Daniel Castillo11 said:I find myself nodding along with the others regarding the themes of self-delusion and sheer ignorance; if there is any meaningful takeaway here, that is truly it. All those other supposed side effects—the sense of relaxation, those fleeting "feel-good" rushes, or that naive brand of optimism and ambition—they all tend to evaporate once a person actually matures. In my own experience, chasing lofty goals and getting swept up in idealistic fervor only served to breed neurosis within me, creating this obsessive hyper-focus on "higher planes" and "deeper insights." If I’m being honest with myself, it was little more than an escapist compensation for a lack of social standing, a certain passivity, and a deep-seated existential dread.
The only other positive outcome I can recall, now that I think about it, is a reduction in reactivity—developing somewhat healthier patterns of thought, belief, and behavior. Regarding selfishness, one could argue that the fundamental ideal of spirituality should be the diminishment of self-absorption, egocentrism, and constant self-referencing. Yet, looking around, it seems this is precisely what many practitioners fail to achieve. For me, this shift only began to manifest once I abandoned the illusions and self-deceptions surrounding the supernatural, the unreachable, and the purely imaginary. It happened when I started balancing the application of reason with the practice of letting go of attachments. However, no matter how much I meditate or attempt to release these grips, I remain a human being unable to fully override my own nature—that primal instinct for self-preservation which keeps us all essentially trapped within our own subjective perspectives. That said, I do believe this attachment can be loosened, and that is the work I am currently engaged in. To even attempt this, I had to discard the vast majority of my previous convictions. It was only after I embraced atheism that I actually began to practice true spirituality. 🙂
Yeah, honestly, aiming for the stars while your fridge is empty and your stomach is growling... that’s a quick path to neurosis.
Nicholas Gonzalez8 said:Look, I think the core issue is exactly that—the expectation part. It's much smarter to just make your choices and live by them, period, without obsessing over specific outcomes or wallowing in regret when things don't go your way. That's where you draw the line between intentional action and mere desire—and desire is usually where all that unnecessary suffering starts creeping in.
As for self-interest... well, that would be doing something you don't actually want to do just to snag something you do want. I don't necessarily see that as a "bad" choice, just a different one. Personally, I'd much rather act on what I genuinely want in the moment. Like, if I want to do something kind, I do it because it feels right, not because I'm looking for some kickback later.
Balance is everything here—just like in anything else. You have to observe, learn, choose, act, and then teach. It’s all a continuous loop that allows you to actually move forward.
I generally agree with you, but hey, watch out with those kinds of generalizations. Just because you understand the motives behind why most people gain weight doesn't mean you know what's going on with any specific individual. In other words, someone could be living perfectly in alignment with their teachings but dealing with a physical condition that makes them overweight. Or, though it's rare, there are people who consciously choose their body type.
Sure.
But even the fact that you reached out for a spiritual technique suggests there are expectations and desires lurking under the surface.
Self-interest can be pretty well disguised. It doesn't have to mean you're doing good specifically to grab a prize; it could just be the drive to feel good about yourself because you did something good. Which, if we're being honest, is still a form of looking out for yourself. 🙂
Ryan Wilson2 said:I occasionally feel as though I am brushing against another dimension entirely. If only I could trigger those encounters more intensely, precisely when I choose to.
As for everything else, I find myself becoming a harder, colder person. My faith in humanity has eroded; I’ve become less tolerant, less soft, and far less inclined toward spiritual philosophizing. Nothing in this life is inherently "meant to be"—it is simply what we force it to become. I have grown deeply skeptical of most spiritual practices and movements, as I am convinced most of them operate solely through the placebo effect, mere delusion, or fear—some sort of hardwired psychological mechanism within the brain.
To most self-proclaimed spiritualists, I would simply suggest seeing a licensed psychologist instead. It would save them both time and money, given that the results are functionally identical to anything promised by "spiritual growth."
Wisdom, tolerance, and knowledge are ultimately futile when the world is governed by the law of the jungle.
The only real path to change lies in the physical evolution of the human race into something else entirely—a being liberated from the primal urges of greed, reproduction, and mindless hedonism. Those who claim to have transcended these instincts likely just lack the resources to indulge them, relying on self-delusion or autohypnosis to elevate themselves above the harsh realities of this world. And when all is said and done, people always fall back on the concept of reincarnation just to justify the injustices they've faced.
Something I can't quite put into words (I'm not really sure 😁), happened to me once while I was translating a sacred text. It hasn't happened since, and it never happened before.
When my translation was approved, they told me I could expect "spiritual blessings." When it actually happened, I was thrilled at first, but then I seriously considered getting a brain scan. Since it never happened again, I'm pretty sure it was just a projection caused by the excitement and the whole buildup about those "blessings."
Give us a little more detail about that other world. 🙂