Indisguise

Hahah this guy is awesome!!😄 If I'm sort of like him in a couple of decades I'd be quite happy with the unfolding of my life😂

Perhaps you're expecting too much of yourself. You can't go from 0 to 100 just like that, if you try, you'll probably fail. And that will demotivate you, Do you have reasonable expectations in terms of how much you can do of all these things? That might be the key question here. If you expect "well tomorrow I'm going to wake up at 6 am and I'm going to go for a 30 min run, then I'm going to meditate for 20 minutes and then I'm going to strech for 15 minutes, and after that I'm going to prepare a healthy breakfast, and I'm not going to drink any coffee but just a cup of green tea, so that at 8 am I can start studying, and I'm going to study 6 hours today!" That would be a great day, wouldn't it? Yes... But is it reasonable to expect that if you're just starting out to implement these things? Because maybe it's just asking a bit too much. And so you get demotivated and bam! you suddenly sit in front of your PS4, wondering why you can't stick to your plans. Something like that?

Just tried it. Kinda reminded me of the time when I was a kid and intentionally rubbed my eyes so hard until I'd get fractals😂 Lumenate just a bit more intense than that, the visuals are kinda interseting to play with. Funny that our eyes can produce this. Wouldn't call it a "powerfully altered state of consciousness" though, lol

Damn!!👍🏼

Made me chuckle 😄 Thought it would be something like this.

Well. Don't t even know what to say, the future looks pretty gloomy. The war in Ukraine, the pandemic, China's current pandemic politics and its influence on the world economy, it all amalgamates into a really ugly and threatening picture. I live in Germany, we are extremely dependent on Russian gas and oil and since the war, our politicians are playing with the idea of an oil- and gas- embargo, meaning a complete and total import stop of it. Some credible, academic predictions say that this could lead to the worst economic crisis our country has ever experienced since the second world war, an economic recession of up to 8% (worst case scenario I believe, but that would be a catastrophy). Energy has become very expensive, the price bas basically doubled within the last 1 or 1,5 years. Not only gasoline and diesel, but gas (which is crucial to our industry, we have a lot of chemical and steel indistry) and oil. Fortunately it's summer right now, but by god, I don't want to know how high the additional payment for our heating bill is going to be at the end of the year... Food has become very expensive, both because of the increasing energy prices as well as because of the war in Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine priduce a lot of wheat and sun flower oil, the shelves in the grocery store are mostly empty, and only the expensive sunflower- and olive oil bottles are left which almost nobody can afford (certainly I can't). The price of tomatoes for example has risen by 43%. 1,5 years ago, the cheap cow milk cost 60 ct. or so, today it's 90 ct. now. "Döner" (=Kebab, don't know if Americans know this) cost 3-4 bucks, now it's 6-7€. Etc. etc. etc. As always, it's the poor who suffer most, because rich people go to the store and buy 5 bottles of oil (in German this is called "Hamstern" =hoarding, like a hamster would do) which additionally raises the price, leaving the poor people forced to buy one bottle if they're lucky to find one. This whole energy embargo thing doesn't exactly help with our development towards renewable energy sources either, which kinda worsens the whole Paris Clima Agreement plan. Nobody gives a hoot about whether the electricity comes from coal plants or wind energy if it costs a shitload. It's like trying to go vegan if you're starving, good luck with that, you're going to stuff yourself with whatever you find, even if it's nutritionally speaking just crap. I didn't say all of what I wanted to say in terms of what is all going "wrong" at the moment, it would just be a bit too much. Politically speaking our country is also more divided than ever (except on the Ukraine issue), nationalism is on the rise (like pretty much evreywher ein the world). Since 2020, the trajectory is just downwards, in many aspects of life. And yes, I know. The future is a thought and money isn't real, etc. But the dream is turning into a nasty crisis and I want to know how to deal with it, not escape the dream. I grew up sheltered from any crisis, in prosperous times, without war or poverty. Now things are changing, and everything that once went up, must eventually come down. What is your advice? I'd be espccially thankful to advice of those of you who actually went through some major crisis. The "archetype" of the crisis, so to speak, and the archetype of the hero, i.e. the one who goes into the unknown and who successfully staves off chaos and who, as a consequences, raises out of the ashes of the old burnt order, stronger than before, is always the same - so it doesn't really matter what type of crisis. But I'm thankful for all advice, so... 🙏🏼

Yeah, why not? I do it all the time. Pretty awesome.

INTJ-A. The description text was shockingly accurate. Don't take this stuff too seriously tho, it's just fun and games

Not sure what you mean by this?

Yeah this is spot on. Do you sometimes feel inhibited in certain situations? how do you overcome it?

Of course not. You can learn to let go of inhibition, in other words; you can learn how to not give a shit.

Yes, inhibition means in this context that you are so self-aware that it blocks you from just being yourself.

Depends on what you're trying to do, no? Jumping 10ft in the air or making Sushi?

@bardh The question is: how do you understand the title? Even effort is effortlessness.

No. That's pretty clichee... What I wanted to share is this: music clubs (or raves for that matter) are excelent opportunities to let go. We are so inhibited in our bodies and in our behavior as to what movements are acceptable that we don't dare to dance. Funny thing, when we entered the club, there were almost no people. Inhibition goes way up. I hope you guys occasionally do things of this kind. It's rather cleansing for the soul, so to speak. I mean for god's sake, the universe is a party that went completely out of control. Brahman just vibing.

Just got home, it's 4 am. Had a wonderful night with my friend at an open air rave and in a techno club. A few years ago I would've felt really awkward dancing because I'd always think that I'm moving awkwardly. Nope. It's a great opportunity to let go, of everything, to watch God dance and play and to just completely merge with the flow of things, until you vanish and there's nothing left but the unity of the beat, the movement of the body and the recognition of God playing and dancing to techno. Awesome.

Yeah I think he is. People sometimes feed them bread and stuff, so I think he's become pretty complacent and demanding...Yesterday, I brought him some oat flakes and seeds in order to appease his feathered majesty, but he just hissed at me and so I gave it to the goslings (they're so cute!). Yes, this is all true of course. It's just a matter of practice to see though some of the more intrusive thoughts like "other people watching me", guess it's deeply ingrained in our minds because of social conditioning - although that too, is a thought😄 Indeed, thank god they don't have any dinosaur teeth😂

Honestly I'm more afraid of this one insane male swan who always patrols the shore and who starts paddling right up to me the moment I plant my ass on the ground, two days ago he just aggressivley climbed up right to where I sat and scared me away😂😂 which is btw probably the most distracting thing when sitting there, the swans, not so much even the people. But it makes no difference, I feel watched.

Hey, I recently discovered a beautiful spot at the bank of a huge lake nearby where I live and I started to go ther every evening to meditate for a short while, the only thing is that there are also people walking by and they can see you meditate - even though the only see your back. Sometimes I become a little bit self conscious about this (unless I'm in deeper meditation when I just altogether forget that I even sit at a lake😂). Unfortunately I haven't yet discovered any place where you can sit where there are no people at all (because usually the really beautiful places are known to other people). Any advice?

How can people say "if you were awake you would [...]" with a straight face?

@Forza21 Funny, Rupert uploaded a video on exactly this just a few hours ago. Was this your inspiration or is this just a crazy synchronicity?😄 Edit: nvmd you talked about this before him, nice!!

Haha that's literally the same answer I gave Forza😂 Since space, time and change interdepend on each other, they collapse together.

Going on a vacation.

As Phil summarized, it's about expectations. Having the "wrong" expectations will inevitably lead to frustration and suffering, and this is precisely what I meant to point out with this post. Yes, obviously it is essential that members of a community, online or offline, treat each other with respect and compassion, especially on a forum like this one, where it is even stated explicitly in the guidelines. Nevertheless, and I cannot stress this enough, it's just an online forum. Now what does this mean? Well, it means different things to different people, as is apparent in this thread. Perhaps, let me first say what I don't mean by it: I don't mean that it is a place where threads are made care- & thoughtlessly, where people are free to disrespect other members, their opinions, values, expressions, and personal spaces (such as journaling). And whenever people are being disrespected or insulted, there is a report function which, whenever you believe a guideline violation to have occurred, all of you are free and encouraged to use. "It's just an online forum" also doesn't mean that it is a replacement for therapy. Only few people know each other personally, which is the very least requirement for any kind of help, where the individual and their situation can really be considered as a whole. Otherwise this simply isn't possible. And this is part of what is meant by "treat this place with the distance it deserves." Confusing an online forum with an offline community or a replacement thereof will lead to the kind of frustration and suffering mentioned. The source of one's suffering lies in oneself, as uncomfortable as this may be. And whenever the wrong expectations, i.e. expectations that cannot be fulfilled, are placed on the object of expectation - you're in for trouble. I wanted (and still want) to gently motivate you to reflect on your relationship and expectations to online forums. There's a lot of things which online forums simply can't provide. And it's up to you to realize this and then, if necessary, adapt your relationship.

People who spend a lot of time on online forums tend to forget this.☝ And then they start to get involved more than they should, emotionally invested to degrees that make them suffer because of what is going on in the forum at the time, either it's some personal trouble with another member or drama involving multiple members or whatever it may be. Please treat online forums with the respect and distance they deserve. I know I said "should". And one the one hand I meant it (or I wouldn't have said it), on the other hand I didn't say anything at all; obviously you're free to do as you please, but perhaps, if you feel that this post adresses you and your relation to online forums in some way, consider reflecting upon this. It (and perhaps & hopefully consecutive action) may result in relief, to greater or lesser extent.