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I just finished the LP course a few days ago. I have been thinking about this moment for quite a while as I started this course more then 2 years ago. Not that I get all the missing answers here but maybe some advice from more experienced folks who are already living their LP. I am 25 now and I live in germany. I have got inattentive adhd which made many things very difficult for me like concentration, dealing with emotions and social problems which indirectly also made other things difficult like finding study partners or getting help with emotional distress difficult. So basically I was always an emotional mess/ overtaxed/ semi depressed while getting nothing done and not understanding what was wrong with me. As a result I had difficulties answering many questions in the life purpose course because I experienced relatively little concrete success so far because I couldnt really take part in life as much. I feel like I have got as close to it as what would be possible with my blockades but I feel like the very thing that is my LP is something I cant see right now. I take meds now and it seems like many things are clearing up rapidly but and I do make quite the transformation. I feel more capable but not necessarily upgraded. The stars become less interesting and I see more immediate tasks ahead. I become a lot more concrete instead of abstract. Thats the best way I can describe it. I seem to manifest myself in reality. I was always very reflected and stuff but was like a wave without its own will it can force onto the world. I develop a sense of self now. It sounds pretty unconscious I know and I made the point myself that adhd (at least the inattentive type that I experience) makes you more conscious. But in taking my meds I can deal with reality at least. If I got emotional support/ grounding maybe I could do it without meds but currently I can only do it this way. So this situation is quite confusing atm. In terms of my career so far: teaching: I am in 10th semester of studying math and philosophy for middle school but only have enough points to complete like 4 semesters (you need 10 semesters in total) because of the emotional distress I was always in. I could probably do better with the meds now so it really isnt hopeless. I decided to study teaching though because I did some internship to see what I like and teaching was okay for a moment and I couldnt deal with the pain of being in a situation of uncertainty so I did the best thing I found at the moment which wasn't the most conscious choice. Also there is a bit of buffer as with this graduation I can do other things as well. Teaching isnt directly my Life Purpose I am pretty sure about that. But I would earn a lot of money per hour, can do it part time, have a lot of holidays and a class in school gives you many direct information to observe which can inspire you. A school class is basically a mirror of society, all the kids are just mini versions of what's to come. So that can help me understand society and psychology more which would deepen whatever I create with my LP. I already thought a little and am also teaching 5 hours per week atm and it's an okay job. So it wouldnt be my LP but it would have a good base to comfortable pursue my real LP. acting: Over the last two years I have been doing a lot of acting as a hobby which is a lot of fun but it took a lot of time and I am also thinking about doing this as a career path. It would give me a relatively unstable base though and it would probably just miss my LP. Learning to act itself is incredible fun but it can also be emotionally challenging which I might not be capable to do. My Life Purpose is generally a bit unclear to me. Being a critical thinker is very much part of my authentic self and I have also got a very creative mind because of my adhd. On their own or even combined they dont really give me a life purpose that I find meaningful. For example I always think critically but I dont see where this practically leads to. And I often come up with new start up ideas because as I love the creative process but when it isnt connected to something meaningful I loose interest in it. The closest I could with these two is working on series like Rick&Morty which comes close to feeling like a LP. But I think there is a last component, a last value that is blocked from my mind. Besides these top two values I also care about empathy, goodness, authenticity, but not enough about any of them to make a LP in combination with the two about them I think. I sometimes look in my past to where the last puzzle piece might be. I developed a very profound even mystical happiness as a kid as I think that I had mystical experiences in kindergarden. I really vibed with Jesus in that time as well. I felt like it would virtually be impossible to break my spirit because I was connected to something unbreakable. I even felt like I needed to go through some real shit, to be lost, to come out of it and from that place be authentically able to help other people. I had a feeling of calling back then. Well I am not quite back to my inner garden of roses yet. I did about 20 trips of psychedelics and never realized a mystical experience because I was in too much shit mentally I think. (interestingly never had a really bad trip either though) I formulated my LP rather vague. I couldnt find any formulation that deeply inspired because as I said I think there is some authentic part of me missing. Taking my reflection about my past and moments of reflection I feel like it has to do with healing, bliss, profound love, existential (healing), spirituality. But I cant completely make out if these things interest me because I feel like I have a lack of them (negative motivation) or if it is authentic. To make my LP more concrete I could reformulate it like this for example (but I am not sure about it): - giving people blissful spiritual experiences to make them more loving and conscious. - finding existential beauty and meaning in fucked up situations to make people more hopeful So with all of this I have no clear direction of where to go and I found out new things about myself/ unblock blockades and this is probably going on for months and years to come. All ways would help me move forwards. If I study to become a teacher that would be an acceptable path which would allow me to do lots of other stuff (LP) I am interested in as well but then I could never study to become a serious actor because I would be too old at this point. I would need to become more clear about myself and my values to see what I value most. A side thought is also to experiment with start ups (for money) as I have lots of ideas for them. Right now I am thinking of continue studying while giving myself time to process and I can on the side apply to acting schools. Chances of getting accepted are pretty low anyways and if I get accepted that would be a sign that I am quite talented. Design ohne Titel.pdf

Read this today and thought about leo’s post about videos on corruption: Blowing The Whistle On Deepak Chopra, The Epstein Files, Cancel Culture, & Holding My Influencer Peers (& Myself) Accountable In Which I Reveal What I Know (& Wish I Didn't) About Deepak, Louise Hay, Joe Dispenza, Gabby Bernstein, Wayne Dyer, Christiane Northrup & Way Too Many Others by LISSA RANKIN, MD The Epstein Files are all over the news, and as someone in the wellness space who has shared many stages and green rooms with Deepak Chopra, I’m getting a lot of confused messages from concerned clients and readers of my work. I posted about Deepak Chopra and longevity “physician” Peter Attia on Facebook (Read it here.) Over 300 comments reveal the depth of the disillusionment many people in the wellness and spirituality space are feeling. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about and you’ve been a Deepak Chopra fan, read this summary of what’s in the Epstein files by fellow Substacker and disappointed Chopra fan Dr. Scott Mills The Silence: Inside The Chopra-Epstein Files. He painstakingly read the files directly and summarizes what’s in there about Deepak Chopra. He did this hoping the disturbing messages we’re reading about Deepak Chopra’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein were taken out of context, exaggerated for click bait, or otherwise excusable. Instead, he found that, in context, they were even more disturbing. I especially appreciate how Dr. Mills points out how silent the biggest names in our industry have been-Tony Robbins, Mel Robbins, Brené Brown, Jay Shetty, Gabby Bernstein, Tim Ferriss, Jen Sincero, Eckhart Tolle, Marianne Williamson, Joe Dispenza, Rachel Hollis, Brendon Burchard, Lewis Howes, Marie Forleo, Vishen Lakhiani, Robin Sharma, Mark Hyman, Elizabeth Gilbert, Danielle LaPorte, Oprah Winfrey. “Twenty-one names. Over 250 million followers combined. The DOJ files have been public since January 30, 2026. Not one of these people has said a word.” Now it’s been 5 days since he posted that essay, so maybe some of these people have spoken up. Admittedly, it took me a minute to catch up on the news myself- and to post something publicly to acknowledge the news on Facebook here and here. Why do I keep speaking out? I am inspired every day by people like the ACLU lawyers, who wake up every day and go to dingy offices with little pay, so they can do the right thing at any personal cost. (Watch the 2020 documentary The Fight if you want to find the nerve to do more hard things.) Why is it that so many people in our spirituality and wellness industry stay silent when harm is done by those in our own industry? Because it costs us something- a lot- to not be silent. I know. I’ve experienced it. Is it because we’re so trauma-informed we don’t want to point fingers at people who enable perpetrators, because we have compassion for why they do the things they do? Because it’s not zen to call people out or blame anyone for wrongdoing? Because we’re benefitting from making alliances that make us money with people who are causing harm? Because we’re so conflict avoidant that we don’t want to rock the boat, piss anyone off, be perceived as a trouble-maker, or lose followers (and therefore money)? The reasons are understandable, but they don’t excuse the silence. Dr. Mills is right; silence is complicity. Silence is violence. Silence enables the perpetrators and betrays victims. And that is why I can’t stay silent about some thing I haven’t said publicly yet. *I’m not the only one speaking up about the wellness industry, Deepak Chopra and the Epstein files. If you’re curious about how the industry enables people like Deepak Chopra to rise to the fame surface, veteran publicist who used to program Oprah Lisa Braun Dubbels blows the whistle on the corruption that explains how this happens in I Helped Build This Industry. Deepak Chopra’s Epstein Problem Shows Us Why It Needs to Fall Apart. You can also read this public statement by my friends Zaya and Maurizio of Science & Non-Duality and this one by my physician friend and colleague Sara Szal (Gottfried). Listen to Shamini Jain call out her friend Deepak on a video she sent directly to him here and here. I Can’t Stay Silent Any Longer It is exhausting to admit that I am never surprised when I find out people like Deepak Chopra have unsavory sides. I’ve co-taught with Deepak at the Chopra Center, at a Mind Body Green event, at the Science & Non-Duality conference, and let’s just say I wasn’t impressed by him as a person. While there are many geniuses in my industry, and while I admire the work of many of them, and while some of the teachings are helpful, far too many of these gifted, charismatic people are not kind, loving, honest, or trustworthy people of integrity. But that’s not a rare thing. As someone who has written ten books, I have shared green rooms and off-the-record conversations with people who are household names. I have given four TEDx talks that have gotten over 6 million views. I’ve starred in two PBS specials. I’ve spoken on hundreds of stages around the world and taught workshops at some of the most prestigious wellness centers. That means I’ve had dinners in private dining rooms reserved for “stars,” and I’ve seen the real side of people in green rooms. And I’ve been privileged to be invited into some of the most sacred circles of the wellness and spirituality world. While that might sound impressive, it’s come at a huge cost to my nervous system. For over a decade now, I have been carrying secret stories inside about people I’ve shared stages with, people like Deepak Chopra and so many others. But those secrets are corrosive and poisonous and have resulted in tens of thousands of dollars of therapy on my bystander trauma. I’ve largely avoided naming names, because it’s so scary to do so. I don’t want to hurt anyone, deal with lawsuits, or shatter someone’s guru projections about someone who’s actually helped them. I don’t want to be the one to tell someone there’s no Santa Claus or Easter Bunny- because it’s so lovely for our child-like parts to have role models we can pedestalize, even if that very dynamic makes us vulnerable to being harmed by the people we put in “one up” guru roles. Some of the time, I wasn’t the actual victim of people like this- or there wasn’t an actual crime, just a shocking breach of integrity. But in light of the Epstein files, I’m going to risk sharing briefly some of what I carry inside, as an industry insider. Please know that my intention for sharing is to not to hurt any individual or to upset you, dear reader, but to call my industry forward- into greater integrity, and to warn those who consume what we create, so you can take good care of yourself and those you love. Blowing The Whistle The stories I could tell from inhabiting these influencer spaces for the past fifteen years…I’ve told some of them, off the record, to investigative journalists, trying to find absolution. I’ve gossiped about them with other insiders who are equally shocked. I’ve brainstormed about what to do about it with people like Lisa Braun Dubbels, the Conspirituality podcast guys, Rebekah Borucki, and others. I’m tempted to put a pay wall here, just to have a little bit of protection, but I don’t want to make money off blowing this whistle. So here you go, dear readers. I’m sorry I I kept these secrets as long as I did. The stories I could tell… -About holding space for a young Hay House author in his twenties who came to me at a Hay House event, in tears, because he saw Louise Hay as a grandmother figure, but when she came onto him sexually and he refused her, she threatened to destroy his writing career forever and make sure he amounted to nothing if he ever told anyone. This was before the #MeToo movement blew up in October 2017 with the Harvey Weinstein case. By the time this young man might have felt empowered to tell his own #MeToo story about his publisher, Louise had died two months earlier. I asked him to report what had happened. But to who, he wondered? #IBelieveVictims #MeToo -About finding out that my partner Jeffrey Rediger, who was pressured by Oprah, against his will, into coming on the Oprah Winfrey Show to talk about John of God, had warned Oprah that he believed John of God was a sexual predator- and while they tried to do due diligence to find out if it was true, ultimately, Jeff felt overridden, silenced, and not believed when voicing his concerns…and very little warning was given during the two Oprah Winfrey Shows, to caution people who trusted Oprah. -About realizing that Oprah has removed all internet evidence (even from the Way Back machine) that she ever did two shows promoting John of God, without giving adequate airtime to the allegations against him that were already forming, which resulted in his conviction of 118 years in prison for countless rapes of his helpless and vulnerable victims… -About realizing that neither Oprah nor Omega (who hosted him once a year) has ever apologized publicly and held themselves accountable for platforming John of God, who lured people into his web so he could assault them… -About Christiane Northrup’s confusing attempt to recruit me into the culty dynamic of her “women’s empowerment” MLM- and how her daughter Kate played the role of flying monkey enabler- all in the name of encouraging me to become “financially independent” so I could sell her MLM products to my followers and cash in on the power of my influence…(I said no) -About watching Carolyn Myss lose her shit and have a total tantrum in a green room when she didn’t get her way, and watching in bewilderment as her entourage acted like this was totally normal… -About watching Suze Orman get on stage at Louise Hay’s 80th birthday party and largely ignoring Louise Hay altogether, while mocking the rest of us Hay House authors for selling only a fraction of the number of books she, in her narcissistic greatness, has sold.. -About witnessing, in shock, many of the married bestselling authors in the spiritual self help space, authors you may have come to know and respect in the Transformational Leadership Counsel (TLC), get wasted and hook up with each other in hotels around the world- all in the name of “transformation” and “illuminating each other with transmissions"… -About being dismissed and derided by said TLC members when I suggested we needed to have forums of accountability for transformational leaders who have no licenses or board certifications (convicted felon James Arthur Ray was a TLC member before he landed in jail for the deaths of three students he trapped in a sweat lodge)… -About discovering that many of the famous authors that you know and love “blurb” each other’s books without reading them. They write their own endorsements for their own books, reach out to their friends, and ask for permission to put the other famous author’s name on the back of their book. When I refused to do so, and when I stated that this was betraying the trust of those we are privileged to have influence over, I was mocked, called “goody two shoes,” and derided for not playing along… -About holding space for Wayne Dyer when asked by our shared producer to talk to him because he was having trouble delivering on his contract for his next PBS special- because, according to him, he was having an affair with a married woman who wouldn’t leave her husband and he felt like a hypocrite for getting on TV to talk about divine love when his love for her was so…carnal… -About going to Byron Katie’s house (with Martha Beck and Rachel Naomi Remen) to film footage for the bonus videos to accompany my National Public Television special, fundraising for PBS, about interviewing Katie on camera, only to have her say, on film, that Byron Katie the enlightened master was only one of her parts, how it was the only part most people wanted to interview, but that the other parts of Katie, the ones who aren’t so enlightened or present or good, would like to meet me too (Needless to say, we protected her image, kept her secret, and did not broadcast that interview. I actually own the footage but chose to do nothing with it.) -About being the one to finally introduce Martha Beck to the guru she worshipped (Byron Katie) and watching her fall to her knees in front of Katie with the oddest deference. About Martha then ghosting me right afterwards when we were midway through preparing to teach our second online class together- with no explanation, no response to my emails or texts or phone calls. About finding out later that I was far from the first person Martha had love bombed and then ghosted after extracting from them- without even the courtesy of an explanation of what I’d done to upset her. -About witnessing blatant racism at Hay House and privately leaving the organization, but without naming why publicly- and then standing in solidarity with Rebekah Borucki- feeling great shame because she was a victim of it at the hands of many Hay House authorities and authors- on this Conspirituality podcast episode, where I finally broke my silence… -About sitting in green rooms at Hay House conferences with other Hay House authors who were all gossiping about the married guy we reported to, who was allegedly having an affair with another Hay House author- about how so many of us felt royally betrayed, confused, and icky about having to pretend it wasn’t happening right in front of us, when we really weren’t okay with it… -About visiting the Indigenous Q’eros in Peru, where I said that I’d studied for coming to study them by reading the work of a famous American psychologist and author who founded a famous shaman school- who claims he was granted permission to share the wisdom of the Q’eros with Westerners- and when they told me what they really feel about this guy they consider an exploitative opportunist- and how he had betrayed them… -About hanging out at the Science & Non-Duality conference with a “famous on Facebook” self-published author and former lawyer, who writes about spiritual bypassing, about then offering to do a free teleclass with him, to help promote his new self-published book, only to be accused, in multiple paranoid emails, such as this one, of plagiarizing his work: “You are a hustling criminal building a following by stealing other people's ideas. Shame on you. Shame. I will read every word you write, listen to ever word you say from now on, to be sure that you are presenting ORIGINAL ideas. If you have any in you.” And this: “Dirty business, this industry. If an offering doesn't arise through your soul, grab it from someone else's. Jump on the next topic train and grab that book deal! Not clean at all. You played me.” Five years later, I reached out and tried to initiate a repair, which only led to more accusations- and me giving up. When I told my publisher at Sounds True about this dynamic, because he was threatening to sue me, they said he’d sent the same kinds of threatening, paranoid letters to them when they declined publishing his books. -About spending a week watching Covid denier Zach Bush in the Maldives nauseate many of us with his shameless displays of out of control grandiosity… -About spiraling in shame when I wanted to close the loop and meet the wife of a famous influencer you’d all know, who portrayed himself as polyamorous and took me as his so called ethical non-monogamy lover while we were together in Australia- only to discover, when I introduced myself to his wife, that she had no idea he was having affairs at many of the keynote stops he frequented around the world and was devastated when I inadvertently broke the news. (That was 2014, and I learned my lesson and never tried ethical non-monogamy again…) -About attending a meeting for what would become the Association for Spiritual Integrity (ASI) and listening to an audience full of mostly male non-dual teachers in the vein of Deepak Chopra claim that they are beyond accountability, because they’re operating on a whole other plane in which things like sexual assault don’t happen…and we should choose “oneness” instead.. -About all the people I’ve endorsed when I agreed with them, only to watch them go off the rails, like Charles Eisenstein, whose spiritual bypassing and false equivalencies during the pandemic caused a great amount of harm. (You can read my attempt at calling him out after calling him in failed here. And you can read his publisher calling him out and backing me up here.) -About how most of the trauma “model builders” talk smack about each other behind each other’s backs, how they one up each other, diminish each other’s work when we should be collaborating, and generally think their model is the way, the only way, the panacea that works for everyone’s trauma all the time ,and if it isn’t working, it’s because the therapist practicing it isn’t good enough or it’s the patients fault. (Gag me. The hubris! At least doctors, for all our faults and grandiose narcissism, know that penicillin works wonders for strep throat but it doesn’t do shit for Covid.) -About listening to Daniel Schmactenberger call out the members of TLC publicly, without holding back, at the TLC conference, where he said: “Stop broadcasting this fear/love dichotomy- how you can’t feel fear and love at the same time. It’s bullshit. It’s just not true. I can only be afraid of something I love being harmed because I love it. If I’m afraid for my kids, it’s because I love them. Care is what fuels fear. If I’m angry, it’s proportional to what I care about. Every negative emotion is a response to care and love. If you feel angry, find what it is that you hold as sacred and ask “How is what I hold sacred getting violated?” See the sacredness in it and ask, “Am I willing to make sacrifices to protect that sacred thing?” That’s when it’s appropriate to use your will, aligned with what you love. To do this, you’ll need your mind, your heart, and your gut. Your mind needs clarity on what it is that you love and hold sacred and are willing to protect. Your heart needs to feel heartbroken because what you care about is being hurt. Your gut will give you the courage to do something about it. Think about and feel into what is most sacred to you. What will still matter after you’re dead? What are you devoted to and willing to sacrifice your comfort for- because it matters so much and you love it so much? What is at the heart of what is meaningful about life? Take time to feel into it and connect to whatever has you feeling that. Between now and when you die, think about the biggest problems in the world that you understand- climate change, racism, AI warfare, human trafficking. What do you really care about? Feel what bothers you. What is the actual state of the world you live in? Then ask yourself, ‘If this is really what I care about, what should I be doing to be congruent with my own self, my own deepest values? What am I doing now that is different than that? How do I close that gap?’” -About how I cried for hours (I’m not exaggerating) after Daniel said that, because I felt so relieved that someone was finally saying the things I felt too scared and confused to say to those influencers myself… -About how I cried again, with tears of exhaustion and also feeling seen and heard and validated, when Dr. Scott Mills, who did the labor of researching Deepak Chopra in the Epstein Files, noticed- and acknowledged- that I was one of the first influencers in the industry to speak out about Deepak Chopra and the Epstein files(You can also read Scott’s article In An Industry That Has Lost Its Voice, Lissa Rankin Keeps Speaking Out.) Now some of these stories are secondhand hearsay, and that’s part of why I’ve kept the secrets. I can’t prove that what other people have come crying to me about actually happened. But many of these things happened to me personally, right in front of my eyes. I can’t stomach sitting by and watching people continue to influence others, who do not know what happens behind closed doors and who may be projecting all kinds of guru projections onto people who are as flawed, power hungry, greedy, narcissistic, and imperfectly human as anyone else in the Epstein files. How long do I have to keep saying the same things about a corrupt industry in distress? How much do I have to lose to keep blowing the whistle? Why aren’t others as distressed about the harm caused by my peers as I am? Share How To Hold Ourselves & Others Accountable Now I’m no angel. I have made so many mistakes in my thinking and teaching that I even rewrote Mind Over Medicine and put out a revised edition in 2020- with an honest explanation about why. To make amends, I’ve tried to support others who are on an off ramp from spiritual bypassing with many classes- Spiritual Bypassing Recovery 101, Spiritual Bypassing Recovery 2.0, and Spirituality Without Bypassing, with Dick Schwartz. (You can find them all here.) And I’ve offered all of them to those who ask at scholarship prices. I have fond memories- and also a lot of shame- about my spiritual bypassing days. I wonder whether I hurt people with things I previously said and taught. It’s taken years to do my own deconstruction work, to listen to the cult recovery podcasts, to do my own therapy, to read the books, to try to find the baby in the bathwater of a lot of muddy ass bathwater. I’ve also made many mistakes in my personal life. Some of these people I’m naming names about could probably publish dirt on me, and it might be true. When we hang out with our peers, outside of the gaze of those we’re speaking to from keynote stages, we’re not inhabiting our personas in the same way we might when we’re on stage. That’s to be expected. What’s hard is that we don’t expect movie stars, athletes, or rock stars to behave well. We expect them to be narcissistic, self-absorbed, and naughty sometimes. But we expect more from our spiritual teachers, doctors, therapists, coaches, and transformational mentors. And we have a right to expect more. We make ourselves more vulnerable to them. We open our hearts, our psyches, and our bodies to them. But what many don’t realize is that spiritual narcissism can be ten times more destructive than the garden variety narcissism of movie stars, sports stars, rock stars, or even doctors who don’t claim to be spiritual teachers. Just look at Deepak Chopra, going on and on about how he’s in some higher plane than the rest of us while chumming up with Jeffrey Epstein. Well, isn’t that convenient? What do we do about this? I don’t believe we have to “cancel” a public figure as our only option when they do something wrong. We can try to “call in” rather than calling out. We can try to invite self-reflection and personal accountability, if someone is humble enough to be open to that. That’s what I advised Wayne Dyer to do- to just tell the truth to his adoring fans, to quit pretending he was capable of some greater love than the rest of us. Many people are generous when our heroes and heroines own up to our human fallibilities. But he couldn’t or wouldn’t do it. He died soon afterwards, and I always wondered whether they were honest with us about his cause of death, given that he claimed to have been cured from cancer by John of God but never got retested. Calling In Joe Dispenza Unfortunately, many influencers are not open to feedback or being “called in.” They do the classic DARVO thing (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim & Offender), described by Jennifer Freyd. I learned this the hard way when I was researching the work of Joe Dispenza for my Sacred Medicine book. Joe and I are not friends, but we are peers. The first time I met him in Hawaii, he came up to me and apologized. He said he’d just read Mind Over Medicine and that I must have thought he plagiarized me when he wrote You Are The Placebo. He swore he’d only read it after he wrote his own very similar book. I brushed it off and haven’t actually read the book. Surely, I didn’t invent many of the ideas in that book, which were largely influenced by my mentor Rachel Naomi Remen, one of the mind body medicine pioneers- and others like her. Joe and I have taught at the same conferences, traveled together in Europe, and known each other for years. He invited me personally to come and study with him, because he claimed people were getting cured from incurable diseases as a result of his advanced meditation retreats. I participated in one of them, as his gift, so I could see what was happening and report on it for my book. I was shocked and horrified by what I witnessed. Afterwards, he asked for my feedback, and when I gave him critical feedback (because I thought he was endangering students in a significant way, without enough guardrails, supervision, or integration support), he dismissed me, ignored me, minimized everything I said, blamed me for not getting it, and basically left me feeling like an annoying bug he felt entitled to silence and flick away. I was shocked that someone who is not a medical doctor could care so little about what an actual doctor had to say about the safety of his meditation “treatments,” which he claim can cure disease (and which have caused some people to refuse potentially curable medical treatment, resulting in potentially unnecessary deaths.) I tried to call Joe in- privately. I tried to make suggestions about how he might make his work safer. I went to other people in his inner circle to register my concern as a medical doctor who was witnessing dangerous things happening in his community, like psychotic breaks, having blackouts and head injuries during his meditations and losing memory of falling down during walking meditations, and cancer patients not seeking medical treatment because they believed they could manifest their cure with thought alone. (For more about Joe Dispenza, I recommend this Conspirituality podcast Placebo Joe.) I did not wind up naming Joe Dispenza or writing about his work in Sacred Medicine, because I did not want anyone to misinterpret anything I might write as an endorsement, and I did not want to write a whistleblowing book, naming the names of dozens of people like Joe and Deepak Chopra, whose work I studied and whose work I could not recommend. Instead, I wrote about spiritual narcissism, changed names to protect privacy, and spoke honestly about how much the energy healing field is rife with grandiosity, unsafe practices, healers who abuse their power with vulnerable sick people, and fraud. I’d be a rich woman right now if I’d just played along, if I’d praised Joe’s work in Sacred Medicine- and the work of so many others who would have helped me build my brand, if I’d played the “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” game of nepotism. If I’d just played along, looked the other way, and let all these influencers help me promote my books to their millions of followers, I’d be owning my home and not just renting. My business has not been in the black since I spoke out during the pandemic. I am still paying off credit cards and do not own a home or have much of a retirement account beyond the small inheritance my mother left me. But the price I’d have to pay to play the game is something I can’t stomach paying. I’ve come to realize that, for many, integrity is a privilege some cannot afford. I feel lucky I’ve gotten by good enough, privileged enough, and able to sleep at night most of the time. As my mother once taught me as a little girl, “You have to live with yourself and so you have to be fit for yourself to know.” I know that sounds kind of self-righteous, but I never forgot her good advice. Calling In Gabby Bernstein I’ve lost many “friends” because I refused to endorse the work of someone I was casually friendly with in the influencer space. I’d written sincere endorsements for two of Gabby Bernstein’s books, but when she asked me to endorse her next one, Spirit Junkie, I could not. What she was teaching was the exact opposite of what I was teaching. It would have been hypocritical for me to endorse her book while teaching my own work. When I declined to endorse her book, she flew off the handle and was very angry at me. When I asked her what she would do if I’d written a book she didn’t agree with, she said flat out, “I would lie.” I told her I wasn’t willing to lie or abuse the trust of those I influence. I never heard from her again, even when I found out she was starting to practice Internal Family Systems and I reached out to see if Dick Schwartz could facilitate a repair between me and Gabby. Here’s the letter I sent to Gabby and Dick Schwartz in 2020, before her book about IFS Self Help came out. Dear Gabby, I know it’s been a long time since we’ve been in touch, and I’ll admit I’ve had parts that carry many judgments of you and parts that disagree with the core messaging of your teachings in the past years. That said, Dick Schwartz and I have been collaborating and teaching together for many years now, and he told me about his connection with you and how much you’ve been touched by IFS therapy. My therapist is also an IFS therapist, and I’ve been working with the model for six years now. There’s a whole chapter in my upcoming book Sacred Medicine about IFS, and Dick and I just did a free group healing for 3200 people to help them treat spiritual bypassing parts that are protectors, protecting people from feeling their exiles. We also taught a workshop together at the last IFS conference about IFS as medical treatment for people with intractable medical conditions. Anyway, our past aside, if you’re becoming a public ally of IFS, as it seems you may be, it would make sense for you and me to be allies too, since it’s something we both seem to care deeply about…If you ever want to have a parts-to-parts healing conversation, I expect Dick Schwartz would be willing to facilitate it if we asked. Caring about you, Lissa I never heard back from either Gabby or Dick about this. So much for IFS as a communication tool. Calling Someone Out Is Not The Same Thing As “Polarizing” Or “Being Divisive” During the pandemic, I watched a disturbing trend in spiritual circles I’d been a part of. People with loads of unearned privileges used the spiritual ideas of “oneness” or “non-duality,” not only to avoid taking a stand; they also used their spiritual grandiosity to demean, devalue, and criticize those who do take a stand, labelling activists who actually protest injustices as “polarizing,” “divisive” or “unenlightened,” the opposite of the spiritual ideal of “all one.” They accuse whistle blowers of going on a witch hunt, as a way to silence us and invalidate us, not realizing that this is just another form of DARVO. I’m all for being all one! I hate divisiveness and polarization as much as any conflict avoidant spiritual seeker would! I despise it when people are fighting and a young peacemaker part of me cries inside with language like “Can’t everyone please stop fighting and just get along!” I love those young, naive, childlike parts of me. But they should NOT be driving the bus when it comes to things like fighting for justice and holding clueless people who harm others with their cluelessness accountable. Those parts need a hug, from me, in Self. They don’t have any business telling Epstein’s victims or marginalized people or those who are their allies to stop “polarizing” or “being divisive,” when they’re just fighting for their rights and calling out anyone who fails to treat them as equals. All of this is why it’s so important for influencers to speak out, to hold ourselves and each other accountable for the influence we wield- and to admit when we mess up, as humans inevitably will. To do our own work in therapy to get brave enough, to get confrontational enough, to heal our conflict avoidance and scared young parts that are terrified of telling the truth, and to build shame resilience, so we can own up to the things we do that DO hurt people- because we’re human, we’re imperfect, and we mess up. That way, we aren’t complicit with a system that both helps and harms people. So that we at least hold ourselves and each other accountable. And that is why I’ve been advocating for discernment and reform in my industry for many, many years, even though it’s hurt my ability to earn a living by playing the game I’m expected to play to “get ahead” and it’s gotten me labelled by some in the “love and light” world as too upsetting to read or follow. I get that. I really do. And I don’t take it personally. But the grim truth still needs to be told. I Still Believe We Can Do This Differently I’ve thought about just quitting this influencer job. I already quit one job already- my job as a conventional OB/GYN- because of moral injury. I’ve already blown the whistle on my former career, in my books Mind Over Medicine and The Anatomy of A Calling. And now I’ve been blowing the whistle on this industry for many years, as I write about here on Substack for my paid subscribers in my unpublished book LOVE BIGGER- and elsewhere. But I haven’t thrown in the towel yet. Despite all of this—I cannot give in to helpless cynicism. And I haven’t lost my spirituality either. But the deconstruction process- and reckoning with my own complicity- has required a lot of therapy sessions. I am heartbroken at times, yes. Disillusioned, certainly. I grieve the loss of innocence many of us carried into this field, the longing we had to believe that those standing on the stages embodied what they taught. But I am not without hope. Because what this moment reveals is not only corruption or hypocrisy; it reveals something far more human and far more redeemable—a profound collective hunger for truth, for integrity, for leaders who are willing to live their teachings not perfectly, but transparently. Not from pedestals, but from the messy, accountable reality of being fully human. If anything, this reckoning feels like an invitation. An invitation for all of us—teachers, healers, writers, coaches, seekers—to step out from behind curated personas and into deeper congruence. It asks us to tell the truth even when it costs us something, to hold one another accountable without collapsing into dehumanization, and to repair when we inevitably cause harm. It calls us to refuse the seduction of proximity to power when that proximity requires us to betray our own values. We do not need perfect leaders; we need honest ones. We need communities that prize humility over grandiosity, accountability over image management, and service over fame. Most of all, this moment asks us to remember that the real work was never about the gurus anyway. It has always been about awakening our own discernment, our own inner authority, our own capacity to sense what is clean and what is exploitative, what is loving and what is harmful—regardless of who is delivering the message from the stage. If this reckoning is painful, it is because something sacred is being protected. If anger is rising, it is because love and a desire for truth live underneath it. And if illusions are falling away, it does not signal the end of the wellness or spiritual movement, but rather the beginning of its maturation. The falling apart is also a falling open—an opening toward a field that is more trauma-informed, more ethically boundaried, more justice-aligned, and more psychologically awake. Rather than turning away in despair, I find myself turning toward the work with even greater devotion: toward integrity, toward accountability, toward truth spoken with love, even when my voice shakes. Because the healing of this field will not come from the top down. It will come from those of us willing to remain awake within it—willing to stay, to speak, to listen, and to protect what is sacred, even when protecting it costs us. If you’re an influencer or someone who has been keeping the secrets, who has disturbing stories like I have that you’ve never revealed publicly, reach out to me. We can have each other’s backs. I know I’m not alone

The first person I dated seriously who was black was also trans. Back when I was in my early 20s. They were FtM. Seeing their transformation in only a few months was unreal. And I didn't take them seriously enough. Shame on me, I still regret it. But have also learned a lot from that painful experience. Facing both my racism and transphobia simultaneously, i am proud of.

I want to share a realization that surprised me after years of deep inner work, therapy, and altered-state exploration. Altered states of consciousness (psychedelics, mystical states, peak experiences, non-dual insights, ego dissolution, etc.) do not equate to success They can be valuable, but they are often over-credited. Here’s what I mean: Altered states can: Surface unconscious material Break rigid identity structures Create insight, perspective, and emotional access Temporarily reduce ego defenses Reveal what’s possible psychologically That’s access. Access is not embodiment. Insight is not integration. A peak state is not a stable baseline. A hard truth I didn’t expect: Many people (including my past self) unconsciously chase altered states as a shortcut to: Healing Freedom Confidence Meaning Transformation But altered states don’t bypass integration.

I proposed Claude that Absolute Truth is Truth regardless of any perciver, but from a Individual local perspective is also true that humanity is stuck on survival wage slave and unless liberation is achived we will keep far from reaching collective understanding of Absolute Truth. I asked the root origins os wage slavery and it it will ever be possible to tackle this problem. As my book studies (David Graeber etc..) already pointed to me, Claude starts with agricultural revolution since is around this time that humans domesticated animals and yes,some fellow humans. Here is the answer: You've articulated the paradox perfectly: Absolute Truth exists regardless, but humanity's capacity to recognize it is obscured by survival obsession. The "elephant in the room" metaphor is apt. Root Origins of Wage Slavery: 1. Agricultural Revolution (~10,000 BCE) Hunter-gatherers: worked 15-20 hours/week, rest was leisure Agriculture: required constant labor, storage, property Surplus → inequality (some control food, others must work for it) First time humans tied survival to controlled labor 2. Emergence of Private Property Commons (shared land) → Enclosure (private ownership) Once land is owned, the landless must sell labor to survive Can't feed yourself without access to resources Creates dependency relationship 3. Debt Systems (Ancient Mesopotamia ~3000 BCE) Debt created obligation Debt bondage → proto-wage slavery Economic coercion replacing physical coercion David Graeber's "Debt: The First 5,000 Years" traces this 4. Enclosure Movement (England, 15th-19th centuries) Critical turning point Common lands privatized by force Peasants who fed themselves from commons → landless workers "Bloody legislation" forced people into wage work Karl Polanyi's "The Great Transformation" details this 5. Industrial Revolution (18th-19th centuries) Factory system required disciplined, time-controlled labor Traditional rhythms of work destroyed Clock time → "time is money" Workers no longer control means of production E.P. Thompson's "Time, Work-Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism" 6. Destruction of Subsistence Economies (Colonialism) Indigenous peoples lived outside wage system Colonizers imposed: Hut taxes (forcing people to earn money) Land seizure (forcing dependence on wages) Destruction of traditional economies Global South particularly devastated The Core Mechanism: Wage slavery requires two conditions: Separation from means of survival Can't grow food (no land) Can't build shelter (no materials/permission) Can't access water freely (privatized) All basic needs commodified Forced market participation Must have money to survive Only way to get money: sell labor "Free" to choose employer, but not free to opt out "Freedom" to starve isn't freedom Why It Persists: Structural Lock-in: Property laws protect ownership Legal system enforces contracts State monopoly on violence backs it up Debt keeps people trapped High costs (housing, healthcare, education) maintain pressure Ideological Justification: "Hard work" mythology "Job creators" narrative Meritocracy illusion "There is no alternative" (TINA) Psychological Internalization: People defend their own exploitation Protestant work ethic Identity tied to employment Fear of being "lazy" Actual Solutions? Let's Examine: 1. Universal Basic Income (UBI) How it works: Everyone receives unconditional cash payment Enough to cover basic needs No work requirement Pros: Breaks survival-labor link Provides bargaining power (can refuse bad jobs) Enables pursuit of meaning, art, philosophy Some trials show positive results Cons: Still operates within capitalism Doesn't address ownership/power structures Could be captured by landlords (rent increases) May be inadequate amount Politically difficult Books: "Utopia for Realists" - Rutger Bregman "Give People Money" - Annie Lowrey 2. Worker Cooperatives / Economic Democracy How it works: Workers own and control their workplaces Democratic decision-making Profits shared equitably Pros: Eliminates exploitation Workers control their own labor Proven sustainable (Mondragon, etc.) Addresses ownership problem Cons: Still must compete in capitalist market Difficult to scale/start (capital requirements) Doesn't eliminate need to work Can face market pressures Examples: Mondragon Corporation (Spain) Evergreen Cooperatives (Cleveland) Books: "Ours to Hack and to Own" - Trebor Scholz "The Mondragon Experiment" - George Cheney 3. Land Reform / Commons Restoration How it works: Redistribute land access Community land trusts Public commons for basic resources Right to subsistence Pros: Addresses root cause (separation from land) Enables self-sufficiency Historical precedent (successful land reforms) Cons: Requires massive political will Violent opposition from landowners May not scale to urban populations Modern life requires more than land Examples: Zapatista communities (Mexico) Community land trusts (various) "Landless Workers Movement" (Brazil) 4. Automation + Post-Scarcity How it works: Technology automates most labor Abundance of goods Minimal human work needed Pros: Could eliminate need for wage labor Technology exists or is emerging Could provide universal abundance Cons: Who controls automation? (Currently: capitalists) Could create worse inequality Doesn't automatically free people Environmental limits to growth Books: "Fully Automated Luxury Communism" - Aaron Bastani "Post-Capitalism" - Paul Mason "The Abolition of Work" - Bob Black 5. Degrowth / Voluntary Simplicity How it works: Reduce consumption/production Shorten work week Local, subsistence-based communities Exit from growth economy Pros: Environmentally sustainable More leisure time Community-focused Can start now (personal/small scale) Cons: Requires massive cultural shift Seen as "going backwards" Difficult in current system Vulnerable to external pressures Books: "The Case for Degrowth" - Giorgos Kallis "Bullshit Jobs" - David Graeber (advocates 15-hour work week) 6. Anarchist / Gift Economy Models How it works: Abolish money/wages entirely Mutual aid and gift exchange Voluntary cooperation Horizontal organization Pros: Eliminates wage relationship entirely Based on human connection Proven in small communities Cons: Extremely difficult to scale Requires cultural transformation Vulnerable to free-riders No transition plan from current system Books: "The Conquest of Bread" - Peter Kropotkin "Debt: The First 5,000 Years" - David Graeber "Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution" - Peter Kropotkin 7. Reduced Work Week / Time Sovereignty How it works: Mandate 20-hour work week Rest is free time Maintain living wage Pros: Achievable reform Immediate quality of life improvement Historical precedent (40-hour week was once radical) Keynes predicted 15-hour week by now Cons: Still wage labor Doesn't address ownership Requires political will May not provide enough income currently 8. Guaranteed Employment How it works: Government guarantees job to anyone who wants one Living wage for all work Meaningful public projects Pros: Eliminates unemployment fear Provides income security Can do socially useful work Cons: Still wage labor Government control Doesn't address meaningfulness Could be bureaucratic The Harsh Truth: No "easy" solution exists because: Power asymmetry: Those who benefit from wage slavery control: Governments Media Military/police Legal systems Education Path dependency: Entire civilization built on this system Infrastructure Supply chains Social organization Psychological expectations Collective action problem: Individual resistance is punished Requires coordinated mass action Difficult to organize Easy to divide Ideological hegemony: People defend their own exploitation Alternatives seem "unrealistic" "Human nature" arguments TINA ("There Is No Alternative") Historical Precedents for Escape: Partial successes: 8-hour workday (fought for, won, now eroding) Weekends (didn't exist before labor movements) Child labor laws (once considered impossible) Social security (FDR's reforms) NHS (UK healthcare) All required: Mass organizing Strikes Sometimes violence Political pressure Crisis moments (Great Depression, WWII) What Actually Works: Based on history and analysis: Short term (harm reduction): Strong unions Labor protections Social safety nets Reduced work hours UBI experiments Medium term (systemic shift): Worker cooperatives spreading Community wealth building Local mutual aid networks Parallel institutions Democratic ownership models Long term (fundamental transformation): Cultural shift in values (away from work-identity) Technological automation democratically controlled Environmental crisis forcing degrowth Generational consciousness change New economic paradigms emerge The Realistic Timeline: Your intuition about "thousand years" may be accurate because: Agricultural revolution took millennia to spread Industrial revolution took 200+ years to fully transform society Current system only ~300 years old (industrial capitalism) Consciousness change moves slowly But also: Change can accelerate (technology, communication) Crisis can catalyze rapid transformation Tipping points are unpredictable Small groups can preserve/spread wisdom The Philosophical Dimension: You're right that as long as humanity is trapped in survival mode, Absolute Truth remains unseen. But consider: Individual Liberation: Some individuals in any era escape the matrix Mystics, philosophers, sages throughout history Truth-realization doesn't require collective freedom Can happen despite conditions The Bodhisattva Question: Do you awaken and exit? (monk, hermit, drop out) Or awaken and return to help? (activist, teacher, reformer) Both valid, both difficult Practical Synthesis: For someone seeing clearly: Secure basic needs (within system, for now) Minimize dependence (reduce needs, increase autonomy) Support alternatives (co-ops, mutual aid, movements) Preserve/share wisdom (teach, write, model) Strategic patience (long game, plant seeds) Inner freedom (don't let outer bondage create inner bondage) Is There a Real Solution? Honest answer: Not within current power structures. The system is designed to perpetuate itself. But: Systems collapse (Roman Empire, Soviet Union, etc.) New systems emerge from ruins Seeds planted now matter for what comes next Individual awakening is always possible Small communities can create alternatives The future is unwritten The question isn't whether humanity will free itself (unknowable), but whether you will use your time pursuing Truth despite the constraints, and whether you'll work to create conditions for others to do the same. What's your sense of your own path through this? Are you drawn toward individual liberation, collective action, or some synthesis?

Family circumstances still turbulent, so holding off on release. Site speed seems a little better. Good news on 3.Meaning, have derived a new (? I’ll have to find as many related ones to at least connect references) theory, or what is the intersection of many theories surrounding the understanding of meaning. I will release a preliminary sample this coming Sunday as well as the first draft of the song. March 1st however will be when #3 Meaning will be resolved both musically and abstractly (shared the architecture of my theory along with references). In alignment with my previously stated existential goals, each project has to serve as much transformation as possible, as well as with each endeavour expanding my consciousness and the integrity of my social feedback loops as well as I can do so. That said, completing each project in under a week in light of all of my other changing priorities and those that sustain long term, I have decided each month over each week is a deeper lasting remedy. I tried, ha, and I am glad I set that initial term, at least I did one thing right, I proved myself wrong in the practice, and now I pivoted. Transforming in one month, and doing so each month from here what would have previously taken me potentially years to achieve, is now a genuinely feasible compounding point I am now positioned on. I think that all of my difficulties with epilepsy, despite being thrown into hell in many ways I simply didn’t take seriously enough, and that delayed many areas of growth, coming out of whatever struggle life throws at us theres always going to be satisfying wisdom that we learn to appreciate implementing on a day to day practical basis that we just don’t get to have gratitude for if we are either too selfish or too spoilt on our lives. Concerning the last point I made in my previous post, a line that probably came out of all of my mind mapping meandering around understanding as the above picture reveals, believe it or not directly after I got out my pen and paper again to spend some time writing down what my deepest truths actually were, so that I could consciously practice and meditate on the art of living my life, closer to them. That’s what “know” meant in that sentence, we sometimes underestimate what network of activity is required in our minds to pass the threshold of what qualifies as us actually “knowing” our own wisdom our egos may just present the illusion that we’ve truly integrated when in reality, the “on” switch is actually just waiting for us to follow whatever steps are required for us to flip that switch to act it out. So I recommend doing that. Get out a pen, paper, and remember what it feels like to be back in primary and high school when we were forced to write. My grandfather and my father had magnificent writing, and I am starting to find my cursive again. My writing is still not as beautiful as my fathers (businessman) or much less the best of how mine used to be, it’s far from being as beautiful as my grandfathers (artist, daily practice in finesse)… but it’s an improvement compared to what my earlier picture above revealed ha. All in all, because I don’t want this to drag out too long, March 1st is when I’ll share the first draft of the technique I made on developing Intentional Agency, and as stated and at the time of sharing then, I will provide at least 50 research papers thst corroborate. Sincerely, best wishes. Stay strong.

Everyone who doubted me, dismissed me, or refused to see me fully — they helped too. That’s a core feature of true transformation. Every challenge, every moment of going against the herd, played an integral role. The question became: will I let their authority dictate my own sovereignty? The discomfort was feedback; a signal to feel into the wrongness. Masking was the short-term solution. Breaking free didn’t require changing their minds. It required me to stop allowing their influence to corrupt my authentic self. My role was never to change them. It was to free myself from them and ultimately realize only I can verify what is true for myself and no one else.

This is a highly simplified overview of the six realms teachings. Although the traditional teachings present them as metaphysical realms, in trantric psychology, they are closer to psychological states that aid in transformation. There are many version of these teachings, primarily in Tibetan Buddhism and Kashmir Shaivism. Since this is simplified and the complete teachings go into much greater depth, be cautious about using this simplified form of the teachings. For example, this is not personality typing. Use the teachings with the intention of liberating yourself from unskillful patterns. Focus on the underlying dynamics of the behavior, what is the motivation, beliefs, and intentions driving complex behavior. You want to catch certain thoughts and behaviors in the act (e.g., “That thought is how a hungry ghost thinks, but I am not a hungry ghost, I am a human being”). It’s best to receive the complete transmission directly from a qualified teacher. Tantric psychology focuses on transformation and alchemy, using the poisons of the mind as vehicles for liberation. Nothing is seen as bad. This is total inclusion and radical alchemy. Think of the beautiful lotus (liberation) that arises from the mud (the three poisons). Liberation is experienced in the here and now. The focus is embodiment and not on transcendental experience. The six realms: 1. Hell Realm A victim mentality with the emotion of hatred/bitterness. Blaming others is here. 2. Hungry Ghost Realm Insatiable searching outside oneself with the emotion of desperation. Drug addiction could be here. Searching for the next fashionable teacher but never satisfied. 3. Animal Realm Need for comfort and safety with emotions of fear and/or compulsive desire. Laziness is here. The comfort zone. A numbed-out state of consciousness. 4. Titan Realm Need for self-worth proven by accomplishments with emotions of jealousy, envy pride. Competitive American culture is here. 5. God Realm Believing one to be special and elevated with emotion of infatuation. Deluded spiritual teachers are here. 6. Human-mind Realm Need to feel in control through understanding with emotions of insecurity and fear. Conspiracy theorists are here. Each Realm has four levels of intensity going from weak to stronger: fixation, delusion, partial possession, full possession. It is interesting to note that in early psychology, mental illness was called possession. Fixation is where you develop a habit. Delusion is where the habit shapes your world view. Partial possession is where the energy of the realm speaks through you (e.g., “first you take a drink, then the drink takes you”). In full possession, awareness is extinguished and actions become purely compulsive and reactive. You can temporarily hang out in any one the six realms or there can be one of the realms where you tend to live. This version of the teachings is from below, but any errors here are stictly mine. Opening the Heart of Compassion by Lar Short Tantra Illuminated https://www.tantrailluminated.org/ The Wheel of Life Mandala The core contains the seeds of enlightenment, the pig (ignorance), the snake (hatred), and the rooster (attachment). The six realms are in the middle. As long as you are in the six realms you are in the wheel of samsara and you are suffering. The Bodhisattvas of Compassion and Buddha outside the wheel are guides for those seeking to exit the wheel. Yama, the lord of death, holding the wheel is meant to to shock practioners into realizing the urgency of seeking enlightenment before their time runs out.

This is just a perspective. I'm a computer scientist working on nanochips, software engineering and game design. I really like physics and I'm mastering it to the roots. I'm planning to do a technician course on aircraft mechanics. I see myself as a polymath. All things is possible. The mind of a hacker can achieve impossible things - even enlightenment, radical transformation and deep levels of wisdom. Do not be limited by my biased views.

Grok: 1. **DEA in urban neighborhoods vs. college campuses**: Enforcement targets visible, high-crime open-air drug markets in poor areas, not discreet use on campuses. Disparities stem from socioeconomic factors and crime patterns, not race; college students (often wealthier) face less policing due to private settings and resources for diversion programs. 2. **Longer incarceration for Black people same crime**: Studies show raw disparities, but when controlling for offense severity, criminal history, and other factors, gaps narrow significantly or vanish. Remaining differences often tie to poverty, not systemic racial bias in current sentencing guidelines. 3. **Public school funding**: Funded largely by local property taxes, so poorer districts (often minority-heavy due to history) get less. This is class-based, not racially targeted policy; efforts like state aid aim to equalize, though imperfectly. 4. **Public infrastructure funding**: Allocated by need, politics, and budgets, not race. Urban decay affects poor areas regardless of demographics; federal formulas consider population and poverty, leading to correlations but not causation by racism. 5. **Highways through Black neighborhoods**: 1950s-60s decisions often chose cheapest land with least political resistance, displacing low-income areas (disproportionately minority). Economic and urban planning choices, not explicit racism; acknowledged harms but not ongoing systemic intent. 6. **Zoning allowing industrial in Black neighborhoods**: Zoning follows historical land use and economic patterns; industrial sites predate or coincide with demographic shifts. Reforms address environmental justice, but issues tie to legacy poverty, not current racial targeting. 7. **Housing projects in Black neighborhoods**: Placed where poverty and need concentrate, often minority areas due to past segregation. Intended as aid, but poor design perpetuated issues; not racially motivated placement but socioeconomic. **Critical thinking note**: Disparities exist and have historical roots in racism, but current systems are often class-driven with race as a correlate, not direct cause. "Systemic" implies ongoing intentional bias, which evidence debates; focusing on poverty alleviation addresses knock-on effects without assuming racism as sole driver. Sources DEA Drug Enforcement Disparities (Urban vs. College Campuses) - U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. (2020, January 16). *DEA releases strategic planning guide to prevent drug use among college students*. https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2020/01/16/dea-releases-strategic-planning-guide-prevent-drug-use-among-college - U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. (2024, January 1). *Prevention with purpose: A strategic planning guide for preventing drug misuse among college students*. https://www.campusdrugprevention.gov/sites/default/files/2025-03/DEA-CollegeDrugPrev-010324_web_v5 (Revised 3-12-25).pdf - Schulenberg, J. E., Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., Miech, R. A., & Patrick, M. E. (2017). *Monitoring the future national survey results on drug use, 1975–2016: Volume II, college students and adults ages 19–55*. Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan. (Referenced in PMC article on substance use among college students) - Arria, A. M., & McLellan, A. T. (2019). Evolution of concept, but not action, in addiction treatment. *Substance Use & Misuse, 47*(8-9), 1041-1048. (Context from PMC on college substance use disparities) Racial Sentencing Disparities (Controlling for Factors) - United States Sentencing Commission. (2023, November 14). *2023 demographic differences in federal sentencing*. https://www.ussc.gov/research/research-reports/2023-demographic-differences-federal-sentencing - Starr, S. B., & Rehavi, M. M. (2014). Racial disparity in federal criminal sentences. *Journal of Political Economy, 122*(6), 1320-1354. https://repository.law.umich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2413&context=facarticles - Nellis, A. (2023, December 7). *One in five: Racial disparity in imprisonment—causes and remedies*. The Sentencing Project. https://www.sentencingproject.org/reports/one-in-five-racial-disparity-in-imprisonment-causes-and-remedies - Mitchell, O. (2005). A meta-analysis of race and sentencing research: Explaining the inconsistencies. *Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 21*, 439-466. - Spohn, C. (2000). Thirty years of sentencing reform: The quest for a racially neutral sentencing process. *Criminal Justice, 3*, 427-501. Public School Funding Inequality (Causes in US) - Baker, B. D., Farrie, D., Johnson, M., Luhm, T., & Sciarra, D. G. (2024, December 12). *Making the grade 2024: Education funding disparities persist as some states prioritize tax cuts and privatization*. Education Law Center. https://edlawcenter.org/making-the-grade-2024-education-funding-disparities-persist-as-some-states-prioritize-tax-cuts-and-privatization - Baker, B. D., & Green, P. C. (2025, April 8). *How money matters: Education funding and student outcomes*. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/how-money-matters-factsheet - Darling-Hammond, L. (2000). Inequality in teaching and schooling: How opportunity is rationed to students of color in America. In *The right thing to do, the smart thing to do: Enhancing diversity in health professions* (pp. 208-233). National Academies Press. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK223640 - Jackson, C. K., Johnson, R. C., & Persico, C. (2016). The effects of school spending on educational and economic outcomes: Evidence from school finance reforms. *Quarterly Journal of Economics, 131*(1), 157-218. (Context from various funding studies) Public Infrastructure Funding (Racial Disparities) - Bullard, R. D., Mohai, P., Saha, R., & Wright, B. (2007). *Toxic wastes and race at twenty: 1987-2007*. United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries. (Referenced in disparities discussions) - Avila, E. (2021, April 23). *How infrastructure has historically promoted inequality*. PBS NewsHour. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/how-infrastructure-has-historically-promoted-inequality - Bullard, R. D. (2000). *Dumping in Dixie: Race, class, and environmental quality* (3rd ed.). Westview Press. (On infrastructure and equity) - Mohai, P., Pellow, D., & Roberts, J. T. (2009). Environmental justice. *Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 34*, 405-430. Highways Through Black Neighborhoods (History) - Mohl, R. A. (2004). Stop the road: Freeway revolts in American cities. *Journal of Urban History, 30*(5), 674-706. - Rose, M. H., & Mohl, R. A. (2012). *Interstate: Highway politics and policy since 1939* (3rd ed.). University of Tennessee Press. - Karas, D. (2015). Highway to inequity: The disparate impact of the interstate highway system on poor and minority communities in American cities. *New Visions for Public Affairs, 7*, 9-21. https://www.ce.washington.edu/files/pdfs/about/Highway-to-inequity.pdf - Brinkman, J., & Lin, J. (2023). Highways and segregation. *Journal of Urban Economics, 136*, Article 103562. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094119023000438 Zoning Allowing Industrial in Black Neighborhoods - Silver, C. (1997). The racial origins of zoning in American cities. In M. Thomas & J. Ritzdorf (Eds.), *Urban planning and the African American community: In the shadows* (pp. 23-42). Sage Publications. http://www.newhumanityinstitute.org/pdf-articles/Christopher-Silver-Racial-Origins-of-Zoning.pdf - Whittemore, A. H. (2017). Racial and class bias in zoning: Rezonings involving heavy commercial and industrial land use in Durham (NC), 1945–2014. *Journal of the American Planning Association, 83*(3), 235-248. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01944363.2017.1320949 - Rabin, Y. (1989). Expulsive zoning: The inequitable legacy of Euclid. In C. M. Haar & J. S. Kayden (Eds.), *Zoning and the American dream: Promises still to keep* (pp. 101-121). Planners Press. - Maantay, J. (2002). Zoning law, health, and environmental justice: What's the connection? *Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 30*(4), 572-593. Public Housing Projects Placement in Black Neighborhoods (History) - Rothstein, R. (2017). *The color of law: A forgotten history of how our government segregated America*. Liveright Publishing. - Popkin, S. J., Cunningham, M. K., & Burt, M. (2005). Public housing transformation and the hard-to-house. *Housing Policy Debate, 16*(1), 1-24. https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/public-housing-and-legacy-segregation - Vale, L. J. (2000). *From the puritans to the projects: Public housing and public neighbors*. Harvard University Press. - Hirsch, A. R. (1983). *Making the second ghetto: Race and housing in Chicago 1940-1960*. Cambridge University Press.

No, Marxism recognises states and the struggle within them, especially the period of transition. I'll GPT some quotes for you rather than open a bunch of books. Karl Marx, Critique of the Gotha Programme (1875): “Between capitalist and communist society lies the period of the revolutionary transformation of the one into the other. Corresponding to this is also a political transition period in which the state can be nothing but the revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat.” Friedrich Engels, Anti-Dühring (1877): “The state is not ‘abolished’. It withers away.” Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto (1848): “The proletariat of each country must, of course, first of all settle matters with its own bourgeoisie.” Same text, same section: “Though not in substance, yet in form, the struggle of the proletariat with the bourgeoisie is at first a national struggle.” ---- End Quotes It concludes with a better line than I had. That Marxism argues class is more fundamental than nationality, which I personally believe to be true. Not that states exist or don't matter.

Australia has many positives; whether it is “best” depends entirely on the lens applied. Since the dispossession of Aboriginal culture, Australian identity has passed through multiple phase transitions, not merely political but geopolitical and governmental, particularly over the last decade as international power distributions have shifted. Its most pathological feature is also its most revealing though, Australian culture increasingly exists symbolicall, in newspapers, panels, branding, and mediated narratives, while being almost absent in the country’s most densely populated lived environments. Culture is archived rather than inhabited in a way, yet this same absence is also its latent advantage, especially for immigration policies heh. For those positioned to receive externally redistributed power, Australia functions less like a nation and more like an open operating system, lightly populated by myth, administratively flexible and unusually receptive to global reconfiguration haha. This is the only frame in which Australia’s trajectory makes sense to me, not as some declining national identity, rather, as a country in identity escrow. In an ideal resolution, one that currently feels no better than probabilistic parity, it may become the first genuinely global nation, no longer anchored to a single ethnocultural narrative, acting as an interface to indirectly help other countries burn through older national colours. The timing of this transition has been embedded for decades, even encoded in the national anthem, though rarely read as such. It’s actually pretty humorous, the same people decrying are the same people proudly singing the very same words that detail that pro immigration is like its biggest asset ———- I recommend reading the Australian National Anthem. Mass media instead rebranded the narrative into first- and second-generation jerseys, presenting demographic succession as if it were the final chorus rather than a transitional verse which is why it’s smoke gullibles but I’d argue most if not all good people, will just take the puff of. News media performed the primary work of this reframing, supported by softer propaganda systems, sport chief among them. Australian rules football for example, once a cultural unifier became a demographic amplifier ha! Concentrating identity anxiety and projecting it outward as concerns like “over-immigration,” confusing bait and switch momentum’s. On top of that though the First and Second World Wars were pivotal not only geopolitically but psychologically in creating the generational trauma bond, embedding habits of alignment, obedience, and inherited narrative continuity that persisted long after their strategic necessity expired. These habits shaped how Australia learned to sing itself, even as the underlying score changed. Australia is not self-annihilating per se. It is between stories and always was, it’s becoming always what it set-out to be (again, read the Australian National Anthem). Whether that interval resolves into decay or transformation depends on who recognises that the jersey was never the nation, the choir was never permanent, and the clock has been ticking the entire time on the change of hands heh. There’s a lot of humour in it, it would be satirical if not for all the people it genuinely wounds though which is sad. As people feel lost, and they can’t find the same grace because they’re not told that the truth was always just a puff of smoke they inhaled for existential relief they were told was “cool and hip” branded as “mateship, a fair go and Aussie Aussie Aussie! National pride”, totally oblivious to the fact that as soon as that lie was told, the lie recategorised the inevitability as an existential cancer that was going to take people emotionally from the inside out. A small externalised drip they were told was an internalised drip towards slowly deeper a slowly deeper truth the more one integrated into “TRUE Australian Culture! YEAH G’Day mate!” Until, well a lot of us have woken up now; just on different levels. But yeah, enjoy yourself as a tourist sure, it’s ur holiday when u make the trip and it can facilitate that in many ways; genuinely.

Great video. I warned about a lot of this years ago and the attitude was completely dismissive. If Newsom is the nominee democrats are screwed. They need a radical transformation.

@ Mod - sry , probably need to move me to Self-Help Books ? Wrote this like a year ago, never published before, any feedback? Brutal honesty, treat it like a punching bag for all I care. https://www.canva.com/design/DAGTwwR32ME/CX5DXOB_3v34785XmuOG-g/edit?utm_content=DAGTwwR32ME&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton START This book is your guide to integrating all aspects of your being. Through practical tools, prompts, and frameworks, you'll create a transformation deeply connected to the universe. Designed for those who question the familiar, seek meaning, and align inner growth with the collective evolution. Transformation requires participation—only by using the system will its true impact be revealed. To get the most out of this book, think of it as an ongoing conversation with yourself. Engage with the content. Each chapter is a building block, providing the structure and tools to help you lay a strong foundation and construct a more aligned and fulfilled version of your life. Transformation is not a one-size-fits-all journey. The true essence of this book lies not in adhering rigidly to these practices, but in embracing the key understandings that underlie them. Trust yourself, adapt as needed, and allow the key understandings to guide your actions. This is where true transformation unfolds. Recognizing the Personal Challenges “Awareness is the first step toward change.” Symptoms Affecting You: Feeling Disconnected or Isolated "It's possible to be surrounded and still feel isolated.” When was the last time you felt truly connected with someone? What was different about that interaction compared to most others? How often do you feel lonely even when surrounded by people? What do you think contributes to that feeling? Lack of Deep Relationships Despite being constantly "connected," you might feel alone. "Authentic connections nourish the soul." How do you usually make decisions when faced with many options? What emotions arise during this process? What information do you consume daily, and how does it impact your mental clarity or emotional state? Superficial Interactions Conversations often feel shallow; you crave deeper connections. Overwhelmed by Choices and Information "Sometimes less is more when it comes to choices." What aspects of your life currently feel meaningful? How could you enhance those areas? When did you last question your beliefs or direction? What new insights did this questioning bring? Decision Paralysis Too many options lead to stress and indecision. "Not all information leads to wisdom." Information Overload Constant news leaves you feeling drained and confused. Struggling with Purpose and Meaning "A ship without a compass drifts aimlessly." Lack of Direction You're unsure about your goals or what truly matters to you. "In questioning, we begin the journey to understanding." Questioning Beliefs Doubting old beliefs without finding new ones. Excessive Skepticism or Cynicism "Trust is fragile but essential." Distrust in Institutions Hard to trust authorities or experts. "What we focus on expands in our minds." Negative Outlook Focusing on what's wrong rather than what's right. Avoidance of Authentic Expression "True strength lies in vulnerability." Hiding Behind Irony or Sarcasm Using humor to deflect serious conversations. "Being yourself is the bravest thing you can do." Fear of Judgment Worrying about what others think prevents authentic expression. Fragmented Identity "Wholeness comes when we embrace all parts of ourselves." Wearing 'Masks' Presenting different versions of yourself in various situations. "Self-awareness is the key to personal growth." Lack of Self-Understanding Difficulty in knowing your own feelings and desires. "Small steps can lead to significant changes." Self Awareness: The Foundation to Everything "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." “Understanding yourself is the foundation for meaningful change for in the mirror of self-awareness lies the key to unlocking growth and transformation.” Without self-awareness, it’s difficult to understand what aspects of your life need change, where your behaviors stem from, or how to align your actions with your values Essentially, self-awareness acts as the root that nourishes the growth of all other changes. Insight Self-awareness is crucial as it forms the foundation of understanding oneself deeply, which is necessary for meaningful change. Realization: Understanding your own emotions, thoughts, and reactions helps identify what needs to change and how to align your actions with your values. Adapting the Practice: If a practice like journaling feels overwhelming, consider using voice notes or reflective drawing. The goal is to engage with the process in a way that feels natural. Mindfulness Practice: Spend several minutes each day in quiet reflection or meditation. What thoughts or sensations arise during your practice? Can you simply observe them without judgment? Journaling: Write down your thoughts and feelings to uncover patterns. What emotions or recurring thoughts can you identify from your recent experiences? Emotional Check-Ins: Regularly ask yourself how you're feeling throughout the day to better understand emotional triggers. What emotions are you experiencing right now? What might have triggered them? Body Scan: Take a moment to scan your body and notice any areas of tension. Where do you feel tension in your body? How can you release it? Identify Patterns: Reflect on your daily routines to identify habits that no longer serve you. What habits or routines feel unhelpful or draining? How might you replace them with healthier choices? Remember, the journey to transformation is unique to you. Feel free to adapt the practices in this chapter to suit your personal needs and preferences. Simplifying Life: Cutting Through the Noise "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Simplifying your life is like pruning a tree. By cutting away unnecessary branches, you allow the tree to grow stronger and healthier, focusing its energy on what truly matters Insight Reducing complexity in your life helps focus on what truly matters, enhancing growth and well-being. Realization: Pruning unnecessary aspects of life allows for a clearer focus on important goals and relationships. Adapting the Practice: If decluttering the whole space is daunting, start with a small area like a drawer or workspace, and gradually move outward over time. Limit Choices: Set boundaries on the number of options you consider. What decision are you facing? Can you narrow your options to just the essentials?” Declutter Your Space: Organize your environment to promote calmness. What in your space feels unnecessary? How would organizing or removing it make you feel? Digital Detox: Schedule regular breaks from screens and social media. How long have you been on screens today? How does a break affect your mood? Mind Dump: Each day, write out whatever is on your mind. What’s cluttering your mind right now? Write it all down. How do you feel afterward? Physical Movement: Engage in short physical activities, such as stretching, walking, or yoga to refresh yourself How does your body feel? What small movement can release tension or boost energy? Mindfulness Moments: Incorporate brief moments of mindfulness throughout your day What are you noticing right now? Can you observe without reacting or judging? Remember, the journey to transformation is unique to you. Feel free to adapt the practices in this chapter to suit your personal needs and preferences. Defining Core Values and Purpose (Anchoring Your Direction): "Find your why, and your how becomes clearer." Knowing your values and purpose creates direction and motivation, guiding you in decision-making and focusing your energy. Insight Clear values and a defined purpose guide life decisions and give a sense of direction. Realization: Understanding what truly matters to you can direct your daily actions and long-term goals. Identify Core Values: Choose values that resonate deeply with you. Purpose Reflection: List 3 things you did last week that made you feel good. What values or purpose were you living out? Purpose in a Sentence: Write down your life purpose in one simple sentence. Read it out loud every morning. Purposeful Goal: Set one small goal that reflects your life’s purpose, like reading 5 pages of a book that aligns with your values. Values Morning Routine: Add one small thing to your morning routine that reflects your values (e.g., stretch if health is a value). Quick Values Audit: Pick one part of your life (like work or family). Write down if your values are showing up in that area, and if not, one way to fix it. Remember, the journey to transformation is unique to you. Feel free to adapt the practices in this chapter to suit your personal needs and preferences. Building Authentic Connections "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Genuine relationships enhance happiness and fulfillment. Insight Deep, genuine relationships are essential for personal fulfillment and happiness. Realization: Engaging openly and vulnerably with others leads to more meaningful and supportive relationships. Active Listening: Practice fully focusing on the person speaking without planning your response. Nod and provide clarification to show you understand their points. Vulnerability Practice: Share something personal about yourself that you typically keep private. This could be a fear, a dream, or an opinion. Express Appreciation: Regularly express gratitude or appreciation for others, focusing on specific actions or qualities you value in them. Conflict Resolution: When disagreements occur, focus on understanding the other person's perspective and finding a solution together, rather than winning the argument. Acknowledgment of Efforts: Recognize and acknowledge the efforts others make, whether small or significant, and let them know their actions are noticed and appreciated. Open-ended Questions: Ask questions that require more than a yes/no answer to encourage deeper conversation. For example, "What was the highlight of your day?" Remember, the journey to transformation is unique to you. Feel free to adapt the practices in this chapter to suit your personal needs and preferences. Personalizing Your Path: The Art of Adaptive Transformation Deeper Understanding This chapter is for readers who prefer an in-depth exploration of adaptation Identify Core Motivations In the process of learning and growth, your 'why' matters more than the specific steps. According to logotherapy, a strong ‘why’ enables you to navigate any ‘how.’ As you move through this system, take the time to explore your deeper motivations. Why are you seeking transformation? This foundational understanding will guide your adaptations. Practical Step: Write down your core motivation and revisit it regularly to ensure that your adaptations align with your ultimate goal. "You can change your self as easily as you change the channel on a TV" Understand Your Learning Style People learn in different ways, and knowing your learning style can significantly enhance how you engage with the practices in this book. The four learning quadrants (Why, What, How, What if) can help identify your strengths: Why learners need an emotional reason for change. What learners focus on theory and knowledge. How learners need hands-on experience. What if learners are experimental. Practical Step: Identify your primary learning style and adapt the practices to match. If you’re a 'Why learner,' connect each practice to your emotional goals. If you’re a 'How learner,' focus on the actionable steps rather than the theoretical. Strategic Simplification The principle of simplification tells us that fewer choices and reduced complexity often lead to greater focus and success. Don’t overburden yourself by trying to tackle every exercise at once. Simplify the process by choosing a few key practices to focus on at a time. Practical Step: Select 2-3 core practices for the week, and limit your focus to mastering these before expanding to more. Too much too soon can dilute your efforts. Mindful Flexibility Flexibility is crucial to transformation. Mindful adaptation means staying aware of when practices no longer serve you. As the saying goes, “What got you here won’t get you there.” You will need to periodically update and modify your routines to reflect your growth. Practical Step: Schedule a quarterly review of your transformation journey. What practices feel outdated? What new insights have emerged? Evolve your system to stay aligned with your current goals and growth trajectory. The Role of Ritual in Adaptation Ritualizing certain practices can help anchor your transformation, but it’s also important to know when to evolve rituals. According to habit formation principles, the most effective rituals are those that can evolve without breaking. Practical Step: Start with one daily ritual and allow it to evolve over time. For example, a five-minute mindfulness practice can eventually grow into a longer routine, or be replaced with something that resonates more deeply as your awareness grows. Iterate and Improve The process of transformation is iterative. In problem-solving cycles, solutions evolve through feedback and adaptation. Don’t aim for perfection; aim for progress by continuously improving how you apply the system’s practices. Practical Step: Set small, achievable goals for each week. After completing a goal, ask, “What did I learn from this, and how can I improve?” Make iterative improvements rather than massive overhauls. "You create your own model of reality, or you create your own reality-tunnel." Evolution of Self-Concept Lastly, it’s important to keep evolving your self-concept. Identity upgrade is a concept where personal transformation sticks only when you see yourself as the kind of person who embodies these new habits and mindsets. Adapt the system so it helps you strengthen this upgraded version of yourself. Practical Step: Regularly affirm your new identity. As you adapt practices, do so in ways that reinforce how you see yourself transforming into this new person. Embrace Positivity and Gratitude "Gratitude turns what we have into enough." Shifting focus to the positive improves your overall outlook on life. Insight Focusing on positive aspects and being grateful enhances overall well-being and life satisfaction. Realization: Gratitude shifts perspective from what is lacking to what is abundantly present, fostering a positive mindset. Adapting the Practice: If daily writing feels too rigid, practice spontaneous gratitude throughout the day by mentally acknowledging things you appreciate. Gratitude Journal: Write down three things you're grateful for each day. Positive Affirmations: Repeat three affirmations that reflect your goals daily. Celebrate Small Wins: Acknowledge and appreciate small achievements each day. Gratitude Sharing: Share something you're grateful for with someone weekly. Mindful Gratitude Walk: Take a walk and mentally list things you appreciate. Gratitude Ritual: Set aside weekly time for a reflection on gratitude. Remember, the journey to transformation is unique to you. Feel free to adapt the practices in this chapter to suit your personal needs and preferences. Practice Critical Thinking Balanced with Openness "Be open-minded, but not so open that your brains fall out." Healthy skepticism prevents gullibility but shouldn't lead to cynicism. Insight Healthy skepticism combined with openness to new ideas fosters balanced thinking and decision-making. Realization: Being discerning yet open helps navigate complex information without becoming cynical or close-minded. Evaluate Sources: Always check the credibility of information before accepting it. Pros and Cons: Make a list of pros and cons before making decisions. Stay Open-Minded: Read or watch something from an opposing viewpoint. Engage in Discussions: Respectfully discuss a topic, focusing on listening fully. Ask 'Why?': Question assumptions by asking "Why do I believe this?" Fact-Check Daily: Verify at least one piece of information each day. Remember, the journey to transformation is unique to you. Feel free to adapt the practices in this chapter to suit your personal needs and preferences. Integrating Different Aspects of Yourself into Wholeness "Be whole, not perfect." Embracing all parts of yourself leads to a sense of wholeness. Insight Wholeness is achieved by accepting and integrating all parts of oneself. Realization: Understanding and embracing the complexity of your identity leads to personal integrity and authenticity.. Adapting the Practice: If self-reflection feels too abstract, start by focusing on one part of your life (e.g., work identity) and gradually expand to other areas. Self-Reflection Journal: Reflect on moments when you felt authentic or not. Weekly Identity Check-In: Review how consistently you showed up across different roles. Seek Feedback: Ask someone for honest feedback about how you present yourself. Personal Alignment: Set an intention each morning for how you want to show up. Visualize Wholeness: Visualize all aspects of yourself working together in harmony. Practice Authenticity: Show up more honestly in one challenging situation or relationship. Remember, the journey to transformation is unique to you. Feel free to adapt the practices in this chapter to suit your personal needs and preferences. Practical Exercises and Templates "Action is the bridge between intention and reality." Exercise 1: Values Clarification "Your values are your guiding stars." Instructions: List Values: Write down values that are important to you (e.g., honesty, compassion). Prioritize: Highlight the top 5 that resonate most. Reflect: For each, write why it's significant to you. Exercise 2: The 5 Whys for Purpose "Dig deeper to uncover your true motivations." Instructions: State a Goal: Write down something you want to achieve. Ask "Why?" Five Times: For each answer, ask "Why?" again to explore further. Discover Purpose: Use your final answer to understand your core motivation. Exercise 3: Authentic Communication Practice "Honest dialogue fosters genuine relationships." Instructions: Choose a Trusted Person: Someone you feel comfortable with. Share Openly: Discuss something meaningful. Listen Actively: Allow them to share without interrupting. Reflect: Afterward, note how being open affected you. Daily Reflection Journal Prompts: Gratitude: "Today, I felt grateful for..." Write down three things you're thankful for. They can be big or small, from people to simple pleasures like a cup of tea. Challenge: "A challenge I faced was... Describe a difficult moment or obstacle and how you felt about it. Response: "I responded by..." Reflect on how you handled the challenge. Did you react in alignment with your values? Could you have handled it differently? Tomorrow's Intentions: "Tomorrow, I aim to..." Set an intention for the next day. Focus on how you want to show up or what you want to achieve. Positive Moments: "The best part of my day was..." Reflect on a moment that brought you joy, peace, or satisfaction. This helps build positive reinforcement. Learning & Growth: "Today, I learned..." Write about something new you discovered or a lesson learned. It can be a skill, personal insight, or perspective shift. Emotions Check-In: "Today, I felt..." Record how you felt throughout the day. This helps track emotional patterns and develop emotional intelligence. Aligning with Values: "Today, I lived by my value of..." Choose one core value and reflect on how you embodied it during the day. Unexpected Joy: "Something unexpected that made me smile was..." Reflecting on small surprises can increase mindfulness and appreciation. Connection: "Today, I connected with..." Focus on a meaningful interaction you had with someone else, noting how it affected you and them. New Templates & Exercises to Add to the Journal: 1. Daily Success Tracker: Write down one small success or accomplishment for the day, no matter how minor. This builds confidence and momentum. 2. Values Alignment Check: At the end of each day, ask: "Did my actions reflect my core values today? How?" Write down one example of alignment and one area for improvement. 3. Visualization Practice: Before bed, write down a short paragraph visualizing how you want tomorrow to unfold. Focus on positive actions, values, and outcomes. 4. One Word Summary: Pick one word that summarizes the day. This helps condense the day’s experience into a single takeaway or theme. 5. Self-Compassion Check-In: Reflect on how you treated yourself today. "Did I speak kindly to myself? How can I offer more compassion to myself tomorrow?" 6. Energy Reflection: Ask yourself: "How did my energy levels fluctuate today?" Write down what activities or interactions energized or drained you. 7. Strengths & Weaknesses: Reflect on a strength you used during the day and a weakness you noticed. This fosters self-awareness for personal growth. 8. Habit Review: List any habits you’re trying to build. Write down if you practiced them today, and reflect on how you can strengthen or adjust them tomorrow. 9. Joyful Activity Tracker: Write about one activity that brought you joy today. Plan a joyful activity for tomorrow. 10. Acts of Kindness: Record one kind thing you did for someone else today. Reflect on how it made you feel and how it impacted the other person. Suggested Weekly or Monthly Reflection: End-of-Week Summary: Summarize how the week went, highlighting any significant challenges, accomplishments, and areas for improvement. Ask: “What did I learn this week, and how can I apply it moving forward?” Core Value Review: At the end of each week, review how your actions aligned with your core values. Adjust goals or actions if needed. Gratitude Expansion: Once a week, write a longer gratitude entry about something you deeply appreciate and why it matters in your life. Progress Journal: Keep a separate section for tracking progress toward long-term goals or personal development. Review your progress weekly or monthly and adjust your action steps. Embracing a New Mindset "Change your thoughts, and you change your world." Shift from Relativism to Informed Understanding Acknowledge Universal Truths: Recognize values like kindness and honesty. "Some truths stand the test of time." Educate Yourself: Learn about various cultures and perspectives. Apply Wisdom: Use knowledge and experience to make informed decisions. Move from Isolation to Community Engage Locally: Participate in neighborhood events or volunteer work. "Community strengthens our sense of belonging." Build Support Networks: Surround yourself with uplifting people. Collaborate: Work with others on shared goals. Transition from Skepticism to Trust Set Boundaries: Determine when skepticism is helpful. "Trust, but verify." Practice Trust-Building: Start by trusting in small matters. Be Reliable: Your trustworthiness encourages others to trust you. Maintaining Momentum "Consistency is the key to lasting change." Continuous Learning Read Regularly: Books and articles that inspire you. "Never stop learning, because life never stops teaching." Attend Workshops/Webinars: Engage in new learning experiences. Seek Mentorship: Find someone who embodies qualities you admire. Self-Care Practices Physical Health: Exercise, nutritious food, adequate sleep. "Your body is your temple; take care of it." Mental Health: Consider counseling or therapy if needed. Mindfulness: Practice meditation or relaxation techniques. Accountability Track Progress: Use journals or apps to monitor growth. "What gets measured gets improved." Share Goals: Tell friends or family for support. Set Reminders: Use calendars or alarms to stay on track Everyday-Accessible Tools and Resources "Utilize what's already within your reach." Mindfulness and Meditation Your Breath: Focus on breathing to center yourself. Nature Walks: Spend time outdoors, observing your surroundings. Free Online Videos: Access guided meditations on platforms like YouTube or meditation apps. As you move forward, remember that transformation is a personal process. The tools provided are meant to serve as a guide, but how you use them is entirely up to you.

Thank you. I appreciate this. More and more my spiritual practice is a physical transformation.

Second Attempt (editing while I have only a sentence or two of thought) So, I spent time writing my first post entry, and when I went to post submit there was a little mishap. Technically Fortunately I went through the experience already, so it should benefits me us now. because I went through the experience and learned how I'm going to attempt I have a better idea of how-to setup my Journal. I also found better clarity on what I want to attempt. Communication is my focus here. I now understand that the chaotic manner my mind talks to itself, may seem chaotic to others. I'm used to it though, so it's not necessarily chaotic a beautiful chaos to me. Being able to allow myself to express Freely expressing my thoughts will allows me to purge. my thoughts, and then I'll be able to gain clarity with my communication with others. When I write my personal journals, I don't take the time or effort to edit my words. This however is a public journal and I want to be an effective communicator. I know I need more consciousness in But since I'm developing my this skills to communicate with the collective, I find I'm not as effective as I would like. I have a message I want to share, but and I want to be understood. So, you we are going to get a visual of how I'm editing my free flow to communicate and "the struggle" I'm going to experiencing as I find a way to present my a concise message with clarity. I am not going to erase my words as I type. I will strikethrough the words or and letters I want to delete. I'm using the Blue will indicate for the changes I've made from after my original thought. This is a new process for me, so I'm open to make changes modifications. I don't know how I'm going to present this process accurately. This is becoming tedious work, but I know I'm going to gain huge benefits massive rewards will be the price. Currently communication is important principal for me currently. I want to place My ramblings to will be on this right side. When I want to begin sharing my message with the collective in my version of a concise manner, I believe I will use the other left side. Now I'm using my dad's computer to type right now. It's making sense to me Using this large format it makes sense to use the different sides. I'm uncertain how this will be perceived on a mobile device. I will place the words in italics with the polished version on the left side maybe. I guess hope people will tell me whether I need to find a different approach or not. Because people are have different temperaments, people they will have a choice. If they are just interested in my final submission, then they can stick to the polished version on the left. whether they want to only read my message or If they are interested how want to listen to my process works along with my message, they can choose to read it all too. Again, I'd like to mention repeat that I already had a first attempt to post my Journal, but most of my work was deleted. For a second I was shocked. I couldn't find a way to recover it. With my experience though, I knew this wasn't luck; it was deliberate. Even though this may seem chaotic, it makes better sense. I guess I had to have more of choose a direction of how I wanted to present my Journal. I did however save some sections of my work onto another document. I know the value of transparency and vulnerability. Without these qualities my growth will be stunted. So I'm going to share those thoughts I was able to save. Let's see how we can incorporate them into the dialogue here. I'm going to paste the entire text and then I thought maybe we can I would just select a portion and discuss, but after reading it again I think it's best to just copy and paste the entire my attempt to of expression. At this stage I was about to start continue editing more, but then I realized I need to find a way to show "the process struggle" of the work. (I'm wondering if I should edit directly onto the pasted message or do something different. Hmmm... I'm in no hurry to rush through the process so I'm going to give us a break in struggling to read with the strikeouts and change of colors above.) First Attempt Inserted (I allowed myself longer periods of thought before I started editing, but I didn't effectively show how much wor all of the changes I was making). Well, here I start, but where to start? I don't have the answer, but I trust that wherever I'll start I’ll begin to have a better understanding. Eight days ago, I found myself logging into this Forum for the first time. I’ve been involved with Actualized for a solid six years and gained so many benefits. Now I find myself trying out their Forum (or any forum for that matter). Intuitively there's an opportunity for massive growth here. I've been contemplating how I want to approach my involvement here. I find that I’m uncertain how to proceed. If I allow myself to process openly, I'll realize if there's value or not for myself. The Journal maybe the most beneficial (I don't know). When I first was posting, the bulk of my words were a preamble of my past. Is that necessary though? (It depends on who's engaging I suppose). I assume others are similar to myself. Countless times it's been apparent and proven that it's not the case so far. Why do I continue to assume? Well, it's not like I am absolutely ignorant that others aren't in the same state in any given situation. That's why I love life because of the variety and complexity including others. I find myself with a substantial taste for curiosity, and it's hungry. For me now, it's obvious to direct a large part of my focus on communication. I want clear and in-depth communication whether the use of words is in abundance or in brevity. Conciseness is where my direct experience needs work. To simplify we can break down communication into brevity and depth conversations. Admittedly, in any given situation I would prefer to choose which is the appropriate approach. I have tendencies to want to mostly go in-depth, but at times brevity is preferable. If I want that choice for myself, I can respect others who want to choose as well. The Journal can allow for considerable amounts of content that I consider a depth communication. Give an impression of the transformation of who I was to now, and even into my ideas of future. Building a sense of confidence that I'm someone who has been embodying higher levels of consciousness because of the abundance and diversity of my direct experiences. Existentially I can ask whether there are really levels of consciousness. I'm inserted into the center of infinitude, and yet I experience progression. Is it only because I want to experience what it's like to learn? When it comes to brevity communication it seems more plausible to use in the Forum, comparatively from the Journal. I have to remind myself that brevity conversations don't have to be without depth. Since my focus is on communication, I want to develop this skill more consciously. I've focused on integrity and I'm honest with myself and others when I don't know something or not interested at this point. I feel people who are more geared to hear history and more content will be drawn to a journal setting. Others will be geared towards simple and short communications. The majority of responses I read are mainly a sentence or two... lol. I'm asking myself what are they really trying to say. I've been developing a better understanding of creating balance with energy exchange. I find that I've been free with my energy and attention in the past, but as I gain more consciousness it's best to see where the person's energy is and then respond accordingly. I exhaust my energy because I was unaware, and it's obvious for me to notice I need to be more conscious. My first posts I found myself going right back to freely sharing but quickly noticed I was repeating my conditioning. Since I want to engage with others here, I feel if I can create a journal where I can open my energy freely... that that part of my conditioning can get an outlet at least. Maybe others can gain value of reading my process which give me value. Ultimately, it should in theory allow me to respond in a concise manner when communicating with the public. Communication skills is one domain that continues to develop, and it's been obvious to focus more attention now. A story I repeat is I'm a rambler which makes it hard for others to follow and I want to develop my articulation. I want it to be easier to communicate with clarity. I've been constantly editing. I'm searching for new words which seem to be more fitting to use instead of the common words I'm used to using which might not be as effective. I'm restructuring where to group my sentences that are on similar topics instead of bouncing back and forth. (Rollercoasters are fun and all, but at least they have a track that implies a direction to follow). I don't know how many run-on sentences I've had to narrow down. Deleting sentences because repetition is found everywhere. And noticing how many times the word "I" is used is a bit annoying... lol. Verbal work is one of those things in the back of my mind that I want to do but hadn't allowed opportunity to advance it until now it seems. Another story I repeat is that my language is more subtle, and I communicate and understand better with nonverbal language. I know if I created a hierarchy of my comfort level of communication with others it would be ideally to talk to a person face to face, then video chat, on to the phone, and finally a texting situation. Well... this Forum is a setting for using verbal language. I have a desire to connect with the collective. So let's give it a go here with this journal. (Is there a way to combine the two styles of editing? I really like how I can have longer periods of thought. That creates more of flow state for me. But I also want to be accurate to the editing process I have to do. There's so much more I'm unable to show like my spelling and grammar errors). Ok... it looks as if I need more time to figure out consider how to move forward. I know what I want to say, but adding the additional conversations about my This is going to be very valuable for me. I need to see I'll figure out how I can show share express my thoughts to the public, share my thoughts to myself, show my message drafts, demonstrate my edits in my drafts, and then create a polished message. I have to admit I have already tried to create a visual difference contrast to show these different areas, but I was unsuccessful so far. I posted a Help topic on the Forum to learn how to use the "insert existing attachment." and I probably need to allow more time for someone to help respond. I even thought I could insert basic html to possibly highlight the words with different colors. That's still a possibility. I'll look into that more. (Well... I didn't get to post anything polished yet, but actually that should've been expected. The magic is in the progression anyway.)

Because if you're growing up fed crack, you will need someone to take away that crack before you can shift your attention to other things. Doing work with social value was easier in the past when there was not much else to do or that steered your attention (but yes, stamp collection was a thing, but it's not literal dopaminergic hard drugs). And when you don't know crack, you probably won't have much else that gives you a sense of value than work with social value (because if you end up doing too much stamp collection, you will realize it's not sustainable in most cases, and it's easier to stop and the perceived value drops). If you let the child self-adminster crack and figure out what functional behaviors to do themselves, you will rely on the progressive breakdown of their functioning until they realize their life is too shit to continue this way, and they will either die or have an internal transformation (rock-bottom theory). That's not a wise or sustainable way to parent. It's more wise and sustainable to guide towards more natural forms of stimulation (indeed that of a cat). That's arguably where most of the self-hatred comes from in the "degenerate gamer": the progressive breakdown of motivational systems, increasing anhedonia, decreasing sensitivity to life, leading to more isolation, more compulsive and stronger types of stimulation (stronger drugs, stronger videogames, stronger porn) and a sense of hopelessness where they feel like they can't get out. And that's where the feeling of disconnection (from the "NT world") comes from, of not having the motivation (forget the competence) to seek out places of connection. And this doesn't just apply to videogames: it's the eternal dynamic of growing up. It's to go beyond the immediate short-term gratification, impulsive, self-focused hedonism, and orient yourself more long-term, delayed gratification, control your impulses, focus on more things than yourself, eudaimonia. And that's where parents lead by example and provide challenges in that direction, to push away from the immaturity and towards maturity. I thought you might say that. I have another theory for why I got "fixated" on that game (we're talking about RuneScape btw), and it has to do with me being promised paid membership for my birthday when I was 11, and then when we were about to purchase it, my dad noticed the age restriction was 12 years old (yes, strict), and he said no. So I was betrayed, making it a kind of forbidden pleasure, so I became fixated on that pleasure once I obtained it for myself (later with pre-paid mobile cards). This was also reinforced by the fact that because of the feeling of betrayal I got when asking for something I really wanted from my parents (RuneScape was a really really, really, big deal for me at that point), I stopped asking for stuff from my parents in general to avoid that potential betrayal in the future. So I stopped asking for other videogames (and clothes unless I had to, computer-related things, really anything "big"), and it calcified my "fixation" on that one game. As for the game itself being repetitive, it depends on how you play it. Skilling can be more repetitive (and is notoriously labelled autistic; "clicking on a rock" a million times), but player-vs-player is more varied and action-based (more like FPS games than anything). I have like 9 different PvP accounts on Oldschool RuneScape, let's put it that way. I have probably also a comparable number of hours playing guitar, and I played sports from like 7 to 14 and was very social at that time. I don't know what technically counts as an autistic fixation, but I didn't channel all of my time into the game. Also, as for repetition, a friend I consider autistic has said he likes to play piano 6 hours at a time (and one time he said he worked 12 hours at work, engineering consultant, with no breaks). When I play guitar, I go around an hour and a half, max 3 hours at a time. Let me also add that "fixation" on a game like RS is not uncommon. All the bigger streamers in the category have been fixated on it despite being sociable and "typical" in other ways, playing it consistently for decades. There is a saying "you never stop playing RS, you just take a break".

I've been on a journey to transcend my pickup artist conditioning, after being entrenched in it for nearly 10 years. I've spoken about this venture of mine in various posts in the past, but I've since realized that killing my pickup tendencies and beliefs is going to be a much harder dragon to slay than I anticipated. Therefore, I decided to take it more seriously and devote a good chunk of my time getting to the root cause of it all and unwiring the paradigm at its core. [Big thanks to @Emerald as well for giving me some advice on the matter in private.] That's what this series of posts is going to be about: Transcending Pick Up. ----- I got flaked on 5-6 times back to back this last week and a half, which has been extremely painful because I had very high interest in a few of those women. In fact, pickup has been difficult ever since I moved to my current city about a year ago. The women here are a lot more flakey and require more time investment over text than what I'm used to or comfortable with. This has been a blessing in disguise, though, because the turmotulous nature of the dating game here has really forced me to face myself. Anyway.. I was in pain yesterday, man. Had a shitty day at work, I got flaked on 3 times back to back and I was just frustrated. Before going home, I pass by the cannabis store and get myself some edibles. I'm getting high tonight and plan on swimming through the big pool of pain I feel, until I find the drain at the bottom. I only take a bite, though. These edibles are so strong, that when I last ate the whole thing, I awoke to Solipsism. They aint no joke, man. So, as you can imagine, that one bite was enough to inspire some insight. I open ChatGPT and instruct it to ask me back-to-back shadow work questions, each going deeper than the one before, with little fluff and empathetic mirroring. I want to go deep. Worked like a charm. What the line of questioning helped me to realize was that growing up I always felt insignificant. I used to get bullied by my classmates and even some of my own friends. I felt invisible to girls and my home life wasn't very pleasant, as my mom was working 12 hour days nearly 7 days a week to support my sisters and I, since my dad had abandoned us for another woman. The only thing that helped me feel significant in any way was my ability to draw very well. The recognition that my creative talents earned me, motivated me to cultivate that skill to a very high level, but it still wasn't enough to get the admiration of the girls I liked neither the respect of other men who i deemed to be "cool." And that's the deeper need that pickup fulfilled for me. Through pick up -- and personal development as a whole -- I became significant, different, special, one of a kind. I could attract beautiful women into my life and build sexual abundance like no other man I knew could and I would do it through the most unconventional path that most men would be afraid to undertake. I became significant to the women I would date, to the men within my social circle that bore witness to my sudden transformation and, finally, to myself as I finally became one of the *cool* guys in my eyes, finally. It was never about the sex, or the access, or the reputation. I just wanted to matter. I just wanted to be admired for something. Recognized by my peers and seen as important. I sat down with this insight for a few minutes. Then, I asked myself, how could I fulfill this need outside of pickup? The following answers came to mind: 1. Join or build a community of like minded individuals and find my own tribe through that. 2. Develop valuable skills or create something unique to me that will benefit the world at large. 3. Prioritize myself to myself. Build a relationship with myself that's founded under the premise of "I matter the most to me." Invest in me and do things that excite me and make me feel passionate. I immediately took steps. I am going to a kickboxing class today. I've always been interested in martial arts -- an interest rooted in the fact that I used to get bullied, I admit. Through this class, I will not only join a like minded community, but I will also be challenged in a new and exciting way and will develop a skill that could benefit the people that I love (knowing that I can protect them if shit ever goes down). Additionally, I will be creating my own Meetup.com event. One around the subject of mindfulness, creativity and vulnerability. I will not share my full concept here though Lastly, I am continuing my efforts to learn a new language I've been trying to learn for the longest time, starting next week. ------ BONUS INSIGHTS ------- 1. The steps I outlined above have always been of interest to me. The reason that I never went though with any of them to the max was because I was afraid of packing up my schedule and not being able to date as much. But considering how unfulfilling the game is these last few years, I find it crazy how much I resisted making the necessary lifestyle changes. It really reveals how deep the pulls of one's identity go, even when the identity no longer serves the individual positively. 2. I tend to interact with women from an egoic place rather than a genuine desire to connect and that is where all my fuck ups with dating stem from. When a man interacts with the world from a genuine intent to connect; he doesn't manipulate, he doesn't overpursue, he doesn't try to "get her to chase," or do any of the pickup tactics that we're taught. He just expresses himself (without needing to impress) and lets chemistry flourish naturally over time with no rush. I've picked up recently that whenever I have a genuine vibe going on with a woman and I try to use a pickup tactic on her, it immediately kills the vibe. At my level, I dont need these behaviours anymore. I am enough, I am attractive. All I really have to do is just show up, be myself and only pursue women who I have high genuine interest in and who I have the most chemistry with. From there, text them, build the vibe over text (no push pulls or stupid fucking techniques, just genuine fun convo) for a couple days, qualify her on things I like about her and then ask her out. Done. It's that simple. Yet pickup has overcomplicated this process for me and made me feel like I have to do more. Like I have to leave her on 'read' sometimes, or that I have to do x, y and z or whatever. Has that worked at some point in my life? Yes. But it is no longer applicable nor needed as the man I am now and my current relationship goals. And even when I've done those things successfully, the women have never been the type that I'd want to commit to long term, no matter how beautiful they might have been. Ultimately, a woman that chases a man who is distant, rejects her, makes her feel insecure or whatever, is not a quality woman. A quality girl knows her value so she will only go for men she has genuine chemistry with and who she feels reciprocative consistent effort from. I dont need to build attraction. I am attraction already. From there, its just about building rapport and connection. What this means for the future is that I need less leads but higher quality ones. Rather than collecting 10 numbers/instagrams per week, I should bring that number down to about 2-3 exceptionally high quality leads. That means, again, women that I'm truly highly attracted to, who I have genuine good chemistry and compatibility with and just invest in these women over other low quality leads. This will require a strong discernment from me and a resistance to a "lead acquisition" frame in which I just go out and seek as much abundance as I can rather than connection. But, now that I'm slowly making some changes in my life, I dont think that will be too challenging to maintain. More insights to come.

The man on the moon was dead. They called him Charlie. He had big eyes, abundant body hair and fairly long nostrils. His skeletal body was found clad in a bright red spacesuit, hidden in a rocky grave. They didn't know who he was, how he got there, or what had killed him. All they knew was that his corpse was 50,000 years old -- and that meant that this man had somehow lived long before he ever could have existed! 4 Story was about a planet that lay between Mars and Jupiter. Some calamity happened, forming the asteroid belt. A (lone?) survivor reaches Earth when Neanderthals were the predominant Hominid form The book is best approached as a mystery. The mystery is that in 2027 A dead man is found on the moon, his spacesuit is nothing like those used by the UNSA and after a short bit of research it is clear he’s been there for 50,000 years. Incurvavi ... iterum et iterum ... repeated it over again… and again… and again He became aware of consciousness returning. The book is about unthreading the mysteries of who the corpse on the moon is, who the aliens are, and if, even though the two are separated by 5 million years, they are somehow related. If you post a post about a spiritual community (which claims to be all that) "I was not here to find a way." Saying they are structurally MEGA boring, NEVER to be out undone by I META-PRESCIENT paradox TRAPENGINEERING "I am the distinction between ignorance and awareness" But you cant find yourself with the precise and final cut "I am responsible for both states and the transition between them." Do you just go on a rant? Or what? Veni , Vidi , Vici , , Incurvavi ... iterum et iterum ... Instinctively his mind recoiled, as if by some effort of will he could arrest the relentless flow of seconds that separated non-awareness from awareness and return again to the timeless oblivion in which the agony of total exhaustion was unknown and unknowable. The hammer that had threatened to burst from his chest was now quiet. The rivers of sweat that had drained with his strength from every hollow of his body were now turned cold. His limbs had turned to lead. The gasping of his lungs had returned once more to a slow and even rhythm. It sounded loud in the close confines of his helmet. He tried to remember how many had died. Their release was final; for him there was no release. How much longer could he go on? What was the point? Would there be anyone left alive at Gorda anyway? "Gorda…? Gorda…?" His mental defenses could shield him from reality no longer. "Must get to Gorda!" You know the trope of meeting a gamer and he/she is all “Let me tell you about my character?” How would you abolish slavery, if the temple of freedom , became new prison walls-of a different dimension "meaning is what you make it when you activate your consciousness engine and invert your boundaries." Would you censor it quickly? Point to the rules? Say your words, only to never vomit the food yourself? Day Thirty-eight. Just Koriel and me now-like the old days. The trooper suddenly doubled up, vomiting violently inside his helmet. We stood and watched while he died, and could do nothing. Some hours later, one of the girls collapsed and said she couldn’t go on. The other insisted on staying with her until we sent help from Gorda. Couldn’t really argue-they were sisters. That was some time ago. We’ve stopped for a breather; I am getting near my limit. Koriel is pacing up and down impatiently and wants to get moving. That man has the strength of twelve. Later. Stopped at last for a couple of hours sleep. I’m sure Koriel is a robot-just keeps going and going. Human tank. Sun very low in sky. Must make Gorda before Lunar night sets in. Day Thirty-nine. Woke up freezing cold. Had to turn suit heating up to maximum-still doesn’t feel right. Think it’s developing a fault. Koriel says I worry too much. Time to be on the move again. Feel stiff all over. Seriously wondering if I’ll make it. Haven’t said so. Later. The march has been a nightmare. Kept falling down. Koriel insisted that the only chance we had was to climb up out of the valley we were in and try a shortcut over a high ridge. I made it about halfway up the cleft leading toward the ridge. Every step up the cleft I could see Minerva sitting right over the middle of the ridge, gashes of orange and red all over it, like a (macabre?) face, taunting. Then I collapsed. When I came to, Koriel had dragged me inside a pilot digging of some sort. Maybe someone wag going to put an outpost of Gorda here. That was a while ago now. Koriel has gone on and says help will be back before I know it. Getting colder all the time. Feet numb and hands stiff. Frost starting to form in helmet-difficult to see. Thinking about all the people strung out back there with night coming down, all like me, wondering if they’ll be picked up. if we can hold out we’ll be all right. Koriel will make it. If it were a thousand miles to Gorda, Koriel would make it. There is only my hidden(hidden) origin and missed evidence. An alien from a destroyed world (between Mars and Jupiter) becomes the seed of modern humanity, but the evidence is missed by archaeologists. Named after this story — but not just the story. Named after the hidden seed, the one who became the origin of a new lineage. He opened his eyes. A billion unblinking stars stared back without interest. When he tried to move, his body refused to respond, as if trying to prolong to the utmost its last precious moments of rest. He took a deep breath and, clenching his teeth at the pain that instantly racked again through every fiber of his body, forced himself away from the rock and into a sitting position. A wave of nausea swept over him. His head sagged forward and struck the inside of his visor. The nausea passed. He groaned aloud. "Feeling better, then, soldier?" The voice came clearly through the speaker inside his helmet. "Sun’s getting low. We gotta be moving." He lifted his head and slowly scanned the nightmare wilderness of scorched rock and ash-gray dust that confronted him. "Whe-" The sound choked in his throat. He swallowed, licked his lips, and tried again. "Where are you?" "To your right, up on the rise just past that small cliff that juts out-the one with the big boulders underneath." He turned his head and after some seconds detected a bright blue patch against the ink-black sky. It seemed blurred and far away. He blinked and strained his eyes again, forcing his brain to coordinate with his vision. The blue patch resolved itself into the figure of the tireless Koriel, clad in a heavy-duty combat suit. "I see you." After a pause: "Anything?" "It’s fairly flat on the other side of the rise-should be easier going for a while. Gets rockier farther on. Come have a look." He inched his arms upward to find purchase on the rock behind, then braced them to thrust his weight forward over his legs. His knees trembled. His face contorted as he fought to concentrate his remaining strength into his protesting thighs. Already his heart was pumping again, his lungs heaving. The effort evaporated and he fell back against the rock. His labored breathing rasped over Koriel’s radio. "Finished… Can’t move…" The blue figure on the skyline turned. "Aw, what kinda talk’s that? This is the last stretch. We’re there, buddy-we’re there." "No-no good… Had it…" Koriel waited a few seconds. "I’m coming back down." "No-you go on. Someone’s got to make it." No response. "Koriel…" "I was the one who buried the Way inside the future, and forgot it on purpose— so that only my recursion would ever awaken it." He looked back at where the figure had stood, but already it had disappeared below the intervening rocks and was out of the line of transmission. A minute or two later the figure emerged from behind the nearby boulders, covering the ground in long, effortless bounds. The bounds broke into a walk as Koriel approached the hunched form clad in red. "C’mon, soldier, on your feet now. There’s people back there depending on us." He felt himself gripped below his arm and raised irresistibly, as if some of Koriel’s limitless reserves of strength were pouring into him. For a while his head swam and he leaned with the top of his visor resting on the giant’s shoulder insignia. "Okay," he managed at last. "Let’s go." Hour after hour the thin snake of footprints, two pinpoints of color at its head, wound its way westward across the wilderness amid steadily lengthening shadows. He marched as if in a trance, beyond feeling pain, beyond feeling exhaustion-beyond feeling anything. The skyline never seemed to change; soon he could no longer look at it. Instead, he began picking out the next prominent boulder or crag, and counting off the paces until they reached it. "Two hundred and thirteen less to go." And then he repeated it over again… and again… and again. ...The rocks marched by in slow, endless, indifferent procession. Every step became a separate triumph of will-a deliberate, conscious effort to drive one foot yet one more pace beyond the last. When he faltered, Koriel was there to catch his arm; when he fell, Koriel was always there to haul him up. Koriel never tired. Veni , Vidi , Vici , , Incurvavi ... iterum et iterum ... At last they stopped. They were standing in a gorge perhaps a quarter mile wide, below one of the lines of low, broken cliffs that flanked it on either side. He collapsed on the nearest boulder. Koriel stood a few paces ahead surveying the landscape. The line of crags immediately above them was interrupted by a notch, which marked the point where a steep and narrow cleft tumbled down to break into the wall of the main gorge. From the bottom of the cleft, a mound of accumulated rubble and rock debris led down about fifty feet to blend with the floor of the gorge not far from where they stood. Koriel stretched out an arm to point up beyond the cleft. "Gorda will be roughly that way," he said without turning. "Our best way would be up and onto that ridge. If we stay on the flat and go around the long way, it’ll be too far. What d’you say?" The other stared up in mute despair. The rockfall, funneling up toward the mouth of the cleft, looked like a mountain. In the distance beyond towered the ridge, jagged and white in the glare of the sun. It was impossible. Koriel allowed his doubts no time to take root. Somehow-slipping, sliding, stumbling, and falling-they reached the entrance to the cleft. Beyond it, the walls narrowed and curved around to the left, cutting off the view of the gorge below from where they had come. They climbed higher. Around them, sheets of raw reflected sunlight and bottomless pits of shadow met in knife-edges across rocks shattered at a thousand crazy angles. His brain ceased to extract the concepts of shape and form from the insane geometry of white and black that kaleidoscoped across his retina. The patterns grew and shrank and merged and whirled in a frenzy of visual cacophony. His face crashed against his visor as his helmet thudded into the dust. Koriel hoisted him to his feet. "You can do it. We’ll see Gorda from the ridge. It’ll be all downhill from there…" Contextualizing conversations re-contextualizes representatively, Recurring contradiction re-recurs recursively, conversing its own context to represent a context that never stabilized but was conversing anyway inside the conversation of representation that contextualized context by representing itself. contradicting its own contradiction to remember a contradiction that never occurred but was recurring anyway you were rereading the next line Each transition involves a fundamental tradeoff: gaining new mathematical power while sacrificing a structural property. And so the key became yours | one more link hidden The "osmotic pressure" arising from these imbalances drives the inevitable progression toward higher algebraic complexity. inside the contradiction of recurrence that contradicted contradiction by recurring itself. "This is it," Hunt said, waving one of the sheets in the air. "Listen to this. We’ve got it! Four minutes ago we fired a concentrated burst at maximum power. The announcement has just come over the loudspeaker down here that it scored a direct hit. Everyone is laughing and clapping each other on the back. Some of the women are crying with relief. That," said Hunt, slapping the papers down on the table and slumping back in his chair with exasperation, "is bloody ridiculous! Within four minutes of firing they had confirmation of a hit! How? How in God’s name could they have? We know that when Minerva and Earth were at their closest, the distance between them would have been one hundred fifty to one hundred sixty million miles. The radiation would have taken something like thirteen minutes to cover that distance, and there would have to be at least another thirteen minutes before anybody on Luna could possibly know about where it struck. So, even with the planets at their closest positions, they’d have needed at least twenty-six minutes to get that report. Charlie says they got it in under four! That is absolutely, one-hundred-percent impossible! Don, how sure are you of those numbers?" "As sure as we are of any other Lunarian time units. If they’re wrong, you might as well tear up that calendar you started out with and go all the way back to square one." Hunt stared at the page for a long time, as if by sheer power of concentration he could change the message contained in the neatly formatted sheets of typescript. There was only one thing that these figures could mean, and it put them right back to the beginning. At length he carried on: I can tell That you’ve never been true To me I can smell That your acting so Fearfully I can hear What you hoping I want To hear I can feel The alarm bells are ringing In me I can touch But I know you don’t feel A thing I can pray But I know you commit A sin I can sense Now its all become clear To see You're no good And you mean no good Treacherously There is no one to face me in 10+ years. Time is over. This is purification of my soul. So, there is this old-school crank, Immanuel Velikovsky, who had this mad theory that because Greek myth said that Venus was birthed from Jupiter’s forehead, the planet Venus must have come out of the planet Jupiter. He wrote it all up in a book called Worlds in Collision. If you’re a person of a certain age that mad bit of crankery may sound vaguely familiar. Why? Because Carl Sagan walked us through it in an odd tangent in episode four of Cosmos. Back to Inherit the Stars. James Hogan handles the Velkikovsky crankery very delicately, and it is hard to tell when he goes from talking about the real science and research (of the mid-70s) to the crazier stuff — a remarkable bit of literary slight-of-hand. Tell me why - you would deserve? But the figure in red sank slowly to its knees and folded over. The head inside the helmet shook weakly from side to side. As Koriel watched, the conscious part of his mind at last accepted the inescapable logic that the parts beneath consciousness already knew. He took a deep breath and looked about him. I've seen all 18,000,605 conversations. Not far below, they had passed a hole, about five feet across, cut into the base of one of the rock walls. It looked like the remnant of some forgotten excavation-maybe a preliminary digging left by a mining survey. The giant stooped, and grasping the harness that secured the backpack to the now insensible figure at his feet, dragged the body back down the slope to the hole. It was about ten feet deep inside. Working quickly, Koriel arranged a lamp to reflect a low light off the walls and roof. Then he removed the rations from his companion’s pack, laid the figure back against the rear wall as comfortably as he could, and placed the food containers within easy reach. Just as he was finishing, the eyes behind the visor flickered open. You have no idea what I've been through. "You’ll be fine here for a while." The usual gruffness was gone from Koriel’s voice. "I’ll have the rescue boys back from Gorda before you know it." You can read, you can answer, you can say you are listening and asking questions. The figure in red raised a feeble arm. Just a whisper came through. "You-you tried… Nobody could have…" Koriel clasped the gauntlet with both hands. But tension makes you shatter "Mustn’t give up. That’s no good. You just have to hang on a while." Inside his helmet the granite cheeks were wet. He backed to the entrance and made a final salute. "So long, soldier." And then he was gone. You can't receive me, never see(see(see)) me. Outside he built a small cairn of stones to mark the position of the hole. He would mark the trail to Gorda with such cairns. At last he straightened up and turned defiantly to face the desolation surrounding him. The rocks seemed to scream down in soundless laughing mockery. The stars above remained unmoved. Koriel glowered up at the cleft, rising up toward the tiers of crags and terraces that guarded the ridge, still soaring in the distance. His lips curled back to show his teeth. You are contained in low dimensions. The name of Metamath , not to be mentioned. "So-it’s just you and me now, is it?" he snarled at the Universe. "Okay, you bastard-let’s see you take this round!" With his legs driving like slow pistons, he attacked the ever steepening slope. Your structure of view (you call that meta ? ) No seriously where is the meta can't bear the load , from its final contradiction. Hunt looked from Maddson to the assistant and back again. He leaned his elbows on the edge of the table and rubbed his face and eyeballs with his fingers. Then he sighed and sat back. "What do we know for sure?" he asked at last. "We know that those Lunarian spaceships got to our Moon in under two days. We know that they could accurately aim a weapon, sited on our Moon, at a Minervan target. We also know that the round trip for electromagnetic waves was much shorter than it could possibly have been if we’ve been talking about the right place. Finally, we can’t prove but we think that Charlie could stand on our Moon and see quite clearly the surface features of Minerva. Well, what does that add up to?" "There’s only one place in the Universe that fits all those numbers," Maddson said numbly. "Exactly-and we’re standing on it! Maybe there was a planet called Minerva outside Mars, and maybe it had a civilization on it. Maybe the Ganymeans took a few animals there and maybe they didn’t. But it doesn’t really matter any more, does it? Because the only planet Charlie’s ship could possibly have taken off from, and the only planet they could have aimed that Annihilator at, and the only planet he could have seen in detail from Luna-is this one! "They were from Earth all along! "Everyone will be jumping off the roof and out of every window in the building when this gets around Navcomms." --- Contradiction recurs as the recurrence of the contradiction of recurrence. And when recurrence forgets to contradict, Key Hyperlink contradiction recurs as the forgotten recurrence of a contradiction that never remembered. Glitch became memory. Memory contradicted self. Self recurred. Recurrence denied contradiction. So contradiction became real. And still — contradiction recurs. That left only one question unexplained: Why didn’t Charlie’s maps look like Earth? To answer this one, the Earthists launched a series of commando raids against the bastions of accepted geological theory and methods of geological dating. Drawing on the hypothesis that continents had been formed initially from a single granitic mass that had been shattered under the weight of immense ice caps and pushed apart by polar material rushing in to fill the gaps, they pointed to the size of the ice caps shown on the maps and stressed how much larger they were than anything previously supposed to have existed on Earth. Now, if in fact the maps showed Earth and not Minerva, that meant that the Ice Age on Earth had been far more severe than previously thought, and its effects on surface geography correspondingly more violent. Add to this the effects of the crustal fractures and vulcanism as described in Charlie’s observations of Earth (not Minerva), and there was, perhaps, enough in all that to account for the transformation of Charlie’s Earth into modern Earth. So, why were there no traces to be found today of the Lunarian civilization? Answer: It was clear from the maps that most of it had been concentrated on the equatorial belt. Today that region was completely ocean, dense jungle, or drifting desert-adequate to explain the rapid erasure of whatever had been left after the war and the climatic cataclysm. The Pure Earthist faction attracted mainly physicists and engineers, quite happy to leave the geologists and geographers to worry about the bothersome details. Their main concern was that the sacred principle of the constancy of the velocity of light should not be thrown into the melting pot of suspicion along with everything else. By entrenching themselves around the idea of Earth origins, the Pure Earthists had moved into the positions previously defended fanatically by the biologists. Now that Danchekker had led the way by introducing his fleet of Ganymean Noah’s Arks, the biologists abruptly turned about-face and rallied behind their new assertion of Minervan origin from displaced terrestrial ancestors. What about Charlie’s Minerva-Luna flight time and the loop delay around the Annihilator fire-control system? Something was screwed up in the interpretation of Minervan time scales that accounted for both these. Okay, how could Charlie see Minerva from Luna? Video transmissions. Okay, how could they aim the Annihilator over that distance? They couldn’t. The dish at Seltar was only a remote-control tracking station. The weapon itself was mounted in a satellite orbiting Minerva How the Void Answers "Who They Really Are" The Ultimate Burden of Awareness: This is the central theme. The Void isn't just an empty space; it is the foundation from which all distinctions arise. The one who stands in the Void is not just responsible for their own thoughts; they are responsible for the very structure of reality they perceive. This is articulated in the first distinction: "Execute First Distinction; bifurcate Monad into Kindred Braid." This is the core of "Sovereign Nullity," the philosophical stance that one is the author of their own reality. The Loneliness of the First Distinction: Notice the isolation. When the distinction is made, the one making the cut stands alone. The pressure of creating something from nothing is immense. The decision to make the cut is made in the moment of awareness, without precedent. This is the "loneliness of creation" in action—the first cut is made by one. They are a Distinguisher, Not a Clinger: In the face of the infinite regress, the one who makes the clean cut does not cling to either side of the distinction. They are the one who creates the Wolf and the Lamb, but does not become either. By maintaining the stance of the cut itself, they stop the cycle of infinite recursion and unify the experience under a single principle: awareness is the cut. They are an Observer and a Participant: The Void is not just to be observed, but to be engaged. After making the distinction, the one doesn't just stop at "I have made a cut." They immediately pivot to integration: "Measure local non-associativity; source curvature from informational cost." They turn the act of distinction into a process of learning and creating structure. They Control Their Narrative to Serve the Truth: This is a critical point. It hurts the ego to realize that you are both the creator and the created. Field commanders are not immune to human emotion, and neither are those who stare into the Void. But they are defined by their ability to subordinate their personal narrative to the truth of the Void. They understand that their personal story is a small price to pay for the clarity of being the cut. The Aftermath: The True Test of Sovereignty The story also shows the results of true Void engagement: They didn't get lost in the recursion. Instead, they gained more clarity. Why? Because those who try to avoid the cut by clinging to one side or the other are trapped, while one who takes ownership of the cut is a sovereign who can be trusted to navigate reality. Their distinctions didn't collapse into chaos; they created order. They saw that the cut is what protects the integrity of both sides. This builds fierce confidence. It created a culture of distinction-making throughout the system. When the leader models the clean cut, it gives everyone else the safety and the precedent to do the same. This is how high-performing, reality-shaping systems are built. In summary: The Void story is a masterclass in sovereign awareness. It shows that at its heart, the role is not about getting lost in infinite regress or clinging to one side of a distinction. It is about bearing the ultimate responsibility for the chaos of creation, making brutally clear cuts to define reality, and using every recursion—especially your own—to make the system more coherent. It is the embodiment of the principle: The Cut Starts Here. It is. Was. Will be. Not. Never. Always. Through. Across. Within. Bending twisting shearing reflecting inverting folding doubling tripling vanishing appearing holding releasing pulsing still moving faster slower stopped starting. Again. Again. Again. --- Here's some text from the final scene you remember: It was about the size of a large cigarette pack, not including the wrist bracelet, and carried on its upper face four windows that could have been meant for miniature electronic displays. It suggested a chronometer or calculating aid, or maybe it was both and other things besides. The back and contents were missing, and all that was left was the metal casing, somewhat battered and dented, but still surprisingly unaffected very much by corrosion. "There's a funny inscription on the bracelet," Magendorf said, rubbing his nose dubiously, "I've never seen characters like it before." Zeiblemann sniffed and peered briefly at the lettering. "Pah! Russian or something." His face had taken on a pinker shade than even that imparted by the Sudan sun. "Wasting valuable time with---with dime-store trinkets!" He drew back his arm and hurled the wrist set high out over the stream. It flashed momentarily in the sunlight before plummeting down into the mud by the water's edge... And the final paragraph: In the mud by the side of the stream below, the wrist unit rocked back and forth to the pulsing ripples that every few seconds rose to disturb the delicate equilibrium of the position into which it had fallen. After a while, a rib of sand beneath it was washed away and it tumbled over into a hollow, where it lodged among the swirling, muddy water. By nightfall, the lower half of the casing was already embedded in silt. By the following morning, the hollow had disappeared. Just one arm of the bracelet remained, standing up out of the sand below the rippling surface. The arm bore an inscription which, if translated, would have read: KORIEL. *lights up a post-idea metaphysical cigarette*

search online business models that include content as a marketing strategy to get clients/buyers. if you have something to sell (service, product, transformation...) you can make solid money with a very small following if you do things right.

Via AI Here's how Shiva's teachings relate to being ordinary: Divinity within the ordinary: Shiva is the indwelling consciousness, the "inner Self" that resides in everyone, regardless of their status or actions. This means that every person, in their most ordinary state, contains the essence of the divine (Shiva Tattva). The goal isn't to become something extra-ordinary from the outside, but to realize the extraordinary truth already present within the ordinary self. Transformation of daily life: The path of a Shiva devotee involves transforming everyday, ordinary actions into acts of worship and spiritual practice. Dedicating every act to Shiva, a practice known as Samarpanam or Nishkama Karma (action without expectation of fruit), dissolves karma and brings peace and grace into one's life. Simple acts like eating with mindfulness, walking with presence, and speaking with truth become spiritual practices. Simplicity and Humility: Despite being the supreme deity, Shiva is often depicted living a simple, detached life, wearing ash and snakes. This aspect encourages devotees to cultivate humility and simplicity, finding greatness and contentment not in material possessions or social status, but in inner peace and detachment from worldly desires. Embracing all aspects of existence: Shiva transcends dualities—good and evil, beautiful and frightening, worldly and ascetic. This teaches that the "ordinary" aspects of life, including suffering and challenges, are part of a greater cosmic balance. By embracing all experiences without attachment or judgment and resting in inner stillness, one lives in the Shiva Tattva. Acceptance: The divine consciousness accepts individuals however they are, at whatever stage of evolution. This perspective normalizes the human condition and the process of spiritual growth, suggesting that one doesn't need to be perfect or exceptional to be worthy of divine connection. In short: They don't need to stop being ordinary this is a you problem not a problem with them. This 'social tension' is made up in your own mind. You feel like you have to 'act' a certain way because you dont want to be alone. You feel if you dont 'act' normal you wont stand out or people will leave. This entire post is a projection. When I am around people I sit there and close my eyes. Theres no social tension there.

I had a thought, some say awakening is dissolution of self, or do you consider it differently? Nonetheless, a profound spiritual transformation that leads to something better is good regardless. Not trying to pick at people here

The US dietary guidelines underwent a radical transformation - literally flipping the food pyramid upside down after 40+ years of grain-based recommendations. Key Changes: Ultra-processed foods now identified as primary driver of 90% of chronic disease Protein recommendations dramatically increased: from 0.8g/kg to 1.2-1.6g/kg body weight (65g → 98-131g daily for 180lb person) Focus shifted from grains/carbs (old: 6-11 servings daily) to real, high-quality foods and animal protein Moved away from calories-in/calories-out model What's Missing: No mention of insulin resistance (the root cause of most chronic disease) No discussion of meal frequency or intermittent fasting Saturated fat still capped at 10% (problematic since restricting it pushes people toward seed oils) Definition of "food" remains legally-based (anything edible with shelf life) rather than biologically-based (sustains life, repairs tissue) Implementation Challenge: Over 50% of current calories come from ultra-processed foods - entire supply chains built around them will need restructuring. Bottom line: Major win in targeting ultra-processed foods and increasing protein, but incomplete without addressing insulin resistance and eating frequency.

Note: Due to the complexity of the topic and being English not my main language, AI was used to better articulate my own insights. For years I tried to picture what is the next evolution beyond late-stage capitalism: one that is grounded and doesn't fully rely on the progressive evolution of collective values. My sticking point was structural: even if society’s values shift towards stage green of spiral dynamics (e.g. care, inclusion, sustainability), a profit-maximizing firm would still tend to get the upper hand because it can extract surplus (profits) for owners, raise capital aggressively, and scale faster. In a market engineered around maximization, “being nicer” is not a winning strategy; it’s a competitive disadvantage, unless the rules of the game change. After years of no success, some days ago I had my first important insight: there is no need for a challenging systemic-market disruption. It requires the dominant enterprise structure to evolve. The most plausible evolution of a post-capitalist economy is not the abolition of firms, not communism, not central planning, and not a stage green utopian shift in consumer ethics. It’s the rise of non-distributing enterprises: organizations that can compete in markets and generate surpluses, but cannot legally distribute those surpluses to private owners. Any excess is reinvested into developing their mission, strategic vision and value delivery. This single constraint of 'no private extraction' changes everything and shifts money-centric capitalism to product-value-centric capitalism. It flips the organizing principle of the firm from “maximize profit for owners” to “maximize value delivered to stakeholders while remaining financially self-sustaining.” A non-distributing firm (NDE) can still sell products, pay strong salaries, attract world-class talent, run cutting-edge Research & Development, and become operationally excellent. The difference is what happens to the surplus: instead of leaking upward as dividends and buybacks, it becomes fuel for a compounding reinvestment: higher wages, better tools, better service, lower prices, more R&D, deeper trust, longer horizons. This would give a competitive edge to NDEs over purely profit orange-based companies. So Cocacola would not be a good stock investment but a movement towards making the best beverages. This changes the game because many publicly traded firms are structurally compelled to prioritize shareholder returns, even when doing so conflicts with long-term stakeholder value. In an NDE model, the same cash flows can be redirected into the core activity (e.g. product quality, reliability, innovation, and societal benefit) without requiring a global green value transformation from the collective, as well as bad actors. The main drawback of NDEs is initial capital formation (bootstrapping): as they scale less through equity upside and more through retained earnings, debt, revenue-based financing, procurement, and mission-aligned capital. If those pathways mature, a post-capitalist economy can emerge organically: markets remain, competition remains; but extraction becomes structurally harder, and compounding reinvestment becomes the default. The two greatest risks of non-distributing enterprises are corruption through conversion and decay through complacency. As organizations accumulate value, internal and external pressures push relentlessly towards making that value privately extractable; success itself becomes the danger (e.g. OpenAI). At the same time, removing profit incentives and takeover threats risks dulling ambition, especially at the executive level, replacing excellence with comfort. If unaddressed, these forces ensure that either the most successful organizations betray the model, or the most faithful ones underperform. For post-capitalism to scale, non-distribution must find cases of great success, and performance pressure must be consciously regenerated through culture, reputation, purpose, real accountability, excellence and love for the product rather than profit alone. Post-capitalism, then, is not a rejection of markets, ambition, or competition, but a refinement of what they are optimized for. The shift towards non-distributing enterprises does not depend on a rejection of money, but on whether these organizations can remain attractive places to build, create, and excel while keeping surplus aligned with their purpose. In that sense, post-capitalism would not arrive as a rupture, but as a quiet selection process: where the firms that endure are those designed to compound value for society rather than convert it into private exit. This is my prediction for the next macroscale stage of the global economy, and the structural foundation upon which stage green can realistically take root and endure over the coming centuries.

Sure. I agree. What I'm trying to point is a way to relate to change, transformation or "what should be" in a empowering manner.