tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099839503035686703.post6821075364316065473..comments2023-05-05T08:12:06.173-07:00Comments on A Spiritual Journey On Planet Earth: How One's Self-Esteem Can Be Systematically UnderminedUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099839503035686703.post-53121092737610260262009-02-09T18:17:00.000-08:002009-02-09T18:17:00.000-08:00your link at the end, to that other blog, is not w...your link at the end, to that other blog, is not working. i believe it has an extra "ht" at the beginning of the web address. <BR/><BR/>-aAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099839503035686703.post-31438530633616727282009-02-04T12:57:00.000-08:002009-02-04T12:57:00.000-08:00marin_explorer, yes I get your meaning now. During...marin_explorer, yes I get your meaning now. During my time on the New Age sites I ran across the saying "follow your bliss" and just dismissed it as another over-zealous expression... from you know where. To me it's devoid of any meaning that I can truly grasp - another one of those abstractions I guess. I just figure they mean whatever makes you tick... if that's blissful to anyone, then fine, good for them I guess. It's actually a good question to ponder whether bliss and hardship are somehow irreversably interrelated. Most of the time, we can only appreciate the good when we've experienced the opposite. This is a logical explanation to why the world is dual (a play of opposites). On the other hand, it could be that on some other level of reality there is pure bliss without any conditions, however in a way that would be very hard for us polarized creatures to fathom. Thanks for bringing up the semantic/terminology side to this issue!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10279912682706845983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099839503035686703.post-71677879129935870622009-02-02T15:54:00.000-08:002009-02-02T15:54:00.000-08:00Vivi-Mari,I'm glad to hear there is a more formal ...Vivi-Mari,<BR/>I'm glad to hear there is a more formal way of looking at "bliss" other than pop-culture references I'm thinking of. Here, the adage "follow your bliss" is interpreted many ways and within our materialistic context, usually means a "bliss" derived from self-indulgence. But that's just what I've seen, and I'm always interested in hearing a different side to this idea. Speaking personally, I know the only "bliss" I've found was through facing some kind of hardship and finding a new insight or perspective from the experience. Bliss and hardship have an interrelationship to me, but bliss may take other forms I need to experience as some evolutionary step.<BR/><BR/>Nature is truly wondrous, and there is something about it that grounds me to my sense of existence, and not just in a purely earthy way...but something else too, which may be the wonder for me. :-)marine_explorerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03092782038855356359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099839503035686703.post-10964585797593332702009-02-01T08:50:00.000-08:002009-02-01T08:50:00.000-08:00Marin_explorer, welcome as always! Hm, I got anoth...Marin_explorer, welcome as always! Hm, I got another one of those newsletters today and what struck me about it was that although the intentions seemed fair enough, along with the constellation of what dark and light powers are now competing there was also a division between those who already perceive the light that is coming in and those who don't. I'm saying this assuming it's true that we are going through some kind of evolutionary shift - however also taking into account that no one seems to know exactly what's going on. So these gurus are warning those who feel pain not to succumb to the dark powers as well as the selfish powers of the ego (e.g. retaliation and other negative feelings). For one you can ask yourself if these are ultimately one and the same or not. What I resent about this particular guru is that though the advice kind of makes sense, there are no explanations as to what exactly is happpening, nor is there any careful categorization of how various people react according to their unique psychological make up. To put people in two groups is a bit suspiscious, isn't it?<BR/><BR/>You said something that I'm having trouble understanding: "One might argue that a spiritual life whose object is "bliss" may easily give way to hedonism, because true bliss always involves a context of hardship, by my reckoning." Where does the hardship part come in? It's true that bliss can mean many things. In the Asian version that most people refer to if they are not Christian it's a state of union with God or the Source etc. Thus the kundalini would be rising in an unobstrused manner so there are no more egoistical obstacles. Hedonism, on the other hand, is usually selfish. Now many gurus ARE selfish - plenty of research on that one. So being able to manipulate your energies so to speak is not always a prerequisite to a clean slate. There are many stories of how gurus have been alright in the confinement of a monastery but once they travelled to the West, quickly succumbed to the temptations. It can be hard to know who is a true narcissist before it's too late and one is already obeying the mastermind of manipulation. This is an intersting spiritual dilemma. So as someone here once said, it's much more challenging to hold onto one's spirituality in the real world - the here and now :-). <BR/><BR/>You're right about atheism, it's all or nothing. To me it seems pretty naive since it completey negates all the wonders of nature. All you've got to do is look around you and see astonishing things. To believe that it's all just up to chance is a pretty amazing attitude! In my opinion it's as much a belief system as any other. Sure some sceptics have good points but things are usually taken to their extreme.<BR/><BR/>Re: my humble rhymes; thanks :-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10279912682706845983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099839503035686703.post-51153153259625175752009-01-31T15:17:00.000-08:002009-01-31T15:17:00.000-08:00Thanks for appreciating my observations. Yours are...Thanks for appreciating my observations. Yours are to the point as always. :-) I guess I shouldn't judge other's intentions, because only the individual knows how "blissful" their life may or not be; so much is a matter of personal interpretation. But what happens if little "bliss" can be found--does that make one's spiritual journey somehow "defective"? One might argue that a spiritual life whose object is "bliss" may easily give way to <I>hedonism</I>, because true bliss always involves a context of hardship, by my reckoning. And as you say--it's easy to feel like "crap" if your life does not measure up to the standards of a book, religious leader, or religious clique (ie church). Taken as an expression of narcissism, the object of a narcissistic is often to make another person feel like "crap" so they can feel better by comparison. This is something to consider whenever a church or spiritual discipline makes one feel insignificant, evil, sinful or as a lesser being. Legalists/dogmatists of all spiritual flavors are often narcissists.<BR/><BR/>One reaction to the subjective and unsure nature of spirituality is atheism. I suppose if one completely denies a spiritual existence and/or higher power...they can be <B>sure of that</B>, right? The irony here is supposed certainty of atheism becomes an underlying weakness where even a slight interest in spirituality dashes the whole idea of negation of God; atheism is either all or nothing. I observed this earlier in life as an avowed atheist and saw the irony how many atheists spent a lot of energy arguing against the existence of god, citing the "evils of religion" and so on. But how is this a positive argument for atheism? In a general sense that's true about religious power, but the absence of religion never seems to stop the abuses of human nature (Stalin anyone?). As you said, there is something about the "here and now", and I find that formal religion (or atheism) pales comparison to daily existence—what I experience and do with that which is given me ever day. Perhaps like you, that is where I want to stay—"grounded" in how I feel, and what I experience, for I believe that should be the essence of spirituality.<BR/><BR/>P.S: your rhymes are wonderful. :-)marine_explorerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03092782038855356359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099839503035686703.post-71992065343160206492009-01-30T13:51:00.000-08:002009-01-30T13:51:00.000-08:00Dear Marin_Explorer, you are so right - as always ...Dear Marin_Explorer, you are so right - as always ;-). Perhaps your last comment was especially poignant. You read about all these succesful people who had this and that blissful experience and became one with God or whatever - and you look at your own life and feel like crap. Is this how it should be? I mean, I don't feel undeserving or anything like that (the popular "reasons" why people don't manage to pull themselves up by the hair...). On the contrary, I've felt quite deserving. Not even that much need to become "better", just happier! Then you read that actually, you just need to let go, then it will happen. Hm... you start to panic as you try and figure out exactly how you're supposed to do it in practice... and on and on it goes. Love yourself, be at one with everything, love God more than another person who can never fulfill your needs anyway... all that is so logical and clear if you really dig into it. You think you're laying it all out so neatly, and something should happen. And what if it doesn't? Then what do you do? Turn your back on spirituality and become an atheist? This whole maze of concepts can drive a person to the brink of utter despair. <BR/><BR/>I believe I have some purpose for being here. I always wanted to do something "big", meaningful... But maybe what I need to see is that you just can't do that in a world that is so controlled by the collective. Could be that simply living mindfully and shutting your ears to all this mindbabble is the biggest challenge of your life? I suppose I will have to go on calling this blog a spiritual journey because no matter what happens I can't just turn the coat with the wind. Something deep inside of me rebels when I think of agnosticism or atheism. It's just not right for me either. So somehow, there's got to be a path that's unique to me. Maybe it's the one I was on for a while but got side-tracked. I don't know. But what I do know is that every time I find myself pulled away from Earth I want to go back. I want to feel the spiritual here and now, on the ground. It's funny how the need for each human being to be properly grounded is one of the basic teachings in all new spirituality but it seems to me, that few are really able to be just that. <BR/><BR/>In some deeper sense I feel that all my recent posts have been about flightiness versus groundedness. Flighty spiritual people are often not in touch with real human emotions and can get very shattered when having to face them. Thus (perhaps?) all the explanations and excuses as to why it's better to just look after oneself and not have compassion but unconditional love because it doesn't draw you into someone else's drama and... blablabla... I'm generalizing a bit but you get the picture... right? I'm not saying there's an easy answer because I have really tried to find one. But common sense is certainly something I will still try to hold onto.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10279912682706845983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099839503035686703.post-11238886437168338502009-01-30T04:36:00.000-08:002009-01-30T04:36:00.000-08:00Thank you Miss Attica! Of course I accept your fri...Thank you Miss Attica! Of course I accept your friendly offer, it makes my day! I'm glad you see all this for what it is and appreciate the way I'm attempting to pinpoint some of the traps some of us encounter... :-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10279912682706845983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099839503035686703.post-68842563744288701802009-01-30T03:44:00.000-08:002009-01-30T03:44:00.000-08:00Thank you so much for this post, Vivi-Mari. Really...Thank you so much for this post, Vivi-Mari. Really interesting to read about your experiences and reflections. It sounds like you are struggling in your life, but you won't get any pity from me as you are obviously resourceful and talented in abundance! I do feel compassion and companionship though, hope you will accept it. I really appreciate your honesty!Niconehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06753066917254624378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099839503035686703.post-17671395415535368302009-01-29T18:31:00.000-08:002009-01-29T18:31:00.000-08:00"Compassion is often rationalized into the more ab...<I>"Compassion is often rationalized into the more abstract and (paradoxically) distant concept of unconditional love, which many believe they own but don't seem to have access to when someone trods a different path and has a nerve to question these beliefs."</I><BR/><BR/>How perceptive of you…I love your pointed observations of such "paradoxes". Maybe if those who are authors of the typical "self-help" method, and want to "cure" people, they should be in a privileged place where everything can be looked at abstractly? In such a world, "success" is reduced to a "state of mind", "love" is elevated above any practical expression into something otherworldly and meaningless. Unless you are some unapproachable deity, what does "unconditional love" actually mean?<BR/><BR/>It's convenient to prescribe solutions when everything is reduced to an abstraction that is easy to put into paperback books and to discuss on talk shows. I suspect this sort of thinking is popular exactly because it is abstract, where the reader need not concern themselves with how they actually feel or express themselves to others, and much less what anybody thinks about their behavior. Perhaps to question their beliefs is to burst the bubble of abstraction and force the practical upon the conceptual? How dare we do that; the nerve! ;-) I know from experience that self-esteem can suffer very much when I am told some abstract concept is more important than my true feelings.<BR/><BR/>To be honest, I used to think this way because everyone else was doing it. Over time, I realized we were all pretending, and this "abstract success" was pushing me away from my feelings, which are after is the whole point to living. I also get very tired of all the work I've done to be somebody "better", which really means <I>somebody else.</I> Maybe giving this up is an acceptance of myself? So I'm skipping all the nonsense of books, to find a practical way to exist with my feelings and who I am <B>now</B> and simply express myself to people I care about…even it's small by comparison to the glamorous "success stories" found in books. As you said about creativity, life might be a flow of high and low and perhaps I am just here to appreciate--that is the point of living? <BR/><BR/>So "complain" away…I enjoy reading your thoughts; it helps me think about mine.marine_explorerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03092782038855356359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099839503035686703.post-76258678321882718912009-01-29T03:47:00.000-08:002009-01-29T03:47:00.000-08:00Thank you Roger, I really appreciate your understa...Thank you Roger, I really appreciate your understanding and support!! I was a bit nervous that this post was too critical and offensive. I did edit a little bit. But I'm glad there are others who can see my points. Society pushes people a lot, and I can see that people will get sicker and sicker. Just heard on TV that the social reform in my country isn't going to be anything close what it should be - there is not will enough and it's convenient to blame the recession. Turns out I live in one of the worst towns in this regard, too. Most people are some kind of anti-depressants these day and then they have the nerve to give advice! Thank you for your encouraging words, they mean a lot! Wishing you perseverance as well!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10279912682706845983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099839503035686703.post-59836253872338759192009-01-29T03:42:00.000-08:002009-01-29T03:42:00.000-08:00Thank you so much Leon Basin!Thank you so much Leon Basin!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10279912682706845983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099839503035686703.post-45008708564773262052009-01-28T19:29:00.000-08:002009-01-28T19:29:00.000-08:00Life throws us in all sorts of directions. Good th...Life throws us in all sorts of directions. Good things happen and bad things happen. As long as we breath, there is hope although I can understand that it may seem a distant flicker right now.<BR/><BR/>Feel what you need to feel right now. I too am sick of society telling me that I have to feel anything that is not real.<BR/><BR/>I don't have the solution but do know that you have a great spirit and abundant talent. <BR/><BR/>May you find peace in this trying time.<BR/><BR/>Your friend,<BR/>RogerThe Buddhist Conservativehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17781493637726411401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099839503035686703.post-34778629577270027332009-01-28T15:40:00.000-08:002009-01-28T15:40:00.000-08:00What a great post and I also loved your banner.What a great post and I also loved your banner.Leon1234https://www.blogger.com/profile/12707501065021550093noreply@blogger.com