Newpaz

Spurred on by Leo's latest video on the benefits of enlightenment, a few questions about the concept that have been in my mind for a while resurfaced and I thought here may be a good place to ask others for their views. I started my personal development journey about a year ago now and I have come across many avenues which talk about enlightenment, from Buddhism to Stoicism, via Taoism, of course the teaching of Jesus, and many philosophies. All in all they all prescribe similar-ish behaviour with a view to attaining enlightenment. The thing that has me puzzled is these ideas have been around for thousands of years yet, we are still struggling with it. If enlightenment really is the end all and be all of life, how come we (the human race) haven't got it figured out yet despite thousands of years of teachings? I realise it is 'hard work' to de-condition yourself from society's conditioning but I can't help wondering if we are really on the right path still flogging that horse...any thoughts?

@Isle of View Chris, funny you should mention Sociopathy, i will admit knowing little about it but was discussing just the other day with my lodger how all of us, given the 'right' set of circumstances, could very well be sociopaths. Interestingly too, you mentioning the interesting times we live in due to speed of communication and ease of connection and information sharing, such a double edge sword this. Last night I decided that perhaps instead of going in a cave (to find ourselves or something, apparently the best way to enlightenment), all we need to do is disconnect from the internet. These past few days, I have observed/witnessed some appalling behaviour from mankind on line, I have already disconnected from most media (tv, papers, Facebook (i only have a fake account to observe what's going on out there), Twitter etc) to get away from propaganda (and have realised that away from the noise, life can be wonderful :)), now observing its effect on the masses makes me uneasy, I am not sure those people (the masses) can see any truths to be honest, I have also observed that every time the masses join forces for a common cause, 'good or bad' if there is such a thing, behaviour inevitably becomes close minded (in the 'we are right everyone else is wrong' way and all that entails) and I can't help feeling it is a lost battle, so whereas you see it as a great time to communicate with mankind to improve it, I believe I had best switch off the internet (go in my cave in effect). I did try and delete this account yesterday but apparently the request needs to be reviewed first (wtf??). @Consept i'm afraid if i observe behaviour that goes against what someone is 'selling' the baby gets chucked, I prefer people who walk the talk rather than talk it, especially when someone makes it their business to 'better' us (Gandhi for example, who I know Leo is a big fan of, got chucked when I found out about his sexual behaviour a couple of years ago), I can't help losing all trust in someone if I observe something that goes against the grain of what they are saying. It's instinctive and I have discovered recently instinct can be a good thing to listen to. Indeed not a big deal who Leo follows on YouTube (although it would have been interesting, I like various perceptives) his response completely goes against the very idea he is trying to sell (enlightenment), especially his use of the word 'competitors'. I showed my lodger, who isn't into this kind of stuff (enlightenment), his first comment was 'competing for what?' I couldn't answer him. His second was 'if this isn't ego in action, I don't know what is!'. Also as Leo has mentioned many times, 'don't just believe anything I say, find out for yourselves', I found it a bit rich he is cagey about who he follows, but also that he sees the people he follows (who surely are worthy of something if he follows them) as competitors, rather than individuals who help his (our) growth. Made me wonder how he saw us. Leo came into my life at the right time, opened my mind to a lot, and I am very grateful for this, however, I think it's time I moved on. I had been quite excited about this new forum to be honest (at last somewhere ideas, tips and tricks about self development can be exchanged), however it didn't turn out how I would have hoped. People are people it seems, like @Pinocchio said, nothing ever changes. It looks like I have similar views as you on how to live a happy life. However I think to get there, one needs to look deep inside and sort out what needs to/can be, self develop in effect, then when the mind is free from chatter, one gets to really appreciate life, which is indeed rather magical as is (for those of us born in the right places anyway), away from the noise. I have experienced some intense 'enlightenment' (I too am not keen on that word) just taking a friend's dog for a walk, something I do every day after work. Literally priceless that's what made me think yesterday, maybe it's best I leave the internet chatter behind and enjoy what is right in front of me.

@Consept @Grasshopper thanks for your contributions, sorry it took so long to respond, I was hoping to get more input and also trying to figure out why I was feeling uneasy about this enlightenment business being so heavily promoted as the answer to life, despite the idea being around for so long. I think I got my answer today, thanks to a comment @Leo Gura made to someone asking him which youtubers he could recommend. His answer was ' you are asking me to promote all my competitors?!'. That answer made me realise why i am uncomfortable with this big enlightenment push as The Answer, in so many ways, the main one being it seems people's misery is (still) big business. Disappointing. And possibly as far from enlightened behaviour as one can get.

I have been to a couple of festivals (electronic music) alone and loved the experience. As I was there for the music, I didn't care that I was on my own, however I found going solo heightened the pleasure of my experience (that goes for everything I have done solo, from travelling to eating out, to going to clubs or comedy shows). Being able to see the sets I wanted when I wanted without having to worry about anyone else: priceless. The people watching entertainment (to a point, til everyone got so drunk it wasn't funny anymore): priceless. The feeling of empowerment/personal freedom being able to do something many would fear doing (and having great fun): priceless. Another thing I have discovered is that being alone enables you to focus/observe more than when you are with others, less distraction, and you get to enjoy the scene on a whole different level. I would highly recommend the experience. Admittedly I never attend these events to make friends, it's purely for personal enjoyment so I never care whether I meet people there. One more thing, if i'm ever nervous about one of my solo experiences, I tell myself what's the worst that can happen and that I can always withdraw from the experience (leave) if I don't feel comfortable, no harm done. Hope this helps