Owledge

You can tell whether someone is fully enlightened by checking whether they exist. ( https://twitter.com/Dowlphin/status/701924690017779713 ) I usually post stuff like this on my Twitter, mixed with other varieties of thoughtful materials in the areas of commentary, humor, wordplay, messing with your mind etc.. I'm always happy about appreciative audience. It makes a crucial difference. I'm hurting so much. (I guess? I'm a bit confused. ... At least I think so.)

(I remember there having been plenty of discussion on the forums here about him from various angles, so the search function will be useful for anyone not familiar with the name.)

prolost

Heh, gotcha. ;-) Might just be a chakra boner.

I know. But I've been all the way up there and all signs there point back down.

I can't come up with a witty response. EDIT: OK, maybe something about being self-made. Dunno, I'm tired. Am I a try-hard or the opposite? Or not?

TL;DR ;-)

@Brian Yours is only 18 inches?

Ha-ha, too much centralized control? You don't think things through in your self-validating convenience. Laisset faire works so well that business rules the government now. The imperialist drive is not spreading glory or ideals, that's just for the fools. The drive is money, power. It is economic. While I respect Ron Paul, his formula of small government taken as that is just a system, an approach, and doesn't contain any strategy for dealing with corruption. Because corruption will enter any system run by people where egotism takes over. Working with the people is crucial, and that's where socialism looks at, while capitalism only wants to shape them into easy, shallow, controllable consumers. You pervert what you claim is your own way. Hard work is a virtue and effort gets stuff done, but you don't acknowledge that socialists make an extra effort to shoulder the burden that egotists don't want to, because someone needs to start working on a better world or the sickness will grow further. Wherever socialism works (and I mentioned examples that you need to find for yourself - they're obvious enough for anybody but those in denial) it brings health in all facets. If you continue to follow your praise of convenient egotism, you might need to experience the results of your choices from the receiving end. And I am no longer one of those who obsess over helping everybody. My resources are too valuable to waste on those who have already made their choice. I will be a devil to devils and a saint to saints. And that's all I will say here. I will give you a tiny taste of your ways by thinking of only my own interests here now and thus not give a damn about what might become of you. Whether you live or die... that is a socialist concern.

Figuratively speaking... "How to Start a Socialist Revolution" "Follow the 10 easy steps in this e-book" "30-day money-back guarantee" ^ This is what people fall for and then curse socialism for not working. Like it's some damn fashion trend. They have been living capitalism all along, by choice. They just wanted to build a good excuse. https://twitter.com/Dowlphin/status/639576899002499072 Lived socialism is something deeply serious. It is practiced empathy. Every true socialist is a little hero. It doesn't work with 90% cowards. Guess why Edward Snowden chose to make his own life so difficult. Because his own happiness depends on something deep, meaningful, spiritual, not something shallow and material. Oh by the way, if you want no mix, but even any element of socialism gone, then say goodbye to the idea of families. Because families operate on love. They're quite socialist. Those who aren't breed corporate CEOs and others in a high-risk group for sociopathy. And those are using their fear-fueled ambitions to gain power and use that power to create and expand their comfort zone of denial. Like harmful bacteria turn your body acidic because that's what comforts them. But the body's immune system carries profound life wisdom. It doesn't practice compassion for those bacteria. It wouldn't work. They operate on basic instincts. Like many people do.

@thelerner You, like many indoctrinated, don't understand communism in the context of theory vs. praxis. Communism is good when it works, and it is practiced in all societies to some degree, while when used as a stated form of government probably intends to be fully implemented without compromise. @Karl Oh wow, the inane "you're just jealous of our wealth" argument. That's as silly as "they hate us for our freedom" from war propaganda. How is Stalin killing millions saying anything about socialism? I don't see you say democracy is evil because the "Democratic People's Republic of North Korea" is so troubled. All this fake labeling is so easily swallowed by the people. And Chavez is not Stalin, for god's sake! You have a huge amount of learning to do if you still don't understand that the USA have their wealth because they steal it from others, in good old imperial conquest style. Hell, it is difficult NOT to realize this from all the reports about what a wonderful example (sarcasm) the USA are. They're already Orwell-level, but for anyone but the intelligence it's difficult to see what's going on in the own country, and just as easy to criticize others to make it easier to ignore that. This, too, is psychology extended to a group. The USA are basically, in its behavior in world context, a spoiled, pampered, convenient chauvinistic brat in deep denial that breeds fanaticism, lying and stealing, slandering, murdering (own people as easily as others), and surprise! - Poverty is a problem in the USA. The wealth is there, but not distributed properly. Why would thieves want to share? And then you have in various countries the denial of personal responsibility, which is a trademark of a fearful (immature) psyche, by treating things like illegal immigrants or refugees like an insult and not accepting how they create these problems themselves; they are their nemesis. It is grotesque how people can still talk about "failed socialism" and not see the huge time-proven failure that is capitalism. Some more moderate might claim that capitalism works as long as corruption doesn't set in. But capitalism is geared towards that. And raising productivity through personal incentive? Yeah, if you got existential fears to exploit. And motivating an economy based on personal benefit only creates what it practices, as any system does. Egotism. I have made many very insightful experiences with just how widespread egotism is, covered in a layer of bullshit so that people can stay in denial about what they deep down know they are trying to suppress. The problem here is what the USA's problem is, and general the world's problem that creates suffering: mental convenience. I didn't allow myself that, but kept my eyes open for many years, always examining that was going on and why and connecting the dots. But it's so much easier to choose an enemy, call them evil and feel better about oneself. Then again... this is common knowledge, too, that the devil is a deceiver and tempter. Many people serve him by free choice. And I don't respect those people unless they stop the bullshit and start facing where we are so that we can go to where we want to be. Reality is the ultimate judge. Either truth is the highest authority or people will suffer. ADDENDUM: Wow, so you say a mix of problem and solution doesn't work (kinda right) and then you suggest pure problem. If the whole world was totally capitalist ... it wouldn't be, because it's unsustainable. Someone always has to suffer so that others can profit from it. "The crony capitalists that make it all work get too greedy" - yeah, that's what started in the USA a long time ago and now it has become a feature. Greed is good and doublespeak is all around. Projection is the psychological term for what the USA are a champion of. They project things outside that are inside. If the USA were a person, they'd make a used car salesman look like Jesus. Oh a propos person, you can actually examine the USA's actions like you would psychoanalyze a person. It has been done and the diagnosis is highly psychotic/psychopathic on all points of the textbook diagnosis. Naturally. Fear creates a sick, immature mind. Love creates a healthy, mature mind. But love takes courage. As I said, this is a spiritual forum, so I expect people to have an interest in working on their own betterment. The imbalance between my own efforts and what I experienced from the common rabble gradually pissed me off. It is time others made an effort, too. I have already made my life way too difficult by caring about those who don't deserve it.

@thelerner "closing down the free press, imprisoning the opposition and stifling democracy." See, that's the distortions that are abundant in the corporate media and why you can't use them as information source on such topics. He didn't close down the "free press", but didn't extend a license for a media business that was attacking the government with lies and slander as part of a US agenda to topple the government. And that was AFTER such media actually tried to topple the government with lies and incitement. "imprisoning the opposition" - Yeah, you know, when you oppose the government in a way that breaks the law, you land in prison. Plotting assassinations isn't exactly freedom of expression. But in the corporate media, of course those who cross the very lenient line are innocent freedom fighters for democracy and all that bullshit. "stifling democracy" - What the West calls democracy is a joke; a facade, and that is what they want to spread. (Just recently we got another example of how the cronies don't even try to hide the fact that US elections are being bought. They seem to have switched to the demotivating approach: 'Yes, we own you, but you can't do anything about it.') How much more overwhelming bullshit are people willing to swallow before they find the courage to look at the real problem? People could begin humbly by following an old saying: "Don't throw rocks when you're living in a glass house." The US government is a criminal organisation comparable to any mafia. This is proven, documented, and has been for a very long time, but people don't like that kind of uncomfortable reality. Yet, according to polls the majority agrees that the USA are the biggest threat to world peace. But as we know, the majority is not what determins politics. (It was shown in a scientific study that the People in the USA have virtually no influence on US politics.)

@Karl You haven't studied world politics properly then. Socialism never worked for several reasons, all either directly or indirectly caused by capitalist interests. Socialism sets an example, and those whose interests are threatened by it will always try to fight it. Corruption can be used as a weapon, and is a natural one, since corruption and capitalism stem from the same roots. Since this is a spiritual forum, I suggest looking into core psychology. Capitalism puts money and owning stuff on a pedestal. It is about the perception of not having enough, needing more, fighting others for it. I.e. egotism, i.e. antisocial and sociopathic, i.e. rooted in fear. Socialism is about the social aspect. It acknowledges that the human experience is about people. All systems are creations by people and not caring about (ideally) everybody will always hurt the future happiness of everybody. If you don't put the people first, you are disrespecting yourself and serving death out of fear. Socialism is rooted in love. Try to be a loving personality when everybody around you is trying to kill you. And then listen to people like you who say love is a problem and will never help humankind, ignoring a long track record that says otherwise, but can easily be discarded by those who only focus their attention at the fear. Those who are not strong enough to serve love will serve fear and thus fight love. Everybody has to make a decision about a general direction in life that dictates choices: into the light or into darkness. I have stopped having compassion for people who made conscious choices to serve darkness because it is convenient. I couldn't maintain it anymore. I had to start respecting free will, including the free will to serve fear. And I will give appropriate feedback with shaping a better world for those who work towards it in mind.

@thelerner @Karl Wow, you are severely indoctrinated by US propaganda. The reason Venezuela has such a hard time is not socialism. Socialism is actually the reaction to the attempts of the USA's militant super-capitalism to exploit the country as they try with the whole world. It is the constant onslaught of that mindset on the country that creates the problems and then blames the solution for not being successful enough to withstand. This is obvious to anybody who studied world politics and propaganda. The USA have a consistent track record that speaks for itself. They are waging war on Venezuela, and now the policy of the Venezuelan government to act relatively moderately towards the opposition instead of just declaring them the poisonous and malicious influence that they are results in a severe hit to the policies that were improving people's lives as much as they could. Corruption is still a problem, but that's the inherited corruption from pre-socialist times. Nationalisation, trampling over proptery rights? Why not talk about the opposite side of that: Banks and corporate interests scamming the People out of national wealth? Privatization is the other side, and that's actually theft, because it is being coerced through economic pressures created by the banks' pyramid scheme. What Venezuela did was taking back what belongs to the People and has been stolen from them in the first place.

In case you haven't heard about it, Star Citizen is a first person universe space MMO game, and it is almost entirely crowdfunded. It started with the biggest crowdfunding campaign ever and currently has been funded with over 100 million dollars and has over a million registered people. What I find so interesting and also fascinating, captivating and uplifting is how this project pretty much represents the antithesis to the much-cursed corporate business approach that boils down to greed and thus fear. Star Citizen on the other hand is rooted in the passionate ideas of one person who can call all the shots and has, together with people sharing his dream, gathered a team of very competent people to make it happen. And pretty much everything trickles down from that point. This describes the basic mindset and approach: http://robertsspaceindustries.com/the-pledge I am so excited about this because it is like pioneer work for a necessary turnaround if you will, fueling endeavors with love instead of abstract existential fear. I mean, if you look at the 'big business' world, it's pretty much a club of people with deep and severe issues who build a pampering zone for avoiding to resolve those issues, and thus they succeed in the environment they build and spread that fear via system design. I come from a skeptic and hesitant stance, generally considering "Early Access" games a total "no", yet I found myself spending quite a lot on helping to make this game succeed, a game which is currently in alpha development phase. Not only that, but I very actively help finding bugs and writing reports about them so that others benefit from a better game earlier. This again reminds me of how being involved in something meaningful that helps shape a better future fills me with energy. In my life situation, I should be all focused on taking, not giving, but I don't mind at all in this case, for I know this is worth it. It is nice to see projects cropping up in various areas of life that live the solution instead of fiddling with the problem. You might have heard about things like urban farming initiatives and such, but here you see, even in game development changes are getting really big and indie gaming is no longer something you can associate exclusively to small-scale projects. I'm curious to hear the thoughts from people in this spiritual community about it. Also feel free to ask any questions you might have. I have quickly become somewhat of an expert on this topic by now, mostly effortlessly. :-) Before I keep turning this into a book... A link says more than a thousand words ... or how did the saying go? ^^ General game overview: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/about-the-game/spaceflight Current state of the game: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/feature-list

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/joshparnell/limit-theory-an-infinite-procedural-space-game/posts/1122988

From what I know about ED, much better and very different, due to it being first-person based (= much better immersion - it's designed as an imagination of an actual future universe as detailed as possible), with much better graphics and it is going to be an MMO. Of course you can do amazing things with a much bigger budget. The links contain some videos that should give a good impression. P.S.: Did I say "much better" three times? ^^

Not saying that that particular article is dubious, but it's generally worth pointing out that there's war going on against Venezuela, including informationen warfare. Part of that money-printing industry might be US-.government backed crime syndicates. Printing counterfeit money is a well-known tactic in that effort. After all, it's no secret that they try to ruin Venezuela by any means. I was worried/saddened when I recently heard how much influence the political opposition has gained. There's just so much mind control warfare going on. First the great Satan ruins a country, then it offers "the solution" to that to the dissatisfied people.

Because as I said, not much energy to invest in political debates, I'll just say that Putin dares to actually speak the truth about the imperialism that plagues the whole world, while the USA still play the rogue game of accusing others of what they themselves do. That creates the interesting situation where many people (including in the USA) say that Putin would be awesome as US president, while Obama sucks. (It's of course hypothetical, but those politicians that the US government tends to consider enemies demonstrate an impressive degree of statesmanship and intelligent articulation, while US presidents are mostly just propaganda puppets talking bullshit all day.) Since I haven't studied the person of Putin especially in-depth, I don't have as much sympathy for him as I have for, say, Hugo Chavez, but when one considers the respective context in which he attained a high political office, I can grant some leeway. Step-by-step improvement is good, and we should never fall into the dumb game of believing anything the US government says about its enemies. Them being what I would describe as "lying scumbags" is glaringly obvious. Gah, this has already become too long. It's because of my past of immense caring for the world. (Bit cynical I guess.)

I hope the title question is rhetorical. These days I find political propagandistic hypocrisy extremely boring and tiresome. It's just everywhere and it is ridiculously dilettante because it's good enough for the sheeple.

@AussieTrees How about human meat for Christmas? ... (I hear the body of Christ is quite popular.)

Rough party. ^^

Something like "If you cannot control the credit card fraud, lead the credit card fraud."? ^^

For a moment there I thought you said pirate historian. (Who initially wanted to become a ninja, but the yarrrs went by and now the ship has sailed.)

Oh, that reminds me... Today I received a present. It contained instant coffee. It's the only type of coffee that can exist in the present. ( https://twitter.com/Dowlphin/status/672206053954711552 Like, retweet, follow and send me a million dollars if your first name begins with a letter. (Trust me, it'll work. --- I'll send you a post card from Hawaii to prove it.) ) P.S.: "The only substance which brings these four into perfect balance is the potato." Because it is made of pot and anagramized tao. (Which is basically oat. - Also, the potato goes in the pot.) In essence: Throw oat in a pot, stir, and you are one with tao. (A potato.) ( https://twitter.com/Dowlphin/status/672208208329637888 )