February 6, 2022

2022.02.06
Here is a very good tumblr entry talking about how mind/body duality is so very false especially in terms of strong emotions, depressions and panics and what not. Like, "psychosomatic" must never be conflated with "just made up" - the feedback loop between the ol' grey matter, the systems of hormones that carry messages to and fro, and the rest of the body is absolutely rule even when it doesn't seem to follow rules of rationalistic cause and effect.

And that said; and this isn't to devil's advocate it because I think it's important that I personally absorb that post, but part of my inner committee wants to say "yeesh, people who live that way are like the 'This Is Fine' Dog" (either the original or the update where the dog realizes that stuff can and should to a limited extent be done, and then is left with the trauma)

My strong emotional impulse is to not let emotions get out of hand and become self-perpetuating; and then the question becomes, does that mean I either don't feel emotions properly in the first place, or that I live a life of repressed emotions... or am I finding a third way that works for me, where I still have a pretty rich emotional life, but have a knack for weeding out emotions that aren't going to serve me, while those emotions are still young sprouts.

And it's not to condemn people who live otherwise in engaging emotions; some part of that is, they don't have a choice but to engage in emotions more fundamentally even after they've self-perpetuated (like that's just how their mind/body is, or that's a result of their experiences and upbringing as well as their body) and of course many others wouldn't live "my way" even if it was a clear option, for fear of maybe I've stunted myself or otherwise sacrificed too much
Joel Coen's "The Tragedy of Macbeth", Reviewed by Ethan Coen. HAHAHAHAHA BRILLIANT
Some entertaining and thoughtful book reviews of old Jules Verne novels by my online buddy Matt McIrvin:

From the Earth to the Moon and Round the Moon
Around the World in 80 Days
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Journey to the Center of the Earth