aurum

Fair. But also, people inflating their stage of development does not invalidate the existence of higher stages of development. I would not let people’s misunderstanding poison a genuinely useful lens.

Even if we had the development for the most utopian leftist ideals, I still imagine there would be many flaws. How can you possibly privilege a finite value like egalitarianism and expect utopia? Utopia cannot just be equality, because finite equality is not absolutely good.

23 is way too young to expect to have mastered all of this, especially if you have known mental illness. Just put your head down and keep chipping away at it, best you can.

The universe is not an electron. The part about Oneness is correct though.

Theoretically, but that doesn't mean you will. Ask yourself: what is the intelligent function of limits? Why do you think God imagines limits in the first place? You're certainly welcome to try to imagine whatever you want. In fact, it's probably better if you test it for yourself. But I think you will find your abilities to be quite limited.

Unless you are imagining that you can't.

But God can also imagines material reality. That includes its limits. In which case, you will have to play by the rules of material reality.

I've never felt the need to block anyone. My breakups have all been pretty reasonable, all things considered.

I wouldn't say it's that nebulous. It's pretty clear what most people mean when they talk about social circle. It is on a spectrum with cold approach though. So in that sense, it's nebulous.

The point was that "pure" cold approach often starts to look like social circle when done well. They're not mutually exclusive strategies. They blend. And anyone who is successful at one mixes elements of both. It just depends on what you're good at and what kind of lifestyle you want.

One of the best ways to do cold approach is really a hybrid of including some social circle. For example, you go out solo and meet a bunch of people that same night through cold approach. You become a social connector, merge groups of people you just met, introduce single men and women to each other, etc. You will be one of the most popular guys in the venue if you do this. Most people are so passive while socializing that with just a little bit of cold approach, you will easily stand out. And yes, women will notice. But no one will see it as "creepy pickup", because you're actually providing value to people by being a connector and demonstrating tons of social competence. And if you do this repeatably, the effects usually just compound as you start to become more well-known in your local area. Pretty soon, even if you go out by yourself, you're bound to run into people you already are friends with. Now, is that cold approach or social circle? Really, this whole debate between cold approach and social circle is a bit overblown. Just mix and match as much as you see fit.

Yeah there's no easy answer here. If the teachings are truthful, then convergence actually is a good sign. Convergence is not necessarily a sign of not doing the work. That said, of course you need to check yourself on this. You could also very easily be rationalizing your lack of understanding. Both are true.

Sweetness is not bad in of itself. It might be useful for your growth to overcorrect for a while, but you will eventually hit a wall with even your douchebaggery. Really, what you're seeking is balance.

@Xonas Pitfall excellent!

You could have a temporary, limited experience of that. Anesthesia is a good example. But that cannot be the sum total of reality. Doing so would make God less than infinite. Also, that assumes there isn't value in pain, which is false. Pain is valuable information. From the standard human POV, yes. But metaphysically, no. We do not agree on that. There is a difference. No, that is not a possibility. That is only a possibility in the mind of someone who is confused.