thelerner

If you ever want to share links to pictures, game theory or youtubes of sample play.. please do. I bet such a game would connect to many people here. <and you could have a sub-game on semen retention to increase its controversiality> kidding.. mostly. inside joke

Wisdom: when you can't sleep, meditate Cooking: add a splash of vinegar at the end of soups, particularly beans soups, adds dimension. Meditating: you don't have to be still, a little movement/bobbing can be uniquely helpful.

Sounds good, though hard to imagine the actual aspects of game play. I like the creativity and dealing with fundamental forces that allow people to create there own story of what's actually happening, because creators can't really control what the end users think is going on.

I think we'd be way healthier if doctors nutritionists prescribed diets. Not that we'd listen.. Or if we could be 'arrested' for one month, get house arrest and have to eat all meals at the house, delivered and healthy. Have to give urine or blood tests too. Orwellian, but maybe it could be volunteer. With the hope being after one (or two) months of eating healthier food, you'd get a taste for it, and better focus on portion size. There's already a dozen sites that will bring you cooked or pre-cooked healthy meals (we did Blue Ribbon for a bit). I believe Amazons end game for purchasing Whole Foods is to create a mass home shipping system.. healthy Orwellianism. <addon by the way ignore everything I say on the subject. At the moment I'm baking brownies. and you wanna know the worst part? They're from a box . On the other hand they're Ghirardelli and dark chocolate. Plus I added peanut butter and a little espresso powder to the mix. Forgive me Dao for I will sin, and it'll be delicious.

Welcome, fellow retired Aikidoka. I don't use my phone much to see the site, but when I do, I always hold it sideways to get more viewing. Sometimes even with that I'll need to adjust perspective.

doesn't make sense to me either which is why he added the link to the explorer who reported the phenomena. The question is, has the reaction been duplicated? Western explorers and traders would carry mirrors as well as beads, thimbles, trinkets for trade. <searching google> Like photography, to some tribes mirrors had the ability to 'see the soul' which also could freak people out. So imo legit, but hard to say how wide spread, especially since there was historically propagandic impetus to make newfound tribes seem stupid, savage and naive. The author isn't always right, but I find him very thought provoking. I've read a couple on cults, and against common sense, they tend to get smart intellectuals, much more then you'd think. Once you get a little buy in, people minds fill in the rest. During the Korean war brain washing wasn't some exotic drug induced phenomena, often it was done little by little, an extra ration, a sympathetic ear.. getting a person to say a little bit what they didn't like about the states.. and soon some soldiers would convince themselves, that they were on the wrong side. And our side used it too, during WWII, softer friendlier interrogation to 'turn' the enemy. An axiom I live with is Man is more a rationalizing animal, then a rational one. And until we realize that, we're vulnerable; to our bias's, to friends, family, social pressure.. and especially our ego; that this is what Real smart believe, not the sheep. That one's often irresistible bait for the intellectual. Good book on the subject, Life 102; What to Do when your Guru sues you.

Here's a piece of the latest David Wong articles on Brainwashing. I found it interesting, reminding me that one of the first exercises in Franz Bardon's IIH practice is building the Magic Mirror, a journal with lists of your good and bad qualities, broken down elementally. http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-creepy-things-that-secretly-control-your-personality_p2/ #1. You Have Probably Brainwashed Yourself Into A Completely False Idea Of Who You Are Here's an important question almost no one thinks to ask: Do cult leaders believe what they're saying? After all, L. Ron Hubbard clearly knew his new religion was a scam at first -- he borrowed its mythology from his own sci-fi stories, which he wrote to make a quick buck. But by all accounts, he later spent endless hours "auditing" himself to try to purge his soul of the evil alien spirits -- you know, the ones he had invented years earlier. It's almost as if by repeating his ludicrous lies, he indoctrinated himself. That, it appears, is exactly what happened. And almost every deranged cult leader in history followed that exact path. Do you remember that weird terror attack that happened in Tokyo in 1995? A Japanese doomsday cult unleashed nerve gas on a subway, killing a dozen people (which would have been thousands if they hadn't fucked up the release of the gas). The cult was led by a guy named Shoko Asahara, who had been a small-time con artist going back to his teenage years, running a number of scams which he eventually expanded into lucrative businesses. He sold snake oil cures out of an acupuncture shop for a while, then started putting ads in sci-fi magazines offering to teach mind powers like telepathy and levitation -- for a reasonable fee, of course. In less than a decade, he went from telling silly lies to get cash from gullible dupes to unleashing nerve gas in order to trigger Armageddon, believing that he and his followers would then ascend to inherit the Earth. That's weird, right? That garden-variety shitheads wind up joining their own cults in suicide pacts to fulfill some "prophecy" that they themselves wrote late at night over a bottle of wine? But that, my friends, is the magic of the human brain. Not only can it be reprogrammed by anyone who knows the method, but it can also reprogram itself, unintentionally, without realizing it. But that could never happen to you and me, right? Haha. Ha. OK, let's now think about all of the little self-deceptions we pile up through the day -- like how nearly everyone thinks they're an above-average driver, even though that's obviously impossible. Well, you remember George Costanza's rule that the key to lying is making yourself believe it? There's a theory that humans evolved self-deception specifically because it helps us deceive others. In order to survive, you need other humans to cooperate with you. In order to make sure they do that, you need to be able to convince them you're great. In order to convincingly tell that outrageous lie, you need to make yourself belief you're great. You lie to yourself, then you believe the lie, then you make others believe the lie which you now believe is true. It's lies all the way down. This is why if you go to a primitive tribe without access to mirrors or clear reflective surfaces of water and show them a reflection of their own faces, they freak the fuck out. ("They were paralyzed; after the first startled response -- covering their mouths and ducking their heads -- they stood transfixed ...") Living their lives without a clear reflection as a reference, they each had built up in their minds an idea of what they surely must look like. Maybe they always secretly assumed they were among the most attractive, despite their public shows of humility. Then bam, the disgusting reality was suddenly staring back at them. "That's what I look like?" Well, if you had a magic mirror that could reflect back upon you exactly how others see your attitudes, mannerisms, emotions, habits, etc, it would be the same, only about a hundred times stronger. A hand clasped over your mouth, feeling sick, staring at the "reflection" of a total stranger.

First of all, my comments weren't aimed exclusively at you. Maybe you're referring to a July thread with Yinyangisvoid? He has his good points but can be pretty long winded, manic and has gotten several suspensions and worse. I'm pretty sure he's called me a Nazi, a sheep, sperm something.. Instead of arguing, the remarks were reported and I moved on, ignoring him, happily. Why, cause it doesn't make sense to argue with angry nuts. It really doesn't, though again Yinyang has some powerful good points along with.. baggage. When dealing with someone like that, don't drop down to there level. Be mature. Getting into a flame war with the guy is pointless. There is no winning. These days learning to deal with internet trolling is taught in high school and grammar school. And lesson one is- there are those who are nasty and want attention. Don't give it to them. Better to report them and either leave it alone or keep your tone civil, which makes them look even worse. Limit engagement though. We keep a thread on reported members, when they pile up, take action. Sometimes take action immediately but some threads are so tangled its hard to assign blame to just one party, instead it tends to cancel each other. If you re-read my post you'll notice it mentions other strategies too beyond suck it up, walk away. Like keep it civil, take the high road, in other words, disagree and continue the discussion without playing their game. Be Mature. You can try that route, but it'll get you banned. If you enjoy the site. Ignore the trolls, don't become one. Or as I've stated above continue to argue but keep it higher minded, civil.. don't swear, get personal; try to avoid personal insults- best done by going after ideas instead of people. It can be done. Your idea of shit for shit, doesn't get you anywhere, its just fills the site with shit. Ultimately shitters get flushed.

Ah, the old 'he poked me' gambit. No he didn't, he disagreed with you and it got emotional and angry. Well listen up- We're not your mother. Here's the solution. Suck it up. Gain a little maturity. Maybe walk away, maybe de-escalate by taking the high road and remaining calm, maybe ignore the whole stupid thread for a while. In general those who are really crazy and angry get banned. The rest of you, Mature. Be polite or state your peace and walk away. Or engage in debate, civilly. Don't get personal or takes things personally. No one wins internet battles because most often the other side isn't even reading your long researched well thought out posts. They just want to piss you off. Realize that and win by leaving the table.

Addon> some of my thoughts were inspired by this article (amongst others) - http://www.cracked.com/blog/lets-briefly-stop-to-notice-things-that-arent-terrible/ Now with color pics and charts Despite many terrible natural disasters, the U.S as a whole is doing pretty well. Economically unemployment is low and continues to move lower. Wages long stagnant are beginning to move up. Downtowns and cities that were stagnant like Detroit, DC have been on the move up. The stock market is up, interest rates low, so are energy costs. These aren't necessarily new trends, but they're picking up steam and continuing. GDP might be a cold statistic, but it going up means millions more with jobs, often good jobs. People able to support there families, help there communities. Environment is always a mixed bag, but the worst drought in recent US history has abated. Nuclear power plants planned have been put on hold. Many of the oldest dirtiest coal plants shuttered, and renewable energy sources getting very competitive. War is hell, and right now, most of our troops are at peace. Daesh/IS has been steadily losing ground and its propaganda wing. The Middle East is smoldering rather then burning, which is progress. It looks like Syria's Assad has won; won a graveyard but hopefully it means the fighting and massacres will end soon. The US relation with Russia continues to get cold, but cold is better then hot. We've been here before but now with more trade and inter-connections. And it may not seem like it, but remarkable strides have been made against world wide poverty, hunger and disease. Hard to believe but it's gone down faster then the most optimistic predictions a decade or two ago. http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2015/07/what-progress-has-been-made-in-ending-global-poverty/

hmnn, I guess its because we see the physical with our eyes, and that we can follow but there are levels (in some systems) of reality beyond the gross physical, and to follow them we need.. other awarenesses. (awarenesi?) well in the case of Archaeous (http://abardoncompanion.de/Self-HealingArchaeous.html), it starts with physical, then integrating the astral, the mental, vacating the physical, vacating the astral, resting the mental then a process of re-integration and equilibrium of the elements. Nine lessons in all. Course I pretty much stop at lesson one, the physical and doing it as zhan zhang exercise, standing and feeling the stacks. I've done the deeper levels but they don't connect as well. In general I find simple and stick to it.

This is what I've heard. And kinda jibes with the Western science of every cell in your body having a count down timer of how many times it'll reproduce faithfully. Once the count is reached the cell, starts mutating.. self destructing. We die not just from organs failure, but our very cells going haywire. On the other hand, for Jing as male enhancement.. ie general male yang tonic, I like Pine Pollen tincture (from The Rural Apothecary). One of the few supplements where you feel a real difference in a few days.

Sorry for the tangent but.. This is why I like the hermetic practice of the Archaeous where you stack the elements onto your body and as you get progress through the levels move further into astral elements of it. - http://abardoncompanion.de/Arch-Info.html "..At every step in the Archaeous, one works in conscious cooperation with the pathways of influence and power which Nature herself provides. The technique mimics one of Nature's most essential processes: Integration + Separation + Re-integration . . . the rhythm of life itself. To this fundamental equation, is added the practitioner's own magical will, along with the focus of healing.."

Good answer, but I'm unfamiliar with weigong. May I ask what it is, and how it smooths things out?

Nothing to apologize for. At times, we all howl at the moon. giving various parties and the universe the finger. It's good for the soul. We're not saints and internet does not make for the clearest and polite setting for discussion. Far from it, without inflection and faces we lose all kinds of meaning. I get the feeling, most of the time, if the two parties were together at a coffee shop or over a beer, the conversations would be much more civil and some common ground and respected disagreement reached sooner but the anonymity of the net, and the habit of focusing arguments, sometimes unaware on vastly different aspects, means misunderstandings and heat and anger where it shouldn't exist. Worse, we're also playing to an unseen crowd, so the ego steps in, demanding a win, so we get personal way to fast. Lastly, like Ralis, there are times I am outraged at the racism, subtle and overt that goes on here. It's mostly in the Hundun and the political threads, both are given more leeway. Yet that's my 'perception', to others its their honest uncensored opinion. There's a murky ground between and there times people get away with it, times I'm too sensitive, and others when they've gotten suspensions and even bans. The mods strive for a balance, which inevitably leaves people on either side unhappy.

Welcome to the site and look forward to your participation. Hawaii is not just beautiful but a unique nexus of East meets West.

When I was younger and going on nutritional kicks I'd buy Royal Jelly stored in honey. Even had a special ceramic spoon for it. Then the next fad came along and dropped it. Probably the best tasting nutritional food you can eat. Great in tea too.

What's the buzz about it? I notice Trader Joe's has some.

Seems to me there are threads that quickly go from controversial to cess pit and stay alive. They're breeding grounds for bad feelings. They'll often wind up in Hundun section and are probably best off closed, but that has to balanced with free speech and the hope that regain civility and good conversation versus talking and insulting each other will flow. For my sanity and equanimity I try to avoid the most contentious threads. And have to recommend that people take breaks from them- de-tangle, maybe create a topic on something positive.. balance. Otherwise the bitterness accumulates. If your thoughts are turning to this site during real life, and they're filled with anger and bitterness, its time to take a break or better yet, simply don't read the threads that push your buttons. Life is short, other then stating your peace, your not going to change anyones mind, matter of fact, once an argument has circled round once or twice, neither side is gonna look good, no matter witty or voluminous there arguments get. One thing I've gotten out of this is that mods could do better acknowledging to parties that they're looking into it. So writers aren't left wondering if there reports are ignored. Behind the scenes there is discussion and debate.

Interesting. Saying that.. you must believe in immortality, though, as I understand in Daoism, its not a singular simple concept, ie there are multiple levels of 'immortality'. Forgive me if you've talked about this before, but what is your take on physical immortality? Should it be considered an end goal or a vastly unlikely distraction? (ie a one in 100 million lottery ticket you have to work 60 years to buy)

I've reported myself. Though now that I'm a moderator I realize reports are a pain. Particularly 'he said, she said' types where both parties end up insulting each other. The mods have discussed it, the thread being referred to has gotten more then one report. To me its a case of good intentions on both sides being argued, then getting ugly. Not an unusual case when someone presents a practice another finds dangerous. Yet, after a warning and explanation, it's probably best to let it go. Assume people will be responsible, and not get into circuitous arguments. In the end we've been mostly wu wei on this, hoping the responsible parties, who have earned our respect for there views and writings in the past, will sort it out themselves, even if its just stating one's truth and walking away.

Speaking of cameras, I'm thinking of installing a security camera or two in my house. The latest connect to the internet, night vision, have motion detectors, 2 way speakers, and loud alarms. Some even have face detection. It's tempting to buy 2 ($400 high but no monthly fee) for home security, have them text me when tripped and I'm out. The one I'm looking at can hook up to Amazon Echo units and with ITTT (If This Then That programming) if you bought compatible lights, you could have tripped motion set off a 'red alert' with flashing lights and Danger Danger playing on the Echo unit. Or set it to volume 10 and blast the Stones 'You Can't Always Get What you Want..'

I can't be the only who feels better after 'losing' liquid jing. also I take it we don't have living examples spiritual immortality and/or actual immortality. How good are our role models? Seems to they get pretty spooky once they achieve ie. not really going back to the monastery to teach classes.

Jing.. there's the belief that masturbating loses jing. To me the real culprit is too much thinking, worrying, speculating.. planning, hoping and conniving. That's where the real loss is. Plugging it won't lead to immortality but probably goes a good way towards enlightenment or something similar.

Bureaucrats love information.. reports and projections. Thing is, it quickly becomes information overload and 170 million cameras capturing billions of hours of millions of images computed stored and pretty much winds up in the trash. Anything usable made into a needle in mile high haystack.