There's also similar quote where he says "man can easily sacrifice pleasure but not suffering", what does this mean?
Hi everyone,
I would like to ask those who have experienced self-remembering for some clarification about my situation.
Until a few days ago, I had never heard of Gurdjieff. Then, by chance, during a conversation with an acquaintance about "unusual" topics, I described a few experiences I've had over the years—things I generally never share because I don't want to be thought of as crazy. After hearing about them, he recommended that I read In Search of the Miraculous (which I have already finished) and The Fourth Way by P. D. Ouspensky (which I am currently reading).
Reading them left me rather puzzled, and I noticed some similarities that might be related to what happens to me. My most recent episode was a few weeks ago, while the first occurred about 30 years ago, when I was still a boy.
To describe these episodes—keeping in mind that I have never intentionally done anything to bring them about—all of a sudden, I feel a shift in everything around me. During that brief moment, everything feels muffled, and the passage of time feels different.
I see people moving around me, but I no longer perceive them as I did a moment before; they seem more distant, almost as if I were in an unreal world. Shortly afterward, the effect subsides, and I return to my normal routine.
I always assumed this was some kind of physical problem, perhaps related to blood pressure or something similar (and maybe it really is). Over time, I simply learned to accept it and live with it. I never tried to prolong the experience. On the contrary, since I perceived it as a potential "problem" and worried that others might notice, I always tried to make it go away as quickly as possible. In any case, when everything returns to normal, no one ever seems to have noticed anything, so I simply resume the interaction as if nothing had happened.
Now, I know almost nothing about this subject beyond the little reading I am doing. However, in those moments, it never occurred to me to think "I am," but rather: "Is this real? Is this actually happening?" Out of curiosity, I tried a few small experiments recommended in the books and here on Reddit, and naturally, nothing happened. Keeping in mind that this might be a completely different phenomenon, that state feels so distant from everyday reality that I find it hard to imagine that it could be "replicated" voluntarily by focusing on the pressure of one's foot, the feeling of being present in the moment, the double arrow of attention, or other deliberate efforts.
That being said, I would really appreciate hearing the thoughts of those who have direct experience with this, and perhaps receiving some advice or guidance.
Thank you all for your time and attention.
(Note: English is not my native language, so I used a translation tool to help me write this post. I hope everything comes across clearly.)
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Dad: Trang, go downstairs and turn on the stove for me.
Me: I don't want to turn it on, Dad. Going up and down the stairs is tiring. Just do it yourself.
Dad: Gosh. It's just from here to downstairs, and you say you're tired? I don't know how to turn it on.
Me: Dad, just do it yourself.
Dad: I can't do it.
Me: If you can't do it, then it's okay. You don't have to, Dad.
Dad: I need to use it.
Me: Needing to use it doesn't mean you have to get angry. Being angry doesn't mean everything will come to you just because you need it. That's not how it works.
After that, my dad stood there for a while and then went downstairs. I heard a very quiet sound. I'm not sure what exactly it was, but I vaguely heard something along the lines of, “What a child you are. I'm almost dead already.”
At that moment, I chose to follow what I wanted, and I was also extremely afraid because I was going against the person I had been before.
Maybe I had to face the possibility of rejection, abandonment, and hatred from my own family if I didn't do what they wanted me to do. I think they even used death to threaten me, bringing up their own death as a way to make me give in.
They also used their old age: “I'm old already. I can't do it.”
But that doesn't mean I have to do it for Dad. It doesn't mean I have to force myself to do something I don't want to do, no matter what.
I've already made my choice.
I choose to do what I want. I choose to say no.
And perhaps the result of this choice will be that my dad becomes even more angry and hurts himself even more.
If the worst thing happens, will I regret it?
Humans are one of the most unfortunate living beings. Earth is a certain level of hell, and the mind is the greatest trap.
In search of the miraculous. Chapter 7, about law of octaves, ascending and descending, the "gaps" after Mi and Si.. all clear (it seems to me) until this part.
But then, why now he's talking about nine basic measurements? And in general, I can't grasp anything of the highlighted part.
Anyone willing to help? Thanks
I made a little idle clicker game featuring many of Gurdjieff's ideas, check it out:
Reading up on Gurdjieff recently, I've come across his instruction not to express negative feelings. Has anyone ever experimented with the opposite, not expressing positive feelings? Or simply not expressing anything outwardly? What's special about negative emotions?
What exercise here on Reddit would be possible to do together?
Accessible to those who want to do it jointly. Can you formulate one and see who joins in? Something that can take shape 'in conversation', not private, simply here, and of course in daily routine.
