Thursday 20 August 2009
The attachment discussion continued - part 3
Since the last post, I googled the word attachment and have found that there is actually such a thing as attachment theory (Wikipedia: here). Am studying it and will present my findings here soon.
More on the attachment problem (part 2)
In yesterday's post about the subject of attachment, I tried to develop the idea that it is best to strive for connection while avoiding attachment and that the best way to achieve this is by developing your mind through meditation. I feel that some further explanation is needed.
Firstly, I want to make clear that connected non-attachment should not be seen as a goal. It is an ideal. Let's assume that like everyone else, you have some combination of attachment and connectedness. Incidentally, these are only two attributes of many which can be used to describe you/your state of being at this point in time. Now it seems reasonable enough to assume that a higher degree of connectedness will be desirable, all else equal. Likewise, given a sufficient degree of connectedness, a lower attachment level will represent an improvement as well.
And so we may strive to improve ourselves to become happier people, to live as part of the great oneness that this world actually presents. I believe everything is connected already, thus when I speak of connectedness above, I should really call it awareness of connectedness.My (contestable) personal view of things is that by becoming aware and being mindful we discover the connectedness that is already there and feel it. I thus offer the hypothesis that awareness leads to the feeling of connectedness and is the more profound value.
Given that we have an awareness of these issues, we will attempt to move along the path towards happiness in the moment. But this path is a weary one, and pretty long. There is a good chance that we never reach our destination, or that we get stuck, because obstacles are in the way. So there is a danger that we deem the goal as unattainable, yet value our present life less, because we know that we are unlikely to reach nirvana. Courage to face life's challenges, humbleness and gratefulness are further attributes which we would like to attain to help us with this problem. But there are no shortcuts (actually, there are a few tricks to get further along the path, but they only go so far. Will discuss this in a future posting).
Besides the prospect of the path itself disspiriting you, a second danger is to do with wanting it too much. Wanting it too much can actually get you further away from getting it. I was thinking of this and came up with the metaphor which I have sketched in the picture. Pulling the rope which is attached to the man makes no sense. It will just wrap tighter, and constrict mobility.
The solution to this one could be to want it, but for the right reasons. Another way out would be to negate the categories of wanting and not wanting and attempt something else: let's just call it being. Maybe it boils down to the wisdom of "change what you can, accept what you cannot". In other words, feel the connection to the oneness, playing your part in system of life (change what you can) and always accept what is at this moment, because resisting reality is futile (accept what you cannot change).
Attachment stands in the way of acceptance. Attachment leads to the desire for things to be different from what they are. Increasing acceptance will help to appreciate things for what they are while liberating us from the burdens that too much attachment creates for us.
Let me recap my main points, as I would like to be understood precisely:
1. The road is rocky
2. Don't let that bring you down.
3. Appreciate what you have, accept what you cannot change.
4. Connectedness with non-attachment translates loosely to acceptance with awareness, which is a better formula, because it is more inclusive.
5. Attachment is resistance against the present.
I still have some problems with the radical message that is implied if my words above are taken to their conclusion....part three coming soon :)
Firstly, I want to make clear that connected non-attachment should not be seen as a goal. It is an ideal. Let's assume that like everyone else, you have some combination of attachment and connectedness. Incidentally, these are only two attributes of many which can be used to describe you/your state of being at this point in time. Now it seems reasonable enough to assume that a higher degree of connectedness will be desirable, all else equal. Likewise, given a sufficient degree of connectedness, a lower attachment level will represent an improvement as well.
And so we may strive to improve ourselves to become happier people, to live as part of the great oneness that this world actually presents. I believe everything is connected already, thus when I speak of connectedness above, I should really call it awareness of connectedness.My (contestable) personal view of things is that by becoming aware and being mindful we discover the connectedness that is already there and feel it. I thus offer the hypothesis that awareness leads to the feeling of connectedness and is the more profound value.
Given that we have an awareness of these issues, we will attempt to move along the path towards happiness in the moment. But this path is a weary one, and pretty long. There is a good chance that we never reach our destination, or that we get stuck, because obstacles are in the way. So there is a danger that we deem the goal as unattainable, yet value our present life less, because we know that we are unlikely to reach nirvana. Courage to face life's challenges, humbleness and gratefulness are further attributes which we would like to attain to help us with this problem. But there are no shortcuts (actually, there are a few tricks to get further along the path, but they only go so far. Will discuss this in a future posting).
Besides the prospect of the path itself disspiriting you, a second danger is to do with wanting it too much. Wanting it too much can actually get you further away from getting it. I was thinking of this and came up with the metaphor which I have sketched in the picture. Pulling the rope which is attached to the man makes no sense. It will just wrap tighter, and constrict mobility.
The solution to this one could be to want it, but for the right reasons. Another way out would be to negate the categories of wanting and not wanting and attempt something else: let's just call it being. Maybe it boils down to the wisdom of "change what you can, accept what you cannot". In other words, feel the connection to the oneness, playing your part in system of life (change what you can) and always accept what is at this moment, because resisting reality is futile (accept what you cannot change).Attachment stands in the way of acceptance. Attachment leads to the desire for things to be different from what they are. Increasing acceptance will help to appreciate things for what they are while liberating us from the burdens that too much attachment creates for us.
Let me recap my main points, as I would like to be understood precisely:
1. The road is rocky
2. Don't let that bring you down.
3. Appreciate what you have, accept what you cannot change.
4. Connectedness with non-attachment translates loosely to acceptance with awareness, which is a better formula, because it is more inclusive.
5. Attachment is resistance against the present.
I still have some problems with the radical message that is implied if my words above are taken to their conclusion....part three coming soon :)
Tuesday 18 August 2009
Thoughts on Attachment - a theoretical post
Since yesterday, I know that I will leave this country in three weeks and go to live in Germany. There are many things there to look forward to, but I did distinctly feel the attachment that I have with this place, my environment, the people around me, and my life as it is right now. And so I felt a bit of a pang inside. This is quite natural, and in some way if I didn't feel that way would seem very cold.
Today I want to talk about attachment as an obstacle to happiness. I got this idea from the Buddhist literature. I am not sure where I hit on this idea, and I am certainly not an expert on Buddhist teachings. But I have stuck my nose into a number of books through the years and so I cannot put my finger on the instance when this entered my consciousness. Actually, I have probably read about it in several places as it seems a pretty central tenet of Buddhist thought (correct me if I'm wrong). As I mentioned, this subject is very relevant to my personal situation right now, and that's why I would like to explore it a little further here.
The basic idea is as follows: we emotionally invest in many things, becoming attached. In the case of negative things that we attach to, it is quite easy to see that we'd probably do better without this attachment. But what about the good things? Well, the joy that they provide eventually turns to a feeling of loss and deprivation when that thing is no longer there. The individual is then unhappy (I'd like to note that this way of looking at life seems to stress the emotional dimension of things).
At this point I would raise a first objection at the concept of detached being: the good things that we attached to did give us pleasurable emotions while they were there, and so if we decide to attach ourselves emotionally to good things, then life will contain a lot of highs. Lows will come with this, but there is a chance that our emotional state will be at least oscillating stably, and actually the lows remind us to appreciate the highs.
And in fact a lot of people's lives do just this: They oscillate from highs to lows. Differences exists in the distribution of the peaks and troughs. A smooth wave like shape would be good to follow, but I think for many reality is more like the curve of a heart rate monitor, with the highs being sharp and accentuated. Another difference could be in the trend that emotional cycles oscillate around. Is it up- or downward sloping, or stable? Perhaps this feature is influenced by the amount of negative attachments?
The idea that it is possible to leave this rollercoaster of emotions and perpetuate a stable high is very enticing. but there is a apparent problem: how to feel disattached from objects and at the same time retain the compassion and joy that is in living. Wouldn't it result in a kind of zombie-like state?
There is indeed a kind of zombieness that can be part of detachment. That would happen when detachment literally means that you lose the connection with the outside world. Although you are an inseparable part of this world, there would be twoness. That means taking apart what is intended to be together. You would be out of sync. You would be dead inside. Perhaps then, attachment has two opposites: zombielike detachment on the one hand, and simply non-attachment on the other.
The conclusion is then that you need to find a state of being where you are detached from the world, but compassionate. Compassion implies connectedness. But connectedness need not be attachment. Attachment implies connection, but not vice versa.
How then, do you achieve connected detachment? I think an important part of this is keeping the ego at bay. A large part of what one could call the ego is actually manifested attachment. My normal definition of Ego is that it is the mind taking over. Interestingly, attachment seems to be the heart taking over. But according to my understanding , it really IS the mind! This becomes clear when you accept that psychological time is created in the mind (see Eckart Tolle "The Power of Now" for an explanation of this). And doesn't attachment by necessity have its roots in the past? As our heart experiences pleasure, the mind tries to hold on to it, and creates attachment. But this hinders us from enjoying the present as it is.
The problem of attachment can thus be solved by completely surrendering to the heart, which drives compassion. At the same time the mind needs to be aware of the present state, relaxed and not in control. This mindstate seems to me to be a good understanding of detachment. Together, they combine to yield connected detachment. Both these premises are not at all easy to attain.
The heart, as I speak of it here, is routinely obstructed by fear of opening up. And the Ego needs to be befriended and tamed to let the mind loose. I have no good recipe against fear at present, although I do feel that it can be useful to decompose that emotion, become aware of it, and to see where it originates and what the mind does with it. My theory is that fear is natural and legitimate in some situations, but that the mind greatly expands it, usually to our detriment. This in turn exposes the heart and mind distinction as an imperfect one: the problem is the mind and its grip on us. It holds on to irrational fears, it lures us away from present awareness, and it creates attachment, leading to oscillations on the emotional spiral. All of these are addressed in the practice of meditation.
I only recently discovered what meditation truly is. I hadn't had a very good introduction to it. It is one of those things of which people seem to expect to know what it is, without really knowing what it is. Fact is, it is not constant bliss at all. To the contrary, it can be a pretty cumbersome endeavour. But the benefits are plentiful, and it is the vehicle for reaching the solution of the attachment problem. I am not a Buddhist, but I am sure, plenty of Buddhists would agree :)
-Link to the second post on attachment and being-
Today I want to talk about attachment as an obstacle to happiness. I got this idea from the Buddhist literature. I am not sure where I hit on this idea, and I am certainly not an expert on Buddhist teachings. But I have stuck my nose into a number of books through the years and so I cannot put my finger on the instance when this entered my consciousness. Actually, I have probably read about it in several places as it seems a pretty central tenet of Buddhist thought (correct me if I'm wrong). As I mentioned, this subject is very relevant to my personal situation right now, and that's why I would like to explore it a little further here.
The basic idea is as follows: we emotionally invest in many things, becoming attached. In the case of negative things that we attach to, it is quite easy to see that we'd probably do better without this attachment. But what about the good things? Well, the joy that they provide eventually turns to a feeling of loss and deprivation when that thing is no longer there. The individual is then unhappy (I'd like to note that this way of looking at life seems to stress the emotional dimension of things).
At this point I would raise a first objection at the concept of detached being: the good things that we attached to did give us pleasurable emotions while they were there, and so if we decide to attach ourselves emotionally to good things, then life will contain a lot of highs. Lows will come with this, but there is a chance that our emotional state will be at least oscillating stably, and actually the lows remind us to appreciate the highs.
And in fact a lot of people's lives do just this: They oscillate from highs to lows. Differences exists in the distribution of the peaks and troughs. A smooth wave like shape would be good to follow, but I think for many reality is more like the curve of a heart rate monitor, with the highs being sharp and accentuated. Another difference could be in the trend that emotional cycles oscillate around. Is it up- or downward sloping, or stable? Perhaps this feature is influenced by the amount of negative attachments?
The idea that it is possible to leave this rollercoaster of emotions and perpetuate a stable high is very enticing. but there is a apparent problem: how to feel disattached from objects and at the same time retain the compassion and joy that is in living. Wouldn't it result in a kind of zombie-like state?
There is indeed a kind of zombieness that can be part of detachment. That would happen when detachment literally means that you lose the connection with the outside world. Although you are an inseparable part of this world, there would be twoness. That means taking apart what is intended to be together. You would be out of sync. You would be dead inside. Perhaps then, attachment has two opposites: zombielike detachment on the one hand, and simply non-attachment on the other.
The conclusion is then that you need to find a state of being where you are detached from the world, but compassionate. Compassion implies connectedness. But connectedness need not be attachment. Attachment implies connection, but not vice versa.
How then, do you achieve connected detachment? I think an important part of this is keeping the ego at bay. A large part of what one could call the ego is actually manifested attachment. My normal definition of Ego is that it is the mind taking over. Interestingly, attachment seems to be the heart taking over. But according to my understanding , it really IS the mind! This becomes clear when you accept that psychological time is created in the mind (see Eckart Tolle "The Power of Now" for an explanation of this). And doesn't attachment by necessity have its roots in the past? As our heart experiences pleasure, the mind tries to hold on to it, and creates attachment. But this hinders us from enjoying the present as it is.
The problem of attachment can thus be solved by completely surrendering to the heart, which drives compassion. At the same time the mind needs to be aware of the present state, relaxed and not in control. This mindstate seems to me to be a good understanding of detachment. Together, they combine to yield connected detachment. Both these premises are not at all easy to attain.
The heart, as I speak of it here, is routinely obstructed by fear of opening up. And the Ego needs to be befriended and tamed to let the mind loose. I have no good recipe against fear at present, although I do feel that it can be useful to decompose that emotion, become aware of it, and to see where it originates and what the mind does with it. My theory is that fear is natural and legitimate in some situations, but that the mind greatly expands it, usually to our detriment. This in turn exposes the heart and mind distinction as an imperfect one: the problem is the mind and its grip on us. It holds on to irrational fears, it lures us away from present awareness, and it creates attachment, leading to oscillations on the emotional spiral. All of these are addressed in the practice of meditation.
I only recently discovered what meditation truly is. I hadn't had a very good introduction to it. It is one of those things of which people seem to expect to know what it is, without really knowing what it is. Fact is, it is not constant bliss at all. To the contrary, it can be a pretty cumbersome endeavour. But the benefits are plentiful, and it is the vehicle for reaching the solution of the attachment problem. I am not a Buddhist, but I am sure, plenty of Buddhists would agree :)
-Link to the second post on attachment and being-
Correction to the slug story
Well, I found another two slugs on the top of the fence yesterday, so my theory on slug handling seems a little flawed ;) I don't think they were mating, and there's no food up there, so am really puzzled what they would be doing there...
Sunday 9 August 2009
The philosophy of slug handling
Would you crush a slug in the palm of your hand? I just did so while clearing up the left overs of a barbeque in the dark. Just grabbed the gate post to lock the garden and had a slippery sensation in my hand. I shone my torch onto it and the slug started looking really glassy, even though it moved a couple of inches from where I crushed it leaving a pool of liquid behind.
Impression one is that it isn't so bad and my hand did not get very sticky or anything. Am actually glad I did it, because I feel not touching stuff because you're grossed out was sort of robbing myself of an experience. You should try everything some time, and some things can turn out to be good even though you were a bit disgusted of it at first.
Secondly, a thought about evolution: I saw five other snails and slugs on the ground in close vicinity. In my area it is quite easy to step on a snail or slug by accident at night. They seem like swarms of tourists at the costa del slugheaven, there are so many of them. Gatherings of slimy caravan campers alternate with areas of even slimier nudist colonies. Anyways, this particular slug, who is now living in the actual slug heaven (or whereever slugs tend to reside once they've passed away) climbed to the top of the post of the gate, even though there is no food there. All his colleagues stayed on the ground. What was this ambitious creature doing, climbing all the way to its eventual death by my hand?
There are several morals to this story, and I cannot decide which one to choose. Climbing to the top of a bare gate post is obviously a disadvantageous slug behaviour. It expends energy even though there is only the view to enjoy. In this instance, my hand worked as evolution's wand if you will, punishing the slug for its pointless behaviour. The moral "don't do pointless stuff" is not directly transferable to humans, because only focussing on things that have a point would reduce the richness that experiencing life holds. On the other hand viewing the snail's unfortunate demise as a kind of Icarean action might make sense.
And then the role played by chance holds another lesson. Maybe there is some kind of benefit to be had for climbing fence posts that are not apparent. Maybe this snail would have become a hero to his species, founding a dynasty of fence climbing snails. And these could have gone on to become flying snails. But it was not to be...
So the point is that fate is a random and cruel thing. Or is it a beautiful thing, because I saved future mankind from encountering slimy flying invertebrates? Many things are random, but maybe not everything. I have an idea about randomness as a function of the context of things which will be a good topic for a future posting. But for now: good night!
Impression one is that it isn't so bad and my hand did not get very sticky or anything. Am actually glad I did it, because I feel not touching stuff because you're grossed out was sort of robbing myself of an experience. You should try everything some time, and some things can turn out to be good even though you were a bit disgusted of it at first.
Secondly, a thought about evolution: I saw five other snails and slugs on the ground in close vicinity. In my area it is quite easy to step on a snail or slug by accident at night. They seem like swarms of tourists at the costa del slugheaven, there are so many of them. Gatherings of slimy caravan campers alternate with areas of even slimier nudist colonies. Anyways, this particular slug, who is now living in the actual slug heaven (or whereever slugs tend to reside once they've passed away) climbed to the top of the post of the gate, even though there is no food there. All his colleagues stayed on the ground. What was this ambitious creature doing, climbing all the way to its eventual death by my hand?
There are several morals to this story, and I cannot decide which one to choose. Climbing to the top of a bare gate post is obviously a disadvantageous slug behaviour. It expends energy even though there is only the view to enjoy. In this instance, my hand worked as evolution's wand if you will, punishing the slug for its pointless behaviour. The moral "don't do pointless stuff" is not directly transferable to humans, because only focussing on things that have a point would reduce the richness that experiencing life holds. On the other hand viewing the snail's unfortunate demise as a kind of Icarean action might make sense.
And then the role played by chance holds another lesson. Maybe there is some kind of benefit to be had for climbing fence posts that are not apparent. Maybe this snail would have become a hero to his species, founding a dynasty of fence climbing snails. And these could have gone on to become flying snails. But it was not to be...
So the point is that fate is a random and cruel thing. Or is it a beautiful thing, because I saved future mankind from encountering slimy flying invertebrates? Many things are random, but maybe not everything. I have an idea about randomness as a function of the context of things which will be a good topic for a future posting. But for now: good night!
What if the electricity grid blows up?
I read a piece about potential damage caused by sun storms next year, and would like to take a minute to muse on this. The basic idea is that a large amount of electrically charged particles is released by the sun and causes chaos for us in our technology dependent world. The next big eruption is expected for 2010, and would not only interfere with aviation and telecommunications, but also has the potential to fry the big power transformators, which is not so easy to fix.
So lets say this comes on pretty hard and we are left for a couple of weeks without electricity. The fact that you would have no means of snuggling up with a book at nighttime for want of a lightbulb would be the least problem. The internet and phones not working would be another blow, but again for a few weeks that would probably be bearable and illustrate just how dependent we are on the web. Thinking further, the prospect of food is more daunting. After all: no fridges. Would you still be able to trust the tap water? Does it get cleaned by machines that use electricity?
Would trains still be able to run? Eehm, no. And even for cars it could be difficult. After all, the pumps at the petrol stations run on electrickery too. So public life would be severely interrupted, way beyond the inconveniences presented by the fact that the iron or the microwave wouldn't work. I'd be particularly worried about hospitals, where life support surely can't run off the emergency supply for weeks...
Perhaps the unavailability of street lighting would also be inconvenient in some areas, although a large part of it consitutes a waste at the moment anyways. Hey, one benefit is that we'd be able to see the night sky again from our cities. And since if you don't have gas you'd have to start fires... well, the whole romantic campfire thing would seem quite appealing.
Speaking of romance, it does seem to be the case that blackouts lead to peaks in birth rates. This bewilders me, because in essence it seems to suggest that sex is the second best option after watching TV. I am bewildered, because I consider TV a waste of time and sex to be one of the best uses of your time that there is (within measure, of course). So, it would be a benefit that all those TV junkies out there would be forced to confront themselves instead of numbing their minds with the trash that flows over our screens daily.
All in all, it's scary stuff, and I hope nothing of the sort happens. But I do feel that for a number of weeks we would get by and maybe even learn to appreciate the fact that we are totally technology dependent. There's always two sides to the story.
So lets say this comes on pretty hard and we are left for a couple of weeks without electricity. The fact that you would have no means of snuggling up with a book at nighttime for want of a lightbulb would be the least problem. The internet and phones not working would be another blow, but again for a few weeks that would probably be bearable and illustrate just how dependent we are on the web. Thinking further, the prospect of food is more daunting. After all: no fridges. Would you still be able to trust the tap water? Does it get cleaned by machines that use electricity?
Would trains still be able to run? Eehm, no. And even for cars it could be difficult. After all, the pumps at the petrol stations run on electrickery too. So public life would be severely interrupted, way beyond the inconveniences presented by the fact that the iron or the microwave wouldn't work. I'd be particularly worried about hospitals, where life support surely can't run off the emergency supply for weeks...
Perhaps the unavailability of street lighting would also be inconvenient in some areas, although a large part of it consitutes a waste at the moment anyways. Hey, one benefit is that we'd be able to see the night sky again from our cities. And since if you don't have gas you'd have to start fires... well, the whole romantic campfire thing would seem quite appealing.
Speaking of romance, it does seem to be the case that blackouts lead to peaks in birth rates. This bewilders me, because in essence it seems to suggest that sex is the second best option after watching TV. I am bewildered, because I consider TV a waste of time and sex to be one of the best uses of your time that there is (within measure, of course). So, it would be a benefit that all those TV junkies out there would be forced to confront themselves instead of numbing their minds with the trash that flows over our screens daily.
All in all, it's scary stuff, and I hope nothing of the sort happens. But I do feel that for a number of weeks we would get by and maybe even learn to appreciate the fact that we are totally technology dependent. There's always two sides to the story.
Saturday 8 August 2009
Clearing throats and noses
Today I cursed the fact that I've obviously contracted tonsilitis. Grrr! OK, after being coughed on by my flatmate for a week, that was to be expected. I suppose going out for that one drink too many also helped invite sickness in by effectively subduing my immune system. Anyways, now that the damage is done the only productive thing to do is to start dealing with it. So here follows my personal list of effective cures for a sore throat.
1. Lots of hot drinks, especially ginger-honey-lemon and sage tea.
2. A scarf, especially worn in bed (several people have disagreed with this idea, but my personal experience is that it accelerates healing).
3. Inhalations.
4. Gargling with warm saltwater.
5. Chopped up onion with sugar left in the fridge. The juice that forms is a good medicine.
6. Hot baths.
7. Making "mmmmmmhh" or "om" sounds. The vibrations seem to massage the inside of my throat.
If you have a blocked nose (I don't right now), try rinsing with warm saltwater. Can be a bit unpleasant at first, but helps get the sh%t out. More info about this on the net.
That's all I can think of right now. You have any further suggestions? Would love to hear them.
1. Lots of hot drinks, especially ginger-honey-lemon and sage tea.
2. A scarf, especially worn in bed (several people have disagreed with this idea, but my personal experience is that it accelerates healing).
3. Inhalations.
4. Gargling with warm saltwater.
5. Chopped up onion with sugar left in the fridge. The juice that forms is a good medicine.
6. Hot baths.
7. Making "mmmmmmhh" or "om" sounds. The vibrations seem to massage the inside of my throat.
If you have a blocked nose (I don't right now), try rinsing with warm saltwater. Can be a bit unpleasant at first, but helps get the sh%t out. More info about this on the net.
That's all I can think of right now. You have any further suggestions? Would love to hear them.
Thursday 6 August 2009
People watching
Just back from town and in a thoughtful mood. Recently asked myself how many faces I rembered after a trip to the city centre and it came to hardly any. It's an interesting exercise. Now I fare much better, although remembering all of the hundreds of people that you see will exceed most people's capacity.
Most vivid today was the little girl on the bus, clutching her teddy. Sweet! Contrast this with a woman who was moving slowly along, her head down in front of her, oozing an athmosphere of depression. I had a feeling she'd been beaten up. Felt sorry for her, but didn't really know what to do. Hmmm. Or the two young teenagers who were obviously a couple. Intriguing to watch them play games across a coffee table. People watching can be so interesting at times.
A further observation when I grabbed a coffee at McDonalds: The proportion of fat kids was sure higher than outside. Why doesn't that surprise me? I find it weird. If I were that size I would certainly not be ordered Big Macs and fries (or worse still, feeding it to my oversize kids). McD remains a convenient place for a quick coffee, though.
Most vivid today was the little girl on the bus, clutching her teddy. Sweet! Contrast this with a woman who was moving slowly along, her head down in front of her, oozing an athmosphere of depression. I had a feeling she'd been beaten up. Felt sorry for her, but didn't really know what to do. Hmmm. Or the two young teenagers who were obviously a couple. Intriguing to watch them play games across a coffee table. People watching can be so interesting at times.
A further observation when I grabbed a coffee at McDonalds: The proportion of fat kids was sure higher than outside. Why doesn't that surprise me? I find it weird. If I were that size I would certainly not be ordered Big Macs and fries (or worse still, feeding it to my oversize kids). McD remains a convenient place for a quick coffee, though.
Yoga and non-smoking, a great combination
The sun was so golden this morning. As the morning dew collected into little droplets on the blades of grass, it sparkled brightly in the glowing morning sun. What joy to be there to see it, what a pleasure to draw the fresh morning air deep into my lungs.
Yoga in the morning is definitely the best. Especially if you have quit smoking. So, here is a little bit of gold for you, if you are a smoker (or if you have a friend who has this problem). Read "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking" by Allen Carr. It delivers what it promises, i.e. it makes quitting easy. Seriously, the main reason it is so difficult is because you expect it to be. Read! Read! Read!
I recovered my investment in this book in under a week and have felt great ever since. I won't go into further detail, as the many benefits of becoming smoke-free should be well-known.
Opening your lungs with yogic breathing was a great way to go in recovering that vital energy that I was regularly burning up. Come on, give it a go!
Namaste!
PS: Two thoughts on this occured to me after this. First, there are so many things on the internet that get toted with pages and pages of praise, and they are usually dubious. A great product generally speaks for itself. That is why I would like to keep it short, but at the same time I could write tons more praise about this inspiring book.
Second, a general observation: I have seen it happen so often that people ignore good advice, because they find it inconvenient to let it reach them. This is true especially for smoking. The subject of openmindedness is one to be expanded in a future post. For now, believe me, Allen Carr knows his stuff!
Yoga in the morning is definitely the best. Especially if you have quit smoking. So, here is a little bit of gold for you, if you are a smoker (or if you have a friend who has this problem). Read "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking" by Allen Carr. It delivers what it promises, i.e. it makes quitting easy. Seriously, the main reason it is so difficult is because you expect it to be. Read! Read! Read!
I recovered my investment in this book in under a week and have felt great ever since. I won't go into further detail, as the many benefits of becoming smoke-free should be well-known.
Opening your lungs with yogic breathing was a great way to go in recovering that vital energy that I was regularly burning up. Come on, give it a go!
Namaste!
PS: Two thoughts on this occured to me after this. First, there are so many things on the internet that get toted with pages and pages of praise, and they are usually dubious. A great product generally speaks for itself. That is why I would like to keep it short, but at the same time I could write tons more praise about this inspiring book.
Second, a general observation: I have seen it happen so often that people ignore good advice, because they find it inconvenient to let it reach them. This is true especially for smoking. The subject of openmindedness is one to be expanded in a future post. For now, believe me, Allen Carr knows his stuff!
Wednesday 5 August 2009
What's the ratio of active to deserted blogs?
The URL Murubigo sounds kind of appealing to me but was certainly not my first choice. I tried at least half a dozen blog titles and URLs before I found this one. The obvious choices are all taken. Suppose it's got the benefit that it forces you to be creative. On the other hand this made me realise what a huge data graveyard the internet represents - I visited the blogs that were using my suggested titles - only one of them was a genuine one. All others consisted of one post only. Anybody have an idea of how many one line blogs are floating around out there?
Anyways, am quite happy with MUsings, RUminations and BIts of GOld (for those of you who are a little slow ;).
Anyways, am quite happy with MUsings, RUminations and BIts of GOld (for those of you who are a little slow ;).
Yes, there is a new blog in town
Hello world!
Good that you've made it here. I truly hope that you will find these pages interesting as they begin to fill with content. I plan to publish a variety of different posts on these pages, so I will give a little exposition of what to expect. Three types of topic will be dealt with:
1. Musings - There are so many thoughts constantly flying around the place. And so many of them are lost, vanishing, like beautiful dreams sometimes fade into obscurity by lunchtime. Some of my posts will attempt to catch those fleeting ideas and give them the opportunity for development and substantiation.
2. Ruminations - At times my posts will be the result of brooding and careful deliberation as my brain whirrs, clicks and puts things into place.
3. Bits of Gold - My idea is to share some of my thoughts and knowledge that I have gathered in now 32 years of life experience, which has been quite varied. Perhaps there will be some gold in categories one and two as well, but I am sure that I will be able to give at least some good advice, from easy ways of improving your chess play to budget cooking or guitar techniques up to my general views on how to get it together in life. A lot of techniques and ideas posted in this category will not be entirely original as such, but I aim to introduce them with brevity and in an understandable way. Where credit to others is due it will of course be given.
Once again, I hope you enjoy and look forward to hearing your comments.
Cheers,
Rich
Good that you've made it here. I truly hope that you will find these pages interesting as they begin to fill with content. I plan to publish a variety of different posts on these pages, so I will give a little exposition of what to expect. Three types of topic will be dealt with:
1. Musings - There are so many thoughts constantly flying around the place. And so many of them are lost, vanishing, like beautiful dreams sometimes fade into obscurity by lunchtime. Some of my posts will attempt to catch those fleeting ideas and give them the opportunity for development and substantiation.
2. Ruminations - At times my posts will be the result of brooding and careful deliberation as my brain whirrs, clicks and puts things into place.
3. Bits of Gold - My idea is to share some of my thoughts and knowledge that I have gathered in now 32 years of life experience, which has been quite varied. Perhaps there will be some gold in categories one and two as well, but I am sure that I will be able to give at least some good advice, from easy ways of improving your chess play to budget cooking or guitar techniques up to my general views on how to get it together in life. A lot of techniques and ideas posted in this category will not be entirely original as such, but I aim to introduce them with brevity and in an understandable way. Where credit to others is due it will of course be given.
Once again, I hope you enjoy and look forward to hearing your comments.
Cheers,
Rich
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
