spontaneous birthings
head fluff when illuminated can reveal some very special thingsArchive for November, 2007
brain food
Tonight’s TKD class was kill-er. It was non-stop kicking, holding stances and quivering from pain and exhaustion. But I’m so glad I went. Not only is it rewarding to know that I can challenge myself physically – to the level that I want to scream – but we learn revealing insights about ourselves, about our bodies and minds.
Master Kim said that we, as humans, utilize only 8% of our brain’s capacity. 8%!! Shocking, right?! Olympic trainers and award-winners use about 12-14% and “crazy old Chinese men who don’t budge when hit with a stick” (as Master described) use about 15%.
How incredible to think of the possibilities if we trained our brain for positive purposes! Imagine how much less suffering, or rather perceptions of suffering, there would be in the world. I am a true believer that we can transform ourselves and our lives by transforming our thoughts. It’s happened to me.
consumed
American Public Media, the grandmother of national public media, has initiated a new series called Consumed. It explores the question of how sustainable our consumer society is and what long-term effects an obsessive buying-culture has on all facets of our daily lives. It’s wonderful, and about time (!).
I wake up to 88.5 WAMU (NPR news station in DC) every morning. I remember listening to NPR in my high school days in Connecticut. It would be playing in the background as my aunt and I chatted about the day after she picked me up from track practice or I tagged along to go grocery shopping. I thought then that the programs were boring. They were all about international and economic affairs, topics that failed to appeal to my teenage mindset. I wanted to blast Pearl Jam or Tori Amos. It’s embarassing to admit how juvenile I was – even if I was a juvenile, a young person just coming to being.
Now I find the contemporary radio programs to be boring. They all play the same thing. I prefer college radio stations to everything else.
But back to Consumed. Some of the segments remind me of a verbal shaking-of-the-finger, reminding us that we have fallen prey to appearance and a quantity of goods rather than a quality of spirit. We are losing bits of our humanity, and our goodwill and the Earth are its victims. We all need a good finger-shaking. Myself included.
science of sleep
I had a disturbing dream last night. It was so disturbing that I can’t even describe it here, in this blogosphere that contains my personal thoughts and observations. Blogging to me means revealing something meaningful about our reality or each other; it means revealing something useful.
But I must write about my night-experience, useful or not, because it raises some important questions. I wonder what it means when the unconscious mind uncovers unpleasantness, something bad – like murder? Does dreaming about committing a horrible act imply a secret darkness, that we are capable of such evil deeds? How much are we made of dreams?
Some would argue that our dreams reveal our innermost desires and impulses, however wondrous or horrific. Others would say that they are apparitions of a busy mind, tempered by the act of existing and our brilliant brains, and nothing more. I’m not sure what I believe. I’ve had dreams before that mirrored the tremblings of my brain and heart with uncanny accuracy, and I’ve been able to analyze them as explanations for stress and random mind-wanderings.
But my dream last night was not a simple wandering. I wonder if the evil things we do in dreams reveal something about ourselves? I cannot imagine myself doing what I did in my dream. But maybe I did in some other way…in the way that we all have the option to do good or bad, that there is a very real possibility that we choose bad over good. I suppose our ultimate character is revealed in how we choose in our everyday, non-dream lives. But, what do our subconscious actions say about ourselves? About me?
holiday feel
November is here. Fall seemed to never have happened. I suppose it is happening right now – there is a bite in the air, but the Fall I remember from childhood hasn’t happened. No apple-picking (although when I was in Cambridge visiting Annie P., we did buy locally-picked Jonagolds – delicious!), no trees with brightly-adorned skirts of red and orange and burnt gold. Maybe I’m anticipating too much. Expecting change too quickly.
But now that Halloween and its frivolity is over, including possibilities for human trampling on M Street in Georgetown (I went as Avian Flu with 2 companions: Black Plague and a Mime sad and teary from being so close to horrible illness), the clock is tick-tocking for the upcoming mayhem of the holidays. Holidays are always exciting and the cheer among family and friends is undoubtedly contagious.
But I’ve noticed, that with age and the passing of holidays year after year, the energy and excitement wanes with time. Halloween is no longer a night out with the children transformed into fantastical beings, a night of free candy and laughing in the dark, but it is an annoyance – of being interrupted by having to give out candy.
And the obvious fact that families celebrate different holidays make the events even more challenging, especially in today’s political-correct-saturated world. We find ourselves mind battling whether or not to send a Christmas card to Jewish or Buddhist friends.
The critical consumer in me wants to declare holidays as silly corporate schemes, opportunities to take advantage of the average American and feed them with a desire for things, but I can’t deny the good nature of the changing seasons and festive gatherings with family.
Holidays are all about feelings, really. It doesn’t feel like it should be time for Thanksgiving gorging, but I am starting to feel the joy and excitement that overflows during this time of year - when people smile more and tend to be more friendly to each other. In this unique way, holidays are very good creations, after all. Some people need the cultural nudging to bring out their loving and giving nature. Others simply find joy in sharing the holiday feel with those they love. I like to think of myself as being part of the latter group.
