Snow Sauna

I had always known Scandanavians to take a Sauna and then jump into the snow (or, slightly less extremely, cold water or a cold shower). I always assumed this was just a stupid macho thing, and couldn't imagine it ever actually being a good idea.

But at the weekend, several of us were on holiday and in a Sauna and actually did try jumping and rolling in the snow, and it turns out I was wrong and it's actually really, really, nice. If you have a very long, hot, shower or bath, your skin may eventually feel roasted, and cold air really pleasant. In a Sauna you get the same feeling. And it turns out, that for about a minute, the snow doesn't feel unpleasant at all. You can feel, in abstract, that it's cold, but you simply don't feel the sense of pain you normally get touching cold things or standing in cold air. You just get a really intense cleansing sensation.

In retrospect, this should probably have been obvious on thermodynamic or physics ground, but I never thought about it. I assumed people liked the pain, it hadn't occurred to me it wasn't painful.

So, sorry, Scandanavians. I was wrong. I heartily recommend the practice if you ever have a chance.

Examples of Libertarian/Anarchist societies

People often wonder how a libertarian society, or an anarchist society, would actually work. They point to historical examples, and some contemporary societies as examples. (Very different ones depending whether they're stressing what the philosophy is striving to achieve, or stressing the drawbacks of adopting it uncritically.)

But it occurs to me we have quite a good example in the global society of nations. The way countries work with each other, or don't, is almost exactly that. One not governed by any outside laws, but one in which a majority adopt various protocols that most choose to abide by, most of the time, but reserve the right to opt out of. Some reject any, and the rest ignore it, or pressure them into conforming, if they're able to. Some run amuck, and stomp all over everyone else. The observations are, that it _mostly_ works, but it's not obviously superior to a system where the majority HAD imposed some standard laws and the right to enforce them.

(Of course, people disagree about what contracts between nations there should be. Some people do just want a free-for-all, others want a centrally imposed order.)

Head is all carefully shaved and is all strokey-fuzzy again

Head is all carefully shaved and is all strokey-fuzzy again