aleksandr
Bronze
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2020
- Posts
- 274
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Some thoughts from first observations of the forum
Guys trying to better themselves is a great thing. I think to get what we truly want requires us to have self leadership - "It doesn't matter how fast you climb a ladder if its leaning against the wrong wall" and leadership is putting it on the right wall. So what do we want as a goal? Buddhists would say something like, at the root, everyone wants contentment. But we can't want contentment because thats a paradox, contentment is a desireless state... So they say, we have to let it come to us. Its a bit like getting an erection or taking a shit, it kind of just happens and we can't force it.
Enter the ultimate contentment: the flow state. Psychologically theres no better place to be. Its the psychology of optimal experience.
I just read @Salludon 's thread about how he feels he's wasted time not getting an education. Dude, you've achieved the pinnacle of lookmaxxing, we can all agree on that. Absolute fucking chad. But still, even in this "gigachad" state, contentment is not complete.
The only issue we're at risk here with the concept of looksmaxxing is the goal of looking better alone won't satisfy. What happens when we look like a giga chad? The grass always looks greener elsewhere. Gigachad state does not equal transcending consciousness. The essence of masculinity i'd say is to do; to be a doer. To strive for things, to make things happen, or to respond in an honourable way to things (a self-defined honour even). Stoicism sort of touches on this - gigachad spirit needs to be developed equally.
Looksmaxxing is good in the sense that we're actively striving to improve. Its self development. So is striving to get a good job, developing a "can do" attitude, practicing and slowly mastering a craft or a sport, or any hobby really. The truth is the state of flow and the contentment is in the journey, not the destination.
Chalking everything up to "it just is how it is" - to me, I see that as a harmful view. Unarguably, there is truth to it. Some things are just the way they are. You can't strive to be another animal through a positive attitude. But you know what we can do? Align our goals to whats important AND whats achievable and chip away at that every day. If you get it or not becomes secondary, it's in the striving that matters. And start small... when we're in a dark place, our confidence is shot and we have no belief. We need to start small, build the belief, piece by piece. And just keep going. It doesn't matter how slow we go, we're either growing or decaying, so we just need to keep growing, piece by piece, until we have a fucking empire.
I've recently come through a dark time in life, and these were some of the thoughts that I came out the other end with. Anyway, truth should speak for itself "Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is."
Guys trying to better themselves is a great thing. I think to get what we truly want requires us to have self leadership - "It doesn't matter how fast you climb a ladder if its leaning against the wrong wall" and leadership is putting it on the right wall. So what do we want as a goal? Buddhists would say something like, at the root, everyone wants contentment. But we can't want contentment because thats a paradox, contentment is a desireless state... So they say, we have to let it come to us. Its a bit like getting an erection or taking a shit, it kind of just happens and we can't force it.
Enter the ultimate contentment: the flow state. Psychologically theres no better place to be. Its the psychology of optimal experience.
I just read @Salludon 's thread about how he feels he's wasted time not getting an education. Dude, you've achieved the pinnacle of lookmaxxing, we can all agree on that. Absolute fucking chad. But still, even in this "gigachad" state, contentment is not complete.
The only issue we're at risk here with the concept of looksmaxxing is the goal of looking better alone won't satisfy. What happens when we look like a giga chad? The grass always looks greener elsewhere. Gigachad state does not equal transcending consciousness. The essence of masculinity i'd say is to do; to be a doer. To strive for things, to make things happen, or to respond in an honourable way to things (a self-defined honour even). Stoicism sort of touches on this - gigachad spirit needs to be developed equally.
Looksmaxxing is good in the sense that we're actively striving to improve. Its self development. So is striving to get a good job, developing a "can do" attitude, practicing and slowly mastering a craft or a sport, or any hobby really. The truth is the state of flow and the contentment is in the journey, not the destination.
Chalking everything up to "it just is how it is" - to me, I see that as a harmful view. Unarguably, there is truth to it. Some things are just the way they are. You can't strive to be another animal through a positive attitude. But you know what we can do? Align our goals to whats important AND whats achievable and chip away at that every day. If you get it or not becomes secondary, it's in the striving that matters. And start small... when we're in a dark place, our confidence is shot and we have no belief. We need to start small, build the belief, piece by piece. And just keep going. It doesn't matter how slow we go, we're either growing or decaying, so we just need to keep growing, piece by piece, until we have a fucking empire.
I've recently come through a dark time in life, and these were some of the thoughts that I came out the other end with. Anyway, truth should speak for itself "Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is."
