[MovingOnward]

Cool thread! Count me in!

I'd like to throw in another spin. I am not sure yet I believe in the parallel universes as such, but have you ever considered that we live, SIM-like, in a virtual environment and just aren't aware of it? I know it sounds insane, but there is a fun thought experiment that comes to the conclusion that it is much more likely than if we were real. It goes like this:

- we can already create virtual worlds, like WoW, Sims, etc.
- these worlds evolve and get better every day. So one day in the future, it doesn't matter if in 5, 50 or 500 years, we will be able to create a world that is extremely realistic, with its inhabitants being quasi intelligent, without being aware that they live in a sim world.
- if we can create one of these worlds, we can copy it indefinitely.
- ergo, the number of virtual worlds MUST be greater than the number of real worlds with intelligent beings.
- quod erad demonstrandum

So, sometimes when it feels I live a soap opera, maybe that's why because we are all virtual and there is an evil programmer/admin, who just likes to throw things into my way to see how I am going to react?

Of course, when you think about we living in virtual worlds, then the whole idea of parallel worlds makes a lot of sense, too, because after all, those would all be copies of our world. And then, to go back to MLC, of course the evil admin could just exchange Sims at his whim...

PS: The whole thing with water having its greatest density just above freezing temperature always sounded fishy to me. If water would behave like other molecules, reducing density when cooling, then lakes etc would freeze from the bottom up, hence killing all life in there. So someone looked at it, said, oh, that's not going to work and then just implemented this as an after-thought. A bug fix. ;-)

[Thundarr]

In that case, I need to get ahold of some mods or cheat codes....lol.

[forthetrees]

I think there´s a simpler answer- did  you read the depression/ADs thread I posted that explains why the MLCer falls out of love?

Looks to me that the serotonin/dopamine cycles and balances dictate our behaviors much more than we´d like to think. We really are driven by the reward centers of the brain. As much as we like to think we operate under free will, we are just beginning to understand how much of human drive is driven by the brain chemical balances.
When was the last time you stopped at one potato chip or one cookie? Now translate those into OP and a text message.

I think their brains are addled as in hijacked by chemicals loops that are out of balance.

[Ready2Transform]

Absolutely in agreement, FTT.  I remember feeling a bit deflated when I started reading this sort of stuff - kind of makes us as humans not as powerful or interesting as we think we are.   But then I got kind of fascinated.

There's a flip side to understanding that this big of a change can happen in an individual due to changes in their neurotransmitters.  If it can happen unintentionally, it can also happen intentionally (which is what, for the ones on meds, was happening - just with an ignorance of potential side effects).  It's also why at some stages, taking anti-depressants helps the LBS get through daily life.

I'm not a believer in pharma because of the experience with Hoss, so that wasn't an option for me, but there are supplements including vitamins, herbs, and amino acids that can help US with detachment.  I'm not a naturopath or a doctor in any way - so this is not a prescription, but I would encourage anyone to look into how they think any of these would help them:  Vitamin B6, St. John's Wort, Black Kohosh, 5HTP, L-Theanine, L-Tyrosine, GABA. All work in some way to alter serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline, and all that good stuff.  I do not currently take supplements for all of these, because I no longer need to - they helped retrain my body to regulate itself.  But some I will probably take forever, due to my own biochemical needs. 

Sorry to hijack - in another dimension, I have stayed on topic. 

[Darth Obo]

Hmmm....I can't even imagine multiples of my wife running around...one is enough to handle!

Cool topic though....I am a Science Channel junkie myself and always watch the specials on the universe, cosmos, Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman, etc...


~OBO~

[Anjae]

I think there´s a simpler answer- did  you read the depression/ADs thread I posted that explains why the MLCer falls out of love?

Looks to me that the serotonin/dopamine cycles and balances dictate our behaviors much more than we´d like to think. We really are driven by the reward centers of the brain. As much as we like to think we operate under free will, we are just beginning to understand how much of human drive is driven by the brain chemical balances.
When was the last time you stopped at one potato chip or one cookie? Now translate those into OP and a text message.

There is far more than brain chemicals when it comes to depression/MLC. There is also, at least, hormones, cortisol (stress) being one of them. When stress levels are too high it is mayhem. For the men, of course, their testosterone levels are also very important. High cortisol can damage testosterone.

And there is also that thing called adrenaline that high replay MLCers get addict to. Adrenaline provides a good feeling rush. Of course one needs to keep having higher and higher levels of it to obtain the same results.

Free will for me is more to do with mechanical actions that with moral decisions. It has more to do with the small gap between our brain knowing our finger are typing or a key board, and we actually doing it. Or the gap between brain knowing we are going to stretch our arm and said action.

If we are going to no free will for everyting, no one will ever be responsible for their actions.

I stop at 2 or 3 cookies and only have one bombon at at time, max 2.  Of course if I'm very imbalanced, I may eat more chocolate or cookies.

But, if our MLCers problem has to do with brain chemicals and hormones it can be solved. All it takes it to level those. I have been saying it like for... years...? Problem? We do not seem to be able to get our MLCers to see a doctor. And even the ones who go see a doctor, it does not seem to work.