Why we’re sick

I can’t get enough of this guy.

He’s so old and wise and French!

Now I could write a million words based on that video alone but for now I am going to stick with his first topic, which is stress.

The world seems to have forgotten the basic theory of stress. Basically, stress kills because it keeps the body from repairing itself.

You see, when we are stressed, our adrenal response kicks in. When that happens, our body shifts priorities entirely to RIGHT NOW because it is assumed that you’re being chased by a saber toothed tiger or whatever and so what matters most is that you survive the next five minutes of your life and to hell with anything long term.

You have to survive the short term for there to even BE a long term.

And that means long term things like healing, cellular regeneration, clearing blood toxins, and so on are put on hold until the crisis ends.

BUT THE CRISIS NEVER ENDS. Modern humans face dozens of complex stressors all the time and that means we stay in this state of compromised renewal all the god damned time, and that is why stress is killing us.

That’s why previously fairly rare diseases like cancer have become so prevalent, along with things like hypertension, depression, stroke, anxiety, and birth defects.

And speaking of depression, it is poisonously ironic, Doctor, to tell people like me that our depression makes our medical outcomes worse across the board makes us very depressed and thus makes our medical outcomes worse across the board.

I’m not saying you’re doing anything wrong, Doctor. The world needs to know these things. I am just commenting on the inescapable irony of it all.

It’s like, the times I’ve been the hospital, I have noticed (and greatly appreciated) how the nurses do their best to tell me things without freaking me out.

I would love to sit in on whatever course they take that teaches that.

As for disconnecting from ourselves and our bodies, I sure as federally insured fuck know all about that. When I was being raped at the age of 4, I completely divorced myself from the reality of the situation as a way to cope with the unthinkable, incomprehensible horror of it all.

I told myself, “this is not real, this isn’t really happening, I’m not really here” over and over again until, presumably, it was all over.

I don’t consciously remember the event except for bits and pieces. But I am positive it’s all recorded in me somewhere and that the effort it takes for my mind to basically fight itself in order to keep those memories suppressed has cost me far more than I would ever want to know.

I wasn’t always a wimp. I wasn’t born that way.

And of course, I never truly returned to reality. I reconnected with the world of the senses and the “real world” only as much as I absolutely needed to and the rest of me stayed suspended in the world of the mind and what was purely internal.

Like thoughts, ideas, emotions, words, puzzles, games, TV, video games, reading, and of course, eventually, the Internet.

That’s why my whole personal life has been lived through screens. If it hadn’t been too early for remote learning, I no doubt would have lived my scholastic life through screens as well. Screens screen out reality, with which I have somewhat of an issue.

And even as I am typing these very words, I know that I am mostly not really here. My physical self is unavoidably present, but my inner self is crouched down behind a screen scared out of his mind (literally) of the big bad world out there and sending these little strips of words out into the world to represent me instead.

It’s pretty sad.

More after the break.


Two sleepy buddies

Guess what? I’m making images again, and I don’t even have to use my own computer.

Instead I am using this amazing website to make images like this :

Say it with me now : Awwwwwwwww!

The same site lets me make smut too, but I haven’t made any that I consider both good enough and safe enough to share…. yet.

But it’s comin’.


Memory Lane, Sneak Peek edition

I’ve been going through some of my ancient YouTube playlists and have found some real gems from long ago that I just have to share.

But I’m pretty close to the end of today’s words, so I will only share a few.

Like this peppy and colorful little number :

(warning, not safe for people who hate it when things are in rhyme)
(I’m looking at you, Felicity!)

Or hear it be said, if you can
By the demon Etrigan

I admit, it’s a little twee even for me but there’s enough wit and invention to it (plus, ya know, murder and stuff) that I can put up with it.

Here’s another ancient morsel. It’s short but packed with… well you’ll see.

(warning, not safe for people who don’t like REALLY brutal satire)

Brilliant in both premise and execution

Like I said, brutally satirical of a certain kind of middle class white lady, most likely in Southern California or Texas.

The super racist kind, to be specific.

And I think something particularly nasty comes crawling out of people’s minds when they have someone of definitely lower status who lives with them, like a live-in maid.

Especially when those people depend on them for their green card.

But remember, the white ladies lose in the end!

And finally, this little masterpiece :

(not safe for those sensitive to people hilariously desecrating classic 80’s music videos)

It’s so packed with comedy you might want to watch it twice

Oh, and watch the original video first, it’s good, and it makes this version much funnier.

That’s enough for now, I think.

I will probably share more of the best of the 2000s in the future.

I will talk to you nice people again tomorrow.