Post No. 478 - Speculations: 'Input Orientation', Obama, and other stuff

One of the things that exercises my mind from time to time is speculation about various matters - and this had led, for example, to my work on 'growth orientation'. I'd like to now extend that work a little, and look at what I am going to call 'input orientation'.

First, consider our physical senses - sight, sound, taste, touch and smell.

Most people tend to become focused more on using sight as their main input - and the decline of the sense of smell is certainly of survival value for living in a city, and I suspect the loss of hearing because of noise might also have its benefits with city living as well :) , but that isn't always the case. I'm not only considering extreme situations where people have lost the use of a sense, but also consider, for instance, the high refinement of the sense of taste for a chef (can you taste a recipe and break down ALL the multiple tastes in it?), the sense of smell for someone working with perfumes [3] , the sense of hearing for a musician, the sense of touch for a massage therapist. Obviously these have been refined because of the careers I've listed, but could it be that the predilection towards sensitivity of those senses was already there, and that led them into those careers?

(Incidentally, all of these refinements of sense could be argued to be merely specialisation, and not necessarily an improvement, in much the same way that some people who are geniuses in one area of life seem to have done so at the expense of their abilities in other areas ... which is a wonderfully comforting argument to those of us who aren't particularly exceptional in any area, and ignores those rotten sods who are gifted everywhere :) )

OK, so let's move on to what I am proposing - which is not simply strongest or best developed sense.

As a first point, are you more affected by external or internal stimuli - good and bad?

I suppose someone who is more affected by internal stimuli would be an introvert, but someone who is affected by external stimuli isn't necessarily an extrovert.

For instance, in my case, I'm affected by internal states through my meditation and self awareness (incidentally, I've personally found the psychological tool of mindfulness of little value, as (a) I'm quite self aware anyway, and (b) the often instated step of letting go ignores that much of what is going on has a reason - and possibly even a purpose, such as something to do with survival), and also external influences - such as the psychic overcrowding of a city, and the refreshing psychic uplift of a forest.

I've also given a hint of what I'm aiming at here: is there a particular physical or non-physical sense that one is more receptive to 'good' or 'bad' (perhaps, pleasant and unpleasant?) influences coming in on? For instance, I am less susceptible than others, perhaps to some unpleasant smells, but surprisingly sensitive to others. I'm also surprisingly - given my variable deafness, particularly when I'm tired (my eyesight gets worse when I'm tired or stressed as well, but in that case, I know that it is those factors influencing my sugar levels) -  sensitive to good and bad sounds both externally (e.g. good music, such as the head-banging bluegrass of Mumford & Sons, or the horrible scream of a kettle) and internally (I often have favourite music running through my mind). Overall, however, I am most sensitive to psychic impressions both internally and externally: that means I am living in a state of permanent overload from the psychic impressions from people in a city (very few really enjoy that experience: most drown out their sorrows, or simply exist with - or ignore  the stresses of traffic, work pressures, mortgage and rent stress, boundary and other neighbour disputes, etc, etc, etc), and have become quite reclusive as a result of five years of this constant bombardment - which means I have had to spend five years constantly maintaining my psychic defences, and am quite exhausted.

Oddly enough, this also show that I have some surprising people orientations:

• I am sensitive towards people in terms of 'bad' input from outside myself; 
• I am sensitive towards people in terms of 'good' input from inside myself - meaning, BPF Guides, etc; 
• I am also sensitive towards people in terms of 'bad' input from inside myself, in terms of psychic attack (yes, I know that comes from outside, but I'm just starting to try and work all this out, OK? :) ), and also things like negative or excessively self critical self-talk; 
• I am sensitive towards the world of Nature (particularly the ocean and all that goes with sailing) in terms of 'good' input from outside myself.

I'm going to meditate on that, and see if I can work out a way to use that increased awareness, and refine that method of analysis.

Next, Obama [2].

Despite some major problems with Obama's presidency (such as the failure to shut down Guantanamo, allegations of extrajudicial killings and the use of drones, and the increased surveillance [4] ), overall I am impressed with Obama. He has made some major contributions to the fight against discrimination [5], and on Syria he demonstrated a commitment towards participatory democracy that is admirable, particularly in view of the US system which (in my words) creates a position of 'elected royalty' that they call 'President', and thereby made the current non-invasive resolution of the chemical weapons problem in Syria possible. Ultimately, such actions are to the benefit of the USA - but the current blockade of the entire USA by a few hardline Republicans [6] who don't want people to have affordable health care is not (see here for an example of what those Republicans seem to want).

So, going back to Obama. As a brief summary, perhaps consider the following listing of benefits and faults from Wikipedia:

"Early in his first term in office, Obama signed into law economic stimulus legislation in response to the Great Recession in the form of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010. Other major domestic initiatives in his presidency include the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, often referred to as "Obamacare"; the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010; the Budget Control Act of 2011; and the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. In May 2012, he became the first sitting U.S. president to publicly support same-sex marriage and in 2013 his administration filed briefs which urged the Supreme Court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 and California's Proposition 8 as unconstitutional. In foreign policy, Obama ended U.S. military involvement in the Iraq War, ordered troop buildup and drawdown in Afghanistan, signed the New START arms control treaty with Russia, ordered U.S. military involvement in Libya, and ordered the military operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden."

In addition, Obama has taken positive action towards much-needed gun control in the USA. 

If I was to sum this up, socially and economically I consider Obama has been 'good' (I would say progressive, but while that word is good to me, others don't think it is - and it can be abused or misused), but militarily and on human rights and security, a mixed bag - some 'good', some 'bad' (you can choose which is which according to your views).

When I first got the idea for this topic as a post (several years ago now), my focus was on the apparent change from pre-election Obama, who promised to shut down the Guantanamo detention facility immediately, and post-election Obama, where, not only did this fail to happen, but we there was also an increase in concerning attitudes.

Why?

No - seriously, ignoring the usual fashionable cynic rubbish, why?

You see, I consider there are multiple levels to events in life, and in this particular case, I consider the tendency of some to jump on the 'fashionable cynic' bandwagon (so many Aussies are so good at that ... ) says more about the fashionable cynic than it does about the person being speculated (and it is, remember, just that - speculation) about, and misses out on a chance to learn something.

In the case of Obama's apparent change (I'll use the word 'apparent' in case the fashionable cynics are correct :) ), the issue that struck me is that people generally have a powerful desire to 'belong' - even in the case of people who don't seem to want to belong to what the social majority think is worth 'belonging' to, which covers me, that desire to 'belong' may still present. In my case, my desire to 'belong' is to 'belong' to the group comprising my Patron Deities, BPF Guides and those incarnated people I love and/or respect - not the fashionable or the 'in' crowd [7] . If you've been on the 'outer' for a while, or in a significant way, when you have a chance to 'in', to become accepted, there is a tendency to adopt the values of the 'in' crowd with possibly excessive zeal. I've seen this in a range of situations - including, sadly, in some trans people (although, before reforms to provide protection against discrimination, such behaviour often had survival value - i.e., you were less likely to be victimised, assaulted or killed - and I've buried far too many trans people, often as a result of discrimination leading to suicide [8] ).

Now, if you add to that the need to work closely with a group that you suddenly find yourself either part of or 'in' with, then you have a double-whammy of drivers towards adopting the prevailing views inside that group - i.e. the 'group mind', or, if you prefer, 'group think'.

It is important to remember that, in the scenario I'm speculating about, these people cannot be ignored: they have important roles to play, and cannot be dismissed as if they do not exist. If someone is considering in running for public office, this is an issue that they will hopefully have considered (I worry whether some of the minor parties who have been elected to the Senate in our recent [Australian Commonwealth] election have thought this through ... ) such issues, and how they are going to spend several years juggling pressures and combat with experienced professionals (think 'Yes Minister') whilst maintaining health and sanity - hopefully.

So ... having made that speculation ... how does that, Dear Reader, apply to your own life? Where have you struck a balance between being able to exist in reasonable harmony at the price of your principles? I know where I'm juggling those pressures, and what my balance points currently are, and I frequently review them.

Which leads me to my next point, an exercise I came up with someone some time ago for someone who was coming to terms with the balance that one has to have between confidence and humility.

That exercise is based on the analogy of a bow - specifically, being the bow strong.

Now, when a bow is drawn, the strong is pulled back by the archer, and the resistance made by the connection to the bow bends the bow, and converts the archer's applied muscular effort into stored kinetic energy which, when the string is released by the archer, is transferred from the bow to the arrow - and the arrow flies.

At the point where the archers fingers meet the bow string, there are two opposing forces: one from the top of the bow, and one from the bottom (assuming the bow is in the more common position of vertical). If those forces weren't in balance (say, for instance, the archer is trying to draw the bow whole holding the string near one end of the bow, rather than the centre), it won't work, or won't work well - the arrow will either not take flight, or will be off target. If you try to draw a bow that has a broken string, it won't work at all.

So if we take the balance between confidence and humility:

• too much confidence and not enough humility leads to arrogance and hubris - the pride that goeth before a fall; 
• not enough confidence and too much humility leads to being a doormat that others walk all over (a problem for me in much of my life, which will no doubt surprise some people who know me, but then I've worked consciously and fixing that balance) or even depression.

The exercise is to stand with your arms extended out horizontally from your shoulders,out sideways, and imagine that they are the string of the bow. Imagine that one represents confidence, and the other humility, and then begin to slowly bring your arms forward into a vee, as if your arms are the string of a horizontal bow being drawn by some archer. As you do so, allow yourself to feel the balance between the two forces, perhaps even in relation to a specific situation, and contemplate how too much of either can show up in that particular situation. If you've practiced enough to become proficient, you could possibly even allow one arm to move slightly ahead of the other as you do so.

The aim is to promote awareness and thinking that will help you be mindful, and thus effective at balancing competing influences or forces - not just confidence and humility, but other poles as well.

OK, that has taken me nearly five hours, so the other 'other stuff' can now wait for some other post :) (arggh - I've got so much non-blog stuff to do! How do people blog every day - do it full time?) But, as a couple of quick final notes, I've added a personal story to my previous post, as note 3, and sometimes politicians can surprise one for the good, as Denis Napthine has on LGBTIQ issues and the disabled.



[3] In my case, I often joke about not having a sense of smell because of my work in wastewater treatment, but the truth is that it is simply developed in certain ways that benefit work, rather than more socially acceptable uses. Hence, for example, I have no interest in being able to sort out types of perfumes or food smells (and have been ridiculed by others for that lack - despite me clearly being a butch lesbian and thus clearly not likely to be interested in such matters :) [joke, Joyce!] ), but I can walk onto a treatment plant and tell you what sort of process upset has occurred and start problem solving straight away, base on the smell - which should NOT normally be present. 

[4] For more on this, see here, here (ironic that something I thought of years ago as a defence against viruses is now being advocated by others - albeit for different reasons :) ) and here. 

[5] Not least of which is getting the idiots rabbiting on about his birth certificate out into the open - do they really, in a country that used to pride itself on taking the world's downtrodden etc, want to object to him being a foreigner? Even if he was - so what? Anyone who isn't Native American is going to have that problem to some extent, and I consider the key issue here is where his loyalty is - which I consider pretty clearly to be towards the USA. It would be an issue if he had deliberately misled voters in order to get elected, but I don't consider that such is the case: Obama genuinely believes - on this issue - what he says, in my view. 

[6] When did people start calling the Republican Party the 'GOP'? Took me a long time to find out what they were on about when that started appearing in the media - I thought G had to stand for Government, so was on the wrong track for a long time; as someone who is not in the US, could the media please remember that outsiders like me don't necessarily get GOP? 

[7] When I was a teenager, last millennia :) , my friends at high school used to joke that we so far 'out' from the 'in' crowd that we formed our own little Kuiper Belt of outness ... 

[8] And hence the addition of my quote "As words can kill, the right to freedom of speech comes with a DUTY to be as well-informed, objective and balanced as you can be" some time ago.

[1] BPF = Balanced Positive (spiritual) Forces. See here and here for more on this.

[2] Please see here and my post "The Death of Wikipedia" for the reasons I now recommend caution when using Wikipedia. I'm also exploring use of h2g2, although that doesn't appear to be as extensive (h2g2 is intended - rather engagingly - to be the Earth edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"). 

Love, light, hugs and blessings

Gnwmythr 
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear"; ... aka Bellatrix Lux?)

My "blogiography" (list of all posts - currently not up to date) is here.  

I started this blog to cover karmic regression-rescue (see here and here), and it grew ...  See here for my group mind project, here and here for my "pagans for peace" project (and join me at 9 PM on Sunday, wherever you are, to meditate for peace), and here for my bindrune kit-bag.

• One size does NOT fit all. 
• May the world of commerce and business be recognised to be a servant, not a master, of the lives of people.
• Ban the dream interpretation industry! 
• A home is for living in, not feeling, becoming or being rich or a “better” class than others.
• Like fire to the physical, emotions to the soul make a good servant, and a bad master. 
• "Following the crowd" is not "going with the flow".
• Armageddon is alive and well and happening right now: it is a battle between the indolence of "I only ..." and/or "I just ..." and/or "Everyone knows ... " and/or "they can ..." and what Bruce Schneier [2] calls "security theatre" on one side, and perspicacity and the understanding that the means shape the end on the other. 
• The means shape the end.  
• Sometimes you just can't argue with a biped that is armed with a sharp stick, a thick head and not too much in the way of grunts.
• As words can kill, the right to freedom of speech comes with a DUTY to be as well-informed, objective and balanced as you can be.
• My favourite action movie of all time is "Gandhi". However, I loathe the stereotypical action movie - and, for similar reasons, I loathe many dramas, which are often emotionally violent, more so in some cases than many war films.

Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger [people]. JOHN F. KENNEDY (quoting 19th century Episcopal Bishop Phillips Brooks)

Jesus loves you.  Odin wants you to grow up. (Facebook meme, according to John Beckett)

Females, get over 'cute'. Get competent. Get trained. Get capable. Get over 'cute'. And those of you who are called Patty and Debby and Suzy, get over that. Because we use those names to infantalise females – we keep females in their 'little girl' state by the names we use for them. Get over it. If you want to be taken seriously, get serious. JANE ELLIOTT 

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing. (based on writing by) EDMUND BURKE

"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." EINSTEIN

We didn't inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we only borrowed it from our children ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Those whom we cannot stand are usually those who we cannot understand P.K.SHAW

Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, and the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change." SENATOR ROBERT F. KENNEDY (US Attorney General 1966 Speech) 

Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product ... if we should judge America by that -- counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. ... Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile." ROBERT F. KENNEDY 1968

Tags: balance, Bow Balance exercise, exercises, governance, input orientation, media, Obama, politics, society,

First published: Sunnudagr, 6th October, 2013

Last edited: Sunday, 6th October, 2013