Posts by Rachel Kern5

mistybison said:I don't agree that "fear itself is the only thing to fear." There are very real dangers out there where feeling fear is a perfectly natural response, and in those cases, one shouldn't ignore it.

Paul Rogers94 said:Orson Welles’ radio drama sparked mass panic across the USA (1938)

Is this fear actually rational?

We see it happening every single day—someone threatens to slash your wages by a few bucks, or some politician starts fretting about Social Security funds, or whatever... and suddenly, the masses are ready to swallow any draconian law or extreme measure just to feel safe.
Whenever politicians want to pull a fast one, they start by weaponizing your sense of security and survival—hitting that primal herd instinct—and once you're rattled, they can push whatever agenda they want through.
Is that rational?
Do you really think people will agree to anything if you just convince them their existence is under threat? Regardless of whether the threat is even real...
That’s how a peaceful neighbor—a perfectly decent citizen—can snap and turn on their own, committing all those horrific things humans do to one another.
Essentially, it doesn't matter if the virus actually exists or if it's genuinely dangerous—the psychological impact is identical.

The awakened mind doesn't fall for that kind of panic. They don't go looking for reasons to be afraid; instead, they see that fear itself is what creates the reasons to be afraid.
The only thing worth fearing is fear itself.

bluemason3 said:Rational fear doesn't actually exist. Every emotion we feel is either hardwired from birth or some kind of conditioned, internalized instinctual reaction.

It’s entirely possible that whether a reaction is conditioned or just part of someone's nature, it ends up being more or less in sync with the circumstances they're actually living in.

It’s like training a dog. If you didn't socialize them properly when they were young, you're going to have a hell of a time trying to meet their needs once they've actually matured. It depends. Will I be getting an incredible guardian, an aggressive guard dog, or just a companion to hang out with? It really comes down to what we're looking for. You’re both going to run into trouble.
That’s just the nurture side of things. You also have to account for nature—how different breeds and individual dogs come with their own built-in predispositions, some strengths and some weaknesses. Then, you eventually run into those outliers we might call "broken," where their behavior—whether it's something they were born with or something they picked up along the way—is just wildly outside the norm for any reasonable context.

It’s the same story with people.

It’s not about logic. Nobody actually sits down when something happens to them, runs a bunch of mathematical models on their computer to project every possible outcome, and then decides which emotion to trigger by pressing an "emo button."
The whole point of an instinctive reaction is speed. In most real-life scenarios—especially considering the vast majority of our evolutionary history in the wild—acting fast is everything. It’s about outrunning a predator or landing a kill before it's too late. There isn't any room for deep analysis, overthinking, or logic in those moments. You just move.

If someone finds themselves having emotional reactions that are wildly out of sync with the current social climate—to the point where it’s actually causing problems—they have options. They can try working through it via therapy or lean on medication. Some things can be fully resolved, while others are simply impossible to fix entirely. For most people, it’s really just about finding a way to manage it to some degree.

It’s like training a dog again. If you have a decent trainer, they can sometimes nudge certain breed instincts in a different direction through good discipline, though it’s never a guaranteed fix. I’ve seen plenty of overconfident trainers take a completely broken dog and honestly believe that Caesarism works in real life just as smoothly as it does on some TV show.
In a week, the dog gets put down, and the guy who thinks he owns him ends up in a casket. On the bright side, he’ll probably stop acting like such an egoist after that—at least in front of the people he used to try so hard to impress. 😬

I don't really see how any of this connects to spirituality, to be honest. 🤔

Rational vs. Irrational Fears

bluemason3 said:Does this kind of spiritual "achievement" imply a psychopathic or manic level of fearlessness, or is it something more clinical, like Urbach–Wietheov disease? 😳

Fear is a vital survival mechanism, just like hunger. It exists because we need it to stay alive. Too little fear leads to dysfunction, much like chronic anxiety does, and a total absence of fear is usually a symptom of a very serious medical condition. Temporary modulation might be useful—like dosing soldiers to get them through a messy job—but as a permanent state, being fearless is both bad and dangerous.

That said, I’d say moderate (hypo)maniacs (there are certainly more intense, cult-driven manic types out there, though they probably lack the self-control required for high-level guru manipulation) and psychopaths tend to dominate the field of spiritual teachers. So, that’s likely what people mean.

David Vaughn75 said:I explain everything to you three different ways and you still come back with the same questions 🤦

It doesn't matter if the guy is a celebrity or a complete nobody—what matters is whether he actually lives out his own BS. Your soul can sniff out who's legit. Like, look at parents who tell their kid to stay away from sugar while they're sitting there devouring a donut; those people have zero credibility, so their words don't mean squat.

Quincy:

How can you even tell if someone has actually found enlightenment and isn't just lying to you or playing you? Is it based on how smooth they talk, or the peace and compassion they radiate, or maybe all those deep thoughts and that charismatic vibe? They could even be using an aggressive, persuasive style. Honestly, all of that can be rehearsed, especially if the person is a natural performer.

The universe knows exactly what your intentions are, and it sends people your way based on that.

If you aren't looking for anything real and just want something to kill the boredom, that's exactly what you'll get—some con artist selling you smoke and mirrors.
But if you truly want to dedicate your entire life to God, the universe will send you a real teacher.

Quincy:

What does "living out your enlightenment" actually look like in practice? A Zen proverb 😁 says that before enlightenment, a man chops wood and carries water, and after enlightenment, he chops wood and carries water. You can't just watch someone and decide they're enlightened. In fact, they say only someone who's already reached that state can recognize it in someone else—though, by that point, they wouldn't really care anyway.

Personally, I prefer the idea of surrendering to God over "enlightenment," mostly because I haven't got a clue what enlightenment even is.
Someone who has surrendered is free from fear.

You can spot someone who has surrendered to God because they aren't out there trying to grab power over anyone else; their only real interest is helping other people find their own freedom.

David Vaughn75 said:Look, when you’re "learning" like that, there might be a tiny chance you actually pick up something useful, but honestly? The odds are astronomically low.

And please, don't lecture me—gurus have existed in Hinduism since forever.

I believe this is a long-term unhealthy religious phenomenon. It pushes the psychological regressiveness already found in religious groups to an extreme, trapping people in a perpetual illusion of security through a childish relationship with pseudo-parental figures, which ultimately prevents them from reaching full maturity and responsibility.

Seriously, why would anyone walk away from a warm, loving home where everything is perfect just to go chase some spiritual teacher?

No kid in their right mind would ever do that.

Wait, so what? You're saying hell is actually a great place and we shouldn't be scared of it, but instead we should head down there to find spirituality? That theory is a massive stretch.

To me, it just makes sense that someone passes on their own knowledge; they aren't going to pass on someone else's.

boldsailor32 said:Some people even claim that being a laid-back Californian is just a local version of meditation.

I also recall Yogin Selvarayan Yesudian writing that freestyle swimming and breath-hold diving are perfect examples of pranayama.

And catching tuna by hand is a traditional, fantastic exercise for concentration.

I recall Yogi Selvarayan Yesudian mentioning once that freestyle swimming and breath-hold diving are actually perfect examples of pranayama.

And honestly, spear fishing while trying to impale a tuna on a stick? That's a legendary exercise for pure concentration.

boldsailor32 said:Whether by chance or not, I'd bet you're a 😁laid-back Californian
.

boldsailor32 said:Everyone is wired differently, so the methods used to quiet the mind can vary wildly from person to person.

Quoting:

... This lifestyle allows me to find genuine joy in life's simplest moments.

"... these are all just ways for me to escape the frantic pace of everyday life. When I return to reality, my mind feels clearer and I simply feel happier."

https://www.nytimes.com/lifestyle/psychology-wellness...

Sam Wright21 said:A-ha. That little pack of zealots won't run from anything 😬

The forum acts as their sanctuary, a digital fortress where they feel untouchable. You don't even need to invite them into your home; you just have to step inside "theirs."

rustymaker5 said:So if that's the case, why on earth does everyone insist that emotions are the language of the soul? 🤔

Joseph Bailey41 said:I don't really have the energy to watch the whole thing, but at first glance, the one on the left seems to have that certain spark.

Maria Parker77 said:you guys think everything is just some hormonal mood swing or a passing phase, you honestly have zero clue ☕