I have a copy of what I think is the original book about Cosmic Ordering by Barbel Mohr - translated into English from German. I found it interesting and yes it does seem to work. I wasn't at all sure about it at first especially with celebrities such as Noel Edmonds jumping on the band wagon.
I haven't tried it with anything major but I can confirm that it does seem to work on small things at least. It seems very like the idea that you create your own world and that whatever you think will happen probably will. Another version of positive thinking really.
I can remember trying something like it 7 years ago when I went for a job interview for a job that I desperately wanted. On the train I decided I would just imagine I was going to a meeting at which I was going to describe how I'd actually got the job and why I knew I could make a success of it. This slight shift of perception calmed my nerves, and I performed well at the interview, getting the job. The feedback I had from the interview was I seemed very calm and confident and even dropping my papers all over the floor when I walked into the interview room didn't seem to phase me. I've always been a believer in positive thinking so I suppose Cosmic Ordering was always likely to interest me.
On another subject - how did all the UK bloggers fare in the truly dreadful storms we've had this week? Where I live is quite sheltered by the house next to me which is slightly taller than mine - or at least when the wind is westerly it is. I got off lightly with just one fence panel blown down. I was at work during most of the worst of the winds, but driving home was really scary. The car - a substantial 4wd - felt none too safe. (no I don't live in London so it's not a Chelsea Tractor - I live in a very rural county). A lorry 'fell over' on the other side of the road just before I drove past the spot which was definitely off putting. It shows how vulnerable we all are to the forces of nature.
Windy weather is something I find very difficult to cope with. Most other types of weather I'm pretty neutral over, but I really do find strong winds frightening. The cat was equally unsettled by it - even though she's an indoor cat - and at one point she was velcroed to my jumper as if she thought I could protect her!
Saturday 20 January 2007
Saturday 13 January 2007
World ideologies explained by reference to cows
I came across this about 10 years ago and repeat it here because it always makes me smile:
FEUDALISM
You have two cows. Your lord takes some of the milk.
PURE SOCIALISM
You have two cows. The government takes them and puts them in a barn with everyone else's cows. You have to take care of all the cows. The government gives you a glass of milk.
BUREAUCRATIC SOCIALISM
Your cows are cared for by ex-chicken farmers. You have to take care of the chickens the government took from the chicken farmers. The government gives you as much milk and as many eggs as the regulations say you should need.
FASCISM
You have two cows. The government takes both, hires you to take care of them, and sells you the milk
PURE COMMUNISM
You share two cows with your neighbours. You and your neighbours bicker about who has the most 'ability' and who has the most 'need'. Meanwhile no one works, no one gets any milk, and the cows dies of starvation.
RUSSIAN COMMUNISM
You have two cows. You have to take care of them, but the government takes all the milk. You steal back as much milk as you can and sell it on the black market.
PERESTROIKA
You have two cows. You have to take care of them, but the Mafia takes all the milk. You steal back as much milk as you can and sell it on the 'free' market.
CAMBODIAN COMMUNISM
You have two cows. The government takes both and shoots you.
DICTATORSHIP
You have two cows. The government takes both and drafts you.
PURE DEMOCRACY
You have two cows. Your neighbours decide who gets the milk.
REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY
You have two cows. Your neighbours pick someone to tell you who gets the milk.
BUREAUCRACY
You have two cows. At first the government regulates what you can feed them and when you can milk them. Then it pays you not to milk them. Then it takes both, shoots one, milks the other and pours the milk down the drain. Then it requires you to fill out forms accounting for the missing cows.
CAPITALISM
You don't have any cows. The bank will not lend you money to buy cows, because you do not have any cows to put up as collateral.
PURE ANARCHY
You have two cows. Either you sell the milk at a fair price or your neighbours try to take the cows and kill you.
ANARCHO-CAPITALISM
You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.
SURREALISM
You have two giraffes. The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.
I will leave you to work out which fits your particular country best.
It's the surrealism that always amuses me most - it could happen in a country near you.
In my opinion bureaucracy fits the EU best!
FEUDALISM
You have two cows. Your lord takes some of the milk.
PURE SOCIALISM
You have two cows. The government takes them and puts them in a barn with everyone else's cows. You have to take care of all the cows. The government gives you a glass of milk.
BUREAUCRATIC SOCIALISM
Your cows are cared for by ex-chicken farmers. You have to take care of the chickens the government took from the chicken farmers. The government gives you as much milk and as many eggs as the regulations say you should need.
FASCISM
You have two cows. The government takes both, hires you to take care of them, and sells you the milk
PURE COMMUNISM
You share two cows with your neighbours. You and your neighbours bicker about who has the most 'ability' and who has the most 'need'. Meanwhile no one works, no one gets any milk, and the cows dies of starvation.
RUSSIAN COMMUNISM
You have two cows. You have to take care of them, but the government takes all the milk. You steal back as much milk as you can and sell it on the black market.
PERESTROIKA
You have two cows. You have to take care of them, but the Mafia takes all the milk. You steal back as much milk as you can and sell it on the 'free' market.
CAMBODIAN COMMUNISM
You have two cows. The government takes both and shoots you.
DICTATORSHIP
You have two cows. The government takes both and drafts you.
PURE DEMOCRACY
You have two cows. Your neighbours decide who gets the milk.
REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY
You have two cows. Your neighbours pick someone to tell you who gets the milk.
BUREAUCRACY
You have two cows. At first the government regulates what you can feed them and when you can milk them. Then it pays you not to milk them. Then it takes both, shoots one, milks the other and pours the milk down the drain. Then it requires you to fill out forms accounting for the missing cows.
CAPITALISM
You don't have any cows. The bank will not lend you money to buy cows, because you do not have any cows to put up as collateral.
PURE ANARCHY
You have two cows. Either you sell the milk at a fair price or your neighbours try to take the cows and kill you.
ANARCHO-CAPITALISM
You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.
SURREALISM
You have two giraffes. The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.
I will leave you to work out which fits your particular country best.
It's the surrealism that always amuses me most - it could happen in a country near you.
In my opinion bureaucracy fits the EU best!
Affluenza
It seems as though an examination of the material society is part of the Zeitgeist at the moment. I presume if you are reading this post you may also have seen the extracts from Oliver James's new book - to be published on 25/01/07 called Affluenza - in the Daily Telegraph during this week. I found the extracts I read thought provoking and I have accordingly ordered the book from Amazon. I shall look forward to reading it in a couple of weeks time and probably posting some comments on it in due course as well.
Talking of materialism - how about David Beckham and his astronomical salary? What is he going to do with all that money and will it make him any happier? Can you ever have too much money? Perhaps he's considering setting up a charitable foundation like Bill Gates. Come on Becks, do you really need that much all to yourself? I know Posh's dresses cost a lot but even so . . . . .
Talking of materialism - how about David Beckham and his astronomical salary? What is he going to do with all that money and will it make him any happier? Can you ever have too much money? Perhaps he's considering setting up a charitable foundation like Bill Gates. Come on Becks, do you really need that much all to yourself? I know Posh's dresses cost a lot but even so . . . . .
Saturday 6 January 2007
Eating disorders
I have been distracted today from my rant on the material society by the news items on anorexia and eating disorders in general. It made me wonder why anorexia is regarded as an illness when obesity is regarded as self-inflicted.
I feel desperately sorry for sufferers of anorexia or bulimia as it must be awful to have what is in effect a fear of food. Everyone has to eat to stay alive, and to fear the very substance which nourishes you is tantamount to a suicide wish.
Websites which promote anorexia as a lifestyle choice are an abomination. These sites are preying on those who have low self-esteem and who are vulnerable to the suggestion that they may be overweight. How can anyone think a skeleton covered in skin looks attractive or healthy?
I find magazines which take photographs of celebrities and then comment adversely on their weight gain however microscopic, almost as bad as anorexia promoting web sites. Think of the media bashing which Kate Winslet, Sophie Dahl and Renee Zellwegger (in her Bridget Jones incarnation) have received. At least Kate Winslet has made it very clear she is happy with her shape and does not wish to chamge it.
The trend in America, which is starting on this side of the Atlantic as well, for encouraging women to fit it into size zero clothes is pushing people towards anorexia. For most average size Britons size zero means virtually existing on fresh air.
I upset someone recently by saying that I considered her delight in getting into a pair of size 6 jeans misplaced. This is someone who is 26, about 5ft 7ins tall, and I would suspect probably weighs no more than 8.5st. She has, to me, an unhealthy attitude to food. You get lots of comments from her about certain foods being forbidden or not in accordance with her food combining principles, or they make her bloated etc. An average size meal would probably make her feel bloated as she eats very little normally. What's more she is always going down with bad colds, or has stomach upsets, feels tired all the time, falls asleep when she gets home from work etc. This girl needs help, not encouragement to lose weight.
I'm pleased there have been one or two items in the media recently saying research has shown dieting can be dangerous. It has been suggested statistics on overweight people suffering heart attacks may have been misinterpreted, if they are looked at more closely. Many of those who died of heart attacks have died while they have been dieting. Those people whose weight is stable are less likely to suffer heart attacks. I read somewhere recently - I think it was in Shelley Bovey's fascinating book - The forbidden body: why being fat is not a sin - that it is actually statistically more unhealthy to be underweight!!
Which brings us back to anorexia . . . . .
Material society: saw a cushion I liked in 'You' magazine - Mail on Sunday - a few weeks ago. It was a special offer so I expected it to be cheap. It was about 16ins by 16ins covered in an attractive black and white leafy print.
Guess how much?
It was £45 reduced from a staggering £68. It wasn't even a designer name.
Cushion pad - say £1.25; material - probably about 0.6m - say £5.00; zip £0.75; cotton etc. Cost price say about £7.50 - time taken to make it - 30mins. If I'd sold it for £20 I'd have been making a reasonable profit.
Maybe I ought to make cushions for a living . . . . . .
I feel desperately sorry for sufferers of anorexia or bulimia as it must be awful to have what is in effect a fear of food. Everyone has to eat to stay alive, and to fear the very substance which nourishes you is tantamount to a suicide wish.
Websites which promote anorexia as a lifestyle choice are an abomination. These sites are preying on those who have low self-esteem and who are vulnerable to the suggestion that they may be overweight. How can anyone think a skeleton covered in skin looks attractive or healthy?
I find magazines which take photographs of celebrities and then comment adversely on their weight gain however microscopic, almost as bad as anorexia promoting web sites. Think of the media bashing which Kate Winslet, Sophie Dahl and Renee Zellwegger (in her Bridget Jones incarnation) have received. At least Kate Winslet has made it very clear she is happy with her shape and does not wish to chamge it.
The trend in America, which is starting on this side of the Atlantic as well, for encouraging women to fit it into size zero clothes is pushing people towards anorexia. For most average size Britons size zero means virtually existing on fresh air.
I upset someone recently by saying that I considered her delight in getting into a pair of size 6 jeans misplaced. This is someone who is 26, about 5ft 7ins tall, and I would suspect probably weighs no more than 8.5st. She has, to me, an unhealthy attitude to food. You get lots of comments from her about certain foods being forbidden or not in accordance with her food combining principles, or they make her bloated etc. An average size meal would probably make her feel bloated as she eats very little normally. What's more she is always going down with bad colds, or has stomach upsets, feels tired all the time, falls asleep when she gets home from work etc. This girl needs help, not encouragement to lose weight.
I'm pleased there have been one or two items in the media recently saying research has shown dieting can be dangerous. It has been suggested statistics on overweight people suffering heart attacks may have been misinterpreted, if they are looked at more closely. Many of those who died of heart attacks have died while they have been dieting. Those people whose weight is stable are less likely to suffer heart attacks. I read somewhere recently - I think it was in Shelley Bovey's fascinating book - The forbidden body: why being fat is not a sin - that it is actually statistically more unhealthy to be underweight!!
Which brings us back to anorexia . . . . .
Material society: saw a cushion I liked in 'You' magazine - Mail on Sunday - a few weeks ago. It was a special offer so I expected it to be cheap. It was about 16ins by 16ins covered in an attractive black and white leafy print.
Guess how much?
It was £45 reduced from a staggering £68. It wasn't even a designer name.
Cushion pad - say £1.25; material - probably about 0.6m - say £5.00; zip £0.75; cotton etc. Cost price say about £7.50 - time taken to make it - 30mins. If I'd sold it for £20 I'd have been making a reasonable profit.
Maybe I ought to make cushions for a living . . . . . .
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