Breeze

https://youtu.be/LHQ00JZ4q0o 

"I went into the barbershop as usual, with the pleasant sensation of entering a familiar place, easily and naturally. new things are distressing to my sensibility; I'm at ease only in places where I've already been.

after I'd sat down in the chair, i happened to ask a young barber, occupied in fastening a clean cool cloth around my neck, about his older colleague from the chair to the right, a spry fellow who had been sick. i didn't ask this because i felt obliged to ask something; it was the place and my memory that sparked the question, 'he passed away yesterday,' flatly answered the barber's voice behind me. The whole of my irrational good mood abruptly died, like the eternally missing barber from the adjacent chair. A chill swept over all my thoughts. I said nothing.

Nostalgia! I even feel it for people and things that were nothing to me... Faces I habitually see on my habitual streets -if I stop seeing them I become sad. And they were nothing to me, except perhaps the symbol of all of life..."

Walking has inspired all sorts of creativity, "The moment

my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow,"

said Henry David Thoreau. William Wordsworth's

poem "Tintern Abbey" was written during a long

walk, as well. "Only thoughts reached by walking

have value," was how Friedrich Nietzsche put it.

But why does walking have this effect? The answer,

as you might have guessed, lies in your brain.

Your brain has two modes: an active mode and a de-

fault mode. When your brain is in active mode, it's

vital for keeping your brain in order and your

thinking sharp.

Evidence suggests that creativity occurs when

these two modes of thinking occur

simultaneously. And walking is a great way to encourage the brain to do exactly that. Walking - or

more specifically, spatial navigation - stimulates

the part of the brain around the hippocampus,

which is also the part of the brain that's active in

memory.

Walking might not help with uncreative problems

like mathematical calculations. But for creative

problem-solving, like coming up with a novel

mathematical formula, walking can help greatly.

The author calls it active idleness - letting your mind

wander freely, yet still retaining a sense

focus. You've probably heard people say you should "sleep

on" a difficult question - but why not also try

"walking on" it? Next time you have a challenging

problem to solve at work, give it a go.

When you through a pebble into a puddle of water, how does the water react? The answer, completely appropriately to the mass of the pebble and the force with which it was thrown. The water doesn't over or under react, but when we encounter stressful events in life we often let them control us by provoking a reaction that is disproportionate to what is required. For instance, if you're already buried under a mountain of tasks and then an email comes in adding one more thing, you might feel overwhelmed and respond brusquely, but wouldn't be great if you had a state of mind like water? Not over or under reacting to the email or any other events you encounter, but always just respond appropriately?

...

Watch this episode on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/9lt6vNqf6o8 

How to talk so kids will listen and listen so kids will talk

This summary was prepared by Blinkist.

 Blinkist is an app for non-fiction books.

To download it:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.blinkslabs.blinkist.android

“Children, eating the tangerine in mindfulness means that while eating the tangerine you are truly in touch with it. Your mind is not chasing after thoughts of yesterday or tomorrow, but is dwelling fully in the present moment. The tangerine is truly present. Living in mindful awareness means to live in the present moment, your mind and body dwelling in the very here and now.

“A person who practices mindfulness can see things in the tangerine that others are unable to see. An aware person can see the tangerine tree, the tangerine blossom in the spring, the sunlight and rain which nourished the tangerine. Looking deeply, one can see ten thousand things which have made the tangerine possible. Looking at a tangerine, a person who practices awareness can see all the wonders of the universe and how all things interact with one another. Children, our daily life is just like a tangerine. Just as a tangerine is comprised of sections, each day is comprised of twenty-four hours. One hour is like one section of tangerine. Living all twenty-four hours of a day is like eating all the sections of a tangerine. The path I have found is the path of living each hour of the day in awareness, mind and body always dwelling in the present moment. The opposite is to live in forgetfulness. If we live in forgetfulness, we do not know that we are alive. We do not fully experience life because our mind and body are not dwelling in the here and now.”

Gautama looked at Sujata and said her name. “Yes, Teacher?” Sujata joined her palms. “Do you a think a person who lives in awareness will make many errors or few?”

“Respected Teacher, a person who lives in awareness will make few errors. My mother always tells me that a girl should pay attention to how she walks, stands, speaks, laughs, and works, in order to avoid thoughts, words, and actions that might cause sorrow to herself or others.”

“Just so, Sujata. A person who lives in awareness knows what she is thinking, saying, and doing. Such a person can avoid thoughts, words, and actions that cause suffering for herself and others.

“Children, living in awareness means to live in the present moment. One is aware of what is taking place within one’s self and in one’s surroundings. One is in direct contact with life. If one continues to live in such a way, one will be able to deeply understand one’s self and one’s surroundings. Understanding leads to tolerance and love. When all beings understand one another, they will accept and love one another. Then there will not be much suffering in the world. What do you think, Svasti? Can people love if they are unable to understand?”

“Respected Teacher, without understanding love is most difficult. It reminds me of something that happened to my sister Bhima. One night she cried all night long until my sister Bala lost her patience and spanked Bhima. That only made Bhima cry more. I picked Bhima up and sensed that she was feverish. I was sure her head ached from the fever. I called Bala and told her to place her hand on Bhima’s forehead. When she did that she understood at once why Bhima was crying. Her eyes softened and she took Bhima into her arms and sang to her with love. Bhima stopped crying even though she still had a fever. Respected Teacher, I think that was because Bala understood why Bhima was upset. And so I think that without understanding, love is not possible.”

“Just so, Svasti! Love is possible only when there is understanding. And only with love can there be acceptance. Practice living in awareness, children, and you will deepen your understanding. You will be able to understand yourselves, other people, and all things. And you will have hearts of love. That is the wonderful path I have discovered.”

Tangerine of Mindfulness

When Sujata brought Siddhartha’s food that noon, she found him sitting beneath the pippala tree as beautiful as a young morning. His face and body radiated peace, joy, and equanimity. She had seen him sitting solemnly and majestically beneath the pippala tree over a hundred times, and yet today there was something different about him. Looking at Siddhartha, Sujata felt all her sorrows and worries vanish. Happiness as fresh as a spring breeze filled her heart. She felt there was nothing else she needed or wanted on this Earth, that everything in the universe was already good and beneficial, and that no one needed to worry or despair anymore. Sujata took a few steps forward and placed the food before Siddhartha. She bowed before him. She felt the peace and joy within Siddhartha enter herself. Siddhartha smiled at her and said, “Here, sit down with me. I thank you for bringing me food and water these past months. Today is the happiest day of my life because last night I found the Great Way. Please enjoy this happiness too. In Sujata looked up with surprise. “You will be going? You mean you will leave us?” Siddhartha smiled kindly. “Yes, I must leave, but I won’t abandon you children. Before I leave, I will show you the path I have discovered.” Sujata was not very reassured. She wanted to ask him more, but he spoke first, “I will remain with you children for at least several more days in order to share what I have learned with you. Only then will I take to the road. But that doesn’t mean I will be apart from you forever. From time to time, I will return to visit you children.” Sujata felt comforted. She sat down and opened the banana leaf to reveal the offering of rice. She sat silently at Siddhartha’s side as he ate. She watched as he broke off pieces of rice and dipped them in sesame salt. Her heart was filled with inexpressible happiness. When he finished eating, Siddhartha asked Sujata to return home. He said he wanted to meet with the village children that afternoon in the forest. Many children came, including Svasti’s brother and sisters. The boys had all bathed and put on clean clothes. The girls wore their loveliest saris. Sujata’s sari was ivory colored, Nandabala wore a sari the color of banana shoots, and Bhima’s sari was pink. The children, looking as fresh and colorful as flowers, sat around Siddhartha beneath the pippala tree. Sujata brought a basketful of coconut and chunks of palm sugar as a special treat. The children scooped out the tasty coconut meat and ate it with the delicious sugar. Nandabala and Subash brought a basketful of tangerines. Siddhartha sat with the children, his happiness complete. Rupak offered him a chunk of coconut with a piece of palm sugar on a pippala leaf. Nandabala offered him a tangerine. Siddhartha accepted their offerings and ate with the children. They were still enjoying their lunch when Sujata made an announcement, “Dear friends, today is the happiest day our Teacher has ever known. He has discovered the Great Way. I feel this is also a very important day for me. Brothers and sisters, let us consider this a day of great jubilation for us all. We are here today to celebrate the Enlightenment of our Teacher. Respected Teacher, the Great Path has been found. We know you cannot stay with us forever. Please teach us the things you think we might be able to understand.” Sujata joined her palms together and bowed to Gautama to express her respect and devotion. Nandabala and the other children also joined their palms and bowed with deepest sincerity. Siddhartha quietly gestured for the children to sit back up and he said, “You are all intelligent children and I am sure you will be able to understand and practice the things I will share with you. The Great Path I have discovered is deep and subtle, but anyone willing to apply his or her heart and mind can understand and follow it...

The Call Of The Wild And Free 

Reclaiming wonder in your child's education

part 1

The traditional model of education isn't working.

Our school system doesn't treat children as what they are - children. Anyone who has a child knows that they're naturally prone to moving around and exploring, yet schools insist on bending their bodies to the shape of a chair as if already preparing them for office life.

They make them do paperwork, they make them stick to schedules, and they make them sit quietly and listen to presentations - sound familiar? We treat our children like adults and it's causing them stress. In one telling study conducted by the American Psychological Association, children re- ported feeling higher levels of stress on average across the school year than adults. Couple this with research that shows that children don't learn as well under stressful conditions, and this system starts to seem absurd.

One of the biggest contributors to our children's stress is the preponderance of testing and grading as a measure of a child's ability. Grades have be- come so important to a child's future success that schools now focus more on training children to pass exams and get good grades than on helping them to truly understand the course material. This focus on exams and grades has been to the detriment of genuine learning because it promotes a very diminished conception of what learning is. While exams are great at testing how much one can remember under a time-limit, they are terrible indicators of the true breadth of a child's intelligence. They're simply not equipped to measure non-academic forms of intelligence - like emotional and creative intelligence.

When we measure our children against the same narrow standard and apply a grade to them, we disparage children who develop slower and children who excel in non-academic areas. These children are often treated as abnormal, or as developmentally deficient.

This is a system that does not treat children as unique individuals, with different capacities. It is a system that values the curriculum above the child. All in all, what we have is assembly-line education. It is a form of education that feeds every child the same curriculum and expects them to develop at the same speed. It ignores our children's individuality from the beginning and it produces standardized products by the end.

In the next part, well see how the home-school model of education can liberate children from the assembly-line model of education.

The mention of college gave a new direction to Gilbert's thoughts, and they talked for a time of their plans and wishes, gravely, earnestly, hopefully, as youth loves to talk, while the future is yet an untrodden path full of wonderful possibilities. Gilbert had finally made up his mind that he was going to be a doctor. "It's a splendid profession," he said enthusiastically. "A fellow has to fight something all through life, didn't somebody once define man as a fighting animal?, and I want to fight disease and pain and ignorance, which are all members one of another.

I want to do my share of honest, real work in the world, Anne, add a little to the sum of human knowledge that all the good men have been accumulating since it began. The folks who lived before me have done so much for me that I want to show my gratitude by doing something for the folks who will live after me. It seems to me that is the only way a fellow can get square with his obligations to the race."

"l'd like to add some beauty to life," said Anne dreamily. "I don't exactly want to make people know more, though I know that is the noblest ambition, but I'd love to make them have a pleasanter time because of me, to have some little joy or happy thought that would never have existed if I hadn't been born."

Walden by Henry David Thoreau: https://youtu.be/VaME4iHUhSE 

In preparing this review I've got some help from watching this lecture: https://youtu.be/VSGjta9g2To

Grammar is glamorous? For many people, that would be an impossible association of ideas, remembering a time when they were taught English grammar in school, trying to analyse complicated sentences into parts, and learning rules and terms whose purpose was never clear. Glamorous it wasn't. For others. the association would be pointless, for they were never taught any English grammar at all.

This was a great shame, as grammar, when taught properly, is indeed an exciting and stimulating subject. It's the study of the way we compose our sentences, of how we say what we mean and of the different effects we convey by varying the order of our words. In short, grammar shows us how we make sense. And the more we know about grammar, the more we understand how language works.

But this book isn't about grammatical constructions; it's about words. And when we explore the origins of the word grammar, we find some real surprises. Would you expect an encounter with magic and the supernatural? Just listen.

Grammar comes from a Latin word, grammatica, which in turn derives from gramma, meaning a written mark, or letter. It originally included the study of everything that was written - literature as well as language - and eventually this sense was extended to mean the knowledge that a person acquires through literacy. But people who could read and write were an elite. They included not only monks and scholars but also those who dealt in astrology and magic. This is where the supernatural comes in. In medieval Europe, the word grammar was often used to talk about the study of the occult. And when the word arrived in English, in the 14th century, it brought in those associations. A new word emerged: people would talk about gramarye, meaning 'occult learning', 'necromancy'. It's this magical sense that leads to glamour. In the 18th century in Scotland, people took up the word grammar, meaning 'anenchantment' or 'a spell', but they changed the pronunciation. Devils and wizards were said to cast the glamour over the eyes of onlookers. From here it was a short step to the meaning of an alluring charm surrounding someone or something. And in the 20th century, we see the word arriving at its present-day sense of 'charm ' and 'attractiveness'.

In the 1930s, people talked about glamour boys - a phrase given popular appeal when it was used to describe the handsome young airmen of the wartime RAF. Eventually the adjective came to be used chiefly for women, especially after the movies popularised the phrase glamour girls, and the pin-up photograph became widespread. The word took an unexpected direction in the 1950s, when it began to be used as a euphemism for nude or topless modelling. If you were offered glamour photographs, you wouldn't expect to see much clothing. Girls, such as those gracing page 3 in The Sun newspaper, were described as glamour models, and the agencies and events promoting them were said to be on the glamour circuit. The term is still widely used in this way. The unexpected link between grammar and glamour illustrates a general point about the history of words. Often, a source word develops meanings that are so different from each other that we don't suspect they have a common origin. Who would ever guess that there's a common origin for salary, sausage, sauce and salad? And who would ever have predicted that grammar would one day give birth to such a flamboyant and publicity-seeking child as glamour? Grammar hasn't yet achieved such a vivid popular presence - but I live in hope.