LastThursday

@Genghis Khan you are more sane than most of us. The whole world is magic. You don't need to will anything into existence. There's no effort or special incantations needed. Here it is!

I've always had love for people, but have personally struggled socially. However, I have improved tremendously in the last ten years (I'm 46 fgs!), but it's still a work in progress. I find the social niceties and norms hard to stick to or pointless - and my brain just isn't quick enough to keep up in a group conversation - so I find it difficult to join in. One to one situations are a lot easier for me. But I still feel like I have to 'perform' in front of other people. And given a long day of being with other people I definitely need to find a cave somewhere and hide! BUT. The number one thing that has allowed me to improve socially, is to cut off the monkey mind and BE PRESENT. Learning to stop the monkey mind has literally taken me a decade of constant practice, but the effort has been worth it - I feel like a different person. Social situations can be rewarding and exciting - and unless you live in a hole in the ground in the middle of nowhere - you will need to interact with people to live life.

In a word: Equality. That's means that when you talk to people and think about people, you see them as your equals. You are not better than them and they are not better than you. But this is more difficult than it seems at first. It's ok to think of people as being different from you. They may have qualities that you admire or hate, but that's ok too. You might even treat people differently because of their differences, they maybe disabled or have a different culture for example. So you might have to repectfully adjust to them (don't expect them to adjust to you, that's unfair). It's possible that someone is less intellegent than you, or less mature or richer or older or more sexy or something else. You should accept those differences and not fight against it (unless you think it's wrong!). Equality is about not judging people before you get to know them. Equality is about knowing people have skills and experiences and beauty that you haven't got, and giving them a chance to share those with you. Equality is about knowing you have skills and experiences and beauty that you want to share with other people that they haven't got. If you embody Equality, then you will be truly humble. I hope that didn't sound too preachy?

There is no question that 'stuff happens' (God's will). But does it still happen whether you 'will it' or not? (Ego's will). It's a matter of the ever present now. As soon as something happens, it's gone. We can mentally stretch the event so that the happening seems to 'last a while'. By doing this we can then assign agency to the event, and say we had 'free will'. But was the event inside time at all? I'd say not (as time doesn't exist). So it was all just in the mind and as such we don't have 'free will'. In a sense, because there is no time, there is nothing happening at all. Yes, it hurts my head...

There is no other side. Reality is perfect like a giant jigsaw puzzle with no missing pieces. There is no outside of consciousness. Nowhere to go.

@Anton_Pierre should you kill the ego? Why not stroke it and keep it happy?

Often, when I am waking up it takes me a good long while to do so. I appear to go in and out of two different worlds, when all of a sudden, pop! I seem to snap into the waking world, with all it's seriousness and weightiness and intensity. My question is, how do I know if I'm awake? And if I awaken from the seriousness and weightiness and intensity of this dream, how will I know if I am no longer dreaming? Or will it be dreams all the way up?

It gets worse. There's no NOW either. But that's a lot harder to grok. What you are experiencing now, doesn't exist.

I've been playing piano and keyboards for 36 years (and counting). I've never had tuition and I've never explored it as a way to make money and I don't really play for other people. I'm glad I haven't. For me it's a hobby in its purest sense. I just get a kick out of learning something that seems impossible at first and seeing my skill improve - there's something magical about that. I also use it as a way to meditate and wind down. My other great passion is writing software. I've done it for roughly the same amount of time. I went to University and studied it, I do it for other people and I make a reasonable living from it. Again I find it magical that I can get a dumb lump of matter to come alive and do seemingly intelligent things. I even do it as a hobby sometimes. But the shine has definitely worn off after all these years. It would be amazing to be a concert pianist. But I think the reality would be a disappointment. Each activity has its purpose.

Isn't that your life purpose? What do you think?

We all carry our parents inside of us wherever we go. Peace can only come from inside and asking yourself: "How am I like my parents?". What should you lose, and what should you keep? From there comes release, forgiveness and compassion. You'll know what to do from there on.

Also, don't forget me. I am also humbled and bow before you most enlightened master @David Hammond.

@David Hammond @Preetom it's funny how we judge and compare each other based on our attributes. It's as if we were sweets in a sweetshop; there are nice sweets, and chewy sweets, and sugary sweets, and sour sweets, and enlightened sweets and un-enlightened sweets. And some leave a bad taste in the mouth and some don't.

@AlphaAbundance yeah it's nice. And you're most welcome. The truth is, you make an impact on everyone all the time, it's like ripples in a pond, and you're the pebble in the centre. You SHOULD feel gratitude for that, even if you don't always. And the gratitude should flow in all directions.

"Doing stuff" is just an invention of the mind. There's a kind of panic which sets in when you're not always doing something, or aiming for something. If you're not doing something, some people call it time wasting, or wasting your life or whatever. But you're absolutely right, there's no reason to do anything other than the pure survival things of breathing, eating, sleeping and so on - everything else is extra. If you're Enlightened my guess is (my opinion, I don't really know), is that you don't actually 'do' anything - you just have the appearance of doing to other people. You quack like a duck and walk like a duck, but you're not a duck, instead you're just in the flow of being God (or whatever). It would be like asking a river: "what are you doing?" - it's a blatantly ridiculous question, obviously it's not doing, instead it's being a river. Unconditional happiness, is just 'being a river'.

Now you're getting closer. It's nothing to do with happiness, it's to do with the avoidance of potential pain (or suffering). But just think, if you are unconditionally happy, then suffering is gone, doing those things will be a cinch - you'll do them gladly and without effort and resistance.

@AlphaAbundance if everything makes you happy, then what's the issue exactly?

That presuposes that the purpose of things like socializing, life purpose, business, entertainment, relationships and hobbies are all to do with happiness; and that unconditional happiness trumps all those, so there's no point. None of those activities are conditional on happiness. You can do them for other reasons. Here's a few reasons: To help others To improve your skills To distract you from boredom To enlighten yourself To learn about yourself To bring joy to others To earn more and more money etc.

Interesting. If I did not identify with @LastThursday, but instead identified with @Leo Gura would I be able to see through your eyes? Or is there a fundamental separation going on between us? Are we separate because of identification?

That is excellent, you're making the first step on the path and there's no turning back. Make doubt and contemplation your closest friends and they will take you far.

Spot on. All of reality is a just memory, nothing more. Except a memory is not the past; the past is a memory. A memory is just a sensation of familiarity. And in turn, that sensation is just a belief. We believe we exist, because it feels/seems familiar.

We are all suffering and feel pain. We all want relief. Suicide can seem like the least worst option. And we get to seize back control and self esteem by being able to choose when and how we go. But even a life of suffering is really amazing and precious and it's okay just to carry on and grow and mature and learn how to escape the suffering in the end. Maybe you get to live and not suffer?

Some gimmicky titles you might find in an airport bookstore: ANXIETY: How to deprogram fear and win socially UNXIETY: The smart way to beat anxiety (or your money back) Beat Anxiety, Win Back Life: the smart person's guide to social freedom Anxious? How not too give a @!?@ in the 21st Century. STATUS ANXIETY: the story of your anxiety and how to overcome it. The Art of Anxiety: how to unlearn fear in 7 days (or your money back) The Anxious Ape: the psychology of anxiety and social interaction. I don't want money, just a brief mention in your book will do...

I believe I am existing. And so far, I've held on to that belief. But it may change. But are we individuals? Are we really separate from each other? Do we not have to blend together in order to communicate? If this conversation had a name, it would be @LastThursday + @Zetxil. Both are valid and equal.

@winterknight does anything that is not in your direct experience exist? Is direct experience continuous or discontinuous? By direct experience I mean 'conciously aware of' or 'reality'.