Posts by Jack Harris3

Of course I’m surprised. Honestly, I was expecting at least a 70:30 split in favor of the books. 😂
Maybe it actually went that way, but after all those endless theories about being moderate, you just can't bring yourself to admit it, right? 😛

Anyway, I'm sticking to my guns here. I spent twenty years as a dedicated reader... 😁
Sure, there isn't a single one of those thousands of books from back then that I could actually recount for you, but I can certainly brag about my track record.
😂

hollowviper72 said:Jack Harris3, if I’m reading you right, you’re a total believer in the "street wise" doctrine—the idea that real wisdom only comes from getting your own hands dirty and living through it personally.

Personally, while I’m not discounting what you learn on the ground, I think there’s definitely a "book-wise" way to get there too... learning through the lived experiences of everyone else.

In fact, I’d go as far as saying those two paths cross more often than people realize.

It can't be just one or the other. That would be ridiculous... nobody has enough lifetimes to experience everything themselves, and nobody lives in a vacuum where they aren't shaped by the world around them.

Look, let's say I believe your own direct experience accounts for a veeeeeeeery large chunk of wisdom. 😁
And what we learn from others? Maybe a tiny, tiny bit... 😁

And I’m not saying that to dismiss yours, I truly just feel like the scales tip heavily toward what you go through firsthand.

Relying solely on one method is impossible. You can't collect every single life lesson yourself, and you certainly can't shield yourself from reality just by sitting around reading books.

So, it’s a mix of both yours and everyone else's... though your own path is going to lead you much further toward actual wisdom. 😁
Or maybe not... 😂

hollowviper72 said:Maybe. Or maybe not. If that isn't it... then what actually defines an enlightened person? 🙂

Just a lonely soul out here... 😁

So, I mean... do you really have to stick your hand directly into a flame just to figure out that it burns?...

Yeah. 😁 Maybe it isn't even about acquiring "knowledge," per se... it’s more like a sudden, sharp realization of what fire, a burn, or actual pain really means...

Come on now... honestly... what have you never learned from watching other people's mistakes? 🙂

Me???
I don't exactly claim to be some kind of sage... 😂
Thank God... 😁

Back in my younger days, I used to be so obsessed with that old saying... I’d actually get frustrated with myself because I wasn't learning from other people's mistakes fast enough. It was like I thought I had to experience everything firsthand just to understand it... such a waste of time, really...
In the meantime, I'm not holding any grudges...
So, based on everything I just laid out... that’s really the bottom line of why you ought to just go ahead and get burned... 😁
If I don't go sticking my own finger right into the flames... if I don't rely on you and everyone else to help me push through it... I could probably sit you down and give you this whole serious lecture on the fire itself—you know, all the causes and the fallout and everything... but even then, I still wouldn't truly grasp what it actually is... 😉
I don't even know if I'm getting my point across...
And obviously, that doesn't mean you have to go out and hunt down every little piece of junk or try to fix every single thing that breaks... It’s just that you shouldn't run for the hills when something unexpected pops up either. Even those things can actually hold some value if you look at them the right way... 😁

I wouldn't call him wise just yet, but if he never actually goes through it, how is he ever going to get there? 😁
Most people gain their wisdom by surviving all the crap life throws at them first.
The guy who spends his whole life overthinking, weighing options, and running calculations... well, he’s basically already retired and won't have any time left to actually become wise. 😁

And let's not even get started on how a truly wise person doesn't even need a smartphone. 😁

Being wise isn't about someone who can't afford their expensive cravings because they're too pricey.
A wise person is the one who doesn't even want them in the first place. 😂

So, where’s the catch here? 🙄
In the first scenario, you’re just running the numbers. In the second, you just go all out and follow the menu if you're starving after hitting the beach. As for the third... honestly, that option is just too stupid to even consider. Plus, where would she even find the cash? And you know how people in places like Dallas can be... they aren't exactly looking to help out... 😁
I honestly think she’d just blow through everything she owns. She’ll live this "perfect" life by the ocean without giving a single thought to her bank account, and then, once she’s back home, reality hits. That’s when the struggle begins. If there's even enough left for groceries. 😁

The big shots are just too clever for their own good to actually make a move... 😁

hollowviper72 said:I’ve mentioned a few times now that moderation is just an outcome.

Well, I said the same thing a long time ago. You didn't exactly jump on board right away, though... you kind of just let me ramble on for five pages before agreeing, didn't you? 😁

I mean, are we even on the same wavelength here? It feels like I'm doing all the listening and you're just nodding along... 😂

We might need to work on our communication skills a bit... 😛

hollowviper72 said:I’m right there with you on that. Honestly, you can't really be anything other than who you actually are...

Maybe you can't just "be" it, but trying to force yourself into a mold? That usually ends badly... 😁

But my whole point was that moderation is a sign of wisdom— not that moderation should be the north star for every single person on this planet.

Sorry, but from where I'm sitting, it doesn't seem like I'm the only one who took it the way you intended... 😁
The way I read it was that you need to practice moderation if you want to become wise. 😁
If you had said that moderation is a byproduct of wisdom, I wouldn't have said a word...

If we all misunderstood you, then maybe there's some truth to what you meant, but if it's just me... well, I guess I'll just have to sit with that... 😂

hollowviper72 said:Moderation is born from wisdom, because a wise man is a thoughtful man, and a thoughtful man is never impulsive or aggressive.

But what kind of person was that "wise man" before he actually became wise? 😁

You’re all making a mistake if you confuse gentleness with weakness, or moderation with being mediocre.

When people try to force gentleness and moderation through sheer willpower, or treat them like some rigid set of rules to follow... then they aren't really those things anymore. 😁
If they actually flow from true wisdom—which, let's be honest, probably follows a lifetime of everything that *isn't* wise, gentle, or moderate—then nobody is going to misinterpret them in the first place.

Look, I don't have an issue with being gentle or moderate. But I can't stand the theory that you "ought to be" that way just for the sake of it... it just doesn't hold up.
You should just be who you are, and in my book, that doesn't mean being "the same" all the time.🙂
For instance, if something doesn't bother you, then stay calm. But if something makes you angry... well, get angry. Don't try to force yourself to stay peaceful while you're actually boiling inside... why would you be moderate then?
As long as the same thing can still trigger you, then everything is working exactly as it should.
And once you finally become wise, it becomes pretty much impossible for anyone to get under your skin... and that's that. 😁
Anyway, that's just how I see it... 😂

hollowviper72 said:Jack Harris3, the depth and scope of your thoughts are directly proportional to the depth and scope of your knowledge.

What does that even mean???
I know you’re speaking in generalities here, but if you look at me as a case in point... well, my knowledge is maybe six inches deep, but my thoughts? They're like a tunnel straight to China. 😂
I just can't sign off on that, sorry. 😁

But I get where you're coming from... is that part of it? 😁

Oh, and about that whole spectator thing. My perspective is mine, you're right there. But just walking around looking at things doesn't mean I'm changing who I am... I'm just observing. 😁
In the end, I'll always find my way back to my own spot.

Paul Phillips4 said:You're just making fun of me for no reason.

Oh, really? 😁
Go ahead then, keep mocking me. Since you’re clearly the one who knows everything and makes all the calls (and if you don't happen to know something right now, you'll just decide when you finally do...), you obviously have even more right to laugh at someone like me... just rambling on about nonsense... 😁

Aha. So, you’re saying you have to actually find the switch and figure out how it works before you can even decide whether to flip it?

Well, my gut feeling tells me you’ll never quite get there... 😁

Because it isn't really up to you to make that call, so knowing where the switch is or how it toggles doesn't even matter. 😂

Second thought:

Using that mixer analogy... you—well, anyone, really—are the mixer itself. That's why you don't truly understand how you function or how you're supposed to be used. 😁
But hey, that's just my theory... 😂
Feel free to think whatever you want about it. 🙂

So, you’re just going to make the call... even though you don't actually have a clue what's going on? 😁

I mean, I've heard plenty about blank checks, but I've never exactly heard of someone handing out blank decisions like that... 😂

Not a single one of them. 😁

Go ahead though, give it a shot. Just flip your switch over to level 3.
If you've actually made up your mind, what’s really stopping you from seeing the light right this second? 😁

I also figure you probably understand a lot more today than you did, say, ten years ago.
Did someone step in and dump some extra "wisdom" into your head along the way? Or was it just the same old stuff, and you just started connecting the dots faster and faster as you went? 😁

I haven't even made it downtown since I got back from vacation. Maybe I'll head out there tomorrow... Anyway, the data is all ready to go. 😁
I've got my card right here in my pocket like Jack, so I'll probably just grab everything and head out... 😂

Gaudrath said:Confucius argued that Balance is the root and Harmony is the consequence. You’re saying the exact same thing, yet you're claiming Confucius got it wrong... 😉

To him, Balance is basically having those feelings tucked away in storage, just sitting there without actually doing anything.
Harmony is when they actually kick in, but in a synchronized way, right?
We all have that Confucian mix of logic plus emotional potential, so what's there to debate? It's the actual action part that's interesting... 🙂
Besides, it's easy for your mind to stay balanced when nothing is shaking things up. It's easy to be rational if your emotions aren't messing with you, but once they start hitting hard, then we'll see how smart you really are. 😁
Anyway, I wouldn't say harmony is just a consequence of the root... it's more like the canopy of a tree, and I think Confucius skips over the trunk entirely. That whole middle part between starting to act and actually reaching harmony... 😁
If we want to get technical, everything is technically a "consequence" of the root because it grows from it, sure, but the leaves don't just instantly attach themselves to the roots. There's a process in between... 😉

Temperance is simply who you are, not something you struggle to become.

Well, if you define temperance as being "exactly what is needed," neither too much nor too little, then I guess everyone is temperate. 😁

Not every book in this world was written in vain.

Of course not. Honestly, the last book I picked up served a very specific purpose...
It made my Amtrak ride go by a lot faster. 😁

The greatest truths can be expressed in many ways; the best way to perceive them is to look from many directions.
That's why I read other people's thoughts on things I already know—because I want to see that truth through their eyes.

Give it a shot sometime.

Personally, I find it more interesting to try something completely different. To wander around the idea of "truth" and view it from all sorts of angles myself... 😁
But I do agree with what you just wrote above: that everyone is right in their own way. 😁

Karen Sanchez19 said:Seriously, help me out here... how is it even possible that someone as totally unawakened as I am can have this "intuitive gut feeling😁" about "that other world" compared to this one.....

It’s almost like you end up acting as a sort of medium, where the spirit ends up doing all the teaching to the master. 😁
The spirit knows everything, obviously, but I guess it still has to go through the motions of grading the curriculum... hehe... 😁

hollowviper72 said:And why shouldn't we quote Confucius? Or look for grounding in the thoughts of those who came before us? 🙂

It's because of this:

Of course he didn't say how... can you tell me how? Can anyone actually tell anyone else—besides themselves—how to do it? 🙂

😂

Because if nobody can truly tell you anything, then what's the point of even listening? 😉

I mean, obviously, you shouldn't take it all literally. You can read and quote whatever you want if it brings you joy... 🙂
The thing is, all those great sages might as well be shouting into the void, since wisdom isn't exactly contagious. 😁

Confucius is basically trying to lead the horse from the tail end. It doesn't work by creating harmony first and then doing something else while things are peaceful... instead, harmony is just the result. Everything just falls into place, kind of like how a modern satellite radio works. 😁
That famous "Middle Way" of yours isn't the starting line of the story. Why those wise guys left it out... I haven't a clue.
Maybe they just got lost in their own brilliance... 😁

And what exactly is this "daily strength" supposed to be? 😁

I mean, look, it’s not like I have anything against Confucius personally, but even a kid could tell you that you’re being "harmonious" just by playing along with how someone else feels... 😁
It isn't like you didn't stumble upon this idea on your own, so why do you suddenly need Confucius to back you up? 🤔

Do you realize he didn't actually explain *how* to do it? 😂

Paul Phillips4 said:Why though? You think enlightenment isn't even a thing?

hollowviper72 said:They say enlightenment is that one moment... after which the world stays exactly the same... but we change forever.

But even we don't really change. 😁
Can I try to sketch out my own version of this? 😁
You know those KitchenAid mixers? They usually have three speeds... Let's say enlightenment is that third, highest speed. Once you flip it on, the mixer itself remains the exact same machine. It was always capable of running on three... it just needed someone to click that switch over to 3.
The mixer might wish it had that third speed, or maybe it wants it... but it can't just slide that switch itself, no matter how much it searches for a way to make it happen. 😁
And if you've ever actually baked anything, you know you don't just slam it straight into high speed, otherwise everything flies all over the kitchen counter... so you start low, and then you ramp it up depending on the dough and what ingredients you're working with.
But none of that is decided by the mixer itself. 😁