These difficult times spawn difficult questions: Can we support our troops without supporting an ill-conceived war? How can we define winning or losing war and is that an important question? Does the world perceive America to be the bully and does it matter?
President Truman once said that those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. Today’s answers can be found in the 6th century B.C. writings of Lao Tsu.
On War:
“Achieve results but never glory in them; a victory of war should be observed like a funeral; a violent man dies a violent death; a great country is like a low land; those who would conquer must yield, and those who conquer do so because they yield; a brave and passionate man will kill or be killed; a brave and calm man will always preserve life.”
On Winning:
“Yield and overcome; know honor, yet keep humility; temper your sharpness; more forcing causes resistance; simplify your problems; misery lurks beneath happiness; one cannot know light without dark; the more the wise man does for others, the more he has.”
On Leadership:
“A wise leader does not use force to conquer the universe for this only causes resistance; the humble is the root of the noble; the greatest virtue is to do without taking credit and to guide without interfering; in caring for others, there is nothing like using restraint that begins with giving up one’s ideas; the wise leader brings men back to what they have lost; the wise leader must serve with humility, if he would lead them, he must follow behind.”
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Re: "Video Seethes With Unexplained Anger"
"Video Seethes With Unexplained Anger"
(http://www.sptimes.com/2007/04/19/Worldandnation/Video_seethes_with_un.shtml)
When I think about how Cho slaughtered all those bright, young people in cold blood, it occurs to me that Cho had some factors in common with the Columbine shooters: First, it is clear he was a loner. Second, he had a deep resentment against the "popular" or "rich" kids.
When Cho talks about being spit on and forced to eat garbage, I don't think he means that metaphorically. I think Cho was bullied in school. The Columbine shooters were bullied in school. They had asked the administration to intervene and were refused any help.
What does the “aggressive victim” mentality mean to our society? Sure Cho was crazy. Sure he is fully to blame. Cho didn't take personal responsibility for his own happiness; instead he chose to blame others.
Even so, I’d be willing to bet some snobby “popular” middle-school kids did bully Cho terribly. And the teachers did not protect him or stand up for what is right. These episodes are rampant. A nationwide K-12 policy should put the burden on teachers and school administrators to enforce zero-tolerance on bullying, power plays, flaunty cliques, and even "loners."
In recent years, victims of bullies are now suing bullies, teachers, and the school. It also appears that victims of bullies are now going on shooting sprees.
Allowing aloneness does not teach kids how to get along in society. Science is revealing the incredible power of social support in preventing disease, depression, stress, and even heart attacks and cancer. Teachers, bullying occurs during unstructured time: When you see a loner kid, consistently help him or her connect. You may just be preventing the next massacre.
(http://www.sptimes.com/2007/04/19/Worldandnation/Video_seethes_with_un.shtml)
When I think about how Cho slaughtered all those bright, young people in cold blood, it occurs to me that Cho had some factors in common with the Columbine shooters: First, it is clear he was a loner. Second, he had a deep resentment against the "popular" or "rich" kids.
When Cho talks about being spit on and forced to eat garbage, I don't think he means that metaphorically. I think Cho was bullied in school. The Columbine shooters were bullied in school. They had asked the administration to intervene and were refused any help.
What does the “aggressive victim” mentality mean to our society? Sure Cho was crazy. Sure he is fully to blame. Cho didn't take personal responsibility for his own happiness; instead he chose to blame others.
Even so, I’d be willing to bet some snobby “popular” middle-school kids did bully Cho terribly. And the teachers did not protect him or stand up for what is right. These episodes are rampant. A nationwide K-12 policy should put the burden on teachers and school administrators to enforce zero-tolerance on bullying, power plays, flaunty cliques, and even "loners."
In recent years, victims of bullies are now suing bullies, teachers, and the school. It also appears that victims of bullies are now going on shooting sprees.
Allowing aloneness does not teach kids how to get along in society. Science is revealing the incredible power of social support in preventing disease, depression, stress, and even heart attacks and cancer. Teachers, bullying occurs during unstructured time: When you see a loner kid, consistently help him or her connect. You may just be preventing the next massacre.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Quantum Wierdness...
Matter is real probability waves. The waves don’t stand for the underlying real reality; matter is probability waves.
Your banana isn’t there; it’s probably there because you are calling it into existence by observing it. We are Creator-gods. The absolute square of the intensity of the banana wave is the probability that the banana will keep being a banana.
Matter is intimately interconnected to all the other matter in the universe. This has become known as quantum entanglement.
So why do we see a banana that we can pick up? The quantum banana’s relationships with the other quantum matter around it, or “spherical standing wave interactions,” explain why we see the banana on the counter as a separate entity and not one with the counter.
Also, quantum mechanics was discovered at the very tiny particle level. Your banana has never disappeared before or done something strange because the probabilities for banana were multiplied by all of its particles and for all the times humans observed it. The chances are extremely small of changing even one particle of your banana for a nano-second into what Lil’ Harry suggested, “poop,” (he doesn’t like bananas) even with billions of observers trying billions of times to see “poop” instead.
Actually, it may be that the observer of the banana doesn’t have to be a human for the banana to keep existing. The banana quantum system will become entangled with the fate of billions of particles in its environment and therefore keep on existing as a banana. The environment will observe the banana.
Now, if you need proof that you observing matter changes matter, just understand Heisenberg Uncertainty or the “Quantum Zeno Effect:” If you observe a quantum system with a short half life, it will not make the transition to the lower state b/c your simply observing it causes it to remain in its higher-energy state.
Happy Creating your own Universe!
PS- This quantum physics makes us gods; how self-centered! But, at least free will is sacred.
Your banana isn’t there; it’s probably there because you are calling it into existence by observing it. We are Creator-gods. The absolute square of the intensity of the banana wave is the probability that the banana will keep being a banana.
Matter is intimately interconnected to all the other matter in the universe. This has become known as quantum entanglement.
So why do we see a banana that we can pick up? The quantum banana’s relationships with the other quantum matter around it, or “spherical standing wave interactions,” explain why we see the banana on the counter as a separate entity and not one with the counter.
Also, quantum mechanics was discovered at the very tiny particle level. Your banana has never disappeared before or done something strange because the probabilities for banana were multiplied by all of its particles and for all the times humans observed it. The chances are extremely small of changing even one particle of your banana for a nano-second into what Lil’ Harry suggested, “poop,” (he doesn’t like bananas) even with billions of observers trying billions of times to see “poop” instead.
Actually, it may be that the observer of the banana doesn’t have to be a human for the banana to keep existing. The banana quantum system will become entangled with the fate of billions of particles in its environment and therefore keep on existing as a banana. The environment will observe the banana.
Now, if you need proof that you observing matter changes matter, just understand Heisenberg Uncertainty or the “Quantum Zeno Effect:” If you observe a quantum system with a short half life, it will not make the transition to the lower state b/c your simply observing it causes it to remain in its higher-energy state.
Happy Creating your own Universe!
PS- This quantum physics makes us gods; how self-centered! But, at least free will is sacred.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Chopra part 3: War and aggression is fear-based
Hi! Thought you might be interested on the Star Wars (the movie) theory of war and aggression: The reason for hatred is fear-based. I found the following understanding from one of my favorite authors/speakers, Deepak Chopra. Anyone up for Disney Arabia?
From Chopra:
I agree with this “aggression is fear-based” psychological theory. The aggressor has lived with an “us” against “them” mentality. The differences are magnified and made ugly. The ugly differences are scary. Aggression rises in reaction to these perceived ugly, scary differences. It becomes impossible to ride the “It’s a Small World” ride with this mentality.
Also, aggressors may feel that there isn’t enough. There isn’t enough money, food, jobs, whatever. They think, “I’m not getting mine.” So this belief in scarcity makes it easy for Germans to slaughter Jews and Southerners to hang blacks. When rats think there are too many of themselves for the space or food, they kill each other to reduce the pop-ex.
(Also, I think there is a self-perception component to aggression. The aggressor has these thoughts and maybe acts on them. He convinces himself this is who he is from his thoughts and actions. He thinks of himself as a “bad –“ or as tough. Therefore, actions that support this self-perception persist and increase.)
These ideas are interesting for our daily lives as well. When we are at work, we see many people who are in need of calming down or reassuring. There is too much rampant stress for effective flow. Probably, some % of our “job” is calming others down or should be maybe. That’s just what I think.
From Chopra:
“The war mentality is blinded by fear, which fuels aggression and violence to make the fear go away. That is war in a nutshell.
The other rationales are pointless, and when we obsess over them, arguing whether the U.S. is acting as savior, aggressor, imperialist, peacekeeper, world policeman, or cynical oil power, the net effect is to forget that war is about fear and using violence to "solve" it.
If you step out of the war mentality, there are not just a few creative ways to avoid an invasion of Iraq. There are dozens. If every person who doesn't want war sent in his or her suggestion about a better answer, tens of thousands of replies would flood in. Of these I 'm sure that five or six would be completely workable.
Let me mention ten to begin with:
1. Congratulate President Bush on already succeeding. The presence of U.S. troops around Iraq has called Saddam's bluff. Disarmament has begun. If pressure is kept on with U.S. military presence, in the region, without dropping bombs, further progress will inevitably occur.
2. Assign prominent figures of peace to be present in Iraq constantly, along with the U.N. inspectors. Have these revered figures address the Iraqi people and the world every day on the value of peace.
3. Ask 100,000 well-wishers from around the globe to bring food and aid to Iraq's children. These people would carry humane relief in person to Baghdad.
4. Start a global Peace Corps of volunteers who will go to Iraq with the express purpose of fulfilling any humanitarian need asked for by that country.
5. Offer MTV, CNN, and Nickelodeon free to any Iraq household with a TV. Exposure to the world will make them feel like part of the world.
6. Sponsor 25,000 student exchanges for Iraqi high schoolers so that they can live for a year in Europe or the U.S.
7. Keep a tenfold number of U.N. weapons inspectors on the ground in Iraq and have them report every two weeks.
8. Teach courses in all American schools on the pros and cons of globalization and multiculturalism, as opposed to instilling the false belief that nationalism is going to continue to work (war being a logical and horrendous extension of nationalism).
9. Withdraw the resented presence of U.S. troops from those regions where seeing an American army uniform inflames simmering hatred.
10. Open Disney World somewhere in the Middle East., a region where up to half the population is under the age of 15. These children are in enormous peril, not just from bombs but from cultural isolation. Let children breathe free air at a place where fun and joy abide. What better way to reduce fear and anger? At the same time, find a way to expose American children to the children of the world.
Whatever you think of these particular suggestions, the most obvious thing is how easily they arise once you stop being infected by the war mentality. Weapons of mass destruction are disposed of when they are seen as irrelevant. That is what happened with the former Soviet Union. The same can happen in the Middle East once we put our hearts into it. The choice to change history or become its next victim faces us right here, right now.”
I agree with this “aggression is fear-based” psychological theory. The aggressor has lived with an “us” against “them” mentality. The differences are magnified and made ugly. The ugly differences are scary. Aggression rises in reaction to these perceived ugly, scary differences. It becomes impossible to ride the “It’s a Small World” ride with this mentality.
Also, aggressors may feel that there isn’t enough. There isn’t enough money, food, jobs, whatever. They think, “I’m not getting mine.” So this belief in scarcity makes it easy for Germans to slaughter Jews and Southerners to hang blacks. When rats think there are too many of themselves for the space or food, they kill each other to reduce the pop-ex.
(Also, I think there is a self-perception component to aggression. The aggressor has these thoughts and maybe acts on them. He convinces himself this is who he is from his thoughts and actions. He thinks of himself as a “bad –“ or as tough. Therefore, actions that support this self-perception persist and increase.)
These ideas are interesting for our daily lives as well. When we are at work, we see many people who are in need of calming down or reassuring. There is too much rampant stress for effective flow. Probably, some % of our “job” is calming others down or should be maybe. That’s just what I think.
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