It seems to me, people are not living any more, they are merely existing, like pods, afraid of things like "cancer" only because they are so confused and out of touch with the spirit of truth that they can't even comprehend how to live, let alone die.
Cancer seems to be the new Satan. It is all powerful, it strikes fear into people like nothing else, not even terrorism comes close.
Why are people so scared shitless of dying?
Why is society obsessed with Cancer?
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Kevin Solway
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Re: Why is society obsessed with Cancer?
I think people harbour the hope that one day something significant or good will happen in their lives, and that gives them a reason to keep on living. The idea of getting cancer kills that hope.prince wrote:Cancer seems to be the new Satan. It is all powerful, it strikes fear into people like nothing else, not even terrorism comes close.
Why are people so scared shitless of dying?
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williamashley
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Cancer is predominant in notice because
1. Health Research is big buisness.
2. Many people get it because ' the environment is crappy' and shows no signs of changing, rather an increase in cancer is likely.
3. It deals with cellular stem cells the 'core' of future genetics?
What if cancer cells were actually usefull.
Also the media thrives on negative information, what is better then your body growing until it kills you.
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ps people arn't scared of dying, it is all about playing the sane game, only confused people are scared of what they don't know.
It is a logical imposibility to know death.
I do not see how cancer is good? Even terry fox couldn't beat it.
1. Health Research is big buisness.
2. Many people get it because ' the environment is crappy' and shows no signs of changing, rather an increase in cancer is likely.
3. It deals with cellular stem cells the 'core' of future genetics?
What if cancer cells were actually usefull.
Also the media thrives on negative information, what is better then your body growing until it kills you.
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ps people arn't scared of dying, it is all about playing the sane game, only confused people are scared of what they don't know.
It is a logical imposibility to know death.
I do not see how cancer is good? Even terry fox couldn't beat it.
Re: Why is society obsessed with Cancer?
Do you mean in an ongoing sense, or day to day? I'm sure people have an everyday sense that something good is happening, so they are focused on something in the distance? Are you saying life is about this illusion?ksolway wrote:I think people harbour the hope that one day something significant or good will happen in their lives, and that gives them a reason to keep on living. The idea of getting cancer kills that hope.
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MKFaizi
People are especially fearful of cancer because it is a deadly killer.
Though much progress has been made in treatment of prostate, breast, and colon cancer, cancer is very insidious and deadly. Once it spreads from one place to the next, it is only a matter of time before it takes over the liver.
I think one thing that scares people about cancer is that it is insidious. You can have just a small degree of pain and find out that your entire body is permeated with cancer. We all know that we are going to die and I think people are fairly accepting of that.
Also, cancer is known to produce a very painful death. Plus cancer treatments themselves are painful and produce sickness.
We have made big advancements in the treatment of some cancers. Not nearly as many kids die from cancer as they did thirty or forty years ago. Childhood leukemia was once a certain and ugly death. Now, it is mostly controlled and you do not even see as much of it as we once did.
The survival rate for those with lymphoma and Hodgkins has increased dramatically over the years.
Even lung cancer -- depending on the type -- has a much better survival rate. I have encountered many people who have had a lung removed and lived more than ten years afterward.
I do not think fear of cancer is unreasonable -- unless an individual is obsessed with the fear.
Faizi
Though much progress has been made in treatment of prostate, breast, and colon cancer, cancer is very insidious and deadly. Once it spreads from one place to the next, it is only a matter of time before it takes over the liver.
I think one thing that scares people about cancer is that it is insidious. You can have just a small degree of pain and find out that your entire body is permeated with cancer. We all know that we are going to die and I think people are fairly accepting of that.
Also, cancer is known to produce a very painful death. Plus cancer treatments themselves are painful and produce sickness.
We have made big advancements in the treatment of some cancers. Not nearly as many kids die from cancer as they did thirty or forty years ago. Childhood leukemia was once a certain and ugly death. Now, it is mostly controlled and you do not even see as much of it as we once did.
The survival rate for those with lymphoma and Hodgkins has increased dramatically over the years.
Even lung cancer -- depending on the type -- has a much better survival rate. I have encountered many people who have had a lung removed and lived more than ten years afterward.
I do not think fear of cancer is unreasonable -- unless an individual is obsessed with the fear.
Faizi
I think that Kevin generally has the right idea. People want to "keep hope alive," so to speak, and cancer is hard on hope. Most of us want to "do something" before we die, and often cancer (or some similar fate) will strike before we have a chance to do it. Some also have (at least superficially) rewarding day-to-day lives which they don't want to see threatened.
I live in a tub.
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Dan Rowden
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Re: Why is society obsessed with Cancer?
Society is certainly pretty obssessed with death, but then fear of mortality has been the motivation for many social mores. But when it comes to cancer, specifically (which is what this thread is about), I think the reasons are numerous and include:
# Cancer is very prevalent in western society,
# It is, as Marsha noted, an insidious disease,
# We are all seemingly randomly vulnerable to it,
# We cannot, as yet, in any way immunise ourselves against it and even stringent attention to lifestyle is barely any safeguard,
# Cancer knows no socio-economic or other human boundaries,
# In the back of our minds is the dread that we may bring cancer upon ourselves via the environment we create (and we probably do for most forms of it) and we are thus in some sense responsible for our own demise. Cancer, in this sense, is a kind of natural retribution, a penalty we pay for our largesse. Unlike most terminal diseases cancer is something that haunts us with the feeling that we somehow deserve to get it; that we have brought it upon ourselves.
# Cancer is also a political tool, employed mainly by feminists to increase the sense of importance of women in society.
There are probably other reasons why we are seemingly obssessed with cancer, but that's all I can think of at this moment. Maybe I have a form of brain cancer that attacks memory and suchlike. Not that I'm obssessed with cancer or anything...............
Dan Rowden
# Cancer is very prevalent in western society,
# It is, as Marsha noted, an insidious disease,
# We are all seemingly randomly vulnerable to it,
# We cannot, as yet, in any way immunise ourselves against it and even stringent attention to lifestyle is barely any safeguard,
# Cancer knows no socio-economic or other human boundaries,
# In the back of our minds is the dread that we may bring cancer upon ourselves via the environment we create (and we probably do for most forms of it) and we are thus in some sense responsible for our own demise. Cancer, in this sense, is a kind of natural retribution, a penalty we pay for our largesse. Unlike most terminal diseases cancer is something that haunts us with the feeling that we somehow deserve to get it; that we have brought it upon ourselves.
# Cancer is also a political tool, employed mainly by feminists to increase the sense of importance of women in society.
There are probably other reasons why we are seemingly obssessed with cancer, but that's all I can think of at this moment. Maybe I have a form of brain cancer that attacks memory and suchlike. Not that I'm obssessed with cancer or anything...............
Dan Rowden
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Dan Rowden
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I fully agree there is a political dimension to it.
In evolutionary terms males have always been more disposable, because women are (have been) needed to look after kids. males are seekers, women are hoarders.
Pollies, apart from the political convenience of making the appearance of treating women well, are still subject to this underlying instinct.
Without a black plague or international war, males have no hope. But should we support created wars like Iraq just to support masculinity generally...maybe we should.
In evolutionary terms males have always been more disposable, because women are (have been) needed to look after kids. males are seekers, women are hoarders.
Pollies, apart from the political convenience of making the appearance of treating women well, are still subject to this underlying instinct.
Without a black plague or international war, males have no hope. But should we support created wars like Iraq just to support masculinity generally...maybe we should.