Thursday in Santa Fe

02010-06-18 | Uncategorized | 6 comments


The Mariachi Bullitt at Counter Culture. I bought the matching shoes in Tokyo last Fall.
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Marginal Revolution: Very good sentences
A German student created a major traffic jam in Bavaria after making a rude gesture at a group of Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang members, hurling a puppy at them and then escaping on a stolen bulldozer.

The story is here. We are informed that:

The puppy was now in safe hands…
(Via Marginal Revolution)

A story in one sentence. That could inspire a movie…
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YouTube – RSA Animate – The Secret Powers of Time
Professor Philip Zimbardo conveys how our individual perspectives of time affect our work, health and well-being. Time influences who we are as a person, how we view relationships and how we act in the world.
(Via Ektopia)

Excellent talk by Professor Zimbardo – a perfect name, equally good for a wizard or a time-professor.

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Thanks for the recommendations. E-books were not available, but I found used hardcovers of Douglas Hofstadter’s Le Ton Beau De Marot: In Praise Of The Music Of Language and The Mind’s I: Fantasies and Reflections on Self & Soul. They are hefty books, but since we will have a bus for this tour, I will schlepp one of them with me.

I am especially interested in The Mind’s I since research on the nature of consciousness is not very advanced. In a nutshell, William James suggested around the turn of the previous century that consciousness had to be studied three-fold: introspective studies, behavioral studies and neurological studies. Makes sense, and is actually classic thought that Plato could agree with. Or Ken Wilber’s AQAL structure, which looks like this:

William James was brushed aside by John Watson, who basically eliminated the interior portion of the triangle and crippled the study of consciousness for a century. We have been busy studying behavior and the brain and have ignored the interior. In other words, we have measured brain activity and studied what is going on in the brain in terms of hormones or electric current, and we have studied what a person does, but we have ignored the interior perspective. The interior was spun off into a separate field and was left to psychiatrist and therapists.

Or, here is a different example: let’s say we study a meditator. If we measure brain activity and observe what the person does, we are still missing his/her inner experience. Or, and this is probably a better example, let’s say we study a runner. If we only study only his behavior or action and what’s happening energetically and chemically in his brain, we are missing what s/he thinks while running (((the interior world/perspective))) which would be just as important for his/her speed. Of course the first two can be analyzed from without and the third element can only be analyzed second hand – by asking the runner to describe his/her thoughts/experience while running.

That is, of course, also the reason for not doing introspective studies: people thought that a person’s interior, their experience, thoughts and feelings were too subjective. So, let’s study what they do, instead of what they think and feel when they are doing that.

As a result we still don’t have much of a clue about what consciousness is. People mix up Brain, Mind and Consciousness and use these words indiscriminately and interchangeably.

PS: in the evening I read that The Mind’s I also points out that we know very little about the nature of consciousness…
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Great conversation with Jon this Morning. We talked about the Post-Modern curse. While many people have abandoned the Post-Modern ship, it is interesting how the waves are still felt, forty years later. Every perspective is valid is the mantra of Post-Modern. Wrong, some perspectives are simply more valid than others. If a person’s opinion is more well thought-out and is based on more accurate information, it is therefore better. Simple.

On TV anything goes these days. Facts are not important, “real” emotion is all that counts. You can say anything you like, unsupported by any evidence, as long as you say it loud enough and with fervor or anger. Politics are not an exchange of data and views, but a screaming match – no data necessary. In ancient Sparta, didn’t they decide who was right by who screamed the loudest… it seems that is what we are doing, also. (((maybe they thought that God or Zeus would give the truth the loudest voice… how wrong hey were)))
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We observed as one of the people working at Counter Culture gently carried out a nearly black butterfly, with a narrow band of orange. The flutterby flew around for a little while and then headed through the open door back into the restaurant…
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This was dropped into my in-box by an owl and so I’m passing it on to you since the event is scheduled for tomorrow. I know nothing about the grandmothers or the event.

Summer Solstice Virtual Council | The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers
The Center for Sacred Studies convened the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers 6 years ago. It represents the fulfillment of many prophecies in different traditions.

Chosen to represent the world’s indigenous peoples, these grandmothers are a source of great wisdom and blessing, reminding us of deep spiritual truths and calling our attention to what is most important. They work together on healing our planet through prayer, ritual, community and engaged activism on pressing social and environmental concerns.

Never before have the Grandmothers offered a virtual event in which the public is welcomed into their Council. It’s a special and unprecedented opportunity to hear their latest insights, witness their prayers, and share in the blessings they offer the world. We know that the power of intentions are amplified by groups so we invite you to participate live and create a powerful wave of healing into the world.

The Shift Network is deeply honored to be hosting this virtual gathering, which is completely free. It is the first in what we expect will be many Shift Councils dedicated to addressing how we can make a powerful Shift in the years ahead.

Mission Statement:
WE, THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF THIRTEEN INDIGENOUS GRANDMOTHERS, represent a global alliance of prayer, education and healing for our Mother Earth, all Her inhabitants, all the children, and for the next seven generations to come. We are deeply concerned with the unprecedented destruction of our Mother Earth and the destruction of indigenous ways of life. We believe the teachings of our ancestors will light our way through an uncertain future. We look to further our vision through the realization of projects that protect our diverse cultures: lands, medicines, language and ceremonial ways of prayer and through projects that educate and nurture our children.

6 Comments

  1. steve

    >Every perspective is valid is the mantra of Post-Modern. Wrong, some perspectives are simply more valid than others.

    You know, I teach a single semester class on ethics, and most of the class is based upon in class discussion. We talked about the Sam Harris video from his TED talk.

    I did an experiment: The assignment was to write a response paper to what Harris said: “Is Harris right? Is Harris wrong? Why/why not.”. I then asked them to write their age at the bottom of the last page of the paper. Since papers have no names, only student I/Ds, this was no problem. Here is what I found in a nutshell: the class had 77 students in it. Of those 77 students, 60 were younger than 40. Of those 40 students, younger than age 40, 95% DIS-agreed with Harris, and indicated that ethics and morality were relative, that there was no such construct as “more correct” due to such factors as expertise, and that such value systems are culturally or religiously constructed. VERY po-mo. The remaining 2 were able to acknowledge “the potential” for Harris to be right but weren’t certain. Still quite po-mo, though they are at least willing to acknowledge the potential for po-mo error.

    The remaining 17 students whose ages were >= 40 ALL (as in 100%) agreed with Harris. Very modernist.

    My conclusion, (at least with this data set) is younger students seem to cling more tenaciously to po-mo ideals than do older ones.

    Reply
  2. Brenda

    Your Shoes are a Nice Accessory to your Bike! I like them! Hope they a comfortable!

    Reply
  3. Carol

    Professor Zimbardo teaches a great lessen using such a combination of video and audio that grabs and holds one’s attention. I really liked it. It’s sort of ironic that it holds one to the computer instead of being off doing something in real life time. That’s okay. It made me do a lot of thinking about the way I spend my time, and helps to understandthe difference in the generations way of thinking, learning and living.

    Reply
  4. Brenda

    Go Granny! I love to hear the beautiful voice of my granddaughter call me, Maw Maw.

    Reply
  5. yumi

    I liked the summary of Prof. Zimbardo’s lecture. In a sea of people, it is not a small task to understand perspective. It takes insight, putting the time in, consideration.

    The drawing in the beginning reminded me of the lunar clock of Edo.

    Reply
  6. yumi

    The best sentence was, “once you’re aware of that…”

    Whether it is time, different perspectives…isn’t that the key?

    Lovely butterfly image.

    Reply

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