Vitamin D linked to Mental Illness?!? That explains it

My 30-year project

I read a great article about how Vitamin D deficiencies (lack of sunlight) are linked to mental illness.  That made me start thinking…my cubicle-farm J.O.B. is driving me crazy…LITERALLY!!!  It all makes sense now.  People back in the Little House on the Prairie days used to all work outside in the sun (come on now half-pint…you know you used to watch it).  Now we are herded into our 6×6 cubicle from sun-up to sun-down and they wonder why people are always on edge and stressed out.  Hmmm, I think I just may have to do a 30-year study on working out in the sun.  Anyone care to fund my project?

Does a magic kiss from mom really heal?

I was listening to an old CD this week on my long commute to work from my new home.  Optimistically, I get 45 minutes of quality audio-book or audio-course time.  Of course on days that I am driving my 7 year old to school we opt for the local country station…but I digress.

The CD was from one of Anthony Robbins courses and it included an interview with Deepak Chopra.  Deepak spoke of studies that were done in which people were given stimulants but told they were barbituits.  Not only did the person behave like he was on barbituits, but his body reacted like he was on barbituits.  Apparently whatever the mind thinks is real the body reacts to.  He also said there were people that were given a placebo and told it was a powerful chemo drug for cancer and their hair started falling out and gums started bleeding and everything.

This made me think about children.  When a child gets hurt or falls down, what is the parents reaction?  “Come here I’ll kiss it and make it better”.  Us adults laugh at the naive nature of the children, but if what Deepak says is true, then that kiss by the parent IS really making that boo boo better.  And the difference between that kiss being an ordinary kiss and a magic kiss all comes down to sales. 

What are your thoughts on this?  If you didn’t know, that’s what my comments section is for.  ;-P

Running as Meditation

Use what works for you.

I developed a love for running towards the end of high school, and did plenty of it during my 10 years in the Army.  I especially liked the long steady runs because I would often “drift off” during the run.  No matter what was going on in my life at that time I would always feel happier after my run. 

It wasn’t until after I was out of the Army that I discovered the reason running made me feel good.  It was my meditation.  My mind goes a million miles a minute from the time that I wake up until the time I go to sleep.  But during a long run my mind would shut off.  I don’t mean day-dreaming.  I was aware of everything going on around me.  In fact, I was more aware of everything around me.  I could hear my breath, the birds chirping and the children in the park giggling at the same time.  I would be taking in the beauty of the vegetation, and have an overwhelming sense of calm. 

About a year ago, someone was teaching me to meditate and explained exactly what I just explained above.  They said that the reason for it is that we have “self-talk” constantly which tends to block our senses.  But when we meditate (or when I run), that self-talk stops giving you an inner-peace. 

I read about this again in “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle.  Interestingly enough, I don’t experience it as often when I actually try to meditate.  But give me a nice long run on a hot sunny day.  Mmmmmm. 

Where have all the Prophets gone?

by Benjamin West

Just before drifting off to bed a couple of nights ago I was thinking about the Bible.  I had just read the beginning of the Bible (not Genesis…the part before that where it gives you the history of the Bible), and noticed that one of the first people to alter the Bible, adding the marginal annotations and such, was a guy named F. S. Paris.  Any relation?  No idea.  I’m too cheep to pay for Ancestry.com.

As I’m staring at the ceiling, knowing that I have to be awake in less than 5 hours to do my P90X, I start analyzing it more and more.  I couldn’t get around one question that popped into my head.  “Why would God write the Bible, through Prophets, from 2166BC to 95AD and then just stop”?  Reading Deuteronomy 18:18, God said, “I will put my words in his mouth and he will speak to them all that I command him.”

I wonder if God has been trying to put words into people’s mouths since then, but society has stopped trusting just ordinary people who claim to be Prophets.  It’s hard to blame us for our lack of trust when 99% of modern Prophets are just trying to increase their own profits.

What are your thoughts?