2012.02.27 13:00 - Is this a spiritual group?

Wol Euler was guardian for this session.

Matjaz Rives: Hello
Wol Euler: hello again, matjaz
Wol Euler: there are two poses in each cushion, click on it to change
Matjaz Rives: neither is too attractive
Matjaz Rives: lol
Wol Euler: heheh
Wol Euler: then use your AO
Matjaz Rives: I don't have one
Matjaz Rives: lol
Wol Euler: heheh
Matjaz Rives: so what's up?
Wol Euler: crocuses are up!
Wol Euler: spring has sprung, at least here
Matjaz Rives: it's that time of the year again
Wol Euler nods.
Matjaz Rives: it's meeting time?
Wol Euler: mmhmm
Wol Euler: though it may well be just us. Monday 1pm is often poorly attended
Matjaz Rives: ah
Matjaz Rives: so this is a spiritual group?
Wol Euler: I'm not sure :) What do you mean by that?
Matjaz Rives: like people striving to be closer to Enlightment/God
Wol Euler: striving is an interesting word
Wol Euler: I'm not being evasive, we are such a disparate group that it's hard to think of anything that "we all are"
Matjaz Rives: You iz what iz already
Matjaz Rives: but becoming seems to take effort.. and time.. and such
Wol Euler: I think most of us are waiting calmly and curiously for enlightenment to arrive, rather than striving to force ourselves upon it
Wol Euler: (insofar as anyone believes in Enlightenment :)
Matjaz Rives: I don't want to believe
Matjaz Rives: I will know someday or not
Matjaz Rives: lol
Wol Euler nods.
Wol Euler: that's a good attitude
Matjaz Rives: I read about it :P
Matjaz Rives: that's all
Wol Euler: I think we are here mostly to be reminded to stop and examine our own minds and ideas once in a while
Wol Euler: rather than assuming that we know everything, or even that we know anything
Matjaz Rives: do y'all talk politics?
Wol Euler: sometimes
Wol Euler: but not exclusively, and we generally avoid contentious and divisive topics
Matjaz Rives: wise
Wol Euler: we aren't a "philosophy group" where people gather to be rude about each other
Matjaz Rives: in AA they avoid it completely
Matjaz Rives: haha
Wol Euler: well, sadly true
Wol Euler: many philosophers use truth as a blunt weapon
Wol Euler: to hurt others with
Matjaz Rives: Rudness is the weak man's imitation of strenght
Matjaz Rives: Eric Hoffer
Wol Euler: exactly
Wol Euler: any idea worth believing in, is strong enough to be carefully examined
Matjaz Rives: I suppose that is the case
Wol Euler: there's a break coming up in about 3 minutes
Matjaz Rives: my rule of thumb is Jesus's "By their fruits ye shall know them"
Wol Euler: we pause here every quarter hour for 90 seconds, to slow down the conversation and give ourselves a chance to reconsider what we were about to say :)
Matjaz Rives: the 90 second one?
Matjaz Rives: ok
Wol Euler: it#s a good system
Wol Euler: yep
Matjaz Rives: I like it
Matjaz Rives: I'd like to put that into practice
Matjaz Rives: when I debate politics with my friend in the library
Matjaz Rives: lolz
Wol Euler: suggest it :)
Matjaz Rives: every 15 minutes?

--BELL--

Wol Euler: let's do a quick meditation during the pause, just let your mind go blank and stay with your breathing for 90 sec
Wol Euler smiles.
Matjaz Rives: yep yep
Wol Euler smiles broadly.
Wol Euler: how was that?
Matjaz Rives: okay
Matjaz Rives: I had cramps, I think
Matjaz Rives: lolz
Matjaz Rives: but that happens to me sometimes
Wol Euler: heheh
Wol Euler: were you sitting "properly", or just in your normal chair?
Matjaz Rives: I sit on my chair in the buddha posture
Matjaz Rives: lol
Matjaz Rives: what do you call it
Wol Euler: impressive :)
Matjaz Rives: legs crossed
Matjaz Rives: oh yeah
Wol Euler: lotus? with the feet crossed up tight?
Matjaz Rives: not tight
Matjaz Rives: but I often sit like that
Wol Euler: I can't do that :) I don't bend that far any more
Matjaz Rives: You can't sit cross legged?
Wol Euler: not in a lotus, no
Wol Euler: not with the heels tucked in
Matjaz Rives: ah
Matjaz Rives: I don't do that
Wol Euler: I have a fairly thick solid pillow that I sit on, raises my butt about 18cm above the ground
Matjaz Rives: fancy smanchy
Wol Euler: when I'm on that, I can cross my legs below it
Wol Euler: it works for me :)
Wol Euler: I'm more interested in what works, than what is Formal And Proper
Matjaz Rives: I'm thinking of joining a martial arts club and train
Wol Euler: oh, good idea
Matjaz Rives: I always wanted to do it but I was too chicken
Wol Euler: heheheh
Matjaz Rives: like when I was like 9 I wanted to do Karate
Wol Euler: so do tai chi
Matjaz Rives: but I chickened out
Matjaz Rives: Tai Chi is like.. you can do it in a room
Wol Euler: similar effect on the body but without violence
Matjaz Rives: need something stronger
Matjaz Rives: I'm thinking.. Judo
Matjaz Rives: throwing people seems fun
Matjaz Rives: and you learn how to fall properly
Wol Euler smiles.
Wol Euler: a very useful skill
Matjaz Rives: yeah
Matjaz Rives: especially when old
Matjaz Rives: lol
Wol Euler: :)
Matjaz Rives: How to overcome laziness?
Matjaz Rives: Sloth
Matjaz Rives: I'm lazy, I procrastinate I sit around
Wol Euler: very good question. Wish I knew.
Matjaz Rives: seems like action is the only remedy
Matjaz Rives: and praying
Wol Euler: laziness is often a question of values, though
Wol Euler: lazy people are usually not doing *nothing*, they are just not doing what they "should do"
Wol Euler: so one way to deal with it might be by looking at what you do when you are being lazy
Wol Euler: and perhaps assigning more worth to that activity :)
Matjaz Rives: Maybe
Wol Euler: instead of being rude to yourself for reading a book instead of cleaning the kitchen, say "wow, I've read four books this month!"
Matjaz Rives: It's progress for me to read books and not clean
Matjaz Rives: lolz
Wol Euler: heheheheh
Wol Euler: sec, RL calls

--BELL--

Wol Euler: back, sorry about that
Matjaz Rives: wb
Wol Euler: ty
Matjaz Rives: watching an exorcism being performed would be something
Wol Euler: say more?
Matjaz Rives: it happens
Matjaz Rives: there are trained exorcists
Matjaz Rives: and they perform that task
Matjaz Rives: with other people
Matjaz Rives: man that must be scary
Matjaz Rives: look evil in the face
Matjaz Rives: Don't blink!
Matjaz Rives: hehe
Wol Euler smiles.
Wol Euler: I wonder how you'd go about finding one to attend ...
Matjaz Rives: write letters to catholic churches
Wol Euler: or the yellow pages :)
Matjaz Rives: Not sure
Matjaz Rives: maybe
Matjaz Rives: there's all these things that I know I should do
Matjaz Rives: would be good for me
Wol Euler smiles.
Matjaz Rives: but I don't do them today
Wol Euler nods.
Wol Euler: that's how it goes ...
Wol Euler: so what stops you?
Matjaz Rives: Would rather have it easy
Matjaz Rives: then go for effort
Matjaz Rives: and unfamiliar terrotory

--BELL--

Matjaz Rives: “Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities... because it is the quality which guarantees all others.”
Matjaz Rives: Churchill
Wol Euler nods thoughtfully. I find commonsense to be seriuosly underrated :)
Matjaz Rives: mhm
Wol Euler: sorry, I realize that I'm fading :)
Wol Euler: more tired than I thought today.
Matjaz Rives: On a different note, it's amazing how popular Shalon Kong Fu is in popular culture.. especially considering there's only one Shaolin temple in China
Matjaz Rives: must be really good
Wol Euler: perhaps it's like the scarcity of pizza restaurants in Italy :)
Matjaz Rives: I don't know
Wol Euler: I must admit that I know very little about martial arts
Matjaz Rives: Thanks for reminding me of Tai Chi
Wol Euler: I know what kendo is, but that's about all that I am certain of
Wol Euler: yw
Matjaz Rives: I know of these videos on youtube of a chinese guy doing Tai Chi
Matjaz Rives: I always feel good when I do it
Wol Euler smiles.
Wol Euler: that might be a way to get yourself involved in martial arts without stressing about it
Wol Euler: simply choose one that makes you feel good :)
Matjaz Rives: nah I still want to try something
Matjaz Rives: Judo would be a good place to start I think
Matjaz Rives: I need to have some full contact
Matjaz Rives: I'm young
Matjaz Rives: I can take it
Matjaz Rives: hehe
Wol Euler: /gre
Wol Euler grins.
Wol Euler: try it and let us know
Matjaz Rives: will do
Matjaz Rives: .. and if I chicken out you won't know
Matjaz Rives: haha
Wol Euler: heheh
Wol Euler: I am certain that if you did, you would punish yourself more harshly than we could
Matjaz Rives: true, true
Wol Euler smiles.
Matjaz Rives: self-punative
Wol Euler nods.
Matjaz Rives: If I could do better I would do better
Wol Euler nods.
Matjaz Rives: Do the best you can and forget about it
Wol Euler: yep
Matjaz Rives: You're not okay, and I'm not okay, but that's okay.
Matjaz Rives: hehe
Wol Euler: above all, don't beat yourself up about it. That serves nobody well.
Matjaz Rives: some sayings
Wol Euler: one last pause
Wol Euler: coming up

--BELL--

Wol Euler: and with that, I must go
Matjaz Rives: me too
Wol Euler: it was good to see you again, matjaz
Matjaz Rives: likewise
Wol Euler: good luck with the judo
Matjaz Rives: you have a good one
Matjaz Rives: thanks