Know Thyself

Today, I read something which has changed how I view myself.

That sounds awfully dramatic I know, but let me explain.

I regularly buy a concise, yet quality newspaper (the "i"). In it today was an article that suggested that "mindfulness" could be as effective in preventing relapses in depression as anti-depressant drugs. It explained the scientific studies which back this up, and also a little on mindfulness as a concept; it derives from certain philosophies of Buddhism and meditation practices.

Then came the all important sentence that made me stop and think about myself. These are the words of William Kuyken, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Oxford Univerisity, and I will reproduce them here in full so that none of their impact is lost.

"Recurrent depression is characterised by people who have very negative thoughts about themselves, other people and the world, and those negative thoughts can quickly go into a downward spiral of depressive relapse. As an example, a mother of a young toddler in one of my classes was pushing her toddler on a swing, she had the thought 'I don't deserve this happiness, this happiness is t going to last, I'm not a good mother. Mindfulness based cognitive therapy enables someone like her to see those as thoughts and not as facts- as phenomena that come into the mind and pass through the mind but aren't necessarily true about her or her relationship with her child. That can break up and prevent the downward spiral into depressive relapses" -- William Kuyken, i newspaper 21/04/15, article by Charlie Cooper)

If you have ever dealt with depression in your life, let that sink in. 

When I have felt low in the past, I have been largely unable to get past the thoughts and feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness. However, I have been reminded the way I feel is not my fault; it's an imbalance within me. If you know your own mind, and are mindful of the thought processes you go through when you are feeling this way, you can remind yourself that's all that they are- thoughts- not facts. How you feel about yourself is not the true picture of yourself- it is but one perspective. As Oz told the Tin Man: 

"A heart is not measured by how much you love; but how much you are loved by others"

This seems like an amazing tool to break the cycle of depression; I can see myself muttering "thoughts-- not facts" under my breath for the foreseeable future

 I plan to further explore the concept of mindfulness. It's probably the closest thing to a spiritual experience I'm likely to have in life- and it's all rooted in logic and rational thought. 

Body Beautiful?

I wish people would stop saying things like "every body is beautiful" or insisting that everyone recognise that someone is- whether they agree or not. Beauty, like art, is completely subjective and individual to the observer. If you proclaim something or someone objectively beautiful- sorry- but you're wrong; or at least, to someone, you'll be wrong. You are only beautiful if at least one other person thinks you are.

I read this morning an article entitled "Fat Femme Artist Picks Apart Your Preconceived Notions of Beauty"

Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/13/kelli-jean-drinkwater_n_6456750.html

It did not. My perception of beauty, and what I find attractive and aesthetically pleasing in women has not changed one iota. I did not see beauty in any of the photos shot. The lighting was interesting and dramatic; there, I was positive about something. To be brutally and wholly honest, I didn't actually view every single photo; I got about half way down the page and closed it again. I'm not the most svelte of men (the diet is going well by the way!), but I have no desire to look at rolls of hanging fat, "spare tyres" and cellulite under any kind of studio lighting. 

This movement to glorify obesity, despite its numerous and well-understood underlying health issues, never ceases to baffle me. As I've stated before, sometimes, inborn or developed illnesses, as well as some medicines, can lead to uncontrollable weight gain. Having said that, for those who can help it, not exercising and piling it on because you eat fast food every week is nothing to be proud of. It's certainly not something other people should celebrate. Look after your body! It's the only one you've got! 

That is not to say that some people might find something artistic or beautiful within this photoshoot; but to state categorically that a few photographs of heavily overweight women will change my personal perception of what is beautiful, is profoundly false.

Which brings me back to beauty as an idea.  Not everyone is beautiful (not even "in their own way" that's just another lie Hollywood tells you), but what we should be recognising is- that's okay. Physical beauty isn't everything. There are more important things to value in a human being than how they look. Intelligence. Rationality. Creativity. Eloquence. Talent. People are so distracted these days by flawlessly airbrushed celebrities and models in media, that they forget what else can be attractive in others. Furthermore, this really distorts what beauty can mean to some of us- because there is so much falseness and lies in what we are told is "beautiful"

Also doing the rounds on social media frequently are (for example) images of young girls with Progeria; a disorder which causes rapid premature ageing of the body, or icthyosis; a disorder which causes skin to become very dry, cracked and painful all over the body. Tagged underneath it is usually the caption "Like if you think she is beautiful" or "How many likes for this beautiful girl??" I'm afraid this sort of thing turns my stomach; for a very different reason than the photoshoot. Here is a young person, facing near insurmountable odds and challenges every single day of their lives, and the one positive thing you can think to say about them, is falsely declaring physical beauty? Wow. 

If you're one of these people, take a good hard look at yourself; and I don't just mean in a mirror. Realise that there's more to a human being than a pretty face, that beauty is only skin deep- and however you currently look, you're only one horrific freak accident away from knowing exactly what that means.

How do we solve a problem like Gaza?

There always seems to be conflict of some kind in the Middle East. In my 25 years on this earth I cannot actually remember a time of peace there according to western media.

For centuries, tribes, and later countries, have been killing each other. Perhaps most notable is the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, which has taken another particularly ugly turn recently. 

The sides are massively mismatched, and it shows. Over 1000 Palestinians now lie dead, as I understand it 200-300 of them are children. Meanwhile, there have been only 46 Israeli deaths (at time of writing). This is in part due to the indiscriminate bombardment by Israel, and the fact that Hamas continue to operate in built up areas, including schools and hospitals. Also a massive factor is the Israeli missile defence system, "Iron Dome"- generously set up by the United States- which blocks almost all of the incoming rockets from Hamas. 

What many people want to know though,in discussion and debate- is what side you're on. I want to give my answer here and at length; partially to limit the amount of times I have to repeat myself.

Neither.

Let's remember for a moment what this is all about. Two groups of people, with different religions (one spawned from the other I might add) have laid claim to sites they both proclaim to be "sacred" and have been fighting over them ever since. In the years that have followed, there have been numerous political and social elements compounding the issue further- but religion lies at it's black heart. Two sides fighting over who's imaginary friend exists. It's ludicrous. 

I abhor violence on any level. Anyone who knows me knows I am far more likely to seek to talk on an issue rather than blow up and wallop someone; and I feel the same about the wider world. With that in mind, there needs to be a mutually agreed ceasefire, and Israel has to stop occupying more and more Palestinian areas and forcing people out. 

It would be great if the UN could just sit down with the leaders of the two countries, draw a line on a map, set up stringent border controls and say "there, now stop it. You live there, and you live there". Basically, how you deal with a pair of troublesome children. But it won't happen, because the UN are largely toothless. Often in the media, you hear about "sanctions" being levied on nations that commit atrocities, violate human rights or commit war crimes- but on the face of it- do they really have any impact? Sanctions were levied on Libya if I remember correctly- and Gaddafi went right on slaughtering anyone who dissented his government. It was only when allied forces banded together to arm the resistance and bomb the living shit out of Libya that things changed.

I'm not suggesting we turn the area into a crater and say no-one is having it (another child strategy; taking the toys away), but we do need to make good on being the progressive human rights leaders the western world countries think they are. We need to reform the UN so it actually has some bite to hold countries like Israel, Syria; and indeed larger powers like the USA and Russia; accountable for their actions on the world stage.

But I'm getting off topic. Absolutely, I find what's going on atrocious, and something does need to be done, both about a ceasefire, and holding Israel accountable for what is looking more and more like attempted genocide with each day. Having said that- offering my full support to Palestine doesn't seem right either. Socially and politically I'm right there, but as an atheist, giving my support to either side of a religious conflict doesn't sit right with me. I firmly believe that if you took religion out of the equation, it could be resolved in a matter of years. However, it's there, and despite the fact that these two peoples have the same skin colour, are breathing the same air and have the same blood flowing in their veins- they may as well be different species.

*as of this morning the UN made a presidential statement to call for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire. This however is not a UN resolution and seems to be effectively just saying "err, you guys should um, stop blowing each other up or whatever"