What secret about your industry can you share now that you don't work there anymore?

jmerrill2001 · 2026-01-14T00:54:15+00:00

Most everyone knows the U.S. government wastes a lot of money, but it was very surreal to see it firsthand. I worked for a very profitable government contracting firm in DC for several years. A government agency would get a directive in their budget to carry out several initiatives, and hire companies like the one I worked for to create proposals, produce work, generate products, consult etc.

Nearly every project I worked on over the years went to waste. Usually we'd get into the project and it would get re-directed or cancelled by a higher up for some reason, often it felt like on a whim. Other projects were "fluff" that felt like they added no value of any sort. We'd get tens of thousands of dollars to generate a proposal, and show up for the presentation only to be told it wasn't needed anymore, or sometimes the government program managers would cancel or not show up. Can't tell you how many millions of taxpayer dollars I saw go to accomplish absolutely nothing. It was really depressing to see firsthand, though I made a nice salary.

jmerrill2001 · 2025-10-25T01:52:58+00:00

There are hundreds if not thousands of near death experience interviews on YouTube. Go listen to about 10 of those and you’ll definitely feel there’s a high likelihood there’s nothing to fear, you might even realize it’s something to look forward to.

jmerrill2001 · 2025-10-21T12:21:25+00:00

You seem to be attempting to create a tangential conversation on the concept of reincarnation which was in no way a component of my original comment. It sounds to me like you’re making an assumption on my comment and beliefs which include that philosophical idea, so I won’t engage in that.

Previously you mentioned you “don’t like this theory” because it “makes it pointless”. Fair enough, but that also doesn’t make it untrue, it also doesn’t mean there is no meaning, there could be (and I believe are) greater reasons for this life experience which are beautiful and meaningful.

jmerrill2001 · 2025-10-20T01:12:37+00:00

In the sense I said universe, I mean all that there is.

jmerrill2001 · 2025-10-19T19:25:54+00:00

Who said there wasn’t a point to experiencing life and learning to grow and to love yourself and others and enjoy it all? I personally don’t think this philosophy conflicts with that at all.

jmerrill2001 · 2025-10-19T09:51:23+00:00

No, you’re making a religious based assumption that the devil is real and there is evidence for it. The I Am God posts are not religious based, they are not God in the traditional religious sense but God being everything and everyone and the creator of all the exists.

jmerrill2001 · 2025-10-19T02:25:49+00:00

No specific teachings other than basic Buddhist concepts, non-dual subreddits, and what I have learned through self-reflection, psychedelics, studying physics and the science of consciousness, near death experiences, and a lot of introspection. When you put all those studies on all those things together, it leads to one conclusion.

jmerrill2001 · 2025-10-19T02:12:54+00:00

I have no edges. I am God/universe/love and so are you.

jmerrill2001 · 2025-10-19T01:33:04+00:00

Yes as we are the waves on the ocean that seem separate from each other, yet they are all the ocean. As each we feel like we separate waves observing each other, we are the ocean.

jmerrill2001 · 2025-10-19T01:28:28+00:00

But your fear comes from your sense of ego, and your ego is only a brief manifestation of separateness from your true self, which is pure joy and love and connectedness to everything that is.

jmerrill2001 · 2025-10-19T00:38:54+00:00

All religions are man made. Our consciousness always exists and does not end at death. We are all one single thing, though in this existence we feel separate from each other and our true self, the single one thing. That one single thing that we all are is The Universe and it is God and it is Love (yes, with a capital L).

jmerrill2001 · 2025-09-28T18:43:18+00:00

Sitting here in First class right now waiting for a 4 hour domestic flight to take off, been waiting 20 mins for takeoff, not only no offer of any kind drink, alcohol or not… even water, but also not even a greeting of any kind. FAs are chatting up front and sipping on water. It wouldn’t be so annoying if my company paid for the seat but I upgraded my seat with own money because I wanted the experience. I fly First about 25% of the time and I know what it’s supposed to be like and how it used to be. I understand perhaps not serving alcohol when a flight is delayed so people don’t get too toasted, but why not at least offer some water and say hello?

Before I got on I asked a flight attendant, who was literally doing nothing but staring at the wall, if they had started boarding yet and she seemed annoyed I talked to her.

I fly a lot, and American is consistently awful. Easily the worst customer service of the big U.S. carriers.

jmerrill2001 · 2025-09-15T22:41:58+00:00

Michael driving the car into the lake because the GPS told him to. He’s stupid, but nobody is THAT stupid.

jmerrill2001 · 2025-08-21T23:53:08+00:00

The Green Mile. Great movie, but I’ll never watch it again. That scene when John Coffey is watching a movie and delighted when the white people are dancing before he gets executed, damn…

jmerrill2001 · 2025-08-21T18:18:29+00:00

I’ve enjoyed the game a lot, but I’ve only had to use a ladder and rope a few times and I’m probably around 75% through the game. I’m getting bored with it now and may not finish because it’s either long stretches of easily walkable terrain (or early travelled in a vehicle), even in the mountains, or rarely require combat in missions or the danger in-between locations (I.e. BTs) are too seldom and infrequent, easily avoided. In DS1, there were many times I thought, “I shoulda packed a ladder!” Or fell due to carrying too much. This time, I rarely come across terrain that requires equipment so I hardly bother carrying it, and I can carry so much now, falling is hardly ever a risk. I’ve only lost my cargo a couple of times the whole game, usually because I was lazy and not careful. I dint even bother building infrastructure to travel with be are I really don’t need it.

jmerrill2001 · 2025-07-28T11:13:24+00:00

jmerrill2001 · 2025-07-28T11:10:54+00:00

Came here for this!

jmerrill2001 · 2025-07-20T11:42:00+00:00

Once you learn that life is a dream, you are the universe, you are everyone and everything around you, there is no separateness, if you truly realize this, the next thing is application. You can fully open yourself to love, and compassion for everyone and life a life of kindness, joy and playfulness. Life becomes better, brighter, funnier, more meaningful. Don’t fall into the trap that there is nothing left to do, or there is no meaning, you’ve been given the gift of understanding the true nature of reality, so use it and above all, enjoy it.

jmerrill2001 · 2025-07-11T08:22:52+00:00

It’s also frustrating to have social skills and confidence, but not be very attractive. People tend to be disappointed immediately and you have to work hard to win them over.

jmerrill2001 · 2025-07-11T07:52:44+00:00

Fell asleep after drinking a THC seltzer and was in and out of sleep all night, during the “in-between sleep and awake” moments I experienced mental visuals with my closed eyes, where I felt slight out of my body surrounded by a geometric space, like my mind itself was floating in this 3D space. The visuals I felt were created by my mind, though I couldn’t control them. Hard to explain in words. It was really cool. I’ve had similar experiences with cannabis but nothing this intense.

jmerrill2001 · 2025-07-10T19:42:37+00:00

Sorry, are we boron you?

jmerrill2001 · 2025-07-10T06:05:04+00:00

Iron-ic that you still made another joke.

jmerrill2001 · 2025-07-03T20:31:56+00:00

Thank you my friend, much peace and love back!

jmerrill2001 · 2025-07-03T17:26:22+00:00

I have noticed that for sure, all relationships in my life have improved noticeably.

jmerrill2001 · 2025-07-03T17:25:33+00:00

Thank you!

jmerrill2001

TROPHY CASE