Rocky

And if some demagogic moron is trying to sell access to such a secret, it's a good bet that person wants to establish a cult. Here's my guess, but I'm not trying to SELL access to it, My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding— 3 indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

The chapter titles are intriguing. The epigraphs to each chapter are also.

Somehow, Ephesians 4:14 seems to relate to this discussion topic. Perhaps Paul understood that individuals were not always in control of their own decisions. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. The issue isn't necessarily, IMO, whether a person believes in the "great mystery" but whether the person has skills to discipline her/his mind. In that regard, TWI wasn't helpful, but Marcus Aurelius can be.

I have freedom to be curious. Do you? Freedom to inquire? Depends on the resources at your disposal. Bookstores, public libraries, scientists and other academicians doing original research. The possibilities are endless. I picked up a copy of Churchland's book on Conscience at my local public library today. My heart fluttered when I opened it up. I also picked up Alex Mar's book, Seventy Times Seven and Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead. I read a few pages of Kingsolver's book (my first time reading any of her writing) and was amazed. No wonder she wins awards. However, as relates to curiosity and your comment, I picked up another book from which I already obtained a hit of dopamine. Steven Kotler's The Art of Impossible. I CAN and DO go further/farther than I was led in The Wierwille (private) Interpretation.

My view is Eve is a representational character in the Judeo-Christian origin myth. My belief is every human is subject to getting conned, and virtually ALL of us do get conned in some material way along our journey in this life. Even in the origin myth, people should consider God did not immediately strike either Eve or Adam dead for having committed the "original sin." They, again, even in this origin STORY (myth, disregarding whether it's true or not), the two of them become parents of the entire Homo Sapiens species. Therefore, God still loved them.

thanks

Well, I don't find Neurophilosophy in my local public libraries. And a new copy on Amazon is either $75 or more than $100. However, I do find a more recent book by this author in the public libraries. Conscience: the origins of moral intuition. That looks pretty interesting.

This is the first paragraph of the preface to the book Free Will (seen in the NOVA video above)

Hey Mike, I don't generally appreciate your communication skills, but I do "get" that in some areas of knowledge you explore and try to learn things. I grasped part of what you were getting at regarding our agency/free will and did some exploring myself. So, thank you for your openness regarding scientific learning. And for plodding along in spite of the fact not everybody "gets" you or the points you try to make. Disclaimer: I'm still not on board with your perspective regarding TWI/VPW/PFLAP. But I have ongoing curiosity about a lot of things and try to stay open to changing my mind about some of those things.

A reminder of this thread topic.

For our good friend Bolshevik: Whoever has ears, let them hear. Matthew 11:15

Apropos of not necessarily anything, I recently heard we are not what we eat, but who we MEET.

Anthropomorphism, clearly. Is it a tool or is it a sentient being? Who says "these strangers" are speaking on your behalf? Should have been discarded long ago? Sounds authoritarian, according to whose standard or which standard? Were you happier during the interlude during which you hadn't posted here?

It appears nobody had a backup for the last few days' posts.

LOL!

If only Loy would have had the light come on to recognize ranting at full volume is also NOT one of those requirements. That goes for me, too.

We humans are social beings. We can recognize healing more expeditiously in a social context. Notably realizing THE three basic requirements of "good relationships." And obviously, Mark and Avoid is NOT among those requirements.

I get paid later this week. I'll contribute.

I get paid later this week.

It means do as you're told by the minions of the MOG. One of the prime directives is to sell classes, er... operate the ministry of reconciliation. A fundamental principle is what The Wierwille Interpretation told you was "getting your foot off the firehose." Otherwise known as Malachi 3:10.

Yes, it makes sense to me. I think you may have found the essence of cultism as we knew it in The Wierwille Interpretation.

We can only recognize and realize our mistakes and less than optimal life choices when looking in the rear view mirror. That's why it's so incredibly important to be kind to ourselves, learn and develop habits for forgiving ourselves (and others).

Indeed, this is the apparent salient point of the so-called strategic plan. Perhaps regardless of all the first-hand posts challenging the wrong doctrine/dogma and practice of The Wierwille Interpretation of the way life is supposed to be, (TWI) what's really confronting the cult is its effort to work around the ramifications of its own choices.

I realize that... I was playing on the word "cheater."

Are you sure it's not the "cheat-ah" which has not change its spots?