You're absolutely right, IT!

By the way, where's your siggy from?

i just recently heard matisyahus cd light. Its from the song one day.  Now although im not so into that type of music this song hit home bigtime. I heard its the theme song by this years winter olympics! And now i am addicted to it. It has such a strong message. Check it out!!!

imtrying25 wrote on 11 Feb 2010 18:13:


thank you sir for that info. 

SB, keep on trucking.  I think when we do well in those times of trouble and we break through them is when we realize that we really are succeeding in becoming better people and certainly we prove we can stay on our journey.

SB, have a great Shabbos!!  Keep on trucking!!

I feel like I'm walking into a movie theater 2 hours into a long movie here...so I hope I'm not too off-base.

But SB, you said something a while ago which I think is important. You said when you got on the bus, you realized that you were free to *not* look around, as if someone said you don't have to take out the garbage! I also experienced this feeling, both with porn and with smoking cigarettes. Why do we experience that? I think we begin our addictions by searching for pleasurable stimuli. It then becomes a habit and then a compulsion and then we reach a point where we don't get pleasure from it and in fact we *don't want to do it at all* but we HAVE to do it. The addiction has a life of it's own and compels us to act against our will. I would look at porn and the whole experience was horrible. I would smoke cigarettes and feel totally ill afterward. I wished I didn't have to do it.

And then I realized that I don't have to do it. And that's a wonderful feeling of freedom.

The compulsion does not come from us, it comes from this spooky illness called addiction. We just get convinced that we like these things because that's how it started, but it's never how it ends. We have to understand the difference between enjoying something and being utterly convinced (wrongly) that we are enjoying something.

Good Shabbos.

Wow, AT - that's deep! The feeling of "pleasure," as real as it can sometimes seem (most intensely before we give in, when we're feeling the urge), is really only superficial. And on a deeper level, it's causing us nothing but pain, emotional and spiritual.

In other news...I've decided to stop reading blogs (I thought I'd posted about this, but can't find it). Easier said than done, though, and i went back today to see if there were any replies to comments I'd posted...Enough. I need to apply one day at a time...and it really, really doesn't matter if or what people have said about my comments. Move on, man.

You guys are all fantastic - keep rocking, and have a great shabbos!

Thats wonderful!! Apply the same concept of the addiction to reading blogs.  Very smart.  One day at a time.  Good Shabbos Reb Silentbattle.  We all learn so much from you!!!

your chizuk in other peoples thread (especially my own  ;D) and your own introspective are such a valuable resource and source of self-improvement!

have a great Shabbos!!!! 8)

Shlomo - thank you for dropping by, and for telling me that! Knowing that I'm helping, and appreciated - that helps me avoid looking for those feelings in the wrong places.

Some minor urges...plus thinking about "what I would do if I wasn't clean..."

Not a good idea. I moved on.

I've learned something from Sci - thanks. Even if I get the feeling like certain people don't like me, that's not my problem. I do what I need to do. Other people will do what they feel they need to do. I always appreciate learning from you, bro!

silentbattle wrote on 14 Feb 2010 07:44:


I hope youre not talking about me, SB  ...

Sb, If you are you, and someone doesn't like you, it doesn't matter.  Just go through it.  Other will like you!  KEEP ON TRUCKING!!

Yiddle - not in the slightest

Thanks Sci - I love learning from you.

Trying to figure out what to do about the "long name" contest...aside from the annoyance factor, it also makes everything take longer, as I don't recognize threads as easily. And as it is, my time is getting more and more limited.

Do I go and delete all my posts on those people's threads, so they don't come up on my "new replies to your posts" list? Do I just not post as much until everyone decides to return to their original names? I think the latter choice is probably the best. Without anger. They're enjoying themselves, and I'm glad. I just can't do everything I used to if it means more time that I don't have.

Hey the whole changing names things is pretty fun
And I hope that around purim time, someone makes some comical impersonations of me. it would be very fun to track.  If anyone wants a wacky animal pic, I added some to the thread in the 'fun threads' area

I agree, it's fun...it's just disorienting for me, and I don't have the time to deal with it. It takes twice as long for me to look up any thread. Plus, I'm sick, and the new layout just makes my head hurt and my eyes burn, even more than before.

So for now, I'll update my thread...

Love your new avatar, SE! ;D