Terry Lloyd's Blog, page 28

My Own Chariots of Fire.

Please stretch out, perhaps relax that back of yours and then get comfortable, because I am about to tell you of my own chariots of fire.

Some months back I experienced my first bout of sciatica. It is for those who do not know or who have not heard of it, an excruciating pain localised from the lower back, extending to the full leg and ending in the foot. Although my pain was in my right side, the left side or both, can be affected by sciatica. It is not the most lovely of experiences and can knock you sideways, quite literally!

What causes sciatica is generally a compression or inflammation of the large nerve that travels down from the lower spine and on through to the pelvic bone, buttocks, thigh, calf and foot. It can be debilitating but my second session of sciatica at the moment is no where as acute as the first. Also I have a good practical experience of how to deal with it and remedy the situation. However I must stress that it is paramount to have confirmation from a medically qualified authority, that if you are suffering back and leg nerve pain, it is actually sciatica. Once that has been established it is useful to know a lot can be done to reduce the severity and time of this most painful condition.

My first acute session of sciatica or my own chariots of fire as it has become latterly known is a somewhat personal but poignant story of perseverance. It is an age old tale of struggle, strain and serious conviction. If you can get over all that, then please carry on and read about my epic event.

The sunlight was streaming through the closed curtains illuminating my bedroom and once again the time to get up had come. On pulling back the bed clothes and moving to get up I felt a pain of extreme severity from my lower back. I managed to put my foot flat on the floor and stand, but again there was a sharp pain, of the type I had never experienced before. I started to lose my balance and grabbed the side table for support. Actually standing the horror of my predicament really frightened me, as walking is part of my health regime. I shuffled forward with my good leg, panting and sweating with the effort to open the bedroom door. I held the door frame of the door and tentatively stepped forward exploring how far my affected leg could stretch before the intense pain struck again. In the passage way swaying unsteadily I quickly felt for the wall to gain some support. Slowly I persevered, each step a gamble as to whether it would be painless or painful.

On reaching the living room I had the next shock of sitting down as it had suddenly become a very painful ordeal. After a short rest, I painfully stood up to proceed with my own chariots of fire. I kept on walking and gradually something miraculously began to happen. Each step was becoming easier and eventually by midday I was walking near enough normally.

Moving, and particularly walking despite being a painful ordeal, did help me to ease the stiffness caused by the sciatica. One tip to try is a gentle exercise that involves lifting your left leg and placing your right ankle on top of the left knee. Then keep this position for a moment. This helps to stretch the tiny piriformis muscle, which sometimes become inflamed and press against the sciatic nerve, causing pain. If you can attempt to do the same exercise with the other leg.

My joy was a little premature as the next morning the pain was back again exactly as it had been on the previous day. At least I had the knowledge that perseverance and walking was the way to combat the condition. Unfortunately I still had to experience the gradual progression from not walking because of pain to walking normally. The hobble and staggering gait, in my case, lasted a few days.

I hope the above is useful in giving an idea of what to expect, if affected, by this condition. In fact generally sciatica is not a life threatening condition although it can be a life altering one and extremely painful.

Modern Myths.

Modern myths can be illusive, frightening or even knowledge inducing. These myths, often thought up and absorbed by many minds, can get really get you thinking. If I was to ask you what would be in amongst your most favoured modern myths, I wonder what might spring to your mind?

One of my absolute favourite modern myths is actually one that has a relatively historic appeal, as I remember many a child in my family hearing about it. Have you heard the one about eating carrots and how this one action can correct your eyesight and even allow you to see in the dark? That may be going a little too far but as always there may be a modicum of fact, in the avidly told carrot conviction. Carrots do contain vitamin A and that is beneficial for the health of the eyes. However fresh fruit and dark green vegetables contain a wider spread of antioxidants and vitamin C, which is very good not only for eyesight but the whole function of the body’s processes.

Another supposed eating myth is eat an apple a day to keep the doctor away. This is not a bad idea but why not an orange? As that does contain a substantial amount of the daily recommended amount of per person vitamin C. Back to apples, they are known to aid with digestion and are rich in many beneficial nutrients, such as antioxidant phytonutrients flavonoids and polyphenolics.

If you feel that you might be in vampire slaying mood, the odd clove of garlic might do the job. Seriously though, garlic has a proven benefit to blood flow and warding off infection.

A strongly held myth for many, is that interfering with the level of cholesterol will prevent heart attacks or strokes. Arguably claims that this is the case are greatly inflated. Usually maintaining a healthy metabolism is the best way of ensuring good health.

Another misleading myth is eating fat will make you fat. Only in certain conditions is this true. In fact, fat by itself is neutral to storing fat. Storing fat needs a trigger and that is often caused by too much protein or carbohydrates consumed at the same time as the fat intake.

Certainly there is a lot to suggest that the potential of a good myth should never be ignored, this might especially be so, when it come to the opportunity to make some financial gain such as in that of the Lochness Monster or Big Foot. Of course as always, there is a chance of some truth that might lie behind the original sightings. Or perhaps you might feel happier with the notion that the eyes can play tricks on many, such as the canals seen on the planet Mars? Factual or not, myths are the stuff of oratory culture and national intrigue, establishing fun and fear throughout many a generation.

A Natural Reality.

A natural reality is, that one of the necessities in sustaining life, has long been that fight for survival. The natural and necessary fact of competition with other forms of life, and in some cases even with our own kind, is that only one percent of all creatures that have lived are alive today.

This type of reality of nature was highlighted by an incident involving a young boy and his father. They had a fish tank with several goldfish and some catfish. The father was very knowledgable about all types of wildlife and instructed the young boy on how to cultivate daphnia, which are tiny aquatic crustaceans. The young boy took an empty jam jar and stuffed it with dry grass, banana skin and potato peel, then pored warm water in to fill up the jar.

A suitable place in the garden was found that was shaded from direct sunlight but still in a position that enabled it to benefit from the warmth of the summer time. After a few days, the water in the jar had changed colour and the contents had a very pungent aroma. After some more time had passed the wonder of nature had taken place as the jam jar had become home to thousands of semi transparent daphnia, who have a very distinct way of moving in the water, by using two strong long hair like appendages to jerk through the water in staccato moves.

Some of the daphnia were poured into another container and then into the fish tank. It was at that moment the placid fish had a character transformation into piranha like eating machines, making incredibly short work of the cloud of daphnia. The young boy felt a twinge of guilt for making a home for life and then so quickly bringing about an end, for some of it. Of course in nature the life time of daphnia is comparatively short but that did little to ease the revulsion felt by the young boy.

Prey and predator are hard concepts to take on board. In later life, the former young boy found that even inadvertently treading on a snail caused distress and when it comes to spiders or other insects that invade the home, he went out of his way not to contribute to the boyhood exuberance that had led to his earlier, memorable life lesson.

Funnily enough necessity can be the mother of invention and the boy’s new found approach to sustaining wildlife taught him that all sorts of insects do not have to be crushed or squashed but can be removed by using a simple home made, humane bug catching device. A clear and no longer used plastic tub with a suitable sized card to slip over the entrance of the container became a masterful means to successfully but humanely eradicating many insects, as once the intruder has been captured, it could then released into the garden unharmed.

The human race is nought point nought one of all life but it is in the process of destroying most other living organisms. Life and death are all part of nature and that in turn depends on the environment, varying dominant life forms and what time frame is being looked at, but there is one consistent influence and that is, the need for a competitive edge to thrive and survive.

Happy Times.

What fun I thought, when set with the task, to contemplate the happy times of life. For me, I am not entirely sure which Christmas morning it was, but as a young boy about the age of eight the experience and the event had totally gripped me.

Although still dark, I woke with a start and realisation that all the tedious waiting was finally, over. Something was trapping the free movement of my legs and in fact all of my lower body was pinned by some strange force. On investigating, the whole of the bed was covered by numerous wrapped packets and some were quite heavy. I was eager to discover what they contained, yet I knew that desperate as I might have been, seeking some sort of indication or permission from my parents was the right thing to do.

Unfortunately at that moment there was a duo of snoring and it signified that my parents were deep in slumber. At first I intended to stay awake, until I closed my eyes, full of anticipation of opening my presents and sleep came calling. In some ways that before time, the brief seconds of anticipation, could be thought of as the most sublime part of receiving presents. The next thing I knew and I was roused by my mothers voice as she enquired, if I would like to open my presents. Would I? You bet I would.

Then something strange ensued. Probably very infuriating for my parents but instead of ripping the Christmas paper off of the presents, each one was approached with a meticulous inspection, and carefully the sellotape slowly released so as not to do too much damage to the wrapping paper. I had definitely shown my own interpretation of priorities to my family! In turn, the wrapping paper was neatly folded after the opening of each present and triumphant I felt, despite the slightly puzzled expressions on my parents’ faces.

A huge box revealed a slot together castle with draw bridge and turrets, but it was my mind that went wild. A set of mounted cavalry and infantry were next to appear. To complete the theme, I cherished a double barrel pirate’s pistol that fired exploding caps and a more modern detective multi shot weapon. On the transport side of things, there was a wooden wind up steam roller and a set of formula one racing cars, complete with rubber tyres that could be put on and taken off. To me, it had felt like I could have done anything and all because I was riding high on a tidal wave of exhilaration.

I might add that it was not even in the slightest bit funny for my parents that it was after all the adrenaline-fuelled excitement and opening of all my presents that the first item that I simply had to play with was the extremely large cardboard box, that the main toy, the castle came in.

Despite all the highs and lows for my parents in particular, I enjoyed that episode of opening presents. It does seem that sometimes the smallest, happy parts of life, can also be the most significant.

Worldly Moral Advice.

Given the opportunity, what piece of advice would I give to others?

Develop the habit of having an active moral view on everything that involves all peoples’ welfare. In practical terms, that means taking responsibility for when my actions fail and do not reach the target. The point is to use the failures as stepping stones for better choices in the future.

There are countless numbers of different world views and they all claim authority to encompass the
correct view of social behaviour. However moral decisions are personal and each time needs to be weighed by the consequences. Therefore it can not be prescribed.

Making good moral decisions is not easy, as there is the temptation to pass the responsibility on to
others and be swayed by the majority point of view.

Whether something is moral or not, can only be decided after a personal appraisal of the consequences. That is why some people with the same world view can come to different moral conclusions and that I believe is, healthy. It shows people are thinking about the consequences.

Often truth is introduced to enforce a certain world view. I am reminded of the thought that I can be true to myself but still act without good morals. What value is truth, if it causes moral harm?

The problem with truth is that it can be manipulated and interpreted in different ways.

In a similar vein, when making decisions it is all to easy to start off with a predisposed view without
considering that the foundations may not justify the conclusion. Being ready to say you do not know the answer should not be thought of as a sign of weakness.

In thinking about that important question on worldly moral advice, I can not help but think that striving to consider the welfare of others as well as yourself doesn't seem a bad way of living life.

Creative Pursuits.

The fun fact about keeping young is active thought and creativity. It is to that end that I came across a novel way of drawing characters, simply by using a few features that when collated together, form a reasonable picture. The great part is being personally involved in creating something and it does not have to be perfect. The lack of perfection one could say adds a touch of realism.

Another satisfying pastime, is creating shadow figures on the wall. It can be extremely effective and achieved with ease. Nothing is needed to create the most dazzling displays, except for a bit of ingenuity and any given light source that can cast a shadow. Once in front of a light source, just by doing hand manipulations and moving the fingers, these same ordinary actions resemble recognisable but extraordinary things.

Poetry is a field of endless creativity, that after a little effort, can be so rewarding. Expressing inner feelings or thoughts can be a release for the body and mind. The main thing to remember is what is produced does not need to fit a certain standard of excellence. It is the activity of utilising the neurons to stimulate natural replacement and of course keep the brain in good working order, that is important.

Using the imagination to build on fact and stimulate what could be, in terms of opportunity, is a great way of improving the natural ability to write in many different forms. Never be put off by negative input from other people. The list of outstanding achievers who at one time in their career have had damming criticism of their capabilities and yet have persevered to world fame is perpetually expanding.

Walking and swimming are fantastic healthy activities but sometimes it may be necessary to vary
the time or place due to environmental pressures. Even exercise can be adapted according to age
and capability. Take the action of the swimming stroke called the crawl, even standing performing
the arm and body action alone is a therapeutic exercise. Not actually always needing to be demonstrated in the water, there are many other everyday sports that can be varied to meet new needs. Afterwards, it can be helpful to cool down by slowly turning the head and neck from right to left, all exercise should be limited to being within safe bounds, and even implementing appropriate warm up and cool down stretches can stimulate an individual healthy mode of creativity in any routine.

Doing things, is the key to unlock the natural resources of both the mind and body. Creativity is a practical way of enjoying life and a rewarding way of refreshing what you may already do or what you could go on to do in the future.

The Journey.

I think that it is true enough to say that certain parts of life seem mundane, until through the passing of years, recollections can cast a new vibrancy over them. All of a sudden and those same previously all but easily accepted memories can be a pleasure to share with others. One such occurrence took place, many years ago.

A small boy and his mother were staying at his grandparent’s place, deep in the countryside. The day before, some friends had offered to take the small boy out for a ramble in the nearby fields. On returning the young boy was keen to show his mother all the delights of the previous trip.

It was just after midday and the sun beamed down. The mother enquired how far was this place? Not far, replied the eager boy, impatient to be off on his quest. They walked along the narrow winding lane and heard the constant sound of the birds chirping and calling. The minutes began to tick by as they crossed a bridge over a small stream. Then the little boy excitedly proclaimed that this was the start of the way.

The mother had a slight feeling of anxiety concerning how far the place actually was and would they lose their way in even trying to find it.

Once they had left the lane and crossed a field that clearly had been home for some cattle as there laid about scattered cow pats, haphazardly strewn across the field. Then, there were further fences and another field. The mother began to be more alarmed and asked if should they be walking there. The little boy insisted that they were almost there and to prove his point sprinted across a very narrow piece of wood bridging a deep gully filled with gurgling water. The mother had a problem, although frightened of crossing the narrow strip of wood, her fear of being separated from her son drove her on to join him on the other side.

There was a dense hedge and beyond a cluster of trees, but beyond that and in the centre was the goal of their journey. The area was in shade and carpeted by thousands of round spiky green balls. Some of them were split open and empty, others were split but still contained the brown and red horse chestnuts. Eagerly the young boy started collecting the horse chestnuts, until every pocket and inside his clothes, were stuffed to overflowing. The mother joined in the collecting and together they began the return journey.

This time navigating the slippery narrow wood was even more terrifying on the return journey but safely on the other side, the next daunting task began.

The mother was completely at a loss as to recall which field they had traversed and hopefully trailed behind the little boy’s lead. The young boy had set a brisk pace and the distance between them was increasing. A little alarmed the mother called out to slow down. The boy replied we have to keep moving before the light completely goes. Indeed shadows were already emerging, the Sun had dipped on the horizon and turned a dark orange.

Eventually they came to the more familiar lane and thankfully home. That night siting in front of the open fire some of the horse chestnuts were roasted and the whole room was filled with the aroma of hot horse chestnuts. Burnt fingers were a small price to pay for that delicious taste of daring and momentary childhood.

Even a simple stroll into the past can bring about all those feelings of a once lived moment, an experience of an everyday, that might have a new found significance.

Political Power.

Civilised living depends on those times when the opportunity to choose a worthy leader is presented. The very future of the world can turn on the character and capability of the selected power of each state. It is not just an individual country, but the entire world that in time of collective action requires that the political power or head of state has wisdom, integrity and a willingness to act for the benefit of all.

It is so sad that among many leaders the principals of diplomacy and cooperation are well understood however there is a significant number who steadfastly seemingly seek personal ambitions above human welfare. These Don Quixote like characters close their ears to educated advice in favour of reckless actions, usually because they deem it best to put themselves forward as the highest esteem.

How to sort the good from the bad can be quite simple, as these more self-led leaders follow a plan of misdirection and false accusation with the attempt to divert attention from their blatant failure to act in the appropriate manner. The leaders who fall into this undesirable category constantly find a target to accuse for all of their own failure and often have an inflated opinion of themselves.

There have been notable leaders who have striven to unite their country and represent the values of humane treatment for the greater good. Unfortunately their path has been often cut short by those who do not share their vision of unity.

The most dangerous path is that of peace. It is somewhat shocking to see the demise of recognised past leaders whose payment for a life of seeking internal and external peace is to be violently assassinated.

It is as the saying goes, evil prevails when good men remain silent. However, when the opportunity
arises everyone can do their bit, by striving to choose wisely, the proposed head of their own state and in that way do their best for today’s civilisation.

Revealing Facts.

One of the highlights from my school days was an allocated time whereby one was free to pick a book and read quietly. In amongst all the schedules and rules, the random instinctive choice and sense of authority over my own initiative, did fill me with a much longed for feeling of abandon from the conventional.

During one of these heady occasions, I had the good fortune to discover a series of introductory descriptions of various animals and their habitats. It was not until much later that I became fascinated at how there is a constant interaction between different species. Sometimes it is prey or predator or a mutual benefit such as humans, dogs and horses.

However there is a closer relationship, one that involved the early single cell life. Revealing facts kept me looking through books on biology and I focused on the cycle of one single cell swallowing another. Subsequently, the swallowed second cell survived and from then on forward, multi cell life bloomed. It got me thinking, as science can tend to do and set me on a path of wonder and intrigue. It is for example that you might be surprised to know, eight per cent of the human genome is made up of a certain type of viruses, of course that is not necessarily a bad thing. Certain viruses can play a significant role in the placentae of mothers and babies. There are a further group of viruses that hop between hosts that can be dormant or actively make copies of themselves in their new host.

My thirst for reading matter was not quenched at an early age and that regular slot set within the otherwise, for me mundane routine, got me hooked on not only the vast array of facts and literature that was out there but what I could choose to further my own knowledge. A mystery of historical importance, is why the Neanderthals did not become dominant in human evolution? Could it be that a combination of viruses and successful births that allowed homo sapiens to prevail? Of course viruses could affect Neanderthal mothers as well, so there might be another factor involved in an explanation of their demise.

Viruses are an important part of life and have a role to play in variation of life. The fact is these tiny blobs that have possible DNA manipulation can be good or bad for the hosts’ future. They have no agenda for what the actions may cause but once again revealing facts can provide a lot of power in knowledge.

The next bit of information may come as a shock, as humans typically could have anything from one to three hundred and forty or more in number of parasitic life forms co existing with them. Vertebrate animals are vulnerable to, from seventy five thousand to three hundred thousand, different species of helminths, and the number of parasitic microorganisms are uncountable.

An interesting historical anecdote is that the claimed educated grave robbers of Tutankhamun pyramid could very well have exposed themselves to virus infection, as these type of organisms have the ability to exist in a dormant state yet reactive themselves at a suitable time.

Are viruses life? Well not as we know it. However the virus has distinct variations in its form that are not found in any other type of cells. Life of all sorts are in a continuous struggle for survival. Sometimes it is in cooperation with other forms of life that revealing facts can hence be found and much more meaning can be applied to answers as and when they are needed.

Surviving Change.

Everything that exists is connected to change. It was quite a surprise for me for example, to learn vegetation has a genetic link to animal life and the earliest form of life itself is bacteria and viruses. It is quite possible even that early life came from inanimate substances. Over the length of earth’s history there has been vast explosions of various life forms and catastrophic annihilation of many forms of life. However the earth is an ideal home for natural selection of competing life. Of course this is over vast expanse of time.

The good news is, the human race should survive the present pandemic virus. From adversity
there can always be found a way of looking at things that reassures and gives insight that can positively comfort. One such view is Stoicism as founded by Zeno of Citium. He lived in Greece in the third century BC. This philosophy is based on the principle that one should accept the moment and not be controlled by the desire of pleasure or be in fear of pain. Use the mind to appreciate the world and the way of being, also utilise the proactive ability of working with others to be fair and just to all.

One modern day example of motivational and inspirational human endeavour, is one war veteran come pensioner who has raised millions of pounds with his sponsored walk for the NHS. It stirs others to aim, aspire and attain because one good deed can very much bring about another. At a time when so much could lead to loss, many businesses have turned to producing much needed respirators and masks, as well as personal protective equipment.

At this time of stress, it may cause a wry smile to acknowledge the news that certain peers of the UK are concerned that they may not get their three hundred and twenty three pounds a day stipend by remote attendance of the House of Lords. However as the theme of this blog is everything that exists is connected to change, who knows what the future may hold in terms of improved knowledge and how this can be applied for the positive benefit of lives everywhere.