Wisdom is not about curing disease, but about preventing it

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A new fashion is sweeping the world. It is reshaping the work of generations and throwing a new light on old certainties. If it gets you, it won't let you go unchanged. Even if it doesn't, your environment won't remain the same. This agent of transformation is the idea that you can achieve more with less effort and resources.

"Men can perish out of excessive endeavours to preserve what has little value," wrote the Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu in the year 520 B.C. In our days, it seems that many are indeed willing to waste their lives by devoting endless efforts to helping people who refuse to be helped. Have you ever wondered why human beings spend time on activities that have zero chance of leading to positive results? These three are examples of hopeless situations:

* Correcting the same mistake repeatedly instead of eliminating its cause once and for all.
* Cleaning up the mess that other people have created and that they could have easily prevented if they had listened to your advice.
* Making countless attempts using the same ineffectual method and feeling depressed about the negative results.

"In life, difficult problems result from complicating simple problems," observed Lao-Tzu. "The wise man prefers to solve problems when they are small, so that they never have a chance to grow." In this light, let us take a critical look at situations that demand our urgent attention. How many of those develop out of our failure to disengage at a time when less tension was involved?

Minimalism and disengagement are rational responses to excessive demands on our time, energy, or resources. No matter how you look at it, welcoming more trouble than you can handle is not a policy conductive to happiness. Helping others is fine but you should try to do it without jeopardizing the basis of your existence. Otherwise, the solution might be worse than the problem.

1. When a borrowed weight becomes too heavy to carry, consider returning it to its legitimate owner. Disengage and do less.
2. When you are working without measure on matters that consume every hour of your leisure, reassess their importance and reduce them to proper size. Restrain and minimize.

"Wisdom is not about curing disease, but about preventing it," reflected Lao-Tzu. "From experience, we learn the pain that goes along with sickness and how to prevent it from happening in the future." Overcommitment and anxiety are the plague of our culture. Stay out of their way by refusing to play any game likely to extinguish your flame.

JOHN VESPASIAN writes about rational living and is the author of the books "When everything fails, try this" and "Rationality is the way to happiness." He has resided in New York, Madrid, Paris and Munich. His stories reflect the values of entrepreneurship, tolerance and self-reliance. See http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com a blog about rational living.

Low-cost food substitution: a simple method for improving your health

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This is a wake up call for those who believe that they cannot reduce their risk of falling sick. When it comes to health, evil is watching you closely at least three times a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Nevertheless, the truth is so hard to accept that few people want to make the effort to change direction.

Although millions of books about weight-loss and dieting are sold every year, have you observed improvements in the health of people you know? Pricey organic items have become popular in supermarkets, but have you witnessed those products having a positive effect on someone's health?

Most people's health-improvement attempts are fraught with waste and disappointment. Despite great intentions and strenuous effort, the tangible results are often negligible. Do most weight-loss plans and prescriptive diets fail because they are unnatural and expensive?

Artificial lifestyles create stress and anxiety. What is unnatural goes against the grain. Trying to push people into radically new habits disrupts their psychological stability. On top of that, prescriptive diets often prove impractical and time-consuming. No wonder that many men and women give them up after a while. Who wants to lead an unpleasant and constrained life?

Take heart and stick to your objective of getting in better shape. There is a better way to achieve that goal, a more effective approach that takes into account the psychological aspects of self-transformation. The method that really works is called rationality.

Human beings are essentially logical. We can be fooled for a while, but ultimately, we come around and begin to ask tough questions. We want to make sure that we are advancing on the right track. We want to experience short-term progress in our long-term endeavours. We want to see beneficial results from our commitment.

Low-cost food substitution should be the preferred short-cut to losing weight and improving our health. Forget about purchasing costly exotic vegetables. Don't bother with high-ticket packaged products that promise magical results. Instead, make inexpensive changes in your lifestyle, little by little.

Acquiring healthy habits at your own speed is more powerful than making radical lifestyle changes that cannot be sustained. You may for instance begin by replacing high-fat meat by simple fish, such as trout or halibut. Pick up a sort of fish that is readily available at your local supermarket and whose taste you enjoy.

Another short-cut to a better health is replacing prepared desserts, such as apple pie or ice cream, by simple fruit. Eating a modest apple for dessert instead of chocolate cake is a low-cost habit that anyone can acquire without much difficulty. You may for example peel the apple, cut it to pieces, mix it with low-fat yoghurt, and sprinkle it with cinnamon. This is easy to do and delicious.

When you replace prepared desserts by fruit, choose varieties that are abundant and inexpensive in your area. Keep always some fresh fruit on your office desk, in case you feel the need to have something to eat between meals.

A third short-cut to a better health is drinking water instead of carbonated drinks. In many areas of the world, drinking mineral water is safer than tap water. See if you can purchase your mineral water at the local supermarket in discount packs and save some money.

At the office, it is a good idea to keep a small bottle of water within reach. Drinking a fair amount of water every day allows our organism to function better. If you can heat water and make some healthy tea, so much the better. Green tea is generally considered a healthy drink, but many other types of tea have positive qualities. Try out different sorts and see which one works best for you.

Once you start on the road towards a better health, there are no limits how far you can go. The trick is to take small but relentless steps. Replace unhealthy habits by rational ones. Get rid of negative influences and embrace a thoughtful approach to living.

If you spend some time reading cooking books, you will realize the possibilities of cooking your favourite meals in healthy ways. You may for instance learn to make pizza at home by mixing yeast and whole-wheat flour. Making pizza dough by hand is not difficult and does not take long. A whole-wheat pizza with tomatoes, tuna fish, olives, and onions is delicious and healthy.

Rationality demands that we advance slowly and that we enjoy the way. Babies take a year to learn how to walk and three times longer to speak in complex sentences. In dieting, weight-loss, and health improvement, a progressive transformation is usually the one that lasts.

We only live once and little is gained by making ourselves endure unnecessary hardship. Never choose suffering or deprivation if a better option is available. Radical diets can make your days bitter, rarely better. Persistent action guided by reason is the short-cut to a better health.

We are intelligent beings and our minds call for logic and consistency. It is natural that we prefer life to be enjoyable rather than unpleasant. It is understandable that we favour methods that produce tangible results rather than speculative theories. When it comes to attaining better health, check the facts and obtain proof. Then make up your mind and move.

JOHN VESPASIAN writes about rational living and is the author of the books "When everything fails, try this" and "Rationality is the way to happiness." He has resided in New York, Madrid, Paris and Munich. His stories reflect the values of entrepreneurship, tolerance and self-reliance. See http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com a blog about rational living.

In praise of silence: insights from Robinson Crusoe

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Fifty-nine years is a long time in the life of a man. Days can go by without trace, leaving nothing behind, turned to dust by the daily grind. During such a long period, most men choose to ply quietly their trade, while a few prefer to go on a crusade. For writer Daniel Defoe, that was the time it took him to learn when to speak and when to forgo all critique.

"It was then that I began sensibly to feel how much happier my current life was, despite its miserable circumstances, than the wicked, cursed, abominable life that I had led in the past," wrote Defoe in his immortal novel Robinson Crusoe.

The book was first published in the year 1719, when Defoe had just turned fifty-nine. During the initial forty years of his life, he had been repeatedly prosecuted and imprisoned for speaking out his mind. Moved by financial desperation, he had then wasted the following decade writing propaganda for different employers.

It was only in his late fifties that Defoe finally felt secure enough to write a major work of fiction. Robinson Crusoe was the result, a story about a man stranded on a solitary island with no company other than his own thoughts. Taking into account Defoe's personal background, it is not surprising that the subject of his novel was silence.

Written in the first person, the narration continues to appeal modern generations due to its profound philosophical tone, which reflects Defoe's desire for freedom, independence, and truth. "Now I look back upon my desolate, solitary island as the most pleasant place in the world," laments Robinson Crusoe in the novel, "and all the happiness my heart could wish for is to be there again."

Life doesn't have to be that way. Playing the lies of society versus the honesty of the hermit is a powerful literary ploy, not an accurate portrait of reality. In any circumstances, only reason can tell you whether it is better for you to keep silent or if you should take a stand on principle. The dichotomy presented in the novel Robinson Crusoe makes a great story, but it is radically false.

Truth seldom comes for free and there is no reason why it should be. Individuals owe honesty to themselves and to their family and friends, not to strangers of doubtful reputation. Men owe loyalty exclusively to the facts of reality, not to any fashionable mentality.

Your dreams and thoughts are only yours. They are meant to be exchanged with those who are congenial, not oppositional. If you perceive good reasons that counsel you to keep silent, heed the advice of your heart. Seek out those men and women who deserve the best in you. To the rest, let silence be their due.

JOHN VESPASIAN writes about rational living and is the author of the books "When everything fails, try this" and "Rationality is the way to happiness." He has resided in New York, Madrid, Paris and Munich. His stories reflect the values of entrepreneurship, tolerance and self-reliance. See http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com a blog about rational living.

Naming a problem is the first step towards a solution - Story of Johannes Gutenberg

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Annoyance and irritation are part of daily life. When we encounter unexpected difficulties, we often become emotional and raise our voice. When people oppose our plans, we question their intentions and express our discontent. However, the fact that those reactions are natural does not make them effective.

Successful living is a process of dealing with adversity and overcoming obstacles. If we stay alert and adopt an entrepreneurial attitude, trouble can reveal opportunities to improve our environment. Everybody is able to complain, but too few individuals are motivated to analyse problems, study their causes, and figure out solutions.

Anger and discontent may mark the steps to a better life more effectively than conformity. Those who accept disruption without resistance seldom come up with ideas to prevent further perturbation. In contrast, those who hate interruptions tend to be the ones who suggest protective measures.

Problems must be perceived as such before they can be dissected and solved. It is not a coincidence that most inventors and entrepreneurs are independent characters. Individuals who trust their own perception do not fear calling things by their names. Exacerbated diplomacy can undermine sincerity and inhibit personal initiative.

Johannes Gutenberg (1398-1468), to whom History credits with the invention of the printing press, was the quintessential self-reliant entrepreneur. He was trained as a goldsmith, plied his trade for decades in several German towns, and it was only in his forties that he identified the business opportunity that would transform his life.

At the turn of the 15th century, reading material was expensive and the choice of titles severely limited. The price of a volume of three hundred pages would exceed one hundred times what it costs today. Less than one per cent of the population was able to read; as a result, only the clergy and aristocracy had access to written information.

Since ancient times, the cost of producing books had been proportional to the effort it took to copy them by hand. A monk labouring at a monastery would need two years to copy and illustrate a Bible by hand. In addition, pages of medieval books were made of parchment, that is, prepared animal skins, which also increased the overall cost of production.

Despite the high price of books, it was obvious that there was a growing market for them. The interesting question is why none of the thousands of people in Europe involved in the production of hand-written volumes had perceived the slowness of the process as a problem. Apparently, before Johannes Gutenberg, the established mode of operation was taken for granted.

For thousands of years, goldsmiths had been using gold to make delicate jewellery, as well as religious and ornamental figures. Gutenberg did not conceive the idea of casting figures with molten metal, but he was the first to realize the massive economies that could be made by casting movable types and using them for book production.

His initial experiments quickly revealed the difficulties of the enterprise. What alloy should he use to produce the types? How was he going to melt the thousands of individual letters that are needed to produce each page of a book? How could he increase ink density in order to produce clean prints?

It took Gutenberg many years to master the process. By the time he had overcome one obstacle, another one would appear. His venture led him to incur massive debts, which he could hardly reimburse. Finally, his attempts proved successful and a first run of books came out of his atelier.

In 1455, Gutenberg undertook to print the Bible. By then, he was already 57 years old and fully conscious of the immensity of the task that he had set up for himself. Unabated, he hired help to compose text with movable types, purchased materials, and began to print pages. Several dozen Gutenberg Bibles have survived the passage of time and can be admired today in museums around the world.

Gutenberg's ability to acknowledge individual problems enabled him to create a book production system that changed the course of History. He combined existing technologies into a creative solution to a problem that few people had perceived as acute. The printing press drove down book prices and spread literacy to a larger segment of the population.

Are you also able to transform problems into opportunities? When a product or service seems overpriced, do you try to identify the reason? Do you make the effort to analyse disruptions? When you experience irritation, can you name the critical elements involved?

Johannes Gutenberg's career offers us a vivid example of an essential entrepreneurial trait: the ability to isolate difficulties and reduce them to manageable size. Once Gutenberg named a problem, he devised a solution, achieved stability in that area, and moved to the next challenge.

Individuals who try to accomplish too much at the same time frequently feel overwhelmed. Unless you achieve success in some area, you will grow dispirited and might even decide to quit your endeavours altogether. Instead, acquire the good habit of making a list of pressing difficulties.

Name your problems, assess their relative importance, and establish priorities. Deal only with the most critical issues until you have achieved a tolerable level of stability. Once you have improved a specific aspect, move to the next and build it from there.

JOHN VESPASIAN writes about rational living and is the author of the books "When everything fails, try this" and "Rationality is the way to happiness." He has resided in New York, Madrid, Paris and Munich. His stories reflect the values of entrepreneurship, tolerance and self-reliance. See http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com a blog about rational living.

The forgotten charms of realism

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"Men should avoid the distractions of pretence and delusion," wrote German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer in the year 1842. "Impossible expectations disconnected from reality always result in disappointment and sorrow."

Learning to see the truth is seldom easy and never without cost, but a sharp vision of the world and a clear mind bring man unlimited rewards. Conformity is a bank from which you can borrow short-term convenience after you have secured repayment by means of a mortgage on your soul.

By willingly ignoring facts, we often place ourselves in a fog of ignorance, increasing our likelihood of making expensive mistakes and creating dangerous inconsistencies in our actions. Consider these five examples:

1.- UNHEALTHY FOOD: Despite being aware of long-term negative effects of some foods, we keep on consuming them in the illusion that, somehow, we alone will be immune to the consequences.

2.- DECAYING WORK ENVIRONMENT: We close our eyes to signs of decline in the company we work for, often for years, in order to avoid the nuisance of searching alternative employment or the risk of starting our own business.

3.- WRONG RELATIONSHIPS: We ignore major character flaws and attribute non-existent virtues to someone we find sexually attractive in order to justify an unsustainable choice.

4.- UNRELIABLE FRIENDS: We avoid confronting breach of trust to avoid rocking the boat, preferring to hang around people who do not deserve our friendship instead of making the effort to seek further.

5.- UNSOUND INVESTMENTS: We trust prodigious assurances of reckless money-managers and place our savings at great risk without giving it another thought.

Everybody makes mistakes and, when it comes to learning, there is no substitute for experience. However, if we wish to minimize errors, few habits are as effective as standing still from time to time, questioning aspects that look too good to be true, and checking the consistency of our logic.

"Only an unclouded vision of reality allows man to perceive truth," observed Schopenhauer. "Decisions based on facts render individuals self-supporting, which is the key to happiness." History shows that prejudice and conformity block progress more frequently than ignorance.

All too often, we forget to which extent the acquisition of knowledge is dependent on moral courage. Let us restate at every opportunity our right to discard facts that don't match. Only by allowing reason to thrive will we keep civilization alive.

JOHN VESPASIAN writes about rational living and is the author of the books "When everything fails, try this" and "Rationality is the way to happiness." He has resided in New York, Madrid, Paris and Munich. His stories reflect the values of entrepreneurship, tolerance and self-reliance. See http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com a blog about rational living.

What few bloggers will tell you

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The first time that you try to install a new computer and it does not work, you tend to believe that you have made a mistake. You read the instructions again and, if it fails a second time, doubt begins to creep in. Is this just an installation problem? After a third unsuccessful attempt, you conclude that there is something seriously wrong with the hardware.

When it comes to blogging, experience follows a similar pattern. If you read books or articles on the subject, you will soon learn about the "principles of successful blogging." Those precepts have been put together by top-ranking bloggers who wish to tell the rest of us what we should and shouldn't do.

Let me save you hours of your precious time. Allow me to tell you the truth and spare you some disappointments. Reality can be hard, but it is still the best learning tool we have. This is the summary of the little knowledge that I have acquired through my own experience in blogging:

1.- NOBODY KNOWS ENOUGH. Few bloggers have been around for long. Can anyone provide insight into what millions of people around the world want to read everyday? Forget about so-called rules and write the sort of content that you love to read yourself. The world is big. There are people like you out there. Let them find you.

2.- IMITATION DOES NOT WORK. Look at the blogs of so-called experts. Do you really like their content? Would you feel proud if that was your own blog? Discard plans of becoming anyone other than yourself. You are an individual. You are special. Write about what you like. Tell your own stories.

3.- THIS IS A WHOLE NEW GAME. If the rules of successful blogging are well established, why are traditional media unable to conquer the field? How come that they have achieved so poor results? Ask yourself why no traditional writer has become a major blogger. If you read blogs, you already know the answer to these questions. Blogging is still unexplored territory. It is a world of total access and total privacy that has little to do with the past.

4.- BLOGGING IS SHOW BUSINESS. It is a show that takes place on the fringe of reality. It is a business that is still searching for successful patterns. You can enter the field for free and you can be ousted by silence. This is the only form of global entertainment that happens in real time and generates immediate response. It is extreme show business where stars fall quick and hard. If you possess an entrepreneurial spirit, you will find blogging irresistible.

Don't tell yourself that you have misunderstood the rules, since there are hardly any. Don't fear being criticized for doing things your own way, since there are no loyalties you can betray. Blogging is the new land of freedom and tolerance. Bring along the best you have, show others what you can, and become the leader of your own clan.

JOHN VESPASIAN writes about rational living and is the author of the books "When everything fails, try this" and "Rationality is the way to happiness." He has resided in New York, Madrid, Paris and Munich. His stories reflect the values of entrepreneurship, tolerance and self-reliance. See http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com a blog about rational living.

What we can learn from Bonobo monkeys

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Research published in 2005 confirmed close similarities between the human genetic structure and that of Bonobo monkeys. Many differences exist between the two species, but pure statistical comparison reveals a 98% commonality in DNA sequences.

Ongoing experiments in the United States of America have shown the Bonobos' capacity to memorize words and use primitive tools. Tests show that, with sustained training, these animals can equal the linguistic abilities of a two-year-old human child.

Interesting as this research may be, the question is whether we can learn something from Bonobo monkeys. Ape enthusiasts have pointed out how peaceful these animals are, but facts contradict this conclusion: Bonobos are known to behave violently on some occasions. Their society cannot be portrayed as free of aggression.

Those who promote vegetarianism amongst humans by pointing at the Bonobos' diet also lack scientific evidence. Observation in their natural habitat has shown these apes eating not only fruit, but also smaller animals such as flying squirrels.

Are there any characteristics of Bonobo monkeys worth reflecting upon? Human beings possess infinitely more intelligence than apes, but are we necessarily happier? If our thinking impairs our primitive instincts, does this always happen to our advantage?

Naturalists are making great efforts to save Bonobos from extinction. At the turn of the 21st century, only a few thousand of these apes continue to live in their natural habitat in Central Africa. Hunting by man and deforestation, which diminishes their food supply, represent the greatest threats to their survival.

From what we know about Bonobo monkeys, four elements catch our attention: they possess modest skills to allocate resources, some marks of individuality, a tendency to avoid unnecessary effort, and a limited ability to adopt self-protection measures. Let us review these four ideas in detail.

[1] Allocation of resources: Bonobo monkeys, like all animals, do not move always at the same speed. What makes these apes remarkable is that they are able to walk upright on two feet for extended distances. Scientists estimate that Bonobo monkeys walk approximately ¼ of the time in upright posture.

We do not know yet what makes them walk sometimes upright and otherwise on all fours. The logical conclusion might be that, to a certain extent, Bonobos are able to allocate their physical resources to match the situation.

Similarly, observers in Central Africa have noted how Bonobo monkeys split in groups to look for food more efficiently. The drive to optimize resource allocation, which is intense in human beings, seems to be a characteristic that we share with Bonobos.

[2] Marks of individuality: the facial features of each Bonobo are highly differentiated, as it is the case in humans. Each monkey is unique and can be distinguished from other members of the species. On the other hand, research fails to show evidence of personality in apes to an extent that could be compared with complex human traits.

The individuality of Bonobos is linked to their particular family and group. Incestuous relationships do not take place and intruders from other groups are rejected. For humans, our uniqueness encompasses psychological aspects, convictions, and personal interests. In both cases, human and ape, attempts to ignore individual traits generate distress.

[3] Avoiding unnecessary effort: Bonobos eat mostly plants and fruits available in the area they inhabit in Central Africa. Hunting, which demands much more effort than foraging, plays an exceptional role. When these apes go after smaller animals, they focus on preys that can be easily caught and quickly eaten up.

Bonobo monkeys hunt above all flying squirrels and small forest antelopes. Preys are eaten up immediately after caught. Such violent behaviour is relatively uncommon for these apes, since they can obtain proteins more easily by eating haumania, a plant that grows in Central Africa.

In humans, the tendency to spare unnecessary effort seems to be linked to individual motivation. Long-term productivity gains demand levels of thoughtfulness, patience, and personal involvement that not every person is willing to contribute. However, the general inclination to avoid waste is present in all men.

[4] Adoption of measures that further self-protection: Bonobo monkeys build nests in trees where they retire to sleep at night. In their natural environment in Central Africa, this protective measure proves highly effective against predators. In addition, Bonobos protect their territory against intruders from other groups. These apes tend to react to problems by acquiring stable habits that consolidate improvements.

Experiments in the United States aimed at teaching Bonobos to recognize words show that their learning takes place in stages. After they memorize a series of sounds or signs, the knowledge is consolidated before further symbols can be taught. Human beings learn in a similar way, for instance foreign languages, although at an incalculably higher speed.

Bonobo monkeys share the above four characteristics with humans, but their performance is lower in all areas. Improvements in Bonobos' cognitive skills take place only in controlled experiments. Left on their own, these apes show little ability to develop or acquire new knowledge.

What we can learn from Bonobo monkeys is that their desire to profit from the environment with minimum effort seems to be innate. Bonobos possess marks of individuality, try to avoid unnecessary labour and are able, to a modest extent, to adopt self-protection measures.

Like humans, these apes react to problems by searching solutions that provide tolerable levels of stability. The inclination towards increasing efficiency is present in Bonobos only to the extent of their limited intellect. In man, who is endowed with endless capabilities for improvement, this tendency is irrepressible.

JOHN VESPASIAN writes about rational living and is the author of the books "When everything fails, try this" and "Rationality is the way to happiness." He has resided in New York, Madrid, Paris and Munich. His stories reflect the values of entrepreneurship, tolerance and self-reliance. See http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com a blog about rational living.