Changing Places

Heaven embraces the horizon.
No matter how jagged the profile,
The sky faithfully conforms.

Wherever you are, they sky constantly meets the horizon. It conforms absolutely with the earth’s surface. Changes in the earth or sky do not affect this perfect adaptation. There might be clouds, it might be night, there might be mountains or trees or even buildings on the horizon, but the relationship remains.

No matter what circumstances life may present, we must adapt exactly, whether we think the situation is good or bad. Resistance is useless. Instead, we should concentrate on perceiving whatever circumstances surround us. For example, if one is in a leadership situation, one must adapt one’s vision to that of the group; the successful leader articulates and brings consensus to the group. Being flexible and constantly adjusting to the times is one of the secrets of Tao.

We often think of the landscape as being in the foreground and the sky as the background. It is because the sky is always in the background that it can meet the outline of the foreground perfectly. If we emulate this feature of being in the background, then we too can find perfect conformity with life. Such adaptation is not passivity, however. It is concordance. It is because the sky is in the background that it is in fact supreme. So too with ourselves. If we know how to adapt, we end up being superior.

Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” — Charles Darwin

“Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative.” — H. G. Wells

Adapt yourself to the things among which your lot has been cast and love sincerely the fellow creatures with whom destiny has ordained that you shall live.” — Marcus Aurelius

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” — George Bernard Shaw

“As human beings we do change, grow, adapt, perhaps even learn and become wiser.” — Wendy Carlos

“The assumption must be that those who can see value only in tradition, or versions of it, deny man’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances.” — Stephen Bayley

The Tao is all about adapting to change. I don’t think that necessarily means accepting the conditions we find around us, though. It is more about spiritual adaptation to those conditions – you don’t necessarily have to submit to what is happening around you. You have to spiritually adapt to what is going on around you. Sometimes, that means blending in, other times, it means preparing for a fight that you know will result from the circumstances.

Those who truly lead the group are the ones who gently steer it towards a group consensus, not those who force a group to do what the leader wants done. Leaders who push their own agenda simply get in the way of what the group will inevitably finally decide is right, and be remembered in shame. The true leader emerges as if from the background, and suddenly seems to stand above the rest. But the truth is, they have been there all the time, quietly leading.

Pay attention to what is going on in the background, to what is haapening in response to events, to the storm clouds forming on the horizon or the sun getting ready to burst through what seems like the darkest night. Pay attention to the background of people’s lives that leads them to act the way they do. And always be ready to adapt to the changes in life, the things that seem to be in the background but that will soon affect you. And be content to be in the background, quietly changing things, quietly adapting.

Darwin and I had a playdate with Deb and Pentu today – it was a blast!

Well, okay, but just so you know —

IF YOU WERE GAY
THAT’D BE OKAY.
I MEAN ‘CAUSE, HEY,
I’D LIKE YOU ANYWAY.
BECAUSE YOU SEE,
IF IT WERE ME,
I WOULD FEEL FREE
TO SAY THAT I WAS GAY
(BUT I’M NOT GAY.)

Whoa. There are people out there who are crazier than I am!

Cool.

Introduction to The Hedonistic Imperative

A small minority of humans do in fact experience states of indefinitely prolonged euphoria. These states of involuntary well-being are usually pathologised as “manic”. Unlike unipolar depression, sustained unipolar mania is very rare. Other folk who just have high “hedonic set-points”, but who aren’t manic or bipolar, are sometimes described as “hyperthymic” instead. This isn’t a common mindset either. “Bipolar disorder”, on the other hand, is experienced in the course of a lifetime by perhaps one in a hundred people or more. Popularly known as manic-depression, bipolar disorder has several sub-types. Mood characteristically alternates between euphoria and abject despair. Cycles may vary in length. It is a complex genetic condition which runs in families. Typically, bipolarity is marked by a genetic variation in the serotonin transporter as compared to “euthymic” normals. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter involved in sleep, sociability, feeding, activity, impulse-control, mood, and a lot else besides. The serotonin transporter mops up “excess” serotonin released by nerve cells into the synapses. Very crudely, manic states are associated with enhanced dopamine and norepinephrine function; in mania, serotonin function is dysregulated or low.

Sadly, among today’s “bipolars” manic exuberance can spin out of control. Euphoria may be accompanied by hyperactivity, sleeplessness, chaotically racing ideas, pressure of speech and grandiose thought. Hyper-sexuality, financial excesses and religious delusions are common. So is rampant egomania. Sometimes dysphoria may occur. In dysphoric mania the manic “high” is actually unpleasant. The excited subject may be angry, agitated, panicky, paranoid, and destructive. When in the grip of classic euphoric mania, however, it’s hard to recognise that anyone might think anything is wrong. This is because everything feels utterly right. To suppose otherwise is like going to Heaven and then being invited to believe there has been a mistake. It’s not credible.

Today, euphoric (hypo-)mania is liable to be clinically subdued with drugs. ["Hypomania" denotes simply a milder mania.] Toxic “medication” can depress elevated mood to duller but “normal” levels. Such flatter and supposedly healthier levels of emotion enable otherwise euphoric people to function within contemporary society. Compliance with a medically-dictated treatment-regimen (lithium, sodium valproate, carbamazepine, etc.) will be enhanced if the victim can be persuaded that euphoric well-being is pathological. (S)he can then look for warning signs and symptoms. By the norms of our genetically-enriched posterity, however, it is the rest of us who are chronically unwell – if not more so. Contemporary standards of mental health are just pathologically low. Our super-well descendants, by contrast, will enjoy a glorious spectrum of new options for mental super-health. They may opt to combine emotional stability, resilience and “serotonergic” serenity, for instance, with the goal-oriented energy, optimism and initiative of a raw “dopaminergic” high. Post-humans will discover that euphoric peak experiences can be channelled, controlled and genetically diversified, not just medically suppressed.

For there is a cruel irony here. Clinically prescribed mood-darkeners would be laughably redundant for the great bulk of humanity. At present, life for billions of genetically “normal” people is often very grim indeed. No amount of piecemeal political and economic reform, nor even radical social engineering, can overcome this biological reality. Today’s billion-and-one routes to supposedly lasting happiness are pursued in the guise of innumerable intentional objects. [Intentionality in philosophy-speak is the 'aboutness' or 'object-directedness' of thought]. We convince ourselves that all manner of things would potentially make us happy. All these peripheral routes to personal fulfilment are not merely vastly circuitous and inefficient. In the main, they just don’t, and can’t, durably work. At best, they can serve as palliatives of the human predicament. If the mind/brain’s emotional thermostat, as it were, is not genetically and pharmacologically reset, then even the greatest triumphs and successes turn to ashes. Lottery winners, cup-final hat-trick scorers and blissful newly-weds are left time and again to discover this fate anew. Even those of us who tend to lead a relatively happy day-to-day existence will, in the course of a lifetime, undergo spells of wretched unhappiness and disappointment. If we opt to have children, our corrupt code ensures they will periodically suffer a similar fate.

I’m glad my friend Henry was awake to take a picture of the beautiful lunar eclipse this morning. It was at one of those hours of the morning that don’t exist for me….

But was this indictment what caused Gonzales to resign?

It would have been interesting to see what was said on Tuesday. I wonder if it will still be said now, or if this indictment will magically go away….

Something tells me Gonzo messed with the wrong bunch of lawyers here. Or did the Edwards campaign set a nice little trap for him?

Hmmm.

Welcome to Grandecom.net – News

Attorney Geoffrey Fieger, best known for representing assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian, was indicted on charges of conspiring to make more than $125,000 in illegal contributions to the 2004 presidential campaign of Democrat John Edwards.

The 10-count indictment was returned Tuesday and unsealed Friday. It names both Fieger and Vernon Johnson, a partner in Fieger’s law firm.

Fieger, in a statement issued Friday afternoon, denied the charges, blaming President Bush’s administration, including a Justice Department led by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that Fieger says is politically motivated.

“The timing of these unprecedented charges, that have no support in fact or law, during the height of the presidential fundraising campaign, is solely intended to intimidate Democratic supporters around the country,” Fieger said.

If convicted, each charge of conspiracy, false statements and illegal campaign contributions carries up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Obstruction of justice is punishable by up to 10 years behind bars and a $250,000 fine.

Steven Fishman, an attorney representing Johnson, said his client hasn’t done anything wrong.

“In America, despite what Alberto Gonzales might think, people have the right to support political candidates who support their views,” Fishman said. “If that is a crime, citizens should be even more afraid of this administration than they already are.”

Gerry Spence, a prominent Wyoming trial attorney representing Fieger, said his client planned to address the charges during a news conference on Tuesday.

Gonzales Resigns, Vows to Find the Real Perjurers – The Smirking Chimp

A grim-faced Alberto Gonzales announced today that he was resigning in order to dedicate the rest of his life to “finding the real perjurers.” “They deceived Congress and the American people,” he said, “and I won’t rest until they’re brought to justice.” He added that he also intends to find out who used the chief law enforcement office in the land to subvert the Constitution.

The outgoing Attorney General also noted that someone in a senior Administration authorized the use of torture, which he observed was not only “barbaric” but also violated international law. “That discovery caused me great pain,” Mr. Gonzales said. “I mean, it wasn’t the kind of pain that simulates organ failure or death, but it still kinda smarted.”

Mr. Gonzales scoffed at rumors that he’s writing a book called If I Did It. “Believe me,” the Attorney General said. “If anybody was writing something like that, I’d have gotten a report from Gen. Hayden about it.”

Got this nice quote in an email today, and must share.

Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good. What is needed for dramatic change is an accumulation of acts, adding, adding to, adding more, continuing. We know that it does not take everyone on Earth to bring justice and peace, but only a small, determined group who will not give up during the first, second, or hundredth gale.

One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires, causes proper matters to catch fire. To display the lantern of soul in shadowy times like these—to be fierce and to show mercy toward others; both are acts of immense bravery and greatest necessity. Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it. If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do.

— Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Actually the things my kids learn about social cooperation, survival in difficult conditions, and critical thinking that they learn from their game playing are pretty amazing.

And considering that game playing now pays for my own board and keep, I can’t complain much about them. It’s just that in all the years we put into our education, we never imagined the computer games we enjoyed would grow into something that could support us “in real life” — and now, something that has real potential to affect learning to handle something like a global pandemic. Go figure.

How a computer game glitch could help to fight off global pandemic – Times Online

When it comes to the science of surviving a potentially deadly outbreak, there is one question that has always proved particularly tricky for experts.

How do you study the spread of an epidemic, and thus form an emergency plan to ensure the survival of the human race, without putting the population at risk of a real disease?

Researchers have now made an unlikely breakthrough, thanks to a glitch in a fantasy computer game. In an online game called World of Warcraft, an unexpected error in the software has provided a ready-made laboratory for studying the effects of an epidemic.

The 6.5 million players who control characters in the role-playing game supplied the necessary element of unpredictable human reactions without any risk to the real world.

Aw. I love squiddies! This one is gorgeous!

National Geographic News Photo Gallery: Weird Deep-Sea Creatures Found in Atlantic

Despite its delicate, decorated appearance, this jewel squid was found 1,650 lung-crushing feet (500 meters) beneath the surface of the North Atlantic.

Scientists on a recent deep-sea expedition found the squid, called Histioteuthis, along with an abundance of other species thought to be very rare, if not unknown, elsewhere.

Jewel squid are known for their mismatched eyes, one of which is larger than the other to scope for prey in the deep’s darkness.

As hard as Krista’s work is, I’m glad she is so devoted to it. We need more Kristas in this world….

Experiencing psychosis is a difficult thing, recovering from it even more so. But finding those people willing to stick by you during it, even those willing to walk into your life at that point – that’s just so special. Thanks, Krista, for all you do. I hope you can stay strong with all you are going through.

The Silent K » Blog Archive » the corner in which the ultimate mystery of things…

For those of you who aren’t familiar, psychosis is an experience that people have where they see and/or hear things that other people do not, and have unusual beliefs that other people don’t hold. Essentially it is a chasm between internal reality and shared commonly accepted reality.

There are times where it seems the families accessing our services are deepened and transformed by the experiences of distress and healing that are happening to themselves and their respective relatives. It is beautiful, moving, and humbling to see families on this road supporting someone, and learning and growing themselves in the process. This job blows my mind everyday. When I decided to take this job on I am not sure I recognized the major life shift it would cause in me, in my personhood, in my outlook on life.

I worked in mental health before too, but it was a different, lighter job in many ways. My heart didn’t hurt as much working there.

In this job, I feel infused with spirit, and deeply connected to the work with such intensity that it creates a very real vicarious ache. The work creates fertile ground for my spiritual practice, but as awe-inspiring it can be, lately it has left me feeling extremely emotionally spent.

There are times when the theoretical/philosophical aspect of the work enraptures me so completely. It feels like my mind is a magnetic sponge absorbing, retaining, and reverberating the vast knowledge and experiences of others who’ve spent their lives studying, writing about, and/or living these unexplainable experiences of the mind.

Darwin went to Gateway Gardens retirement living today along with Ina and her lab Sunny, and a bearded dragon named Bond, James Bond! We had a wonderful time and made many new friends. Darwin’s story from last week’s visit is also up now at Land of Pure Gold, where I also picked up the cute picture above of Toby. Careful if you click those links – you can get lost for a long time over at Rochelle’s wonderful golden retriever site! Along with the stories there is a wealth of information there about goldens, therapy and service dogs, and sadly, cancer, which is so common in goldens. Rochelle has done a great job collecting so much information!

Thanks to Hoff for posting this one first.

The boys went back to school today – Greg’s first day at Palomar College, Jonathan’s eight millionth or so (well it seems that way – he’s been there so long!)

So my house is quiet… very nice!

So I shall listen to my old high school friend Deborah Lippmann’s new CD Vinyl! Yeah!

It’s a good CD, so I recommend you buy it, of course! It’s on Itunes, too.

Jean Savitzky and Darwin, a golden retriever, share a moment together as part of the Escondido Humane Society’s Pet Education Program at Seacrest Village. Scott Linnett | Union-Tribune photos

Today’s Local News » Pet project

Pet project

Visiting animals bring smiles to seniors

By Angela Holman | angela.holman@tlnews.net

Sunday, August 18, 2007

As Esther Guttman, 95, sat down for the Escondido Humane Society’s Pet Education Program, she told Darwin, a 13-month-old golden retriever, that he was beautiful and caressed his head and ears. Then she fed him some treats out of the palm of her hand.

Guttman never had pets of her own. She said she used to be afraid of animals, but the education program has taught her there is no reason to fear them.

“I like the program very much,” she said Thursday morning while petting a guinea pig named Sweet Pea. “It teaches you a lot about animals.”

Guttman lives at Seacrest Village, a retirement community in Poway with 60 residents. Once a month, a volunteer from the humane society takes a variety of creatures, including lizards, hamsters, tarantulas, millipedes and rabbits, to Seacrest Village for residents to enjoy.

The seniors sit in a group and take turns touching and holding the animals while a volunteer from the humane society talks about each pet.

Dana McCrea, activities coordinator at Seacrest Village, said the residents love the program. They look forward to being surprised by what types of animals the humane society brings, McCrea said.

“You can look around and see the smiles on their faces when they’re interacting with the animals,” she said.

Seacrest Village doesn’t allow its residents to have pets. McCrea said the program provides the seniors a chance to be around animals, which promotes an overall sense of well-being.

June Teplitz enjoys her time with Sadie.

While a cat named Sadie sat in her lap, June Teplitz, 80, said she thinks the program is wonderful.

“It gives the residents a chance to love something because many of them don’t have children or husbands or wives,” Teplitz said.

She said she always had cats and dogs while her children were growing up and misses having pets.

Eva Schloss, 87, said she never had a pet, which is why she always attends the program.

“It makes me happy because they are warm and cuddly and very affectionate once they get used to you,” Schloss said. “I would love to have a pet.”

Humane society volunteer Dorothea Boughdadly has been bringing her therapy pets along with those from the animal shelter to Seacrest Village since February. She said the program is all about making people feel special, because many of the community’s residents don’t get visitors.

“I get as much out of it as they do,” Boughdadly said. “I get to share my animals, which is my love, with people who share their experiences in life … and I bring smiles to faces — that is a big feel good.”

Ina Shookhoff, director of education at the humane society, said the shelter has offered the program for more than 12 years. She said volunteers visit a dozen facilities in the area, including one for brain damaged adults and one for foster children.

The shelter has about 20 animals it uses for pet therapy; they are not available for adoption. The humane society charges facilities $30 for weekly visits, $40 to present the program twice a month or $50 for one visit.

Shookhoff said the money goes toward keeping the shelter running and to care for the animals used in the program.

She said the society has about eight volunteers who present the program, but can always use more.

Shookhoff said she’s grateful for the volunteers she has because they bring a lot of happiness to the people who live in the facilities the humane society visits.

“It has long been known that pet therapy programs are very advantageous to patients,” she said. “Studies have found that patients benefit physiologically. Blood pressure is reduced, tensions are relaxed and a general feeling of contentment is observed in many of the residents.”

Darwin had his first day at work as a therapy dog today! He was a bit nervous, but he did fine. We went to Seacrest retirement living home along with a very sweet lady named Dorothea, and a kitty and a guinea pig from the Escondido Humane Society.

Darwin was interviewed and photographed for a local newspaper, but I was too clueless to get their card. I’m hoping to get some pictures from the interview if I can.

Anyway, it was a very good first experience for him and we’re going again next week, this time to Gateway retirement. Should be fun!

Fortunately my little brush with cancer was caught early enough I hope I won’t have future problems, but it’s probably a good thing I don’t eat red meat very often.

Western Diet Linked To Colon Cancer Recurrence

Colon cancer survivors who eat a “Western” diet high in red meat, fats and refined grains are more than three times as likely to have a recurrence as those who consume a “prudent” diet high in fish, poultry, fruits and vegetables, researchers said Tuesday.

Scientists already knew that avoiding a Western diet could reduce the risk of contracting colon cancer in the first place, but this is the first study associating the diet with a recurrence of the disease, Dr. Jeffrey A. Meyerhardt and his colleagues at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston reported today in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.

Such diets have not been linked to the recurrence of any other type of cancer, with the possible exception of breast cancer, for which there have been conflicting results.

Many physicians have been telling colon cancer survivors to avoid a Western diet, said Dr. Lily Lai of the City of Hope cancer center, who was not involved in the study. The report “at least gives us some data” to support that recommendation, she said.

Colon and rectal cancer combined are the third most common form of cancer among men and women in the United States, with nearly 154,000 new cases each year and 52,000 deaths. It is curable by surgery if caught early, and the incidence has been declining because of increased screening.

Hmm. What does this imply for us bloggers? Our bridges are only little electronic bits….

BookLust: Random Readings 12

“Remember the story you learned as a child: When the hour arrives for us to proceed to the next world, there will be two bridges to it, one made of iron and one made of paper,” Peretz intoned. His words were heavy, but his voice floated on rings of smoke, a breath of fire and ash waiting to descend and consume them. Der Nister swallowed, breathing in the master’s air. “The wicked will run to the iron bridge, but it will collapse under their weight. The righteous will cross the paper bridge, and it will support them all. Paper is the only eternal bridge. Your purpose as a writer is to achieve one task, and one task only: to build a paper bridge to the world to come.”

– from The World To Come by Dara Horn

Via I can has cheezburger

So we had a fortune cookie with the fortune:
“Warning: do not eat your fortune.”

Guess what Darwin ate? Uh,huh, the fortune….