Is spirituality a form of personal growth?

bluemason3 said:It’s a great chance to sit around and philosophize, since it’s clearly more important than actually helping anyone 😁

Hannah Morris3 said:Well, you all certainly have a knack for handing out diagnoses here 😁 . I’m torn between defending myself—reminding you that I’m not some naive kid without a lick of life experience, and that reality isn't nearly as neatly organized as your little theoretical models—or just offering a polite thanks for your "help" 😘 . As boldsailor2 pointed out, sometimes it's just better to keep quiet on these forums 😳 😁

boldsailor2 said:latifa@
I'm not even talking about you—just speaking generally...
😉

If you want me to be blunt, here it is—

Yoga practice is all about building strength on every level—which naturally leads to more confidence (and actual guts) along with mental peace and fulfillment. Anyone who's actually walking this path and staying consistent can tell you that—it’s definitely not just some abstract theory... 🙂

Noah Sanchez7 said:And what about Kundalini? That really boosts self-confidence..😬

For Borut> What you're saying about Osho makes sense, but don't forget that Osho and Tesla actually share one common goal: helping people and serving humanity..
And they both likely succeeded. We have to remember we're looking at two completely different cultures, and that Osho was able to casually "operate" with his message back in the 60s here in the USA during the explosion of LSD and hippie culture.

Noah Sanchez7 said:And what about Kundalini? That really boosts self-confidence..😬

For Borut> What you're saying about Osho makes sense, but don't forget that Osho and Tesla actually share one common goal: helping people and serving humanity..
And they both likely succeeded. We have to remember we're looking at two completely different cultures, and that Osho was able to casually "operate" with his message back in the 60s here in the USA during the explosion of LSD and hippie culture.

I guess both sides probably got what they wanted out of it. We can't really ignore the fact that we're talking about two completely different cultures here. And let's be honest—Osho could have easily cruised through with his whole philosophy back in the 60s in the States, especially during that massive explosion of LSD and hippie culture. It was just the right environment for him, I suppose.

Nancy Thompson3 said:How exactly does selfishness actually serve humanity? I mean, think about it... how does just hoarding wealth—letting it sit there, gathering dust without ever actually putting it toward some kind of productive activity or meaningful cause—help anyone? It seems counterintuitive, I guess. Maybe there's a logic to it that I'm just too cynical to see, but on the surface, it feels like we're just spinning our wheels.
Tesla basically walked away from making a profit on AC power. I mean, he didn't exactly have a fleet of 100 Rolls Royces to his name, though honestly, he could've easily had every single Rolls Royce on the planet if he'd played it differently. Maybe he just didn't care about the money, I guess. It’s just one of those things.
He wasn't being selfish, really... I mean, if you look at it that way, the only thing he actually lived for was the WORK. Just pure, unadulterated labor. That was his entire existence, I guess.
Osho was nothing more than a master of the bluff—just constant pivoting, empty posturing, and endless streams of nonsense. Honestly, I guess if you look past all that noise, there’s really nothing left behind but a total illusion.

I guess both sides probably got what they wanted out of it. We can't really ignore the fact that we're talking about two completely different cultures here. And let's be honest—Osho could have easily cruised through with his whole philosophy back in the 60s in the States, especially during that massive explosion of LSD and hippie culture. It was just the right environment for him, I suppose.

I mean, honestly? None of that hippie culture stuff actually did anything useful for humanity. Maybe it gave us a slight bump in birth rates, but that’s about it. Everything else stayed exactly the same—if anything, things actually got worse. The military-industrial complex and those central power hubs just found a better excuse to tighten their grip on everything. It was basically just a way for them to say, "Look at these hippies and what happens the second we loosen the reins even slightly."
Drugs aren't positive. They never will be. I mean, honestly, people try to spin it however they want, but at the end of the day, it's just not a positive thing. It's never going to be.

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?

bluebison70 said:Problems always seem to crop up whenever we use a word as vague as "ego." I mean, are we talking about the ego in a Freudian sense? Or is it just the simple "I" that I keep using—as in, I work, I eat lunch, I write, I sleep, I don't think, I think? Is there even a real "I," or is it just a placeholder term used to cover up something much more indeterminate?

Then there's the whole issue of identity. It's another unknown. What does someone actually mean when they say "identity"? Are we talking about national identity, cultural identity, gender identity, and so on? How can we even define it enough to have a meaningful discussion? If everyone is operating under a different definition, then I guess we're all just talking past each other.

silentnomad23 said:Since we are already diving into the topic of the ego, I have been pondering a fascinating concept. Imagine if, in the future, we develop a neural network with such an immense number of neurons that it evolves into a robot capable of truly feeling, thinking, and solving problems—essentially becoming just as unpredictable as any living creature. It sounds a bit daunting, doesn't it? If that were to happen, what would become of its ego and its consciousness?

Brandon Hall88 said:😁
Not quite.
It all depends on whether you actually know how to frame a question. Whether you know who to direct it to. Or if you even understand the fundamental reason why you're asking in the first place... 🙂

Regards
Nirvaan (The greatest living Tantra master in the universe)

PS
A man starts repeating himself... and you know exactly who I'm talking about. 😉
At this point, it’s honestly just getting ridiculous.

Hannah Morris3 said:Quote:

boldsailor2 says: spirituality isn't something you develop—it's more like an awakening...

I wouldn't even go as far as calling it an awakening—it's just becoming aware.

casualtiger2 said:Is it actually possible to develop empathy, willpower, or intelligence—and does any of that tie back to spirituality?