Mikeb85
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Everything posted by Mikeb85
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Edit - nm. Read something wrong.
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Why are people so TERRIFIED by a decentralized economy?
Mikeb85 replied to Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan's topic in General Discussion
What do you need that you don't have? -
Why are people so TERRIFIED by a decentralized economy?
Mikeb85 replied to Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan's topic in General Discussion
Maybe if you experienced these things you'd understand why it isn't useless. An open mind is a great asset. -
Why are people so TERRIFIED by a decentralized economy?
Mikeb85 replied to Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan's topic in General Discussion
Both Buddhism and Taoism provide the answer. Non-attachment, non-action, non-intention are a good start from a Taoist perspective. The less we are attached to material goods, to images we make of ourselves (ie. ego), to ideals, etc..., the more we can learn to truly live. Buddhism offers a more structured path, in which there are 10 fetters we much eliminate to achieve happiness and eventually, liberation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fetter_(Buddhism) -
Why are people so TERRIFIED by a decentralized economy?
Mikeb85 replied to Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan's topic in General Discussion
At what point did I say that there is any 'correct' way of life? You're right, nature (or rather, the universe, Tao, God, whatever analogy you want to use for the underlying essence of reality) is the only authority. Part of this authority and reality is CHANGE. Governments and corporations rise and fall, civilizations rise and fall, people are born and die, etc... The concept of the free market is to let people trade with as little intervention as possible, so the market merely reflects our human nature, the changing nature of our society, and has no inherent mind of its own... You don't seem too interested in a spiritual way of life, from the tone of your posts you're more interested in some sort of pseudo-anarchist slash and burn mentality, where you're dissatisfied with your lot in life so you want to bend everyone else to your militant way of thinking (the comment you made about biting a cop in the face is quite telling).- 86 replies
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Why are people so TERRIFIED by a decentralized economy?
Mikeb85 replied to Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan's topic in General Discussion
Maybe I have a more positive outlook because I actually make money from the stock market (and trading currencies). Or maybe it's because I have many family and friends who are entrepreneurs, or maybe it's because my wife comes from a poor, violent 3rd world country and I've seen first hand (and heard her accounts) of what real oppression and corruption are. Or maybe it's because I've lived with nothing, meditated every day, and learned to be happy no matter my circumstances. If it weren't for the prophetic words of a monk, and meeting my wife, odds are I'd be a hermit monk living in a hermitage on the west coast... The fact is, there's alot of opportunity out there, not just to make a living or a profit but to make a difference. Money and capitalism aren't the problem, corruption is. Systemic corruption in the US, Canada and Europe (where certain corporations gain monopolies through government tariffs, rules and regulations), and more blatant corruption and crime in the 3rd world are what hurts the system. Whining about the monetary system isn't a solution. Neither is idealizing a 'resource based economy' - we used to have one, thousands of years ago. Eventually, in every society, a standard measure of value became necessary. Capitalism wasn't dreamed up by the Illuminati looking to oppress the people, it was the natural result of traders, buying and selling goods in ancient Mesopotamia, on the the Silk road, in the Roman empire, etc... -
Why are people so TERRIFIED by a decentralized economy?
Mikeb85 replied to Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan's topic in General Discussion
Go travel somewhere, and live in a monastery for half a year or a year. Or even better, a hermitage. I know plenty of people who have lived as hermits and monastics. It's not impossible, in fact, it's incredibly common in some places... I know of quite a few hermitages in Canada and the US.- 86 replies
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Why are people so TERRIFIED by a decentralized economy?
Mikeb85 replied to Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan's topic in General Discussion
The situation works in reverse too. In the city I live in, you can see many former McDonald's and Pizza Hut restaurants that are now independently owned, unique restaurants. Wal-Mart is no doubt big, but they're not steam rolling mom and pop establishments - they're just steam rolling less efficient big-box stores, and will one day get replaced themselves... Mom and pop establishments are thriving here, especially in immigrant communities - you go to an 'immigrant neighborhood' up here and you won't find any franchises or big box stores - just alot of entrepreneurs. Right now is a great time to be an entrepreneur, especially in Canada where our economy is finally faltering a bit - when prices are low, stores going out of business, etc..., is the best time to invest and start a business. -
Why are people so TERRIFIED by a decentralized economy?
Mikeb85 replied to Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan's topic in General Discussion
Part of the problem is that most people don't participate in the economy as anything other than labour. When you invest money, then the value of the business you create belongs to you. When you work as an employee, you create value for the business owner. If more people were willing to take risks, they'd be creating value for themselves, not others. The 1% are those who have taken that risk time and time again (and won)...- 86 replies
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Why are people so TERRIFIED by a decentralized economy?
Mikeb85 replied to Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan's topic in General Discussion
Even in Star Trek there was a central leadership that allocated resources to provide for the perceived needs of society. In our society money is used to represent capital, and the market allocates capital in such a way that it can produce what is in demand. Communism, capitalism, money, markets, etc..., in every case it's simply a paradigm for allocating capital (ie. labour + resources) - in every system where anything is produced, effort needs to be directed. These are simply different ways to try achieve the same thing. In Star Trek all the basic needs of everyone was taken care of, but it still appeared as though there was a system where vacation time, and time for leisure activities was allocated to the population. They still had material goods, and engaged in trade with other species. While there wasn't money in the same way we think of it, they still had materials which were a 'standard' of wealth, as well as human capital (ie. labour or work-time), which they traded.- 86 replies
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The top one hundred earners were paid enough money last year to end poverty on this planet.......four times over!
Mikeb85 replied to flowing hands's topic in General Discussion
The top 100 may be worth a combined 160 billion pounds, or even have increased their net worth by that amount, but they definitely did not 'make' that amount in cash. There's a vast difference between someone's net worth, and their liquid assets. And there's nothing inherently wrong with being rich, and being poor doesn't necessarily make you good either. It really depends how you make use of what you have. -
Why are people so TERRIFIED by a decentralized economy?
Mikeb85 replied to Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan's topic in General Discussion
The deal is that alot of people simply don't understand economics, the monetary system, what 'capital' actually is, etc... Money isn't necessary per se, but it makes the transfer of resources easier and more convenient for the majority. It's easier to put everything into a dollar amount instead of comparing potatoes to goats to rice, etc...- 86 replies
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Vegetarians...what is your breakfast, lunch and dinner like?
Mikeb85 replied to skydog's topic in Healthy Bums
The apricot heffeweizen (a somewhat local microbrew) was fantastic. Five minutes to prepare basically limits you to salads with pre-prepared ingredients, sandwiches or smoothies. For salads I'm a huge fan of rice/mung bean noodles, shan tofu (a burmese chickpea tofu-like preparation), and various herbs, nuts, etc..., for making south-east asian style salads. For sandwiches having hummus, tzatziki and some boiled eggs on hand is great, you can throw in just about any veggie, green or sprout and make something tasty. Tonight dinner is veggie burgers (home-made chickpea/potato/veggie patty) with jerk seasoning (the wifey is Caribbean, loves spicy food), on home-made sesame buns. Probably will garnish with some grilled mushrooms, tomatoes, and some kinda tasty cheese. -
Vegetarians...what is your breakfast, lunch and dinner like?
Mikeb85 replied to skydog's topic in Healthy Bums
Today dinner consists of home-made pasta, roasted red pepper sauce, fresh grated Grana Padano cheese, a Greek salad on the side, washed down with a local Apricot-flavoured heffeweizen beer... -
Vegetarians...what is your breakfast, lunch and dinner like?
Mikeb85 replied to skydog's topic in Healthy Bums
In the morning, oatmeal, yogurt and fruit. If I'm in a real rush, a Nutella, Peanut or Almond butter and banana sandwich. For lunch, often a sandwich (some favourites ingredients cheese, avocado, hummus, tzatziki, sprouts, greens), pasta (sometimes home-made Italian style, sometimes rice noodles in a cold salad or stir fry type thing), or the previous evening's leftovers. For dinner, all sorts of things. I love middle-eastern style mezze platters, rice or bulgur pilaf, Indian curries and dhals, various vegetable dumplings and fritters (also Indian style), cabbage rolls and perogies (my slavic background showing there), and I love trying various new things too. I mostly enjoy traditional vegetarian dishes from cultures with a religious vegetarian tradition (Indian, Sri Lankan, Chinese, Russian, Greek, Ethiopian, Egyptian, etc...) Being a vegetarian is pretty easy, there's a ton of variety in the vegetable world. -
Many religious traditions that embrace mysticism have this concept. The idea is that direct experience of the divine is superior to knowledge and wisdom about the divine. The sage isn't a smart or learned man, but one who has directly experienced the divine and understands it.
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Vajrayana and Tantric practices aren't Buddhism... It's Hindu philosophy that seeped into certain Buddhist cultures, especially in Tibet. But Tantra isn't Buddhist any more than Nat worship is...
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Lao Tzu said nothing about shamanism, there is no reason to believe it's the path he laid forward. He never spoke about communing with spirits, conversing with deities, he spoke against ritual, said nothing of incantations, etc... Lao Tzu also never suggests that altering one's state of consciousness leads to any sort of understanding. And the TTC most definitely is a philosophical work, it makes assertions about the metaphysical nature of things, which is very much in line with philosophy. And again, the fact that some sages may have been shamans before becoming sages, doesn't mean that it's the path to enlightenment any more than being a carpenter is the true path to the Christian Heaven... And there's nothing in the Tao Te Ching or Chuang Tzu about either of these great teachers, or any sages having been shamans. It's merely speculation on your part, and not stated in these works. What is stated, is that a shaman had a lower perception than a Taoist master in the Chuang Tzu.
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The fact that Taoism explains elements of Shamanism doesn't mean that Shamanism is the Taoist ideal. Taoist philosophy can also explain aspects of Christianity (mysticism), Islam (Sufism), and supernatural phenomena, but it doesn't mean the Tao Te Ching is a Christian or Islamic text. Taoism (and Buddhism for that manner) have always aspired to a higher path than shamanism, even if the 'folk' versions of the religions have incorporated some of those practices... In both cases, Taoism and Buddhism always maintain a connection to a source that is higher than the deities and spirits.
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Not that I know of. The Taoist texts I've read don't (Tao Te Ching, Chuang Tzu, Lieh Tzu).
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It's philosophical and mystical (which, depending on who you ask, also qualifies it as religious). It's not shamanistic since it doesn't encourage any communication with spirits, it discourages ritual, and mentions nothing of magic or incantations.
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From the Chuang Tzu: A common theme throughout the Taoist classics is the idea that the sage relies on the Tao as opposed to spirits and magic like the shaman. Here, in a classic story from the Chuang Tzu, the sage is clearly elevated to a level above that of the shaman. All the images of the Sage presented by the Tao Te Ching and Chuang Tzu are not of someone who converses with spirits and practices magic, but rather of someone who, by being in touch with the very nature of the universe (or whatever other analogy you want to use for 'Tao'), can transcend the physical realm without magic or the help of spirits. While Taoism and Shamanic traditions have coexisted and been mixed for millennia, the Taoist classics seem to be anti-shamanic treatises, always elevating the Sage above the Shaman...
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Most of the traditions I'm familiar with would say they still feel guilt, but it's buried deep beneath their ego, which feeds their delusion. At death they would see it for what it really is.
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What principles do all Taoists hold in common?
Mikeb85 replied to thelerner's topic in Daoist Discussion
If I were to venture a guess, I'd say the principles found in the Tao Te Ching and Chuang Tzu are the basis for most Taoists, but you're right in that there does seem to be a huge difference in beliefs. It seems as though some Taoist sects have picked up alot from Buddhism, Confucianism and Shamanism, which has always confused me since Buddhism doesn't seem especially compatible, and the Chuang Tzu is quite critical of Confucianism and Shamanism, mocking both.... -
The consequences of those actions (ie. cause and effect) and the guilt associated, which potentially affects you in the afterlife/next life depending on what you believe.