We’re Getting More Stoopider May 24, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Life Balance, Mindfulness, Nature, People.Tags: Ape, Intelligence, Intelligence quotient, Kim Kardashian
9 comments
The idea behind Planet of the Apes is not so far-fetched.
As it turns out, apes are getting smarter while we, their closest relatives, are getting dumber with each passing generation.
Why?
Downward spiraling evolution.
Geneticists cite a number of contributing factors:
* We no longer need to be resourceful to survive. We rely on others for food, clothing, shelter . . . even allowing “them” to do our thinking.
* “Survival of the fittest” no longer weeds out losers in the IQ department.
* Intelligent women have fewer children while women with less intelligence breed in greater numbers.
I’ll add another factor . . . Reality TV, Pumpkin Chuckin, Monster Truck Rallies, and other entertainments aimed at the “lowest common denominator.”
Instead of engaging in intellectually stimulating debate on the “big issues” of the day, we spend time in mind-numbing pursuits causing brain atrophy.
Will our brains go the way of our tails, shrinking from non-use?
Will computers eventually do all our thinking for us?
Will the images from Planet of the Apes become our reality?
Perhaps.
Use it . . . or lose it.
If we brought an average citizen from 1,000 B.C. to the present, they would be far brighter than the average Joe of today:
“I would wager that if an average citizen from Athens of 1000 BC were to suddenly appear among us, he or she would be among the brightest and most intellectually alive of our colleagues and companies, with a good memory, a broad range of ideas, and a clear-sighted view of important issues.”
Gerald Crabtree, a geneticist at Stanford University, whose findings were published in the journal Trends in Genetics.
And, just think, that citizen of Athens is none the wiser about Kim Kardashian and celebrities of like ilk who garner far too much recognition and attention for far too little reason. Sometimes ignorance IS bliss!
Aah . . . that’s better!
What do YOU think?
Related articles: Dumb and Dumber ~ Humans are Losing Their Smarts (US News & World Report) * Leading Geneticist: Human Intelligence is Slowly Declining (Natural Society)
Mozart Mirrored God’s Symphony May 16, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Mindfulness, Synchronicity & Mystery.Tags: Happiness, Music, Passion, Purpose, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
40 comments
Mozart composed beautiful music at an age when most children are still playing with blocks.
He tapped into “all that is” and transcribed what he heard.
Mozart mirrored God’s symphony.
We best serve our fellow travelers by expressing our unique gifts and talents to the world, not by sacrificing ourselves for others.
Our spiritual essence knows why we are here and nudges us in the right direction. It wants us to accomplish what we set out to accomplish.
Our purpose is to discover our purpose and pursue it with passion.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Quote to Ponder: Don’t worry about what the world wants from you. Focus on what makes you feel more fully alive. What the world really needs are people who are fully alive.~ Joseph Campbell
When We No Longer Know May 12, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Life Lessons, Mindfulness, Poetry, Synchronicity & Mystery.Tags: Journey, Mindfulness, Poetry, Purpose, Wendell Berry
39 comments
It may be when we no longer know what to do,
we have come to our real work,
and that when we no longer know which way to go,
we have begun our real journey.
The mind that is not baffled is not employed.
The impeded stream is the one that sings.
The Sea of Endless Possibility April 28, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Life Balance, Life Lessons, Meditation, Mindfulness.Tags: Change, Life Balance, Meditation, Time, Topsy-Turvy
26 comments
Rushing downhill, time rolls on, with change as a steadfast companion. No matter how hard we tug, they refuse to stop and allow us to catch our breath.
Life becomes a precarious balancing act with no net to catch us when we fall.
But we hold the remote.
When life becomes too topsy and we become too turvy, we can press “pause.”
In the silence of not-doing, we step out of the field of time and into the sea of endless possibility.
And our fear of falling and failing fades away.
Aah . . . that’s better!
The Power of Words April 25, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Life Lessons, Meditation, Mindfulness, Word Play.Tags: Meditation, Mindfulness, Words, Zen Wisdom
41 comments
A meditation master was asked to heal a sick child by saying a few prayers.
A skeptic scoffed at the idea that words could have such power.
The master replied, “What do you know? You’re an ignorant fool.”
Enraged, the skeptic shook with anger, “How dare you call me an ignorant fool!”
The master nodded and smiled, “If so few words have the power to anger you, why should they not have the power to heal as well?”
Aah . . . that’s better!
Paraphrased from The Zen of Eating, p. 113
Related post: Hidden Messages in Water
The Zen of Eating April 23, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Health & Wellness, Mindfulness.Tags: Diet, Food, Health, Mindfulness, Weight Loss, Wellness, Zen
23 comments
Want to lose weight? Without feeling deprived and frustrated?
Practice The Zen of Eating.
Be mindful of the tastes and textures of the food you prepare.
Focus on the nourishment it provides.
Be thankful for the abundance and variety of food in your life.
Say a blessing for your blessings.
Express loving kindness for all who contributed to growing and harvesting the food on your plate:
May you be happy
May you be healthy
May you be peaceful
May you be safe
Explore your pantry.
Note the origin of ingredients from differing cultures and traditions around the globe: Curry from India. Olive Oil from Greece. Pasta from Italy. Cheddar from Cheddar. Maple Syrup from Vermont or Canada.
Savor the sensation of . . . enough.
Aah . . . that’s better!
From Amazon:
When it comes to weight loss, the emphasis today is shifting away from fad diets and compulsive workouts toward sane, sensible techniques that incorporate both the mind and the body. This is the first book to apply the 2,500-year-old principles of Zen Buddhism to the modern struggle with the vicious cycle of dieting, losing, and regaining weight.
From a Buddhist perspective, overeating is a disorder of desire. This book will teach readers how to find freedom from eating problems and the tyranny of desire that triggers them. Filled with concrete, practical exercises and the wisdom of the ages, The Zen of Eating provides, at last, an alternative to ineffective diet programs, products, and pills.
Quote to Ponder: These words are simple. Mastering them is hard. ~ Tao Te Ching
The Anchor & The Wind April 20, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Life Balance, Life Lessons, Mindfulness.Tags: Life Balance, Life Lessons, Mindfulness, Sail, Wind
20 comments
Contentment can be an anchor . . . keeping us moored in “safe harbors.”
Discontent can be the wind in our sails . . . pushing us
to keep moving, growing, and exploring.
Quotes to Ponder:
* Because of our routines, we forget that life is an ongoing adventure. ~ Maya Angelou
* Throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbors. Catch the tradewinds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ~ Mark Twain
* Boats are safe in harbor, but that’s not what boats are for. ~ Michael Lillie
* Dear comerado! I confess I have urged
you onward with me, and still urge you,
without the least idea what is our destination,
Or whether we shall be victorious, or utterly quell’d and defeated.
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass
Here’s to the dawning of a day filled with the uncertainty which arises with all exciting new adventures!
Aah . . . that’s better!
Related post: Happily Dissatisfied (Pix & Kardz)
When Thoughts Turn South April 17, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Life Balance, Life Lessons, Mindfulness, Poetry.Tags: Abyss, Boston Marathon, Finish Line, Poetry, Thought, Trolls
26 comments
When thoughts turn South
We can follow them to the abyss
Into the mists of doom and gloom
The depths of despair
Where no trace of light looms
But isolated floating thoughts
Of nameless, faceless, ageless trolls
Are seldom compelling enough
To force us to follow their descent
We can turn from edgeless rough
We need not allow night scavengers
To pull us into their world
Where thoughts are bitter and bland
We can shelve the endless questions
The who, what, where, how, when
We can allow night to drift out of mind
So we can go on with our day
Stepping back into the light
Where peace resides
And right is not held hostage to might
Aah . . . that’s better!
Pools of Sadness April 16, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Life Balance, Life Lessons, Mindfulness, Poetry.Tags: Bombs, Boston Marathon, Explosion, Peace, Poetry, Sorrow
35 comments
Life is filled with pools
of sadness ~ those we love and
lose, we miss and mourn
Senseless killings make
no sense ~ logic stalls when faced
with insanity
The human race will
never win a marathon
against crazed madmen
When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.
~ Jimi Hendrix
Aah . . . that’s better!
Appreciating the Absence April 9, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Gratitude, Happiness, Health & Wellness, Mindfulness.Tags: Gratitude, Happiness, Headache, Health, Migraine
56 comments
Health is a precious commodity, often overlooked, ignored, and taken for granted when it’s good and missed terribly when it’s bad.
Take the garden variety migraine ~ a debilitating companion, to be sure.
We all know how much better we feel when our head is not exploding due to blinding light slicing through cellular walls.
Right?
But do we notice the absence of pain on days when there is no migraine pounding inside our heads?
As a general proposition, I don’t.
But today I shall.
I will appreciate the absence of a headache.
Join me?
Aah . . . that’s better!
