Who Are We? + We lie to our kids, and then we expect them to be honest.

“Who in the world am I?” asked Alice (in Wonderland). “Ah, that’s the great puzzle!” The question may make you wonder about taking time to ponder such philosophical babble. The answer is usually defined by what you can control. A reply might be, “I can wiggle my toes but I can’t move the legs of the table.” The dividing line between self and nonself is taken to be the skin. This is reinforced every day of our lives — every time you fill out a form: I am ___ (your name here). It’s such an integral part of our lives that the question is as unnatural as scrutinizing breathing.

Years ago I published an experiment (Science, 212, 695, 1981) with Harvard psychologist B.F. Skinner (the “father” of modern behaviorism) showing that like us, animals are capable of ‘self-awareness.’ We taught pigeons to use a mirror to locate a spot on their body which they couldn’t see directly. Although similar behavior in primates is attributed to a self-concept, it’s clear there are different degrees of self-awareness. For instance, we didn’t report in our paper that the pigeons attacked their own reflection in the mirror. Biocentrismsuggests we humans may be as oblivious to certain aspects of who we are as the pigeons.

We are more than we’ve been taught in biology class. Everyday life makes this obvious. Last weekend I set out on a walk. There was a roar of dirt bikes from the nearby sandpit, but as I went further into the forest the sound gradually disappeared. In a clearing I noticed sprays of tiny flowers (Houstonia caerulea) dotting the ground. I squatted down to examine them. They were about a quarter-of-an-inch in diameter with yellow centers and petals ranging in color from white to deep purple. I was wondering why these flowers had such bright coloring, when I saw a fuzzy little creature with a body the size of a BB darting in and out of the flowers. Its wings were awkwardly large and beating so fast I could hardly see their outline. This tiny world was as wondrous as Pandora in Avatar. It took my breath away.

There we were, this fuzzy little creature and I, two living objects that had entered into each others’ world. It flew off to the next flower, and I, for my part, stepped back careful not to destroy its habitat. I wondered if our little interaction was any different from that of any other two objects in the Universe. Was this little insect just another collection of atoms — proteins and molecules spinning like planets around the sun?

It’s true that the laws of chemistry can tackle the rudimentary biology of living systems, and as a medical doctor I can recite in detail the chemical foundations and cellular organization of animal cells: oxidation, biophysical metabolism, all the carbohydrates, lipids and amino acid patterns. But there was more to this little bug than the sum of its biochemical functions. A full understanding of life can’t be found only by looking at cells and molecules. Conversely, physical existence can’t be divorced from the animal life and structures that coordinate sense perception and experience (even if these, too, have a physical correlate in our consciousness).

It seems likely that this creature was the center of its own sphere of physical reality just as I was the center of mine. We were connected not only by being alive at the same moment in Earth’s 4.5 billion year history, but by something suggestive – a pattern that’s a template for existence itself.

The bug had little eyes and antenna, and possessed sensory cells that transmitted messages to its brain. Perhaps my existence in its universe was limited to some shadow off in the distance. I don’t know. But as I stood up and left, I no doubt dispersed into the haze of probability surrounding the creature’s little world.

Science has failed to recognize those properties of life that make it fundamental to our existence. This view of the world in which life and consciousness are bottom-line in understanding the larger universe — biocentrism — revolves around the way our consciousness relates to a physical process. It’s a vast mystery that I’ve pursued my entire life with a lot of help along the way, standing on the shoulders of some of the most lauded minds of the modern age. I’ve also come to conclusions that would shock my predecessors, placing biology above the other sciences in an attempt to find the theory of everything that has evaded other disciplines.

We’re taught since childhood that the universe can be fundamentally divided into two entities — ourselves, and that which is outside of us. This seems logical. “Self” is commonly defined by what we can control. We can move our fingers but I can’t wiggle your toes. The dichotomy is based largely on manipulation, even if basic biology tells us we’ve no more control over most of the trillions of cells in our body than over a rock or a tree.

Consider everything that you see around you right now — this page, for example, or your hands and fingers. Language and custom say that it all lies outside us in the external world. Yet we can’t see anything through the vault of bone that surrounds our brain. Everything you see and experience — your body, the trees and sky — are part of an active process occurring in your mind. You are this process, not just that tiny part you control with motor neurons.

You’re not an object — you are your consciousness. You’re a unified being, not just your wriggling arm or foot, but part of a larger equation that includes all the colors, sensations and objects you perceive. If you divorce one side of the equation from the other you cease to exist. Indeed, experiments confirm that particles only exist with real properties if they’re observed. Until the mind sets the scaffolding of things in place, they can’t be thought of as having any real existence — neither duration nor position in space. As the great physicist John Wheeler said, “No phenomenon is a real phenomenon until it is an observedphenomenon.” That’s why in real experiments, not just the properties of matter — but space and time themselves — depend on the observer. Your consciousness isn’t just part of the equation — the equation is you.

After she left the pool of tears, the Caterpillar asked Alice “‘Who are you?’ This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, ‘I—I hardly know, Sir…’” Perhaps the Hookah-Smoking caterpillar, sitting there on his mushroom, knew that this unusually short question was not only rude, but difficult indeed.

Robert Lanza, MD has published extensively in leading scientific journals. His book “Biocentrism” (co-authored with astronomer Bob Berman) lays out the full scientific argument for his theory of everything

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View article on Huffington Post

 

Non-action is the killer of dreams. Non-action and the waiting game destroys businesses, relationships and families. Your circumstances can change and solutions can come in the blink of an eye.

We all hit a wall in our lives where we feel everything is just against us. We hammer on the door of opportunity until our knuckles are raw, but know one invite us in. The key to overcome the waves of panic and pain is to trust that things will turn out ok like they did so many times before. Think back how you worried about a wide range of stuff at school and how most of them never materialised as horrific as expected. Let your mind glide through the scrap heap periods in your life and recall how many of the biggest disasters turned out ok in the end. Recall the wonderful lessons you learned and how certain individuals revealed to you that the path forward would be much more productive and pleasant without them. The biggest mistake we make when we are confronted by serious challenges is to allow the perceived magnitude to paralyze us. We start thinking in panic stricken circles and allow our minds to bind us in a state of non-action. There is nothing more lethal than a state of non-action blended with a brew of stinking thinking. The way out of any problem situation begins with calm and deliberate action. Relax and then kick the door of opportunity down if they fail to open it for you. You do not have a financial problem. All you have is a shortfall on current available cash. Your cash flow can be remedied if you continue taking deliberate action. You need to write those letters and make those calls while you talk to as many people you can that can assist you. Non-action is the killer of dreams. Non-action and the waiting game destroys businesses, relationships and families. Your circumstances can change and solutions can come in the blink of an eye. The pass code that will open many doors for you and solve most problems is your attitude my friend.

 

Rene

 

Top ten factors, contributing to the “Mail Order Bride”.

Today it seems that the women who choose to place their profiles on sites like ours are passive, almost like a commodity, just waiting for someone to come along and take them away from their terrible lot in life. That concept is just not the case, we know that here, and we have been assisting these men and women in finding each other for fifteen years. These women cannot find a suitable husband where they live and are actively involved in their search for a husband. In many cases the women greatly outnumber the men and, furthermore, the available men are not desirable due to factors such as alcoholism, fidelity issues, not wanting the responsibility of marriage, etc. Why should these women be forced to choose only from this prospective pool of possible grooms when there is a much more attractive, much larger population outside their community? These women are not passive; they are active in their pursuit of a husband and are taking charge of their destiny, much like their sisters did who got on that boat in London for passage to Jamestown. It was easy for these women. They were warned by the media and others, even their families, that they were going to end up as prostitutes and their lives were going to be a living hell. However, they endured and found success despite pleas from their family and friends. The vast majority of women who made the trip did find their soul mate, did get married, and did live very happy and more prosperous lives. Just like today, the more things change, the more they stay the same!

 

 

Based on what we have discussed in this article thus far, I believe that a list can be compiled listing the top ten factors, contributing to the “Mail Order Bride.”

 

 

1. In the past, the women came to the men (or vice versa in some cases) sight unseen to marry, sometimes very quickly, much like the arranged marriages of the old country. America is all about choice and opportunity and controlling ones destiny, so even today when one says “Mail Order Bride,” it is as if the man is bargaining with some entity to purchase a woman. In today’s International Introduction arena, nothing could be further from the truth.

 

 

2. Newspapers and other social commentators denounced the men of the West as unsuitable husbands and fathers, warning that the women venturing off to marry these men would be forced into prostitution and face unimaginable horrors. We know that was not the case. Most women eventually married and lived very happy and fulfilling lives. However, those stereotypes persisted. The media today continues to prolong and enhance the stigma by only focusing on negative, isolated stories. For the most part, they ignore thousands of success stories, just as they did in the 1850’s

 

 

3. There were some unethical companies operating in the 1850’s, just as there are now, that have given the industry a bad name. However, these instances seem quite exaggerated. You can take any industry and find the good, bad, and ugly. Try taking your car to ten different mechanics or calling ten different plumbers to you r house and observe the range of ethical treatment you get. I believe any industry will include both ethical and unethical companies.

 

 

4. Some of the women in the 1850’S were not as virtuous as advertised and took advantage of the men, deceiving them with fake teeth, fake bosoms, etc. Some of the men will deceive the women. Again, we are dealing with real people here and, whenever you do that, you are going to have good, bad, and ugly. That hasn’t changed since the beginning of time, so to blame that on Mail Order Brides is a bit of a stretch.

 

 

5. Not every marriage succeeded. The marriages then, as now, were held to a much higher standard. If they did not succeed, it was thought to be indicative of all “Mail Order Bride” marriages. However, Mail Order Bride marriages then and International marriages today actually survive much longer and suffer a drastically lower divorce and abuse rate than domestic marriages. That’s a fact that the media just doesn’t want to discuss, even though studies support it.

 

 

6. “Mail Order Bride” was seen as an act of desperation by the majority. It was publicly and privately denounced, as many new and innovate ventures frequently are.

 

 

7. Change in the way we view marriage and family, beginning in the 60’s, continued to have a profound effect during the 70’s, 80’s, and even today. Those that sought a more traditional family structure with a committed nuclear family were not looked upon favorably; the institution of marriage itself has been assaulted since the 60’s.

 

 

8. Egocentrism – cultural differences – as recently as 1967, it was a felony in the state of Virginia and many other states to marry outside of your race. The aptly named “Loving” case made it to the Supreme court in 1967. The court rejected the century old argument suggesting that bans on marriage across the color line imposed equally on all races. They called such laws an effort to maintain white supremacy, insupportable in view of the 14th amendment. The opinion reiterated that marriage was a fundamental freedom.

 

 

9. Age differences – In American culture even small age differences are seen as a possible problem. In many other cultures, the women seek older men because they feel they will be more responsible, loyal, mature, etc.

 

 

10. Threatened. We have received many calls through the years from American women wondering why we provide this service and what is wrong with them. I talk with them and assure that there is someone for everyone. Some people feel the need to search the world over for the right person while others are content to limit their search to their immediate surroundings. It is simply a matter of preference, but some people are threatened by the fact that these options exist.

 

READ MORE AT LINK BELOW

LINK

 

Mysterious Zigzag Lines and Concentric Circles in China? Google Earth users have unearthed some unusual structures/landscapes in China and most of these have remained a mystery for last several years.

 

 

 

These strange white lines within an area of 1800 x 1000 metres in the desert region of Gansu province, China, are a real mystery. No one knows the purpose of these apparently painted lines each having a width of about 20 metres (~66 feet). As per historical imagery  of Google Earth these lines were built later than August 26, 2003, were incomplete in April 4, 2005 imagery  and were completed before May 30, 2005. Read more about this amazing observation at the link below.

 

http://armchairtravelogue.blogspot.com/2010/06/mysterious-zigzag-lines-and-concentric.html