Writing about the mind and consciousness

[Image for posts about my academic blog. Not a pic of me. I don't look this good.]

So I do this nerdy academic thing as a hobby and for work.

I started writing about some of my thoughts on humans and came up with a book manuscript over the fall of 2012 and early spring of 2013. Then I realized I needed to rewrite it as there were central themes emerging as well as ways to tie together and extend some of the ideas I was describing.

To help with this I started putting material based on the manuscript on a blog. Some is 10% manuscript and 90% new material or rewrite, some is flipped the other way. The order for some things was changed.

Anyway, the idea is I want it to be something interesting and comprehensible, so I need folks to give thoughtful feedback. If you are curious check it out. I want to share with others, so even if you don't have any feedback I'd still love it if you popped over and gave it a go. If you like the science and philosophy section of the bookstore think you'll find what I write about interesting and may challenge how you see yourself and the world in good, constructive ways.

My most recent post is sorting through terms like "mind" and consciousness.

If that sounds interesting, go and check it out. If not, that's fine. Something else I post here or elsewhere might float your boat.

Be well.

Meandering to Stillness

[Not my friend]

While you are waiting for me to write some new material (or scrolling through older material for something interesting to read), check out this blog from a friend of mine who is using her fledgling yoga practice to extend her physical, emotional, and mental capacities.

http://karenmeandering.wordpress.com/author/karenmeandering/

In doing so, she is learning a new way to engage with herself and the world.

And it isn't full of artificial or self-inflated infatuation with yoga or her progress. No long-winded analysis. Just an honest journal to help keep her committed to the practice.

An autumn leaf

[A featured picture on Pixabay. Lovely.]

There, you see? Back again already.

I'm sure you are familiar with reflection exercises like "Imagine you only had a limited time to live." They are very popular in post-modern societies and especially on blogs and in self-help books and videos.

Not that I claim to be very knowledge about self-help genre. I've looked into it and it tends to be the same thing recycled over and over by a few very successful people and hundreds of folks who want to have that same success. Which is why you see the successful and not so successful self-help advisors pop up in places like the Huffington Post.

Well, anyway, there's that one, and the one about what you would do if time, money, and other resources were no object. And I've noticed a couple of things.

One, I don't seem to do well with these little exercises. I just don't know what I would want to do or I can't decide from the options. Anything I pick would just be to complete the exercise, not because it was the thing.

Two, it's very hard to actually imagine yourself to really be in such a life-and-death or inconceivable abundance scenario. Sure, it's possible in a kind of superficial, light and breezy "Oh I'd go to [insert exotic location]" kind of way. But not really.

I mean, would you really see a shift in your priorities? Would it really crystallize what you think and believe? Reveal how you really feel?

So then today, little less than two weeks before my birthday, I go into to get a basic test done as a follow-up to my annual physical. Something was a little off in the physical, so it was just being  a matter of cautious.

That is, until my doctor calls me from her house the same day to tell me I have a serious condition that is one hundred percent fatal if left untreated. Hence I will require major surgery in the near future, which itself is kind of risky.

I ought, therefore, to have some of that clarity coming my way since I am facing an immanent mortal threat. Nothing so far, though. Not about life, spirituality, where I would go or what I would do if it was now or never. Still, maybe it will come to me as events unfold and my situation becomes more real to me.

I'll keep you updated if any insights reveal themselves.

Be well.

Gathering too much dust

[Not my actual keyboard]

Hmmm.

This place has gotten a bit dusty. And sparse. Definitely sparse. Sparse and dusty.

I had particular plans for it when I created this space. Then I let it go.

I decided to re-purpose it. But then that didn't happen either.

Well, OK, then.

Time to actually start using this as it was kind-of sort-of intended, the second or third time around. Which is as a lightly-themed catch-all type of blog.

I've tended to better with more focused blogs given definite themes, but there are often things that "just don't fit" those established  topical patterns and boundaries.

Got to go for now, but I'll be stopping by more often. Suggestions for things you'd like me to discuss and reflect on are welcome. If they seem interesting to me I'll do my best to respond.

Be well.