Everything

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  1. Taoist Philosophy - Chapter 112

    Totally agree. Balance, integration, harmony. Love it all. What started as simply trying to walk or stand straight has led to a serious of behaviours ending with the contemplation of our ideals trough the idea of balance and perfect unity of all. When we see the balance of all and our place in it, we can make an effort to move towards this ideal more efficiently. Every constructive change in my life has found its roots in the contemplation of balance.
  2. Alot of people meditate and find that it effects the health of their brain positively. Gaining happiness and motivation, seeing more value all around. This video I found kinda reminding me of that, then he goes mentioning how it is that meditation does it, roughly. It is like an positive feedback loop of the frontal lobe with the neurons that produce dopamine without thought. Can any meditator relate to that in any way? So using your frontal lobes to create thoughts that activate your dopamine production. But then without thinking The frontal lobe is essential for motivation, and seeking purpose. Without it, someone might be intelligent, but have no specific purpose or would not understand how to seek a purpose or what value. That is roughly what it is, but may be wrong. Some say "if thinking is the process of using information to make decisions, then the frontal lobe is essential for thinking." So frontal lobe would be essential for using information to make decisions. It brings our senses together and creates intention, which is what seperates us most from animals.
  3. Taoist Philosophy - Chapter 112

    Hehe, I've been exactly the other way round. I was born with the feminine, being extremely sensitive, able to cry on command, feeling infatuations 24/7 with whomever I cross, caring extremely much about everything and everyone. This feminine nature is kinda gone and lost, atleast not so extreme anymore. It is more balanced now, which I prefer. I've explored and got to use my inner masculine more often, being physical with guys, not showing my weakness, "never let 'm see you sweat" kind of attitude. Not just that, but also alot of couragious decisions to make without having a father behind you back to lend his courage to you or make those decisions for you. I've been thought that giving love without receiving it is called an infatuation and that it is childish. Not just by other people, but by personal experience aswell. Every person I've loved, hugged and gave affection to, I've made sure that the feeling is mutual. And I loath it when people pretend to give love. When they hug you from a masculine core. These are like the arrabs who make a social rule out of kissing eachother and greeting with extremely kind words while they hold a knife behind their backs in their minds. While in other cultures, people make it clear that they don't care about eachother and just say "hi" in such a situation, which seems alot more authentic to me. The very symbol and story of vampires that is universal in all cultures has been brought forth by these kind of people who pretend to be something they're not and drain your energy our of emotional starvation. In the american army the idea goes as follows(it seems): "To create a killer, kill the female in the man." Which is kinda true. So I see how in some societies accepting the inner feminine is dificult. Also thanks for the reply Marblehead, I totally like the response aswell. I guess knowing the masculine has been an ongoing practice for me personally. Took me very long to be ok bout grabbin' dem big boys round the neck sayin' "Whatsup my man!" It is a process of testing eachother boundaries, to make sure we can trust the masculinity of our friends to back us up in trouble. But usually no one has a trouble with feminine guys, as long as you show you know the masculine well enough. It is a matter of balance, in which the feminine nature holds the key to a cooperative and peaceful future where weapons are not displayed. While masculine keeps us durable and protects this way of living. Surely, it is prefered not to have it be in danger in the first place. I found this one: A nation is like a hierarchy, a marketplace, and a maiden. A maiden wins her husband by submitting to his advances; Submission is a means of union. So when a large country submits to a small country It will adopt the small country; When a small country submits to a large country It will be adopted by the large country; The one submits and adopts; The other submits and is adopted. It is in the interest of a large country to unite and gain service, And in the interest of a small country to unite and gain patronage; If both would serve their interests, Both must submit. Like an ongoing fight where there will eventually be a "winner and looser", but neither of the two submits and thus looses equally. For the winner walks down the path of destruction and promotes the manifestation of such a fight to occure once more. When both submit, both win equally and walk down the path of cooperation. If one cannot submit, the other one cannot submit either. If the male does not submit to his masculine, the female cannot submit to her feminine. If you do not stop killing others, others cannot stop killing others aswell. And if you stop killing others while other do not stop killing others, then you will be killed. I think thats whats ment. So in a way, what is adviced is that we all choose the path of the female. If we all submit, we all continue the path of cooperation. The other way is that we all never submit and this will destroy ourselves in the process, eventually. I personally believe that we will have lean towards the feminine and make an effort to stay on that side. Simply because the masculine nature cannot be ignored or removed from our species.
  4. What is the Purpose of Pain?

    Maybe the thought of us being an animal may lessen the mystery in the idea of pain. What seperates us from animals is our ability to contemplate our own lifes, including the pain, and choose where to focus our concentrations or even change our reality by seeking new believes. But we're still evolved not for our day and age. This world we live in now has emerged way to fast for us to evolve quickly, so we slowly addept our artificial environment to us. There is no mystery in our pain, the mystery indeed lies in our ignorance to accept our own nature and the nature that is all around us, the nature that are our ancestors. If you talk about the pain that is out of place in our world, it is usually the emotional pain. It is mostly caused by immaturity. A baby can be very intelligent, but may quickly get frustrated because his emotions stand in the way. The emotions are a mystery to him, and they run to parents for comfort and guidance, etc. When a baby feels pain, he is helpless, he does not understand it and just wants it to go away. A baby can not focus like a cat and have a high tolerance to pain, because babies get easily distracted. But when you look from their perspective, they do need a parent and can't survive without them. Babies even die if not given love but taken care of well. What about a mature man or women? They can too get distracted by pain, even feel attracted to it, or wander in the past, present, or that which cannot be controlled to suffer pain that useless and mysterious and makes you wonder why it even exists. The reason that this kind of meaningless pain exists, is because it has been essential to our survival for milions of years. It is not so mysterious when you suddenly live in a natural environment, is it? This world can be destroyed today and everyone would continue the way of living, as long as our nature remains. But we can also addapt to new environments, and cope with it. We're all essentially the same humans. Another great cause for feeling that pain is mysterious is PTSD, or something similar, like a small trauma or several trauma's. For example, the pain of sadness which is equal maybe even more then physical pain. But it has not purpose, because the environment where the trauma was developed and was essential for survival is no longer there, most of the time. This is how veterans survive in war, then suicide when they come back home. Today, our environment is so weird. Some people feel pain when talking to other people, shy away from it, being scared of social anxiety. In the past, doing the wrong thing socially could mean certain death. So many forms of pain and I have no idea which one you are talking about. You don't really think that physical pain is mysterious do you? I cannot see how someone does not see the purpose of physical pain.
  5. Taoist Philosophy - Chapter 112

    I think I get it, but can't find the value of it, personally. What does it mean to you?
  6. What is the Purpose of Pain?

    How can you say it is mysterious? Punch your self very softly under the eyes on the cheek bones. There... You felt pain, and you can draw infinitely from this experience. There is alot of mystery in pain, yes. But really, out of all the things you could pick, you chose pain to be the most mysterious function of the body? Well, guess its for our survival and a fun fact is that pain is equal to everyone. But the focus on it can be reduced and the sensitivity of pain can be reduced trough practice. But focus is a larger factor, or bigger role in "less sensitive" people. If you can focus well, you can concentrate your focus on what matters, and not the pain. This is important in sports. Only excessive pain can be mysterious or found useless, for it is the thing designed to save us which eventually ends up killing us, causing too much stress. Is that what you mean? That paradoxical nature of such an event.
  7. Drive

    Indeed, I´ve also pondered this while practicing musical instruments. Just to stop and notice myself being so motivated to become better. It is a big part of my nature, and this power must be held responsibly. If channeled into purposes that are not ethical and constructive towards yourself or others, it is time to let go, forgive self and others for having done harm with the flawed purpose, continue towards a better goal. Thats where the video ends and the companies begin. You have a group of people with common believes and purposes, they work great together and know when newcomers belong or don´t belong their instantaneously. To most people it is obvious that money is not the driving force of a goal that is idealistic. However, sometimes you will have people who will change their mind, slowly and form ideas that are somewhat diffrent from the companies original values and believes. Then the company will have to make some difficult decisions. It can go too fast, innovating too much, loosing the boundaries, having the company brake down into parts, or too slow, where people eventually leave the company to join a better one, new one, one that is contineously evolving or simply up to trends. So slow innovation is the way to go. Whatever you view as a `company´. Be it your own body and mind, family, group of partners, or even a whole countries. You often see this with managers coming into new companies. They like to fire the team set by the previous leader, in order to make room for his own set of people. Might seem harsh, but its the way of things. So, about Drive... Where did this nature manifest itself? Surely the "if no money, then any money will do" come from survival mechanisms. But What interests me more, and what I think we should discuss, is why people or motivated by purpose and desire and ambition. Where does that ccome from, and how deep is it? For example, a person might find life meaningless, yet at the same time wish to have a purpose in life. This causes confusion. They ask, "why do we live" and "I want a purpose!" Then they accept any purpose out of hopelessness only to find out that this purpose sux, then they're like "what is the purpose of life!" all over again. Where as a mature person would remain confident in finding better purposes along the way, all the time, finding new meaning life every moment. But what is this "need for purpose" itself? How does it work. The core nature of it. And why is this drive to solve
  8. Do any Taobums speak foreign languages?

    Well... My dutch is good, considering learning german aswell. It has been said that the nature of language can never be understood trough one language alone. Professors of language say so. Sometimes you want to say something but can´t translate it into words. Communication is an art of translating, like poetry. Every single word is relative to every single human being. You can never find the perfect translation for what you´re trying to say, but the desire to do so will remain. That is a perfection on itself. Plus, studies show that knowing more then one language means lower chance of you having some degenerative brain disease, but that might be indirect. Not sure how it effects our brains, hehe. For now it really does give me comfort to try and translate from dutch to english or the other way around. Something about it that makes me feel purposeful. As if I´m bringing two diffrent realities together and have them interact. Especially when it comes to humor and alot of the more complex communications, knowing more then one language can be enlightening. Love it.
  9. I think I figured out the rapture thing.

    Its hard to follow what everyone means exactly. No one has ever consciously experienced the place of death and returned to tell about it. The very nature of death makes it so that you remain unconscious, depending on what consciousness means for you. But I think you know what I mean. So, then how did we get this idea of death? Its similar to beginning and end. At each year, we begin new, and young, we celebrate the death of the old and birth of the new age. Destruction makes place for new things in nature all the time. It is part of our life, as is sacrifice and suicide with a definite constructive purpose, or destruction with a definite constructive purpose. I remember a tree that had seeds which would remain closed for 20 years untill some fire came along and made the circumstance ideal for it to grow. I forgot how it exactly worked or where it is, too bad. Would be a great example to explain the concept of death. So like any other word on the planet, death is relative. But we can talk relatively about the relativity of death for more wise conversations. As to the scary moment that awaits us all, we do not know what will happen untill we experience it. So wandering in that future seems pointless to me, since a person full of life cannot even be touched by such fears of death. But then, being impulsively full of life out of fear for death is too extreme aswell. Find the balance. Respect death for you will face it everytime you do courage. A moment of loneliness and fear, because no one can do courage for you, and you cannot fail when doing courage(unless you play victim, then its not doing courage). Courage is not confidence. It is not having courage, it is doing courage or doing the right thing with full capacity. Failing or succeeding, confidence is the reward. Death is not avoidable, but the destiny for those who do courage. Death of the old self, and birth of the new self. A movement towards a better self. Because when we do courage, it is diffrent from just drinking a cup of tea, and we see this. We notice it and thus notice the change it brings onto our self. We fear the change, call it death, then when death is over, a new life awaits and we forget death altogether. But death will always return, for it is a motion of nature. Ebb into death, flow into life. You get where I'm going with this.
  10. Taoist Philosophy - Chapter 110

    When a country is broken, totally in chaos. The only laws that cannot be broken are the laws of nature. So the more laws equals to more criminals you say? Sure, if the laws are ego made, the more laws there are, the more laws there will be broken. Look at how few and elegant the laws of nature are in physics. And just look at how effective they are. Not even one single of these laws in physics has been broken by a human being, not for milions of years, not since they were discovered, and probably not for many years to come. And if one seems to brake the laws of nature, it is an illusion, caused by an incorrect understanding of natural laws. With mathematics, we can most effectively communicate these natural laws, not with politics. So we follow scientific laws instead. And if we make up laws out of our own opinions, even if its the opinion of 99% of the population, it is fake and simply standing in the way of the true laws of nature which are essential in our lifes to be observed by us and understood. The following example may sound odd and crazy, but I believe it with all my being: If a murderer kills me, I do not wish for cops to find the killer, for lawyers to sue him, for family to seek justice. My last wish would be that all these men would instead commit their lives towards finding the natural laws that have made it possible for this event to occur in the first place. We then accept these laws, for they cannot be changed and are the true rules and rulers of our lifes. We then follow these rules in such a way that murder no longer happens. Not impulsively, but patiently, committed, disciplined and trough the science of nature. I wish for my death to be accepted for what it is, a natural event and not a political or whatever event. Everything is nature. So we must first accept the natures "cruelty" (which I do not even believe is so... Nature is impartial) and then kneeling humbly to nature, accept it as our master, and work for it, with it, create a better future. Science of nature does not give a damn about the petty details of my life, that is why I give my love to the science of nature so that it is impartially channeled to all of civilization.
  11. Taoist Philosophy - Chapter 110

    Hey, marblehead. Another great text, enriched by a character of great mysterious wisdom! Love it. I personally believe that responsibility for the conduct of the robbers and thieves are strongly influenced by our service toward human made laws. Atleast the laws came from something with an ego, many ego's. The opinion of people. While instead, we should follow the laws of nature, our only true dictatorship. Some people say that follow the laws of nature would mean that people again decide what these laws are to be... Sure... Not if science determines the laws of nature and continues developing the laws of nature more accurately. Science has no ego and is impartial just like nature and the Tao. All the things that has improved the lifes of the people came from science. Without science we would not even be able to support ourselves with such a huge population. So lets say that we throw away human laws and replace it with nature laws. How could we punish a man for not following the laws of nature? It cannot be done. We connot punish a man for falling towards the sky, because that event would only mature the laws of nature, developed by the egoless sciences that monitor these natural events without judgement. You might not be able to imagine it now, just like the people of the past could not even comprehend how the world looks like today, but a future without thievery is possible. If everyone submits to nature, the only true dictatorship in our lives, and accept the control it has over us, only then can we create civilizations that NATURALLY be good. If every economist and politician of today would instead submit there lives towards the science of nature, and solve poverty and thievery this way, it would be much more effective. Have a problem you can't fix? You make a law for it, but keep in mind that the law will never compare to the true laws of nature, which, if understood, are much more beneficial for mankind to follow.
  12. Ego-less?

    I've thought about how to speak about this subject, but I guess I can't translate it into words, since it feels so much like an inner practice that can't be shared. I do hope someone can relate to this, in anyway possible, so that we can share knowledge about it. Perhaps there are words out there for what I'm trying to describe, but I have not found them yet. So I'll try to describe how it feels like to have this thing, and what happens when you have this mysterious thing going for ya. Some people say it is enlightenment, but I don't think its that. So, sorry for the messy texts here. I'm clearly not educated enough about this subject and over-experienced. So take what you want from it to identify the following experience or state of mind I'm trying to describe. Feels like: Great, joy, motivated, powerful, unstoppable, succesfull, confident. Imagination is rising from all over the place, your own sense of humor makes you laugh histerically, let alone others. So much positive energy, you require a valve to let it all out, wether it is screaming out of joy, or spreading love for no reason all over the place and have people look at you in weird ways, but they like it. Your positive energies are contagious, but do not make any sense at all in intellectual ways and are hard to translate even into words. Only trough a made up story of words made up by me during one of these experiences can someone vaguely experience this intellectually. This happens: Only happened few times in my life, imagination becomes extremely powerfull. You seem to become a genius in everything you focus your energies on. Wether it be explaining a thing in the most beautiful way, coming across attractively, being funny, writing stories that are compelling, creating music that is emotionally compelling and beautifull. Sometimes you think it is simply excitement, but being excitement my imagination is not so powerful and trueful, inspiring, etc. It is some harmony of mind, reaching max potential of mind, the energies can be channelled into all kinds of physical, intellectual or emotional actions. I've tested it, the more you focus it the more powerful it becomes. One thing I've noticed is that it only can happen when I feel great joy, and never when I feel neutral or normal or simply content. Or perhaps it is a side effect to feel joy. The energies feel great. Basicly, what happens is obviously not normal in a way that great things happen effortless and naturally. It is too powerful to call it a regular experience or coincidence. I've tested this specific experience on its capabilities like a scientists test rats in a laboratory. My idea is this: This "thing" seems to rise from not just a deep place, but it is something that is the effect of having your entire brain and consciousness cooperate in a harmonious way, reaching its full potential. Your brain is not on full capacity but on full efficiency whatever you do. Also your mind gets a great sense of timing, when you do something stupid, you do it on such a perfect timing that is no longer is stupid. Weird to explain. It is like turning anything into gold. It only happens when you completely forget your identity, and become whatever you want or feel like becoming in that moment, kinda like not having an ego what Dr. Wayne describes so often. I've always felt like Dr. Wayne Dyer is one person who lives with this thing naturally, all the time, but I can't seem to reproduce it like him. I know it is "something" but I've never been able to reproduce this state of mind on intend alone. It seems to require great luck, and the effects can last a day, or longer as long as you don't sleep or loose the "thing". When focus is lost, the experience is lost aswell and the power is gone in the wind. When you stop using it, it seems to fade away aswell. It is so thin and vague, like a lucid dream. Coming out of no where, going to nowhere from which it came. Perhaps nothingness is the feeling itself. You relate to nothing, and thus everything. I've noticed how Dr. Wayne Dyer is sometimes trying to explain it, thats how I got interested in him for a while. Especially when he talks about forgetting to label things. We all know that labelling is very important for communication and science and stuff, but to get this experience you must forget labelling. Sometimes you filter your own actions because you label the action and then disapprove of the label, thus refraining from the action all together. One time I dropped the fear of letting go of this ego and labelling stuff, resulting in experiencing the thing again. I wrote that down emmediatly when it occured, that it was notable that before it occured I was trying to let go of the fear of not labelling. But it doesn't always work, it is hard to let go of labelling, that requires a practice on itself and alot of courage aswell. Sometimes it requires of you to do something very scary before the fear of "letting go of labelling" goes truely away. I mean, it requires you to follow your heart for no freakin' reason at all, without the thoughts and intellectual minds interfering at all. It is like function from your egoless soul. I've never done weed, sigarets, alcohol or any drugs in my life, so I don't know how the experience may relate to these things. I do remember everything that happens during these experience, I even wrote about it when some occured, for my self, so that I may try to recall it even better. No matter what I do, I can never recall the emotional values that come into play during these experiences. This is one of the most notable things. For example, when I'm having this experience, I feel like another person, a great person. But I don't forget "my usual self" or my "ego self" while being this person. And looking at this usual self from the egoless self is weird. I don't loose my memory functioning in anyway during this experience, so even after it I can recall the experience itself, but when my usual ego self is returned my line of thoughts are totally diffrent and cannot be related to the person or non-person that I am during the experience. The reason I think I become like that during the experience, because I feel like thats naturally the best way to be. So I don't think it is a double personality or something, I recall every moment of these experiences. But I can never recall the emotion, or try to empathize towards this past self. It is nothing. I can't relate to it because it has no ego. It is so hard to explain that you cannot relate to yourself when you are experience some thing that cannot be related to... WTF.. Perhaps a true ego-less state of mind? Are there any more commonly used terms for this that you think describes it best? I know that nothing is what its named after is the way to go for this thing, but labelling this experience will help alot in the communication of it with others, and perhaps even practice to reproduce it more effectively or quickly so that I may return the favor one day and learn it to others. I don't expect much of an answer, so feel free to comment in anyway. If you think I've totally lost my mind, I assure you all is sane up here. Well, I do find it weird aswell... But wonderfull. So I share.
  13. Ego-less?

    Interesting... Indeed, the ego returns, so we cannot permanently remove it. The ego just represents our limited awareness. We will have to excersize daily, and meditate daily in order to expand our awareness enough, untill a moment where you can say that we no longer have an 'ego'. One night of sleep results in a full day of practice being lost. Its really hard. What this means is that our awareness is so stretched, that we see so much potential, that a personal label would only limit our minds and actions. That is why it is an ongoing practice to let go of the 'state of mind with an ego' as quickly as we can every morning. So that our days become more fruitful. But the experiences I've had were extreme. So extreme that it seemed like dementia or something. The potentials you witness are so varied and many that it seems like you have infinite choice, that you pick the perfect one each time, that everything you want happens. That is how it feels, but thats not how it is ofcourse. Obviously... I would say that I function about 400% more efficient when being in the moment, maybe more. You cannot imagine the perfect timing my ideas tend to have when entering my mind and that is the most notable of all when 'being in the moment'. If I could enjoy this experience at will I would be able to achieve great things with least effort. So funny how the least effort is the most powerful way to go... I've tried real hard to achieve the things I have during one of these experiences, and I can never do it, no matter how much effort I put it. So I cannot be excused for yielding and giving in to the fact that I'll have to reach a higher state of awareness before I will have a shot reaching higher potentials.
  14. Ego-less?

    You know, you really demand more organization from a person. Let me try to be more ordered here with my text. A conservative or not conservative is not what we are, or not an accurate description of our selves. Besides, you have a right brain, so your believes can change, no matter how strong they are. They can always change. Nothing is unchanging, not even the biggest truth on earth. But it certainly aint wrong to have strong faith, I respect that. Even though I have no idea what conservatism actually is or how this relates to that in anyway. So, let us continue. Perhaps I can give you a more abstract description of my experience, so that you might relate to it more easily. The following is from a documentary by Reese Leysen: "A scientific view on what we are would be: a momentary expression of an ever-changing unity with no center. The psychological consequences of this as an objective belief system allow self-awareness without attachment to the imagined self, causing dtramtic increases in mental clarity, social conscience, self-regulation and what's often described as 'being in the moment'. The common cultural belief has mostly been that we need a narrative, a diachronic view on our life, to establish moral values. But with our current understandings of the empathic and social nature of the brain, we now know that a purely scientific view, with no attachement to our identity or 'story', yields a far more accurate, meaningful and ethical paradigm than our anecdotal values. This is logical, since our tradition tendency to define ourselves as imaginary individualisitc constants neurally wires and designs the brain towards dysfunctional cognitive processes, such as compulsive labeling and the psychological need to impose expectations. Practical labeling underpins all forms of interactions in our daily lives. But by psychologically labeling the self as internal and the environment as external, we constrain our own neurochemical processes and experience a deluded disconnection. Growth and its evolutionary side-effects, such as happiness and fulfilment, are stimulated when we are not being labeled in our interactions. We may have many different views and disagree with one another in practical terms, but interactions that nevertheless accept us for who we are, without judgement, are neuropsychological catalists that wire the human brain to acknowledge others and accept rationally verified belief systems without dissonance. Stimulating this type of neural activity and interaction alleviates the need for distraction or entertainment and creates cycles of constructive behaviour in our environment." So lets not call it ego-less. When you're 'in the moment' the side effects are great, plus you can accept diffrent realities quicker, and thus blend in more quickly. Your short-term memory expands like you've just came from a cold shower. You no longer have single choices in present moments, but your mind perceives several options in every interaction, it perceives more potential. That is what I was talking about. Have you never 'been in the moment'? I mean extremely been there. This being in the moment, the energies I was talking about, when you understand it to be an expansion of short-term working momeroy, you understand how seeing more potential is like an energy that can be channeled. Since you can see more potential when creating music, more potential in a conversation, more potential while writing a story. All I know is that Dr. Wayne Dyer is the worst translator of this experience on earth. He tries to teach it trough poets and old saying, but that doesn't mean he cannot experience it, that is why I mentioned Dr. Wayne Dyer and his wacky, way out there, philosophies. They seem to have artistic value, and thus teach us about authenticity. It is not like you have not experienced 'being in the moment' either. We don't just be in the moment from one time and not be in it the other. Its more like a scale from 1 to 10, where you might be in 2 your whole life without noticing, and suddenly moving towards 9 only to witness how powerful it is. Not only that, happiness and joy is just a side-effect, so if you've ever felt more happy then usual, good chances that you were experiencing this 'in the moment'. It is not some magical thing if you don't want it to be.
  15. Should some arts/info remain secret?

    Look at it this way: you're there to teach them they don't want it. So it's not totally a waste of time.
  16. The Venus Project

    The following is from Wikipedia: Theory According to Fresco, poverty, crime, corruption and war are the result of scarcity created by the present world's profit-based economic system. He theorizes that the profit motive also stifles the progress of socially beneficial technology. Fresco claims that the advance of technology, if it were carried on independently of its profitability, would make more resources available to more people by producing an abundance of products and materials. This new-found abundance of resources would, according to Fresco, reduce the human tendency toward individualism, corruption, and greed, and instead rely on people helping each other.[9][non-primary source needed] Fresco believes it is now possible to achieve a society in which people would live "longer, healthier, and more meaningful lives." [10] Fresco believes the monetary system and the processes associated with it, such as labour and competition, damages society and holds people back from their true potentials. He states his ideas would maximally benefit the greatest number of people. He claims some of his ideas stem from his formative years during the Great Depression.[2] Fresco believes the current global economic system will have to see a major crisis before people start to lose the confidence in the monetary system and start looking for other directions.[11] Fundamental to the project is what Fresco calls a "resource-based economy". Such a system uses existing resources, rather than money, to provide an equitable method of distribution in the most humane and efficient manner. It is a system in which all goods and services are available to everyone without the use of money, credits, barter, or any other form of debt or servitude. If you wish to learn more, there is the site of the Venus Project, there is Zeitgeist: moving forward that goes deep into the subject. For people who are skeptical about such huge changes to the economy and politics, there is Zeitgeist Addendum. There are many documentaries out there that make you sad, and show people that no, our world is not perfect and now less perfect more then ever before. You have Earthlings, which is so disgusting it makes you vegetarian. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce4DJh-L7Ys You have the documentary: Home. So sad that it makes you cry. Clearly a focus on a lot of problems we face today. It does not show alot of happy faces that we also have. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU Whats wrong? You have the documentary An inconvenient truth, now you think you know whats wrong, but haven't found the root of the problem. Can't even find a link to that... Then you have Zeitgeist Addendum, this is the root of the problem. I've never liked economy and politics. Guess we don't even have a true economy yet. I think alot of us had such an intuition but were discouraged to even think about the flaws of our economy. Fearing to fear the economy of today. Spending money because it is good for the economy, while that very same economy is a bad thing on itself... Paradoxical. Then you have Zeitgeist moving forward, a solution to most of the problems we face today. Alot of science backing up the ideals Venus Project. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytBfshwlws0 Then you have the Venus Project, a movement towards this better future which is not perfect either, but alot better then today. It is the only possible alternative we have, will we ever need one. I think there has been a post about this before. But as someone who has witnessed behaviour in several groups trough the philosophy of TTC, I have a much larger faith in the a future as Jacque Fresco presents it rather then how it is now. I've known elder ones who have lived in diffrent societies and cannot understand that we have to pay for food and water... It should be free for everyone on this planet. This is the only way I see that happening with a big population like ours. I believe that TTC is similar to the view of a scientist in that it is without ego. Ever changing, never holding on to one single believe, open to every possibility, recognizing the infinite value we can draw from experience, etc. Sure people itself will be people, but the science by which we live is at its core without ego and the most solid temporary truth's we will hear. If anyone here disagrees that science and technology should come at the base of a type 1 civilization, you can share the opposing ideas. Or if you think that TTC philosophy is not one that promotes science, I'd like to hear your thoughts aswell. I feel that moving towards the Tao is the very purpose of science. But I don't think a movement towards this future will come untill alot goes terribly wrong. History says so, but the risks today are greater then the risks we faced during a revolution in ancient times. The transition towards a type 1 civilization is the arrival at heaven in a scientific view of the world, especially the one physicians hold. This is our immortality, practicly. Unless we don't survive the transition from type 0 to type 1. Then it makes sense that whatever comes after type 1, wether it be aliens finally visiting us or us travelling the stars. Nothing matters, because we finally have our peace in life. The focus in such a future lies on quality problems that are worth your attention, and enjoyable to solve. My concern for the future is the last war that will be fought. But wether it ends badly or good, the outcome is the same. There will be no more wars. I have already decided to live in a society that is constructive at its base. I truely believe that if we fight for such a society, our very survival would mean the opposite. What do you think will, or should happen to make this transition as smooth as possible.
  17. The Venus Project

    Wow, thats so much to say. I have no idea how politics work. I know that the human laws are abstracted from humans whih are abstracted from nature which is abstracted from the Tao. Why do we live by human laws when ultimately nature has the last word? When nature holds the only true law, should we not base our lives on nature instead of politics? Which is the true law? The law that teaches us that walking trough a red light is wrong? Or the law that teaches us that falling towards heaven is wrong? The law that ends up putting people in jail? Or the law that has made it impossible for the victims heart to continue beating? Nature is the only true dictatorship, accepting this makes this place your home. We're all guests of nature.
  18. The Venus Project

    Oh I almost forgot to mention how Tao Te Ching recognizes we are of nature, and that the law of nature is what moves us. Thus it bases its laws on nature and not that of men. Venus project does the same
  19. Nothing and Everything

    Damn, it was wrong of me to post it then. Your head will literally explode if you watch it. How can sleep with an exploding head? It took me a dictionary and 3 views to get a more clear understanding, and still I don't know exactly what is ment with those scientific physics terms being used. Not to mention that it is not even possible to get an intuitive understanding of how quantum mechanics work unlike the physical laws of, for example, gravity. But the philosophy gives me faith that science will once again triumph in finding the meaning of life that is similar to TTC and perhaps even move beyond that in the future.
  20. Nothing and Everything

    Theory of everything. Now we need the theory of nothing.
  21. The Venus Project

    No, not at all. You make me curious just to ask such a question. Have you read Tao Te Ching? A great translation here: chinapage.com/gnl Nature is complete because it does not serve itself. The sage places himself after and finds himself before, Ignores his desire and finds himself content. He is complete because he does not serve himself. In the economy we live today, the truth is that everyone serves his self alone. Why is that? Because we all need money to live, and every transaction, wether it be time, action, emotional energy is based upon ultimately getting money. The whole purpose is to get money. Now lets say that our economy is based upon resources. We now have basic components of life for everyone on the planet. What suddenly happens to motivation? Do you think people will sit on their lazy butt all day doing nothing? No, that is exactly what most believe, growing up in this economy based on money. Money is not the true motivation. The economy today creates this illusion. But a resource based economy would mean that people grow up in total freedom, without limitation to the mind. No mental limitation as to what you may do everyday all day. There is no need for thievery, because scarcity does no longer exist. There is nothing to do in such a world, but to serve others in order to become complete. Such civilizations has been in the past, and can be now aswell. Thirty spokes meet at a nave; Because of the hole we may use the wheel. Clay is moulded into a vessel; Because of the hollow we may use the cup. Walls are built around a hearth; Because of the doors we may use the house. Thus tools come from what exists, But use from what does not. Now look at our economy as a tool, look at its core, and you will see how every flaw in our society rises from this core and not the people who use this flawed tool. We currently have no choice but to continue this way of living, but the alternative is ready to become a reality. When people look at our economy as tools they are bombared by labels and terms they do not even understand. The thing that you don't see is its core, thats the very thing that gives rise to all corruption. The flawed core of the economy, where money=debt. While most people who look at the economy just see money as the thing you need in order to "buy" something. Too much colour blinds the eye, Too much music deafens the ear, Too much taste dulls the palate, Too much play maddens the mind, Too much desire tears the heart. In this manner the sage cares for people: He provides for the belly, not for the senses; He ignores abstraction and holds fast to substance. Just look at commercials. Companies spend more on commercials then their products itself. When you understand how a commercial works in a dynamical social group and how it influences people you will understand that there is nothing constructive about commercials. It is only in the interest of proffit, not human interest. A resource based economy would naturally put human interest in the first place and not proffit. There would be no need for commercials, it would be totally pointless, nonsense, laughable. People would live more peacefully without being forced so many useless ideas and trends to follow in order to remain social. If we could abolish knowledge and wisdom Then people would profit a hundredfold; If we could abolish duty and justice Then harmonious relationships would form; If we could abolish artifice and profit Then waste and theft would disappear. This one shows best how a resource based economy is exactly what Lao Tzu describes to be the most harmonious society, with least thievery and waste. An economy that would TRUELY economize. It has been recorded in history several times how these kind of societies never had any form of violence recorded. How more equal countries had more of the positive traits that TTC promotes. When you think you are a "good" person and think that others are "bad" then you have not yet understood Tao Te Ching with more clarity. Every Taoist would agree that our behaviour is an abstraction of Nature. When one learns this, it sees how a diffrent environment or line of thoughts and ideas would change his behaviour. That is where the freedom lies. Abolishing duty and justice, we no longer have laws. When people face a problem they can't solve, they make laws for it. And rules are made to be broken. Rules never work without punishement for not following them. This is not a harmonious concept, it promotes destructive behaviour. It promotes punishing bad behaviour instead of promoting good behaviour. A technician would solve the problem all together, allowing people to live naturally good, without laws. That is the very core of Tao Te Ching. As an example given in the Venus Project. Instead of disallowing drunk people to opperate a vehicle, the vehicle itself can be made so to straighten itself when the driver is not driving properly. Technology is ready to serve humanity in the best way it can. People cannot comprehend how much better our lives can become when technology serves us without limitations set by corporations who see no proffit in this kind of transaction. The very fact that you are interested in Tao Te Ching yet not living on some mountain means that the Venus Project is the way to go. There is no better alternative for a future where humans continue to evolve in the most harmonious way possible. I don't know about Zeitgeist alot... I know it is has a partnership with the venus project, I know they're both equally poor. hehe. I personally enjoy the Venus project, watching someone serve humanity in such a commited way, literally untill his last breath. Wether he will ultimately succeed I don't know. Thats up to nature. One thing I'm skeptical about is the patience of these men. They clearly have too much ambition and little patience... That saddens my heart to see such wisdom go to waste, so much light shed, so much excess knowledge given away so impuslively. IT would be better to simply allow nature take its course and wait for the opportunity to rise and take their project to the next level. It would be better to let go, die in peace, rather then rush things before ones death. Leave the project for other comitted minds with strong bones and little ambition.
  22. The Venus Project

    I guess with the knowledge of today, we've reached a peak point in how idealistic our ideas can become and how much we can actually realize trough the striving for these ideals. We now look beyond our own ideas, which has never worked, and as you said, did not work. With this scientific understanding, we can create a better world without our own ego, without attachement to new truth's and with a constant growth towards a better and more constructive future.
  23. The Significance of Taoist Virtue

    Maybe we should consider a diffrent question instead of this one, and perhaps the one that followed. The acquired world view and conitioned believes are part of the nature of a person. Do not question wether it is natural. Question wether it is ones complete nature. Wether it is ones full potential. That is the question to ask. It is acting according to ones limited nature, where as using the full potential of his nature would include the ability to recognize ones own believes and change it when it is necesarry. Being flexible with ones "delusioned and biased" reality. We cannot live without a reality, so we choose to be flexible with it. That is how you reflect the "Dao in you" while alive. It can be done simply by accepting the fact that Tao can never be known, so we make this truth our home. We live according to this fact, and prepare our selves for a journey that will never end.
  24. Your vote for the most emotionally intense films?

    If you want to witness the Taoist saying of "love comes with great expense" this is the best love film in the world. In terms of music, style, acting, story, etc. Oldeuboi (2003) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364569/ So its one hell of a unique love story for you and extremely emotionally instense as the topic title requests. Maybe even more emotional then avatar. So there you go, emotional and the most unique (fcked up?) love story. Can't think of any better one. Avatar caused an increase in depression rates around the world for weeks maybe months, so emotionally intense Avatar comes second place, and the characters in this movie are very strong and solid. Especially the main character grows from a boy to a man in a way that is inspiring. Emotional, alot of love, but not really specificly about a love story. So yeah second place. Because its all fantasy and Computer Generated Images, alot of you guys here will not enjoy it. But To be honest I'm not so sure what you mean with emotionally intense... Does SAW count as emotional intense? I mean, I can simply witness it and laugh to this kind of nonsense, but alot of people shake their hands and throw up. Maybe we should throw this list away. And add a more sane movie. This one seems like a Taoist movie about wisdom. This film takes place in one spot: an isolated lake, where an old monk lives on a small floating temple. Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom (2003) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374546/ I still think Oldeuboi wins this one in terms of unique love story, a movie about a love story, and emotionally intense, the full package of all the emotions you ordered, hehe.