eTorro

I agree with John Bolton. NATO is a vital component of a peaceful and stable world. If Trump withdraws from NATO, Europe will be in shambles. I'm fearful for Europe.

Why is that? Because the USA should get involved everywhere in the world. The US military is an essential component in ensuring a peaceful world. China would be worse—I guarantee you that. Russia is committing genocide in Ukraine. It's an awful situation there.

SpaceX is going to try to do it. We could fail, but we're going to try to do it. “The pivotal breakthrough that's necessary, that some company has to come up with to make life multi-planetary, is a fully and rapidly reusable orbit-class rocket. This is a very difficult thing to do because we live on a planet where that is just barely possible. If gravity were a little lower, it would be easy. If it was a little higher, it would be impossible. It's just a very tough engineering problem. I wasn't sure it could be solved for a while. But then, relatively recently, probably in the last twelve months or so, I've concluded that it can be solved. And I think SpaceX is going to try to do it. Now, we could fail. I'm not saying we're certain of success here, but we're going to try to do it. And we have a design that, on paper, doing the calculations, doing the simulations, it does work. And now, we need to make sure that those simulations and reality agree, because generally when they don't, reality wins.” https://x.com/elon_docs/status/1845770608560291917 National Press Club, 2011

Hello. After you awaken by transcending the ego, there's just awareness. Emotions no longer intrude—just consciousness remains. You're no longer stuck in a narrow chamber of thoughts. Your mind gets quiet. There's only inner stillness left. But you're still in a body that needs food. You're still in the world, even though you're not of it— for your interest in it has vanished. There are material things you see. People on the streets. You have a job. And you need money to buy practical things. But now? What's next? Because I've lost interest in material things. How can I enjoy life? Should I redefine my life's purpose now? Or just exist? Like just being. Any thoughts? Or guidance?

I'm on the spiritual path no matter what. My mind is silent. It's just awareness permeating through my mind and body. But I don't want to give up on the world—I don't mean the ego world. I want to continue living a normal life and have peace. That means I still want to have a career or something similar. Or joyful play. But I can't connect with most people since they are interested only in mundane stuff. If I'm socializing with them, it doesn't stimulate me at all. I don't have that much of an interest in worldly things. I'm alone most of the time but I don't feel lonely. Did anyone experience this? How about you, @Leo Gura?

Hello everybody. I would like to start by saying that my life and mindset have changed dramatically since entering college. After getting into a very unhealthy relationship very early on in college (not sinful, but just very unwise and unhealthy), God has (thankfully) delivered me out of the lonely, desperate mindset that I used to have. When I first came to college, I did not relapse for over 3 weeks (I believe the change in environment did help a lot). It has been a month since my first relapse here, and things are looking very bleak. I did pretty well after my first relapse and only gave in once or twice more before going on another good streak. That ended about a week ago when I gave in, and several days later, I gave into a binge, where I relapsed about ten times in total. Since I came here, my faith has increased tremendously, and God has brought me out of one of the worst periods of my entire life so far. Yet, lust remains such a problem in my life. Yet on an off day, lust can do its work and tempt me to the point of tremendous difficulty, which is how I relapsed right before my binge. I even postponed giving in for one tremendously difficult night, before giving in the next day after doing a lot. Lust has truly destroyed my life. It has destroyed my ability to connect more meaningfully to other people, it has ruined my ability to experience true joy in God, and it is responsible for nearly all of the difficulties in my life in the past four years. When looking back and seeing what lust has done to me, it is clear that it held me back from achieving all I could have in the interests I had. Without sharing too many details, I would like to say that College is a very critical time for me. The amount of work and effort I put into certain pursuits in College could determine whether I receive my dream career and lifestyle, or whether I am forced to settle for a career I do not want and/or live a life with much more financial and personal stress. Lust has made it tremendously difficult to pursue the interests that would help me greatly in achieving a stable future, and if it continues, will make my life so much worse than it could be. I would like prayer about this. The potential difference in my future life is tremendous depending on whether I do worthwhile pursuits in college. How can I experience freedom from this one tremendous weakness in me? Virtually no other aspect of worldliness/sins of the flesh appeal to me except lust. Drugs and Alcohol do not tempt me in the slightest, and I can very easily reject these without any thought, yet lust has brought me to my knees in defeat repeatedly, after many, many years and many, many tries. To further illustrate this, one of my female friends here directly offered me alcohol whenever I went, directly saying I could go to her room to get a drink anytime I wanted. I told her no thanks and was not even remotely tempted in the slightest. And this is with an offer that I could get alcohol anytime I wanted, very, very conveniently. If any alcoholic or person who struggles with alcohol use in college received that offer, it would be nearly irresistible. It does not even tempt me. Yet, that same night, I thought about what would be the case if the offer was not for alcohol, but for sex. I knew the truth. Had the offer been for sex, or kissing, or physical intimacy in any sense, it would have been an offer that would be so tremendously difficult to turn down. My body started shaking when I thought that she might make an offer like that. My body started shaking out of excitement. Why am I like this? Why does every single other aspect of worldliness (drugs/alcohol) literally disgust me and I do not struggle with these sins at all, yet even the slightest temptation of lust will destroy me in terms of willpower? I would like prayer, I am truly at an extremely important point in my life. What I do right now in terms of what I pursue could determine if I get the career I want and the life I want in the future. And right now, it looks as if lust has a good chance to take it all from me and force me into a life of mediocrity. God bless.

Great perspective. Thank you for sharing it with us. Sexuality is so much less important than we think. We shall use sex for procreation. The rest is just stimulation.

Enlightened people like David Hoffmeister have confirmed a Course In Miracles, including David R. Hawkins. If you read the book, it doesn't seem like "all cope." We can have peace if we transcend the ego because anything in the world can't possibly satisfy us. David Hoffmeister states that the ego is a death wish. Pleasure or pain will never satisfy us, according to ACIM.

Your sex drive goes away as you relinquish belief in the body. Only awareness saves. Am I right? I've read this in the book called A Course In Miracles—it teaches people to transcend the world, the mind, and the body. ACIM says 'there are no needs in heaven.'

Can jerking off be considered sex?

The actor imagining himself to be the character suffers. But if he realizes that he is *not* the character, then he is free even while playing the role. So the apparent 3 karmas (of the character) are all predetermined, every single bit. There is no freedom at the body/mind level which is where all karma takes place. But there is total freedom when karma is renounced within’. He then added that this is made clear by Bhagavan in two passages recorded in Day by Day with Bhagavan, one on 1-6-46 (1989 edition, pages 211-2; 2002 edition, page 245), the third sentence of which he highlighted in bold: and the other on 4-1-46 Afternoon (1989 edition, page 78; 2002 edition, pages 91-2): I asked him, “Are only important events in a man’s life, such as his main occupation or profession, predetermined, or are trifling acts in his life, such as taking a cup of water or moving from one place in the room to another, also predetermined?” What are your thoughts on this?

I need to get a couple of disclaimers out of the way before getting into the meat of this post, largely because people tend to lose their shit when you say the three words "Sex is Overrated". First of all, I'm not some religious zealot trying to tell you what you should or shouldn't be doing. In fact, I'm a stone cold atheist. I'm not saying sex is "wrong" or "bad", or that you'll go to hell if you have it. Secondly, I'm not some incel trying to make everyone else feel bad. I've wasted time and money chasing (and paying for) sex in 10 different countries. I've done everything I ever wanted to do sexually, yet if I had to relive the 50 strongest orgasms I've had in my life, I'd expect that at least 45 of them have come from my own hand. More than that, however, none of those encounters (whether with other people or with myself) have ever added anything of any real value to my life, or made it better in any meaningful way. In fact, within 15 seconds of each of them, I've been thinking something along the lines of "yeah, now what?" Let me be clear: This is not some misogynist MGTOW "women are worthless" post. I love women. It's just that the best times I've ever had with women were with women who I didn't even pursue for sex - largely because we just had better things to do. For me, the desire for sex has brought absolutely nothing positive to my life at all. In fact, if I could go back in time and choose the sexuality of my younger self, I would choose to remain asexual so I could focus on other things that are more rewarding (both for myself and other people). Honestly, I get more satisfaction from a gym workout, or from riding my bike up a mountain, or taking a hike in nature, than I ever got from an orgasm. Sex might be a useful way to pass the time between these other activities, but that's about all it will ever be. For all that, the majority of men (and a lot of women as well) are obsessed with how they are perceived by the opposite sex. Men will go to bars and drink themselves dangerously stupid, draining both their bodies and their bank accounts on the pursuit of women who have wasted a lot of time and money (and probably drink themselves just as dangerously stupid) in pursuit of an outcome that will not only disappoint them if it doesn't happen, but is just as likely to disappoint them if it does. If The Red Pill wasn't so obsessed with getting laid, it would actually be a useful tool for men. I discovered that sub in a dark period in my life, and a lot of the material about improving one's self was extremely valuable in helping me to turn things around. Unfortunately, it was the desire for sex that led me to become a porn addict and go down that dark path in the first instance. I think the reason a lot of the guys on TRP seem so bitter and angry is precisely because they made a lot of changes to their life in pursuit of sex, and ultimately found that it didn't make them any happier. Then you have MGTOW. On the surface it seems like a sensible movement, one I felt like I identified with for quite a while. Wouldn't it be great to belong to a group who had moved on from this desire to get laid and have found better things to do? Unfortunately, a lot of those guys seem even more bitter than the red pillers. Some time ago I asked a question on MGTOW sub about it, and got a lot of answers that suggested most of those guy hadn't moved on from society's conditioning that suggested they should be chasing sex all the time. Indeed, a quick read through any MGTOW sub/board/whatever will show 90% of the posts to be about women and sex. Then at the bottom of the food chain we find the black pill/incel guys. These people are so obsessed with sex (or their lack of it) that many of them overlook the fact that they actually have decent lives. A lot of those guys are pampered middle class boys living in the most prosperous economic era the world has ever seen. They could be traveling the world, learning another skill or language, or working on a business idea, but they sit at their computer complaining about their lack of sex. It's sad. Even among the post on this sub are a lot of people complaining about their lack of sex. The thing is, we live in a time with the longest life expectancies we've ever had, the most material wealth we've ever had (Seriously, you currently have access to material things that even billionaires didn't have 50 years ago), and the most personal freedom we've ever had, and people are worrying about how they are perceived by the opposite sex? "But I'm so lonely" you say? Then go outside, participate in some hobbies and make some friends. In conclusion, sex might be of some value to someone who is looking to have a child in the next nine months. However, as I'm not one of those people, it really doesn't have any value or use to me at all. I suspect this is the case for most people. Stop obsessing about getting laid, as it really won't make your life any better. Go and find something better to do, and there are lots of better things out there.

The awakened ones can learn to say something about what women say and they'll be okay. But they have to be completely relaxed. Otherwise, it won't work.

Hello. My perspective on life changed when I became spiritual and did consciousness work. I was letting go of my ego to the point of reaching inner stillness — that is tranquility within. My values changed after going through The Dark Night of the Soul. To be able to 'normally' talk to people, I have to betray my authentic self. That means I must talk about shopping, events, sports, or mundane things. This annoys me because I have no interest in talking about things that don't interest me. It puts pressure on me. It feels like a waste of time, and my mind tells me that I could do more productive things that aid my development. People are not interested in truth, spirituality, philosophy, and things. Especially women. Did this happen to anyone? Is there something wrong with me?

Why? Ukraine wants to join the European Union and soon NATO. Why not make NATO a larger alliance? Why not be glad that Ukraine wants to be in NATO? Or a Democrat nation. That is what I don't like about Trump's team — they want to isolate America. They don't understand how fundamental healthy globalism is. We're not talking about George Soros or Klaus Schwab. We're talking about international trade and security. How can we stop Trump?

I will build it, again. True man.

I'll be fine, man!

I agree with you, so to speak... But my awareness is not plagued or troubled by anything — I do not have thoughts, instincts, emotions, impulses, or convictions. My mind is utterly silent because I went beyond it. I deconstructed my ego like a maniac. It's not that easy to talk to people now. Don't you agree with that, at least? Awareness. Focus. Consciousness. Attention. Lucidity. How can I phrase it otherwise? I didn't stop at the realization that I'm not my ego. When you get a taste of awareness, the work doesn't stop there. Now you transcend the ego by letting go a few times daily — as the ego arises, you let it go. It's the removal of anything that appears in awareness. The consciousness knob — as @Leo Gura would say — is turned to max. And awareness stays at max. Nothing is penetrating it. Should I construct an ego-personality again? How can I do that?

Awareness itself is already content and complete in itself. I am 'aware.' I am the awareness itself. Therefore, I do not need women's approval or hours of socializing. The bliss of awareness is more rewarding and satisfying than any woman. With that being said, I have to talk to women. I have to put up with them. They're a pain in the ass. I will play the game for the sake of the game — not for the woman or myself. For I know — as a fact — that I'm not my personality. I am not a name. I am not the body. Just spewing out words doesn't do it for me. They come without meaning; words are meaningless sounds now.

Okay, bro. I will do that. Thanks for reminding me not to get serious about everything. I have to learn how to be comfortable with that. I must learn how to be okay with being playful. I love the way you phrased it — playful. Playful works for me.

31 years old.

@Leo Gura, and even if I talk about spirituality, it works for a while, but after twenty or thirty minutes, socializing becomes meaningless. I see it as a waste of time. I'm no longer excited about it. I'm not looking forward to it. I don't get joy from it. But people expect you to socialize with them for hours, especially women. Women expect a connection where you lose yourself with her for about three hours straight in mindless talking. You just listen to her talking for hours. Where does that come from? I'm screwed.

Hello. I don't know about you guys but I can't socialize after raising my awareness — I did consciousness work to the point of being hyper-aware of everything that goes in the back of my mind. I have to make a conscious effort when talking to people. Everything is pre-planned in awareness before saying a word. Don't get me wrong — I'm not self-conscious when talking to people. Or anxious. Or awkward. The issue is that I'm no longer in that frame of mind of being social. I'm no longer trapped in a social frame of mind. I'm no longer 'locked' in a paradigm of thinking like the herd. How can I solve this issue? Because conversations no longer interest me. Socializing no longer interests me. Is that normal? Has this ever happened to anyone here?

Can you elaborate on that?

My perspective on life underwent a profound transformation when I embraced spirituality and delved into consciousness work. Through this journey, I learned to let go of my ego, reaching a state of inner stillness and tranquility that I had never known before. This shift led to a significant change in my values, especially after experiencing what is often referred to as The Dark Night of the Soul. However, I have found that to engage in everyday conversations, I often feel compelled to betray my authentic self. This means participating in discussions about topics like shopping, events, sports, and other mundane things, which hold little to no interest for me. Engaging in these types of conversations not only feels like a waste of time but also places a significant amount of pressure on me. My mind constantly reminds me that I could be using that time for more productive pursuits that contribute to my personal growth and development. I have noticed that many people, particularly women, seem uninterested in discussing deeper subjects such as truth, spirituality, or philosophy. This observation leaves me feeling isolated and misunderstood, as I yearn for conversations that reflect my true interests and values. I wonder if others have experienced similar feelings. Is it common to feel this way after undergoing such a transformation? Is there something inherently wrong with me for struggling to engage in conventional social interactions?