tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post108775333327968338..comments2024-03-25T17:38:55.490-07:00Comments on Dar Kush: Secret #6: Heartbeat MeditationSteven Barneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13630529492355131777noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-72394818936610276892008-04-04T11:35:00.000-07:002008-04-04T11:35:00.000-07:00Statements that start out, "All things being equal...Statements that start out, "All things being equal ... " are, at best, theoretical, because all things are seldom, if ever, equal.<BR/><BR/>The racial playing field has been tilted so long in favor of Us White Guys that we tend to see it as valid and the norm and how it should be.<BR/><BR/>One of the reasons I never objected to Affirmative Action, which, in theory, was only only to level the playing field. A hand up is not the same as a handout.<BR/>Give folks who never had a real hope in the rotation to come to bat; if they strike out, at least they had their shot.<BR/><BR/>But Dan makes a good point. Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. If it's not okay to send in the white guy to sub for the black guy 'cause it's historically inaccurate, then that blade cuts both ways.<BR/><BR/>If a writer comes up with a character who could be black, white, brown, or some shade other, then blind casting ought to apply, even though we know it probably won't. (I'd love to see an all-black production of Star Wars, with one token white guy, and Darth Vader all in white, with Luke in black.)<BR/><BR/>If somebody casts Easy Rawlins or Tennyson Hardwick as a white guy, I won't go see it. <BR/><BR/>But wrong is wrong, is it not?Steve Perryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12079658447270792228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-67800672332847159142008-04-04T07:53:00.000-07:002008-04-04T07:53:00.000-07:00and if none of that would make any difference, I'd...<I>and if none of that would make any difference, I'd simply suck it up and love her.</I><BR/><BR/>Well, that would be me, sucking it up and loving the husband who is now chronically ill because he started with a worse genetic hand than I realized. And it does sometimes trouble me when I think of this balance between three areas of life thing of your (which I otherwise in some ways like for the balance of it). So I'm glad you said this, about Tananarive.<BR/><BR/>When we met, Joel and I were both in our twenties, both comparably employed at starter jobs that we didn't plan to stay at, both apparently with similar health. He was a Pomona graduate, and I'm a Stanford graduate. He had a dedication to his writing that I admired, a set of Thomas Merton books that neatly complimented my own set, and a willingness to understand my grief for my previous boy friend who had died in a car accident. And he was, to me, the most romantic man who ever pursued me.<BR/><BR/>Now, we've been married twenty years this April, and he has bipolar disorder, diabetes, a heart condition, asthma, and occasional gout. He's unable to work, and I'm the sole breadwinner. We have no children. He's still a talented writer, and I hold out some hope that he may become well enough again to publish more than he has. But whether he does or not, he's still my best friend, who lost his health through no fault of his own. So, though I'll encourage him to keep doing everything he can to recover, I can't see holding it against him that he's less healthy and less gainfully employed than I am.<BR/><BR/>On the heartbeat meditation: I usually do breathing meditation. What's the difference between using a heartbeat focus and using a breath focus?<BR/><BR/>On the willpower study, I went and found the researcher's web page. It doesn't directly have any more detail on the study, but it does tell you about his research interests and have a list of publications:<BR/><BR/>http://baumeister.socialpsychology.org/<BR/><BR/>http://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/baumeister.dp.html<BR/><BR/>His other research topics look kind of interesting, too.Lynn Gazis-Saxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16775215056055972392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-46973405087298760802008-04-04T01:59:00.000-07:002008-04-04T01:59:00.000-07:00OK, so going back a few posts -- apologies for not...OK, so going back a few posts -- apologies for not addressing it at the time, but I was occupied elsewhere for a bit ...<BR/><BR/>Maybe I don't say often enough on this blog how thoroughly I agree with you on most subjects (sometimes on sheer faith, which is an unusual experience) ... but the race-blind casting stuff is bothering me. If I get your basic position, and correct me if I don't, whites playing non-white roles is a kind of lying, but non-whites playing white roles isn't. Is that it, put bluntly?<BR/><BR/>I get the percentages argument; there are more whites than blacks or latinos or what have you in the U.S., and that's not changing any time soon. Somewhere around 2050 the country tips over to less than half white ... but even then whites will still be the largest group overall. I'll even meet you halfway (at least, it seems halfway to me) on, "I understand the argument today" ... because of the history of bias in entertainment, too lengthy to go into and, agreed, continuing today.<BR/><BR/>But under what conditions do we hit balance? After we've all bred together so thoroughly that we're all related? That'll be a great day, but it's many, many generations down the road.<BR/><BR/>When, if ever, is it going to be OK for a white actor to play the guy who was Asian in real life, or black in real life? I get that Danny Glover playing Marlowe is OK with you, while Angelina Jolie playing Marianne Pearl isn't -- but what preconditions would need to exist before you wouldn't object? Because I think that day needs to come, and the % of the population argument really isn't working for me. Maybe that's my problem, and if so, fair enough -- but if there's another metric in there somewhere, I'd much prefer it.Daniel Keys Moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12992599044462413412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-37647056574985204102008-04-03T22:12:00.000-07:002008-04-03T22:12:00.000-07:00Steve, Question about heartbeat meditation: Is the...Steve, <BR/><BR/>Question about heartbeat meditation: Is there a way to do bio-feedback to ease someone along the path to accomplishment. As indicated in point 7, this is a practice that takes months or years to perfect, if one can get there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-85283282803700607392008-04-03T22:05:00.000-07:002008-04-03T22:05:00.000-07:00Steve, you are so right. Meditations can be very u...Steve, you are so right. Meditations can be very unsafe if you tap into a negative emotion. I do believe that an individual who focuses on a non-achieving meditation will do better. I have practiced the emptying meditation. I have also meditated using the "Jesus prayer," which is repeatedly admitting to being a sinner and seeking salvation. Both were positive for me.<BR/><BR/>Any focus that you do not believe in can be "unsafe". This includes success and happiness. If you don't believe you deserve them you could cause yourself problems. If I am feeling unsure, I focus on how I can come to deserve something. Mediation unveils one to oneself. Not always a pretty thing, but you and God are the only witnesses. <BR/><BR/>At a time when I was very angry, I tried to meditate on revenge. It was bad for me, in one way, yet it got me out of that mental place, and back on the better path. <BR/><BR/>However, I have seen the negative. Some years ago I worked with a rather unenlightened man who lived a life of continuous self-deception that bled over into some active deceptions to others. Bluntly, he presented himself as one type of person with certain skills, and he was not that, and he knew it, and worked very hard to keep up the mask. He told me that all people lived this way. <BR/><BR/>He took up meditation to a series of tapes that talked about being a good person. Now this is all well and fine if you think you are a good person, but if you think you are a bad person this creates an internal conflict that can rip a person apart. He was trying to keep up the masks and the appearance of being what he claimed while an increasing distress took hold from the internal conflict. I watched him start slipping in a business meeting. I thought he was going to physically attack me for asking a reasonable business question. In practice, I was one of his business allies. All the while he was babbling about keeping up appearances didn't make him a bad person. I do not know the end of the story, because I quit working with him, and did so in a definite way that angered him. He would walk the farthest way around a room to avoid me. I was just as happy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-21592063382487189902008-04-03T18:13:00.000-07:002008-04-03T18:13:00.000-07:00In person, I adjust posture, get them to relax, so...In person, I adjust posture, get them to relax, sometimes get them to move to increase rate and intensity of heartbeat. Guide them to pulse points. Use meditative music or a metronome to slow their breathing. <BR/>#<BR/>I've noticed that it can seem like you have (for instance) 100 units of discipline, and when you try to do something new, you can find old bad habits creeping back in. But eventually, your efforts will expand you to "120" units, and you'll have more discipline to go around.Steven Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13630529492355131777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-69469428290102795722008-04-03T17:43:00.000-07:002008-04-03T17:43:00.000-07:00Mike:That study on willpower sounds interesting, b...Mike:<BR/>That study on willpower sounds interesting, but was their any discussion of motivation in the study. It seems to me my willpower with respect to any task would be related to how much I was motivated with respect to that task.<BR/><BR/>Marty SAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-73055807796477073742008-04-03T11:29:00.000-07:002008-04-03T11:29:00.000-07:00On a side note: I found this article that says hu...On a side note: I found this article that says humans may have a limited amount of will power very interesting;<BR/><BR/>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/opinion/02aamodt.html?_r=1&oref=slogin<BR/><BR/>"The brain’s store of willpower is depleted when people control their thoughts, feelings or impulses, or when they modify their behavior in pursuit of goals. Psychologist Roy Baumeister and others have found that people who successfully accomplish one task requiring self-control are less persistent on a second, seemingly unrelated task."<BR/><BR/>The good news is;<BR/><BR/>"Focusing on success is important because willpower can grow in the long term. Like a muscle, willpower seems to become stronger with use. The idea of exercising willpower is seen in military boot camp, where recruits are trained to overcome one challenge after another.<BR/><BR/>In psychological studies, even something as simple as using your nondominant hand to brush your teeth for two weeks can increase willpower capacity. People who stick to an exercise program for two months report reducing their impulsive spending, junk food intake, alcohol use and smoking. They also study more, watch less television and do more housework. Other forms of willpower training, like money-management classes, work as well."Mike Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634414529649908616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-33530204928817282022008-04-03T11:09:00.000-07:002008-04-03T11:09:00.000-07:00I have tried Heartbeat Meditation a bunch of times...I have tried Heartbeat Meditation a bunch of times, and only once (and that was literally two years ago) did I feel I successfully did it.<BR/><BR/>I have a decent level of self control: I have successfully done intermittent fasting every day with no exceptions for a month for instance and that takes a good deal of control, as well as the standards being able to keep a good paying 9-5 job, keep a good loving woman happy in a stable relationship, and most other signs of self control and discipline I'm decent at if not great (with the exceptions of procrastination, which I have a real serious problem with), yet even though I've tried it a bunch of times, I haven't been able to do heartbeat meditation.<BR/><BR/>I think I recall you saying you've walked people through the exercise in person. My question would be, what did you do for them in person that really helped them do it?Mike Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634414529649908616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-70469898868751823092008-04-03T11:04:00.000-07:002008-04-03T11:04:00.000-07:00Being unprepared for the Kundalini when it rises ....Being unprepared for the Kundalini when it rises ...Steve Perryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12079658447270792228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-4397210466178490482008-04-03T10:01:00.000-07:002008-04-03T10:01:00.000-07:00Heartbeat control comes after PROFOUND levels of b...Heartbeat control comes after PROFOUND levels of breath control. Slowing your breathing down below about 3 a minute is a serious matter, one that probably shouldn't be approached without a teacher.<BR/>#<BR/>There are meditations that tap deep wells of negative emotion, and can trigger breakdowns. Others done in combination with fasting that can create eating disorders. I won't go into it too much...safety first.Steven Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13630529492355131777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-88973440261844075582008-04-03T09:44:00.000-07:002008-04-03T09:44:00.000-07:00I was wondering the same thing as Scott. If one ex...I was wondering the same thing as Scott. If one experiments with meditation, as I do, what sorts of things are dangerous? <BR/><BR/>I have heard that heartbeat meditations are potentially dangerous, in fact, since it is possible thereby to learn to consciously control your pulse and maybe not get enough oxygen to your brain. So your statement that they are safe got my attention.Pagan Topologisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01611788563582362688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-85488443284784410262008-04-03T08:42:00.000-07:002008-04-03T08:42:00.000-07:00Steve - You mentioned "safe" meditation. What you ...Steve - <BR/><BR/>You mentioned "safe" meditation. What you would you consider "unsafe" meditation and why?<BR/><BR/>Peace,<BR/>Scott.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com