Reading about real people’s lives here on Mingle. . . An anchor point to reality. . . Like sensation. . . Feeling the warmth radiated from the happiness on here.

I hate dating to my very core. Women are good. Dating for people it works for is good. But dating for me is not good.

I stay away from things that are stronger than me, vapor included.

Giving up tobacco smoke will likely add 5 to 10 years to your life. Nicotine it’s self is not carcinogenic, and the physical health effects of vapor are relatively harmless compared to tobacco smoke. That said, it is not spiritually healthy to be mentally addicted to a substance. It is too distracting to the grander things in life. I think the tobacco industry puts just enough tobacco in each cigarette to keep people addicted.

Maybe try listening to nature sounds? You are strong, you can do it!

Awesome story! So it was because of love

Pretending it is a mountain stream, for 1 minute (or more), standing under the shower with the knob cranked all the way to COLD. At some point in your shower. As a daily pilgrimage or whenever you take a shower. May help adapt the brain quicker.

We do hear you.

That’s a good point. Sorry about the axe grinding against you all nonreligious (and religious) friends. And imposition of beliefs certainly is presumptuous. From my system of knowledge, God has truth to share through all people, regardless of whether they are religious or nonreligious.

I suggest we make a deal between the religious and nonreligious, by respecting both freedom of religion and freedom of sex, without judging each other.

Though I am not sure what an individual would do if sides gave each other the hypno-eye.

Thoughts?

Very well written. I do not see why some people have an axe to grind about religion anyway.

Maybe the fruit was some inedible berry with painful effects, put there as a safeguard if we started venturing out near danger, to keep humankind out of trouble by giving them knowledge of evil. We were put in the garden to begin with so that we would still be left with a concept of what safe and sound means.

That would be pretty interesting becoming friends with someone for the sole purpose of facing social fears.

I used to be homophobic, until I became religious that is. Anyhow, worship is a powerful experience. Context is everything when one is hearing other perspectives and you have to think for yourself.

There are also scriptures which name a tree of life, which was very important to have the fruit from in order to live, spiritually.

The fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil represents judgmental thinking. Non-judgemental awareness is a Zen like state also described in eastern religions, where it is known as nirvana. The tree is alive still today.

The only thing I myself try to do left to do is wholeheartedly seek spiritual life.

Hmmm. Now I want to know why He planted the tree too. I bet it is because He just loves the tree. Such a good question.

Even though judgement may get in the way sometimes He still loves us no less.

A post “no posting allowed” gets an epic number of posts.

Take some wide slat blinds with large overlap (2 to 3 layers thick when closed), reflective top side and white bottom, to let light and reflection of sky in but still have privacy. She needs light for her vitamin D and circadian rhythm / beauty rest. The slats have to be at a near-horizontal angle to get a good reflection of the sky. Get inexpensive raw materials, someone with the skill set to put it together, and give it to her as a gift when you go to meet her. Then she knows someone cares about her in an uncomfortably close situation.