Fifth Avenue Forum

That physical pain/tug. I know it well. It happens in the morning with me a lot. Where my momentum is broken from the day before, I wake up, see a troubling work email from overnight, my kids are dragging their feet and I’ll be late for...something. I know I’m not in a rush. I know work will be ok. But i can’t multithread and I still have to spend the morning shaking off the cobwebs. Work issues are selectively like this. Only the potential of major project failure that rests on my shoulders gives me this same feeling.

The high level prospect of a disruption of comfortable stasis (losing job, death in family) is kind of like this, but less intense. And I’m better at understanding that there is no use in worrying.

But regardless, I want to fix all of this. I think I can. But it’ll be slow. I think this process actually physically rewires your brain. Eventually you have to “try” to feel like you used to.

I think this process actually physically rewires your brain. Eventually you have to “try” to feel like you used to.

Yes. Establish new synaptic pathways and allow the old ones to atrophy.

LSD could be exceptionally effective in this regard - not recommending, just saying.

https://waitbutwhy.com/2014/10/religion ... gious.html

This is very good. Steps 1 and 2 outlined beautifully. But I can see why the author is stuck on Step 3. There's a subtext here, where he's clinging onto identity. And maybe looking for a twinge of meaning. The goal seems to go beyond peace. Peace is everything - as you define it.

Step 4 is the famous picture of the monk on fire. I want to get there...without the self immolation.

Step 5 is the great unknown. This is only theoretical, though. I hope it exists, but I doubt I'll be the first to crack the cheat code.

I think this process actually physically rewires your brain. Eventually you have to “try” to feel like you used to.

Yes. Establish new synaptic pathways and allow the old ones to atrophy.

LSD could be exceptionally effective in this regard - not recommending, just saying.

Just listened to a Tim Ferriss podcast where he discussed one of his nights on Iowaska. As he tells it, the tales of one dose being as good as "10 years of therapy" is no joke.

I think this process actually physically rewires your brain. Eventually you have to “try” to feel like you used to.

Yes. Establish new synaptic pathways and allow the old ones to atrophy.

LSD could be exceptionally effective in this regard - not recommending, just saying.

Just listened to a Tim Ferriss podcast where he discussed one of his nights on Iowaska. As he tells it, the tales of one dose being as good as "10 years of therapy" is no joke.

No personal experiences with DMT, it wasn't really around back in the day. That 10 years of therapy thing is probably actually an understatement. Psychedelics have the potential to instantly open doors that might otherwise never be known to exist. New research:

https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/psychedeli ... e-neurons/

The physical effects of Iowaska are not something I would want to deal with. I'm not sure if people even remember all of the evacuation that happens, though.

After reading all this, I still don't get it.

What was shmenguin's problem and how did he solve it (if he did)?

Existing...and no. None of us solve it.

He seemed to indicate that he solved his problem. And I presume it was more complicated than just existence. That's a 16-year-old's problem.

I’m not really interested in a bad faith signal. If you have a question, ask it.

To be more clear. You’re making some sort of statement here. I can only speculate. I’m only familiar with your posts regarding religion and animals. This seems to follow the same tactics. I’m not sure to what end, but “what’s shmenguin’s problem” isn’t your actual question. I’m not sure you have one. Is something upsetting? Or is there something specific you would like to correct?

I'm just not sure what your problem was. Determinism? Looking in the mirror and seeing a "machine"?

And I don't know what a "bad faith signal" is.

I mean, one does not lightly say something like "I went through Hell, pushed on through, and came out the other side."

What was your Hell?

Since I feel like I can relate to some of shmenguin's comments, I'll chime in.

For me, I guess it's about the quest for equanimity. And I think that starts with finding a reliable, scaleable something to guide how you live. Call it a personal philosophy, worldview, ethic, style. I'm not sure there's a perfect word for it.

With so much on offer these days, I think it's hard to find that sort of tether or anchor you can use to guide how you encounter life's moments, large and small.

For me, it's a combination of stoicism and mindful awareness, with some bit of a virtue ethics framework sprinkled in there. Sounds to me like shmenguin found something that's working for him.

It's great to have you back @redwill!

Since I feel like I can relate to some of shmenguin's comments, I'll chime in.

For me, I guess it's about the quest for equanimity. And I think that starts with finding a reliable, scaleable something to guide how you live. Call it a personal philosophy, worldview, ethic, style. I'm not sure there's a perfect word for it.

With so much on offer these days, I think it's hard to find that sort of tether or anchor you can use to guide how you encounter life's moments, large and small.

For me, it's a combination of stoicism and mindful awareness, with some bit of a virtue ethics framework sprinkled in there. Sounds to me like shmenguin found something that's working for him.

Hmm.

I would suggest labor. Ora et labora. Skip the ora part and dig in.

Start farming. Or ranching. Or welding (a personal hobby of mine). Or just a garden.

It may seem like I'm being facetious or sarcastic, but I'm not. There is a lot of "something" in honest physical labor.

Anyhoo, I am certainly glad shmenguin found something. I wish him well, even though I still don't get what upset him so much.

Mega ditto on the physical labor thing. Since I've worked on becoming more self-sufficient (it's mostly a prepper thing I admit) my countenance has improved.

Mega ditto on the physical labor thing. Since I've worked on becoming more self-sufficient (it's mostly a prepper thing I admit) my countenance has improved.

Holy ****. Don't make me like you. Haha.

I've spent a decent amount of time today doing the designing and initial work on making my rabbitry.

Since I feel like I can relate to some of shmenguin's comments, I'll chime in.

For me, I guess it's about the quest for equanimity. And I think that starts with finding a reliable, scaleable something to guide how you live. Call it a personal philosophy, worldview, ethic, style. I'm not sure there's a perfect word for it.

With so much on offer these days, I think it's hard to find that sort of tether or anchor you can use to guide how you encounter life's moments, large and small.

For me, it's a combination of stoicism and mindful awareness, with some bit of a virtue ethics framework sprinkled in there. Sounds to me like shmenguin found something that's working for him.

Hmm.

I would suggest labor. Ora et labora. Skip the ora part and dig in.

Start farming. Or ranching. Or welding (a personal hobby of mine). Or just a garden.

It may seem like I'm being facetious or sarcastic, but I'm not. There is a lot of "something" in honest physical labor.

Anyhoo, I am certainly glad shmenguin found something. I wish him well, even though I still don't get what upset him so much.

Spending college summers landscaping and building retaining walls definitely showed me that. I feel like I get similar satisfaction out of brief writing. There's a similar sense of creation when finished, and when meaningful precedent is created as a result, there's even great satisfaction.

Since I feel like I can relate to some of shmenguin's comments, I'll chime in.

For me, I guess it's about the quest for equanimity. And I think that starts with finding a reliable, scaleable something to guide how you live. Call it a personal philosophy, worldview, ethic, style. I'm not sure there's a perfect word for it.

With so much on offer these days, I think it's hard to find that sort of tether or anchor you can use to guide how you encounter life's moments, large and small.

For me, it's a combination of stoicism and mindful awareness, with some bit of a virtue ethics framework sprinkled in there. Sounds to me like shmenguin found something that's working for him.

Hmm.

I would suggest labor. Ora et labora. Skip the ora part and dig in.

Start farming. Or ranching. Or welding (a personal hobby of mine). Or just a garden.

It may seem like I'm being facetious or sarcastic, but I'm not. There is a lot of "something" in honest physical labor.

Anyhoo, I am certainly glad shmenguin found something. I wish him well, even though I still don't get what upset him so much.

What’s the nature of your curiosity? If I left it abstract and said general anxiety and depression, would that be descriptive enough? I’m just not sure of the nature of your question, and I’m honestly skeptical that it’s in good faith. It’s not “existence” as c2i thought, but your response to that was judgemental enough that I have questions about your motive here.

Since I feel like I can relate to some of shmenguin's comments, I'll chime in.

For me, I guess it's about the quest for equanimity. And I think that starts with finding a reliable, scaleable something to guide how you live. Call it a personal philosophy, worldview, ethic, style. I'm not sure there's a perfect word for it.

With so much on offer these days, I think it's hard to find that sort of tether or anchor you can use to guide how you encounter life's moments, large and small.

For me, it's a combination of stoicism and mindful awareness, with some bit of a virtue ethics framework sprinkled in there. Sounds to me like shmenguin found something that's working for him.

Hmm.

I would suggest labor. Ora et labora. Skip the ora part and dig in.

Start farming. Or ranching. Or welding (a personal hobby of mine). Or just a garden.

It may seem like I'm being facetious or sarcastic, but I'm not. There is a lot of "something" in honest physical labor.

Anyhoo, I am certainly glad shmenguin found something. I wish him well, even though I still don't get what upset him so much.

Does anyone know how difficult it would be to get into ranching/farming?

I've been having this thought for about a year now...I enjoy my work but I don't want to spend the rest of my life in front of a computer or in meeting rooms. In a perfect world at some point I'd quit and work on a ranch for a year or so just to get a taste and see if it's something I can be happy doing but I have no concept if I'd get hired since I have no experience ranching

Farming, even urban farming is not "hard" to get into. It all depends on what scale you want to get into.

What’s the nature of your curiosity? If I left it abstract and said general anxiety and depression, would that be descriptive enough? I’m just not sure of the nature of your question, and I’m honestly skeptical that it’s in good faith. It’s not “existence” as c2i thought, but your response to that was judgemental enough that I have questions about your motive here.

Whatevs. I'm bored talking to you.