I increasingly do as you describe, and at the same time I think about my cheese sandwich, my pot of tea, my wonderful home, my fabulous shelves of books, etc.

Big pictures and small pictures at the same time, with a modicum of lateral thinking thrown in, will learn to harmonise after almost a lifetime!

Why is it that the mind prefers to slumber far from the place right where is needed, it seems to me that life is what happens while you worry about the future. — Ariel D'Leon

Worry is a uniquely human cognitive featire, and it is a survival skill, as much as it causes damage to the coronary arteries.

Without worrying you'd not prepare for expected future disasters. We could all die in one winter far northo on the northern hemisphere if we ate all our food in the growing season and immediately after. II mean, no worries, don't work extra to make extra food for the winter.

Worry is a VERY strong survival mechanism and motivating factor.

Ultimately, it is worry that placed the northern hemisphere societies that elevated them politically and in war industry that helped them to create industrial societies, which subjugated the rest of the world. It was all due to worry, because other features of humans living elsewhere were and are comparably equal to norhtern hemisphere denizens.

Ultimately, it is worry that placed the northern hemisphere societies that elevated them politically and in war industry that helped them to create industrial societies, which subjugated the rest of the world. It was all due to worry, because other features of humans living elsewhere were and are comparably equal to norhtern hemisphere denizens. — god must be atheist

Ah, yes. That's why we northern Europeans are the Master Race.

So how about finding the perfect balance between planning and living, how to find the right path, without letting your mind run amok? — Ariel D'Leon

This is at the heart of many eastern philosophies and practices such as meditation. And, yes, of course, I am guilty of living somewhere other than here.

Ah, yes. That's why we northern Europeans are the Master Race. — T Clark

I actually did not say that, and I deny the truth of your statement.

I actually did not say that, and I deny the truth of your statement. — god must be atheist

No. You just spouted some jingoist pseudo-anthropology that said the same thing.

I just read in a book called "The Art of Loving" by Erich Fromm that we busy our minds with things other than the present moment because of our need to combat separateness and how our lack of real love leads us to be non-productive beings, in turn causing us to busy our minds with pointless things because we are afraid of being alone.

So how about finding the perfect balance between planning and living, how to find the right path, without letting your mind run amok? — Ariel D'Leon

I think planning and living aren't separate things. As it appears to me all plans are about how people want to live.

No. You just spouted some jingoist pseudo-anthropology that said the same thing. — T Clark

Absolutely not, and I can prove it. The JIngoist Anthropologists said that the white race is more skilled, more intelligent. I deny that. I believe, and it can be proven statistically, that all races have the same ability to learn skills, and to be intelligent. THIS is a huge difference between me and the proverbial jingoist anthropologist.

There is, however, that problem that the northern hemisphere inhabitants faced: how to survive the winter, how to do this, how to do that, which the southerner races did not have to face. This NEED let the northern races develop technology, and which eventually lead to the industrial revolution.

If you switched the races ten thousand years ago, and put the Africans into Europe, and the Europeans into Africa's lands, then the history would have repeated itself, with the only exception that it would have been the African Black race, living in Europe, who would colonize the world.

This, what I described, is a huge difference between me and a jingoist supremacist asshole anthropologist, and it was reflected in my earlier comment, which you very conveniently did not read through.

I think everyone should read postings through thoroughly before leaving their critical messages.

Ah, yes. That's why we northern Europeans are the Master Race. — T Clark

Ditto. You are biassed against a posting because you were too tired, too bored, too lazy, or too impatient to read it through.

Please next time don't do this.

I think everyone should read postings through thoroughly before leaving their critical messages. — god must be atheist

I went back and checked and I did read the post thoroughly the first time, so you can't blame my response on that. Given your response to that, I apologize for attributing racial or ethnic attitudes to the posts you made. In my defense, that type of argument is often used as evidence of racial superiority. It was wrong of me to make those assumptions about you.

That leaves the question of whether worrying is what lead to the technological and military superiority of northern peoples. I'll stand by my statement that it is not sound anthropology. Nuff said. I've gone off-OP and we should save this for some other time.

I actually have the opposite problem. I don't worry near as much as I should about the future.

Ditto. You are biassed against a posting because you were too tired, too bored, too lazy, or too impatient to read it through.

Please next time don't do this. — god must be atheist

Wow. Dually noted. :brow:

If you switched the races ten thousand years ago, and put the Africans into Europe, and the Europeans into Africa's lands, then the history would have repeated itself, with the only exception that it would have been the African Black race, living in Europe, who would colonize the world. — god must be atheist

Of course, we know that Africans WERE in Europe, and everywhere else, since we all came out of Africa. So, Africans did colonize the world.

So, why did that particular batch of Africans living north of the Mediterranean have such a big effect on the whole world? Will the Geographical Determinists please take their seats on the podium, now, and we will explain it all.

Caucasian Africans were in Europe long before they started conquering the world. Our various Homo sapiens forefathers and foremothers had been wandering around for roughly 300,000 years of hunter-gatherer existence. Around 12-15 thousand years ago, in the lands east of the Mediterranean, we Caucasians) stumbled on grain growing agriculture. Agriculture required staying put. More calories, more people.

So, why didn't the sub-saharan Africans take up grain-growing agriculture? Because their geography wasn't suited for the transfer of grain-growing practices. Grain growing spread east, west, and northwest because those directions provided suitable weather and geography. agriculture spread into Europe, along with cows, and horses. Bovine and Equine animals provided food, transportation, and traction power. Why didn't Africans use cows and horses? Because they weren't in sub-saharan Africa.

With traction power, fodder, grain, milk, and so on, Europeans were able to build up greater technology. Asian Africans located along the same latitudes followed suit: grains, traction animals, milk, and so forth. They too developed more technology. North and south of these latitudes grain didn't do well. Amerindians developed their own grains (maize), and other crops which became distributed in the hemisphere. Amerindians also didn't have traction animals, so never developed the wheel. Definitely a technology limitation.

Europe happened to have accessible minerals which the had the wherewithal to work with. Metallurgy advanced.

After the Roman Empire deteriorated, and Europe had split up into many localities, sea-going technology was advanced, and the Europeans were off to the races. China did too -- before Europe, actually. But they didn't pursue their opportunities.

Europeans had two big advantages: Technology (metallurgy, sailing ships, guns, armor, gunpowder which they got from the Chinese; and germs. All humans are equally germy, but because of their history with animals, Europeans had developed partial immunity to several bad animal-origin diseases like small pox and measles.

Guns, Germs, and Steel were our big advantage. (we didn't know about germs when we were doing our conquistador shtick, but germs were definitely helpful.

Europeans had their own problems with germs -- the Black Plague killed off a third of the population.

Understanding that success and failure is not entirely up to individuals, helps one stay in the present. Worry yes -- but remember a lot of it is out of your control, so relax.

Big pictures and small pictures at the same time, with a modicum of lateral thinking thrown in, will learn to harmonise after almost a lifetime! — Fine Doubter

Interesting, i'm also very attentive to lateral thinking do you have any thoughts on how to develop it?

Ultimately, it is worry that placed the northern hemisphere societies that elevated them politically and in war industry that helped them to create industrial societies, which subjugated the rest of the world. It was all due to worry, because other features of humans living elsewhere were and are comparably equal to norhtern hemisphere denizens. — god must be atheist

I had never taken that approach towards, explaining the gap between northern and southern societies, always had though it was due the longer time their ancestry had to develop, guess it makes a lot more sense now thanks.

I think planning and living aren't separate things. As it appears to me all plans are about how people want to live. — TheMadFool

Yes, agreed, it might be better to say, planning and acting upon those plans what do you think?

I actually have the opposite problem. I don't worry near as much as I should about the future. — Terrapin Station

Terrapin, would you say this alleviate or bring more problems into your life?, do you think being less worried about what might come, help you be more attentive with what you can do now?

Understanding that success and failure is not entirely up to individuals, helps one stay in the present. Worry yes -- but remember a lot of it is out of your control, so relax. — Bitter Crank

That exactly , i have been a incredibly worried person, but i fear is better to give your best shot and stop trying to keep control of everything, since that can't be done and that way free some energy to be attentive and focused on what is going on around.

Ariel, the older you get, the more chances you will have to try it out!

Be open to serendipity in thoughts occurring.

Don't replace analogies or metaphors with allegories!