LastThursday

Is the "my" in your sentence the same as the "observer" or different from it? Does "imagination" belong to the "my"?

Some pointers for you: Solipsism is in imagination Solipsism requires an "observer" that is separate from the "observed" (how else do you know you are alone?) Paradoxically, Solipsism requires the absence of other observers (how else do you know you are alone?). But where did they go? DE by your definition is everything, so that would include both the observer and the observed - Solipsism is different in that case, because of the separation.

Confusion always happens at the start of something new and exciting.

The self is a complicated ragbag construct. It is not rational, it is not coherent, nor is it planned. Most of the time we just make do. We have to cajole, analyse, incentivise, accept, inebriate, self medicate and a thousand other activities just to get the self to do anything at all. Seen from a rational standpoint it really is insanity. If doing is your shtick, then finding ways to reduce the friction the self induces is critical. Fundamentally, there are only two ways to improve yourself and situation: do stuff to affect the outside world, and, do stuff to affect the world inside your head. The two are also closely connected. Further, the act of doing is really about change. The resistance the self puts up is about resistance to change itself. Why should the self be resistant to change? There are a number of reasons: Change is about death - in the broadest sense. One thing needs to give way to another for change to happen. If there is a strong need or identification for the thing about to die, there will be resistance. This is why addictions can be so hard to stop for example. Change is risky. There is always a chance that changing a situation or aspect of ourselves will make things worse. So there is often an informal cost/benefit analysis which happens in the face of change: "Will this make my life better? And is it worth the aggravation?". The best short term reaction is always to do nothing. The self is mostly reactionary and short-termist. Since the self is incoherent and grows organically, there will often be conflicts between different "parts". Don't be confused by the word "part", these are not well defined portions of self. Rather they are a fluid set of emotions and constructs which have been conditioned by innumerable outside influences over time. It's possible for one part to clearly want change, and yet for another part to not want that same change. This can cause paralysis - with the result that nothing changes. First and foremost the self is a survival machine. It is there so that your physical existence continues as long as possible. That means that there is a strong and deep connection between the self and the physical body. If the body rejects action because of a perceived threat, the self does not have much choice but to follow. Normally the body will signal threat through emotion, such as fear or anxiety. The body has to also balance energy expenditure and food intake, so there is a strong bias towards not using energy. This bias translates into inaction. This explains why starting that running habit can be difficult - and why food addiction is rife. Anyone interested in change and doing stuff for self improvement, needs to address the four points above. The self can be re-programmed to be more coherent and its parts aligned and processes put in place to manage the emotions of the body. And with planning and good habits change can be managed better. It can be done.

It's a good trick the ego plays isn't it? Equating meaning with motivation. It's also a good trick to equate motivation with doing stuff. Meaning, motivation and doing are not necessarily connected.

@VeganAwake you're right, we're none of those words.

Some other possibilities: Self hypnosis Caffeine (large dose, probably unwise with a heart condition) Nutmeg (again large dose) Alcohol (medium dose) Cannabis, I prefer edibles Quieting mental chatter mostly through meditation Meditative repetitive activity: walking in nature, running, painting, drawing, house chores, sex (ahaha) Going to foreign places or anything away from normal life Certain music. I like guitar music, must be my Spanish blood. Adrenaline activities: base jumping, extreme ironing. Performing rituals or being part of one Dressing up, performing, acting, playing music in public, public speaking Basically anything that gets you "out of yourself" or makes you more "present" and not lost in thought.

@Someone here it's much appreciated. There are some really interesting journals on here I read regularly, yours included. I was trying to be clever, but by my inversion of your statement I was merely trying to point out that if we actually existed as a separate self, one of our characteristics would be free (independent) will. Because we would truly be separate from outside influence. So it follows that if we don't have free will, then we can't be separate. In other words we are deterministic automatons who have been somehow "programmed" by outside influences - i.e. not separate. As regards your bolded paragraph above. I pretty much agree. I made a comment to that effect in the Compatibilsm thread, in response to Nahm: https://www.actualized.org/forum/topic/55172-proof-of-free-will-why-compatibilism-is-correct/?page=2 Always happy to discuss these things!

@Someone here indeed, you could invert what you say: you don't exist as a separate self because you don't have free will. I must admit my own view is pragmatic. Free will is really a non-idea. Whether you believe strongly in free will or completely in determinism, it still makes no difference to the outcome of your actions. It really boils down to taking responsibility for your actions: if it's all pre-determined then you can give up all responsibility, because you're not in control.

Free will questions pop up on the forum like the many headed Hydra. In my curiosity I thought I would quantify and provide a rundown of the Free Will related questions that have appeared on the forum. My guess was right: a lot. Anyway, those curious about Free Will should start here: And to dig further into it, some forum posts: February 8 2016: 442-how-can-i-master-something-when-there-is-no-free-will February 15 2016: 1058-no-free-will February 18 2016: 1287-destiny-vs-free-will-question March 5 2016: 1999-free-will-vs-determination April 21 2016: 3359-free-will December 8 2016: 7133-question-about-free-will December 11 2016: 7186-free-will-vs-free-choice December 15 2016: 7277-is-there-a-free-will-final-answer January 25 2017: 7997-are-we-all-living-a-predetermined-destiny February 5 2017: 8234-free-will-vs-determinism April 17 2017: 10122-free-will April 20 2017: 10190-please-help-free-will-no-good-or-evil-got-me-depressed May 6 2017: 10633-anything-is-possible May 28 2017: 11241-awareness-and-free-will July 2 2017: 12235-insight-on-free-will July 3 2017: 12247-if-there-is-no-free-will-how-can-i-decide-to-surrender-to-the-idea-that-there-is-no-free-will August 28 2017: 13704-determinismno-free-will-and-meditationenlightenment September 28 2017: 14442-how-to-reconcile-no-free-will-and-action-taking-the-worst-limiting-belief-ever October 25 2017: 15072-who-becomes-enlightened November 3 2017: 15258-no-free-will-determinism November 19 2017: 15728-enlightment-no-free-will-happy-with-not-being-able-to-hold-down-a-job November 20 2017: 15757-no-free-will-limiting-beliefs November 21 2017: 15767-no-free-will-suicidal-thoughts November 21 2017: 15797-you-have-100-free-will-and-you-also-have-no-free-will-the-other-side-of-the-paradox March 9 2018: 19267-question-about-the-free-will January 5 2018: 17318-rupert-spira-about-free-will February 22 2028: 18799-determinism-vs-dream June 27 2018: 22655-does-free-will-exist July 28 2018: 23664-is-determinism-a-truth-or-just-a-belief August 10 2018: 24075-if-all-a-dream-and-no-free-will-then-no-awakening September 15 2018: 25462-no-free-will-vs-life-purpose-compatibly September 21 2018: 25734-sadhguru-says-we-have-free-will October 12 2018: 26515-free-will-does-exist-within-the-illusion-and-must-be-exercised-to-achieve November 11 2018: 27574-if-all-timeline-were-created-in-an-instant-and-free-will-does-not-exist November 15 2018: 27765-forrest-gump-and-free-will November 28 2018: 28361-the-illusion-of-free-will-is-life-scripted December 18 2018: 29225-everything-is-predetermined December 20 2018: 29320-does-god-have-free-will January 2 2019: 29895-you-have-free-will January 4 2019: 29984-is-this-a-workable-view-on-free-will-vs-predetermination February 2 2019: 31165-free-will-vs-no-free-will Fabruary 14 2019: 31659-how-can-i-choose-to-awaken-if-i-have-no-free-will February 15 2019: 31673-laws-of-infinitygod-and-free-will February 18 2019: 31792-do-you-believe-that-we-have-free-will February 21 2019: 31925-free-will/ March 24 2019: 32851-im-starting-to-think-there-is-no-free-will March 30 2019: 33071-i-don%E2%80%99t-have-free-will-i-am-free-will April 9 2019: 33466-how-much-do-you-think-were-constrained-to-gods-plan-free-will-vs-destiny Aprril 17 2019: 33766-free-will May 15 2019: 34801-if-free-will-doesnt-exist-then-acting-also-doesnt-exist May 19 2019: 34946-determinism-or-free-will June 11 2019: 35862-disagreements-on-free-will June 27 2019: 36478-no-free-will-and-pure-awareness July 11 2019: 37037-if-leo-say-we-are-god-then-do-you-think-free-will-exist-or-we-have-control July 25 2019: 37534-leo-new-video-on-free-will August 9 2019: 38049-if-i-am-god-how-do-i-not-have-free-will%C2%A0 August 15 2019: 38321-free-will August 28 2019: 38931-is-there-not-even-a-tiny-bit-of-free-will August 29 2019: 38952-free-will-is-not-free October 23 2019: 41226-freewill October 27 2019: 41372-is-there-freewill-in-absolute-love November 8 2019: 41864-determinism-vs-free-will-with-higher-states-of-awareness December 10 2019: 43135-so-do-we-have-free-will-or-not December 20 2019: 43524-about-volition-free-will-and-determinism January 3 2020: 44012-life-is-deterministic-isnt-consciousness-a-free-will January 13 2020: 44339-what-it-means-for-there-to-be-determinism January 18 2020: 44502-free-will-rant January 18 2020: 44504-is-determinism-just-a-paradox January 30 2020: 44953-leos-recent-video-confusion-determinism February 9 2020: 45345-why-is-there-no-free-will-why-does-god-allow-this March 3 2020: https://www.actualized.org/forum/topic/46184-fred-davis-free-will/ May 11 2020: 48844-is-there-free-will-most-beautiful-answer-i’ve-ever-seen June 3 2020: 49739-if-everything-is-predetermined-why-try-why-pray August 18 2020: 53042-the-oddities-of-no-free-will September 12 2020: 54122-had-the-experience-of-where-human-free-will-comes-from

I'm losing the will...

Intention seems to be talked about a fair amount in self help, law of attraction (LOA) and law in general. With regards to law if the intention was to kill someone that's murder if not that manslaughter - and they carry different penalties. With regards to self help, intention is important for sticking to goals, making goals and for generally developing yourself - without intention you are lost in the wilderness. Lastly, LOA is solely based on intention, without it there is no LOA. What is intention? At a high level it's a kind of directed "will". I use the word "will" because of its connection with "free will" and intention being the product of that free will. At a low level, intention is a type of goal orientated decision - a decision is made to either perform an act or in the hope of acquiring something. So you can intend to apply for a new job (an act) or intend to be a millionaire (acquisition of money). Because the goal is future orientated there is a sense in which the intention continues to be in force until that goal is fulfilled. It's worth comparing intention to random events or to accidental acts. Things can happen to us, for example we're left an inheritance of a million pounds; or we get headhunted for a new job. These are things which happen out of our control. So, even though the results can often be the same (become a millionaire), how those results come about makes the difference. Where does intention come from? Intention arises within consciousness from nowhere. That's a little bit misleading as everything arises within consciousness from nowhere. However, the cause of an intention is ultimately mysterious. It could be argued that context is important in forcing an intention to happen; for example someone may have the intention to steal food because they're starving and poor - but they may not - the connection is tenuous. In this sense the law does not particularly take context into account (other than to perhaps reduce a sentence), intention itself is all important. With regards to LOA the source of intention is never discussed, it's just a given that intention causes or increases the likelihood of an event in the future. But an interesting angle is that both the source of (the) intention and the source of the outcome are actually both connected (potentially non-materially). That would mean that intention is not the means to the outcome, but just a by-product of the same cause. In this way the illusion of free will is maintained, but the external world and internal intention are connected in a much more profound and meta-physical way. You attract a certain person into your life not because you intended it beforehand, but because the "event" of that attraction is spread across time and space (in your head and out there) and has a different underlying cause (the work of source itself). For self help intention is also all important and often talked about as if it were possible to control it at will. Those that don't control intention well are lazy or dispassionate or is doomed to stay where they are in their development. This is disingenuous. If ultimately the source of intention is unknowable, then it isn't possible to control it. Those people blessed with strong intentions are just lucky. But if there is even a sliver of a chance at all of being able to affect the source of intention, then the first step in all self help should be the mastery of that source. A tall order indeed. Those that are unable to help themselves need compassion and outside help, not stronger intentions. Resisting intention. If intention does indeed "arise from nowhere" and it is happening constantly and randomly, then why don't we all follow through with our intentions? Because intentions are judged and often blocked from the outset. It's easy enough to have an intention to meet friends for lunch tomorrow, but there are many things that can stop that intention from happening. Not least of all judgments about the particular friends themselves or about the venue, the weather, timing and so on. If we're intention machines then we are also intention resisting machines. And this is what is meant by flow. When an intention arises we actively don't resist it, we let it play out and take the consequences. In fact LOA requires us to somehow "forget the intention" - this is a way to get us to stop resisting intentions that arise. It seems that the very act of resisting or interfering with the pure intention weakens it considerably. In terms of self help, resisting intention is the norm, and flowing with intention is the state we want to reach in order to change ourselves for the better. Again, a good grounding in not resisting intention would be a help here.

Future notes: intention, resisting intention.

Ok @wakeup my sincere apologies. I'll get off my high chair and stop boring everyone. You're right, carry on.

Because that's pure arrogance. It's not helping Who are we to know better than Leo what he needs? He's a big boy, I think he knows how to evolve all by himself. I'm all for people speaking up. Believe me if someone upsets my sensibilities then I'm the first to bitch about it. But don't think you're doing Leo a favour, you're not.

My intention was stronger? Erm. Dunno. Just pasted it in

I'm definitely observant enough. What you want is Leo to be different to suit your own needs and delicate ego. Why should he do that? I repeat again: that is insanity. You're only here for the value. Why not let everything else go?

@tuckerwphotography it's quite simple really, your sister exists. Who cares if she's a dream character? Does it matter?

Leo has his own energy and style as we all do. It's hard not to take things personally when you identify strongly with a leader, and that leader doesn't always align with you. Leo has a masculine, sometimes abrasive and sometimes jokey quality. Best of all he's very direct and he takes criticism extremely well. He shouldn't have to change just to suit us, that would be insanity. The best thing we can all do is to let our own energy and qualities shine through. It will be much appreciated by other forum members.

A human songbird: Oh yes and there's this: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180328092527.htm Sequitor or non sequitor?

Am I special? I think we all have narcissistic tendencies or bias at least. Even those folks who label themselves as self haters single themselves out as being special from others. Where does this bias come from? In a naive sense it comes from having an ego. The ego needs to carve itself out from the maelstrom of appearances. By definition it is a special arrangement of feelings, thoughts and sensations. The ego is not a stupid entitity. It knows very well how to keep on surviving and thriving in the face of entropy. One of its tools is to think about itself as somehow special and separate from everything else. The very definition of an ego is that it is special. Disolve the ego and the specialness disappears. Or does it? Outside of the ego, we are all deserving of the "special" label. Ego or not, we are unique. There are seven billion humans, and each one of us is unique. That's quite a thought. Strangely though, we all seem to be cut from the same cloth. We all realise our uniqueness early on, unfortunately we confuse this uniqueness for our egos and cause ourselves self hate or narcissism. We can and should cut loose. That doesn't mean we are not special, just that we're special in a way that transcends our egos. This specialness comes from a place of self love not self obsession. It allows us to extend our egoic boundaries and include more humans in it. But how can everyone be special? Doesn't that burst the specialness bubble? No. Because we all share that same specialness. We are all capable of love for ourselves and the universe we find ourselves in. Being special is "built in" to the design.

99.999% of people couldn't care less about you or your appearance. Those that do care are either insecure about their own appearance, or they find you attractive.

I've never not moved. I don't seem to be able to choose to stop.

@Mvrs there is no synching. Think of it spatially instead. One guy walks from A to B and another guy drives from A to B. They both go at different speeds, but they both arrive at B. B is a fixed point in space. It's the same with time, midnight is a fixed point in time. Although if you talk to Einstein all this fixed point business goes out of the window.