Elisabeth

Well, sure they do I don't hate it or anything, I just don't quite see the point of discussing it. It doesn't add to either science or spirituality to choose that interpretation as the right one. (I believe :D)

It's just that.

It's so hard to popularize/intuitively grasp theoretical physics without the mathematics, and conversely get an intuitive picture out of the mathematics, I simply love @graded24's answers. Quantum mechanics in and on itself does not prove any mystical truths. Yet for most people, it is a radically different description of reality from what they know (and it takes a few years of doing it to accept it as a good description and develop 'quantum intuitions' for how little objects behave). The biggest paradigm shift they've ever had. Having these paradigm shifts is really useful to see how models are just models. Some of the weird stuff some interpretations of QM said has like surface resemblance with some of the weird stuff spiritual teachers say. People who don't understand QM than adopt these resemblances - which are analogies at best - and use it as "proof". It drives scientists nuts. But QM taken very seriously does have some mind-twisting/paradoxical implications. So do other fields of study - Leo has talked about Cantor's set theory, the deconstruction of language etc. Leo did quite a good job explaining the paradoxes in his video on QM (I think it was the second one of the series). Unfortunately I can't repeat the argument in short. It had to do with the division between the "measured object" and the "measurement device" being artificial (which is of course understood by good scientists, but by the average student it's not thought all the way through and accepted as yet another reasonable assumption). It's a really interesting question what "real understanding" is. Notice that in science the assumptions that go into constructing your model often are what tells you about 'reality'. Much more then the results. Take the example of a falling ball (or an apple, if you will). Newton will describe gravity as an attractive force proportional to the masses of the objects. But what is a force? No physicist can tell you what a force is. It's what makes objects move. It's how we describe reality, with objects and forces. Does the concept of a gravitational force lead to more understanding? Yes, probably, because in your mind you now connect the motion of planets with the falling of apples. But is there a force really? General relativity does away with forces completely. There is no need for them in the mathematics. The motion is explained via the properties of 'spacetime'. You visualize your spacetime as this bending rubber band or whatever, and now having a visual image you feel like you have an understanding. You've replaced your idea of objects and forces by an idea of objects in a curved spacetime. But is the curved spacetime real? Did you just understand reality better, or did you just make a cool description? I'd say what is real is the motion of the object. (If that.) Physics is full of purely abstract concepts that are taken as real. Forces. Curved spacetimes. Energy. The wave function. Fields. Several different ways to look at the same phenomena which are all powerful - competing paradigms. Yes. But I think studying physics is also helpful in really grasping how these models are just models. Because you are forced to change paradigms - as explained above. Most of my classmates from theoretical physics won't be pure materialists, not in the same way your average person is. I'm not saying they will be spiritual and understand nonduality, I'm not saying they will accept consciousness as primary (I still don't O:)). But the idea that the symbol is not the thing, that descriptions are just that, will come naturally. I'm sure it has been attempted. I have at least one friend who dropped mathematics and accepted the spiritual after diving deep into some philosophy of science (full of set theory) written by a local mathematician. Anyway, that too was just a pointer. If what Leo says about the non-dual experience is true, then it means being all of reality. You can't have a model which is as good as reality, otherwise it would be reality. More importantly, you can't ever have a label which accurately conveys the being behind it. So. I haven't had nondual glimpses, but it makes sense to me intellectually that those would be beyond the scope of mathematics.

Me too, lol. Superconducting quantum dots. Except I didn't accomplish much yet. I did general relativity for my master's, and then I switched for phd to get a tiny bit more practical, but I haven't really found passion for the field (nor the courage to leave). Where are you from? Let's pm We once had a talk in 'quantum biology', I think it was concerned with the interaction of some plant receptors and light. Which makes a lot of sense - I expect quantum effects to be relevant when it comes to matter-light interaction. As for tunneling, people can, like, attach a molecule to the leads of an STM and measure the tunneling current, which is electrons being conducted through the discrete energy levels of the molecule. I wonder how quantum physics plays into transferring nervous signals, I know very little about that.

I also have quantum mechanics education, even basic courses on quantum field theory, which is where stuff gets really fuzzy. Can't claim to really understand even the mainstream metaphysics of that one. I'll read through the thread and see if I can clarify anything. @graded24 Nice to see a colleague here. I read through your struggles/questions in the 'ask me anything' thread, and identified quite a bit, thanks for being open. What's your field of study specifically?

Damn, that sounds risky. Orgasm denial (with the male dominant but present) fine, that can be intense, but abandonment could leave quite a bitter trail. What's your results with that? I imagine some people could be seriously emotionally triggered.

Observe social hierarchy on a personal level. Observe how you like seeing one of your friends more than another. Observe how hard it is to take with the same seriousness the words of someone who's physically attractive and charismatic vs. someone who is shy. Observe which people you respect an follow and why. Observe how you want to help your relatives at the expense of strangers. Observe how you immediately sympathize with someone who shares your views. Think about how these biases play out in groups. Can you see how hierarchy and inequality arises from the bottom? How unavoidable it is?

I listened to Alan Watts the other day. He said "interesting people are the ones who are interested" (the more things you're interested in, the richer your knowledge, personality and ability to relate to people). I find that accurate to some degree. So I think this question is related to your other question of how to find motivation.

I'm glad it helped some. Even in sex-ed they usually concentrate on the biology and leave out the mindset. There's more to it, and you're guaranteed to get confused in your first attempts (and even later :D). But you really need some experience, otherwise a lot of things you read won't be making any sense.

Don't worry, maybe it was a joke from you all along (I wasn't sure), but some other teen reading along could have needed that explanation.

It's not about trust, it's in many cases you can't know. Even if you do get tested (which few people do), it takes some time for STD's to show on the test, and they don't test for everything, like HPV. Many of those diseases are contagious without showing any symptoms. So outside of committed relationships, use condoms to make contracting a disease or making her pregnant less likely, unless it's your goal

I guess what you're up to in the next years is some experimentation Remember Playfulness: Have fun. Consent: Sexual intimacy, be it kissing, cuddling, manual stimulation, intercourse or other activities, should be pleasant for both parties. Be brave asking girls out and initiating, but if she isn't a "hell yes!" to your offer, you'd better slow down until she's ready, or seek elsewhere. Likewise, if a girl is doing something to your body that you don't like, say so and guide her, or end the unwanted interaction. No one should ever be forced to do anything in sex - it leaves hard to heal emotional wounds. Feelings: It's ok to do sex both in a relationship and casually, but be aware that for most people, being physically intimate leads to falling in love (to the extent that for some, there is no such thing as casual). Seek compatible partners: if you want to experiment just for the evening, make sure she's on board, if you want a relationship, seek those who want relationships. It can be very painful if you want a relationship to have sex expecting this is gonna be a relationship and being abandoned afterwards by the other person who just wanted sex -- don't do that to people, be upfront about your intent. Be sensitive to your partner. Seek ways to please her, and let yourself be pleased. Good, intimate sex feels amazing and can glue a relationship together. Good, intimate sex can even lead to altered states of consciousness sometimes, but you'll probably not hit that until much later. Sex should not hurt: If she's complaining about pain, there's something very wrong going on. (Well, unless she's a masochist and you're doing it on purpose, but that's a whole other chapter :D) Stop what you're doing, change activity, lubricate. Especially young girls are often more easily aroused through their clit then vagina. The clitoris is very sensitive. Careful to not hit it with your nail or something, don't put pressure, lubricate. We're all different: Everyone will have unique things that arouse them and unique things that put them off. Pretty much everything is "normal" when it comes to sexual arousal. Safer sex: Unless in a monogamous relationship, do use condoms. With an established partner you can talk about dropping them if you have another method of contraception. "The pill" may not be the greatest choice for the female body and psyche, so don't pressure her into using it - but in many cases she will of her own decision, it's a very strong cultural thing now. Should you be having sex with a lot of different people, get tested every few months or something. The STD's, here's a somewhat careless text https://markmanson.net/std-guide The biology, I hope you can google that, I don't have a good source. Consensual sex is great, keep it that way.

@winterknight How are you feeling right now? Is there an emotion in your body? Does it change frequently?

I understand this is your real question, not whether you should change track (be it an online master's or another MBA). It's a false 'how to', however, the action is straightforward, it just feels difficult right now. You tell them the truth. What you have written here is good enough, you can go with it. You tried this course for two months, but you found out it's really bad and not meeting your educational goals. So you want to change tracks. You have a plan already. Are you going to ask them to support you further in your new track? Is that what you are afraid of, that they cut your funding?

That's what I thought yesterday! I never was a fan of any celebrity in my teenage years (well, if you don't count Tolkiens books :D), and thinking about how cool it would be to have Leo here I totally felt like a fan girl. I was actually amusing to observe myself in that state

Is it easy to find a suitable place to hold a workshop? Will you be doing all of the organizing yourself? I'm thinking there are small spiritual and personal development centers that you may or may not find via a quick google search. I don't know if you would like to work with these. Here's a somewhat commercial one for Prague http://www.maitrea.cz/house-personal-development . (I know it's not relevant for now.) Short workshops by various teachers is what they are doing. They have rooms for 30 with pillows, a (somewhat expensive) vegetarian restaurant downstairs, a guest apartment, and they would advertise your workshop to their followings. Just an idea.

@Leo Gura That's right, local people can help with the organization, if you put it out here on the forum that you're seeking volunteers from the target cities. I understand that you may not want to rely on random forum people, but very least, I could help come up with and organize a suitable venue, if it ever comes to the European tour and you consider my city :).

He's got a point, that guy. You'll have to start earlier, or use Saturday.

Woho, Leo, I hope your American tour is pleasant and you come to Europe too - and if you do, do come to Prague, we're right in the middle and green enough! I already know of a few other people who watch you. Personally I think you will easily get much more than 10-30 people in these big American cities. And definitely do the Saturday workshops. People will get much more out of it than from a lecture and you'll also get a better feel for your followers. Also, people might be more willing and able to travel for a Saturday workshop than Friday evening - I'd consider a trip to Vienna or Berlin to see you (that's like five hours one way), but that's obviously much easier for a weekend.

I don't really have an advice on how to be more stable (haven't managed really), but I suggest you reconsider the belief above. I am not sure what losses you had in your life, maybe you do need to grieve and be depressed right now. But IMHO if you have an ability to feel intensely, you're also capable to feel intense positive emotion, which can make life so much more joyful than the lives of people who are cut off. I suggest you try to shift your attention to notice the positives also, and to try shift your "baseline" happiness so that your emotional fluctuation is not between neutral and desperate, but between painful and excited. I may be off, but that's more or less what happened to me in the past years.

Really cool! Are you Czech? If so, drop me a message and stop by when you visit the main city I started a self-actualisation group with some of my friends recently. I totally agree with that (although I don't think it really says anything about their SD color, some blue people have that too).

@bejapuskas I just want you to notice what you wrote here. Regardless of your color, this is a very clear statement of your values, and - probably - explains what the original question was all about. It helps to know what you want from a partner, and "a need for growth" is one of these things you want at this time. And it's not at all unrealistic to find that, even at 15 (or especially at 15, since it's an age when people still develop rapidly). You may not be able to find a girl who's been watching Leo, but you may easily find someone who's interesting and interested, curious and ambitious. You may even find someone who sees the value of conscious self-improvement effort even though they know no self-actualization theory. Hope that helps a bit. Elisabeth

I see, that was the misunderstanding. You need inner spiritual work, AND engagement with the wold and the people around you, that's what I was saying. I don't know if you like Teal Swan. She's got a book on understanding loneliness coming out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_FZD2rbBTI&t=602s

Dude, you're not reading, I gave you a bunch. You have to think for yourself. It's not that hard to pick a hobby - you can't do it wrong because if you don't like either the activity or the people you can change it anytime.

I think you do need hobbies besides self-actualization. You quit gaming and with that the community, but you do need a community. What do you like doing? You mentioned music twice, any chance you could be active with it, like play in a band? What else ... any sports? How about taking a course in creative writing? A chess club? Working as a guide at local tourists sites? (that's what I did at 15, lol) Whatever? Self-actualization is a great endeavor, but it's a lot of struggle, often done out of a feeling of deficiency. You also need some activity that's engaging with the world, that's fun and potentially bonding with people. Pick something that's available in your area, interesting to you and not unconscious by design. As for finding close friends, that does take time after you change direction in life. But I still think shared interests (and better yet, shared adventure) is your best shot.