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Oldnameforgotten
Traveler

Registered: 10/19/19
Posts: 956
Loc: Pilbara Australia
Last seen: 2 years, 10 days
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Shaved my beard off
#26334727 - 11/21/19 12:27 AM (4 years, 2 months ago) |
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Looking into the mirror all I see is this beady eye, fat rolls under chin, fake human who has altered his appearance for the benefit of some ritualized societal norm. Visions of 1984 when winston is made to look into a mirror come to mind.
As I sit here very aware of a warmth on my face from the devastation that was just performed on it.... I cant help but ponder it all. For one it makes no sense that we shave off our beards. And for two the alienation of my shaved face from not having it so long makes me think about what else I have been habituated into thinking / believing / doing.
I would have no idea what was conditioned. It would just feel wrong to do X and that is all I would think on the matter. The question of whether or not I was conditioned to be that way wouldnt come up.
And then what even is what I am "supposed" to do in any given situation? How can I even define myself as anything but a product of my conditioning?
Is being human just forgiving the fact that we are slaves to our environment and have no responsibility for any of our actions and just placing this meaning of personal responsibility as a way of distancing ourselves from the natural world?
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laughingdog
Stranger

Registered: 03/14/04
Posts: 4,828
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Long ago studied with a Zen teacher who often said "too much thinking". Seems to be a common affliction.
Edited by laughingdog (11/21/19 01:38 AM)
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living_failure
unworthy



Registered: 06/13/19
Posts: 352
Loc: spain, madrid
Last seen: 3 years, 8 months
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Most common point in what is human essence or essence in general is what makes you be what you are and cannot change without making you stop being what you are.
Personally i think there is not "you" outside of an abstraction. you exist as an idea, not as a reality. And ideas doesn't exist but as rulesets to fill the blanks in our simulations and predictions of reality.
Your context is as important as being you as your current mucosa is.
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laughingdog
Stranger

Registered: 03/14/04
Posts: 4,828
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Re: OP
As the Zen advice maybe a little too terse, this may be easier for some?

Was briefly paranoid, decades ago. Such suffering seems to come partly from taking too many things too personally. Many seem to suffer from this to varying degrees. Probably partly why Sumedho wrote the book, with such a title.
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redgreenvines
irregular verb


Registered: 04/08/04
Posts: 37,532
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we adapt progressively to a changeable environment, and we have a natural inclination to be nomadic when that environment seems hostile, or some other environment beckons.
there are many stages as we react to changes: perplexity, loss, alarm, insight, planning, working towards new goals.
my wife does not like me to have a beard
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FungiMaster
Entrepreneur


Registered: 10/31/19
Posts: 998
Loc: Bay Area, CA, USA
Last seen: 4 years, 1 month
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Man shaving feels good after a week or two of not shaving. But once I had a fat beard and used beard oil, I guess it was alright then. But when I shaved off the beard, I had a layer of fat on my chin from the beard oil, lol.
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Rahz
Alive Again



Registered: 11/10/05
Posts: 9,230
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I shave my face every 4-5 days and trim my head to 1/2 inch every few weeks. I figure it's the least maintenance. I don't care to spend time cleaning or trimming a beard. I tried growing a beard thinking I could just lop the end off occasionally but it gave me the homeless bum look. So there is a social component, but I also don't have to worry about barbers itch or mustard on my mustache.
Anyway, escaping social conditioning seems to be a large part of why Thoreau spend a couple years living in isolation. I think it's good to accept as a responsibility the reduction of suffering which does lead to various other responsibilities. Everything else is just for show and often causes suffering, but it takes experimentation and introspection to discover what is and is not effective in that regard. Still, sure, it's all elective.
-------------------- rahz comfort pleasure power love truth awareness peace "You’re not looking close enough if you can only see yourself in people who look like you." —Ayishat Akanbi
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