Living with Quality pt. 1

I've been pondering this blog for a while, not exactly sure how to capture all of what I've been thinking succinctly. Plus, I wanted to finish the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (ZAMM) which has influenced so much of this train of thought. The topic for today relates to the very core of who we are and how we operate, it could be considered a personal religion, a belief.

I'm going to start with a brief summary of the philosophy behind it and you will have to forgive me because I can barely grasp it myself. Due to society and the early philosophers we subscribe to, we are raised to believe that everything can fall into two categories: subjective and objective. Objective being the physical attributes of any one thing, subjective being creations of the mind, the way that we witness things. The problem with this scientific approach, is that it doesn't make room for things like gravity. Its not objective right? There is nothing physically there. Point to it. Is it subjective then? Merely a creation of our minds, which did not exist before we thought of it? No, it clearly existed before it was named. So what is it? Another example is "quality" or this idea of "good."

The problem is the dualistic way in which we've been taught our entire lives to think, its either on or off, yes or no, object or subject. Where does that leave the spirit? Almost everyone can agree that we exist in some way other than our physical form. The author of ZAMM suggest that there is a overruling category which he's termed Quality and Quality supersedes these ideas of Object and Subject because it suggest that things have an "essence" (for lack of a better word) to them which is above their physical traits and exists before we "invent it" which thought. It is important to note that because Quality exist above subject/object we can't define it, because doing so would make it subjective.
In ZAMM he breaks Subject/Object down into other more touchable ideas, like the perceived difference between science and art, or the technical and the aesthetic. This is where this idea of living the philosophy ties in: We are all familiar with the idea of Left Brain, Right Brain people (dualistic again right?), he titles them as "Classic" and "Romantic" brain types that people have fallen into. Classic people tend to understand technology, while romantic people fair better in creative endeavors. The author suggest that these dualist mindsets are dangerous to our stability. Classical thinkers cannot live a purely technical life without removing humanity, Romantic thinkers cannot live in modern society because of their inability to use technology naturally. He notes that even something as technical as motorcycle maintenance has an art to it (the nature of problem solving is educated guesses which are not scientific seeing as they are guesses), and that to perform optimally both in motorcycle maintenance and life, we need to break down the walls that have been build between technology and art and realize that even science requires educated guesses - which are an art and not logical at all.

I fear I can truly not do these ideas justice nor am I connecting the dots very well at all so I will skip ahead...

The moral to the story (one of the many) is this way of living which does not require categorizing. Rather it asks that a sense of "oneness" be establish, an idea I'd like to rephrase as living with a subtle consciousness, the idea being that once we've establish that we are not so separate from the things around us and we therefore begin the consider the effect of every action in the greater picture we can live more wholly. Rather than fighting against your motorcycle to repair it, approach it with a sense of calm and control. Live with purpose and the more you can allow quality to show through your work the more holistic and satisfying the work will become for you as well. You've felt the difference between completely a project you honestly applied yourself to and done your best on, and turning in something "that will do" but doesn't have any of you in it. What happens if you take the idea and apply it globally to your life? What ramifications would it have for you, just in terms of the way that you felt if rather than riding your bike just to get somewhere, you were actually there on your bike rather than simply waiting to get where you are going? Think of all you would see! Also, I wonder how much anxiety we could lose if we lived this way? The difference doing what you are doing now and doing it well. From that would seem to exude a marvelous sense of calm because we are the masters of ourselves.

Sorry for the ramblings once again, I appreciate your reading and I would even more appreciate your thoughts as this is a thought process that I am trying to develop.

Love you all.

~Zac

What Should I Do With My Life?

Since the beginning of the year I feel like my mind has been constantly in motion, churning over potential options for my future. With the passing of graduation and most recently my nursing boards, there is a new urgency to figure out my next move. I have given thought to everything from returning to Alaska, to nursing positions in Michigan, to rafting in Colorado, to nursing positions on the west coast, to studying abroad. I declined an offer to work in Alaska again, which also came with a hefty pay raise, to leave the door open for other opportunities. From searching I have found these other opportunities are few and far in between and highly sought after. These tireless hours of application and cover letter productions leave me feeling frustrated and hopeless.

In nursing school I always pictured my dream job at the end of the road, then that transformed into at least having a job, which then transformed into me desperately looking and applying for any position. I do not want to settle.

Last night engaging in another session of Google job searches, I inquired of the mighty search engine: "What should I do with my life?"

Google rewarded my efforts with a NPR article from a few years ago; you can read the whole article here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=896041

The NPR reporter interviews Po Bronson, who spent two years asking 900 people the same question I had posed then authored a book of the same title. Bronson discussed how most people approach this question with one eye open and one eye closed because we are afraid, then without exploring those fears we allow them to limit us. Like a man at night searching for lost keys only under the street lamp-we narrow our chances of finding what we want.

Bronson discusses how we make decisions from the presumptions we have about the world but often those presumptions are untrue, here are four examples:

(1) That money is the shortest route to freedom.

(2) That we can think (or analyze) our way to an answer of where we belong.

(3) That we are autonomous from the environment that surrounds us.

(4) That our biggest obstacles are external, rather than internal.

After reading these I agree with Bronson that these are the way we want the world to work rather then how it actually does.

Now where to go from here? Sitting and thinking has certainly got me nowhere.

I am just 22 years old and have barely begun to climb the foothills of decisions I will make in this life time. It is imperative to focus on what you do know-where you want to go, what you want to do, what makes you happy. I want to be outside, be challenged, work abroad, be culturally immersed, work hard physically, get a masters degree, get by the mountains or ocean...

At some point you just have to stop the late night searching and pining and head in what direction looks best at the time knowing that at any point you can stop and change directions.

We The Angry

A paradigm occurred to me during discussion in class today, and I wanted to see if you could find a way to reconcile the paradox.
Here's the thought:
It seems the more passionate a person is about any given controversy, the more angry they become. Think about opponents in prop 8, immigration, healthcare. Anyhow the more angry a proponent is, the less they listen, until all they can hear is their own outraged screaming.
The question is, whats the balance? Is it really possible to be both passionate and an honest listener - not just hearing in order to counter argue, but honestly considering the arguments of the opposition. Is it better to be open minded and less of an activist?

Making a Difference

Hey everyone! I'm reading Half the Sky- Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. It's a great book that talks not just about oppression but highlights the great work by many courageous men and women. Anyways, I loved this quote:

The third lesson is that even when a social problem is so vast as to be insoluble in its entirety, it's still worth mitigating. We may not succeed in education all the girls in poor countries, or in preventing all women from dying in childbirth, or in saving all the girls who are imprisoned in brothels. But we think of Neth and remeber a Hawaiian parable taught to us by Naka Nathaniel, the former Times videographer, himself a Hawaiian:

A man goes out on the beach and sees that it is covered with starfish that have washed up in the tide. A little boy is walking along, picking them up and throwing them back into the water. "What are you doing, son?" the man asks. "You see how many starfish there are? You'll never make a difference." The boy paused thoughtfully, and picked up another starfish and threw it into the ocean. "It sure made a difference to that one," he said.


As my 2 cents, what a difference it could make if the little boy could convince all of his friends to throw some starfish back, too?

Fear

"...the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" -FDR inaugural address 1933

Following the transgression of recent events I began to examine introspectively what I fear and why. I believe fear is a primal instinct for survival shared by all animals alike; a certain level of fear is healthy to prevent injury or fatality. Want to cross a river full of hungry crocodiles? Neither do I. However, to what extent do we or should we allow fear to dictate our actions? How much of what we fear is instinctual versus fears influenced by the media and society?

As a member of the popular website, CouchSurfing.com, I receive requests occasionally to stay on my couch. CouchSurfing is a online travel network to connect over a million people across the world. CouchSurfing allows travelers to not only save money but offers a different, perhaps more unique and intimate perspective of an area. Members are able to search for hosts to stay with and in turn can offer a couch, bed, room, floor space to other travelers. The site has safety measures in place including profile references from previous hosts or surfers, member verification from the website, and vouches from other members.

My previous CouchSurfing experiences have been wonderful success. While backpacking around Europe I utilized the website to find a host in Paris. The host had several positive references on his profile and the emails we exchanged were seemingly normal. When my brother, cousin, and I turned up on his doorstep (that resided 15min from the Louvre Art Museum) he presented us with his apartment key and granted us free reign for our stay. Last fall a delightful student from Mexico stayed with me for several nights before the semester started. Now onto my recent CouchSurfing escapade that caused quite a stir. A gentleman from Chicago, who I shall call Elmo, requested to stay with me a night last week, not thinking twice, I agreed. Am I crazy? So I was asked by several people. I was aware of the potential risk of sexual assault or burglary, however, I felt the potential benefits outweighed the potential risks. This is my general philosophy. I walk alone at night. I could be mugged or assaulted but the small risk of that occurring is worth my freedom. It is all about calculated risk. Would I walk alone through parts of Detroit at night? Hell no, because the risk of something occurring is greater.

I am sure you are wondering what passed with Elmo? We spent a delightful evening together, enjoying dinner, drinks, and engaging conversations. I was educated on the history and workings of the Public Interest Research Group and universities in Canada-I am extremely jealous of the beer tent on campus during orientation. In addition to this merry evening I have gained a friend and connection and as I have come to learn, connections are invaluable.

CouchSurfing is not a new, modern concept. People were crashing strangers couches back in the 1970s when hitchhiking was an acceptable mode of transportation. Has crime increased since the 1970s? No. Are we more aware and safe now? I don't think so. I think risk is publicized and blown so much out of proportion that we constantly in fear of things that will most likely never happen. Perhaps my positivity stems from a stereotypically normal life that has passed thus far without a major horrific incident. However, I feel that the majority of people are well-intentioned and can be trusted, using your judgment and experience. When did society as a whole start doubting strangers?

On a different note, let's discuss fear of the unknown. This weekend I ventured out into the woods, backpacking, at night, and alone (I am sorry, I just can't be normal). Leaving my vehicle by the road, I crossed under the gate into a closed county park and made my way through the woods to my Grandpa's house. As I entered the woods, my stomach began to churn. What if there were murderers lurking about or rabid coyotes? My mind raced with the countless possible fates that awaited me. I am sure you have been there before. The power we have as humans is the ability to rationalize fear. I believe this gives us the upper hand allowing us to explore and experience even when fear may stand in the way. Upon pausing to assess the situation I concluded: it is February in Michigan, in the low 20s, in the rural countryside of Potterville, southwest of Lansing. When was the last time someone was murdered in Potterville? Although still cautious and attentive to mysterious noises, I continued on without much distress. Darkness cloaks the familiar and known, easily creating anxiety. Even a beautiful garden of lollipops filled with frolicking puppies could instill fear when shrouded in darkness. However, coupled with that hint of anxiety I was overcome with the calm, peaceful serenity as I padded through the deep, powdery snow, shouldering a pack with survival essentials.
I would never trade that feeling for a complete sense of security

Calculate risk, rationalize fear, and do not be inhibited by the unknown, for overcoming that can bring the greatest discoveries.

-Mik

One Resolution I Encourage You To Make

Brought to tears and left in absolute astonishment at the events transgressed, I can now say whole-heartedly that "Three Cups of Tea" is hands-down the best book I have ever read. I feel it is my responsibility, the least I can do towards the cause, to share this miraculous story with you. This book has so greatly touched and inspired me, enlightening me with what may become a life-changing perspective.

"Three Cups of Tea" is the true story of how mountaineer, Greg Mortenson, turned humanitarian, battled against all odds to build schools, especially for girls, in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. In areas where there has been and continues to be conflict he has already transformed thousands of lives through the gift of education. From the American perspective, where education that so widely provided is often taken for granted, the effects are unbelievable. They have found educating children, especially girls, can have a profound effect on the health of communities and villages; education to simply a 5th grade level can decrease the infant mortality rate. I have come to agree with a main theme in the book that you can not simply eradicate issues like terrorism through the use of weapons, the problem must be addressed at the source-illiteracy fuels violence. As Mortenson says it is by books, not bombs, that the war will be won.

In addition to this theme, the book is sprinkled with unlikely and profound wisdom. The importance of getting back to our roots, living a simplified life, and exemplifies how building relationships is as important as building projects.

If you do one thing in this next year in addition to losing weight, improving your grades, or getting that promotion, please read this book.
Rest assured, it will open your eyes and inspire you as it has me.

You can also check out the Central Asia Institute website at:
www.ikat.org

"...You have to attack the source of your enemy's strength. In America's case, that's not Osama or Saddam or anyone else. The enemy is ignorance. The only way to defeat it is to build relationships with these people, to draw them into the modern world with education and business. Otherwise the fight will go on forever."
"Three Cups of Tea", pg 310


-Mik

Nurturing Light

I read this today and enjoyed the message...

Every living system that goes out of balance attempts to right itself. This is true of your blood pressure and your heart rate but also of the rain forest or a population of birds. Pressure on the system from one side–such as lack of food, absence of home ground, or the sudden intrusion of enemies–causes a reaction to shove the system back into balance. Violence is the most extreme response to imbalance.

When people are asked to make moral decisions, it is the emotional center of the brain that increases in activity, instead of the rational centers layered higher up in the cortex. Only after anger emotionally fires us up do we call in the cortex to fashion reasons, including religious reasons.

If you plot revenge against an evildoer, you are harming yourself: Not because the thought may come back to injure you, which is superstition, but because negative thinking reinforces the source of negativity. Darkness adds to darkness. The simple psychological fact is that the mind grows from habit and use, and as long as you habitually use those centers that send out blame, anger, retribution, intolerance, and violence, those centers will be nourished in their growth.

Nurture instead the light that you find inside. Transformation doesn’t come about by being touched with a magic wand. Habit and use apply here too. If you find even the smallest reasons for sending out intentions of love, tolerance, forgiveness, and peace, these centers will grow inside your mind. Spirit counts on this growth.

Adapted from The Deeper Wound: Recovering the Soul from Fear and Suffering, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2001).


Peace and love,
Christine :)