Our Society runs on Caffeine

[Plenum]

I was coming home form work yesterday, and as I was passing through the train station on my way out it really struck me how many coffee shops there were, and how many people were queuing up for their morning intake. It seemed to apply to all age groups, all strata of 'workers'. There were even schoolkids getting their coffee!

I can remember a time in the 80's when caffeine was not as prominent or present as it is today. I am not saying this is the 'good old days' syndrome, but what has changed in the last 30 years?

we have so many more things to keep us awake to the late hours (awesome console gaming, the many things to do on the internet, calling, chatting, doing work), are we skimping on our sleep?

is the reason for so much caffeine use because we are not 'rested enough' to make it through the morning and day of work?

and does not lack of proper rest also mean the lack of proper dreaming to heal the self of diurnal distortions in one's energy field?

- -

86.12 The activity of dreaming is an activity in which there is made a finely wrought and excellently fashioned bridge from conscious to unconscious.

In this state the various distortions which have occurred in the energy web of the body complex, due to the misprecision with which energy influxes have been received, are healed. With the proper amount of dreaming comes the healing of these distortions.

Continued lack of this possibility can cause seriously distorted mind/body/spirit complexes.

[BrownEye]

I quit drinking coffee after guides reamed me for destroying my body LMAO!

[Rhayader]

Never touched the stuff...

[Ankh]

Sheesh! You're so serious, plenum! Bringing up Ra quotes in regards to coffee. Sheeeesh! :p

I drink it cause it tastes so gooooood!

[Melissa]

[Ankh]

Hahaha!

[Jeremy]

Unfortunately I'm quite dependent upon some form of stimulant to function. Mainly its fat burner type pills. I'd love to rid myself of them but I'd have to take 2 weeks off of work because of how horribly tired I am when I don't take them. I mean, I'm so tired, I slur my words. Once I get enough vacation time saved it, maybe I'll give it a go

[Hototo]

Its the drug of choice for this society. I swear, sometimes all these dopamine hoppers scare me with their crazyness. Who takes things that increase your speed every day or almost every day. Who runs a car engine at 100% all time?



This is what coffee says to me.

(to adonai's memory)

[AnthroHeart]

I like my morning cup because of the flavor, but I drink decaf when it's available.
I'm not normally tired through the day, but I do get 10 hours a day of sleep. I make sure to sleep well.
I recently got an a/c put in my room, one of those portable units that has a hose to the window. It keeps it cool in my bedroom and makes it easier to fall asleep under the sheets. Without that a/c it was 85-90 degrees in my room. Needless to say it was hot. But I'll drink starbucks when it's available, mostly for the taste.

[Brittany]

I'm lucky enough to have an inborn abhorrence of both coffee and carbonated beverages. I drink tea sometimes, but it's usually herbal tea with little to no caffeine, and I can't stand black tea, which is what most people drink to wake up. I've tried energy drinks/shots before but they just upset my stomach and/or send me straight into a panic attack, so for the most part I just have to operate within a normal waking/sleep schedule. Can't say I have much to complain about, even if it never feels like I have enough time to get everything done.

I do really love chocolate, but I don't think I consume enough of it to get any sort of caffeine high from it.

[reeay]

I spent all of 90s and early 2000s at cafes, armed with my journal and cup of coffee/latte. Lots of good memories hanging out at cafes with friends talking about philosophy and spirituality.

Chocolate http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/chocolat...-3660.html it's medicinal!

[Diana]

You make a good point about sleep, Plenum. Sleep is vital to health, and connection to spirit and soul. The physical body repairs and regenerates itself during non-rem sleep. And according to many sources, the veil drops and we are able to connect more easily with the higher minds and the soul during sleep as well.

Personally, I have my entire life never liked waking up in the morning. My mother had to drag me out bed every single day all the way through school. This is odd, as when I am awake, I have much more energy than most people. There have been a few times as an adult when the thought of coffee was the only thing that could get me out of bed! (I guess that means I'm addicted.) I have quit drinking it for long periods, but started again when traveling to places like Costa Rica where the fresh coffee is everywhere!

If I drink coffee during the day, it interrupts my sleep. Ideally, I drink one demitasse cup of espresso in the morning, made from freshly roasted organic beans, expressed from a Breville Cafe Roma espresso machine (which makes the best "black" coffee with lots of "crema"). Until I quit again . . .

[xise]

Plenum: I quit my coffee/herbal sleeping schedule after the exam That s*** sucked.

I think stimulants do seem to stimulate the yellow ray though (Browneye could you chime in here?), though only temporarily, and often with less useful side-effects. And of course using them as a replacement for power over long periods of time is definitely a case of dirty dishes

[Parsons]

I have never been much of a coffee drinker, which for me, is a good thing because I kind of turn into Tweak from South Park:



Actually, I remember a couple of times in high school having to go home sick due to having two cups of coffee instead of my occasional one. It actually makes me pretty ill if I have too much.

My delivery method of choice was Dr Pepper. One day, I finally realized how much it was affecting me, and stopped soda all together and nearly eliminated caffeine all together. The only caffeine I consumed is/was in black iced tea. However, I have tapered off caffeinated tea over the years.

I clearly remember quitting soda/high caffeine intake. It was exactly like quitting a drug, complete with cravings and withdrawls, which lasted about two months. Since then, I have slept much better at night, urinate less frequently, feel less fatigued, and actually have more energy overall.

I do end up taking some caffeine on average twice a week in low dosage. It's almost as impossible to avoid as fluoride in American society.

[xise]

I'd say that taking a shot of 5 hour energy amps you up as much as a line of coke does, sans the pleasurable aspect of the latter. Per a comparison of one of my friends. And from the effects I observed in him, I would agree.

[Marc]

I say sleep is very important. When we start to believe that it's more important to be awake than asleep we miss out on a very important part of spiritual learning-- dreams.

I worked at Starbucks and had lots of coffee but eventually I got to the point where I don't need coffee. It's a drug and everyone could be just fine without it, but it is a chemical dependency.

I now exclusively drink water and taste other beverages occasionally. But, water is the absolute best thing in the world to drink.

[Oldern]

I love diet coke unconditionally. Who am I to judge it?

[Guardian]

Adrenal fatigue.

[anagogy]

Continued lack of this possibility can cause seriously distorted mind/body/spirit complexes.

I can personally vouch for this one, haha.

[Aloysius]

Outside the realms of taste and personal preference the meeting for coffee is a deeply ingrained societal ritual in western nations. It's really genius marketing given the addictive nature of caffeine. I don't drink it but that's purely because it costs so much hahaha

[xise]

damn dudes.. all I'm gonna say is I woke up mad early and I need something to stay awake or I'm gonna nap.

What's the next best stimulant if not caffiene???

Edit: this is a real question! I'm gonna hit the nap button soon which will mess up my sleep schedule

[AnthroHeart]

Naps never mess up my sleep schedule. I've slept 10 hours overnight and still had a nap at around noon. We get an hour break so I sometimes go out to my truck and use that for napping. Then I just eat lunch at my desk while still working. But it's hard to nap sometimes when the temp outside approaches 100 degrees.

[xise]

lucky you GW...mmm organic coffee tasted good w/ stevia...first caffeine high in 2.5 weeks...ahhhhhh mmmm

[AnthroHeart]

I tried stevia in coffee once and I didn't care for it.
But I've heard that stevia turns alkaline in the body which is good, wheras sugar turns acidic, which is bad.
I've noticed the coffee's I've drunk have an acidic taste to them.

---

damn dudes.. all I'm gonna say is I woke up mad early and I need something to stay awake or I'm gonna nap.

What's the next best stimulant if not caffiene???

Edit: this is a real question! I'm gonna hit the nap button soon which will mess up my sleep schedule

I don't know another stimulant, but to relax you I've heard kava kava is good.

[Parsons]

damn dudes.. all I'm gonna say is I woke up mad early and I need something to stay awake or I'm gonna nap.

What's the next best stimulant if not caffiene???

Edit: this is a real question! I'm gonna hit the nap button soon which will mess up my sleep schedule

Once you completely detox from stimulants such as caffeine and large doses of sugar, your body is naturally energetic. It took me 2-3 months before I got to that point, however. The only time I get sleepy like that is if I get less than 6 hours sleep.

[AnthroHeart]

My favorite from starbucks is a caramel macchiato. It's a coffee that's made with milk, and has caramel in it, with one expresso shot. So caffeine and sugar and milk (not water). Is that really that bad for you? It's bad for the wallet at $4 a pop.

[Rake]

So we could say the harvest is a shift from Caffeine fulled beings to Love/Light fueled beings. As if Ra couldn't of just been that clear about it ...

[Monica]

and does not lack of proper rest also mean the lack of proper dreaming to heal the self of diurnal distortions in one's energy field?

- -

86.12 The activity of dreaming is an activity in which there is made a finely wrought and excellently fashioned bridge from conscious to unconscious.

In this state the various distortions which have occurred in the energy web of the body complex, due to the misprecision with which energy influxes have been received, are healed. With the proper amount of dreaming comes the healing of these distortions.

Continued lack of this possibility can cause seriously distorted mind/body/spirit complexes.

Very astute point made here! What are the implications?

I noticed a difference in my dreams when I quit drinking wine. Wine! I hadn't even realized it was affecting my dreams. It makes sense that caffeine would surely affect dreaming.

It's just one among many addictive and stimulant substances people use on a daily basis without questions their effects.

---

Once you completely detox from stimulants such as caffeine and large doses of sugar, your body is naturally energetic. It took me 2-3 months before I got to that point, however. The only time I get sleepy like that is if I get less than 6 hours sleep.

Very true!

[xise]

I had gotten 5 hours of sleep :/. I tend to like to go to sleep later and wake up later...unfortunately, can't do much in the real world like that so I'm constantly resetting my sleep schedule every week-two weeks.

[Aureus]

Relevant article:"More Than 28 Cups of Coffee a Week May Endanger Health in Under 55s"
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/201...133455.htm