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 rewtuser
Registered: 02/23/08
Posts: 30
Last seen: 19 hours, 54 minutes
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 Human suffering
#8391392 - 05/12/08 01:23 AM (4 months, 24 days ago) |
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I don't let it overcrowd my thought process, but I'm about to graduate college and I cannot help but think of all the wealth I might acquire over the next 30-50 years of my life and how little it matters in comparison to other things going on around the world.
While I worry about finishing college and paying for my next half of weed, there's a young boy dying of hunger RIGHT NOW whose parents are either not alive anymore or do not even care. I can't seem to actually find value in what I am doing, even though I have tried for so long to be where I am at, when it comes down to it, none of it matters. Nothing material matters at all, but I'm about to begin my 'career' that's supposed to be fueled by my greed for 'stuff'?
I want my life to be much more simple, but how can I go about this in a country (America) that encourages a lifestyle that requires one be largely in debt?
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 OneMoreRobot3021
punky jewster
Registered: 06/06/03
Posts: 55,972
Loc: new york shitty
Last seen: 1 minute, 58 seconds
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Re: Human suffering [Re: rewtuser]
#8391422 - 05/12/08 01:34 AM (4 months, 24 days ago) |
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Work, and earn, and then do good works. And on a local scale, an immediate scale, around yourself, work to be loving and to foster a sense of community among those you love.
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The Drug Policy Alliance  Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
"The psychedelic experience - it has a tremendous force to revivify the spirit, particularly because it is not an ideology. It is not something someone 'figured out.' It is an EXPERIENCE. And this is important to bear in mind." - McKenna.
"We're not mad, we're just doing what we want. You rigid thinkers can't recognize the healthy sanity of that." - Harlan Ellison, "Crackpots"
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Akira
CosmicConsciousness
Registered: 12/30/05
Posts: 1,313
Loc: Everywhere
Last seen: 3 months, 15 days
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Re: Human suffering [Re: rewtuser]
#8391427 - 05/12/08 01:36 AM (4 months, 24 days ago) |
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They put a good documentary on National Geographic Channel called The Human Footprint about how much the average american human waistes throughout theor entire life span(from pampers to toilet paper, cloth, etc.
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Orissa India Bulk Grow (Tub Tek)
Bulk Steamer Pasteurizer Tek
"Our intention is our eternal fingerprint in the universe."
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 Cameron
perma-stone
Registered: 10/31/07
Posts: 2,140
Loc: Canada
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Re: Human suffering [Re: rewtuser]
#8391435 - 05/12/08 01:40 AM (4 months, 24 days ago) |
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I'm in the same boat. I'm at this crossroads, trying to pick a career, but I have no desire for wealth or status. It really is a horrible feeling, realizing that everything you're working towards is meaningless and empty on a global scale, and that your lifestyle is contributing to the suffering of others in a very real way. I agree with OMR - live your life, make your money, and use it as you wish. Donate to charities, use your position to make a difference in someone else's life. Don't buy into a wasteful lifestyle if it doesn't feel right to you.
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DRTMaverick
Photographer and Stoner
Registered: 12/18/05
Posts: 3,985
Loc: Reno, NV, USA
Last seen: 37 minutes, 18 seconds
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Re: Human suffering [Re: Akira]
#8391440 - 05/12/08 01:41 AM (4 months, 24 days ago) |
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Yeah I don't like how humans live. I'd like to be in the older days, where you farm your own crops and have your own cattle, etc. All that with solar powered computers. :O
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Official '08 Pacific Northwest Shroomerite Gathering!
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razmablues
Fried Gypsy
Registered: 12/16/06
Posts: 2,312
Loc: OrangeCounty
Last seen: 4 hours, 25 minutes
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Quote:
OneMoreRobot3021 said:
Work, and earn, and then do good works. And on a local scale, an immediate scale, around yourself, work to be loving and to foster a sense of community among those you love.
excellent advice, i'd definitely let this one ring in my head for a while.
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All I know is that i'll still run, and pledge allegiance to the setting sun.
My Band!
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azurite
4got10horse
Registered: 03/18/07
Posts: 173
Loc: oregon coast range
Last seen: 4 months, 15 days
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get out while you still can. you'll never find happiness in modern america unless you help to overthrow it. the fact is if you want to earn a good amount of money and live comfortably, you will be hoarding goods that otherwise should be shared. saying that you'll give money to charities is crap and will never solve any of the problems. you can never do any good while your attention is centered on money. i fucking hate everything about money, what it can buy, what it cannot buy, the look of it, the smell of it, the thought of it. when this society collapses, do you think we'll still put value in money? the only values then will be relationships, family, food and water. just ask the third world.
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WhiskeyClone
Not here
Registered: 06/25/01
Posts: 12,963
Loc: Longitudinal Center of Ca...
Last seen: 2 hours, 58 minutes
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Re: Human suffering [Re: rewtuser]
#8391760 - 05/12/08 07:05 AM (4 months, 24 days ago) |
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Quote:
rewtuser said:
While I worry about finishing college and paying for my next half of weed, there's a young boy dying of hunger RIGHT NOW whose parents are either not alive anymore or do not even care. I can't seem to actually find value in what I am doing, even though I have tried for so long to be where I am at, when it comes down to it, none of it matters. Nothing material matters at all, but I'm about to begin my 'career' that's supposed to be fueled by my greed for 'stuff'?
There is nothing immoral about making money. If you are good to people around you, everything you do has value. It doesn't matter how much money you have or how much other people don't have. If you want to go to a place where there is widespread poverty, you have many choices.
But you don't have to go far if you want to help people. Help doesn't only come in the form of money and resources, it comes in the form of warm smiles, unexpected compliments, and genuine acceptance of others despite their faults. These acts change the quality of people's lives. America is rich in terms of money but impoverished in terms of happiness and kindness. Treasure every encounter you have with other human beings; this is valuable work, and you can do it anywhere, anytime.
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-oOo-
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. -- `Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' -- Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.
~ R.W. Emerson, "Self-Reliance"
-oOo-
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blewmeanie
meatloaf shaped god
Registered: 10/01/06
Posts: 5,095
Loc: Gainesville Fl
Last seen: 4 hours, 50 minutes
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Warm smiles don't mean a whole lot when you haven't eaten in a few weeks, and your skin is starting to crack and bleed from dehydration.
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It's not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong;
not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich;
not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned;
and not what we profess but what we practice that gives us integrity.
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WhiskeyClone
Not here
Registered: 06/25/01
Posts: 12,963
Loc: Longitudinal Center of Ca...
Last seen: 2 hours, 58 minutes
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Western culture seems to tell us that the only truly worthwhile thing we can do is feed skinny brown children in other countries we've only seen on TV. As if we have to go thousands of miles to find people who need help. Look around... everywhere you will find people who have all the food and money they need, but they are miserable. Something is always missing... maybe it's not because of something they haven't yet received, but something they haven't yet given.
It is this quiet misery that is the root of the apathy and greed that is responsible for war and famine. If people don't value kindness, why would they offer it (or anything else) to anyone, without getting something in return?
When some stranger is kind to another for no apparent reason, that person's whole day can be turned around. People are at their best on days like those. If the starving, dehydrated person you described is going to be helped, that help is going to come from someone who is kind. People who have received unsolicited kindness pass it on in multiples.
Genuine kindness is always meaningful. Don't overlook its power.
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-oOo-
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. -- `Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' -- Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.
~ R.W. Emerson, "Self-Reliance"
-oOo-
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circularvortex
Spinning...spinning
Registered: 08/31/06
Posts: 4,403
Last seen: 5 hours, 50 minutes
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Re: Human suffering [Re: rewtuser]
#8391832 - 05/12/08 07:58 AM (4 months, 24 days ago) |
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Try not to blame yourself for other peoples' mistakes. It's not your fault we overcrowd the planet and unequally distribute resources. Enjoy the comforts your hard work will provide you with, and take heed of OMR's advice.
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No statements made in any post or message by myself should be construed to mean that I am now, or have ever been, participating in or considering participation in any activities in violation of any local, state, federal, or fashion police laws. All posts are works of fiction.
For well you know
That it's a fool
Who plays it cool
By making his world
A little colder
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TheHappyHippies
Dick Hippie
Registered: 05/07/08
Posts: 107
Loc: Your mom, somewhere near ...
Last seen: 3 months, 25 days
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Wow! What a great post! I think it is AWESOME that you are thinking about these things. It is so important! I fear most people who make a lot of money disassociate from such concerns, and focus on themselves, and those in their immediate circle. There is a reason why the Bible says it is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle then it is to fit a rich man into heaven. (Though apparently that reason is lost on most modern Christians)
 Yay for you not being a selfish twat!
~Jane
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Under the old oak tree,
The Village Idiot sat...
Amusing himself, by abusing himself
And catching it in his hat!
-Anonymous
Today's asshole is Chris!
-Chris Leavins & Colty
(www.cutewithchris.com)
-- Yes, I am THE Dick Hippie
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TheHappyHippies
Dick Hippie
Registered: 05/07/08
Posts: 107
Loc: Your mom, somewhere near ...
Last seen: 3 months, 25 days
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Quote:
rewtuser said:
But you don't have to go far if you want to help people. Help doesn't only come in the form of money and resources, it comes in the form of warm smiles, unexpected compliments, and genuine acceptance of others despite their faults. These acts change the quality of people's lives. America is rich in terms of money but impoverished in terms of happiness and kindness. Treasure every encounter you have with other human beings; this is valuable work, and you can do it anywhere, anytime.
--------------------
Under the old oak tree,
The Village Idiot sat...
Amusing himself, by abusing himself
And catching it in his hat!
-Anonymous
Today's asshole is Chris!
-Chris Leavins & Colty
(www.cutewithchris.com)
-- Yes, I am THE Dick Hippie
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niteowl
GrandPaw
Registered: 07/01/03
Posts: 5,718
Loc: Arkansas
Last seen: 8 hours, 27 minutes
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Re: Human suffering [Re: rewtuser]
#8391956 - 05/12/08 09:09 AM (4 months, 24 days ago) |
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Quote:
rewtuser said:
I want my life to be much more simple, but how can I go about this in a country (America) that encourages a lifestyle that requires one be largely in debt?
Lead a simple life.
NEVER get in debt, fuck that.
Pay as you go.
Quote:
WhiskeyClone said:
But you don't have to go far if you want to help people. Help doesn't only come in the form of money and resources, it comes in the form of warm smiles, unexpected compliments, and genuine acceptance of others despite their faults. These acts change the quality of people's lives. America is rich in terms of money but impoverished in terms of happiness and kindness. Treasure every encounter you have with other human beings; this is valuable work, and you can do it anywhere, anytime.
Sound advice indeed. 
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Being happy doesn't mean everythings perfect.
It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections
"Fear is the mind killer.
I will face my fear and let it pass thru me"
Paul Atreides: Dune
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azurite
4got10horse
Registered: 03/18/07
Posts: 173
Loc: oregon coast range
Last seen: 4 months, 15 days
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Re: Human suffering [Re: niteowl]
#8392209 - 05/12/08 10:47 AM (4 months, 24 days ago) |
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as an anarchist i vote with my money. maybe you should look into doing just that. only buy local and organic food. don't buy from china. we're preaching to the choir here though. i saw this movie called manufacturing landscapes and it scared the shit out of me. there was this one scene where they showed mountains of chinese coal as far as you could see, an undescribable amount. the coal shown was to be used in the following year just to power the chinese factories producing plastic junk for america. it's all fucked unless the other 99% of people decide on a complete new way of living. everyone could start by making their own methane to cook and heat with. big cities are going to have to go too, sorry. we need a few of those cloverfield monsters or aliens to take care of that problem. i don't think we're just all going to kill ourselves.
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Compass
Ancient Light
Registered: 10/17/06
Posts: 835
Loc: The Border of Reality
Last seen: 10 minutes, 52 seconds
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Re: Human suffering [Re: azurite]
#8392247 - 05/12/08 11:03 AM (4 months, 24 days ago) |
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Yeah, I absolutely hate cheap plastic junk. I see that no one really wants it and it just goes to the landfill - what a waste of resources.
The amount of talk about "voting with the dollar" is uniquely American. There are some things money can't buy, but I'm sure you're aware of that.
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PinballWizard
Naive and Gullible as usual
Registered: 03/20/04
Posts: 2,683
Last seen: 4 hours, 32 minutes
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Re: Human suffering [Re: rewtuser]
#8392437 - 05/12/08 12:01 PM (4 months, 24 days ago) |
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Make enough money just to survive, and donate the rest to starving kids.
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blewmeanie
meatloaf shaped god
Registered: 10/01/06
Posts: 5,095
Loc: Gainesville Fl
Last seen: 4 hours, 50 minutes
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Or......eat those starving kids. Its good for the enviroment. 
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It's not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong;
not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich;
not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned;
and not what we profess but what we practice that gives us integrity.
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WhiskeyClone
Not here
Registered: 06/25/01
Posts: 12,963
Loc: Longitudinal Center of Ca...
Last seen: 2 hours, 58 minutes
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Quote:
PinballWizard said:
Make enough money just to survive, and donate the rest to starving kids.
This is what you do?
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-oOo-
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. -- `Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' -- Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.
~ R.W. Emerson, "Self-Reliance"
-oOo-
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Nunbuh_Chrubble
I'm just a kittycat
Registered: 01/23/06
Posts: 932
Last seen: 1 month, 3 days
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To the OP:
sounds like you're ready for Buddhism. Siddhartha Guatama pondered the same things before he went out on his quest to find the end of all suffering.
The Four Noble Truths:
Quote:
The first truth, about the universality of suffering, teaches, in short, that all forms of existence are of necessity subject to suffering.
The second truth, about the origin of suffering, teaches that all suffering is rooted in selfish craving and ignorance, in tanha and avijja. It further explains the cause of this seeming injustice in nature, by teaching that nothing in the world can come into existence without reason or cause; and that not only all our latent tendencies, but our whole destiny, all weal and woe, results from causes which we have to seek partly in this life, partly in former states of existence.
The second truth further teaches us that the future life, with all its weal and woe, must result from the seeds sown in this and former lives.
The third truth, or the truth about the extinction of suffering, shows how, through the extinction of craving and ignorance, all suffering will vanish and liberation from this Samsara be attained.
The fourth truth shows the way, or the means by which this goal is reached. It is the Noble Eightfold Path of right understanding, right thought, right speech, right bodily action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration of mind.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nyanatiloka/wheel394.html
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Please help me create a mushroom cultivation wiki:
http://www.tccwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Mushroom_cultivation
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