We all have problems in life, it is a question how we deal with them.Some years ago, my Mum's record turntable motor would not stop spinning. My sister threw it out, but did not buy a replacement.An application of electrical contact cleaner would have fixed it. Sometimes you need outside help. This can be someone you know, it might be from a book, website, a Youtube video or a professional such as a doctor .You should always consider what this person's level of expertise is. Would you consider a flat-earther's opinion to be equal to that of a geophysicist? Eighteen years ago , my GP noticed my blood pressure was too low and advised me to take some salt in my diet. Since then my blood pressure tests have come back as good. I have a sister who thinks she knows better than my GP. Youtube videos can be helpful, but bear in mind anyone can make and post up a Youtube video.Books are mostly correct but sometimes get things wrong. Even factory workshop manuals occasionally get things wrong. I once bought a second hand DIY book that appeared to be written be people who had no hands on experience.
( to fellow may 8th,2004 member) So, be discerning on information gathered and don't settle for just 1 or 2 sources. Check backgrounds of those who consider themselves experts.
i grew up practicing transcendental meditation. i thought for the longest time that i was a spiritual person. it took me 35 plus years to realize that that was a response to anxiety and that i have anxiety issues which have never been diagnosed. the 'spiritual' aspect was just ego talking. now though i am buddhist and as a transcendental meditator i didn't have to do any self work. but as a buddhist i do have to do self work, and now i know i am one fucked up individual. hence i am going to go to a shrink soon. so kudos to the topic owner.... this is a winner point of knowledge, to know what one dioesn't know....
As a chartered engineer and someone who qualified as a doctor at the same time, I once described the internet as the worlds largest dustbin. Something that few people know, is that around 85% of YouTube videos are uploaded in India. They are aimed at western viewers, so that adverts are added in their country. Being registered in the US, Google legally have to pay revenue due to the uploader in US dollars, which are worth a lot of rupees. The major videos are car repairs and fake animal rescues. But the biggest scam is the 5 or 10 best, which themselves are just a string of adverts. One best washing machine reached 3 million views in a month, enough for the uploader to purchase a small house in India. It was only after watching the video, that viewers discovered that the winning washing machine was only sold in south Korea.
Once upon a time, I was diagnosed with a terminal illness. A very dear and well-meaning Dharma sister told me that all I needed was a gluten-free diet. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but in a highly technological society, it's important to recognize that not everyone has a qualified opinion. It infuriates my mate, but when she asks me what I think of the latest spurious anti-vaxxer bullshit she's culled off of Youtube, I defer to the CDC and WHO. Why? Because I haven't spent over a decade in college and the past 30 years of my life studying virology, epidemiology, and the like, therefore I'm not qualified to hold a valid opinion on such subjects. That's what we have experts for. If you hold a view contrarian to the scientific consensus but lack the requisite education and training to formulate an informed, qualified opinion on the matter, that's not merely a difference of opinion; you're simply wrong.
It was explained to me by a doctor that a GP can only give advice within guidelines set out by the AMA. In 2009 there was a roll call for men in my town to have a general check up. At a following consultation I was told that I had slightly elevated cholesterol. I asked if cholesterol is the cause or effect of CVD? The GP replied "I don't know." This brings up a basic scientific principle. Correlation can mean causation but not always. I was given a leaflet by Pfizer with sort of crappy advice. As it was written by someone who was not a board certified medical practitioner, it had no place in the consulting room. I found it quite insulting.
The internet is highly unregulated. You can find both valuable gems in it alongside trash. This is because any tom, dick and harry can download a video in it, and claim it to be authentic to get a lot of views generating money. One must exercise one's judgement and in this way sift and take the authentic and discard the trash. This can be a challenge for impressionable or uneducated people and especially children. I have given likes to good videos but not for those which I feel to be phony or fakes and I usually do my due diligence in this regard . Fake videos with a lot of likes will eventually get more coverage and dissemination propagating falsehood. It is better to go for videos by those with proven credentials and subject expertise. I make it a point to watch multiple videos on a particular subject, as this covers more details. I also read peer reviewed articles and books as well and seek out subject experts in real life if possible. This also helps me to sort out fake and conflicting information if any, and hold on only to the hard boiled facts. It is also important to take second or third opinions from other doctors, due to chances of misdiagnosis. It is my personal experience that experienced and well-qualified doctors tend to make better judgements than inexperienced ones.
Yesterday I had a bit of bother pairing a printer to my notebook. I got there eventually. Sometimes you have to work through a range of possibilities.
