Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Imagination
So, here we are. We have chosen a way and the consequential design appears to be the driving force behind the act of fending for ourselves. Even though the capacity is there for everyone, the lingering molecules of anxiety and fear latch on to the receptive, leaving these people empty and wanting more. Unfortunately this impels them to take and they find the means to do so. During this capture they destroy. Only a minimal amount of hope remains for the rest. So yes, this is occurring but it is also malleable.
Although, presently, amidst what feels like a stampede, we question the way things are. How did we get to this point? And in this questioning we dream of different times, possibly better times. Not to say that this life is flawed because it holds the potential to co-create and deliver everything we desire. Balance is required. We cannot have positive without negative but I sense we have lost some of that necessary magic, that sparkle that truly makes people feel alive. You collect it from each other, from inspiring thoughts and ideas, from helping, sharing, laughing and being vulnerable with one another.
Yet ironically, while we sit empty and unfulfilled we seek comfort in the negative, we incorporate it into our daily routines. We talk to each other and develop this darkness giving it fuel and at the same time hypocritically converse on the issue of how we feel we have no control over it. It is not the situation we find ourselves in that defines us, it is how we respond and react to the environment.
We are here together on this incredibly gorgeous piece of land, a speck in the vast imagination of the Universe and in that sense I believe imagination is what we all crave. It breeds hope and unlimited possibilities. It establishes a place where love, happiness and depth can grow to their full potential. Depth, an internal feeling so strong it carries you to the core of your soul. A familiar foreign experience of your body turning itself inside out into a burst of energy, an explosion of tingles, a cause and effect you thought you were incapable of igniting. So when we encounter positivity and concepts that seem like implausible ideas and hopes, we must honor them, lift them up to the highest peak and deny access to the disruption of their beauty. This is the only way we will actually change the world.
So realize now that your ideas, thoughts and words influence everyone around you. We can actually radiate to each other the better times we want to see. It might sound easy but it involves hard work, it requires a commitment to becoming more conscious and a promise to one another that we will try. Most importantly, we must truly understand that we hold the pen. We can write anything we want, we can have the biggest imagination imaginable. With everybody supporting one another we can transform. So fill up as you read this, soak it all in and build upon it. Don’t give up on us yet because here we are.
Although, presently, amidst what feels like a stampede, we question the way things are. How did we get to this point? And in this questioning we dream of different times, possibly better times. Not to say that this life is flawed because it holds the potential to co-create and deliver everything we desire. Balance is required. We cannot have positive without negative but I sense we have lost some of that necessary magic, that sparkle that truly makes people feel alive. You collect it from each other, from inspiring thoughts and ideas, from helping, sharing, laughing and being vulnerable with one another.
Yet ironically, while we sit empty and unfulfilled we seek comfort in the negative, we incorporate it into our daily routines. We talk to each other and develop this darkness giving it fuel and at the same time hypocritically converse on the issue of how we feel we have no control over it. It is not the situation we find ourselves in that defines us, it is how we respond and react to the environment.
We are here together on this incredibly gorgeous piece of land, a speck in the vast imagination of the Universe and in that sense I believe imagination is what we all crave. It breeds hope and unlimited possibilities. It establishes a place where love, happiness and depth can grow to their full potential. Depth, an internal feeling so strong it carries you to the core of your soul. A familiar foreign experience of your body turning itself inside out into a burst of energy, an explosion of tingles, a cause and effect you thought you were incapable of igniting. So when we encounter positivity and concepts that seem like implausible ideas and hopes, we must honor them, lift them up to the highest peak and deny access to the disruption of their beauty. This is the only way we will actually change the world.
So realize now that your ideas, thoughts and words influence everyone around you. We can actually radiate to each other the better times we want to see. It might sound easy but it involves hard work, it requires a commitment to becoming more conscious and a promise to one another that we will try. Most importantly, we must truly understand that we hold the pen. We can write anything we want, we can have the biggest imagination imaginable. With everybody supporting one another we can transform. So fill up as you read this, soak it all in and build upon it. Don’t give up on us yet because here we are.
Abraham’s Fault Line
Cursed wife
I cursed in strife
Yet could not make
A mother
Fertile maid
In bed we laid
Yet not to love
Each other
Father shun
Thine firstborn son
That I may take
Another
Unto thee
Take mercifully
Ishmael
For his brother
I cursed in strife
Yet could not make
A mother
Fertile maid
In bed we laid
Yet not to love
Each other
Father shun
Thine firstborn son
That I may take
Another
Unto thee
Take mercifully
Ishmael
For his brother
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
coulda, shoulda, woulda
how many times in your life have you wondered whether death would be the best answer? i don't mean thinking idly about what dying would be like, or how it would be the great escape you need from your problems, but really come close to pulling the trigger.
have you known anyone that has?
the worst regret is not the deed done, but the deed undone. do not let the moment pass when you have the opportunity to tell someone that you love them, that you need them, that they matter to you, that they are important, or that you're glad you have them in your life.
those simple words, or a gesture, may ease their pain.
i'm not naive enough to think that we can save everyone. but, for the rare few, that could make a difference.
rest in peace a. h.
have you known anyone that has?
the worst regret is not the deed done, but the deed undone. do not let the moment pass when you have the opportunity to tell someone that you love them, that you need them, that they matter to you, that they are important, or that you're glad you have them in your life.
those simple words, or a gesture, may ease their pain.
i'm not naive enough to think that we can save everyone. but, for the rare few, that could make a difference.
rest in peace a. h.
Embodied cognition
- One of the newest theories in cognitive psychology is the idea of embodied cognition. In classical cognitive theory, input from the sensory modalities (hearing, touching, taste, etc.) is wired into the brain where it is transformed into a symbolic language (bottom-up processing). This symbolic language is amodal, meaning that it is not composed of the language of the senses (modal), much in the same way that the words of the english language only stand for things 'out there.' The amodal language is what the brain uses to form cognitions, process information, and do operations. Then, information comes out from the brain (top-down processing) to directly influence sensory reception. Top down processing is the first step in the distinction between sensation and perception. This is a crude explanation of classical theory.
- Newer theory, embodied cognition is dramatically different. Although it hasnt been excepted widely by the professional community, there is something about it so compelling. Embodied cognition rests on the principal that the transduction phase of turning sensory modality information into symbolic amodal information never happens. So far, the gamut of classical theory has proved adequate in explaining most of cognition except a few basic problems - one of which is the grounding probem: How do the brain's amodal symbols interface with the sensory and motor processes. Another problem is that there has been as of yet no evidence that amodal symbols are stored or present in the brain.
- The task of embodied cognition is to prove that there is no need at all for these amodal symbols. If it could, it would have the support of the rule of parsimony to back it up (a.k.a. ockham's razor). Parsimony is simply a preference for simplicity. Embodied cognition is a more simple theory than classical views. Ockham's razor states that given any two equally explanatory theories the one that is the simplest should be chosen. In other words, why assume the presence of amodal symbols if they are not needed.
- This is how embodied cognition theory works: When we think about something, say a basketball, what happens in our brain is that the neural pathways that were active during earlier perceptions of basketballs are active again. So, parts of our visual cortex might flare up, the ones that were active when we saw basketballs, our tactile areas would be active as our brain runs the simulation of bouncing a basketball, etc. Whatever is most salient at the time, is what is activated. So if the context is smells, and I say basketball, whatever part of your brain that was active during the presentation of a basketball's odor, becomes active again. Some people have a gift for smells, they can think of something and smell it, or taste it. I imagine that a professional chef can smell and taste chutney when she thinks of it. If i say, 'weed.' some of you may smell weed, and may even get tingles of what it feels like to be high.
- embodied cognition brings something else to our knowledge of the mind: another sensory modality: introspection. Thus, the brain, when remembering a 'feeling' can run the simulation so it can be processed all over again.
- This stuff is brand new. But it has some amazing potential. For one thing it does further work towards knitting the tear in the fabric of reality rended when descarte became widely accepted. Without a further barrier composed of amodal (not body) symbols, there is less of a gap between the mind and the body. Thus we are closer to accepting the power of our thoughts in changing the way we feel.
- Secondly, it more firmly enmeshes the inside and the outside. If embodied cognition becomes an acceptable discourse among the scientific community, we can all accept as truth, that we really do create our own worlds. Think about it, if the brain activity involved in sensation is the same activity that is involved in conceptual processing, then who we are, which is just a conception after all, is just a composite of our sensory experiences. There is no difference between what we experience and who we are. No seperation between the planet and ourselves.
- I think we all have hope and act in that manner anyhow.
- Related to this is that the proliferation of abstract concepts into our everyday lives as real entities will die down. Concepts like 'Self,' as already aluded to, 'Truth,' 'Freedom,' 'Love,' 'God,' will become more grounded, more situated in actual experience. Meaning we wont be able to harbor them as possessions, but that they will only be truly revealed in our actions. We will no longer be chasing happiness in abstract entities, we will stop eating the menu, throw away our maps, and keep our eyes on the road ahead.
If anyone is interested in grounded cogntion let me know.
- Newer theory, embodied cognition is dramatically different. Although it hasnt been excepted widely by the professional community, there is something about it so compelling. Embodied cognition rests on the principal that the transduction phase of turning sensory modality information into symbolic amodal information never happens. So far, the gamut of classical theory has proved adequate in explaining most of cognition except a few basic problems - one of which is the grounding probem: How do the brain's amodal symbols interface with the sensory and motor processes. Another problem is that there has been as of yet no evidence that amodal symbols are stored or present in the brain.
- The task of embodied cognition is to prove that there is no need at all for these amodal symbols. If it could, it would have the support of the rule of parsimony to back it up (a.k.a. ockham's razor). Parsimony is simply a preference for simplicity. Embodied cognition is a more simple theory than classical views. Ockham's razor states that given any two equally explanatory theories the one that is the simplest should be chosen. In other words, why assume the presence of amodal symbols if they are not needed.
- This is how embodied cognition theory works: When we think about something, say a basketball, what happens in our brain is that the neural pathways that were active during earlier perceptions of basketballs are active again. So, parts of our visual cortex might flare up, the ones that were active when we saw basketballs, our tactile areas would be active as our brain runs the simulation of bouncing a basketball, etc. Whatever is most salient at the time, is what is activated. So if the context is smells, and I say basketball, whatever part of your brain that was active during the presentation of a basketball's odor, becomes active again. Some people have a gift for smells, they can think of something and smell it, or taste it. I imagine that a professional chef can smell and taste chutney when she thinks of it. If i say, 'weed.' some of you may smell weed, and may even get tingles of what it feels like to be high.
- embodied cognition brings something else to our knowledge of the mind: another sensory modality: introspection. Thus, the brain, when remembering a 'feeling' can run the simulation so it can be processed all over again.
- This stuff is brand new. But it has some amazing potential. For one thing it does further work towards knitting the tear in the fabric of reality rended when descarte became widely accepted. Without a further barrier composed of amodal (not body) symbols, there is less of a gap between the mind and the body. Thus we are closer to accepting the power of our thoughts in changing the way we feel.
- Secondly, it more firmly enmeshes the inside and the outside. If embodied cognition becomes an acceptable discourse among the scientific community, we can all accept as truth, that we really do create our own worlds. Think about it, if the brain activity involved in sensation is the same activity that is involved in conceptual processing, then who we are, which is just a conception after all, is just a composite of our sensory experiences. There is no difference between what we experience and who we are. No seperation between the planet and ourselves.
- I think we all have hope and act in that manner anyhow.
- Related to this is that the proliferation of abstract concepts into our everyday lives as real entities will die down. Concepts like 'Self,' as already aluded to, 'Truth,' 'Freedom,' 'Love,' 'God,' will become more grounded, more situated in actual experience. Meaning we wont be able to harbor them as possessions, but that they will only be truly revealed in our actions. We will no longer be chasing happiness in abstract entities, we will stop eating the menu, throw away our maps, and keep our eyes on the road ahead.
If anyone is interested in grounded cogntion let me know.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
"Ultimately you cannot organise a life or a soul. You cannot achieve well-being. You can only move toward wellness and peace of mind and happiness with a humble, transparent intention. You can only admit your smallness in a large and overwhelming world, and then be surprised by the power of that smallness."
- Courtney Martin, Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters
- Courtney Martin, Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters
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