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ChatGPT- As someone committed to living truthfully, the tension between a concept like Qi and the desire for truth can be challenging, especially if you’re balancing personal experience with intellectual honesty. Here's how you can approach this, integrating both holistic and rational views without compromising your dedication to truth: ### 1. **Experiential Truth vs. Objective Truth** There are different forms of truth. Western science tends to focus on **objective truth**, which is measurable, repeatable, and quantifiable. Qi, on the other hand, often falls into the realm of **experiential truth**—subjective, personal, and felt on an individual level. If you experience sensations, healing, or transformation through Qigong, those experiences are *your truth*, even if they aren’t yet fully validated by scientific methods. Living truthfully here means honoring both your experience and recognizing the limitations of current scientific understanding. Instead of needing science to fully validate Qi, you can hold space for what’s personally true for you while remaining open to continued inquiry and exploration. ### 2. **Pragmatic Truth: Does It Work?** Another way to live truthfully is by focusing on **pragmatism**: does Qigong, and by extension, the concept of Qi, work in practice? If the practice helps you achieve balance, health, mental clarity, or emotional resilience, then it has value, regardless of whether Qi has been fully scientifically proven. In this sense, you live truthfully by recognizing the practical benefits of a system without needing to over-explain or justify it in terms that others might demand. Qi could be understood as a useful framework that helps you navigate your mind-body connection, whether it's literally "life force energy" or a powerful metaphor for physiological, psychological, or bioelectric processes that science is still uncovering. ### 3. **Integrative Approach: Embrace Both Eastern and Western Perspectives** To live truthfully, you don’t need to dismiss one system in favor of the other. You can hold both views simultaneously: - **Western Science**: Provides valuable insights into physiology, neurology, and biochemistry, explaining how the body functions in measurable ways. - **Eastern Wisdom**: Offers a broader, more holistic view that integrates the mind, body, emotions, and consciousness through concepts like Qi. You can acknowledge the power of scientific inquiry while also appreciating the intuitive, experiential insights offered by traditions like Qigong. Living truthfully here means recognizing that each system has strengths and weaknesses, and both contribute to a fuller understanding of life and health. ### 4. **Openness to Evolving Knowledge** Another important aspect of living truthfully is embracing uncertainty and openness. Just because Qi isn’t fully validated by Western science now doesn’t mean it’s false. Science evolves. There are many historical examples where traditional knowledge (e.g., acupuncture, meditation) was once dismissed and later supported by scientific research. Living truthfully means being open to the idea that there are aspects of life, health, and consciousness that science has yet to fully understand. You can maintain a sense of curiosity and inquiry, continuing to explore both the benefits of Qi and the growing research on how mind-body practices work. ### 5. **Mindful Skepticism** Living truthfully also involves avoiding dogma. Even within Qigong or Chinese medicine, it’s possible to be critical and discerning. Not every claim about Qi needs to be accepted blindly. Mindful skepticism allows you to explore the depth of these practices without becoming dogmatic or uncritical. You can question how Qi is described or applied in different contexts, and through that questioning, refine your understanding of what resonates as true for you. ### 6. **Seeing Qi as a Model or Metaphor** One way to reconcile Qi with a rational, truth-seeking mindset is to see it as a **model or metaphor** rather than a literal force. In science, models are used to simplify complex phenomena. Qi can be seen in this way—it's a model for understanding the body and mind as an interconnected system. It helps practitioners work with their bodies in ways that promote health, even if the exact mechanisms aren’t fully understood or explained in Western terms. Living truthfully in this case means appreciating Qi as a useful, functional framework without needing to commit to it as a literal "life force." It can represent the dynamic flow of energy, blood, neural impulses, or emotions, and you can interpret it in a way that feels grounded in both tradition and logic. ### 7. **Respecting Cultural and Personal Contexts** Truth isn't always universal in the same way across cultures. Traditional Chinese views of health and energy offer different insights than Western science, and living truthfully means respecting the cultural origins of these ideas. Instead of forcing a purely Western scientific explanation onto something like Qi, you can appreciate that different cultures have different ways of understanding life and the body, and both offer valid forms of truth in their respective contexts. ### Conclusion: To live truthfully in the context of Qi, you can take an **integrative approach** that honors your personal experiences, the practical benefits of Qigong, and the evolving nature of scientific understanding. You don't have to choose between accepting Qi as a mystical force or dismissing it because science hasn’t yet fully validated it. You can hold both perspectives in balance, continually exploring, questioning, and refining your understanding as both science and your personal practice evolve. By staying open to different forms of truth—experiential, pragmatic, and scientific—you can maintain a grounded, honest approach to your journey without being restricted by a single worldview.

Just make meta baseline and turn paradigms into everyday words like verbs Let every word be a noun, verb, adjective, and adverb simultaneously And then just replace all function words with them as you navigate Contextualize paradigms holistically and flow through them 😁 Most importantly: play around and have fun like: The metamorphic fabric of reality reflects the psyche that structures the experience in response to stimuli, which themselves are a higher-level metaphysical construct, at least practically speaking, across layers of interconnected holarchies, which dynamically evolve the very organism they are a part of in a give and take, emerging ever new structures in the creative act of self-transformation and optimization🥳 I'm mostly in the process of condensing hgher layer concepts, because there are so many. But then you wonder about the levels of depth and specificity, and how to maintain it. And then you wonder what is and isn't necessary and so you look at it like: Life, everything I said can be summarized with life Life is Metamorphisis, life is dynamic intelligence Life is evolution, life is self-structured Everything we study and are fascinated by is touched by it And then you can expand Life into 2 words, 3, 10, 100, 1000, 10000 And you wonder what is and isn't purposeful

There's definitely some truth to this. Those who are highly spiritually advanced and have already been through significant transformation can actually perceive the assimilation of sexual fluids into a type of fuel that powers a more sophisticated consciousness. This relates directly to kundalini and how it operates. The sexual use of this fuel has the predictable impact of temporarily lessening the potential for higher consciousness while it's restored. I'm not skilled enough to perceive this myself, but I have an enormous amount of faith that it's the case. I'm pretty sure, but I think it's less obvious than the male counterpart, with the way a vital fluid is suddenly and directly excreted. I don't see why the mechanisms wouldn't be similar or the same for females though.

If something is truly eternal, can it engage in creation or change? Creation inherently involves some form of transformation, which presupposes the existence of time. If an entity exists entirely outside the confines of time, any act of creation would require a transition from one state to another. This suggests that an eternal being might be fundamentally incapable of such actions. I would love to hear your thoughts on this, as I seek clarity and understanding. I genuinely want to know if what Leo is saying holds true, and I hope to avoid being misled.

Very cool, that feeling of contented indifference is likely a taste of the profound meditative equanimity described in Eastern religions. Like I mentioned once before, it appears you have a natural inclination towards the required skills of meditation. Funnily enough, what you're describing relates very much back to your previous thread regarding states of consciousness where white light is perceived. So here's the esoteric theory: As you approach the superconscious state, it's as if a valve is progressively opened that allows more and more spiritual energy to flood your system. Since this energy could be considered the essence of vitality itself, there's less need for the usual physiological functions that maintain your life, so breathing and heart rate can slow to a crawl. In all likelihood, this is the true reason that sleep is a requirement for restoration, as sleep can be considered unconscious meditation, and meditation can be considered conscious sleep. When a certain threshold of depth is reached, a very special event called kundalini is triggered. An explosion of energy occurs at the base of your spine and shoots upward to your brain. Kundalini could be thought of as a type of built-in spiritual purification and transformation mechanism, similar to the alchemists' notion of changing lead into gold. Your energetic physiology is saturated and cleansed of its residue, of which would have a close relationship to the accumulated traumas and the false sense of self that are created over a lifetime. Like echoes of the "past" that lessen your awareness of consciousness in the eternal present. All of this is extremely palpable in the moments it's occurring, but what really stands out is the state of consciousness produced as kundalini reaches your brain. The bridge is greatly widened between our existence as seemingly independent beings and the infinite energetic source of all things. This is where the discussion involving white light comes in, and the divine reality it represents. A full blooming of this state involves a radical shift in identity to an unfathomable degree, and all sense of individuality fades into a nondual realization. I posted a few reports in the other thread that offer more poetic and detailed descriptions. The transformation in consciousness that can be initiated from repeated full experiences of this type, if integrated, understood, and utilized properly, is on the level of actual enlightenment. A true revelation of reality. Well, that was quite a bit, sorry lol. But since you recently started two threads that drew in my attention with recognizable signs of this type of progress, I figured I'd fill in a few gaps. Hopefully it's more helpful than confusing. Here's another cool description. This whole documentary is amazing, but the relevant section is about 2 minutes long from where the video starts. I think there is some slight variation in the 5meo experience as compared to a natural inducing of nirvikalpa samadhi via meditation and kundalini activation. For one, 5meo seems to be able to stop your breathing while simultaneously increasing your heart rate. I can imagine a scenario where this would burn through your stored oxygen supply and cause suffocation, despite the fact that this should usually be protected against in samadhi. I guess if you ever get into 5meo, start the dose low and slowly increase as you feel comfortable. I've personally used it at least a hundred times without major issue.

Exactly. This is why the concept of creation makes no sense when applied to an unchanging, eternal God. Creation implies change, a before and after, but an eternal being exists beyond time and does not experience progression or transformation. How could something unchanging initiate anything new?

Instantaneous time collapses everything into the now. Transformation happens at different rates for different things in the world. So we can reconstruct a block time from the things in the world which haven't changed much - continuity. Or we can use logical reasoning to try and deduce that "things must have been that way for this to be true". We can look at an old house and say it was built in such and such a year and imagine its construction. Things stay consistent and logical, because transformation itself isn't random, it's orderly, but it is mostly uni-directional: sometimes it isn't possible to reconstruct a definite past. In effect what's happening is that events are smeared around space or affect the configuration of things, sometimes more and more as time passes, for example the butterfly effect. Memories are no different. If you clap in a cave you'll hear echoes for a long time. A memory is just like an echo, in effect it is part of the original event still happening.

I think there's two ways to think about time. The conventional way is "block time", where events are ordered in a linear way like on a calendar. The other is "instantaneous time", where reality changes moment to moment. The two are quite different. Eternity would then be an infinite extension of block time. Block time has the sense of being permanent and unchanging, once events have happened they are forever fixed and immutable. You could even imagine events in the future already being pre-determined as a consequence of events in the past. Instantaneous time would be like a very thin sliver of block time. Nothing is fixed or remembered, as soon as something happens it's forgotten and there is no pre-determined future. Since there is no block there is no past or future, just now. In a way the two are opposites of each other, block time is unchanging and eternal, instantaneous time is always changing and ephemeral. In my experience instantaneous time seems to be the correct interpretation and block time is a fantasy. Which if true, would mean that transformation is a feature of reality: time is presupposed from the existence of transformation.

Guess the final form isn’t complete until the weave from China arrives! Transformation 2.0 incoming! 😂

Objects are self-organized holographic psychic projections of metamorphic holarchic networks working in unison to create your gestalt of awareness, coordinating relative conscious transformation of experience across levels of reality. In other words: Sides are retro-sensory 3D constructs fueled by the epi-psychic structure behind them. In simpler terms: Consciousness pulls shit out of infinity and makes a game out of it They are a coordinated perception filtering of the grander substrate They are both active creations and retroactive structural representations It's intelligence self-organizing forms and realities to experience itself through The back of the coin always and never exists and you tune your perception In 4 spacial dimensions, your sides would fall away into omniscience It's all your reality creation coordination UI (User Interface)

We are here to have experiences. We are already all there is. The ego is an expression of the All. The one true Source. This is why it manifested itself as a human being so it can experience what it's like to be human. Why are we trying to accomplish ego death when, to me, it seems like an impossible task as it is merely a mental construction. Why are we trying to become a "nobody" when that is not the reason for our existence. We as humans are limited but we stem from the unlimited so we can have the experience of what it's like to be limited. This is not our true nature. Most of us recognizes this and as long as we know this to be true and keep that running in the background can't we just allow for the Universe to flow through us and allow it to manifest through us as it pleases instead of trying to become unlimited - we are already inherently unlimited by nature and are just playing roles. Isn't Source seeing it's reflection through us and all we need to do is remove all the faulty and conditioned layers we have constructed for ourselves and work towards seeing ourselves as Source sees itself in order to live a more fulfilling life. That's transformation, not death. Trying to kill the ego is like trying to kill God as God is the Ego because God is everything, Can someone make this make sense to me because I'm not understanding why we are even trying to accomplish this. Why not just aim for it's transformation and transform it into something beautiful.

I agree, pretty mysterious. It's my guess that the black void is the reaching of the state without kundalini being a factor, or perhaps it's still functioning but not at 100%. So in essence, they'd be the same thing, but one would be missing the full brunt of the engine of spiritual transformation.

I think at least in my mind, I was drawing a comparison to the way Michael Keaton was taking something literal and turning it abstract. To me, it's profoundly obvious that this infinite white light is a common experience among advanced mystics throughout history, and clearly a manifestation of God experiencing itself as itself in its own home, so to speak. It's not necessarily something to where the word "white" would be broken down and its meaning dissected, but rather, this is a literal and supreme mystical state that humans can and will directly experience when going through a full spiritual transformation. It's not just you though, pretty much everyone is breaking down the words involved and seemingly not being aware of the state. The OP gets the significance because he had the experience, and it led him to check if anyone else has experienced such a thing. It'll be an interesting step on his journey as he realizes just how ubiquitous it is in mysticism. I shouldn't have singled you out though, sorry. And maybe I misinterpreted what you were saying.

Since the following sprung out of and stands in direct continuation to the OP concerning god and whiteness Ill allow myself to post it here even though it does not directly (possibly indirectly though) address the correlation between god and whiteness. That which makes white opposing transformations also makes it prone for its own transformation, it opposes the transformation from light to heat for the same reason that it can more easily itself transform into a colour that makes light transform into heat at a higher rate. If we abstract from the above: That which attributes is opposed to external changes will itself change more easily than that which attributes is not opposed to external change. This principle can be validated fairly well without science and almost merely a priori by investigating how if the inverse were true then certain substances would never change, but in reality everything substantial changes given sufficient time. (some things do not change but they are insubstantial, such as time, space and concepts, they are all accidents (inessential to) of substance, yet necessary compliments to them).

@Brandman This is why I am a New Age Christian. It's even better than Islam. In Islam you will only ever be a slave to Allah according to the koran. I can find the verse if you like. At least with Christianity you get to be a son or daughter of God (God being a guide or an angel). You also get to contend with God (e.g. the Angels). Angels like seeing the fire of life in your soul, in your thoughts and actions. If you stumble you get to change their minds if you turn to the truth and turn you life around. And God (angels) consider you a son or daughter if you follow the path. And this is why Leo is wrong. He assumes that our growth as a world will always be about the same as what we have always known. But what he hasn't realized is that technological advances that will be discovered eventually through the merging of science and spirituality will eventually allow us to transform our spirit bodies so we don't have to reincarnate again. Regular spirits are yin energy, angels are yang energy, so we have a long way to go but it's totally possible to overcome and never have to reincarnate again. BTW Jesus did believe in reincarnation. I can prove that as well from the Bible. That is why the Bible says - Revelation 3:12 (NIV): This is Jesus speaking. "The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name." BTW I think the new Jerusalem is just a metaphor for a new age where science and technology will merge. And the new name is just symbolic of the transformation that you go through becoming the very elect. Elect by who? I think it's a network of beings that work tirelessly to help all life merge back with heaven. So when Jesus says my God he's just talking about his angel friends that are helping him evolve. Given all that Jesus is talking about being victorious through many lifetimes. But we are already in the top .00000000000000001 Googleplex percent of life on our spiritual journey back to source compared to most life forms. I think Leo needs to study the near death experiences, and astral projections that involve high level beings, guides, angels if you will. Especially with the ones with Jesus as he is the main guide that has been set in charge of helping earth enter a new age. The Bible is an obvious great source as well. I just know that it's got a bad wrap for many. You will never find a source you agree with 100 percent of the time.

That's a beautiful transformation right there.

You make some good points, fair enough. I know we all want to have fulfilling relationships that work with our belief systems and are in harmony with the rest of our lives. I don’t deny there were problems then with power imbalances in the “good old days.” I can’t say things are equal now either though. Maybe unfairness and injustice are just a natural feature of relationships we have to accept, ever changing. Because it is dishonest to say things are somehow better now. I’m tired of the feminist dialogue trying to play the victim and rewrite history as if every woman was suffering in their relationships then. There is no possible way to know things are somehow better now. It had it’s challenges then and men have their challenges now. Seeing how year in and year out more men are committing suicide, lonely, incels, twitch tv viewers, but men are told to suck it up and there isn’t an issue here. I’m pointing out its way better to date abroad for the majority of guys, and be desired for just being a normal fun guy on a continuous changing path of transformation. I’ve checked out. I’m not dating on western terms and no it’s not because I want a sex object. I want an actual feminine woman. Different powers but balanced and equal in harmony. Yin Yang ☯️ I am tired of seeing continuous info that this is “just a man problem” where they just need to hit the gym and better themselves. This is something everyone should be doing regardless. This is a society problem where things are now out of balance in the other direction.

I believe. In my own experiences. That whoever you may believe in. Regardless of it being a “God” or Religion. That our spirits are a collective thing that forms this “God” I personally do not believe into a “God” or Religion. I believe in spirituality. And collectivism. I listen to my body, heart and soul. And In that I walk into the directions it takes me. And I have found that as I continue to do so. I’m always where I should be at the “perfect” timing. Even if I am late. (which rarely happens, but everything happens for a reason) I have found. That tuning into who I was, and who I am, today. Are two completely different aspects of my soul. I am anger, and love. I am divine, and scary. And a lot of people don’t like that. Neither do they understand the shape shifting forms, that divine transformation can give you. In my lifetime I will be a chameleon, because my soul is infinite. I believe even in Death. Our spirits and souls connect to us. Just in different ways. for an example. When I experienced the loss of a loved one. They came to me in butterflies. What a beautiful offering. It is now my duty, to offer safety, comfort, and love to butterflies. Not because God told me so, but because of how powerful love. And spirituality is.

I don't know why, but I teared up a bit for his transformation.

Transformation as You mention above is built into the Creation, its Alive and Adaptive and Creative, just like we are, so Creation and the intelligence inherent within it is reflected in all us in the highest way on this planet, no other life form on this planet has this Capability like we do! There is no concern from Creation as to what is happening in any Life form or of Us, nothing cares what is happening in your life, only You care and your loved ones maybe!

If we imagine an Ultimate Will or a Unified One-Will, we can begin to speculate on how this unified will can manifest in different forms and intentions. One possible explanation is that the unified will encompasses all possible potentials and possibilities, and that conflicting wills are expressions of these different potentials. In this way, a single will can contain a multitude of intentions and actions that may seem contradictory on the surface, but are actually parts of a larger whole. This leads us to the idea that conflicting wills may be necessary to create dynamism and change within the universe. Without these conflicts, there would be no drive for development or transformation. A unified will can therefore be seen as a fundamental energy or force that enables the existence of various wills and intentions, thereby creating the complex reality we experience.

@Nadia Starseed So what you're saying is you're looking for a stage green guy who hasn’t skipped over stage orange. Or in simpler terms, a hippy entrepreneur. To find someone like that, you'll need socialize and expose yourself a lot to the environments where such people can be found. Stage Green is all about community, sustainability, and personal growth, while Stage Orange is centered around ambition, innovation, and individual success. Look for places and events that combine these vibes. Here are some ideas that I brainstormed together with chatgpt for you: Ecstatic Dance Events Dance events promoting self-expression and community. Contact Dance Workshops ( personal recomendation ) Dance workshops focused on non-verbal communication and connection. Biodanza Classes Dance workshops for emotional expression and connection. Tantra Workshops Workshops exploring intimacy, self-awareness, and growth. Sound Healing Circles Group sessions using sound for emotional and physical healing. Healing Circles Community gatherings for emotional and spiritual support. Holistic Health Expos Events showcasing alternative medicine and holistic wellness. Yoga Retreats Retreats combining spirituality, health, and community. Hippy Raves Music and dance events with a free-spirited, communal vibe. Campervanning Meetups Gatherings for campervan enthusiasts blending travel and community. Meditation Retreats Retreats centered on mindfulness and inner peace. Psychedelic Retreats Retreats for exploring consciousness and personal growth. Sustainable Living Festivals Festivals focused on environmental sustainability and community. Conscious Entrepreneurship Conferences Conferences for entrepreneurs with a focus on positive impact. Burning Man Creative festival emphasizing self-expression and community. Co-Living Spaces Communal living setups for like-minded individuals. Adventure Retreats Retreats offering personal growth through adventurous activities. Digital Nomad Meetups Networking events for location-independent entrepreneurs. Environmental Activism Events Gatherings focused on environmental causes and community. Farmers Markets Community markets featuring organic and local produce. Art Installations or Interactive Art Spaces Creative spaces attracting community-oriented individuals. Permaculture Workshops Workshops on sustainable agriculture and self-sufficient living. Intentional Communities Residential setups prioritizing shared values and sustainability. Eco-Villages Communities built around eco-friendly living and sustainability. Urban Gardening Workshops Workshops for city-based gardening enthusiasts. Green Technology Conferences Conferences on sustainable technology and innovation. Sustainable Fashion DIY Workshops Workshops on creating eco-friendly fashion. Sustainable Architecture Tours Tours showcasing eco-friendly architectural designs. Forest Bathing Experiences Guided nature walks for mindfulness and connection with nature. Mindful Running Clubs Running groups focused on mindfulness and community. Healing Circles Gatherings focused on emotional healing and support. Vision Quests Intensive experiences for personal transformation and meaning. Art Therapy Workshops Creative sessions for emotional and psychological healing. DIY Solar Power Workshops Hands-on workshops on solar energy and sustainability. Holistic Veterinary Clinics Clinics focused on alternative pet care and wellness. Plant-Based Cooking Classes Classes on plant-based nutrition and cooking. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Gatherings Events supporting local, sustainable agriculture. Local Artisan Markets Markets featuring handmade goods and local crafts. Wilderness Survival Courses Courses on survival skills and self-reliance in nature. Biohacking Meetups Gatherings focused on health optimization and performance. Community Repair Cafés Events where people repair items together to promote sustainability. Pop-Up Conscious Cafés Temporary cafés with a focus on ethical and sustainable practices. Minimalist Living Expos Events centered on minimalism and simple living. Resilience Training Workshops Workshops for building mental and emotional resilience. Social Impact Incubators Programs supporting socially-driven entrepreneurs. Vision Quests Deep personal exploration experiences often involving wilderness. Art Therapy Workshops Creative therapy sessions aimed at emotional and psychological healing. Conscious Clubbing Alcohol-free parties focused on community and healthy living. Zero-Waste Events Gatherings promoting waste reduction and environmental consciousness. Ethical Investment Groups Meetings for socially responsible investing. Mindful Tech Conferences Conferences on technology and mindfulness. Crowdfunding Campaign Launch Parties Events celebrating new ventures and entrepreneurial spirit. Ethical Travel Meetups Gatherings for those interested in responsible travel. Sustainable Seafood Events Events focused on responsible and sustainable seafood practices. Ethical Fashion Shows Shows featuring eco-friendly and sustainable fashion. Alternative Music Festivals Festivals showcasing underground and non-mainstream music genres. Social Impact Hackathons Collaborative events for developing solutions to social issues. Crowdsourced Innovation Events Gatherings for collaborative problem-solving and innovation. Green Building Workshops Workshops on sustainable building practices and materials. Mindfulness Meditation Groups Groups practicing mindfulness and meditation together. Volunteer Vacations Travel experiences combined with volunteering for social causes. TLDR : GET YOURSELF OUT THERE WHERE SUCH MEN CAN BE FOUND, and perhaps take a little extra initiative towards meeting men, whatver that means to you. I feel sometimes women are way too passive in their dating life which can sometimes severely backfire Good luck!

All of what you are saying means nothing in this state there is no transformation its all imaginary nothing changes even if you get billions of dollars or greatest ideas...

Nothing really begins or ends, not definitively, exactly. Things give way to other things in a grand interdependent Flow. Birth and death are transformation.

@NoSelfSelf I keep hearing about psychopathy, be it meta or post-irony and weakness due to a lack of manipulation skill and I'm probably too alien for these threads, but building intricate social personas and alpha lifestyles ultimately solely to pursue pussy and create elaborate pull & push chase-psychology models and the whole pickup thing just to buy into a conceptual romance/relationship game, is something I have never found any value in. Self-transformation? Definitely. Find a compatible match? Sure But being addicted to telegraphed repetitive romance/sex/relationship attitudes reflected everywhere, that create elaborate "frameworks" to "master" an "impersonal" attitudinal charade? People seem to feel entitled to and shape their lives around it, that sounds pathetic to me. Especially, since everything that is truly being sought is the kind of internal validation that you can give yourself without using others as a proxy.