Psi

Paranormal phenomena are real. I have had paranormal experiences. And I am not alone. However, people are not always honest. Some people lie about their meetings with spirits, synchronicities, or mystic abilities. There are tons of fantastic stories in circulation about precognitions, synchronicities, telepathy, and near-death-awakenings. Some of them are true, many of them are not. And it is very difficult to prove that someone is bluffing.

Some people lie about their religious faith, others tell fish stories. Trump is posing with the bible in his hand: Look how religious I am.

All people lie, even scientists, police officers, and evangelical preachers. We are also lying to ourselves. We are born into a world of deceit and deception and we have to find ways to survive here. We have been thrown into the water to sink or swim. 

But all people are not lying all the time. Sometimes we are telling the truth. Some fantastic stories are in fact true.

There is no way that you can prove that your story is true or that someone else is bluffing. This is why science and the scientific method evolved. However, scientists deal only with stuff that can be proved, the unprovable things are taken off the table. It makes their job much easier.

This is the reason why there are so many charlatans and bluffers in the realm of religion and spirituality. 

And this is the reason why people who have experienced strange paranormal phenomena don't talk about them with people they don't trust. This is esoteric knowledge. 

A blessing in disguise

To be fooled can be a blessing. A fraud or a betrayal can teach you how your mind works. Smart, stable, and well-educated people can also be deceived by a swindler. No one is safe. A smart, stable, and well-educated know-it-all thinks of himself as smart, stable, and well-educated – until he gets bamboozled by a trickster. His smug self-image collapses. Later, when the dust has settled, he can feel gratitude because the trickster woke him up from his fantasy world.

Toxic Positivity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l19QSxWyaWI

 

We have all been fooled

There are lots of different types of swindlers in this world: Romance scammers, snake oil salesmen, religious and spiritual fraudsters, banksters, investment hustlers...

Some people are narcissists or psychopaths, others are simply ordinary liars or crooks. You have to be wary.

Before you understand that you have been fooled is everything fine and dandy. Then, when you begin to get suspicious, you become worried and anxious. Maybe you will not get your money back. What the hell is this? This can't be true. Finally, when the penny drops, you become depressed. You lose all meaning with life and your trust in human beings.

Well, some people can't stand the pain of being an idiot so they hold on to their illusion; they come up with rationalizations and doggedly deny what is obvious to others. They are holding on to their penny. “Eventually I will get my money, it just takes a little more time and then I get rich.” or, “Someday he will divorce his wife and come back to me.” or, “Hitler tried to save the German race.” or, whatever it is they refuse to accept.

It is painful to wake up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CxcnB16Tyk

Diversity

There are many different kinds of Christianity, many different kinds of Islam, many different kinds of Hinduism. There are many different ideas about God: who he or she is, what he or she wants from you.

What if God doesn't have a gender? What if you are praying to a God that doesn't exist? What if you are praying to someone else's God? What if you are praying to the wrong God? Catholics and Protestants have been fighting gruesome wars over the years because of their different beliefs. Sunni and Shia Muslims are fighting gruesome wars today.

Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and atheists are also fighting each other because of their different ideas about God.

What if there is no God? What if there really is a God somewhere whom no one has discovered yet?

There are also many different kinds of philosophies, many different kinds of meditation, many different kinds of spirituality, many different kinds of liberalism, and many different kinds of socialism. There are many different kinds of ideas and beliefs in this world. Not even the scientists are in agreement.

How can you be so deeply convinced that your view is the right view among so many others?

What if you are completely wrong? What if you have misunderstood everything? What if you are desperately clinging to a misconception?

Questions

Are we all nuts in one way or another? What do you think?

Can some misconceptions be helpful and others create misery? Can a self-image, a worldview, a religion, or an ideology be beneficial? Is it possible to see things clearly without distorting lenses? Is it possible to free oneself from delusions?

Can you believe whatever you like as long as you don't create problems for yourself and other people?

Have you ever questioned your own beliefs?

Not on the same page.

You have to find someone who can teach you about life and how you should live it: a Guru, a spiritual teacher, a pastor, a mullah, a life coach, a philosopher, a rock star, a political leader...

Someone must show you the direction. If you don't know your destination, you need someone who can tell you where to go.

It's wonderful to know where to go and how to get there. It's wonderful to sit in an audience and listen to someone who knows the way. It's wonderful to have a leader.

If you listen to another guru he or she will probably point in another direction. There are gurus for all directions, full circle. There are even gurus who tell you to stay where you are. Some believe in the perennial philosophy, others don't; some believe in a true self that you can find, others don't. Some believe in God, others don't.