[extropy-chat] Re: Multi personalities reveal self is fiction

[Jef Allbright]

Eugen said (near the end of the previous post):

    I want to see certain things done. This is the same of what most of
    us here want. This isn't happening nearly quickly enough. This is
    personally frustrating. Doubly so, because I personally lack the
    time and money to do some of it personally, which at least would be
    rewarding even given poor results.

    How do you learn to control that chronic frustration?


The practice of meditation can help one recognize frustration for what 
it is and allow one to deal more effectively with it.  For some of us, 
frustration is a sign of expectations mismatched with experience, and it 
can be effective to learn to quiet the internal clamor and see things 
with less clutter (whether emotional, based on evolved nature, or the 
noise of what we perceive going on around us in our environment) so as 
to make more rational decisions.

In your case, Eugen, I suspect you thrive on the feeling of frustration, 
using it as fuel to keep you going.  You may want to hold on to that for 
now.

As for my usage of the word "objective" in the previous post, I have 
stated many times that we can only approach, but never fully attain 
absolutely objectivity, so that particular straw man doesn't need to be 
kicked.  I was referring to objective in the sense of a third-person 
point of view, rather than the first-person that people often find 
themselves stuck in. Meditation can help people get unstuck.

Your characterization of meditation as leading to a "conclusion that 
self isn't important, personal death is not a problem, and trying go 
achive personal immortality is a waste of time" is incomplete to the 
extent of being incorrect, and that was what motivated me to respond.  
Practice of meditation more commonly leads to a realization that the 
self is not the isolated thing we thought needs preserving, but rather 
that self is part of a larger interconnected whole and that each piece 
is important, perhaps not to try to preserve, but certainly to grow.

- Jef
http://www.jefallbright.net