r0ckyreed

Being “polite”. Some Bible thumper caught me at a grocery store and I stood there listening to him instead of telling him to f*ck off and leave. Conformity on his part and mine.

But there is conscious conformity such as being moral. A hero is conscious conformity in a sense. Or even the example of knowing that religion is bullshit but still going to church anyways because you value upholding tradition. You can be aware of your own conformity but still choose it.

Another example is theater. All acting is conformity.

What are you talking about? Borat is extremely conformist. Here is one example out of many:

Yes! Good. I didn’t see your post before I made mine. Great minds think alike! Oh wait, that’s conformist parroting too! However, questioning isn’t conformist. You’re wrong there.

Kriya Yoga, Pranayama, Supreme Fire is largely conformist. Most people are just following the techniques from others without question. You could say that about 90% of meditation techniques. Just note where you learned to meditate and why you meditate really. Why do you do pranayama? Ive been trying to say this for a long time but nobody here agrees and it is that Buddhism is group-think conformity and so are many meditation traditions. Of course, there’s still value in meditation/Buddhism whether youre conformist about it or not.

@Leo Gura I had a discussion about conformity with my friend and we came to the conclusion that something is conformity if you didn’t spend time thinking through it yourself and having your own authentic motivation. For instance, you do Wim Hof breathing because you find it beneficial vs. doing it because people say it’s good for you. I remember playing trumpet out of conformity because my dad and friend did it. But it eventually became something that I authentically loved. So something that starts off as conformity could end in finding an interest I would’ve never discovered.

@Leo Gura I remember you saying somewhere that you have lived in Austin and Boston. What made you decide to leave Texas to go to Las Vegas? Not enough dating opportunities? How did you adjust to the changes involved in moving?

How did you decide you wanted to pick Vegas? To me, Vegas seems like a nice place to visit but not someplace I would want to live. My idea is a balance of access to nature and city opportunities while living in a suburban small/college town. I think culture is also an essential factor as well. I know I want to be around nature, vibrant city, and universities. I am looking at Oregon, Washington, Asheville, NC, Connecticut, Rhode Island. Once I pick my general area (west or east coast) then I will be more specific about neighborhood. I want to get the area right (access to mountains, oceans, vibrant city opportunities, university liberal culture, etc.) and then I will get more clear. What was your process?

A-freakin-men. Thanks for your support. I will keep contemplating and try to narrow it down 5 areas. I’m considering Oregon for west coast and Massachusetts for east coast. But I’ll try to keep my mind open. Thanks.

The area I’m at I think I’ve outgrown. I’ve lived in Oklahoma my whole life. I want an area with more abundance of nature opportunities. If I lived where I’m at for the next 5-10 years, I think I’d have regrets of not experiencing a new environment altogether. I met a famous rock climber in Yosemite (Ron Kauk), he talked about growing up in the valley and how he had access to rock climbing, wilderness camping and all the beauty of Yosemite as a kid. It was inspirational. I’m at the ideal job but not ideal environment. I’d like to be around like-minded people. I also would like to get out of the red state Bible Belt culture.

Thanks mate. 🙏

Thanks. I figured so. That’s what I did on my Oregon and Washington road trip. I think my next steps now are to narrow down specific towns, apartments, and jobs. It is so hard when I really love the job position I have now. Coworkers and work culture is amazing. I have so much freedom and that is hard to leave.

@Leo Gura Since you’ve moved around a lot. Do you have any general advice for someone like me who hasn’t moved or lived anywhere else? Any traps to avoid? I will start looking up different neighborhoods in the cities I’m interested in. I’m pretty clear about what I want. I think it’s just planning it all out and taking action that’s the hard part. Such as if I have to secure a job before moving or move and then secure a job. I know with my profession and experience, I’ll be able to find work anywhere. Thanks. Anybody else have any tips and traps to avoid for moving out of hometown/homestate?

NYC is good to visit, but the idea of living there seems like it would be a nightmare for me. It’s just too many people, overcrowded, and everywhere looks the same after a while. It’s just a concrete jungle.