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progressiveman1

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  1. I don't see that happening with the primitive tribe in this video. I think you might have to be born into it. There's a lot of specific knowledge needed, the right community, and other things. You're only focusing on the bad parts. It's like saying: why would you want to live in a society of menial jobs, a high rate of depression, plagues, pointless addictive activities, laziness, and being fat and unhealthy? I like that their "jobs" pertain directly to their survival and that there's a risk of failing. I like that all activities serve a purpose directly to survival, with some occasional innocent fun. I like that it's not so easy. I like that our emotions, reactions, and feelings are adapted to that certain environment. I like being part of nature. I like being physically active for a real reason. I like eating food that hasn't been altered or made dirty. I like the idea of being part of a small community that supports each other in order to survive.
  2. It comes down to land. To live off the land - to have that way of life - a person would need to purchase it. He would have to get a job and therefore live a non-primitive life.
  3. My point is that our modern society is immensely different from what humans as a species adapted to. It's not our natural environment. But it's everybody's natural environment. Some people aren't adapted to their natural environments? They're better adapted to some artificially modern one? You're right, you're right, and I knew that. It just slipped my mind. And I don't think condemning a society based on one aspect is justifiable. There's plenty wrong with the society we live in now. I never said a primitive life was "romantic." It seems rough and inconvenient. I would like to know if enduring that is what's necessary for the highest well-being.
  4. There's more to it than just the use of technology; it's a way of life. The necessity for money in a highly technological society prevents most people from being able to live in a primitive state. Not to mention the longer such a society exists, the less of nature remains. It essentially changes into a new environment.
  5. I was thinking from an individual basis and only passively. Kind of like: "here's the info, do what you want with it." I think what led me to this curiosity was Rand's exaggerated value she placed on material possessions and her apparent dislike for the primitive. My experiences tell me that being closer to nature is of fundamental importance for well-being, but I was wondering if knowledge proposed like in the OP would be sufficient to prove it all the way to the hunter/gatherer level.
  6. A criteria is necessary here. Carol Ryff, a leading scientist in the field, uses these points: 1) Self-Acceptance High Self Acceptance: You possess a positive attitude toward yourself; acknowledge and accept multiple aspects of yourself including both good and bad qualities; and feel positive about your past life. Low Self Acceptance: You feel dissatisfied with yourself; are disappointed with what has occurred in your past life; are troubled about certain personal qualities; and wish to be different than what you are. 2) Personal Growth Strong Personal Growth: You have a feeling of continued development; see yourself as growing and expanding; are open to new experiences; have the sense of realizing your potential; see improvement in yourself and behavior over time; are changing in ways that reflect more self-knowledge and effectiveness. Weak Personal Growth: You have a sense of personal stagnation; lack the sense of improvement or expansion over time; feel bored and uninterested with life; and feel unable to develop new attitudes or behaviors. 3) Purpose in Life Strong Purpose in Life: You have goals in life and a sense of directedness; feel there is meaning to your present and past life; hold beliefs that give life purpose; and have aims and objectives for living. Weak Purpose in Life: You lack a sense of meaning in life; have few goals or aims, lack a sense of direction; do not see purpose of your past life; and have no outlook or beliefs that give life meaning. 4) Positive Relations With Others Strong Positive Relations: You have warm, satisfying, trusting relationships with others; are concerned about the welfare of others; are capable of strong empathy, affection, and intimacy; and understand the give and take of human relationships. Weak Relations: You have few close, trusting relationships with others; find it difficult to be warm, open, and concerned about others; are isolated and frustrated in interpersonal relationships; and are not willing to make compromises to sustain important ties with others. 5) Environmental Mastery High Environmental Mastery: You have a sense of mastery and competence in managing the environment; control complex array of external activities; make effective use of surrounding opportunities; and are able to choose or create contexts suitable to your personal needs and values. Low Environmental Mastery: You have difficulty managing everyday affairs; feel unable to change or improve surrounding contexts; are unaware of surrounding opportunities; and lack a sense of control over the external world. 6) Autonomy High Autonomy: You are self-determining and independent; are able to resist social pressures to think and act in certain ways; regulate behavior from within; and evaluate yourself by personal standards. Low Autonomy: You are concerned about the expectations and evaluations of others; rely on judgments of others to make important decisions; and conform to social pressures to think and act in certain ways. If the threat of an earlier death from those primitive means is associated with a society that has a high level of well-being, then maybe it's one of the necessary components. Yeah, exactly. The difference would be from values and/or living in a highly technological society.
  7. Let's use two example societies: a primitive one at the hunter/gatherer level and a highly technological laissez-faire one. If it was reasonably proven that the inhabitants in the primitive society generally have a greater well-being, does that mean a more technologically advanced society shouldn't be pursued?
  8. That's what I would like. I have never been able to think of something that peaks my interest enough though. I'm 25 and I'm getting impatient. It looks like I'm in the same position as your daughter. I follow your advice already: gaining new experiences, trying to find things that interest me. I find a lot of things that I'm somewhat into, but it's so hard to find just one that I love and would consider making it my life. Maybe one day I'll figure it out.
  9. I fully accept what Objectivism says on how to live and be happy, but never in my life have I honestly been able to say "It's great to be alive; I love life." I find it hard to significantly value life, probably because I've never been able to justify life as being worthwhile. I like dedicating myself to certain people and activities, but it's a minimal amount of them that I enjoy - I don't want it to be a minimal amount; I can't find more. So I don't think the problem is my philosophical values. I think it's either this world (not providing enough things to potentially stimulate me) or it's me (not finding those potentials or having a personality that doesn't impress easily). The more new experiences I try that fail to stimulate me, the more apathetic I become towards life and it lowers my optimism for the potential. I hate being bored all the time, but I'm running out of things to try; I'm struggling to figure out any other methods to help me uncover the worthwhileness of life. I would like to know who can honestly say that most of the time they love being alive. What are you doing or experiencing that makes you feel this way? My life experiences make me come to the conclusion that most other people I'm regularly around feel similar to me. They are disinterested with their job and their personal lives consist of only occassional bright spots; a lot of it purposely avoiding consciousness. I haven't given up yet. I would like to know how to make my life worthwhile.
  10. I'm looking for a weekly/monthly magazine that covers world business news and stats (company performances, economic conditions, products, etc). Preferably, the writings would consist mainly of facts and numbers, with little personal viewpoints or editorials. Does anybody know of one that fits this description?
  11. I can't find much available evidence for the validity of a colon cleanse or body detoxification hypotheses, and yet methods of such seem to be gaining popularity. I ask the people who choose to use the methods why they do it ("clean the colon" and "rid the body of toxins" are the usual answers), and how they know they need to do these things, and if it actually does it (their answer is "I don't know"). There's a method that's gaining popularity at my workplace called The Master Cleanse, which is only drinking a concuction of maple syrup, lemon juice, cayenne peppers for 10 days, along with salt water and peppermint tea. None of them know if they actually need to do this, or if it even works as suggested, but they all buy the hype and claims from the people selling the program. I'm not saying it doesn't work. I'm just saying I haven't seen any evidence for it. What do you guys think of the idea to "cleanse the body", or of the methods for this purpose?
  12. Who are you voting for, and why? Maybe someone will convince me to change my stance from a no-vote.
  13. I would like traveling on that road. A road where police use reasonable judgement instead of a strict number to ticket people. It costs $125. Is that not a lot of money to most people? I can't get myself to drive these ridiculously slow speeds all day every day. I honestly think that I would go crazy if I did. So if I request a trial it's going to cost additional money?
  14. I think this is my best option. Let me know what you think of this argument: 1. I will videotape how desolate the area is at 12:30am on Saturday night. There are hardly any cars at all and definitely no people walking around. I think most people would agree that there is less precision of speed needed during very light traffic times compared to heavier traffic. (I wonder if there's a statistic or study I can find that proves this.) 2. I will use the videotape to show that 25mph (the posted speed limit) is excessively slow and actually more dangerous than 34mph (the speed written on my ticket). I'll conduct physical experiments at the location going 25mph, and inevitably I will soon be getting tailgated by another car behind me and ending up clogging traffic considerably. It will prove that driving 25mph puts one in more risk of an accident because the way other drivers react to it. I want to find some statistic or study that shows it is safer to drive the same speed as the rest of the cars (reasonably) as opposed to making it more dangerous by driving slower. To prove the point even further that 25mph is excessively slow in the area, I will videotape from inside the car going that speed to show how slow it actually is. It is like moving at a crawl. 3. And to prove that 34mph is safe and actually preferable, I will videotape the relation my speed has on others around me. How it effects tailgating, flow of traffic, cars entering, people walking, etc. From my experience, it causes no problems. Then I will show inside the car driving at 34mph. The car and driver are under complete control at this speed.
  15. What if I can get the officer to admit he lied on the citation paper, such as writing that I was going 34 and he admits in court I was going 40? The case is essentially his word versus mine, and if I can prove he lied during prior gov't business, then his testimony during court shouldn't be admissable.
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