So you want a Revolution...

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

that, and the fact that in my fairly broad experience, anyone I ever met who talked about enlightenment without being prompted has always turned out to be a twat.

QFT

[Ari]

The fact that the inhabitants of this board tend to scratch on everything to see what is underneath contributes to the delightfulness of this place.

I should point out that the first two posts were made in a state of great physical exhaustion and heavy intoxication (not a good prerequisite for trying to make a valid point) which most likely created a rather distorted frame for the message I wanted to convey. My english is pretty good but it's not native and therefor I'm going to struggle a bit with this every now and then, hopefully creating some fun for everyone involved.
Enlightenment, awakening, consciousness or awareness of the egoic mind - while possibly meaning similar things those terms can also give a very wide variety of impressions depending on how people are identifying with them and the context they are uttered in. I shall keep this in mind for the future. Being aware of the processes within my own mind definitely allows for more fun (which gets even better in a group of like minded people). However, the term "hip" is (for me) directly tied to some form of fashion and I feel very indifferent towards that. But that's just the way my conditioned mind is still identifying with being "hip" and while I am aware of that, I also understand that others most likely have a varying form of thought on that.
My earlier analogy meant to paint the picture of a bunch of twats that run around, jerking their own knees over being so great and independently thinking while they are actually caught up in their own trickery once more. The feeling of superiority is just another attempt of the ego to take form and find validation. Of course they are part of the cool puppets, because they got to the point where they can hold their own strings it's undeniable - but they are still puppets.
This reflection is partially based on experiences during my ongoing attempt to break free from the prison. The ability to redecorate at will, expand the cell, tear down a wall to have a balcony or get some saucy wenches to play with at the blink of a thought is certainly enjoyable. But at the same time it's just another attempt to make myself comfortable in a prison environment - and thus it's inadequate for the awareness behind my thoughts that came to understand the truth. After a recent breakthrough (much deeper and more frequent awareness of my egoic mind) I already feel the "jailer" in me getting scared, trying to assume a new shape and regain control. I'll see how this is going to play out. So far I was able to foil my ego's attempts to take over again...

Hopefully I can be misunderstood better now.


~planeswalker
will always come back here, probably dragging some dead animal with him to leave at the door while going to plunder the liquor cabinet

[East Coast Hustle]

oh, I get it.

you think it is possible to break out of the prison completely.

good luck with that.

EVERYONE is a puppet. in this analogy, holding your own strings is having achieved a level of self-discipline that allows you to account for much of the internal trickery. Dropping your own strings will not turn the internal trickery off, it will just render you limp and immobile.

[Adios]

oh, I get it.

you think it is possible to break out of the prison completely.

good luck with that.

EVERYONE is a puppet. in this analogy, holding your own strings is having achieved a level of self-discipline that allows you to account for much of the internal trickery. Dropping your own strings will not turn the internal trickery off, it will just render you limp and immobile.

Here is the truth. Our prisons are our own making and we control them. There is no escape except the realization that we are indeed in a prison.

[Elder Iptuous]

Here is the truth. Our prisons are our own making and we control them. There is no escape except the realization that we are indeed in a prison.

so it's more like a submarine than a prison.

[East Coast Hustle]

"Black Iron Submarine" just doesn't have the same panache.

[Cainad (dec.)]

Black Iron Bathysphere?

[Manta Obscura]

Maybe Black Iron Armored Car? It's something that we could be "trapped" in, but that's still mobile.

Still, not the same ring to it.

[Elder Iptuous]

20,000 leagues under constant delusion
'cause the view from your porthole just causes confusion
if you don't, on occasion, spin your submarine 'round,
then you won't see the kraken that's pulling you down....

[Manta Obscura]

20,000 leagues under constant delusion
'cause the view from your porthole just causes confusion
if you don't, on occasion, spin your submarine 'round,
then you won't see the kraken that's pulling you down....

Wow. That was absolutely beautiful.

[Cainad (dec.)]

Iptuous wins the thread.

[Elder Iptuous]

I'm glad you liked that.
since i work at a govt defense contractor, you kinda, indirectly, sorta paid me to diddle that out....

[Manta Obscura]

I'm glad you liked that.
since i work at a govt defense contractor, you kinda, indirectly, sorta paid me to diddle that out....

Money well spent, I say.

Semi-Philosophical question: if gov't workers are paid by the people, and if those same gov't workers are allowed to take restroom breaks while on the clock, does that me that the taxpayers technically pay for the production of shit?

[Adios]

20,000 leagues under constant delusion
'cause the view from your porthole just causes confusion
if you don't, on occasion, spin your submarine 'round,
then you won't see the kraken that's pulling you down....

This I liked.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

I think the flaw lies in capitalization:

I think we, as humans can achieve 'enlightenment', although I doubt that anyone has ever truly achieved Enlightenment.

That is, we begin our life as little eating, crying pooping machines. We get programmed to not cry as often, to poop at certain times, in certain places and to eat whatever is locally considered food.

Then we get programmed to understand our place in the group and our place in society and we also get programmed to believe in the weird bearded guy/golden haired woman/nothing/fat old guy whatever. Etc etc etc

However, we can become 'enlightened'. We can turn a light on and look at the process. Rather than this program/response situation that all humans appear to be involved with, we (any human) given the right tools, can examine this otherwise darkened process. If they really grok the concepts they can start tweaking the programs, modifying the programs, deleting programs and installing new programs.

They'll still run off of programs, but they won't be the 'factory defaults'... they will be enlightened to this process and the changes they can make.

True Enlgihtenment, I think is bullshit. The idea that we can transcend all constraints is foolish IMO. I think that there will always be constraints...


but I don't think that all constraints are necessarily prisons.