Nihilism brings to mind some of the revolutionary dark philosophers from the 1800’s like Nietzche. Dostoevsky also wrote about nihilism, but it seems he wrote about it more as a lament.
Nihilism like all isms carries a certain range of ideas embodied into a central theme. It is described as anarchy, a loss of values, chaotic, hopeless, and loss of all meaning.
Nihilism is also described as the rejection of all religious and moral principles. It is the extreme skepticism that believes nothing in the world has real existence. Does that bring us to question the motives of the new facebook meta verse even more?
Nihilism projects a complete loss of values, and loss of meaning for human existence. In fact it condemns our existence, therefore it justifies destructiveness and lawlessness. Nietzche predicted that nihilism would eventually destroy all moral and religious convictions, and bring about the greatest crisis in humanity.
Could we apply the rise in this nihilistic mentality to the overdose crisis we are witnessing on our streets today? Can we apply it to the public vilification of certain members of society by political leaders, who are the very people who should be preventing such persecution?
Can we apply it to the destabilizing loss of the Constitutional laws that have governed us since Britain became a monarchy, and Canada became a sovereign nation? And poof – just like that, life as we have always known it changed, without even passing these laws through proper legislative channels.
Nihilism has many synonyms in the power thesaurus. All of them are negative, cynical, godless, agnostic, disordered, chaotic, rebellious, lawless, full of turmoil, mistrust, anxiety, confusion, mayhem, mob rule, and revolution.
Though many discussions and truths are now censored in mainstream media and social media, the philosophical discourse surrounding the rapid and rabid rise of nihilism throughout the world, should give us all a wake up call. It is important now more than ever before, to shake the media induced beliefs out of our minds, and evaluate the importance of defining and holding onto our own foundational values and beliefs. The old adage or phrase attributed to Rene Descarte “I think therefore I am” should also tell us – Don’t give up thinking then! And don’t give your spirituality over to the dark forces either.
As politics and the rise of fascism in health care, makes us increasingly polarized and mistrustful, we are forced to examine our own thought processes. Once we do that, we can articulate them, and project them outward much better. We can create more inner stability and peace for ourselves if we hold firm to our integrity and values.
We should all ask ourselves – have we been swept along in a tidal wave of BS? Have we been conned into going into uncharted territory, when those who are leading us don’t even have a map or a moral compass?
For centuries we have held our freedoms, our families, our fitness, our food, our finances, and our faith as central and common values that govern our lives. Yes we do screw up, and we mess up often. But with our common values, we have avenues for justice, and restraints upon lawless activities.
Now, all of a sudden a person who chooses not to succumb to pressures coming from aggressive marketing tactics steeped in pharmaceutical profit motive, are labelled as obnoxious, antisocial, ignorant, misogynist, racist, selfish and so on. Those who want to avoid a descent into nihilism will recognize these tactics as bullying tactics, with no basis in truth, democratic principles, or laws.
We keep wondering what we can do, as we see all the devastation brought by these mandates and lockdowns. The vast majority of people have followed the government guidelines and mandates, in order to help get things back to normal. Did it work? No it did not.
Even the coveted mass pharmaceutical obedience, which has given them blockbuster profits, has clearly not worked, and people are fed up. They have a singular motive. It appears to be aimed at destruction, and dependancy on more drugs. Drugs do not sustain us. We need food, water and shelter more than we need drugs. We need to stabilize and re-establish trust in health care (a value) or it is going to cave in completely.
To help end this madness, we have to start by examining, and holding tight to our own foundational beliefs and values. We hold fast to values that are worthwhile and good. Values help guide us, get us working, improves loyalties, and strengthens families and communities.
If you look up the opposite of nihilism, it is existentialism from the secular perspective, and a belief in God from a faith perspective.
Existentialism opens up the discussion on the meaning of life, and the purpose of existence. Nihilism turfs what is good, and wallows in self pity and despair. Nihilism is the mental depiction of circling the drain. It is a very dark vortex, churning with confusion as it revolves in a constant state of darkness and despair. It almost seems to have a vacuum attached to it, that can suck you in with the rest of the debris, if you get too close to the swirl.
So what does that leave us with? It leaves us with hope. Because hope, love, and a belief in God – wipes out nihilism, without having to lose all stability, and all dignity through the destruction of what is good.
We overcome evil by holding fast to what is good. But first, make sure your beliefs are rooted in truth. When Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it meant that we would have to figure out the difference between the two, which is not easy to do. But it is more important now than ever before, to be able to separate the wind from the chaff.
Don’t swallow a camel and swat at a gnat!
Matthew 23:24 “Ye blind guides, which straine at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
25 Woe vnto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for yee make cleane the outside of the cup, and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excesse.”
The prepper trend is an interesting response to the many changes we are witnessing on a global scale. The fear mongering has caused a percentage of hard core survivalists to prepare for complete self-reliance. Some go to great expense and obsessively devote their lives to being ready for apocalyptic events.
Although the central theme is similar, the range of ideas around this concept varies widely. One couple’s main objective was to grow food, keep honey bees, and promote community engagement. Of all the preppers I have watched on youtube, they were the most rational and happy of the survivalists.
They set up a wholesome and functional hobby farm, combined with canning, pickling, dehydrating, and other methods of food storage. They extracted and stored honey, and made various types of wine, because they believed these could be used for barter if there is a complete economic collapse. As far as guns and protecting their food source, they chose not to bother. They claimed the community would band together to help each other, not attack each other.
But most of the other videos I have watched on the topic, seem to revolve around creating a stockpile of both food and weapons. Some of the attitudes are very hostile and war-like. They believe the protection of what is stockpiled is of utmost importance to their survival. So they focus on guns, ammunition, and creating a protective barrier around themselves.
In some cases, people are investing over a hundred thousand dollars in food. They give video lessons and instructions on how to prepare it, store it, how long it will last, and how to reconstitute it into recipes. Some of the survivalists concentrate on storing really good food, like meat, cheese, and various oils. One couple had an entire house and garage full of food. They ran out of space, and had to rent storage rooms. The woman was delving into and experimenting with gourmet recipes, using a variety of preserved foods.
Other preppers look for basics with a very long shelf life, regardless of nutritional value. They stockpile things like canned food from superstores, Kool-Aid, sugar and Tang. I don’t know if they still make Tang, but it was popular in the sixties. It was bright neon orange, and full of artificial flavours and colouring. You added water and turned it into juice. They have changed the name and re-branded it into other varieties of non-nutritional juice crystals.
Even among a small group or percentage of the population who choose to plan their futures by prepping – there are significant differences among them. Some are very militant. Others are like old hippies who want to remain passive, and live off the land.
Personally, I don’t think it is rational to stockpile a massive amount of food, or weapons. I have never been a fan of guns. However, it is interesting to know that Switzerland is a country with millions of guns, yet they have minimal gun violence. They were also one of the only countries that was not attacked by Hitler. So I can certainly understand both sides of the gun control arguments.
Plus anyone who lives in a remote wilderness area would have to have a gun for protection against aggressive bears, coyotes, cougars and other wildlife that might become a threat to them. If a person decides to live off the land, chances are they will hunt as well.
As far as prepping to accumulate and store massive amounts of food, I think it could be a futile waste of time and money. I also believe that counting on some food items to last thirty years or more, is quite a stretch (with the exception of honey and alcohol). The idea of being constantly paranoid in order to guard a food supply, is not the least bit appealing.
One contaminated food batch, and they could inadvertently poison themselves with botulism, salmonella, or E.Coli. In addition, a high percentage of gun violence or accidents that do occur, happen within the homes of the people who own them. So the militant prepper mentality could backfire in a multitude of different ways.
In my opinion, violence tends to beget violence. Paranoid people with guns, are actually more dangerous than those who carry a balanced and peaceful outlook. The old adage, “you are what you eat”, can also be transferred into “you are what you think”. Thoughts precede actions, and if people shut up their thoughts in a bottle, or a bunker – they might feed on themselves in a maggot-like fashion.
If you are going to be a prepper, I think planning for nutritional and sustainable food supplies should be the highest priority. If you decide to go back to the basics, as in a hundred years ago, forget the Tang and store bought goods. You have to garden, farm, fish and hunt.
The only rational part of being a prepper is to plant gardens, nurture them, and learn about growing food, as well as preserving it for reasonable lengths of time. The best approach, in my opinion, came from the couple who grew a prolific garden, and planned for community engagement and barter – not trying to fight their neighbours off.
In Canada we have enough space to grow more food. We can raise cattle, chickens, pigs, and other farm animals for meat. But most of Canada does not have a long growing season, so we depend on the warmer US climates for a high percentage of our fruits and vegetables in the winter months.
Food security is a huge issue for all of us. Historically, the world has experienced many famines. As we try to predict and plan for what the future may hold – it’s like we are being thrust backward and forward at the same time.
We are in the rapidly advancing high tech world of artificial intelligence and gene therapy – while simultaneously planning to go back to pioneer days, just to maintain food security. There does seem to be a major disconnect.
We can watch historical accounts of real life survival situations like the Donner Reed party, where a group of American pioneers set out on a wagon train from the midwest, to reach California. They got far more adventure than they ever could have anticipated. The first mistake they made, was in being deceived by a fast talking young lawyer who convinced them to take the uncharted route. He used rudimentary guesswork to draw an inaccurate map of the proposed route. The unsuspecting group set out on the perilous journey, believing it would be a short cut, when the lawyer himself had not even traversed the route.
The Donner-Reed party made the biggest mistake at the onset, by embarking on an uncharted route. They expected a certain outcome, but it did not pan out. They turned their fate over to a glib young entrepreneur who knew less than they did about the territory they had to cover.
As a result, they suffered many unanticipated mishaps, one after another. Some of the wagons were double deckers and so heavy, they were difficult to navigate the narrow and rocky, root covered trails, which slowed them down considerably.
Soon after what they thought was the worst part, they were suddenly faced with an expansive, desert-like salt mine to cross. The heaviest wagons got stuck in the deep crystals of pure salt early in the trip. As a result they lost many supplies and livestock, since they did not have enough water for such a treacherous part of the journey. Nor could they get the heavier wagons across the vast expanse, even if they could have dug them out. When we think about being parched, the idea of heat without shade in a desert is formidable. But can you imagine being stuck in a salt mine desert in the middle of nowhere?
In spite of their best efforts, they did not make it past the Sierra Nevada mountains before the snow fell, and were essentially trapped there to starve and die. Finally a handful of women, and one twelve year old boy, made a last ditch effort, and miraculously managed to cross the mountains.
Similar to other catastrophic events, the fatal Everest climbs, are almost always due to unanticipated weather and human error. People become disorientated with altitude sickness, and then make mistakes. Human ego vs nature, whether on the mountains or on the sea – cannot physically transcend what might befall them, just due to the random nature of circumstances. I think it is in our nature to believe we are invincible, especially when we are young and fit.
Although it might be boring compared to conquering mountain peaks, we can’t go wrong if we plan for healthier living. That means better nutrition, well-planned outdoor adventures, more gardening, more fresh air, more pollinators, more composting, and less waste. Make way for the wine and the bees. Put some soup in the freezer for a stormy, icy day – and hope for the best!
Be the salt of the earth – but steer clear of the salt mines!
The following YouTube link shows the most creative and resourceful prepper of all. He travels with sheep, who graze and provide him with warmth and milk, which he makes into butter. He gets half his calories from the sheep. They each have their own little carts to pull. The coolest thing he said is that he is a prepper, but does not want to be self-sufficient while others are suffering, so he takes a community integration approach. It is truly incredible to see what he has figured out to keep himself fed, clean, happy and functional.
As we wrestle with the bombardment of changing rules, and get plundered and plunged as it is swept along, it’s time to take stock. Drop the cults and keep the culture.
How to identify cult tactics so you don’t get suckered in? They divide and destroy as many close relationships as possible. It is well known that isolation is cruel and has ill effects on people’s well being. Some people can tolerate more isolation than others, but if combined with shame, rejection, and a lack of purpose – it is deadly.
Another key feature is deception. The lies are built from the ground up, yet they have no foundation. They do not stand up to the test of truth, yet they will brazenly hold onto to the lies. The cult has to deceive with success in order to maintain control. So there is constant repetition, and manipulation to keep the charade going.
Cults divide and cause a great deal of conflict among families. It stands to reason these same issues that polarize and divide families, will expand into communities, businesses and politics, if democracy and morality continues to fail us.
Cults will take away your right to live your own life, have free will, or get out of their trap – without facing extreme shunning and punishment. They will stare you in the eye, without blinking, and rob you of who you are.
Cults do not permit open dialogue. They will not be challenged without punishing and shunning their victims. They will not permit the truth to surface, using a plethora of different ploys to maintain the narrative. Those who go along with it are embraced, praised, and rewarded. But dare they step out of line. If a cult hates some of its members – they hate them all. Those they favour are wearing a thin disguise, and must tread softly to avoid being the next target.
Cults are designed to protect and exalt certain individuals or one person at the top of the hierarchy. They rely heavily on false authority, and totalitarian rule. They use fear to destabilize. All things, all thoughts, and all obedience must revolve around the leader. In the case of cult-like corporations, it is the men at the top, the old boy’s club – who expect reverence, loyalty and submission.
On the other hand, true Christianity is open to the scrutiny and questions that test truth, does not fear exposure, but welcomes it, and will not punish people for exercising free will. Cults close the door on all contrary dialogue, and censor or silence their opponents. One of the main reasons they silence and isolate opponents, is because they do not want us talking to other people. The practice of shunning is so that the deflector does not influence anyone else in the cult. It is also a well-known and very painful way to judge and punish people. In the Old Testament if a widow or marginalized person was shunned by a cultish family – it was considered to be a death sentence.
Cults are focused on money, power, and control. They use deception, coercion, and shaming as key tools. The ultimate form of idolatry is to make self into the monument. Too much entitlement causes not only idolatry, but demands that all the wealth, resources, entertainment, protection, elitism, etc. revolves around them. They expect obedience and reverence from lesser beings. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing. I am not sure how they can possibly view themselves as being so wonderful. But, they do.
To make matters worse, authoritarian leaders will force their subordinates into tenuous situations, yet they take no responsibility for them when they falter or fail. Doesn’t it stand to reason that if someone decides to take over your life, they will also take responsibility if it does not turn out well? They force a learned helplessness and then kick the victims to the curb.
Who takes the brunt of personal or psychological injury that is inflicted upon us by powerful people? Doesn’t it also stand to reason that adults make their own decisions, since they must deal with the outcomes of the decisions they make? Who is going to look after all the mistakes the leaders make? You can rest assured they will not look after you. What good is it if you are blinded and in a wheelchair with a feeding tube, to have a failing health care system with nowhere to turn? If you are injured by the state, you will not be taken care of by the state. So how can they force us to to take the risk of being injured, maimed or killed?
The Bible has been altered, twisted, with things added to it, or taken away – or it has been misinterpreted to suit an agenda. This is done in order to give credibility to cults, so they can advance their agenda by adding deception to truth. Why would people think it would be any different when it comes to science? It is not rocket science to skew numbers. White collar crime has been doing it for years.
Culture on the other hand – connects us to our roots. It helps to showcase the labours and talents of people from all over the world. It helps us visually and artistically see and understand each other better. It educates us. It shows us how much common ground we have, yet shines a light on the different gifts, abilities, labours, and patterns that have emerged. It represents the emotional, aesthetic, and day to day aspects of our human heritage.
We grow to love culture and labours of love. Love does not grow out of cults or cultish conduct. Excessive control is a cult tactic. The battle ground therefore – is for free will. Thoughts, words, and wisdom triumphs over totalitarianism, every single time. It may not be civilization that collapses – but rather totalitarianism that is truly more fragile, because history demonstrates that it always collapses no matter where it springs up, or in what era.
Technology cannot usher in or maintain totalitarianism, even though it seems like it could. In my opinion the reason it cannot, is because it is a tool. Viewing it as anything else is foolish. Computers can do things the human mind cannot, as far as computational number crunching is concerned. But there are limits to what it can do, and those limits are structured by the programmers, not the machines.
Complex thought, translations, original work, creative work, intellectual property, innovation, and insight – comes from people, not computers. No matter how brilliant someone thinks they are, another person will come along that can do it better, hence the beauty of open-source. It helps to create a counter-balance when it comes to dominance and control in programming.
Humans were never intended to be subjected to psychological or physical computer programming. Nor were we intended to be the reverse objects of computer design.
We don’t expect the ox to drive the farmer, or the dogs in a dog sled team to be taken over by the alpha male dog, complete with a map and compass. We know the sewing machine does not design and make the dress. These actions are done by whoever is planning the project or the trip. Projects are not initiated or planned by the tools or machines you are using to achieve your goals.
Yes there are some very invasive tracking apps that offer constant surveillance. But we must ask ourselves how sustainable it is to track the activities of millions of people doing mundane everyday things? No matter how controlling you are, do you really care what kind of shoes a person wears, or where they get their morning coffee?
Just as we were born with robust immune systems, we were also born with brains. Computers did not create or give birth to human attributes.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2022). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
We really should just cut to the chase. All the talk about science and politics – yet the practices of deception, division, forced isolation, and brain washing or thought reform – comes from cults. The origin of it all is cleverly crafted – so to speak. Or dare I say what I think?
But I do get to express what I learned about indoctrination that stems from my own experiences. It is only fair – since we have to find a way to overcome it, don’t we?
Cults are as old as the hills. They are not agnostic or atheist. They are often made up of people who know the Bible, or some version of the Bible that has been altered. Falsehood almost always has grains of truth sprinkled throughout. When people see something they recognize or believe to be true in one area, they are more likely to believe all of it. Cults are made up of people who reinvent various cult practices that have been used since the beginning of time. They attach themselves to a belief system and can rationalize some very bizarre behaviours.
We have to look at words and actions, whether a person is a leader or a pauper. What are they saying? Is it true? What are they doing? Who is affected by their words and actions?What are the contradictions? What are the motives? What do they want? Why are they acting that way? Whether they allow people to ask these questions or not – it still does not stop the thought processes and beliefs. It does not stifle curiosity and skepticism. The more dissent is shut down, the more it grows. It’s like putting wood on a fire.
They know who they worship. They aim to divide the family first and foremost. They create confusion, yet they repeat the same lies so often, they are changed into fact, just through repetition.
Cults want to infiltrate not only your family, but your inner being. They use guilt, shame, scapegoating, and many other aggressive and coercive psychological tactics. They subordinate you to their superiority. They oppress you with their lies.
The doctrine of cults – you can pick any one of them, for they all serve the same master, is to use deception to cause chaos. They want to put their opponents in the most vulnerable position possible. They want to weaken us, disable us – destroy our health, finances and beliefs. They will find every way possible, to gang up on you just for trying to get free of them. The ultimate objective is to not only destroy your health, but your mind and soul for all eternity.
Already we can see how this battle is crossing into eternity, in order to face a judgement at a later date. Look at how many people have died without being able to say goodbye to a loved one? Look at how much harm has been done to people’s lives, businesses, and families. Look at the chaotic uprisings of protestors in every country in the world. Watch the instability churn into anger and revolt. Then despair. The increase in drug abuse to escape. The broad daylight violent crime. The intimidation, and bullying is rampant. All without proper justice. Who are the lawless ones? A person who doesn’t wear a mask?
Even though there are one hundred and ninety-five countries in the world, and people have been thrust into mass hysteria – some of the public turns into brilliant sleuths. Many people maintain rational thought.
The like-minded – with sincere spirituality, and genuine humanity, holding to a moral compass, clinging to love and compassion, seeking the truth, with sound values, defending the frail and feeble, with a willingness to be a buckler or shield for the innocent – are also spread out among us – far and wide. We are never truly alone. So don’t worry.
No one can take away what is good in this world. God will not allow it. Plain and simple.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2022). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2022). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Denial is one of our most powerful and common defence mechanisms. If we really do not want to believe something awful is happening, we can allow it to go quite a distance, just based on denial. Something in our psyche blinds us to the truth.
But denial can only last so long. There is no peace in denial, therefore the defence mechanism is no substitute for truth. A person in denial has to constantly be defensive, while wrestling with the dichotomy or cognitive dissonance within.
All defence mechanisms serve a purpose, or people would not have developed them. The ones that top the list are denial, repression, projection, displacement, and rationalization.
So much of our denial is based on fear of mockery. People will paradoxically risk their lives just to avoid being mocked. No one wants to be associated with a group that is being vilified. In fact, it is human nature to gang up on them, and persecute them even more.
Why do people become so cruel? Pride and power. It can be reduced to two words. The inclination to see others as inferior is a powerful trait in human behaviour. We like to be seen as superior in some way, either financially, morally, physically, or intellectually. There is a pecking order in every group, organization and structure. Going along with the masses means you will not be singled out as one of the rejects.
Our identity is tied to the family we were born into, what career path we choose, and how successful or wealthy we become. It is attached to what we own, and what kind of outward appearance we can give to demonstrate our success.
All of that is fine in the sense that people who are motivated to work hard, stay organized, and take care of their families – is a good thing. But tying the entire economy to certain health choices, making it so people who do work, want to work, and are perfectly capable – cannot work. That makes absolutely no sense, and plunges working middle class people into economic despair.
If we are honest with ourselves, we know all of the psychological defence mechanisms quite well. Repression is a state of being subdued or restrained – in your thoughts and memories. It has a direct correlation to oppression, since the forces of oppression cause one to resort to repression. Once you allow truth to surface, and the reality of those oppressive forces – it brings clarity and a very strong resolve to resist those forces.
Projection is the convenient method of throwing your own faults into accusations against the opponent. The most selfish people will accuse others of being selfish for example. They think you are being selfish if you don’t succumb to their oppressive forces. They punish you for refusing to be exploited. When up against this kind of dominance – no one can dare force those who are more powerful, into the basics of justice and fairness. There is no such thing as equality, and there never has been.
Projection is also the projection of voice as in those who rage, scream and curse, in order to magnify themselves, and get their way. Often it is combined with constant attention seeking and narcissistic rage. They will project violent posturing, name-calling, vindictive retaliation, and other methods of intimidation. This is done in order to dominate, control, and take away the rights of other people.
It is especially damaging to those who are forced to be in proximity to such a person. Violent language is often a precursor to violent assaults, so it is not something to be ignored or condoned. In fact, you cannot ignore it since the aggressor is constantly screaming and cursing, banging, slamming and terrorizing. Then he simply lies and denies it, even though everyone around him has been subjected to, and has been ear witness to his constant outbursts. This allows the cycle to continue because people are sufficiently intimidated, and many will remain silent.
Displacement is when emotions, often aggression, is displaced onto a weaker target. If the angry person cannot address or face the real cause of his anger, because he is too much of a coward, he will transfer it to a weaker person, or sometimes an animal. In fact, bullies tend to look for weaker targets, just to have them on hand for when they are in a bad mood.
Rationalization is the attempt to use numbers, science, media, the various conversations, and information, and then adapt that or filter it to justify the acceptance of lies, hypocrisy, and state control.
Rationalization and denial probably top the list when it comes to accepting the marching orders of psychological warfare. Masses of people, through the cleverly crafted use of fear and propaganda in the media – have sugar coated their own armour with the psychological defence mechanisms of rationalization and denial.
All defence mechanisms offer a form of escapism. People escape into the meta verse, the television, gambling, exercising, shopping, drugs, alcohol, video games – and the list goes on. Escapism is the one defence mechanism that does not always require us to lie to ourselves. The key issue is what you choose to escape into, not the fact you seek diversion from negative thoughts or surroundings.
Just as we really need to buckle down and take care of our physical health now more than ever, we also need to take special care of our mental health. The emotions are triggered, and when sustained over long periods, it causes fatigue and illness.
The worst escape modes are drugs and alcohol. You fall prey to the system, as well as to a self destructive cycle that becomes central to your life. Plus many drugs, including alcohol – will cause a person to do things they would not do otherwise. There is a loss of cognition and alertness. A high percentage of assaults, accidents, and suicides happen while intoxicated. Addiction also robs the person of true confidence and self-esteem.
In spite of the galaxy of human frailties and crossed motives underlying all human behaviours, including thought, belief and opinion – we do have rights. It is an indisputable fact of life. We may not be treated as equals. But human beings do have fundamental rights, and can formulate their own opinions, based on personal observations, spiritual beliefs, and life’s experiences. Otherwise there can be no sustainable humanity, no justice, no choice, no dignity – and nothing that separates us from the beasts of the jungle.
We must remember that one of the key traits of psychopaths – is the callous disregard for the rights of others. We must not allow those prevalent psychopathic traits of dominance and deception – to become an ideological state of being. Things need to be brought back to stability, common sense and balance.
No one has a crystal ball in relation to what the future holds. Knowledge of what is to come is probably best contained within the pages of the Bible. But even so, we are confronted with falsehoods, and misinterpretations that are polarized. The truth contained in the Bible, has also been subject to all the defence mechanisms known to humans.
Even if there is a grand conspiracy to create a totalitarian world government – those who are orchestrating it, don’t really know how it will unfold either. Grand scale plans seldom turn out the way they were envisioned.
None of us are modern day prophets, and no soothsayer could ever have conceived of it all. Yet here we are. We all need to strip off our defence mechanisms, and take intrinsic personal and individual responsibility for what we believe. What is the reality that surrounds us?
The looming humanitarian crisis is coming at us like a steam train, yet all defence mechanisms have kicked in to deny it, and allow it to happen.
We can thank God we are spiritual beings. We can be thankful for having a sound mind during times of crisis. It is time to look deep into our own conscience, our own psyche, and pray with all our heart, mind and soul – to ask God to intervene.
A change of mind – can change the world.
As promised – the truth WILL set us free!
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2022). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
As a Canadian and a collector, when I say “our cultural heritage” it means – the expression of art from a divergent range of people. In Canada this includes influences, artifacts, writings, and beautiful hand made works or designs that were brought here from other countries.
On an individual level, we are more likely to resonate with, and remember the culture of our ancestors. We also learn about and share different cultures among families, friends, neighbours, communities, and travel. We all know how much food and music influences culture in every country of the world. So we can begin to recognize the patterns contained within a wide variety of cultural influences and designs.
We all come from a unique perspective, beginning with the family we are born into. This expands into a curiosity and awareness of the things around us that intrigue us or influence our senses. How many of us recall playing with the hand-painted Russian wooden nesting dolls? There was one on the shelf in our Swedish grandparents house. As a small child, I knew it came from somewhere far away.
In my opinion, one of the benefits of culture to society is in what we can learn from thier labours. It lets us examine how they did things, what they wore, and what came out of the lifestyles of the past. The range of patterns and design is intriguing, inspirational, and thought provoking.
I have been trying to create a material landscape of the dispossessed – to show that throwaways, and things from the past, are often much better than what is new.
Through the long process of establishing an online store, especially doing all the product photography, I have learned to appreciate the designs of some of the most talented designers and jewelry makers of this century. Even though it is a fairly humble collection compared to museums and rich people, it still shows who we are and where we came from. This collection has roots.
The Quiet West collection was gathered from the west coast of Canada over four decades. Even so, the items in the store come from all over the world. It is especially thrilling for me, when I come across some of the famous Canadian designers from Montreal and Toronto.
I can clearly see that Montreal has gifted Canada with a reputation for excellence in fashion and the arts. Canada may not be seen as the epicentre of the Parisian French fashion flair. But we do have a significant and impressive mid-century contribution to the world of fashion from Eastern Canada.
As time goes by, the material remnants of the previous century begin to disappear. People tend to look at old photographs to see both style, and lifestyle.
Although I have a long way to go to become more consistent with the photos, I do believe an online collection of art and fashion from the past can contribute much toward education, design, pattern recognition, care and preservation, textiles, and appreciation of the arts. If each country had such a collection, it would be very interesting to peruse. Of course, so much of it depends on what the collector is looking for.
But most of all, it’s the nostalgia it creates that connects us to the past, and to each other in a positive way. Our world has changed quite dramatically this past couple of years.
We can look to the past without clinging to it. We can seek what is good, and get our heads out of the dark shadows when they pass overhead. We can turn our focus toward aesthetics, learning and labours of love.
Over the years, so many things get lost in time – through fires, floods, and the migration of people from one location to another.
Some of the past is worth hanging onto, and some of the past should be let go. But nevertheless – it is what we know. Tangible is touchable – and it keeps us in touch with the remnants and the roots of our past.
When looking at the lives of some of the famous thinkers, writers and philosophers throughout history, Blaise Pascal was clearly a brilliant man. He did not become self-obsessed and insane like Nietzsche did.
Pascal was a French philosopher, mathematician, scientist, inventor, and theologian. He was an early pioneer in game theory, probability, and existentialism.
Although Pascal faced the hardship of losing his mother at the tender age of three, it did not plunge him into a lifetime of abandonment issues. He did suffer chronic ill health, however his work was expansive and prolific regardless.
Pascal’s biography describes his character in the following way: “For Pascal himself – humble yet forceful; fanatical as well as skeptical; mild and empathetic, yet also capable of withering scorn – personified the very “chimera” he famously declared man to be.”
It is interesting to note the dual definitions of chimera. One definition comes from Greek mythology and describes a “fire breathing female monster with a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and the tail of a serpent”. The other definition is ” a thing hoped and wished for, but is illusory and impossible to achieve”.
Since the modern day definition probably did not exist in the 1600’s, I am assuming the chimera he was describing was the former definition, and comes from a spiritual interpretation. It was not likely a description attributed to himself, but rather the general nature of man.
Although several biographies have been written about the life of Pascal, some of which have been hotly contested, including the one written by his own sister, there are certain indisputable facts about his life.
Pascal’s father was a tax lawyer, and the family was upper class or bourgeoisie, therefore Pascal received a very good education. But regardless of the class he was born into, his giftedness in mathematics and physics showed evidence of a keen mind. His intelligence and endless curiosity was considered exceptional in his childhood, and by the time he was thirteen years old he was recognized in the higher intellectual circles.
Personally I think any gifted person will demonstrate their giftedness in childhood. There have been many “brainy” charlatans, who claim to have IQ’s well beyond the norm, when they showed no evidence of it as a child.
At the age of sixteen, Pascal wrote an original essay called “Pascal’s Theorem” describing the special properties of hexagons inscribed within conic sections.
Conversely, Charles Darwin just wanted to run around in the bush, shoot birds and collect beetles. Even when he was on the Voyage of The Beagle, he had no concept of scientific principles. He would throw things (dead birds) in a bag and send them back to England. I know many people would disagree, but I have read his history, his family history, his autobiography, and many other books attributed to him. With each book, and background description, I drew my own conclusions.
Darwin’s father was a doctor, a freemason, and apparently a formidable figure who was very tall and weighed around four hundred pounds. Darwin was expected to go into medical school, but dropped out in the first year. The other occupation he would have been expected to go into was the clergy, which he could not manage either. His early school years did not show that he was a brilliant child. Quite the opposite in fact. In the early chapters of his autobiography, Darwin openly admitted to being prone to spreading falsehoods. In later life, he was very worried about his fate for doing so. He opined that he may be considered to be worse than a murderer.
Pascal’s father was a tax collector, therefore Pascal was well aware of the need for record keeping and calculations. In spite of the politics surrounding him at the time, to include a massive tax revolt, he managed to invent the world’s first calculator using a series of interconnected wheels. It was called “la machine arithmétique, later known as the Pascaline.”
One thing we can take note of throughout history, is that only those with rich, and noble backgrounds rose to fame. You seldom read about a famous person who was born into poverty – or was a serf, pheasant or slave. The law of probability tells us that some of the so-called lower class humans, are born with exceptional minds. But without the wealth or political influence, the lesser beings are lost in time.
The law of probability also tells us that a percentage of women must be born with intellectual giftedness or hereditary high IQ’s, but have very little representation when it comes to historical documentation or fame. It seems the brightest women fell into a forced mediocrity. The women who were exalted, like Florence Nightingale, were puppets taking their orders from powerful men within politically connected families. We can see the same patterns today.
Pascal was plagued by illness from the time he was a small child. Throughout his life, he began to reject the contemporary treatments of blood-letting, enemas and purging, and opted for bed rest and bouillon instead.
On November 23rd 1654, Pascal experienced what he described as “The Night of Fire”, a religious conversion that had such an impact on him, he described it on parchment paper and then had it sewn into his jacket.
“At the top of the sheet stands a cross followed by a few lines establishing the time and date, then the word FEU (fire) in all upper case and centered near the top of the page. Then:
Dieu d’Abraham, Dieu d’Isaac, Dieu de Jacob, non des philosophes et des savants.
Certitude. Certitude. Sentiment. Joie. Paix.
Dieu de Jésus-Christ.
Deum meum et Deum vestrum.
Ton Dieu sera mon Dieu.
(God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of the philosophers and scholars. Certitude, certitude, feeling, joy, peace. God of Jesus Christ. My God and your God. Thy God will be my God.)”
The parchment copy ends with the solemn pledge: “Total submission to Jesus Christ and to my director. Eternally in joy for a day’s trial on earth. I shall not forget thy word.”
His life and many accomplishments are truly remarkable. We should be able to see his testimony, his sincerity, and his ultimate calling. He was so determined to save this triumphant testimony that he preserved it in more than one location, and carried it with him on his person.
Of the many quotes attributed to Blaise Pascal – what wisdom stands out that might apply to our lives today?
“In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don’t.”
“Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.”
“The least movement is of importance to all nature. The entire ocean is affected by a pebble.”
“Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just.”
“People are generally better persuaded by the reasons which they have themselves discovered than by those which have come in to the mind of others.”
“Contradiction is not a sign of falsity, nor the lack of contradiction a sign of truth.”
“Between us and heaven or hell there is only life, which is the frailest thing in the world.”
“Evil is easy, and has infinite forms.”
“Reason commands us far more imperiously than a master; for in disobeying the one we are unfortunate, and in disobeying the other we are fools.”
” If man made himself the first object of study, he would see how incapable he is of going further. How can a part know the whole?”
“We run carelessly to the precipice, after we have put something before us to prevent us seeing it.”
The glimpses we have into the life and thoughts of Blaise Pascal contain wisdom for today as much as they did centuries ago, perhaps even more so – in light of what is happening today.
One of the historical enigmas for me, is that the life expectancy in the days of Noah went from eight hundred years, to what appears to be a life expectancy of about age forty-five during the twelfth to nineteenth centuries. That’s quite a phenomenal drop. I also wonder why the upper class wealthy people who would have had good nutrition, and cleaner more enriching areas to live and work, were so plagued by chronic ill health.
The concept and rise of physicians, or doctors – to care for the ill began during the latter part of the middle ages. Perhaps this became more of a problem, as opposed to an avenue for cure. Having the keys to the opium dens, was especially not directed toward optimal health, even for the bourgeoisie.
Pascal had a commitment first and foremost to God. From that he extrapolated the utmost importance of both truth and thought. He did not fall back on scientific principles or reason. He realized that God is central, salvation comes only through our belief in Christ – and love, including the love of the truth – is the only real hope for humankind.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2022). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Although we certainly can’t believe everything we read these days, my interest this morning was piqued by an article coming out of New Brunswick about a neurodegenerative disease that is affecting young people, and seems to be transmissible. The full article is in the Guardian (which could easily be more fear mongering and propaganda).
If you read the article, it makes it sound like dementia, hallucinations, weight loss, and severe cognitive decline can be spread from one individual to a care giver.
The thing that struck me is that in Moncton the clinic “The Special Neurodegenerative Disorder Clinic” is called “The Mind Clinic”. Really? How odd.
The brain is a holistic part of our physicality. Injury to the brain might damage thought processes, swallowing, cause certain behaviours, affect speech, movement, or coordination. The brain is dependent on oxygen, nutrients, other organs, neurochemistry, and is protected by the skull.
Conversely the mind is part of the person’s identity, individuality, personality, beliefs, will, and emotions. The soul consists of mind, will and emotion. The spirit, which is closely linked to the mind, comes from God. Therefore the mind, soul, and spirit are separate from the physical body, and have the capacity to leave the body when the person dies.
In the case of near death experiences, thousands of people have described leaving their bodies, and watching from above what is happening. One man described being in a boat that was capsized by a huge wave. He described struggling to the point where he gave up, surrendered, and accepted death. He said being tossed around in the ocean was intense and violent. He also recounted leaving his body, and watching the ocean and waves from above. He gave the description of what it was like going back into his body, being pushed up against something that forced water out of his lungs, and being pulled from the water. Apparently he was under water for about eighteen minutes.
Admittedly there are some near death experiences that seem to be sensationalized or fabricated. But a high percentage of them are quite consistent, so there must be something to it.
In previous articles I described my own similar experience with anaphylaxis. One of the most amazing aspects of my experience is the amount of knowledge that flooded into my mind. It was like ten textbooks of information all at once because I was praying, and asking God, “what is happening”? Our mother described the same thing when she had open heart surgery at the age of twenty-three. She could see all the drapes around her and watch what was going on. These types of experiences almost always take away the fear of death and change some aspects of the person’s beliefs about death.
My thoughts at the time of surrender. There is acceptance. Like it is as natural as an apple falling from a tree. And thoughts of loved ones, hoping they don’t grieve. Aside from that, there was a sense of what was happening in the spiritual realm. It was literally crackling with energy, and I was quite curious to see what was out there when I fall over dead.
For me, the real acuity of the whole experience lasted about ten or twelve minutes, and I was struggling to get each breath – so I did not really die or go anywhere. But I came to that point of exit. When my soul left my body briefly during the whole experience, I was looking down on myself with clarity, wondering if and how I was going to survive this. So I did not have the real version of a near death experience, or go towards a tunnel with a bright light. But it was close enough to make me realize beyond a shadow of a doubt – that our souls leave our body, and there is a very dynamic and active spiritual world around us.
Even though we should not fear death, I also believe we should value our lives, try to stay alive, and avoid doing things that might hasten our death. For this reason alone, we need to maintain as much control over our own bodies as possible – in all ways. When it comes to the diseases that take some control over our bodies – we still have our minds. If our minds go into cognitive decline, we still have our beliefs, our genetics, our history, and our identity.
How does the mind remain active when it leaves the physical body? How do our eyes see what is going on when looking down on our own bodies? Our eyes are also part of our physical bodies. So what is it that enables us to see or think at such a time?
I wonder what’s next with these so-called clinics? Can’t they differentiate between the physical brain and the mind or the soul? Obviously not. In my opinion a neurodegenerative disorder of the brain, is not a disorder of the mind. It is a physical disability, secondary to an injury to the brain or central nervous system. A quote from the article:
“The Special Neurodegenerative Disorder Clinic, also called the Mind Clinic, in the city of Moncton is the clearing house for cases referred from within the region as well as neighbouring provinces. Prospective cases have typically stumped doctors and resisted a battery of standardized neurological tests used to rule out certain conditions.
Using a case description guideline developed by a team of neurologists and epidemiologists, the clinic decides if the patients warrant further investigation or if they may have a known illness or disease. Determining who becomes part of the cluster is subjective, largely because the brain is notoriously difficult to study. Certainty is often only obtained after the patient dies and the cerebral tissue can be fully tested.”
There is supposed to be a Provincial report of the disorder coming out this month. They claim forty-eight people have been affected by this strange and debilitating set of symptoms.
But the good news is that the “Mind Clinic” might not manage to stay afloat themselves. They should leave their concept, rise above it, and see for themselves – that as a neurological clinic, they should stick with the physical. Taking it beyond that, is not the least bit fair to those they are treating or diagnosing.
The only part of the article that makes sense is that the Mind Clinic is struggling to survive. Oh my – take a deep breath before you go under!
“Amid mounting tension between specialists and the provincial government, a source familiar with the Mind Clinic say the postings for several jobs at the clinic – a social worker, an administrator and a neuropsychologist – were recently made temporary, the budget would no longer be recurrent and the clinic would be converted into a Alzheimer’s and geriatric clinic. Health minister Dorothy Shephard told reporters on 1 December that speculation the clinic would be shut down was untrue.”
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2022). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Friedrich Nietzche (1844-1900) was considered to be one of the most influential thinkers and philosophers of the time. In hindsight, when the whole world contemplates what laid the foundation for a plunge into darkness and madness – look deeper into the concepts introduced by a brilliant mad man.
Nietzche was a German philosopher, writer, and essayist. Prior to retiring into full time writing, he was a University professor in Switzerland.
Although his writings are circuitous, depressing, and convoluted – many have embraced his concepts. In fact, his writings may have been foundational for the rise of the Nazi movement. His central beliefs denied all forms of morality, and focused on the will to have power.
Although his writings are considered to be brilliant, the torment of his soul was evident in his life. One of the most famous statements attributed to him is “God is dead”.
“When Nietzsche famously declared that “God is dead,” he meant that science and reason had progressed to the point where we could no longer justify belief in God, and that meant that we could no longer justify the values rooted in that belief. So his point was that we had to reckon with a world in which there is no foundation for our highest values.”
Rather than go into the exhaustive interpretations of his writings, which include “Beyond Good & Evil” “Twilight Of The Idols” “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” it might be more worthwhile to simply give a snapshot on what is known about how he lived his life. None of his thesis proved anything, and it seems much of what he wrote is either poorly understood, or misinterpreted.
It is documented that he graduated from high school at age twenty. He was born in 1844 and entered the University of Bonn in 1864. His father, who died when he was a child, was a Lutheran minister, which gave his mother hope he would follow in his footsteps. But Nietzche chose to study and teach philology (the study of languages) instead. He became a professor of Greek language, and literature at the University of Basel in Switzerland at the age of twenty-four.
It appears he worked as a professor for less than ten years, and at the age of thirty-two quit to be a full time independent writer. He lived with his mother, and got his money from his pensions and various associates.
Although there is much speculation about his life, and whether his descent into madness was due to syphilis, isolation, strokes, dementia, or the excessive use of drugs – is not clear. He suffered early and significant cognitive decline for whatever reasons.
However, it is clear he traversed a very dark and convoluted road. Some of his followers deny that he went mad, and attributed his catatonic paralysis during the final eleven years of his life to a stroke. But even so – they cannot deny the string of mad letters he wrote, in many cases claiming himself to be god.
The contradiction and hypocrisy is pretty obvious – for a person who famously claimed “God is dead”. It sounds like this poor delusional man maybe thought his own soul was dead, and was so filled with pride, he mistook himself for being god.
He continued to write throughout his thirties and early forties, but by his early forties he was already writing the mad letters. He died at the age of fifty-five after spending eleven years totally paralyzed or catatonic.
Some of his fierce defenders remain adamant he was paralyzed due to a stroke. However, in my opinion, he did not seem to exhibit the global characteristics of brain damage associated with a stroke. In addition, it is not that common for a person to have a massive stroke or severe dementia while still in their forties. However drug and alcohol use, among other things, could contribute to an early stroke.
No matter how you choose to view his life, his writings, and the influence he laid for some very dark philosophical arguments and belief systems – there was no joy, no light, and no hope in his forsaken life.
It is really interesting to note when studying these historical famous figures, how many of them were sick for most of their adult lives. Florence Nightingale was also sick for many years, and spent those years writing esoteric nonsense. By the age of thirty-eight she was home bound and bedridden. All the nursing school exaltations and praise of Florence Nightingale’s wonderful contributions are nothing but fabricated propaganda. You can follow the path of the “iron maiden” and wonder why anyone thought she was kind, or that she even knew what she was doing. It was all political.
Charles Darwin was equally as sickly. He had maladies up the yin yang for most of his life. “After returning from the Beagle in 1836, Charles Darwin suffered for over 40 years from long bouts of vomiting, gut pain, headaches, severe tiredness, skin problems, and depression. Twenty doctors failed to treat him.” This is especially significant because he was very young when he went on the Voyage of the Beagle. He never experienced optimal health at any time in his life, in spite of constant doctor’s visits for various treatments and therapies. You have to wonder if Darwin really wrote the theory of evolution.
In fact, I know Charles Darwin did not come up with the original thoughts or writing on the theory of evolution. His grandfather Erasmus Darwin wrote thousands of pages on evolution, many steeped in or copied from ancient Sanskrit texts. So how did Charles Darwin develop the original thought train if his grandfather wrote about it before he was even born? His grandfather, father and ancestors were steeped in Rosicrucian belief systems. Darwin might have been tasked to translate the ancient texts to remove the spiritism and make it more scientific. The theory of evolution was written down in ancient texts as early as the tenth century.
Another reason I came to suspect Darwin did not write the evolutionary material, is because his autobiography has a very different writing style. So there you go – add that one to the 9,999 other conspiracy theories in this world. In the end, I wonder how many of those conspiracy theories will be true?
Besides that, how many people who are really sick can sit and write all day? I know I can’t write all day if I am sick. Maybe Florence Nightingale and Charles Darwin were hypochondriacs, or lazy, and simply wanted to get out of taking out the trash. Who knows for sure?
What do the known lives of some of these people tell us? To me, it demonstrates that a path of darkness, dark philosophy, and dark writings – does not bring much joy or inspiration for the soul. It is almost like they lived their famous and exalted lives as examples of the “destinies of the damned.”
On a broader scale, perhaps the bigger question is – why does the media, the universities, politicians, and the grant programs exalt so many crazy and deranged people?
How do we know Florence Nightingale was not the ethereal, benevolent lady with the lantern – floating down the hallways of hospitals during the Crimean war? Because iron maidens don’t float. Her career was short-lived and cruel. How do we know Nietszche may have been brilliant, but he lacked wisdom or true knowledge? Just look at where all his self-absorbed, twisted notions led him? The path we choose in life does take us somewhere, even if we don’t realize it at the time.
The eighteen hundreds had a plethora of dark philosophers that laid the foundation for much of the modern day apostasy. One person’s writings can influence a mushroom cloud of off-base and deceptive thought processes that infiltrate everything from politics to health care. Some of the historical thoughts and ideas that surfaced helped people break out of oppressive conditions. Other ideas led to catastrophe. We need to be able to discern the difference between good and evil in order to make our own choices.
The cult of personality and national socialism creates a harebrained mess of things. We can thank our lucky stars – there is a God. If all of history, politics, education and health is left up to man, just look back. Look at the present. Ask yourself if we are giving too much accolades to the actions of behind-the-scenes people who are so self-exalted they are in a descent into madness. Yet their thinking becomes foundational and can be plucked out the remnants of those Godless black holes.
Yes things have become increasingly polarized, the opposite of what Nietzche believed in and taught. He denied the existence of right and wrong, he denied the existence of truth, and he denied the existence of God.
No one is forced to believe in God. Perhaps it is better to write about a favourite famous writer like Blaise Pascal. I have been a fan of Blaise Pascal since I first started to read about him thirty years ago. He was truly and provably a brilliant man. He did not do circle talk spouting intellectual gibberish. He did not focus on himself, but rather practical things that could benefit knowledge, understanding and progressive mathematics. He wrote about and tested his beliefs.
My next blog post is going to describe a much more productive and psychologically stable historical figure – Blaise Pascal. Here is what he believed about God.
Another of his famous quotes, which I think should be a covid quote is. “Don’t try to add more years to your life. Better to add more life to your years”.
Everyone must be scratching their heads over the announcement to change Facebook into a global meta verse. Huh? What the heck is that? Do you take selfies, run them through a filter, make up an impressive handle or avatar, call yourself a god or a goddess, and play “meta verse” all day instead of living in the real world?
Where did Zuckerberg come up with this novel concept? That’s right, it does come from a novel. It comes from the 1990’s novel by Neal Stephenson called Snow Crash. I have not read the book, but looked up some reviews and the convoluted story line. The book is pure science fiction.
In the book there are many altered Biblical references to the tower of Babel and various gods. It speaks of how “in the beginning gibbersih was written into the bitmap causing the computer to crash”. Snow crash is a reference to the old fashioned TV screen when it went off air and left a snowy, static looking screen.
The book speaks about the Sumerian language used for programming the brainstem. The goddess Ashera is the personification of the linguistic virus. The god Enhi created a counter-attack causing all humans to speak different languages (idea comes from the Bible).
The plot opens in LA after a complete global economic collapse. LA is no longer part of the US since the world is run by sovereign enclaves each run by big business. The plot revolves around a character named Hiro who is a hacker and a pizza delivery driver for the Mafia. When viewed, the snow crash datafile caused a system wide crash and the viewer to get brain damage.
The book hints of strong narcotics as part of the computer file, and has multiple sub-plots. Quoted from wikipedia “The body that is infected by a virus does not become infected because it understands the virus any more than the body that does not become infected misunderstands the virus. So a world in which everything—from bitmaps to blood—can be understood as a “form of speech” is also a world in which nothing actually is understood, a world in which what a speech act does is disconnected from what it means.”
Now the question is, how does this science fiction odd ball novel manage to become the backdrop to set up a Facebook meta universe? Especially given the fact it was written thirty years ago?
The answer is it doesn’t and it can’t. It is not only a far-fetched marketing campaign, but it is dredged up from the dark side. It is given accolades for having all kinds of brilliant connections on everything from history to linguistics, to anthropology, religion and philosophy, but a quick overview, in my opinion – shows a focus on nothing much but a cult religion.
But regardless of what fantasies a person gravitates toward, how is this book going to be the conceptual construct for a meta verse, which no one fully understands?
First of all, computer programming does not take on a life of its own. There are brilliant programmers, but all it is – is a translation of thoughts into code. It does not invent itself.
The basic reason it cannot be what Zuckerberg claims it will be, is because in order to create a meta verse, first there must be a virtual reality. A virtual reality must be open source, and allow any other programmer to jump in, and possibly even take control. You can rest assured Zuckerberg – has not structured it this way. This is his own little play station version of his own aggrandized pseudo-reality.
Furthermore, the science fiction genre it stems from has a moral code, and this falls outside that moral compass. Why? It has undercurrents of a radicalized and racial purification structure for humanity.
“In contrast, it uniquely risks developing a racialized view of culture.[according to whom?][citation needed] Because, Walter Benn Michaels states, “in Snow Crash, the bodies of humans are affected by ‘information’ they can’t read… the virus, like the icepick [in American Psycho], gets the words inside you even if you haven’t read them”,[16]: 68 culture is not transmitted by beliefs and practices, but rather by physical characteristics, such as blood (or genetic codes).[according to whom?][citation needed]”
Facebook has morphed into a meta universe based on a science fiction novel from thirty years ago, when there is no virtual reality even today. Gamers put on goggles and headphones to enter. The rest of us put on a hat and gloves and go out for a walk in the snow like normal human beings in the real world.
When someone shares a picture of their dog on Facebook – don’t worry. It can’t bite or byte you!
What all this drivel fails to acknowledge – is that human beings produce both language and thoughts. Thoughts stem from our identity and beliefs. There are Universal laws surrounding the development of thoughts. All computer programming stems from human intelligence and thoughts, not the other way around.
Happy New Year! And let’s hope Zuckerberg only manages to crash his own system.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2022). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
This little bird visited today and stayed for a few photo-ops. Funnily enough, first he was fooled by some fake flowers in a basket. Then fooled again over a metal hummingbird on a trellis above the basket. He let me get quite close to him, but I was afraid he might fly into the living room if I opened the sliding door too wide, so this was the only angle I could get. I was taking product pictures when he stopped by, and happened to see him fly onto the balcony. I had a 50mm fixed lens on the camera. Too bad it wasn’t a macro lens. But with hummingbirds, you don’t usually have much time to change a lens.
He was just three feet away from where I was standing, and did not fly away when I quietly slid the door open. He kept looking up at the metal bird, and opening and closing his pointed little beak, like he was trying to talk to it. He might have been cold too, or maybe it is a mating thing, because he kept preening and puffing out his feathers as well. He stayed much longer than hummingbirds usually do. I wondered if he was hiding out to avoid being attacked by the crows. I don’t recall ever seeing hummingbirds in December on the west coast. Perhaps this little birdie came to give a wee parable or message for the New Year. There is potential within all of nature – to be deceived. The photo art is a pop art filter cropped from the original.
I just read that the only breed remaining here for the entire winter is called the Anna hummingbird. Apparently there are record numbers of them freezing and injured right now. No wonder this little one was hanging around longer, and maybe not thinking too clearly.
I also read about people warming feeders this time of year, and/or trying to find ways to keep them from freezing. In a previous post I explained why I do not believe in feeding any wildlife, including birds. If the Anna hummingbird routinely sticks around for the winter, they must have the capacity to survive, at least a percentage of them must. This bird did fly away without appearing to be injured. I hope he or she is doing okay.
History is valid because history tends to repeat itself. You would think we would learn from the past, but human nature, unfortunately – is what it is.
Mussolini started out as a revolutionary socialist. It is an ideology that stresses the need for widespread revolution in order to bring about social restructuring. It is about destabilization and division.
According to history.com Mussolini’s father was a blacksmith by trade, and an ardent socialist. His mother was described as being a devout Roman Catholic, although I am sure she was a whole lot more than that. I have never been quite sure what a devout Roman Catholic means. When I was younger I assumed it meant they followed all the traditions, midnight masses, and various forms of worship set out by the Catholic Church. But regardless of religious affiliation, people are responsible for what they do, and how they treat others. There can be no hiding behind a cloak of religion, or it means it is a false religion.
It is interesting to note that Mussolini was expelled from school at age ten for stabbing another student. He obviously had no remorse, because he stabbed another student when he was fourteen, and was suspended from school. He did not face serious consequences by the sounds of it. Nor did he have assessments or some kind of intervention and follow up. At least there is nothing to show he was remorseful, or even controllable.
His young adulthood was spent traveling around as a socialist agitator, with frequent altercations with police. After a brief stint as editor of a socialist newspaper in Austria, he was deported back to Italy in 1909.
By 1910 he was the editor of another socialist newspaper, and was arrested for inciting violence. He spent six months in jail. Apparently during his incarceration he began writing his autobiography while still in his twenties, citing his difficult school years and romantic prowess (multiple conquests). Wow. A violent, self-aggrandized, agitated lover boy. How ominous.
Mussolini fought in the First World War in 1915, and then returned to journalism. By 1919 he was organizing fascist groups to form the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento. He also began to stockpile weapons and explosives in his newspaper offices. This group insisted on the internment of any foreigners deemed to be enemies of the state. He was arrested again for collecting arms to overthrow the government, but was soon released.
By 1921 the Italian parliament was dissolved in the midst of violence and chaos. The reason given for the dissolution, was the reluctance to impose martial law. The subsequent election brought a win for the fascists. Mussolini won a seat, and from there he managed to rise to power.
By 1922 he declared himself the dictator of Italy. Following his declaration, two decades of oppression, and harsh regimes were inflicted upon the people. During the Second World War, he opportunistically aligned himself with Hitler and the Nazi movement.
Is it any wonder fashion took on the persona of the flapper and the fringe during that era? Flapping wildly in the wind and turbulence of the times. If you compare the “look” from the turn of the century, before the world wars, to the 1920’s-1940’s we see radical changes in some of the glamorous silhouettes that came out of those wars. War generates profits, especially for those at the top.
Mussolini’s first order of the day was to demand special “emergency powers” to set up the elections and punish any anti-fascist activists with prison, denying them a trial. By 1926 the fascists owned 66% of the newspapers. The “Order of Journalists” was created and membership was mandatory. Anyone who did not comply faced immediate arrest and imprisonment.
By 1943 the antics of Mussolini and his alliance with Hitler began to catch up with him. He was voted out of power by his own Grand Council. He was arrested and freed again, only to join the dark forces in the murderous rampage against the Italian Jewish people.
Finally, in June of 1945 the allied forces stormed into Italy. Apparently Mussolini tried to flee with his lover, but was discovered in a transport truck and arrested. Most of the information for this article was retrieved from the website history.com. However there is a glaring contradiction. In one paragraph it states he was arrested in June of 1945 trying to flee, and the next paragraph claims he was shot by firing squad in April of 1945.
Although there is much more to this snapshot of the rise and fall of a fascist dictator, one of the final macabre bits, is that he was hung upside down with one of his cohorts at the Piazzale Loreto in Milan, and displayed for crowds to express their rage and disgust. The public was free to kick and spat upon the upended corpses.
But the grisly bits of his life did not end in the town square. In 1966 his wife was given a piece of his brain in an envelope. The American diplomat who gave it to her said it was a gesture, or a piece of what creates a dictator. It does not make much sense to me, how a piece of someone’s brain in an envelope is going to prove much. You would think she would have been appalled, but instead she saved it. His wife decided to put the grey matter on his tomb, which receives over a 100,000 visitors a day. Nice tourist attraction eh? For flies maybe…
If anything, the dictator’s history of stabbing his classmates, and his many brushes with the law, should have prevented him from rising to power. But people get caught up in confusion, chaos and fear. Or worse yet – denial. Then it seems things just follow a certain path of destruction, with some sort of mysterious timing.
Mussolini’s life was one of violence and domination. Soon after his death, Hitler committed suicide.
Although they commit an untold legacy of harm, murder, and imprisonment – these men died miserable deaths. Are they gone for good? No. Those ideologies never got stamped out. They surface again. But what is their ultimate fate? Judgement day. They wait in the pit until they rise one more time – to face the final judgement they deserve.
For all those with fascist or extremist leanings – learn from the past, or your future will be locked in a pit somewhere with guys like Mussolini and Hitler. We all await the judgement day. Some of us hope for justice, while others quake in fear at the thought of consequences for their horrific actions toward other human beings.
Every impactful ideology, even if it is steeped in madness – leaves a remnant. We should study the scraps and leftovers from the past to see the origin and progression of extremes – leading to the cult of personality, self-exaltation, tyranny, arrogance, and cruelty. The remnant of social injustice is seen when societies become increasingly Godless.
In all ways, we can safely assert that creating confusion and chaos is not good. Pushing people to the point of rioting in the streets, is not good. Inciting violence? Not good.
We are meant to do good, with sincerity and honesty. We are meant to deal with others in good faith. No matter what happens, good overcomes evil. Love overcomes hate. Truth overcomes deception. Peace overcomes violence.
Christmas means a Saviour was born. Just as we celebrate his birth, we look forward to his return. Now, perhaps more than any other time in history, we have to navigate one of the most complex narratives of all time. We just have to do our best to do good, and promote peace.
May faith in Jesus bring peace of mind, with much reflection and hope for what is to come.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2021). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Like most intangible definitions in life, luxury is embodied in a lifestyle that some take for granted – yet others have never experienced. Or is there some kind of luxury for all people? Is love a luxury? If it is, then maybe some of the poor have experienced more of it than the most opulent people on earth. Of course that’s pure speculation on my part.
But really, what is luxury? Expensive clothes and art? In my opinion, it is about comfort and peace of mind. An aesthetic and pleasing ambiance is part of luxury. In every way, luxury is a perspective, not a brand.
If you are lost on a mountain for hours on end or overnight, and it starts to rain and blow sleet, you lack luxuries, no matter how wealthy you are. If unprepared for such an excursion, the wealthy might have fancier gear, but will still suffer the discomforts, the elements, and the fear of death.
From such a perspective, a hot bath and cup of tea are longed for, in your mind, and viewed as the epitome of luxury. If you are lost in a hot desert, the oasis represents a luxury powerful enough to cause you to hallucinate the sight of one.
I remember reading somewhere that those who spent extended times in the wilderness after surviving a plane crash, fared better if they imagined food in detail, as opposed to those who tried not to think about food at all.
In cases of hypothermia, it is common for people to undress before they die. If they do not take off all clothing, they often remove just their footwear. Search and rescue are stymied when they find a missing person’s hiking boots, with no evidence of animal predation, or obvious reason for taking them off.
Humans are paradoxical in so many ways. There is much speculation about the reasons for undressing in the final stages of hypothermia. It is probably something instinctual in relation to the skewed electrical signals in the body, and decreasing level of consciousness. Some say it is a survival mechanism to increase vasoconstriction, in order to preserve the core temperature. But that doesn’t really make sense to me, since the core needs warming, not more exposure. The skin is the bodies largest organ, so our basic instinct is to protect and cover our skin when it is cold.
Luxury seems to be more closely related to warmth, stability, and relaxation. It is something you can hold close, like a warm stone. It is natural to slip into, easy to hug close around you, but not too sloppy to answer the door. Luxury is merino wool and cashmere socks inside your favourite pair of old and worn leather boots. Luxury is making it another few miles when you are tired, without stumbling and doing a face plant. It is reaching a destination, the one you have in your mind long before you get there.
In the past couple of years, pomposity has gone by the wayside. Luxury has been humbled. Over indulgence is rapidly becoming a garish and wasteful form of luxury. Huge carbon footprints are no longer idolized.
But what about our obsession with textiles and fashion? Has society ever abandoned the concept of adding art to enhance comfort, colour and beauty? Style is part of self expression and personal identity. Everyone has a certain style, which seems to match their personality.
Luxury, in one form or another is for everyone. If we have gratitude, we know a hot bath is a luxury. I believe we are very fortunate to have so much luxury. I also believe it is far better to buy quality and keep it for a long time, as opposed to fast fashion. Fast fashion fills up the landfills with excessive waste. It also exacerbates the use of petrochemicals, since most cheap things are made of polyester. Some polyester is superior to other polyesters, but even so…
Luxury leans toward natural fibres, in my opinion. Natural fibres make so much more sense, both for comfort and for the environment. This includes the use of leathers that are byproducts of the food industry. Natural fibres last longer, protect us better, and are less harmful to the environment. Nothing beats merino wool in cold weather.
High fashion is somewhat like music, art and other memorabilia. Some things are worth keeping and preserving, since they will never be made again. Who makes hats with intricate rows of contrasting feathers in this day and age? If they do try to make something similar, it certainly does not look like a 1950’s Ellen Faith hat. Quality and fashionable items have lasting value, if they are taken care of. They are part of the arts and culture of every era, and every country in the world.
Luxury is thought of as being everything from fancy cars, and python bags, to jet-setting, and indulging in seven course meals. Yet, luxury can just as easily be donning a warm pair of slippers, and pouring a steaming dark roast coffee, to watch the sun rise over the mountains. It is even better if you can sit quietly and listen to the trill, the distinctive woo woo sounds of the Mourning doves.
Whatever your luxuries this holiday season – May you have the luxury of peace of mind. Also, the luxury of seeing loved ones without rigid controls, rejections, restrictions, or conflicts.
Freedom is a luxury now. I hope we can all be encouraged to know our minds are free. We can question things, disagree or agree. We can talk to each other, research, read, observe, and formulate our own opinions. Freedom to think, is the way it has always been.
In so many ways, the battle for ultimate freedom has already been won. We just have to be patient, and carry on like normal people. Who would have ever believed normal would become the new luxury?
I wish all people a normal Christmas, with all the comforts and luxury of love, warmth and acceptance.
We can “safely” acknowledge that no one can cast out, or separate us from the bonds of love that bind a family together, no matter how great the intrusion or abuse of power.
May the downcast be blessed. May the arrogant be brought to their senses, in the midst of abundance and luxuries. May all of our hearts hold love – in spite of it all.
This Christmas wish is for blessings to all polarized people. Unity would be a true luxury. It brings harmony. Harmony can do no harm.
What are ideas, but words given to thoughts and expressions? We are free to undress words before the final stages of system failure – ’cause they don’t freeze, yet they freeze in time. We can examine words for truth, and draw our own conclusions. We don’t have to bury them on the hillsides. We can embrace and share words, as one of the luxuries of living in a democratic country.
Our values are strong. We weather the storms. Love is a constant. Truth is important. And luxury? It is a changing look.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2021). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
This is an image of a 1930’s “Hudson’s Bay Soleil Elegante” seal skin hat, with fabric covered wooden beads attached to looped trim encircling the brim. The mums on my balcony are still in bloom, giving the weary blues Internet cafe a little bit of sunshine!
We are in the midst of apocalyptic theories about the end times, especially in relation to current events with floods, fires and plagues dominating the news every single day. The book of Revelation is one that incites fear – with images of tribulation, the mark of the beast, death, and graphic descriptions of the dreaded antichrist.
However, the final book and chapter of life on earth as we know it, is filled with hope, with mystery, imagery, metaphor, the spiritual realm, drama, and symbology. It is most prone to false teachings, or misinterpretations, which serve to enhance a fictional account of what it all means.
I will freely admit, there are many parts I don’t understand. But I can say what beliefs about end times that I cannot find in the book of Revelation. First and foremost, it is about the fullness of the revelation of Jesus Christ, not specifically about the revelation of a single anti-christ. It describes the ultimate battle between good and evil, to include punishing those who are against Christ, giving them plenty of warnings, and opportunity to repent.
There are many antichrists in this world, both in the unseen spiritual realm, and among people. The battle against evil encompasses all of the evil, to include the false prophet, lawlessness, and the devil himself. The revelation of Christ defines, and eventually demonstrates what is good in this world. The polarized opposite ceases to blend in, until the line of of demarcation, becomes an outright and inevitable challenge. Once you realize the basics, it is easier to understand how things might unfold.
There is no mention of a single antichrist, even though many extrapolate the description of this beast in Revelation as being one person. There is no mention of a pre-tribulation rapture, and prior to the John Darby alterations of the Bible in the mid-eighteen hundreds, there never was a belief in a rapture theory. Be very wary of anything added to, or taken away from the original version of the Bible.
There is nothing to describe a one world government, or one world order. In fact, The Bible specifically says that nation will rise against nation, and there will be war and rumours of war. People will deceive one another at all levels. Those who think they are the smartest and richest, will deceive those they think they can outsmart.
The thing about arrogance, is it creates an invincible perspective – viewing others as being beneath them, and deserving of their mistreatment. They will also strive to dominate and surpass anyone who seems to be above them. They are prone to scheming and creating conglomerates though. Joining forces with the right people increases their power, and is required, in order to achieve the goals they cannot possibly meet otherwise. But who is the top dog of such a system? We don’t have to take too many wild guesses.
If someone has accumulated billions of dollars, they already know wealth does not fill their void. So rather than abandon the concept of power and money based on deception and ruthlessness, they seek more power, dominance and control – like in a big game of Risk. They will continue deceiving and being deceived, unless they genuinely realize the error of their ways and repent.
How does the information found in end times eschatology translate into a one world order? The deception and conflict will increase, not coalesce into some kind of unified conspiracy theory. You don’t get unity out of divisiveness, greed and deception. You get confusion and a revolving door of changing “facts” ad infinitum. Lies change constantly, since they cannot be defended with reasoning or logic. In sharp contrast, truth is constant. There is no honour among thieves. There is no compassion either. Forget the concept of universal human rights. Prior to the end of this age, we get man and the devil’s version of ruling the earth, not God’s version.
During the years I went to church back in the eighties, I listened to many sermons giving dire warnings about the terrible tribulation Christians were about to face. In conjunction with the fear mongering, there would be the false hope of a rapture into the clouds when the going gets really tough. At the time, I thought it was what all Christians believed. After all, it was what I was indoctrinated with by a religious zealot (and very deceptive) teacher when I was in a kid in a small public school in central Alberta. Fundamentalist lies might have been foisted upon many people, but they are far from the truth.
Nothing is as it seems. There are many false teachers. All people should read the Bible for themselves. Do not listen to the many interpretations, including mine – at face value. When you read it for yourself, and then read it again, you will wonder how all the fables and myths arose out of what is meant to reassure us, not terrify us.
To give a summary of what it actually says: It starts out with a warning to the seven churches, in some cases explaining their shortfalls, and in other cases offering praise and encouragement – but in all cases, it is telling them to repent. The churches are the first ones to be told to repent. Following the reprimand to the churches, the punishment for those who do not repent begins.
The seven seals can only be opened by, and delivered to the world by Christ himself. After the churches are admonished, the non-believers and the wicked are told to repent, as the wrath of God begins to unfold. There will be persecution of Christians, as there has been throughout history, but the central message surrounds a series of punishments, in order to encourage all people to repent. Those who refuse to repent, get more severe punishment. If anyone should be terrified, it is the non-believers, especially those who lie with arrogance, and have little regard for the weak and the poor.
The focus on a single anti-christ, followed by a rapture into the clouds is false doctrine. One of the things we must do during these troubling times, is embrace and love the truth. We are specifically told to stop false dealings, and lying amongst ourselves. We are to discern and avoid false teachings, and be truthful in our communications. There is a much greater punishment awaiting those who intentionally deceive. Liars and lying top the list of the seven deadly sins, not the Catholic deadly sins, but the list as spelled out in Proverbs, describing the things God hates the most. In fact, the devil is known as, and described as being “the father of lies.” Arrogance or a “haughty look” is also in the top seven things God hates.
In my opinion, what is referred to as the antichrist in Revelation, is actually a system, not a single person. Some refer to this system as being the Catholic Church, or the USA, or the UN, or some other geographical location or organization. The beasts described in Revelation usually refer to a kingdom or a nation. I believe the verses about this creature, are referring to the hidden system of control and deception. It describes a kingdom of the anti-christ mentality, and organizational structure.
It is an organized and sophisticated system, but may not have a specific public name or known entity, since the nature of deception, is to hide under a cloak of darkness, while trying to appear to be a beacon of light. Most of the intent behind placating speeches, is the polarized opposite of what they are claiming. The cloak of darkness, lawlessness, apostasy, and secrecy – will eventually be revealed for what it is.
The book of Revelation is ultimately about repentance, redemption, and the return of Christ. It is encouraging believers to repent, to be patient, to be watchful – and most of all, to be comforted and reassured. As the time draws near, all people will face tribulation. None of us will escape it. We will be protected though, even through death. And just as there is a description of the mark of the beast, there is also a description of the mark and seal of the Holy Spirit as well. All people will end up with some kind of mark, likely a spiritual identifier, as opposed to an actual literal mark.
And finally, what happens when Christ returns or when we die? The atheist assumes life ends when the body dies. All religious beliefs have some kind of vision of an after life. I used to try to imagine living in heaven for all eternity. I would wonder what we would be doing, since eternity is a very long time. As a kid I wondered if we would be jumping from cloud to cloud, or have various groups or family units floating on their own cloud. Even so – how do we live on vapour?
How many funerals and church services have we listened to that describe a loved one being in heaven? But is it true? I don’t think so. It sounds like people go to a resting place until the return of Christ, which makes more sense. How can people automatically go to heaven prior to judgment day?
Heaven eventually gets brought to the earth. People do not go to heaven when they die, and nor do we go to heaven after Christ returns. Dead people sleep until the return of Christ. It is written – the dead in Christ rise first, then those who are alive are caught up to meet Christ in the air. This is a fulfillment of the Gospel promise of the resurrection of believers. But after all the joy and excitement, everyone settles back down to earth. The rest of the dead, as in the unbelievers, do not live again until after a thousand year reign on earth. The thousand year reign is under the rule of Christ, and all the believers throughout history will be on the earth.
This is consistent with the verses, and the images of swords being turned into ploughshares. The earth will have a focus on love for one another, agriculture, music, liberty, nourishment, truth, joy, praise, learning, exploring, gardening, and preparation for the great day of judgment. There will be no sickness and no fear.
There will be no more deception or violence. Of all the evil to be overcome in this world, the greatest gift of all, is knowing death will be overcome, once and for all. It is so much easier to imagine what we will be doing, when we realize we will not be floating on a cloud somewhere for all eternity.
If you don’t believe me, recite the Lord’s Prayer, because it tells us “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” For believers, the earth does not belong to anyone but God. We already know who is going to win the great and final battle.
Yes there are earthlings who believe they can get away with taking over and dominating the world, using deception, and abuse of power to make merchandise out of people. They actually believe money gives them a stake or a share in the all encompassing power of the global elite. The bigger question is, will they succeed?
Regardless of what you believe, even if you mock Christianity, and believe in the Big Bang theory. Imagine what it will be like for those who reject God until the bitter end? There will be a regrettable realization, knowing they squandered their own lives, in favour of deception and self exaltation. They are exchanging seventy or eighty years on a corrupt earth, for an eternity on a peaceful and joyful earth. Does it show us how justice might prevail? Belief is based on free will and faith. No one is forced to believe.
It is a sobering thought to acknowledge a hundred billion or more people have already died since the beginning of mankind. Where are all those people? What is their ultimate fate? Though we live and walk on this earth for now, clearly it is temporary. We cannot see eternity because our beliefs are based on faith, which is unseen.
We are warned many times throughout the Bible not to be deceived. Don’t assume all people who call themselves Christians are telling the truth. Look it up and read it for yourself. Some people will say money is the root of all evil, but what it really says is “the love of money is the root of all evil,” which makes more sense. Things are quite consistent in the Bible, making it a very stabilizing influence.
Of all things I don’t understand and would like to know, is why Eve was blamed for eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, when she was supposed to be submissive, and Adam was supposed to be the leader? Shouldn’t he have said “no way”? I suppose in many ways, it does demonstrate how people are inclined to be deceived, or talked into things against their better judgement. Once a deception is acted upon, it can change the course of many lives. The choice made by Adam and Eve, changed the course for all humankind.
If we sincerely seek the truth, we will eventually find the liberty we so desperately want. In my humble opinion – embracing truth, is the only way out of this mess.
On a more positive note, one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible describes the tree of life being here on earth once the kingdom of heaven is here. The tree of life has twelve fruits, with a different one ripening every month of the year. The leaves on the tree of life are for the healing of the nations.
The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” has always been pretty good advice. Prevention is all about staying healthy, in particular having a healthy diet, combined with fresh air and exercise. We all know the drill.
We all get sick from time to time regardless. As we age, the chronic diseases, cancers, heart disease, stroke, and accidents top the list for what could put us in the hospital (aside from covid, flus, and various other respiratory infections).
We simply do not have any guarantees in life. I might not be here tomorrow for all I know. I have managed to stay away from doctors and hospitals for the most part, with the exception of working in hospitals. As things unfold with covid, and health care becomes less reliable, I am more determined than ever to steer clear.
If I fail in my quest to stay alive and drop dead, there might be some finger pointing, and dire warnings “See I told you so”. Maybe I will plan to wear a pink sequinned mini skirt to my own funeral (very bad) so the tongue-wagging could have some bling in the orbits of the obits. What a place to end up when the party is over! Notice how older people take very few selfies? They add at least seven years to your life!
One of the things I cannot comprehend surrounding privacy and confidentiality in health care, is why they allow media into the ICU’s now, to take pictures of people who are critically ill, or on their death beds. Especially when you consider they will not even allow family to visit. Are all those cameras, tripods, and lenses sterile or even clean? Where else have they been?
I really do not think anyone should consent to that kind of macabre voyeurism. We are not getting out of this world alive, and we certainly don’t need to be used as covid mascots when we are at our most vulnerable. Those ICU pictures published in the newspapers, are intended to scare people into compliance, when no one knows the history or various other factors that put them in ICU.
People ended up on ventilators in ICU long before covid came along, yet we never allowed media into a hospital room. Now if you end up in ICU, it’s a reality TV show with a biased slant, at a time when you have no hope of defending yourself or your reputation. Vanity aside, privacy in health care is being eroded faster than an unstable embankment, without any roots to hold it in place.
I would far rather go out of this world dressed up, than tied and bound up in tubes on a ventilator, at the mercy of mobile hazmat suits, with people you could never recognize outside the place. So when people say, would you forgo medical care if you need the ICU? I always think – Sure I would. Faith and fate are part of life. Give it your best shot, and then fall out of the tree. Nature is what it is.
It has come to the point where it is simply safer to stay away from doctors and hospitals if at all possible. They are understaffed and overwhelmed as it is, and things appear to be getting worse. They don’t want us there.
The chances of medication errors, diagnostic errors, and a lack of advocacy – makes hospitals increasingly formidable. There are many good people who work in hospitals, but inadequate staffing levels can lead to inhumane treatment. Plus people are under a great deal of stress right now. Many people who work in hospitals have strong opinions about what is happening, yet they are not free to speak what they believe. The idea of facing the financial crisis that comes with loss of income, or worse yet the license to practice your profession, for people in mid career with families to support – is a huge stressor. The strong differences of opinion cause conflicts, mistrust, and instability in the workplace. I am so glad to be out of it.
Hospitals do have a fair bit of drama, and each experience is unique. For example, if a person is post op with a big abdominal surgery, has had the catheter removed, and cannot urinate – they will get a full bladder pressing on a fresh incision, and be in a great deal of pain. If they let the nurse know they are in extreme pain, and she does not palpate or notice the distended bladder, she might give sedation without alleviating the cause. She might not get back to the patient for another two or three hours. It is a very long time to be in that much pain, steadily increasing, as the IV is running, and the bladder becomes fuller.
The same thing can happen if there is internal bleeding, or a big clot pressing on the incision or other organs. The nurse may be inclined to give more sedation without recognizing the post op complication for several hours. Oftentimes it is a family member who acts as a patient advocate, and will seek help when they see something is not going well.
But if family is not allowed to visit, the person has no advocate. People can quickly become too weak to ring a call bell, especially if there is a post-op bleed. I truly wish there was a way to maintain a support person as a patient advocate, for every person who lands up in the hospital. From a staffing perspective, it is very helpful to have someone at the bedside who can give sips of water, adjust pillows, make sure the person is rousable, etc. Most nurses are not intentionally neglecting patients. It’s just too busy sometimes.
When a person lands up in ER, or is admitted to the ward, the treatment is in the luck of the draw. You might go in during a quiet period and get treated quite well. You might happen to get sick when a really good team of doctors and nurses are working. Or you may get a dud for a doctor, and nurses who are burnt out and beyond caring. The consistency of care is compromised by an overworked system.
Accidents and the resulting traumas, make up a percentage of tragic hospital admissions. In addition to car accidents, this includes falls within and around your own home. If you are over fifty and fracture your hip, the chances of dying within a year is very high. Falls can lead to brain injuries, and/or lifelong disabilities.
Therefore, assess and minimize your chances of getting injured before taking any risk. When indoors, use a stable two or three step ladder with an arched handle to get things out of upper cupboards. Never grab a bar stool or some other unstable piece of furniture to stand on, even for a minute. The same applies to all ladder use, inside or out. Always hold railings on stair cases. Use proper body alignment when lifting things.
For every project, create a safety filter, whether it is chopping vegetables, cutting frozen tuna, fixing things, using glues and chemicals, decorating, painting, gardening, lifting, and loading things. The notion of physical invincibility starts to wane at about age fifty five. If you add insult to injury, it hampers healing, and could lead to chronic pain, arthritis, and dependency on pain medications.
All injuries, like illnesses, need rest and healing therapies. Massage, water exercises, stretching, elevating, and application of warmth – will aid healing. Whether injured or ill, always keep your circulation flowing by moving around, changing position, deep breathing, rotating your ankles, tightening up your calf muscles, and stretching. Many people will develop pneumonia, just from not moving enough. Moving also helps keep the circulation flowing, which is especially important to prevent blood clots from developing in the lower legs.
We should not blame ourselves if we do get sick or injured. It’s bad enough to have to deal with a health crisis, without beating ourselves up even more. But even so, it is wise to do an objective evaluation of the cause, to help us recover, heal, steadily improve, and then make the necessary changes to boost our overall health.
To take responsibility for our own health, we have to gain some confidence and basic knowledge. One of the best ways to gain confidence is to overcome the fear of death. If we are living in fear, we are easy to manipulate and control. If we go for every pre-screening option available, we are bound to get diagnosed with something. Once that happens, it is much more difficult to back out of the treatment plan laid out for you. It is the same with prescription drugs. If you go to a doctor with any problem at all, you are likely to get a prescription of some sort.
I believe we all get inflammation, cancers, infections, and autoimmune diseases of varying degrees, sooner or later. Wellness is a lifelong journey, and many times, it is an uphill battle. A battle of self-discipline, will power, getting a proper balance in life, managing stress, getting enough sleep, solving problems, overcoming childhood trauma, addictions, and so on.
Years ago I was quite taken by a nutrition based self-help book about emotionally induced illnesses. The author claimed 80% of illnesses are emotional in origin. It seems excessive, but at the same time quite believable. During the years I worked as an RN, I could certainly see plenty of evidence to support those claims. Almost all frequent flyers presenting in ER departments are riddled with emotional pain, addiction, and an over arching physical complaint. Being referred to as a frequent flyer was a negative thing, with the undercurrent of what was then termed as “drug seeking behaviours”.
It is not simply a matter of thinking positive, although a decision to be happy, with an optimistic outlook, can help a great deal. You cannot stay positive if you have constant struggles, and never-ending problems to deal with though. So the key is to do what you can each day to solve the problems, in bite size pieces. Once you outline what you can do each day, then the problems can be broken down, without casting a complete shadow over all the positive things in life. If you have a hundred pounds to lose, you cannot lose it overnight anyway. It has to be a day by day, and step by step action plan.
In many cases we land up in a cycle of some sort. If it is negative and swings to the extremes, it means there are patterns to break and restructure. We have to ask ourselves what we might be doing to contribute to our own bad luck or instability.
Sometimes it is a matter of “to thine own self be true” but you end up getting punished for the decision. Other times, it is a pattern, a coping mechanism from another era. Sometimes it is interlocked with a co-dependant or destructive relationship. It is hard to be objective when you are in the thick of it. You have to get free first.
In a similar way, if you have a raging addiction, it will not be cured in a day. It takes abstinence, followed by a day to day plan with the objective to get feeling better. All addiction, depression, poor diets, chronic illness, etc. require a dedication to improve energy, stability and vitality. The dopamine levels, serotonin levels, gut biome, and methods of stress management must be sorted out. For some, healthy living has been fairly easy to make into a lifelong pattern. For countless others though, optimal wellness is burdened with, or snuffed out by emotional and psychological baggage.
Over the years, I will readily admit my own shortcomings in handling emotional stress in a healthy way. I allowed coping mechanisms from early childhood to rule. In hindsight, I wish I would have known then, what I know now. When things go wrong with our health, we feel awful. We don’t have the energy to get our work done. It is difficult to feel happy and optimistic while feeling physically ill. In a similar sense, it is difficult to feel physically well, if we are emotionally stressed, downtrodden, or over burdened, and without the resources to deal with things.
One of the core values I have developed, is to avoid most medications, non-herbal drugs, and alcohol. They might be needed for a brief period, but dependency on medications or chemical mood elevators, means masking symptoms, and creating a roller coaster of mood instability. Eventually the (self) medications do not work as well, or else they cause intolerable and cumulative side effects. Alcohol and many prescription medications are addictive, and can cause severe withdrawal when stopped suddenly. Benzodiazepines require a very careful tapering, which can take many months.
The main objective is to stay stable, regardless of what is going on around you. This means having surety in your decision making abilities, forgiving your own mistakes, and doing your best each day. Keep stable routines, stable diet, stable home life, and keep working out the priorities and details. If there are major changes, don’t add more, just deal with what is tangible. Any time something is threatening to spiral, pull it back to the baseline.
As far as physical health is concerned, the principles are similar. Pay attention. When there is a problem developing, evaluate it, research it, and trust your intuition. If you feel unwell, often rest is the antidote. Some people panic if they see a tablespoon of blood. Apply pressure. If you have an arterial bleed, or an injury that won’t stop bleeding, you do need medical attention. In such a case, there will be a significant amount of blood. Some things do require a 911 call, but often people tend to over react.
Many people get scared if they get short of breath, or if they get a positive mammogram result, or told they “might have this or that”. Ask yourself how you feel, what is different, when did it start, what might the cause be? No one knows your medical history better than you do. It helps to become dispassionate for periods of time, while we make an assessment, as it increases objectivity and rational thought.
From my own perspective and experience, diet, exercise and adequate sleep, make up the basics of maintaining health. If you feel ill, it means you need rest and some early therapies. Things that are therapeutic, and contribute to helping the body heal, are steeped in old fashioned remedies. Therapies are basically comfort measures with healing benefits.
Yes home made chicken soup and lots of clear fluids, in between resting, will help you get back on your feet in a few days if you catch a cold. It is worthwhile to study up on the use of essential oils. They have many well documented health benefits, and contribute to a sense of well-being. Most of them have antimicrobial and anti fungal properties as well. Aromatherapy is pleasant, and full of olfactory flavour. You do get your favourites among them. My favourites are rose, jasmine, cypress, thyme, marjoram, and juniper. Some people love the mints, and others prefer the citrus essential oils. Once you get into it, there is an awesome range to choose from, and become familiar with.
You have to research the usages, carrier oils, and dosages of essential oils carefully though, especially if you choose to use them medicinally. It is fine to use them in aromatherapy or the bath without concerns. But anything taken internally, or even put onto the skin, must be done with caution. Some of them cannot be taken internally at all. Others can be taken in very small amounts depending on the concentration.
It is wise to keep in mind, there are many healthy and natural remedies, including the overuse of some foods and spices that can be toxic. Some food examples with potential for toxicity are cinnamon, Brazil nuts, nutmeg, green potatoes, and large amounts of leafy greens.
Essential oils, nutraceuticals, and supplements must be evaluated and researched based on what ailment they are directed at, before using them medicinally. They need to be managed as carefully as any other kind of medication. You have to include them in a list of medications you are taking if you do end up in the hospital. Some of them can lead to bleeding disorders, or can react with other medications. Steroids and anticoagulants are especially high risk for serious drug interactions when taken in conjunction with certain herbs or supplements.
I was surprised to learn the upper limit on cinnamon is a teaspoon a day, and Brazil nuts, must be limited to less than five nuts a day. Normally a person could not consume too many leafy greens, since you would have to eat a very large volume for it to be toxic. But now with the popularity of smoothies, a person could get toxicity, if they consume too much spinach and kale, if they assume the more you consume, the better. Moderation is always the key.
I do see many health related YouTube videos telling people they need multiple supplements and trace minerals, often promoting very obscure supplements. Be very wary of adding large amounts of trace minerals, when we are only meant to have tiny amounts, not overkill. We get most of those beneficial trace minerals from a healthy diet. Even if you take supplements that the body can detoxify and excrete, this places an excessive burden on the liver and kidneys. If four or five Brazil nuts has too much selenium, what happens if selenium is packed into a supplement you do not even need?
Clearly, we need to keep our priorities straight. One of the things I noted when working for a few years in large long term care facilities, is that you would often see people who were cognitively intact, but immobile due to knee, back or hip injuries. Another group of them were on the dementia wards, and would have a disproportionate number of very active people. They could walk all day, yet could not remember their name.
One key question to ask ourselves is why we seek a diagnosis for every ailment? We want someone else to fix us. We want a label put onto our ails, so we can find a treatment? Or find a reason for feeling unwell. We have been indoctrinated into believing that we must get an early diagnosis or die. For those with anxiety or fear of getting cancer or diabetes, then by all means seek diagnosis and treatment. Many people credit an early diagnosis with survival. But I think we have become too dependent on quick fixes. If something took years to develop, there is probably not a quick fix.
When I did diabetic teaching for awhile, I had to follow a certain accepted protocol. This involved telling people to test their blood sugars four times a day, and use sugar substitutes like Splenda. The diabetic teaching office would receive boxes and boxes full of free Splenda to hand out, along with the free blood glucometers. One thing most diabetic teaching nurses will notice, is there is a strong correlation between diabetes and depression. I felt like telling them not to check their blood sugars so often.
Why? Because if you are not going to do anything different, why depress yourself over it? It’s like telling an alcoholic to measure their blood alcohol levels when they are drinking. Obviously they are going to be elevated. I think it is better advice to tell people to outline some changes, do them daily, and then check their blood sugars to see if the results are better. Maybe things have progressed since I did the diabetic teaching. I hope so, because there were so many facets of it that I found to be counter intuitive.
Perhaps it is better to make a game plan. What will I do if I get sick? Stay home of course, especially if it is a cold, flu, or communicable disease. Drink plenty of clear fluids, eat soup, and rest. Other self treatments at home can include fasting and hydrotherapy.
As we go forward in our technology based world, we are simultaneously going backward in health care. It makes me think we might return to the back-on-the-farm treatments with mustard plaster compresses, and thermofuge poultices. Human beings are amazingly resilient. There is no way of knowing why some are more resilient than others.
As far as making the grand exit in a pink miniskirt, there is really no chance of that anymore. If I had a choice in the exit costume, I would substitute the sequins for a calf length green silk tea dress with a full skirt. Then spin off into the sky, and blend in with the aurora borealis. But alas, little does it matter what we are wearing when we draw our last breath on this earth. When we leave our bodies, we not only leave our clothes behind like in the movies, but the body itself will be abandoned, clothes and all. At least that’s how I see it.
When people over a hundred years old are asked to share their secrets of longevity, the answers are widely varied. Some smoked and ate ice cream every day, while others ate spinach, and walked five miles a day. But the one common denominator, is most of them are quite cheerful and grateful. That’s probably the crux of it. So cheer up, and have some ice cream with that spinach!
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2021). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
This case has caught the attention of people from all over the world. On the surface it may seem like all the media attention is due to the “beautiful young white girl” law of attraction. Although her beauty and youth may be a contributing factor, perhaps it is more about the disturbing depth, and scope of a relationship gone terribly awry. The whole world has now witnessed domestic violence on wheels. Her wheels no less.
It has gripped the nations, to a large extent because the story or script was initiated and portrayed as a love story. We watched it unfold. It was dramatized with adventure, romanticism, and a micro-enterprise production crew to capture all those adventures. It does sound and look quite glamorous.
In reality, traveling in itself is a lot of work. You have to find your way around, locate places to stay, to eat, to do your laundry, to get showered, etc. In the process, you have to keep things very organized, because in a small space, you will end up rummaging constantly, if you do not know where things are.
In addition, all published works – even if they are amateur and low budget, require set-ups, photo shoots, creative layout and design, attractive imagery, titles, poses, and story line. Once you start creating content, the only way to attract and keep followers, is to keep uploading more content. Entertainment has an insatiable appetite for all extremes, and everything in between. The Internet has made it possible for people to set up their own reality road shows, which is great. Or is it?
In what ways are we objectifying not only women, but unrealistic romanticism in relationships going well beyond a honeymoon phase? Is it possible the objectification is what creates a non-sustainable illusion? Would the hard work involved in trying to maintain the form and imagery of romantic illusion every single day, while limited to a small space like a van – eventually take a toll? To be surrounded with wide open spaces, freedom became a trap, with only each other to rely upon. As it turned out, relying on him was the biggest mistake of her life.
This story intrigues us for many reasons. We have all made relationship mistakes, or been humbled by our own illusions or delusions of grandeur. We reach for the stars and fall flat on our face. Yet luckily, most of us do not get murdered as a result of making mistakes in our youth. The polarization involved between what was supposed to be, and what actually happened, is difficult to reconcile.
Some might question if there was any real love between them to begin with. Others might see it as an example of loving too much. What went on behind the scenes, we will never know. The dash cam footage of the police stop is another key contributing factor propelling the fascination with this story. If they really believed Gabby was the aggressor, and had assaulted and scratched him, they should have arrested her. It might have saved her life. It appears the police fell into an old fashioned superficial assessment, as opposed to seeing the gravity of the situation and need for intervention, when they stopped them. But how could they know? No one looks like a murderer until after the fact.
Near the onset of this case, when I saw the dash cam video of the police stop, after she went missing – there was no doubt in my mind, she was dead. There are so many disturbing aspects of the roadside video. Brian had scratches all over him, which is what you usually see in true crime shows when a woman has fought off someone who is trying to strangle her. The entire episode was ominous. Gabby was downplaying it, and taking the blame to protect him. She explained how he grabbed her by the chin. Was it her chin, or her throat he had grabbed?
In sharp contrast, Brian was showing little emotion. I thought it was odd when he refused on two occasions to accept a bottle of water offered to him, while they were standing out in the hot sun for quite some time. I thought it was strange when he showed them scratches on his arm and then mumbled, “Hey I’m not complaining”. What on earth did he mean?
There were several altercations between this couple, witnessed in public places, and serious enough to prompt people to call 911. Imagine how many altercations happened when there were no witnesses to call the police? What about the potential for domestic violence when they were living in his parent’s home, or out in the wilderness somewhere? If they were physically fighting on a regular basis – who was going to win the ultimate fight? She was around 110 pounds.
Did the police really believe a night apart would solve their problems and improve their coping skills? All it did was allow her to be the scapegoat even more. Then she was put right back into the path of danger – even though she was clearly at a breaking point.
The unintended transparency of the police calls, combined with the rosy illusion of a freedom lovers romantic adventure – is a polarity too harsh to process. We see a beautiful innocent young woman with her whole life ahead of her, vibrant and alive one day – and gone the next.
Not only did Brian fail her, but the system failed to protect her. There was no way of escaping the trap, by the end of their trip. The relationship had died. For those with more experience in failed relationships, we know in hindsight if nothing else, that the relationship was failing and falling apart for a long time before it finally hits the brick wall of no return. At a certain point, even in volatile relationships, there is no more breaking up and making up, no more dependency, no more roller coaster rides. The writing is on the wall – Time to ditch it.
Imagine what it was like for Gabby living in a small house with Brian’s parents? It would have been much better for them to get their own place so they could work out their differences in privacy, and maintain the responsibilities of supporting themselves. It sounds like Brian never wanted to support himself, let alone anyone else. As a result, he would have harboured a deep sense of inferiority and resentment when dealing with another persons ambitions in life.
It sounds like Gabby had to flee the relationship several times while living with him at his parent’s place. Even though she had the buoyancy of youth, she must have been fairly downtrodden emotionally and psychologically by the time they embarked on the cross country geographical cure.
However, a long trip is expensive. There is no security of routine or location. There are few support systems, no girlfriends to confide in, and no man cave for him to retreat to in a shared space. They must have been worried about running out of money. It must have taken a great deal of energy to make everything look so attractive and rosy. Making yourself the focus of creative content requires innovation, or you soon run out of ideas. So many attractive young people have lost their lives to Instagram, or some other form of social media fixation.
One young woman on Instagram took a hike near Vancouver to post pictures of herself with the beautiful mountain backdrop. She was fit and full of an adventurous spirit too, but she got lost coming back. It was early spring, and she had no intention of staying the night, therefore was unprepared, and died of hypothermia before she was found.
Many others fell off cliffs, or grabbed live wires trying to get the perfect shot to post on Instagram. The competition for these daring stunts is fierce. Is it worth it? Of course not – but like so many other addictions, self-destruction lurks just below the surface of all things unattainable.
Shannon Watts, who was also murdered by her partner, had a social media persona that displayed a perfect family in a perfectly organized house. On the surface we saw one life, and after the grisly murder of his family – the whole pandora’s box was spilled out. Even so – who could ever fathom such a thing would happen?
Image is everything, until it’s not. We carry a fanciful image of a white picket fence (or van), romantic love, adventure, adoration, beautiful children, and endless memories. For some, it actually materializes. For most, it ends up being a combination of building up and breaking down, when dreams are shattered, and rebuilding is required. It is usually not so catastrophic.
What might have saved Gabby? An escape route of some sort? What a horrible feeling it must have been when he kicked her out of her own van, and she feared he was going to take off without her. She expressed that to the police directly! It was a foreboding level of foreshadowing.
Is Brian a true villain, or is he too a victim of circumstances, and the combined magnification of weaknesses? After learning a bit of his background, it does appear he was immature, selfish, and without any real career or job plans. He also seemed arrogant, insecure, and jealous.
If sinister is a word to be attributed to him, all one has to do is look at the pictures he drew, and the material he was reading and writing. He was dabbling in the occult. It also appears he made mocking comments, and did things to fabricate their whereabouts after she went missing. He showed no remorse.
I question why they did not arrest and question him for stealing her van, when they could not even locate her to ask if it was stolen. Then a month later they indicted him for $1000.00 bank fraud used to obtain items of value. Isn’t a van an item of value? Especially if it is minus the original owner?
If anything positive comes out of this wide publicity, I do hope there is justice for Gabby. I hope this tragedy helps to educate young women on the illusory traps they can enter into, especially when steeped in the emotions of love and romanticism. I hope it serves as a warning to those who take big risks for the perfect shot or image.
Most of all, I hope it strips away the illusion of false love, with beauty and innocence sacrificed not for love – but for control, jealousy, insecurity, and deception. We have to find ways to help young women see the red flags.
To protect women in vulnerable situations like the one Gabby found herself in, there has to be a way to set up an escape route, and find a way out – before it is too late.
This evening there was an announcement about a press conference scheduled for tomorrow at 1pm to give the cause of death. Some have speculated she was shot. John Walsh said she had been beaten to death. I am guessing she was beaten and strangled, with evidence of a fractured hyoid bone in her neck.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2021). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Even the smallest of gardens creates a vibrant oasis. Years ago, I used to have hummingbird feeders on the deck. But I have long since changed my mind about feeding any wild animals, especially with sugars and artificial flavouring.
Wild animals, to include the birds and the bees, know what they need, and are adept at finding natural food for their own systems. By doing so, they contribute a great deal to the immense ecosystem that surrounds them.
There are many reasons I no longer believe in feeding sugar water to hummingbirds. First of all, if you move or go on a long vacation, they are suddenly deprived of food they have become dependent on, and may become more vulnerable to predators, or have difficulty adapting. Or there could be too many birds concentrated in one area, just for the free meal. Maybe it even creates lazy little birds, addicted to refined sugar. Truthfully, they were born to thrive on the nectar from flowers, and get their protein from tiny insects.
Another valid reason to avoid feeders – is in the growing realization that it is not natural to feed birds simulated energy drinks. If you steer away from using sugar and food colouring, and buy the packaged variety instead, with claims to be all natural, or scientifically made to be the perfect food for hummingbirds, don’t fall for it. They don’t need a man-made boost. If anything, give them pure water to drink or splash around in.
Why is it so important for hummingbirds to be holistic in what they consume? Like bees, hummingbirds contribute a great deal to pollinating flowers. They have an important role. They are designed so they do not waste their energy.
Just as we are better to lean toward whole foods with all the micronutrients, why should it be any different for a fleeting wee bird? They will flit from one flower to the next, and take a little sip, like fine dining. They must enjoy the colour and variety, as they will occasionally stop and perch, to get an overview of their garden plate.
It is delightful to have the hummingbirds visit, and to see the activity of the bees and butterflies. They are busy contributing to the ecosystem, and are frequent visitors to the gardens that attract them.
The hummingbirds seem to really like the million bells flowers, especially the large pink super bells variety. They also hover around and take drinks from petunias a fair bit. The bell shapes are beak easies.
Bees and hummingbirds are especially attracted to bee balm, lupine, butterfly bush, bleeding hearts, petunias, trumpets and columbine as a few examples.
As far as the wider benefits of growing pollinators and attracting bees, hummingbirds and butterflies – it is interesting to note that up to 80% of all plants are dependent on pollinators to transfer their pollen.
In addition to avoiding sugar water feeders, in favour of planting a garden to provide pollinating nectars from brightly coloured flowers, avoid putting chemicals on the plants. Again, it is no different than what we want for our own food and health. At least we have the option of washing our fruit and vegetables in soapy water, but they do not – so we should be more considerate.
Pollinators are on the bright and busy side of life. They work for their food. They expand their goodness or fruit, in ways we seldom even notice. Yet we would notice if they were suddenly all gone. We take them so much for granted.
As we come to this juncture of real concern over climate change, we know we have to make changes. Everything we can do as individuals, to pay attention and focus on what is good for the earth – should tell us that gardens of all kinds, are near the top of the list of priorities.
Somewhere along the line, we developed a concept of success. For most of our lives, we measure success by the size of our homes, our bank accounts, our careers, and the cars we drive.
As we rethink our concept of success, we begin to notice the tiniest things in life – and what a monumental difference they can make.
Although the topic is vast and complex, millions of people are sick or afflicted due to autoimmune disorders. Physiologically the body mistakenly creates proteins that attack its own cells. This creates a whole list of disorders to include lupus, MS, psoriasis, arthritis, iritis, Type 1 diabetes, and many others.
There might be breakthrough technologies that help with autoimmune diseases, but I will just share my own experiences. In the early nineties I developed a severe case of iritis. It is an autoimmune disorder of the iris leading to inflammation in the anterior chamber of the eye, along with a significant rise in intraocular pressure.
To begin with I went to an eye specialist at the VGH eye care centre. The medical treatment is basically steroids, pain killers, and eye drops to dilate the pupil, to prevent scarring of the lens. During acute flare ups, I was told to put steroid eye drops in my eye every thirty minutes. My eye was so inflamed, the doctor asked if he could use the images for publication, and to teach medical students at UBC.
The steroids offered some relief, but in my opinion, not enough to warrant pouring such large amounts of steroids into my system. So I backed away from the conventional treatment, and started reading forums and testimonials from others who have it, and how they have managed it.
In hindsight, I am very glad I quit the opiates and steroids long ago, as the conventional medical treatment. People who use the steroid drops eventually develop white cataracts, and require surgery for that. Plus the steroids poured into the eye, do go systemic, and you get all the risks and side effects associated with steroids.
One of the most interesting cases I followed, was of an ophthalmologist in Europe who treated those with iritis, and had developed iritis himself. He created a blog and shared his journey for a hopeful cure. He had a great deal of confidence in his profession. He also knew the locations with the best known experts, eye surgeons, and most sophisticated equipment. The blog was filled with detailed diagrams, and was updated on a regular basis. It was very educational, as far as the anatomy and physiology of the eye is concerned. He showed how the inflammatory process develops, and creates a cloudy high pressure fluid in the anterior chamber of the eye.
In the doctor’s case, unfortunately it got to the point where the intraocular pressure could not be relieved or controlled. He went to a highly specialized clinic in Switzerland and had a tiny stent put into his eye. The idea was that the stent would serve to drain away some of the fluid build up, and reduce the pressure, which would also reduce the pain. Once again, he was filled with optimism and confidence in the treatment program. He published detailed drawings to show the placement of the stent, and explained how it would work.
The following blog posts after the procedure started to take on a more depressing, less optimistic tone. The fluid in his eye could not be regulated properly with a stent, and his eye collapsed inward. He had to wear a protective cap over his eye at all times. Even once the stent was removed, there was a myriad of problems. He soon stopped writing and sharing his misfortune.
There are cases where people have had their eyes removed. I can see why. An acute flare up feels like your eye is going to explode, while simultaneously it feels like there is a dagger right through the centre of your eye. I liken it to being stung in the eye by a scorpion.
On the other end of the healing spectrum, I read of cases where people shared holistic methods of dealing with it. Some people tailored their diets, stopped gluten, stopped sugar, stopped alcohol, and found those remedies helped reduce flare ups. In hindsight, I am glad I followed a more holistic route and for several years managed to keep the worst of the worst flare ups at bay. But recently had a bout with it that was one of the worst ever. Stress is the culprit, I am almost positive.
This latest severe flare up was one where I had no Pred-forte, or other steroids, or pain killers like I had used in the past. The pain was so severe, it was like breathing through labour pains. If I didn’t already know the only treatment was steroids and opiates, I might have been tempted to go to ER, or see a doctor. But, I lived through it and am slowly recovering.
During the acute phase, my eyes watered non-stop. I went through six boxes of kleenex in three days. My whole face was chapped. The previous really acute episodes were back in 2009, when the familial punishment over my rejection of the high school teacher really started to intensify. There is definitely a dichotomy that develops within, and in a way it is not surprising such an affliction is turned inward.
From my own perspective, the cessation of alcohol, food additives, and finding ways to reduce or manage stress are the key factors that have helped manage it. There is a systemic element because you can feel the drain, fatigue, allergy symptoms, and other generalized symptoms. It does seem to be tied to, or triggered by allergies of some sort. It may also be linked to past trauma, as many things are, one way or another.
Even though I have had some wicked flare ups, I have not lost my vision, and have not required surgery for white cataracts. It takes weeks to gradually regain the vision in the affected eye after a flare up. During the most recent flare up, I used small doses of ASA or NSAID (non steroid anti-inflammatory) and then added grated raw ginger, ginger tea, all whole foods, rest, and meditation. The ASA was used sparingly, two regular strength tabs at night and sometimes two during the day.
Looking back, the most comforting and therapeutic measures came from warm baths, warm compresses, and essential oils. The essential oils were inhaled, just by rubbing them on the palms and then cupping your hands together and inhaling, with care not to get it too close to the eyes. Marjoram, Thyme, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Oregano are some examples of essential oils with anti inflammatory properties. They can also be put into a small amount of carrier oil and massaged into the scalp, and areas where there are lymph nodes.
Lymph nodes are located throughout the body. Apparently we have five to six hundred of them to help our immune systems cope with contaminants and infections. The areas with the most lymph nodes are underarms, neck, chest, and abdomen. To place a few drops of essential oil in some virgin coconut oil, and then massage it into the skin near the lymph nodes, might be dismissed by some, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.
Of course if a person has an intolerance, or develops a rash due to any substance, they should not use it. Nor should anything be used excessively. One of the primary reasons I do not take any oral supplements, is because I believe a good diet gives us all the nutrients we need. If we add supplements, in particular things like fat soluble vitamins – it can create havoc within our systems.
Supplements have been known to cause everything from bleeding disorders, to kidney failure, to liver disease. Just because something is natural, does not mean it is perfectly safe, especially in large doses. Before anything is taken internally it is wise to research it carefully. I have not done much research on which essential oils can be taken internally, other than oregano oil. I know some of them are not to be ingested and can cause harm. It does stand to reason that anything you can use in food, should be able to ingest in small quantities. Essential oils are the concentrated derivatives of the plant.
Therefore cinnamon, cloves, oregano oil, marjoram, and thyme would seem to be the ones to consider, but only in small doses. Peppermint should be okay too. Again, to avoid any damage to mucous membranes, it is probably best to out them in a carrier oil. Over time, I plan to do more research on the various essential oils, because they do seem to have much to offer. I have not had any allergies to any of the essential oils. In fact, they seem to help allergies a fair bit.
Nothing is going to make us live forever, and nothing is going to stop the process of aging. It is understandable for people to seek methods they believe will alleviate their own conditions or symptoms. I don’t pass judgement on those who do use supplements. Nor do I discount the value of conventional medical treatments for some conditions. If they lead to healing, recovery, or feeling better, who can complain? It’s just a word of caution – and I am only giving some small anecdotal examples, so take all things with a grain of salt.
I do take oregano oil internally for allergies and infections, but try not to use it too often. I have not tried taking Thyme or Marjoram internally, but may try a drop or two, for inflammation, once I find some that is 100% pure without additives, dyes, perfumes etc. You cannot buy the cheap oils used in aromatherapy packages for use on the skin, and especially not to be taken internally. The pure forms have to be sought out through a reputable herbal dispensary. For the most part I order from Gaia Gardens on West Broadway in Vancouver.
In addition to leaning toward the essential oils as a therapeutic measure, I think we have overlooked the value of water for healing. Hydrotherapy is an another ancient practice that is readily available and non-toxic. When we are unwell, if we drink more water, it makes it easier for the immune system to do its job. Immersing ourselves in water is comforting, and therefore therapeutic. Almost all medical treatment is geared toward treating and minimizing symptoms. So give credit where credit is due, when it comes to essential oils and hydrotherapy for relieving symptoms and stressors on the body. I suppose that’s why people buy hot tubs and go to spas.
Is there a cure for autoimmune disorder? As far as I know, there is not. It is a chronic condition that has to be managed. I have managed it though many stressful periods during the past ten or twelve years. Unfortunately, we cannot always control external contributing factors. Perhaps one of the keys to understanding the curse of autoimmune disorders, is to find ways to protect ourselves from external attacks, lest they become internalized and give us a double whammy.
However, when you consider the myriad of other illnesses or hardships, such as cancer, stroke, ALS, MS, and so on, any condition that allows us to get back on our feet, and overcome it without severe disability, surgery, or being incapacitated for long periods – is not really something to complain about. Just being pain free and able to function is something to have gratitude for.
I am beginning to wonder if drugs are already the leading cause of death, to include alcohol and tobacco, along with all pharmaceutical and street drugs. The notion is not far-fetched when you consider this takes in all accidental overdoses, accidents related to impaired judgement, violence relating to drugs, hospital drug errors, adverse reactions, and drug incompatibilities when a person has a chemical soup of drugs within their system.
The only reason I have an understanding of addiction, is because of my own background and family history. I do understand what the cycle of addiction is, and how it can be shuffled onto a different circuit.
For some people, especially those from very stable backgrounds, addiction is difficult to understand. There does seem to be a genetic trend. Most of all, there is a trauma trend within the family of origin. Addiction is escapism. It is an attempt to elevate the mood, and block out pain.
When opiates were given out en masse, such as when Oxycontin was first introduced, and Tylenol #3’s were handed out like candy, it was known that opiates are addictive. Alcohol seems to be more insidious. But regardless, the cycle of addiction is one of shame and escapism.
If there is a strong sense of familial judgement and rejection, or a loss of sense of self, a person struggles to cope. The only way to cope in a world that you don’t seem to belong in, is to try and find ways to escape it. Of course, that’s not the logical and healthy way to deal with things, but you don’t realize it until you are in too deep.
Addiction is kind of like wading or swimming in crocodile infested waters. Some are oblivious to the danger that lurks below. Some can go swimming hundreds of times and never encounter a croc. Others get grabbed, rolled and spit back out. If they wade back in, what is going through their mind?
Addiction grabs certain people and drags them under in no time flat. For others, they might be able to manage their addiction for years, but if they are faced with trying circumstances, like family breakdown or an accident, they become vulnerable.
Addiction in my opinion, is driven by fear, trauma, escapism, and a cycle of shame. Even for those who are addicted to power and wealth – it is a quest to elevate oneself out of that cycle of shame.
Addiction, in all of its forms, does lead to illness and multiple co-morbidities. It robs quality of life. It destroys the family lives of millions of innocent children. It ostracizes and excludes, which increases the alienation and downward spiral.
Yet paradoxically, some of the most brilliant and creative minds were also the most addicted. Just look at all the great musicians who succumbed to addiction. Or probably one of the most incredible dichotomies is that of comedian and actor Robin Williams. His brilliance and wit was a polarized diversion, and self distraction from the pain within. He is probably the most profound example of the two faces in Greek theatre – one comic, the other tragic. He was honest about his alcohol addiction, and as a result, his humanity and compassion deepened.
Going through addiction is life altering. The addiction itself becomes the biggest threat to survival. Once addicted, it is not only the family of origin, rejection, grief, and inner demons that caused you to seek out the escape route in the first place. You keep all those things filed away, and find yourself in a bigger snare than ever. The substance, or whatever is feeding the addiction has to be stopped before the central cause can be addressed.
In many cases, addictions are simply substituted for something equally addictive or even worse. The alcoholic might get prescriptions for benzodiazepines. The opiate addict might get a prescription for methadone. The tobacco addict might start smoking the occasional cigar. We are all capable of creating a dizzying game of spin the bottle – to point us to another option, that leads to the same conclusion.
Although everyone has a different journey in life, and addiction is a soul journey more than anything, my opinion is just one of many. But, through it all – I believe the only viable option is to quit. Don’t necessarily quit cold turkey, since many drugs must be tapered to avoid severe and sometimes dangerous withdrawal symptoms.
But first and foremost, the addict has to contemplate, and then make a firm decision to quit. Then we must reconcile the fact it is not quitting alone that is going to save us. The solution is in quitting, and never starting again. I realize it goes against the grain of those who advocate for compassion and acceptance of failures and relapses. By all means, shake the failures off and carry on – but never lose sight of the fact that quitting is the only path to recovery, to feeling better, to getting over the past, and to overall healing.
From a neurochemistry perspective, addiction is tied to dopamine and adrenalin. If you take the adrenalin cycle involved in family trauma, is it any wonder people develop escapist methods of coping? Adrenalin is meant to prepare people for flight or fight. But if you are in a family dynamic, or a situation where you can do neither, the natural inclination will be to find other methods of escapism.
It also helps to explain why some people have to deal with a significant amount of suppressed anger, as part of the recovery process. If you have never been permitted to assert yourself, it is like braking out of chains at first. Geographical cures might work for awhile, especially if you have to physically distance from an abuser or an untenable situation. However, the monkey on your back might stick to you no matter what.
In a sense, we have to develop a lightening rod to ground ourselves during times of hurt feelings, and the whole flight or fight chaos within. The adrenalin component, once settled down to a more normal neurochemistry, will still be triggered. Peace of mind increases with faith. Faith is knowing that eventually there will be justice.
Every facet of health care has to deal with addiction. In maternity, you see addicted moms and babies going through withdrawal. In the emergency departments you see people who are referred to as frequent flyers, who are there to get drugs for chronic pain. In liver clinics, there is liver failure and hepatitis from drug or alcohol abuse. In surgical units you see people go into detox when they are admitted without staff knowing what they are addicted to. In geriatrics you see the falls, disorientation and cognitive decline related to alcohol, sleeping pills, and other prescription drugs.
In fact, addiction is so pervasive and so common, it is the proverbial elephant in the room. It is inappropriate to accuse someone of drug seeking. What about the person who has chronic pain or is still requesting opiates for surgery they had three months ago? Somewhere along the line, someone needs to warn them. Not with judgemental shaming, but with an open conversation about what to expect if the drug is continued. People need to learn about the physiological effects of addiction. They need to correlate it with gut health, liver health, brain health and evaluate how it is affecting them, before they get to the point they cannot even read.
The more unwilling we are to learn about addiction, the more denial there is surrounding it. There are so many tragic stories. The parents of young people who overdose often don’t realize the extent of the addiction until it is too late. We have to keep in mind that contrary to what many people believe, addiction is prevalent among high achievers.
What do we have to quit? We can’t quit food. We can’t quit making money. We can’t quit where we came from, our genetic markers, past trauma etc. But we can quit whatever has plunged us into a toxic cycle of self-destructive abuse. Some things are far more damaging and gripping than other things.
Any substance that causes withdrawal when you try to quit should be a big red flag. Harm reduction involves self care, in particular good nutrition and an alert mind. There are spiritual forces greater than we are – that can grab us, and drive us back into the abyss. We have to find ways to resist.
The relapse rate following rehab is over 90% What does that tell us? Quitting doesn’t last, so what is the point? Or does it tell us we are going about things the wrong way? I watched one program where a thirty something year old person was describing her addictions. She had been to rehab seventeen times, and did not think the programs were tailored to her specific needs and personality. Forget that. It is obviously not working anyway.
Instead, people need support during detox from a medical and physical perspective. After that, the process of rehab should not require long stints in a facility. If it does, the facility should be on a farm out in the boonies somewhere. Rehab involves a multi-layered approach, with family at the centre of the support system. If not family, a community network supporting job skills and talk therapy. There is no point in going through rehab only to return to the same environment you came out of. The paradigm has to shift. Most reasonably healthy people can go through detox to get past the acute phase, followed by a focused recovery plan and change in old habits.
Addiction is about worthlessness. Our society has taught us that we are worthwhile based on image, wealth, jobs, education, and what we own. If we have nothing, we are far closer to being worthless than if we have a nice house and fancy car. But what many learn, is that addiction can be hiding behind the closed mansion doors, just as easily as it can be on the streets.
If we try to elevate our worth by accumulating stuff, it makes for distraction, but it does not really work to elevate self worth. If we try to look good, we feel fake. If we try to do good, it seems futile. If we try to belong, we get rejected.
What does that leave us with? And who is driving our destiny? I have come to believe that addiction is a spiritual journey. The most valuable lesson on a personal level, is if you are vulnerable – don’t go near the croc infested waters. If you get grabbed and rolled, and make it out alive – thank God, and do not wade back in.
Every addict is an extension of their family. It is not a matter of seeking who to blame – but how to offer love, acceptance, and understanding for the original and authentic person. Rather than focus on the bad behaviour or shame associated with the addiction, people need positive affirmations. They need to know they are not ALL bad.
At the same time, we all need to take responsibility for our own lives, and possible contributions to either enabling, or to the shaming and rejection that exacerbates addiction and family breakdown. Adults with dominating traits need to listen to the other members of the family, and stop trying to control them. The intimidating sense of disapproval, combined with being crafted into someone else’s plot, is dehumanizing and oppressive. It is designed to push a person into escapism since reality takes away your freedoms.
Family breakdown is central to addiction, and is responsible for intergenerational patterns. The weak and vulnerable in such situations do not survive. Or sometimes it is the rebel who becomes the family outcast. There is a circuitry of love within a family, like an electric current. If there is a broken or outcast link or connection, it contributes to a broken family.
There will always be conflicts in life. But a stable family remains intact, and every individual is forced to examine themselves without revolving around a set power structure. Individuals need to be heard in order to be empowered. Some people actually are mentally ill. Some are character disordered, or addicted, or whatever. But if a family is tormented, there will be much more addiction, and intergenerational patterns of addiction.
It is important to find ways to resolve our differences without dehumanizing another member of the family, or trying to get rid of a family member. To do so breaks the family bonds. It shows a lack of responsibility and a lack of vision. The patterns have to be identified and broken – instead of repeating the patterns, and breaking the family.
Addiction robs people of who they are. We only see the scrappy tent and pile of garbage, without seeing the person inside. Every addict was once a child. Every child and every human being deserves love. Love is the rock to climb onto if you fall out of the boat in dangerous waters.
For those who love their own lives too much, they will lose it. For those who love others, we will gain the spiritual reckoning that saves us.
In my own experience, the answer to this question is an obvious no. As long as there are people who accumulate wealth, and use their wealth to influence more grandiosity and protection for themselves, there will be people at the other end of the spectrum, who do not fare well.
For the most part, whether it is gender, race, or religion that breeds superiority – it is fuelled by wealth as the common denominator. The wealthiest people, regardless of gender, race, religion, age, education, or location – are the people who make up the elite.
The elite are set apart, vastly superior, and have power over those who do not have money. In fact, they have the power to prevent their competition from getting a foot in the door. They have the power to destroy careers. They influence government, and give out contracts to the smaller companies. They are experienced and invincible.
Ruthless abuse of power constantly erodes democracy, fair play, and makes it so no one can challenge them or get past them. Corporate power takes over government. They set up a caste system with layers and levels of ranking, and then keep a close eye on those rising up in the ranks. They donate large sums of money to whatever suits their agenda. They have an aura of total confidence and authority.
People are impressed by those who have wealth. When you are among the wealthy, it is incredible how well you get treated by waitresses, stewardesses, and baggage handlers on a corporate jet, gardeners, horse trainers, pool cleaners, you name it. They think you are one of the elite just by association. Of course they don’t really know the situation, but the mere fact you are in a huge house, on a big property with fountains and walking trails, in an expensive car, or on a corporate jet, gives you a sense of how the wealthy are treated.
Many people believe the wealthy are like nobility. They deserve their wealth, and the poor deserve their lot in life. Some take it the extreme, and do not believe there should be any support systems for single mothers, widows, children in poverty, the disabled, the addicted, and so on. They see it as enabling and increasing the problem, when all those poor people need to do, is get a job. Some of the wealthier individuals believe they worked for what they have, why shouldn’t everyone? Do or die. Sink or swim. Work or starve.
But one of the key things to keep in mind is that not all wealthy people worked for their wealth. Some women get wealthy based on who they married, and never have a job in their lives. If they do, it is short lived and gives them something to talk about for the next thirty years.
Women who develop a solid career path, either become puppets for the old boys club, or they have to fight the stigmatization and glass ceiling every step of the way. The real gatekeepers are the powerful men, like my brother, who would not give a woman the time of the day, when it comes to real power. Some men inherited prestige, companies, real estate, and the wealth to go with it. They are often much more naive and gullible than the hard nosed, street smart, ladder climbers – from the old dog network.
Why do women succumb to this power? If you do the bidding of powerful men, you get rewarded. If not, you get punished. Therefore, women have very little influence when it comes to high ranking corporate board rooms and decision making. They respect bright and ambitious young men. Women – not so much. Women do domestic duties and look after children. They choose their token women very carefully.
The governments change, and the people in charge of the various facets of government change frequently. That means the corporate elite, with their ear to the ground, can find ways to manipulate and influence those people. After all, the corporate elite is the one entity that remains constant. They do not get exposed. They do not get voted out. Yet they are pulling strings non-stop. They can donate large sums of money to a favourite cause, and they expect favours in return.
We all know the drill and how the wheels are greased. Women who get into business need capital. Where do they get the money? They have to inherit it – or marry it, in most cases. There are very few women who make hundreds of millions of dollars on their own, unless they are famous movie stars or musicians. And even for them, they get tied to controls over their image, contracts, and marketing. They are still objectified by men.
The problem is that the greater the polarization between men and women, the greater the income gap, and power over women. This has a drastic effect on the potential of half the population. The greater the polarity between the rich and the poor, the more likely the poor will remain poor. The pursue, conquer, and dominate models of male superiority, create archetypes foreign to our more cooperative sensibilities. Therefore, we don’t know how to be cruel and ruthless, if it is not in our nature.
For those who are downtrodden, it is very difficult to even lift your head up and look around. You feel like you will get pounced on all over again. When you do try to climb out of the hole they forced you into, they are standing there with clubs, to prevent you from reaching higher ground. Submission is the order of not just the day – but an entire lifetime.
What makes another person so vastly superior? Education, family pedigree, knowledge, brilliance, leadership abilities? None of these. It is the accumulation of wealth at any cost, for the sake of power. It is based on the dominance instinct. Once there is a certain level of arrogance and dominance achieved, they have a network in place to protect them, and keep them there. No one can challenge them, or uproot them once they have reached the king of the castle pinnacle. The arrogance is what creates the elitism. The collusion holds them together.
Do I think my brother worked hard throughout his lifetime? Yes, in many ways he has worked hard. But how many people work hard, without ending up with hundreds of millions of dollars, and multiple huge homes? Most of us would be happy to have one nice home, and one good car. But the accumulation of wealth has to have some perks. It has to have the image to go with it all. For the elite, there is no filling the coffers, or the bank accounts with enough money. They always want more. It is the ultimate addiction, and more destructive than all the homeless people in the world.
None of us should look at a homeless camp, without also looking at the effects of extreme wealth, and why there is such a disparity in the first place. Polarizations need to have both poles. The more extremism we see, the more we know the power of the elite. In a sense, the elite are creating a mirror image of their own value system. They are seeing a reflection of the carnage of their own souls.
I really don’t care if people become wealthy, if it is legitimate, and does not harm or exploit anyone. If you build a better mouse trap, or figure out how to prevent wildfires – you deserve to be wealthy. The issue for me, is when wealth is achieved by creating a disadvantage for someone else.
I do not think a person’s worth or intrinsic value is measured by their wealth. In fact, the elite will find out how valuable their wealth is – when it comes time to leave this world. When they become sick and end up on their death bed, they may have their water delivered to them in a fancy cup, but they will not take any of their money, or image of wealth with them. In fact, they will not even be able to control what happens to their wealth once they leave this world. Unless a person is iconic like Elvis or Marilyn Monroe – we all get forgotten in no time at all.
Then we have the offspring of the elites. They end up with a great deal of money, without having worked for it. It creates individuals who are secure financially, but insecure on a personal level. The insecurity increases the need to act superior. Unlike those who had a hard scrabble beginning, and climbed their way to the top, the wealthy offspring get shuttled back and forth to private schools, and are put on a shining pedestal, without having to do anything. In many ways, becoming an elite – is just the luck of the draw.
Our society has created this dichotomy of wealth and elitism. Power comes with a hidden agenda, and those who have been corrupted by it, must stick with the agenda, in order to protect themselves. That is how corruption is cultivated and spreads. The top dogs set up the maze, and only they know how to get through it. They allow others to gain ground only if they are useful, and mostly if they have the talent, abilities, or contacts – to do their bidding.
Personally, I believe all people are equal. When we see a person who is down and out, we have no clue what they have been through in life, and what demons they are battling. We do not all have the same abilities or opportunities, but human dignity and an egalitarian outlook, is what keeps our humanity. The more judgemental, the more labelling, the more blame and punishment – the crueler and more selfish we become.
It is much easier to justify harming another person, if you think they are a subhuman. It is easier to take things away from someone if you think they do not even deserve to exist. When you bring it down to the polarized opposites on the spectrum of wealth and power, the person with hundreds of millions of dollars, can rob a person who has nothing. Without wealth, a person has their personhood, and that’s about it. When the extreme wealthy want to take away who you are, and your right to exist in this world, they have truly lost their way.
Some of us are not as motivated by money as others are. Those who are very strongly motivated will do just about anything to achieve wealth. This is why it is important to have business leaders who have some ethics. The lack of ethics robs fair play, prevents women from gaining ground in the corporate world, and maintains a divisive societal control and arrogance. The reward side is tempting – the punitive side is excruciating.
In my opinion, no one oversees the huge corporations. Everyone from the governments to the banks cater to them no matter what they do. In fact, the government in many ways are transient employees of the system. They get shuffled around, or they only have a number of years in power. The same thing with the banks. People who work for the banks are employees of the banks.
The owners of big corporations can, and do, use their wealth and constancy to influence both the government and the banks. The elitism they convey is impressive. They get to influence straight to the top.
If you happen to be born into the wealth, or marry into it, life takes a different course. If you happen to be a threat to a person in power, especially one of the corporate elites – look out. You are a target for life, and do not stand a chance.
When the big corporations get to the point where they have no oversight, no family values, no anti-bullying policies, no accountability – they have created the foundation for fascism. It is all about power, dominance and control. They know how to carry out the reward and punishment system, better than anyone. After all, the rewards they set up for themselves, is what makes them so elite and superior.
They create a self serving and self fulfilling prophecy for their own lives. But it is all to the detriment of a fair and equitable society – and worse yet, there is no end in sight.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2021). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2021). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Years ago I watched a poignant show about the story of one young man’s life. He and his younger sister were homeless and destitute during the depression era in some dust bowl, remote, flat and forsaken, North American prairie location. He was about seventeen and his younger sister was eleven.
They came upon a small country store owned and run by an elderly man. The young boy went into the store, looking around in awe at all the food on the shelves. He asked about the possibility of getting a job. His sister waited outside in the scrub brush about forty yards away.
The elderly shopkeeper was not kind to him at all. He harshly told him he was nothing but dirty trash. He ordered him out, and told him not to come around his store or property ever again. To place emphasis on the point he was making, he turned around to pick up his rifle.
When he turned his back to get the gun, he left the cash register open. The desperate young boy saw the cash in the open drawer. He impulsively grabbed a five dollar bill and ran, breathlessly and excitedly, telling his sister to run too.
The elderly man had zero compassion for the young boy and his sister. He called the authorities, and both the boy and his sister were promptly caught. The boy was given a harsh prison sentence. His sister was sent to some kind of religious orphanage. They were never allowed to contact each other.
During the next several years, one tortuous thing after another happened to him. He was disabled mentally and physically, due to the torture and beatings he endured in various facilities. They imprisoned him for years over the original theft. It was like he was a throwaway, without family or any resources – so he was stuck there. The more he got beat, the more disabled he became. He was labelled as a nutter, drooler, retard, crazy etc.
Finally, there was a lawyer who learned about his history. The little sister grew up, and started looking for her older brother, thinking he must be out of prison after all those years. She contacted a lawyer who was mortified over the story of his life, and his fate. She set out to make compassionate efforts to help him.
The battle for his release went on and on. It took about two years for the lawyer to even manage to improve his conditions in prison while they waited. He was picked on just for the fun of it.
Finally, there was a letter from the courts to pardon him for the original theft. He was overjoyed. It was the most incredible victory he had ever known.
Sadly, he never did make it out of prison. He was so physically weak, vulnerable, had a speech disorder from blunt force trauma to his head, and was targeted by the prison bully one last time. He had no way of defending himself against such attacks. The final attack occurred shortly before his release date.
He was found face down in the dirt outside in the prison yard. He was already dead when they rolled him over. But before he died, as he lay there bleeding, he scratched his final message in the dirt beneath him. It said “We Won”.
When people are downtrodden and marginalized to the point of no return – this is one of the most powerful messages I have ever heard. He was absolutely right – in more ways than one!
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2021). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Given the weather conditions we just experienced, and the number of fatalities during the heat wave, we have to prepare ourselves, especially those who live alone in condos without air conditioning.
In my opinion, any time we are ill or faced with something that can rapidly make us ill, hydration is critical. One of the most important things to maintain and be aware of is fluid balance. You have to keep track of your intake and output. If you cannot do that, you need someone to look in on you. You need to drink twice as much water or more, and if you are not voiding clear straw coloured urine, you need to drink more water.
If the fluid balance is not properly maintained, you become dehydrated very quickly. The blood becomes sluggish and the kidneys can shut down. The electrolytes can get out of balance, which can affect the organs, and chance of survival. Dehydration also increases the risk of stroke and heart attack. The skin is actually the bodies largest organ. As we age, we may not perspire as much or as readily, but even so, if well hydrated, we have a much better chance of getting through it.
Signs of dehydration are seen in a reduction of skin turgor, but that is more difficult to assess in the frail elderly. Sunken eyes, dry mouth, very dark coloured urine, headache, and reduced alertness, are all discernible signs of dehydration. Also if a person normally has visible and palpable veins in their hands and forearms, if there is a change or flatness in those veins, it can signal dehydration. The minimal safe urinary output is 30ml per hour, and may vary if you are on diuretics or certain other medications. It might be a good idea to discuss with your doctor, whether or not certain meds should be stopped or withheld during a heat wave.
Do not make the mistake of over hydration by drinking water non-stop. Although it is uncommon to do so, some people might make the mistake of going overboard, which can also upset the electrolytes. Again, it is all about maintaining the proper intake and output. If a person is acutely ill and in hospital, accurate intake-output records are considered to be very important. We should keep that in mind, in order to care for ourselves and others, and recognize early signs of trouble. Ideally, you want to measure and match the intake with the output. No one should die simply because they need a bolus of fluids.
If faced with vomiting or diarrhea, you will need IV fluids. If you vomit once, and can keep sipping and keep it down, you are probably ok. But if you keep vomiting, it is serious. Usually you have to go to a hospital for IV fluids in that case. Hopefully this heat wave will cause the health care system to develop travelling IV teams. They could send out more home care nurses who can start IV’s, and put in a saline lock, which is a small IV cathlon in the vein. With the cathlon in the vein, you can get a bolus of fluids. The cathlon is left taped in place, until you are drinking well. If you start vomiting in a heat wave, you need medical attention very quickly.
Wear loose fitting light clothing, made of natural fibres, so the skin is free to perspire. Cotton, linen, and silk are best in my opinion. As much skin surface as possible needs to be free to breathe, and perspire.
There is probably no better time to learn about, and appreciate your skin. It truly is a miracle organ, and can save your life. In 2017 when I had a full blown episode of anaphylaxis in the middle of the night, I had third spaced so much fluid within a short time, I did not have enough blood pressure to stand up without blacking out. In the end, every pore on the surface of my skin opened and poured out that toxic fluid. I was quite amazed at how much the skin can contribute to saving our lives.
For this reason it might be comforting to massage the skin with coconut oil infused with essential oils. Many essential oils have healing, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. Even if you don’t believe they are medicinal, they do offer comfort in the bath, or for massage. Just be cautious not to get them near your eyes, or full strength on the skin. They need carrier oils, or else to be infused into the air. I tend to use them more on the skin than in the air. The fragrances are really just awesome. Many are woodsy and earthy smelling enough, to feel like you are going camping.
Staying out of direct sunlight is an obvious bit of advice. If you do need to go out in the sun, keep it to five or ten minutes. Keeping a bath tub full of cool water or quick showers will temporarily cool you down. You can also place a fan behind a basin of ice and sit in front of it. Also ice packs, cold compresses, and anything that cools you down.
Conserve energy. If there is a heat wave coming, get the groceries and prepare some food ahead of time so you don’t have to cook. If you have to exert yourself, keep it brief and rest often. Do not treat it like a normal day. The day before it started, I made a big pot of vegetable chicken soup with lots of shiitake mushrooms, and froze half of it for later. It was a great staple during the heat wave and helped to maintain nutrition. We lose our appetite when it is hot, but at the same time, it is not the optimal time to fast, since our body needs less food, but still needs good nutrients. Watermelon, and all fruits are good to snack on.
Rest frequently, but don’t stay completely still for long periods. Walk around a bit, stretch, tighten your leg muscles to help venous return, and do things here and there that test your memory, like login to accounts and remember passwords, bank numbers etc. That way you can test yourself to make sure you are staying cognitively with it.
Reduce any additional stressors that might be around you – if you can. The heat stress on the body is enough to deal with. Avoid arguments, loud noise, and set aside anything you are worried about. Deep breathing, aroma therapy, flowers…are all good. You have to keep your flowers alive too! Even listening to the sound of flowing water is helpful. They have all kinds of youtube videos with soothing sounds, like waves lapping on the beach, or the sound of rain, which can be a nice diversion. Sounds of water are actually probably really good for the mental health during a heat wave. Water is the antidote. Drink it, douse yourself with it, and listen to it.
Shade, shutter and siesta like they do in places like Belize, Greece, and other very hot countries. They close all blinds at around noon, and all is quiet for several hours. People do their work and errands in the morning, and end up eating late in the evening.
Like all conditions in life, we need water, food and shelter as priorities. Importantly, there are some key things to avoid:
Don’t go anywhere in the wilderness where you risk the possibility of breaking down, getting stuck, running out of gas, or getting heat stroke trying to walk out. Like in a blizzard, hunker down in a safe place, and stay put.
Don’t ingest anything that clouds your judgment – to include pain pills, sleeping pills, or alcohol. If you do take these things, make sure you set timers to wake yourself up to drink water, and stay oriented. Maintain contact with someone who can check in on you.
Avoid processed foods high in salt since they are more likely to cause fluid retention. Elevate your legs and check your feet for edema, especially pitting edema. Edema is most often seen in the feet, and signals fluid retention. It is common for pregnant women to develop edema of the feet. Many older people also get some edema during periods of heat, inactivity, or long periods on their feet. Pitting edema is when you push the skin around your feet and the indentation stays.
Most often people are advised to elevate your lower legs, don’t cross your legs, and do not wear constrictive socks or clothing. But if the swelling is accompanied with shortness of breath, or becomes excessive, it can signal congestive heart failure. It is probably a good idea to check your own pulse several times a day. If it is weak, thready, or irregular – especially if combined with weakness, dizziness, shortness of breath, or chest pain – it means you need medical attention.
Avoid the higher risk of falls. The heat tends to throw us off balance, or increase postural hypotension, which is a drop in blood pressure, leading to dizziness when you stand up. Older people should sit at the side of the bed for a couple minutes before standing up. If you are prone to postural hypotension, or naturally have a low blood pressure, give yourself time to adjust when you stand up, before walking. Also avoid climbing on ladders, stools, etc. Be extra vigilant about the increased risk of falls due to dizziness, misjudgement, fatigue, a drop in blood pressure, etc.
Keep a phone, or a fitbit watch, or panic button with you at all times if you are in poor health, ill, or getting sicker. Once you fall, if you are alone and cannot get up, you could lay there for hours, if you have no way of calling for help. If you do feel very faint, the best thing to do is sit down, and get your head down, below the level of your heart. That way you can stay conscious and think for a minute. If you feel very faint, and have to walk to get to the phone or door, make sure to avoid cracking your head on a counter, or hard object if you do fall. Keep your centre of gravity low, in case you black out.
During the anaphylaxis experience, I did collapse on the floor trying to get to the phone. But I knew that if I stayed flat on the floor, I would probably go unconscious, convulse and die. So the only way I could stay conscious was to get up, get seated and get my head down. It made me realize why so many people who are in respiratory distress struggle to sit up. I had to sit up, yet I could not sit upright for more than a few seconds without blacking out. And I couldn’t really get a breath without leaning forward a certain way. The position was a critical factor in that case, and probably varies, depending on what the cause of emergency is. One bonus thing about that whole event, was it took away my fear of death – completely.
It was such a close call, I accepted death, and will never forget the drama of going through that alone. It was like going down in your own private airplane crash. I could not get to a phone and even if I could have, my hands were swollen like baseball mitts. I could not do anything but try to get each breath and stay conscious. There was no way I could speak, use a phone, or walk.
Other ideas like taking a baby aspirin a day, or loofah scrubs to help your skin function more efficiently, are things to consider. Others might put some fresh sheets in the freezer for awhile before going to bed. Anything for some relief! I am sure people came up with all kinds of innovative ideas to stay cool, so this bit of advice is just a drop in the bucket, so to speak.
This heat wave has caused a staggering loss of life. The situation for the people in the small town of Lytton is so close to us, yet almost impossible to fathom having to flee like that on a moment’s notice. It must have been terrifying. I hope they can account for all people soon, as it must be agony for those who do not know where their loved ones are.
Whether or not we believe climate change is man made or not, we are facing drought and wild fires in today’s reality. More than anything – we need to focus on water. Just like we had to drink water to cool and replenish our bodies during the heat wave to get through it, the earth needs water, and needs to focus on water, as a number one priority. Storing water, conserving water, creating energy with water, distribution of water, recycling water, heating with water, cooling with water, and irrigating with water. Our attention should be turning to water, in every innovative and imaginable way possible.
It sure seems to have been a fiery time frame – almost like, okay here we go with a bigger emergency than ever. After all the covid fears, this does seem more catastrophic and perilous. It sure makes us wonder – what is next?
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2021). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Our soul consists of our mind, our memories, our genetic and cultural history, our hearts, our spirits, and our beliefs. It is the only thing we take with us when we go…
As a society we have always had a central focus on the prevention of physical attacks. It is understandable, since physical attacks can cause injury and physical death.
What can be said about the attacks on the mind and spirit though? It is especially heinous, if those attacks are part of a plot or scheme to brainwash, shame, undermine, and rob you of who you are.
For those who believe in a spiritual world and afterlife, the attacks on the mind and spirit become much more relevant. When we face such attacks, we are being targeted for total destruction and annihilation.
If a person loses value for his or her own life – they will not take care of themselves physically or mentally. Effective soul destroying does not always require physical attacks. All it takes is someone who is sadistically abusing power. All they need is access to their victim without any oversight. They will continually and ritualistically undermine your existence, guilt-trip and shame you – just for existing. Your origin is somehow faulty and reprehensible.
Admittedly many churches throughout the world have done good things to help those in need. However, there is a polarity of extremes among the churches. There is an evil aspect to certain religious dogma. The systems, hierarchy, and doctrine of some of those churches, comes from the abyss.
Do not be deceived. By their fruits we shall know them. Any church dogma that brainwashes, causes family breakdown, targets and exploits innocent children, abuses power, lies about, attacks the mind – or the parents, grandparents, history and culture of ANY person – is evil to the core.
What is so evil about it? There are verses in the Bible that tell us not to fear physical death, but to fear those who can destroy the soul.
Anyone who sets out to attack your mind and soul is ultimately trying to annihilate you. I am not talking about intervention surrounding those with serious mental health and addiction issues. If a person loses self-control, becomes violent, or is unable to care for themselves, they need detox and care.
I am talking about the attack on the mind of an otherwise functioning individual, as a way to gang up on, control, and destroy the soul. They are opportunistically waiting for signs of weakness or vulnerability. They are not out to help, they ensnare. They are making false accusations in order to bolster a pre-existing agenda. They are out to punish and basically get rid of you. Why? The answer is – foundational lies and buried secrets. This can be carried over into generational patterns very easily. Bondage does not always have visible bindings.
Attacking young children in such a way is designed to condition a response of fear and cowering. After all, when we are under attack, adrenalin is our physical resource. Adrenalin kicks in to prepare us for flight or fight. When we can do neither – what happens to all that adrenalin and how it signals our system?
Buried secrets do not stay buried – as we can see by what is happening in the news today.
As a kid on the farm, I recall we had many dogs over the years. Some stayed a long time, and some were short lived. They were bad if they started wandering in packs at night and chasing livestock. They were bad if they killed chickens, or if they bit the tails of the cows to draw blood.
One dog I recall being very excited to get (at first) was a rambunctious all white husky pup who was almost full grown, and big and fluffy. He was not inherently mean, just bounding around all over the place. He was very excited about the chickens.
As the youngest girl in the family, gathering eggs, and taking care of the chickens – was my domain. I was supposed to be in charge of the chickens, and had named every one of them. It was a daily battle trying to deter such a determined, big goofy dog, from chasing the chickens. His name was Snowball, and his chicken chasing matched his name. He got worse instead of better, and everywhere he went, there was a pile of feathers.
As time went on, he would chase and catch a chicken, and rip its feathers out. He did not kill or injure them, other than chasing, pouncing, holding them down, and tearing out mouthfuls of feathers each time. He did not rip out all the feathers at once, but there would be a bald spot. It was a big fun game to him. Stupidly – he scoffed at being scolded.
Eventually, a good percentage of the chickens were running around naked. As a young kid, what amazed me, was that after awhile – the chickens did not even try to run away. As soon as they saw him coming, they crouched down and cowered, waiting for the inevitable.
To me it demonstrated that a conditioning to dominance, will eventually cause one to cower. If we are repeatedly dominated, and our efforts to get away are futile – why waste the energy?
It also explained why this beautiful white husky was so generously given to us. We did the same – and soon gave him away. Conditioning us to fear, means we are being forced into compliance and inaction – when we need to either escape it, or fight back. Personally, I will readily admit that overcoming fear has been difficult – due to the dominance and frequent attacks. But fear is one of the self destructing elements they are using against us. So we must overcome it.
Make no mistake. Attacks on the soul are an attempt to blot you out of existence, both past and future. When you consider all eternity, and the entire scope of it – trying to annihilate other human beings using soul destroying techniques such as brainwashing and dehumanizing children, brings us to the pinnacle of evil.
One of the most poignant things I read many years ago, but cannot find the exact quote went something like this: The present moment does not recede into the past as one may think. It is projected into the future, where it waits patiently to meet us a later date. So true. I believe the author is Gilbert K. Chesterton.
In my own experiences and lifelong struggle to get free of a religious fundamentalist teacher – NO ONE listens to the victim. No matter how much you cry, beg, plead, and give your own testimony of the layers upon layers of abuse. No one will listen.
Some things simply cannot be covered up, buried, or ignored. No matter how many people they manage to get rid of through all of the abuses – the truth will surface. God will punish those who do soul destroying harm to innocent children. Once it starts, it just never ends – until those responsible admit wrongdoing, and make changes to the systems.
To even attempt to destroy another person’s soul – invites the wrath of God. Those holier-than-thou religious fundamentalists – should know that much. But arrogance does not permit them to see themselves as they really are.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2021). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
This is probably the biggest question of the era we are living in. We see so many news articles accusing people of spreading misinformation, yet what we are hearing is like shifting sand. It is constantly changing.
Science evolves – so we are told. Isn’t it ironic then – to be telling others they are spreading misinformation and unfounded conspiracy theories? Who is to say those news articles are truthful? The media is not the least bit reliable for delivering truth, so who are they to be brow beating others?
No matter what anyone says – truth does not evolve. It is the one thing in life that is constant. Truth will eventually rise to the surface on all controversial topics.
If you ever watch true crime documentaries, one of the key things police look for is inconsistencies and lies. For the guilty who refuse to confess, the story constantly changes. The story evolves based on the evidence presented. For instance, a person may claim they were not at a certain place at a certain time. Then when they get presented with evidence to the contrary, suddenly they change, or add to the story.
How do the police identify or get confirmation when a person is lying? The police like to get the original story from the person they are interviewing as soon as possible, and get it documented. That way, they have something to compare it to when they do the next interview. It also gives them something to use as a baseline when they are collecting other evidence, to see if the actual evidence contradicts what the person told them. That evidence based documentation, is what is used by the prosecutors in court.
So our first clue in discerning truth, would be that the story changes, and it changes often. Lies are built upon other lies, sometimes with a bit of truth thrown in, just to add a convincing component.
The first step is to evaluate the consistency of what we are being told, and how much the story changes or gets added to. To hear bureaucrats say, “Oh but we are learning as we go” is no different than saying “I have no clue, or am lying, and don’t want to be held accountable for it”.
Nowadays many people are accused of spreading misinformation, when they are simply giving a testimony of their own experiences and observations. Testimonies are part of the judicial proceedings, when truth is being sought after. We are allowed to give truthful testimony, based on our own experiences, and first hand observations. I really don’t think anyone should be able to take that away from us.
Deception is tricky business. To avoid deception, we have to actively seek the truth, respect the truth, and actually love the truth. Truth is not the author of confusion. Lies create confusion. If there is confusion in truth, people should be able to ask questions, until they are satisfied.
Lies in one way or another, get forced on people. Even those who are doing the deceiving, are deceived and building a worldview based on lies. Truth is revealed to people who sincerely seek it. That is the key and fundamental difference between the two. No amount of arguing in the world will change the mind of someone who is truly deluded with lies. Lies, once accepted or believed, can create deeply rooted strong delusions, even among very intelligent people.
But what if we are deceived about things we simply do not understand? Things like climate change, viruses, and vaccines – are topics too vast and controversial for most people to understand. And even for those who do have advanced education in these fields, there are massive and often polarized differences of opinions.
Now there are lies embodied and homogenized from the political, into the personal health choices for all individuals in the world. Should a person be called a conspiracy theorist for wondering if some of the vaccine marketing campaign is driven by profit motive? Or would we be stupid not to consider that as a possibility at least? After all, money is one of the most powerful motivators known to humankind. People will sell their souls for money, and they will take yours too. So how dare we ask? How dare we use our own judgment?
We have gone from the respect for personal autonomy, consent and privacy in health care – to somehow making choice a collective experience or societal need. All of a sudden, personal choices, discernment, and doubt are bad things – something to be chastised and ridiculed over. Yet, when you think of the millions of drugs, treatments, invasive procedures, etc. the concept of removing consent in health care is where true anarchy would come from.
Health care cannot be collective anyway. Not everyone has cancer. People need different things on an individual basis. No one does triage in ER, and collectively puts everyone at the same level. Some people are injured in car accidents. Others are sick from a chronic disease. How can health care possibly view an individual’s care as being part of a collective society?
You cannot rob the individual of choice, and then claim it is for the collective good. If so – it is a very slippery slope. Health care has the ability to take things from dystopian political levels – to the depths of the pit. That pit – will be our fate, if they abandon the central component of the Hippocratic Oath and concept of “first do no harm” in health care.
After all, health care has the drugs that can kill people quickly and efficiently. Once a person is stripped down, and on a stretcher with nothing but a gown and a wrist band on, that person is totally vulnerable, especially if they are medicated or sick. I am not saying the system is untrustworthy or that intentional harm is happening. I am simply saying that people are vulnerable when they end up in hospital. The system has a responsibility to maintain ethics and trust.
If the system robs trust, or gears up to do whatever they want to do to a person without informed consent, that would be medical anarchy, or lead to a true medical mafia. One would think and hope that democratic countries can maintain reliable and stable health care systems, and would never do that. Let’s hope ethics and informed consent do not get turfed over covid, along with a very aggressive marketing/ad campaign for a myriad of different vaccines.
The issues over vaccine safety and dosing intervals, has created a great deal of confusion. Is it any wonder there is an erosion of trust? But rather than see there are valid reasons for the mistrust, they denigrate and label people for having the mistrust. That is no different than ganging up on people, and is a bullying tactic, not a fair political tactic. It is certainly not the basis for any scientific arguments either.
In many of the US states, they are offering lottery tickets, cash prizes, vouchers, and various other incentives to get people to take the vaccines. Although I see that as being quite tacky – at least it maintains choice, which is crucial.
Any level of intuitive discernment, or doubt, or truth seeking, is seen as selfish. It is framed into a shaming, peer pressure onslaught involving a wide range accusations, labelling and name calling. It is viewed by some, as being some kind of a renegade individualist, with no concern for the collective good and survival of all people. Whoa – wait a minute.
First of all – all people are going to die eventually. So using the survival of all, and the threat of death – is a very questionable approach to begin with. From Wikipedia ” An estimate on the “total number of people who have ever lived” as of 1995 was calculated by Haub (1995) at “about 105 billion births since the dawn of the human race” with a cut-off date at 50,000 BC (beginning of the Upper Paleolithic), and inclusion of a high infant mortality rate throughout pre-modern history.
You do not have to be a mathematician or genius to figure out how many people have died so far. The big difference is that death was never used to stop people from living their lives before. Life stopped for the dead, not for the living. Nor was life ever structured around death, but rather survival. We have never before been brainwashed with daily doom and gloom on the number of deaths. The history of humanity has never sank so low, at least not while people are still alive.
One of the best stories and illustrations about this and well worth watching, is the story about the Donner-Reed party in 1846. It is about a group of pioneers who set out on a journey by wagon train, from the midwest to California. They were talked into taking the uncharted route, by a fast talking, lying young lawyer, who was just twenty-seven years old, and had never taken the route himself.
The journey was basically a disaster for them. They got bogged down in salt mines, and gradually had to abandon a significant amount of supplies. They also lost livestock, and quickly ran out of water. After the salt mines, they got trapped and snowbound in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Many of them starved to death. Although it has been quite a few years since I watched that documentary, I found it to be profound on numerous levels.
One aspect of the story is that the families who chose to take the alternative route laid out by the dodgy lawyer, had a fairly distinct gap in personal wealth. The wealthier family had way more supplies, and brought quite a bit of frivolous stuff. So this family had to build a double decker wagon train to hold it all. That wagon train was the first thing to be lost, since the weight of it made it very difficult to traverse narrow mountain trails, and when they reached the salt mines, it sank and they could not get it out.
In the end, only a handful of them survived the journey. Interesting to note is that all of the survivors were women, as well as one twelve year old boy. After seeing the story, I do not view the fact that only women survived, as being due to women having more mind over matter strength. I think it was simply because women have less muscle mass, and did not starve as fast. If they had not managed to walk out – not one of them would have survived. Stories with survivors are the best, because those who survive can explain what happened. They can give their testimony, making it an achievement – as opposed to a catastrophic loss, without knowledge of how it all came about.
One thing the Donner-Reed documentary does demonstrate, is that people cannot stop living because others have died. Otherwise, no one would survive. For sure, these were extreme conditions, and they did need to stay together and help each other for as long as possible – but the living had to go on in spite of the deaths. This is something we see in all survival stories. It is the reason survivor’s have so much guilt until they come to terms with the trauma they had to go through. We really don’t know why some survive and others do not. Not one of us even knows the number of our own days.
Fate is death and death is fate. It is only a matter of timing.
Another thing that muddies the waters of truth, is that there has been a widespread problem with ghost writing, and plagiarizing in medical journals. We have learned about the powerful lobbying associated with the pharmaceutical companies when it comes to many of the articles in those medical journals.
Surely some of them are truthful, but sifting enormous amounts of information is tough to do, especially when it is dry as a bone medical terminology. Most of that terminology is foreign to the layperson, or to those who have worked in entirely different fields.
Since I worked as an RN for many years, I can pick out inconsistencies in what many media journalists write. It is because they are not familiar with what goes on in hospitals, and they often describe very mundane and common things in hyperbolic terms – especially when it comes to covid. Also, when they show pictures of people claiming they are deathly ill just because they have some nasal cannulas delivering oxygen, does not mean much. It especially does not mean much if the person’s colour is good, and they are talking away like normal.
We have heard many claims that people are infected but asymptomatic. I have also read that some otherwise young and healthy people have gone to a clinic or hospital and were told their O2 sats were dangerously low, and they did not even know it. Although I only read about those strange claims in the news, I find it hard to believe based on my experiences as an RN. To be brutally honest, it seems more like fear-provoking nonsense directed at people who do not understand anything about medicine.
Speaking of the new medical trend of being so cat-ostrophic – the only time I had pet cats, was as a kid on the farm. So that could be why I have often wondered about the idiom “curiosity killed the cat”. Maybe it is because I am quite curious myself. I distinctly remember the first time I heard the expression when I was in grade school, because at the tender age of six or seven, I thought, “Oh No! I may not live long!”.
But in actual fact, this idiom was first penned in the late 1500’s and at that time, it was not curiosity that killed the cat – but care that killed it. Now that does make much more sense, albeit in a warped sort of way.
Shakespeare used a similar quote in his circa 1599 play, Much Ado About Nothing: “What, courage man! what though care killed a cat, thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care. “
The proverb remained the same until at least 1898. Ebenezer Cobham Brewer included this definition in his Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: Care killed the Cat. It is said that “a cat has nine lives,” yet care would wear them all out.”
Now, I am beginning to think the original meaning of this idiom is the truth, not the adapted version we are all so familiar with. When we look at the situation in long term care facilities, we can see that care not only kills the cats!
Is truth prevalent among the masses? Or is truth based on the individual’s choices and perceptions? We can accept there is truth in what we can all observe such as the seasons, and the fact the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. But when it comes to what we cannot see, we have to believe the basics of what we are taught, at least to a certain extent.
For example, we know there is an electromagnetic spectrum, even though our eyes only detect visible light, because there are ways in which we can observe the infrared, such as in satellite imagery or night vision goggles. We know that radio, microwave and x-rays are part of the electromagnetic spectrum, since they enable these things to function.
But there are many things that we cannot prove. In fact, there are many things no one can prove. So many theories have been pitched as fact, when they are not factual at all. There is probably no greater deception than a theory based upon a false foundation, then layered with more and more convoluted fallacies. These are the deceptions that are the most difficult to unravel.
How does white collar crime get away with so much? They fudge the numbers. They make a knotty (naughty) labyrinth, so things are so twisted and confusing, it is very difficult to decipher, or trace the pathways back to the original deception. Some of the fraudulent practices have taken years to untangle.
Just look what happened to Bernie Madoff. He had years of living the high life, then got sentenced to 150 years in prison, and died in prison. In addition, his son committed suicide, and his wife, who married him at the age of eighteen, had no love for him either. Ruth Madoff said she didn’t miss her husband. She said: “The villain of all this is behind bars.” Was all that money worth it?
Truth is very important. We are all fallible. We all make many mistakes throughout the course of our lives. I have come to the conclusion that more than anything else, we are best to not only seek the truth, but to love truth – and pray for the ability to discern the truth.
I know not everyone believes in the Biblical proverbs and warnings about deception. But the Bible does repeatedly advise us not to be deceived. There are also over four hundred verses that specifically tell us not to have fear. Why? Because the pursuit of truth requires courage.
And finally – it is a relief to know, it was really not curiosity that killed the cat.
So go ahead, jump right in – be curious, and fear not. If we seek the truth, we will find it. The truth will always surface. Lies are the weeds in the fields, soon to be chaff in the wind. Our intuition and minds, are the best, and only defence against lies.
Lies don’t hold water, or any nutrients for the soul – so for those who lie for gain, greed and exploitation, they are doomed in one way or another. Like the example of Bernie Madoff’s life and family life – we see the barren outcomes of that kind of greed. We are only beginning to see the philandering and deception that has been part of the Bill Gates empire.
The ultra rich can make a convoluted mess of billions of dollars. Yet they cannot put two and two together, to save their souls from the consequences of their own greed. Go figure…
Essentially all battles begin with words – and will end with words. We would be wise to choose our words with care. Because unlike the proverbial cat – humans don’t have nine lives.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2021). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content
The tin robots, first introduced in the 1940’s – were initially for boys playing futuristic games. Those were dark green warrior looking characters with weapons. They were sort of precursors to the transformer toys that came out in the eighties. Many of the tin robots had dark helmets, goggles, and a distinctive alien look.
But this one – check it out! There are levers on the bottom of her feet. Only one of them works, as the other one is recessed in too far to reach it. The levers cause the head and arms to move, and creates a whirring sound. She was also designed to shoot sparks out of her ears – so maybe she had some bright ideas!
The viola tricolor pansy has been called “love-in-idleness” in reference to romantic love. It plays a role in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The juice of the love-in-idleness is used by Oberon, the king of the fairies, to trick Queen Titania into falling in love with a donkey. Also a quote for this type of pansy was, “Before milk white, now purple with love’s wound.”
The viola tricolor pansy is smaller than other pansies, just an inch or so in diameter. It has rounded petals with butterfly blooms. They have been referred to as the Herb of Trinity, and Johnny Jump Ups.
Pansies are wonderfully fragrant. Like our thoughts – they bloom prolifically. As we hold that thought, once again, we can appreciate the blooms, the fragrance, the colors, and many varieties of pansies. Like mums – these have over four hundred varieties to brighten up our days.
With thoughts, and the symbolic love-in-idleness – new life blooms. So pansies must be perfect for Mother’s Day! Happy Mother’s Day to All!
“Love-In-Idleness” AKA Herb of Trinity & Johnny Jump UpsPensees – On-Lookers & Thinkers!
The enemy, whether you want to call it the devil, or deception, or the great battle between good and evil – attacks our minds. At least it starts there.
First of all, there is no clear definition of mental illness. We each have an estimated 80,000 thoughts per day, which I am sure would vary. But nevertheless, our thoughts alone cannot define us as being mentally ill, because no one knows what another person is thinking about.
Therefore, mental illness must be defined and assessed based on symptoms, and what a person expresses. More importantly, how the person expresses themselves, is an important indicator of mental health.
If we express ourselves intellectually, using language that is clear and straight-forward – we can hardly be accused of being out of control crazy. That is unless your opponents are extremely defensive over their own conduct. They resort to the lowest common denominator. “She’s Nuts! She is exposing me! Call the Medics! She wrote a book about it! Lock her up!”
If you watch documentaries on psychiatric hospitals, you see a wide range of behaviours that caused people to be admitted to psych facilities. Things like combative behaviours, uncontrolled cursing and screaming, the inability to take care of oneself, and overall disruptive behaviours. When taken to extremes, people will eat feces, drink urine, self-mutilate, etc.
There was even a twenty-five bed water intoxication ward in Riverview Hospital. The water on the ward had to be turned off, and controlled from the nursing station. The people on that ward would drink so much water, their electrolytes became imbalanced, and they became intoxicated. Even the toilets could not have any accessible water.
In a younger population, many of these psychiatric related illnesses and behaviours are related to drug usage. The combination of harsh chemicals, altered dopamine levels, and dramatic mood swings – changes a person’s neurochemistry. The situation is compounded further, by dynamics that led to the drug abuse and self medication in the first place.
In an older population, a high percentage of people remain sharp, sane, and cognitively intact up until the end of their lives. As people age, the chances of getting Alzheimer’s or dementia increases dramatically. But people with dementia are not mentally ill per se. They are afflicted with biological processes that alter their brain function, memory, and thought processes.
True mental illness in geriatrics is most often the outcome of frequent intermittent psych admissions over the course of the person’s lifetime. If a person has a history of repeated admissions, they often end up in cognitive decline, and deteriorate mentally as they age.
Many of the older patients in locked units, have a long history of admissions, and treatments with various neuroleptic drugs. When I worked a few years in LTC, I used to wonder how some of the people became so out of control. When you read their histories, you could see the breakdowns, and difficulty with coping with life’s stressors. People on long term psychiatric medications develop a myriad of movement disorders, and over time, show the many side effects of the drugs they have been taking to control their symptoms.
On the flip side of the coin, in the thirties and forties, and throughout history, there are countless victims of psychiatric abuse. This was when fascism reigned supreme, and psychiatry was used to punish people who were outspoken. Many people were committed to psych units without a lawful reason. All it took was the agreement, and signature of a doctor, and family member – to get a sane person locked up for good.
If my big brother could have done the same thing to me, he would have – long ago. Unfortunately, a percentage of ordinary, functional human beings, had their lives destroyed as a result of familial rejection and abuse. A disproportionate number of them were women. Men with mistresses who wanted to get rid of their wives. Women who wanted a divorce. Women who fought back. And especially women, who were an intellectual threat. In other words, women who might be smarter than their arrogant male dominant, more aggressive, and more powerful opponents. Their lives matter. Mine does not. At least that’s their simplistic view of their own superiority.
As far as functional people are concerned, most of us have anxiety, depression, mood changes, and periods of reduced, or increased activity. The point is – we do not spiral out of control, for reasons that are external or internal. As long as we maintain self-control – no one can claim we are mentally ill. Do our thoughts make us mentally ill? If someone does not agree with our thoughts – does that person have the right to claim we are mentally ill? If we express something another person does not want to hear, does that make us sick?
Conflicts and difference of opinions are all around us. Do we get to attack the mind and sanity of the person we are in conflict with? No – we do not. Stand firm. Do not let your mind be attacked for what you believe in.
People can be critical of behaviours that are unlawful, destructive, combative, aggressive, belligerent, etc. Those behaviours do indicate mental health disturbances, and they do get documented, either in police or health records.
But in the absence of unlawful or harmful conduct – no one has the right to attack our minds, and make a diagnosis, in order to win an argument, or to discredit our testimony. By our Constitution, Charter of Rights, and God-given rights, we are considered sane, until we prove otherwise.
Anyone who attacks another person’s mind and sanity, without presenting documented behaviours that support the accusation – is behaving in an unlawful and persecutory manner. No one gets to win a battle or conflict, simply by calling the opponent crazy. That is the stuff of movies, juvenile delinquents, misogynists, and fascists.
The dead giveaway is that when family is truly concerned about the mental health of a loved one, they offer support. They genuinely seek what it is they could offer, or do – to help the family member.
Alternatively, when an attack on the mental health is for punitive reasons – they shun and take things away. There is an absolute refusal to offer support, or to listen to the other side of the story. The big brother mentality is based on reward and punishment. You go along with the lies – you get rewarded. You don’t – you get punished. When accusations about mental health are tied to such unstable and deceptive anchors, the reasons become glaringly obvious.
My brother, and his former life – is all about secrets. Those secrets go right back to his youth, and the young Gellert girl he married. They got engaged at age sixteen, and married at eighteen. For the most part, Ron has tried to shut off all memory of his own unsavoury past, with an iron door, several feet thick. Ron and Sharon named the ritzy Vancouver “concept store” they bank rolled for their daughter, “Secret Location”. I think a few people who know Ron’s history, did a double take. The fact they would call the store Secret Location, is almost unbelievable.
Now they would have you believe that I simply won’t let go of the past. How can I with a two hundred and fifty pound teacher on my back? Seriously, I am not the one who created their delusion, and am not the one who refuses to let go. They will not let go. I have begged and pleaded with them. They repeatedly try to force the teacher relationship, give him access to me – and punish me for my obstinate refusal.
This family conflict has been ongoing, with every devious and manipulative trick in the book. Ron is the one behind all of it. Alongside the teacher, the two of them are a pair. I have been subjected to the backlash of punishment for refusing all contact with the teacher – for almost fifteen years now. The teacher has been contributing to punishment and control over my entire life. They still don’t get it, and are willing to risk reputations for an exploitive, old dog’s con.
Money is a powerful motive, and those with money wield power. It took many years for me to overcome the religious fundamentalist brainwashing I was subjected to as a teenager in small town Alberta. I really wish I would have known then, what I know now – about protecting my mind against such brazen assaults.
If the teacher would have obsessed over me secretly, without doing anything unlawful – one could not really accuse him of aberrant (and criminal) conduct. However, it is a provable fact, that he did act on his impulses, by stalking me outside of school, and using brute force to confine me. At the time, he covered his obsession by telling everyone he was going to adopt me (totally delusional).
He then escalated his behaviours and abusive conduct, by chasing me down, and forcing me into a car repeatedly – during my final semester of high school. He took me home with him for a night of brainwashing several times, over a three or four month period of time.
The teacher’s conduct is an example of someone who had deranged thoughts, and then acted on them. He was fanatically obsessed with a teenage student. He manifested his own psych disorder and unlawful, unprofessional behaviours, by actually carrying out the agenda he had schemed up with my older brother. The difference between sane and insane – is based upon conduct.
Since when does a teacher get to repeatedly tell a student that she is “his gift from God”?? He also drilled into me that my mother was wicked, and non-redeemable. He claimed she did not deserve to be my mother. She was a despicable, and an unworthy human being, without hope, according to this loon ball teacher.
In actual fact, our mother lived on a homestead with no running water, had five children in five years, and was in complete heart failure, by the time her fifth child was born. She was among the first five people in Canada, and the youngest, to have open heart surgery, at the age of twenty-three.
In most cases, the motive in stalking a teenage girl, is sexual assault. But I can assure you – an assault on the mind like he carried out, was every bit as devious and destructive as a sexual assault. In many ways, it is more destructive. To this day, my older brother (and Ledcor + the construction industry) have the entire family on side with his teacher pal.
I should be able to make the points succinctly by now. These guys need to know, they cannot simply call a person mentally ill, to cover up their own wrongdoing, and obvious psych disorders. My brother is a case. Some self examination and repentance would do him a world of good. That’s my hope for him anyway.
Most importantly, teachers do not get to attach themselves to a student for life, by making outrageous false adoption claims. This man would not take no for an answer. Ever. There is no relationship. Big brother still maintains this man is family to the core – in fact, much more so than I am. Yeah right. Like in the godfather.
People in a sane world – do not get forced into adoptions as adults. And men do not get to force themselves on women – who want nothing to do with them. Do we think most people would agree with those basic principles of human boundaries?
This whole saga has a long paper trail of documentation, and can be easily proven. My brother and Ledcor are so rich, they can afford high priced lawyers. They believe they wield so much power – they will never have to defend themselves. But – one day they will have to. Patience is a virtue.
Staying sane involves protecting ourselves, and protecting our minds, against the various onslaughts and attacks of those at enmity with us. These attacks occur when we are most vulnerable. They are not based on our best interests, but on the interests of the person doing the attacking. It is amazing how much money can buy – when it comes to ganging up on a person, to protect a high powered executive.
We need the full armour of protection. Deception, false accusations, shaming, preying upon the vulnerable – do not come from a place of love or goodness. Our biggest warning throughout the ages is “do not be deceived”. That warning is more relevant today than ever before in history.
Mother’s day is a time to be thankful for who brought us into this world. No mother is perfect. But without our mothers, we would not even be here. One of the Ten Commandments is to honour our father and mother. It is one of the more important things we will carry with us to eternity.
Years ago I read a sobering quote. It went something like this: “The present moment does not recede into the past as one may think. It is projected into the future – where it waits patiently to meet us at a later date.”
The 2021 mantra should not be “Stay Safe”. It should be “Stay Sane”. It takes dedication!
Humour and laughter makes for good stress relief. We are going through some strange times, with more of a focus on dying, than on living. It may seem repugnant to some to realize there is humour in death, but it’s okay, and even good to laugh about it sometimes.
It comes in the form of dark humour in the back rooms of hospital ER departments. It comes from children. And it comes from within us, as a stroke of wit. Often it comes from the dying person themselves.
The closest near death experience I had, was an episode of anaphylaxis, which began while I was sleeping, so it had advanced to a critical level before I woke up. Throughout that ordeal death came so close, I thought I had taken my last breath. I just could not struggle any longer. When I accepted death, it was okay. I learned from that experience, more than I could ever describe.
In the days and weeks following that event, I gravitated to watching Youtube videos about death and near death experiences. One video is called “Dead Enough” and is a documentary giving the history of how hospitals and doctors learned to tell if someone is “really dead”.
A serious looking doctor with horn rimmed glasses described it. He said, “You see – there is nearly dead, there is dead, and then there is really dead.” Then he deadpanned: “You just want to make sure they are really dead”.
The video struck me as hilarious, more so because of the comic relief it brought after what I had just experienced. The doctor could have been in a Woody Allen movie.
The video goes on to describe how in medieval times they used a bull horn, and screamed in the person’s ear to see if they could get a response. They poured ice water on them, did things to their eyeballs, and tried a range of other creative ideas on them. Anything conceivable that might rouse the dead.
There is also a philosophical aspect regarding death. Some believe it is when the personality is gone. The medical diagnosis can now be measured through various scans for brain wave activity. But medicine is full of miracles and surprises. Death is not always predictable.
During medieval times, they had large temporary holding places, for the newly dead. Hundreds of dead people would be on slabs, awaiting burial. There was a huge fear of being buried alive, or having someone sit up in their coffin. So they had the intermediate location for dead people, to make sure they were really dead before their burials.
Each of the deceased had a string tied to them, which would cause a bell to ring if they moved. A watchman would have to sit in in the building 24/7 in case any of the bells would ring. That would have been an eerie night shift job to have!
I remember one night shift working in a mid-size hospital, a group of nurses were sitting around talking, waiting for change of shift. The night supervisor came along on her morning rounds, and walked past a patient who was sitting in a geri chair in the hallway. The supervisor came into the conference room and said, “That woman in the hall looks dead”. One of the young nurses waved her away and said, “Oh she always looks like that”. Guess what? She was dead.
Another nurse friend’s mother died. She told us about a family outing, where they went to a designated place to take turns spreading her ashes. The kids were quite young, maybe six and eight, and started to fight over the ashes. One of them told the other, “You always hogged grandma”.
Months or maybe more than a year after my husband was killed, I was asked to participate in a television interview on the topic of young widows. They had invited three of us to be on the show. One of the women was a health executive working at VGH. The other was a woman whose husband was a police officer. He was killed in Thailand doing a drug bust.
The show for me is a bit of a blur. I really wasn’t up for it at the time. In getting ready to go, it seemed like it was all so dark. They put a lot of make up on my face and hands, which made my hair greasy. I still felt numb and hungover. I felt like I should have stayed home.
But it turned out to be kind of funny. The policeman’s wife really carried the show. She was a good story teller with a lively and animated presence. The situation for her, had been very dramatic. Two of us had faced sudden and accidental deaths of our spouses at an early age, and the VGH woman’s husband had been sick for awhile.
On the topic of ashes again, I think I told them how I had driven around with them in the trunk of my car for three weeks, because I did not know what to do with them. Mostly, I could not reconcile that those ashes were what was left of him. The policeman’s wife said she did not know what to do with the ashes either. So she put them in a Tupperware container under the bathroom sink.
She had two young children, who had an aquarium with turtles. She said, one morning she opened the bathroom cupboard and looked at the ashes, wondering once again, what to do with them. She said, “Guess what honey?” She impulsively took the ashes, and dumped them in with the turtles. I was grateful for her candid humour. It was a relief to laugh.
The best one liner I have ever read in a newspaper comment section, was about death. There was an article in National Post where Jane Fonda was quoted as saying her biggest regret in life was that she had not slept with Marvin Gaye, a talented musician, who died in 1984.
The comment – “She still can – Give her a shovel”.
One of the best comic shows I have seen about death is a 2003 film called the Barbarian Invasions. It is a Canadian French film with English sub-titles. The story line is about the death of Remy, a history professor terminally ill with cancer. His son was a business man, and the two of them were estranged for many years prior to his father getting sick. The hospital did not provide adequate pain relief, so the son sourced out heroin for him.
The father’s philandering had also been a huge part of what caused the rift between father and son. The movie is poignant, insightful, and exceptionally well done. It won many well-deserved awards. Once again, we can view a wonderful work of art from Montreal.
Montreal must be the creative capital of Canada – with so much talent in everything from fashion, to music, and film. What Montreal has done for Canada’s art scene, is immeasurable.
From the fringe festivals to the funerals – death is a topic we simply cannot shake off. A good laugh is the relief we might be looking for in these weird and wonky times.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2021). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
There is a certain shock value in realizing how much anger is brewing in the world today. It seems to be increasing, as the polarizations become more fringe-like on both sides. After awhile the fringe is flapping in the wind. The credibility is frayed, regardless of what side of the pendulum a person or political party is on. Things cannot get so polarized – if there is only one pole.
Intense anger is usually the result of fear. When a person gets fearful, there is an adrenalin rush, which triggers a survival instinct. The extra adrenalin prepares us for flight or fight. It’s pretty basic. Some people flee, some fight.
On all levels, we do the flight or fight or a regular basis. Taking a brisk walk after an argument, or withdrawing into your own space – are the milder forms of flight or fight.
Without a doubt, peace is the antidote. Most of all, peace of mind. Where does the angst come from? Our minds. Eventually it gets vaulted into words and actions. So the healthiest way to handle anger, is to talk about it early, or take a break if it is too volatile to talk about. It is probably best to talk about a grievance when calm, although it hardly ever works out that way. But if it is left to fester, it grows, instead of being dealt with quickly and efficiently, so you can get back to peace and harmony.
On a relationship level, there are compromises and negotiations all the time. What we are seeing now regarding an increase in anger, is related to overall instability, and negative news. Daily doses of news about crime, death, covid, isolation, change, insecurity, loss of routines, loss of finances for many, loss of exercise outlets, loss of socialization, and the loss of support systems in health care, communities, etc. No doubt all the covid news contributes to fear and anger.
Most of all, the anger is political. The political extremism, rapid changes, restrictions, lockdowns, and various other worries, leads to anger. Words have a great deal to do with organized anger. A powerful speaker can whip up a crowd, as we have all seen.
It really does bring to mind, the power of words. Freedom of speech is an important liberty, but for those who gain an audience, it is a significant responsibility.
We should always seek peace. We do have to assert ourselves and stand firm on certain subjects. But then, the quicker we can return to love, peace and harmony within ourselves, the better.
All causes and things we are against should be articulated, and framed into an intelligent debate, or open conversation – where each side is willing to listen to the other. Both sides must be heard. Listening to each other is what creates balance and tolerance. The one party system, one side of the story, judgement without trial, refusal to hear the other side, deception, oppression, dominance, and control – are key contributors to anger.
There is absolutely no room for, or reason, to have any kind of violence. Violence is primitive. It is like there is a short circuit, and once unleashed, it becomes like a wildfire.
Whatever the stressors contributing to an increase in anger, it is important to value everything good in our lives. We have to rely on faith, as opposed to fear. First of all, do not fear what is not happening. It is amazing how quickly we conjure up the what ifs and worry about everything from health, to crime, to money. I think it helps to be able to do what you can and then set it aside.
Also, don’t let the media get the upper hand. Skim, filter, apply, and let the rest go like water off a duck’s back. I have a background in health care, so I find it interesting in some ways. There are some rapid changes in health care. My objective is to stay out of the system completely if possible. Not only is it germ-laden, but the system itself is rapidly losing efficacy.
The best anti-anger antidote is to avoid letting it spiral, especially letting it spiral out of control. Self-control and higher reasoning is the key.
It is difficult to know how to deal with neurochemistry since we have no real control over the adrenalin rush, or the emotion itself. It’s just better to evaluate it from a stable perspective and save yourself the cortisol damage.
Since fear is often the root cause of anger – faith and courage are the antidotes. Patience and self-control increase our level of refinement and coping. Deep breath….
Like so many others coming out of the year 2020, I too, am wondering if the world is going to hell in a hand basket, as the saying goes. I still do not understand the Great Reset as outlined by Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum. It seems rather ominous in theory, and impossible or implausible to put into practice.
The gist of it, and the terminology surrounding this borderline conspiracy theory is sticky and viscous. Or rather, what struck me the most, is the references to the key stakeholders of the world. When I listened to some of the beat-around-the bush cooked-up rhetoric, the part I was most appalled by, is the notion that a handful of elites actually think they “own” the world. How preposterous.
As I have described in previous posts, I was targeted and brainwashed by a high school teacher who was also a religious zealot. He became obsessed with me when I was a student in a public school in a small town in Alberta. The villainous teacher has stalked my entire life. It took me many years to unravel the lies he repeated about my own life, but even more significantly, the religious lies he indoctrinated me with. For many years, I had no idea that I had been thought reformed with soul destroying spiritual lies.
Thankfully, the arrogance, deception, and unlawfulness of this man’s conduct became increasingly obvious over the years. But he created a real stronghold of corruption within our family that has gone on for many years. The Exclusive Brethren Mennonites have a long history of destroying families. It angers me, because of the fact he was a teacher, and a complete stranger – yet he infiltrated and destroyed a fractured family for more than a generation.
One of the predominant false doctrines in the world today, stems from the Plymouth Brethren and the John Darby Bible, which is a completely altered version of the Bible. Among the many falsehoods they believe, which has been promoted by hyperbolic movies and books over the years, is that Christians would be taken out of the world, or raptured prior to, or during the great tribulation. As this theory goes, the great tribulation is calculated to span a seven year period.
There is nothing whatsoever in the Bible to indicate there will be a secret rapture. In fact, a careful reading of the parable of the wheat and the tares tells us just the opposite. It is found in Mathew 13: 24-36. There are countless interpretations, therefore it is up to each person to read these verses with a sincere desire to discern truth from fiction.
After mindfully reading the parable, clearly Christ is telling us the whole world is the field. And guess who owns it? It is certainly not the rich people on earth who own the world. In fact, many of the rich people are the most corrupt tares in the whole field. God owns the earth. We can all believe what we want, but to me this one is obvious. And if we don’t choose to believe it – the day will come when we do.
Another doomsday aspect of the religious fundamentalists is the fear surrounding the great tribulation, and how things will get worse and worse. They believe Satan completely takes over the world. Images of blood running in the streets, famine, locusts, massive earthquakes, plagues, hundred and thirty pound hailstones, and unimaginable horrors. This makes the notion of a great escape through a pre-tribulation rapture, so much more preferable than having to go through crowds of gory – as opposed to crowns of glory.
Myths aside, and getting back to tilling the ground – truthfully, this parable tells us the world is a field. It tells us good seeds have been sown in the field. Under the cover of darkness, the enemy (devil) came and sowed the tares. Some of the good seed fell on the rocks and did not take root. Some were planted in shallow soil.
When the wheat and tares in the field grew, the servants noted the bearded darnel, and realized it was a weed. It took careful examination to see the look-alike plant had no grist. The servants wondered how the field had become infested with weeds, and if they should get rid of them.
The parable goes on to describe how the farm workers went to the owner and asked what happened. The Master told them the enemy had surreptitiously sown the weeds. They wanted to know if they should dig them up, or cut them down.
They were told not to cut them down, for in doing so, the wheat might also be cut down. The farm workers were told to let the wheat and the tares grow together until harvest time.
The world is the field, the seeds symbolize the word of God, and the way it takes root in the hearts of the people living in the world. In some cases, it will be shallow, in other cases, it is the imitation beaded darnel that grows and becomes tangled in with the rest.
This metaphorical description is profound to me. Partly because I grew up on a farm on the prairies, and thought the ripening wheat fields in the morning or evening sun, was one of the most beautiful scenes I had ever seen as a child. Mind you, I had not seen much of the world.
Yet there are magnitudes of dimensions and immensity, surrounding this incredible parable. It helps to understand how I became entangled and ensnared with the tares, as an unprotected child. Incredibly, there are so many layers of this parable arising from my own experiences and childhood. This includes the tangible memories, the intangible depths, the deep-rooted conflicts, and the literalistic imagery of the wheat in the fields.
Even now after living all my adult life on the west coast, in looking back, I vividly remember the gilded beauty of the ripening wheat fields, rippling in the sunlit breeze, like an ocean of gold. The harvest was a central fixation each year, with much worrying about things like drought and hail.
So here we are frolicking in the great field of life. Will people get raptured before the great tribulation? Will there be a great tribulation? Are we in the midst of it already?
No doubt there is tribulation. I have experienced a great deal of it myself. But if we refer back to the parable, it does not say the field will be overcome by tares. It says they grow up together until the harvest. Contrary to what the dispensationalists and preterists would have us believe, the truth is embodied in this parable.
Instead of having visions of getting beamed up before the second coming, we would be wiser to read and understand that no matter what – the harvest time is getting closer and closer. No one knows when Christ will return. But he did explain, once the disciples implored him for more clarity. The reapers will be angels, and they will gather up the tares first. Then they are to gather the wheat for the barn. So it sounds like it will actually be the tares, who get bundled together, and leave this world first. The time of reckoning will happen in the twinkling of an eye.
Of course we can only really judge our own hearts and what seeds we have sifted and nurtured. We cannot control what others believe in, or how they act. Nor can we even begin to understand why some of us got planted right beside the tares, with their roots dominating, curling around our spindly stems, and trying to extinguish our own rocky start.
As a kid, we spent many hours picking roots and rocks out of the fields. From the freshly ploughed rows of dirt, to the furrows on the farmer’s worried brow – we are part of the proverbial crop.
The stage is an illusion. Like the Phantom Of The Opera. Those who are in the shadows, behind the scenes, directing the media, planning and scheming as they amass greater fortunes and perceptions of ownership. They are prancing arrogantly on their fanciful world stage. They do not realize how close they are to being cropped. We are just a gust away from the wheat being separated from the chaff.
Like all illusory, false, ill-conceived and wicked plots – they become as chaff in the wind. Our seed is our lifeblood, and no matter how lofty, rich, or elitist one becomes – none of us owns the field.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Being centred is not the same as being self-centred. It implies a place we have within us, and hopefully around us, to maintain a functional balance and harmony. You cannot stay in balance by going to extremes. If there is a choice to do extreme sports or whatever, make sure you only do one thing at a time! Then return to baseline.
Whether it is the internal locus of control, or a political party – we stay grounded by maintaining certain values, and finding ways to keep peace and harmony in our lives.
Extremism, whether it is religious, political or personal, will either create huge divisions, polarizations, conflicts, and instability, or it will collapse the systems entirely.
Where there are right and left polarizations, one side cannot totally blame the other, because both extremes lead to instability and violence. If there can be negotiation, tolerance, civility around expressing viewpoints, and some order, lawfulness, fair play, etc. things become more stable.
What is extremism anyway? I think it takes a position on the edge or the fringe, whether it is religious, political, or personal. It is interesting to note that extremism in ones personal life can revolve around addiction, ideas, money, fitness, resentments, cultish religious ideas, Armageddon, secret rapture, etc. The sky is the limit!
If some people think there are aliens or electromagnetic thought waves, or whatever – it means they might also act on those beliefs. But what can they do about perceived aliens? If it means storing water and dried food, or stocking up on toilet paper in case of a disaster, that is one thing – but personally, I don’t think we have much control in the event of a big disaster. You could be out for a walk when the earthquake hits. If you got pinned under the beam of a building, it would not matter if your supplies were six feet away.
I do think we should work and plan for the future, but once we do what we can each day, don’t worry about tomorrow. Fear and worry robs us of the joys we would otherwise have today.
Prayer, meditation, long walks, and a multitude of other things can help keep us grounded. It also helps to have a combination of to do lists, along with appreciation and gratitude for the little things in life. Being happy is a decision we have to make when we wake up in the morning.
It makes sense that peace of mind on an individual level, would help contribute to overall peace in this world, if it is widespread enough.
We can share articles, values, ideas, hopes, beliefs, metaphors, songs, poems, pictures, testimonies, political leanings, diet, and health and wellness tips, without becoming extreme. We apply our own values to the way we live our lives, and otherwise live by the laws. It helps to know that wisdom, knowledge, refinement, and dignity – are traits that are above the law.
Anger is an extreme emotion and is often the outcome of fear. We cannot help what we feel. But we can set some parameters around how it is going to affect us, and how we might deal with it. Feeling trapped, or sensing a loss of control might lead to anger.
Thoughts are deeper than speech. Emotions are even deeper than thought. Therefore to help keep anger and fear in check, we have to balance our emotions and bring them back to where there is an appreciation for what we do have, and what we can do.
Emotional extremes can lead to some bad or impulsive decisions. Political extremes are driven by emotional extremes, and building on certain ideologies. Extreme wealth is in contrast to extreme poverty, with a pejorative view of the poor. Wealthy people tend to be highly esteemed regardless of how they got rich.
It almost seems like the whole world is indeed a stage, with thousands of sub-plots – but dare you call them conspiracies. It is hard to know what to believe about current events these days. The pastors giving sermons on youtube are just as likely to be deceiving and teaching wild myths, as any other person might do. Many of the Baptist, Mennonite, Evangelical, and Charismatic churches are teaching dispensationalism from a very altered John Darby version of the Bible. They are teaching pure fiction and doomsday cultist type stuff, not truth.
People go to all kinds of extremes. Most extreme reactions start with negative thoughts and emotions. They might be displaced. They might be irrational. They might be manipulated by an outside source like a finely tuned fiddle, without the person’s awareness. Manipulation is a valuable tool for those who like to promote extremism, or any kind of deception or exploitation.
Therefore, learn to recognize and avoid being manipulated by control freaks. Highly manipulative people are really quite insecure, but many of them become gifted at manipulating others to get what they want. Some are quite transparent, and others are very devious. You only see the mechanisms they used after the fact.
Manipulation is quite common, and develops as soon as we learn how the reward system works. In my opinion, being honest and straight forward with regards to our motives, is much better for strengthening and maintaining trust in relationships.
So much of our productivity stems from patience, consistency, stability, faith, perseverance, hope, minding our own business, and functioning in some kind of harmony with our environment.
Being centred means coming away from the edges and moving toward the middle. For sure, let your yay be yay and your nay be nay. It does not mean giving in to an invasion of personal boundaries. It just means being as adaptable as you can be, while maintaining motivation and self-control.
For those of us who have children, we have a basic concept of the importance of our own lineage – with a connection to them from birth. Each and every one of us comes from the seed or offspring of a certain union. The unique parental coupling brings together all the genetic characteristics, resilience, and proof of existence – into the entire span of our lives, from birth through all eternity. Our seed, and where it took root, is the essence of our existence.
We become anchored by our birth ancestry in both time and history. Whether it is a family tree, the Bible, the Department of Vital Statistics, birth registration, or more recently the DNA ancestry – our seed is our identity and lifeblood.
There is no physical adoption of any human being in the developed world that can be forced or illegal. If the person was stolen, trafficked, exploited, traded, sold, etc. obviously it is not an adoption. So let’s cut to the chase and call it what it is. An illegal adoption of an underage child – is a crime. If the person was not given up for adoption by their mother as a child, and did not consent to an adoption as an adult, they cannot possibly have been adopted.
During the many hours I was forced to listen to an aberrant high school teacher make repeated and brazen claims that I was his daughter, I remember thinking, “How bizarre. Clearly I am not his daughter, and everyone knows that. So why on earth do I have to deal with this trauma”? He used his autocratic and religious teacher authority to make the false claims. He should have been arrested for his stalking and intrusive behaviours, as well as forcibly confining me for hours on end outside of school hours.
Nevertheless, the Alberta teacher made repeated false adoption claims over a very long period of time. It has to be one of the most delusional cons anyone could ever try to conjure up, and get away with. It is beyond the rational mind, yet it became a real belief. People in the school and community believed him. I just kept trying to escape him. It was all about enforcing dominance, control, punishment, and humiliation.
Since we are trending in conspiracies and conspiracy theories these days, this one is a real conspiracy. The teacher made a deal with my older brother when I was a student in school, and set up a sophisticated and nasty plot over my entire life. I got snared into a trap like a scared rabbit.
The teacher was absolutely obsessed with creating some kind of illusory relationship with me. I repeatedly said no. But I could not get free of these consistent and persistent lies. He was extremely aggressive and punitive, just like my big brother. I was ganged up on. After that, they just added more to the mobbing and robbing me of who I am.
The Ten Commandments tell us not to steal. I knew very little about the Bible when I was a young teenager, but I did know the Ten Commandments and a few basic things. I was forced to sit there being stared at by this creepy stranger claiming to be my daddy-god. In actual fact, he was trying to steal my life, my potential, and my soul for all eternity. Pretty serious delusion on his part.
The Ten Commandments tell us to honour our mother and father. Yet I had to listen to hours and hours of diatribe telling me how wicked and non-redeemable my own mother was. This twenty-nine year old religious fundamentalist teacher who came to teach in a small town in Alberta, had an absolute hate-on for our mother. In actual fact – he did not even know her, other than some of the tragedy and gossip surrounding our lives. He used that information and familial vulnerability to exploit and take ownership of a child.
In later years I began to understand the cult doctrine I had been brainwashed with. But it took a very long time to realize the significance of this guy trying to make me part of his own lineage and seed. How absolutely revolting. It is against every single Godly principle in the Bible. It is against all Universal, moral and ethical laws too. Yet he had no qualms about cornering me, staring me down, and insisting that I was his daughter – over and over and over again. Dare I defy him? Bullies have targets. I had the bulls eye on my forehead.
I am still facing the wrath, exclusion, and punitive orders from both this teacher, and my older brother over my refusal to have anything to do with the teacher – but so be it. It has been the struggle of my lifetime. Why some of us have a heavier cross to bear is something we may not know until the final judgement day arrives.
I am far more ashamed at the concept of being part of the teacher’s seed – than I am of the truth. Like everyone else on this earth, I came from the seed of my own mother and father. I am the fourth child of Harold and Joy Stevenson. I grew up with my siblings on a farm in rural Alberta. No one can rob you of the truth and testimony of your own life. At least I knew my parents – and over time have developed much more understanding and compassion for the weaknesses and suffering in their own lives.
But with the teacher, the more time went by – the stranger he seemed. The profound absurdity of it was a constant assault on my psyche and emotions. I must have cried a million tears wondering how I got stuck with the guy. I never could stand him.
My own brother gave me up for adoption (a con), and still uses every bit of power in his arsenal to make it stick. Since when do big brothers get to give their little sisters up for adoption? He is in his late sixties now, and has adhered to this adoption con like crazy glue.
Furthermore, he is one of the major shareholders of Canada’s second largest construction company. He is filthy rich, with a rich reputation and a huge company to defend. Does he care? No. He just cares about making more money, getting more power, and arrogantly abusing that power. That’s the name of his game.
He has his own seed, and offspring to consider. Does he care about them? If he had not pushed this adoption con with such an absolute vengeance, his juvenile history and background would never have surfaced.
This is an example of some of the Universal laws. A family who intentionally and repeatedly hurts a family member, will bring even more pain back onto themselves and their own family. The principles surrounding this must be brought out into the open and admonished. My brother will not even have a conversation with me about any of this. Believe me, I have tried more times than I can count. This is about finally setting some familial boundaries. This blog is kind of like an ongoing reality TV show. I am trying to reach him with some reality checks.
Rule Number One: The answer is NO. Siblings do not get to give their little sisters or brothers up for adoption. Nor do they get to sell them, trade them, kick them out of the family, lie about the fact you were born and raised together, change the seed they came from, or sell their soul to the devil. There will be consequences at some point for having done so.
Maybe we cannot change the past. But this is the present. They still cling to the idea they can punish me for rejecting their lies about my life. They do not own or control my life. I am saying it is long overdue to STOP IT.
Rule Number Two: The answer is NO. Teachers do not get to make a unilateral decision to adopt a student or a child who is clearly not up for adoption. Teachers do not get to chase down and take ownership of a young girl they happen to get the hots for. A twenty-nine year old teacher who is obsessing about adopting a sixteen year old girl who is about to graduate, and was not up for adoption in the first place – is nothing but a pervert. If the objective is to ensnare the child into the mind-altering world of Beelzebub – it is every bit as evil as any other type of child molestation.
Rule Number Three: The answer is NO. You do not support the villain instead of your own family member. Healthy families do not collude with and side with the perpetrator. Very few older brothers would even consider doing such a thing.
My brother knows full well how hurtful it is to damage all these relationships and rip the family apart. I want him to know – he does not get to set the parameters around my life, and restrict what I can and cannot do. He needs to stop the destructive “hate, shame and blame your mother campaigns”. That means he should at least try to overcome his own mother complex for his own sake. Even though she has died – there will be day of reckoning.
We all make many mistakes, and do many wrong things over the course of our lives. The key is to recognize wrongdoings and put a stop to them. Only then can there be true forgiveness and reconciliation. I know my brother is a very rich, and powerful big shot.
He has simultaneously turned me into the extreme opposite – a downtrodden outcast. He made me into a punching bag, and a throwaway, when I was just a child. Then he discovered he could make a deal with the teacher, and exploit my existence. It was one convoluted and underhanded way to get rid of me. He will have nothing to do with me for defying the teacher plot. He cannot accept reality – especially the reality of his own conduct.
Regardless of who and what he has painted himself to be in this world, and how much he has rejected me since the day I was born, it is not over yet. Far from it. Just as it was with Cain and Abel – we are still siblings. We are the story of one family with unresolved issues and unfinished business. I can accept that much.
But I do not accept my own family members colluding with some goon to gang up on me. Ganging up on family members is not cool. Period. I deserve to have a life just as much as they do. In order to maintain love in a family, we must have trust and respect for one another on an equal footing. It is difficult to trust people when the top dog, wealthiest and most powerful member of the family is gunning for you, scheming and manipulating non-stop. It is time to get over it.
Truthfully, it is Ledcor – a huge company is using its resources to gang up on me. The teacher handed my brother a reference to get a job with Leduc Construction in the early seventies, along with a get out of jail free card – in exchange for the deal over my life.
Now almost fifty years later, Ron is still using his position with Ledcor to continue the degradation, control, and shaming of my life. He gives orders to take away my livelihood. He will only allow me to serve others, without receiving any help or support in return. He will use his power to force a person into the poor house, and then degrade them for being there. His pattern is to punish, and then punish you more for your reaction to the unlawful treatment.
As a young widow and single mother for many years, I am lucky I have been able to support myself, since there was no safety net for me at any time of my life. My brother went into punitive rages whenever he was asked for anything. He has hostile judgment and seething contempt for any display of weakness. He does not respect the fact that some women have to work. He expects domestic slavery and devotion to caregiving others, while working for a living, and yet still exhibits a scathing disrespect and disapproval no matter how hard you work. No one can measure up to his gaudy and exalted lifestyle.
Rule Number Four. The answer is NO. You don’t get to make the fascist claim, or manipulate and pay others to make the false claim that I am mentally ill because I am not the teacher’s daughter. Nor is a person considered to be mentally ill for writing a book about the truth of the past.
The mental illness accusation was all part of the original construct of lies and became their fallback position. If I rejected the teacher, I must be mentally ill. I must be evil and wicked like our mother. There was no way they were going to allow me to be who I am.
In actual fact, making false claims about another person’s mental health in order to set up financial or career gains, or to overpower, dominate and coerce another person – is also unlawful and unethical. Set the manipulations aside for once and STOP IT.
I have written many articles about mental health as part of the defence surrounding their constant attacks on my own mental health. When the teacher became fixated on me, my mental health was under attack every single time I said no to him. He would loudly tell people I was “”emotionally disturbed” and “intervention was required”. He was the one who needed the intervention.
In actual fact I was excelling in school and graduated early. In those months before graduation, he almost destroyed me with his constant non-stop obsession, lies and threats. Those were among the darkest times of my life.
I was not adopted. I did not create the con or the adoption delusion. Therefore they are the ones who are psychotic and insane. Stop the madness. I am obviously not in control of their insanity.
Let these holy roller longtime church-goers know this Proverbs 15:25 “The Lord tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow’s boundaries”.
When it talks about tearing down the house of the proud, it is not just the house, but the entire family he will destroy. There are so many dire warnings about messing with widows, but like everything else in the Bible – these church-going religious zealots pay no heed.
But the truth of who I am, and the seed I came from – is girded about my own loins. I was not adopted. I have never in my life been admitted or treated for any serious mental health disorder. I repeat. There is no evidence or documentation of mental illness in my history whatsoever. It is all lies.
These dominant and arrogant men did not pay my way, or support me throughout my life. I worked my butt off as an RN from the time I graduated at the tender age of nineteen until I started working on the online store. I wrote the RN exams when I was still a teenager. The teacher took credit for my academic ability and forced me into nursing. But he had nothing to do with my abilities or IQ and never contributed anything to my life but hardship and sorrow.
There is no other female in the family who has been forced to support a family without any help – yet they condemn me for that too. They treat me like a degenerate who has never worked, yet I have always worked. Of course it wasn’t good enough. Nothing is good enough for our judgemental big brother, and his prideful wife – who has never worked a day in her life.
Even more importantly than all of the above, our seed on a spiritual level is of Biblical and eternal importance to our own lives, and our children’s families. We know from the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares that some seeds are sown for the good, and some for the evil one. Even within the same family, there can be both the wheat and the tares.
Just as it was in the story of Cain and Abel, even though Cain killed Abel in a fit of jealous rage, he could not hide it from God, and it did not take away the fact Abel was still his brother throughout all of time. Killing him did not eliminate him. It changed the course of history, but even so, there will come a day of reckoning.
Ultimately the seed of Abraham is the seed of all true believers in Christ. The only reason I have survived thus far, is by the seed from which I came from. In spite of a great deal of pain, peril, angst, conflict, and many near misses – I was protected through it all.
There is probably no greater time than on Christmas Day to give thanks for being part of the seed of Abraham. We are grafted into the tree of life for all eternity. Only God can graft us into our true lineage. No one can take the seed of our existence away from us.
I am very thankful by my own experience to finally know this to be true. It has served to strengthen my faith and put on the full armour of God. They cannot destroy my mind or my soul. They need to give it up already.
The teacher adoption con has become a very serious and divisive stranglehold within our family. Few people have the courage to stand up to my brother. The teacher really did steal, deceive, divide and destroy. In hindsight, it astounds me how a man as young as he was at the time, could be so diabolical, and cause such long term destruction to our family.
Everything on this earth is temporary. They will be held accountable some day. I will accept and be thankful for my humble beginnings, and the seed I came from.
Our seed brings us great strengths as well as adversity. The teacher was the opposite of what he claimed to be. Ultimately, he got the opposite of what he was trying to achieve. From our brother’s perspective, cutting off his own seed to align with the teacher, was probably the gravest error of his own lifetime. He cleaved to the darkness – not me. I lived in much of that darkness, but did manage to see the light. In fact, to me – hell would be getting stuck somewhere with those two.
In fact, if I had to choose between the two, and if they were bound so they could not attack me, I would far rather spend the time with my own brother than the teacher, who was boring as hell; as eerily ghastly as he was bland. It was like he was dead in his head.
Whereas, at least my brother is an intelligent person with a bit more scope in life. He can actually carry on an interesting conversation if he is in a half decent mood. If he would talk to me, I most certainly would make it clear that he is not going to use me or “my seed” as pawns in the continuation of his self-protectionism. The same goes for Ledcor and the teacher plot.
“Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the libertie wherewith Christ hath made us free, and bee not intangled againe with the yoke of bondage.”
My brother, through his cronyism with the teacher, cuts off all paths to reconciliation and healing in his own life, as well as the rest of the family. It is through our seed that both the strengths, and more importantly, the weaknesses arise. This gives us the ability and the obligation to discern right from wrong, and overcome some of those familial patterns for the sake of future generations.
Familial burdens such as addiction, superiority, greed, worshipping money at the expense of others, unwarranted punishments and accusations, and male dominated misogyny related to family violence, can be intergenerational strongholds.
Familial wrong cannot be resolved by cutting off the branch, the fruit, or cutting down the entire tree. In fact, just as I am not owned as an object to be traded off, or given up for adoption by my brother – nor does he own our family tree. He does not get to eradicate another person’s life or spirit regardless of his wrath, hatred and jealousy.
My brother overestimates his power and dominance. The teacher is as far from the seed of our family as the east is from the west. He has his own crap to deal with. My brother’s power is not going to last forever – except perhaps in the place of torment like it describes in the Bible. His punishment might last a very long time, based on the endless cruelties and corruption he has inflicted upon this world since he was a very young child.
My big brother is vastly superior to me in every way. He holds me in absolute contempt. There could be no greater polarization than there is between the two of us. He does not think I deserve to exist. He continues to give orders to control and oppress. He sets up rewards for those who will punish or exploit me. He held a grudge and hatred toward our own mother forever, and would not even go visit her on her death bed. He is the one who calls all the shots, and shuts off all compassion and reasoning.
There is no such thing as equality or accountability. He has the capacity to corrupt and harden the hearts of the family, a huge company, and politics. He has developed the ability to corrupt en masse, by honing a system of reward and punishment. He uses his Ledcor boss power over family members without regard for conflict of interest and abuse of power. He does not even grasp the concept of conflict of interest. It is meaningless to him.
There has never been a time in his life where he has been held accountable. I finally wrote a book about the truth of our past, and within a week he offered a truce. Then he immediately turned around and broke that truce by trying to force the teacher on me all over again.
Both my brother and the teacher are dedicated church-goers. They suit the following 2 Timothy 3:3 verse to the letter:
On my part, there might be some poetic justice on the horizon. He does not get to break the truce, punish me, and still expect the book go unpublished. It is high time for some cause and effect.
In due time, there will be real justice. Hopefully they will figure it out before it is too late for them. After all – especially as we age, we are really just a heartbeat away from a sudden death finale.
We ride that pale horse with no thought of the end – even though its conclusion is breathing right down our necks.
Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are all immersed in this topic. We not only feel the effects of negative emotions – but we see the effects of a breakdown in mental health on society in general. Obviously mental health deterioration has an adverse effect on the person who is losing it, as well as on the family and community they dwell in. It is a vast and complex subject.
Maintaining stability in mental health involves managing emotions first and foremost. Of the wide range of mental health illnesses, anxiety and depression seem to top the list. Most people who suffer from anxiety and depression manage to lead outwardly normal lives.
It is fairly common to struggle with thoughts of what has happened, and what could happen – and then feel dominated by negative or fear-provoking thoughts. We need to ask ourselves what is happening from a realistic perspective. A depressed or anxious person can remain quite stable, as long as they do not turn to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate. Self-medicating for short term relief or mood elevation, exacerbates the problems. Excessive and ever increasing amounts of self-medication can disinhibit any individual, leading to a downward spiral of an otherwise stable person.
Most violent and antisocial behaviour stems from a failure to cope with life’s circumstances. The number one key responsibility to remain sane, is to manage anger and fear without lashing out. It does not mean the emotions, betrayals, annoying behaviours, wrongdoing should be buried. If it is buried, things do not get resolved and fester away often erupting in violence.
The key is to remain rational and share your opinions using words. If the negativity is being inflicted on you by another person or entity – sharing the opinion helps to find someone to either validate or refute it. In any case, using non-violent language to explain how something is affecting you, will help to get the grievance out and on the table.
The other thing to help alleviate anger, agitation or tension is through exercise and sports. Most people who are healthy with high levels of energy have long since realized they are much saner and more able to cope if they go for a walk, run, swim, or bike ride. One of the healthier mental health habits is to create some kind of outlet that works best for you as an individual, and make sure it is something you can fit in and do on a regular basis, especially when faced with negative moods, reactions, and conflicts.
In some cases, people find their escape route through music, painting, tinkering on cars, washing the car, organizing the kitchen or the garage, etc. In fact, organizing things can be quite therapeutic since it gives us a sense of control over our environments.
None of us can maintain a completely optimal state of mental health 100% of the time. So we have to think it through, and make decisions on how to handle the intense emotions. Screaming, cursing, throwing things, verbal abuse, etc. is a sign of mental health deterioration. If done frequently or consistently, it is a sign the person is going to need intervention.
Part of navigating undue strain upon our mental health is the importance of setting boundaries. All healthy relationships, families, organizations, and communities need to set boundaries. There are certain things we can tolerate, and certain things that are deal breakers.
Fortunately most people can discuss, understand and respect boundaries. But there are difficult people who will not respect boundaries, or who will try to control the life of another adult without even consulting with them. Each of us only has our own life to live, and we get to decide what we believe and who we serve.
No one can take away the intrinsic purpose of another person’s life. They do try – so boundaries are critical. No means no. It is a hard thing to get across to some people. People who will not take no for an answer are viewing you as an object. We don’t have to be treated as objects. We were not put on this earth to benefit someone else, who thinks they can scam and take ownership of our lives and our potential. Get lost – is what you firmly have to tell them, and the sooner the better.
It took me more than thirty-five years to get a high school teacher out of my life. A teacher I did not want to have any kind of relationship with in the first place. Yet it was almost impossible to get rid of the guy. My biggest regret in life, is that I did not set a louder boundary and scream blue murder when he targeted me as a student in school. Someone should have put a stop to his obsessive and delusional claims over my life. He would not listen to me. What an incredible abuse of power he exhibited.
I am certainly not being preachy when I write tips on maintaining mental health, because it was only by the grace of God, I managed to survive the delusional teacher’s lifelong soul-stalking and lies.
There are soothing and meditative sleep channels that help a great deal. A nutritious diet is essential to provide all the regulatory and stabilizing mood chemicals from the gut bacteria, blood glucose, etc. Our moods are influenced by our environment, relationships, sleep patterns, diet and exercise. Never underestimate the value of a peaceful and restful sleep. Rest is central to mood, healing, restoration, and immune function.
Another aspect of maintaining optimal mental health is to work at something every single day. Idleness is unhealthy. It numbs out both body and mind, leading to a lack of productivity and hopelessness. Everyone who is capable, needs to work on something. No matter how old we are, the more we do, the more it keeps our cognitive function going. Making a point of memorizing passwords, sixteen digit bank and credit card numbers, etc. will help the memory. Staying motivated to work on something helps us to look forward to each day.
Games like bridge, chess and scrabble are good for memory and brain exercise. My all time favourite is Words With Friends, which is online scrabble, with a few different rules than regular scrabble.
Taking a break from negative news media helps. I spoke with one elderly lady recently in the grocery store, asking her how she is coping with all the covid news. She said she has stopped watching the news and puts on comedies or nature shows instead.
Her sensible reply demonstrates how adaptable we are. We can unplug from the media for a period of time, if things get too depressing. For many people, growing things, nurturing others, or caring for pets is quite therapeutic.
One bonus to being home so much is that I have learned about the varieties of chrysanthemums, and at the time of writing, still have multiple blooms when it is almost Christmas! There are so many different colours and types. Some look like zinnias, others like bright yellow daisies, and some like small bushes. Others will cascade downward like a waterfall.
In fact after reading up on them, I have learned they are the flower chosen as the Imperial Emblem of Japan. The New York botanical gardens and many yearly displays in Japan showcase these colourful blooms. They have certain varieties growing with up to a thousand blooms on a single stem. Who would have dreamt it? They also seem to like coffee, so we do have common grounds.
Chrysanthemums supposedly only bloom once a year. But I have learned from experience, they do bloom more than once. I bought some in the spring and once they stopped blooming, stuck them in bigger pots, just in case. They grew much larger, and all four plants bloomed again for months.
They will grow stems long enough to go around other plants, to get their faces and flowers into the sunshine. They are totally different than the common bushy small ones you see everywhere in the fall. They get much more creatively unruly, and are far more beautiful, once they let loose a little. The semi-lockdowns brought me a huge appreciation for these gorgeous flowers with so many varieties. It also reinforces the many advantages of living in a fairly mild, west coast type climate.
The milder climate means we have been able to get outside, without all the snow and ice. I think a big part of staying sane and well-balanced, is to have gratitude for what we do have, and what we can do.
People who end up in LTC facilities, often end up there for one of two reasons. One is a physical disability, which is severe enough to take away their mobility, and therefore they cannot get around or function without help. The other, and equally important contributor, is a loss of cognitive function. In some cases, the person has no control over these things. Like cancer and other diseases, some of the chronic conditions are simply bad luck.
But to improve our chances, we have to learn to control our emotions and exercise our minds as well as our bodies. We have to adapt to losses or disappointments in life without losing our mind, or being in a constant state of stress.
Many times I ask myself when I feel worried about something, whether or not it is something to be dealt with, and what needs to be done about it. If the answer is nothing – then accept it as a transient annoyance or trigger you are not obligated to react to.
Sometimes when there is conflict, you have to measure out a response, and put the ball in their court. Then simply wait for a reply. So in this regard, being able to compartmentalize certain facets of life, can help us to set negative things aside, once we have done what we can to alleviate them.
The biggest word of caution, is regarding the roller coaster ride created by drugs and alcohol. Never assume a prescription drug will not have side effects or consequences to your health. Anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs may give short term relief, but getting off them and restoring dopamine and serotonin levels is another matter all together. These drugs are potent neuroleptics affecting the brain and entire central nervous system.
There is no point in being in a chronic state of not being able to see the forest for the trees. Look at the mountains, the sky, the ocean, and the rivers when you get outside. Nature is every bit as beautiful as it was before all the covid fears began. Some things in life change. Other things are constant. Some of what we face each day is completely out of our control.
Figuring out and accepting what we can and cannot control – while leaving the rest to faith – in a nutshell, will also assure us of a sound mind. Good thing too. We need our cognitive function now more than ever before.
Fresh cut outdoor chrysanthemums December 12, 2020. Their last hurrah!
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
This is a topic I never really delved into until all the recent talk of death, and the reporting of covid deaths in the media every day. I find it surprising simply because this constant reporting of death, is a relatively new thing. We used to hear about murders and car accidents in the news, but not every single long term care death, or deaths from respiratory illnesses.
Most of us understand death is inevitable. Now it seems only the covid deaths are horrific, tragic, preventable, and exponentially stacking up. For some reason, it takes centre stage over and above all other causes of death. Most people will attribute this to the fact it is contagious. But it is not the first time we have been exposed to contagious outbreaks, so what makes this one so mind numbingly catastrophic?
I worked in hospitals. If you ever sat down with even just a handful of nurses, you could hear about the saddest cases, none of which ever hit the news. So the death horse is upon us, whether it is related to Biblical prophecy or not.
The covid death announcements makes one wonder if we have entered this phase of Biblical prophecy. It is not uncommon for people to look to their faith, or to the Bible, during times of uncertainty – especially uncertainty surrounding our own mortality.
But we do have to keep in mind that apocalyptic visions have been advanced by every doomsday cult throughout history, as well as by people like Greta Thunberg on the secular and political side. In fact, every time there is upheaval and change, there are many who will associate it with end times.
I have listened to multiple different speakers on Bible prophecy, and have read about a variety of different interpretations of the four horsemen. Some of them seem rather far-fetched.
There are many examples of how events throughout history, were interpreted to be present day signs of the end times. During the major wars and famines throughout history, people understandably wondered if those events signalled the end of the age. Therefore, one could easily be mistaken by attributing this covid crisis as being symbolic of the pale horse of death.
It is not really the covid deaths causing all the ruckus, but the reaction to those deaths, that really makes me wonder what is going on. The media is on the covid bandwagon non-stop. Is it a real emergency? Or is it manufactured? If not for the media and the masks, would we know it was happening? It seems viruses are just as polarized as we are. They are simultaneously innocuous and malignant. They have been around since the beginning of time – yet suddenly we are overwhelmed on a global scale by a single virus? How so? This has never happened before.
Now perhaps more than ever, it is interesting to examine some of the end times beliefs. In one case, the author and speaker believes the colours of the horses represent emotions, balance, and the human intellect. In another case, the interpretation claims the white horse represents the antichrist.
Various other interpretations claim the white horse represents Christ. But there is not much logical support for that theory, when you consider what the white horse is leading. The white horse is more likely to represent a faux rescuer, like the concept of the knight in shining armour. Except it is an illusion of rescue, one without substance.
The apocalypse is a topic that plunges us into the mystery of the book of Revelation, and the many unknowns about the end times. There are Biblical scholars who have devoted much time and study to Revelations, yet few of them come up with the same theory about the meaning of this incredible imagery and its significance in today’s world.
In thinking about the pale horse, or the horse representing death, I have learned this is the last horse of the four. The first horse is a white horse. The figure on it is wearing a crown and carrying a bow, but apparently the bow does not have any arrows.
There is an interesting correlation on the etymology of the Latin word corona – which means crown, wreath or garland. In the light of what is happening today, it does seem to be an odd coincidence. I wonder if the horseman riding the white horse has a corona garland on his head?
The curious connection relating to the crown worn by the rider of the white horse is the type of crown it is. He wears a stephanos crown, which represents the garland of conquest, as opposed to a diademata crown, which is the crown of a king.
Another puzzling concept is why the bow carried by the horseman on the white horse has no arrows (Revelations 6: 1-2). Therefore, in my own interpretation, the first horse is going out as a conquerer, but has no real or ultimate authority. He leads the other horses, which in turn, creates the awful global circumstances that are carried by the horses following him.
The second horse is fiery red and carries a big sword. It is generally agreed it represents bloodshed and war. This one takes away the peace on earth or perhaps the illusion of peace brought by the white horse. It might also represent an increased amount of anger. Since red is also symbolic of communism, it could be another facet of this imagery. The second rider’s large sword, is in sharp contrast to the first rider, who has just a bow and some trailing ribbons. It appears the red horse has the power, or the symbology, to cause hatred and harm.
The third horse is a black one, with a rider who is carrying a weigh scale. The verses in Revelation tell us the black horse weighs out a small measure of wheat or barley for a days wages. It is only enough to make a couple loaves of bread, so many people believe the black horse represents poverty and famine.
It is interesting to note the weigh scales are to dole out portions of wheat and barley, but the oil and wine must be reserved. Reserved for who, I wonder? Although it is open to interpretation, I wonder if this refers to saving and reserving the best for the elite. Another significant meaning attributed to the scale could be fair wages, justice, and income disparity. It might also point out how unfair it is for the ultra rich to ignore the needs of the poor, or worse yet, to oppress, judge and persecute the poor.
The fourth horse is described as the pale horse, and is widely thought to represent death. In fact, it is described as having Hades following right behind, or possibly even sitting on the back of the pale horse directly behind the rider. In the translation of colour, some will say this horse is actually a pale green. But I think for the most part, claiming it is green is a matter of translation.
8And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Therefore, we can conclude this allegorical description of the horses is ultimately about overcoming death. It appears the four horsemen of the apocalypse are a prelude of what is to come, as the grand finale signalling the end of this age.
One thing it took me many years to realize, is how vastly different Christian beliefs are. Night and day differences. Polarized differences. And there are differences in the way we interpret things, which is probably influenced by how we want to interpret them, or whether we choose to pay attention at all. But if we do not seek truth, we are in big trouble. To me, that much is for certain.
Our spiritual beliefs are an offshoot of who we are. As a child, I hardly ever went to church. If we did, it was to the local United Church. My strongest recollections are that the Sunday school teacher seemed like she was at least a hundred years old. She looked like Granny Daisy May Moses.
Other than that, I was quite fascinated by the wooden offering plate, and having to put a quarter in when it came around. The offering was always treated as a very sombre activity, with deacons to carry it from row to row. I would wonder if a person could look straight ahead, and keep a really serious, blank expression like the deacons did – then just discreetly pass it to the next guy? I don’t know. I never really understood church rituals as a kid.
Understanding religion got much more difficult when as a high school student, an autocratic religious fundamentalist teacher became obsessed with me. It took many years before I realized the falsehoods and abuse he inflicted upon me. The belief system came from the Exclusive Brethren Mennonites, and follows a false doctrine written in the 1800’s by John Darby. The theology and doctrine they follow is called dispensationalism.
I always kind of thought religious people were superior, and seemed to think they had all the answers. Plus they were the judges of those who are bad. “Oh you are a bad girl, just like your wicked mother” – was the teacher’s mantra. They were far superior, because they had been blessed by God.
I was indoctrinated with false doctrine, without even knowing it. I could not escape the guy. He followed me around school, basketball games, and whatever activities were going on outside of school. He forced me into his car on numerous occasions, and took me to his house for all night sessions of brainwashing, with really strange dogma and lies. I remember being told what a wonderful Christian he was, and was ordered to obey his authority. But for the life of me, I could never figure out what was so wonderful about him.
To me the biggest contradiction was the lies he told me about my own life and our mother, when I knew perfectly well what the truth was. But to refute him brought punishment, so I had to sit and listen to him. In fact, this guy entrapped and ensnared me for life. I am still being punished by the teacher and my older brother. The two of them have been in collusion since day one.
There has been a great deal of pain, deception, and family betrayal – as a result of a high school teacher, who inflicted all this upon me just months before I graduated. From then on, I could not get rid of the guy. He continued to follow me after I graduated, and throughout my life. My rich and powerful older brother made sure he was invited to every family function. If the teacher decided to visit me and I said no, I got cornered and raged at by my brother. That’s pretty much how they kept me in the trap.
He would not take no for an answer. I remember thinking, “for crying out loud, even God does not force us into a relationship with him”. One of the things that took so long to figure out, was the fact there are so many different belief systems among Christians. The hypocrisy is as dark and dismal as those all night sessions with the teacher – and then as glaring as the noon day sun, with all the blinding contradictions.
Yet challenging him, in his mind, was like defying God. Saying no and telling him to get lost meant I must be mentally ill, because his supreme ego would not permit him to accept rejection. The teacher would always tell me my family would not support me if I refused to have anything to do with him. That is only because of his collusion with my older brother. Their plot over my life was based on nothing but lies, manipulations, false accusations, and orders from Ledcor headquarters (my own big brother) – to keep the punishment going.
The teacher has harboured a very delusional concept of his relationship with me from the get-go, which is typical of the stalker types. He was determined to be my daddy-god for life. Stalkers have all kinds of illusions and delusions about those they become obsessed with. They imagine themselves to be the father, the husband, the saviour, the soul-mate – or whatever.
They often develop long-term fixed delusional belief systems about the relationship with their victims. No matter how many times you make it clear you want nothing to do with them – they will not accept it. In my case, he had the escape routes blocked. He always maintained and manipulated access to me, until I really put my foot down. The punishment for doing so has never ended, but even so, it was well worth it.
A huge percentage of television and youtube preachers, like the teacher I got saddled with – embrace false doctrine. Others are brainwashed by those power abusing leaders, or else simply misinterpret things.
The one thing we can be sure about, is the level of deception is sky high. So in my own interpretation of things, the white horse represents deception by those with authority. They give the appearance of being lily white, but look at what they are bringing with them? They bring hatred, division, unjust punishment, and deception to the extent, they will lie about who you are. To them, black is white – and white is black. They speak in opposites. They act and claim the very opposite of what they are professing.
The white horse to me, represents the introduction of this final earthly battle. It brings a spirit of deception and division to set the stage for the rest. The battle of Armageddon, is about bringing all the things we fear the most right in front of us. It is in our minds and spirits. The tension in the plot is rising. Much of it is about the love of money.
Working to earn money is to be expected. Money itself is not evil. It is the love of money that causes betrayals, murders, exploitation, deception, and harm to others. That is when money turns from being a tool or a blessing – into true evil.
Some people serve mammon, and become very arrogant in the process. But in the final judgement, the Bible does make it crystal clear – greed is catastrophic. Even at the time of a natural death, surely people know they cannot take anything with them. Power must be so intoxicating for some people, it removes common sense.
It might be impossible for us to fully comprehend the Bible, to separate the metaphorical from the literalistic interpretations, and to put the pieces together. There seems to be some key elements to help with the construct of Biblical beliefs. The first is of God as the creator. Then it is the redemption and salvation through Christ, and finally – judgment.
How we live our lives is more important than we realize. Our beliefs will eventually teach us who we serve. Redemption is about understanding we were bought for a price. We should know beyond any doubt, who we belong to, as we journey through the process of forgiveness and redemption. If we are believers, we know there will be a final judgement. Repentance has to be sincere and come from the heart.
If things play out as dramatically as Revelation portrays, the end times will be the greatest test of courage and faith we could ever imagine. Yet overcoming such fears, is likened to the analogy of the increasing intensity of labour pains. When we are in labour – we know and believe the outcome is well worth it. The end result is joy, along with a sense of overwhelming love and awe.
Some Christians believe they will be beamed up before facing great tribulation. If we look at history, and what happened to the early Christians, we might get a reality check on the theory of a pre-tribulation rapture. There is no Biblical evidence to support that claim either. But, you can always find stuff in the Bible to suit what you want to believe. What could be more desirable than an escape into the clouds just when the going gets tough?
Others believe there will be a rapture at the half way point of the great tribulation. In my mind, neither of these theories hold water. The rapture theory is steeped in dispensationalism, which I know beyond a shadow of a doubt by my own experiences, as being false and evil to the core. Personally, I reject all the pre-tribulation and mid-tribulation theories. In fact, there cannot even be a measuring of time to claim there will be a seven year tribulation in the first place. I think it is clear there will be tribulation, but the length of time is unknown.
Some people believe there will be a never ending hellfire for non-believers. Some think people go straight to heaven when they die. Others believe we rest or sleep until Christ returns.
To be honest, even though most televangelist preachers and mainstream churches teach pre-tribulation rapture, the takeover by a single anti-christ, and a seven year tribulation – for the most part, those concepts are not part of the Biblical dramatizations. I’m no Bible scholar. But I have evaluated the most pessimistic and terrifying of the fundamentalist beliefs I was indoctrinated with, and find it to be false. The John Darby bible is false doctrine. John Darby made hundreds of changes to the original Bible, yet few Christians seem to realize this.
The Bible does not describe a single anti-christ, but many antichrists, and often refers to it as the spirit of the antichrist. The Bible consistently tells us that no one knows when Christ will return. Therefore, all the unlocking of the timelines from the book of Daniel is futile. The same goes for the dispensations, or timelines as crafted and outlined by Darby.
We are also told many times throughout the Bible, that to God, a day can be as a thousand years, and vice versa. So we simply do not know the timelines, otherwise people would be able to accurately interpret the return of Christ. Therefore those timelines go out the window with the rest of false doctrine.
Another set of beliefs places the prophecies of Revelation as past tense. They claim the tribulation already took place in 70AD, and the evil ruler or antichrist was Nero. This particular belief system envisions a world that is becoming increasingly better, not worse. We are going in the direction of Utopia, not great tribulation.
Although placing tribulation in past tense is an optimistic interpretation, it does not make sense either, because Nero has nothing to do with the end of the age. The events that took place in Rome during that terrible time in human history, did not turn out to precede the second coming of Christ.
So what is the truth? We may not find out until the end of the age arrives. Even if things unfold as dramatically as Revelation describes, some people will be in the midst of it, and still not believe it.
In the end, what we believe, is the final inalienable right we will never have to let go of. We have been warned many times not to be deceived. The white horse and the leader of the apocalypse is the deceiver, or more likely, the spirit of deception.
I do believe Christ will return. I believe the four horsemen of the apocalypse are prophetic visions depicting the end of the age, or the culmination of the great battle between good and evil. It does not mean we can predict what will happen next. But we can see the changes and what is developing now, as an indication of metaphorical comparisons at the very least.
It could take a day, or it could take another thousand years for the end times scenarios to fully play out. With the dramatic changes throughout the world in this past year, it does seem things are unfolding before our eyes.
When we look at the four horsemen, it could seem pretty grim. When I listened to the religious zealot teacher, it seemed even worse. Shaking the dispensational theology loose and getting free of it, totally changed my outlook. It is a relief to know the teacher was wrong, and I do not have to believe what he believes, in order to be a Christian.
But now, I see these things as a precursor – a confrontation of the great deceptions and polarizations we have been plunged into. I see the lily white supremacy and arrogance of false prophets. Each successive horse spells out for us, what follows the first one. I think the period of tribulation varies for different individuals. Some people have to deal with far more adversity, tribulation and persecution than others do.
The conflicting aspects of eschatology for me now are based on the severity of tribulation, and whether it will be as bad as some people envision. There are several verses describing a busy albeit corrupt world. It does not sound quite as apocalyptic as some descriptions. Also, it would appear to be entirely possible to avoid and steer clear of depravity and corruption, therefore be less affected by what is going on. I think tribulation is both personal and worldly, but maybe not as catastrophic as the dispensationalists and other cults would have us believe.
Also the Bible tells us the return of Christ would be like it was in the times of Noah. From gotquestions.org “They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:26–27). Jesus was pointing out that, although the people of Noah’s day were totally depraved, they were not the least bit concerned about it. They were carrying on the events of their lives without a single thought of the judgment of God.”
The four horses are giving us the warnings. They are rearing up into a wild and dramatic depiction of what it is to merge worldly warfare with spiritual warfare. In my interpretation of things, we will become more entrenched in spiritual warfare more than anything. Ultimately the battle between good and evil is a spiritual battle, not a carnal one. So many people are caught up in the concept of the mark of the beast. If there is a mark of the beast, there must also be the mark of a Christian, to differentiate the two.
This to me, is a metaphorical interpretation, or should be. The reason I believe so, is because the Bible does refer to the seal of the Holy Spirit as well, but for some reason this assurance gets very little attention.
I think the idea of the mark of the beast being put on one’s forehead or hand is metaphorical. It stands for what you believe, what is in your mind, and who or what you worship. Because what is in your mind, or what you believe in – will motivate your activities. After all, deviousness comes from planning and scheming, followed by doing, or carrying out unscrupulous deeds.
The pale horse of death is what most of us fear the most, especially if Hades or hell is on the heels of that horse, breathing hellfire down our necks. What our secular world fails to wrap their collective heads around, is that we do not face the prospect of just one death.
There is the earthly physical death, when the soul leaves the body and goes to a resting place. The Bible does teach certain things about the time of the second coming. It says the dead in Christ shall rise first. That means believers do not go straight to heaven after death, but they sleep and wait until Christ returns.
It sounds like some people go to a comfortable place to sleep, such as the references made about those who are resting in Abraham’s bosom. Others may not be quite so comfortable – such as the rich man who is described as begging Lazarus for a drink of water, and then asking him to warn his family about this terrible place he found himself.
The second death is the death of the soul for non-believers or those who are not repentant. This death comes after the final judgement. In my opinion, the Bible does not claim there will be eternal hellfire for all unrepentant sinners. It says, “the wages of sin is death”. I know many will disagree, but that is what it says.
How can we believe people go to heaven or hell for all eternity at the time of their physical death, if they have not faced judgement yet? Many would argue it is salvation alone that assures us a place in heaven. But what would be the point of judgment then? Surely there is some sort of plausible integration surrounding the rewards, punishments and system of justice that sets the stage for how people will live eternal lives.
I tend to believe at the time of Christ’s return, the living believers will be joining the dead in Christ to meet Him in the air. Prior to His return, those who are dead, have left their physical bodies and are sleeping somewhere until He returns. Following the return of Christ, there will be something akin to a massive court case.
We are conditioned to fear the first death. But the old saying “giving up the ghost” is somewhat realistic, in that the spirit and soul leave the body. It is not the final death. What is referred to as the second death is the annihilation of a person’s existence following judgement. There may be a certain amount of hellfire to face, but I don’t think people spend all eternity burning in hell. In fact, I cannot even imagine such a thing, and am not sure why it is central to mainstream religion.
I believe the meaning or intent of the four horsemen is to warn us. It helps to give us a conceptual framework for what is happening in this world, and what is to follow. For those who believe in and look forward to the return of Christ – we will see how the final pale horse representing death has been overcome.
The central message of the true Gospel is that death will be overcome. The apocalypse is dramatic, and beyond our comprehension in many ways. But after that, the greatness and glory has just one focus. Christ will bring about the great reset. So even though it seems like things are going to hell in a hand basket, and may get worse in the near future – there is much to look forward to.
Although the wait has been a long one – in the end it will happen in the twinkling of an eye. Then everything on earth, and everyone on the earth – will be changed. As promised – the truth will set us free.
Although any kind of deception, hypocrisy, or contradiction – tends to make us angry, anger is not the remedy. We still need to maintain self-control and follow the laws.
In fact, the most important part of our armour – is peace, truth and love. Against such – there is no law.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
This one is even tougher to grasp than all the covid contradictions. At first I thought mentioning it might lead to accusations of being a conspiracy theorist. Even though this concept sounds like a conspiracy – it is clearly something of significance lurking like an incredible hulk, in the shadowy forms with all the covid hype.
Did you ever wonder why the published image of covid looks like one of those spiked balls, flails, or morning star weapons they used to clobber people over the head with during medieval times? This image has been put on almost all publications, featuring a round ball with red spikes.
Where did such an image come from? Does it really look like the covid virus? The obvious answer is – No, it does not. They have yet to identify single viruses within a family of viruses, under an electron microscope.
For the most part when you look at images of viruses under an electron microscope, you see clusters of amoeba like shapes. There can be a differentiation by the general shape, to help identify the type of virus, but as far as what covid-19 actually looks like, they had to resort to a completely fictional image. Quite simply – they do not know what it looks like.
Where does the spiked ball covid image we see published everywhere, as a purported likeness of the virus come from? This image is part of an emerging trend called BioArt. It is a fictional representation and branding based on graphic design alone. There is nothing real about it. And why they would make it look like a flail to whack people in the head with, is incomprehensible. Yet in the overall scheme of things, it makes some sick sense.
They made the covid image look that way for a reason. It looks sinister. It has multiple red spikes. We have been hammered in the head with the little spiked ball, every time we look at the news. It is a metaphorical bit of squeamish injury to our sensibilities and thought processes. Ouch. What just hit me? Oh right. More covid BS.
Okay, so there you have it, the best non-conspiracy observation of the shadowy form and branding lurking behind the covid imagery. Oh some might cry! How dare you call the little spiked ball fictional! Well, then why not use an image of the real thing? It is the most logical question to ask.
An illustration of the genome editing technique, with scissors showing where DNA is to be “cut.” (courtesy of Tel Aviv University)
Languishing behind the spiky covid form, is a despotic fascist archetype from the World Economic Forum. If he could be portrayed as the villain in the plot of a new release of George Orwell’s book, The Animal Farm, I would give this guy the role of a bullfrog on a log. He has about as much charisma as a Gaboon viper, along with the audacity to think he can dictate what is best for the entire world, and all those who inhabit it.
The Great Reset comes from the World Economic Forum, which sounds like a big deal, but in reality the founder is a University professor by the name of Klaus Schwab, born in Germany in 1938. He is the founder and chairman of the World Economic Forum. Yup. This whole devious plan comes from an arrogant professor in Germany.
Honestly, it is one of the most convoluted and contradictory plans I have ever heard of or read about. Next to the objectives of various other tyrants throughout history, this one is right up there. First of all, he claims the world will become a much angrier place. He admits there will be poverty, mass unemployment and misery.
From there he takes a great leap to another log, and claims we will have a greener earth, and the two concepts are not incompatible. What?
Using a double negative, he is claiming the resulting unemployment, anger and human misery is compatible with the objectives of having a greener earth? Since when does poverty, squalor and homelessness make the earth greener? It is just the opposite in fact. Always remember – they speak in opposites. The bullfrog has two faces.
Last I checked, the earth is pretty green. Are they going to change the colour of the sky too? Will they start to make up rules for a brighter, and bluer sky? You bet they will. They seem to have no limits to their over reach.
He makes very arrogant sweeping statements, like how the “global stakeholders” will determine the great reset. What global stakeholders? Who owns the earth? They do? Or at least they seem to think they do.
Embodied within all these contradictory statements, when real questions are asked, he says, “I do not know the remedies”. Well the logical thought process in my opinion is that if you don’t know the remedy, or the cure – how are you going to reset anything?
He claims there will be dignity for all. Yet the title of that particular you tube diatribe was how the world is going to become a much angrier place. How do we get dignity out of anger?
He seems to think there will be equality for women. He looks and talks like he is still stuck in the German fascist regime of the late thirties, so how would a guy like that know the first thing about what it is to be oppressed as a woman?
He talks about equality of outcomes. There is no such thing. If you give identical fishing rods and boats to five different groups of people, does anyone really think they would all return with an equal number of fish?
I will readily admit how little I want to know about the great reset plot, but it cannot be ignored. I call it a scheme, because clearly there is a great deal of deception and arrogance underlying the statements he makes.
There is no compassion for humankind whatsoever in his plan for a great reset. In fact, there is no real plan at all, other than creating human misery, homelessness, hopelessness, famine and poverty – all under the guise of creating a greener earth.
The question is, who benefits from such a disjointed plan? They do. Those who meet at the DAVOS conference each year. Those who think they are the global stakeholders. Those who have the money to buy the mainstream media, which is little more than taking out full page covid ads on a daily basis. CBC is constantly running ads requesting people’s covid stories. How on earth can that be considered unbiased journalism?
Some obvious examples of media deception: In one case they tell a story about a woman with dementia who cannot remember to wear a mask. The gist of the article, of course, is to shame the anti-maskers. If a person with severe dementia can be taught to wear a mask, then how can any cognitively intact person ignore those orders? Since the woman cannot remember anything from one minute to the next, the article describes how the caregiver hangs several brightly coloured masks on the woman’s doorknob because she cannot remember to wear a mask when she goes out.
Here is the clincher. The article goes on to say that when the woman goes out with her caregiver and sees other people without masks – she is aghast to see others are not wearing masks. How can a person with short term memory loss, who cannot remember why she must wear a mask – make a judgement call on random people in the community who are not wearing masks? It is such obvious deception, especially for people who have known and cared for people with severe dementia.
Another article in the mainstream media describes the death of a teacher calling it a covid death, and calling on all people to wear masks to prevent such tragedies. The man had stage 4 lung cancer with metastasis to the brain. He had zero chance of survival with that diagnosis, yet they somehow twist that to be the fault of random people not wearing masks on Granville Street? How so? How pathetic is it to exploit deaths for the sake of media sensationalism and promoting a false narrative? In my opinion it is the absolute bottom of the barrel, tire biting, ambulance chasers, who would write such overtly exploitive articles about grief and death.
In Canada, we have had confidentiality policies within hospitals for many years. If a person calls in to make the most basic enquiry, they are told the information cannot be disclosed. Yet the minute the person dies or becomes incapacitated, the media can exploit their story. How many of these people would have given consent if they knew the true motives behind this?
The next of kin can give consent to share stories, pictures, etc. But those people are in a state of grief, are vulnerable, and it is common for them to feel anger and blame, as a normal grief reaction. Making all these vulnerabilities, raw emotions, and losses into public sensationalism with covert political objectives, is unfair to the general public.
Probably the greatest contradiction surrounding the great reset, is the placating claim: “we are all in this together”. They are telling us, indoctrinating us, brainwashing us, into believing we must not socialize with another human being, yet we are all in this together? Togetherness is the last thing they want.
We are not to see our family members, no hugs, no Mother’s day, no Thanksgiving dinners, no birthday parties, no exercise or dance classes, no singing, no indoor public spaces without masks, etc. What togetherness are they advocating for? See how they speak in opposites?
How can they constantly and divisively drive people apart, banning all contact, and then say, “we are in this together”. Obviously we are not in this together, so cut the crap. Their objective is behaviour modification.
What are they trying to do? An elite few are basically claiming to be the owners of the earth. They will make the rules. They will dominate and cause unprecedented human suffering. And most of all, they get sadistic and arrogant pleasure out of doing so.
They obviously rule mainstream media. But who else do they rule over? If we do not believe the lies. If we do not give any credibility to the lies in the media – what does that leave them with?
If the so called great reset had even a modicum of value to the general public, one might be able to defend it. But it makes no sense at all.
If a problem is defined, fair enough. But how can they justify collapsing all systems, when they themselves do not have the answers? How does any virus, sniffles, a cold, or flu bug lead to a golden opportunity for a great reset and intentional collapse of the economy? The bull frog makes some great leaps of logic, creating these antagonistic paradoxes.
I had the misfortune of being forced into nightly brainwashing sessions as a vulnerable teenager by an autocratic, incredibly arrogant high school teacher. Due to a collusion with my older brother, this teacher plagued me my entire life with his lies. If not for that experience, I might not see through the deception and brain washing this great reset is bringing about. If not for the fact that my own brother is the second largest shareholder of the second largest construction company in Canada – I would not be so aware of how psychopathy has come to rule the globe.
But I do know from experience how brain washing, shaming , deceiving, and making outrageous false claims – can become a reality. They have a single MO, and that is to repeat the lies until they are believed. They will intimidate you if you refute those lies. They will gang up on you. Make no mistake – their end game is domination and violence. They have no respect for humanity. They have a dehumanizing disgust for the poor and downtrodden. They do not think poor people even deserve to exist.
Refute the lies. There is nothing wrong with truth. In fact, there has never been a more important time in history, to let truth rise to the surface. Truth rises high above people like Klaus Schwab. He is eighty-two years old. Would anyone want to be in his shoes?
Buried within the books written by Klaus Schwab, there is a focus on sustainability achieved through a careful management, not of resources – but of people. His utopia or more aptly dystopia, revolves around having “smaller numbers of perfect people”. Someone should let him know – he is not perfect either. None of us are perfect. So obviously this is an ideology beyond human capabilities.
It would be crazy to follow this WEF guy. He is one step away from his own demise, whether he dies of old age, a heart attack, or a massive stroke. Reality of age should not be considered ageism if the person is not acting on behalf of public interests.
He has already reached his life expectancy. Why would anyone want to inflict misery on the world at his stage of life? He has lived most of his life, yet he proposes to alter the entire landscape of opportunity for the rest of humanity? Especially when using out dated, quondam, long in the tooth, antediluvian, archaic concepts?
I often wonder why we are seeing so many men well past retirement age, continuing to dominate world politics with the “old dog” mentality. The adage that you cannot teach old dogs new tricks, certainly comes to mind when you listen to some of these guys. How many old women do we see taking centre stage? It is pretty clear, what is good for the goose, is not good for the gander.
For those who believe there will be a final judgment day – no one should fear it more than the people who are proposing the great reset. They are deceptively using an unseen virus as the perceived human enemy. It is high time we point the finger at the real enemies of humanity.
The great reset plan eliminates love and truth – and replaces it with fear, anger and deception. They are promoting unemployment, isolation, poverty, and global behaviour modification. They have created a recipe for disaster.
Total control stems from insecurity and complete unbridled selfishness. People are turning on each other, and blaming their neighbours for lockdowns and restrictions, when in actual fact, the general public does not cause viruses, and have nothing to do with the plan created by Klaus Schwab.
We most certainly have not caused the disproportionate over reaction to this particular virus. The political leaders are causing it. Covid is merely an excuse to control the world. They have manufactured the crisis.
Goodness and truth will prevail. And someone, somehow – will put a stop to this madness. To those who are encouraging this covid mania – ask yourself one question. Can there be any greater greed or delusion, than the belief you can own and control the world? I don’t think so.
I just discovered the petition on the Pierre Poilievre website:
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Most of us have never experienced such restrictions in our lifetimes. Without a doubt we face an unprecedented bombardment of rules, arguments, civil unrest, contradictions, and most of all – things that provoke negative thoughts and emotions.
Fear is not our friend. It breeds worry, blame, anger, hopelessness, and negativity. For the most part, we fear the unknown and the unseen. It’s like laying in bed in the dark with the covers over our head, trying to interpret every noise and creak in the house. From there, we imagine the worst, like something out of a horror movie.
One of the things that helps with fear of the unknown, is to create your own plan for daily living. There will always be some dark days, but the goal is to reduce and minimize the dark clouds that pass over our souls. Central to the “be happy” plan is maintaining practical aspects of physical and mental health during the lockdowns. Since there has been so much fear mongering in the media, our biggest challenge, and the best conquest in this covid era, is to overcome fear.
To overcome fear, we have to remind ourselves that we have control over our own thoughts. Fear is a biological signal that serves to increase adrenalin and prepare us for fight or flight. In the absence of the need to fight or run, it means the fear is mostly irrational. Besides that, there is nowhere to run to. In the past people would flee countries where the political scenarios became worrisome or tyrannical. But with the current situation, moving to a different country is not an option, and would not be an improvement anyway.
One thing we can count on in life is change. Where there is instability and upheaval, we can expect things to change. In the meantime, it helps to do rational evaluations and be thankful for what is stable, secure, happy, positive and hopeful.
Gratitude is central to maintaining peace of mind. If we have peace, as in the absence of war and being attacked, a roof over our heads, health among the members of our family, hot water, heat, and food – basically it is a good day.
The small things can be amplified, like when you see roses blooming in your garden in winter months. Or a burst of sunlight through the clouds that highlights the snow on the mountain tops. We don’t have to go anywhere to appreciate these things.
I think we are all realizing how important our health is and how much we have to rely on ourselves to maintain it. Many health care services are adversely affected as a result of the focus on covid. We have heard so much about the fear of overwhelming health care systems, we are inclined to avoid those services all together if we can.
For many people, part of this entire health argument is to listen to the experts. I don’t think we have much choice but to follow the mandates that are put into place, and wait and see how long they are going to last. We can adapt. But the most important thing, is to listen to our own body and mind. We can nurture and nourish ourselves with the food we eat, and combine it with wholesome food for thought.
If you take grocery shopping for instance. The line ups are longer than usual, which changes the habit of running out for a couple of lemons or some sour cream. Many of the small produce stores are now shuttered, so we have to go to the large supermarkets even if we just need an onion.
Given all the changes around grocery shopping, means that we have to plan the meals, fresh produce and healthy meals to last for longer periods of time. If we can shop for everything in one stop, to last two to four weeks – then we can reduce the length of time in line ups, as well as reduce the exposure to others.
Fresh produce and whole foods are the healthiest for our diets, but you cannot keep lettuce and radishes for three weeks. That means, the planning includes buying things like fresh salad ingredients, fresh beans, peppers, cauliflower, and broccoli, then using those up in the first week.
The longer lasting root vegetables such as turnips, carrots, parsnip, squash, sweet potatoes and beets – are the vegetables to use for the second and third week between grocery shopping. When setting up the grocery plan, the first couple of times, you realize what you are most likely to run out of, and also what things you allowed to go to waste.
After a bit of trial and error, you realize what you run out of and then add to it. For instance coffee cream lasts a week or ten days in the fridge – but you can buy a larger container and pour some of it into smaller containers and freeze it.
Overall, adapting the shopping and food planning to last for longer stretches, also helps with our sense of security.
Most of us are spending more time than usual online. I was listening to some lectures on eye strain and near sightedness and how much this increases with time spent indoors looking at screens, whether it is television, phones, or computers. Getting outdoors makes a difference to the health of our eyes as well.
We all need fresh air and exercise. To combat the excessive computer time, it is best to get two hours of fresh air each day if possible, which is crucial to our overall health. When adding to a daily routine or plan to stay healthy, we are wise to include habits that increase our physical mobility. It is also a good idea to make a point of taking frequent breaks to look at things further away – like the sky, birds, mountains and trees.
Gardening and playing an instrument are self soothing activities. The use of essential oils cannot be under estimated. I have learned to love the smell of cypress, marjoram, thyme, sandalwood, lavender, jasmine, and several others. In fact, essential oils are more powerful than the mainstream systems will ever admit to.
Over the years I developed some severe allergies, to the point of anaphylaxis. The first time it happened was life threatening, since it progressed rapidly before I realized what was happening. After the first time, I had a few more episodes to signal the onset, which was itchiness and rapid swelling in my hands and throat, followed by hives and body rash.
The first time, I attributed it to the last food I had eaten before going to bed, which was blueberries. But the next time it happened, it seemed unrelated to food. I do have some epinephrine in a first aid kit, but after doing some research, I figured that it is a mast cell anaphylaxis, and not quite the same as other allergic reactions.
The second and third times there was an onset of anaphylaxis, I used Benadryl, steroid cream on my hands, and a dropper to put a high concentration of undiluted oregano oil down my throat and under my tongue. The last time it happened, I used just the oregano oil. For me, this is what works to stop the progression to full blown anaphylaxis.
After thinking about how it developed, I could correlate it to a root canal and illness related to the dental procedure that developed more than ten years ago. No doubt, certain things are cumulative. I think there was a build up of allergens, antigens, and toxins, that simmered away systemically for a period of time. It took three years before I would try blueberries again to test my theory, and sure enough, it was not the blueberries that caused the first reaction.
Now I realize the cause of mast cell anaphylaxis is complex, and is related to cortisol, the adrenal system, blood dyscrasia, neurotransmitters and receptors, lymphatic toxins, and stress. If there is a significant amount of stress, it really increases the risk of having this type of allergic reaction. I have learned to manage it, so that I do not have to go through the episodes of battling it and fearing the worst.
I have not had any allergic reactions in the past year and a half. Thankfully, it has been getting better, not worse. With any type of chronic condition, we want to alleviate it on an intrinsic level. If we can manage to do so, it increases our confidence in managing our own health. I realize this approach is not for everyone. But I have managed to stay away from doctors for many years, and consider myself to be better off for it, not worse.
We have entered a period of health interference, where the government keeps announcing how they are “keeping us safe” when nothing could be further from the truth. I don’t mind staying out of the health care system, and for that much I am grateful beyond words. We never know if we will be hit by a debilitating illness or accident, but each day that we can maintain our health and freedom from illness or pain, is a good day.
Most of us can relate to getting a blister on our foot during a hike. Prior to the blister, we never gave out feet a second thought. Then before we know it, we cannot think about or concentrate on anything else. I think it is similar with many things. We take our health for granted until there is something we cannot ignore. A few preventative measures can save us a fair bit of grief, and in some cases, can completely alter the direction things are going with our health.
Of all things to avoid, we need to be very cautious about prescription drugs and alcohol. All addiction is about mood elevation and escape. But it wreaks havoc with our systems and creates a cycle of dependancy and sickness.
It takes years to clear our bodies and minds of an addiction once it takes root. Every addiction has many layers, from the cause, to the effects on ourselves and those around us. For those suffering with addictions, there is hope. We have the capacity to change, and once the dopamine levels and peace of mind is restored, there is a path to feeling better.
As much as it helps to plan our days, from groceries and to-do lists, now is the time to plan our thoughts and bring them captive to our own quest for joy and happiness. The entire media and covid barrage, seems to want the opposite – so the best we can do is defy them with our thoughts.
Some people get mad if we don’t think masks and lockdowns are effective. Or if we don’t believe asymptomatic healthy people should be called covid cases. But, even if we are following the rules and mandates, it does not mean we cannot think for ourselves.
They speak in opposites. They drum up fear and anger. There is misinformation galore. If we can manage to filter out the negatives, and make a determined effort to stay happy, it defeats their purpose.
For those who are abusing power and deceiving the masses – I would not want to be in their shoes, no matter how much money they have. There will be a day of reckoning. There are Universal laws, which if ignored – they do so at their own peril.
What is our best ammunition against the onslaught? There is no greater time to make a commitment to being humble and happy. Gratitude for personal health. Gratitude for nature. Gratitude for the nature of truth.
Truth will rise to the surface. There is no regime of tyranny that has lasted forever. There has never been a deceptive and self-serving scheme that has not eventually crumbled. We have coexisted with viruses since the beginning of time, and regardless, humankind has grown and thrived. Covid is not the beginning, or the end of viruses. It is not as atypical as they would have us believe.
So we might as well add patience to our list of happiness objectives. Let the rest of them wrestle the wind if they want to. We can ride out the storm and wake up with a song in our hearts.
They want worry and fear to consume us? They can pound sand. We don’t have to surrender our thoughts. The sky is not falling. I have been checking it every day.
As far as the lockdown is concerned – salute it with a happy thought. We will be just fine. The more this covid hype continues, the more of a farce it seems to be. They are aiming for the great reset, so they do not want to see the cases go down, no matter what people do. Relax. This is not our fault.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
As human beings most of us have been taught that we consist of body, soul, and spirit. We know what our physical bodies are, and depending on what we believe spiritually, we can readily grasp the awareness of spiritual beliefs, and how they shape the inner person. But what exactly is the soul?
Our soul resides inside of our body, and consists of our mind, thoughts, intellect, and emotions.
For the longest time, I thought I had been targeted by a religious fundamentalist high school teacher because he was a complete self-absorbed king-kong type chauvinist, with the hots for a teen age girl. I also knew that he saw me as a golden opportunity to use as a fund raising mascot for the Exclusive Brethren religious cult he was steeped in. But that was only a part of the whole plot. His main objective was mind control.
There was opportunism, victimization, objectification, and an all out attack on my mind, which in turn led to a great deal of emotional pain. Constant accusations, shame, humiliation, entrapment – were all part of the lying scheme.
As time goes on I am increasingly cognizant of the soul destroying aspect of what he was aiming to do to my life. It was definitely all about attacking my mind and emotions. The nightly brain washing sessions were geared towards thought reform. He used tactics of sleep deprivation, fear mongering, skewed Bible verses, and constant degradation of me and my mother.
He did not even know our mother, yet he had vitriolic hatred for her. She was the most despicable, sinful, horrible creature on earth. In fact, he would claim she was non-redeemable. Then he would drop his head as if it pained him to make such a statement. He would say, “I know that is a hard thing to accept.” Like I had no choice but to accept his authority on who is redeemable and who is not.
I mean this guy was a twenty-something year old brand new teacher at my high school in a hick prairie town of 454 people. Yet just because he was a teacher, he seemed to think it also meant he was god. He had the swaggering and untouchable arrogance like he was the almighty authority over all things.
This was a teacher, who I did not even know existed, before he showed up as some kind of tough guy guru in Warburg, Alberta. Yet simply based on being a teacher, he had the audacity to follow me around, chase me down, force me into a car, and then forcibly confine me all night long. He did it many times in the months before I graduated.
At the time I was a vulnerable student, just months away from graduating and making an escape, from the public school in the small town that had employed him as a teacher. I was born on a farm seven miles from Warburg. He was a complete outsider. Both of my parents were alive at the time, and I did have family in the community as well.
How I wish he had either been arrested at the time, or better yet, got a job in some other town. I would have been spared so much of the agony he brought to my life. If I allowed it to, the rage and indignation over his incredible gall, would have consumed me by now.
For starters, where do our thoughts come from? There are actually Universal laws surrounding thought processes. Our thoughts stem from our identity, which is established at birth or soon after birth, perhaps even before we are born. Our identity and individuality is intrinsically understood based on our family of origin. We exist as a part of, or extension of first our mothers, then the awareness of our own physicality, and presence in our family of origin.
Although no one really knows when thought processes begin in an infant child, those thoughts are inextricably linked to identity, and especially to our mothers in utero and after birth. As time goes on, we get a better understanding of the impact of birth order, and other relationships. Therefore a big part of attacking the mind and soul, also attacks relationships.
When the teacher fixated on me when I was in high school, and had cooked up a scheme with my older brother to make an outrageous and false adoption claim, he was attacking my identity, my mind and my emotions. It was a life long, soul destroying endeavour he stubbornly embarked upon. He also set out to rip the family apart, and make himself more important in my own family than I was. He actually managed to do that as well. My big shot older brother remains closely aligned with the teacher. They are continuing the lies, and attacks into the next generation.
The question of whether the devil or his minions can attack our minds, is pretty obvious to me now. How does a person reconcile the constant lies when someone is trying to convince you that you are not who you think you are? I was sixteen years old when this guy stalked and pounced on me. Did he really think he was going to change my identity at that stage in life? Was he delusional enough to believe his own lies? Or is he so evil that he stubbornly and purposefully continues to lie, in a soul destroying fight to the finish?
There is no doubt in my mind that the number one focus in most satanic type attacks, is the mind. For me, this has been a lifelong battle. The minute I refuted the lies, I was accused of being selfish, mentally ill, wicked like our mother, who was not wicked at all; but that was all part of the whole ruse. They used this ploy to set up a lifetime of persecution.
Our earliest recollections and identity, are based on being an extension of our mothers, therefore I can now see why that was so much a part of the teacher’s repertoire. He repeatedly told me my mother was wicked, evil and non-redeemable. He repeatedly told me I was HIS daughter, which struck me as being beyond bizarre. He had made the unilateral decision that my mother did not deserve to be my mother.
The all night sessions were very dark. The room was dark, with just enough light to reflect off his glasses. It was like something out of the twilight zone, listening to him rant and ramble on all night. One night, I got up and bolted for the door, but he caught me on the landing before I could get the door open. I honestly thought he might kill me, when he grabbed me by the arm and yanked me away from the door. I looked into a face of absolute rage. “You better not try that again” he growled.
He would allow me to go home around five am, so I could get a couple hours sleep, and then get ready for school. I had to face this guy in school all day. He was also the girls basketball coach. He would stare at me like we had some kind of special secret. I felt revulsion to the core of my being, but there was no escaping him or his lies.
During those many dark and tortuous nights when this teacher forcibly confined me in his living room, with his wife and young children sound asleep in their beds, he hammered me with skewed Bible verses, accusations, humiliation, shame, and claims that God told him to adopt me.
The teacher and his wife were a little more than a decade older than me. I remember thinking, “So did they have a child when they were ten or eleven years old? I wonder what the birth experience was like for them? Were they elated when I was born?” It just seemed so absurd I could not process it in my mind. I know that I am very lucky to have come through it all, without losing my mind.
When I was much younger than sixteen, I knew where I came from. I knew who I was. But that meant nothing at all to this aberrant teacher.
When a person is attacked by such a cultish, domineering and violent mentality, it is beyond description. He used his teacher and god authority to attack my mind. He repeatedly told me I had the exact same IQ as his wife. I knew that had to be a lie, yet I was ordered to have the utmost respect for this wonderful Christian. Often when my tyrannical older brother would order me to “Be grateful for the wonderful Christian”, I would say, “What is so wonderful about him? He lies.”
I always had a vague understanding of the soul within us. But I did not really understand it until I had a near death experience with anaphylaxis a couple years ago. During that rapid onset loss of blood pressure and obstructed airway, there was a very temporary out of body experience.
I have not drank alcohol for at least fifteen years, and had not taken any drugs or medications, so was very alert throughout the whole experience. It started in the middle of the night, when I was awakened with extremely itchy hands.
My first thought was that it was some kind of autoimmune reaction, like psoriasis maybe. I tried for a few minutes to go back to sleep, thinking I would deal with it in the morning. Within minutes, I woke up again with unbearably hot and itchy hands. I could feel swelling, constriction and itching in my throat as well. So I thought I better get up and figure out what was going on.
When I stood up, I felt extremely dizzy and faint. I realized my blood pressure must be very low. My hands were swelling so fast, it felt like the skin in the webbing between my fingers was splitting open. I managed to get down the hall and into the kitchen as things were going black, switched on the light, and sat down on a chair, putting my head down below the level of my heart to stay conscious. I saw the hives and scalding body rash, and knew it was full blown anaphylaxis, that it was life threatening, and had advanced rapidly. I started praying, and thinking about what to do next.
I thought, I better get to the phone and try to call 911. That was next to impossible. The phone was about fifteen or twenty feet away. I lifted my head and looked around, to make sure I would not collapse and crack my head on something, and then got up and tried to walk.
I made it just a few feet, before everything went black and I collapsed on the floor. It was like just flopping over, with absolutely no control over my body or the directions I was giving it.
That was when my soul left my body, right there on the kitchen floor. I was momentarily directly above my body, looking down on myself. I remember thinking – if I saw someone on the floor like this as a nurse in a hospital setting, what would I do? The answer was, I would get out the crash cart and call a code.
Then I thought, but you don’t have any of that here, so get up, stay conscious and maintain an airway. From looking down on myself, I knew that otherwise, I would convulse and die right there on the floor. I could not stay like that. I could not even crawl. I remember thinking, it looked like I had been sprayed with Raid. Without the chance to make the observation like that, I am not sure I would have known what to do, so in hindsight it was a benefit.
One of the amazing things to me was that I was like a rag doll, already to the point where I could not maintain a blood pressure, yet my mind was as alert as if I was racing down a mountainside. In fact, the next day as I thought about it, I likened the experience to being in your own private airplane crash.
Things just happened so fast. It’s like, Oh Oh, this could be bad. Then it rapidly got worse. Each few seconds, things deteriorated, in rapid succession toward the grand finale.
Meanwhile the struggle to get a few feet to a phone – it might as well have been ten miles away. Even if I would have made it that far, I would not have been able to pick up the phone or speak anyway. I could not have picked up a syringe or epi-pen to give myself an injection of adrenalin, or even hit a panic button, if it was five feet away. I could not speak or call out to anyone.
My mind was trying to figure out how to survive each second with full concentration, no different than if I was falling off a horse at full speed. There was a fair bit of natural adrenalin that kicked in. The adrenalin was affecting my mind, but you would not have known it to look at me.
It was a brief out of body experience, but very clear. I could see the dust on the top of the refrigerator. I quickly came back into my body, with the command to get up and get in a seated position with my head below my heart, and lean forward enough to get my swollen tongue out of the way so I could get each breath.
After struggling for what seemed like forty-five minutes just to breathe, I realized the next day, that it was probably only a few minutes. If I would have died, it would have been considered sudden, but it did seem to go on much longer. Every breath was such a struggle. Afterwards, I tried to estimate the time frame by the number of breaths I had struggled to get. Each one was a huge effort.
At the end of this whole ordeal, I finally concluded that never mind trying to take another breath, my heart was not going to take another refill. I could feel the impending circulatory collapse. At that point, I gave up and accepted death. Before that point, I was determined to stay conscious, but it was just too difficult.
I remember asking God, why? Why this? What did I do when I was sleeping to cause this? What did I eat? What infection or sepsis, or immune response caused this? In those milli seconds, the knowledge of what was going on flooded my mind. It was like a textbook of information came in all at once. I was about to leave my body for the last time and I knew it. I remember thinking, I am going to leave, and go right out that window and see what is going on out there. It was like there was a crackling of activity all around me.
At that moment I had no airway at all. Then things changed very suddenly again, and I started a succession of retching. I never left my body again. I think the retching, combined with the closed airway, worked as a form of internal cardiac massage. I felt like I was on fire, and in the midst of some sort of divine intervention. It was like the spirit world I was heading for, came to help me instead.
By this time I had third spaced so much fluid, my hands were swollen like baseball mitts. It felt like I was on fire inside. I had chosen to sit up and let myself go unconscious, because it was so difficult to keep bending so far forward to get the next breath. It felt like there was an iron rod in my chest that I had to lean over, which caused a fair bit of pain. If I sat up, it alleviated the pain, but I knew I would lose consciousness if I sat up. I decided it no longer mattered, and would be a relief to lose consciousness.
The only way I can describe what came next, was like a force from outside pushed my head down, and told me to hold on. It was like being picked up, turned inside out and given a shake. Every single pore on the surface of my skin opened up and poured out the toxic fluid. I was soaked, and the floor around me was in puddles. After all the retching, I vomited once. After that I felt immediate relief of the pain and sensed less spasm in my throat and airway.
It was like the core muscles had kicked into a coordinated effort to get rid of the toxins. That combined with the amazing function of how the skin serves as the largest organ, was quite astounding to me afterward. My body got rid of all that toxic fluid, and those reactions signalled the climax of it all. I lived through it. The worst of it was suddenly over.
It amazed me for many reasons, and on many levels. The fact I was able to shed all that toxic fluid was huge. I had seen enough third spacing of fluid to know it is usually an end of life stage. When a person is in ICU, it is very difficult to get rid of third spaced fluids. They have to rely on intravenous diuretics, and risk a chain reaction of causing more anaphylaxis by recycling the fluid through the system so the kidneys can detoxify and get rid of it.
I have never known or heard of any drug that can cause all the pores in the skin to open up and get rid of third spaced fluids. I doubt many people would let anaphylaxis go that far, to find out, if they could help it. I certainly am much more alert to the onset of allergic reactions now, and have an early intervention and treatment protocol set up in case it does. I would not want to go through it again, to test any theory.
After awhile, I managed to get into bed, and hung my head down over the edge of the bed to keep my tongue forward enough so I could breathe. I knew the airway was still quite constricted, but it was nowhere near as bad. The struggle for each breath was no longer the primary battle. The pain in my chest that had felt like a rod of hot iron, subsided very quickly.
Totally exhausted, I told myself I would wake up and check myself every fifteen minutes or so to see if I could move my fingers. After three or four checks, I knew the swelling was subsiding. Within an hour or so, I could put my head on the pillow and fell asleep for a few hours. Within a few more hours, I could close my hand and make a fist.
When I woke up and sat up, I wondered if I would have any long lasting effects. I knew I had to take in fluids and get a proper fluid balance restored, as well as get out of the wet pyjamas and sheets. So that’s what I did.
For a few days, and weeks, I gave a great deal of thought to the whole experience. It totally changed my outlook on death. I always wondered if I would fear death and how it would come about, but now I do not fear death at all.
I never had the same kind of near death experience that so many others describe, because I did not really go anywhere. There was no tunnel or bright light. But the experience had a profound impact on my understanding of what the soul is, and what it is like to die, or at least come so close, you surrender to it. The exit is different than what one would expect. Your body dies, but your soul does not.
As I look back at the many attempts by the teacher, and my older brother, to attack and destroy my mind, there is much more clarity on how it was an attempt to destroy my soul.
Now when you think of the targeted and determined attempt to attack or destroy the mind, in many ways it is worse than attacking the physical body, because our soul is what we are left with in the end. It is what we take with us to eternity.
Why does anyone want to isolate us and then attack our mind and thoughts? How can we prevent such attacks traumatizing us on an emotional level?
When I was young and constantly being physically assaulted by my older brother, he also mocked, shamed, humiliated, and did everything he could to exclude me from being a member of the family. Later on, he schemed with the teacher to set up an adoption lie. How many older siblings get to give a younger sibling up for adoption? Only in my big brother’s world of delusion and abuse of power.
Now I am beginning to understand all the tactics of the soul-destroying attempts by psychopathic individuals. They are constantly in attack mode, or they are setting you up for another baseless attack.
The most recent attack on my mind was set up by my brother and involved a mental health therapist. I got suckered into this under the guise of helping family relationships, and gaining some family support. Nothing could have been further from the truth, as usual.
The construction company obviously has hired guns in those EAP programs. It is strange because all the years I worked as a nurse, to include the aftermath of my husband’s untimely death, I never once used the employee EAP program. But I entered into those counselling sessions hoping it would help alleviate some of the family conflict over the teacher.
The entire counselling episode revolved around blaming me, and finding a diagnosis to saddle me with. The woman EAP counsellor acted like she was out for blood. My blood. I tried to tell her about the past. I told her this was a re-victimization. I told her that what she was doing was unlawful. But she would not listen. If I sent her an email telling her this was more abuse and revenge from my older brother, she promptly forwarded it to the construction company that hired her.
She tried to diagnose me, picking up and waving a DSM manual in the air. She was reminded that she is not qualified to make any diagnosis, so she began manipulating a psych assessment. When I resisted that, she got pushier.
Finally I went, and in the end, they could not come up with any real diagnosis. In a five minute interview with a psychiatrist, telling him the verifiable truth about the adoption con and family of origin abuse, he told me I was delusional.
But since I had told the truth, and the psychiatrist did not do any fact checking – it was a misdiagnosis and a mistreatment. Besides that, in this current world of extreme polarities, is there anyone who is not considered delusional by someone?
To keep it simple. I told him a teacher had abducted and forcibly confined me repeatedly, when I was a student in school. I explained that, in collusion with my older brother, they made false claims that I was adopted by this teacher. I also told him my brother is now the second largest shareholder of Canada’s second largest construction company. These things are verifiable with a paper trail of documentation and countless witnesses.
When the psychiatrist learned that I had written a book about it, he blurted out, “Oh that is just terrible.” How was I to interpret that response? I can only conclude – fascism is alive and well in the field of psychiatry. That was my one and only experience with one, and I will make sure it never happens again.
All I can say is that it is crucial to protect our minds from these kinds of unsavoury attacks. Why are we being bombarded in the media with so much fear mongering and negativity? It is an attack on our minds. Brain washing, indoctrination, thought reform – like so many other things, all share a similar pattern. It focuses on the mind, which leads to negative thoughts based on fear, anger, and negativity. Those thoughts lead to emotional pain, self examination, self recrimination, resentment, bitterness, helplessness, hopelessness, dependency, etc. Those who are basically evil, know they are attacking the soul.
It may have been my own pride, but for years I thought the attacks on my mind were because I had scored high on IQ tests and accelerated through school. But now, I am beginning to understand that this attack on the mind and emotions is not about IQ, it is an attempt to destroy the soul.
If you defy them or if they see you as a threat, they will punish and humiliate in every way they can. It is definitely a male dominance thing. If you cross them on a larger scale, such as exposing the con, they are that much more vengeful. My brother retaliates in every conceivable way.
What is hard to understand is why they did not just drop it long ago. I am not opening up and going public about this on impulse. I have been saying no to this all my life. It has been years of crying, pleading, threatening to write a book, etc.
I reported it to the police several times, the Alberta Teacher’s Association, various Ministries in Alberta, the Warburg school and umbrella school district – you name it. And they still would not stop forcing the teacher on me, which is pretty much based on Ron’s power in the family and role with Ledcor.
Ron will never stop manipulating abusive cons and control over my life. The teacher will manipulate access to me until the bitter end. There is no way I am going to let that happen. So why would they continue, at the expense of the reputation of such a large company?
Why would they bring the dysfunctional history of our family out into the open? They have literally forced it out into the open, because they refuse to take no for an answer. The refuse to listen. They refuse to stop it. What else can I do but share the story? Edification is a good thing. There has to be some good come out of so much adversity.
If God exists, then within the framework of believers, the devil exists as well. The devil knows we will all eventually die physically. He wants to destroy us for all eternity, after bringing misery to us while we are alive. He wages psychological warfare.
Some horrific crimes are carried out that attack people physically, but in those cases, the perpetrators are usually caught and jailed. The less outwardly graphic, soul destroying attacks on our mind and emotions, are not seen for what they are, in the realm of our earthly existence. But they are extremely damaging and destructive to the victim, removing all hope. How dare they?
I used to think if I could only get rid of the stalking, lying teacher, I would be fine. But, the real culprit is my older brother. I hope to get through to him that I will not allow him to attack my mind again. When he could no longer attack me physically without getting arrested, he channelled all of his attacks into emotional, psychological and spiritual attacks.
It is true that the end game in life as we know it, is the battle between good and evil. We do battle against principalities and corrupt rulers, more than anything. We fear the destruction of our body and physical death, but in reality, we must guard our mind, our thoughts and our emotions. We cannot preserve our bodies, but it is essential that we protect and preserve our soul. For that is what we are left with in the end.
“If someone has absolute control over you, it’s easy to believe they have absolute power over everything and everyone. They can’t be defied or challenged or disobeyed, and every opportunity for escape just feels like a cruel test.” ― Josiah Bancroft, The Hod King
“Riches I hold in light esteem, And love I laugh to scorn, And lust of fame was but a dream That vanished with the morn.
And if I pray, the only prayer That moves my lips for me Is, ‘Leave the heart that now I bear, And give me liberty!’
Yes, as my swift days near their goal, ‘Tis all that I implore – In life and death, a chainless soul, With courage to endure.” ― Emily Bronte, The Complete Poems
This poem was written long before covid with the germ metaphor. It seems rather facetious now.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Although this is a highly individual topic, we take our feet for granted, until they hurt. We need a certain amount of agility to wear really high heels, especially if we have to walk, dance, climb stairs, or even run, wearing them. Alas, those days are no longer the norm.
Running shoes don’t make the grade, unless you are a runner, or power walker. The main reason I don’t like to wear them walking is because they give me a cramp on the top of my foot. I also don’t like the way they look with jeans or a dress. But for some people, they swear by them, or keep a pair handy in case they have to walk a few blocks in the city.
Leather boots have always been my preference for long walks. In the summer, the best sandals are Mephisto by a long shot. Sandals with a cork footbed and leather upper are best for comfort and durability, in my opinion. I have never liked flip-flops or rubber boots since they lack support, breathability, etc. I don’t like any footwear that your foot slips around in, or shoes that slip if you step on certain surfaces.
Some of the soles can be dangerous. Leather soles can be really slippery, even when walking on dry pavement, if you are walking down a fairly steep hill. A rubber sole is safer and will last longer. If they do have leather soles, it is best to take them to a shoe maker, and get the leather sole partially covered with a durable topper. It will help protect the wearer from slipping, as well as the longevity of the leather on the sole.
When it comes to leather boots, ankle boots are the easiest to take off and on. As long as they are well constructed with a leather upper and good fit, they last a long time and will keep your feet dry. It’s too bad they don’t make more styles of Gortex boots for really wet west coast weather. You can find hiking boots and trekking shoes with Gortex outer layers, but you don’t often come across fashionable shoes are boots with Gortex exteriors.
The best walking footwear has a good sturdy footbed that fits the shape of your foot., combined with a leather upper. If wearing heels, again a good fit, and in particular, a style that your foot does not slip in as you walk. This is often the problem with pumps, if one foot is slightly smaller. You either have one foot that slips with each step you take, or one foot that gets a blister, because you went to a smaller size, so one foot won’t slip. Fit is everything when it comes to shoes. Next to that bit of importance is leather, since leather will conform to your foot, and breathe better than manmade materials.
When it comes to more fashionable footwear, I think Stuart Weitzman has some really cool shoes. Other standard luxury brand designers like Versace, Dior and YSL all make some really nice shoes as well, but the prices can be prohibitive. Bruno Magli has a strong history of making quality shoe designs without hitting a thousand dollar price point.
In fact, shoes can certainly be donned as wearable art. They are one of the first things people look at when they size up an outfit. I have noticed that even babies in strollers will look at your feet and then up at your face as you walk by. They are not influenced by design yet, but they have an intuitive curiosity and early awareness about feet and shoes.
Frye boots, if original and not the ones made in China, are also comfortable and long-lasting. The lace up leather calf roping boots, made in Canada and the US, are also great long-lasting boots for semi-rugged walking. In so many locations, even if it is in the city, you have to walk around construction sites, detours, pot holes, and what not. Stepping in holes could be hazardous, and is a sure way to ruin an expensive pair of heels.
Blundstone boots are a great choice for a person who does lots of walking. They are comfortable, long-lasting, and a good price considering how many miles you can put on them without worrying about scuffing them. You can also get them re-soled, so you don’t have to part with a favourite pair of boots until the bitter end.
Blundstones are fairly wide, with a wide toe box, so they may not suit people with long, narrow feet. Some people might think they have a bit of a boho or hippie look. They do go well with exploring nature, without going too far off the beaten track. Good for places like Kits beach – where you can walk for a few miles on sand, grass, sidewalks, or rocks.
Getting back to the more fashionable shoes, if the edge of the heel is covered in a certain colour of leather or a certain design, it is very difficult to repair once damaged. It’s a good thing to keep in mind when you make those expensive purchases. Cobblestone is another tough go to walk on with high heels you do not want to damage. In fact, if it is raining or if there is cobblestone and you are wearing some expensive high heels, either keep some fold up leather flats in your hand bag, or get picked up at the door.
It is no wonder they used to make rubber boots to fit over your shoes back in the fifties. Some even had heels, and no one would leave their house with a good pair of shoes on without protection their shoes. The tops of those plastic boots would cross over, and hook with an elastic that you stretched over a button. They were the dress up version of gum boots, which no one outside the farm yard would have been caught dead in.
Now it is more common to wear rubber boots, as well as crocs and other types of rubber or plastic footwear. Unless it is just to go out for some wood or to get something out of the car, or walking through puddles and streams -rubber and plastic footwear have many disadvantages.
In my opinion, even if you are walking in streams, it is better to wear Gortex boots or running shoes. Tall rubber boots can quickly fill up with water and can be dangerous, if a person is swept underwater. They do not breathe, and tend to be slippery. If it is cold and freezing, they do not keep your feet warm at all.
We have been enjoying a nice warm fall, where we know it is close to giving up the convenience of slipping on sandals to head out the door. There are always a few diehards I admire who will wear sandals and shorts when it is chilly enough to freeze.
When it comes to the elements – wool and leather are still the best protectors. They are natural and will conform to your foot. Plus they are not as hazardous if you get caught in inclement weather.
We will soon be opting for the boots, shoes, mules, or whatever keeps our feet happy. Certain brands suit certain feet. And no two feet are the same!
This is a topic that trips us up time and time again. The problem with religion is that, like politics – it is rife with deception. Throughout our lives, most of us will observe many contradictions in mainstream religion, to include people you probably would not want in your home, if you knew what they were really like inside.
Religious indoctrination is filled with a male dominant, arrogance and superiority. Often there are many rules, restrictions, and judgemental attitudes toward what they view as sinful behaviours.
If you get indoctrinated with certain religious beliefs and literalistic or false interpretations of the Bible, it is difficult to shake all that shame. It is also easy to interpret the deception and nastiness as being part of God’s world or agenda, when clearly it is not.
Yet when times really get tough and we have nowhere to turn, we need to put our trust and faith somewhere. It is much wiser to put our trust in God and never mind the religious autocrats who try to call the shots. I always found the fire and brimstone rants disturbing, along with the pious and shaming looks, and the empty stare of the faux do-gooder who, if you can see beyond the glare of his horn rimmed glasses, looks like he would rather eat you alive.
Being in touch with our own spirit, and place of rest, where we can lay the burden down, and ask for help – creates a true sense of wonderment when some of what we hope and pray for works out. It reinforces that if we trust God, we will never be completely alone. We do not need to put our faith in man, and can hit the mute button or walk out, if we don’t want to listen to some religious rant.
Spiritualism is not filled with ranting and raving fire and brimstone, burn in hell forever type scenarios. It is not holding a hand out asking for a portion of your income in tithes either. It is not rewarded with money.
It does not form a political allegiance – except to things that are honest, good, transparent, and true. It does not turn you into a god, or take you away from God. It does not rob you of your identity. It is simply a quiet retreat, a place where we can be deflated and humbled, small and forsaken – without complete desperation.
Meditation calms the spirit. On a spiritual and individual level, we do not have to believe anything – and yet we all do believe something. Even atheism is a spiritual belief.
I tend to lean toward the beliefs and writings of Blaise Pascal who wrote, “truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love truth, we cannot know it.”
And “We must learn our limits. We are all something, but none of us are everything.” Blaise Pascal
And “In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don’t.” Blaise Pascal
Fair enough. If we believe in God, and it ends up we are wrong, we have lost nothing. If we don’t believe in God, and it ends up we are wrong, we lose all eternity.
There is nothing though – no threat, no losses, no preachers, no visions of burning in hell forever – that can draw us toward God. It is His love and forgiveness that humbles us the most. He draws us in with the power of His love and mercy, knowing everything there is to know about us.
I am not a church goer since there is so much in mainstream religion that I cannot swallow. I believe there is a great deal of metaphor and things we do not understand about the Bible. It is very easy for religious zealots to misinterpret things and get way off base.
There are now many versions of the Bible, something like a hundred different translations in the English version alone. Many of those translations are made deviously or mistakenly. In other cases, it is church leaders who twist the scriptures to suit their own agenda. We have to search for truth and hold the truth we do find close to our hearts.
Our spiritual life, beliefs, and persona do not belong to a specific church or religious doctrine full of deception. Instead, our spirit knows who we serve and ultimately where we are going.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Most of us know what it is to get into ‘the flow” when immersed in a creative project. If not, we have probably been around someone who does. The hum of a sewing machine, the whir of a spinning wheel, the songs and riffs on a guitar, the tap tap tap when making stained glass windows, gourmet cooking, and so on. During the period of relaxed concentration, there is a state of well-being, which emanates warmth around us.
My association with the state of flow involved in doing a creative project, or labour of love, is one of peace and relaxation. There is an addictive element when it comes to getting into a state of flow, I will readily admit. Once one aspect of it is completed, it has to be evaluated and tweaked.
In seeking to reconcile the past, tangible things provide a form of escapism. The diversion is partly in the intellectual curiosity surrounding what it is made of, the design and patterns, where did it come from, who made it, and most of all how much time, materials, and attention to detail went into making it?
The objectives are layered, as with most things we do. I am more than happy to sell items, and am open to offers on everything in the store. So it is not about holding onto things – as much as it is about learning and photographing them, that inspires me. It certainly has been a lot of work over the years.
Recently I ordered testing tools from a geological place called Mineral Labs in Arizona, in order to test all the coloured gemstones. So far the identification has been through some testing, experience, consultation with jewelers, and taking the word of the seller. I am now looking forward to going through the jewelery and doing a more accurate test on the coloured gemstones.
The limits on testing the coloured gemstones is the inability to identify which ones have been treated. But you can narrow it down to a near positive identification on the actual gemstones. The technology has improved a great deal over the years. They can now use a mathematical algorithm to arrive at the refractive index. You can test gemstones in all kinds of settings, and non faceted gems to a .01 carat, whereas before these methods worked only on loose gemstones, and they had to have a flat faceted contact with the pointer tip.
In addition, all the macro photography has taught me a fair bit about jewelery, since you can see things in the photos that you might have missed even with a light loupe. As far as I can tell, treated gemstones have less of an organic look. They are shinier and more waxy looking.
Photography does project some light, focus, and interest onto an object. It is especially enchanting with hand painted antique porcelain. In most cases, the light has to be right. There is one antique necklace that I tried to photograph recently and so far, cannot capture the way the mother of pearl is backlit with a pink opalescent glow. The necklace itself is sterling silver with a row of mother of pearl inserts and marcasite spacers. When the light is right, hopefully I can get a picture that does it justice.
What amazes me about all these things – is the amount of labour and materials that went into the creation of them. Even in writing a poem, I find it may only take a few minutes to write it, but will end up editing the punctuation, or minor aspects of the wording for hours on end. There is a certain amount of joy in creating something. It is uplifting – yet it can be exhausting if you do too much of it.
We have become so accustomed to fast fashion and glitzy mass produced jewelery, we can miss the real thing. It seems as though items with true artistic merit, will retain the labour of love and still shine for years to come. They do not lose their life and rust or fall apart, because of the way they were made. Perhaps some of the flow and energy from the original artist is what keeps these things alive.
As time goes on, and I have learned to authenticate items with longstanding artistic merit and many hours of labour, I have learned to appreciate what others can do.
It does appear we will have to continue to isolate more than usual. I hope we can all lean a little more toward a state of flow, in order to help alleviate the anxiety caused by covid.
My website is now probably the largest online private collection on the Internet with over 4500 unique products. It kind of surprises me to know that from doing all of the photography, I can remember details on every single item. I do think it helps to keep learning, and remembering things. Some people claim too much stuff creates clutter in our brains. Only if you have not carefully culled, organized and cared for your collection.
In summary, I suppose my goal is to go back into the past, and look for the good, in order to fill in some blanks. Or should I say repaint them, and fill those spaces with some of the art and culture that has sustained and uplifted us. It gives us something to focus on during times of isolation.
There is a great deal of satisfaction in making niche sales to customers from all over the world. In many cases, the buyer has an interesting back story as to why they want a particular item. I have met some of the loveliest people through the sales thus far. It has really helped to reinforce the good in more ways than one.
In one case, it was a beautiful 1930’s bed jacket with quilted raised outlines, chosen by an elderly lady in palliative care as something she wanted to be buried in. It was very touching, and such a romantic extension of her own personality and good taste.
In other cases, the daughters and grand daughters of a certain obscure designer were delighted to find something from their own history and family background. Another lady related how she had a beautiful kimono from the seventies that she absolutely loved – but it was lost or destroyed over the years. She was very happy to find one on the Quiet West website to replace it. It was like spreading sunshine and joy.
There is satisfaction in following through to get these special items delivered to those who will continue to treasure them, probably more than I do. It is a real pleasure to keep spreading the labour of love, the nostalgia, and to keep filling in the blanks on the pages of the past ~ with all the good things we can find.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
The societal impact of addictions is increasingly evident. There is much controversy surrounding legalization, decriminalization, and more recently the authorization of nurses to prescribe narcotics. The intent is to deliver or dispense safe drugs to addicts, so they are not as vulnerable to street drugs and accidental overdoses.
On the surface it makes some sense, although I don’t see why the pharmacies don’t simply dispense the narcotics, instead of putting nurses at risk. If drugs need to be delivered to people, set up a courier service with safety precautions. I don’t think nurses should be carting around a suitcase full of narcotics in the downtown east side, or anywhere for that matter. Is she prescribing the drugs or delivering them?
After all, there is no other reason for writing the prescription than to get the medication dispensed, so why not make it a standing order in the pharmacies? It is not like the addicts have to say they have physical pain, like a stubbed toe, back injury, or some other chronic physical ailment – like they had to do in the past. The drugs are being dispensed because of the addiction. They don’t need any other excuse.
I agree with compassionate treatment, and acknowledge the fact that addiction creates a complex dysfunction of the neurochemistry within the body, central nervous system, and eventually all systems. This has a profound effect on everything from mood to the peristalsis of the gut. Addiction leads to a loss of balance and stability both mentally and physically. It can be a very long and difficult struggle, often fatal, if the person lacks the internal and/or external resources to overcome it.
In fact, once a person is deep into an addictive cycle, the ability to overcome it is impaired to such a degree it seems impossible. So in that regard, the addiction has to be managed with a focus on harm reduction, until the person is ready to make a commitment to change. I think the personal, internalized decision to be free of the addiction, is far more effective than court orders and punishment.
One of the key things about managing a large population of homeless and addicted people, is that many of them need care in order to get past the withdrawal period. I think withdrawal has several stages. First the acute stage, followed by a down stage, followed by the day to day strategies to feel better, and become productive.
Initially they need basic care and the tapering of meds through supervised detox. Otherwise the roller coaster cycle continues. They need to be assessed for their capacity to carry out activities of daily living, the same as they assess people for assisted living and long term care. Admission to long-term-care is based on the loss of ability to self care.
I think what might work is to have some kind of intake system that helps identify those who are seeking to quit, and would benefit from a rehab program of some sort. Once they have figured out who would like to get feeling better, and what kind of program they would choose, the government could help provide direction for recovery instead of relapse. At least a percentage of addicts could be helped to kick the habit.
I believe people have a wide range of aptitudes, and there should be rehab facilities with more of a focus on doing something productive, than on sitting around for hours on end rehashing past traumas or grievances. Creative endeavours, hiking outdoors, cooking good food, humour, and work – are things that can help shake some of the burden of being bogged down in a tent on a concrete slab somewhere.
Everyone has to have something to hope for. Hope is as central to our existence as love is. We need to embrace it one way or another. It is the essence of what is carried within us. Life is about finding ways to make hope flourish – instead of withering away into a state of decay.
One rehab program could be on a farm where people look after animals, and gardens. Another could be a group of entrepreneurs learning how to set up an Ecommerce site. There could be a street clean up crew, and those who do peer counselling.
Let’s face it, addiction to drugs is more of a mental health issue than it is a criminal one. It is good to keep in mind these are not throwaway lives, and many do have the capacity to recover. Recovery does not include an endless supply of drugs though. Only a full recovery can secure a future, and some hope for the individual to actually feel better.
We have to keep in mind, and I do, because I admit to having an addictive personality – there are many many layers to what makes us tick, especially when it comes to addiction. What I do know is that drugs and alcohol provide an escape and temporary mood elevation. But the downside is the hangover or side effects, and soon it is a cycle of treacherous, and increasingly extreme ups and downs.
Addiction, in my opinion – is a compulsion to seek diversion from emotional pain. It helps us to avoid or delay the inevitable, which involves coming to terms with the past, in particular, family of origin issues. Any of life’s traumatic experiences such as the loss of a loved one, a severe injury, divorce, overwhelming betrayal – can also send us spiralling down that chaotic path of addiction.
So if addiction is the compulsion to distract oneself from pain, then why not focus on what you have an interest or aptitude in, and use that to distract yourself? In other words, harm reduction by shifting the focus and interest to something else with less harmful outcomes and more compelling results.
The general aptitudes or interests ranging from farming and gardening, to mechanics, woodworking, cooking, sewing, coding, etc. could turn into tangible, goal oriented things for people to work on to learn healthier distractions or diversions. This in turn, could reduce the risk of relapse and create patterns of productivity with tangible results. When a person restructures their life, they need to create new patterns and habits of daily living, to replace the old and more destructive ones.
All people need something to look forward to and to hope for. We can understand that for some, the addiction may be too entrenched to be free of, but for those who are seeking a way out, it would help if they had something positive to work toward, instead of sitting around doing group therapy, talk therapy, and medication therapy – until they escape and relapse.
During the rehab, there should be a real focus on restoring gut health, eating whole foods, and seeking out the micronutrients in whole foods, so that they can begin to reset the off kilter neurochemistry that is caused by cycles of drug and/or alcohol use.
Personally I do not take any prescription, over the counter drugs, alcohol, or supplements. I wish I had followed this advice long ago. Even with marijuana, I used to think it was harmless, but now I can see it has its risks. Edibles can vary widely in dosage and effect. Anything that increases the potency artificially like shatter, is too extreme. It can cause nausea and vomiting, or at least it does for some people. I think it is safest to stick to low grade, low potency, home grown flower – like it was back in the seventies.
I don’t think there is any point in being draconian with people who need help with addiction. But there is also a point where too much availability to keep the drug cycle going, is actually a disadvantage for the person. If we are seeking to be compassionate, we can acknowledge that addiction robs people of a having a good quality of life, and hampers their ability to self care.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
I recently learned about this most interesting phenomena. In 1518, there was a dancing plague where people, mostly women, literally danced until they dropped. The dancing epidemic, was documented by physicians, court clerks, and the Magistrate. However the number of deaths, if any – is unknown.
The dancing started with a single young woman who went out and started dancing fervently in one of the court yards in Strasbourg, Alsace, which is modern day France. Soon others joined in and one by one, the number of dancers increased to several hundred. Because it went on for so long, it started to alarm the authorities, and they attempted to intervene.
Some sources say that hundreds danced until they dropped dead. Others say there were no deaths at all, and claim there were fewer dancers. Regardless, what was the cause of all the dancing? They did not know what to call it. The term mass hysteria was first coined – but immediately drew criticism because the prefix hyster refers to the womb. So instead they called it Mass Psychogenic Illness or MPI.
The diagnosis was probably never confirmed. There were other theories about the cause. Some believed they had ingested ergot or some other plant with hallucinogenic properties. Others questioned whether it was food poisoning.
In the end there seemed to be some agreement that the dancing epidemic was stress induced. It might have surfaced due to religious oppression and all the strict legalism that was required of people.
It sounds like it might have been one of the very first protests. It certainly got the attention of the authorities. They tried valiantly to stop them, to include dragging some of them out of the court yard. After that, they banned dancing for a period of time.
If nothing else – it left them scratching their heads over it for centuries. It was a craze long before ecstasy and rave parties. But maybe it lingered in the air for all those years.
Just to demonstrate rebellion against the police is not a new thing in Canada, the “Battle of the Hatpins” was a real event that happened in Ottawa, Ontario in 1916. In French it was: Bataille des épingles à chapeaux.
The reason for the conflict was a Provincial Regulation designed to restrict French language education in the Province of Ontario. The government began replacing French teachers with English only teachers. This was viewed as xenophobic and drew protests, which were led by two sisters, both French speaking teachers.
When it was learned the two sisters were defying the regulation, and teaching French in another school, the Province of Ontario stepped in and ordered the school to be shut down.
By the time the government officials arrived at the school with the police, a crowd of women (mothers of the school children) had gathered to protest. They were also there to defend and protect the French teachers from being arrested. About seventy women were armed with hatpins and other household items. It was later reported in the press, as though it was a bit of a dainty affair, and without too much detail “the ladies had retaken possession their classes”.
However, the jubilation was short-lived. Just a few days later, thirty police officers showed up at the school, and forced the door to gain entry. The women were waiting inside the school, and when the police came in with batons, they fought back using hatpins, frying pans, rolling pins, and other household items. One lawyer was pelted with ice.
A police officer was reported to have had “his thumb chewed” and another officer got a black eye. After that confrontation, a group of women guarded the school for several weeks.
Having lived in western Canada all my life, I never knew about the battle of the hatpins until recently. Although it almost seems comical, it is not funny when you consider the circumstances for women during the 1912 – 1927 time frame. They were also fighting for the right to be considered real persons, with the right to vote. They were not prepared to be treated as chattel, and were prepared to fight for their children’s education, and the values they believed in.
Although I would never condone resorting to violence, you have to acknowledge it took a great deal of courage to do what they did. As a result of their determination and stamina, they did defeat the English only regulation. Bilingual education was brought back to the schools in Ontario.
The time frame was part of both the suffrage movement, and a cultural resistance movement. Looking back, it demonstrates how a group of passionate people, no matter how much they are perceived as powerless, can have an impact – if they have a valid reason and a worthwhile cause.
How long did it take the Ontario government to admit wrongdoing and make a full apology? One hundred years.
I am so thankful for the flowers this year. It is no wonder the Victorian era created the language of the flowers by attributing meanings and symbolism to flowers. They could speak emotions that were too painful , or sometimes too insulting, to put into direct conversation.
Chrysanthemums are thought to be for funerals, but each colour has its own meaning. Red ones proclaim love, yellow represent slighted or spurned love, and white ones represent truth.
When you look at the long list of meanings, one bouquet of flowers could say a lot! Tall sunflowers represent false pride and riches, phlox means our souls unite, petunias represent resentment and anger.
Alyssum means worth beyond beauty. Dahlias represent dignity and elegance, while delphiniums speak to a flight of fancy. Roses are associated with love, but they too have different meanings according to colour. White roses represent purity and innocence, peach show gratitude and sincerity, the yellow ones depict friendship and the red ones – love.
This year I planted chocolate cosmos, mostly for the sound of their name – like a chocolate latte. I wanted to find out if they really did smell like chocolate, and sure enough they do. They grow on long spindly stems, which makes the velvety little flowers dance about in the breeze. Apparently they are among the top ten rarest plants in the world.
A fragrance garden is like being given a whiff of subtle beauty – masterfully evasive and lingering only long enough to be appreciated. You cannot capture it, you can only pay attention. The delicate blend of fragrances, from many different types of flowers is as calming as meditation, and as exhilarating as a waft of love in the air.
Just when a batch of lilies fades and drops its petals, the dahlias and sunflowers burst into bloom. Meanwhile, the impatient plants, zinnias, heliotrope, and roses bloom steadily for months. The more time you spend with them, the more they flourish.
In most cases I would not give much credence to the Victorian meanings nowadays, other than for the sake of interest, romanticism and nostalgia. I would never associate petunias with resentment, or sunflowers with false pride, other than the fact they are tall, with bright flowers.
The beauty, colour, fragrance, and liveliness of the flower garden sings as opposed to speaking. When it comes to the law of attraction, flowers are huge attracters of positive energy. They give us a double burst of the sun’s energy. If they are happy where they are planted or placed, they can be prolific bloomers.
Flowers do have expression and vibrancy. Like most living things, they respond to nurturing and attention. Since we are traveling less, more people are taking time to smell the roses. Time spent in the midst of flowers is like a mini vacation.
Bleach as a surface cleaner is probably one of the strongest disinfectants, and one of the few that will kill the Hep C virus. But bleach cannot be used on most textiles. Plus it has it’s own health hazards with regards to fumes and is an irritant to the skin.
There are many less harmful methods, such as the use of essential oils with anti viral and anti bacterial properties. Neem and tea tree oil are also good for cleaning surfaces. A drop or two can also be added to the wash.
One thing most bugs cannot stand is extreme heat and extreme cold. So before you store away your wool coats and sweaters, consider steaming them. There are commercial steamers that do not take up much space, and work very well, not only for steaming the wrinkles out of a blouse, but for steaming most garments, drapes, couches, bedding etc.
In some cases, I steam and then freeze an item. The rule of thumb is to put the textile in the freezer for 24 hours. I put it in a plastic container so it does not absorb odours or contaminate anything, and just leave it there for a day or two.
On a personal level, I am not convinced that masks are the answer. For one thing they get moist from the breath. One thing you will know if you have ever had abdominal surgery, is that on the day you take the post-op shower, you are told to call the nurse as soon as you get out, so that the bandage is changed. The reason for this is because once a bandage is wet, it is no longer effective.
The permeability of microbes through wet or moist masks or bandages is one factor, but also the re-breathing of the microbes and slight change in O2 concentration might be worse than wearing no mask at all. The other thing is that most paper or home made masks are not a tight enough weave to filter microbes.
Front line workers wear masks that are properly fitted and of better quality. Ideally there should be a different mask worn for each patient treatment, but I’m not sure if that is the case. Maybe when they do patient care, the mask should be put on the patient instead, which is probably already the case.
Whether you choose to wear a mask in public or not – it might also be helpful to do some research on essential oils with antimicrobial properties. The ones that come to mind, other than the well known and exceptional qualities of oregano oil, are cypress oil, thyme and marjoram. These can be dabbed on your nostrils before going out in public. You can also add a few drops to coconut oil and use as a hand cream.
Frequent hand washing can damage the surface of the skin, leading to chapped hands, cracked skin and bleeding. Obviously this is not ideal. Hand sanitizers are useful when out and about, but they contain alcohol and are very drying to the skin.
The skin is the bodies largest organ, and the integrity of the skin is an important barrier to protect us against infection. Not all things are equal when it comes to what we put on our skin. It gets absorbed into the body.
While we are still in the stay at home mode – it is worthwhile to research and evaluate household products, make up and skin creams. Some of the most expensive make up lines are ironically, also the most toxic.
Personally, I don’t think it is a good idea to slather any kind of cream on large areas of the body, with the exception of coconut or olive oil, which are good carriers for essential oils.
Our bodies are well prepared to protect us, from filtering the air to the protective layers of the skin. When combined with a whole food diet, fresh air, exercise and plenty of sleep – the immune system does a fantastic job of dealing with pathogens.
We cannot completely eliminate the exposure to microbes, pollens, mildew, viruses, bacteria, dust, etc. But, we can have confidence that overcoming these threats on a personal level and regaining confidence in our interactions with the world around – is a good thing.
Throughout history humans have endured a fair bit of change and upheaval. Wars, economic disasters, natural disasters, famines and plagues dominate the horizons and create a catalyst for change.
Probably more than anything, our expectations have changed. We had a period of time where travel was fairly easy. Following 911, there was a change in security measures, which we eventually got used to. Once again, things have become much more stringent, with increasing uncertainty, when it comes to travel
We are shocked and rattled by certain events that are far away, but if it does not change our day to day lives – we breathe a sigh of relief and carry on. For most of us, nothing has changed and rocked our world like the covid crisis. The bifurcations of this epidemic have tentacles into civil liberties, social freedom, home life, health care, travel, education, politics and the economy.
If it is a crisis, it will pass. People will adapt, pick up the pieces and figure out a way to live according to different guidelines and restrictions. One thing that does not change, is human nature. We are social beings, some more so than others. We are activity oriented, again, some more so than others. We are migratory. Throughout history when things got tough in one area, people would move to another area that showed more promise. People seek stability, jobs, agriculture, safety, and fundamental freedoms.
The problem with the covid virus is that it is a global problem. There is nowhere to go to escape it, and the rules around migration have suddenly become prohibitively restrictive. The fact the coronavirus is a large and common family of viruses, makes the likelihood of the occasional virulent strain very high. It seems to me, we are not going to escape the parameters of this disease. Clearly, it can be a reason to track and control people using health in politics. Privacy concerns, along with the protection of democratic freedoms, are justifiable issues to be addressed by well meaning people.
We are being told that people carry the virus without knowing it. It is true that people carry all kinds of viruses and bacteria, so this is not something new. As with all things negative, or shadow casting and restrictive, one can only look to overcoming some of the negatives by reinforcing and doing what is good.
Good things include – cooking, cleaning, care of ourselves and our homes, art, listening to music, working, gardening, exercise, fresh air, sunshine, learning, creativity, photography, photo-editing, writing, bird watching, walking, interactive games, playing music, singing, organizing, conversing, sharing, family bonds, encouraging each other, humour, planning, improving, giving….as just some examples of good things to explore and do.
The things that concern me the most about all the covid changes – is the loss of fundamental freedoms, combined with the fear of abuses of power and exploitation in health care. We cannot argue with something that is invisible. We have no choice but to follow the directions of top doctors and experts, now responsible for announcing every decision surrounding what we can and cannot do.
The range of responses to this sudden pandemic, and how it has changed our lives, are widely varied. Some people are completely sold on what the experts are telling us. There are those who suddenly view human contact as an endangerment to life, like it’s an automatic death sentence if you come in contact with other people.
Some people are calling snitch lines on infractions, like dog walkers and trail runners, or if someone is using a park or vacant parking lot to let kids practice skateboarding or bicycling. What they are losing sight of, is the law of probability, and the fact there is risk-taking involved in almost everything we do. Those reports are not based on threat of harm.
Every time we take a prescription drug, get into a car, eat food, walk up or down a flight of stairs, get on a ladder, swim in a lake or the ocean, ride a bicycle, go to an air show or rodeo, get into a boat, canoe or kayak – we are taking risks. The fact that a certain percentage of people fall down the stairs, does not mean we eliminate stairs.
I do not have a problem with whistle blowers, if it involves trying to stop the abuse of a vulnerable population. It is commendable and difficult to do, and the reality is that it brings about a backlash of more punishment than reward.
However, I don’t believe in nit-picking, spying on, and reporting people for doing ordinary wholesome activities. Busy bodies are a pain. People have to be allowed to use their own judgement and take a certain amount of risk. Surely we cannot obliterate the regular laws that took hundreds of years to develop, for a virus that cropped up two months ago.
The notion of worshipping people, or certain groups of people is something I find very strange. The latest trend to call all health care workers heroes, is a bit much. People go into health professions for a variety of reasons, in most cases, it is because of the availability of jobs.
Like all professions, health care attracts the good, the bad and the ugly. There are some excellent and competent people who work in the field of health care, and there are those who don’t give a damn. Now we are seeing huge bill boards, parades, and all kinds of hero worshipping directed at all health care workers.
Once again, this only serves to create a division or another polarity between people who are working and those who are not. By all means, health care workers should be treated with respect and renumeration, but we need to keep in mind that all infrastructure is important.
Imagine if there was no water, sewage, hydro or garbage pick up all of a sudden? Generally the way we work revolves around the old adage, where there is a need – someone will fill it. That’s what makes the world go round. All businesses revolve around supplying a product or service that meets a societal need, or consumer demands.
People in all walks of life do heroic things from time to time. But to me a hero is someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty, like saving a child who fell into the river, or going into a burning building to save someone. Or if a cougar jumps on your friend, and you attack the cougar. Or the lady who lost her hand trying to help someone in a wheelchair get across the train tracks. Those are some examples that define heroism, to me anyway.
The other extreme reaction, is to go out in droves to protest the lockdowns. Although we have always had a right to peaceful assembly in democratic countries, it seems to have gone overboard just prior to all the shutdown. I don’t recall another time when protesters broke into and occupied the BC Legislature and the Office of the AG in Vancouver. That’s not what anyone would consider to be peaceful protest. There was a line crossed during the pre-covid recent protests.
Is there any middle ground? Has the swinging of the pendulum from extreme to extreme contributed to what we are faced with now? How can a virus be so interconnected with politics? How much of it is over reaction? How much will people tolerate?
The right to thought, belief and opinion is one of the final things to be taken away. In fact, they cannot take away our thoughts and beliefs no matter what they do. Even if they take away the right to express the opinions, it will not stop people from having them.
Thought reform is done persistently and gradually – using fear, deception, and shaming. Then a small morsel of hope is tossed out as a bit of a lifeline. First there is shaming, then there is praise for acquiescing. It is an effective way to get people to toe the line. Intelligent dialogue is warranted, probably more so now than ever before. In fact, there are many contradictions to be clarified, along with legitimate questions and challenges to bring forward.
We have had the polarity of extremes swinging in front of us. The media attention given to the rise of the cult of personality with both Trump and Greta Thunberg has been a staggering contributor to the political changes that are running parallel to the covid crisis. In both cases, there is extremism – backed by the monied interests hovering behind the scenes.
If anything, it is like there is a merging of communism and fascism. When you consider China for example, as a communist country – the capitalism is overwhelming. Likewise, Greta trademarked her name, re-donates prize money given to her by her donors, has a wide range of fast fashion T-shirts and promo items on the market, to include anti-fascist T-shirts. The dichotomies between Thunberg and Trump have created a merging of sorts. It is a merging of elitism and influence with ideologies that they themselves don’t see or understand because they are not the creators of the script. They are the actors on the world stage. They only have to appeal to the masses.
It is enough to make one’s head spin. Trump has all his business interests, reality TV show drama, controversies and wars. The rallies were growing exponentially with a high level of energy and rioting. One can only imagine how things would have escalated if not for covid.
The last Greta Thunberg rally just a few weeks before the shutdown, created all kinds of damage to the lawns, and required excessive policing resources, and clean up afterwards. When rallies or demonstrations get to the point where they are causing environmental damage or whipping people into hysteria – it’s not good.
There are many in-depth questions to ponder. We will have, and hopefully will be able to share divergent opinions. We have been told over and over to stay safe. It’s the new cool mantra. That advice is sound. But not only around viruses – but everything from driving, to condoms, to sports, to street drugs, fire hazards, and tripping over your feet.
Stay safe. Stay sane. Stay home. But not without kicking up a fuss, and at least asking why we can’t go to a Provincial Park.
Human nature is part of all nature. To a certain extent, we can and will change. But there are some aspects of human nature that will never change.
Death is inevitable for all of us. In the bigger scheme of things, death is as natural as apples falling off a tree. Sometimes the end will be hastened by a wind storm. The fall might be precipitated by some other force of nature. Other times, they just ripen and dangle, until their time is up, and weight and gravity urge them to let go.
Overcoming the fear of death – is the one thing that will help us face the greatest change of all. It brings us closer to understanding the power and endurance of the human spirit.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
The WOW in the title refers to “writers on writing”. Like most others who can read, I have followed the media drill on the covid-19 virus, and have been dutifully following the rules.
But given the propensity for writing, and the practice of writing that is natural to some of us – there are certain observations I have made that don’t seem fair to the reader, or the general public.
Many of the news titles are based on projections that stem from computer modelling. These models are based upon different scenarios and mathematical algorithms. Therefore the projections are purely hypothetical, yet they are portrayed as dire surges with numbers being quoted as scientific fact. I believe this is misleading, and although it may be based on certain evidence, they do not have all the information and could easily be wrong.
There was a news title about New York City digging mass graves. That may be true, but they did not include the history of the potter’s field on Hart Island in the Bronx. It has been the location for digging mass graves since the 1970’s or earlier. It is estimated that a million or more people have been buried there over the past forty or fifty years. So why are we led to believe this is a new and alarming revelation?
The other thing about this virus saturation in the media, and daily announcements of all the new rules we must follow – is that we see some disturbing traits. There is much virtue signalling and holier-than-thou positioning, along with a tip line for reporting those who are not following the rules.
Some people comment on news articles, taking the stance that those who go out to a beach, trail or park – should be treated with draconian measures, and viewed no differently than murderers and thieves. They seem to think people should be charged, arrested, jailed, face public humiliation, and huge fines – according to those who apparently have greater morality and social distancing virtues. It’s pretty disheartening to see yellow crime scene tape around every playground.
It is amazing to see how many people quickly become autocratic, authoritarian, intolerant, and will advocate for a complete loss of basic and fundamental freedoms, simply based on what they have read in the media over the past couple of months. For most of us, when we look out our windows each morning, it is similar to last spring, and the spring before that one.
We would not even know we are in a crisis, if not for the daily dose of it all in the media. I find the affront to freedom of thought, belief, and opinion to be the most nullifying of all – as it is meant to be.
To my way of thinking, we live with, and are surrounded by viruses, bacteria and various pathogens whether we like it or not. We maintain a certain level of hygiene and care to protect ourselves. They live on our skin, in our guts, mouths, saliva, nasal passages; as well as in the atmosphere and on every surface, both indoors and outdoors. We co-exist with bacteria, viruses, and various other particles and pathogens. There is no getting around that fact.
For instance, when a person gets a third degree burn over a large percentage of their body – it is certain they will get infected, because of the loss of protective barrier, and the fact the skin has pathogens on it. One of the main reasons our physical bodies will begin to decompose so quickly after death is due to the presence of these bacteria and viruses.
Another example of exposure to bugs – is to watch how babies put absolutely everything into their mouths. When they start teething and crawling, they will pick up any object and gnaw on it. When you think of how many other kids have played with the items, or where it has been, germs are inevitable. Babies put things in their mouths that might have been in the yard, the dog’s mouth, the floor of the house or car – and in many cases, who knows what germs are on those things? Yet babies seldom get infections in the first months of life, due to the natural high immunity they have, as well as the antibodies and protection they get from breast milk, especially the colostrum.
The other factor is that the coronavirus is from a large family of viruses, to include the common cold. To me that means the testing could easily fail to identify a specific strain of coronavirus – making it seem far more common than it really is. This is especially so if they do testing in a non laboratory setting, without the controls in place that are supposed to be a part of lab testing.
I do not discount the human toll this virus has taken. But it does not make sense to plunge the country, and entire world into economic catastrophe. The loss of fundamental freedoms has become a shocking reality. These losses have far more dire consequences for the healthy population, which is by far the large majority of us – than the fact the virus is taking the lives of 1-2% of a declining and ailing part of the population. A percentage of those people would have died anyway. It is very common for a weak, elderly person to get pneumonia. That is nothing new. But in the past, every long term care death was not reported in the media like it is now.
One would think that if the media, and all the government experts really did care about keeping people safe and healthy – they would include more information about keeping the immune system healthy. The immune system is the central most important factor in preventing illness of all sorts. Yet, there are very few articles about the immune system, and all the things we can do to help ourselves in that regard.
A virus is invisible to the naked eye. We are being consumed by the media spin on what appears to be a very opportunistic virus. More than half the deaths in Canada have been in long term care facilities. This comes as no surprise to me as these facilities have been underfunded, lacking in advocacy and oversight, and subject to multiple abuses for many years. Plus it is a fact of life that people in long term care facilities will die. People do not go there to recover.
Although it seems the media is full of polarity and hyperbole – so much at times that it seems over the top; I learn more about CBC from the comments that are disabled, the truthful ones especially. If a comment they do not favour gets too many likes, they will demote the comment and take away the likes so it is no longer top ranking. I find that to be quite tacky for a government funded media organization like CBC.
For instance I wrote this comment early in the morning on April 14th: “Does the media realize they have reached an over the top saturation point with this virus reporting? People are rapidly losing interest and starting to go about their lives. Whew!”
At first the comment was yellow flagged and was “awaiting moderation” and by 10:30 am it had the most likes. By 11:00 am they dropped off more than half the likes, even though they still showed in the side bar. I find that to be interesting, and question why they would do that, as it does seem to be dishonest. They only want the opinions that suit their agenda.
One day, I would like to put together a list of legitimate comments or questions I have made that were yellow flagged and then red flagged, which translates to “content disabled”. Even when comments do not defy any of the community guidelines, they still disable them. Since CBC is funded by the Canadian government – they are reporting with a bias. That much is obvious to me now, especially with what they will, and will not allow.
It is almost like the next step to social distancing and following all the new rules – one must also agree with everything the media tells us. It is not okay to question things, to bring up the history or corruption of the World Health Organization, or to question how they expect people to adhere to these stringent and often nonsensical rules.
Why is it okay to peddle and promote hydroxychloroquine, but you cannot promote oregano oil? This includes providing links to University and medical research on the efficacy of oregano oil. Who decides what is misinformation and what is truth? Don’t we get to filter it, and try to figure it out for ourselves any longer? We have heard so much contradictory information from experts and top doctors – it’s making our collective heads spin.
There are many strange things about the media reporting. Clearly there is a portrayal of fear to be executed. To top it off, there are large painted murals of the faces of these top docs. To see this on shuttered streets, looking like the advancement of communism and the “cult of personality” makes it very eerie, given the circumstances we have been plunged into.
How does one woman (known for her bad art) gain widespread press coverage for making limited edition T-shirts depicting splotched faces of top doctors? Another news article was going on and on about the designer scarves one of the top doctors wears. Why insert the celebrity fashion promo, when the topic is about a virus? It’s like they are the new Mick Jagger – virus rock stars on the cover of the Rolling Stones. I would far rather listen to the Rolling Stones.
Interestingly, Greta Thunberg is also now being promoted as a fashion idol. The media seems bent on keeping certain people in the limelight. In the past, the media covered a wide variety of topics. But now, when they want to push something, they literally hammer it home.
Where is all the propaganda coming from? The problem with swinging from extreme to extreme – is that both extremes are rife with propaganda, indoctrination, deception, elitism, supreme authority, dominance and control. Fascism and communism will eventually merge – if they swing to the extreme ends of the political spectrums.
My sense is that people just want some semblance of normalcy, which involves getting out in the sunshine. Every spring, when the days get longer and the daffodils, crocuses, cherry and apple blossoms burst out – so do people. There is nothing like fresh air and exercise with songbirds and the smell of blossoms.
We know that we are supposed to stay six feet apart. But every day we are soaked with more dire projections and all kinds of unproven – and definitely invisible aspects of this virus. Okay, we heard them, but how long can this go on? We cannot expect to go against the basics of human nature, anymore than we can stop the outdoor nature from blooming and bursting out.
The definition of faith is to believe in things unseen. That means we must have faith in order to believe everything we hear and read about this virus. Personally – I don’t put my faith in a virus. Whatever the agenda is surrounding this virus – I do have faith in the fact that good can overcome evil.
Human nature is what it is, and many people seek wholesome activities and socialization. How can we be punished for that? Truth and the common good does rise to the surface eventually, because people do not like to be duped or controlled.
Nothing can block out the sight of the sun for too long. People will go on living, as people have done since the beginning of time. We cannot count on the government to take care of us. Look what has happened to the long term care facilities. Look at the government history with the Aboriginal people.
We do need governance – but they do not have a good track record, especially when it comes to total control surrounding our daily lives, and their reasons for doing so. They make multiple blunders.
This evening I posted another comment on the CBC daily virus article. It is yellow flagged and may go to the content disabled bin, but nevertheless, here it is:
“This pandemic brings out the irrational fear of death. Canada rates fairly high on the longevity scale – averaging 80 years for males and 84 years for females. It is appalling to mistreat, neglect and dehumanize senior citizens in LTC facilities. The lack of oversight is not the fault of the general population. We do need to come to terms with death and accept it, especially if it is at the end of a life span. From working as an RN, I can honestly say, some things are worse than death.”
Let’s hope we can concentrate on staying healthy, on avoiding being pious, judgemental and punitive, on using common sense, on maintaining a certain amount of free will, joy de vivre – and now more than ever, to value each day and treat each other with loving care and gratitude.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
The question of free will and the dilemma surrounding moral responsibility has been debated since the beginning of time. The belief in free will has underpinnings in divergent belief systems, both religious and philosophical.
Although some people believe the elements of free will are in the scientific realm, specifically biology and physics – I tend to believe that we are greater than the sum of our parts, so to speak. For instance, hooking up electrodes to the brain to show how we command ourselves to lift an arm, gives interesting insight into the brain, from decision making to muscle coordination. But it does nothing to address the intellect and emotion that drives complex decision-making.
Free will, to me, more importantly involves motive and intent. It stems from our mind and spirit, which is the part of us that leaves our physical bodies when we die. Our mind formulates morality, and is much greater and more ethereal than our physical brain. Some people do not believe human beings have souls or spirits. Therefore to them death is final, and without any kind of experiences beyond death.
Alternatively, we can choose to believe that the soul leaves the body and travels into the spiritual realm. Our beliefs are part of free will. We do not have to believe in life after death. We have no tangible way to prove it anyway. Therefore it is a belief born of free will, which does help to anchor the existence and importance of free will.
If one believes that free will is primarily physical, in that it gives us command over the functions of our bodies as we go about our daily routines – then free will (and all existence) dies when the physical body dies.
Under this physical and scientific belief system, free will is also severely affected, if parts of our bodies become injured or malfunction. But how can free will be free will – if it has constraints imposed upon us that are against our will? This further reinforces to me that free will is not tied to physicality.
One of the reasons I believe free will goes well beyond the physical realm is because it cannot be consistently applied to the functions of the physical body. For instance a paralyzed person may form the intent and choose to lift his or her leg, but it will not happen. There is no mind over matter when it comes to certain situations.
In my opinion, free will does apply to our physical bodies, but only to a certain extent. The essence of free will is within us. However our mind is not confined to our brain – and our sight is not confined to our eyes. Otherwise people would not be able to describe near death experiences. Likewise, intuition and prophetic visions have no physical explanations. Yet time and time again, we see examples of both.
The concept of fate and predestiny complicates our understanding of free will. How can we have free will if everything has already been decided? That’s the toughest question of all.
The first dilemma surrounding the belief in free will, is to decide if it is purely physical (scientific, biological, physics) from brain to action, with the sole purpose of directing how we function. The question that comes to mind if this is the case, is whether or not the genetic makeup, circumstances, and early life experiences cause one to have genetically pre-determined outcomes. So that pretty much eradicates the notion of free will. How can there be moral responsibility if there is no free will?
If it is true that everything has been predetermined, how can we also have free will? Free will is about making choices. Those choices are driven by both good and bad motives. The good motives would be fairness, consideration of others, helpfulness, dedication, hard working, constructive, being kind, loving, compassionate, forgiving, humble, law-abiding etc.
The bad motives are things like selfishness, disregard for the rights of others, harmful, accusatory, dishonest, greedy, mean, unlawful, exploitive, deceptive, arrogant, and so on.
If things are predetermined according to a divine plan – perhaps it is because we do not understand the overall plan. Therefore free will applies to our level of understanding and is hinged to our beliefs. This might explain how fate and free will can co-mingle in the bigger scheme of things.
There has never been a time in our lives, regardless of our age, where we have been faced with the dilemma of moral responsibility – than we are right now. The covid outbreak has rocked the world, and is testing our previous stance on the importance of free will, autonomy and self-determinism.
Without free will, there can be no moral responsibility. Without morality, we become depraved. Now is the time to evaluate our belief systems surrounding free will, because our democracy, common decency, and hope for rebuilding a stable economy are depending on our most deep-rooted belief systems.
We can no longer overlook or deny how interconnected we are, as we navigate our lives and the role we play during the short time we are here on this earth. The existence of an after-life probably means that we have some unfinished business – once we do make our final exit.
At least free will allows us to freely explore, on an intellectual and spiritual level, where it is we might be headed! Are we truly the captain of our own ships? Only until we hit a big storm or iceberg! But surely, nothing would stop us from doing our level best at steering that ship and trying to save ourselves. The death-defying enigma is that the essence of living, is ultimately found in how we face dying.
Yet hope is always something we can cling to – even though it can be as elusive as wrestling the wind…
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
The dramatic changes visited upon us by the coronavirus this year, have such far-reaching effects – we cannot even begin to fathom what is to follow.
We are getting daily updates through news feeds giving instructions on self-isolating, social distancing, hand washing and sanitizing, introduction of new laws to ensure compliance, and sweeping changes to lifestyles all over the world.
Most of us have not seen anything like this in our own lifetimes. Only those who have memories or anecdotal family stories around the Spanish flu of 1918, can share the sense of fear and sadness as one funeral procession after another crawled down the empty streets.
We do not like the constant reminder of our own mortality. It is a topic that can usually be avoided, with the exception of those who are in the unfortunate position of deciding to turn off ventilators and let people die. Every family must eventually face the loss of a loved one, yet until it happens, most people do not know what to expect.
Other than wills and life insurance, we don’t give much thought to DNR (do not resuscitate) orders when we are young and able bodied. Even for an aging population, medical language with unfamiliar terms, is difficult to follow. We are inclined to expect doctors or caregivers to have standards and follow them. Doctors often end up relying on family members to find out what the dying person would want. In some cases, there are differences and conflicts that arise between family members surrounding end of life decisions. It is better for the individual facing death, to discuss and document these plans ahead of time.
In the past, when long term care patients became acutely ill, they were transferred to an acute care hospital by ambulance. Once seen and assessed in the ER, they would either be admitted, or treated and sent home. Now with the coronavirus being spread throughout LTC facilities, we have to ask how prudent it is to be transferring long term care patients to acute care. However, we cannot lose sight of the fact that under the Canada Health Act, all people are supposed to have equal access to acute care hospitals.
This means that the burden of responsibility is on the cognitively intact elderly population, to make it clear what kind of directives to follow if there is serious and life-threatening illness to contend with. In addition to the basic DNR orders and forms, surely this is the time to learn about and set up Advanced Care Directives that suit our own values and wishes for end of life care. Some people refer to these plans as Living Wills.
In addition to permitting people to have some control over end of life decisions, it makes it easier for family members and the health care system to make decisions about care. In addition, perhaps one of the most important aspects of this pandemic is to find ways to selflessly help reduce burden on front line health care workers.
One of the biggest hurdles for people when it comes to creating Advanced Care Plans is addressing the questions and broader perspectives surrounding the whole topic of death and dying, due to fear and avoidance. The other barrier is a lack of familiarity with medical terms and procedures. Then there are the legalities surrounding the creation of such a document, how and where it will be filed so it is accessible to the system when needed.
Although I do have my own beliefs about end of life care for myself, I understand my own beliefs are highly individual. From a very basic and fundamental perspective, I believe in upholding human rights, individual choice, and autonomy in all facets of life.
Adversity holds a seed of an equal or greater benefit. Our awareness, along with time spent at home to reflect – gives us an opportunity to create a plan, discuss it with family members and put it in place. Planning helps us feel like we have some control, when things seem to be spiralling out of control.
It looks like there are some massive changes underway in health care, with more dramatic changes on the horizon. I hope those plans include a registry for Advanced Care Plans, along with guidelines on how to create and file them.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Maybe the first inclination while staying home is to disinfect and wash everything in sight. I always feel like cleaning with hot soapy water and a splash of bleach when there are infections near by. But after the zest for cleaning wears off – then what? We live in a fast-paced world, especially young families. When suddenly there is nothing to do and nowhere to go – it is a shock to the system. What? Nowhere to go?
Through anecdotal observations I have concluded that too much TV makes people grumpy, especially kids, and popsicles will make kids start bouncing off the walls. Seriously, ice cream is nowhere near as bad as popsicles are. There is a range of badness in junk food. The trick is to figure out how to get the best of the worst food – when it comes to temptation and treats.
So with the goal of avoiding too much TV and artificially coloured junk food – the sky is the limit on what you can do at home. Everything from macro photography to drawing and painting, including computer art, to photo editing and cooking. It’s not so bad to be stuck at home if you have relaxing creative projects to work on.
Working from home is something we all do, whether we view it as such or not. It’s not just the cooking and cleaning, but many of us work online, or have jobs that make it feasible to work from home. Maybe some of the viral trends will include more opportunities to work from home since it decreases the commute and carbon footprint as well.
I did read a news article warning us that staying home meant an increased use of energy. Although there was no empirical data to support the claim, it is unlikely that people who stay home would use more energy since they are not driving (big one), and are not shopping and socializing as much, parking, getting in and out of vehicles, and sitting in heated offices all day, with all the infrastructure around them.
A house or apartment has to be kept at a certain temperature in cold weather, even if no one is home. Plus the fridge, stove, bathroom, garbage pick-up, water, etc. are already in place. The only daily increase in energy would be if the heat was turned up. Even if people cook more, it just means they eat out less, not that the consumption changes.
Music is another pastime that can be very rewarding – especially if it involves learning, playing, or practicing an instrument. Music and meditation will boost both the mood and the immune system.
The funny thing about being at home is that it makes it homier. Just our presence in our home warms it up. It’s the little things that count, whether it is fresh sheets or home made soup. Movie nights with popcorn, or sitting by the fire crocheting a blanket, brings us closer to our own nesting nature. Human nature can be self-reassuring. We can readily go back to our roots.
We live in a time where having a home and place to self-isolate is something to be grateful for. The idea of being quarantined in a tiny cabin in the central aisle of a cruise ship is a big deterrent to taking a cheap cruise for a winter holiday. Best to get a balcony suite and try not to fall off it. Being quarantined on a cruise ship is kind of like the thought of being stuck in an elevator, except it goes on and on and on.
Other than to try to keep yourself healthy and care for your immune system, it is worthwhile knowing that antibiotics are not effective when it comes to treating viruses. The old fashioned advice to drink clear fluids, eat whole foods, and get plenty of rest, is probably still the best advice.
There are articles about the need for more ventilators, but the average person is not likely to need a ventilator, at least let’s be optimistic and hope not! It is a late stage, life saving measure. Even if they buy more ventilators for every hospital – they still need staff who are trained to operate them.
For the most part, ventilators are limited to ICU, OR, and people with spinal cord trauma. Patients on ventilators require 1:1 nursing care. They would need more respiratory therapists and ICU trained nurses. So let’s hope they don’t buy them without having anyone to operate them. They would sit in a storage room until the warranty wears off. No point in stockpiling ventilators.
Stockpiling is an interesting human reaction to perceived crisis. It shows how responsive we are to the media. First it was masks, then hand sanitizer, followed by canned goods, and then a frenzy of stock piling toilet paper. Costco was sold out. No more snacks there either. Aw what a bummer.
Apparently the underlying psychology surrounding the mass buying of toilet paper is about fear. The fear of loss of control – even though the virus is respiratory in nature, people tend to find tangible ways to help themselves feel in control. I guess that sort of makes sense – even though it is not that logical, and creates a huge glitch when it comes to the previously predictable supply and demand.
The fact that the coronavirus started spreading at a time when there has been civil unrest and large rallies all over the world, with masses of emotionally charged people – it is probably time to simmer down and take stock. We all have a right to peaceful protest, but there is a great deal of risk when it comes to riots and violence. Plus there are boundaries to be kept -and it seems to be a real pain to keep those boundaries. I have always found it stressful to be in large crowds – therefore I don’t see the attraction.
No one knows what the future holds. Just a few short months ago no one had ever heard of this virus. We were all in a tizzy about the house being on fire. It better not be – we have to stay home and chill out. Suddenly we went from doomsday environmental prophesy to a global pandemic. From carbon emissions to viral emissions – we are forced to smarten up.
Throughout history there have been hundreds of apocalyptic visions, rants, fears, and situations where people thought it was the end. But here we are. If we did not read the papers, we would not even know we are in a crisis.
The biggest difference between this one and the Spanish flu in 1918 is that the people who described the Spanish flu explained how it directly affected their own lives, families and communities. There were so many funeral processions, they kept their blinds closed.
In Europe during the plague, they forced people who they thought were infected into underground cities. In Edinburgh Scotland, they have access points with signs like “Mary’s Close”. They are little doors in alleyways that take you to those interconnected mazes, in dank underground locations. Apparently no one ever came out alive.
We are very fortunate to be able to stay above ground and keep our blinds open. As far as the true extent of what is going on – we will have to keep our minds open too! Whatever you do – don’t sneeze in a pubic place.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Of all the systems in the body, the immune system is probably the least understood. Yet its function and balance is vital to our protection and wellbeing. Too little, and we become immunocompromised and susceptible to being overwhelmed by every passing bug. Too much, and we develop life altering autoimmune diseases.
There are many whole foods that are believed to help the immune system. Yogurt, broccoli, almonds, garlic, ginger, leafy greens, and citrus top the list. When it comes to an inflammatory response, most of us know what happens and how we feel prior to getting sick. The big stickler is fatigue and stress.
To keep the immune system healthy, rest is central to preventing – as well as overcoming various illnesses. Lazy days, going to bed early, naps, doing only what you have to do – and finding ways to reduce demands and stress will help the immune system rebuild itself daily.
Essential oils like thyme, cypress, and oregano have anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. Many foods like garlic, turmeric, beets, and honey all have medicinal qualities. The micronutrients in certain foods provide nourishment at a cellular level. Olives are good histamine blockers.
Fasting will help to repair and reset a weakened immune system. It is well worthwhile to research the subject of fasting if you have toxic or inflammatory processes building up. Each individual has to decide the length of fast, as well as how they will go about it. In my opinion, it is best to stay close to home and have support systems in place during a fast. Also, for those who must take prescription medication, fasting may not be feasible.
Learning to listen to our bodies is one of life’s big lessons. Work and other commitments cause us to ignore fatigue. The inability to say no creates a friction on the systems of the body. Everything from positive emotional expression, to rest, relaxation and whole food diet – will strengthen the immune system.
If you are exposed to crowds – go home, take a hot bath, and try a few drops of cypress oil around the nostrils. Think positive. Chances are you will live to see another day.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
CBC is now running stories on domestic
violence situations that had tragic outcomes. We just had International Women’s
Day to help draw attention to women, and perhaps find ways to scratch the
surface on the source of all the anger.
Rural areas with long, cold winters, high
unemployment, poverty, and relationship breakdown have a disproportionate
amount of domestic violence. But the profile of the high-risk domestic
situation goes far beyond a simplistic description. There are layers and layers
of religious, legal, power struggles, conflicts, addictions, stressors, effects
on children, and failure to cope, to add to a complex subject
Similar to addiction, domestic violence has
no respecter of persons. It happens across all walks of life. It exchanges
stability for chaos and a vicious cycle.
If thought is deeper than speech – and
emotion is deeper than thought, to get to the depth of the problem, we must
look at the emotional elements that are contributing to so much anger.
We can choose to vilify the perpetrator,
which they often deserve – but the prevalence of domestic violence goes beyond
the percentiles of sociopaths. There must be other contributing factors.
The first contributing factor is drug and alcohol abuse, especially if the person is predisposed to angry outbursts and blaming others for his predicament. Drug and alcohol abuse causes people to do things they would not otherwise do. If there is any pattern of abuse relating to substance abuse, the family needs to be protected. The addict needs to abstain from anything that causes a loss of control.
For those who are quick tempered by nature,
self-control and seeking other outlets are what most driven personalities
resort to. What is more problematic is if a person is stewing and brewing over
conflict or perceived betrayal.
Issues surrounding money, divorce, custody,
and infidelity create high-risk situations. In order to help address the
situation surrounding domestic violence for the individual – is to leave and do
not go back. But, in most cases there are children involved.
Some people externalize anger, while others
internalize it. Some of us can forgive, let go, and move on more easily than
others.
For women, maintaining integrity and
fairness is paramount. There have been many complaints made by men who feel
they are discriminated against in custody battles. We need to acknowledge that
men love their children as much as women do. We have to understand that
equality must be across the board on all matters, not cherry pick the things we
want to equalize.
In other cases, there is a very
authoritative religious male dominance, which orders women to obey their
husbands. Some people take small excerpts from the Bible and create dogmatic
rules around it to suit themselves. The Bible also says to esteem one another
equal to or higher than oneself. Why not stick with that one instead?
The purpose of anger is to make a grievance
known. The sooner that can be done, the better. The more we can focus on
communication, collaboration, best interests of children, and a healthy balance
of interests, the more likely things will improve.
For women, intuition, past behaviors, and
the more subtle “red flags” should never be ignored. Sadly, there are many
relationships that become a toxic cocktail. Emotional and intellectual
dominance without physical abuse can be just as destructive and cannot be
ignored.
For men, don’t let your own insecurity overcome common sense and stability. If you don’t trust your partner, there is no point in staying in the relationship, unless you can identify what needs to change and agree upon it. Controlling behavior stems from insecurity. It is especially important to be secure and stable for the sake of children and your own future.
Perhaps every marriage license should require a disclosure regarding any prior charges of intimate partner violence. In addition, if there is domestic assault, it could be framed so that violence results in a court-ordered dissolution of the marriage, combined with a no contact order that is equally binding on both sides.
If there are children involved, the violent partner needs supervision with them (mandated by the courts). That way, men cannot use violence, intimidation or threats without facing consequences and forced change. There should be zero tolerance for violence – with the knowledge that a single episode will change life as they know it.
Other things that might help: more resources for talk therapy, counselling, managing anger, addiction, balancing logic and emotion when choosing a partner, parenting, support systems, learning how to fight fair and manage conflict, evaluating power imbalances, outlets such as exercise and hobbies – and basically anything that builds on strength and security, as opposed to weakness and insecurity.
In spite of all the challenges involved, people continue to fall in love, get married and have children. Praise to all those who manage to gracefully and peacefully exit toxic relationships – and kudos to those who manage to stay in love.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Mainstream media has dealt us a daily dose of polarizing concepts and characters. This creates large followings with rapid and often frenzied exchanges on social media. It causes people to take sides – to draw a proverbial line in the sand. It propels and gives momentum to an intellectual battle that is swinging wildly on a “group think” pendulum. Pick your side – in particular, your allies and basic beliefs, and take it from there. How do we determine what is influencing our thinking? Does it help or hinder us?
As examples of current extremes, we have Jordan Peterson who advocates and teaches bravado and self-responsibility. He is highly educated and has sold millions of books. Yet he himself has not avoided the very pitfalls he preaches against. Wondering where and how he went wrong, is not attacking him. Nor is it about lacking empathy or compassion. It is about opening avenues for edification, discussion and self-awareness. We don’t just learn from our own mistakes. More than anything, we learn from the mistakes of others.
On the other extreme, we have Greta Thunberg, who has become the voice of climate change. She is accusing the adults, mostly the “older generation” and world leaders of not taking responsibility. But she herself has not taken even the most basic responsibility of childhood, which is going to school. It seems to be an obvious and extreme contradiction, yet there is no end to how much the media loves to exalt controversial people and topics.
I will admit that I have followed the news articles on both individuals, but have only a limited knowledge of their points of view. The subject matter after all, in both cases, is vast and complex. Anger, arrogance and elitism are traits coming from both of them. “How dare you” is not about a changing climate. It sounds more like scolding a peon for having the gall to insult their superior.
If we are not for Greta – we are against her. If we do not think she has contributed proportionately to her rise to fame, we are haters and deniers. Only the meanest and crudest of bullies would “attack” an innocent and frail child. In most people’s minds, children should be shielded and protected. This translates to supporting, advancing and protecting her radical ideas. Using Greta as a spokesperson for climate change has done the cause more harm than good. It has deviated from science to be espoused like a fountain by an uneducated young girl. It basically turns it into science fiction, believe it or not.
In reality, we should not put so much weight on anyone’s shoulders. Climate change, human psychology, philosophy, and religion are topics worthy of a wide range of opinions and ideas. Solutions are found through cooperation, openness, learning, sharing knowledge, compromise, and humility. We seek truth and peace more than anything. They are trying to find their own way – and have had much exposure. Let us do the same, and be glad for the anonymity. It brings us closer to an existential moment, as well as a more egalitarian perspective toward our fellow human beings.
I do believe we should all take individual responsibility. But what does that mean? It means vastly different things to different people. Being clean and organized simplifies life and saves time. I will vouch for cleaning your room as being good advice. Having concern and care for animals and the environment are worthwhile values as well. As far as contributing to good – we have lots of options.
For me, the autonomy of our own health care and choices is paramount when it comes to self-responsibility. Therefore I don’t understand how Jordan Peterson reconciled the contradictions surrounding the medication he was taking. He is obviously educated in the field of psychology. One would assume his education and experience included some level of knowledge on psychopharmacology. How does he distance himself from his own knowledge when it comes to the medication he chose to take?
In keeping with the extremes, even the diets of Jordan Peterson and Greta Thunberg are diametrically opposed. He claims to eat only meat, salt and water. She is religiously vegan, and wants others to take the high road and follow the vegan morality. There is almost a graphic metaphor arising from these extreme diet restrictions alone. Do they look healthy, happy and vibrant as a result of their choices? Does it make any sense?
Wouldn’t it be better to eat a balanced diet of whole foods, give up packaged food (for the sake of the environment too)? After that, avoid additives, high salt, high sugar and all processed food, to include meat with nitrates. Reduce the grains and meat, but don’t eliminate any healthy food group unless it does not agree with you.
Why advocate for such extremes for those who have a choice to eat a well-balanced diet? This is especially true for those who are wealthy and famous. But for some reason, it is the wealthy and famous who generate these extreme diets. The outcomes are not usually positive, especially over the long term.
It seems likely that due to our ancestral backgrounds and genetic makeup that we, as individuals have different tolerances for food. I think we should make adjustments according to maximizing the nutrients, which requires lots of variety, not restrictions. But by all means, avoid what does not agree with you, which seldom involves entire categories of food.
Food is not only necessary for survival, but there are many emotional aspects surrounding what we eat as well. I do not believe a person can remain healthy by eating only meat. Our guts are intricately linked with our brains, to include regulating our mood. The micronutrients from plants feed and rebuild the neurochemistry, as well as the function of the digestive system. We need plenty of plant fibre to function.
Some people on strict vegan diets remain healthy, but a higher percentage do not, as it is difficult to get adequate nutrients (protein) on strict vegan diets. Regardless, what we, as adults eat, remains an individual choice. Food choices are altered of course by poverty, availability, emotion, and convenience.
As a Registered Nurse for many years, I observed a great deal of human behaviour, more in sickness than in health. As much as chronic disease is caused by diet and lifestyle, the health care system itself sucks people in. If and when it spits you back out, your life might be altered by side effects and systemic damage. Unfortunately, nurses see many people who are addicted to prescription drugs. Jordan Peterson’s patterns do not reflect his position. Quite the opposite in fact.
We are meant to be kind and compassionate,
but that should not blind us to the obvious. Mercy and discernment are two
different things, and both are important. We have no choice but to make up our
minds about leaders or public figures based on their outward appearances and
behaviors.
If someone is telling us how to live our
life – don’t we have the right to evaluate how he or she is living his or her
life? It is really all we have to go on. The reason it matters is because large
numbers of people are choosing to follow the ideas, talk, advice, accusations,
judgments, etc. of those who become powerful through the development of fame
and followers.
Money has always been the basis of power,
but now what has loomed larger is the “numbers” – not so much in the bank
accounts, but rather, how many followers do they have on social media. Those numbers
are far more transparent than anything else about the person.
An individual’s general appearance matters
because of what we read through body language, energy, vitality, sincerity,
passion, patterns of speech, intonation, etc. For those who work in the field
of mental health – part of the admission and history is to describe the
appearance and mood of the person. People who are decompensating mentally will
often become disheveled with a very flat affect, or else be extremely agitated.
Although both Jordan Peterson and Greta
Thunberg have risen to the level of fame few people will ever achieve, and
deserve a certain amount of credit for their energy and passion – the extremism
is destructive.
The first time Jordan Peterson went for
prescriptions for anxiety and depression – he was making a personal choice.
There are many announcements in the media claiming he took them “exactly as
prescribed” and that they were increased because his wife was diagnosed with
cancer.
But this very description is giving power
to the system and the drug – not to individual responsibility. How can someone
with his level of education not know the risks, especially when taken over a
long period of time? There are adverse effects on the brain and central nervous
system caused by neuroleptic drugs. The extent and depth of this damage is well
known, but not well understood.
The locus of control must come from within.
There is much sympathy for him over his struggles and reasons for them. But we
all face the loss of a loved one. It is part of life. I can certainly
understand why emotional and psychological pain pushes a person toward seeking
help. I can also understand the appeal of anti-anxiety medications. What I
don’t understand is the reluctance to admit that it is a psychological/mental
health issue, not purely a physical one.
Addiction that ravages the soul to the
extent the person is hospitalized is often addiction that has gone on for a
long period of time. Some substances weaken and destroy the health of the
individual faster than others. Although I have only watched snippets of
interviews and video lectures, it is clear to me that Jordan Peterson looked
ill, gaunt, and haunted in many of those images. I do not see a vibrant,
autonomous individual.
In the case of Greta Thunberg – her mental
health issues are pretty much taboo in the mainstream media. Yet Greta
Thunberg’s mother has written a book about it, describing those mental health
issues in detail. Greta must be protected because she is a child. Why turn her
into an adversarial figurehead then?
Like the Petersons, the Thunbergs have been
very public about all these personal struggles. The biggest contradiction is in
that such a troubled young girl has been exalted to such and extent. Her outward appearance is that of an angry,
cynical, rebellious teenager who has yet to sort out family of origin issues,
or even the basic challenges of childhood, let alone being tasked to save the
world from climate change. What planet are we on?
How do we find the healthier and more
stable middle ground? Individual responsibility means that we take care of
ourselves to include our mental health. We cannot stop the bushfires in
Australia, but we can reduce our own individual carbon footprint. Depending on
our circumstances, it could be taking public transport, turning the heat down,
reusing and recycling, setting up businesses with smaller carbon footprints,
reducing pollution and packaging, and reducing the concept of
poly-pharmaceuticals, as just a few examples.
I can honestly say that I wish I followed
my own advice all my life. For years I abused over the counter antihistamines
and pain medication like Ibuprofen. Even as a nurse, I was blasé about it all.
It has only been within the past ten years that I really started to become
cognizant of the damage to the body as a result of mindless pill popping.
The problem with extremism is that it is
polarizing. It creates the greatest possible distance between two ideas or
concepts. But in many ways, the off-balance aspect of extremism lets us see how
similar they are. Fame and fortune does not make the man or woman – it unmasks
them.
Perhaps the greatest vulnerability of all
is to be unmasked in front of the entire world. How we view ourselves versus
how others view us – might be the greatest polarization of all.
A less partisan and more centrist position
is far more stable. Whether you are gaunt and miserable while lecturing the
masses – or sitting waif-like on a boat trying to save the world, how futile
can one be?
Although attention itself seems to have addictive properties, my guess is that fame and fortune is not all it is cracked up to be.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Let’s face it. There are ample ways to
become addicted – not only to substances, but to substitutes for those
substances. Some things are more catastrophic than others, but addiction will
eventually crowd out the more mundane activities of daily living until it
becomes all a person is living for. Yet paradoxically, addiction puts people on
the path of dying – not living.
After reading some excerpts from “Molecules Of Emotion” by molecular biologist Candice Pert, it all seemed quite brilliant and plausible (at first). Then I watched several of her video lectures, and could see that she was very unhealthy. She unwittingly demonstrated an inability to internalize and process what she was teaching. In fact, as time went on, she did deviate away from molecular biology into sort of a new-age spiritualism.
Jordan Peterson has gained widespread fame and sold millions of books telling people how to live, yet in his own life, he went off the rails completely. There can be no greater loss of control than to be put into a medically induced coma in a foreign country. Surely he went through one of the most melodramatic drug treatment protocols anyone has ever heard of. It is another example of the dichotomy of the extremes. Perhaps the dichotomy is what creates the chasm within.
During Candice Pert’s last few videos, she
was obviously in congestive heart failure. She was short of breath just
standing there talking. At a cellular level, she was filling up with fluid –
struggling with a failing circulatory system. By the time she was in her
fifties, she was very overweight and sick. She had an understanding of the
molecules of emotion, but she could not readily apply that knowledge to her own
life.
In Jordan Peterson’s (overt and public) struggle with addiction, we see some glaring contradictions between what he teaches and what he does. Much of it sounds like denial, with a certain amount of death-defying hyperbole. Yet he does look very ill – with a haunting depth to how gaunt and hollow he has become. There is most certainly something wrong.
In his case, there is an excessive preoccupation with death, coming from both himself and his daughter. The entire family seems to have all kinds of rare health conditions, which is often a sign of having co-morbidity factors surrounding mental health. People can become the victims of their own poor health. There is much drama, sympathy and attention as a result.
The unintended, value-added aspect of seeing the progression of addiction of those in the public’s eye, is learning that addiction has no respecter of persons. Fame, high IQ, talent, money, power, success – and all the luxuries life can offer, does not fill the void of a ravaging addiction. Advantages in life might prevent homelessness, but it does not overcome death or unhappiness.
Although Jordan Peterson deserves as much compassion, understanding and encouragement as anyone else – shouldn’t we at least question the wide range of advice he has been giving? Did he veer away from his field of study so much that he became confabulatory? Like morphing into a glossy and opinionated pseudo-intellectual on so many other subjects. He conveys a somewhat disjointed example of the “les miserable” aspect of human psychology. There is a cavernous darkness lurking and beckoning – to the extent it is blocking out the sight of the sun.
Everything from sex education to smoking places the focus on education and knowledge. If we learn about something and study it enough, we can avoid the pitfalls and take a detour around the toxicity that surrounds us, and threatens to suck us into its vortex. Aw – but that is obviously not so! We are blinded by our own sense of invincibility. Every near miss reinforces this notion.
Clearly, when it comes to addiction, knowledge is only one component of a complex equation. How can we know the destructive elements of something and then walk right into it and let it swallow us whole? Once an addictive pattern is established – why is it so hard (and often impossible) to break free? Why do so many people leave rehab only to relapse within a matter of hours?
We think of addiction as being primarily to
drugs and alcohol. But it includes overindulgences around television, video
games, Internet, shopping, excessive exercise, gambling, sex, money, food
(especially sugar) and a multitude of other patterns of behaviors and
substances that increase dopamine in our brains.
We seek mood elevation or escape from everyday responsibilities, whether they are stressful or boring. We have poor tolerance for boredom, drudgery and depression. In reality, peace and stability (boredom) beats chaos and uncertainty. But for some of us, the energy and pulse of addiction is a driving and destructive force.
Statistics affirm that roughly 20% of the population is prone to addiction. But I tend to think such an assessment is based on the more severe cases, and excludes many other types of addictions. After all, addiction is one of the things people become very good at hiding.
We should be aware that every family and
every community is faced with the negative consequences of addiction in one way
or another. The more extreme cases end up on the streets, unable to care for
themselves. Who is to blame for the travesty and loss of dignity? Who can cure
it?
For many, once they fall into the addictive
cycle, it is a very deep pit. Before long, it is like trying to fill a
bottomless void of emptiness within. This exacerbates the person’s sense of
alienation and existential loneliness. There may be many reasons for addiction,
such as childhood trauma, homelessness, bullying, and major losses in life –
yet those vulnerabilities are the reason a person should avoid addictive
substances as opposed to gravitating toward them.
Taking addictive drugs “as prescribed” is
one of the biggest mistakes a person can make. The other thing is that we
cannot separate physiological dependence from psychological dependence.
With almost all addictive substances the
old adage “first it giveth – and then it taketh away” is the one thing we ought
to keep in mind. If we take antidepressants (SSRI’s) for example, they will
speed up the flow of serotonin in our systems, giving the impression of a boost
in mood or energy. But eventually that serotonin is depleted and the dose is
increased to get the same effect. After awhile, the person’s mood becomes flat
as a pancake.
Opiates and benzodiazepines are even worse,
since they both have an immediate gratification similar to alcohol. The anxiety
or pain is alleviated in the short term. But once they wear off, the cycle must
be repeated in ever increasing amounts in order to achieve the same results.
There is no longer a sense of normalcy,
since the substance is required in order to emulate feeling normal. The person must mimic feeling and acting
normal. The perceptions become increasingly skewed. Over time the
malfunctioning starts to become obvious.
Once the central nervous system depends on
the cycle, a person is functioning without full awareness of how all systems of
the body are being hijacked.
What is the answer? First and foremost, we have to learn to accept some depression and dark days. Like the weather, it is not always sunshine and roses. Learning to let negative emotions pass by, and finding ways to ease those times without seeking a mental health diagnosis or drug cure is probably the first step to better coping. Better yet, creating a healthy “feel better” action list to help cope with doldrums.
Just as we can be triggered into negative emotions, we can condition ourselves to appreciate fresh air, a sauna, aromatherapy, a hot bath, talking to a friend, or doing something creative. The beauty of nature is that it is both inspiring and calming to the psyche.
In the past, I was never very good at mindfulness, since I was always thinking about something else, always in the future or the past, and missed the present moment. I was always prone to projecting it, as opposed to absorbing and appreciating it.
In my humble opinion, seeking a mental
health diagnosis is a sure path to being prescribed medications. It would be
cynical to assume that is how doctors keep their patients coming back for more
– but many do. When it comes to health care, a healthy dose of cynicism might
make you better off in the long run.
No matter who we are or what we become – we
will eventually be humbled. The higher we climb, the deeper we fall. Our
intellectual arrogance becomes simultaneously blinding and stupefying.
Famous addicts show us, like actors on a
stage, how we stumble and fall. We are all fallible, susceptible, vulnerable,
and face the unknown. We are better off to have an equality-based perspective
and value for others. When it is based on being special, they are singled out
in a way that robs them of equality. Excessive superiority is not normal. The
flip side is excessive inferiority. Addiction has a strong tendency to flip
sides. From aggressor to victim, or from love to hate, constructive to
destructive and so on…
Insight brings wisdom. Stability, love, support, returning to basic virtues, empathy, and forgiveness – may not be mapped out in text-books, yet they are the true pathways to survival.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
This New Year started with an unprecedented level of global stress culminating in the loss of 176 innocent people in a missile strike that downed a commercial flight. Many of the victims were Canadian.
Clearly we can no longer view these global conflicts as being distant and too far removed from us to touch our own lives. After a decade of pointless platitudes and alarmism around homelessness and the opiate crisis – we suddenly became immersed in the anxiety-provoking concept of a world war.
The scope of these humanitarian crises demonstrate how all losses and indignities touch the lives of people in every country and continent, regardless of our belief systems. The perception of an insular life has evaporated – even for babies and school children.
The Middle East has been the focus of conflict for as long as most of us can remember. We know that in addition to the religious and cultural differences, the reality is – that it is about money and oil. At least that’s the way it has been framed until now. Some things have changed though.
There is a deeper and more chaotic psychological warfare attached to all the recent global conflict. Social media offers a platform for all points of view. But simmering beneath the surface of all the freedom of speech – is a mind-altering snake, equivalent to the most menacing of monsters, lingering in the recesses of our most tortured nightmares.
Reassuringly – much of the twittering is not real. Twitter just went into a frenzy over the possibility of a third world war. As we held our breath – wisdom dictated the unexpected would happen. And it did. It was all based on human error.
At the very onset of the war scare – we saw nothing but human error, gargantuan egos, deception, and things that go against International law. It is difficult to understand how we are expected to embrace all cultures without prejudice in our own countries, while simultaneously read news articles that vilify those same groups of people in the mass of disinformation we are inundated with.
When people immigrate to our country, it is expected they will be treated with respect and have equal rights. How is it that we cannot apply the same logic whether they live in Canada/North America or not?
Whether we ponder the homeless crisis, the opiate deaths, or the conflicts with people from other countries, along with their belief systems – there is an old adage to keep in mind. There are really only two types of people in this world. Contrary to popular belief, it is not based on gender, wealth, or nationality.
The two types of people are those who have been humbled – and those who are yet to be humbled. Make no mistake – Pride is our downfall. When self becomes the monument, the worldview shrinks, and the psyche eventually crumbles. After all, there is not much to worship when it comes to runaway egos filled with illusions of grandeur and paranoid delusions. Only fools and cult-indoctrinated heretics worship that level of stupidity.
Hope therefore – is to be found in humility. Arrogance and ignorance go hand in hand. For many people, the sting of betrayal bruises and wounds us to the depth of our soul. But no amount of deception can eradicate the truth. Humility helps us open our eyes to truth.
Therein lies the real hope for what appears to be a hapless world. All life is precious. We do not have the right to exalt ourselves above others. True leaders are able to lead with confidence in their own values, and a sober knowledge of their own mortality. A true visionary sees beyond the ninth hole of his next golf game.
We have no guarantees in life. No one can be accused of stealing the future. Extremism, whether to the left or to the right – is rooted in elitism. The centrist point of view is much more tolerant and stable. Extremism is like a pendulum swinging erratically from one side to the other. In reality, the polarization of these extremes shows they have far more in common than not.
Without humility, we lose all hope. A dose of humility brings us closer to forgiveness. We are all prone to human error. It is not wise to follow the whims of media and political personalities steeped in deception and elitism. We all have the capacity to discern truth. There is no authoritarian power that can overcome the truth. For that much we can be thankful and confident in the future – regardless of what happens.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
The use of essential oils dates back to the beginning of time. It stands to reason they were recorded in the oldest civilizations in the world. Egypt, India, China and Greece have used them throughout history for culinary purposes, healing and beauty treatments. Without a doubt, they date back to the earliest gardens, study of plants, and were reverently collected and highly valued.
The Bible has hundreds of references to a wide array of essential oils. They were often brought as gifts to be used as anointing oils during prayers and ceremonies. They were also used in a therapeutic manner for healing various ailments. There are verses with instructions on which oils to gather and the ratios for mixing them. Some of the oils they mention are: Sandalwood, hyssop, frankincense, myrrh, cassia, cyprus, cinnamon, juniper, myrtle, and spikenard.
Oregano oil is well known for its efficacy in treating infections and allergies. Cypress and thyme also have antimicrobial properties. Frankincense is being studied in Europe and is being recognized for improving immune system function. Conventional medicine is starting to accept the attributes of certain essential oils. They are no longer dismissed as alternative medicine.
As a word of caution, essential oils are not meant to be taken internally. They are a highly distilled and concentrated essence of certain plants. When buying them, go to a reputable place, take a light loupe, and read the fine print. Some essential oils have toxins in them, and in other cases they are diluted and mixed with another cheaper oil.
With the exception of oregano oil, tea tree oil and lavender oil, it took me awhile to expand my horizons and start using more of them on a regular basis. I have always been of the opinion that fresh air is better than trying to cover it with some kind of fragrance. It seemed to me that some aromatherapy, along with the misting gadgets – is sort of like air freshener, which I am not a fan of. But once I began to differentiate the real essential oils and gather a few more of them, their benefits started to make more sense.
Another word of caution is that most essential oils are very strong. They can be mixed with olive oil or coconut oil to be used as a massage or bath oil. Since the olfactory nerves are in such close proximity to the brain, breathing in the strong aroma of certain oils is quite invigorating and interesting. I wanted to be able to learn to identify each of the fragrances. How many people know what myrrh smells like? So while in a candle lit, quiet, hot bath – I will rub a certain oil on my hands, and then cup my hands over my face and breathe it in. Similar to training the ear to recognize musical notes, we can train our sense of smell to identify different plants.
When you do this kind of close encounter with distilled essential oils, you have to be careful not to touch your skin or eyes. I love the smell of wild roses and lavender, but thyme and cyprus is especially woodsy and strong. Cyprus, thyme, and eucalyptus oils are perfect for the cold and flu season.
In addition to the relaxation, pleasant aromas and spiritual benefits – there are micro benefits in using these oils. Some of them have antimicrobial, anti viral and anti fungal properties. Since they are distilled chemical compounds, I have often wondered if certain essential oils can alter neurochemistry, specifically dopamine and serotonin, if used on a regular basis. This would be very helpful in treating addiction, depression and possibly other mental health disorders.
The best thing we can do for ourselves is to maintain autonomy over our own health. We do so on an individual level by learning and discerning what things are good for us – and what things to avoid. It is a good idea to include some research on essential oils, and how you might incorporate them into your self care routine.
If you don’t have time to collect a few bottles of essential oils and you do catch a cold or flu during the holiday season – get yourself an old fashioned jar of Vicks VapoRub. Although it doesn’t go back to Biblical times, it was introduced in 1905 as Vick’s Magic Croup Salve and rebranded as Vicks VapoRub in 1912.
Breathe Easy. And Happy Holidays!
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Though we have an unspoken adage surrounding this topic with “never the twain shall meet” between the two – in actual fact, mental and physical well-being are wholly and inextricably linked. For example, the proverbial hard driven Type A personality, with high blood pressure, is prone to having a heart attack or stroke. Yet for some reason, he is not considered mentally ill, even though he may have been told what the outcome would be, ten or twenty years ago, when he walked into a doctor’s office with a blood pressure of 220/110 – or got diagnosed with atrial fib or Type 2 diabetes while in his fifties.
In addition to medication, this Type A person would be told that if they don’t change their lifestyle – they are high risk when it comes to being a statistic for a leading cause of death. Almost every illness created or worsened by lifestyle factors – should also be called a mental illness, because thinking is what leads to behaviours. Repressing emotions can be just as sickening – as oppressing, regressing, or expressing them.
Every single human being gets physically ill from time to time. When you add accidents, sports injuries, falls, pulled tendons and ligaments, burns, iatrogenic, idiopathic, and chronic illnesses – the range of physical ailments we and our loved ones are faced with, is a cringing fact of life. Yet, from bumps and bruises, to life altering disabilities – the resilience of the body and mind, will dust off what we can, and get back in the saddle.
When a person develops a physical ailment – they are not automatically labeled for life as being “physically ill”. Why wouldn’t we apply the same transient logic to the many facets of mental illness as well? Certain diseases, injuries or events – cause life altering disabilities, but in most cases, people get over their colds and broken bones – and carry on. The same goes for most of the psychological hurdles and hardships we face.
Considering the credibility of the DSM manual is steadily decreasing, as it increases in volume, it is time for the industry (and general public) to pause and take stock. Inventing and adding new mental health disorders by the dozens is highly questionable, and is finally being challenged by many altruistic and educated professionals in the field.
The DSM has been designed so that any person who goes in for an evaluation or screening, would be considered to have at least one of those burgeoning 347 mental health disorders. Truthfully, a somewhat scatter-brained manual is growing like a stage four glioblastoma. If they continue to invent and add more illnesses to the book at the same rate, by 2030, there should be around 500 mental health disorders for society to contend with.
What the average person might not know, is that they are coming up with these diseases without any diagnostic criteria whatsoever. No wonder the entire field is frequently being called junk pseudoscience by a growing number of educated people and organizations. How do they come up with all these disorders? They simply get together, make them up, give them a name; and then vote to add these new disorders to the book (in their own best interests of course). Who can escape being mentally ill at that rate?
Anxiety and depression are considered to be mental illnesses. Who – in their right mind, has not experienced anxiety and depression at some point in their lives?? Are we all nuts? Or is the DSM a true extension, and example of what is bat shit crazy? Yes the human mind is very complex. In fact, the brain and the mind are not exactly the same either. Who are they to be judge and jury over how another person processes their experiences, thoughts and emotion? Most professionals in the mental health field are more nuts than the general population. That much HAS been proven.
Why are they being so sickening around the subject of mental health? Pure profit motive underlies the growing fiasco. Worse yet, like they did with Oxycontin, it is a way to get innocent people struggling with what could be little more than temporary sniffles, into a lifelong battle with drugs, side effects, and increasing marginalization around being “mentally ill”. But ironically, mental illness is still not compared to physical illness. The industry itself is more than happy to label and stigmatize people for life.
How does a psychiatrist, having never before met a person, and using zero diagnostic criteria – have a ten or fifteen minute conversation, and then pull some diagnosis out of his hat? Ten different psychiatrists would probably have ten different opinions. Every single one of them would be inclined to sling prescription meds at the poor person to top it off, whether they need them or not. It becomes alarming, when they start making these assumptions without any criteria, or even manifestations or documentation of overt maladaptive behaviours. Who can honestly say they are not motivated by profit, ego, politics, or their own distorted values – when they make their rash judgements?
The reason people are supposed to be referred to a psychiatrist by a GP or family doctor, is because many mental health disorders have an underlying physical cause. Also, a family doctor who knows the person, is more likely to recognize atypical behaviours or symptoms. It is up to the GP to rule out physical causes first and foremost. Therefore no psychiatric diagnosis can be made, without first doing some physical diagnostics and baseline tests.
For example, hypothyroidism causes depression. Idiopathic dystonic movement disorders might start with anxiety or panic attacks. Parkinson’s disease, MS, diabetes, and hormonal imbalances are often signalled by depression, withdrawal, and a loss of motivation. The list goes on an on, especially as people age. Even a urinary tract infection in an elderly person can lead to delirium.
During the years I worked in community mental health, the correlation between physical and mental health was very obvious. In the mental health system, when people would get physically sick, they would quickly decompensate mentally as well. If we are honest with ourselves, we know that when we are physically ill, we soon battle depression.
There is an entire spectrum surrounding drugs of choice, when it comes to substance abuse. But when you consider that a very high percentage of opiate users started out with prescription pain pills, in order to medicate a physical injury – what does that tell us? Substance abuse is one of the most debilitating and life threatening mental health disorders, yet the person often started out with physical pain and symptoms.
In the case of drugging children who are diagnosed with ADHD, with Ritalin and Adderall, because these are stimulants – the corresponding street drugs are Meth and Ecstasy. How many kids diagnosed with ADHD started crushing and snorting those meds as early as grade six? How many of them were misdiagnosed to begin with?
Heavy cocaine use will cause cardiac arrhythmias and stroke. Alcohol eventually causes liver disease, GI bleeds, and a host of other co-morbidity factors. So why do we continually separate physical illness and mental illness?
When people are ill, it is usually temporary. If they are permanently ill, they are terminal, or unable to overcome whatever it is that has struck them down. People with a mental health diagnosis do not need to be permanently ill. In the case of any diagnostics, a physical exam, to rule out a physical cause, is the first step taken by a prudent GP. The importance of evaluating physical health, diet, exercise, substance abuse, side effects of medications, and external circumstances – cannot be underestimated, before making a mental health referral.
If there is a debilitating and disorganized thought disorder, threats of violence to self or others, abnormal and disruptive behaviours, and the inability to self-care – those are the real parameters of mental illness. We need to stop permitting the labelling of every human struggle as a permanent disease condition. Every time we hear that someone is mentally ill, we thing of a deranged and dishevelled person staggering around and babbling incoherently.
Why is mental illness stigmatized as such? Are you still labeled as being physically ill, from a bout of bronchitis two years ago? The medical and pharmaceutical industry is responsible for stigmatizing mental illness. Someone needs to oversee how and why they are creating all these new illnesses to add to the DSM manual. It’s all for profit – and in most cases, they are also exploiting the vulnerabilities that led the person to their doors in the first place.
We are either all mentally ill due to past experiences with depression, anxiety, grief, substance abuse, insomnia, hyperactivity, etc.etc. Or in truth, very few people are permanently mentally ill. For those who are permanently disabled for mental health reasons, they will most certainly have some sort of movement disorder due to the medications they must take, which signals a direct effect on the basal ganglia of the brain ( a physical problem). Therefore the long term treatment must also include what the treatment itself is doing to the body, brain, and central nervous system. Do they care? Or do they just keep adding more?
Mental health professionals frequently overlook physical causes of mental health disorders because they themselves are uneducated and lack experience medically, when it comes to physical health. How many psychiatrists take a person’s blood pressure, or will pull out a lab req, before they make their diagnosis and order heavy duty psychoactive drugs?
The law denies insanity pleas, because the law defines the knowledge of right and wrong, as being a key parameter in determining culpability. Therefore, insanity pleas are usually no excuse when it comes to thieving and violent crime. Otherwise all property crime related to getting enough money for the next fix, would be deemed a mental health issue. If they do decriminalize drugs, surely they won’t decriminalize violent crime or property crime, claiming the person was compelled to be aggressive due to substance abuse. Yet the crime rate is a direct result of the substance abuse disorder.
If drugs are decriminalized, there has to be a way to prevent the crime that is secondary to those addictions. In the bigger picture, we cannot overlook the fact that physical and mental health represents an integrated set of systems within the body – one that has a rippling effect on families, the workplace, and the communities. In a similar way, illness and toxicity is spread to encompass a wider legal and social challenge.
Therefore an orientation to a more holistic approach is warranted, not just in the three spheres that are charted on mental health records – but on a half a dozen other spheres, extending to families and communities. Various societal influences, indirectly deceive us into creating our own “egosystems” and “ergosystems” out of their skewed drug-induced sales pitch. It’s both an excuse and a blame game – to fully and completely crush the vulnerable, since that is how those who exalt themselves stay “high” on the totem pole in the hierarchy of life. They readily judge others, without considering their own fragile state.
It’s all so complicated – few know where to even begin to bring it all together for the common good. One of the first questions we might ask ourselves; is what is the polarized opposite of vulnerability and shame? Arrogance and blame. Arrogance itself is a common delusion, and known as one of the dark traits of human nature. In truth, it is an attempt to cover insecurity and deception.
If we must blame, it really should be backed with some empirical evidence and accountability. But who is capable of taking on big egos or Big Pharma? Who can deny the need for medication, when it is initially prescribed by a doctor? By the sounds of it, the average middle aged person cannot go anywhere for a week without taking along his or her plethora of medications. Once prescribed – there is a duty to take the medicine. When a person is diagnosed with cancer, to include false mammogram readings, there is an immediate duty to treat and follow doctor’s orders. Pre-screening carries more hazards than benefits.
The only solution is to start teaching people to take responsibility for their own health and well-being. Autonomy does not equate to blind trust – by allowing ourselves to become human market potential. Yes we all need help from time to time, if we can afford or even find a qualified, and sincere professional. But the DSM model of inventing diseases and making people sick, instead of concentrating on wellness, is a profit driven model, prone to exploiting those who are struggling with a temporary problem.
The growing trend around volunteer peer counselling and education to equip people to do peer counselling, is a very positive trend. It is geared toward empathy and compassion, as opposed to the crumbling DSM criteria. It is more equality based, much cheaper, probably deeper – and every bit as effective as expensive counselling sessions, if not more so. Talk therapy does not have to cost the system $150.00 an hour. After all – most of us know how to talk! It takes a big whack on the head – before they can take that much away from us.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
The Vedder River South Rotary Trail has multiple side trails joining it to the Browne Creek Wetlands, the South Dyke Trail, and the Peach Creek Trail. This particular trail is eight kilometres. This morning I walked to the railway bridge and snapped a few photos along the way. It’s a pleasant walk dominated only by the songbirds and sound of the flowing water.
A meandering strollRailway bridgeStreet Creek foot bridgeChecking out what is under the bridge…The main graffiti trollSpoof troll on the other sideSo many faces!
The 10,000 steps a day became a popular marketing platform a few years ago when it was the rage to use pedometers. Now there are watches and a variety of wrist trackers that record all activity, resting pulse rate, increase in pulse rate with each activity, hours of sleep, calendar alerts, fitness goals, calories consumed, etc. You can download all of this information onto your computer or phone each day, in order to set up a sophisticated training program.
So the pedometers have been surpassed by more comprehensive fitness trackers. But the 10,000 steps a day should not be left in the dust, or in the drawer, with all the other dusty old-fashioned gadgets. They can still help you track your steps, and increase them incrementally as per your goals. According to most fitness recommendations, one should aim to increase the number of steps by 500 per week. There is so much to see.
There are benefits to setting goals and for most people, it is motivating to track those goals – whether it is for fitness, counting calories, or both. Some websites claim that for many people 10,000 steps a day is not realistic. But considering most people walk 2000-3000 steps a day anyway, it is not the least bit unrealistic to increase it to 5,000 and then over a period of time, to 10,000.
Depending on a person’s stride, 10,000 steps is four to five miles. A shorter walking stride measures out to 4.4 miles. A ten kilometre run or walk, is six miles, which most people can manage, especially if the terrain is flat. The objective is to not only do those 10K walks for fund raising events, but to make it a habit at least five days of the week.
The other factor is time. It takes time to walk five or six miles a day. If you are a brisk walker, you will need to spend about ninety minutes out walking, and for slower walkers, a couple of hours. Considering it is healthy to get at least two hours of fresh air each day, setting the 10,000 steps as a goal, includes a daily dose of sunshine and fresh air.
Recently I have been walking the Rotary and Vedder River trails in Chilliwack, after living and walking on Haida Gwaii, and then in Vancouver for many years. After living on West Broadway and walking the Broadway corridor in Vancouver for several years, it is a breath of fresh air to be walking the river and dyke trails, with the river on one side, mountain views, and lush farmland with horses, goats, cattle, ducks, herons, on a well kept trail network. It is a walkers dream paradise!
Until I got out of the city, I did not realize how many things you have to watch out for when walking in the city. Right turning cars will often approach the intersections without stopping, while simultaneously looking to the left. Many of them ignore the fact it is a green light for the pedestrians, so you have to pay attention and wait until you know if they are paying attention.
A similar situation occurs when vehicles stop or pull forward to get a better view of traffic, and block the crosswalk on a pedestrian green light. Often, your only choice is to walk behind the vehicle. However, left turning traffic may not see you coming out from behind a truck or SUV when they take that twenty second window when there is a break in the traffic, to make a left turn.
The worst and most hazardous in my opinion, though – are the cyclists on the sidewalks. It’s not so bad if they are considerate and go slow while illegally riding on the sidewalk. But many of them do the opposite. They barrel down the centre of the sidewalk expecting people to get out of their way. And worse yet, will cycle down the Broadway corridor like a bat out of hell, weaving between pedestrians, dogs, strollers, people with walkers – and you or I – who might just be side-stepping or veering away from something on the sidewalk at that moment.
Each time a cyclist narrowly misses running into you from behind, you cannot help but think how crazy and unsafe it is for an adult to ride a bike very fast, down the middle of a sidewalk. There have been countless pedestrian injuries as a result. For those cyclists who think it is safer, hitting a pedestrian, a plate glass window, a bus stop, a dog on a leash, or getting thrown into oncoming traffic – defies logic.
As a matter of fact, many city cyclists will go from the sidewalk to the road or the road to the sidewalk without warning. They will cycle on the pedestrian crosswalks even if they are crowded. At the Kits beach crossings, they often will not even stop when they are cycling on the road and there is a red light, once again, narrowly missing or intimidating pedestrians who are trying to cross the road on a walk light.
If you walk a fair bit in Vancouver, you will soon realize that some cyclists are considerate and obey rules, while many do not. Therefore, you have to keep a wary eye to anticipate what they might do next, since there is no rhyme or reason to the way they operate. Some of them have attitude, like everyone but them are lard asses, and burning fossil fuels. They got their lard asses, ass backwards somehow!
A far-out country trail network, happens to be ideal for cyclists, horse back riders and pedestrians. I would have expected way more cyclists to be riding the trails out here. But so far, not one of them has dominated the trails, or come up fast behind me without warning. Trail blazers of all types, are much more polite, even though, in this case – they have every right to be on the trails. Oddly enough, I guess it makes some “less wobbly” sense – and might tie into stories describing the differences between the city mouse and the country mouse.
The same goes for horses. I have not had to condition myself for being startled by a horse either. And when I see them coming – I don’t want to startle them either! It works both ways!
It just goes to show you – we can’t take those 10,000 steps for granted. Every worthwhile goal has its hurdles. I suppose when it is salmon season, there will be bears along the riverbanks too. I actually think they are safer than city cyclists on the sidewalk – since being in the country tends to make us both shy away from close encounters! After all, common sense dictates we must avoid hazards, if we are going to stick to the goal of reaching 10,000 steps a day!
Since human beings have been prone to cooking up deceptive deals since the beginning of time – what then, is a conspiracy theorist? The term seems to revolve around enmity and paranoia, but at the same time, wouldn’t it be naive and stupid to believe there are no conspiracies at all? Probably the root of most conspiracies is greed and profit motive, with a disregard for truth, to the detriment of individuals, families, communities, and the environment.
One common conspiracy theory revolves around vaccines. On one extreme, there are people who believe all vaccines are harmful, and therefore they refuse all vaccines. On the other hand, we have gone from four vaccines at birth to more than a dozen, in just a few decades. Since vaccines (and all drugs) carry some risks, it makes sense to weigh out and reduce the risks.
If a baby is pre-term or sick, it makes sense to delay or spread the vaccines out over a longer period of time. It also seems prudent to have concerns about mercury and other adjuncts contained in vaccines. One of the best immune boosters for newborns is colostrum and breast milk. Although I think some of the newer vaccines might be questionable, it is probably not a good idea to reject all vaccines.
The one world order is another popular conspiracy theory, which seemed quite plausible to me for a period of time – but I now believe it is bogus fear mongering. The chances of a group of leaders becoming unified enough to take over the world is pretty far-fetched. Nations will always have conflicts, wars, and religious and cultural differences. What are the chances those differences would be reconciled enough to create a one world government?
The 911 terrorist attacks in New York sparked more questions than answers. However, terrorist attacks happen all over the world. Regardless of who initiated the terrorist attack – it is still a terrorist attack. Certain countries are targeted more frequently than others, but there is no doubt that such attacks are based on the conspiracies of certain deranged individuals working together. Five minutes of listening to Alex Jones, and we need to be deprogrammed.
Do I believe in a unified conspiracy theory? Not at all. Mostly because it is next to impossible to get people unified on any topic, let alone things that are next to impossible to prove. But as far as conspiracies in general – we are a society prone to deception. What is conspiracy, but an inclination for some advantage-seeking people to create plots to deceive others?
Conspiracies are sort of like weeds in the garden. Truth and goodness will not be choked out by an overgrowth of deception in any realm. In the meantime, wisdom dictates that we don’t foolishly allow ourselves to be deceived. Discernment is valuable. Blind trust is not. Those who refuse to be duped are not conspiracy theorists. Sometimes our definitions become a little skewed and all encompassing, when we are simply navigating our own best interests in a complex world.
In the end, I think we will all be surprised at the amount of deception in this world. In all likelihood, the greatest deception and conspiracies will be in areas we did not see or even contemplate. Such is the nature of deception.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2020). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
There is no therapist that can speak to us like nature does. The air is fresh with the smell of spring blossoms and the wafting of woodsmoke from the nearby campsites. There is no arrogance in her breath taking beauty and quiet tranquility. There is no desire to compete with the sound of rushing waters. She sets her own goals – and all we have to do is stick to the trails. These pictures are of Vedder River in Chilliwack, BC.
Vedder RiverRotary Trail on Vedder RiverVedder River Rotary TrailOther Side of South Dyke TrailVedder Rotary TrailSouth Dyke TrailNear the South Dyke TrailJourney to the Farm Store
The vast majority of people by the time they reach college, do not believe there is such a thing as objective reality. Truth is supposed to correspond with reality. However, in actual fact – we are steeped in relativism. Only images, impressions, preferences and perceptions form a concept of truth. We live in an illusory world, where countless mixed motives are vying for the perceptions of truth. All throughout history, various theories gradually turn into facts, whether they correspond with reality or not.
There are 4200 religions in the world today. Within those conceptual frameworks and belief systems, there are layers of differences in what people believe to be true, even if they belong to or believe in the same religion. When you extrapolate the number of different ideas of what is true based on religion alone, it grows exponentially. The war between truths then – is the war between relativism, and objective or corresponding truths. The correspondence theory of truth means that truth corresponds to reality.
What is the definition of “ism”? An ism is a set of beliefs, which are especially subject to disapproval of certain segments of the population. Isms are used to form nouns that represent layers of social, political, or religious beliefs. We all have vague ideas surrounding definitions of fascism, liberalism, ageism, racism, sexism, classicism, and many other isms related to ideas, concepts and theories.
The problem is that isms are then connected to a sense of inferiority and economic vulnerability. The notion that the higher class, the superior, and dominance oriented stance is based on religious beliefs, gender, power, or economic status is a method of control. Dominance and control is not about love. It is about the ongoing self-serving interests of those who exert power over others for personal gain.
In actual fact, power, control and dominance come from a place of deep insecurity. Fascism dictates power over the lives of others. It is a representation of strong, autocratic, dictatorial and oppressive control over others, not just the behaviour – but the actual thought, belief and opinions of others. Why? Because isms lead to insecurities. When controlling personalities or political ideologies are faced with instability or lack of confidence – they project their wrath and blame others.
Since objective reality is so scarce – how does one define delusional? Delusional means that beliefs are not based in reality, or have been founded upon faulty or mistaken judgement. There are extreme delusional cases in mental health, where people believe they are being chased by aliens, or have bugs crawling on them, or they may have auditory and visual hallucinations.
But in the absence of a loss of touch with reality – who has the right to control, demonize or diagnose another person’s intellect, thoughts and beliefs? Are they layered? Absolutely. There is no belief system or ism that is not layered with multiple concepts, ideas, memories and experiences. If delusional is applied to one person’s belief system – then it applies to all.
The poor person is not delusional simply because he or she is poor or facing economic vulnerability. The disabled person is not delusional because of illness or a physical disability. Yet the disadvantaged are far more likely to be labeled as such. Women, especially single women, poor people, Aboriginal people, and those with disabilities are also most likely to be labeled and medicated for their beliefs and/or vulnerabilities.
When it comes to corporate fascism and human rights abuses – the rich man is not considered to be delusional for some unknown reason. Yet he may be the most delusional one of all. He lacks insight. He is incoherent in rational thought, because he will not be challenged. He is a con artist, yet he has set up so many layers of protection, he sees himself as being invincible. He will not admit wrongdoing, or expose any vulnerabilities. Power is probably the number one delusion of all time. We only need to look at some of the political leaders to see the range of self-exaltation and delusion among the rich and powerful.
Power is delusional because it is often arrived at as a result of deception. If power is achieved through a series of foundational lies – it is sure to crumble. Abuse of power means the person will lose that power. All it takes is a single stroke. It could be a stroke of the pen, a stroke of ballots, a stroke of bad luck, a stroke of God’s wrath, or a stroke – as in a hemorrhagic brain aneurysm, and that person’s reign of power is gone – like chaff in the wind. Then, they await the final judgment day. In the meantime, their reality changes, and their delusion is not sustainable.
So who in their right mind abuses power and uses deception and coercion to oppress the poor and the vulnerable for personal gain and exaltation? Lots of people do. It is a rampant problem, which has led to countless conflicts, wars, and loss of human rights and potential. Those who abuse power do so at their own peril – yet they lack insight into the basic principles and guidelines surrounding morality in human behaviour, such as the golden rule. They see themselves as vastly superior. Is that not a central symptom of delusional thinking? Once they completely lose their health, mobility or cognitive function – they will not even be able to take a shower or go to the bathroom on their own. What makes anyone so delusional as to believe they are exempt from the natural laws of the universe?
Is a god-like, self exalted, profit driven doctor, or a rich and ruthless executive exempt from natural laws and loss of power? Prestige and position is temporary. Wisdom dictates that they should not abuse their power while they have it. There are consequences when it comes to the abuse of power for personal gain. No matter what they get away with in life, it does not mean they won’t get a multi-infarct dementia or have a heart attack. Do they really think they will maintain power over others once that happens? Isn’t it better to make decisions in life with some integrity, so that when you do exit the world of power, dominance and control – you have hope of mercy and compassion – instead of wrath and judgement?
The age of relativism, or the impressions of truth, do not portray an accurate representation of reality. In fact, the greatest intellectual question of all time – is to define what is truth. One lecturer proved a point about eye witnesses being able to provide truth as evidence in a trial. During his speech, he had an actor unexpectedly run in front of him on the stage, and wave his hands in front of his face, then run away.
The lecturer stopped his lecture and began to ask people in the small audience what just happened. Five out of five people who witnessed this, believed the man had slapped or slapped at the speaker. In reality, there was no slapping involved. The speaker did this exercise to prove a point about eye witness testimonies.
One of the most powerful representations of the altered perception fact is demonstrated by some of the Mount Everest disasters. The book by Jon Krakauer “Into Thin Air” is a journalistic non-fiction account of one of the greatest tragedies on Mount Everest. The ill fated 1996 expedition was one of the worst climbing disasters of all time, where a freak storm and a series of human error, led to the death of eight climbers. Although the book became a best seller, there was much controversy about the truth or objective reality surrounding the events that took place.
On that particular expedition, Russian climber Boukreev was portrayed by Krakauer as having made many mistakes. In fact, the experienced high altitude Russian climber saved three lives because he had the experience and foresight to make decisions that were not understood by the novice journalist.
In addition, the lack of oxygen and extreme weather conditions did give each individual a unique perspective, since it was a matter of location, hardship, survival and individual peril. Boukreev refuted many of Krakaeur’s statements, claiming in different interviews that he was haunted by the falsehoods. Krakauer ended up making a lengthy addendum to his book, in an attempt to explain the differences of perception.
Boukreev then co-authored a book “The Climb” Tragic ambitions on Mount Everest, depicting his version of the climb, which was quite different from the journalists point of view. He was ultimately vindicated when he was awarded the David Sowles Award, the highest mountaineering award for courage, due to the fact he saved the lives of other climbers. What could be a better representation of truth than to risk one’s life to save others? Those people are alive because of him, and surely they believe it.
Sadly, only a year later Boukreev, at age 39, was killed in an avalanche during a high altitude winter climb. His final poetic tribute is perhaps a demonstration of the old adage “to thine own self be true”.
May your spirit rise higher than mountains! I have returned from my Fall expeditions and all my pain of the Summer has lifted somewhat from my spirit into the crystal air of the Himalaya. Compelled: in that world you may know yourselves and beauty that is eternal. The very best to you in the coming year.
Anatoli Boukreev Santa Fe, New Mexico January 1, 1997
To those who are fascist and delusional about power – when their end comes, the spirit is not lifted, but rather it is weighted down with that anchor of delusion, as it faces the ultimate defeat. Defeat in death is only defeat, if it is accompanied with self-exalted, destructive delusions and lies. Otherwise, just as Boukreev predicted – his spirit will be lifted to an eternal beauty. The choices we make on a day to day basis, and the way in which we treat others, has eternal ramifications. Make no mistake, since that is the essence of faulty thinking – and the eventual judgement people bring upon themselves.
Did Anatoli Boukreev know he would be gone shortly after he wrote those words? Who knows? But he did know the truth about the human spirit, the concept of eternity, and what it means to rise above it. He came to this conclusion as a result of a passion for mountain climbing.
Some people might believe such behaviours exhibit a death wish, or foolish risk taking. But none of us gets to dictate or control the actions or outcomes of another human being. If we can eradicate that single delusion surrounding power, dominance and control – surely the world would be a better place. There are more mountains in the human mind – than anywhere else in the Universe. Some traverse the deepest crevasse – without even realizing it. They lack the intrinsic courage to look up, or down – until it is too late. Delusion is not only a state of mind – it affects others to the detriment of spirit and truth – from which there is no escape.
Recently I was chatting with a neighbour in Kitsilano, who was telling me about some of the changes her 93 year old mother was going through. She was still living independently, and spent most of the year in Vancouver, and the summers in the Okanagan. The big change was that she was selling one of her properties and starting to plan for assisted living.
A few years ago, this dynamic lady began to have problems with her balance, so she started using a walker. Her habit has been to get out there with her walker and walk the seawall three times a week. She also makes a point of getting up, dressed, and getting out every day to run errands. It is an inspiration to hear the testimonies of people who manage to stay balanced into their nineties!
Another person in the community, who is in his eighties now, is finally ready to retire he said, but he still kept some of his tools, because he will always have work to do. In spite of getting injured in a fall, he made a full recovery, has an excellent memory, and is looking forward to the future. I joked with him about going swimming to stay in shape. He scoffed and laughed at the suggestion. He said he is going to start swimming in the afterlife. Although he is fairly active, apparently swimming in this life, is not for him.
Physical balance and athleticism is something many of us take for granted when we are young, because we have good innate balance. However, many things can affect our balance. Aging, obesity, drugs, certain medical conditions, and alcohol are the top culprits that can have an adverse effect on our balance.
Every one of life’s struggles today is viewed as a mental illness. Those who are too fat or too thin – are considered to have a psychiatric disorder (eating disorder). Substance abuse – addictions to nicotine, alcohol and other drugs sickens 30% of the population. Grief is now considered a mental health disorder, along with all symptoms of depression. Insomnia, anxiety, and social withdrawal are also on the disease list.
Internet use, gambling, phobias, active children, and hundreds of other thoughts and behaviours, are now added to the rap-sheet of mental health disorders. They even go so far as to say there are unknown and hidden mental health disorders. In the absence of destructive and disruptive over behaviours, no one should be accused of being mentally ill. The false accusation has been used to punish, control, gain assets, and destroy lives. Greed and pharmaceutical profit motive has caused the system to go off the rails. There is no balance when it comes to making people sick, who were not sick to begin with.
There are now a walloping 347 mental health disorders, when not that long ago, there was less than 50. The field is literally inventing and adding new diseases all the time. Since there is no real diagnostic criteria for these diseases, there is no curtailing this madness. It used to be that the practitioner had to list abnormal and disruptive behaviours, in order to make a diagnosis.
But now they simply pull a diagnosis out of their hat, which would not be so alarming if it was not immediately accompanied with coercing a person into taking toxic medications. It is based on pure profit motive – and has nothing to do with compassion, therapy, healing, recovery or a treatment plan. They are blowing it, when it comes to the Hippocratic Oath – “first do no harm”. What a sick joke.
Their very first inclination is to do harm, and they do so knowing it will become a crippling and debilitating downhill slide for the person. After all – making people sick and drug dependant, is what keeps people coming back (and keeling over). How many lives have been destroyed by an ever increasing chemical soup, fatal adverse drug reactions, life altering loss of cognitive function, and often permanent movement disorders – along with a myriad of other side effects. For what?
In fact, every human condition related to emotions, conflicts, victimization, aggression, selfishness, difference of opinion, setting boundaries, etc. are subjected to the disease, and the motivation to medicate for profit model. In actual fact, healthy boundaries are a central requirement in maintaining balance. So what does a person do when an aggressive and self-centred person will not accept a boundary? It is not the victim of such behaviours who is sick. Power imbalances, scapegoating and victim blaming is rampant, and very difficult to overcome.
How do we overcome this imbalance of turning every struggle into a disease? One of the methods to increase dopamine in our brains, as well as to reduce anxiety, is to create to do lists. This makes sense because those daily lists equate to actions and habits. Like physical well-being, mental wellness includes daily to do lists in order to keep balanced. It is relatively easy to get unbalanced, or develop bad habits that affect our health.
The value of a healthy whole food diet and daily exercise cannot be underestimated. Nutrition and exercise probably have the greatest influence on increasing dopamine and serotonin levels. Whole foods are loaded with micro nutrients and do not have the mood altering additives that are in many packaged foods. Exercise and whole foods help keep our weight in a normal range, and also keeps us fit, so we can manage whatever heavy lifting we are faced with in every day living. The discovery of the second brain in the gut reinforces the importance of keeping the gut bacteria healthy. I once read a quote that went something like this: “If you want to know if your brain is getting flabby – feel your legs”.
For some people maintaining balance is not too difficult, because a percentage of people came from loving supportive families. Many people have been cared for their entire lives, and have not had to struggle financially, or with childhood trauma. It doesn’t mean they will never get depressed or have to deal with grief – but if the system is balanced, it is easier to return to balance and stability, as opposed to spiralling out of control. It is interesting to note that at least half the people with serious addictions describe having come from loving, supportive families. Clearly there is more to it all than meets the eye.
On the flip side, experiencing trauma, poverty, grief, trials, and tribulations make us better equipped to deal with difficulties when they do occur. If we are able to get through them intact – we know we can deal with difficulties again. The experiences can increase our resilience. It is similar to those who stay in good physical shape, and then have an injury, big surgery, or gain weight in later life. Even our muscles have memory, and all that prior exercise benefits us throughout the process of recovery and/or weight loss.
The individual is the one most responsible for maintaining health and well-being. This is not to say illness or accidents are the fault of the individual, but the autonomy of the individual is paramount to any recovery. Although many people do need help from time to time – there is no one else who can make the adjustments that lead to a balanced lifestyle. For all changes and adaptations we must make throughout the course of our lives to remain healthy – the locus of control must come from within. This fact does not undermine the spiritual aspects of prayer and surrender. It means that personalities, decisions and choices are highly individual, and change starts from within.
For example, you can put a person on suicide watch, which may avert a crisis temporarily – but it will not alleviate the person’s suffering. People cannot be constantly watched or monitored anyway. Even those who face involuntary admissions, cannot be detained longer than 48-72 hours. You can force a person into drug and alcohol treatment, but in those cases, relapse is around 90% However, if you listen to those who overcome addiction and severe depression, they will attribute it to a spiritual awakening, combined with a conscious decision to change. Self control means exactly that. No one else can be responsible for another person’s self-control.
From my own perspective and experiences, I have concluded that all psychoactive substances can interfere with balance, in more ways than one. Years ago, while working in long term care, it was clear to me that those who were on the most psychoactive drugs, were also the most out of control, with loss of dignity and outrageous behaviours the daily norm for them.
But incoherent, antisocial, and aggressive behaviours – such as public defecation, physically attacking others, screaming uncontrollably, and repeatedly falling down, are not normal for anyone. I would often wonder, “How on earth did they get like this? How rapid was the decline? What were they like before?” In going through the charts, I learned one of the common denominators for most of the people in locked units, involved prior and often long term use of harmful substances – such as antidepressants, neuroleptics, benzodiazepines, opiates, barbiturates, sleeping pills, and/or alcohol. Often these drugs were started when the person was in their forties or fifties, or younger.
What is the difference between a 93 year old woman walking the seawall three times a week, and an 78 year old in long term care, who is completely out of control, even though he or she is chemically restrained with multiple psychoactive medications? Surely those medications are not helping them. In fact, the one most notable thing in long term care is that the most stable and cognitively intact, are also the ones who do not take psychotropic medications. However, few can escape them once admitted to a facility, because the pattern is to over medicate.
There is a very sad program on Youtube called “Seattle is Dying”. The program honestly and candidly places drugs as being the primary cause of the homeless epidemic. In fact, many of the behaviours and loss of balance seen in locked psychogeriatric units is now evident on the streets. The average age of the street populations is tragically between 30 and 40, a time when people are supposed to be in the prime of life. They are subjected to the same drugs, and in fact often behave the same way, as those who are in locked psychogeriatric units.
Who but journalists, advocates, and sincere (honest) health care professionals are going to help with this drug crisis, once the people completely lose cognitive function? This chaotic loss of human potential is affecting families, communities, businesses, health care, policing and politics.
When are they going to make greed the number one collective mental health disorder – a profit driven addiction with the greatest potential for harm, societal breakdown, and human suffering? Oxycontin is the opiate of choice, even on the streets. Where do they get it? From prescriptions.
Almost all people addicted to opiates start with, and prefer prescription opiates. They turn to fentanyl laced heroin in later stages, when they can no longer obtain a prescription for, or afford the pills. Many young people in the large US cities who give interviews about their addictions – claim they could get hundreds of pills by offering cash to a doctor. Some of those doctors have been arrested, but who knows how many continue to trade cash for prescriptions?
The correlation is clear to me. Drugs cause a loss of balance physically and mentally. Drugs and alcohol also decrease motivation, with the only to do list entering a person’s mind, is how to get more drugs in order to chase the high, and after awhile, just to feel normal. Another eye-opener is when we look at the conditions on some of the First Nations reserves. Anytime we see squalor and chaos, we know people are being adversely affected by drugs and/or alcohol. 50% of First Nations people are on ten or more pharmaceutical drug classes. Who can sincerely say these drugs are helping them and their communities?
But what is normal? It is not normal to feel nothing. Nor is it normal to be sick and in pain all the time. Opiates start out being prescribed for pain. What is overlooked by doctors prescribing opiates, is the fact that many people suffer from emotional pain too. They will readily start self-medicating emotional pain, and will quickly become addicted. This brings on a whole new set of problems, as it totally throws the entire system off balance.
There is no magic pill or answer when it comes to achieving balance or normalcy in life. In the mental health field, psychiatrists have more than double the rates of suicide and in the US, the stats are that 25% will sexually assault patients, and more than 75% will diagnose simply for profit motive. Even the field of psychiatry itself is calling it fraud, pseudoscience, and drug induced harm inflicted upon innocent people.
Regardless of what our struggles are in life, central to maintaining balance is self-control and motivation. We can move past difficult situations, since most in-depth healing is rooted in love and forgiveness. Our bodies and lives include our spiritual beliefs. Emotional and mental health healing and cleansing involves freeing ourselves, not only of toxic memories and relationships – but also of toxic drugs, and habits.
I watched a young woman give a talk on the inspirations she gained in being a hospice volunteer. She herself had a massive stroke as a child due to a congenital anomaly in her brain and then another life threatening stroke as a young adult. She went on to obtain a Master’s degree in the field of death and dying, and obviously had more than a theoretical basis for the development of her beliefs.
This amazing young woman described the tasks of dying. They are found in forgiveness – first to seek forgiveness for ourselves and also to forgive others. Love and the power of love is also one of the central tasks. The other is in letting go and saying goodbye. In so many ways, these same principles apply to living as well. Love and forgiveness is crucial to overcoming our demons of the past. And if we are to have hope in accomplishing that – we often have to let go of and say goodbye to certain habits and relationships as well.
Maintaining balance is about stability, self-control and motivations. If we can manage those – we have hope for the future regardless of what happens to us. We can achieve the intrinsic balance and self control by taking care of our physical and emotional balance, mostly through diet, exercise, motivation, meditation, fresh air, and music – and avoiding toxic substances. Following that – we will soon find that serving others in an honest and humble way – is the best way to get joy and purpose out of life.
The yoke of slavery, whether it is to a substance or life’s circumstances can be lifted and removed once and for all. The ensuing freedom is what enables us to serve without feeling trapped. Sickness does not need to be a life sentence. Yet human suffering is real – and those of us who overcome, can be compassionate and supportive when others are going through trials and tribulations. It is delusional to think all people who face trials are sick forever. If that were the case – not one of us would escape the disease and sickness trap.
As long as we remain functional, we all have the capacity to heal and overcome difficulties, at every stage of life. Not one person achieves balance, or anything for that matter, without some form of help and support. It has already been poignantly pointed out many times – there is a fine line, with more similarities than differences, involved in the tasks surrounding both living and dying.
To keep things in perspective – death, or a serious illness or accident with a complete loss of cognitive function – will immediately change a person’s reality. Whether we want to admit it or not – every single one of us is “hanging in the balance”.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet
West Vintage (2019). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material
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Cholesterol is a lipid with global functions in the body and brain. The misinformation around good and bad cholesterol has caused many people to accept statins as a preventative measure for heart disease. Statins were first discovered in the late eighties. Between 1996 and 2012 the drug company Pfizer made 125 billion dollars on the sale of Lipitor over a fourteen year period. Are there fewer heart attacks a result? Hardly, but the drug company is much richer, so that’s all that matters.
Statins top the list of drugs given to seniors, with 50% of all seniors prescribed the drug. Suggestions and arguments were advanced at one time to add this poison to the water supplies. People as young as forty are being prescribed statins, and there is no end in sight. Next they will be targeting children, with some articles suggesting they be given to children as young as seven years old. Yet statins are the culprit in a high percentage of children who are victims of accidental poisonings. 30% of teens who took statins thinking they might get high, ended up in the hospital in more serious trouble than when they take opiates. Even a single adult pill can poison a young child.
Since statins have been prescribed so much, one would think the death rate from cardiac disease would have dropped by now. But heart disease continues to be in the top ten causes of death worldwide. Statins are now directly linked to an increase in cognitive decline, but they won’t tell you that when it is prescribed. Why do people get suckered into taking these drugs? Fear and misinformation, is what drives people to take statins. Plus, there has been long term indoctrination to blindly trust, and turn our autonomy over to doctors to make decisions about our health. How do they know what a person’s daily diet and habits are? Like the general population, there are doctors who are competent and trustworthy, and those who are not. Doctors can and do save lives – but over prescribing medications is a huge and steadily increasing problem, that does just the opposite.
The brain, nerves and all muscles need cholesterol. Cholesterol is a lipid. The misinformation surrounding the good and bad cholesterol is based on an over simplified and faulty sales pitch. LDL and HDL are actually cholesterol carriers, not two different types of cholesterol as we are led to believe. They serve many different functions, not only in the brain, but in digestive processes and the production of bile. LDL means low density and HDL means high density carriers of lipoproteins. The body needs both to function. In fact the higher levels of cholesterol occur naturally and serve to protect the brain as we age. At different stages of life, the body makes adaptations to feed and protect different functions.
The brain is 60% fat for good reasons. Human breast milk is very high in cholesterol, because the brains of babies are growing and developing at a rapid rate. Cholesterol is an antioxidant and protects the brain from free radicals. It provides insulation and protection of the myelin sheath and nerve cells. It provides a cell membrane barrier to further protect brain cells and enhance the function of neurotransmitters.
To narrow scope and function of statins to the chemical prevention of arteriosclerosis is a non holistic and faulty description surrounding a very complex subject. Probably the most comprehensive information that does not oversimplify their use and how they work, is a book written by James & Hannah Yoseph entitled How statin drugs really lower cholesterol: and kill you one cell at a time.
What are the main side effects and complaints when people start taking statins? Although the side effects are numerous and often debilitating, the main complaints revolve around muscle weakness and brain fog. The most common side effects are headache, sleep disturbances, muscle tenderness, drowsiness, dizziness, impaired cognitive function, nausea and vomiting, and in some cases liver damage and kidney failure. Recent information is linking it to an increase in dementia (another leading cause of death).
Almost every research institute continues to make broad and generalized claims that statins are a wonder drug, however since heart disease has not decreased even though 50% of seniors take statins, that should tell the average lay person the claims are bogus.
People who are developing arteriosclerosis do not need statins. They need to change their diet and get more exercise. There are good and bad fats, good and bad foods, good and bad daily habits – but cholesterol is cholesterol and is very important to our health. In my opinion, if we listen to our bodies and get a side effect from a drug, it means there is something haywire happening as a result of it. When we get a severe headache from MSG laced food, doesn’t that tell us our brain and bodies are sensitive to that chemical and we are best to avoid it?
If LDL is “bad” cholesterol, why does every single human being have it? It is because we need it. It should not even be defined as bad cholesterol because cholesterol is cholesterol. If anything it might be described as a bad carrier – yet that makes no sense, so this very complex subject gets overly simplified and people accept the statement as fact, when what they should do is research the causes of higher than normal LDL levels and then make lifestyle and diet changes to lower them. The claims of good or bad tends to make people immediately think – “Oh no, I don’t want bad cholesterol” so they are quickly convinced a pill is the answer.
But the very thing it is supposed to help with is completely derailed. When people have side effects such as muscle weakness, drowsiness, poor appetite, abdominal pain, etc. they are less likely to exercise. If a drug causes generalized weakness and muscle pain – what is it doing to the heart muscle?
The interesting thing about drug companies and the reporting of side effects is that they downplay them. They want us to believe the side effects are minor, or a necessary evil so to speak. Of course once you start taking them, you must take them for life. Now that’s profitable (not for the patient though)! One cardiologist on YouTube went on and on about a genetic condition that prevents people from breaking down cholesterol. The particular genetic condition he was referring to is very rare, with fewer than 1 in 500 people who are afflicted with it – so how does that translate into prescribing the drug for half the population? How can they seriously claim they are not trying to dupe people?
We need cholesterol and healthy fats. We also need functional carriers for cholesterol. When we experience adverse reactions or side effects to anything we are exposed to, we need to stop and evaluate what is happening to us. Only the individual knows how he or she felt before taking the drug and what symptoms or side effects develop. In many cases people were being told the side effects were not real, but rather imaginary somatic complaints (delusions). How handy! What a bizarre and arrogant way to invalidate what people are experiencing. The second very valid question is to ask yourself, “Is there a conflict of interest or profit motive that supersedes my well being in prescribing this drug?” It’s a no-brainer.
Over the years working as a Registered Nurse in British Columbia, I must have given out a million pills. Now they are administered in blister packs and do not have to be pre-poured, but during the years prior to blister packs, it could take hours to pour medications in a large facility. Since we had a responsibility to know what we were administering to people, I also learned a fair bit about the drugs, and listened to people describe side effects and adverse reactions.
In long term care, there was a great deal of coaxing required to get people to take their medications. Often they would spat them out, no matter what they were mixed with. It was about the only reaction that warranted a notation of Ref. (for refusal) on the medication sheet. Nurses were expected to give them – and patients were expected to take them. End of story.
Since we are all aging and either looking toward retirement, or else have parents or grandparents who are seniors, it is a topic worth learning something about. The other thing for middle aged people to be aware of, is how to approach those coveted retirement years without the need for a dozen classes of prescription drugs to hamper your lifestyle. An ounce of prevention during middle age is worth a pound of cure down the road!
First of all, why so many drugs for seniors? We are told it is because seniors are prone to chronic disease. This is due to lifestyle factors and cumulative stressors on all systems of the body. I tend to think more than half the problem is due to prescription drugs. They cause more problems than they cure. If they cured anything, the prescription rates would be trending downward, not upward.
To give a few Canadian 2016 stats on the prevalence of over-prescribing; 65.7% of seniors were prescribed five or more different drug classes per year. 26.5% were prescribed ten or more drug classes, and 8.4% took a walloping fifteen drug classes.
It leaves me scratching my head, because although I took those percentages from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) – it actually adds up to more than 100% (100.6%), which must be due to rounding the numbers. How is it that no one escapes being prescribed drugs after a certain age? How is it that (according to the stats) no one is prescribed less than five drug classes after the age of 65? If the Canadian health care system does collapse under all this pressure, maybe it would be the best solution for seniors after all. But, how would Big Pharma let such a thing happen anyway?
No wonder seniors are using up 40% of the health care resources. But there is a much bigger picture to look at. As soon as one prescription drug is the norm, the very next step is to add another. Why? Because all drugs cause side effects, and in many cases side effects are interpreted as a new condition. So instead of removing the offending initial drug, new drugs are added.
In looking at the distribution of the excess medications people take, it is kind of disturbing too. Women are prescribed more drugs than men. Lower income seniors, and those who live in rural areas are also prescribed more medications than those in urban areas. People who have higher incomes are prescribed fewer drugs overall, but they too, take way more than required. Among First Nations populations, more than 50% are prescribed more than ten drug classes. All of these prescriptions increase with age, with the highest numbers doled out in long term care facilities.
The top drug class prescribed to seniors, is statins for high cholesterol. They are also one of the few drugs that are prescribed regardless of income or location. A staggering 50% of all seniors take statins. Next to statins are the proton pump inhibitors, to treat GERD (gastrointestinal reflux disease), and ulcers. Following that are the beta blockers and calcium channel blockers to treat hypertension. Then there are the thyroid hormones to treat hypothyroidism, and a variety of drugs to treat insulin resistance leading to high blood glucose levels. Opioids are prescribed on a regular basis to 20% of seniors as well. Add to the list of frequently prescribed drugs, are sleeping pills, benzodiazepines, and antibiotics.
What drugs are considered most hazardous, enough to make the list of drugs that should definitely NOT be prescribed to seniors? Psychotropic drugs such as benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and antipsychotics are on the list of hazardous substances, and are to be avoided (at all costs). They have been proven to cause falls, increased fractures, and cognitive impairment, as well as an increased risk of adverse drug reactions. It makes me wonder why more doctors are not getting sued. In spite of the known hazards, these drugs are still commonly prescribed. Who is educating the doctors I wonder?
Apparently several interventions have been implemented to educate doctors and patients (if they still have enough cognitive and decision making functions after being immersed in a chemical soup for a period of time). Obviously the time to start thinking about these things is before you start taking the drugs, not after. Once the body adapts to certain drugs, especially those that interfere with functions of dopamine and the central nervous system, it requires carefully monitored detox to remove them from the system. If there are ten different drug classes to deal with, the complexity of making changes later on, makes it more like a game of Russian roulette than anything else.
How on earth is it possible that 100% of seniors need prescription drugs? Does half the population need statins? I find that hard to believe. But even if a person does have high cholesterol or high blood pressure, can’t he or she make changes in diet and lifestyle before being medicated? Our minds are doctored.
Personally, I do not intend to take any prescription drugs at all. To me – it’s like dodging a bullet. Such an attitude and decision can only be monitored over a long period of time, so it’s too early to tell! But surely the general public should be educated too, for their own sakes, as well as for their loved ones who are seniors. When an adult child of a senior sees a prescription for psychotropic drugs such as antipsychotics, benzodiazepines and antidepressants – they should be warning the senior and someone should be calling the doctor to find out what the heck is going on.
The trouble with the interventions they have implemented to educate doctors and patients on the hazards of all these drugs, the interventions have had little effect on clinical outcomes such as mortality, hospitalizations, ER visits, adverse reactions or health status. Sick eh?
One of the menial things I used to ponder when administering so many toxic medications, was to mindlessly ask myself – “why are so many of them brightly coloured?” They come in every colour of the rainbow, which means they also have an extra dose of something equivalent to acrylic paint thrown in, for some unknown reason. I guess the reasoning is along the same lines as why they make candy and popsicles so colourful. They must brighten someone’s day!
After statins, the next most prescribed drug class is the proton pump inhibitors. It kind of sounds like something a mechanic would do to fix a car, but nope – these are to inhibit the acid in your gut. These drugs are prescribed for GERD and stomach ulcers. 30% of seniors are prescribed this class of drugs. However prolonged use, (more than eight weeks) leads to a high risk of Clostridium difficile infection, bone loss and fractures. But how does a person who needs such a medication suddenly stop taking it after eight weeks? After a period of time, the body relies on the drug to mask symptoms, and the symptoms return with a vengeance once the drug is stopped.
The inappropriate and excessive drugging of seniors has been of increasing concern to practitioners, researchers, and organizations throughout Canada. These organizations include the Canadian Deprescribing Network, the Canadian Foundation For Healthcare Improvement, The Institute For Safe Medication Practices, the Canadian Safety Institute, and Choosing Wisely Canada. What have all these combined organizations accomplished? All the organizations, abstracts, meetings, interventions, analysis, and professional babble on the topic has decreased the overall prescribing by about 2% – which can be taken with a grain of salt.
Clearly the autonomy of the patient, and decision making by the patient while still cognitively intact, must be the first line of defence when it comes to putting a myriad of toxic substances into our systems. Why are people taking so many drugs? Do they specifically ask for them? Or do doctors suggest or push them on people?
The problem is much more complex than we realize. We have been sold a pill of hogwash we are expected to swallow without questioning, along with an unsavoury bill of goods. We are being drugged and merchandised to death. We have been indoctrinated to trust doctors instead of our own better judgement. The other factor is fear. What if I don’t take the prescribed drug? The other motivator or objective is to get relief from unpleasant symptoms. But, we have to start to “listen” to our bodies. Those symptoms are telling us to change something, not to cover it up.
Any symptom we get is a signal for us to pause and evaluate what is going on with our bodies. Many symptoms can be relieved through exercise and diet. We can treat infections with things like oregano oil and garlic. Blood sugar and blood pressure levels can be reduced through diet and exercise. Raw ginger can reduce inflammation. Olives interfere with and reduce histamine reactions, and so on.
All people should be encouraged to do their own research and take responsibility for their own health as much as possible. It is very difficult to challenge the judgement of doctors – yet why shouldn’t we? After all, we are the ones who are supposed to ingest the toxic mix and live with the consequences. Every single drug has adverse effects on the system. Sometimes those adverse effects are not immediately apparent, such as bone loss and early cognitive impairment. Almost all cause dry mouth and changes in digestive enzymes, which in turn alters the biome of the bacteria in the gut. All of them must be detoxified by the liver and kidneys. So the cascading chain of events secondary to these drug classes is beyond comprehension.
Avoiding prescription drugs might be achieved by avoiding going to doctors. Such advice leaves many people aghast. What about your yearly physical? What about mammograms and other screening tests? What about your cholesterol and blood pressure? Learn about it. Research all of it before you turn the rest of your life over to someone who is prone to over prescribing medications.
Keep in mind that this list and description of drug usage does not include over the counter medications. How many people add NSAIDs (such as Ibuprofen) or other OTC meds like Tylenol, Gravol, cough medication, and antihistamines as part of habitual usage? They might be available without a prescription, but they too, pack quite a punch when it comes to drug interactions and toxicity. Add to the mix, an over zealous attempt to include multiple supplements as some kind of method to improve health, when in fact, supplements can be as toxic as the rest of the pills and tinctures we are inclined to self-medicate with.
One of the aspects of opiate usage is in how much they are relied upon in end of life situations. They are sometimes needed for pain. But from experience, I know that nurses are expected to keep dying patients sedated whether they have pain or not. Often this is because of family members wanting to see their loved ones comfortable, and sometimes it is because health care practitioners have not come to terms with death and dying themselves, and therefore are prone to over sedating patients.
I have come to believe that dying patients should not be automatically sedated with opiates, and personally it would not be my choice, unless I was in agony. Many people who are dying sleep a lot anyway. When they do have wakeful periods, if there is no pain, those wakeful periods can be valuable time spent with loved ones.
For those who believe death is a transition, where the soul leaves the body and goes to another location (like the Bosom of Abraham) – who really wants to be drugged unconscious when going through that final adventure, and take the chance of missing the brilliant and beckoning white light at the end of a love filled tunnel? I hope to be wide awake when I die! Some people want to die in their sleep, but I think sudden death (without being overly drugged) – probably wakes people up. Otherwise they would need to send a chariot for us. Swing low – sweet chariot!
Nothing can compete with the natural processes of the body. We have incredible capacity to handle both living and dying without drugs. We have become reliant on drugs, as opposed to trusting our intuition, healing naturally, maintaining our own autonomy – and finding ways to avoid being a statistic on ten or more classes of drugs, before we make our final exit.
Quite frankly – the pharmaceutical companies don’t give a shit what happens to any of us. We have to stop allowing ourselves to be manipulated and used as human market potential to improve profit margins. They are truly making a killing. It’s the new black (force).
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet
West Vintage (2019). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material
without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is
strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and
clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with
appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Dopamine is central to the function of our brains and nervous system. But what exactly is it? In the emerging field of neuroscience, dopamine is a neurotransmitter or messenger molecule involved in nerve cell communication. Discovered in the 1950’s, we now know it plays a critical role in central nervous system function such as movement, pleasure, attention, motivation and mood.
But what about our thoughts? It is estimated that we have 60-80,000 thoughts per day. That boils down to 2500-3300 thoughts per hour. What is most noteworthy is that 80% of our thoughts are negative (that’s for all people). Is there any way of figuring out if those 80,000 thoughts in a person’s day are wrong? Delusional? Not acceptable? Not true? We can tell if a person cannot string sentences together and might draw the conclusion that they have disordered thoughts. But – many people who have had damage to the brain, such as in strokes, have clarity of thought, but have difficulty with speech or finding the right words.
In other cases, a person might believe the devil is after him, or that his thoughts are being broadcasted, or he is being threatened by aliens. Delusional thoughts are not based in reality. If there is reality in the history of a particular belief system, it is not delusional – it is a legitimate concern for the person. Truly delusional thoughts are usually accompanied by abnormal behaviours and the inability to self care. People do not need to be labeled as mentally ill for having an emotional reaction to an external pressure, if that reaction is non-violent and the reasons can be articulated. Otherwise every single person would be considered to be mentally ill.
People who believe in God, think atheists are delusional or in denial – while atheists firmly believe that those who believe in God are delusional. Some people believe the Bible is literalistic, while others argue it is mostly metaphorical. Is there a diagnostic test to determine how many delusional thoughts crop up in one persons mind? Nope. Not one. The criteria used to be that there had to be documented evidence of serious impairment, but all that has changed in the past ten or fifteen years. Now it is anyone and everyone who can be targeted for chemical restraints.
If it is obvious or can be proven that a person has lost touch with reality, such as when they exhibit bizarre behaviours, have visual and auditory hallucinations, are severely impaired, distressed, or become a risk to themselves or others – then it makes perfect sense to diagnose and treat them. But in recent years, hundreds of fairly normal or justifiable behaviours and thoughts have been turned into illnesses. Active children are drugged with Ritalin. People who are not even noticeably mentally ill are being treated with potent neuroleptics. Life has its struggles – we should be allowed to do our level best to overcome them without interference or loss of autonomy.
In real medicine, every doctor and specialist relies on a detailed history and a battery of tests before making a diagnosis. Conclusions are drawn based on evidence of cellular pathology and abnormal test results, which can be tracked and measured. Even at that, getting a second opinion might bring about an entirely different diagnosis, simply based on the interpretation of results.
In a rational and evidence based reality, and according to all medical diagnostics, diseases cannot be identified based solely on brief interviews, especially when they involve subjective value judgements, power imbalances and coercion. There are way too many blind spots along with a lack of objective data. Perhaps this is the reason for a lack of cure in the field of psychiatry. In all other aspects of medicine, the objective is to cure the disease. Another very interesting thing to note about the field of psychiatry, is that they themselves have a much higher rate of suicide and mental health disorders than the general population does.
No one can track or measure a persons thoughts in order to make a diagnosis about thoughts. It is purely subjective, and can only be deemed pathological if the person is acting on thoughts in a way that threatens public safety or contributes to a disturbance of the peace. Given that I have a medical background, I am very skeptical of any opinion or diagnosis that has no diagnostic criteria whatsoever.
For example, those who worry about accidents that never happen, about children out for the night, or get obsessive about germs, or worry they have a cheating spouse, yet he is not having affair – are actually fairly common delusions. The same goes for those who refuse to believe a cheating spouse is having an affair, or that their fifteen year old is taking heroin – are also things that reflect an altered reality, because they are in denial of the truth.
The solution to dealing with life’s problems has to be around gaining insight and wisdom. We each have a unique life journey and challenges, therefore finding out how to be open to what is happening, without fretting over things that are not happening is important, yet tricky.
How many of us are freaking afraid of spiders, garter snakes and mice? Those are irrational fears, because non-poisonous little vermin cannot hurt us. We are bigger and smarter than they are, yet some of us will go straight up and screech the house down at the sight of one.
I know because they scare me too. I have tried to convince myself not to have such an adrenalin rush over them. If there are any snakes or mice around, the only workable solution I have come up with, is to wear shoes (not barefoot or sandals) and try to make a fair bit of noise, so they don’t run or slither under my feet – or come near me. I sat down one day after a close encounter with a mouse – and I asked myself, with pounding heart and my feet up on a chair. What is it about them?
I know mice and garter snakes are harmless, and they don’t want to encounter me either, so what is the problem? I theorized that the adrenalin reaction is mostly because I am afraid of stepping on one, especially in bare feet. It is the tactile and imagined feeling of having a snake or mouse under my foot that freaks me out. Come to think of it – I did step on a coiled up garter snake once in my bare feet. I shrieked loud enough to sound an alarm like there was an axe murder underway. To some people – it is laughable and ridiculous to be afraid of a harmless small animal. Is it a feature of mental illness? Why should it be? I have never met anyone who does not have some irrational fears, anxieties or worries. Honestly, although it may sound crazy – I think it is normal.
How about those who are comfortable financially and are actually quite wealthy? In many cases, they can build up nest eggs worth millions of dollars – but to talk to some of them, you would think they are in dire straights and have to worry about every nickel. For a high percentage of people who fret about money – they fear poverty, and in many cases grew up in poverty. Therefore they have associations with the loss of status and struggles it brings, are highly motivated to avoid it, and worry endlessly about it – even when they have plenty of money. For lots of them, they have enjoyed a steady growth in assets and income over a long period of time – therefore all those worries are actually delusional.
Farmers worry about drought or hail. They get their crops off year after year, but the fear of such a huge loss over which they have no control, can overwhelm them and cause them to become brooding and negative. We all battle imaginary problems, because we know untoward things can and do happen to people.
A growing number of people fear climate change, end of times, and global disasters. They are prepping themselves, and in some cases become obsessed with it to the point of making drastic changes in their lives. Everything begins to revolve around achieving total self-sufficiency. They spend almost all of their time planning for, and worrying about something that may not happen in their lifetime. Does this make sense to the average person? Yet, they have a right to thought, belief and opinion – so they plan their lives according to their beliefs.
Some people worry and fret about their physical health, and many have imaginary illnesses. Every bump is a cancerous tumour, and every bit of indigestion or false positives in lab or mammogram results signals a dire outcome. Most things we tend to worry about hardly ever happen. However once is enough to cause reactions and triggers from then on. We are not like gazelles grazing peacefully in a meadow, who suddenly get chased by a mountain lion. If they were like us, they would not be able to graze peacefully ever again, but they do – and we too, are best to deal with it more like they do.
Every individual has billions of thoughts, which may or may not be completely logical, or even rooted in reality (such as people who are cult indoctrinated, or even writers of fiction). What about all the near death experiences? Some of the descriptions sound like LSD trips, but who can say what happens but them? Who really knows, and who really cares what the range of beliefs or experiences are? The Orwellian notion of “thought police” is far-fetched, yet seems to be a part of the maladies and modalities assigned to ordinary people, in order to define ideas, worries, thoughts and beliefs – as sickness. At one time this included gays who wanted to “come out of the closet” and slaves who wanted to be free.
What exactly is a delusional thought? It is a thought or belief that the person with power or interviewer does not believe in himself (based on a value judgement, power and dominance, lack of information, or political belief)? Anything can be a delusional thought, depending on another persons value system alone. Beliefs by themselves should not be the basis for diagnostic criteria. All too often throughout history, people have been mistreated and discriminated against for thought, belief and opinion. It robs freedom and all reasonable discourse. It is also a slippery slope.
What about measuring mood? The dopamine receptors in the brain suck up the available dopamine and have an impact on mood. Since glucose feeds the brain, fluctuating blood sugars contribute to our mood as well. Hormones are also intricately connected with dopamine and mood. Perhaps more than any other concept about mental health – is that we feed our thoughts, which in turn affects our mood.
What is a mood disorder? Mood is a result of emotions. Emotions are the primary motivators of all human behaviour. A mood disorder happens when there is destabilization or unacceptable behaviours associated with mood. These include prolonged episodes of euphoria, depression, anger, or a flat and disinterested affect.
It is important to regulate emotions in order to remain stable. The purpose of emotions is to help with (but not dominate) decision making. For example, the purpose of anger is to make a grievance known. Therefore communication is central to utilizing emotion, but it must be done in a way that is honest, respectful and forgiving. In most cases, proper communication will alleviate the negative emotion by getting clarification through feedback.
Many emotionally induced situations result from miscommunication or misunderstanding. Oftentimes we are simply grumpy for a day or two, and it is not anyone’s fault. In this case, we are best to find ways to alleviate it through exercise, music, meditation, conversation with a friend – or simply being patient, and let it go by. How often do we feel dismal one day and then fine the next day? It is a good idea to ask ourselves, “what has changed in my life to make me feel this way”? Quite often it is simply a normal fluctuation associated with neurochemistry or even the weather. Like the weather, emotions and mood vary from day to day, so acceptance of this simple fact, is part of staying stable and productive regardless of how we feel.
We can keep in mind that certain personality factors can make people more mercurial. Artists and creative individuals tend to be more emotionally expressive. Gifted individuals experience more intense emotions as a trait of being gifted. Burn out can lead to a loss of motivation or a flat affect. Chronic stress or a chaotic environment, such as when we are moving, can affect our emotions and reactions temporarily. Major life changes such as divorce, grief, birth of a child, financial losses, and many other external factors can disrupt our emotions. Humans are very adaptable, but often we need time to adjust.
Regardless of what emotion we are feeling, we can know it is temporary, and the most important thing is to maintain self control. Things like communication, crying, or time alone – do not signal a loss of control. But things like self harm, violence, binging, door slamming, yelling, etc. do signal a loss of self-control. All people must keep emotions in check enough to avoid any sort of unlawful behaviours. We also must keep in mind that things like “the silent treatment” and withholding love through constant disapproval – are not unlawful reactions, but are emotionally damaging to our loved ones.
In addition to experiences, memories, negative and positive emotions, problem solving, and responses to stress (which is mostly fear based), we store information in our brains for future retrieval, in order to help us survive. We develop those survival skills and coping mechanisms based on what we have experienced in life. We cannot eliminate memories or experiences, but we can adapt to change, and then reroute the circuits to help eliminate stressful or fear based reactions when triggered. Triggers are usually activated due to associations, or the recognition of similar patterns, even though the circumstances may be different.
There is no reliable method of measuring dopamine. Symptoms of too much dopamine include euphoria, psychosis, aggression, insomnia, and increased sex drive. Symptoms of low dopamine include decreased motivation, sleep disturbances, depression, fatigue, forgetfulness and memory loss. Dopamine regulation is linked to norepinephrine and multiple other neurotransmitters and receptors in the body, therefore any disease process associated with the central nervous system and movement can have multiple causative factors.
The fact there are no ways to measure dopamine levels should tell us that unwarranted and unnatural chemical interference with dopamine is based on potentially faulty guesswork. Doctors are expected to make decisions about dopamine based on medical history, lifestyle, and symptoms. If the medical history is overlooked, as it often is in psychiatry, that means there is a high risk of misdiagnosis and mistreatment. There are multiple medical conditions that mimic symptoms of low dopamine. These include thyroid deficiencies, type 2 diabetes, MS, poor diet, hormonal imbalances, tumours, certain types of cancer, and addictive substances.
Anything that interferes with or artificially increases dopamine will eventually burn out the dopamine stream. For this reason, it is wise to avoid any substance, medication or activity that interferes with the bodies natural dopamine streams. But what if there are conditions such as anxiety, mood disorders, lack of motivation, or other mental health labels that indicate dopamine depletion or overstimulation?
Meloncholy
Fortunately, there are natural ways to increase dopamine:
Meditation (not medication) has been proven to increase dopamine levels. Many people meditate while sitting in a sauna, through prayer and fasting, or just by setting aside a quiet time without interruption to focus on healing and well-being. I have found that sleep meditation videos will put me back to sleep if I wake up in the middle of the night. They have helped train my brain to get sufficient sleep
Write a daily to do list. Specific goals, both short term and long term help to increase motivation and decrease stress – both of which improve dopamine levels.
Increase the intake of foods that contain L-Tyrosine. These include avocados, fish, eggs, cheese, bananas and pumpkin seeds. There are many other foods with direct and indirect effects on building dopamine levels.
Exercise is probably at the top of the to do list for increasing dopamine. Not surprisingly, the best exercise to do is the one you enjoy the most. For some it is running, and for others it is cycling, swimming, or weight lifting. Since dopamine has an intrinsic link to movement – we are best to get up and get moving, which is of particular importance for those with sedentary desk jobs. The best dopamine enhancer is through interval training, which involves short bursts of energy, followed by a brief rest, and then another burst. This can be done through sprinting, water running or cycling. Another often overlooked aspect of movement is in stretching. Stretching not only helps muscle flexibility, but it also has components of meditation that can be incorporated into a daily routine. I suppose this is the reason yoga is such a popular form of exercise.
Intermittent fasting. There is a wide range of fasting methods, from prolonged to intermittent. I know for certain that fasting is an incredible healing method – because it can reset the immune system. For years I was plagued with allergies and a cascading histamine reaction, combined with colds throughout the entire winter months. Since the fast, I have not had a single cold and no longer have the histamine, allergic response. I have not been routinely doing intermittent fasting, but after this mornings research on dopamine, I plan to follow an intermittent fasting plan. Typically this is in a 16-8 hour ratio, meaning that you fast say from 8 pm until noon the following day, and then eat light and nutritious food for the remainder of the day – avoiding stimulants such as sugar and alcohol. This can be done one or two days a week with positive results. With regards to longer fasts, such as the one I did (21 days) I have learned that it takes 7-10 days to reset the immune system. The healing crisis depends on the amount of toxins in our blood stream and fat cells.
Take time off from all technology, including gaming, social media, Internet browsing – and basically any activity or addiction that artificially elevates dopamine. The reason for this is that by artificially elevating dopamine levels, we eventually burn them out.
Drink green tea.
Create something. Whatever creative expression or hobby you are attracted to, will increase dopamine – whether it is writing, drawing, painting, photography, music, gardening, or building with wood. When you hear terms around finding avenues to increase “creative juices” or getting in a state of “flow” – these are references to naturally improving dopamine streams. It makes sense, because all creative endeavours involve the brain, some amount of movement, motivation, and measurable results.
Social inclusion, good conversation, supportive families, and helping others will improve dopamine levels naturally. When joy is shared, it is joy doubled – and when sorrow is shared – it is sorrow halved. We all have the capacity to heal, as well as to help others to heal.
Getting enough sleep cannot be underestimated when it comes to mental health, clarity, motivation and the immune system. Some people do seem to need less sleep – but in reality all people need 7-9 hours of sleep each night to rest and restore the body to maintain optimal health. It is best to avoid artificial sleep aids because there is more happening at a subconscious level when we sleep, than can ever really be understood.
Cold showers or ice cold baths are also on the Scandinavian list of things to do to increase dopamine levels. I suppose the best time to start this plan would be in the hot summer months. A dip in an icy cold river or lake would do the trick even better! Who can bring themselves to getting into an ice cold bath in the middle of winter? It’s definitely not on the instant gratification list!
Instant Gratitude For Such a Beautiful City
Enjoy fresh air and the beauty of nature every single day. A good aim is to get at least two hours of fresh air daily. Children thrive in fresh air. Many of our favourite memories involve playing outside or seeing some magnificent aspect of nature, such as wildlife, sunsets, and snowy mountain peaks.
Kits Beach This Spring
Humour is one of life’s best releases and functions beautifully as a natural and spontaneous mood elevator. Nothing else can compete with wit and laughter. Wit involves the flashing comparison between two things, and lets us quickly see that we take life’s challenges far too seriously. Satire switches a negative thought into a humorous one. Funny people make us laugh. One funny person is far better than ten psychiatrists talking in a tin bucket. Comical banter among friends is delightful – because humour sheds far more truth and light on the human condition than a 974 page manual can.
This brings us to the things to avoid, in order to prevent a depletion of dopamine in our systems. Ironically, anything that leads to instant gratification messes with dopamine levels. “First it giveth and then it taketh away” – as the Proverb goes. The things to avoid:
Too much of anything for prolonged periods will stimulate and then exhaust dopamine levels. These activities include gambling, alcohol, all drugs, social media, Internet browsing to excess, gaming, watching television, etc. It is good advice to apply some of the principles of fasting to Internet, television, phone usage – or any other activity with mood elevating or “escapism” components. Even exercise, if done to excess – can be addictive and counter productive.
Avoid or restrict fast foods to once or twice a month, as opposed to habitual use. There is a fat/sugar balance in processed and fast foods known as the “bliss factor”. This addictive blend of sugar and fat can create an unnatural dopamine stream that will lead to a depletion and subsequent lows, destabilization of blood sugar, and other unpleasant side effects. Be wary of additives, especially MSG and artificial sweeteners.
Whatever we do as individuals to escape what is happening around and within us – will eventually deplete dopamine. This is an inventory only we as individuals can assess and learn to moderate.
Stress cannot be avoided completely. But the stress hormones released by the adrenal glands play an important role in mood, anxiety and mood disorders. Therefore it is important to recognize what the stressors are and create a “to-do list” to alleviate and prevent stressors from creating a spiralling downward effect on our well-being.
Challenging negative thoughts. I have learned that many negative thoughts have origins and associations with painful memories. We often get mired down in negative thoughts that are triggered by a memory association, and then mushroom into a big deal without the evidence or rationale to support our reactions.
Since dopamine was first discovered in the fifties – there has been more than a hundred thousand research articles written about it. Although some of those articles are quite controversial and narrow, we can help ourselves by increasing practical knowledge around the subject.
Knowledge is power because it is the precursor to sifting and then applying those basic principles to our own lives. We can make changes to our own dopamine levels without the need for toxic medications that have numerous side effects, damage the brain, alter neurochemistry in unknown ways, interact with food and anything else we ingest – and have few if any proven benefits.
We do have the capacity to monitor and change our own thoughts and habits. There is no scientific evidence whatsoever to prove that drugs can change ingrained thought patterns. Similar to our physical bodies, we can exercise our thoughts to help eliminate unfounded negativity by recognizing triggers and changing our reactions to them.
We now know that opiates (and many other prescription drugs) will interfere with, and quickly bind to dopamine receptors in the brain. But overall, the complexity of the drugs that interfere with dopamine and neurochemistry is poorly understood pseudoscience lacking in knowledge about the overall global impact on all bodily functions. Our bodies and brains involve complex systems that interact with one another at a molecular level.
There is nothing holistic about chemical interferences with dopamine. Dopamine is not just about improved mood – it is central to all movements, to include coordination, balance and the communication between billions of neurons and nerves. We do not want to mess with dopamine – if we really know what is good for us. Our bodies are smarter than poorly understood, rudimentary and narrow minded science. We are not meant to be guinea pigs. Doctors are not meant to be gods, guided by Big Pharma and profit motive either.
Pharmaceuticals are rapidly becoming the number one cause of death in all age groups. There is not enough empirical evidence due to pharmaceutical lobbying to even measure the depth and breadth of other damages caused by them. As just some examples, these drug induced hazards include falls, accidents, uncharacteristic violent outbursts, drug induced suicides, drug induced movement disorders and life threatening agranulocytosis. There are interactions with other drugs, interactions with food, interactions with alcohol, individual genetic markers, destabilizing and sickening withdrawal and detox symptoms, irreversible damages to the nervous system, damages to liver and kidney function, permanent brain damage, increased risk of cardiac arrest and stroke – and many other iatrogenic medical hazards that are secondary to the injudicious use of psychoactive medications.
There are huge profit motives surrounding the over prescribing of potent mood altering and psychoactive drugs and pain killers. We only need to do one hour of research, or less – to convince us that countless people are falling victim to addictions and harm stemming from the pharmaceutical profit motive. We can avoid those pitfalls by making some specific and positive changes to lifestyle and patterns of thought. We have a fundamental right to say no to them.
Self discipline is the basis for self control. In the absence of creating any harm through overt behaviours (such as violence), no one has the right to “thought reform” another human being. Freedom of thought, belief and opinion is a fundamental human right, which is clearly stated in the Canadian Charter of Rights – as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
CANADIAN CHARTER OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS
Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law:
Guarantee of Rights and Freedoms
1. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.
2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:
(a) freedom of conscience and religion;
(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
(c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and
(d) freedom of association.
We are wise to acknowledge negative or irrational thinking for our own well-being and mental health – but in the absence of creating any real danger to anyone, thoughts cannot be diagnosed or monitored by anyone other than the individual. See if there is anyone, regardless of their education or inclinations toward pharmaceutical pseudoscience – who can challenge that thought!
It takes a thought provoking resistance to avoid being coerced into taking prescription drugs as a damaging pseudo cure for life’s difficulties. We do have the capacity to overcome emotional, physical and psychological toxicity – whether it has been inflicted upon us or self-induced. Like the lyrics in the Guy Clark song “To Live Is To Fly” –
“We all got holes to fill Them holes are all that’s real Some fall on you like a storm Sometimes you dig your own”
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2019). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Playing an instrument has many health, brain, and mood benefits. For all ages, probably most notable in young children and older adults – playing music improves math, memory, cognition, and literacy skills. It is a method of combining relaxation with learning.
My primary motivation for learning the guitar, is because I like to sing, and cannot sing very well without an instrument. It does teach patience, as well as the recognition of musical strengths. Some musicians are naturals, and can learn very quickly, tying it all together without too much effort. Others have more strengths in certain areas, like rhythm and timing, as opposed to singing. One thing for certain, all great musicians spend a lot of time playing music. You don’t get good at anything without having a passion for it and putting in the practice time.
If you look at lists of the world famous guitar players, more men than women make it into the top percentile. But when it comes to singing, women do not lag behind. There are many different components to self teaching – such as finger placement, ease of changing chords, timing, memory, pitch, projection, confidence, patience, and practice. It takes time to improve, and at first advancements seem almost imperceptible.
For those who study musical theory and take umpteen lessons, they are already well ahead of the weekend warriors and back porch musicians. Nowadays, you can learn to play just by watching tutorials on youtube. It’s great because you can pause it and replay it, which is more difficult to do in person! Or you can get the chords and lyrics of your favourite songs off the Internet and just start playing them. You might not impress anyone, but it’s a start. If you have listened to certain songs often, you can emulate the timing, emphasis, and pitch from memory.
Learning an instrument teaches patience, and after awhile improves your confidence. A lack of patience is probably the number one reason many people who want to learn, simply give up. To begin with, you can only play until your fingers hurt, which is probably another reason people quit. Some guitars are much easier to play than others. If the action is too high (distance of strings to frets) it is more difficult to press and hold the strings down. If the guitar does not hold a tune or sound good, it is another deterrent to learning to play. I like to play a small acoustic parlour guitar (Martin). They have great sound, and are easy to handle and play. These well made small guitars are ideal for children, songwriters, small spaces, and traveling with.
Like exercise, unless you are training for a marathon or the Olympics – you don’t have to play several hours a day, but you have to commit to playing or practicing on a regular basis. You will notice that on some days you can play and sing well, and on other days, not so well. Fatigue, medication, alcohol, colds, phlegm, dry throat – all impede the voice, the energy levels, and/or hand eye coordination.
As it is in all athletic endeavours, technique is the key to doing it well. Professionals will take many years of voice lessons, learning to master the muscles involved in singing. But how many recreational musicians want to learn how to regulate sub-glottal air pressure, or about the multitude of tiny muscles in the larynx and throat? There are many theoretical aspects of music that seem to take the fun right out of it. How many lay musicians throughout history actually studied the anatomy and physiology of the voice?
We tend to think piano players need strong fingers – but what they probably need more, is good posture and strength in their chest and back muscles. Natural musicians have the ability to let the music flow right through them. You will notice that the most accomplished players of almost any instrument, demonstrate a fluidity in their entire bodies as they play. I tend to think playing an instrument involves all muscles of the body, including the feet and legs.
The simpler points to know about the athleticism involved, is to stay in shape to maintain strong muscles in the diaphragm, chest, back and arms. Paying attention to posture, stretching, and learning to regulate the breathing – all contribute to improved singing.
A couple years ago I watched an interview with Linda Ronstadt, whose powerful voice and musicality left an incredible legacy of her talent. Unfortunately, she developed Parkinson’s disease, and described changes in her voice that made her realize something was wrong, long before she got the diagnosis. It must have been a devastating loss for her, since singing was part of her entire life, up until she developed the disease.
Since there are so many muscles involved in singing and playing an instrument, a change or loss in the ability to sing or play, would probably be one of the earliest indicators of something else going on in the body. It can easily become something you love to do – so it is a blessing to even be able to do it.
I remember a friend from school whose mother wanted her to play piano. She had to take piano lessons religiously. She was made to practice every single day, and when she got in trouble, she had to practice more. One time she said, “Oh no, I’m going to get grounded for this – and my mother will probably tie me to the piano for a week!” This is where the whole concept and purpose of music can get derailed. Many parents want their children to excel in music, sports and academics. All of them require discipline and dedication. In reality, none of them can be controlled by someone else.
Of all things, music should not be pressured. Encouraging patience, and developing an intrinsic love for the instrument, lyrics and genre of music is the foundation for developing a lifelong musical habit. It may not turn everyone into a shooting star, but it makes for a very positive and interactive activity that you are likely to continue. Music is innate to all of us in some way or another. It is never too early or too late to begin learning.
Since I am no guitar whiz and play only for relaxation, it took me the longest time to learn an F chord. Not that I couldn’t learn the finger placement, but I found it very difficult to barre all six strings and then reach and press down the other strings at the same time. Never mind trying to go from a C major to a convoluted F chord and back, in just a couple of seconds. It was too difficult to persevere, so I abandoned it. Plus, I found countless songs to play that could be transposed to eliminate the F chord.
But, come on! I finally told myself – how can you be a real (or even a semi-real) guitar player, and not even know how to play an F chord? Try it again…one more time! Another lesson embodied in this lowly experience – is to go back to what you could not master, and see if the practice has helped your abilities, or if there is an easier way to do it!
Lo and behold, while casually looking at the chord bank not long ago, I realized I had only tried a couple of different ways to play an F chord (the hard ways). I was quite amazed to realize there is a much easier way to do it, requiring you to barre just two strings instead of six (whew)! It actually only took only a couple minutes to learn. Years of procrastination and believing it was too difficult, was a waste of a perfectly good chord, and learning some great songs.
It just goes to show you – as it is with many things, there are other ways to achieve the same results. The doo-ability dawned on me rather slowly – but now I know, you don’t have to be a long fingered contortionist, simply to play an F chord!
In the past, the term detox was reserved for drug and alcohol addiction, which is a topic for another article. Drugs and alcohol have an effect on the central nervous system. Detoxing in this case requires medical supervision and other support systems in order to manage the detoxification safely. However the terminology and meaning around detox has shifted to include all kinds of so-called cleansing and flushing treatment plans. The trend in the past fifteen years or so – has been to unscientifically transfer the concept of detoxing from drugs and alcohol, to using supplements and diets to detox random and unknown toxins from the body.
Some of the detox regimes invented in recent years are extreme and potentially damaging. Others are outright scams. Some people believe they can flush their bodies clean by drinking excessive amounts of water, which can lead to severe electrolyte imbalances. Concentrated herbal supplements can overload and damage the liver. In some cases people are buying unregulated supplements with unknown substances in them, making it very difficult to trace adverse reactions.
Last night I listened to a guy talk about how he and his girlfriend dislodged and excreted hundreds of gallstones overnight. The concoction they used, was a cup of olive oil, combined with a cup of lemon juice, to be ingested all at once. He said he could feel the gallstones moving and rolling around as they fell out of his liver and gallbladder during the night. Really? That’s amazing!
First of all, a young, slender, fit man is the least likely to have gallstones. The old adage for gallstones is geared toward women and is known as the triple F – fair, fat and forty. The other thing is to be careful what you wish for. If there are asymptomatic gallstones languishing somewhere, and they suddenly get disrupted, which can happen with rapid weight loss or surgery itself – they can go from being unnoticeable to plugging a major bile duct. When gallstones clog a bile duct or large ones pass through, the person gets very ill, to include severe nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, which often radiates to the shoulder.
Another naturopath described a similar brew, but added things like wrapping your waist in saran wrap, with a hot water bottle over top your abdomen, and laying on one side with your knee up. According to him, the position, and even some abdominal massage would facilitate dislodging the gallstones. A word of caution – if a person is prone to appendicitis, the last thing you want to do is apply a hot water bottle to your abdomen. It sounds like bad advice, even for gallstones. Hot water bottles are for your back, feet and joints, and should be used with caution on the abdomen.
If you have ever experienced or witnessed a severe gallbladder attack, you know the high level of distress it can cause. The likelihood of passing hundreds of gallstones in one night, without incident, is very hard to believe. Somewhat similar and equally intense, is the passing of kidney stones. It also causes extreme pain, because the stone is moving through a narrow lumen. Agony is probably the best term to describe the passing of rock like substances through bile ducts or ureters.
Another health guru was telling people to drink a high concentration of epsom salts! Bad idea to take high doses of salt for any reason. Sodium is one of the main electrolytes in the body, and must be kept in the normal range. If sodium levels are too high or too low – a person can rapidly become confused and disorientated, and if it is not corrected immediately, will convulse and die.
There is nothing wrong with the idea of detoxing the body by stopping or cutting down on harmful substances. To stop drinking alcohol or taking over the counter medications for a period of time to give your body a break is a good idea. Anything that reduces toxins might be called detox, in a much milder but healthier sensibility. Many of us don’t drink enough water, so to adjust water intake to normal healthier levels is a good idea too.
Initially the whole detox trend was more about taking away what is harmful for a period of time, or going on a healthy organic diet kick. But now it is literally all over the map; from coffee enemas, to oil and lemon concoctions, epsom salts, and high doses of supplements. This is the part that should trigger red flags and sound warning bells before you swallow any of it. You risk disrupting the homeostasis of your body and adding a potentially toxic load on the liver and kidneys, instead of improving things.
Our bodily systems are too complex for us to interfere with in extreme manners other than fasting. Fasting does not involve adding anything harmful to the system – and the body is naturally equipped to tolerate it. Although it is an individual choice how to go about doing a fast, fasting cannot be called fasting if a person is drinking juice.
Juice and other beverages top the list of hidden calorie culprits in everyday life. A juice fast can easily add a thousand to fifteen hundred calories a day to the system, without the fibre that should go with it. It is better to go on a high fibre calorie reduced diet than it is to do a juice fast. Some vegetables are too high in natural sugars to be taken in highly concentrated doses. Ask yourself if you would eat twenty beets or carrots in one sitting. Probably not – and even then it would be healthier because of the fibre, and the fact you would probably feel full after just a few.
Fasting truthfully means water only. It means you do not take in any calories at all. The body does not go through a state of ketoacidosis if there is juice being added. The whole idea is to avoid concentrated sugars, and allow the glycogen stores in the liver to be used up. In my opinion the only worthwhile and true fast is a water only fast. It is difficult to do physically and emotionally – but it is an effective way to re-set the immune system and get rid of rogue cells. The complex bodily systems work together to do the sorting and cleansing, as it converts fat to fuel and burns it. It is the only thing that can give the liver and gut a complete rest from digesting food and additives. If the diet is changed for the better after a fast, the entire system has a chance to improve, including the bacteria in the gut.
A word of caution, don’t go to Costa Rica or some other exotic location to do a prolonged fast. There are horror stories about health retreats without any knowledgable medical supervision. In one case a young woman had ulcerative colitis and then got an infection from the water she was drinking at a retreat in Costa Rica. It was a dreadful and near fatal experience for her. Ultimately it was a very costly trip as well, because she needed to be hospitalized and then had to have family members from another country fly to Costa Rica in order to accompany her home.
Other than nutritious food, be wary of adding anything to your body in high doses. This includes oil, salt, laxatives, enemas, apple cider vinegar, supplements, concentrated protein, excess fluids, and excess juices. Avoid them! Ironically, they are probably toxic – meaning the cure is worse than the disease you probably don’t have.
The things that do help detox the body would be along the lines of taking away alcohol and refined sugars, avoiding OTC medications like Tylenol and Ibuprofen, stop taking antihistamines and cough medications. Avoid sugar substitutes and processed meats. Be cautious with regards to what you are putting on your skin. Many lotions including sun screen, and especially spray on tans, have a host of chemicals in them. Our skin is our largest organ. Some of the most expensive beauty products are also the most toxic.
The things you can add to help your gut, liver and kidneys – a healthy intake of water, a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in water each day, fresh squeezed lemon or grapefruit diluted in water, lots of fibre, exercise, non-toxic soaps and skin care products. Saunas and steam rooms help the skin to eliminate toxins by opening and cleansing the millions of pores on the skins’ surface, as well as having a relaxing effect on the muscles.
Monitor and reduce your caloric intake if you need to lose weight. Don’t put too much trust in what other people tell you to do, no matter how they try to qualify themselves. Put on your quack filter, then the profit motive filter – before buying into any of it. A non-quack would never tell a person to ingest large amounts of strange concoctions, especially things that can skew the electrolytes. Healing is the one aspect of life where we cannot drum up instant results. The notion of doing a rapid housecleaning within the systems of the body, without respect for the fact our bodies have the capacity to heal without such intrusions, is not wise.
Be patient. Trust your intuition – and do your level best to keep the good, and turf the bad! Day to day habits are the things only we as individuals really know about. Generally when we get off course, we can do a lot of good by taking small steps, in order to change direction. The original meaning of therapeutic is healing gradually, and with care.
There are certain toxins that are so common, we assume they are harmless. For example Ibuprofen, a common over the counter pain medication, is a nephrotoxin. Tylenol, especially when combined with alcohol or a general anesthetic – can be very harmful to the liver. Any drug or food additive can be toxic if the doses are too high, used on a daily basis, or if combined with other substances – that can create a synergistic effect.
The most known neurotoxins are things like aspartame and other artificial sweeteners, aluminum, lead, and mercury. Other than fillings in our teeth, mercury can be found in high levels in certain types of fish. Tilefish, swordfish, and mackerel are known to contain fairly high levels of mercury. Tuna falls into the mid-range, and wild salmon has one of the lowest levels. The solution is to limit fish intake to a couple times a week, and consume fish with the lowest levels of mercury.
Bisphenol or BPA is contained in the coating on the lining of canned foods. It is presumed that certain more acidic foods like canned tomatoes might contain higher levels of BPA. The fake butter on microwave popcorn and the stuff you get at the movie theatres, contains the neurotoxin diacetyl. Sadly, peanut butter often (but not always) contains a toxin called aflatoxin.
To reduce these toxins, it is best to buy tomato sauce in a glass jar. Avoid the bright yellow fake butter, use a hot air popper, and add real butter. As far as peanuts and peanut butter – the aflatoxin comes from a fungus. The main thing is to buy food as fresh as possible. Some nutritionists suggest avoiding bulk bins because the age of the product is unknown. But if you go to a grocer with a high turnover of that particular product, it should be okay. Supermarket peanut butter is said to have less aflatoxin, but that might be because it has fungal inhibiting additives in it, so it is worth checking the labels on your brand of peanut butter too.
MSG as most of us know, is another neurotoxin – enough to give some people an instant and severe migraine headache. The high concentrations of MSG are found in things like instant noodles, with the little packages of flavouring to add. Certain Chinese dishes are known to contain high amounts of MSG. It is a salt enhancing additive, so pay attention to things like broths and pre-made soups as well. Most of the bouillon cubes are culprits as well. I used them for years before realizing they had a whack of MSG in those little cubes.
Another thing that can be toxic to our systems is meat grilled under high heat. The toxins can be significantly reduced by using a wet marinade before grilling. Like fish, I suppose the best thing is to pick your poison, and then reduce it to occasional use, mixed in with lots of fresh vegetables! Processed meats such as bacon, cured hams, and luncheon meats contain nitrites and other additives – so should be used sparingly. Ironically, the sodium nitrites put into the meat is added to counteract the risk of botulism poisoning.
The list of neurotoxins is a very long list, to include pesticides, natural and artificial flavourings, lead, arsenic, and alcohol. Some of these toxins cross the blood brain barrier. We would go crazy trying to avoid them all – but we may go even crazier if we don’t!
If you buy a package of snack food and then sit down and google the fine print listed under ingredients – it might be a deterrent. There is a case to be made for home grown gardens, organic foods, and avoiding canned and packaged foods. Other brain saving tips include storing food in glass containers instead of plastic ones, and cutting down on all packaged and refined foods. If there are things added to the routine shopping trips with a high “bliss factor” – get out your magnifying glass, and research the list of additives.
Another helpful exercise might be to eliminate all packaged and canned food for a month, and see how much of an adjustment you have to make. There is a belief that it takes twenty-one days to change a habit. I’m not sure if its true or not, but it seems plausible. Small everyday habits, like chewing aspartame laced gum, or taking certain supplements that are too concentrated for the body to use, and must be excreted – can be habits that lead to allergies or symptoms that are difficult to trace.
A couple years ago I read that fish oil capsules can go rancid while stored in the fat cells of the human body, and can even be rancid before being ingested. I don’t know if there is any scientific proof to support the theory, but I would rather eat fresh salmon than take fish oil capsules anyway. Botox is another deadly toxin. Now that it is being used so frequently in the aging and beauty circles, there will be more information coming out about its toxic and possibly systemic effects. We will likely see more insidious and long term health issues associated with Botox as time goes on.
Food is high on the list of life’s pleasures. Like many other things that enter our brains, we need to develop our own individualized filters. We lean toward instant gratification. But probably the simplest advice is to lean toward the au natural, “Grow Your Own & Cook it Slow. Next to that – Buy it Whole”!
Let’s face it – our health is valuable, not only with regards to outward appearance, but also as it contributes to longevity and how alive we feel. We are constantly seeking ways to boost and invigorate ourselves, in order to attain maximum energy. If energy could be put into a pill and bottled – it would fly off the shelves. What is the worst thing about sickness, depression, hangovers; and weighted, heavy, oppressive rainy days? The low is almost always characterized by a loss of energy. It seems it does belong somewhere in the thermodynamic spectrum, the part that correlates with life force.
Is a high level of energy something we are born with, or is it acquired somewhere along the way? We all start out with a fair bit of energy, and it either thrives or diminishes as time goes by. Some people manage to keep reviving their energy levels into their eighties and nineties. Can we find a way to gauge energy levels, so we can track it like a brainwave pattern or a cardiac rhythm? We know how important it is – but we don’t quite know what it is. Energy is related to both food and mood, since we burn and convert food into fuel. Mood is often perceived as having a high or low energy level. Therefore more than anything, food is our best friend or worst enemy – depending on what we choose to eat.
Wellness promotion is now a multi billion dollar industry. Much time and energy is devoted to educating the public on everything from nutrition to mindful awareness, supplements and fitness – as well as warning us of the hazards of tobacco, a sedentary lifestyle, and way too many refined carbs. Candy works better than a carrot when it comes to human behaviour.
Candace Pert wrote the book “Molecules of Emotion” which may have opened doors to a new way of thinking about emotions in the realm of academic research. Although I was familiar with some of her work, most notably the discovery of opiate receptors in the brain, I have only read excerpts of her book. I certainly agree with ground breaking research on all forms of holistic approaches to health. After watching some of her videos, I wondered why she was not able to apply her extensive knowledge on the mind-body-emotional connection to her own life.
The first video I randomly chose to watch Candace Pert present some of her ideas sort of surprised me. I was expecting a fit, vibrant woman bubbling with enthusiasm over the knowledge she had acquired during her prolific life’s work. Instead I saw a woman who was very overweight, and clearly short of breath just standing still and speaking. The first thought I had was how unwell she looked. She sounded anxious, and then congestive heart failure popped into my mind. It so happened I had chosen a video published just a few months before she died. When I looked up what she died of – it confirmed she died of heart failure at age sixty-seven.
Few people have the level of knowledge, education and research to advance to the kind of acclaim attributed to Candace Pert, so what went wrong in her own life? The average life expectancy for women is around eighty years old. Those figures do not take into account a very important factor, which is quality of life. Many people would prefer not to linger in the “death zone” too long as it robs quality of life. A loss of appetite and energy makes for a dismal existence. How many of us would choose to be sick – knowing we are steadily getting sicker, over a period of ten years or more?
We tend to measure success in life based on how much we have achieved, how much money we make and accumulate, the education we acquire, the house we live in, cars we drive, and clothes we wear. Alongside the external measures of success, we have the more primal aspect of survival to contend with, especially as we age. So when very successful people like Steve Jobs and Candace Pert get sick and do not reach life expectancy, what does it teach us? Is it genetics or a hard-driven personality burning itself out? Who can say?
From what I have observed over the years, congestive heart failure has a gradual onset spanning a period of about ten years. The early symptoms present with swelling of the ankles, a persistent cough, and shortness of breath on exertion. Gradually the heart becomes enlarged as it struggles to pump blood throughout the body. Over time, the lower legs and abdomen swell and the person begins to experience shortness of breath while at rest.
The symptoms associated with CHF cannot be ignored or denied. Given the fact Candace Pert was sixty-seven when she died, it means (hypothetically) she would have had symptoms for a good ten years. Since she was writing and lecturing about the mind body connection, why was she unable to reverse her own morbidity when she began to experience symptoms of heart failure? Surely it was not due to a lack of knowledge on her part.
I think what can be extrapolated from her work and early death is that the emotions and spirit are much more complex than we can fully comprehend. Every single type of addiction known to man can bypass our knowledge and common sense for unknown reasons. We tend to think of addictions as being drug or alcohol related, but there are hundreds of different kinds of addictive behaviours. Our psyche will switch from one to another with hardly a twitch of awareness. The onset of symptoms with the capacity to adversely affect our health, means we need to take some drastic measures to change the direction we are headed. It is a call for action and change.
Knowledge alone cannot save us. Whether it is diabetic teaching or education about tobacco – we all know the drill. Every smoker knows smoking is bad for the health. Every jogger who dons a track suit and heads out in the pouring rain knows this discipline is going to add energy and vitality to his or her life. Some people look piously upon the person swilling a can of Coke and turn toward some other insidiously destructive substance. Others do everything right, from activity to food choices – yet they can still end up with cancer or some other serious illness.
To further muddy the waters – we can research every topic under the sun on the Internet now. The problem is there is so much knowledge and information out there now it makes it difficult to filter out all the misinformation. You can read oppositional arguments to every health related topic. Various health gurus are telling us to avoid things like tomatoes, grains, and beans, when common sense would tell us these are not the real culprits. Should you, or should you not take vitamin D, calcium, probiotics, supplements of all kinds, and various strange sounding tinctures and extracts?
Candace Pert was obviously a disciplined academic researcher who acknowledged the connection between mind, emotions and physicality, yet that academic discipline did not transfer very well to fitness and weight loss in her own life, even after she developed symptoms that were certain to shorten her life. Something deep down inside hindered the cognitive connection to take immediate action. What was it?
I think she made tremendous connections and advancements in the field of neuropeptides, pharmacology and neuroscience. She did understand that we cannot treat or examine one part of the body, without realizing that systemic illnesses affect all systems of the body. But in later years as she got more into the spiritual connection, it sort of veered away from science to a somewhat vague New Age spirituality. If she mentioned the word “soul” it was a four letter word not to be used in scientific literature. Yet she was striving to identify the spirit as well as the mind and emotions, as they pertain to health, healing and cognition.
Perhaps the best lessons we can learn go right back to the science of nutrition and physical exercise – and even then, the healthy tennis player might just drop dead of a heart attack while on the court. Knowledge informs but it does not guarantee insight, assimilation or change.
It brings to mind the questions surrounding pre-destiny and fate. Perhaps we are all born with a death date on the horizon, which will not be altered no matter what we do? How much of our physical presence is rooted in spirituality and soul? Are they separate – or blended into every molecule of our physical bodies?
I believe our soul inhabits our physical bodies and consists of mind, thoughts, emotions and spirituality. Our soul gives us our unique identity, intuition, insight, and prompts us to action pertaining to physicality, yet elements of the soul are outside the realm of flesh and blood. It explains why so many near death experiences are described as leaving the body and looking down on what is happening. It is outside the scope of science because for one thing – how can we see ourselves without our eyes?
As it is with hindsight and so many famous yet humanly fallible people, we can learn as much from what they did not do – alongside all the research they did do. Like rats in a lab, what is it about sugar, drugs and alcohol that holds such a magnificent and compulsive attraction to us? Why are some of us more susceptible to those addictive substances, even when we know they will significantly shorten our life span?
Knowledge is increasing at a very rapid rate. We have to filter the noise, the distractions, and the contradictions – in order to navigate the systems within our own bodies. When science is applied to spirituality – it is doomed, because spirituality is not based on scientific knowledge. It is based on faith. Like love – faith is unseen and difficult to fully define.
Are there molecules of love and faith circulating within our physical bodies? Maybe so. But in the end – our soul perseveres, and is the only part of us that can leave and go to another dimension. Knowledge does serve us as we navigate life’s complexities, but truly understanding it all – is probably the greatest enigma of our entire existence.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet
West Vintage (2019). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material
without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is
strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and
clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with
appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
The word streamlining has a slimming ring to it, which is timely for a New Year’s Eve post. Just a couple more days of overindulgence and we are ready to streamline.
I believe the subject matter surrounding individuality, wellness, and fashion history as it relates to culture and art – is central to living a vibrant life and reaching one’s potential. Since these are vast topics, the notion of streamlining is brought about by adding a unique and original perspective. Entelechy is assimilation. We can only share what we have learned – and hope it helps contribute to a broader perspective on women’s issues, how we perceive ourselves, and what we hope to change.
Fashion is important as a mobile art form, and in how we show ourselves to the outside world. It is not about the most expensive or range of designer clothes one wears. But it is one of the key components in visual self expression. We will never get enough of draping the human form with textiles and design. Some dresses are as memorable as a lavender sweater paired with a Himalayan scarf!
In some situations, people are completely thrown off by a person’s style of dress. In one true crime show, a police officer in Florida approached the driver of a vehicle to see what the guy was up to. Once he saw the young man who was dressed in a T-shirt and board shorts, he mistakenly assumed he was a typical “surfer dude”. Instead it turned out to be life threatening conjecture. The police officer ended up in a deadly shoot-out with a fugitive on the run for murder in another State.
The 1979 show “Being There” is a story about a simple gardener named Chance who received a trunk full of expensive clothing from the twenties and thirties, which gave people a totally different impression of him. It is a poignantly satirical movie with many layers of meaning.
If you look at any of the fashion conscious celebs and actresses, their style and image is carefully crafted and central to their existence. They have to constantly pay attention to image. Apparently Dolly Parton has never even stepped outside without being made up and dressed to the nines. Cher is another iconic image, more striking than a runway model in a Paris fashion show. She is almost the polar opposite to Dolly Parton in her looks – yet both are equally dramatic and incredibly talented. Stunningly, they suit their looks!
For the average person, fashion and image is less important than it is for models and movie stars, because we don’t think there is a need to craft our image and sell ourselves in such a manner. Yet, tell that to a person who is going on a first date with someone they really want to impress! Fashion is embodied in self expression and lifestyle. It matters sometimes – and other times it doesn’t really matter at all. Regardless, we all have to present ourselves to the world in some capacity, so in my opinion, we might as well appreciate the beauty and have some fun with it.
Whether we are wearing sweat pants and sneakers, or head-to-toe designer, we are making a statement about ourselves that is rapidly judged by other people. I have noticed that even babies in strollers will do a quick visual summary of a person approaching them. In many cases they will glance at your feet first, and then do a quick toe-to head sweep upward – and then look at your face. They learn to check out a person’s shoes early in life!
Years ago I participated in an online University course in women’s studies. I still remember many of the key points the lecturer made. She gave multiple examples of what women said when they were asked to describe themselves. Most of the answers were self-deprecating.
On the other hand, men were inclined to say neutral or positive things about themselves. In fact, none of the men they asked made self-deprecating comments. Finally they were asked, “Okay, tell me what is wrong with you?” One answered, “I’m a little near-sighted” and another said, “I don’t swim the breast stroke very well.” They were not the least bit inclined to say they were too fat or had thunder thighs – regardless of what they looked like!
I don’t discredit men for having a healthier self-image, but I do wonder why there is such an inclination for women to have deep rooted insecurities. Having known and worked with women most of my life, I noticed that even some of the most gorgeous women with near perfect bodies and intelligent minds, might be more dubious about how she is perceived than the average person. In some ways it is probably more difficult for the strikingly beautiful woman with a willowy figure – to navigate the complexities of life, than it is for the average person.
A woman, especially one who is a bit shy and reserved, with too much attention, wastes valuable time and energy trying to deflect it. The accusations many women get of being aloof or snobby, are often unfair assumptions. Others might be jealous and make snide remarks. We should keep in mind that as much as we envy or admire long naturally curly hair – or the near perfect figure, the genetically lavished person has feelings like everyone else.
In my opinion self-esteem is highly overrated. We ought to aim for a healthy cognitive bias. The trouble with all the self-esteem workshops and promotion is that most people really don’t need it. They have enough partiality to get by. Low self-esteem cannot be elevated or reconciled in a two day workshop. Acting lessons would probably help more. For those who don’t like to feel raw and exposed in their insecurities, the cognitive bias is the thing to adopt.
It’s like okay, I am what I am, and can only do so much – therefore I’ll just fake it to the best of my ability. How shallow does that sound? Basically it translates into reinforcing your own abilities, knowing you might make a mistake – but at the same time acknowledging this is my decision, job, obligation, duty, expectation, or opportunity to carry it out. Believing you can do something is half the battle. If you practice something a hundred times and get it right once, it proves that you can get it right again and again, just by learning to duplicate what worked.
When you think about it though, the old adage, “fake it til you make it” is essentially what everyone does. I remember when obstetricians would get called into last minute hair-raising obstetrical emergencies, with no choice but to make an immediate life saving decision. One time I asked one of them, “How can you be so sure making the call, in just a minute or two?” He candidly replied, “I’m not. But you can’t let them know that.” After his admission, when I saw specialists get stressed out and lose it in emergency situations, I would think – he is losing his ability to feign and hold onto his own cognitive bias.
Good or bad – we require such a bias in order to make competent and autonomous decisions. We just need to find a balance between our doubts and our confidence – to keep it in check. Otherwise we might be prone to wallow in doubt or do something overtly stupid.
The next ideation is in making the female comparison to the rather demeaning comment some men get as having “more brawn than brains”. I suppose something like “Bimbo” would be along the same lines.
Since we have entered the era where there is recognition of the theory of multiple intelligences, we cannot be too quick to judge anyone. Although there is no empirical data to support the concept of multiple intelligences, no matter how smart someone is, there will be many deficits in knowledge and experience.
Most people are intelligent in certain areas and less so in others. One of the best examples of this is the aptitude for air traffic control. Some people have the ability to track moving objects at different altitudes and speeds, but for most people it is difficult and stressful. Often a really smart person will have no sense of direction, or he/she might have a tendency to reverse numbers, and must constantly double check them. Those with enhanced social skills and excessive confidence simply come across as smarter, but it could be bogus. In truth, we have the challenge of holding our own – while simultaneously discerning others.
The notion of intellectualizing fashion and beauty appeals to me. The holistic approach to superlative health and wellness facilitates the autonomous integration of the outward appearance with the inner person. This is often described as “being comfortable in one’s own skin”.
Beauty is all around us. Age is irrelevant because the appreciation of beauty and art has no age limits. The fear of losing beauty is unfounded because we don’t have to be beautiful to appreciate beauty. Just as we don’t have to be a concert pianist to love music, or a CFL football quarterback to love sports. If a person sees the beauty in an incredible catch and touch down – they will enjoy it whether they are twenty or eighty years old. The interests we develop, and things we see as beautiful or inspirational stay with us.
Beauty is both objective and highly subjective. If you put twenty women in a row who are healthy and in good shape, and gave men the opportunity to rate their beauty, it would vary widely. If you let those same women mingle and show their personalities – the least beautiful one might suddenly become the most attractive woman in the room.
Mirroring is what we all tend to do, in everything from subtleties in body language to linguistics. The more intuitive, empathetic and capable a person is at mirroring – the more they will apply the law of attraction. Whether is is the tendency to seek out like-minded individuals, or the ability to reflect back what they care about in order to engage them, it seems to be a natural communication phenomena.
Whether you are on the quiet and demure side of life – or an outgoing, vivacious chatterbox, it’s all fine. An easy way to deal with self image is to remember – the more attention you pay to others, the less you have to worry about yourself!
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet
West Vintage (2018). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material
without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is
strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and
clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with
appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Recent findings indicate that we actually have another brain in our gut. The second brain contains a massive network of an estimated hundred million neurons. The neurotransmitters in the gut, are immersed in and influenced by the same neurotransmitters as the brain. This knowledge can introduce an entirely different conceptual framework around mental health issues and treatment.
In fact the entire digestive track is lined with a network of neurons that communicate with the bacteria in the gut. Instead of receiving information from the brain, they carry information to the brain, hence the common expression, “I just had a gut feeling”.
As far as all the hype around leaky gut syndrome, I tend to think the syndrome can be debunked. To me, it doesn’t make sense our guts would be designed to leak. I believe we can get a build up of toxins in our blood stream that can wreak havoc with our health. But those toxins can enter the bloodstream from root canals, simmering infections, inflammatory reactions, open lesions on the skin, ingested orally, and inhaled through the respiratory tract. Probably more than anything, it happens from an overloaded, fatty or dysfunctional liver.
Our liver, lungs, skin, kidneys and immune system defend us against invaders by getting rid of toxins. The most difficult situations arise when there is a combination of pathogens, allergens, stressors, lack of exercise, and a poor diet. After a certain point, the immune system no longer functions the way it is supposed to. The auto immune disorders send signals for things to go haywire. This chain of events runs rampant, confusing the system by not recognizing friend from foe. It is an internalized form of self-betrayal that we seemingly have no control over.
Addiction is reinforced due to the mood elevating elements of the substance. It short circuits the other more holistic ways of fun and happiness, and quickly becomes a vicious cycle. Our brains constantly crave dopamine, serotonin, food, drugs, alcohol, sex, money – and literally anything that will elevate the mood.
As a new approach to dealing with depression, addiction, and other mental health issues – this knowledge about the second brain and biome of the gut should be at the heart of all treatment. What is the point of going to expensive counselling sessions unless you commit to a completely holistic mind and body treatment plan?
My own suggestion for those with an altered immune response, addiction, depression, mast cells, anxiety, and high cortisol levels – is to do a water only fast, followed by a change in diet. This could be a cheap cure for many ailments, including systemic cancer cells. The autonomy is preserved at the end of it all.
Over a period of time, although I always had allergies and the wrath of histamine, it worsened into a mast cell anaphylaxis. The onset was always in the middle of the night for some reason, so the first time it happened, was a near death experience.
I knew the initial onset was an itching burning sensation in my hands. The first time, I made the mistake of trying to ignore it and went back to sleep for another few minutes. I woke up suddenly, with a feeling like my hands were on fire. The intolerable burning sensation rapidly changed as more symptoms piled on. My hands were swelling so fast, it felt like the skin in the webbing between my fingers was splitting open. Before I knew it, there was no sensation at all in my hands. Within a minute, my tongue and airway swelled at the same rate as my hands were swelling. When I stood up and tried to walk, I had no blood pressure, and could only make it about three or four feet, before collapsing on the floor.
To stay conscious, I had to get into a sitting position, put my head lower than my heart, and focus every bit of energy on taking each breath. For the few seconds I was flat on the floor, it was an out of body experience, looking down on myself. I knew I had to get up and manage my own airway, or I would convulse and die right there. From that experience, I realize why so many people in a crisis, will struggle to try and sit up.
I also know much better what the experience of sudden death is like. It was an awful experience, but the gift I got out of it, was that it took away my fear of death. The revelation in those few minutes was more than I had processed in my whole life. It was like I was given textbooks of knowledge and understanding in a split second. It gave me a much clearer perception of how our our soul inhabits our bodies. I did not travel to a beckoning bright light anywhere – but I knew I could have!
When it happened again, I had prepared myself. I got up right away, and looked at the palms of my hands. I could see the rash and hives starting to crawl up my arms. I immediately took Benadryl 100 mg. orally and then used the highest strength undiluted oregano oil you can buy, and put a full dropper full down my throat. The airway was most activated and prone to swell, so I added another dropper full under my tongue. I sat down and watched the rash travel about another two inches and stop midway up my arms. It had to have been the oregano oil that stopped it, because the sublingual route, especially in a liquid form, is more rapid acting than ingesting Benadryl pills orally.
Even though I had found a method to stop the anaphylaxis from progressing, I knew I had to do something to get rid of the mast cells. The first time it happened, I attributed it to having developed a sensitivity to blueberries, the last thing I ate before going to bed. I tend to think I reacted to some kind of contaminants on the blueberries as opposed to the berries themselves, but I have yet to test the theory. When the onset of the anaphylaxis happened again and again, I knew there was much more going on, and that it had been insidiously developing over many years.
I started researching as much as I could find out about mast cells, and made the decision to do a water only fast. It gives the liver a chance to put all of its efforts and focus into detoxification, by getting rid of the villainous cells in the blood stream. Apparently the immune system can be totally reset with seven to ten days of fasting. Those alarmist autoimmune cells have to be removed from the lymphatic system as well.
My self treatment plan made sense. During fasting, once the glycogen stores are used up, the body goes into a state of ketoacidosis. As a mechanism of survival, the healthy cells are conserved and the damaged cells are destroyed. The digestive system is given a complete rest in the process. The fat cells in your body, including the ones around the liver, get released, and burned as fuel first.
There is a healing crisis on all levels during a prolonged fast. It is more intense when there has been a long-term build up of toxins in the body. I do think it has to be water only, so the glycogen stores are completely depleted for a duration of time. It is not for the faint hearted, and most people do it under medical supervision. In my case, I ended up stopping the fast after three weeks.
The main thing to keep in mind for the duration of the fast, is to maintain a well monitored intake and output fluid balance. You do not want to get dehydrated, which is probably the greatest risk. But over hydration also must be avoided, as you can throw the electrolytes completely off balance by drinking copious amounts of water. A long fast is a personal journey – something a person prepares for psychologically, researches, and then must decide if it is for them, and how they will go about it.
Based on my own experience, the fast cured the anaphylaxis completely. The onset of the repeat anaphylaxis was eight months before the fast and happening every couple of weeks. Following the twenty-one day water only fast I have not experienced even a hint of anaphylaxis. Even for the duration of the fast, there was no sign of allergic reactions, so I knew the causative factors were not in the air or water.
After the fast, I eliminated added sugar, and all processed and refined food. In the months following, for the first time in my life, the histamine settled down. To my surprise, I have discovered olives work better than any over the counter antihistamine I have ever taken. But one word of advice, get your olives fresh at an olive bar!
In my opinion, all mental health, physical, and addiction treatment should have a strong focus on diet, exercise and nutrition. We simply cannot change the communication between the neurotransmitters between our gut and brain otherwise.
Our mental health is part of our entire physical ecosystem. I really did wonder why I had the allergic episodes in the middle of the night, and knew it must have some association with the sub-conscious mind.
We can overcome many of our struggles and demons even though they are complex and multi-faceted. We just have to learn how to redesign and reroute those neurotransmitters. We can truthfully add a few more genial and palsy-walsy cells and microbes into the dark recesses of our minds – just from the micronutrients in food!
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2018). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
True beauty stems from genetics, optimal wellness and integrated optimism. Optimal wellness is the combination of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.
The wellness industry went a bit overboard in recent years. This morning I was reading about the Goop website and various pitches by Dr. Gundry who advocates a very restricted diet, makes multiple bizarre medical claims, and sells copious amounts of equally strange sounding supplements, things like “lectin shields”. Can’t you just envision a warrior with a huge bronze shield over his heart and vital organs, as he goes to do battle with his leaky gut? It almost sounds heroic doesn’t it?
If one of these health gurus wrote a fictional book, it would be like a video game inside the body. The good guys are navigating the blood stream in hurricane zodiacs with lectin shields and various other supplements to enhance their powers. The pirates sprouted from beans – and came surreptitiously sneaking out of a leaking gut. Whoa! Before you know it, there is a real bowel-optic war going on inside of you. It used to be a joke to describe someone who has a shitty outlook on life, but now it is about being double crossed by the foods we eat. The leaky gut promoters tell us we need to add more warriors to the mix. You must translate money into supplements as benefactors for your gut.
One thing this health craze has brought on, is an increase in liver disease. Twenty-five per cent of liver disease is now related to supplements. In addition, post-op bleeds can often be attributed to supplements that alter the clotting factors. One can never assume the supplements will not interact with other drugs and should always be included with the information provided to first responders and other medical professionals.
I often wonder about those who refuse to eat ordinary food, because of all the health guru hype. The list of things various quacks tell people to avoid includes; all grains, beans, nightshade vegetables, dairy products, meat, bananas, grapefruit and so on. What if people who adhere to these diets were faced with starvation or famine? Would they refuse to eat bread or meat? What do they eat?
The gist of the Goop website is that women are seeking autonomy. So how exactly are we are going to get autonomy from the ideas and beliefs of Gwyneth Paltrow? To me, that’s sort of like basing your spiritual beliefs on the celebs that have joined Scientology. Can’t we just say, “Whatever floats your boat” and ignore them?
Does being an actress make you a health expert? If she is advocating for autonomy, then why is she pitching so much misinformation? Autonomy means self-directed, not being spoon fed a bunch of fluff by someone who thinks everyone wants to be just like her. No one is just like her. Nothing is going to change that. Not even taking her advice, range of supplements, and quirky products will change the fact we will never look or act like Gwyneth Paltrow. She, like most of us, still has a whole lotta living left to do…Only time will tell how she manages it all. She has set herself up for some critical scrutiny as she ages.
Supplements of every kind, along with a multitude of alternative and fringe treatments are now the norm. I think it’s good to make informed choices, with autonomy over our own health a consistent priority. We don’t need the far-fetched claims of others in order to gain self-determination. They seem to be capitalizing on little more than the notion of cult celebrity followings. We need to listen to our own bodies and sensibilities.
Between the two extremes of conventional medicine and some of the alternative approaches – is where common sense might prevail. In reality, individuals must navigate the unmapped territory leading to their own health and recovery. The only real guide is your own intuition. The thing to guard yourself against is treatment and medication with a stronger dose of hype than benefits.
There is no magic pill. The body has tremendous capacity for healing. We need a wholesome diet, exercise and rest. No matter what happens to us, unless it kills us – first the body stabilizes and then it begins to heal, gradually. Our job is to pay attention to the problem, research it; and then carefully sift the information and advice we are given for quackery, fraud, and pure profit motive.
With a balanced and more secure perspective, we are better equipped to make informed choices. There are good reasons to include some discipline into the daily grind. Our own awareness can alert us enough to help offset everything from repetitive strain injuries to heart attacks and strokes. We are better off to find ways to keep the endorphins flowing and the cortisol levels lower.
I believe each individual is unique with specific genetic markers, developmental attributes, psychological and emotional make-up, addictive tendencies, athletic inclinations, intellectual interests and so on. When we go to a doctor, they have no idea what we put into our bodies, how we think, or what our genetic history is. They can stitch up a wound, order an X-Ray, write a prescription and give you advice. When it comes to trauma, bowel obstructions, automobile accidents, ectopic pregnancies, and countless other mishaps – conventional medicine is not to be scoffed at.
But when it comes to the habits of everyday living and the vague, foggy complaints of fatigue or general malaise – we get hooked. Yeah that’s me! I need a fix. Then as we age, it’s all about chronic disease and inflammation. If we believed all the supplement promoters, we would be living on little but supplements and green juice. We would be taking co-enzymes and handfuls of gelatin capsules thinking we can make ourselves glow in the dark, emanating an instant revitalization and youthful vigor.
As far as judging a person’s health choices, I don’t think we should. But I do believe in common sense and warning people to filter it all, and use caution when tempted to buy into some of those questionable concepts.
For starters there is no such thing as “age reversal”. How could there be? As an example, there have been some very interesting early studies on the long-term effects of Botox, which made sense to me.
Apparently the way the face is innervated with the network of craniofacial nerves, there are neuronal pathways to the brain affecting the movement and coordination of the hands or “hand-mapping” associated with the nerves in the forehead. It is only a matter of time before they figure out the physical global effects of repeated Botox injections. A person might start to look and act borderline catatonic after a few years.
Another interesting thing about Botox is the effect on communication. Apparently we learn a great deal from facial expressions and tend to mirror them. Empathy and compassion, fear, contempt, curiosity – are all part of reading people’s faces. Some articles surmise this can impact relationships. Children in particular rely on facial expressions and tend to make very accurate assessments.
Recently I noticed Celine Dion has come out with a skin product with some extraordinary claims. This product boasts it will put plastic surgeons out of business. I laughed when I read about it because I remembered shopping with my sister one time. We got taken in by an expensive skin cream with similar claims. We each decided to buy one with the agreement to use it faithfully every day. The observation on our mini clinical trial was going to be put to the test, the next time we saw each other. We agreed we would be brutally honest. A few months later when we saw each other again, we took a good long look at each other’s faces, and in unison both of us quipped…”Nope. It didn’t work”.
The gluten free craze is another interesting diet phenomena. For one thing, only one per cent of the population truly has celiac disease. In the past, the diagnosis was based on symptoms and biopsies of the intestine. Now they can do a definitive diagnosis. Canada has about 35,000 true celiac cases, which are tracked on a data base. Although there is a genetic factor, apparently there is never a direct genetic association because of the way it is spread genetically. In addition, it is very difficult if not impossible to go completely gluten free due to the extensive cross-contamination of grains.
For those who truly do have celiac disease, they will react to a homeopathic dosage of gluten. Therefore it is common for them to have frequent flare ups even if they are vigilant about gluten. One of the most interesting things about celiac disease is that many who suffer from it have found they can eat slowly fermented artisan breads, especially sour dough.
For those who do not have celiac, by all means avoid anything that bothers you. But in actual fact, if we don’t have celiac disease, there is no reason to avoid gluten and many good reasons to eat healthy grains.
One of the main things to note about the gluten free craze, is that it brought a whole range of packaged and processed foods, high in sugar, additives, and fats, yet there is a perception this is healthier. The perception is based on a couple of books written by health gurus describing wheat as the worst thing ever grown in a field – and presto, no more gluten for half the population. Hopefully it is a fading trend. I tried going gluten free myself a few years ago – but my gut feeling was that it didn’t make much sense. Plus the gluten free bread is gross in my opinion.
We often hear about leaky gut as the cause for all kinds of health problems. But that too is a manufactured term. There is no proof such a diagnosis even exists.
As far as navigating my own ideas about health, I place autonomy at the top of the list. Therefore I avoid doctors, prescriptions, supplements, and more recently dropped all OTC medications joining the list of “things to avoid”. The biggest vice for me was to finally kick the sugar habit.
There was a fair bit of reluctance to give up sugar. I love fresh ground dark roast coffee with cream and sugar first thing in the morning, and cannot get used to coffee without it. So, coffee goes out the window along with the sugar. I’m still experimenting with substitutes for the morning java. After trying everything from chicory root to vanilla yerba mate, nothing holds a candle to the old fashioned sugar laden cup of coffee. The only other time I managed to quit sugar was in the seventies after reading a book called “Sugar Blues.” It wasn’t long though, before I lapsed into my old ways. Ha! But this time I’m serious. I think last time I lasted about a year, so only time will tell.
Part of the initial adaptation to decreasing or eliminating added sugar is in screening the labels on everything you buy. You need to take a light loupe to the grocery store to read the tiny fonts on the labels. There are a few sugar free salad dressings. Most sauces have added sugar. Almost all processed food has sugar and additives. I find it easiest to stick with fresh whole foods and fresh baked artisan bread. There are also brands of nut butters without any added sugars.
There are things in both conventional medicine and alternative medicine to be embraced by people keen to regain their health and vitality. On the flip side, both have a multitude of things to be avoided. Personally, I would never take chemotherapy. Nor do I go for mammograms as I think they are a hoax. The thought of a CT scan gives me claustrophobia. I skip all pre-screening tests and always have. Denial has its place in life.
Whether we agree with another person’s choices or not is irrelevant. So many of our health choices are based on fear. Many other decisions are based on what some other authority tells us is best for us. We get so used to hearing what is best for us, we hand over our better judgment simply to serve someone else’s profit motive. Don’t expect anyone other than those who love you, to be THAT interested in your health or well-being.
We fail to realize fear itself is the cause of much disease and disharmony in the body. Our psyche, emotions and spirit inhabit our physical bodies, yet we are hesitant to factor those in when we start fretting over our health.
Aging and death are inevitable. We don’t need piles of pills and supplements. As a rule, they do more harm than good. In long-term-care one of the most glaring things I noticed was that those who were the most out of control also took the most psychoactive medications. The healthiest ones could be a hundred years old, and all they took was a baby aspirin each day.
My own advice for optimal health, which I most certainly have not always followed myself but am more inclined to do now: Listen to your body and trust your intuitions. Reduce dependency on medications. Don’t quit any medicine cold turkey, but taper it down gradually. Avoid surgery if you can heal without it. There is always a risk of infection and/or developing scar tissue that can cause problems later.
Lean toward holistic and individually tailored approaches to healing and therapy with careful research. Monitor your progress based on how you feel. Be patient and trust in the body’s incredible capacity to heal.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2018). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Although I worked as a Registered Nurse for many years, I was always trying to get out of it because it was not my forte in the first place. I was just sixteen when I graduated from high school. There were aspects of working as an RN that I did enjoy. But it was the old-fashioned hierarchy, the baggage associated with how I got into it, the system itself, and the career limitations I found to be demotivating, stifling and restrictive. I felt trapped in a cage.
The direct patient care and advocacy was the most rewarding part. Up until the early nineties, it was not a well-paid profession. The only reason for the decades of low pay, is the fact it is a female dominated profession. The work itself can be taxing – mentally, physically and emotionally. The stressors are compounded for single mothers who work as nurses because of the long hours, shift work, fatigue, and difficulty with child care.
For about ten years I worked in a very busy labor and delivery unit. In addition to caring for women throughout their labor and delivery, we had to clean the rooms after each delivery, rinse all the linen, soak, wash, and autoclave all the instruments and repack the delivery bundles. The janitors would not wash the floors unless they had been cleaned by the nurses first. We had to move furniture all over the ward non-stop, in order to make room for the next patients. It was a constant game of musical beds – without the music. They have made improvements to the labor and delivery units over time, but aspects of it were still quite archaic back then.
We could not ignore the task of charting every fifteen minute heart rate and blood pressure checks, as well as getting a mound of paperwork done after each delivery. The legal documentation was the only thing that mattered if anything went awry. You could not afford to get your priorities mixed up when it was busy, or it could be catastrophic. For example – people have a tendency to bleed (especially red heads – believe it or not), and sometimes they bleed profusely. In maternity – they can bleed out in a matter of minutes.
There is no room for error when it comes to the need for early detection of fetal distress and postpartum bleeds (and premature labour). Due to the unpredictable and often precipitate nature of labour and delivery, I estimate having delivered around two hundred babies over the years. In some cases, unknown to the general public – the delivery room can be as hair raising as anything you can imagine. It is difficult to overcome the fear of having to handle, let alone resuscitate – a two pound baby.
Following the years in labor and delivery, I did stints in community mental health, long term care (to include psycho-geriatrics), emergency, some medical-surgical, and often as a hospital-wide float. From newborn to ninety – there are some poignant realizations stemming from the nursing experiences. Being witness to so many people coming into this world, as well as caring for those who are leaving it, has a lasting impact. The astounding thing to me – is how unique each individual is, in every conceivable way.
Not one of us has exactly the same experiences – from how we come into this world, to how we make our final exit. Getting hung up at the “spines” as they call it in the labor room – is when the baby’s head cannot get past the small bony prominences in the pelvis. Something as simple as the presentation of the head can lead to a cord around the neck, a cord prolapse, a failure to progress in labor, an emergency cesarean section, and in some cases, injury to the brain.
We have no guarantees in life – from conception, until the time is ripe for the forces of nature to plunge us into that first uncharted trip through the bony pelvis. That’s just to get us here, for our personalized and idiosyncratic journey. Along the way choices can be limited, or completely taken away from us. In reality – it’s all somewhat of a crap shoot.
Who can say what kinds of things will happen to any of us? But throughout slogging out the twelve hour night shifts and trying to think of a different way to make a living, I tried giving birth to many ideas as well. From the time I was a student nurse, I shopped in thrift stores, and found it way more interesting than any other kind of shopping. I soon became hooked on collecting vintage clothing.
To justify the addiction – I started to view vintage and designer items as being like penny stock investments. There was a reasonable expectation in my mind that if taken care of, they would increase in value over time. The idea of having tangible products appealed to the poet in me, as I do sometimes have my head in the clouds. Thoughts and ideas (and stock market investments) can go up in vapour, whereas palpable things stay put.
The oldest, and some of the most exquisite dresses in the collection are still in storage. Since I started collecting, I wanted to prove that the material landscape of the dispossessed (or throwaways) is of greater interest and value than new things that are mass produced and bought at the mall. Vintage hats and antique lace really inspired me for some reason.
The same thing applies to the internal landscape of the dispossessed. If adversity does not destroy or make us bitter – it will gift us with autonomy, courage, and artistic expressions to share with the outside world. We may need to go to battle with our past – in order to salvage our own souls, as we traverse our peerless internal landscape. Entelechy is the survival of potential.
For a few years I left nursing and worked with a PhD research scientist who had an incredible academic record, twenty-two years of post-secondary education. His PhD was in linguistics with other degrees in math and computer science. We published maps and did special applications contracts using advanced remote sensing technology. We also published a Cities From Space Series using the Landsat satellite data. We sold a couple hundred thousand satellite image maps during that time frame. This was in the late eighties, before satellite imagery was available to the public on the Internet. Advanced remote sensing technology was still in its infancy, but for a micro-enterprise of just two people, we did publish and expand on different uses for the remote sensing technology and digital image processing.
After a couple years of publishing satellite imagery, getting more creative with the mapping elements really started to appeal to me. I started buying old atlases and maps from thrift stores to study the early artistic collector’s maps. I went to trade shows with the maps and saw all of the other creative arts projects that were on display at the shows. Along with the maps and Cities From Space series we published place mats, fridge magnets, and huge wall murals for fire control rooms, real estate, Geological Survey Canada, and many others.
What I learned is that good product is very time-consuming to make. Once it is made – it still has to be marketed. I started my own company, Quiet West Publishing & Marketing and began working on a mosaic and map to cover the entire BC coastline with multiple artistic elements. This was a visionary overlay, with the additional dimensions of true ground and shoreline features. The creation of the Inside Passage Legendary Map came from the exposure I had to satellite image mapping technology – combined with the poetry and art. I saw this as being the ultimate blend of ideas.
BC has thousands of micro-entrepreneurs and artists. They are highly concentrated on the Islands, in and around Nelson, among the Aboriginal people, and basically all over BC. The gift show typically featured a BC Creative Arts section. Hand made jewelry, pottery, artwork, and wood items are the most predominant. But the sky is the limit – and the birdhouses are so cute!
For the most part – the creative arts is about doing a labor of love. There are certain parallels and analogies surrounding the birth of an idea – and how they can take on a life of their own. Labor is central to our lives in more ways than one.
The basis of an entrepreneur’s optimism and repeated efforts – in spite of the odds and the risk she faces, is aptly reflected in a quote credited to Napoleon Hill: “More gold has been mined from the thoughts of men than has been taken from the earth.”
And to that quote – we can take the liberty to add women, right there beside the men. Why? Because the poverty faced by women, also affects the children women give birth to.
In addition, being robbed of our potential is worse than a protracted labor pain. It is one long and extended contraction, until the adversity gives birth to change. We do not deserve the pain and struggle of poverty and hard work without reward, or sufficient support systems. The children who happen to be born into that cycle do not deserve to be dehumanized either. It only creates confusion and withdrawal surrounding thinkable outcomes.
It is time to start mapping it out – and change the archetype.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2018). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Yesterday, I wanted to learn the song “Sweet Old World” by Emmylou Harris. According to the guitar chords and lyrics in chordie.com, the song is marked as difficult to play. I transposed it to -4 semitones to find a somewhat familiar chord sequence. In that combination most of the song is in D Em and A, which is great.
There is one F#m to go with the lyrics “cradled in your arm” and “together with another one” – just a few words, twice in the whole song. But you simply cannot dance around them, or skip over them. I never play an F chord. You have to be a contortionist within limited fretting space (like a real guitar player). Now I might be motivated to figure it out, just so I can play the song. Never having taken a music lesson means you can avoid anything you want. The lyrics and the songs are the driving force. They stay alive forever. I know there is a cliche “it’s the singer not the song” but I think they got that one backwards.
I started thinking about musical notes and what they convey. How many other things are comparable (especially dresses). The notes trigger emotional responses and have a predictable harmony. As I think about what dress style goes with an F#m – I envision it would be light and wispy, very noticeable but at the same time, diaphanous and ethereal.
The personality of the F#m is mysterious. She is made of silk chiffon, fluid in movement, and neutral in tones. There is a subtle nuance to the way she flows, from a comfort zone, shifting seamlessly into an artistic resplendance. The melody is in her movement, for the undulations of rhythm, is flowing right through her.
Not everyone can wear her, because it is not easy to emulate her style. You must be limber and coordinated, to learn how deftly and quickly she changes. The embodiment of an F#m is for a special time and place – in life as it is in a song. With unwavering confidence, she slips through the crowds effortlessly. Her memory is sweet. She is like the scent of hyacinths wafting by, as fleeting and elusive as a leaf in the breeze.
It is the range of little things, the small and unexpected notes, that brings beauty to our days. Check back. As soon as I find an F#m dress – I will post it here!
Once defined – it didn’t take too long to find one. This gorgeous silk dress fits the description for an F#m. The fabric is a muted blend of gossamer-thin patchwork patterns. A jacquard coloured silk with ribbon-like accents and gold metallic threads running horizontally across the fabric (like guitar strings of the imagination)!
Meanwhile – I’m going back to playing and singing “Silver Threads & Golden Needles” in good old DAE. If a song can bridge the difference in style between Janis Joplin and Emmylou Harris – there must be a key to the room for the rest of us!
Without a belt it has a 1920’s drop waist silhouette
A melodious blend of colours…
Shown with a narrow gold tone & pave crystal snake belt. Exotic!
Gossamer silk with gold metallic thread shown in morning window light.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2017). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Happy New Year to all, with much gratitude toward loved ones. I always feel a sense of relief when we get into January, mostly for the longer days and anticipation of warmer weather.
Some of the most fascinating research is being done in the field of embodied cognition. It is still in the early stages of study and somewhat vague in definition, but nonetheless it represents a leap of understanding in cognitive science. My interpretation of what it means, is that instead of our brains being locked away inside our heads with only our unique perceptions and mental representations to stimulate behavior and solve problems – we actually have cognitive resources that are distributed across our brains, our physical bodies – and our environment.
One of the essential meanings of embodied cognition is that states of the body modify states of the mind. So far, the only real study I have been able to find on clothing and embodied cognition is one involving a white lab coat and the perceptions it creates. That study alone, indicates that what we wear creates a significant impression with regards to the way we feel, as well as to how others perceive us.
With advanced and increasing knowledge about the brain, psychologists and philosophers have delved more and more into the field of embodied cognition and question how words, objects and events are perceived or made meaningful to us. The research so far demonstrates that language comprehension depends on emotion, perception and metaphor. This becomes the primary motivator of our behavior. It is the motivation and resulting coordinated action that links us to other people. The most compelling aspect of the linguistic component, is the extensive use of metaphor. Every conceptual metaphor from a “couch potato” to looking and feeling like a “million bucks” or saying it “fits like a glove” to a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” provide us with examples of metaphors that describe concepts, some of which are highly complex and abstract.
What the increasing awareness and knowledge regarding embodied cognition brings to the fashion industry, is that if our physical bodies share in our cognitive processing, perception and interactions – then the way we dress and care for our physical bodies is far more important than mere vanity or practicality. It is an outward representation of at least some of the elements of cognition. The notion of intellectualizing fashion is not based on whim or fancy, but on a much wider and more holistic framework than has been previously acknowledged.
Just as the medical world began to recognize the need to treat the whole person (body) in the seventies, we now have that holistic element extending to our brain, mind, body, outward appearance, emotions, perceptions – and the environment. This means that if we are able to “pull it together” – it could be what brings us closer to self-actualization and the authentic self – which is the opposite of narcissism and mere vanity.
The food for thought that I leave with you for the New Year – is that all of our potential is wrapped up in embodied cognition – to enigmatically include many facets of existence that are outside and well beyond our concept of self.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2015). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
