Post: #1

What are some influential books and movies that you have encountered in your life?

Books: Siddhartha (the passing of stages), 48 Laws of Power (good introduction to various interesting sources),
Philosophers: Nietzsche (reading about his life actually taught me more about life than his philosophy, really. A bitter old man who fell in love with a girl who wouldn't return his love for him. Best way to learn about life is through other people's mistakes!). Kierkegaard wrote the Seducer's Diary which was pretty interesting.

My old roommate once showed me his book on Gestalt Therapy. I only read the first chapter, but in it was an exercise that was meant to prove a point. In the exercise, you basically visualize doing something differently. For instance, you would imagine a ball returning to your hand, I think (I read the chapter 4-5 years ago now, I can barely remember). It brought me down a path to becoming more curious about the power of my own mind. When I found out about NLP I read about that too. NLP is definitely interesting, although I didn't really dig too deeply into it.

Movies: Old french movies [Le Mepris] (Learn about REAL Romance), Fight Club (getting rid of material possessions in order to really live), A lot more, but I can't think of any right now...

Post: #2

Iceberg Slim. Malcolm X. Art of Seduction. Mode One and David X pickup books. The Prince. Roald Dahl short stories about My Uncle Oswald (courtesy of Roissy)

Films: The Decalogue. Metropolitan by Whit Stillman. I recently saw some of Hurt Locker, a new film, very good.

Post: #3

Good thread guys, keep it going!

At some point in my past, I was at the height of my AFCism. I had began dating a girl that I had oneitis for for several years. Due to my beta male tendencies at the time, I ended up losing her. I feel into a deep depression thinking that girl was the pinnacle of my life accomplishment and all I wanted was to be with her and I lost her. I made pathetic attempts to get her back. She came back briefly giving me hope that this was meant to be, and then she kicked me to the curb once again when she met someone else. I was once again devastated all over again. At that point I started becoming really introspective and trying to figure out why my luck with women has been consistently so bad over my whole life. I started studying psychology and took a great deal of interest in MBTI and learned about my personality type(which is INTP, btw) and found it fascinating. At the same time I also found out about a man named Dr. Gilmartin who wrote a now long out of print booked called Shyness & Love: Causes, Consequences, and Treatment. It was basically the only serious research book about men were extreme betas. The book was like 800 pages long. You couldn't buy it anywhere, and there was only one copy of it in the entire Los Angeles library system. I located it and got the book and must have read all 800 pages in about 2 and a half days. I literally couldn't put it down, reading it for like 18 hours a day. It blew the doors off for me. Maybe the way a guy who lived a life of crime feels when he's in prison and turns to the bible or koran for the first time and comes to an epiphany about the errors of the entire way he's lived his life. I felt like for the first time I truly understood my situation and it was a transformational experience. The only problem is that the book is that it didn't mention much in the way of solutions or where to go from here now that you understand what happened to you. From there, I found out about David DeAngelo most notably as well as some other gurus. I started working on my inner game and came a long way. I'm still nowhere near where I want to be, but I have come a long way from where I was. In a paradoxical way, I guess that girl really did me a favor. I only wish it happened much sooner.

Post: #4

(11-05-2009 09:38 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  In a paradoxical way, I guess that girl really did me a favor. I only wish it happened much sooner.

Reminded me of this, just had to post it, it's so good; I know most of you have probably already seen it, but you know you don't mind seeing it again and those that haven't will love this:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1wq26_...boy_dating

I have no idea how to embed that on here, sorry (youtube doesn't have a version that hasn't had the audio pulled, fuckers...).

Post: #5

You guys should check out Rudo y Cursi, it's by the same people who made Y Tu Mama Tambien.

One advantage of foreign films over American films is that in foreign films, masculinity is not hidden by PC bullshit. For instance, in Rudo y Cursi, the narrator brings up man/romance and the man having to lead. Can you imagine an American movie saying something like that? Hah.

Another cool book, although I haven't finished it (I rarely finish books nowadays) by Milan Kundera is "The Book of Laughter and Forgetting".

Post: #6

I found this. Some good recommendations.

http://www.esquire.com/the-side/feature/75-books

Post: #7

(11-05-2009 09:38 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  Good thread guys, keep it going!

At some point in my past, I was at the height of my AFCism. I had began dating a girl that I had oneitis for for several years. Due to my beta male tendencies at the time, I ended up losing her. I feel into a deep depression thinking that girl was the pinnacle of my life accomplishment and all I wanted was to be with her and I lost her. I made pathetic attempts to get her back. She came back briefly giving me hope that this was meant to be, and then she kicked me to the curb once again when she met someone else. I was once again devastated all over again. At that point I started becoming really introspective and trying to figure out why my luck with women has been consistently so bad over my whole life. I started studying psychology and took a great deal of interest in MBTI and learned about my personality type(which is INTP, btw) and found it fascinating. At the same time I also found out about a man named Dr. Gilmartin who wrote a now long out of print booked called Shyness & Love: Causes, Consequences, and Treatment. It was basically the only serious research book about men were extreme betas. The book was like 800 pages long. You couldn't buy it anywhere, and there was only one copy of it in the entire Los Angeles library system. I located it and got the book and must have read all 800 pages in about 2 and a half days. I literally couldn't put it down, reading it for like 18 hours a day. It blew the doors off for me. Maybe the way a guy who lived a life of crime feels when he's in prison and turns to the bible or koran for the first time and comes to an epiphany about the errors of the entire way he's lived his life. I felt like for the first time I truly understood my situation and it was a transformational experience. The only problem is that the book is that it didn't mention much in the way of solutions or where to go from here now that you understand what happened to you. From there, I found out about David DeAngelo most notably as well as some other gurus. I started working on my inner game and came a long way. I'm still nowhere near where I want to be, but I have come a long way from where I was. In a paradoxical way, I guess that girl really did me a favor. I only wish it happened much sooner.

From one INTP to another, thats good stuff. Congrats on your progress.

I was amazed when I read my Myers Briggs evaluation as well. I've taken the test maybe 4-5 times, and I'm consistently INTP. Its definitely helped to put many things in perspective about myself and, when reading about other types, others. I'd like to get more into it when I get some time. Btw, there are a couple of huge INTP forums on the web.

As for influential books, the ones that changed my thinking process (led me to be much more of a free thinker), and therefore my life, the most were:

Quantum Psychology by Robert Anton Wilson

and

The Way of Zen by Alan Watts

I would suggest them in order, as the first helps you to get a LOT more out of the second.

Post: #8

(11-05-2009 09:38 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  At the same time I also found out about a man named Dr. Gilmartin who wrote a now long out of print booked called Shyness & Love: Causes, Consequences, and Treatment. It was basically the only serious research book about men were extreme betas. The book was like 800 pages long. You couldn't buy it anywhere, and there was only one copy of it in the entire Los Angeles library system.

hey...you can now download it free, here:

http://www.love-shy.com/gilmartin-book

Post: #9

Speakeasy I appreciate the anecdote. What does INTP stand for by the way? I may have to check out Dr. Gilmartin's book as well...

Here is my list (Books): A Fine Balance, Black Boy (Autobiography of author Richard Wright), Kite Runner, On the Road, 4 Agreements, Siddhartha, Autobiography of Malcolm X, Revolutionary Suicide (Autobiography of Black Panther founder Huey P. Newton), Rasta Heart

Movies: City of God

Post: #10

(04-06-2010 10:50 PM)toddh Wrote:  hey...you can now download it free, here:

http://www.love-shy.com/gilmartin-book

700+ pages...I cant imagine reading a book that long online. geezz.

Amazon has a few used for $175!! ppfff

Post: #11

By far, the most influential books I have ever read were by Helen and Scott Nearing. Helen was a talented musician and Scott a university professor and famed socialist writer. Together they set out to build a rural homestead nearly a century ago. All of them. I started writing when I was eight, and I didn't have how to books to tell me how to write. I learned from reading books from the library.

Post: #12

(04-06-2010 09:38 PM)hydrogonian Wrote:  

(11-05-2009 09:38 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  Good thread guys, keep it going!

At some point in my past, I was at the height of my AFCism. I had began dating a girl that I had oneitis for for several years. Due to my beta male tendencies at the time, I ended up losing her. I feel into a deep depression thinking that girl was the pinnacle of my life accomplishment and all I wanted was to be with her and I lost her. I made pathetic attempts to get her back. She came back briefly giving me hope that this was meant to be, and then she kicked me to the curb once again when she met someone else. I was once again devastated all over again. At that point I started becoming really introspective and trying to figure out why my luck with women has been consistently so bad over my whole life. I started studying psychology and took a great deal of interest in MBTI and learned about my personality type(which is INTP, btw) and found it fascinating. At the same time I also found out about a man named Dr. Gilmartin who wrote a now long out of print booked called Shyness & Love: Causes, Consequences, and Treatment. It was basically the only serious research book about men were extreme betas. The book was like 800 pages long. You couldn't buy it anywhere, and there was only one copy of it in the entire Los Angeles library system. I located it and got the book and must have read all 800 pages in about 2 and a half days. I literally couldn't put it down, reading it for like 18 hours a day. It blew the doors off for me. Maybe the way a guy who lived a life of crime feels when he's in prison and turns to the bible or koran for the first time and comes to an epiphany about the errors of the entire way he's lived his life. I felt like for the first time I truly understood my situation and it was a transformational experience. The only problem is that the book is that it didn't mention much in the way of solutions or where to go from here now that you understand what happened to you. From there, I found out about David DeAngelo most notably as well as some other gurus. I started working on my inner game and came a long way. I'm still nowhere near where I want to be, but I have come a long way from where I was. In a paradoxical way, I guess that girl really did me a favor. I only wish it happened much sooner.

From one INTP to another, thats good stuff. Congrats on your progress.

I was amazed when I read my Myers Briggs evaluation as well. I've taken the test maybe 4-5 times, and I'm consistently INTP. Its definitely helped to put many things in perspective about myself and, when reading about other types, others. I'd like to get more into it when I get some time. Btw, there are a couple of huge INTP forums on the web.

As for influential books, the ones that changed my thinking process (led me to be much more of a free thinker), and therefore my life, the most were:

Quantum Psychology by Robert Anton Wilson

and

The Way of Zen by Alan Watts

I would suggest them in order, as the first helps you to get a LOT more out of the second.

Thanks for these recommendations! I just added them to my reading list. They sound like they would help the foundations of my inner-game, which is always a good thing.

I read a book a few months ago called the Tao Te Ching and when I read it, I had some insights on how to improve my overall vibe to one of absolute non-neediness. Great, timeless work.