Posts by Brenda Cook4

wearyhawk83 said:Man, just look at what the national pulse was like in Germany during the Hitler era.
The "pulse of the nation" isn't some perfect metric for what people actually need or want, let alone what they're actually capable of doing. Way before they even hit the point of impossibility! It really just shows that people act like reactive machines. They aren't capable of making consistent choices; they just get swept up by circumstances and trick themselves into thinking they chose it on purpose. It’s just an eye for an eye mentality. Total stupidity. The "national pulse" basically just means people are capable of imagining pain and reacting to every little thing. Someone could easily mistake that for actual wounds.

Consumerism is just one part of the story that applies even to the most developed societies. As long as you're part of a machine that doesn't choose its own path—and more importantly, doesn't even realize where it's going—you're looking at the same kind of people, just in different settings. Whether they're living in Somalia or Sweden, it's all the same. None of these are real solutions, and they're definitely not ideal. It's just patching holes. You shouldn't be patching holes; you should be filling them through internal evolution. But that kind of change, that real progress? It’s nowhere to be found. What we call "development" is really just a reflection of a system staying consistent by forcing certain viewpoints on everyone. If there weren't these "records" acting as a guide, humans would just be born, live stupidly violent lives, and die, repeating the cycle forever. Anyway, it might not stay that way forever since there are hints that real change is finally coming.

I don't know what the pulse was like over there back then, but I know exactly what it looks like here in America today. Humans are essentially biological machines responding to stimuli; everything we see is just a reaction to a trigger. The real question is how we react and what we strive toward.

Anyway, I haven't been following your posts closely lately, so you'll have to explain this idea of "records" to me.

cosmictinker21 said:Don't forget that underneath it all, we're still just animals. Sure, we've been reshaped by technology and culture, but deep down, we're still playing by pack rules. Everything about our current situation—all those social performances we put on—it's all rooted in the basic existential mission of our species: survival. First, you survive as an individual in your environment, and then as a pack as a whole. There's always going to be that 10% capable of stepping up as the alpha and calling the shots, while everyone else just adapts, trying to dodge the hits and grab as much food as possible...🤷

It's not that we're "still" animals; we *are* talking animals. 😬 And that bolded part? That’s exactly what we're looking at right now. There are fewer than 10% of them actually leading, while the rest of us are just trying to listen and survive.

briskbison62 said:Now, you might totally disagree with me on this one, but there are people out there who argue that communism would have been the perfect system if they hadn't stripped away the idea of God from it—they even claim Jesus was basically the original communist.🙂

So, it's a choice between communism or Jesus? 😁 Honestly, looking at how much he focused on shared resources rather than personal hoarding, I'd say Jesus leaned way more toward communist values than capitalist ones. Look, there’s no such thing as a "perfect" societal setup, but some are definitely better than others. Though, if you ask me, the absolute best way to live is without any forced structure at all...

cosmictinker21 said:That’s just the essence of capitalism, isn't it? Imposing values just to squeeze out more profit. They manufacture these artificial needs that people fall for—people who want to feel important, or try to act like some kind of "alpha," because otherwise, they don't feel fulfilled... We end up setting goals based on "values" we didn't actually find within ourselves, but just passively absorbed from society. It gives us this sense of security, a feeling of belonging, or an illusion of being "right" because we think we want what society deems valuable. Mimicking the patterns around us without ever truly creating or recognizing them in our own souls... we aren't even aware we're doing it. That's the root of all our frustration, that nagging sense of failure and emptiness...

And eventually, we circle back to that old argument about desire. When your wants are built on manufactured needs, you're stuck in this constant state of tension, terrified that you won't be able to present yourself—to others or even to your own reflection—as a "success." It’s the struggle between having and being...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olqC-HVQkLA

Society really needs to stop being so material-obsessed... honestly, I think a better world could be found through simplicity. At the very least, it would lower the collective anxiety levels. 😬

Paul Jones7 said:I mean, that’s really the only thing that comes to mind—though I honestly can't believe someone actually said it. 🙂

FO - full on.

wearyhawk83 said:I’m going to repost the commented entry along with the next sentence:

I'm not totally convinced those things are linked to happiness or core values. If that were true, then usually, people with more money would automatically lead better lives. If we set aside the extreme cases where someone is literally struggling for basic survival needs, then all those "lucky" people could definitely be called into question.

Hopefully, it's clearer now what I meant by that, and more importantly, what I didn't mean!

To build on that, I honestly don't think your average American is even close to the edge of necessity. They're mostly just whining because they went overboard on loans they never needed and now they're stressed about how to pay them back. That’s exactly how so many millionaires have gone broke too—they just took way more than they could chew. If people actually thought things through, we probably wouldn't feel this constant pressure to follow every single trend, especially those from "developed nations" where people swap out their clothes and shoes twice a year, get new furniture every two years, change cars every three, and somehow think the peak of wisdom is selling off your assets just to become a renter.

Personally, I think the average American really *is* walking right on the edge, and plenty of people have already fallen off. You can practically feel the nation's pulse racing in that regard.
But I am right there with you regarding consumerism. Humanity, as a whole, goes overboard. So much of what we buy is just unnecessary junk, and spending your entire life working just to afford it is, quite frankly, pointless.
As Schopenhauer says, Schopenhauer All good things are vanity, The World in All its ends bankrupt.

Lisa Morales4 said:optical illusions 😲

It’s all pretty pointless—just a byproduct of the secular worldview where everything is fleeting. That constant anxiety and dread stems from the fact that everything comes just to leave

I'm with you there... at the end of the day, nobody wants to die in a pointless way that adds up to zero; we all want to go out like heroes🙂

Hey T, is your avatar trying to suggest that we women are totally helpless unless our manicures are perfect? 😍

Oh, please—what "heroes"? In the end, it all sums to zero anyway. It really just comes down to which rationalization you decide to live by. Some people stare straight into the abyss without any filters at all, which can feel incredibly liberating, but let’s be honest... even that is just another way of coping.

Is your avatar suggesting that women are helpless unless their manicures are perfect?😍

Wait, what? This is Kirsten Dunst in Trier's Melancholy Forgetsake... honestly, it's actually a perfect movie for this conversation...

Lisa Morales4 said:Without a struggle, without any real core, life just becomes one endless slog on a treadmill. Even when you try to stay positive, those thoughts don't actually lead anywhere meaningful. They just circle back to the mundane and the tasteless—to that sense of instability and fleetingness where everything feels temporary. It’s all just a cycle of short-lived pleasures and passing thrills that ultimately lead to emptiness, hopelessness, and a total void.

The molecular machinery of God's alchemy transformed us from mere stardust into rational, conscious beings possessed of a divine heart and soul. Now, the choice is ours: will we remain just apes that got lucky, or will we become the elected—the chosen ones?

We need more than just basic logic or the collective intelligence of the entire world if we ever hope to truly master the art of happiness. It’s about learning how to actually understand and connect with the soul of the person standing right in front of you.
That's how we tell each other apart. 🙂



my Soul Sings
(Watching the 24/7 international live worship stream. )

🙂

The thing is, "emptiness"—or what existentialists call "pointlessness"—is likely just the fundamental state of existence. But saying that doesn't mean we're helpless, nor does it mean everything is equal on the level of our actual lived experience. Everything we discuss here is secondary, basically just rationalizations or concepts. To one person, that might be God; to another, it might be nothing at all. They are all optical illusions, but we simply have to hold onto them, whatever shape they take. To me, the only thing that matters is trying not to make life feel small and miserable.

Chris Peterson53 said:🙂

If that were actually true, then the people sleeping under the Brooklyn Bridge—the homeless—would be perfectly content even when they haven't eaten in days; or all those people across this country who rarely have enough to eat but are supposedly "happy" just because they have some roof over their heads...😉

I’m not particularly interested in this universal principle of "happiness" within this specific discussion. What I'm looking at is that one specific trait (which is both evident and objective)—this supposed gift some people possess... where material goods just seem to fall from the sky without them lifting a finger.
And I'm certainly not convinced it's their "state of mind" making it happen—because that would imply their mental state somehow influences the minds of others, causing them to leave money behind for them, or perhaps influencing the masses... even down to those who (for instance) lose their wallets only to have them found by very specific individuals...

Take my relative, for example. This man hasn't spent a single millisecond truly reflecting on anything in his entire life—he exists completely outside the bounds of self-awareness in every possible way. 😉
Honestly? I wouldn't trade the quality of his lifestyle for my own, regardless of how exhausting my own existence can be...
He suffered a massive loss due to his reckless spending—his child was murdered because the killers assumed the father was so loaded he'd pay any ransom, though they ended up killing the victim instead—and yet, it didn't lead him to reflect on whether he (at least in my estimation) caused his child's death. He just keeps living exactly the same way, behaving exactly the same way.

Honestly, I don't think things could have gotten any worse than this 😢

cosmictinker21 said:You really have to learn how to separate what actually matters from the noise. And I mean truly, honestly, without letting the neighbors weigh in, or following outdated social norms, or being paralyzed by that "what will people think?" anxiety...

Ultimately, opting out of society can be a great move, but I worry about the ripple effects on everyone else. I know a few people who lived exactly like that, but they left a trail of neglected kids and abandoned partners in their wake. They skipped out on finishing school, ignored basic cultural literacy, science, hygiene, and common sense... basically, their only option was a state of constant incompleteness. Just drifting, constant movement, endless spiritual and physical experiments. In The Tao, they felt completely free. But they weren't actually free enough to finish anything, or make a decision and follow through on it. There's nothing wrong with being part of the mainstream in certain areas. A mature person knows how to navigate that. They can tell the difference between what's essential and what's trivial. Between what brings genuine happiness and what's just unbearable. And they realize that things aren't unbearable because they lack stability, but because they lack the discipline to actually get things done properly.

Oof, I guess I wandered a bit far off course there... 🤣

Sometimes I catch myself thinking it's all just too much effort anyway. In the grand scheme of things, everything passes in the blink of an eye. All these massive theories and big ideas... they flash through my mind for a second, but then I'm hit with this deeper truth: it's all the same. It's all somewhat pointless.😬

cosmictinker21 said:So, I was recently tearing through town on a mission to hunt down this specific, rare book—one of those limited editions where you’re just praying they ever print a second run. On my way, I happened to pass by an IKEA, and naturally, I couldn't resist testing out one of their gorgeous armchairs. It was actually priced almost exactly what that little book costs. This salesperson kept nudging me to grab it, insisting it was perfect for my posture and would look stunning in my living room.

No way in hell! 🙂

I just kept moving, focused on the book, while my self-satisfied companion went ahead and bought it anyway, regardless of the price tag. She gave me this judgmental look, though... "Are you insane?" she asks. "Why didn't you get that amazing chair? You're being so irrational, you've clearly lost touch with reality. Buying a book for that much money? Seriously, you're crazy! You'd be so much more comfortable if you'd just sunk into that chair right now!"

And so, here I am: "insane," "irrational," and all that other nonsense. Every night, I sit there reading my book, propped up on my bed, completely lacking that wonderful armchair...😁

That’s really the core of it—knowing exactly what you want and what actually fulfills you. And obviously, having the power to choose. Because if you don't have a choice, if you're just forced into things, well, there's no real sense of fulfillment in that.

briskbison62 said:For me, having my own space has given me this incredible sense of FREEDOM. Now, sure, there are plenty of ways to find freedom, but—get this—I met this older guy back when I was traveling through Germany, a total voluntary drifter, who was bragging about how he'd spent the last twenty years sleeping strictly under the stars. 😍

And let's be real, most people nowadays are basically slaves to their jobs (plus all those endless wants and needs) and the constant pressure to own stuff. It's just classic societal alienation...

That’s exactly my point. Having those basic foundations provides you with freedom—I don't mean the pursuit of money for its own sake, but rather having enough to actually buy your independence. If you've already secured that, you're in an amazing position. And honestly? That drifter's lifestyle is a solid option too, maybe even better than grinding away all day long. Life is just too short for that kind of hustle 😬

briskbison62 said:Honestly, I went through so much struggle before I finally found my own space—I was basically living out of a suitcase, bouncing from place to place and just taking whatever life threw at me... but man, that makes me appreciate what I have today so much more. Even if my place isn't some massive mansion by typical standards, to me, it’s a total castle. And honestly? I definitely value it way more than if some rich dad had just handed me a penthouse on a silver platter!

At the end of the day, it’s all about defining what actually makes *you* happy and sticking to that path. If you feel fulfilled, then you've made it. Period.

Then again, there are people for whom "status" or pouring energy into material possessions doesn't matter one bit. It would actually just be a distraction from their true purpose. Say someone is focused on something entirely different—maybe they already have everything they need, so they don't waste a single second worrying about stuff. They can save all that precious energy for the things that really count, like time... and so on.

cosmictinker21 said:Was it Lenin who said that? You know, the whole thing about eight hours of work, eight hours of rest, and eight hours of whatever else—cultural enrichment or something... I can never quite recall the exact phrasing...🙄

Sometimes I’m so wiped out by the first eight hours of the day that the remaining eight just become this endless loop of worrying... which doesn't exactly help me stay focused, so getting anything productive actually done on my to-do list feels impossible. It makes it hard enough to manage the daily grind, let alone find the energy for any real soul-searching or personal growth. Sometimes that spiritual stuff happens naturally, just kind of drifting along as I go through life, but more often than not, I feel this intense pull toward things that truly matter to me. It’s like this deep intellectual or emotional curiosity that won't quit... I just want to actually live out what I’m thinking and feeling instead of just letting it sit there...

Well, at least I'm trying...🤣

I can't quite get on board with that old-school wisdom people always preach—you know, the whole "look out for number one," "stay in your own lane," and "just deal with whatever happens" philosophy... It just doesn't sit right with me...

It’s nice to have enough money to just... stop worrying. To travel wherever you feel like, or to know that if things go sideways health-wise, you’ll have access to the absolute best medical care available without a second thought. Then again, some people are perfectly content just sitting in front of the TV, picking apart news headlines, or taking a quiet stroll through town and feeling satisfied once they get home to a meal they picked out themselves at a local Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. It doesn't matter much, really. For some, quality of life is defined by social standing—being a respected wife, a model mother, or just being that polished woman where every hair is perfectly in place. Others find their version of the "good life" in material milestones, like finally pulling a brand-new SUV into the driveway or owning a vacation house in the Hamptons, maybe even a little boat to go with it. And then there are those who find peace in the mountains, sitting in front of a fireplace with a glass of bourbon, just letting the world fade away...🤷

Of course, everyone’s looking for something different—some want this, some want that, and others are chasing something else entirely. But you can't really compare the grind of a survival job to the freedom of creative work. That said, having plenty of money isn't a bad thing. It gives you a fighting chance at actually experiencing life. More importantly, it puts you in that perfect state of mind—like a block of soft, fine wax—where you're finally able to carve out deep questions and truly hunt for the answers. 😬

cosmictinker21 said:I suppose there's a certain sweetness in diving into those deep waters occasionally... reaching for something higher up and just forgetting about the ground beneath your feet for a while...🤣

Look, just focusing on how to keep your head above water isn't exactly what I'd call "living." But—and I want to be clear here, this is just my two cents—that's exactly why I told Moda we really need to sit down and actually define what we mean by "quality of life."🤷

wearyhawk83 said:I’m not totally sold on the idea that stuff like that is actually tied to luck or personal values. If that were true, being wealthy would basically guarantee a high-quality life every single time. Aside from those crazy freak accidents where someone finds exactly what they need to survive, you have to question whether these "lucky" people are actually winning at life. Honestly, I'd put a huge question mark over the whole thing.

There’s also this massive luck factor that everyone just ignores. People see their neighbor hit the Powerball jackpot and suddenly feel like life is totally unfair if they haven't won too. But just look at the lottery numbers—some digits pop up five times in a row while others don't show up for fifty draws. One person gets hit with pure luck or karma, while someone else is stuck working with nothing but the hand they were dealt.
Still, I really think true luck deserves a more honest place in our lives. To me, real luck is just what happens when you work hard to build a healthy mindset toward everything happening around you. As for the random stuff I mentioned above? I'd say that shouldn't even matter if we actually care about ourselves.

Actually, they do—and it leads to a much better quality of life (though we could probably spend all day debating what "quality" even means). Think about it: people who are stuck in survival mode, just scraping by from paycheck to paycheck, barely have the mental bandwidth to think about anything else, let alone dive into the deep mysteries of the universe.

I guess in some other lifetime 😬

Chris Peterson53 said:Or what about those people who just seem to have the universe on their side? I’m talking about folks who aren't even religious—so they don't credit God for their luck—and they don't buy into any spiritual "law of attraction" nonsense either. They’re just the type of people who happen to trip over a twenty-dollar bill on a sidewalk, or find a piece of jewelry just lying there. Or maybe they answer some random trivia question out of sheer boredom and walk away with a massive prize. Even that scenario where a wealthy aunt leaves her entire estate to one specific person instead of her twenty other nieces and nephews—even when that person barely spent any time looking after her...
Recently, a cousin of mine—someone who fits this description perfectly—inherited everything from another relative,
who didn't leave a single cent to their own immediate family.
Knowing plenty of other people blessed with this strange kind of luck, I've been sitting here wondering why, but I haven't found an answer... 😉
How do you actually explain these kinds of occurrences?
Is it pure predestination?
Some subconscious power to attract material wealth? ☕

Karma?
Look, I’m not exactly a huge believer in that theory, but it honestly feels like it might be the only thing that actually answers her question. 🤔

Matthew Ruiz8 said:Honestly, I’m pretty bummed out, but I’m stepping away from this topic—the very one I brought up yesterday. Things just took a turn I didn't intend for them to take. My real goal here was to suggest something that could actually benefit all of us, especially the moderators. I thought maybe it would provide some extra motivation to level up their game and spark a little friendly competition among the mod team, which ultimately helps us users too. But since it's gone off the rails...
I'm done posting about this here.

My apologies, and best regards to everyone. 🙂

So, how am I supposed to cast my vote now? I'm sitting here trying to guess who's going to edit what, and I've been diving deep into this for two whole days! We can't just operate like this; it's just not right.🤷 😬

Drew Gonzalez12 said:Is there a chance my IP address shows up through this forum? Like, can the head admin see where I'm logging in from?

It isn't just the admins, either. If you upload a PDF, your IP can be tucked right inside that file—sort of like leaving a digital fingerprint on a document.