Porn is not an option

SmokenMirrors

Well-Known Member
I see many vaping commercials on YouTube warning of its obvious dangers, in fact, it's so often it's annoying. Still nothing on the dangers of porn though.
I had an advert on spotify (I don't have premium, I do apologise) talking about porn addiction and giving a link to a website in order to get help for it. It made my day! Looks like someone in the mainstream is starting to combat porn addiction
 

Androg

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Maybe the algorithm has been spying on you, and knows that you are interested in recovery.
 
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Blondie

Respected Member

Blondie

Respected Member
I don't know if any of you guys have ever taken a personality test before, like MBTI for example, but I've always found these interesting for many a reason. I don't know if I'd put much "faith" in them, however, they have shown me some things about myself that I always knew, but was never able to articulate with precision. I always get the Thinker type, or INTP, which explains much of the positives and negatives of my personality. Being a thinker, my rational and logical abilities are very high, which I think I've demonstrated around here sometimes, with my skill of breaking down concepts and ideas to get to the heart of the matter, even if sometimes controversial. Now it's important to note, I don't do this to be controversial, it's just literally who I am, and I did this as a young child as well, always asking my parents why this, or, why that? For me, nothing is taken at face value, and all things are susceptible to rigorous analysis and critique, sacred cows be damned! However, this post is not about what I'm good at, but more about what am NOT good at.

The lowest cognitive function on my functional stack is extroverted feeling, thus, it's something that is more in my unconscious, and not as easy for me to use as my thinking function. Carl Jung proposed that we all have feelings (naturally!) but he proposed that both thinking and feeling functions are judging functions, that is, that's how one will make their decisions, with each person preferring one over the other. Thus, for myself, although I have many feelings (considerably more than the world often sees), my nature prefers to use truth and logic to approach the world in sharing my value system and when making decisions. This is a good thing and the world desperately needs it (especially these days!), however, it has its many problems and shortcomings as well.

What do I do with my feelings? How do I deal with these pestering phantoms that never go away?

I run... that's how.

I run to porn
I run to food or alcohol
I run to analyzing them instead of FEELING them
I run to intellectual masturbation in another book or intellectual subject, instead of facing the greatest mystery in my life, my own feelings
I run, then run some more, anything but actually listening to myself

If I've learned anything over these almost 600 days of being porn-free, it's this, I like to run, like a prisoner escaping from a Federal Penitentiary of Emotions. I always seek the truth externally, but ever run from it internally. I'm an intellectual child in a man's body. What difference does it make if I could figure out the mysteries of the universe while my heart is as unknown as the deepest regions of the ocean?

I've come a long ways on this journey, but I have much further to go.

To be continued...

P.S. If my statement above sounded conceited, don't worry, I'm not smart enough to figure out the mysteries of the universe either, but luckily for me I don't "feel" that disappointment. :cool:
 
Last edited:

First_step_thousand_miles

Well-Known Member
I don't know if any of you guys have ever taken a personality test before, like MBTI for example, but I've always found these interesting for many a reason. I don't know if I'd put much "faith" in them, however, they have shown me some things about myself that I always knew, but was never able to articulate with precision. I always get the Thinker type, or INTP, which explains much of the positives and negatives of my personality. Being a thinker, my rational and logical abilities are very high, which I think I've demonstrated around here sometimes, with my skill of breaking down concepts and ideas to get to the heart of the matter, even if sometimes controversial. Now it's important to note, I don't do this to be controversial, it's just literally who I am, and I did this as a young child as well, always asking my parents why this, or, why that? For me, nothing is taken at face value, and all things are susceptible to rigorous analysis and critique, sacred cows be damned! However, this post is not about what I'm good at, but more about what am NOT good at.

The lowest cognitive function on my functional stack is extroverted feeling, thus, it's something that is more in my unconscious, and not as easy for me to use as my thinking function. Carl Jung proposed that we all have feelings (naturally!) but he proposed that both thinking and feeling functions are judging functions, that is, that's how one will make their decisions, with each person preferring one over the other. Thus, for myself, although I have many feelings (considerably more than the world often sees), my nature prefers to use truth and logic to approach the world in sharing my value system and when making decisions. This is a good thing and the world desperately needs it (especially these days!), however, it has its many problems and shortcomings as well.

What do I do with my feelings? How do I deal with these pestering phantoms that never go away?

I run... that's how.

I run to porn
I run to food or alcohol
I run to analyzing them instead of FEELING them
I run to intellectual masturbation in another book or intellectual subject, instead of facing the greatest mystery in my life, my own feelings
I run, then run some more, anything but actually listening to myself

If I've learned anything over these almost 600 days of being porn-free, it's this, I like to run, like a prisoner escaping from a Federal Penitentiary of Emotions. I always seek the truth externally, but ever run from it internally. I'm an intellectual child in a man's body. What difference does it make if I could figure out the mysteries of the universe while my heart is as unknown as the deepest regions of the ocean?

I've come a long ways on this journey, but I have much further to go.

To be continued...

P.S. If my statement above sounded conceited, don't worry, I'm not smart enough to figure out the mysteries of the universe either, but luckily for me I don't "feel" that disappointment. :cool:
You are not alone at all my friend. I think almost all of us have that 'crutch' and that's ok -- just as long as you don't rely on it too much. Relying on food / alcohol LT can lead to obesity / diabetes. But using that stuff once in a while and all good, as long as you balance it out (good sleep, exercise, maybe a healthier meal the next day, etc).

I wonder about this same stuff sometimes as well, and I've learned many others do the same. Don't think of yourself as a child in a man's body, because frankly that's most of us in the modern world. Most of us never experienced the real struggles that characterized us as men pre 20th century. We've led pretty great lives relative to 98% of humans that have ever lived. Yet it's interesting that I don't believe happiness levels have changed all that much despite all of this 'progress' - if anything, I think people were much happier back then (and certainly happier pre internet even in the 1990s when we had all of the nice things).

We do have long journeys ahead but we've also come such a long way. I like Zig Ziglar's wheel of life as a framing for my life, perhaps you'll find it helpful as well. The below are the 7 things we need to live a fulfilling life. Maybe one idea is to think of your life in each category below, where you're disatissfied and go out and change in brother. I KNOW you are capable of doing fantastic things, whatever you put your mind to

1684174724599.png
 

Blondie

Respected Member
Day 596

Thanks you @First_step_thousand_miles, I really appreciate this.
I wonder about this same stuff sometimes as well, and I've learned many others do the same. Don't think of yourself as a child in a man's body, because frankly that's most of us in the modern world. Most of us never experienced the real struggles that characterized us as men pre 20th century. We've led pretty great lives relative to 98% of humans that have ever lived. Yet it's interesting that I don't believe happiness levels have changed all that much despite all of this 'progress' - if anything, I think people were much happier back then (and certainly happier pre internet even in the 1990s when we had all of the nice things).
This is an interesting thought. Yes I don't think the pursuit of happiness has really made any of us actually happier, even though we're all living lives that most kings couldn't have imagined centuries ago. The internet has has been a both a blessing and a curse in every respect, as most technological advances are. Our epoch is so obsessed with "advancing" and "progress" that we never stop to ask, what is the moral validity or end game to any of this? The problem with the utter belief in Progress TM, is that we're still dealing with standard human beings, who haven't changed much over the last hundred thousands of years - contrary to the narrative - thus, we've given atomic destruction to fools and cell phones to mere evolutionary babes. A recipe of disaster if you ask me.
We do have long journeys ahead but we've also come such a long way. I like Zig Ziglar's wheel of life as a framing for my life, perhaps you'll find it helpful as well. The below are the 7 things we need to live a fulfilling life. Maybe one idea is to think of your life in each category below, where you're disatissfied and go out and change in brother. I KNOW you are capable of doing fantastic things, whatever you put your mind to
Thanks brother, that chart is helpful. I haven't read any Zig in a while, maybe I should pull that out and give it a try again.

Best!

Is that like having 2 of King Leonidas?
Yes indeed!
600.gif

Best king! :cool:

So impressed with the 600 day mark. Its inspirational!
Thanks @homerun!

Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can.

Best.
 

First_step_thousand_miles

Well-Known Member
Day 596

Thanks you @First_step_thousand_miles, I really appreciate this.

This is an interesting thought. Yes I don't think the pursuit of happiness has really made any of us actually happier, even though we're all living lives that most kings couldn't have imagined centuries ago. The internet has has been a both a blessing and a curse in every respect, as most technological advances are. Our epoch is so obsessed with "advancing" and "progress" that we never stop to ask, what is the moral validity or end game to any of this? The problem with the utter belief in Progress TM, is that we're still dealing with standard human beings, who haven't changed much over the last hundred thousands of years - contrary to the narrative - thus, we've given atomic destruction to fools and cell phones to mere evolutionary babes. A recipe of disaster if you ask me.

Thanks brother, that chart is helpful. I haven't read any Zig in a while, maybe I should pull that out and give it a try again.

Best!


Yes indeed!
View attachment 1073

Best king! :cool:


Thanks @homerun!

Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can.

Best.
Yeah what is progress really? What is good progress vs. bad progress or just neutral progress? I'd argue good progress is medical technology (ex. new cures for disease), though I'm nervous about the stuff where we're trying to create new lifeforms and play god...just like AI I don't think this ends well. Bad progress is probably the internet honestly -- it's provided some good stuff for sure, but net I think it's been a negative for society. It's pushed us away from each other and more towards digital worlds that bring no satisfaction long-term. Just my two cents, others might have their own thoughts.

Zig is a king, one of the guys I look up to most when I think of people who have lived a fulfilling life in the modern world. Truly a live well lived and a great man
 
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