u/General-Use1210

M26

Hi everyone! I’m writing in this sub to ask if an experience I had over a year ago could be classified as "meditative." I should clarify that I have never—consciously—meditated in my life, nor have I ever studied any kind of meditative practices.

At the time, I was going through a very difficult period due to various reasons, which had led to symptoms consistent with anxiety and depression. One day, alone at home, I decided to sit on my bed cross-legged, immersed in darkness and silence, and just think. I thought about everything that was causing me to worry at the time, the faces of loved ones, and memories both recent and distant; I even thought about mere possibilities. I associated each thought with a specific color and/or sound. As the minutes passed, these formed a single flow that I visualized in my mind as a sea—one that encompassed everything, yet was something more than just the sum of its parts. I felt a moving, profound sense of unity among all these things, with an intensity I wouldn't hesitate to call "mystical," to the point that I was moved to tears by the power of this sensation (or set of sensations?). By the end of the experience, which lasted about thirty minutes or so, I felt much calmer.

In light of this episode, is it correct to say that I had a meditative experience? If so, could you tell me more about practices that are similar to the approach I took? If not, do you think it was "just" an emotional release during a difficult time, perhaps one that followed a different path than usual?

Would you be with someone globally better than you?

During a night out with friends, I asked the following question: would you be able to be in a romantic relationship with a partner who is better than you in every respect?

IMPORTANT: the partner in question has no interest in bragging about their superiority and is a very loving and respectful person. Simply put, every time there’s an opportunity (casual or intentional) for comparison in a certain area, they show that they are better than you at it. If you play a board game, the partner will always win; if you discuss any topic, their arguments will be stronger than yours; if you cook, their food will always have that extra "something" compared to yours… in short, no matter what you do, if you compare yourself to the partner, you will always come up short.

I remember that, as specified at the beginning, the partner is a wonderful person who really loves you, and in the context of the discussion with my friends, the tricky issue lies here: would you be able to sacrifice your pride for the love of someone you know is superior to you in every area?

What would you answer? I'm very curious.

Durante una serata tra amici, ho posto la seguente domanda: riusciresti a stare in una relazione romantica con un partner migliore di te sotto ogni rispetto?

IMPORTANTE: il partner in questione non ha alcun interesse a vantarsi della sua superiorità ed è una persona assai amorevole e rispettosa. Semplicemente, ogni volta che si ha occasione (casuale o intenzionale) di un confronto in un certo ambito, mostra di essere migliore di voi in esso. Se giocate a un gioco da tavolo vincerà sempre il partner, se si discuterà di qualsiasi tematica le sue argomentazioni saranno più solide delle vostre, se si cucinerà i suoi cibi avranno sempre quel "qualcosa" in più dei vostri...insomma, qualunque cosa facciate, se vi confronterete col partner sarete sempre indietro.

Ricordo che, come specificato all'inizio, il partner è una persona meravigliosa e che vi ama davvero, e nel caso della discussione con i miei amici la nota problematica sta proprio qui: riuscireste a sacrificare l'orgoglio a favore dell'amore di una persona che sapete esservi superiore in ogni ambito?

Cosa rispondereste? Sono molto curioso