Basman

Being an artist runs in my family. Parents, grandparents, siblings, a significant chunk of the family are/have been artists. I have a great-grandfather who's paintings hang in the town hall of my town. I can see it being a matter of proximity, in the sense that you are exposed to the same values your entire life. Your exposed to art and the meaning it has to people. But I wonder if it is genetic to a certain extent? My brother looks a lot more like my dad, including his technical interest, making him both a kind of exception in the family and a mirror of our dad. Thoughts? Do you think your zone of genius is inherited by your family situation/genetic?

It's not a big deal. It only happens intermittently and you shouldn't be spending too much times on online forums anyway.

Going through older threads, pre-covid especially, i find a lot of the users to be much more constructive and solution oriented compare to now. Someone might for example be asking if they should be dropping out of uni and the responses are genuinely insightful. And meaty as well. I find current users tend to post very short replies, just a couple of sentences while only being semi-coherent at times. And just in general, I think a significant part of the userbase come off as a bit nuts and rambly. No hate. I guess as content slowed down, a lot of the quality users moved on. Older Actualized.org was also more stage orange oriented, which appeals more to me. I value the deep philosophical stuff but I am at a stage where success stuff will have the most impact. I tend to feel that there is a bit of a spiritual ego going on with some users as they poo-poo basic success stuff and that I am one if the few here who is not so airy-fairy. Just my thoughts on the current state of this community.

@Ero What teaching methodology did they use at Harvard? I heard they use a form of PBL where students regularly meet in groups to discuss what they've learned. What was your experience with the teaching methodology?

I think many progressive tend to be more "elite" than the average conservative and therefor much more open to liberal ideas and have access to more education, travel, etc. The average trans activist is likely going to be middle-class at least. Conservatism is much more survival oriented and poorer. Conservatives tend to be too busy with paying bills to care about ideas that rock the boat too much, even if they might agree on certain kinds of policy on an individual level (like free health-care). They don't have the same opportunities to develop themselves as thinkers. Because many liberals tend to be wealthier (among other reasons), they tend to not have the same "common sense" that many conservatives possess. They are bad at reading the room and it hurts them politically, like being uncompromising with their ideals. Like for example demanding completely free access to abortion as opposed to trimester-based access to abortion. You can argue for which one is most correct ideologically but only one of them is something a conservative could at least try to stomach. Read my previous reply above yours about the tragedy that many conservatives are in. Education is fundamental to a democratic society.

The predicament of many conservatives is having genuine issues with society and their current living standards but lacking the understanding of why or being able to put it into words and being captured in cultural normativity. It's the tragedy of kind of being idiots. They are easily manipulated to vote against their interests by authoritarians like Trump or Farage. Conservatism is the default state for humans because it doesn't require an education. Just having a decent grasp on reading and writing is fundamental. I believe the reading comprehension of the average American is equivalent to about a fourth or a fifth grader. They are not going to spend much time reading and learning about how society works, even if they did the have the time for it when they are not busy working. They are not going to stomach some moderately difficult to read nuanced text, especially if they ideologically disagree. Their tolerance for ideological vagueness is going to be low.

Conservatism is necessary because we need to survive. But in the grand scheme of things, there is no real rational reason for why "you" need to exist (and by "you" I'm really pointing at one particular kind of identity). Conservatism has both healthy and unhealthy manifestations, and the healthy manifestation is deeply necessary for a functioning society. That is something many progressive don't tend to appreciate. But society itself is not a given. There are like-wise unhealthy manifestations of leftists, primarily in how they are bad at survival and therefor will lead to societal failure and death. It is frustrating because it is well meant but also sorely ignorant. Those "unhealthy" leftists are still marginally more evolved and conscious than the average conservative, who's largely on autopilot and takes life for granted. Note, at no point am I saying that current leftists are at all perfect. They are quiet flawed in fact.

Falling asleep comes easy for me if it is as dark as possible, not too hot and quiet as possible. I tend to cover light with blankets/towels that I can't otherwise turn off. It is also better that it is a little bit cooler where you sleep, such that your duvet actually warms you. If it is too cold, I put on a shirt or a sweater and I can instantly feel it is easier to fall into rest. Rumination is probably what keeps me up the most. A good practice is to note what your grateful for that day, you accomplishments, etc. as a kind of mental hygiene. I can feel a distinct difference if I try sleep with or without an orgasm. Orgasms make it easier in my experience.

Conservatism is by definition about maintaining the status quo and ultimately about preserving one's identity. Liberalism is about changing that identity for a more loving vision, which makes it about the annihilation of the self ultimately. The ability to recognize a reality outside of what is good for one self politically makes one more evolved than the alternative because it is a more complex position to hold. It requires relativity and selflessness. Conservatism only requires self interest to operate. The overton window is relativistic and leftists aren't pure vessels of ideology, but a hodge-podge of different ideas, identities and life situations (like being middle/upper-class). Today's liberals are tomorrow's conservatives. The hippies of the 1960s became our modern day suits.

There's a distinction between conservative/liberal mind and what is realistically feasible politically. The conservative mind is much more driven by fear and finitude while a liberal mind is driven more by love and idealism. A liberal mind is necesarilly going to be relativistically bad for raw survival because survival is selfish. Pure unadulterated survival is just unlimited selfishness, which is pro-slavery, self-dealing, murder and whatever else benefits one individually and can get away with. I have a liberal mind myself but I tend towards center-left politics because I think it is more realistic. I can see how many liberal ideals are untenable in real life in the way they are sometimes expressed, but the underlying principles counts.

About 2.5 years ago I applied for an art school which required me making a large portfolio to the deadline. Most of the things they asked for where things I where unfamiliar with and had no prior material of, so I grinded away. I think I worked 6-8 hours almost everyday for 1-2 months straight or so. I managed to finish my portfolio just the day before the deadline. I had to learn as I went. I had to build the bridge as I crossed it, which only added to the workload. I got rejected for lacking skills by the way, but that is besides the point. I was burnt out on art hard after that ordeal. I barely touched a pen for a whole year and I still only draw intermittently, even as the worst of the burnout receded. To this day, I haven't fully recovered the passion and zest I used to feel for drawing. I sometimes even question if I even like drawing, but when I do draw I generally feel a sense of elation and joy in the creative process. I just feel like I have to force myself to get there and if I do build a habit I quickly fall off again and there will go a long time till I pick the pen up again. I've been recently thinking that I should take a break "officially" now. I have never at any point since I made that portfolio consciously decided to take a break. I just berated myself for not practicing my art, which hasn't been great for my mood either. I kind of made drawing a part of my identity, which is probably why I'm struggling so much with this and I'm scared that I actually hate drawing.

Liberals are broadly more conscious than conservatives. They have more access to empathy and relativistic thinking. Most conservatives are ignorant and entrenched in survival. Being anti-slavery is a highly progressive stance for instance that isn't concerned with practicality. It is staunchly idealistic, as slavery is highly practical (free labor). You can make some good arguments for why different forms of slavery are beneficial to society, but if you are progressive on this issue, IE. You value liberty and humanism, then any form of slavery is unacceptable. In politics itself, right-wing parties tend to be a front for corruption ultimately. Conservatives often get into politics with ulterior motives while believing that they are doing is the right thing. They tend to think what is good for them personally is what is good for society, because they are less conscious. Libertarian policy for instance just so happens to not negatively effect the politicians themselves. Very convenient. Tightening of the belt for thee but not for me. Budget cut everything except their pensions. A progressive is more likely to recognize that what is good for society might not be good for them personally, like paying higher taxes. Or regulating big corporations that would otherwise shower you with favors and gifts.

America is a country that has enough resources to effectively fix most of its social problems and then some but can't/wont due to cultural and developmental reasons. There is one thing that has remained true throughout my entire life, and that is that there is nothing more frustrating than unfulfilled potential. America is a great country, but it could be so much better.

@Ero What got you into self-help/spirituality in the first place?

I don't know about more evolved, but in my opinion center-left parties tend to be the most realistic while also having a vision for a more fair and loving society. Further left parties tend to be more uncompromising with their ideals and unwilling to cooperate with conservative parties, which in practice results in them having less influence overall. The left is a minority, whereas the center-left is a politically conscious voting base (a generally conservative majority). I think having non-obligatory voting is detrimental to a country's politics, especially America, as it put pressure on parties on surviving till the next election as opposed to making long-term plans for society. Big issues don't get addressed till it is kind of too late because they take too much political will to execute on. American politics is dominated by a minority of highly polarized and extreme views in part due to normal people broadly not caring about politics and parties having to appeal to tribalism to ensure a voting turn-out. One of the advantages the CCP has is because it is an authoritarian state with a single party, they can plan for the long-term unimpeded. The Chinese government is to a large extent invincible to average Chinese because the populace doesn't need to be convinced of any one sort of politics and it is actually better that politics isn't in their minds for the most part.

Oh? What happened?

Art isn't limited to admiration the same way music isn't limited to classical music. It would be like saying hip-hop isn't real music. Games are art but for many it is just a toy. There are different ways to percieve and use art. Don't be limited by the conventions of high-art just because they use the same word.

High-art doesn't have a monopoly on what art is. This much is obvious. There is no one correct way art should make you feel in order to elicit emotion. Art eliciting disgust is equally valid as wonder and beauty.

The concern is with the proportionality to the Israeli response. October 7th was horrendous, but Gaza has been reduced to rubble with thousands dead. Palestinians are a rowdy bunch that celebrate death, but Israel is responsible for provoking their neighbors with expansionist settlements. There is an argument to be made that Israels actions are at this point not really about security but about grabbing their land long-term, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to make that claim with confidence.

Saying "I don't condone violence, but..." is like saying "I'm not racist, but..."

All conspiracies lead to Jerusalem.

Have you moved country or are you planning to do so? If so, are you bringing your family with you.

What's your story?

That is a very cynical take. Just putting politics aside, everyone is kind of just grown children and everyone just wants the same thing ultimately, love. Is wishing death upon someone for their political views practicing love? It's definitely practicing survival at least.

I read this first as algae trading. As in sea moss.