UnbornTao

Similar to PC gaming? AAA titles and the like? I mean, Apple Arcade can be used with the device... as basic as that is.

$499 Apple Vision SE:

Microsoft, Google and Meta have been providing products in this industry for more than six years -- Google Glass, HoloLens, Meta Quest. But Apple's success may depend on how good their implementation is, which seems to be very promising and much better than any other product released thus far. It's also been rumored that Apple is already working on a cheaper model.

My current take is that dysfunctional behavior might be caused precisely because we want to avoid pain. That pleasure and pain are part of the same dynamic is often ignored by us, and yet we strive to somehow experience pleasure continuously while expecting pain to be minimal or even zero, as irrational as that is. We still live as if that were possible, but it's not, it's an ideal. About the presumed lack, I was speaking existentially. We don't experience ourselves as being complete. Perhaps one's true nature is already complete but in our ignorance of that fact, we set out to find "cures" for that dilemma. This may lead to an unconscious avoidance of pain which in turn helps generate addictive behavior. Why the pervasive need to distract oneself? "Humanity's problems stem from man's inability to be alone in a room." This deals with the psychological domain whereas I was coming from an existential consideration. What you say is of course reasonable. A child that lacks paternal love may try to seek it somewhere else. Personality and how the child chooses to respond to circumstances may play a role here. But nothing says that if your needs aren't met, you have to develop addictions. Circumstances could catalyze such behavior but what the person does, and how she responds, are key. What kind of compulsive, unconscious emotional mechanisms would be equivalent to, say, breathing, moving, etc? Why do some individuals move on from their traumas while others get stuck within them and need a long healing process? In the former case, maybe they don't allow their past history to dictate their future. Others may use their life history as a justification for not instantly getting over their traumas, remaining bound to them. This seems to be a possibility. (Not to undermine/downplay painful events and trauma, these are valid). Ultimately, childish people don't want to experience themselves as the source of their experience. Rather than being the victim of circumstances, owning yourself, your emotions and your experience makes for an empowering model of reality.

I have yet to look into this "lacking" sense but it seems to be present for pretty much everyone regardless of stage. Might be related to a fundamental not-knowing that we've mistakenly taken to be a malady. I don't consider myself to be a sage yet nor have I mastered stage orange, sorry. I may be able to throw some questions around that will hopefully facilitate our investigation here. If you want that, refer to the questions on my first reply.

I'd phrase the consideration as: Why do you (everyone) feel lacking, that sense that something is missing? Could be caused by existential assumptions about being an inner one with his private little world. Assuming things have consequences!

It might have failed as a business or source of income but is great at providing short-form insightful content.

One that I love and that immediately comes to mind is Intro to Serious Philosophy.

Have you watched I, Robot? Similar to that. The potential AI has for mischief. - "Hey Siri, clean my room." - "Clean it yourself, bi**h"

Right? It's also creepy.

@StarStruck @hyruga Intellectual understanding is just the first step. The key is experiencing the communication. That is what the work is all about. If you grasped the communication, you'd be a master by now. @Jacob Morres Mastery in terms of skill. I don't think that it can be applied to enlightenment work as the latter isn't a relative matter.

Addiction might be catalyzed by an unconscious avoidance of pain. We avoid pain and seek pleasure because we presume to be lacking. Experiencing oneself as already inherently complete resolves that dilemma. You assume to be broken in some way.

A presumed lack.

I like Susanne Cook-Greuter's 9 levels of ego development.

To the average guy, self-help may have a reputation of being a shallow, BS field filled with motivating content that isn't very effective after all -- "believe in yourself", "focus on what you want", etc. It's a broad term. Real and effective self-help exists but it isn't as accessible as the viral stuff. Call it something like personal empowerment and it could turn into a social media fad. Using the word empowerment may have positive connotations in people's eyes whereas self-help doesn't. And yet we might be talking about the same thing, just with different terms. The work is essentially the same whether it's called self-growth, empowerment, self-help, or self-actualization. It is working and moving towards actualizing one's potential, whatever that looks like in your case.

Who fact-checks the one who does the fact-checking? Meta-fact-checking.

Chopin, Newton. Also unusually skilled individuals? Messi, Rafa Nadal.

@toasty7718 thank you, good to know.

Ramana said: "Self-realization is the greatest gift that you can give to the world." Why would he say that? Seeking out the truth is independent from survival. Don't limit truth seeking to a particular lifestyle. Pursuing enlightenment can occur within and without the monastery. A supportive community and environment helps the monks focus and put all their efforts into pursuing awakening. But throughout history enlightened people has lived very differently from one another.

@Water by the River (No more) water by the river.

fair, gotta acknowledge that too. @Water by the River

Elon Musk's biography by Walter Isaacson is already available for preorder, if you're interested.

You sound like an affiliate marketer

@Breakingthewall Over-expressing can be counterintuitive, it could interfere with your discovery process. Better to open a door and leading another through it, no need to describe in detail what's on the other side prior to that. Draw one square's corner and let the student draw the other three.