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And somewhere in there I'd say there's a fourth decision: When you decide to change your status signaling from things like beauty, power, and material achievement, to things like integrity, competence, and helpfulness. Almost everyone is geared toward signaling. As social creatures we're deeply wired to signal value to others. But there's a lot of flexibility in how we signal that. -We can signal it with shallower things like beauty, lambos, hierarchical dominance, etc. The details will vary between men and women but they have a similar short time preference that few old people on their deathbed wished they had focused more on. -Or we can signal it with deeper things like integrity, honesty, helpfulness, friendliness, generosity, providing unique thoughts, or providing wisdom. The details will vary based on profession and skillset but they also have a similar long time preference that most old people on their deathbed wished they had focused more on. View quoted note →

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Agreed. In my life so far I see it as sort of distilled to this;- Discovering Empathy; Exchanging Empathy; Seeing Empathy and it's Exchange is abused; Discovering Immutable Truth; Exchanging Immutable Truth; Discovering Immutable Empathy; Exchanging Immutable Empathy and Now I wait to see the Reality that introduces and what results.
Wonderfully correct. I don't know if it's Nostr or if it's me, but I find myself more eager to post things that I actually want to post. Other social media always just turned me off and I left. Party of it is the quality of the people here - but even if that changes, I think that simply being able to choose who to follow will help keep things hopeful and meaningful.
“When you decide to change your status signaling from things like beauty, power, and material achievement, to things like integrity, competence, and helpfulness.” One of the fundamental recognitions in all real spiritual traditions is that everything moves within us and without us because of 3 forces aligning. It’s said in many, many ways. My little brain understands it as: in All Things, Great and Small, there is an Ego-actor incentivized to act, there is the effect/response of the thing acted upon, and there is the Actualized Result (which is so often mis-identified & misunderstood, because it must be an integral part of the first two aligning correctly so that it’s not simply a mis-fire of the first two). So while I get I sound like some spiritual rando on the Nostr-web, it’s fascinating to me that you used 2 examples of that understanding in one sentence. Just dropping into this convo to say that speaks to me. Appreciate you, Lyn Alden.
↩ replying to Raenstorm
"And somewhere in there I'd say there's a fourth decision: When you decide to change your status signaling from things like beauty, power, and material achievement, to things like integrity, competence, and helpfulness." There are a couple of great Bible parallels in what you are saying Lyn. 1 John 2:15-17 is the first. Our human nature is to chase after the "Lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life" which are neither fulfilling, nor make the world a better place. That's the "Beauty, power, and material achievement" you put in softer terms. 1 John 2:15-17 "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." And also Romans 14:15-19, says what God's kingdom is all about "Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit". That's the "Integrity, competence, and helpfulness" Romans 14:15-19 "For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be [g]spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then [h]we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another." We love you Lyn!