#simply for disagreeing and having their own spiritual practices (or lack thereof)

[themageiboline]

“Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose” - Veganism, as defined by the Vegan Society (emphasis added).

If I had been asked about this about four years ago I'd have been one of those "omnivorous druids" who would defend my eating of big macs as the circle of life but with time I've learned and changed. I’ve really come to think that as a philosophy this only makes sense for any environmentalist, nature-centered spirituality, or any lover of animals or supporter of good animal welfare in general. Nevertheless I don’t disagree in the slightest that forcing it as a dogmatic edict and prerequisite to follow a religion would be a horribly ill-advised move for a myriad of reasons, but I still took some degree of issue with some of the points of concern you had at the idea in general. To put it bluntly there really is a certain degree of hypocrisy or inconsistency or whatever you wish to call it - of which I myself have been massively guilty of in the past - in claiming to respect nature and all life while also supporting what amounts to the industrialized and systematic abuse and torture of animals, even as available alternatives exist.

So, allow me to take a moment to explain my stance in what will hopefully prove to be a constructive and informative piece on the issue. That’s how we truly learn anything after all; through the earnest recognition of facts and education and a willingness to constructively criticize ourselves as much as anyone else, not through forced dogmatic edicts and indoctrination, and certainly not through blissfully silent apathy as tempting as it always is.

First and foremost we simply cannot continue to ignore the horrors of industrialized animal agriculture while claiming to love and respect all life. In modern society we're so removed and detached from where our food comes from that we pay little to no mind as we unwittingly and inevitably give support to the systematic torture of animals of similar sentience to dogs all for profits for producers and pleasure for us consumers. View this video to see some examples, though of course content warning for some serious acts of animal cruelty here. After that I recommend looking up regulations where you live (or the lack thereof) that might theoretically prevent that, or even regulations that if anything help to protect the abusers. A good start might be “animal ag gag laws,” that was the turning point to conversion for me. It was kind of hard for me to keep saying I was against animal abuse and for respecting life yet also choose to pay for chickens that are grown until the legs break out from under them just because McNuggets sounded good for lunch. Continuing to consume that ran completely counter to everything I claimed to believe; I simply could not continue to claim to love animals and the environment while my actions seemed to show I valued my tastebuds more than their right to not suffer for my own enjoyment.

It's also horribly unsustainable as cows are herded into cramped factory farms to munch on feedlots of soy and corn, where our neglected nutritional middlemen spend their lives in objectively horrid conditions just to grow meat on their bones and die while they belch and fart out methane that pollutes our atmosphere. And while farming, hunting, and milking animal products yourself might work on small scale for some people, most people don’t have the space or time to do that. It simply cannot scale so modern society and any talk on best consumption practices needs to focus on what can. On that note, I strongly advise you look into the unsustainability of dairy and how it compares to plant-based milk alternatives. Bear in mind in addition to the stark contrast in the amount of water required to produce it, cow milk will often have been produced by a cow already feeding on corn and soy, so cropland is already being rather inefficiently used to feed a middleman as it is. As a result plant-based milk substitutes will likely always remain the much more efficient alternative.

Source: https://blog.datawrapper.de/cow-milk-and-vegan-milk-alternatives/ - While this specific article and study are new to me it seems perfectly in line with what I’ve read before.

And as far as the comment about animism goes, sure but for one that is only religious speculation, second that still doesn’t even inherently suggest equality of experience, third even if it did we’d be causing less harm to less plants by eating what’s farmed directly and cutting out the middleman where possible, and fourth and finally religious conjecture that can’t be backed by science should never have any place in ethical discussions except for where it specifically and directly relates to the practicing of that religion. Never should any unsubstantiated religious belief or tradition be used on its own to justify a moral relativism that goes directly against what scientific consensus suggests. And as far as animism is relevant to this discussion on the practice of neodruidic beliefs, I’d point out for aforementioned reasons veganism can be rather consistent with an animistic view if anything anyway. And besides, in what’s supposed to be a progressive “reformed” religious system, acting in accordance with a scientific understanding of potential harm caused should always come first, with our own unsubstantiated conjecture only ever coming second. No matter how alive one believes a plant or rock to be science has shown us that every experience of pain and anguish can be traced directly to biological reactions inside a nervous system and therefore recognizing any known human-caused pain of other animals should come first before any theoretical experience a rock might have.

To finish this off, let me propose to you two scenarios. In one, a group of more reconstructionist minded pagans who run a farm of their own hold a ritual, during which they slaughter one of their livestock as part of the ritual, offering up its spiritual energies to whatever gods they believe in then dining on the butchered meat later that night as a feast. In another, a group of neopagans who’ve understandably refrained and even prohibited such animal sacrifice go on to buy burgers after, solely because that’s what they happened to be craving at the time. In the former case pagans sacrificed an animal upon the altar of their gods, which they raised free to graze the grasslands of wide fields, to later have their lives cut short as sacrifice and to be eaten. In the latter, we pay to have animals raised and abused in a way that is harmful to both them and the environment only to be sacrificed on the altar of our cravings. Let’s be honest here - which one really sounds worse? And yet only one is prohibited in Reformed Druidry.

"we have enslaved the rest of animal creation, and have treated our distant cousins with fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion they would depict the Devil in human form." - William Ralph Inge

Has there ever been an uproar about the diet of a druid? I mean what if the grand council or whomever the highest power is started to revamp things saying that All druids must be vegetarians to respect nature in the right way? I mean people talk about being part of nature and loving animals but they eat them so if they are supporting the killing is that not hypocritical? I am not pushing for vegetarians just asking a question. What would this really do to druids if they had to give up meat to show they were druids? Would YOU quit?

Veganism has not been addressed in Reformed Druidism before. However, there was a time in 1970 that the Chairperson of the Council of Dalon Ap Landu (the governing body of Reformed Druidism) drafted a proposal called the Codex of Form Missive in an attempt to regulate the RDNA and treat it like a respectable religious order. The effort backfired epically, and the proposal became nicknamed the Massive Missive Mistake and even the chairperson soon apologized and withdrew the proposal.

The main issue is that his proposals were considered by many to be rather un-Reformed. The RDNA was designed for people of differing cultural and religious backgrounds to come together to celebrate what they had in common, and not to indoctrinate anyone toward any particular belief or lifestyle. To mandate or proselytize a lifestyle change in the RDNA would be considered very un-Reformed, and to enforce a change in that direction would be the end of Reformed Druidism.

One member of the Reformed Druid priesthood in recent years would also practice his First Nations spirituality in tandem with druidry and made musical instruments from animal parts in accordance with his tribe's customs. If veganism was enforced upon him, it would mean he would have to erase that part of his identity and give up his cultural practices. That would simply be antithetical to the spirit of the Reform.

I think I know only one vegan druid among all the many dozens that I have met. Among the rest, the consensus is that they embrace their omnivore status as part of their humanity. I know those who hunt and fish or milk their own goats so that they have less of an impact on the environment. It made me wonder how many oat fields they would need to make their own oat milk, and that just doesn't sound sustainable in a small-scale.

I think if all druids had to go vegan, there would be almost no druids left. It would also make haruspicy very difficult to perform. In druidry animism is very common, which means a druid is likely to interpret that everything is alive and has a spirit. Rocks, trees, water, and the wind would be viewed as just as alive as animals or people.

[mayacatmaster]

Don't trust your own opinion and always back your judgment until the action of

the market confirms your theory.

Markets are never wrong opinions often are.  ~Jesse Livermore

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Don't trust your own opinion and always back your judgment until the action of

the Life-sweet-fruits confirms your theory.

Life itself are never wrong opinions often are.

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What are your thoughts about this reading? For, through experience is wisdom gained. Knowledge is power if there is the wisdom to apply it in the direction that brings the fruit of the spirit or the seed thereof. #EdgarCayce reading 2051-5 

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A refined theory is born through a mixture of wisdom, self observation, and in one kind of intelligence can Mirror the most simplest “Cosmic Principle”(Tao; Source; Ma at; Brahma) in every area ….: When more fully matured, the very expression of consciousness becomes an offering of one kind can as alignment-deliberate-creator-wisdom-insight-peace-joy. It is then where the origins of a true theory becomes clear - where it is self knowledge-understand which is the ground of any kind of theory - not religion,morality-belief-system, philosophy, or spiritual practice. Lacking this kind of self knowledge-understand-wisdom-insight - where is the question of responsibility ? There is only mechanical conduct of the blind, a software following world, follow and LISTEN TO THEIR FRIENDS. FAMILY. AND NEIGHBORS. THEY LISTEN TO SOCIETY.

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Because…:

THE NUMBER ONE REASON PEOPLE FAIL IN LIFE IS BECAUSE THEY LISTEN TO THEIR FRIENDS. FAMILY. AND NEIGHBORS. THEY LISTEN TO SOCIETY.

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O = Opinion What is your opinion of these quotes? Do you agree, disagree? Are you offended? Is the quote misleading? *** *** *** No matter of what kind of area, who or what topic…: Loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul. ~Mark Twain *** *** ***

If I could give you only one advice, I would say: Don't identify with anything. Be completely empty - no one. Be no-body and see if you lose anything but delusion. ~Mooji *** *** ***  “Student”(solar): “What is the meaning of Distance Yourself a little bit? *** *** *** When you said: Distance Yourself For A Bit. You’ll Realize A Lot. *** *** *** Since you said: Unless your Biological-computer-mindset-programs can pass through your self-inquiry, it just not belong to you, why??? *** *** *** Since every people usually consider their body-mind and Biological-computer-mindset-programs belong to them. *** *** *** Why don’t you pick up it as your “me; mine; myself” & “real; true”??? *** *** *** Just because everybody in this world perform it in this kind of way. My Master?”; *** *** *** "Master"（Mr. Bean）:“ Whatever happened to you and me, ….!  *** *** *** When you recognize that there is a voice in your head that pretends to be you and never stop speaking, you are awakening out of your unconscious identification with the stream of thinking. When you notice that voice, you realize that who you are is not the voice. the thinker, but the one-who is aware of it. *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** "You can watch your mind and you will be surprised that all that you carry in your mind and think is yours is NOT yours. It has all come from different sources - from parents, teachers, priests, politicians - others have given it to you." Osho *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** "If you do not like the state of your world, it is you yourselves that must change, individually and en masse. This is the only way that change will be affected." ~@SethSpeaks1 *** *** ***  And…: THE KEY IS DETACHED AWARENESS; IN WHICH YOU SIMPLY 'OBSERVE' AND TAKE THINGS LESS PERSONALLY. *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** If I could give you only one advice, I would say: Don't identify with anything. Be completely empty - no one. Be no-body and see if you lose anything but delusion. ~Mooji *** *** ***  So.,..: Unless my Biological-computer-mindset-programs can pass through my self-inquiry, it just not belong to me. *** *** *** I won’t pick up it as your “me; mine; myself” & “real; true”. *** *** ***  So.,..: Watch Life, as if you are watching a movie! Watch your own 3D-life-movie, as if you are watching another peoples 3D-life-movie. Watch your own self, as if you are watching another people's self. Watch your own beliefs, as if you are watching another peoples’ beliefs.... inquiry and question it. *** *** *** Just like "Socrates" said: “To find yourself, question and think for yourself.” -Socrates *** *** ***

Intelligence is thought without resistance. ~Abraham *** *** *** We make the rules and we should make them work for us, not the other way round. 我们制定规则，我们应该让他们为我们工作，而不是反过来。 *** *** *** Let your format produce the desire, and once the desire is there, then lie on your bed and ask that the energy come forth. And as you release your limitations of your disbelief about it, then it will be your experience. -Abraham Hicks *** *** *** You must accept the idea completely, however, that your beliefs form your experience. Discard those beliefs that are not bringing you those effects you want. - Seth The Nature of Personal Reality: *** *** *** According to alignment with “Source”(True Self; Tao) and as an alignment-deliberate-creator….: *** *** *** Mirror the most simplest “Cosmic Principle”(Tao; Source; Ma at; Brahma) in every area ….: *** *** *** Rethink Re-evaluate, redo and organize your mind, thinking patterns and your higher truths. With Mercury retrograde we get the opportunity to slow down and gain more clarity an recharge our thoughts through clearing away unresolved issues and processes. ~LAW OF POSITIVISM *** *** *** According to alignment with “Source”(True Self; Tao) and as an alignment-deliberate-creator….: *** *** *** Mirror the most simplest “Cosmic Principle”(Tao; Source; Ma at; Brahma) in every area ….: *** *** *** Awareness: Of your inner and outer world, being conscious through the understanding that as above, so below. When you are aware how you are affecting and being affected through each thought and vibration, you understand the power of intentions and awareness. ~LAW OF POSITIVISM *** *** *** Less pointless convos More comfortable silences *** *** *** Clutter is not just physical stuff. It's old a ideas, toxic relationships and bad habits. Clutter is anything that does not support your better self. -Eleanor Brown: minimalist *** *** *** According to alignment with your Source and as an alignment-deliberate-creator. *** *** *** Detox your timeline, your page, your home, your refrigerator, under your counters, your closet, your ride, your phone, your life, and your mind. - Lalah Delia *** *** *** Declutter those doesn't matter for your life. … and Focus on what you really want. Can save a lot of energy, time, money… and help you Constantly amplifying what you Focus on and concentrating your energy …: *** *** *** Good or evil, who decides?;  By "Source"(True Self; Tao; Logos: Ma at; Brahman) or  Seek "their"(government; parents; guru; husband; teacher; morality; religion) approval. *** *** *** The spirit of the individual is determined by his domination thought habits. ~Bruce Lee Kushandwizoom  *** *** *** We make the rules and we should make them work for us, not the other way round. 我们制定规则，我们应该让他们为我们工作，而不是反过来。 *** *** *** The eyes are useless, when the heart is blind. *** *** *** And since your whole mindset-program control your whole life itself. *** *** *** An unquestioned mind is the world of suffering. -Byron Katie *** *** *** . . . there are no short cuts to knowledge, to wisdom, to understanding – these must be lived, must be experienced by each and every soul.#EdgarCayce reading 830-2 *** *** ***  語言文字不教導，只有知識是不夠的，騾子背了一大堆的書，走了很長的路，不知道那些書對他有何幫助，鸚鵡重複別人的話，不知那些怎麼應用那些話獲得生命美好結果 Language does not teach, only knowledge is not enough, the Mule took a lot of books, went a long way, do not know what those books help him, parrot repeat others words, do not know how to apply those words to get good results in life *** *** ***  擁有學校最高學位的博士，往往在現實生活嚐到敗果， A doctor with the highest degree in the school, often in real life to taste the fruit of defeat， *** *** ***  學校男生只讀書，不學習生活本身， school boys only study books, don't study life itself, *** *** ***  往往理論與生命實務脫節， Theory is often out of touch with life itself， *** *** ***  現實生活往往處處窒礙難行 Real life tends to be difficult. *** *** *** No matter of it’s white cat or black cat … which can catch mouse is good cat. *** *** *** The value and importance of drugs comes from being able to heal one’s mind-body-heart-soul return alignment with Source-like-health-wealth-well Being. *** *** *** And same…: The value and importance of methods comes from being able to can help one’s mind-body-heart-soul return alignment with Source-like-joy-light-peace-health-wealth-well Being. *** *** *** When shoes fit, forget foot;  when girdle fit, forget waist:  when methods fit, forget minds;  that shows the "Suitability"(alignment with "Source) of the heart (for the question). ~Zhuangzi *** *** *** No matter it’s in a world, a country, a home, a mind-body. *** *** *** “Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.” —Pema Chodron *** *** *** TRUE Wisdom Comes To Each Of Us When We Realize How Little We Understand About Life, Ourselves And The World Around Us: - Socrates *** *** *** Man moves in a world that is nothing more or less than his consciousness objectified. - Neville Goddard *** *** *** Whatever you believe about yourself on the inside is what you will manifest on the outside. *** *** *** You are as you believe yourself to be. ~NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ *** *** *** From Non-Physical You began envisioning a place like this planet. And now you are living that dream that you have imagined. -Abraham - *** *** *** When you see something you are not that.  You see the body therefore you are not that. You see the mind, this thought flow, therefore you are not that.  Like that eliminate what you are not and just be what you are. ~Nisargadatta Maharaj *** *** *** You are. That is most important. Concentrate on the Seer, not on the seen. All that you see is false and the Seer alone is true. ~Sri Ramana Maharshi *** *** *** LET WHAT COMES COME. LET WHAT GOES. Why do you worry? ~Sri Ramana Maharshi *** *** *** Watch the mind. You must stand aloof from it. You are not the mind. ~Sri Ramana Maharshi *** *** *** Human evolution has two steps. From being somebody to being “nobody”(No-mind; wholeness). From being nobody to being “everybody”(Source-like-function-working in every area). -Sri Sri Ravi Shankar- *** *** *** AS ABOVE, SO BELOW AS WITHIN, SO WITHOUT HAS THE UNIVERSE, SO THE SOUL AS THE INFINITE, SO THE INFINITESIMAL *** *** *** When you understand that everything is frequency, the universe becomes a symphony. *** *** *** The visible world is the invisible organization of energy. ~Heinz Pagels *** *** *** My body and the universe come from the same “Source”(Tao; Ma at), obey the same rhythms, flash with the same storms of electromagnetic activity. My body can't afford to argue over who created the universe.  Every cell would disappear the second it stopped creating itself.  So it must be that the Universe is living and breathing through me.  I am an expression of everything in existence. At this moment, you are seamlessly flowing with the cosmos. ~Deepak Chopra *** *** *** He who knows other men is intelligent; he who knows himself is enlightenment. He who overcomes others is strong; he who overcomes himself is alignment-deliberate-creator-mighty.  The wise use their heart like mirror.  Mirror the most simplest “Cosmic Principle”(Tao; Source; Ma at; Brahma) in every area …: Their mirror-heart reflects the heavens and the Earth.  Their mirror-heart reflects everything and as an alignment-deliberate-creator....: *** *** *** Between egoism and "Source"(Tao; True Self); Between man-made-rules and "Source"(Tao; True Self); Between desires and "Source"(Tao; True Self); Between your-origin-face and "Source"(Tao; True Self); *** *** *** Between your heart, my heart and another heart; *** No matter what... You learn more about someone at the end of a relationship than at the end beginning of it. *** *** *** Life is "Tao"(True Self；Brahman) back to itself. I observed the sun, moon, stars orbit operation life. *** *** *** Because…: Simplicity Is The Ultimate Sophistication. ~Leonardo Da Vinci *** *** *** And…: "Nature"(Tao；Ma-at；Logos; Source) never did betray the heart that loved her. *** *** *** “Student”(solar): “My Master, what is You are never along or helpless. ...?”; *** *** *** "Master"（Mr. Bean）:“ Well, my dear solar…: You are never along or helpless.  It’s mean….: The force that is guiding the whole universe is also in you too! *** *** *** And…: I Have As Much Authority As The Pope I Just Don't Have As Many People Who Believe It. ~George Carlin *** *** *** But who care about it …: You are just …: Follow the force that is guiding the whole universe is in you.  Pledge allegiance to your "Source"(God; True Self; Tao; Logos),  everything is done! ~Zhouyi cantong qi“ *** *** *** Because…: No matter it’s in a world, a country, a home, a mind-body. *** *** *** “Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.” —Pema Chodron *** *** *** If you see all the star swirls with the Big-Dipper,  Hundreds of millions of years and hundreds of millions of years,  No matter it is ancient and modern or east or west. *** *** *** It is through watching the "Cycles" of Nature that we more fully understand the cycles of our own lives. *** *** *** Four things cannot be long hidden; the sun, the moon, the Big-Dipper and the “Truth”(True Self; Tao; Logos; Ma-at; Dharma; Source).  *** *** *** Do you know what the dominate reason for anyone who has a worthiness issue is ? They have plenty of negative emotion and they're willing to put up with it. Source is rooting for them, and they are rooting against themselves. ~Abraham *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** Via and thanks “Abraham-Hicks: Inspirational Quotes” *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** Through the modern world may know a million secrets, the ancient world knew "One"(Source; Tao; Ma-at; True Self; Brahma) - and that was greater than the million; for the million secrets breed death, disaster, sorrow, selfishness, lust, and avarice, but the "One"(Source; Tao; Ma-at; True Self; Brahma) secret confers life, light, and truth. ~Manly P. Hall *** *** ***

[redefinethegrind]

Mental Illness Attack Plan

I feel that I have beaten mental illness. Perhaps, beaten is a little too strong. Let me rephrase that. I feel my mental illness is in remission. How might one put mental illness into remission? That is a million-dollar question and I believe I can provide some answers over the next several paragraphs.

I don’t discern between types of mental illness here, this will be broad reaching and unspecialized. I don’t believe a full treatment plan is “one size fits all” per say, but I do think this one size fits all approach will improve any and all mental illness. That sounds bold, but I urge you to read forward and learn some tips that are not extravagant and are not secrets.

Before learning to beat mental illness let’s talk about “catching and maintaining” mental illness. Mental illness has a genetic component and environmental component. There are thousands of texts written on nature vs. nurture pertaining to mental illness so I won’t discuss any further here. There is another component less discussed, that is the choice and neuroplasticity component. Dr. Caroline Leaf and Dr. Jeffery Schwartz have written extensively on these concepts and would be great resources to learn further. Essentially, negative thinking can cause a negative cycle of neuro-endocrine action in the brain which causes physical changes and may lead to mental illness. The good news is negative thinking is at least in part a choice.

Depression, for example, is “caught” in a way. An individual may be predisposed to depression genetically- go on to develop major depressive disorder- approach his/her day with a negative thought pattern -then have a negative experience etc. By the time the negative cycle is spinning away it is starting to feel too advanced to slow down or reverse. I have been there in my own life. I was doing everything wrong in life to fix depression and the depression got worse and worse. Luckily it did not culminate in suicide, but it did culminate in a staring contest with a .357 magnum.

Just as negative cycles are bred in negative environments, positive cycles exist and when propagated they reverse mental illness. In order to construct a positive neuro-endocrine cycle one must develop a lifestyle plan which utilizes a multi-angled-attack approach. The seven categories I will discuss in this text are: Positive thinking, exercise, music, creating, charity, and spirituality. In the next few pages I will explore each component of the attack plan in greater detail and give examples.

Positive Thinking

Neuroplasticity is a well-documented phenomenon and rather than belabor a point I have no experience with personally researching, I would direct the reader to the work of Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz on the matter as mentioned above. Regardless, it is proven time and time again that positive thinking can cause very real changes to environment and physiology. This, to those not experienced or versed on the subject, can almost sound like magic. Positive thinking literally does shape our very environment. The gift of free-will allows us to make ‘positive’ choices and thus have ‘positive’ outcomes.

Diet

The closer to an ideal diet one eats, the closer to optimal brain functioning one operates. The difficult part of this dilemma is discovering what ideal really means. Running a vehicle on a less desirable fuel source leads to a rougher combustion process. This is a similar idea to running the human brain on less desirable food sources. The best diet is frankly tailored to the individual, there is no one-size fits all answer. If I had to choose a diet that most people would do quite well on I would choose the vegan diet; more specifically primarily raw, plant-based diet rich in vitamins and the nutrients needed to operate optimally by the human body. Again, however, genetic variance plays a large role in this.

There are some individuals who would operate more optimally with meat in his/her diet. Also, it is debated whether or not human-beings would have even evolved such a large frontal lobe without the advent of cooking and consuming animal protein. That all being said, there is little, if any, evidence to support the consumption of animal protein in a well-developed and industrialized society. At this point consuming meat, eggs, and dairy have become obsolete from a practical and health standpoint. Remember, if one chooses diet for convenience, taste, or some combination thereof, I don’t disrespect that. I must disagree, however, with those who argue in favor of a high-protein diet; there is just no evidence to support the need of all of this animal protein.

In reality, human beings digest and utilize plant material much more readily than they do animals. Tradition through cultural and social norms has led to the inability for many to “give up” meat and dairy. Also, cow’s milk has been well studied and does carry many physically addictive properties- in fact most humans are at least mildly allergic to cow’s milk. Even if an individual successfully argues a point for consuming high levels of animal protein, which I don’t believe could be done impartially, one must also take into account the high levels of hormone and antibiotic used in the American meat and dairy industry.

Exercise

Regular cardiovascular exercise has been proven integral for human well-being. Interestingly, in the United States, culture seems to be shifting away from an active society. If one looks back on the human-being in the wild, it is clear that healthy individuals should have no difficulty whatsoever rising, running, bending, squatting, climbing, etc. In American society it has simply been accepted that all humans will have some level of disfunction. I don’t believe the notion that we have somehow, we have all acquired defective equipment. Chronic pain and dysfunction, at least in my experience, are becoming the norm rather than the exception.

Like diet, there is not a one-size fits all approach to exercise, however, if given the task of presenting all humans with a decent exercise plan to use as framework, I would start by recommending walking/running daily as well as weight bearing exercise 2-3 times per week. Some may view this as a large amount of working out, however, this is not working out at all. This is going on with incorporating a supplemental activity into an otherwise sedentary lifestyle. We are seeking to supplement the exercise, intended by nature, which technology has made obsolete. It is difficult to imagine, but perhaps exercise will one day become obsolete via evolution, however, this process will take millions of years.

Limit Instant Gratification

Studies have time and time again linked addictive behavior and individual report of perceived satisfaction to dopamine release. Activities such as sex (masturbation or otherwise), gambling, drug use, shopping, etc. all cause the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine. The dopamine response in the human brain leads to a sense of pleasure. This sounds ideal initially, however, the dopamine response is short lived and soon leaves the individual craving another “shot” of dopamine.

When this release of dopamine is derived from an activity such as shopping, the individual links shopping with feeling well. This, unfortunately can lead to 1) addiction, that is dependence on an external activity in order to have the perception of mental wellness 2) diminished pleasure with activities other than those favorites which do give the dopamine response. The downside of number 2 is the development of anhedonia, that is, lack of interest in those activities one used to find pleasurable. Anhedonia is often the first sign of a depressive state.

Music

Technically some sources would have linked music above in the instant gratification category, however, I view music as an overall positive resource. The reason I view music in a positive light is the minimal lack of side effects from regularly utilizing it to improve well-being. Music has been showed to cause an increase in dopamine. Tesla believed strongly that reality as we know it was intimately linked with vibration and energy- the building blocks of music- the building blocks of everything.

Creating

Creating something, anything, is linked to improved self-esteem and feeling of wellness. I have seen this in my own life and know it to be true. Art, music, writing, etc. all are ways to create something and put it into the world. Humans are naturally social creatures who wish to share with others. Creating gives individuals, a sense of accomplishment and can also be a valuable coping skill and may allow the development of a deeper understanding of self.

Charity

Giving back to others without expecting in return has been integral in my own sense of well-being. Frankly, I’m not sure if it is necessary to give back in order to be happy and/or feel well. Nevertheless, the point here is not to give without expecting anything back. This works well for me and does truly help others to feel a little bit better as well (that isn’t to say that others’ happiness is dependent upon any external source, just that improvement in sense of well-being may occur from acts of kindness, random or premeditated).

Spirituality

Spirituality has become a fundamental piece of my own well-being and studying human sociology has allowed me to comfortably generalize that thought to others. When I say spirituality, I do not mean choosing any religion or philosophy off of the shelf and trying to blindly incorporate it into life. I am referring to the process of questioning the nature of reality and researching/soul searching. Humans are naturally inquisitive creatures, if you don’t believe me interview an eight-year-old. It is also important to understand that by spirituality I do clearly distinguish this sensation from that of mentalor emotional.

Death of Ego

The ego, or sense of self, is one of man’s ways of grappling with consciousness.