Off by a day, due to a malfunctioning router. :o
You might be wondering, what exactly is a meme? A meme is an idea or behaviour which is propagated, often very effectively and unwittingly. Some examples of memes include 'there simply aren't enough resources for everyone', 'I was brought up like this, therefore this behaviour is not my fault' or 'I need a lot of things and/or people to survive on a daily basis'. How did these memes come about? Society. Society itself is a massive meme, and relies on multiple, smaller memes such as those mentioned above to survive.
So, what exactly does a meme have to do with you? Well, everyone has memes programmed into them at some point. The problem is, if you aren't self-aware at even the most basic level, memes will propagate within your own mindset. Given, there are positive and negative memes- the issue here being negative memes spread easier and are retained longer due to society's inherent need for them.
Currently, the generation in which we are living in is infested with memes. Many of these memes were created a long, long time ago, before electricity was harnessed, some even before the average lifespan of a human was half that which it is today. Most of us aren't self-aware, content to live from day to day while taking in whatever society deems as the norm. Most of us are afraid of introspection, whether it be on a personal or moral basis for example. Why? Because these qualities are the ones that society, as a meme, is terrified of. The meme that is society fears that those who take the time to focus their energy and time on goals devoted to themselves will ultimately break away from society. Eventually, society itself would cease to exist as a meme, but would be reborn as a conscious choice of each individual present.
As the situation stands now, quite frankly, humanity as a species is headed towards disaster. The memes that are present in this current generation will eventually unravel whatever strands of humanity we have left as we head towards the end. The end of this planet, the end of humanity as we know it. Why? Because memes are like viruses, in the sense that they propagate mindlessly in relation to the host, as long as the memes themselves are able to propagate. The dangerous thing is that unlike viruses, memes are much, much more difficult to remove from our systems. For starters, memes need to be detected, and that starts with self-awareness. The next step is to uproot the memes. As surprising as this may sound, this step is easier than the previous step. All you need to do to uproot the current, unwanted memes is to endow yourself with new, grander memes. Remind yourself each day of these memes and find the company of those who are able to share and spread these positive memes.
What of those people who stick to the old memes? Well, I'll share a small tale with you here. Over the last few months, I've been working in the functional health industry. Hmm. Hang on, Brunei's too small to call it an industry. Let's call it the functional health department. In this department, clients who join our program undergo certified lab diagnostics to ascertain their exact current state of health. Using the diagnostics as a map to read patterns of health and disorders, clients are mentored over a period of a minimum of 3 months to optimise their health, through 5 core principles: nutrition, physical activity, mind health, lifestyle and health literacy. Throughout this mentoring period, clients are coached on how to take care of themselves regarding the principles listed above, with the view that holistic health is the only cure for prevention of serious, lifestyle diseases. In Brunei, things like heart disease, obesity, and diabetes are the top causes of death. Why are they there in the first place? Memes. Some of the memes I've encountered are: "The cost of this program is too expensive", "Drugs will fix everything and only cost $1 from the local hospital", "Proactivity and self-analysis aren't my cup of tea", and "I haven't got the time for this program". My counter memes are: "I know, the program may be expensive, but hey, its not your fault health wasn't exactly placed on the top 10 priorities in life", "Do you know how many hundreds of millions are spent each year by the Brunei government on subsidising your so-called 'cheap' drugs? Are you really that selfish?", "Fair dos. I don't know many proactive people in Brunei. Guess that's why I don't have many real-life role models.", and "Well, fair enough. I just hope you don't suffer much when and if the nasty lifestyle diseases catch up to you." The tools are there, it's just ego and memes that stand in the way of most people. I can honestly say that out of the hundreds of people I've met over the last few months in my line of work, less than a handful stand out as people who honestly care about their own well-being, as well as that of their loved ones.
As far as I'm concerned, it's survival of the fittest in the end. Fit as in willing to go the distance for themselves. As for the rest, if they fall prey to memes and ego, they really have no-one else to blame but themselves. I'm not trying to be elitist here, but I'm merely pointing out that I am COMPLETELY willing to help anyone that wants to help themselves, and I've stopped wasting my time and empathy on those who are simply too lethargic to live past what society has set for them. Not exactly Jesus, but hey, that's life for ya.
So, what exactly does a meme have to do with you? Well, everyone has memes programmed into them at some point. The problem is, if you aren't self-aware at even the most basic level, memes will propagate within your own mindset. Given, there are positive and negative memes- the issue here being negative memes spread easier and are retained longer due to society's inherent need for them.
Currently, the generation in which we are living in is infested with memes. Many of these memes were created a long, long time ago, before electricity was harnessed, some even before the average lifespan of a human was half that which it is today. Most of us aren't self-aware, content to live from day to day while taking in whatever society deems as the norm. Most of us are afraid of introspection, whether it be on a personal or moral basis for example. Why? Because these qualities are the ones that society, as a meme, is terrified of. The meme that is society fears that those who take the time to focus their energy and time on goals devoted to themselves will ultimately break away from society. Eventually, society itself would cease to exist as a meme, but would be reborn as a conscious choice of each individual present.
As the situation stands now, quite frankly, humanity as a species is headed towards disaster. The memes that are present in this current generation will eventually unravel whatever strands of humanity we have left as we head towards the end. The end of this planet, the end of humanity as we know it. Why? Because memes are like viruses, in the sense that they propagate mindlessly in relation to the host, as long as the memes themselves are able to propagate. The dangerous thing is that unlike viruses, memes are much, much more difficult to remove from our systems. For starters, memes need to be detected, and that starts with self-awareness. The next step is to uproot the memes. As surprising as this may sound, this step is easier than the previous step. All you need to do to uproot the current, unwanted memes is to endow yourself with new, grander memes. Remind yourself each day of these memes and find the company of those who are able to share and spread these positive memes.
What of those people who stick to the old memes? Well, I'll share a small tale with you here. Over the last few months, I've been working in the functional health industry. Hmm. Hang on, Brunei's too small to call it an industry. Let's call it the functional health department. In this department, clients who join our program undergo certified lab diagnostics to ascertain their exact current state of health. Using the diagnostics as a map to read patterns of health and disorders, clients are mentored over a period of a minimum of 3 months to optimise their health, through 5 core principles: nutrition, physical activity, mind health, lifestyle and health literacy. Throughout this mentoring period, clients are coached on how to take care of themselves regarding the principles listed above, with the view that holistic health is the only cure for prevention of serious, lifestyle diseases. In Brunei, things like heart disease, obesity, and diabetes are the top causes of death. Why are they there in the first place? Memes. Some of the memes I've encountered are: "The cost of this program is too expensive", "Drugs will fix everything and only cost $1 from the local hospital", "Proactivity and self-analysis aren't my cup of tea", and "I haven't got the time for this program". My counter memes are: "I know, the program may be expensive, but hey, its not your fault health wasn't exactly placed on the top 10 priorities in life", "Do you know how many hundreds of millions are spent each year by the Brunei government on subsidising your so-called 'cheap' drugs? Are you really that selfish?", "Fair dos. I don't know many proactive people in Brunei. Guess that's why I don't have many real-life role models.", and "Well, fair enough. I just hope you don't suffer much when and if the nasty lifestyle diseases catch up to you." The tools are there, it's just ego and memes that stand in the way of most people. I can honestly say that out of the hundreds of people I've met over the last few months in my line of work, less than a handful stand out as people who honestly care about their own well-being, as well as that of their loved ones.
As far as I'm concerned, it's survival of the fittest in the end. Fit as in willing to go the distance for themselves. As for the rest, if they fall prey to memes and ego, they really have no-one else to blame but themselves. I'm not trying to be elitist here, but I'm merely pointing out that I am COMPLETELY willing to help anyone that wants to help themselves, and I've stopped wasting my time and empathy on those who are simply too lethargic to live past what society has set for them. Not exactly Jesus, but hey, that's life for ya.
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