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Showing posts from September, 2022

"You are a Liar! (And so am I) | How to Spot Deception

by Michael Corthell Let's start with the Big Lie: ''Donald Trump and his allies were peddling lies about the 2020 presidential election within hours of the polls closing on Nov. 3, but the seriousness of the misinformation campaign escalated in the days, weeks, and months that followed. The intensity of the deceptive propaganda reached dangerous levels in early January, culminating in an insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol.''(source: NBC News) Delusional thinking is something that we all practice. This type of thinking is on a continuum from very mild to extreme detachment from reality. For instance, when we go to the movies we all tend to, ''suspend our disbelief''. We as human beings generally love being fooled. That is why magicians and sleight-of-hand artists draw large crowds. These instances are mild and not dangerous, but mass delusional thinking is not, such as what gripped Germany in the pre-World War Two era. Both ends of th

Veganism and The Power of Plant-Based Eating!

by Michael Corthell I and many others, including physicians, dietitians, and nutritionists have concluded that the 'Eden Diet' is the optimal meal plan for humankind. Below is the distilled version of many books and movies on the subject of veganism. Included is a list of resources, that when digested with an open mind, will convince you that an all plant-based lifestyle is the way to truly live and live well. There is dietary veganism(plant-based) and there is also total veganism. Complete or total vegans, in addition to being vegetarian, do not use other animal products and by-products such as eggs, dairy products, honey, leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics, and soaps derived from animal products. And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. Genesis 1:29 It is my purpose in this essay to state my case for eating a totally plant-base

Materialism: Trapped in a Money Pit

  by Michael Corthell [Want a long-term, direct solution to this madness? Skip this article and Go HERE ] More money, more problems? It might just be true. Americans today, compared to 55 years ago, own twice as many cars and eat out twice as much per person, but we don’t seem to be any happier because of it. Rather than rising levels of well-being, we’ve seen mounting credit card debt and increasing numbers of self-storage facilities to house the things we compulsively buy. Trapped in a Money Pit   In the developed world, at least and for the most part, true basics like shelter and food require only part of an average income. An important slice of consumption is therefore directed at things we don’t absolutely require. Some of the time at least, if we properly reflect on our experiences, this discretionary expenditure doesn’t quite bring us the satisfaction we were hoping for. The more spiritual voices among us will argue that the reason is obvious: the whole idea of improving o

What Makes People Go Wrong: The Only Thing Necessary...

''The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.''  - Edmund Burke by Michael Corthell There is a time when the good amongst us must stand up for what’s right, even when it's risky, but that moment usually comes only after evil has already been well entrenched and has become widespread. Countering evil may be an essential thing, but it isn’t the first problem. The real problem is that it matters only after countless mistakes have already been made. And if those first mistakes had not been made, great fights against evil just wouldn’t be necessary. People do end up supporting evil sometimes because they don’t want to make up their minds at all - they don't want to think. They desire safety, they want to avoid criticism and vulnerability, so they hold to the middle of the road to avoid all risks. The majority wouldn’t initiate murders by themselves, I truly believe that, but in the name of duty, loyalty, unity, and/or the greater good,

The Are No Limits Save the Ones We Impose on Ourselves

 by Michael Corthell A limitation is a hindrance, something that keeps something from moving. Self-imposed limitations keep us from growing and moving forward with our lives. They are the result of a negative mindset or 'I can't' thinking. Groups of people can set limitations also. The best example of self-imposed limitations by 'group think' is in breaking the barrier of the   ''4 minute mile'' . Back in the mid 20th century, track and field athletes tried and tried to run a mile in under four minutes, but it just wasn't happening. 4 minutes seemed to be an unbreakable barrier. In fact, it seemed to be an outright impossibility. Then on May 6, 1954, an English runner, named Roger Gilbert Bannister ran the mile in 3:59.4 minutes to set a new world record. Right afterward, runner after runner broke his record. Why? In the successive runner's mind , the barrier was gone. The lesson in this is that many times we accept 

Epigenetics: Scientific Proof That DNA Gene Expression is Yours to Change

Your genes can be activated or deactivated. by Michael Corthell Previously we saw  how eating the right foods changes our genetics —for the better, showing that good food equals a good, healthy body. It turns out that a good exercise program changes our genetics as well. Good food, healthy exercise and a positive mindset all equal good health. Who knew?   The DNA of any life form is amazingly complex and dynamic, with genes constantly being turning on or off, depending on what biochemical signals they receive from the body's reaction to stimuli. When genes are turned on, they 'express' proteins that trigger physiological responses in the body. Scientists know that certain genes become active or quieter as a result of food, exercise or thoughts. Going for a jog, a swim or even a walk affects not only our body weight and sense of well being exercise changes our genetics as well. DNA is modified chemically when we're physically active. '&#

How Can I Alter My Genetic Blueprint for Better Health?

by Michael Corthell   It is now being realized that our genetic blueprint, or DNA map, the molecular protein structure that carries traits from one generation to another can be changed during a our lifetime. New research in genetics and epigenetics  (literally: "control above the genes'') is showing that everything we do and experience can affect this structure, which, in turn, impacts our present health and the health of our posterity. ''Our own genomes carry the story of evolution, written in DNA, the language of molecular genetics, and the narrative is unmistakable.'' — Kenneth R. Miller What is this all about? It's called gene 'expression'. Concerning people, to 'express', is to talk, to communicate. At the cellular level, a similar kind of communication, 'expression' happens. There is a very important argument to be made that anything and maybe everything we do or any at large environmental event has the pote

How to Develop a Positive and Pleasing Personality

by Michael Corthell ''A drop of honey gathers more flies than a gallon of gall'' ― Abraham Lincoln To succeed you must get things done. You must inspire confidence. You must inspire people to act. One of the keys to doing so is how we interact with people. Common sense and basic logic will tell you that by being friendly we will create a spirit of cooperation. People with a pleasing personality create a positive cooperative atmosphere just by being friendly and agreeable. Some of us are born that way, while others need to work at it a bit. But like most things, with some persistent effort, developing this kind of 'personality of success' can be had fairly quickly. First do a quick assessment. Based on the traits below, do you have a Pleasing Personality? What traits do you already have? What traits will you need to work on? Smile! Don’t underestimate the importance of a frequent and sincere smile in making your personality

Healing Illness with the Power of the Subconscious Mind

by Michael Corthell ''The thing always happens that you really believe in, and the belief in a thing makes it happen.'' - Frank Lloyd Wright Your subconscious mind, the very gullible part of your mind that will believe anything you tell it, is there to inspire and guide you. It controls your heart, and circulation of blood, regulates your digestive, takes in, (and believes everything), and releases information. It also controls all the processes and functions of your body and it basically knows the answers to all your body's problems. It guards your life and restores you to health. It never sleeps or rests, it is active and working for you 24/7. The best part? You can tell it what to do! So why not use it? Healing yourself is strongly connected with others. Healing begins through loving your neighbors and forgiving your enemies.   Your subconscious has made your body what it is and, therefore, can recreate it — it knows how to heal, through positive

Why There Is No Perfection in this World or Any Other

  The nature of the Universe is not about perfection, it does not seek that, it only seeks balance,  and in that way, it produces the spirit of life and the power of existence. by Michael Corthell I'm not a mathematician so when I try to make sense of how the Universe operates I think in practical terms and picture images like the one I've created above. Don't get me wrong, I do understand Einstein's equation E+MC2 but I can't explain it to someone else and prove it using a mathematical formula, just as I can't explain a great song by singing it since I don't have that talent, I'm tone-deaf. “Nothing happens until something moves. When something vibrates, the electrons of the entire universe resonate with it. Everything is connected. The greatest tragedy of human existence is the illusion of separateness.” ― Albert Einstein So then this is how I'm going to explain the non-perfection of our daily lives and the life that is the Universe.  The Universe

Religion | What I Believe | Michael Corthell

by Michael Corthell “You don’t look out there for God, something in the sky, you look in you.”  – Alan Watts. It is said, by many Christians, that the Old Testament is about a promise made by God, and the New Testament is about the promise fulfilled. In my view this is true. But I believe the entire Bible, including the gospels and other scripture that was omitted, is not to be taken as a historical series of stories at all (for the most part), but rather it is to be read as a kind of psychodrama with allegory highlighting eternal truths and the sciences of creation, such as quantum theory and so on. First of all, I've come to terms with labeling myself a philosopher because I use reason to understand such things as the workings of nature and the existence of all things, including understanding the use and limits of knowledge and science, and the principles of moral judgment toward all created beings as well as the nature of matter itself.[spoiler: everything is energy in wave form

Mindfulness: How to Sharpen Your Power of Observation

Sharpening your powers of observation will not only help you to be more aware and functionally intelligent, this valuable skill of actually 'seeing' will help you in all areas of your life. by Michael Corthell What do you 'see', or do you usually just 'look'? We do not 'see' everything. There is just too much to process, so our minds ignore redundancies. And it is all about focus. For example, if I told you to note everything in a room that was red, and then I asked to close your eyes and describe everything that was blue, what would happen? You would miss most of the blue objects. You were focusing on red and ignoring the blue. ''It's Not What You Look At That Matters, It's What You See'' —Henry David Thoreau Yes, it is focus and mindfulness. Let's look at an illustrative story, this time it is about making sure we are 'looking' at the 'big' picture: Once upon a time, there lived six

How We Were All Conditioned to Worry About the Future

  ''There is too much 'go-go-go' and not enough just 'sit and be', especially in the western world, a culture that has created a population of stressed-out neurotics both chasing and at the same time dreading their collective futures.''  —Michael Corthell   ''We have an absolutely extraordinary attitude in our culture, and in various other cultures, high civilizations, toward the new member of human society. Instead of saying frankly to children, "How do you do? Welcome to the human race!" we are playing a game and we are playing by the following rules: we want to tell you what the rules are so that you know your way around, and when you understood what rules we are playing by when you get older, you may be able to invent better ones. But instead of that, we still retain an attitude to the child that he is on probation; he is not really a human being, he is a candidate for humanity. And in just this way, we have a whole system of prepar