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Nothing: Simply Do Nothing

usenothing.com

181–190 of 202 posts

Re: Nothing: Simply Do Nothing

#181
post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting you mention walking as what our ancestors did. Until about 100 years ago, food and energy scarcity was the norm. Our ancestors would have been lean and would not have typically expended energy for just pure leisure. In other words, everyone was busy trying to not starve. There was plenty of physical activity in the day, lots of chores and things to do. I say this to demonstrate how un-adapted we are now f…

Petrarch climbed a mountain for fun in 1336. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascent_of_Mont_Ventoux

Wasn't he effectively some version of upper middle class though? With enough money for servants and safely patronised, his time was protected from basic human needs.

Re: Nothing: Simply Do Nothing

#182

Breathing is something you can either do or not do, yet it's also something that happens automatically, such as during sleep or when you're not paying attention to it. When done perfectly correctly, consciously breathing nets the same benefits to the body as unconscious or automatic breathing. You don't really have to spend any mental energy on it to get the oxygen you need (your body will even yawn for you if it nee…

Re: yawning

I listened to a "Science Vs" podcast on it (or perhaps it was "unexplainable"), yawning is not yo increase oxygen levels. Study participants sat in an oxygen enriched room and also a depleted room without a change in yawn rates.

What did affect yawn rates was brain temperature. Yawning lowers brain temperature. Importantly, when ambient temperature is higher than body temperature, yawn rate dramatically goes down.

These resource [1] [2] goes into some of the details if you want to skip listening to the podcast

[1] https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/scienc...

[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24721675/

Re: Nothing: Simply Do Nothing

#183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay, and when your feisty neighbors take all your jerky and have hunted all the animals that are not in hibernating - then what? While "simple", that does not equate to abundant nor easy. Or, would you agree that there was plenty of abundance even during northern winters? If there was such abundance, and things were as simple as hunting every now and then- why so many famines in history [1]? Surely any cause of fami…

Simple doesn’t mean it’s easy or without risk

Indeed. I really would want my questions answered.

I believe noting that simple is not easy was my point already: "While "simple", that does not equate to abundant nor easy"

Which goes to my other point - getting food on your own is hard. Doing so in the winter is even more difficult. Hence, calorie deficits was a serious problem for many.

Re: Nothing: Simply Do Nothing

#184

? Go for a walk. Walking is what our ancestors did, to go into "finding" modus. Find a route to water, find prey, find adversaries to find you and find out. Or at least find the way home. All senses get stimulated, a moving mind in a moving body. The great outdoors, fresh air, i shite being Scottish. If you have a problem you need to solve, but don't know how, just walk up to a overview point and look down on the pro…

Maybe walking will work for me when I am older but it is not intense enough now. Cycling seems to be perfect as the scenery changes much faster and there is more opportunity to challenge myself (;

I don't know, it let's your mind wander - especially if you can walk near water or better, the sea.

Re: Nothing: Simply Do Nothing

#185
post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Love it! One minor improvement idea: get rid of the timer during the nothing phase. I looked at it all the time. You could show the timer once someone starts scrolling again.

Yeah this was me too, I found myself fixated on the timer, then I started computing factors of the numbers in my head, then I realised I just failed at doing nothing :<

in other words, DMN got activated.

Re: Nothing: Simply Do Nothing

#187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe walking will work for me when I am older but it is not intense enough now. Cycling seems to be perfect as the scenery changes much faster and there is more opportunity to challenge myself (;

Try walking while carrying a heavy load.

Ah the infamous farmer's walk!

Re: Nothing: Simply Do Nothing

#188

? Go for a walk. Walking is what our ancestors did, to go into "finding" modus. Find a route to water, find prey, find adversaries to find you and find out. Or at least find the way home. All senses get stimulated, a moving mind in a moving body. The great outdoors, fresh air, i shite being Scottish. If you have a problem you need to solve, but don't know how, just walk up to a overview point and look down on the pro…

Interesting you mention walking as what our ancestors did. Until about 100 years ago, food and energy scarcity was the norm. Our ancestors would have been lean and would not have typically expended energy for just pure leisure. In other words, everyone was busy trying to not starve. There was plenty of physical activity in the day, lots of chores and things to do. I say this to demonstrate how un-adapted we are now f…

Totally agree. Even in my childhood, if anyone was seen walking without work or running without being chased by dogs or thieves, they would be seen as lunatic. Why would anyone spend their precious energy except for some absolutely needed work? People perfected minimalistic energy spending and question any unnecessary walking. They ride on buffalos while coming back from farm, use farm animals and tools for harder work, have 24-hour servants, have more children, and have large family, get everyone, including women and children out to farm work.

I think the leisure walking, jogging, gym are all products of availability of too much food in return for less work. We are simulating work by cheating the body to think that these leisure activities are actually work.

Re: Nothing: Simply Do Nothing

#190

That reminds me of a specific (de)motivational video of one of my favorite comedians Masood Boomgaard, which specifically covers the rat race that prevails in todays workplace culture. While it's meant to be funny, it actually touches some deeper philosophical truths. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8An2SxNFvmU [Do Nothing - a message of motivation from Self-help Singh- (un) motivational speaker and life coach]

This is amazing, thanks for sharing. Looking at his other videos, the unbearable pain of working on friday is also great.

Something I'd have never been introduced to without your comment, thank you.

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