//temporary reply to two points in your comment. May edit and add more later, can't save a draft of a comment!
I’m sure that there are plenty of people who find a lot of positive aspects of religion. But there are definitely people who use it to abuse their power over others, in any religion. That is why I don’t choose to believe in anything supernatural.
The same could be said about anything. I cannot understand generalize a category as large as religion as abusive. Joining a cult once doesn't mean all religions are bad. Also, religion doesn't equal supernatural and that very much depends on how you define supernatural.
That’s why I’m trying to forge a path of respecting where Buddhism and Yoga come from, while not believing in the supernatural aspects. I don’t think it removes the culture, it just rejects the supernatural part.
Buddhism is nothing without a belief in reincarnation. Buddha sought to solve the problem of death, old age, and sickness. You can't do that if you don't believe in his solution.
Kind of feels like being Christian but not believing in God.
It can reduce suffering yes, but it removes all of the culture, philosophy, and traditional goals of a 2500 year tradition so some random “spiritual” person in America can be less stressed at their desk job. It’s a net positive but there is a lot more benefits to be had behind being mindful!
I just think it’s a shame. Like what the west did to yoga.
I only find it hard because no one tries at all. St the beginning of my PhD I organized a ton of parties and near the end many in my own cohort would call on sick an hour before. We all have the same lives, I know they have no friends, what’s the point?
Luckily some of them were better than others but I feel people are so absorbed by their world and phones that they don’t step out much
Maybe you should balance it out with a more nuanced take. Not everyone who is left of a liberal is pro dictator. Tankie is typically a term liberals who doesn’t understand leftisms use to group it all together with a derogatory meaning.
There are certainly brain dead bootlicking marxists or MLM’s but someone who thinks a communist or ML utopian society is possible is not a tankie.
I would say a tankie is more authoritarian apologist, but it is more meaningless than anything.
I added my subs to an RSS feed but honestly I really like the algorithm...