A little light humour

[jack]

I think the most important part of any "journey" is the first step.

Only if those first steps are not in a randomly distributed direction. If they are then its unlikely to be distinguishable from staring any number of journeys (including zero journeys). I think the above is just another example of a deepity https://www.philosophytalk.org/blog/dee ... d-bullshit

That link does not work for me, perhaps that's a good thing ?

I'm not a guru, people have to make up their own mind on anything I say.

just a trailing ".". Not rocket science for you to remove that.

[Nick]

just a training ".". Not rocket science for you to remove that.

Thanks, I should check my own links. Updated now anyway.

[andrew Ivimey]

Think works! I told myself with all my heart and bingo!

Very interesting it is too.

[andrew Ivimey]

Oops.... the link works. Spell check and clumsy finger is stronger than heart wishing law of attraction.

[Cressy Snr]

There’s nothing new age or bollocks about mindfulness or meditation. It’s thousands of years old and highly practical. The main thing you have to learn (quite the imperative actually) is that you are not your mind.
Once you learn to be the silent presence, watching what your mind is up to on a day to day basis, what patterns of narrative it continues to run as a newsreel 24/7 you become able to disconnect from it, see it for what it is (bollocks most of the time) and not take its incessant ramblings seriously.

Meditation is not about going to a happy place, obtaining a state of bliss, repeating stupid affirmations, turning off your mind, relaxing and floating downstream or any of that bullshit. It’s more about paying attention to what is going on and observing without reacting to it. It is far from easy and a meditation session can become highly unpleasant at times, especially in the early days of taking it up, where intrusive thoughts seem to conspire to undermine any attempt to keep the attention on the now.

Focused attention on the breath is the key and every time the mind wanders off, which it does all the time, then you escort it back to the breath and start again. If you have to do it a hundred times in a single 15 minute session then that’s fine, you do it and you don’t get pissed off and give it up as being too much like hard work.

Anyway it works for me and has changed my relationship with myself. I’m still faced with an underlying sense of threat most of the time (as I said GAD can only be managed not cured) but it’s a damn’ sight better than being a gibbering wreck half the time and no use to anyone.

[Nick]

is that you are not your mind

So then I have to ask, what are you?

[Cressy Snr]

is that you are not your mind

So then I have to ask, what are you?

A collection of atoms and molecules made of stuff manufactured by ancient stars going supernova and arranged in a certain way so they say. To what end? I’m damned if I know.
Anyway I’ve just come out of a half hour silent meditation with bells at five minute intervals so apart from the brain signals causing me to spell out these words, I’m completely blank, in a state of ‘no mind.’ That state won’t last long but while it does, it’s a good feeling and well worth cultivating.

[Nick]

I’m completely blank, in a state of ‘no mind’ but I’m still here.

Sounds to me like you are conflating our internal monologue with mind (it is part of it of course, but not all I would think). Not sure there is any reason to do that. When I say mind I mean brain and the activities that take place in the brain. I fail to see just what we can be more than the activities in that. Hence my earlier comments on the effect of chemicals on how we perceive our self.

[Cressy Snr]

Fine.
All I’m saying is that the ‘you are not your mind’ philosophy/ concept works for me. It enables me to function reasonably well without being medicated. Nothing’s perfect but I maintain that there is nothing mystical about mindfulness or meditation. It’s just something that can be a useful and practical way to manage a range of anxiety conditions. There is plenty of research that supports it.
https://www.psych.ox.ac.uk/research/mindfulness

[Nick]

Cool, and don't misunderstand, I am very much in agreement that mental health is very important and I am not intending to criticize whatever works for someone. But like most of my views, I think that evidence based activities are to be encouraged, and I was and am expressing concern at any health activities that's based on "what I find on the internet" and "what seems to resonate with me". Clearly what you are doing Steve, is not in that category, but it worries me when I see descriptions like Phil where there seems to be an artificial conflict being created that involves you controlling your mind or your mind controlling you, and it seems as if one of the reasons for creating that conflict is it opens up the possibility of selling a solution.

[Dave the bass]

Think works!

It does? !

I've always been hard-of-thinking but I'll give it another go.

[andrew Ivimey]

Thinking works our David, thinking - highly recommended.

[IslandPink]

Ooh, I'm not sure. it's worth bearing in mind the wise words of Cap'n Beefheart "Somebody's had too much to Think"

[Mike H]

Back on topic





Two days of watching YouTube has finally struck gold with these priceless images ..... well made me laugh...
-

Darwin Awards 11.jpg (59.51 KiB) Viewed 1837 times

-

girl on a bike.jpg (54.01 KiB) Viewed 1837 times

-

Darwin Award Winners.jpg (64.27 KiB) Viewed 1837 times

-

[Mike H]

Cont'd...
-

WEIRDEST Things Found In Thrift Stores-1.jpg (39.36 KiB) Viewed 1837 times

-

WEIRDEST Things Found In Thrift Stores-2.jpg (30.48 KiB) Viewed 1837 times