lmfao

@ValiantSalvatore I'm quite familiar with the Big 5 traits. I haven't read that book lol. I didn't know that information about the interaction between extraversion and conscientiousness, it makes sense to me though lol. I don't know if introverts are more verbose. Being verbose but being a worse problem solver reminds me of myself. In MBTI I think this might correspond to the N vs S dichotomy, or in the big 5 it could correspond to high vs low openness to experience. "anger is an energy that wants to move forward" yeah. Although I don't necessarily believe in it fully you can take a SD perspective on it. Stage Red wishes to further itself and get things accomplished with an intense single minded passion. Stage Red when healthily integrated will instils inside you a desire for individuation and chasing what you want. I like what you said about owning your anger. Don't be afraid of it, it's a part of nature. Although, I might be a hypocrite since I have not got anger controlled for myself I'm instead just talking from a few experiences I've felt anger to be a force for "good" in my life. I've taken the approach of using anger as a tool for action and I have a mixed bag of results to be honest. Acting impulsively on anger for me can be an easy way to become egotistical and just have a lower consciousness overall, but on the other hand I don't want to repress it. I haven't read that book. When I care about what other people think of me, it's a function of raw anxiety and partially fear for me. I know that for me I probably wouldn't find that book helpful for that purpose. Social intelligence is always good though, I'm sure the book would be useful for me somehow. You might like the book thick face black heart. I haven't read it all but it seems good. Wasn't my cup of tea fully because I felt it to be repeating itself, but good nonetheless.

@ValiantSalvatore I myself can have a lot of pent up anger as well, so I can relate. I'm also quite introverted. I see myself as a nice guy, but I can have a low fuse for certain things which trigger me. Are you asking for advice in regards to your anger as well as advice on being more open and vulnerable with people? ( I believe you're trying to say that your interactions with people lead to pent up anger?). Introversion is an interesting thing. The way I see it, there does exist a large natural variation in people's temperaments in regards to introversion and extraversion. However I know that for myself my introverted traits are partially a function of low consciousness and neurosis. The willingness to open up to other people and the willingness to be authentic are usually the same thing (at least for me), and in many situations someone who's not willing to open up or express themselves is acting upon neurosis imo (unless they have some tangible motive for not doing so). Not being willing to open up is often attributed to introversion. I still think that introversion/extraversion is natural. Some people like to talk and socialise loads, other not so much. I'm usually quite the introverted dull person, but I was to meet someone new today they might get the impression that I'm an extraverted and jolly . I've found that for myself when I'm in a higher consciousness state and am less neurotic I'm naturally more extraverted. However, socialising still tires me out. It's weird, because I partially want to socialise but it feels like a drain for me and to a large degree that can be due to my natural temperament. However when looking at the general case for different people and different situations, I think being drained from socialising isn't solely a function of "introversion"(im using quotation marks because the word introversion is hard to precisely define and the definition can be somewhat subjective). If you force an extravert into social situations where the topic of conversation is boring for them, they will get drained. Part of the reason I get drained from social situation is because most of the social situations I find myself in are just extremely boring for me at times. Maybe this is true for you? I think I possibly have "ADHD" so I just get drained from things I find boring. After reading what you write, it sounds like you need give less of a fuck in general. I can't say I've integrated this for myself, but just be yourself and pay little regard for the consequences. I know that for myself, the more assertively I act the less angry I feel. That's because my mind isn't fighting with itself neurotically about what I should do in certain situations. I try to act on instinct, mindfully with little filtering if possible. It's about trying to act in the spirit of what is often called "Wu Wei" for me. Action in the spirit of non-action. Being vulnerable will lead to you having more power and control over certain situations. I have anxiety problems and that leads to me not being open and vulnerable, as you put it. Maybe you feel fear and anxiety about what other people will think/do if you say/do certain things?

Randomly rewatched this video after months. Really straightfoward and high quality imo. I like how he immediately says that a lecture on zen is something of the nature of a hoax at the beginning of the lecture. After watching much of his content, I think Alan Watts is very good at trying to get you to see the difference between the map and the territory. He talks articulately on the limits of language, conceptualising and thinking.

@Wyatt this is the clearest explanation I've found online for what a sociopath is https://www.quora.com/What-exactly-is-the-definition-of-a-sociopath/answer/Corey-Reaux-Savonte-1 Like @Equanimitize said be careful about the labels you point on people. Someone who commits heinous crimes isn't automatically a sociopath. Low empathy or ruthlessness doesn't make you a sociopath automatically. Make sure you aren't overusing the term Sociopathy in your explanations of the world. 1) Sociopathy is triggered by environmental circumstances (and perhaps 1 or 2 "bad" genes which make you more susceptible to becoming one), which is one of the differentiaters of it from psychopathy. Psychopaths will often not feel strong emotions in regard to sadness, anxiety or loneliness (although they can feel fear) meanwhile sociopaths can. Psychopaths are mostly born the way they are imo. Perhaps there can exist a complex overlap of psychopathy and Sociopathy in a person, which starts to blurs the boundary between these two things. This boundary can be blurred in two senses. One sense is in how we choose to define these two things and and it can also be blurred in how we can observe someone externally and be able to tell the difference. However the existence of these two different categories is not arbitrary if you look at extreme cases within each category. From a scientific perspective, personality is all about the brain so yes Sociopathy is a consequence of the state of a persons brain. The brain is nowhere near being fully understood in science, so in what exact ways the brain of a sociopath is different from a normal person who knows. There does exist some research on this. 2) Probably. Sociopaths have different characteristics from "normal" people, so looking at Sociopathy will allow you to see how the ego will function even when you change a few variables and you can then perhaps start to build an abstract/generalised image of what ego is despite the many forms it takes in different people and in different situation. 3) People who are too nice and push overs are more easily manipulated. If you're good at reading people you're less likely to fall for manipulation. Someone who has healthily integrated their shadow side and aggression can stand up for themselves and will paradoxically enough be in less situations where they have to be aggressive.

@George Fil some of the people with whom I have very close relationships with, family members, can be very boring to talk to. Anytime a discussion point about politics, philosophy or society comes up in conversation they just constantly have a black and white lens from which to view things. There's nothing fun or nuanced about a moraliser who can't see shades of gray. There's always the label of what's good or what's bad present. I have one family member who will always say that "out of principle" such and such is right/wrong. Very absolutist ways of looking at the world. People who don't see relativity or subjectivity bore the hell out of me.

I was watching this Sadhguru video randomly, where he talks about people's search for purpose and meaninglessness. He says that whilst the idea that there is an absolute meaning to life is delusion and leads to madness , be careful that you don't excessively dismantle your psyche when you're not prepared. What this means for me is that I can't only meditate for self-development, I have to be doing many other things as well. There's a good reason ego exists, for self preservation. You want to be stable enough to the point where even without your psychological structure you can live in the present moment.

@ShugendoRa why must you demonise the part of you that demnises?

@EvilAngel Using this version of Maslows hierarchy posted on this forum a while ago, I think that it takes someone advanced to truly evolve past the need for companionship. But if companionship isn't available to you, why become miserable due to it? Just get what good company you can, and if you cant just accept whatever your situation may be in.

At the deepest level, why does it matter which option you chose? If you're trying to train your mindfullness skills then focusing your awareness on unfamiliar/uncomfortable sensations might do you some good.

@Manjushri go to a psychiatrist and psychologist man. I've been really suicidal before as well, to the point where I've frantically researches for hours on the Internet how to kill myself. I've been on antidepressants for over a year now. You said that medical professionals in Serbia aren't great, but I would assume that they are compotent enough to have basic psychiatrists who give you the correct antidepressant. When I was THAT low I absolutely needed antidepressants and I'm thankful for them. I know people on this forum give antidepressants a bad rep but honestly they are needed sometimes. Anyone who has gotten themselves lost truly deep into the pits of suffering and sadness recognises this. I remember just having the words "I want to kill myself" repeated to myself over and over in my mind in an out of control neurotic frenzy. If you're looking for motivation, put a positive spin on the phrase "I want to kill myself". You can forget killing your ego or whatever, I tried to spin that phrase into "I want to change myself". When I was low, at least some self actualization must come before super serious self transcendence work.

+1

@Amun From the perspective of the ethical standards that I operate from in most situations eating meat is unjustifiable and evil. However, I am a hypocrite and am comfortable being one because meat tastes good. I am discriminatory towards the suffering of animals, just because they are less intelligent and I can shut down the empathy I feel for them. I wonder if future generations of humans will look down upon our generation of meat eaters the same way that this current generation of humans looks down on past civilisations for the evils of human slavery and other things. One thing I'm curious about is what is the quality of consciousness of an animal. What would it feel like to be an animal, I wonder. Im not a biologist but I wonder if for instance, a newly born human infant and an animal in a slaughter house maybe have similar levels of intelligence and emotional depth to their experience. And if a a newly born human infant is comparable to an animal, why is killing one acceptable whilst the killing the other is not? (PS I am not advocating that you kill babies btw.........)

@Enlightened @Enlightened characteristics I aspire to become? Hmmmmm good question. I aspire to become someone who is low in neuroticism. I aspire also aspire to become someone who doesn't have addiction problems. I also aspire to be someone who reads and exercises a lot. Those are probably the main things. What do you think?

You made a video on this 4 years ago, I wouldnt mind seeing another one. There are loads of angles you can go from for this topic. Although I could see why you wouldn't feel the need to shoot a massive video on this topic.

@Alex bAlex Yeah, loads people like yourself (and me included) are socially awkward. It's a classic problem. Wanting to avoid someone you know in public might be fairly common lol. I know that for me, the person I see in public might want to engage in all sorts of small talk but I don't want that. In regards to your second situation you seem to have figured out your own problem with that second paragraph in the quote. Since you are a different person from me it would be presumptuous for me to think I can accurately speculate as to what the causes and "solutions" to your problems are but I'll try anyway. I'll just talk from my own experience. In some of the situations, you "freeze" and don't know what to say. I think that this freeze response of your might be rooted in anxiety. A small unexpected event in the external world triggers your fight or flight response. People with anxiety problems have an overactive and oversensitive fight or flight response. And in your post you've talked about childhood experiences that might be causing these problems you have. You're able to come up with all sorts of responses after the interaction is over and this could maybe be explained by having anxiety problems. If you don't have anxiety problems, don't let me typing about it make you think you have them. I hate small talk and find 90% of what people talk about to be boring. I don't give a shit about gossip or sports at any meaningful level, topics people talk about all the time. If I'm in a situation where I am forced to do such things for extended periods of time it probably means I'm not hanging out with the right people. However I would be lying if I said I hate small talk completely, since I can talk a long time about certain video games I've played or tv shows that ive watched. So perhaps theres also the problem you don't have topics of interest to talk about with most people around you. I have found personally myself that after having meditated I am more calm throughout the day and am less likely to immediately panic and freeze up. One thing which I need to do for myself is not let my disdain for small talk result in me having impaired/poor social skills. I'm setting a personal goal to accept the part of myself which hates small talk but to also have good social skills. Right now, whenever I interact socially its clunky and it drains my energy from having to put on a persona. But if I stop putting on a persona, whatever the short term consequences may be, things will be better for me in the long term. Another thing which im not sure of is whether some of your problems are worsened/caused by English not being your native language.

Facts

"Everything that we teach does not work on Asian girls, they are terrified of humans" lmao.

@RichardY regarding your signature, do you dislike "Plato (Ideal forms), John Stuart Mill (Utilitarianism), William James (Pragmatism)"

@bejapuskas Yeah true. There's a reason people mix up these different things, because it's true that neediness can disguised as extraversion and its also true that social anxiety can be disguised as introversion. I find it hard to tell the difference sometimes. Yeah, introversion can sometimes be a function of feeling uncomfortable with the group of people you're with. Someone who feels like they don't fit in anywhere and feels isolated from the world will act a bit more introverted than they might otherwise be. I'm just talking from experience here. In the past I've been with groups of people who I really don't fit in with and I can pick up on the fact that 99% of the things I say won't be on their wavelength, so I remain silent. And something I've noticed is that if you're silent and don't give away too much about yourself to other people they'll project a lot false ideas and beliefs about you so it's important to put yourself out there to the world.

@Ampresus Two things come to mind from reading your question. I can semi resonate with what you typed. I have shared my negative experiences with people before, telling them annoying shit that's happened to me and I think its a natural thing people do. From a psychoanalytical perspective, which I agree with, I think its fuelled by the subconscious motivation to have other people join in on your outrage or to have other people help you in some way. You can't believe that some negative events transpired, you're pissed and maybe it is partially because of your subconscious sense of self-importance that you want to tell the world that such and such negative things have happened to you. It's a need to announce things to the world, because its unacceptable that these transgressions against your ego have transpired. What I typed above is only partially explanatory for some situations and not all. @Leon_Mao made a good point. I believe there's also a degree of introversion vs extraversion going on here and theres also the fact that you don't like small talk. I think the introversion vs extraversion dichotomy goes deeper than simply liking or disliking small talk and even if there are correlations, but those correlations aren't causal imo. Some introverts will bore me to death with small talks, other extraverts will engage me with their motor mouth if they're talking about subjects I care about. I'm yet to figure it out for myself, but some people love and some people hate small talk. I personally see this trait as something which is linked to the Intuitive vs Sensory dichotomy within the MBTI model of personality. And on a separate note, I'm not too sure what to make of introversion vs extraversion when I think about different states of mindfulness ive been in. Even if im in a higher state of mindfulness after meditating, im still introverted but slightly less so. A few of the patterns of behaviour associated with introversion are also patterns which I adopt if im depressed and feeling volatile in mood.

@Freakrik I guess this is where I disagree with Leo. I think Leo would say yes to this question and I base that thought on some previous things I've heard him say in a thread where I asked Leo about solipsism. When using words to talk about spirituality, words are but a finger pointing to the moon. And so perhaps I disagree with the idea that saying "yes" to this question in the quotation box will point you towards the moon. The way I see it, you just have this present moment experience. Who knows what the state of your consciousness will be in the future. Who knows if there is a future or past? Your consciousness just has the state it does now. It's spontaneous and uncreated.

"When hungry, eat. When tired, sleep."

@non_nothing good question. So long as you stop taking in and spending money you won't have to worry about tax problems, common sense would dictate. And in order for you to do that, which you know already, you'll probably be going somewhere rural so as to be self sufficient. So long as im lurking in the shadows brother I might bump this thread if it sinks too low without enough replies.

@moon777light

@Shin transendental meditation my brother