# The Epiphany thread...?



## odibrom (Mar 21, 2021)

Hey, I thought this kind of thread was missing here... until,now 

What is this all about?

Publish your uplifting thoughts.
If you're not the author, please don't forget to quote him.
If you don't know who the author is, also say that.
Fill free to add some back line story on how it came to be.
Fill free to comment on others epiphanies.
Format your thoughts/epiphanies so to clearly identify them as so when compared to other comments on your posts.
Multiple thoughts/epiphanies per post are ok, but let not get us carried away and copy/paste the entire _Tao Te King_ in here, or any other historic/religious book. A few sentences are ok though, choose wisely.
All subjects are ok, except those listed bellow.
What this is NOT about:

THIS IS NOT A RELIGIOUS THREAD, DO NOT SELL YOUR GOD HERE, no one is buying.
THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL THREAD, DO NOT SELL YOUR PARTY HERE, no one cares and this is an international forum.
No user related content.

Please, no shit talking down on anyone, either human (genre/generation/race/creed) or any other living being, if you don't like the previous post(s), ignore and move along.
No prejudice/prejudgement content.
Although jokes are somehow uplifting, this is not the jokes' thread.
--------------

I'll start, I was doing my dishes a few minutes ago and thinking on this meme war at the meme thread and how people struggle to get attention from everyone else, so this thought / epiphany just flashed as clear as the water running:

*The Sun is big enough to house everyone's dreams.*


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## Demiurge (Mar 21, 2021)

I hear that an Epiphany with better pickups can sound just as good as a Gibson. I had to.

One of the positive things over lockdown is that I've started journaling. Not like a "dear diary" record of the day, but just kind of a hashing-out of what's on my mind. It has been good mental-health-wise and creatively. One thing that I've kept coming back to for stress relief is just a sort-of affirmation that, with everything that's fucked-up, that it's OK to acknowledge it. I'm an introvert and a homebody, and I realized that I've tried to play the whole lockdown thing as almost like a schoolkid treats an extended snowday. I tried to gloss-over that I missed my friends, missed going places, felt bad for the people who lost their jobs or their loved ones. Eventually, that sadness hit and- for me at least- it was a struggle to feel it.

It's not a brilliant epiphany, but for somebody who constantly finds new ways in which they need to grow the eff up as I go over the hill, it's what I needed.


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## jaxadam (Mar 21, 2021)

Money isn’t everything, but it’s far ahead of whatever’s in second place. - my dad


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## BlackSG91 (Mar 21, 2021)

*Whatever you do, always give 100%...unless your donating blood.* - "Bill Murray"


;>)/


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## odibrom (Mar 21, 2021)

@Demiurge it took me a bit of time to get that Epiphany/Epiphone joke, nice move. Don't apologize, it's on topic and an intelligent one.



jaxadam said:


> Money isn’t everything, but it’s far ahead of whatever’s in second place. - my dad



... so, would you put love and breathing in second place?


@BlackSG91 ... all good, but don't feel sad if you can't give 100% of yourself in everything you do... you'd be left with nothing for yourself...


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## Demiurge (Mar 21, 2021)

odibrom said:


> @Demiurge it took me a bit of time to get that Epiphany/Epiphone joke, nice move. Don't apologize, it's on topic and an intelligent one.



I swear I've heard people mispronounce Epiphone as "epiphany" several times.


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## c7spheres (Mar 21, 2021)

Wise man say; "He who have itchy butt have stinky finger."


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## BlackSG91 (Mar 21, 2021)

c7spheres said:


> Wise man say; "He who have itchy butt have stinky finger."



What is long and green & smells like pork?








;>)/


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## jaxadam (Mar 21, 2021)

c7spheres said:


> Wise man say; "He who have itchy butt have stinky finger."



Man who fart in church sit in own pew.


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## odibrom (Mar 21, 2021)

jaxadam said:


> Man who fart in church sit in own pew.



I once elaborated a possible band name called "madpew". With the correct type font it could be rotated 180º and still keep its correct reading...


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## BMFan30 (Mar 21, 2021)

I used to live across the jailhouse but now I live across the house.

It's higher thinking for when you have to think pretty low for a while.


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## BMFan30 (Mar 21, 2021)

BlackSG91 said:


> What is long and green & smells like pork?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Kermits iris is squinting from the smell. Even my lcd flatscreen got thinner from that stinky ass stench.


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## Hollowway (Mar 22, 2021)

My favorite epiphany moment for me was watching Adaptation. If you haven't seen it, you NEED to. But, this exchange hit me. Hard. In a good way. And I've tried to keep it with me ever since, because it really keeps me centered, and is very much what everyone says (i.e. don't care about what others think). For some reason, framing it this way just made everything fall into place. If you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, it'll probably sound trite. Which is why I say you should watch the movie.

Charlie Kaufman: There was this time in high school. I was watching you out the library window. You were talking to Sarah Marsh.

Donald Kaufman: Oh, God. I was so in love with her.

Charlie Kaufman: I know. And you were flirting with her. And she was being really sweet to you.

Donald Kaufman: I remember that.

Charlie Kaufman: Then, when you walked away, she started making fun of you with Kim Canetti. And it was like they were laughing at _me_. You didn't know at all. You seemed so happy.

Donald Kaufman: I knew. I heard them.

Charlie Kaufman: How come you looked so happy?

Donald Kaufman: I loved Sarah, Charles. It was mine, that love. I owned it. Even Sarah didn't have the right to take it away. I can love whoever I want.

Charlie Kaufman: But she thought you were pathetic.

Donald Kaufman: That was her business, not mine. You are what you love, not what loves you. That's what I decided a long time ago.


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## BlackSG91 (Mar 22, 2021)

*If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.* 
- "Steven Wright"


;>)/


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## odibrom (Mar 22, 2021)

@Hollowway I've seen an interesting cartoon that sums that up pretty nicely. It was something like this:

Character 1: Why are you nice to people who will take advantage on you
Character 2: Because it's in my nature
Character 1: But they'll use and abuse of your good actions
Character 2: That's their problem/karma

... so this to say to stay true to one's own feelings...?

@BlackSG91 Megadeth's High Speed Dirt from the Count Down to Extinction album. I also have in my head a quote I don't know where it's from (I think of some movie maybe) that goes like this: A parachute not opening... that's a way to die... which is what this Megadeth's song is all about...


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## odibrom (Mar 22, 2021)

Ok, this comes a bit as a religion kind of thing (although it speaks of a particular atitude), but indulge me and replace the word "religion" for "way of life", then it all comes together, all doubts are cleared, all clouds vanish... I dare you to try it.


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## Hollowway (Mar 23, 2021)

odibrom said:


> @Hollowway I've seen an interesting cartoon that sums that up pretty nicely. It was something like this:
> 
> Character 1: Why are you nice to people who will take advantage on you
> Character 2: Because it's in my nature
> ...



Yeah, that’s the gist. Like, these days, someone might criticize me for being nice to someone who is not nice back to me. But I feel confident in my doing so, because my actions have no bearing on their actions. I’m not going to be an idiot, and trust someone who has proven untrustworthy, or something like that. But otherwise, I try to live my life according to me and not according to another person’s actions.


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## odibrom (Mar 23, 2021)

Hollowway said:


> Yeah, that’s the gist. Like, these days, someone might criticize me for being nice to someone who is not nice back to me. But I feel confident in my doing so, because my actions have no bearing on their actions. I’m not going to be an idiot, and trust someone who has proven untrustworthy, or something like that. But otherwise, I try to live my life according to me and not according to another person’s actions.



... or expectations!


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## BlackSG91 (Mar 23, 2021)

*We don't stop playing because we grow old; We grow old because we stop playing.* - "George Bernard Shaw"


;>)/


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## Demiurge (Mar 23, 2021)

^I hope ol' Georgie can advise how much playing will make all of the joints in my body stop creaking & cracking.


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## BlackSG91 (Mar 23, 2021)

Demiurge said:


> ^I hope ol' Georgie can advise how much playing will make all of the joints in my body stop creaking & cracking.



The best remedy for joint pain is THC.








;>)/


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## BlackSG91 (Aug 2, 2021)

*Friendship is like peeing on yourself: Everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings. *- "Robert Bloch"



;>)/


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## BlackSG91 (Aug 2, 2021)

*If you think it's expensive to hire a professional, wait until you hire an amateur.*


;>)/


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## BlackSG91 (Aug 2, 2021)

*If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in the dark with a mosquito.* - "Betty Reese"




;>)/


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## odibrom (Aug 2, 2021)

BlackSG91 said:


> *If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in the dark with a mosquito.* - "Betty Reese"
> ;>)/



The Dalai Lama is quoted in this as well... but could you try to post some of your own also? please...? I'm sure you've accumulated a few interesting thoughts already...


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## odibrom (Oct 21, 2021)

So, while parenting my kids (13 years old boy and 10 years old girl) I came up with an epiphany quite strong to shut them up. It goes like this:

*The purpose of reason is to build peace among all. If in the exercise of reason, peace is not the result, then reason was not right or was poorly exercised and the responsibility falls on us.*

What say you about this? I find it hard to contest, but what do I know? I also find this to be fit everywhere we go or do, every fucking choice we make, this concept surrounds us like a ghost. Are we living accordingly?


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## jaxadam (Oct 21, 2021)

"Do what you gotta do so you can do what you wanna do." - Denzel Washington

"Make what you wanna do what you gotta do." - jaxadam


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## jaxadam (Oct 21, 2021)

Double post.


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## wheresthefbomb (Oct 25, 2021)

odibrom said:


> So, while parenting my kids (13 years old boy and 10 years old girl) I came up with an epiphany quite strong to shut them up. It goes like this:
> 
> *The purpose of reason is to build peace among all. If in the exercise of reason, peace is not the result, then reason was not right or was poorly exercised and the responsibility falls on us.*
> 
> What say you about this? I find it hard to contest, but what do I know? I also find this to be fit everywhere we go or do, every fucking choice we make, this concept surrounds us like a ghost. Are we living accordingly?



I dig this. I think a lot, probably too much, and useful axioms/praxis are one of the goals of my thought. I like that this entails both "getting along" and reflexive accountability, being responsible to oneself, and I don't think one can properly be had without the other. I think the oft-cited "tragedy of the commons" is a failure of that reflexive accountability, western society with its focus on individuality often loses (or if I were paranoid I might say eschews-by-design) this sense of reflexive accountability, leading to a "community" of people who are inescapably connected to each other but also see themselves as "islands" or "castles," whole and independent unto themselves.


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## bostjan (Oct 25, 2021)

I don't know how to be uplifting to other people. I'm generally a nihilist. Other people tend to think that's depressing, but I think it's great. It helps you balance your perspective on everything.

I think we, as humans in whatever society we are in, tend to feel the need to shift too much importance on one thing or another. People want lots of money, but you don't get to keep it when you inevitably die. People might want sex or power or whatever specific thing, but those are all fairly fleeting things unless they happen for certain reasons.

Even if you build your skills to a level unsurpassed by anyone else, you have to use those skills in order for them to have any effect on your surroundings, and anyway, those surroundings are never guaranteed to remain static.

If you pursue happiness, you'll have a tough time reaching it, but if pursuing something makes you happy, then you have everything to gain if you succeed and even if you never succeed, you'll be happier anyway.

After all, life is half what happens to you and half what you do about it. I think that's sort of the message in the film _Forest Gump._ Here's this guy who had all of this shitty stuff happen to him, but he made the most out of everything by simply staying optimistic yet grounded. Or in the book _Candide_, it's a similar sort of philosophy, but maybe taking it a step further as to how, if you stay overly optimistic but lose your groundedness, you can have a bad time of it.

We also tend to but more emphasis on the future than the present. Or sometimes we put too much emphasis on the past. I argue that the present is the most important, because it's the one with us right now. The past and the future are also important, equal to each other, but less important than the present. Before I was, I didn't exist. After I die, I will not exist. But, right now, I exist, and that's what makes this moment so glorious to me.


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## Scooter1969 (Oct 25, 2021)

*No matter how much you give a homeless person for tea, you'll never get that tea.*
--Jimmy Carr


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## odibrom (Oct 25, 2021)

bostjan said:


> We also tend to but more emphasis on the future than the present. Or sometimes we put too much emphasis on the past. I argue that the present is the most important, because it's the one with us right now. The past and the future are also important, equal to each other, but less important than the present. Before I was, I didn't exist. After I die, I will not exist. But, right now, I exist, and that's what makes this moment so glorious to me.



I like a quote from master Uguay (the turtle in Kung Fu Panda, the movie):






:::

I had a Psychologist teacher years ago, that said that,

living in the pass is depression,
living in the future is anxiety,
living in the present assertiveness.
Assertiveness means a lot of things and sometimes can be understood as aggression for those unaware. It means speaking almost without emotion, so the message is what the words mean, for example. It's fucking hard to be assertive in this "modern society" where everyone hides themselves behind a mask (covid pun intended, but a a joke, I respect the covid masks)...

The Dalai Lama also has an interesting quote on this:





... assertiveness can be achieved with meditation... or being constantly in a meditative mind/soul state...


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## wheresthefbomb (Oct 25, 2021)

bostjan said:


> I don't know how to be uplifting to other people. I'm generally a nihilist. Other people tend to think that's depressing, but I think it's great. It helps you balance your perspective on everything.



I personally find a lot of value in absurdist nihilism, it makes life into a sort of "pick your own adventure." I also find that it doesn't seem to always bring others as much comfort as it does me, and a lot of people find it downright distressing. 

Generally speaking though, often times being uplifting to others requires little more than listening. A key component of active listening that I particularly struggle with is listening without judgement, restraining the desire to offer your opinion/advice/perspective unless it's specifically called for. I find that this urge often actually arises out of insecurity/fear over lack of control. 

I am a fixer, but people don't always want you to fix their problems. Most often they just want to be heard, and I find that by practicing active listening skills you can really be there for people without needing to compromise or even really delve into your own life philosophy. 

This goes into something else that I struggle with, which is remembering that other people's expressions are a representation of their view of reality and _necessarily_ have nothing to do with you. Being able to hold that space for others, surrendering to the lack of control you have over their situation while still empathizing with it, actually makes you a stronger and more secure person.

These are some meanderings from my hard-won experiential knowledge of the past decade or so.


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## odibrom (Oct 25, 2021)

@wheresthefbomb a trick to become and active listener is to ask pertinent questions so the persons go deep in their own thoughts. Some possible questions can be "do you need my help?" or "what can I do for you?"... these will obviously call for our action.


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## bostjan (Oct 26, 2021)

In order to help another person, they need to be primed to listen and accept help.


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## odibrom (Oct 26, 2021)

bostjan said:


> In order to help another person, they need to be primed to listen and accept help.



... but of course, one that doesn't want to be helped, cannot be helped...


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## jaxadam (Oct 26, 2021)

Yesterday I was clever and wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. - Rumi


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## jaxadam (Oct 26, 2021)

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.


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## jaxadam (Nov 1, 2021)

You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.


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## thebeesknees22 (Nov 1, 2021)

jaxadam said:


> You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.



but you can fist bump!


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## bostjan (Nov 1, 2021)

jaxadam said:


> You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.


:fistbump:



thebeesknees22 said:


> but you can fist bump!


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## jaxadam (Nov 1, 2021)

thebeesknees22 said:


> but you can fist bump!



:fistbump:


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## odibrom (Nov 1, 2021)

:fistbump: not showing...


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## bostjan (Nov 1, 2021)

odibrom said:


> :fistbump: not showing...


Try this:


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## odibrom (Nov 1, 2021)

bostjan said:


> Try this:


Thank you!...


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## jaxadam (Nov 1, 2021)

bostjan said:


> Try this:



Quoting for future reference.


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## spudmunkey (Nov 1, 2021)

jaxadam said:


> You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.



But you can fist with a clenched shake.


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## ArtDecade (Nov 1, 2021)

spudmunkey said:


> But you can fist with a clenched shake.



I see you found my Onlyfans.


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## soliloquy (Nov 10, 2021)

we, as humans, want to belong any/everywhere. In doing so, we hold onto certain ethos that we believe are right.
Our concept of what is right/wrong was developed via our social conditioning and lived experiences. 

Yet we fail to understand that the very right we have to believe in our social constructs and conditioning, also gives the same right to others. 
Our pride/ego keeps getting in the way, which causes fights/misunderstanding/hurt feelings/wars/etc

we are so guarded that we fail to comprehend that we are fighting ourselves. Rather than celebrating differences, and expanding our horizon, we limit it by staying in our comfy bubble. Life is far too beautiful to just stick to our comfy bubble. 

being vulnerable will allow us to get there, but that in its self requires a lot of uneasiness


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## odibrom (Nov 10, 2021)

@soliloquy like, like, like, like...


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## wheresthefbomb (Nov 16, 2021)

Today while getting paid to sit on the toilet I reflected on my recognition of the fact that we are completely and inescapably alone even at what we reckon to be our most intimate, and that while bringing about some level of peace and acceptance, it also inherently reinforces feelings of isolation and loneliness because _ain't nobody wants to hear your downer-ass nihilist bullshit._



bostjan said:


> Try this:



I love this, I also hate that it won't fucking stop lmao that's not how a fist bump works YOU DON'T KEEP DOING IT


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## odibrom (Dec 12, 2021)

I was talking to the wife the other day and we came across a subject about how to deal with our families and all the involved drama. On how (and when) to express our will/opinion without backlash from the other parties. So we _arranged_ a 3 question/filter solution about what we're about to say and the need for doing so... that could be translated everywhere, I think.

The questions/filters we should ask ourselves before speaking/posting opinions are:

*Was is asked for?* - This is kind of obvious, but in the heat of a disagreement with our parents (or with someone else) sometimes words fly out without control, so this should always be the first thing to think about... I'm sure we all have already heard the " lost opportunity to keep your mouth shut" phrasing... several times in our life, right?
*Will it bring peace to all?* - This recalls back the earlier suggestion about the purpose of reason, so is that what we're about to say reasonable or is it a him/caprice... or sometimes, just mean and hurtful?
*Will it avoid life threatening situations?* - This overrides the first point, but we kind of feel bad when we have the opportunity to warn others about the perils of some situations and we don't do so because we're but hurt, and then that loved one gets injured because we didn't warn them in the first hand... many of us may have alread hear the backlash of this we a "Why didn't you say that before?" kind of reply. However, while being able to override the 1st point, it will also bring us (at least) peace of mind. If, for instance, we hear the "keep your mouth shut" reply, and if people do in fact get hurt (it could be a job interview gone wrong), we may receive back an "I'm sorry, you were right about this or that"...
So, this may look like a _Palissade_ (tales of Jack de La Palice), but it also felt comforting and eye opening at that moment to put it in words. I also feel like I kind of rule my life with these thoughts in mind, or at least, make efforts in doing so...

... so, what do you say, does it makes sense?


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## nightflameauto (Dec 28, 2021)

My latest epiphany is the realization that I get a real kick out of listening to female friends argue with each other. Especially when they really get down and dirty with the insults. I think it may have something to do with the way I interact with my male friends, where even casual conversation can just be a long string of insults tossed back and forth. So seeing women break a conversation down to that level is almost like a bonding moment for me.

Even better when they include me on the string of insults.

I know. I'm not right in the head.


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## Crungy (Dec 28, 2021)

@wheresthefbomb you stop bumping? Wtf dude, bump that shit raw


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## odibrom (Dec 28, 2021)

nightflameauto said:


> (...)
> 
> I know. I'm not right in the head.



news flash: no body is... realizing that makes you apart from the rest...


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## Crungy (Dec 30, 2021)

We're here on this forum, that must be saying something, right?


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## odibrom (Feb 25, 2022)

Let's refresh this thread with something new...
Someone's wrong doings do not justify one's wrong doings.​This is something I've been telling my kids for some time now, specially when they clash. It's not about forgiveness nor revenge and more about being responsible for one's own actions and that those are one's, and one's alone, responsibility (and choice), it goes something like this:

I think this MUST be carved in everybody's bones and minds so we can evolve higher as a species... and truly turn the tide on how things are at the moment.


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## odibrom (Mar 15, 2022)

So, the other day, I was talking with the lady of the house about how we, human, relate with each other and how that translates into all the shit stuff around us (either micro or macro). So I came up with another epiphany...

*The other is (the) Sacred.*

So, "Sacred" is something that should not be harmed, something that should be kept in its original form, protected... right? This means to me that if the other is sacred, I should not harm him/her/it. Should we all think and act like this, I shall be sacred to the whole world, as well as the whole world will be sacred to me. I will not harm and will not be harmed... how about that?, instant peace...

The problem is that most of the times we don't know (or care) how we're harming others, and that attitude also reflects back on us, we feel harmed by others and they just won't acknowledge it. So how do we solve this?, we transform the other into a Sacred object and as so the other must also be protected. This implies responsibility on our actions and the expedite our doings in order to correct our wrongs, so the harmed other will feel better.

The great thing is that when we selflessly help others, we are really helping ourselves...


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## nightflameauto (Mar 16, 2022)

odibrom said:


> So, the other day, I was talking with the lady of the house about how we, human, relate with each other and how that translates into all the shit stuff around us (either micro or macro). So I came up with another epiphany...
> 
> *The other is (the) Sacred.*
> 
> ...


One is reminded of Phoebe's huge philosophical dilemma over there being no such thing as a selfless act.

"OH! I have one! I let a bee sting me the other day in the park!"
"You realize bees die after they sting someone, right?"
"Oh."


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## bostjan (Mar 16, 2022)

odibrom said:


> So, the other day, I was talking with the lady of the house about how we, human, relate with each other and how that translates into all the shit stuff around us (either micro or macro). So I came up with another epiphany...
> 
> *The other is (the) Sacred.*
> 
> ...


I so deeply want to agree with this, but I just can't help but object to the philosophy that revolve around the "do no harm" principle.

Yes we are temporary beings, but this is also a temporary universe. If I decide to no longer harm any living creature, then I must abstain from eating the flesh of any living thing in order to not perpetuate the harm done to other plants, animals, fungii, etc. Yet, if I do so, I will starve, and that would do great harm to my loved ones as they then have to deal with the pain of my self-imposed starvation. Furthermore, if I turn into a pacifist and am assaulted by a criminal but do not resist, I allow that criminal to continue assaulting other people, which ultimately leads to more harm than if I just punch the guy in the nose and put a stop to it right then and there, especially if the criminal takes my money and uses that money to purchase a weapon.

I have a lot of respect for Gandhi, but honestly, if he had been standing up to a regime like Joseph Stalin's, he would have just starved and been forgotten.

Maybe the philosophy you propose is ultimately more beneficial than mainstream Western philosophy; however, I propose pacifism in moderation, peace in moderation, lessen the negative aspects of your impact on the environment, but never assume that this impact can approach zero. You often have to take things apart in order to repair them, and you often have to cut off part of your own body if it makes you sick and you cannot repair it. Likewise, you cannot have a positive impact on your world without also making some negative impact, and, ultimately, neither the things you build or the ideas you create, nor the resources you consume in the process of living will matter ten thousand years from now.

And whatever you do, never, ever expect other people to treat anything you hold sacred as sacred. You can encourage this, but as soon as someone conceptualizes their own personal benefit from destroying something, your opinions of how important that thing is will mean nothing to them; you can only try to convince them why _they_ should think it's important.


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## odibrom (Mar 16, 2022)

bostjan said:


> I so deeply want to agree with this, but I just can't help but object to the philosophy that revolve around the "do no harm" principle.
> 
> Yes we are temporary beings, but this is also a temporary universe. If I decide to no longer harm any living creature, then I must abstain from eating the flesh of any living thing in order to not perpetuate the harm done to other plants, animals, fungii, etc. Yet, if I do so, I will starve, and that would do great harm to my loved ones as they then have to deal with the pain of my self-imposed starvation. Furthermore, if I turn into a pacifist and am assaulted by a criminal but do not resist, I allow that criminal to continue assaulting other people, which ultimately leads to more harm than if I just punch the guy in the nose and put a stop to it right then and there, especially if the criminal takes my money and uses that money to purchase a weapon.
> 
> ...


This last "epiphany" has hidden definitions that need to be addressed. My philosophical context comes from martial arts, which I've practicing regularly since late 1994...

My definition of of "harming" is about about intentions, not necessarily about actions. It's a subtle difference but means the world apart. This means that I am therefore a vessel of the universe's energy and as so I allow its justice to travel and manifest through me... call it karma if you will. This means that one should not be attached to the physical state of things/persons/beings but cherish their values. This has been expressed in a lot of movies and other artistic expressions. Not harming the other doesn't mean I can't slap his face. Means that if I do so, I'll have to take care and balance his soul...

... so, one has to take a deep breath when thinking on these super short "enlightened" statements for they are short in form but huge in implications and aren't absent of simplistic interpretations... (not saying yours is one of those)...

If you want to believe in this, believe it and make it work for you, find your balance between what makes sense and what makes you question the sentence validity. This is the way... 

Obviously, do not take me too serious on this, these are only thoughts to open our mind/soul's doors to new perspectives of ourselves...


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## profwoot (Mar 16, 2022)

Here's one I'm currently working on:

Relax.

This started out related to my guitar playing, since although it doesn't get talked about that much it is one of the more essential keys to playing well. Use only the muscles necessary for what you're doing, making sure not to hold tension in any of them. I won't go into all the reasoning since hopefully it's intuitive. Walk around the block paying attention to your gait and the muscles you're using and see how you feel.

Turns out, this applies to everything. Other physical activities, certainly, but definitely mental as well. The reason why so much discussion on the internet devolves into butthurt people yelling at each other is because humans are primed to perceive others as threats even when they're not, and we're primed to defend our honor even when it's not being impugned.

Relaxation yields confidence and self-possession. It's just a much better way to go through life. Plus once you turn 40 it turns out that holding tension in one's muscles starts causing all sorts of health issues related to circulation and nerve entrapment that you might as well avoid.

Mental health treatment is necessary for some to be able to achieve this, since a lot of people "store" their pent up emotions in tense muscles. It's all related and well worth examining in oneself.

Final note: it's perfectly possible to be tense af while vegging out on the couch. That's not the kind of relaxation I'm talking about.


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## Matt08642 (Mar 16, 2022)

I don't know if it counts as an "epiphany" per se, but something Steve Vai said in one of his "Under It All" videos that really stuck with me was about primary purpose. What is your purpose in the moment? It's not always about something grandiose, just about dedicating yourself to the present and what you're doing. Personally it helps me focus on mundane things that I feel myself getting frustrated or bored with. For instance, driving to the store in rush hour traffic becomes a zen experience when I tell myself my primary purpose in life, the reason I am on this earth in that moment, is to simply get to the store.

This isn't to say making something my primary purpose is a hyperfixation and I must accomplish it at all costs, it just helps me reframe things like "Why am I stressed about a meeting happening in 3 days? My purpose in life right now is to go get some bread"


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## bostjan (Mar 16, 2022)

Matt08642 said:


> I don't know if it counts as an "epiphany" per se, but something Steve Vai said in one of his "Under It All" videos that really stuck with me was about primary purpose. What is your purpose in the moment? It's not always about something grandiose, just about dedicating yourself to the present and what you're doing. Personally it helps me focus on mundane things that I feel myself getting frustrated or bored with. For instance, driving to the store in rush hour traffic becomes a zen experience when I tell myself my primary purpose in life, the reason I am on this earth in that moment, is to simply get to the store.
> 
> This isn't to say making something my primary purpose is a hyperfixation and I must accomplish it at all costs, it just helps me reframe things like "Why am I stressed about a meeting happening in 3 days? My purpose in life right now is to go get some bread"


That's how I've floated through much of my life. It's a good way to end up in places you'd never imagine you'd end up, doing things you'd never imagine yourself doing. One day, you wake up, and you aren't certain what your purpose in life is that day, and somehow you're old; you finally look back and say to yourself, "How the hell did I get here and how am I not dead?!" But, I do think that, in most circumstances, living mostly in the moment is a great approach to existential philosophy. It's impossible to be in the past nor in the future, so put a finger or a toe in each and let the rest of you be in the present moment. You could get unlucky and end up trapped, but shit, that could just as likely happen in any case.


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## jaxadam (Mar 16, 2022)

profwoot said:


> Here's one I'm currently working on:
> 
> Relax.
> 
> ...



I see this across a lot of physical/sports disciplines. The better athletes are just smoother from years of experience and training.

I don't know how many people know about this, but there are the 4 steps to "mastery" of a skill:

-unconsciously incompetent (essentially, you don't know what you don't know)
-consciously incompetent (you know you lack skill, typical for a beginner in a sport, hobby, or skill)
-consciously competent (you have to actively engage with the appropriate skill)
-unconsciously competent (you have mastered a skill, and do not need to put a lot of thought to match the effort)

I am very lucky at this stage in my life I have not had any major injuries, where guys around me are getting back surgery, knee surgery, shoulder surgery, or just have chronic injuries that inhibit their ability to perform at a certain level anymore.


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## odibrom (Mar 16, 2022)

jaxadam said:


> I see this across a lot of physical/sports disciplines. The better athletes are just smoother from years of experience and training.
> 
> I don't know how many people know about this, but there are the 4 steps to "mastery" of a skill:
> 
> ...



I'd resume this to:

"The difference between a master and a student is that the master has been mistaken more times than the student has even tried"... 

... with a smile at the end, never forget the smile...


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## odibrom (Mar 26, 2022)

Getting back at the "THE OTHER IS SACRED" kind of though, it has lots of little details that could and should be explored in order to understand how deep it can go.

Let's consider ourselves in the 3rd person, as an observer of our own selves... if " the other is sacred", then, we are sacred to someone else, right and as all sacred objects must be protected, so must we be protected. The thing is that we must protect the sacred object we are to others from them, even when they don't acknowledge (yet) that we so are to them... This also means that we are sacred to ourselves, as viewing ourselves from afar...

So, when asked "how about a burglar hitting me, shouldn't I defend myself?" YES YOU SHOUD, but also protect the burglar from either your revengeful you and himself because both are sacred, you and him... When we dive deep into this, we bring back the other idea about the purpose of reason, which is to bring/build peace to all... how can we, if we fail to protect what is sacred?... food for thought, not to believe, this is not a creed... this is the way...


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## odibrom (Nov 30, 2022)

... so, there was I at my parents' with my kids and nephews having dinner... I can't really comment on the subject we were talking but I got this thought...

Without depression, there is no rain...

What do I mean with this? Well, depression is a word used in several different contexts, psychology, metereology, geography and so on. It has a dark connotation on the first, a so-so on the second and eventually an interesting one on this last.

I think we should start to look at the psychological one through the other contexts' perspective. A storm (or a metereological depression) is something both dreadful and beautiful, but it allways cleans up the excesses and help us focus on what is important. A valley (a geographical depression) is a very fertile land, more than the hills and the plains risk on becoming deserts.

Words are used in different contexts because they build connections/bridges between ideas that somehow may feel unrelated. I think we should look at the psychological depression with these other perspectives (I love this word) as they bring some light on how to deal with them, on how to transform our darker thoughts into something meaningful and uplifting.

I could say "it's just a thought", but the thing is I believe it is a bit more than that, it's a gate to a more peaceful way of leaving, feeling and thinking about us and the world around.

What do you say? Does it make sense?


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## Demiurge (Dec 1, 2022)

odibrom said:


> Words are used in different contexts because they build connections/bridges between ideas that somehow may feel unrelated. I think we should look at the psychological depression with these other perspectives (I love this word) as they bring some light on how to deal with them, on how to transform our darker thoughts into something meaningful and uplifting.
> 
> I could say "it's just a thought", but the thing is I believe it is a bit more than that, it's a gate to a more peaceful way of leaving, feeling and thinking about us and the world around.
> 
> What do you say? Does it make sense?


I mean... it's a pretty thought, but it's sort of akin to the business world's fetishization of failure or the "everything happens for a reason" mentality. Sometimes negative experiences can be ones from which we learn things or gain perspective and sometimes those things or perspectives can lead to positive things- but not always. Personally, the people who see the clouds over my head and only want to count the silver linings for me have never helped.


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## odibrom (Dec 1, 2022)

Demiurge said:


> I mean... it's a pretty thought, but it's sort of akin to the business world's fetishization of failure or the "everything happens for a reason" mentality. Sometimes negative experiences can be ones from which we learn things or gain perspective and sometimes those things or perspectives can lead to positive things- but not always. Personally, the people who see the clouds over my head and only want to count the silver linings for me have never helped.



Well, I'm not saying that the point here is when in depression, one should look up in the sky and feel the rain falling down one's face and smile and shit. That is not the point, the point is (let's see if I can put it correctly) to own the depression like we can't stop the snow from falling in a blizard nor the lightnings in a storm. What I mean is that depressions are a beautiful thing one has to embrace in order to let it change us from within, knowing that after it (it means that it will pass) all things will find their rightful place. One fall into depression when things around become overwhelming, and one can't find anything to hold on to. It's like too much pressure from the outside world that one can't bear and thus falls into depression. That is the moment for one to meditate, to own, not to fight against like society leads us to think of it... hence the bridging between contexts using this word. A depression is a fertile land for one to lay down one's ideas on how one wants things to grow inside. It's like a "time out" from the world, so when we get back in the play we're stronger and healthier... that's where I was getting at.

Everything happens for a reason, sure, but here the point is not about the search for the reason of why things happen, more on what one can do about when things happen.

So let's us embrace our own depressions, care for them as an important part of us, the part where we learn about how we relate with each other and the outside world...?


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## bostjan (Dec 2, 2022)

Depression happens for a reason and that reason is often that the most horrible things in life happen to us for no damned reason at all.


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## odibrom (Dec 2, 2022)

bostjan said:


> Depression happens for a reason and that reason is often that the most horrible things in life happen to us for no damned reason at all.


That's how storms come to be... isn't it? Yet their magnificent and dreadful at the same time. So is depression, we must respect its presence (not fight/deny it), but also try to see what else can be hidden beyond itself. What other perspectives are on how we _know_ / _look at_ things...? Depressions are opportunities for transformation, let's embrace them...?


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## bostjan (Dec 2, 2022)

Maybe I'm misunderstanding.

Feeling sad is like a storm. Something happens, then passes, you struggle with accepting it, but eventually move on. Maybe you have an opportunity to grow from the ordeal.

Depression, as I understand it, is when the pleasure and reward systems in your brain short circuit and you stop enjoying everything. So, I'd say it's a lot more like living on the Moon. Everything is grey and drab, nothing exciting ever happens or changes, and it takes some serious effort by multiple people to get you out of the situation.

I think the latest estimates for how prevalent depression is in post-covid society is roughly 1/3 of the population accepts that they have depression, maybe 1/3 are in denial, and the other 1/3 are fighting it. Of those three options, I'd rather be one of the ones fighting it than giving in to it.

And maybe covid is even sort of an example of how things happen at random. Like, if there is some philosophical greater power, then why would the learning experience be framed by having everyone work hard for 100 years to build up society, just to release some deadly disease randomly on the planet that crushes our economy and sends our society into a tailspin? It seems like, just like depression, all it teaches us is that we can never count on taking pleasure in rewards we earned from our own hard work. Incidentally, the prevalence of clinical depression is estimated to have increased between 2-10 fold due to covid. 

But please believe whatever you want if it helps. I've tried them all and, personally, I don't believe in any "-ism," especially nihilism. The universe is strangely optimized to torture us all by teaching us what love and hope are only to set us up for proving that we cannot have them. Maybe those who learn how to combat depression at an early enough age get the only defense against that, which is to learn that the universe is a cold, dead place, that just happens to have a very short list of temporary warm places. But, ultimately, as the universe expands, and every source of heat burns through its fuel, and all order is converted into disorder, every place in the universe will fizzle out into the same cold dead heap of rubbish. So, you enjoy whatever you can, while you can, and don't count on ever getting to enjoy it again before it's gone forever. I guess that's my brand of enlightenment, except instead of becoming one with god/universe/energy, I've bucked my psychological dependency to it.


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## Demiurge (Dec 2, 2022)

odibrom said:


> Depressions are opportunities for transformation, let's embrace them...?


Such as?


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## odibrom (Dec 2, 2022)

Demiurge said:


> Such as?


1 - reviewing one's previous steps...?
2 - understanding what can be addressed and what is out of one's control?
3 - meditating on how to deal with whatever problem there is to deal with?
4 - understanding that sometimes, things just don't have a quick solution... what takes time to grow, takes even longer to vanish. (*)

Depressions are "pause" moments in our social / productive life, are decision making moments that will define how we'll face what's to come, even when one doesn't know what's to come. It's a moment to nourish one's inner side, it's THE moment to look at & for oneself, specially when in pain. It's like all other illnesses, one needs to stop in order to heal, the problem is that most ignore and deny that the mind can also fall sick. We are always so sure and proud of ourselves and so high minded that when depression strikes we don't acknowledge it, and so it grows, like a cancer, spreading until it may become too hard to stop its progression.

Depressions are the exact time to address all those little things in life that we didn't know how to deal with and as so they are the fuel to our investigative self... If this is not an opportunity for transformation, what is? It obviously is not the only opportunity for transformation... but it also surely is one of them... in my perspective that is...

:::::::

Disclaimer, I'm no psychologist nor psychiatric doctor, I have no academic degree in the area... but I like to think about the things I feel. I think this kind of perspective helps me not falling into super depressive states of mind. The oracular form with which these epiphany thoughts come up do help because they allow for a broad range of interpretations and deepness that each one of us can chase at their own pleasure. One doesn't to believe these words, but if they help anyone moving forward, great!... 

:::::::

(*) - curious note on this, we're used to having problems being solved pretty fast, almost like taking a pill for whatever problem and it's gone. Society works its way into our expectations like that, buy this and fulfill your dreams (think guitars)... yeah, right? We expect to cure depressions with pills, with fast food for thoughts... this is not the way...


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## wheresthefbomb (Dec 2, 2022)

bostjan said:


> I don't believe in any "-ism," especially nihilism. The universe is strangely optimized to torture us all by teaching us what love and hope are only to set us up for proving that we cannot have them. Maybe those who learn how to combat depression at an early enough age get the only defense against that, which is to learn that the universe is a cold, dead place, that just happens to have a very short list of temporary warm places. But, ultimately, as the universe expands, and every source of heat burns through its fuel, and all order is converted into disorder, every place in the universe will fizzle out into the same cold dead heap of rubbish. So, you enjoy whatever you can, while you can, and don't count on ever getting to enjoy it again before it's gone forever. I guess that's my brand of enlightenment, except instead of becoming one with god/universe/energy, I've bucked my psychological dependency to it.



Chad Philosopher Bostjan, says he doesn't believe in nihilism and then gives a one-paragraph master class in the philosophical implications of nihilism for reconciling oneself with existence.


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## odibrom (Dec 2, 2022)

bostjan said:


> Maybe I'm misunderstanding.
> 
> Feeling sad is like a storm. Something happens, then passes, you struggle with accepting it, but eventually move on. Maybe you have an opportunity to grow from the ordeal.
> 
> ...



20th century brought us the idea that we, as species, can control everything. It brought pills to cure everything, it brought fast food, fast everything, even connection with another fellow on the other side of the planet. These are all good things (even fast food within limited contexts), but we tend to go beyond the purpose of things and explore their limits. We then take too much pills just because of a sneeze, eat too much fast food because we don't care to take some time to learn how to cook our own food, use the communications systems to spy on others and steal their IDs and other belongings. That's how depression hits us, we live in excess and then things stop making sense, hence the need to stop.

Anxiety is the mother of all illnesses, depression is one of them. It lowers our inner defenses, either biological as well as psychological. Sometimes, its important to fall ill, so to "train" our defenses, our thoughts of being unbreakable or invulnerable. Depression is the mind's tool for one to stop searching for one's limits... the fight is not on denying depression existense, nor acknowledging how empty and cold the universe is, the fight is understanding our own responsibility and owning it... _respond with ability_... the universe is overwhelming for our human scale, it doesn't matter how or when the universe dies (if it ever dies...), what matters is we're here, now, so what are we going to do about it? Create something... like this conversation...?


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## spudmunkey (Dec 2, 2022)

Demiurge said:


> I swear I've heard people mispronounce Epiphone as "epiphany" several times.


When the moon hits your knees,
And you mispronounced trees, Sycamore...

When the sun hits your dish,
And you mispronounce fish, Albacore...

When you visit Qatar,
With your odd-named guitar, Epiphone...


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## LordCashew (Dec 2, 2022)

wheresthefbomb said:


> Chad Philosopher Bostjan, says he doesn't believe in nihilism and then gives a one-paragraph master class in the philosophical implications of nihilism for reconciling oneself with existence.


Isn't that the mark of a true nihilist, the paradox of not even believing in nihilism?


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## nightflameauto (Dec 5, 2022)

bostjan said:


> Maybe I'm misunderstanding.
> 
> Feeling sad is like a storm. Something happens, then passes, you struggle with accepting it, but eventually move on. Maybe you have an opportunity to grow from the ordeal.
> 
> ...


If I had been stoned reading that last paragraph I probably would have gotten lost in it for days. Entropy as a belief system is a new one for me. And I think I kinda like it.


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