consciouslifenews--2020-10-18--New Study Shows 50% Coral Decline on Great Barrier Reef

A new study published Tuesday found that half of the coral in Australia 's Great Barrier Reef have been killed off over the past three decades as ocean temperatures rise due to human-caused global heating .
“ The only effective way to improve the outcome for coral reefs is global action on greenhouse gases… There is no time to lose.
” —Terry Hughes , study co-author The study , conducted by the ARC Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies in Townsville , Queensland , shows that coral populations along the reef have fallen dramatically due to bleaching , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ algae that live symbiotically with coral and provide their food .
“ The decline occurred in both shallow and deeper water , and across virtually all species—but especially in branching and tablet-shaped corals , ” Terry Hughes , a professor at the ARC Center who co-authored the study , wrote .
“ These were the worst affected by record-breaking temperatures that triggered mass bleaching in 2016 and 2017.
” Some areas in the northern half of the 1,400-mile-long reef—the largest such ecosystem on the planet—have seen large coral colonies decline by as much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Over the past five years , the reef has suffered several major bleaching events , and the first half of 2020 saw record-breaking temperatures accelerate bleaching on its southern parts .
“ We expect this decline to continue ” due to global heating caused by human activity , Hughes said .
“ The only effective way to improve the outcome for coral reefs is global action on greenhouse gases .
If global temperatures rise to three or four [ degrees Celsius ] , the reef will be unrecognizable , so there is @ @ @ @ @ @

By Brett Wilkins | Common Dreams
A new study published Tuesday found that half of the coral in Australia's Great Barrier Reef have been killed off over the past three decades as ocean temperatures rise due to human-caused global heating.
“The only effective way to improve the outcome for coral reefs is global action on greenhouse gases… There is no time to lose.”
—Terry Hughes, study co-author
The study, conducted by the ARC Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies in Townsville, Queensland, shows that coral populations along the reef have fallen dramatically due to bleaching, which is caused by the death of the algae that live symbiotically with coral and provide their food.
“The decline occurred in both shallow and deeper water, and across virtually all species—but especially in branching and tablet-shaped corals,” Terry Hughes, a professor at the ARC Center who co-authored the study, wrote. “These were the worst affected by record-breaking temperatures that triggered mass bleaching in 2016 and 2017.”
Some areas in the northern half of the 1,400-mile-long reef—the largest such ecosystem on the planet—have seen large coral colonies decline by as much as 98%, the study found. Over the past five years, the reef has suffered several major bleaching events, and the first half of 2020 saw record-breaking temperatures accelerate bleaching on its southern parts.
“We expect this decline to continue” due to global heating caused by human activity, Hughes said. “The only effective way to improve the outcome for coral reefs is global action on greenhouse gases. If global temperatures rise to three or four [degrees Celsius], the reef will be unrecognizable, so there is no time to lose.”
Corals on the #GreatBarrierReef have more than halved in just the last 25 years. Bleaching events are becoming more and more common as a result of rising sea temperatures. Urgent #ClimateAction is needed or all #CoralReefs will be lost. #FishForwardEU https://t.co/eJ689i6fzL pic.twitter.com/OOZInxcLKh — Environmental Justice Foundation (@ejfoundation) October 14, 2020


consciouslifenews--2020-10-18--Have You Ever Heard of This Healthy Alternative to Flour?

High fiber in breadfruit helps to feed the gut microbiome ; it may prevent leaky gut syndrome and lower the risk of heart disease Breadfruit flour could reduce exposure to gluten in baked products ; it could also mitigate diabetes and help with food shortages around the world The gluten-free fruit is high in fiber and has a low glycemic index .
The trees produce up to 200 fruits in one year and have been a staple in the tropics for centuries Breadfruit is a funny-sounding name for a fruit that can be dried and ground to flour .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Have you ever heard of breadfruit ?
It 's a rather strange name for a piece of fruit that sounds like it may smell or taste like bread .
Instead , breadfruit is grown in tropical regions of the world and , like jackfruit , is a member of the mulberry family.1 Breadfruit trees were originally found in Polynesia .
People use the fruit to bake , broil or fry the produce , similar to the way that potatoes are used .
Others dry the flesh and grind it into flour to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trees to Hawaii when anthropologists believe it was colonized 1,000 years before Columbus landed in the Western world .
By the time European explorers came to the Western world in the late 1700s , the Polynesian settlers had established an agricultural system that supported hundreds of thousands of people .
A breadfruit tree thrives in the Caribbean or tropical climate and can grow as tall as 85 feet , producing up to 200 fruits per year .
The fruit is round , oval , or oblong and can grow as big , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skin is neon green and covered in bumps , which hides the firm flesh people cook like potatoes or plantains.2,3 Single breadfruit yields enough fruit to feed a family of four .
When the fruit is ripe , the interior is creamy white or yellow and soft .
While it is a fruit , it 's treated and cooked more like a vegetable .
The texture and taste resemble a potato , a grainy piece of bread , or an artichoke heart , depending on the ripeness of the fruit and how it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bland , it lends itself to culinary creativity .
As breadfruit ripens , it becomes sweeter , but it never approaches the sweetness of papaya or mango .
The British are credited with spreading it outside Polynesia .
Captain James Cook and botanist Sir Joseph Banks discovered breadfruit in Tahiti and believed it could be the answer to Britain 's food challenges of the era .
The first time the trees were exported to the West Indies , the expedition was led by Lieutenant William Bligh from the infamous HMS Bounty .
En @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the lieutenant and members of the crew were cast into a small boat and all breadfruit tree plants were thrown overboard .
After returning to England , Lieutenant Bligh was promoted to Captain and led another expedition to Tahiti in 1791 , during which he successfully brought breadfruit plants to the Caribbean and Jamaica .
Although the plants thrived , the people did n't enjoy the food and ate it only when they had to .
Currently , breadfruit trees are grown in more tropical areas in Africa , Australia , Southeast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can also be found in the U.S. in Hawaii and South Florida .
The fruit , which is packed with nutrients , is a staple in Hawaii .
The flesh of breadfruit is high in antioxidants , calcium , carotenoids , and fiber .
It also contains copper , niacin , magnesium , phosphorus , and protein .
Interestingly , although it 's a fruit , one cup provides 5 % of the RDA for protein , 14 % of magnesium , and 31 % of potassium.4,5 Could Breadfruit Be the Next Superfood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staple for centuries , there has been a distinct lack of scientific evidence demonstrating the health impacts of breadfruit .
In a recent study from the University of British Columbia , scientists analyzed flour made from breadfruit.6,7 The objectives were to identify any health problems associated with breadfruit flour in consideration of it as a sustainable source of nutrition and to establish it as a functional food .
In the lab , using an enzyme digestion model , they found the protein in breadfruit was easier to digest than protein found in wheat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cytotoxicity by applying it to caco-2 cells .
These cell lines are used to analyze drug permeability and they have been used for the past two decades “ as a model of the intestinal barrier , ” according to researchers from Italy.8,9 The researchers found no difference between wheat and breadfruit in terms of cytokines and immune factors .
When breadfruit-based food was substituted for wheat in a diet for mice , they found there was no sign of illness , death , or malnutrition related to the change .
Major bacteria and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mice fed with breadfruit and those fed with wheat products .
The researchers concluded : “ No negative health outcomes were observed in studies with in vitro or in vivo models and breadfruit flour is a healthy alternative to other starches for modern foods.
” 10 The combination of scientific evidence and knowledge that the breadfruit tree is high-producing and easily grown may provide health benefits and address food shortages around the world .
Susan Murch , Ph.D. , is a chemistry professor and one of the researchers on the study .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health The potential exists to substitute wheat flour for breadfruit flour in baked bread and crusts .
While breadfruit flour is gluten-free , wheat products are not .
In years past , only people with wheat allergies and celiac disease sought out gluten-free products .
After adopting a diet free of gluten products , they often reported a resurgence of good health.13 Gluten is a protein found in wheat and cereal grains.14 When these proteins are in contact with water , they form an elastic band that gives bread the ability to hold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found in barley , oats , rye , and spelled and may hide in processed foods under a variety of names , including malts or natural flavoring.15 Some people react negatively to just a small amount of gluten because their body identifies it as a toxin .
When left unchecked , excessive gluten consumption can predispose a person to nutrient deficiencies along with neurological and psychological conditions .
It can have a potentially negative effect on the joints , liver , nervous system , and skin.16 In addition , professionals at the Celiac @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may contribute to the development of “ autoimmune disorders like Type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis ( MS ) , dermatitis herpetiformis ( an itchy skin rash ) , anemia , osteoporosis , infertility and miscarriage … epilepsy and migraines , short stature and intestinal cancers.
” 17 As you might imagine , gluten intolerance can trigger signs of gastrointestinal distress , including bloating , diarrhea , and belly pain .
Beyond this , you might also experience anxiety , confusion , headache , nausea , or joint and muscle pain .
Although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help people who have a wheat allergy or celiac disease , it 's prudent to approach these cautiously .
I believe most processed , packaged gluten-free foods are glorified junk foods because they are some of the most ultra-processed foods in the store .
They lack fiber , are often loaded with toxic amounts of sugar and salt , and include unhealthy fats in their list of ingredients.18 Whether you have a sensitivity to gluten or not , nearly everyone can benefit from eating fewer grains , which are high in net carbs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and baked goods may help reduce your exposure to gluten and the glycemic index of the foods you eat .
Breadfruit is high in fiber , which is far more important than science had thought before .
In fact , just 1 cup contains 43 % of all the fiber you need for the day.19 A low fiber diet can alter your gut flora .
In one study using an animal model , a low fiber diet altered the gut flora , which was also passed on to the offspring.20 In some cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high-fiber meals , the gut was unable to repopulate with certain bacteria that had been severely diminished .
Past studies have confirmed that the human microbiome has changed over the course of history , as has the human diet.21 In general , researchers have found that people who eat more plant-based foods have a more diverse gut microbiome .
The benefits of eating enough fiber include preventing leaky gut syndrome that also triggers anxiety , joint pain , fatigue , and bloating.22 Food Integrity Now explains leaky gut syndrome this way:23 Fiber has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example , researchers have found an inverse relationship between fiber and heart attack , showing those eating a high fiber diet have a 40 % lower risk of heart disease.24 As I 've written before , fiber can delay brain inflammation and aging that negatively influence your function .
In particular , low fiber diets can be harmful to older adults , as they have a lower ability to produce butyrate , a nutrient that helps delay brain aging .
Breadfruit is a sustainable , high production crop that has a low glycemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the growing problem of food shortages around the world .
It ’ s also easy to grow in the right climate .
With winter fast approaching in the Northern Hemisphere , it might be time to think about dramatically reducing your food bill by growing an indoor organic garden .
As the cost of organic produce rises due to demand and problems related to the pandemic , many have taken to starting their own backyard gardens and container gardens .
If you thought fall was the time to hang up your gardening gloves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you can harvest spinach , beets , and carrots well into February .
Many herbs and vegetables can be grown indoors with adequate lighting .
You 'll enjoy the benefits of winter gardening , which include savings on your grocery bill and the assurance that the product you 're harvesting is from organically grown non-GMO seed .
Before diving in , take the time to plan your garden .
Some plants do well with an extended growing season , while others are planted in the fall to overwinter for an early spring harvest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ container gardens indoors .
Gardening is good for your health in other ways , as it 's a simple way to reduce stress and get a little exercise , something each of us needs .

By Dr. Joseph Mercola | mercola.com
High fiber in breadfruit helps to feed the gut microbiome; it may prevent leaky gut syndrome and lower the risk of heart disease
Breadfruit flour could reduce exposure to gluten in baked products; it could also mitigate diabetes and help with food shortages around the world
The gluten-free fruit is high in fiber and has a low glycemic index. The trees produce up to 200 fruits in one year and have been a staple in the tropics for centuries
Breadfruit is a funny-sounding name for a fruit that can be dried and ground to flour. The protein is easier to digest than wheat
Have you ever heard of breadfruit? It's a rather strange name for a piece of fruit that sounds like it may smell or taste like bread. Instead, breadfruit is grown in tropical regions of the world and, like jackfruit, is a member of the mulberry family.1
Breadfruit trees were originally found in Polynesia. People use the fruit to bake, broil or fry the produce, similar to the way that potatoes are used. Others dry the flesh and grind it into flour to make bread and crusts. Polynesians brought the trees to Hawaii when anthropologists believe it was colonized 1,000 years before Columbus landed in the Western world.
By the time European explorers came to the Western world in the late 1700s, the Polynesian settlers had established an agricultural system that supported hundreds of thousands of people.
More About Breadfruit
A breadfruit tree thrives in the Caribbean or tropical climate and can grow as tall as 85 feet, producing up to 200 fruits per year. The fruit is round, oval, or oblong and can grow as big, or bigger than a basketball. The outer skin is neon green and covered in bumps, which hides the firm flesh people cook like potatoes or plantains.2,3
Single breadfruit yields enough fruit to feed a family of four. When the fruit is ripe, the interior is creamy white or yellow and soft. While it is a fruit, it's treated and cooked more like a vegetable. The texture and taste resemble a potato, a grainy piece of bread, or an artichoke heart, depending on the ripeness of the fruit and how it's prepared.
Because the taste is bland, it lends itself to culinary creativity. As breadfruit ripens, it becomes sweeter, but it never approaches the sweetness of papaya or mango. The British are credited with spreading it outside Polynesia.
Captain James Cook and botanist Sir Joseph Banks discovered breadfruit in Tahiti and believed it could be the answer to Britain's food challenges of the era. The first time the trees were exported to the West Indies, the expedition was led by Lieutenant William Bligh from the infamous HMS Bounty.
En route to the West Indies from Tahiti, the lieutenant and members of the crew were cast into a small boat and all breadfruit tree plants were thrown overboard. After returning to England, Lieutenant Bligh was promoted to Captain and led another expedition to Tahiti in 1791, during which he successfully brought breadfruit plants to the Caribbean and Jamaica.
Although the plants thrived, the people didn't enjoy the food and ate it only when they had to. Currently, breadfruit trees are grown in more tropical areas in Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, and South America. Trees can also be found in the U.S. in Hawaii and South Florida.
The fruit, which is packed with nutrients, is a staple in Hawaii. The flesh of breadfruit is high in antioxidants, calcium, carotenoids, and fiber. It also contains copper, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, and protein. Interestingly, although it's a fruit, one cup provides 5% of the RDA for protein, 14% of magnesium, and 31% of potassium.4,5
Could Breadfruit Be the Next Superfood?
Although it has been a traditional staple for centuries, there has been a distinct lack of scientific evidence demonstrating the health impacts of breadfruit. In a recent study from the University of British Columbia, scientists analyzed flour made from breadfruit.6,7 The objectives were to identify any health problems associated with breadfruit flour in consideration of it as a sustainable source of nutrition and to establish it as a functional food.
In the lab, using an enzyme digestion model, they found the protein in breadfruit was easier to digest than protein found in wheat. The digested flour was tested for cytotoxicity by applying it to caco-2 cells. These cell lines are used to analyze drug permeability and they have been used for the past two decades “as a model of the intestinal barrier,” according to researchers from Italy.8,9
The researchers found no difference between wheat and breadfruit in terms of cytokines and immune factors. When breadfruit-based food was substituted for wheat in a diet for mice, they found there was no sign of illness, death, or malnutrition related to the change. Major bacteria and histology of the ileum were similar between the mice fed with breadfruit and those fed with wheat products.
The researchers concluded: “No negative health outcomes were observed in studies with in vitro or in vivo models and breadfruit flour is a healthy alternative to other starches for modern foods.”10
The combination of scientific evidence and knowledge that the breadfruit tree is high-producing and easily grown may provide health benefits and address food shortages around the world. Susan Murch, Ph.D., is a chemistry professor and one of the researchers on the study. She said:11
“Breadfruit is a traditional staple crop from the Pacific islands with the potential to improve worldwide food security and mitigate diabetes. While people have survived on it for thousands of years there was a lack of basic scientific knowledge of the health impacts of a breadfruit-based diet in both humans and animals.”
Doctoral student Ying Liu shared:12
“Overall, these studies support the use of breadfruit as part of a healthy, nutritionally balanced diet. Flour produced from breadfruit is a gluten-free, low glycemic index, nutrient-dense and complete protein option for modern foods.”
The Impact Grains Have on Health
The potential exists to substitute wheat flour for breadfruit flour in baked bread and crusts. While breadfruit flour is gluten-free, wheat products are not. In years past, only people with wheat allergies and celiac disease sought out gluten-free products. After adopting a diet free of gluten products, they often reported a resurgence of good health.13
Gluten is a protein found in wheat and cereal grains.14 When these proteins are in contact with water, they form an elastic band that gives bread the ability to hold its shape. Gluten can also be found in barley, oats, rye, and spelled and may hide in processed foods under a variety of names, including malts or natural flavoring.15
Some people react negatively to just a small amount of gluten because their body identifies it as a toxin. When left unchecked, excessive gluten consumption can predispose a person to nutrient deficiencies along with neurological and psychological conditions. It can have a potentially negative effect on the joints, liver, nervous system, and skin.16
In addition, professionals at the Celiac Disease Foundation believe that undiagnosed celiac disease may contribute to the development of “autoimmune disorders like Type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis (MS), dermatitis herpetiformis (an itchy skin rash), anemia, osteoporosis, infertility and miscarriage … epilepsy and migraines, short stature and intestinal cancers.”17
As you might imagine, gluten intolerance can trigger signs of gastrointestinal distress, including bloating, diarrhea, and belly pain. Beyond this, you might also experience anxiety, confusion, headache, nausea, or joint and muscle pain. Although gluten-free food options may look like they help people who have a wheat allergy or celiac disease, it's prudent to approach these cautiously.
I believe most processed, packaged gluten-free foods are glorified junk foods because they are some of the most ultra-processed foods in the store. They lack fiber, are often loaded with toxic amounts of sugar and salt, and include unhealthy fats in their list of ingredients.18
Whether you have a sensitivity to gluten or not, nearly everyone can benefit from eating fewer grains, which are high in net carbs. The potential for using breadfruit flour and baked goods may help reduce your exposure to gluten and the glycemic index of the foods you eat.
Your Body Needs Fiber
Breadfruit is high in fiber, which is far more important than science had thought before. In fact, just 1 cup contains 43% of all the fiber you need for the day.19 A low fiber diet can alter your gut flora. In one study using an animal model, a low fiber diet altered the gut flora, which was also passed on to the offspring.20
In some cases, even after the mice were fed high-fiber meals, the gut was unable to repopulate with certain bacteria that had been severely diminished. Past studies have confirmed that the human microbiome has changed over the course of history, as has the human diet.21 In general, researchers have found that people who eat more plant-based foods have a more diverse gut microbiome.
The benefits of eating enough fiber include preventing leaky gut syndrome that also triggers anxiety, joint pain, fatigue, and bloating.22 Food Integrity Now explains leaky gut syndrome this way:23
“The wall of the intestine is considered semi-permeable. This means it only allows certain things to enter the bloodstream and blocks other things from entering the bloodstream. For instance, specific molecules and nutrients are allowed to pass through but toxins and large undigested food particles are blocked.
When you have leaky gut, the pores in your small intestine widen and this allows undigested food particles and toxins, that would normally be blocked, to enter your bloodstream. These particles and toxins aren't recognized and the immune system goes into attack mode because they are not supposed to be in the blood. In essence, the immune system literally recognizes these undigested particles as dangerous.”
Fiber has other health benefits as well. For example, researchers have found an inverse relationship between fiber and heart attack, showing those eating a high fiber diet have a 40% lower risk of heart disease.24
As I've written before, fiber can delay brain inflammation and aging that negatively influence your function. In particular, low fiber diets can be harmful to older adults, as they have a lower ability to produce butyrate, a nutrient that helps delay brain aging.
Sustainable Crop May Impact of Global Health
Breadfruit is a sustainable, high production crop that has a low glycemic index and may provide one answer to the growing problem of food shortages around the world. It’s also easy to grow in the right climate. With winter fast approaching in the Northern Hemisphere, it might be time to think about dramatically reducing your food bill by growing an indoor organic garden.
As the cost of organic produce rises due to demand and problems related to the pandemic, many have taken to starting their own backyard gardens and container gardens. If you thought fall was the time to hang up your gardening gloves, you may want to reconsider since you can harvest spinach, beets, and carrots well into February. Many herbs and vegetables can be grown indoors with adequate lighting.
You'll enjoy the benefits of winter gardening, which include savings on your grocery bill and the assurance that the product you're harvesting is from organically grown non-GMO seed. Before diving in, take the time to plan your garden.
Some plants do well with an extended growing season, while others are planted in the fall to overwinter for an early spring harvest. Still, others do best in container gardens indoors. Gardening is good for your health in other ways, as it's a simple way to reduce stress and get a little exercise, something each of us needs.


consciouslifenews--2020-10-18--Eight Questions That Can Help You Survive Election Stress

For Americans facing the COVID-19 lockdown and economic instability through the spring and summer , that became a difficult question to ask—and to answer .
Things were already pretty bad .
And then the presidential election began in earnest .
A new survey from the American Psychological Association finds that this election is a significant source of stress for more than two-thirds of American adults—up from half during the 2016 presidential election .
According to a new report based on three surveys by the nonpartisan organization More in Common , “ About 7 in 10 Americans are worried about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country after election results are announced.
” A lot of us are feeling scared and helpless .
And there ’ s good reason to believe we might look back on the election as a traumatic event .
What can we do to stay resilient in the face of this election ?
One way is to check in with ourselves daily to make sure we ’ re doing the things that sustain our health and well-being while remaining empowered to make a positive impact on the election itself .
To come up with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looked back on our articles about surviving stressful times , and we consulted psychologists affiliated with the Greater Good Science Center .
We hope these questions will help you make it through the election…and beyond .
1 .
What ’ s happening in my body and mind today ?
Sometimes , our feelings sneak up on us , and our bodies can experience emotions before our conscious mind is aware of them .
That ’ s no surprise : The body is a big place , with a lot going on inside of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your inquiry down into even more specific questions , as suggested by UC Berkeley ’ s Dacher Keltner and Colorado State ’ s Michael Steger : • Is the election disrupting my sleep ?
• Is it interfering with my ability to concentrate ?
• Do I feel breathless , or feel any pressure in my chest ?
You can also look to your mind for information : • Is the election bringing back bad memories—for example , of abusive men in your life ?
• Do thoughts of the election intrude or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t ?
• Do you find yourself thinking of the election even when you would rather be thinking about other things ?
Answering these questions for yourself—or perhaps with another person , like your spouse or a good friend—will help you to understand what you ’ re feeling , particularly if those feelings were happening below conscious awareness .
This allows you to name emotions like anger , grief , or anxiety—and naming them is the first step toward feeling more in control of your life .
2 .
If I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to soothe myself ?
When you have named your negative emotions , it ’ s important to not feel bad about having them .
When UC Berkeley researchers studied more than 1,300 adults in a 2017 study , they found “ that people who commonly resist acknowledging their darkest emotions , or judge them harshly , can end up feeling more psychologically stressed.
” In other words , please try to avoid feeling bad about the election .
Instead of pushing down any negative feelings , ask what you can do to soothe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ techniques for calming yourself down when everything feels like too much : • Breathing .
Deep belly breathing activates the parasympathetic branch of your autonomic nervous system and slows down your reactivity .
Breathing slowly , deeply , can de-escalate a full-blown panic attack in a matter of minutes .
Remembering to breathe throughout the day de-stresses you , and helps you install calm as your real baseline , not stress as the new normal .
• Hand on the heart .
Neural cells around the heart activate during stress .
Your warm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down again , often in less than a minute .
Hand on the heart works especially well when you breathe positive thoughts , feelings , images of safety and trust , ease , and goodness into your heart at the same time .
• Meditation .
Sylvia Boorstein ’ s book Don ’ t Just Do Something , Sit There , speaks to our instinctive and socialized tendencies to do , to act ( fight-flight ) .
Following her instructions on compassionate mindfulness meditation is a gentle way to calm the mind and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over time generating a steady inner calm that sustains you over the long haul .
You can also do things like just asking for a hug from someone in your pandemic pod .
“ We are hardwired to be soothed by touch , ” writes Graham .
“ Warm , safe touch is a stress reducer because it primes the brain to release oxytocin , the hormone of safety and trust , of calm and connect .
Oxytocin is the brain ’ s direct and immediate antidote to the stress hormone cortisol.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ touch right now , call a friend—they might be struggling , too .
3 .
Am I getting enough good news ?
We may that by staying abreast of the latest news developments we get a clear-eyed picture of the world .
But there ’ s a problem : The news is overwhelmingly negative .
That ’ s because news sources assume there ’ s more money to be made by featuring alarmist headlines , which keep our eyes on the page ( due to our brain ’ s negativity bias ) by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news stories is detrimental to our health , too .
It keeps us in a constant state of alert , which is damaging to our bodies .
It can also tear at our social fabric , leading to more distrust and negative feelings about other people and communities .
We can also miss a lot of good in the world .
To keep up with what ’ s happening in the world without being overwhelmed by it , we need to be conscientious about counterbalancing negative news with more positive , hopeful news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place to start , as we tend to feature the more positive aspects of human nature ( and how to decrease the negative ) .
But you can also look to places like the Solutions Journalism Network—an organization that encourages in-depth journalism , highlighting not just problems , but the people and programs finding solutions .
4 .
When do I feel about the election ?
Here ’ s another way to counter all the negativity : Michael Steger suggests searching for evidence in the news , or in the world around you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When do you find yourself tearing up , or smiling ?
Who is working for goals that you think are important , who seems to be effective and successful ?
Where are the solutions ?
Perhaps you heard a speech that inspired you—or maybe you read about a court decision that makes you breathe a sigh of relief .
It could be that a candidate ’ s platform gives you hope , but hope could also come in a gracious moment when you see a candidate do or say the right thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then let yourself feel good about it .
You ’ re searching for “ moral elevation ” —that ’ s the warm feeling we get when we witness someone engage in courageous acts .
“ Moral elevation not only boosts our positive emotions , but it also promotes our love for our fellow human and inspires us to be better people , ” says the University of Portland researcher Sarina Saturn .
“ Indeed , making an effort to experience more moral elevation will restore our faith in humanity and encourage us to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is also contagious .
In one 2011 study , for example , participants read articles and watched videos depicting acts of common or uncommon kindness—and the results show that hearing about these good deeds made the participants more likely to give away their money .
“ Moral elevation has been shown to promote altruism , ” Saturn says .
“ So , make an effort to shine some light on some of the wonderful things the human condition is capable of doing.
” 5 .
What am I grateful for today ?
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the times .
With so much negative stuff going on , why focus on what we ’ re grateful for ?
But , as gratitude researcher Robert Emmons writes , “ In the face of demoralization , gratitude has the power to energize .
In the face of brokenness , gratitude has the power to heal .
In the face of despair , gratitude has the power to bring hope.
” Focusing on what we ’ re thankful for helps us be more resilient when times are tough .
If we turn toward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it lessens our anxiety and depression , so we can stay calmer in the face of uncertainty .
And it can keep us from burning out .
Gratitude is also a premier social emotion that binds us to other people , strengthening our relationships .
Cultivating it in ourselves inspires us to help others in need , even when giving help is costly to us—something we could use in these difficult times when we need to come together .
So , what can you be grateful for ?
Besides the everyday things—like family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ table , or a beautiful sunset—we can be grateful for living in a democracy where we get a vote .
You might be thankful for the many activists who secured suffrage for women and African Americans .
In the present , you might find gratitude for the groups now marching in the streets , calling attention to social and environmental wrongs and demanding change .
6 .
How can I connect with other people ?
Yes , this election is stressful—and stress can trigger the fight-or-flight reaction .
It ’ s natural to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply want to run away , but there ’ s more to stress than this simple dichotomy .
Researchers Laura Cousino Klein and Shelley Taylor have identified another kind of response to stressful events : tend-and-befriend when people can become more trusting , generous , and willing to risk their own well-being to protect others .
Why would stress lead to caring ?
As Kelly McGonigal writes in : In facing this year ’ s election—and the barriers imposed by COVID-19—don ’ t let your stress cut you off from others .
Allison @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Institute , suggests aiming to move “ from self-care to community care.
” In other words , yes , take care of yourself first , but when you feel strong enough , reach out to those in need—and ask , “ What is one small , tangible thing you can do to help someone feel better today ?
” 7 .
In light of this election , what are some new ways I can use my special skills or talents to make a difference in the broader world ?
When UC Claremont ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ youth during the 2016 election , they found that the election actually inspired purpose .
“ People saw problems in the broader world and they were inspired to take action , ” she says .
This might help explain the surge in political activism we ’ ve seen during the past four years , from the student-led movement for greater gun safety to Black Lives Matter protests .
Jim Emerman of Encore.org , an organization that helps seniors find new purpose in life , suggests asking three questions to help you find your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are you good at ?
• What have you done that gave you a skill that can be used for a cause ?
• What do you care about in your community ?
Purpose—the drive to make a difference in the world—is intimately related to meaning—a sense that what ’ s happening to you , and around you , matters in some way .
While the ultimate outcome of the election will change its meaning , we won ’ t stop trying to make sense of what happened .
When Michael Steger studied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election and the 2018 midterm elections , he found that their sense of meaning did decline if their candidate lost—but then seemed to rebound within a week .
There ’ s meaning in a loss—and purpose , too if you can find a way to put your talents to work in making a difference just one election .
8 .
What future would I like to see—and what steps am I taking today to make that future happen ?
GGSC Senior Fellow Christine Carter suggests thinking now about how you ’ re going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the long run : What healthy habit are you nurturing now that will be with you after the election ?
What do you have in your life right now because of this tumultuous time that you hope to still have in your life later ?
Those might seem like hard questions to ask yourself , and it might seem even harder , right now , to think of our collective well-being in the future .
But , when we look to the future—a process scientists call “ prospection ” —the present moment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might be hard right now to think beyond November 3 , it ’ s worth trying .
Numerous studies show that envisioning a positive future makes it more likely to come to pass—and prospection can make us more resilient in the present .
But how ?
In Greater Good ’ s Purpose Challenge , designed by Bronk and her team , high school seniors were asked to think about the world around them and visualize what they would change if they had a magic wand .
Afterward , the researchers asked the students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toward that ideal .
What would you change , if you had a magic wand ?
Perhaps you wish people would just be kinder to each other .
Or maybe you think wealthy people should have less power in government—and poor people should have more .
If economic and social disparities between white people and everyone else enrage you , then a future of racial equality is what you want most .
If you ’ ve spent the past four years remembering the current president ’ s misogynistic comments about women , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four years working for gender equality .
A positive future depends on many different people working for many different goals for the betterment of humankind .
We don ’ t have a magic wand—and we don ’ t know what will happen on November 3 .
But we do know that there will be a November 4 , and we know that we are all going to have to get out of bed and do what we can to make the world a better place , no matter who is in the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but we ’ re not .
We can vote , we can donate money and march—and we can help the people whose lives we touch .
And , maybe , four years from now , when we ask a neighbor or a coworker or a friend how they ’ re doing , they ’ ll be able to say , “ Great !
” Tags : `` featured , 2020 Election Process , 2020 U.S. presidential elections , election process , election stress , featured , how to survive election stress , presidential @ @ @ @

By Jeremy Adam Smith, Jill Suttie | Greater Good Magazine
For Americans facing the COVID-19 lockdown and economic instability through the spring and summer, that became a difficult question to ask—and to answer. Things were already pretty bad. And then the presidential election began in earnest.
A new survey from the American Psychological Association finds that this election is a significant source of stress for more than two-thirds of American adults—up from half during the 2016 presidential election. According to a new report based on three surveys by the nonpartisan organization More in Common, “About 7 in 10 Americans are worried about the risk of widespread violence breaking out across the country after election results are announced.”
A lot of us are feeling scared and helpless. And there’s good reason to believe we might look back on the election as a traumatic event.
What can we do to stay resilient in the face of this election? One way is to check in with ourselves daily to make sure we’re doing the things that sustain our health and well-being while remaining empowered to make a positive impact on the election itself. To come up with reflective questions to ask yourself, we looked back on our articles about surviving stressful times, and we consulted psychologists affiliated with the Greater Good Science Center.
We hope these questions will help you make it through the election…and beyond.
1. What’s happening in my body and mind today?
Sometimes, our feelings sneak up on us, and our bodies can experience emotions before our conscious mind is aware of them. That’s no surprise: The body is a big place, with a lot going on inside of it. So, you might break your inquiry down into even more specific questions, as suggested by UC Berkeley’s Dacher Keltner and Colorado State’s Michael Steger:
Is the election disrupting my sleep?
Is it interfering with my ability to concentrate?
Do I feel breathless, or feel any pressure in my chest?
You can also look to your mind for information:
Is the election bringing back bad memories—for example, of abusive men in your life?
Do thoughts of the election intrude or arise when you wish they wouldn’t?
Do you find yourself thinking of the election even when you would rather be thinking about other things?
Answering these questions for yourself—or perhaps with another person, like your spouse or a good friend—will help you to understand what you’re feeling, particularly if those feelings were happening below conscious awareness. This allows you to name emotions like anger, grief, or anxiety—and naming them is the first step toward feeling more in control of your life.
2. If I’m feeling distressed, what can I do to soothe myself?
When you have named your negative emotions, it’s important to not feel bad about having them. When UC Berkeley researchers studied more than 1,300 adults in a 2017 study, they found “that people who commonly resist acknowledging their darkest emotions, or judge them harshly, can end up feeling more psychologically stressed.”
In other words, please try to avoid feeling bad about the election. Instead of pushing down any negative feelings, ask what you can do to soothe yourself. Therapist Linda Graham suggests these techniques for calming yourself down when everything feels like too much:
Breathing. Deep belly breathing activates the parasympathetic branch of your autonomic nervous system and slows down your reactivity. Breathing slowly, deeply, can de-escalate a full-blown panic attack in a matter of minutes. Remembering to breathe throughout the day de-stresses you, and helps you install calm as your real baseline, not stress as the new normal.
Deep belly breathing activates the parasympathetic branch of your autonomic nervous system and slows down your reactivity. Breathing slowly, deeply, can de-escalate a full-blown panic attack in a matter of minutes. Remembering to breathe throughout the day de-stresses you, and helps you install calm as your real baseline, not stress as the new normal. Hand on the heart. Neural cells around the heart activate during stress. Your warm hand on your heart calms those neurons down again, often in less than a minute. Hand on the heart works especially well when you breathe positive thoughts, feelings, images of safety and trust, ease, and goodness into your heart at the same time.
Neural cells around the heart activate during stress. Your warm hand on your heart calms those neurons down again, often in less than a minute. Hand on the heart works especially well when you breathe positive thoughts, feelings, images of safety and trust, ease, and goodness into your heart at the same time. Meditation. Sylvia Boorstein’s book Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There, speaks to our instinctive and socialized tendencies to do, to act (fight-flight). Following her instructions on compassionate mindfulness meditation is a gentle way to calm the mind and body and let things simply be, over time generating a steady inner calm that sustains you over the long haul.
You can also do things like just asking for a hug from someone in your pandemic pod. “We are hardwired to be soothed by touch,” writes Graham. “Warm, safe touch is a stress reducer because it primes the brain to release oxytocin, the hormone of safety and trust, of calm and connect. Oxytocin is the brain’s direct and immediate antidote to the stress hormone cortisol.” If there is no one you can touch right now, call a friend—they might be struggling, too.
3. Am I getting enough good news?
We may think that by staying abreast of the latest news developments we get a clear-eyed picture of the world. But there’s a problem: The news is overwhelmingly negative. That’s because news sources assume there’s more money to be made by featuring alarmist headlines, which keep our eyes on the page (due to our brain’s negativity bias) by hijacking our attention.
Repeatedly consuming negative news stories is detrimental to our health, too. It keeps us in a constant state of alert, which is damaging to our bodies. It can also tear at our social fabric, leading to more distrust and negative feelings about other people and communities. We can also miss a lot of good in the world.
To keep up with what’s happening in the world without being overwhelmed by it, we need to be conscientious about counterbalancing negative news with more positive, hopeful news.
Of course, Greater Good is a good place to start, as we tend to feature the more positive aspects of human nature (and how to decrease the negative). But you can also look to places like the Solutions Journalism Network—an organization that encourages in-depth journalism, highlighting not just problems, but the people and programs finding solutions.
4. When do I feel good about the election?
Here’s another way to counter all the negativity: Michael Steger suggests searching for evidence in the news, or in the world around you, that there are still good people. When do you find yourself tearing up, or smiling? Who is working for goals that you think are important, who seems to be effective and successful? Where are the solutions? Perhaps you heard a speech that inspired you—or maybe you read about a court decision that makes you breathe a sigh of relief. It could be that a candidate’s platform gives you hope, but hope could also come in a gracious moment when you see a candidate do or say the right thing.
When you find good news, then let yourself feel good about it. You’re searching for “moral elevation”—that’s the warm feeling we get when we witness someone engage in courageous acts.
“Moral elevation not only boosts our positive emotions, but it also promotes our love for our fellow human and inspires us to be better people,” says the University of Portland researcher Sarina Saturn. “Indeed, making an effort to experience more moral elevation will restore our faith in humanity and encourage us to help other people.”
The moral elevation is also contagious. In one 2011 study, for example, participants read articles and watched videos depicting acts of common or uncommon kindness—and the results show that hearing about these good deeds made the participants more likely to give away their money.
“Moral elevation has been shown to promote altruism,” Saturn says. “So, make an effort to shine some light on some of the wonderful things the human condition is capable of doing.”
5. What am I grateful for today?
This may seem like the wrong question for the times. With so much negative stuff going on, why focus on what we’re grateful for?
But, as gratitude researcher Robert Emmons writes, “In the face of demoralization, gratitude has the power to energize. In the face of brokenness, gratitude has the power to heal. In the face of despair, gratitude has the power to bring hope.”
Focusing on what we’re thankful for helps us be more resilient when times are tough. If we turn toward appreciating the good in our lives, it lessens our anxiety and depression, so we can stay calmer in the face of uncertainty. And it can keep us from burning out.
Gratitude is also a premier social emotion that binds us to other people, strengthening our relationships. Cultivating it in ourselves inspires us to help others in need, even when giving help is costly to us—something we could use in these difficult times when we need to come together.
So, what can you be grateful for? Besides the everyday things—like family, health, the food on our table, or a beautiful sunset—we can be grateful for living in a democracy where we get a vote. You might be thankful for the many activists who secured suffrage for women and African Americans. In the present, you might find gratitude for the groups now marching in the streets, calling attention to social and environmental wrongs and demanding change.
6. How can I connect with other people?
Yes, this election is stressful—and stress can trigger the fight-or-flight reaction. It’s natural to feel angry or defensive, or to simply want to run away, but there’s more to stress than this simple dichotomy.
Researchers Laura Cousino Klein and Shelley Taylor have identified another kind of response to stressful events: tend-and-befriend when people can become more trusting, generous, and willing to risk their own well-being to protect others.
Why would stress lead to caring? As Kelly McGonigal writes in Greater Good:
From an evolutionary point of view, we have the tend-and-befriend response in our repertoire first and foremost to make sure we protect our offspring. Think of a mama grizzly protecting her cubs, or a father pulling his son from the wreckage of a burning car. The most important thing they need is the willingness to act even when their own lives are at risk. To make sure we have the courage to protect our loved ones, the tend-and-befriend response must counter our basic survival instinct to avoid harm. We need fearlessness in those moments, along with confidence that our actions can make a difference. If we think there’s nothing we can do, we might give up. And if we are frozen in fear, our loved ones will perish. At its core, the tend-and-befriend response is a biological state engineered to reduce fear and increase hope.
In facing this year’s election—and the barriers imposed by COVID-19—don’t let your stress cut you off from others. Allison Briscoe-Smith, a clinician at the Wright Institute, suggests aiming to move “from self-care to community care.” In other words, yes, take care of yourself first, but when you feel strong enough, reach out to those in need—and ask, “What is one small, tangible thing you can do to help someone feel better today?”
7. In light of this election, what are some new ways I can use my special skills or talents to make a difference in the broader world?
When UC Claremont’s Kendall Bronk and her colleagues studied youth during the 2016 election, they found that the election actually inspired purpose. “People saw problems in the broader world and they were inspired to take action,” she says. This might help explain the surge in political activism we’ve seen during the past four years, from the student-led movement for greater gun safety to Black Lives Matter protests.
Jim Emerman of Encore.org, an organization that helps seniors find new purpose in life, suggests asking three questions to help you find your own sense of purpose:
What are you good at?
What have you done that gave you a skill that can be used for a cause?
What do you care about in your community?
Purpose—the drive to make a difference in the world—is intimately related to meaning—a sense that what’s happening to you, and around you, matters in some way. While the ultimate outcome of the election will change its meaning, we won’t stop trying to make sense of what happened. When Michael Steger studied college students’ experiences from the 2016 election and the 2018 midterm elections, he found that their sense of meaning did decline if their candidate lost—but then seemed to rebound within a week. There’s meaning in a loss—and purpose, too if you can find a way to put your talents to work in making a difference beyond just one election.
8. What future would I like to see—and what steps am I taking today to make that future happen?
GGSC Senior Fellow Christine Carter suggests thinking now about how you’re going to take care of your own well-being over the long run: What healthy habit are you nurturing now that will be with you after the election? What do you have in your life right now because of this tumultuous time that you hope to still have in your life later?
Those might seem like hard questions to ask yourself, and it might seem even harder, right now, to think of our collective well-being in the future. But, when we look to the future—a process scientists call “prospection”—the present moment actually becomes more meaningful. Though it might be hard right now to think beyond November 3, it’s worth trying. Numerous studies show that envisioning a positive future makes it more likely to come to pass—and prospection can make us more resilient in the present.
But how? In Greater Good’s Purpose Challenge, designed by Bronk and her team, high school seniors were asked to think about the world around them and visualize what they would change if they had a magic wand. Afterward, the researchers asked the students to map out steps they could take toward that ideal.
What would you change, if you had a magic wand? Perhaps you wish people would just be kinder to each other. Or maybe you think wealthy people should have less power in government—and poor people should have more. If economic and social disparities between white people and everyone else enrage you, then a future of racial equality is what you want most. If you’ve spent the past four years remembering the current president’s misogynistic comments about women, you might feel driven to spend the next four years working for gender equality. A positive future depends on many different people working for many different goals for the betterment of humankind.
We don’t have a magic wand—and we don’t know what will happen on November 3. But we do know that there will be a November 4, and we know that we are all going to have to get out of bed and do what we can to make the world a better place, no matter who is in the White House. We might feel powerless, but we’re not. We can vote, we can donate money and march—and we can help the people whose lives we touch. And, maybe, four years from now, when we ask a neighbor or a coworker or a friend how they’re doing, they’ll be able to say, “Great!”
About the Authors


consciouslifenews--2020-10-18--Your Horoscope and Astrology Overview for October 19-25, 2020

The above video contains an astrological overview for the week of 19th October 2020 .
To get this week 's video horoscope for your specific zodiac sign , click on the link corresponding to your sign : What a week is in store ?
A perfect storm of planetary energies can cause Covid to reach a new peak and frustration and also rule breaking are both likely to be high .
The lack of clear strategy that has been a problem across many countries in dealing with the crisis is going to come to roost , as bellicose words are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather empty .
With Mercury challenged all week not just by its Retrograde but the erratic and rebellious vibes of Uranus , communications can have a jagged edge for sure .
Finding consensus can also prove difficult as so many people take a very polarised view of situations .
Still as the Sun powers into Scorpio on Thursday and escapes the restrictive vibe of Saturn , we are given a wonderful opportunity to dig deep within ourselves and find solutions to our own response to the crisis .
However the numbers of fatalities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , before a more enlightened and joined up response emerges mid way though November .
For more information on how this will pan or your zodiac sign or to watch your zodiac sign Weekly Video forecast or join me at Free Daily , Weekly and Monthly Horoscopes Conscious Life News Astrologer Patrick Arundell has been a professional Astrologer since 1993 .
Patrick has a real passion for astrology and sees it as a tool which can help any person to gain greater personal awareness , to better guide their life moves .
Patrick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Great Britain and his work appears on websites and in magazines and newspapers , globally .
Enjoy Patrick ’ s forecasts every day on CLN .
Learn more about Patrick http : //www.patrickarundell.com or order one of his Personal Horoscope Reports based on your Time , if known , Date and Place of Birth here https : //www.patrickarundell.com/personal-horoscope-reports/

By Patrick Arundell | PatrickArundell.com
The above video contains an astrological overview for the week of 19th October 2020.
To get this week's video horoscope for your specific zodiac sign, click on the link corresponding to your sign:
What a week is in store? A perfect storm of planetary energies can cause Covid to reach a new peak and frustration and also rule breaking are both likely to be high. The lack of clear strategy that has been a problem across many countries in dealing with the crisis is going to come to roost, as bellicose words are now going to be showed to be rather empty.
With Mercury challenged all week not just by its Retrograde but the erratic and rebellious vibes of Uranus, communications can have a jagged edge for sure. Finding consensus can also prove difficult as so many people take a very polarised view of situations. Still as the Sun powers into Scorpio on Thursday and escapes the restrictive vibe of Saturn, we are given a wonderful opportunity to dig deep within ourselves and find solutions to our own response to the crisis.
However the numbers of fatalities may increase in this next four weeks, before a more enlightened and joined up response emerges mid way though November. For more information on how this will pan or your zodiac sign or to watch your zodiac sign Weekly Video forecast or join me at Free Daily, Weekly and Monthly Horoscopes
Conscious Life News Astrologer Patrick Arundell has been a professional Astrologer since 1993. Patrick has a real passion for astrology and sees it as a tool which can help any person to gain greater personal awareness, to better guide their life moves. Patrick is a member of the Astrological Association of Great Britain and his work appears on websites and in magazines and newspapers, globally. Enjoy Patrick’s forecasts every day on CLN. Learn more about Patrick http://www.patrickarundell.com or order one of his Personal Horoscope Reports based on your Time, if known, Date and Place of Birth here https://www.patrickarundell.com/personal-horoscope-reports/


consciouslifenews--2020-10-19--Do We Live In A Simulation? Chances Are About 50–50

It is not often that a comedian gives an astrophysicist goosebumps when discussing the laws of physics .
But comic Chuck Nice managed to do just that in a recent episode of the podcast .
The show ’ s host Neil deGrasse Tyson had just explained the simulation argument—the idea that we could be virtual beings living in a computer simulation .
If so , the simulation would most likely create perceptions of reality on demand rather than simulate all of the reality all the time—much like a video game optimized to render only the parts of a scene visible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s why we can ’ t travel faster than the speed of light because if we could , we ’ d be able to get to another galaxy , ” said Nice , the show ’ s co-host , prompting Tyson to gleefully interrupt .
“ Before they can program it , ” the astrophysicist said , delighting at the thought .
“ So the programmer put in that limit.
” Such conversations may seem flippant .
But ever since Nick Bostrom of the University of Oxford wrote a seminal paper about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , physicists , technologists , and , yes , comedians have been grappling with the idea of our reality being a simulacrum .
Some have tried to identify ways in which we can discern if we are simulated beings .
Others have attempted to calculate the chance of us being virtual entities .
Now a new analysis shows that the odds that we are living in base reality—meaning an existence that is not simulated—are pretty much even .
But the study also demonstrates that if humans were to ever develop the ability to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overwhelmingly tilt in favor of us , too , being virtual denizens inside someone else ’ s computer .
( A caveat to that conclusion is that there is little agreement about what the term “ consciousness ” means , let alone how one might go about simulating it . )
In 2003 Bostrom imagined a technologically adept civilization that possesses immense computing power and needs a fraction of that power to simulate new realities with conscious beings in them .
Given this scenario , his simulation argument showed that at least one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true : First , humans almost always go extinct before reaching the simulation-savvy stage .
Second , even if humans make it to that stage , they are unlikely to be interested in simulating their own ancestral past .
And third , the probability that we are living in a simulation is close to one .
Before Bostrom , the movie had already done its part to popularize the notion of simulated realities .
And the idea has deep roots in Western and Eastern philosophical traditions , from Plato ’ s cave allegory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
More recently , Elon Musk gave further fuel to the concept that our reality is a simulation : “ The odds that we are in base reality is one in billions , ” he said at a 2016 conference .
“ Musk is right if you assume [ propositions ] one and two of the trilemma are false , ” says astronomer David Kipping of Columbia University .
“ How can you assume that ?
” To get a better handle on Bostrom ’ s simulation argument , Kipping decided to resort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ analysis uses Bayes ’ s theorem , named after Thomas Bayes , an 18th-century English statistician , and minister .
The Bayesian analysis allows one to calculate the odds of something happening ( called the “ posterior ” probability ) by first making assumptions about the thing being analyzed ( assigning it a “ prior ” probability ) .
Kipping began by turning the trilemma into a dilemma .
He collapsed propositions one and two into a single statement because in both cases , the final outcome is that there are no simulations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physical hypothesis ( there are no simulations ) against the simulation hypothesis ( there is a base reality—and there are simulations , too ) .
“ You just assign a prior probability to each of these models , ” Kipping says .
“ We just assume the principle of indifference , which is the default assumption when you don ’ t have any data or leanings either way.
” So each hypothesis gets a prior probability of one half , much as if one were to flip a coin to decide a wager @ @ @ @ @ @ @ required thinking about “ parous ” realities—those that can generate other realities—and “ nulliparous ” realities—those that can not simulate offspring realities .
If the physical hypothesis was true , then the probability that we were living in a nulliparous universe would be easy to calculate : it would be 100 percent .
Kipping then showed that even in the simulation hypothesis , most of the simulated realities would be nulliparous .
That is because as simulations spawn more simulations , the computing resources available to each subsequent generation dwindles to the point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be those that do not have the computing power necessary to simulate offspring realities that are capable of hosting conscious beings .
Plug all these into a Bayesian formula , and out comes the answer : the posterior probability that we are living in base reality is almost the same as the posterior probability that we are a simulation—with the odds tilting in favor of base reality by just a smidgen .
These probabilities would change dramatically if humans created a simulation with conscious beings inside it because such an event would change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the physical hypothesis .
“ You can just exclude that [ hypothesis ] right off the bat .
Then you are only left with the simulation hypothesis , ” Kipping says .
“ The day we invent that technology , it flips the odds from a little bit better than 50–50 that we are real to almost certainly we are not real , according to these calculations .
It ’ d be a very strange celebration of our genius that day.
” The upshot of Kipping ’ s analysis is that , given @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the one-in-billions odds that he ascribes to us living in base reality .
Bostrom agrees with the result—with some caveats .
“ This does not conflict with the simulation argument , which only asserts something about the disjunction , ” the idea that one of the three propositions of the trilemma is true , he says .
But Bostrom takes issue with Kipping ’ s choice to assign equal prior probabilities to the physical and simulation hypothesis at the start of the analysis .
“ The invocation of the principle of indifference here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ One could equally well invoke it over my original three alternatives , which would then give them one-third chance each .
Or one could carve up the possibility of space in some other manner and get any result one wishes.
” Such quibbles are valid because there is no evidence to back one claim over the others .
That situation would change if we can find evidence of a simulation .
So could you detect a glitch in the Matrix ?
Houman Owhadi , an expert on computational mathematics at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the question .
“ If the simulation has infinite computing power , there is no way you ’ re going to see that you ’ re living in virtual reality because it could compute whatever you want to the degree of realism you want , ” he says .
“ If this thing can be detected , you have to start from the principle that [ it has ] limited computational resources.
” Think again of video games , many of which rely on clever programming to minimize the computation required to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the most promising way to look for potential paradoxes created by such computing shortcuts is through quantum physics experiments .
Quantum systems can exist in a superposition of states , and this superposition is described by a mathematical abstraction called the wave function .
In standard quantum mechanics , the act of observation causes this wave function to randomly collapse to one of many possible states .
Physicists are divided over whether the process of collapse is something real or just reflects a change in our knowledge about the system .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there is no collapse , ” Owhadi says .
“ Everything is decided when you look at it .
The rest is just simulation , like when you ’ re playing these video games.
” To this end , Owhadi and his colleagues have worked on five conceptual variations of the double-slit experiment , each designed to trip up a simulation .
But he acknowledges that it is impossible to know , at this stage , if such experiments could work .
“ Those five experiments are just conjectures , ” Owhadi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the University of Maryland , College Park , has also entertained the idea that a simulation with finite computing resources could reveal itself .
Her work focuses on strong interactions , or the strong nuclear force—one of nature ’ s four fundamental forces .
The equations describing strong interactions , which hold together quarks to form protons and neutrons , are so complex that they can not be solved analytically .
To understand strong interactions , physicists are forced to do numerical simulations .
And unlike any putative super civilizations possessing limitless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shortcuts to make those simulations computationally viable—usually by considering spacetime to be discrete rather than continuous .
The most advanced result researchers have managed to coax from this approach so far is the simulation of a single nucleus of helium that is composed of two protons and two neutrons .
“ Naturally , you start to ask , if you simulated an atomic nucleus today , maybe in 10 years , we could do a larger nucleus ; maybe in 20 or 30 years , we could do a molecule , ” Davoudi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who knows , maybe you can do something the size of a few inches of matter .
Maybe in 100 years or so , we can do the [ human ] brain.
” Davoudi thinks that classical computers will soon hit a wall , however .
“ In the next maybe 10 to 20 years , we will actually see the limits of our classical simulations of the physical systems , ” she says .
Thus , she is turning her sights to quantum computation , which relies on superpositions and other quantum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that would be impossible through classical approaches .
“ If quantum computing actually materializes , in the sense that it ’ s a large scale , reliable computing option for us , then we ’ re going to enter a completely different era of simulation , ” Davoudi says .
“ I am starting to think about how to perform my simulations of strong interaction physics and atomic nuclei if I had a quantum computer that was viable.
” All of these factors have led Davoudi to speculate about the simulation hypothesis .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ then the simulator is likely also discretizing spacetime to save on computing resources ( assuming , of course , that it is using the same mechanisms as our physicists for that simulation ) .
Signatures of such discrete spacetime could potentially be seen in the directions high-energy cosmic rays arrive from : they would have a preferred direction in the sky because of the breaking of so-called rotational symmetry .
Telescopes “ haven ’ t observed any deviation from that rotational invariance yet , ” Davoudi says .
And even if such an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would not constitute unequivocal evidence that we live in a simulation .
Base reality itself could have similar properties .
Kipping , despite his own study , worries that further work on the simulation hypothesis is on thin ice .
“ It ’ s arguably not testable as to whether we live in a simulation or not , ” he says .
“ If it ’ s not falsifiable , then how can you claim it ’ s really science ?
” For him , there is a more obvious answer : Occam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the absence of other evidence , the simplest explanation is more likely to be correct .
The simulation hypothesis is elaborate , presuming realities nested upon realities , as well as simulated entities that can never tell that they are inside a simulation .
“ Because it is such an overly complicated , elaborate model in the first place , by Occam ’ s razor , it really should be disfavored , compared to the simple natural explanation , ” Kipping says .
Maybe we are living in base reality after all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notwithstanding .
Video can be accessed at the source link below This article was first published at for the latest in science , health , and technology news .
Tags : `` featured , are we living in a computer simulation , computer simulation , do we live in a simulation , featured , is our reality a simulation , reality computer simulation , the laws of physics

By Anil Ananthaswamy | Nexus Newsfeed
It is not often that a comedian gives an astrophysicist goosebumps when discussing the laws of physics. But comic Chuck Nice managed to do just that in a recent episode of the podcast StarTalk. The show’s host Neil deGrasse Tyson had just explained the simulation argument—the idea that we could be virtual beings living in a computer simulation. If so, the simulation would most likely create perceptions of reality on demand rather than simulate all of the reality all the time—much like a video game optimized to render only the parts of a scene visible to a player. “Maybe that’s why we can’t travel faster than the speed of light because if we could, we’d be able to get to another galaxy,” said Nice, the show’s co-host, prompting Tyson to gleefully interrupt. “Before they can program it,” the astrophysicist said, delighting at the thought. “So the programmer put in that limit.”
Such conversations may seem flippant. But ever since Nick Bostrom of the University of Oxford wrote a seminal paper about the simulation argument in 2003, philosophers, physicists, technologists, and, yes, comedians have been grappling with the idea of our reality being a simulacrum. Some have tried to identify ways in which we can discern if we are simulated beings. Others have attempted to calculate the chance of us being virtual entities. Now a new analysis shows that the odds that we are living in base reality—meaning an existence that is not simulated—are pretty much even. But the study also demonstrates that if humans were to ever develop the ability to simulate conscious beings, the chances would overwhelmingly tilt in favor of us, too, being virtual denizens inside someone else’s computer. (A caveat to that conclusion is that there is little agreement about what the term “consciousness” means, let alone how one might go about simulating it.)
In 2003 Bostrom imagined a technologically adept civilization that possesses immense computing power and needs a fraction of that power to simulate new realities with conscious beings in them. Given this scenario, his simulation argument showed that at least one proposition in the following trilemma must be true: First, humans almost always go extinct before reaching the simulation-savvy stage. Second, even if humans make it to that stage, they are unlikely to be interested in simulating their own ancestral past. And third, the probability that we are living in a simulation is close to one.
Before Bostrom, the movie The Matrix had already done its part to popularize the notion of simulated realities. And the idea has deep roots in Western and Eastern philosophical traditions, from Plato’s cave allegory to Zhuang Zhou’s butterfly dream. More recently, Elon Musk gave further fuel to the concept that our reality is a simulation: “The odds that we are in base reality is one in billions,” he said at a 2016 conference.
“Musk is right if you assume [propositions] one and two of the trilemma are false,” says astronomer David Kipping of Columbia University. “How can you assume that?”
To get a better handle on Bostrom’s simulation argument, Kipping decided to resort to Bayesian reasoning. This type of analysis uses Bayes’s theorem, named after Thomas Bayes, an 18th-century English statistician, and minister. The Bayesian analysis allows one to calculate the odds of something happening (called the “posterior” probability) by first making assumptions about the thing being analyzed (assigning it a “prior” probability).
Kipping began by turning the trilemma into a dilemma. He collapsed propositions one and two into a single statement because in both cases, the final outcome is that there are no simulations. Thus, the dilemma pits a physical hypothesis (there are no simulations) against the simulation hypothesis (there is a base reality—and there are simulations, too). “You just assign a prior probability to each of these models,” Kipping says. “We just assume the principle of indifference, which is the default assumption when you don’t have any data or leanings either way.”
So each hypothesis gets a prior probability of one half, much as if one were to flip a coin to decide a wager.
The next stage of the analysis required thinking about “parous” realities—those that can generate other realities—and “nulliparous” realities—those that cannot simulate offspring realities. If the physical hypothesis was true, then the probability that we were living in a nulliparous universe would be easy to calculate: it would be 100 percent. Kipping then showed that even in the simulation hypothesis, most of the simulated realities would be nulliparous. That is because as simulations spawn more simulations, the computing resources available to each subsequent generation dwindles to the point where the vast majority of realities will be those that do not have the computing power necessary to simulate offspring realities that are capable of hosting conscious beings.
Plug all these into a Bayesian formula, and out comes the answer: the posterior probability that we are living in base reality is almost the same as the posterior probability that we are a simulation—with the odds tilting in favor of base reality by just a smidgen.
These probabilities would change dramatically if humans created a simulation with conscious beings inside it because such an event would change the chances that we previously assigned to the physical hypothesis. “You can just exclude that [hypothesis] right off the bat. Then you are only left with the simulation hypothesis,” Kipping says. “The day we invent that technology, it flips the odds from a little bit better than 50–50 that we are real to almost certainly we are not real, according to these calculations. It’d be a very strange celebration of our genius that day.”
The upshot of Kipping’s analysis is that, given current evidence, Musk is wrong about the one-in-billions odds that he ascribes to us living in base reality. Bostrom agrees with the result—with some caveats. “This does not conflict with the simulation argument, which only asserts something about the disjunction,” the idea that one of the three propositions of the trilemma is true, he says.
But Bostrom takes issue with Kipping’s choice to assign equal prior probabilities to the physical and simulation hypothesis at the start of the analysis. “The invocation of the principle of indifference here is rather shaky,” he says. “One could equally well invoke it over my original three alternatives, which would then give them one-third chance each. Or one could carve up the possibility of space in some other manner and get any result one wishes.”
Such quibbles are valid because there is no evidence to back one claim over the others. That situation would change if we can find evidence of a simulation. So could you detect a glitch in the Matrix?
Houman Owhadi, an expert on computational mathematics at the California Institute of Technology, has thought about the question. “If the simulation has infinite computing power, there is no way you’re going to see that you’re living in virtual reality because it could compute whatever you want to the degree of realism you want,” he says. “If this thing can be detected, you have to start from the principle that [it has] limited computational resources.” Think again of video games, many of which rely on clever programming to minimize the computation required to construct a virtual world.
For Owhadi, the most promising way to look for potential paradoxes created by such computing shortcuts is through quantum physics experiments. Quantum systems can exist in a superposition of states, and this superposition is described by a mathematical abstraction called the wave function. In standard quantum mechanics, the act of observation causes this wave function to randomly collapse to one of many possible states. Physicists are divided over whether the process of collapse is something real or just reflects a change in our knowledge about the system. “If it is just a pure simulation, there is no collapse,” Owhadi says. “Everything is decided when you look at it. The rest is just simulation, like when you’re playing these video games.”
To this end, Owhadi and his colleagues have worked on five conceptual variations of the double-slit experiment, each designed to trip up a simulation. But he acknowledges that it is impossible to know, at this stage, if such experiments could work. “Those five experiments are just conjectures,” Owhadi says.
Zohreh Davoudi, a physicist at the University of Maryland, College Park, has also entertained the idea that a simulation with finite computing resources could reveal itself. Her work focuses on strong interactions, or the strong nuclear force—one of nature’s four fundamental forces. The equations describing strong interactions, which hold together quarks to form protons and neutrons, are so complex that they cannot be solved analytically. To understand strong interactions, physicists are forced to do numerical simulations. And unlike any putative super civilizations possessing limitless computing power, they must rely on shortcuts to make those simulations computationally viable—usually by considering spacetime to be discrete rather than continuous. The most advanced result researchers have managed to coax from this approach so far is the simulation of a single nucleus of helium that is composed of two protons and two neutrons.
“Naturally, you start to ask, if you simulated an atomic nucleus today, maybe in 10 years, we could do a larger nucleus; maybe in 20 or 30 years, we could do a molecule,” Davoudi says. “In 50 years, who knows, maybe you can do something the size of a few inches of matter. Maybe in 100 years or so, we can do the [human] brain.”
Davoudi thinks that classical computers will soon hit a wall, however. “In the next maybe 10 to 20 years, we will actually see the limits of our classical simulations of the physical systems,” she says. Thus, she is turning her sights to quantum computation, which relies on superpositions and other quantum effects to make tractable certain computational problems that would be impossible through classical approaches. “If quantum computing actually materializes, in the sense that it’s a large scale, reliable computing option for us, then we’re going to enter a completely different era of simulation,” Davoudi says. “I am starting to think about how to perform my simulations of strong interaction physics and atomic nuclei if I had a quantum computer that was viable.”
All of these factors have led Davoudi to speculate about the simulation hypothesis. If our reality is a simulation, then the simulator is likely also discretizing spacetime to save on computing resources (assuming, of course, that it is using the same mechanisms as our physicists for that simulation). Signatures of such discrete spacetime could potentially be seen in the directions high-energy cosmic rays arrive from: they would have a preferred direction in the sky because of the breaking of so-called rotational symmetry.
Telescopes “haven’t observed any deviation from that rotational invariance yet,” Davoudi says. And even if such an effect were to be seen, it would not constitute unequivocal evidence that we live in a simulation. Base reality itself could have similar properties.
Kipping, despite his own study, worries that further work on the simulation hypothesis is on thin ice. “It’s arguably not testable as to whether we live in a simulation or not,” he says. “If it’s not falsifiable, then how can you claim it’s really science?”
For him, there is a more obvious answer: Occam’s razor, which says that in the absence of other evidence, the simplest explanation is more likely to be correct. The simulation hypothesis is elaborate, presuming realities nested upon realities, as well as simulated entities that can never tell that they are inside a simulation. “Because it is such an overly complicated, elaborate model in the first place, by Occam’s razor, it really should be disfavored, compared to the simple natural explanation,” Kipping says.
Maybe we are living in base reality after all — The Matrix, Musk, and weird quantum physics notwithstanding.
This article was first published at ScientificAmerican.com. ©ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.
Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs. Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health, and technology news.
By Anil Ananthaswamy


consciouslifenews--2020-10-19--Can Intelligence Be a Curse and Ignorance Bliss?

How ?
When we dismiss our innate wisdom and follow the rule of disconnect , he disconnection of our innate leads to imbalance , trouble , grief , wariness and disease .
Bliss doesn ’ t have to rise from ignorance .
A state of ease , contentment , joy , pure love can be known when allowance and acceptance occurs within .
The allowance is an alchemical process of turning a cold heart into a breathing , renewing life force .
This life force is the energy of purity residing in every human being .
It is the hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greatest marvels of our Earth is not the past of erosion and upheaval , but of renewal .
It is the beauty that rises from the ashes and char to create a symbiotic path for lush and diverse life .
A fallen tree in the forest creates life for thousands of organisms within a year .
A forest fire in the high plains of the west renews itself through Aspens .
These beautiful trees create a blanket to nurture seedlings that will emerge from the charred earth .
These seedlings will grow into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high desert of heat and minimal moisture , life abounds .
What an unaware mind might see as impossible conditions , equals the thriving for some .
One of my Favorite Words is Fluctuate Within this is the understanding that nothing is static .
If nothing is static , then suffering does not remain .
Happiness does not remain .
Cold does not remain .
Hot does not remain .
Try to hold a thought either positive or negative and see how long you can continue ?
What thought did you have yesterday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When we embrace this notion , and learn to be an observer of the thought or experience , then we release attachment and thus let go of the pain or even the pleasure .
Letting go is then a sense of spaciousness that allows creativity and bliss .
Joy and truth .
It is non attachment to any one thing or all things .
The Beatles song , Let It Be , is a neat song to listen to when times are tough or just to enjoy in the good times .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is my testament .
Bliss occurs from within , it is not based on external circumstances .
It does not mean trauma and hurt do not occur .
Yet , bliss remains constant .
Why ?
Now comes the paradox of the fluctuation .
The spark of infinity within each of us , does not change .
It remains .
The fluctuation is in the squelching or limiting of our own innate ability .
We all are highly evolved , creative individuals .
As we live this , then we are not subject @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weak .
Stand firm in this eternal truth .
Alrighty then , maybe bliss is not so ignorant 🙂 Be well and live well my friends , the truth inside you , truly will set you free .
Love to you , Julia Julia Parsell is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor with an emphasis on the intersection of science and the sacred .
She writes from experiences and transformative understandings that have led her to an authentic and peaceful life .
She goes by these names : wife , daughter , grandmother , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , cousin , and friend .
As home educator of her three children , she also developed/ran cafes , and maintained various leadership roles within her community .
Her greatest desire is to encourage others to live life fully .
Her passions are family , art creation , writing , and trail blazing .
She is happily married in Western North Carolina .
Tags : featured , innate wisdom , live your truth , truth will set you free

Intelligence Can be a Curse
How? When we dismiss our innate wisdom and follow the rule of disconnect, the disconnection of our innate leads to imbalance, trouble, grief, wariness and disease. Bliss doesn’t have to rise from ignorance. A state of ease, contentment, joy, pure love can be known when allowance and acceptance occurs within. The allowance is an alchemical process of turning a cold heart into a breathing, renewing life force. This life force is the energy of purity residing in every human being. It is the hope of our species.
One of the greatest marvels of our Earth is not the past of erosion and upheaval, but of renewal. It is the beauty that rises from the ashes and char to create a symbiotic path for lush and diverse life.
Examples of Renewal
A fallen tree in the forest creates life for thousands of organisms within a year.
A forest fire in the high plains of the west renews itself through Aspens. These beautiful trees create a blanket to nurture seedlings that will emerge from the charred earth. These seedlings will grow into mighty Ponderosa Pines.
Even in the high desert of heat and minimal moisture, life abounds. What an unaware mind might see as impossible conditions, equals the thriving for some.
One of my Favorite Words is Fluctuate
Within this is the understanding that nothing is static.
If nothing is static, then suffering does not remain. Happiness does not remain. Cold does not remain. Hot does not remain.
Try to hold a thought either positive or negative and see how long you can continue? What thought did you have yesterday at 2:22?
Everything is in flux. When we embrace this notion, and learn to be an observer of the thought or experience, then we release attachment and thus let go of the pain or even the pleasure. Letting go is then a sense of spaciousness that allows creativity and bliss. Joy and truth. It is non attachment to any one thing or all things. The Beatles song, Let It Be, is a neat song to listen to when times are tough or just to enjoy in the good times.
The Bliss of the Equation
My life is my testament. Bliss occurs from within, it is not based on external circumstances. It does not mean trauma and hurt do not occur. Yet, bliss remains constant. Why? Now comes the paradox of the fluctuation. The spark of infinity within each of us, does not change. It remains. The fluctuation is in the squelching or limiting of our own innate ability. We all are highly evolved, creative individuals. As we live this, then we are not subject to rules that keep us limited and weak. Stand firm in this eternal truth. Alrighty then, maybe bliss is not so ignorant 🙂
Be well and live well my friends, the truth inside you, truly will set you free. Love to you, Julia
Julia Parsell is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor with an emphasis on the intersection of science and the sacred. She writes from experiences and transformative understandings that have led her to an authentic and peaceful life. She goes by these names: wife, daughter, grandmother, mother, sister, aunt, niece, cousin, and friend. As home educator of her three children, she also developed/ran cafes, and maintained various leadership roles within her community. Her greatest desire is to encourage others to live life fully. Her passions are family, art creation, writing, and trail blazing. She is happily married in Western North Carolina.