“Explanation separates us from astonishment, which is the only gateway to the incomprehensible.” ~Eugene Ionesco
We are taught from a very young age that it is our responsibility to reflect on the motives behind our actions and behaviors. From the time we can form sentences, we are asked the questions: “Why did you make that choice?” and “What made you do that?”
These questions often follow bad behavior and punishment. Our parents were trying to teach us, with the best of intentions, that we are responsible for our own actions.
This is a necessary lesson for young children, who are discovering their autonomy and the consequences of their behavior in a social world.
To a certain point, we should be held responsible for our actions, by others and ourselves. A conscientious person practices self-reflection and recognizes the origin and causes of thoughts and feelings when possible.
But for some of us, myself included, it feels like every thought and behavior needs to be analyzed.
Self-reflection, rumination, and justification fill my day and keep me up late at night. In order to maintain a sense of self-control and discipline, I dissect every emotion I feel and every action I take, all the while building a psycholog…
“Explanation separates us from astonishment, which is the only gateway to the incomprehensible.” ~Eugene Ionesco
We are taught from a very young age that it is our responsibility to reflect on the motives behind our actions and behaviors. From the time we can form sentences, we are asked the questions: “Why did you make that choice?” and “What made you do that?”
These questions often follow bad behavior and punishment. Our parents were trying to teach us, with the best of intentions, that we are responsible for our own actions.
This is a necessary lesson for young children, who are discovering their autonomy and the consequences of their behavior in a social world.
To a certain point, we should be held responsible for our actions, by others and ourselves. A conscientious person practices self-reflection and recognizes the origin and causes of thoughts and feelings when possible.
But for some of us, myself included, it feels like every thought and behavior needs to be analyzed.
Self-reflection, rumination, and justification fill my day and keep me up late at night. In order to maintain a sense of self-control and discipline, I dissect every emotion I feel and every action I take, all the while building a psycholog…
by Science World Report: People who can speak more than one language are often impressive, and it seems that they are, in more ways than one. A new study showed that language acquisition enhances brain plasticity and capacity for learning…….
by Science World Report: People who can speak more than one language are often impressive, and it seems that they are, in more ways than one. A new study showed that language acquisition enhances brain plasticity and capacity for learning…….
My mother Marilyn was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in her late 60s, but I recognized that something was wrong in her mid-60s. She had been displaying signs of nervousness and was more forgetful than usual. She had always been a very outgoing and confident woman who dressed very fashionably. One day I noticed that her skirt hem was hanging and that she wasn’t taking the same care in her appearance.
My mother succumbed to Alzheimer’s disease one year ago. She was 82 when she died.
Now I am in my mid-60s. After experiencing what happened to my mother, I wouldn’t want anyone else to have to go through what she did. When she began wandering and leaving their home, my stepfather couldn’t keep up with her, and she was moved to a memory care facility. While there, she broke her hip. That led to three years in bed, never walking or talking again.<img class="size-medium wp-image-5019 alignright" s…
My mother Marilyn was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in her late 60s, but I recognized that something was wrong in her mid-60s. She had been displaying signs of nervousness and was more forgetful than usual. She had always been a very outgoing and confident woman who dressed very fashionably. One day I noticed that her skirt hem was hanging and that she wasn’t taking the same care in her appearance.
My mother succumbed to Alzheimer’s disease one year ago. She was 82 when she died.
Now I am in my mid-60s. After experiencing what happened to my mother, I wouldn’t want anyone else to have to go through what she did. When she began wandering and leaving their home, my stepfather couldn’t keep up with her, and she was moved to a memory care facility. While there, she broke her hip. That led to three years in bed, never walking or talking again.<img class="size-medium wp-image-5019 alignright" s…
It might seem strange to do a 2hr train journey just so you can ride your bike back in the opposite direction, especially when you can cycle from your door and be on the South Downs within half an hour. But until you’ve ridden into a 20mph headwind up there, you’ll never understand the …
It might seem strange to do a 2hr train journey just so you can ride your bike back in the opposite direction, especially when you can cycle from your door and be on the South Downs within half an hour. But until you’ve ridden into a 20mph headwind up there, you’ll never understand the …
“In 2012, my former research mentor and principal investigator Rafael Yuste published a paper with his colleagues proposing the Brain Activity Map (BAM) Project. Little did we know that this project would be taken up by the Obama Administration in 2013 and transformed into the Brain Research Advancing through Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative…As an undergraduate student in the lab, I recall newscasters from nearly every network coming in everyday to interview Professor Yuste. Seeing all this excitement about neuroscience …
“In 2012, my former research mentor and principal investigator Rafael Yuste published a paper with his colleagues proposing the Brain Activity Map (BAM) Project. Little did we know that this project would be taken up by the Obama Administration in 2013 and transformed into the Brain Research Advancing through Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative…As an undergraduate student in the lab, I recall newscasters from nearly every network coming in everyday to interview Professor Yuste. Seeing all this excitement about neuroscience …
In Mexican Copper Canyons in Northwestern Mexico there resides a reclusive tribe of people able to run ultra long distances. Called the Tarahumara Indians, they commonly run barefoot (or with a thin piece of leather under each foot) more than 100 miles at a time, at incredible speeds without getting the routine injuries many runners face.
Author and journalist Chris McDougall, who is also a serious runner, was tired of being repeatedly injured. He set out to uncover their secret.
The key thing he noticed is that they don’t do the traditional heal strike when they run because, with limited padding, the impact would be too jarring on the foot. Instead they run with their fore-foot hitting the ground first. The basic idea is that this is how the human body is designed to run.
But because modern running shoes (which have only been around since the early 1970s) elevate the heel and offer overall padding to the foot, the majority of people (75 to 80%) run with their heel hitting the ground first.
In other words, humans have altered their natural running style to conform to the design of the running shoe. As a result of McDougall’s 2009 book Born to Run barefoot running grew in popularity.
While some may actually run barefoot, you can now buy what are called “minimalist running shoes.” These give you the barefoot running benefits and sensation, …
In Mexican Copper Canyons in Northwestern Mexico there resides a reclusive tribe of people able to run ultra long distances. Called the Tarahumara Indians, they commonly run barefoot (or with a thin piece of leather under each foot) more than 100 miles at a time, at incredible speeds without getting the routine injuries many runners face.
Author and journalist Chris McDougall, who is also a serious runner, was tired of being repeatedly injured. He set out to uncover their secret.
The key thing he noticed is that they don’t do the traditional heal strike when they run because, with limited padding, the impact would be too jarring on the foot. Instead they run with their fore-foot hitting the ground first. The basic idea is that this is how the human body is designed to run.
But because modern running shoes (which have only been around since the early 1970s) elevate the heel and offer overall padding to the foot, the majority of people (75 to 80%) run with their heel hitting the ground first.
In other words, humans have altered their natural running style to conform to the design of the running shoe. As a result of McDougall’s 2009 book Born to Run barefoot running grew in popularity.
While some may actually run barefoot, you can now buy what are called “minimalist running shoes.” These give you the barefoot running benefits and sensation, …
Bex and I are fifteen feet from the bandstand, waiting for one of our favorite musicians to take the stage. A sizable crowd has congregated on the dry grass around us, and my back hurts from all this standing on unforgiving turf. Beyond the platform, the sun is setting behind clouds that look more like pastel sand dunes than collections of condensed water in the atmosphere.
I’m fidgeting slightly in anticipation, hoping I didn’t waste my money after witnessing the forgettable band that opened the show. I hope this turns out to be a good concert.
Wait. A good concert for whom?
Don’t get me wrong, the opener wasn’t bad: they were well-rehearsed and well-dres…
Bex and I are fifteen feet from the bandstand, waiting for one of our favorite musicians to take the stage. A sizable crowd has congregated on the dry grass around us, and my back hurts from all this standing on unforgiving turf. Beyond the platform, the sun is setting behind clouds that look more like pastel sand dunes than collections of condensed water in the atmosphere.
I’m fidgeting slightly in anticipation, hoping I didn’t waste my money after witnessing the forgettable band that opened the show. I hope this turns out to be a good concert.
Wait. A good concert for whom?
Don’t get me wrong, the opener wasn’t bad: they were well-rehearsed and well-dres…
“We do not heal the past by dwelling there; we heal the past by living fully in the present.” ~Marianne Williamson
I’ve struggled with it.
Letting go, I mean. I’ve struggled with moving on from my past. I’ve struggled with ridding myself of guilt, shame, and grief. I’ve struggled with freeing myself from mistakes, past relationships, and worries about the future.
It’s not that I haven’t tried. Believe me, I’ve tried really hard. I’ve written goodbye letters, mentally cut the energetic cords, and fiercely gone back into the pain to free myself fully from it. I’ve cried my eyes out, talked about it, and brought it to my meditation pillow.
What I’ve tried has helped to some extent, but not completely. So, instead of moving on I’ve felt stuck between my past and my future. You know, like in limbo. And that’s not the place to set up camp; both you and I know that.
It’s frustrating because I’m fully aware of the importance of letting go and moving on. I know that attachment is the reason we suffer. I know that past pain, anger, and resentment holds us back. I know that holding on to the unwanted blocks the wanted from coming in.
Letting go is essential. But, it’s not always easy to apply theory to practice. If you…
“We do not heal the past by dwelling there; we heal the past by living fully in the present.” ~Marianne Williamson
I’ve struggled with it.
Letting go, I mean. I’ve struggled with moving on from my past. I’ve struggled with ridding myself of guilt, shame, and grief. I’ve struggled with freeing myself from mistakes, past relationships, and worries about the future.
It’s not that I haven’t tried. Believe me, I’ve tried really hard. I’ve written goodbye letters, mentally cut the energetic cords, and fiercely gone back into the pain to free myself fully from it. I’ve cried my eyes out, talked about it, and brought it to my meditation pillow.
What I’ve tried has helped to some extent, but not completely. So, instead of moving on I’ve felt stuck between my past and my future. You know, like in limbo. And that’s not the place to set up camp; both you and I know that.
It’s frustrating because I’m fully aware of the importance of letting go and moving on. I know that attachment is the reason we suffer. I know that past pain, anger, and resentment holds us back. I know that holding on to the unwanted blocks the wanted from coming in.
Letting go is essential. But, it’s not always easy to apply theory to practice. If you…
Neurotechnology: A Look Back at President Obama’s BRAIN Initiative
