Here’s an interesting concept – if you pay attention to your professor in lecture, you’ll learn some very interesting things. It’s amazing what you’ll miss out on if you text, sleep, or converse loudly with your buddy, completely unaware that I am sitting in the row in front of you and silently plotting my revenge. As you may know, it drives me completely insane when people feel the need to chatter through an entire 75-minute lecture. Can’t you talk before class? After class? Or could you possibly move somewhere else so I don’t have to endure your endless prattling and spend the lecture silently plotting my revenge instead of learning? Someday…
Ahem. I digress.
Did you know that the Kwakiutl of British Columbia believe that, when a person dies, their soul enters the body of a salmon? Thus, when a salmon is caught and eaten later on, a soul is released and able to move on to the spirit world. According to their faith, spirits can only be released from their bodies through consumption; this is why the salmon are considered a sacred and valued food, and it also explains why the Kwakiutl see nothing wrong with eating a deceased relative. This is not the barbaric cannibalism that so disgusts members of our society, but a respectful ritual that enables the person’s spirit to enter a salmon and, eventually, the spirit world.
You may also be surprised to learn that human blood was once thought to be a cure for epilepsy. It was most powerful if drunk immediately after the supplier passed away, and the blood of those who died violently was particularly effective. This practice occurred in Europe as recently as 200 years ago.
Perhaps you’re a fan of statistics. If so, consider this. The top 358 billionaires in the world have a combined income equal to that of the 2.3 billion poorest people in the world.
Think about it.
