fopylo

The danger is putting this label on yourself and creating an image of a mentally ill person. Trust me, I know. I've been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome not long ago which really shook my self image and tried to escape it by pushing it away and trying to be normal as possible. It has great affect on my position in the army (all my peers are talking about the army and stuff so it always reminds me of this deficiency). I believe the key is to accept it, as it is for what it is. Mindfulness helps for sure. Spending the day thinking about this 'problem' to maintain this identity won't. I would also add that telling some people you have anxiety might help, since you will see that their reaction won't be bad and you'll learn that it is accepted and feel more free

So as I'm practicing more mindfulness, it may sound funny but I feel more able to engage myself in a video game or play the piano a bit. This is quite big for me. If you've noticed, being engaged in a video game requires quite an amount of presence, which is the reason I was always avoiding it. It's scary to lose myself and be emergent with something - I'll be dead! But yeah, it feels like I'm functioning more like a normal human who just likes to play video games, but it was just some stupid phone game (not something really engaging honestly). Also I feel like I'm slowly shifting to the shy territory (from being socially anxious). What I mean by that is that I'm little by little allowing myself to experience fear/discomfort/anxiety in public. The truth is that it is way easier to recognize a shy person from a socially anxious person - because the shy accepts himself more which enables him to reveal his fears and discomforts, which makes him less anxious, kind of a loop. It is still hard for me and I still struggle. I have an identity that all what I do is thinking how I can self actualize without actually doing anything with my life (except meditation practices and a bit of reading and gym). Also to be kind of a confident guy, trying to be more "alpha" but not something serious like macho, which handicaps my ability to deeply feel and express those fears when they come, and I find shy people good at doing that

@Leo Gura You have pointed me to wise insights, thanks. Even though nofap might be a subtle neurotic behavior for building my confidence and grounding, I would still argue it works, but not like any drug or something, it feels healthy and healing. But yeah, at least for now it helps me to deal with my not-so-strong mind. It makes me better with people in general. And yeah I won't lie, this is scary - talking to women. I have some social anxiety and don't feel like it's "the right time"

@PBen534 Nofap is a strange roller-coaster. Diminishing returns do happen, but don't think it will be forever. It is a strange graph. You have ups and downs, exponential growths and diminishing returns. However, over the long term everything is going uphill. It's quite amazing. I had a period when I had a flatline for like 2 weeks of unbearable emotional pain and depression (I was also physically very sick), but after that I just felt so amazing. It just started growing exponentially.

@Leo Gura Basically if you don't jerk off then it will most likely get released in a wet dream, in a healthy amount, naturally, in order to renew the semen in your sack. Sorry but this is just not true. Be honest and admit you haven't done much research on this topic. People have done nofap for a few years and have gotten amazing results and feel way better and healthy. The whole idea of getting cancer from it is stupid and not true. Besides, jerking off will (for most people) make you tired, more fatigued, more brain fog, harder to enjoy the simpler things in life. I mean, jerking off high-jacks your dopamine and that makes it hard to enjoy simple things as nature, meditation, a smile from a person. But like you said, if you have a higher purpose in life which you're more focused on, then I guess masturbation won't affect that much and you'll quickly ground yourself back in your mission, making masturbation just a "small enjoyment" on the side. However, not many people are where you're at, and masturbation will be an outlet very easy to access, and then stay at their lower selves. You still must be feeling not at your highest. Regarding what someone said about you making a video about porn/masturbation, and about my thread I had before where I tried to understand your approach to it - I think it could be a great idea to talk about it in a video on YouTube or a blog since I think many people are confused about your takes on it and it will help clarify things. Just my thought

Just read it and I am so happy I did. Very insightful! some of the things you said were quite relieving such as the ego being beautiful because of it's genius (to love the ego) and that feeling nothing is ok (I believe to feel this nothingness) and to notice the impermanence (by focusing on feeling). What I really loved is that you talked about how accepting feeling is key to feeling. Sometimes I just feel like I want to release my emotions but never do, always suppress them, mostly automatically in subtle ways. Yet I do have this silent yearning for releasing it. I know I want it deep inside because as children we used to do it more often (this is one of the reasons I believe many of us want to go back to be children). I have not yet managed to release emotions even though I've been practicing mindfulness for like a month now (mostly feeling, hearing and feeling sensations). I would say though that I feel a bit more improvement and that I'm not AS resistant as I was before. Opening myself up to acceptance is the real deal. And I don't know how to do it. What practices do you do for it?

I didn't exactly know how to title it, but the main thing is that I'm confused sometimes about Leo's behaviors as to personal and spiritual growth and doubt it sometimes. This is not a troll post. I want an explanation from Leo/someone who understands. So it does occur to me a few times that Leo gives some advice but also acts in opposite to it (can't remember too many examples but I believe he said once something about not watching tv and to eat healthy but in later videos said he enjoyed his ice-cream and plays video games sometimes. Ok this is just small examples ok). But the thing that did kind of bother me is one of his recent blog posts where he posts something about watching porn and seeing a tattoo that says "God is Love". So firstly, you give all this advice about how to self improve and to self actualize in order to live the best life, but then you just go bluntly and tell us all that you watch porn? Why do you watch porn? I though you don't need it because you can get happiness from just Being. I believe you know the damage porn does to your brain, no matter how awake or enlightened you perceive yourself to be. It can affect in many bad ways and you are not above the effects of it. Anyways, it is hard for me to believe you'd just go damage your life quality. I still doesn't really make sense to me, but perhaps you have a higher reason that I'm not even aware of at my level of consciousness currently (?) I am curious to know your motive behind deciding to search pornhub.com and bluntly posting it on the blog letting us all know. I'm sorry if it sounds like an attack. My best interest is to learn

@Roy There is that whole idea of short-term pleasures and long-term happiness (which in fact, Leo shot a video on it). The short-term pleasure will never satisfy you and will actually harm you in the long run (i.e. masturbation, porn, sweets, drugs)

@Leo Gura How will being confused help me? I want to know how a highly conscious person like you would resort to lower behavior such as watching porn. Bro I know you are very wise and you helped me a lot during difficult times in my life, which really makes me wonder.

@Willie hooked on what?

@Loving Radiance Holy shit you're hurting my brain ahhh

@Danioover9000 This is a bad excuse for watching porn. You do not need to damage your brain in such a way for figuring it out. Porn ≠ real life sex. It is not a good indicator and doesn't prepare you well. Channeling your sexual energy towards approaching women is a much better use.

@Opo Yes. I feel weak. I can tell you that as someone who stopped watching porn and masturbation, it feels way more better to be off it than hooked on it

@Leo Gura Then can you explain the whole porn issue? I am quite confused. While people here are giving answers it won't mean as much as you honestly answering. You might be doing it for God consciousness stuff or whatever but I am curious to know as you see

@ilja Why will he be watching porn though? Is it to fulfill egoic desires? Is it to distract himself? Does it ring some bells? - Leo talked a lot about those

@blackchair I must admit Leo's videos are the most professional and highest quality I've ever came across. Very on point and direct, not like many of the Indian gurus

And by the way, isn't Leo enlightened or something? Didn't he transcend most of his suffering? Because why would he put on his blog long videos of depression and relationship? That probably has nothing to do with it, but my idea was that sticking along watching those long videos might imply that you were curious throughout the whole video and needed it

@kinesin Very informative, thanks. However, if he still struggles then how does he know his method will help him and others? It's one thing to read about it and deliver and another thing to test and experiment and observe the change over the long-term and then to assess. In my experience, personally, some methods just cease to work over time for me. This still doesn't explain why would he post on his blog letting all of us know he is watching porn. Isn't he trying to fix this problem? Even more importantly, which could shift perspective - does it seem like he considers it a problem (the healer's wound) ? If no then what you said doesn't mean anything

@Opo Then how can he know the advice is true? The only way he can verify it is through his own experience @something_else Indulging in porn consciously?? If you where conscious you'd have no reason to indulge in porn. What would your motivations be then?

@Eren Eeager Same man. Sorry for being defensive. Usually I never talk about politics because I don't understand them, but this is happening right now and I'm experiencing it + it's on Actualized.org (my most visited website as of recently). But yeah, I hope higher consciousness will prevail the politicians and citizens

@Eren Eeager Tough.. You want to have a channel and speak with a human face but without showing your face. The only thing that comes to mind is that it would probably be computer rendered and not give such a high quality face (more cartoonish). There are some Youtubers who were masks/costumes to not reveal their identity, as well as some people who don't show a body at all and just use their audio which could also be an option if you'd like

@Eren Eeager There are some people who use a sort of VR avatar that speaks (not too knowledgeable on it though). There's something similar also with creating an anime avatar

@Waves @DocWatts Yes I hear you guys that he is just a normal dude and is trying to break the myth in my head that he is some kind of angle. But then still, why would he share advice that he himself doesn't quite embody. It's like why would you listen to dating coach that didn't have any success with relationships? Leo (ok, we got it that he is a normal human) is still not embodying his teachings, which just gives him a bad image. But like seriously, why would you watch porn for god sake? No one just decides to watch porn with no selfish motive. It causes brain and psychological damage, the very thing Leo is preaching to grow and working to grow on himself. Can you see the problem?

@Eren Eeager Yeah this land was ours from the start and we just got kicked out and now came back. They should've anticipated we would come back to the land that belonged to us. You are completely right that Israel doesn't know how to solve this problem in an appropriate manner. The right wing is not great here and is causing the hatred to continue. But you can't say that their hate is for a good reason. Dude, they want to fricking bomb us out of here instead of investing their precious money into developing their lives. Anyway, I feel I should stop. I don't want to let my biases take over. I'm from Israel and you are from Jordan so it's easier to take sides. There needs to be a change in the structure of how we think in solving this problem

@Eren Eeager Easy for you to say. Even if you don't believe in the Jewish religion you still need to remember that the Jews were longing to come back to the country for more than 2000 years. Saying it is laughable is kinda disrespectful. Well, actually Israel did try to propose to divide the country 50/50 (which is not exactly what they wanted, but well), and the Palestinians refused because they wanted the whole country and for Israel to be completely destroyed. I'm not saying that Israel is necessarily in the good, there is hatred from both sides. The thing is that we could be in a much better position (for both sides) if Hamas would use the money to help evolve Gaza and other Arab places. It is almost laughable at how much Israel has been trying to make peace but Hamas just wants to bomb us outa here