Fix this Language.

Hi, thanks for your visit.

Recently the London newspaper, The Independent ran an article on use of language. You can read it here.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/miles-kington/mind-your-language-or-

he-word-squad-will-have-kittens-803134.html

The idea of keeping the language intact has been put into practice by the French who value it but English has just grown unchecked from the day grunts were associated with meaning.

Now it is a conglomerate of whatever language the many invaders used. Words were modified to fit the mispronunciation of travelers or coupled with other words already distorted to form hybrids. This mixing and adopting continues today.

This island where nothing is far from anywhere else except in language is unique. The Scots, Welsh and English speak different languages. In many cases the English from one county speak differently than the next. London English is the “official” language yet this is constantly changing.

When the brave dissidents left England for The New World they brought their Puritan speech and writings with them. After a while the word spread back home and further abroad. Soon the French, Spanish and who knows who wanted a part of the action with free land and no taxes. They all contributed to the lingo.

By the way there was not a time when German was almost the official language of America. It is a myth. Go to http://german.about.com/library/weekly/aa010820a.htm

Australia was settled by brave and brutal jailers and brave and desperate prisoners. It was so far from home there was no way back. The prisoners who didn’t die in confinement settled in the sunnier shores along with the governors. But the language stayed more or less proper English despite the gold rush influx of nationalities. Even in the 1950s Australians felt British.

The influx now is being made by texting, slovenly Americanisms, youth ignorance because they weren’t taught well and a need for brevity that often takes longer to interpret than proper words.

The article up top was an April fool’s day joke. Did you notice? But English is changing rapidly and increasing pace. There really is a need for some official body to give it direction to stop it splintering into tinder. The French, Italians and Dutch have them.

Obviously easier, more phonetic English is desirable. Where ‘c’ is pronounced like ‘k’ use ‘k’ as in ‘kake’ not ‘cake’. Similarly with ‘g’ when it has a ‘j’ sound as in the suffix ‘ology’. It hasn’t got the sound as in ‘gear’. Does ‘oloji’ seem too daunting? How about ‘f’ instead of ‘ph’ as in ‘fone’? That would be easy to get used to.

The ‘ough’ puzzle is a hurdle to students of English; bough, trough, through, etc.

Why use silent letters that need to be written but ignored by the reader?

This article from Wikipedia gives a summary http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_reform. Please read it.

America seems to be the worst offender in corrupting its native tongue. This is mostly due to the hopeless education system where spelling was ignored as long as it made some sense. Now we have words like ‘gonna’ (going to), ‘wanna’ (want to), ‘thet’ (that), and misuse of words. “It’s bigger then that.” “It flew by it’s self.” “It was plane wrong.” He put it their. “He became a where of”

I’m not concocting these. I read them and cringe every day.

Some of it makes sense. Replacing ‘a lot’ with ‘alot’ is amusing and somehow valid.

Texting is abbreviated phonetics. Let’s hope it remains a second language or at least a fad like teentalk. I used it once in my own way in a forum. A girl replied that she couldn’t understand what we were saying. That was the whole point. I think ‘sumfin’, for ‘something’ is going too far.

The scary bit is that these people are teaching others by example.

Start by correcting your own bad habits and then teaching kids the proper way to speak and write. You don’t have to speak like the Queen of England, just sound a bit better educated or at least like a news reader or TV host. You’ll be treated better if you don’t seem like a brainless yobo.

Language is there to communicate! That’s its purpose. If your reader can’t understand you; why bother? English speech is easy enough to learn but the spelling is woeful. We need to change it.

I was a founding member of SR1 many years ago. You can look it up on that previous link. It wouldn’t work now. Changing the language bit by bit would be totally impractical. A full change would still take many decades.

Australia changed to the metric system of weights and measures in 1970 to ‘77 but we still hear of miles and inches after all this time. I do blame the prevalence of American TV and movies partly for this. Fortunately moves to change this U.S. attitude are looking promising. Let’s hope it happens. Imagine if there were 12 dimes to a dollar. Why work with 12 inches to a foot or 5280 feet in a mile? Surely 1000 meters in a kilometer is simpler. If you can influence this or a more phonetic English; please do so.

This language is the most widely spread and looks like being the planets’ world language. It outstrips all other attempts at invention. We can put it into gear by making it phonetic.

We can ensure this extremely adaptable language will establish itself as the world standard if we correct its faults.

We see massive constructions and mind bending projects across the planet. Some of them are astonishing. This is another one that the future will hail as a great leap for mankind. It will still take decades but it starts with one step. Let’s take that step in this generation.

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Stimulate your toes for thinking?

“Jay, have you gone nutty or been smoking some of that stuff again?”

“No, listen to the explanation and give it a chance.”

Reflexology states that acupuncture meridian points for the head and neck are located in the foot; particularly in the big toe. These can be stimulated to enhance mental clarity.

You can play with your tootsies and feel better for it. What have you got to lose by trying?

Put your right foot over your left upper leg and stimulate the area below the toenail with your thumb. Use a firm circular pressure but don’t hurt.

Continue this down both sides of the toe but pay most attention to the area you started on. Keep this up for about three minutes.

This has benefits for the master glands – the pituitary, hypothalamus and pineal.

Just type these into Google for a stack of information.

Do this with the other toes but only for a minute or less for each toe.

Now it is only a matter of swapping feet and repeating.

You can do this anywhere you can take your bare feet and it feels good. Get into the habit of doing this after a shower or during a work break. You can even do it at the park. That’s a good place to be to get away from the everyday work load.

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Keep well and if you see somebody without a smile give them one of yours.

Jay Ross.

Study and Environment.

Hello again,

IQAdult has strayed from the original idea of a learning site to one of social comment. One thing has stayed the same though; the lack of feedback, comment.

Even when I have been deliberately controversial it has passed unnoticed.

This is in spite of the fact that there are readers.

What does it take to get you to put hairy or delicate fingers on the keyboard to give your opinion?

None of us is right about everything and we all should be trying to see the other side in any debate. So please tell me when you believe something opposing what I say. Give some reason and we’ll take it from there.

We’re not going to fall out over it. A healthy debate should stimulate thinking.

There are enough somnambulist proles walking this planet who will never consider the other side of any topic. Many stop at the gate and say there is no other side.

Let’s hear your side.

As a bonus I’ll advertise your blog or site if you have one. Maybe you have an opinion that gets a lot of replies. If so you can use this as a testing ground for a blog of your own.

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Want to save some reading time?

The way to do it is the way good students do it.

What is your purpose and that of the author? All of us have found at times we need to reread something because it just didn’t sink in. That can be tiredness or disinterest in the topic. It happens often with students because they don’t really care for the subject. Maybe it’s bad writing; too many words or dry language.

The key here is to identify the reason. Why am I reading this?

If it is an article in a newspaper or magazine it will be written with the topic and main point at the beginning so read the first two paragraphs. The evidence and padding fills the article and the conclusion is given. So if you get the drift of the article after the intro just go to the end.

Go back to get any detail you need for your purpose in reading.

If you need to comment on what you’ve read, look for the key words. Often a thousand word ‘piece’ can be reduced to fifty words and if you understand the topic, reduced even further. These become your notes, whether written or mental. Take a little time to organize this summary when you’ve finished. This helps your understanding.

So many books and movies have been made with the “Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy gets girl back again,” plot. That need not detract from a good novel. The plot takes second place to the author’s skill in his craft. A page can transport you to heaven or hell.

In a movie we have come to be more concerned with the content (effects, drama, spectacle, emotion, etc.) than the plot.

But with non-fiction it’s different. Pick what the author is saying.

Do you agree or think he’s missed important information?

Is the article logical or has there been screw ups in his thinking?

Are you wrong? Both you and the author are vulnerable to mistakes.

Question the article. If you are doing this for an exam the teacher will be more impressed with a well thought out reply than a copy of main points. Besides, by questioning you start to think for yourself. That’s what learning is about. It’s not to become a parrot.

A lot of books have an end of chapter summary. These are so useful. Read these and fill in the details of vague points from the text. Very often the whole book can be mastered in a very short while.

If there is no summary read the ‘contents’ to see what ground is covered, then the conclusion. Go to the index to pick areas you need further explained.

Learning depends on your attitude and relevance to you. New information must be linked to something you already know. A bad student may be able to remember every goal and name of every footballer of a team for the past ten years but not be able to remember anything about school taught history. Its relevance, interest is not there.

If you can link history to football; he’d remember it.

You are reading for a purpose. What is it?

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This has been mentioned before but it has relevance not just to learning but to life in general. It’s your immediate environment. Where is your computer? Where do you study or read? How is your family life?

Your surroundings influence you in so many ways. Nobody can say that growing up in a Brazilian slum, uptown New York or a country town doesn’t make a difference to the way you think. Of course it must.

The wellbeing of our home planet is being degraded by people without ethics. Too much needs to be done to change that but you can change your personal environment. All it takes is to see the benefits and act on it.

We can’t all live with a seascape or hilltop view; or can we? There is an increasing number of professional people moving out of the city and living a healthier life in rural settings. The communications revolution means so many jobs can be done at home so why not make your home where you want to live? Cleaner air, less noise, fewer distractions, less crime and more scope for a healthier lifestyle make it an attractive option.

A rural setting may not provide the wealth of social opportunities available in city life but weigh the benefits against the occasional traveling. Is the party, concert or bar life worth more than your health? Start to think about your environment.

I’ve talked about study conditions before but if you spend a lot of time with the P.C, get the best conditions. Your chair needs to be comfortable, with arm rests and adjustable height. Keyboard needs to be easy to use. I found a cordless keyboard works well for me because it can be relocated when a small change in view is needed. It’s all part of refreshing the mind.

Get rid of distractions like noisy kids, annoying music or visitors. Make it your corner of the world and your time. Let people know you’re ‘at work’ even though you’re at home. Have some plants in the room and make sure lighting is comfortable.

Another aspect is important. Your household environment influences your personal relationships. It must feel like home and be a place to relax. If there is conflict at home it may not be only incompatibility. The place may be depressing, dull and lifeless. Family members can be brought together in a cooperative effort to achieve a redecorating. An ugly view can be covered by a few lush plants. A paint job can do wonders. A ‘throw-over’ will change a couch. Coordinating colors or fixing annoying faults can do a great deal for morale.

Get rid of objects that obstruct movement. Never leave things dropped on the floor. Ease of movement is essential especially in hallways. Let sunlight in. We often have either too much or too little furniture. Make it right. Be innovative. Take some wall hangings down and put up shelving to get organized. Have a yard sale to get rid of stuff or go to them to buy stuff.

Hopefully a strengthening of family ties will provide the impetus for more unity if you get to work on a common goal. These ideas are easily found in decorator mags or on TV so there is no excuse for ignorance. Believe me, your environment does influence your thinking and emotional state. Make yours friendly. It’s easy to do.

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Stay well,

Jay.

Mail iqadult@gmail.com to get in touch personally.

© All issues are copyright but permission to reprint parts is available. Just email me. There are also articles available on http://www.ezinearticles.com under my name.

Laws and You.

This piece first appeared in IQTeens some issues ago. I’ve represented it here with a lot more added because it fits.

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Society has a lot of rules and laws; too many in fact. The rules change while you’re playing and nobody tells you them before the game anyway. It can be a mess.

You’re taught one set of rules by whoever you grow up with and obviously there are sets of rules used by other people that don’t match yours. You will, and probably still, believe the first set of rules whether they’re right or wrong because that’s what you were taught by your parents.

Your parents are good people, hopefully, but they are still fallible like the rest of us. They believe something from their era and its evidence or just because they were taught by their parents. They’ve probably never analyzed it.

There can’t be impartiality in a one sided teaching. You have to realize this and weigh the evidence. But you can’t compare it to what you’ve been taught. It must be weighed against reality. Anything that is only opinion must be seen to be just that. You have to think for yourself. Question everything.

Just changing neighborhood can change the rules. Go to a different country and they change again. What’s good here can be bad there and vice versa.

There are different ways to dress, words to say or not say, manners to abide by, rituals to go through, and while a lot of it is made to ensure society runs smoothly, a lot of it is man made rubbish to protect the people who can’t handle change. Either that or they have a position of power and don’t want to lose it.

Some rules are necessary so we don’t have chaos. Imagine having no road rules. If everybody just drove where they wanted like shoppers walking in a busy mall we’d all end up with battered ball shaped cars.

Thou shall not kill is a rule but sometimes it happens without intent so we have rules about that too. When soldiers go to war we forget about the rule and encourage them to kill. Indeed we make sure they want to kill other Mother’s boys. Both sides say God is on their side. What is right? When someone does kill and we sentence them to death aren’t we committing the same crime when we execute them?

There are rules to protect the frail or innocent people in society. We don’t live in the “Minority Report” movie world but often the police can’t do anything until a crime against these people is committed. By then it can be too late so what can we do?

Thou shall not steal is obviously a good rule for anybody who has something worth stealing. For those who don’t have; it may be the only way to eat. But for most theft the punishment is wrong. If Fred steals your car and smashes it, he is put in jail. What happens to you? You haven’t got a car. Putting Fred in jail is no use to you. Fred should be made to pay for a new car and all expenses on the way to getting it.

If vandals burnt down a shop they should pay back the insurance company or shop owner for restoration.

Our prisons are overloaded with minor criminals and the most “freedom” loving country on the planet puts more of its citizens in jail than any other country. Something is wrong there.

How many of the rights your forefathers fought for are you willing to give up for so called “Security’? So much information about you is stored and available for anybody to use if they know where to look or have the right gadget or money for a bribe. Laws of privacy are being eroded every day.

How about victimless “crimes” like smoking marijuana? Does the government have a right to deprive liberty from someone who isn’t hurting anybody? We allow alcohol but only arrest a drunk when he becomes violent or a threat to others. I’ve never seen someone high on pot smashing someone’s face.

Does the government have any rights to tell you what you can do sexually with a consenting adult in private? If “public morals” are the guide line; we know what they are because of the internet. Sexy photos and movies are a massive market. Should the laws be changed to reflect reality?

We know that ‘speed cameras’ are used for revenue raising, not to protect the public. The facts support this. Yet we put up with the fines rather than band together to fight them. At times in various parts of the world, there have been no traffic cops or lights and the result was fewer accidents, safer road courtesy and better traffic flow.

By far the majority of people are law abiding and will take care of each other. We don’t need so many laws.

There are a lot of corrections to be made in our legal system. The need for so many laws has to be reexamined.

If you are thinking of a career in the legal profession or just want to make some changes, get active, because there is a lot to do.

Maybe you could bring up this topic at work or with friends to get their opinions or send a comment to the world via this site. Don’t listen to the ones who say “Forget it; you’ll never change the law”. It only takes one to start anything.

Are there any Legal people out there who would like to make a comment?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

IQTeens has opened and if you have anything constructive, naturally, to say, please tap on the keys.

Keep well and alert,

Jay Ross.

Hello again,
Evan Hadkin has made a couple of comments about matters
raised on IQAdult and while I had read some of his blog "Livingauthentically.org " I put off an in depth reading because of time constraints.
I wish I hadn't. It is well worth spending time there.
There are several valuable downloads and lots of other interesting blogs are mentioned.
Here is a piece from his blog.
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"You know those arguments where you feel you have been there before? Where you feel that you can predict what is going to be said next? As if the people were following a script?

At times like this we have often slipped into a role. One of the simplest ways of looking at these roles comes from analysing stage drama. In this analysis (and there are many others) there are three basic roles: persecutor, victim and rescuer. The dramatic element is the switching around of these roles.

Here’s an example to explain what I mean. Imagine a Western. The hero (rescuer) rides in to save the fair damsel (victim) from her evil uncle (persecutor) plotting to take her farm from her. Imagine the scene where the evil uncle (now victim) is held at gunpoint by the hero (now persecutor) and the fair damsel (now rescuer) pleads for her uncle’s life. The hero is distracted by the fair damsel allowing the evil uncle (now persecutor) to gain possession of the gun and hold at gunpoint both the hero and fair damsel (now both victim). At this point for there to be more drama a rescuer needs to be introduced (cue the cavalry).

These roles can be found in pretty much any dramatic work, a detective story, a comedy, science fiction or romance, the list is virtually endless.

Often in those moments where we feel that know what is going to happen next we have slipped into these kinds of roles. The challenge is to step outside of the role and this will be the topic of my next post.

This way of analysing relationships was developed by Stephen Karpman in the early days of Transactional Analysis. The best introduction to Transactional Analysis (and the best self-therapy book I know) is Born To Win by James and Jongeward. It includes a chapter on games.

To reflect on:

• Choose a situation that you don’t like and you feel like “I’ve been here before” or “I know what is going to be said next”.

• Look for the switch.

• Ask yourself who is playing what role.

• Ask yourself what is it that I get from playing this role. (It may confirm ideas you have about yourself and others).

Once again here is Evan's edress. "Livingauthentically.org ". Do read the "About us" section at the top left.

Loads of books and studies have been compiled about role playing. It's not surprising seeing it happens in every aspect of interpersonal contact. It's in the office, at the shop, within families, among lovers and with authority figures.

Knowing what role we are playing consciously or unconsciously is an insight into our character and motives behind our actions. Knowing yourself is the key to understanding others. If you realize you are taking the victim role or persecutor: ask yourself why. What do you want, or more importantly lack?

Do you lack courage or belief in yourself so you take the victim role? Do you feel angry and emotionally deprived, so you take the agressor role? Recognizing this is the beginning of understanding the most important person in your life - you.
If you are struggling mentally or emotionally; analyze the role you play.

If you can see the roles others are playing it may very well save you pain in the future or deepen a friendship. In any case it will make you more aware of how to treat situations by the role you consciously take rather than simply react to their role. This can be a valuable asset.
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So many people join chat forums and start their own blogs so it puzzles me why so few bother to comment on blogs that are already going.

Look at the blogs you visit and note how few comments there are. Did you know you can get a training and make your name on someone elses blog? Just have your say about the topic and make it more than one or two sentences. You can start a whole new section that will be yours if you want it.

We get things done in life by colaborating with each other. Say something to me and I'll publish it. I'll promote your blog if it is of value to my readers. I'll help if you are sell something. Get in touch. http://iqadult.blogspot.com
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IQTeens is up and running now so if you know a teenager or have raised young adults or have advice for teens ( other than "grow up!") get on board.

The free book for a sign-up is still available. So far I've only sent out six! It's all explained two blogs ago.

Learn something new today,
Jay Ross.

God or chemistry?

The original Hippies were embracing the essence of Christianity. “Make love, not war,” isn’t really different to “love thy enemy”. Instead of fighting the cops, it was good to give them a flower. This was Gandhi, Jesus, Mother Teresa, philosophy with a novel twist. The idea of today’s open source PC programs and freeware came from the same attitude.

When the ignorant pleasure seekers got in on the idea of unrestricted drug use and “make love” became “have sex” it was ruined. The ‘weekend hippies’ had a new participatory entertainment. The establishment, when they weren’t making money from it, (Hippy kits were being sold.) became frightened about the social revolution. The times were indeed a-changing. Something had to be done.

The real Hippies had moved out to the collective farms. So many of those who stayed, debased the original idea with sex, drugs, pounding heartbeat ‘music’ and gave Hedonism a new meaning.

But something else emerged; the psychedelic drugs that mimicked the effects of meditation. They gave many people a new and lasting awareness of their inner Self. It was spiritual without being religious in the common sense.

My question here is;

If chemicals like LSD, psilocybin and mescaline can awaken areas of the brain in such a way, what is the nature of the experience?

Are we and our thoughts merely products of chemistry?

Is what we call “Reality” only an outcome of what we ingest?

It’s not a new idea. But now it’s no longer only in the realm of philosophy or laboratory.

Alcohol changes our mood and even personality in many cases. Several natural drugs stimulate our pleasure centers. Genes carry traits and hereditary factors that not only control our bodies but also our minds.

Food substances have an effect for good or bad on our thinking and bodily functions.

Cannabis stimulates appetite and calm awareness with time slowdown.

We are dependent on water and food to live. We need these chemicals to survive.

Now look at techniques aimed at ‘enlightenment’ used in religions. The swirling of the Dervish, the constant beat of drums and dancing, chanting, are all designed to attain trance states that have surrendered the everyday ‘self’. This surrendering of the ‘self’ leaves you open to suggestion. You’ll now accept the ‘message’ whether it’s political or religious.

Modern day evangelists use group psychology and powerful emotional displays to persuade people to lose the ‘self’ in the group. The mass singing, grand buildings, repetitive mottos (Praise the Lord! – Allah is great, Hare Krishna, etc.), replace individual thought.

Ritual and robes give it authenticity and historic legitimacy too. All this is to make you open to suggestion.

Techniques of manipulating beliefs are many. The bad cop/good cop system still works and people have been subjected to so much pressure that they ‘confess’ to a crime they did not commit. But for more serious conversions, stripping the individual of ‘self’ is the first step. This can be in the form of torture, deprivation of sleep, food, hygiene, rights, status, etc. It’s a matter of creating a problem and then offering a solution.

Unfortunately the vast majority of people are too distracted by day to day living to see they are being manipulated. They are filled with sport, celebrity, mindless TV and earning a living. This is intentional.

If you thoroughly convince someone they are sinners and offer the solution to being redeemed, saved; it is the same technique as deprivation of self belief. If you put fear into the mind, increase suggestibility and offer a solution they will accept it. This fear could be of burning for eternity in hell (itself a construction), threats to security or lifestyle (personal, loved ones, home, homeland), or being rejected by peers for any reason (status, bad breath, fashion).

Repetition reinforces the instilled belief.

Religion and spirituality are different in so many ways. Were we taught when we were young and unable to question the information? This is why children born to adults of a particular faith become adults of that faith.

If American Christians grew up in Iran or India they’d be Moslem or Hindu.

Did we get the belief in a highly emotional state, after the death of a loved one, facing our own death or at a time of great stress, suggestibility?

If so, you can see that the belief was induced.

But then people have worshiped sun gods, tree gods, ancestors, snakes, spacemen, and devils with the firm belief that their religion was the only true religion. They have even died defending these beliefs.

So it is easy to instill a belief.

But there is another way that beliefs alter. The chemical way is faster and more permanent.

At this stage I must warn you that irresponsible use of drugs without preparation and experienced guidance could completely stuff up your life. You may end up in an asylum.

The purpose of this issue is to raise questions about the nature of our beliefs.

The fact that we are profoundly influenced by chemicals is incontestable.

The fact that some synthetic and natural substances can give rise to profound religious feelings and convictions must challenge the validity of such beliefs.

When a cherished, secure, ‘fight to the death’ belief can be altered by a chemical action I wonder at the worthiness of the original belief and the second, replacement belief.

The chemicals’ effects are also dependent on external stimuli. The same amount given to the same person under different settings and expectations will cause vastly different reactions.

The ‘bad trip’ can be set up or happen because of bad organization, environment or company. The spiritual or insightful voyage is the same, open to suggestion and influence. So what are we to trust?

There is no ‘outside reference’. How can there be?

Tryptamines (LSD, psilocybin, etc.) and phenethylamines (mescaline, etc.) seem to be a quick way to gain insight if directed properly. Mescaline has long been used by Mexican Indians for spiritual enlightenment. There is careful preparation and supervision during the experience.

Back in the sixties a properly planned trip included ‘ground control’ (an experienced guide who stayed ‘straight’) and a safe natural environment.

Meditation involves guidance and a lot of work on your self; always a difficult thing to do without instruction. But those who attain this profound state KNOW it is real.

Mario Beauregard of the University of Montreal put 15 nuns through functional magnetic resonance imaging ( continuous two minute brain scans) while they relived “intense union with God” experience.

He and others have found the prefrontal cortex, right anterior insula, parietal and temporal lobes and a few other minor spots are all involved in some way with profound spiritual states.

It’s not yet a simple case of stimulating these areas electrically or chemically. It is a complex arrangement but like the first aircraft; it will some day be possible. The psychedelic drugs have already shown us that. What does this say about spiritual and religious beliefs?

Curiously there are various views on this. One side says it shows there is no God, only brain functions; another says here is the door to a higher state of evolution and the nuns said that this is proof of how God speaks to us.

Have the Buddhists got something in saying this is all an illusion, a state we are trapped in?

An interesting article on these experiments can be found here http://www.sciam.com/search/index.cfm?q=searching+for+god+in+the+brain&submit.x=21&submit.y=7&submit=submit

I want to know what you think. iqadult@gmail.com or the comment button below.

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If you’d like notification of each issue of IQAdult just send your edress with “send IQAdult” in the subject line.

There’s a free book if you introduce a friend to IQAdult. See last weeks issue on meditation.

©. Jay Ross.

Meditation ummmm

Hello folks,

There is an important message at the end of this segment. But let's get on with the job.

Meditation has been mentioned a few times on this blog. Most people think of it as a quick way to relax during their hectic lifestyle. While it does fulfill this function, that is not real meditation.

If you practiced true meditation, you wouldn’t need to find ways to relax.

Yoga and meditation became widely known to the western world in the 1960s via the Hippy movement. Alternative religions and lifestyles came to be considered. The use of valuable psychotropic substances like LSD left the realm of psychiatry to enter the real world. And it was quickly discovered that they gave intimations of states of mind only fully available through deep meditation.

By that is meant, they opened the doors of perception to the real Self as opposed to the temporary ‘self’ that we think we are. The ‘self’ is something we have just like the physical body. The Self, with upper case S, is eternal and constant.

If you think meditating is sitting down with a whisky and letting uncontrolled thoughts rampage through your non-disciplined mind, you’ve been mislead. Concentration is essential to clear the muddy waters so you can see without the distortion.

The object is to concentrate awareness on a particular theme or subject so that you become part of it. In the process you lose your ‘self’ to the subject. You become mind-less, beyond words and ideas, and experience unrestrained Consciousness.

A Mantra http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantra is a sound that is repeated often to aid concentration. The favored sound for beginners is “Aum” or “Om”. It represents the eternal or ultimate and is also the sound this planet makes. Users of LSD in natural settings like beside forest streams or Rocky Mountain highs know the sound as a huge choir somewhere over the horizon.

This is by no means advocating illegal use of these substances. It is to understand the historical setting and it returns later in this article.

A mantra can be anything from your own name to the Deity you believe in or a concept like ‘love’. Whatever it is, you need to be guided through concentration first. It is useless to think that meditation is just a way to have a pleasant interlude letting the mind drift aimlessly. Go have a nap. It will do just as good.

The Mandala http://www.google.com.au/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-GB%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&q=mandala&meta=&btnG=Google+Search is a visual aid to do the same thing. You can combine them.

“Yoga” means ‘union’. Naturally the greatest desirable union would be with the Supreme Being; whatever you understand as that. So meditation is of use to all and any religion. It is of great help in understanding yourself, your motives, fears, passions, needs and mental or emotional conflicts because it surpasses them. They become insignificant in the light of the greater awareness.

There are so many techniques but all involve stilling the mind of thought so that you become empty. It’s not an easy task. The idea is to become, not think.

When you relax thoughts run through your head. You either don’t bother with some of them or dwell on some that you are concerned with, and let others carry you into interconnecting areas of total irrelevance. This has to stop.

All these thoughts have to be marshaled into a stream and let flow away from you. Sink below the stream where thoughts can’t enter. The mind must remain free of thought. You must get rid of brain and mind, to achieve a state of ‘essence’ of simply “being”.

You must take off your clothes to put on new clothes and so your mind must be empty to be filled with a new understanding.
This freeing of the mind is difficult for some people. They think they won’t have control and may do some psychological harm but it is exactly the opposite. The Christian Bible says to give your burden to Christ. The very act of letting go is healthy. That mental release flows to your physical body too.

You’ll find anguish disappears and some habits like over-eating (caused by a mental problem) taking the same path. As you continue, more changes will occur.

Surface benefits include sound sleep, less stress, greater self confidence, greater self respect, more understanding of, and therefore empathy with other people, a realization of wholeness and unity with life.

You will find that God is not some anthropomorphic bearded gentleman watching each of us from a throne in some mystical paradise. Only the briefest realization of the union of your Self and God/the universe/supreme consciousness/universal force/the eternal ‘IS’ will change you for the better.

You can tell if someone has been there. They are calm. They have a quiet knowing that sees where you are in your development. They also see what you can become. If you see this in a person, you are on the road too.

There are books galore about meditation techniques. You really don’t have to sit in an uncomfortable lotus position. Sit upright with a ‘straight’ spine. Breathe in deeply through the nose, filling the whole lungs, hold, and forcefully blow out through the mouth. Do this three times.

Concentrate on your single word mantra until you merge with it. Stay there in conscious no thought awareness.

It’s that simple and that difficult.

There are many variations in ways to meditate because there are many types of people. Many paths, one heaven.

If you want something thorough, two books by Mouni Sadhu are recommended – “Concentration” and “Meditation”.

There are many free courses around. Here is one you should investigate. http://meditation.org.au/

I’ll have to save that link to LSD ‘till next week.

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SUGAR and WELLBEING.

As consumers of roughly 160 pounds of sugar per person annually, according to recent reports, we need to be asking what the cost of our consumption is on our bodies and our health. Whether it's the sugar in what we eat or drink, and this includes the lattes, juices, sodas, and some alcoholic beverages-we owe it to ourselves to understand that sugar is making us fat and disrupting our body organs. Another more subtle but equally detrimental effect is sugar's action on the brain.

For many of us, sugar has an addictive pull that rivals cigarette smoking or heroin addiction. It may seem a bit outrageous to compare our sugar love affair to these drug addictions-I mean, doesn't just about everyone on the planet eat the stuff? Hasn't it been around-well, practically forever? If that's your brain talking, read on even if you don't have a weight challenge, because you'll add years to your life by becoming educated on the topic. And while it takes more than knowledge to change one's habits, the tragic truth is that most people never learn the facts or the solutions to food challenges they could otherwise overcome.

The first step to getting a handle on your sugar habit is to take a look at the science of sugar and its effect inside your body. But before we take a look at what happens when we eat this non-food called processed sugar, let's talk about the law of sugar, which many of you have experienced first hand.

What happens when we consume it? For most people, it sets off a craving for more sugar. This is the law of sugar in action. There are very few of us who haven't felt the urge for more cookies or chocolate, after just having one. I have met a few individuals who don't eat sweets at all and generally these folks fall into three categories. They've either gotten a handle on their sugar consumption and avoid it entirely or they never had an issue with it in the first place. Other people consume alcoholic beverages regularly and get their daily sugar from that source. It makes sense: most recovered alcoholics will tell you they discovered a significant sweet tooth after they got off the alcohol. That's because many alcoholic beverages already contain a high sugar content.

Now, why exactly does eating sugar trigger a strong desire for more sweets or calories? Eating sugar triggers the release of opiates in the brain. Opiates are chemicals which make you feel good. For anyone who isn't sure what opiates are, understand that they are the in the same class of drugs as heroin or morphine. Eating sugar will also begin a cycle of craving or compulsion for more of the same feeling that was caused by the release of the opiates. You may not "get high" the way you would with a powerful narcotic, but that doesn't mean it doesn't impact your mood or your brain.

Sugar consumption has been linked to challenges such as depression, CFS, ADD and ADHD, PMS, as well as overall poorer cognitive functioning. Most of us know about sugar's link to diabetes, but have you considered its possible connection to cancer as well? What if excessive sugar consumption was indirectly causing something as frightening as cancer? If it were possible, would you take the risk?

It's not surprising that we have such a terrible rise in obesity over the past twenty years when we have manufactured sugars like high fructose corn syrup being put into so much of our food. HFCS is literally manufactured in a laboratory to be much sweeter than natural sugar.

If you have ever heard the term "sugar blues," all you need to know is that your blood sugar and your health will rise and fall like the Roman Empire if you eat like a king when it comes to sugar. Sugar's effect inside our bloodstream is even more straightforward: when we eat or drink sugar our blood sugar goes up, our insulin goes up, and we throw that metabolic switch that says store body fat. Meanwhile, as we get fatter we continue to overtax the pancreas and develop insulin sensitivity, which leads into diabetes. The picture being painted is not so pretty, is it?

Here's something amazing: even thinking about a sweet food we love can trigger a chemical response in our brains to eat it. Essentially, the chemical response and memory trace which eating sugar creates inside our brains urges us to go back for more. Meanwhile, that false sense of comfort we achieved from eating our sweets keeps us returning to the source over and over again and we form the insidious habit of associating comfort with food.

This "comfort" food is anything but friendly to our health.

The truth is that most of us avoid thinking about the harm sugar or similarly damaging high-carbohydrate diets are causing to our bodies. We do this because of the pleasure it gives us. It's even more pronounced when we use it as a reward or as a release from our busy, stressed-out lives. Sugar does make us feel better for a brief while, perhaps. But nearly all of us have at one time or another experienced the downside that comes with the crash, even if we didn't know what was going on exactly inside of us to make us crash. The ultimate tragedy is that while we might acknowledge that we have a sugar challenge-some of us might even be self-proclaimed addicts-we also tend to feel powerless to do anything about it.

But we're not entirely powerless. If more people looked at sugar's opiate triggering power and treated it like an addiction, doesn't it stand to reason that they'd have a better chance at overcoming their sugar habit? Yes, ignorance is bliss. But this kind of ignorance is literally destroying our health and the health of our children.

Commit to yourself now that you will continue to educate yourself on both the problem and the solution. Books on sugar abound, so the good news is that there is an in-depth solution you can read up on further if you're serious about overcoming sugar addiction. If you're serious about kicking the habit, consider working with a naturopath or health coach. A great way to kick off your new resolve is to embark on a low-glycemic diet, especially if you can join a group that is doing it together.

Just be aware that if you take up the challenge, you'll have to step out of your comfort zone for awhile. For awhile, you'll miss it like an old friend who has moved away, but like anything else, you'll get used to it. And I promise you, once you experience the wonderful clarity of mind and feel the natural energy your body provides without sugar's artificial high, you will never want to go back.

Maria Calidonna is a weight management coach and writer who lives in Westchester County New York. She is married with five children and in training for the 2009 Track and Field World Master's Championships in Finland. You can visit Maria's product website at http://www.marketamerica.com/bodyandmind and order your Low Glycemic Transitions Weight Management Kit and other related health supplements and products. She also invites you to visit her weight management coaching blog at http://www.mariacalidonna.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maria_Bleasdale-calidonna

It’s nice to have somebody else write my issue this time. It won’t become a habit but with Christmas feasting coming up this is a timely reminder. When you look at those sweets remember what they can do to you, and your children.

All the best for the holiday season. Take this time to reflect on what you have achieved this year and plan for what you want to achieve in 2008.

Where do you want to be when 2009 is looming? This year can change your life.

All of us have some aspect of life we would like to change so take some quiet time to sort things through and write down goals.

Do it any way you want but make subheadings of actions you will take. Divide these into further do-able strategies.

Above all, be practical about your time scale and actually DO work toward your goals.

It may sound like a lot of thinking but planning is essential to goal achievement. If you only do some of them you’ll be better off.

NEWS. I’ve got an ebook out! It deals with a proven strategy to overcome psychological addictions like smoking, over-eating, gambling etc. It does deal with alcohol too but AA already uses part of this method.

I say “proven strategy” because it is just that. It does work.

Price is just $5.00. How many cigarettes or spins on the slots can you get for that?

Just email IQAdult@gmail.com and I’ll send details.

Visit or recommend IQChildren.blogspot.com to someone. The most recent issue is about the Santa lie.

Stay safe,
Jay Ross.

(c) Permission to republish these issues may only be an email away. Ask me.