all of this new age crap.

so last night i went to this studio to hear these bands play, drink free vodka, and, apparently, have conversations with new age dorks.

in the middle of this perfectly rational conversation, some guy started saying that he didn't believe in cancer.

his reasoning was that since some ppl smoke all their lives and don't get cancer while other ppl hardly smoke at all and get cancer. after i argued the difference btwn causation and correlation, he said cancer is a hoax, a state of mind that can be avoided with "happy thoughts" and meditative living; he said that if you don't believe in cancer then you can never get it, thus it doesn't exist.

what the

i mean this is ridiculous. adapting an idea just because it sounds cool and is "shocking" is the most horrible thing i have ever heard, excluding only totino's party pizza.

did all the new age congregate to austin or are they elsewhere

is it a waste of energy to argue with them or my responsibility to make them see the light of rationality

[nycwriters]

The mind is said to be more powerful than any drug or medical care out there.

That being said, this guy is nuts. You meet some interesting people Fodder.

[sparticle]

Originally posted by fodder
adapting an idea just because it sounds cool and is "shocking" is the most horrible thing i have ever heard, excluding only totino's party pizza.

LOL!

I think a lot of times people subscribe to stuff out of desperation, such as the terminal cancer patient who gets "special", nonstandard treatments that relieve him/her of nothing but his/her bank balance. Other times it would appear to be intellectual laziness or a need to be led.

I mean, the Heaven's Gate cult wasn't a bunch of stupid people, but they sure didn't seem long on critical thinking.

[daverbee]

All the New Agers didn't congregate on Austin, you just have more than your fair share...

Originally posted by sparticle
LOL!

I think a lot of times people subscribe to stuff out of desperation, such as the terminal cancer patient who gets "special", nonstandard treatments that relieve him/her of nothing but his/her bank balance. Other times it would appear to be intellectual laziness or a need to be led.

yeah, it's really difficult to explain this to new agers without them getting offended and tuning out everything you say

[daverbee]

I have practiced meditation since 1972 and one of the biggest lessons my Teacher gave me was that meditation won't change anything in this world. All it will do is give you peace of mind.
Anyone who thinks otherwise is just deluding themselves.
It'd be terribly ironic if your New Age dork comes down with lung cancer in a year, wouldn't it?

[Coffee]

Perhaps your new age dork HAS cancer and is in denial.

[sparticle]

Originally posted by fodder
yeah, it's really difficult to explain this to new agers without them getting offended and tuning out everything you say

I have found it is better, in the case of others' beliefs, to leave them strictly alone. No one who honestly believes a spiritual tenet will be dissuaded by all the arguments in the world.

It is difficult to discuss conflicting beliefs and remain objective even among the dearest of friends. With total strangers, it is all but impossible. Because, while you have control of your reaction, you have no control of theirs, and no way of gauging it beforehand, and many people are deeply offended by having their beliefs challenged. People can become annoyed, hurt and even hostile.

It is a different matter if someone approaches you and expresses a desire to discuss the differences in your beliefs and theirs. But even then, I tend to leave it alone. Most times when this happens, I have found it is not an attempt at comparison but at conversion. Then I'm the one getting annoyed, etc.

Speaking only for myself, it just isn't important to me to convince others to see things my way, at least not in spiritual matters. In fact, I feel it insults other people to postulate that my way is better than theirs. It makes more enemies than friends. I really don't care whether I make either, but there's no sense creating ill will when it's unnecessary.

To make a long and boring story short, my advice is to avoid religious/spiritual arguments. Unless you enjoy them and are prepared to deal with the objections, emotional or otherwise, of the people involved.

[daverbee]

Amen, sister Sparti.
Can I get a, "Hallelujah?"

[sparticle]

Tell it, Brother Dave!