Absolutely. I've taken up meditation this year as well and it has changed my life. I love listening to people tell me I'm a sheeple who believes everything the government says and lets fear rule my life while meanwhile I'm the only one for miles wearing a mask, doing my own thing, not caring what anyone thinks or says. Most people only value their health when it's gone. I'm trying my best to protect it while I've got it. I love your posts. Thank you for putting your thoughts out there so courageously. Your heart for truth is activism!
The Nap Ministry states that rest is a form of resistance. When we rest, we are not working or buying, or doing. We are being human beings.
Regarding covid, a proponent of Americans getting covid 3 times a year, who was on the USA covid task force, Dr. Mike Osterholm, has long covid. He has “brain fog”, in other words, brain damage. I wish him luck getting any help. Our health care system is NOT designed to look holistically at the human body. We have been bamboozeled.
Thank you. It breaks my heart to watch people I admired for their intelligence and clear thinking fall for the bamboozle. One has been diagnosed with "treatment-resistant allergies" though they never were allergic, at all, prior to Covid. Another, a marathon runner who actively ridiculed mask wearers, is now facing heart surgery due to rapid onset cardiac disease. I don't have the bandwidth to try and protect more than me and mine at this point. It is nice to hear from someone else that what I am able to do, is enough.
I have an underlying condition that makes Covid a very bad idea. it is unreal how the health professions have been Bamboozled. I had to get my teeth cleaned this week. Fortunately, the hygienist was willing to put on a surgical mask. When the dentist came in for the quick exam he pulled up his mask when I asked him. Patients can be subjected to outright hostility when a simple request to try to protect themselves is made.
I was very anxious about the appointment because I wasn't sure what they would be willing to do. I wear an N95 when I can. Obviously that doesn't work too well at the dentist except when you can wear it in the waiting room.
"We desperately need more calm people." << This, a thousand times over.
On meditation: It's ironic for me the way we "meditate" in the West because I don't do it very often and I wrote an entire book about the Mesoamerican calendar, and how to live with it. (Many of you will know it as the Mayan calendar. You know, the end-of-the-world 2012 calendar. On December 22, 2012, people were mad, as in ANGRY, at us on our Facebook page because the world had not ended as promised. I mean prophecied. But I digress.) For the book I interviewed one of the K'iche' Mayan elders in Momostenango, Guatemala. One of the things that has stayed with me since dipping my entire body in the Maya ways of relating to time is that the indigenous cultures don't formally meditate. They're in a constant, fluid state of being as one with their clans and nature. They don't meditate for 30 mins every morning and then go to work. They're in it 24x7. It's on the back burner, but that fire be goin' all the time.
If you want real inner calm, this is the way to do it. And no it's not realistic to expect you really can be in that flow 24x7. But as much as you can. Even little things like when you're sitting at a red light where you'd normally be frustrated. Maybe notice the way the light dapples through the tree on the side of the road. You'll experience that minute of waiting a lot differently.
p.s. And yes daydreaming is a form of meditation as well (that qualifies me as a permanent meditator LOL).
My daughter in-law told me that she likley contracted Covid for the fourth time. She is a school teacher in Central Florida. As she already had health issues beforehand, I have to wonder if she is going to have issues with Long-Covid. We are still careful in our house. I don't wear a mask as much as I used to but I still do when I know I am going to be in close proximity to people when I go somewhere. Being a career military veteran, I am unable to sit still long enough for mindful meditation, although the VA would love for me to be able to do that. I do channel myself into other forms of relaxation though, such as my weekly podcast and writing. Activism from my desktop works just as well as sitting in a dark room listening to some sort of background music. We all use what works best for us or not. Although, I prefer Irish rebellion pub music while I am working on my blog posts. Sláinte
‘Bamboozled’ seems like such a quaint term for the experience of being manipulatively exploited by someone either indifferent to … or actively intent upon … pursuing actions that will produce a long-term malignant outcome for everyone, all in the service of a myopic short-term personal gain. Yet, we are all immersed in a culture whose commercial ethic supports precisely such a process. So, perhaps it’s fitting to imagine Carl Sagan using such an understated word. Imagining his quiet voice provides small comfort … but still some.
And if he can admit to such a realization of being had, it makes the recognition of my individual and our collective vulnerability more… shall we say… poignantly shared.
At which point, a quiet meditation on a more fully absorbed experience of vulnerability, irrespective of one’s kindest intentions, is a sensible approach. You know, a few moments of being kind to ourselves and wishing others well …. for a bit. After all, there will be no remorse from the bamboozlers. Still, we do get to be aware without poisoning ourselves with rancor. A little quietness while the birds still sing.
One of the points central to David W. Maurer's _The Big Con_ -- a book about the con-artist scene of the early 20th Century that was the basis for the movie _The Sting_ -- is that most marks don't ever admit, even to themselves, that they've been conned. The bigger the con, the more likely the mark is likely to believe they were just unlucky, and not actively bamboozled.
Regarding 1.5°C, James Hansen's recent paper argues we're headed for 5° by 2100, ending up at 10° by 2300.
Civilization will barely hang on at 1.5, and likely fail before 2. We're already seeing crop failures and pre-starvation in Africa and southeast Asia. 10° C average global temperature rise is incomprehensible to most humans. This is a sterilization event. There won't be any life left big enough to see with the naked eye.
In the book Iron and Silk, sort of a cult favorite way back in time, one of the people interviewed says that the two most important things are eating well and sleeping well. The author was dubious at first, but then recognized the wisdom. It takes a lot to eat well and sleep well. When life interferes, eating and sleeping tend to take the hit. There are other aspects to self care and improving the world, but those two basics are at the heart.
May I put in a word for gardening, especially food, as a form of both activism and meditation?
Absolutely. I've taken up meditation this year as well and it has changed my life. I love listening to people tell me I'm a sheeple who believes everything the government says and lets fear rule my life while meanwhile I'm the only one for miles wearing a mask, doing my own thing, not caring what anyone thinks or says. Most people only value their health when it's gone. I'm trying my best to protect it while I've got it. I love your posts. Thank you for putting your thoughts out there so courageously. Your heart for truth is activism!
Just. Thank. You
The Nap Ministry states that rest is a form of resistance. When we rest, we are not working or buying, or doing. We are being human beings.
Regarding covid, a proponent of Americans getting covid 3 times a year, who was on the USA covid task force, Dr. Mike Osterholm, has long covid. He has “brain fog”, in other words, brain damage. I wish him luck getting any help. Our health care system is NOT designed to look holistically at the human body. We have been bamboozeled.
Thank you. It breaks my heart to watch people I admired for their intelligence and clear thinking fall for the bamboozle. One has been diagnosed with "treatment-resistant allergies" though they never were allergic, at all, prior to Covid. Another, a marathon runner who actively ridiculed mask wearers, is now facing heart surgery due to rapid onset cardiac disease. I don't have the bandwidth to try and protect more than me and mine at this point. It is nice to hear from someone else that what I am able to do, is enough.
I can relate to every word. Your voice throughout this piece sounded like the compassionate, understanding mother I never had. Thank you.
I have an underlying condition that makes Covid a very bad idea. it is unreal how the health professions have been Bamboozled. I had to get my teeth cleaned this week. Fortunately, the hygienist was willing to put on a surgical mask. When the dentist came in for the quick exam he pulled up his mask when I asked him. Patients can be subjected to outright hostility when a simple request to try to protect themselves is made.
I was very anxious about the appointment because I wasn't sure what they would be willing to do. I wear an N95 when I can. Obviously that doesn't work too well at the dentist except when you can wear it in the waiting room.
"We desperately need more calm people." << This, a thousand times over.
On meditation: It's ironic for me the way we "meditate" in the West because I don't do it very often and I wrote an entire book about the Mesoamerican calendar, and how to live with it. (Many of you will know it as the Mayan calendar. You know, the end-of-the-world 2012 calendar. On December 22, 2012, people were mad, as in ANGRY, at us on our Facebook page because the world had not ended as promised. I mean prophecied. But I digress.) For the book I interviewed one of the K'iche' Mayan elders in Momostenango, Guatemala. One of the things that has stayed with me since dipping my entire body in the Maya ways of relating to time is that the indigenous cultures don't formally meditate. They're in a constant, fluid state of being as one with their clans and nature. They don't meditate for 30 mins every morning and then go to work. They're in it 24x7. It's on the back burner, but that fire be goin' all the time.
If you want real inner calm, this is the way to do it. And no it's not realistic to expect you really can be in that flow 24x7. But as much as you can. Even little things like when you're sitting at a red light where you'd normally be frustrated. Maybe notice the way the light dapples through the tree on the side of the road. You'll experience that minute of waiting a lot differently.
p.s. And yes daydreaming is a form of meditation as well (that qualifies me as a permanent meditator LOL).
My daughter in-law told me that she likley contracted Covid for the fourth time. She is a school teacher in Central Florida. As she already had health issues beforehand, I have to wonder if she is going to have issues with Long-Covid. We are still careful in our house. I don't wear a mask as much as I used to but I still do when I know I am going to be in close proximity to people when I go somewhere. Being a career military veteran, I am unable to sit still long enough for mindful meditation, although the VA would love for me to be able to do that. I do channel myself into other forms of relaxation though, such as my weekly podcast and writing. Activism from my desktop works just as well as sitting in a dark room listening to some sort of background music. We all use what works best for us or not. Although, I prefer Irish rebellion pub music while I am working on my blog posts. Sláinte
‘Bamboozled’ seems like such a quaint term for the experience of being manipulatively exploited by someone either indifferent to … or actively intent upon … pursuing actions that will produce a long-term malignant outcome for everyone, all in the service of a myopic short-term personal gain. Yet, we are all immersed in a culture whose commercial ethic supports precisely such a process. So, perhaps it’s fitting to imagine Carl Sagan using such an understated word. Imagining his quiet voice provides small comfort … but still some.
And if he can admit to such a realization of being had, it makes the recognition of my individual and our collective vulnerability more… shall we say… poignantly shared.
At which point, a quiet meditation on a more fully absorbed experience of vulnerability, irrespective of one’s kindest intentions, is a sensible approach. You know, a few moments of being kind to ourselves and wishing others well …. for a bit. After all, there will be no remorse from the bamboozlers. Still, we do get to be aware without poisoning ourselves with rancor. A little quietness while the birds still sing.
One of the points central to David W. Maurer's _The Big Con_ -- a book about the con-artist scene of the early 20th Century that was the basis for the movie _The Sting_ -- is that most marks don't ever admit, even to themselves, that they've been conned. The bigger the con, the more likely the mark is likely to believe they were just unlucky, and not actively bamboozled.
Regarding 1.5°C, James Hansen's recent paper argues we're headed for 5° by 2100, ending up at 10° by 2300.
Civilization will barely hang on at 1.5, and likely fail before 2. We're already seeing crop failures and pre-starvation in Africa and southeast Asia. 10° C average global temperature rise is incomprehensible to most humans. This is a sterilization event. There won't be any life left big enough to see with the naked eye.
Outstanding. Thank you for your literary courage. And thank you for bringing me to Substack. I love it here.
In the book Iron and Silk, sort of a cult favorite way back in time, one of the people interviewed says that the two most important things are eating well and sleeping well. The author was dubious at first, but then recognized the wisdom. It takes a lot to eat well and sleep well. When life interferes, eating and sleeping tend to take the hit. There are other aspects to self care and improving the world, but those two basics are at the heart.
Right on point from where I sit. Thank you, Jessica, for having the raw courage not only to persevere but to write about it. 💕
Thanks for your writings. Best wishes from sunny Liverpool (UK).