Saturday, April 3, 2010

Want

Something that seems clear, both from personal experience and observation of others, is that the act or feeling of want has an addictive quality. It feeds on itself. The more attention that is given to the emotion of want (it really is an emotion at it's core), the more powerful the emotion becomes. It takes on a life of it's own and in the extreme it can take over the life of the individual. And giving in to want - by acquiring the object of one's desire - leads not to satisfaction but to more want. The object of desire is an interchangeable thing, quickly replaced by something else almost immediately after it is acquired.

Some might argue that this is a good thing, that this insatiable drive is the engine of economic stability, maybe even the glue that holds human civilization together. Maybe the obsession with acquisition is a hidden hand ensuring that we all behave like good little boys and girls. Even if there is some truth to that there's also a carrot and stick aspect to it that (I would argue) detracts from one's quality of life. Some very wise minds have said that the 'secret' is not to want. That state of being is probably difficult for most of us to imagine but it is worth thinking about. And how free or happy can any of us really be if we are in a perpetual state of want?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

http://stargazersandgravediggers.blogspot.com/2009/11/grape-cure-and-alternative-cancer.html

You mentioned you are prone to asthma. My other blog has some information on this in the Jethro Kloss link.

In his book he defines asthma as too much mucos in the body. Some herbs are recommended in the book including lobelia. The gist of it is milk products and meats cause a lot of the mucos.

Tied to asthma are allergic reactions and the Mayo clinic lists nickel from stainless steel cookware as a principal cause of these allergic/asthma type reactions.

Of course we know that aluminum teflon cookware is also hazardous. Dr. Kloss almost died from making tea with an aluminum pot until he discovered what the problem was.

I would be you use stainless cookware and and flatware.

Also the lungs are not as strong when they do not have enough, silver copper and other minerals in them.

The inhalers they give you many say will weaken the lungs further bringing on more asthma in the future. The allergy shots all contain at least aluminum if not mercury.

I have looked into asthma as I know people who have it. You can buy the Jethro Kloss book on ebay sometimes for a couple of bucks.

He recommends switching to soy milk, zwiebach bread, Hot baths for an hour but most of all getting the mucus out of the body with fruit diets, and using herbs such as lobelia, hyssop, milkweed, mullein and horehound. The tea taken using a copper teapot will carrying to the cells more rapidly.

It might be wise for someone with asthma to drink liquids from a silver julep cup.

Ben There said...

Hi Mick -

Thanks for the advice. I always enjoy your comments at Visible's place.

Interesting thing about my asthma... Over the last couple of years I've gradually introduced various lifestyle changes. One is limiting meat consumption, especially red meat (almost excluding it entirely). Another is making sure I get quite a bit of green leafy vegatables and plenty of fruit in my diet every week. Also, I've limited milk an dairy intake - though not eliminating it entirely.

In addition to that I've been supplementing with a good amount of vitamin D, magnesium, B-12, fish oil, and just a normal mult-vitamin. There have been several other changes but those are the ones that come to mind at the moment. Oh, also I've found a Neti Pot to be borderline miraculous. Being on this regimen, not only has my asthma been non-existent (literally), but my allergies have improved dramatically and I haven't been sick with any kind of infection for about two years. Prior to this I would get no less than 3 sinus infections a year.

I'll check out the Kloss material as well as your blog.

It was actually one of your comments that finally convinced me to get rid of the non-stick skillet and go to a cast iron skillet (had it for a few months now).

I drink a pretty good amount of green tea each day also, and I may take up your suggestion of using a copper tea pot.

Thanks for stopping by and for your input.

Anonymous said...

http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/5/plastic_chemical_triggers_allergic_asthma_2902100305.html

You might be interested in this one also on plastic and bisphenol.

I threw everything out and cook in cast iron, tin lined copper pots and bought some real silver ware. I don't bother polishing it.

Copper is supposed to get pretty expensive soon. China is buying up the copper mines and there are only so many of them.

JM said...

Actually, inhalers work pretty well for my mother and I. It could also just be spring allergies.

Ben There said...

It's been so long since I've purchased an inhaler that they don't even make the kind I have anymore.