becomethepath Posted July 19, 2013 (edited) . Edited September 8, 2013 by becomethepath 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted July 19, 2013 But having a real beautiful, expensive car will get you more sex. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
becomethepath Posted July 19, 2013 But having a real beautiful, expensive car will get you more sex. Â If you believe that, then all right. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C T Posted July 19, 2013 But having a real beautiful, expensive car will get you more sex. If you're well groomed and healthy, that could well get you more sex, and who knows, stumbling onto a rich partner along the way who happen to like your style so much she or he will buy you a beast of a car as a reward for great sex, so it works both ways... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Protector Posted July 19, 2013 If it will then put some of it in a bag and send it my way 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flolfolil Posted July 19, 2013 i used to see truth in the OP statement, but then i realized that tons of people are poor happy assholes  i think it has more to do with hardship forming them into better people than the poorness itself 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted July 19, 2013 Well, I was once poor and I so much like better having more than enough. Â But I remind everyone, I worked for what I have. Lazy people don't get rich (unless they sell drugs or do some other very non-Taoist stuff). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C T Posted July 19, 2013 Well, I was once poor and I so much like better having more than enough. Â But I remind everyone, I worked for what I have. Lazy people don't get rich (unless they sell drugs or do some other very non-Taoist stuff). Good on ya MH! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BaguaKicksAss Posted July 20, 2013 Well, I was once poor and I so much like better having more than enough. Â But I remind everyone, I worked for what I have. Lazy people don't get rich (unless they sell drugs or do some other very non-Taoist stuff). Â Or rich family. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flolfolil Posted July 20, 2013 sell drugs or do some other very non-Taoist stuff). 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nine tailed fox Posted July 20, 2013 there is one more way to richness, quickly  what about treasures ?  here in india there is treasure everywhere, each and every old house here has treasure  but treasure comes with treasure spirits, so you need people to deal with them......., otw they will deal with you in non-taoist way Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
becomethepath Posted July 20, 2013 if you are poor, happy, compassionate and unselfish, and beautiful women are attracted to you, then I would have to tip my hat to you Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
becomethepath Posted July 20, 2013 (edited) . Edited September 8, 2013 by becomethepath 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
silent thunder Posted July 20, 2013 Flaunting wealth, buying expensive clothes, driving luxury cars, facebook/ instagram/ social media obsession will not bring good things into your life. I noticed that people who dwelve into this kind of materialistic activities attracts the wrong type of crowd. Haters, backstabbers, two-faced, materialistic women, drama queens, users, free-loaders, in the end they will not be there for you. I know this because I've experienced this before, I was once that kid but I overcame that. I deleted facebook, I got rid of the luxury car, I donated half my clothes, I went into solitude. I'm happier now. Although I come from a wealthy family, I aim for a low-income position because it's not a lot of stress, I don't want to be that guy that is always working and working just for money. People who chase education, and money and high paying positions are chasing wealth and prestige. They have expectations placed on them. Once you get rid of expectations, it feels like you have a huge weight off your shoulders. Money is not an indication of success nor happiness. It's just a tool. A job is just a job that puts food on my table, nothing more than that, of course getting paid doing something you like doing such as a hobby is awesome, but many people today can't afford to pursue their "dream jobs". Â It's a goal of mine in this lifetime to be poor, happy, compassionate, unselfish and I'm close to reaching it. Fewer things allows more space for living. *bow of respect* 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
becomethepath Posted July 20, 2013 (edited) . Edited August 14, 2014 by becomethepath Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BaguaKicksAss Posted July 20, 2013 I have found that folks in north america overall smile a lot less than folks in mexico, haiti, egypt.... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
becomethepath Posted July 20, 2013 (edited) I have found that folks in north america overall smile a lot less than folks in mexico, haiti, egypt.... I noticed folks internationally are more FRIENDLIER AND HAPPIER. Honestly, they are the most down to earth, open and kind people in this world, unlike America where eveyrone is about consumerism and materialistic pursuits, wealth, popularity, prestige, status. Edited July 20, 2013 by becomethepath 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
silent thunder Posted July 20, 2013 It's like breaking the shackles that tie you down. Less stuff (intangibles, tangibles), more freedom. Less expectations, more freedom. Â These shackles are the causes of stress and problems in life. For example, having the expectation of having a good paying job just so you can make your parents proud and attract women itto your life. I noticed a lot of people dedicate their time to their careers and in the end, they don't look happy, they don't look fulfilled even if they have a nice house and luxury car. Even if they have a wife and children, they still don't look happy for some reason. It seems to me that this is the preeminent epidemic of our culture. Following, following that carrot. Just get that degree, just get that job, just get that promotion, just get that gal/guy. Â Moments and miracles flowing by and always the eyes glazed over, searching for the carrot, with hunger in the belly. Â What a treasure it is to sit in a simple room, swimming in the laughter of family. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
becomethepath Posted July 20, 2013 (edited) It seems to me that this is the preeminent epidemic of our culture. Following, following that carrot. Just get that degree, just get that job, just get that promotion, just get that gal/guy. Â Moments and miracles flowing by and always the eyes glazed over, searching for the carrot, with hunger in the belly. Â What a treasure it is to sit in a simple room, swimming in the laughter of family. Best things in life are free! People spend so much chasing things they don't live in the present moment. I'm sure many of you heard this before, carpe diem, seize the moment, live in the present, mindfulness. I chased my future before, next thing you know, my past was a blur, what happened? Time flies so quick! Yet, I'm not satisfied for some reason. Now I've finally awakened, I slowed down and became mindful of the present. The less I worry and think about the future, the more I relax, the more I find the little things to be satisfying, and thus having gratitude. Edited July 20, 2013 by becomethepath 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
silent thunder Posted July 20, 2013 I have found that folks in north america overall smile a lot less than folks in mexico, haiti, egypt.... Â I'm still routinely stunned that there are neighbors I've lived next to for 5 years and still haven't learned their name. They just would rather be left alone and I understand and respect it. But it's just so alien to me. I'm a gregarious guy. I really thrive on making connections. It's like manna for me. Â Australians and New Zealanders never cease to amaze me with their openness, genuineness, humility and humor. Followed closely by the Irish and Scottish. I was a bartender in NYC for a few years and had a lot of these tourists roll through my bar. I have stacks of business cards of places to stay based on those brief connections. Â It's amazing how a simple, direct, open conversation can make such a lasting impact even decades later. For all their trials, I love living in the big cities that are filled with the mash of many cultures. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
silent thunder Posted July 20, 2013 (edited) Best things in life are free! People spend so much chasing things they don't live in the present moment. I'm sure many of you heard this before, carpe diem, seize the moment, live in the present, mindfulness. I chased my future before, next thing you know, my past was a blur, what happened? Time flies so quick! Yet, I'm not satisfied for some reason. Now I've finally awakened, I slowed down and became mindful of the present. The less I worry and think about the future, the more I relax, the more I find the little things to be satisfying, and thus having gratitude. Â The obsessive preoccupation with taking pictures is a symptom of this mindset. The desire to save a moment so it may be savored later, as it was missed in passing... Edited July 20, 2013 by silent thunder Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
de_paradise Posted July 20, 2013 Its so ironic that to be happy with what you have, or the ability just a modest living, a modest life, is something that other people want and even see as "sexy." But its completely true. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RiverSnake Posted July 21, 2013 (edited) I understand where your coming from becomethepath. However, I think it is incorrect to criticize wealth as something bad. People in general simply are unconscious. They don't know how to enjoy life and therefore don't know how to enjoy wealth, its not that because people are wealthy that they attract morbid and unhealthy life situations (treacherous friends, gold diggers...etc)....it's because of whom they are as individuals (internally speaking)....however don't get me wrong, I am a fierce opponent of consumerism, its the worse disease since the plague.  I think the ideal situation is to connect heaven and earth in all areas of our life, not just when were meditating, but in our careers as well. Wealth is not a burden if it comes from doing something you truly enjoy and if you are providing a good service that enriches the community you are in, that in itself can be extremely fulfilling and a very beautiful thing. "Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house." Mathew 3:15  At the same time there is a saying: If you have a wife then you have wife problems. If you have a car then you have car problems. If you have a family you have family problems. For every possession or addition that an individual acquires he has the responsibility to look after such things. Such are the trials and tribulations of life. Wealth and poverty are two extremes and both have there difficulties....I feel it is better to be simple and natural as we walk through life rather than to aim and like and dislike one extreme over another, such is just another trap.........in our work and life our abilities will manifest naturally according to our level of cultivation. It's important for everyone to find their Middle Way in their own life.  "Those who know they have enough are truly wealthy." Tao Te Ching  My 2 cents, Peace Edited July 21, 2013 by OldChi 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
silent thunder Posted July 21, 2013 For me, abundance is a state of being not a manifestation of things, or a pride in the lack of them. It is an awareness of and an appreciation for the natural flow of the conditions of the now. Â Abundance is about being aware of and connected to the flow of life while remaining unattached/non-grasping to objects/things. Â My experience of reality manifests according to my state of being and the conditions of my perception in the now. Life is abundance (good and bad). 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Esteam'd Punk Posted July 22, 2013 But having a real beautiful, expensive car will get you more sex. LMAO. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites