Yes, that is why I recommended those days. 99.9% of people do not honor the Wed/Fri rule, so, just doing even one of those days will make a huge difference for the average man.
Tactics for being "in the world" but not "of the world"
- Thread starter Thefinalepic
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Yes, that is why I recommended those days. 99.9% of people do not honor the Wed/Fri rule, so, just doing even one of those days will make a huge difference for the average man.
I think it is good to recognize the areas that separate you from God the most. Whether it is spending too much time on the internet, or pornography, or over eating or whatever. Figure out the things that you are doing that are separating you from God. Decide on the one that you feel is most problematic, and then make a concerted effort to reduce the amount that you engage in that activity, and of course pray about it.
Every day renew your resolve to focus your efforts away from the things that separate you from God and try to replace them with things that bring you closer to God. Probably this will involve a lot of falling and getting up again, but at least you will be facing the right way to engage in the battle. Also it is important to not attribute any success to yourself, but rather to God. Spiritual pride is insidious, and extremely subtle. If you go for a record amount of time without masturbating or watching porn, thank God, knowing that without him you'd have fallen many times, and probably done worse things.
Every day renew your resolve to focus your efforts away from the things that separate you from God and try to replace them with things that bring you closer to God. Probably this will involve a lot of falling and getting up again, but at least you will be facing the right way to engage in the battle. Also it is important to not attribute any success to yourself, but rather to God. Spiritual pride is insidious, and extremely subtle. If you go for a record amount of time without masturbating or watching porn, thank God, knowing that without him you'd have fallen many times, and probably done worse things.
virtue
Other Christian
The issue that I have with this is that 'Christian' music is simply not enjoyable for me, not since the days of Vivaldi or Gesualdo. The music that I am hearing at church service does not refresh me nor edify me, rather it bothers and irritates me.
If the Lord be willing, I will continue listening to ambient, to techno, to classical. With thankfulness.
You need to go to an Orthodox, Catholic, or Protestant service that has traditional worship music. Most nondenominational Evangelical church music is cringe city.
I asked a similar question on RVF about going to the bouldering wall as the women there dress in yoga pants/training bras. I do think I need to give it up. On a busy day, everywhere I look are immodestly dressed women. Given that most here have a collective past of lust, etc., we need to be more careful I feel.
The woman I'm dating likes modern "praise and worship" style music, but I really don't like it. They are akin to love ballads, but with Christian themes and language.
Is this a fault of mine? I find it ostentatious or melodramatic.. Is her faith just so much stronger or is it a feminine sort of desire?
With regard to the music complaints being posted - I have been listening to exclusively classical for the past few weeks and highly recommend it. Music that was written in a time that glorifying God was the norm.
Roosh wrote an article explaining why he was giving up commercial gyms awhile back. The scantily dressed women was a huge part of it.
The way we should look at these things, at least according to certain Orthodox personas, is to ask whether there is enough good in the activity to justify exposure to the bad. Few things out there are purely good, there's usually going to be some bad mixed in. Many of us work jobs for woke employers that push the rainbow agenda because the idleness of being unemployed and living slothfully is even worse for us spiritually.
I keep going to the gym, because I can't easily replace the physical and psychological benefits I get from lifting there. I go to an old-school gym with mostly men so that helps minimize the opportunities for lust. When I see women dressed immodestly I just try my best to not look, or only look at their faces if I must. It's hard, but honestly not much harder than it is at the grocery store these days.
I got one of my few replies from Roosh on this subject; he quoted scripture and said we are not to place ourselves in situations where we know we'll be tempted. I go to a Planet Fitness overrun by undergrads, and it's a real challenge, more so than most gyms I've joined, but as you said, the mental\spiritual benefit to exercise is not insignificant. Ideally I'd prefer a less corporate gym that is quieter and filled with older people but I have limited options at the moment.
Commercial gyms have become glorified instagram photo op centers. It is better to create a personal gym or to start working calisthenics. Not much equipment is necessary for a decent workout anyway.
Gyms are temptation pits. I went back to the gym at the beginning of the year and soon realised it was a mistake. The first obstacle I fell at was pride. When I lift I don't like to be distracted, least of all by a gym know all. Before he tried to give me the wisdom of his vast experience, I watched him correcting another dude. He eventually homed in on me and I curtly cut him short, because... "who the hell are you...".
Next distraction, young ladies. There's no getting around it in a gym, lust is going to rear it's head. And I'd been doing so well. That was a constant struggle.
Long story short, I got a parking ticket for parking without displaying a gym pass, or whatever the rule was, and my disgust (nobody in the gym mentioned anything about it) and that that led me to cancel my membership. I think that was a divine intervention.
Next distraction, young ladies. There's no getting around it in a gym, lust is going to rear it's head. And I'd been doing so well. That was a constant struggle.
Long story short, I got a parking ticket for parking without displaying a gym pass, or whatever the rule was, and my disgust (nobody in the gym mentioned anything about it) and that that led me to cancel my membership. I think that was a divine intervention.
StanWildman
Orthodox Inquirer
Along with the constant attempt to "pray without ceasing," this to me is the essence of the Christian life - to the small extent I actually live a "Christian life." Daily experience is one long series of priorities turning me back into the old man. Because work and domestic life responsibilities are thus far impossible to set aside, I have to regulate my intake of distractions such as reading news sites. Sometimes I go days at a time without looking at my usual news aggregators.
Floriduhman
Protestant
God made people different with different tastes and elements that resonate more with them as an individual. I like some contemporary praise and worship music, but I also like many traditional hymns and Handel's Messiah... And I also jam some Christian Metal or Hardcore Drum n' Bass-Jungle through my headphones when going for heavy singles to triples lifting weights. It would be legalistic to consider these things a fault/sin.
Or we could do what Japan does and shame these women. There was a meme I saw with a women complaining about getting looked at like a whore, when she dressed like a whore in a Japanese gym.
Don't talk to them, just look at them with the internalised disappointment of a father watching his beloved daughter dress like a common whore to get attention and her waste her early years instead of getting married.
Sadly the shaming approach only really works if the culture endorses it. It wasn't really that long ago when a woman who had a child out of wedlock was looked down upon in society. These days if its just one guy in the gym shaming someone for dressing like a whore, you'll just have all the white knights come in and be like 'she can dress however she wants!'
Our society has no shame whatsoever anymore.
I do this unintentionally all the time.
All this gym talk is making me want to go back to gym, but searching for the lesser of the evils is too much of a hassle for me currently. Next year I'll try to sort this out.
You have to go to the grocery store I would say, whereas
Kettlebell and calisthenics, don't worry about it. You don't need mirrors and whores to get fit.I do this unintentionally all the time.
All this gym talk is making me want to go back to gym, but searching for the lesser of the evils is too much of a hassle for me currently. Next year I'll try to sort this out.
I think one has to be careful in this approach, but trying to discern whether your actions are in accordance with God's will.
The reason we have to be careful is because of our propensity towards prelest (spiritual delusion) but with things that have a clear answer, this can be beneficial. "Should I send that profanity laden message just because I'm angry?" Or "should I drink 4 beers just because I'm bored?" These things have quite a clear answer.
I believe if we attune ourselves to God's will in the small things our ability to do so will become refined as long as we don't think of ourselves as a conduit for God's will but rather as a sinner who is just trying to stop the basic and obvious ways in which we offend Him
The reason we have to be careful is because of our propensity towards prelest (spiritual delusion) but with things that have a clear answer, this can be beneficial. "Should I send that profanity laden message just because I'm angry?" Or "should I drink 4 beers just because I'm bored?" These things have quite a clear answer.
I believe if we attune ourselves to God's will in the small things our ability to do so will become refined as long as we don't think of ourselves as a conduit for God's will but rather as a sinner who is just trying to stop the basic and obvious ways in which we offend Him
Renounce self-pity.
One of the greatest issues with the worldly mindset is that of self-pity. That everything is against us, and we are hard done by because of the political situation, the circumstances of our lives, the weather, you name it we feel sorry for ourselves because of the injustice of the world.
The reality, from the Christian perspective is that we would not be able to handle it if we were truly rendered what was due to us. Every instance of self-pity is a rejection of God's mercy. That He is not good enough to us, when really we should be on our knees every hour of the day thanking Him with tears that He has let us off so lightly. But instead we choose to feel like every slight inconvenience is the greatest injustice. We would not be able to handle true justice. Thank God for His mercy! Let's pray that we can renounce the poison of self-pity.
One of the greatest issues with the worldly mindset is that of self-pity. That everything is against us, and we are hard done by because of the political situation, the circumstances of our lives, the weather, you name it we feel sorry for ourselves because of the injustice of the world.
The reality, from the Christian perspective is that we would not be able to handle it if we were truly rendered what was due to us. Every instance of self-pity is a rejection of God's mercy. That He is not good enough to us, when really we should be on our knees every hour of the day thanking Him with tears that He has let us off so lightly. But instead we choose to feel like every slight inconvenience is the greatest injustice. We would not be able to handle true justice. Thank God for His mercy! Let's pray that we can renounce the poison of self-pity.
Jeremiah Branch
Orthodox Catechumen
Not sure if you happened to be looking at St. Theophan's Thoughts for Each Day of the Year, but this is the reflection he has on today's gospel reading (Luke 17:26-37):
"Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it (Luke 17:33).
"One must understand this as follows: to save your life means to pity yourself, while to lose your life means not to pity yourself - that is, on the path of the Lord's commandments, or in working for the Lord. So, it is like this: he who works for the Lord, fulfilling His commandments without pitying himself, is saved, while he who pities himself perishes. If you pity yourself, you will unfailingly turn out to be a transgressor ofthe commandments and, consequently, an unprofitable servant. And what is the sentence for an unprofitable servant? Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 25:30). Make an effort to observe yourself, if only for a single day, and you will see that self-pity distorts all of our works and kills the desire to do them. Without labor and effort, you will not do anything; but if you are grieved at forcing yourself - it all stops there. There are things you must do, like it or not. Such things are done without fail, difficult as they may be.
"One must understand this as follows: to save your life means to pity yourself, while to lose your life means not to pity yourself - that is, on the path of the Lord's commandments, or in working for the Lord. So, it is like this: he who works for the Lord, fulfilling His commandments without pitying himself, is saved, while he who pities himself perishes. If you pity yourself, you will unfailingly turn out to be a transgressor ofthe commandments and, consequently, an unprofitable servant. And what is the sentence for an unprofitable servant? Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 25:30). Make an effort to observe yourself, if only for a single day, and you will see that self-pity distorts all of our works and kills the desire to do them. Without labor and effort, you will not do anything; but if you are grieved at forcing yourself - it all stops there. There are things you must do, like it or not. Such things are done without fail, difficult as they may be.
"But here self pity is overcome by self pity. If you do not do them, there will be nothing to eat. But since the things required by the commandments are not of that nature, then in the face of self-pity they are always omitted. Likewise, out of self-pity allowances are made when it comes to bad deeds. One hates to refuse himself what he wants and so the desire is fulfilled, even though it is either outright sinful, or will lead to sin. Thus it always goes with one who pities himself - what he should do, he does not do, and what he should not do, he indulges himself in doing; and he ends up good for nothing. What salvation can there be in this?
I wonder if people use the internet because they find it interesting for accumulation of knowledge and for planning for the future, a type of advanced newspaper now with expert ideas potentially at our fingertips. That's how it is for me, and to be quite honest that's because I'm focused, right or wrong, on setting up a financial portfolio so I can easily leave behind all of this foolishness of the west, which is ironic since I'm trying to use a type of financial planning to escape the materialism. That would also enable, as I see it, a way to break away from the atomization of America, because I don't see serious relationships with women at all worth the ROI and thus even possible any longer (age gap problem). Since I do pretty well career wise, I'm relatively disinterested in most things at this point in my life except risk assessment which includes markets, types of betting or gambling, and potential to find better locations for living. All of these things are actually quite well controlled, though they sound risky to most people who don't know all that much about them. I have felt stronger premonitions in my life about the future regarding certain things, but for a while now I've had the inclination that the success of something like BTC was so that we could help a lot of the people moving ahead who will have much rougher times, and those times seem to be coming, and more quickly ...