Don Ardell's Wellness Perspectives on Sex, Religion & Politics

A Critical Thinking Wellness Contest: Win A Medal And Worldwide Fame And Help Bring The World To Its Senses

America and the world are besotted with foolish beliefs fostered by cultures that undervalue critical thinking, and I'm not refering only to the popularity of religions. 

Something has to be done about the huge disregard of evidence-based reasoning. I have just the thing in mind, given my own capacity for science and reason--a contest! I think a critical thinking wellness contest will stimulate a mass breakthrough to rationality.  Such a contest can bring the people of this country and elsewhere throughot the world to their senses.

So, I hereby announce a contest. An essay contest. A 1000 word limit. Anyone can enter, including my relatives and employees of this website, college professors, celebrities, high ranking politicians, even Republicans. It's wide open. The winner's photo will be posted at this website for a day and he or she will also receive a medal. The medal will be one of my own medals won in a prestigious race. Maybe merchants will also contribute valuable prizes as word of this contest spreads.

The contest is a simple, two-part process: A) Describe a foolish belief held by a group of people in a civilized jurisdiction (let's not pick on people in underdeveloped parts of the world, like Alabama) and, B) note how such a bizarre belief might be overcome.

Send your 1000 or less word essay for this context by May 1, 2009. Send by e-mail to me at DBA@seekwellness.com.

To get you in the spirit or mood for this, here is an example of what a contest entry might look like. First, I offer an example of whacked off insane thinking, then a solution.

PART ONE: A DESCRIPTION OF A FOOLISH BELIEF

Several major league baseball players and other popular athletes wear titanium-laced necklaces and wristbands. Why?  hey claim it brings them luck. Is there any evidence for this claim? None. Is it possible that they are paid to wear the bands in order that their celebrity-based modeling will lead innocent victims to buy this product, hoping for good luck? It is. More likely, they are not paid—they are just reason-impaired. More than luck is promised or at least held out as a benefit from wearing the titanium products—the necklaces and bands might also "alleviate discomfort, enhance circulation, promote relaxation, stabilize energy flow, reduce stress and soothe tension."

I'm not making this up. See Richard Martins story in the St. Petersburg Times entitled "Wear Titanium, Play Better," April 6, 2009.

The product is touted as a "micro-titanium sphere" and an "energy transport system." It is said (by the Japanese chiropractor who promotes it) to amplify some mysterious "energy management system" and thereby make all cells more efficient. The necklaces sell for $47 and are sold at "reputable" outlets in the US, including Sports Authority.

PART TWO:  HOW THIS NONSENSE MIGHT BE OVERCOME

Anyone seen wearing this bracelet should be showered with love and ridicule. These are not mutually exclusive. Be nice to the person, be courteous and think always of his or her best interests, but have playful fun at the individual for being suckered into buying or just wearing a ridiculous product sold under the most ludricrous of claims. This warmth of loving spirit does not apply to the major league ballplayers and others who might have been paid to model this item that is a blight on human intelligence and an offense against reason. These people should be humiliated, if not prosecuted. They give prostitution a bad name. Even if they are not paid to wear such things.

That's it. That's the contest. I eagerly await your contribution. Be well—and don't buy any necklaces with titanium or you'll be hearing from me—in a loving way, of course. 

The German Wellness Association Leads The Way In Engaging The Public To Understand How Much Fun REAL Wellness Can Be

Greetings to all - this is my first post about the nature of genuine wellness for the new year of 2009.  My, how time passes and the years add up.  We not only have but a few years to live, a blink of an eye really in a cosmic sense, but of the time we do have, only a portion falls into an undefinable, imprecise but nonetheless factual best of times span, be it days, weeks, months or hopefully years.  These are periods when we are at the best possible place in life, when we have enough sense (not too young) and physical capacity (not too old) to function as exuberant free agents - and thus to live life as fully as our circumstances, genetics and fortune permit and enable.

Thus, it makes a lot of sense to be all "carpe diem-like" in consciously seeking both to expand the amount of time to be in this special zone of high capacity, exuberant living AND making the most of it, while it lasts.   

In my case, I choose to convince myself that I came close by age 40 or so, through a process of trial and error.  I have been on a roll ever since, though I'm always fine-tuning things.

In my view, there is no better way to reach that special zone of what I call REAL wellness than to make choices consistent with a philosophy that advances excellent physical and mental health.  

I will offer just a hint, for now, of key features of a REAL wellness philosophy, or mindset and lifestyle, by describing an innovative wellness organization in Europe called Deutscher Wellness Verband (DWV), or the German Wellness Association.  As a board member (despite knowing only one German word, namely, schadenfreude), I am privy to DWV projects.  One innovative effort, conducted with the  GfK Group (one of the largest market research companies in the world), shows how the DWV group defines REAL wellness. Given an opportunity to interview 5000 adult Germans on wellness topics primarily in the context of travel, DWV Chairman Lutz Hertel devised a few broad questions of a general interest to promote an understanding of motives for wellness activities.  Lutz invited me to offer additional leading, suggestive questions beyond those of a general interest.  My question suggestions are intended to prod German survey takers to realize that they already have a passion for REAL wellness, and thus integrate their willingness to seek this kind of information with travel and vacation/spa decisions.

You might note in the following suggestions the kind of quality of life topic areas that I addressed in the first part of this essay.  These are the topics that help in attaining and enjoying that elusive but desirable time range when life is sweet and opportunities for reason, exuberance and liberty are maximized. 

 

My suggested wellness survey questions for use by DWV in the GfK Group marketing wellness survey are:

 

Would you like to combine a tour abroad with opportunities to explore secular theories about meaning and purpose of life?  How about the following areas, all vital mental skill issues associated with advances in quality of life by DWV: 

 

*  Practical tips for improved critical thinking.

       

*  Methods for increasing your capacity to experience humor in life.

       

*  Understanding human sexuality and increasing experiences of guilt-free, nobody's feelings get hurt pleasuring. (Note: full frontal nudity of a wholesome nature may be involved but will be optional. This, of course, is a bit of humor tossed into the survey to lighten things up a bit.)

       

*  Developing an advanced capacity to recognize and resolve in responsible ways a wide range of challenges associated with applied ethics.

       

*  Strategies for and a recognition of obstacles to creative aging.

       

*  Tips  for daily boosts of exuberance and expanded personal freedoms.

 

These are just for starters - and to ensure that REAL wellness gets the attention it deserves and is recognized as quite different, dramatically so, from the foo foo nonsense stuff with which spas are rightly associated. 

 

There you go, then, a few suggestive ideas about the nature of REAL wellness.  All the best.  Comments always welcomed.  Take care and, as the Monty Python boys would say, always look on the bright side of life. 

Why You Should Not Go Along To Get Along

Like anyone with an e-mail account, I get a lot of junk.  The worst junkmails are not the obvious urban legends, not the ads for Viagra or penis extenders (not needed, thank you very much), not the goofy "opportunities" to share millions with kindly Nigerians (am I too skeptical, or what?) or the dozens of other spam pleadings that arrive daily.  No, the most annoying are the sappy forwards from acquaintances.  These often carry a personal note and are designed to inspire, teach a moral or warn against impure thoughts. Not long ago, I got one urging me not to indulge in reliance upon reason to the neglect of faith.

Even friends who should know better, that is, friends with an education who are aware of my independent secular mindset who have busy lives of some consequence occasionally forward one or more of the above-noted types of posts. 

Just yesterday, I got one that was entitled something like, Just when you thought I wasn't looking. This phrase was the beginning of a dozen or so sentences that described virtuous behaviors that were observed by a child, and thus taught a positive moral lesson. 

I made the mistake of reading the forwarded post. When I finished, I could not resist the temptation to advise my friend who sent it along what I thought of it.  I hit the "reply all" button in order that everyone else who got it would see one recipient's response.  Here is my message:

I am not usually disposed to waste my time reading a swarmy mass mailing with simplistic, feel good sentiments, as I did on this occasion.  It contained suggestions for many kind actions, and that was benign and harmless, if a bit self-evident.  I had to wonder, though, and resist the temptation to ask my friend: Don't most people you know already behave in these sensible, ethical ways? 

However, a few actions that I found objectionable were included in the list.  The latter include:

*  The prayer bit - teaching a child (by your example) to believe he/she has an imaginary friend who intervenes in human affairs based on imprecations or begging by one name or another. (Doesn't this imply the all-knowing, all wise, all-everything wizard knows what's best?) Since there is zero evidence for such a preposterous notion, I suggested it would be better to model self-reliance?

(This commentary relates to the statement: When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.)

*  The suggestion at the end of the message urging recipients to forward this to and thereby annoy everyone on our lists.  I asked my friend if he was assuming that everyone on his list would consent to all the ideas on this sappy message?  If not, did he really expect that such a message would persuade anyone to shape up and fly right?

(This is a reference to the capitalized and bold remark, in large type, that I AM SENDING THIS TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE I KNOW WHO DO SO MUCH FOR OTHERS, BUT THINK THAT NO ONE EVER SEES.
LITTLE EYES SEE A LOT.)

But, the worst was yet to come:

How will you touch the life of someone today? Just by sending this to someone else, you will probably make them (sic) at least think about their (sic) influence on others. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God. 

Huh? Yike! Sounds like an invitation to adopt a mindless catatonic state. 

I wrote a cordial note to my friend, asking that he please give me a pass on these "inspirational notes." 

My father encouraged me, at least when I was very young, to get along by going along. His notion for being successful was "don't make waves."  It probably served him well, given the closed and rather tight-knit culture of which he was a part.

Today, we have raving lunatics all around us, and it is important that those who disagree to their irrational or harmful messages act boldly by taking exception to what otherwise might seem matters of general consensus, when they are decidedly not.  I urge you not to go along with prevailing norms that you view as dysfunctional, irrational or harmful.  Don't permit the holy rollers and fanatics to assume that you agree with them, when you don't. 

So, even if you think nobody is looking or no one cares, express your views.  We still have freedom of speech in America.  Let's make the most of it, and do our part, however modest, to keep freedom alive.

Cheers.

Phony Baloney Bogus Media Trash News - The Fitness Pill My Eye!

Studies have shown that a pill (soon be available) mimics the effects of regular exercise.  Yes, that what studies have shown.  Well, one study. Recently, the Salk Institute released a research report describing performance gains exhibited by sedentary mice.  The study showed that impressive gains in treadmill tests were attributed not to aerobic exercise, weight lifting, stretching, yoga, Pilates, coaching or mentoring, but to a new drug.  Yes, by taking this performance-enhancing drug, sedentary mice were able to perform in a manner that suggested they were fit as rodent fiddles. 

The implication, of course, is that couch potato humans might soon be able to take a pill containing this potent ingredient and gain the same benefits that we associate with vigorous exercise.  We all know or believe that the health benefits of exercise, at least to this point in time, have been available only the old-fashioned way - that is, earned from the tribulations of vigorous workouts.  Now the hope is that increases in performance capacity, such as those exhibited by mice on the new wonder drug, might be available to humans.  All a person, even a sedentary one, need do is pop a fitness pill with the right ingredient. 

Is this serious science or science fiction?  Is it real or hype?  Did the mice really perform heroically on those treadmills, or were these trials done with smoke and mirrors?

I don't know.  However, I think skepticism is called for.  Later, if it turns out that this is the beginning of a new era where everyone can be fit AND sedentary, I'll enthusiastically embrace the new reality.

"Non Sequitur is the name of Wiley Miller's wry cartoon look at the absurdities of everyday life. The August 2, 2008 cartoon, which first appeared four years ago (Wiley's on vacation at present) contains this dialogue:

Q.  What's the secret to success as a TV pundit?

A.  The studies have shown ploy. 

Q.  Uh, What's that?

A.  Just say, Studies have shown first, then all of your talking points go unquestioned, no matter how stupid they are.  The trick, of course, is saying it without giggling. 

Q.  Um... What happened to critical thinking?

A.  Studies have shown that's for losers.

When TV pundits reported on what the most recent studies have shown ploy, my reaction was this:  If you think a pill is going to make you fit and provide the health benefits of vigorous daily exercise anytime soon, say within the next century, you need emergency surgery - so that a brain can be inserted into your head.  You can't possibly have one if you think a fitness pill is going to make you fit.

Anyone who missed this story must have been under the Arctic ice cap.  The tale was everywhere: pundits on all news shows went wild over it.  Essentially, a drug called Aicar (who comes up with these names?) was shown to increase mouse performance by 44 percent in a single month of illegal doping.  (If it's not illegal for mice to take such pills, it ought to be. It's not fair to the mice that train hard and use only natural methods to perform at their best.)  The drug seems to mimic a by-product of energy metabolism.  It signals the cell that energy has been burned - which is tantamount in cell speak of saying, send more.

If this were not enough for the sedentary hopefuls, the media pundits said studies have shown another drug tested even better - enabling the treadmill rodent superstars to gain a 75 percent increase in endurance - but in this case, the mice had to do a little exercise as well as swallow the pill.  Maybe the non-exercise oriented humans hearing this will conclude that a 44 percent performance increase will do nicely, thank you very much.

Before you begin a Google search for the location of the nearest Aicar dealer, consider that unfortunate law of nature called unintended consequences. Another term for this phenomenon is side effects.

If you start getting your workout from a pill instead of a swimming pool, treadmill or other methods of doing work with your body beyond swallowing, consider the unforeseen costs that might be incurred.  Besides sudden death from heart stoppage, recall the consequences of thalidomide a few decades back.  Performance boosts could come at a price.

Red wine also activates pathways to improved performance.  In red wine, the key ingredient that does this is resveratrol.  A couple years ago, studies showed that mice were able to run twice as far as usual on a treadmill under the influence of resveratrol before waving the white flag of surrender (i.e., collapsing).

Resveratrol, Aicar and all the other quick fix, magic bullets are not going to replace exercise as the healthy way to become and stay fit and live well. For that, you need a vigorous daily exercise regimen - and a good sense of humor.

If I might paraphrase Richard Nixon, let me say this:  I am not a Luddite.  I am not opposed to technological progress or change.  Who would object to making fitness available to all at half the price, or for nothing (energy expended) at all, for that matter?  Not I.  Bring on the Brave New World - I too would welcome more performance for less the effort.

But, don't overlook Wiley's advice - there has to be more to the promise than the headline  studies have shown.  Curb your enthusiasm - at least for the present.  If you already exercise vigorously, keep it going and if not, give daily workouts some consideration.

The Wellness Movement Cannot Save The World!

A wellness colleague and good friend in Australia wrote me the other day and raised an issue that has been a part of the wellness movement for as long as there has been a wellness movement. Here is what he wrote:

Don - I just had a discussion with a colleague who, until I explained things, had never heard of the wellness movement. I gave him details about the six dimensions of wellness (as outlined by NWI) and several copies of your newsletters where the concept was described. He mentioned a program on television he watched the previous evening about the world food crisis. It highlighted the point you made in a recent blog about the folly of using corn and other food products for running our cars, given world hunger and other poverty situations. He wanted to know what the wellness movement had to say about that. He went on to ask whether the wellness movement only has meaning for those of us who live in a world where we want for nothing and can afford the time and energy to debate such matters.


So Don, what does the wellness movement and its current trends have to say to those who are still grappling with level one of Maslow's list of needs?

I replied that this issue was the number one topic at wellness conferences in the mid-seventies to early eighties, until we all got weary and discouraged by the obvious answer, namely, that the wellness movement has no relevance to world hunger, war and peace or much else relating to Maslow's floor of safety and security. However, that is not the same as concluding that wellness enthusiasts seeking better lifestyles for themselves, family, neighbors and so on can't find endless ways to pursue their passions, including doing one thing or another to try to make the world a somewhat better place. Doing things that entail feeding the hungry, dealing with poverty, promoting peace and/or population control, reducing the toxic influence of religion and so on are best attempted while healthy rather than when sick, so a wellness lifestyle is a partial means to larger ends.

It should go without saying that REAL wellness addresses all these matters or at least encourages those who embrace such an outlook to think critically about as many great issues as one can manage.

My wellness friend in Australia replied as follows:

I fully agree. I don't think that it is possible to have REAL wellness without consideration, and hopefully some action, on these issues. For some, it could mean VOLUNTEERING to provide assistance in areas of need in the less developed world. As far as reducing the influence of toxic religion is concerned, I have no solution. It seems that the more desperate people get, the more they turn to religion. It would be great if we could come up with an alternative. Now, you and I both know that there is an alternative, but selling it to the hungry and illiterate is the challenge.

A matter worth further discussion, I am sure.

Indeed it is. Let's be sensible about this. Wellness is just a lifestyle, not a global scale endeavor to save or even improve the world. It's a good thing, even a wonderful thing when viewed in a context of personal excellence married to a concern for others via good works and wise choices.

But, it is not a panacea for what is wrong with the world. Worse, there IS no panacea for that. Let's hope that more of us do our part in that endeavor in whatever ways we can, little by little and bit by bit over time - while looking after ourselves with wise attitudes, good behaviors and consideration for each other, close to and far from home.

Your thoughts on the scope of wellness in relation to world crises? Comments always welcomed and appreciated.

All the best.

Crops Are Fuels Best Reserved For People, Not Automobiles

Wellness is my business. Every day, activities that enhance life get most of my attention. I don't spend a lot of time fighting fires, dealing with life-threatening emergencies or otherwise struggling to make ends meet. Life is good. I realize it's not like this for most people around the world - I try to do what I can for others and often think about how fortunate I am. However, a focus on exuberance, the quest for added meaning and purpose and all the rest of a quality of life agenda must be put aside if and when a catastrophe looms. Well, a case can be made for quite a few looming catastrophes (e.g., lunatic terrorists gaining nukes, irrational moves by rogue nations led by religious maniacs as in Iran, and powerful, rich countries grotesquely mismanaged by incompetents as in the USA) these days. One, however, seems more imminent and more resolvable than the others. That looming catastrophe, world hunger on a scale unseen in modern times, is a disaster that can be averted by a simple policy change within the control of our own US Congress, namely, putting a halt to the conversion of crops, particularly corn, into biofuels.

At first, encouraging biofuels seemed like a good idea. After all, we should do all we can to become more energy independent, reduce the dangers of global warming and support our farmers. However, the evidence is now abundant that this experiment has not worked out so well. In fact, we have seen that it was not a good idea to subsidize agricultural interests to convert corn from a human crop to ethanol and other biofuels. This transfer has proven to be a very bad bargain, causing massive increases in the costs of foods which in turn has exacerbated hunger in populations unable to afford the grains that had been staples in their diets. In addition, the conversion of people food into engine fuels has caused environmental degradation, particularly deforestation leading to increases in the rate of climate change. American grain inventories are now depleted, as stockpiles once held for bad times have shrunk due to world demand for the grains used in biofuels.

The costs of basic foodstuffs, particularly wheat, corn and rice have doubled or tripled in the last year or so. This is unpleasant for us, but ruinous for the poor in desperate nations throughout the world. (For more on the chain of problems caused by biofuel subsidies, see Paul Krugman, in an op-ed column entitled, Grains Gone Wild, New York Times, April 7, 2008.)

Folks, this is a growing problem we can't afford to permit to grow worse. Food riots are scary, even if you DO have a well stocked underground retreat somewhere nearby and heavy weapons to defend your groceries - and most of us have no such thing. Even if we did, living in fear of attack from the masses seeking our foodstuffs does not seem very appealing or wellness like.

Black Holes And Wellness: Why The Latter Is Good, The Former Is Bad

Earth is my favorite planet, one I've called home for almost 70 years. Most of the people who have lived here have passed away. That is, died - and gone to nowhere, from whence they came - and where you and I are going, or not going, as logical precision would have it. (If it's nowhere, how can you go there?)

Between my home planet and the sun are two other planets, Mercury and Venus, which have their pluses (e.g., no known diseases, no wars and no religions) and minuses (e.g., unhealthy atmospheres, severe temperatures and no life forms - which is rough if you are partial to seafood and vegetables, as I am). Even if one or both planets were veritable paradises, which are very much not the case, we don't have the technology to get to either one - so the minuses have it. Mars and the other planets going out from the sun are also unattractive for human purposes, so don't even think about going to any of those. All of which suggests that it's smart for humans on Earth to be careful how we go about our affairs on this good planet.

One thing we definitely don't want to do is build a black hole. I'll tell you why. A black hole is a region of space with an attitude. It has so much concentrated mass (you can't imagine how much - it's beyond awesome) within in it that its gravitational pull is inescapable. The other night I attended a lecture in St. Petersburg by Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist who serves as the Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Thanks to Dr. Tyson, I came to fully appreciate the galactic health hazards posed by black holes. The good scientist even wrote a best seller about this phenomenon entitled, Death By Black Hole. So, make no mistake - these are mean mothers that will absolutely ruin anyone's attempt to live a wellness lifestyle. Don't get anywhere near one and for god's sake, so to speak, don't even think about building one!

This may seem obvious, but amazingly enough, some silly scientists could soon discover that they have inadvertently built a black hole, right here on this planet. Now, if they should screw up and do that, their bloody black hole will immediately inhale the planet faster than you can say Holy shit, or something like that, as you get sucked in, ripped apart and turned into spaghetti-plasma before vaporizing entirely.

I'm not making this up. It seems that some Frankenstein genius-type physicists in Geneva and around the world have been at work for about 14 years constructing a monstrosity called the Large Hadron Collider. This $8 billion particle accelerator is designed to smash protons like never before, recreating the kind of energies and conditions last seen a trillionth of a second after the Big Bang. The collider will fire up protons to energies of seven trillion electron volts before banging them together. It will mash gold ions to create what is known as quark-gluon plasma. Well, that's how it's known to somebody, I suppose, but I have no idea what they're up to. Other things being the same, doing all this wondrous stuff would be really cool, but not if it brings about a tiny black hole in the bargain, which some fear. In a cosmic versus human sense, there really is no such thing as a tiny black hole. One of those suckers the size of a nipple would contain enough mass and thus gravitational pull to digest the planet, moon and half a dozen other planetary bodies in our solar system much faster than Hillary Clinton can dodge a sniper's bullet in Bosnia.

Critics of this project worry that the accelerator scientists might accidentally create that feared black hole and poof, we're gone. According to some variants of string theory, a black hole could appear at the collider. Probably not, but some say we don't know it won't, for sure. Or, maybe the result will be only a strangelet that would turn the Earth into a shrunken dense dead lump of something else called ˜strange matter.'" (See Dennis Overbee, Asking a Judge to Save the World, and Maybe a Whole Lot More, New York Times, March 29, 2008.)

So these are the risks - a black hole, a strangelet or strange matter! None of these is good. Until more is known, I say, Don't turn that Frankenstein machine on, please. At least not until I've made my exit from this planet. I'd also be grateful if my kids and grandkids had some time, too. Well, now that I think about it, since they will have kids and grand kids, maybe extending the deadline for turning that accelerator on is not the solution. Just say no to linear accelerator experiments, please. At least let's insist upon an environmental impact report! However, I don't need Neil deGrasse Tyson to further explain to me the effects of a black hole on Earth, or the unpleasantries associated with strangelets and strange matter, either.

I've often wondered what it would feel like to be an ignorant fanatical nutcase, like the crazed Muslims who blow themselves up for virgins in Paradise or Christian lunatics closer to home who rant about gay marriage, stem cell experiments and so on.

This little exercise ranting on about something I barely understand has given me a deeper appreciation of how tempting it is to be full of passionate certitude about something half understood. Its kind of fun, it gives one meaning and it allows one to feel holier than thou. Of course, like black holes, it's really not good for you, so I don't want to make it a habit. In fact, I recommend avoiding such excesses, despite the short-term rewards. Instead, try to be sensible. And one more thing -- always take lunatic rants by others with a grain of salt. You never know when some nutcase might just be having you on.

Good News! Fewer Americans Are Believing Impossible Things Before Breakfast

There is no use trying, said Alice; one can't believe impossible things.

I dare say you haven't had much practice, said the Queen. When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day.  Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

Lewis Carroll, Alice In Wonderland

Americans have no trouble at all believing impossible things.  They elected George Bush twice, for God's sake, thinking he would do a better job than the sensible alternative available on both occasions.  Oh, I know there are doubts if he really won, but at least a sufficient number of Americans voted for him, twice, that he could secure the office of president by plausible hook and crook. 

Even more impossible than expecting good to come from a vote for George Bush to the highest, most important office in the land is the propensity of so many Americans to claim belief in impossible ideas as part of their religions. The things they believe, before and after breakfast, would dazzle an alien not gradually weaned on the preposterous, over decades of reinforcement from birth. Examples include belief that someone made the cosmos in less than a week (even if it took a century, it would have been an amazing feat), performed dazzling miracles that defy conventional wisdom about reality, rose from the dead and gives eternal life to those who follow certain rules, variously interpreted.  As Yul Brynner's exasperated character intoned in the musical, The King And I, is a wonderment."

Well, now comes a survey that raises the possibility that people believe fewer impossible things than previously thought. As a secular rationalist by any name (e.g., infidel), I assumed I was in a very small minority in of Americans who prefer science to superstition, reason to faith and independent thinking to going along with convention. But, new information suggests maybe not. Maybe there is less belief in impossible things, especially of a religious nature, than I imagined.

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life polled 35,000 people and discovered that "none of the above" was a preferred selection to all religious affiliations save one, that of Roman Catholics. "None" came to 16.1 percent of Americans (the Catholics came in a 23.9 percent). After Catholics and none of the above (my group), Evangelical Baptists were next most popular at 10.8 percent. All other denominational groups were in the single digits.

This is very good news for America, in my view. Believing impossible things is not only embarrassing - it's dangerous. Look what belief in George Bush did to America. Why is it not also dangerous to believe in angels, holy ghosts, miracles, imaginary friends, a paradise after death (with or without virgins) and all the rest of the religious fairy tales of impossible things? It could be worse than belief in George Bush, however difficult that might be to imagine.

There was other good news from a rationalist point of view in the findings of the latest Pew survey. A full 44 percent of people in this country have rejected the religion imposed upon them in childhood. Imagine that. Like myself, nearly half of all those surveyed managed to reject 800 weeks or so of incessant nonsensical propaganda in support of impossible things. While a good share of this 44% did not reject impossible things altogether, they at least switched teams - in order to start believing OTHER impossible things. There's hope for this group. 

Paul Kurtz, founder of the Council for Secular Humanism, looked at the data and put the latter finding in an optimistic light: This study shows that three people are dropping religion altogether for each one gaining a faith."

The Best Reason To Include Politics, Sex and Religion Into Everything You Do

Far too much attention is given to personalities in the current presidential races, in my view.  Naturally, personalities are of interest, as are many other factors (e.g., candidate positions on health care reform, social security, tax policy, immigration, culture war issues, foreign policy and a great deal more), but all added together are less consequential than the cost of the Bush Administration's obscene misadventure in Iraq.  The cost is unappreciated by almost all voters and would shock most people, if they thought more about it. 

How great is that cost?  It is hard to imagine, but please try:  Two to three trillion deflated US dollars, counting the expenditures to date and the spending that will be absolutely mandatory to pay for the consequences of five years of this ghastly war in the years to come.  For a review of these costs, see a column by Bob Hebert entitled, "The $2 Trillion Nightmare," NY Times, March 4, 2008 or a new book entitled The Three Trillion Dollar War by Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes.

Herbert compared these costs to a cancer on the economy.  He is mistaken.  Cancer would be a relief, compared to the actual diagnosis.  Yes, it's a fast-spreading cancer all right, but much worse.  To appreciate the real effect, add Alzheimer's to the cancer diagnosis, and then add diabetes, heart disease, influenza, malaria and AIDs. That's how bad it is.  It is so bad, there is no cure.  It's over for America.  We will in time become an impoverished society.  We're going down the tubes. It's already happening with the rapidly devalued dime-store dollar, the onset of the recession, rising unemployment, the crash of the housing sector and soon, the stock market, banks, no food in the stores and mobs in the street.  If you have the means and wits about you - save yourself!  Get out of town - and country.  Think New Zealand, Canada or sneak across the border - to Mexico.  Don't wait till it's too late.  The sky is falling.

Really, it's bad.  OK, maybe slightly less gruesome than I suggested but things are going that way fast.  Consider the highlights of what such staggering costs as 2 to 3 trillion mean, which I'll offer using examples cited in the Herbert article.  

* The war costs would have paid for setting Social Security and Medicare on a sustainable footing for the next half-century - or more.

* The war expenditures would have enrolled an additional 58,000 children in Head Start for a full year.

* The war spending would have subsidized college for 160,000 low-income students through Pell Grants.

* The war dollars would have paid the salaries of 11,000 additional border patrol agents or 14,000 more police officers, not that I'm suggesting this kind of spending would be a best use for such massive funds.

Think of the support that could have been made available for wellness enhancement initiatives for boosting quality of life with such sums, or a fraction of such spending.  It's almost beyond imagining.  Instead, taxpayers will struggle to pay for disability benefits for damaged veterans.  In the one-month Gulf war, 40 percent of 700,000 troop participants needed disability benefits. The current five-year war involving over 2 million troops (which could last another year or two - or 100 if McCain is elected!) might see 90% needing benefits. 

Well, think about all this and consider resolving to never again avoid the topics of politics, sex and religion during polite dinner conversations, or during church services, funerals, weddings, athletic contests, while making love or, basically, any time at all.  At least don't be shy about politics.  After all, it's your money, your future and your country. 

Maybe we can save it yet, but I'm starting to doubt it.  Can you tell? 

Oh well, be well.

A Wellness Perspective On Euthanasia

While he does not get style points nor come across as loveable or a fun kind of guy, I believe Jack Kevorkian is a great man who has done wonderful work.  Like Kevorkian, I think everyone should have the right to decide when life is no longer worth living.  I think a wellness philosophy based on quality of life includes the right to die with dignity.  We are each the best judge of when the quality of one's existence is no longer acceptable.

Recently, Jane E. Brody, New York Times personal health columnist asked, Why shouldn't an emotionally sound, thoughtful person be able to call it quits when life has dragged on too long when there is nothing to gain and much to lose from an ongoing existence? (New York Times, A Heartfelt Appeal for a Graceful Exit, February 5, 2008.)  Why not, indeed? Yes, there are ethical and other complex issues, but the heart of the matter is personal choice. Modern medicine can become your enemy - and will be your enemy if, due to lack of planning, it is employed to keep what's left of you alive (technically or legally) for years beyond a sensible point.  You or (if necessary) others who know your wishes in terms of a good death should be able to prevent such a true travesty of low level worseness for all concerned. Kevorkian suffered for his efforts to increase opportunities for all of us to choose how and when to die. There are religious fanatics who could complicate your choices in managing a sensible departure of your own choosing.  Take steps to reduce this possibility.

Personally, when I get old in fifty years or so or get some painful terminal condition and can't do things that make life worthwhile, like writing this blog for instance, I'm going to make my way to Oregon or the Netherlands (assisted suicide is permitted) or, if that's too much of a hassle, I'll stock up on Phenobarbital or something even quicker and more reliable.  But, such drastic steps should not be necessary for anyone. 

Express your wishes for death with dignity in unequivocal terms.  Consider as criteria relentless pain AND existential hopelessness based on reason, that is, a rational awareness that life has lost meaning and a reversal of fortunes is impossible.  Everyone should be entitled to a pain-free death that is as emotionally serene as can be arranged, depending upon one's own preferences.  Quoting Brody again, I for one have made my wishes clear to my family. When the tortures of a continued existence with no hope of recovery outweigh the benefits of maintaining that existence, I want out. And I hope that those who love me will find a way to make that happen.

Unlike Jane, I don't plan to wait until I reach the point of any tortures.  I wish to be out of here well before that stage gets even close.  If there is any weighing to be done, I plan to be the one doing it so those who love me won't have to find ways to make it happen.  But, if I screw up and wait too long, well, then help will be greatly appreciated, from anyone.