[FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
Contrary to thee, I always lie.
[FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
They were always fuckheads. Even before Jerry Jarvis left there were too many of them in the movement. Organizational and ideological control went together in the movement - which made it a bowel movement.
Re: [FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
Man that's a good one! I wish I had thought of it. On Sun, 2/2/14, emptyb...@yahoo.com emptyb...@yahoo.com wrote: Subject: [FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Sunday, February 2, 2014, 2:29 PM They were always fuckheads. Even before Jerry Jarvis left there were too many of them in the movement. Organizational and ideological control went together in the movement - which made it a bowel movement.
[FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, s3raphita@... wrote: Re Don't act like it doesn't happen and that long term TM practice and esp. long term TMSP practice is not a factor.: Totally agree with you. Of course, the problem with issues like this is that if anyone claims TM has such-and-such benefits, or alternatively that TM causes this-and-that problems, the only way to empirically resolve the issue is to have a large sample of people who learn TM and another sample who don't. Make sure the two groups are more-or-less matched for other features - age, status, mental health, money issues, etc. Then follow the two groups over the years and see what benefits or disasters occur that are statistically significant. Anything else is just anecdotal. You also have to rule out the horse-before-the-cart fallacies: do people who learn TM show a greater tendency to stop using drugs thanks to regularly experiencing pure consciousness? Or is it the case that those who display the discipline necessary to stop using drugs and take up a regular practice of meditation are statistically more likely to continue abstaining? I'm pretty sure that for some sensitive individuals, taking up TM could have undesirable psychological consequences. Certainly you are correct in all that you say here. In any sampling of the population you will find the gullible/undiscerning ones who go off the deep end when the literal promised benefits or consequences of involving themselves in something doesn't come to pass as exactly outlined. Two outcomes in this case - they either become bitter and hopeless and just remain angry for the rest of their lives or they become bitter and hopeless and try and take their lives. Either way, if they had been a tad more realistic in their expectations of whatever was promised or guaranteed they might not have fell so hard when it all didn't pan out. One thing I know, you can't swallow whole any purported guarantee of anything man-made especially if that guarantee issues from the mouth of another human being. This is not cynicism on my part, merely common sense. Don't hold any human being too responsible because it takes a sucker (the promisee) and someone imperfect (the promiser) to create a problem. I have a hard time blaming, blaming. blaming others for my own disappointment or failure to achieve something. I could go through the rest of my life hating and reviling MMY or Robin for their failure to deliver what they promised me but I simply don't find myself doing that. I mean, what would this bitterness toward them gain me exactly?
[FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, anartaxius@... wrote: 'The lady doth protest too much, methinks.' Judy makes great show of pointing out her integrity, honesty, and fairness, but there are character defects that undermine this theatrical performance. Repeatedly making such a show is a characteristic of those that have mendacious tendencies. No one else here makes such an effort to appear trustworthy. And there are many here who make great efforts to make her appear untrustworthy. What I find fascinating is that in some people's zeal to make Judy look bad they end up making themselves look much worse.
Re: [FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
yikes! Thanks, emptybill for delivering imho, the perfect koan for FFL! On Sunday, February 2, 2014 8:08 AM, emptyb...@yahoo.com emptyb...@yahoo.com wrote: Contrary to thee, I always lie.
[FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
Xeno has certainly made himself look extraordinarily smarmy with this load of crap. He's reviving a smear originated by that Model of Probity Curtisdeltablues, as he was trying to weasel his way out of a cocoon of dishonesty he'd woven around himself. The smear was picked up later by Share as she tried to avoid taking responsibility for her own falsehoods. And now Xeno has adopted it for his own use. The fact, of course, is that I rarely make any kind of show of my own honesty unless someone has impugned it--which, in this case, Xeno had just done, probably hoping I would say what I did so that he could haul out the smear below. But to simply say I don't lie is hardly the theatrical performance Xeno wished to evoke. He must have been a little disappointed. Note that he carefully failed to quote what I wrote. I don't have to make an effort to appear trustworthy. I am trustworthy, and Xeno knows this. In all the time I've been on FFL, and before that on alt.m.t, nobody has ever come up with a shred of evidence of dishonesty on my part. Certainly, despite his seeming assurance as to my mendacious tendencies, Xeno has never made anything but vague insinuations, including, in this case, allusions to undefined character defects that purportedly undermine my nonexistent theatrical performance. Xeno's is a twisted attack by a sick, hostile mind. The lady doth protest too much, methinks.' Judy makes great show of pointing out her integrity, honesty, and fairness, but there are character defects that undermine this theatrical performance. Repeatedly making such a show is a characteristic of those that have mendacious tendencies. No one else here makes such an effort to appear trustworthy. And there are many here who make great efforts to make her appear untrustworthy. What I find fascinating is that in some people's zeal to make Judy look bad they end up making themselves look much worse.
Re: [FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liar_paradox http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liar_paradox yikes! Thanks, emptybill for delivering imho, the perfect koan for FFL! Contrary to thee, I always lie.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Michael Jackson wrote: Can you expand on the icicle event? I have never heard that story. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/message/158523 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/message/158523 On Sat, 2/1/14, TurquoiseB turquoiseb@... wrote: Subject: [FairfieldLife] Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, February 1, 2014, 11:49 AM Remember the talk of omens when a couple of birds attacked the Pope's peace doves? Remember when Maharishi mistook an icicle on his balcony for Shiva? New research suggests that the brains of many people are naturally susceptible to projecting meaning onto meaningless events and considering them omens. Unless their brains are working more efficiently, that is, and exercising cognitive inhibition. http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025750/evidence/the-neuroscience-of-superst\ ition http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025750/evidence/the-neuroscience-of-supers\ tition
[FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
Science Discovers A Clear and Present Spiritual Danger: Too Damned much “Cognitive Inhibition”. So, the practical take-away from this research is that skeptics here suffer from “Cognitive Inhibition”. Too damned much “Cognitive Inhibition” evidently is a very sad state of diagnosis frequently leading to spiritual depression such like we see expressed so often on FFL. More research is needed on this condition to be able to protect people from the deleterious effects of this dangerous state in their spiritual lives. A recent issue of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (via BPS Research Digest) suggests that skeptics possess greater powers of cognitive inhibition. Our brains evidently infer greater meaning from random events in an instinctual way. Cognitive inhibition, that is, suppressing or overriding spontaneously occurring mental processes, may thus be the mechanism that, when working efficiently, controls our natural intuitions and explains why supernatural interpretations seem so natural for some people and yet others find them quite strange, There are caveats involved. In this case, since creativity also relies on reduced cognitive inhibition (introducing the mind to new ideas), it's possible that believer brain activity was just the creative process in motion. A larger lingering question is why (and how) people can shift from believer to skeptic and back. -Buck, a meditator outstanding in his field. To FFL, Turquoiseb posts: http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025750/evidence/the-neuroscience-of-superstition http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025750/evidence/the-neuroscience-of-superstition
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
So the gist of the tale is that the Mighty Thousand Headed Purusha arrived at the Old Goat's house and a Hindu god showed his pleasure by letting his dick appear in ice for all to see. so miracles do exist. God Almighty Damn. You have to hear/see it to believe such crap exists. On Sat, 2/1/14, TurquoiseB turquoi...@yahoo.com wrote: Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, February 1, 2014, 12:37 PM --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Michael Jackson wrote: Can you expand on the icicle event? I have never heard that story. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/message/158523 On Sat, 2/1/14, TurquoiseB turquoiseb@... wrote: Subject: [FairfieldLife] Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, February 1, 2014, 11:49 AM Remember the talk of omens when a couple of birds attacked the Pope's peace doves? Remember when Maharishi mistook an icicle on his balcony for Shiva? New research suggests that the brains of many people are naturally susceptible to projecting meaning onto meaningless events and considering them omens. Unless their brains are working more efficiently, that is, and exercising cognitive inhibition. http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025750/evidence/the-neuroscience-of-superstition
[FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb@... wrote: Remember the talk of omens when a couple of birds attacked the Pope's peace doves? Remember when Maharishi mistook an icicle on his balcony for Shiva? New research suggests that the brains of many people are naturally susceptible to projecting meaning onto meaningless events and considering them omens. Unless their brains are working more efficiently, that is, and exercising cognitive inhibition. http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025750/evidence/the-neuroscience-of-superstition http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025750/evidence/the-neuroscience-of-superstition I believe imagination to be a sign of a healthy and vibrant brain. Can you imagine going through life as a literalist? Can you imagine if there was not an embracing of this thing we call imagination - what books would there be to read? Projection onto meaningless events meaning is what I would call imagination and sometimes even recognition of something true. Super -stition has a lot going for it including being rather interesting, rich and mysterious. I love mysterious and I love the idea that most of our world exists beyond what we can taste, touch, smell, hear or feel viscerally. Omens, meanings, signs - I love it. Do I believe them all? Nah, but they are certainly fun to consider. And why ridicule those who allow the possibility for such alternate theories about events and what these events might mean? How does this threaten you to such an extent you find the need to belittle those with more imagination than you, Bawwy? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzs_yxCqJE4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzs_yxCqJE4
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
Son, you got way too much “Cognitive Inhibition” for your own good. There is a point at which someone like you will get himself isolated from the general population for the extreme asocial-like behaviour that this presents. I am getting worried about the level of your skepticism for your own good and possibly all of us as a community here. According to the research this does not seem healthy. Rick, keep an eye on this guy. We may have to bring in the Yahoo-Groups Guidelines Administration to protect ourselves and the community here, -Buck Science Discovers A Clear and Present Spiritual Danger: Too Damned much “Cognitive Inhibition”. mjackson74 writess: So the gist of the tale is that the Mighty Thousand Headed Purusha arrived at the Old Goat's house and a Hindu god showed his pleasure by letting his dick appear in ice for all to see. so miracles do exist. God Almighty Damn. You have to hear/see it to believe such crap exists. On Sat, 2/1/14, TurquoiseB turquoiseb@... mailto:turquoiseb@... wrote: Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, February 1, 2014, 12:37 PM --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Michael Jackson wrote: Can you expand on the icicle event? I have never heard that story. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/message/158523 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/message/158523 On Sat, 2/1/14, TurquoiseB turquoiseb@... wrote: Subject: [FairfieldLife] Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, February 1, 2014, 11:49 AM Remember the talk of omens when a couple of birds attacked the Pope's peace doves? Remember when Maharishi mistook an icicle on his balcony for Shiva? New research suggests that the brains of many people are naturally susceptible to projecting meaning onto meaningless events and considering them omens. Unless their brains are working more efficiently, that is, and exercising cognitive inhibition. http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025750/evidence/the-neuroscience-of-superstition http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025750/evidence/the-neuroscience-of-superstition
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
We may have to bring in the Yahoo-Groups Guidelines Administration to protect ourselves and the community here, You trying to fight bullshit with bullshit, Buck? As you know, there ain't no such administration, and even if there were, it would have zero interest in protecting us from someone inveighing against superstition. Why do you bother posting this kind of total crap? Son, you got way too much “Cognitive Inhibition” for your own good. There is a point at which someone like you will get himself isolated from the general population for the extreme asocial-like behaviour that this presents. I am getting worried about the level of your skepticism for your own good and possibly all of us as a community here. According to the research this does not seem healthy. Rick, keep an eye on this guy. We may have to bring in the Yahoo-Groups Guidelines Administration to protect ourselves and the community here, -Buck Science Discovers A Clear and Present Spiritual Danger: Too Damned much “Cognitive Inhibition”. mjackson74 writess: So the gist of the tale is that the Mighty Thousand Headed Purusha arrived at the Old Goat's house and a Hindu god showed his pleasure by letting his dick appear in ice for all to see. so miracles do exist. God Almighty Damn. You have to hear/see it to believe such crap exists. On Sat, 2/1/14, TurquoiseB turquoiseb@... mailto:turquoiseb@... wrote: Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, February 1, 2014, 12:37 PM --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Michael Jackson wrote: Can you expand on the icicle event? I have never heard that story. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/message/158523 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/message/158523 On Sat, 2/1/14, TurquoiseB turquoiseb@... wrote: Subject: [FairfieldLife] Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, February 1, 2014, 11:49 AM Remember the talk of omens when a couple of birds attacked the Pope's peace doves? Remember when Maharishi mistook an icicle on his balcony for Shiva? New research suggests that the brains of many people are naturally susceptible to projecting meaning onto meaningless events and considering them omens. Unless their brains are working more efficiently, that is, and exercising cognitive inhibition. http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025750/evidence/the-neuroscience-of-superstition http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025750/evidence/the-neuroscience-of-superstition
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
Yahoo! Groups Guidelines Yahoo! Groups give Yahoo! users a place to meet, interact, and share ideas with each other. Just like a real community, you may have different opinions than other Yahoo! Groups users. The Yahoo! Groups experience is best when people remember a few rules. Yahoo! sets out the terms and conditions of your use of our services in the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/, our Guidelines, and in other rules that we may place on our site. For your use of Yahoo! Groups, some of the key things to remember are: You may not harass, abuse, threaten, or advocate violence against other members or individuals or groups. You may not post content that is harmful to minors. You may not post content that is obscene, otherwise objectionable, or in violation of federal or state law. Stay on topic. Although all groups are different, most groups appreciate it when you stay on topic. If you constantly stray from the topic you may be moderated or removed from a group altogether by its owner or if you post off topic commercial messages you may violate our Spam Policy http://docs.yahoo.com/info/guidelines/spam.html and we may take appropriate action, which may include removing you from the group and/or terminating your access to Yahoo! Services . You may not add members to a group without their permission. In adult Groups, You may not use Yahoo! Groups for commercial or advertising purposes. In non-adult Groups, you may not use Yahoo! Groups for commercial or advertising purposes except in the following limited manner: a) to charge a reasonable access fee to other Group members; b) to discuss with or promote to your Group members other businesses that sell legitimate products or services offline or on a site other than Groups; or c) to facilitate a classified listing or exchange of legitimate products and services between Group members. In any case where Yahoo! Groups may be used commercially as permitted by these Guidelines, Yahoo! is not a party to such transactions, makes no representation or endorsement of any product or service, and is not responsible in any manner for the services or the fees imposed for such services, including customer care or refunds. In all Groups your activity must be consistent with Spam Policy http://docs.yahoo.com/info/guidelines/spam.html. If you violate our Spam Policy we may take appropriate action, which may include removing you from the group and/or terminating your access to Yahoo! Services. You may not post content which infringes the intellectual property, privacy or other rights of third parties. You may only post adult-oriented content in age-restricted areas. You must be 18 years old or over to access these areas. Some content may be more appropriate in some contexts than others. Yahoo! reserves the right to remove content that it determines, in its sole discretion, to be inappropriate and in violation of our rules. For example, discussions or depictions of bestiality, incest, excretory acts, or child pornography may be inappropriate if placed in a sexual or otherwise exploitative context. You may not use Groups solely for the purpose of storing and archiving files. You cannot re-post or re-transmit content that belongs to another user without that user's permission. A Groups owner or moderator (or any other user) cannot re-post or re-transmit Groups content to any other site unless the person has the explicit permission of every group member whose content is being re-posted or re-transmitted. You may not post content, including software downloads, or collect fees in violation of the export control laws and regulations of the United States or other applicable countries.If you are unsure whether your content is consistent with these policies, please err on the side of caution and do not post your content in Yahoo! Groups or any other Yahoo! community area. NOTE: While Yahoo! does allow users to post adult-oriented content to the appropriate age-restricted areas, please remember that the Guidelines apply whether or not you are in an age-restricted area. Yahoo!'s Right To Terminate Yahoo! Groups, in its sole discretion, may terminate or remove any content, Group or your Yahoo! ID immediately and without notice if (a) Yahoo! believes that you have acted inconsistently with the spirit or the letter of the Yahoo! Terms of Service or the Yahoo! Groups Guidelines, or (b) Yahoo! believes you have violated or tried to violate the rights of others. Please help us keep Yahoo! Groups an enjoyable and positive experience. If you see a Group or content that violates our rules, please let us know by contacting us http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/groups/original/members/forms/forms_index.html.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
Ooopsie! Xeno had a little trouble understanding what I wrote to Buck. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, anartaxius@... wrote: Yahoo! Groups Guidelines Yahoo! Groups give Yahoo! users a place to meet, interact, and share ideas with each other. Just like a real community, you may have different opinions than other Yahoo! Groups users. The Yahoo! Groups experience is best when people remember a few rules. Yahoo! sets out the terms and conditions of your use of our services in the Yahoo! Terms of Service http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/, our Guidelines, and in other rules that we may place on our site. For your use of Yahoo! Groups, some of the key things to remember are: You may not harass, abuse, threaten, or advocate violence against other members or individuals or groups. You may not post content that is harmful to minors. You may not post content that is obscene, otherwise objectionable, or in violation of federal or state law. Stay on topic. Although all groups are different, most groups appreciate it when you stay on topic. If you constantly stray from the topic you may be moderated or removed from a group altogether by its owner or if you post off topic commercial messages you may violate our Spam Policy http://docs.yahoo.com/info/guidelines/spam.html and we may take appropriate action, which may include removing you from the group and/or terminating your access to Yahoo! Services . You may not add members to a group without their permission. In adult Groups, You may not use Yahoo! Groups for commercial or advertising purposes. In non-adult Groups, you may not use Yahoo! Groups for commercial or advertising purposes except in the following limited manner: a) to charge a reasonable access fee to other Group members; b) to discuss with or promote to your Group members other businesses that sell legitimate products or services offline or on a site other than Groups; or c) to facilitate a classified listing or exchange of legitimate products and services between Group members. In any case where Yahoo! Groups may be used commercially as permitted by these Guidelines, Yahoo! is not a party to such transactions, makes no representation or endorsement of any product or service, and is not responsible in any manner for the services or the fees imposed for such services, including customer care or refunds. In all Groups your activity must be consistent with Spam Policy http://docs.yahoo.com/info/guidelines/spam.html. If you violate our Spam Policy we may take appropriate action, which may include removing you from the group and/or terminating your access to Yahoo! Services. You may not post content which infringes the intellectual property, privacy or other rights of third parties. You may only post adult-oriented content in age-restricted areas. You must be 18 years old or over to access these areas. Some content may be more appropriate in some contexts than others. Yahoo! reserves the right to remove content that it determines, in its sole discretion, to be inappropriate and in violation of our rules. For example, discussions or depictions of bestiality, incest, excretory acts, or child pornography may be inappropriate if placed in a sexual or otherwise exploitative context. You may not use Groups solely for the purpose of storing and archiving files. You cannot re-post or re-transmit content that belongs to another user without that user's permission. A Groups owner or moderator (or any other user) cannot re-post or re-transmit Groups content to any other site unless the person has the explicit permission of every group member whose content is being re-posted or re-transmitted. You may not post content, including software downloads, or collect fees in violation of the export control laws and regulations of the United States or other applicable countries.If you are unsure whether your content is consistent with these policies, please err on the side of caution and do not post your content in Yahoo! Groups or any other Yahoo! community area. NOTE: While Yahoo! does allow users to post adult-oriented content to the appropriate age-restricted areas, please remember that the Guidelines apply whether or not you are in an age-restricted area. Yahoo!'s Right To Terminate Yahoo! Groups, in its sole discretion, may terminate or remove any content, Group or your Yahoo! ID immediately and without notice if (a) Yahoo! believes that you have acted inconsistently with the spirit or the letter of the Yahoo! Terms of Service or the Yahoo! Groups Guidelines, or (b) Yahoo! believes you have violated or tried to violate the rights of others. Please help us keep Yahoo! Groups an enjoyable and positive experience. If you see a Group or content that violates our rules, please let us know by contacting us http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/groups/original/members/forms/forms_index.html.
[FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
All I did was cut and paste Yahoo guidelines, as Buck had mentioned them. What does that have to do with what Judy wrote to Buck? I was curious about the Yahoo guidelines because I had never read them until now. As text, the format of the guidelines did not paste in well, but they are still readable. Because Judy seems to know what I was thinking at the time, perhaps, in an independent post (so she does not have to lie as much), she can give more details of my misunderstanding of what she claims is my take on what she wrote to Buck. It seems to me that Buck's interpretation of the Yahoo guidelines is not entirely clear of the mark. My take on Buck's concern is that generally I think he would be over censorious in instituting content and language controls.
[FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
As Xeno knows, I do not lie.
[FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
Dear Dear Anartaxius, Somehow we must deal with this “Cognitive Inhibition” problem which so evidently is at the root of so much skepticism around some certain things so good that it obstructs a positive consensus about our history and where we could together go. I do not wish to force my thoughts upon you or anyone else, but I feel forced myself. Little as I know of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, I would fain do my part to correct the tone and the statements of the newspapers and newsgroups, and of our FFL people here generally, respecting his character and actions. It costs us nothing to be just. We can at least express our sympathy with, and admiration of, him and his companions, and that is what I now propose to do. Sincerely, -Buck in the Dome Science Discovers A Clear and Present Spiritual Danger: Too Damned much “Cognitive Inhibition”. So, the practical take-away from this research is that skeptics here suffer from “Cognitive Inhibition”. Too damned much “Cognitive Inhibition” evidently is a very sad state of diagnosis frequently leading to spiritual depression such like we see expressed so often on FFL. More research is needed on this condition to be able to protect people from the deleterious effects of this dangerous state in their spiritual lives. A recent issue of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (via BPS Research Digest) suggests that skeptics possess greater powers of cognitive inhibition. Our brains evidently infer greater meaning from random events in an instinctual way. Cognitive inhibition, that is, suppressing or overriding spontaneously occurring mental processes, may thus be the mechanism that, when working efficiently, controls our natural intuitions and explains why supernatural interpretations seem so natural for some people and yet others find them quite strange, There are caveats involved. In this case, since creativity also relies on reduced cognitive inhibition (introducing the mind to new ideas), it's possible that believer brain activity was just the creative process in motion. A larger lingering question is why (and how) people can shift from believer to skeptic and back. Turquoiseb posts: http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025750/evidence/the-neuroscience-of-superstition http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025750/evidence/the-neuroscience-of-superstition Anartaxius writes: All I did was cut and paste Yahoo guidelines, as Buck had mentioned them. What does that have to do with what Judy wrote to Buck? I was curious about the Yahoo guidelines because I had never read them until now. As text, the format of the guidelines did not paste in well, but they are still readable. Because Judy seems to know what I was thinking at the time, perhaps, in an independent post (so she does not have to lie as much), she can give more details of my misunderstanding of what she claims is my take on what she wrote to Buck. It seems to me that Buck's interpretation of the Yahoo guidelines is not entirely clear of the mark. My take on Buck's concern is that generally I think he would be over censorious in instituting content and language controls. .
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
Funny I should read your take on my comment at this moment - I just re-read the post about the ice linga (so called) and wondered who the heck had the privilege of escorting the purusha guys upstairs and point out the icicle to them - I wondered if he was able to maintain a straight face when he told them what it was. And the pundits did puja to an icicle??? Jesus Christ - what a bunch of maroons as Bugs Bunny would say. And TM ain't no religion - offerings to an icicle??? It makes my earlier experience of today so much more precious, satisfying and fulfilling. I dropped by a friend's house and met a woman and her teen age son who is hot to attend MUM next year since it is consciousness based education They had done the visitors weekend and everything. By the time I finished filling them in on real TM and TMO reality, they both decided it would be better if he went elsewhere to get an education. Score a victory for the forces of wisdom and common sense. Hurray! Hoorahh! On Sat, 2/1/14, dhamiltony...@yahoo.com dhamiltony...@yahoo.com wrote: Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, February 1, 2014, 3:15 PM Son, you got way too much “Cognitive Inhibition” for your own good.There is a point at which someone like you will get himself isolated fromthe general population for the extreme asocial-like behaviour that this presents. I amgetting worried about the level of your skepticism for your own good and possibly all of us as a community here. According to the research this does not seem healthy. Rick, keep an eye on this guy. We may have to bring in the Yahoo-Groups GuidelinesAdministration to protect ourselves and the community here,-Buck Science Discovers A Clear and Present Spiritual Danger: Too Damned much “Cognitive Inhibition”. mjackson74 writess: So the gist of the tale is that the Mighty Thousand Headed Purusha arrived at the Old Goat's house and a Hindu god showed his pleasure by letting his dick appear in ice for all to see. so miracles do exist. God Almighty Damn. You have to hear/see it to believe such crap exists. On Sat, 2/1/14, TurquoiseB turquoiseb@... wrote: Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, February 1, 2014, 12:37 PM --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Michael Jackson wrote: Can you expand on the icicle event? I have never heard that story. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/message/158523 On Sat, 2/1/14, TurquoiseB turquoiseb@... wrote: Subject: [FairfieldLife] Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, February 1, 2014, 11:49 AM Remember the talk of omens when a couple of birds attacked the Pope's peace doves? Remember when Maharishi mistook an icicle on his balcony for Shiva? New research suggests that the brains of many people are naturally susceptible to projecting meaning onto meaningless events and considering them omens. Unless their brains are working more efficiently, that is, and exercising cognitive inhibition. http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025750/evidence/the-neuroscience-of-superstition
Re: [FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
My comments about his character and actions ARE just. He was a sexual opportunist, took money under false pretenses and created a big fat organization that has told innumerable lies over the decades it has existed. While there are those like you who are satisfied with their personal practice, there are many others who have had serious mental/emotional problems and there are many, many more than most people think who are long term meditators who have committed suicide and tried to commit suicide. And you want me to fawn all over the dead leader? No thanks. Before anyone starts squalling about the suicide comments, I have been talking to several people who have family members who are TM suicide survivors and who know others who did it successfully, so don't act like it doesn't happen and that long term TM practice and esp. long term TMSP practice is not a factor. On Sat, 2/1/14, dhamiltony...@yahoo.com dhamiltony...@yahoo.com wrote: Subject: [FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, February 1, 2014, 8:55 PM Dear Anartaxius, Somehow we must deal with this “Cognitive Inhibition” problem which so evidently is at the root of so much skepticism around some certain things so good that it obstructs a positive consensus about our history and where we could together go.I do not wish to force my thoughts upon you or anyone else, but I feel forced myself. Little as I know of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, I would fain do my part to correct the tone and the statements of the newspapers and newsgroups, and of our FFL people here generally, respecting his character and actions. It costs us nothing to be just. We can at least express our sympathy with, and admiration of, him and his companions, and that is what I now propose to do.Sincerely, -Buck in the Dome Science Discovers A Clear and Present Spiritual Danger: Too Damned much “Cognitive Inhibition”. So, the practical take-away from this research is that skeptics here suffer from “Cognitive Inhibition”. Too damned much “Cognitive Inhibition” evidently is a very sad state of diagnosis frequently leading to spiritual depression such like we see expressed so often on FFL. More research is needed on this condition to be able to protect people from the deleterious effects of this dangerous state in their spiritual lives. A recent issue of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (via BPS Research Digest) suggests that skeptics possess greater powers of cognitive inhibition. Our brains evidently infer greater meaning from random events in an instinctual way. Cognitive inhibition, that is, suppressing or overriding spontaneously occurring mental processes, may thus be the mechanism that, when working efficiently, controls our natural intuitions and explains why supernatural interpretations seem so natural for some people and yet others find them quite strange, There are caveats involved. In this case, since creativity also relies on reduced cognitive inhibition (introducing the mind to new ideas), it's possible that believer brain activity was just the creative process in motion. A larger lingering question is why (and how) people can shift from believer to skeptic and back. Turquoiseb posts: http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025750/evidence/the-neuroscience-of-superstition Anartaxius writes: All I did was cut and paste Yahoo guidelines, as Buck had mentioned them. What does that have to do with what Judy wrote to Buck? I was curious about the Yahoo guidelines because I had never read them until now. As text, the format of the guidelines did not paste in well, but they are still readable. Because Judy seems to know what I was thinking at the time, perhaps, in an independent post (so she does not have to lie as much), she can give more details of my misunderstanding of what she claims is my take on what she wrote to Buck. It seems to me that Buck's interpretation of the Yahoo guidelines is not entirely clear of the mark. My take on Buck's concern is that generally I think he would be over censorious in instituting content and language controls..
[FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
Re Don't act like it doesn't happen and that long term TM practice and esp. long term TMSP practice is not a factor.: Totally agree with you. Of course, the problem with issues like this is that if anyone claims TM has such-and-such benefits, or alternatively that TM causes this-and-that problems, the only way to empirically resolve the issue is to have a large sample of people who learn TM and another sample who don't. Make sure the two groups are more-or-less matched for other features - age, status, mental health, money issues, etc. Then follow the two groups over the years and see what benefits or disasters occur that are statistically significant. Anything else is just anecdotal. You also have to rule out the horse-before-the-cart fallacies: do people who learn TM show a greater tendency to stop using drugs thanks to regularly experiencing pure consciousness? Or is it the case that those who display the discipline necessary to stop using drugs and take up a regular practice of meditation are statistically more likely to continue abstaining? I'm pretty sure that for some sensitive individuals, taking up TM could have undesirable psychological consequences.
[FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
Cognitive inhibition is the ability to control inner and outer distracting stimuli, thereby making sure that working memory is not cluttered with irrelevant information or content. Cognitive inhibition is believed to strongly influence, helping to control both sexual and aggressive urges within human society. Do you really want us to take these gloves off? Scepticism is generally any questioning attitude towards assumed knowledge, facts, or opinions and beliefs stated as facts, or doubt regarding claims that are taken for granted elsewhere. Scepticism allows one to dig deeper into a subject or situation, to reverify facts or to discover conclusions that may be in error. Most scientists, being sceptics, test the reliability of certain kinds of claims by subjecting them to a systematic investigation using some form of the scientific method. As a result, a number of claims are considered 'pseudoscience' if they are found to improperly apply or ignore the fundamental aspects of the scientific method. Scientific scepticism may discard beliefs pertaining to things outside perceivable observation and thus outside the realm of systematic, empirical falsifiability and testability. In other words, to be a scientist, whatever you are investigating, the normal course is to at first assume that, whatever your hypothesis is, that it is wrong, that the null hypothesis - that the effect one is investigating does not really exist is true. If you are entranced that the non-null hypothesis is true, you have a cognitive bias that may adversely affect your investigation, cause you to overlook critical tests that could disprove your thesis. You are basically too gullible and trusting to evaluate scientific work. A good scientific theory goes through a crucible of scepticism before it is considered respectable. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, dhamiltony2k5@... wrote: Dear Dear Anartaxius, Somehow we must deal with this “Cognitive Inhibition” problem which so evidently is at the root of so much skepticism around some certain things so good that it obstructs a positive consensus about our history and where we could together go. I do not wish to force my thoughts upon you or anyone else, but I feel forced myself. Little as I know of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, I would fain do my part to correct the tone and the statements of the newspapers and newsgroups, and of our FFL people here generally, respecting his character and actions. It costs us nothing to be just. We can at least express our sympathy with, and admiration of, him and his companions, and that is what I now propose to do. Sincerely, -Buck in the Dome
[FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
'The lady doth protest too much, methinks.' Judy makes great show of pointing out her integrity, honesty, and fairness, but there are character defects that undermine this theatrical performance. Repeatedly making such a show is a characteristic of those that have mendacious tendencies. No one else here makes such an effort to appear trustworthy.
[FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
Re Cognitive inhibition is believed to strongly influence, helping to control both sexual and aggressive urges within human society.: On a side note: TM, of course, relies not on inhibition but on the natural tendency of the mind to settle in deeper, calmer depths. Re Most scientists, being sceptics, test the reliability of certain kinds of claims by subjecting them to a systematic investigation using some form of the scientific method.: I'm (more-or-less) happy with the scientific *method*; it's *scientists* I'm more sceptical about. They have ambitions, lusts, egos, insecurities, . . . and understand what their paymasters expect. An investigation into the effects of passive smoking produces different results if the tests are funded by tobacco companies or health authorities. We all know why. (You use sceptic rather than skeptic - you British?)
[FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
Xeno is lying through his vicious teeth. If anyone wants to know (other than Xeno, who knows already) why I say this, you're more than welcome to ask me. 'The lady doth protest too much, methinks.' Judy makes great show of pointing out her integrity, honesty, and fairness, but there are character defects that undermine this theatrical performance. Repeatedly making such a show is a characteristic of those that have mendacious tendencies. No one else here makes such an effort to appear trustworthy.
Re: [FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
No to mention the fact that so many of the long time TM leaders who SHOULD be enlightened by now all act like fuckheads. On Sun, 2/2/14, s3raph...@yahoo.com s3raph...@yahoo.com wrote: Subject: [FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Sunday, February 2, 2014, 3:11 AM Re Don't act like it doesn't happen and that long term TM practice and esp. long term TMSP practice is not a factor.: Totally agree with you. Of course, the problem with issues like this is that if anyone claims TM has such-and-such benefits, or alternatively that TM causes this-and-that problems, the only way to empirically resolve the issue is to have a large sample of people who learn TM and another sample who don't. Make sure the two groups are more-or-less matched for other features - age, status, mental health, money issues, etc. Then follow the two groups over the years and see what benefits or disasters occur that are statistically significant. Anything else is just anecdotal. You also have to rule out the horse-before-the-cart fallacies: do people who learn TM show a greater tendency to stop using drugs thanks to regularly experiencing pure consciousness? Or is it the case that those who display the discipline necessary to stop using drugs and take up a regular practice of meditation are statistically more likely to continue abstaining?I'm pretty sure that for some sensitive individuals, taking up TM could have undesirable psychological consequences.
[FairfieldLife] RE: Those who reject superstition are displaying extra brain power
Yes, scientists often fail at being scientists, they do have passions, they make mistakes and have biases. Keeping these at bay is one of the marks of a top scientist. Richard Feynman is one of my favorites. No, I am not British. The family mythos has it that I was born in Larissa, Greece, but I remember little of my early half decade, and the remainder my family moved to a city on the West coast of the U.S. I have lived in other countries for a bit, including Canada. They say you can see Mt. Olympus from Larissa, but I do not recall; the earliest part of my life was shadowed by World War II.
