Posts by slydriver17

Larry Lewis2 said:What a load of nonsense.

It's probably a good thing you still have your wits about you, even if you don't own a television.🥳

One must understand that laughter serves as a fundamental indicator of recognition. While I cannot account for what strikes various individuals as humorous, that is simply the reality of the matter.😁

Larry Lewis2 said:😂 You're acting like some kind of Seinfeld wannabe.🤣

I don't have any TV. Clearly, that Seinfeld fellow must have lost his mind too. But then again, that's just how it goes—whether you were Lilith or Eve, it ends the same way.😁

Larry Lewis2 said:Forget about Eve. Lilith was the one who truly broke the rules. 🙂 Honestly, they probably would have preferred to just toss her into a corner along with everything else they wanted to suppress—menstruation, female pleasure, all of it.

Lilith... I don't care to get into any serious discussions about her. It's irrelevant.😁 😍
Look, if it weren't for the biological distractions of menstruation, women might actually be the most advanced species on Earth. But since you are inherently "unclean," there is this invisible barrier that stunts your progress and drags you right back down to zero. That is why you supposedly need some innocent, angelic creature—like a man—to teach you how to properly harness your intuition. But honestly, where is a woman supposed to learn that from?🤣 😍

Larry Lewis2 said:I have to agree,🙂 it really is wonderful.🙂

Especially when you consider the depths of the abyss. After all, it wasn't as if Eve simply reached out and grabbed an apple on a whim.😂

mistybison said:However, men miss out on the intense highs and lows we experience without letting it shake us. 😉 Being a woman is truly wonderful. 🙂

Exactly... which is precisely why you all go searching for a constant, for stability, for security. You know deep down that you're essentially chaotic 😂 😍
a sine wave oscillating around an axis... it's simply a law of the universe. 🤣

steeleagle13 said:Love implies a fear of "loss." 😉

When it comes to people you don't care about, you don't give a damn if you lose them.

Yeah... it isn't love because of fear, it's fear because of love.

But loving something just because it might be lost? That's nothing but surface-level stuff compared to true love.

If you love someone in a way where you don't feel regret when they're gone, then *that* is real love. 😉 Because what you're losing is your own connection, not the person themselves. 😉 😉

This might sound a bit weird—but honestly, grieving someone is really just grieving yourself.

Love encompasses everything. Everything is "merely" a reflection of how we perceive it.😕 😬
The idea that "mourning another is actually mourning oneself" isn't strange at all. It is an objective fact. We are essentially nothing more than single-celled organisms reacting to stimuli.😁
And so on, and so forth.

Charles White11 said:Someone has done a terrible disservice to my friend by framing it that way;
Just imagine hearing this sentence: "Your father was merely a balance that had to occur so the circumstances of your birth could be realized."
I truly hope your father isn't lurking on these forums!
Because if he were—his heart would simply shatter from the grief.
That’s precisely the point: if you view your own father as nothing more than a "balance," what kind of heart are you actually operating with?

Do you know why people take their own lives? It’s because they feel worthless; they feel like they are just some cosmic "balance" within the vast machinery of the world around them.
This is where you and I differ. I understand that feeling, whereas you clearly do not.

What can I even say to you? You are perceiving this concept of balance through a negative lens. Once you realize that life itself is nothing but the relationship between an inhale and an exhale, you begin to actually appreciate that... balance.😬
"Balance" is just a word. Whether you are the President of the United States or a sanitation worker in the same country, everyone is interconnected. Those at the top rely on those at the bottom, and how much a leader understands that dependency will determine how good a ruler they become. But, given how much of a mess the world is right now, at least we'll have some spectacular fireworks to watch while it all goes down.😬
People kill just to feel alive. When you crush someone else, you feel stronger (and I am referring to certain types of people here; let’s not overgeneralize, and certainly not myself.😬 Personally, I find it shameful to hurt anyone😳). They do it because it is the only way they can force a reaction out of someone else. In that way, people grant them a sense of purpose simply by fearing them. That fear seeks to expand, and so on and so forth. If you somehow learn how to love throughout your life, you will become a much more tranquil person. I am speaking about an internal state of being. Because that is the only way you can truly hear what your heart is demanding.😍

Charles White11 said:Someone has done a terrible disservice to my friend by framing it that way;
Just imagine hearing this sentence: "Your father was merely a balance that had to occur so the circumstances of your birth could be realized."
I truly hope your father isn't lurking on these forums!
Because if he were—his heart would simply shatter from the grief.
That’s precisely the point: if you view your own father as nothing more than a "balance," what kind of heart are you actually operating with?

Do you know why people take their own lives? It’s because they feel worthless; they feel like they are just some cosmic "balance" within the vast machinery of the world around them.
This is where you and I differ. I understand that feeling, whereas you clearly do not.

🙄
Of course there was a balance. I wouldn't even be present in this digital madness if my parents hadn't reached some sort of agreement, would I?🤣
What is wrong with the word "balance"? You're clearly trying to attach some negative connotation to it, like talking about the balance of supply and demand.
You expect far too much from others. You've positioned yourself as some sort of small-town sage, lecturing people and forcing them into these literary outbursts while simultaneously playing judge over what is "good" and what isn't—deciding what's too sweet and what's actually cool.😎 😬
As for your own displays of warmth... well, they're somewhat mediocre at best (😬 , I'm in a decent mood today) but hey, you're making an effort, so I suppose I'll allow it.😬
My father is still using a Pentium 166MHz machine. He needs it for some basic insurance stuff, along with a 36k modem. Where exactly is he going to go to watch how I browse the web? He has much more important things to worry about.
And regarding that first "Father" figure you mentioned... everything looks the same to him anyway.😍

Charles White11 said:When I ask what the Heart means to you and how you awaken it, you don't need to jump in with an answer right away—just as a courtesy. I'm not looking for a debate here. I think you're alright. Just sit with it, chew on the thought, and if you feel like there's something worth sharing, then write it out.

greetings

Well, damn. I said what I said. It seems like everything needs to be spelled out for you people.😛 🙄
So, listen: when your heart skips a beat during those intense surges of experience... when it thumps and makes you feel truly alive... that is life. That is living. Whether it’s through a brutal collision with reality in its most negative form that you never saw coming, or a sudden, overwhelming rush of happiness—who knows? That is existence. It happens through relationships, through intimacy, through wars, through death... all that nonsense. When it hits you from every direction—(let me offer a comparison...) like the truth when a grenade lands among people you once considered friends or loves, scattering them like smoke in the wind (god help us 😁)... you see what remains after the blast. What remains is solitude. In that silence, you can finally hear that ringing in the center of your chest again. Whether you choose to love or to hate after that point is entirely up to you. The heart is a bomb; when it detonates, it reaches everyone in your life. 😍
So, be careful with your detonations.😬

Charles White11 said:You keep bringing up this "secret," while I keep bringing up Mother. You seem completely fascinated by the concept of a mystery, and I can see that, okay. But for me, the whole notion of a "secret" feels distant; it's hard for me to relate to it. In that regard, I find the concept of Mother much more grounded.
I’d much rather say, "my dear mother," than "my dear secret."
If I've made myself clear enough.

😘

I am not fascinated by mystery, where on earth did you get that impression? Although, I will admit that when a mystery is finally unraveled, it triggers a sense of exhilaration—a feeling of pure joy. But once you think you've caught it... *snap*... it slips away. Fascination is too aggressive; it is merely the state of a dream being abruptly interrupted. But that is how things work, until they don't. And fine, if Mother is acceptable to you, what is wrong with her?😁 😍

Quincy:

boldgull19 As specified by Charles White11: Good grief... it’s as if you just swallowed an alarm clock. 🙄

You clearly grasp nothing of the matter. You would do well to listen to your heart.🤣

boldgull19 said:shadow of my heart😉

And you see, it actually rhymes with the topic.😬

Charles White11 said:Fine then, tell me: what is the Heart to you? How do you actually experience it? In what way does it awaken within you? I have done the best I can with my own journey, and I am genuinely curious about your perspective because it would help me deepen my own understanding (and I promise, no cheap cynicism or forced sentimentality here)

greeting

There isn't much more to explain. It is quite fascinating when you consider that it is the only organ in the human body that produces its own sound. It beats. Now, we won't get sidetracked by discussing stomach growls while you're hungry, but the awakening is, hopefully, as clear as the sound itself. It is always there, pulse-steady, yet whether I actually perceive it depends entirely on myself. Therein lies the paradox: I must silence everything else just to hear it. Something like that, anyway.😍

boldgull19 said:so... where's the heart in all this? 🙄

Where indeed? And whose shadow are you even casting?🙄 😍

Charles White11 said:Look, friend, don't worry about me; love isn't bothering me one bit.
Love isn't some form of torture, and besides, the Heart is the central theme of this forum anyway.

So, why is it weighing on you so heavily?

P.S. I really don't mean to push your buttons here.

And how is it not torture right now? What about the heartbreak, the loss, and all that messy aftermath?
Honestly, I'd much rather suffer through it than be left feeling nothing at all.😍 😬
I suppose I just enjoy a little provocation now and then.😍 😍

Charles White11 said:Next time people try to give you their "feedback" regarding your sincere, naive goodwill—the kind that asks for absolutely nothing in return (which is how most of us operate)—don't give it any weight whatsoever.
Dogs bark while the caravan moves on. If they praise you, don't let it go to your head; if they criticize you, just forgive them.
Woe to the person who relies on the opinion of others, because the very person singing your praises today will be the one tearing you down tomorrow.
Think about what the crowd's gaze must have looked like from the cross. What kind of "feedback" were they projecting, and how did that "feedback" reflect upon the face of the dying man?

Once you find the answer to that, you'll understand what a heart truly is.

Fine, that is essentially the core issue here. But I have zero interest in ideological posturing. Truly experiencing things is like constantly poking at the surface of the water (even if there is a reason for doing so😕 ), yet the water simply levels itself out again. It’s like someone punching me in the face and then complaining about the bruise. It is a raw fact. Our entire visible existence is plastered over with advertisements. When you peel them off, you just discover the layer they were stuck to. And that layer is merely a foundation for something else... and all this supposed wisdom😬
As a historical figure who shaped an entire era, Jesus, or rather Christ later on, represented the necessary balance required by the religious communities of that time. To a man who has achieved true unity, it does not matter how the masses reflect upon him. He might, perhaps, hold a flicker of hope regarding how many souls he might lead toward the path.

Charles White11 said:The heart is such a complicated subject!

The kind of mother I’m talking about would never refer to her own child as some "little animal."
Anyone who has ever felt that profound, soul-stirring connection knows exactly what I mean.

And one more thing: there is no such thing as love born from fear.

Look, the psychological implication of that comparison is obvious to me; I’m just saying there are far better ways to put it. Where else is a child going to go to bother when they’re trying to sleep peacefully? Some mothers are dealing with postpartum issues and might overreact, but fine—a mother is a mother, and I get the point you're trying to make. It’s not that I don't follow you, but what are you actually getting at here? What happened to you that makes this concept of love haunt you so much?🙄 Yeah, love is the ultimate purpose of everything, it's everywhere, but because of that very same love, people commit the most heinous, despicable acts when it's absent or suppressed. So, what is love, really?😲 😬 😕

Charles White11 said:I'm not trying to convince you of anything, my friend; we are simply sharing our own lived truths. The heart is the only subject that matters here.

Here is how those lines resonated with me personally:

It is only when we suffer an irreversible loss that we truly grasp the value of everything we foolishly took for granted. We often treat our loved ones this way, right up until the moment they are gone forever, only to realize it's far too late. We would give anything in the world for just five trivial minutes to tell them how much they meant to us—just five minutes stolen from the countless years we actually had the chance.
Most of our lives are spent drifting through trivialities and being consumed by ourselves.

Yes, that is obvious. Presumably. After all, this is a thread dedicated to spirituality.😬
How can one discuss God or higher ideals without first grounding oneself in reality to understand who you truly are and what you stand for? Though, I suppose that is a lifelong pursuit for everyone. In truth, focusing on oneself is the only way to effectively engage with "others." Of course, that can be interpreted however one chooses. Others serve as our mirrors, providing feedback about ourselves—regardless of whether we find that feedback pleasant or otherwise. And so it goes.😍 😬

Charles White11 said:I'm not dwelling on warfare or axes; what actually caught my attention was the raw simplicity of what was written. Only someone who lived through it firsthand could put it that way.
Only a message like that holds any real weight—one forged in actual experience.
When I look closer at those rare moments of truth, I find them heavy with a clarity that honestly takes my breath away.
"...it's only once the prison doors slam shut behind you that you truly begin to contemplate freedom."

I'd bet anything I own that such an experience refined him as a man, and thank Quincy he chose to share it this way. Imagine the loss if he had kept that experience buried in silence.
I think we all have enough wisdom tucked away in the corners of our lives; we just need to drag it out into the light, brush off the dust, and pass it on.

Fine then. Next time I wrap my car around a guardrail, I’ll be sure to compose a poem just for you regarding the relativity of time.😁
And really, the idea that one must witness their own existence through some specific lens—whether someone tries to convince me that certain groups are inherently better than others—is nothing more than lazy generalization. What am I even supposed to say to that? It will all work itself out eventually.😬

Charles White11 said:It’s only when things truly get difficult that you actually take a look at what's inside your heart.
You can't have your cake and eat it too.
The heart is like a mother; she only touches you gently once you start weeping for her, and you can't fake that kind of grief because a mother knows her child. As long as you’re sleeping soundly in your cradle—she’ll leave you be, just so she doesn't wake her precious gold!

When you strike your foot
with an axe while splitting wood
you aren't thinking about poetry
or great masterpieces
or politics
you aren't defying God
you feel small as a grain of sand
just waiting for the pain
to subside
When the artillery shells
tear through you from a mortar blast
you aren't worrying about the impression
you leave on women or the national anthem
you scramble under a rock and
wait for the pain to stop
When the doors of the federal prison
finally slam shut behind you
that is when you think about freedom
(Tom Brady - from the collection "Southern Cross", 1998.)

P.S. I’ll let you in on a little secret, just between us... A mother always looks secretly, constantly checking on the cradle, torn between wanting to wake her treasure and waiting patiently for a tiny stir, just so she can pull them into her arms sooner!
Take my word for it!

is also true; if she cries all night, it seems strange if the courtyard grows weary and naps for a few hours straight. That is merely the fear that the child hasn't suffocated. It is love born of fear. But fine. There are all sorts of people and methods out there.
An axe to the leg? War, killing, prison... well, most people realize such things through force. Personally, I have no interest in wars, axe wounds, or those particular methods. Besides, this country is far too obsessed with such nonsense. When persuasion fails, one turns to force. Not to mention the crowd that profits from the suffering of others. Don't worry; there will be more wars and more songs about peace. 😬 🙄 🙄