Bodhi123

Leo don’t you see what I am referring to when I mention group-think? You make a video about paradigms and then many topics revolve around paradigms. You talk about psychedelics and then people who never wanted to try these drugs want to try psychedelics. You have an opinion about ego and enlightenment and then others adopt this perspective. You hold a position of authority. You are the thought-leader of this forum. Do you feel a sense of responsibility?

@Echoes @Leo Gura Ego = Mind = Sin = Devil = Hell Are these your thoughts or Leo's? I already know the answer.

Relationships are about forming a bond between you and another person. Generally these bonds are formed by sharing and reciprocity. For example, you share some information about yourself and they share some information about themselves. Also, you can "hang-out" with them and this creates a shared-experience between the two of you. Over time this sharing of information and shared-experiences are the basis of your relationship. This is key. If a person is uncomfortable around you then he or she isn't going want to open up to you or spend time with you. My advice: be relaxed, be confident, seek out people that share your interests, and just talk to them. Have fun.

@0ne You ultimately have to make two decisions: 1) Do I choose to live or to die? 2) Do I choose to be happy or miserable? I realize that you say you are not pessimistic just "existentially exhausted"... well as @blazed pointed out there is no escape. Even death won't give you the eternal peace that you desire. If you truly want peace then peace will be found in this life in the present moment. I don't know if this is what you want to hear... but it is the truth. Find comfort in the truth.

@AxelK There is a time and a place to refer to non-duality, Absolute Reality, No-Self, etc. But when a person is feeling depressed then the goal should be to help that person feel some positive emotions.

@Principium Nexus True Life is all about perspective. We can choose to have a positive perspective or a negative perspective. We might as well choose a positive perspective, it feels better.

@0ne I'm not here to tell to you that life has some Universal meaning, it does not. Life is essentially meaningless. BUT I am here to tell you... that how you are reacting to the meaninglessness of life is what is causing your suffering. Your profile pic is simply black. Total and absolute darkness. This is indicative of your view of life... darkness. If you wish to change your life then the first thing you have to do is change how you view life. It is your choice.

@GeorgeLawson I've always been kind of a serious guy. Even as a kid, I was quiet and serious. Like you, I also naturally enjoy philosophy and abstract thinking. To answer your question, "Why so serious?": There really isn't a good reason to be so serious If you have truly contemplated life and non-duality then you must have realized that life is not meant to be taken so seriously. To take life seriously is to misunderstand life. We are alive to live, learn, play, and grow. Don't be afraid and don't take things too seriously... just play the game

This movie scene is a good illustration of the difference between knowledge and wisdom. I ask you, would you rather be knowledgeable or wise?

I agree that it isn’t an all-or-nothing situation… you can very well be both knowledgeable and wise. I guess the main point I wanted to make is… school and books are not the best teacher… life is the best teacher. It is my opinion that we should all strive to experience life fully. This means seeking out new experiences, meeting new people, getting acquainted with ourselves, taking chances, daring to love, making mistakes, and accepting both success and failure. Lets not make it our goal to venture through life unharmed… but allow life to knock us around a bit and teach us some lessons. “I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” – Diane Ackerman

@Nahm You’re right. The college experience really did change me in many ways. Now that I think of it… it is in an Eastern Philosophy class that I first learned about Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Thanks for pointing that out to me.

@Prabhaker I knew your response would broaden my own understanding of the issue. Thank you.

I’ll give my answer, I’ll take wisdom. I would relate knowledge to information. I would relate wisdom to the perspective gained through experience. I have gone through school and college and in the process have accumulated a bit of information on different topics. However, I can’t really say how this information has improved my life and made me a better person. However, I can clearly see how gaining perspective through experience has improved my life and made me a better person. I now have a deeper understanding of myself, emotions, other people, and life in general. I don’t know… sometimes when I reflect back on the education system I went through… I feel like it taught me how to pass a test and not much else. My thoughts.

My friend... there really is no logical reason to be self-conscious. To be self-conscious means you are giving other people's opinion more value than it deserves. Your opinion is as valuable as any other person. AND In terms of your feelings of self-worth YOUR opinion is the ONLY opinion that matters.

I read the same thing you did, and I had a completely different reaction to what he wrote.

@Echoes You feel powerless because you don't believe in yourself. You have to develop your confidence and change your mentality in order for your life to change. The reason I feel strongly about helping you improve your situation is because I have felt how you feel before (i.e. stuck & hopeless). The first step in changing your mentality is having faith. This video has helped me in the past.

I have worked in school settings. This is also true

How can this statement be considered true when there are many instances that contradict it? For example, ISIS (aka Islamic State) justifies their actions by citing religious beliefs. Also, the Catholic Church is a religious institution yet many Catholic priests have abused children. I ask this question respectfully. I know you will give an intelligent response.

@Dodoster I enjoy the videos you share. Thanks.

@sgn I did look over the exercise and it is possible that your childhood experiences would impact your response to the questions, but there could also be other variables that would affect a person's response. Thanks for sharing your story.

@sgn I don’t think many adults realize how intelligent and sensitive children are. Kids are not dumb. Children have the capacity to learn and to feel; this capacity should be acknowledged and respected by adults. It is during childhood that we begin to develop our self-concept. Every interaction, achievement, and slight informs our self-concept. Good feelings become internalized… sadly, bad feelings also become internalized. It is good that you’ve realized the source of your negative emotions. You can begin to deconstruct these feeling now that the source has been identified. Let me leave you with one last thing… you are not fundamentally flawed. That is a learned feeling that can be unlearned. Take care.

@Nahm I see what you are saying… don’t label some actions as work… and other actions as play… with the right perspective all action becomes enjoyable… thus no ‘work’. I see the value and truth of the above perspective. But in the past and even currently my mindset revolves around self-discipline and delayed gratification.

@SLICKHAWK Good for you man. Enjoy.

@Loreena I have found that self-love is the fuel of life. It is self-love that allows you to believe that you are deserving of good-health, positive relationships, happiness, a fulfilling career, peace in your heart. If you don't love yourself then you deem yourself unworthy... and then all you bring to your life is darkness.