The Only Two Things That Matter

[Mike Kavanagh]

Please bear with me. This is a bit of a philosophical post and it will be long.

We here have somethings in common.
Somethings that very few people have.

We seek knowledge. We seek financial independence.
We seek to help others.

We have goals. We have ambition.
We have mortality.

That last one was a bit unexpected huh?

So you came here to see what that this thread was all about.
The only two things that matter.

People is one of them. Numbers being the other.

I shouldn't have to explain why people are important.
However let me ask you a question. I hope someone will be able to answer this question. It's plagued my dreams for years now and I haven't been able to figure it out.

If no one else existed, what would your purpose be?

If you can't answer it, don't feel bad. I've asked everyone from homeless people to pastors. Some answered with expected answers. Others rejected the question all together.

Anyways, going further would be going down a rabbit hole too long for this post. I know, I've typed it out.
I'll give you a hint though... Everyone is a narcissist.

Lets move on to numbers.

Numbers being the other thing that is really important in life.

A life without numbers would be intolerable. If we didn't have numbers, we wouldn't be able to correctly figure out important things.
How many children do we have. How much food do we need. How much water is necessary to survive.


Numbers are governed by a specific set of rules. 1+1 will always equal 2. No matter what. There isn't a place in the universe that this function breaks down.


I understand you might be confused. This post is heavy on the philosophical.
You probably are asking yourself questions
"What the hell is he on?"
or
"What does this have to do with business"

I can reassure you I haven't taken any drugs. I might be a bit tired. That's it.
But I can tell you for a fact that your business will fail if you don't pay attention to these two things.

People are your customers. Your fans. Your lively-hood. They pay your paycheck. They give you a purpose.
Numbers are what keep you in check. They prevent you from being an idiot.

Love your customers. Love people.
Watch your numbers like that creepy stalker guy stereotype. Or the NSA.

Please feel free to say what you think is the most important aspect. I post threads to promote conversation and invoke thought.

 

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[RogueInnovation]

If no one else existed, what would your purpose be?

To represent humanity as best I could in that absence
(or on a lighter note set up relations with dolphins )
Its not so much other peoples reactions, its just the betterment

A life without numbers would be intolerable

Its true that they give useful context

I noted those two down in my biz plan as
Social and Financial goals

And on one page I now state that I aim for social abundance and financial stability, as a principle of the biz model

I think its clever, though I might not grasp your entire meaning, but I assume its about outlook and planning. Being tight on one side and expansive on the other.
Socially free
But financially sound

Sounds good to me
Crucial even

 

[Mike Kavanagh]

To represent humanity as best I could in that absence
(or on a lighter note set up relations with dolphins )
Its not so much other peoples reactions, its just the betterment

Ah that's a good one. Haven't heard that response before. Though I don't think you went deep enough. What would you do if you found out EVERYONE was gone.
What kind of representation would there be? Who would care? How would the loneliness effect you?

When I said that everyone is a narcissist, I meant literally that. Everything you do, is always being judged and criticized. On the conscious level you may not care. Subconsciously, it eats you alive.
It's a survival response mechanism that you have no control over.

This is why some families lash out at teens who come out as gay or atheist. Going as far as disowning them.
They don't fit into there ideological family mold. They feel as though their friends and family look down on them for having a "defective" or "sick" child. It's all about survival.

That being said, if you can appeal to specific ideologies you can be accepted into any group.
Get or say something wrong and your group will leave you.

People are fickle and that's why you can't be strict with them, like you can with your numbers.

1+1 = 2 regardless of anything.
But the same one-sentence joke could be the difference in between you getting a multi-million dollar deal and getting your a$$ kicked.

 

[Mattie]

Think when you're used to being alone in the first place and people don't take interest in you, you accept it, and move on with your life. America is based on individualism. I see the difference being here in Europe. Really once you're self-reliant emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically, and learned to detach from everything and control your thoughts, and emotions such as a buddhist, in a sense being alone or with other people, it really wouldn't make a difference. Entrepreneur's spend a lot of time alone. You get used too it, but I even agree with Rogue. I rather spend time with animals some times more than people. I love people don't get me wrong, just human nature and society always seem to turn two perceptions or individuals against one another. Good vs. Evil. And can you really trust human nature?

 

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[Mattie]

When I said that everyone is a narcissist, I meant literally that. Everything you do, is always being judged and criticized. On the conscious level you may not care. Subconsciously, it eats you alive.
It's a survival response mechanism that you have no control over.

There comes a point where you just learn to walk away from those people and know it's nothing to do with you. The cruelty of it all you can never escape, they're everywhere. And maybe myself, I've faced the experience enough times, that I don't care anymore about Narcissist's. I flip my finger up and have an attitude. Why react and allow someone to mess with you, because they're not willing to get their crap together. This is where mental toughness comes in, when you face one of them every day of your life.

 

[GuestUser113]

That in this universe, there is one great energy, and we have no name for it. People have tried various names for it, like God, like Brahmin, like Tao. But in the West, the word God has got so many funny associations attached to it that most of us are bored with it. When people say ‘God, the father almighty,’ most people feel funny inside.

But according to Buddhist philosophy, all this universe is one ‘dadada.’ That means ‘ten thousand functions, ten thousand things, one suchness,’ and we’re all one suchness. And that means that suchness comes and goes like anything else because this whole world is an on-and-off system. As the Chinese say, it’s the _yang_ and the _yin_, and therefore it consists of ‘now you see it, now you don’t, here you are, here you aren’t, here you are,’ because that the nature of energy, to be like waves, and waves have crests and troughs.

Only we, being under a kind of sleepiness or illusion, imagine that the trough is going to overcome the wave or the crest, the yin, or the dark principle, is going to overcome the yang, or the light principle, and that ‘off’ is going to finally triumph over ‘on.’ And we, shall I say, bug ourselves by indulging in that illusion. ‘Gee, supposing darkness did win out, wouldn’t that be terrible!’

And so we’re constantly trembling and thinking that it may, because after all, isn’t it odd that anything exists? It’s most peculiar; it requires effort; it requires energy. And it would have been so much easier for there to have been nothing at all.

Therefore, we think ‘well, since being, since the ‘is’ side of things is so much effort’ you always give up after a while and you sink back into death. But death is just the other face of energy. And it’s the rest, the not being anything around that produces something around – just in the same way that you can’t have ‘solid’ without ‘space,’ or ‘space’ without ‘solid.’

When you wake up to this, and realize that the more it changes the more it’s the same thing, as the French say, that you are really a train of this one energy. And there is nothing else but that that is you, but that for you to be always you would be an insufferable bore. And therefore it is arranged that you stop being you after a while and then come back as someone else altogether. And so when you find that out, you become full energy and delight.

And you suddenly see through the whole sham thing. You realize you’re That–we won’t put a name on it. You’re That and you can’t be anything else. So you are relieved of fundamental terror. That doesn’t mean that you’re always going to be a great hero, that you won’t jump when you hear a bang, that you won’t worry occasionally, that you won’t lose your temper.

It means, though, that fundamentally deep, deep, deep down within you, you will be able to be human, in the pains, difficulties and struggles that naturally go with human existence. But to have no hang-ups, that is to say, to be able to drift like a cloud and flow like water, seeing that all life is a magnificent illusion, a playing of energy, and that there is absolutely nothing, fundamentally, to be afraid of.

Fundamentally, you will be afraid on the surface. You will be afraid of putting your hand in the fire. You will be afraid of getting sick, etc. But you will not be afraid of fear. Fear will pass over your mind like a black cloud will be reflected in the mirror.

“The meaning of life is just to be alive… It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.” –Alan Watts

 

[Mattie]

“The meaning of life is just to be alive… It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.” –Alan Watts

This about says it all here. But thanks for the lesson!

 

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[GuestUser113]

This about says it all here. But thanks for the lesson!

I really like Alan Watts. The first that time I listened to his recordings. I was hooked. Everything made sense.

 

[RogueInnovation]

What kind of representation would there be? Who would care? How would the loneliness effect you?

I know exactly how it would affect me. I'd be beyond devastated. I'd probably resort to quickly setting up some kind of plan to bring what was lost back in some form.

Cast away is a good movie example.

That might be stubborn... but...

Subconsciously, it eats you alive.
It's a survival response mechanism that you have no control over.

Yes.
So maybe you mean, how liberated would I feel? (like omega man)

Well... Since that is meant to be a metaphor, I will say that I feel ambivalent.
But personally, outside of the metaphor, I refuse to feel ambivalence because its such a distasteful trait. I'd instead INSIST upon having a constant reminder of another persons true value.

This seperates me from the narcissistic group, that strictly judges, because my "neutrality" is slightly positive, because I believe that is honest to myself.

I believe that ambivalence is a lie. That passion exists in the heart of people. And that this passion creates success and allows us to break free without ambivalence, but compassion.


I was reading a jedi book recently (nerd alert)
And it had two opposing philosophies
The Sith philosophy seemed to be spot on in my opinion except for that it ends with ambivalence for life and puts victory above all other things in the end (even one's own life).

But when you end with the jedi code, I think together they work.
Emotion, yet peace.
Ignorance, yet knowledge.
Passion, yet serenity.
Chaos, yet harmony.
Death, yet the Force
Its just fiction, but the philosophy of "permitting" a transitional phase so that "positive" wins out, is something I apply consciously.
HOWEVER, FIRST I believe that our ambivalent behaviours are a lie, that passion is our true origin (which in the books is "sith").

If you wanna have some fun with this concept you can read some expanded universe starwars stuff.
You can't take much from the fiction, but its entertaining.
/nerd stuff

This is why some families lash out at teens who come out as gay or atheist. Going as far as disowning them.
They don't fit into there ideological family mold. They feel as though their friends and family look down on them for having a "defective" or "sick" child. It's all about survival

You are saying its that survival instinct?

I look at it like a bucket with a hole in it. And when you expose anything that seems to increase that hole they lose their sh#t.

People are fickle and that's why you can't be strict with them, like you can with your numbers.

1+1 = 2 regardless of anything.
But the same one-sentence joke could be the difference in between you getting a multi-million dollar deal and getting your a$$ kicked.

Are you saying the "razors edge" exists between numbers and social fickleness?


Maybe you are saying that liberation from narcissists allows you to define things in more exact numerical terms.

Man, thats a good point.

I wrestle with defining exact terms quite frequently, but have lately kind of decided that people are ignorant to "exact" terms. They wanna create gobblety gook to just get whatever the hell they "need" without ever having patience and discipline.


I struggle to create that discipline in myself, RATHER than chase pipe dreams, because I belive those pipe dreams feed our sense of need and lack compassion.

I don't believe "those who need" are to blame, but NEITHER are those who chose to follow their dream.
I think we are locked in a struggle, where the answers (true answers) can only be found if we face the nastiness of our demons, and fight to be better people.


I do wish to define EXACT terms, but compassionately.
Not by confusing ambivalence with freedom
Thats my view

If I'm more on point to what you were saying, I think its a great OP

 

[RogueInnovation]

There comes a point where you just learn to walk away from those people and know it's nothing to do with you. The cruelty of it all you can never escape, they're everywhere. And maybe myself, I've faced the experience enough times, that I don't care anymore about Narcissist's. I flip my finger up and have an attitude. Why react and allow someone to mess with you, because they're not willing to get their crap together. This is where mental toughness comes in, when you face one of them every day of your life.

I tend to not struggle with this in life, but in business I make it a point of pride to address it with ferocity.
Because business is a microcosm of life, and if we face it there in the microcosm, we can apply it when solved to the macrocosm of our life.

In my life narcissists and I are ok, except for if they try to butt in, or act disrespectfully.

In business, I think there are "hot spots" where people are at their absolute sh#ttiest. And their sh#ttiness equates to the extremes of abuse, rape, etc.

As a result of the abuse and rape of other people, I respond ferociously, and take offence at ambivalence.


Most people see it as weakness, but they don't comprehend that I pay the price INTENTIONALLY for the good of others, by fighting for the ideal of destroying the barbarian culture within the business culture.

This survivalist cr#p is petty.


In life we must choose our battles.
In life I choose my battle to be fought IN business, due to the true injustices that are currently outside of any measure of control.

Sure we can have the goal to just escape bullsh#t by getting wealthy.
But I fight the demons, so that more than money is safe, but that my sense of standing up for people allows business to make me a better man rather than lull me into obedience.

(In quotes now cuz I got ranty)
Light = Who you are
Death = Lulling yourself into obedience


You must fight against it, but not by applying yourself to the craft of screwing over others!
This ignorance is the cause of injustice.

WE are the monsters, because we believe the FIGHT justifies all we do in its name.
We are cruelly ignorant...


I have shown my ignorance to many here, but I bring it into the light to destroy it.
Where others hide in a secret abyss, where it takes root as foul discontent.

And THAT is how humanity corrupts...
Because our greed is like gravity.


Unless we fight.


And lemme tell you, NO ONE fights it nearly well enough.
And this shames human kind, with a deep scar.


We all want a better world but we think we can manipulate our way there. Its only courage to not CHASE the firey dream, but to stand up against greeds gravity, that you can face the task of finding an answer to the mystery of why this happens to us.


Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more;

To be or not to be

Why do we ignore the advice of others?
Why do we NOT care?

No matter how cruel the question seems, it is far crueller to let us be this insane species that betrays one another
Where is our LOYALTY to human kind?

Where is our love when the challenge is dark?


We abandon true purpose, to solve the riddle of cash,
But what is the point if you don't fight for who you are

"to sleep, to dream, no more"
I say, HOW DARE WE be obedient little sheepies
How dare we fade gently into that good night
Where greed, corrupts our humanity, and robs us of the very soul we fight to protect

Fierce tears are not shameful, except to those who hold fear in their heart
Above the truth of others...


The weak who happen upon some power cull the strong who have not stood up... I think we've had enough ambivalent billionaires for humanities time on earth.[QUOTE/]
If you are strong, you gotta learn to stand up. Period.

 

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[Mattie]

For me its just pretty simple right now. I've already dealt with most

Alan Watts.

Yes it does make sense. There are many more teachers out there. Nice to hear difference angles. And all add value.

 

[Mattie]

If you are strong, you gotta learn to stand up. Period.

Ha ha, yes you do have to stand up, the thing is we're all learning different lessons at different times. I stood up for things before I got to the Netherlands. Now, after a year and half I have healed in certain ways, so it's time to let it go now. The focus needs to be strictly on success and perhaps knowing where you stand in the moment determines the outcome of your success. Right now it's time to re-invent myself once again. The past really don't have any irrelevance at this point, but experience. There's no need to carry the luggage at all. And the lesson lately seems to be simplify, simplify, simplify.

 

[RogueInnovation]

Ha ha, yes you do have to stand up, the thing is we're all learning different lessons at different times. I stood up for things before I got to the Netherlands. Now, after a year and half I have healed in certain ways, so it's time to let it go now. The focus needs to be strictly on success and perhaps knowing where you stand in the moment determines the outcome of your success. Right now it's time to re-invent myself once again. The past really don't have any irrelevance at this point, but experience. There's no need to carry the luggage at all. And the lesson lately seems to be simplify, simplify, simplify.

Awesome, I agree totally.

To relate this back closer to the OP, I think it means that
If people were not a factor in how you felt about things,

What you do should still stand up on its own merits. But what those merits are may depend upon where you are at in your journey.

Which is maybe the point of it all.
And people just argue about what has merit and what doesn't :/
Because we are confused as hell...


And I agree on simplicity, its core, especially when you have an abundance of creative ability. It really drills home your ability to succeed.
And screw carrying luggage if you've earnt your place.
Without that freedom, there is no choice.
And without choice, creativity and generosity is a lie.

We all (I believe) fight for the choice to give freely or not.
But we are all tangled in this BS before we cut loose and earn the right.


Society fears the jaws of its citizens, because to guide them, lead them, and help them to freedom, has never been an easy thing.

We suffer in poverty, because, the back of our society has not yet found the strength to inspire us beyond the need for teeth.
We are all collectively at fault for where we are...

And while its easy to point the finger at your lack of money and seems right... Its just not true.
(That took me way too long to learn)

 

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[Mike Kavanagh]

You are saying its that survival instinct?

Yes 100% instinct.

Back thousands of years ago, survival was day to day. So, you violently excluded anything that wasn't your tribe.

Not being your tribe could mean you didn't fit into the mold they had for you. Spartan babies would be an extreme example of this.

Now imagine your son or daughter telling you that they wouldn't produce grand kids for you because they don't like the opposite sex.
Helping raise grandchildren is the goal when you aren't able or willing to produce children anymore. Of course you'd lash out at that.
You don't want your genes to stop with your child.

Or your child coming up and telling you they don't believe in your silly beliefs. That's blasphemy in almost all religions. Blasphemy was usually punished by death.

 

[Ninjakid]

If no one else existed, I would genetically engineering an extremely gorgeous woman. Probably a lot of extremely gorgeous women.

And then I would create dinosaurs. Lots and lots of dinosaurs. And it would be totally awesome.

 

[Mike Kavanagh]

I will use man/he ambiguously for man and woman in this post. Sue me, I'm lazy today.
What's more dangerous?

A man who will stop at nothing to complete his purpose
or
A man who has decided he has no purpose.

In a e-mail I got recently from a friend of a fastlaner, the gentleman behind the e-mail stated the true purpose of human life is to procreate.
In turn the only true purpose is that of having children and helping raise children when you are unable to have your own anymore.

When you think about it, he's right. As a species, our survival is wholly based on the survival of another generation of children.

I have a lot of questions. I'm not sure they can be answered by anyone but myself.

As for now I'm going back to radio silence for the time being.
I need to do some so called soul searching to find if and what I really desire.

Feel free to message me, I wont be posting in the main forum for a while but I'll check my messages occasionally (Don't expect immediate response, I'm not a computer or a robot).

It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.

 

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