Terry Lloyd's Blog, page 32
September 9, 2019
Mindfulness.
Interpretations can greatly influence the culminations and consequences of how different events turn out. Have you heard of Mindfulness? It is a method that focuses attention into how emotions and feelings affect, not just us, but other people. Analysing how and what you feel at the present moment is only the first part of mindfulness. Reducing the emotion attached to past events somewhat akin to Spock of Star Trek fame, does not make us less human, but more rational and better able to think clearly.
Mindfulness can integrate a useful thoughtful technique into the most everyday of circumstances. Take for instance this scenario, you are driving your car and you hear a car horn blaring behind you. What is your first reaction? If you think that you should keep calm and try to discover the reason for the horn blaring or even consider if you are the actual target of the horn blowing, that is using mindfulness in a constructive way.
Mindfulness should not be thought of as an individually, focused retreat far from interacting with all aspects of life, but as an opportunity to develop mental and physical skills.
One intriguing experience of applying mindfulness involved two young boys who were visiting a national monument and within the grounds were a couple of round, dug out circles, that were sunk below the surface of the ground by at least five or six foot. The two boys were discussing the idea of jumping down and exploring these giant recesses. Deep in the enjoyment of the pleasant sunshine and enjoying the curiosity of the moment, both were eager to take action and act on their original desire, when one of the boys stopped and demonstrated the most brilliant use of mindfulness. He took in his surroundings and the implications potentially of what their actions could do and this led to his asking a very important question, how after jumping into the deep recess, were they going to get out again?
Mindfulness has connections to the philosophies of Buddhism. Interestingly, it was only in the 1980s that it became known to the western world. Introduced widely by Jon Kabat-Zinn, it was primarily seen as an alternative and natural way to alleviate stress and illness. It is not a religion but encourages individual correct behaviour with obvious further ranging benefits for the whole of society. It is spiritual in the sense of developing better human relationships. It is enlightening by bringing about a better understanding of emotions and feelings within oneself and thinking about how they affect the interaction of the outside world.
The umbrella term of mindfulness covers all necessary processes for survival, such as breathing, relaxing, sleeping and eating. It strongly advocates the connection between the mind and body. There is overwhelming proof that the state of the mind has a direct influence on the welfare of the body and similarly the feelings of the body will reflect in the state of mind.
How people communicate, whether verbally or alternatively expressively, is an important area whereby mindfulness can play an integral part in helping to shape reactions in a most appropriate or beneficial way. It is all too easy to misinterpret a simple gesture or small look as aggressive when no harm was intended or to get wound up about potentially difficult scenarios, when a more calmer and deeper reflective process could lessen the emotional distress or eradicate the stress entirely.
In almost every conceptual practice it is imperative that you take and apply the parameters according to what you can practically and positively demonstrate. Mindfulness can be a truly exceptional approach to helping in unifying the mind and body. It can relatively easily train your thought process and encourage you to engage more with what you have in life and teach how to use, act or appreciate events accordingly.
Mindfulness can integrate a useful thoughtful technique into the most everyday of circumstances. Take for instance this scenario, you are driving your car and you hear a car horn blaring behind you. What is your first reaction? If you think that you should keep calm and try to discover the reason for the horn blaring or even consider if you are the actual target of the horn blowing, that is using mindfulness in a constructive way.
Mindfulness should not be thought of as an individually, focused retreat far from interacting with all aspects of life, but as an opportunity to develop mental and physical skills.
One intriguing experience of applying mindfulness involved two young boys who were visiting a national monument and within the grounds were a couple of round, dug out circles, that were sunk below the surface of the ground by at least five or six foot. The two boys were discussing the idea of jumping down and exploring these giant recesses. Deep in the enjoyment of the pleasant sunshine and enjoying the curiosity of the moment, both were eager to take action and act on their original desire, when one of the boys stopped and demonstrated the most brilliant use of mindfulness. He took in his surroundings and the implications potentially of what their actions could do and this led to his asking a very important question, how after jumping into the deep recess, were they going to get out again?
Mindfulness has connections to the philosophies of Buddhism. Interestingly, it was only in the 1980s that it became known to the western world. Introduced widely by Jon Kabat-Zinn, it was primarily seen as an alternative and natural way to alleviate stress and illness. It is not a religion but encourages individual correct behaviour with obvious further ranging benefits for the whole of society. It is spiritual in the sense of developing better human relationships. It is enlightening by bringing about a better understanding of emotions and feelings within oneself and thinking about how they affect the interaction of the outside world.
The umbrella term of mindfulness covers all necessary processes for survival, such as breathing, relaxing, sleeping and eating. It strongly advocates the connection between the mind and body. There is overwhelming proof that the state of the mind has a direct influence on the welfare of the body and similarly the feelings of the body will reflect in the state of mind.
How people communicate, whether verbally or alternatively expressively, is an important area whereby mindfulness can play an integral part in helping to shape reactions in a most appropriate or beneficial way. It is all too easy to misinterpret a simple gesture or small look as aggressive when no harm was intended or to get wound up about potentially difficult scenarios, when a more calmer and deeper reflective process could lessen the emotional distress or eradicate the stress entirely.
In almost every conceptual practice it is imperative that you take and apply the parameters according to what you can practically and positively demonstrate. Mindfulness can be a truly exceptional approach to helping in unifying the mind and body. It can relatively easily train your thought process and encourage you to engage more with what you have in life and teach how to use, act or appreciate events accordingly.
September 2, 2019
Fat Burning Facts.
The fat facts when applied to humans is particularly interesting as it relates to two massively dominating topics in many of today’s societies, health and obesity.
There are certain strongly held ideas on what makes people gain weight. Ironically these are the same ideas that can be seen to perpetuate the situation, if not actually, making it worse. Take the highly acknowledged concept of creating a deficit of calories in versus calories out. At first this principle sounds great, except go a little deeper and there are several problems with it. As a theory, over the long-term, it does not work as well as one might think. This is because the body will compensate for the lowering of calories by reducing the efficiency of how it works and potentially impinge on the muscles and bone tissue. It can be far better to keep to a fitness focused plan, whereby any calories are balanced out by a healthy amount of exercise. This body motivated move will ensure that you enhance your weight loss through encouraging the physical stimulation of muscle strengthening and fat management.
There are three main groups of food types and these are protein, fat and carbohydrates. You might be aware that early humans hunted and gathered food, so a typical diet would comprise of mainly protein, healthy fat and a tiny amount of, when in season, fruit. It is hard to believe the population would have been obese as the life time spans would have been short but strenuous. The shortness of life attributed to sudden dangers of the type of life being lived, such as survival risks, conflicts or animal attacks.
Contrast a modern human diet which might consist of a huge amount of carbohydrates, small amount of protein, and at times not all that much healthy fat. What could cause the body to stop burning and store fat? The smallest amount of carbohydrate could for four hours stop the body’s natural process of burning fat and store all food, including protein and fats within that time, as body fat.
It could be thought of as ironic that after eating certain carbohydrates, it does not take all that long to feel hungry again, as the body has no choice but to convert excess food into stored fat.
After sleep of eight hours the body is in a natural mode of fat burning until the first consumption
of carbohydrates, and that is either in solid or liquid formats. However a moderate amount of protein and healthy fat is not supposed to interrupt the mode of fat burning. The longer the period, whereby carbohydrates are not consumed, can be the optimum opportunity for the body to burn stored fat. It is important that the body has enough protein as it can promote muscle and healthy fat and satisfies the feeling of hunger.
The fat burning facts are useful to know, and apply in a healthy way, to desired weight management. It is not complicated or complex and there is thankfully not a vast number of rules to follow. Simply be aware of the process and healthy fat burning does not have to be difficult to accomplish.
There are certain strongly held ideas on what makes people gain weight. Ironically these are the same ideas that can be seen to perpetuate the situation, if not actually, making it worse. Take the highly acknowledged concept of creating a deficit of calories in versus calories out. At first this principle sounds great, except go a little deeper and there are several problems with it. As a theory, over the long-term, it does not work as well as one might think. This is because the body will compensate for the lowering of calories by reducing the efficiency of how it works and potentially impinge on the muscles and bone tissue. It can be far better to keep to a fitness focused plan, whereby any calories are balanced out by a healthy amount of exercise. This body motivated move will ensure that you enhance your weight loss through encouraging the physical stimulation of muscle strengthening and fat management.
There are three main groups of food types and these are protein, fat and carbohydrates. You might be aware that early humans hunted and gathered food, so a typical diet would comprise of mainly protein, healthy fat and a tiny amount of, when in season, fruit. It is hard to believe the population would have been obese as the life time spans would have been short but strenuous. The shortness of life attributed to sudden dangers of the type of life being lived, such as survival risks, conflicts or animal attacks.
Contrast a modern human diet which might consist of a huge amount of carbohydrates, small amount of protein, and at times not all that much healthy fat. What could cause the body to stop burning and store fat? The smallest amount of carbohydrate could for four hours stop the body’s natural process of burning fat and store all food, including protein and fats within that time, as body fat.
It could be thought of as ironic that after eating certain carbohydrates, it does not take all that long to feel hungry again, as the body has no choice but to convert excess food into stored fat.
After sleep of eight hours the body is in a natural mode of fat burning until the first consumption
of carbohydrates, and that is either in solid or liquid formats. However a moderate amount of protein and healthy fat is not supposed to interrupt the mode of fat burning. The longer the period, whereby carbohydrates are not consumed, can be the optimum opportunity for the body to burn stored fat. It is important that the body has enough protein as it can promote muscle and healthy fat and satisfies the feeling of hunger.
The fat burning facts are useful to know, and apply in a healthy way, to desired weight management. It is not complicated or complex and there is thankfully not a vast number of rules to follow. Simply be aware of the process and healthy fat burning does not have to be difficult to accomplish.
August 26, 2019
Memory Recall.
Among the many worries of every day living, age can for some take a bit of a toll and I confess to having heard the claim once or twice that the mental facilities are not what they used to be, or how one would ideally desire. It is quite easy, on deeper investigation or reflection, to convince oneself that the short-term memory cloud being experienced is in fact not that and is a situation whereby the individual is suffering from a brain fog! It sounds more serious, influences the memory, affects one’s feelings of orientation, clarity and even language. Undoubtedly, more often than not, when worries about the state of health are concerned the worst case scenario is usually the primarily accepted and worried about one. In this example the lack of alertness and feeling tired, even after a full eight hours sleep, must surely be the indication of something being wrong. It can be easy to convince oneself of a diagnosis and prognosis. Yes, the above symptoms of memory clouding or temporary forgetfulness might be alarming, but it is not necessarily brain fog.
The memory is a vast and astounding concept. One truly fascinating fact about it, is that that memory can be trained, gained and even stimulated at any age. The memory can improve or start to fade but age does not have to diminish the memory process. There is evidence to show that like a muscle, if the brain is not stretched or put to practice, then it can get slower.
There are tips that can help to stimulate memory recall. How about thinking about a particular process that has two or more critical words involved and no matter how hard you try, you may remember one without the other. After relaxing you are overjoyed at recalling the elusive word but to your dismay then you can not recall the first word. This is normal if you do not use memory cement that is associative, in creating attachments to the word for easy recall, you can mind map a way to train how you can best use your own memory. In a specific technique of memory management, the form used, is colour, size, number, action, association and supposition. Once you have your cemented word you remember by frequent recall of it, over extending time periods.
Take for instance trying to remember the names for the different modes of transport, but in specific details like the sides of a ship or plane. Imagine you are facing forward on the ship and close your eyes and notice a host of tiny green stars that are attaching to a board. That suggests the colour green and starboard. The board appears on the opposite side and transforms into a large bottle of red wine. That of course is port. Some of the port splashes down the side of the ship and turns into port holes. More wine hits the surface of the sea and appear as discarded plimsolls that form a line heal to toe around the side of the ship and of course this is the important plimsoll line to warn if the ship is overloaded. Now comes the personally relevant part. You already know if you are right or left handed and then dependent on this, associate green starboard as on the right and red port on the left.
If the things that you want to remember are not immediately associated or connected to things you already like, remember or repeat, you will forget it. The answer to this, is to approach memory recall, akin to a personal mental memory management. Do not worry about the capacity of the human memory, another brilliant fact is it is virtually limitless. So the more detail you amass, the stronger the memory cement will become. It is the mechanism of retrieval that has to be learnt and applied. It is important to make the techniques true to your process of thought, pick association tips that are most easy for you to think about easily. This will help you to improve your memory recall and potentially provide a lot of mindful motivation at the same time.
The memory is a vast and astounding concept. One truly fascinating fact about it, is that that memory can be trained, gained and even stimulated at any age. The memory can improve or start to fade but age does not have to diminish the memory process. There is evidence to show that like a muscle, if the brain is not stretched or put to practice, then it can get slower.
There are tips that can help to stimulate memory recall. How about thinking about a particular process that has two or more critical words involved and no matter how hard you try, you may remember one without the other. After relaxing you are overjoyed at recalling the elusive word but to your dismay then you can not recall the first word. This is normal if you do not use memory cement that is associative, in creating attachments to the word for easy recall, you can mind map a way to train how you can best use your own memory. In a specific technique of memory management, the form used, is colour, size, number, action, association and supposition. Once you have your cemented word you remember by frequent recall of it, over extending time periods.
Take for instance trying to remember the names for the different modes of transport, but in specific details like the sides of a ship or plane. Imagine you are facing forward on the ship and close your eyes and notice a host of tiny green stars that are attaching to a board. That suggests the colour green and starboard. The board appears on the opposite side and transforms into a large bottle of red wine. That of course is port. Some of the port splashes down the side of the ship and turns into port holes. More wine hits the surface of the sea and appear as discarded plimsolls that form a line heal to toe around the side of the ship and of course this is the important plimsoll line to warn if the ship is overloaded. Now comes the personally relevant part. You already know if you are right or left handed and then dependent on this, associate green starboard as on the right and red port on the left.
If the things that you want to remember are not immediately associated or connected to things you already like, remember or repeat, you will forget it. The answer to this, is to approach memory recall, akin to a personal mental memory management. Do not worry about the capacity of the human memory, another brilliant fact is it is virtually limitless. So the more detail you amass, the stronger the memory cement will become. It is the mechanism of retrieval that has to be learnt and applied. It is important to make the techniques true to your process of thought, pick association tips that are most easy for you to think about easily. This will help you to improve your memory recall and potentially provide a lot of mindful motivation at the same time.
August 19, 2019
Stress and Anxiety.
Dealing with stress and anxiety is an important part of keeping healthy. It may sound strange but being in a stressful environment might not always be apparent. Work, health, financial worries and relationship dilemmas are all areas where stress can increase or fluctuate.
Stress and anxiety can manifest in ways that actually influence your sense of wellness. However the experience has been perceived, the feeling that you are in a position out of your control can exhibit both physical and mental indicators. Stress can cause disturbed sleep patterns and nightmares that result in waking, heart-pounding and soaked in sweat, experiences. In this situation it is important to identify the cause of your anxiety and either remove yourself from that troubling environment in the best way that is possible or taking action to solve the situation so it no longer is a problem. Sometimes talking can be a stress reliever and as an option, in more extreme cases, it is useful to speak with responsible professional people who relatively quickly can teach pertinent methods of handling persistent stress.
Not to be taken lightly, mental health is as important as physical health and often these two significant categories can influence the wellbeing of each other. In many instances stress can be a symptom or even a pre-cursor for other mental health issues. It is important to deal with stress and anxiety as rapidly as possible, because both have been known to directly affect a wide range of overt physical areas, ranging from heart health, skin conditions to even weight gain or loss.
A panic attack is no laughing matter and although not a heart attack, this condition will often involve the same first symptoms. If there is no pre-history of panic attacks it is advisable to get medical help as soon as possible. However if you are sure you are suffering a panic attack it can be rectified or at least greatly alleviated by breathing into a paper bag until once again you are feeling calm. A remedy for when one is feeling, heightened pressure and a little sick, is breathing exercises. Simple though it might sound, one of the most powerful controllers that you have at your disposal, is your ability to moderate this physical activity. There is a cure focused on breathing which works by adjusting your breathing technique, it helps by asking you to breathe out for longer than you breathe in, this will naturally slow down your breathing and calm you.
When it comes to the stress of being in a thunderstorm there is a practical way of allaying the fear. First off, ask yourself what you are really frightened about? Establishing a fear can sometimes help to rationalise it. Then try to think of scientific facts relevant to the fear, such as there is a very small chance of being struck by a lightning bolt, as the sound of thunder travels slower than the lightning itself. If you are indoors then the lightening factor is extremely low as potentially harming, the chance of being struck by lightning in the UK is one in three million. If you are outside, there are again, a few useful science based suggestions that can help to reassure or physically increase your safety. These tips include, stay away from water, do not go near large metal objects and avoid tall trees as lightning is attracted to built up or high objects. The time counted between the flash of lightning and thunder will indicate the position of the storm. If the time is getting greater, then the storm is moving away.
Another way of dealing with stress and anxiety is to deliberately find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed and sit down close your eyes relax and create monotony in the mind by repeating the same word over and over. It is quite likely if you are relaxed enough, to drop off to sleep for a short time. It is not important what the word is, as it is the technique that does the job of relaxing the mind into a calmer state. As one solitary word is being repeated, there is a less likely chance of the calmer condition of the mind being disturbed by other distractions or random thoughts.
Simply living life can involve many strains and stresses but it is up to you to separate the minor from the major and deal with these influencers as swiftly as is possible. It is encouraging to observe that there is a better understanding about this subject and that there are an increasing number of available relaxing techniques such as meditation and mindfulness that can make a real difference to people’s lives. The ability to de-stress is both mentally and physically helpful. The approach that you take to reduce and eradicate these influencers from your life can halt later, more wide reaching health problems or even basically help to improve your own wellbeing and enjoyment of life.
Stress and anxiety can manifest in ways that actually influence your sense of wellness. However the experience has been perceived, the feeling that you are in a position out of your control can exhibit both physical and mental indicators. Stress can cause disturbed sleep patterns and nightmares that result in waking, heart-pounding and soaked in sweat, experiences. In this situation it is important to identify the cause of your anxiety and either remove yourself from that troubling environment in the best way that is possible or taking action to solve the situation so it no longer is a problem. Sometimes talking can be a stress reliever and as an option, in more extreme cases, it is useful to speak with responsible professional people who relatively quickly can teach pertinent methods of handling persistent stress.
Not to be taken lightly, mental health is as important as physical health and often these two significant categories can influence the wellbeing of each other. In many instances stress can be a symptom or even a pre-cursor for other mental health issues. It is important to deal with stress and anxiety as rapidly as possible, because both have been known to directly affect a wide range of overt physical areas, ranging from heart health, skin conditions to even weight gain or loss.
A panic attack is no laughing matter and although not a heart attack, this condition will often involve the same first symptoms. If there is no pre-history of panic attacks it is advisable to get medical help as soon as possible. However if you are sure you are suffering a panic attack it can be rectified or at least greatly alleviated by breathing into a paper bag until once again you are feeling calm. A remedy for when one is feeling, heightened pressure and a little sick, is breathing exercises. Simple though it might sound, one of the most powerful controllers that you have at your disposal, is your ability to moderate this physical activity. There is a cure focused on breathing which works by adjusting your breathing technique, it helps by asking you to breathe out for longer than you breathe in, this will naturally slow down your breathing and calm you.
When it comes to the stress of being in a thunderstorm there is a practical way of allaying the fear. First off, ask yourself what you are really frightened about? Establishing a fear can sometimes help to rationalise it. Then try to think of scientific facts relevant to the fear, such as there is a very small chance of being struck by a lightning bolt, as the sound of thunder travels slower than the lightning itself. If you are indoors then the lightening factor is extremely low as potentially harming, the chance of being struck by lightning in the UK is one in three million. If you are outside, there are again, a few useful science based suggestions that can help to reassure or physically increase your safety. These tips include, stay away from water, do not go near large metal objects and avoid tall trees as lightning is attracted to built up or high objects. The time counted between the flash of lightning and thunder will indicate the position of the storm. If the time is getting greater, then the storm is moving away.
Another way of dealing with stress and anxiety is to deliberately find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed and sit down close your eyes relax and create monotony in the mind by repeating the same word over and over. It is quite likely if you are relaxed enough, to drop off to sleep for a short time. It is not important what the word is, as it is the technique that does the job of relaxing the mind into a calmer state. As one solitary word is being repeated, there is a less likely chance of the calmer condition of the mind being disturbed by other distractions or random thoughts.
Simply living life can involve many strains and stresses but it is up to you to separate the minor from the major and deal with these influencers as swiftly as is possible. It is encouraging to observe that there is a better understanding about this subject and that there are an increasing number of available relaxing techniques such as meditation and mindfulness that can make a real difference to people’s lives. The ability to de-stress is both mentally and physically helpful. The approach that you take to reduce and eradicate these influencers from your life can halt later, more wide reaching health problems or even basically help to improve your own wellbeing and enjoyment of life.
August 12, 2019
Morality.
Part of mankind’s success as a species is attributed to the ability of being able to cooperate, and over time, evolve civilisations. These social constructs have been, for the majority, established whilst respecting civil laws and consciously being aware of the constant moral question of good and bad or right and wrong.
It is that historically, for over twelve thousand years Mesopotamia in the middle east, China and other specific geographical locations there was the capacity to develop a collective form of expressing the qualities that are related to morality. The names of the earliest ancient people to expound this knowledge may be lost in terms of etymology but later notable figures on this subject come to mind such as Confucius, who lived about two thousand seven hundred yeas ago and Lao Tzu, who lived just before Confucius. They have left as a prosperous legacy, many words of wisdom concerning moral ethics. A wise sage said morality is like a plant bulb in the dark, it needs the light of understanding to see it fully bloom.
Socrates, Plato and Aristotle noted founders of western philosophy, who lived about two thousand five hundred years ago, contributed to how people viewed the world. Aristotle wrote of the ethics that arose from every day living. In all of these examples one can clearly see how the everyday is used as a basis for principled and evolutionary thinking.
Aesop is an interesting character as his fables are a fantastic world depicting the varying morality choices that there often are in life. Many of the stories can be used as a teaching tool and highlight conflicting actions which ultimately shows in the outcome that with hindsight the superior moral choice could have led to a better result. Aesop was believed to have been born about two thousand six hundred and forty years ago, in Greece. At one time he was a slave who was given his freedom for his intellect and wisdom. However akin to a predicament straight out of one of his fables, he was entrusted to decide upon a disputed question, of which his role angered some of the parties who threw him off a cliff to his death.
Many people have chosen stories, as a way of drawing attention to moral concepts such as helping
others in a time of need, regardless of who and where they come from in life. These stories are timeless and appear in a great many different cultures.
David Hume (1711 – 1776) a Sottish philosopher put forward the notion that morals’ true worth
would reflect there consequences in pleasing results rather than having any religious influence. This thought process, now and then, is hotly disputed.
Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) a German philosopher was of a mind that men of reason would come to a collective conclusion regarding the meaning of morality. This, he termed as a categorical imperative, that would define a course of the best action.
Bertrand Russell (18 May 1872 - 2 February 1970) a British philosopher and Nobel laureate, expressed part of his theory about ethics as being utilitarianism, which is a proposition of actions that enable a state of happiness and wellbeing for the majority of a population.
A set of laws in themselves can not cover all the applied range of moral situations, in fact throughout history laws have not always been enacted for the most transparent reasons and immoral activity such as slavery or mass rape as a reward for military victory have been known to have occurred. At the present time institutions that claim the highest moral standards regularly condone inhuman acts on their fellow human beings.
Deciding what is moral, I believe is a personal decision and will depend on the current set of circumstances. To tell a lie is wrong but to tell the truth could result in someone's death. Morality is not always a sweeping rule that can dictate all particularities and there are times when it has to come down to an individual decision and a plight to do what the conscience determines as right.
It is that historically, for over twelve thousand years Mesopotamia in the middle east, China and other specific geographical locations there was the capacity to develop a collective form of expressing the qualities that are related to morality. The names of the earliest ancient people to expound this knowledge may be lost in terms of etymology but later notable figures on this subject come to mind such as Confucius, who lived about two thousand seven hundred yeas ago and Lao Tzu, who lived just before Confucius. They have left as a prosperous legacy, many words of wisdom concerning moral ethics. A wise sage said morality is like a plant bulb in the dark, it needs the light of understanding to see it fully bloom.
Socrates, Plato and Aristotle noted founders of western philosophy, who lived about two thousand five hundred years ago, contributed to how people viewed the world. Aristotle wrote of the ethics that arose from every day living. In all of these examples one can clearly see how the everyday is used as a basis for principled and evolutionary thinking.
Aesop is an interesting character as his fables are a fantastic world depicting the varying morality choices that there often are in life. Many of the stories can be used as a teaching tool and highlight conflicting actions which ultimately shows in the outcome that with hindsight the superior moral choice could have led to a better result. Aesop was believed to have been born about two thousand six hundred and forty years ago, in Greece. At one time he was a slave who was given his freedom for his intellect and wisdom. However akin to a predicament straight out of one of his fables, he was entrusted to decide upon a disputed question, of which his role angered some of the parties who threw him off a cliff to his death.
Many people have chosen stories, as a way of drawing attention to moral concepts such as helping
others in a time of need, regardless of who and where they come from in life. These stories are timeless and appear in a great many different cultures.
David Hume (1711 – 1776) a Sottish philosopher put forward the notion that morals’ true worth
would reflect there consequences in pleasing results rather than having any religious influence. This thought process, now and then, is hotly disputed.
Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) a German philosopher was of a mind that men of reason would come to a collective conclusion regarding the meaning of morality. This, he termed as a categorical imperative, that would define a course of the best action.
Bertrand Russell (18 May 1872 - 2 February 1970) a British philosopher and Nobel laureate, expressed part of his theory about ethics as being utilitarianism, which is a proposition of actions that enable a state of happiness and wellbeing for the majority of a population.
A set of laws in themselves can not cover all the applied range of moral situations, in fact throughout history laws have not always been enacted for the most transparent reasons and immoral activity such as slavery or mass rape as a reward for military victory have been known to have occurred. At the present time institutions that claim the highest moral standards regularly condone inhuman acts on their fellow human beings.
Deciding what is moral, I believe is a personal decision and will depend on the current set of circumstances. To tell a lie is wrong but to tell the truth could result in someone's death. Morality is not always a sweeping rule that can dictate all particularities and there are times when it has to come down to an individual decision and a plight to do what the conscience determines as right.
August 5, 2019
Intriguing Incidents.
In this modern age travel is made all that more possible and journeys of considerable distance do not cause, any out of the ordinary, interest. However, what if I was to tell you about a particular trip, one that was far from ordinary and that as an experience was to become totally mind-blowing.
In 1955 a passenger plane took off from New York bound for Florida. It never arrived. There was great consternation when it failed to reach the destination and more concern as no trace could be found of it anywhere. There was nothing that could explain its whereabouts. Fast forward thirty seven years and it was then that a flight controller was puzzled when he received a lost pilot’srequest for landing. In a plane that looked exactly alike to that of the missing 1955 model, a pilot landed, and began to converse with the air control. The lost plane had landed in Caracas, Venezuela, two thousand kilometers further on than its planned destination of Florida. The news that the year was now 1992 seemed to spook the pilot, who on hearing this, took off from the airport and disappeared into the skies. Evidence of it having landed at the airport could be found in that of the conversation had with air control and in a 1950s diary which had fallen from the plane. Other than the evidence left at the airport, there has been no further contact with the lost plane.
Among the many reports of abandoned sea vessels, the classic Mary Celeste is centre stage for an unfathomable mystery. The year was 1872 and a small sailing vessel was discovered with no crew
or passengers. It was fully stocked with food and water, apart from being a little wet inside, there
was no clue as to explain what could have caused the crew and passengers to disappear.
The eilean mor lighthouse situated on an island off the north west of Scotland was about to receive a new lighthouse keeper being carried in on a small boat. As they approached they got the surprise of their life on discovering that all three lighthouse keepers had completely disappeared. The date was the 26th of December 1900. The last entry of the lighthouse log mentioned a violent storm which was strange as there had been no meteorologically predicted or known of storm at that time. People found it very hard to solve the mystery but a possible theory maybe that two of the lighthouse keepers had been fined for not properly storing lighthouse equipment and this may have driven them to venture out in stormy weather where they may have been washed out to sea by a large wave. The third lighthouse keeper may have been concerned for their safety and he too could have been washed out to sea, evidence of this could be suggested in that of the missing oilskins, of which only one could be found at the lighthouse.
A different but rather bazaar occurrence involved a very successful gentlemen who had the Midas touch with investing on the stock exchange. His continued success caused the authorities to arrest him for what they considered to be illegal insider dealings. He proclaimed his innocence and stated as explanation that he was a time traveller. Although pressed, hard to reveal the method used for the ability to time travel, he steadfastly refused to disclose the secret of time travel. A sum of one million dollars was set for his bail and this was paid by another, an unknown figure, this action secured the release of the self-proclaimed time traveller. Subsequently, of course the time traveller did not turn up for his trial, and one can only guess at what happened to him instead?
Strange or seriously confusing, incidents that cause mystery or disbelief, can be confounding but there is certainly a lot of intrigue felt as a result. If there is one thing that can be gained as definite from all these accounts, it is that life can be full of surprises.
In 1955 a passenger plane took off from New York bound for Florida. It never arrived. There was great consternation when it failed to reach the destination and more concern as no trace could be found of it anywhere. There was nothing that could explain its whereabouts. Fast forward thirty seven years and it was then that a flight controller was puzzled when he received a lost pilot’srequest for landing. In a plane that looked exactly alike to that of the missing 1955 model, a pilot landed, and began to converse with the air control. The lost plane had landed in Caracas, Venezuela, two thousand kilometers further on than its planned destination of Florida. The news that the year was now 1992 seemed to spook the pilot, who on hearing this, took off from the airport and disappeared into the skies. Evidence of it having landed at the airport could be found in that of the conversation had with air control and in a 1950s diary which had fallen from the plane. Other than the evidence left at the airport, there has been no further contact with the lost plane.
Among the many reports of abandoned sea vessels, the classic Mary Celeste is centre stage for an unfathomable mystery. The year was 1872 and a small sailing vessel was discovered with no crew
or passengers. It was fully stocked with food and water, apart from being a little wet inside, there
was no clue as to explain what could have caused the crew and passengers to disappear.
The eilean mor lighthouse situated on an island off the north west of Scotland was about to receive a new lighthouse keeper being carried in on a small boat. As they approached they got the surprise of their life on discovering that all three lighthouse keepers had completely disappeared. The date was the 26th of December 1900. The last entry of the lighthouse log mentioned a violent storm which was strange as there had been no meteorologically predicted or known of storm at that time. People found it very hard to solve the mystery but a possible theory maybe that two of the lighthouse keepers had been fined for not properly storing lighthouse equipment and this may have driven them to venture out in stormy weather where they may have been washed out to sea by a large wave. The third lighthouse keeper may have been concerned for their safety and he too could have been washed out to sea, evidence of this could be suggested in that of the missing oilskins, of which only one could be found at the lighthouse.
A different but rather bazaar occurrence involved a very successful gentlemen who had the Midas touch with investing on the stock exchange. His continued success caused the authorities to arrest him for what they considered to be illegal insider dealings. He proclaimed his innocence and stated as explanation that he was a time traveller. Although pressed, hard to reveal the method used for the ability to time travel, he steadfastly refused to disclose the secret of time travel. A sum of one million dollars was set for his bail and this was paid by another, an unknown figure, this action secured the release of the self-proclaimed time traveller. Subsequently, of course the time traveller did not turn up for his trial, and one can only guess at what happened to him instead?
Strange or seriously confusing, incidents that cause mystery or disbelief, can be confounding but there is certainly a lot of intrigue felt as a result. If there is one thing that can be gained as definite from all these accounts, it is that life can be full of surprises.
July 29, 2019
Ageing Process.
It is quite remarkable, how the length of life, can naturally vary and this is not just in individuals but true for generational scales. Within my lifetime, I have seen the vast improvements in preventing child death through certain immunisations and for many age ranges there has been better treatment for specific lung and vascular conditions.
It is not always that prospect of passing that is so daunting but the progressive deterioration of the quality of life that, for many, lacks appeal. If simple every day tasks become troublesome and slowly human dignity is lost, that can be of significant concern.
Today is a golden age of invention, and there is a realisation that the effects of ageing, is a process that can often be reversed. Scientifically speaking, all living cells have DNA and within them genes that enzymes can switch on and off. Over time there becomes a difference and that difference is ageing.
What if, within an instant, old cells could receive instructions that turn them into behaving as new cells. The results could be debilitating conditions are eradicated and life could be a pleasure once more. The technology to do this in humans is profound and a reality, it can be found in the form of a molecule that does induce the old cells to act as new. However the elixir of extended life has not quite been solved just yet as at the moment there is a physical limit to the number of times cells can renew themselves. Even new cells go though a cycle of renewal but how to extend the length of time between each cycle is surely the next goal for immortality.
People’s ideal idea of age in all probability has to be focused on longevity and quality of life, as these responses to the subject of ageing, can go hand in hand. One would not feel justified in proposing one without the other because quantity and quality are both significant considerations. Ageing is a blessing, but doing it with the most healthy outlook can have a real influence on how you feel and look. Feeling happy and ensuring that you have a fit mental attitude can have an affect on physical stamina and even encourage healthy, fulfilling or life enhancing choices. While immortality might not yet be an option, the body however has a vast capacity for self-repair and that is even without that much acclaimed rejuvenating molecule.
It is not always that prospect of passing that is so daunting but the progressive deterioration of the quality of life that, for many, lacks appeal. If simple every day tasks become troublesome and slowly human dignity is lost, that can be of significant concern.
Today is a golden age of invention, and there is a realisation that the effects of ageing, is a process that can often be reversed. Scientifically speaking, all living cells have DNA and within them genes that enzymes can switch on and off. Over time there becomes a difference and that difference is ageing.
What if, within an instant, old cells could receive instructions that turn them into behaving as new cells. The results could be debilitating conditions are eradicated and life could be a pleasure once more. The technology to do this in humans is profound and a reality, it can be found in the form of a molecule that does induce the old cells to act as new. However the elixir of extended life has not quite been solved just yet as at the moment there is a physical limit to the number of times cells can renew themselves. Even new cells go though a cycle of renewal but how to extend the length of time between each cycle is surely the next goal for immortality.
People’s ideal idea of age in all probability has to be focused on longevity and quality of life, as these responses to the subject of ageing, can go hand in hand. One would not feel justified in proposing one without the other because quantity and quality are both significant considerations. Ageing is a blessing, but doing it with the most healthy outlook can have a real influence on how you feel and look. Feeling happy and ensuring that you have a fit mental attitude can have an affect on physical stamina and even encourage healthy, fulfilling or life enhancing choices. While immortality might not yet be an option, the body however has a vast capacity for self-repair and that is even without that much acclaimed rejuvenating molecule.
July 22, 2019
Sciatica.
Some things in life are inevitable, there will be ups and downs and bad backs! I know I am being extremely specific in the last example but anyone who has suffered with this painful and potentially debilitating condition will know, a bad back can be quite a monumental experience with which to manoeuvrer, quite literally, oneself through.
It has been estimated that between ten and forty per cent of people will experience a sciatica attack. What is sciatica? Historically sciatica has been an acknowledged medical problem for quite some time and since the fifteenth century. It is today a recognised medical condition, and has been known to be seen in more men than women and in those of an age range from forties to fifties. It is associated with pain going along and down from the lower back, this pain may go down the back, outside, or front of the leg. Onset can often be sudden and following activities like heavy lifting, though gradual onset may also occur. The pain itself is often described as shooting and symptoms can typically be described as being experienced only on one side of the body. Certain causes, however, may result in pain being felt on both sides.
Experiences can provide reassurance and tips about improvement for others in a similar situation. As sciatica does seem to affect so many people, I have put together my own personal experience for anyone who has been through this kind of back ordeal or for others yet to experience a relatively mild or more serious period of sciatica, these are the facts and the truths as I have endured them.
There is a large range of effects and causes of sciatica and not everybody will suffer an attack but although painful, over time and with perseverance for many people, the problem will start to become less and less constricting.
The sciatica nerve runs from the lower back through the buttocks, thigh, upper and lower leg in to the foot. As mentioned above, usually only one side of the body is affected by some form of pressure on the nerve. Certain positions of sitting and bending the leg will cause sharp pain. In a mild case the sufferer can experiment different ways of movement and gradually regain the ability to walk which is, within reason, a good stimulation to regain full normal mobility.
Gentle rubbing in of a muscle ointment to the sore area can reduce distress and prepare one for physical movement. While remaining in one position might seem as if it is doing good, as the back is not setting off those painful signals, actually moving about gently can start to help healing. The process of moving about can seem most difficult in the mornings when even getting out of bed can be a gigantic task that one fears. Hold on in there, well not in the bed obviously, but in mental stamina means. When on these occasions walking can appear at first impossible, as you start to encourage gentle movement, the back can often start to feel the more supple and better for it. The getting back to walking properly, or as well as you are used to, may take several days but each day the pain and restriction will become less.
Ginger is extremely potent in helping to ease off the pain and discomfort of a sciatic nerve attack, and it can even aid in the healing process. Mild sciatica can be relived at home but if the symptoms persist or there is no improvement it is vital to seek proper qualified assistance. There are many exercises that range from small to more strenuous depending on your sciatica severity but in all of the forms the intention is to stretch the body and to facilitate recovery.
Often what caused the sciatica attack in the first place may not be known but knowing that a mild
attack can subside after a few days or even weeks can in itself be a great relief.
It has been estimated that between ten and forty per cent of people will experience a sciatica attack. What is sciatica? Historically sciatica has been an acknowledged medical problem for quite some time and since the fifteenth century. It is today a recognised medical condition, and has been known to be seen in more men than women and in those of an age range from forties to fifties. It is associated with pain going along and down from the lower back, this pain may go down the back, outside, or front of the leg. Onset can often be sudden and following activities like heavy lifting, though gradual onset may also occur. The pain itself is often described as shooting and symptoms can typically be described as being experienced only on one side of the body. Certain causes, however, may result in pain being felt on both sides.
Experiences can provide reassurance and tips about improvement for others in a similar situation. As sciatica does seem to affect so many people, I have put together my own personal experience for anyone who has been through this kind of back ordeal or for others yet to experience a relatively mild or more serious period of sciatica, these are the facts and the truths as I have endured them.
There is a large range of effects and causes of sciatica and not everybody will suffer an attack but although painful, over time and with perseverance for many people, the problem will start to become less and less constricting.
The sciatica nerve runs from the lower back through the buttocks, thigh, upper and lower leg in to the foot. As mentioned above, usually only one side of the body is affected by some form of pressure on the nerve. Certain positions of sitting and bending the leg will cause sharp pain. In a mild case the sufferer can experiment different ways of movement and gradually regain the ability to walk which is, within reason, a good stimulation to regain full normal mobility.
Gentle rubbing in of a muscle ointment to the sore area can reduce distress and prepare one for physical movement. While remaining in one position might seem as if it is doing good, as the back is not setting off those painful signals, actually moving about gently can start to help healing. The process of moving about can seem most difficult in the mornings when even getting out of bed can be a gigantic task that one fears. Hold on in there, well not in the bed obviously, but in mental stamina means. When on these occasions walking can appear at first impossible, as you start to encourage gentle movement, the back can often start to feel the more supple and better for it. The getting back to walking properly, or as well as you are used to, may take several days but each day the pain and restriction will become less.
Ginger is extremely potent in helping to ease off the pain and discomfort of a sciatic nerve attack, and it can even aid in the healing process. Mild sciatica can be relived at home but if the symptoms persist or there is no improvement it is vital to seek proper qualified assistance. There are many exercises that range from small to more strenuous depending on your sciatica severity but in all of the forms the intention is to stretch the body and to facilitate recovery.
Often what caused the sciatica attack in the first place may not be known but knowing that a mild
attack can subside after a few days or even weeks can in itself be a great relief.
July 15, 2019
Nocturnal Wonders.
What if I mentioned two words to you? Nocturnal Wonders. There is such a lot to comprehend about this state of unconsciousness. Repose does not have one singular form but many, and some might get you into quite a mode of disbelief. Sleeping habits particularly in that of animals, vary greatly, and it is the need for survival that seems to prioritise sleeping positions, patterns and even formations.
When aqua bound, sleeping as you might have guessed, is not the easiest of states to approach. Ever conscious of danger, the dolphin sleeps literally with one eye open! In the case of the dolphin, all of their brains are not put into sleeping state at one time, during periods of a sleeping duration they alternate each eye being either open or closed in accordance with which half of the brain is being rested. The Albatross spends about forty five minutes a day asleep but in short ten-second sections, each day and after dark and this ensures that sleeping is not necessitated to be done upon the water, preventing hunting attacks from sea predators. Otters sleep on their back in water and need to stabilize their position by attaching themselves to seaweed or forming a raft like structure with several other otters. In sleeping raft patterns, they have even been known to hold each others’ hand.
Imagine the need for a getting into that relaxing position before sleep and then perhaps spare a thought for the animals who actually stay upright on their legs when sleeping. Animals such as horses, flamingos, zebras, elephants and cows sleep while standing up, as do giraffes who have short power naps of up to about thirty minutes at different times in the day. These animals tend to have a locking capability that can enable them to keep their legs upright and beneath them while sleeping.
Cats will sleep for often fifteen hours a day and rats can snatch a whopping twenty hours snooze time. Smaller animals tend to have a higher brain metabolism and require more sleep.
Humans are not the only creatures that dream, as dogs are often seen running or displaying expression in their sleep. The octopus is an interesting intelligent dreamer that has three hearts, nine brains and really has blue blood. Where as in humans dreaming is indicated by rapid eye movement the octopus during sleep will change colour.
Spiders do not sleep in the conventional way but they do follow a pattern of rest and gather their legs under their body and will appear to have expired but have simply adopted a state of deep rest. Insects go into a state of very low activity that is called torpor.
The sloth which is the slowest activity mammal spending ten to fifteen hours a day in the land of nod are usually nocturnal and have the distinction of blending into their environment when asleep and this can be performed by appearing to be integrated as part of a tree. Amazingly when awake, they can swim. The sloth is often covered with a green algae that is home for the waking and nocturnal ventures of the sloth moth.
There are some creatures that apparently do not sleep, such as jellyfish, coral, sea urchins and for the first weeks of their life, baby dolphins.
There is an ever constant need for rejuvenating sleep, but at what cost? It is that nature dictates different ways of accommodating as safely as possible, variations of time and exactly how those forty winks can be found.
When aqua bound, sleeping as you might have guessed, is not the easiest of states to approach. Ever conscious of danger, the dolphin sleeps literally with one eye open! In the case of the dolphin, all of their brains are not put into sleeping state at one time, during periods of a sleeping duration they alternate each eye being either open or closed in accordance with which half of the brain is being rested. The Albatross spends about forty five minutes a day asleep but in short ten-second sections, each day and after dark and this ensures that sleeping is not necessitated to be done upon the water, preventing hunting attacks from sea predators. Otters sleep on their back in water and need to stabilize their position by attaching themselves to seaweed or forming a raft like structure with several other otters. In sleeping raft patterns, they have even been known to hold each others’ hand.
Imagine the need for a getting into that relaxing position before sleep and then perhaps spare a thought for the animals who actually stay upright on their legs when sleeping. Animals such as horses, flamingos, zebras, elephants and cows sleep while standing up, as do giraffes who have short power naps of up to about thirty minutes at different times in the day. These animals tend to have a locking capability that can enable them to keep their legs upright and beneath them while sleeping.
Cats will sleep for often fifteen hours a day and rats can snatch a whopping twenty hours snooze time. Smaller animals tend to have a higher brain metabolism and require more sleep.
Humans are not the only creatures that dream, as dogs are often seen running or displaying expression in their sleep. The octopus is an interesting intelligent dreamer that has three hearts, nine brains and really has blue blood. Where as in humans dreaming is indicated by rapid eye movement the octopus during sleep will change colour.
Spiders do not sleep in the conventional way but they do follow a pattern of rest and gather their legs under their body and will appear to have expired but have simply adopted a state of deep rest. Insects go into a state of very low activity that is called torpor.
The sloth which is the slowest activity mammal spending ten to fifteen hours a day in the land of nod are usually nocturnal and have the distinction of blending into their environment when asleep and this can be performed by appearing to be integrated as part of a tree. Amazingly when awake, they can swim. The sloth is often covered with a green algae that is home for the waking and nocturnal ventures of the sloth moth.
There are some creatures that apparently do not sleep, such as jellyfish, coral, sea urchins and for the first weeks of their life, baby dolphins.
There is an ever constant need for rejuvenating sleep, but at what cost? It is that nature dictates different ways of accommodating as safely as possible, variations of time and exactly how those forty winks can be found.
July 8, 2019
Rainbows.
The human mind is undoubtedly complicated but it is a precious asset and a required element to life's enjoyment. Just like a muscle, it needs regular exercise if it is to be improved or stimulated and one way I have found that does this remarkably well is through reviewing the colours of a
rainbow.
If you think about a rainbow, the various colours can have a hypnotising and alluring influence. Blending and refracting light, the rainbow can contribute to a useful mental exercise through attributing associations to each colour. Using the acronym Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain, can of course provide a memory aid as for recalling the rainbow colours which are the red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
I am going to now allow you a glimpse of my own attributed associations for the spectrum of a rainbow.
In Red, it brings the image of a car or different hues of a lipstick shade to mind.
Orange is the fruit but it means for me sand or the rust like rock in view from fractured canyons.
Yellow is custard or the yellow jersey of bicycle riders.
Green is in my mind’s eye grass or green coloured bottles.
Blue is the piercing tone of eyes, vibrant shoes and a beautiful Summer’s sky.
Indigo is very interesting as it is between dark blue and violet, in fact blue jeans are made by using indigo dye and this is what first comes to my mind about this colour.
Violet is the colour of amethyst obtained from quartz, to me an incredible jewel and it is the last visible colour before the invisible ultraviolet.
It is the everyday that one can find the most unique and personal methods of mental exercise. It is heartening to be mindful of the natural beauty that can surround us. Everybody can see the same objective but each can have a very different perception and emotional response to it. Even from the extremely young to older in ages, a rainbow can provoke and evoke the most profound of opinions. In innovation from what you see, feel or experience of even the everyday, you can actually construct your own mental technique which can combine an improvement in your memory and stimulate the way in which you look at the tapestry of the environment.
Rainbows are always a joy to witness because they are an absolute example of the wonders of nature. They are vivid and have an aesthetic beauty but with a scientific backing, something that unites an artist’s eye and a curious scientific mind.
rainbow.
If you think about a rainbow, the various colours can have a hypnotising and alluring influence. Blending and refracting light, the rainbow can contribute to a useful mental exercise through attributing associations to each colour. Using the acronym Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain, can of course provide a memory aid as for recalling the rainbow colours which are the red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
I am going to now allow you a glimpse of my own attributed associations for the spectrum of a rainbow.
In Red, it brings the image of a car or different hues of a lipstick shade to mind.
Orange is the fruit but it means for me sand or the rust like rock in view from fractured canyons.
Yellow is custard or the yellow jersey of bicycle riders.
Green is in my mind’s eye grass or green coloured bottles.
Blue is the piercing tone of eyes, vibrant shoes and a beautiful Summer’s sky.
Indigo is very interesting as it is between dark blue and violet, in fact blue jeans are made by using indigo dye and this is what first comes to my mind about this colour.
Violet is the colour of amethyst obtained from quartz, to me an incredible jewel and it is the last visible colour before the invisible ultraviolet.
It is the everyday that one can find the most unique and personal methods of mental exercise. It is heartening to be mindful of the natural beauty that can surround us. Everybody can see the same objective but each can have a very different perception and emotional response to it. Even from the extremely young to older in ages, a rainbow can provoke and evoke the most profound of opinions. In innovation from what you see, feel or experience of even the everyday, you can actually construct your own mental technique which can combine an improvement in your memory and stimulate the way in which you look at the tapestry of the environment.
Rainbows are always a joy to witness because they are an absolute example of the wonders of nature. They are vivid and have an aesthetic beauty but with a scientific backing, something that unites an artist’s eye and a curious scientific mind.
