L.I.F.T.

I read John Zerzan’s book “Twilight of the Machines” recently.  A good friend recommended it after my blog post on the book “The Coming Insurrection.”

After twilight...we gon' let it all hang down!

I enjoyed the book. It was very enlightening. Zerzan says that the “problem” with/of civilization stems from the development of symbolic thought via language. That is, that language itself creates a separation between things. This separation leads to the creation of other separations.

Specifically, the next separation to come was an original division of labor, which resulted in domestication. Some people stayed at home, some ventured out. They became very different.

If you couldn’t tell, this was also the beginning of the separation of the sexes, according to Zerzan. The separation or distinction between what is considered exclusively male from what is considered exclusively female led next to the separation of classes.

But Zerzan doesn’t stop there. Which is good, and bad.

Technology, he says, is the hallmark of the current separation. He discusses the ways in which technology has further separated man from himself and the rest of Creation (not in a “Biblical” sense, there – just, the Totality of What-Is).

He talks about postmodernism, and its apathetic relativism, as an outgrowth of this technology.

Like I said, I liked the book, but I had a couple of issues with it.

First, it’s a book. There’s no call to action within, except for a complete abandonment of civilization as we know it now. Which strikes me as odd. Zerzan wrote his book, presumably, on some piece of technology, and technology was used to reproduce and distribute it.

Apparently, he also does extensive speaking tours around the world. Doesn’t he know that airplanes are technology? And that air travel is considered to be one of the most damaging (in terms of carbon footprint)?

My second issue is more serious. It has to do with his critique of technology, and his critique of civilization.

Something happened before language turned us into slaves. What was that? Maybe boredom. Zerzan talks about the fact that there is evidence for the creation of seagoing vessels as long ago as 800,000 years, and that scientists now say that members of the genus homo were roughly just as “intelligent” as it is today, 1m years ago.

So why, if we were just as intelligent, would we suddenly create this new mode? Did it come exclusively from the creation of agriculture? Couldn’t agriculture be much older – as the cultivation of certain crops over others – given that homo has had the same level of intelligence for so long?

Was it boredom?

Or is it a combination of forces? The sudden presence of agricultural “technology,” combined with population density and the accompanying pressures and stresses. It’s interesting to note the development of similar practices in very diverse places in the world at roughly similar times (e.g., the development of culture and technologies in Central and South America, similar to those in other parts of the world, and sometimes even preceding those developments in those places).

Which leads to my final critique of Zerzan’s argument. “Technology” is not an “evil.” There are multiple “technologies” that have been used by various peoples at various times. In fact, the handmade axes of 130,000 years ago mentioned in the article above are “technology.”

Computers, “machines,” as Zerzan calls them, are modern versions of technology. But my computer has not stopped me from being physically active, or from connecting back to the earth. In fact, it has enabled me to get closer than I thought I ever would. Yes, I have to leave this technology for another when I go, but that doesn’t make one “better” than the other.

At base, Zerzan’s argument appeals to me – I do believe in the need for people to return to their own physiologies, and through that, to a deeper connection to and understanding of the earth. But the method he recommends is suspect to me.

Ever wonder why doctors are so quick to prescribe you medication when you have a problem?

A recent article by Duff Wilson, in the New York Times – “Doctor Training Aided by Drug Industry” – might give a clue.

According to Duff, citing a recent journal article from the Archives of Internal Medicine:

More than half of the nation’s medical residency programs to train doctors in internal medicine accepted financial support from the drug industry, even though three-fourths of the programs’ directors said accepting the aid was “not desirable,” a survey found.

Surprised?

My good friend Kwame Brown:

director of fitness at the Arlington, VA, Lee-District RecCenter; PhD. in neuroscience; founding member of the International Youth Conditioning Association; Exuberant Animal (par excellence):

and all-around good guy, needs your help.

He’s trying to get some insight into the factors affecting child development – from parents, educators, and policy-makers.  I’m sure that he’d even accept some ideas from folks who have an educated opinion, but don’t fit into any of those specific categories.

Please go over to his site and offer some ideas.

Saturday was the first Highland Games practice of 2010!

As usual, Games-expert and all-around-good-guy Alan Hebert was the host of practice, down at the fields at Stanford.

Here’s a brief highlight reel of my activities:

In all, I felt pretty good.  A LOT better than starting out last year, when everything was brand new.  I think this season is going to be a great one!  I’ve got a good strength foundation built up over the winter, and some great practice locations.  Also, a ton of useful throw tips from Alan.  The only event I’m “worried” about is the Heavy Weight For Distance.

Now the only thing is to practice practice practice!

If you’re interested in trying it out, and live in the Bay Area, Alan is going to start holding regular practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  I’ll send an update as soon as I know more!  If you just want to try it out on your own, search Scottish Heavy Athletics, or Highland Games, for your area, and find a club!  Alternately, you can go to Alan’s YouTube page and try some of the moves yourself.

Enjoy!

A recent New York Times articles asks :”Is There An Ecological Unconscious?“

Aside from citing a bunch of studies and trying to draw general conclusions from them (which is an incorrect use of science, by the way, for a great discussion of this, see John Sifferman’s most recent blog post), the author describes the field of ecopsychology, from its inception to present attempts at connecting individuals’ psychology and environment.

I dare you to look inside...

The article cites a study by Marc Berman, at the University of Michigan, whose study “The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting with Nature” describes attentional gains after participants have walked through a setting full of “nature” (in this case, the Ann Arbor Arboretum…is that redundant?!).

But what is “psychology?”  Until that question is answered succinctly, all “psychological” studies are potentially redundant and misleading.

No one has ever answered that question in concrete terms.  Wikipedia says that: Psychology (lit. “study of the soul” or “study of the mind“^[1]) is an academic and applied discipline which involves the scientific study of human (or animal) mental functions and behaviors.

But what is the “mind?”  (let’s leave questions of the “soul” out of the discussion for now).  Apparently it’s a combination of “mental functions and behaviors.”

Again, Wikipedia says that “mind” is: the aspect of intellect and consciousness experienced as combinations of thought, perception, memory, emotion, will and imagination, including all unconscious cognitive processes. The term is often used to refer, by implication, to the thought processes of reason. Mind manifests itself subjectively as a stream of consciousness.

But where do all of those things come from?

These guys must know...if they're helping "mind"

Most of psychology, if you’ve ever taken a psychology course (or several) addresses “mind” as a thing separate from physical reality.  Theorists make up their own paradigms of mind and mentality, of “mental functions and behaviors.”

The terrible redundancy can be seen most clearly in the field of Child Psychology, or Child Development.  There are five or ten competing theories of child development at different stages of maturation.  All are right, most are completely redundant with one another.  Many (if not most) create definitions of the child’s developmental process that are obviously derived solely from the researcher’s personal experience…no “objectivity” there (the question of “objectivity” is quite another question entirely).

This redundancy seems extraordinarily silly to me.  For one, can’t we all just get along?!  But for another, where does this “mind” come from?  I mean, “mind” doesn’t just exist on its own, apart from the physical body…apart from “behaviors.”  Does it?

I think the development of the field of psychology stems largely from the Cartesian mind/body dualism, and an underlying belief in “human supremacy” in the Order of Things.

Foucault me.

That is, human beings always believe that they are somehow specially different, better, “more special” than anything else in nature.  We always try to find qualities that separate us from the “lower animals.”

But, one by one, all of those arguments have been disproved.  I’ve heard them all – human beings have language (all animals have language); human beings are creative (ever see a spiderweb?); we use tools (ever see an ape catch termites with a long blade of grass?); we are self-conscious (debatable, and impossible to prove that other animals are not also self-aware/conscious)…etc.

The list goes on, but always with the same result – we are no “better” than anything else this planet has produced, we’re simply “different.”

This led, in combination with the Cartesian separation of mind from body, to a belief that our thoughts were somehow separate from our bodies, from our “physical” selves.

“Ecological Unconscious” or “ecopsychology” is one attempt to put those things back together, but it has skimmed over one of the most important questions – “When studying psychology (the mind), what exactly is it that we are studying?”

In reference to this, I’d like to cite a 2007 study by Japanese researchers (following up on several earlier studies of a similar nature).  The study is called “Psychological effects of forest environments on healthy adults: Shinrin-yoku (forest-air bathing, walking) as a possible method of stress reduction,” and, similar to Berman’s study, looked at the effects of walking or sitting in a wooded environment on physiology.

Needless to say, the effects were drastic, and positive.  Physiological markers of stress (salivary cortisol, resting heart rate, blood pressure, etc.) decrease in a “natural” environment.

Do the participants’ “psychologies” change?  Undoubtedly, yes.

I guarantee that changing your breathing will change your mind.

You see, for  me, “psychology,” or “mind,” is just a product of the physical body.  Sure, at some level it also becomes the product of the interaction of itself (recursive thought) and anything else (mind-to-mind, mind-thinking-about-itself), but without the physical body, there is no mind.

How can I assert this?  Well, you can “change your mind” by changing your body.  If you’re feeling blue, go out for a run.  It will change your mind.

So when fields like “ecopsychology” spring up, or talk of an “ecological unconscious” begins, I wonder why.  Why is it that we want to separate our physiology from our thoughts (or vice versa)?  Why is it that we hold onto this belief that there is some “magic” happening in our gray matter?

While it is magical that we have such a complex brain, the brain is not the mind.  The entire body is your brain.  To quote George Leonard:

Some researchers in the comparatively new field of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) argue that the interplay of peptides with peptide receptors on the surface of cells throughout body and brain carries considerably more information than all previously discovered brain mechanisms combined. Imagine a pharmacy with well over a hundred potions that can be mixed in all possible combinations and proportions, and you can begin to understand the power of this chemical information system.

So don’t speak of an “ecological unconscious” as something separate from your body.  Don’t speak of nature as something separate from your body.  You are continuous with your habitat, with your environment.  This is why people living in cities get chronic diseases associated with urban environments – associated with pollution.  This is why people have the same diseases as their friends.

Everything “external” to your body can and should be considered your “external organs.”  There is nothing you see that does not affect your physiology on some level.  There is nothing you hear, smell, touch, that does not do the same.  At the same time, there are many things that you cannot sense in any way that are affecting your physiology…that are “creating your mind” – the invisible pollutants in your environment, the trees you do not notice that supply you with oxygen, the microbiomes that inhabit your body.

Stop separating your unconscious from your physical self.  And stop separating your physical self from the totality of your environment.  When you do that, you regain control over who you are and how you behave.

Only then can you finally say that you have a “mind.”

This blog post is the greatest summary and example of Exuberant Animal practice that I’ve ever seen:

http://maureenfreehill.blogspot.com/2010/02/exuberant-animals.html

Nice Maureen!  I hope you’re at the next EA event up there!

Michelle Obama, wife of our President, is taking a stand for physical education and fitness.

She’s started an initiative called Let’s Move!, that has a website to boot!

The group has four initiatives – Healthy Choices, Healthier Schools, Physical Activity, and Accessible and Affordable Healthy Food.

Yes, let's!

“To support Let’s Move and facilitate and coordinate partnerships with States, communities, and the non-profit and for-profit private sectors, the nation’s leading children’s health foundations have come together to create a new independent foundation – the Partnership for a Healthier America – which will accelerate existing efforts addressing childhood obesity and facilitate new commitments towards the national goal of solving childhood obesity within a generation.”

Partnership for a Healthier America

Linked to in the header above, the Partnership is composed about five founding organizations.  It’s a way to provide additional support, financial and outreach, for the Let’s Move! project.

Ok Pepsi, let's see what you've got!

Pepsi, On the Bandwagon

Pepsi Co. has announced that it’s going to support Mrs. Obama’s initiative a few ways.  First, they’re changing the way they list calories on their container.  They’re also going to provide funding for some movement initiatives.

The Old and the New Me

The old me would be suspicious, and doubtful of any change coming from this type of thing.

The new me – or, rather, me, now – sees any effort toward a positive direction as a good thing.

Please support the Let’s Move! initiative by going to the site and subscribing to the blog roll, and enter your email address to receive program updates as they come out.

It only works if everyone pitches in…

I’m no stranger to the TRX.  I’ve been using one off and on for years.  But yesterday, I was given a glimpse into the use of the TRX that I’d never seen.

One of many training centers...

I signed up online for the TRX Circuit Training class, with Flavien as the instructor.  The class was at 6:15 a.m., which wasn’t a big deal for me, I’m an early riser anyway.

The next day, I got up early, had a cup of coffee and a delicious piece of high-protein/high-fiber Johnny Cake, and went to the TRX Training Center, which is here in San Francisco, on Pacific St., between Van Ness and Polk.

Since it was so early, I was able to park right outside.  The center is only two miles from my house, but I wasn’t sure what to expect, and had a full client list for the rest of that day.  I had considered running to the center at first, but then thought better of it.

Boy am I glad I did!

A portable Par-Course

There were about 7 or 8 of us at the center, which looks like it can handle roughly double that number.  Flavien started off by describing how to use the TRX, and some of the principles behind the use of leverage to make the exercises more or less challenging.

He then started us off with some basic warmups.  We did squats, high pushups and rows, and a couple of other exercises.

Then he turned on the heat.

Flavien basically went back through each exercise for the body and progressively made it more and more challenging.  At the end of a circuit, we’d jump rope for a minute or two.  He did give us a little rest, but it was tough!

Now, granted, you can go as hard or as easy as you want in the class, but Flavien was a persistent coach, and convinced me on several occasions to go harder than I was.  Thanks Flavien!

When all was said and done, I was dripping in sweat (probably the sweatiest guy there), breathing hard, and had a big smile on my face.

I highly recommend this to anyone who can get to one.  I know that there are many gyms around the country now that are offering TRX group exercise classes.

One of the TRX kits you can get

Between the ability to progressively increase challenge, to generate more strength, or  more endurance; the bodyweight-based resistance and portability of the TRX; the incredible range of movements and creativity that you can generate with the thing; the challenge to stabilization, and whole-body workout; and the (maybe most important) community-based nature of group exercise, I think it’s got to be one of the best choices you can make for your health and fitness.

Try it out, and let me know what you think!

A smattering of TRXercises for you..

A news release on the Department of Health and Human Service’s website says:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today awarded more than $119 million to states and U.S. territories to support public health efforts to reduce obesity, increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and decrease smoking-the four most important actions for combating chronic diseases and promoting health.

Good news, right?!

But where does it go, and how do we know?

The article mentions

1. Statewide policy and environmental change. All 58 applicants will receive funding for efforts in nutrition, physical activity, and tobacco control. The state, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico award amounts range from $335,801 to $2.2 million. Territory award amounts range from $99,980 to $100,000.
2. Competitive special policy and environmental change. Thirteen states were funded to implement 15 projects. The award amounts range from $1 million to $3 million per state.
3. Tobacco cessation through quitlines and media. CDC received applications-from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. 53 applicants will receive funding to expand tobacco quit-lines in concert with expanded cessation media campaigns. The award amounts range from $50,000 to $2.5 million.

It says we should check out the “Putting Communities to Work” website.

That site has a lot of information, but it’s hard to track down exactly what’s going on with the funds.

I contacted a friend in the San Francisco city government, and she told me that the Shape Up SF program had applied for funding through this award, and hasn’t heard yet.

I hope they do!

I think it’s great that our President is putting physical fitness back into “play” so to speak (har har har)…but I wish there were more transparency through the process.

The Shape Up SF Team!

For anyone who has ever wondered, “What the heck is Exuberant Animal?”

Or, “Do I have to be as crazy as Josh?”

Frank Forencich has posted a great video blog with a nice synopsis of his mission and the goals of EA:

http://blog.exuberantanimal.com/laughing-sweating-and-inspired/

Ask me anything!