Best Of

@person said:
Anyway, something about watching these I find really calming. People comment about how they're crazy to do it or it makes them nervous, but a part of me feels deeply that I would have loved for this to be my life. The focus and joy of the physicality of it moves me.

Climbing docs, especially high mountain ones, are my favorite docs. For me, what draws me in is the sport/endurance aspect, but also the philosophical one, which is nearly always present, and to an extent not really there with other sports. Life/death, risk/safety, human capability, meaning of life, family vs risk... If you've not watched Meru, I highly reccomend it, it's my favorite one.

@person said:
A nice short with some easy tips to help sort out AI videos from real ones.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3Vwkg4Z_cAs

I’ve found that a lot of videos which are AI generated and include famous actors or speakers now say “inspired by” such and such a person in the description of the video, instead of giving a source for the clip. Today I had a spate of AI Jim Carrey videos pop up in my feed which were tagged like this, for example.

I have continued but am limited by my back. Today I will try to buy the telescopic thingy and enough accesories so that I am ready should anyone want to join.
It continues to be a most relaxing but also illuminating activity. It's like my mind relaxes since it's a very simple activity but then I actually notice more than usual what my mind is doing without trying to interfere too much, as @how suggested. Meditation, basically, but more effective than formal sitting for me at this time. I benefit from the monkey having something to do while I observe or just focus on the activity.
The unexpected or unpredicted happened! Of course everyone went to the large open public space to fire New Year fireworks!
I attach a photo of today's 1 hour effort. As you can see, I found a supermarket trolley which greatly improved my efficiency. I had no trash bags today so left the trolley by the big dumpsters.
The main noticing today was on the power of perspective/refraiming. It rained so everything was wet and I only had running shoes. 1) 'Oh no, everything is wet, how miserable, and my shoes will get wet!' 2) 'Actually, what a blessing, at least none of the unexploded fireworks will explode in my hand + things are pretty much clean!'.

That's an interesting interpretation of the movie, but from a Buddhist perspective, the idea that "we pay for what others have done" isn't entirely accurate. Karma is strictly individual—you are the heir to your own actions.

What the movie portrays seems to be more about "Collective Karma" (the shared environment) rather than transferring individual debt. The girl suffered because of the chaotic conditions created by the war, but the soldier's specific karmic debt remains his own.

There is a good breakdown of this distinction I found recently that explains how karma actually works without mixing up individual and shared responsibility: Karma: Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

In the Netherlands we group the last day of the old year and the first day of the new year together and call it “Oud en Nieuw”, when we celebrate the changing of the year. On New Years Day there is a bit of a tradition to go out for a drink in a cafe in the afternoon, de “Nieuwjaars borrel”. It’s all good fun…

I did say I try! You can't get away from it, but you can invest as little of yourself as possible in it. Of course when family and friends are more traditional you go with it rather than spoiling their fun, trying to find a place where you honor your own needs as well as theirs.