/enlighten/ - Enlightenment

/enlighten/ is a place to discuss anything is regards to enlightening your mind and spirit. In a world where everyone on both sides is screaming at one another, will you walk the middle path with me? Who am I? I am no one. Though I believe there are no rules to achieve enlightenment, I do need to set out some board guidelines:

1) Be civil. We are all here to better ourselves. Anger is natural, but we are on a cartoon image board and nothing here is worth getting so worked up about.

2) No discussion is off limits. Even if you are not directly discussing something to assist others or yourself with enlightenment, please take care not to veer too far off topic.

3) Discussion of religion and philosophy is encouraged, but do not assert that your path is the only path. Some of us may simply be perennialists or deists. Do not assert that your religion/philosophy is the "one true way".

4) Enlightenment means different things to different people. Some may claim to be there already, others may have just begun their journey. Always try to be kind and mindful.

For some enlightenment comes from an experience. This could be drugs, or a life changing event. Siddhartha did not pursue spirituality until he left the comfort of his palace and has seen true suffering for the first time.

Then there are others like me. I have had no traumatic experience, I think something in my childhood simply made me question everything before accepting it. I remember my first epiphany with vivid detail, I even went into a bit of a panic attack. I was bored one summer day when I was about 12 or so. After cutting the grass I decided that neopets was just not entertaining me enough. I went for a walk around the neighborhood, and something just clicked. I had been depressed for sometime. I never really had a girlfriend and there was a societal pressure for me to obtain one. I was not happy with my family, I was not comforted by my friends. It was a low point, which looking back on was extremely selfish and ungrateful. Whatever lead me to this depression had me questioning everything. Why am I here? Why do we suffer? What's the purpose of humanity?

Then like a sack of bricks it hit me. We are not meant to live like this. The cars, the pavement, shitty over developed neighborhoods. This is not our natural state. Deviation from the natural state causes greater suffering because no matter what we have, we want more. We no longer have to fight everyday for shelter and food, so we find new problems to fight for. We get depressed because we don't get the car or job we want. When that's all they are - wants not needs. It sent me into one of the few panic attacks I ever had and when I calmed down I felt more grounded, more aware of the world around me. I started to notice more of the cause and effect relationship in the world. The pull and push, yin and yang - even if I did not realize it at the time. My short temper that afflicted me for most of my childhood seemed to have disappeared overnight.

I felt great. Though I had abandoned god a few years prior I felt a strange spiritual presence. It may have been nothing at all, but something lingered telling me there was more than just me. And yet, that's all there is - the self.

Also in neighboring country FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) “Macedonia” who wants to join the EU and the North Atlantic Organization (NATO), but Greece suggests that this will not happen until they resolve the name issue, right wing party has a lot of influence. A symbolic dispute over the name and heritage of Macedonia is blocking country to joint Euro-Atlantic integration. The country is officially recognized by 120 countries, but it is faced with continued denial of Macedonian identity by its neighbors, Bulgarians, Serbians and Greeks. The leading right political party VMRO-DMNE with more support from public from latest elections is involved in political tensions with opposition that those not approve election results. Fear of nationalism and ethnic suppression is widespread because of the past in a country where 25% of the population are Albanian Muslims, 65% Macedonian Slav and Turks, Roma, Serbs, Vlach and Bosnian minorities. Dissatisfactions have been raised by minority groups, despite Ohrid agreement which should provide equality among different groups. Questions are rising like this one: is Macedonia because of overall situation heading towards extreme nationalism?

Strong nationalism could also be found in Serbia. In the past was support for The Serbian Radical’s leader Vojislav Šešelj, that was accused and indicted by the International Criminal Court (lCT) for Crimes against Humanity and War crimes of former Yugoslavia in the 1990 wars for whom UN prosecutors demanded a 28-year prison sentence and been provisionally released after 11 years based on health problems, a lot stronger than today. The party won in 1992 22.58% of the popular vote and after that in parliamentary elections saw four higher results in 1997, 2003, 2007 and 2008, but in the last two elections did not get into the National Assembly of Serbia. Core ideology was the goal of creating a greater Serbia, opposing to European integration and globalization and regarding Ratko Mladić and Radovan Karadžić as Serbian heroes. The Serbian far-right leader was welcomed as a Serb Hero by hundreds of supporters, which was in neighboring countries seen as a defeat of the judicial system and injustice. With Serbs seeking EU integration nationalism seems to have taken a second place even though the football match with Albania has shown us that Serbian nationalism is still much alive. Slogan Kosovo is Serbia is another point of Post too long. Click here to view the full text.

This is not some mystic question, I am not asking about some creation myth of self. I want to know what would drive you to visit this board. What happened in your life that made you even consider enlightenment?

>There are many paths to enlightenment.

>Be sure to take one with a heart.

Lao Tzu, ancient Chinese philosopher