Easy to Believe.

Ever find yourself accidentally cutting people off when you have something you really want to say? Because you really want the other to finish speaking, you'll easily believe that he is actually done speaking when he makes a small pause. However, the duration of a pause that will convince you that he is done will be much smaller than when you aren't so eager to speak.

In general, the more you want something to be true, the easier it is for you to believe that it is.

That may also be why there are so many gamblers, smokers, and religions. That's also may be why crystal ball readers give positive readings more often than not.

Non-Conventional Medicine & Science.

One of the problems with scientific medicine is that it becomes difficult to develop when the principles don't apply objectively.

For example, principles of proper diet tend to be subjective. Some people are allergic or sensitive to some things, while others are not. Hence, conventional medicine has little to say about diet besides problems that are almost objective such as weight gain, and toxic substances.

Because of that difficulty, scientific support for genuine medicinal facts in subjective areas can be retarded. This problem is aggravated, because FDA approval is dependent on scientific data.

Hence, it may be that alternative medicine fields have knowledge that the general medical community lacks.

In other words, not everything true can be proven.

The Wise and The Foolish

The foolish cannot understand the wise, and the wise cannot understand the foolish.

Getting Out.

I have a feeling that the best way to use blogs to spread ideas, is via posting comments on popular blogs.

Civil War & Israel.

Upon consideration, it seems to me that the Civil War might have been a mistake.

Essentially, there were 3 possible ways the struggle over slavery could have been resolved:
1. One side forcing the other to comply.
2. Splitting the union in two.
3. Letting the south decide for itself whether it should legalize slavery or not.

Was option number 1 the best one to pick? Options 2 or3 would have saved the 100,000 or so soldiers who died in the war. Furthermore, I have a feeling that international political developments and trends would have effectively forced the South to end slavery eventually.

Why is it so obvious to Americans that the best way to handle the slavery crisis was with option 1?

Taking analogy to the present political situation in Israel, we are presented with the same 3 options. It seems obvious to the global audience, and the Israeli government, that the proper way to handle the crisis is via option 2. Option 1 is ruled out due to the negative effects of war.

What's wrong with option 3?
Neither Israeli's or Palestinians like #3 because both prefer segregation over coexistence. Option 2 is impractical because the geographic areas involved aren't big enough, or naturally distinguished.

I think that highlights the main difference between the Civil War and the Israeli crisis:
Israelis don't like Arabs, and Arabs don't like Israelis. On the other hand, Northerners didn't have a problem with Southerners, it was just a relatively superficial policy they didn't like.

While I'm on the topic, I'd like to point out that the Civil War really highlights the fact that much of what the US has come to stand for didn't really exist until recently. The constitution should have implied a ban on slavery, but didn't. In fact, the ideals of equality for all weren't really implemented until the '60s. It took America 200 years to figure out what it stood for. (?)

That said, it seems to me that the discovery of the American style government, with a constitution, checks & balances, and democratic representation was stumbled upon not because of the great moral vision of the founders, but only because the practical situation necessitated it. The situation of 13 weak colonies desiring independence obviated the need for such a system. Without that system, the colonies wouldn't have been able to band together despite cultural, religious, political and geographic differences like they did.

Going back to Israel, we can arrive on a couple of points:
1. It can take a long time for a country find itself.
2. Twisted morals and gross errors can thrive for long times too.
3. I'll leave this one for the next blog.