The conundrum of the mind manacled, defiance based, spiritually sick atheist (Jesus, morals)

[Vfr]

Without spiritual values, the atheist is sunk. The conundrum of the mind manacled, defiance based, spiritually sick atheist is this. They need spiritual values to be at peace - yet their own defiance blocks them from seeking and finding these values.

The atheist that only has a foundation of ego and hate will never find peace. If any theist questioning their faith should wonder onto alt.atheism, for instance, they could see this for themselves with many spiritually sick example members and their projection of this spiritual sickness and self hate onto others.

What is missing in these atheists lives?

Do they need to get religion?

Not necessarily.

As we see, many people claiming to be religious are just as bad off as atheists or sometimes worse.

"People that practice religion are worried about going to hell - people that practice spirituality have already been to hell and don't want to go back."

Spiritual values is what they are short on.

Such atheists full of defiance and devoid of spiritual values are 'dogmatic skeptics', whereas atheists that are open to spiritual values are of the order of 'skeptical skeptics.' The spiritual based atheists have not forgotten 'All Deities reside within the human breast' as Blake wrote. There is a world of difference between the two types of atheists...a night and day difference. The spiritual based atheists 'deifies humanity and peace' the defiance based atheist 'deifies their ego' and loses any connection with humanity and becomes a haggard, shell of a human.

A lot of atheists I run into make their intellect their God. They do not know that academic smarts are not the same as peace smarts. Until they can transcend their ego they will never find the answer (peace) they seek. It is the same for those that think money is all that is standing between them and happiness. So it goes for the ego and intellect based person that is devoid of spiritual values. Always remember...one thing only goes so far with giving a person a good life. Seek balance. Spiritual growth as well as humans are not perfect, but we can all do better at being humane if we try.

See:

http://jesusneverexisted.org/jne/forum/index.php?topic=4.0


There are many flavors of atheists...natural atheists, personal atheists, explicit atheists, implicit atheists weak atheists, strong atheists, discovery atheists, reactionary atheists, indoctrinated atheists and of course the bad *** atheists with attitude aka BAAWA varieties. But the defining characteristic that leads an atheist to peace is whether they are a 'spiritual based atheist' or 'defiance based atheist.'' I have to laugh sometimes when I read the fantasies of atheists that think atheism will take over the world. It would take a different brand of atheist to persuade many to change if they investigate the online atheists of the usenet to any degree.

In short you must become spiritual based atheists to offer something to the religious crowd instead of the defiance based atheists that many of you are.

What is a defiance based atheist?

Let me give you an example via some discussion with 'N'

If we look at N's youth he showed defiance from the start. He knew at a young age God was repulsive without even studying and told his parents what to do when it came to marching orders.


N: "Dragged to Sunday school 3 times, hated the songs, thought God was repulsive, refused to go ever again."


V: Now at adulthood, 'N' carried this defiance with him and refuses to let others think for themselves and demands all think as he does or else.


N: "Theists like you (V) should be given electric shocks every time they use parables. That is my new policy."


V: As Professor Peter Kreeft remarked on the subject of morality: First level morality could be called survival morality - lets not hit each other on the head so none of us will die. Second level morality could be justice morality - lets not hit each other on the head because it is not fair or not right. Third level morality could be called 'transcend the ego' morality - lets not hit each other because we love each other.


N: "Professor Peter Kreeft is a Christian. This is an atheist group. Why would you think someone who bases their morality on the Bible and the supernatural has anything relevant to say to an atheist? Why are you promoting Christian values? Some agnostic you are. Some freethinker you are."

end


I did not know Professor Kreeft was a Christian. I had listened to a lecture series from the library on the Philosophy of Religion - Faith and Reason he authored. He gave no indication of what religion he was. I did not need to know his religious convictions to come to a conclusion about what he said. I look at what was said and not at who said what. 'N' demonstrates how the mind manacled, defiance based atheists gets blinded by prejudice and ego at every turn.

Atheists say they operate on truth and not by faith. If we look at the 3 examples Kreeft gave, all 3 can be tested by practical application. Even the 'transcend the ego' concept can be tested by any freethinking atheist. All they have to do is practice kindness and being charitable to humanity as opposed to practicing hatred and ill will. Then they can test this out for themselves. Even if the atheist does not wish to test level three morality, level one and two have nothing to do with spiritual values. Yet the mind manacled, defiant atheists throws the whole lot out because they get blinded to the discussion due to prejudice and small minded thinking.

No, 'N', a good agnostic is open to the discussion from all sides. A proper atheists and theist would be as well. For how could an atheists claim to serve truth, when they shut their mind to the discussion and block out anything that their ego demands them to. I guess in your mind a good atheists is a yes man that runs by herd instinct and nothing else. No judging truth on it own, truth is defined not by testing, but by guilt by association in your mind 'N'.


end page 1

[Vfr]

page 2 continued


Freethinker is a popular term thrown around atheists and agnostic circles. I use it myself to describe myself.

http://www.freethoughtforum.org/about/freethought.aspx

I've only used 'N' as one example here and he not singled him out. If I wanted to write a book on the subject I could have offered you an almost endless supply of examples. For instance. I posted on the subject of "Peace Tools for Atheists, Agnostics and Believers" to the 'alt.atheism' to open up some dialogue on what tools are available for the atheist or agnostic to use to generate inner peace in place of organized religion. All the tools and concepts I discussed were available for any person to use without the belief in God.

In my post I covered many tools from simplicity, compassion, classical philosophical studies, ethics, mindfulness, reciprocity, charity, accepting impermanence, developing gratitude and contentment, cutting back on craving and desires, working with natural law, balanced living, etc. I illustrated how I use freethinking to take tools for peace wherever I find them without prejudice and evaluate the tool on it own and not under guilt by association. All the tools I discussed were available to use without the belief in God.

I received the following responses to my post on inner peace tools:

"I've never been not at peace. What you offer makes me physically ill. It's like a nasty man come round to tell little kiddees he has candy for them if they touch his pee pee. You know, most of the atheists I know are as good as children are at discerning misrepresentation. You aren't trying to help anyone but your own self. Go away, we have no interest in touching your pee pee."

"First of all, this is a newsgroup, not the freaking public library. Keep it short and to the point. Second, you're full of ****."

"Stop posting your vile polemic deliberately nasty, lying Christian? Please go away. No-one is buying your poisonous diatribe. Are you really this stupid, or just pretending?"

"We know this deliberately nasty, slandering liar is a Christian by his fruits. A liar as well as an idiot. Don't be so ******* stupid."

"What the **** has philosophy got to do with your in-your-face psychopathy?"

"You wouldn't know "virtuous behaviour" if it hit you over the head, whining hypocrite who needs to get the log out of his own eye before accusing us of a projection of his own deficiencies."

"So ******* what? Keep it to yourself and nobody will know what an ******* you are."

"Why would any atheist need tools for peace?"


I did not receive one reply offering to discuss this topic, only abusive replies condemning me and my offer for the discussion of finding inner peace. All these replies came from non-freethinking, mind manacled, defiant atheists. How do I know they are such? Because of their replies. I do not expect for anyone to agree with any or all of my tools. But if we disagree with a concept, we must have another concept to replace what we have torn down in our minds as wrong. How do we know what is wrong unless we know what is right? With this group, all they could offer to replace my tools were 'ad hominem' arguments to destroy me and not destroy the concepts. Such non-freethinkers are characterized not by sound judgment, rationality and wisdom, but by a prejudiced insobriety of opinion that roots itself of egoistic pride. Through a life based in condemnation prior to investigation, they do not see that as they go to extreme measures to have no connection with spirituality, their actions also causes a lose of connection with any humanity.

Sure tearing others down appeals to ones ego and pride, but so did torturing insects when we were kids. When we grow up we need a different way to find self worth. As you instill seeds of peace within others you plant the same seeds and water these seeds within you as well. As you give so you receive. Is that from the bible or karma? No, it is just universal law. Do we like to be beaten down? Whenever we take it upon ourselves to beat down others, we are headed in a direction of destroying peace. We destroy our own peace as well as others peace. It takes no energy from me to pass something by and leave it alone in peace. But it takes my energy as well as my peace to pick something up to destroy it.

(When I posted this paragraph earlier, an atheist piped to accuse me of hypocrisy, telling me that I destroy a potato when I pick it up to eat it. Natural law dictates I must eat, but there is no law that says I must spew venom from my mouth to destroy others. If you can get over fishing for red herrings and get onto bigger fish to fry you will see a world of difference in your peace practice.)

That is the beauty of being a freethinker. We can think for ourselves. As such, when we get a toolbox we can decide which tools to use for the job. Some tools are used a lot, other tools are left alone for the time being, and still others are trashed when we see they are broken and useless. Traditional freethinkers do not accept me as one of their group, since I draw from spiritual paths as well as wordily areas to garner wisdom to live at peace. Traditional freethinkers do not like anything that comes from religion. Kind of a misnomer isn't it...I'm a freethinker...but I must block out everything that comes from religion and spiritual traditions and whatever other prejudice I wish to inject into the equation? Psychologist William James once said, "A great many people believe they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices." When we limit prejudice we can open our minds to truth and peace. And realize the truth of Blake's words that "all deities reside within the human breast." Yes, if it is religion that an atheists need to adopt, they only have to look as far as the religion of humanity. But just paying secular humanism lip service will not do any good. Our talk of spiritual values must match our actions.

Spiritual values and atheists do not generally mix. One atheists gave his views on this subject of discussing spiritual tools to live by:

AK writes:

"What is spirit or spirituality? Without knowing what you mean by the word, one can't know what you mean. Why study something for which you not only have no evidence, but not even a definition?"

Yes, spiritual concepts are hard to define, just as the source of the wind is hard to define. Since spiritual matters deal with the unseen and the unknown, how can we define them perfectly? If we could do that they would not be spiritual studies. You can't see why one person is loving and kind and another person is a fiend of perennial shame, hate and destruction. Nor can you see what made the hate monger change into a kind and loving human. We can describe spiritual concepts and the journey that made the change possible, but it is impossible to put our finger on it all exactly. Spiritual growth is a journey that is a never ending, an imperfect process in this life. But just as we can see the effects of the wind, while being blind to its source; we can most definitely see the difference in people that incorporate spiritual values within their lives when compared to people that live a life devoid of any spiritual values.

Their are many fields of spiritual studies. We can separate the studies into two main fields; the corporeal and the meta-corporeal. Some of these studies deal with energy fields, meditative states of consciousness, out of body and near death accounts, psychic research, etc. Most of my work is in the corporal realm. I leave the advanced studies to those better qualified for it than myself. Britain and the US both have centers for psychic research. Plenty of information is out there if you are interested in studying it.

"No man is so wise that he may not easily err if he takes no other counsel than his own. He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master." Ben Jonson

No one said we have to 'investigate it all,' but we do have to give it some thought if we wish to be at peace. A Hindu sage once told me "Just as water floes downhill without effort but requires outside forces and energy to make it move uphill. So the human consciousness falls to its lowest levels of the senses without effort and energies to make our consciousness gravitate to more than our base desires." As such without effort the defiance based atheists sinks deeper and deeper into sickness and tragedy as time goes by.

See:

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.atheism/browse_frm/thread/e77181f1188b4804/8d580376205a536b?

The business of humanism is 'all our business' if we with to live life at peace. This relationship of interdependent humanistic balance can best be visualized in the 3 corners of a triangle which represents the spiritual realm, other persons and ourselves At the top goes Higher Power / God of Peace and God of Nature / Yahweh / Buddha / The Dharma / Nature / Karma / Universe or whatever you choose as the unseen force behind all. On the bottom right corner of the triangle goes other people. On the left bottom corner of the triangle goes yourself. Keeping this relationship in harmonious balance helps develop compassion for others and humility within ourselves.

We learn to think about others and the spirit as well as our own needs and we can then see we are all interdependent and not independent with all. Once you see this balance you will realize that we all share the same breath and no need to practice hatred or develop ill will towards others. It is much better to develop compassion for others. For as we develop compassion for others we develop peace within, just as it is a law that when we develop hatred for others we develop hatred within.

[Vfr]

page 3 continued

No, egocentricity is not good for spiritual work and we need to be open to others ideas and embrace them as nourishment for your growth and sustenance for life - as no one person is god. As a freethinking agnostic I AM FREE to look for truth wherever the road takes me. I discriminate against no one. As such, I study with the Christians, the Buddhists, the Jews, the Muslims, the Taoists and even find truth as I study with the atheists.

I was at a religious discussion where the group was composed of a wide spectrum of believers and non believers. One atheist said he ran his life by the golden rule. A theist then injected that the golden rule came from the bible, which made the atheist wince. The atheist seemed to take pride in his self sufficiency and did not like to run his life by anything that came out of the bible. When it was suggested that the concept of golden rule might be from an earlier source than the bible, then the atheist was relieved.

This was a good reminder to me to examine where my guiding light resides?

Is it ego based or truth based?

When the guiding light of this atheist was not grounded in the bible he was happy. But when it came from an area that he did not approve of, he was upset. How can the same material be used to build a palace by one man, yet only build a hovel for another? By one spiritual practitioner seeing truth and applying it to live a life at peace, and the other person only seeing prejudice, problems and doing nothing.

Every religion was made by man and as such every religion is imperfect as it is run by man. Despite these imperfections, each religion also has many "perfection's" within it as well. We can still be open to peace generating tools from any of the religions and spiritual traditions that are available to us if we are serious about being at peace. This requires us to run our life by truth and not by prejudice. In the Sermon on the Mount, it was reported that Jesus said: “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them” (Matthew 7:12). Nowadays this verse is commonly referred to as “The Golden Rule,” and is more commonly quoted as: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Is the story of Jesus a myth? I don't know, but there seems to be real and substantive reasons for the myth theory to be true. In any case, I can put principles before personalties and look at what was said instead of who said what to get at the bottom line truth. Even if Jesus was myth, it has no bearing on the practical application of the golden rule of reciprocity anymore than the practical application of Taoists beliefs that come from the myth of Lao Tzŭ.

Here are some of the earliest sources for this concept of reciprocity

~1970-1640 BCE "Do for one who may do for you, / That you may cause him thus to do." - The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant 109-110, Ancient Egypt, tr. R.B. Parkinson.

* ~700 BCE "That nature only is good when it shall not do unto another whatever is not good for its own self." - Dadistan-i-Dinik 94:5, Zoroastrianism.

* ? BCE "Whatever is disagreeable to yourself do not do unto others." - Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29, Zoroastrianism.

* ~550 BCE "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen. Love your fellow as yourself: I am the LORD." - Tanakh, new JPS translation, Leviticus 19:18, Judaism.

* ~500 BCE "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful." - Udana-Varga 5:18, Buddhism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethic_of_reciprocity

Now, whether you believe in God or believe in Jesus or are an atheist or Buddhist does this wisdom not apply to you? This truth is universal in nature as it is based not on being of a certain religion, other than that of the religion of humanity. In this case, you can adopt a peace generating tool and apply it to your life irrespective of your religious beliefs or lack thereof. I had to chuckle one time when an atheists argued that the golden rule is not perfect, so he said he does not follow it. When I questioned him about what he does follow as well as the state of perfection that applied to his life, all he could do was reply with ad hominem attacks.

If we are waiting for perfection when it comes to spiritual studies we will always be disappointed. Before applying perfection to anything outside of us, we should examine the perfection within us. The nature of humans is that of imperfection, so we must always look towards direction and forget perfection. I heard a story one time in a Yoga lecture that illustrates this point. "Range is of the ego - Form is of the soul." The only thing we need to be concerned with is how is our form when it comes to our spiritual practice and our life.

Regarding the golden rule? It is more perfect than imperfect, so it is a most useful tool to live a life at peace by. And when we combine it with other tools such as universality, natural law, contrasting the greater good with the greater right, flourishing of the species theory, etc., the synergistic effect is close to perfection as humans can get with this subject. But it takes some thinking and one will not see it without an open mind. i believe this is why religion was created in the first place. Most people cannot give this subject of morals the time needed, so religion is a condensed and easy to assimilate form of prepackaged morals. You only hope the packing was done right from the start as we can see that many religious devotees of the past have use it as a scapegoat to do harm to others.

I see this predisposition to destruction many times in responses I receive from my posts. The critiques offer much in the line of 'no goods' but they seldom do they offer any substantive tools to finding peace. Sure, I do not have it '100% right' but I have it 'right enough' to be able to be at peace if I apply these principles. If I waited for perfection, I would never act. I use the tools at hand.

Aristotle ~ "It is the mark of an educated mind to rest satisfied with the degree of precision which the nature of the subject admits and not to seek exactness where only an approximation is possible."

This being able to 'rest satisfied' is something the perfectionists lack and why they will never be at peace until they stop collecting concepts and start using the concepts of peace generations. The atheist I mentioned above demonstrated this with his blanket dismissal of the golden rule since it is not 100% perfect. He could offer no substitutes for the golden rule, all he could do was succumb to personal attacks on me.

[Vfr]

page 4 concluded

We can examine our actions to see what useful tools for finding peace we offer to others. This evaluation says a lot about our own practice of generating inner peace. When you practice peace promotion with others you will reap inner peace promotion. When you practice destroying others peace, you will reap self destruction of inner peace. I suggest any atheists wishing to find inner peace within their life adopt the creed of the atheists (their version of prepackaged morals) and become secular humanists as a good first start.


The 'informal creed' of atheism.

An Atheist loves his fellow man instead of god. An Atheist believes that heaven is something for which we should work now – here on earth for all men together to enjoy.

An Atheist believes that he can get no help through prayer but that he must find in himself the inner conviction, and strength to meet life, to grapple with it, to subdue it and enjoy it.

An Atheist believes that only in a knowledge of himself and a knowledge of his fellow man can he find the understanding that will help to a life of fulfillment. He seeks to know himself and his fellow man rather than to know a god. An Atheist believes that a hospital should be built instead of a church.

An Atheist believes that a deed must be done instead of a prayer said.

An Atheist strives for involvement in life and not escape into death. He wants disease conquered, poverty vanquished, war eliminated. He wants man to understand and love man.

He wants an ethical way of life. He believes that we cannot rely on a god or channel action into prayer nor hope for an end of troubles in a hereafter.

He believes that we are our brother's keepers; and are keepers of our own lives; that we are responsible persons and the job is here and the time is now.”

http://www.atheists.org/Atheism/


"The Affirmations of Humanism: A Statement of Principles"


• We are committed to the application of reason and science to the understanding of the universe and to the solving of human problems.

• We deplore efforts to denigrate human intelligence, to seek to explain the world in supernatural terms, and to look outside nature for salvation.

• We believe that scientific discovery and technology can contribute to the betterment of human life.

• We believe in an open and pluralistic society and that democracy is the best guarantee of protecting human rights from authoritarian elites and repressive majorities.

• We are committed to the principle of the separation of church and state.

• We cultivate the arts of negotiation and compromise as a means of resolving differences and achieving mutual understanding.

• We are concerned with securing justice and fairness in society and with eliminating discrimination and intolerance.

• We believe in supporting the disadvantaged and the handicapped so that they will be able to help themselves.

• We attempt to transcend divisive parochial loyalties based on race, religion, gender, nationality, creed, class, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, and strive to work together for the common good of humanity.

• We want to protect and enhance the earth, to preserve it for future generations, and to avoid inflicting needless suffering on other species.

• We believe in enjoying life here and now and in developing our creative talents to their fullest.
• We believe in the cultivation of moral excellence.

• We respect the right to privacy. Mature adults should be allowed to fulfill their aspirations, to express their sexual preferences, to exercise reproductive freedom, to have access to comprehensive and informed health-care, and to die with dignity.

• We believe in the common moral decencies: altruism, integrity, honesty, truthfulness, responsibility. Humanist ethics is amenable to critical, rational guidance. There are normative standards that we discover together. Moral principles are tested by their consequences.

• We are deeply concerned with the moral education of our children. We want to nourish reason and compassion.

• We are engaged by the arts no less than by the sciences.

• We are citizens of the universe and are excited by discoveries still to be made in the cosmos.

• We are skeptical of untested claims to knowledge, and we are open to novel ideas and seek new departures in our thinking.

• We affirm humanism as a realistic alternative to theologies of despair and ideologies of violence and as a source of rich personal significance and genuine satisfaction in the service to others.

• We believe in optimism rather than pessimism, hope rather than despair, learning in the place of dogma, truth instead of ignorance, joy rather than guilt or sin, tolerance in the place of fear, love instead of hatred, compassion over selfishness, beauty instead of ugliness, and reason rather than blind faith or irrationality.

• We believe in the fullest realization of the best and noblest that we are capable of as human beings.

Council for Secular Humanism




Take Care,


V (Male)

Agnostic Freethinker
Practical Philosopher

For free access to my earlier posts on voluntary simplicity, compulsive spending, debting, compulsive overeating and clutter write: vfr44@aol.com. Any opinion expressed here is that of my own and is not the opinion, recommendation or belief of any group or organization.

[Sunstone]

Before I read your long OP, might I ask if this is just another silly attempt to characterize all atheists as in defiance of God?

[FatMan]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

Is this another silly attempt to characterize all atheists as in defiance of God?

You are obviously not thinking outside of the box.

I've learned one thing today - to be a free thinker, one must copy and paste to rants with multiple pages.

End of Page 1.

[Vfr]

Originally Posted by FatMan

You are obviously not thinking outside of the box.

I've learned one thing today - to be a free thinker, one must copy and paste to rants with multiple pages.

End of Page 1.

I am not much for idle speech my friend

I find that those that can't argue facts argue personalties just as you have done.

In any case, you are most welcome to your opinions Fatman.

On another note.

Sitting in front of any electric tube or screen excessively is not a good way to live our life Fatman.

Yes, we can spend some of our life doing it, but if we wish to live a good life we need to get out a little.

Many computer addicts are just 'shells of a human' with glazed eyes, open gapping mouths and hunched backs sitting all day in front of an electric box looking for the answer to a happy life when all of the time the answer is within us.

It much easier to fantasize about something else than stay in the hear and now isn't it? Instead of writing about a fantasy life, go create a real life, a life you can be proud of. I try and catch myself when I practice this escapism and work to bring my thoughts back to the present. Whenever the fantasy starts I check to see what I am escaping from? Why do I fixate on something else instead of where I'm at?

The Tibetan Buddhists use the tool of meditation - meditation on death as an exercise to help them live with gratitude and peace in the present. They meditate on the fact that death is certain to all living things and the time of their death is also uncertain. This helps them to live each moment in a way that will give them a good death or transition into a new reincarnation. Death could come as you read this or next year, but sooner or later our day will come. We can develop a higher awareness and gratitude for our life and all that it contains at this very moment once we accept these facts and treasure how fragile life is and the gift we have been given. And even as we lay dying someday we can die peacefully by practicing grateful acceptance for having the opportunity to have lived a life at all. Once we accept death peacefully we can move on and need less things to distract and blind us.

Developing a list of positive time fillers was a big help with my addictions. As Thoreau wrote in Walden , "The devil finds work for idle hands." Before heading in this new direction, most of my time was occupied by what to buy next, overeating rich foods and getting fat and when I wanted a break from that I had a picnic basket of other addictive areas to get drugged up with. Most of my new activities are sport or movement related as they also serve the purposes of helping with my overeating disease and have the added benefit of improved health and don't produce clutter like some hobbies do. In addition they help with depression, balance and equilibrium and brain functioning. Now, keeping busy is not the cure all for addicts, but it is a necessary foundational pillar.

Other areas of importance are those activities that relax our minds or stimulate them for healthy growth potential. Bottom line: is the activity pleasing to us, healthy, nurturing and sustainable? You can also use the SCA guidelines for any questions about the activity: is the activity placing unreasonable demands on my time and energy, will it place me in legal jeopardy or endanger my mental, physical or spiritual health? Remember, as Jack LaLane said, exercise and eating healthy, natural foods are the King and Queen of good health. If you hate to move and hate to eat well, then do as he also said; "I developed a liking for things that are good for me."

Now I have much to look forward to in life for activities or rewards that are not destructive and are sustainable. Activities to occupy yourself that don't revolve around spending, eating, gambling, drugs or alcohol or other addictive areas only go so far in recovery though. You also have to be careful to take time to relax and not escape life through activity. Horace wrote, "Caelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt--You can run away as far as you like but you'll never get away from yourself." 12 Step work, reducing stress, repairing the wreckage of the past and living a balanced life all contribute to heading in the right recovery direction.

I've enclosed a few of some of my activities below for your perusal. Also be careful you don't find another excuse to compulsively spend with each new activity or sport you take up. That is something I have to watch. For instance. If you take up rollerblading, you buy one pair of skates and one set or protective gear, etc. You don't buy 5 pairs of skates 5 different skate bags and 8 sets of skate clothes, in all colors for each day of the week plus one extra for holidays. If you want different skates, you sell the old pair and then buy a different set. Everything is on a "one in ~ one out" basis to avoid compulsive spending, stockpiling and clutter.

Partial List of My Positive Time Filling Activities:

Hiking, Mountain Bike, Climbing Gym and Rock Climbing, Basketball, Rollerblading, Trail Running, Jet Skiing, Racquetball, Swim, Sun Bath, Fishing, Canoeing, Skateboarding, Weight Training, Target Shooting, Camping, Jogging, Kayaking, Motorcycle, Snowshoe, Downhill Skiing, XC Skiing, Yoga, Massage, Meditation, Dirt Bike, Free Lectures and Movies at a Local University, Snow Tubing, Snorkeling / Scuba, Napping or Relaxing in a Hammock, Bar B Q, Picnics, Library, Spiritual Studies, Free Musical Events and Concerts, Church Services, Scenic Seasonal Car Trips, Travel.

Exercise and healthy eating are the king and queen of good health. They must also sit on a thrown of low stress living. I hope you make the king and queen part of your life. Here is a small snip from Psychotherapy Toady regarding the benefits of exercise with addiction.

Why does exercise have such an impact on the emotional brain? Naturally, there is, first of all, its effect on endorphins. These tiny molecules secreted by the brain resemble opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin. The emotional brain contains many receptors for endorphins, and that's why it is so sensitive to opium-it immediately radiates a sensation of well-being and satisfaction by hijacking one of the emotional brain's own intrinsic mechanisms. Opium has a powerful effect on emotions-in fact, it's the strongest known antidote to the pangs of separation and mourning. However, when derivatives of opium are used too often, they can become habit forming. Brain receptors become inured to them, so the dose must be systematically increased in order to produce the same effect. Moreover, because the receptors become less and less sensitive, regular pleasures lose all their power and potency-including sex, the pleasure of which is often reduced in drug addicts.

The secretion of endorphins brought on by physical exercise does exactly the opposite. The more the natural mechanism of pleasure is gently stimulated by exercise, the more sensitive the mechanism itself becomes. In addition to relishing sex and life's other big pleasures, people who exercise regularly actually get more pleasure out of the little things in life: their friendships, their cats, their meals, their hobbies, or even the smiles of passersby in the street. Essentially, it becomes easier for them to be satisfied, And in fact, the experience of pleasure is just the opposite of depression. Depression is defined, above all, by the absence of pleasure, more so than by sadness, which is probably the reason why the release of endorphins has such a potent antidepressant and anxiolytic effect. Stimulating the emotional brain by exercise also kindles the immune system. It promotes the proliferation of "natural killer" cells, making them more aggressive against infections and cancer cells. The opposite effect occurs with heroin addicts, whose immunedefenses collapse, often causing them to become gravely ill.

Exercise may also strengthen another physiological mechanism related to emotional health. This mechanism involves what we have already learned about heart rate variability. "'People who exercise regularly show a greater variability in heart rate and more coherence than people who do not. This means that their parasympathetic system, the physiological "brake" that brings on periods of calm, is healthier and stronger. A good balance between the two branches of the autonomic nervous system is one of the best potential antidotes to anxiety and panic attacks. All the symptoms of anxiety start with an overactive sympathetic system, a dry mouth, accelerated heartbeat, sweating, trembling, a rise in blood pressure. The sympathetic and parasympathetic systems are always in opposition. Thus, the more stimulation the parasympathetic branch receives, the stronger it becomes-like a developing muscle.


BTW, check out:


http://www.computeraddiction.com/


http://www.rider.edu/suler/psycyber/cybaddict.html


http://cse.stanford.edu/classes/cs201/Projects/computer-addiction/





Take Care,


V (Male)

Agnostic Freethinker
Practical Philosopher

For free access to my earlier posts on voluntary simplicity, compulsive spending, debting, compulsive overeating and clutter write: vfr44@aol.com. Any opinion expressed here is that of my own and is not the opinion, recommendation or belief of any group or organization.