2020 Mind & Spirit Posts
The universe is a very fine-tuned place. The constants of nature - those quantities that have the same value throughout the universe - are so precisely fixed that a miniscule change in any one of them would result in a world very different from what we have now or even no universe at all. The anthropic principle may not answer what William James called the darkest question in all philosophy (“Why is there something rather than nothing?”), but it is one plausible attempt to explain a contingent and wondrous world.
Two writers separated by almost two millennia provide sage advice on confronting today's troubling times. Prompted by concerns with how I personally would deal with a second Trump term, I turned to Marcus Aurelius (121-180) and Albert Camus (1913-1960) to see what guidance they might offer. I was not disappointed.
Positive psychology focuses on the character strengths and behaviors that allow individuals to build a life of meaning and purpose. Here are some exercises from its founding father and the Learning Mind website that provide "an effective and easy way for you to increase your well-being and overall satisfaction."
The Big Five are not meant to define us or "put us in a box" but rather give insight into why we (and others) behave the way we (and they) do. Understanding them can help us in our relationships, in our personal development, and in our work environment. Some practical tips on how to benefit from them and links to free online "tests".
Called an allegory of the Nazi occupation of France by some and of the struggle between good and evil by others, The Plague is one of Albert Camus's greatest works. Set in the Algerian city of Oran, the story relates the actions and reactions of people as they face an epidemic that has struck their town - a re-appearance of the bubonic plague of medieval times.
No one is born with more mindfulness than anyone else. Mindfulness - “the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally” - can be learned. We can reap its benefits through meditation, self-directed cognitive therapy, and mindfulness exercises.
This year marks the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven's birth. The German composer created some of the most magnificent music the world has ever heard. His Ninth Symphony is considered by many to be the greatest work in the history of Western classical music. His music accompanies Voyager mission on the furthest space mission ever undertaken, and it entertained Central African foragers who requested to hear a Beethoven selection over and over because "it makes us feel like birds." What inspired Beethoven? What role did life events, his values and beliefs play in his creativity and works?
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to watch some of the twenty-four-hour "Call To Unite" live streaming event organized by Tim Shriver. Featuring thinkers, faith leaders, celebrities, volunteers, organizers, survivors, meditation practitioners, poets, educators, students, entertainers and many others, the numerous segments made and re-enforced Albert Camus's point about what we learn in time of pestilence: "that there are more things to admire in men than to despise.”
The Beloved Community: the philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
POSTED MAY 16, 2020
One of the heroes of my youth was the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I was thoroughly in agreement with the non-violent approach to the radical social change needed in mid-20th century America - and still, unfortunately, today. For Dr. King, the ideal society was the Beloved Community, a term originally coined in the early 20th century by the founder of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Josiah Royce. King's vision of the Beloved Community was informed by his Christian theological training and by his admiration for the non-violent methods of Mahatma Gandhi.
King's Beloved Community is similar to "the kingdom of God" of Christianity - not in the sense of a rapturous future time but in the sense of a goal achievable by a critical mass of committed people across the world.
"Beloved Community is a global vision, in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth. In the Beloved Community, poverty, hunger and homelessness will not be tolerated because international standards of human decency will not allow it. Racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice will be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood. In the Beloved Community, international disputes will be resolved by peaceful conflict-resolution and reconciliation of adversaries, instead of military power. Love and trust will triumph over fear and hatred. Peace with justice will prevail over war and military conflict." (The King Center - link sidebar)
Dr. King also embraced another theological concept - that of agape love.
"The core value of the quest for Dr. King’s Beloved Community was agape love....which he described as “understanding, redeeming goodwill for all,” an “overflowing love which is purely spontaneous, unmotivated, groundless and creative”…”the love of God operating in the human heart.” He said that “Agape does not begin by discriminating between worthy and unworthy people…It begins by loving others for their sakes” and “makes no distinction between a friend and enemy; it is directed toward both…Agape is love seeking to preserve and create community.” (The King Center - link sidebar)
He identified the triple evils that stood as barriers to the Beloved Community as racism, poverty, and militarism. He worked all his adult life against those evils. His efforts to end racism and poverty are more well known than his stance against militarism, broadly defined as "war, imperialism, domestic violence, rape, terrorism, human trafficking, media violence, drugs, child abuse, violent crime…" (sidebar)
Martin Luther King was a young man of 18 when India achieved its independence from the British Empire, thanks in large part to the non-violent civil disobedience campaigns led by Mahatma Gandhi. I can imagine how such a monumental achievement would affect an idealistic African-American youth in Jim Crow America. King studied Gandhi's teachings and made them central to his goal for the Beloved Community. King was "much impressed with the Mahatma’s befriending of his adversaries...Dr. King believed that the age-old tradition of hating one’s opponents was not only immoral, but bad strategy which perpetuated the cycle of revenge and retaliation. Only nonviolence, he believed, had the power to break the cycle of retributive violence and create lasting peace through reconciliation." (The King Center - link sidebar)
These two apostles of non-violence and reconciliation each met a violent end. Shortly after independence, Gandhi was assassinated in Delhi by a Hindu fanatic while trying to stop the Hindu-Muslim conflict in Bengal, King was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee where he had traveled to support striking sanitation workers. With a divided country here in America and with India's ruling party pushing its nationalist agenda to new levels, both nations could use another King or another Gandhi.
Related post: A hero for the ages
Dr. King on militarism
“A true revolution of values will lay hands on the world order and say of war- ‘This way of settling differences is not just.’ This way of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation’s homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into the veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love. A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”
Hope and courage in troubling times redux
POSTED MAY 29, 2020
Three months ago, before the coronavirus fully impacted the United States, I posted on hope and courage in troubling times. Marcus Aurelius and Albert Camus were the inspiration for that post. This current post explores the thinking of other writers and the findings of scientists on the nature and importance of hope. Scientists? Yes, hope appears to be a teachable skill.
Hope leads to courage. The two are inextricably linked. Hope and courage lead to action. Martin Luther, a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation, wrote of the importance of hope in stirring us to action: "Everything that is done in the world is done by hope."
The abolitionist minister Theodore Parker delivered a sermon in 1853, part of which was paraphrased a century later by Martin Luther King, Jr. In his sermon, Parker humbly remarked: “I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one. My eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by experience of sight. I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice.” I'm sure that Rev. Parker did not mean this in the sense that we just sit back and do nothing. These were the words of a man actively working to end slavery.
Hope is not the same as "optimism." Hope's opposite is "despair", not "pessimism". A contemporary definition of hope that I like is that of Rebecca Solnit: “To be hopeful means to be uncertain about the future, to be tender toward possibilities, to be dedicated to change all the way down to the bottom of your heart.” We may not know what changes the future holds but we are open to them, confident that the "long arc of the moral universe bends toward justice."
Psychologists make a distinction between hope and optimism: "Optimism is a positive attitude about a future event that is probable and likely to occur: the optimist expects that life will work out well and as expected...The hopeful individual recognizes that life may not work out as planned, yet maintains positive expectancy directed toward possible outcomes."[1] In the more poetic words of philosopher Soren Keirkegaard, "Hope is a passion for the possible."
The benefits of hope have been demonstrated in research studies conducted over the last 50 years. Among the benefits: superior academic and athletic performance, greater physical and psychological well-being, improved self-esteem, greater control in the pursuit of goals, enhanced interpersonal relationships and greater overall life satisfaction. Additionally, studies have found that individuals with high hope are more likely to view stressful situations as challenging rather than threatening, thereby reducing stress and anxiety. Hope, with its in-built orientation towards the future, motivates individuals to maintain their positive involvement in life regardless of any limitations imposed upon them. [1]
HOPE EXERCISES
Now for the really good news: hope is a teachable skill. There is even a branch of positive psychology that employs "Hope Therapy" to help us develop this important trait. Here are brief descriptions of some "hope exercises"; click on the link for more detail.
Take a few minutes to select a future time period (e.g., 6 months, 1 year, 5 years from now) and imagine that at that time you are expressing your best possible self strongly...After you have a fairly clear image, write about the details...Be sure to write about the character strengths that you observe in this image and what character strengths you will need to deploy to make this best possible self a reality?
This is a more detailed version of The Best Possible Self Exercise. For example, when imagining your best possible self, the Hope Map asks you to imagine a ladder with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to ten at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible future self. The bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. On which step of the ladder would you say you are currently standing? Which step of the ladder would you be excited to stand on twelve months from now? What clear, specific, purpose-focused goal does this suggest you should set yourself?
Journaling is an effective tool to improve wellness, foster greater self-awareness, and cultivate hope. Writing about challenges, what gives hope and what could potentially give hope can highlight the factors which may impede the development of a more hopeful outlook. Hope journaling should be maintained for at least two weeks and can include entries about any factors that can impact the potential to foster more hope.
An effective group exercise geared towards adolescents, this can be adapted for anyone.
1. Take some time to consider your five highest hopes and five deepest fears, and write them down
2. Invite the group to partner up and share their hopes and fears with one another, making sure they have a good understanding of what their partner means by the material written on his or her worksheet
3. Encourage partners to question and explore one another’s work in a kind and gentle way...Call members back to the group circle and ask each member to share his or her partner’s worksheet with the group.
COPING WITH COVID AND TRUMP
The exercises are good for cultivating hope generally and can be applied to many different circumstances. What about our particular situation today in the midst of Covid in the United States? Here are highlights from two excellent articles - one on coping with fear in the face of a pandemic; the other, on avoiding burn-out from the nonstop absurdities and outrages of a malfunctioning president.
Psychology Today (link below left) has some suggestions as to how we might cope with fear in the face of a pandemic.
1. Use your pause button. Stop, drop whatever you're thinking about, and take several deep breaths to calm your body and stop the rush of stress hormones.
2. Notice that your worried mood is being triggered by your thoughts...worrying now won't help you cope now or in the future, no matter what happens.
3. Calm your mind by taking charge of your thoughts...the best antidote to fear is "I can handle it." ...You don't want an emergency or a tragedy to happen, but if you have to cope with one, you will handle it, somehow.
4. Empower yourself and your family. Take responsible health measures. Then relax. Cultivate positivity and enjoy your family. Put on music and dance. Do something creative. Cook something delicious and feed those you love. ..Connect with your loved ones...use strategies to give everyone some periods of peace and quiet. Most important, give yourself and everyone around you some extra grace...we all have to help each other through it.
5. Consciously choose love instead of fear.
The Vox post (link below right), "How to combat Trump fatigue syndrome," comes from its Polyarchy blog produced by the political reform program at New America. The post was written just four months into the Trump presidency - I just wish I had read it then.
If you think you’re suffering from Trump fatigue syndrome, how do you manage? Here are four strategies
Understand this is a long-term fight that won’t be resolved immediately.
Don’t let Trump set the agenda anymore...."Perhaps the most exhausting part of following the Trump administration is the whiplash of confusion and disbelief that follows a particularly preposterous Trump tweet or a singularly screwy public performance...Here, it’s important to understand what Trump is doing. He’s changing the agenda. Notice that any time a media narrative emerges that he doesn’t like, he takes to Twitter and lights a firecracker."
Be mindful about media consumption, especially social media...."Constantly checking the news, and especially social media, is a form of hypervigilance, which again provokes the fight-or-flight response that drains us of energy...Instead of checking the news and social media constantly, it's probably better to check at a few scheduled intervals during the day."
Take some time off, and be okay with not always knowing the latest about everything that’s happening. "If you exhaust all your energy and capacity for outrage upfront, you’re going to get burnt out, or go a little crazy, or both. You’ll lose your capacity for reasoned criticism...If you’re suffering from TFS, take a little time away before you burn out entirely."
Walking to clear the mind and spirit
POSTED JUNE 11, 2020
On a recent perfect June morning, I took my usual walk around a local pond. There were a dozen or so others enjoying the pond and walking path after weeks of self-isolating. Near the end of my last lap around the pond, I passed a man walking with his three children, who were aged from maybe four or five to maybe nine or ten. After the perfunctory hello's and good morning's, he said, "Great day for a walk to clear the mind and spirit from the troubles of the times."
What an interesting thought to share with a stranger!
So here we are. Can the simple act of walking "clear the mind and spirit"?
Walking, particularly in the natural environment, plays an important part in many cultures. Japanese "shinrin-yoku" ("forest-bathing" - walking through the forest and soaking in all the green light) and the Norwegian"friluftsliv" (free air life) both celebrate walking as a means to de-stress, relax, promote well-being, and in some profound way to commune with nature.
Brooke McAlary, the author of "Slow: simple living for a frantic world" is a strong proponent of "silent walking." She writes,"There is constant stimulus in modern life, and the opportunity to let thoughts out rather than cramming more in is a rare one. By walking in silence, with no music, no podcasts, no audiobooks, we invite our thoughts to do their thing without impediment."
Henry David Thoreau was a believer. While he was writing his classic "Walden", the noted Transcendentalist also worked on another book titled "Walking." Regarding the latter, the blogger Maria Popova writes: "Thoreau reminds us of how that primal act of mobility connects us with our essential wildness, that spring of spiritual vitality methodically dried up by our sedentary civilization." Thoreau himself wrote "I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits, unless I spend four hours a day at least...sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements." But even Thoreau sometimes failed to still his mind: "I am alarmed when it happens that I have walked a mile into the woods bodily, without getting there in spirit. In my afternoon walk I would fain forget all my morning occupations and my obligations to Society. But it sometimes happens that I cannot easily shake off the village."
I've never gone for a four hour walk, but that is apparently okay. Studies have shown that walks of 20 to 30 minutes, three days a week can help.
I can relate, though, to Thoreau's disappointment at walking "a mile into the woods bodily, without getting there in the spirit." Clearing the mind doesn't happen every time. MindfulnessExercises.com offers an exercise for beginners that they call "Mindful Walking Meditation" that may help. I'll give it a try soon. Here's the "step-by-step".
Find Space. Mindful walking can be performed indoors, but also works well out in nature.
Check-in. Before you begin moving, perform a quick check in with your body. Notice the sensation of the soles of your feet on the floor and how your weight is distributed.
Notice. As you slowly begin to walk, notice the sensation of your body as you move through space. You can also be aware of the noises and smells around you, but primarily focus on the feeling of your gait. Much like the breath is an anchor in a seated breathing practice, your footsteps become the anchor in walking meditation.
Walking also helps us think better. Summarizing a New Yorker article, the Inc. website offers this explanation as to why that is so :
Any form of exercise has been shown to light up the brain, for instance, so it's no surprise that walking would have a positive effect on thinking....Not only does getting the heart pumping increase blood flow to the brain, but it also kicks off a host of positive changes inside our heads. "Walking on a regular basis also promotes new connections between brain cells...Beyond the benefits of any sort of mild exertion, walking has special charms for the thinker. One, apparently, is the easy rhythm of our steps. Just as the tempo of the music we're listening to can shape our mood, the pat, pat, pat of our feet can stimulate and shape our thoughts....Perhaps most powerful of all is how walking holds just some of our attention, leaving a large segment to meander and observe. It's this doing-something-but-not-really-thinking-about-it aspect of walking that might be most directly behind the ability of a good walk to stir up creative, new ideas.
Besides allowing us to be more present, de-stress, commune with nature and think better, walking plays a role in the creative process. Beethoven developed the habit of taking long solitary walks through the forested valleys of Vienna after lunch. He used the time to reflect and think things through, making notes as he walked and as musical ideas occurred to him. Beethoven wasn’t alone in using this walk as a period of reflection and idea evaluation, now referred to as "the incubation period" by people who study creativity. Notable craftsmen and artists the world over share similar sentiments on the utility of breaking up their day with walks.
So, yes, walking can help us clear the mind and spirit and so much more.
Hours of sunlight
POSTED JUNE 22, 2020
Summer solstice, the moment when the path of the sun is as far north as it gets, has been celebrated for millennia. This year, the summer solstice occurred at 5:43 pm EDT Saturday June 20. The solstice marks the beginning of summer, the longest day of the year. Here where I live, we enjoyed more than 15 hours between sunrise and sunset. Summer, sun and light have always had positive significance for peoples all over the world. Sunlight provides many benefits for our physical and psychological well-being. In many cultures and religions, light is a powerful symbol of knowledge and truth and God; the battle between good and evil is often represented as the battle between light and darkness.
In this post, we'll take a brief look at light and sunshine as viewed in the arts, science, cultures and religions. Also, a few ideas for cloudy, dismal days and the shorter darker days of winter.
Sunshine has a universally cheering effect. On a beautiful June day like today, the world is figuratively and literally brighter. Life's little snags seem less frustrating; the world's greater problems, more solvable.
Some of this cheering effect is due to chemistry. Getting some sun increases your serotonin - a key hormone that stabilizes our mood, feelings of well-being, and happiness.* (3) Researchers at BYU found more mental health distress in people during seasons with little sun exposure. On the contrary, days with plenty of sunshine were associated with better mental health — in fact, the availability of sunshine has more impact on mood than rainfall, temperature, or any other environmental factor. Besides helping you stave off Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), sun exposure can also help people with anxiety and depression. (4)
Some is due to memories of times enjoyably spent, Sundays in the park, vacations from school or in the mountains or at the beach. The Impressionists and Post- Impressionists, who were especially intrigued with the effects of ever-changing light, depicted many scenes of simple enjoyment. (sidebar)
Finally, some is due to the collective myths and symbolism that have engaged mankind for the past five millennia.
Stonehenge is arguably the world's most famous prehistoric monument. Its construction dates from about 3000 BC. Scholars believe it served as a ceremonial site, a religious pilgrimage destination, a final resting place for royalty or a memorial erected to honor and perhaps spiritually connect with distant ancestors. This site, so important to the Neolithic people who lived there, is notable for its relationship to the summer sun. On the summer solstice, "the sun rises behind the Heel Stone, the ancient entrance to the Stone Circle, and rays of sunlight are channelled into the centre of the monument. Today, thousands trek to its location to witness sunrise on the longest day of the year." (1,2 & sidebar)
Eastern and Western mythologies and religions have used light as a symbol of truth, knowledge, wisdom and God.
The ancient Greeks viewed Apollo as the god of sun and light, among his many other attributes. Eos was their goddess of the dawn. Zeus, the king of the gods, derives his name from the name of the Proto-Indo-European god of the daytime sky.
The scriptures of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) are filled with passages referencing light as an attribute of God.
In the ancient Judaic scriptures, the primal light was created on the first day of creation and light is identified with wisdom. In sixteenth century religious literature, good and evil are symbolized by light and darkness. The Torah treats wisdom as light through which all darkness of ignorance is eradicated and the mysteries of heaven and earth fathomed. (5)
The New Testament of Christianity denotes light as knowledge, truth and holiness and holds darkness as ignorance. The Gospel of John has numerous references to the light, including the famous passage when Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
In Islam, the term light is broadly defined as that which makes things visible. The Qur’ān uses the term in various way to denote the absolute Reality, spiritual realities such as angels or Prophets, Reason as the medium of realization and understanding; and as guidance, revelation or knowledge. (5)
Likewise in Eastern religions, there are many references to light.
In Hinduism the term light is usually used ‘opposed to Darkness’ It has been used for the individual soul that is enlightened or dedicated to the light; for God as the Lord of the light, righteous, goodness, life and guidance. (5)
A central tenet of Buddhism is Enlightenment. Light is one of the attributes of Buddha ‘the Enlightened’. The enlightenment of mind, resulting from intense, abstract meditation combined with the exercise of a man’s own reasoning faculties and intuition is of the utmost importance, and the enlightenment claimed by Buddha lies in the discovery of the origin of suffering. (5)
Just as sunlight is beneficial for our well-being, the converse can also be true. The shorter daylight hours in the fall and winter cause depression in some people. It's even been given a name - Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD - and one method of treatment for SAD is light therapy. The specific cause of seasonal affective disorder remains unknown. Some factors that may come into play include a drop in serotonin levels because of the reduced sunlight and a disruption of the balance of the body's level of melatonin, which plays a role in sleep patterns and mood. (6)
SAD is not a very common condition. It's estimated that it affects between one-half and three percent of the general population - although the number is significantly greater in people with depressive or bipolar disorders. For most of us, who occasionally get the "winter blues" in the shorter darker days of that season or who want to enhance their mood on a cloudy day, these tips from Choices Psychotherapy may be helpful:
1. Get outside and get all the sunshine you can get (weather permitting of course)
2. Squeeze in some exercise before or after work
3. Keep eating healthy and get some omega-3 fatty acid
4. Set your alarm clock for a few minutes earlier, pause and reflect each morning
Sidebar from the top: George Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte; Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Paty; Claude Monet's Bain à la Grenouillère and Garden at Saint-Adresse; Stonehenge sunrise (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi) (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press);
*Serotonin also impacts many other areas of the body. It enables brain cells and other nervous system cells to communicate with each other and helps with sleeping, eating, and digestion.
(1) BBC (2) History.com (3) Endocrine Society (4) Tri-City Medical Center (5) A BRIEF SURVEY OF THE CONCEPT OF LIGHT IN WORLD RELIGIONS (6) Mayo Clinic
Living in a Post-Truth Era
POSTED JULY 9, 2020
Our Post-Truth era has been more than a century in the making, but it took the election of Donald Trump and Britain's Brexit campaign to give this particular time we are living in its special designation. Post-truth was Oxford Dictionary's "Word of the Year" for 2016. They defined it as "relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief."
Living in a world where facts do not matter and where reality itself is questioned is difficult and, for some, dangerous. Governing systems that rely on truth to function - democracies, for example - are endangered as is "the common good."
How did we get here? What can we do to survive and vanquish the post-truth era?
How we got to today's post-truth era
Plato first identified Truth, Goodness and Beauty as the primary intrinsic qualities from which all other values are derived. Plato considered these qualities as Absolutes, as Ideals. Western philosophers through the centuries continued to recognize their importance. The three great treatises of the Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant are all about Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.
To fight post-truth, the first step is to understand it. What changed to begin the long slide from Plato and the Enlightenment to our Post-Truth Era?
MODERNISM AND RELATIVISM
In the late 19th century, the philosophical and artistic movement known as modernism began to influence all aspects of life. Modernism reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, religion, philosophy, and social organization which reflected the newly emerging industrial world. Modernism encouraged the re-examination of every aspect of existence, from commerce to philosophy, with the goal of finding that which was 'holding back' progress, and replacing it with new ways of reaching the same end. [1]
One of the consequences of modernism was the growth of relativism - the view that "truth and falsity" as well as "right and wrong" are "products of differing conventions of assessment and that their authority is confined to the context giving rise to them". [2]
WORLD WAR II AND POST-MODERNISM
Then came the horrors of World War II and many noted its "most destructive tendencies followed a logic deeply inscribed within the project of modernity itself." Particular emphasis was placed on the war’s ‘two poles’: the "Systematic Extermination Process" and the dropping of the atomic bomb. Enter post-modernism with an even deeper questioning of Enlightenment and 'western' values and an even deeper relativism.
TOTALITARIANISM, RIGHT-WING POPULISM AND SOCIAL MEDIA
While the relativism of modernism and post-modernism played a role in weakening the concept of absolute truth, it was the totalitarian governments of the 20th century that played the greatest role getting us where we are today. Totalitarian governments were notorious for twisting the truth. Among the more astute observers of their attacks on the truth were the author George Orwell and the political theorist Hannah Arendt.
In Animal Farm and 1984, Orwell took totalitarian governments to task for their attempt to twist the truth to maintain control and power. To remain free and sane, you must hold onto the truth. In Orwell's words: "There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad.” (see below for some more quotes about truth from Orwell)
Hannah Arendt writes that “the ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction…true and false…no longer exists.” [3] In another place, she writes that the most successful totalitarian leaders of the 20th century instilled in their followers “a mixture of gullibility and cynicism." Over time the onslaught of propaganda conditioned people to “believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and that nothing was true.” [4]
The last steps on the road to post-truth are two 21st century phenomena - the resurgence of nationalist/xenophobic/populist movements and the meteoric rise of social media.
The 21st century saw the rise of a new political culture based on emotions and fear, instead of facts and policy. "Continuous economic and social setbacks, especially the rise of unemployment and poverty, since 2008, has exacerbated the recourse to irrational fears and reactions to a gloomy politico-economic reality. Politicians cater to legitimate fears of a possibly bleak future ahead, among working and middle classes, by brandishing the spectres of migration, greedy Wall Street financiers, crooked politicians, and scheming foreign interest holders." [5]
2016 was a watershed year in Post-Truth. It saw both a successful Brexit campaign in the UK and a successful Trump election campaign in the US. Both were striking examples of "the use of pseudo-facts to twist reality, so that it looks and sounds in line with the fears and anxieties of an already angry and frustrated population." [5]
Social media platforms also took off in this time frame. Facebook monthly users grew from 100 million in 2008 to 1.7 billion in late 2016. Social media became an effective tool for the dissemination of misinformation. Social media sites "offer a quick way to convey one-sided information or opinion, without the option or capability to verify the authenticity of this information or to present the opposite opinion for the sake of balance." Leaving aside the manipulation of social media by the Russia in 2016, social media was the "most effective tool used by Donald Trump and his right-wing Anglo-Saxon camp of people who could not accept a black president in the White House and who were worried that immigrants would replace them." [6]
Surviving and countering the post-truth era
Social media is here to stay. According to the Pew Research Center, 62% of adults in the United States get news from social media.[1] Any attempt to conquer post-truth needs to account for this. But first, what can we do now as individuals?
Stay true to your values. As Marcus Aurelius reminds us, no one can make us change our values: “In this world there is only one thing of value, to live out your life in truth and justice, tolerant of those who are neither true nor just.” and “No one will prevent you living in accordance with the principle of your own nature.”.
Speak the truth. The first of Don Miguel Ruiz' Four Agreements is "Be impeccable with your word...Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love."
Try to bring others closer to truth, goodness and beauty. Back to Plato's primary intrinsic qualities. Data, facts, logic, critical thinking, an appeal to the common good can help in this effort. Again Marcus Aurelius: “Try to persuade them but act even if they are unpersuaded...[If] someone forcibly resists, change tack to an unhurt acceptance, so using the obstacle to bring forth a different virtue.” Misinformation about the coronavirus is responsible for many deaths. Hopefully, even the "never-maskers" will eventually see this. If not, then "bring forth a different virtue" by appealing to their better nature and concern for their fellows.
The fight against post-truth is a long term project. It will require an intensive effort on the part of social media companies to monitor and remove not only violence-, hate- and fear-mongering posts, but also dangerous misinformation about, for example, the coronavirus and climate change. A very recent example: One of the most effective and inexpensive ways to slow the spread of the virus is to wear a face mask. Yet, "on June 30, Ohio State Representative Nino Vitale posted a lengthy rant on Facebook that claimed masks 'drop oxygen below danger levels in 5 seconds.' In just a few days, the post was shared more than 13,000 times." [7]
Mainstream media also have a role to play. "Mainstream media must use social media tools intensively in order to defend the truth, present the correct information and balance opinions...It is important to do an introspection and see what we are currently presenting to the young generations and how it does not properly challenge...hateful discourses." [6]
Then, there is the role of critical thinking - or rather the lack of it - in post-truth. Europe's Journal of Psychology calls for the development of "practical tools for cultivating critical thinking and reflexivity in relation to a number of areas of social life – e.g., history, politics, economics – and in relation to the distinction between personal beliefs and objective facts." [8]
The New Statesman adds that the remedy for bad ideas mental habits is the cultivation of better ones. "We need leaders to set better examples and we need to raise people good at distinguishing what is trustworthy from what is not...an education system that encourages cautious scepticism and an imaginative open-mindedness...We also need to develop dispositions towards decency and civil debate." [9]
The Post-Truth Era will not end with the political demise of Trump and other right-wing politicians. With efforts by social and mainstream media, by schools and other institutions, we will eventually leave this behind as if it were a bad dream. Until then, stay true to your values, speak the truth, and try to bring others to truth, goodness, and beauty.
A Few Quotes on Truth from George Orwell's "1984"
“Not merely the validity of experience, but the very existence of external reality was tacitly denied by their philosophy. The heresy of heresies was common sense.”
"There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad.”
"And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became truth. ‘Who controls the past’ ran the Party slogan, ‘controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.'”
“Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.”
"Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”
References
[1] Wikipedia ; [2] Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy [3] Skeptic.com
[4] The Atlantic [5] Al Jazeera, 12/19/2016 ; [6] Al Jazeera, 12/11/2016
[7] Popular Information ; [8] Europe's Journal of Psychology (on the NCBI website)
[9] New Statesman
POSTED AUGUST 2, 2020
It's a time of pandemic. Deaths are on the rise again; unemployment remains high; foreclosures and evictions loom for many.
It's a time of manufactured division. Pronouncements from a divisive, out-of-control president assault the decent instincts of the people, the highest ideals of the country and the basic tenets of the democracy.
There's much to trouble the mind with no definite end in sight. Meditation, "stilling the mind," is a practice that may help through the coming months or years...
The Art of Observation
POSTED AUGUST 17, 2020
In "The Principles of Psychology",philosopher and psychologist William James writes, "My experience is what I agree to attend to. Only those items which I notice shape my mind." The words point to an obvious fact: if we do not notice something, we do not experience it and thus it has no effect on our mind.
Conversely, more closely observing our surroundings and paying attention to more of our environment can enrich our day-to-day experiences. Observation and attention to detail are important elements of some professions - for example, doctors, writers, photographers, and some people seem to be more adept at this than others. What can we learn from them on how to observe, to truly see rather than just "look-at"?
One place to start is a mindfulness skill that has found its place in cognitive behavioral therapy - the mindfulness "observe" skill. One CBT site describes it:
"Observe is about merely noticing what is happening right now. It is just noticing, nothing more. Often it can be more powerful to just notice the present rather than think about the present. Observing is contacting, whereas thinking about is distancing." [1]
To observe properly, we need to engage with the subject. We need to pay attention to what we are experiencing.
Other authors stress the importance of "not judging" what we observe. Photojournalist and writer Dennis Dunleavy notes:
"The art of observation begins with immersing ourselves in the textures and tones of life. Observation requires us to immerse ourselves in looking and listening without passing judgment on the impressions we collect. We must free ourselves from the biases, preferences and prejudices we hold toward our subjects." [2]
Dunleavy is also touching on the need for all of our senses to be engaged. Sounds, textures, smells - all enter into the experience.
To attend, to pay attention, is to choose stimuli. This selective attention is related to how we evolved. As magnificent as the human mind is, it can be difficult to process the many sights and sounds we experience moment-to-moment. "Evolution’s problem-solving left us modern humans with two kinds of attention: vigilance, which allows us to have a
quick and life-saving fight-or-flight response to an immediate threat ... and selective attention, which unconsciously curates the few stimuli to attend to amidst the flurry bombarding us, enabling us to block out everything except what we’re interested in." [3]
The ability to concentrate on what is important and relevant has great benefit in scientific work. The success of scientific observation - in proving a hypothesis or making a discovery - depends on a body of knowledge that the observer holds. It is an active, deliberate process.
For most of us, though, the selective attention, that we passively and unconsciously employ, can limit the quality of our experiences. In On Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes, cognitive scientist Alexandra Horowitz shows how she overcame this limitation and learned the art of truly seeing. She takes a walk around a city block with eleven "experts" - including an artist, a geologist, and a dog - and "emerges with fresh eyes mesmerized by the previously unseen fascinations of a familiar world." [3]
Horowitz's experts all have a body of knowledge and experience different from hers. We can't all employ a troop of experts to walk around the block with us and then write a book about it. But we can look at the world through various viewpoints, informed by new knowledge - of the natural world, of the geology and history of our locale.
By practicing the mindfulness observe skill, by not judging what we see, by engaging all our senses, and by learning more about the world around us, our experiences may become more enriching than they already are.
Why critical thinking is important and three ways to improve it
POSTED SEP 2, 2020
In the post-truth era, misinformation assaults us at every turn, Raised to new heights and frequency by politicians, conspiracy websites and internet trolls, even outright lies are used to sway the gullible and disrupt our sense of reality. How can we prevent being gaslighted* or falling victim to lying demagogues?
Critical thinking is one important tool in confronting this onslaught of falsehood. And it can be taught. For critical thinking to be effective, though, we must be intent on knowing the truth – not just on confirming our prejudices.
What is critical thinking and why is it so important?
A simple definition of critical thinking is that it is “deliberately and systematically processing information so that you can make better decisions and generally understand things better.”[1] Critical thinking is the opposite of irrational thinking and will help overcome cognitive biases such as the zero-sum bias (I win, you lose”)**, catastrophic thinking (ruminating about irrational worst case outcomes)***, and confirmation bias (people are prone to believe what they want to believe)****.
Critical thinking is essential for both science and democracy. Science would clearly be impossible without it. The scientific process requires proof of assumptions and theories. Likewise, a vibrant democracy depends on an informed citizenry. Populist demagogues find it easier to manipulate groups and individuals who are less skilled in critical thinking. Authoritarians are threatened by critical thinking and often oppose or criticize higher education.
A Founding Father, President Thomas Jefferson provided us with one of the most inspiring quotes on critical thinking when he said, “An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.” What Jefferson is stressing is that critical thinkers make better citizens, as they are able to see the entire picture without getting sucked into biases and propaganda. [7]
Critical thinking can improve many aspects of our daily lives by helping us make better decisions, enhancing our problem-solving skills, increasing our creativity, and even improving our relationships. This latter may not be an obvious outcome of critical thinking, but by better understanding the perspective of others and being open-minded towards different views, we can improve any relationship.
Given the proper environment and mindset, critical thinking is a skill that can be taught. Many pick up a feel for critical thinking as they advance through their education, but a better approach would be to teach it as a separate subject starting in the high school years. The European Journal of Psychology, in its article “Psychology in the Post-Truth Era” advocates for psychologists to “devise practical tools for cultivating critical thinking and reflexivity in relation to a number of areas of social life – e.g., history, politics, economics – and in relation to the distinction between personal beliefs and objective facts.”
Three ways to improve critical thinking
Ask questions
It's a technique as ancient as the beginnings of Western philosophy. Socrates developed his philosophy by holding conversations with just about anyone who would talk with him. These conversations usually consisted of Socrates asking questions that lead his conversant to further and further question their own beliefs.
Among the most basic questions we can ask are: “What do I already know?” “How do I know that?” “What am I trying to prove, disprove, demonstrate, etc.?” “What am I overlooking?” Taking this a step further, we can ask critical questions. A good critical question is an open question (i.e., it cannot be answered "yes" or "no") and is designed to solicit specific information. Follow-up questions should also be asked. [1, 5] An interesting application of this last point is in root cause analysis (RCA), where you are trying to get to the fundamental reason that something happened. A simple RCA technique is to ask "Why?" five times. This process will inevitably bring you closer to the true, fundamental cause.
Question Assumptions
Some of the greatest innovators in human history were those who simply looked up for a moment and wondered if one of everyone’s general assumptions was wrong. On a personal level, things deemed impossible can become a reality if you question your assumptions and critically evaluate your beliefs about what’s prudent, appropriate, or possible. Another way to question your assumptions is to consider alternatives – asking the “what if?” questions. [1, 6]
A corollary to questioning assumptions is not to make assumptions at all - in line with one of the Four Agreements of Toltec wisdom (“Don't make assumptions.”) This is particularly helpful in relationships. When we find the courage to ask questions and to express what we really want, when we communicate with others as clearly as we can, we “avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama.”
Reason logically and be aware of your thought processes
Logic is the analysis and appraisal of arguments. In more formal terms, it is the systematic study of the relations that lead to the acceptance of one proposition (the conclusion) on the basis of a set of other propositions (premises). Aristotle wrote six works expounding on the subject, known collectively as the Organon (“Tool”). The significance of the name is that logic, for Aristotle, was not one of the sciences. Rather it was a tool used by all the sciences.
Thinking logically requires us to remove emotion and subjectivity when examining evidence. A critical thinker is also aware of their cognitive biases and personal prejudices and how they influence seemingly “objective” decisions and solutions. All of us have biases in our thinking. Becoming aware of them is what makes critical thinking possible. [1]
Socrates thought the unexamined life "not worth living." Critical thinking is a crucial life skill that aids us in examining our lives and understanding the world around us. If democracy is to flourish in the post-truth era, it is essential that we think critically.
Notes
*Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person or a group covertly sows seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or group, making them question their own memory, perception, or judgment. The term "gaslighting" can be traced back to a 1938 play. British playwright Patrick Hamilton created "Gas Light," a mystery/thriller in which an abusive husband manipulates his wife to make her feel as if she has gone mad.
**Zero-sum bias is the false belief that when a group of creatures interact, one creature can only benefit or “gain” if another one “loses.” It has an evolutionary basis but has became outmoded as civilizations developed. One example: Although the United States is a country formed from diverse peoples, Americans still have an irrational fear and prejudice towards immigrants. Even before the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, many working-class Americans already believed that jobs were a scarce “resource” in society and opposed opening their country’s borders to immigrants and refugees out of fear that these newcomers would snatch all of the limited supply. In actuality, the zero-sum bias oversimplifies the consequences of immigration, exaggerates the scarcity of jobs, and causes people to view immigrants as their rivals when there are enough resources in most developed countries for everyone to coexist peacefully. [2]
***Catastrophic thinking is ruminating about irrational, worst-case outcomes. Catastrophic thinking can be defined as ruminating about irrational, worst-case outcomes. Needless to say, it can increase anxiety and prevent people from taking action in a situation where action is required. This can be especially true in a crisis situation. [3]
****Confirmation bias occurs from the direct influence of desire on beliefs. When people would like a certain idea or concept to be true, they end up believing it to be true. They are motivated by wishful thinking. This error leads the individual to stop gathering information when the evidence gathered so far confirms the views or prejudices one would like to be true. Once we have formed a view, we embrace information that confirms that view while ignoring, or rejecting, information that casts doubt on it. [4]
References
[1] 7 Ways to Improve Your Critical Thinking Skills [2] “Zero-Sum Bias: I Win, You Lose” academy4sc website [3] Psychology Today [4] Psychology Today
[5] “Critical Thinking in the Decision-Making Process” Exodus escaper oom website [6] Harvard Business Review [7] “Why is Critical Thinking Important? A Survival Guide” uopeple.edu
The Religious Left
POSTED SEPTEMBER 23, 2020
In a discussion about the upcoming United States Supreme Court nomination, it was mentioned that one of the potential nominees was a “Christian mother of seven.” I know little about the nominee or her religious and moral beliefs but it is interesting how conservatives have co-opted the mantle of “religious” for themselves and, in the process, used it to gain votes. It's been very effective. Support for Donald Trump among white Evangelical is the highest of any demographic group with 8 in 10 saying they would vote for him.[1]
I don't buy their usurpation. What we call progressive values are present at the heart of all religions. A few thoughts on and from the Religious Left....
Besides Evangelicals, the Right has managed to capture a portion of the nation's 70 million Catholics by focusing on the issue of abortion. Reporting on a Trump call-in with Catholic educators and bishops, an op-ed writer at the New York Daily News noted that the listeners missed an “opportunity to speak truth to power” when none challenged Trump's assertion that he is “the best [President] in the history of the Catholic Church.” None of them “challenged his cruelty toward immigrants, denial of climate change, cuts to food assistance or his pattern of racist demagoguery....Catholic teaching can’t be reduced to the single issue [of abortion]. Pope Francis is unequivocal that the “lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute” are as “equally sacred,” in his words, as the unborn in the womb. That Catholic leaders did not point this out to Trump “compromised the moral clarity of the Church's teachings.” [2]
Yes, there are many single issue “religious” voters, but there are also many others who try to look at the totality of the Christian message. In fact, Christianity's message of love of God and love of neighbor is universal among the world's religions. As the AFSC slogan goes: “Love Thy Neighbor – No Exceptions.”
Jim Wallis is an Evangelical theologian and writer. He is the founder and editor of Sojourner magazine and one of my favorite authors. He relates an “experiment” that he and another young theology student carried out. They cut out every reference to the poor and vulnerable from a Bible. The result, Wallis says, resembled “Swiss cheese.”
In his book On God's Side, Wallis summarizes the “Judgment of Nations” - one of the most challenging texts of the New Testament. It's one of the few places where Jesus makes a point of saying who better be watching their backs at the Last Judgment. "Jesus, unlike our religious institutions, continually speaks out against judgmentalism. But the only time Jesus is judgmental himself is on the subject of the poor." The condemned, the goats, are shocked by what Jesus will say to them at the Last Judgment. "When did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or without clothes, or a stranger, or sick, or in prison?" He will answer them, "Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me."
Wallis makes two particular points in his discussion of Matthew 25. The first is that "nations", as well as individuals, are being judged. This is about collective as well as individual decisions about who or what is most important. The second is that "Christ's judgment here is not about having the wrong doctrine or theology; it's not about sexual misdeeds, or any other personal sin or failure. The everlasting judgment here is based on how we have treated the poorest and most vulnerable in our midst and in the world...[The] good or ill we have done to them [is]...the moral equivalent of how we have treated him."
In his America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America, Jim Wallis puts racism in its spiritual and historical context. The book, published in 2015, developed out of work that Wallis had been doing for years and is particularly relevant today. An excerpt from Wallis's 2013 essay on racism in Sojourner is in the sidebar. Wallis concludes his essay noting that the strategies for how black people must confront and finally overcome white racism in America must always originate within the black community itself. The role of white allies in the struggle against racism is to “examine ourselves, our relationships, our institutions, and our society for the ugly plague of racism. Whites in America must admit the reality and begin to operate on the assumption that theirs is a racist society. Positive individual attitudes are simply not enough, for, as we have seen, racism is more than just personal...White racism in white institutions must be eradicated by white people and not just black people. In fact, white racism is primarily a white responsibility.”
In the same book, Wallis also writes of the "painful and combustible connection between poverty, crime and hopelessness" and continues: “I am often puzzled by the question that some middle-class white people ask when they see protests about economic inequality and unequal criminal justice. The question, asked directly or indirectly, usually seems to be, "What do they want?" And the "they" always implies people of color. The best answer I've heard lately to that question came from a young man I met in Ferguson, Missouri. He said, "What do I want? I want an education, a job, and a family."
In contrast to the single issue voter's position, the social teachings of the Catholic Church have long championed the cause of all of the most vulnerable members of society. The current pope, Francis, has increased the focus on the Church's mission to the poor and the vulnerable, including a blunt critique of unregulated capitalism. From the beginning, he has also been a defender of migrants and refugees, and in his first encyclical, he made the connection between environmental justice and poverty. A sampling of his statements and writing on social justice are in the sidebar. Also in the sidebar, a Catholic priest explains what it really means to be "Pro-Life'.
In the United States, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops adapted a liturgy for the Stations of the Cross: Overcoming Racism, basing it on the 2018 pastoral letter against racism “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love”. I attended one of these Stations of the Cross services recently and was awed at the directness of the message. I found it a powerful reflection on the harm of racism in 21st century America and a call for not only conversion of hearts but also for action to end systemic racism.
Besides faith leaders, many others with strong religious convictions are responding to the toxic civic environment of 2020 America and the serious decision we face in November.
A group of Republicans is urging Christians and Republicans to not re-elect Trump in the 2020 presidential election. A recently released ad, entitled “Trump is Using Us,” features six Republican voters who talk about how Trump uses and manipulates Christians. In the minute-long video posted on the Republican Voters Against Trump YouTube channel, the group explains that the president doesn’t reflect Christianity or values based on his words and actions. [sidebar] Highlights include Trump's comments following a violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 and his infamous photo-op where peaceful demonstrators for racial justice were forcibly cleared by law enforcement.
Earlier this month, a group of Catholic theologians, activists and nuns signed an open letter to Catholic voters urging them to oppose President Donald Trump, who they argue “flouts core values at the heart of Catholic social teaching.” More than 150 Catholics, including former staffers at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, signed the letter, which was organized by Faith in Public Life Action, a faith-based liberal advocacy group. “While neither political party or candidate reflects the fullness of Catholic teaching on every issue,” the letter said, “President Trump’s character, policy decisions and cruelty toward anyone who challenges him demonstrates a fundamental contempt for what it means to be a Christian.” [3]
The Right does not have a monopoly on morality and religion, and the Center-Left does not go far enough in applying the religious and philosophical principles that can lead to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's “Beloved Community,” The expression is derived from the biblical concept of the "Kingdom of God on Earth" - not in the sense of a rapturous future time but in the sense of a goal achievable by a critical mass of committed people across the world. King identified the triple evils that stood as barriers to the Beloved Community as racism, poverty, and militarism. He worked all his adult life against those evils.
My generation has tried but in the end we have come up short. Many of us are still trying but a younger generation of Americans will be needed to finish the work. With a conservative majority on the Supreme Court for the foreseeable future, it may not be easy.
From Jim Wallis's essay
"In the decades since the passage of momentous civil rights legislation, some things have changed and some things haven't. What has changed is the personal racial attitudes of many white Americans and the opportunities for some black Americans to enter the middle levels of society....
"What has not changed is the systematic and pervasive character of racism in the United States and the condition of life for the majority of black people....
"Racism originates in domination and provides the social rationale and philosophical justification for debasing, degrading, and doing violence to people on the basis of color...Racism is sustained by both personal attitudes and structural forces. Racism can be brutally overt or invisibly institutional, or both. Its scope extends to every level and area of human psychology, society, and culture.
"Prejudice may be a universal human sin, but racism is more than an inevitable consequence of human nature or social accident. Rather, racism is a system of oppression for a social purpose."
"Just as the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say “thou shalt not” to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills."
"The goal of economics and politics is to serve humanity, beginning with the poorest and most vulnerable wherever they may be...Every economic and political theory or action must set about providing each inhabitant of the planet with the minimum wherewithal to live in dignity and freedom...."
“There is no Christian joy when doors are closed; there is no Christian joy when others are made to feel unwanted, when there is no room for them in our midst.”
"A person's dignity does not depend on them being a citizen, a migrant, or a refugee. Saving the life of someone fleeing war and poverty is an act of humanity."
"We are not faced with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the underprivileged, and at the same time protecting nature."
References
[1] Belief.net [2] New York Daily News [3] National Catholic Reporter
"What is water?" David Foster Wallace delivers the greatest commencement speech of all-time
POSTED OCTOBER 18, 2020
In 2005, writer David Foster Wallace delivered what is arguably the greatest commencement speech of all-time to the graduating class of Kenyon College. It is an examination of what it means to learn "how to think”, a look at the day-to-day life the graduates will soon be facing, and a compassionate call for awareness and attention to the world – the center of which is not, as we might believe, ourselves.
David Foster Wallace begins with "one of the better, less bullshitty" didactic parables that are the "standard requirement of US commencement speeches": There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says "Morning, boys. How's the water?" And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes "What the hell is water?"
Below are a few of my favorite passages from Wallace's commencement address. The full speech is in the video below left and you can find the transcript here.
"I'm going to posit to you that the liberal arts cliché turns out not to be insulting at all, because the really significant education in thinking that we're supposed to get in a place like this isn't really about the capacity to think, but rather about the choice of what to think about."
"But if you really learn how to pay attention...it will actually be within your power to experience a crowded, hot, slow, consumer-hell type situation as not only meaningful, but sacred, on fire with the same force that made the stars: love, fellowship, the mystical oneness of all things deep down."
"...if you're aware enough to give yourself a choice, you can choose to look differently at this fat, dead-eyed, over-made-up lady who just screamed at her kid in the checkout line. Maybe she's not usually like this. Maybe she's been up three straight nights holding the hand of a husband who is dying of bone cancer."
"Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship -- be it JC or Allah, be it YHWH or the Wiccan Mother Goddess, or the Four Noble Truths, or some inviolable set of ethical principles -- is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive."
Soul Values: Beauty
POSTED NOVEMBER 4, 2020
In his book Ageless Soul, American psychotherapist Thomas Moore presents a "checklist" of ten soul values - elements in our lives that lead to a more fulfilling and meaningful existence. Applicable at all points in our lives, they represent much of what makes us human and much of what makes life most worth living. The Greek philosopher Plato identified Beauty as one of the three primary intrinsic qualities from which all other values are derived - the others being Truth and Goodness.......READ ON THE SOUL VALUES POSTS page.
Soul Values: Contemplation
POSTED NOVEMBER 13, 2020
Thomas Moore's list of soul values contains several that are closely related to each other. One such set is the trio of contemplation, knowledge and rest and relaxation. Contemplation is taking time to think deeply about something, to reflect thoughtfully on an idea, an experience, something we read, something we saw. Rest and relaxation – having time to ourselves – is a great aid to contemplation, and knowledge – particularly self-knowledge - may be one of the results. Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Contemplation is a way of examining our lives, and Moore has some suggestions how we can integrate it into our daily routine in today's world...READ ON THE SOUL VALUES POSTS page.
Soul Values: Community
POSTED NOVEMBER 24, 2020
Community is another of Thomas Moore's “soul values” discussed in his book Ageless Soul, relevant today in a time of pandemic. In addition to the terrible toll in lives, the pandemic has uniquely challenged the ability of almost everyone on the planet to experience this most important and beneficial value. The mental and physical benefits of connection are well-known. Where isolation and loneliness can raise stress levels, physical touch and even just expressing feelings of love and affection are powerful stress-reducers...READ ON THE SOUL VALUES POSTS page
Advice from a Renaissance philosopher, the Scandinavians, and modern science for dealing with melancholy, S.A.D, and the “lockdown woes”
POSTED NOVEMBER 29, 2020
The “season to be jolly” is, for some, a time of sadness. The shortness of the days, the memory of loved ones no longer with us, the realization of the passage of time, and, this year, the inability to celebrate with family and friends can increase feelings of melancholy. Philosophers and physicians have been providing advice on how to cope with feelings of sadness for millennia. In the ancient theory of medicine known as humorism, chemical systems called humors were thought to regulate human behavior. Hippocrates (he of the Hippocratic Oath, 460 BC – 370 BC) described the theory of humors thus:
“The Human body contains blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. These are the things that make up its constitution and cause its pains and health. Health is primarily that state in which these constituent substances are in the correct proportion to each other, both in strength and quantity, and are well mixed. Pain occurs when one of the substances presents either a deficiency or an excess, or is separated in the body and not mixed with others.”
The word melancholy derives from the Greek words for black bile, one of the four primary humors [sidebar]. Psychotherapist Thomas Moore in Ageless Soul [1] reminds us of the ancient origin of the word and then informs us that the black bile humor of melancholy “is not an illness, but a condition, either a personality trait or a mood created by the situation” and “can also be the result of a certain lifestyle.”
Moore describes some remarkably modern suggestions for dealing with “black bile” from the Renaissance humanist philosopher Marsilio Ficino:
After mentioning many foods and good music, [Ficino] says, “I encourage you to gaze on sparkling waters and things that are red and green. I recommend walking through gardens and groves and along rivers and beautiful meadows. I also suggest horseback riding, hiking, calm sailing, and variety of all kinds: pleasant jobs, varied and care-free work, and the constant company of agreeable people.”
Thomas Moore also notes that toady we've “lost the wisdom of Renaissance doctor like Ficino. We don't realize how important it is to rely on nature for our health and mood, to think about the kind of people we have around us, and to understand the value of gardens and trees...[and] a walk near sparkling water.”
As winter sets in, seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D.) begins to beset some. Psychologists studying the people of the northernmost parts of Norway have observed that these are less affected by the short days of winter than those from more southerly regions. Apparently, it is comes down to how we frame the winter months.
Residing in the Norwegian town of Tromsø, American psychologist Kari Leibowitz observed how the people there tended to view the winter as a challenge, or even more often like an opportunity by an act of re-framing. [3] “Which of these statements do you agree with?”, she would ask.
1) There are many things to enjoy about the Winter; I love the cosiness of the Winter months; Winter brings many wonderful seasonal changes.
2) Winter is boring; Winter is a limiting time of year; there are many things to dislike about Winter
The answers to these questions were found to predict the mental well-being of the answerer over the following months, with many of Tromsø’s residents struggling to imagine why a person might not be excited for winter, while listing things like hiking, skiing, and curling up in front of a fire with a hot drink as things they were looking forward to.
The Danes have made this attitude towards winter (and life) into a philosophy called hygge. Though sometimes reduced by writers to “getting cozy”, hygge is a bit more than that. One of the more succinct descriptions I've found: "It literally only requires consciousness, a certain slowness, and the ability to not just be present – but recognize and enjoy the present...[and] an art of creating intimacy with yourself, friends and your home.” [5]
Mindfulness - the direct mental effort to make yourself present in each passing moment - may also make us more resilient to whatever life through in our paths. Walking not only offers a great way to practice mindfulness, but it gets you out of doors, a proven aid to mental well-being. In Europe, it’s quite common for married couples, friends, or dog moms/dads to take a walk after a meal—particularly dinner. In the wintertime, besides the benefits of exposure to the natural world, exposure to cold increases the brain’s production of norepinephrine, a behavioral chemical that can make you feel elated and excited. [4]
And after your walk, sit down to a nice cup of herbal tea. "Sit down and drink your tea without moving until it’s finished...A cup of tea is about as long as it takes to finish a short mindfulness routine" with just 5-8 minutes of mindfulness or meditation enough to start experiencing the beneficial effects. [4]
Related Posts
Hygge: the perfect philosophy for winter
Nature, harmony and well-being: from traditional cultures to ecotherapy
The Four Humors of Ancient Medicine
Blood - the blood was believed to be produced exclusively by the liver. It was associated with a sanguine nature (enthusiastic, active, and social).
Yellow bile - excess of yellow bile was thought to produce aggression, and reciprocally excess anger to cause liver derangement and imbalances in the humors.
Black bile - the word "melancholy" derives from Greek μέλαινα χολή (melaina kholé) meaning 'black bile'. Depression was attributed to excess or unnatural black bile secreted by the spleen.
Phlegm - Phlegm (not at all what we call phlegm) was thought to be associated with apathetic behavior, as preserved in the word "phlegmatic. [2]
References: [1] Thomas Moore, Ageless Soul (St. Martin's Press, 2017) [2] Wikipedia [3], [4] Due to continuing security issues with these links, they have been permanently removed. [5] Hygge House
Anger - its evolutionary purpose, downsides and management
POSTED DECEMBER 23, 2020
2020 draws to a close, and America is divided and angry. News items, tweets, political positions, unjust policies - all can provoke us.
Is anger always bad? After all, anger is rooted in our evolutionary development and considered by psychologists to be one of the basic universal human emotions. The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals is Charles Darwin's third major work of evolutionary theory. Building on Darwin's work, psychologist have postulated short lists of basic emotions common to all cultures. One such list from psychologist Paul Eckman: happiness, sadness, disgust, fear, surprise, and anger.
Anger had a purpose in our evolution as part of the fight - flight - freeze response to a perceived threat, a response present throughout the natural world. Later evolutionary benefits included improving one’s bargaining position, ensuring the wellbeing of the group, and signalling to others that you care about the wellbeing of group. In contemporary society, the wellbeing of the group can explain our anger when we are not directly threatened. Writing at in-mind.org [1], Cameron Stuart Kay gives an example some of us can relate to.
"I, as a white male, should feel no anger at a politician who repeatedly expounds sexist, racist, and xenophobic sentiments. In fact, one could make a fairly logical argument that anger would only be to my detriment, due to the increased probability of getting into an altercation. Yet I do get angry. Why?"
This "non-direct anger" has its roots in the fact that societies confer benefits - health care, education, safety. Kay continues,
"Everything, from the hospital you were born in, to the school you attended, to the job you worked at, to the cemetery you will be buried in, requires order. It will therefore come as little surprise that maintaining order within society is very valuable. The theory is that we use anger to maintain order within our society to ensure future receipt of benefits."
Mental health professionals also point to a number of benefits that anger confers at the individual level. Among the research findings: anger can be a motivating force driving us towards our goals, that hiding anger in intimate relationships can be detrimental (because your partner does not know he4 has done something that offended you), anger can provided an insight into our own faults and inspire us to change. [2]
Too much anger, though, can lead to medical issues and relationship problems.
The constant flood of stress chemicals and associated metabolic changes that go with ongoing unmanaged anger can eventually cause harm to many different systems of the body. Some of the short and long-term health problems that have been linked to unmanaged excessive anger include: headache, digestion problems, insomnia, increased anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, skin problems, heart attack and stroke. [3]
If you are often angry or irritable, it can be a sign of depression. In addition, anger can feed depression in an escalating recycle loop. [Psychology Today [sidebar] has suggestions for managing anger so that it does not fuel depression.]
Philosophers from Lao Tzu on have offered advice on dealing with upsetting elements and changes in our lives. For the "go with the flow" author of the Tao Te Ching, life was "a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” For the philosopher emperor, Marcus Aurelius, and other Stoics, external events over which we had no control and the actions of others were not reasons to become upset. "Even if you burst with indignation, they will carry on regardless. Do not be upset...concentrate on the matter at hand and see it for what it is. Remind yourself of your duty to be a good man and what nature demands: then do it straight and unswerving...Always, though, in kindness, integrity and sincerity."
Many anger management processes have initiating steps that sound straight from the practice of mindfulness: relax, breathe deeply, listen to calming music. The Mindfulness Exercises site [sidebar] recommends a simple three-step technique to help you stay calm: recognize (simply recognize that anger is present inside of us), realize (realize that it is okay to be angry, that you are a person deserving of your own love), and breathe (When in doubt, return to your breath...the most powerful mindfulness technique).
Very Well Mind [sidebar] reminds us that managing anger "doesn't mean never getting angry. Instead, it involves learning how to recognize, cope with, and express it in healthy and productive ways." Among the strategies they recommend: "identify triggers", "evaluate your anger", "recognize warning signs", "step away" and "change the channel."
References: [1] in-mind.org [2] PSYBLOG [3] Victoria(Australia) Better Health Channel
