Some people have told me they think the biggest problem on our planet is runaway fear.
I disagree.
I think it's greed.
Greed will drive a person into manipulative and controlling behavior, of both themselves and the natural world.
Greed has an element of fear in it, however, greed is not the same thing as fear.
Karla McLaren, in The Language of Emotions, defines greed as "fevered avarice that places your needs above all other things, including logic and honor."
Now there's a statement to chew on!
I've been thinking these past 24 hours or so about where in my life I've been greedy. As far as expressing greed goes, I'm definitely not one of the leaders of the human pack! However, I'm more aware now than I was of how the smallest bit of greed inside me could be manipulated and cultivated by greedier folks.
If you're into "greed feeding" on others, it's easier to manipulate and control them if they're greedy too. A person's greed is a manipulable weakness.
So I'd better know my own greed, if I want to grow freer.
Disclaimer
Monday, May 20, 2013
"Haiku" En Route
The Japanese poetry form known as haiku is a nuanced use of that language.
It translates very roughly into English as a three-line poem of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively.
I've started writing one each morning, and if you want to read them, they'll be posted here and at Creativity & Artistic Process with Natural/Physical/Biological Intelligence.
It translates very roughly into English as a three-line poem of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively.
I've started writing one each morning, and if you want to read them, they'll be posted here and at Creativity & Artistic Process with Natural/Physical/Biological Intelligence.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
In Memoriam to Angelina Jolie's Breasts
I felt quietly shocked to hear this week that Angelina Jolie apparently has had both her healthy breasts removed because a genetic test showed her to be at risk for breast cancer.
One observer of the situation makes a strong case that she may be participating in a massive PR effort that will help cement corporate ownership of the human genome.
Did you know that roughly 20 percent of human genes have been "patented" by corporations?
By conventional standards, Angelina Jolie is a tremendously beautiful woman. I have felt very sad to think that she has possibly (because it's also possible she is lying in exchange for money) allowed her body to be mutilated while it is healthy!
I have so much love for my breasts because of the sexual pleasure they give me, because they are beautiful, and because they represent to me my ability to give, to contribute, to nourish. I cannot imagine ever consenting to having them amputated because of a genetic test—especially when so much information is available in the holistic community about how to prevent and reverse cancer.
We also know from the emerging science of epigenetics that we have conscious control, via diet, lifestyle, and how we respond to stress, over how our genes actually express themselves.
Last, but far from least, is the valid argument (in my view) that by the time a tumor appears, it's because of changes in the whole body that indicate a massive decline in overall health. The body literally initiates the cancer process in a last-ditch attempt at survival, due to underlying factors that would otherwise kill us very quickly. The body's intelligence, when possible, puts the actual tumor as far away from vital organs as possible. The breasts are one such location. Should Jolie's health deteriorate in future to such a point that her body feels it necessary to initiate cancer, it will no longer have access to her breasts. So in my view, she has profoundly endangered herself, rather than helped herself.
I obviously do not know Angelina Jolie in person. We live in entirely different worlds. And I feel sad for her beautiful body.
Here she is in a scene from the movie Beowulf:
One observer of the situation makes a strong case that she may be participating in a massive PR effort that will help cement corporate ownership of the human genome.
Did you know that roughly 20 percent of human genes have been "patented" by corporations?
By conventional standards, Angelina Jolie is a tremendously beautiful woman. I have felt very sad to think that she has possibly (because it's also possible she is lying in exchange for money) allowed her body to be mutilated while it is healthy!
I have so much love for my breasts because of the sexual pleasure they give me, because they are beautiful, and because they represent to me my ability to give, to contribute, to nourish. I cannot imagine ever consenting to having them amputated because of a genetic test—especially when so much information is available in the holistic community about how to prevent and reverse cancer.
We also know from the emerging science of epigenetics that we have conscious control, via diet, lifestyle, and how we respond to stress, over how our genes actually express themselves.
Last, but far from least, is the valid argument (in my view) that by the time a tumor appears, it's because of changes in the whole body that indicate a massive decline in overall health. The body literally initiates the cancer process in a last-ditch attempt at survival, due to underlying factors that would otherwise kill us very quickly. The body's intelligence, when possible, puts the actual tumor as far away from vital organs as possible. The breasts are one such location. Should Jolie's health deteriorate in future to such a point that her body feels it necessary to initiate cancer, it will no longer have access to her breasts. So in my view, she has profoundly endangered herself, rather than helped herself.
I obviously do not know Angelina Jolie in person. We live in entirely different worlds. And I feel sad for her beautiful body.
Here she is in a scene from the movie Beowulf:
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