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winter
Dec 22, 2010 20:29:49 GMT -1
Post by redraven on Dec 22, 2010 20:29:49 GMT -1
I'm beginning to wonder if the psychological effects of winters experienced by previous generations has left it mark in the present generations' thought patterns and expresses itself through anxiety concerning this time of year.
RR
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winter
Dec 22, 2010 20:46:54 GMT -1
Post by crowman on Dec 22, 2010 20:46:54 GMT -1
I'm beginning to wonder if the psychological effects of winters experienced by previous generations has left it mark in the present generations' thought patterns and expresses itself through anxiety concerning this time of year. And the way people panic buy provisions as if the shops are never going to re-open!
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winter
Dec 22, 2010 21:52:10 GMT -1
Post by arth_frown on Dec 22, 2010 21:52:10 GMT -1
We are not use to running out of food. The mire whiff of it sends those in a shopping spree!
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winter
Dec 23, 2010 7:49:19 GMT -1
Post by nellie on Dec 23, 2010 7:49:19 GMT -1
Redraven, I find that a really interesting thought. Almost like being afraid of the dark, or spiders you mean? Like a genetic memory? Or (as you'll be able to tell I haven't read much in the way of psychology beyond the A-level paper requirements!) as in Jung's collective unconscious? I think if this is the case that part of it is the kindness towards others that Potia mentions. I've also noticed that people are all of a sudden helping each other out, sharing salt supplies, offering to do shopping trips for each other etc - this 'christmas spirit' that people talk of. I used to love the winter too as a child and it wasn't until I'd gone through puberty that the winter started to increasingly depress me.
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winter
Dec 23, 2010 9:05:29 GMT -1
Post by crowman on Dec 23, 2010 9:05:29 GMT -1
Thinking about this carefully, im fairly positive i love the period of time from autumn to spring, i prefer it cold, i love the colours associated with autumn and some of my best hill-walks have always been in winter. I love the prospect of first buds opening and the promise of a new spring....although for me the ground is dead and barren and i cant wait to grow my veg and herbs.
However, what i do hate with an unbridled passion is the christmas period and everything it stands for. I get really really fed up at the prospect of christmas and look forward to it ending before it has even begun. I dont trust the church at the best of times but i find i get angry at christmas especially and im not sure why? I commented last night about people panic buying food thats one thing that annoys me but also the fact that the media forces you to 'have the best xmas ever' stuff yourselves with food and drink and get into debt for the rest of the year just because its christmas. Im working on christmas day again this year (paramedic) so for me it means nothing, on christmas eve however im going for a very long walk in the hills to get away from the festivities.
So i think i'd go along with RR, i think for some people we are experiencing a kind of psychological collective unconscious harking back to times gone by. But i also think people who are more aware of themselves feel it more (mentally, physically, spiritually). The average en-ger-land chanting lager swilling neanderthal will look forward to presents, drinking his own body weight of alcohol and eating a mound of neverending food with absolutely no regard for anything but themselves
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winter
Dec 23, 2010 13:47:17 GMT -1
Post by Adam on Dec 23, 2010 13:47:17 GMT -1
I like Christmas even though we don't have kids. I have no problems with the christian overtones, either. Same job but different outlook. As for the commersialism, maybe but lets face it our pre-roman ancestors partied hard at festival times. I don't think they would be any different if they were in modern times, they would perhaps call it a different name. More mead, anyone? Nadolyg Llawen, Happy Christmas Seconded ;-) This year we are mostly having friends knock on our door, getting drunk, eating, getting drunk, knocking on friends doors, getting drunk, eating, getting drunk, dishing out presents (almost every single on hand made), getting drunk, eating... Man, this time the Sun AND the Moon came back... I'm gonna party :-) Re the commercialism... OK, I've stocked up more on alcohol than normal (see above), but we've made a conscious effort over the years to reconnect with what I regard as the spirit of the season whether it be expressed through the Christian mythos or with more pagan overtones, and to actively disengage with the commercial aspect. It has been an enlightening exercise, as the festivity becomes focussed on celebrating old and and new friends. We DO have a choice as to how much we engage with the commercialism
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winter
Dec 23, 2010 18:49:01 GMT -1
Post by arth_frown on Dec 23, 2010 18:49:01 GMT -1
I have lost the ability to get drunk, but still get the hangover.
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winter
Dec 23, 2010 21:20:20 GMT -1
Post by redraven on Dec 23, 2010 21:20:20 GMT -1
Redraven, I find that a really interesting thought. Almost like being afraid of the dark, or spiders you mean? Like a genetic memory? Or (as you'll be able to tell I haven't read much in the way of psychology beyond the A-level paper requirements!) as in Jung's collective unconscious? I think if this is the case that part of it is the kindness towards others that Potia mentions. I've also noticed that people are all of a sudden helping each other out, sharing salt supplies, offering to do shopping trips for each other etc - this 'christmas spirit' that people talk of. I used to love the winter too as a child and it wasn't until I'd gone through puberty that the winter started to increasingly depress me. I was thinking along the lines of inherited behavioural patterns. Stressful situations have the potential to create very strong neural pathways in an individual and it seems to me that this potential may be passed on through genetics. Does anyone else in your family experience similar feelings? RR
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winter
Dec 23, 2010 21:41:37 GMT -1
Post by Adam on Dec 23, 2010 21:41:37 GMT -1
I was thinking along the lines of inherited behavioural patterns. Stressful situations have the potential to create very strong neural pathways in an individual and it seems to me that this potential may be passed on through genetics. Does anyone else in your family experience similar feelings? RR Wouldn't need a genetic inheritance (which would be a touch Lamarkian... not necessarily a problem, but not necessary)... Behavioural responses to stress are socialised at an early age :-)
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