Like the illusion of Wall Street, with its vast and powerful investment banks, now shuttered, China too is an illusion perpetuated by the Globalists that gave us the 15,000 mile Caesar salad, poisoned cat food and lead based paint on babies' pacifiers. Like the illusion that money would come from thin air to always push housing prices higher, China has spent a generation pursuing its illusion. Pursuing an unattainable dream to be like the West, while 6000 years of its carefully shepherded top soil blows into the sea.
Joined: Nov 25, 2006 Posts: 1542 Location: New Jersey
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:12 pm Post subject: Thoughts on "self improvement"
I've had a lot of personal goals over the years I've failed to meet. I've always wondered why and been quite critical on both myself and my circumstances in an attempt to understand.
But perhaps the whole "self improvement" thing is as MonteQuest (I think) says "a solution in isolation". If I got all super healthy and cut up like LL Cool J or finally joined a martial arts club and got proficient or studied some of the things I'm into as hobbies and became really masterful at them... well, that would be pretty cool. It would be good for my ego, I'd probably feel much better about myself, etc.
But... if I couldn't use those things to serve the world in some way, and/or as a way to connect w/ other people, then perhaps they wouldn't be as good as all that. Perhaps I worry they might even serve to distance me from others, create jealousy, draw hostility even (not like this is an unknown or unlikely reaction among humans historically).
Just musing. Perhaps this is part of my stumbling block (worrying what others think), even as I post this here I wonder whether people will think I'm sound pretentious talking about serving the world or whatever but I honestly think it's a human need (even jerky people "serve" in their own way). Perhaps it's because my father was jealous of the attention my mother gave me (and thus not him), due to his own inattentive mother (and father off in WW II and very busy in general) and so the cycle goes.
Anyway, just thought I'd throw that out here to you guys. I wonder whether I'll "magically" get my crap together and slowly get on track to "be all I can be" (most Americans probably thought of the army right there, it's a shame the way pop-culture can bastardize a good phrase, eh?) once I get involved within a sustainable community. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking.
Curious to hear people's thoughts here or if anyone has ever had similar theories.
Joined: Oct 18, 2004 Posts: 2129 Location: kiwibush
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:41 pm Post subject: Re: Thoughts on "self improvement"
Narz wrote:
I've had a lot of personal goals over the years I've failed to meet. I've always wondered why and been quite critical on both myself and my circumstances in an attempt to understand.
But perhaps the whole "self improvement" thing is as MonteQuest (I think) says "a solution in isolation". If I got all super healthy and cut up like LL Cool J or finally joined a martial arts club and got proficient or studied some of the things I'm into as hobbies and became really masterful at them... well, that would be pretty cool. It would be good for my ego, I'd probably feel much better about myself, etc.
But... if I couldn't use those things to serve the world in some way, and/or as a way to connect w/ other people, then perhaps they wouldn't be as good as all that. Perhaps I worry they might even serve to distance me from others, create jealousy, draw hostility even (not like this is an unknown or unlikely reaction among humans historically).
Just musing. Perhaps this is part of my stumbling block (worrying what others think), even as I post this here I wonder whether people will think I'm sound pretentious talking about serving the world or whatever but I honestly think it's a human need (even jerky people "serve" in their own way). Perhaps it's because my father was jealous of the attention my mother gave me (and thus not him), due to his own inattentive mother (and father off in WW II and very busy in general) and so the cycle goes.
Anyway, just thought I'd throw that out here to you guys. I wonder whether I'll "magically" get my crap together and slowly get on track to "be all I can be" (most Americans probably thought of the army right there, it's a shame the way pop-culture can bastardize a good phrase, eh?) once I get involved within a sustainable community. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking.
Curious to hear people's thoughts here or if anyone has ever had similar theories.
Cheers,
Narz
I'm in the same space as well. I'm just not sure of the community thing though. I guess I've no trust any longer. _________________ Bugger me, I hear oil's runnin out mate!
Joined: Sep 16, 2007 Posts: 1469 Location: Oklahoma City, USA
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:03 pm Post subject: Re: Thoughts on "self improvement"
Narz wrote:
I've had a lot of personal goals over the years I've failed to meet. I've always wondered why and been quite critical on both myself and my circumstances in an attempt to understand.
I've found that as long as the motivation is external then you won't meet your 'goals'. You always meet the goals you really want to.
Sometimes internal honesty about what you really want rather than what others want for you (or want you to be so they feel better about life) is all it takes to find truly motivating goals in life. _________________ Conservation is conservative
It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change. -- Charles Darwin
Joined: Nov 25, 2006 Posts: 1542 Location: New Jersey
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:11 pm Post subject: Re: Thoughts on "self improvement"
americandream wrote:
I'm in the same space as well. I'm just not sure of the community thing though. I guess I've no trust any longer.
Well, unless you're rich, you gotta trust somebody (if you're reach enough you can simply motivate w/ money). Just gotta choose your people wisely.
RedStateGreen wrote:
I've found that as long as the motivation is external then you won't meet your 'goals'. You always meet the goals you really want to.
When they're easy anyway and the path is clear.
Most of the things I care about the most are neither easy, nor is the path to them clear and they depend on other people (or money which, if you think about it, is just a way to motivate other people).
RedStateGreen wrote:
Sometimes internal honesty about what you really want rather than what others want for you (or want you to be so they feel better about life) is all it takes to find truly motivating goals in life.
I think the issue is I need to connect my goals to something bigger. Running in place is a drag but if you're planning a prison break you best be doing it on the regular. Of course even a prison break requires a larger motivation. If there's nothing waiting for you outside the walls, why bother? _________________ My PO Amazon store (shameless plug).
Joined: Sep 14, 2004 Posts: 6625 Location: Rural Virginia
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:24 pm Post subject: Re: Thoughts on "self improvement"
Narz, what a great thread topic.
Self-improvement has always been central to me, and something I've pursued vigorously most of my adult life.
RedStateGreen is right; the best motivation comes from within.
However, I can't say I've always found it to be sufficient. Sometimes an external push is what actually gets you to your goal.
My problem is and always has been that I'm interested in too many things. I've found it difficult---impossible, really---to specialize. I tend to flit from one thing to another, tasting but not swallowing. I'm restless.
I've accomplished some "self-improvements" along the way, but none of them have brought lasting satisfaction.
For example (one out of many), I used to think that being able to write the initials for credentials after my name would be the coolest thing in life. They would provide both internal and external validation of my intellect. I earned a couple of sets of initials and for a brief period was proud of them. But the glow faded.
The Bhuddists are eternally right. They have it all figured out.
The only real self-improvement is to stop wanting elaborate things. Live in the moment---be like the dog, the bird, the bear. The rest is noise. _________________ "Actually, humans died out long ago."
---Abused, abandoned hunting dog
"Things have entered a stage where the only change that is possible is for things to get worse."
---Me and my brother
Joined: Dec 13, 2007 Posts: 34 Location: Texas Hill Country
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:34 pm Post subject: Re: Thoughts on "self improvement"
You don't have to be perfect with a perfect body and mad kung-fu skills. I can remember times in my life when I felt whipped, or like I was continually batting my head on a brick wall. In my experience, it usually meant I was. Try new things, always being yourself and true to yourself, self improvement is about growth, it's a journey and not a destination.
A simple exercise is to look at different time lines and set some short and long term goals.
Tonight I will...
This week I will...
This weekend I will ...
Next payday I will ...
In 3 months I will ...
Next year I will ....
In the next 5 years I will ...
Think about what you want to fill in the blank and reasonably figure out how it can happen. Then think a little further about what is stopping you or could potentially stop you from reaching those goals and ways you could or would work through them or mitigate them entirely. Once you start accomplishing things .. yes even simple things... you will begin to realize that improvement is gradual and not about a finished product. Saying I will get out of bed tomorrow morning without snoozing the alarm absolutely counts as a short term goal.
Don't wait for the "one day I'll join a better community" and then work on these things. Life is what happens while were busy making plans. Do something tomorrow, even if it's just changing your AC filters or whatever silly goal you define for yourself tonight. Once you have it completed, take a second or two to congratulate yourself mentally and set another one.
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 10:04 pm Post subject: Re: Thoughts on "self improvement"
As a wise man once said, "Self improvement is masturbation. Now self destruction...."
From a Buddhist perspective, this is absolutely correct. Self-improvement is nothing but a magnification of the ego. There is no self to improve. Destroy the self.
But that doesn't really help make day-to-day decisions. Too abstract. Oldstyle's advice is much better.
Heineken wrote:
My problem is and always has been that I'm interested in too many things. I've found it difficult---impossible, really---to specialize. I tend to flit from one thing to another, tasting but not swallowing. I'm restless.
Me, too. Even when I was heavy into martial arts I had a hard time staying with just one style. I wasn't satisfied with karate, I also wanted to try aikido, and taiji, and judo, and arnis, and kickboxing, and silat, etc., etc. Now I barely practice at all. My scholarly endeavors have been exactly the same---flit from flower to flower. Now I'm burned out on academia and am moving on. Not really conducive to developing "expert" knowledge about anything, but it has given me a lot of generalist knowledge and skills (a mile wide and an inch deep).
I like to think about what I knew 5 years ago. Or 10 years ago. Or 15 years ago. Then I think about what I know now. There has been a generally upwards trajectory, at least in terms of knowledge and skills (not so much with finances and karma).
There is no end point, Narz. It's incremental. Then you die and your atoms are recycled.
Joined: Sep 14, 2004 Posts: 6625 Location: Rural Virginia
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 10:05 pm Post subject: Re: Thoughts on "self improvement"
Yes, it's the journey and not the destination, oldstyle. So true.
Life could be viewed as an endless series of problems. Solve one and another takes its place. It's a many-headed hydra. I have studied how this happens with a certain horrified fascination.
You never really get ahead. You never get free.
It's important not to get too deeply invested in solving the problems, therefore. (And self-improvement could be viewed as a problem, or set of problems, that need solving.) Solve the problems that can't be ignored with your lower consciousness, while trying to keep the higher levels unsullied. Whatever that means.
Welcome to PO.com! _________________ "Actually, humans died out long ago."
---Abused, abandoned hunting dog
"Things have entered a stage where the only change that is possible is for things to get worse."
---Me and my brother
Joined: Sep 14, 2004 Posts: 6625 Location: Rural Virginia
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 10:16 pm Post subject: Re: Thoughts on "self improvement"
Loki, like you I feel I know more than I did 5 or 10 years ago. A good deal more. But the extra knowledge seems to serve no purpose, other than to make me more dissatisfied, or more critical, or more frightened . . .
A young child knows virtually nothing, a dog even less. But they are happier than Ph.D.s. Animal wisdom.
Physical self-improvement is especially futile, since it is implacably opposed by the aging process, as every great athlete sadly discovers. I have tried so hard to achieve this and that, but an injury always intervenes despite all caution. Yoga seems to be the best avenue for me now; it still has not betrayed me.
My self-improvement goal for today is to learn how to spell "buddhism." _________________ "Actually, humans died out long ago."
---Abused, abandoned hunting dog
"Things have entered a stage where the only change that is possible is for things to get worse."
---Me and my brother
Joined: Sep 16, 2007 Posts: 1469 Location: Oklahoma City, USA
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 10:31 pm Post subject: Re: Thoughts on "self improvement"
Narz wrote:
I think the issue is I need to connect my goals to something bigger. Running in place is a drag but if you're planning a prison break you best be doing it on the regular. Of course even a prison break requires a larger motivation. If there's nothing waiting for you outside the walls, why bother?
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 10:41 pm Post subject: Re: Thoughts on "self improvement"
Heineken wrote:
Loki, like you I feel I know more than I did 5 or 10 years ago. A good deal more. But the extra knowledge seems to serve no purpose, other than to make me more dissatisfied, or more critical, or more frightened . . .
Yes, happiness and knowledge probably have a negative correlation. There's a reason they say ignorance is bliss.
So which is more important, happiness or knowledge? My actions say knowledge (I'm a knowledge-acquiring addict), though I'm sure it's happiness. These days I think Epicurus > Buddha.
Joined: Nov 25, 2006 Posts: 1542 Location: New Jersey
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 12:08 am Post subject: Re: Thoughts on "self improvement"
Heineken wrote:
Are happiness and knowledge mutually exclusive?
I don't think they are.
Fact is we can't go back to the level of animals & children. My cats are happy & don't concern themselves with the worries of the world because they don't have to.
The ultimate knowledge of how to take care of oneselves should be happiness producing. If it isn't then perhaps you haven't done a through enough job. If you have, just let go I figure and be happy anyway. Ignorance is not bliss, especially when a little knowledge can save your life.
Also, little comes close to the happiness gained from learning a new skill. Except love maybe but when we're in love our mind is more open than ever and we're learning tons of new things & making tons of new connections without even thinking about it.
Babies & children are learning at a tremendous rate and, when not actively abused and suppressed (and have their needs met) are generally happy. Much unhappiness sets in school of course when their creative minds are squelched and their ability to learn curtailed by the school system.
And I knew someone would jump in w/ the Fight Club quote sooner or later.
Thanks for your post Loki. I always made daily goal lists (aka : To Do lists but have been discouraged w/ longer term ones since I change my mind so rapidly and am constantly taking it new information that make my old goals look unworkable and/or inadaquete). _________________ My PO Amazon store (shameless plug).
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 12:17 am Post subject: Re: Thoughts on "self improvement"
Self improvement for what purpose? I used to do afew things also like martial arts and listened to tony robbins and found it unforfilling and pointless. Last few years I have been studying the markets which has taken up alot of my time. I have also become christian and found in way that is self improvement in itself, stop doing bad things, loving thy neighbor but yes things like self improvement courses I think are generally a scam. _________________
Man's like a candle in a candlestick,
Made up of tallow and a little wick;
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