Not to sound like a stereotypical white millennial, but I subscribe to a psuedo Buddhist/daoist/stoic mindset in most aspects of life. When it comes to personal problems, I can normally step away from my emotions, look at things clearly, and then come back to a certain level of equanimity with whatever transpires and feel a sense of connection and empathy with others while also validating those initial emotions. Many things I used to get worked up over seem silly, not because the world is dumb and pointless but because everything is exactly as it's meant to be.
When it comes to politics however, it's really hard to maintain this equanimity. Sure, this might be a product of the 24 hours news cycle meant to polarize us and make us froth at the mouth at the republicans, the democrats, the rich, the poor, the foreign, what have you. And sure, this desire for equanimity is also a trap because it is a desire. But there has to be some way to hold the evil accountable while also acknowledging the indefiniteness of "good" and "evil", being able to organize and make tangible material changes while also accepting there is no struggle, that these problems are not real and our biggest fight is with our sense of separation.
. Idk I see these pro lifers rallying against Roe and there's a part of me full of rage and other part of me that wants to understand the underlying pain, real or imagined (although the difference doesn't really matter), and connect beyond the political divide towards our innate humanness and the collective consciousness we are a part of. But I also don't want to ignore the real pain and suffering of the poor, the down trodden, the exploited all in the name of making myself feel better.
Has anyone any advice on maintaining a sense of this equanimity while also continuing to see the world through a materialist ML lens? Maybe I'm just high as hell so sorry if this makes zero sense.
"At the risk of seeming ridiculous, let me say that the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love. It is impossible to think of a genuine revolutionary lacking this quality." - Comrade Che
We can only accept things as they are but sometimes, in a revolutionary moment or situation, we can change the world for the better and that's part of accepting things as they are too. It's impossible to determine in the moment - except for the real geniuses and luminary revolutionaries like Ho Chi Minh or Lenin - if this is indeed the moment when history cracks open and we can make changes for the good of all mankind.
So, live each day assuming this is that moment. That doesn't have to mean becoming a solo adventurist and getting your head blown off. But it also means you should take this moment and revolution very seriously. What do you want to tell people in 2050, if we had a revolution in 2025 inshallah, about what you did when you were younger? Only you can answer that, and all that counts is you did your utmost when you could.
Not to sound like a stereotypical white millennial, but I subscribe to a psuedo Buddhist/daoist/stoic mindset in most aspects of life
that does not sound like a stereotypical white millennial lol
edit 1: what the fuck am I reading
edit 2: "equanimity" count = x4
edit 3: okay you're stoned. I understand now, go with god
ditch the new age philosophy, engage in class struggle, and stop apologizing for fascists.
Oh, and this may sound weird as hell. But watch Avatar: The Last Airbender and Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. 🤷♂️😂
psuedo Buddhist/daoist/stoic mindset
Mindset? more like Mids-set! Friend, were you raised by evangelicals, whom you resent, and have subsequently adopted outlooks based on Eastern philosophies as digested and misinterpreted by western 70's narcissists?
The concern and ferocity Pro-lifers present at the prospect of abortions is no different than the vehemence Strom Thurmond felt when his precious white race was threatened by desegregation and miscegenation. People are free to entertain whatever delusions they have, but they are not free from the consequences of advocating for those delusions to be imposed on others.
but hey, you know what they say, if you see Buddha on the road...
I experienced Ego Death years back and it really threw me for a loop trying to circle the square, as it were, but two quotes really helped me.
Idk where this one is from, but it's basically, "before enlightenment: chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment: chop wood, carry water."
"When the Buddha declares there is escape from sorrow, the escape is Nirvana, which is not a place, like heaven, but a psychological state of mind in which you are are released from desire and fear. And your life becomes harmonious, centered and affirmative. Even with suffering.
The Buddhists speak of the bodhisattva - the one who knows immortality, yet voluntarily enters into the field of the fragmentation of time and participates willingly and joyfully in the sorrows of the world." Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth
Of course, that was quite sometime ago and I am mostly rage now, but that's kind of my participatory driver. All things are exactly as they should be in this present moment... but the other people of this world, who are also me, are suffering needlessly and FUCK THAT SHIT. :fash-bash: are the fash also me? Yes, but sometimes I need to discipline myself.🤷♂️
It should be noted that I do consider violence a last resort sort of thing and most of my energy is dedicated to understanding consent manufacturing and behavior manipulation via media. Which is why you will often see me trying to implore the need for organized brigading... but things are getting dark and there is a deadline looming on humanity... :fidel-bat:
My sympathy for many people - namely westerners - have dwindled severely since I became aware of the world around me. I mean, I still have hope and sympathy for the exploited people of the world. But whenever I see westerners around me cheering for these inhumane rulings or the inaction to the world burning despite having the resources, I just sort of chuckle because the alternative would be considered edgy at best and fedposting at worst.
Unfortunately I don’t have anything spiritual to hold onto. No drug to escape the world with or any philosophy to guide me. I’m on this ride fully awake. :rust-darkness:
On the other hand, I've grown an immense love for humankind (well, the proletariat). People are a bit much. But they're swell
IDK, sometimes I struggle with the violence of revolution when I feel Jesus calls me to not even me rude to people. In the end, the blood of revolution is not born from any of my vices, but is a necessity to make the world better and cause less harm overall. In the same way if someone broke into my house with a knife and I had a gun I think shooting him would be justified.
I think you need to recognize that you don't have all the answers to fix everyone because you're only human. Some people's problems cannot be unraveled, and that's especially true if they don't want your help or don't see it as a problem. If someone comes to you conflicted, like struggling to reconcile the value they place on bodily autonomy with their belief that abortion is wrong, then by all means you can approach that conversation with compassion and understanding. But if someone's screaming into a megaphone at a rally, I mean, you've gotta be realistic about who you can reach, and at that point trying to approach them with kindness and appeal to their better nature will come across as condescending and make them see you as weak. Shove your own megaphone in their face and at least then you'll be speaking their language.
Thanks for hearing me out comrades! Y'all are thoughtful and dutiful as always. I will choose love for my fellow humans and choose violence for those who deny them their humanity :meow-knife-trans:
