​Sunday Musings - March 19, 2023
 
The God of my understanding
 
We humans have been positing a purpose since some of us had the luxury of having the time and energy to do more than survive. Perhaps when survival remains one’s primary objective, it is even more tempting to question the purpose of this life’s journey.  If life merely consists of being born, surviving, and then dying it is easy to believe it is meaningless. Consequently, we humans posit various gods who assign us a purpose, monitor how well we fulfill that purpose, and what reward or punishment we earn.  Sadly, not since some of the Greek gods and the indigenous gods, do we humans posit gods who have a sense of humor or a sense of style and fun.   As Mark Twain remarked in his book “Letters From Earth” we even posit an afterlife in which we are deprived of all activities which we enjoy on earth.  He also suggests in the same book:
 
“Man is the Reasoning Animal. Such is the claim. I think it is open to dispute. Indeed, my experiments have proven to me that he is the Unreasoning Animal... In truth, man is incurably foolish. Simple things which other animals easily learn, he is incapable of learning. Among my experiments was this. In an hour I taught a cat and a dog to be friends. I put them in a cage. In another hour I taught them to be friends with a rabbit. In the course of two days I was able to add a fox, a goose, a squirrel and some doves. Finally a monkey. They lived together in peace; even affectionately.
 
Next, in another cage I confined an Irish Catholic from Tipperary, and as soon as he seemed tame I added a Scotch Presbyterian from Aberdeen. Next a Turk from Constantinople; a Greek Christian from Crete; an Armenian; a Methodist from the wilds of Arkansas; a Buddhist from China; a Brahman from Benares. Finally, a Salvation Army Colonel from Wapping. Then I stayed away for two whole days. When I came back to note results, the cage of Higher Animals was all right, but in the other there was but a chaos of gory odds and ends of turbans and fezzes and plaids and bones and flesh--not a specimen left alive. These Reasoning Animals had disagreed on a theological detail and carried the matter to a Higher Court.” 
― Mark Twain, Letters from Earth (goodreads.com)
 
Despite the practice of prayer, mindfulness and other meditative techniques we humans seem incapable of accepting ourselves as we are: as one with all of creation whose primary purpose may as simple as it is for the simplest of animals: to show up to be our best selves, to live in harmony with the rest of nature and when we need to ask other parts of nature to share their nutritious substance with us to follow the example of many of the so called “heathen” and offer a portion back in gratitude.  It would seem all our wars and the other hurtful behaviors we inflict on ourselves and each other are directly or indirectly related to our inability to accept our own humanness. We often seem constitutionally incapable of believing that we are enough; to trust it is enough to show up with love with all of nature until it is time to return to dust.  We envision God as all that is and then make him/her an imperfect, jealous, self-centered, revengeful, power-hungry addict.   We seem unable or unwilling to consider that a god which makes sense is nothing and everything; nothing in that we cannot imagine “the whole” and everything that we are capable of imagining.
 
This humble student of Mark Twain and other wise people think it is axiomatic that some behaviors do not benefit the whole and, thus, do not benefit us individually.  If I hoard food and do not share the entire universe is adversely affected.  It I hit another, treat another as a sexual object, deprive another of a bed when I have extras, destroy my own body with unhealthy food, excessive alcohol or other harmful drugs, judge another because of who they love, decide that the enormous talents of a musician such as the pianist Emanuel Ax cannot be enjoyed just because he is 73 or the dance of a 90 year old is not worth sharing I am harming the whole of creation.   I do not need 280 pages (paperback edition) of the Metaphysics of Morals (Immanuel Kant) to discern what is harmful.  I do not need a Plato, a Jesus, or a Martin Luther King Jr. to state that when we humans pass laws such as those dealing with so called critical race theory whose sole purpose is to keep certain students from facing uncomfortable history, to know that the failure to learn from history will ensure the end of human life.  I do not need a prophet to remind me that a young child knows what behavior, gender roles and sexuality feels most natural to him or her.  I do not need a god or gods to remind me that if one treat symptoms rather than the disease there is no cure or even long-term improvement.
‘
The 12-step program as outlined by its founders posits a “god or even gods of one’s understanding.”   The God of one’s understanding may be the group of others seeking recovery.  
 
Many other wise teachers, including all my 2- and 3-year-old friends, knows it is enough to be us; to dance, to laugh, to cry, to demand space, to cherish closeness; to play, to imagine, to love and be loved.  The young logic student is first taught an argument must establish that something is both necessary and sufficient to arrive at a logical conclusion.   We humans need to posit a god or gods who are both necessary and sufficient - not an imitation of our imperfect, navel viewing selves.  
 
Written March 19, 2023
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org

Sunday Musings - March 12, 2023 
Resurrection
 
In the Christian tradition it is the Lenten season - a time of internal cleansing prior to the celebration of resurrection. Professed Christians prepare what for what for some is the reality of resurrection; for some a metaphor; and for others both reality and a metaphor.
 
Father Greg Boyle, while working for those who are wanting to escape the violent gang life into which circumstances thrust them, suggests that healing involves returning oneself to oneself which in turn facilitates others, including Father Boyle, returning to themselves.
 
Barring neurological birth defects children are born without fear of celebrating themselves They have yet to be taught that there is something intrinsically wrong with them or that one has to learn to live in a world where surviving never includes thriving.  Most, if not all of us, learn to give away parts of ourselves; our voice, our dance, our pride, our sexuality, or other important aspects of ourselves.  We quickly learn that there are prescribed ways to act according to “cast”, gender, age, race, intellect, emotions, or size.  We may get bullied.  We may learn that it is our job to parent our parents.  We may learn, as do many children in Ukraine and other countries, it is kill or be killed.   In so many ways we learn it is not okay to be us. 
 
We know that when we give up a relationship with our authentic self we give up our connection to other people and to all parts of Mother Nature.  In other words, we die to ourselves and the world.  Although our death may not yet be the end of breathing, we may lose faith in ourselves: in the hope that “we can overcome” or survive other physical, psychological loss.
 
For many Christians, the reality is that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified on a cross, died, was placed in a tomb, and was resurrected/returned to life.  Many of those same Christians believe that all believing Christians will one day be physically resurrected.  Many other Christians believe that resurrection is both a metaphor and an eventual reality.  For those who believe it is a metaphor, resurrection is a daily event; a reclaiming of one’s essential sacredness; a release from the shackles of hate, rejection, and other chains which prevent thriving.   For those Christians it is the realization of Richard Wright’s character Bigger Thomas who tells the police person threatening him “You can’t do nothin but kill me and that ain’t nothin”.   It is embracing the belief of Dietrich Bonhoeffer who stated:
“God loves human beings. God loves the world. Not as ideal humans, but human beings as they are; not an ideal world, but the real world. What we find repulsive in their opposition to God, what we shrink back from with pain and hostility... this is for God the ground of unfathomable love.” (crosswalk.com)
 
Resurrection is the power to say no to the social constructs of racism, sexism, ageism, gender identity  or sexual orientation.  Resurrection is the courage to claim a second, third, fourth and 200rd chance. Resurrection is the rejection of the false, temporary solace of assigning points to various ways we hurt ourselves and others.  Resurrection is contained in the knowledge and acceptance that in the core of our being we are wandering in the wilderness and frequently lose our way.
 
Resurrection is reclaiming the power as expressed by Ram Dass to walk each other home no matter what anyone else says or does. Resurrection is leaving all and following the “common sense”, simple, but powerful, teaching of Christ as expressed in what is referred to as The Beatitudes:
 
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  (Matthew 5:3-11)
Resurrection is a joyful, affirming, humble dance whether done from a chair because we are without legs, from a hospital bed or on two legs.  Resurrection begins deep within us and explodes like a bursting rocket. Resurrection says we are not our fear, our anxiety, a limited slice of reality or a black and white photograph.  
Resurrection is possibility made manifest.
Written March 12, 2023
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
 
 ​

Sunday Musings - February 26, 2023
 
The term criminal is selectively used to describe a limited section of the community; some of those unable to consider or take into account how their behavior affects others in the community or to believe or accept that when one person in the community suffers all, including the offender, suffers.
 
Technically a crime is defined as an unlawful activity and a criminal is one who violates a law. An unlawful activity can include some of those activities which directly affect others, those which offend the moral sensitivity of those in power and those which threaten the power base of leaders.
 
It is unlawful for a person to steal a loaf of bread from a retail store. It is not unlawful for the owner of a company such as Amazon to make billions in profit while opposing the creations of unions.
 
It is good businesses and not criminal to convince customers to pay a large price for a cup of coffee while opposing the creation of unions which protect workers.
It is good business to hire behavior psychologists to design products such as breakfast cereals which appeal to an individual’s childhood associations even if that product is unhealthy.  One could fill a book with examples of activity which harm a segment of society but which are not criminal and another book with examples of activity which harm or offend others and are considered criminal.
 
All of us have broken a law with potential serious consequences and not labeled a criminal. For example I accidentally ran a red light which resulted in my car and another car being totaled.  The occupants of the other car suffered relatively minor injuries. If, however, they had died or had serious injuries I might have been convicted as a criminal of homicide and jailed.  I was, however, issued a ticket and did did not receive a criminal label. Obviously I was seriously negligent.  
 
If an employer mistreats employees and makes a lot of money some of which he or she then returns to the community for art projects such as symphonies, a hospital or  charity he or she is considered a philanthropist and may be honored by the community. 
 
The point is: Who is labeled a criminal is arbitrary. Labeling someone a criminal and treating them as a bad person may and often does result in guaranteeing that one is severely hindered in being allowed access to financial and health resources.
 
         A great many factors can  result in a person being unable to consider or take into account the fact that their behavior adversely affects others members and in the long term, themselves. This includes many biological factors, past trauma, environment and a host of others.
 
I suspect that many who are reading this blog are now thinking of the many in the United States which engage in mass killings.  Many consider these vicious criminals and call for the death penalty. A few label the gun manufacturers who creates and sell weapons intended for rapid fire killings criminals. Others believe gun manufactures are successful capitalists - employers who contribute to the overall economic health of the community. 
 
Many are suggesting that the current incarceration system in the United States is not accomplishing the goal it intends and the system should be reformed.  Most of those reformers would maintain the current system but better prepare incarcerated individuals to re-enter society.  I maintain that the entire system of labeling criminals; of arbitrarily assigning the label of criminal to some who are not able to consider or seemingly care how their behavior affects the others while rewarding others who do not consider or care how their behavior affects others is an unworkable system. 
 
Often, we find that many religious or spiritual leaders recognized the fact of our common imperfect humanness long before more scientific studies identify the factors which affect the thought and behavior process of the brain.  I venture to guess that all of us could, if honest, list examples of hurting others this week; of treating others as less than; of taking out our frustration on some official or clerk; of becoming impatient; of passing by the homeless; of avoiding the labeled criminal; of thinking that some person who committed a mass murder deserves to die.
 
 Most religions have some prescribed rituals which require an admittance of one’s humanness and offer repentance and forgiveness.   In the Christian church, in addition to these practices being prescribed as a daily ritual, Lent - the season leading up to Easter - is set aside as a period of fasting, repentance and forgiveness. There is no listing of sins; no point system for particular sins - ways of hurting self and others; no specific mention of brain dysfunction which limits or prohibits ability to see or understand the need for repentance.  This is simply a recognition that all of us have been hurtful and deserve forgiveness. 
 
If we want to create a true system of justice; if we want to live out the spiritual prescriptions regarding forgiveness we must accept the limitations of particular human brains.  Some of our brains will be unable to heal and consider the needs of others.  Some of our brains will make it unsafe for us to live in the general society. Some of us will need to be in a secure medical facility where we are treated with the same love and respect as someone with a broken bone.  If we are serious about creating a fair, just and loving society we will expand the concept of illness.   We will treat all those who cannot consider that harming others is self harm with the same loving care we treat those with identified brain tumors, dementia, and other brain causes of brain limitations.  Until we do so our judicial system will remain selective and, thus meaningless.
 
Written February 26, 2023
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
 
 
 
 
 
 ​

​Sunday Musings - February 19, 2023
 
The dust
 
I have been dismantling the home of a treasured friend of the thousand particles of memories we all leave in each item.   Food, kitchen ware, clothes, photos, other tokens of love and reminders of peoples, places and things give form to the energy which created a home within the walls, nooks and crannies which now await the arrival of the energy of those who will soon call this place home; the energy which creates the mortar which fills the space between the roof and the cement floor of the basement.
 
The body of my friend is now ashes resting in an urn until its arrival in New Jersey and Estonia.  It too returns to dust as does all the other items which held the energy she collected from Estonia, Germany, Finland, England, Wales, Alaska, China, the Nile, other places in Africa, Iceland, the Amazon and many other places.
 
This dust soon becomes the energy which forms the bones of the homes around the world.  In a very real way my friend - her courage, curiosity, passion, willingness to love, keen mind, laughter and joy - will now help form the mortar of many other homes,
 
I think of the dust of the homes which are no more in Turkey, Syria, Ukraine and all over the world.  That dust will be collected by planes, ships, birds and the very wind of Mother Earth to join other dust which become the new homes which eventually returns to dust.
 
My home is also created out of the dust of all whose moments have passed. This dust resides in photos, paintings, dishes, book, furniture, clothes and many other icons of love which collectively create that intangible I call home.
 
The dust of many who are no longer sharing this human life journey tickle my memory.  Just within the last few months I have said goodbye to the Illusion of permanence in this life journey to Vilja, Denis, Beverly, Catherine, Greg, Dave, and a host of others.
 
We weep, wail, cry, curse and laugh as if we are surprised that there is no more than this moment.  How quickly we forget, ignore or just wander off as if there are other moments to love, laugh, or build a memory.  How often we forget that all we must do is to show up in this moment with love while we incidentally smooth out the mortar holding the bricks of this journey.
 
We find a million excuses to not show up to this moment.  We get busy with life and, thus, ironically miss life; forgetting to stay still long enough to leave the dust which provides the mortar which holds the home where the moment waits to embrace love.
 
Written February 19, 2023
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org.

Sunday Musings - February 5, 203
When God quits learning


The average age of those attending Christian churches in the United States keeps rising.  If this trend continues, in the not too distant future, the Christian Church in the United States will wither and eventually die.   At the same time the average age of those attending Muslim services and regularly practicing that religion are in their twenties. (Pew research center).


With both the Muslims and the Christian Churches there is a concerted effort by some to hold on to “traditional/conservative beliefs without regard to what advancing knowledge of science is teaching us about the spiritual world.  For a variety of historical and cultural reasons Muslims, as a group, are apparently being more successful in this effort although there are certainly plenty of Muslims who, in their very private lives, question the Muslim beliefs on such subjects as the role of women in society and sexuality.


There are also a variety of theological positions about the role of violence in creating a more just society.  This is true for those wanting to remain within the general framework of the Christian, Muslim and religious frameworks.


Historically, we humans have posited many different concepts or ideas of the purpose of this life journey. Often, in viewing the seemingly absurdity of this brief life journey, many have posited a god or gods who are using this life journey as a test or to have fun at the expense of we humans.  If we now look back over the past 6000 or so years there are many names for god or the gods with varying degrees of acceptance of our human nature and various requirements for how we humans obtain and retain their favor.  Sometimes it is envisioned that one’s reward is in this life journey and other times it is envisioned that one’s reward for living life which is pleasing to god or the gods is eternal rewards.  To fail to please god or the gods may, some believe, result in enteral damnation or living in limbo between “heaven and hell”.


Sadly, those who limit knowledge of God and his or her demands to a few wise people (frequently men) cannot envision these wise people attending classes on history, science, physics, biology or anthropology.   Once intoned as sacred beliefs no new knowledge or understanding seems to be allowed.  While other plants, animals or even larger ecological systems adjust and are perfectly content with how they affect and are affected by changing knowledge or conditions, we humans often hold steadfastly to a concept of a god or gods and what he, she or it demands.   It is as if we humans are determined to not allow our god or gods to attend graduate school where new visions and understandings are possible.  That God or gods, must not open to the possibility of the equality of women; to the fact that sexual attraction for all animals, including humans, has great potential for fun as well as procreation; that gender is fluid; that energy which is neither created nor destroyed takes many forms; that quantum physics provide a different way of understanding the universe; that there may be many possible universes; that love is always a more effective servant than hate; that sharing/socialism benefits all; that art in its many forms births the soul; that religious frameworks are but temporary constructs; that all institutions must follow the same trajectory as other life forms - being born, living and dying to make room for the rebirth; that math is merely a fun language to talk about relationships; that one cannot accurately envision a person, organization, institution, object, or even mineral without honoring the system as a whole; that possibly god or the gods are also a system of unfathomable number of parts playing with each other in a passionate symphony of notes, some of which may seem dissonant.


The real question is what it will take for us humans to honor the need for god or the gods to apply and be accepted into graduate school; be that in a formal institution or the school which encompasses the act of being.  I am not suggesting that all wise people we may label as prophets should be ignored or discarded.  I am suggesting they are not god or the gods; that my homeless neighbor, my three year old friend, the most violent of gang member, the one who is labeled as mentally ill may be the “professor”, the scientist who is teaching the class god or the gods most need to attend.


Written February 5,2023
Jimmy F Pickett
Coachpickett.org

 
Sunday Musings - January 29, 2023
The “gift” of confession
If one grew up in a religious framework such as Christianity one probably learned that confession was good for the soul.   What one was expected to confess was one’s sins so that one could accept and/or ask for the forgiveness of the God of one’s understanding. In the church in which I grew up, it was implied if not explicitly stated that if one was truly sorry one approached one’s chat with the God of one’s understanding with grievous sorrow which, of course, provided a good companion for shame and guilt. One might have joined in a communal prayer recorded in the Book of Common Prayer which might begin, “We have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep.  We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws.  We have left undone those things we ought to have done and have done those things we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us.”   Another version in the same gook begins: “Dearly beloved the Scripture moves us in sundry places to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness.”
Now the fact that we all expected to recite the same prayers might suggest that all of us humans are just that - imperfect by design. Certainly, there is merit to the desire of many of us to be our best selves while accepting that we daily or hourly full short of that goal. There should be no shame attached to our being human.  Yet to this day if I fall short of being my best self, I often feel an intense sense of shame and guilt.
This is a common experience for many of us. We have created a society in which it is fearful and often shameful to admit a mistake. 
Clearly there are behaviors which are very harmful to others.  Yet, I am hard pressed to arrive at a set of criteria which seems to fairly and accurately assign points to every possible way we hurt ourselves, other people, animals or the environment.   One might, of course, suggest that murder is obviously deserving the most “sin” points. Yet, if murder is done in a fit of rage over events such as the bombings of 9/11 it is termed one’s moral and patriotic duty.    One can also commit emotional murder; behavior which creates such deep hurt and fear that it kills the spirit of the recipient for years. 
In the United States the judicial system purports to dispense justice which demands payment in the form of jail time, often financial ruin and a denial of services such as public housing. Yet we know that those who are labeled criminals often have a mental illness or some deep psychological injury.
 
That Jesus fellow who is seen both as God and man by the Christian religion is said to have commanded:
         Let the person who is without sin throw the first stone.
         Love your enemies.
We often severely chastise and even shame others for behavior that is clearly a result of being human.  Hurt people often get frightened and use anger as a shield.  Hurt people hurt each other. I recently saw the movie “A Man Named Otto” starring Tom Hanks. The chief character is a man named Otto who has experienced deep and painful losses.  He adopts an anger shield in an attempt to try to avoid his own pain. He attempts suicide. As the movie unfolds one learns of his pain.
We are humans who are often less than our best selves.  Some days some of us approximate being our best selves for a moment or two. Yet, daily we harm ourselves, each other, and all of Mother Earth.   Yes, we have all erred and strayed from being our best selves.  Yes, we will continue to do so. Yes, we can all help each other strive to work as a community to take better care of each other. The irony is that the more accepting we are of our shared humanness the closer we become to being our best selves. Shame and punishment do not heal.
 
Of course, there are some people whose mind is so damaged that they are unable to consider the needs and rights or others.  Let’s find a way to provide safe, loving places which are not the State Mental hospitals/the snake pitts of yore. Let’s not continue to create treatment facilities where staff are often over worked, poorly trained and grossly underpaid. The patients and staff are not just patients and staff. The patients and staff are equally human. They are not criminals. The patients may be people who are UNABLE to consider the needs of others. The staff are humans who need support and respect or they will be unable to consider the needs of others.
Perhaps our prayer could be much simpler.  “Here I am, this imperfect human who knows he/she is deserving of love, of a second and third chance, of care when I am unable to care for myself, of safe and decent housing, of sufficient and healthy food, of freedom from shame, of respect for whom I am no matter my age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, different abledness, race, religion or other biological or cultural differences. Together we can support each other in letting go of fear, shame or other shields.  Together we can be more than we are separately.  Together we can affirm and celebrate our shared humanness.”  Only then can we safely confess and learn from our mistakes.
 
Written January 29, 2023
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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​Sunday Musings - January 22, 2023
Who am I?
 
The question of who we are can be asked in a number of different ways with the intent on arriving at who one is in terms of biology, occupation, spiritual beliefs, place/nationality, or an artificial construct such as race or gender.
 
I identify as:
 
o   A biologically male person.
 
o   A finely tuned and rather complicated assembly of organs, tissues, fascia, blood, water, bones and other parts.
 
o   A single person; a divorced person living alone.
 
o   A father whose son chooses to not have a relationship with him.
 
o   A citizen of the United States who does not identify as American but one who lives and pays taxes in a section of the Americas.
 
o   A citizen or the Universes
 
o   A person who was born in 1940
 
o   A legal resident of the city of Wheeling, West Virginia and of the state of West Virginia thus obligating me to pay city and state taxes in those places.
 
o   A mutt in terms of biological lineage with roots in many different parts of this planet.
 
o   A person who appears to be a Caucasian male and, thus, has the privileges given to those who appear to be Caucasian males in this culture.
 
o   A person who is graced with a safe, pleasant home, a safe vehicle, a well-stocked pantry and enough money to pay essentials such as utilities.
 
o   A person who has the good fortune to work at an occupation for which he has a passion.
 
o   A person whose spiritual framework has been the Christian religion but who borrows from the teachings of Jesus, the Buddha, Mohammed and many others.
 
o   A person who understands himself to be a necessary but not sufficient part of the whole of the universe.
 
o   A person who has not always nurtured relationships/friendships well, but who now understand this to be a primary and necessary core value.
 
o   A person who is able to experience joy in one hand and grief in the other.
 
o   A person who has a great passion for friendships, food, music, dance, paintings, sculptures and other art forms.
 
o   A person — an animal - who has an interdependent relationship with other people, animals, plants, earth itself and the universes.
 
o   A person who has the responsibility and the privilege of carrying ancestors in his DNA and who will soon join that group of ancestors somewhere in the universe. 
 
o   A person who has strong beliefs but knows that his perspective if very limited.
 
o   A person who was raised close to the earth and is perhaps more at ease with the earth and animals than other humans.
 
o   A person who often can speak with authority but who always questioned his own opinions. 
 
o   A person who enjoys the company of those who exhibit those qualities more often in this culture labeled as feminine and thus, enjoys the company of those whose life dance reflect those qualities.
 
o   A person who is primarily sexually attracted to biological males.
 
o   A person who is a compilation of contradictions.
 
o   A person whose “soul” cannot be contained in any term or concept; a “soul” which is pure energy, the form of which may change but which is eternal.
 
Who am I?  I am all the above and both more and less than the above.   Some would suggest, as did Rene Descartes, “I think therefore I am.”   Who am I?  A thinking person.   Jean Paul Sartre suggested that the meaning of life is that which we create. I am thus a creator.  Many religious persons would suggest that we are children of God whose meaning or purpose is to obey certain rules which some called prophets attributed to the God of their understanding. My purpose thus is to prepare for eternal life - post human death.   Some equate the nebulous concept of consciousness with the essence of who we are as humans.  Others suggest that our purpose is to recreate ourselves in the form of artificial intelligence.
 
There is no shortage of attempts to intuit or posit the meaning of life which, in turn, will answer the questions of who we are as humans; whether we have a purpose other than to perform our brief job of honoring our part in the ecology of the universe. 
 
One might ask the reason for this question.   Some might suggest that all the attempts to identify who we are as humans and, thus, the meaning of this brief existence,  is to avoid the reality that we are all dancers on the stage of life; that indeed, as Shakespeare suggested “All the world is a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts.  His acts being seven ages.”  He then goes on to name the ages: infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice, pantaloon, second childishness. (“As You Like It”, Act II, Scene VII.
 
One could ask, “Who will I be today?”  Will I be the friend, the creator, the servant, the master, the rock, or the sand?   Perhaps a combination.   
 
I once spent many hours seeking the essence of a mountain stream in Alaska. It was obvious that the bed, sides, water, rocks, and dirt were in a constant state of flux and, yet there was a core something all intuitively knew was the river.   What does our intuition tell us is the equivalent core of who we are?  Is it what we leave in our wake to create the banks, sides, bed, and dirt or the act of constant recreation itself?
 
Written January 21, 2023
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
 
 
 
 

​Sunday Musings - January 15, 2023
 
In my blog of January 8, I suggested that although what we refer to as mental is a physical process in the body, talk therapy can be helpful for many living with an illness or condition which affects how one experiences reality.   There are exceptions, of course, such as when the mind is incapable of imagining a shared reality or allowig for the possibility of a reality other than the one a mind is currently experiencing.
 
Optimal brain functioning has more than one voice.  We humans are certainly not the only animal capable of problem solving.  We may, however, be the only animal capable of simultaneously being both the observer and the participant; of both experiencing a specific reality while examining the process of how we arrived at that reality thus allowing for an alternate reality.  We usually arrive at a particular reality by interpreting the current sensations of touch, smell, hearing and sight.  We do this partly by comparison with the memories associated with these sensations.  Thus, if the sensations we are currently experiencing resemble those from a past experience, we may react as if it is the same experience. For example, if a combat veteran hears a loud noise resembling a combat noise he or she may react as if they are in mortal danger when in in fact the noise may be the backfiring of a car, fireworks or some other non-fatal noise which does not indicate danger.  In other words, the memory of associating a loud noise with danger has to be expanded if the person is now going to safely and comfortably live in a non-combat situation.  The person has to implant a new or different set of possibilities; sometimes the noise indicates danger and often it may not.  The person has to be both the observer and the participant.  The participant experiences a sensation of sight, hearing, or smell.  The observer part of their brain can further access the situation to determine if it is a danger or not.  The observer part of their brain can also practice what one of my teachers calls, non-duality. Non-duality is the act of withholding labeling the event as good or bad, right or wrong. This allows a more scientific approach to reacting to the event or stimulus.  This process involves a lot of brain activity even if it may, at times, seem to occur in a brief time.
 
How well the various parts of the brain functions depend on chemical balance and other factors including diet, exercise, emotional and spiritual support and the working of other organs.  Thyroid function, heart function, physical pain, alcohol, other drug use, environmental factors, rest among others can also affect how the brain determines or experiences reality.   
 
Talk therapy can:
 

• Invite one to stand outside the current experience.

 

• Invite one to consider if their current experience of reality is being determined by old fears, depression, chemical balance or possibly other factors.

 

• invite one to “fact check” the reality.  For example, a person with whom I was talking had “learned” as a child that he was never good enough.  He still gets fearful of being judged and found wanting, despite the fact that he is a highly respected, accomplished man in his personal and professional life.  He is now learning to “fact check” and correct the lies he internalized as a child.  Fact checking might also affirm one’s current reality.  For example, another person with whom I recently talked is in an abusive relationship. The fact is that she is in danger and does need to find a path to safety.

 

• Invite one to know that other factors are affecting one’s perception of reality and, thus, refrain from acting on one’s initial perception/experience.

 

• Invite one to experience an alternative reality.  For example, if one has a traumatic background and has become fearful of all relationships one can experience a positive, safe relationship with the therapist.

 

• Invite one to learn more about what action, if any, to take regarding one’s perceptions of reality.

 

• Invite one to experience a relationship which contradicts the fear or other negative emotions past relationships engendered.

 

• Invite one to learn more about how the human body functions and what feeds or steals its health.

 

• Invite one to identify other community resources for healing and basic, holistic health.

 
Written January 15, 2023
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org