People seem eager for Christ' return; A personal anecdote.

a reply to: QwertyMyself

If and when literally anyone builds a career around the trend of performing actual miracles that directly alter the welfare of society on a national or global scale, THEN we can talk about a wolf in sheep's clothes. No such person currently exists and thus the argument is moot.

a reply to: glend

I have pierced through the segmentation a few times

That caught my interest

then

Its been a while since I achieved that state so my memory may not serve me well.

I cannot say for certain what blocks. It might be different, for different people. But yes it may be our mental constructs that restrict spiritual growth.

For now, I am concluding that that segmentation from the ''larger'' is important to our experiences here and now. I have to wonder that that ''segmentation'' exists at all, but it does. For now, I"m penciling it in as being certain growth experiences that can only be garnered though the limited expression we experience in this time and this place.

And '' what blocks''? I think to a fair degree they are different, cuz we have different mental constructs born of isolated localities around the world over thousands of years of development. Which of course brings us to do day when the availability of them are there for us to sample from.

I like the old joke about a Christian and a Buddist, or was it a Platonist and an Aristotelian, doesn't matter I guess. They were debating the core of our being. One said being is being was fundamental, that action could not exist with out being first. The second disagreed saying that action comes first, that being can only come into existence THROUGH action.

Being
no
Doing
no
Being
no
Doing

They turned to questioningly to the drunk at the other end of the bar who chimed in, Mesh??????? I follow the teachings of the greatest philosopher of all time who sang the ''Sinatraian Holy Words'' ''dobedobedo.

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Which happened first, kinetic or potential energy?

Ohhhmmmmmm...ohhhmmmmmmm.... 🧘

a reply to: TerryMcGuire
Accomplishment trough action, if you are proud of what you do and have fun doing it, what is it to any one if you feel proud of yourself?

If this feeling is like an addiction to attention, where every action is like a trip that gets stronger the more attention it garners, it could lead to very destructive behavior and is not a pride I would promote.

But being proud of oneself no matter what anyone says is in my opinion the base of a healty self esteem.

Once your basic needs are covered, it's a decision to be happy or not, with the life you're dealt with.
Look at the west were basic needs is very seldom an issue, yet we're all but happy. Why is that?

Keeping a state of happiness unaffected by that which you can't affect is quite a feet. Action might be of necessity, if it directly affects the situation causing you discomfort... If you loose track of the energy equation, you are acting outside of that which you can affect.

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Yes your conclusion makes perfect sense. Without segmentation we cannot experience dualities. Without dualities we cannot experience enlightenment through our sensations. So it stands to reason that creation is the lake of fire and brimstone that removes impurities (removes unknowing). Think it was in Zoroastrianism that I read, those full of light cannot be burnt in the lake of fire.

Consciousness is a manifestation. The source of that manifestation, (what Tao Te Ching describes as darkness born of darkness) can be entered. Bathing in the darkness tears down the segmentation (very subtle at first). But its a catch-22. Its hard to enter the source with any baggage. So it doesn't appear to be a short cut.

There was a reporter that interviewed the Dali Lama. The reporter asked "how do you feel about China invading Tibet". The Dali Lama answered "very good". The confused reporter asked "why do you say its very good". The Dali Lama answered "How can I truly understand the true meaning of forgiveness without experiencing the greatest of losses by the hands of another". The Dali Lama then added "Now that I experience true forgiveness. China should leave Tibet".

dobedobedo ... like that a lot.

a reply to: Terpene

gets stronger the more attention it garners,

This is what sways me to not ditching pride entirely. I"ts the pride of attention rather than the pride of accomplishment. I have pride in the cute little limerick I wrote for this last contest. I worked it over and over, modifying it, shifting words and accents, etc and was very happy with the final result.

a reply to: glend

So it doesn't appear to be a short cut.

I don't know as there are any shortcuts. I think our paths are as long as they are.

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

I totaly lost track of that seasons Short-stories.
That sense of accomplishment was not affected by the response you got, I see nothing wrong with that.1

a reply to: Terpene
Yeah, I was just giving an example of pride of accomplishment. Like many kids, I had those seven deadly sins tossed at me as guidance. I struggled, no, struggle with several of them still and now, I can only assume, will continue to do so. That's where I am in this thread.

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

I would always prefer a bad looser, over a bad winner

a reply to: Terpene

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Like many kids, I had those seven deadly sins tossed at me as guidance.

Education trough threat of punishment will never reap good fruit. A lack of confidence in ones own judgment is often the result, making you susceptible for all sorts of authoritarian shenanigans.

constructive empowerment, where the sin of pride, becomes the virtue of humility. Can one be proud of his own humility?

a reply to: Terpene

Education trough threat of punishment will never reap good fruit.

I guess it's no wonder how we find ourselves now, in 2022 huh?