Meditation and Breathing

Here are two info graphics that summarize the details about breathing and meditation, and why they have such a profound effect on our health.

Embedded from Emma Seppälä, Ph.D.

Embedded from Emma Seppälä, Ph.D.

Quiet - The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking 
By Susan Cain 

In the book Quiet, Cain makes a strong case for how and why society ignores introverts. 
On page 168, she writes that introverts ...have been shown to excel at something psychologists call "insightful problem solving" 

Introvert and extrovert are not absolute opposites. There is a spectrum between those two extremes. Each has strengths and weaknesses. Cain is masterful at weaving together anecdotal stories and scientific evidence of the nature versus nurture argument to show how introvert and extrovert have a biological and psychological source. 

The paperback book is well documented with 48 pages of notes plus an index. 

Based on the book Quiet, there are many examples of introverts that knew the DotCom bubble was going to burst, but the extroverts kept charging ahead. The most famous was Warren Buffet warning the year before that it would happen. There are many examples of introverts that prepared for the stock market crash of 2008 and extroverts who kept charging ahead. 

As an introvert, Al Gore could not get across his concern since 1968 for global warming until he teamed up with extroverts to produce An Inconvenient Truth. The introverts publish warnings of Climate Change and the extroverts in Congress keep charging ahead. 

As introverts, the people supporting Systems Science (Systems Thinking and System Dynamics) have not been able to turn our message into action to change society, change the education system, nor get any extroverts interested in listening. Extroverts don’t listen, they talk. 

The answer to Gene’s perpetual question about promoting Systems Thinking and why more people do not find it useful is that our extrovert driven society does not value Systems Thinking. I posit that the majority of people promoting and supporting Systems concepts are introverts. 

I predict Climate Change will almost destroy civilization because the extroverts are not going to listen to the Systems Science of introverts and change the unsustainable society until a catastrophe happens and they react in the moment.

21st Century Political Warfare

At the beginning of the 21^st Century, America entered a Crisis Era similar to the 1920s and 1930s.  The run up to the Great Depression matches the financial, political, social and cultural patterns of the first decade of this century.  Similar to the pattern after 1930, from 2010 to 2020, America will continue to experience crisis after crisis.  Every decision will feel like the consequences of making mistake will make matters worse. Every right decision will be quickly forgotten as the next crisis hits us like an ocean wave knocking us off our feet.

A civil crisis in America is building between conservative and liberal policies.  People are taking sides and demanding action.  Violence against the symbols of civilization that was only verbal in the past has migrated to individuals, non-state actors and nation states taking violent action.  The American government is being used to exert more control to protect civilization.

Political Parties

Republican (conservative) political rhetoric is infused with individualism. A Republican America focuses on the origin of sovereign power in the individual and asserts that no government can deprive a minority or individual of their sovereign rights and powers.  Republican political policies are derived from this concept of individualism based on sovereign rights and powers.

Democratic political rhetoric is infused with modern Liberalism.  A Democratic America focuses on the sovereign power of the government and asserts that no minority or individual can be deprived of their rights and powers defined in the Constitution and laws.  Democratic political policies are derived from this concept of liberalism based on the sovereign rights and powers of the government.

A representative democracy, like the United States, permits a transfer of the exercise of sovereignty from the people to the government.  This creates a tension between how much control an individual retains over their life and how much the individual transfers to the government.  Republican and Democratic arguments about policies are based on how to implement each of the conflicting concepts to resolve the dilemma between the individual and government.

Republicans want less government interference in individual decisions. Democrats want less individual interference in government decisions. This dilemma is resolved with each election. The pendulum moves back and forth over time.

Republican Policies

Republican support for individualism has been extended to Corporations.  Republican policies promote less government interference in corporate decisions by extending to them the same rights and powers as citizens under the Constitution.  The pendulum has moved back and forth between lax government controls and tight government controls.  Corporations are increasing their influence over whether individual rights are respected or not.

Democratic Policies

Democratic support for liberalism has been extended to Corporations.  Democratic policies promote a mixed economy and the general welfare of society as a legitimate role of government. Corporate access to substantial resources and political power creates a conflict when they infringe on individual rights and freedom.

Sovereignty

Conservative arguments give priority to the sovereign rights of individuals.  Liberal arguments give priority to the sovereign right of government to protect minority and individual rights.

When there is peace and prosperity, liberty and freedom, then individuals have the opportunity to exert their rights and powers without infringing on the rights of others.  In the current Crisis Era, individuals will be forced to subordinate their needs and wants to the sovereignty of the government to protect Civilization.

Sovereignty requires not only the legal right to exercise power, but the actual exercise of such power.  In the current Crisis Era, the US Government has and will continue to expand the legal right to actively exercise power over individuals, non-state actors and other nation states.

Corporations

What are the consequences of corporations gaining the same rights as citizens and being able to pay to elect politicians that support less interference by government?  When corporations with sufficient resources extend their legal rights and exercise their power, they infringe on the sovereignty of the US Government.

The Republican argument is based on not wanting the government to infringe on the sovereignty of individuals and corporations.  The Democratic argument is based on not wanting individuals and corporations to infringe on the sovereignty of government.  The difference in the boundaries defined by the problem shows the Republican argument has narrow boundaries drawn around individuals and corporations.  The Democratic argument has broad boundaries drawn around everyone and assumes individuals and corporations will act in their own selfish best interests and not in the best interests of society as a whole.

Open Letter to Bill McKibben

To: Bill McKibben,

Thank you for all you and Susan are doing.

My sister and I were on the I-5 bridge, but not in the picture.

I had not been to a demonstration since one after Kent State in 1970 when I was in college.

I have a few comments.

2020 +/- 2 years will be the turning point. A Pearl Harbor like event will catapult America into the climate change global war for survival.

Paraphrasing William Stafford the poet:  justice will take millions of intricate moves.

The largest environmental mobilisation for decades is underway in the UK & USA.  See Huffington Post UK article.

Fossil fuel companies refute the law of cause and effect and laugh at those who warn of the consequences of ignoring feedback loops.

Climate change deniers refute the law of cause and effect. But the feedback loops in nature do not play dice with the world.

There is no uncertainty in the feedback loops in the atmosphere and oceans.

There is no probability to measure in the feedback loops of natural systems of the world.

Climate change deniers, fossil fuel industry and their politicians are modern day isolationists.

They want to draw boundaries that are close, limited and constrained so they do not have to take responsibility for the CO2 molecules burned overseas that change our climate in America.

Modern day isolationists are being successful at delaying America's entry into the war to deal with the consequences of climate change.

Einstein famously is quoted as saying many times, "God does not play dice with the world."

Describing events as random or coincidence assumes that chance and probability have something to do with events in our lives.

We can not ignore cause and effect. Together cause and effect become a feedback loop.

Things do happen for a reason and the reason is called feedback loops.

All activity everywhere occurs within and is controlled by feedback loops.

There are passages in the Bible, Koran, and books of other religions about cause and effect.

When we ignore cause and effect, then we are not following the path that you are advocating.

When we do not understand the feedback loops in natural systems, then we do not understand how to be of service to others.

You understand how to be of service to others and that this is the highest value for any human being to attain.

Your service is part of a feedback loop that makes things happen for a reason, by not ignoring cause and effect.

Psychology is how and why climate change is happening.

Source: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-real-story-risk/201210/climate-change-psychological-challenge

If the biggest barriers to fighting climate change are psychological rather than technological, then the solutions might be psychological too.  Strategies that reduce fear and create a sense that we can make a difference today with simple positive action might prove more successful. Moral arguments that emphasize shared values may also prove more effective, since decisions are often based on social interactions and values rather than scientific data.

Source: http://www.mnf.uni-greifswald.de/fileadmin/Geowissenschaften/geographie/angew_geo/Publikationen/The_psychology_of_denial_concerning_climate.pdf

The psychology of denial concerning climate mitigation measures: evidence from Swiss focus groups, S. Stoll-Kleemann, Tim O'Riordan, Carlo C. Jaeger

Abstract

Various studies of public opinion regarding the causes and consequences of climate change reveal both a deep reservoir of concern, yet also a muddle over causes, consequences and appropriate policy measures for mitigation. The technique adopted here, namely integrated assessment (IA) focus groups, in which groups of randomly selected individuals in Switzerland looked at models of possible consequences of climate change and questioned specialists as to their accuracy and meaning, revealed a rich assembly of reactions. Respondents were alarmed about the consequences of high-energy futures, and mollified by images of low-energy futures. Yet they also erected a series of psychological barriers to justify why they should not act either individually or through collective institutions to mitigate climate change. From the viewpoint of changing their lifestyles of material comfort and high-energy dependence, they regarded the consequences of possible behavioural shift arising from the need to meet mitigation measures as more daunting. To overcome the dissonance created in their minds they created a number of socio-psychological denial mechanisms. Such mechanisms heightened the costs of shifting away from comfortable lifestyles, set blame on the inaction of others, including governments, and emphasised doubts regarding the immediacy of personal action when the effects of climate change seemed uncertain and far away. These findings suggest that more attention needs to be given to the social and psychological motivations as to why individuals erect barriers to their personal commitment to climate change mitigation, even when professing anxiety over climate futures. Prolonged and progressive packages of information tailored to cultural models or organised belief patterns, coupled to greater community based policy incentives may help to widen the basis of personal and moral responsibility. (2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Implications

“...there is a chance that citizens could still lead their governments. Along with more socially minded business, and supportive non-governmental organizations, such a “new democracy” could create a realm of effective climate management for a sustainable millennium.”

Global Climate Bubble

Based on foresight by Financial Crisis Observatory, humanity in the Anthropocene has already caused a bubble. The global ecological state has shifted due to the increased population affecting ecosystems. The percentage of lightly affected ecosystems has decreased and there is an increased percentage of Earth’s ecosystems that show state shifts. The whole global ecosystem is like a financial or housing price bubble that is going to burst and shift into a new regime. 

The consequences of this graphic are clear. Rather than focusing on the fossil fuel industry, that should be totally shutdown, we should strive to increase productivity, human capital and knowledge in sectors of the economy that produce real value.  This opportunity spreads from the many challenges humanity faces in the 21st Century. I doubt that we will face this reality before a catastrophe overwhelms us, but I have faith at the same time that we will overcome the crisis and come out of this era having faced down our enemy, ourselves, and be determined to improve the Earth’s ecological state to include humanity.

Reference

Didier Sornette: How we can predict the next financial crisis

FILMED JUN 2013 • POSTED JUN 2013 • TEDGlobal 2013

http://www.ted.com/talks/didier_sornette_how_we_can_predict_the_next_financial_crisis.html

Mom's Place

Slipping through the air with artificial

lights to guide me.  Pulling courage

from spots I place my feet.  Traveling

alone by foot through life. 

Listened to the Governor say, "We need 

to clean up the river to maintain

our sense of place."  This is our place.

Who speaks for any place?

Only a poet?  Each person votes 
with their feet and the decisions they make every day.
What decisions do I make when I write?

Roll me up in a ball with the golden

thread.  Take me on a journey through words

of time and space to Mom's place.