Posts by Hannah Morris3

Is it actually possible to fully strip away society's influence from your psyche? Has anyone ever truly pulled that off?

He wasn't talking about being lonely—he was claiming he isn't part of society. Which is absurd. We're all part of it, whether we like it or not—we either follow the rules imposed on us or face the consequences. Talking about some grand sense of freedom in this context feels like an illusion to me. The reality is simply that some societies are less repressive than others; as a woman, I’m well aware of that. America is actually doing alright. At least it's no longer illegal to be a vegetarian here. We're making progress. Though, I doubt they'd let some kid just sit under a tree and meditate for a year—like that little boy in Nepal... In that case, the authorities would move heaven and earth to stick that poor child into some "appropriate" institution.
You're only free inside your own head (if anyone is)—for now, at least, we can still think whatever we want. As for everything else? Forget it—unless you have the money (power) to buy yourself a little extra breathing room.

Noah Sanchez7 said:That doesn't necessarily follow logically..

If you live in a city, you’re living within a system built on connectivity, interdependence, and cooperation—plain and simple. You don't exist in a vacuum; you're part of a community, and I honestly don't get why you're so desperate to deny that. It's just a fact.

Noah Sanchez7 said:I don't live in the woods; I live in the city..

So, you're part of society after all...

Noah Sanchez7 said:I don't recall ever saying I thought I needed to belong to any kind of society...

Where do you even live—in the middle of nowhere?

Noah Sanchez7 said:Well, that’s exactly the point. As Bud says, being human is perhaps our only distinction from animals—the fact that through sheer will and consciousness, we have the power to free ourselves.
True awareness comes from tearing away everything you were (wrongly) taught throughout your life. Since everyone was taught, and then they taught others, it’s an endless chain going all the way back. If you finally say "STOP!" and decide to distinguish truth from illusion, that is what we call "the path."

Up, the real illusion is thinking you can be a free individual while still trying to fit into the mold of society.

Noah Sanchez7 said:Look, nobody has the right to tell you how to live your life, how to act, or what your worldview should be...

Actually, they can—and they've been doing it since the day you were born.

Brandon Hall88 said:Both.
But let me ask you... what does "observation" even mean to you?
Maybe we aren't on the same page, or maybe we just define "observation" differently!

Observation isn't some separate thing from Living. It’s the only way life truly happens.
There are two distinct functions an observer can perform...

Attention—that's the Self directing itself toward an object. But I don't mean concentration.
Awareness—that's being directed at both the subject and the object simultaneously.
Awareness is a flow.
And then there's a third:
Mindfulness.
In the beginning, awareness feels like hard work. But once it becomes spontaneous, once it's just part of your daily rhythm, it evolves into Mindfulness. A relaxed kind of awareness...

Observation is essentially maintaining control—you feel the impulse, but you choose whether or not to act on it. To me, it feels like you lose that one vital dimension—the whole reason being human matters in the first place.

Brandon Hall88 said:@ Hannah Morris3..

And why on earth would they bother reproducing??? 🙂
I'm joking, obviously.

I count myself lucky because I spent years living alongside a certain Master, before I finally realized—through my own skin and bone—some of the very things I used to say. And the things I couldn't grasp? I saw them reflected in him.
He rejected nothing. To everything, he gave a massive YES. 🙂

Trying to define what a Master actually is, or what Awakening or enlightenment means... it’s all just mental gymnastics.
Thought is never true, nor will it ever be. It’s nothing more than a thin veil, a cheap imitation of Reality that can never truly explain any of this.

Just picture a man who says a resounding YES to Life. He accepts everything without rejecting a single thing, yet he isn't bound by any of it. Instead, he simply lives, joyfully embracing everything both in front of him and deep within himself.

But is that actually experiencing it—or just observing?

This whole idea of Nirvana being enlightened reminds me of that Volcanic race from the FBI movies.
If everyone actually reached enlightenment, would the human race even survive—would there even be any reproduction left?

And you can all head home now—your shift is basically over. We all put in some serious work together today, so feel free to go complain about how this country is going to hell because everyone else is lazy... except for you guys. Hehehe

Nancy Thompson3 said:It doesn't bother me. At the end of the day, they're just people. Let them come. Once they finally learn how to act civilized, maybe then they'll stop breeding so much.

Yeah, people... sweet, innocent people. 😍

Nancy Thompson3 said:Yeah. It's a crash. But usually, after a fall, there's a comeback. You end up with an empty country and vacant houses everywhere. Who fills them? Austrians?

The Chinese, my friend. Those sweet little Chinese people.
I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on what actually constitutes a "collapse."

Look, I’m certainly more aware than my grandmother was—so we’re both in the loop.
Mosquitoes aren't going to care what we're wearing when they start biting.
And apparently, the population is supposed to crash soon—just because we've had enough of this lifestyle, right? As if we'll all just peacefully exit the stage and stop reincarnating as Earthlings altogether.

Nancy Thompson3 said:I guess it’s just that we really need to start paying attention to the problem. I mean, we have the science, and we definitely have the energy. There’s no turning back here. Unless, of course, our big plan is to wipe out 4.5 billion people just so we can go back to living under some kind of modern feudalism? Maybe.

We are aware, sure—we just aren't doing anything about it. As for eliminating a massive chunk of the population? That seems inevitable at this rate, probably very soon, but that’s a whole other conversation...

Nancy Thompson3 said:The issue isn't whether we're protecting the environment or not; it's that we're doing absolutely nothing while living entirely on credit. We don't have an answer to a single fundamental question regarding the survival of civilization. We’re just letting things spiral until the absolute last second. It's like we're falling from the eighth floor and cheering because we're picking up speed, feeling great just because we're passing the first floor, hoping some kind of deus ex machina will swoop in and save us.

We haven't had those answers for a long time—maybe ever. What exactly has changed?

Nancy Thompson3 said:But there were just fewer of us back then. Now, we’ve basically decided to burn through a million years' worth of solar energy in a mere century.
When I see those types strutting down fashion runways, wearing overpriced designer boots... they aren't even looking at the world around them. It’s all just lights, their own personal frustrations, some vague design concept, a Vestax turntable, and whatever club track is playing...
Or when I see the corporate types preening in their crisp shirts and ties, driving luxury cars, hiding behind walls of glass and concrete while pretending they’re actually doing something important...
Then there are the idiots like Jack Welch, Donald Trump, and those other lowlifes who recite these endless odes to "business strategy," when in reality, everything they do is just glorified theft...
Or seeing George Bush begging Congress for another few dozen billion dollars just to keep the military machine grinding away in Iraq...
Or noticing how science has basically dwindled down to studying telecommunications, 3D rendering, and building "dream factories"...

And then, when I realize that despite being seventy-something years old, we haven't been back to the Moon, we barely know anything about planets outside our own solar system (aside from that one recently found), we have no clue what's actually happening inside our own planet, and we still haven't figured out anything besides spinning wheels and burning fossil fuels—all while those elites at the top whine about nuclear power plants and play around with their little art school concepts...

That’s when it hits me. We’ve just grown soft in our luxury, lulled to sleep by the warmth of disappearing oil.

And honestly, we’ve never cared about the environment more than we do right now. Even here in the States—where we actually do way less than people realize—we're finally seeing some movement after being stuck in neutral for so long.
Exactly—there were fewer people. That meant fewer mental health crises, simply because the population was smaller. Fewer murders, too. But there was also more violence against women, children, and anyone vulnerable. I see actual progress being made; I find it hard to believe you don't.
Sure, technology gives us the tools for global-scale violence, but I don't think that means we've collectively "fallen" as a society.

Noah Sanchez7 said:I have a friend from a very "devout" family. He’s read the Bible three times over, and his brother is actually an ordained minister.

To give you an idea, he had to retake a class at the end of high school because he hadn't studied at all. The exam was at 8 AM, but he left the house at 7 just so he’d have enough time to stop by the church and pray to God to help him pass so he could finally graduate...
🙂 🙂 :asshole:

So much for prayer. Look, there is another way people pray, where instead of facing your problems (like fear), you just ask God or some divinity to take over for you. I'm not saying that's inherently bad; even Jesus played that card. Don't struggle, just believe in me, "pray and you shall receive," but what?
A court case won, a 13th-month bonus, a better car, or a high grade in college????

In my opinion, neither capitalism nor communism is a perfect model, even if communism looks like it might be...
A mix of the two is the winning combination. Why? Here is how I see it. Some people can't stand physical labor and prefer mental work, while for others, it's the exact opposite. We are all different, and that is precisely why everyone has their own role to play in this world. Even the "worst" among us has a purpose...
Therefore, pure capitalism cannot be the sole model. It just can't. I am wired to sit in the yard while someone else mows the lawn, but that doesn't mean I have a privileged position or that they are my servant. They are simply doing what they like, just as I am...

In an ideal country, there shouldn't be any strings attached, nor should there be one specific model where you take everything and leave nothing behind.

Whatever you want. As long as you aren't asking for something that hurts someone else, it's fine—though if you're being malicious and wishing harm on others, you'll supposedly face the consequences. Apparently.
The catch is that we all think exactly like you do—we tell ourselves, "Yeah, sure, I'll get everything I want," and of course, nothing happens.
Catholicism doesn't actually promote begging or making deals through prayer. Though, to my knowledge, they officially recognized the Prayers of St. Bridget—which are essentially pure "deals" with God. You say the prayers, you get this and that, regardless of whether you're a saint or a total sinner.

Nancy Thompson3 said:We’ve failed.
I think we know why. We've traded living in sync with the Earth for this sheer arrogance, fueled by temporary wealth that was basically just lent to us by the planet itself.
While we're busy taking daily showers, walking down brightly lit streets, chatting on smartphones, and cruising around in self-driving cars... we aren't even thinking about how we're squandering the inheritance the Earth left for us. Instead of using those resources to grow and finally move beyond our mother, the Earth, we’ve just sunk into luxury, debauchery, and pure egoism.
Yeah. Everything we have is just the result of the massive amounts of energy the Earth gave us, which we're lazily burning through. OIL!

I agree that you could call that aspect a "fall." Though, frankly, I don't think people even 500 years ago cared about nature any more than we do now...

Arthur Grant4 said:Look at any random guy walking down the street or someone in your own neighborhood. There’s a massive chance that person is basically just a collection of social labels and a self-image they've built up over time. They’re a product of their environment... waking up really means grasping your true nature and finally snapping those ego chains.
But wait—could adopting that identity actually be a necessary stage of growth? Like, maybe you have to play the part before you can move past the ego toward actual consciousness?
Or is our modern civilization just designed to brainwash us? Is it possible we're spiritually regressing compared to those who came before us, meaning this whole spiritual movement sweeping the nation is actually just a collective attempt to remember what we lost and find our way back?
Which one is it?

Both. Everyone loves to whine about the "decline" of modern society, but I don't see an obvious collapse here. Was life truly better a few centuries—or even millennia—ago?
On the flip side, we look at certain indigenous tribes in the Americas and label them "primitive," yet they live in harmony with natural laws and respect one another—some even operate under matriarchal structures, which is a clear step up from our current setup. It’s all relative, but I believe we are moving forward—slowly, sure, but steadily.