BlueOak

Our own lives tend to correct selfish behavior unless we are insulated from consequences.

Thank you :).

Individual parts of you are at different stages of awareness. We have behaviors in ourselves that reflect different stages of development. It's a useful reference sheet but no model is perfect. I was most resistant to hierarchy when I arrived here, until I saw the hierarchies inside myself and their usefulness (and harm). Although a part of me still resists saying things like: That person is more conscious than that person - Because they are both representations of me, and both entirely made from consciousness. I saw and accepted the pattern that people develop along, regarding different issues closely follows the spiral dynamics model, and the further along they are on it, often the more life-enhancing their answers are, or at least their capacity for giving them increases. Yes the model will be improved, but I haven't seen a better one.

Its a way to refer to people who are acting in disorder rather than order, disharmony, or disunity by a strong focus on their self-concept or self at the expense of others. Order in this context being the currently defined stable way for the group or collective to act, by a social contract or social norms. I agree it is unhelpful because it cuts us off from reaching them and divides us. At the same time, a strong focus on being selfish does the same, so it's a fair reflection in the outside world of the behavior.

Are you everything? If you answer yes - Then yes you are also sex. A billion people having sex. Trillions of animals having sex, the creative force behind the creation of life. That elation you feel when having sex, that is the closest most get to feeling infinite love, infinite connections, eternally everything. REALLY REALLY try to get into an infinite love state just for 5 minutes, I wish I could give that gift to everyone here. Spend a few weeks loving everything, put yourself into that state constantly no matter what it is, with the intent of being infinite love, gratitude, joy, and openness. That's what you get to return to being, all of it and beyond. It might help to think what sex is, beyond the physical act, or animal instinct. Its creation, connection to yourself through intense feeling, fertility (which is fundamental in this reality, earth acts as a womb for life), Kundalini Energy, preserving DNA, the birth point of everything that physically manifests here, the reproduction of infinity into infinite forms. So yes the creative force that first bred life into this universe is going to exist long after this physical body of mine or yours is gone, and you are still going to be it. Here to go deeper into a spiritual video - Going to rate this mid in terms of difficulty, don't take things too literally, have a calm mind before listening. He does do a fair job of laying each point out to go into the next. Or you can go back to being a human going through life unconsciously (or consciously!) and go back to having sex as a self. Everyone gets that choice. I need to always say don't rush it either, there is a reason you have this life, and a reason you are having every experience.

Here is a repeat pattern for you. A gathering of people on stone steps down to a small pit with a stone alter, a man in a headdress is chanting, and singing, there is fire around him and he makes the fire appear on the alter. Sitting in a dark arena with flashing lights, and music, in a crowd, while at the center someone unveils holographic red flame at an IT convention. Do you see it's a pattern, and it's not changed all that much? The only thing is at the end of this, you say okay I want to be infinity again, an end of the individual pattern(s) you observe/experience, or not. Sure there are a lot of steps to get to that realisation, but I guarantee you if you want to stick around for another bunch of lifetimes nobody and nothing is going to be able to stop it. So you've got the choice right now. Do you want to keep learning all the patterns as they come one by one, or instead start embodying them all at once? (Or some combination of that in different densities or levels of stillness)

What it comes down to is people would rather not address the issue than address the issue. That's it in a nutshell. Addressing the issues behind homelessness is much harder, messier, and takes a lot of work. Gathering these people together in one location, where trained professional staff can make a difference is the easiest way to do so. Such a commune would have the press all over it saying how terrible it was, despite the fact all of this is going on anyway, just out of sight and untreated.

Because you can't form an effective solution by picking and choosing what you will and will not accept about reality. Unless you are willing to engage with as much as you can, or your team can, then everything will fall short of what it could be. Ethics are important, but they don't put a roof over your head. Humane Morals are great, but they won't put food in the belly. Nobody can be taught to help themselves, by someone solely focused on helping them. I should clarify, provide all the tools, provide the conditions for change to occur, listen to them, help them get to the point they can help themselves. Lots of work can be done in these areas through many different instutitons. Bank loans to homeless people who qualify. Taking the top 10% of homeless people most likely to payback the loan, giving them accommodation, clean water to shower, and food. So those who have been employed in the recent past, or have worked for decades, and are clean from drugs/drink. Then putting in a program to get people to that point, for those that want to aspire to it. It's a missed opportunity for a bank, because people let ethics get in the way here, if its done ethically in good faith it'll be ethical. Next i'd also do a commune, where the people there paid for the commune, through their services or products produced. Not ideal at all, but better than a street corner, and it will teach them lifeskills. Plumbing for the guy looking after a few of these locations, cooks, cleaning, basic electrics for another person, carpentry to repair the beds/doors, food they could grow, you get the idea. Then something they could sell to keep themselves self-sufficient, or as close to it as possible, that's the kind of program to get people to the point, that a bank would look at those lifeskills and say yeah they are worth the chance of investing in. The rule would be no drugs or drink, getting people clean or giving them a reason to get clean. Of course many of these communes would be full of problems, that could be addressed there and then by qualified staff, but again it gives people a reason to try to get better, to improve their own lives. All of which would be better than letting people suffer on their own, in silence, under a bridge, discarded, unheard, their potential never realised for what it could be.

@OBEler I understand. My biases are being a Xennial and inbetween two generations, with the natural benefit of connecting them just by being present. So naturally I reason from that perspective, seeing people enter a brand new reality with technology and learning it was my life. Also that i've done a lot of programming for example, which can be creative rather than purely intellectual. You can be a methodical programmer, but the geniuses of that field were more like creating art. Those programmers could do the work of a team, and still be more efficient in their code. The same with creative writing, I've written with older people and it didn't impede their creativity, perhaps only their output. So we see different extremes. I don't know your field, but you see the drop off in high performance like a coach would perhaps on the sportsfield at the highest levels. Whereas reality gets along just fine. In reality experience, a good partner/friends, and the willingness to take care of yourself matters a lot. From a kid I never intended in my life to be someone who can't change his mind, and I prefer to be challenged or enriched with insight, so for me i'll be bedridden or dead before being too rigid takes hold of me. Even if I won't be doing calculus in my 90s.

@OBEler You are looking at your own limitation of connecting with that generation, culture, or group of people. Do some self reflection. Your perspective is brilliant, dumb, intricate, shallow, correct, incorrect, beautiful, and hideous. Its everything and so is everyone elses, it's infinity viewed any way you like. There is always someone out there, of any age who can be insightful, able, intelligent, charming, skilled, anything or the opposite of these qualities. Its very limiting to consider people dumb because they reason differently to you, or don't choose a certain device/technology to address a problem, or even that they don't address the problem you see at all. They are in a different mind, a different culture, a different era, religion, friend group, valueset, whatever. Dismissing a generation like this, is going to cut you off from them, it's going to naturally distance you from what is a link in a chain. It is more beneficial to be able to hear them, through the filter of age, or anything else in the way like your hatred of long words! They still shape reality here just like you do. The fact your education, or experience gave you some insight a group of people might be lacking, is a function of our continued evolution in our school systems or culture, it is one teacher from the previous generation teaching the next. It does not make someone else let alone an entire generation moronic. They had different experiences that they observed shaping their reality. You have a lot of arrogance, take it from someone who was very arrogant, who thought themselves in their 20's 'better' or at least more intelligent than those around him. Life is going to humble you over and over until you lose it. Until you realise you are no better than any previous generation, you are just different. My 20's for me and my friends were spent maturing, and we all had a lot to learn about ourselves, life, and how to treat others. I'd take an old me over a young me any day, what you'll hear most people say is they wish they had the youth AND the experience.

Practice it here. Listen to everyone's point of view and be willing to integrate them or change your own. When I read this, it sounds like you have fixed beliefs, which will crystalize in the mind, causing what you say you don't want. (Many people cause what they say they don't want most). Inside their own bodies, people have a great deal of influence over what happens. Sure age brings some pitfalls, you'll get injured more and the injuries will take longer to heal for example. You'll pick up permanent problems, that's age. There is a reason though you can see an 80-year-old weightlifter and an 80-year-old that can barely function, beyond just happenstance, or random chance. That's diet, exercise, air quality, stress. keeping your mind sharp, and being willing to integrate or accept new ideas and ways of thinking or operating. I fully get the perspective that the way I think of the world in its entirety becomes more outdated the older I get. Part of the macro are the people I used to connect to, die. The more of these connections and perspectives I lose, the more my reality is harder to connect with others. Then I can come to a forum like this and constantly be forced to challenge or update my mind. Its the willingness and ability to do so that will create or not create the conditions you describe. (And diet, exercise, engagement with new perspectives etc).

And what's yours then? Is it better? I love it when people challenge or add to the analysis of something, because that's how I grow my understanding, but usually, when someone does what you just did, its a knee-jerk emotional reaction because they didn't like what they read or it challenges their values or beliefs.

I've heard people say, wait till they come to you and ask, or use your intuition, try to offer it without your name or label attached, or I when I had them more regularly, I used to offer it in a way that was thinking of them rather than me. Myself, I'm mostly wanting to hear these things from people, because I could use more of these insights in my life. For me, spiritual experience cuts through reality to different points in time or permeates it. There is no static answer or point when it starts or ends. So there is no one comprehensive answer to your question of when spiritual experiences should be represented or not represented.

Universal love doesn't have any pre-conditions, terms or conditions. Though this post could be interpreted to just letting go and forgiving yourself/others. Reconnecting with the universe, in a more giving/receiving harmonious cycle. When you add more and more hoops to jump through to achieve this, it tends to get people caught in the hoops.

Distance, light, motion, and/or subjective consciousness allows for the reflection. Sense of self for example. I perceive myself as different from you and the conversation we are having. This allows another perspective of the same thing. When I choose not to, I see myself as you, me, and the conversation.

I've heard many definitions for the soul: A representation of being solo, or a cut-off piece of infinity. One of the subtle energetic bodies around yours. A representation closer to stillness, prone to less physical influences. A record of your lifetime(s) patterns. It can be the link Kundalini travels through to infinity, as you raise yourself up from animal urges to be enlightened enough to give and receive. Not just take take take, where in doing so you cut yourself off from yourself, earth, life, the universe, yourself. It's helpful to transcend the word in spiritual discussions, its more than a single angular symbol that you can cut into pieces and separate out from everything else. Whatever you believe is going to be, make it something helpful and life-giving, connected, that cycles through everything then back.

Yes. The reflection or thing itself is the source. This below is one way to represent the mind/universe visually. If I were to draw it myself, with perspectives differing by distance, each reflection would have slight differences. We all have a small influence over reality and what can be observed, so these reflections are slightly altered within each person. You can see that through this thread and casual conversation, how we all describe it differently. Some call these effects Placebo, or other terms in Quantum mechanics. https://scitechdaily.com/quantum-breakthrough-scientists-rethink-the-nature-of-reality/ Quote: The researchers solved this fundamental problem by combining information about the past of the system, with information about its future in a description of the dynamics of the system during the measurement interaction, demonstrating that the observable values of a physical system depend on the dynamics of the measurement interaction by which they are observed. 1, Perspective changes what part of infinity is observable. 2, So things like the depth of perception changes what you can observe. 3, The perceived future influences what you can observe. We can see this in casual conversation, when for example I am very pessimistic I observe more negative things, the reverse for an optimist. This description will forever be incomplete (infinity is beyond description), but its very neat to have Tesseracts commonly around now to see visually in this way to have people considering them. Here is a colorful one to finish:

This made me burst out laughing. I hope you post more. All I can do is highlight the problem, but you are spitting some answers out, its refreshing. If we can get people out of their head, it'll help.

@Raze 1, Let me try a different approach first Raze: Do you understand why the risk goes up to shipping, and thus the insurance when there is uncertainty in trade? I understand you personally don't feel there is any difference between many countries (or just China/BRICKS) looking after their own international waters, and one country that has for decades guaranteed them, but are you able to consider others do? Especially given world tension? The people making these decisions have to focus on the odds. So as the insurance goes up, everything in your life is more expensive. That means fewer houses get built, more homeless, food costs more meaning more starvation, jobs are lost because of increased costs and reduced profits meaning more addiction and crime, fuel costs go up (and so everything costs more), there is less money to spend on things, and so the economy goes backward. Trying to give you a broad overview here, in essence, everything about life, from the small to the big is taxed by insurance companies on those routes. This is even me taking your perspective that nothing else would change, there would be no piracy, or tariffs, competition for the routes, blockades over international disagreements (as in Yemen we have seen for the first time attempted since Somalia) etc. When that happens, supply chains will buckle, and competition for local resources that don't require shipping across long routes increases. There are so many knock-on effects to trade. Insurance for those routes goes up, if the shipping companies are willing to take the route at all. We are at a turning point as to whether we go back to warring nation-states, all trying to build local supply chains and do everything ourselves, or turn into two competing power blocks leading to a larger war, or finally give the UN some real authority and remain a globalized system. That's three outcomes I see here. 2, Now the usual response: All Nations push their sphere of influence outward until they reach another one. Because all nations are made up of individuals who don't see a line on a map and say I won't act outside of that. Stage, Red, Blue, Orange, Criminals, Politicians, Businessmen etc have similar characteristics one country to the next. Certainly, China used to be inward-facing culturally, but now it's not. I could list: Tibet, Turkmenistan, BRICS seeking to replace the Dollar, Material Support in Russian wars, Volunteer manpower in Russian wars (alleged), Naval Bases/Ports in places like Sri Lanka, and Australia, China's growing influence over countries in Africa, the Belt and Road initiative abroad, pushing its population/influence into Myanmar, the standoff with Japan over Senkaku Islands, its disputes with Bhutan or India over borders, or importantly taking over the territorial waters of SIX OTHER COUNTRIES in the Pacific and the Spratly Islands. China being the fastest growing fleet, the rise of international nationalism/fascism supported by these individuals, all as to why China is pushing its influence outward and seeking to be a trading empire. But all I really need to say is: All Nations push their sphere of influence outward until they reach another one.

@Emotionalmosquito You are highlighting the exact problem! Dating or socialising was never entirely in your head like dating has become. I'd venture 10%-20% was intellectual before, even less was analytical. Everything you just talked about is experiential, as in it is something we would have, in eras past, been doing all our lives. It'd be as simple as breathing, and sure some would be better than others at it, some people are more charismatic than others. But right now, it's becoming uncommon to find many capable of socializing naturally, let alone being good at it.

@bebotalk tl;dr, Everything you can think of in your life, from the most simple thing you interact with, to the most complicated thing you know, is reliant on global trade functioning reliably and free of pirates, or each country imposing their own conditions, insurance being affordable, people being willing to take the risk, the interconnected nature of our supply chains and industry. Increasing this interconnected nature of the world, is the key to human development, fracturing it leads to all the worst outcomes we can picture. It's largely about trade. If I can make a suggestion study global trade. Trade is the biggest external force on all countries, and by most people not being aware of or understanding it, they miss the critical piece that defines world politics. I'm no expert I just know the basics, and to look for it when a war breaks out or a conflict is brewing. The reason the American dollar underpins world currency is because they secure global trade. It's not quite that simple but without them doing so, the dollar wouldn't. That trillion-dollar debt they are in, would collapse or begin to roll back their economy. The Americans moving toward isolation have to accept a completely different worldview, and I still don't know whether that pattern will continue until it hits a point and people realise what I am telling you in some form, or if these meaningless wars and loss of life will hasten the end of its trading empire, currently the pattern is the latter. Being English I hope they reverse their isolationism trend, or else liberalism is done globally, and the world is likely to swing further authoritarian in the short/medium term until we hit the conditions of WW3, or some bleaker future of constant regional wars. I don't see any other liberal powers rising anywhere, I could give a few fledgling examples where it might but people would laugh. - Maybe the Hague will surprise me and act like a global court, rather than a political tool, we'll see. Maybe the UN will get rid of the Security Council, so Russia, America, the UK, China or any of their allies etc, can't just throw their weight around without consequence. Anything is possible I guess, but unlikely. Let's picture a future 200 years from now, where America is in Russia's position in terms of power. They are not the superpower. They are a regional power. What they say applies to their sphere of influence and nobody else's, probably not even South America as much as it does, as Brazil in this scenario remains in BRICS, and so we have several socialist countries in South America (just an example, could be fascist, anarcho-capitalist, whatever). Trade is much less secure, because each country has to secure their own territorial waters or accept China/BRICS doing so. So either BRICS replaces America, or we get some unlikely global organization of cooperating countries, or that is the end of globalism, and means every country in its locality needs to find everything for all its supply chains. That means your quality of life is going to take a big hit. Less food variance, fewer luxuries, fewer necessities, less building materials, less resources for industry, and things are more costly. It means technology stops advancing at near the same rate, because we've only got to this point due to having a system where each country can specialize in part of the supply chain. That means farming doesn't advance to fix the food shortages, industry does not advance, and that means the climate is not addressed, it probably gets worse as people go back to using coal or other local fuels. Everything slows or degrades. Global trade underpins everything. Without it Africa starves as an example.

The semiconductor industry is vital to America and every country on this planet. If you want China and BRICS to have a stranglehold over everything from washing machines to fighter jets, then sure. Otherwise, you have to wait until you've set up your country's version of it. Taiwan is currently a wedge region to stop China from having a launching pad to the rest of the Pacific. So rather than worrying about one region Taiwan, you'll be having to arm and try to defend 5 countries. Unless you are suggesting going full isolationist, giving up control of global trade in that region completely, and pulling back to Hawaii, that didn't work out great last time. A lot of the bases in those countries allow for you to deploy your navy internationally when required. Global trade through that area is worth trillions. China is trying to take over all the sea lanes throughout the region and everyone else's territorial waters. Including where all your trade goes. What you are suggesting, going much more isolationist (if that's the gist), is going to take a complete and utter change of how you view the world. That means leaving everyone else to their own business and whatever happens globally, happens. (Currently, that'd be BRICS and Authoritarian dominance) This is where America is headed politically, but it also means you won't have near the influence or get your own way. There will be wars, there will be a reshaping of borders, and your quality of life will take a hit because you will no longer be a trading empire. The dollar won't have the same power if it's not being backed up by America securing the trade routes. If BRICS take over, it'll be whatever currency they end up deciding on that guarantees world trade. *Oh and the real mud in the eye will be, every country going to war to reshape borders in former colonial regions will lay the blame firmly at your (and our) feet, with no consideration at all for the fact they are shooting the guns. Its like an open ticket to play the victim the world over.

Overeating is definitely a compounding factor, as you can only store so much energy and nutrients, so digesting after that is wasted energy. In addition to that different types of food take more energy to digest, and so in return, you tire yourself out more digesting it. The quantity of food to the nutrient value needs to be taken into account. The reason why I said it wasn't diet specific, is because you can eat animals that are not going to clog up your digestive system as much, and alternatively you can eat overcooked food (reducing its value) or junk food as a Vegan. Generally, you are right that it's harder to overeat light foods. You have to eat a lot of vegetables to feel that, and the more you chew or just eat slower, you psychologically think you've had a larger meal. It's easier on grains to overeat, or cereal which are packed full of carbs and harder to digest, or proteins like nuts or beans/lentils.

One thing missing or I missed. I rarely see talked about. The lighter the food, the less energy is wasted in digestion. If it's a heavy dense food, or processed food - vegan or not, you use more energy in the digestion of it, and therefore feel more tired. You can see easy examples of this when having a very large meal and feeling sleepy. Things like bread, a biscuit, meat or a banana, eating them in the evening, when bread takes 6 hours or more to digest is not going to let your body rest at night when it needs to. Thus you wake up more tired than necessary. The body gets no time to detox naturally at night, and you get gradual problems. Having that one biscuit at night just before bed is not helping you in the slightest, stick to liquid preferably water if you have to have something. This is independent of veganism, you can eat junk food as a vegan if you like, and it'll still have this effect. @LoneWonderer You are welcome, best of luck. Last tip, mixed nuts are a good fallback for a snack or for protein, berry nut mixes are also excellent as a combo.

Here are some inherent problems with all of this mess: 1, Manners and discipline are not regarded as virtues anymore. Here in this very thread, they are somewhat vilified, more so in the wider population. At the same time, people will look at the behavior of not having these qualities, and complain about it. 2, Behaviors such as people saying 'Go teach your boy to be a man' to women, never really consider the words they just said. That's often the man's or male role model's job. I've seen this so many times recently in different forms across different groups, in this social trend, it makes my head spin. This is very important to highlight because it's about fathers or male role models teaching their sons or students, the responsibility of things like fatherhood and instilling things like discipline and manners. 3, Being civil is a good starting point for anything. People are less likely to be confrontational if you are not being so yourself. You are much more likely to have a normal conversation with them, or make a deal in business, or communicate on a forum if you keep yourself in check. Being belligerent or antagonistic is a sure way to provoke the same. 4, Being civil does not mean being a doormat. A constantly confused point of view I hear from people. 5, Discipline is one of the requirements of success. Being focused, remaining disciplined, and on task. 6, Saying Women like X. You've already failed in your analysis. Putting billions of people into easily demonstratable labels is a farce. There are certainly trends and patterns you can point to, but to take an absolute position is unhelpful. Its a current contributing cause of the dating crisis, and a large contributor to the population problems developed nations are experiencing. Be more like this 10% of people. Sorry 90% (Reality) you are not the ones we are focusing on now. We'll build entire systems and sites that support highlighting a very small number of people, that everyone is chasing, and social networks to enforce this belief in the culture. We'll lure you in with exaggerated photos and videos. Oh no, we have created a dating problem. Let's focus on this 10% instead, what could go wrong! *facepalm* Focus on the values an average man, with average looks/charisma, average everything, brings to a woman. Highlight that and all this mess will finally cease to exist, or at least begin to unravel back to normality. (Obviously doing the same for women too) 7, Said it a hundred times. In purely cerebral electronic communication we lost things like the ability to socialise in person. It's much harsher, cutting, the words like an edged blade in a conversation. In-person, we'd be considering each other's reaction, we'd be moderating language somewhat, and projecting more understandable positions. Adjusting and projecting to the group visually, by tones, by subject matter, body language, by group dynamics, smell/sight, and familiar touch or mannerisms etc. More would develop, and conversations would be more than a symbol on a page interpreted largely in a disconnected way from the speaker. It's the same over a phone, and texting it loses so much of what is possible, or of that person, people are reduced to: Nice guy. Jerk. Not a nice guy. Simp, Narcissist, Fool, whatever so much more easily, because these symbols on the page are all we have to surmise them. - This sort of limitation in turn, is what created rigid and limiting categorization in dating, leading to less tolerance or acceptance, and less couples getting together. Ditto politics, ditto business, and the rigid angular nature of communication this way is in part why the world is dividing on the macro.