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The Fight

dcurt.is

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Re: The Fight

#31

Post by skrebbel »

tomhoward wrote: post #29
ryanwaggoner wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't accept that this guy really was in perfect health; if he was, he wouldn't have suffered a major cardiac arrest while simply jogging on a treadmill. That may or may not be the case. I suspect that the vast majority of cases of sudden cardiac arrest are attributable to risk factors, but probably not all. Our bodies are pretty incredible, but not perfect. Sometimes they just malfunction.

I think we largely agree - differing only on the interpretation of the word "perfect". In my interpretation, perfect health means this type of malfunction doesn't happen. But these days, such perfection is very rare, though it's possible with sufficient knowledge and access to diagnostics.

By that definition, perfect health doesn't exist.

Re: The Fight

#32

Post by marshallp »

He's given the typical FOOLISH response people give after brushes with the death plague - live life to the fullest.

How about instead thinking of ways to fix the problem. That can also be considered - living life to fullest - and also fixing the problem.

In his case, he could have considered how can cardiac arrest be better dealt with. Have drones nearby that automatically go towards the patient and revive them. What's involved in that, collecting the data, manufacturing drones etc. etc.

The entire world is focused with having the latest shiny bullshit from the mall/walmart. Go there and see the masses of consumerist idiots picking up plastic crap and clothes like monkeys. How about they instead spend that time crafting a pitch for a new invention that solves a death-related problem on kickstarter. There are 7 billion people, probably only a few thousand of them are working towards actually worthwhile things.

Living life to the full doesn't have to mean buying or building crap to fulfill child-like urges to see shiny things, it can instead be using the "god given" brain to tackle the most important challenges, of which survival is number 1. Animals probably look at humans and think what retards, they themselves spend all their time trying to survive.

Re: The Fight

#35

Post by graeme »

ryanwaggoner wrote: post #25
tomhoward wrote: post #17

It's a great post, but to me there's another message that Dustin - understandably - hasn't focused on: "perfect health" is often (usually?) an illusion. Given what I've learned about health in recent years, I can't accept that this guy really was in perfect health; if he was, he wouldn't have suffered a major cardiac arrest while simply jogging on a treadmill. I think it's mostly a failure of modern medicine and mode…

I can't accept that this guy really was in perfect health; if he was, he wouldn't have suffered a major cardiac arrest while simply jogging on a treadmill. That may or may not be the case. I suspect that the vast majority of cases of sudden cardiac arrest are attributable to risk factors, but probably not all. Our bodies are pretty incredible, but not perfect. Sometimes they just malfunction.

Do you have any evidence for that? Cardiac arrest is a pretty major malfunction.

I'll grant that there may be a few cases of spontaneous malfunction among people with systems functioning optimally.

But I'd wager that given the knowledge someone had cardiac arrest, the odds of something being wrong with their system are higher than 99.999%.

Specifically, I'd be interested in cases of spontaneous cardiac arrest among hunter gatherers or other groups that largely avoid the 'diseases of civilization'.

Re: The Fight

#36

Post by davidw »

tomhoward wrote: post #17

It's a great post, but to me there's another message that Dustin - understandably - hasn't focused on: "perfect health" is often (usually?) an illusion. Given what I've learned about health in recent years, I can't accept that this guy really was in perfect health; if he was, he wouldn't have suffered a major cardiac arrest while simply jogging on a treadmill. I think it's mostly a failure of modern medicine and mode…

I had a good friend over for dinner recently, and learned that he had recently suffered a heart attack. Not a really bad one, but there aren't exactly 'good' ones either. Pretty scary, as he's still in his 30ies, like me, in good health, no smoking, not much drinking, some exercise, eats ok, and so on.

Re: The Fight

#37

Post by adrianwaj »

"Running at the gym" ..so many people do it, but wouldn't the energy be put to better use building something? Running barefoot outside would be my choice.. getting grounded and Vitamin D. Gym running is a weird sensation, and unnatural: it's more a striding exercise. Gyms can also be very dirty. But good that he recovered, he should try and work out the how and why so it doesn't happen again.

Re: The Fight

#38

Post by dmix »

jgrahamc wrote: post #20

Some time ago I came across an elderly man in some difficulty lying in the street in London. While waiting for an ambulance he 'died' (no heart beat, no respiration, no signs of life at all, blue lips and gums) and I immediately did CPR on him until the ambulance arrived. Months later I learnt that he survived. Any brush with death makes you seriously think about your own mortality. I know that watching this stranger…

May I ask how you found out he survived?

Re: The Fight

#39

Post by tomhoward »

graeme wrote: post #35
ryanwaggoner wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't accept that this guy really was in perfect health; if he was, he wouldn't have suffered a major cardiac arrest while simply jogging on a treadmill. That may or may not be the case. I suspect that the vast majority of cases of sudden cardiac arrest are attributable to risk factors, but probably not all. Our bodies are pretty incredible, but not perfect. Sometimes they just malfunction.

Do you have any evidence for that? Cardiac arrest is a pretty major malfunction. I'll grant that there may be a few cases of spontaneous malfunction among people with systems functioning optimally. But I'd wager that given the knowledge someone had cardiac arrest, the odds of something being wrong with their system are higher than 99.999%. Specifically, I'd be interested in cases of spontaneous cardiac arrest among h…

Specifically, I'd be interested in cases of spontaneous cardiac arrest among hunter gatherers or other groups that largely avoid the 'diseases of civilization'.

+1

It would also be interesting to know about any similar studies on the most advanced species of non-human primates.

Re: The Fight

#40

Post by unimpressive »

vitalique wrote: post #13
phren0logy wrote: post #2

It's only trite because it needs to be repeated so often.

Yes and no. This is a very personal, very delicate subject, almost impossible to be expressed in or understood from a single random post at a random blog. Sadly, constant repetition of this particular appeal usually leads to cheap, bleak, even personally and socially irresponsible substitutions like YOLO movement that have very little in common with the level of awareness and appreciation of being alive that OP has a…

>even personally and socially irresponsible substitutions like YOLO movement that have very little in common with the level of awareness and appreciation of being alive that OP has acquired (and lost, and acquired again).

I'm pretty sure YOLO is a joke. At least I've never heard anyone say it without at least a hint of facetiousness in their voice.

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