World of Pain

Picture of a mama groundhog attacking one of her young 'uns.

Can anyone really doubt this is a world of pain?  Anyone over the age of 30, and of sound mind, should admit this is, in fact, a world of pain.  I'm in pain right now: in more areas than one.  It's just another day for me.  Once I thought of the title and subject of this post, I tried to imagine all the pain that all the people and animals were feeling at that moment.  I was overwhelmed by what I felt.  At any given moment, the people and animals of this world are feeling incredible, incalculable amounts of pain.
I was watching the news the other day.  A lot of doctors don't want to practice medicine in the state of New York, becasue the cost of malpractice insurance is so high in this state.  Apparently, several states have put caps on the amount of money someone can collect for "pain and suffering."  According to what I heard, New York does not put a cap on that, so that's why doctors have to pay so much money for their medical malpractice insurance in NY.  They interviewed a man who proposed NY limit "pain and suffering" damages in this state to $250,000.  I couldn't help thinking that I've endured much more than a quarter-million-dollars' worth of pain.  But, in my case, no one person is responsible for all of my pain.  Most of all, LIFE is responsible for my pain.  Life is pain.  To live is to feel pain.  Right from the beginning, what do doctors do to get babies to breathe?  They cause them to cry from pain by spanking them.  Welcome to the world.  Get used to it.  There's much more where that came from.
Every single day, I see more evidence that I've done the right thing by not bringing any people or animals into this world.  This is a world of violent cruelty.  Even the natural order of things has animals being eaten alive by others.  It makes me wonder if there are truly civilized, peaceful planets out there.  This one certainly isn't either of those things.    

World of Misery

I believe this really is a world of misery.  I'm just being real.  I continue to not be able to find a job as I slide further into credit card debt.  I wish that I'd never been born.  Call me a bitcher, call me a whiner; you can even call me a gloomy Gus.  But don't say I'm full of poop.  I'm not full of poop; I'm keeping it real.
I've said it before, but it's worth saying again.  Parenthood is the big lie.  Parents bring their children into this rotten, brutal world.  They do it out of selfishness.  They know this is a cruel world, in which so many people are living miserable lives.  It must be pretty great to wake up in the morning if you're Mick Jagger or Paul McCartney, but for most of the rest of us, it probably isn't.  So many people toil away at jobs they hate, which erode their souls a little more each day.
I've never brought a person or an animal into this violent, vulgar world, and I'm proud of that.  I plan to never do so.  That's all part of the reason why I didn't have sex for 17 years: from age 27-44.  Unfortunately, my parents can't say the same. 
I got a little sidetracked, which happens in this pain-in-the-ass world.  I should explain how biological parents are selfish.  They bring people into this world for themselves.  They want to cheer themselves up.  Maybe they're suicidal, and they want to give themselves a reason to live.  The reality of the situation is that they bring their children into a world that is full of violence, brutality, and misery.  Care to argue with me about that?  How could you possibly do so?
I'm growing tired of this.  I could go on forever like this, but I'm really only posting because I owe one.  This is a little joke I tell myself; I'd kill myself if I had the energy.  Funny, huh?

Clash of the Titans

Don't Kill Yourself

There's so much to live for.

Please don't kill yourself.  Life is hard.  It kicks the crap out of many of us.  But there's always something to live for.  For instance, I have at least 2 reasons to live.  I love animals, and I want to help those that need it.  I want to convince people to stop eating meat, eggs, and dairy.  They'd all be better off if they replaced those foods with fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and beans.  My other reason to live is to convince people to, if they want to be parents, adopt instead of bringing another person into this overcrowded (with humans) world. 
Suicide has been a major cause of death for humans for a while now.  The media usually doesn't report it, becasue the CDC has asked them not to.  When the media reports suicides, copycat suicides usually ensue.  If you think it's not a major threat, then Google it.  Once you start reading about suicide, you're liable to be blown away by some of the information out there.  What I can remember the most is reading that every year, since 1999, the number of suicides has increased in the USA.  I also read an article about NJ Transit.  New Jersey Transit is a huge transportation network.  It connects New Jersey to New York City and Philadelphia.  The article I read mentioned how NJ Transit has been putting up signs at their train stations.  These signs give people info about suicide hotlines and such.  They felt the need to put these signs up because an alarming number of people have been committing suicide in front of their trains.
I've attempted to kill myself.  That was when I realized I needed help.  That's when I went to a psychiatrist for the first time.  I've received quite a bit of therapy.  I take Prozac.  Recently, I've been eliminating processed foods and refined sugars from my diet, which has helped very much.  
If you are depressed, do something about it.  Take it seriously.  There are people out there who would love to help you.  Suicide is ugly and unnatural.  You should love your body and treat it well.  It's the only thing that is really ours.  Don't kill your body.  If you have nothing to live for, find something.  I don't have many friends, but I believe I'd greatly upset at least 3 people if I killed myself.  We all might as well make the best of it.  

Loneliness

Bumpkin

I am a natural loner, but it doesn't mean I want to be that way.  Loneliness can feel like being crushed.  Sometimes, we call a friend and wait to hear back from him or her.  If loneliness is crushing you, and you want to talk to your friend, then don't wait for him or her to call back; call again.
Last week, I discussed the dirty dozen of fruits and veggies.  On the flip side, here are the clean 15 (source-PBS).  "All the produce on 'The Clean 15' bore little to no traces of pesticides, and are safe to consume in non-organic form." This list includes:

• onions
• avocados
• sweet corn
• pineapples
• mango
• sweet peas
• asparagus
• kiwi fruit
• cabbage
• eggplant
• cantaloupe
• watermelon
• grapefruit
• sweet potatoes
• sweet onions

Making Your Own Hummus Is a Reason to Live

I love it.

 I'm serious.  I made hummus today.  In addition to standard ingredients like chick peas, olive oil, and salt, I added plum tomatoes, garlic, and hot sauce.  It is red, and it is very good.  Why would anyone kill themselves when they can make any kind of hummus they want?  It just doesn't make sense.  These are some of the ingredients I plan to use in hummuses of the future: spinach, kale, parsley (Yes, the next batch might be green.), onion, leeks, mushrooms, and spicy peppers.  And there will be more.  Making a green one with veggies like kale, parsley, and spinach will be key.  I tend to get stuck in ruts.  I'm in one now.  Even though I've been doing well eliminating refined sugar and processed foods from my diet, I've really only consistently been eating carrots, split pea soup, hummus, and corn.  So, technically, pretty much the only veggie I've been eating are carrots.  The hummus is a great opportunity to break out of that rut.  I love hummus.  I know I like it with spinach in it, because I've bought the spinach and artichoke variety of it several times.  I'll just have to make sure to buy organic spinach, because spinach is one of the dirty dozen.
Everyone who cares about their health and that of others should know about the dirty dozen.  They are the fruits and veggies that tend to soak up the most pesticides.  It is recommended that, if you eat any of them, you should only choose organic varieties.  According to PBS' website, this is the dirty dozen:      

• celery
• peaches
• strawberries
• apples
• domestic blueberries
• nectarines
• sweet bell peppers
• spinach, kale and collard greens
• cherries
• potatoes
• imported grapes
• lettuce