@sanros: Interesting comment. I like your "egocentric periods" theory. Losing fat is kind of an egocentric sort of thing. Being kind and thoughtful is more of a social thing. Maybe the latter is contagious only when the group has a sufficient number of kind and thoughtful people to sort of tip the balance of a group dynamic. Sounds like you've been outnumbered in your settings.
Ok...so I tried a variation on this theory (not knowing the theory existed of course), welcoming young adults into my home, feeding them, blessing them and serving them, believing that if I modelled a life of giving without expecting anything in return, that they would, eventually begin to do the same (actually, not sure...is this the same concept? You were always smarter than I was in school Peter, so I might be on the wrong trail altogether). The result? They became more selfish, less grateful, less helpful - they did dishes less, left more for us to do, complained more about what we did that they didn't like. Now perhaps I'm just dealing with that 3rd egocentric period of life (my theory: egocentricity goes with 3 periods of life, maybe 4 - with 2 year olds, with puberty, with young adulthood...also, perhaps with men in their 30's-40's). Do I maybe need to wait until year goes by to see whether or not their egocentricity passes and they begin to "get" what they saw us doing? Hm-m-m....thoughts?
I don't know if I buy the theory. The people I enjoy hanging out with are compassionate, giving and caring, whether they are fat or not. Having said that, most of the people close to me are thin because of my interest in health.
Good luck with the Ogbono anne! Yeah, I think we all have experience with this contagion phenomenon. One obvious circumstance was the backpacking trips that I would take with my my wife cathy, sister drLove, brother-in-law LastDFer, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law. We took three of these 5-day trips before our daughter was born. The first two days of the trip, out of the six of us, two would be euphoric, two would be grumpy, and the other two would be sort of on the fence. But by Day 3, everybody would be euphoric, and by the end of the trip, we'd all be making plans for the next one. What happened there? I've long suspecting social contagion, and that happiness trumps sadness when trapped in a closed system. This article just seems to validate what we've long suspected.
Peter, I read that NYT article and found it fascinating. I love the thought of good things like happiness and good health reaching even to friends of friends, and have found it true for myself. I meet with one of my best friends for a pottery class once a week. After the class we usually just sit in our car for an hour or two telling stories and laughing until we cry. Even though I'm a bit tired the next day, that happiness and good humor stays with me for several days and I see it spread to my husband and children. (Of course there are also stories about stress and negativity spreading but those are all too common to share.)
In terms of health, coincidentally I started my second round of Ogbono this morning just before reading your post. I'm hoping to make it through the whole batch this time around and experience the great results you have. Congratulations on your good health, and thank you for sharing your discoveries with us!
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@sanros: Interesting comment. I like your "egocentric periods" theory. Losing fat is kind of an egocentric sort of thing. Being kind and thoughtful is more of a social thing. Maybe the latter is contagious only when the group has a sufficient number of kind and thoughtful people to sort of tip the balance of a group dynamic. Sounds like you've been outnumbered in your settings.
Ok...so I tried a variation on this theory (not knowing the theory existed of course), welcoming young adults into my home, feeding them, blessing them and serving them, believing that if I modelled a life of giving without expecting anything in return, that they would, eventually begin to do the same (actually, not sure...is this the same concept? You were always smarter than I was in school Peter, so I might be on the wrong trail altogether). The result? They became more selfish, less grateful, less helpful - they did dishes less, left more for us to do, complained more about what we did that they didn't like. Now perhaps I'm just dealing with that 3rd egocentric period of life (my theory: egocentricity goes with 3 periods of life, maybe 4 - with 2 year olds, with puberty, with young adulthood...also, perhaps with men in their 30's-40's). Do I maybe need to wait until year goes by to see whether or not their egocentricity passes and they begin to "get" what they saw us doing? Hm-m-m....thoughts?
I don't know if I buy the theory. The people I enjoy hanging out with are compassionate, giving and caring, whether they are fat or not. Having said that, most of the people close to me are thin because of my interest in health.
Good luck with the Ogbono anne! Yeah, I think we all have experience with this contagion phenomenon. One obvious circumstance was the backpacking trips that I would take with my my wife cathy, sister drLove, brother-in-law LastDFer, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law. We took three of these 5-day trips before our daughter was born. The first two days of the trip, out of the six of us, two would be euphoric, two would be grumpy, and the other two would be sort of on the fence. But by Day 3, everybody would be euphoric, and by the end of the trip, we'd all be making plans for the next one. What happened there? I've long suspecting social contagion, and that happiness trumps sadness when trapped in a closed system. This article just seems to validate what we've long suspected.
Peter, I read that NYT article and found it fascinating. I love the thought of good things like happiness and good health reaching even to friends of friends, and have found it true for myself. I meet with one of my best friends for a pottery class once a week. After the class we usually just sit in our car for an hour or two telling stories and laughing until we cry. Even though I'm a bit tired the next day, that happiness and good humor stays with me for several days and I see it spread to my husband and children. (Of course there are also stories about stress and negativity spreading but those are all too common to share.) In terms of health, coincidentally I started my second round of Ogbono this morning just before reading your post. I'm hoping to make it through the whole batch this time around and experience the great results you have. Congratulations on your good health, and thank you for sharing your discoveries with us!