Bionics (last week!)

Would you support the development of a “bionic” person? Would your opinion be any different if this were for a military purpose?

I would not support the development of a "bionic" person. I imagine there is a situation where I would be comfortable with the use of a bionic person, but I cannot think of it presently. On second thought, to rescue someone in a burning building, I think a bionic person would be very useful. My general reason for not supporting a bionic person development is that I am assuming there would be a real person controlling the bionic person, so it'd be like carrying out the actions you desired but at an arm's length or much longer. Growing further removed from the consequences of our actions seems to be one of the biggest contributors to the current downfall of the human race. We eat food that we don't see how it was grown or raised, and we throw away often many things a day with relatively little knowledge of the impact its making on our world. We authorize wars when very often we don't experience the losses personally. We say cruel things behind the guise of an online mask that we might never say in person. I think the more ways we can have a closer interaction with what we're acting on, the better. You can see why the fire example would be a good exception to this thought.

I also wouldn't endorse bionic people for military use for the same reasons. Perhaps I'm just denying the reality of the world we live in today, but for the present moment, I'm ok with that. 

Energy Fields & Energy Medicine (week 2 of Biophysics)

Acupuncture seems like very effective energy medicine to me. I think perhaps one of the questions is how strongly can acupuncture shift energy? Since we know everything is made up of energy, perhaps there doesn't need to be such a big gap between trauma medicine and energy medicine? If an acupuncturist were truly adept at assisting the body in moving energy and the patient had the strength of qi to do it, could greater healing take place? something that might be in line with what biomedicine might consider healing? I think one of the things that comes up for me in that case is that acupuncture is aligned with nature, which is to say, it generally moves slowly like nature. Some more radical measures used in biomedicine could be thought to go against nature in some ways. I don't think it's black and white as I make it sound but in general, I believe it to be true. I think whenever we do something that goes against the energy of the body, even if it's a life saving measure, the reprecussions are quite different and potentially more severe for the long term.

Kirlian photography seems like a lot of fun to me. I'm not sure it's something I would put much weight in though as it seems like the appearance of a person in KP can change fairly easily if a person changes their energy. For some that may be challenging but for others who might more regularly flux between highs and lows, it wouldn't indicate something as profound perhaps. I'm always reluctant to make great leaps into things like the colors of KP indicating a relationship with chakras. I think the body has many colors but they don't necessarily need to tie into something like chakras. When people talk about opening or stimulating chakras it makes me uneasy because when you know people like I do who have had their chakras opened for them and it makes them very ill, you become more reserved about these things. All the same, KP seems like a more fun kind of mood ring if you will. While I'm rarely a skeptic (or maybe I am, not sure), I feel reserved about this method of potential diagnosis.

Intention- Gosh. Again, I feel I'm jaded because of my previous exposure. I watched the movie The Secret years ago and while I can get behind getting clear on what you want in life, to use intention to constantly be focusing on the future and attaining something seems like a recipe for a distracted and unsatisfied life. That said, in a fixed time, I think intention can be used to spur change and create potential healing. I think for many of us it's getting stuck in old identity patterns that holds us back from growing into perhaps happier or more balanced versions of ourselves and that by creating an intention that is very deeply connected to the things we love most, we can shift away from patterns/beliefs that have been detrimental.

Life & Living Systems (Biophysics week 1)

I know I'm a living system because I am constantly evolving in an unpredictable way. My environment influences me and the trajectory of my growth is ever changing. Even if I tried to grow only in a particular way, the way my body and mind are formed means that I will adapt to what is present so that I can survive- even if that means stressing over finals. Ah!

Thoughts on class discussion:

I enjoyed Sondra Barrett's realization that God exists and that her discovery came by way of getting deeper into the intricacies of life. One of my best friends is very much atheist and she's very bright. She cares about the planet and respects life, but still the idea that there is some great organizing force is not for her. I wonder what makes people believe or not believe in a greater force or spirituality. Is there a gene that would make one more likely to be spiritual perhaps? Or maybe it's mostly one's upbringing. How much does a near-death experience increase the odds one becomes a believer? At any rate, I imagine that being spiritual in some way is in fact beneficial for your health but if you became worried about a judgement day or similar someday maybe that would make you more nervous in day to day life which we know isn't beneficial. Hmmm...

Synthesis (Week Nine)

My E-Prime Day
This morning I woke up to what I saw to be an empty space beside me in bed. I thought to myself, "I think Blake fell asleep on the couch." I walked out to what we call the living room, and perceived with my eyes my husband in a horizontal position with his eyes closed. I think he was asleep. After talking to him, he opened his eyes and I saw him walk into the other room, I believe going to sleep in our bed. I did some yoga, cooked breakfast, ate, and rode a BART train to the 19th street stop then walked to ACCHS. I recall Jackie teaching Points Class, Kalli teaching Pathology, and Jason teaching Acupuncture Techniques. After school, I felt very tired. I travelled home via BART and exited the train at Ashby where I unlocked my bike and rode home to relax in front of the television a bit and then head to sleep.


Synthesizing Physics~ "As above, so below"

I've very much enjoyed physics class and the articles we've been given to read. A long time I ago a roommate subscribed to New Scientist and this class makes me want to subscribe so that I can read about the latest in science research and discoveries. My husband thinks it's crazy that there's no math in this class, but I've really appreciated this approach to studying physics. Thank you!

Classical Physics (Week 8)

Newton's Three Laws and Me

First Law: Maybe this is why it's so hard for me to get myself to take a vacation? I've been "in motion" for so long that it requires an especially strong force to get me to change my course! Trying to make a change to this pattern with a couple days off this week :)

Second Law: Having a good teacher push you in school helps propel you forward even if you resist.

Third Law: I recently got in a fight with my mom and her not talking to me definitely encouraged me to not reach out to her. Fortunately it ended, but it could have gone on for much longer.


Our Energy Efficient Culture

I think of this as it relates to so many people trying to sell the same thing but with a slightly different spin on it. It's like they're unable to create something new and so they simply repackage it.

Also, on the note from above with the first law: It could be interpreted that we are human beings and we can only do so much in a day (our own system of energy). So we must choose what we do wisely with that time and energy. Watch tv or study? Go have fun with friends or get any early start on my pathology paper? Bike to school or go for a hike later?


Descartes

The other night, I being a very sweet wife, watched a movie with my husband of his choosing. It was Chappie, two hours of my life that I'll never get back. But I think the producer of Chappie has Descartes to thank. It's a movie about robots becoming "human" in that they can have consciousness and become parts of society. Surprise surprise, it doesn't work out very well for this "advanced" society, which makes sense because, like Descartes' description, it vastly oversimplifies the beautiful potential of the human mind, heart, body, and soul.

"By the end, there's precious little humanity left amid all the nuts and bolts." 

...Is this a review of Descartes' idea or for Chappie from rotten tomatoes??

Chaos Theory (Week 7)

"Ordered chaos"...familiar? 

I don't think of chaos and order as happening simultaneously from one perspective. I think a chaotic process or situation can seem that way to one person and to another person it can seem perfectly ordered. I think of my houseplants. Their growth seems very chaotic to me, especially the growth of some of my more unusual succulents. I water them when they seem to need it and they get ample sunlight and yet their growth is totally unpredictable to me. Yet, when one of my plant savvy friends comes over she can explain the order or reasoning behind their seemingly bazaar growth patterns, and how I might change my actions (watering, planting container) to influence what I previously saw as pure chaos.

I also think of the process of human creation of being a mix of order and chaos. The jumbling of genes then separation of them through mitosis seems like a constant dance between chaos and order. With all the potentials for something to go wrong, it seems phenomenal that the vast majority of us exit the process mostly functional. I suppose it's a good reminder that chaos can give birth to incredible ordered things, which makes an easy segue to fractals...


Fractals as patterns of complex systems

Fractals illustrate the way a particular action can be magnified on a scale that is challenging or impossible for the human mind to comprehend but that creates something that's end result appears quite simple. They show one action on a myriad of scales. Because of the complexity of fractals and the vast amount of information that goes into creating one, they are primarily created by computers now.


Consciousness out of chaos? 

The way our minds work seems like a perfect example of ordered chaos. There is a reason behind the way our minds pull thoughts and emotion and yet it happens all too fast for us to understand without further scientific research. The article in our reading "Chaos and Consciousness" broaches the idea of our consciousness being a whole cloth of tightly knit patchwork of subprocesses, which I agree with, and then he/she adds "each made possible and supported on all sides by the totality of the cloth itself, while at the same time contributing its part to the creation of that totality." I love this idea of consciousness almost folding in on itself constantly to be recreated in every moment. I think of an image like a flower blossoming then closing then blossoming again but always with different colors, textures, and shapes.

One other idea is that perhaps rather than just one flower or layer, there are many layers to consciousness that are being reborn/changed all the time.

The Bhagavad Gita, a story often referred to in yoga gives at least one perspective to the layers that might exist. I like that by looking at a racing chariot it may not be clear how many forces align or fight for that chariot to move in a particular direction, and yet upon closer inspection that are so many factors at play that are in a constantly changing relationship.

photo credit: http://www.harekrishnayoga.com/2013/02/arjunas-chariot.html

Viiiiiibrrraaaationnnssss (Week 6)

Are all vibrations "good"? 

Anyone else hear that Beach Boys song when they hear this? Ok, back to physics...

Yes and no- ha! A classic eastern medicine answer. Vibrations are good or bad depending on the context. Vibrations that Evelyn Glennie senses and then manipulates and orders into beautiful music are great to many ears I'm sure, but perhaps not all. Some people must not care for Vivaldi, right? (not me)



Natural frequencies that resonate with one another can create powerful change. An opera singer breaking a wine glass could be good as a party trick, but a bridge crumbling in the event of an earthquake can be tragic.


Resonance in my world

When I think of resonance in my world, like above with vibrations, it isn't always good or bad. Sometimes it's wonderful. I think of the way it feels to hug my husband or just to be in his presence. Even before I knew him well it felt like his energy meeting mine was relaxing in a very subtle yet tangible way. It's curious to think about how our individual vibrations travel, or how far. And how sensitized to them can we become?

I can also think of some people who I've seen across a room or met briefly and it's quite the opposite experience. Their vibration resonates with mine in some way that sets off very unpleasant feelings. Like stirring a terrible pot.


Connections between Energy & Qi

I see the challenges with energy and qi being similar to those we have with consciousness. We "know" because we experience it, that it is present with us now as I write or you read. And yet we can't put boundaries on it, understand it fully, know when it started or when exactly it ends. Energy and qi are ver much the same. I enjoyed this passage from the reading:

"Since the scientific system of measurement is limited by our own humanness (hopefully it is early in the history of human knowledge), frustration can erupt when something as obvious and central as energy that is so clearly expressed in life, eludes today's measurement abilities." (www.doctorcal.org/energy.html)

With energy, qi, and consciousness too, it's hard to understand what is mine, yours, or its. Where are the edges? How can we compartmentalize it? Can we accept that there is something that can be influenced without being destroyed? Can be felt without being understood? Known in the present without understanding it's origin? Sounds like there need to be leaps of faith...never easy, especially for the westerner.


Last thought: Imagine if we could see the qi moving though Evelyn Glennie as well as the vibrations that move from all the surfaces she plays in this video? Now that would be astounding.