r0ckyreed

Blissipline.

High quality post. Bump.

Of course! Avoidance is one of the top causes of all emotional disturbance.

In the mental health counseling world, we call this a cognitive distortion, negativity bias, or self-fulfilling prophecy. I doubt it is the whole truth. OP is leaving out love, which is the ultimate truth. OP is choosing fear and not love and it isn’t his fault per se.

You might as well have said it.

My brain. My iphone ChatGPT Journaling

Option number 1. Success is more important than happiness. Happiness comes and goes, but success will stay with you forever. Living a meaningful life is more important to me than living a pleasurable/happy life. To go after your purpose, there are gonna be days when you are not going to be happy and that is okay. It is okay to not be happy. What is not okay to me is living below my potential. I would regret that the most on my deathbed.

You didn’t mention anything positive, so what you said is half-truth at best. Reality includes both positive and negative elements.

@Leo Gura You bring up some good points that I will contemplate more. Thanks for your detailed responses. In the context of this post, I am still curious about what women are really looking for in physical attraction. Like is it symmetry of face, muscles, or what? Is there such a thing as a universally attractive male? If so, what makes a man a 10/10 on looks? Brad Pitt is an example that comes to mind. A lot of women would rate him highly as physically attractive. But why?

A lot of negative beliefs. Not a single positive belief in this post.

I appreciate your thoughts on this. I am just struggling to accept this because that would mean that more than half of the books on your booklist are full of shit. It is just hard to accept given that people like David Goggins were once 300 lbs and illiterate and were able to persevere through hard work. That’s David Goggins secret to success. He didn’t have the best genes. In fact, his Sickle Cell held him back and almost took his life according to his book. I don’t know how you would explain that. The philosophy of Rocky Balboa is all about hard work. Rocky didn’t have the best genes or anything. His work ethic was the best and that’s what made him the best. Ivan Drago had the best genes and Rocky was still able to beat him because he trained harder. David Goggins was very similar. He didn’t have the best genes in the Seals. But it was his determination that helped him achieve the pull-up record, run ultras, and get through hell week. Genes without discipline are nothing. There are many child prodigies who get forgotten. Robert Green talks about this concept in his book Mastery. He says discipline is more important than one’s natural talent. That mastery is achieved through deliberate practice. Of course, a person with Fragile X will probably have limits on their intelligence that would prevent them from being a mathematician no matter how hard they practice. And a person with Anterograde amnesia will never be able to learn a new skill. So there are limits on consciousness. But from my personal experience, there were people who were more naturally talented than me, and I still kicked their ass at tennis, trumpet, chess, and education through my deliberate practice.

Hello. I am flying for the first time alone. I went through the airport security millimeter wave technology, and I can’t help but wonder how it works and whether I am getting radiation exposure and what this will do to my long-term health if I will be a more frequent traveler. What do you all do? I heard you can request for a thorough pat down instead. The millimeter seems less time consumption but am concerned about the health risk. I typed my question into ChatGPT and this is what it said: “Millimeter wave technology is used in some airport security scanners, such as body scanners and luggage scanners. These scanners emit non-ionizing radiation in the form of millimeter waves, which are a type of electromagnetic radiation. Non-ionizing radiation has lower energy than ionizing radiation and is generally considered to be less harmful. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the United States states that millimeter wave scanners used in airports emit far less energy than other common devices such as cell phones and microwave ovens. The scanners are designed to operate within safety guidelines and limits set by regulatory agencies to minimize any potential health risks. The millimeter wave scanners used in airport security are considered safe for most people, including pregnant women and children. However, individuals with certain medical conditions or concerns about radiation exposure may request an alternative screening method, such as a pat-down search. It's important to note that while the risk of radiation exposure from millimeter wave scanners is generally considered to be low, it is not entirely zero. However, the amount of radiation exposure from these scanners is typically well below the safety limits established by regulatory agencies. If you have specific concerns about radiation exposure or airport security, it's always a good idea to consult with relevant experts or authorities who can provide you with the most up-to-date and accurate information.” Thanks!

But Owen’s looks aren’t that great and he gets many girls? Isn’t it all subjective?

Hello. I just recently filed my taxes for 2023 through H&R Block. But I am interested in how you all go about filing your taxes and keep your expense and savings records for your tax year. Please share what you do because my school never taught me. I did some research and some websites like TurboTax, cash app, or Creditkarma offer a free service to do taxes in. But I am curious if there is a more efficient way that I am overlooking like some app or something. Thanks.

Thanks guys! I will try to utilize these resources for next tax season.

Right. The paradox of freewill/control. Still, it is important to not adopt a victim mindset. Genetics is important but epigenetics is even more important. It is possible to have good genes and do nothing with your life and have poor genes and do something with your life. It does me nothing to adopt negative beliefs around genetics. In all honesty, genetics are imaginary and all we should really focus is our direct experience. Genetics do not exist in the present moment but are a mental construct that humans invent just like gender and race. We can’t control our biology, so it is a waste of time complaining about it and developing negative beliefs. It is all about our choices. Discipline can be developed. Mastery is all about deliberate practice.

Health is also lifestyle. We cannot control our genetics, so it doesn’t help us to worry about them. We need to focus on what we can control which is our lifestyle. If you aren’t going to the gym 5 times a week, then the results are on you. This genetics stuff is just victim mentality. We can overcome and persevere with discipline, will, and lifestyle factors. Of course, our health will die in the end, but it is no point in being a victim to the fact that you can control your energy levels through your lifestyle. Anything otherwise is victim mentality.

I would say personality is at number one. Fame and status get you gold diggers or low quality girls. So, I guess you are right that it will get you girls, but just not ones that I would want to be my girlfriend. What I look for is a woman who can fall in love with my own intelligence the way that I do and to love her mind as well. Not very many women I know are existentially-oriented, so it is gonna be a challenge for me. But I will not lower my standards. I’d rather be single than to have a girlfriend/wife that is below my standards. I want someone I can trust, respect, go on outdoor adventures with, who is athletic, who I can meditate with, and who I can have philosophical conversations with. Being with a woman who doesn’t fit that criteria, I am better off just masturbating to my own intelligence.

You make some good points. I am not sure what the stipulations of that law are. But I think it should only be legal for medicinal use and not recreationally. From my experience, legalization = more people using. Because somehow people get this idea that if it is legal, then it is okay. In America, we make a lot of things legal that are destroying adults and youths health. I am more liberal because I don’t think people are wise enough to make responsible choices. If you look at Covid, many people didn’t make the wise choice of choosing vaccines and masks. I am not saying that ice cream should be illegal. But it is the governments job to protect the public and community. If weed is legal recreationally, it will be harder to enforce laws of people using it in the wrong ways such as driving while high, going into restaurants while high. It should be like alcohol that if they catch you using it on the streets, you are getting fined. You need to use the substance in a controlled area like a bar or at your own home. I honestly don’t know the answer to the hard questions, but I exercise caution in legalizing drugs. As much as I want psychedelics legalized, I see so many people even on here abusing them. What do you think the average person will do with these dangerous substances especially with significant mental health issues? I think we honestly need a drug license just like we have a drivers license. People need to see a psychologist and do a psychological evaluation before they are able to have a license to drink, smoke, and use psychedelics. It’s just like gun control. We need drug control. However, that is a whole other issue that I think the USA needs to have a psych eval for that too and not just a background check.

It’s not a good idea. Studies show cannabis destroys the gray matter in your brain, which also correlates with lower levels of concentration, impairment in cognitive functioning, especially when used in adolescence. Not very wise.

Realize that without suffering, there is no conflict. Without conflict, there is no challenge. Without challenge, there is no growth. Without growth, there is no adventure. Without adventure, there is no meaning. Without meaning, there is no creation. Without creation, there is only death.

I know it’s in the guidelines but it doesn’t make sense if you are in a God-Consciousness high where you are in infinite love. People post worse things on here sober. It just seems weird to be discriminatory to states of consciousness, especially in this type of circle. I mean I am naturally high, and I can reach high states in contemplation/meditation that people who smoke weed can get. So, I shouldn’t be allowed to post if I can meditate into a “high” state?

We can’t post in God-Consciousness? WTF. How would you even enforce that rule because it is literally impossible to prove. I could type shfhjsjehshdjwbeheb jsjdhejshs and I could be completely sober but just dumb as hell. I would argue that many sober people post more dumb stuff than people in the God state. To answer the OP’s question. Reality is perfect because reality just is. It exists and in order for something to exist or even possible to exist takes infinite orders of balance and intelligence. You sitting there typing and a person born with Fragile X are perfect because reality includes everything. If reality was just rainbows and butterflies, then it wouldn’t be perfect. It would be unbalanced. There could be no free will if evil cannot exist.

That’s not the reason. It’s because society doesn’t make it a priority. It is a systemic issue with state curriculums and boards. We are all going to face some of these issues in life no matter how prepared we are because we are going to lose our health, our mind, and finances one day.

I am curious as to how me sitting down and focusing on my breath is not going to be a waste of time. 2 years ago, I meditated for 4 hours straight, and it seemed like a complete waste of time. I was sitting, focusing on my breath, and counting my breaths, and that was pretty much it lol. I don't really see how meditation is going to add to any existential understanding of reality. One thing that I did gain from my meditation retreat was that I learned how to deal with discomfort and boredom, but me sitting and counting my breaths didn't add anything else. There was no insight from no thought. It is kind of frustrating because I have read a lot of meditation books, and it just doesn't seem to be as effective as simple contemplation. The only meditation technique that has worked was Leo's Satisfaction Meditation. But that meditation doesn't gain me any insight that reality is imagination. All meditation has ever done for me is give me insights into equanimity and suffering. It seems like I gain more contemplating something for 10 minutes than I ever could from a 2 hour sit. I think a good 10 minute meditation session a day is good, but anything longer than that seems like a waste of time, and one is better off approaching women to see if their meditation practice can hold to the test. I agree with Owen Cook that sitting down and meditating is a waste of time. I can meditate while I am thinking, making a business, and socializing with women. I see the benefits of a 10 minute sit and an occasional 1 hour sit, but there is a threshold to where a certain amount of sitting time on the cushion doesn't add anything more to your life.