The Holocaust was a good idea

Social Forums Non-Philosophical Chat
1

Now that i’ve got you’re attention. Read the following and comment.
Can you really think you’reself to death.

[Collected on the Internet, 2002]

A man finds himself locked in a walk in freezer. He is convinced he will die and begins writing letters. His letters end with a final passage where he is saying he can not write anymore because his fingers are beginning to freeze. When they find him dead, not only do they find the letters but they discover that the freezer’s temperature never dropped below 50 degrees. Thus, the man pretty much psyched himself to death.

[Van Ekeren, 1988]

The expression “worried to death” has more truth to it than you might think.

There is a story about Nick Sitzman, a strong, young bull-of-a-man, who worked on a train crew. It seemed Nick had everything: a strong healthy body, ambition, a wife and two children, and many friends. However, Nick had one fault. He was a notorious worrier. He worried about everything and usually feared the worst.

One midsummer day, the train crew were informed that they could quit an hour early in honor of the foreman’s birthday. Accidentally, Nick was locked in a refrigerator boxcar, and the rest of the workmen left the site. Nice panicked.

He banged and shouted until his fists were bloody and his voice was hoarse. No one heard him. “If I can’t get out, I’ll freeze to death in here,” he thought. Wanting to let his wife and family know exactly what had happened to him, Nick found a knife and began to etch words on the wooden floor. He wrote, “It’s so cold, my body is getting numb. If I could just go to sleep. These may be my last words.”

The next morning the crew slid open the heavy doors of the boxcar and found Nick dead. An autopsy revealed that every physical sign of his body indicated he had frozen to death. And yet the refrigeration unit of the car was inoperative, and the temperature inside indicated fifty-five degrees. Nick had killed himself by the power of worry

This is a faily common urban legend I heard, where else, my first summer at camp. Usually urban legends are simply written fro shock value, ect.

But this one alwasy stuck with me.

I know it doesent seem plausible, but is it possible.

From a medical standpoint no, you cannot “freeze to death” just by thinking it so. But do you think it is possible to induce such a state of worry and anxiety that one might, have a heart attack?

If an entire auditorium stares at a long with a deep desrie of that log cathcihing fire, will it suddenly burst into flames?

just though i’d get some input on this classic urban legend

2

The fact it seems possible is no doubt the cause of its popularity as an urban myth - that’s the whole idea of those things. As to its truth - who knows? But it’s highly suspect, to be sure.

3

the topic wasnt pertaining to the validity of the myth. But the ideas behind the supoosed death. Can you believe something to be true to such an extent that it affects you on such a strong physical level such as death/personal injury.

4
5

Of course it is possible. Given that death essentially means ‘has stopped reacting’ then the mind forcing itself to stop reacting is a form of suicide.

6

You can think yourself to illness or death or health. Many people have recovered illnesess by positive thought or belief. Your body carries a remarkable ability to heal itself, think of all the chemicals, hormones, enzymes etc. that are natural in our bodies. Mentally triggering your body to health or illlness is fast becoming a more studied science.

This is a very good topic yromemtnatsisrep =D>

7

well its sort of like this.

Have any of you ever grabbed something which is usually hot but for one reason or another is cold. And you’re first reaction is a feeling of scalding hot, or even to pull you’re hand away.

or…

ever picked up an empty soda can thinking it to be full…and far too much force is applied and you rip the can off the table and into the air.

i think that the human mind has a remarkable capacity to emulate states…

anxiety, happiness, and yes even, the fridgid cold.

now, in the second report of this urban legend, they say under autopsy he showed signs of hypothermia(?)

this dosent seem possible to me. But if we can end our live functions through intense thought, why not emulate the effects of hypothermia? Couldent we trick our body into thinking it had hypothermia, so it would overcompensate by trying to heat up the body, technically couldent that casue the same disfiguration of enzymes that happens during hypothermia (just guessing…im no MD)

for instance, am i the only one who through the act of pretending to be ill, actually becomes ill in days to come?

or maybe thats just bad karma, but lets not go there…

8

Have you ever felt the skin of someone who has lost color to their skin from fear and thoroughly terrified? It is cold.

9

yeah…i’ll look into that.

I try not to touch people after they’ve been throughly terrified though

10

Hum, more than one case research has shown that some individuals will also die of neglect. No physical abuse, just ignored througout life and they drop over dead.

Yes, the human psyche has a great deal to do with physical well being.

With regards,

aspacia :sunglasses:

11

aspacia,

You see, this sort of things interests me, but mainly for peverse reasons. Can you remember any more details about this research so I might have a look at it, because I’ve never heard of such research before and I’d be grateful if you can put me onto it.

12

its more…accounts of urban legends in cheap tabloid periodicals then research but sadly enough i do have more.

Variations:

13

I think that “suffocation in an Airtight container is much more plausable.”

but, after reseaching, i think i would have to say that the human psyche does have the capacity to play a substantial role in the phycial well being of a person.

14

try this it works for me. will an itch or a pain to go away. picture it going away in sections or if you can will away the whole thing at once. That is hard but doable. Itches are the hardest but, pains from cuts or bruises are easy. Headaches are middling.

15

(Nice trick with the thread title…)

After all, what is a belief? What makes a belief substantial?
Information doesn’t flow in just one direction.

16

im actually suprised nobodys been througly offended yet to the point of commenting. I usually maintain a strict policy of being as offensive as possible.

actually…as far as willing away itches i did it with a mosquito after hearing that post, living in the middle of the woods as i do, and its actually quite enjoyable to try.