(12-09-2009, 05:16 PM)3D Sunset Wrote: This indicates to me that the prevalence of cancer in those that smoke most likely relates more to the shared personality characteristics that lead many of them to have that addictive behavior.
I do agree with you, overall. At the same time, on a practical level, we do still live in a physical reality. While we are each ultimately responsible for ourselves, we do still affect one another as well. Some of that is the collective consciousness. We all breathe polluted air if we live in the city. Until we raise our vibration sufficiently to not be affected by the polluted air, what do we do? All we can do is avoid those poisons and situations that we are able to avoid, while actively working to clean up the air! Just as you avoid hanging out with drug addicts, because you are being pragmatic, so too might we wish to avoid substances that are known to be harmful.
We each have to find our own balance between physical activism and raising our consciousness. I think both have their place. Until I get to the point where a snakebite won't affect me, I'm going to avoid snakes.
(12-09-2009, 05:16 PM)3D Sunset Wrote: I must remain ambivalent toward anyone's personal lifestyle choices and I cannot recommend any preferred behavior, per se. I can recognize and even point out in their behaviors possible markers that may indicate future hard lessons that they may call upon themselves to learn, but I make no judgment based upon the observations.
3D, you've made some very interesting comments about the psychology of addictive behaviors, but I'm wondering whether you might have missed the reason I brought up smoking in the context of the vaccine discussion. I intended it as an example of something that has a general consensus of being potentially harmful. I could have chosen methamphetamine use instead of smoking. My point was simply that, while most of us probably refrain from judging others engaging in those behaviors, neither would we likely encourage someone to engage in those behaviors.
While most people don't consider vaccines to be in the same category as cigs or meth, to those who do consider them in the same category, recommending their use, or not speaking up, would be analogous to recommending cigs or meth, or neglecting to vocalize concerns when someone expresses an interest in those substances.