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We should not look towards drugs to satisfy the void in our lives. We should not look to eating for pleasure, just for health. We should not look to our caree

We should not look towards drugs to satisfy the void in our lives. We should not look to eating for pleasure, just for health. We should not look to our career as a source of fulfillment - it's just a means to an end. We should not look to our mates as a source of salvation - we should focus on giving. We should not look to our kids as objects to make us whole - we should focus on giving... Ok, so if we're gonna take away all these things as "drugs", what's left?

dscrd 13y ago
Nirvana, according to some.
vdaniuk 13y ago
Nothing is left and the human life is truly devoid of meaning.
Ziomislaw 13y ago
you have a lot of opinions on what we all should do christian I presume?
- AznHisoka 13y ago
  Ha. I wanted to edit my post and add "(And please don't say God)". So the answer is no :)
  - cgore 13y ago
    That is basically the point of Ecclesiastes. King Solomon had access to everything, being king of one of the most powerful kingdoms of the time, worked his way through that whole list, and then at the end decided it was all pointless. He was a smart Paris Hilton, just with more money and absolute power.
    - darkspaten 13y ago
      And the most oft-repeated phrase in Ecclesiastes is, "Eat, drink, and be merry"
- ZoF 13y ago
  Did you read the article? He's quoting that... Also is it necessary to bring an unrelated belief system into this...?
a3voices 13y ago
Just work, and staring at a wall.
delluminatus 13y ago
This is the real question. I think there are only three choice categories: * Reject everything. This is basically the path of the Yogi. * Assign meaning to something. It could be your kids, your spouse (I wouldn't recommend that one), philanthropy, a "vision," or whatever. If people ask why it's important to you, don't explain in logical terms. "I decided that it would be." * Stop thinking about it. Chase the dopamine. I think most people do this, even the most thoughtful people. It might even be impossible to escape attachment and emotion. In the end, attachment and emotion are truly illogical experiences. Do we embrace that illogic completely, try to "control" it, or struggle to reject it entirely?
- klenwell 13y ago
  I was under the impression that the Yogi was able to reject everything because he had disciplined his mind to become a self-activating dopamine dispenser. Isn't there a neuroscientific study somewhere that points to this?
- codyb 13y ago
  Why do you recommend not assigning meaning to your spouse? I think the Yogi is eventually one with it. He doesn't try any of the methods you offered. Controlling it, embracing it, or rejecting it. He just let's it be. And in that way he becomes free from it.
  - delluminatus 13y ago
    In my (admittedly limited) experience, people are taking a big risk by making their spouse a critical source of meaning in their life. I think the problem is that it's reliant on reciprocation, whereas the others aren't (except children to some extent). With respect to your comment on the yogi: note that most yogi follow some number of vows [0] and abstentions [1] that seem to me to be very much an attempt at "controlling it." Eventually I guess they don't need to "control it" anymore, once they reach Samadhi, but in practice the path of the Yogi is typically one of repression. [0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamas [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niyama http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niyama
cholmon 13y ago
I think it's silly to try to subscribe to a set of rules that just aims to get rid of all the bad stuff. It makes more sense to me to simply balance the consumption of these "drugs" (narcotics, alcohol, food, games, children, sports, etc). In fact, don't even call them "drugs"; call them "desire satisfiers". Satisfying any given desire has a cost and a benefit, and we all exist in this huge, messy web of conflicting desires that have varying and dynamic costs/benefits. The challenge of living is trying to balance the satisfaction of all our various desires.
x__ 13y ago
They aren't taken away. You can still experience those great things, but don't make those experiences the purpose. The result is emotional balance and fulfillment.
BashiBazouk 13y ago
Moderation in everything including abstinence and excess. You should not look at any of these as a sole path but enjoy all of them in moderation.
- stephengillie 13y ago
  I moderate my moderation. :)

dscrd 13y ago

Nirvana, according to some.

vdaniuk 13y ago

Nothing is left and the human life is truly devoid of meaning.

Ziomislaw 13y ago

you have a lot of opinions on what we all should do christian I presume?

AznHisoka 13y ago
Ha. I wanted to edit my post and add "(And please don't say God)". So the answer is no :)
- cgore 13y ago
  That is basically the point of Ecclesiastes. King Solomon had access to everything, being king of one of the most powerful kingdoms of the time, worked his way through that whole list, and then at the end decided it was all pointless. He was a smart Paris Hilton, just with more money and absolute power.
  - darkspaten 13y ago
    And the most oft-repeated phrase in Ecclesiastes is, "Eat, drink, and be merry"
ZoF 13y ago
Did you read the article? He's quoting that... Also is it necessary to bring an unrelated belief system into this...?

a3voices 13y ago

Just work, and staring at a wall.

delluminatus 13y ago

This is the real question. I think there are only three choice categories: * Reject everything. This is basically the path of the Yogi. * Assign meaning to something. It could be your kids, your spouse (I wouldn't recommend that one), philanthropy, a "vision," or whatever. If people ask why it's important to you, don't explain in logical terms. "I decided that it would be." * Stop thinking about it. Chase the dopamine. I think most people do this, even the most thoughtful people. It might even be impossible to escape attachment and emotion. In the end, attachment and emotion are truly illogical experiences. Do we embrace that illogic completely, try to "control" it, or struggle to reject it entirely?

klenwell 13y ago
I was under the impression that the Yogi was able to reject everything because he had disciplined his mind to become a self-activating dopamine dispenser. Isn't there a neuroscientific study somewhere that points to this?
codyb 13y ago
Why do you recommend not assigning meaning to your spouse? I think the Yogi is eventually one with it. He doesn't try any of the methods you offered. Controlling it, embracing it, or rejecting it. He just let's it be. And in that way he becomes free from it.
- delluminatus 13y ago
  In my (admittedly limited) experience, people are taking a big risk by making their spouse a critical source of meaning in their life. I think the problem is that it's reliant on reciprocation, whereas the others aren't (except children to some extent). With respect to your comment on the yogi: note that most yogi follow some number of vows [0] and abstentions [1] that seem to me to be very much an attempt at "controlling it." Eventually I guess they don't need to "control it" anymore, once they reach Samadhi, but in practice the path of the Yogi is typically one of repression. [0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamas [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niyama http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niyama

cholmon 13y ago

I think it's silly to try to subscribe to a set of rules that just aims to get rid of all the bad stuff. It makes more sense to me to simply balance the consumption of these "drugs" (narcotics, alcohol, food, games, children, sports, etc). In fact, don't even call them "drugs"; call them "desire satisfiers". Satisfying any given desire has a cost and a benefit, and we all exist in this huge, messy web of conflicting desires that have varying and dynamic costs/benefits. The challenge of living is trying to balance the satisfaction of all our various desires.

x__ 13y ago

They aren't taken away. You can still experience those great things, but don't make those experiences the purpose. The result is emotional balance and fulfillment.

BashiBazouk 13y ago

Moderation in everything including abstinence and excess. You should not look at any of these as a sole path but enjoy all of them in moderation.

stephengillie 13y ago
I moderate my moderation. :)