Tommy

Don't we naturally live with others who become like family? They become familiar and we know where safety lies? We care for those in out lives?

When one sits down to watch one's thoughts, who watches the thoughts? The mind creates the identity that watches the thoughts. The sense of I arises thru the thought itself. The mind creates the sense of identity thru thought. And that is the ego. It claims to be you. As long there is an I or identity, there is separateness. When the person sitting says I am watching, there is the ego. So, how does one let go of the observer?? To become just the observed? To just become the being? Not to sit in silence but to be the stillness? IDK.

Glad you are feeling better. Boredom is only a lack of interest. When doing anything, if there is no interest in the doing then it becomes boring. Don't know how one would change that.

Thought this might be included in stranger things

I thought this thread was about learning Chinese. It will crack your brain. The brilliant thing about the written Chinese is that regardless of the dialect, the written language is the same. So, people of different dialects can communicate thru written words. Yes, I tried to learn Chinese Cantonese (my wife is from Tai Shan City). And though the words sound the same to me, the tone determined the actual word. So, it made it difficult to understand at times. On top of that, translating things directly to Cantonese from English made the meaning strange. Saying that I finished eating in Cantonese has the meaning of the end of eating as no more food ever. Cultural things?? 吃完了 (It makes my wife mad when I say that.) Well the conversation then turns to, ... The Dao is empty and without form; therefore, all living things establish their form through the Dao. —《Dao Xuan Pian》 That subject is difficult enough in plain English. Now you want to talk about it in Chinese?? Where a simple sentence can include the complex meanings of the subject being discussed. Yeah, it will crack my brain.

Robots have already displaced many manual labor jobs. Look at the manufacturers who use robots instead of people to do their assembly, welding, etc. This happened before AI. Which only reminds me of an episode of the "Twilight Zone" where a worker was being replaced by automation and robots. The supervisor who was installing the robots taunted the worker. Expelling the worker from his job and livelihood. In the end, the supervisor himself was replaced by the same technology. My understanding that corporations will save money by using such technology. Unfortunately, who buys the products or uses the services when no one has a job to earn the money to pay for all this. Ford knew this and increased the pay to his workers. This so they could afford the same products the workers were making. Who would need the clerical or administrative work done by AI if there are no people to use the information provided by AI?? AI to develop more information for AI to absorb?? Does AI have the ability to develop and create new ideas? Could AI have developed the theory of relativity and the understanding that time and gravity and electromagnetic effects are properties of space? AI was thought to benefit mankind. How would it do that by replacing the people that they were suppose to help??

Yeah, 6 o'clock news is always a good watch

All this discussion about nothing brings to mind a group of men. Sitting there, making something out of nothing which in itself destroys the argument of nothing. If you talk about nothing then how can it be nothing? Arguing about nothing destroys the idea of nothing. It turns into something. It is like going back in time to kill one's grandfather. It can't happen. If one is thinking about space-time then one is talking about the properties of space-time. It isn't exactly empty. There is distance and certainly there is time. There is nothing that arises simply by itself. Causes and conditions. All this thinking about nothing brings me a headache.

Reminds me of the story of the rich man who was seeking the key to happiness. He went around with a bag of diamonds and said he would give it to anyone who could give him the key to happiness. One day he saw the master sitting by the tree near the road to town. The rich man sat down in front of the master and said he would give the bag of diamonds away for the key to happiness. The master distracted the rich man and took the bag of diamonds and ran off toward town. The master knew his way around town and soon lost the rich man. The rich man could not find the master and began to lament losing his bag of diamonds. He started searching everywhere. Finally the old man was walking down the road where he first saw the master, there he saw the master sitting with the bag of diamonds. The rich man ran up to him and grabbed the bag of diamonds. He was so happy now. Do you think the rich man finally found the key to happiness? If the rich man had the bag of diamonds before then why wasn't he already happy?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDKDJW4f0pk&t=11s There is a difference between rebirth and reincarnation. Rebirth is something gets reborn. Reincarnation means the spirit gets a new body. It isn't the same.

Happy New Year Om Mani Padme Hum https://www.youtube.com/shorts/F4-HJBIXb9M

I thought it was because women seem to do better when dealing with people and men do better when dealing with things. Look at schools and hospitals where women are in the majority. And look at auto mechanics or construction where men are in the majority.

I do not understand the question. So I have no answer to it. But, the person in the iron mask has no karmic entanglement to others as he does not engage with others (well, limited??? His captor). However the person who forced him into such a prison would have karmic entanglement. How it would resolve is beyond me. Was this done as a result of previous actions? Will there be more of this type of actions done in the future? Don't know. I don't know the rules for such engagements. I only know that what ones does has consequences. It follows what one has done. Be evil to others and then, receive evil from others. Plant a mustard seed and a mustard plant will grow. Reap what one sows.

Karma has been thought of as an agency for justice. Many believe that if one does evil upon others that they will in turn receive evil as a result of karma. That is not my belief. Rather that karma is a result of actions and intentions. For example, if one plants an apple seed then an apple tree will grow. One reaps what one sows. If one lives by the sword then one might dies by the sword. So, if one lives right and perform their duties then karma shouldn't be a fear factor. How does karma work? I don't know. But, believe it influences energy like a rock that has been set up on the side of a hill. Gravity or karma will guide it down. As for the Dharma, that is a set of teachings from the Buddha. It explains that there is something more than what we see. That the truth of our nature is something that we can see for ourselves by following the Buddha's words. For me, it is speculation as I have not found this truth of our nature. Of course, I do not follow the Dharma down to its exacting rules. I only practice some meditation and participate in forums. Sometimes even watch a few lectures by people who speak on the Dharma. And still my understanding is lacking. So, my final thoughts are that I should keep practicing even if nothing ever changes. And to keep an open mind and listen to what others have to say. Learn what I can and apply what makes sense to me. And yes, sometimes I do live like I have rose colored glasses on. So far so good.