Matt23

Socrates' Logic Love is love of something rather than nothing. Just like "brother" is brother of sister, and "father" is father of children, etc.. Love desires the object of love, whatever it may be; a spouse, a virtue like freedom, money, etc.. You cannot have that which you desire. Even if you are healthy at present and also desire to be healthy, this desiring to be healthy is desiring to be healthy in the future, a future which you don't yet have. Therefore, love lacks freedom, goodness, virtue, beauty, grace, kindness, and any other thing we can attribute to it. For me, I'm not totally sold on the first premise that love needs to be "of" or "for" something. I can see the possibility that it may be able to simple be, spontaneously arise, and just exist without needing it to be for something. Just like an emotion can arise without it being about something. For example, you can literally just create anger in yourself by willing it to arise without it needing to have a "trigger" or something else causing it or it being "for" something. It's like an acting technique I think.

Ya, I tend to follow the Objective Personaljty system's definition being something like... Extroverted Thinking being "what works for the tribe, the tribe's reasons and logic, bouncing ideas off the tribe, etc." I guess more respecting other people's opinions than one's own logic. But like not just one or two, but many people's opinions which add up like evidence. Its like they're using the opinions and logic and qualifications of others to stack up evidence for a certain logic, whereas Ti may stack up their own logic but on a deeper level. So you may get people high in this function using others' as support for certain ideas; "Professor X and scientist Y both stated thusly, so how can you argue against that since you're not as qualified as them?" Again, it's kind of more respecting others, especially more qualified others, as holding more weight than ones own ideas which are seen as like "OK, so what if I think this. It doesn't matter. And how can I know if it's really substantial what I think since it'd just my own (Ti) thoughts?" I relate more to this one since I think I have it. Like for me, I just don't hold my own ideas as very substantial. They just don't mean much to me. I don't find them overly compelling. It's like, ya, ok, I maybe think a certain thing and reason it out, but in the end it's just a flimsy thought I had which could be easily overturned by pros and experts. I mean, obviously not too much disrespecting my own ideas since I believe there is value and importance to respect them, I just find I gravitate automatically to talking things through with others. Introverted Thinking being more respecting one's own opinions, logic, reasons, and what works for oneself. Take a look at Leo for a case in point. Does he strike you to be someone, even if a novice at something, to take the opinions or statements of others openly or do you think he'd more question and seek to see how they are wrong and stand firm in his own reasoning etc.? It's like those guys who seem/are arrogant in class since, even with their teachers and professors, always like questio , critique, and seek to challenge them. Not bad, obviously, just different than the Extroverted Thinking approach of being more open and respecting to listen to others over their own logic etc.. And ya... like stated by the OP, they, according to the Myers Briggs stacking system, would have Extraverted Feeling below. Thus they don't respect much and can be more unconscious of the feelings of the tribe and others, like when they just say or do harsh things without considering how others feel since "The truth is all that matters" to them.

Mango Pomegranate Nectarines Pineapple Raspberries .. Then... Bananas Cucumbers Tomatoes Olives Arugula Peppers (red, yellow, orange) Potatoes

Thanks ya'll. I think my comment may be a bit preemptive. I think I'm sorta realizing that maayyyybbbeee, rather than doing it for an LP, I think I'm just realizing that having physical activity in my life, and treating it as a domain of mastery, even if not the main domain I'm pursuing, is important to me and really influences my degree of happiness and stability. Just like having a physical routine that's consistent and including not just repetitive activities like weights, but getting physical mastery of the body-mind in a more wholistic sense. Another way of saying it would be, rather than purely focusing on how much weight and reps, or how long of runs, etc., putting more focus on things like running properly (using the core, good posture, proper foot placement, etc.), pushing my abilities in hand-eye coordination, balance, etc.. Treating it like a professional athlete would. I think this is coming from how, when I was younger, I did well in the physical domain and could just push my body from sheer will. But now, I'm noticing my body and injuries are catching up with me, and am wanting to develop a well-rounded foundation of physical mastery, strength, awareness, skill, and ability.

I've been focusing more on fitness and athletics recently and have noticed how much better I feel doing them. I enjoy a lot just going for runs and really pushing my self; something about that feeling of exhaustion feels good. Athletics of some sort, to the point of artistry, combined with nature and being outside I believe. Growing up, athletics was where I shined most. I was sort of addicted to basketball. In contrast, I do notice that if I go full intellectual and philosophical mode, I become more unstable. Especially if I don't do some sort of physical activity during the day. I can envision me becoming passionate about this area. I'm good at pushing myself. I enjoy it. Though I also enjoy the philosophical stuff, reading, contemplating, and meditating (more so in the afternoons, and doing activity in the mornings). Anyway, just wanted to throw that out there. If anyone has any good ideas about possible career avenues in this domain, feel free to share. The more ideas the better... I think.

Ya, I think his views about the whole Ukraine and Putin thing are valid and reasonable. But then at the end he went off on a bit of a random tangent about the climate and environment, letting some of his frustrations and worldviews coming out which. I thought this was a bit discrediting to himself.

I just did the Unified Mindfulness Teacher Training program online, and am wanting to use it and advertise that for a personal meditation coaching business in the future. Is that legal? Or, in what legal ways can I advertise I've done that particular program and teach that system as part of my services? If at all. Thanks for any info.

I think they can help. I think people can help as well. Both/And. For me, personality-wise, I tend to be more open in terms of philosophies and life-advice when reading. But when it comes to practical how-to matters, like doing a certain task, or even learning about certain things in nature or the world, I'm often more wanting someone, some expert, who I can ask questions to and probe their knowledge. So I suppose, when it comes to anything relating to more my self (ideaologies, philosophies, values, life desires, etc.), I usually read since they are more "touchy" and personal subjecets for me and I don't often like being "told" or advised in these matters. But when it comes to learning things out in the world, I like to have people I can probe their minds and explore with.

They do go underappreciated. But in honesty, I think that you can't just say "Oh, Egypt [or insert favorite civilization or civilizational achievement] used slavery [or insert most disliked behavior used to construct said achievement, or most disliked outgrowth of said achievement] therefore we should abolish, demonize, and poo-poo that achievement." You gotta take the good with the bad and weigh the pros and cons. If Egypt used slavery, fair, kinda shitty, but it's only completely shitty if you only look at that one negative aspect in isolation from the greater good it could have achieved: like uniting previously warring tribes and people thus reducing a large portion of raping and pillaging, or elevating the region in economic and resource-based prosperity and perhaps ending many famines due to its economic advantages and systems, etc. etc. etc.. A microcosm of my point is that we literally kill and murder things in order to survive (yes, am including plants here too), yet we accept this and don't bat an eye or demonize it (some few people may). We generally see that it's ok since..survival, and even rationalize it by weighing the pros and cons: "Would saving a plant but killing myself be a greater or worse good?"

I don't think the kinks you mentioned are necessarily from trauma, per-se. Can just be psychological, perhaps more so psychological stuff from our evolutionary past (more power dynamics, life n' death, stuff) that maybe it's healthy to just own in a safe way. They could also be trauma related. Also, the word "trauma" could be loaded. Like, most people would probably consider being raped traumatic. But would you also consider parts of the general human condition traumatic as well? For example, having a loved one die, various social fears, just the inherent stresses that come from trying to sustain a living practically, etc.. I'd prefer not to label those things as trauma, but it sure ain't always nice n' pretty.

Sum: We usually have great feelings (emotional or physical, positive or negative) towards visible things in the world (e.g. great fear at a tiger, great love for another person, great pain after being stabbed, etc.). What gives those visible things airs of realness is the degree of feelings we have towards them. So, the greater the feeling we feel towards a thing the more likely we are to believe the thing is real and true. Degree of feeling towards a thing = Degree we perceive/believe the thing to be true or real Dialogue: Phaedo (Phaidon) "... but the greatest and worst of all evils, which he suffers and never counts." "What is that, Socrates?" Asked Cebes. "That the soul of every man suffers this double compulsion: At the same time as it is compelled to feel great pleasure or pain about anything, it is compelled also to believe that the thing for which is specially feels this is most clearly real and true, when it is not. These are generally the visible things, aren't they?" "Certainly." "Then in this state especially the soul is imprisoned by the body." "Pray how?" "Because each pleasure and pain seems to have a nail, and nails the soul to the body and pins it on and makes it bodily, and so it thinks the same things are true which the body says are true. For by having the same opinion as the body, and liking the same things, it is compelled, I believe, to adopt the same ways and the same nourishment... would always go forth infected by the body... have neither part nor lot in communion with the divine and pure and simple."

I notice that when I haven't socialized, I've thought of myself as pretty intelligent. But then when I socialized with a group of philosophy students, I realized I'm not that smart. So that, at least, is one benefit of socialization: it can show you who you really are more accurately than if you spend all your time alone which can skew how you see reality and yourself. I'm actually kinda noticing that the more I socialize, the more psychological issues I forgot about which are now coming back and I'm like "Oh... fuck. That's still there." As if being alone was an escape and putting my head in the ground from my issues I haven't dealt with. I'm sure there's benefits to both. == Balance I suppose.

Raw is basically my whole diet. Rice. Beans I boil myself. Veggies. Nuts n seeds. Fruit. The occasional piece of meat, trying for organic and pasture raised as much as possible. Potatoes chips (salt, oil, potatoe), fries, and date bars (ingredients: dates, cashews, cinnamon, ... all whole food), we're probably the most processed things I ate. Besides an occasional treat as well, which would've been maybe a date bar with some thing processed in it, or a brand of coconut ice cream where the only ingredient I didn't know was guar gum, the rest being things like coconut sugar, cocoa, walnuts, etc.. Pretty good in my opinion as far as ingredients goes. Yet still feeling very very lethargic during the day. Quantities are probably the thing I could most work on. But ever since cutting the fruits n berries n honeys etc., feel effin good, even while continuing to eat the potatoe chips and fries (maybe like 1 small bag 5-6 days a week, with some fries in there - I work at a restaurant so I snag some fries every once and a while on shift). Will see what a systematic reintroduction of particular fruit, berries, n other sugary stuff feels like.

Feel fucking good. So much more... Calm, and even keel. Feel more even-keel and less up and down is probably the most noticeable change I've noticed, and most rewarding. Like, maybe generally a little more low-key, but ultimately more baseline well-being and feeling even, happier, and balanced. Even if just a smidge, it feels significant. More presence and clarity. I feel like I'm wayy less in my head and am able to look around and be more present. I don't know if this is from being more strict with my mindfulness habit, but I feel more present. Also perhaps more clarity of mind in combination with perhaps less thinking. More energy / more sustained energy throughout the day with no crashes. I would normally, prior to this, feel quite sluggish throughout the day and find it very difficult to find energy. I now feel a lot better with not huge amounts of energy, but a nice sustained sense of energy. I'd highly recommend anyone interested in doing a week or so without any sugars whatsoever to see how it feels. That means no fruits, berries, honeys, and the obvious processed sugars. Just veggies, carbs, proteins, starches (I haven't been eating much starches either, just as a regular diet outcome). See what happens.

Just saying that I did 'x' and I feel 'y'. ... and 'y' feels pretty damn good. The not eating starch part was false as well. I forgot I eat fries and potatoes chips (only chips with oil, potatoes, and salt) as an unguilty pleasure. I'm not saying that's healthy btw, only that I still like to eat them. I'll try adding some berries back in a bit to see what happens.

Thumbs up

Could be... But also don't forget that the motivation-action dynamic is a two-way street: You can start with intrinsically creating motivation that leads to action, or you can take action that feeds back on itself thus creating more motivation. I guess I'm speaking from my own experience, so forgive any misunderstanding. I've been caught, I think, in focusing too much in thinking that I needed to create or "find" that one piece of intrinsic motivation first (whether through clarifying goals, values, using visualization, etc.). Years spent doing this with honestly, from my perspective, little to show for it. But recently I've just been like "Ok, I'm just going to do shit, even if I feel it's not 100% perfect or right, or even if it feels irrelevant and even a waste of time." This has kind of led me to focus more on experiences in the real world (rather than my mind), which has given me far more motivation and inspiration since I've gotten more real-world experiences that motivate me and make me think "Oh! This is what, for example, taking a mini-road trip every week and driving to someplace new in my city feels like. I love this!" Whereas my thoughts about it, prior to doing it, might have been like "What's the point. It seems so boring and useless." But I just pushed through my pre-conveived notions of what the experience would be like and just had/created the experience first, which led to new discoveries and sometimes correcting those preconceived notions. I hope this makes sense and isn't convolluded. lol. But ya, I guess the moral of the story, just from my experience, take it as you will, is... Having joyful experiences create a feedback loop of motivation, making you want to seek them again. If you short-circuit having experiences by listening to your mind telling you things like "It's not worth it", "I'm not motivated to do it", "It's too much of a hassle", etc., you may miss out on that motivational feedback loop and the great joys, discoveries, pleasures, and meaning in life. "Just Do It (Nike)" = When in doubt, prioritize having the experience, within reasonable bounds obviously (i.e. if you're struggling to pay the rent, don't buy a round-the-world plane ticket lol). Hope this helps a bit. Again, it's what I've been struggling with probably a lot, so it's from my lens. Take it as you will. And, it's also ok to do nothing and just chill.

Ya, cheers.

Fair. Here's some advertising for it: The First Step in the U.M. Teacher Certification Program Take your own mindfulness practice to new heights by learning how to introduce mindfulness meditation to the people in your life. Because when you learn how to effectively teach, you become a better student. Foundations is… • Perfect for people at all levels of experience and all stages of practice • A natural part of your personal mindfulness journey • Created for anyone who’d like to share mindfulness meditation with others • A 100% online, cloud-based, interactive and self-paced learning experience • A 30-Hour training program that includes a Certificate of Completion So, it says it's a teacher certification program. I'm not sure. I've never looked into or had experience creating a business and using courses etc. for that business, I've never looked into the legalities so this is my first time asking about them. I basically want to make sure I'm not stepping over legal boundaries that could bite me in the ass. Just taking precautions and trying to get as clear as possible.

One thing that's worked for me is to just try and do shit. Especially stuff that I normally wouldn't do; taking mini weekend vacations, accomplishing something that may seem minor or irrelevant to what you see as your LP or life, go to Meetups. Basically, shake things up a bit. I noticed that once I start doing more shit, rather than just thinking about my values and goals and trying to clarify those, I pretty rapidly get more motivation and the motivation feels way more strong and long-lasting (as opposed to fleeting motivation you get from something like visualizing or something). Also, just learned from Andrew Huberman's podcast, that apparently things like visualizations, dreamboards, goals and values lists, may help initially start you off, but they actually decrease motivation long-term. This happens since when you do something like visualizing yourself having your ultimate goal, perhaps drinking pina coladas on a sunny beach, you're actually inducing your mind and body to think it already has it. This, in turn, reduces the motivating chemicals and mechanisms in your body since it thinks it already has it.

For a miindfulness coaching businsess.

I don't think we should be sensoring people this much. Like, ya, you may not like him, I probably don't like him much either. From the short clips I've seen, I don't agree with what he said (was clipped, so I dunno his full context videos). But just like cancelling people we dislike... mmmm... I think we're going too far there; becoming too sensitive with that stuff. I once heard a story from Bonnitta Roy (pretty popular intellectual on Rebel Wisdom n the Stoa who works a lot in psychological development, meditation, n' stuff; check her out on YT, she's pretty cool). She spoke about this guy, I think at a meditation retreat she was on/running, from rural China. He spoke about how when he was growing up as an infant or young child, his parents would tie him to his bed while they went out and worked in the fields. Today this would be considered sooooo traumatic; but since that was ok at that time and place, he didn't suffer any real trauma from that and it was just like "meh... ok". I'm not saying we should do that kind of stuff, but that we also shouldn't go too far in the opposite direction. I think and am dubious of our notions of sensitivity these days, and that people may not need as much hand-holding or censorship as we think to become decent people. Ya, of course there's always a few bad apples; but I don't think we can use those as great pieces of evidence to allow more censorship and cancelling people. It's kinda crazy imo.

...soooo... basically, I guess what we're saying here is only eat whole grains and nothing else. Great. Got it!

So, basically for years now I've been eating mainly... Rice (organic and brown mostly or as best as I can) Beans (again, organic much of the time) Veggies (organic much of the time) Fruits (a good amount... I substitute it for sugars n stuff; lots of bananas, apples, berries, and other fruits-- in that order) Nuts (pumpkin seeds, almonds, peanuts (less peanuts nowadays), and others like walnuts) Some seafood (once weekly maybe -- mostly sardines, oysters, some sushi) Some meat now and again (try for as organic and healthy as possible) But today, I thought I'd just see how whole wheat feels, so I bought some whole wheat and organic spaghetti and had some mid-day today. After that I went on a run and honestly felt like this energy that wasn't like a caffeine or sugar high, but felt more robust. It was really nice. Like my mental fog and tiredness went away. Am going to try it throughout the week to see how it affects me. So far so good.

Will do! The area I live in actually has a large Iranian community, so I'm sure it'll be easy to find.