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Unfolding Nature Shop: Unfolding Nature: Being in the Implicate Order

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Chasing Our Tails
    #15898263 -

It seems to me that life, or the constant struggle we all experience, is nothing more than constant attempts at making our environment one where we are finally content. We may even feel that we are closing in on this fabled state, only to be one tiny step away, and yet we can never seal the deal. Perfection is always so very close yet unattainable, and I very strongly doubt that anyone has ever been completely content and devoid of wants. The closest anyone ever gets is probably through the use of drugs like heroin, and even then there is the desire for more. I have come to think that it is physically impossible for anyone to reach such a state.

I also think that happiness is a result of feeling relatively closer to the perfect state. Our entire landscape of emotion experienced throughout life is only a reflection on how close we feel to nirvana, and when we finally reach nirvana we are no longer capable of experiencing it.

We are chasing our tails.


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Live your Life! :heart:

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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: 4896744]
    #15898288 -

I think it's impossible to know enough about reality to ever be truly content. No matter how happy you are at any given time, you know that you're gonna die at some point and you don't know if this will lead to you losing the lot. I think people are always going to be dissatisfied with life because of their mortality.


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"They consider me insane but I know that I am a hero living under the eyes of the gods."

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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: viktor]
    #15898475 -

That is one of the biggest causes of discontent, but definitely not the only one imo.


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Live your Life! :heart:

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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: 4896744] * 2
    #15898650 -

this all just sounds depressed. Life isnt a constant struggle, imo. The game of life is to achieve maximum enjoyment with minimum struggle. Perfection occurs, but it is only perfect in the moment. The next moment must achieve its own perfection. The past moment, which was perfect at the time, is now just a memory of that perfect thing, which is therefore imperfect.
If I am dancing, playing music, playing videogames, trying a new sport like skiing (just an example that came to my head) or just about doing anything enjoyable and engageing, then life is perfect. All the boring or stressful or tiresome parts of life in between become 'worth it'. They led up to the moment of enjoyment.

Life therefore consists of two periods - the striving towards enjoyment, and the enjoyment of enjoyment.

If you are striving too much and enjoying too little, then it is probably the result of these two things:
bad luck (poor family, bad genes, bad parenting choices, violent social situations, etc)
or
bad soul (not trying hard and/or honest enough, not 'using enough willpower')

Also, good luck can allow some people to achieve a lot of enjoyment without putting in much effort or imagination.

Finally, it is worth noting that ignorance (either through lack of information or lack of understanding) can also help a person enjoy life. Attempting to obtain ignorance will probably never work though, because you must think about yourself being ignorant for that to happen, and most people do not enjoy thinking that they might be ignorant when they know the 'bad things' which they might be ignorant of.


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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: Noteworthy]
    #15898696 -

there is no content unless denial is a big part of your life. it has to do with being human. human minds will not allow contentment. the closest to sanity in my opinion would be wild animals or plants... and plants dont think, at least not the way i'd imagine an animal. i think people can reach a level of happiness with or without drugs. but just like anything else, it doesn't last.


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"Don't just do something, stand there!" -Mr. Rabbit-

              Breadnbutterfly

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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: 4896744]
    #15899417 -

iThink said:
It seems to me that life, or the constant struggle we all experience, is nothing more than constant attempts at making our environment one where we are finally content.


This assumes that happiness is exclusively dependent on external things.  If we can learn to adjust our emotional reactions to events that happen to us then we can find a more lasting and ultimately satisfying happiness, IMO.


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We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.

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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: deCypher]
    #15899644 -

Looking back on it, I guess I am just speaking for me personally. I am chasing my own tail.


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Live your Life! :heart:

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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: 4896744]
    #15899651 -

So am I.  :highfive1:


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We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.

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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: deCypher]
    #15899654 -

deCypher said:
iThink said:
It seems to me that life, or the constant struggle we all experience, is nothing more than constant attempts at making our environment one where we are finally content.


This assumes that happiness is exclusively dependent on external things.  If we can learn to adjust our emotional reactions to events that happen to us then we can find a more lasting and ultimately satisfying happiness, IMO.


I think it would be pretty honest to include our emotional landscape as part of our "environment".  Of course, that raises the question of who is in that environment, as my emotions seem to be a part of who I am.  :shrug:  What do you think?

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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: Sleepwalker]
    #15899667 -

Sleepwalker said:
deCypher said:
iThink said:
It seems to me that life, or the constant struggle we all experience, is nothing more than constant attempts at making our environment one where we are finally content.


This assumes that happiness is exclusively dependent on external things.  If we can learn to adjust our emotional reactions to events that happen to us then we can find a more lasting and ultimately satisfying happiness, IMO.


I think it would be pretty honest to include our emotional landscape as part of our "environment".  Of course, that raises the question of who is in that environment, as my emotions seem to be a part of who I am.  :shrug:  What do you think?


I was going to say something similar, but getting into an argument on which arbitrary distinction is better seemed to be getting off topic.


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Live your Life! :heart:

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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: 4896744] * 1
    #15899683 -

Arbitrary linguistic arguments are what this forum is all about!  :lol:

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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: Sleepwalker]
    #15900218 -

Sleepwalker said:
Arbitrary linguistic arguments are what this forum is all about!  :lol:


:lol: True that.


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Live your Life! :heart:

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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: 4896744]
    #15900466 -

iThink said:
Looking back on it, I guess I am just speaking for me personally. I am chasing my own tail.


everyone is... i've thought of life itself as a dog chasing it's tail. i also tend to link everything to circles. so i believe everyone is. in my opinion, if you are not "chasing your tail" you are not much of a thinker. and those shmucks have accepted less at an earlier time than those who have a more realistic perspective on life.  :earth: speaking of circles.... a round planet spinning on a circular rotation.... clock work. the earth chases itself and cannot keep up. people either give up, or chase after the untouchable.


--------------------
"Don't just do something, stand there!" -Mr. Rabbit-

              Breadnbutterfly

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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: Breadnbutterfly86]
    #15900523 -

you just won most ambiguous post of the day award.

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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: 4896744] * 1
    #15900539 -

iThink said:
It seems to me that life, or the constant struggle we all experience, is nothing more than constant attempts at making our environment one where we are finally content. We may even feel that we are closing in on this fabled state, only to be one tiny step away, and yet we can never seal the deal. Perfection is always so very close yet unattainable, and I very strongly doubt that anyone has ever been completely content and devoid of wants. The closest anyone ever gets is probably through the use of drugs like heroin, and even then there is the desire for more. I have come to think that it is physically impossible for anyone to reach such a state.

I also think that happiness is a result of feeling relatively closer to the perfect state. Our entire landscape of emotion experienced throughout life is only a reflection on how close we feel to nirvana, and when we finally reach nirvana we are no longer capable of experiencing it.

We are chasing our tails.


Stop chasing then.

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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: White Beard] * 2
    #15900596 -

White Beard said:
Stop chasing then.


Easier said than done, sometimes.  This can lead straight into another thought loop about "how to stop chasing".  :facepalm:

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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: Sleepwalker]
    #15900648 -

Yeah, I agree. That's why it's not an action of stopping chasing. It's just the realization that chasing leads to suffering, and then the natural letting go of the chasing behavior when it is seen as detrimental.

This is just my own personal observations of my own experience. May not be the same for everyone.

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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: White Beard]
    #15904322 -

White Beard said:
Yeah, I agree. That's why it's not an action of stopping chasing. It's just the realization that chasing leads to suffering, and then the natural letting go of the chasing behavior when it is seen as detrimental.

This is just my own personal observations of my own experience. May not be the same for everyone.


I agree. You can't get hung up on stopping the chase because it becomes a chase in and of itself. Letting go is a good way of describing a way that helps you make some progress IME. I am still very young, so hopefully I will continue to get better. Oops! And there I go wishing again... :lol:


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Live your Life! :heart:

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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: Sleepwalker]
    #15904923 -

Sleepwalker said:
White Beard said:
Stop chasing then.


Easier said than done, sometimes.  This can lead straight into another thought loop about "how to stop chasing".  :facepalm:


:thumbup:

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Re: Chasing Our Tails [Re: Hobozen]
    #15912658 -

i think the trick is to observe yourself chasing your tail and to become impartial to the happiness or sadness you may feel in the process. you have no control, you are impermanent and everything is unsatisfactory.


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Kupo said:
let's fuel the robots with psilocybin.

cez said:
everyone should smoke dmt for religion.

dustinthewind13 said:
euthanasia and prostitution should be legal and located in the same building.

White Beard said:
if you see the buddha on the road, rape him, then kill him. then rape him again.

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Unfolding Nature Shop: Unfolding Nature: Being in the Implicate Order

General Interest > Philosophy, Sociology & Psychology
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