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Bit of an aside but various states consciousness has always been front of mind in certain regards with Haitian culture. Zombie-mania has been in the US for a w
by loosetypes 6y ago
Bit of an aside but various states consciousness has always been front of mind in certain regards with Haitian culture.
Zombie-mania has been in the US for a while now, but in Haiti it, at least in part, originally referred to when you zone out going through rote day-to-day actions without thinking.
Can’t remember where you parked your car? You were a zombie when you did it.
Etymologically it’s interesting as well, to be taken (literally “mounted”) by a lwa or spirit.
- dbtc 6y agoFascinating. It sounds like the exact opposite of "mindfulness".
- taneq 6y agoAnd interestingly, sounds pretty similar to the 'state of flow' that we also find so valuable.
- dvfjsdhgfv 6y agoIt could be more nuanced than that. In zombie-like states it looks like System 1 takes over and you just do basic activities without really being present in them. In the "flow" state you need to actively engage System 2, although at the same time you tend to reduce the amount of external stimuli to focus on the action at hand.
- Delk 6y agoI think it's different in that in a state of flow, you are intensely focused on whatever it is you're doing, and are able to maintain that focus without struggle. In a "zombie" state, you may not really be focusing on anything at all, least of all what you're doing.
- adgsadgsasdg 6y agothere's also that whole fraud-by-scopolamine tradition in haiti that contributes to zombi-mania....
- whatshisface 6y ago>Can’t remember where you parked your car? You were a zombie when you did it. Usually that happens when I'm thinking about something else. Also, the visual input walking away from your care is totally different from the scene you see walking towards your car.