Who's Poor?

[Sukerkin]

It's really not relevant to this thread, Cory.

I wish I'd never added that post now :lol:. I had a black cloud over me in the early hours of this morning :O.

I won't derail the positive intentions of this thread further by going into it - it should be easy to find information on the subject via the Net.

 

[Makalakumu]

The sad thing about the general twist this thread has taken is that it follows the what the UN/Globalist/International Banker propagandists have been saying for years. They operate on the dialectic and control both the left and the right, so on one hand you have the fake conservatives shouting that all these whiners need to shut up because at least you have shoes. And then you have the fake liberals shouting that we are killing the earth, oppressing the downtrodden, and stealing from those with now power.

"Truth" aside, lets look at the facts. Industrial production in western nations is being destroyed. The ability to actually produce things of value is being taken from us. The overall value of our currency is dropping like a rock. Everybody, everyday is becoming a little poorer and poorer as vast sums of "money" is created on computer screens and shipped off to places where the figureheads of said systems cannot tell us. Meanwhile we see a rise of a superclass whose wealth cannot be measured because it exists in so many forms where the whole concept of value is relative.

When one considers that both the left and right seem to be working toward the same end, it would seem that the ultimate goal is to destroy the western world, abolish our affluence, and level the playing field for a world government run by the multinational superclass that is just now coming out of the shadows.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I will not feel guilty, nor will I feel sorry for what someone else has, or has not.

I will not feel guilty, nor will I feel sorry for what someone else chooses to do.

I will appreciate what I do have, not regret what I do not have.

I will work towards what I want that I do not have.


I choose to believe that I can have everything and anything I want, that it is available to me, that I can in fact win.

I don't care, if you do not.

 

[Makalakumu]

There are many things in this universe in which your belief has no effect. The perception we carry in our minds is more useful in our minds then outside of it. This perception can shape reality to a certain extent, but that is no reason to engage in solipsism.

 

[grydth]

The "nouveau riche" as a class used to be the subject of much derision in days past....

As an assessment of where I am right now, I view my social class as the Nouveau Pauvre...... I used to have money but can't figure out where it all went, prime suspects being a divorce and four children.......

I think my class is growing and will be the wave of the future.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

There are many things in this universe in which your belief has no effect. The perception we carry in our minds is more useful in our minds then outside of it. This perception can shape reality to a certain extent, but that is no reason to engage in solipsism.

You miss my point.

Bill Gates having $50B doesn't effect my life, my earning ability, or my ability to also have $50B.

I do.

Yes, I hear it all the time, the economy is bad, swine flu is everywhere, global warming is happening, I might get hit by a bus, it's a bad time to do whatever.

********.

The economy is bad. In some areas. In others, not so much. I can sit at home, and cry about how boo ****ing hoo bad it is, or I can get off my ***, say damn the torpedoes and get on with my life.

All I hear is "boo ****ing hoo". All I hear is how out of control things are, how the economy is collapsing, how the government is bad, how people can't do anything because someone somewhere is being exploited.

I don't ****ing care anymore.

The deck was stacked against the Allies at Normandy. It cost em dearly, but they got ashore and kicked ***.

A college drop out created a software empire.
A stoner created a media revolution.

This isn't about sitting here and feeling bad because I had chili and a sandwich for lunch while some kid in Somalia is eating bugs. This isn't about China poisoning China to feed the Walmart corporate jugernaught. This isn't about Obama and the DNC's destruction of the US.

This is about the simple fact that we are surrounded by more stuff, more food than ever before, and not feeling sorry for ourselves, and getting off our asses and doing what we have to do, to get our own piece of the pie.

It's out there. It's waiting. And I believe 100% that I, I, =I= can get my part.

Because if I don't believe it, then put a ****ing bullet in my ****ing head and roll me into a ****ing box already.

This threads here because in 2001, I believed and so did some of my friends, that this site had a chance at being something. We're bigger than thousands of other sites, who were here before us. Most of them dropped out, but this site keeps going.

Somewhere along the way though, I stopped believing. I stopped seeing what I had, and started doing what I see others doing. Crying about a deck stacked against them.

You who have been here the longest should know me better. I'm not playing with a full deck. But I am playing with a loaded one.

No, my "belief" won't let me become a brain surgeon by friday. But if I can find the funding, get accepted into a good medical school, and graduate from it, I might be one in 4-6 years.

Enough self pity and self doubt.

I'm loading my deck with kings and queens and jacks, and aces.

What's your deck loaded with?


After all, life is a game. Why play at all, if you don't believe you can win?

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Something to be positive about:

You are alive. No matter where you are, how cash poor you may be, how bad things around you might seem, you are alive, and as long as you are, you can get better. Dead guys rarely improve and only occasionally win elections.



Want to be rich? Simple formula: Work for it, inherit it, win it playing lotto.

Unless you already have rich relatives, it won't be handed to you.
Unless you get incredibly lucky, you won't win it.

Leaves working for it. People though, think "I worked 8 hrs, that's it".

Caeser's troops built a bridge over the Rhine in 10 days. They worked around the clock, and built something strong enough to march an army over. Patton's men did it in 3 days during WW2. Today, it's take months. Gotta get in those coffee breaks.

Bill Gates worked full days, as in 24 hrs. Steve Jobs Mac team did the same when they launched the Mac. Pro athletes spend 8+ hrs at the gym, every day. How many martial arts instructors work a day job, then go and put in 4 hrs more at the dojo every night, and more on weekends?

Do you do this so you can fail, or so you can succeed?

Do you tell your students that they'll do great dropping in here n there, or do you tell them it takes dedication, motivation, belief in themselves, confidence in their abilities, and hard work and lots of practice to get ahead?

If it's the later, but you don't think it's worth it, that you can't win, why the hell are you blowing smoke up their asses and lying to them about their winning?

My point isn't to live in a fantasy land. It's to believe you can win, to see what you can win, and to do what you need to do to do just that, win. In an honest, positive manner.

So I choose to focus on seeing what is there, and looking for ways I can get it.

 

[Makalakumu]

You miss my point.

Actually, I think you missed mine. Solipsism is the focus on oneself to the extent that one actually believes they are the center or the only thing that matters in the universe. As a world view, I think you'll find plenty of company, however, the billions of extinct species that inhabited this itty bitty piece of real estate before us show that you just aren't THAT important.

Yes, we have this whole "human" world out there that we can manipulate and gain by doing so. Ultimately, you will have accomplished nothing. You will have nothing to pass on. You will have no being (not that we can prove) who gives a **** that you ever existed, much less what you ever did.

So, solipsism is a dead end when taken to extremes. There ARE extenuating circumstances. There ARE problems that we (I) cannot overcome. I know Bob Proctor and all of the self help gurus are screaming right now, but when the Texas size asteroid hurtles down and we cut the program to watch for those to build more bombs, we're ****ed no matter how many positive thoughts you have. The whole human race will be gone and nothing anyone ever did will matter.

Life winks out on a planet like the tiny consciousness of a moth as it merges with the flame. On a universal scale, there really isn't that many zeros that separate the two when it comes to magnitude.

So, Bob, even if you do make your millions, who the **** cares? In a hundred years everyone will be millionaires because of inflation.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

So what's the answer then my friend?

Sit on our *** and do nothing because it's all pointless? Why waste time then, better you just exit stage right now.

Who said I was focusing on me? Focusing on me, to the exclusion of all else, leads to a very poor, very empty and very lonely existence. Note I do not say life, for a life implies one is living.

I don't care about the cosmic scale. Or a hundred years. I'll most likely be dead at that point. Then again, Jefferson, Washington, Caesar and even that Jesus fellow, all lived well over 100 years ago. They left a mark. Who's to say I or you or any of us won't?

Swine Flu. 1,000 dead. Pandemenic. Worry, Panic, Stress!
Yawn. 42,000 people die on average every year in car accidents.
I don't worry about piggie pox and I don't worry about death by car either. I die, when I die, and I intend to live every moment I can to the best of my ability.

I might not wake up tomorrow. But 14,000+ people know I was here.
That counts for something.

If not, let me know. I'll shut the site down since I've "accomplished nothing" as you say.

Positive thinking, on it's own, does little.
Positive thinking, plus action, can move mountains, build bridges, and heal hearts.

We can all Win.

 

[K-man]

I think that the original post was just pointing out how well off we are in the Western world and how far we have come in recent years. The problem is that consumerism as we have it now is not sustainable into the future. As the world population increases there will have to be a redistribution of the world's resources. How that will come about, or when, I doubt anyone knows, but it must happen. In the meantime, enjoy what you have, plan for the future but live for the present. We can't change the past, we can't fortell the future but we can and must enjoy the fortunate life we have now. :asian:

 

[Makalakumu]

Bob, if you died tomorrow, you'd surely count for something. We'd all miss you. I would miss you most assuredly on this site especially you've made room for a particular interpretation of my martial art that is growing and innovative.

As time grinds on, just as any of us, we all start to lose our identity. Our lives are captured in physical and biological codex's that slowly lose meaning as our legacies advance after death. Eventually, if we are influential enough, our names may enter the realm of myth and then even the language differences will slaughter the pronunciation of that name until it fits the latest icon.

Bob, your mind, your consciousness, your legacy, and even your genes are bound for nothingness. Even if humanity manages to persist through the stage where we struggle for the stars, your ultimate contribution will depend mostly on random chance. The roll of the dice, as Einstein once derided, is the ultimate decider. A million people could do what you do, Bob, and maybe you will be preserved for a few thousand more years in the ultranet, until even those spaces are forgotten.

Why chase after wealth? Why buy a yacht? What are you doing right now that is so god damned important?

Looking at how your mind perceives the world around you is one aspect of truly finding meaning. Understanding that you are more then yourself and that you are NOT in control of everything is another aspect.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

My point is, life is worth living, enjoying, experiencing.

I'm well aware that cosmically, I'm less than an ant, that my impact will most likely be small, and memory short. And, I don't care. I still want it all, still think it's worth reaching for, still believe that everyone else can not only reach for it, but grasp it.

If I live for but a moment, I will have at least lived. Sad is the one who never truly lives, but instead has an existence filled with self created lack and pain.

I can create that lack and pain, by dwelling on what I do not have, what I am not, or, I can create happiness, by focusing on what I do have, and what I am. Both lead you somewhere, the former to suffering, the former, to a better place.

As you think, so you become.

 

[KELLYG]

Simple, this morning I woke up on this side of the dirt! What becomes of my life or the direction of my life is my responsibility. What I have or have not is again my responsibility. Setting on the side lines and whining about this or that is not my style. Set goals make plans and set it in motion. The direction may change a time or two but you are at least moving forward.

 

[Makalakumu]

Another thing that matters is our connection to other people. We have a responsibility to one another that matters.

 

[Rich Parsons]

So, a discussion I had got me thinking. I, and all of us are rich.

I just came back from a Walmart that is the size of a 70's era mall. It had the -best- selection of videos, tvs, groceries and more than I've seen in ages.

I'm seeing new construction all around me.

I'm surrounded by an over abundance of stuff, food, clothes, toys, stuff I need and stuff I don't. Surrounded!

We (my wife and I) own over 1,000 dvd's. Have 5 working computers in my house, have high speed internet, 6 phones, a car, dvd players, tvs, vcrs, several printers, scanners and terrabytes of storage. We dine out regularly, eat shrimp, crab and lobster regularly. We do not lack for good nourishing healthy food. We care for our cats and lizard.

By comparison, my grandfather wore hand me downs, ate lard sandwiches, had no tv, no phone, and scraped by as a kid. 20 years ago a treat for the family was to buy a pizza.

Today we enjoy that a few times a month.

Shrimp was rare, and lobster was reserved for New Years, every other year.

Shrimp's a staple in my household.

No, I don't currently own a house, no I don't own either a mansion or a yacht, and no I don't jet set around the world.

But I can usually come and go as I please, can travel as needed, and know I'll be eating dinner tomorrow.

Compared to so many, in so many places, I am wealthy beyond their dreams.

Too often we get hung up on all stuff we don't have, that we forget how truly blessed we are, and how fortunate we are to live in a time and a place where we are surrounded by so much, and have so many choices.

Bob, you know I am RICH!

It says so in my name, just in case I forget.

But to keep in mind the idea of the original post, here are some of my comments.

I do not eat Shrimp, I am allergic. They are bad for me.

I do eat Chicken breast and 90% lean beef and drain it when I cook/brown it to remove the fat, but then season back for flavor. I am doing well.

But I also remember during my divorce when I collected cans to by beans to have something to eat that day. But, one could say I made a choice then to have previously paid money to get the house out of Foreclosure and other bills caught up. They all only care what you pay them and assume the rest including what you pay in taxes is what you eat and drink.

I do not drink that often and only one or two beers at most. Recently I have cut back to zero for health reasons.

I do own one flat screen HD TV. 26" Best Buy house brand that I bought on sale only after my 1981 19" Tube TV failed. I have DVD player, but only about 10 or so DVD's. If you include Martial Art DVD's I might have 20 total. I did have a functioning VCR, but when it failed, I have not repalced that technology, that is when I got the DVD player.


I do have a stove and refridgerator, and a Microwave. Stove came with the house, Microwave was a gift during divorce, and Fridge was bought for house by me when I moved in.

My desk is a table from Good Will bought for $2. The chair is the same.

But when my couch given to me final wore out (* I used it for years and so did the people before me and the people before them *) I bought new leather couches(2). But only for my Family room, The living room has the old broken furnature pushed up against a wall so I can use the rest as a training area.

The house is a nice 3 bedroom ranch.

I do have lots of vehicles for one person. A truck, a convertible firebird (V6), and a motorcycle.

And one cell phone.

I spend my money where I want too. I buy the things that I need for use or want for pleasure.

I know I am very rich to many people on this planet and including those in this country.

But, I also loan/give money/items/cars to people who are in need and worse off than me. I do what I can to help. I use monies from my Seminars to help people or charities.

But I do not compare myself with others. For you see Bob is richer than I. He has a wife and they are happy.

"G" and others here have kids, and all that brings, both the pain and the happiness, and I do not have these wonderful riches.

I am still looking, and hope for the best. I spoil my Nieces and Nephews when ever I can. I help the kids of my friends who also call me Uncle. I can spend my money this way. Because I choose too, and not because I am trying to keep up with others or to make a show of it.

Some people wonder why I have used furniture, and others wonder why I push mow my own lawn (* I enjoy it *), but for me I know I am me. I try to do what is right for me and others around me that I care for.

I also know that people are worse off than me. People who have lost their jobs. People with medical conditions or problems.

I respect their condition, it is not pity, but it is care, and if there is something I can do naturally to help, or to assist then I do it. Of course, I cannot solve their problems but if I listen or talk to them many times it is enough just to be there. Other times it is doing something for them to help out.

I know I am Rich in more than one manner. I also know that happiness is not defined by money. Money can make people happy, yes. But there are those who have less and are happy. Good for them for being happy.

 

[Makalakumu]

As you think, so you become.

Well, yes, however there are limitations, which is another place where solipsism fails. The meaning we create in our minds IS affected by the outside world and by what other people think. Thus the relationships we have with others have meaning. Some take this fact as a call to live their lives in service to others. Others acknowledge the fact that others have meaning and try to live their lives as honestly and responsibly as possible. It's up to the individual to decide what they want to do. Simply chasing after the wealth of this world denies an important aspect of humanity. When everything is impermanent, the more meaning one can squeeze from the moment, IMO, the better.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Simply chasing it is an empty act. Catching it, requires work. You just find your own reasons to chase it. My point's been, it's out there to be caught and that you can catch it, if you work for it.

You need to believe you can get it though.

My catching it, doesn't stop you, hinder you, leave less for you.

Zig Ziglar said it best.

If you can dream it, then you can achieve it. You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.
Zig Ziglar

If you don't see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner.
Zig Ziglar