Not sure how much should be read into the latest email from Beastie Boy Adam Yauch, who is recovering from cancer… But anyway, here it is:
hello,
wanted to send this out to you guys in case you were into it, or wanted to give it to anyone who you think might be.
a few friends and i are meditating at the same time twice a day. 9:30am and 6:30pm eastern standard time, for about an hour and half.
we are picturing smashing apart all of the cancer cells in the world.
we are visualizing taking the energy away from the cancer, and then sending it back at the cancer as lightening bolts that will break apart the DNA and RNA of the cells. if you have the time, please join us in whipping up this lightening storm. mind over matter……
if you prefer to sit then sit, but if you are not used to meditating, or sitting quietly doesn’t sound like fun, put on some music and dance while you do the visualization, and if you want to do it at some other time, or picture curing some other illness that’s fine too. yoko will be joining the meditation by visualizing all of us dancing with joy to celebrate the world without cancer. all variations are welcome. this is really just being done with a wish for all beings to be cured of all illnesses and to find true lasting happiness.
i’ll also be saying prayers for the earthquake victims in tibet, so join in on that if you can too.
please feel free to pass this onto anyone who you think may find it interesting.
with all my love,
adam yauch
Can’t hurt, right? In the meantime, let’s also encourage all young girls to get vaccinated, which can prevent most types of cervical cancer.
I’ve always loved the Beasties, but all that woo woo crap only reminds me what a bunch of wankers human beings are. Why doesn’t he sacrifice a goat to Chrom while he’s at it. Both have the same result in a double blind trial.
Take it from someone who knows, goat sacrifices get MESSY. They also usually end up as kick ass barbecue parties, so it’s kinda worth it.
“Woo woo crap”? Transcendental meditation is anything but woo-woo crap.I guess anything that provides us human wankers hope, happiness, or the ability to get through gut wrenching horrible events in life is just all crap, right? Go watch a Bill Maher special with the oher self-loathing human beings.
TM is complete Bull Shit. I won’t make you levitate. It won’t cure disease. Maybe it can help a few folks relax. But don’t start claiming that it can “blast” cancer cells. It’s woo woo, not science.
Did I say it could make you levitate or blast cancer cells? No I didn’t. I didn’t even call it science.
Is any form of spiritual reflection woo woo crap? Some wankers might even use some bullshit known as prayer to strengthen their spirit. That’s all bullshit too, right?
I love how you’re attacking Adam Yauch’s preferred method of spiritual fulfillment. Is he a wanker too?
You too are (willfully?) misunderstanding each other. Calling it “woowoo” doesn’t mean it doesn’t have benefits, it just means that “smashing cancer” won’t turn out to be one that can be scientifically proven. And I don’t think Jonathan is claiming the cancer-smashing benefits, though Yauch obviously is. And that(s very woowoo.
Of course I meant “you two.”
Ok – how about when he called meditation “total bullshit”? Or when he classified the entire human race as “wankers”?
Are we debating the merits of meditation or are we debating the notion that the act of meditation can smash cancer cells?
Adam Yauch has confidence in his beliefs – also known as faith. To tear it down or anyone else’s individual belief system with a dismissive “woo-woo” shows disrespect – in my opinion.
And what I may find silly in terms of the power of any religious practices or beliefs, others may find comforting or inspiring.
Tomato, tomato. It’s almost impossible for believers and unbelievers to civilly discuss religion-faith-spirituality-fate-paranormal activity-superstition-woo woo-bullshit-whatever you wanna call it.
I don’t personally believe that we have any ethical obligation to be respectful of religion, but I do think we should attempt to be civil to each other. So…just be cool, bitches.
Wow Jake – you’re really causing me to think deeply about the meaning of words here – ‘civil’ and ‘respectful’ in this case.
Yea I think I see what you’re saying because there are countless things in life – not just religious practices/beliefs – that I totally blow off as dumb shit, but others find intriguing.
So yea – I guess you can be civil while still not respecting a particular topic/idea/whatever.
Off topic : Neil Young solo tour of small theaters starts next month. I’ve got 2nd row for Constitution Hall in D.C. and am stoked. Bert Jansch is opening – can’t wait…way off topic I know
When people say they are going to “pray” for someone, or that they are going to “medidate” and “visualize” a cure for someone’s cancer, they aren’t just relaxing. They’re doing something that they actually think has an affect on the physical world. When it comes to both prayer and TM there’s no truth in it. It’s BS. It doesn’t affect the physical world. It’s a fiction. If somebody wants to live in their own woo woo fantasy land, good for them. But if you parade that nonsense in public and get offended that someone else doesn’t also believe that fairies and ghosts live in your basement, that’s your problem. TM and pray are fiction, not science. Guess what, not everybody lives in Yauch’s insanity bubble. Stick to the rhymes, dude.
You know I love you, Scott, and you know I agree with at least 95% of what you’re saying, but it’s that kind of tone that makes people despise—and tune out—atheists.
I don’t care if anybody tunes me out. I don’t believe that peoples subcription to mysticism and anti fact based creeds if off limits to criticsm. If you spout nonsense in public about fairies and unicorns it should be the responsibility of sane people to call you out.
Do you see your logical flaw there, dude? If your message gets tuned out, your “calling out” goes unheard. You are left either preaching to the converted, or mumbling to yourself. Neither of which accomplishes anything other than making you feel self-satisfied, and making everyone around you think you’re an insufferable, humorless blowhard.
So what’s your goal? If it’s to advance rational thought and enlightenment, then you’re failing. If you think you’re helping the cause by going on in this manner, then you might want to park your unicorn and take a hard look at yourself.
PS – Your original comment in this thread was funny. And enough.
Jake stole my thunder but he’s exactly right. Scotty’s goal seems to be the exact opposite of advancing rational thought and enlightenment by once again summarily dismissing meditation, prayer, religion, etc. as unicorns anf fairies.
If you think that the physical world that we are aware of is all just happenstance and that God/prayer is woo-woo crap, that’s perfectly fine for you. But you really have climbed up high on a self-righteous pedestal here by saying that you’re the sane one and anybody that disagrees with you is living in fantasyland.
Once again, Adam Yauch is espousing his beliefs. Are you only tolerant of those that agree with you? Pretty lame.
“when the aimless blade of science slahed the Pearly Gates…” Neil Young – ‘Thrasher’
“when the aimless blade of science slashed the Pearly Gates…” Neil Young – ‘Thrasher’