#177 Inspiration : Perspiration ratio

     Doesn't work often feel as if we were shoveling a huge pile of sand from one place to another, and then right back again! A large proportion of our time seems to be spent doing more or less brainless drudgery - mostly perspiration, with little creativity or inspiration. We often think that we'd love to be more creative, more in control, less constrained!

     However, the other extreme, where one's work is entirely creative, with little or no structure, such as a mystery writer, could be equally if not more stressful. Authors often have to bring strict structure into their lives in order to create. Without the structure, they'd get nothing accomplished. We've all been there.

     So the old saying about work being 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration may actually be optimal. Often times, if one does one's work mindfully, even the most common, routine work will reveal subtle patterns that are interesting and perhaps inspire innovation. Such patterns are too easily missed by those whose primary occupation, sadly, is telling themselves how bored they are, how much they hate their jobs, and when they will retire.

     Sitting meditation is an amazing practice in that it trains one to transcend conventional boredom, to discover what the silence on the other side has to teach.

"Agassiz Ice" by Gordon Reeve, Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg http://www.winnipegarts.ca

#176 Ideas, Concepts, Limitations

     While sitting in meditation, but of course also at other times, we have the opportunity to observe our self-talk. Much of this mental chatter is judgmental - "I like this", "I don't like that", "This tastes delicious", "I hate that dress." This is our (reptilian) brain stem's approach-avoidance reflex at work - useful at the subconscious level, but tedious as far as conversations go.

     We also tell ourselves "I've always been good at sports", "I've never been good at spelling", "I can't eat mushrooms - they always give me indigestion", "I could never do that - I can't handle stress."

     If we heard someone else say these things about us, we'd be upset for being unfairly categorized into a box, a prison. We'd feel like a caricature, an exaggeration of our foibles. It would be a form of prejudice. Yet, we take such self-talk seriously. Can we question our life-long assumptions? Can we at least hold them more lightly?

     "Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're right."           Henry Ford

Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Winnipeg

#175 Promoting (vs postponing) Transformational Learning?

     “the closeness of death brought about an awakening and a disclosure of life and its value among the women (with breast cancer). Life suddenly becomes more beautiful, valuable and worth fighting for. The transformation of one’s life perspective seemed to encourage introspection, resulting in an increased awareness of personal needs and desires as well as of the meaning of life. But it also places greater demands on a person to make certain resolutions, accept greater responsibility for his/her life and to be true to oneself. The struggle to adopt a new and less limited life paradigm based on desires and values requires creativity, courage, and creative forces and could be seen as a sign of the person’s ability to live in health. Supportive relationships are of decisive importance in the individual’s struggle for a new life. When one’s previous life style and habits or lack of support prevented the realization of one’s new resolves, suffering resulted and the patient felt as if she was stuck in a rut. To be in the flood of renewed openness and awareness of existence truly challenges the person’s expansive and creative forces.

         Arman M, Rehnsfeldt A. Living with breast cancer - a challenge to expansive and creative forces. Eur J Cancer Care 2002; 11(4): 290-6.

Photo: Jan_N   www.dpreview.com

#174 Stuck? There IS a way out AND someone CAN help you!

     We've all seen overviews of individuals hopelessly lost, stuck in a maze. Because of our vantage point - the big picture - the way out or desired destination is clearly possible.

     It's sadly common for people to get stuck on life's journey. Many live 'lives of quiet desperation.' Yet there are far greater possibilities than Freud's neurosis or 'ordinary unhappiness'! Unfortunately, adhering dogmatically to ANY worldview - even "clever nihilism" - gives one a highly addictive sense of pseudo-control. Like all addictions, the control is fake, benefits short-lived, yet hard to outgrow.

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."                    Hamlet, William Shakespeare

     Isn't life all about taking turns being stuck in a maze and finding one's way out, then having learned the overview, the bigger picture, we can help others out? Sometimes we require the help of therapists to extricate ourselves from the maze. But therapists themselves may suffer from, and require outside help for, the very conditions they treat in others.

     "When we accept the possibility of all things, ... then all things become possible. Trust builds a bridge between the known and the unknown and then allows us to temporarily cross into the other world. Faith does not manifest itself as acceptance of some dogma; instead it involves a willingness to go past the current limits of our knowing. The new world (ie that yielded by transformation) may not be revealed or reached without surrender and faith.”

       Hart T. "From information to transformation. Education for the evolution of consciousness." Peter Lang Publishing, NY, 2009.

     SEE ALSO: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2012/03/87-approach-embrace-challenges.html
     AND: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2012/03/85-phoenix-process.html

#173 Wisdom - a realistic goal

     “Some strengths … are relatively less common among youth than adults: authenticity, open-mindedness, perspective, leadership, forgiveness, and spirituality. These strengths may simply require cognitive and emotional maturation in order to appear, but the relevant processes might be speeded along by deliberate intervention.

     Other character strengths … are relatively more common among youth than among adults: creativity, teamwork, hope, persistence, zest, and modesty. They seem to be eroded during the journey to adulthood, and perhaps these strengths are worthy targets for intervention, although the general strategy here would be to keep them from decreasing rather than building them from scratch.

     Rather than trusting to the passage of time and the occurrence of chance to produce a handful of wise people, our society should do all it can to make happiness, good character, and eventually wisdom a realistic legacy for all.”

         Ferrari M, Potworowski G, eds. “Teaching for Wisdom: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Fostering Wisdom.” Heidelberg: Springer. 2008. 

Photo: Bill Robinson   www.dpreview.com

#172 Adapt & Flourish ... or perish

     Our current situation globally is being described as an actual or imminent crisis. This is not CNN's 'newsentertainment' drivel, nor 'end of the world - repent!' ravings. A wide variety of intelligent, thoughtful, caring people are voicing an urgent call to profoundly shift human behavior. This of course depends entirely on an equally profound shift in each individual's consciousness.

        Ramo JC. "The Age of the Unthinkable. Why the New World Disorder Constantly Surprises Us and What We Can Do About It." Little Brown & Co, NY, 2009.

     There was a previous global crises of this magnitude - for dinosaurs, which had dominated the earth for 135 million years. Dinosaurs failed the challenge of adapting to changing environment - "Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event" 65.5 million years ago. (Wikipedia) 

     Humans are intelligent, but too often behave in stunningly foolish ways - hence the current crises. A very good example: the intelligence, ingenuity and hard collaborative work required to build the Titanic AND the hubris and bewildering foolishness to ignore massive icebergs. Great intelligence sabotaged by stunningly foolish behavior is the history of mankind. 
       Sternberg RJ et al. Teaching for wisdom: what matters is not just what students know, but how they use it. London Review of Education 2007; 5(2): 143-58.      

     It seems that humans must experience a "disorienting dilemma", even a total "shipwreck", before seriously considering a new way of thinking and acting - transforming. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Our current world view (framework for living) has to collapse - we have to hit rock bottom - before we wake up and consciously attempt to adapt to new realities.
     Fortunately, we have several bodies of literature documenting how humans CAN & DO FLOURISH under the most extreme circumstances. Not all humans adapt - some react dysfunctionally: pretend nothing's happening, become nihilistic, cynical etc. But those who can adapt, do so regardless of how challenging the circumstance. They learn, and literally transform themselves.

     Transformative learning - the process whereby individuals engage in critical reflection to develop new perspectives, skills, & behaviors:
      1) disorienting dilemma experienced - a life event causes the learner to pause & question underlying beliefs & assumptions
      2) critically reflect on the disorienting dilemma to expose the learner’s limitations & areas for improvement
      3) address these limitations by acquiring new knowledge, skills, or attitudes.
      4) become transformed - have fresh perspectives & powerful means for enacting improvement.

     Wittich CM et al. Perspective: Transformative learning: a framework using critical reflection to link the improvement competencies in graduate medical education. Acad Med 2010; 85(11): 1790-3.

Photo: Engberg   www.dpreview.com

#171 Adults Continue to Learn & Grow

     “the primary purpose of adult learning is transformative learning that leads to growth and empowerment”

     While we might see ourselves as being 'perfectly rational', we are in fact 'perfectly human' ie primarily motivated by emotions. 

     Left unchallenged, or not fully understood, our attitudes and beliefs are major barriers to appropriate decision-making and behavior.

        Matthew-Maich N et al. Transformative learning and research utilization in nursing practice: a missing link? Worldviews Evid Based Nurs 2010; 7(1): 25-35. 

“transformative learning is a process whereby individuals engage in critical reflection to develop new perspectives, skills, and behaviors.

the process begins with experiencing a disorienting dilemma, which is a life event that causes the learner to pause and question underlying beliefs and assumptions.

The next and perhaps the most important phase is critically reflecting on the disorienting dilemma to expose the learner’s limitations and areas for improvement.

The learner then addresses these limitations by acquiring new knowledge, skills, or attitudes.

Ultimately, these newly developed skills will transform the learner by providing him or her with fresh perspectives and powerful means for enacting improvement.” 

         Wittich CM et al. Perspective: Transformative learning: a framework using critical reflection to link the improvement competencies in graduate medical education. Acad Med 2010; 85(11): 1790-3.

Photo: David Boston   www.dpreview.com