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“Become Abnormal”: traits to cultivate for top performance

capitalandgrowth.org

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Re: “Become Abnormal”: traits to cultivate for top performance

#41

Post by thomk »

holografix wrote: post #31

Warning: this post is a generalisation that could offend some people. I’m writing it because I feel I have to. This reads _very_ American. By that I mean both a good and, more so than ever in 2020, a bad thing. The good is obviously the undying optimism, self belief resilience and competitiveness I see displayed in the American way of life so often. The bad is how it lays the responsibility for outcomes solely at the…

Your points here are exactly why I am no longer religious.

Also, if you are easily offended, I'd skip the rest of this, I do not want to offend anyone, these are my opinions alone.

If you worship any God, then you can never be as good as your God. You can never be #1 even after you die. The whole framework sets you up for a life of the inability to win. You are at BEST going to be #2 because you can never ever be #1. Every religious person who worships a God is going to feel like they are a loser; because they are not and never will be #1 a 'winner'. It is exhausting.

I have not had a good experience with Christians in my everyday life. I'm sorry to say that, but when I meet someone and they tell me they are Christian; I immediately become suspicious of them. I have learned this from many, many interactions.

I think it has something to do with comparing yourself to God. "I am not #1. Sometimes I am close to #1 and sometimes I am very far from #1. When I am far from #1, maybe I steal a little or lie a little. I know I can get closer to #1 later and be forgiven (by the true #1)."

It's a sliding scale. There's no permanence.

They only way to win that game is to not play. Once you realize that not only are you already #1 there is no #2. You are responsible for you. That means you live exactly by your own personal values. For me it means I never lie or steal and that decision is not based on how I feel about myself!

I have a friend who is a Buddhist monk. We were talking about emotions recently and she said something I now think about every day: "You can't control your emotions. Don't even try, they are far too powerful. You can only control your BEHAVIOR."

I am in control of me. Nothing else is in control of me, not even my own emotions. And since I am in control of me, who else is to blame if my life is not working out?

That's not American my friend, that wisdom is ancient.

Re: “Become Abnormal”: traits to cultivate for top performance

#42

Post by wonderwonder »

holografix wrote: post #31

Warning: this post is a generalisation that could offend some people. I’m writing it because I feel I have to. This reads _very_ American. By that I mean both a good and, more so than ever in 2020, a bad thing. The good is obviously the undying optimism, self belief resilience and competitiveness I see displayed in the American way of life so often. The bad is how it lays the responsibility for outcomes solely at the…

We do live in a society where we are constantly bombarded to do more, learn more, be better. The cost of this though is a reduction in family time, personal time and just me time. In many organizations, in order to retain your position you have to continuously improve your skill set, there is no room anymore for just getting a job, working a 9 - 5, going home to be happy and to see your family and then retiring with a solid retirement after.

Its just a constant hamster wheel where we are desperate just to survive. Every year benefits cost more and provide for less. Every dollar you earn buys a little bit less. Houses cost a little bit more. Economically every 10 years now there is a massive event that spurs massive layoffs where everyone that was just doing their job is let go and only the elite remain. Those that are let go are forced to step down the totem pole and take jobs that provide a salary that leads to a reduction in security.

Life now seems to just be about work and work just seems to be about squeezing every hour and dollar out of you until someone younger and hungrier comes along to take your place and be bled by the system. I don't think that this is the way its supposed to be.

Re: “Become Abnormal”: traits to cultivate for top performance

#43

Post by orange8 »

thomk wrote: post #41
holografix wrote: post #31

Warning: this post is a generalisation that could offend some people. I’m writing it because I feel I have to. This reads _very_ American. By that I mean both a good and, more so than ever in 2020, a bad thing. The good is obviously the undying optimism, self belief resilience and competitiveness I see displayed in the American way of life so often. The bad is how it lays the responsibility for outcomes solely at the…

Your points here are exactly why I am no longer religious. Also, if you are easily offended, I'd skip the rest of this, I do not want to offend anyone, these are my opinions alone. If you worship any God, then you can never be as good as your God. You can never be #1 even after you die. The whole framework sets you up for a life of the inability to win. You are at BEST going to be #2 because you can never ever be #1.…

What exactly does being #1 mean? Being #1 at what exactly? Running? Singing? Wealth? Everything?

Re: “Become Abnormal”: traits to cultivate for top performance

#44

Post by wonderwonder »

thomk wrote: post #41
holografix wrote: post #31

Warning: this post is a generalisation that could offend some people. I’m writing it because I feel I have to. This reads _very_ American. By that I mean both a good and, more so than ever in 2020, a bad thing. The good is obviously the undying optimism, self belief resilience and competitiveness I see displayed in the American way of life so often. The bad is how it lays the responsibility for outcomes solely at the…

Your points here are exactly why I am no longer religious. Also, if you are easily offended, I'd skip the rest of this, I do not want to offend anyone, these are my opinions alone. If you worship any God, then you can never be as good as your God. You can never be #1 even after you die. The whole framework sets you up for a life of the inability to win. You are at BEST going to be #2 because you can never ever be #1.…

You are not in control of you though. You are at best a little boat on the governmental, legal and economic ocean; and those waters are full of monsters.

Re: “Become Abnormal”: traits to cultivate for top performance

#45

Post by [deleted] »

holografix wrote: post #31

Warning: this post is a generalisation that could offend some people. I’m writing it because I feel I have to. This reads _very_ American. By that I mean both a good and, more so than ever in 2020, a bad thing. The good is obviously the undying optimism, self belief resilience and competitiveness I see displayed in the American way of life so often. The bad is how it lays the responsibility for outcomes solely at the…

[deleted]

Re: “Become Abnormal”: traits to cultivate for top performance

#46

Post by czbond »

thomk wrote: post #41
holografix wrote: post #31

Warning: this post is a generalisation that could offend some people. I’m writing it because I feel I have to. This reads _very_ American. By that I mean both a good and, more so than ever in 2020, a bad thing. The good is obviously the undying optimism, self belief resilience and competitiveness I see displayed in the American way of life so often. The bad is how it lays the responsibility for outcomes solely at the…

Your points here are exactly why I am no longer religious. Also, if you are easily offended, I'd skip the rest of this, I do not want to offend anyone, these are my opinions alone. If you worship any God, then you can never be as good as your God. You can never be #1 even after you die. The whole framework sets you up for a life of the inability to win. You are at BEST going to be #2 because you can never ever be #1.…

I respect your opinion - it's hard to put those out there.

As a counter thought, would a 'hole' in the argument be that religion doesn't ask, require, or expect you to be #1. It just asks you to try to improve and to become a better person. How could Gd expect you to be as good as "he/she/it/they"? Gd would have created you, and designed your limitations.

Why not separate G*d's expectations of you from your interpretations of it? Just say "i'm falliable, always will be; always improving, always will be"

Re: “Become Abnormal”: traits to cultivate for top performance

#47

Post by thomk »

czbond wrote: post #46
thomk wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your points here are exactly why I am no longer religious. Also, if you are easily offended, I'd skip the rest of this, I do not want to offend anyone, these are my opinions alone. If you worship any God, then you can never be as good as your God. You can never be #1 even after you die. The whole framework sets you up for a life of the inability to win. You are at BEST going to be #2 because you can never ever be #1.…

I respect your opinion - it's hard to put those out there. As a counter thought, would a 'hole' in the argument be that religion doesn't ask, require, or expect you to be #1. It just asks you to try to improve and to become a better person. How could G d expect you to be as good as "he/she/it/they"? G d would have created you, and designed your limitations. Why not separate G*d's expectations of you from your interpr…

Thank you for your comment, yes it is hard.

So what you are saying is God built failure into me intentionally. Therefore I could just point to that and say "Well I failed because I was prebuilt knowing I was going to fail". I don't accept that. I say "I failed because of something I, personally did not or could not do yet. I will correct that. It's not divine, it's just work and it's on me."

Re: “Become Abnormal”: traits to cultivate for top performance

#48

Post by thomk »

wonderwonder wrote: post #44
thomk wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your points here are exactly why I am no longer religious. Also, if you are easily offended, I'd skip the rest of this, I do not want to offend anyone, these are my opinions alone. If you worship any God, then you can never be as good as your God. You can never be #1 even after you die. The whole framework sets you up for a life of the inability to win. You are at BEST going to be #2 because you can never ever be #1.…

You are not in control of you though. You are at best a little boat on the governmental, legal and economic ocean; and those waters are full of monsters.

That's right. I can not control anything at all except my own behavior. Exactly right.

Re: “Become Abnormal”: traits to cultivate for top performance

#49

Post by thomk »

orange8 wrote: post #43
thomk wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your points here are exactly why I am no longer religious. Also, if you are easily offended, I'd skip the rest of this, I do not want to offend anyone, these are my opinions alone. If you worship any God, then you can never be as good as your God. You can never be #1 even after you die. The whole framework sets you up for a life of the inability to win. You are at BEST going to be #2 because you can never ever be #1.…

What exactly does being #1 mean? Being #1 at what exactly? Running? Singing? Wealth? Everything?

Well that depends on your value system. If you define your own value system, you decide where you are. If you get a value system from someone or something else: they decide.

Re: “Become Abnormal”: traits to cultivate for top performance

#50

Post by friendlybus »

holografix wrote: post #31

Warning: this post is a generalisation that could offend some people. I’m writing it because I feel I have to. This reads _very_ American. By that I mean both a good and, more so than ever in 2020, a bad thing. The good is obviously the undying optimism, self belief resilience and competitiveness I see displayed in the American way of life so often. The bad is how it lays the responsibility for outcomes solely at the…

Do you expect society to blame itself?

Surely radical individualism results in the individual blaming society at their whim. You stop playing a game that's rigged against you as soon as you can afford a plane ticket.

Where are these countries that will just lift the road up to meet your feet as you walk forward?

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