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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Fucking Smile

I recently spent the last few days with a sore mouth following wisdom teeth removal.

Because of this, I was pretty much the saddest looking sullen muthafucka this south of the equator. Physical pain is one of the things in this world that can put a hamper on even the strongest mans mood.

As such, I had been pretty somber the past few days -- until today. I smiled.

During a conversation with my mother, I had an uncontrollable smile. One of those smiles that rips through even the most emotional bastards. The terrorist hijacker of terrible emotions.

And then I felt great. I felt so great I figured I should make a post to remind everyone...

Law #34: Smile often

You can find research on this, and I could go out of my way to provide you with it, but you're an idiot if you don't think smiling has a positive effect on your emotions.

You may not realize that forcing a smile can help, so try doing that sometime.

Note: It is very difficult to eat a paleo diet after wisdom-teeth removal. Most blenders don't fare well with steak.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Partitions

As I type this, waiting for my iPhone to download an Elysian Fields album (a band you should check out), I breath a sigh of relief and of regret.

I'm leaving my University to pursue grander and loftier goals, but a nostalgic leech is keeping me from enjoying the moment to its fullest extent.

I haven't really been a fan of this Uni. It's an extension of my hometown of plastic mannequins and high-end sports cars.

While packing up my things, I caught a glimpse of a book I haven't read in awhile, called "The Power of Now." A profound book (if you look past all the spiritual bullshit) that teaches you to just enjoy yourself now. The past does not exist, the future does not exist, it is always now.

Stop thinking about the past -- review, understand, and learn but drop it once it's no longer productive.

Rarely think about the future -- planning perhaps, but never day dreaming. Dreaming never accomplished anything. If you wish to meet the love of your life, go talk to people NOW. If you wish to become a millionaire, take your first risk NOW.

Law #12: Dwelling and worrying never accomplished anything -- so enjoy the now.

Do something. Do it now. Tomorrow doesn't exist. Yesterday doesn't return.

Furthermore, I find it interesting how the human mind likes to partition life. I've read some interesting takes on it and it is something worth understanding.

Personally, I have about five different major chapters of my life. The sixth one is about to begin, and I'm looking forward to writing with fresh ink.

Take the opportunity to think about your chapters. How many does your life have? How many times have you really grown dynamically, changed as a person, or just experienced something fucking insanely out of place that it left a huge impression on you?

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The "I Don't Like It" Excuse

I was reading a post this morning on Roosh V's forums and the gentleman was talking about how he disliked club/nighttime environments that are conducive to picking up women and socializing.

He says things such as "I don't dance" and "I don't enjoy night-game environments (bars/clubs)" and "the friends I could go out with are just uninteresting" and other things.

Knowing that you need to look at the fundamentals root of things, I see an underlying trend.

These are just excuses.

Here's a personal account. I used to say I hated going to the beach during the day. In reality, I was just socially uncomfortable at the beach.

The same thing is going on here. I'd be willing to bet this individual is just self-conscious of his dancing, self-conscious of himself and too caring of the people around him at clubs/bars, and not able to let go and enjoy the moment.

When someone says they don't like to do something that is almost universally fun, they are probably just uncomfortable.

This isn't some sort of revolutionary idea. I know people who hate clubs but who enjoy them when they are there, but those people don't make the excuses. The excuses are your clue to the inner workings of the individual.

The person depicted here has a terrible case of giving-a-shit. It's an unfortunate illness where upon you care what other people think of you to the extent that it stifles your ability to enjoy yourself.

Fuck people. At the risk of sounding like a Roosh groupie, I'll quote something from one of his most recent posts titled "7 Things I Would Tell My Teenage Self:"
"5. Stop being concerned about what other people think of you. They don’t care about you. They are so wrapped up in their own insecurities and what you think of them that you’re wasting your energy trying to get accepted by strangers. Take risks, fuck everyone else, and note down what you learn. If you’re not making a lot of mistakes, you’re not doing enough."
This is pretty solid advice for anybody. The last line is of ultimate importance. Make mistakes, and enjoy the ride.

Remember Law #1

Have Fun.

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!"
— Hunter S. Thompson

Monday, June 20, 2011

Why I Deleted My Facebook

The virtues of technology should not be understated.

With that said, there are some things that I find detrimental to one's own health -- like Facebook.

Here is a list of reasons as to why I have deleted my Facebook.

1. You are not you on Facebook.
Facebook is a social network. In most social situations, one wants to save as much face as possible and try to look as cool as possible. The problem is, in physical interactions it is easy to discern a person's personality based on their obvious strengths and faults, how comfortable they seem, etc. On Facebook, you only see things that "Person X" has dubbed worthwhile to share with others -- things people think will provide clout. Socializing is a game of status -- one that Facebook is not free from.

Physical interaction - real. Faults and everything.

Facebook interaction - padded. Faults are hidden and strengths are pushed.

2. You constantly ping others to discern your relative status.
This is something that everyone does all the time to figure out where you stand socially. You will look around a venue or a house party or a classroom and conclude as to who's hotter than you, who's uglier, who seems less cool, etc.

Now, in problem 1, I have identified that people in real life are real and people in Facebook are padded. The problem arises here when you begin to ping padded people for your relative status. A lot of the time one might think "man these people are always having a great time" or "man this guy hangs out with more pretty girls than I do" or "man this girl is so out of my league she's got so many guys on her arm."

Do you see the issue here?

They only post pictures of these things because these are the only things worth sharing. That guy probably spends 1 day a week at most with a girl, but because all his pictures are of parties and bitches you assume he's neck deep in pussy. If we took pictures for his whole life, proportionally you'd have one picture with a cute girl and six with him eating Doritos playing Call of Duty with his buddy Ryan.

Same thing with the girl. She probably goes out on the weekends with a camera to take a shitload of pictures with guys admiring her so she can show off to her friends. The other five days of the week she's watching the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and killing her second tub of moose tracks.

They aren't doing this consciously (at least I don't think so). No one would ever admit they are abusing Facebook for validation. But they are...

3. Facebook is a "Validation Engine."
What is the point of pretending you live an amazing lifestyle? To be better than others. To look better than others.

Have you ever seen a cute girl's picture and the comments below are 50% her girlfriends saying "grl u look soooo pretty xoxoxo love uu!!!!" and then some guys saying "beautiful as always" or something vomit-inducing like that. All this does is validate the girl. It lets her know shes pretty, and if she puts up more pictures she will be further validated on her prettiness -- regardless of who is actually validating her.

I honestly think it's an unwritten rule for girls on Facebook that says "If I validate your pseudo-modeling picture that you got taken for 20 bucks and a blowjob then you validate my pseudo-modeling photo that I got taken for FREE plus the complete loss of my self-esteem."

Guys are guilty of this too. I have a friend who is always saying "we need a Facebook photo for this" or "I'm totally making this my default." The only reason a guy (or girl) would want to take a picture specifically for Facebook is so that they can potentially be validated on it. No one truly cares about your pictures except your mother.

This validation thing is getting terrible. It is causing a wave of positive reinforcement onto ugly girls and socially inept guys. People wonder why American girls are so fucking difficult to deal with and why they all have "princess syndrome" -- well I'm here to say that a huge reason behind that is Facebook. When Susie McFathandles gets complimented every fucking day on her 160 degree angle tit-shot pictures (by her other ugly friends no doubt), she develops a false sense of superiority that translates into her interactions with other people.

This doesn't translate for guys because they don't get enough validation on their Facebook. It just doesn't happen. A man is judged way more by his actions and character than by his photos and looks -- things that Facebook cannot truly show (besides the occasionally still shot).

4. To prove a fucking point.
You should see the look on people's faces when I tell them I don't have a Facebook. Similar reactions could be attained by saying "there's a giant-ass spider on your shoulder" or "your parents are both critically injured from a car accident" or "Sarah Palin got elected president." I bet the look on war-widows faces when the army soldiers tell them their husband died in action are less surprised and distraught than the reactions I get.

I've come to believe people think Facebook is a vital organ. One that you cannot have removed. One day I ran into a friend of mine and we ended up talking about Facebook. She said she had deleted hers -- a.k.a an instant boner from me (girls who don't need validation rock). She then immediately followed that by saying something like "I restored it because my friends kept bugging me." Insta-flacid. She lasted a day I think.

I do enjoy the responses I get. I won't deny that I derive a validation from the reaction. I find it hilarious how important Facebook is to the vast majority. The only person who didn't care is the only other person I know who deleted his Facebook. Even my parents, in their late 50's, concluded it was an odd action on my part.

Disconnecting from any sort of technology has it's own benefits in my opinion. You ever just leave your phone off for a day or two? How about a week? There's a social burden lifted. You are no longer connected, no longer plugged in -- it is relieving. I recommend trying the disconnect, even for a day, if you never have. You can get a lot of shit done if you don't spend so much time net-socializing.

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Friday, June 17, 2011

Letter of a Burning Man

On Thursday morning, June 16, The Sentinel received a "last statement" via mail from a man who insinuated that he planned to set himself on fire in front of the Cheshire County Court House, and an explanation of why he intended to do so. Through further reporting, The Sentinel is confident this is from the victim of Wednesday afternoon's fire, although police have not yet received confirmation of his identity. The 15-page statement is printed in full, except for two redacted items: The names of the man's mother and his three children.  Details will be posted as they become available.
 A man who could not stand for the way our government treated him. I quote him...
"Better to die a free man than live as a serf."
Please indulge in his letter over here.

In case this becomes deleted because of it's truthfulness (the bane of our current establishment), I have saved it and may reproduce it on future notice if necessary.

Anyone interested in the Men's Rights Movement need read this.


Cave Stories: Assanova

Every once in a while I'll post something from another author that I think is valuable information or advice. In this instance, I have a post from the bygone Assanova blog that I think is simple yet effective advice regarding game and sex.

I would link to his blog, but it is currently disabled. If any parties want me to remove this content, please ask.

How To Get More Sex
You're probably sitting and wondering why you're not getting more sex. Let me tell you another little story about how I went almost a year without sex from any new women, and how I all of a sudden started sleeping with new women all of the time. Some of you are probably thinking because of improvements such as my "social circle", "game", "looks", or by using easier women to my advantage. While none of those reasons are wrong, they are not the main reason why I started sleeping with so many women so quickly.

Then what was it? It was one simple mindset: I gotta get laid. Only then did I get in touch with my true masculinity, and stopped being so passive with women. I approached every attractive woman I saw, I sometimes quickly made-out with them, I quickly invited them home, if I got a number I almost always invited them to my apartment, and if we were alone I almost always went for sex.

It's as if I had let my sex drive completely control me. I didn't care about rejection, using the right words, what other people thought of my actions, game, if the girl thought I was attractive enough, how macho or manly I was, or any of the other stuff that you read about.

I simply let my sex drive control me, and took the quickest and easiest path to getting sex. Some of those girls were hot, some were average, and some were not. That was the one thing that instantly turned me into a sport sex champion. I didn't do a lot of thinking or analyzing about how to come at the girl, or how I appeared to her or my friends; I simply acted on my desires without much thought.

Why does it work? It works because women respond to aggressiveness. It also works because there is not a lot of room for flaking, for women to change their minds, and not a lot of game to analyze. It's simply go after the girl I want, quickly invite her home, get her alone, and go for sex. Almost no game whatsoever. Simply want sex, go after sex, get sex. If you want more sex with more women, you have to clear your mind of everything except for one goal: get sex now.

----
You're not getting laid because you're too focused on game, the woman's reaction, coming off a certain way, and are too worried about what other people will think of you. If you want to get laid more, just focus on getting sex, and getting sex now. When you just focus on sex, and if the girl is at all sexually interested in you, a lot of the obstacles will handle themselves. Never underestimate your intuition when it is driven by sex. 

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Alcohol and Health

I'm going to vomit some select quotes from The Great Cholesterol Con here that deal with alcohol.

"In the United States, alcohol-related mortality is the third most common cause of death, claiming almost 110,000 lives every year -- over four times the number of deaths from illicit drug use."
 "...one alcoholic drink per day raises [breast-cancer] risk by fourteen percent while two and three drinks per day raise breast cancer risk by forty-one and fifty-nine percent, respectively."
He then goes on to review studies that show that "moderate alcohol consumption aligns with lower all-mortality rates." This, along with the idea that red wine is "healthy" for you, are consequences of poor control variables in various studies. The studies failed to separate abstainers from the different levels of drinkers. "In some instances, people who had not consumed alcohol for 30 days were considered abstainers." Those who drink healthier levels of alcohol also exhibit healthier choices in other areas of life as well.

Further on he talks about how drinking away from meals and binge drinking are "loser's games." In an Italian study, it was found that those who drank outside of meals suffered larger rates of mortality, especially in women. Binge drinking has been shown to cause episodes of arrhythmia, most often post-holidays and long weekends. This has caused an unofficial coining of the term "holiday-heart syndrome."

Ultimately, it is recommended that no more than 1-2 drinks be consumed and they should be accompanied with a meal.

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Now I'll be honest, I haven't cut back on my drinking since reading this information. I never drink excessively to begin with, consuming at most 3 or 4 drinks. I also don't always drink with a meal either.

I relay this information here for you so you can make an educated decision for yourself rather than just assuming what's been told to you.

It is in my personal belief that alcohol, when used appropriately and maturely, provides a net positive effect on overall health because it is a great way to let loose and enjoy life. We all know stress kills, and alcohol surely helps there.

Note: DO NOT use alcohol as a crutch to relieve your stress, but rather an additional tool in your enjoyment of life. Alcohol dependance is a serious issue and you should seek proffessional help. 

Otherwise, take a shot! 

Cheers!

Comments Are Open

Gonna allow comments for a bit, we'll see how it goes.

Moderated, of course.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Have Fun You Idiot

I could spend thousands of words writing on this simple topic, but I'm going in for the kill, short and sweet.

Law #1: Have fun.

Life is ultimately about enjoyment. Being depressed or sad or angry are pretty shitty ways to spend your time. Stress and anxiety are also pretty heavy fun-killers too.

You have to ask yourself, in all things you do, "am I having fun?" You might even be brazen enough to ask "how can I have more fun?"

I spent a great deal of time (two years) doing something that I thought would benefit me. Practically, yes it did, but emotionally I was not enjoying my experience.

Those learning "Game" might be familiar with this. Moving outside of your social-comfort-zone is one of the most grueling tasks for a man to do -- but that's only because we perceive it to be a grueling task. Why not have fun with it? The problem is that many men see Game as work and something they have to do like homework or studying for an upcoming test. If you can learn to have fun with something, you will rule it.

Even when something is happening that is particularly shitty, you could still enjoy it. Enjoyment is half action/half mindset. You could be fucking the most beautiful girl you ever met but be unhappy about it. You could have just broken a bone and start laughing at how funny it is.

So we have a formula. The formula is A+B=Fun where A is actions in life (those you chose and those that happen), and B is your mental perspective of A.

I want you to understand that "unhappiness" and "non-enjoyment" (possible inputs of B in the formula) are mostly an issue of non-acceptance. If you completely accept whatever has occurred to you, there is no resistance and therefore no negative reaction to the situation at hand.

"Oh well, I broke my hand."

"Oh well, I made one million dollars."

"Oh well, I got mugged."

"Oh well, I got a raise today."

All these situations have been accepted. Notice how the reaction to every incident is the same. Do not resist the resistant and you will be stalwart in mood. I read a book recently called "Zen and the Art of Happiness" that said "Everything that happens to you is the best possible thing that can happen to you." While this might sound cheesy or insane, this idea will keep your spirits up. Always ask "how will this benefit me?"

Everyone of us has incidents we are not proud of; Incidents that we shunned at the time that brought us despair, embarrassment, shame, or any of the myriad of negative feelings. These experiences ultimately shape you and make you who you are. Do not deny that they have contributed to your life.

Yes, some things are fucked up like child sexual abuse, but even then as an adult that person can accept it happened and move on with their life. Dwelling on the past and worrying about the future have never accomplished anything. Ever.

Note: Feel free to enjoy positive experiences fully while they come. If you get a million dollars or a raise, go ahead and pop some champagne. Remember, have fun.

This post started simple and I vomited stuff about acceptance and living in the Now. To read more about these concepts, check out the book "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle.

Yogurt: Acne Case Study

I have recently been tipped off to an interesting concept.

If someone is lactose intolerant (like myself) that means I do not have the bacteria/enzymes to digest the lactose in dairy products.

Yogurt has "built-in" bacteria cultures that are capable of digesting the lactose. Consider them a probiotic.

The idea is that with enough yogurt consumption one should be able to populate yourself with enough bacteria to digest the dairy, thus eradicating the lactose intolerance.

I might give this a shot.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Dental Drama: Wisdom Teeth and Xylitol

Recently it was brought to my attention by my dentist that I should have all of my wisdom teeth removed. The claim by may dentists was that they are impacted and my cause complications in the future.

If you've followed this blog since it's start, you would know that the body does not break itself. Because of this, I became skeptical of my dentists recommendation and I decided to some personal research on the topic.

I found teethremoval.com. The amount of information and research that this one man has done about wisdom teeth is astounding and I would argue the best resource on the subject available. Upon reading most of the text on his site (which took a while) I decided that I would not be getting my wisdom teeth out. Warning: This website will scare you shitless about getting your wisdom teeth out.

The reason? Wisdom teeth removal surgery is mostly a superfluous endeavor. There is a very low-incidence of actual complications from impacted wisdom teeth and an almost equal amount of complications that can result from the removal of them. He literally lists ~50 things that can go wrong as a result of the surgery.

Note: As a reveler of the whispered word, I happily implore you to explore his website on the subject. Read his story first -- it is insane.


Unfortunately for me, one of my wisdom teeth has some decay on it. Curse my genetics! Note: Joking, it's totally because of my shitty eating habits for the first 20 years of my life -- Hello Epigenetics!

As a result of this news, I decided to seek any advice on decay reversal, as I wasn't even sure if it is a possibility.

Well, I found some interesting information. Enter Xylitol. Here is the section on dental care (skip ahead for my idiot-proof summary):


Xylitol is a "tooth-friendly," nonfermentable sugar alcohol.[11][12] A systematic review study[13] on the efficacy of xylitol has indicated dental health benefits in caries prevention, showing superior performance to other polyols (polyalcohols). This is because the structure of xylitol contains a tridentate ligand, (H-C-OH)3 that can rearrange with polyvalent cations like Ca (II). This interaction allows for Ca (II) to be transported through the gut wall barrier and remineralize enamel before dental caries form.[14] Early studies from Finland in the 1970s found that a group chewing sucrose gum had 2.92 decayed, missing, or filled (dmf) teeth compared to 1.04 in the group chewing xylitol gums.[15] In another study, researchers had mothers chew xylitol gum when their children were 3 months old until they were 2 years old. The researchers found the children of the mothers in the xylitol group had "a 70% reduction in cavities (dmf)" when they reached 5 years of age.[15] Recent research[16] confirms a plaque-reducing effect and suggests the compound, having some chemical properties similar to sucrose, attracts and then "starves" harmful micro-organisms, allowing the mouth to remineralize damaged teeth with less interruption. (However, this same effect also interferes with yeast micro-organisms and others, so xylitol is inappropriate for making yeast-based bread, for instance.) This is because cariogenic bacteria prefer fermentable six-carbon sugars, or disacharrides such as sucrose, as opposed to the nonfermentable xylitol, whose antimicrobial properties then "starve" the bacteria, reducing their growth and reproduction.[17]

Xylitol is specific in its inhibition of the mutans streptococci group, bacteria that are significant contributors to tooth decay.[18] Xylitol inhibits mutans streptococci in the presence of other sugars, with the exception of fructose.[19] Xylitol also inhibits the growth of Streptococcus pneumoniae, as well as the attachment of Haemophilus influenzae on the nasopharyngeal cells, making xylitol nose spray a very marketable product.[14] Daily doses of xylitol below 3.44 grams are ineffective, and doses above 10.32 grams show no additional benefit.[18]
Saliva containing xylitol is more alkaline than saliva which contains other sugar products. After taking xylitol products, the concentration of basic amino acids in saliva may rise. When saliva is alkaline (i.e., its pH is above 7), calcium and phosphate salts in saliva start to precipitate into those parts of enamel where they are lacking.[20]

Xylitol-based products are allowed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make the medical claim that they do not promote dental cavities.[21]

A recent study demonstrated, as a water additive for cats, xylitol was effective in reducing plaque and calculus accumulation.[22] However, there is evidence xylitol may be dangerous to dogs.

To summarize, dental caries (cavities) are influenced by having an acidic environment in your mouth (remember pH scales from chem class?) and having material that the plaque bacteria can ferment -- like sugar, for instance.

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol with the same sweetness as table sugar. Unlike most sugars, it induces a favorable pH balance in your mouth (alkaline) and it is a nonfermentable substance which means the bacteria in your mouth cannot cause decay.

To top it all off, the more alkaline your mouth, the more saliva you produce and the more effective it can repair damaged enamel.

There have been no detrimental effects studied by excessive use from Xylitol (except nausea, diarrhea, and maybe a headache) but I took about 30g of this a day the past weekend and my shits have been excellent.

So I will be attempting to reverse the decay on my wisdom tooth with Xylitol, brushing my teeth, flossing, and using chewing sticks. Note: That whole post is not about chewing sticks, but all of it is informative.

There is no recorded insulin response as a result of Xylitol consumption, so it is safe for diabetics to use.

I'm just waiting for the study that says "Xylitol makes you sterile" because this shit is too good.

Here is the product I'm using (I found it at my local vitamin shoppe). I recommend the peppermint/spearmint gum. Avoid any of the fruity berry ones as they have some poopy ingredients.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Guidelines and Rules

There are two things that govern this world.

Guidelines and Rules.

A rule is steadfast and unshakeable. These are things like gravity, aging, and death. A rule is something that you shouldn't waste time or energy trying to circumvent because it is inevitable. Rules might be able to be slowed down or dismissed prematurely, but they will always exist.

A guideline is a signpost. It is an arrow pointing in a direction. What is not a rule, is a guideline. Things like diet, lifestyle choices, societal expectations, and how to cook a sweet potato. A guideline is a suggested path. You may walk along this path as straight as possible, you may zig-zag your way around while having fun with it, or you may choose not to venture down the path at all.

There is an issue when people mistake guidelines for rules and rules for guidelines.

Not accepting death is one of the most troublesome things that people deal with, as it causes them to turn a blind eye to life itself. To deny death is to deny life, is it not? Note: That's some straight-up poetry right there. Can ya dig?

Believing that you are "supposed" to get married, have two children, and buy a house stifles any creative drive or adventurous endeavors you might otherwise pursue. There is no universal rule as to how you should live, only that you do live.

It is important to recognize rules when they exist as you can avoid expending energy and resources into avoiding or changing them.

It is important to recognize guidelines for what they are as these are the things you have control over. 

You can't change the fact you're alive but you can choose how you live this life.

Friend Degrees

Over at Freedom Twenty Five, Frost made a post about friends. In my opinion, the post begs the reader to ask him/herself whether or not the friends he/she has are beneficial to your goals in life. Are you surrounding yourself with people who will support your ventures upwards (and vice-versa) or are you surrounding yourself with deadweight who have a net-loss effect on your personal endeavors.

At one point in the post he writes...
But will I call him when I come home from work and my wife has changed the locks and filed a restraining order? When I’m out of money and need a meal and a place to stay?* Probably not.
There are some things in life that you need real friends for. Friends that fate made for you in your childhood, and have stuck around since. It’s not impossible for adult friendships to take on the closeness and permanency that characterizes decades-old childhood friendships. But it’s tough.
He uses the term real friends. This is something I find interesting and something that the English language fails to communicate.

The English language can be pretty shitty with differentiating between different degrees of an idea. There are, as readily pointed out, different degrees of friendship that exist yet no more than two words are ever used to describe them (friend and acquaintance, but the latter seems to only come up in discussions of this nature). Love is another thing that comes to mind, as we have no words for "familial love" and "sexual love" and "brotherly love" but rather just Love. It can get confusing.

I recently saw someone on Roosh V's forums asking if having "friends" was necessary to live a healthy life (paraphrasing). I had to ask for clarification because we only have one word.

The question "is it necessary to have friends who will take a bullet for me" and the question "is it necessary to know people who I can hit up a club with" require two entirely different answers.

In short, I don't think it's necessary to have any friends. You could absolutely live a solitary lifestyle. However, I see absolutely no reason to exclude friends from your life. Friends, wisely chosen, do nothing more than enrich your life.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Fundamentals

There is a plague of stupidity seeping its way across this country.

Just thought you should know.

---

There was a time when my brother and his girlfriend were having an argument about where to live. He worked at point A (and they lived in point A) but she worked at point B. These were roughly an hour apart. To the dismay of my brother, she wanted to move. He of course, wanted to stay. I'll skip the boring details....

At one point, my brothers girlfriend stated "if we get a two-million dollar house we can stay." Note: I'm paraphrasing because this was all told to me by secondary sources.

Now, everyone in my family thought she was out of her mind making a request like that. They think it's terribly materialistic to ask my brother to do such a thing. I could tell something else was up -- my brothers girlfriend is not a gold-digger and this is the first time (to my knowledge) that a request of this caliber was made.

On the surface level, where the majority of people have set up camp, are the words "....two-million dollar home..."

On the fundamental level, where the Cave lies, are the delicate dynamics of a male-female relationship. The whole argument was because my brother was not fulfilling his masculine role in the relationship, and his girlfriend went a little haywire.

It is (however begrudgingly realized) that women prefer to not take the authoritative role in a relationship. The masculine role makes decisions. Unfortunately, my brother through his idea of compromise, was failing to take the reins of his situation. Women do not like making decisions.

The relevance of the two-million dollar house was that it provided an obligation for my brothers girlfriend to remain where they were. An expensive down-payment would force her to stay put. She was employing the powers of insanity and subtlety to avoid making a decision herself. You wouldn't move if you just dropped 2-mil on a house either.

Point of the story is the part where everyone mistook her demands for a house as the basis of her behavior, where as the games of female psychology were actually at play.

The problem is that people often mistake surface level issues as the fundamental problem. Let's take a look at one major problem that tends to be observed from the surface level.

Acne is a pain. I spent a good six years of my life under the reign of Acne. I tried many different regimens but I never stayed on them for long because, after some time, they either didn't work or had too many "side-effects." Life shouldn't have side effects.

I found a website called Acne.org which became my go-to for Acne problems. I ordered the regimen they pushed and tried it for a bit. Unfortunately, it ended up being just another Benzoyl Peroxide product disguised as a cure-all package (any Acne sufferers will be familiar with Benzoyl Peroxide and Salicylic Acid). Much to my chagrin, I quickly abandoned the product.

Now, you must be wondering, why I say these medications don't work. There are plenty of people who have considerably reduced their blemishes with Benzoyl Peroxide and other Acne medications. I wouldn't be surprised if some people got 100% clear from these products.

But there's more to it than those bumps on your face. Pimples and zits are symptoms of an unhealthy body. They are a reaction to the garbage that most people shove in their mouth. The mountains on your face are just the surface level of a more fundamental issue -- an unhealthy body. And stress. Stress is a bitch.

Note: It is, in my opinion, mostly a diet issue. From all the research I have done and from personal experience I can say this. I do, however, believe that Epigenetics are at play here and that some people will get Acne regardless of diet and some people will not. 

Many indigenous people of certain tribes did not have Acne until they were introduced to the western diet. I'm surprised no one caught that when it happened. Those indigenous people are usually doing the right thing diet wise. Usually....Note: Cannibalism is fucking odd.

This brings us to...

Law #2: Look for the Fundamental root of things.

If you're interested in reading about the interplay of diet and Acne, check out this book. Note: This is not free although you could probably find it if you looked hard enough....

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Obesity Is Not The Cause

You can read this garbage almost anywhere...

"Obesity leads to a higher risk of X,Y,Z,Q,R,T." I'm sure you've heard it.

This is the wrong way to look at it.

I have enlisted my Cave artists to produce diagrams to assist my argument.

This is what most people think:









This is how I see it:


Obesity is a fucking symptom people. It is an effect of an unheatlthy lifestyle, not a cause.

Note: Yes I'm aware there are healthy "fat" people, but these are outliers. 

Maybe if we shame obese people by calling them "sick" or "ill" they might make an effort to do something about it. 

But I doubt it. 

You: The Ultimate Filter

There is one important thing, when reading blogs of this nature, to remember.

Law #12: You have the final say in matters of you.

Just because I say that dairy causes Acne, doesn't mean that it does in you. It is always important to consider things within the context of yourself. 

Ask yourself how relevant the information is to you. Run experiments on yourself. The ultimate way to find out how you work is to find out how you work.

First hand experience is always more trustworthy than second hand experience. Note: In some cases, second hand experience is a better option. Don't go trying to disprove gravity.

Filter all information through yourself -- don't blindly absorb it.

Friday, June 3, 2011

In Mala Fide Publishes Paleo Crash Course

Check out my first blog post over here at In Mala Fide.

Browse the rest of their articles too -- many a great thought is spawned over there.

The Body Does Not Break Itself (Part 2)

Read the first part of this essay here.
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The story about my Aunt proves a point. People are obsessed with genetics and blaming things "out of their control." There is one major issue with this.

Cave Law #3: The body does not break itself.

Most of the time, when something with your health goes wrong it has been the result of some outside influence whether it has been food, perceived stress, or falling on your ass and breaking your tailbone. Obviously the latter is an indication that your body didn't, in fact, break its own tailbone.

Have you noticed that heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are becoming the normal way for people to pass? What happened to "dying of old age?" What happened to good old oxidation and your immune system just being unable to work anymore?

See, when something happens enough, people accept it as the truth. Heart disease has been shown to be caused by lack-of-exercise, shitty eating habits, and stress. Your body doesn't just wake up one day and decide it's going to short-circuit. It doesn't make the decision that it wants a bulbous tumor growing on it. Your exposure to things harmful and lack of healthy activity cause these things to occur.

Bones do not break themselves, they break from falling or stress.

Your arteries don't clog because they're tired of being healthy, they clog because you eat harmful foods. Note: Cholesterol isn't the culprit here either. I may post about this in the future, but until then do your body and your mind a favor by reading "The Great Cholesterol Con" by Anthony Colpo.

Type-2 Diabetes is caused by an influx of too much insulin all-the-fucking-time. It used to be called "adult-onset Diabetes" because children never got it, but now our modern food system is so misguided that they've dropped that name as many children are becoming diabetics. Read here and over here.

Your body doesn't plant tumors and water them, although the causes of cancer are so wide and varied I cannot specifically make an adequate sentence about them. Note: In today's modern age of airwaves, microwaves, cellphones, pesticides, chemically treated water, cancer might become an unavoidable occurrence. Do your best by controlling what you can, such as food, exercise, and stress.

In the case of my Aunt, she resigned to fate as being the ultimate decider of her feet, not the fact that her shoes have "broken" her feet.  

You don't just GET Scurvy, you lack of citrus. Note: Scurvy is the coolest sounding illness.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Sidenote: Shoes

It's a pretty well-understood fact in the Caveman community that shoes do more harm than good. (If you do a search on Marks Daily Apple with the keyword "shoes," you will get a truckload of results. (To save some time so you can continue reading my post you could just read this and this)).

Shoes are not part of the human anatomy, and even less a part of human history than agriculture. It wasn't until the mass production of shoe-making material in the mid-20th century that most of the world began wearing shoes. For the most part, we have been without them.

The first wearers of shoes were those who had the material resources, or the wealth, to afford them. Naturally, because those who are wealthy must be right, shoes became a necessary item similar to Coach bags.

For those of you who think it's insane to not wear shoes -- socially you are correct. You will look like a weirdo not wearing shoes in most of the developed world (no one in Uganda cares). Note: No offense to Uganda, you were the first African country to come to mind.

Another interesting facet about shoes is that they are the cause of the ailment listed as "flatfeet." The human foot was never meant to be encased in a supportive structure. We also know that the human body is highly adaptive and likes to conserve energy where not needed.

Point? The foot, which has now been supported by shoes for your whole life, loses it's strength because the shoe does the work. Why would the foot become strong if your shoe is supporting you?

This could be seen as an argument for the shoe as it helps support your foot, but your foot only needs support because of the shoe. Catch 22 anyone?

It wouldn't be fair to shoes if I didn't talk briefly on why they are good. Even the evilest of things can sometimes have a purpose.

Among all things, they have a protective sole. You will not hurt your foot by stepping on something sharp. Now, I actually believe if you went barefoot your whole life that your foot would be really fucking strong and calloused like a mother-fucker -- which means most things that bother you now while barefoot wouldn't even come up on your radar. Unfortunately, in our modern day, there are way too many things that are lying around that could be considered problematic even for the most extreme of all feet. Screws, broken glass, and other sharp objects would most likely still tear their way through.

Solution? Barefoot Alternatives. Note: there are more alternatives than listed in that post, but it is a great starting point.

The only other positive thing about shoes is that "everyone where's em, dude," which means that if you're the only barefoot person at a co-ed frat party, you might get strange looks (or they might all be too drunk regardless).

I compromise. I go barefoot when I can, which for me is a twenty-minute walk to my gym and back, when I play ultimate Frisbee or other sports on a surface that my feet can bare, and when I'm walking around my house. In general, if it's safe and socially acceptable I will go barefoot. Note: My definition of "socially acceptable" is most likely way wider than yours.

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Naturally, if you fucked up your foot doing something stupid (which is against the Laws), you may be required to wear a shoe for support because your foot cannot do it itself. In this case, I recommend trying to re-strengthen your feet by walking or swimming or whatever you can do, but don't ever stay in the pain cave. If you have to shoe it, shoe it.

The Body Does Not Break Itself (Part 1)

I will begin this post with an anecdote.

I was recently visiting my Aunt in her new NYC apartment. My mother and her were having a conversation about shoes that I was peripherally listening to as I nodded off. My Aunt made a comment about my mother's bunions and how they were not as pronounced as her own. They traded some hopeful thoughts on the matter. My Aunt chimed in with "well mommy had them so I think it's genetic."

That last sentence grabbed my attention so hard it started to asphyxiate. There was so much I wanted to say. So we began trading blows.

"Bunion's aren't caused by genetics. It's the tight shoes you have been wearing since you were flunking college."

"I think they are. Mom had pretty bad bunions as well so I think I got them too."

I would like to point out that this "Mom" is mother to both my mother and my aunt. She fails to realize that this already destroys her argument as my mom does not have bunion fever.

"No no. Listen. You have been consistently cramming your toes into a space tighter than they are comfortable with for over fourty years. Over time, the body adapts to the tight space that has been presented to them continuously by reducing space between the toes. The big toe, being the most malleable, bends towards the little toes which causes the location of the bunion to move in the opposite direction -- which makes it protroud."

She insisted on the genetic aspect of the bunions.

I decided to compromise.

"Have you heard of an Epigenetic effect?"

"No..?"

"Essentially, your body could have a genetic predisposition to bunions, but they will not just appear on their own. Epi means "on top of" and genetic is obvious. That means that you might have been at higher risk for bunions, which combined with your toe-cramping style caused this bunion catastrophe."  

(Note: I think this is the longest piece of prose that uses the word Bunion over ten times).

She agreed to this. Then we all rode into the sunset happily ever-after.

Note: degrading humor added to make the conversation more enjoyable to the reader. My Aunt and I have a wonderful relationship.

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Read part two here.