Eternal Return: The Ultimate New Year Resolution

Nietzsche’s Eternal Return

Imagine that, when you died, you were born into this life you’re living now, and that you would repeat that forever. This moment and every other would happen again just as they have and will — and you’ll respond to them just as you have and will. 

How does that feel? 

What would you do differently?

How would you live if you were to repeat this life, as it is lived this time, over and over again for eternity? Nothing changes. You couldn’t make different decisions or take on different attitudes. You wouldn’t be conscious that you’re reliving your life. This life. As it is. Again and again. This is the idea of eternal return or recurrence. 

When life is looked at through the prism of eternal return, rather than being ephemeral, fleeting nothings, each moment becomes an immortal brick in the groundwork of your existence. Each moment not only shapes the future, but the present moment for infinite future selves. Eternal recurrence challenges us to inch closer to amor fati — to truly loving our fate. 

If you had to do this again and again, wouldn’t you look harder for a way to love it? 

Nietzsche resolved to amor fati — to love his fate. He wanted to say yes to life.

"I'm offended" ~ 21st Century

Those who are determined to be 'offended' will discover a provocation somewhere.
We cannot possibly adjust enough to please the fanatics.
And it is degrading to make the attempt.

Christopher Hitchens

January 1st can be the first data point towards a new Goal.

Last year had its ups and downs, but has personally ended so badly and I've noticed I'm honestly losing interest in even the smallest things in life that used to carry such meaning up to now.

So I'm reminding myself how there are opportunities in just about every experience. Things I can learn from. Things that will help me grow.

A good friend recently said to me, what's meant for you won't pass you by. So whenever you have a negative experience, ask yourself, where is the opportunity in this? What is good about this situation? Opportunity won’t knock until you build that door.

Wishing everyone the best in the years ahead.

G

Never Give Up

Any effort to help is an effort worth making.

 

One day a terrible fire broke out in a forest - a huge woodlands was suddenly engulfed by a raging

wild fire. Frightened, all the animals fled their homes and ran out of the forest. As they came to the

edge of a stream they stopped to watch the fire and they were feeling very discouraged and

powerless. They were all bemoaning the destruction of their homes. Every one of them thought

there was nothing they could do about the fire, except for one little hummingbird.

 

This particular hummingbird decided it would do something. It swooped into the stream and picked

up a few drops of water and went into the forest and put them on the fire. Then it went back to the

stream and did it again, and it kept going back, again and again and again. All the other animals

watched in disbelief; some tried to discourage the hummingbird with comments like, "Don't bother,

it is too much, you are too little, your wings will burn, your beak is too tiny, it's only a drop, you

can't put out this fire."

 

And as the animals stood around disparaging the little bird's efforts, the bird noticed how hopeless

and forlorn they looked. Then one of the animals shouted out and challenged the hummingbird in a

mocking voice, "What do you think you are doing?" And the hummingbird, without wasting time or

losing a beat, looked back and said, "I am doing what I can."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ The Hummingbird Story, told by Nobel Peace Laureate

Wangari Maathai in May 2006 at a conference on poverty

elimination in Montreal.

Stop Caring What Other People Think

Please listen when I say that the shame and guilt you feel when you're trying so hard to not give a f**k. It's usually not because you are wrong to not give that f**k. I's because you're worried about what other people might think about you're decision.

And guess what?
You have no control over what other people think.

For God's sake, you have a hard enough time figuring out what you think! Believing that you have any control over what other people think - and wasting your f**ks on that pursuit - is futile. It is a recipe for failure on a grand f**king scale.

Embrace your not giving a f**k by reading more in The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k by Sarah Knight (2015). Worth a read!

The Lost Letter Technique

This is an unobtrusive measure of attitudes in which stamped addressed envelopes are scattered in public places, as if left by accident, the proportion being posted by members of the public and turning up at the addresses on the envelopes providing a crude index of attitudes in the community.

 

For example, if half the envelopes are addressed to a pro-same-sex marriage organisation and half to an anti-same-sex marriage organisation, and if equal numbers of pro-same-sex marriage and anti-same-sex marriage envelopes are distributed but significantly more of the pro-same-sex marriage envelopes are returned; then it may be concluded that members of the community are more favourably disposed towards the pro-marriage than the anti-marriage cause.

 

The technique was introduced by the US psychologist Stanley Milgram (1933-84) and colleagues in an article in the journal Public Opinion Quarterly in 1965. Milgram's classic use of the Lost Letter Technique as a behavioural measure of attitudes showed that return rates can be influenced by the addressee written on the letter, particularly when the addressee represents a controversial organization (Milgram, 1969; 1977; Milgram et al., 1965).

Colman, 2009

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Prejudice is a stinky cologne

''What's most interesting is that we are often disgusted by other people. We have laboratory research that explores the relationship between feelings of disgust and feelings towards out-groups.

 

People differ in how sensitive they are to disgust. It turns out that where you stand with regard to disgust correlates with your feelings about out-groups. It correlates with your feelings about immigrants, sexual minorities, race etc. The more easily disgusted you are, the more aversion you find to these others.

We also know this experimentally. We know that by making people be disgusted, we can make them meaner.

We brought people into the lab at Cornell University and we asked them all sorts of questions regarding their feelings towards different out-groups and different policies. What do you think of African-Americans? What do you think of gay men? What do you think of social-welfare? etc.

 

Half the people just filled out the form and went home. The other half of the subjects went into the room, got the same survey. But before they entered the room, we sprayed the room with a 'fart-spray'. And it would make them meaner! Not towards everything, but it would make them particularly meaner towards out-groups''.

- Paul Bloom & David Pizarro, Cornell University.

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Racism is something you learn, not something you're born with.

Stigma - A major barrier to Suicide Prevention

According to the WHO and the latest Burden of Disease Estimation, suicide is a major public health problem in high income countries and is an emerging problem in low and middle income countries. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the world, especially among young people.

Nearly one million people worldwide die by suicide each year. This corresponds to one death by suicide every 40 seconds. The number of lives lost each year through suicide exceeds the number of deaths due to homicide and war combined. These staggering figures do not include nonfatal suicide attempts which occur much more frequently than deaths by suicide.

                                                                                                                Suicides in Republic of Ireland from 2001-2013

2001 - 519
2002 - 478
2003 - 497
2004 - 493
2005 - 481
2006 - 460
2007 - 458
2008 - 506
2009 - 552
2010 - 490
2011 - 525
2012 - 507

*2013 - 475 (6% drop, with males accounting for over 83% of all suicide deaths last year.)

A large proportion of people who die by suicide suffer mental illness. Recent estimates suggest that the disease burden caused by mental illnesses will amount for 25% of the total disease burden in the world in the next two decades, making it the most important category of ill-health (more important than cancer or heart diseases.)

A significant number of those with mental illnesses who die by suicide do not contact health or social services near the time of their death. In many instances, there are insufficient services available to assist those in need at times of crisis. Lack of access to appropriate care is one of the many factors that magnify the stigma associated with mental illness and with suicidal ideation and behaviour. This type of stigma, which is deeply rooted in most societies, can arise for different reasons.

For some people, the term 'suicide' alone evokes panic and one of the causes of stigma is a simple lack of knowledge - that is, ignorance. This type of stigma can be directly addressed by providing a range of community-based educational programs that are targeted to specific subgroups within the society (that is, by age, educational level, religious affiliation, and so forth). Negative attitudes about individuals with mental illnesses and/or suicidal ideation or impulses (prejudice) is common in many communities. These negative attitudes often do not change with education about mental illnesses and suicidal behaviour.

Many health professionals who feel uncomfortable dealing with persons struggling with mental illnesses or suicidal ideation often hold negative, prejudicial attitudes towards such patients. This can result in a failure to provide optimal care and support for persons in crisis.

Stigma is also the underlying motive for discrimination - inappropriate or unlawful restrictions of the freedom of individuals with mental illnesses or suicidal behaviour. Such restrictions can occur at a personal, community or institutional level. One extreme example is the criminalization of suicidal behaviour, which still occurs in many countries. Discrimination can prevent or discourage people affected by mental illness and/or suicidal ideation or behaviour from seeking professional help, or from returning to their normal social roles, after receiving treatment for an episode of illness or crisis.

In both high-income and low and middle-income countries stigmatized conditions such as mental illnesses and suicidal behaviour receive a much smaller proportion of health and welfare budgets than is appropriate, given their huge impact on the overall health of the community.

Unless the stigma is confronted and challenged, it will continue to be a major barrier to the treatment of mental illnesses and to the prevention of suicide. Events like World Mental Health Day (October 10th) and World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10th) are ideal times to highlight and inspire people to work towards the goal of developing creative new methods for eradicating stigma and helping to save lives.
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Each morning when you open your eyes, say to yourself:  “I, not external people or events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today.  It’s up to me.  Yesterday is gone and tomorrow hasn’t come yet.  I only have today and I’m going to be happy in it.”