8 Ancient Beliefs Now Backed By Modern Science

reply to post by SLAYER69

The Earth may not be flat nor is it the center of the universe, but that doesn't mean old-world intellectuals got everything wrong.

Wow, way to open an article with an incredibly fallacious statement. Ovid in the Metamorphoses proposed that the earth was spherical and included 5 climatic zones--an equatorial, two caps of ice and a temperate mixture of hot and cold between the ice and equatorial zones in 8 ad. He shared this opinion, iirc, with another contemporary, Lucretius.

And as five zones th' aetherial regions bind,
Five, correspondent, are to Earth assign'd:
The sun with rays, directly darting down,
Fires all beneath, and fries the middle zone:
The two beneath the distant poles, complain
Of endless winter, and perpetual rain.
Betwixt th' extreams, two happier climates hold
The temper that partakes of hot, and cold.
The fields of liquid air, inclosing all,
Surround the compass of this earthly ball: Ovid, The Metamorphoses

The old world intellectuals got a whole lot of things right. Leucippus was probably the first to develop atomic theory along with his pupil, Democritus, way back in the 5th century bce.

And Arianna Huffington is really a very strange, strange bird and shame on her and her publication for having the nerve to state what they think those "old world intellectuals" got right when she probably doesn't have half the brains that any of those intellectuals actually possessed.

PS. To be clear, the ire is targeted at Ms. Huffington, not you, Slayer.

Cuervo
reply to post by schuyler

 

If I had thought longer on it, I may have called your post "curmudgeon-esque" instead. Or perhaps "sardonic" or "facetious".

I'm over it if you are.

I can accept those. Deal.

727Sky

Five rules to remember in life:

1. Money can't buy happiness but it's more comfortable to cry in a BMW than on a bicycle.

2. Forgive your enemy but remember the bastard’s name.

3. If you help someone when they're in trouble, they will remember you when they're in trouble again.

4. Many people are alive only because it's illegal to shoot them.

5. Alcohol does not solve any problems, but then neither does milk.

And a Bonus Rule:

Condoms do not guarantee safe sex.

A friend of mine was wearing one when he was shot by the woman's husband.

*applause* I vote for a new thread based on this response. One of those Ron White dry humor common-sense-with-a-twist-of-lemon deals. But in case that doesn't come through, I guess I'll just doff my hat and steal one of these delectable one-liners for later application.

reply to post by Grimpachi


I think it's like many things for many people. It works for some and not others. Some people like myself 'Aspirin" doesn't do a damn thing.

Cuervo
Being the traditionalist that I am, I get annoyed with the new LA-style brand of personal growth being marketed recently but... it works. And just like many things that work, it gets monetized and it gets obnoxious. It's one of those cases where I have to ignore the messenger and just read the freakin' message. It's not new but it's always good to hear it from other perspectives (no matter how trite).

With that, cheer up and gain some love!

It's not LA style. It's from Big Sur, California and an institute called Esalen. Esalen is a really curious institute whose dabbled their hands in many, many things over the last few decades as far ranging as the dissolution of the USSR, education, and the arts. It's a really very fascinating study and to be absolutely straight, Arianna Huffington's Huffington Post is one of the few entities that writes articles about Esalen like these:

www.huffingtonpost.com...
www.huffingtonpost.com...
www.huffingtonpost.com...

I always laugh a little when I see Esalen subject matter come up on a conspiracy site. Many of their teachers have basically talked about their dreams of the "New World Order". I've never quite found an overt connection between Arianna Huffington with Esalen. Apparently, though, she was a member of the Rajneesh Movement, so check the box of one cult she's been a member of.

Here are eight ancient beliefs and practices that have been confirmed by modern science.

Helping others can make you healthier

Acupuncture can restore balance to your body

We need the support of a community in order to thrive

Tai chi can help alleviate a variety of health conditions.

Meditation can help you reduce stress and discover inner peace

Compassion is the key to a meaningful life

Accepting what you can’t change is key to reducing suffering

All you need is love

Well I'm Outraged that someone would spend Money and call this science when half of these are common sense. Really.. do we really need science to confirm what is common sense or not? Moreover most of these are subjective !! Some of these have very little grain of truth to them. Shame on Huffington for this drivel. She should know better but she just makes herself look like a fool and not a real journalist.

As usual Slayer, awesome topic. S&F

I think you should receive an award for best threads but I haven't a clue where to ask for such thing or even if there is, but basically, you ARE ATS. Keep up the awesome work you put into each thread, I know they are appreciated by myself, others I've spoke to who also come to ATS even just to read, and judging the amount of stars & followers, a lot of regular & not so regular ATS ers. I just thought you should know if you don't already. I wish you an awesome evening.
It is about time Science delves further into ancient beliefs, my late Grand-Mere taught me much of these ancient beliefs, even the one of how R.C Priests used curses which kept her and most my entire late family attending lol! But most of what my late Grand-Mere & late Oma have taught me, I do not yet have enough research done to back them up though you touched on a few. Thank you

Cuervo

Grimpachi
Most of what I have read has said acupuncture works as a placebo.

Even if so, placebos are effective. So much so that many drug manufacturers are actively competing against sugar pills.

Acupuncture works in my experience but I can't deny that it is a placebo any more than I can deny that Zoloft is. Being cared for and treated has its own healing effects which sort of lines up with compassion being a healthy thing.

All drugs have placebo effects and no drug works as well when the patient or doctor lacks understanding about the intent. When doctors found out about Aspirin helping heart attacks, suddenly Aspirin became even more effective at it before that knowledge was even passed down to consumers. Even if only the practitioner has confidence in a treatment, that treatment will be more effective.

I don't have the research anymore and I am not going to research the subject again but what they have discovered is acupuncture does work and is not a placebo. The body is one hundred percent an electrical system. What they affirmed was what the ancients knew. That acupuncture does in fact help realign this system.

It has been practiced in one form or another as long as man has been here. One of the first things we learn as infants is touch feels good. Pressure points, massage etc., we learned this the first time we ran from trex or chased food. Accupuncture can help keep our electrical system aligned and passing info the way it should.

Not rocket science, everyone knows you cut off circulation and things start to hurt and everyone knows that pressure on certain points can help relieve pain and pressure.

Slaya, here is one of my favorites favorites

Knowledge is power, and time is money........

The Bot

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin


That may be, for you.
I find compassion brings an inner peace.

reply to post by speculativeoptimist


Yes!

Another way in which a compassionate lifestyle may improve longevity is that it may serve as a buffer against stress. A new study conducted on a large population (more than 800 people) and spearheaded by the University at Buffalo’s Michael Poulin found that stress did not predict mortality in those who helped others, but that it did in those who did not. One of the reasons that compassion may protect against stress is the very fact that it is so pleasurable. Motivation, however, seems to play an important role in predicting whether a compassionate lifestyle exerts a beneficial impact on health. Sara Konrath, at the University of Michigan, discovered that people who engaged in volunteerism lived longer than their non-volunteering peers — but only if their reasons for volunteering were altruistic rather than self-serving.

Nailed it!

The rest does as well....

reply to post by Cuervo


Yet another soul I agree 100% of what you said; I've just gone through what you are going through & if not for the love of a few, the compassion of a few, I'd have broke as an only child, divorced 21 years February 15th, 2 ungrateful daughters who only care for the inheritance my late Mom, followed 4 months by my late Dad, & their ongoing dramatics, being unwell myself, if not for the love & compassion by those few others, I'd probably been dead following my parents. I wish you and yours blessings....
Oh yeah!

I've never heard such bitterness come out in such poetry before. But you are not correct.

I would bet countless cookies that I am a happier person than you are. I would bet that my mother, who is on her last stretch of life, dying (painfully) from cancer, is a much happier person than you are. We are happy because those aphorisms are mostly true. "All you need is love" is just as venerated and ancient as Tai Chi and it works for the spirit and psyche just as effectively. It is one of the foundations upon which to build the other "trite phrases of vapidity from yet another self-help book".

Being the traditionalist that I am, I get annoyed with the new LA-style brand of personal growth being marketed recently but... it works. And just like many things that work, it gets monetized and it gets obnoxious. It's one of those cases where I have to ignore the messenger and just read the freakin' message. It's not new but it's always good to hear it from other perspectives (no matter how trite).

With that, cheer up and gain some love!

Nicely said

reply to post by SLAYER69


I think this deserves S&F! Thanks Slayer69!

reply to post by Cuervo

All drugs have placebo effects and no drug works as well when the patient or doctor lacks understanding about the intent. When doctors found out about Aspirin helping heart attacks, suddenly Aspirin became even more effective at it before that knowledge was even passed down to consumers. Even if only the practitioner has confidence in a treatment, that treatment will be more effective.

AND ancient aboriginal tribes have use white willow bark, AKA ASA , for as far back as researched history and white willow grew/grows...

reply to post by Grimpachi


I starred you for just having an open mind. My personal friend who calls me Star, or Starry, and his Mother have written the most, best and safest methods of Acupuncture. Dr. Carol Rogers and son Cam Rogers;
Ask him anything....

acmac.net...

StormyStars
reply to post by Cuervo

 

Yet another soul I agree 100% of what you said; I've just gone through what you are going through & if not for the love of a few, the compassion of a few, I'd have broke as an only child, divorced 21 years February 15th, 2 ungrateful daughters who only care for the inheritance my late Mom, followed 4 months by my late Dad, & their ongoing dramatics, being unwell myself, if not for the love & compassion by those few others, I'd probably been dead following my parents. I wish you and yours blessings....
Oh yeah!

I've never heard such bitterness come out in such poetry before. But you are not correct.

I would bet countless cookies that I am a happier person than you are. I would bet that my mother, who is on her last stretch of life, dying (painfully) from cancer, is a much happier person than you are. We are happy because those aphorisms are mostly true. "All you need is love" is just as venerated and ancient as Tai Chi and it works for the spirit and psyche just as effectively. It is one of the foundations upon which to build the other "trite phrases of vapidity from yet another self-help book".

Being the traditionalist that I am, I get annoyed with the new LA-style brand of personal growth being marketed recently but... it works. And just like many things that work, it gets monetized and it gets obnoxious. It's one of those cases where I have to ignore the messenger and just read the freakin' message. It's not new but it's always good to hear it from other perspectives (no matter how trite).

With that, cheer up and gain some love!

Nicely said

Hey girl, sorry for your trials. We are raising our granddaughter, and wife just lost her mom. My dad does not have long with cancer. So I know a little about the tribulations lol. I hope you are doing well now and will say a prayer for you. We also have an older spoiled son who has done nothing but get in trouble his whole life.

He was raised right and taught to love and respect others etc. Ended up no morality, what happened to these younger generations.
Just don't get it. I hope you are doing better now.

The Bot

We think because we have tech for 100 years we know what they did for thousands, possibly millions of years? pure arrogance blinded by high tech science.

Can you even imagine how many people died finding out how the universe works?

how many humans died before we knew what stuff was poisonous?

Its just a real shame we cant just read it, but i think maybe that was on purpose, high tech in the wrong hands kills millions of people. Im starting to believe historys cryptic messages are no joke.

reply to post by dlbott


Hi.

Hey girl, sorry for your trials. We are raising our granddaughter, and wife just lost her mom. My dad does not have long with cancer. So I know a little about the tribulations lol. I hope you are doing well now and will say a prayer for you. We also have an older spoiled son who has done nothing but get in trouble his whole life.

He was raised right and taught to love and respect others etc. Ended up no morality, what happened to these younger generations.
Just don't get it. I hope you are doing better now.

The Bot

You know, all 8 things listed applied in every way in a multitude of areas.
I lost my Mom & 4 months later, my Dad.
All the girls want is their 3rd of a small inheritance.
It's being held b/c the eldest tried to give my late parent's lawyer of 36 years a fake Will.
She and her sister want it all & all belongings.
Both my late Parents had Cancer but it was the L.E.M.S that got my Mom and a series of massive strokes that got my Dad.
I can't believe this of my girls......no values & mores either.
No compassion I've lost my parents so close together & have no siblings.
I believe it will take awhile yet, till I can let the pain go & cry, but I have a few loving compassionate peeps in my life I know will be there when the time comes.....
I wish you all many blessings, & a miracle.
If you have a hard go, I have a wall....you can enter & talk.....
Compassion is a miracle all in it's own, giving it is as good as getting it. Thank you.... For the gift of both

These are not ancient beliefs they are beliefs that some people have and others don't. However, it is correct to say that science has now shown that the caring altruistic behaviours are the ones that are needed for group survival. Whereas the selfish ones result in extinction.

Needless to say this is very very very political since it flies in the face of current dominant western right wing political ideology.

Mind you anyone with half a brain cell can see the current massively distorted and increasingly distorted economic balance of the economy is heading for implosion.

OtherSideOfTheCoin
Nice thread but most of this stuff is very subjective and i would really like to see the actual science behind "compassion is the key to a meaningful life", that is just way to subjective to be proven by science

You'll see, when you're the one requiring a little compassion from someone else.

Oh...I'm sorry. That's right. Some of you heroes will never need help or compassion from anyone - ever.

Compassion is what losers and "takers" demand from winners and "makers".

Sorry again. I forgot which site I'm on for a moment.

StormyStars
reply to post by Cuervo

 

All drugs have placebo effects and no drug works as well when the patient or doctor lacks understanding about the intent. When doctors found out about Aspirin helping heart attacks, suddenly Aspirin became even more effective at it before that knowledge was even passed down to consumers. Even if only the practitioner has confidence in a treatment, that treatment will be more effective.

AND ancient aboriginal tribes have use white willow bark, AKA ASA , for as far back as researched history and white willow grew/grows...

Yep. Birch trees work well for similar properties. Nearly all pharmaceuticals come from natural sources. They find something that works from nature, synthesize it, patent it, then charge insane amounts for what we have in our back yards.

For example, I've been making great little tonics from Star Anise (which is what they make Tamiflu with) and my wife and I haven't gotten even remotely sick this last winter (even though our daughter spent the winter with various colds since she's too young for most of my potions).

I think if the active ingredients in medications were common knowledge, we would see a huge surge in herbalism.