Why does a life with purpose seem to get so "heavy" these days.. and not light?

[thelerner]

What does feeling others pain do?? Does it burn calories? Does it help them?

Does giving a shit fill up anything more then a toilet?

 

What you actually Do, means something.

 

What you care about, whether it's soap operas or starving children

doesn't mean a whole lot cause it doesn't do anything.

Other then self drama and allowing one to assume they're better then others.

[C T]

Whats a matter CT are you upset by me saying that

 

All praise be to buddha

Upset? Not at all. Curious, maybe.

[skydog]

People view me as bad because I dont want to conform to the ways of the world

 

I do not agree with the way society is

 

Just like I would not go into Nazi germany and become a prison guard

 

Does that make me bad

 

Should I spend more time in the ldt and stop thinking

[skydog]

I view wanting to create new ways of doing things to be beautiful not something that should be met with comments like "stop thinking, your unkind by wanting to change things"

 

People should be encouraged for their desire to change/create better ways of living

[C T]

What does feeling others pain do?? Does it burn calories? Does it help them?

Does giving a shit fill up anything more then a toilet?

 

What you actually Do, means something.

 

What you care about, whether it's soap operas or starving children

doesn't mean a whole lot cause it doesn't do anything.

Other then self drama and allowing one to assume they're better then others.

Most people dont even understand themselves reasonably, so asking them to Do something means little. They'll just give you a blank stare in return. If a person is shaky in his or her own development, maybe its even risky for such persons to do something in case they mess up things even more - this is fairly evident, ever so obvious even here on TTB. Just do a count and see how many members come on board simply because they screwed up badly sincerely trying to Do Something.

Edited January 1, 2015 by C T

[skydog]

Not neccessarily Making art, making a film, stories, writing etc

 

Will most likely be seen as worthless by most

 

Yet in being yourself, you may have been more productive than a high powered lawyer than sent 20 people to jail last week

 

Doing something is very "difficult to judge"

 

The thoughts and intentions I have "do things"

 

But no one will ever know

 

This is totally in line with the Tao

[Brian]

<snip>

Should I spend more time in the ldt and stop thinking

Yes.

[skydog]

I disagree, thats just a jab because you were probably upset by my comment

[skydog]

The lerner, brian, and joe blast

 

are rich authoritarian types who always defend the ways of the world

 

I have seen and experienced real poverty and adversity

 

I do not defend the ways of the world

 

I seek to create better ways of living

 

Whether thats through doing or non doing I dont care

[skydog]

I dont see how anyone who has seen the things Ive seen and lived my life can defend this culture

 

Its ok nothing to see here folks dont ever think of revolution or designing better social systems thats unspiritual

 

Be in the ldt

[Brian]

I disagree, thats just a jab because you were probably upset by my comment

Not at all. You seem too wrapped up in your own head -- not being wrapped up in your own head would probably be a good adjustment.

 

You also seem hostile and that is probably why you view others as hostile towards you. To a large extent, life is a mirror.

[skydog]

I disagree thats just a judgement because you disagree with my views on society and you do on most posts I make unlike others like me who agree with some of my posts on society and dont say "your thinking too much"

again because your rich and havent known too much of what I have

 

Maybe I am a bit hostile, to people who say that you should never think of revolution or creating a new world because it makes you somehow bad.

[thelerner]

 

Perhaps this is was not constructive.

my bad.

Edited January 2, 2015 by thelerner

[Brian]

I disagree thats just a judgement because you disagree with my views on society and you do on most posts I make unlike others like me who agree with some of my posts on society and dont say "your thinking too much"

 

again because your rich and havent known too much of what I have

 

Maybe I am a bit hostile, to people who say that you should never think of revolution or creating a new world because it makes you somehow bad.

You are a creative reader.

[skydog]

Might make you.. not bad.. maybe lazy.. if you use 'not wanting to become a Nazi prison guard' to justify not getting on with your life. If you're not going to school or getting a job because you don't want to become a Nazi prison guard you're fooling yourself with a nonsensical justification.

 

Are you creating a new world? Are you building anything? Helping people, growing some coalition towards some actual goal?

 

What's your situation, how do you see your future? Telling us what you're against doesn't tell us anything real about you, tell us what you do and we get a better picture.

 

 

I dont agree that its a nonsensical justification

 

I am frequently surrounded by animal and nature spirits, I hate the word and having to bring this up but what do that make me like a shaman. That means like them I have deep respect for nature and enlightened ways of living, do you see native americans or aboriginals decide to want to go and live like "white man" does they are angry at the destruction of nature, they do not conform they go and live on their reservations or some of them turn to alchohol and ommit suicide.

 

I dont need to tell you what Im doing or what my plans are. Even my comment about animal or nature spirits will be met with derision by most on this "spiritual forum"

[skydog]

You are a creative reader.

 

i know thats a subtle jab again, but most of the replys to OP were "stop thinking, conform, be balanced" I have every right to disagree and inform readers that they can and have every right to want social change.

[wilfred]

seems like if you truly take the world as it is, it opens us up to all kinds of abuse and negativity from those caught up in the fog of modern life. i see that is what OP is saying, how do you stay light hearted in spite of that. it's hard, isn't it. lots of equanimity and understanding for others is needed as you go about your thing. definitely something that's a bigger hindrance for creative people, in my experience. we feel compelled to see all this dynamic change when things come into view and want to project that onto the world. it's certainly something i've been clinging to, but a shitty one considering how vain it is, to something think we're able to change the world. that's typically the work of an artist to share insight in more subtle ways.

[Brian]

 

i know thats a subtle jab again, but most of the replys to OP were "stop thinking, conform, be balanced" I have every right to disagree and inform readers that they can and have every right to want social change.

Oh, nothing subtle about it. You are fabricating out of whole cloth and using that falsity to justify hostile dismissal of anyone you don't view as supporting your position.

[C T]

Almost everyone at some point in their lives dream of being a hero, or a saviour of some form or other. Its a sort of on-off complex, isn't it, and not exactly one based on realistic premises. Sometimes the feelings, boosted by external events, can get very charged, and people read all sorts of things into these feelings, but only a special breed of people can actively & effectively engage their inner resources to mobilise something tangible in themselves that will contribute positively and significantly towards making a difference in the world.

 

Its easy to shout slogans and proclaim one's vision, but to be resolutely focussed on a primary objective with unwavering commitment and patiently setting the stage right, and holding the same values for 20 or 30 years with no guarantee of any progress is no easy task. Altruistic, authentic Change masters are few and far between - however, vessels of sound, these are easily shaped, used and then discarded like paper cups. What these sound carriers call heavy, the Masters would call 'opportunity'.

[skydog]

All pies eventually drink some water so off to drink water and become a pie

Edited January 2, 2015 by skydog

[C T]

All pies eventually drink some water so off to drink water and become a pie

O yes, some dream of being pies too.

[skydog]

one pie drank some water

 

then drank some more

 

dreamed of pies and drank some more water

Edited January 2, 2015 by skydog

[GrandmasterP]

What sort of pie?

[Brian]

Almost everyone at some point in their lives dream of being a hero, or a saviour of some form or other. Its a sort of on-off complex, isn't it, and not exactly one based on realistic premises. Sometimes the feelings, boosted by external events, can get very charged, and people read all sorts of things into these feelings, but only a special breed of people can actively & effectively engage their inner resources to mobilise something tangible in themselves that will contribute positively and significantly towards making a difference in the world.

 

Its easy to shout slogans and proclaim one's vision, but to be resolutely focussed on a primary objective with unwavering commitment and patiently setting the stage right, and holding the same values for 20 or 30 years with no guarantee of any progress is no easy task. Altruistic, authentic Change masters are few and far between - however, vessels of sound, these are easily shaped, used and then discarded like paper cups. What these sound carriers call heavy, the Masters would call 'opportunity'.

Very nice, C T.

[松永道]

"If you want to balance the world, first cure your community. If you want to cure your community, first nourish your family. If you want to nourish your family, first cultivate your self. If you want to cultivate your self, first upright your heart. If you want to upright your heart, first mature your intention. If you want mature your intention, first arrive at knowledge. If you want to arrive at knowledge, first investigate nature." - Confucius, Great Learning (my off-the-cuff translation).

 

I have empathy. Your current sentiment is where my adventure began. Arrogant. Angry. Depressed. Impotent. One of my self-binding thought patterns was the certainty that I was more intelligent, more spiritually aware that everyone else. Given the tools, I would fix the world. The problem was, no one was giving me the tools.

 

No one ever will.

 

You've arrived at knowledge, your intention is maturing, but your heart is dark and heavy. An upright heart emits light that shines forth through the eyes. It illuminates everything you see.

 

It's not ignorant positivity. That's real. And it's pervasive. But the cult of positive thinking lacks a foundation of investigation, knowledge, and mature intention. That's delusion.

 

No, an upright heart shines forth the true light of spirit. Compassion, hope, trust, brotherhood, and wisdom. Not all 'spiritual' people have it. Dare I even say, not many. But anyone with this light is unmistakably spirited.

 

You can't nourish anyone before you nourish yourself. You can't change the world until you become the change you want to see. And then, it's not a matter of proselytizing, evangelizing or forcing. Trust that people aren't so blind. Shine and they will see you. And they will want to shine too.

 

Spiritedness is the only deep influence, everything else is shallow language.

 

But maybe you need to go deeper to get there. Often the way to real light is a dark and winding road. Laozi wrote about this. What you want to elevate, first lower, what you want to strengthen first make weak. Enough heaviness transforms into a star.

Edited January 2, 2015 by 松永道