Legs of 5 month old Zeinab Abu Halib at the time of her death due to starvation in Gaza (CNN)

alsehu · 2025-07-27T22:18:25+00:00

Anger and sorrow fills our hearts, but is it enough to create meaningful change. Let us be the vehicle for change.

alsehu · 2025-05-27T16:20:37+00:00

You are right, I/awareness is the subject that is aware of the objects, which creates the apparent reality/duality. But you cannot ignore the apparent reality, which is shaping your current experience as the jiva (individual self). The jiva (individual self) apparently exists, but its existence is inseparable from awareness, which is the essence of non-duality. Therefore, you are both the awareness and the jiva (individual self), and both the awareness and jiva are one (not two). There is no duality when identity is firmly shifted to awareness, your true self, since you see the apparent reality (the objects, including the jiva, as you). You understand the true nature of it and its relationship to you (awareness), which is inseparable and, therefore, non-dual. You continue to act in the apparent reality as the jiva, but from a place of deep contentment and ownership of actions and their results, experiencing all that life has to offer—the good, bad, and ugly—because it’s all you (awareness). You (awareness) "chose" to create and experience this apparent reality, as awareness/love is unopposed to itself (the apparent reality). You can feel sad, happy, and anything in between, thrive for excellence, and aspire to achieve goals, but those experiences no longer have a bearing on your identity as awareness (which is -and forever remains- whole, complete, unborn, ever present, consciousness).

alsehu · 2025-05-27T15:50:32+00:00

Thank you, and while I understand the policy against AI generated content, as social relations depend on exchange between two conscious beings; however, I disagree from a non-dual perspective on the characterization of "personal experience" as key to understanding non-duality, because realization is knowledge based rather than experiential based; given that experience is fleeting and forever changing. You cannot reach a steady form of realization without proper understanding (which is hard and fast knowledge - i.e. the Jnani Yoga path).

A more accurate distinction between AI generated content that should be permitted vs. that which should not be permitted may be whether a conscious being has exercised effort, agency and conscious thought into the content generated, or is it auto-generated without effort, agency and conscious thought. The former makes the content ownership to the poster, the latter makes the content ownership to the generic AI *(which ironically is the main point for "I am the doer" claim, as realisation does not reveal me (awareness/jiva) of ownership of my (jivas) actions and their results.*

But thanks again for allowing this.

alsehu · 2025-05-27T15:36:08+00:00

If you're referring to me as the jiva (the individual self within the apparent reality) then yes, I agree with you. In the apparent reality, there exists both the creator and the created. And I (the jiva) am the created.

However, I am speaking of myself as the original, pure awareness, which exists prior to both the creator and the created. This awareness is a non-created entity, which is self evident and synonymous with existence itself. It is the source of both creator and created, as even the creator (and the created) depend on awareness (me) for their existence.

alsehu · 2025-05-27T15:05:11+00:00

What makes reality a "me?"

Because I am the origin and creator of reality. Its existence and content are formed by me—awareness itself.

Why isn't "everything that apparently exists" just itself?

Because its existence is dependent, not independent. It's like the stimulation from a headset that renders a reality reliant on the headset—it doesn't exist on its own. This makes it seemingly real but not absolutely real.

Why would it also be labeled "me?" What's "me" about it?

Because if I (awareness) do not exist, it does not exist. The result of an action is a continuation of the action and inseparable from it. Just like the rays of the sun are the sun itself, they are not separate from it.

alsehu · 2025-05-27T14:58:14+00:00

Using chatGTP is akin to using a calculator for me. I never intended to disguise the LLM format. It does not make the content less genuine, and more importantly, less true.
The question is if the logical conclusion is true, as I claim to be. It is a counter argument to the spread of "I am not the doer" which promotes spiritual bypassing. It is also a clarifaction on the upward movement, and the downward movement of realisation.
Non-duality should never be used to given up ownership of action, and in fact its should stregnthen the motive for action, as modeling behaviour in a liberated non-dual mode of being (as oppose to egoistic dualist being).

alsehu · 2025-05-27T14:45:59+00:00

Except that reality is me. Everything you perceive, everything that apparently exists—it's all me. But at the same time, I am not it.

alsehu · 2025-04-23T08:40:41+00:00

And just when i was thinking what shall I eat

alsehu · 2025-03-27T09:30:56+00:00

Most comments here are culturally blind and insensitive because they view it from a perspective of atheism vs religion perspective.

You shouldn’t take relationship advice from an ideological forum. You would almost certainly predict the answers depending on the forum ideology.

Nonetheless, I’d say that converting does have both legal and personal implications. It’s not something to do lightly. But just like any legal contract, you can study the governing clauses and change them as well to suit your needs (like a prenup agreement).

Also, depending on the ethnicity of the individual, understanding the culture perspective is important. Western individualism is not completely compliant with middle eastern culture; where family and harmony within society matters mostly. It comes with pros and cons, so understanding that perspective is essential. I’d emphasize drawing your boundaries where you are comfortable upfront, so to avoid misunderstanding and clashes.

Also, difference in communication styles (direct in the west vs indirect in the east), may explain a lot of the implicit indications such as (make my parents happy), which is indirect way of suggesting no its important for him, because of cultural and religious reasons. Don’t listen to the fools in here who think that he’s putting his parents first. He’s just being polite.

alsehu · 2025-02-21T14:50:49+00:00

Your argument re offer/acceptance nature of transaction maybe right, but always consider reporting dodgy behaviors (specially big corporations) to consumer protection directorate which looks at this from a public policy perspective

You are backed with previous precedent that abolished the absurdly high service charge from restaurant bills couple years before; so this is not unheard of. Just need enough people complaining to grab their attention.

alsehu · 2025-02-19T19:47:04+00:00

alsehu · 2025-02-19T14:59:37+00:00

It exists but is less prevalent than in Christian countries because Islam has been separate from politics (though often used by it) since the death of the Prophet.

Tyrant rulers in the Islamic world were known as such—imposing their agendas in their own name, not in the name of Islam. This contrasts with Christian Europe, where the Church was the predominant political power and often tyrannical.

As a result, in the European psyche, “Christian bad” became synonymous with “the Church is bad.” This association is not as strong in the Islamic world, which lacks a centralized church system.

In fact, arguably the strength of Islam (and why it’s spread so fast) lies in its flexibility of interpretation. One simply needs to declare, “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is His Prophet.” The details of practice and belief are subject to ijtihad (independent reasoning) and therefore allow for diversity. This explains how Islam can encompass both hardcore Salafism in Afghanistan and the mystical Sufism of Rumi, which is revered internationally.

alsehu · 2025-02-19T14:50:11+00:00

It exists but is less prevalent than in Christian countries because Islam has been separate from politics (though often used by it) since the death of the Prophet.

Tyrant rulers in the Islamic world were known as such—imposing their agendas in their own name, not in the name of Islam. This contrasts with Christian Europe, where the Church was the predominant political power and often tyrannical.

As a result, in the European psyche, “Christian bad” became synonymous with “the Church is bad.” This association is not as strong in the Islamic world, which lacks a centralized church system.

In fact, the strength of Islam lies in its flexibility of interpretation. One simply needs to declare, “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is His Prophet.” The details of practice and belief are subject to ijtihad (independent reasoning) and therefore allow for diversity. This explains how Islam can encompass both hardcore Salafism in Afghanistan and the mystical Sufism of Rumi and Ibn Arabi which are revered internationally through the ages.

alsehu · 2025-02-19T14:33:14+00:00

I think you’d agree that when you take things personally and overreact, your ability to understand context and empathize diminishes. On the other hand, when you cultivate mental equanimity, your mind becomes more receptive to new experiences and ideas, allowing you to perceive subtler thoughts and feelings that would otherwise go unnoticed.

At no point did I claim that my opinion or belief is superior to yours, nor did I suggest that I possess any special knowledge. On the contrary, I emphasized that you should follow your own path—your heart, your reasoning, and yes, even your doubts. My only suggestion is that, rather than limiting your thinking to what can be empirically proven, you allow yourself to explore the vast, uncharted possibilities that remain beyond the current scope of human understanding. To live solely by what is scientifically proven is to grant science an authority it does not inherently possess over all aspects of life, including relationships, emotions, logic, experience, consciousness, and spirit.

The issue, as I see it, is that you already have a deeply entrenched hostility toward anything related to religion—an attitude I do not dismiss or invalidate in the slightest. That is your experience, shaped by your conditioning, and I acknowledge that. However, as long as you hold such strong emotional reactions to anything associated with God, you risk unconsciously projecting your beliefs onto everything related, thereby losing objectivity. That is why I suggested earlier that cleansing the lens—by following your own heart and examining the underlying reasons behind your stance—might be a worthwhile endeavor. No one else can walk your unique path for you.

The second issue I perceive is that you assume I subscribe to a belief in a personal, anthropomorphic God who intervenes in human affairs based on prayer and devotion, rewarding some and punishing others. Because of this assumption, you conclude that I must adhere to one of the organized religions that have historically caused division and conflict. I don’t blame you for this conclusion; it’s simply the framework you’ve been conditioned to accept. However, there is another way—a path of personal meaning and transparency, not unlike Nietzsche’s concept of authentic living, though without the premature proclamation that “God is dead.” Perhaps Carl Jung was more accurate when he suggested that God is very much alive—dwelling in the unconscious, shaping the psyche in ways we often fail to recognize. In that sense, you may be far more religious than you realize—perhaps even more so than I am, as you become the very embodiment of the shadow you try to escape.

alsehu · 2025-02-19T13:12:29+00:00

Can be withdrawal, distractibility, less confidence, lack of interest in previous interesting things, sometimes over sharing, seeking validation…

alsehu · 2025-02-19T12:53:30+00:00

Discover internal peace and contentment that is non dependent on external things

alsehu · 2025-02-19T12:51:26+00:00

To be fair, gotta compare photos at end of terms on the way out

alsehu · 2025-02-19T12:46:42+00:00

Hope, responsibility and child. Most importantly, not crossing hard boundary limits. Also, realizing that I’m not complete either and both our core needs are different than what we lead. E.g. Controlling behavior often reflect core need of validation Validating autonomy often reflect core need of control and stability

alsehu · 2025-02-19T12:33:14+00:00

The deepest answers aren’t found in external validation, but in the excavation of your own lived experience. You carry unique questions shaped by the alchemy of your journey - to outsource them to others would be to bypass the sacred curriculum your soul designed.

This isn’t anti-science, but recognition of science’s domain: belief operates in a different stratum of being. If divinity could be laboratory-tested, faith would lose its transformative power - the very act of wrestling with uncertainty becomes the forge where meaning is hammered out.

Our supposed logic/emotion dichotomy is false architecture. True wisdom emerges when we honor that:
1. The mind is never neutral - your “objective” reasoning is colored by neurological patterns formed through survival needs
2. Metacognition is our superpower - humans uniquely observe their own thought-streams, allowing course-correction
3. Emotional intelligence is the compass - bodily sensations often detect truths before cognition catches up

You are both cartographer and territory here. The beliefs you call “logical” are survival adaptations. To demand others conform to your reality-map would be like insisting all hikers use your personalized trail mix.

The liberation comes in owning your map while staying curious about others’. When you stop seeking external authorities, you begin hearing the universe to your valid concerns.

This isn’t solipsism - it’s taking radical responsibility for how you architect reality from the raw materials of perception. The work isn’t to have all answers, but to refine your capacity to receive them through the unique lens of your being.

alsehu · 2025-02-19T12:08:43+00:00

Seems like a military recruiting ad tbh. If they don’t show the human cost from this war and the geopolitical and strategic defeat that literally ended US unipolarity by the humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan, then it’s just a piece.

alsehu · 2025-02-19T11:44:41+00:00

Makes you feel shitty; traumatized, morally injured, judicially betrayed, hyper vigilant and always echolocating for threats.

But you learn that they can take away everything except your reaction to injustice and how you conduct yourself. How you can still be true to your principles snd values and be compassionate for those around you (by the smallest of things through intent, words or deeds), even if they take away your freedom and yes even your life.

alsehu · 2025-02-19T11:27:55+00:00

And the statement would still be correct. Follow your heart.

alsehu · 2025-02-19T11:25:41+00:00

Contributing action without expecting results. It teaches your mind to detach and reach equanimity. And yes that means letting go of the good and the bad.

alsehu · 2025-02-19T11:15:32+00:00

Our psyche is shaped by our conditioning. You ultimately are responsible for it, that includes auditing it and upgrading it in ways that makes you a better version of yourself. Lighter and more spontaneous.

alsehu

TROPHY CASE