The end at last!

Come along!

RB3 - It's the End of the World as We Know It by... by XxIronManxX1

The science of discovering ourself

The medical field is probably one of the most fast paced developing technologies, and in the past few years we have discovered more about our own bodies than we have about renewable energy sources.

One of these developments that are still making headlines since it was first developed is flow magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI. While it was originally developed to aid the medical fraternity in their diagnostic ability, this technology is currently providing us with discoveries that are literally the stuff of dreams. By measuring the changes in blood flow through the brain during different mental activities, this device is able to tell us more than we ever thought possible about the functioning of one of the most mysterious organs in the body, the human brain.

This three pound of mushy Grey matter that give us abilities that are so unique in the animal kingdom that we have the power to subjugate nothing less than nature itself has remained clouded in a shroud of speculation, conjugation and even plain conjecture. This is in stark contrast to other scientific discoveries of the human body, where the absolute and exact is considered to be nothing less than standard. But with the use of fMRI imaging we are starting to understand how the brain makes sense of the input from our senses to provide each of us with our own unique view of a common reality. From understanding the difference between emotional and neutral memories, to finding why people in a happy mood will almost always choose the first of any available choices given, all the way through to the role of emotions in determining self bias and the shocking discovery that morals are nothing less than conclusions and deductions to defend our actions.

Take for instance the recent discovery that the act of imagination take place in the same region of the brain that involves memory, which challenges general convention that there is a big difference between fact and fiction. From the perspective of our brain the difference does not seem to matter much, although it does seem that these two thought processes could be distinguished through subtle memory references to sensory and kinesthetic memory patterns. Sometimes these subtle references are not so subtle, which explains for instance why many men can remember their wedding vouws, but they cannot recall asking the hand of their beloved. The answer can be found in their posture. Because many men stand on their knees when they propose marriage, that memory is encoded with the act of kneeling. Most men would recall that magical moment if they just went down on their knees!

Another recent discovery that sent shockwaves through the ranks of philosophers and preachers alike is that we seem to make choices before we arrive at a conscious decision. Through the use of fMRI it was shown that brain activity indicate what a respondent would choose up to 7 seconds before the respondent indicated that he has made up his mind on a choice, which questions previously held opinions regarding concepts such as free choice and accountability.

The ultimate impact of this diagnostic tool on our understanding of how we think and feel and act is far from being reached. Scientists are currently in the process of mapping the various regions of the brain that become active during various mental tasks, and it is a matter of time that the link between these various regions and how they interact with each other become apparent. As we learn more about the brain and its mysteries we learn more about why we think the way we do, and move closer to understanding who we are.

Getting it wrong helps us to get it right!

According to the Scientific American, research has shown that people remember things better, longer, if they are given very challenging tests on the material, tests at which they are bound to fail.

The report says that a series of experiments showed that if students make an unsuccessful attempt to retrieve information before receiving an answer, they remember the information better than in a control condition in which they simply study the information. Trying and failing to retrieve the answer is actually helpful to learning.

It’s an idea that has obvious applications for education, but could be useful for anyone who is trying to learn new material of any kind.

The pursuit of happiness

It struck me as odd when I first found scientific confirmation that we remember bad things better. If the design of the universe was based on a positive principle, and my experience constantly reaffirms me that it is, then why would we forget the happy things?

But if you take a moment and think about it, it actually makes perfect sense. The reason that we have such difficulty in remembering the joy of our journey is that fun is something you have. It implies participation, and it only makes sense at the time.

Quite the opposite is true when you look at the bad and the ugly, they exist in the past. In fact, without them our past would probably be somewhat uneventful. Not that it would matter of course! If the argument holds true we will most likely be having too much fun to care.

It is therefore no real surprise that scientific evidence has shown that the relation between fun and care is inversely proportionate to each other. This means that if you have more of the one, you will by equation, have less of the other.

So how can we get more? Mingyur Rinpoche is a Buddhist monk and the author of the book "Joyful Wisdom". He carries the distinction of being dubbed "The happiest man alive" after he participated in research aimed at showing how mindfulness meditation could increase our happiness coefficient.

Previous research had shown that there is a shift in activity from the right to the left pre-frontal cortex of the brain in subjects who were happy, and the experiment wanted to determine if purposeful meditation could achieve such a change.

It turned out to be a huge success, and after eight weeks some of the participants showed an increase of up to 800 percent in left sided brain activity by following a 30 minute a day program of mindfulness meditation.

But meditation is only one of the ways that we can increase happiness. Various other experiments has shown that anyone can put a smile on their face just by focusing on happy things, proving the age old wisdom that energy flows where the mind goes.

Those who actively pursue happiness get it, and there is at least one Tibetan Lama that can vouch for it!

That day

I wonder if this would be that day. You now, the day you sit somewhere with a long cold drink, your feet pushed into the warm hot sand. Laying back on the cool white sand and languid sun and thinking this is it. This is what it means to be living!

And then you hear the wrinkled age of someone fighting with their lover, arguing about love. and though you'd rather not you hear the voices clear. You hear the desperate pleading tone of love misunderstand. Love that does'nt reach the depth of seperation. Love that doesn't stand. Love that doesn't know that stand is only the first step.

No wait, that is the next!

And in the heartbreaking silence that follows you see the couple part in silence, you hear their braking hearts and know that this is over.

The end however, it is not. Not by a long shot.

You are the person that will make the difference. You can make a difference how it ends. You can decide the end. This time you have control and you can mend these hearts. And it has nothing to do with how it ends, but how it begins!

Five years earlier this was you. And you want shout and say fuck it all will you two stop!

Just stop and listen to yourself. Listen to the pain you cause. Cant you see the pain you cause. Cant you feel the pain. I can see it clear and plain like it was Yeasterday, and in your mind you see yourself shout stop!

You hear the rage that fills the space between you now and then, and feel the hopelesness of love that burns with the endless yearning of passion and desire.

And then you burst out in a laugh. You pick a pebble and throw it in the sea.

Life is but a breeze.

Positive pop

This summer, join researchers, practitioners, and other interested individuals for an online exploration of the Foundations of Positive Psychology taught by leading positive psychology expert Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar through the University of Pennsylvania's College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS). This new, non-credit course will examine the history and scientific underpinnings of this intriguing field and show you how its principles have been used to enhance work and home life.

In this course, Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar's weekly video lectures will explore the academic research underlying this new science. Class assignments and online interaction with Dr. Ben-Shahar and fellow students will help you formulate action steps for incorporating positive psychology into your daily routine.

Now you have three choices to guess what is being advertised:

a. A course on positive psychology? (Way too obvious of course.)

b. A exploratory journey to harmony and enlightenment? (Too floral, but probably worth exploring!)

c. Discovering your chackras' core? (Perhaps a bit technical?)

d. Learn to apply the science of happiness.

Really