Truth Addict

@wren You would have to go through the process for you to discover the answer. Here's my answer though: What you call you is simply an idea of you, not the actual you. The actual you is the thing that calls things. Both inquiries are pointing to the same thing from opposite sides. To say that you are everything is the same as to say that you are nothing. The duality between a subject (a perceiver, you) and an object (a perceived, other) is standing in the way. Perhaps you could use some doubt here. Really just sit down and try to pinpoint yourself. You are the 'pinpointer'.

@RendHeaven Very well written and presented! I love it. Mathematics is relative, it's a magical tool for playing with reality however that serves us. 1+1=1 and 1=0=♾️

??❤️

I don't know why he didn't clarify that. He probably used some substances, and probably the substance was 5-MeO.

Thought makes it possible. Thank God! ?

@DrewNows I was a lot worse, trust me. I'm now like 20-30% of what I was before. I have actually admitted that I was wrong many times here and everywhere else. I'm not sure, but I think that you think I'm taking things way too seriously. I do when I discuss them, of course, otherwise I would sound drunk just like you do right now. Sorry buddy ?? When my beliefs are shown to me wrong, I feel challenged, and recently, after a lot of work, I started admitting it. Thanks for the help buddy, I'll make sure I check all of what you said. @Elisabeth Ah, great example! I never said that I want Leo to make the forum a place for treating mental illnesses. I don't know where she got that idea from. I did say though that we should be more careful with such people and try to gently point them to professionals instead of locking their threads. She read some of my earlier posts in that thread, so I assumed she would read the rest, although I remember telling her that directly. I also know for a fact that there is no clear definition for mentally ill people. Experts disagree a lot about this basic subject, which is how to define a mentally ill person? What if we're all mentally ill and the mentally ill are the healthy ones? Who determines that? What criteria do we use are true? Can there even be a true criteria? Can you distinguish between a truly mentally ill person and an imposter that knows how to fake all the symptoms? etc... We must keep in mind that there is no objective way for identifying a mental illness like blood tests and CXRs. Some experts even say that we are just doing a 'medicalization' for very ordinary problems that all human beings are prone to, for example: social anxiety disorder is simply just shyness, bipolar disease is just ups and downs in mood, and someone who is going through some traumatic event is considered a major depression disorder. Here's an actual experiment of someone who had challenged the traditional measures and norms of psychiatry: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosenhan_experiment That being said, I saw a bias from a person who was trying to use their experience as means to prove superiority, and therefore claim righteousness, and therefore justify to themselves and others keeping doing what they're doing.

@Elisabeth Thank you. I like the idea and I appreciate your offer, but I don't have anything in mind right now. Perhaps you could memorise my username and give me feedback if you ever came across something bad I might say in the future? But that's too much to ask, and I don't place much hope on actualizing it.

Just keep your basic needs met and don't worry about other things. Maslow's hierarchy is so underrated here.

@Commodent It's tricky, because my sense of self that I feel in others is the thing that is driving me towards communicating with them in the first place. So, the question becomes: Which is better in this specific case? Putting my ego aside and letting others' egos have it? Or the other way around? Which one will actually lead to better outcomes?

@Jkris Is there another "person" to realise the taste of sugar in the first place? How can I talk about the direct experience of something that I cannot experience? Do you see the irony here? I only truly know the present moment. And even saying that is already too much. Is there anything beside/outside direct experience?

@mandyjw Authentic love is 100% unconditional. It is 100% independent of results. That's all there is to it. Whenever we try to make use of love, we move away from it. Not to say that moving away is bad, but to show how easily we can lose track of ourselves. The upside is that we can't move away from it, because we are already it. We can only build and create, and then rest and feel the awe. ❤️

@jim123 ? I don't smoke at all. You're right. I think we have different concepts of the same words. I remove the past and future from my equations. Belief in the present moment can equal direct experience. This should sound more accurate, I guess.

I know and believe that they're the same thing. It's tricky, but nevertheless true.

@Socrates I prefer using the word imagination instead of ego in this context. Should imagination be demonized? What is demonization but another part of imagination? You see the problem here? Many people have solved it by letting go and letting everything just be.

Actually, there isn't. But yeah, to stage Blue unactualized people, there is. @jim123 I agree. I ground myself in Truth, Love, and happiness (peace).

@bejapuskas I haven't watched it yet, only like 35 minutes of. It's still on the list. I agree with you to some degree. I don't consider arguing a defense mechanism, I think it's a way of survival, although the lines between survival and defense mechanisms are blurry. But I use the word survival because to me it seems more neutral than defense mechanisms. I don't think I should get rid of the ego. I think I should try to make it behave better. @AudibleLocket Thank you, those were the things that I have been working through and still do to some degree. I will try to keep them in mind. @Zigzag Idiot That's amazing! I kind of ask myself questions similar to the ones you mentioned everytime before I post something. I just don't formalize them. Results are getting better, but I think I'm still short to where others are. I will try to keep that in mind.

Thank you all for your generous replies ❤️ @Shadowraix Sometimes it is the case as you mentioned. I reflect everytime before I post something, and I try my best to keep it precise and to the point. It helps, I think I should stick to it. @Dan502 I just took the test. I have never done it before, but I am pretty sure my answers would have been very different even one year ago. Here's my result: I am very humble. But I also have a big ego ? I'm working on both ends. I am struggling with that like 20% of the time. @Commodent It all makes sense ? I try to ground myself in truth as much as I can. I still don't want throw beliefs away, because I know that beliefs affect reality. I feel responsible for trying to make the world a better place. I'm assuming this has something to do with my issue.

@Aldo Life is a big escape from death. No matter what you do in life, you are running away from death. Even suicide is meant to be an escape from pain which is translated subconsciously to death. So, the question is: where do you want to escape to? Think about that, let your heart lead the way, perhaps the best thing to do is to integrate both.

@tsuki I don't think that's necessary. It took me all this time to realise that I could have used the PM feature. ?

@Joseph Maynor @Bill W Thank you for the insights! I think there is a balance that the moderators are aiming for. I think each one of us is doing their best to maintain a healthy environment for everyone. We want both heart and mind. We just can't expect changes to come immediately, because change requires time. @Moreira Hopefully that will change. @Odysseus Old users usually forget to use the search feature. New users probably don't know about it. I think we need to find a way to remind all of us of that feature, because it's very helpful. @ajasatya Oh, I love this: @electroBeam I see what you mean. But this forum isn't just about enlightenment. It's about Self-Actualization which is way broader than just enlightenment. Plus, the sub-forum "Meditation, Consciousness, Enlightenment, Spirituality" is basically a theoretical framework for research, it's not where enlightenment should happen. Enlightenment is very important, but it's not everything there is to personal development. Leo, as far as my knowledge goes, is the only teacher out there who integrates all of that stuff. That's why I think Actualized.org is the single best place for a human being to be.

@Neorez I wouldn't say direct experience is everything. But I would say that the present moment is everything. Direct experience has an opposite which is belief, and they're somehow one and the same. Faith is what makes them true. The present moment has no opposite, and therefore is Absolute.

@KMB4222 That's very nice! I haven't had that moment of unshakeable clarity yet, but I resonate with most of the things you said. They're just clear to me without even trying. Of course, it was hard to get there. But once you get there, you get there!

@Dan502 I just did check it out, and I agree but not quite much. Then again, it's just me. If you find it potentially useful, then who am I to say otherwise? @Inliytened1 I'm not sure. But I'm sure it'll be great to get there, whether we still need moderation or not. _____ Okay, thanks everyone for contributing. I think Leo, moderators, me, and other members have made great and useful comments about this topic. There may be still a room for more perspectives but I am personally satisfied with everyone's responses. If any of the mods wants to lock this thread, I don't mind that a single bit. I think it would be a distraction for everyone to discuss this subject even more. Thank you ❤️

@Joseph Maynor We're all somehow leaders ??❤️ @Odysseus Thanks for sharing your perspective. @Inliytened1 And we certainly will! ??❤️ @outlandish FoxFoxFox did create a thread mentioning two examples of unjustly locked threads. His thread got locked without responding to his requests. Is it not enough for the poster to post their thread to make it worth keeping and even answering? I agree on the second point. This place should remain a healthy environment for all. Some threads can cause harm and should be locked, deleted, banned, etc... Leo, you, and other moderators are doing a great job. I only have love and respect for all of you. I'm just contributing with what I hope can help make this forum a better place. It is both a big deal and not a big deal at the same time. It depends on how you look at it. To me as a member of a society, it is a big deal. To me as an individual, it isn't.

I didn't know. I used to believe in everything my parents told me, and everything was magical. Magic is a lie. That's why it's called magic. Truth is magical too, that's a sweet paradox.