[lone*star]

Originally Posted by Vasco Da Gama

pondering the deeper things of life can be counter-productive I've found,
over the years I've contemplated almost everything imaginable in regards to self, death, the cosmos, life, love,.. anything and everything,
funny things is though, nothing really sinks in unless you live it,
so I think contemplation can be something you can get nowhere with.

Maybe you found it counter-productive because, for you at least, it wasn't the way to 'living fully' - perhaps you should have been doing something else instead?

I'd also say that contemplation doesn't necessarily need to be getting someone somewhere either - some people probably do it for enjoyment; like someone else might enjoy reading, or another person singing, or someone else watching movies. I guess that's what makes people interesting; the fact that we're all unique.

it's easy to think about stuff, but no matter how deep the subject, it's still only as deep as thought itself goes, and therein lies the main issue,
thought itself is eventually seen as the problem, the thing stopping you from living fully,
thought is always one step behind reality,
thought isn't new or real, it's always old, used, repetitive and reactive.

I agree that thought is limited, and that reality (if that's what you're looking for) lies beyond the mind's capabilities to comprehend. But there's a double edged sword here, because it also means that thought has no way of knowing whether or not you are living life fully either! So how would anyone know? For example, someone might sit in silent meditation for 8 hours a day. To another person observing, that might seem like a complete waste of time, but to the one meditating, they might see it as living life to the full. Who's to judge?

you can lose decades on this stuff,. that's the danger,

No, I'd say nothing can be lost at all. Life is happening on its own - it doesn't need our help, our decisions or our control to function - and everything is included within it. It was here before we humans were, and it will still be here long after we're gone! But of course, the human ego naturally over-estimates its own importance in life - that is actually the biggest problem here - the problems we create for ourselves.

.. I've looked into myself as hard as I could and found nothing,. or no one.. it's a kind of odd conundrum.

So what do you take that to mean? What conclusion do you draw from that experience?

so,. maybe these people, apparently living superficially are actually really living, and someone contemplating their naval endlessly is only fooling themselves? - it's an odd catch 22 situation.

As I said, it simplifies things greatly when you realise that life just happens on its own, and nobody is in control of it. So the people 'living superficially' are doing that because that is what they have to do (at least for now). Just as the great thinkers in history were simply doing what they had to do in life. Same as the famous artists, musicians, inventors, sports stars etc etc. Just as in the natural world, sparrows sparrow, weasels weasel, badgers badger, butterflies butterfly. Everything - and everyone - has their own unique little role to play in this mysterious production we call Life. Isn't it wonderful?