Why believing is good for you

 
In the coming eclipse, the gods will eat the sun

LAWMAKERS IN INDIA are set to make it illegal to believe in ridiculous things.

The “Eradication of Blind Faith Bill” is to be introduced in the next few weeks in Maharashtra, India, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar told reporters last week.

If the bill gets through, people will no longer be allowed to believe things that are obviously not true. I can think of loads of examples.

1) Real estate is a safe investment;

2) Donald Trump is the right person for the most powerful job in the world;

3) Governments can legislate against things such as blind faith; etc, etc.

But what if you make a casual prediction such as “James Durbin will win American Idol” or even “See you next week”? Are you breaking the new law? It’s not clear.
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Yet lawmakers say people CAN continue to follow traditional Indian beliefs (such as “eclipses are caused by gods eating the sun but the sun can be rescued by people bathing in a holy river”), as these are considered self-evident truths with a scientific basis. 

I like superstitions. During the recent cricket world cup, the Anglo-Indian News Service did a survey of odd things fans did to ensure a win.

Ankit Malhotra, 28, says his team always triumphs if he strips to his underpants during matches. No sure how this works. Maybe the rival team looks in his direction and says: “Eeeewwww” allowing his team to score.

Sharda Annamaraju said he cannot watch matches, since eye-contact from him causes his team to lose (this is a helpful superstition for people who want to save money).

Vipul Vivek said whichever team he supports loses. So this India fan supported Pakistan. People have died for less.
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[Illustration: lift buttons – see what’s missing?]
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Don’t dismiss these as ravings of the irrational. I know from long years of observation that ultra-rational scientific types are just as superstitious. During the 50th anniversary celebrations of the first man in space earlier this month, the science lobby revealed numerous superstitions.

Before take-off, American astronauts eat steak and eggs and sit in E-Z Boy chairs used by their Apollo predecessors. The commander plays poker with the others until he loses. Ground Control’s mission chief buys a new waistcoat.
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In Russia, astronauts have a haircut, watch a 1969 movie called White Sun of the Desert, listen to a rock song called The Green Grass of My Homeland and acknowledge the ghost of Yuri Gagarin.

They pee on the right front wheel of the bus that takes them to the rocket.

Women astronauts are excused this part, as it would require them to remove their entire space suits, causing the men to enjoy themselves too much, an un-Soviet characteristic.
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Scientists say believing in stuff you can’t see is vital to mental health. “To be totally unmagical is very unhealthy,” neuropsychologist Peter Brugger told Psychology Today.

So remember. A solar eclipse is coming up on June 1 this year. The gods will eat the sun. We’re supposed to jump into the nearest river to bring the sun back.

If you can’t find a friend with a swimming pool, just jump in the shower. I did that last time and managed to rescue the solar system. Phew!
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ON RELATED MATTERS….

Grandpa sent a link recently about “wingsuits” and “basejumping”. There are some amazing examples of this out there, and it neatly illustrates our theme today of believing…

 

Technorati Tags: belief,believing,blind faith,maharashtra,india,solar eclipse,astronauts,superstition,cosmonaut,pee,bus

Comments

[vincent]

interesting about scientific types being superstitious too

[Jason]

Eradicating blind faith? I wish, but unfortunately its not likely to happen. Besides, it gave us a recent 4 day weekend ;)

[Bianca Schlimm]

I wonder if people who jump so still care for plain regular falling in love...it looks very exciting though.

this is sharuk khan jumping from the only high hotel in Berlin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzZLF18fkjU

I want to see Soviet haircut!

[MyPicking]

Lovely site! I am loving it!! Will be back later to read some more. I am taking your feeds also

[TS]

I wouldn't call astronauts or cosmonauts for 'scientific' types. Of the twelve people who walked on the Moon, only one had a scientific education.

The Danish physicist Nils Bohr once had a visit from a fellow scientist. The visitor noticed that Nils had horseshoe hanging on the wall and asked him if he was superstitious and believed it would bring him luck.
Nils answered that he was not superstitious, but had heard it worked even if you don't believe in it.

[rafanjr]

...i have a pen that causes me to have low scores in quizzes when i was in high school... i still keep it until now, but its locked up in an old suitcase in case the badluck transfers to other objects i frequently use.... my wrist watch however has goodluck....keeps telling me its time to eat or to leave work....

[Lift Lurker]

If scientist can believe that butterfly flapping their wing in Beijing can cause hurricane in New York, why not believe that pissing on rear right wheel of bus will reduce chance of accident in space? Which one has more evidence?

--
The TS above feel different. Is it our TS or a different one? If a new TS, welcome to the gang! I like your story.

[TS]

Same TS as usual, how does it feel different?

It's not like I've changed aftershave or anything like that, although I had a bagel for breakfast rather than cereal.

[Bianca Schlimm]

I am very amused. Nury wrote about a girl that I really know on 28.10.2009. She is nice, but her career is really a blonde one: Nury thought she was the head of the currywurst museum, LOL, I believe she is rather the PR woman. She went to university with me and she used to make her money for the whole year by staging as a christmas angel for 2 or 3 days.
which is of course very efficient.

hey ranfan: my son is laughing his head off when I say "I'm a lil drunk" although he only understands 5 words English

[Lift Lurker]

Maybe the bagel. I not seen Niels Bohr spell as "Nils" Bohr.

Since NB is Danish and the genuine TS is Danish, it feel strange to get different spelling.

Its like someone say he is American and tell story about George W. Boosh.

[Raj]

To continue the discussion about love being the same as lust, i hacve to disagree,

1. Love is when you are at the night club and you desperately want her phone number. Lust is when you desperately want anyone’s phone number.

2. Love is when you would die for her. Lust is when you’d buy lunch for her, and only if the restaurant is affordable.

3. Love is when you’d cross the world for her. Lust is when you offer her a ride home and pretend to run out of petrol in a dark place.

[TS]

Both spellings are valid Options:

1)My family was very close to Nils Bohr and knew his preference for the spelling of his name.

2)I was writing comment in a toilet, marinating in the wonderful fumes there, and did not do a fact check.

3)Old rule of thumb failed me:
Born before 1950 = Nils
Born after 1950 = Niels

I guess he was ahead of his time...

[sej]

Raj,

I have to disagree.

1. If you "deperately want her phone number", it is because you lust after her, not love her. Your brain shuts out most other women when you seem to have a connection to one, and where attention to any other would ruin what chances you have. Further, how can you love someone when you've only just met them in a place of low-light, excessive noise, and copious quantities of alchohol?

2. "Love is when you would die for her"... sorry, Lust will do that as well. Lust will also make you buy her lunch or dinner, regardless of how expensive (been there done that).

3. "Love is when you'd cross the world for her"... sorry, again, lust will do that too (been there, done that). "Lust is when you ... run out of petrol in a dark place"... sorry, this is saddism - neither love nor lust.

[Bianca Schlimm]

I like what Raj wrote

although night club is not such a good place for luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrve as Nury spells it,
impressionist style

to die for her?
First you die for the kids.

or for any little lion that needs your help?
:-)

[Lift Lurker]

1)My family was very close to Nils Bohr

I feel honor to know someone who know someone who is very close to Niels. He is such a smart scientist to invent the atom.

2)I was writing comment in a toilet, marinating in the wonderful fumes there.

The feeling of honor is now gone.

---

But it bring me to an idea!

In Liftuania, some modern houses have a range hood over their stove, so that when the people who live there cook, it suck out all the smell from the house.

If toilet bowls can have such a range hood to suck out fumes while you are sitting inside, it will be great.

This will solve situation when you meet someone in the office and you just came from the toilet.

You still carry with you some of the smell of the fumes. Of course, you cannot smell it yourself because your nose has became used to it, but everyone around you know where you just came from but they are too polite to say anything. They just smile and hold the breath.

The range hood can be place down below near the exhaust (your body exhaust)

So before you sit, switch range hood to 'On' or 'High' or 'Black Hole' setting, depending on feeling and enjoy smelling fresh afterward.

You can say with confidence: "I just went out to have coffee." and no one can tell difference.

This also solve problem too quiet toilets!

Thank you Nils Bohr!

[Lift Lurker]

If you cross love and lust you get luvst (or lost?)

[Bianca Schlimm]

I should have cited Nury's very first chapter:

"Dying is very bad feng shui"

But it only got here just now.

LL. very funny. "feeling of honor is gone now."

Some boss told me at a job interview that he was using the ipad on the toilet.
Why on earth did he say that?

Did TS not write this before about that Nils guy or am I in a time lope/slope/zoom/rope, whatever?? loop!

[Bianca Schlimm]

Nury: what does "dang" mean?

My son told me an awful joke:
"Your mother gets banged as often as the door in the (un)employment agency."

is it the same?

[grandpa]

""Love is when you'd cross the world for her"

I know a guy who did out of simple curiosity

[grandpa]

Ll
do not underestimate the understanding from somebody you meet just when you come out of the toilet.

colleague:(in a silent voice)

Pouah!
poor chap!
his wife must have fed him..... beans.... again

[Nury]

Wow, I'm shocked at how cynical Sej is about the subject of love... we need to know more about your love life, Sej -- guess you had some bad experiences?!

I think there has to be a difference between love and lust, and both have to exist. Otherwise how would any woman love a balding ageing man, for example (not thinking of myself or anyone in particular, of course)!

Bianca: "Dang" has no meaning, but it is used as a negative exclamation when the person speaking is too polite to say the word "damn" which is a curse word in the eyes of old fashioned people.

Interesting that Lift Lurker has returned to the subject of toilets. Clearly small spaces with complex uses are of interest to him. LL, you just get a job as an interior designer for apartments in HK and Beijing and Shanghai.

TS, on the subject of scientists, etc, you know my theory. There's not much difference between intelligent scientific rationalists and intelligent people who believe there's more to life than what can be seen and measured.

I find members of the second group a little more open-minded.

The problem seems to be the media, which indicates exactly the opposite. The media presents every Muslim as an extremist, every Christian as a creationist, every Israeli as a Zionist etc.

I think we need to introduce Sej to Angela. Maybe he will fall in love for the first time.

[Angela]

But Sej already met Angela! :)

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LL, and I thought the toilet's exhaust fan is already doing that? suck out the fumes?

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I took some pics of open toilets in Japan but don't know where I had stored them. It's just urinals that are visible from the outside. Saw them in a park along a popular, touristy, seawall in Okinawa.

These toilet definitely don't need any form of exhaust and besides you can't deny you just came from the toilet. I SAW you!!! now go wash your hands!

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Japan also have some of the cleanest toilets I've seen. Apart from Europe. Some places in Spain dragged down the clean toilet index for the whole of Europe. Sorry. But German and French (bidets) toilet pulled the score up.

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Japanese toilets at the shopping mall I went to have cute sound systems like running brooks, chriping birds, and the sound of breeze, to mask whatever sound I make when I am using. Really Kawaii :)

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The top of the toilet's water tank is installed with a tap to wash your hands so when you wash your hands, the used soapy water flows down to the tank and is used for next flushing. Very economical. Plus one for Japanese Clean and Green Toilet Index.

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Yesterday I thought my European student how we say in Bahasa Indonesia the two types of toilet business. To throw "SMALL" water means to do number one and to throw "BIG" water means to do number two.

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[Nury]

Sej, i like Raj's list of differences between love and lust.

Decisions made about matters of lust have some sort of semi-rational calculations made about them. If I take her to such and such a restaurant, what are my chances of getting what I want?

But love is totally irrational. "I like this girl so I will spend the rest of my life with her and we'll be happy." It makes no logical sense. Yet it works most of the time. That's why it's so great.

[Lift Lurker]

LL, and I thought the toilet's exhaust fan is already doing that? suck out the fumes?

grandma, it suck air upward which mean the fumes pass arround you and 85% stick to you.

Also, it is very weak. It take 2 hours to remove the fumes. I just try tonight and I inhale more air in one big breath (and i am regret i try that experiment).

[Lift Lurker]

L*st is when man say: I want to have you, baby

Love is when man say: I want to have your baby.

[sej]

Uncle,

I too prefer Raj's version, but put simply, it is wrong.

Everything we do, we do for a reason, for some sort of gain. We might do something for our partner's gain, but only because we hope to later gain something for ourselves.

Now, I will be the first to admit, humans are not "rational" beings. But even so, our decisions are all based on what we envisage we will gain from those decisions. We are not altruistic.

We stick to our balding, aging husbands, and our wrinkling, saggy wives, because of what we get/gain from them. Ultimately, they gain something from us, we gain something from them. It is a win/win situation.

In some cases, those gains are material things, such as money, property, jewellery, cars, etc. In other cases, intangibles, such as confidence, company, support and sex. And in some other cases, because we think we simply cannot do better.

Now, don't get me wrong, just because "love" doesn't exist, doesn't mean that you wouldn't "miss" that other person should they disappear, for whatever reason. Nor do I suggest they are not valued for what they can bring to the relationship. Just that relationships do not, correctly, cannot, contain "love" as we would commonly seem to like it too.

What further tells me "love" is an illusion and nothing more, is it can be altered. Take the contraceptive pill for instance. Research has shown the men women are attracted can change dramatically when those women either start or stop taking the contraceptive pill.

A gene related to the immune system has been identified which may indicate whether the female owner of that gene is likely to cheat on her partner. (Whether this gene also affects men was unclear from the article, but even if that gene doesn't, I'm sure there would be another that does.)

So, it is clear to me, there is cause and effect in all of this. Nothing but reason and logic, even if we do not understand that reason and logic.

I was thinking of calling this the "Cindarella Delusion", but that name already seems to be taken.

[sej]

I think we need to introduce Sej to Angela. Maybe he will fall in love for the first time.

You might be right, I could be plesantly surprised, however I very much doubt it.

[sej]

But Sej already met Angela! :)

On this forum, yes, but in the flesh?? Perhaps I should reaquaint myself with Singapore?

Whilst I am cynical and doubting, I am not against the idea of trying to convert "lust" and "admiration" into "love".

[sej]

LL,

Also, it is very weak

You obviously haven't been in my bathroom. I swear, mine rips up a tornado. Mind you, it needs to, but that's not a story we really want to go into here, even with toilet humour front of stage.

[Karuna aka Kaye Moreno]

"Love is when man say: I want to have your baby."
Liftie, what happens when she tells the man that it is not his baby ? Will this "love" still be there ?

Agree with Sej that the traditional definitions of "love" are rooted in self-interest.

Nury your plan that Sej and Angela should meet, sounds like a good idea.

[grandpa]

"We stick to our balding, aging husbands, and our wrinkling, saggy wives, because of what we get/gain from them. "

Not true

we stick , because we are too scared to try something new/different/else.

Those of us who are "free spirited" end up single..
But,but WE DO appreciate life for every minute, second of happiness it can bring, even if it ( even if we do know) that it will not last

A 40 mn curry breakfast with grandma , on the other side of the planet, is it love or lust?
None of the above
it is the culminating pleasure of

1 getting away from an intense job.
2 a six month preparation for a ten-day travel ( saving money , choosing the airline, hotels, the route and the stopovers-)
3 a 144 hours travel in comfort
4 eating good food on board the ultimate form of transport
5 being served like a prince by beautiful staff
6 visiting four destinations with different cultures,food, weather, architecture,art
7 meeting the gang...again
8 finally meeting and spending some time with somebody who is unusual, attractive , intelligent and funny
Is it love? lust? interested?stupid?ridiculous?
is it a waste of time or money ?

None of those

It is called, the simple pleasure of being ALIVE:enjoying life (a long term travel, not a destination...every little drop of it....

Would i do it again

Definitely

"I think we need to introduce Sej to Angela. Maybe he will fall in love for the first time."

Now you leave grandma alone (oops) out of this (°_°)

Angela
Welcome back , there were too many guys commenting here, we needed some fresh air

[Yummy Mummy]

To Mr Sej. Anyone who says love doesn't exist has never had a child. We pamper our children because we love them, knowing full well that we will get nothing back from them, that the time will come when they will simply get up and go, without looking back.
Anyway, one good thing about this argument, it has forced a long-time lurker (that's me) to actually get involved, isntead of just reading and chuckling every day!!

[sej]

Grandpa,

Not true

we stick , because we are too scared to try something new/different/else.

You are right, change is scary.

In my view however, the lack of change, hence the lack of fear, is one of the intangibles we gain, not something separate or contradictory to what I have said.

[sej]

And Grandpa,

Now you leave grandma alone

Have you seen her pictures? Have you read her wit? How can you not "lust" after, or "admire" Grandma??

[sej]

Yummy Mummy,

Yes, I have to admit, I have focused my part of the conversation thus far on the "love" between significant partners.

However, I suspect at the end of the day to find a similar argument is true for parents and their children, albeit usually without the "lust" factor.

For some, Children is a "status" thing. They haven't succeeded in society until they've had a son, or a child who's become a doctor, or made a million dollars in their first year out of uni, etc.

For others, Children are in fact their means of support as they enter old age.

For others again, it's merely a means by which to propogate their genes.

And for others, children make them feel good.

At some point and level, there was a decision, conscious or not, "I am going to have a child, and this is what I'm going to gain from it", or "I have a child, and by pampering them, I feel good about myself".

Again, like a "significant partners" relationship, this does not mean we shouldn't have parent/child relationships, or that pampering your children shouldn't make you feel good, or that there is anything wrong with these types of relationships. Nothing of the sort. However, we should recognise we do this to suit ourselves. "Love" is just an illusion that makes us feel we do this for someone else, when in reallity we're doing it for ourselves.

[sej]

And Yummy Mummy,

Welcome!

[Lift Lurker]

eating good food on board the ultimate form of transport

I saw this! Two untruth in one sentence!
Why typepad did not filter this?

[grandpa]

"Why typepad did not filter this?"
BECAUSE we are not in Liftuania
We have freedom of speech AND freedom of flying

[Bianca]

LL: you are sweet or at least you write sweet:
"two untruth" in one sentence

I would love to go to Asia too but I am slow and would like to have a horse or a boat.
how manage?

A stressful job, that is much worse than a wrinkling wife. She'll still smell nice, be warm, be listening. so will the balding man.

[grandpa]

#
Bianca

Asia is only 12 hours flight away form Europe or USA.
If you get well organized , the cost is not so high as long as you do not travel by ..................... elevator..

Aviation.. We are here to serve you...

[Bianca]

Ding Dong: "Aviation – we're here to serve you"

Are you public relation man after having been teaching for ages? My dad was a sailor too but on big banana ship to Japan and Africa! Then he stayed home for little Bianca! I might have unknown siblings in Japan though: Beautiful women in seamen cabin!

[grandpa]

believing is one thing , waking up cools you down, as you can see here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc0aQX_dFA4&feature=topvideos_comedy

[grandpa]

Bianca

I was skipper on a ship the size of a banana

[Bianca]

Yeah, and my real name is Harry Belafonte!

Fooled you all!

[Bianca]

G: pleeese! Banana jokes. argh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpg-KIKD5gU

have you ever told what island you are on?

[grandpa]

@Bianca

Yes

[Bianca]

Banana island?

[Chamin]

Blind faith can never be made illegal in Sri Lanka. It will become illegal to vote in elections :-p

[Bianca]

island story from Stephan Zeisig
(cool French teacher and writer, "East german" = wants his women to utter pleasure in whole sentences, even in bed)

A guy gets shipwrecked on a lonely island.

Grandpa type, you know, always getting married, always thinking of women.

On this island there is a of herd sheep and a sheepdog.

After some time the man wants sex so badly, he wants some sheep. But the dog does not allow him to do it.

This goes on for years. He gives up hope eventually.

Some day he saves a young beautiful woman from the sea.

She is so grateful, she says she'll do for him whatever he wants.

He is getting extremely excited and says:

"Please keep that dog away from me for a while!!!"