Elshaddai

Is there even a concrete answer to this age old question?

This quote comes to mind: “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”- Joseph Campbell

@JosephKnecht You are right I tink so aswell!

The thing about the internet is you can think of it like the matrix in that you can always unplug from it (when not using it for work atleast). No one is holding a gun to your head forcing to use the internet so feel free to read a book, go outside or weave baskets or almost anything else.

@Ramanujan i actually have the book, so i'll give it a read once i'm done with my current one thanks!

Iv'e been writing down alot of my thoughts on paper and on the computer and i think that writing is actually very crucial for one's personal growth. the problem is that most people's minds including my own are basically monkey minds that jump frantically from one thought to the next without giving them much time to really think things through but only skimming the surface level of things for the most part. writing helps remedy this by allowing you to review and reflect on your thinking and also not having to remember them so your mind is free to think new thoughts. anyone else agree with this? i would love to hear your thoughts.

What does it mean to suffer consciously? does it mean to apply awareness and mindfulness to my suffering? Can you prove that statement to me?

how can pursuing my passion lead to higher consciousness? I am an athiest agnostic simply because i have never experienced god, so i don't see the point in believing something without any concrete evidence(the bible/Quran/other holy book doesn't count). Is it true to say that suffering always leads to higher consciousness? I have definitely been guilty of that lol, still haven't found god yet though. I think you gave great advice here, the activity I'm doing doesn't seem to matter as much as the consciousness/awareness/mindfulness i bring to any given activity. and yet I'm sure some activities are more conducive to generating higher states of consciousness, such as meditation and is what i'm looking to do more of.

these exercises Seem like good thing to try out. although i'm an athiest personally so I have my doubts about the value of Islamic prayer and prayer in general.

I want to pursue higher levels of consciousness and so far I only found meditation and arguably psychedelics to help with this. what are some other things I can do to raise consciousness?

Am I a biological robot acting out a large chain of cause effect reactions or do I make conscious choices freely as I see fit? I think i'm agree with the notion that there's no free will but I want to hear other opinions on the topic

I want to know what is the quickest way to grow and become enlightened. So far besides psychedelics i found strong determination sitting to be the most efficient but are there other ways?

@Yarco this is very good advice, thank you. Like you said i think the reason it's a problem for me is because it does interfere with the present and creates rumination and emotional turmoil. I use often set goals that are too much for me but i work with a life coach that helps me set realistic goals so thankfully that's not an issue.

I often guilt myself often for not meeting the goals and deadlines i set for myself, Especially personal development wise. My mind tells me that i'm not good enough or that i should do more tasks, make more time for study, get back to reading books, exercise more etc This happens even when I'm having a relatively productive day. Now granted I'm not the most productive person and i slack off and procrastinate alot, but i feel that guilting myself isn't the most helpful thing to do about this. I hope you can help me with this.

Title