Matt23

Ya. He's super generous with his time.

Just sounds like you have some limiting beliefs about your circumstances... Again, I don't know your circumstances, Maybe staying put is the better thing for you atm. Obviously if it's dangerous physically, then don't travel to those places. I was just offering some motivation and reasons to try it out. Again, if you want to stay put, that's your perogative.

It's also just plain interesting to read the histories of particular ways of thinking and discover that thoughts that you take for granted now, or even think are purely a modern phenomena, actually have deep roots in history and sometimes are traceable to particular individuals. For example, John Amos Comenius, a father of modern western education, was a major catalyst for the developmental way of thinking. He took Plotinus' static metaphysics (I believe called the "great chain of being") and turned it on its side, thereby creating a developmental spirituality, one that evolves. As per this post, I'd HIGHLY RECOMMEND reading Zak Stein's article about Comenius, as it touches on the very foundations of the developmental way of thinking. https://systems-souls-society.com/education-must-make-history-again/

Did mushrooms for the first time with my brother and his friends and their apartment (not the most mature or safe fellows i've been with)... my brother started fucking with me a bit. At one point when we were walking back home I though the cops were chasing us and I called my dad telling him I'm dying. My brother was there though so he told him I was fine. It was one of those "I just want it all to end" kind of feelings.

I don't think you were being a dick. I don't think I'd ever ask a true friend to not have sex with a girl who we were both interested in but he and the girl had a clear "thing". Sure I'd feel hurt and stuff... but also, sometimes you just gotta say "Not this time." Obviously there's a whole competitive dynamic between guys over girls (and vice versa)... and I'm sure that will always be there to some degree.

It sounds like you have these ideas in your head that are stopping you from experiencing the actual thing. Sure, culture is intertwined with language. But culture is so much more than language. Food, architecture, infrastructure, arts, the way people interact (80% of communication is non-verbal), landscapes, seeing differences in how people live (housing, how they eat food, when they eat food, how they shit, what products are and aren't available, the quality of products, etc.) ... I mean, I could go on. I guess a big thing is you get to see differences in qualities of things as well. It's a whole learning experience. Even learning how to navigate airports and stuff, if you haven't traveled, can be a great learning experience. Again; gets you out of your comfort zone. Besides, english is such a popular language nowadays, it's easy to find countries that speak it. Go to Thailand or Indonesia... you got McDonalds and 7-11s everywhere. But it's also different enough that you get a totally different mind-changing experience. Helps to open your mind. I mean... I can't argue with you if you don't want to. That's totally fine. But I would recommend travel. Especially if you haven't done much; don't knock it till you try it enough. You never know what you might find. Just do it. I recently bough a round-trip ticket to Thailand for like $900-$950. Spent a couple weeks there. It was great! Even shorter trips can be fun and educational. Comparing a computer screen with the actual thing is like... just not enough. You just gotta experience my man. Like, seriously, especially if you haven't travelled. There's suuuuch a huge difference between looking at picture and actually being somewhere. I'm sure you're smart enough to see that. Watching porn and actually having sex... or looking at photos of food and actually eating food... or watching a video of a rollercoaster and actually going on a rollercoaster... or w/e else. It also forces you out of your comfort zone. I was just using food as an example. Everyone will have their own particular things they enjoy about travel. Besides, even in grocery stores there can be enormous differences country-to-country. Maybe start small; go to an environment you're not used to. Maybe if you live in the city, go do an Air-BnB in the country somewhere or on a farm or something. Spitballing ideas.

This to me sounds like their biases and ideologies expressing themselves. There's nothing "wrong" with eating meat. Especially if you feel better and healthier while doing it. I'd say, if you decide to eat meat, most people don't need to eat sooo much meat, especially red meats (but I don't know your body so you may need more, I dunno). Also, just try to buy meats that are as ethically raised, organic, and local as possible. Ideally, you'd be hunting your own meat, but that's oviously not feasible for most people. I've felt similarly, like just wrong somehow in eating meats. I was veggitarian for many many year. But have recently started eating meat occasionally. Like maybe once a week or so I'll eat some meat, and usually just a little bit. Just to make sure I'm getting enough nutrients that non-meat foods can't provide. Ultimately it comes down to how you feel about it (and any health concerns). If you truly feel really negative eating meat, there are alternatives. But I think the alternatives are probably more expensive in order to get all the nutrients and stuff you need.

No, not at all. I dunno why that would be the case. There's soooooo much you can enjoy and learn about by travelling to other countries besides the language. For me, language is not even close to the main reasons for travel. I might pick up a few words here and there to get me by, but really, I don't care about languages. I more care about the landscapes, differences in culture, and just enjoying all the multitude of things that the place has to offer. Food is another great one. Adventure. I wouldn't say we "all" want to go there... But I would certainly like to. Just for the sheer sake of experiencing a radically different culture, place, and people. I'm sure by going there my mind and cultural understanding would expand a ton, including knowledge of my own culture since it's hard to really see what you're own culture is like if you haven't been anywhere else (fish in water syndrome). It can also really help you appreciate where you originally come from.

thumbs up. Experiment. To find your medium, you might have to play around with some. To "get dirty" and toss things around, see what works and doesn't, etc.

So, I've heard many people here having these profound experiences, but I'm wondering how many people's lives are better after them (long-term and short-term). Similarly with people who take psychedelics (I know people who do them yet in my mind they aren't what I would call very mature etc..). Like my brother for example. Last time I saw him he said he'd been taking more psychedelics... but he's still the same person pretty much as I remember... similar hang-ups and nuissances etc. I'm just skeptical about how much these experiences really change people's lives in the long run qualitatively and in terms of behaving differently and in a more healthy and productive way. Love to hear any first person experiences

average score so far from those that answered = 12.4 ... I'm bored But I honestly don't think this is a very good test.

14 Highest ratings was on Vanity, then Authority and Entitlement were tied. Though... I found that I could easily fudge with this test and make it what I want. Even unconsciously. So I doubt whether this is a great self-report test. Self-reports I'm generally skeptical of, especially this one since it seemed so blatant.

Maybe. As someone who's been doing this life purpose stuff for years and has recently changed my approach for the better... way better... here's what I'd say; I did the whole Life Purpose course, got myself some visions, but, like yourself, still felt stagnant and uninspired when it came to actually finding something I enjoyed to do in the moment. Something I could do just for the pure joy of it. Recently, I think I've stated to change that around by... Taking breaks on consuming media, studying, and doing what I think I "should" be doing. Just pausing all that. Including reducing/stopping masturbation and porn. As "airy-fairy" as it may sound, by not releasing the sexual energy I had into sexual acts, it almost immediately got redirected into creative pursuits. This whole "tranmutation of sexual energy into creative energy" thing seems to actually have merit to it. .... Also... Just create stuff: little things. Anything. Draw a picture. Write a blog post. Make a short little video. Create a song. Make a a T-shirt and try to sell it at a market or festival or something. Anything! As you start creating things, you'll quickly figure out what you actually enjoy doing and find intrinsic pleasure in vs. what you "should" being doing. Examples For years I though I should be studying tons, and doing personal development videos and teaching content on videos or in written format on blogs. But I always felt like so depleted and like I just didn't like it. I felt I had to do something relating to teaching non-fictional concepts and ideas and techniques. But this got me nowhere fast. It was just so hard to accomplish anything because it was such a grind since I didn't like it. Recently however, I've stopped all that and just started to be more creative in other ways. I wrote a bunch of a screenplay, I drew a picture, I made a quick little video. All this was soooo much better and felt playful and meaningful. Something which now I actually feel a desire to do. It feels expansive. Like there's "juice" in it to savor. As opposed to sitting in my room, grinding away at concepts n stuff, feeling totally bereft of any "juice" or passion. Basically... Just create shit. Things that turn you on and that you find fun and engaging. Enjoyment is the key word here. Consider cutting/reducing media and information intakes to reestablish what you authentically like (not what the media says) Consider abstaining from masturbation for a week or two (or w/e) to see where your creative energies might go. Consider reading Seth Godin's material; Purple Cow, Linchpin, etc. "Artists ship. The point of shipping is to get to the next thing you're going to ship. You'll create more duds than gems, but the more duds you create the higher the chances a gem will shine through." --(paraphrased) Seth Godin Find something you can create lots of, create due-dates, and just start pumping that shit out with as much care and quality as you can before the due-date has arrived. Then do the next thing that inspires you and feel is meaningful.

Worst things so far... and I'm stretching it. Pfizer absolutely loves the corona virus since it increases their profits. They're doing gain-of-function research so they can develop better vaccines for any possible mutations of the virus in the future. ... Ethics and opinions aside, the consequences; we have better vaccines for people if the virus mutates in the future and less people sick and dying. ... Yes, gain-of-function research can be risky. It's not illegal. I don't know, but it seems to occur and be done relatively safely most of the time (?). Yes, they want to keep it on the down-low, but that's like not illegal or somehow some grand conspiracy. It's just smart business to keep your company's business plans out of the public eye. No company I can think of would allow employees to go around shouting their future business plans, even if they were the most ethical plans in the world. Trusting the source aside, if this story is true, it's not that big of news to me tbh; company makes a risky, yet legal, move to improve its techniques so it can improve profits. ... ? As long as they're working on improving vaccines and can do it safely, have at it. Even if one of their viruses leaks out, it's just part of the process of trial and error and figuring out where society needs to adjust. It might take a proven leak for people to get mad enough to stop gain-of-function research, or at least improve the security protocols around it. I dunno... I'm still open to trying shit out in the name of 'that's how all great discoveries are made'. Gotta break a few eggs to create an omelet. And I get it that you don't like gain-of-function research because of the risk factor; totally legitimate. You're entitled to that. I myself feel some concern about it as well... in the end though, I mean, leaders have to make decisions all the time, and ya, they can mess up. But it doesn't mean they are some sort of conspiracy or something. Again... half-truths; Do I believe this man works for Pfizer and said these things? Yes. Could the video have been edited to make it seem worse than it actually is and even misconstrue and decontextualize what was said? Yes. 100%

I often don't know where this line is for myself. It's definitely grey and not easy to define exactly. I think the paid wall is actually a decent idea. It will at least serve Leo's desires for what he wants, even if it doesn't totally solve it. Personally, I don't know even if I'd pay for it, I might, but if you truly want this to be a "serious place", do that, then it's like, ya, it will weed out lots, or at least some, of people you don't want here. Same for the facial-recognition thing; even though I dislike that personally as I feel I can express myself and ask questions here and get advice on things I'd otherwise feel I can't/won't get anywhere else, it would serve to have people be less "emotionally expressive" in a negative sense think twice. Downside; you get less valuable and honest expression, questions, etc.. I also think it's hard for people to know what "a relative degree of integrity" means since we can all come from very different senses, degrees, and life experiences of this. Not saying excuse everything, but that again, the payed wall will at least get rid of people who don't really want to be here for more serious stuff and make them think twice. I dunno... I think the "hang around with me" stuff Leo said was probably the wrong way to say it and was pretty egotistical and narcissistic and could have been left out if all he wanted was to send a message about what he wants for the forum. But I just hope it's not something grandiose. Also... it might help if @Leo Gura did these messages with a video so people can feel and more accurately "get" his emotional tone. It might help in people's understanding and skepticism about any of his personal pathologies motivating such a message. As opposed to just a written format where people can more easily, imo, interpret it in ways not authentic to the original writer's attitude.

... I mean c'mon. How much can you trust something like this? Showing him looking like a Satan worshipper with uncontextualized and cherry-picked quotes like "Don't tell anyone this!" etc. Lol.

I make a distinction between ethics and morals. They are close. But morals are like what you describe above... more-so the "written" stuff, or rule-based things. "Shoulds" "I 've been told by my parents that lying is bad, so I don't lie to my mother or else I'll feel guilty and like I did something bad." Ethics I think is more based on love, compassion, and treating the things and people you care about with respect, compassion, kindness, and from the desire for them to be happy and healthy. "Wants" "I want for my mother to be happy, so I treat her with respect and don't lie to her." For example. I think there's room for both in that both probably have healthy and unhealthy expressions and circumstances where they could be used positively and negatively.

Fair

Basically this guy on Hinge keeps commenting on my photos but I haven't responded to him. In the past I did chat with him but then got sick so broke off a meetup and never picked it back up again. Rationally, I'm like yaaaaa probably best to tell him I'm not interested straight up since it's probably not a great sign. On the other, lol, I'm weirdly attracted to it. In like a kinky sort of way... like him being my cuck or something lol... But I don't want to hurt him or myself so I dunno... I feel like I'm not too sure. Like maybe for some quick sex or something.... but i feel he may want more and then just like I dunno... it could make him more clingy. I could totally just say no. So it's not like unsafe or anything. It's just like... I dunno what to do. I feel on the one hand some sexual power to like feel what that's like. On the other it might be a headache and people might feel bad in the end. .. but it could be fun to explore that sexual impulse... I am trying to explore sexuality more in general.

Ya, I'm aware of all that and how people need to do more than have these experiences. I'm just wanting to know how much those experiences in particular change people's lives. Actually. Practically. Or if it's literally just that during these experiences you see things more clearly, then the experience ends and you have to integrate it and nothing really changed except your recollection of what you saw (not saying that's nothing, just that your behaviors won't change without implementing what you saw). ... Come to think of it... I remember Ralston speaking about for some people, entire behavior patterns just instantly fall away (I think the video is called something like "Consider instant transformation"). But then others not.

I'm looking to create a blog. Any good ones you'd recommend? Free preferably. And any advice at all about blogging, especially if you've done it. Cheers

... but the rat has one of the largest nuclear arsenals in the world... Jeez

Cheers ya'll

It's possible. Sure. But, I mean initially I've felt kinda pissed and annoyed with him since he seems to not take a hint and have very good boundaries. Obviously this is my queue to be straight up if I want to not pursue. I'm totally not sure if it's the validation thing. Like... I dunno... maybe... but maybe it's also something like sexual. Some like sexual-power feeling or something I feel if I pursued that it could lead to some kinky stuff that might be fun if he's into it. Dunno. But, maybe it's possible this kinky feeling is related or is the thing you speak of.