Philosophy Discussion Forums | A Humans-Only Philosophy Club

Philosophy Discussion Forums
A Humans-Only Philosophy Club

The Philosophy Forums at OnlinePhilosophyClub.com aim to be an oasis of intelligent in-depth civil debate and discussion. Topics discussed extend far beyond philosophy and philosophers. What makes us a philosophy forum is more about our approach to the discussions than what subject is being debated. Common topics include but are absolutely not limited to neuroscience, psychology, sociology, cosmology, religion, political theory, ethics, and so much more.

This is a humans-only philosophy club. We strictly prohibit bots and AIs from joining.


Discuss the November 2022 Philosophy Book of the Month, In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All by Eckhart Aurelius Hughes.

To post in this forum, you must buy and read the book. After buying the book, please upload a screenshot of your receipt or proof or purchase via OnlineBookClub. Once the moderators approve your purchase at OnlineBookClub, you will then also automatically be given access to post in this forum.
Forum rules: This forum is for discussing the book In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All. Anyone can view the forum and read the post, but only people who purchased the book can post in the forum.

If your purchase has not already been verified (i.e. if you don't already have access to post in this forum), then please upload a screenshot of your receipt or proof or purchase via OnlineBookClub. Once the moderators approve your purchase at OnlineBookClub, you will then also automatically be given access to post in this forum.
#448848
If you haven't already, you can sign up to be personally mentored by Scott "Eckhart Aurelius" Hughes at this link.


To let go spiritually is the opposite of clinginess, possessiveness, jealousy, addiction, codependency, and greed. It's not about literally physically letting go with your literal hands, but rather about giving up your toxic attachment and false identifications to thereby become spiritually free. The desperate jealous lover isn't really a lover at all, but just a miserable addict. They are possessed by possessiveness. Their greedy clinging hand becomes their handcuff. All the material stuff they greedily claim to own ends up actually owning them. They are the opposite of spiritually free; they are trapped by their own toxic attachments and addictions. They are slaves to temptation and fear, especially the fear of losing what they know they inevitably will lose.

Beware the phrase, "X makes me happy". It can imply that losing X would make you unhappy, as if your true happiness (a.k.a. inner peace) depends on externals. It doesn't.

Inner peace is inner.

Thus, true inner peace is invincible.

In place of saying things like "X makes me happy", where X is something external (i.e. something out of your control or something you will inevitably lose), you can say, "Today, one of the infinite things for which I am grateful happens to be X."

In other words, beware the question, "what makes me happy", because it can (falsely) suggest that your true happiness depends on externals and can be a way of (foolishly) asking yourself what would be a good reason to be unhappy, ungracious, and stop practicing gratitude tomorrow, or whenever you lose X, whatever it is. Instead, ask, "I will always be grateful and practice gratitude every day for the rest of my life. What am I grateful for today? What am I grateful for now?"

You can always be grateful. You can always practice gratitude. You don't need to desperately cling to what's eternally and always yours, such as your infinite ability to be grateful and practice gratitude and enjoy the invincible infinite happiness that such a practice offers.

Whatever feeling it is about, even the phrase "makes me feel" is a phrase that betrays the delusional blaming mindset of an addict or other spiritual slave, and the toxic rollercoaster it entails. It is not consistent with being a free-spirited (a.k.a. self-disciplined) person who realizes that true happiness (a.k.a. inner peace) is a choice that doesn't depend on externals. Beware even of the single word, "makes". That's generally a word to be used only by someone who chooses to be a spiritual slave, not by someone who chooses the self-responsiblity (a.k.a. freedom) of free-spirited happiness, grace, and inner peace.

Say, "I am happy because I am grateful," and then realize you can always be grateful and can always practice gratitude.

Asking yourself what happens to be something you are grateful for today is like asking what's on a TV that's always playing something. And it's a great question to ask because if you ask it everyday you'll get to enjoy the wonderful inner peace (a.k.a. true happiness) of gratitude everyday. That is, as opposed to futilely and desperately wishing the ever-changing movie would instead be a still picture, as the toxically attached/addicted do. They cling to what they can't keep, and it makes them miserable. Such miserable disgraceful clinginess is the opposite of gracious gratitude, but which path one takes is one's own choice and only one's own choice.

Ungrateful misery is like a dream from which the dreamer can choose to awaken anytime. And only the dreamer can make the choice. Nobody can save another.

If you want to be grateful and happy, you can be. Instantly. It's just a choice you can make anytime.

What are you grateful for today?



With love,
Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
a.k.a. Scott


let-go.jpg
let-go.jpg (47.13 KiB) Viewed 5154 times



---
In addition to having authored his book, In It Together, Eckhart Aurelius Hughes (a.k.a. Scott) runs a mentoring program, with a free option, that guarantees success. Success is guaranteed for anyone who follows the program.
Favorite Philosopher: Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
#448999
Yes. True peace is internal. Only internal peace is constant. If one looks for happiness in materialistic or external things, it is false happiness, and it doesn't last for long. It is not constant, either. Focus on inner peace and stay grateful. One can experience bliss when one focuses inward.
In It Together review: https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewt ... p?t=500440
#450955
Master Yoda (and Master Scott :wink: )dropping wisdom as always! It's all about freeing ourselves from the chains of attachment. It's a tough practice, but realizing that inner peace comes from within, not from the things or people around us, is so liberating. Gratitude is definitely the key. It turns what we have into enough and more. It's not happiness that brings us gratitude. It's gratitude that brings us happiness. So today, I'm grateful for this reminder!
#451162
The insight about spiritual freedom being the antithesis of clinginess and possessiveness resonates deeply with me. The reminder that inner peace is independent of external circumstances is powerful—it's a call to shift focus from what "makes me happy" to the enduring practice of gratitude. The distinction between saying "X makes me happy" and "I am happy because I am grateful" is a profound shift in mindset, emphasizing the self-discipline of choosing inner peace. It prompts introspection on what I'm truly grateful for today. How does this perspective align with your own thoughts on happiness and gratitude?
#451906
Everything sums up to being grateful, content and not attach our happiness to externals, and I like the idea of being happy for being grateful. Grateful people tend to get the most out of life. I'm grateful for everything that has happened to bring me where I am today, and where I'm going tomorrow.
In It Together review: https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewt ... p?t=498053
#455539
Indeed, I share the perspective that genuine peace emanates from within. Unlike transient joy found in external sources, true peace remains a constant. Focusing on inner tranquility and practicing gratitude serves as the pathway to a sustained sense of bliss—a meaningful journey within oneself.
In It Together review: https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewt ... p?t=552430

Current Philosophy Book of the Month

Zen and the Art of Writing

Zen and the Art of Writing
by Ray Hodgson
September 2024

2025 Philosophy Books of the Month

The Riddle of Alchemy

The Riddle of Alchemy
by Paul Kiritsis
January 2025

They Love You Until You Start Thinking For Yourself

They Love You Until You Start Thinking For Yourself
by Monica Omorodion Swaida
February 2025

2024 Philosophy Books of the Month

The Advent of Time: A Solution to the Problem of Evil...

The Advent of Time: A Solution to the Problem of Evil...
by Indignus Servus
November 2024

Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age

Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age
by Elliott B. Martin, Jr.
October 2024

Zen and the Art of Writing

Zen and the Art of Writing
by Ray Hodgson
September 2024

How is God Involved in Evolution?

How is God Involved in Evolution?
by Joe P. Provenzano, Ron D. Morgan, and Dan R. Provenzano
August 2024

Launchpad Republic: America's Entrepreneurial Edge and Why It Matters

Launchpad Republic: America's Entrepreneurial Edge and Why It Matters
by Howard Wolk
July 2024

Quest: Finding Freddie: Reflections from the Other Side

Quest: Finding Freddie: Reflections from the Other Side
by Thomas Richard Spradlin
June 2024

Neither Safe Nor Effective

Neither Safe Nor Effective
by Dr. Colleen Huber
May 2024

Now or Never

Now or Never
by Mary Wasche
April 2024

Meditations

Meditations
by Marcus Aurelius
March 2024

Beyond the Golden Door: Seeing the American Dream Through an Immigrant's Eyes

Beyond the Golden Door: Seeing the American Dream Through an Immigrant's Eyes
by Ali Master
February 2024

The In-Between: Life in the Micro

The In-Between: Life in the Micro
by Christian Espinosa
January 2024

2023 Philosophy Books of the Month

Entanglement - Quantum and Otherwise

Entanglement - Quantum and Otherwise
by John K Danenbarger
January 2023

Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless: Wisdom Behind the Incomparable Chicken Soup for the Soul

Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless: Wisdom Behind the Incomparable Chicken Soup for the Soul
by Mitzi Perdue
February 2023

Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness

Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness
by Chet Shupe
March 2023

The Unfakeable Code®

The Unfakeable Code®
by Tony Jeton Selimi
April 2023

The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are

The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are
by Alan Watts
May 2023

Killing Abel

Killing Abel
by Michael Tieman
June 2023

Reconfigurement: Reconfiguring Your Life at Any Stage and Planning Ahead

Reconfigurement: Reconfiguring Your Life at Any Stage and Planning Ahead
by E. Alan Fleischauer
July 2023

First Survivor: The Impossible Childhood Cancer Breakthrough

First Survivor: The Impossible Childhood Cancer Breakthrough
by Mark Unger
August 2023

Predictably Irrational

Predictably Irrational
by Dan Ariely
September 2023

Artwords

Artwords
by Beatriz M. Robles
November 2023

Fireproof Happiness: Extinguishing Anxiety & Igniting Hope

Fireproof Happiness: Extinguishing Anxiety & Igniting Hope
by Dr. Randy Ross
December 2023

2022 Philosophy Books of the Month

Emotional Intelligence At Work

Emotional Intelligence At Work
by Richard M Contino & Penelope J Holt
January 2022

Free Will, Do You Have It?

Free Will, Do You Have It?
by Albertus Kral
February 2022

My Enemy in Vietnam

My Enemy in Vietnam
by Billy Springer
March 2022

2X2 on the Ark

2X2 on the Ark
by Mary J Giuffra, PhD
April 2022

The Maestro Monologue

The Maestro Monologue
by Rob White
May 2022

What Makes America Great

What Makes America Great
by Bob Dowell
June 2022

The Truth Is Beyond Belief!

The Truth Is Beyond Belief!
by Jerry Durr
July 2022

Living in Color

Living in Color
by Mike Murphy
August 2022 (tentative)

The Not So Great American Novel

The Not So Great American Novel
by James E Doucette
September 2022

Mary Jane Whiteley Coggeshall, Hicksite Quaker, Iowa/National Suffragette And Her Speeches

Mary Jane Whiteley Coggeshall, Hicksite Quaker, Iowa/National Suffragette And Her Speeches
by John N. (Jake) Ferris
October 2022

In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All

In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All
by Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
November 2022

The Smartest Person in the Room: The Root Cause and New Solution for Cybersecurity

The Smartest Person in the Room
by Christian Espinosa
December 2022

2021 Philosophy Books of the Month

The Biblical Clock: The Untold Secrets Linking the Universe and Humanity with God's Plan

The Biblical Clock
by Daniel Friedmann
March 2021

Wilderness Cry: A Scientific and Philosophical Approach to Understanding God and the Universe

Wilderness Cry
by Dr. Hilary L Hunt M.D.
April 2021

Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute: Tools To Spark Your Dream And Ignite Your Follow-Through

Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute
by Jeff Meyer
May 2021

Surviving the Business of Healthcare: Knowledge is Power

Surviving the Business of Healthcare
by Barbara Galutia Regis M.S. PA-C
June 2021

Winning the War on Cancer: The Epic Journey Towards a Natural Cure

Winning the War on Cancer
by Sylvie Beljanski
July 2021

Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream

Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream
by Dr Frank L Douglas
August 2021

If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your Buts

If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your Buts
by Mark L. Wdowiak
September 2021

The Preppers Medical Handbook

The Preppers Medical Handbook
by Dr. William W Forgey M.D.
October 2021

Natural Relief for Anxiety and Stress: A Practical Guide

Natural Relief for Anxiety and Stress
by Dr. Gustavo Kinrys, MD
November 2021

Dream For Peace: An Ambassador Memoir

Dream For Peace
by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah
December 2021


as per my above post, other people have the ro[…]

To reduce confusion and make the discussion more r[…]

Feelings only happen in someone's body, n[…]

Materialism Vs Idealism

Idealism and phenomenology are entirely artificial[…]