Radio Lab and the How We Make Choices Show

The explorers are back! This time Radio Lab with Jad Abrumad and Robert Krulwich travel deep inside our brains to discover how we make the decisions and choices in our lives. They look at things such as: Why do some people seem better at making decisions than others? And: Should you listen to your head or your heart?
They leave you with a feeling that our subconscious and our emotions rule and all our claims to the contrary don't hold up to the bright light of examination. Enjoy the show.

Genius, Creativity and Invention

I was reading In the Air by Malcolm Gladwell, in the May 12, 2008 New Yorker magazine about how inventions come about and whether there could be a way to manufacture a setting for new ideas to flow. As a jazz musician I have always been keenly curious about how creativity originates and leads to musical invention. According to the article, it doesn't take a genius to invent something new....phew!
Nathan Myhrvold, the guy who started Microsoft’s research division, wanted to create insights—to come up with ideas. He thought that if he brought lots of very clever people together to collaborate they might increase the number of inventions and ideas they might patent. The experiment succeeded way beyond their expectations. Hundreds of ideas have reached the patent office, with thousands more still yet to be submitted, many of significant interest, like filtering cancer cells out of the blood or stopping hurricanes or building safe, passive nuclear reactors.
Gladwell observed that in math and science there seem to be clearly defined periods of time of discovery and invention. When we are exposed to a culture ripe with information, history tells us that several people often invented the same thing around the same time. Gladwell writes:
This phenomenon of simultaneous discovery—what science historians call “multiples”—turns out to be extremely common. One of the first comprehensive lists of multiples was put together by William Ogburn and Dorothy Thomas, in 1922, and they found a hundred and forty-eight major scientific discoveries that fit the multiple pattern. Newton and Leibniz both discovered calculus. Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace both discovered evolution. Three mathematicians “invented” decimal fractions. Oxygen was discovered by Joseph Priestley, in Wiltshire, in 1774, and by Carl Wilhelm Scheele, in Uppsala, a year earlier. Color photography was invented at the same time by Charles Cros and by Louis Ducos du Hauron, in France. Logarithms were invented by John Napier and Henry Briggs in Britain, and by Joost Bürgi in Switzerland.
This made me think that a particular cultural environment sets the stage and the ideas follow closely behind.
Gladwell also spoke about how the power of observation leads to discovery. Being attuned to the cultural climate and our surroundings enhances the opportunity for discovery and invention. As an example, for years people in archaeological expeditions walked past complete, intact skeletons of very large dinosaurs in Montana and never saw them until Nathan Myhrvold, that guy who started Microsoft’s research division, and Jack Horner, the American paleontologist, put their teams together to go looking. With his powerful ability to observe his surroundings Myhrvold has found 9 T. Rex dinosaurs in the last ten years when the previous 90 years had yielded only 18 discoveries. So it seems that having these very refined powers of observation is critical to discovery.
Throughout the article Gladwell cites examples where having clever people on your team helps as well to increase your chances of invention. Several folks working together can equal the potential for invention of one genius working alone.
So the lessons to be learned:
a) Create a world around you alive with curiosity and bubbling with new information
b) Develop, refine and use your powers of observation
c) Get together regularly with inquisitive friends to brainstorm

Gladwell’s talking points apply to scientific geniuses, nature and their ability to invent. He doesn't think that these ideas relate to artistic geniuses but I disagree. His feeling is that artistic genius is a singular phenomenon. Who would like to brainstorm with me on this? Maybe together we can create a convincing argument to challenge his otherwise provocative piece.

Going Beyond the Physical

Krista Tippett hits a home run with this interview with Seane Corn concerning the heart of Yoga on her radio show Speaking of Faith. Worth the listen and even worth a listen to the unedited version. Brew some relaxing tea and settle into your favorite cozy spot to listen and enjoy.
Here's a little teaser:
"Because that is the experience that one has when they are aligning the mind with the body. And that's really the next part of it, too, when you're talking about the benefits of this practice. It comes to this: In the practice of yoga what we're taught is that there is no separation between the mind and the body, and everything that we're thinking or feeling or experiencing over the course of a lifetime, or lifetimes, has an effect on your cellular tissue. So your body remembers everything and even though we have as human beings a gorgeous ability to reconcile or to reason, our bodies don't have that same ability to heal unless we're moving through experiences in our life in a spiritual way. So what I'm saying is if we're holding onto hate, blame, shame, anger, rage, sadness, or grief, something like that, those emotions can be as toxic on our physical body as a poor diet or as inertia. They manifest as tension, stress, and anxiety. So our physical body is actually masking the emotional resonance that lies beneath it."

All the Time in the World

Here in the northern hemisphere we are winding down from our summer schedules. Most are getting back to work, back to school and for many of us back to a busy schedule.
In the southern hemisphere they are heading into summer, a time for beaches, relaxation and time with family and friends.
In our plugged in world it is easy to long for a slower pace with more fun stuff to do. On the other hand there is a palpable restlessness in the air. It makes it hard for some of us to sit still anymore. We fail to enjoy our surroundings or indulge in long, relaxing conversations. There seems to be the ever frequent interruptions from our blackberries, cell phones, internet and emails.
Taking breaks to experience the present moment is one way to break the frenetic cycle. We don't have to wait until next summer to watch a bird soaring above or listen to the sound of chimes in the wind. Taking time away from our busy schedule requires some determination but the rewards are many. Better health, improved mood and the gift of inspiration are all the "side effects" of taking some time out of our day to enjoy what is right in front of us. Best of all it's free!

Success Is Not a "Do It Yourself" Affair

This is a great 5 minutes about a college kid who took another route. His job has taught him lessons that many of us only learn in our later years. Enjoy his discoveries....Being Vulnerable Entwines Us All.

Chemistry and our To Do List

Most of us are busy ticking off our daily list of things to do.
I have seen the effects of these three things, which ought to be put at the top of our daily list of tasks, that will form the perfect chemistry for the rest of our activities.
a) Get plenty of sleep.
b) Experience happiness in the things that gratify us.(gratitude+satisfy)
c) Find tools that create relaxation and help us find some peace.

From my observations, I can say that, the activities that effect our chemistry most point to where our health is headed.
I've been thinking about the almost 30 years that I have been in the field of health and healing. These are the three ways, that I have found, for people to take back a little control and make the most dramatic improvements in their health and wellbeing.

All Stories are Created Equal

I was cleaning up my apartment and stumbled over this quote from my acupuncture school days. Life is full of camps. Ours vs. theirs. I'm always looking for inspiration to help dissolve our divisions.
This quote helped me resolve my understanding of the many mysterious contradictions in Chinese Medicine and has became a great guide for the rest of my life as well.
....The momentary stability afforded by such models is an illusion because the essential nature of life remains chaotic and unknowable. Models are tools, elaborate stories, and we must recognize them as such. Diversity is what emerges when individuals are each able to embrace the freedom to create their own mythology while simultaneously allowing others that same freedom. For the sage, all stories are created equal inasmuch as thy empower the creative flow of life.

Inches Away from Nirvana

A good friend sent me this fascinating video with Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroscientist with first hand experience of the split between the left and right hemisphere of the brain. It is the most revealing look into the degree to which we can alter our perceptions instantly. I promise the 18 minutes it takes to watch the video will be time well spent. You can load the video from the transcripts on the right side, if you have trouble with the scripts. Enjoy....

The Value of Friendship

Last week's Speaking of Faith was an interview with an Irish poet and philosopher, John O'Donohue.
This is a touching excerpt from his book Anam Cara.
"In the Celtic tradition, there is a beautiful understanding of love and friendship. One of the fascinating ideas here is the idea of soul-love; the old Gaelic term for this is anam cara. Anam is the Gaelic word for soul and cara is the word for friend. So anam cara in the Celtic world was the "soul friend." In the early Celtic church, a person who acted as a teacher, companion, or spiritual guide was called an anam cara. It originally referred to someone to whom you confessed, revealing the hidden intimacies of your life. With the anam cara you could share your innermost self, your mind and your heart. This friendship was an act of recognition and belonging. When you had an anam cara, your friendship cut across all convention, morality, and category. You were joined in an ancient and eternal way with the "friend of your soul." The Celtic understanding did not set limitations of space or time on the soul. There is no cage for the soul. Teh soul is a divine light that flows into you and into your Other. This art of belonging awakened and fostered a deep and special companionship. In his Conferences, John Cassian says this bond between friends is indissoluble: "This, I say, is what is broken by no chances, what no interval of time or space can sever or destroy, and what even death itself cannot part."
In everyone's life, there is great need for an anam cara, a soul friend. In this love, you are understood as you are without mask or pretension. The superficial and functional lies and half-truths of social acquaintance fall away, you can be as you really are. Love allows understanding to dawn, and understanding is precious. Where you are understood, you are at home. Understanding nourishes belonging. When you really feel understood, you feel free to release yourself into the trust and shelter of the other person's soul."

Healthy Glow

I was putting paper in my African Grey's cage, when I stumbled on this New York Times article from back in December on Acupuncture Face Lifts. More and more people have been asking me if I can help them or their friends look and feel younger. Classical acupuncture, which was the bedrock of my training, offers the hormonal help that most of us need to look younger, but more importantly feel younger too.
Here's an excerpt from the article that I would agree with.

That said, holding tension in one’s jaws or brows can make a face appear strained. I am a teeth grinder with a tight jaw. Mr. Seplow inserted needles into my jaw area to relax it. He also assessed my systemic issues. Red blotches above my cheeks, he said, were a sign of sluggish digestion, so he put needles into my feet and legs for this.

Many cosmetic acupuncturists pride themselves on their holistic service. “The way I look at it, your health is reflected in your skin,” said Anita Lee, a licensed acupuncturist who has a private practice that specializes in women’s health in Manhattan. Because acupuncture facials improve circulation and unblock stuck energy, Ms. Lee said, “they help people heal from the inside out.”

A Great Resource

I just finished reading the book We Carry Each Other. It described a website where anyone can set up a Care Page for themselves or others. It is for anyone going through life altering experiences, such as serious illness, caregiving for our loved ones, accidents and recent loss. As many of you know, when I lost Alan last month, my husband of 27 years, to Alzheimer's, I had all of you to comfort me. I can't tell you how your love and good wishes carried me! A blessing.
I can't imagine having to go through these stress filled experiences alone, so I wanted to share this resource with you. Pass it on to anyone who needs a virtual hug.

Have a Peace Party

My friend from the Peekskill Rotary invited a group of his friends to his home for a Peace Party. We were asked to share our thoughts, songs, poems and experiences concerning peace and unity. Nearly everyone, including old and young from many nations and cultures, shared their views. We all left feeling empowered and hopeful. In this season of Super Bowel parties, consider a wonderful alternative.
This is the Rumi poem I read:

A Great Wagon

When I see your face, the stones start spinning!
You appear; all studying wanders.
I lose my place.

Water turns pearly.
Fire dies down and doesn't destroy.

In your presence I don't want what I thought
I wanted, those three little hanging lamps.

Inside your face the ancient manuscripts
Seem like rusty mirrors.

You breathe; new shapes appear,
and the music of a desire as widespread
as Spring begins to move
like a great wagon.
Drive slowly.

Some of us walking alongside
are lame!

~
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.

Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I'll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn't make any sense.

~


The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep.

You must ask for what you really want.
Don't go back to sleep.

People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.

The door is round and open.
Don't go back to sleep.


I would love to kiss you.
The price of kissing is your life.

Now my loving is running toward my life shouting,
What a bargain, let's buy it.

Daylight, full of small dancing particles
and the one great turning, our souls
are dancing with you, without feet, they dance.
Can you see them when I whisper in your ear?

They try to say what you are, spiritual or sexual?
They wonder about Solomon and all his wives.

In the body of the world, they say, there is a soul
and you are that.

But we have ways within each other
that will never be said by anyone.

Come to the orchard in Spring.
There is light and wine, and sweethearts
in the pomegranate flowers.


If you do not come, these do not matter.
If you do come, these do not matter.