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Brian

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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 28 total)
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  • in reply to: Is Life Itself Divine? #421797
    Brian
    Participant

    I was reading the book The 4 Agreements and it has a lot of elements from Eastern religions like pantheistic beliefs. I wish supernatural beings would communicate with me. That would be cool. I just don’t think it has happened.

    in reply to: Is Life Itself Divine? #421795
    Brian
    Participant

    It seems that a lot of supernatural concepts are difficult to define. In the past, humans used supernatural explanations to fill the gaps in our knowledge. There are things we can test and quantify to see what is alive and what isn’t. How do we test what cause is supernatural and what isn’t?

    in reply to: Spiritual/self-help book recommendations? #421766
    Brian
    Participant

    I’ve been reading the Four Agreements recently. It has some practical stuff. I don’t care for the flowery new-age language though.

    in reply to: Being Positive and Genuine #410103
    Brian
    Participant

    Finding meaningful work is something I struggle with. It’s a very uncomfortable topic that I dread. One reason I don’t like new interactions is because people usually ask about work right away. What I would say to initiate would depend on the person and what information they may have.

    in reply to: Getting along in society when you’re not normal #395202
    Brian
    Participant

    I still think there is a balance I can strive for. It’s possible to to be genuine and not be rude at the same time. There’s still certain people I’m not going to connect with and I’ve accepted that.

    in reply to: Getting along in society when you’re not normal #394961
    Brian
    Participant

    Thank you all for the feedback. I admit that I’m not in a great place mentally right now. Not gonna give up though.

    in reply to: Getting along in society when you’re not normal #394888
    Brian
    Participant

    Thank you Peter and Hellcat.

    Hellcat, most people are not direct when they don’t like someone and just ignore them or fade off and stop responding to them. In the past, I used to come off as needy by trying too hard to keep contacting people. Now I just let things go if someone doesn’t respond on an equal basis. If I’m usually the one initiating conversations, that’s a sign that things are one-sided. After that, I might give it some time. If it’s apparent the person isn’t interested then I’m done.

    Peter, I understand your point about measuring things. Knowing factually correct information is something I value. However, relationships are rarely black and white.

    in reply to: Getting along in society when you’re not normal #394879
    Brian
    Participant

    I didn’t intend to dismiss you Hellcat. Sometimes I may not feel like answering every question put to me. A long time ago, I decided to live by my own rules. At times I did take that too far. For years, I sensed people were putting up with me to humor me. One of my convictions is not to do that to someone else. If I don’t think you’re funny, I wont laugh. If I didn’t enjoy the conversation, I might wish them a good day, but I wont say that it was great talking to them. Before I didn’t make as many compromises as I do now. The challenge is finding the balance and not feeling like a fraud.

    in reply to: What is Positive to you? #393857
    Brian
    Participant

    I don’t mind new perspectives. I study and look up articles to challenge my own beliefs and assumptions. There are some personalities that do not mesh well. Sometimes our core-values and expectations are so different that it is best to spend time on other things.

    in reply to: What is Positive to you? #393834
    Brian
    Participant

    That was the impression I had. I can see that this forum is used to longer posts and people like to give a lot of details about their lives. Writing long essays for my college courses is difficult enough for me. I don’t feel I’m obligated to respond a certain way and answer every question that has been asked. I mentioned to Hellcat, “Sorry if I didn’t answer all of your questions right now.”

    in reply to: What is Positive to you? #393824
    Brian
    Participant

    Anita, I do not doubt you have good intentions. In the other thread that you were referring to, it seemed you were trying to take control over what content I provide and how I should respond. I admit I can be blunt, some may think that is rude. Trying to fit into the social structures of a society has been a challenge for me. My intention is to simply seek input and possible solutions.

    in reply to: What is Positive to you? #393788
    Brian
    Participant

    I originally answered the question because I thought it would be interesting to get other perspectives on the concept. Many talk about being positive as if it’s something glaringly obvious. Doesn’t seem that way to me. Many of these so-called positive interactions create a barrier between people when they revert back to these robotic and dishonest behaviors.

    in reply to: What is Positive to you? #393624
    Brian
    Participant

    I try to be efficient in my social interactions. It’s very common for people to say things that aren’t true because they want to be polite and think it will make someone feel better. If I already know that my personality will not mesh with someone, I’d rather give more attention to someone else. I’ve been working on having more tact and do not completely ignore people when they talk to me. This situation isn’t difficult to avoid since very few strangers approach me to start a conversation. Sorry if I didn’t answer all of your questions right now.

    in reply to: What is Positive to you? #393534
    Brian
    Participant

    Saying it in that way is rude. We agree on that. I’m glad we found common ground.

    in reply to: What is Positive to you? #393514
    Brian
    Participant

    I really would rather someone not talk to me at all than say a few meaningless phrases out of obligation. I am not disrespectful to someone unless I say something disrespectful. Having a fake plastered smile, laughing at jokes that aren’t funny, and saying “It was great talking to you”, when you didn’t enjoy the conversation is what I’m referring to.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 28 total)