Dear Actually Free folks (Tarin, Trent, Stefanie et al):

I'm writing a short slideshow about Actualism and Actual Freedom (which i got into in Jan 2011) to present to my friends as part of a night of inspirational show and tell. In it, i'd like to include quotes from the Actually Free describing the following two points to those who have never heard of Actualism and Actual Freedom.

1) Their experience of living AF
2) Their main methods toward becoming AF.

In doing so, i hope to keep the presentation honest and practical. Would you like to contribute a paragraph or two to this project?

I will also be including quotes from the Actual Freedom Trust website and will post a link to the slideshow when i finish it.

Thanks for your attention.

Alex

P.S. Have any of you thought of collaborating to write a concise, practical book on how to become AF?

No replies, but that's cool. I bet you are busy in these days of growing interest in AF.

I give my informal presentation to friends on Saturday (New Zealand time). I think i put together a concise introduction to Actualism (pdf version attached) and welcome constructive feedback on it from any practicing Actualist, not just the Actually Free. I learned a lot about Actualism working on this project :-)

Alex

1) I would discuss how this is a third alternative from a normal emotional world of packaged "good" and "bad" emotions and a spiritual ascetic lifestyle with a low success rate over many years as well as the apparent violence and wars still present on earth. The third alternative allows one to implement the AF method to their current lifestyle and immediately feel happier.

2) Most likely, AF will take 3 months to a year. the 10 year thing was for richard and anything more than a year is people who dabble in the method not those who are dedicated.

3) I would explain the make up of one's internal world, where there are the five unique passions/instincts that control behavior and foster the human condition and the social identity, which includes emotion, beliefs, opinions etc. and to take away this internal world leads to the purity, peace, and excitement of the senses.

4)explain about DHO and how people come to the forum to discuss AF

5) some of your definitions of the how? are a bit off. I would just give very basic definitions of pure intent, naivete, sensuousness, sincerity, apperception, attentiveness, PCE, virtual freedom, and actual freedom.

6) Talk a little about whats its like for someone who has attained AF as per Richard's experience or any one elses. Basically, explaining how good it is as well as how anyone can attain it with a patient diligence and how their is a website with millions of words to guide one at every step of the way.

7) this presentation, IMO, should explain that AF exists, its a practical daily life method, and people are experiencing long-lasting profound enjoyment and happiness previous thought impossible like being happy 24/7 and thoroughly satisfied in the seemingly mundane. Talk about having no fear, aggression, desire, nurture, a need to belong and in substitute pure enjoyment of the senses. Talk about understanding the mystery of the human condition that 99.9 % of people belong to. Maybe explain the make up of the human condition just for clarification of what we as humans live in on a daily basis. Your audience has no idea what AF is or how amazing it is so I would be extremely logical, conceptual, and matter of fact about the practice of actualism. Also, they should know its not a philosophy or way to think but a physical way of experiencing the world as perfect and as magical as it is. Maybe tell them, Does it make sense that if the universe was made perfectly then human beings were meant to suffer? That if the universe is inherently perfect, than why is there war and turmoil on this earth and why can't humans enjoy 24/7 the verdant planet that is earth with all the advabces and comfortability of emerging technology? Make sure they know that the survival instincts cause the separation between individuals and its elimination lead to this perfect, pure, serene, and continuous delight in sensing the world.

8) understand that sensing is purely using the five senses and the mind without internal interference.

Hi Adam,

Thanks for your constructive comments. I've incorporated almost all of them in a new presentation draft (attached) and my planned verbal commentary accompanying the slides, but i will have to omit some bits in the interest of time.

Thanks again.
Alex

So i presented my short introduction to Actualism to a group of friends on Saturday and to another friend on Sunday. Both times it generated a lively discussion. Several members of the Saturday group hypothesized that becoming AF would turn one into a vegetative bliss-junkie, that all artistic and creative will would vanish, and that it would suck to be incapable of experiencing love or empathy anymore. Others thought that AF would be a perfect way to live a life.

I learned a lot preparing and giving this presentation, and am now totally on board with Actualism. Enough study, it's time to practice!

I reworked the presentation for conciseness one more time. If you'd like to read, use, and modify it for non-commercial purposes, then here you go:

Keynote version (Mac only; includes a few presenter notes)
PDF version (Mac, Windows, Linux, etc.; no transition effects)

Enjoy, and let me know if you find any errors.

Alex

P.S. Oh, and i was thinking: even more engaging than a Keynote introduction to Actualism would be a narrated animation introduction to Actualism. Any artists out there keen?

Sounds familiar It's interesting to see how polarizing reactions are to AF. It's not that surprising to see these divisions in insight communities, given that we all have investments in our own chosen practices. However I would imagine average Joe to care less.

I might be mistaken though; what experience does your friends/audience have with insight practice/spiritualism/Buddhism/etc.?

Hi Paul:

The Saturday group was composed of dance students, a photographer, and one ethnomusicology student, all women, none of whom had insight meditation experience as far as i know. Also none of them recalled having had a PCE. Still, they were intrigued. One dancer who thought Actualism quite natural said that the Actualist themes of wonder, naivete, and sensuousness were also emphasized in dance practice and theory. Another person immediately thought AF was Buddhist enlightenment. Like i said, others thought that the elimination of affect was a bad idea. One dancer said that AF sounded like a dissociative state.

The Sunday group was one buddy who has meditated in the Shambhala tradition for several years and has gone to several Goenka retreats. He said AF sounded like Buddhist enlightenment, especially as described by Zen teachers such as Joko Beck. I said yeah that's a current debate and brought up the big issue that AF people report losing all ability to enter jhanas and nanas. He also said Richard's AF report ---"that the entire world is a magical fairytale-like playground full of incredible gladness and a delight which is never-ending"--- sounded like affect to him.

Alex

"especially as described by Zen teachers such as Joko Beck."

It seems close. I could certainly take the 'functional' parts of AF out of the AF site, simplify them and it would appear to be similar in many respects. Honestly the more I learn about AF the more I keep thinking 'oh this is what I thought Zen was'. It *seems* to me that the end result is the same but the method is different in some ways.