This thread has certainly taken an interesting turn... :doh:

Fantastic is it not? Just throw yourself back in to the vortex of the GT forum. :)

If your years had given you any advantage of wisdom, then you would
know how to avoid the impoliteness of patronizing people. I seam to
remember it is not the first time you have done this.

Your moon analogy is somewhat comparable to platonic idealism. It is
also wrong.
The only place truths (or Platonic Ideals) can exist is with in language as
truths, unlike moons, are not ontological entities. They do not exist in the
world interdependently of our own concepts or words, unless you wish to
invoke, like Plato, a world in which truths have ontological existence on a
par with moons.

I was directly reacting to a very insightless comment by yours, Letum.

Despite that, you certainly may do or not do whatever you want, and can spend your times with your philosphy-juggling as well, if you want. But whether you like that or not, since this is a public talking, I will reply to you and tell you the things I said, and that your way will gain you more knowledge on mental constructs, but no wisdom and insight. You may call that patronising, if you want, but i do say these things I replied to you for good reasons. Without doubt you will continue on the way you already do, for you do have no choice, and maybe you even make a profession of it and write a famous book about it and build academic prestige by it, who knows - but that way one day it will leave you behind in the same status that it has found you in, and you will find that despite all your walking, your steps have not lead you from where you were. And I have seen quite some people that were in that psoition, and felt deeply desperate about that, causing their hearts suffering.

If that sounds patronising again, then I can'T help it, and still I speak not with that intention, but on the basis of not a small experience with many people over several years who did exactly the way you do - and found themselves with none of what they were searching for that way.

Your life, your choices, your responsibility, your consequences to face. Choose wisely.

:)

Fortunately, I am not searching for anything. I'm just taking a look at what
is out there. I shall carry on with my 'juggling' and you may carry on with
your mysticism for all the good it will do you.

As for a profession, famous book or academic prestige, all are far beyond
me. I failed two academic courses in philosophy and despite extensive
reading since, would fail a third if I took it. I am quite the amateur.

A question of standards to which you want to compare yourself. Sometimes I thought you seem to have memorised a lot of detailed specifics, but somehow lack a framework that puts them into context. On other occasions you showed an ability to compare things to each within one thematic context, but the insight in specific details was lagging behind.

That you say you had philosophy courses, does not surprise me, it meets my image of you perfectly. :D And yes indeed - really not wanting to patronise you - you remind me very much of myself back then, too. I was as "verkopft" (only translation the book gives is over-intellectual)back then, as you are. The cure for me was my mentor, who insisted on not separating martial arts and meditation but train me in both, and some years later the happy circumstance that my student job at a newspaper led me to those contacts that later ended in me starting to extensively travel, which for me meant to jump off a cliff and into the unnown - I was extremely anxious in the beginning, never having done anything riskful and dangerous all alone and in my very own responsibility. Until then I had lived safe and protected in the leap of my family, and the isolation and away-from-reality-environment of the theoretic academic routine, enjoying a student's easy-going life.

Move beyond your known frameworks. Accept the risk that the surprise maybe is not always a positive one. Both is part of life. Both brought me tears (rarely), and joy (mostly). Without it, I would still be living in a glass.

Whatever, good luck. ;)