Best Of
Re: Space - the final frontier
It very well might be that within a few decades it will be possible for anyone to fly to Space for a reasonable price as a tourist, orbit Earth, experience zero gravity - and see Earth from Space. All of the accounts of astronauts that I've read describe a mind-expanding, deeply philosophic, and humanistic perspective that results from such an experience. Hence, this might be an amazing thing, a bit like travel expands our views, just on steroids.
marcitko
Re: Space - the final frontier
@marcitko said:
A launch every 2.5 days is incredible. From what I've read (these numbers may be well off) SpaceX will increase total global launch capability by 1000x and will have 100x the launch capability of current global launch demand. So, the problem will be - what to launch? As these things go, this will probably turn out to be both a good and bad thing, but at least we do have the launch capability for serious space exploration and travel at reasonable cost.
If you build it, they will come. With the cost dropping like this there will be lots of new and previous ideas that were out of reach than can now be developed. No doubt like all progress it will improve our lives at one end while producing negative trade offs on the other, but over time the negative can be modified or improved while keeping the good.
person
Re: All Things Apple (was MacBook Air, but things evolve...)
No problem. With Apple it’s a whole design philosophy, which extends from the design of the outside of the hardware, to the resolution of the screens, to the design of the software, to the way in which the software is regularly updated. The idea is to provide the best possible quality computing experience. Anyway competition among companies is a good thing, and Microsoft and Google have benefitted from copying Apple in the past.
Jeroen
Re: All things Sport(s)
I watched and enjoyed the recent Netflix 8-part series documentary on David Beckham. I thought both he and Posh Spice were more honest and genuine than I'd have expected. Even though he is not very animated, I still found him quite interesting, and even relatable.
marcitko
Re: The Medical Model of Mental Illness
No worries, the amount of dukkha was minimal. It was mostly a joke re: the thought of responding to long replies. I know everyone means well.
In general, I'm doing better these days financial than I have at any time in the past, although I'm still not making what I'd consider a living wage in a city with unaffordable rents. And I find it very frustrating having worked in multiple states and industries, just not the right ones I guess. (And my dependents are my partner and 2 pets, no children. 👧🐕🐈⬛) My main point, though, was really about the impact of external/material conditions on our lives and mental health.
In Buddhism, there's a big focus on the mind and how it relates to experience with an emphasis on preventing the second arrow of suffering we experience due to painful bodily and mental feelings. And those techniques are quite effective. However, I've found that in my experience, the more involved/invested I am in worldly life, the harder it is for me to let go, practice equanimity, or any of the things that prevent myself being pierced by that second arrow. So I feel the weight of things moreso than when I had more time to practice and go on extended retreats. I just don't have the time or ability with the amount I work and all of the other things I'm responsible for. It's a trade off, but I've accepted that I'm a householder and not a monk, so more of my focus is now on working to make that life more materially comfortable and conducive to ease and happiness and the ability to practice for myself and others. And looking at the world, I think capitalism has contributed to an increase in depression and anxiety, environmental degradation, consumerist culture that feeds our greed, difficulties in monastic communities supporting themselves/being supported by the community, etc.
Jason
Re: All Things Apple (was MacBook Air, but things evolve...)
Well, with Mac it’s that the whole system is engineered to “Just Work”, leaving you only to do those things where the user’s choice is essential. With a Windows PC there is quite a lot of technical stuff that’s exposed, like device drivers or network settings, which on Mac is usually hidden and automated.
Over the last two years that I’ve had my iMac I have spent more time doing support for my dad’s PC than I have spent on solving technical issues on my own iMac, and my dad is pretty savvy, most things he can do himself. A Mac is like a more expensive, easier-to-maintain, slicker cousin to the PC. It also comes with a lot of software which you have to pay for on PC.
The iPhone is just about hardware quality and software support, your phone will last 5-6 years with a new OS update every year and more frequent security updates. There are Android phones with better cameras and cheaper storage, but they don’t last as long which means in the end it’s more expensive.
Jeroen
Re: It’s All in the Mind Redux
Rather than "it's all in your mind" (of course it is, where else would it be?) I always tell myself "it's not real, you can ignore it." Anxiety, skewed perceptions and priorities are all due to some kind of chemical imbalance, or inability of my brain to process correctly rather than to anything "real". Anxiety isn't about anything that's actually going on in my life, so it can be ignored. My way of dealing is to just hang on till it passes and don't make any decisions, as skewed priorities and perceptions mean any decisions will be greatly regretted later on. Doesn't make things easy, but it is easier than thinking there is something I need to "do" about it.
zorro
It’s All in the Mind Redux
So I said to @Jason rather casually “it is all in the mind” about depression and mental health, but that doesn’t really make it any easier to cope with, it’s only a general pointer. You can say 95% of our lives are in our mind, apart from a little eating, passing wind, moving the body and working. Mental health is really about managing our minds so that they stay vital, responsive, and robust.
Ultimately you want the mind to be the servant, not the master in the house of being. Part of that is teaching it to be relaxed, the more tension and stress there is the more the whole combined body and mind start acting up. Things that can work against you when working with the mind as a servant are desires, hidden convictions, deep conflicts and habit energies. There are probably a few more…
The Buddha is a good point to begin to work with the mind, but really it is your unique mind and your formed beliefs, you have to do the work. It is the labour of a lifetime to become aware, to root out what is unbeneficial, and to guide the mind in the right kind of patterns. This process is an expression of your being, but a lot can be done by cultivating healthy habits.
Things that have helped me with this are watching as little news as I can, reading or listening to Dhamma talks, getting plenty of sleep, interacting with spiritual friends, making love a focus in my life, and eating less. Maybe there are other ways to do this too, other sets of healthy habits.
I dunno… maybe this is one of those posts where I’m stating the totally obvious…
Jeroen
Re: Selflessness and Altruism
@Jeroen said:
If it was an action that didn’t benefit your self then you’d have a stronger claim to be called conventionally “selfless”.
This gets a little tricky, because of human wiring and our interconnectedness many actions that are primarily directed towards another also have a positive impact on oneself.
A few years back I took a deeper look at altruism and how it is defined and it becomes kind of hard to find many truly selfless acts.
person
Re: The Medical Model of Mental Illness
@Jason Are you up for an experiment? I think it would help. For one week, do not read the news and do not discuss politics or cultural matters. Dedicate yourself to your ordinary daily life and your personal projects. Integrate into these activities your understanding of the Dharma. That's it. After a week, take note if this was helpful or not to your overall state of mind.
I propose this because - especially when I am in negative states of mind, but also in general - the news and political discussions are detrimental to my wellbeing. Dedicating myself to ordinary life, while trying for this ordinary life to be an expression of my deepest understanding of the Dharma - is supportive of my wellbeing.
marcitko