No need to do drugs when you really learn to appreciate art.
I would add also when you enjoy being present, being mindfulness. That is a source of joy, of insight. Drugs, alcohols, desrupt our ability to be in the now.
I would put `being present` as `paying attention to reality itself instead of the concepts you notice in it`. Drugs can make it easier to drop concepts, but they shouldn't be a crutch.
Concepts are fundamental for communication and are very useful, but don't give the sensation of meaning, they are not satisfying. `Be present` more if you wish to feel more meaning.
I'd argue that sometimes it's useful not to be "in the now". There's a creativeness about art that is something like childlike potential. That's not the now, that's the future!
when I say being in the now, I am not meaning to be rational thinking of what you got today, like in your daily schedule, but instead of being in touch with existence so that you get
the source of energy... and then creativity comes to you, intuition, insight... those are not in the future, future never comes, only present exist. Each instant follows the other.
It's going to be very difficult to communicate if we can't agree on basic definitions of words. This doesn't seem to be a philosophy that can deal with tragedy and suffering.
Words are important. I think that's why certain African countries are a mess, lack of proper communication. They need to be unified, like how China was unified by Qin, via one writing.
so yes the definition I am using is what is used by Tolle in the book "The power of now" or many others who refers at the now as the only thing available.
That's just my surface impression though, you're perfectly welcome to try to convince me that I got it all wrong. I do hate changing of definitions though, smacks of cult brainwashing.
I'm familiar with Tolle actually. I think what he proposes is a very "first world problems" kind of religion. Sort of a "sugar pill for your nihilistic feelings of meaninglessness".
what he talks about it is nothing new... it is zen.. it is a mix of traditions but his way of putting simply it is his way. I don't see any trace of religions though just awareness
My definition of the word "religion" is very broad. Something like - the routine activities that surround the subconscious, core motivating principles that drive your decision making.
now you are playing with definition :) but religion has a very specific definition while before the way I used the term "now" wasn't a definition but rather a nuance in the context
"Now" is tied up with the interaction between your short term, long term and instinctive memories. So we perceive "now" as the very immediate past in light of our collected memories.
thank you: for me the Now is the eternity, it is the only mode that exists. Our minds have dualistic nature, our minds are busy decoding reality, projecting past and future
and so we are easily disconnected from what it is. That is why breathing is a very strong meditation tool, it brings our "monkey mind" to the only thing that matter,
our breathing which happens right now,we cannot breath later,we cannot breath in the past. Breath happens now, otherwise we are death. You can think that when we have this insight into
our trueself, when we look for our face before our parents were born... (to paraprase a zen koan), we have a glimpse of a non dualistic mode, which is stillness, which is now.
This can be described, however it might make nonsense at all, it is better to check by yourself... sit in meditation and do it. (then let me know what happened ^^ )
Haha touche! At least I'm laying it out as best I can. For "future" I want to define it as a the place our current momentum might take us and the chaos of things we can't predict.
:correction: all the "what" *that* surrounds your why "why". For example, "Americanism" seems to be a religion. We have our songs, idols to worship, stories, holy days, holy books...
America is just organized and categorized. This makes people easier to control. Subcultures, once you program people to think a certain way you can predict their reactions. Control.
Lol yes! You've just described a cult, a particularly brainwashy type of religion. I'd argue that some religions are "true"(or lies) but then we'd have the messy task of defining truth
Which is probably why I did so terribly in school. I instinctively knew that most of what I was being taught was pure horse manure. Idealistic conjecture at best, propaganda at worst.
I think modern science has become somewhat of a cult and public schools are a propaganda arm. You're not being taught to be curious you're being taught to obey and repeat.
This is Pinocchio when he goes to school and he turns into a braying donkey. Scientists are like prequal Jedi, priestly class(however well meaning) who brainwash children into clones.
I remember coming to Descartes'(what if I'm just dreaming all the time?) conclusions very early on my own. I was a pretty sharp little kid, top scores on logic tests and crap.
That's another really really interesting attribute of Bitcoin. It makes historical truth available and easily auditable. Pretty soon scientists will have to "show their work" on chain.
Occam's razor (select the solution with the fewest assumptions) will always take you back to "I think therefore I am". Everything above that necessarily requires some degree of faith.
The only truth you really know is what is in front of you at this moment in time. You have no idea whats happening next room, next door, let alone somewhere else in the world.
I think like any concept, its a framework, and then people find thier own truths within it. Theres no ultimate truth. People seem to like to follow frameworks.