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I Know the secret to the quiet mind. I wish I'd never learned it (2021)

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Re: I Know the secret to the quiet mind. I wish I'd never learned it (2021)

#41

Post by btbuildem »

Long time ago I had a concussion resulting from a skiing accident. It wasn't immediately apparent, but it was severe enough that I lost my job and spent ten months on unemployment. For the worst of it I was stupid, I couldn't be funny, and I was overall greatly diminished as a person. Luckily, it wasn't as bad as concussions can get, and it faded with time.

This type of injury terrifies me though, and from what I read about the long-term effects of Covid, I can't believe people are just going along with it as if it was a common cold. To lose my mental faculties, long-term, is prospect beyond depressing.

Re: I Know the secret to the quiet mind. I wish I'd never learned it (2021)

#42

Post by silverquiet »

asystole wrote: post #38
hypeatei wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Life is inherently suffering and has no meaning. Being healthy brings many people joy and so does smoking cigarettes; either way we're here for a limited time surrounded by things that are trying to kill us so why not enjoy it? That's my take at least. During winter I'd probably have a more depressing perspective but the sun has been out lately.

> Life is inherently suffering and has no meaning. I'd hate to hear your winter perspective :)

I'd think with a username like that you'd be in agreement. Certainly I've not found any other truth about life.

Re: I Know the secret to the quiet mind. I wish I'd never learned it (2021)

#43

Post by Helmut10001 »

FredPret wrote: post #31
lijok wrote: post #16

Amazing recount. I was fortunate to learn in 2018, at a relatively young age, that my mental faculties are the most precious thing I have in life (after my wife ofcourse). It was a very simple accident; chasing a high I let my bike get too fast going downhill on a wet road, a car on the other side was oncoming, I break, the back wheel slips out from under me, I hit my head on the road (with a helmet on). A bruised kn…

Human cognition belongs on the timeline of significant events in the evolution of universe. We may be only in the tiniest of corners (for now), but probably nothing beats it in complexity (... for now).

If you ever observed animals, e.g. just observing how chickens socialize, it becomes absolutely clear that they have similar cognition and perception than humans.

Re: I Know the secret to the quiet mind. I wish I'd never learned it (2021)

#45

Post by nick7376182 »

kbos87 wrote: post #20
nunez wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As horrible as this accident is, this is also a testament to modern automotive safety. If this had happened in the 70s or 80s, they all would've been done for. I've seen reports of recent model year cars surviving these kinds of accidents while leaving their drivers unscathed.

My partner occasionally fawns over the idea of buying a vintage Jeep, "just to drive around town, not on the highways". Safety has always been my #1 point of pushback, and when we looked into what can happen even in a low speed accident without modern safety systems, that idea was put to rest pretty quickly.

Driving old cars, especially open top, can be a really fun, joyful activity! Risk manage it like any other high risk activity: plan ahead, pay attention, and be realistic about your ability.

Re: I Know the secret to the quiet mind. I wish I'd never learned it (2021)

#46

Post by kayodelycaon »

echelon_musk wrote: post #27
kayodelycaon wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Perhaps burnout is as traumatic to the brain as a massive brain injury Wouldn’t surprise me. I had a massive psychotic break 5 years ago. I’m pretty sure it came with physical brain damage. My memory isn’t what it used to be. There are holes in it. Apparently some of it is so completely gone, I don’t know I’ve forgotten it. Usually I know if I forgot something because there is a dangling pointer to it. Brain damage…

I often feel as if the brain is deliberately culling memories around psychotic episodes as a means for survival/optimisation. Either that or the memories are treated no differently by the brain. Because one remembers the time as being so significant it seems disproportionate for it to be forgotten. But this could just be what happens to all memories.

Oh, I remember the episode very well. It’s stuff from my past that’s gone.

Re: I Know the secret to the quiet mind. I wish I'd never learned it (2021)

#47

Post by Solvency »

Helmut10001 wrote: post #43
FredPret wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Human cognition belongs on the timeline of significant events in the evolution of universe. We may be only in the tiniest of corners (for now), but probably nothing beats it in complexity (... for now).

If you ever observed animals, e.g. just observing how chickens socialize, it becomes absolutely clear that they have similar cognition and perception than humans.

my 3 chickens have deep and complex social dynamics all while being able to pinpoint grains of quinoa off the ground faster than a robot while being able to spot the faintest outline of the tiniest potential threatening hawk 2 miles away in the sky, fully discerned from various crows flying around that don't phase them at all. their little brains are processing far more than me.

Re: I Know the secret to the quiet mind. I wish I'd never learned it (2021)

#48

Post by DiggyJohnson »

Solvency wrote: post #47
Helmut10001 wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you ever observed animals, e.g. just observing how chickens socialize, it becomes absolutely clear that they have similar cognition and perception than humans.

my 3 chickens have deep and complex social dynamics all while being able to pinpoint grains of quinoa off the ground faster than a robot while being able to spot the faintest outline of the tiniest potential threatening hawk 2 miles away in the sky, fully discerned from various crows flying around that don't phase them at all. their little brains are processing far more than me.

Why would you expect the last sentence to be true? Wouldn't you expect the brains of chickens to be vast, and yours to be even more so?

Re: I Know the secret to the quiet mind. I wish I'd never learned it (2021)

#49

Post by yawpitch »

FredPret wrote: post #31
lijok wrote: post #16

Amazing recount. I was fortunate to learn in 2018, at a relatively young age, that my mental faculties are the most precious thing I have in life (after my wife ofcourse). It was a very simple accident; chasing a high I let my bike get too fast going downhill on a wet road, a car on the other side was oncoming, I break, the back wheel slips out from under me, I hit my head on the road (with a helmet on). A bruised kn…

Human cognition belongs on the timeline of significant events in the evolution of universe. We may be only in the tiniest of corners (for now), but probably nothing beats it in complexity (... for now).

> but probably nothing beats it in complexity

Spend a little while seriously watching an octopus, and you may move that needle.

Re: I Know the secret to the quiet mind. I wish I'd never learned it (2021)

#50

Post by ianai »

hypeatei wrote: post #32
anonzzzies wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I get older, more and more people around me get ill and die: many of them super healthy, not smoking or drinking, sporty all their lives, wealthy, health food nuts and no family histories get diagnosed with cancer and heart disease. In my group more healthy than unhealthy receive terrible outcomes at too young an age. It seems indeed it is not fair; do not believe or think it is, there is no reason to do so. Oh an…

Life is inherently suffering and has no meaning. Being healthy brings many people joy and so does smoking cigarettes; either way we're here for a limited time surrounded by things that are trying to kill us so why not enjoy it? That's my take at least. During winter I'd probably have a more depressing perspective but the sun has been out lately.

I’d say existence precedes essence, and meaning is what the living do. If we make efforts to increase the footprint, robustness, and extent of life then we increase that meaning. (Existentialism, but more.)
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