Topher's Thoughts

Value Permanence

2009-10-26T16:18:00.006-07:00

In childhood development, there is the stage of learning about Object Permanence. As humans there is another stage that we can pass though: Value Permanence. The idea here is that you are valuable, worthy, and lovable even when it might not appear to or feel so. To help us with moving this from head knowledge into body knowledge, there is a simple yet perhaps difficult exercise we can do. Please go get a piece of paper and a pen..... On the paper, write I AM _____ _____. So far so good. Now in the second blank, write WORTHY. Now comes what for me was the hard part. In the first blank, write ALWAYS. Breathe this truth in. Take your pen and underline the last two words. Repeat this as often as you need to in order to make this a part of your default world view.

Forgivness Research

2009-10-14T14:07:00.002-07:00

Dr. Robert Enright from the University of Wisconsin�Madison founded the International Forgiveness Institute and is considered the initiator of forgiveness studies. He developed a 20-Step Process Model of Forgiveness. Recent work has focused on what kind of person is more likely to be forgiving. A longitudinal study showed that people who were generally more neurotic, angry and hostile in life were less likely to forgive another person even after a long time had passed. Specifically, these people were more likely to still avoid their transgressor and want to enact revenge upon them four and a half years after the transgression.

Studies show that people who forgive are happier and healthier than those who hold resentments. The first study to look at how forgiveness improves physical health discovered that when people think about forgiving an offender it leads to improved functioning in their cardiovascular and nervous systems. Another study at the University of Wisconsin found the more forgiving people were, the less they suffered from a wide range of illnesses. The less forgiving people reported a greater number of health problems.

The research of Dr. Fred Luskin of Stanford University shows that forgiveness can be learned. In three separate studies, including one with Catholics and Protestants from Northern Ireland whose family members were murdered in the political violence, he found that people who are taught how to forgive become less angry, feel less hurt, are more optimistic, become more forgiving in a variety of situations, and become more compassionate and self-confident. His studies show a reduction in experience of stress, physical manifestations of stress, and an increase in vitality.

One study has shown that the positive benefit of forgiveness is similar whether it was based upon religious or secular counseling as opposed to a control group that received no forgiveness counseling.

The above is from Wikipedia.

The pursuit of (individual) happiness...

2009-08-11T15:47:00.012-07:00

It seems to me that it would be better to change the above to

The practice of group joy and personal growth

I think this is a much better goal. And I also know it's possible. Three activities spring to mind:

What are some of your ideas to reach this goal?

World Laughter Tour

2009-07-06T11:54:00.002-07:00

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius power and magic in it. ~ Goethe

Today I am sending out an intention to a world laughter tour! I am asking for your help and positive energy to make this a reality. I don't know the details or direction but am trusting the Universe to provide. If you are interested in being a part of this, please contact me at chris.pollitt@gmail.com - thanks!

A Daily Laugh for You on LaughterYoga.org

2009-06-22T19:33:00.002-07:00

Thanks to my good friend and laughter leader Farah who suggested it, my youtube.com/adlfy videos are currently being featured on the Laughter Yoga International website. I truly hope this helps increase their reach to help people laugh more and try Laughter Yoga.

Find the story here.

Laughter Yoga University

2009-05-13T22:22:00.003-07:00

If the world can have a McDonald's University (sad but true) then why not a Laughter Yoga University? Indeed, why not? That's the dream of Dr. Kataria (the inventor of Laughter Yoga.) This dream is coming true:

What has been a dream for the last five years is very soon becoming a reality for Dr Madan and his wife, Madhuri Kataria. Before the year's end, they will throw open the gates to India's first Laughter Yoga University.

Located at Ramnagar, about 50 kilometers outside Bangalore, laughter enthusiasts from across the world will have access to the specially designed courses which cover everything right from the basics of laughter yoga, to teachers training courses, stress management techniques and even applied courses in Ayurveda and Naturopathy.

But that's not even the best part. At the very end of the article an awesome vision is revealed:

Besides the Bangalore university, Madan is also planning the country's first 'Laughter City' -- a township that encourages people from around the world to come together and form a community based on the essence of Laughter Yoga -- singing, dancing, playing and laughter.

My bags are so packed! See here for the full article.

A Daily Laugh for You

2009-04-30T22:52:00.009-07:00

This is my newest project: record and post a daily video of me (and possibly others) laughing. Please spread the word and also subscribe to help cheer your day.

Enjoy!

Raising the Dead in the Corporate World

2009-03-24T10:15:00.005-07:00

So I'm beginning to catch the vision of what my new career will be. Do these comics speak to you? In my previous job, there were the things that I got paid to do and there were the activities that I led on my own time. While I appreciate the opportunities I was given in the paid part of my job and genuinely did enjoy some aspects of them, that work did not truly fire my soul. It was the unpaid activities that gave me real joy. These things stretched people and gave them happiness. Life is too short to be the living dead at work. Now of course I realize that not everyone feels like that all the time (I know I didn't) but I think that many in the corporate world do -- and I want to help change that. I was doing that to some degree at my former work and now I have the chance to do that at many work places. What are your thoughts? What do you think I could do? If something I have done has helped you, please let me know -- I'm looking for a few good quotes that I can use to help promote my services in my new role. Doing my best to make this world a better place with the gifts I have. Thanks!

Success

2009-01-28T18:48:00.004-08:00

The other day I had two thoughts about reaching my goals:

Things take work (I have to put effort into things if I ever hope to see them happen.)
Not everything works (Just because I put effort into something doesn't mean it will succeed.)

Now of course these are obvious facts but it was a bit of a revelation or epiphany to me. I am very lazy and so I tend to get stuck at number 1. I am also easily discouraged and so I get hung up at number 2 as well. I still have dreams and goals like everybody but so many of them have remained eternally frustrate because of these two facts. I figure I need to believe in myself and that will hopefully lead to others believing in me which will then propel me to sustained action. I really do believe some of my dreams are awesome. I just want more of them to see the light of day.

How to become an optimist

2009-01-14T05:11:00.007-08:00

Research shows that life goes better for optimists. I used to be very pessimistic. I am changing. Here's my plan:

Limit your exposure to negative things. Seek out positive things.
Cultivate optimistic friends.
Be thankful. Write down one thing a day in a notebook by your bed.
Exercise. Get some fresh air.
Persevere. Don't give up. Try a new way. Let go.
Help others. Encourage them. Compliment them - genuinely.
Listen to "positive" music. Dance. Sing.
Laugh! Practice makes perfect.

For me the last item is key and I do this by participating in an awesome weekly Laughter Club. What are some of your ideas?

The gift of a healing touch

2008-12-30T19:41:00.004-08:00

We just spent three days at a wonderful spa retreat centre in Mission. While there, I was given a few massage / acupressure treatments by a highly skilled and gifted practitioner. The first session in particular was amazing; I could actually feel the energy rebalance in my body. I've never felt anything quite like it.

I've been reflecting on this experience, and I realize that we don't touch one another enough. Fear of physical contact - that it be misconstrued as sexual or that we don't want to "invade" another person's space - means we hardly touch others at all. Because of these past three days however, I have more of an appreciation for the power of touch to connect us with others and to connect our minds to our bodies. And to heal us.

I am changing. We are changing...

2008-11-30T13:39:00.008-08:00

Hello friends, family, and the Internet,

I have heard from many friends that November was a hard month. Very Hard. And I personally have been through a lot in the last 4 weeks or so. I have also learned (or relearned?) a lot about myself and life. And I am changing. And growing. And it has been hard. And it continues to be hard. There have been a few key things that have made it possible for me to make it this far. Music. Sunshine and fireplaces. Laughter Yoga. And most importantly, friends. I think that is the major thing I am learning is that friendship is crucial. Family too. I am learning that I need to do things for my own self care and growth. Not an unhealthy selfish but instead a healthy selfish.

I am growing to have a more optimistic life outlook too. I think being in a weekly Laughter Yoga group is a large part of that. And having optimistic friends helps too. I am learning that the key to health is a positive environment. Both external (people) and internal (thoughts). It is certainly good to be grounded but it is equally important to believe the best. We all need that spark of hope that the future will not be as dark as some say, now more than ever. Yes, things do look challenging. Very challenging. And even if the long term might be better than today (although very different) getting there will take every ounce of optimism we have.

I need to rediscover what my desires are and pursue them with passion. When I am healthy and happy, that lifts others. Life is short and unpredictable. We need to seize opportunities when they happen. Take risks. And try to have as few regrets as possible. What have your experiences been recently?

-Chris

The super hero meme

2008-08-17T18:41:00.007-07:00

One of the big problems with our (and other) cultures, in my opinion, is the deeply ingrained "super hero" mythos / meme. We can see this exemplified in the huge popularity of super hero films (Batman, Spiderman, Superman) and in certain religious figures (Krishna, Jesus, Muhammad). Now I'm not going to delve into whether or not these latter "heroes" were all they are purported to be. My point is that the mindset of "some champion is going to come and save us all from the mess we've made for ourselves" is fundamentally an unhelpful one. When you look at Nature, what do you see? How does change come about? For example, (with the very rare exception) the mountains are not worn down by one big event (i.e. a volcano blowing its top) but by multitudinous individual drops of rain. The message here is that power comes from many acting together, rather than a single super-one acting alone. If we are ever going to dig ourselves out of the hole we're in (pick your favourite current crisis) we will need to do so together.

Probability Travel

2008-08-17T18:02:00.002-07:00

So never mind space or even time travel, what I want is probability travel. We all know what space travel is. Surely by now almost everyone has at least heard of time travel. However almost nobody has heard or even conceived of probability travel. The basic premise is that from any point in time there are not just one but many (infinite?) possible ways the future might unfold. There is a movie that explores this called Sliding Doors. Now wouldn't it be great to be able to surf between different outcomes and see what different realities are like? For a short video describing the theory of higher order dimensions, please follow this link. As always, I welcome your comments.

We are all actors

2008-06-03T20:46:00.003-07:00

So here is my latest idea: We are all actors. What do I mean by this? Well think about it, what defines who you are:

Your name
Your gender
Your race
Your generation (year of birth)
Your home town (where you were born and raised)
Your family (parents and siblings)
Your culture
Your genetics (hair colour, eye colour, skin colour, height, personality)

How many of these did you pick? Exactly. So this must mean that we are all just playing a role as defined by the above. Further, once you have made a few decisions in life, other things fall outside of your control:

Your children's personality and friends
Your spouse's / partner's friends and family
Your co-workers
Your church / club members

As a final thought, on most people's grave stone you will find:

The person's name
The person's date of birth
The person's date of death

For the majority of people, none of these are self determined. Something to think about.

My theory on how life works

2008-04-20T13:57:00.005-07:00

So there are many different analogies for life. One of my favourites is the game of Plinko as seen on The Price is Right. Let's watch a game and then I'll give my commentary.

As I see things, these are the parallels to life that can be gleaned from this simple game:

Life is a series of choices
Chance plays a large part in these decisions (more than you might think)
As life progresses, the number of possibilities decreases
You may get stuck and need some help
You may not always like the rules
The distance between success and failure may be very small
Who knows, maybe you get a few tries at life

Let me know what you think. Are there other things you see? Is there another analogy to life that you like better?

New Urbanism

2008-02-24T18:15:00.001-08:00

There is a website dedicated to the idea of a new kind of urbanism. From the site:

Giving people many choices for living in more sustainable, convenient and comfortable places, while providing the solutions to global warming, climate change, and peak oil

NewUrbanism.org was started in 1998, and has since grown to become a leading and well respected informational website promoting walkable urbanism, transit oriented development, trains and sustainability.

See here for the website.

Our Society is Making us Crazy

2008-02-16T00:46:00.000-08:00

The Story of Stuff

2007-12-04T22:57:00.000-08:00

For the full story, please see here.

Free Will Anyone?

2007-11-21T20:13:00.000-08:00

Two birds with one stone

2007-10-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

Two of the main afflictions of modern society are widespread depression and environmental breakdown. A family in New York City does an experiment in simplified living and finds that both are conquered with one lifestyle change.

[W]ithout all the mod[ern] con[venience]s to distract us, we spend more time with each other, our friends and our neighbors and actually feel happier.

So what if, as a society, we worried less about a booming economy which drains the planet of its resources? If, as the positive psychologists suggest, having more stuff isn�t going to make us happier, shouldn�t we worry more about things like building a culture that emphasizes personal connection and community?

If the results of [my] experiment are anything to go by, not only is that an approach that would help cure our environmental crisis, but it would also help cure our unhappiness.

Here's the story.

Going Car-Free

2007-09-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

For a while now we've been toying with the idea of going car-free. Since we both take public transit to work, we only use our car on the weekends. Today I read an inspiring story of a family who did it and are much better off both financially and physically. From the article:

Within two months they paid off two credit cards. No car meant no car bills. It also meant no quick trips to Taco Bell. No morning jolt of Starbucks. No impulse buys of jeans or toys at Target.

Shopping on a bike, says Erick, prompts the question: "Do we really need an extra box of Crunch 'n Munch?"

One day Jess had a strange complaint: too much money in her wallet and no place to put it. Erick figured out they were recouping more than a third of their income.

"It's as if your boss came in," he says, "and asked if you wanted a 35 percent raise."

See here for the full article.

We are waves, not particles

2007-06-28T01:01:00.001-07:00

Richard Dawkins quoting Steve Grand "Matter flows from place to place and momentarily comes together to be you. Whatever you are, therefore, you are not the stuff of which you are made."

Don't say you weren't warned...

2007-06-27T23:52:00.000-07:00

The bad news...

The Bank for International Settlements, the world's most prestigious financial body, has warned that years of loose monetary policy has fuelled a dangerous credit bubble, leaving the global economy more vulnerable to another 1930s-style slump than generally understood.

The BIS, the ultimate bank of central bankers, pointed to a confluence a worrying signs, citing mass issuance of new-fangled credit instruments, soaring levels of household debt, extreme appetite for risk shown by investors, and entrenched imbalances in the world currency system.

See the full article here.

But wait, there's more....

It is not a matter of �if� the dollar will collapse, but �when� it will collapse. At Gold Stock Bull, we think the dollar could fall below 80 cents before year end. Once that support gives, it is anyone�s guess how low it could drop. The U.S. dollar is facing imminent collapse in the face of an unsustainable debt.

At a UN Headquarters press conference, launching the 2007 World Economic Situation and Prospects Report, mid-year update, Rob Vos, the Director of the Development Policy and Analysis Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), told reporters that, "The United States debt, which has now deepened to well over $3 trillion, might turn out to be unsustainable in the rest of 2007 or next, putting further downward pressure on the United States dollar." He also pointed out that since its peak in 2002, the dollar had depreciated vis-a -vis the major currencies by some 35 percent and by 25 percent against a broader range of other currencies.

See here for the whole story.

And finally:

The M3 data that shows how much money the Fed prints as well as how much is in circulation, etc, just last year, they announced, 'No one is really interested in these numbers and they are too hard to compile.' Like a drunken, gambling spouse declaring there is no need to balance the check books or look into the bank accounts, so it is here. Many people yelled about the M3 numbers being suppressed but to no avail, of course.

See here for more.

We're raping our own mother

2007-06-09T15:15:00.000-07:00

What's the worst crime you can think of? Surely violently abusing the one who bore and nurtures us would be near the top. Well that is exactly what we are doing to our mother earth. Why are we doing this? How did we get to this state? What can we do to stop? Even if we did, how long would it take for the earth to recover? As is often the case, the answer is easy to state but more difficult to practise: "Live Lightly":

Own less - Share more
Consume less - Enjoy more
Waste less - Recycle more

Let's take better care of our mother before she can't bear us anymore...