Revolutionary Think

I can totally relate to the difficult childhood part and me not being the root of my unhappiness. I always thought I was talented as well but, lived in an ignorant society that was too clueless to see my talents and the education system didn't help out either. Although at this moment I am trying to make something more of my life and meet like minded people. If you want you can take a look as my journal as well. It's called Becoming a Hero.

@aryberry Well your dog in a cage analogy is the kind of thing that I experienced through most of my childhood. Even though in my opinion I was a very well behaved child unfortunately the adults in my life were not... So it all started in middle school where I felt like my school became a fascist dump that was killing my soul. Anyway I lay out my history with the education system all here http://bakshandehariel.wixsite.com/website/single-post/2016/12/30/Creating-Something-that-Lasts-Taking-You-Through-My-Past. In addition to feeling trapped with my school I felt trapped in my family life. It all felt like it was a boring re-run of a Television show. After my parents divorced it was just a civil war between them. What I wanted to do was get a job out of high school immediately. I knew that my only chance to get out of this cage was to be financially independent so I could live on my own and not have to deal with my parents constant bickering about one another. So in my community college I was tirelessly working with the career center to find a job but, they couldn't really help me since I hardly had experience (there is another paradox for young people you need job experience to get your first job). Then starting my second year of University the unthinkable happened I lived with my mom in the hills of Bel Air, CA from 5th grade to 9th grade. I hated living up there because I felt trapped. I had no car (and of course no one under the age of 18 does) so that meant wherever I wanted to go I had to depend on my mom for rides. I was also living with my grandparents who I shared nothing in common with. I really didn't like that house and the lack of autonomy I had up there. My only escape from my frustrations with the world, family and school was through video games. At least through video games I felt like I had some form of control even if it was just a character in a video game. So a miracle finally happened in 10th grade where we finally moved from that horrid house and we were closer to the city and closer to my school. I felt so happy that I could finally walk to school and walk home it felt great. When she wanted to move back my 2nd year of University I was in shock and at that time I didn't even have a car I was taking the bus. I moved with my dad and told my dad about it and I was crying uncontrollably about it. I didn't want to talk to my mom and my dad didn't care that I didn't want to talk to my mom either. Unfortunately though I'd only see my dad on weekends and I'd still feel like I was in a cage because at that time it was the 2008 recession and I still had a lot of trouble finding a job. Then all of a sudden a year later my dad tells me him and his girl friend are moving to a one bedroom apartment and I have to move with my mom in Bel Air. I felt betrayed and angry but, had no choice. I went to live with my mom but, I quit going to Community College all together with 3 classes left to get my AA degree. All I could think about up there was how depressed I was and how unfair and evil society was. I fell into one of the biggest depressions in my life where I didn't even want to play video games or go on the internet sometimes not even eat. It kind of felt like I was just waiting to die. Sometimes I'd just be in bed staring at the ceiling and negative thoughts going through my head almost all day. The only refuge I had from my negative depressing thoughts is when I'd go to bed. Then I would just wake up have negative thoughts running through my head until I would go back to sleep again. It was one of the worst times in my entire life. I'm happy to say somewhere down the line my Uncle bless his soul bought me a car. I finally went back to community college finished those last 3 classes I had to graduate and finally got my AA degree. Slowly but, surely I was removing myself from my depression. With that car I didn't feel like a dog in a cage anymore. Then another miracle happened that my mom moved out of that house again and this time permanently. That really helped me feel better since we moved into a great location near a gas station, a Walgreens, a shopping mall, and a museum. A complete 180 from where I lived before and I was so happy. Even though the job I got with my AA degree was at McDonalds I was just happy to work have a job and make money. That feeling for me felt great to get a paycheck and to just do something and be busy. Eventually I went back to community college again to get my transfer credits and transferred to a University. I was also lucky enough not to have to take out any loans. I used the money I saved up to go to vacations to far away countries. When I did that I felt like the opposite of that dog in a cage. Like my destiny was finally in my own hands and I was free to do what I wanted it felt amazing. I graduated from that University with a BA in Communications and now I started a blog and a YouTube page that I'm trying to get off the ground. I want to use my experiences of getting over my depression and making videos to inspire more people and students who may be depressed and going through a hard time. I just don't know how to get myself and my story out there. What to do with YouTube to make myself bigger and brand myself. I am getting help though I paid for a mentor and in addition to that I paid for a program and I'm even looking into Leo's life purpose course. My life has really been a bumpy ride thus far but, I honestly think that all my worst days are behind me and I've learnt so much after all the pain I've been through. I will write more about my journey and what I'm trying to do in the self-actualization journal I started called being a hero. Anyway I rambled on and on. What I'm really here to do is meet like minded people and make friends with them. People who want to change the world and make the most out of their lives.

@ashashlov If you want to look at it that way sure. I'm not labeling the people as de-actualizers just their behavior as de-actualizing. I know it would alleviate a lot of pain in myself if I just accepted them but, I'm working on it. Somehow even though I have to come to terms with this and this is just the way the world works. I find the greatest injustice of all to be bringing someone into the world and abandoning and/or abusing them because they never gave permission to be born... if you catch my drift. We all know we live in a world that doesn't care, we see innocent people in Syria getting bombed etc. For me the worst sensation in this world is the feeling of deep psychological, emotional, or physical pain and I know sometimes we can use that pain to grow. The thing I think though is throughout human history we have done so much to get rid of unnecessary pain sometimes and I think that it's a good idea. If everything is all the same and nothing made a difference then what's going to stop you from getting naked tomorrow and playing in traffic? It's all the same in the end though. I know the Universe isn't going to care if you decided to get naked and play in traffic but, I'm sure you wouldn't do it because you have some common sense. In a way you are right feeling superior to anyone isn't a winning strategy and you should look for the goodness in everyone. The thing is though with some people you don't want their negativity rubbing off on you. That doesn't mean you have to hate them but, that just means that you alone can strategize to live your own life to the fullest. I also know that in the end though we all end up expired and gone from the planet anyway so I see your point but, at least the journey can be a better one instead of one that sucked. Also once you've reached that point in your life where you are at a really good place but, other people feel like their sinking in quick sand you can be the one to throw a rope to them to pull them out instead of just stand above laughing at them and feeling superior. The part I don't like is when they are sinking and they are dragging themselves down with you. In some cases some people can realize their own faults but, let you live in a way where you can find your passions and find better people. In this case I compare it to two people stuck in a pit one person can prop up the other person so at least that person can get out of the pit. Then in return the person who is out of the pit can go search for help and get the other person who propped him out of the pit some help by bringing in a rescue team.

Day 1: Well technically not Day 1 but, I'd just thought I'd call it that so I can label the other journal entries and not go back up and edit the first one. Anyway I don't know about you guys but, I think most people go through their lives like zombies/robots and my friends and family are no exception. Except the very closest friend that I have. I'm trying to break out of that kind of lifestyle but, I find it very hard to speak with people who are on the same intellectual and spiritual frequency that I am on. Me and my friend made a video though. Basically what I normally do for my videos is I sit in front of my desktop and start filming from my webcam and I edit from there. The video quality is usually not that great but, thank goodness I got a lapel mike and started recording from that so the sound quality is much much better. I always wanted to give fiery passionate speeches though but, never really knew how to convert that into a YouTube video while I was sitting down. In that case I had an idea. I told my friend to record me with the iPad while I was on the couch so that's what we did. At first it was annoying to form all these amazing thoughts in my mind into a video I could make standing up on the couch. I made a lot of mistakes and got especially frustrated when I lost my train of thought in the middle of my filming. Eventually I managed to get it all out. The problem is though that people's attention spans these days are short and they don't have the time to look at something long and something that has an overarching message. That's why I spent time finding interesting photo's, sound effects, and background music to put in the video. Along the way I finally learned how to use better editing software and just went for it. The editing of the video was torture but, after a day and a half I finally managed to edit the whole thing and put it together. I know that this may not be the best thing in the world but, I'm glad that instead of sitting down and just thinking about the amazing video I wanted to make and not actually doing it. I can actual do a slightly amazing video in real life instead of just sitting down and thinking of all these wonderful ideas only to have them stuck in my head and not get into the public eye. So with out further ado here is the video I made.

@LRyan what exactly are you talking about with your psychologist that you can't talk to with us here? Of course if it's too personal I understand.

@LRyan Then you have to dissect the problem a bit more. What were you passionate about when you were growing up? What did you always want to do in the world? The problem with school I noticed was that it doesn't really help people out with these kinds of things. Sometimes it's scary when we have no safety net and can't rely on people to help us but, we can still slowly transition into somethings we've always wanted to do step by step and not take a dangerous giant leap. About the medical professional I guess it really depends with how long you've been with that person and how much they know you. I know that nothing sucks more than seeing some kind of therapist or professional helper that doesn't see eye to eye with you. Although with so many of those kinds of people in the world you can always change them.

What kinds of things are you thinking about? What's confusing you specifically?

So anyway ever since I was young I enjoyed playing video games but, there was a period of my life when I was a Freshman in high school and I was telling myself that maybe older people are right and I should drop the video games and start socializing more and making friends. So I became this fake bubbly personality who pretended I was this changed person who was more social and trusting of people. That actually ended up being a disaster I felt fake and inauthentic and things started getting worse for me in 10th grade and I felt inadequate. Then in 10th grade this amazing video game came out and in this game you could almost do whatever you wanted like call in a Helicopter or a Tank and battle enemy bases and you could call in airstrikes on your enemies and have all sorts of fun. It also gave you that sense of being a hero when you're fighting against a dictator and defeating him. What's the point that I'm making it's this Leo in some of his videos talks about video games being a waste of time and I also believe that's true to a certain extent. Let me just say though I find it ironic because I'm thinking that he was at one point a big fan of video games himself. I think it's the people who really enjoy video games but, not just any video games the video games that take us on these amazing adventures those people think that somehow there is something more to life than we are seeing (I may be wrong on this though). Like Leo too I always had fantasies of creating but, not just the amazing video games that he talks about in his videos that he had in his mind to develop in my mind when I was really young I made an imaginary place that I could escape to. I also think that video games can teach people things too like how to be persistent and how to experiment in your life with different techniques until one technique finally leads to success. Not only that but, I think that life is like a video game as well. Some people are born with a strategy guide (which is someone like a parent and/or a mentor to guide them through life or a really good self help book), you also start the game of life with default setting (like your genetics, the kind of family and culture you are in, and the economic and social status you have), and really lucky people get cheat codes (like the people who are super privileged because of their parents and their background e.g. trust fund babies). Although I do agree that some people take it to the extreme with video games and it takes over their life and they become unproductive lazy citizens. I honestly think that's not true for anyone and their is something about games who have deeper insights into life. Me for instance when I listen to Leo's videos unlike the average person I wasn't so shocked and surprised because I knew society was full of crap because of all the bad things that I see in the world. Also I can better understand Leo's enlightenment analogy when he talks about there being no you and it just seems real. I compare it to a 3D Imax movie when you put on your 3D glasses and it seems like the stuff in the movie is coming at you when you reach out your hand and try to touch that stuff when you try to grab hold nothing is there. So that's kind of like what our monkey minds do to us. What do you guys think?

I think he's helping to solve the paradox.

All I know about Leo is that his dad was always looking for the next Get rich quick scheme and after he graduated University he wanted to become a game developer and that didn't work out. I think people who want more out of life kind of have similar traits but, you can all correct me if I'm wrong. I think at a very young age they sense something is wrong. For example as early as middle school I could sense something wrong when teachers hated their jobs, school was getting too tough, and I had trouble making friends. A lot of people tell you that life just has to suck and that's the way things are at an early age but, people who want to self-actualize go against that grain. One other trait is that we don't really fit into mainstream society or tend to question it a lot. I see that a lot of people are OK with the way society is going and they care a lot about pop culture and just getting social with friends once in a while and going about their 9 to 5 jobs. I think people who undertake a self-actualization journey aren't really happy with society and the direction their lives are heading and want to see what else is out there for them. Another trait I saw was that we have some kind of master plan whether it worked out or didn't work out (in my case it didn't) for example I was always hoping that I'd give an amazing speech in front of millions of people and it would move them to give up on habits like doing drugs, drinking, and being racist. Or I'd give an amazing speech about education reform and what we could do to improve the lives of students so school wouldn't feel like such a boring pain in the neck. I also saw this in Leo when he had the idea of designing amazing video games but, the system didn't really pave a path for him. So what I like to know and Leo if you are listening tell me at what age did you look at self-actualization when did that spark go off when you said to yourself that life has to be something more than what it is now. I'd also like to know if you hit any kind of rock bottom in your life right before self-actualization work that prompted you to think about improving your life in any tangible way. I think that information would be helpful to me and others. Anyone else though can answer this question as well. I think the more like minded people we have that can share valuable information the more valuable this forum will be to everyone. It's like a giant collaborative process of improving our lives and making it the best it can possibly be given our circumstances and capabilities.

Anyway I can get in touch with the guy?

@Leo Gura I think that my thread with these highly rational people I had on the science chat is something you should look into. I'm just listening to your argument against rationalism video and it so reminds me of the non emotional way that some of those people on that chat acted when it came to education reform.

I think that image means that one with hardly any knowledge just sees the smokescreen. The one with a lot of knowledge see's the world in a way that sucks but, the enlightened person sees things as they are and it's not good or bad.

Before a friend introduced me to Leo and his videos I went on a science and philosophy chat and asked in the philosophy of science section if they should teach about what makes us happy in the schools. Then eventually someone there was constantly asking me for proof of why the schools should be changed. Then I saw Leo's videos about paradigms and scientific thinkers that are stuck in a paradigm lock. I brought that to their attention and one of the mods literally locked the thread so I couldn't post anymore. I must admit I did it in a bit of an abrasive way but, I wasn't using any foul language or cursing anyone. Anyway I link to this not for advertisement purpose because I couldn't care less about advertising their blog but, just so all of you can get a glimpse of how purely scientific thinkers think and compare and contrast it to enlightened thinking. http://www.sciencechatforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=32399

@Bodhi123 You would think with as many years as humans have lived on this Earth that something like this would've been realized by now. So many years of human history with pain and suffering that people haven't realized that maybe the best way to live is to minimize the suffering and neurosis as much as possible but, quite amazingly people who realize this are a rare breed. I'm wondering in the future if things will get better or worse if there'll be more enlightened people or less enlightened people? I'm wondering what the future holds? If I went through hell when I was younger I'd certainly wouldn't want that for the future generations yet, ironically our parents might complain about the terrible things they went through while they were young. Although I doubt that at a certain point in their lives if they really wanted to get to the root of the problem. All I know is that since I'm sentient in this world right here right now I can change the course of my life to have absolutely no regrets and live it to the fullest.

I like your outlook on life @username because there is no use in getting frustrated if the frustration isn't going to help us and keep us down. The frustration will just lead to more and more negative emotions and that's something I'm trying to eliminate. In fact I'm just grateful and happy that I'm born in the time period and the country that I'm in. For all I know I could've been born in a different time period under much different circumstances and not even have my basic needs met.

@The Universe So you're just 16 wow I'm 12 years older than you. If you want you can private message me because I've been in your shoes before and I'm really trying to figure out a way to reform the school system but, it hasn't been easy.

@The Universe Please read this and tell me what you think. http://bakshandehariel.wixsite.com/website/single-post/2016/12/30/Creating-Something-that-Lasts-Taking-You-Through-My-Past

For all of you talking about video games just being a distraction to a certain extent I can agree. I really do want to start some kind of movement that changes the world. Especially the education system because I believe that Today's education system around the world doesn't really focus on improving people (like this website does) but, instead focuses on making them robots. I started a website discussing this and I really want to talk about these issues with all of you. @Phocus I am sick and tired of playing the side quests but, nobody is giving me a strategy guide to play the main game (except for maybe Leo). That's the problem I find in schools too no one is giving these kids a strategy guide for how to figure out what there passions are and make a living out of it. I myself created a petition on change.org that talks about bringing mentors to schools so they can help these students in the high schools. I also want to know from all of you how you found your passions and if you are making a living off of them and how you did it. I hoping that finally on this forum I can find some like minded and deep thinkers who want to do something about living their lives to the fullest and how to help others who want to do the same thing.

I think the lack of civility these days is a big problem. You can disagree with people without being a disagreeable person. I think people need to take more time to know where other people are coming from and see how a different perspective can change another person's views.

@Prabhaker I'm quite the extrovert with the right type of people around me. It all depends on who I am talking to and if they are like minded.

@Leo Gura would enjoy hearing your ideas on this.

@Ariel my name is Ariel too funny coincidence. I personally think like some others have pointed out you have to verify this information for yourself. I think if you don't take the theories and put them into practice you can't really find out if it works or not. Other than that all I can say is that every experience I have in life acts as an adviser in my head leading me the right way. Like when how you fail you learn what not to do.

@Alex K Thanks for the response. I hardly know anything about meditation and how it works so maybe I'll read some books and watch some videos on it. The interesting thing is though at a very young age my mind was already kind of self actualizing when it came to thinking about "adults". It didn't make sense to be living in misery even though older people in my life told me "that's just life" I kept thinking to myself that older people are missing something because there is a way to live life where you can be happy and not having so much stress and anxiety. I remember older people telling me that life only gets harder, more complicated and more boring. I remember telling myself that what they're telling me is BS because so many people have created amazing happy lives for themselves by strategizing and surrounding themselves by the right people. I was always wondering why our society is so ignorant wasting time with celebrity worship and complaining about everyday life so much. I also wondered why the education system never talked about how to be happy and how to do things that make you happy and make money from it. My Revolutionary Thinking blog is kind of like my self-actualization journal for my own life but, eventually I want to find a way to monetize it and get a lot more attention for it from like minded people. So please @users feel free to take a look http://bakshandehariel.wixsite.com/website the posts I enjoy the most even when I read it for myself are the fourth one where I talk about how to make a better education system and the first one where I talk about creating something that lasts. Anyway I hope to get more involved in this community and find like minded people who want to be happier and more successful in life.

Hi everyone my name is Ariel I'm a 28 year old University graduate from Los Angeles, CA who stumbled upon Actualized.org from a friend in Japan. So ever since I was younger I was always wondering why the education system in the States wastes your time on so much useless stuff that you hardly ever use but, doesn't teach you to be happy or live a life that you love and enjoy. That's why I decided to quit my job and become a YouTube content creator. My content just like Leo's is how to think differently than everyone else for life improvement but, I've started watching some of Leo's content because I'm starting to learn so many interesting things. So I was just thinking we talk about how your lives were before you got involved with the Actualized.org community and any advice you have for me on my journey.