Seeing a sea of seemingly sensible people so easily succumb to patent disinformation disseminated by clout-chasing “influencers,” disingenuous politicians, and mendacious media (both mainstream and alternative) buttresses my conviction that judicious discernment is a scarce commodity. Ironically, the dearth of Reason is flagrant even among self-proclaimed “critical thinkers” whom one would expect to possess at least some semi-reliable heuristics for distinguishing fact from fiction.

I shall suggest that the principal precipitant of this distorted perception and susceptibility to misinformation is the entrenched propensity to permit internal prejudices to perpetually seek validation from external sources. Other common factors that come to mind are the infantile impulse to affiliate with a tribe (think political left/right), a lack of knowledge (ignorance), and intellectual indolence. Cultivating prudent discernment fundamentally depends on one’s ability to think critically and capacity to confront and correct the aforementioned shortcomings.

The vast majority of the plethora of falsehoods routinely promulgated to the populace can be easily spotted because of their inherent absurdity and refuted with a simple fact-check. Sophisticated fabrications sometimes require more rigorous investigation. In the event of a paucity of verifiable primary records needed to confirm the veracity of a particular claim, one can determine its likelihood by deferring to established scientific (empirical, statistical, historical, etc.) evidence and questioning its rationality and logic.

In most cases, death is not an instantaneous event but a gradual, protracted process.

The average person begins to biologically decline as soon as they enter their second decade of life. If you are therefore past your teenage years, you are presently dying.

Three primary factors determine the pace of this process: physiology, psychology, and energy (i.e., vital life-force). Each invariably influences lifespan — and is markedly malleable.

Although it may seem that one moment someone is present and the next they are gone, they have been dying for a long time.

The final, accelerated, stage of the dying process begins many months or even years before the momentous moment we call “death.” This phase is marked by a deceleration of digestion (accompanied by loss of appetite) and kidney filtration, and is succeeded by a diminution of circulation and respiration.

Even after the brain and heart cease to function and a person is declared “dead,” at the cellular level, life-force remains, and the dying process continues for days thereafter.

The surest way to slow the speed of dying is to mindfully maintain the body, mind, and energy (all of which are inextricably connected).

Maintaining the body involves adhering to dietary practices that accord with one’s biology, reducing exposure to toxicants, and ensuring adequate movement and rest.

Maintaining the mind involves continuous intellectual cultivation, avoidance of destructive stimuli, and resolute acceptance of the vicissitudes of life.

Decelerating the dying process on the energetic level requires consistent exploration into the deeper, subtler aspects of one’s existence.

Being deliberately diligent in these domains offers one the greatest opportunity to successfully delay one’s inevitable, ultimate demise.

Mainstream veganism promulgates practices that are often at odds with health. Below are several examples:

• Endorses excessively processed vegan convenience foods (contain textured vegetable protein, soy isolates, vegetable oils, refined flours, etc.).
• Advocates commercial oat milk formulations rife with rapeseed oil, glyphosate residues, and heavy metal (e.g., arsenic) contaminants.
• Downplays the dangers of synthetic agricultural agents (glyphosate, neonicotinoids, chlorothalonil, etc.) and the attendant risks of conventionally cultivated produce.
• Promotes consumption of soy, despite the fact that over 90% of US-grown soybean crops are genetically modified.
• Holds a neutral or even supportive stance toward genetically modified (GMO) crops whose long-term health impacts are unknown.
• Overemphasizes the importance of grains and legumes in diet, without regard for proper preparation (soaking, sprouting, fermenting).
• Touts extra virgin olive oil as a “health food.”
• Endorses isolated/synthetic supplements like curcumin, synthetic vitamins (e.g, cyanocobalamin, vitamin D analogues), ferrous iron, potassium iodide, etc.
• Promoted — and continues to promote — experimental mRNA COVID-19 inoculations without acknowledging potential long-term ramifications.
• Advocates processed protein powders (pea, rice, and soy isolates).

Despite these deficiencies, mainstream veganism is still a net positive, I contend, owing to its staunch stand for animal rights and rejection of animal exploitation.

Large-scale food firms and family-run producers alike are now plastering protein powders into practically every product. They procure these powders — often contaminated with harmful heavy metals and impurities — from the cheapest vendors they can find without a second thought for consumer welfare. Brainwashed by the relentless “protein propaganda” propagated by health influencers on podcasts and social media platforms, millions of unwary consumers readily snap up these products. However, informed shoppers who value their health steer clear of victuals sullied by this unnecessary and (largely) unhealthy add-on.