Why is consciousness a thing of the past????????

[picaraza]

@ bullit

I don't know.

For me consciousness is having awareness. Awareness of the world and of yourself. And I think that it is very difficult to be aware when you are distracted by "Mammon."

[bullit]

I think your right, i just wonder; obviously if your infatuated with the need for money you cannot concentrate on other aspects of life, consciousness for one. But there must be a **balance** and i wonder at what point that balance goes from subsistance into greed.

[leggo rocker]

If you are starving, or constantly striving just to merely survive, you won't have a lot of time, or energy, to dwell on the mysteries of life.

You can, in my opinion, be rich and be concious. But if you are ATTACHED to your material things, they will hinder your next journey. It is the attachment to this baggage that stops the progress through that eye of a needle.

It's a difficult to understand concept, I realise.

And Bullit, perhaps it is WAY out of line for me to suggest this: BUT perhaps you need to consider a different girlfriend, one who is a little more in tune with your mindset. My experience is that it will only cause more and more trouble in the longer term if you are on such different paths.

[Guest]

I really appreciate gee, litelet, picaraza and bullit's contriubutions to the discussion.

people have been complaining about the "youth of today" for thousands of years. but I can't blame them more than I blame the older ones.

I&I have to be conscious in what I think, AND in what I do, in how I behave. it is easy, so easy to be conscious in what you think, then forget everything when you have to act or to live. that's why I refused many jobs and careers that were AGAINST my consciousness. it may look stupid to many people because I could earn much more but I don't want to sell my soul to the shitstem and I try to stay away as much as I can. money cannot be a goal for our lifes as it is the expression of babylon itself.

TO BULLIT don't worry about your girlfriend, it takes time for 2 human beings to know eachother and really accept differences. not to mention people grow and often get more conscious. living with you, she will probably learn how you are right to have chosen this way and appreciate it much more.

[leggo rocker]

I do hope Oras is right Bullit and that she does come around to your way of thinking. Obviously you are with her for a reason and as you seem such a decent bloke that reason is probably a deep one and not about her bra size or something

However, it isn't easy for anyone to change their basic nature. We can be influenced and we can change. That change is often because someone we come into contact with brings out the real personality within us that may have been covered by something.

And I have seen many people suffer imperfect matches in a relationship because of fear of never finding better. I did the very same thing myself for far too long out of, mainly, misguided loyalty but also partly because I didn't really think there was a better match for me.

But when my former wife decided one man wasn't enough for her any more I showed her the door and stayed home with our children. I then met a fantastic women who has proved to be a very very close match. We've been together for over 15 years now (which is five years longer than I was married for previously). Although I can't say I regret my former marriage it would have been great to have spent all my life with the right woman instead of half of it with the wrong woman.

[leggo rocker]

I was born on a very rough housing project. My parents were very young, working class and very poor. We literally did not always have enough to eat, and this was in England! But my father worked very hard to improve his lot and looked after us. We were never rich, but at least by the time I was a teenager we were always fed.

I have also worked hard to improve my station in life. But along the way I have avoided, refused or left jobs and careers I felt were not correct - even though I could have been a very, very wealthy man today if I hadn't.

For 30 years I've fed myself and my woman and children with my art, first by painting and then by writing. People have liked my work and so they have paid for it. I have worked very very hard indeed, far harder than most of my old school friends who have done 'ordinary' jobs. I've had to because most writers and artists don't get paid much for their output and generally have to fight for everything, rather than sit at home and get money for nothing.

I have never speculated on stocks, money markets or hoarded money in banks to earn interest. In fact I don't have, and never have had a pile of money anywhere!

Yes, lately I have rescued two old English houses from many years of neglect and, with hard work and skill, turned them around and made a little money. And now two very nice young families are enjoying those houses again, instead of families of rats!

But as most scriptures seem to say "by the sweat of your brow, so shall ye eat bread" I don't feel I have done anything 'wrong' or 'dishonest' or 'immoral' by working hard. And I don't feel guilty to be able to feed and clothe my family well and keep a decent roof over their heads.

Money has NEVER been the goal of my life either. Anyone who knows me well will confirm this. I have passed up money in order to live a better life and to stay out of bondage. And I have never made money by dishonest means and never would.

I don't think the answer is for everyone to be poor and struggle. And I don't think it is right for so few to have so much of the wealth of the world. And I don't think it is right for the rich to exploit the poor in order to live in luxury. And that is why I first stopped eating meat, because I had discovered as a teenager that meat business was causing even more misery, starvation and environmental destruction than even war. In fact, it was even causing wars.

Anyone who is really serious about detaching themselves from the 'shitstem' must go and live in the hills and make a living from a scrap of land. Or go and join a monastery and live his or her life only for God, depending on the charity of those with wealth. I even tried to do that myself, and gave up my job, my house, my motorcycle and my independence to dedicate myself to self improvement and preaching. But, sadly, that is an extremely tough road to travel and I found myself unable to do it. I am simply not good enough, pure enough, or blessed enough to do it. Yet.

A friend of mine joined a monastery with me. He has managed to go and live in the hills and dedicate his entire life to prayer and charity.

Instead, I left and started a family. Once you have a family, children who need to be fed and cared for, it becomes very hard to live without getting 'dirty' in Babylon's mucky shistem.

Ideology is great. But not all of us can live according to pure ideology. And, sadly, Babylon is determined to make it even harder. They are determined to exploit us all by forcing us to conform.

I agree with Oras that you cannot blame the youths for anything. The reverse is true. They follow examples, even bad ones. Sadly, they lack good role models nowadays. Parenting is a skill and few take time to learn it.

And to envy is not a good thing. So we should be careful not to envy what another has and we don't. It is a corrosive emotion and it is not holy. It will make a man bitter, twisted and will cloud our thoughts.

[bullit]

Thanks for the comments guys; Interesting read, with the girlfriend thing, im just gonna see how it goes.
Its impossible to change someone, nor would i want to change her, shes good how she is, we differ in opinion in many things but if we thought the same thing all the time life would be less exciting. Anyway im still young so lots more experiences to happen.

Been away for the weekend doing a gig, bit of a crazy on, Think i'll upload the mp3 of the dj set for some to listen to if they feel like it.

[picaraza]

@ bullit and leggo.

Maybe there is a "balance" that can be struck. And perhaps it is the "attachment" to wealth that hinders. I don't know.

But the words "easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" indicates (to me) that in *the speaker's opinion*, it is impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. A camel cannot pass through the eye of a needle. A rich man cannot enter the Kingdom.

Why is impossible in his (or His, if you prefer) opinion? What is the "kingdom of God"? And what is a "rich man"?

Again I don't know. The force of the statement could be explained away by some semantic trick. But a commonsense understanding of these terms makes for a rather uncompromising assertion. There is nothing there about "striking a balance".

I'm not preaching or advocating anything. But is interesting to me how these words are interpreted (and explained away) by many who count themselves among the faithful.

[leggo rocker]

Interesting points Picaraza. And I do really think it is attachment to material things, not just wealth, but also power and even other people, that slows us on our spiritual paths.

I know some genuinely pious people who have money. They are charitable and do good works. Are they to be scorned because fate, or their own hard work, has helped them and kept them well? And I know people who are living without money who have absolutely no interest at all in helping anyone. They rob and steal, take hard drugs and are not in the least bit interested in any spiritual journey.

[leggo rocker]

@ Bullit

You have always seemed like a really cool guy on this forum.

I don't mean to mess up your life, and upset your relationship, so please don't take anything I say, or have said the wrong way.

You might be surprised to find how 'interesting' falling in love with someone who shares a lot of your interests, traits, and character. As I am a typical artistic person, intense, creative, sometimes moody, it can be very hard for me to get along with people who don't share my mindset.

So when I was needing a life-partner to share experiences with I was very pleased to find Laura, who is a painter. We are very similar in many ways, although of course different as I am a man and she a woman. And I don't care what they say, different gender practically means two different species!

However, we are very compatible and that has made life together sheer joy.

We almost NEVER argue, whereas, in my former 'interesting' marriage, argument was a daily routine that I actually thought was normal for married people at the time!

There are many aspects to a good relationship. Physical attraction, mental attraction, sharing of interests, goals and pursuits. It is always worth trying to find the best person and never make do with second best.