Multi-Me: who am I / who are we?

My body is made out of about 70 % water, from diverse sources. The biomolecules that remain have been accumulated and derived from food coming from all over the world. My body contains about 10 times more non-human cells (bacterial & other microbes) than human cells. And there are about ten times more viruses in my body (mostly against bacteria) than bacteria. There are more then 100 x more non-human than human genes in me. Even each human cell contains an ancient bacterium (mitochondria) that gives me all my energy. The non-human organisms in me and on my skin govern what diseases I get, how fat I become, and what food I crave. It is known that biomolecules produced by my body's microbes affect my brain. In fact, we only begin to understand how much of my life & actions are largely determined by my microbes. For example, animal studies (in fruit flies) have shown that microbes also determine the choice of partner...
Moreover, most of my actions and reactions are heavily influenced by non-verbal communication (mostly unnoticed by me) between me and fellow humans, and - through epigenetics - also by strong life events experienced by my parents and even their parents. Typically, my brain only justifies a posteriori an action that has been decided beforehand, elsewhere.
Who am I - who are we?

The paradox of religions

Most new religions are created by persons who did not simply and blindly believe the precepts of their current religion. Rather, they spend much time and effort searching, questioning and meditating (on the human condition, existing religious customs, the mind, thoughts etc). This quest leads to a spiritual mystical experience, profound happiness and peace. Instead of concluding that searching, questioning and meditating leads to god, happiness and peace, the mystical experience is (poorly) translated into yet another religious framework, and followers are told to simply and blindly believe – or face hell and death.

“Seek me. Don’t stop until you find me. When you find me you will be disturbed; and when you are disturbed you will rule. And when you rule, you will rest.

Don’t look for me in the sky. Don’t seek me in the ocean. I am inside you and outside you.

I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all attains.

Split a piece of wood: I am there. Lift up the stone and you will find me there.

One who seeks will find, and for one who knocks will be opened.”

(compiled & streamlined from a number of Gospels, including Gospel of Mary, Thomas, Q. see the Complete Gospels, edited by Robert J Miller)

The ultimate freedom: work in progress

First, be truly indifferent to, and independent of
- other's opinions about you (your actions, cloths, opinions, success, humor, intelligence, ...)
- your own body's and mind's illusionary desires and needs (chocolate, smart phones, jealousy, laziness, ...)

And then simply choose your actions according to what you evaluate to be the best rational option, given the best of your current knowledge, capacity, and moral standards.

Having thus chosen honestly what you considered best, given the data, simply do it.
Then sit back, stop worrying, and accept the results. Learn from the results, but don't worry about them. Worrying certainly won't improve things you can't influence. Worrying will only clutter your mind, and make you unhappy. If you are going to fail, lose or die, you may as well do so happily and with serenity, knowing you did the best you could.

The beginning of the way is love and goodness.

The American Dream #4: Burgers and Games - the wasted brain

The time and energy that Americans typically spend watching, analysing and memorising sport-related issues is gargantuan. Concerning sport, their analytic and predictive capacities, and their in-depth knowledge are stunning - yet completely useless. I wonder what could be achieved if all this time, energy and knowledge would be invested, instead, into a national think tank for improving issues that are central to our current situation: sustainable development and energies, poverty and inequality, geopolitics.
'Bread and Games' kept the Roman population manageable, but did not prevent the fall of the Roman empire - and so won't Burgers and Games.