A lot of things, but they are "just" beliefs. They're just narratives about narratives about narratives but they may be useful. I believe my hand will burn if I put it on a candle flame. Which is an intense experience I'm inclined to avoid. But it's neither a good or bad experience. I'm not going to go telling people that they should believe as I do. But I can tell them that by my assessment, it's pretty damn likely they'll experience pain if they put their hand on the flame. Up to them what they do with that.
In terms of my worldview, I "believe" that we're just being, existence, experience. "Matter" is a story. "Spirit" is a story. Both camps demand an opposition to another which is inherently dualistic and as such, misleading and pointless. Putting any of this in words is silly because each word in itself is just a story, a concept, a belief. Best but deeply flawed description of reality I can muster at the moment is that it's an experience of a free fall in total darkness.
Meditation and philosophical inquiry. Spent a lot of time believing the default vaguely-Christian-materialist-dualist framework that western culture has been brainwashing people into for centuries, pretending it's "objectively true".
Build a community. Don't just expect people to randomly see you do something and get inspired. Actively build a real life face to face community with certain values - and don't expect help. Welcome any that comes but don't expect it. Do not discuss politics explicitly, focus on core values.
Organize a weekly outing event to pick up litter or something. Chat with people. Do it even if nobody shows up.
Yeah. Yoga, Buddhism, Mindfulness, Meditation in general, Tantra all suffer from way too many people with little understanding spouting nonsense.
I read Aurelius a long while back and found it great for contemplation. But I already had tantric philosophy on the background so I understood it through that lens. I however hoped that it would be more approachable for westerners... I was disappointed to find how many people just took them as cheap motivationals to inspire some kind of alpha male attitudes etc.
But yeah, I think it's best try to live the teachings and let that be an example to those interested.
At best you can have a convincing illusion of control. But life is always entirely beyond your control. Ideally you learn to flow with it, including how it flows through you.
These are more accessible modern works that point you to more classical works if you're interested:
Tantra Illuminated by Christopher Wallis
Roots of Yoga by Jim Mallinson
Three Pillars of Zen by Philip Kapleau
The World of Tibetan Buddhism by the Dalai Lama
People like to recommend the Heart Sutra and Pali Suttas, and Bhagavad Gita but I'd say it's better to get some intro first so you can at least become aware of any prior assumptions you have about the world and realize those works come from a wildly different experience of being.
Bonus:
Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe
The Hermetic Tradition in African Philosophy by Theophilus Okere
Spell of the Sensuous by David Abram
If you steer close to questions about metaphysics and spirituality, I highly recommend stepping outside the western paradigm. A lot of our philosophy is saturated with Christianity-influenced background assumptions, way, way more than people realize. Reaching all the way to modern psychology. It was very fascinating to recognize (and discard) them in my own thinking - and I was a basic intellectual atheist with what I incredibly naively thought was 0 Christian influence in the way I viewed the world.
I read some Plato and philosophical works but my focus has been more on Indian and Buddhist philosophy.
Unless you are an avid reader, I don't think it's a good idea to try to read everything as listed. Figure out what your genuine questions about life are and read the works that attempt to provide answers. That's why having HTRB on the background is highly useful. Don't read just to say you did, seek to gain understanding, which is easier when you can make the books relevant to your life.
Though I still do open sitting for a few minutes to conclude whatever meditation I was doing. My nonduality teacher recommended it and I found it useful.
Edit: for those interested, The Way app from Henry Shukman is a decent intro to this. Though finding actual Zen Buddhist community is better.
I believed that I had to be certain way in society or I was fundamentally flawed and bad.
I dropped that belief, acknowledge that to some point it's convenient for me to follow societal norms but trying to fit in makes me mostly miserable. I naturally don't want to do things that bother other people but I also don't really want to be around them so why should I try to be likeable to them any more than is normal to me. This way people who like me, are sure to like me as I am. If I like them enough, I'll naturally also want to be considerate of them, even if I have to occasionally behave a little different.
I somehow made it very complicated with just beating myself up for being bad/stupid/ugly/broken because I kept believing people who I don't even like.
There's just way more content today but probably the percentage of good vs. bad hasn't changed much. Finding the good in the sea of bad might be harder though. Actively maintain and curate your feeds.
And keep around indie web and federation etc. Internet used to be a niche domain of the nerds. It is happening again where some find it's just the time to depart from the mainstream web. Just don't get too attached to visible engagement.
No, but it seems unusually aggressive for very little reason.