Mrs. Corretta King Passes Away

Mrs.Corretta Scott King Passes Away

Mrs. King was a great fighter for equal rights for everyone, as her husband Martin Luther King was.She lectured for equal rights for all and she traveled all over The United States. She consulted leaders including Nelson Mandela.

She and her husband traveled extensively in the world. When he passed away, Mrs.King devoted herself to working for the Martin Luther King Center for Non Violent Change in Atlanta, Georgia. She also led the field in preservation of Civil Rights Documents Archives. She was well loved by so many and she will be sorely missed.

What Can Louise L. Hay Show Us?

What Can Louise L.Hay Show Us?

Louise L.Hay grew up in poverty. She and her mother were abandoned by her father and she endured periods of long abuse by friends of her mother. She had to learn to love herself and to make a stand of compassion, respect and caring for herself and for others.

She did these things and more. She studied psychology and human development. She researched the connection between mind, body, and spirit and she wrote about these connections in a very positive way.She used positive thoughts, positive self imagery and prayer in a spiritual quest towards healing .She wrote many articles and she helped form an educational institution called the Hay House which today handles her book "You Can Heal Your Life" and other positive publications, such as Wayne Dwyer's books on healing.

What   do you personally think about Hay's ideas?Do you think that your image, thoughts and beliefs can assist you in living through the days of an illness or not? I mean only can your attitude help things go better or worse? Or do you believe that nothing alters your own personal reality?

Anger: Should We Control it? Part II

Scientific American Mind ,Vol.16, No.4,2005,"Control Your Anger", by Iris Maus

Anger: Should We Control it? Part II

As Maus puts it, the ideas of anger or angst develop in such a way that "There is nothing either good or bad , but thinking makes it so." Shakespeare's Hamlet. A Buddhist monk in Tibet will sit many hours a day trying to rid themselves of all negative emotions and think positively.

Dr. Richardson Davidson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison worked with the Dalai Lama to study the possible effects of meditation on people. The team was comprised of monks, psychologists and neuroscientists. The brain waves of the monks were measured during  meditation with an electroencephalogram and compared to a beginning mediator during meditation. The monks showed a very high level of gamma waves; they ranged from 25  to 42 hertz and apparently they showed up during times of increased awareness in meditation.The gamma wave levels were greater than had ever been reported in scientific journals. The high level of activity was in the frontal lobes , which are involved in the intellectual interpretation of emotions.Davidson thought that this activity showed that the monks could master their emotions. He interviewed some monks later and asked them if their extensive meditations had helped them to feel less fear, angst and anger than other people did. They said that yes they thought they did feel these emotions less than others after having meditated.

What do you think about this research?According to you could meditation help people who are not Buddhist control their anger and sadness? Why or why not?

 

 

 

Anger: Should We Try to Control it? How?

Scientific American Mind Vol.16, No. 4, 2005

"Control Your Anger!"

Iris Mauss

Anger: Should We try to Control it? How?

Psychologists and sociologist agree that we do control our anger because we know that anger canlead to depression and/or violence.James Gross, Ph.D., of Stanford University investigated his student's reactions to stressful situations in his lab. One half of his students were told to "suppress" their emotions by holding a stone expression while watching something violent occur on a screen. Gross did not advise the other students.Both student groups experienced  sadness and nausea; only the stone faced students experienced very strong autonomic nervous systems reactions. It is gathered from this study that suppressing your emotions can be bad for your health.

In 2003 Gross and Oliver John of he University of California did a study on how suppression of one's emotions effected one's everyday life.The students who expressed their emotions openly were put into one group and those who suppressed them were put into another group.They found that the group of students who swallowed their irritations were mostly less confident, more tending to be depressed and more pessimistic than those who expressed their emotions openly.

Then , A researcher named Johan Denollet in Belgium began a study of patients who had suffered heart attacks. He interviewed them; asking them if when they had had bad moods or anger, regret or anguish over something, did they contact other people about these concerns or not? Denollet then waited 10 years and contacted the same group; only to find that  5 percent of the total had passed away. But he noted that among the people who had tended to repress their emotions a whopping 25 percent were dead.

Researchers are now studying what can happen if people can learn to see events in their life a different way. This "different point of view" could influence our overall feelings positively.

Psychologists in 2002 under Dr. Oschner at Columbia UNiversity found that when people were asked to imagine that suffering people in a movie got better their pre frontal  cortex activity part of the brain, involved in deciding, planning and working on things, registered more active. Psychologists think that when this pre frontal cortex is more active the amygdala, or older brain having to do with negative emotions , can be less active by firing less neurons. Can you see why this would help? Can you think of situations in which you were able to distance yourself a little from a situation and therefore make abetter decision on how to help?

Please write down your thoughts about this. The next entry will be about how the monks of Tibet work to control their emotions.

Why does man create myths?

Why Does Man Create Myths?

Scientific American Mind

"Likely Story" by Klaus Manhart

Vol.16, Number 4, 2005

Man created myths to explain mysterious natural phenomena according to Manhart. He points out that scholars have traced the beginning of modern man about 40,000 years ago. He quotes Kate Wong from the June issue of Scientific American when she said that cave paintings and drawings showed that people believed that their paintings and drawings could influence natural forces.

Manhart also discusses  Joseph Campbell , who said that different cultures vary in their approach but that they all contain:1. a myth about the nature of birth, the creation of the world and death. He also said that a myth tries to reconcile two opposing areas; like life and death or creation and destruction. What do you think about this theory? Does it go along with what you believed growing up? 

I'm looking for my Heart

I'm looking for my Heart

It's been a long week and the weekend is hopefully upon us!As a parent of a rebellious teen , I'm looking for my heart! :):)..

Here's to you Jlanders! You give so much joy and compassion to me! I'm celebrating you!:):):):)

Thanks!

Just as Mother Said I Said

Just as Mother Said I Said

My mother liked to remind us of famous expressions which are timeless and true because she felt that they held a value that rang true.

I remember when my oldest son was told to conform to characteristics of his friend. His friend had said "You gotta' be more like me to fit in." My eldest was not like him in any way. I said:"Nobody can be everybody but everybody's got to be somebody."

"You be yourself. That's the best you can do for anyone." I remembered these expressions like a de'ja vu! Then it dawned on me; mother had told us this long ago when we were children. The truism came from Harry Truman Or FDR; either way it was true all right!

Can you remember something that your mother or father told you as a child which you now tell your kids?Please write it here or leave a link to your journal.

 

Elizabeth Kubler -Ross,M.D., A Unique Approach to Dying

Elizabeth Kubler -Ross

Elizabeth Kubler Ross,M.D. was a very interesting psychiatrist from Zurich, Switzerland

who graduated from the University of Zurich in 1957. In 1958, she came to the U.S.

In 1969, she published the findings of her research from working with dying patients called "On Death and Dying."

Kubler-Ross did research the dying process and she discovered that there were stages of dying that most people went through. She explained these stages and she helped people learn bout coping with death. We now realize that we do need help in understanding and in caring about dying people.

Kulber-Ross is the psychiatrist who recorded experiences of dying people. She did have numerous patients describe beautiful experiences concerning the transition between life and death and they talked about moving through a tunnel to the light and seeing beautiful things on the other side. This has increased my belief that life after death could be very wonderful.

What do you think about her research?

 

A Story About Teens and Parents

A Story About Teens and Parents

She drove up to the high school to pick him up. He was never visible right away; it took awhile to sort through the crowd and find him. whew! ... She was  going to have to ask one of his good friends...She rolled down the window and asked his friend Kate nearby... Then she went over and found him, requesting if he would please go home now.

Some confusion followed... "Mom can we take Pete home too? Just have to reach his mom..."

Normally this would be a no on a school night... however there was a game...

"Hurry up please.."

When it took a long time, she got out of the car and headed indoors...They had been hanging out, talking in a non-productive line in the auditorium. "Why don't you call in the office?"she said.

"Chill Mom!" he said, worried.

When she insisted they hurried into the school office.

On the way home the teen turned the rap music up very high, at which point the mother had to turn the car off the road."Don't turn it up so high", she said, "I cannot concentrate that way."

"Mom I didn't mean to. I can't control it!"

Later at home at dinner the teen exploded :

"Dad Mom freaked! She was yelling at me to go to the office!"

She flustered; hurt at the words her son had said.

"I did not!"

The father intervened."Okay, you settle down."

"Okay, you need to respect your mom more."

"I will drive him for a while."

 

Relections on Christopher Reeves' book "Still Me"

Reflections on Christopher Reeve's book "Still Me"

I want to get your thoughts about Christopher Reeves'

opening statements in his autobiography. He says that he wanted to create a film about a quadriplegic  in a  hospital during the day; how he was depressed and his family had difficulty understanding him but how at night he would sail off into the distance and he would really enjoy sailing as before, unencumbered and free, in  a wonderful old wooden sail boat. The story went on to say that as these nights went on and he dreams blazed a beautiful trail in the night for his character, his mood improved during the day and he was happier with his family, who noted a marked improvement in teh man! What do you think of this?

And what are you thoughts about Christopher Reeves and the work he started?

Superbowl Food and Fun!

Superbowl Food and Fun!

Check out Monponsett (Smurfette's blog) for special food recipes for this weekend:

http://journals.aol.com/monponsett/HighAboveCourtside/entries/1587/AddComment?from=0

And please write up you links for you won special recipes and fun events that you have going for this weekend. What do you have planned? Tell us!

Also, you Superbowl fans might like to read Hadonfield's blog about this weekend:

http://journals.aol.com/hadonfield78/TheHadonfieldMyersExperience/entries/827/AddComment?from=0

So let us know about your feelings around the Superbowl please.

Reese Witherspoon's Take on Childhood Privacy

Reese Witherspoon's Take on Childhood Privacy

The Week

January 2006

Ingrid Sischy said in "Interview" that Reese does not believe in taking her child to a series of soccer practices, ballet lessons, and play dates, She said that in her opinion children need privacy to use their imagination and play. She thinks that children should read and enjoy more make believe play than they do at the moment. Do you agree? And if so why?

I did enjoy many opportunities as a child to use my imagination to make believe, write and perform plays and poetry and create paintings and read. I think it is  very important. What about you?

Mindfulness Revisited

Mindfulness Revisited

Mindfulness does not refer to "your mind being full"; it is more like your mind being aware of your actions physically and your thoughts. We can be mindful while washing dishes, walking down a road, or kissing a child when we put him to bed!

What do you think about this practice?

We learn to do this practice over time. Then we concentrate about being mindful and compassionate a(as much as is possible) in our actions towards others.

Do you like this concept?

Creative People Proved to Have More Fun!

Creative People Proved to have More Sex!

The Week

January 13, 2006

Daniel Nettle of Newcastle University in England found in a study of 425 professional painters, poets, and musicians that they have twice the number of sexual encounters as other people do.

The number of sexual partners increased as creative output increased. Newcastle theorized that this was because the added productivity brought them fame; making them more attractive to others.

What do you think of this study?

Karma

Karma

In India as in other Asian countries many people believe that your actions generate good or bad results depending on whether you treat well or poorly.

They believe that at the end of life you will be judged by a superior tribune and you will have a greater or a lesser life in a reincarnation the next time around.

It means that you could become a mouse or you could become a powerful person, depending on how you behave now.

What do you think?

The Native American Circular View Of Life

The Native American Circular View of Life

Native Americans have a deep abiding love for all life.

They see life as part of a continuum; as one big circle.They think that life will show us the way in most cases so that questions are unimportant.

They love to care for the group at large.Interestingly, if you compliment and single out one Native American for a particular honor, like National Merit Scholar, etc., he will feel badly and try to get out of it.He thinks that his goal in life is to help his parents, his grandparents and the tribe. What do you think of this?

A Fraud: The Stem Cell Research Scandal

A Fraud: the Stem Cell Research Scandal

The Week

January 13,2006

I wrote about my own skeptism about South Korean Stem-cell pioneer's findings that he could clone human embryos form different patients he had created eleven lines of specially made stem cells taht could be planted back into people without harm.

Other scientists tried to duplicate his work, but without success. It was because he had faked his research!

( You will remember that his work was written up in Time magazine). What do you think about this fradulent work? Does it make you mad?Do you think that the field of stem research has been damaged?

I answer yes to both..what about you?