How Do You Guys Do It?

[Elvis]

Don't forget to laugh! It's good for you.

[Perelandra]

Learning new things, never before in the world has it been possible to get this much useful knowledge for nearly free. Given enough dedication almost nothing is out of your reach now.

True. The General also highlights the necessity for a rough balance of attention to mind, body, and spirit.

IMO: The first can't be said much better than a recent fortune cookie I received, "Curiousity killed boredom. Nothing killed curiousity."

Exercise, varied healthy diet Link, and social interaction. The sense of touch profoundly affects our worldviews. Touching nature, animals and other people is part of health.

Proper amounts of rest are important, especially away from media, including contemplation time and naps.

[8bitagent]

Instead all we got now are bunch of entitled young hipsters addicted to their smart phone facebook complacent paradigm. "Like, ohmygod, right? Like whatevers". Fuck this generation. Sure they're a little more less homophobic and inclusive, but they're empty vessels.

It isn't all that way - don't believe the hype. I have a child in that generation and her mission in life is to help struggling people. She's a second hand store shopper, a sensitive soul, and she's putting her money and effort where her mouth is - working her way through university in a program she believes will get her into the places where she can actually do some good.. A paper that she wrote regarding grass roots action to stop a major corporate mining project in Canada is in the process of being peer reviewed and possibly published. She's not even 20 years old yet. She thinks deeply about these things - granted she does so in between fixing her hair and watching cute animal videos, but hey, she's gotta live her life as joyously as possible too, right?

she's frustrated with many of her friends who she finds don't get it, however she is slowly finding her people out there in the world.

It's madness out there, and really no wonder that the younger generations aren't doing more organizing - they are propagandized and impoverished like no other generation in recent history. Just sayin' ...

That's incredible!! I wonder if part of it is a Canadian thing...not with your daughter per se but the overall vibe of college kids up North. As I've noticed a lot of younger people out there are involved in similar stuff and/or have a similar spirit. Thank you for sharing this. I admit sometimes I get sort of caught up in my own tunnel vision I sometimes lose sight or forget about the world at large. But yes, we need more people like her!

[8bitagent]

The millennial generation holds great promise. I see a genuinely progressive current running through almost everything about them and there are a few simple small things about them that are just different; for example: I think they are the first generation to no longer view themselves as temporarily embarrassed millionaires. This will have a profound impact on class relations in the United States.

As for how I stay sane (and I do believe that - maybe I had a latent gullibility that I've fought hard to overcome - though recent comments here had me questioning my sanity. I of course have "normal" friends who call me crazy but they work in the oil industry or for Comcast) I'm extremely lucky to hold a job in academia that pays okay and gives me the time and resources to fund all these adventurous projects that put my skills to use in exposing the deep state or environmental crimes or fascism in general. Though I've been at the job for seven years this month and apparently that spells career suicide in 2013.

I just completed a project for which I'll never see a dime (by design) but it is a slightly more "mainstream" work for the greater public good, will be a permanent historical resource, and which I feel was an uncompromising evaluation of class conflict. Actually, the "not seeing a dime" part isn't totally true, I think that I've gotten a lot of mileage out of it and might be able to segue into a new job because of it.

Do dream jobs exist for people like us?

Very inspiring to hear! Somehow tethering a career to a greater good is quite a feat, though I like to think even in small measures people can make a difference. For some reason reading your reply made me think of
a movie plot. MIT did a study on high schooler/college freshman's brain activity from "multitasking", and it does seem concerning how much information is being retained. I don't want to go so far as to say post racial/post homophobic, but this current millennial generation does seem overall light years ahead when it comes to accepting. Thinking of future(err, or not so future) class issues is interesting. It almost feels like youth are more tech minded than engineer/workforce/hands on related

I see by your avatar,you've got good taste in music; music usually keeps me pretty sane. Puts a smile on my face.....sometimes tears..... but I always feel joy and relief after listening to music I like.

Oh thanks! Even if it's fluff, I think that's why I like those Adam Curtis BBC documentaries, as it's this random pastiche of wildly disparate songs yet somehow works. I've been in an 80's funk electro sort of mood lately, as well as early 70's folk. I do miss the ritual of the before, where you'd come across an album, take it home and that would be sort of an event like watching a film over and over instead of just click-click-click of today's digital sort.
Though the rise of vinyl popularity is an interesting trend.

[8bitagent]

This thread really means a lot! Admittedly when I typed this I was kind of drunk(I wonder how many posts by us all seem spurred on by substances?) and had already been feeling kind of frustrated/odd. I should be feeling pumped up and soaring to potential in life but Instead I feel like I fell through the cracks, and am still in a daze like a white soot covered business man on Vessey and Church street.

The short answer:
1. Learning new things, never before in the world has it been possible to get this much useful knowledge for nearly free. Given enough dedication almost nothing is out of your reach now, 20 years ago that wasn't as possible unless you got really lucky searching through used book stores.

2. Regular exercise. Helps to clear the mind.

3. Finding something to be grateful for everyday. Just pick a few things that you are thankful for each day.

So simple, yet often overlooked. I *try* and combine all three, when possible. I go on a lot of long walks to clear the mind, and I will often on a near daily basis see birds I've never seen before as well as
relish small fissures of goodness.

[Hunter]

I love and respect all y'all. But how do ya do it? Navigate this mortal coil, stay sane? I mean Im barely 35 and I don't even know what's going on. I've rarely had any friends, rarely ever dated, been poor as heck forever. Never got into drugs. Just been a starving artist/musician/designer for years. But how do you guys do it, staying sane and all? Sometimes I feel like I should have been born earlier, fanciful thoughts when I see documentaries about the beatnik, 60's activist or even late 70's/early 80's New York art/film scene. I just feel out of place.

My cat needs me, I have to stay sane for the little guy, he wouldnt make it if his daddy didnt give him his food and water every day, honestly that is what keeps me grounded and sane, silly as it may seem, I love the little son of a bitch and I wont ever abandon him for insanity so I got no choice but to keep my head on straight and just keep on keepin on...


Also keep in mind when you see documentaries about the beatniks, hippies, mods, squares, punks, or hipsters or whatever it may be, just be mindful of that fact that those people represent a very small percentage of the society they lived in at the time, the rest of the world was just as fucked up as it is today, there isnt much difference between the way they lived then and the way we here on RI live now, its just over romanticized to make it seem all glorious and wonderful but it really wasnt all that, they faced much of the same problems, frustrations and insecurities that we do now. I know youre probably already aware of that but I am just sayin'...

[8bitagent]

How long have you had him? Sometimes I think I should get a dog/cat/furry companion. I've always appreciated the fact they love unconditionally. They don't care about your financial or social status, or any silly trivial road blocks people set up.

[quote="[url=http://www.rigorousintuition.ca/board2/viewtopic.php?p=507148#p507148]NeonLX » Sun Jun 09, 2013 11:44 am wrote:Yeah. I took up exercise as well, starting back in 2007. And it's as simple as can be: I walk, and I walk quickly. The trick for me is to walk outside and look at clouds, plants, trees and whatever else is interesting. I also listen to birdsong, squirrels chattering and planes flying overhead (fortunately, I ain't encountered a drone yet--at least that I know of).

I don't watch teevee. I don't listen to commercial radio. I hang out with my cats. I read good sci-fi. I go to tractor pulls and drag races

Much of this society would consider me eccentric, but I sure as hell don't want to be like much of this society.

So surreal reading this...it's what I do! I absolutely love hearing birds, seeing families and kids out and about, randomly having dogs being walked come up to me, love looking at random cloud formations, etc.

It sounds so cliche, but I honestly made a pact with myself during the buildup to the Iraq war to never again watch television much less pay for it. It had just gotten too much. And this was before I started questioning
much of anything relating to 9/11, the Bush administration, etc. I just got sick of the daily endless fear porn. By the time of the "DC Sniper" events I got rid of cable permanently, and by the roll out of the Iraq war
I stopped watching tv entirely. Been a decade since, yet I sadly think the internet replaced my TV habits:(

[Project Willow]

not sane...not insane...just survivors

Don't forget to laugh! It's good for you.

The sense of touch profoundly affects our worldviews. Touching nature, animals and other people is part of health.

+1

Of all my travails, feeling a deep sense of aloneness and isolation seems like the most painful. Everybody needs intimacy, to have at least one person in the world who gets as close to getting who we are as it's possible to get. Find people who understand or share your worldview and keep them close.

I volunteer a lot, that helps give me a broader sense of purpose and allows me to meet new people all the time.

Enjoy the good things when they happen, celebrate them, celebrate yourself.

Allow yourself to become overwhelmed in awe at the beauty and miracle of life. Examine your hands, a plant, the sky.

Do something completely hedonistic, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone, 'less of course they ask you...



The young folks don't have it easy today, and what's on the horizon looks pretty frightening. It's all the more reason to enjoy every day that you have, in any small way you can muster.

Oh, and, I remember Wax Trax!

[Hunter]

I have had this cat one year next month, he showed up on my back porch last summer as a little bitty guy probably less than 6 months old, all dirty and matted up, crusty eyes from tears from living the hard life of an abandoned alley cat, he was feasting on the birds under my bird feeder so I had to do something or the bird population in my area was quickly going to become extinct at the rate he was going, he had them all figured out and was taking them out one by one, a real war of attrition it was. So I started feeding him all the cans of tuna I had then he stopped killing the birds and wanted to come in the house and kick back with me, from that day on its been me and him against the world, he is my buddy and we do everything together, I was a dog person before I met this guy and never considered owning a cat but now that I do I wouldnt consider owning anything else, I mean I love dogs but cats are where its at, they are just wonderful companions, they dont put up with any shit or shenanigans, they let you know where you stand, they shoot real straight and pull no punches, they let you know right off the bat that they are in charge, they rule the roost and you are just a spectator along for the ride in the whole scheme of it all. But all kidding aside, he is a wonderful friend, entertaining and loving and also very clean, they dont make messes and they clean up after themselves nicely. Its really a win win with cats and I dont think I could ever live without one at this point, I just love him to pieces and I am so happy I was able to save this one because he is a real special kitty, his personality is just off the charts, I mean he really does have a personality just like a person does and he is very unique and different than other cats I have been around.


I dont think there is anything in the world that makes me laugh as much as this cat or just watching cat videos on youtube, seriously give it a try, these little furrballs are absolutely HILARIOUS!

And again, in all seriousness, we need eachother and he is definitely one big reason, as strange as it may seem to some people, that I could never go off the rails, I just couldnt live with myself thinking of him sitting in the window facing the carport every evening as he does, waiting for me to pull in from work, and me not showing up and the poor guy thinking I just abandoned him and dont love him anymore, brings me to tears just talking about it!

=)



I also think eating right, drinking lots of good clean water, getting enough sleep and getting out and moving around, power walking etc is very important to staying mentally healthy in a world where that is a real, genuine challenge because it is INDEED a real challenge in the world we live in today but I suspect its always been that way for every generation, it just seems like its worse for us than it was for them but that is rarely true.


I stay clear away from alcohol and drugs, I dont frown on those who want to use them, that is ok, I am not the self righteous type, they are just not for me, they make me feel generally shitty afterwards and it is just not worth the hassle or the money, so I find my fun elsewhere, I do enjoy some TV now and then I wont lie, I love the show Breaking Bad, The Wire, 6 feet Under, Sopranos, etc, and I also like good films, I wont bother to name them all, and I especially love reading good books, from fiction or non fiction and good old classical literature, I think the key here is to just keep busy, an idle mind, as they say...I was a HUGE Twin Peaks guy back in the day and love anything of the sort...

Sometimes I just like doing simple things like sitting at the park or the mall and people watching, that can be great fun if you have really mastered the art of it and people watching is indeed an art and hell a science too if you really work at it!

[Elvis]

I just couldnt live with myself thinking of him sitting in the window facing the carport every evening as he does, waiting for me to pull in from work, and me not showing up and the poor guy thinking I just abandoned him and dont love him anymore, brings me to tears just talking about it!

=)

That's beautiful, and exactly how I feel about my cat. She's an adorably "needy" creature, and I love making her safe and comfy, but I think some of my cynicism has rubbed off on her.

8bit, if you don't have one already, an animal friend can be most rewarding for both parties. (If you adopt one, make it a serious commitment, many people don't consider that animals have emotional lives of their own.)

[Hunter]

I just couldnt live with myself thinking of him sitting in the window facing the carport every evening as he does, waiting for me to pull in from work, and me not showing up and the poor guy thinking I just abandoned him and dont love him anymore, brings me to tears just talking about it!

=)

That's beautiful, and exactly how I feel about my cat. She's an adorably "needy" creature, and I love making her safe and comfy, but I think some of my cynicism has rubbed off on her.

What gorgeous kitty! And yes, yes, yes, I agree I do think our personality does rub off on our kitties. When my pop passed away a few months back I did the usual bawling for hours and hours and each time I would break down, laying on the bed by myself, the cat would jump up on the bed with me and literally takes its nose and rub it against mine as if you say, its all gonna be ok, we have eachother here buddy. It was SUCH a moving experience when he did that, it was like he really knew I was hurting and wanted to somehow touch me and comfort me and boy did ever, the cat absolutely got me through my father's passing, which was the most traumatic experience of my life so far as pop and I were very close, best friends and a great father he was to me and without the cat I am not sure I would have been able to get through it, he was there for me as much and as well as any real person could have been. It was just amazing to see and experience how this cat felt empathy for me during that trying time. There are also some things other quirks about me and my personality that I have no doubt have rubbed off on him, I do believe it. Cats are extremely smart animals, everyday he does something that makes me go "how in the hell did he learn to do that?!"

8bit, if you don't have one already, an animal friend can be most rewarding for both parties. (If you adopt one, make it a serious commitment, many people don't consider that animals have emotional lives of their own.)

I agree 100% a pet is a great way to go if youre feeling lonely but does indeed need to be a serious commitment and you need to think beforehand what that means, like traveling and things and having to leave the pet behind for a long period of time because it really does effect them, it hurts them tremendously to be without you once you and the cat or dog bond.

That is not to suggest that having a cat or pet in general should be considered to be a big chore or a burden it isnt and it need not be but just consider that it does love you and bonds with you and so you will have to be able to return that affection and understand that when you are not there they do yearn for you like you would a loved one yourself.

[Canadian_watcher]

like traveling and things and having to leave the pet behind for a long period of time because it really does effect them, it hurts them tremendously to be without you once you and the cat or dog bond.

so true. My dog is 13 now and I am really not sure he would make it if both my SO and I left him for more than a couple of days and even then, only with family - no way could he make it in a kennel. We don't even leave him alone in the house for more than 6 or 7 hours at a time since I've worked from home for so long he doesn't 'get it' when no one is around. He's so great. He is seriously like a person to me - a wonderful, thoughtful, funny, loving, comforting best friend.

[Crow]

relish small fissures of goodness.

Poetry.

[DrVolin]

I fake it well.

[Joe Hillshoist]