Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 10:41 pm
it IS scientific to say "i think gymnastics may be detrimental to health in the long run", and then observe what happens to old gymnasts(they have physical problems) and then determine "gymnastics, while promoting coordination and flexibility, are detrimental to human health in the long run", so skwawks, you are more scientific than you know.
science as a method of discovering the world is great. it does and will NOT answer all questions, however(some experiments can never be built or observed and on the quantum level, observing the action changes it). every scientist knows this and the good ones readily admit it. it is the armies of hypnotized, blindered, obstinate, misunderstanding and indoctrinated followers who, in the same way as with the same type of followers of yoga, religion and so many other hotbutton topics, make the word science sound like a curse word.
science is just observation. it is the method of making a guess about something, doing an experiment to see if the guess was correct and then reporting the results to everyone else. it's no high calling, it's just everyday life. science is an enhancer, not a main course(science might help farming, but eating and finding food does not require science. music can be enhanced by science, but science is not needed for music. sex can be enhanced, but....)
the fact of the matter is, that over the course of some 5,000 years, certain things were discovered about the human body, many scientifically (proved through usefullness over that time). in fact, for something that old, it's safe to say that much of the real point behind it has been lost to superstition and confusion. this is what happens to human experience over time, especially with the constant rise and fall of civilizations. still, many basic helpful things remain, and that is why people are still using the disciplines, because there is something to be gained.
it's true that fakes and charlatans often make hay using these systems that are mostly not understood in this time. it's true that some of the explanations are as ridiculous as some of the garbage spouted off on the discovery channel. it's also true that not everyone needs to do yoga, or even care about it.
what's not true is that to just dismiss it as so much poppycock so arrogantly is the sign of the ability to reason clearly. in fact, it's just the opposite. it's the sign of closed minded ignorance because i've seen what yoga is, and i can tell you it's not what some of you think it is. yoga is a very broad word. so broad that there are many different names for the different types that are all the different things a human can do, such as think, move, worship, relax, eat, have sex, etc. to dismiss yoga is to not understand the word. it's tough to know what someone means when the meaning is in a different language. we take for granted that everyhting that people can think of or experience can be expressed in english. this is false. however this much can be said: the word in sanskrit means to yoke(as with a team of oxen) and refers to getting the mind and body working as a team(so what's wrong with that?). in fact the word is from the exact same root as "union" and "yoke" which is not surprising since english is an "INDO-european" language.
of course, the word also has a negative connotation. just as a yoke can be seen as a joining of forces toward a common goal, it can also be seen as the collar which chains a man to his work, which is done with a whip at his back. this is the topic of another rant for another day, however.......
science as a method of discovering the world is great. it does and will NOT answer all questions, however(some experiments can never be built or observed and on the quantum level, observing the action changes it). every scientist knows this and the good ones readily admit it. it is the armies of hypnotized, blindered, obstinate, misunderstanding and indoctrinated followers who, in the same way as with the same type of followers of yoga, religion and so many other hotbutton topics, make the word science sound like a curse word.
science is just observation. it is the method of making a guess about something, doing an experiment to see if the guess was correct and then reporting the results to everyone else. it's no high calling, it's just everyday life. science is an enhancer, not a main course(science might help farming, but eating and finding food does not require science. music can be enhanced by science, but science is not needed for music. sex can be enhanced, but....)
the fact of the matter is, that over the course of some 5,000 years, certain things were discovered about the human body, many scientifically (proved through usefullness over that time). in fact, for something that old, it's safe to say that much of the real point behind it has been lost to superstition and confusion. this is what happens to human experience over time, especially with the constant rise and fall of civilizations. still, many basic helpful things remain, and that is why people are still using the disciplines, because there is something to be gained.
it's true that fakes and charlatans often make hay using these systems that are mostly not understood in this time. it's true that some of the explanations are as ridiculous as some of the garbage spouted off on the discovery channel. it's also true that not everyone needs to do yoga, or even care about it.
what's not true is that to just dismiss it as so much poppycock so arrogantly is the sign of the ability to reason clearly. in fact, it's just the opposite. it's the sign of closed minded ignorance because i've seen what yoga is, and i can tell you it's not what some of you think it is. yoga is a very broad word. so broad that there are many different names for the different types that are all the different things a human can do, such as think, move, worship, relax, eat, have sex, etc. to dismiss yoga is to not understand the word. it's tough to know what someone means when the meaning is in a different language. we take for granted that everyhting that people can think of or experience can be expressed in english. this is false. however this much can be said: the word in sanskrit means to yoke(as with a team of oxen) and refers to getting the mind and body working as a team(so what's wrong with that?). in fact the word is from the exact same root as "union" and "yoke" which is not surprising since english is an "INDO-european" language.
of course, the word also has a negative connotation. just as a yoke can be seen as a joining of forces toward a common goal, it can also be seen as the collar which chains a man to his work, which is done with a whip at his back. this is the topic of another rant for another day, however.......
With Yoga we try to unite with "Bhraman". Bhraman is "The Absolute" or the Source behind Source.. The Cause of all Causes....
