tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89744680318477886832024-02-06T22:34:57.530-08:00Nelson's From Atheism to chocolates and everythingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804951158934074461noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974468031847788683.post-63570500235085457192017-11-26T15:29:00.005-08:002017-11-26T15:29:47.696-08:00My First Acid Trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last week I took some LSD. It’s a schedule I drug so the only way to access it is through the black market. I have never really cared about legality especially when it’s based on fucked up laws that make no sense to me. I have always been a psychonaut. What this means is that I have always been profoundly interested in altered states of consciousness. I have always been an introspective person, that coupled with periods of crippling depression have allowed me to get deep into my own mental processes. It’s not always a pleasant thing especially when you feel like you have no control over what you are thinking about. I have tried enough drugs in a desperate attempt to numb pain or escape the pain. If I wasn’t trained in psychology I think I would have been way worse off but depression can creep up on you and all the knowledge in the world is sometimes is not enough to save you.<br />
<br />LSD is not exactly cheap but I wonder how much value one can put on sanity and general well-being? My small brother who also suffers from depression had already tried half a bloater and so far, I have seen some tremendous changes in his mood and social interactions. This time we split it with him. A friend of mine also took half and split it with his brother. I think it’s the best thing that I have done for myself and for him. I know you are probably thinking that there’s something wrong here and that as a therapist this was an irresponsible thing to do or that this is just another drug to numb and escape but hold your horses.<br />
<br />I have smoked a lot of marijuana which is a very weak psychedelic so I know a bit about altered states but I wasn’t prepared for this. The method of ingestion is oral. You put the bloater in your mouth for about 15 minutes which should allow your capillaries to absorb it into your system. I ate mine because I didn’t want to waste anything. The setting (mental state and environment) are very important for anyone who wants to do a psychedelic drug.<br />
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We were listening to music and smoked some pot while we waited for the high to kick in. When my brother tried it the first time it took about one and a half hours to kick in so we were patient. When the LSD starts kicking in it feels a bit like a weed high but you soon realize that it’s also different and very distinct, you don’t feel intoxicated but your mind becomes very clear. I was watching some visualization while listening to the music, I have never seen colors so rich, the patterns turned into this weird 3D universe, changing form and transforming in the most beautiful way ever. I really can’t put to words what that experience was like, it’s something someone has to experience for themselves. I felt this calm that I couldn’t explain and at some points I caught myself smiling for no apparent reason. This was about 2 hours after I started feeling the effects of the drug. There were also visual distortions for about 30 minutes, faces appeared smudged or people’s heads (I was watching a series at this point) started getting bigger, it was all very amusing for me, I couldn’t stop laughing about it. My brother and I talked about all sorts of things which was very interesting under the trip. One of the effects I noticed is that you can’t sleep for a few hours, I had taken it at around 4 pm and slept at about 5 am. Everyone else confirmed that this happened to them as well, I had initially thought that it was the excitement but it seems to be a side effect of the drug.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcZW8Lnxk1lAZK6HNBa8p_-eof89jrNsHjCMeoPc9zSPa9sX5ZwhyqIE_5rYnHCmJCxc110PtiOAQUjHmX9Lzkq50TUHs8cV4rflD56zBkyM2iYoKfNcEapUWNQpkQYLnkjZt9snqlOo/s1600/index.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcZW8Lnxk1lAZK6HNBa8p_-eof89jrNsHjCMeoPc9zSPa9sX5ZwhyqIE_5rYnHCmJCxc110PtiOAQUjHmX9Lzkq50TUHs8cV4rflD56zBkyM2iYoKfNcEapUWNQpkQYLnkjZt9snqlOo/s1600/index.jpg" /></a><br />All this was amazing but that’s not my immediate interest in psychedelic drugs, I think that they are very powerful mental tools with unimaginable healing power, mankind has used psychedelics for millennia because they exist in nature, it’s even argued that some of the rock paintings discovered were drawn by people under altered states of consciousness. It’s ironic that they are now illegal but that’s a story for another day. My depressive symptoms have subsided, that is not to say that I am healed but I feel like the LSD trip catalyzed that process, I have noticed a lot of positive changes, I am now very productive, this is even the first time that I have written in a long time which really something I am thankful about. I feel like my mind is clearer and that I am more patient with myself and others. I downloaded and watched all the literature I could get on LSD because that is what I can access at the moment. <br /> I now understand a lot about how psychedelics affect brain and it explains a lot what I have been experiencing. They interrupt your default mode network, this is the part of your brain that is active in wakeful rest, like during daydreaming and mind wandering. LSD for instance reduces blood flow to these regions leading reduced activity, the brain reacts to this by activating new neural pathways in an attempt to communicate with itself, recently they did a study where they put people who had been given LSD under and fmri and observed their brain activity. What is really interesting is that the brain under LSD is highly connected, parts of your brain that are normally not active are activated, this is why people smell colors and hear music under an LSD trip.<br />
<br />Psychedelics have been used to treat depression, PTSD, addiction and even anxiety and with ridiculous success rates (there are enough studies published in reputable journals for anyone who would love to learn more). I think this is why psychedelics are illegal, I am not a conspiracy theorist, I am skeptic but it makes a lot of sense that drugs like these are illegal, there’s a lot of money to be lost if one or a few trips under the guidance of a trained therapist can alleviate all these conditions. Liquor and cigarettes on the other hand are very legal even though they kill more people than natural disasters and combined acts of terrorism.<br />
<br />As you can tell by now, I extremely excited about this drug, I can’t wait to talk to anyone who would care to listen to this discovery, I intend to conduct my own little experiments with myself and a few select people who I know might benefit from it, people who have tried antidepressants in vain or people struggling with all these conditions but can’t afford therapy and treatment which is ridiculously expensive. Part of the reason I have never looked for therapeutic help is that I can’t even begin to afford it, I am a trained psychologist so I have been my own personal doctor.<br />
<br />The point of all this is not to encourage drug use, psychedelics are immensely potent and if not taken under the right environment can cause some psychological problems, they are also not for everyone, it’s all about finding what works best for you. The intention of writing this is to spark and arouse some curiosity in you, no one should take all I have written as gospel truth, we live in the information age so ignorance is not excusable. For those interested turn on, tune in, drop out. <br /><br /><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804951158934074461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974468031847788683.post-43295966009906578182013-07-31T05:29:00.002-07:002013-07-31T05:29:14.100-07:00Depression Chronicles: A beginning to an end<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I have never actively thought of killing myself. I have however entertained the idea of my non existence occasionally. But as Freud said, it's impossible to truly think of one's own death. This because you somehow have to be there to imagine your death.</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Many people do not know this about me but I have been struggling with low moods for a couple of years now. I have a couple of speculations on what has led me to this but that's for a different post.</span></span><div style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
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<span style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Depression is a somewhat curious condition and I have always convinced myself that I don't have it. Sadly, I am also a psychology graduate and so I know all it's tell tell symptoms.</span></span><div style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
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<span style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Depression is like getting burned from your insides. You can almost feel the raw pain, what happens I don't know what exactly happens but it's something to do with an imbalance of chemicals in the brain. Too little dopamine re-uptake Too much cortisol production? I am no neuroscientist, all I know is that I hate how it feels. The frustration comes from trying to feel normal which is like trying to lift yourself by pulling at your bootstraps.</span></span><div style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
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<span style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I haven't had such a bad life, we have had family issues, we are not the most close knit family but then isn't this the story of everyone's life? Abuse comes in all it's shape and sizes and emotional abuse can be just as bad as it's physical counterpart. </span></span><div style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
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<span style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I remember during graduation, I had just gotten a second class upper. It was supposed to be my happiest day and yet I remember feeling empty. I knew I should be happy but i wasn't, I faked the smiles of course, human emotions are easy to replicate with a little practice. Only a skilled person can see beneath the layers of pretenses and only an expert can see the layers of darkness.</span></span><div style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
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<span style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I was lucky to land on a job almost immediately after campus with a liberal and really awesome boss. I work between 8am and 2 pm. This is the job of my dreams since allows me a lot of freedom and space to be creative and pursue my own interests and hobbies. And yet sometimes even getting satisfaction out of this can be difficult. Sometimes only sleep can help one escape the mental torture these moods can subject one to. Some poet talked about being together alone. This is really how it feels sometimes, you are locked in your own bad of bones on an indefinite sentence. </span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">Depression is like a demon that is also a part of you. You feel like you can't escape it because you can't outrun yourself. It erodes a little bit of your everyday, you watch yourself fade. You feel helpless and this just sends you further down the black-hole People who commit suicide I suspect are usually trying desperately to exorcise these demons, anything to make it stop, a pop of few pills, the ones with a flair for the dramatic blast themselves to hell (or should I say from this hell). </span><span style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">I think I now understand why people commit suicide. It's not cowardice, I think it's a final act of defiance. It's recognizing that there's no escape route anyway.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I consider myself a nihilist, I am not sure if my views led to these persistent dark moods or whether it was the other way around. Perhaps it was an ugly marriage between the two, I will never know. I have never given much thought to suicide but at the back of the mind there's always that nagging question. What's the point of all these, why do we struggle to live when we are just living to die. Sometime it's easy to shake these feelings off, but days like these are usually a drag. A grim reminder of the fragility of existence. That thin line between being alive and non existence.</span></span><div>
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<span style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><br />Not to toot my own horn but I will leave you with a quote I came up with in one of the depressive and perilous days "Mortality is always around the corner, lurking, no walls of denial and pretense are high enough to keep away the little hints life is always dropping everywhere around us. We are always reminded of this morbid eventuality, some more often than others..."<br /></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804951158934074461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974468031847788683.post-14321590739355252672013-07-23T11:52:00.000-07:002013-07-24T02:35:04.258-07:00On Being a Kenyan Illuminati Devil Worshipping Atheist<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">An article from a local daily (The Star) </span></span><a href="http://the-star.co.ke/news/article-128332/why-we-dont-believe-god" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">here</a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> in which we were
featured in has made me famous (or should I say infamous?) over the last couple
of weeks. The article was on atheism in Kenya and the reaction to it has been
rather interesting to me. Well, I knew it would cause some heat but even my
wildest imagination did not prepare me for the responses we got from our dear
Kenyan readers. It ranged from mild abuses from the Christians, to racism and
even outrageous calls for our deaths. We were promised death, hell and eternal
damnation </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">among</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> other threats which the pea brained commentators could think
of or manage to spell.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You are probably wondering what I am on about. Allow
me to bring you dear reader up to speed. I am a 24 year old Kenyan who thinks
that believing in God is like growing up and keeping one’s belief in Santa. A
less insulting way of describing me is non believer although I use atheist
whenever I want to create a bit of a stir (You have to admit that it does the
trick even though it’s only a negation of a position). A neutral definition of
atheism is the lack of belief in deities. The Star was doing an article on
atheism in Kenya and I happened to be featured in the interview. That has been
the source of fifteen minutes of fame and apparently instant hatred from random
believers as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Now that you are up to speed, let me get back to my
rant. The most surprising accusation we got was that of being devil </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">worshipers</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> After picking my jaw from the floor and surviving the fall when I
jumped out of the window, I tried to rationalize how someone outside a mental
institution could make such a claim. I am afraid that I might get to my grave
before getting satisfactory answer. </span></span><a href="http://mobile.nation.co.ke/The-rise-and-rise-of-nons/-/1017178/1901662/-/format/xhtml/-/j5ssq1z/-/index.html" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Daily nation</a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> prior to this had covered a
story on atheism as well and I remember they hash tagged </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">Illuminati</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> when they
posted it on their twitter feed. I thought this was infantile and rather stupid
for a major local daily but I understood. However, I cannot get how I somehow
worship the devil even after clearly stating that I do not believe in anything
supernatural.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Anyways, everyone seems to be interested in why
there has been a surge in non believers in this lovely ‘Christian Nation’ of
ours. Is it the beginning of the end of the world? Are the religious
institutions failing? Could it be because of the accessibility of information?
How then would you explain all those morons commenting in the thread section of
our article? There is probably a multiplicity of factors and I am not an expert
in that sort of thing so I won’t comment on that.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> I have always had my doubts
about religion but campus is really where I became a full-fledged atheist. I
have always been a bit of a rebel and my inquisitive nature makes me a terrible
candidate for religion. Christianity requires a sheep like unquestioning mind;
it demands one to be a yes man (or woman).
I remember reading an article by Christopher Hitchens on </span></span><i style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Vanity Fair</i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">, from his works I got
introduced to the rest of the horsemen and at some point I </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">couldn't</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> read those
new atheist books fast enough. I was a convert for reason and science and I
have never looked back.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now that I think of it, Maina Kageni did contribute
to this public outcry for our blood. When the article came out he did mention
it in his morning show on <i>Classic fm</i>.
He said we were out to ‘poteza watu’ as I was told by a friend who had been
listening. Now apart from the people who are forced to listen to the show on
Matatus (where it has become like an anthem of sorts) everyone else who listens
to the show is probably either stupid or ignorant or both and is likely to be a
Christian. These are the same people I suspect were vilifying us about the
article. It probably never occurred to them that they could use the same
internet to check out what atheism is all about (or not about) before typing
all that garbage. These are the very same people who probably have never used
the internet for anything else apart from Facebook and whose idea of a good
time is listening to Maina and that other guy Mwalimu in the morning. I
digress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am also in another group FIKA <a href="http://fikakenya.org/">(Freethinkers Initiative Kenya)</a> which has attracted quite a bit of controversy and conspiracy
theories as it was mentioned in the article as well. This is interesting since
I partly started the group in 2011, I would know if we were part of a
conspiracy. But then again that’s the sort of argument I would make if FIKA
indeed was a conspiracy or some government project. To deny a conspiracy is to
affirm it so I won’t make it a point to convince anyone that we are not a
secret society (whatever that entails). We will instead shine in the publicity
it creates. What I will do is tell you what FIKA actually is because I am the
current vice chairman so I should know right? We are a freethought group
advancing critical thinking and rational approaches to issues; we are also a
secular group meaning that we are of the opinion that there should be a separation
between Church and State in public space. We advocate for freedom of religion
but also strongly advocate for freedom from religion. We are not going to bring
this about by burning churches but by having honest and intellectual
conversations with the public. We hope to persuade people through reason and
not using the crude ‘conversion tactics’ the church for instance used in the
past and still does to various degrees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I hereby come to the conclusion of my rant, there’s
much to say on religion, non belief, secularism and our society but this works
as catharsis for now. Always remember that the pen will always be mightier than
the sword. To all those wishing us death, know that it’s easier if you just
engaged us in discussion to find out what our views are. And in the words of my </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">favorite</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> villain (arguable) V, “Behind this mask there is more than flesh.
Beneath this mask there’s an idea, and ideas are bullet proof.”</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804951158934074461noreply@blogger.com74tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974468031847788683.post-45057848385418390512013-01-02T00:16:00.000-08:002013-01-02T00:16:05.127-08:00THE END OR A NEW BEGINNING:THE VIRTUAL WORLD<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What is reality? I do not want to get into any
philosophical or existential discussion about the nature of reality. As you all
know a large percentage of the youth in this country and world are now addicts
to the virtual world and more specifically the social networks. At some point I
thought well this is going to be the end of our social lives as human beings. I
remember one day we were supposed to be hanging out in campus but at some point
everyone had their phone in their hands, Facebook, twitter you name it. I
remember thinking to myself if we are like this and we got our phones mostly
after high school, what is going to happen the future generation. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Kids now get internet browsing phones when as young
as nine years. Are these boys going to know how to talk to a girl outside Facebook?
Will they be able to take them out on a coffee date, will they even know the
common courtesies involved in dating and well…in everyday life? There’s a fear
that kids are learning more than they should be for their ages thanks to the
internet age. This fear is justified because with the internet comes with
unmonitored freedom, while it’s a good free source of knowledge, the internet
has no guardian to keep the pedos and the child molesters out, with the typing
of a link a kid can access all the pornography in this line. This verse from my
favorite rapper Lupe Fiasco captures this dilemma beautifully. “Now imagine a
group of little girls nine through twelve, on the internet watching videos
listenin’ to songs by themselves, it doesn’t really matter if they have
parental clearance, they understand the internet better than they parents.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have come
to change my view and not simply because I can now consider myself also hooked
to the virtual world. I tried to stay for a week without technology but I only
lasted two hours. Today I was watching an anime (Japanese cartoon for the anti
geeks) called Serial experiments Lain. It’s basically about how thin the line
between reality and the virtual world really is. The anime pushes this further
by suggesting that in fact there might be no difference between the real world
and the virtual one. The two worlds get blurred and interchangeable with devastating
consequences. Luckily we have not reached there but who knows with this ever
growing technology what tomorrow has in store for us. Today I and the rest of
the frequent visitors of social networks have more virtual friends than they do
in ‘real life’. But I’m I justified to even draw this distinction? What is
reality anyway? Is it not simply whatever our brains can conjure and convince
us that that is how the world is? When we are having a nightmare and we wake
up, palpitating and sweating profusely, for all intents and purposes was the
dream not real enough to us? When we get absorbed in a good book, when we cry
when we watch a sad scene in a movie, is this less real than everything else we
experience in our day to day lives? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWMn4AP4rFZ9VbpLi28ypDStNbVtq0psOFxdQAy_9d1gXusUklDB5r1dr2WmE4nlEJy3-lU4kTia90UYIlK-ooY6MW2dxO70IRJDDjIeaTp8AGmnKq-WvAGxPKsbDf30HqGY-mF8A7Uc/s1600/Reality_is_a_state_of_mind__by_KimberlyNiccals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWMn4AP4rFZ9VbpLi28ypDStNbVtq0psOFxdQAy_9d1gXusUklDB5r1dr2WmE4nlEJy3-lU4kTia90UYIlK-ooY6MW2dxO70IRJDDjIeaTp8AGmnKq-WvAGxPKsbDf30HqGY-mF8A7Uc/s320/Reality_is_a_state_of_mind__by_KimberlyNiccals.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I was previously arguing that with the social
networks comes the beginning of the end of social lives but my position is
actually the opposite now. With the coming of all this technology and social
networks then we are simply ushering in a new reality. The same way some people
have argued that the end of the Christian world and the second coming as simply
the mark of the coming of the new age of Pisces but that is a story for another
day. More than ninety percent of my friends now come from interactions in the
virtual world. Like the cartoon I was watching today it is becoming harder and
harder to draw the line between the real and the virtual world. And just like
in the cartoon my real world and the virtual world are starting to increasingly
merge. Lovers, friends, enemies have been forged in this virtual world, others
developing into real life friends others remaining in the interwebz. Some
people could argue that it’s healthier to have more real life friends but this
argument has not legs to stand on, real life friendships also go through the
same phases virtual ones do, they too are not everlasting or perfect. And what
are people? Aren’t they just the sum total of what they communicate to us and
what we interpret about them? Bodies are nothing more than machines that allow
for this interface, computers can now provide all that is required to interface
with each other. We do not require physical bodies to communicate with each
other, we can still make each other laugh, cry and even angry well from behind
our keyboards, while the anonymity has brought with it’s a certain stain of
callousness and the dark side of people, it has also allowed us to explore
different personalities, to create how we want to appear and what we wish to
communicate to the different faceless virtual interfaces we interact with on
these social networks.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So while some people argue that social networks are
the death of our social lives, we can tell them this is simply the birth of a
new reality, a new world , more flexible, more exciting and easier to construct
without all the burdens that arise in the real world. So a toast to the new
matrix in which we are all pioneers of, we are free to shape it however we want
it, the limit only lie with our imagination and creativity. With the every end
comes a new beginning after all. </span></div>
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<![endif]--><span id="goog_367658875"></span><span id="goog_367658876"></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804951158934074461noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974468031847788683.post-12172246239262445782012-09-05T15:58:00.002-07:002012-09-05T15:58:36.784-07:00RAMBLINGS OF AN IDLE MIND<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuiA7p9CJ1OeNYadW4WWi2O3CzA2U6SuBsdv6XXykDF2Vk9bXZjglHI4-WHfXkuhaqP2ss4ojg33Q-dNhWdA5zXp1g-XpNosogFxdyLzs6nhxw3SoUJXKnkhFcEd4BwOncPtdwOc5gE20/s1600/neuron+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuiA7p9CJ1OeNYadW4WWi2O3CzA2U6SuBsdv6XXykDF2Vk9bXZjglHI4-WHfXkuhaqP2ss4ojg33Q-dNhWdA5zXp1g-XpNosogFxdyLzs6nhxw3SoUJXKnkhFcEd4BwOncPtdwOc5gE20/s320/neuron+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So today I was listening to Serj Tankian’s new album
“Harakiri”. “Within our dreams we wake
up to kiss the ones who were born to die.” The song and in deed this about how
humanity is washing away in the drains as result of human stupidity and
materialistic greed. The album was of course downloaded from torrents. Being a
fresh graduate means that I have joined the rest of the population of the
unemployed youth, full of ideas but trapped in this shit hole of a place called
Nairobi. As if things couldn’t get any worse the electricity is cut off as if
to remind me of the KPLC competence levels.<br />
<br />
My laptop battery so old and will only last me five minutes before it goes off,
I can’t replace the battery and my dad is the stingy type who will never
replace it. I will have to postpone listening to this album. As I listened to
the album my mind kept racing about humanity and life in general. What really
is the cause of our problems? Is it human greed or is it plain old stupidity
from us the citizens? I mean we have let a group of incompetent old hags
(politicians) to dictate how this country should be run. We have given them the
power to burn this country to the ground without the slightest protest or
fight. I hear everyone complaining about the economic situation in Kenya, about
how politicians have screwed them over. My question is always this, if everyone
is complaining then who the fuck put them there in the first place. Like a
majority of the youth I have never voted, I wonder what position that puts me,
if we all vote then we can definitely tilt the scales towards the leader we would
like to see in office. Like the rest I am disillusioned, I don’t think my vote
can make any difference, so we keep waiting for the world to change, but who
the fuck is gonna change this place?<br />
<br />
My ideos finally runs out of battery and I pick up my nokia phone and get
hooked back to the social world. I have more friends on Facebook than I do in
real life of course. Can I call them friends? Acquaintances perhaps, I have
forged true bonds with some of the people I met online though. We love the
virtual world because of the anonymity it creates for us. On the virtual world
we don’t have to hide who we are, we don’t even have to be who we are; we can
create personas and facades behind which we can hide behind. The online world
allows us to pour vile and to be rude to people and in deed brings out our dark
side sometimes. We don’t have to look into the faces of the faceless online members;
we don’t have to see the consequences of what our words might cause, the
sadness we might inflict in others, the tears and how disheartening our words
can be to those strangers. On the internet it’s easy to forget or pretend that
the people we are communicating with are also people like us, with ambitions,
emotions and feelings. Does the virtual world change us or does it bring out our
real selves? Hmmm<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The nokia too finally gives way, I hate being alone
with my thoughts sometimes. They usually get too loud sometimes, sometimes they
go on auto pilot and I find myself running conversations in my head, with questions
and answers to them as if there was someone else in my head. I am not sure if
this happens to everyone or whether I should see a shrink. It’s hard to stay
without electricity especially since I seem to be addicted to my facebook…ah
the virtual world. The real world is dull sometimes and downright ugly in some
cases, the virtual world on the other hand is much more ordered, you can filter
what you want to see and everything is perfectly represented by words and
numbers. Perhaps this is the reason this world seems so appealing to us. I have
always thought about death, don’t get me wrong, I am not suicidal…not at the
moment anyways. I don’t believe in god, I think the misery present in this
world makes a confident case against the god hypothesis. I am willing entertain
the idea of a malevolent god but of what use is such a god? He doesn’t deserve
any respect from me. As an atheist only this life matters, with this
realization people claim to get a sense of how precious life is and to live it
to the fullest. A Christian friend once asked me why I didn’t just kill myself;
we are going to die in the end after all, right? While I brushed this off as
silly, I kept wondering whether there really was a point of life. We struggle,
we smile, get our heart broken several times, cry in joy but sometimes in pain
and deep suffering…then we die. At that moment when you die, all the memories
fade away, all your thoughts, all the relationships you ever forged will
disappear, just like that. How can we justify having lived all that time when
the grave is all we have to show for what we did in life. I now understand why
the prospect of the afterlife is so enticing for most people. If we get to be
reborn when we die then all this wasn’t for nothing. We will still have our
thoughts and memories about those we loved, the good times we had in this life.
The atheist however cannot objectively support the importance of his/her life
without falling on axiom that life is important because it’s important.
Philosophers would call this circular reaoning.<br />
<br />
Why do people commit suicide? I think it takes great balls to end one’s life. I
hope that I will never be forced to make such a decision. I can’t imagine the
courage it takes one to plunge into the depths of the unknown. At the end of
the day my guess about what happens when we die is as good as the next guy’s
that alone create so much anxiety and fear about dying for people. I can
understand why someone would want to do it, I have a bit of a depressive
personality myself so I have experienced trips where I want to escape from my
own head, I guess it can get too much to bear that someone would do anything
just to make it stop, to numb the pain that can be unbearable. Life can ironically
kill you in the end, making death appear like an angel coming to your rescue,
shutting down your system, shutting down the voices, the hurt, the pain, the disillusionment,
the heartache, some use drugs, others escape into music (guilty), writing, reading,
poetry, art you name it, the suicidal individual however knows that this is
just buying time. Eventually a solution needs to be found, temporal or
permanent. <br />
<br />
The electricity is finally back on, time to plug in back to the system, time to
keep this mind occupied once more lest it strays too much into the darkness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804951158934074461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974468031847788683.post-62972000113118442662012-08-11T03:52:00.004-07:002012-08-11T03:52:58.467-07:00COULD YOU BE DEPRESSED?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVueJ5wQF6yPQ5nFxUZ-aELNAx7vTM5LehfX_mr4SynMbMUioTQFhS5hz3-QbrP8wXpK4KmZyiBUawtcYh2n-_Qi7xdWt3ZTWxTTbNe7xBBeaBdwdiQqsJUWL67DXwKs2q9LQTQtxf7-k/s1600/depressed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVueJ5wQF6yPQ5nFxUZ-aELNAx7vTM5LehfX_mr4SynMbMUioTQFhS5hz3-QbrP8wXpK4KmZyiBUawtcYh2n-_Qi7xdWt3ZTWxTTbNe7xBBeaBdwdiQqsJUWL67DXwKs2q9LQTQtxf7-k/s320/depressed.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Everyone feels bad or sad at one point of their life or the
other. While we all feel sad, moody or low from time to time, some people
experience these feelings intensely, for long periods of time and often without
reason. People with depression find it hard to function every day and may be
reluctant to participate in activities they once enjoyed. Many of my friends
have reported feeling depressed at one point of time or the other. Sometimes I
am concerned, other times I just roll my eyes because I have a fair
understanding of what depression entails having studied psychology for four
years.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Depression if unattended to can lead to among other things a
destabilization of one’s mental health, stress related illnesses and even
suicide in its most extreme cases. It is now in deed a fact that most of the
reported cases of suicide especially among teenagers are as a result of
depression. Cases of depression have been on a steady increase especially in
the western world. One might be tempted to think that this is only so in the
Western countries but they would be gravely mistaken. The reason for this is not
that depression is low in Kenya but its because psychology and psychiatry as
fields are largely nonexistent. We can only boast of one mental institution…one
mental institution in a country of about forty million. Did I mention that the
institution is overcrowded and lacks an adequate number of specialists in the
field of mental health? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It can’t get any worse than this, right? Wrong, the
situation on the ground far more grave. I have to restrain myself from smacking
the large number of people who keep asking me not to read their minds whenever
I tell them I have studied psychology. The fact that majority of Kenyans get
their information about psychology from fiction is amusing at best and
depressing(pardon the pun) at worst. As a result of this confusion about what
the field can and cannot do has led to mistrust of the professional as a whole.
Many Kenyans think that counseling is largely a waste of money. After all how
can paying someone to listen to your problem possibly help to resolve them they
say. You have to appreciate the irony that these are the same people who pay
charlatans in the name of religious leaders every Sunday to read to them excerpts
of an ancient archaic book (buybul). I don’t mean to compare the two fields
because one is clearly based on science while the other is based on a few
ramblings of first century goat herders. Given that you are reading my blog I
assume you know which is which, but I digress. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what is depression? When should you seek professional
help? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Depression</b> is a state of low <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mood_%28psychology%29" title="Mood (psychology)"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">mood</span></a> and aversion to activity that can affect a
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person" title="Person"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">person</span></a>'s
thoughts, behavior, feelings and physical <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Well-being" title="Well-being"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">well-being</span></a>.
Depressed people may feel <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadness" title="Sadness"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">sad</span></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anxiety" title="Anxiety"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">anxious</span></a>, empty, hopeless, worried, helpless, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-esteem#Low_self-esteem" title="Self-esteem"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">worthless</span></a>, guilty, irritable, or restless. They
may lose interest in activities that once were pleasurable; experience loss of
appetite or overeating, have problems concentrating, remembering details, or
making decisions; and may contemplate or attempt <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide" title="Suicide"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">suicide</span></a>.
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insomnia" title="Insomnia"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Insomnia</span></a>,
excessive sleeping, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatigue_%28medical%29" title="Fatigue (medical)"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">fatigue</span></a>, loss of energy, or aches, pains or
digestive problems that are resistant to treatment may be present. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Common signs and symptoms of depression </b></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Feelings
of helplessness and hopelessness. </b>A bleak outlook—nothing will ever
get better and there’s nothing you can do to improve your situation.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Loss
of interest in daily activities. </b>No interest in former hobbies,
pastimes, social activities, or sex. You’ve lost your ability to feel joy
and pleasure.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Appetite
or weight changes. </b>Significant weight loss or weight gain—a change of
more than 5% of body weight in a month.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Sleep
changes. </b>Either insomnia, especially waking in the early hours of the
morning, or oversleeping (also known as hypersomnia). </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Anger
or irritability. </b>Feeling agitated, restless, or even violent. Your
tolerance level is low, your temper short, and everything and everyone
gets on your nerves.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Loss
of energy. </b>Feeling fatigued, sluggish, and physically drained. Your
whole body may feel heavy, and even small tasks are exhausting or take
longer to complete.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Self-loathing.
</b>Strong feelings of worthlessness or guilt. You harshly criticize
yourself for perceived faults and mistakes.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Reckless
behavior.</b> You engage in escapist behavior such as substance abuse,
compulsive gambling, reckless driving, or dangerous sports.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Concentration
problems. </b>Trouble focusing, making decisions, or remembering things.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Unexplained
aches and pains</b>. An increase in physical complaints such as headaches,
back pain, aching muscles, and stomach pain.</li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">If you experience a majority of these symptoms then you should make it a
point of seeking professional help. Interpersonal therapy has been found to be
very effective when combating various types of depression. The earlier the
condition is recognize the better the chances of dealing with it before it
escalates and causes too much damage.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
REFERENCES</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><a href="http://internationalhealthstudent.wordpress.com/2011/05/05/high-depressions-rates-in-kenyan-children-what-can-be-done-by-britni-brierly/">http://internationalhealthstudent.wordpress.com/2011/05/05/high-depressions-rates-in-kenyan-children-what-can-be-done-by-britni-brierly/</a></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><a href="http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_signs_types_diagnosis_treatment.htm">http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_signs_types_diagnosis_treatment.htm</a></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depression_%28mood%29#Psychiatric_syndromes">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depression_%28mood%29#Psychiatric_syndromes</a></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804951158934074461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974468031847788683.post-37904314770420249892012-08-10T16:18:00.000-07:002012-08-10T16:18:49.694-07:00MARRIAGE REVISTED<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCURDHfgYA0dDAnjW9qsRwRKWfZydiPH2pVmlYEWXINlL-t2xpY9NXK0g8bBcIjMwRH5kCBwsO8s9_LC8k3pV7_38n4mZwtmu_DkyAIiziXIClvCta73cPUBlw7yAWRR-mYxaPZsfS7sE/s1600/men_marriage_leadin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCURDHfgYA0dDAnjW9qsRwRKWfZydiPH2pVmlYEWXINlL-t2xpY9NXK0g8bBcIjMwRH5kCBwsO8s9_LC8k3pV7_38n4mZwtmu_DkyAIiziXIClvCta73cPUBlw7yAWRR-mYxaPZsfS7sE/s320/men_marriage_leadin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A friend of mine recently posted an article on marriage; she
wanted to know what my views were on the institution as a whole. It hit me that
I have never given marriage any serious thoughts; it has just never been on my
bucket list. Marriage to me is one of those things that people have always been
doing and as result have never questioned. Is marriage relevant in the twenty
first century? What was the basis of marriage? Is it possible to love someone
till death do you part? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I understand that most atheists are reluctant to approve of
the marriage institution because of the sanctimoniousness and the superstition that
is tied to the whole affair. Christians for instance are eager to marry and
even stay in clearly failed marriages because it’s written in the Bible that
what God has put together let no man put asunder or something close to that.
People end being prisoners in prisons they put themselves in. Anyone who has
ever been in a relationship knows the fickle mindedness of human relationships.
There are times the people we thought we loved turn out to be complete
strangers, do they change or is we that adjust the way we used to view them? Sometimes
this can happen within weeks or months. How realistic is it then I wonder, to
suppose that one can have a relationship that lasts to their death? This is a
clearly wishful thinking at its worst.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The proponents for the marriage institution usually argue
that we need the institution for among other reasons to show how committed we
are to the person, provide a context for taking care of kids and perpetuating
the human race. These might look like valid claims at face value but disintegrate
under closer analysis. Do we need to put a ring on someone’s finger to show
just how we feel about them; do we need to sign papers to prove that we will
stick by them through thick and thin? I think marriage might have served a
purpose in the past; according to evolutionary biologists marriage was useful
in making sure there were enough resources for the female to raise the kid. The
father also benefited because he was provided with a steady outlet for his
sexual needs and desires. Marriage also ensured that the father invested in his
own children. We can see how this might have been important in the African jungle
a few thousand years but the society has changed and our notions of marriage
must change as well. The rates of divorce coupled with the number couples going
for marital therapy is a clear sign that there is something very wrong here. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lastly, it’s only fair to say that being an existentialist;
I appreciate the fact that some people might find marriage to be fulfilling or even
meaningful. To them all I can say is more power to them. I have always been a
bit of a cynic and I think the world has a few billion extra people and it
would be a great disservice to humanity for me to bring and extra mouth in this
world. Marriage being a children churning institution therefore makes very
little sense to me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know a lot of Christians
might use this to confirm their unjustified notions that atheism leads to a
bleak view of life. So let me clarify my position, I believe that its possible
to care for someone, I might even use the word love for emphasis. It is possible
for me to stay with someone that I feel this way about, they should be open
minded however, they should be willing to question the conventional notions
including those about marriage. I know we all love our fairy tales; we hate uncertainty
and profoundly dread change. However a society that is too conforming and stuck
up in its old ways it bound to stagnate. Perhaps it’s time to revisit the
question of marriage.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804951158934074461noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974468031847788683.post-73338898883430888332011-12-01T00:03:00.001-08:002012-09-05T16:12:41.308-07:00REALITY:WHO GOT IT WRONG?The physicist Richard Feynman once said that the easiest person to fool is yourself, and as a result he argued that as a scientist one has to be especially careful to try and find out not only what is right about one’s theories, but what might also be wrong with them. If we all followed this maxim of skepticism in everyday life, the world would probably be a better place. But we don’t. Human beings are not the rational beings Aristotle once claimed we are. A study of the world history will show that we are subjective species, narcissistic and sometimes as selfish as Thomas Hobbes claimed.<br />
Ever since I became an atheist I have engaged in countless of debates with religious people, apart from the fact that many people are ignorant of most of the basic knowledge available in the twenty first century, people really believe in what they think is true irrespective of how absurd some of the notions in reality sound. They must also think the same about my disbelief in God, they must think that I am just confused and that my reality is flawed for whatever reason, adolescent confusion, misguidance from the literature I read, I am an agent of the devil, all these reasons have been used against me and my belief or lack of it. I have come to appreciate the fact that we form our beliefs for a variety of subjective, emotional and psychological reasons in the context of environments created by family, friends, colleagues, culture and society at large. After forming our beliefs, we then defend, justify and rationalize them with a host of intellectual reasons, cogent arguments and rational explanations. Beliefs come first; explanations for beliefs follow. So how do we know that we are right? What basis can we use to claim that our beliefs are correct while our opponents are mistaken? Once we form beliefs and make commitments to them, we maintain and reinforce them through a number of powerful cognitive biases that distort our percepts to fit belief concepts. Among them are:<br />
<br />
Anchoring Bias. Relying too heavily on one reference anchor or piece of information when making decisions.<br />
Authority Bias. Valuing the opinions of an authority, especially in the evaluation of something we know little about.<br />
Belief Bias. Evaluating the strength of an argument based on the believability of its conclusion.<br />
Confirmation Bias. Seeking and finding confirming evidence in support of already existing beliefs and ignoring or reinterpreting dis-confirming evidence.<br />
How can we use logic or rationality to disprove people who don’t believe in neither, how much evidence do you need to convince a person who beliefs in blind faith? I have come to the conclusion that no amount will be enough, our biases reinforce our beliefs, this is the reason our beliefs are very hard to shake off, it’s especially hard if the beliefs we hold have been with us since childhood, they become a part of us, changing them entails admitting that we have been wrongt and that our reality has been flawed the whole time. The anxiety that comes with such realization can be too much for most people to take in; repression and denial become especially useful body defense mechanism whenever we are faced with such dilemmas.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3erav7PuXT3dmBzW0LvXeuaBDG2pITCCEbqtV1aa37dz07-cEiE6egz6lz8HcvixCBRvD_hx5FjgbKJuRKFdBtaZusNPE1qA7jkCm5oRRbM689WeZEs6eFiY7HwhNtbU7_nOwInYOm4/s1600/reality.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3erav7PuXT3dmBzW0LvXeuaBDG2pITCCEbqtV1aa37dz07-cEiE6egz6lz8HcvixCBRvD_hx5FjgbKJuRKFdBtaZusNPE1qA7jkCm5oRRbM689WeZEs6eFiY7HwhNtbU7_nOwInYOm4/s320/reality.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
To conclude, we can never have an entirely rational debate against people whose beliefs of the nature contradict our own, some people believe in science and empirical evidence before they believe in anything, they are known as skeptics, some people find this type of life to be full of uncertainties and anxiety, they would rather believe in something on the basis of faith, one fact is clear, one group must be wrong, either god is real or he/it is not, one group is definitely right and other wrong, this is however dependent on what reality one chooses to subscribe to, so what reality do you subscribe to? Whose right, whose wrong?....Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804951158934074461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8974468031847788683.post-85713409565719707622011-11-02T15:07:00.000-07:002012-09-05T16:14:29.718-07:00My Journey Towards Atheism<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can’t remember when I decided that I was an atheist; I
think I just never had the talent to believe. I was never abused as a child or
exposed to any traumatic event that would cause me to stop believing in a god.
My family has never been a close knit one and going to church has never been
mandatory. I remember in high school
when I read Revelations I was terrified, literally, i am a skeptic and all I could
think about was not making it in heaven, been ruled over for a thousand years
by Lucifer. This is probably when I started questioning the bible and the idea
of the Judeo-Christian god. I kept asking myself how a loving and merciful
creator could allow all that suffering to his children, the details of the end
of days and the apocalypse are enough to make several Hollywood horror movies.
No self-respecting parent should even allow their kids to read that stuff! In
high school we were forced to attend church otherwise I would have never set
foot in church in the long hard years I was in high school. I never felt
anything during church services; other students would cry during prayers,
others would give testimonies of how god changed them etc. I always felt
spiritually indifferent no matter how hard I tried to pray or worship in the
church services. By then I was not even aware of the term atheism, I sort of
believed in god but my definition was vague and not very well thought about. In
campus it’s when I realized the bible couldn’t be the word of god, I was in a
bible study group, whenever we read and tried to interpret the verses it occurred
to me that people would read the bible and then try to make it fit into their
world views, whatever could not was re-interpreted to do so. I decided to read
the whole bible for myself, it was an epic journey where discovered the ignorance, the
threats and the inconsistencies that made up the bible, I am studying psychology
and that has helped me to understand what would make one want to believe in
such fairy tales as I like to call them. Freud’s “On the future of an illusion
offers a brilliant explanation on the belief in god, on my journey in atheism I
have come to encounter works of brilliant minds such as Daniel Dennet , Sam
Harris, Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens among others. Christopher
Hitchens remains my favorite to date, his intellect, rhetoric, humor and wit never
cease to amaze, I have made it a personal endeavor to collect and read all his
works, he has recently been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus, he might
succumb to it anytime soon but his works forever immortalize him. Being an
atheist in an overly religious state has not been without its challenges, I
have lost many friends especially the religious ones, they seem to think that I
am possessed and that the devil is misleading me, some have even deleted me as
friends on Facebook ( you would think the religious would be tolerant towards
the ‘lost sheep’). On the positive side I have met wonderful people who share
my views on god and appreciation for rational thinking; I have met and engaged
brilliant minds who refuse to be mentally confined by religion and wishful
thinking. I have made it my lifelong task to attain enlightenment, to enjoy
every moment of my passing life, to gain knowledge even for its own sake, to
make bonds with those I cross paths with, that when I am gone the memories will
immortalize me in their thoughts. Every day I make efforts to improve myself as
a human being and to be a better person, isn’t that the whole point of
existence?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804951158934074461noreply@blogger.com5