Make An Impact? Why Leo?

[Mr Memposito]

Hi Im new here in the forum but i've followed you for a year or two.

I also follow this guy Aron(made 1500 videos about his awakening journey)and in one of his latest videos he talk about Leos videos.

Leo is talking about making and IMPACT. What he's talking about? Why make an Impact?.... I agree what Aron is saying.

Have a watch and then we can discuss

 

Edited August 20, 2017 by Mr Memposito

[Richard Alpert]

I have been following Aaron here and there for a long time. People should watch his video called pumping iron on shrooms

Cool guy, but i think he has gone bit too deep in the left. He is not able to play at 2 different (no involment in the matrix) levels as Alan Watts would say. 

There is a reason he´s posting million videos on YouTube.

 

Edited August 21, 2017 by Richard Alpert

[Echoes]

@Mr Memposito I agree with the video. I also don't understand the necessity of making an impact. Escpecially because Leo's knowledge is that there exists no world, so on what to have an impact? "The world doesn't exist, but you should still have an impact on it!" 

My take on this: The important part on having an impact is not really the impact on the planet/people/whatever itself but the mastery process and  trying to become world class in what you love <- thats where the juice is...thats where the fun and the motivation comes from.  The impact of this process follows as a consequence or not, but is not the main goal or even important.

[Leo Gura]

A) Nothing is necessary. Having an impact is of course meaningless in the absolute sense.

B) Don't confuse different levels of advice. When I say "Make an impact" this not a nondual truth. This is pragmatic advice for ordinary people.

C) If you take a look, the most enlightened people, even though they realize that all action is meaningless, NEVERTHELESS devote their lives to making an impact. Because that's what a high quality human being is wired to do. Think of making an impact as eating or crapping. It's something the human being does, which if you ignore, you'll be sorry.

D) Making an impact is not some mandatory thing. I'm just pointing out to you what kind of life you will enjoy living most. People simply don't think through these things. Your psychological needs do matter when it comes to your happiness.

E) If you really don't want to make an impact, don't. But even that is an impact. You cannot not have an impact. The question is, what kind of impact will you want to have? A conscious one, or an unconscious one?

F) If a guy makes 1500 videos about something, that's quite an impact he's making.

G) Life purpose is a conscious CONSTRUCTION. Life purpose is not something you "find in the world". It's something you decide to create in the world. Not for any reason. Simply because you want to create something.

[Joseph Maynor]

If we choose to remain here there are certain rules about this place.  Why not exploit these rules to do it our way while at the same time maximizing the good out of the experience?  That seems like the best strategy for us to follow if we choose to remain here.  And we have all chosen to remain here.  It's worth it to live well not badly.  But we gotta be a little strategic to make it happen.  The default-life is a shit life. A life of comfort, body breaking-down due to poor health, suffering, no real fulfillment, no peak-experiences, no excitement or creative-juices flowing, no hope, no real growth, no exploration, no true creative gifts to offer the world or lasting legacy.  So heed this decision-point.  It's real.  Life is your oyster.  You want to do this.  Live a charged-life not a comfortable life, a life where you're living on your edge, fully-engaged, where you are excited to get out of bed in the morning to go work on your Muse.  Where your work becomes more like play than a grind because you are growing yourself in every way by doing it.  Personal development work makes this possible!  But you gotta work the strategies.  None of these nice results will just fall into your lap.  Let's dis-abuse ourselves of that silly fantasy right now.  You gotta go out there and obtain these results through hard-work, which cannot be bypassed.

Edited August 21, 2017 by Joseph Maynor

[Richard Alpert]

10 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

A) Nothing is necessary. Having an impact is of course meaningless in the absolute sense.

B) Don't confuse different levels of advice. When I say "Make an impact" this not a nondual truth. This is pragmatic advice for ordinary people.

C) If you take a look, the most enlightened people, even though they realize that all action is meaningless, NEVERTHELESS devote their lives to making an impact. Because that's what a high quality human being is wired to do. Think of making an impact as eating or crapping. It's something the human being does, which if you ignore, you'll be sorry.

D) Making an impact is not some mandatory thing. I'm just pointing out to you what kind of life you will enjoy living most. People simply don't think through these things. Your psychological needs do matter when it comes to your happiness.

E) If you really don't want to make an impact, don't. But even that is an impact. You cannot not have an impact. The question is, what kind of impact will you want to have? A conscious one, or an unconscious one?

F) If a guy makes 1500 videos about something, that's quite an impact he's making.

G) Life purpose is a conscious CONSTRUCTION. Life purpose is not something you "find in the world". It's something you decide to create in the world. Not for any reason. Simply because you want to create something.

Hi Leo, Aaron sent me this comment: "Yes, that's right, thanks for the reminder. P.s. I was informed that my Leo video was on his forum by one of my viewers and then I noticed that you had posted it. I would like to speak with Leo one day soon as I think it would make for a great conversation, I've got a lot of respect for what he does and what he stands for albeit I omitted to say that in my video."

I dont know if you are interested or have any time, but let me know if you are interested.

[Mr Memposito]

Thanks for clearing that up Leo ... You should really have a chat with Aron over skype :-)

[Noname]

@Richard Alpert  I think you're making a wrong impact now. Looks like you want to confront 2 perspectives to prove who's right. It's not up to you to arrange their meeting like you're their marriage counsellor or something. I'm sure if Leo wants to ever meet him, he'll do that himself ☺

Why don't you put in the work yourself, then you'll come up with your own truth.

[Moreira]

What Aaron seems foolish about is that impact or purpose is almost imposed by society like if it was necessary to be happy.

IMO having an impact is a self-imposed burden that like other ego issues will lead to frustration, suffering and deceptions.

 

[Joseph Maynor]

@Mr Memposito This video shows why it's important to do your research before criticizing someone publically like this.  Sand carelessly thrown in the wind comes back to the thrower's eye.  If you don't have something nice to say about someone . . . make sure you say it very well!  Haha.  Don't quote me.

Edited August 22, 2017 by Joseph Maynor

[Epiphany_Inspired]

I totally have not watched the above video yet....not even one second....sorry...so maybe I shouldn't comment...but I will anyway ....because it's fun to be brazen... re: making an impact....it seems... perhaps... that it may be more important to serve the universe than concern ones-self with the result (or impact)....even if your intention is to impact humanity, or impact restoration of nature, etc...it is the process, effort, passion, etc that you put forth to create positive change that could be the central focus...maybe, impact is a potential bonus outcome...I don't know....

[Richard Alpert]

15 hours ago, Noname said:

@Richard Alpert  I think you're making a wrong impact now. Looks like you want to confront 2 perspectives to prove who's right. It's not up to you to arrange their meeting like you're their marriage counsellor or something. I'm sure if Leo wants to ever meet him, he'll do that himself ☺

Why don't you put in the work yourself, then you'll come up with your own truth.

I just shared my opinion. I am not saying im right or wrong. I like Aaron, but i dont agree everything he says, and it´s okay. He probably dont agree with me 100% either. It was Aaron who asked me if Leo would be interested. Aaron knows me.  And Leo probably hasnt followed Aaron much, but i think they could strike a good conversation.

You dont know anything about me. So you might keep your conclusions to yourself.

 

[Lord Bwyra]

On 8/20/2017 at 9:39 PM, Leo Gura said:

Life purpose is a conscious CONSTRUCTION. Life purpose is not something you "find in the world". It's something you decide to create in the world. Not for any reason. Simply because you want to create something.

Bullshit.

Life purpose is a complete waste of time and no serious artist or innovator gives a shit about it. This is a concept for ordinary losers who have nothing better to do than be obsessed with themselves and read some pseudo-scientific new age wuwuu nonsense online to make their boredom with life feel more soothing.

If you want to create something, then just create something and skip all the unnecessary mental masturbatory procrastination steps.

Focus on:
systems instead of goals.
process instead of purpose.
growth mindset instead of fixed mindset.

[Joseph Maynor]

On 8/24/2017 at 11:46 AM, Lord Bwyra said:

Bullshit.

Life purpose is a complete waste of time and no serious artist or innovator gives a shit about it. This is a concept for ordinary losers who have nothing better to do than be obsessed with themselves and read some pseudo-scientific new age wuwuu nonsense online to make their boredom with life feel more soothing.

If you want to create something, then just create something and skip all the unnecessary mental masturbatory procrastination steps.

Focus on:
systems instead of goals.
process instead of purpose.
growth mindset instead of fixed mindset.

Why assume it's an either or?  Why are you so strongly opposed to Leo's thoughts?  Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.  If your ears are closed you can't listen.  If you can't listen you can't learn.  If you can't learn you can't grow.  If you don't grok self-mastery you can't get sustainable, consistent, high-quality growth and results.  This stuff is a science, I told you.  You need to open your mind.   Self-mastery is the only strategy that can produce sustainable success in life.  Personal development is about mastering that.  Make sense?  If you can't control yourself, you're gonna be screwing up in life -- It duddn't matter what kind of "success" you become or nutty-artist you aspire to be.  There's no end-run around self-mastery.  Bite the bullet and accept that.  The lower-self wants a quick-fix but there's not one here.  Might as well get on board now rather than later.  And I wager that eventually you will do that in your life.  I see a spark in there that needs some direction to express itself to its full-magnificence.  You seem frustrated, like a bum on the street stumbling upon a cannabis joint and then realizing he has no fire-power to set it alight.  Dive in brah.  Stop playing the role of the sniper-skeptic.  That's easy. That's just step #1.  I went through that too.  You are at beginner step #1.  Accept that and be humble.  Suck it up.  I get it, it sucks to be smart and to be a beginner at something.  Growing long, luxurious hair requires a long time spent in the ugly-stage.  Open the ears.  Watch all of Leo's videos.  I watched all of them over 3 times.  This stuff takes a lifetime to live into.  It's like a king-fu master practicing his routine all day long, and in the evening returning to his little hut to analyze in detail everything he did in his little notebook.  That's what personal development is like. One baby-step at a time.  One baby-improvement at a time.  It's an upward-spiral.  

Notes discipline themselves into melodies and eventually into songs over the long-view.  But you gotta first believe that this is possible for your life.  Do you?  Kill that limiting-belief if you don't.  That might be goal #1 for your personal development plan.  Your thoughts are stunting your life in ways that you *can't* even know about yet.  But you will eventually if you stay on this journey of personal development.  You'll learn all about limiting-beliefs and the harm they cause.  And you'll learn how to BE differently in the face of such *limiting-beliefs*.  

Everything and anything is possible for your life.  You can birth yourself out of the marble any way you wanna be.  You just gotta believe that you can and get to work.  It takes huge emotional-labor to do it.  Things that are rare and valuable in life have a cost, a price associated with them.  Life-purpose is a strategy that makes you love to pay that high-cost.  Pretty nifty eh?  Can you appreciate the brilliance of life purpose as a strategy now?  You're taking massive action -- but it's fun and exciting not grindy and boring.  And you are getting your whole life together too -- like a rising tide raising all boats floating thereon.  So, life purpose is a win for you and a win for society if done right.  It's really an amazing personal development strategy that cleans-up your entire life in every-which way, financially and otherwise, if *actually* implemented over the long-term.  But you gotta design it right and you then gotta live it!  There ain't no easy, primrose path to the dream-life.  If there were, that would be the norm, and it's not.  Dream-lives are rare and valuable indeed.

Videos on point to watch:

 

Edited August 25, 2017 by Joseph Maynor

[Lord Bwyra]

9 hours ago, Joseph Maynor said:

This stuff is a science, I told you.

No it's not at all. Where are the studies? In fact, most of this stuff has been put in the "bunk" category ages ago eg. subconscious mind (there's no such thing). Here read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-help#Criticism

It seems most of the people including you and your guru suffer from science illiteracy. Instead of actually engaging with ideas, all kinds of nonsense is spouted and taken for granted just because some guy said so in a book, as if it is the holy grail of truth. LOL
 

9 hours ago, Joseph Maynor said:

You need to open your mind.

As do you my friend. I'm open to being proved wrong, are you?

Just don't forget the saying:

Keep an open mind but not so open that your brain falls out.
 

9 hours ago, Joseph Maynor said:

You seem frustrated, like a bum on the street stumbling upon a cannabis joint and then realizing he has no fire-power to set it alight.

You are right about me that I do get frustrated (i have a nerve injury on my neck/arm and it's a tricky one to heal and because of this i'm supposed to "take it easy" this year) but I would like to take your analogy a little further.

This whole non-field of personal development (that is just a marketing con term btw) is not about lighting that joint either. It's about selling products and worthless ideas to other bums about how to light joints, figuring out one's "life purpose" to light that joint and other wishy washy concepts that actually don't help anyone light the join except dream about it. That is, assuming that you even have to light the joint!

Why not just light the joint? Or even better, throw away the joint and dance to make a buck or two to start getting out of the street life. Go to the library. Swim to a warmer location and at least then you are clean.

Or enjoy your freedom as a bum
 

9 hours ago, Joseph Maynor said:

Watch all of Leo's videos.  I watched all of them over 3 times.

Never again. I tried to listen to them in podcast form from the beginning but after about 50 episodes i couldn't go on anymore. Although I do like his more recent videos about more abstract concepts which is why I think Leo should drop all the life purpose crap.

3 times? Wow. You must be really enlightened. You certainly cracked that code (i'm still curious what you mean by that)

 

9 hours ago, Joseph Maynor said:

It's like a king-fu master practicing his routine all day long, and in the evening returning to his little hut to analyze in detail everything he did in his little notebook.

Yes, practise, mastery, process is all great. But i'm pretty sure the kung-fu guy doesn't spend time "analyzing in detail everything he did". That's the useless part and that is my point! He comes home and makes rice and fucks his wife and goes to sleep on his bamboo mat.

Just do the work and skip all this mental masturbation bullshit.

Joseph why are you making it seem as if I don't believe we should do anything? Where did that come from?
Are you not able or willing to engage in a constructive dialogue about certain concepts that someone might not just adhere to by default or because you link to 10 videos where some madman is screaming at us?

I really thought you were brighter than that.

It seems your peaceful manner comes with the conditions of believing in what you say is true just because you say so. Sorry, not good enough for me. I'd rather take a more vile and aggressive Joseph if it means he will stop talking shit. Any day.

 

 

 

9 hours ago, Joseph Maynor said:

That might be goal #1 for your personal development plan.

Goals are worthless and will get you nowhere.

Read this for a different perspective because it seems you have closed your ears to what I am talking about (which is oddly something you accuse me of):

http://jamesclear.com/goals-systems

 

9 hours ago, Joseph Maynor said:

Everything and anything is possible for your life.

Another falsity that the "personal development" field loves to say.

In fact, most things are not possible for most people. No matter how many times you tell yourself it is or how many times you watch Leo's videos.

 

9 hours ago, Joseph Maynor said:

Can you appreciate the brilliance of life purpose as a strategy now?  

I think it's a pretty dumb strategy. Focus on systems instead, and process. No goals. No purpose. You don't need to answer a 100 questions or determine your values. Those don't mean shit. That is just time spent NOT doing what you're actually supposed to be doing.

Then you are free from focusing on things that are not in your control and ironically enough you are open to more opportunities that may come your way.

 

9 hours ago, Joseph Maynor said:

You're taking massive action -- but it's fun and exciting not grindy and boring.  

Joseph, I've been playing guitar, piano and singing since I was 6 years old (almost 30 years and way past 10,000 hours). There have been times when those 5-6 hour practise sessions (alone, living as a recluse for 6-8 months, preparing for a recording or performance) were NOT that fun. I didn't do it for fun though because I knew how rewarding it would be to be able to impress the girls with my skills

Again, this tells me that you and most of the "life purpose" guys don't really even know what mastery is. Or you forget it really quick because you are not living it.

I know Leo mentions this in the course so I think he understands this quite well. And Leonard's MASTERY book is a masterpiece indeed!

I'm surprised that you don't get this yet.

This is not about excitement or fun.

It's about something much higher.

 

9 hours ago, Joseph Maynor said:

So, life purpose is a win for you and a win for society if you do it right.

Fuck society. I don't give a shit about society. Humanity is a cancer and they've turned the earth pretty much into a wasteland or at least the places they've conquered. I've seen the world and all the beautiful places that have been ruined with resorts so humans can go there for vacation. Any time people have "good news" and say they are having children, my heart weeps for earth. I hate children.

When you are ready for mastery, you won't care no longer about society. There's something much higher than that. I call it THE PROCESS. This is actually what the eastern masters were talking about. Purpose is a close-minded concept that comes from christianity and other western capitalistic idealogies.

 

9 hours ago, Joseph Maynor said:

It's really an amazing personal development strategy that cleans-up your entire life in every-which way, financially and otherwise, if *actually* implemented over the long-term.  But you gotta design it right and you then gotta live it!  There ain't no easy, primrose path to the dream-life.  If there were, that would be the norm, and it's not.  Dream-lives are rare and valuable indeed.

Forget about the rewards and the money and all that.

Just focus on process, create a system that requires you to actually do something besides watching youtube all day and reading books that never get anybody anywhere.

Live the dream and stop dreaming about a life you don't have.

Right here, right now. That's the only thing there is. Let the process flow and enjoy whatever fruits may come.  Do what is required. Become the person you want to be. BEING over doing or having.

If the fruits don't come, the process itself is the highest reward so it will be okay anyway. That's why many great artists died and didn't become famous until much after their death eg. like Jesus, Buddha, Townes Van Zandt, Van Gogh, and very possibly, myself after the dust has settled and you guys know who is really behind these words.

 

9 hours ago, Joseph Maynor said:

Why assume it's an either or?  Why are you so strongly opposed to Leo's thoughts?

I think it's healthy for any community to have someone who ensures that the infrastructure is strong enough to possibly uphold future attack. I don't know if I'm that someone or if I am that future attack. Maybe a little of both. I'm still finding my place in this forsaken planet.

Even if it's just as an exercise of chewing on some alternative ideas and perspectives.

I'm sure it's possible to find a bridge between these two lines of thinking between process vs purpose or personal-development vs "just do it and skip all the bullshit" so that everyone is happy. We can do that when we're all tripping in Peru with our spirit animals ;D

That said, we all have to be willing to have a civil conversation about our adopted views with those who don't necessarily "see the light" and don't respond well to arguing from the fallacy of default position. Not all of us want to do that, I get that.

We talked about this before Joseph. About the judgement of not judging others. Or the wrongness of accusing others of just wanting to be right. Remember?

But I'm a philosopher and a poet. That's what I love more than anything. I love playing with ideas and language and concepts to really see what is what. This is more valuable than just being a passive consumer of other people's thoughts because it pulls us into the process.

Even if I'm wrong, I need to fully understand where and how and even why.

This has nothing to do with ego or who is more advanced than whom or who figured what out in high school already. That does not invite healthy "debating" or conversation or even collective contemplation. Those are just things that arrogant, close-minded people like to say and tactics to keep people quiet. Leo does that a lot and it's quite alarming considering he has a good sized following (and how little awareness he has of what he's doing). That's probably why you can't find any material online of him having a conversation with anyone bare a few interviews with some quacks. Nobody wants to talk to someone who puts themselves up on an imaginary pedestal who doesn't want any of their ideas questioned.

I've tried to engage with Leo several times on these forums during the last month since I came here and most of them usually end with "you guys don't get this stuff at all" or "i figured that out a long time ago" or some other dismissive gesture that prevents him from actually having to explore his superficial ideas in any kind of serious way. It's easy to just hit the bong and think that you understand shit that you don't.

This is about seeing what is actually so and what is not so. And since we are here, it's also about communicating with other people who are somewhere along the path, looking for answers or just wants to trade some war stories with other soldiers.

I fear that not many people here wants to do that which is why I probably won't be posting here much longer. I'm sure I can find some other communities in the internet jungle who actually want to talk about this shit and not just prey to false gods.

Or even better, close the computer and go out into the real world.

You guys can go back to worshipping your gurus and living in your bubbles.

And getting nowhere.

If you feel insulted by that an identify yourself as "you guys", then I think you have a problem that needs some quality time with that eternal companion in your head.

[Edvard]

@Mr Memposito @Leo Gura

Why is impact meaningless if there is suffering? Because there is infinite suffering anyways? And then people say reality is beautiful... sure, it's beautiful if you realize the truth that it's beautiful (hehe), but you're not even free to do that. Ego is the truth as long as you have it, because ego then is in consciousness. If anything makes sense, wouldn't it be to increase happiness (or working to collectively get rid of ego). But then again, no free agency exists, reality just is, but that doesn't mean that what happens doesn't matter. I would like reality to be a certain way over an other. Or what would you choose: infinite misery, or peace of mind? And remember, no one is even ultimately responsible for the outcome, meaning that nobody «deserves» anything, thereby it makes sense to make an impact. Thinking that nothing matters could be very dangerous for the well being of reality, although death ultimately is a joke... but only for those who know it!!! Suffering is real.

[mathieu]

6 hours ago, Lord Bwyra said:

It seems most of the people including you and your guru suffer from science illiteracy. Instead of actually engaging with ideas, all kinds of nonsense is spouted and taken for granted just because some guy said so in a book, as if it is the holy grail of truth. LOL

actually engaging with ideas is not a bad thing, in my opinion. yeah it really seems like the aim of Actualized.org is to give lots lots of insights and "useful" information. but who cares if he likes it? It is so clear that Leo absolutely know what he's doing with Actualized.org. All his theories and concepts were just "scaffoldings" that are destined to be burned right after.

 

quoted from Leo's blog:

When the ancient Greeks built their temples, they would use wood scaffolding to aid in construction. But the scaffolding was then burned or buried. The Greeks didn’t go around saying, “Look how wonderful our scaffolding is! Come, heathens… prostrate yourselves before our mighty scaffolding!”

It’s really important to understand what Actualized.org content is. It’s just mental scaffolding. It’s a functional stepping-stone which you use to improve your life, and then you throw it away. You do not worship the scaffolding, you do not cling to preserving it, you do not confuse it with reality itself. The scaffolding does not have to be perfect to get you there. In fact, the scaffolding is often makeshift, crude, and ever-evolving.

My videos, insights, and frameworks have zero ideological purpose. I am not here to convince you of anything or to have you believe my worldview. My worldview is that there are no true worldviews. And even that must be recognized to eat itself.

https://actualized.org/insights/just-scaffolding

 

if you think it's time to burn the scaffolding, then burn it. I am not suggesting to worship it.