple act of making a drawing or a video puts me back into that childlike place of play. IT feels so much better. So I'm trying to just do more stuff rather than simply read and study. Whether that's creating things, going on adventures, travelling, exploring, socializing, etc.. Like, really just trying to do things that I find intrinsically way more rewarding, joyful, and meaningful. So maybe try just doing other stuff to fill your time. Experiment. As opposed to thinking you should be studying etc. (unless that's what you truly want and find joy in of course).

Cheers

How will you grow then, if you aren't open to hearing others' POVs, and hearing them reflect to you things you don't want to hear yet are true and would be healthy for you to hear?

The same way you'd show respect for any other person, animal, or thing. How do you show respect for your mother, your father, your friends, your dog, your favorite toy as a child, yourself, etc.. ? I mean, if you just meet someone and know nothing about them, I think I usually just start off with respect. Then, as we interact and I get to know who they are and how they interact with me, that initial respect may fluctuate; it could grow or decreases as I feel them interacting with me and learn what they do/have done etc..

Ya... start off easy. Seems like cold-approaching is like literally climbing a mountain as your first workout ever, or playing against Messi as your first soccer opponent. Go to social places and do social activities that naturally make you feel comfortable, at-ease, and at home. Ideally you'll want to feel good about what you're doing. To have fun. Trust me, if you're having fun, that takes care of sooooo many issues related to dating. Cuz then it's not all about the dating part, so there's less pressure since you can always be like "Oh well, the date or picking up women isn't going so well, I'll just be myself and have fun anyways" and this will attract people (even if it's not women to sleep with). This will attach a positive feeling to simply being social in the first place and get you increasingly confident and open and positive in a social setting; all things that increase the chances of dating and having sex. And sure, if you're sexual appetite is reallllyy strong, maybe hiring a prostitute could tie you over. But try focusing on simply having fun.

Luv this

I keep hearing from many academics and people in psychology and theories of consciousness that makes me think many believe that "what" the mind does or can do equates with consciousness. Things like "This organism can solve this complex puzzle or use language, therefore it must have consciousness." I still don't really understand how they don't see the issue in that reasoning; why do they believe that the content of the thing equates to the consciousness it might have? Just because a system (an A.I. perhaps) can perform certain tasks has no bearing on whether it has consciousness or not... to me anyways. For example, to me it is far more likely that an ant has consciousness rather than an AI. I would even go so far to say that even if an AI could outperform an organic organism on every task imaginable, I'd bet on the organic organism having consciousness but not the AI. I guess I view consciousness as simply the awareness of things happening, rather than the things that are happening or the functioning of things. So you could have literally just a left to right movement but with consciousness, or you could have an AI capable of doing things the entire human race collectively could never do but without consciousness. ... What do you think? I suppose one link between consciousness and what I'll call "actions" (the functioning of a system, not necessarily the consciousness) could be something like free-will and creative and novel choice making. But how you'd determine whether a choice of action was an original move, I have no idea.

I've been experiencing some ego-backlash and angst lately; more frustration, more porn usage, more negative habits slipping through the cracks, getting a bit negative with others, etc.. Last night I got to a point where I felt like I was going to just blow up. Like I couldn't hold it in any longer and would just lose it on someone. I didn't know what to do with it. Then I just rested with it and came to a sudden insight that provided soooo much relief; I don't care about people. Plain and simple. It felt sooo good to just acknowledge that and just like ya, be and inhabit that. It's like, ya, I mean I still do care some for others, maybe a little, but not a ton. It was just so nice to not care and be ok not giving a shit anymore. Very liberating. Especially for someone who feels he has to "be the good one" or "caring one" or "has to care about others lots" n' stuff. It's just very freeing to acknowledge and be the things you are that you believe are bad and shun. I'd recommend it.

Which ones exactly? How long have you been on them? Hope it continues (thumbs up)

seems reasonable and safe enough.

Luv ya bud I relate to the autism thing It's interesting how though someone can be self-centered and lack cognitive empathy, they can likewise still maintain a deep caring and sensitivity to others emotionally.

Yes. I know there is this whole thing about empathy and compassion and the like being also masculine things as well... and ya, like, of course there's a balance and stuff... but also I think there is something unique in the male psyche that attracts him to certain virtues over others; some just feel more meaningful. For example, I literally cried ("crying" is putting it mildly. It was something that was like I NEED THIS) for 30 minutes when I read Alexander Beiner's essay on masculinity (he's a co-founder of Rebel Wisdom) I believe many people, regardless of sex or orientation, are craving stories that celebrate masculinity. That don’t demean men and boys for their preference for connecting shoulder to shoulder instead of face to face. Stories that don’t shame men who prefer not to express their emotions sometimes. That don’t pathologise a male desire to set emotions aside if they get in the way of a larger purpose. The part of "shoulder to shoulder" reeeeaaaalllllyyyy touched me deeply. I cried so much envisioning standing shoulder to shoulder in the front line of a battle formation, the enemy charging at us, the things we love and are protecting behind us... each there for each other as we face what needs to be faced to protect what we love. The image of a circle of men facing outwards also came to mind as a powerful image; with the center, again, being what we're protecting (loved ones, nature, whatever it is). This makes me think protecting what is most meaningful to you is a powerful masculine trait or characteristic. protecting side-by-side.

Someone who's able to be honest and do the right thing as he sees it irregardless of personal consequences.

Buy me time and resources so I can live and do things as I wish. I've worked many jobs. I've found which types absolutely do-not work for me and stay clear of those ones (construction, warehouses, anything that doesn't include beauty, being engaged by the work, or relating to people and working with people). Serving, so far, has been the best and most motivating type of entry-level work I've found so far, and you can make good money doing it (last summer there was a day I earned $40 an hour with tips). -- So, if you're super not motivated to do that work, find something else until you hit something that is manageable until you get progress on your life purpose/career etc. I think "Scam" is a loaded term here. It's not like there are these goons conniving around a table at your work or in the government seeing how to rip you off. A large part, I think, is basically that this is the best humanity has to offer in terms of how to manage and deal with billions of people in the most safe, fair, and effective way possible. Not saying there aren't ways to improve it. Work = survival (hunting -> farming -> office work) Paying taxes = social survival (warlords threatening you with death unless you pay them for protection -> aristocracy giving you a piece of land for service or taxes to throne -> paying taxes for government for protection and other social services.... seems like it used to mostly be about simple protection from other tribes, but now that has evolved into (along with protection; i.e. the army) things like roads, plumbing, governmental assistance, healthcare, education, etc..

The old way of sales is called the "TV industrial complex"; create factories and a product, invest heavily in marketing to the masses, increase sales, take revenue and reinvest in marketing. This form of marketing and sales is no longer viable. There's too many products, people have everything they need, people have less time and attention to invest in new products. Nowadays, the only way that will really work is by creating a Purple Cow; something so remarkable that the marketing is baked right into the product itself. Something that isn't oriented around advertising but is instead oriented around creating great products that a select group of people will buy. Moores' Idea Diffusion Curve Innovators ---> Early Adopters ---> Early & Late Majority ---> Laggards Ideas spread only from right to left. So, in order to get an idea accepted by the majority of people, you have to first get the Innovators to buy the idea. Thus, the innovators are who you should be marketing to. Innovators: People who are seen as experts in what they know, people who want to be the first one to own something, people who are interested in what's new. Their friends see them as experts and trust their opinion. So, if an Innovator passes along an idea or product to their "early/late majority" friends, they will more than likely buy in to the idea themselves. Otaku Something more than a hobby but less than an obsession. Target markets with existing Otakus. For example, the hot sauce market has an Otaku, but the mustard market does not. You don't see thousands of homegrown mustard companies shipping their niche mustards around the world. But you do see this with hot sauces. Find the market niche first, then make the product. Not the other way around. Worst = Marketing to keep busy. Better = Doing nothing. Best = Doing something. Once you've managed to create something truly remarkable, do these two thing simultaneously; Milk he cow for all its worth. Figure out how to extend it and profit from it for as long as possible. Create an environment that will make it likely that you'll create a new Purple Cow to replace the first one when the benefits inevitably wear off. "Very good" is an everyday occurrence. Be remarkable. Following leaders is another form of safety. And safety is risky. The reason it's so hard to follow the leader is that the leader is the leader since he did something remarkable. And that remarkable thing is now taken. It's no longer remarkable when you do it. You're ads shouldn't cater to the masses. They should cater to those you'd choose if you could choose your customers. (ex: Mint Mobile commercials with Ryan Reynolds) All the obvious targets are gone. It's useless to advertise to anyone (except 'sneezers' with lots of influence) Could you create a collectible version of your product? Half-measures will fail. Complete overhauls on things that the right customers care about, that might work. Marketing done right = changing the product, not the ad. The vast majority of product success stories are engineered from day one to be successful. Ideavirus analysis; put all your product developments through this analysis How smooth and easy is it to spread this idea? How often will people sneeze about it to their friends? How tightly knit is the group I'm targeting - do they talk much? Do they believe each other? How reputable are the people most likely to promote my idea? How persistent is it - is it a fad that has to spread fast before it does, or will the idea have legs (and thus I can invest in spreading it over time)? Awareness is not the point. Two of the most popular TV commercials of all time sold not one more bottle of coke. They entertained and got attention, but no incremental sales. Kmart has plenty of awareness. So what? Old vs. New rules to marketing Old rule: Create safe, ordinary products and combine them with great marketing. New rule: Create remarkable products that the right people seek out. The only products with a future were those created by passionate people. One hundred years of marketing thought are gone. We can no longer target the masses.