Open your mind

Tired of feeling down?

"Happiness is a work ethic... It's something that requires our brains to train just like an athlete has to train."

Shawn Achor 

In a groundbreaking article on happiness, Walter Chen from Lifehacker gives us the first training programme that I have seen to ever be awarded the 101aware stamp of appease. Just like awareness, it's free! Similar to perception its easy-peasy, and just like perspective it is something that needs daily practice:

- Scan for the 3 daily positives.
- Give one shout-out to someone.
- Do something nice.
- Mind your mind.

If you forget one or two don't fret about it either, try to practice at least two a day. Put them on the fridge or something. All 4 and you'll be in the swing of it in a week!

Happiness, like any potential worth isn't in the doing so much as it is in the resonance. Resonance that only occurs when there is harmony found. Harmony that only exist when there's genuine around.

Genuine is of course something that is sometimes hard to find in the world that we're living but don't let that put you off trying. Research confirm that our mind will believe anything we tell it. It's called belief, and it's the reason we put up with most of the crap that society tends to feed us in the interest of self-preservation.

If you liked the article you should try my take on serendipity.

101 I Ching

The universal principle of opposites isn't a quality much revered  in the cultural West, but it has a long and glorious history in the mindset of the East. One that stretches back as far as the 6th Century BC when a man named Lao Tsu reputedly wrote the Tao Te Ching. 

The original tome is still pretty much available as then, but there are many interpretations, interpretations of interpretations and re-interpretations  to assist any querier (a person that want to consult the I Ching) to interpret the Oracle's response, i.e. looking up the corresponding hexagram and reading what Lao wrote.

Given that there were only 64 hexagram variations described by Lao Tsu, you may well wonder and question the wisdom of the Oracle. How is it possible that such a simple act as throwing three coins result in such a non-deific divination, and why would anyone in their right mind believe in such an ungodly practice you may think?

Believe what you may but the truth as they say is in the pudding. The reason why belief in the I Ching has endured through ages hence is in the glaring view of hindsight, and the clear and present proof of endearing the value in truth, and conclusive evidence after the matter of fact.

As with most of the classic philosophers, Laozi uses allegory and metaphor throughout his book, but the pompous austerity of his language, and the decidedly royal nature of his illustration in the manner of an advisor to the Imperial Court has no relevance to its widespread use and common utilisation as a tool to choose, or decide on the best course of daily action to take.

In fact, the whole book can be read as a perspective on perception, a example of the value in harbouring a universal point of view, a deceleration of reason to endear harmony, and the auspicious nature of cultivating a Dao that defy the gap between reason and belief.

By noting the fall of the toss of two coins with a question in mind, and repeating the process six times to construct a hexagram the query may be answered in the interpretation of a symbolic result. Part science, part ritual, part chaos, part flow, the I Ching has been in use ever since Lao Tsu cast his first yarrow, thousands of years ago. Based on the principle of balance between chaos and order, the I Ching is a reminder that we are but a part of a bigger whole.

Neither science, nor magic, the Tao is an interpretation of reality. An awareness that flows from understanding, and a universal perception that follow from a conscious perspective. 

See one, do one, teach one

A lesson from Medical School

Monkey see, monkey do

It may seem strange that one of the most valuable lessons I learned in Medical School was not how to save lives, but how to save the living. In my own point of view all life is sacred, but what's the use of saving a life when living has such a limited value?

Ethics has always been one of my favorite subjects, and the example of what do you do in the case of a suicidal emergency probably still feature as one of the classical questions that young medical students are required to answer to them self.   

The "rules" that govern conscious awareness haven't changed much over the last 3000 years, and then as now it is known that when you have to act in an emergency, ethical questions cloud your ability to think clearly, which compromise your ability to perform, and has a negative effect on the outcome.   

When your intention is clear, then saving the lives that has been placed in your care demand clear thought, a sharp mind, and sure action. Making judgement calls about quality of living, living standards or life choices make our actions inefficient, our decisions questionable, and our performance incompetent. 

Strong emotions makes people's brains 'tick together'

Human emotions are highly contagious. Seeing others' emotional expressions such as smiles triggers often the corresponding emotional response in the observer. Such synchronization of emotional states across individuals may support social interaction: When all group members share a common emotional state, their brains and bodies process the environment in a similar fashion.

Researchers at Aalto University and Turku PET Centre have now found that feeling strong emotions makes different individuals' brain activity literally synchronous.

Learn more at: Synchronized Brain

Rapid-fire Media May Confuse Your Moral Compass, Study Suggests

“For some kinds of thought, especially moral decision-making about other people’s social and psychological situations, we need to allow for adequate time and reflection,” said first author Mary Helen Immordino-Yang of the USC Rossier School of Education. Humans can sort information very quickly and can respond in fractions of seconds to signs of physical pain in others.

Admiration and compassion - two of the social emotions that define humanity - take much longer, Damasio’s group found. Their study appeared online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Read more at: Science Daily

Haunted by a memory?

Thinking over and over about how unsafe the world is after you’ve been victimized might ultimately do your head more harm than good. Finding something positive to think about–for example, how you were able to think and act under stress, or how people supported you afterwards–can help you fit the memory into your life in a positive way. Post-traumatic growth, they call it.

In addition, it appears that writing about the thoughts and emotions connected to an event can help post-traumatic growth. (The “thoughts” part is important. Just writing about emotions attached to it is not as helpful.)

Find out more about it: PsychCentral

Do more by talking about it!

Which animal is synonymous with sin?

Ever heard of the Sloth?

These arboreal, tree hugging mammals got their name from their mottled and pest ridden fur, and their excruciatingly slow movement that suggest they are dirty and lazy by nature, but if we take a closer look we see much more than the unfortunate name of sloth would suggest.

For starters, the Sloth is believed to have existed for about 60 million years, almost 24 times longer than Homo Sapiens, given the current understanding of our own evolution. Just like the human race they are considered to be somewhat of an oddity in the animal kingdom, and in a manner of speaking the Sloth seem to share many habits with ourselves.

Sloths prefer to set up a permanent home, and may live their entire life in one tree. These solitary animals prefer to spend their life hanging from from branch to branch in search of green leaves and buds that form the staple of their diet. Just like humans, the Sloth find themselves at the top of their very own and unique branch of the food chain. Protected by their lofty position in tree tops as well as the camouflage of leafy shade, they keep hidden from the rest of the world by a combination of circumstance and lack of movement.

Besides humans, they are probably the only known species that crap on their own porch, a risky practice that come with a high fatality rate. Once a week they climb down to the same piece of ground below their tree, make a hole in the ground, take a dump, and then carefully cover the excrement after they are finished. It is during these times of ablution that the Sloth become easy prey, risking life and limb to perform the ritual burial of . Just like we find in the human race, it is an example of instinctive behaviour that persist even though it seems to be a negative evolutionary trait.

But then, as we often find in nature, similar does not mean same. Contrary to the human race, these ancient and peaceful beasts exhibit various complex symbiotic systems that are inextricably part of their existence. From their furry coats, right down to their diet of leaves and their curious excretion habits. The fur of a sloth host two species of symbiotic cyanobacteria, which provide additional camouflage. And because of the cyanobacteria, sloth fur is a small ecosystem of its own, hosting many species of non-parasitic insects.

The diet of leaves provide the Sloth with very little energy or nutrition as they do not digest easily. Sloths therefore have very large, specialized, slow-acting stomachs with multiple compartments in which symbiotic bacteria break down the tough leaves. As much as two-thirds of a well-fed sloth's body-weight consists of the contents of its stomach, and the digestive process can take a month or more to complete. Sloths deal with this by a range of economy measures: they have very low metabolic rates (less than half of that expected for a mammal of their size), and maintain low body temperatures when active (30 °C (86 °F) to 34 °C (93 °F)), and still lower temperatures when resting.

With all these fascinating facts about the Sloth I cannot help but wonder if perhaps we are wrong about the nature of sloth, and since it is only recent that we have invented a tool to observe the working brain we may well find that like the Sloth, the sin that shares in its name is nothing at all what we think.

The ice age cometh!

It is a testament to the sheer tenacity of our existence that we find our collective consciousness will be spared the gloom and guilt that industry and electronics, genetic and biochemical engineering, quantum physics, and the increasing gorge on non-renewable energy leave in our wake. I still remember a time not long ago that we were doomed to suffer in calamity by nothing less than a plan of our own design, a time where sloth and gluttony was the only reason that the human race was running out of time on earth.

Our saving grase is that it seems our waste and ruin only "hasten" our headlong rush into the gloom of yet another ice age, one we should have seen coming a long time ago. Were it not for some genius that figured out we may not be the only blame for global warming and the ice caps melting, and that the catastrophic climate changes we face is nothing more than a natural cycle that began way before the appearance of man, we would probably be all but suicidal now. A species driven mad by the damning knowledge that they have only them self to blame for wiping countless of species from the planet in their search for something they refuse to see.

It is too early to know with certainty if the bright spark that originally came up with the idea that gave us hope of absolution did us any favor, but history has shown that life will carry on regardless of our self, and that's a chilling thought.

‘Tis the season – A special Christmas message

It is the 23^rd of December and if you haven’t done so yet, your time is running out to buy that special gift. You know, that one gift you know will be perfect, if you could only find, or had the money for it?

And have you noticed how expensive everything has become, you wouldn’t think that we were recently on the brink of a global financial meltdown if you look at how much everything cost.

Then again I suppose it is just fitting that the festive season turn our focus to worth and value, almost in the same way it has throughout human history. Looking back in time there are plenty of examples, but none that come with a price tag quite as big as the feast of Saint Nick. And you can bet your bottom dollar that next year it will be worse.

So, if you find yourself caught up in the spending whirlwind that  rages at this time of the year, perhaps it is time to pause and reflect on what it is that you find valuable in your own life. What would your answer be if someone asked you what is your most valuable possession?

Nine out of ten people will say they think their life is the most important, while the remaining 10 percent will probably suggest something about love. Which is quite sad if you consider that life is cheap these days, but then again it really is not worth very much. On its own, without the freedom of a soul that know to live is life, and that life is so much more than just a single person, to be alive alone is literally worth nothing.

To be part of life we need to explore our world with innocent abandon, without the fear of change. To truly live we need to know that we are in control of everything that matter, like attitude, the ability to connect in honesty with our environment, our expectation and our ability to learn and grow. Things like resonance, peace, love and happiness are all waiting just beyond the grasp of choice.

If it was me to answer what would be the single thing I treasure most, I would have to say the moment I get to choose, and every glorious moment hence. I cannot think what anybody would want more than a moment to be, in harmony with life in all its abundance, diversity, opportunity and wonder. And what a bonus to be blessed with more!

‘Tis the season to be jolly, tra-la-la-la-la, tra-la-la-la, and in the spirit of the season my gift to you is nothing less. I’d love to hear what you’ll be doing with yours?

As much as what the eye can see…

How much would that be? In answer I guess most people would offer something that would depend on visual acuity, or the absence of visual obstruction. While it seems perfectly normal that what you see is what you percieve, quite the opposite is true.

A recent physics article in physorg.com explained it as follows:

This is a consequence of the eye's main characteristic, namely as a detection threshold. Below a certain threshold number of incoming photons, the eye remains blind (no light is seen), whereas above the threshold the efficiency (i.e. the probability of seeing) is close to one.

In their calculations, the authors also considered the influence of experimental imperfections, such as photon losses, which are inevitable in a real experiment. They found that the setup is surprisingly robust. A strong Bell violation can be obtained even in case of high losses, demonstrating the presence of entanglement. This is a very astonishing feature since entanglement is generally an extremely fragile property, highly sensitive to experimental imperfections such as losses.

I may have this wrong, but what I think it means is that our eye’s make things up, in this particular case it is photon’s, but it could be just about anything you see.

If you can imagine your perception as a flat screen TV in which there are increasingly more pixels dead, our perception of the degrading picture will remain as it was without any dead pixels.

But perception is not the only ability that can be influenced by entanglement? It also plays a role in something known as the placebo effect.

What’s up with water anyhow?

Well, I guess we could start with the obvious:

1. It is commonly known as a fluid, and it is found in all three states of matter (solid, gas and fluid) all over planet earth. Funny that, because water is in fact the only molecule that naturally occurs in all three states of matter.

2. Water is formed by a chemical bond between the two elements, oxygen and hydrogen. Two elements of oxygen combine with one element of hydrogen to form one molecule of water.

3. It is found in everything around us, yes even the iron shovel you hold in your hand or the crystal you use for channeling your healing energy. In fact, it is the third most common molecule in the universe, besides hydrogen and carbon.

4. It is found within our bodies, and in very high percentages I hasten to ad! Especially if we look at some organs like the brain.

5. Thanks to the discovery of the microscope, we also know that when water turns into a solid it forms a tightly packed lattice of tetrahedral crystals.

6. A few years ago we found out that the pattern of tetrahedral clumping as water turn in to a solid could be influenced by intention and music. This mystical ability was discovered thanks to a very observant and very lucky scientist called Dr Emoto, who observed the phenomenon and intuited it’s causality.

7. We recently discovered that this tetrahedral quality persists when water turns into a fluid, and water seem to have a natural ability to combine together in tetrahedral clumps of up to a 100 molecules each. The rest of the molecules floats around freely and disorganized, sometimes in more and sometimes in less quantities.

8. We also found that the amount of free and disorganized water molecules depend on factors such as the temperature and pressure of the fluid, and the presence of other molecules that may be dissolved within it.

Before we discovered the tetrahedral clumping, water was considered to be the odd one out amongst molecules, with some 66 qualities that distinguished it from other forms of matter. With the theory of clumping we can now start to explain some of these differences in the behavior of water.

Things like why water can absorb so much heat before it starts to boil, and why the crystalline structure of frozen water is influenced by thought. This in turn explain how crystals work, and why they have their power.

It starts to explain such mysteries as the recent finding that happiness is contagious, that music can trigger an automatic emotional response, and it provides new theories to explain the hitherto mysterious way our brain seem to work.

By discovering the tetrahedral clumping nature of water we may just have hit upon the holy grail, and suddenly a whole world of knowledge start to make sense!

What’s up with water you ask? Apparently quite a lot. It begs me to tip my hat and wink a smile at glimpsing some understanding about mystery of life, the universe and just about everything…

Baby steps I know, but giant leaps for mankind.