The NYT Science Section last night offended me for the same reason I find the Mormon church so offensive.
There was an article on how to be happy. Big two page article. Same formula works for everybody, don't you know! Sound familiar? Just do this and you will be happy. Because, we are all the same us humans. All 8 Billion and counting need exactly the same thing to be happy.
I thought that once. The answer was the Mormon version of "The Gospel" and I based my mission farewell talk on that.
This one focuses all on relationships as the true gospel of being happy. The more you have the happier you are. You can never have enough and you can never nurture them enough.
Big tip off that this is bull is it starts with a quiz to assess where you are starting from on the quest for happiness trail. What is this? Cosmopolitan? Take this test to see if your boyfriend is cheating on you?
I scored low on the quiz. I knew I would because, uh, extreme introvert here. Very happy on my own. But, according to them I need to be on life support and get some relationship tubes in my veins fast.
The full two pages take nothing into consideration but the author's self supposed brilliance and surety that they have everything figured out perfectly for everybody and they will fix your life thank you very much.
Again--sound familiar?
The Mormon church took a lot from me as they tried to mold me into their own image but in the end that institution did not get my individuality, and, in fact proved that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Reading the article last night kept giving me flashbacks to a whole lot of people all hardly indistinguishable from each other as they sat in their sea of white clothes and green aprons and chanted the same words and made the same gestures (as they tried to stay awake). And, in order to get there you had to be Bishop approved to ensure you were towing the line and are ready to be exactly what Heavenly Father* wants you to be.
A toast to ExMos! Who all decided to be themselves.
*A bunch of self important old men from the Dark Ages.
Relationships are important, but they can change. Some get stronger, and some get weaker for reasons that may be beyond your control (people move away, get married, or have kids, interests start diverging, etc.)
I think that happiness is based on a lot of factors, but adaptability to change is an important one.
Well the article about the new honey bee vaccine being tested was fascinating. And I still like the NYT better than the Los Angeles Times, but I know what you mean.
I'm down to just the science section and the cooking section and the Sunday Book review which is getting rather annoying as the reviewers don't really review but use it as an opportunity to showcase their own writing and agendas.
The cooking is sublime. My sister-in-law gets most of her recipes from there, and they are almost always top-notch. It's a shame you have to pay extra for the recipe access.
What is the honey bee vaccine about?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/2023 06:31PM by summer.
I don't remember all the exact details of what I read, but . . .
As you may know honey bees are in great decline and disappearing fast and the outcome could be dire if it continues. Since 3/4 of our vegetable and fruit require pollination this is serious. Pesticides are a big part--thanks so much Monsanto and the rest---- but also viruses and fungal infections are taking them out. Honey Bees. We need em plants need em and they need themselves.
A group has developed a vaccine to put in their food and are going through trials now. In the past the only way to stop the problem was to burn any nests and kill the affected bees.
So vaccines for Bees! I wonder if there will be anti-vaxxers and counterfeit vaccination cards?
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There was also an article about when there are herds of buffalo restored--goal is 5,000 to millions of acres, how much them being there boosts all plant and animal life.
Interestingly the article talked about how so many were killed just to get the Native Americans to give up their land and move to the reservations as the Buffalo was their main life supply in many ways.
Also mentioned that one state, Montana?, they are not considered wild but in the same category as cattle and are not allowed to roam free. I have a soft spot for Bison. Used to see them when we went to Catalina. But then they rounded them all up because some dumb people went to stand next to them for a photo and got mauled. You really have to wonder.
I like the Science section a lot. I only read that and the cooking usually.
Elder Brother Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > What do you need to be happy..? > Let's start with this free personality test!