Re: [itpnyc] Hello! + people to take over the list, and affirmations & veganism

(I've cc'd my OurCultureOurCapitol list because some of this relates to
the question that list is meant to address-- scroll down to the
discussion about affirmations)

Steve & others on the wilbernyc and itpnyc lists,
I've left NYC! I now live with my parents in the suburbs of DC (Falls
Church).

I've detailed a fair amount of what I'm up to and what I've found
important at http://j9k.org so I can spare those details here.

I think I already quit the nyc wilber meetup-- so maybe Steve found this
list from itp-life.com?

In any event:

(1) If anyone wants to take over as moderator / owner for these two lists,
that would be a good thing.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wilbernyc/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/itpnyc/
Tell me you'll do it- (you don't really have to do anything) I'm not
really sure there's any interest in the wilbernyc list--But the ITPNYC
list seems like it could be useful eventually to someone besides Blaine
and I.

(2) If someone on the wilber meetup could make sure their profile includes
a link to the itpnyc and wilbernyc lists, that would also be good.

Steve,
often my preference with meetups is to just go to one, - I'm not much for
just meeting and talking about stuff all the time, but I like to meet new
people. So I can't say what the Wilber meetups have been like. Some of the
people on the wilbernyc list might have something to say.

Also, Blaine might be looking for a new person to practice with (but I
guess if he is, he'll pipe up). I'm sorry to have left him-- but we both
knew that "making a significant life-change" was one of my affirmations!

---------
discussion regarding affirmations:
--------

It has struck me that ITP is fundamentally socially conservative- focusing
on change only within the individual.

On the other hand, some groups are focused on social injustice to the
point they often neglect themselves (an impression I get from some of the
Quakers, who on the whole I respect very much).

On my http://j9k.org page, at the bottom, I play with making some
affirmations for the external self.

the external self affirmations are:
1. The population of the world is not increasing.
2. There are no cars.
3. People do things because they want to, not because they have to.

To the extent others adopt these affirmations (one or more) they will help
realize them! Each of these imagined ideal states also suggests
corresponding individual affirmations.

For example, if you also value affirmation #1, you might choose not to
have children, to have only one child (or even two -- replacement level,
if you wait long enough), or to support planned parenthood or other
similar organizations.

In addition it is also possible to create environments for one's self
where some or all of those affirmations are more true than they are in,
say NYC-- which will be part of my approach in my work to make/find a
carfree ecovillage to live on.

In addition I also make affirmations more focused on my self, such as one
regarding allergies.

--------
veganism
--------

Steve,

Veganism is a sort of ideal for me, but I am also into learning primitive
skills which involves learning how to catch and eat wild animals- I am
definitely not an ethical vegan.

I watch my diet and see how it affects my mood. I also have an ideal of
doing a certain amount of exercise-- If I notice my enthusiasm for that
amount of exercise waning, I eat animal products.

I originally tried being vegan for a long time beginning in College, but
once I started exercising more, I found I couldn't keep it up (I would get
tired and not recover). And tried things like designer protein (too
addicting for me). And adding chicken, eggs, fish. Then I found the
newstart cookbook http://newstart.org.

More recently, I started weights again, but had successfully weaned myself
long since from things like designer protein & met-rx. It seemed I could
stay quite vegan and do the amount of exercise I wanted to do.

Then I got your email--I had just completed a bike ride from NYC to DC in
some too-cold weather, and felt my zest for weights, swimming, running,
biking, not returning, so just today, I've had some tuna, chicken, .5%
milk... I also eat things like KAL yeast flakes but that apparently counts
as vegan.

I bet I'll be into my running and weights tomorrow! Don't follow my
example, I do find this to be an interesting experiment though.

In thinking about my response to your email, (doubting "lack of
community",) I searched for yahoo groups containing 'vegan.' More than 630
were returned! I then searched on 'vegan health', trying to eliminate some
of the purely ethical vegans.

I found a useful list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/veganhealthfitness/
with discussion of and links to vegan bodybuilding-

I still remain somewhat skeptical-
for example- eating meat and animal fat clearly makes it easier to stay
warm, and is almost a necessity the further north (or south) you live. The
professor I used to work for points out that climate is one reason the
Dalai Lama says the Tibetan Buddhists eat meat (though they have someone
else kill the yak for them). Eskimos apparently used to live almost
entirely off animals and had bodies (livers?) adapted to doing so.

There is no question for me that restricting the amount of animal products
I eat affects my warmth, energy, relaxedness, and outlook, and generally,
I like the feeling of not hiving eaten anything animal for a long time. I
also am aware of how environmental contamintants are more concentrated in
the animals than in the plants (remember _silent spring_?). And given how
most animals for food are treated and fed, the contaminants in them are
not likely to be as low as in a wild squirrel (deep in a forest
untouched by humans), say :).

Another part of my plan is to move somewhere where it does not get too
cold-- either that or to practice seasonal migration.

I've written and thought tons about food / diet. Some of that will
eventually make it to http://experienceart.org (that will be less readable
than this though). I did think of starting another list for this topic-
but given there's already 635...

Another book, besides newstart, that I've liked is:

_The 10% Solution for a Healthy Life How to Eliminate Virtually All Risk
of Heart Disease and Cancer_ by Ray Kurzweil. It appears that the whole
book is on-line:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/meme/frame.html?main=/meme/memelist.html?m%3D16

Best wishes,
be vital, balanced, and healthy,
and I hope you all in NYC keep building these groups if that suits you-
I know one of the (valuable) ITP commitments is to community, and I may
have to get working on that down here as well-- although I have my
parents, and I hope to be someplace warmer by November!

Colin
http://j9k.org

On Thu, 10 Apr 2003, peacejam wrote:

> :) Hi y'all! I've been looking around the world for integral
> community! We just had our first Ken Wilber meetup last week near San
> Francisco! The Yahoo discussion forum of the London Integral Circle is
> also great!
>     I noticed you people in New York have the biggest Wilber meetup
> membership worldwide - what are your meetings like? Have you
> collectively lifted off into higher consciousness? :)
>     Colin, I noticed your post about veganism and weight-lifting. I've
> been vegan for a decade or so and am beginning a weight training plan.
> I've been having doubts about veganism lately - cumulative effect of
> skepticism from others and lack of vegan community! Would you mind
> sharing more of your story?
>     Steve Hays :)