Mindconnection eNL, 2021-02-07

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On 20 January, the former United States of America was officially turned over to the insurgents who spent four violent, lawless years engaging in treason and insurrection. Many people flew their flags at half mast.

While this is not good news and we can expect a flood of bad news for the next two years at least, we can look back on one of the greatest presidents this country has ever had and see his amazing accomplishments. The good folks at The National Pulse compiled them: https://thenationalpulse.com/breaking/white-house-publishes-amazing-list-of-single-term-trump-accomplishments

Here's something a citizen in our former republic (the one with the Rule of Law and people elected their President) did, something courageous that tells you we may not be permanently defeated:
https://www.theepochtimes.com/female-army-sergeant-repels-ambush-kills-3-becomes-first-woman-to-earn-silver-star-since-wwii_3164385.html

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This has been going on for decades, so it's not Alzheimer's. The other factors are unlikely. Another indication it's not the Big A is I often juggle different sequences of numbers or other disparate facts in my short-term memory and correctly recall them as needed.

And there's the problem. Short-term memory is often referred to as your "scratch pad." It's like RAM. Testing has shown that I have been blessed with a prodigious amount of this, a nice big scratch pad. But sometimes I have so much on it that the only available space is a tiny portion of it. So the way I mismanage this resource makes me look brainpower-deficient at times. A person with a below average scratch pad can manage it in such a way as to fully utilize it for any given task.

This goes back to the "effective IQ" theory upon which I have expounded many times.

Having practiced martial arts at a high level for about four decades and having been a climber for two decades, the problem isn't that I can't focus. I definitely can do that. Notice the operative word "can". Focus is not automatic for me. I have to consciously "erase the blackboard." Or at least reserve the necessary space for what I am doing. Right now, I am having no problem writing this column. In fact, I never get writer's block and when I am writing the words often just flow without much effort on my part. When I sit down to write, I am in a particular mindset. I know I must set my brain power dial to "High" and think only on the subject at hand. When I fail to do this, thoughts swirl in my mind and it's as if I am listening to music, carrying three conversations, watching a movie, and reading a book all at the same time.

The most dangerous time in climbing is when you are tying in. I've done it thousands of times and do it the same way every time. That's the perfect recipe for making a mistake. This is a known problem among climbers, which is why we have mandatory visual checks done a particular way. I've done dumb things at this point, because something triggered a memory and something else triggered a new line of thought all while I am still recovering from a climb I just did while breathing is difficult due to the mandatory mask rule. So my load is up while my capacity is down.

From what others tell me and from what I observe, this involuntary multi-tasking is something that hampers all of us at one time or another and some of us quite often. But there are people who never seem to go through this. Is it because they have such an enormous scratch pad they can fill it with all kinds of things? Or that they manage that limited resource well? It is probably the latter. The fact remains we probably can't increase our scratch pad size but we can definitely keep it clear of clutter.

It is a good practice to clear your mind before starting any task. Maybe if you do it enough, this clearing will become a habit and then will happen all on its own. Find a method that works for you. It need not be meditation. And it need not take long. If you can discipline yourself to do it just before starting any task, you can avoid those absent-minded moments that arise from having no scratchpad space left. I wish I could advise you on exactly what to do, but I am still working on that myself.

We already know how this is going to go, because every socialist system in human history has brought poverty, corruption, and great social disruption. This will be no different.

How do people survive when they are in this kind of system? The truth is, many do not. Socialism is a fatal disease, and one that kills its victims in a painful, distressful way. If you are a principled person and do not wish to turn to a life of crime (for example, by becoming a member of Congress), there are other things you can do. I'll give you some examples, but I want you to put your noggin to work thinking of how you can reduce your overhead, reduce your debt, increase your income, and make yourself indispensible at work. If you think hard on those things, you will be well-prepared for the economic disaster that awaits us.

• Repair or repurpose old things. A stained or worn old shirt, for example, can be cut into rags that work well in the kitchen. Old socks are also good cleaning rags for the rest of the house.
• Downsize. Most people have too much stuff crammed into too big a house. Start giving stuff away, just to make space. But don't fill the space back up.
• Practice health care. Medical expenses can be avoided completely by practicing health care. Readers of this newsletter know what I mean when I say "health care."
• Trade favors. Make an effort to know what your friends and neighbors need or can do. Help each other out.
• Watch for sales. Normally, sales encourage people to buy things they don't need. Make a list of things you usually buy and when they are on sale, stock up. If there is something new you want, try to avoid paying full price; look for a seasonal sale when it will be marked down. Or wait for a newer model to come out and then buy this model (works great with electronics, automobiles, etc.).
• Sharpen your mind. If you are rarely sleep-deprived and you are often mentally stimulated, you have a huge advantage over coworkers. Most people are sleep-deprived and get zero mental stimulation so their cognitive abilities are atrophied.
• Be fully engaged in your work. Something like 70% of Americans (and Europeans) hate their job. Among the remaining 30%, less than half are what sociologists call "fully engaged." Give it your all. Think about each task, how to improve it or even eliminate it. What is your "value ad?" Do you feel lucky to have this job and thus a paycheck or are you under the illusion the company owes you a living and you begrudgingly do some work for them?

 If you look at their agenda, we have very stormy weather ahead to say the least. They intend to "crack down" on the following types of undesirable people:

• Middle class wage earners.
• Small business owners.
• Home owners.
• Landlords (and thus, indirectly, their tenants).
• People who own and operate automobiles
• People who own firearms, especially for such nefarious purposes as protecting their family.
• People who have expressed a desire for the Rule of Law.
• Anyone who has advocated such heresy as the Bill of Rights, due process, or even (gasp) lawful elections.
• People who might be characterized as "white".
• People who sympathize, befriend, or associate with people who might be characterized as "white".

In short, unless you are a career criminal, terrorist, and/or able-bodied person drawing welfare, you are a target. But you are especially a target if you are a contributing member of society.

Some ways to protect yourself:

• End any subscriptions to legacy media. Being on their list is a security risk.
   
• Close all antisocial media accounts, especially Facebook and Twitter.
   
• Periodically remove the SIM from your phone so it cannot be used to track you all the time.
   
• File your 1040 taxes via paper. The terrorist group known as the IRS uses "tax issues" as an excuse to attack and destroy people. One way to protect yourself is to file via paper so they can't deny you filed, rather than electronically so that they can deny you filed. An electronic submission can easily be altered. Gee, how is it you somehow understated your income by 50% and now owe $973,450.26 in back taxes, penalties, and interest?
   
• Don't try to "unify" and "heal" with libtards, socialists, Trump Derangement Syndrome victims, and other such mentally ill and dangerous people. Keep a safe and respectful distance from them, same as you would from a pack of wild hyenas.
   
• Make a point of constantly learning. Pick up new skills by taking on a home improvement project (get the basics down before starting, though), buy a book on a subject related to your career, look inside your company for a need you could satisfy and approach your boss with a pilot project idea, do crossword puzzles, commit to regular participation in a sport or hobby that involves other people, offer to teach others even if it's just remedial reading for adults (you will still learn, just because someone can't read yet doesn't mean he can't teach you while you tutor the reading), and be intellectually curious. All of this will help you be more agile in the face of the coming challenges.
• Associate with other undesirable people, but focus on helping each other instead of complaining about the damage the criminal class is doing to our economy, our society, and what we thought were our Constitutional rights.
   
• TR used to advise to "Walk softly, but carry a big stick." What this means is you keep a low profile rather than be loud, but when you have the opportunity you strike hard using tools you developed for the purpose. He didn't say "Walk softly and hit hard", he said carry a big stick. Work on that stick. And stay quiet until you have to use it.
   
• Speak truth to power. This kind of goes against the previous point, but it is important to do. If you have the misfortune, as I do, to be unrepresented in Congress because you misrepresentative is a lying, conniving, manipulative psychopath like Sharice Davids or Nancy Nutcase Pelosi, you should be on their newsletter list. Sharice spews almost verbatim the vitriolic lies that Nutcase does; I know because I get newsletters from both of them. There's a central script writer. So what I do is I write back about a specific lie and say something like, "You have to know when you wrote this, it's a bald-faced lie. Did you write it because you believe your readers are all stupid, or was there some other reason?" The point of doing that is to create some negative feedback and discomfort. These misrepresentatives are all approval-seeking beings. Give them disapproval, and you blunt their fangs at least a little bit.

The photos tell you something important about my credibility.

Statistics on 60th birthday, when these photos were taken:

• Height: 6'0"

• Wingspan: 6'1"

• Weight: 148lbs

• Bodyfat: Unknown, but well below what the Tanita scale says is 5%.

• Waist: 29

• Chest: 48

• Arms: 15

• Quads: 20

• Max bench press: Unknown, but I do three sets of 12 reps with 150 lbs to warm up on chest day

• Training days per week: 6

• Type of training: Split routine, heavy on supersets

• Meals per day: 7 on training days, 6 on rest day

• Percent of diet that is processed food: 0

• Amount of meat, wheat, corn, or soy eaten annually: 0

• Number of eggs eaten per day: Between 8 and 10

• Cholesterol: In normal range, on low side

• Last illness: 1971

• Last workout missed: Spring of 1977

That is not at all the case. I was very puny even into my teen years. I had to make a decision to be devoted to health and strength. I made that decision early in life and stuck with it. Now at age 60, I have strength, speed, stamina, flexibility, and disease immunity that most people half my age don't have. Usually, they gave up that battle in their 20s.

What is the point of telling you this? I want you to understand that both health and disease are the results of decisions made over time. Many people think they "suddenly" came down with this or that. But why did Tom get that flue or Samantha get adult onset diabetes? Why is Mike so sick in retirement, when he was strong as an ox when he worked in the chemical plant and didn't need all that PPE like the sissies he worked with?

A friend of mine has cancer so bad, he probably won't be here this time next year. He used to kid me about my lifestyle, but also say things like "I wish I could quit drinking" or "I love my sodas" or "I'm going to quit smoking one of these days" along with the standard "I don't have time to cook, lunch meat is fine" kind of stuff. Now he's very serious about health care. But it's probably too late.

Once a condition reaches a certain point, no amount of health care can fix it. If you practice poor ladder safety and the fall shatters your leg so badly it has to be amputated, no amount of good ladder safety will bring it back. Ladder safety could have prevented that.

My friend with cancer got a solicitation from a place that provides "alternative therapy." Just pay them $40,000 and stay with them for 6 weeks. You will be cured! No chemo, no radiation, no surgery. No cure either, as this whole concept defies logic. I think a sentence of 40 years to life should cure these predators, what do you think?

Many people who reach the "point of no return" believe some combination of supplements or dietary discipline will restore the health they destroyed and no medical intervention is needed. They are in the denial stage of the grieving process. You cannot reverse Stage 4 cancer with health care. The same dynamic is true of many other diseases. Health care can, at this point, make you stronger so you can withstand your chemo better but it's not going to cure you. It's like closing the barn door after the horse is not only out but has been hit by a locomotive.

I blame the medical industry, in part, for confusing people over whether they are healthy. The medical system tends to categorize people as healthy if they are not diagnosed with a disease such as cancer or a condition such as high blood pressure. The reality is the vast majority of people are unhealthy. There's a term for this kind of illness: subclinical. Many medical care professionals try to communicate this, but the patient hears "healthy" or "no cancer" (today) and concludes it's fine to ignore health practices.

How do you know if you are healthy or not? The answer does not come from looking at lagging indicators. For example, if your engine seizes up that is a lagging indicator you really needed an oil change. Badly. You drove for 25,000 miles on dirty oil, until finally the engine failed. Health is that way. Lack of failure does not mean there's a success. It can, and often does, mean a failure is imminent.

For good health to exist, certain requirements must be met. And they must be met consistently over time. Look at what you put in your shopping cart at the grocery store. There, you will see if you are even possibly healthy. If you see any factory foods, then there is zero chance you are healthy. You have vaccinated yourself against health.

Every bite you eat, every training session, every time you go to bed (or delay that), you are making decisions about your health. One wrong decision, and you diminish your health at least temporarily. Make a series of wrong decisions, and the state of your health becomes measurably worse. Make them long enough, and your health is permanently diminished.

Some decisions have far greater effect than others. For example, deciding to vape means you are definitely going to damage your lungs. Depending upon the vaping concoction and how many times you abuse your lungs this way, the damage can be severe enough to kill you decades before you would otherwise die. And it's a painful death. A long-time friend of mine died from vaping. Such a waste of a talented, wonderful person's life. And what a horrible way to go.

If you are now vaping or know someone who is, try this experiment. Fill a large container with water. Now, have someone else hold your head under that water until you let all your breath out. As soon as you come up and gulp air, they shove you down again. Have them do this until you pass out. Then repeat it twice. This is nothing, I repeat nothing, compared to dying from (self-inflicted) pulmonary fibrosis. Would I like to see the psychopaths behind the vaping scam locked up? No, I would like to see them undergo the aforementioned exercise every day for 90 days. Does it seem harsh? Well, think of a person taking twice that long to gasp to death in the final stages of pulmonary fibrosis they would not have had if not for vaping.

I believe in absolutely zero processed sugar, wheat, corn, and soy in my diet. But what if you have a birthday party every year with a big German Chocolate Cake? Well, you will take a temporary health hit from that cake and overload your dopamine receptors. But if that cake is made right, this can seem a small price to pay for the heavenly experience of eating it. The problem is being disciplined to not eat more of it or make a regular thing of this cake or other sweets. Once you open the door, it's hard to close. And notice I mentioned dopamine. This is the "pleasure hormone" that is targeted by drugs like cane sugar and heroine. Overstimulate its release once, and you will almost certainly be addicted. So while it is theoretically possible you have a genetic mutation that allows you to dabble in extremely addictive hedonic substances, it is likely not the case.

Consistent adherence to health practices is how you have health. There is no other way. If you are not consistently adhering to health practices, you are not healthy. Period. And even if you do consistently adhere to health practices, there are environmental and other issues that can nix your health. You don't want to help those factors do that by deviating "once in a while" or by assuming you have enough health you can do this or that "in moderation".

Until about my early 30s, it was normal to smoke in the workplace. As a teen, I asked a coworker not to smoke in the employee lounge since that was the only place we were allowed to eat. He said, "Everybody has to die of something." I said there's such a thing as a slow death, and I was watching him die slowly right now. I told him he can't tie his shoes without breathing hard, and then I walked out. Most people are in a slow death.

• By age 30, they have lost their energy. They take the lazy way out, parking up close or sitting to watch the kids rather than play with them.
• By age 40, they have lost their vigor. They do less and less because they can't do as much as they used to.
• By age 50, they have lost their strength and shape. They have pancake butts, bird legs, and flabby arms
• By age 60, they have lost their pretense of health. They are on one or two prescription medications; in five years, they will be on several more.
• By age 70, they have lost normal movement. Getting up and down is an effort. In a few years, they will lose their mobility.

For those of use who practice health, this scenario never plays out. I am 60 and have none of these losses. I still train hard with weights, still practice my martial arts, and still climb well above limits that most climbers never get to. I do not have a genetic advantage and did not grow up playing sports. A friend of mine is in his mid-70s, and he is still a competitive athlete who trains hard regularly. At the competitions, he is beating guys who are in their 20s and 30s. He hasn't suffered any of these losses either.

If you practice health now and have been getting pressure to "tone it down a bit,' think about what I have said here. Never give in to that pressure! If you have been mostly healthy but not all that consistent, I hope you now have decided to change that to become totally healthy and totally consistent.

• The best workouts are short and intense.
• A good diet contains far more flavors and satisfaction than the typical American diet.

Relish your thoughts throughout the day. And consider yourself to be lucky that, unlike Joe Biden, you can actually have thoughts and even express them in complete sentences.