I did a video on attachments and how attachments are a source of our suffering. (Buddhist concept.) I related it to investing and trading. (i.e. we are "attached" to the outcomes.)
People got pissed off. They unsubscribed or criticized me on talking about this.
Is this normal? I've been trading for over 40 years. Been a member and floor trader on 4 exchanges. Managed money for a major hedge fund. Ran a proprietary trading desk for a major international bank.
Economist by education. (Wharton, UCLA.)
Is talking about a non-Western philosophy so triggering to people? I don't fucking get it. I think we are ALL screwed up.
26 comments:
Mike: Three things are taboo at the Thanksgiving table: politics, religion and money. You tick all the boxes talking about non-attachment.
Personally, I'd suggest the prohibition against idolatry in the Judeo/Christian/Islamic tradition is *exactly* the same thing. Buddha was a non-theist, but that's scarcely different from someone who worships a god whose name cannot be uttered, and cannot be represented by images or words. (and yes, Voldemort may qualify as a "god" too!)
There really aren't any atheists, at least in my theology. The thing to which you give devotion--whether it's Yahweh or the Vegas Raiders--that's you're god.
Important question, Mike. Since this falls in my field of expertise here is an explanation.
All "normal" (gross consciousness) humans operate in terns of a worldview which they take to be reflective of reality, and anything that challenges this worldview is viewed as threatening the structure on which they have built their lives.
This worldview represents an overarching "cognitive-affective investment," and it is the source of most cognitive-affective biases. While this dimension is most often referred to as cognitive,Antonio Damasio's work shows that it is impossible to separate thought and feeling since they are joined neurally.
This combination of thought and feeling explains why the reaction to challenges to a person's worldview are met with apparent overreaction. People feel this to be an existential challenge, which in their worldview it is.
In terms of perennial wisdom, transcending this cognitive-affective capture is a state of "enlightenment," which where are many degrees and levels. The first level may be said to be intellectual enlightenment as the recognition intellectually of this state of capture. This is what taking the red pill rather than the blue pill might be viewed as symbolizing in xThe Matri.
Intellectual enlightenment is only a first step, however. More developed levels are non-rational and experience-based. Perennial wisdom serves to validate and explain their non-ordinary states as they unfold.
The fundamental paradigm is that existence is one and its nature is consciousness. The same consciousness gets expressed in many types and levels of experience. That is, experience grows, but consciousness per se does not change.
The goal is to realize this being/consciousness in the state of unity, often called nonduality. Realizing the state of nonduality requires completely transcending duality, which is comprised of the illusion of there being a real distinction between the subject (I) and object (not-I) and also the duality of opposite qualities, which are instead gradations on a spectrum of experience.
The course of evolution from the finest level of duality to the realization of unity is the gradual unfolding of awareness in types and levels of experience, e.g., from insentience to sentience to reason and then beyond, through the states and stages of development of higher levels of awareness and finally to realization of unity. This is the most ancient wisdom that has been repeated through the ages down to the present by those who have trod the path.
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This has been common knowledge in the East — although hardly understood by many for whom it is simply culturally transmitted tradition — but it was suppressed almost in the West and then in modernity it was rejected as unscientific.
However, perennial wisdom is now becoming well known in the West intellectually. The emerging field of cognitive science now regards it seriously. Most significantly, however, formerly closet teaching has now become widely available as experienced teachers have come out of the closet and begun teaching publicly. This has resulted in enough subjects for scientific research in alternative states of awareness. So this is not longer just a fringe view. In fact, teaching meditation is now an "industry" amounting to billions of USD worldwide.
But, returning to the question, along with those who have chosen the red pill there are many that have swallowed the blue pill and remain captured by their worldview, and for many their worldview does not brook challenges. In my experience, this is the reason one may encounter overreaction to be exposed to knowledge that is viewed as a challenge. The intensity of the overreaction is accounted for by the affective component of cognitive-affective bias.
A good deal of my counseling people over the years on these matters has been validating people's beliefs and experiences, since many find themselves in situations that do not support their views and even attack them. This can be compared with being gaslighted. Unfortunately, this is still a "twilight zone" in our culture.
A good case in point is Mike's recommendation to develop a stable mental attitude, including emotional fortitude, as a necessity for successful trading. No problem, but if the explanation appears to wander into "the matrix" then there may be an unexpected reaction.
As one of my colleagues put it, it all depends on how you language it. People identity with their thoughts and emotions and telling them that they need to deal with this is like challenging their very being and who they view themselves as. And, if it is a serious attempt at correction it is just that since this is their problem. Some people are just not ready (yet) for a boost. All in due course.
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Yeah well the Buddhists try to pretend you can get away from the differentiating consciousness embedded in life. I take Carl Rogers view it's actually useful to have your spectrum of emotions these being a shorthand signalling system there's change in your homeostasis that you need to consider and ignore or take action whilst bearing in mind we're a highly collaborative species that need each other so too much anger can be counter-productive. Sometimes though you need anger to kill people who threaten how you want to collaborate to resolve your differences like your Parliamentary system for resolving conflicts. Fascists come to mind like Hitler.
The whole liberal art methodology relies on maintaining a state of duality…
You have the dual concepts of Thesis and Anti-Thesis…
No unity…
Synthesis is not unity…
“ This has been common knowledge in the East ”
Is the eastern academe founded on the duality of Socrates/Plato?
https://journal.chestnet.org/article/S0012-3692(15)33982-9/fulltext
“ Plato's writings are known as his Dialogues. He is essentially a dualist. He draws a line of demarcation between the spirit and the flesh, between the body and the mind, the Idea and the particular object. Such dualism lends itself easily to the popular mind. ”
Remember what Jesus said: “broad (Plato) is the gate that leads to destruction”
“ There really aren't any atheists,”
Anyone who believes in Dawinism is an atheist…
Theoi means “placer” … atheists are “UN- placered”…
If you think human beings exist due to random chance ie we were not placed here, thrn you are an atheist …
Atheists will be biased against purpose and creativity…
Meditation is probably valuable because you can’t dialogue while your doing it…
“ The goal is to realize this being/consciousness in the state of unity, often called nonduality.”
To be your best or do the best in the liberal art academe you have to maintain and support duality…
Probably you could substitute the word “dualist” for “satan” in the Hebrew Scriptures…
There is the time Peter was trying to start an argument with Jesus about something and Jesus says “go away behind me satan”
You could probably translate that “go away behind me dualist”..
All these dumb liberal art trained monetarists are dualists on steroids…
Mike, some of your subscribers are only interested in making a living from investing and trading. They have no interest in it beyond that. It's just a job - an exchange of time for money.
Having to make a living is where we waste one third of our lives. It's the opposite of spirituality.
Having to make a living is where we waste one third of our lives. It's the opposite of spirituality.
Not necessarily. The teaching is that there are two principal ways, that of the recluse and that of the householder, that is, the way of external renunciation and the way of being in the world.
The way of being in the world "spiritually" is to be in the world but not of it. How to do this involves the art of living.
The ancient Greeks conceptualize this as how to live a good life in a good society. This is the basis of the Western liberal tradition aka Western values. Rightly understood, this involves a spiritual (holistic) approach to life.
In addition, this is also embedded in the various normative religions at their mystical core, seated in the "cave of heart" as "spiritual center."
Unfortunately, the term "spiritually" has been restricted to normative religion of the reclusive way. Rightly understood, it is much broader than that and applies to everything as in the sacred way of seeing life and the profane way of seeing life.
This is not a duality with sharp boundaries. Like all opposites it delineates the extremes of a spectrum along which everyone falls at a particular point on one's unfolding of potential. It is not a matter of belief as much as one of attitude and ultimately, one's level of awareness, experience, and appreciation of universality.
When you don't enjoy your work, there's no way to reclaim your time or your alienation. At the age of 32 I burned out and repudiated that lifestyle. I've been a recluse ever since.
80% don't like their work and they endure it. Some don't live for themselves, but for the next generation. And the next generation don't know how to live any differently.
The advent of civilization hasn't reduced the wastage.
Endurance is the basis of a spiritual path. It was perfected by many Native Americans, for example.
They were not alienated, however. Alienation is a bitch, as Marx observed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universality_(philosophy)
“In philosophy, universality or absolutism is the idea that universal facts exist and can be progressively discovered, as opposed to relativism, which asserts that all facts are merely relative to one's perspective.”
If your methodology mandates opposing theses (Platonism) then you’re never going to reach universality…
In Christianity Jesus is depicted as saying “I and the father are one” so he’s probably at least implying universality between him and his father … meanwhile Platonist Christendom reifies this abstraction and thinks Jesus is God or wtf…
Endurance is the basis of a spiritual path. It was perfected by many Native Americans, for example.
They lived in the wilderness. We live in modern civilization. There are people who are alienated by civilization because they would rather be living in the wilderness. The law of the jungle comes with a different set of values - and offers a different way of life. In the wilderness, endurance is a necessity.
I don't expect wilderness-minded people to be able to appreciate the advantages of civilized living arrangements... or for civilization-minded people to appreciate having to survive without modern conveniences. To each, their own.
I came across "Von Der Dummheit" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer just the other day.
It's only available online in the original German
Bonhoeffer was a Christian preacher who opposed, then was imprisoned and executed by the Nazi regime.
Dummheit is one of those German terms that doesn't have a very direct English analogue. It probably best translates as 'collective madness', as in 'madness of crowds', rather than the literal 'stupidity'.
The essay has wisdom in it - that fighting against collective belief cannot be done by instruction only by personal liberation. Unfortunately this work can also be used narcissistically to justify "I'm right and everybody else is wrong".
Bonhoeffer explains the problem, but has no process towards a solution. Instead he just drops back on his default Christian beliefs.
People have to come to you and ask you to answer the question - in a quest for personal liberation. That's one of the reasons I have a Discord server and largely stay off other social media.
There's a reason the Oracle stayed at Delphi and didn't go on a world tour.
"People have to come to you and ask you to answer the question - in a quest for personal liberation."
Not the basis of person centred therapy which is non-directive. Try reading Carl Rogers on "Becoming A Person."
Think it comes down to everybody is angry with nobody to vote for.
Covid was an example of collective madness or mass formation. The numbers are roughly 10% true believers, 10% immune to the insanity, and 80% following what they perceive to be the majority.
If Bonhoeffer is saying your experiences in life enable your ability to take a stand, then he's probably right. And there is no sociological solution.
Duality and universality are not figures of speech… they are proper abstractions…
Duality is 2 and universality is 1…
No other moron Art degree figures of speech needed..,.
Agree on the point about indigenous people and so-called civilized. Actually, Native Americans have called attention to this point. There are entirely different ways of life.
Yet, Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan also extolled endurance and the need for it.
Riding on the horse of hope,
Holding in my hand the rein of courage,
Clad in the armor of patience,
And the helmet of endurance on my head,
I started on my journey to the land of love.
Teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan
I can say that endurance is not important to me.
I'm not one to endure life or situations I dislike.
Native Americans had numerous tribes that went to war with each other…
Individuals are not tribes. Individuals can join tribes, by seeking out the like-minded.
How many young men join the military because they haven't found a purpose in life?
How many go to war because they want to defend freeeeeeeeeedom?
F the tribe.
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