LarryW

Interesting ... I came across non-dualism after the others, although initially confused because if you're being literal and pedantic (a fault of mine sometimes ), it also covers 0, 1, 3, -1, 0.5 well, any other number except 2. I'm currently contemplating an idea I read in Don't Cupitt's book 'The Religion of Being', he says that pure Being is uncountable because it is prior to language, prior to numbers and maths etc. Maybe that's what nondualism is getting at? But what the heck, all names for Reality are flawed, even Reality, so go with what works at your stage of development and helps you move on, until you jump out of abstractions like these altogether and discover viscerally that you are It.

Would it help to look at this the other way round? All of us here have embarked on a personal development (PD) path, which are very individual, and many of us started by trying to find a way out of chronic suffering. With many ups and downs, twists and turns, making many many of our own mistakes before learning from them. Why did you start? (That's rhetorical, don't tell us if you don't want). Be patient with your loved ones through their struggles, and support them though their self-defeating choices. Being that loving presence through thick and thin with just an occasional nudge towards PD works better in my experience than logical arguments and telling them I know what's good for them. But there's no guarantees, you need to know someone very well to understand why they persist in resisting growth. Welcome to the forum too, by the way

I've found Do Nothing an effective technique, I guess all meditations are just different ways up the same mountain. Keep it up, 1 hour a day is a good amount too! Really hope it starts to pay off soon.

@Raptorsin7 you passed your Biology degree, that's a big achievement. You put in what, 3 years of dedication, organisation, self-discipline and focus to accomplish it? What has changed since that time to lose your sense of purpose? Why did you do the degree, was it a dream and ambition for your future? I'm curious because in my family and school, going to University was expected and I ended up doing a science degree because I was indoctrinated it was the right thing to do, and I've never used it since. Or could it be the structure of the University which helped to keep you on track, gave you that scaffolding to organise yourself, which is now missing? I know Leo promotes people starting their own businesses but I'm pretty sure I'd be lost without the structure and hierarchy of the organisation I work for, I guess I'm institutionalised like that Perhaps like me, you need some stage blue-ish organisation to belong to, at least temporarily until you find your own way.

"I felt like a huge failure" "I feel ashamed" "feeling like a total defeat for me." Sorry to hear you're going through this and I hope the new job works out well for you. We are our own worst critics aren't we? I know it's tough when our ambitions are thwarted, but when it happens to someone else it seems easier to have sympathy. I suppose it's to do with our imprinting from childhood, but if our practice can teach us compassion for ourselves as much as others it'd be a great help. What meditation do you practice? Maybe something which focusses on the heart would be helpful, like loving-kindness, compassion, or heartfulness. Just a thought.

@Raptorsin7 Let's see if I've got this. You have a great deal of insight and understanding of your problems, and of course you want to be happy. But you have this apathy and laziness etc so your lifestyle is hermit-like. You're going for a short-term easy lifestyle of sitting around at home instead of confronting your difficult feelings and entering a long-term plan to achieve your vision of greatness? This reminds me of an addiction, going for a short-term fix of pleasure instead of the delayed gratification of self-development, like when I wanted to give up smoking but always wanted to put off quitting for just one more day of nicotine. There's lots of great advice from people here on what to do, just like I knew all the theory behind my smoking habit. But turning theory into practice makes us confront our feelings, which may seem like inner demons, but feeling your feelings head on is the way to go, rather than avoiding and procrastinating. Laziness is the ego's way of diverting us from feeling the truth.

@Hardkill thanks for the explanation out of interest, is the primary stage legally required, or just the internal rules of those 2 parties? The other thing which comes across to me - at least at this current stage of the main election - is how much of the debate is about personalities rather than policies, even though I'm sure they must have full manifestos. But I guess that's the same anywhere.

I can only admire you Americans for your stamina through the long election process, which takes a whole year doesn't it?

I know how being unemployed can sap your energy and enthusiasm over time. Do you have any spare time to take on a little bit of responsibility, nothing major maybe just organising a night out with friends, or helping out an elderly or disabled neighbour with some gardening, shopping or taking the bins out etc? Something where you can help others and be missed if you don't turn up. Where you need to put in some effort and get a bit more involved in other people's lives and build connections and friendships. Little things like that can spread happiness and improve your confidence. Is your social life affected as well?

We used to think that light travels in straight lines, till Einstein spoilt it and said that space-time is curved by gravity. Crystals have straight edges don't they?

1) Becoming financially independent. very wise to want to earn your own living, do you have a plan? 2) Mastering both the ego and non-ego self. (I have no idea how to do this) this means spirituality, yes? There's lots to learn and practice here too! No rush, take your time. 3) Reprogramming my subconscious mind. (I guess I heard Leo would make a course about this) I agree with JosephKnecht here, what's your problem? Enjoy being a teenager while you can, and make the most of the opportunities open to you

@Dodo me too, I'm not really going to start arguments with fundamental rationalists, though it's been useful to thrash this out for the benefit of my own inner rationalist and put it in its place. Reason does have its uses after all.

How about this: subjective vs objective existence is the usual naive realist duality we live by most of the time, but it's a creation of our thinking, a model of reality. Same thing with real and imaginary existence. I don't deny awareness, but if you look at the arguments in this thread, it's awareness which is used as the ground for describing existence itself, therefore it looks like awareness (suchness) is prior to existence/non-existence, real/non-real, subjective/objective etc etc.

@Inliytened1 "When we refer to materialism here we are talking about realism." There's a devil here in the details of the definitions, causing me to have sloppy thinking. Darn, if only I'd done that philosophy course at uni instead of stats! But I do perceive the important distinction is between separation and unity. @Dodo where I differ from you is here: "sensations and perceptions are made out of Mind," I'd say that perception and suchness is prior to mind; mind is the idea we create to explain our perception and put it in a container, so to speak. BTW I don't believe in matter any more than mind, both are maps to help us navigate life, but aren't actual. @Someone here "Yet you insist that whatever is occurring within the mind is unreal" Not quite. I'm trying to get materialists to follow the logic of their position to transcend itself and burst out into mysticism. If I can, which is unlikely. Having said that, what do we mean by real/unreal? Surely it's linked with the theory of realism? In that case, no, my awareness isn't real, neither is the tree outside my house.

@Inliytened1 I think I'm in danger of conflating materialism with realism. Realism is the idea that objects exist beyond my conceptions. Therefore there's a separation. But I don't understand where your separation arises with materialism, if mind is separate from matter, that's not materialism is it? @Dodo a neat theory if true. But, just because something isn't in my awareness, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. (Sorry for the triple negative!). How about if physical and mental reality are actually the same thing, just understood in different ways. Matter is aware and mind is material.