Posts by Harold Barrett7

Edward Flores4 said:Going back to what we were discussing... even if we take that extrapolated "self"—the one that just sits there observing itself from whatever specific vantage point it happens to occupy—there's hardly any "me" left in that equation.

The "self" is really just the entire world viewed from one specific coordinate at one specific moment. But when you look at the actual substance making up that "self," it’s really just everyone and everything else, except for me. 🤷

All these other people making up my "SELF"? They've just wandered into my orbit. Sometimes they feel shallow, like when I sense them encroaching on my personal space. Yet, it feels like there's this deep, underlying connection between us all. Maybe that's normal. Still, it's weird how they constantly try to project their own version of my "SELF" onto me based on their own narrow perspectives. It all comes down to the inertial frame of reference they're operating from. In reality, you are always a singular, unique "SELF." But at the same time, to everyone else, you are some unknown "SELF" they can't fully grasp. Hmm. Does the ability to construct a convincing reality make the "SELF" something that is known to me in the moment? Or is it known to you??......

Edward Flores4 said:Sorry, but man... I clearly missed the point of your post entirely, so I'm honestly not sure how to even respond. 🤷

Through the lens of one's own "self," we can observe all sorts of different scenes. How others perceived your "self," versus how I perceive my own. Within the realm of linear time, you see the history of your "self" laid out in a straight line. But what if you fast-forward those scenes?

You start seeing things that current life models simply don't permit—you see your "self" through forbidden perceptions. Or, if we dive into the warehouse of the implicit, we search for the records of the past, the future... Perhaps in this very moment, it's easier to know your "self" simply as "you."

If you didn't "catch" me, then you're giving me the chance to hunt through space-time for the non-linearity of the temporal "self."

Edward Flores4 said:Alright, I have a few questions here...

1) Do you typically formulate every single sentence in your head before you actually say it out loud?

Because I don't... I basically construct my sentences while I'm speaking them. For me, there isn't this separate stage of "formulating" versus "speaking," so your comparison about "stringing sentences together" is completely lost on me.🤷

2) When you say "you simply can't detach yourself"... well, can you even detach from yourself? I genuinely don't get it—if you "detach" the "you" from the "self," what exactly is left behind?

To me, that sounds like fragmentation, and honestly, that's not something I struggle with at all. I can observe myself observing the sunset... I can essentially lease my "self" out to five different "tenants," where each one plays a totally different role... BUT

that doesn't actually address the core question I posed in my original post:

Can the observer be separate from the observed? Don't they function together, like two sides of the same coin?

I’m arguing that they *are* inseparable, and even with the best intentions, I can't wrap my head around how your advice fits into that specific dilemma, so please, walk me through your logic!

Look, in case it wasn't clear, I wasn't asking for tips on "meditation." I was addressing the question of whether the observer and the observed can truly be split apart.

If your "advice" is meant to answer that specific point, then please show me exactly how it relates.

I'm going to ignore the rest of your suggestions—not because I don't value them, but simply because I didn't ask for them. It seems you took my rhetoric quite literally when it was actually intended metaphorically, so I'm taking this opportunity to clarify what I was actually getting at, what I'm truly curious about, and what the "real" question was at the heart of my opening "ballad."

Is the illusion of reaching a certain state of consciousness just an expression of feeling our own insignificance?
Maybe the problem isn't knowing your "self"... maybe. It's not our fault we're taught to try and figure out what that "I am" would even be. Dealing with this, I don't know either way.
I know, but I really don't feel like explaining it to you. Though, I'd bet anything that "you" are the one...??

bluemarlin19 said:Look, the fight needs to be against the institutional cover-ups protecting abusers and against trivializing the whole mess by bringing up things like diaper ads...

It’s actually pretty simple. Instead of reporting these abusers to the police, the Pope, the cardinals, and the bishops just shuffled them from parish to parish. They didn't do this just once; they did it repeatedly, which basically gave these predators access to rape hundreds of children.

This wasn't some isolated incident; it happened time and time again, hundreds of times all over the world.

That is a crime.

But honestly, what struck me most about this entire situation isn't even the scandal itself—it's seeing people like you step up.

,,just move him to another parish,,

You basically face two types of problems: those you can actually fix, and those you just can't.

I'm signing off on this one. Bravo, Michelle Wilson8.