ivory

Yeah man, that's what I've been saying Meaning is relative. One has to figure out what is meaningful to them.

@Philipp You asked if enjoyment was real. Well, it seems so because you enjoy certain things. Of course you don't enjoy when I have sex Sometimes we do things that are enjoyable, sometimes we don't. While we are having these experiences, and sometime after, we enjoy ourselves. But the feeling of enjoyment fades. Such is life. See Leo's video on impermanence. Impermanence includes internal states of mind as well as external things and circumstances. I have no purpose and I'm fine with that. But I know what I enjoy/value and I do those things often. I like friends, going to the gym, listening to music, reading, etc. I rarely, if at all ever, think about meaning anymore. However, there was a time where I felt like everything was meaningless. Not a fun time. Are you familiar with the existentialists? I mean, existential philosophy. The posited that life was meaningless. But to make life feel meaningful we had to do know what we value, and to do the things that we enjoy or feel meaningful to us.

I don't know what you mean. Do you enjoy having sex? What is real?

@Thewritersunion Who do you think assigns this meaning? I don't think that meaning is assigned. I think decide what makes our life meaningful. That said, I would agree with you if you were to say that both love and integration reduces one's suffering. And I think that is pretty much universal.

You're not going to find meaning because it doesn't exist. However, there are things you engage in that put an end to the search for meaning. The question of meaning will no longer arise. As for happiness, it doesn't exist either. But there are things you can do where you experience enjoyment. It just won't last.

Interesting thread guys. Great read.

I used to be hyper focused on achieving goals and such. But then I realized that I enjoyed having deep conversations with people close to me much more than being so future focused. I am definitely an introvert. But I love community and close relationships. People tend to ground me in the present much more than anything else (in addition to fitness). I also used to be a people pleaser but now I don't waste time on people who don't interest me. I tend to focus my attention more on deep thinking introverts who I believe are also at stage green. Some greens are very strange. They tend to have very strange woo-woo beliefs that just annoy me. But that's not true for all. That said, I'll take a weird green over an obsessive orange any day. I don't think that being at green necessarily means you are community oriented. Especially if you are an introvert. I think what happens at green is you see the value in having relationships in general, and come to see physical and mental health as a priority, which I believe is what relationships bring to the table. The other shift I noticed is that I care what happens to society as a whole. I genuinely care for the well being of others. I used to lean more right on the political spectrum but now I identify much more with the left. I personally think you can value your alone time and be at stage green. I don't think that green means that you are a social butterfly.

To give you an idea, I live 4 miles away from downtown and 8 miles from the beach. The average rent here is $1600 to $1800 per month for a 1 bedroom apartment. If you're making minimum wage, this is not a good area to live. So people making less live closer to the desert or in more ghetto neighborhoods. I'm in the clear because I make good money. I am pretty blessed. I also have a roommate which saves me quite a bit of money. My health insurance, which is pretty decent with a $5000 deductible, runs me about $550 per month and I spend about $300-350 per month on groceries. My expenses, in total, run somewhere between $2000 and $2500 per month.

I found it really difficult to give up addictions without healthy outlets. I can't emphasize enough the importance of exercise. Exercise builds willpower. So does meditation. Having a healthy set of friends is also a good replacement. So is art and reading books. Do you have friends, hobbies, or interests?

Yeah man, I went through a stage where it seemed pointless to do anything because nothing lasted. I'm past that now. You may go through a nihilistic-like period where you feel like nothing matters. In the end you get depressed and realize that you need the world to sustain you. We have needs. So, you engage with the world, but more light-heartedly and with less attachment. Why not attached? Because nothing lasts. Oh no.

@universe I believe the average minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. But I live in California where it's $12.00 per hour.

Seems to me you're on the right track. Observe yourself, remain curious, and keep doing what you're doing.

Yeah, I went through it as well. Mainly what you would be giving up are all your ideas of what an ideal life or an ideal you would like like. As Matt said, this is a stage or radical acceptance. Basically what I had to give up where my stage orange values. Shifting into green is what alleviated the symptoms for me. I also second the bit about love. Lastly, what ended up being really important for me was a strong meditation practice, daily exercise, and time with healthy friends. Where do you see yourself on the spiral?

Scandinavians have more freedom and a higher quality of life. I'm currently reading a book called "The Nordic Theory of Everything" which describes a woman's journey from Finland to the US and adapting to a cut-throat fast paced society. Interesting read. But yeah, that whole lack of sun thing is a bitch. I lived in Portland OR for 3.5 years and it really sucked the life out of me. I'm back in Southern California now. After a while you get used to the sun and the honeymoon period wears off. One thing is for sure though, I never complain about the weather

The current minimum wage is absolute horse shit. If you work 40 hours you should be able to pay rent, have medical insurance, and pay for food. Period. But from a strategic perspective I would not know how to implement this. Businesses would fail if they had to pay their employees a higher wage. The only option would be for businesses to raise prices and who knows what the impact would be.

People are one of two things. Either busy or lazy. It's really important to figure out which end of the spectrum you are so can you move towards a more healthy life style. I happen to lean more towards the lazy end of the spectrum so things like exercise and hanging out with friends really energizes me. Do you work five 12 hours shifts? How many hours do you work per week? You don't seem like an overly busy person. My schedule looks a lot like yours but I try to squeeze in one enjoyable activity per day. If you are in fact a busy person then you may need to figure out what it is that you're avoiding and learn how to open up to it.

This thread was actually a synchronicity for me. I wanted to start a similar thread. Me and a friend were talking about synchronicity the other day and disagreed about the meaning. Some people believe that synchronicity is a sort of sign that you're on the right track, or that there's a god that cares which direction you take, or that god is telling you which way to go. I don't believe that. I believe that it's just an interesting phenomena that occurs sort of randomly. I've also heard that it's a manifestation of the playful nature of the universe. But not meant to assign much more meaning to it than that.

There are pros and cons to both. The mushroom trip lasts for a much shorter period of time for LSD. It can also give you stomach aches. Mushrooms are also less predictable. The potency varies from batch to batch. I personally like LSD because it doesn't vary as much from trip to trip. It's more predictable. The downside is that it lasts longer. And sometimes it can get annoying when you want the trip to end.

Chances are you are going to keep cycling between depression and clarity for some time. I've been through this, and I can tell you that's how it's going to play out. Be careful with all of the advice you get on this forum. There are plenty who have no idea what they are talking about and can lead you down the wrong path. Too many ideas, too much confusion, will only keep you stuck. Only you can figure out what's causing your depression. I wish you the best.

Thanks. Good to meet you Haha awesome. Sounds like something I would do

Sorry, I was exaggerating a bit. But sadly, most people are doing nothing. Youtube, social media, and tv has sucked the souls out of a lot of people. If you really want to see this in action, ask the next 10 people you socialize with... What do you want to do that you aren't currently doing? It's easy to slip into nihilism if you forgot the things that brought you joy when you were a child. A child's environment is different from an adult's. Adults acquire loads of conditioning which must ultimately be purged for them to learn to enjoy life again. Most people end up slipping into distractions, taking a shitty job, or staying in a shitty relationship. And they settle because it's the easy thing to do. To know what you value, and to commit to that, will get you out of a rut. But you're never really out of the woods because there are so many distractions and it's easy to get sucked back into complacency. Anyways, interesting discussion.

Trump will be impeached but I don't believe he'll be removed from office. It's up to voters to see that he doesn't get elected for a second term. And I believe that's exactly what will happen. No second term. Voters for the win.

What @TheAvatarState said. Lol, sup dude?

We are not on the same page at all. Notice in your osho quote that nowhere did he say do nothing until you die. He said to play and enjoy life. If you really want to enjoy life you have to know what you value. The best way to learn this lesson is to pray for an existential crisis. That will show you the truth.

Hahaha. Awesome man. Man, why not feel uncomfortable doing the things you want to do but were afraid to do? Much more practical. Hit on some babes or something.