GroovyGuru

In the context of the conversation a friend of mine sort of made a harmless joke suggesting that being "gender-fluid" is no different than and just as absurd as claiming to be "racial-fluid". I kind of laughed but then started thinking about it and actually became curious to whether or not that was true and if there were other scenarios where one can just insert any category and claim to be "blank-fluid". So I thought that there are clear differences between masculinity and femininity while there are no inherent differences between races, naturally speaking. It's possible for a woman to be more in touch with her masculine side and vice versa but you will not see a Chinese man claim to in fact be an Arab because what is exactly the difference that we can pin-point between Chinese people and Arabs (aside from culture differences)? And then one can claim that we shouldn't ignore the culture aspect and perhaps a Chinese person feels Arab because he is more in touch with Arab culture. But culture is not really dependent on actual races because you can see an individual of one particular race who "acts" in the same fashion another race typically does, whatever that means. But that would further validate the concept of gender-fluidity because perhaps (obviously) masculinity and femininity is not dependent on your biological sex. I don't know. It's interesting to think about. What am I missing?

Picking up the habit again, I want to take it very serious (relative to how serious I was taking it in recent times). 30 min morning, 30 min evening. I have been doing it all week and have seen through all the sessions but I have serious problems of drifting into sleep when I meditate. A year or 2 ago I used to meditate more seriously and I don’t remember this being an issue. It’s like I catch myself falling asleep, and I tell myself: “that’s it! Focus now. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.” Next thing you know I have all these random images in my mind and my head is slowly sagging down as I fall asleep! It’s so frustrating because I want these sessions to be productive. Are there any practical tips or is it a matter of just sticking through it every single day and gradually getting better?

I feel like manipulation is inherent when it comes to stock trading in the short term. It’s too easy to do with hedge funds who have insane pools of money or when individuals form a massive coalition like this case. I think the best strategy would be to just avoid the game of trying to time the market and pick individual stocks. It’s way too risky, stressful, and most importantly to me, a massive distraction. I never really used to think of it this way but now I just feel like engaging in this short-term bullshit on companies with horrible fundamentals just to make a quick buck is rather cringeworthy to me. If you are going to invest in individual companies, it should be ones that have a vision that you are passionate about and believe in. Based on all the research I’ve done, its easy to make money in the stock market by simply being patient and investing in relatively safe index funds that track the entire market over the course of several decades. It’s just insane how easy it is to become totally consumed by investing with very short-term goals.

Just gotta wonder if large online communities band together like this they could probably constantly fuck over Wall Street. I wonder if they are going to try to regulate these communities manipulation, even though these hedge funds and institutions always manipulate themselves.

@Roy You think that'll be the case even if Biden fails to achieve anything significant over the next 2 years? I know he has already signed over a dozen executive orders, but by significant I mean addressing major issues like student loan debt, expanding medicare, raising minimum wage, helping to create a more equitable and just society etc. Considering the Dems have the opportunity to achieve almost anything they want though Congress, if they get nothing done won't the finger just be pointed at them as they're called "do-nothing-dems"? Also, it'll be interesting to see how Biden deals with the Middle-East and if he'll start to engage in more Neo-lib bullshit wars over there as I think a decent portion of the country has been wising up to these wasteful and useless wars. It seems anti-war is a stance that voters on both aisles tend to agree with.

It'll be interesting to see how many Rep politicians try to hang on and pander to Trump's crowd over the next several years. It seems like Trump and his nut-huggers like Cruz, Rubio, Carlson, and I'm sure several others are more popular among this radicalized conservative voter base than the likes of Romney. I'm sure a large percent of rep voters will not soon forget Romney's negative opinion and stance on their beloved cult leader. Either way I am definitely curious to see who it will be. Also, keep an eye on Josh Hawley.

@Lyubov @integral fascinating videos. Definitely something to consider and ponder

I don’t understand. Which is it? I thought ownership was supposed to be anonymous. This is the headline I woke up to this morning

He’s actually one of the only members of “the intellectual dark web” I don’t mind that much. I think he has a lot of good and interesting takes and I find myself agreeing with him a lot. Even if I disagree, I still often find what he has to say interesting. However, there is one subject he likes to discuss that I think he is shockingly limited in: Islam. It’s insane how bad he demonizes Islam. For someone so intelligent and rational you’d think he’d try to put all the different pieces together and understand the several variables at play that can often lead to radical Islam. Things like culture, history, geography, geopolitical and socio-economic factors etc. he ignores basically all of those things and simply points his finger at Islam itself and acts like it’s inherently more evil and more corrupt than any other faith on the planet.

@vinc3nc Except all the hackers who can break into your wallet and steal it away from you

@StarStruck Trust me, I know. But there’s also the inevitable fear of missing out. I’m not going to act on that fear, but I also have no clue whatsoever how low it’s going to drop so I can dip my toes in it. It seems so risky

Hey guys! I made a post a while back about how I've been outgrowing my friends and no longer really feel a connection with them and the unhealthy, repetitive, and boring activities they choose to engage in. I feel this disconnect is rapidly escalating as I continue to take my life more seriously and try to improve myself. For example, I've recently decided to take my health and nutrition very seriously. I've always eaten rather healthy, but now I'm deliberately cutting way down on meat, bread, cheese, and other processed food. This is a direct conflict with the way in which my friends live because hanging out with them usually involves drinking a shit ton of alcohol and eating nasty, unhealthy restaurant food. Moreover, in terms of spiral dynamics, I would consider myself pretty green while my friends are deeply orange and even red. So when I make changes in my life such as clean up my diet and focus on plant based foods, I'm a "pussy" or a "soy boy" or some other dumb shit. I would really love to one day meet some like-minded individuals who I can on occasion go out drinking with and have some fun with, but who also have similar values and similar lifestyles. I want friends who are mature and wise and healthy who I can go on adventures and travel with. This is a dream of mine, traveling around the world is something I deeply want to do, but the thought of going to amazing places with my current friends is a terrible thought, and I'd rather not go alone. I know this journey is meant to be traveled alone and that I shouldn't expect others to join or comfort me, but I value friendship and adventure. This is what I want to know: In your own personal journey, how have you handled outgrowing your friends? Were your friends already mature and on the same journey as you? Were you able to meet like-minded individuals? And if so, how? What are some tips for meeting new amazing friends? I have had the same group of friends since high school and even earlier, and I am so ready to meet new people.

It’s absolutely a value, and actually what I consider to be my top value. Well, learning/understanding is among my top 3 or 5 values, but I would say curiosity about the world, which I consider to be rather similar, is my top strength. This is according to multiple personality, value, and strength tests I’ve taken online. Plus I clearly know that in my free time there’s nothing I’d rather be doing than learning about SOMETHING. I’m just so curious about so many things, it could be history, philosophy, spirituality, astronomy, exercise, nutrition... you name it. For me its really just a matter of figuring out how to align this value and strength into a career or life purpose.

@The_Alchemist Hope you’re kidding about that ?. Tai Lopez? Come on bro

I feel like I’m in too deep and have learned too much to simply turn my back on spiritual teachings. I find them interesting to learn about, as I do many other things (reading/learning about psychedelics included). If I’m honest though, the true genuine desire for truth just isn’t there at the moment. Nor has it really ever been in my young life. I mostly study these things because I simply find them interesting to learn about and think about. In fact, at this moment in time I find stories and discussions about “truth” and things like complete ego annihilation to be incredibly terrifying. Especially stories about really extreme psychedelic trips. I find them as scary as I do fascinating. The “truth”, although undoubtedly the most interesting topic of discussion I’ve ever discovered, seems painful and unpleasant when I hear about it. Is it possible this genuine desire for truth will one day emerge (I’m only 22). Should I stick to it, as in continue reading, watching videos, meditating, journaling and doing everything else I’ve been doing? I simply don’t have the life experience and courage to take this path seriously, although I feel as though I SHOULD, at least eventually. I think I would feel extreme guilt if I lived my whole life without ever really pursuing spirituality hard. I’ve just learned too much already. That said, I do sometimes feel as though it would have been better if I was completely ignorant of this subject

@Leo Gura Khabib is definitely very blue, but for some reason it is actually incredibly admirable. I think it might be because he operates in a world full of stage red and Orange people, and so his strong values and principles are quite refreshing, as limited as they may be.

@PurpleTree Well, I guess I don’t truly think that. But I feel confused with my life. I feel I have this pressure now to constantly be improving and learning and to waste no time drinking beer with friends or playing video games or whatever. I’ve just become super serious about life, which is perhaps a good thing. But now my standards are so high. I’m becoming more isolated and lonelier because my friends engage in too many low consciousness activities. I don’t like my job because it’s dull and uninspiring, and now I’m often stressing about what direction to go in life because a regular, high paying corporate job is no longer acceptable. I guess I’m wondering if going down this path is even worth it if I’m not even that serious about it. I’m serious about learning, because I’m genuinely curious and interested in dozens and dozens of aspects of reality and life. I just don’t have the courage to pursue this stuff deeply because I’m afraid I’m gonna have some profound experience that changes me before I’ve even experienced some basic things in life like accumulating some money or having some dating success, for example. It’s like what I value most and want most out of life is wisdom, but I’m also actually afraid of it.

@Leo Gura Forget about Jimmy Dore for a second. What do you think of the strategy itself? I guess the argument is that this is the perfect opportunity given that we are in a global pandemic with hundreds of thousands dead for progressives to actually use some power and leverage to try to have a proper fight of getting Medicare for All. People like Kyle say even if they lose or not enough progressives hold out their vote or whatever, it’s still a “win” because those fake progressives will be scrutinized for years to come for publicly opposing Medicare for All during a deadly pandemic. I think even Sam Seder said he agreed with Jimmy on this one. I am confused though on why people are so optimistic about it. Even if Med4All passes the House won’t it just get shut down in the Senate or even vetoed by Biden if it reaches his desk? People are saying if not now, then Medicare for All will never happen. It certainly doesn’t seem like it can happen anytime soon

I wanted to share something with you that just happened. Recently I have decided to try to practice more gratitude and think of things to be grateful for more often because typically I take all the wonderful things I have in my life for granted as I'm sure most people do too. Earlier tonight, I finished eating some fruit in my kitchen and went back up to my room to read and journal. As soon as I entered my room, I felt this amazing feeling of gratitude that I so rarely ever feel. I looked around at my beautiful queen sized bed, my in-home office setup and fancy monitors, my enormous closet of nice clothes and abundance of shoes. I looked at all the books piled on my book shelf which have helped formulate the person I am today. I looked at my guitar, my television, my Xbox and other things that provide me with entertainment and pleasure. I instantly thought of my immigrant father and felt so much appreciation for the comfortable life he was able to build for me and my younger brother. My father is nothing close to wealthy or financially educated, but he has worked so hard over the years to provide me with absolutely everything I could ever desire. I left my room and went downstairs where he was taking a nap on the couch and just bent over and gave him a long hug (something I never do as I'm usually emotionally stiff around him). I went back upstairs into my parents bedroom and just hugged my mom (who had just came home with new comfy clothes she bought us from Costco) for probably 2 straight minutes. When I went back into my room I couldn't help but cry a little bit. I really enjoyed this feeling of gratitude. It's so easy to get caught up in day-to-day things and completely forget how easy you have it relative to the majority of the rest of the world. I think we should all try to make deliberate practice of taking time to remember what we have to be grateful for, and to also take time to really show your parents appreciation if they are still around. This has now become a new goal for me. To hug my dad more, be more patient with my mom, and to make sure they both always know that I love and appreciate them for what they do for my brother and I.

I posted something on here several weeks ago about how I can't get chicks even though I'm fairly interesting, intelligent, and have a great physique. I'm about 5'11 and 175 pounds. Anyways, Leo and others had some advice about just going out very often and talking to girls. So me and 4 of my friends literally went to the hottest place in my city. 2 very hot girls walked up to us but each went to my 2 really handsome friends and I just kinda sat there with my other buddies and drank more tequila than I can remember haha. But the girls in this place were all seriously 10s, so it was kind of intimidating to be honest and I didn't talk to any because we just sat at the bar. I decided the next day to download 3 dating apps and give that a go. 2 days in and I didn't get shit, but I've been constantly experimenting, playing with my bio and so on. On the 3rd day, I actually spent hours that day wearing different outfits and taking some really good pictures of myself. I took 3 good ones, and I used another 2 with friends so it looks like I'm social. Today is the 5th day and I've literally had like 1 match. Another girl "invited me to chat" but both completely stopped responding suuuper quickly. And I wasn't being boring or anything, despite my inexperience with girls I'm actually super confident about my texting ability and I'm able to be kinda cute and funny over text. Today, I literally ran out of girls to swipe on Tinder in my city .... and I live in a big city so I actually found that kind of funny. I mean it's whatever, I'm not beating myself up over it but I definitely thought that between 3 dating apps and some good pics of myself I'd have over 1 match lol. Is this shit even worth it if you don't look like a model? It's been only 5 days, but I've been pretty active. I'm new to this so I don't know if I should give it more time or just forget about it. Like I said I'm really not bothered, I actually find it funny that I've only had 1 match. Anyway, thanks for reading...

This is a really great thread that inspired me to come up with a list of goals for 2021 (I usually never set goals). Here are a few: -Be more grateful and stop judging and criticizing people -Have all college debt fully paid -Actually go on dates and take action in trying to build a dating life -Eliminate video games and nicotine -Read ~25 books -Travel overseas (Covid permitting) -Spend less time watching soccer (absolutely massive distraction for me) -Eliminate spending money on stupid shit I don't need and eating out often -Spend significantly less time on phone and social media -Be more kind, especially to my parents -Start to slowly cut out unhealthy and toxic friends while also making at least 1 new like-minded friend -Develop at least a rough idea of what my purpose might be (I'm currently still clueless)

Man, I have to be honest it's a bit tough to relate because I was blessed to have been born in a family without much financial struggle. I'm guessing I'm right around the same age as you, and although I have expenses of my own (especially my 30k student loans), I've never really been in a situation where I actually need to seriously financially contribute to my parents bills else we starve. I have a friend who was actually in a similar position as you. He was living with his incredibly lazy mother and brother who he had to really help provide for after his father's death from cancer. Although his situation wasn't as dire as yours, he actually decided to do the opposite and he quickly got out of there and got his own house as soon as he could. I'm not quite sure how his mom and brother are doing without his help though. All I can really say is that I admire the position you took because that takes courage, commitment, sacrifice, and definitely a lot of goodness as you said. I am not sure whether it is the right or wrong decision, hopefully others can provide you with insight on that. However, if I was in your shoes, I would also try to step up and be a man and do the right thing but also make it an absolute priority of mine to share the knowledge I've gained with my siblings and mother to help them get their act together. I would try to get them to step up and make them realize that you can't spend your entire life cleaning up after them and paying their bills. You have your own aspirations and goals. I would even go so far as to literally verbalize that to them. Best of luck in the future my friend.

No way. Absolutely nooooo freaking way I can do this all my life. It's only been 2 months and I feel like I'm having a crisis lol. This is my first real job out of college and it's for a really large international corporation. It's a decent entry level job and all but today I really felt my dispassion and indifference to the job on another level. So much of my day is completely wasted on doing nothing. I am probably productive for less than half of the day simply because there just isn't enough work for me to do. I literally spent 3 hours today just wiggling my mouse around while trying to think of what the hell to do with my life. The main struggle I'm dealing with is that I just seriously do not care. I don't care about my company, I don't care about my coworkers, I don't care about my job, I don't care about any of it. That isn't to suggest that I'm naturally a cold person with a heart of stone, I can in fact be very passionate and excited if it's about things that interest me. It's just super hard for me to imagine progressing my career with a corporation because I'm just not motivated enough or care enough to really put in the hard work to earn promotions and stuff. It's hard to imagine ever becoming invested in work that I did not create or can be proud of. I'm not a lazy person whatsoever. I constantly work hard on myself trying to improve and learn every single day. I meditate. I do yoga. I exercise every day. I eat healthy. I journal. I read. I contemplate. I've never felt so motivated and inspired to figure out who I really am and what I want out of life than now. I can't even bear the thought of working a corporate job for more than a few years. I'm deliberately putting about 90% of every paycheck towards student loans so I can be totally debt free in less than a year to give myself room and freedom to explore opportunities if I need to later. Discovering myself and trying to concoct a vision for what I want to do with my life is the hardest challenge I've ever taken on. I just don't know what it is. I know it's out there for me to eventually come across or perhaps intuit but I can't seem to find my purpose or vision no matter how hard I try. Perhaps I'm not trying nearly hard enough. I'll need to, because it's become crystal fucking clear that a corporate job is just not for me. It's become crystal clear just how important having purpose is. What the hell am I doing here if I don't have a mission? What's the fucking point? I need to figure this out, and I need to figure it out ASAP, before the clock starts to tick and the chains of wage slavery tighten their grip.

@Bando Basically, I work on a team of about 12 people or so. We all get assigned specific work that is more or less basically always the same and quite repetitive. It gets to a point sometimes that there is literally nothing really to do if your work is complete. It can be like this for a whole week, where you can get you work done in an hour and have nothing to do the rest of the day. Just depends how much work you're being assigned which also depends on other factors. 8:00-9:15 : Check on the work I did yesterday, see if anything needs to be reworked or fixed. See if there is any quick, easy work to get done before meeting. 9:15-10:00 : Team meeting where we go over goals and see where everyone is at with their work 10:00-12:00 : Do more work if you even have any 12:00-1:00 : Lunch 1:00-4:30 : Continue working until end of day. Every once in a while we might have a random hour meeting around 3 or 3:30

@Space I haven’t literally been doing nothing. I have music playing basically all day and I do go on YouTube and take little breaks to stretch out or read or browse the forum like I am right now. Like I said, I just had trouble accepting the fact that sometimes there’s just nothing to do. I had this fantasy that a corporate job meant non-stop slave work all day. And if I was doing nothing, it would be noticed and frowned upon. Now I’m learning it’s normal and other people sometimes have nothing to do either. So going forward I’m going to be more deliberate with what I do with downtime and try to mainly use that time to work on myself and continue learning