Turning The Problem Around: Mental Health In A Sick Society …and those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.― Anne Louise Germaine de Staël-HolsteinTweet The rise of people who are diagnosed with mental illnesses, especially children, has been unprecedented. ADHD, ADD, bipolar, depression are some of the current labels we slam on people who don’t quite fit our standards. The newest version of the psychologists bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM V), includes “psychosis risk syndrome” for teenagers who are a bit too eccentric and ”hypersexual disorder” for men who show are too interested in sex. When is too much? It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society. ― Jiddu KrishnamurtiTweet It is quite clear that it is societies that determine where the line between normal and abnormal behavior is drawn. And you think science is purely objective? With such authority comes both power and responsibility. Because what is a sick society?
The Love Experiment: Conclusions It’s been 7 days since I started the Love Experiment and all I have to say is wow. Those of you who were also feelin’ the love this week will know what I’m talking about when I say I feel amazing. Being loving towards everyone completely removes most of the day-to-day anguish with other people. Even if you momentarily become frustrated, it’s so easy to take a deep breath, look at the person and think ‘Whoa, close one there! I love you and I hope you have a fantastic day.” Overall my demeanor was much more positive than normal and happiness was virtually constant. One a more concrete note, I think being a loving person has a direct effect on how fast your goals come to fruition. Those numbers are still being reached today and are showing no sign of stopping. Since last week I’ve also had some very cool people reach out to me, both through HighExistence and people from my past. In conclusion, life is just that much sweeter when you’re constantly loving. P.S.
40 websites that will make you cleverer right now The indexed web contains an incredible 14 billion pages. But only a tiny fraction help you improve your brain power. Here are 40 of the best. whizzpast.com – Learn about our awe inspiring past all in one wonderful place. khanacademy.org – Watch thousands of micro-lectures on topics ranging from history and medicine to chemistry and computer science. freerice.com – Help end world hunger by correctly answering multiple-choice quizzes on a wide variety of subjects. artofmanliness.com – Blog/site dedicated to all things manly, great for learning life skills and good insights. unplugthetv.com – Randomly selects an educational video for you to watch. coursera.org – An educational site that works with universities to get their courses on the Internet, free for you to use. mentalfloss.com – Interesting articles guaranteed to make you smile and get you thinking. feelgoodwardrobe.com – Find out how the world of fashion really works and what you can do to combat it. lifehacker.com – Learn to hack life!
Cigar Aficionado How We Can (Actually) Change The World – Pt. 1/3 What this is not: A wishy-washy, positive thinking, pie-in-the-sky idea about changing the world. I will not be advocating the power of group meditation, overthrowing the powers that be or anything else that can be easily scoffed at. What this is: A three-part series covering logical AND tangible ways to instigate awesome change on a global scale. I will cover the following concepts in order: The single change the world needs most dearlyHow real change occursThe specific mission I think will bring about those changes. The illusive, magical element that the world is missing most right now is something you probably aren’t aware is gone. We are missing community. Think of the best days of your life. We are indoctrinated into wanting a high-paying job so that we can buy our own houses, filled with our own furniture, our own silverware — our own nook in the universe. We are going about getting what we truly want in the most backwards way possible. The Age of Separation P.S. Ways to read it:
This Will Mindfuck You: The Double-Slit Experiment The video below shows scientific proof that there is something NOT quite logical or scientific about this universe. The mere act of observation can completely change the outcome of an event! Before I get too ahead of myself, you need to watch the video below to understand: (Forgive the corny cartoon character explaining the concept — at least he knows his stuff) Recap: When a camera observed the electrons, they acted as particles. So what’s the reason for this? Want even further proof? Then in 2002, a group of researchers set up the experiment in a way that the electron could not possibly receive information about the existence of an observing instrument. Here’s the kicker: The insertion of the interferometer took only 40 nanoseconds (ns) while it would take 160 ns for the information about the configuration to travel from the interferometer to reach the photon before it entered the slits. The Results: The photons acted like particles 93% of the time that they were observed. 1. 2. 3.
I'm not a girl, but the psychology here is really interesting... The Art of Manliness | Men’s Interests and Lifestyle The Fastest Way to Change Something About Yourself Do you have some personality trait, quirk or habit that you would like to change but have yet to succeed? Well I know the easiest and fastest way to change anything about yourself. That sounds way too good to be true, but I guess you’ll have to keep reading if you want to know for sure. Step 1: Decide what you want to change Examples include confidence-level, speech impediments, ability to converse with the opposite sex and other sources of insecurity. Step 2: Lie to yourself I know this sounds stupid at first, but hear me out. If you are very shy, then tell yourself that you are considered by most to be “the life of the party” and that you love addressing entire groups of people. Step 3: Imagine the change in yourself Create a minute-long movie in your head of yourself after the change has been made. It’s almost like you’re planting a false memory in your head. Step 4: Become a method actor You need to emulate the person you want to be as if you already are him/her. Step 5: Believe
Emoto’s Water Experiment: The Power of Thoughts Through the 1990’s, Dr. Masaru Emoto performed a series of experiments observing the physical effect of words, prayers, music and environment on the crystalline structure of water. Emoto hired photographers to take pictures of water after being exposed to the different variables and subsequently frozen so that they would form crystalline structures. The results were nothing short of remarkable.. For example: Water Before Prayer Water After Prayer Biwako Lake (polluted) Shimanto River (clean) After observing these miraculous results, Dr. “You make me sick, I will kill you” “Adolph Hitler” “Thank you” “Love and Appreciation” As you can tell, the water stamped with positive words is far more symmetrical and aesthetically pleasing than that stamped with dark, negative phrases. Oh and by the way, the average human body is 60% water. Some may say that this could be the work of biased photographers or biased photo selection by Emoto himself. “This is one of the more difficult areas to clarify.
The Silence is Deafening Okay, put me in a room with a fantasy fan of any genre, author, of any age, intelligence, race, background, language or gender, and I can have a marvelous conversation. Put me in a room with any sci-fi fan, and I can, perhaps, keep up, and have fun. I can talk with literary buff who love only the classics with middling intelligence. I can babble with fans of period dramas (is that what you call those?). No.
How We Can (Actually) Change The World – Pt. 2/3 Now that we’ve identified the problem, we can move on to the solution. But even before speaking of a specific solution, we must discuss the paradigm of change. How does change come about? What is the most effective way to instigate change? What methods are most applicable against a problem as (seemingly) insurmountable as the global lack of community? Let’s begin with one of the basic principles of the world’s religions, philosophies, and the self-improvement plight: acceptance. The flip-side of acceptance is resistance. Now let’s bring our attention back (wink) to ways of inciting change… I was once asked why I don’t participate in anti-war demonstrations. Certainly the most time-tested means of shifting the status quo is through protest, eg. the Occupy Movement. Even movements successful in their goals like many Arab Spring uprisings and Spain’s protests in 2011 have failed to creating complete and sustained change. You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
Ayahuasca: The story of Death, Rebirth and Love “Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world.” - Schopenhauer The Ayahuasca experience was the most intense, spiritual, emotional, mind-blowing, frightening and loving experience I have ever had. Nothing could have prepared me for the inner journey I am about to describe. Because I believe I died. Ayahuasca, the ‘spirit vine’ or the ‘vine of death’, is a brew containing the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and Psychotria viridis or Diplopterys cabrerana leaves. With drugs like these it’s hard to extrapolate the meaning of your experience and use it for the benefit of your daily life, and so I was skeptical about what the insights could bring to me. It all started with my interest in the link between psychedelics and spirituality, partly fueled by the book ‘DMT: The Spirit Molecule’ by Rick Strassman. I found out that two Peruvian shamans were visiting my country to give workshops on Ayahuasca healing. The Ceremony Why do I always need more? I don’t know.
Writers are Really Just Deranged Pshycologists Without Degrees (And Other Such Thoughts) No. Seriously. It's true. I don't think I've ever met an author who wasn't intrigued by the workings of relationships and minds. I love experimenting with different pairings of friendships. One thing I've noticed is that, in stories, usually the heroine is always having these horrible breakdowns, and everyone - usually the uber attractive boyfriend - ends up having to comfort them. One of my favorite relationships is the one between Zeke and Kaylor. Nock and Ember are fun too. And then there's Robin and the gang. I want to take a pshycology course just so that I can see the effects of all the trauma I've forced upon my characters. Anyways, I should quit writing about friendships and go figure out how to establish Robin and Will as friends.