Previous Discussions

Are Concepts Like “Right” and “Wrong” Entirely Subjective, Based on Individual or Cultural Perspectives, or Are There Certain Actions That Are Universally and Objectively Considered Right or Wrong?

October 20, 2024
Attendance: 8
Duration: 2 hours (4-6pm)
Location: Pease Park

Where Do Ideas & Inspiration Come From?

October 6, 2024
Attendance: 4
Duration: 2 hours (4-6pm)
Location: A Thinker’s Home

Are There Any Benefits to Being Aware of Your Own Ego and How it Shapes Decisions and Your Role in Society?

September 29, 2024
Attendance: 10
Duration: 2 hours (4-6pm)
Location: Casa de Luz Village

How to Navigate Our Mortality / Should We Let Mortality Control the Way We Live?

September 22, 2024
Attendance: 14
Duration: 2 hours (4-6pmpm)
Location: 3rd Eye Cacao Lounge

What is the Nature of Friendship? Are All Friendships Transactional? What Makes a Good vs Bad Friend?

September 15, 2024
Attendance: 15
Duration: 2 hours (4-6pm)
Location: Casa de Luz

When Is It Okay to Lie and How Do You Lie?

September 9, 2024
Attendance: 14
Duration: 2 hours (2:30-4:30pm)
Location: Austin History Center

What is the Role of Shame in Culture?In Which Cases is it Good/Helpful to Post-Rationalize Behaviors?

August 25, 2024
Attendance: 12
Duration: 2 hours (2:30-4:30pm)
Location: Austin History Center

Is Love Healthiest When It’s Conditional?

June 23, 2024
Attendance: 15
Duration: 2 hours (6pm - 8pm)
Location: Lago Vista FIlm Lab

Does the World Exist in the Brain or Does the Brain Exist in the World?

June 16, 2024
Attendance: 8
Duration: 2 hours (6pm - 8pm
Location: Lago Vista FIlm Lab

Can We Separate the Art From the Artist? What Variables Could Be Considered in Deciding?

June 9, 2024
Attendance: 10
Duration: 2 hours (6pm - 8pm
Location: Lago Vista FIlm Lab

What is Our Connection to the Dream World/Should We Take Meaning From Dreams?

June 2, 2024
Attendance: 8
Duration: 2 hours (6pm - 8pm
Location: Lago Vista FIlm Lab

Is Wealth a Psychological Mental Health Concern?

May 19, 2024
Attendance: 12
Duration: 2 hours (3pm - 5pm
Location: a thinker’s home

What is Death?

May 12, 2024
Attendance: 8
Duration: 2 hours (3pm - 5pm
Location: Austin History Center

• we have an endless amount of little deaths of parts of ourselves throughout our life, and perhaps the goal is to die as many of those little deaths as possible so that when you actually die, you don't have so much baggage and so much you're holding onto
  
• secular views of death tend to believe that there is no afterlife, and this may lead to a rise in nihilism or apathy. however it could also inspire one to pursue their dreams before time runs out and there is nothing left to experience at all
  
• regardless of religious background or lack thereof, coming in close contact to death is typically followed by a greater sense of gratitude for the everyday, mundane phenomena. everyday is a blessing
  
• theory of energy conservation, in essence, the idea that nothing/no one ever truly dies. instead, the energy used by a conscious being is simply transferred into another conscious form with no lapse between. there is no “self” that exists as a single, separate, permanent identity. the “selves” that we experience in our human forms are just borrowed/transferred energy given to us by previous forms of consciousness which “died” in our common sense view. death doesn't exist for consciousness, as it travels through multiple universes. consciousness continues existing even after death, with information flowing through different realities
  
• it is important to be thinking of death more often and to find some structured system that reminds us of our inevitable end and in turn live more intentionally

How Can We Use Anxiety To Our Advantage?

May 5, 2024
Attendance: 6
Duration: 2 hours (3pm - 5pm
Location: A Thinker’s Home

• distinguishing between the beneficial/rational anxiety telling us something needs to happen/change vs. the irrational, overthinking fear based anxiety that is fed by unnecessary external factors
• finding the balance between doing too much vs too little is extremely personal and should be explored by each individual according to their specific circumstances
• it is necessary to schedule dedicated time to undistracted periods of rest
• reframing uncomfortable experiences as opportunities for growth
• instead of avoiding the feeling of anxiety and trying to get rid of it, we should listen to where it is coming from, allow ourselves to feel it fully, and trace it back to what it is trying to tell us in order to take the best steps to address those needs

What is Storytelling? Is it Important to Humanity?

• stories give meaning to life, are sources of inspiration and awe
• stories can be dangerous and produce chaos within cultural systems, especially when the story sounds like actual reality
• we create a story of our life in order to understand our experiences and how they connect and to express ourselves/inform others of what we have learned
• some stories become so well known that people use them as guides to their behavior and morals
• the practice of storytelling has fallen out of mainstream society, and it is rare to find someone who can tell a truly captivating story 
• listening to a story being emotionally spoken directly to you seems to transmit the energy of the story in a way that movies/books cannot, and that is why it was so powerful to hear the speeches of great leaders
• telling a kid a story about why they should not be greedy is much more effective than simply telling them “do not be greedy”

What is Time? Does it Exist, How Does it Fit in To Our Human Experience?

• Polychronic (A polychronic time system means several things can be done at once. In polychronic time systems, a wider view of time is exhibited, and time is perceived in large fluid sections) vs Monochronic (A monochronic time system means that things are done one at a time and time is segmented into small precise units. Under this system, time is scheduled, arranged, and managed) time. Read more about them here
• Time is a construct best used as a tool to help us navigate our reality
  
• AI may resolve some decision paralysis in the future if it can aide in organizing our daily/weekly schedules and routines
  
• Just as the heart rate slows and becomes more efficient when exposed to repetitions of high intensity cardio, life can often force us into periods of intense stress/speed that are followed by a more peaceful time of rest and increased resilience
  
• Time often feels like it is against us, but it is our relationship towards it that can cause us to either feel trapped or free
  
• Time is important in modern society, especially in monochronic areas, where speed tends to reign king as attention spans decrease and patience becomes more rare. It is time (haha) to remodel the way time is used in highly monochronic areas into a more sustainable way of life

Are We Morally Obligated to do Remarkable Things?

• “remarkable” can mean many different things to different people. for someone it could be taking care of themselves, for someone else it could be taking care of another person, for another it might be saving the world
• selfishness and selflessness are inseparable, there are no truly selfless acts. however this is not a bad thing and should not be seen as such. selfishness and selflessness exist within each other, though it is definitely possible to be a selfish person if one dives too far into that realm
• we are not morally obligated to get people out of their habitual negativity. despite our best wishes to help them, it is something one must do for themselves, else they will likely drag us down into their hole
• everyone has different timelines, comparison is damaging to our psyche. we will have periods where we are unable to do remarkable things and that is okay and normal
• everyone has a role to play in this world, no matter how small and mundane it may seem. it is up to the individual to determine what they are able to do with what they were given in life in a way that benefits our society. trying to be more than one can possibly be is not necessary nor the best route. part of playing your role is taking it with humility and understanding how important it is for the world, regardless of what it is 

Definition of Love, Soulmates, Can We Survive / Thrive Without Love?

• love and how (personality tests, love languages, attachment styles, etc)
  
• we made diagrams !!
  
• love as a biological evolutionary process
  
• love exists in so many different dimensions and layers, and if we were to plot it on a graph the highest level of love would cover the entire graph, it would be a circle encompassing every aspect of it
  
• dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin are what they say causes the feeling of love, but still it must be activated by some outer connection/experience
  
• love is a connection to life, an individuals’ receptivity to love determines how much they could love someone/something. being able to love a tree or a bird is important to be able to love a person
  
• the most basic essence of love is a thread connecting you to something/someone else
  
• there must be some level of attachment for love to form

Can Karma / Morality Exist?
(non  religious view)

• karma meaning cause & effect or action
  
• two essential qualities of trust = warmth and competence
  
• identity is built by the brain, and we construct “games” that guide our ways of being in the world (for example, if you think “I am a bodybuilder,” your game would include going to the gym and eating lots of protein)

Free Will and the Nature of Self

• the feeling of self / being is also just another feeling
• “I am therefore I think”
• if free will did not exist, would criminals be seen like forces of nature, like a hurricane passing through? 
• desire would have to be fully uninterrupted for us to have pure free will

The Future of Social Media

• the ability to focus will become a rare and highly valuable skill in the future
• social platforms will continuously become more niche to cater to specific groups of people, for example an app for baristas
• there’s a general feeling that we are not yet smart enough to use social media/ai, we are somewhat like unsupervised children playing with fire
• gravitating towards the return of personal blogs, the rise of substack and patreon, apps that feel “nostalgic” becoming more popular
• social media will not die out for a long long time, if ever. unfortunately we are in the phase of it where we don't quite know how to utilize it in a useful way, we are pioneering its path for the future
• we may see schools begin to educate students on how to spot media made by AI, especially for younger children who will have a difficult time deciphering the human vs. AI made