SOUL

I hope you aren't referring to me because I did happen to use that phrase in my reply but I made no mention of sex, gender or anything of the sort. If you interpreted it that way it's not something I said or intended to say.

Something I have noticed, at least in the U.S., the past 20 years or so there has been a growing disinterest in the general population for uplifting each other. Sure, we have the artificial sweetener happy feeling types across social media but it's rarely encouraging people to well being and more about posting quotes and just feelings. Much of the 'improvement' and 'actualizing' centers around materialist pursuits like career, money, stuff and appearances. It's an obsession with the trophy life. Not to mention this so often is accompanied with being 'better' through comparison where the in group is good and the out group is bad. Though, it's so obvious how people are self suffering and seeking relief from the misery with so many flocking to the growing self help field and interest in spirituality. Yet even much of that seems to be focused more on materialist solutions and becoming an acolyte of a belief system, therapeutic process, group or person. While the dumbing down of every aspect of socialization to the lowest common denominator has always been an issue of human interactions it seems especially prevalent currently.

I appreciate you sharing yours as well, it's quite revealing.

An exchange of words, concepts.....of stories.... Why are you distracting from the question? If you believe everything is story then you exhibit belief in the ego when it tells you that everything is the story because to the ego, there isn't anything but the story since that is all it has and it wants justification for it's story, it wants your belief in it's story. Who is it that would believe in the story? This is (psyche)logical proof that there is more than the story in our experience of consciousness otherwise one agent of consciousness wouldn't seeking something, belief, from another agent of consciousness. This is the description of how one 'frees' the will....it's not limited to just the story the ego tells. We can choose to believe any story, even one we create or even not to believe in a story. We can just accept what is as it is and allow stories to be guides, not our identity.

...but can you tell the difference between 'what is' and the story about it? Can you tell the distinction in consciousness between the ego, the story teller, and awareness, the observer to which the ego is telling it's story to? You haven't demonstrated in our exchange that you do.

Is it predetermined whether there will popcorn for the movie?

The 'happening of existence' is just isness unfolding, it just is, but me telling you about it is the story. Happening is manifest being but a story isn't actually happening, it's being told. The happening of a story is the telling of the story. The ego uses symbols and meanings for the interpretations it makes in telling it's story but for whom is the story being told in our consciousness? It is awareness that observes the story telling in our consciousness. Our perception in awareness can be aware of more than just what the interpretations of ego in the mind. The teller is adding it's commentary based on past experience yet awareness observes the happening as it unfolds including the story telling in it. Sure, the story of all existence may be in the story being told by the ego in god's mind yet again for whom is the story being told in god's consciousness? Which prompts my ego to reminds the mind of that story about how it's turtles all the way down. Does god believe the stories being told in it's own mind? Who is it that believes the story in god's own mind? Hah God is just being I am just being. The irony is not lost on me that all I have written here is story...I like turtles.

That's the story you tell yourself to distract from the point I'm actually making. You spin this tale in your imagination instead of actually taking a moment to consider the point I am actually making by the slight changes to the apparently repeated message. Think it through, after I'm done enjoying the beautiful Saturday afternoon I'll come back tonight to see if you chose to figure out the point and address it or just continue with your story telling...because you know how some people are just addicted to their stories.

@RMQualtrough Yea, humans are story tellers and even though people will have their 'explanation' story evolve over time the thing that doesn't seem to change as much is the attachment to the story. Their story is the 'truth'!...whatever version they're telling. Not that stories are the problem, who doesn't love a great story, it's the belief in the story that generates the attachment to the story. So much attachment they will abuse others, hate others, fight for and even kill for the story...to protect their story.

@Tyler Robinson epic

Speak for yourself, you were good until you said eventually you will whether you want to or not. You found it. That's fine, but just cause you found it doesn't mean another will. Go in peace.

The 'dream' is just another story that is used to justify reasoning of the 'life is not real' belief.

The ego is a portion of the body's sense of self so it's an autonomous agent of our psyche. It may take awhile before the grasp of the ego is loosened, it's grip is strengthened through our belief in the activity it organizes in the mind to build identity and it's grip is loosened by ceasing to believe it's activity. Although, being in conflict with the ego still justifies it so just abide in awareness and eventually the pull of the ego fades away.

@Matthew85 Don't confuse the conceptual framing of the beliefs for the psychological mechanism of belief. Also, in the way that we believe it either opens up potential to us or it limits the possibilities for us. If you think we have no control over it then that is a limiting belief for you, one that you have no control over but it has no influence in anyone else, it's just yours.

The mechanism that empowers the 'grasp' in our experience of mind is belief, more specifically it is limiting beliefs that serve as a barrier. Even the most awakening insights one might have can turn into a barrier if we allow it to become a limiting belief. As an example the insight that believing in good and evil manifests in us judging everything with that moral dualism. If we turn around and say we must remove this or it is a barrier to further awakening, freedom or enlightenment it becomes a limiting belief. We have now put this separation between us and something we imagine we don't have or could be. This is a condition we trust is true limits us by believing we have to do something a certain way to cross that barrier or close the separation. So while it may benefit someone to free themselves from the judgement of moral dualism it doesn't benefit them to think they are presently insufficient because they may currently still perceive that moral dualism. This can also be applied to the notion I see so often suggested that belief has to be removed. That is itself a belief and again creates a barrier between as we are presently and what is imagined in the future. It's a paradox of sorts to be at peace with being as we are and also still seek a more holistic expression of consciousness.

It's everywhere and everything if one allows it to be that.

@Leo Gura I guess it does have much to do with how the person is interpreting the experience in the moment. Some people can explore it more fully because they are just real comfortable in that space, some not so much...or not at all.

@Inliytened1 Proverbs 27:17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. Tho I understand, I will make an effort.

Maybe if you can strip away the labels and concepts that have been learned to describe the experiences and don't be quick to try find explanations. Quite often the mind will strangle it with those things so much so that we cannot full enjoy them or allow them to teach us as clearly as they potentially can. Not easy for sure but we don't have to chase the mind wherever it goes, let it fly off on it's own and instead keep awareness free to observe the activity in as free a form as it will be. Don't judge or compare your experiences, they are pure and perfect for you as it is.

Oh yea...this will end well.

You know nothing about me.

Ask myself my own name? Um....ok

It's a question....again it seems you like to play the role, do you?

So you play the part of the accuser? Interesting...hm