Bill W

I'm gonna read this journal from front to back. I keep dipping in and out.

Hi All, I've just started reading Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. I've not read his stuff before. I wanted to share a quote from the book. Comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth - only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair.

Lovely story with a happy ending.

Yes, I honestly believe these teachings have a place on this sub-forum. I've seen Leo make the odd reference to AA and 12-step programs, and I've never seen him dismiss them out of hand. One thing AA has in common with Leo's vision is that AA is a program of ACTION. You have to do the practices daily. You have to do the work. If you try to avoid taking responsibility you will likely not make much progress. If you are stuck in the blame game you will likely not make much progress. I really believe that the teachings would also be valuable to people who don't identify as an addict. I'll leave you with two videos for now and then below some of my favorite passages from AA Literature. First video is Father Martin talking about Step 1, 14.54 long Second video is Russell Brand covering Steps 1-5 with a reference to psychedelics at the end actually, 3.25 long Some of my favorite passages from AA literature Selfishness is the root of our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear and self-delusion. Self-righteousness and avoiding looking at your own shortcomings, the very thing we condemned in others, was our own evil. When temporary good fortune came our way, we indulged ourselves in fantasies of still greater victories over people and circumstances. Thus, blinded by self-confidence, we were apt to play the big shot. Of course, people turned away from us, bored or hurt. Nearly every serious emotional problem can be seen as a case of misdirected instinct. We impose our instincts on others. We step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. We must place spiritual growth before the satisfaction of instincts. If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we will find at the root of it some unhealthy dependency and its consequent unhealthy demand. Let us, with God’s help, continually surrender these hobbling liabilities. Then we can be set free to live. If we were to live, we had to be free of anger and resentment. We must be sure to remember that we cannot buy our own peace of mind at the expense of another. This is a sick man. How can I be helpful to him? We avoid retaliation or argument. Honesty with ourselves and others gets us sober, but it is tolerance that keeps us that way. In meditation, debate has no place. We rest quietly with the thoughts of someone who knows, so that we may experience and learn.

I might be in the minority but I'd love to have more alone time. I wish I could hand over a lot of people in my life to someone who needs them more than me.

I wonder if going on a sun bed would have the same result? I will try this for the next week. 6hrs a day on the sunbed with just my ball bags on display. I will come back like this Alpha dude I hope

T That must make it tricky for any sexual partners of yours, as half way through making love they could end up either a pedophile or a necrophile.

@Zigzag Idiot Thanks for this my friend.

Thanks. Yes I would be interested in that version. Thanks for letting me know. To be continued!

Thanks. I'll take a picture of the book for you as when I ordered it I got confused as to what ACIM I was getting.

I need to go back to this. I tried it and didn't take to it. Can't remember why. I still have it. Maybe I wasn't ready before. Has anyone done the whole 365 exercises?

My passion for tropical fish turned into an obsession a few years back. Ended up with about 8 aquariums in a 1-bed flat.

Thanks for this. I just downloaded them.

Personal development is much more about letting go and surrender than it is about acquiring and gaining.

My favourite response in this thread. This is the Home Run Hit. This is part of transcending your animal instincts, when surrendering is actually victory. Spiritual growth in ACTION rather than concepts and ideas. This kind of action is worth thousands of concepts and theory. I speak from painful personal experience that I am still going through. I am yearning to convert the people who I deem dragging me down right now, into my teachers. Why are they here? Why have they entered me life? What are they here to teach me? A stark reminder that we can't change the world, so we better and must change ourselves. If you can do this, you have become the spiritual equivalent of Mozart. @Truth Addict

My main aim is to free others from suffering, Lovely way to put it! Makes me think about asking myself each night before I sleep...have i done anything today to help reduce someone's suffering?

@Moreira Great stuff that guy says. Love it.

@Zigzag Idiot @outlandish @tsuki @Aeris Thanks for the contributions. Bill W and LSD is a challenge for me because when I first signed up to actualised.org I judged all who endulged in psychedelics to be using a substance to gain a temporary and artificial change in mental state. Like a fake push up the ladder of self development. Nothing more than wanting to get high, only doing it with a drug they could pretend was part of the normal self development process. I don't intend to use psychedelics but I'm less critical of their use now and more accepting that I am ignorant in that area. I've been around mental health self help for almost all my adult life. The original AA literature which I believe was heavily influenced by Bill W is the best mental health guide I've ever read. Or how to live your life guide perhaps. Self honesty. Getting out of victim mind set. Stop blaming others. Taking responsibility. Dealing with resentments. Surrender. Letting go. Giving service. Forgiveness. Compassion. Self reflection. Belief patterns. Realising fear is behind virtually all emotional disturbance. Meditation. Prayer. Humility. Guiding others. Carrying the message. Principles before personalities. Easy does it. The Serenity Prayer. Hope. Making amends to those harmed by your egoic behaviours. I wonder how much influence LSD had on a non psychologically trained person writing one of the best mental health books ever written. I mean mental health/spiritual health as one.

If you let the feeling go, what feeling is left to repress?

Hi TA, Playing devil's advocate rather than trying to provoke you here, but why would you assign yourself this duty? Why should anyone believe that you have any authority on this? You will become just another lost soul trying to convince everyone you have the real truth and that your truth supersedes all other truths. You will become sicker and more damaged than the people you preach to.

Hey Dan, It's worded like it's a work specific problem, is that the case? These are acute moments (as opposed to more chronic) overwhelm triggered by occasional difficult interactions at work? Do they come on suddenly when a request is communicated poorly or perhaps you are already overwhelmed and it's the straw that broke the camel's back kind of thing? Love your honesty and also Melwyn reply above. I'm also highly introverted and trying to control aspects of my behaviour at work.

Great to see that this forum is helping you self-actualize. You will be enlightened in no time. @Surfingthewave Thanks for the thread. A good reminder for me that a meditative state can be achieved at work as well as home.

Is this you arguing with your wife?

Exactly! Haven't quite taken to his other books (I've only dabbled with them). I'm slowly building up a library of his YouTube stuff.

Thanks for this. The first one I'm going to watch is the David Hawkins and Oprah one. He's one of my idols right now.