Community > Posts By > Sterling_2012

 
no photo
Sat 04/14/12 08:43 PM

Well, I've thought and studied a lot about these topics, but I'm still not at all sure I understand where you're going with it. No, I wasn't trying to make any point about weakness of will. I was trying to separate out definitions. You did point out all the negative connotations of the word "will," which I'm aware of and did make me hesitate to bring it up. If you're thinking of will as negative and intent or intention as its positive manifestation, I can accept that. I pretty much agree with your Demosthenes quote, which is why I tend to opt out of many of the more nitpicking arguments on here. Do I know anyone who rails about everything they don't like??? Haha, do I know anybody who doesn't, is more the question. I often wish that people would just honestly TRY to be accepting and nonjudgmental for even one week. I think they would be astonished at the reduction in their level of stress. But maybe that value system has to be in place before you can succeed at it, I don't know.

If someone "loosely intends" to do something, then I think they are setting themselves up for failure. In my experience, successful action requires a focused intent.

It's interesting that you mentioned meditation causing people to become unbalanced. I've had some in-depth conversations with a Zen priest friend who brought up exactly this subject. It hadn't occurred to me before, but then I've never made meditation a way of life.

In my book, greed, stubbornness, etc., are forms of ignorance--ignorance about what it is that truly makes us happy. Ignorance about what happiness really is.


I couldnt have said it better myself. Plus I forgot about speaking of things that way I did. I should have focused on the positive.

But yeah things like thunder magic, varjisattva stuff, some tibetan can... yeah.

Its my understanding Metta is supposed to mitigate that.

Yeah i was getting tired and realized now how i sounded. Yuck.

no photo
Sat 04/14/12 12:47 AM
Edited by Sterling_2012 on Sat 04/14/12 01:25 AM


it seems to me that one cannot define something they know nothing about, like dimensions. things in the 2nd dimension could never explain the 3rd, because they would know no reference about it.


According to the great philosophers it belongs to the realm of what can only be felt. As the mind constantly plays for control it fights what it does not understand. That is why even Jesus' teachings more based upon emotion are not completely followed because such teachings are beyond the mind.

As a side point string theory is more aptly used when speaking of the concept of nonduality rather than dimensions.

One dimesional and two dimensional models are only abstractions in a topologists mind. Real dimensions are measured and a function of the following things by Nasa: Magnetic fields dissappear or diminish with the absence of matter or existence of matter to varying parts of the universe. Increasing inductive fields leads to shifting into higher dimensions where photons of light travel faster and make faster than light travel possible.

Demosthenes once showed that anything could be disproven with words.

In mathematics we developed ways of dealing with abstract concepts that exist in the universe aside or even in conjunction with concrete numbers.

Really this could change how people see things but greed is stronger! So is unawareness and stubborness.

no photo
Sat 04/14/12 12:24 AM

Well it seems to me that we are ALWAYS products of experiences we can't overcome, or at least can't pretend don't exist. The wisest find ways to integrate those experiences into what is called personal growth. I'm not sure where intention fits into all of this, and I'm especially not sure I think of intention the same way you are. How is intention different from intent? or from will?


This is something I understand from my experience. However since other peoples experiences could be different based upon what they believe there is much room for complacentcy on all parts of the spectrum.

Lets venture into the realm of meditation so to speak. Meditation can take many different forms according to Taoist scholar Eva Wong. It should be no suprise that Taoism borrowed from the buddists. In fact I personally know of a priest that had seals of so and so deity proving they were originally buddhist. It may seem like I am getting off track here but my point is that many forms of meditation have things in common or can be grouped together. If you focus on developing will or willpower through seeing how others react to this training you can become insensitive and cold if that is the only spiritual focus. If I were to convert it to more mundane examples I could with scientific reductionism say that by focusing on accomplishing a task without empathy for people around oneself is a symptom of such type of will-only training. If one were to focus only on will in the mundane sense then one could also mirror that perspective when going about daily activities. However it makes for a less empathetic person. I am also aware ofmeditations that can cause people to become unbalanced the same way.
So in conclusion in a reductive sense we could say only focusing on will can lead to the aformentioned behaviour. However most meditations dont focus on it only, thankfully so.

Intent I understand is usually taken to mean different things. One that has developed a lot of anger could either through willful intent or through undeveloped rapidly moving energy unknowingly direct ill intent at another. Other forms of intent are done in meditations or chi'kung. When you swing a golf club your intent is to drive the ball in the hole or on the green. When target practicing the intent is to hit the target. Intent also takes other forms like intent to watch for cars when crossing a busy intersection.

Intention and intent are made of many things, it would be so easy for me to scientifically reduce the subject and say that an emotionally balanced person would have the keenest calmest intent through overcoming obstacles and not letting things bother them. The more things bother us the more they threaten our health and well being. Do you know anyone who rails on everything they dont like?

The alternative would be to discuss emotions and the different effects on physiology. But I grow impatient that I have made this post so long.

Am I right to guess you were talking about weak will being the cause of faulty intent? Or the case where someone loosly intended to do something right but did not due to being unaware of circumstances? Such things tend to glide on the edge of belief. Darn that positive or revrse ad hoc fallacy. :D

no photo
Tue 04/10/12 11:16 PM

If you've never been in an interracial relationship would you try it if you found someone you connected with? If you've had one what was your experience?


I was married to a native american woman for four years. She was more than three fourths sioux so her family hated me. Cultural differences besides that she was manipulitive. My opinion is that your life should be enriched by your relationship and everything should be in harmony. But no one is perfect so you do have to find someone with flaws you can livewith. Follow your heart.

no photo
Tue 04/10/12 11:07 PM
Thank you, for the welcome and for posting!
I hope you guys find what you are looking for:D

no photo
Mon 04/09/12 11:03 PM

ummmmmmmm.....yeswaving

Lol okay. Any way you feel I could put more passion into it? I tried thinking of a few ways but I dont want to sound like a cheerleader either lol!

no photo
Sun 04/08/12 11:36 PM
Edited by Sterling_2012 on Sun 04/08/12 11:37 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUGFhVWPOFs

Sean Paul - We be burning

no photo
Sun 04/08/12 10:38 PM
Edited by Sterling_2012 on Sun 04/08/12 10:52 PM
Here it is... the Youtube music video topic!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8KQmps-Sog

no photo
Sun 04/08/12 10:26 PM
Edited by Sterling_2012 on Sun 04/08/12 10:28 PM
Dimmu Borgir (song dimmu borgir)
or
Dimmu Borgir (gateways)

Seems like all metal seems to have some growling...

no photo
Sun 04/08/12 10:17 PM
Just want some opinions. Do I sound boring?

no photo
Sun 04/08/12 10:11 PM

Wow, this is an old post, but I'm new to being a Taoist, but openly state myself as such. After researching several religions and sects, I found Tao to be the way for me. If anyone does see this after I post, are there any good books on how to advance my understanding of the undefinable?


Unfortunately it was only taught in person. I met a few teachers and learned from them also. Stillness-movement seemed to help me understand it the most, but be ready for what you find because it can more be felt rather than understood with the mind. I realized and was taught that the mind was a tool and not the seat of consciousness. Really life changing stuff to realize that the mind can only hold you back.

no photo
Sun 04/08/12 10:02 PM
Ive read a lot of his books.
Have you also read Micheal Winn's stuff (part of the healing tao here in the states?)

He also seems to disagree in some ways with Mantak Chia's teaching methods. Some of them are to teach everything upfront where as some training like fusion of the five elements took months or years to teach properly and were taught when the student was ready to go forward.

What about Shifting? Have you heard about it or learned it before?

When I speak of it I mean shifting into the energy field.

no photo
Sun 04/08/12 09:54 PM




Now that man has started the process of creating life, where will it go? What are it's limits? What can you imagine?



I think about this all the time, and if I'm in open minded (or scientifically literate) company, make seemingly outlandish casual comments about what might be coming our way.

The limitations will be cultural, not scientific.

Some of the less outlandish prospects include programming non-human animals to serve humanity... birds that clean litter from hiking trails, rats inspect the sewage system and report problems, monkeys that harvest fruit and operate machinery...until they protest and demand basic sentient rights.

If culture permits, humans will also engineer themselves (their children) in pursuit of various notions of perfection or excellence in appearance, intelligence, health, athletic prowess...





Culture. What an interesting perspective. As with most things the deciding factor is usually money. China has plenty. The computerized genomes would be those created and wanted by that culture. Dragons?

Oil money would give the middle east a shot at making whatever they want too. Given an Islamic Theocracy, what would they create?


When I was a child I read about new techniques that would allow a range of surgical modifications to the human body to become newly possible, or cheaper, safer, and more accessible. From what I'd seen of teenagers, I was pretty sure that this would lead to a crazy level of body modification for aesthetic purposes, with people surgically implanting (for example) sockets for metal spikes and chains on their body.

This didn't happen, as I'd imagined it. We've seen a huge increase in breast augmentation, and similar... and then we have a tiny fringe of people doing things like this:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=136218071&page=1 (much of which doesn't even require surgery).

But just because we developed the technology to do something, does mean that people will do it.

This is why I say that culture will be hugely important to how we use genetic engineering on humans. It will be *possibly* to program our children to be 9 feet tall, or 2 feet tall, or be born bright blue and then say turn bright yellow with puberty and red with adulthood, or to have 4 functional arms, and such... but those choices will ultimately be limited by culture, not technology nor finances.

I do think we are likely to program people to meet mainstream cultural ideals of body type. But even after it becomes possible and cheap to give our kids massive folding bat-wings, culture may dictate that we don't.






I have to agree with that!

Most public sentiment now about genetic modifications is negative based upon religious sentiment. I say that because a president set a precident to try to make it difficult if not impossible because most research in its infancy then required stemcells from non-living babies. Sorry I tried to sugar coat it. Now we have found stemcells in many other parts of the body as of a few years ago.

So, since this religious sentiment or elements within organizations which have that sentiment push for power with lots of money... I don't see it happening. Without enough funding and just a small company a few million dollars won't advance squat.

no photo
Sun 04/08/12 09:36 PM
Hi I am a guy who has recently moved here from South Dakota and am enjoying my time here in Virginia Beach.

Rather than complacentcy or apathy I have quite a bit of patience. That is because I also like to invent things.

So if you like: Interested in Philosophy, Computers, Alt-Rock/Indie-Rock, Hiking, Exercise or any one of these maybe just maybe we can find a time out of our schedules to meet in a neutral place.

Conversation is always welcome.

no photo
Sun 04/08/12 09:27 PM
Kind of became free verse at the end.

no photo
Sun 04/08/12 09:22 PM
Has anyone in recent years just generally become sick of political debate or people talking about politics insead of just reporting the facts.

Doesnt it just seem like either party just plays for the same team or takes money from the same corporations to sway their vote?

Dont the same old debates seem to have gotten more tasteless with instead of really witty comments people just asserting the other is wrong which looks incredably dumb?

I mean really if I hear more about politics I want to go visit the porcelin god.

no photo
Sun 04/08/12 09:15 PM

I'm familiar with the concept of nonduality from Zen, although it's not called that there, because in Zen you don't want to name things. Is this what you're talking about? It's an interesting concept but I have yet to decide whether I believe it or not. Which is nondualism, maybe.


Zen has a strong non-dual tradition. So yes!!

I generally prefer the concept of intention instead of belief, but that is from my buddhist/taoist background. Sometimes we can try to believe something but our fears and other emotions we feel can sometimes cloud our reality. They become subconscious shadows that can wreak havok on something if we have trouble believing it. In the end the over powering feelings create the subconscious intention that something is wrong which in reality comes from intention.

What does that mean? Maybe some parts of what we believe we do so for a reason that cannot be comprehended or we are in someways for ever a product of experiences we cannot overcome?

...hmm maybe I should have a beer.

no photo
Sun 04/08/12 08:53 PM
Edited by Sterling_2012 on Sun 04/08/12 09:02 PM


It is interesting that we think arrogantly that laws are set and fixed. What else is not?



What arrogance are you talking about? We don't assume or insist that the laws are fixed. We observe overwhelming evidence for their consistency, and little or no evidence that they aren't. When new evidence comes to light suggesting otherwise, we consider it.




It is a law of human nature that states that prejudices are often strongly held and kept rather than accept the possible benefits of a person or persons.



I take your question simply to mean that you may not have experienced this or learned this part of humanity as a society.



I'm simply asking you to be more specific in your original statement. Who is 'we' ? Everyone? Every subculture?

I wanted to be sure you were not wrongly accusing the modern scientific community of a particular form of arrogance from which they do not suffer.

Scientists marvel at the possibility that laws may not be as uniform as they otherwise appear to be. Many scientists actively look for evidence that they are not. Some paradigm changing theories of cosmology have been based on the notion that certain in certain circumstances were not consistent.

Based on your response, it looks like your accusation of that specific form of arrogance wasn't directed at the modern scientific community.


drinker


Thank you. I wasnt exactly sure what you meant and didnt want to jump to any conclusions so I thought there was some kind of misunderstanding somewhere in what we were talking about. Many people draw conclusions who are not part of the scientific community. I aim to mean people whos passions sway the sentiment of the general public. But, I did not say that! So you were right to question me further about it. :D

When I was writing what I did I was thinking about a scientist I read about who studied different species of pomegranate throught the world and on Socotra Island. Because of what could be implied by his life work, people chose to ignore or antagonize him in which he reflected upon humanities prejudices.

Aye, some times there is a big difference in what you are thinking about and what is said. Most can't read thoughts and if they can it might not be perfect lol.

no photo
Sun 04/08/12 07:23 PM
Edited by Sterling_2012 on Sun 04/08/12 07:26 PM



What arrogance are you talking about? We don't assume or insist that the laws are fixed. We observe overwhelming evidence for their consistency, and little or no evidence that they aren't. When new evidence comes to light suggesting otherwise, we consider it.




It is a law of human nature that states that prejudices are often strongly held and kept rather than accept the possible benefits of a person or persons.
I take your question simply to mean that you may not have experienced this or learned this part of humanity as a society.

Life is full of stuff and not everyone learns how to ferment bacteria and do gel tests.

no photo
Sun 04/08/12 11:01 AM

Why do they use the term electro-magnetism?


Thank you for posting!

Because it encompasses the five forces. Not only that but electricity and magnetism are related. Electricity can be increased by increasing the inductive field: E.g. the new inductive chargers you place your phone on without plugging them in. Vis-Visa Inductive fields can be increased by increasing electric throughput.

Previous 1