Sebrof

Yeah I am still playing catch up. Idk how others stay on top of two reading groups lol. I was never good at staying in top of readings. I want to read little bit of everything so I'm very slow at any one book. But that's just poor planning on my part

Um aktually you're wrong

God wants you to be rich and invest. And the more you invest the closer to God you are. Everything is literal, and commies want you to hate Jesus and money

Tried that one before, they just hit me with Jesus was a small business owner (carpenter duh) who played the stock market

Hmm. Idk. But that gives me some good ideas for when I visit them this summer!

There isn't much to explain, or at least it doesn't seem that way with any fundy I've encountered. Some are "smart" in their own twisted way and have theological justifications, but the large majority are not like that. Most just believe in this strange nonsense and never think thay deeply about it. And thats fine, most people are like that with any religion, they got other things to focus on in life. But I've found that if the fundy types do "think" about it then it is in such a strange and twisted way that digging into it gives you psychic damage. No need to give them any benefit of the doubt.

I'm hearing my family now: "Of course Jesus was Christian! What else would he be? It'd make no sense for him to be in hell. Adam and Eve were Christian too. And Noah and Abraham, and ... "

And what else would my family say, well like PKMKII hinted at, if you asked my them about Jesus' death, they would have no problem giving you a contradictory and fucked up message like: "it was good that Jesus died for our sins (why exactly did he have to, never thought about it), but it was also evil that the jealous Jews did it because they disagreed with Jesus. In fact, that's what a Jew is you see. Before year 0, everyone was Christian or Pagan. And the people who heard Jesus but rejected him became Jews."

And yes, they do think that the old testament figures were Christian.

It's a confused and nonsensical logic because it is both good that Jesus died, but also it happened because Jews rejected him and they did thay because they are bad.

You're expecting reason from people who don't have any. Just replace every thought with nonsense and hatred and you can start to understand how they think.

If the dogs chose their master, then they'll find themselves in the same pit. The Triad may inflict a lot of pain in the world on its way out, but it's still on its way out.

Powell, the Don just called you a "major loser". Are you just gonna take that?

Yeah.. it certainly feels like it will take a long time. There can be improvements sometimes that come quickly and feel like out of the blue, but often it does seem slow. And it seems this way for so many. There is a type of suffering that permeates this place. Fostering love for ourselves and others in the struggle, and doing what we can to build the struggle with others can help give life that sense of meaning. But this current moment makes it hard, it takes a lot of effort and this system definitely acts against those tendencies. Always easier said than done. I hope you find peace comrade. Wish I had more to offer that was helpful.

I'm sorry you're going through this shit, and I wish I had something which could cut through this and help

Your questions reminded me of the same questions I've thought about a lot. You raised an interesting question about karma that I've thought about a lot having many Buddhist sympathetic tendencies within me.

Feel free to disregard this, as everybody has thoughts on the big questions of life and, like dreams, they are usually more interesting to the one hosting the thoughts than to others lol.

I thought I'd touch on karma, because Biddhism interests me, and I've thought about these questions a lot. Maybe something will reverberate with you, maybe not.

My own syncretic thoughts on karma are that it is the big cause and effect that all our interrelated actions have on each other - which actually makes if pretty simple and sound obvious lol. But, karma means action (particulalrly volitional action). If you shoot a man, the impacts will reverberate outward and return to you, or a "future version of you" in some form. Not because you deserve it or because the universe keeps tabs, but because impacts like shooting somebody throws violence into the system, and agents in the system will see that violence and likely respons somehow and in some way. The cycle doesnt end, that's Samsara.

In Buddhism there is an emphasis on interdependence, what's called codependent arising. Nothing happens on its own or is it's own cause. All things arise due to other events. Existence is a big interconnected web, and karma is like how that webs shakes and vibrates around because of all the happenings in it. Karma is a reminder that you can't separate yourself from this web. You're in it with the rest of us; or better said, we're in it together. Even better - we are the web.

And earlier I mentioned "your future self" that karma acts on. My own personal interpretation of this stuff is to recall that in Biddhism there isn't actually a soul or metaphysical "self". The "self" is an emergent and ever changing phenomena - like all phenomena in that web. The self is always reforming, recreating, and changing with time, and always due to how it is connected with everything else in the web. (It is also codependently arising). Your "self" is constantly being reborn again and again even before you die. Karma acts as a chain of cause and effect that gives one an ability to trace how one self changes into the next self due to the causes and effects of other self's.

If your self is constantly being reborn while you are alive, and was never a metaphysical "thing" separated from the web, then when new selfs are formed after you die, and one can trace how your present life creates the context for future lives, then it isn't as much of a stretch to think of those future selfs as a continuation of your present self. As long as we are open to some rethinking what our "selfs" really are.

And my own interpretation is that you could make that argument to various degrees for all selfs. All selfs, people, entities, lives, nonlives are just particular temporary instances of this larger web, popping up here and there from time to time because of the ripples. One self shakes the web, causes a ripples, makes a new self over there. Is it the same self, or a different self? Idk? Is the rain the river where it lands, is the river the sea where it flows? Maybe our concepts of "this" thing vs "that" thing have always been a bit fuzzy.

And usually these ripples suck for us. But that's because so many people act out of the illusion thay they aren't the web. That they are discrete things in it but not of it. So they don't care if their shaking hurts others on the other side of that web. "It isn't me, so it isn't my problem," most think. But this "Buddhist" way of thinking (and other mystical traditions have similar approaches) try to get us to reconceptualize what a "self" is to remind us that we are much less separated than we'd like. Not even on just a cause and effect, but on a deeper "what is the substance of self" kind of way.

There is a danger to blame victims for their troubles with karma. But I like to recall that, again, we're in it together. Noone is free until we are all free. Victims of settler colonialism don't deserve it, but settler colonialism happens because of the delusions of settlers. Because of historical developments the conditioned the existence of settlers. And we all share a world, all are in the web, so justice requires a universal struggle.

For me, I merge this with a Marxist thinking in many ways. Capitalism develops from previous historical conditions, like the self does. Capitalism will continue to evolve and change into a new mode of production, just as my self will continue to change and evolve into new ones in the future (as long as I realize the self isn't a static soul like thing).

Samsara is this huge never ending evolution of this web, and that means that collective action is needed to solve our problems. It means the only way to a better world is solidarity and love. Realizing that we all aren't separated egos in the way Capitalism wants us to believe. Realizing that others we meet are a part of us just as we are a part of them.

And in the schools of Biddhism I'm more familiar with, once one becomes enlightened and reaches Nirvana you realize that Nirvana was always Samsara this whole time. You were always the web

I've never kept my nepenthe outside (never had a space for it outside) so I've never had to harden it. But I imagine it is like any other houseplant. Keep in the shade for a couple of weeks or so before bringing it to bright filtered (if not full) sun. Even if you do that, you may still scorch a leaf or so. It is what it is sometimes. The scorched leafs may just turn deep purple, but may not fall off.

I know there are some YouTube channels that talks about Nepenthes. I don't remember their names, but you can definitely find some better tips on hardening your Nepenthes.

I have actually recently gotten my Nepenthes back, but I don't have a sunny south facing window for it. So I'm a little afraid. It still has its flower attached, but the flower and the leafs are starting to brown

Some good news though for you, is that I've found Nepenthes, at least the ventricosa I believe I have, to be tougher than I originally thought. So I doubt you'll kill it immediately. Even if it isn't well taken care of, it will keep on for years. What I've found, and this is anecdotal based on one plant, is that even if it is unhappy and wants to shed its mortal coil, like some cruel joke it will make a new baby sucker and devote it's energy to growing the new sucker while the original stem stops growing (and may die). Then the cycle of plant samsara continues with the new stem over the next few years. I'm sure my Nepenthes would love to snuff it, but it just keeps fighting. I imagine if it were better taken care of then the suckers would form but the main stem wouldn't die.

For me, I think the problem is light and not using distilled water. And maybe nighttime temps as I will discuss below.

Some other pointers. There are two types of Nepenthes. Highland and lowland (some are a hybrid of the two types). Highland likes the temperature to be lower at nighttime, maybe around 50 or lower sixties. Imagine a habitat of a cool misty mountaintop in the jungle. Lowland plants like the hot temps day and night. Both like the high humidity.

I would mist mine occasionally, and also place it on top (not in) a tray of pebbles filled with water. It may not have actually increased the local humidity, but it made it easier to pretend.

Also as the stem gets longer the pitchers that form will look different, and the tendrils will want to wrap around objects to secure itself. These are the upper vs the lower pitchers.

Good luck with your Nepenthes! They're fun and weird little plants. I love them, and wish I had a better space for it.

Keep hexbear updated!

Thanks the the write up! Definitely not boring!