A small tool to view real-world ActivityPub objects as JSON! Enter a URL
or username from Mastodon or a similar service below, and we'll send a
request with
the right
Accept
header
to the server to view the underlying object.
{
"@context": "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams",
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"actor": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1167384593528004611",
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"type": "Note",
"id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1167384593528004611/entities/urn:activity:1218859387357134848",
"attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1167384593528004611",
"content": "\"but not everyone can be healthy because health is entirely random and out of our control\"<br /><br />Guess there's no point in trying.",
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"published": "2021-03-17T09:52:02+00:00",
"source": {
"content": "\"but not everyone can be healthy because health is entirely random and out of our control\"\n\nGuess there's no point in trying.",
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"attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1167384593528004611",
"content": "\"it would be too complicated to teach people how to be healthy and in control of their health\"<br /><br />Can't wait for the next pandemic. We'll be ready and expecting to lose jobs, our humanity and to stay at home. It eliminates the element of surprise.<br /><br />",
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"published": "2021-03-17T09:50:59+00:00",
"source": {
"content": "\"it would be too complicated to teach people how to be healthy and in control of their health\"\n\nCan't wait for the next pandemic. We'll be ready and expecting to lose jobs, our humanity and to stay at home. It eliminates the element of surprise.\n\n",
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"id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1167384593528004611/entities/urn:activity:1218859125297020928/activity"
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{
"type": "Create",
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"object": {
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"id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1167384593528004611/entities/urn:activity:1218858402714910720",
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"content": "Today I'd like to tell you about the most vital part of healing that most people don't understand: Energy Balance. We understand that, for the most part, healing happens automatically. In fact, as you read this, your body is automatically self regulating. Various processes are taking place and making an effort to keep you functioning as well as possible. We don't tend to think about this, but we understand it to some degree.<br /><br />So why do things start to slow down? Why is it that we get to a point where issues take longer to be resolved and new problems crop up more frequently? You might think it's just down to ageing, but what about the people who don't seem to go through this, at least not to the same extent?<br /> <br />When I was in my early twenties my body was in an awful state. I had an endless list of aches and pains, and new injuries constantly threatening to set in if I dared to exert myself just a little bit. I was a mess, but I was young. Surely this couldn't all be down to ageing? How come others didn't deal with the same problems? How come young children tend to bounce back from issues and injuries while, the older we get, it becomes harder and harder?<br /><br />It's true that it's somewhat due to ageing, but what causes this ageing? Is it simply the arbitrary passage of time? If it were, it would be a more uniform process that's directly proportional to time. But it's not. However, it is proportional to stress. Chronic stress sets in and impairs the body's ability to self regulate. The more stress is experienced, the more our ability to heal and maintain balance will be impaired. <br /><br />Because everything we do requires energy. Simply reading this email requires energy. And if you were to lie in bed and do nothing for a full day, your body would still consume a lot of energy. Everything has a cost. So it's vital that our bodies be able to produce and use energy. There are two distinct components to this. First we need to provide appropriate fuel for the body. Much like an electric car won't work with diesel, we need to provide the right fuel for our bodies.<br /><br />However, many modern foods are unsuitable for our consumption. The challenge is that they're mixed in and part of the foods we love. Industrially produced seed and vegetable oils are highly unstable and damaging to the body, yet they are used in most restaurants and food production settings. They're practically impossible to avoid. You might want to have a look at the labels of the foods you're eating on a daily basis and take a note of how often vegetable or sunflower or rapeseed oils are listed (to name just the 3 most common). In any case, these are unsuitable for consumption, yet they are everywhere and they will work to impair the body's proper use of energy.<br /><br />Now, you might be thinking that you've nothing to worry about because you eat a healthy, whole food diet. And, to some degree, you're right. This is a great place to start. However, even with the best of diets you can still lack the ability to convert that fuel into energy. This may be due to having eaten poorly in the past, or due to high levels of stress, or because you're simply not eating enough. Because in order to extract energy from food you need energy. And if you don't have sufficient energy, you'll fail to fully digest the food you're eating. It can be a vicious cycle. <br /><br />The fuel you're providing might be ideal, but the \"machinery\" that converts the fuel to energy might be impaired. It's like putting the ideal fuel in a car that doesn't have an engine. So there are these two major components that we need to consider:<br /><br />1. The quality of the fuel<br /><br />2. The ability to actually use that fuel to produce energy<br /><br />And energy is ultimately what we need to produce, because energy is what's going to allow the body to do the work necessary to start addressing its issues.<br /><br />When you're dealing with a chronic health issue that develops seemingly out of nowhere, you are essentially dealing with an inability to efficiently produce and use energy. That is the root problem, no matter what you're dealing with, whether it's joint pain, autoimmunity, depression, obesity, anxiety, heart disease, etc. At the most fundamental level your body has lost the ability to self regulate and some sort of disease or disorder is the consequence of that.<br /><br />When we understand this we can begin to see all of our symptoms in a more unified context. We can begin to see them as the ripple effects of a body that's not working as efficiently as possible, rather than a random set of unrelated symptoms. Because we tend to think of the anxiety, or indigestion, or poor sleep as being unrelated to the back pain. But they aren't. They're all occurring in the one body and the body is working from the one pool of energy and the one set of \"machinery\" and processes that allow it to self regulate.<br /><br />The most important thing I want you to understand is that we're really only dealing with one basic problem. If we can address that problem we can finally begin to make progress. Because once we get this part right, the rest kind of takes care of itself. Much like, at one time, you had injuries or problems or infections that just took care of themselves. We want to restore those functions as much as possible. It's actually quite simple, and it means we don't have to be as overwhelmed with all of the surface level solutions that we're constantly being bombarded with.<br /><a href=\"https://howtube.com/10952\" target=\"_blank\">https://howtube.com/10952</a>",
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"published": "2021-03-17T09:48:08+00:00",
"source": {
"content": "Today I'd like to tell you about the most vital part of healing that most people don't understand: Energy Balance. We understand that, for the most part, healing happens automatically. In fact, as you read this, your body is automatically self regulating. Various processes are taking place and making an effort to keep you functioning as well as possible. We don't tend to think about this, but we understand it to some degree.\n\nSo why do things start to slow down? Why is it that we get to a point where issues take longer to be resolved and new problems crop up more frequently? You might think it's just down to ageing, but what about the people who don't seem to go through this, at least not to the same extent?\n \nWhen I was in my early twenties my body was in an awful state. I had an endless list of aches and pains, and new injuries constantly threatening to set in if I dared to exert myself just a little bit. I was a mess, but I was young. Surely this couldn't all be down to ageing? How come others didn't deal with the same problems? How come young children tend to bounce back from issues and injuries while, the older we get, it becomes harder and harder?\n\nIt's true that it's somewhat due to ageing, but what causes this ageing? Is it simply the arbitrary passage of time? If it were, it would be a more uniform process that's directly proportional to time. But it's not. However, it is proportional to stress. Chronic stress sets in and impairs the body's ability to self regulate. The more stress is experienced, the more our ability to heal and maintain balance will be impaired. \n\nBecause everything we do requires energy. Simply reading this email requires energy. And if you were to lie in bed and do nothing for a full day, your body would still consume a lot of energy. Everything has a cost. So it's vital that our bodies be able to produce and use energy. There are two distinct components to this. First we need to provide appropriate fuel for the body. Much like an electric car won't work with diesel, we need to provide the right fuel for our bodies.\n\nHowever, many modern foods are unsuitable for our consumption. The challenge is that they're mixed in and part of the foods we love. Industrially produced seed and vegetable oils are highly unstable and damaging to the body, yet they are used in most restaurants and food production settings. They're practically impossible to avoid. You might want to have a look at the labels of the foods you're eating on a daily basis and take a note of how often vegetable or sunflower or rapeseed oils are listed (to name just the 3 most common). In any case, these are unsuitable for consumption, yet they are everywhere and they will work to impair the body's proper use of energy.\n\nNow, you might be thinking that you've nothing to worry about because you eat a healthy, whole food diet. And, to some degree, you're right. This is a great place to start. However, even with the best of diets you can still lack the ability to convert that fuel into energy. This may be due to having eaten poorly in the past, or due to high levels of stress, or because you're simply not eating enough. Because in order to extract energy from food you need energy. And if you don't have sufficient energy, you'll fail to fully digest the food you're eating. It can be a vicious cycle. \n\nThe fuel you're providing might be ideal, but the \"machinery\" that converts the fuel to energy might be impaired. It's like putting the ideal fuel in a car that doesn't have an engine. So there are these two major components that we need to consider:\n\n1. The quality of the fuel\n\n2. The ability to actually use that fuel to produce energy\n\nAnd energy is ultimately what we need to produce, because energy is what's going to allow the body to do the work necessary to start addressing its issues.\n\nWhen you're dealing with a chronic health issue that develops seemingly out of nowhere, you are essentially dealing with an inability to efficiently produce and use energy. That is the root problem, no matter what you're dealing with, whether it's joint pain, autoimmunity, depression, obesity, anxiety, heart disease, etc. At the most fundamental level your body has lost the ability to self regulate and some sort of disease or disorder is the consequence of that.\n\nWhen we understand this we can begin to see all of our symptoms in a more unified context. We can begin to see them as the ripple effects of a body that's not working as efficiently as possible, rather than a random set of unrelated symptoms. Because we tend to think of the anxiety, or indigestion, or poor sleep as being unrelated to the back pain. But they aren't. They're all occurring in the one body and the body is working from the one pool of energy and the one set of \"machinery\" and processes that allow it to self regulate.\n\nThe most important thing I want you to understand is that we're really only dealing with one basic problem. If we can address that problem we can finally begin to make progress. Because once we get this part right, the rest kind of takes care of itself. Much like, at one time, you had injuries or problems or infections that just took care of themselves. We want to restore those functions as much as possible. It's actually quite simple, and it means we don't have to be as overwhelmed with all of the surface level solutions that we're constantly being bombarded with.\nhttps://howtube.com/10952",
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"id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1167384593528004611/entities/urn:activity:1218858402714910720/activity"
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"attributedTo": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1167384593528004611",
"content": "I share the overarching obstacles we face when dealing with chronic pain and how these need to be understood and addressed before talking about specific interventions for pain. <br /><a href=\"https://youtu.be/1Ii9StMFS3Y\" target=\"_blank\">https://youtu.be/1Ii9StMFS3Y</a>",
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"published": "2020-11-21T15:58:59+00:00",
"source": {
"content": "I share the overarching obstacles we face when dealing with chronic pain and how these need to be understood and addressed before talking about specific interventions for pain. \nhttps://youtu.be/1Ii9StMFS3Y",
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"id": "https://www.minds.com/api/activitypub/users/1167384593528004611/entities/urn:activity:1176914736007651328/activity"
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"content": "Why Do I Rarely Talk About Back Pain?<br /><br />As The Back Pain Coach®©™️ you'd think I'd spend more time specifically talking about back pain. I've touched on this before but the reality is that there isn't much new information to share on the topic. The solutions to back pain aren't fancy, they're probably not going to dazzle you, and you've probably heard about them before.<br /><br />What's more important is to overcome two major obstacles: an over saturated market of solutions, and a healthcare system that is not fit for the purpose of resolving chronic health problems. If you go the \"alternative\" route and venture outside of modern medicine, you'll be flooded with an array of potential solutions. Everyone has something to sell you. They'll all claim to have the secret piece of the puzzle. Chances are, you've tried a few of these solutions, and chances are, they've failed you or not quite delivered the results you were hoping for.<br /><br />If you go via the modern medicine route, you'll be lucky if you don't end up with a list of new health issues and a lifetime of prescriptions to go with these. This is because modern medicine is not equipped or particularly interested in addressing you as an individual. It's, generally speaking, solely interested in categorising symptoms so that it can categorise you into a specific disease or syndrome, so that then it can filter you through to the appropriate specialist who can evaluate an isolated portion of your body divorced from it's greater context, but with a particular level of supposed expertise that commands a premium price tag. <br /><br />The true solution to both of these obstacles generally isn't another fancy stretch, or modality, or device, or another expensive specialist, or to further trust in \"the experts\". The solution is to have the knowledge, critical thinking skills and body awareness to be able to identify precisely what your body is lacking and the precise steps needed to restore balance and good health. <br /><br />Sounds boring and complicated, doesn't it? It's a very hard solution to sell, but the flashier stuff isn't going to work, so at some point you just have to make peace with this more complex and less snappy path. Because there's a potential bonus obstacle, and that is, even if I told you exactly what to do to get better, you probably wouldn't do it. This doesn't apply to everyone, which is why it's a potential obstacle, but it tends to be the majority of people. The reason for this is because we tend to follow some of the advice but ignore other parts, because we have our own ideas as to what we need. I say 'we' because we all do this in some areas of our life. An honest mechanic tells you that you need to replace a part now or cause greater issues down the line, but you have your own ideas. You'll ignore that for now and deal with the problem later, if it even comes to that. We all have our own beliefs, world views, biases and filters that influence the way we perceive the advice of others.<br /><br />It's very rare for people to hear and apply all of the advice that they are given. And I'm not so sure that it would be better if we all just followed all pieces of advice to the letter. Certainly in the context of healing, it's important to learn through experience and through feeling. If my advice conflicts with your view of the world, it's understandable that you're going to resist it. And I think it's good that you maintain autonomy and freedom of choice. We should encourage more of that. Healthcare requires more independence rather than dependence. The key is to find a balance of adherence that is informed by critical thinking and engagement, rather than just doing what you're told for the sake of it.<br /><br />The best thing I believe I can do for you is to teach you how to think critically and how to navigate the world of overcoming chronic pain. Because if I just give you another stretch or exercise, how am I any better than all of the hundreds of thousands of other resources that are just contributing to the noise and chaos of back pain solutions?<br /><br />So that's why I'm more concerned with understanding behaviour and social engineering, and exposing the major flaws in the way that we approach health. Because you likely need to experience a certain level of deprogramming from a lifetime of viewing health and healthcare in a particular way. The truth of good health and how to attain it can be so contrary to what you've always believed that you'll just dismiss it immediately. You may need to be eased into viewing the world in a slightly different way to see things as they actually are and to buy into the solutions. And you may need to just go through this process for yourself, rather than just being told.<br /><br />For now I'll leave this as a broad overview of why we need to focus on understanding ourselves, understanding the world as it is versus how we have been conditioned to see it, and understanding how best to navigate the overwhelming number of treatment options.<br /><br />In the next few newsletters I'll present some examples to highlight the disparity between the truth about health versus what is marketed to us. There'll be an audio podcast to expand on all of this too, so keep an eye out for that.<br /><br />All the best,<br />PA",
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"published": "2020-11-21T15:58:12+00:00",
"source": {
"content": "Why Do I Rarely Talk About Back Pain?\n\nAs The Back Pain Coach®©™️ you'd think I'd spend more time specifically talking about back pain. I've touched on this before but the reality is that there isn't much new information to share on the topic. The solutions to back pain aren't fancy, they're probably not going to dazzle you, and you've probably heard about them before.\n\nWhat's more important is to overcome two major obstacles: an over saturated market of solutions, and a healthcare system that is not fit for the purpose of resolving chronic health problems. If you go the \"alternative\" route and venture outside of modern medicine, you'll be flooded with an array of potential solutions. Everyone has something to sell you. They'll all claim to have the secret piece of the puzzle. Chances are, you've tried a few of these solutions, and chances are, they've failed you or not quite delivered the results you were hoping for.\n\nIf you go via the modern medicine route, you'll be lucky if you don't end up with a list of new health issues and a lifetime of prescriptions to go with these. This is because modern medicine is not equipped or particularly interested in addressing you as an individual. It's, generally speaking, solely interested in categorising symptoms so that it can categorise you into a specific disease or syndrome, so that then it can filter you through to the appropriate specialist who can evaluate an isolated portion of your body divorced from it's greater context, but with a particular level of supposed expertise that commands a premium price tag. \n\nThe true solution to both of these obstacles generally isn't another fancy stretch, or modality, or device, or another expensive specialist, or to further trust in \"the experts\". The solution is to have the knowledge, critical thinking skills and body awareness to be able to identify precisely what your body is lacking and the precise steps needed to restore balance and good health. \n\nSounds boring and complicated, doesn't it? It's a very hard solution to sell, but the flashier stuff isn't going to work, so at some point you just have to make peace with this more complex and less snappy path. Because there's a potential bonus obstacle, and that is, even if I told you exactly what to do to get better, you probably wouldn't do it. This doesn't apply to everyone, which is why it's a potential obstacle, but it tends to be the majority of people. The reason for this is because we tend to follow some of the advice but ignore other parts, because we have our own ideas as to what we need. I say 'we' because we all do this in some areas of our life. An honest mechanic tells you that you need to replace a part now or cause greater issues down the line, but you have your own ideas. You'll ignore that for now and deal with the problem later, if it even comes to that. We all have our own beliefs, world views, biases and filters that influence the way we perceive the advice of others.\n\nIt's very rare for people to hear and apply all of the advice that they are given. And I'm not so sure that it would be better if we all just followed all pieces of advice to the letter. Certainly in the context of healing, it's important to learn through experience and through feeling. If my advice conflicts with your view of the world, it's understandable that you're going to resist it. And I think it's good that you maintain autonomy and freedom of choice. We should encourage more of that. Healthcare requires more independence rather than dependence. The key is to find a balance of adherence that is informed by critical thinking and engagement, rather than just doing what you're told for the sake of it.\n\nThe best thing I believe I can do for you is to teach you how to think critically and how to navigate the world of overcoming chronic pain. Because if I just give you another stretch or exercise, how am I any better than all of the hundreds of thousands of other resources that are just contributing to the noise and chaos of back pain solutions?\n\nSo that's why I'm more concerned with understanding behaviour and social engineering, and exposing the major flaws in the way that we approach health. Because you likely need to experience a certain level of deprogramming from a lifetime of viewing health and healthcare in a particular way. The truth of good health and how to attain it can be so contrary to what you've always believed that you'll just dismiss it immediately. You may need to be eased into viewing the world in a slightly different way to see things as they actually are and to buy into the solutions. And you may need to just go through this process for yourself, rather than just being told.\n\nFor now I'll leave this as a broad overview of why we need to focus on understanding ourselves, understanding the world as it is versus how we have been conditioned to see it, and understanding how best to navigate the overwhelming number of treatment options.\n\nIn the next few newsletters I'll present some examples to highlight the disparity between the truth about health versus what is marketed to us. There'll be an audio podcast to expand on all of this too, so keep an eye out for that.\n\nAll the best,\nPA",
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"content": "How Far Is Too Far?<br /><br />Within the debate and discussion of Covid restrictions and measures, there are various points of view. You might be pro lockdown, you might be anti lockdown, or you might be somewhere in the middle. Regardless of where you stand on the topic, the most important question to ask yourself is how far is too far, and why do you settle on one particular level of restriction as being acceptable, versus another? <br /><br />Let me elaborate: suppose you believe the government should restrict and police the movements of individuals. Okay, that's fine. You're welcome to that opinion. But where do you draw the line? Suppose you're allowed out for 1 hour of the day. Okay, why not 2 hours? Or, why not just 30 minutes? If you're allowed to go no further than 5km, then why not 6km, or 4km? <br /><br />I'm not asking these things to be pedantic. I understand that, if a government or authority is going to place restrictions on a population, these need to be done broadly and generally. I'm sure those issuing the restrictions understand that a 5km allowance is somewhat arbitrary, but it makes sense within the scope of the overall effort to reduce the spread and intermingling of many people. <br /><br />As far as I've seen, people have generally been very accommodating and understanding of these changes, though that has changed a bit now after about 9 months of this. We're fairly easy going and accepting though. My concern with all of this is not that people are accepting, but the reasons why they're accepting. <br /><br />One of the major concerns for those who are against government restrictions is, when does the government step too far? And, will the general public be able to tell that they've stepped too far? If we're willing to just accept these restrictions without any pushback, what happens if, for example, a vaccine becomes compulsory? What happens when regular participation in society becomes restricted based on these new imposed conditions?<br /><br />No vaccine? Too bad, you can't come into the shop. Or, you can't get on the flight, etc. <br /><br />I don't know if it will come to this, and a lot of the opposition to this is somewhat tied into whether or not a vaccine would even be effective or truly safe in the long term. And, ultimately, it's not so much about the vaccine, it's about how much we accept without much thought. It's about something being imposed without us having any say or discussion on the topic, or the option to opt out.<br /><br />When we initially locked down, it looked like it would only be a couple of weeks. Next thing we knew it was going to be months. I wonder if they always intended it to be longer than a couple of weeks, but were easing us into it. Then the restrictions were eased off ahead of time, giving us this impression that they'd been so generous. Perhaps this was always the plan; a form of social engineering to minimise the perceived severity of it all. On the other hand, perhaps there was no foresight, they were just acting based on the available data. It's just something to consider.<br /><br />Because it was only initially meant to be for a couple of weeks, we were very accepting and accommodating. I wonder, though, if we would have been so accepting from the start if we had known where we would be 9 months down the road. Which also makes me wonder, how much are we just accepting things not because they're acceptable, but because we're not asking enough questions? <br /><br />So I encourage you to deeply consider this: how much is too much? What do you stand for and what are your values? Have you ever considered these? What boundaries do you set for yourself? Will you just keep accepting more and more restrictions because they're imposed at sufficient increments to be deemed acceptable? <br /><br />Ask yourself, if it's acceptable to confine people to their homes, why not issue everyone with a hazmat suit or protective bubble? Honestly, why not? Is that too much? If so, why is that too much? And where is the line? <br /><br />No matter where the line is for you, I think it's important that you clarify that for yourself. The reality is that we're not all going to agree on where to draw the line. I'm always going to lean towards personal freedom and individual rights. You're welcome to think otherwise. But if we don't have a standard for ourselves and for our society, we risk having all of our rights infringed. <br /><br />The point is not that this will definitely happen. This is where people start arguing. Some are too quick to assume the worst, while others are too quick to dismiss the possibility that a government could harm its citizens for profit or other interests. The point is that if we don't think about these things and create and live by certain standards, we make it possible for these bad things to happen.<br /><br />So, once again, how far is too far?",
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"content": "How Far Is Too Far?\n\nWithin the debate and discussion of Covid restrictions and measures, there are various points of view. You might be pro lockdown, you might be anti lockdown, or you might be somewhere in the middle. Regardless of where you stand on the topic, the most important question to ask yourself is how far is too far, and why do you settle on one particular level of restriction as being acceptable, versus another? \n\nLet me elaborate: suppose you believe the government should restrict and police the movements of individuals. Okay, that's fine. You're welcome to that opinion. But where do you draw the line? Suppose you're allowed out for 1 hour of the day. Okay, why not 2 hours? Or, why not just 30 minutes? If you're allowed to go no further than 5km, then why not 6km, or 4km? \n\nI'm not asking these things to be pedantic. I understand that, if a government or authority is going to place restrictions on a population, these need to be done broadly and generally. I'm sure those issuing the restrictions understand that a 5km allowance is somewhat arbitrary, but it makes sense within the scope of the overall effort to reduce the spread and intermingling of many people. \n\nAs far as I've seen, people have generally been very accommodating and understanding of these changes, though that has changed a bit now after about 9 months of this. We're fairly easy going and accepting though. My concern with all of this is not that people are accepting, but the reasons why they're accepting. \n\nOne of the major concerns for those who are against government restrictions is, when does the government step too far? And, will the general public be able to tell that they've stepped too far? If we're willing to just accept these restrictions without any pushback, what happens if, for example, a vaccine becomes compulsory? What happens when regular participation in society becomes restricted based on these new imposed conditions?\n\nNo vaccine? Too bad, you can't come into the shop. Or, you can't get on the flight, etc. \n\nI don't know if it will come to this, and a lot of the opposition to this is somewhat tied into whether or not a vaccine would even be effective or truly safe in the long term. And, ultimately, it's not so much about the vaccine, it's about how much we accept without much thought. It's about something being imposed without us having any say or discussion on the topic, or the option to opt out.\n\nWhen we initially locked down, it looked like it would only be a couple of weeks. Next thing we knew it was going to be months. I wonder if they always intended it to be longer than a couple of weeks, but were easing us into it. Then the restrictions were eased off ahead of time, giving us this impression that they'd been so generous. Perhaps this was always the plan; a form of social engineering to minimise the perceived severity of it all. On the other hand, perhaps there was no foresight, they were just acting based on the available data. It's just something to consider.\n\nBecause it was only initially meant to be for a couple of weeks, we were very accepting and accommodating. I wonder, though, if we would have been so accepting from the start if we had known where we would be 9 months down the road. Which also makes me wonder, how much are we just accepting things not because they're acceptable, but because we're not asking enough questions? \n\nSo I encourage you to deeply consider this: how much is too much? What do you stand for and what are your values? Have you ever considered these? What boundaries do you set for yourself? Will you just keep accepting more and more restrictions because they're imposed at sufficient increments to be deemed acceptable? \n\nAsk yourself, if it's acceptable to confine people to their homes, why not issue everyone with a hazmat suit or protective bubble? Honestly, why not? Is that too much? If so, why is that too much? And where is the line? \n\nNo matter where the line is for you, I think it's important that you clarify that for yourself. The reality is that we're not all going to agree on where to draw the line. I'm always going to lean towards personal freedom and individual rights. You're welcome to think otherwise. But if we don't have a standard for ourselves and for our society, we risk having all of our rights infringed. \n\nThe point is not that this will definitely happen. This is where people start arguing. Some are too quick to assume the worst, while others are too quick to dismiss the possibility that a government could harm its citizens for profit or other interests. The point is that if we don't think about these things and create and live by certain standards, we make it possible for these bad things to happen.\n\nSo, once again, how far is too far?",
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"content": "In this episode I discuss the larger issue of understanding why we accept certain social norms and restrictions. More than ever In the era of Covid, it’s necessary to make sure that we understand why we comply with unreasonable restrictions and what the potential cost is for not having standards and principles to guide us.<br /><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVnsn1dBNaM\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVnsn1dBNaM</a>",
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"content": "In this episode I discuss the larger issue of understanding why we accept certain social norms and restrictions. More than ever In the era of Covid, it’s necessary to make sure that we understand why we comply with unreasonable restrictions and what the potential cost is for not having standards and principles to guide us.\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVnsn1dBNaM",
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"content": "Nazis, Eh?<br /><br />If you had lived in Nazi Germany, would you have spoken up against their awful beliefs and actions? I'd like to think that I would have but I really don't know. I think most people believe they would have. However, you might ask yourself, how many times have you taken a stand against the majority? Against the government, the military, the majority of the citizens, the corporations, etc.? I think it's reasonable to suppose that most of us wouldn't have spoken out, the same way most Germans didn't speak out back then. And if you're adamant that you would have, I would urge you to consider the possibility that this is not truly the case.<br /><br />With the benefit of hindsight and all of the atrocities having been clearly documented to us now, it's easy to assume that we would have stood against it all. But the reality is that all of these changes occurred incrementally with the support of propaganda. We also tend to assume that we're immune to propaganda, again with the benefit of viewing it in hindsight and in a clearly defined context. But the thing about good propaganda is that it doesn't seem like propaganda.<br /><br />Consider this excerpt from 'They Thought They Were Free':<br /><br />\"One doesn't see exactly where or how to move. Believe me, this is true. Each act, each occasion, is worse than the last, but only a little worse... You wait for one great shocking occasion, thinking that others, when such a shock comes, will join with you in resisting somehow...<br /><br />But the one great shocking occasion, when tens or hundreds or thousands will join with you, never comes. That's the difficulty. If the last and worst act of the whole regime had come immediately after the first and smallest, thousands, yes, millions would have been sufficiently shocked…<br /><br />But of course this isn't the way it happens. In between comes all the hundreds of little steps, some of them imperceptible, each of them preparing you not to be shocked by the next...<br /><br />And one day, too late, your principles, if you were ever sensible of them, all rush in upon you. The burden of self-deception has grown too heavy, and some minor incident... collapses it all at once, and you see that everything - everything - has changed...Now you live in a world of hate and fear, and the people who hate and fear do not even know it themselves; when everyone is transformed, no one is transformed...\"<br /><br />I'm not convinced that the worst case scenario with Covid ends in genocide. But that's not the point. The point is that this natural tendency to go along with small, incremental changes that are never a huge deal on their own, is all too common. It's about the principle. As much as you might want to, I encourage you not to roll your eyes at the comparison to Nazi Germany. This gradual tendency towards deterioration is a natural tendency in humans. Without a standard that you ground yourself in or that we ground society in, it's very easy for bad actors to chip away at our foundations. And again, it's not to say that this will happen, it's to say that it can happen. And the only way to prevent this from happening, is to have principles and standards that we stand by.<br /><br />To be clearer and to give you an example, my concern is that the current crisis we are living through may be leveraged to profit powerful corporations at the cost of our health, but under the guise of protecting our health. We've accepted increasing authoritarian restrictions, many that are arbitrary and nonsensical, with the only hope being a vaccine. A vaccine now is a product that we are being sold with the emerging narrative that participation in society may be contingent on our receiving this vaccine. My concern is that it's not possible to establish safety in such a short space of time. I also don't trust the pharmaceutical industry to produce something free of unwanted side effects, at least for some portion of the population. And I fundamentally disagree with a medicine being imposed on individuals, unless we could definitively prove that abstaining from this medicine directly endangered the lives of others. Since we don't want to have a serious conversation about personal responsibility and health, I'm not willing to accept that a vaccine is the only option available to us.<br /><br />But anyway, my point is, while this may all seem innocuous - \"It's just a mask… It's just for two weeks\" - it's only a few steps and a slippery slope to a medical dictatorship. <br /><br />So, once again, what do you stand for? I think you should stand for the truth. If you stand for what is true, you can always be confident that you're accepting and going along with what is right.<br /><br />All the best,<br />PA",
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"content": "Nazis, Eh?\n\nIf you had lived in Nazi Germany, would you have spoken up against their awful beliefs and actions? I'd like to think that I would have but I really don't know. I think most people believe they would have. However, you might ask yourself, how many times have you taken a stand against the majority? Against the government, the military, the majority of the citizens, the corporations, etc.? I think it's reasonable to suppose that most of us wouldn't have spoken out, the same way most Germans didn't speak out back then. And if you're adamant that you would have, I would urge you to consider the possibility that this is not truly the case.\n\nWith the benefit of hindsight and all of the atrocities having been clearly documented to us now, it's easy to assume that we would have stood against it all. But the reality is that all of these changes occurred incrementally with the support of propaganda. We also tend to assume that we're immune to propaganda, again with the benefit of viewing it in hindsight and in a clearly defined context. But the thing about good propaganda is that it doesn't seem like propaganda.\n\nConsider this excerpt from 'They Thought They Were Free':\n\n\"One doesn't see exactly where or how to move. Believe me, this is true. Each act, each occasion, is worse than the last, but only a little worse... You wait for one great shocking occasion, thinking that others, when such a shock comes, will join with you in resisting somehow...\n\nBut the one great shocking occasion, when tens or hundreds or thousands will join with you, never comes. That's the difficulty. If the last and worst act of the whole regime had come immediately after the first and smallest, thousands, yes, millions would have been sufficiently shocked…\n\nBut of course this isn't the way it happens. In between comes all the hundreds of little steps, some of them imperceptible, each of them preparing you not to be shocked by the next...\n\nAnd one day, too late, your principles, if you were ever sensible of them, all rush in upon you. The burden of self-deception has grown too heavy, and some minor incident... collapses it all at once, and you see that everything - everything - has changed...Now you live in a world of hate and fear, and the people who hate and fear do not even know it themselves; when everyone is transformed, no one is transformed...\"\n\nI'm not convinced that the worst case scenario with Covid ends in genocide. But that's not the point. The point is that this natural tendency to go along with small, incremental changes that are never a huge deal on their own, is all too common. It's about the principle. As much as you might want to, I encourage you not to roll your eyes at the comparison to Nazi Germany. This gradual tendency towards deterioration is a natural tendency in humans. Without a standard that you ground yourself in or that we ground society in, it's very easy for bad actors to chip away at our foundations. And again, it's not to say that this will happen, it's to say that it can happen. And the only way to prevent this from happening, is to have principles and standards that we stand by.\n\nTo be clearer and to give you an example, my concern is that the current crisis we are living through may be leveraged to profit powerful corporations at the cost of our health, but under the guise of protecting our health. We've accepted increasing authoritarian restrictions, many that are arbitrary and nonsensical, with the only hope being a vaccine. A vaccine now is a product that we are being sold with the emerging narrative that participation in society may be contingent on our receiving this vaccine. My concern is that it's not possible to establish safety in such a short space of time. I also don't trust the pharmaceutical industry to produce something free of unwanted side effects, at least for some portion of the population. And I fundamentally disagree with a medicine being imposed on individuals, unless we could definitively prove that abstaining from this medicine directly endangered the lives of others. Since we don't want to have a serious conversation about personal responsibility and health, I'm not willing to accept that a vaccine is the only option available to us.\n\nBut anyway, my point is, while this may all seem innocuous - \"It's just a mask… It's just for two weeks\" - it's only a few steps and a slippery slope to a medical dictatorship. \n\nSo, once again, what do you stand for? I think you should stand for the truth. If you stand for what is true, you can always be confident that you're accepting and going along with what is right.\n\nAll the best,\nPA",
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"content": "How Far Is Too Far?<br /><br />Within the debate and discussion of Covid restrictions and measures, there are various points of view. You might be pro lockdown, you might be anti lockdown, or you might be somewhere in the middle. Regardless of where you stand on the topic, the most important question to ask yourself is how far is too far, and why do you settle on one particular level of restriction as being acceptable, versus another? <br /><br />Let me elaborate: suppose you believe the government should restrict and police the movements of individuals. Okay, that's fine. You're welcome to that opinion. But where do you draw the line? Suppose you're allowed out for 1 hour of the day. Okay, why not 2 hours? Or, why not just 30 minutes? If you're allowed to go no further than 5km, then why not 6km, or 4km? <br /><br />I'm not asking these things to be pedantic. I understand that, if a government or authority is going to place restrictions on a population, these need to be done broadly and generally. I'm sure those issuing the restrictions understand that a 5km allowance is somewhat arbitrary, but it makes sense within the scope of the overall effort to reduce the spread and intermingling of many people. <br /><br />As far as I've seen, people have generally been very accommodating and understanding of these changes, though that has changed a bit now after about 9 months of this. We're fairly easy going and accepting though. My concern with all of this is not that people are accepting, but the reasons why they're accepting. <br /><br />One of the major concerns for those who are against government restrictions is, when does the government step too far? And, will the general public be able to tell that they've stepped too far? If we're willing to just accept these restrictions without any pushback, what happens if, for example, a vaccine becomes compulsory? What happens when regular participation in society becomes restricted based on these new imposed conditions?<br /><br />No vaccine? Too bad, you can't come into the shop. Or, you can't get on the flight, etc. <br /><br />I don't know if it will come to this, and a lot of the opposition to this is somewhat tied into whether or not a vaccine would even be effective or truly safe in the long term. And, ultimately, it's not so much about the vaccine, it's about how much we accept without much thought. It's about something being imposed without us having any say or discussion on the topic, or the option to opt out.<br /><br />When we initially locked down, it looked like it would only be a couple of weeks. Next thing we knew it was going to be months. I wonder if they always intended it to be longer than a couple of weeks, but were easing us into it. Then the restrictions were eased off ahead of time, giving us this impression that they'd been so generous. Perhaps this was always the plan; a form of social engineering to minimise the perceived severity of it all. On the other hand, perhaps there was no foresight, they were just acting based on the available data. It's just something to consider.<br /><br />Because it was only initially meant to be for a couple of weeks, we were very accepting and accommodating. I wonder, though, if we would have been so accepting from the start if we had known where we would be 9 months down the road. Which also makes me wonder, how much are we just accepting things not because they're acceptable, but because we're not asking enough questions? <br /><br />So I encourage you to deeply consider this: how much is too much? What do you stand for and what are your values? Have you ever considered these? What boundaries do you set for yourself? Will you just keep accepting more and more restrictions because they're imposed at sufficient increments to be deemed acceptable? <br /><br />Ask yourself, if it's acceptable to confine people to their homes, why not issue everyone with a hazmat suit or protective bubble? Honestly, why not? Is that too much? If so, why is that too much? And where is the line? <br /><br />No matter where the line is for you, I think it's important that you clarify that for yourself. The reality is that we're not all going to agree on where to draw the line. I'm always going to lean towards personal freedom and individual rights. You're welcome to think otherwise. But if we don't have a standard for ourselves and for our society, we risk having all of our rights infringed. <br /><br />The point is not that this will definitely happen. This is where people start arguing. Some are too quick to assume the worst, while others are too quick to dismiss the possibility that a government could harm its citizens for profit or other interests. The point is that if we don't think about these things and create and live by certain standards, we make it possible for these bad things to happen.<br /><br />So, once again, how far is too far?",
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"content": "How Far Is Too Far?\n\nWithin the debate and discussion of Covid restrictions and measures, there are various points of view. You might be pro lockdown, you might be anti lockdown, or you might be somewhere in the middle. Regardless of where you stand on the topic, the most important question to ask yourself is how far is too far, and why do you settle on one particular level of restriction as being acceptable, versus another? \n\nLet me elaborate: suppose you believe the government should restrict and police the movements of individuals. Okay, that's fine. You're welcome to that opinion. But where do you draw the line? Suppose you're allowed out for 1 hour of the day. Okay, why not 2 hours? Or, why not just 30 minutes? If you're allowed to go no further than 5km, then why not 6km, or 4km? \n\nI'm not asking these things to be pedantic. I understand that, if a government or authority is going to place restrictions on a population, these need to be done broadly and generally. I'm sure those issuing the restrictions understand that a 5km allowance is somewhat arbitrary, but it makes sense within the scope of the overall effort to reduce the spread and intermingling of many people. \n\nAs far as I've seen, people have generally been very accommodating and understanding of these changes, though that has changed a bit now after about 9 months of this. We're fairly easy going and accepting though. My concern with all of this is not that people are accepting, but the reasons why they're accepting. \n\nOne of the major concerns for those who are against government restrictions is, when does the government step too far? And, will the general public be able to tell that they've stepped too far? If we're willing to just accept these restrictions without any pushback, what happens if, for example, a vaccine becomes compulsory? What happens when regular participation in society becomes restricted based on these new imposed conditions?\n\nNo vaccine? Too bad, you can't come into the shop. Or, you can't get on the flight, etc. \n\nI don't know if it will come to this, and a lot of the opposition to this is somewhat tied into whether or not a vaccine would even be effective or truly safe in the long term. And, ultimately, it's not so much about the vaccine, it's about how much we accept without much thought. It's about something being imposed without us having any say or discussion on the topic, or the option to opt out.\n\nWhen we initially locked down, it looked like it would only be a couple of weeks. Next thing we knew it was going to be months. I wonder if they always intended it to be longer than a couple of weeks, but were easing us into it. Then the restrictions were eased off ahead of time, giving us this impression that they'd been so generous. Perhaps this was always the plan; a form of social engineering to minimise the perceived severity of it all. On the other hand, perhaps there was no foresight, they were just acting based on the available data. It's just something to consider.\n\nBecause it was only initially meant to be for a couple of weeks, we were very accepting and accommodating. I wonder, though, if we would have been so accepting from the start if we had known where we would be 9 months down the road. Which also makes me wonder, how much are we just accepting things not because they're acceptable, but because we're not asking enough questions? \n\nSo I encourage you to deeply consider this: how much is too much? What do you stand for and what are your values? Have you ever considered these? What boundaries do you set for yourself? Will you just keep accepting more and more restrictions because they're imposed at sufficient increments to be deemed acceptable? \n\nAsk yourself, if it's acceptable to confine people to their homes, why not issue everyone with a hazmat suit or protective bubble? Honestly, why not? Is that too much? If so, why is that too much? And where is the line? \n\nNo matter where the line is for you, I think it's important that you clarify that for yourself. The reality is that we're not all going to agree on where to draw the line. I'm always going to lean towards personal freedom and individual rights. You're welcome to think otherwise. But if we don't have a standard for ourselves and for our society, we risk having all of our rights infringed. \n\nThe point is not that this will definitely happen. This is where people start arguing. Some are too quick to assume the worst, while others are too quick to dismiss the possibility that a government could harm its citizens for profit or other interests. The point is that if we don't think about these things and create and live by certain standards, we make it possible for these bad things to happen.\n\nSo, once again, how far is too far?",
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"content": "Following from my newsletters on the topic, I further discuss the importance of personal responsibility as being a necessary component of healing from chronic health issues. I discuss the common misconceptions against the call for personal responsibility, as well as the practical reasons why it's necessary.<br /><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvViHzbA6mE\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvViHzbA6mE</a>",
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"content": "Following from my newsletters on the topic, I further discuss the importance of personal responsibility as being a necessary component of healing from chronic health issues. I discuss the common misconceptions against the call for personal responsibility, as well as the practical reasons why it's necessary.\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvViHzbA6mE",
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"content": "You're The Expert<br /><br />On Wednesday I discussed the unfortunate reality that modern medical care, for the most part, is not adequate for the resolution of chronic health issues. As such, personal responsibility is a necessary component of a successful recovery. An additional consideration with regards to personal responsibility with your health, is that the sheer level of complexity and individuality of many health issues is too great to be tackled in most modern healthcare settings.<br /><br />To varying degrees, the chronic health issue you are dealing with is intertwined with various aspects of your life. Your personality, your beliefs, your past experiences, your habits and your environment can all play a role in what you're dealing with. To fully heal it is sometimes necessary to understand all of these things. Practically speaking, it may be too difficult to convey all of these relevant points to your healthcare provider, assuming they even have the knowledge to piece all of these things together into a relevant diagnosis. By being inquisitive about yourself and by knowing yourself you can understand your individual issue well enough to assist a healthcare practitioner with relevant insights.<br /><br />You may even find that the awareness and knowledge of yourself is the remedy to your problem. This is because your brain will reevaluate things based on the information provided to it. Because the brain is like an over-protective parent. We convince it to produce a different, pain free response by making a compelling case that things are now safe. If you're able to connect the dots and understand the greater meaning of a chronic issue, the rationalisation that follows can be enough for the brain to let go of the protective response that was leading to pain.<br /><br />In fact, much of modern therapeutic interventions are based on giving the body a new, safer experience that helps it let go of the protective response. We're showing the brain that it's safe to move again. <br /><br />You can do this for yourself by continuing to engage in the process of self knowledge through stillness and observation. This will also tend to enhance your experiences with other treatments. If you're receiving treatment from a therapist, you'll find that you respond better and can assist in the treatment more with your newfound awareness. So even if you're not ready to take things on entirely for yourself, you'll be greatly enhancing the results you get when working with a therapist.<br /> <br />I hope this helps,<br />PA",
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"content": "You're The Expert\n\nOn Wednesday I discussed the unfortunate reality that modern medical care, for the most part, is not adequate for the resolution of chronic health issues. As such, personal responsibility is a necessary component of a successful recovery. An additional consideration with regards to personal responsibility with your health, is that the sheer level of complexity and individuality of many health issues is too great to be tackled in most modern healthcare settings.\n\nTo varying degrees, the chronic health issue you are dealing with is intertwined with various aspects of your life. Your personality, your beliefs, your past experiences, your habits and your environment can all play a role in what you're dealing with. To fully heal it is sometimes necessary to understand all of these things. Practically speaking, it may be too difficult to convey all of these relevant points to your healthcare provider, assuming they even have the knowledge to piece all of these things together into a relevant diagnosis. By being inquisitive about yourself and by knowing yourself you can understand your individual issue well enough to assist a healthcare practitioner with relevant insights.\n\nYou may even find that the awareness and knowledge of yourself is the remedy to your problem. This is because your brain will reevaluate things based on the information provided to it. Because the brain is like an over-protective parent. We convince it to produce a different, pain free response by making a compelling case that things are now safe. If you're able to connect the dots and understand the greater meaning of a chronic issue, the rationalisation that follows can be enough for the brain to let go of the protective response that was leading to pain.\n\nIn fact, much of modern therapeutic interventions are based on giving the body a new, safer experience that helps it let go of the protective response. We're showing the brain that it's safe to move again. \n\nYou can do this for yourself by continuing to engage in the process of self knowledge through stillness and observation. This will also tend to enhance your experiences with other treatments. If you're receiving treatment from a therapist, you'll find that you respond better and can assist in the treatment more with your newfound awareness. So even if you're not ready to take things on entirely for yourself, you'll be greatly enhancing the results you get when working with a therapist.\n \nI hope this helps,\nPA",
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"content": "Why Personal Responsibility Is Necessary<br /><br />Today I want to talk about personal responsibility and why it's so important. Invoking personal responsibility can be used to dismiss people's limited circumstances. It can be used to gloss over the very real challenges that some of us have to endure, that may make it much harder to take responsibility. I want to be perfectly clear that I don't invoke personal responsibility to ignore the very real challenges that some people experience. I don't use it to make a chronically ill person feel like what they're going through is their own fault. I do it, somewhat begrudgingly, because I'm not confident that anything else will be sufficient.<br /> <br /><br />Through the course of dealing with and overcoming my own chronic pain and health issues, I came to a number of painful realisations. I realised how flawed and ill equipped medical care is for the adequate treatment of chronic health issues. I realised that the entire foundation of how health tends to be viewed and practiced is grossly inadequate. And I also realised that there tends to be this psychological element to healing that requires a certain amount of commitment and effort on the part of those in need of healing. I particularly struggled with this last realisation. I really wanted to help people and I just wanted to give everything I could to their recovery. I figured, the more I could give, the quicker and more fully they would heal. This turned out to not be the case. <br /><br /> <br />To reiterate and to be perfectly clear, I'm referring to chronic, lifestyle related health issues. My critical views of medical care do not extend to emergency and immediate trauma care. I regard these as different. I'm not discounting all of what modern medicine has to offer, I simply want to highlight where there's room for improvement.<br /><br /> <br />Anyway, I ultimately realised that, if one wants to fully address chronic health issues, they (generally speaking) will be let down by the medical system. And the only true remedy for this that I can find, short of a significant overhaul of modern healthcare, is to start by taking responsibility. This doesn't mean blaming yourself, or carrying the entirety of the burden on yourself, or withdrawing from any care that you may be receiving. It simply means taking as much control as you can, based on your individual constraints.<br /><br /> <br />What does this look like practically? The simplest place to start, and probably the most powerful, is to become reacquainted with your body. To get to know how you move and how you feel through doing less, rather than more. I've talked about this before, but it's the basic idea that your body is constantly sending you self-regulating signals. Thirst is the most obvious. A signal is meaningless without action. Thirst doesn't help unless you then take action and drink a glass of water. There are tonnes of other self regulating signals that you receive throughout the day, but most are far more subtle. Since we tend to be inundated with stimulation from the buzz of modern life and technology, we tend to spend very little time observing quietly. If we do, and if we pay attention, these signals become clearer. And if we observe them over time and in the context of other signals, symptoms and behaviours, we can begin to understand patterns. We can begin to understand our individual response to things. <br /><br /> <br />You can start by dedicating time every day towards stillness and inner focus. Start with 5 minutes and build from there. As you get more comfortable with sitting in stillness, you can direct your attention to various body parts or thoughts and observe what happens. You may focus on a painful body part and a memory or emotion may come to mind. Or a specific thought or emotion may stir a sensation in a specific part of the body. <br /><br /> <br />Do it seated, standing or lying down. Close your eyes or keep them open. Whatever you prefer. The point is to take this on for yourself, engage with the process and begin to map out your inner world. Use your curiosity and intuition to guide you.<br /><br /> <br />Give it a go and don't overthink it.<br /><br /> <br />All the best,<br /><br />PA",
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"content": "Why Personal Responsibility Is Necessary\n\nToday I want to talk about personal responsibility and why it's so important. Invoking personal responsibility can be used to dismiss people's limited circumstances. It can be used to gloss over the very real challenges that some of us have to endure, that may make it much harder to take responsibility. I want to be perfectly clear that I don't invoke personal responsibility to ignore the very real challenges that some people experience. I don't use it to make a chronically ill person feel like what they're going through is their own fault. I do it, somewhat begrudgingly, because I'm not confident that anything else will be sufficient.\n \n\nThrough the course of dealing with and overcoming my own chronic pain and health issues, I came to a number of painful realisations. I realised how flawed and ill equipped medical care is for the adequate treatment of chronic health issues. I realised that the entire foundation of how health tends to be viewed and practiced is grossly inadequate. And I also realised that there tends to be this psychological element to healing that requires a certain amount of commitment and effort on the part of those in need of healing. I particularly struggled with this last realisation. I really wanted to help people and I just wanted to give everything I could to their recovery. I figured, the more I could give, the quicker and more fully they would heal. This turned out to not be the case. \n\n \nTo reiterate and to be perfectly clear, I'm referring to chronic, lifestyle related health issues. My critical views of medical care do not extend to emergency and immediate trauma care. I regard these as different. I'm not discounting all of what modern medicine has to offer, I simply want to highlight where there's room for improvement.\n\n \nAnyway, I ultimately realised that, if one wants to fully address chronic health issues, they (generally speaking) will be let down by the medical system. And the only true remedy for this that I can find, short of a significant overhaul of modern healthcare, is to start by taking responsibility. This doesn't mean blaming yourself, or carrying the entirety of the burden on yourself, or withdrawing from any care that you may be receiving. It simply means taking as much control as you can, based on your individual constraints.\n\n \nWhat does this look like practically? The simplest place to start, and probably the most powerful, is to become reacquainted with your body. To get to know how you move and how you feel through doing less, rather than more. I've talked about this before, but it's the basic idea that your body is constantly sending you self-regulating signals. Thirst is the most obvious. A signal is meaningless without action. Thirst doesn't help unless you then take action and drink a glass of water. There are tonnes of other self regulating signals that you receive throughout the day, but most are far more subtle. Since we tend to be inundated with stimulation from the buzz of modern life and technology, we tend to spend very little time observing quietly. If we do, and if we pay attention, these signals become clearer. And if we observe them over time and in the context of other signals, symptoms and behaviours, we can begin to understand patterns. We can begin to understand our individual response to things. \n\n \nYou can start by dedicating time every day towards stillness and inner focus. Start with 5 minutes and build from there. As you get more comfortable with sitting in stillness, you can direct your attention to various body parts or thoughts and observe what happens. You may focus on a painful body part and a memory or emotion may come to mind. Or a specific thought or emotion may stir a sensation in a specific part of the body. \n\n \nDo it seated, standing or lying down. Close your eyes or keep them open. Whatever you prefer. The point is to take this on for yourself, engage with the process and begin to map out your inner world. Use your curiosity and intuition to guide you.\n\n \nGive it a go and don't overthink it.\n\n \nAll the best,\n\nPA",
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"content": "I share my perspective on the mask debate to help you settle on a more informed and empowered way of viewing masks. Most importantly, I discuss the larger issue of the powers that influence our behaviours and compliance. These are ultimately what we need to be most aware of, whether we wear a mask or not.<br /><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PB3DYerTig\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PB3DYerTig</a>",
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"content": "I share my perspective on the mask debate to help you settle on a more informed and empowered way of viewing masks. Most importantly, I discuss the larger issue of the powers that influence our behaviours and compliance. These are ultimately what we need to be most aware of, whether we wear a mask or not.\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PB3DYerTig",
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