Full Games List
Featured Games
New Games
Reviews
Media
Images
Blogs
Game Updates
Images Feedback Summary
Game Design Highlights
Tutorials
Articles
Scripts
Utilities / Plugins
Resources
Engines
Engine Bulletins
What is Makerscore?
Past Events
Achievements
Misaos
Forums
Post History
Chat
New to RMN?
Full Store List
RMN Music Pack (free)
THE MEANING OF LIFE ACCORDING TO THE DALAI LAMA
Posts
Pages:
1
RedMask
1139
RedMask
View playlists
CloseI've been reading a lot of books during my recovery from my injury (still not fully recovered) most of those books being African Art books of coarse and some other cultures too because why not, Oceania is awesome :)
But I also picked up a book written by both an American psychologist and the Dali Lama called The Art of Happiness. Originaly I was just looking for a book about Buddhism but found this in the library instead. I think about morality a lot and wanted to see how my thoughts compared to eastern philosophy.
I spend a lot of time thinking what makes one moral apparently the Dali Lama focuses more on what makes one happy.
In fact, the Dali Lama believes that one's purpose in life is to be happy.
The book talks about stuff like feeling compassion for everyone and when you approach a person or situation think first if the thing you will say or do will ultimately lead to both your happiness and the happiness of others. And also it separates pleasure and happiness because the Dali Lama sees those as two very different things. To put that in internet terms, a troll can get pleasure by hurting someone's feelings but does that ultimately make them happy? That example isn't from the book but figured I'd make up a similar one.
Anyway I haven't finished the book yet but it's a fun read.
One time when I was in highschool I remember I told my friends an idea I had of what the meaning of life is but they laughed it off. I honestly don't remember what I said.
Anyone have an idea of what you think life's purpose is? Also feel free to argue with the Dali Lama's idea he is after all human like the rest of us. :)
But I also picked up a book written by both an American psychologist and the Dali Lama called The Art of Happiness. Originaly I was just looking for a book about Buddhism but found this in the library instead. I think about morality a lot and wanted to see how my thoughts compared to eastern philosophy.
I spend a lot of time thinking what makes one moral apparently the Dali Lama focuses more on what makes one happy.
In fact, the Dali Lama believes that one's purpose in life is to be happy.
The book talks about stuff like feeling compassion for everyone and when you approach a person or situation think first if the thing you will say or do will ultimately lead to both your happiness and the happiness of others. And also it separates pleasure and happiness because the Dali Lama sees those as two very different things. To put that in internet terms, a troll can get pleasure by hurting someone's feelings but does that ultimately make them happy? That example isn't from the book but figured I'd make up a similar one.
Anyway I haven't finished the book yet but it's a fun read.
One time when I was in highschool I remember I told my friends an idea I had of what the meaning of life is but they laughed it off. I honestly don't remember what I said.
Anyone have an idea of what you think life's purpose is? Also feel free to argue with the Dali Lama's idea he is after all human like the rest of us. :)
I like to go with the vague "you decide your own meaning for you". Which sounds like a copout, and kinda how it works anyway, but every human life is so radically different from one another that it's hard to say "Everyone should try to be happy!" (hi Aristotle, Dalai Lama etc) or "Everyone should act morally" (yo whaddup Kant).
I'd personally lean toward being happy if I had to pick one or the other. If I defined my own individual purpose, it'd be about growth (of my skills/identity/knowledge etc). I'm still pretty young though, so that may be transitory! ^.^;
I'd personally lean toward being happy if I had to pick one or the other. If I defined my own individual purpose, it'd be about growth (of my skills/identity/knowledge etc). I'm still pretty young though, so that may be transitory! ^.^;
But happiness and morality are such subjective ideas. I disagree that our goal is to be happy. Rather I think our goal is to be content; at peace with ourselves.
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
Emotions aren't a goal to pursue. They're just one of your senses, like touch, smell or sight. If something gives you a positive emotion, that's an indication that it's valuable. If something gives you a negative emotion, that's an indication that it's harmful. More specific emotions can tell you more about something. Of course, just like your other senses, emotions can lie to you. But that's really all they are. Just a type of perception.
Going through life trying to be happy is like going through life trying to see blue things or hear harmonies. It doesn't make sense.
Going through life trying to be happy is like going through life trying to see blue things or hear harmonies. It doesn't make sense.
LockeZ gives a great pointer.
Now, I think .. context and different approaches mean everything here. At the end of the day, you achieve your own stuff and choose your own goals.
I mean that. And our beliefs are powerful, at least I believe that ;)
As a creature, our first goal is survival (be that physical or mental). And as such we like to keep doing things if it works (we live, eat, sleep etc.), and give us a reason to change if it doesn't. We shut down and endure pressure to survive a situation, or try to shut it down ourselves.
We enjoy things that usually are in some way good for us. Of course, having such a vastly strange and artificial consumer world, societal structures and more, it's not as direct or simple, but it's how it works as a general feedback loop.
We can learn to get a sense of satisfaction out of things that are actually very harmful for us. We just learn a lot of different stuff.
Personally, my goal is to grow and aspire to happiness.
Pain, fear and any other shit is as much part of our life as anything else, it has its reason and its use. I believe those things happen to us for a reason, and will keep happening to us unless we change something. We are reflecting ourself and our inner state into everything we interact with (be it only in the way we view it). Instead of lamenting it, make use of it. It teaches you a lot if you dig deeper. Learning to grow beyond that and expand the things you are comfortable with for yourself, learning why you feel the way you do about certain things, rooting out negative feedback loops and lessons we learned growing up or later in how we handle ourselves and emotions. Practice loving kindness towards your self before anything else. So you feel stronger, more balanced and in fact more capable of whatever life throws at you, and are also growing more emotionally independent - while being more capable and willing to actually help those around you.
Now a lot of traditional buddhist practices allow you to practice happiness, by first allowing you to be at peace with yourself and the world.
Being present in the moment, experiencing it with a clear conscious and all your sense is a simple way to be happier. Practicing seeing and noticing good, pleasant or beautiful things in your life regularily. It also isn't easy to pull off on a regular basis. It's a habit. Those are pretty good habits one can have to be happy, and there are plenty more that are proven to work.
You need to be at peace with yourself first to enjoy other's success, for example. You need to believe that every person is capable of happiness and being good to encourage them or just reach out to them, or trust them. It also means recognizing when to let go, like when people are not open to such things and need their own lessons and experiences first and leaving that as a neutral thing, unrelated to you. And also just appreciating what is there, even if other things aren't something you appreciate.
Being at peace with yourself is not a requirement to live, but to enjoy many things. And I mean happiness in the greater good and calm sense, rather than pure enjoyment (like binge-watching a series. it can be fun but leave you empty. there's other stuff that leaves you glowing)
You could also argue, from a spiritual perspective, that we are meant to love (us, this world and so on), and we are getting lessons to do so. That our souls are actually already perfect, and we are only trying to reach and tap into that perfection within us.
You could also argue that since the soul is having a bodily experience, it's about just experiencing this world and seeing it as a playground to interact with.
You could also argue that there is a specific lesson to be learned in our lifetime (especially if you bring in reincarnation into it), or that perhaps we even chose this life as something to experience and/or learn from.
You could also of course argue that we are just doing our part in the system god has created, whatever we do that keeps us bound to this plane.
I think aspiring for happiness is something most people would like to have achieved, but also many people choose not move towards it. People often choose to be unhappy and that's their right and a way of satisfaction.
But because we generally feel better in that state, and it's possible to spend more time in it, and that generally our feedback cycle is made for us doing well (which is why we notice the points where it conflicts ever so strongly), it's the easier road to take in the long run imho, as it's empowering and fun. We have a lot of power over our state of being if we build up the tools and patience. Words and thoughts are powerful, and once we believe something, we will work towards or with it. That can be scary or wonderful.
And since you brought in morals .. for me it's all about working with what's there. Everyone works with their own experiences and feedback cycles.
Morals and generally guidelines are great to keep you safe and protected, especially when you don't quite know what's going on. When you need to create a safe space of any kind - making sure there are consequences if they are violated. This is good, and that is bad. It gives you a measurement, a belonging and evaluation.
I know I did a lot when I just wasn't connected to my emotions. There was no way for me to know what would be good otherwise, it was as simple as choosing between A and B, so naturally I defaulted to the "logically" better choice, according to my perceived impact and morals.
But the moment you step outside of that you face a conflict. Because there exist many many "immoral" things, and that easily sparks the thought of whether the beings themselves are immoral, or if they are simply acting out of order and could do better. And then some people revel in things other find unbearable.
And, knowing a thing is good or bad inherently also inhibits our own thought process. Say, phantasizing about a thing would make you feel terrible about it, even if you have not lifted a single finger to actually to anything to anybody.
At the end of the day, everything exists. It's simply there. Like it or not. And for me I find monitoring what everything does or whether it's good or not is a tiring useless thing. People bear their own responsibility for the consequences of their action. Not everything needs a box. (yes, there are laws and other rules of conduct to make sure we stop hurting each other horribly, that's the safe public space. that shouldn't go for our thought processes)
In fact, not putting things into a box automatically makes it easier to process and work with it if you need/want to.
Whatever you do will get some feedback according to what you do (even if it's just you feeling good or bad about yourself!), sooner or later. That's all there is to it.
Now, I think .. context and different approaches mean everything here. At the end of the day, you achieve your own stuff and choose your own goals.
I mean that. And our beliefs are powerful, at least I believe that ;)
As a creature, our first goal is survival (be that physical or mental). And as such we like to keep doing things if it works (we live, eat, sleep etc.), and give us a reason to change if it doesn't. We shut down and endure pressure to survive a situation, or try to shut it down ourselves.
We enjoy things that usually are in some way good for us. Of course, having such a vastly strange and artificial consumer world, societal structures and more, it's not as direct or simple, but it's how it works as a general feedback loop.
We can learn to get a sense of satisfaction out of things that are actually very harmful for us. We just learn a lot of different stuff.
Personally, my goal is to grow and aspire to happiness.
Pain, fear and any other shit is as much part of our life as anything else, it has its reason and its use. I believe those things happen to us for a reason, and will keep happening to us unless we change something. We are reflecting ourself and our inner state into everything we interact with (be it only in the way we view it). Instead of lamenting it, make use of it. It teaches you a lot if you dig deeper. Learning to grow beyond that and expand the things you are comfortable with for yourself, learning why you feel the way you do about certain things, rooting out negative feedback loops and lessons we learned growing up or later in how we handle ourselves and emotions. Practice loving kindness towards your self before anything else. So you feel stronger, more balanced and in fact more capable of whatever life throws at you, and are also growing more emotionally independent - while being more capable and willing to actually help those around you.
Now a lot of traditional buddhist practices allow you to practice happiness, by first allowing you to be at peace with yourself and the world.
Being present in the moment, experiencing it with a clear conscious and all your sense is a simple way to be happier. Practicing seeing and noticing good, pleasant or beautiful things in your life regularily. It also isn't easy to pull off on a regular basis. It's a habit. Those are pretty good habits one can have to be happy, and there are plenty more that are proven to work.
You need to be at peace with yourself first to enjoy other's success, for example. You need to believe that every person is capable of happiness and being good to encourage them or just reach out to them, or trust them. It also means recognizing when to let go, like when people are not open to such things and need their own lessons and experiences first and leaving that as a neutral thing, unrelated to you. And also just appreciating what is there, even if other things aren't something you appreciate.
Being at peace with yourself is not a requirement to live, but to enjoy many things. And I mean happiness in the greater good and calm sense, rather than pure enjoyment (like binge-watching a series. it can be fun but leave you empty. there's other stuff that leaves you glowing)
You could also argue, from a spiritual perspective, that we are meant to love (us, this world and so on), and we are getting lessons to do so. That our souls are actually already perfect, and we are only trying to reach and tap into that perfection within us.
You could also argue that since the soul is having a bodily experience, it's about just experiencing this world and seeing it as a playground to interact with.
You could also argue that there is a specific lesson to be learned in our lifetime (especially if you bring in reincarnation into it), or that perhaps we even chose this life as something to experience and/or learn from.
You could also of course argue that we are just doing our part in the system god has created, whatever we do that keeps us bound to this plane.
I think aspiring for happiness is something most people would like to have achieved, but also many people choose not move towards it. People often choose to be unhappy and that's their right and a way of satisfaction.
But because we generally feel better in that state, and it's possible to spend more time in it, and that generally our feedback cycle is made for us doing well (which is why we notice the points where it conflicts ever so strongly), it's the easier road to take in the long run imho, as it's empowering and fun. We have a lot of power over our state of being if we build up the tools and patience. Words and thoughts are powerful, and once we believe something, we will work towards or with it. That can be scary or wonderful.
And since you brought in morals .. for me it's all about working with what's there. Everyone works with their own experiences and feedback cycles.
Morals and generally guidelines are great to keep you safe and protected, especially when you don't quite know what's going on. When you need to create a safe space of any kind - making sure there are consequences if they are violated. This is good, and that is bad. It gives you a measurement, a belonging and evaluation.
I know I did a lot when I just wasn't connected to my emotions. There was no way for me to know what would be good otherwise, it was as simple as choosing between A and B, so naturally I defaulted to the "logically" better choice, according to my perceived impact and morals.
But the moment you step outside of that you face a conflict. Because there exist many many "immoral" things, and that easily sparks the thought of whether the beings themselves are immoral, or if they are simply acting out of order and could do better. And then some people revel in things other find unbearable.
And, knowing a thing is good or bad inherently also inhibits our own thought process. Say, phantasizing about a thing would make you feel terrible about it, even if you have not lifted a single finger to actually to anything to anybody.
At the end of the day, everything exists. It's simply there. Like it or not. And for me I find monitoring what everything does or whether it's good or not is a tiring useless thing. People bear their own responsibility for the consequences of their action. Not everything needs a box. (yes, there are laws and other rules of conduct to make sure we stop hurting each other horribly, that's the safe public space. that shouldn't go for our thought processes)
In fact, not putting things into a box automatically makes it easier to process and work with it if you need/want to.
Whatever you do will get some feedback according to what you do (even if it's just you feeling good or bad about yourself!), sooner or later. That's all there is to it.
RedMask
1139
That was an interesting read Kylaila. Sorry it took me so long to read it. Also thanks to everyone else who shared their thoughts.
Since I'm usually reading about Africa you would think that I could articulate what some African groups believe is the meaning of life, but it's never really come up in my books lol. Maybe its partly because of my focus on African Art but African Art is tied directly to religion.
I remember a quote from an elder saying that: "no one can know all the secrets of the world."
Africa has many secret societies that help children transition from childhood to adulthood. In their initiation secrets of life are revealed to them. But they often aren't straight up information. Sometimes the child who is to be an adult is told a story or shown an artwork and it is up to the young initiate to contemplate on his/her own what the meaning is. Also, sometimes the secret in some societies is a new way of looking at the world, so instead of being given new information the child is given a way of perceiving old info in a new way. Sometimes the secret is something they to some extant knew all along. And in some cases the content of the secret itself is of little importance rather simply the existence of a secret is what is important.
Not sure if that fits the topic well enough but whatever I just like sharing stuff about Africa lol.
I should probably add that having a secret in most African societies is a form of power.
Since I'm usually reading about Africa you would think that I could articulate what some African groups believe is the meaning of life, but it's never really come up in my books lol. Maybe its partly because of my focus on African Art but African Art is tied directly to religion.
I remember a quote from an elder saying that: "no one can know all the secrets of the world."
Africa has many secret societies that help children transition from childhood to adulthood. In their initiation secrets of life are revealed to them. But they often aren't straight up information. Sometimes the child who is to be an adult is told a story or shown an artwork and it is up to the young initiate to contemplate on his/her own what the meaning is. Also, sometimes the secret in some societies is a new way of looking at the world, so instead of being given new information the child is given a way of perceiving old info in a new way. Sometimes the secret is something they to some extant knew all along. And in some cases the content of the secret itself is of little importance rather simply the existence of a secret is what is important.
Not sure if that fits the topic well enough but whatever I just like sharing stuff about Africa lol.
I should probably add that having a secret in most African societies is a form of power.
author=pianotmThere are a lot people who aren't content but find meaning - a lot of the time through improvement. This might be a complete misinterpretation of what you mean though. Either way, I think searching for contentment is a pretty common meaning. Just not the end-all-be-all.
But happiness and morality are such subjective ideas. I disagree that our goal is to be happy. Rather I think our goal is to be content; at peace with ourselves.
author=LockeZI don't see why these couldn't be super meaningful aims? I mean, I admit if someone told me their meaning in life is to see blue things that I'd find it funny, but there's not any reason it is funny beyond society telling me that seeing blue things is just sensory input. For all I know, seeing blue things is the meaning of life and I'm doing it wrong.
Going through life trying to be happy is like going through life trying to see blue things or hear harmonies. It doesn't make sense.
To clarify, I don't think anyone here is wrong, just that you're not universally right.
Can't believe I'm disagreeing with the Dalai Lama, but I don't think it's possible to "be happy".
Ten years ago, I thought that having what I have now would make me *truly* happy. Ten years later, quite frankly, I'm not.
And that's the same for most people. We're always thinking "When I get X that'll make me happy", and then once you get X, it's just not enough. Welcome to the human condition...
...and now I'm hoping the younger members don't see this post. Go! Leave this place and watch anime or something.
Ten years ago, I thought that having what I have now would make me *truly* happy. Ten years later, quite frankly, I'm not.
And that's the same for most people. We're always thinking "When I get X that'll make me happy", and then once you get X, it's just not enough. Welcome to the human condition...
...and now I'm hoping the younger members don't see this post. Go! Leave this place and watch anime or something.
I don't think that's a contradiction, honestly.
You can always be happy or unhappy with the state you are in. I mean that. It's little things, habits, mind games. There is no reason necessary, it is a tricky thing tho to achieve long-term, and thinking you always need to be happy is imo silly. It's a state, in a general sense. A state of mind, being. You can't uphold that if you do a thing once.
A flow and shift is natural after all. We need to trick ourselves and our minds to get the best out of us. (tho we could discuss the different kinds of things we label happiness .. for a long time)
Thinking you will be happy if only you had X tho, that's a lie that's sold everywhere. You need a job, family, car, house - wait, why aren't you happy yet?
There will always be things you want and need. Always. I think if one can become more comfortable with that state, it makes things a lot easier (I know it did for a lot of things, tho I try really hard very often. Too hard)
It's the same for setting any goal, really. It's something that ought to be taught or made aware of. Making the goal of losing x weight is not satisfying as it only has one point of satisfaction - after y time only if you lost x weight. You didn't lose that much despite a lot of efforts? The only feeling you get is that of failure.
In contrast, making the goal of hitting the gym once a week gives you a feeling of satisfaction any time you hit the gym. Moreso if you stick with it and feel healthier and more energetic every day.
Or whenever you are eating/making a healthy meal, or whatever you planned to do. Habits. We are creature of habits. Or aspiring to be something (every day). One time things won't do shit.
Btw, I really like the idea of secrets and understanding in different ways. Or, truly understanding it.
You can always be happy or unhappy with the state you are in. I mean that. It's little things, habits, mind games. There is no reason necessary, it is a tricky thing tho to achieve long-term, and thinking you always need to be happy is imo silly. It's a state, in a general sense. A state of mind, being. You can't uphold that if you do a thing once.
A flow and shift is natural after all. We need to trick ourselves and our minds to get the best out of us. (tho we could discuss the different kinds of things we label happiness .. for a long time)
Thinking you will be happy if only you had X tho, that's a lie that's sold everywhere. You need a job, family, car, house - wait, why aren't you happy yet?
There will always be things you want and need. Always. I think if one can become more comfortable with that state, it makes things a lot easier (I know it did for a lot of things, tho I try really hard very often. Too hard)
It's the same for setting any goal, really. It's something that ought to be taught or made aware of. Making the goal of losing x weight is not satisfying as it only has one point of satisfaction - after y time only if you lost x weight. You didn't lose that much despite a lot of efforts? The only feeling you get is that of failure.
In contrast, making the goal of hitting the gym once a week gives you a feeling of satisfaction any time you hit the gym. Moreso if you stick with it and feel healthier and more energetic every day.
Or whenever you are eating/making a healthy meal, or whatever you planned to do. Habits. We are creature of habits. Or aspiring to be something (every day). One time things won't do shit.
Btw, I really like the idea of secrets and understanding in different ways. Or, truly understanding it.
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
@Yellow Magic: I dunno man. I would consider myself happy. I'm not satisfied with everything in my life, but I'm satisfied with the amount of things that I'm satisfied with.
But honestly I think the only time I've ever not been happy was in college, so maybe I've had it easy. I've never felt like I needed to get more things to be happy, or that I needed a girlfriend or a family or a better job. When I was unhappy, the overwhelming feeling I had was, "I need to get out of here."
But honestly I think the only time I've ever not been happy was in college, so maybe I've had it easy. I've never felt like I needed to get more things to be happy, or that I needed a girlfriend or a family or a better job. When I was unhappy, the overwhelming feeling I had was, "I need to get out of here."
SnowOwl
5188
Some people are happier than others, due to both external and internal factors. There's not a single person in the world that can be happy all the time though.
I think it's hard to discuss what being happy means because it differs from person to person.
@YM
I also disagree. I consider myself happy/content(for a prolonged time) every now and then. Don't take this like I'm saying anything about you, but it seems harder for some people to be happy. Why that is differs, but the mindset of the person certainly plays a major role.
I think it's hard to discuss what being happy means because it differs from person to person.
@YM
I also disagree. I consider myself happy/content(for a prolonged time) every now and then. Don't take this like I'm saying anything about you, but it seems harder for some people to be happy. Why that is differs, but the mindset of the person certainly plays a major role.
RedMask
1139
@Yellow Magic: Getting material objects or wealth has no real bearing on happiness according to the Dali Lama. One of the main ways to achieve happiness, he says, is to give and receive compassion to your fellow man/woman. Help people who are suffering and he thinks you will be happy. For example volunteer at a soup kitchen. That being said I read that the Dali Lama doesn't think one method for achieving happiness can work for 100% of humanity.
@Kylaila: Thanks I'm glad you enjoyed my little chat about Africa. I'm actually planing to make videos where I talk more about Africa though I haven't uploaded anything yet, its still in the works.
@Kylaila: Thanks I'm glad you enjoyed my little chat about Africa. I'm actually planing to make videos where I talk more about Africa though I haven't uploaded anything yet, its still in the works.
author=Gourd_ClaeSorry Gourdy
At least I know to credit my existential depression to YM in 10 years. :P
author=KylailaYeah this is true, and probably where the likes of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) come in.
A flow and shift is natural after all. We need to trick ourselves and our minds to get the best out of us. (tho we could discuss the different kinds of things we label happiness .. for a long time)
Thinking you will be happy if only you had X tho, that's a lie that's sold everywhere. You need a job, family, car, house - wait, why aren't you happy yet?Agreed!!
There will always be things you want and need. Always. I think if one can become more comfortable with that state, it makes things a lot easier (I know it did for a lot of things, tho I try really hard very often. Too hard)
@LockeZ, SnowOwl: It's fair enough that you consider yourselves happy, and yes, I will also admit that maybe the whole happiness thing requires a certain mindset. My problem is it's come to the point that I've become an exceedingly bitter/jaded person, and that bitterness sort-of "over-rides" any feelings resembling happiness that I might have these days. Whoop
author=RedMaskI can see the wisdom in this sorta thing. I should probably start caring about other people more than I do right now, which, partially due to aforementioned bitterness, is not a huge amount.......
@Yellow Magic: Getting material objects or wealth has no real bearing on happiness according to the Dali Lama. One of the main ways to achieve happiness, he says, is to give and receive compassion to your fellow man/woman. Help people who are suffering and he thinks you will be happy. For example volunteer at a soup kitchen. That being said I read that the Dali Lama doesn't think one method for achieving happiness can work for 100% of humanity.
Yeah. It's a two-way street. Being able to care about is easier if you are in a good state of mind. But caring about others also makes you feel better about yourself if yer not. (since others deserve that kind of "loving-kindness" as they call it, it also makes more sense to you that you deserve it yourself)
*hugs*
It happens and it's fine to feel stuck somewhere, but you are as much capable of feeling better about things as anyone else, so keep on going my friend! I wish you the best for whatever you set out to do.
@RedMask I'd love that. I always felt the difference between knowledge and wisdom (other than complexity vs simplicity) is that .. it kinda becomes part of you once things turn into wisdom by "truly" understanding and thus being able to live it. I wonder if that's part of such a ritual.
But anyway, I don't know much about African culture, so I am generally curious.
*hugs*
It happens and it's fine to feel stuck somewhere, but you are as much capable of feeling better about things as anyone else, so keep on going my friend! I wish you the best for whatever you set out to do.
@RedMask I'd love that. I always felt the difference between knowledge and wisdom (other than complexity vs simplicity) is that .. it kinda becomes part of you once things turn into wisdom by "truly" understanding and thus being able to live it. I wonder if that's part of such a ritual.
But anyway, I don't know much about African culture, so I am generally curious.
You're right: I think it's probably important to stop focusing so much on myself for the time being. Cheers Kylaila!
Carl Spackler: So I jump ship in Hong Kong and I make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over in the Himalayas.
Angie D'Annunzio: A looper?
Carl Spackler: A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one - big hitter, the Lama - long, into a ten-thousand foot crevasse, right at the base of this glacier. Do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-lagunga. So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.
edit:
Just finished reading the topic. Not sorry for Caddyshack quote.
This all made me think a bit. Recently I've been trying to live in the moment and put others before myself, but maybe it is too much change all at once. I should focus on personal contentment and aim to be happy for myself before I try to take on others.
Angie D'Annunzio: A looper?
Carl Spackler: A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one - big hitter, the Lama - long, into a ten-thousand foot crevasse, right at the base of this glacier. Do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-lagunga. So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.
edit:
Just finished reading the topic. Not sorry for Caddyshack quote.
This all made me think a bit. Recently I've been trying to live in the moment and put others before myself, but maybe it is too much change all at once. I should focus on personal contentment and aim to be happy for myself before I try to take on others.
RedMask
1139
@Yellow Magic - Like Kylaila, I also shall give you *hugs* hope you feel better friend
@Kylaila - I think you have a good interpretation there. Infact that reminds me of an African elder (if I remember right he was of the Dangme people of Ghana) he said something like (I would put the exact quote had I not already returned that book to the library): "white men think secrets can just be revealed but many secrets must be lived to be truly understood"
@Dudesoft - Funny you mention that film quote because the Psychologist who wrote the book noted that many westerners only think of that movie when the Dali Lama is mentioned.
Anyway if you are helping people as you say (assuming I read your statement right) than you should continue to help others because at the end of the day you can tell yourself that you made a positive difference in other people's lives and that should make you happy with yourself
@Kylaila - I think you have a good interpretation there. Infact that reminds me of an African elder (if I remember right he was of the Dangme people of Ghana) he said something like (I would put the exact quote had I not already returned that book to the library): "white men think secrets can just be revealed but many secrets must be lived to be truly understood"
@Dudesoft - Funny you mention that film quote because the Psychologist who wrote the book noted that many westerners only think of that movie when the Dali Lama is mentioned.
Anyway if you are helping people as you say (assuming I read your statement right) than you should continue to help others because at the end of the day you can tell yourself that you made a positive difference in other people's lives and that should make you happy with yourself
Pages:
1
