🐈

The reason FEAR is the path is because ego is the most devious and intelligent adversary because it IS "You". Anytime you have to face fear, YOU will do ALL you can to prepare and avoid it.

Sometimes this can be intelligent. E.g. if you climb a mountain, you are afraid to die so you prepare a bit. Buy the right tools, learn how to climb a mountain, practice on a smaller mountain, etc..

However often it's a cope. It's like going into Fight Club with a knife and pepper spray. You've missed the point of confronting your fear. You've cheated on the "test".

When a Fear is confronted but you have sufficient preparation where it is no longer a Fear because you can whip out your Gun then it's not actually confronting fear. It's self-delusion.

This is especially true for successful people who repeat behaviors that USED to be a confrontation of fear for them but no longer are because of increased proficiency. They've mistaken the specific action for the confrontation of fear.

Actual Fear involves an element of letting go and trusting the universe. There's an element of masochist desire for self-annihilation. "I REFUSE to be as I am and will become who I WILL BE at ANY cost."

A symbolic facing of fear is like standing on a boat and harpooning sharks. You end up with trophies that make you look brave to the ignorant but you didn't actually face any real fear. (and subconsciously you KNOW this)

If society overly emphasizes the masculine it's because society ONLY understands the fear of death. It calls little boys pansies and cowards to drive them to face their Fear. It doesn't understand that death of the body is NOT the only thing to fear.

The feminine understands that Loneliness is also something to fear. The death of the "self" is just as distressing as the death of the "body" even if the blood and guts are invisible.

Hint hint: Notice how society is increasing our ability to survive at the cost of loneliness and alienation. Fear is like the moon. Most people only understand one side of it and dump garbage into the other side because out of sight out of mind.

This emphasis on the masculine also ironically affects men MORE because they no longer have anything to face. There are no wars to go to to prove oneself so they have to recreate warlike conflicts in everyday life.

Women on the other hand are in the same place they've always been. Quietly facing dangers and demons in a battle no one else cares about or can see. (including other women!)https://twitter.com/a_yawning_cat/status/1346574581574692864 …

This leads to an ironic situation where in a masculine emphasized society the feminine has more opportunities for growth than the majority of men! (non-elites) W/o the ability to face their fears men are often forced into virtual reality worlds like video games or making money.

In China for example, women tend to do much better academically than men. (who are all playing DOTA or LOL or whatever the fuck is popular now) There is even an aphorism: 阴盛阳衰 Rise of Yin, fall of Yang.

This is b/c the pressure to excel academically is SOCIAL pressure of being left behind as a dumb worthless loser. Men are less susceptible to social pressure so the system leaves them behind unless their parents break them into dogs first.

Those that rebel against the system strive for independence, the ability to face loneliness. Yet their method of doing so makes them SOURCES of loneliness because they are no longer sensitive to how painful it feels. They flagellate others the same way they flagellate self.