THE PROBLEM OF INCREASING HUMAN ENERGY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCES TO THE HARNESSING OF THE SUN'S ENERGY.
by Nikola Tesla, Century Illustrated Magazine, June 1900

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"A thousand other evils might be mentioned, but all put together, in their bearing upon the problem under discussion, they could not equal a single one, the want of food, brought on by poverty, destitution, and famine. Millions of individuals die yearly for want of food, thus keeping down the mass. Even in our enlightened communities, and not withstanding the many charitable efforts, this is still, in all probability, the chief evil. I do not mean here absolute want of food, but want of healthful nutriment. How to provide good and plentiful food is, therefore, a most important question of the day. On the general principles the raising of cattle as a means of providing food is objectionable, because, in the sense interpreted above, it must undoubtedly tend to the addition of mass of a "smaller velocity." It is certainly preferable to raise vegetables, and I think, therefore, that vegetarianism is a commendable departure from the established barbarious habit. That we can subsist on plant food and perform our work even to advantage is not a theory, but a well-demonstrated fact. Many races living almost exclusively on vegetables are of superior physique and strength. There is no doubt that some plant food, such as oatmeal, is more economical than meat, and superior to it in regard to both mechanical and mental performance. Such food, moreover, taxes our digestive organs decidedly less, and, in making us more contented and sociable, produces an amount of good difficult to estimate. In view of these facts every effort should be made to stop the wanton and cruel slaughter of animals, which must be destructive to our morals. To free ourselves from animal instincts and appetites, which keep us down, we should begin at the very root from which we spring: we should effect a radical reform in the character of the food. There seems to be no philosophical necessity for food. We can conceive of organized beings living without nourishment, and deriving all the energy they need for the performance of their lifefunctions from the ambient medium. In a crystal we have the clear evidence of the existence of a formative life-principle, and though we cannot understand the life of a crystal, it is none the less a living being."

This was over a hundred years ago ladies and gentleman.
Why is it we do not listen to the greatest among us?

*warning*

if you are already having a bad day, are in an unpleasant mood or generally don't feel well: don't read the following post or do deeper research about the topic. it will only make your situation worse because it is really disturbing. just bookmark this post and read it, when you are better.

okay, now you certenly are even more curious, the short version is: almost everybody on this planet has problems with a neurotransmitter called dopamine. it may be the most addictive substance that this planet ever has seen. that's about it.



thanks for the post, the answer is: dopaminejunkies. depending on the seriousness of their addiction, they suppress, lie, deny, betray, torture and kill, just to keep their dopamine flow up. concerning tesla (yes, his article is brillinat for the time it was written in): it is not the quality of the information that counts, neither its righteoutness. the selective criterium is, if it raises dopaminelevels in the brain. And no information is more repelling that we all are dopaminejunkies. Voila, that's the root of everything that goes wrong with humanity.

and this brilliant thesis (keep the year in mind, if you read that book in a future incarnation was chiseled in 40 years of study, observation and experience by:

Charles Lyell in: "the perfect pandemic; how mass-denial turned a curable brain disease into the pandemic to end all pandemics"

it is one of the most influental books i have ever read. this information explains so many crazy events in my life. everytime it has the perfect, rational answer for why that happened. it is beatiful and so perfeclty accurate, that it would be a revelation of a read, if the consequences would not be so severe. We kill each other and the planet, because we are junkies.

And this makes the nexus even more valuable, because we touch substances that are outlawed because they can influence your thinking, away from dopamine addiction. because the barriers you break are the illusions about human behaviour you lose. you get closer to freedom from conventions. And convention-junkies hate little more than being cut of their source of dopamine, strict rules and "this has been done forever like this"-whiners. so the addicted cattle is hold in the coral, watched by the most severe addicts.

I do not intend to get any praise for this post, if this wouldn't be a forum but a meeting by real people, i would never ever talk about this topic. it would severly damage personal relationships, leaving me absolutelly vulnerable. if this post does not get deleted right away, most of the posters will just try to shoot me down.

It's interesting what you have said and I probably agree.
I think this is why fasts longer than a few days are so powerful.

"it is not the quality of the information that counts, neither its righteoutness. the selective criterium is, if it raises dopaminelevels in the brain."

What a great point friend. In other words, since when have we ever continued an activity (eating, socializing, sexing, and so on) that didn't motivate us? And dopamine is essentially the transmitter behind drive. (and yes folks I know the brain is vastly more complicated then that.) When it comes to the quality of information, of course that doesn't matter, because what matters is if the information agrees with our own internal guidance system made up of beliefs, assumptions, expectations. If it doesn't agree with our beliefs, then if we are foolish we ignore the information, no matter how credible or correct or true it is. Perhaps this is because we do not as a rule voluntarily engage in activity that does not bring us some kind of reward, i.e. satisfaction, validation, and so on. So, in a way, the same neurochemistry that drives an addiction to wrong food is the same same neurochemistry that drives an aversion to any information that conflicts one's own ideas or beliefs.

I also want to point out that the archetypal bodhisattva must have been able to reorient his dopaminergic system such that a reward is gained not in the pursuit of personal objectives (things done for the good of my own self and nevermind others) but rather in the pursuit of bringing joy to those around him. The pain and pleasure of those around him he takes as his own.

I think it's an interesting question: what is different about the dopaminergic system in the brain of an evolved meditator or someone who we would identify as a bodhisattva than the brain of a person more oriented in life toward the pursuit of personal success. What gives a dopamine spike in one person may not in another. How is this so?

god damn it! you got it! and i couldnt agree more than this to your post!

^^ this boosts my dopamine levels a lot

this is the ultimate riddle that humanity has to face, all others will be a walk in the park. god, i imagine a future where everyone is healthy, loving and a beautiful person. all the cooperation, all the incredible social moments... i had one of this in my life - it is one of my most precious memories.

may you all be well and may you all experience freedom in this life.

yes, the buddha and jesus somehow managed to beat their addiction. jesus went to the desert and fasted for 40 days, you mentioned fasting. and they got idolized by the junkie masses, allthough everyone could be like that - without effort!



the prefrontal cortex. rational thought collides with animalistic behaviour regulated by the limbic system - immediate pleasure, fast rewards. meditators can harness their animalistic drives - i practice myself and through the hightened ability to use the pfc i can see the results. allthough i am still pretty addicted to the internet, porn and my smartphone. i kicked nicotine addiciton (allen carr wrote a perfect solution for it), managed to work out three times a week, drop almost all processed food and discovered psychedelics. i try to sustain healthy relationships - in the boundaries of social norms invented by madmen. quite a ride but i would really enjoy to finally come home.

That we can subsist on plant food and perform our work even to advantage is not a theory, but a well-demonstrated fact. Many races living almost exclusively on vegetables are of superior physique and strength. There is no doubt that some plant food, such as oatmeal, is more economical than meat, and superior to it in regard to both mechanical and mental performance. Such food, moreover, taxes our digestive organs decidedly less, and, in making us more contented and sociable, produces an amount of good difficult to estimate.



https://www.cambridge.or...3D7B5194C160001262CA1AD2

https://nutritionj.biome...s/10.1186/1475-2891-9-26

http://www.nature.com/ej.../n7/abs/ejcn201392a.html

http://www.andjrnl.org/article/S0002-8223(11)00574-8/abstract

http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(05)00279-2/abstract

http://onlinelibrary.wil...0-037X.2001.00538.x/full



etc...

I think, that for health, we need to look how our cousin primates eat: raw veggies/fruits, SOME eggs (when they find them), and WORMS and LARVAE, as easily found inside fruits and on leaves. This is how our primates get their protein and specific animal-derived substances we need. But our westernized vegans eat cleaned-up vegetables/fruits, that don't contain these! To me, this is a problem.

So if I'm going to have a lecture by Tesla about going veg*n, I need to approach this with equal balance about the importance of animals not getting slaughtered, AND my health -- the way my human body dictates it, based on evolution and on how other similar species eat.

I've gone low fat, paleo, keto, vegan and raw vegan for a while, and I was missing nutrients in all of these diets. I tried it all, and I wasn't happy with any of them. At the end, I had to listen to my body.

So now I eat like this:
- 65% raw vegan (lots of fruits & veggies)
- Cooked dinners, usually containing beans
- Wild-only fish and/or farmed shellfish 3 times a week
- Animal flesh once a week (usually pastured chicken liver, for the extra nutrition)
- Some pastured eggs, and fermented-only dairy (not daily)

Overall, the amount of animal protein I eat per week is less than 8% (similar % to that of primates).

Also:
- I eat no grains, except for some rice (my celiac disease doesn't play nice with grains).
- No industrial vegetable oils (olive oil, butter, coconut ok, but not in huge quantities).

I still supplement with K2 and Magnesium, because these are impossible to get enough from western food (both because they don't contain much, and because of year to year soil depletion). D3 I still get because I don't go out much (I know, I should, like everyone else should do too in the western world).

To me, this is a balanced way to live. I don't deprive myself of what my body needs and wants, and at the same time, I minimize the suffering as much as possible, before I actually hurt myself. That's how I see it. Do what you can and what is logical to you. No more, no less. If you do more, you can hurt yourself, and if you do less, you cause unnecessary suffering. As Buddha said: go with the middle way. And as my own ancestors, the ancients Greeks said: Πάν μέτρον άριστον, "everything in moderation". I try to follow that.