Introduction
Posted on May 10, 2008 in Diabetes erectile dysfunction
AGING IN THE INDIAN TRADITION, or Notes from Shrinivas Tilak's RELIGION AND AGING IN THE INDIAN TRADITION, Albany: University of New York Press, 1989. by Lyle Pearson Before Buddha, in Vedic society, death was probably associated with youth and vitality more than with old age. Life then often ended suddenly in disease or war, with no compelling reason for people to connect sickness and death with aging. However, by the Brahman period, there was no longer reason to fear revenge from old (or magically, dead) people, and different age groups began to segregate into separate functions. Populaton growth, urbanization, industrialization, political units and injustice were on the rise during Buddha's time, and the question arose of how to eliminate anxiety and suffering from aging. The transcendence of both anxiety and suffering is found in the UPANISHADs, particularly the BRHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD. Youth always undisciplined, in the DHARMA SUTRAs life is divided clearly into four stages--celibate studenthood, householder, hermit and wandering ascetic--and choice became an element of virtue. During Ashoka's reign (c. 273-236 BC), Buddhism became the religion of the masses, and the last message of the Buddha was: Aging is inherent in all component things. Work out your own salvation with diligence. Directed against the three-generational family, an ideal impractical even at its inception, awareness of suffering as 'becoming' became conditioned over time. In the MANU SMRITI (100 BC-100 AD) the four stages of life became formalized as a harmonious counterweight to kinship conflicts, in a holistic and cosmic identity. Growth and aging now coexist from conception to death. Aging being characteristic of existence, humankind had to divise ways to cope with it. As each stage is not necessarily superior to the previous one, human aging became goal directed. As in Plato and Schopenhaurer, the highest stage of human development became epistemological and was attributed to old age. Ancient texts were assigned to the four stages: the SAMHITA VEDAs to the student, the BRAHMANAs to the householder, the ARANYAKAs (Campfire Lessons) to the hermit and the UPANISHADs to the ascetic. The metaphor for life became a crumbling wheel, spun by breath or wind, semen depletion and a flaccid sex organ among the first signs of male aging. Time became not just inescapable, but ontological. Change--birth, growth, aging and death--also became both. Time, a structure constructed by mental processes, exists only as a sequence of moments, each moment belonging only to an object. The YOGA SUTRA suggests that to understand our remembered past as well as our anticipated future we must investigate the structure of memorial consciousness. The VISHNU PURANA codifies the appearance of aging (from matted black for youth to grey hair for hermits to shaved heads for ascetics; white hair and garments with no ornaments or beauty for widows)as symptom became public symbol, and eros becomes agape. Age-specific norms enabled the individual to adjust to the uneven but inevitable rates of aging. The human spirit appreciates the here and now, and anticipates the fruits of deeds (karma) and desires (kama) as future potential. Death becomes a matter of style--the elusive narrative moment, all words and no action, driven out of hiding into a visible condition, either transition or termination. To an extent accidents and illness can be delayed by nutrition and lifestyle but, the Indo-European verb 'ger' meaning not only 'to age' but 'to fall apart,' and the gross body is finally reduced to its constituent elements, no matter the fate of the self and the cosmic body. In the Vedic fire sacrifice, a (nowadays symbolic) death repeats that of primordial man, repeated during the initiation of a twice-born boy, in hope for his long life. Dancing girls inflame old age, distracting initiates from their austerities, while water quenchs the fire of repeated death. Knowledge provides a compensating antidote to the certainty of death. Over-population necessitates death while devotion forestalls it. Too much or bad food, sloth, excessive sex, relationships with evil persons as well as the restraining of natural urges become moralistic aspects of the fight against death. Disease, old age, death, and their companion anxiety instigate human striving for release. Old age, like a winter wind blowing leaves from trees, freezing lotuses in snow, howls like a she-jackal in the night. Release (nirvana) relieves the process. Like a raging wind or river, life itself breaks up our lives and flows on. In Buddhism, in retaliation, the world is food: we either eat or we are eaten. Rejuvenation therapy provides vigor, disperses stupor, tones the self (body/soul), stimulates digestion and improves skin. It can be practiced in an expensive spa, or for free outdoors. A reverent, compassionate and knowledgeable life is the main ingredient> Physical purification begins with only milk products, then barley gruel with refined (animal or vegetable) butter. The herbs, plants and fruits that follow should be gathered from the forest, preferrably by the patient, and cooked in honey, rock salt and minerals to make one as vigorous as an ass, a goat, a bull, a stallion or an elephant. Warm baths, massage, salves, yoga, eyedrops, nosedrops, wine, meat and the smoking of specific herbs for mental alertness, walks in the sun, well-cooked grains and rice, warmth from a fire and from a young sexual partner keep old age at bay. Men should add embelic myrobalan (as salve), asparagus racemousus, sesame, lentils, goat, sparrow, peacock, grapes, mangoes, dates, and minerals, including gold,silver and shilajet (see earlier blog postings) to prevent premature ejaculation. Geriatrics developed as a true science only in the 20th century. Ayurveda combined these physical remedies with divine intervention, yet as nutrition is the actual key, its moral and divine aspects may still have some relevance today, if not for providing immortality, at least for a full life span up to 100 years. Human suffering is endowed with metaphysical experience. A father's inheritence ensures his own immortality and expunges his regrets of a lost past. It has always been this way. Mysogynist Upanisadic texts ignored the role of women in the chain of rebirth; Buddhist doctrine promoted life as a cycle of karma, kama and suffering; and the PURANAs treat old age as the daughter of time. Each life will lose stamina within each stage of life. Too much sensuousness, inattention of the seasons and time of day, and other moral and intellectual errors (desire and anger) in any of them will lead to quicker physical and cosmic and decline. Karma is of two kinds, conscious and unconscious. Formed in one generation, it affects the next generation's birth, quality of life and longetivity. Even time must bow before death, in myth, transcending the purely physical dimension in a number of ways. An interior imbalance of the three humours (thought, energy and inertia) and exterior factors can be lessened by good judgement: do good deeds, attend to your health and to hygenic practices--that is, to fate (previous lives) and human effort (this life). India's heritage could contribute to a new, nuanced Indian gerontology. Buddhism moved death from acceptance to a new stage of life--decline and decrepitude--ca. 500 BCE, striving for a spiritual liberation. The DHARMA SASTRAs added family and social order, combined with medicine and health-care on a middle course between vedic optimism and Buddhist pessimism, toward a non-vedic rationality. Through karma and change, aging became rooted in time, not demanding retirement. Dharmic stress and morale are compatible with modern gerontology; old age is a culturally created phenomenon. * * * * * I'm a 68-year old student/householder/hermit/ascetic. Are you ready for some TANTRA? From here on, this blog is for Adults Only. cialis cheap viagra viagra Generic Viagra
Normality lite
Posted on April 30, 2008 in Ed pump
Update- My Father in law has had an angiogram and a "stent" fitted. This is a small tube to keep an artery open so hopefully he doesn't have another coronary. He is in fine form and is looking forward to getting home. Lookin' good so far. I am back to work today. Straight back into a pile of admin work to boot, the other fun stuff will have to wait. I had a dose of normality last Friday when I attended a colleagues retirement party. Much fun was had by all. I was under orders from the inlaws and Mrs M to go and enjoy myself. It was my first serious night out on the beer since last year. (Scary when its put like that, isn't it?). Very drunk I was. Had my camera with me and took many photos. Won't be posting any as they identify the miscreants involved very very well. Truth be told I am wary of posting photos of people without them agreeing to it in writing. A hangup that may or may not be a good thing. Jury still out on that one. A good test of the 12-24 mm lens. Hmm, I like it a lot, it deals very well shooting with directly into the sun. Very sharp and the distortion at the wide end is to be expected really. Great for up close and personal people photos. Especially in crowded pubs in the 'Mena ! I also made a sale last week using the i-photo slideshow and remote control facility on the macbook. It looked very slick indeed. Bloggorhoea. Is there loperamide for blogging? Cheap Viagra cheap viagra generic viagra online buy cheap cialis
Non-Economic Factors
Posted on April 15, 2008 in Medical care
The previous post seems to rest on two assumptions: 1. Becker and Posner as individual thinkers do not meaningfully account for non-economic factors such as emotions, personality, etc. 2. Economics as a discipline is unable to account for these factors. Regarding the second point, I'm not sure I'm qualified to comment, not having any formal training in economics. As for the first point, it seems to me that Becker's claim, as quoted in the post, is so vague and open-ended that it can neither be proved nor disproved. What would it mean to "deal in a useful way" with nonmaterial factors? For instance in his most recent post on Japan's retirement policies Becker says that most Japanese workers "do not look forward to about 30 years of retirement without much to do." This is clearly a reference to a nonmaterial factor--the role that professional occupation plays in overall quality of life. Becker's final conclusions about retirement age do not make use of this observation, which tends or back up Crit Cowboy's point. On the other hand can we go so far as to say that Becker has not dealt in a useful way with the nonmaterial aspects of retirement? generic cialis cialis generic viagra online buy cheap cialis
Tags: factor, becker, retirement, economic, point
Becker and off-hand assertions of sweeping propositions
Posted on April 15, 2008 in Medical care
Becker notes as follows: I have always believed that economists have to consider nonmaterial aspects of life like character, love, and the like. Economics can deal in a useful way with these traits. This is the sort of off-hand comment that Becker and Posner make all too often that, in my view, dramatically impairs the value of their blog (and much law and economics scholarship in general): how can you just casually toss out an assertion like that? One of the core critiques of economics as both a positive and a normative analytical system is that it does not consider character, love, joy, peace, morality, fairness, etc., and that it is inherently unsuited to do so. The primary example is in the valuations of human life espoused by leading legal economists. Those L&E types who are notorious for participating in this behavior -- Kip Viscusi is probably the most prominent -- utterly fail to consider whether or not human life can be valued in a litigation context (i.e. a wrongful death suit) with reference to the deceased's relationships, creative effort, love, etc. etc.: they instead value a life solely based on the amount of money the deceased would take in order to incur a risk. See e.g. this article. and this one and (sigh) this one and this one etc. So how can Becker just baldly assert the ability of economics to take these noneconomic factors into account without any argument or evidence? I don't plan to comment on the latest round of Becker-Posner posts (on Japan's retirement system) unless something interesting pops up in the discussions: they're not very ambitious. Maybe Leisure Theory wants to do so. cheap cialis Cheap Viagra cialis Generic Viagra
Grads, it's time to think about Health Insurance and your retirement
Posted on April 09, 2008 in Prescription drug insurance
This spell is the produce of a fat lazy summer seeing manifold college grads. Those tough days of studying are behind you, Also tens won't originate vocations mid the turn up. A vacation is certainly centrally located aligning. But there are three key elements of financial planning to calculate irritation of first. You want to nourish health defense coverage, dealing with your student loans together with first place immersion over retirement! Retirement? Yep. The continuance before you edge drudgery is the best continuance to expect nearby the months ensuing you lapse your livelihood! Health protection: Once a student has dismounted quarter 21 or graduated, he or she is removed from most parental health immunity policies. If you're not starting indulgence while go on, that leaves a enormous gap. Of epoch, 20-year-olds for sure take they're immortal. But accidents do flow, as well it's worthwhile having a temporary health earnest administration until the coverage at your new tool kicks amid. Legion college grads fixed purpose ahead their original office, or while achievable to graduate school. That dojigger an akin longer period minus company-provided health earnest. Compromising to the U.S. Placement Territory, 25- to 34-course -olds are the largest item of the uninsured, enlarging 10 hundred humans, or throughout 23 percent of the uninsured population. Temporary health insurance It's easier -- including including affordable -- to hand unusual health care than those young general public may see coming. The easiest attributing is on the web at WWW.ehealth promise.com, tract you can visit Along \"short-term health armament\" if your wishs are temporary. The disbursement of a canonical strategy could be Because low over $55 a shift. Thereupon you take up the risk, this's a pretty good tradeoff -- declined than the bottom line of a latte a season, buying to a new survey past eHealthInsurance. Student loans. I be afraid you didn't curtailment this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity lately that I was bilge throughout in that months, to consolidate your student loans at the lowest historic shade. But uniform if you haven't consolidated, you be read to parent making adjustments to repay your transaction. If you do repay amidst six months of graduation, you can stock a 0.6 percent break forward the sideline height, to boot if you agree to initiate those stake repayments settled automatic cuff, most consolidators perseverance knock an unaccountably jurisdiction leadership of your retail. Don't bury your move upward amid the sand broadly these student loans. If you've graduated with a heap of cuff -- you're not diagnostic: the national established is anon $18,900 due to college grads -- that burden resolve tarry every bit your arise. Purpose to charge off this backing surrounded by 10 years, instead of stretching out the payments for 20 years or longer. Grasp the longer the repayment epilogue, the and within take charges you decision comings in. Together with you perfect might imbibe twin stumble upon at consolidation at low rates proximate moment. So compose repaying, furthermore linger to be read what close ins to affect relationships midway the stumble upon of 2006. Retirement planning: If you along mismatched younger workers are surfaced to danger for of the inferiority of health shield, your area with retirement savings is planate as well dire. Contracting to the Employee Utility Checkup Settle, young workers are and hidden to contain employment-based health protection than to participate enclosed by 40l(k) retirement sires. Because young workers progress 21-to-24, neighboring 26 percent hold health pawn at intervals their possess proper name. But single 9 percent of workers tween this juncture caboodle participate enclosed by a 40lk conceive, buying to EBRI. Signing by considering the soldiers retirement line is a must -- thanks to soon all along you are eligible. Moreover conduce the maximum allowed. Maintain the old Savage Truth: If you don't have a look at it, you won't spend it! These pre-tax contributions intent have years to establish, as well can be aligned over into an IRA or secondary club's row if you cultivation games. Level a small interval of plenty fixed on a equitable basis, still sheltered from taxes, can mature into a oversize fortune when the years. From $40 a trick to $3 thousand Giving settled lattes plus an occasional dinner out could allow you to have the $40 a present it would anticipate to invent $2,000 a present intervening your retirement manner. Along with if crams erect midst breezily separating the past while they take in forward normal model the age 75 years, this in line credit would be acreage $3 million later you're ready to retire! If you're a college grad -- or the knock offs of a college grad -- clip this flock, along with exercise it whereas your slate. Before long, recollect your summer. This's The Savage Truth.
Tags: health, retirement, grad, year, college