runner11

A widening gap between rich and poor seems to be the downfall of many great civilizations. Over the past 50 years the gap between rich and poor in the US has widened astronomically. Poor and middle class salaries aren't keeping up with inflation, and the top 10% salaries are surpassing inflation. Essentially, there is not much of a middle class left in the US. Most people are either rich or poor. Its obvious why this would cause an empire to crumble. Its hard for people to be productive when they don't even have their basic needs met, let alone a proper education. I'm not an economist or sociologist so I have no idea exactly why this happens, but I know the root cause, like most problems, is greed.

I have tried several times to eat very simple foods, with limited spices and ingredients, and after only 1 to 2 weeks, it seems like my appetite goes way down and so does my energy. I have trouble sleeping, and I just always feel tired. I can force myself to eat more, but I'm not hungry, so I don't digest it well. I know in TCM that when you digest food, the spleen extracts the raw chi so your body can use it. Weak digestive fire means less food being eaten and less chi, resulting in much lower energy. This is my experience every time. I'm not saying being gluttonous is good or that we should go out of our way to prepare extravagant meals, but I've come to realize that enjoyment on some level of the food I eat is crucial to optimum health. I guess its important to find the middle ground and not go to either extreme. Who would have thought. What's your guys and gals take on this?

I don't have personal experience with this, but my understanding from a TCM point of view is that these "superfoods" are so nutritious that it can overload and weaken the spleen, similar to juicing. I think it may be good in moderation for someone who is already very healthy and strong. I know its not ginseng, but I it reminds me of the saying that taking ginseng while your sick has the effect of "locking in the dragon," which keeps you sick for longer. If anyone with more knowledge can chime in though, I'd be interested to hear their opinion or personal experience.

I eat meat, but if someone feels that being vegetarian is best I respect that. A lot of vegetarians that I talk to say they became vegetarian after watching some kind of video about factory farming. I think there's a backlash going on with some people. They witness or learn about the disgusting treatment of most farm animals in the US, and their reaction is to become vegetarian. I've worked on a small organic farm. We treated the chickens like pets. They ate non-gmo grains, vegetable scraps, and foraged all day for insects and flies. At the end of the day, they were still killed to provide nourishment for people. Some people are not OK with that, and I have a lot of respect for those people. But some people don't realize that you can buy meat in this country from farms that don't put the animals through hell. Sure its more expensive, but meat shouldn't be a large portion of one's diet anyway in my opinion.

Just watched this last night. I won't spoil the movie, but its definitely worth a watch. This is the type of film that you never really forget.

I have done a few water fasts, with the longest being 4 days. Initial things I noticed during the fast were a lack of physical energy, but an abundance of mental energy and clarity. I was hanging out with friends on the 4th day, who didn't know I was fasting, and I was telling jokes like it was my job. That's my always my personality, but I was extra funny. Like the movie limitless, but instead of being really smart I was really funny. I had people practically on the floor laughing for like an hour. This mental clarity and quick thinking is the most amazing thing I noticed from my fast. On the 4th day, my hunger mostly went away, but I stopped after the 4th day because I was starting to get dizzy. This could have been due to lack of water, but I wasn't thirsty so I didn't want to force myself to drink. I had a bad taste in my mouth throughout the fast. Upon breaking the fast my skin became amazingly clear and my appetite came back in full force. I was very hungry for about a week, I guess until my body got all the fat back that was there before. Despite the benefits, I haven't fasted again since then because I noticed muscle loss or weakening for me even after only 4 days. For a couple weeks after breaking the fast, I felt weaker, and playing sports my legs felt sore and tired. That's just me though, but it was still a good experience. It's just important to remember to break the fast very very slowly. I broke it with an orange, and even that was like a brick in my stomach for a few hours. Breaking it with a real meal is very dangerous.

I sometimes try to eat simply, with minimal spices and preparation. After a few weeks of that, I always feel like I'm missing something. I grew up cooking with my parents, and really enjoy making good food. I always end up going back to that. I have a grain mill and grind my own flour for bread and homemade pasta. I make my own butter and basic cheeses like ricotta, mozzarella, and farmers cheese with local fresh milk, and I also make my own sausage from local beef. I feel like eating local, seasonal foods helps to connect me to nature. A lunch of sourdough bread, homemade farmers cheese, and wild raspberries all have the terroir that is completely unique to the area that I live in. For example, if I have a glass of really good French wine that was fermented with wild yeast, I would love the taste, and it could be the best wine I've ever tasted, but I could never appreciate it on the same level as the people who live in the town where those grapes were grown. At the same time, they could never appreciate my hard cider made from local apples as much as someone who lives in my town. That's terroir. It probably sounds loony to some people, but that's why I try to eat locally and seasonally. It's more than just about animal welfare, nutrition, or the environment. I feel like it connects you to the place where you live on such an intimate level.

I try to eat locally and seasonally. I don't eat animal products (meat, dairy, honey) unless I physically buy it myself from the farm. I definitely can't feel the difference physically vs store bought, but that's more just to support family farms and animal welfare. One thing I try to keep in mind how food affects the spleen. In Chinese Medicine, from my understanding, the spleen turns the food you eat into chi. The spleen hates cold and dampness. I try to never eat or drink anything cold, and avoid processed foods, too much sugar, and anything greasy, as these all create dampness and weaken the spleen. Most people know that processed foods and greasy foods are unhealthy, but the avoidance of cold food and drinks was a strange concept to me when I first learned about it, but after trying it I noticed a higher metabolism and better digestion. At first its awkward to drink warm water or tea with a meal, but after you get used to it you will never go back to drinking cold drinks again, especially with food.

Martin Luther King is one of the few famous people I really look up to. We all know about his contribution to the civil rights movement, but he also talked about the evils of war and violence and hatred. His message was a message of peace, but he didn't come across as weak. People that knew him or met him have said that when he entered the room, you could literally feel the energy. He didn't even have to say anything, and he often didn't. But when he did speak, everyone listened. In my opinion he is one of the greatest speakers to ever be recorded, and an amazing person who knew right from wrong to the core of his soul.

I can't comment about the color visualizing, but I can give my experience from a similar injury. Three years ago, I tore my meniscus snowboarding. My knee was very swollen and was stuck in a partway bent position. The MRI showed a partial tear. I went to an orthopedic surgeon who said I would probably need surgery, and I was very upset. I knew the surgery removes some cartilage, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to run long distances after that. He said I could wait a month and if it doesn't heal I can get surgery. About 10 days later, with my knee still extremely swollen and stuck in a bent position, I decided to get acupuncture. The first thing she said was that my leg was bent due to tense tendons and muscles in my leg, and we needed to straighten my leg or it would never heal. She finally was able to straighten it after some massage, and then did acupuncture. I ended up limping out of her office without my crutches. I went back for I think only 3 more sessions because I had to go back to college, but it ended up healing completely. In between sessions I just focused intention on healing my knee, and tried to eat cleansing foods. I just ate fruit, white rice, and steamed vegetables. My advice would be to get acupuncture, especially if it is a recent injury. My understanding is that acupuncture works best when done as soon as possible. Hope this helps you some, and if its a partial tear I think its comforting to know that your body can heal itself if you let it.

I can't say whether the shooting did or did not happen the way it is being reported, mainly because not much is being reported. We don't know many details of the day, and the inconsistencies are too many to list. The link from the OP is just scratching the surface. I won't guess what really happened, because it would be just that; a guess. Jumping to wild conclusions is irrational, but at the same time, you have to be able to admit to yourself when something just isn't right. I couldn't even give my theory on what happened if I wanted to, because I don't have one. All I know is things aren't adding up.

New here. My name is Josh and I'm 24. I'm looking forward to learning about cultivation and if its possible through running. I ran in high school and college, and have always felt like it breaks down the ego. It always made me feel like I wasn't better than anyone, and nobody was better than me either if that makes sense. Just always had a gut feeling that distance running was right and looking forward to discussions about that and other people's opinions. As far as contributing to the community, I would consider myself pretty knowledgeable about traditional Chinese medicine, specifically food therapy. I have been reading books about it ever since I was in 8th grade, and it has allowed me to cure eczema which I have had since I was born, as well as asthma and some other things. I believe no other form of medicine has ever existed that we know of with as complete an understanding of the human body as TCM, and my belief in the wisdom of TCM has led me to want to learn about other aspects of traditional chinese culture, which is why I'm here.