How long have you been mentored by Arash?
[quote]Teledin wrote:
How long have you been mentored by Arash?[/quote]
Since start of 2012
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote]Teledin wrote:
How long have you been mentored by Arash?[/quote]
Since start of 2012[/quote]
Just a baby in this game man.
I hope you are planning to expose yourself to other views and not just Arash’s.
A lot of what he says is solid advice, but a lot of it doesn’t hold much water in certain scenarios. Figuring random people out isn’t difficult at all. Figuring out specific people who are also perceptive and at the top of the game is a whole other ball game.
Try climbing the corporate ladder and see what I mean. You don’t become good at something in a few months.
Not shitting on you at all, I think it’s great that you want to become more actualised. Everyone should. Just don’t base how you act going forward on the subjective view of one person.
Out of curiosity, what type of martial arts does Arash teach?
[quote]Razamataz wrote:
Out of curiosity, what type of martial arts does Arash teach?[/quote]
Similar to to Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kun Do style of closing the gap, trapping, and grappling, Arash teaches Stop, Drop and Roll- cuz he’s a flamer.
[quote]Teledin wrote:
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote]Teledin wrote:
How long have you been mentored by Arash?[/quote]
Since start of 2012[/quote]
Just a baby in this game man.
I hope you are planning to expose yourself to other views and not just Arash’s.
A lot of what he says is solid advice, but a lot of it doesn’t hold much water in certain scenarios. Figuring random people out isn’t difficult at all. Figuring out specific people who are also perceptive and at the top of the game is a whole other ball game.
Try climbing the corporate ladder and see what I mean. You don’t become good at something in a few months.
Not shitting on you at all, I think it’s great that you want to become more actualised. Everyone should. Just don’t base how you act going forward on the subjective view of one person.[/quote]
Absolutely…I always look to the source of information being presented, looking at multiple perspectives. Arash’s beliefs are very much in line with ideals I have had long before meeting him. However, not EVERYTHING one of his beliefs are my own and vise-verse of course.
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote]Teledin wrote:
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote]Teledin wrote:
How long have you been mentored by Arash?[/quote]
Since start of 2012[/quote]
Just a baby in this game man.
I hope you are planning to expose yourself to other views and not just Arash’s.
A lot of what he says is solid advice, but a lot of it doesn’t hold much water in certain scenarios. Figuring random people out isn’t difficult at all. Figuring out specific people who are also perceptive and at the top of the game is a whole other ball game.
Try climbing the corporate ladder and see what I mean. You don’t become good at something in a few months.
Not shitting on you at all, I think it’s great that you want to become more actualised. Everyone should. Just don’t base how you act going forward on the subjective view of one person.[/quote]
Absolutely…I always look to the source of information being presented, looking at multiple perspectives. Arash’s beliefs are very much in line with ideals I have had long before meeting him. However, not EVERYTHING one of his beliefs are my own and vise-verse of course.[/quote]
So your hanging on to a mentor to reenforce ideals you already had? No offense but that sounds pretty bad, if you think Arash is good for your life than I am happy for you, but would it not be better to be a self made man instead of taking on some one else ideals and using a mentors approval to strengthen your existing ideals.
I just don’t personally understand it. How any one can ever look up to and hang on to every word of another person instead of having there own strength, is beyond me.
Not so much trying to put you or any one down just expressing my own personal confusion.
[quote] enigma666 wrote:
just expressing my own personal confusion.
[/quote]
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote] enigma666 wrote:
just expressing my own personal confusion.
[/quote]
[/quote]
Cant understand the English language, or do you just like trying to take things out of context? Want me to walk you threw my post and hold your hand like a little fucking child?
I can see how some one so mentally weak can be dragged in by this shit now.
So when you hug this guys nuts do you actually bear hug the scrotum or just hang on to the hairs like your pretending to ride a bull?
Actually don’t answer that, I am done with this thread full of nut huggery.
Good luck to any one trying to talk sense in this thread. Keep fighting the good fight, I am done.
[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
[quote]Razamataz wrote:
Out of curiosity, what type of martial arts does Arash teach?[/quote]
Similar to to Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kun Do style of closing the gap, trapping, and grappling, Arash teaches Stop, Drop and Roll- cuz he’s a flamer.
[/quote]
I lold.
[quote]enigma666 wrote:
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote] enigma666 wrote:
just expressing my own personal confusion.
[/quote]
[/quote]
Cant understand the English language, or do you just like trying to take things out of context? Want me to walk you threw my post and hold your hand like a little fucking child?
I can see how some one so mentally weak can be dragged in by this shit now.
So when you hug this guys nuts do you actually bear hug the scrotum or just hang on to the hairs like your pretending to ride a bull?
Actually don’t answer that, I am done with this thread full of nut huggery.
Good luck to any one trying to talk sense in this thread. Keep fighting the good fight, I am done.[/quote]
Somebody needs some Brain Candy.
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote]enigma666 wrote:
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote] enigma666 wrote:
just expressing my own personal confusion.
[/quote]
[/quote]
Cant understand the English language, or do you just like trying to take things out of context? Want me to walk you threw my post and hold your hand like a little fucking child?
I can see how some one so mentally weak can be dragged in by this shit now.
So when you hug this guys nuts do you actually bear hug the scrotum or just hang on to the hairs like your pretending to ride a bull?
Actually don’t answer that, I am done with this thread full of nut huggery.
Good luck to any one trying to talk sense in this thread. Keep fighting the good fight, I am done.[/quote]
Somebody needs some Brain Candy.[/quote]
I appreciate you articulating your thoughts on the matter. It was about time.
Anyways, DO you think that there is at least a small level of hypocrisy on the part of your mentor? You mentioned something about not agreeing with everything he said and that some of his teachings aren’t for everyone, or something to that effect. Could you expand on that? Bruce Lee used to say that one should absorb useful knowledge and reject everything else. Is there anything in specific from your mentor that you reject, and if so, why?
Also, what are your thoughts on his stance regarding male chauvinism and masculinity? He seemed to think that the two are connected. I believe he said that women want a masculine man but at the same time demand an end to male chauvinism (a term he credited to the women’s lib movement, even though the term predates the movement by at least 2,000 years, but that’s neither here nor there). Do you think that someone can be masculine without being chauvinist?
I mean, if male chauvinism is the idea that men are the superior gender, isn’t it possible to be masculine without assigning a level of inferiority to women? Isn’t possible to be one and not the other? And if this is true, do you feel that your mentor’s erroneous assessment of this particular issue undermines his assessment of other issues? After all, if he was wrong on this point (and I believe that he clearly was) it’s possible that there may be a defect in his reasoning process that manifests itself across a wide range of his beliefs, values and teachings.
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote]enigma666 wrote:
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote] enigma666 wrote:
just expressing my own personal confusion.
[/quote]
[/quote]
Cant understand the English language, or do you just like trying to take things out of context? Want me to walk you threw my post and hold your hand like a little fucking child?
I can see how some one so mentally weak can be dragged in by this shit now.
So when you hug this guys nuts do you actually bear hug the scrotum or just hang on to the hairs like your pretending to ride a bull?
Actually don’t answer that, I am done with this thread full of nut huggery.
Good luck to any one trying to talk sense in this thread. Keep fighting the good fight, I am done.[/quote]
Somebody needs some Brain Candy.[/quote]
I appreciate you articulating your thoughts on the matter. It was about time.
Anyways, DO you think that there is at least a small level of hypocrisy on the part of your mentor? You mentioned something about not agreeing with everything he said and that some of his teachings aren’t for everyone, or something to that effect. Could you expand on that? Bruce Lee used to say that one should absorb useful knowledge and reject everything else. Is there anything in specific from your mentor that you reject, and if so, why?
Also, what are your thoughts on his stance regarding male chauvinism and masculinity. He seemed to think that the two are connected. I believe he said that women want a masculine man but at the same time demand an end to male chauvinism (a term he credited to the women’s lib movement, even though the term predates the movement by at least 2,000 years, but that’s neither here nor there). Do you think that someone can be masculine without being chauvinist?
I mean, if male chauvinism is the idea that men are the superior gender, isn’t it possible to be masculine without assigning a level of inferiority to women? Isn’t possible to be one and not the other? And if this is true, do you feel that your mentor’s erroneous assessment of this particular issue undermines his assessment of other issues? After all, if he was wrong on this point (and I believe that he clearly was) it’s possible that there may be a defect in his reasoning process that manifests itself across a wide range of his beliefs, values and teachings.[/quote]
First off, I’ll preface everything I’m about to say by mentioning that nothing is a fixed state. I’m sure you are well aware that everything is a process and that the Universe is in a “constant” state of flux. Arash always speaks of this as well.
I say the above because I choose to align myself with him on a daily basis. I do not know what the future holds but in my eyes he’s demonstrated a profound understanding of life and the human condition and through his lectures and teachings has inspired strength in me and a desire to seek out greater personal truth (i.e. weeding through everything I’ve been exposed to from the outside world during my lifetime). I mentioned this in my last post.
Now to somewhat address your questions:
Could their be hypocrisy? Sure…but that is subjective and I PERSONALLY do not believe that to be the case. I will refer to Bruce Lee as well in that his words say it best. The fact is my life has improved from having been around him and he has been a POSITIVE influence on me.
Now, let’s expand on his views on chauvinism and masculinity. I will say that there are certain ideas he presents and verbalizes in ways which I may not be comfortable with, BUT in those cases I CHALLENGE IT. What I mean by that is that I internally ask myself WHY I feel such a way. Often times it comes down to the core beliefs which I have developed along the course of my upbringing and what not. But to ME, those ideas make perfect sense. There just is this conflict of internal and external belief systems which is the SOURCE of the discomfort and uneasiness towards the subject.
Here are my CURRENT thoughts (I emphasize “current” because I’m always learning and evolving, and my thoughts/beliefs on one matter are definitely subject to change) on masculinity. I believe men should be dominant and women submissive, WITHIN the relationship dynamic. This is not to say that women should be weak and insecure. However, yes they ARE the inferior race. Take a male and female to genetic perfection and have them face off in a battle of survival. The man is going to come out on top. This is just a fact.
But none of that matters. The bigger picture is that he serves a symbol for inspiring strength in others. And yes, he is not for everybody. So you may disagree with certain viewpoints but first ask yourself why you disagree and feel such a way about it, in the manner I described above. If the final word is coming FROM YOU and nothing external and that word is that Arash is wrong…then so be it. That is what matters to you and nobody has the right to tell you different.
Hope that answered some of your questions.
Didn’t really expand on those points as I started typing and went into a different direction, but I’m sure you got something out of that last post.
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote]enigma666 wrote:
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote] enigma666 wrote:
just expressing my own personal confusion.
[/quote]
[/quote]
Cant understand the English language, or do you just like trying to take things out of context? Want me to walk you threw my post and hold your hand like a little fucking child?
I can see how some one so mentally weak can be dragged in by this shit now.
So when you hug this guys nuts do you actually bear hug the scrotum or just hang on to the hairs like your pretending to ride a bull?
Actually don’t answer that, I am done with this thread full of nut huggery.
Good luck to any one trying to talk sense in this thread. Keep fighting the good fight, I am done.[/quote]
Somebody needs some Brain Candy.[/quote]
I appreciate you articulating your thoughts on the matter. It was about time.
Anyways, DO you think that there is at least a small level of hypocrisy on the part of your mentor? You mentioned something about not agreeing with everything he said and that some of his teachings aren’t for everyone, or something to that effect. Could you expand on that? Bruce Lee used to say that one should absorb useful knowledge and reject everything else. Is there anything in specific from your mentor that you reject, and if so, why?
Also, what are your thoughts on his stance regarding male chauvinism and masculinity. He seemed to think that the two are connected. I believe he said that women want a masculine man but at the same time demand an end to male chauvinism (a term he credited to the women’s lib movement, even though the term predates the movement by at least 2,000 years, but that’s neither here nor there). Do you think that someone can be masculine without being chauvinist?
I mean, if male chauvinism is the idea that men are the superior gender, isn’t it possible to be masculine without assigning a level of inferiority to women? Isn’t possible to be one and not the other? And if this is true, do you feel that your mentor’s erroneous assessment of this particular issue undermines his assessment of other issues? After all, if he was wrong on this point (and I believe that he clearly was) it’s possible that there may be a defect in his reasoning process that manifests itself across a wide range of his beliefs, values and teachings.[/quote]
First off, I’ll preface everything I’m about to say by mentioning that nothing is a fixed state. I’m sure you are well aware that everything is a process and that the Universe is in a “constant” state of flux. Arash always speaks of this as well.
I say the above because I choose to align myself with him on a daily basis. I do not know what the future holds but in my eyes he’s demonstrated a profound understanding of life and the human condition and through his lectures and teachings has inspired strength in me and a desire to seek out greater personal truth (i.e. weeding through everything I’ve been exposed to from the outside world during my lifetime). I mentioned this in my last post.
Now to somewhat address your questions:
Could their be hypocrisy? Sure…but that is subjective and I PERSONALLY do not believe that to be the case. I will refer to Bruce Lee as well in that his words say it best. The fact is my life has improved from having been around him and he has been a POSITIVE influence on me.
Now, let’s expand on his views on chauvinism and masculinity. I will say that there are certain ideas he presents and verbalizes in ways which I may not be comfortable with, BUT in those cases I CHALLENGE IT. What I mean by that is that I internally ask myself WHY I feel such a way. Often times it comes down to the core beliefs which I have developed along the course of my upbringing and what not. But to ME, those ideas make perfect sense. There just is this conflict of internal and external belief systems which is the SOURCE of the discomfort and uneasiness towards the subject.
Here are my CURRENT thoughts (I emphasize “current” because I’m always learning and evolving, and my thoughts/beliefs on one matter are definitely subject to change) on masculinity. I believe men should be dominant and women submissive, WITHIN the relationship dynamic. This is not to say that women should be weak and insecure. However, yes they ARE the inferior race. Take a male and female to genetic perfection and have them face off in a battle of survival. The man is going to come out on top. This is just a fact.
But none of that matters. The bigger picture is that he serves a symbol for inspiring strength in others. And yes, he is not for everybody. So you may disagree with certain viewpoints but first ask yourself why you disagree and feel such a way about it, in the manner I described above. If the final word is coming FROM YOU and nothing external and that word is that Arash is wrong…then so be it. That is what matters to you and nobody has the right to tell you different.
Hope that answered some of your questions.[/quote]
If you think women are the inferior “race” then I can only hope you are in the infancy of your evolutionary thought process.
As far as subjectivity and hypocrisy goes, I think you’re wrong on this point. The fact is that is that your mentor is criticizing critics, and externalizing those critiques at that. He’s engaging in the exact behavior he condemns. If that isn’t hypocrisy I don’t know what is.
Regarding the internalization of your challenges of uncomfortable positions: I don’t quite follow you. What is the difference between external and internal thoughts and so forth? If you are being “mentored” by this guy, shouldn’t you be as critical of HIM as you are of yourself? How else can you know what you are being told is bullshit or not? And why not challenge him openly?
It sounds to me that when you are faced with a thought or an idea or a belief that makes you uncomfortable, your internalization leads you to examine what is wrong with yourself that has created this dis-ease. That’s all fine and dandy, but at some point you have to have confidence in your own ability to formulate independent ideas of your own. At some point you come across something that makes you uncomfortable for all the right reasons, so why allow those reasons to be undermined by a self-critical introspection?
Sometimes there isn’t anything wrong with being so affronted by something that you aren’t wrong to externalize this feeling. After all, that’s really all your mentor is doing with you. He’s externalizing his discomfort with certain aspects of society. If he externalizes these thoughts, why should you internalize similar ones? If you externalize a “challenge” you expose the source of your discomfort to an opinion that may sway them in a positive manner.
If you are constantly allowing your thoughts to evolve, how does this happen? At some point you must be influenced by someone who is externalizing their thoughts in some manner, right? If this is allegedly a positive thing for you, why not give others the same opportunity?
Yeah…if you see women as completely stupid and gullible and something to be played and so many other bad things, then it doesn’t make sense to hinge all of your self-esteem on how many of the easy ones you lured into having shitty sex with you.`
[quote]Nards wrote:
Yeah…if you see women as completely stupid and gullible and something to be played and so many other bad things, then it doesn’t make sense to hinge all of your self-esteem on how many of the easy ones you lured into having shitty sex with you.`[/quote]
Where did you even get that from?
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote]enigma666 wrote:
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote] enigma666 wrote:
just expressing my own personal confusion.
[/quote]
[/quote]
Cant understand the English language, or do you just like trying to take things out of context? Want me to walk you threw my post and hold your hand like a little fucking child?
I can see how some one so mentally weak can be dragged in by this shit now.
So when you hug this guys nuts do you actually bear hug the scrotum or just hang on to the hairs like your pretending to ride a bull?
Actually don’t answer that, I am done with this thread full of nut huggery.
Good luck to any one trying to talk sense in this thread. Keep fighting the good fight, I am done.[/quote]
Somebody needs some Brain Candy.[/quote]
I appreciate you articulating your thoughts on the matter. It was about time.
Anyways, DO you think that there is at least a small level of hypocrisy on the part of your mentor? You mentioned something about not agreeing with everything he said and that some of his teachings aren’t for everyone, or something to that effect. Could you expand on that? Bruce Lee used to say that one should absorb useful knowledge and reject everything else. Is there anything in specific from your mentor that you reject, and if so, why?
Also, what are your thoughts on his stance regarding male chauvinism and masculinity. He seemed to think that the two are connected. I believe he said that women want a masculine man but at the same time demand an end to male chauvinism (a term he credited to the women’s lib movement, even though the term predates the movement by at least 2,000 years, but that’s neither here nor there). Do you think that someone can be masculine without being chauvinist?
I mean, if male chauvinism is the idea that men are the superior gender, isn’t it possible to be masculine without assigning a level of inferiority to women? Isn’t possible to be one and not the other? And if this is true, do you feel that your mentor’s erroneous assessment of this particular issue undermines his assessment of other issues? After all, if he was wrong on this point (and I believe that he clearly was) it’s possible that there may be a defect in his reasoning process that manifests itself across a wide range of his beliefs, values and teachings.[/quote]
First off, I’ll preface everything I’m about to say by mentioning that nothing is a fixed state. I’m sure you are well aware that everything is a process and that the Universe is in a “constant” state of flux. Arash always speaks of this as well.
I say the above because I choose to align myself with him on a daily basis. I do not know what the future holds but in my eyes he’s demonstrated a profound understanding of life and the human condition and through his lectures and teachings has inspired strength in me and a desire to seek out greater personal truth (i.e. weeding through everything I’ve been exposed to from the outside world during my lifetime). I mentioned this in my last post.
Now to somewhat address your questions:
Could their be hypocrisy? Sure…but that is subjective and I PERSONALLY do not believe that to be the case. I will refer to Bruce Lee as well in that his words say it best. The fact is my life has improved from having been around him and he has been a POSITIVE influence on me.
Now, let’s expand on his views on chauvinism and masculinity. I will say that there are certain ideas he presents and verbalizes in ways which I may not be comfortable with, BUT in those cases I CHALLENGE IT. What I mean by that is that I internally ask myself WHY I feel such a way. Often times it comes down to the core beliefs which I have developed along the course of my upbringing and what not. But to ME, those ideas make perfect sense. There just is this conflict of internal and external belief systems which is the SOURCE of the discomfort and uneasiness towards the subject.
Here are my CURRENT thoughts (I emphasize “current” because I’m always learning and evolving, and my thoughts/beliefs on one matter are definitely subject to change) on masculinity. I believe men should be dominant and women submissive, WITHIN the relationship dynamic. This is not to say that women should be weak and insecure. However, yes they ARE the inferior race. Take a male and female to genetic perfection and have them face off in a battle of survival. The man is going to come out on top. This is just a fact.
But none of that matters. The bigger picture is that he serves a symbol for inspiring strength in others. And yes, he is not for everybody. So you may disagree with certain viewpoints but first ask yourself why you disagree and feel such a way about it, in the manner I described above. If the final word is coming FROM YOU and nothing external and that word is that Arash is wrong…then so be it. That is what matters to you and nobody has the right to tell you different.
Hope that answered some of your questions.[/quote]
If you think women are the inferior “race” then I can only hope you are in the infancy of your evolutionary thought process.
As far as subjectivity and hypocrisy goes, I think you’re wrong on this point. The fact is that is that your mentor is criticizing critics, and externalizing those critiques at that. He’s engaging in the exact behavior he condemns. If that isn’t hypocrisy I don’t know what is.
Regarding the internalization of your challenges of uncomfortable positions: I don’t quite follow you. What is the difference between external and internal thoughts and so forth? If you are being “mentored” by this guy, shouldn’t you be as critical of HIM as you are of yourself? How else can you know what you are being told is bullshit or not? And why not challenge him openly?
It sounds to me that when you are faced with a thought or an idea or a belief that makes you uncomfortable, your internalization leads you to examine what is wrong with yourself that has created this dis-ease. That’s all fine and dandy, but at some point you have to have confidence in your own ability to formulate independent ideas of your own. At some point you come across something that makes you uncomfortable for all the right reasons, so why allow those reasons to be undermined by a self-critical introspection?
Sometimes there isn’t anything wrong with being so affronted by something that you aren’t wrong to externalize this feeling. After all, that’s really all your mentor is doing with you. He’s externalizing his discomfort with certain aspects of society. If he externalizes these thoughts, why should you internalize similar ones? If you externalize a “challenge” you expose the source of your discomfort to an opinion that may sway them in a positive manner.
If you are constantly allowing your thoughts to evolve, how does this happen? At some point you must be influenced by someone who is externalizing their thoughts in some manner, right? If this is allegedly a positive thing for you, why not give others the same opportunity? [/quote]
Honestly you could make counter-argument after counter-argument for every point I mention, and you know what, you’re pretty damn good at it (though that was never in question). BUT, keep in mind that all of this is over the internet. My intent wasn’t to get into a philosophical debate over a forum.
But my question to you is this…why make all these arguments in the first place? What do you stand to gain from it? Even if everything you say is 100% correct, which I’m not saying it is, so what??? Perhaps you just really enjoy challenging things intellectually. Do you communicate in this fashion in person (i.e. classrooms, conversations, etc.). If so, that’s pretty awesome. But it’s very easy to be a fearless, profound and masterful communicator from behind a keyboard. Just saying…
Anyways, I’ll say this again, my life is improving. My confidence is growing and so is my knowledge and understanding of things(which is multifaceted). I am not hurting anyone in the process, rather helping people with the skills I do have. For the time being, I strongly believe in Arash and his message.
I liked the last paragraph you wrote though, and the truth is I have no problem showing my emotions and opinions “on my sleeve”. I may have been misleading with the way I communicated this in my last post, but I do externalize my thoughts whenever possible in fact. Anything I internalize is just me searching for the truth. A large part of that too comes in doing more research. Am I in the infancy of my evolutionary thought process? You’re damn right I am, and I should very much hope so…being as I have decades of time left on this planet. It would be very sad and a waste if I were to consider myself at the height of my wisdom at my age.
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote]enigma666 wrote:
[quote]seph89 wrote:
[quote] enigma666 wrote:
just expressing my own personal confusion.
[/quote]
[/quote]
Cant understand the English language, or do you just like trying to take things out of context? Want me to walk you threw my post and hold your hand like a little fucking child?
I can see how some one so mentally weak can be dragged in by this shit now.
So when you hug this guys nuts do you actually bear hug the scrotum or just hang on to the hairs like your pretending to ride a bull?
Actually don’t answer that, I am done with this thread full of nut huggery.
Good luck to any one trying to talk sense in this thread. Keep fighting the good fight, I am done.[/quote]
Somebody needs some Brain Candy.[/quote]
I appreciate you articulating your thoughts on the matter. It was about time.
Anyways, DO you think that there is at least a small level of hypocrisy on the part of your mentor? You mentioned something about not agreeing with everything he said and that some of his teachings aren’t for everyone, or something to that effect. Could you expand on that? Bruce Lee used to say that one should absorb useful knowledge and reject everything else. Is there anything in specific from your mentor that you reject, and if so, why?
Also, what are your thoughts on his stance regarding male chauvinism and masculinity. He seemed to think that the two are connected. I believe he said that women want a masculine man but at the same time demand an end to male chauvinism (a term he credited to the women’s lib movement, even though the term predates the movement by at least 2,000 years, but that’s neither here nor there). Do you think that someone can be masculine without being chauvinist?
I mean, if male chauvinism is the idea that men are the superior gender, isn’t it possible to be masculine without assigning a level of inferiority to women? Isn’t possible to be one and not the other? And if this is true, do you feel that your mentor’s erroneous assessment of this particular issue undermines his assessment of other issues? After all, if he was wrong on this point (and I believe that he clearly was) it’s possible that there may be a defect in his reasoning process that manifests itself across a wide range of his beliefs, values and teachings.[/quote]
First off, I’ll preface everything I’m about to say by mentioning that nothing is a fixed state. I’m sure you are well aware that everything is a process and that the Universe is in a “constant” state of flux. Arash always speaks of this as well.
I say the above because I choose to align myself with him on a daily basis. I do not know what the future holds but in my eyes he’s demonstrated a profound understanding of life and the human condition and through his lectures and teachings has inspired strength in me and a desire to seek out greater personal truth (i.e. weeding through everything I’ve been exposed to from the outside world during my lifetime). I mentioned this in my last post.
Now to somewhat address your questions:
Could their be hypocrisy? Sure…but that is subjective and I PERSONALLY do not believe that to be the case. I will refer to Bruce Lee as well in that his words say it best. The fact is my life has improved from having been around him and he has been a POSITIVE influence on me.
Now, let’s expand on his views on chauvinism and masculinity. I will say that there are certain ideas he presents and verbalizes in ways which I may not be comfortable with, BUT in those cases I CHALLENGE IT. What I mean by that is that I internally ask myself WHY I feel such a way. Often times it comes down to the core beliefs which I have developed along the course of my upbringing and what not. But to ME, those ideas make perfect sense. There just is this conflict of internal and external belief systems which is the SOURCE of the discomfort and uneasiness towards the subject.
Here are my CURRENT thoughts (I emphasize “current” because I’m always learning and evolving, and my thoughts/beliefs on one matter are definitely subject to change) on masculinity. I believe men should be dominant and women submissive, WITHIN the relationship dynamic. This is not to say that women should be weak and insecure. However, yes they ARE the inferior race. Take a male and female to genetic perfection and have them face off in a battle of survival. The man is going to come out on top. This is just a fact.
But none of that matters. The bigger picture is that he serves a symbol for inspiring strength in others. And yes, he is not for everybody. So you may disagree with certain viewpoints but first ask yourself why you disagree and feel such a way about it, in the manner I described above. If the final word is coming FROM YOU and nothing external and that word is that Arash is wrong…then so be it. That is what matters to you and nobody has the right to tell you different.
Hope that answered some of your questions.[/quote]
If you think women are the inferior “race” then I can only hope you are in the infancy of your evolutionary thought process.
As far as subjectivity and hypocrisy goes, I think you’re wrong on this point. The fact is that is that your mentor is criticizing critics, and externalizing those critiques at that. He’s engaging in the exact behavior he condemns. If that isn’t hypocrisy I don’t know what is.
Regarding the internalization of your challenges of uncomfortable positions: I don’t quite follow you. What is the difference between external and internal thoughts and so forth? If you are being “mentored” by this guy, shouldn’t you be as critical of HIM as you are of yourself? How else can you know what you are being told is bullshit or not? And why not challenge him openly?
It sounds to me that when you are faced with a thought or an idea or a belief that makes you uncomfortable, your internalization leads you to examine what is wrong with yourself that has created this dis-ease. That’s all fine and dandy, but at some point you have to have confidence in your own ability to formulate independent ideas of your own. At some point you come across something that makes you uncomfortable for all the right reasons, so why allow those reasons to be undermined by a self-critical introspection?
Sometimes there isn’t anything wrong with being so affronted by something that you aren’t wrong to externalize this feeling. After all, that’s really all your mentor is doing with you. He’s externalizing his discomfort with certain aspects of society. If he externalizes these thoughts, why should you internalize similar ones? If you externalize a “challenge” you expose the source of your discomfort to an opinion that may sway them in a positive manner.
If you are constantly allowing your thoughts to evolve, how does this happen? At some point you must be influenced by someone who is externalizing their thoughts in some manner, right? If this is allegedly a positive thing for you, why not give others the same opportunity? [/quote]
Honestly you could make counter-argument after counter-argument for every point I mention, and you know what, you’re pretty damn good at it (though that was never in question). BUT, keep in mind that all of this is over the internet. My intent wasn’t to get into a philosophical debate over a forum.
But my question to you is this…why make all these arguments in the first place? What do you stand to gain from it? Even if everything you say is 100% correct, which I’m not saying it is, so what??? Perhaps you just really enjoy challenging things intellectually. Do you communicate in this fashion in person (i.e. classrooms, conversations, etc.). If so, that’s pretty awesome. But it’s very easy to be a fearless, profound and masterful communicator from behind a keyboard. Just saying…
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I make these arguments for my benefit and yours. By making these arguments it exposes you to a different viewpoint than your mentor’s AND it forces me to be on the ball, intellectually speaking. It’s just me walking what’s left of my wits about. And yes, this is how I communicate in the classroom; I’m a teacher and I constantly challenge my class in a similar, more-toned way. And quite frankly, I don’t think it’s any easier to be a “fearless, profound and masterful communicator” over the Internet than it is in person. Is what I’m doing all that different from what your mentor does? Not at all.
Also, your statement about the inferiority of women is ridiculous. If you took the average man, there are all sorts of women who would prevail in a physical battle. I admit it, I probably wouldn’t stand a great chance in a fight with Gina Carano, for instance. Does that make me inferior to her? As a fighter? Yes. As a person? No. A person or a gender’s level of superiority or inferiority isn’t based on physical prowess alone, and even if it was, not all men are superior to women. The fact is that until you were physically-mature you were inferior to many, many women, and still are.
And please, don’t try to back out of this thing by saying your intention wasn’t to engage in a philosophical debate via a forum. That may not have been your intention, but that’s only because you didn’t anticipate a challenge to your mentor that has legitimate points. I think a better way to put is that you were not PREPARED for a philosophical debate.
My question to you is this: why does your mentor do this “mentoring” in the first place? What does HE stand to gain from this? Even if everything he says is 100% correct (and it’s been established that this is not the case), so what?