Archive for the 'Mind and body' Category

The stress response

Saturday, April 14th, 2007

I am uber stressed with uni/job/kid/everything at the moment, and my preferred response to all this appears to be “lose the ability to have a conversation”.  I can’t think of a word to say to people, i’m that busy thinking about my assessments.  Oh well, it will all be over in three weeks :wassat:

Existentialism

Monday, January 29th, 2007

Having read some existentialist stuff, there argument seems to be “there’s no point, because you die”.  Alternatively, if we lived forever, there would still be the same lack of point (for me).  Living forever would not make anything any more meaningful for me.  So the mortality thing is a red herring.  A “point” is not dependent on that, so where does this “point” come from? :wassat:

Scientists: “Psilocybin is great, but don’t take it”

Thursday, January 4th, 2007

Psychadelic mushrooms recently caused “long lasting mystical experiences” in a recent study at Johns Hopkins University. Volunteers were given mushrooms, and seemed happier to people after their “spiritual” experiences. Apart from the ones that got paranoid. Griffiths stated “these drugs should not be used recreationally”. Obviously, getting wasted on mushrooms should be restricted to the laboratory :cheerful:

References

Griffiths, R. R., Richards, W. A., McCann, U., & Jesse, R. (2006). Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance. Psychopharmacology (Berl), 187(3), 268-283; discussion 284-292.

Scientific American Mind: Visions for Psychedelics

Get up!

Saturday, December 30th, 2006

I can’t remember who told me this, but it was some kind of life coach type character.

In the morning, get straight up instead of snoozing. Make your bed. Tidy yesterday’s pots & clothes away. Have a shower. Eat something. Get properly dressed.

This way, even if you are not formally working, you are up and ready to face the day and get stuff done. Instead of sitting about in your pants with the curtains closed and the light on.

So do you eat fish?

Saturday, December 30th, 2006

I’m veggie. Mostly. If I want meat, I eat it. I can hear all the hardcore veggies take a sharp intake of breath. Well guess what? It doesn’t matter. Absolutes rarely exist.

Why?
Partly health, partly weight loss (which worked a treat), partly because meat makes me feel like crap, and partly because the idea of growing animals then hacking them up for my dinner just doesn’t appeal.

But what about “insert stupid statement here to try and catch me out or make me look like a ‘hypocrite’”?
I just said, there are lots of reasons, and I sometimes eat meat. I’m not trying to torture myself or seek attention, I just don’t want to, most of the time.

So do you eat fish?
Is a fish a vegetable? Is it an animal? Is it grown and suffocated for my pleasure? No I don’t eat fish (unless I want some).

It’s really quite simple. We all eat things that we want to eat. I just want to eat animals less than most people, most of the time. It is easier to say “vegetarian” than trot off this whole page every time someone asks. There, not so hard, was it? :wink: