UpperMaster

@Leo Gura Well then is there a possibility to even awaken for real, as in is there a final dream to awaken? Or is the chain infinite?

@Leo Gura Not going to lie here. I can't even imagine wtf your experiencing. I've been indoctrinated with non-dualism so that was easy for me to digest but a kangaroo mouse? ahahaha, your right, we have to catch up to you, and fast....this is just damn, never thought there is something above non-duality. I can't believe you just like that but damn this just wwooow wtf daaamn

@Leo Gura What did you take? You previously said you didn't take DMT.

@at_anchor Yea I sort of get the picture that you have very conflicting experience, since although your grandpa was hard to deal with, he did feel bad for his actions. I'm in no position to question your experience. However I feel that, whether or not someone changes or not should not be your concern after a certain point. You shouldn't put yourself in a place of danger unnecessarily. Also, Narcissists are not rare, they are found everywhere. Some are less harmful than others, and everyone has some level of narcissism. Ultimately it is your decision.

@Danioover9000 She bad asf I ain't even gon cap lmao

@at_anchor narcissists generally have low empathy, and high self absorption. The behavior described in the post is clearly exploitative.

@RoyalFool Elaborate, I don't understand.

@Asayake Yea no prob. I can't possibly know the entirety of the situation however... I do want to say that although people can change, most people don't, most psychos and narcissists especially don't. I'm telling you this with all seriousness because I don't want you to fall back into his influence, I have made this mistake, once your out, keep yourself out. I made this mistake, and just got exploited more. I don't know if this guy is actually smart or not. Generally the more intelligent the person the more dangerous he is. It is very easy to get manipulated, its is not your job to be forgiving. Forgive him in your mind, but avoid him because you know that he can exploit you. Hope you can take my two cents here.

@Asayake I've been victim to a narcissist like this too. Sucks ass. Emotionally draining as fuck. I personally haven't dealt with it, just sort of got away with it in the sense that he found someone else to target.

@KH2 Ahhahahahaha. Chad.

@Raze Nice. Btw I looked at them. This is exactly what I was looking for. I was compiling a list myself but you've made my job much easier. Thanks

We all don't feel like it sometimes. I'm curious to the different ways a person could overcome this problem.

@Tahuti Yea I agree with what your saying here. I can imagine that what I am experiencing ain't full on nihilism rather an incompatibility with some of beliefs. And I will continue to contemplate. Thanks for reply

I'm posting this find out ways to deal with cognitive dissonance and confusion, which has negativity effected my life. Problem: I am unmotivated, always scared, feel very nihilistic, experience extreme cognitive dissonance, and don't seem the value of responsibility any more. Context: Few months ago, I've found the "problem of free will". I initially wanted to defend free will, because free will gave me a sense of control in my life. However, Through the lens of materialism, there seems to be none whatsoever. I posted a question about free will on this forum, and the responses I received were incredibly conflicting. Some people realized free will, some realized determinism and fate, some realized both (through their awakenings). I struggle to understand how people who believe in no free will can accept it gracefully. I can't look from the lens of spirituality because I've never experienced any awakenings before, and therefore resort to materialism. I can't just "believe" in free will because in my mind I know that the reason I want to believe in free will is to avoid truth, which goes against my conscience. Its really hard to forget about the free will problem because I experience free will all the time. I've tried accepting no free will, but this has had taken a huge psychological tole on me because I experience it all the time. All coping mechanisms for free will seem to rely on believing at least some part of the illusion eg. " try to understand your role", "remain curious", "decide to be more about which information you seek out". I don't know what to do. I feel like fuckin bursting. I don't know if we have free will or not, but damn it's hard to deal with confusion and cognitive dissonance. Please help if you can, I really need it, its hard to live my life properly, my visions for the future seems futile because my future seems determined.

@Leo Gura This is the image I have in mind: https://media.istockphoto.com/vectors/hand-with-the-figure-of-an-executive-as-a-puppet-vector-id494215350?k=20&m=494215350&s=612x612&w=0&h=eMQgQR865mF8889lz17BGp0RxQVSYih8dVSccO3rcPk= Ok, so I concluded that, there must be just one master and no puppet at all. In the sense that it is impossible for the puppet to exist separate from the master. The puppet moves in accordance with the master's wishes, much like how your hand moves when you want it to, so yea I guess, the puppet is nothing but a part of the master. But that's like saying your just a part of nature, that doesn't mean you are nature as a whole. I guess my confusion is how to know that you are really the master, and not just some finite part. Psychedelics? Is this what enlightenment reveals to you? Also a small doubt: why don't other spiritual teachers explain it like this. Ramana Maharshi, Rupert Spira seem to suggest going with the flow, and being a complete victim to gods wish. I hope I'm not misinterpreting this, just trying to understand. Thanks again

@Frosty97 I would say it exists till something proves to you otherwise. If you close your eyes you can still fuckin smell and hear which is evidence to me that it does exist bruv.

Being the best of the best. The most dominant in your field. Is it a goal worth chasing after? Or rather, is there anything wrong with chasing this goal? Most successful athletes, businessman seem to adapt this mindset of always trying to come on top. Eg. David Goggins constantly pushes himself to be not only the best version of himself, but the best person in his field. I think the question has quiet a lot to do with intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and whether we should ignore all extrinsic motivation. I personally feel like I need a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to be at my best. I really enjoy the process of planning and executing, to be better comparative to other people. The whole journey feels so good, and at the end its perfect. I've done this for school work and debate competition and it really pushed me to perform my best. People have told me that choosing to live at a win/lose basis is a guaranteed way to live a harsh and shitty life. I see where this can be problematic, I'm not asking whether or not I should beat myself up every time I lose ( I had a serious problem with this before ), but rather if actually aiming to be the best is a good idea. Is this a trap? What do you guys think...?

@Raze Have you read all of em? How has it changed your life?

@ivankiss Missed opportunity in my eyes. Should've taken the opportunity to learn more about them, their life how they make money. You should practice how to deal with these people, you never know when its useful man. I mean that is what I would've done.

@Devin@Leo Gura @Max_V After deep contemplation and research: I do agree with everyone here, doing something for its own sake is the best route. However, after looking at the replies, I was still unsure of how survival comes into play? I recently saw a post on the forum talking about how AI Art is ruining the jobs for artists. Ideally you would still create art for its own sake, but not being able to make money from your work severely limits your ability to create art, not to mention survive. In efforts to answer this question, I contemplated and researched, ultimately finding an answer in a book by Robert Green : Mastery. Robert emphasizes the value of mastering something for its own sake and advises putting financial gains aside. He says that if you are an expert in your field, you will be compensated inevitably. He does however also go through the essential social skills needed for anyone trying to master a field. He provides real life examples of how poor social skills can rob you of the opportunity to practice your craft, and the importance of handling people + getting your way. This goes against the whole "forget about society and social status". I personally agree completely with Robert on this topic. Example demonstrating my point: Lets assume you are an aspiring scientist and aim to work on a new theory. 1. Firstly once you become a scientist you inevitably need to use your social skills to get yourself in the ideal position where you have the freedom to work on your theory. 2. After gathering substantial evidence for a hypothesis, you should maintain solid connections with the scientific community since your network will help your work get noticed. Good science allows you to do more good science. 3. Also, social skills are absolutely necessary for your ass to not get exploited. What are your thoughts on this? Let me know.

@Max_V Ok. I agree. What do you say about trying to be the best in a profession you love? I am convinced that you should do the work for it's own sake, but I don't understand why you would completely ignore all extrinsic motivation. Also, there are plenty of things you have to do in life that you might not necessarily want to do. For eg School. Why would it be harmful to try to become the best in your class?

@aurum I mean look. It is only a problem when it causes you more harm than good. Most people who operate on a win-lose basis struggle to deal with losing. People like Michael Jordan don't like to lose, but they know how to focus their energies to make a comeback (most people can't do this). So I would argue that it is more good than bad. Alright sure, at the top, it is hard to say whose the best. But you can definitely think of a few people right off the bat who are among the greatest, if not the best, in any field. Eg. Tiger Woods in Golf. I do agree in art its slightly more difficult because the only real track record of success is monetary. I agree only chasing monetary success isn't great but I definitely think it can be good motivation. I don't buy this bs that monetary success is super virtuousness. I would rather be rich than poor.

@LSD-Rumi It took me a while to process what you said here but your right. I am in a slightly better position now.This problem is quite high level, and I personally realized that I am approaching it from fear as you described, thus I don't think I will tackle it right now.

@Ulax Hey man thanks for your reply. I watched this video and honestly it did help a lot. Especially made me realize that what I am going through right now is something that many people will go through. I honestly owe it to this video man for real, it has made it a bit easier.

I have seen your video of free will. I've revisited it again after this comment. What your saying is extremely radical. I somewhat hope your right about how the puppet-master and the puppet is really just one being and not some metaphysical mumbo jumbo. I'll probably watch the video a couple more times so that I can really process this possibility. Ultimately I need to confirm this on my own. Thank you.