Joshe

This is a good one. I was just fleshing this out a few weeks back. Realness confronts unreality just by being in the room. I've experienced strangers having a big problem with me for no reason, without ever even speaking to them. I didn't get it for the longest time but then I realized, some people see me as a threat, which doesn't make sense because I'm not aggressive, loud, big, imposing, etc. "I’m loyal to reality, not performance. I’m not seeking approval. I’ll see what’s actually here." People feel something like "Wait… this person doesn’t need me to like them. This person isn’t reinforcing the mask I’ve built. This person’s attention feels… unfiltered." Most people use their eyes to solicit approval, signal friendliness, or reinforce the other’s identity. If your gaze is neutral, still, wide, and non-seeking, it can be polarizing. That lack of neediness or approval-seeking = "This person isn’t buying into my persona." Neurotypical people subtly mirror expressions — nods, eyebrows, micro-smiles — even when they're faking interest. If you're naturally more still, contemplative, or discerning, your face becomes non-compliant. This is read as "not participating in the unspoken agreement to pretend." ❗ “He’s watching but not joining. Is he judging me? Is he analyzing me?” I think it's mostly threatening because they intuit you see their performance, they feel inferior, and sometimes they're jealous of such independence.

That's some good fruit @gettoefl!

Nice! To make a practice of labeling the activities of the mind as either "mine" or "not mine" seems like it could be powerful. Is the point to remove noise, or negativity? I'm guessing noise, because you want efficiency of mind?

Yes! Thank you.

Yep. The neurosis is so deep though. Talk about a survival strategy 😆

Neurosis and Human Growth - The Struggle Towards Self-Realization Just stumbled across this gem of a book. It delves into the origins of men's attitudes toward women. It also explains power and prestige very well. It isn't about either of these things but many of the maladaptive "neurotic solutions" spring from the same well. This book just moved into my top 10. Basically, it's all tracks back to bad parenting. 😂 🧩 The Neurotic Path of Development Emotional insecurity in childhood ➝ The child feels unloved, unseen, or unaccepted as they are. Basic anxiety emerges ➝ A deep, ongoing sense of isolation and helplessness in a world perceived as hostile. Self-idealization forms ➝ The child constructs a fantasy self: powerful, admirable, perfect — everything they feel they must be to earn love or safety. Pride system takes hold ➝ They begin identifying with this ideal self-image, gaining a sense of significance from imagined attributes. Rigid standards develop ➝ The person now must live up to this ideal. Any failure feels like proof of worthlessness. Discrepancy grows ➝ Reality doesn’t reflect the ideal — especially in relationships, status, or admiration. Shame, rage, or withdrawal follow ➝ The person may lash out, blame others, or retreat into bitterness and alienation. Compulsive worldview sets in ➝ The fantasy becomes a fixed belief system. The original idealized self — someone attractive, desirable, worthy of love — fails to materialize in real life. Instead of reassessing the ideal, the neurotic mind doubles down and creates a worldview to explain and justify the gap. Incel psychology in a nutshell. Basically same principle for people like Musk who is predominantly power-driven and Trump who is predominantly prestige-driven. Seeking power and prestige are neurotic solutions to the “basic anxiety” formed in childhood.

Trump has to be careful. If the wrong person gets injured or dies, he'll be fucked. Also, there's no shortage of people that would love to be at Trump's military parade. In fact, he probably thought of charging for the tickets and his advisors had to tell him it's a bad idea. 😂

Right. The people say they want a strong leader but when they see a woman project strength, they cringe. And if that woman is from another culture, they cringe harder.

“Suicide should never be an option” person A says to person B. Enter person C: “ well, actually, you’re wrong. Suicide is an option if the pros outweigh the cons”. WTF??

The truth that suicide can be the best option is best left unsaid in public forums. It’s weird how this is like the 5th thread I’ve seen around here where this obvious truth is being talked about like it’s some deep insight. Flexing how much cold truth you know around people toying with suicide is immature and dangerous.

But this is just what some guru has told you. What does this actually achieve? Is it freedom or liberation you’re after? Is it just about a deep desire to know the ultimate reality? What does becoming God get you? Of those who claim to be God-realized, they are very much still the same humans they have been regarding temperament, habits, etc. Nothing much changes. So why? What do you get? Is it a feeling? A feeling of wholeness?

Good point. One problem I noticed is that if young, impressionable people wind up on this forum, the first thing they'll likely notice is intellectualism is the main theme. There's all this talk about understanding reality and that can be achieved with deep study and psychedelics and all this. This isn't spirituality but they're being told it is. That young, impressionable person would be steered in the wrong direction IMO. There's not enough talk around here about embodiment. There's all this talk about growth but I rarely see serious discussions about it. People here imply that understanding politics, metaphysics, and every facet of reality is somehow essential for spiritual growth. The actual fruits of spirituality dont' require analyzing ideologies, systems, or theories. The underlying value system seems to prioritize stimulation over transformation. Again, to each their own, but it's at least worth considering.

To me, the point of spirituality is things like becoming light-hearted, open, loving, kinder, accepting, lowering neuroticism, and things like this that can actually have a positive impact on oneself and the world. These are obviously useful and helpful and worthwhile. This is the higher game. The lower game is what I see being played around here. Spiritual bypassing and endless intellectual novelty. Psychedelics are being used to serve these.

It's all structure. Ultimately, there is no difference in being in awe of a beautiful transcendent experience and being in awe of a beautiful landscape you cast your eyes upon. They're both experiences that you witness and then they pass. And when they pass, there you are, the same as you were, but maybe wishing for another experience. So go chase another, and another. That's the game I'm saying is lower. Awe, fade, seek, repeat, while hoping some day the awe becomes permanent.

😂 That cracked me up

Yeah, I guess I'm just putting my opinion out there. If we're to construct a game, it seems the higher game to me. This is obviously just my opinion and preference, but something just seems immature/childish/selfish about the other ways. To each their own though. Of course it is. So are many landscapes.

Marines deployed to LA. I haven't been following this story closely but this doesn't look good. If the protestors step out of line, and it seems they will, things could get very bad and lead to some very serious problems. This seems potentially the most pivotal moment of Trump's reign thus far.

😂😂

I can see how this information would be detrimental to you. You'd have a lot to refactor if the evidence I've presented cannot be refuted. It's laid out. Do with it what you will.

You're an INFP bro 😆

What happened to open mindedness? Take a look for yourself: https://www.personality-database.com/ You're in there as well.

You may be right. I'm no type expert, so I couldn't say. This is just what the personality-database.com reports, which is based on number of votes from the typology community. Hawkins being ENTP is way off. As for Tolle, 94 votes for INFJ vs 8 for INFP. For Rupert: Ignore introverted intuition if you want, but the typology community converges on most of the masters having it as their dominant mode of cognition. Search them up here if you want: https://www.personality-database.com/search?keyword=rupert spira

Yeah, crazy, right? Leo often talks about genetics being the dominant factor for spiritual evolution but what if it's cognitive function, and specifically introverted intuition, which I'm sure has a genetic component, but how much is uncertain.

I sense you're getting at you don't fit in the model? lol. Take it up with Jung bro! Every person I've ever known closely matches a type to a T. Every one of them. I always wondered why my mom couldn't deviate from routine and what her problem with spontaneity was and why she's absolutely allergic to my main mode of cognition. Everything about her is explained by ISTJ, perfectly. It explains her better than she can explain herself. When I read her personality type to her, all she could do was smile. My first function is her last and her first is my last, which explains why having a conversation with her is usually impossible. Every family member, every friend I've ever had fits into one of the 16 types. Not just a little bit in this one and a little bit in that one, but wholly inside one specific type.

Aye yo @Keryo Koffa! Glad to see you back around. Hope all is well!