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MetaMetaPhysics
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Number of ratings15 Number of reviews12 Listens toOver 18 LanguagesEnglish Listener sinceApr 4, 2022 Last activein last 6 months GenderMale PathStep 26 People helped48 Chats948 Group support chats9 Forum posts24 Forum upvotes41
Bio

I'm an aspiring author and part-time chess coach. Hoping to find fulfillment in myself before it's too late. 

Recent forum posts
Why Virtue is the Most Important Thing
Motivation & Accountability / by MetaMetaPhysics
Last post
February 4th
...See more What is virtue? I guess you could say: it is good character mixed with the right intentions. A lot of thought goes into a person's life. First there is what they think about their life, how they feel in their skin, and then there is a reflection of that back onto them, or the way they are perceived.  This is not always an easy thing to manage, and things can change rapidly. Maybe I like to assume that everyone can be rational all the time and handle pressure well, but I know nothing about what goes on in people's minds. Yet I have so much brain activity and all this stuff that only I know. This is the problem of subjectivity.  In turn, we might realize that in order for me to understand you, or for you to understand me, there must exist some sort of linking thing, some guiding thread we can both connect to. If you did not understand what I'm trying to say, and did not attempt to try, that would be one-sided discussion. The same would be true if, say, I listened to you and only told you things I wanted to say.  Let me get to the point I want to make. In all cases where we have a choice of doing better, the most important thing to consider is what we are doing wrong now and why. Furthermore, we must ask ourselves, fundamentally: "Am I making an effort in my existence?" There are, for certain, many cases where we feel really powerless. It's soul-***, I know, when you have a family member, a friend, a partner, who you don't feel understands you or cares to. That is brutalizing and difficult. The same is true when work does not go as we want it to, or when an argument emerges out of seemingly nothing at all, or we may mess something up we are used to not messing up and we hate ourselves for it. This, my friends, is all NORMAL HUMAN BEHAVIOR.  But what can we say about our ability as humans to overcome that behavior so that it doesn't bother us? What if, truly, we had the capacity to help ourselves and others, even if only gradually?  Resentment, envy, greed, lust, laziness - these things are all detrimental to us, and they have been mentioned in the Bible, in Hindu and Buddhist scripture, in Ancient Greek Stoicism, in Taoism, etc.  The fact of the matter is, we are governed by both low and high forces. We may say that we want something, but the entity within us doing the "wanting" is not the same entity that is virtuous. One cannot always be doing what they "want". Indeed, a lot of good is done when we do not think of ourselves and instead think about the thing we're doing, the good we're doing with it, etc. If we idle for too long in things that are not virtuous, we fall prey to sin. A lot of sin could result in a lot of suffering, which I can personally attest to. I have caused suffering and it caused me to suffer. I have seen people around me do awful things and they will likely get their comeuppance for it.  That is to say, we cannot deny that there is an objective good and bad in the world. Even this website, beautiful as it is, is maintained by the fact that some people are driven by compassion.  Indeed, a lot can be said about those people who give, give, give, without asking in return. And even if they do suffer from the fact that they only give and never get, they are beloved by God.  I hope this case for virtue was a reasonable one, and I feel this concept needs more explanation.  Thank you, and I look forward to talking more with all of you. 
What is the Doubter and How Does it Play the Role of Being Us?
General Support / by MetaMetaPhysics
Last post
September 7th, 2023
...See more This is an observation I've been having about myself, but it may be applicable to others as well. Within me lie two selves. One is me, the real me, and the other is my Doubter. The doubter does not feel confident in the sense necessary to succeed. Failures cast upon the doubter make the entire person (us) seem to feel like a failure. I have come to terms with the fact that this is a deep overreaction. We are not our negative emotions, no matter how firmly we stick to the conviction of that doubter's mind. The doubter is seeing a distorted, blackened version of the world, while the real me struggles to be heard. The doubter seems to react to things, as if they were potential threats, when the real me wants to experience the reality in any way it presents itself. The real me is hoping to overcome change itself. For in reacting to things and not considering consciously what we're doing, we begin to internalize a perpetual state of self-negating passivity. The real me is just trying to be human in spite of that. The types of things that bring out the doubter are people we don't enjoy the company of, and circumstances that are stressful and constantly changing. The real me sees this as a chance. Please take this piece of writing as something that came from the heart, not the ego. Thank you.
Thinking about Ourselves
Mindfulness Center / by MetaMetaPhysics
Last post
July 9th, 2023
...See more The first question should always be this: "Am I being myself right now?" Many a time have I noticed myself falling prey to the negative emotion demon, and suddenly thinking that that's truly who I am. "Damned be those positive people, they don't know me", I would say... The complacency of our self-uncertainty is such that we believe ourselves. Beholden to the truth, we must realize this: we are never certain whether we are fully in the truth, but we feel good when we let go of the thoughts pressuring us to fail. Beholden to ourselves, we must realize that life is a series of tests, and it never ends. This is not to be taken as a bad thing, as it seems we constantly have to do something new to become ourselves. The weird thing is that we only get more bitter when we shy away from ourselves; we don't want to fight the inner self, in fear that we actually have to confront it and win the battle through our will. Why is this mysterious? Human beings have long made errors when in entirely reasonable places in their life. It can only be imagined that we will make more errors when life is hard. Perhaps this is the reason why we feel mistreated? And yet we are the person mistreating ourselves, when all has been said and done. I know that we must trust ourselves, and we must trust those who care for us. We are not flawed by design, nor are we meant to be flawed forever. Perhaps the world is reasonable in its altogether uncertain design. Beholden to ourselves, we may want to finally understand why the pain is so hard to bear, and why we must constantly reinforce the pain in our own being. The world is not meant to destroy us. And indeed, we are the world. We are everything at once. This is a beautiful thing. The "concept of self" should be taken as something that is connected to a whole. We are not some sort of disjointed mess. We are, in fact, potentially enlightened souls. Nevertheless, only we can see ourselves in a better light, and that must always be held close. Beholden to our hearts, we must not let anyone hurt us ever again if we could help it. Thank you.
Chess and Mental Health
Hobby Zone / by MetaMetaPhysics
Last post
June 28th, 2023
...See more Chess, is simple terms, is a board game that requires future-thinking and emotional regulation. However, when we abstract it to its philosophical components, it is actually a mental health device. I will try to make my case for chess as a way to help us comprehend our mental health struggles. When you play chess, there is always a spectrum of possible moves that are 1. Playable 2. Good/Bad and 3. Based on reasons Within the scope of decisions we make in life, it is not too different, but there is more randomness in life. Furthermore, emotions tend to hit harder when we fail in life, as life is not a linear thing. But nevertheless, if we think about life in chess terms, we realize this: 1. We always have to make decisions. We are not able to assess the goodness and badness of those decisions in real time, but we must be confident enough to make reasonable decisions. 2. We are not always going to make the right decisions (best move), but we can make reasonable decisions more often (playable move or move that doesn't worsen our position). 3. Our battle is not with an opponent (outside world) but with ourselves (inner self). Knowing this, we cannot blame the game (life) or external factors (randomness/causality) for our own shortcomings. Mental health encapsulates the categories of self-love/self-acceptance first, and then taking that and transforming it into active accountability. Bad chess players are lazy thinkers; they do not wish to push themselves to calculate an outcome to its logical conclusion. Furthermore, there are chess players who play well enough, but are not able to have a stable grasp on their game (impulsivity). Chess is a "purely rational" activity. However, human beings are incapable of this, as they're not engines (emotionless beings). Human beings who play perfect chess do not exist. With this in mind, we have to accept our inability to be perfect if we are to become better. 1. We are rational, but we have to keep our emotions in check if we are to be truly rational. 2. We make moves (decisions) without knowing their consequences, and have to accept this. 3. We cannot control anything except ourselves (the player). The board (life) will reflect that. With that being said, I believe chess to be a very interesting activity for the ego, for self-awareness, and for questioning our own process of thinking. It's hard to cover everything, but this is my first try. Thank you, and any feedback would be highly appreciated.
Any Chess Players?
Hobby Zone / by MetaMetaPhysics
Last post
May 25th, 2023
...See more I'm a former chess coach. I teach privately, and would be happy to give free lessons to anyone who wants to improve. My Lichess account, MeoSoul, is rated 2300 blitz and rapid. Chess is a meaningful mental health resource because it stabilizes our inner tumult.
The Case for Detachment (in the Buddhist sense)
7 Cups Online Therapy / by MetaMetaPhysics
Last post
June 4th, 2023
...See more I am certain of the fact that everyone suffers in some way, to some extent, and has their own reflections and feelings about the matter... some of which are difficult to deal with. I came to Buddhism out of desperation. Having dealt with a disorderly, emotionally abusive, alcoholic father for a large number of years, and having seen my mom nearly lose her mind to that abuse, I felt forced to turn to detachment as a philosophy of "overcoming my psyche". Because of the many internal narratives we have, flowing disjointedly yet side by side, detachment may actually be a precise solution to a complicated problem. The human ego is formed with a central clinging to itself, but if we don't know what we fundamentally are, that ego will just hurt us. I mean to say that the ego, much like our narratives, is more of a construction than a genuine fact. The common understanding of 'detachment' seems to be misleading too, as it implies a lack of emotion, a lack of willingness to engage with one's inner feelings. This is what not I'm advocating for at all. I am saying that we SHOULD feel our feelings deeply, but not let them be our master. The same goes for our dealings with stressful people and situations, since we are either active or passive, determiner or determined. This realization has encouraged me to become mindful of my attachment. The Buddha learned, by witnessing and then experiencing suffering, that all things which we strive to cling onto are impermanent. A thought can come and pass us by, a feeling can linger until it becomes another feeling, an action may contradict a previous action or encourage many similar actions. The very real fact of impermanence, therefore, relates to the suffering we feel as well. We are so prone to identifying with our way of seeing things, yet afraid, hesitant, and unwilling to try new ways. By feeling no attachment to self or other, we become One with the world. This is a beautiful transformation. We must be more open to the possibility of holistic and natural methodologies for treating mental health struggles. When I go outside and spend time in the sun, playing sports with friends, I don't think about myself. The same is true when I'm not worrying about where my thoughts are going and why. If we can just stop staring at the abyss, maybe it will not want to stare back anymore! Humans are complicated, in that they are both products of genetics and conditioning. Some of those factors are inalterable and deterministic in nature. However, the actual agency of a person, i.e. their ability to use their will and self-actualize, is not directly based on those factors! It is inherent to the way we deal with ourselves, both in how we handle our temperament and how we react to change. Detachment gives us back the power we thought we never had; it makes us feel able to experience joy, longing, sorrow, peace, frustration, love, because we're not letting ourselves become the feeling. I do believe this has become a fairly long piece. I am interested to see what others might have to say about this topic, especially as it relates to mental health and your personal struggles. I am not at all suggesting that detachment is the solution to our problems. My only hope is to convey a philosophical methodology, a way of seeing and experiencing the world, that has worked for me. Thank you to everyone who has read this far, and I wish you the best in everything you do!
Feedback & Reviews
Recommended, really understand and tries to understand you well in every possible aspect, has patience and open mind, 10/10.
hes a kind listener
Great listener. An actual empathetic person, nothing else to say.
Best listener no cap
The conversation Vladimir and I had had proven invaluable. He has helped me work through a problem in such great depth, that I feel as though I can tackle it with confidence. Thank you again for all your help
Truly an amazing listener.
Great. Listening skills
I love him , he is great man who cares
Thoughtful prompt replies and relates his own expereinces. Asks questions
Really friendly and understanding listener
He is very kind and patient
Really nice to speak to, very patient and had amazing things to say to cheer me up. Greatly recommend !!
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