caribe wrote: As the proj gets closer something inside gets smaller and loses structure.
I know what that little "something inside" might be!
On a related note, here is an actual quote from a young college lad after coming down from the 4th bolt of his project at the Lode yesterday: "fuck man, I felt really good that time...I woulda totally sent it but the sun was in my eyes!"... This was all said unironically, mind you. His loyal bros then proceeded to maternally comfort the discouraged youngster, reassuring him he could "easily get sponsored by Evolv if he wanted to"....too classic!!
dustonian: I really can't answer that question. I am going by intuition when I make these decisions and that probably sounds like a terrible idea, but I know that this path is right for me. That's something I can't explain to you, which makes it sound even more ridiculous. But I don't need to prove anything to you.
And you're describing a common case among drug users. I have not experienced a drop in my ability to gain insight from situations in a completely sober state of mind. In fact, I've had the opposite happen. I know that the point is to develop the ability to be on a higher frequency all the time and that's where my main focus is. Not to eliminate the conscious thinking function, but to fully integrate the side of our consciousness that is intuitive and feels situations rather than analyzes. It's really important to keep the ability to rationalize and ably interact with the physical. I am on a spiritual path, and to someone who doesn't believe there is a spiritual realm to begin with, those words are nothing but empty, dead symbols just like any other words.
dhuff wrote:And you're describing a common case among drug users. I have not experienced a drop in my ability to gain insight from situations in a completely sober state of mind. In fact, I've had the opposite happen.
Your ability to perceive something wrong is a function of your waning ability to perceive anything at all. In the states that you gravitate to everything is A OK, but is it really? What do you think your mom, dad, sis or a hypothetical girlfriend would tell you? Keep these people around for reality checks. There are good trips and bad trips, but they all come at a cost. In general there really is no benefit, Dusty has it right, with drugs if you measure the ups and the downs you come out in the red. It is certainly true that if you go drug-free your balance sheet can show earnings (good memories, lifetime friends, stable close relationships, a little financial freedom).
dhuff, what you're describing is the right-hemisphere function of the brain, and there's nothing wrong with that--if anything our culture could use a lot more of its influence. Unfortunately, the right hemisphere long ago lost the war and in modern society the logical, efficient left hemisphere always wins--even in the arts now, sadly. The kind, gentle, touchy-feely non-verbal right hemisphere is squashed and ignored on a daily basis in our often ruthless, results-oriented society.
The unfortunate reality, though, is that this is the playing field, and to make a true difference, help people, and change the world you have to work within that paradigm... and in the end, the left brain really is a lot better at getting shit done. But the happiest and most "successful" people, to my mind, take the pure creativity, open-mindedness, and intuition of the right brain and use the left brain as a facile tool to achieve their goals--hopefully humanitarian/philanthropic in nature, if they are truly in touch with their inner artist/non-verbal "beings." Of course, getting something done involves money on at least one level, sometimes many--think of Dr. Paul Farmer distributing tuberculosis and HIV treatments in Haiti and Siberian prisons, even this wasn't "free"--money is a necessary evil used mostly because twenty-dollar bills are a lot lighter and easier to carry than pigs, cows, bushels of corn, and barrels of oil.
Now, the real trick is harnessing the analytical left mind to applying your creative right-brain insights to real-world problems, without letting the bullish left brain take over and make money and status the only result one cares about. And as for "real-world problems," there is forever a surplus of those to be sure, and at the same time a real shortage of smart, creative idealists like yourself who genuinely want to make a difference, but maybe just don't know how. Running away from society because of fear or self-righteousness is not the answer, it is just an escape. And truthfully, doing drugs instead of doing something about these problems is exactly the same thing.
caribe wrote:I trip on existence all the time, but why don't we just pretend we were there at 95 °F and sent Mercy? We can convince ourselves of this and we can be just as happy.
Done brah, where were you? Don't believe me? Just check out the spray to see the proof! I swear it was my first time ever!
efil lanrete... i enjoy the sound, but in truth i find this seductively backward idea to be quite frightening
I am still missing the point of the initial thread....how is communal living going to bring about cancer research, innovation, electric cars, etc..I fail to see how communal living will solve anything, or make anything better. something tells me even the hippies like showers, pre packed food, AC, and, gasp, the internet to share their views..these things were not free.
I definitely understand what you're saying, dust. But I don't see this as running away to 'escape'. I see it as moving away from the structure of modern society to build an existence from the ground up. Not to abandon those who think they need the system, but to show as many as possible that they can do whatever they want. I don't plan on being a hermit off in the hills shut off from the rest of the world. I still will contribute to people in need the best that I can. I'm not sure of what that will mean for me in the future, but I am willing and eager to lend a hand to humanity however I can.
I still disagree on the money thing. I know for a fact that if everyone treated 'possessions' the way I do with my family or my group of close friends, there would be absolutely no need for it. So I feel like it's pretty important to spread that to as many people as I can. And I could just decide it's never going to happen in this lifetime, but then there's no way in hell that it will possibly happen. So I will keep on contributing to people's personal well being and sense of ease about being alive, while giving what little money or food, whatever material substance I have as a secondary method of helping.
Sure, pig, everyone likes those things. The only reason they weren't 'free' is because it takes work for them to exist. And the folks doing that work are not concerned with how much everyone else is benefiting from their work, but with how much they're getting in return for it. That's why I've been talking about spreading this mentality of selflessness and unity instead egoism of separatism. It's going to be a long ass time until humanity as a whole is living peacefully, sustainably, and in a way that is supportive of all forms of life. But I'm not going to make that an excuse to not try and bring about a new way. The path we're currently on will lead to no good end for any form of life on this planet, and you all know it. We need to do something drastically different. If we got everyone's ego to step down, we'd immediately implement free energy generators everywhere, make sure every last person has food, water, and something to keep warm at night, and then we would do anything we want. At that point, attaining knowledge and then learning to apply that knowledge would be the point of living. We could then all live in full support of each other, and have time to perfect ourselves in every way, turning our thoughts into reality.
Yes, it all sounds so simple! Food and clothing and housing and education and medicine and transportation and entertainment and police and fire protection and hospitals and computers and internet and clean water for 3 billion people! Everybody sharing! Everyone working equal amounts for free and one taking advantage of the system because they can!
Dude, you ARE delusional. You give socialism a bad name.... And what the hell is a "free energy generator"??? Bwahahaha!!!!
