Sword swallowing and its side effects (2006) [pdf]
bmj.com
bmj.com
After attending art school for a year, when its magic waned a bit, I lamented that there were not many totally crazy artists at the school I was at. Then someone introduced me to a graduate student who tattooed on himself using a modified sewing machine, and who was indeed also a proficient sword swallower. Life was good again.
Just be grateful you live in a time after the invention of indoors
I have yo agree with them that it is hard to say what a species is "meant to do". We have certainly done what we have done, but who is to say that was our purpose? Beyond "successfully produce offspring at a rate to maintain the species" I think it's hard to prescribe an intended purpose.
We're not "meant to do" anything, unless this is somehow -- absurdly, and seemingly unlikely -- a simulation. But I can make some suggestions as to what we should be doing.
As far as we can tell, intelligence is rare in the universe. Perhaps that intellect is smart enough to be beyond our means of detection, transcended our physical understanding. Maybe it's afraid of being seen by whatever else lurks out there. Or maybe we're not looking in the right places. Or we're just early. Or it all got wiped out. But whatever the case, intelligence in the universe appears to be exceedingly rare.
If thinking is rare and interesting and important, we should probably be doing whatever it takes to preserve it and expand it.
A lot of people quote Sagan to say we're just motes of dust in an infinite universe. It's a humbling view, but I think it dismisses just how important we are. Life on earth has existed for a third of the age of the universe, and we have no evidence of anything else anywhere at all. That's an incredibly long time to work towards where we are today. It'd be a shame if it were all to vanish. It's the longest-running experiment we know of, and the results thus far show incredible promise.
It is unlikely that the rest of the (not intelligent) universe cares anything about us.
Hence, it does not follow that we should preserve life or even intelligence.
However, I think evolution had made us into systems that frantically try to procreate. I consider that a valid enough reason to continue preserving life. But note that the reasoning is different.
Swallowing Neon tubes and jack hammers seems like a great way to give yourself some permanent damage.
It’s funny how if someone does something physically dangerous and very likely to cause permanent damage to themselves, it’s obvious to everyone it’s not a good idea. But it’s so much harder to identify when we’re doing things that might cause mental harm to ourselves. Like working 12 hour days, or isolating yourself socially, or not going outside for days at a time. All things that can cause lasting damage, but in more subtle ways. And often times people are applauded for doing these things because “that’s what it takes to be a world class founder/engineer/athlete/doctor etc”
I imagine the "thickset" is meant to be "thickest" instead?