The world has finally gone mad. Or at least one woman conveniently named Navenna Shine in Seattle certainly has. Shine, founder of the website and experiment ‘Living on Light’ is planning to survive solely on sunlight for the next four months.
Shine is a follower of Breatharianism which is essentially the concept of fasting, or living without food. Breatharians believe in a lifestyle where food and possible water are unnecessary. Depending on the branch of Breatharianism, some believe that human life can be sustained by ‘prana’ (the life force in Hinduism) or by the energy in sunlight — a belief held by Jasmuheen, an advocate of the movement in the 1990s.
On her website, Shine describes Jasmuheen as a “delightful, self-styled ‘Ambassador for Peace’” who claims around 40,000 people are currently Living on Light (although there is no verification of this). Shine goes on to admit the problem is that nobody believes this, and that she aims to prove this lifestyle indeed works by using herself as a subject.
Shine set herself up in a controlled experiment for a duration of four to six months. Using eight cameras, she claims she will not “go outside of those cameras” so that people around the world watching won’t think she is eating and thus cheating. I laughed out loud when I read the next paragraph :
“We are having many issues with live-streaming and it might take a while to get it operational. In the meantime, each moment is being recorded and the files are being archived for future verification.”
Essentially, Breatharians believe humans can survive in the same way as plants — solely on water (a limited supply) and sunlight. Funnily enough, most notable breatharians have all elicited criticism. For instance when Jasmuheen was asked to be interviewed and closely monitored in 1999, stock piles of food was found in her house. She claimed it was for her husband, and that she didn’t touch it.
This concept isn’t just stupid, it’s disturbing. If you can believe it, Jasmuheen attracted a following which resulted in the deaths of several lives. Of course, she denied any involvement with the deaths and claimed “she cannot be held responsible for the actions of her followers.”
The scientific community has thoroughly renounced any claims made by Breatharians and believe it to be a lethal pseudoscience. Nutritionists warn of the dangers of fasting for extended periods of time, as it leads to starvation, dehydration, and death. Without intaking calories, the body will feed on glycogen, fat, and muscle — which is exactly what is happening to Shine. After 30 days of fasting, Shine has lost 20 pounds already.
If you’re interested in witnessing more of what Shine says is “a huge moment in history,” check out her Youtube channel. Then again maybe not, if you have a low tolerance for stupidity.
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