The Sock (Blog)

[Savage]

Originally Posted by InterfaceLeader

Out of interest, would you have felt the same way if you'd had children then? I was thinking that today - when I was single I really didn't care if and where I slept, but now I've someone else to be responsible for I worry about it more. If I had children I would feel duty bound to do whatever I had to do to ensure they wouldn't be taken away from me, or cold and hungry.

With children I feel duty-bound to set an example of freedom and happiness, not indentured servitude.

Cold and hunger can be fixed with a blanket and a meal. Those are easy problems to solve if you're heart is free.

[InterfaceLeader]

Originally Posted by openyourize

yeah i think everyone has done that though. thats roughin it with your pals for a night of nature. the point is to experience what it is like to be only YOU in the world, with no people and no things to accommodate you.

Why give away all your friends?

I've spent a couple of night's in a city by myself through bad planning. It sucked, basically. Would never do it by choice. Freezing cold - utterly, ridiculously cold.

[openyourize]

Originally Posted by InterfaceLeader

Why give away all your friends?

I've spent a couple of night's in a city by myself through bad planning. It sucked, basically. Would never do it by choice. Freezing cold - utterly, ridiculously cold.

The point isn't to have fun, its to observe your feelings and thoughts through the experince.

[backpocket]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

With children I feel duty-bound to set an example of freedom and happiness, not indentured servitude.

Cold and hunger can be fixed with a blanket and a meal. Those are easy problems to solve if you're heart is free.

Wow. The best thing I've heard today.

[mahreenferdous]

I've done this homeless for an evening once. I was somewhat actually homeless for that evening. I could have made a few phone calls and tried to find someone's floor to crash on but I didnt' just to see what it would feel like. Not sure I did it to what you're after though.

It was probably late August so I expected it to be warm enough to not worry about the weather too much. But as it turned out it was pretty cold. I spent most of my time being on night buses and just sat on them as they went to the destinations and back. Eventually even the night bus I was on stopped running. So I went to my favourite place in the city which is by the river. Sat there and watched the moon and the water. People walking by etc. I couldnt' sleep at all. The next morning I went to someone's house in my desperate attempt to find somewhere to live. And funnily enough moved in somewhere that very day even though I had been trying to sort out somewhere to live for a few weeks at that point with not much success.

[carenkh]

Originally Posted by Erin Pavlina

he is never down on himself or life. He's never mopey or depressed. He's always empowered, no matter what's going on in his life. He has very high self esteem, confidence, authority, and personal power. It has acted like a beacon of strength for me many times.

So it's the drugs, then?

[carenkh]

Originally Posted by openyourize

one a friday (or a day you dont have work the next day), after work, walk out the door of your work and dont go home.

You can read about a forum member's experience with just that (but for a longer time) here.

Interestingly enough, his username is openeyes.

In that thread, he links to Street Retreat, a project started by Roshi Bernie Glassman - just what you were describing, openyourize!

[Savage]

Originally Posted by carenkh

So it's the drugs, then?

Not drugs... just choice.

You can choose to go through life whining and complaining about every little bump, or you can choose to see every big problem as an exciting challenge that will help you grow stronger and wiser.

The whiny "why me?" approach is unintelligent. It can't do you any good, and it certainly won't help anyone else. So it's just a waste of life.

Better to embrace life as a daring adventure than try to live in a cocoon.

[carenkh]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Not drugs... just choice.

Ahh... that's what I need to work on. Because right now, it doesn't feel like a choice - it feels like how I am. This post and Playing the Money Game, both left me feeling slightly beat up. It's like you were saying: Stop being who you are! You are inferior because you can't lighten the f**k up! I didn't stay in that space long, but that was really my first reaction.

I know I'm growing, because reading Erin's description of you (never depressed, always positive, empowered, confident) a few years ago would have left me feeling like: well, that's you. Of course, I won't achieve what you have, because I'm not you. Now, I can see the possibility of that applying to me - I just don't know how to get there. It's like self-doubt and overwhelm are woven into who I am, not just choices.

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

The whiny "why me?" approach is unintelligent. It can't do you any good, and it certainly won't help anyone else. So it's just a waste of life.

More evidence of growth, maybe? I don't "why me" everywhere - I know I'm responsible! Which, is a new, new way for me. I feel like a newly hatched responsible being, because up to recently, it really did feel like... everything was my mother's fault! That's putting it simply, but certainly, blaming my past to stay stuck, rather than boldly creating my life, was my modus operandi.

Instead of "why me", now it's... "this is too much, too overwhelming, I can't see my way past". How to develop the confidence muscle? I get mired in *feelings*. Do you have those feelings, but don't listen to them? Did you used to? What clicked in you, to make you own high self-esteem, confidence, authority, and personal power? Did you ever not have those?

[MelissaThinks]

Love, love, love this post. I lost my husband 13 years ago after only 5 weeks of marriage. Clearly not one of the best days of my life! Maintaining a sense of humor was a huge part of staying sane for me in the weeks and months that followed. Over time I lost our car and our home and I ended up living in my mother's very unfinished basement. Luckily I come from a family who laughs in the face of tragedy so we had a few yuks at my expense along the way and it really helped to lighten my mood.

One of my favorites was my new nickname, The WB. You see my married last name was Baker. When we first went to the funeral home my mother introduced me to the undertaker as my daughter the Widow Baker. I burst out laughing. What an absurd thing to call me! Here I am a 27 year old woman in a Kiss T-shirt and jeans and she's calling me The Widow Baker. I teased her about it for weeks and over time people started calling me that as a joke. At the same time Warner Brothers launched their now defunct TV channel called...you got it, The WB. That caught on and some people still call me that to this day.

Then there was my Widow Baker costume. I had nothing to wear to the wake that seemed appropriate so my brother took me to a store. The only black thing we could find was a black jumpsuit. It was actually quite nice. I wore it to many other occasions in the future and began to refer to it as my Widow Baker Costume ;-)

Certainly these were not happy days for me and I had many dark moments, but I decided early on that I was still alive and that I would never forget that. So I laughed, I danced and I sang my way through the worst tragedy of my young life. It really can be done no matter how dark things look and by finding the sock, as Steve has so humorously put it, you will survive.

Thanks Steve for another amazing post. You are a great inspiration!!!!

[Bruce Achterberg]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

It was stressful and frustrating to have the uncertainty of not knowing what was going to happen or where we'd live. But it was also exciting.

It's not like getting kicked out was the end of the world. We both still had heartbeats, even though they were faster than usual.

It's good to have these wake-up calls now and then -- good exercise for your consciousness. You may be stressed a bit, but you'll manage.

There's a lot of growth in such experiences. It's easier if you accept the setbacks as they come instead of complaining, "Why me?" The setbacks are your teachers. If you reject them, the lessons will only get harder until you learn them.

Heh, I kind of have to agree.

My life certainly isn't all sunshine and gum drops, but I think without experiences that really challenge me or make my life a bit less stressful, there'd be less of a "lucid" quality to them--I'd be less awake and aware of my desires.

Abraham (of Abraham-Hicks) likes to say that we choose to live in a world where we experience "negative" things before we align with what we want becuase the benefit of the negative is many, many times more beneficial than it is detrimental, and I have to agree. It may not seem like it at first, but for a while now, I've started feeling more and more comfortable with the "suchness" of life and how there's nothing really good or bad. You certainly experience different emotions, but it's all part of the journey. The highs of the roller coaster wouldn't be as exhilarating without the scary dips. (I like how I can say that without ever having been on a roller coaster before, heh. Would've you picked it if I didn't tell you? )

[Bruce Achterberg]

Originally Posted by InterfaceLeader

Why give away all your friends?

I've spent a couple of night's in a city by myself through bad planning. It sucked, basically. Would never do it by choice. Freezing cold - utterly, ridiculously cold.

If I found myself outside I'd go to a suitable location and build myself a fire. Perhaps it's all the Man vs Wild (aka Born Survivor) I've been watching, but honestly, it'd be pretty easy to find some tinder (newspaper would do the job) and some wood to make a fire with. Whether I could get a coal going with the wood is another story, heh, but I'd at least try! Hey, if you can't make a fire, at least all the effort you put into trying to make it will keep you warm!

When it's not so redicusolusly cold outside, I may put my fire making ability to the test. I'll be a bit more pampered than someone out on the street might be, but that's because I'm not in a survival situation; I can opt to avoid being bitten by crazy Aussie spiders (literally everywhere where I live) and getting sick (I can deal with sickness, but it makes it hard to do public speaking).

My point is, no matter how bad your situation is, there's usually something you can do. People often tell me, "yeah, you say that because you haven't been in a bad situation." My reply: "because I do what I need to prevent, as much as I can, getting into a nasty situation." Sure, my life is easier than some people might have it, but there are still lots of things I do to maintain states that aren't common (such as consistent, vital levels of health, positivity, and states of presence and inner peace). It's all about working with what you have, and doing what you need to do. I don't need to worry about making a fire to keep warm, so I focus my efforts elsewhere. Resourcefulness is useful in both the freezing cold and in the air-conditioned comfort of a warm home. Your mindset will determine whether that great asset gets put to use or not.

[Bruce Achterberg]

Originally Posted by carenkh

Ahh... that's what I need to work on. Because right now, it doesn't feel like a choice - it feels like how I am. This post and Playing the Money Game, both left me feeling slightly beat up. It's like you were saying: Stop being who you are! You are inferior because you can't lighten the f**k up! I didn't stay in that space long, but that was really my first reaction.

I know I'm growing, because reading Erin's description of you (never depressed, always positive, empowered, confident) a few years ago would have left me feeling like: well, that's you. Of course, I won't achieve what you have, because I'm not you. Now, I can see the possibility of that applying to me - I just don't know how to get there. It's like self-doubt and overwhelm are woven into who I am, not just choices.



More evidence of growth, maybe? I don't "why me" everywhere - I know I'm responsible! Which, is a new, new way for me. I feel like a newly hatched responsible being, because up to recently, it really did feel like... everything was my mother's fault! That's putting it simply, but certainly, blaming my past to stay stuck, rather than boldly creating my life, was my modus operandi.

Instead of "why me", now it's... "this is too much, too overwhelming, I can't see my way past". How to develop the confidence muscle? I get mired in *feelings*. Do you have those feelings, but don't listen to them? Did you used to? What clicked in you, to make you own high self-esteem, confidence, authority, and personal power? Did you ever not have those?

Steve didn't have much of anything when he came out of the womb (in terms of internal, growth-orientated resources, that is).

Anyway, firstly I'll say that Steve writes to give you a reaction. He doesn't do it intentionally in the sense that he wants you to have a reaction, but his style will create a reaction when you're hanging around certain levels of consciousness. It's useful to become aware of where you stand.

Your post sounds like, to me, you're not speaking from a place of power. You want your situation to change, but you keep focusing on what you don't want. I do that at times--I even did it today! How did I stop doing it? I changed my focus. I started aligning my focus with things that felt good to me, and things that I resonate with.

It honestly is as simple as that. Your state will change, and you'll be experiencing a higher energy than you were before. You'll regain the ability to choose and direct your focus. You don't have much ability to do this when you feel bad, but you can at least stop focusing on what makes you feel bad and put it on something else. You may not feel better right away, but keep focusing! Eventually you're mindset will shift to something more positive, something more conductive to a positive state and more empowering for you.

Earlier today I was slipping into negative thoughts, and I literally stopped myself each time I did it and said to myself, "nope, stop, you know where that leads." It's so tempting, because certain environments, people, or activities can activate that within you. In such situations, your challenge is to not focus internally on your external situations. You may still feel bad, but you won't get sucked into them as much as you do if you focus on something that doesn't resonate with you and then start thinking about it heaps. The thinking may seem logical, but really, it doesn't help. That was a big realisation for me--seeing that negative thinking was just self-perpetuating, not really useful in making any positive change. Eventually I saw that it was not "just thinking"--it was actually a state I was choosing to perpetuate and buy into whenever I picked up a trial of thought and ran with it.

Right now you're probably either feeling a bit, "ahh! This makes sense!" or perhaps a bit, "but that doesn't help me with my problem." If it's the latter, recognise that the thinking that "this doesn't help me with my problem" is perpetuating your problem. That may trigger a moment of detached awareness, or make you feel bad. If it's the latter, I suggest you go, I dunno, do something you enjoy for a while. Just change your focus.

My Achiever and Activator talents cause me to feel a strong draw to having solutions *now* rather than later, so when I used to feel bad, I'd often try to immerse myself in material that might solve my problem. This usually didn't help, or at least, the results that came from it weren't as awesome as what I get from more positively aligned focus. So I learned to go do something I liked doing just to change my focus. Now I'm able to simply detach from the negative thoughts and focus more positively internally. I just feel my way towards something that feels better. If a thought feels bad, think of something else. Your feelings literally are your guide. Use them. Don't focus so much on the intellectual content of a thought, but rather, how it feels. Focus on thoughts that feel good.

[Bruce Achterberg]

Ooh, I just had such a great opportunity that I thought I'd take it.

After writing my above post, or rather, during it, I had to focus on some memories and parts of my life that didn't feel very good. I could feel that I was feeling not as good as I was before writing the post (in general, I don't dwell on the negative at all; I'm all about the positive).

So what am I going to do now? Well, I know I want to feel better, so it's simply a matter of changing my focus. I have a few browser windows open, so I might close them and "purge" my attachment to this activity and free-up some energy. Then I might go and grab a bite to eat.

I made this post to show you that you don't reach some ideal state where you always feel good (and I bet Steve will agree). There are situations and places and people that will make it much easier to feel good, but in general, it's about constantly refocusing. Eventually you learn that things that make you feel bad aren't all that bad and can even be useful to make you aware of your desires and what you prefer. It's just that feeling bad isn't so great when you pick up the "feeling bad" ball and run with it. Eventually, you'll learn not to do that. It may take a while, but you'll learn to just drop that ball eventually and pick up one that feels better.

[Tim White]

One of my favorite quotes is from Mike Tyson:

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched."

I've also read many times that it's not what happens to you in this life, but how you react to it, so combined with the above quote, most of us are gonna get knocked to the ground, the only question is "Will we get up" and how quickly?

Sometimes those "knock out" punches can be REALLY difficult to deal with, and it's places like this blog and forum that have helped me get back up. Steve and Erin, I can't thank you enough for creating this site.

-Tim

[Savage]

Originally Posted by carenkh

Ahh... that's what I need to work on. Because right now, it doesn't feel like a choice - it feels like how I am. This post and Playing the Money Game, both left me feeling slightly beat up. It's like you were saying: Stop being who you are! You are inferior because you can't lighten the f**k up! I didn't stay in that space long, but that was really my first reaction.

I know I'm growing, because reading Erin's description of you (never depressed, always positive, empowered, confident) a few years ago would have left me feeling like: well, that's you. Of course, I won't achieve what you have, because I'm not you. Now, I can see the possibility of that applying to me - I just don't know how to get there. It's like self-doubt and overwhelm are woven into who I am, not just choices.

More evidence of growth, maybe? I don't "why me" everywhere - I know I'm responsible! Which, is a new, new way for me. I feel like a newly hatched responsible being, because up to recently, it really did feel like... everything was my mother's fault! That's putting it simply, but certainly, blaming my past to stay stuck, rather than boldly creating my life, was my modus operandi.

Instead of "why me", now it's... "this is too much, too overwhelming, I can't see my way past". How to develop the confidence muscle? I get mired in *feelings*. Do you have those feelings, but don't listen to them? Did you used to? What clicked in you, to make you own high self-esteem, confidence, authority, and personal power? Did you ever not have those?

I understand where you're coming from. It may indeed be true that who you are today didn't involve much conscious choice up to this point. But conscious choice can certainly change who you become. If that weren't true, I could very well be in jail right now.

I was totally addicted to shoplifting in my late teens. I never chose to be a thief. I just fell into it one small step at a time, and it gradually escalated until I was doing grand theft most weekends just for fun.

Eventually I realized that my life was actually a result of my own decisions -- even the unconscious ones. I wasn't a victim of life. I was victimizing myself. It wasn't the cops' fault for arresting me. Maybe I wasn't in total control of every detail of my life, but there was definitely a cause-effect relationship between what I was experiencing and the decisions (or lack thereof) I'd made in the past. At that point I realized I could become a totally different person simply by making different decisions and then acting on them.

I realized I had far more freedom than I previously thought. If I wanted to, I could change any aspect of my life by choice. I could move to a new city. I could change my diet. I could change my daily habits. Such changes wouldn't necessarily be easy, and there were always consequences to every change. But I could at least see that I had the power to choose.

Your initial reaction of feeling beat up is actually a step in the right direction. I had to go to jail before I really got this. Although my writing style may seem a bit harsh at times, my goal is to push you toward a similar realization, specifically to the point of accepting that your life is 100% your responsibility, that no one is coming to rescue you, and that your ability to make decisions is ultimately what directs the course of your life. I want you to be able to see that you have way more freedom than you realize.

I am not a fan of the "fake it til you make it" style of confidence. I wrote a good deal about that in my book. To me what's more important than confidence is choice. Confidence will grow with practice. You'll feel more confident once you gain some competence.

I value courage a lot more than confidence. Courage allows you to make intelligent choices even when you don't feel certain. This actually leads to a deeper and more abiding sense of confidence. I can't always trust my ability because I often tackle things at which I'm a newbie. But I can hold myself in that place of courage where I'm willing to accept my incompetence and push forward anyway.

A willingness to fail is very important. I am willing to go broke again. I'm willing to write risky articles that might backfire. I'm willing to fall on my face. It isn't confidence that enables me to do such things. It's courage... and being willing to accept failure when it comes.

Courage is itself a choice. I wasn't particularly brave as a child. I was actually rather timid. But when I reached adulthood, and I thought about what kind of life I'd live if I was courageous vs. cowardly, I realized I had to keep choosing the path of courage. I knew it would be hard. I knew it would involve more failure and setbacks than the safer path. But I could also see it would offer a lot more growth and joy, and that has certainly turned out to be true.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

The whiny "why me?" approach is unintelligent. It can't do you any good, and it certainly won't help anyone else. So it's just a waste of life.

Many people continue to persue behaviour that they realise is stupid. Recognising the stupidity of a behaviour alone is clearly not enough to change it.

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Eventually I realized that my life was actually a result of my own decisions -- even the unconscious ones. I wasn't a victim of life. I was victimizing myself. It wasn't the cops' fault for arresting me. Maybe I wasn't in total control of every detail of my life, but there was definitely a cause-effect relationship between what I was experiencing and the decisions (or lack thereof) I'd made in the past. At that point I realized I could become a totally different person simply by making different decisions and then acting on them.

This sounds more like the heart of it. The question is how to go from an intellectual realisation (which isn't doing us much good) to a heartfelt one. When your core knows - despite all logic - that trying won't help, what can be done to change its 'mind'?

[carenkh]

Originally Posted by Bruce Achterberg

Right now you're probably either feeling a bit, "ahh! This makes sense!" or perhaps a bit, "but that doesn't help me with my problem." If it's the latter, recognise that the thinking that "this doesn't help me with my problem" is perpetuating your problem. That may trigger a moment of detached awareness, or make you feel bad. If it's the latter, I suggest you go, I dunno, do something you enjoy for a while. Just change your focus.

If a thought feels bad, think of something else. Your feelings literally are your guide. Use them. Don't focus so much on the intellectual content of a thought, but rather, how it feels. Focus on thoughts that feel good.

What I felt when I read that was... Didn't I know that at one point? I remember feeling empowered and consciously choosing better-feeling thoughts.

I don't know if people actually have layers (how 'bout a parfait? Parfaits got layers!), but that's how I'm experiencing my latest bout of growth. Tapping into some very, very old beliefs with Angela opened up some previously covered-over layers of myself, and I'm re-learning stuff I thought I had down. But now, the learning is occurring at a very deep level - it's all been life-changing, but THIS is shifting things in a major way. I had given a visitor my copy of "Ask and It Is Given" - I need to read that again!

I have been focusing on what I don't want, and fear. Thanks so much for the reminder, Bruce! (I have a friend whose husband is named Bruce, and she calls him El Bruce - pronounced broo'-chay. I think of that when I see your name!)

[carenkh]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Your initial reaction of feeling beat up is actually a step in the right direction. I had to go to jail before I really got this. Although my writing style may seem a bit harsh at times, my goal is to push you toward a similar realization, specifically to the point of accepting that your life is 100% your responsibility, that no one is coming to rescue you, and that your ability to make decisions is ultimately what directs the course of your life. I want you to be able to see that you have way more freedom than you realize.

I know. My feelings were hurt for about half a day: Steve doesn't LIKE me! Then I remembered that when I have a strong reaction, it's time to look *inside* - part of the whole "don't take anything personally" method. It wasn't your writing that was harsh, it was the reality.

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

I am not a fan of the "fake it til you make it" style of confidence. I wrote a good deal about that in my book. To me what's more important than confidence is choice. Confidence will grow with practice. You'll feel more confident once you gain some competence.

This was important for me to hear. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Assorted lovingly aware awesomeness

I am continually lifted up by you and your thoughts, life and writing. I so appreciate it. Thank you.

[Savage]

Originally Posted by Keith

This sounds more like the heart of it. The question is how to go from an intellectual realisation (which isn't doing us much good) to a heartfelt one. When your core knows - despite all logic - that trying won't help, what can be done to change its 'mind'?

Truth is one part of the triad of truth, love, and power. You're absolutely right that getting clear about the truth isn't enough. It's an important step though.

The next step is to ask, "Well... if I don't want to keep experiencing this, what do I REALLY want?" Love is a choice. You decide what you'll connect with and what you'll disconnect from. Connecting with what you want creates the emotions of love and joy. Staying connected to what you don't want distances you from the heartfelt experience of love.

Finally, you have to ask, "Now that I have some idea of what I want (or at least something I want more), how do I make it happen?" Power is also a choice. You can choose to act or not act. You can choose the path of courage and discipline or the path of avoidance and complacency.

This approach isn't easy, but if it were too easy, we wouldn't grow as much.

[Monique7nuns]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Truth is one part of the triad of truth, love, and power. You're absolutely right that getting clear about the truth isn't enough. It's an important step though.

The next step is to ask, "Well... if I don't want to keep experiencing this, what do I REALLY want?" Love is a choice. You decide what you'll connect with and what you'll disconnect from. Connecting with what you want creates the emotions of love and joy. Staying connected to what you don't want distances you from the heartfelt experience of love.

Finally, you have to ask, "Now that I have some idea of what I want (or at least something I want more), how do I make it happen?" Power is also a choice. You can choose to act or not act. You can choose the path of courage and discipline or the path of avoidance and complacency.

This approach isn't easy, but if it were too easy, we wouldn't grow as much.

What about those who teeter back and forth between acting/not acting? Does it mean they lack the courage and discipline to continue or that whatever they thought their passion was wasn't a real passion in the first place? Or maybe the level of commitment is being tested.. of course, perhaps they over think it when they should just be forging ahead...

[Monique7nuns]

Originally Posted by Monique7nuns

What about those who teeter back and forth between acting/not acting? Does it mean they lack the courage and discipline to continue or that whatever they thought their passion was wasn't a real passion in the first place? Or maybe the level of commitment is being tested.. of course, perhaps they over think it when they should just be forging ahead...

Sorry.. I keep asking questions I already know the answer to. Yes I lack the courage and discipline. Wish that answer would inspire me instead of taking me down a notch or two.

[Will Worth]

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

Anne Frank

This seemed relevant to the overall themes of the article to me. Not the sock idea, perhaps, but the fact that once Steve had the realisation of his situation, he was immediately able (subject to the cell walls) to set to work on improving it. I love this quote, and find the beautiful truth of it having come from one so young beguiling.

Love and light,

Will

[wulph]

Originally Posted by Monique7nuns

Sorry.. I keep asking questions I already know the answer to. Yes I lack the courage and discipline. Wish that answer would inspire me instead of taking me down a notch or two.

I would have gone with option C: over-thinking it when you should be forging ahead.

Not to be trite, but it's not how many times you fall down but how many times you get back up.

I think you're concentrating on all the wrong details (lack of x,y) instead of congratulating yourself for the little wins.

Try this: don't even give it a second thought when you find yourself teetering. When you notice you're off track, pick up where you left off.

Again not to be trite, but Edison failed to invent the light bulb some 2000 times before he got it right.

Cheers!

[openyourize]

Originally Posted by carenkh

You can read about a forum member's experience with just that (but for a longer time) here.

Interestingly enough, his username is openeyes.

In that thread, he links to Street Retreat, a project started by Roshi Bernie Glassman - just what you were describing, openyourize!

WWEEEEIRD!!!!

[codefreeze]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

I agree that such people are held back by a lack of intelligence, but this has little to do with IQ. As long as they remain connected to a job they don't want, they're in a cage. To pretend that the cage isn't really a cage is not intelligent.

It's better to be homeless for a while than to work a job you hate just to keep a roof over your head. I say that in all seriousness.

Would you rather be homeless or in jail? Having been in jail, I'd rather be homeless. Even today I'd rather lose all my stuff and be homeless than lose my ability to do what I love. I'll let my family go homeless with me if necessary.

I'd rather sit on a park bench and try to entertain passersby for money doing something I enjoy and which gives them joy than to show up every day to do soulless work.

So if someone is in a situation where the only practical out is to be homeless for a while, that's still a far better solution than being stuck in a gilded cage year after year.

When I say that people who choose the cage are unintelligent, it's because it isn't intelligent to put one's heart in a cage. You can never be free if you do that.

I don't have much to add other than I REALLY like that answer