Naturyl

Here's a video that lets you get the essence of the whole Tao Te Ching in just 10 minutes. I've found it good for quick refreshers and meditation.

New here, and thought you guys might enjoy this: http://naturyl.humanists.net/taoverses.html The image file attached contains all the verses. Let me know if it resonates with you.

I'm no oncologist, but it's worth looking into the research on Vitamin D and cancer. The basic theory is that we evolved to spend a lot of time in the sun, and since we don't anymore, there is a widespread Vitamin D deficiency. Adequate Vitamin D is proven to fight cancer and many other diseases. The research is suggesting that very few people in modern society get adequate Vitamin D. Here's a good place to start: http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/ Will popping Vitamin D pills prevent cancer? I don't know if we can go that far, but it does look like it may be one big part of the puzzle.

I haven't had any "abduction" experiences that I know of, but I do find the phenomena very interesting. I'm not sure what's going on with these experiences, but they are definitely fascinating - and more than a bit creepy. Here's some alien-themed art I made recently:

Insane? No, don't worry about that. You're just jumping into a side of things that usually involves a little more preparation, and without that preparation, it can be kind of overwhelming. If you want, you can check out some spiritual perspectives and use them to develop a framework for your experiences. That may help make things a little less weird.

Great forum you guys have here. Just stopping in to introduce myself. I'll be around here and there.

Yeah, I'm semi well-known in the online philosophy circles. Been at it a while. Thanks for the welcome.

I honestly don't know. It's really a coin flip at this point. We might wise up before it's too late, and we might not. It's definitely a good sign that some Westerners are starting to get interested in a different kind of spirituality and psychology than the one that has dominated for a couple thousand years. Will it be enough? I don't know. I think we'll need more people awakening in the next few decades if we are to have a chance of avoiding disaster. That's why, as much as I hate pushing anything on anyone, I do try to stay active promoting alternative viewpoints. There's no time left to sit on the sidelines.

Sushil's a dedicated guy. I know him from another forum or two. I give him credit for working hard to undermine the idea that hard work is the answer to life's problems. We definitely do need to rethink the whole concept and value system of "industrial society." Westerners today don't think it's possible to be "too industrious," but that's exactly what we are. We're working, producing, and consuming this world into an early grave. Lao-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu warned against it millenia ago but here we are anyway, with a world being exploited more and more aggressively and very few people willing to stop and think about it. Sushil wants to throw some light on that and I support him.

The most important thing, at least from my perspective, is this:

Well put. Spirituality isn't mere "self-help" psychology. It goes beyond all that - beyond name and form. We ultimately help ourselves most by dissolving our imaginary individual selves in the true Universal Self, or whatever we might want to call it. Tao works for me, or from a more modern perspective, "the numinous" (as Carl Sagan called it).

On further reflection, there's no point in this post.

Actually, nevermind. I've looked around the forum a bit and I don't think it's for me, anyway. Thanks to those who have responded, and best wishes.

So you think people should have to work whether they want to or not? If so, how do you distinguish that from enslavement? Just curious. Thanks for the promise to avoid anger.

Yeah, I played WoW for a while and observed some of the same things. Eventually, I got tired of the game because it really does become all about advancement and pursuit of status, whether you want it to or not. And if you try to resist that, there isn't much to do in the game, because you can't get into the endgame content the "strivers" are doing. Like our society in general, the game is set up to cater almost exclusively to the "strivers" and everybody else can either become a striver or just quit. I chose the latter option - much as I did in real life.