Sir Darius the Clairvoyent

Well, I am not to invested in the bible. I see it as stories, and dont elevate it over other wisdom literature. Much of it disgust me tbh. but there are some nuggets here. I would say that the person you spoke to was intellectually challenged. Try to read the parable by itself, with out putting it in a Christian context. Do you find beauty in it? @Maddie feel free to answer as well, it is relevant to your objection. I just happened to qoute our Friend nungali

It is not «teaching kids that shit.» As I see it, it is, well, welcoming a lost son back. It is not like the son started living like that because he knew he would be forgiven, the shame is proof of the contrary. He simply got, well, lost, witch can happen to the best of us. My stand point is that… well, it is mercy and love, not a get out of jail card. It is not a story about a kid who stole candy, but a youth who dug himself into a deep Hole, swallowed his pride and repended. How would you react, if it was Your family?

Balder's Dream is a poem from the Poetic Edda that tells the story of the death of the Norse god Balder. Balder, known for his goodness and righteousness, begins to have dreams about his own death, which greatly worries the gods. To understand the dreams and their significance, Odin travels to the realm of the dead to consult a dead seeress, who confirms that Balder will die and that this will have great consequences. To protect Balder, his mother, Frigg, makes everything in the world swear not to harm him. However, she overlooks the mistletoe, an apparently insignificant plant, because it seems harmless. This shows how even the most insignificant things can have great importance if overlooked, and how small details can have large consequences. Loki, the cunning god, discovers that the mistletoe was not included in the oath. He makes an arrow from this plant and manipulates Balder's blind brother, Hod, to shoot it at Balder. Because Hod is blind, he does not know what he is doing, which also illustrates the irony and tragedy of the situation – that Balder is killed by someone completely unaware of his action. Balder symbolizes the good and pure in the world. His death metaphorically represents how the good can be destroyed by insignificant or overlooked forces, as well as by blindness and ignorance. A quote from Gylfaginning in Snorri's Edda describes Balder as follows: "Balder is one, and he is Odin's second son, and it is good to say of him. He is so beautiful in appearance and light that it shines from him, and a grass is so white that it is compared with Balder's eyebrows; it is the whitest of all grass, and thus you can measure his beauty in both hair and body. He is wise and speaks little and is powerful, yet he does not have the nature that he does not need help. He lives in a place called Breidablik; it is in heaven. In that place, nothing impure can exist." Balder’s death triggers a chain of events that lead to Ragnarok, the end of the world in Norse mythology. This tragic event marks the beginning of the end for the gods and the world as they know it. All the gods and the creatures of the world grieve deeply over Balder’s death, both because he was so loved and because they understand that this is the beginning of the end. This sorrow underscores the inevitability of fate and the catastrophic consequences of seemingly small or insignificant oversights. Balder’s death, caused by an insignificant plant and a blind god, shows how fate can work in unexpected ways and how even the smallest details can have large and unforeseen consequences. This theme of unavoidable fate and the consequences of seemingly minor actions is central to Norse mythology, and Balder's death as a symbol of the fall of goodness amplifies the tragedy and drama of the story.

Well, to me it shows mercy, love, forgiveness, humility… list goes on

But by all means, you are correct in that there was a shift in cosmology. Right know im reading this paper on bronze age religion: https://www.academia.edu/5698976/Religion_and_society_in_the_Bronze_Age Here is an excerpt: Ill get back to you if I stumble over something interresting (only read about 1/3), but so far I can reccomend it.

Thats write, that qoute was from the old Europe link and was not meant to illustrate my point. Imprecise communication on my part. Consider this however: Violence in neolithic Europe (before IE. invasion): https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2209481119 Kindred, patriarchal nobility in neolithic Europe: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6511028/ Inbred god kings behind megalithic culture in Europe: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7116870/ The "genocide" of danish hunter gatherers: https://sciencenews.dk/en/100-ancient-skeletons-reveal-dramatic-turnover-of-denmarks-population Beautifully written. Love the imagery and the Faust "choice" you provide : ) You know, I just finished school, and my god youd be shocked by how muched the software is used. They have even been credited in research publications... It is a brilliant tool, if you source it, fact check and rewrite it. I didnt do that, so for that, I take critisisim.

Finnish fire ❤️‍🔥🇫🇮

Do you guys think it is possible to truly grasp an «alien» tradition? At least without having intimate knowledge of the culture and language?

ChatGPT summary on aeons:

Hmm… on Isis, I think «Old Europe» is kind of outdated. Sure, they had a unique culture, but the neolitic farmers was not shy for extreme hierachy and violence and patriarchy. You prob know this. Ive written a little on it at historium as well, so I can dig that ho for you If interrested. wiki old Europe: Osiris Early well, yeah, I to belive it was bordering on genocidal. Here is an excerpt from an article that might interrest you: https://sciencenews.dk/en/100-ancient-skeletons-reveal-dramatic-turnover-of-denmarks-population https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/stonehenge-neolithic-britain-history-ancestors-plague-archaeology-beaker-people-a8222341.html https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2018/10/03/inenglish/1538568010_930565.html?outputType=amp# The combination of steppe pastorialists and horse riders seems to create a special breed, as seen many times and in many culture. All tho like all cultures, it comes with its good and bad. Midle well, Rome was not shy for violence. In a way they still seem very IE (glory, korios, honour, patrarchy, heroism, Pantheon…) Late I only know the basics of the revolusjon. Was it the end of Osiris? Horus “war that will end war,” which later morphed into “the war to end all wars»… In one way it is true, as know we only do just millitary intervantion and violent peace keeping mission for the good of the human race :))

Apologies, I didnt Watch, but If you dont mind me asking: 1. So lets assume that kids can know that they are born in the wrong body. Still, would you agree that some could be manipulated to belive it, as well? 2. how do you feel about irreversible biological change to kids? 3. why not wait anyway? I mean, this is a far more serious choice then most we are allowed to take before reaching adulthood? 4. I think youd agree that some ones Life would be ruined by this (and some improved). How do you balance these up against each other? @Maddie Have you seen «what is a woman?» by Matt Walsh? Thoughts? https://archive.org/details/what-is-a-woman_202206

Apologies, I didnt Watch, but If you dont mind me asking: 1. So lets assume that kids can know that they are born in the wrong body. Still, would you agree that some could be manipulated to belive it, as well? 2. how do you feel about irreversible biological change to kids? 3. why not wait anyway? I mean, this is a far more serious choice then most we are allowed to take before reaching adulthood? 4. I think youd agree that some ones Life would be ruined by this (and some improved). How do you balance these up against each other?

is this peak daoist thinking?

Idk, is european culture more individualistic than eastern? For sure. And yes, this have deep roots (notoins of herious, glory, individual sovereignity and so), however, to me this is not bad Nor self obsession. These traits are in a weird way altruisitc, towards the in group at least. Self-obsession, like in the myth of Narcissius for instance, I agree with @Nungali: a product of lagre settlements and escp the industrial revolution and capitalism? Care to elaborate?

How can you be against (or for) evolution? What would the opposite of natural selection be? Unnatural selection? What even is that? @Nungali we cant turn back the clock, but we can take a look at the man in the mirror (HEE-HEE) The aeons stuff, idk.

We know mind can hallusinate non-material things (think psychosis for instance). We do not know If material stuff can great conciousness. From that I draw the conclusion that everything is mind and mind is everything.

Sorry for my lazy comment, and I havent propelly read the thread, but to me, the mind is the single biggest mystery and im tempted to say it debunks materialism. How does a collection of uncouncious atoms become sentinent?

My guess would be capitalism: it makes money of supreme value, encourages competition, provides you with intentionally addicting tech and bombards you with marketing. And yeah, the death of god and a materalistic world view.

1. a supreme, singular creator is what makes the Most sense for me. 2. Common mythological theme in western Eurasia. Also, dont think of it as the creator penetrering Mary, it is figurative. «Our heavenly father.» Trinity - tree in one - the father, the son(s) and the holy spirit 3. Again, I think it is symbolism. Much of it is lost on me tho. He is in many ways «the perfect man incarneted.» The ideal. Christians means followers of Christ. As far as I am concerned, the only requirement to being a Christian is attempting to follow his example. 4. Another common mythological theme in west Eurasia. One theory I like is that its Linked to the solar cicle. The sun «dies» at the winter solstice before being «reforn.» I dont think this birthday being set to christmas is a coincidence.

Not sure how relevant (or correct or relevant) this text is, but i wrote the following on another forum: I wrote a little text inspired by two books ive read, "antikken på trikken" and "meditations" by Aurelius. It concerns various approaches to knowledge and life. I am, as usual, out of my depth, so feedback, corrections and criticism is always welcomed. Anyway: In small, tight-knit groups, there is no need for laws. Norms, rituals, reciprocity, taboos, and more are sufficient to keep order. With the emergence of the first cities, novel problems arose—problems that tradition had no obvious answer to, such as ownership. In many cases, we see the emergence of stark hierarchies where the citizens are nothing more than the property of their rulers. They alone hold the power and are the judge, jury, and executioner. They claim their authority from the heavens. Think Hammurabi and Moses. To them, the laws were literally and figuratively written in stone. They were above questioning, eternal, and got their authority from above. But with the Greeks, things seemed to change. Naturally, they too had laws, rulers, and gods. Thunder was the result of Zeus's anger, just as with Thor. The rainbow, Iris, was the messenger of the gods. For the Norse, the rainbow (Bifrost) was the bridge to Asgard. But then a fellow by the name of Anaximenes (528 BC) appeared with ideas that today sound banal but were revolutionary, world-changing, and ingenious. We see the emergence of democracy (rule by the people) and philosophy (friend of wisdom). They questioned the established order and instead asked themselves how an ideal society should be organized, using reason. According to Anaximenes, the rainbow was not a connector to the heavenly realms but simply the result of sunlight failing to penetrate thick clouds. Wrong as it might be, it is irrelevant. What matters here is his approach: science. With him, we went from explaining natural phenomena with gods to reason. This is the shift from mythos to logos. "The sea is the source of water and the source of wind; for neither would blasts of wind arise in the clouds and blow out from within them, except for the great sea, nor would the streams of rivers nor the rain-water in the sky exist but for the sea; but the great sea is the begetter of clouds and winds and rivers." - Empedocles From the quote, we can see a naturalistic approach to the world. A belief in logos and harmony between the elements. An explanation of the forces of nature without resorting to Poseidon or water nymphs. A lot of good can be said about the scientific method, but it has its limits. Let me quote myself (paraphrasing Viggo Johansen's foreword to Meditations by Marcus Aurelius): In the foreword, he raises the following question: how can a book written by the most powerful person on the planet, 1800 years ago, be relevant for us today? He writes: "… every evening he (Aurelius) sits down to write, in order to remember who he is - a human. Not an emperor, but a human." For this reason, Stoicism can appeal to the emperor himself, the slave Epictetus, and us. Our shells and roles are vastly different, but we are united in being human and feel the same love, anger, desire to live authentically, attempt to live morally, and face mortality. Since the will is free, we are free as well. We can be forced to act a certain way, but no one but ourselves controls our will, reactions, and thoughts. What does it mean to be human? Science cannot help us here. Science assumes that man and nature are purely material, but Viggo points out that this is just an assumption, and nothing more. A plausible assumption, but an assumption nonetheless. Wise men and traditions have, however, always talked about spirit and soul. Things can never touch the soul, but stand inert outside it, so that disquiet can arise only from fancies within. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations This book remains among the absolute greatest I've read __________ edit: i guess the point is that stories speak to us at a deeper level then ideas alone. Kind of how maths can seem unintutive compared to art at times.

Thank you, I very much agree with you. Even fictional stories are in one sense more «real,» then sterile facts or word salats of philosophy (I am NOT attacking any tradition here, they mean a lot to so, so many people and have done a lot of good), but stories are the essence of life. It is how we see the world. If you asked me what I did today, you wouldnt want to hear a retelling of how i woke up 08.00, brushed my teath and jada jada jada, but the parts that stood out and was meaningfull. Think how immortal stories like the Odysseus, the fall and cain and able are. They tell us a lot of what it means to be human, and have inspired countless people. Books like Harry Potter series was literally my childhood. Let me share some stories that touch me: In Greek mythology, Sisyphus or Sisyphos(/ˈsɪsɪfəs/; Ancient Greek: Σίσυφος Sísyphos) was the founder and king of Ephyra (now known as Corinth). He was a devious tyrant who killed visitors to show off his power. This violation of the sacred hospitality tradition greatly angered the gods. They punished him for trickery of others, including his cheating death twice. The gods forced him to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll back down every time it neared the top, repeating this action for eternity. Through the classical influence on modern culture, tasks that are both laborious and futile are therefore described as Sisyphean (/sɪsɪˈfiːən/).[2]

Id like to change my username to Darius Sourdough III. Would that be doable? : )

Any advice? All perspective welcome

Hmm, the confidence and self respect to be who you Are and worry less about not being good enough.

Cogito ergo sum. That is the only thing we know.