GroovyGuru

@Leo Gura Haha well I do here and there too. It’s just that at this point, when I’m watching political commentary my main objective is to learn rather than laugh. But, Michael Brooks sure was a funny dude and I will miss him and his jokes. Especially when they were about Dave Rubin

@Leo Gura I see. Maybe I need to start actually watching the full program. Usually I just watch certain clips here and there that they post on the channel, in which many of them are silly and fun. But I have actually streamed the show when they were live a few times and Sam definitely has very interesting guests on where they discuss in depth topics as you mentioned.

@Tanz Not sure I agree that Pakman is stage orange, I think of all progressive commentators he might be the best. Well him and Kulinski are my favorites anyway. I think Pakman is brilliant and I actually learn stuff from him all the time, unlike Sam who pretty much offers little except making fun of various people.

I want in on the fun

@Don Wei Yeah I'm not sure about AMS that dude is pretty toxic in my opinion. He's EXTREMELY selfish and cares about absolutely nothing besides getting his di*k wet.

It was maybe only a year or year and a half ago when I was mediating every day, sometimes for 2 hours a day. I was doing some practices, reading books about spirituality from the book list, and even had a friend who would watch the channel and engage in this stuff with me. I would say around the 3rd or 4th quarter of 2019 I started losing interest. I haven't meditated in a month or 2. I've become so much more interested and involved with politics, current affairs, and philosophy. If I'm not with my friends, I'm either reading/watching a video about news, politics, or philosophy. Even when it comes to Leo's videos, I am way more excited these days if its about some philosophical concept or regarding politics. I'm also about to start grad school in a month and I will be studying economics so I'm gonna be super occupied with that along with trying to find my serious real full-time job. I'm still in my very early 20s and there's so many distractions with my friends and other things going on I am just nowhere close to as determined as I once was (I was very determined for a while). I feel as I get older and busier with work I will get out of touch even more. Has anyone else experienced a period where they lost touch? What does it take to come back (I don't want it to be forced)?

@VeganAwake That's always the funniest and most amusing part about it for me. In my head, I have to devote time and work hard at spirituality, as if it's going to the gym or something. I feel it's an activity I have to DO. In a sense I suppose that's true, but of course it's also the complete opposite of that, it's simply doing nothing and letting go of everything. The truth is inescapable as you said. Truly amazing how you can have the tiniest of glimpses (which I have, tiny as they may have been) and COMPLETELY get sucked back in for months or years on end.

@The Lucid Dreamer I don't plan on it

@VeganAwake I know what you mean, which is why it felt slightly silly posting this. However I haven't really had any significant spiritual experiences or insights that have made this obvious for me, internally. Spirituality still feels like a mental category in my head.

@Leo Gura Thanks Leo, I also deeply felt that this is probably the right thing to do. Even if I don't like to admit it, it's hard to take spirituality seriously when I still have money problems, sex/dating problems etc. There are still many basic needs that I need to meet, and I am very confident and sure that when I mature and grow even more, I will return more serious and passionate than ever. That being said, I still watch your videos every week, and am eternally grateful for your teachings and advice that have helped shape the young man I am today

Although I already try my best to stay informed, I want to branch out a bit (outside of youtube) and maybe subscribe to one or two magazines/newspapers. Based on the limited research I've done so far, some of the potential subscriptions that have peaked my interest include The Economist (I'm about to start an economics masters program), Time magazine, The New York Times, The Intercept, and one or two others. Any suggestions or comments about the sources I've listed? P.S. some of the content I watch on youtube about politics and society are: The David Pakman Show, Kyle Kulinski, The Majority Report, The Intercept, The Hill, JRE, Demoracy At Work etc... If anyone has any other suggestions for similar content here too please share. Thanks.

@Hank Galaxy Brain Thanks for the Foriegn Affairs suggestion. I subscribed to the Economist but have read a couple of the unlocked essays from F.A. and have enjoyed them.

To give some context, there's maybe 6 or 7 people in my group of friends. We are all in our young 20s. There's only one of them that I feel really close with. He's mature, intelligent, and also somewhat on the spiritual journey like myself. I feel we will be friends for life. However the rest I have many issues with. Most of them are conservative, some of them deeply conservative, which already makes many things difficult for me as our values and the way we look at the world can be so radically different sometimes. All they literally ever want to do is drink. Nothing besides that. If we hang out, that means booze will be involved. Any time I decide not to drink, not to go out, or drink much less than them, I get called out and made fun of. I don't mind drinking, it's fun here and there, but only here and there. One of the dudes in the group is a massive Trump supporter. He is kind of a bully (to everyone), loves talking shit to people, behind their back, and doing really immature things. He basically acts like a wannabe Trump. Because I supported Bernie and lean towards progressive politics, he constantly calls me a Beta and gay and all that stuff. I barely enjoy hanging out with them anymore. I just don't know what I even get out of it. We drink, maybe go out, talk some shit, and that's about it. It's repetitive and boring. I still hang out with them because I still like them and don't want to just sit bored at home every night. Although, I am introverted by nature and do enjoy taking days where I just take it easy and read, exercise, and focus on myself. Should I stop forcing myself to hang out with this crowd and start looking for new friends? I've been hanging out with the same group since highschool but I'm no longer really proud or happy with the friends I have, besides the one exception I mentioned earlier.

@hyruga Yes, often I am aware of that. But does mean I still have to tolerate them? I know it sounds like I'm judging them, but it is what it is. They often engage in low conscious activities and ways of life. It's just what it is.

@Leo Gura I also saw Brett explain his idea for a new system of governance involving 1 center left individual and 1 center right individual who have the 3 characteristics he mentioned on the JRE podcast. I’m curious what you or anyone else thinks of this idea...

I agree, Mooji is incredible. I think he easily has some of the best guided meditations out there. It was only relatively recently that I started branching out and watching other spiritual teachers on YouTube, people like Mooji and Rupert Spira and Shunyamurti. These guys can provide a unique perspective or sort of explain things in their own distinct way, and I think it really helps to put everything into perspective.

Maybe more interestingly, if every single human on planet earth had realized their true nature, and the nature of the universe, how would a new-born baby be raised?

I'm a 21 year old dude. Never had a girlfriend and have absolutely no sexual experience. I'm not a model by any means but still decent looking, 6 foot tall and 170 pounds and in great shape. I honestly think I'm a pretty interesting guy to be fair to myself, I have several friends, I go out and am social, I read a lot, about to start graduate school, work out, do yoga, play tennis, eat healthy etc. I feel that I can probably attract women and I know I have in the past (a couple very attractive ones to my surprise), but for some reason I never put myself out there. Well it's not for "some reason" is it I know exactly why, I lack confidence with the other sex. I am actually quite embarrassed of my complete and utter lack of experience with women and it's even starting to bother me more now because my family and friends are starting to point it out and question it more frequently. I simply am just scared of intimacy. I fear that dating at this point, I would feel like a clueless donkey and have no clue what I'm doing and end up screwing it up and making a fool of myself. And I know that it shouldn't be a big deal, I'm young and have my entire life to figure it out but I still can't get over the hump. And trust me I know this is gonna make me sound like a little bitch, but I even fear having sex. Like just thinking about it makes me nervous. How do I get over this? If I don't figure this out soon it's only gonna get much worse for me as I get older. And I already know I need to just sack up and face my fears. I guess it's just nice typing out my thoughts for a bit. Any responses of any kind would be appreciated.

In a couple days I will be starting my final semester of college (I graduate in May). As the time approaches for me to put my degree into use and find a decent job, I've been thinking about my situation lately. I really feel that I do not know who I am. I have absolutely no interest in the field I have been studying (finance) and a result I feel no motivation or ambition to actually starting my career in this area. I feel like I have just been living my life on autopilot the last couple years, just going through the motions of schoolwork, my part-time job, working out, dicking around with friends and the sort. I just have no idea where my life is going. I've been telling myself for years now to just sort of trust the process and that in time I will discover my greatest passion/purpose in life but I just don't know. I am a pretty productive person, I do very well in school and spend a lot of time reading, educating myself in various fields, exercising, playing music here and there etc but I don't know where any of this is taking me. I know I have potential to give something to the world, or at least do something that makes me happy and proud but I have no idea what that can be. I don't want to live a mediocre life working some corporate job where I'm treated like a slave. And it doesn't help that my parents are nagging me left and right about finding a job but I simply lack the motivation, it's not because I'm lazy but the idea of corporate status and a high salary just doesn't necessarily do it for me. I envy my younger brother who also does well in school but has a clear purpose and goal about his life: his band, which he commits so much time and energy into and it's really starting to pay off for him. My life is great, I really don't have anything to complain about in the grand scheme of things but it just feels so bland. There's nothing truly exciting me about life and I don't know what to do. I'm only 21, but I want to figure this out before it is too late. Perhaps I need to take the spiritual practices more seriously than I have been as of late.

I'm a 21 year old college student, I only have 2 semesters left before graduating with a degree in finance. I don't really like my major whatsoever and it pains me to think about working in a corporate environment doing rather boring office work that I have no passion in at all. I don't think it would be wise to switch majors or stop pursuing my degree at this point because I'm already so close to finishing but I already know for certain that i want nothing to do with my field. The problem is... I really don't know what else to do. After taking a couple optimal career and personality tests, I've learned more about myself and realized some of my strength and weaknesses and some areas I may excel in. Having an INFJ personality type, some fields I could envision enjoying and doing well in are perhaps things like counseling, teaching, areas in psychology etc. But I just don't know what to do at this point because I'm already so far down the finance road. Ideally, I want to be doing my own thing (not working for others), or at least have some independence and freedom in my career where I can help others in some capacity (teaching students, counseling). Would Leo's life purpose course be of great help in my situation? It's getting to the point where I really need to stop screwing around and start figuring out my life.

Currently studying finance, only have 2 semesters until graduation... I don't like my major at all though, I wish I got into something like education or psychology but it's far too late to change now. Also currently working for Travelex, a foreign currency exchange store found in pretty much all airports.

So I just turned 21 and obviously as I'm sure everyone knows, turning 21 is an absolute game changer. It completely opens the door to a whole new world of fun and adventure. This is especially true for me, because I commute to my university and still live at home, so I never really had the real college experience like all my friends. So now that my friends and I are all 21 and everyone is home for the summer, we have been going out and been having a great time almost every night. It's difficult for me to find the right balance between doing silly shit that I know is not important but my ego still very much desires, and pursuing spirituality. When school is in session and all my friends go back to university, that is when I am absolutely my most productive and focused. I'm constantly meditating, reading, learning etc... As much as I love spirituality and can so clearly see the significance of what can be accessed, lately the thought of meditating for an hour before bed on a Thursday doesn't always seem as nice as going out with my friends. Is this something I just have to completely exercise? Being out at bars, getting drinks, chatting up girls, having a laugh with my friends etc is all new territory for me because again, it's not something I experience at college. Should I let myself experience and enjoy these things and put spirituality to the side for a bit, or should I just forget about any of it and pursue spirituality even harder? Ideally, I'd like to do both, which is what I'm doing. But it seems going out and having fun is just a bit more appealing than trying to destroy my ego at the moment. Thanks for any advice

The last couple videos that Leo has posted have been huge. The one about survival and the one about relativity were absolutely mind blowing and perhaps two of his very best videos in my opinion. I've begun noticing how everything that is done, every action that is taken and every emotion and thought present in both myself and other people boil down to the need to preserve the ego and sense of self. I have been examining why it is that I'm even pursuing spirituality and why it is one of my biggest interests in life. There are definitely some genuine reasons I am interested in this work. I can sort of intuit that the only thing in life I can be certain of is that I am certain of nothing, and that there lies a very deep truth that can be realized that will shatter all suffering and attachments to this illusion I have created. However, there are also many selfish and egoic reasons that drive me to continue this pursuit. I'm a bit ashamed and embarrassed but I think it is important to realize these things. For example, I have this image of myself being a 20 year old man who possess knowledge and wisdom that the vast majority of people don't even know exists. I feel like having these awakening experiences and beginning to tap into the Absolute will give me a sort of image unlike any other person my age and will make me stand out and seem unique, and this sounds very nice to my ego. Also, I feel like beginning to awaken to the ultimate truth will result in the dissolving of all of my fears, anxieties, and worries, which of course is very selfish in itself. A specific example would be the fear I have about what I'm going to do with my life, as the degree I am soon going to earn is of little interest to me and will not lead anywhere that matches my values and what I appreciate and love most in life. I feel that pursuing spirituality will resolve these issues I have, however I am also aware that upon actually having awakening experiences, there will no longer be a self to try to protect and preserve. How should I go about pursuing spirituality after realizing my selfish reasons for pursuing it in the first place? Perhaps the answers I seek can only be understood after having some awakening/non-dual experiences, of which I have had none to this point. This is my main goal as of now, is to actually have a direct experience. I felt I have came close several times when mediating after smoking weed, which I have found to be MUCH more intense than sober meditation. Anyways, Thank you for anyone who bothered to read and respond.

I am 20 years old and have never yet had any sort of enlightenment or awakening experience. I try to meditate daily for at least 30 minutes every day and have begun contemplating with a journal. I know this is not enough, I am currently trying to battle distractions, excuses, and my own laziness but that is another topic. This summer, I am planning on taking some psychedelics in hope of having my first awakening, however minor it may be. I'm really just craving that first taste because although I can sort of intuit just how deep this sort of work is, I know my understanding through the mind can only take me so far. However, a part of me is terrified of taking psychedelics whether it be psilocybin or LSD because I just fear what I will see. It's strange because part of me is incredibly curious and eager to have this experience, but another part of me is thinking "I have no fucking clue what I'm really getting myself into." I have taken mushrooms before, on two separate occasions last year. However, I believe that they were of very poor quality because my friends and I took about 2.5-3 grams each and hardly experienced anything that profound. Just kind of a mysterious, strange, and unfamiliar state of mind with no crazy visuals or deep insights. I also fear that the fear I have itself may lead to an unpleasant experience, even though I was just as nervous my first time and it wasn't bad at all but rather enjoyable. How do I get in the right state of mind before trying them again? Thank You

Hello, I am a 20 year old college student with only 2 and a half semesters left in my pursuit of a finance degree. I hate it. I am extremely scared and uneasy about the thought of becoming a wage slave. The absolute last way I want to spend my life is in some cubical doing boring and repetitive work that will only get in the way of my consciousness work. This work has become my passion, mostly thanks to Leo. I have begun taking meditation and contemplation work very seriously and I've been reading about 3 books every month mostly from his book list. I have been putting off looking for an internship for quite a while now and it's beginning to catch up with me. My parents are always on my ass about it and I just can't get myself to accept the reality of the situation i'm in. I don't want to work a 9-5 job where all I do is kiss ass and work my tail off all for the benefit of someone else. It is completely unfulfilling. I am not lazy by any stretch of the imagination, I always work hard and do well in all my classes and endeavors but I desperately want to enjoy whatever it is I end up doing. Does anyone have any advice for me? I'm still so young and have a lot to learn but I just feel so lost and a little bit scared. Do I have to just bite the bullet and join the typical labor force until hopefully I start to figure it out in the future? It's so difficult because when you begin to realize just how deep and meaningful pursuing enlightenment is, everything else seems so petty and not worth my while. I would rather spend my time becoming aware of what my existence means than crunching numbers for some bullshit corporation! Please help, any advice is appreciated