Lynda,

A less intrusive and easier way to manage your own preferences is to bookmark the topic. There is a "button" at the top of the thread on the left side.

Ramon

I think the point is to bring the thread back up for the newer people here to see for the first time.
Love
Bette

_________________
All That Is
what is?
Consciousness.

If that's the case then way to go. It's a good thread and probably of interest to many people that wander onto the board. The stated intent didn't convey this. I make a lot of use of the bookmark function and wanted to pass it along as well.

Ramon

I find too much too interesting, I'd bookmark most threads. ;)
Love
Bette

_________________
All That Is
what is?
Consciousness.

my Dad was able to quit from a lifetime of smoking with very little effort when he was on a mild anti-depressant (for a separate reason).

one thing, I think you are going to have to cull the friends who are smokers from your life

Antony Robbins would tell you that you have to replace the comfort and pleasure that smoking gives you with a new pleasure

If you do not play a musical instrument, that would be one idea

what we turn to in our lowest moments determines our life path

that being said, taking it up a level, improving diet and quitting smoking is in the realm of ego and self interest (though still worth doing)- my Catholic friends just smoke and drink and eat red meat (except on Fridays) and don't worry too much about trying to squeeze more years out of life (as one perspective)

as far as consciousness and entropy, I would pay more attention to your relationships - family, friends, neighbours, collegues

_________________
Does this PMR make my butt look big?

Yeah, Wellbutrin will do it, but it can also give one pseudo Palsy (it did me). I did it with nicotine patches, buy the strongest and when you go down in strength just cut them, first in half, then quarters. Get the brand name clear ones, in my opinion they stick best.
Love
Bette

_________________
All That Is
what is?
Consciousness.

Bette's right. As selfish as it seemed, it was as much for noobs as for myself :) But thanks for the tip Ramon! You're always so helpful :)
I love this part: Thank you kroeran, that is excellent advice. I will not beat myself up if I cannot eliminate sugar from my diet or quit smoking.

.

Some people think that ignorance is bliss, but it is just ignorance.
Love
Bette

_________________
All That Is
what is?
Consciousness.

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Imagine if more and more people declined eating the shrimp, as well as other animal products offered. Eventually, less and less of those foods would be purchased. I believe declining the offered animal products, along with taking on the challenge of still being on good terms with the hosts, and the other guests, would allow for more spiritual growth, as well as offer similar opportunities for the hosts, and the other guests, to grow with you. Sure, it might make the situation more pleasant - for the humans - to "go with the flow" of societal norms, and thus eat the offered shrimp, but as Tom has said, IIRC, we're not here simply to "have fun" (though I certainly wish all sentience had more fun.)

No, it cannot be applied everywhere. If there is a causal relationship by you eating some meat to the further increase of profit or slaughtering of animals [btw; meat processed in vain -> loss of profit -> adjustment of quota -> perceptible impact], then it's not scavenging. You buying meat in a store is very much a causal relationship to this. While a single loss of buyer won't practically change much in isolation, it does change things as a small part of something cumulative. For illustration, let's say that if 100 people become vegetarian, one animal will be spared. If it was instead 99, the animal would not be spared. Now tell me, is it the vegetarian number 100 that spared that animal, or was it all of them?

Heh, that is one heck of rationalization. How observation and uncertainty relates to the rendering of this reality is completely irrelevant to this subject. If that attitude you describe would be used to make actual decisions, it would be twisting the facts and logic to satisfy ones ego. Self-delusion is no excuse.

It is never the case. The collective consciousness comes from individual consciousness, not the other way around. Believing so, would seem to be a denial of responsibility, as you give it to some abstract form in your mind.

This technology will hopefully soon be perfected, so people can eat meat without any suffering caused.

Having made contact with my old friends who were interested in channeled alien knowledge, and stuff, the aliens are already growing meat in test tubes. Seriously, when she told me that the other day on the phone I was like, whoa, that's what I have been saying we should do for awhile now. She said maybe I had heard them talking about it 23 years ago when we were hanging out, but I had not heard them talk about it back then that I know of, but just thought of it around a year ago when C. Ventor and Michu Kaku were talking about it. Trippy.
Love
Bette

_________________
All That Is
what is?
Consciousness.

Nice analysis, SS!

BTW, yes, the technology of growing meat in a vat is well underway , my understanding is that the biggest obstacle for the to-be industry is consumer perception.

I think if consumers got to see what the lives of factory farm animals are like, if they continued to eat meat at all, they would lurch for the stuff in the vat.

Assuming that stock markets continue to exist and operate freely, you youngsters out there might try to keep an eye out for start ups in this field and buy a few shares of stock while they are still cheap.

-Montana