The OTHER Rat Race.

[A-Unit]

A Rat Race is the Scramble of Rats to the One goal, all pushing, shoving, and killing each other to get the goal (cheese). In the midst of striving for the goal, the rats forsake those around them, and all life moments that pass, for the sake of temporary gains (nourishment). In MOST cases, sufficient cheese exists to placate all but the most starved rats, yet, they still step on one another, with no regard for what happens AFTER the cheese is had.

The Rat Race of America begins at birth, when a child is put on the escalator of life toward whatever end is predetermined for him. It begins with constant progress in terms of "intellect". The child is taught to crawl, to walk, to run, jump, eat, read, use the toilet, and so on, in varying advanced forms of intellect. 99.999% of people get on this Rat Escalator; some move faster than others. Some begin at higher peaks. What we do know is, people ascend to the top, constantly, being pulled along, OR, walking and being pulled which gets them a LITTLE bit higher than the next rat.

In spite of this, we've concocted a New Rat Race. I'd call this the "get rich and life will be better and I'll be free" rat race. It's the circuitous route of finding happiness and freedom; it's the LONG route. It's the belief that ONCE I have this, I'll have happiness. Or once I have money, I'll be free. Or once I'm rich. It's always OUT THERE. Life is always just over the next hill, the next pass. It's never seen as the moment right here, right now. Or is it, for you?

There's nothing -inherently- wrong in any path, only the underlying beliefs that carry one along that path. I love what the movement of books has done for the individual. What education has done for the individual. What various philosophers have done for the individual. They help to free the mind of man who wants to be free.

However there is something wrong when life today is forsaken for life tomorrow. There is also something wrong when we emphasize our animalistic desires over those of more spiritual, emotional, and conscious ones. One the whole, human beings have existed for a very small FRACTION of time, and in that time, our -intellectual-capacity has grown exponentially. At the same time, our consciousness, awareness, and spiritual side (call that what you will) has stagnated, diminished, or altogether died for most.

We are not free until we free ourselves from the motivations, emotions, and predisposed thought patterns that trap us.

For instance..."I will be happy and free when I'm rich."

That is a mental trap. One in which you are slave to that whim, or that thought. In turn, you'll do what it takes to get whatever $ makes you feel rich, and STILL not be free, since the freedom you REALLY desire is to be independent of other men's systems.

You are already free, or have the capacity to exercise free thought. But few do. One of the more dangerous positions of man is his infallable ability to seek information that builds up his sense of self and his opinion. It would be all the wiser to find -negative- advice that might destroy his opinions and beliefs, thereby STRENGTHENING them with each passing refutation of information.

When you hold a belief about what life is, you're a prisoner/slave to it. You're not free. Not 1 iota.

The reality is, you're free today, if you choose to be. To need a job to buy things isn't free. You're a slave to matter, to thing, putting your life off.

A good read is: The Why Am I Here Cafe?

Google it. It's one of many books that illustrate this point in a very easy, and cheap manner.

Many times guys on here say "I am getting my life together."

Have you asked yourself what that means? And to whom it means that? In what context?

That's mere a social context, by which your life is ordered in a way consistent with society. Your life is your life, only. It's ALREADY together. An Immense Energy sits inside of you, but it is dissipated because of these expectations, demands, desires, wants, possessions, needs, and futuristic plans, or past regrets. The greatest power is the POWER OF NOW. Here's the dillemma...

1) Physical Body, has a finite timeline. Only Exists in the Present Moment.
2) Mind, has a wideopen timeline. Exists in Past, Present, and Future.
3) Soul, Spirit, Etheric, or Consciousness. Endless. Timeless. Cosmic.

When you link Mind to Where you are in Reality, you've connected all 3 pieces. But when you're mind exists in the PAST or the FUTURE, the power is dissipated.

------------------------------------------

Let me ask something. If you own a car, does it exist in reality, but you are at work?(assuming you don't use your car FOR work)

Answer: No.

We KNOW it exists, through what's called a priori (which is the image embedded in your mind of the car you own), but the only reality is that which lies in front of us now. Therefore the car only exists in your mind, with the KNOWLEDGE it lies hopefully where and how you left it.

When the mind is elsewhere, power is dissipated because the connection between ALL 3 Pieces of the being are disconnected. Thinking of past moments, conjures up false feelings not in concert with the present moment. And futuristic feelings can lead to inflated positive or negative feelings, based on where you are.

What results is what's called SELF FULFILLING PROPHECY. You look back or forward in life, depending on what has most impacted you, and as a result FEEL a certain way now. In feeling that way in the present, you pave the road for the future to be as you had wished it to be or not to be.

MANY guys do this, and it throws off perceptions. As homo sapiens, we limit ourselves to what occurs as sapiens. Now some have said or believed we're mere apes, or descended from apes, but that is not possible. Our consciousness precludes that ability. To me, the real it said we are is so that we continue to lead lives of completely animalistic desires and actions, killing each other, waging wars, raping, pillaging, plundering, maiming, wrecking and creating economies, and being good little producers for all but ourselves. If man is thought to be an ape, to some, that's an OK to engage in animal-like habits. Fine if you choose to, but also realize it is that lack of consciousness hurting everyone.

-------------------------------------------

Any path NOT of yourself, not of your own will, desire, and consciousness, stifles all life inside you. If you choose the path of riches, it will be found THROUGH what it is you are.

I point this out because, my own parents have personal talents refined over decades. My father in carpentry and household projects, and my mother in interior decoration and cooking, as well as nursing. Such talents were only done on a PART-TIME basis as pursuits beyond their regular jobs. For many years, they used them to generate extra income.

Someone could have told the, "Go sell for MlM's, or do REI, or invest in the market," yet the riches they sought would be found THROUGH them, and would give them the income and lifestyle they desire WHILE enjoying what it is they do.

Do not forsake what it is you do in the potential pursuit of riches you believe lie elsewhere. Perhaps the hometown you're in has millions there. Perhaps the path you were already on, had what you needed, you just needed to think differently. Or perhaps the path you're on is totally wrong. But the point is, it makes no sense to forsake our inherent talents, those we're born with, to forsake today, and our consciousness, for the expected path tomorrow, when all we really want is to do TOMORROW what we really want to do NOW.



A-Unit

 

[NHY]

Great post we have here! I already know much of this already but it is always nice to have it presented in such a manner like this!

To need a job to buy things isn't free. You're a slave to matter, to thing, putting your life off.

That is so gosh damned true! The philsophy of my brother especailly is that you have to start from the bottom and work your way up. Though, the way he saids it, it sounds like your starting from the gutters and end up being treated like crap by abusive and uncaring managers who can get away it.

But the problem is unfortately, MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND! It sucks not being able to enjoy my myself properly becase I have no money. Its a paradox, either drive yourself insane doing something you hate or not being able to enjoy your life to the max!

The thing is I know, FOR A FACT, if I was forced to do any manual labour ( ie bricklaying ) as a job, it would literally drive me INSANE! My personality isn't suited to such jobs, not one bit.

We are not free until we free ourselves from the motivations, emotions, and predisposed thought patterns that trap us.

I grew up in such circumstances, having the ' Don't talk to strangers ' ideal shoved down my throat only, amongst other things. It only served to make me shyer than I was.

So many families are messed up because they are caught in this trap. Many escape through alcohol when in actual fact, this ' escape ' only causes brakdown and capitalist pigs benefit from it, its all a vicious circle!

My brother has being trying for years to FORCE me into his way of thinking where ' Eat, Drink & be " merry " ' seem to fit the bill. But that too, is a trap.

Its sometimes freaking hard bing Hyper- aware of the terrible things that go on around me in this world on a daily basis. Sometimes, I wished I'd taken the blue pill in life and be ignorant of these things but being Hyper - aware is what drives my creativity, so its a paradox in itself as well!

The world need people like me, especailly at this time, we're needed more than ever to speak out agianst the terrible disease that is destroying our world!

 

[wootapotky]

I don't fully agree with this. There are problems that can result from this type of thinking such as people doing nothing because they only live in the moment. They don't give any thought to their future and how they could be fvcking it up. You should look to your future because you could be headed straight down a path you don't want.

You have to do some things in life that you won't enjoy while you are doing it but that will reap huge rewards in the future. If you don't at least live somewhat in the future you won't be able to do what you want to do in the future.

 

[Soupar]

I agree with A-Unit 100%.

Live life for the moment and have fun. When your old and dying, what is it that your going to remember... the great times you had... or the times to wasted earning un-needed money?

the first surfers from back in the day are the perfect example. They'd move into shacks with around 10 other people, fish from the ocean for food, and just surf. I'd much rather do that than work for years in a cubicle

 

[A-Unit]

Re:

One of my own theories stems from the belief that OUR generation (18 -30) and successive ones, DO NOT SUFFER ENOUGH. While many of the gentlemen on this website are -conscious- of the need for balanced future/present planning, that does not negate the problems of current and future generations that have become accustomed to a life beyond their means.

Credit Cards are indicative of this habit.

If the ave. college graduate earns $1,500,000 over their lifespan, whatever they borrow TODAY, is taken off of that amount, AND THEN SOME, plus interest, plus lost opportunity costs of investing NOW.

I mention this because ALOT of 18 year olds are JUST getting their first taste of work, the real world, bills, cc.'s, cars, car insurance, gas, women, taking women out etc. And at 18, you're pressured to FIGURE out what you want for the rest of your life, when, even IF you did that, it necessarily won't be forever ANYWAYS. To me, that's a short-cut right to robot hell, where you automate yourself under the umbrella of corporations.

Using examples...

-My own father had a family business + a side carpentry biz, now he works as a salesman and does security. Who knows what happens @ retirement?
-Athletes might compete from ages 12/13 until 30, or in golf longer, but their career evolves, from athlete, to announcer, or like Emmitt Smith, a Real Estate Investor.
-I know students who switched majors, became accountants, then went into financial planning, or are selling entirely different lines of product than they ever thought they would.

In my experiences, observations, and readings, kids are TOLD not to live for the moment in the passion of what they are good at BECAUSE it fits with the "safe" mentality, corporate agenda and consumerism, and it's what TEACHERS teach. Honestly, the school system is the biggest proponent of this, since teachers away the day they get a fat pension from the state government, amassed over 30 years of retirement. If they realized what was REALLY possible, they'd see that they could CREATE their own skills, that redeemable and enduring, and become ever more valuable with each passing years. But instead, teachers, those who 'know' but only teach, (there's SOME a select few that are well off, but it's rare), who suscribe to ONE employer for 30 years, and this sort of intellect is passed down to the children. PERFECT! For companies seeking loyalty and obedience. What purveyor of such beliefs than the state, who can axe a teacher, and kill her amassed benefits, free health ins., future COLA raises, and nice vacation time.

You see, I believe there's a fundamental INHERENT desire in people to strive, but that aspect is RUNG out of people at a young age. Alot of us have done the BAR thing, some still do. But after a period of time, you come to realize how meaningless, pricey, wasteful, non productive, and fake it is, WHEN, it's pitched as some 'wonderful reality.' You grow out of that. Some guys even get close to BANKRUPT. But guess what?

THAT IS GOOD. There is a utopian mentality that does not want suffering in the world as if it's BAD. No, intentionally inflicted SUFFERING is bad, as was the case with Hurricane Katrina. That was bad. Poor preparation, evacuation, and a situation that could possibly been have averted. THAT is bad suffering. Our kids, and even adults don't suffer. Suffering, or pain, is natures way of making life stronger, or killing it off so it doesn't just wallow in it wasted life and skills. It will begin anew, in another life, and another time, but it's time is not now.

I apply the concepts of nature, not that we're animals, but that being on Planet Earth, we're bound by natural law. Ever notice how people bytch so much? Complain? Worry? Are afraid?

That mentality is DRILLED in that we shouldn't have setbacks, we shouldn't suffer a little, we shouldn't get agitated, or bothered. But it's also why people are so tempermental and whip guns out on slow drivers or rude road rage drivers.

--------------------------------------------

Honestly IT does not take much to live, it only matter to how your wants balance your ability to provide them. People have so MUCH stuff, and that's fine, but most of it ends up on EBAY, in the trash, regifted, or collecting dust.

Work is noble, and good, and is of the soul, but only when it's of the passion of the soul, with full energy. If, as a youth, you were able to hone, and refine whatever skills you had at that age, where might you be now?

I revert to my own brother at this point, because at a young age, he had the basic desire to play the guitar like a rockstar. At age 17, he was dropped on his shoulder in a harsh way during a wrestling tournament, causing a severe dislocation. If he throws, it pops out. If he wrestles, his endurance is crushed. As a result, he refocused his energy to music, and come to for college he KNEW what else he wanted to do: music. He's settled into Music Business and over the course of 5 years has amassed quite a resume, something he probably COULD never do at his young age of 13. He's been plays, shows at bars, jazz restaurantes, art exhibits, coffee rooms, family gatherings, birthdays, college parties. He can play anything from the upright bass, to the walking bass, guitar, piano, mandolin, and a host of random instruments i can't even spell.

I ask, if you're not living through yourself, for yourself, for who and what are you living for?

If you love what you do, and you provide charity in some way and self-sacrifice, that's 1 thing. But if you were born to 'work', produce, and basically be a consumerist robot...you were born a slave @ birth.

Heck, my own cousin has a fledgling cement company. You might think 'cement, yeah!' But he pulls good money, its his company, great hours, he's partnered with a childhood friend, he has immense contracts lined up, and there's some unique in it he sees. He only began pouring forms and helping other companies. Then, when his friend went off on his own, he joined up, providing additional capital of $15,000 and buying his own trick and equipment. Because he lives in a place with a high demand for his services, he'll be employed for the foreseeable future. Oh, and he's JUST a senior in college now, and has been at work for 1 year on his own, PLUS, the previous years experience. He switched his degree from Civil Engineering (like me) to Construction Management.

Cases like that AREN'T rare. In my opinion, you FIND them on the path of whatever life's journey you are on. They FALL into you.




A-Unit

 

[al77]

Re: Re:

Hey A-Unit,

I really like your posts: you dig deep and don't stop at superficial things.

I agree with your main idea: the systme was created that promotes three things: "safe" mentality, corporate agenda and consumerism. People are dumbed down, so they are completely docile and will work for nothing praying and saying "..but I will get a good health care benefits" As if they are planning to get sick on a regular basis.

So your descriptin of the situation is perfect. But what to do?
You cannot simple destroy the system of consumerism and "safe mentality by doing what you want. We are all in the system, the matrix so to speak: other will constantly remind you to come back, if you deviate from the system too much.

The system is literally choking you if you follow your path: you will have no money and a lot of troubles. Yes, there some people who could pull it off. They are luck ones: they happen to be in a right place, in a right time and having right friends.
Without it we can follow our passions for centuries without any results.

Why did it happen to them and not us? Luck, fate, God, good Karma...whatever you subscribe to, the concept is simple like winning a lottery: you have to choose the right numbers. Otherwise you just pay money and get nothing.
But at least you have to be awake and not broke: the minimum requiremnts are to have money to buy a ticket and choose the numbers.

But it seem majority is already doing it. almost everyone is trying to finish college, get a degree, get a job...but wait, at this point it starts going backward: he would buy a house he cannot afford, furniture he will pay 3 times more of its worth, marry a fat bvtch who will such the rest of his money and the rest of his soul.

How can he overcome this?? Look: he find a gf, she seems great. Moreover she will seem even better.. he wants to not to lose her so he marries her. But then it all goes wrong: she wants a house they cannot afford, she gets fat and bvtchy. They have 3 kids and he seems to have the only choice to pray for his employer not to lose his crappy job. Very frequent scenario.

What to do then? Not having kids, a house and a fat wife? ok. How about a gf? How about money to survive? how about jobs? If you don't have a job, you will not even have a gf...

To be fair not all people are like this. Lets look from the other side. A man didn't marry a fat bvtch, doesnt' have any kids. But have a business he is passioned about. When the biz starts earning money he will be in his 30s.. He feels he wants a gf and maybe a wife. Here we go again... women are still the same: they want a house, 3 kids and to nag you when they feel like.
So out businesman avoids marrige material women. Super. What does he do? He goes to bars, flirting with bar flyes.. fvck bi-chicks risking to catch any kind of STD from them.
Is this the way??!
Just curious.

 

[A-Unit]

Re:

Destroy the system, the thought form still exists, so engaging in anarchy IS NOT the way.

It begins with doing what you do, how you want to do it. If you want a college degree, go for it. You don't have to answer to anybody for it, but don't GO based on the promises of people OUTSIDE yourself.

If you want to be an entrepreneur, GO for it, and be willing to do what it takes the whole way.

If you want to PU chicks, GO for it, on your own. Even IF you're motivated by something OUTSIDE yourself, you're still trapped under the programming. You don't exercise free will when you DO it for the specific reason of: Getting back at someone, Making up for lost time, Proving to People Anything.

I had a conversation with my father, who I before had mentioned about a family business in which we'd owned a mill since the early 1900's. It lasted until the 80's, when manufacturing went over seas and the real estate and machinery had sufficient value to provide a nice retirement for my grandfather and great grandfather, but my father received nothing since they needed it first, even if it was 'just' to provide some compensation. He then went on to a salesjob which he dislike, feels abused by the company, and works as a union steward arbitrating disputes and contracts.

Lots of people feel like that, and MOST times, it's because they give up their energy and power to SOMEONE other than themselves. They gave it to a company, their family, their spouse, their friends, their habits, their habits, instead of reserving it for them, and building the knowledge and foresight to tackle it BEFORE it occurs.

Granted, the pieces of society that click together enable millions to eat at affordable prices for the most part. But at the cost of obesity, for the sake of cheapness and mass production?

There's a trade-off.

Companies can provide to basic consumers cheap goods, mass produced, but at what cost? Driving mom and pops out of town, and paying workers less for their service oriented jobs, many of which cannot be shipped overseas, but can be filled with cheaper immigrant labor.

I heard on the radio 1 day, a talk show host who didn't care if Wal-Mart provided healthcare or not. They're 1 of the few companies that don't, and CA (I believe that's the state) wants to enact a law FORCING Wal-Mart to do it. As a capitalist, I believe no government should do that. But then, on the flip side, I wondered...what is the outcome?

Sure, prices drop, and some rich tv news reporter isn't going to care, he's not loyal to mom's or pop's, and he's got dough to blow, and possibly shares of WMT, so he's all for it. But what about the towns it bulldozes into, puts up flashy, gigantic buildings, takes a few businesses down (since it also provides, clothing, food, pharmaceuticals, etc), and then takes away the autonomy of the citizens. Is that good?

I've seen it first hand in Maine. Yeah, prices are lower, but so are wages, even though MORE people are employed. So is there a netgain? Maybe, tax revenues MIGHT help the local community (IF they are given to the proper areas in budget finance).

Point is, in creating value, escaping the race, it comes from building up oneself. A partner of mine has many talents. He plays professional poker (been to the final tables with MANY of the big boys), investor, CPA, and CFP. Each source of income, while you might say, IS BEYOND me. But ALL of them are sources of REVENUE within his abilities. To be a CFP/CPA you have to be good with people. And playing poker is about knowing people. And investing ties right back into being a CPA/CFP. So it's like 3 points to a triangle. If one month is bad financially, he doesn't sweat it because he knows his other sources are MORE than adequate to compensate him beyond his needs.

Do alot of people do that? No. They have 1 source, earned income, usually from physical or mental labor, but nothing THEY can improve upon in their spare, @ home time.

On the flip side, so many chase retirement, awaiting the pension or 401k they hope to build, buying crap now until then. All the crap weighs people down PHYSICALLY, SPIRITUALLY, EMOTIONALLY, and FINANCIALLY.

---------------------------------------

Since I was a youth, I long belived something was 'amiss.' And since then, I persued with a vengeance what it might be, in the hopes I could affect immediate friends and family, but the conclusion you come to is...

'everything on this rock is as its supposed to be. it's the evolution of the individual, and we can't affect a perfect situation.'

ALOT of frustration stems from wanting things to BE BETTER. Even guys leave here pissed that MORE Afc's appear to arrive all the time, and Dj's seem to be reverting back to old habits. Well, you should know that upfront. People need to go their own route in their own spiritual and personal evolution, even if that means total suffering until they enlighten themselves. It sounds weird, but you only LEARN and appreciate wisdom first hand. Otherwise, it's just advice, that you're willing to ditch UNTIL you find something else to cling to.

------------------------------------------------

One last point I learned on my own, and that was echoed by David Deida in his book series...

"Live At The Edge."

I never knew what it was before, and I hadn't put it in practice until recently, but I looked back KNOWING it was there. Living at the edge means, living at the edge of your comfort zone, pushing the boundary constantly further.

Case in point. I bounced around to 3 colleges, finally settling at 1. When I got to my last one, I'd met a girl PRIOR to getting there whom would eventually become my gf of 2 years during college. Great as she was, I'd only JUST gotten to my new school as a sophomore, and I had several females on my floor who liked me, wanted me, in fact, wanted to FAWK me. I recall telling 1 she looked just like a pornstar of a flick I had seen recently. HUGE cans. Dark black hair. Very outgoing personality. Perceived to be a bytch, but we clicked. It got to the point we ALMOST fawked, but I couldn't bring myself to cheat, so in the end she ended up dating jerk after jerk since I let it go.

Looking back, and still being young, I was afraid to LIVE at the EDGE, Risk it ALL, Put my chips in and play for broke. It sounds dumb, but so often THAT is where opportunity and luck meet. Putting your balls up on the line. It doesn't mean picking bar fights or being Chuck Fawking Norris. It means living right at the edge of comfort, so there's NEVER a regret from day to day.

Maybe it means telling the girl you've dated awhile you love her, just to say it because you feel it and say FAWK CONVENTIONS. And if she says NO, fine, but at least you didn't wait.

Maybe it means moving somewhere else, just because you're not getting much done where you are.

It means DIFFERENT things to DIFFERENT people. But I'm not sure when we confused LIFE with PRODUCTION, RICHES, and A JOB. To me, those are BYPRODUCTS of existence, NOT THE REASON FOR IT.



A-Unit

 

[wootapotky]

Now I can say that I agree 100% with this post.

 

[DJDamage]

Re: Re:

Originally posted by A-Unit
Looking back, and still being young, I was afraid to LIVE at the EDGE, Risk it ALL, Put my chips in and play for broke. It sounds dumb, but so often THAT is where opportunity and luck meet. Putting your balls up on the line. It doesn't mean picking bar fights or being Chuck Fawking Norris. It means living right at the edge of comfort, so there's NEVER a regret from day to day.

Speaking of comfort zone:

http://www.sosuave.net/forum/showthread.php?threadid=68900&highlight=comfort+zone

Risk is a dangerous business. If you attempt to risk it all and you lose, it will be harder to recover. It all depends on the risk. Its better to take a "measured risk": a risk that will bring you greater value then you can lose.

 

[STR8UP]

Re: Re: Re:

Originally posted by DJDamage
Risk is a dangerous business. If you attempt to risk it all and you lose, it will be harder to recover. It all depends on the risk. Its better to take a "measured risk": a risk that will bring you greater value then you can lose.

Risk is only as dangerous as your lack of knowledge of the subject. Most people would say I'm crazy if they knew the kind of stuff I do. I know that there is always a potential for loss, and believe me, I have lost plenty in the past.

The problem most people have with risk is that they take it for their perception of face value, rather than look for ways to reduce the risk to put the odds in their favor.

The other problem people have with risk is the false perception of loss and failure.

I know that even if I lost EVERYTHING tomorrow, I would have it all back and then some within a few years. Loss should be taken for what it really is (recoverable) and failure should only be judged over the course of your LIFETIME. It kills me to see people pass up so much opportunity because they think that loss is failure and failure is bad.

When you begin to view failure as a POSITIVE step on the road to SUCCESS, you are well on your way.

 

[MightyMate]

http://www.sosuave.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=95291
Try this.

 

[Soupar]

Originally posted by MightyMate
http://www.sosuave.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=95291
Try this.

what does that have to do with anything

 

[djbr]

Bump