Researchers from Ohio State University have discovered that the commonly used pain reliever, acetaminophen, has a previously unknown side effect: it kills positive emotions. In the study, participants who took acetaminophen reported feeling fewer strong emotions when they were shown very pleasant or very disturbing photos, compared to those who took placebos. You might be thinking correlation doesn’t mean causation, but when you use the Bradford Hill criteria, and examine all of the other studies done regarding the psychological effects of over the counter pain killers, the picture becomes clearer. (source)(source)

Acetaminophen is the main ingredient in the commonly used pain reliever Tylenol and has been used for more than 70 years in the United States, but this marks the first time that this “side effect” has been documented. It’s the most common drug ingredient in the United States, found in more than 600 medicines, according to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association. (source)

The bard Robert Anton Wilson said, “Anybody who tells you that we’re running out of resources or that we’re in a terrible mess–they are idiots. We can’t run out of resources. Resources exist when the human mind sees how to use something. To say we are running out of resources is like saying we are running out of brain cells.(1)”

If necessity is the mother of invention, it is safe to say she is finally giving birth. Despite the relative mismanagement of our “resources,” the growth of affordable green energy industries and countless prototypical inventions are arriving right on time. Moreover, these new inventions have the potential to single-handedly replace conventional methods for dealing with systemic environmental problems.(2)(3)

But what if our problems are not technological, but cultural? What if “the west” has been so blinded by abstraction that the first glimpse of hope offered in the form of a band-aid is immediately heralded as a cure, all without even recognizing that process is occurring?

After all, what good are solar panels on every house if we use them to power 500-channel televisions feeding you anxiety and smut and alienation?

…or electric cars if we don’t have to worry about paying for gas while being stuck in rush hour gridlock on the way to an uninspiring job?

Below are some strategies for those wishing to live more rewarding, connected, and sustainable lives.

1. Eat Healthy Organic Foods

Consider incorporating more plant-based whole foods into your diet and eliminating processed packaged foods. Eating a healthy whole food diet facilitates the cleansing of the body of unwanted toxins, and can contribute to greater clarity of mind and increased physical and mental health, as well as reducing your chances of developing degenerative diseases later in life. Living with clarity is the first step to realizing your true potential and freeing yourself from the system. This also makes you less (or non) reliant on the industrialized food system, pharmaceutical grade drugs and the conventional medical system.

2. Downsize Your Life

As housing affordability deteriorates and economies continue to contract, more and more people are seeking alternative ways of living...

Amazing drone footage released last month from National Geographic Engineer Alan Turchik shows the world some excellent shots of the Northern Sudan’s 3000 year old pyramids.

Pyramids today remain a complete mystery to researchers, archaeologists, and scientists alike. Theories have have been put forth, but we still don’t have a concrete notion of how they were built or by whom, or even what their purpose is. There are still several questions that remain unanswered, which is why many of them are considered to be some of the greatest ancient unsolved mysteries in human history.

One of the most fascinating things about the pyramids is the fact that they have been discovered all over the world. They range in size but are remarkably similar in construction, and are known to have been built by several ancient civilizations – in several different time periods – all of which were completely unaware of each other’s existence. It’s truly remarkable and mind-blowing when you think about it, isn’t it?