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InvisibleRationalEgo
Principium Individuationis

Registered: 06/15/09
Posts: 2,122
Loc: Boston
Difficulty as Opportunity * 4
    #28664508 - 02/17/24 07:35 PM (4 months, 6 days ago)

I have been adjusting my thinking lately to focus on gratitude and spotting the best opportunities in the day to meditate on and practice virtues. There is an ancient chinese proverb about problems being opportunities and as cliche as that sounds a lot of problems are truly opportunities to learn and grow. I used to envy in my younger years people who grew up in rich families that had everything that I was never able to have growing up, but these days I see that the struggles that I had growing up shaped the kind of virtues that I am still practicing and getting better at everyday. I have gotten very interested in stoicism too, as a philosophy. Its actually a little similar to buddhism in a way, minus the esoteric aspects. I like the idea of virtue ethics and the the identification that difficulties in life are opportunities to practice patience, courage, justice, temperance and wisdom. The oldler I get the more I know that I know so little. I'm quite hard headed so its only now that I'm older that circumstances have humbled me into learning some hard truths about myself and learning how to correct some of my defects of character. I don't at all envy this generation growing up in this deeply interconnected and increasingly narcasarcistic culture though and I do consider myself to be fortunate to have grown up mostly without the ever present interwebs. I really think that ancient philosophy has a lot to teach us and its quite a pity that I come across time and again this attitude amoungus younger people that the ancients have nothing much to teach us and that we are at the very height of our civilization. Maybe technology that is true but in most ways we are pretty much the same flawed individuals as ever. Difficulties, whilst almost always painful, stressful and uncomfortable provide us with the opportunity to learn, grow and become more skilled in whatever it is we are lacking inside ourselves and it took me a long time to realize this and stop complaining so much. There is also something to learn I think in relinquishing this need to control what often is beyond our control. I think the more we struggle sometimes, the more we can learn to let go more and focus only on what we can really control, which is often times found in how we respond to events and not the events themselves. Has anyone here read Meditations by Marcus Aurlius?

Edited by RationalEgo (02/18/24 12:33 AM)

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InvisibleOrgoneConclusion
Blue Fish Group
Male User Gallery


Registered: 04/01/07
Posts: 45,441
Loc: Under the C
Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: RationalEgo]
    #28664538 - 02/17/24 07:44 PM (4 months, 6 days ago)

Quote:

I have been adjusting my thinking lately to focus on gratitude




Gratitude towards whom and why?


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Invisibleredgreenvines
irregular verb
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Registered: 04/08/04
Posts: 38,974
Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: OrgoneConclusion]
    #28664619 - 02/17/24 08:34 PM (4 months, 6 days ago)

maybe this kind of linguistic alignment is what we have to learn to put on our resumes just in case of AI based human resources management.

However, on a moment to moment basis, with some tinkering, the OP might have  been on to something. or was, and then could not remember how to get back on topic.


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:confused: _ :brainfart:đź§   _ :finger:

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Invisiblechopstick
nobody
Male


Registered: 07/26/08
Posts: 5,265
Loc: Chin's Wok
Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: RationalEgo]
    #28664688 - 02/17/24 09:36 PM (4 months, 6 days ago)

For what it's worth, the various entities that speak through channels often speak at length about how difficulty is indeed opportunity, and that suffering and pain are necessary facets of the physical existence as we know it - also known as third density - as they provide the necessary opportunities for spiritual growth.

The spiritual term for this suffering and pain is 'catalyst'. It provides catalyst for spiritual growth, wisdom and learning.

The point of our world, or of third density, is not so we can be comfortable and and happy all of the time. Pain, suffering, failure, all of these things are necessary, as ultimately the only point of our existence is spiritual growth.

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InvisibleOrgoneConclusion
Blue Fish Group
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Registered: 04/01/07
Posts: 45,441
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Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: chopstick]
    #28664695 - 02/17/24 09:41 PM (4 months, 6 days ago)

Quote:

the various entities that speak through channels




Are pure imagination. The End.


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Invisibleredgreenvines
irregular verb
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Registered: 04/08/04
Posts: 38,974
Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: OrgoneConclusion] * 1
    #28664713 - 02/17/24 09:59 PM (4 months, 6 days ago)

Yeah
It's a conversation killer.


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:confused: _ :brainfart:đź§   _ :finger:

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InvisibleRationalEgo
Principium Individuationis

Registered: 06/15/09
Posts: 2,122
Loc: Boston
Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: OrgoneConclusion] * 1
    #28664805 - 02/18/24 12:21 AM (4 months, 6 days ago)

Quote:

OrgoneConclusion said:
Quote:

I have been adjusting my thinking lately to focus on gratitude




Gratitude towards whom and why?




I suppose gratitude can be towards many objects, be it to family, friends, coworkers or whoever perhaps..... but in a spiritual, maybe metaphysical sense also to God if one is so inclined to believe in a creator, or perhaps just the universe, or even just being grateful without an object, just grateful for everything: an attitude thankfullness towards life itself for the opportunity to live? Does gratitude even need an object to be grateful towards, or can it just be a positive mental state? I don't really know to be honest, but im grateful for your question.

As to why? Well because wihtout gratitude i think bitterness and resentments tend build up and steal our joy. Thats why I think its important.

Edited by RationalEgo (02/18/24 12:35 AM)

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InvisibleRationalEgo
Principium Individuationis

Registered: 06/15/09
Posts: 2,122
Loc: Boston
Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: redgreenvines]
    #28664806 - 02/18/24 12:23 AM (4 months, 6 days ago)

Quote:

redgreenvines said:
maybe this kind of linguistic alignment is what we have to learn to put on our resumes just in case of AI based human resources management.




Haha! That made me giggle.:grin:

Quote:



However, on a moment to moment basis, with some tinkering, the OP might have  been on to something. or was, and then could not remember how to get back on topic.




I did meander a little! :tongue:

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Invisibleredgreenvines
irregular verb
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Registered: 04/08/04
Posts: 38,974
Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: RationalEgo] * 2
    #28664812 - 02/18/24 12:37 AM (4 months, 5 days ago)

Here I am typing again.
that puts me way out of touch with my breathing meditation,
and I did eat too much breakfast.
but I will begin again shortly (following my breath), and then this typing wont have much impact any more.
it will still hover in Short Term Memory, and flare and sputter for a while among the torrent of mental contents, most of which are distraction, or infill, but reflex just the same.


--------------------
:confused: _ :brainfart:đź§   _ :finger:

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InvisibleTriskelope
Creating
Female


Registered: 01/07/24
Posts: 110
Loc: In my head
Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: RationalEgo]
    #28665345 - 02/18/24 10:52 AM (4 months, 5 days ago)

I can’t recall where I heard it, but it was an interesting take on embracing difficulties and challenges in our lives - the speaker pointed out how evolution in all lifeforms/ species is in response to challenges in their environment. If we were never presented with obstacles and challenges, then there’s no opportunity / incentive to learn from them, change or improve.

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OfflineFreedom
Pigment of your imagination
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Registered: 05/26/05
Posts: 6,047
Last seen: 16 days, 4 hours
Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: RationalEgo] * 1
    #28665397 - 02/18/24 11:51 AM (4 months, 5 days ago)

My experience of experiences changes so much depending on how I view them

curiosity (what can i learn), love (how can i benefit), joy (how can I appreciate) are powerful ways of transforming how experiences are viewed

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InvisibleTriskelope
Creating
Female


Registered: 01/07/24
Posts: 110
Loc: In my head
Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: Freedom]
    #28665433 - 02/18/24 12:15 PM (4 months, 5 days ago)

Quote:

Freedom said:
My experience of experiences changes so much depending on how I view them

curiosity (what can i learn), love (how can i benefit), joy (how can I appreciate) are powerful ways of transforming how experiences are viewed




100% yes, this.

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Invisibleredgreenvines
irregular verb
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Registered: 04/08/04
Posts: 38,974
Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: Freedom]
    #28666063 - 02/18/24 08:12 PM (4 months, 5 days ago)

Quote:

Freedom said:
My experience of experiences changes so much depending on how I view them

curiosity (what can i learn), love (how can i benefit), joy (how can I appreciate) are powerful ways of transforming how experiences are viewed



I am glad you finally admit what love means to you. "how I can benefit" - you have commodified it.


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:confused: _ :brainfart:đź§   _ :finger:

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InvisibleTriskelope
Creating
Female


Registered: 01/07/24
Posts: 110
Loc: In my head
Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: redgreenvines]
    #28666136 - 02/18/24 09:28 PM (4 months, 5 days ago)

Quote:

redgreenvines said:
Quote:

Freedom said:
My experience of experiences changes so much depending on how I view them

curiosity (what can i learn), love (how can i benefit), joy (how can I appreciate) are powerful ways of transforming how experiences are viewed



I am glad you finally admit what love means to you. "how I can benefit" - you have commodified it.




I took it as meaning to accept the experience lovingly, as in seeing it as being beneficial to one’s self rather than being fearful / rejecting it.

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Invisibleredgreenvines
irregular verb
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Registered: 04/08/04
Posts: 38,974
Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: Triskelope]
    #28666187 - 02/18/24 10:21 PM (4 months, 5 days ago)

You mean because it is positively instrumental?
how is that not a commodification of emotional qualia?

I am not saying that this is wrong, but I am trying to look at things in their own light as they are.


--------------------
:confused: _ :brainfart:đź§   _ :finger:

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OfflineFreedom
Pigment of your imagination
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Registered: 05/26/05
Posts: 6,047
Last seen: 16 days, 4 hours
Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: redgreenvines]
    #28666192 - 02/18/24 10:25 PM (4 months, 5 days ago)

Quote:

redgreenvines said:
Quote:

Freedom said:
My experience of experiences changes so much depending on how I view them

curiosity (what can i learn), love (how can i benefit), joy (how can I appreciate) are powerful ways of transforming how experiences are viewed



I am glad you finally admit what love means to you. "how I can benefit" - you have commodified it.





in this particular instance

it means different things in different instances, as i've clearly pointed out to you before

words depend on context, duh!

are you really this dense or are you playing games?

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OfflineFreedom
Pigment of your imagination
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Registered: 05/26/05
Posts: 6,047
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Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: Freedom] * 1
    #28666195 - 02/18/24 10:28 PM (4 months, 5 days ago)

Quote:

Freedom said:
Quote:

redgreenvines said:
Quote:

Freedom said:
My experience of experiences changes so much depending on how I view them

curiosity (what can i learn), love (how can i benefit), joy (how can I appreciate) are powerful ways of transforming how experiences are viewed



I am glad you finally admit what love means to you. "how I can benefit" - you have commodified it.





in this particular instance

it means different things in different instances, as i've clearly pointed out to you before

words depend on context, duh!

are you really this dense or are you playing games?





what are you getting at with commodification? that im turning love into something solid and trying to trade it with someone else for something of value?

i don't see that here at all.

its like looking at a plant and seeing it wilting. I could say "oh no this is a problem oh god I'm such a terrible gardener!"

or I could say, what can i do from a caring perspective to help the situation? I can water it!

there is nothing to gain, everything flows on.

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Invisiblesudly
Quasar Praiser

Registered: 01/05/15
Posts: 11,775
Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: RationalEgo] * 1
    #28666236 - 02/19/24 12:16 AM (4 months, 5 days ago)

Quote:

RationalEgo said:
I have been adjusting my thinking lately to focus on gratitude and spotting the best opportunities in the day to meditate on and practice virtues. There is an ancient chinese proverb about problems being opportunities and as cliche as that sounds a lot of problems are truly opportunities to learn and grow. I used to envy in my younger years people who grew up in rich families that had everything that I was never able to have growing up, but these days I see that the struggles that I had growing up shaped the kind of virtues that I am still practicing and getting better at everyday. I have gotten very interested in stoicism too, as a philosophy. Its actually a little similar to buddhism in a way, minus the esoteric aspects. I like the idea of virtue ethics and the the identification that difficulties in life are opportunities to practice patience, courage, justice, temperance and wisdom. The oldler I get the more I know that I know so little. I'm quite hard headed so its only now that I'm older that circumstances have humbled me into learning some hard truths about myself and learning how to correct some of my defects of character. I don't at all envy this generation growing up in this deeply interconnected and increasingly narcasarcistic culture though and I do consider myself to be fortunate to have grown up mostly without the ever present interwebs. I really think that ancient philosophy has a lot to teach us and its quite a pity that I come across time and again this attitude amoungus younger people that the ancients have nothing much to teach us and that we are at the very height of our civilization. Maybe technology that is true but in most ways we are pretty much the same flawed individuals as ever. Difficulties, whilst almost always painful, stressful and uncomfortable provide us with the opportunity to learn, grow and become more skilled in whatever it is we are lacking inside ourselves and it took me a long time to realize this and stop complaining so much. There is also something to learn I think in relinquishing this need to control what often is beyond our control. I think the more we struggle sometimes, the more we can learn to let go more and focus only on what we can really control, which is often times found in how we respond to events and not the events themselves. Has anyone here read Meditations by Marcus Aurlius?




Applying your comment to my own insights;

Quote:

In addressing the cognitive and emotional challenge of attenuating distractions incongruent with our core focus and goals, we can draw upon the Principles of Neurocognitive Fluidity and Adaptation, alongside insights from Stoicism, particularly as espoused in Marcus Aurelius's "Meditations." This ancient philosophy, much like the Principle of Continuous Evolution, emphasises growth, adaptation, and the recognition of difficulties as opportunities for personal development.

Application of Principles:

Principle of Cognitive Coherence: Aligning one's focus and goals with intrinsic values necessitates a harmonious relationship between our perceptions, actions, and internal states. By adopting Stoic principles, one can achieve cognitive coherence by ensuring that daily actions and thoughts are congruent with virtues like patience, courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom. This alignment reduces cognitive dissonance and minimises distractions by fostering a unified sense of purpose.

Principle of Cognitive Resource Optimisation: This principle underscores the efficient management of cognitive capacities. In the context of Stoicism, this can be interpreted as focusing our mental resources on what is within our control, as advised by Marcus Aurelius. By directing our attention and energy towards actionable and productive tasks that reflect our virtues and goals, we can more effectively filter out non-essential stimuli.

Principle of Increasing Cognitive Entropy: While distractions can increase cognitive entropy, leading to disordered mental states, Stoicism teaches us to view these challenges as opportunities to practice and strengthen our virtues. The process of engaging with and overcoming distractions can lead to the development of novel cognitive patterns and resilience, turning potential disorder into personal growth.

Principle of Absolute Cognitive Ground: Stoicism, particularly the meditations of Marcus Aurelius, provides a philosophical grounding that can serve as a baseline for cognitive and emotional processing. This "ground state" of Stoic virtues can guide our responses to external events, ensuring that our actions are rooted in a stable and coherent philosophical framework.

Principle of Continuous Evolution: Embracing the Stoic view of difficulties as opportunities mirrors this principle's emphasis on the dynamic nature of cognitive and emotional growth. By continuously engaging with and adapting to challenges, we align with our intrinsic values and evolve our cognitive and emotional landscapes towards greater sophistication and resilience.

Strategies for Attenuation of Distractions:

Reflective Practice: Regularly engage in Stoic reflection, perhaps through journaling or meditation, to reaffirm your commitment to core values and virtues. This practice can enhance awareness of distractions and their misalignment with your goals.

Cognitive Reappraisal: View distractions not as nuisances but as tests of your Stoic virtues. Each distraction becomes a chance to practice patience, temperance, or another relevant virtue, thereby reducing its negative impact.

Selective Engagement: Consciously choose which stimuli to engage with based on their relevance to your core values and objectives. This selective attention can help in minimising the impact of non-essential distractions.

Environmental Modification: Alter your surroundings to reflect and facilitate your Stoic practices and goals, reducing the presence and impact of incongruent stimuli.

Community and Dialogue: Engage with a community of like-minded individuals who appreciate Stoic philosophy and its application to modern challenges. Shared insights and support can bolster your practice and focus.

Incorporating the Principles of Neurocognitive Fluidity and Adaptation with Stoic philosophy offers a robust framework for navigating distractions and aligning with intrinsic values. This integrated approach not only enhances focus and efficiency but also fosters a harmonious and resilient cognitive and emotional landscape, resonating deeply with the ancient wisdom of Stoicism and the dynamic nature of neurocognitive adaptation.




--------------------
I am whatever Darwin needs me to be.


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InvisibleRationalEgo
Principium Individuationis

Registered: 06/15/09
Posts: 2,122
Loc: Boston
Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: sudly]
    #28666254 - 02/19/24 01:07 AM (4 months, 4 days ago)

Wow, thanks for that sudly, really clear thinking there!:thumbup:

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OfflineBlue Cthulhu
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Registered: 05/27/19
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Loc: With the loons
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Re: Difficulty as Opportunity [Re: RationalEgo] * 1
    #28666846 - 02/19/24 12:35 PM (4 months, 4 days ago)

Totally with you, OP. In yogic traditions the deeper meaning of Tantra (and Buddhist Vajrayana) entails meeting all circumstances and situations, and utilizing them (alchemizing them) to further one’s own spiritual “progress.” Until the realization firmly takes root that there is no “good” or “bad,” that these are judgments that attempt to deny aspects of reality.

I’ve also heard that the throat chakra in particular is associated with “transforming negative circumstances into positive.” I believe in Hindu mythology, Shiva used his throat to swallow, but hold and transform into nectar, a poison that threatened to overtake the world (unleashed by demons). So, transmutation is another name for the game!


--------------------
:musicnote:  :royalrainbow:
"Things are true that I forget, but no one taught that to me yet."
A disembodied-re-embodied consciousness be-ing
(With all the accoutrements.)

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