Karl

Oh dear, oh dear. Seems like a Brexit might lead to a stampede for the exit for several other countries. Funnily I was watching the PLO ambassador today giving an interview on RT. When he was asked who he thought were the movers and shakers in the Globe it was US, Russia, France and Germany. No mention of Britain on the 'top table' or the EU-specifically France and Germany, so that confirms how effective it has been for projecting British influence around the globe. Read Swedes tell Britain: if you leave the EU, we’ll follow - http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/04/swedes-tell-britain-if-you-leave-the-eu-well-follow/

Truly let go of what ? Your goal is to let go of the goal of letting go, but not to have the goal of letting go until you are ready to let go ? To train until you have such dispassionate non attachment that life does not have any more value than death ? It's obvious where that philosophy takes you and that kind of Nihlist thinking will saturate you every day activities.

I find it interesting when these kind of DAVOS things are going on, that people know about NWO and Agenda 21, but don't put the picture together. They figure out its something to do with globalists and one world government, but, because they have always had Government it's hard not to see it as just another, different, possibly worse kind of Government. That's how most EU sceptics view the EU. Very few find it particularly difficult to follow that a lot of the Middle East invasions are somewhat related to oil/gas-because it's a valuable resource, yet few view humans as the most valuable resource on the planet. They don't see that there are elites fighting with other elites to control that highly valuable human resource. If they believe that a pact with another nation will bring them a greater share of that resource then they will work together, but will demand independence if they don't get a better return from the union. Sometimes you get a glimpse of what's going on when very influential, politically/ financially connected people speak. There was an interview a few days ago- can't remember who it was, maybe Mandleson-where the interviewer put it to him that it was the elites that wished to keep us in the EU. The reply was that there are elites wanting to keep us in and other elites wanting to take us out. Nationalistic talk from politicians is very noticeable if you have a keen ear; they will talk about 'our hard working....' 'Building our wealth' 'paying their taxes' 'one nation' etc. It's clear that humans are a resource which is being managed by a relatively small group. In effect it's just modern slavery in which democracy is used as the whip and chains. The vast bulk of mass man acts as a counter weight to the individual. Its obvious what's going on if we regard people as more valuable than land, oil or, Gold. There is a cost of managing the resource and the rest is profit distributed amongst the top rungs who are the multi-billionaires. The financial system is like the old church, the high priests are the central bankers ministering to their flock . Even the bank buildings look like modern cathedrals. To know where power is seated one only needs to look for the tallest, most ornate buildings. I know that when I put my X in the box this summer, that I'm really not voting for independence of the individual, but for one group of elites who want their money back (human resource) because Europe didn't pay out what they had expected, over another group that is doing quite nicely out of the arrangement even as it breaks down.

Yes MD although the Doctor isn't 100%. These things can be so interrelated. I have had migraines all my life, then blood pressure and tinnitus followed. I can have extreme bouts of-I describe it as motion sickness-like free fall, which can be pretty debilitating. Good days and bad days really. On good days, mild dizziness which doesn't stop me. On bad days I have to take it easy and the attacks can last several days with a lot of fatigue after that. Damned annoying when I've been so active and fit all my life, but you learn to adapt. Is your fear of heights related to anything that happened in childhood. In other words a phobia, rather than a psycho/physical anomaly ? It's possible to switch off a phobia-sometimes temporarily, at least enough to accept increasing challenges. A bit like a nicotine patch for smokers. Sometimes it's permanent. Lerner mentioned NLP-I did several succesful phobia switches (that's the bit of NLP which is pretty benign and helpful). You don't need a full hypnotic script, just light trance which happens anyway when people are asked to imagine the particular aspects of their phobia. If it isn't past trauma then the only option is increasing exposure. You won't lose the fear, but you will handle the height better. If you think about it, most people wouldn't be too happy to find themselves standing on the top of an electricity pylon, but with gradual exposure, then the height stops being an issue. It's almost the inverse of what you said. For instance I can free climb in a cave several hundred feet up, which I wouldn't do if I could actually see the cave floor. In effect, for you, all that is required is to shut your eyes and the height problem vanishes. So, it doesn't matter if you are stood on a brick, or a sky scraper as long as you can balance well enough. Try walking to your apartment window blindfolded, then, when you are there, just imagine your eyes are open and you can see to the ground. When the fear gets too intense, just shuffle back a few feet and take off the blindfold. Keep doing that until the fear lessens.

As an aside DB, a fear of heights is totally healthy. I was walking up in the Austrian Alps with a guy who is an ex lightning pilot. He is capable of riding motorcycles at extreme speeds and doesn't switch on until 120mph. We came across one of those platforms they build for tourists to walk out on and look down through the grid work to the valley floor. He asked me if I wanted a picture taken and I said yes. Then I offered to take his picture, but he was having none of it. Absolutely nothing would drag him onto that platform. I was like you for many years. When young I could get two rungs up a step ladder without needing to be rescued. Climbing really helped. You are on a rope so you aren't going anywhere. Even if you freeze you can be let slowly back down. Facing into the Rock working out the moves takes away much of the direct anxiety and you can begin proving to yourself that you can manage it. Over time the fear gets less, but it never goes away completely- which is a good thing

Rather than standing on something completely open on all sides I suggest trying some easy scrambling at a low grade and gradually working up to steeper grades. The most important thing is not the height but the exposure. So, looking over a balcony is very exposed, where as walking along a ridge with very gradual sloping sides and plenty of outcrops of rock is low exposure. Increase the level of exposure not the height. If you have inner ear problems-I have MD-then it's more dizziness than fear. I still climb despite it, but I have to be very deliberate. Same deal on the motorcycle where hairpin and long steady turns can have me struggling to get a fix on where I am. On bad days I can't do so much, just got to be a bit more careful not to go walking along cliff edges :-)

Earth wind and fire figured that much.

http://www.cityam.com/239252/eu-referendum-britain-stronger-in-europes-exclusive-and-secretive-city-fundraising-event Oh look Roland Rudd, Martin Sorrells chum and his banker mates are having a fund raising bash to stop the serfs. Goldman will be there of course having already splurged £500K then there's JP Morgan another £250K and now Citi Group-another US grand fraud traditionalist are throwing into the pot. Tables are expected to go for 5 figure sums and invite is purely by invitation so no riff raff or poor.

If you mean during meditation ? then there is no goal except to do the practice and only that. Any goal conjured up is entirely imaginary. So, you get attached to an imaginary outcome ? . :-)

He describes himself as a libertarian. I have remarked once or twice that he isn't quite that-he agrees. Nice guy, seems very honest and has high integrity. I was amazed he decided to up sticks to UKIP.

LOL that is of course Douglas Carswells gaff, the only UKIP MP and a passionate, devoted outer. If it hadn't been for Carswell I'm not certain we woukd have had this referendum. They love Carswell in Clacton.

Just drinking one as I read that. Wheel fitted, brakes done, new Pistons, seals, pads and rotors. Bit more bleeding and I'm done.

I have some common ground with him then ;-) get rid of Brussels. Mind you the guy speaking to him is Mr Europhile. Martin Sorrell is a euronazi, one of the big wealthy promoters of the EU in order to fill his pockets from all the PR/Marketing/lobbying. His wife runs DAVOS. They are like hubby and wife of the new world order. Big friends with the Mandleson and al, the other cronies.

Enjoyed that. I've heard it before but not from specifically listening to Kansas, but it's a well known track. I'm still very much a prog rocker at heart though and seek it out coupled to other kinds of music-like Janes Addiction, NIN, Meat Puppets, Metallica, Opeth .........and too many others to name.

What are you actually sharing though ? If you were sat with a bitter enemy intent on sprinkling arsenic on your food or stabbing you under the table would you double the pleasure then ? ;-) So, a meal within a friend is good because we value the company as opposed to eating alone, but we can only value the company if we also value their values-otherwise we would happily invite random strangers and get exactly the same pleasure as we would with a good friend.

If someone shapes our sports car we lose a value- the nice finish on our car-we feel anger/sadness at the loss. There is no sadness or anger intrinsic to the car, so it isn't an existent concrete reality. We feel the pain as an attempt to damage our survival based on the principle value we hold-our lives. So, seeking pleasure as the standard of value against which all other values are judged we end up doing things that might be pleasurable but are also damaging such as drugs, over eating and high risk taking. All I'm saying is that pleasure/pain is not a good determinant of what our goals and actions should be, it can only be a value as a guide after we have done the right thing in accordance with our values and hence reality. We must first use our minds correctly to achieve and hold values through following a code of principles-ethics. Then pleasure is the reward for achieving the values. It's a value itself, but it isn't a principle value, it's a secondary.

Seeking pleasure as the standard means being a slave to feelings as the primary method of survival and knowledge. So, that is back to front. Pleasure can be momentary or long term, but either way it is only the result of gaining or holding values. It is equally possible that the loss of a value-a partner-might negate the primary value of ones own life. Pleasure can never be shared, it is ones own. If we seek values rather than pleasure as the standard then there is no gain, or loss. Pleasure is a feeling that comes as a by product it is not a tangible kind of good any more than suffering is a tangible kind of bad.

I suggest you read my reply a little more carefully. Egoistic is the description I gave and that's exactly what I meant. I acknowledge other people have different views, that does not mean I accept them and will refute them as I expect to be challenged myself. Judge and be prepared to judge. I made it clear that my practices led me to this point. At no time did I suggest meditation was not valuable-I practised for over 8+ and still sit to clear my mind. Neither did I say all beings were foolhardy and presumptuous-indeed, many times I have made reference to the fact that ALL have the potential to be genius, to expand consciousness well beyond the current point and to become a hero in their own life.

That's nice dear ;-)

Judge and be prepared to be judged. That's how justice thrives. If not, injustice and evil thrive.

It's doesn't take guts to admit it, I'm far more terrified of the consequences of denying it.

I'm a maverick here, but FWIW goal setting is survival. Don't set goals and perish. Be that getting up, finding something to eat, going to work, or the plethora of micro short and greater macro long term goals. It woukd be hard to live without goal setting as your question should have made clear to you, because by asking, wether the answer comes 'yes' or 'no' it is impossible to escape the conclusion that both those answers are actually goal setting.

@steve. My posts are totally egoistic and my 'cultivation' eventually transformed into what it is today. Meditation doesn't transcend ignorance; in its mildest form it's a pleasant rest and healthful, at its best it helps lean the art of mind focus, at its worst it casts the mind into the void. The same techniques are used for brainwashing and mind control. Like any tool, meditation is equally an effective as a destructive weapon as it is a tool of value. It's necessary to correctly guide it, not let it guide you-and especially not letting it's acolytes, Guru and other quacks have control over your mind. There is no 'subtle truth inside'. There is truth and you must engage the mind fully to know it. It's useful to meditate in order to reach that conclusion by learning to hold focus on a single point without distraction. To hold the mind steady and train it for the next step. Otherwise meditation becomes a means to itself-there really are only a very few ways to hold a pencil, it's what you write that's important once you have mastered that skill of pencil holding. I certainly acknowledge other people have viewpoints, they are welcome to argue their case as I will mine. Many of the people I know have different values, mostly this is for practical purposes of trade, shared interests, communication and so on. If I discovered they held violently opposed values to mine, they certainly wouldn't be of interest except as museum pieces to be kept safely locked up. It's obvious this is true or you would end up with cut throats, thieves and liars as friends to learn from and that, is likely hazardous to my health. You can't learn much with your throat cut. I have only one friend and that's my wife. After that my family and then my wife's family because of the blood bond. Clones ? Do you know much about the human race ? :-) I don't 'surround' myself with anyone. I retain total independence and complete dominance of my own sovereignty whilst I control that faculty in health. I ask no one to sacrifice for me, neither do I sacrifice for anyone else. I judge and I am prepared to be judged.

Mixing my metaphors again. I do scold myself for that. My wife mixes them in one sentence. The other day she was telling me about a colleague who was going to be in for a nasty surprise, adding "Just wait until the penny dawns on her"

They have been getting away with it for a long time, it's just of late they have become much bolder liars. They are terrified of us voting to leave because it opens up a giant vat of worms. It strongly suggests we no longer care for the status quo and might well start running with the baton once we have a taste for it.