Questions to ponder:
“why am I knocking myself out for degrees and jobs and money, when I can work a third as hard for half the money because I don’t have a wife or children?”
“Is it the measure of a man to get a degree, a job, a wife, a mortgage and kids?”
“Is it the measure of a man to work myself into an early grave?”
“Is it the measure of a man to earn money, spend, purchase, and consume?”
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What's even more disgusting is even decent books are hard to find now. Instead of people writing honestly, it's more about them doing some 'target marketed' trash where they are telling audiences what they want to hear or withholding information so they can get you to by the next book. A lot of these new age, success philosophy books pretty much got a lot of these people brainwashed, thinking the secret to success is chanting something in your head and visualizing success.... these guys will sell you the secret formula for success when their only success is the book they are selling. Pretty much hyping you up to go look for gold in the mountains while they sell you the shovels. If it was really gold up there in the mountains like that, they wouldn't be telling you, nor would they be selling you shovels.
It's like we're living in a society with nothing but dream peddlers and illusion sellers. I have to very carefully analyze what I'm doing or I'd be lost in the mix.
the illusion of "success" is dictated by and entirely up to the individual person. we have envious men and women, who instead of overcoming their personal problems, use their time and energy to get over on the next person. nevermind getting their own, they always want whats yours. they use deception to find certain people with "something" more than them, con them and use them. just out right play them as a sucker.
on the other side, some people make much more than the common struggling man, and live in comfort. yet they cant find happiness in their own lives since they arent considered "rich." always trying to one up their friends or social circle. never happy with what theyve got. then we have multi millionaires who have to go out of their way spending larger amounts of money in order to show off their wealth, convincing others and themselves that theyre doing it big. and all while still never giving up the chase for more cash by any means, just so that they can do it over and over again. the greed never ends so theyre never happy with what they have.
we have playboy stars marrying, divorcing, marrying and divorcing again, over and over due to their own infedelity. as if theres never enough p*ssy for them. they cant control themselves from the lust.
we have world leaders, drunk with power and plagued by hate, that no matter what fortunes he gets or how many people are at his command, or how many lands conquered he desires to spread his power out to hurt even more. they use any excuse, from faith, money, or history to use their power to destory the next mans life.
so at what point is all this money, women, quest for stability, or power enough to make a person happy?
greed, jealousy/envy, lust, and hatred all distort our ideas of what "success" is supposed to be. these appetites when uncontrolled, can consume a person. lead them to self-sabotauge and an unfulfilled life. and its all from a fear that they cant get enough, or prove to themselves that there is a line where they can be satisfied. these are all traps that we should try to avoid. in fact, we do try to school ourselves from this. through experience, books, family, friends, our environment and even in this very thread. because ultimately, not knowing where, or at what point your personal "success" lies, will lead to never ending confusion. that evil makes us try to live off of the next mans script and find happiness in it. in reality, that never ending chase comes from deeper issues that people have within themselves. its what happens when we dont conquer our inner fears.
so as far as knowing that we can be influenced by harmful messages in music, or in life in general ... I cant really hate on people telling others to envision what success looks like for them. yeah, self help books tend to be remixed, rehashed beliefs from ancient times and older cultures, and then sometimes mixed with varying degrees of modern outlooks. I find that ultimately, knowledge and wisdom should be about teaching people to find salvation from living on a positive path. not one driven by hate or whatever. and to overcome it by looking for success instead of struggle. to live like youre at your desired level, and not below it
at its best, its reverse programming, a break from the four devils. at its worst, it sells people lies about chasing a life filled with more devils. all power does that. so its a weapon. only when its not rooted in evil can it bring forth a good outcome for the person.
I dont think that everyone needs to be filthy rich to have a happy life... and with a wife, kids and a small national army at their command. that can be overkill and harmfully intoxicating for many people. its not for everybody. so thats why dictating ones own success has to be a healthy, authentic, personal desire that follows its own road.
