TED Talk - Our Basic Purpose/ Richard Layard

     On my drives to/from Tahoe, I usually listen to an audiobook or a course of some kind.  Most recently, it was "Man's Search for Meaning," by Viktor Frankl.  Dr. Frankl was a psychiatrist and a survivor of Auschwitz, who, based on his experiences, postulated that "meaning"(purpose?) was at the core of a mental attitude that could survive almost any hardship and that this attitude could be willed into existence (at least that's my interpretation.)

    I'm embedding a video from a TED talk(a favorite source) which embodies Dr. Frankl's tenets in a more easily understood and more current context.  Note that it is 22 minutes long.








This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. What should be our basic purpose in life? What kind of society should we live in? Prof. Layard argues that the objective for our society should not be to become richer and richer. Wealth, he claims, is related to happiness only up to a point - and where the two diverge, we should not forget that the promised happiness was the only reason we attempted to become richer in the first place.

RICHARD LAYARD is best known for his contributions to happiness economics. You are likely to know him as the author of “Happiness: Lessons from a New Science” (2005) – a book which redefined the simplistic economic link between income and happiness. He is also the
co-founder of the Action for Happiness movement, now counting over 30,000 members. In both 2012 and 2013 Professor Layard co-edited the World Happiness Reports. Professor Layard’s studies have over the years considered unemployment and inequality. Moreover his recent work on the importance of non-income variables contributing to aggregate happiness has focused on mental health.

A Poem Video - The Path that Skis Take

Re-post of a Poem from March 1, 2013 - Searching for Evolution

Searching for Evolution

by Marlene G. McNew*

Where did I leave my keys?

I gave them to you, didn’t I?

You keep trying to throw them back.

And I keep walking in prayer circles,

my head bowed, eyes closed

wishing for stunted growth,

an oath I took to keep myself small,

insulated from the harsh,

never- ending echoes

of lightning’s song

misunderstood.

I keep myself tiny as if

wishing to fit through the magic

keyhole, the promised land

of breathing clouds and unrestricted air.

The truth is I am too nebulous

to gather my cells into cohesive flow.

So raging large and unkempt hues,

I float in unbound circles,

bumping into concrete walls,

as predictably as waves seeking rocks

to crash against.

But I begin to hear a vague melody

on the other side of this blue wall of  hail.

It is a siren song, my composition

of broken pieces melded into harmony

I hear the whispered words that call:

Hey you!  Toss me those keys back!

They are mine to keep.

I asked you to watch them, to treasure

my trust in you.

I did not intend to nail you behind a shut door,

to keep you hostage, to gift you my divinity.

I did not mean to lose my way,

to overstay this sweet visit

with your voice, so seemingly steadfast.

I did not mean to trip into your

weary rest from rocks.

Hand me those keys please.

I will find the road to sunrise

on my own, alone but not,

adrift in purpose,

the saving of my own life.

A Poem for Artists

Simultaneous Contrast

What is the color of sincerity?

I always thought of it as pale blue.

When did it become so grey?

Finely sharpened honey,

a strange salve to seek

for sunburned eyes.

I am the queen of authenticity,

though I live a lot

in darkened rooms.

Nothing is ever black and white.

Have you noticed that ochre

can be the finest spun gold?

Hues are relative,

based on their neighbors.

Values are so difficult,

sometimes,

to divine.

Another Poem - Melting the Ice

Melting the Ice

The brat pounds on the door.

“No one’s home, “ I yell.

“Go away.  You’re not welcome here.”

She wants to be picked up and soothed.

I feel it in her wail.

“When will Mama come back?”

“Never, I scream.”

“Never, she died in her cocoon

and resurrection is a dream!”

I hear her small cry.

The door is frozen shut,

covered in ice.

It looks red to me,

brittle, hard, unmoving…

“I am not a coward,”

I scream at the door

And then I call the police,

the fire department,

the snow plows

and the gathering smiles.

Even Glenda, the white witch

makes an appearance.

And, at last, the ice has been cleared.

“Come little girl,” I say.

“Come inside and stay.”

“You are safe now.”

Snow

Snow

Trembling inward, skin attempts to sink

far below the waterline

but the skiis lift, 

they glide forward toward the sky,

a horizon of heart populated by fur paws,

a universe of smiles

and the wonder of snow.

A Poem With Skiing as its Metaphor - Facing Into the Fall

This is a poem about Parkinson's Diisease that uses skiing as its metaphor.  I've attached explanatory notes.

Wiithout the notes, non-skiers seem completely lost.  

Facing Into The Fall

I am watching

from the lip

above a steep cornice

visualizing my body

facing straight down the hill,

falling into the turn.

But ahead I see a line

of shabbily dressed neurons.

They are disappearing,

one after another

over a ledge,

dropping into their last

no-fall zone.

I ski after them.

But I cannot watch.

My body hugs the mountain,

shivering,

turning away.

Where is the cavalry?

Where is Doug Coombs?

There, among the rocks,

motionless,

they stare at the sky,

smiling.

Author notes

Poem prompt:  The Way Home - the path to truth.

 Facing down the hill in skiing - a metaphor for fearlessly facing the truth.

"body hugs the mountain" - a phrase used in skiing to describe feeling so much fear that your body is oriented backward toward the mountain (virtually guaranteeing a fall) rather than forward into a controlled fall downhill.

Doug Coombs - a famous extreme skier, known for the sheer beauty of his turns and his ability to read the mountain.  He lived into his 40's until he slipped in a no fall zone while trying to help a friend.  

My Introduction to Downhill Skiing

It was Xmas day. My husband's favorite resort is Alpine Meadows so that's where we went. I don't think I would normally recommend Alpine as an ideal first time lesson resort (not that much available for beginners).

As mentioned, the only reason I went was because my husband begged me to. I had tried downhill skiing once about 20 years ago. As I hadn't prepared to go downhill skiing (a group of friends were staying at a cabin and the people who downhill skiied asked me to come along and try it). I had jeans, which they said would be fine---absolutely wrong!!! I fell down a lot, was cold and miserable and vowed never to do it again.:

So that first day, my husband made sure I was well outfitted. A friend loaned me a hot pink ski suit to wear; we rented equipment and I had all sorts of other stuff from my husband to ensure that I had what I needed (Xmas presents devoted to ski stuff).

We got off to a late start, so I took the 1:30 PM lesson. The instructor's name was Walter and the class had 3 other Asian women in it.

Walter asked why I was there and I told him it was only because my then boyfriend had asked me to try it. You can imagine what he was thinking...

We worked on very simple things, like just feeling comfortable moving around with long sticks attached to your feet. We made our way around the small green area around the Subway lift. We got on and off the subway lift a couple of times--which was very exciting!:

I remember that it was a powder day. Not a huge storm but just enough to feel like you were floating a little. It was very cold but I was very comfortable in my outfit. I forgot that I was sick with a cold. I remember thinking how beautiful everything looked and how fresh the air felt. I was amazed at how comfortable I was.

I wasn't particularly adventurous. But the three Asian women and I were having a lot of fun and laughing a lot.

Our biggest accomplishment at the end of the lesson was to go down a little hill. Top speed no doubt very slow...but nevertheless thrilling. Walter was surprised that I "went for it". I had a small feeling of success but more than that was really surprised at how much fun the whole thing was.:

It was a very different experience from the one 20 years before. Most notably, I was dry the whole time, totally comfortable temperature wise and having a lot more fun. I think Walter was (is?) very good at his job and that helped a lot.

In terms of preparing to ski for the first time, I do think it makes a world of difference to have the right equipment and , honestly, if you have access to an experienced skiier, that helps a lot too. Make sure you have warm/comfortable ski clothing, good equipment (probably best to rent from the resort....my husband had rented skis for me to bring along and I remember Walter suggesting it would be easier to be on shorter skis....).

Also, definitely take a lesson from a ski pro. A pro will know how to tell you what you need to do (or at least have a much better idea and all sorts of drills to practice to try to get the point across). My husband never attempted to coach me (smart man!) to any great degree.

It requires some time to get used to skis. People who start out younger and have a lot of athletic background seem to pick things up faster. I was 48 three years ago and I've done certain athletic things (tennis, cycling, etc) but I wouldn't describe myself as a natural athlete at all. But I think anyone can keep progressing if they want to (so what if it takes longer?).

It is hard to articulate just how rewarding skiing can feel. Maybe I had a very small taste when I went down the little hill on the first lesson. But, somehow, when you combine the beauty of the surroundings, being outdoors and being physcial, learning to trust your body, surrendering to the feeling of falling, the rush of speed (to some degree), the feeling of flowing and being in harmony with everything....it is an experience that is incredible! Also, to be afraid of something but to overcome the fear and do it is also really rewarding. I have never experienced a sport that is as fulfilling.

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