Wise advise from Jack LaLanne: Stop being so tired

Do you always feel tired? This is rather easy to fix. As Jack Lalanne suggests on the video below, all you need to do is:

1.  Exercise regularly
2. Eat a balanced diet
3. Relax

 [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBVk071N88M&feature=related]

If it is so easy, and given the knowledge has been around for a very long time, why do we have a society full of exhausted people?

Maybe in our quest for ‘quick fixes’ and ‘how to’ esoteric techniques, we have forgotten that it often is about coming back to basics. And to put it into practice does not take a lot of time, energy or money. Here are some ideas on how you can start to improve your energy levels:

1. Exercise regularly

All it takes is 15 minutes. I kid you not. Use the ‘Exercise Ladder’ from  John Walker’s “The Hacker’s Diet” to build an exercise routine into your day that is DESIGNED not to take more than 15 minutes.

Still too much time?

Then how about following Dan Millman’s “The Peaceful Warrior workout“, which can be completed in as little as 4 minutes per day? If buying the DVD is too much money for you, get Dan’s book Everyday Enlightenment in which he describes the exercise routine.

2. Eat a balanced diet

We all love our hamburgers, our french fries, our milkshakes. Right? Well, how about saying ‘No’ to your wants at least once a day, and choosing a healthy alternative instead?

3. Relax

Again, you can take as little time as 10 minutes and do a relaxation exercise. You can do a Google search for the word meditation, and will find hundreds of ‘how to’ guides to this relaxing practice. Incorporate it into your day for 10 mins, and you will  feel a noticeable difference in your stress and energy levels.

Want something more esoteric? I suggest you head over to Schwartz & Loehr’s web site Performance Programs, or to Matt Church’s own web site where he discussed the 5 lifestyle keys and our own chemistry.

But it really is far simpler than that, as Jack Lalanne said in his video.

Assess your environmental literacy: Take the eco-IQ test!

Image by diegovv

A number of things have made me think about the impact I have on this planet. There is the incredible prominence that environmental issues have nowadays in the news; Then there was Dan Millman’s blog post about the impact that my choice not to be a vegetarian has on carbon emissions. And yesterday, I was listening to one of my favourite Colombian music groups (Bacilos), and noticed that one of their songs is filled with comments about the ecology.
So I asked myself: How responsible am I with the environment? Well, a short quiz would tell me, I thought. I collected a variety of ideas from many sources, and pulled together this resource for my readers. I hope this tool will help you assess how much you really know about the threats to our environment.

The Eco-IQ Test: Finding out how much you really know about environmental issues

INSTRUCTIONS: Answer questions in order, one at a time. Write your answers on a piece of paper (e.g. 1-a, 2-c, etc). At the end of the quiz, check against the correct answers, and follow the instructions for how to score.

QUESTION 1 – When you hear about ‘The Environment’, you think of

a. Petrol prices at the station and global warming
b. The crazy weather we are experiencing of late
c. The plants, animals, and minerals that exist on the earth
d. Our oceans, forests, creeks, river systems, and the Amazon
e. All of the above

QUESTION 2 – Reducing carbon emissions important for the environment because…

a. If we emit too much carbon dioxide, there won’t be enough oxygen for us all to be able to breathe
b. More carbon dioxide in the ocean creates bigger waves and increases the chances of Tsunamis
c. Carbon emissions create a blanket over the atmosphere which overheats our planet
d. Petrol prices are related to carbon emissions, so more carbon means more expensive petrol
e. The ozone layer is depleted by carbon emissions and that is a real problem

QUESTION 3 – More severe droughts and pollution of our rivers are a problem because…
a. Without them we will not have food at prices we can afford
b. We will continue to have water restrictions and our gardens will die
c. Water prices will increase and the economy will suffer
d. Our supplies of bottled water will decrease and we will have more health problems
e. More water pollution creates more air pollution

QUESTION 4 – Which of the following practices does not
alleviate our impact on the environment?
a. Having shorter, colder showers
b. Buying light bulbs of lower wattage
c. Walking to the station instead of driving
d. Using clothes lines instead of clothes driers
e. Reducing infections at home by always using anti-bacterial products
f. None – they all are positive for the environment

QUESTIONS 5 – Which of the following environmental problems were you aware of before reading this post? (Tick all that apply)
a. Global Warming
b. The melting of the polar caps
c. The increase in the number of species that are extinct, or at risk of extinction
d. Global deforestation
e. Peak Oil
f. Extreme Weather conditions – especially droughts and floods

Scoring your eco-IQ test

Allocate points according to the following scales:

Response	Question 1	Question 2	Question 3	Question 4	Question 5
a	0	-5	3	-2	1
b	0	-5	-1	-2	2
c	3	3	0	-10	2
d	3	-2	-3	-5	1
e	5	-2	-3	5	3
f	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	1

Interpreting the score

Below 0: Hommo Ignoble
Your level of ignorance about environmental issues is unacceptable for this day and age. Visit one (or many!) of the links below; watch the Al-Gore’s film “An inconvenient truth“; listen to the radio programs “Life Matters” or “The Science Show” (or download their podcasts from the podcast section on the Radio National web site) on a weekly basis; and grab some books on the topic. Then come back and test yourself to see if all of that made a difference.

Between 0-5: Hommo Indifferentus
You have listened but not tuned into the environmental debate. With a very basic understanding of the topic, you are missing out on the majority of the ‘big picture’ issues. Wake up to the fact that our current lifestyle is based on un-sustainable practices, and take personal responsibility. Follow the same suggestions as for the previous score, and your understanding of the issues will be greatly enhanced.

Make sure you take individual action on the basis of this knowledge. Without that critical step, your understanding is unlikely to make any difference – except, maybe, to keep you awake at night, scared of what the future holds.

Between 6 and 14: Hommo Sapiens
You have a solid grasp of the environmental issues we are facing. If you are not already taking action, consider transitioning to a more active role in solving our environmental issues. Help others understand why these problems are of such relevance for all of us. Instil in your children (if you have any!) a sense of respect for our planet. Get active!

15 or Higher: Hommo Excelsius
What are you doing reading blogs on environmental issues? You already know it all!! Spend your time in your environmental activism instead – it will make a far larger difference that trying to learn about that extra 0.05% that you haven’t heard about yet!

 

Christmas Gift – need ideas?

No, I am not going to refer you to the page where I have made a list of gifts I want this Christmas. Instead, I am going to ask you a very simple question: What do you plan to give your loved ones this Christmas?

You may want to consider giving them a gift that makes the world a better place. You can search the net for the charity that better suits your needs, desires and aspirations; but I really like the Worldvision ’smiles’ program. Just go to their web site and choose from the many gifts where you can give a donation for someone in need, and a card will be sent to the person of your choice informing them this donation was made on their name.

Add to that a “Pass It Forward” card, and you have a killer combo. Not only will you have made a difference for a poor kid or comunity in a third world country; you will also have  suggested to someone with resources to do the same.

What a great way to celebrate ths Christmas: Give ‘the gift that keeps on giving’!!

Can we fall out of love?

Image by Ester G

When I started this blog, I wrote for myself. The blog started as a collection of random thoughts I was having, primarily during boring business meetings (What? I thought this was about love!” You’re right, dear reader. Hang on there and we’ll get to it in a second)

However, as time has passed, these reflections have been evolving. My blog has become an interactive channel of reflection. Huh? Let me explain what I mena by that.

When I was a teenager, I had a lot of trouble finding a girlfriend. It was VERY easy for me to become friends with girls, but I continuously fond myself at the pointy end of a conversation that started with “I-don’t-want-to-ruin-a-wonderful-friendship-by-becoming-involved’; or had to listen (again!) to my crush of the moment start telling that “It’s-not-you-It’s-me-I-only-see-you-as-a-friend”. Despite an enormous amount of energy going into the pursuit of romantic fulfillment (Hollywood style, nothing less!), it wasn’t until I started University that I had my first real girlfriend. During all those teenage years I also spent a lot of time ruminating on a variety of topics. This habit of thinking and using my brain for other pursuits led me to an engaging and regular social setting. With my five best friends, we established the routine of getting together (at one of our places) every Friday or Saturday night; open a bottle of Rum, ‘Aguardiente‘, or the alcoholic beverage of our choice at the time; and have ‘deep and meaningful’ discussions on any topic. We talked about religion, art, politics, university, love, and comic books. We called these meetings our ‘Tertulias de los viernes’. (Friday’s Tertulias)
As I left Colombia and my group of friends behind, I stopped participating in these regular intellectual debates. I also found my other half; married her; and have spent the last 12 years of my life with her.

Then I started this blog. I reflected on my own. And then the most marvelous thing started happening: I found some bloggers who shared some of my interests. I started perusing their writing. Regularly. And since a few weeks ago, I started having my own virtual version of ‘Friday’s Tertulias‘ by responding to their posts in my blog.

There it is. That’s the intro to my article on whether we can fall out of love or not. What started me thinking about this topic was (you guessed it) another blogger. Moriah posted an article entitled Ramblings on internet dating/long-distance relationships , in which she explains why internet dating just does not appeal to her; and why on the other hand long-distance relationships hold a certain level of appeal (I know it sounds weird, butwhen you read her post, it actually makes a lot of sense. I suggest you head over and read her post; you will probably agree with my comments). Through the comments section of that post we engaged on a dialog. On my first response to the article, I discussed how the ‘getting to love’ someone happened along slightly different paths in today’s world than in olden times (think ‘arranged marriages’ vs ‘falling in love’)
Then Moriah asked Can one fall out of love permanently or does it take one moment, built upon another, until one’s heart becomes hard toward another? My immediate reaction to her question was that one can (and one does) “fall out of love” permanently; but that it is not something that happens instantaneously. Let me rephrase it. Love is like a viscous liquid: It takes a while for your glass to fill, but it also takes a while for your glass to empty.

As soon as I wrote this, I realised that part of the problem we’re having is one of semantics. Falling “in love” and falling “out of love” are reasonably immediate actions. Getting to love someone, on the other hand, takes a bit more time and energy; and I don’t think you ever stop loving someone you once loved deeply.

People that go from relationship to relationship without giving themselves (or their partners) an opportunity to experience a deep sense love are usually following the fickleness of their hearts; moving with the wind as they fall in and out of love with others. This notion plays very nicely to Hollywood’s romantic view. You must feel butterflies in yout stomach when you see him; want to spend every single second in his presence; laugh at his every joke, love his every hobby, and think he is the most handsome man in the world. But as reality sets in, and you realise that his passion for collecting stamps is rather boring; that he has this funny lock of hair that gets into funny places and makes him look more comical than handsome; and that his sense of humour is not as sharp as you once thought; well, when you realise all these things, you start feeling like you fell out of love with the guy. And temptation sets into your heart to look for ‘the one’ – you know, the one who is perfect. The one with whom there are no compromise for you to decide on.

But life is *full* of compromises!! As we mature, we develop the ability to recognise this fact, and to act in ways that help us be better off. With maturity, we are able to start making the right calls: We stay with a partner despite the fact that she drives us crazy with her inability to close the proverbial tube of toothpaste the right way; we stay with her because, as we look at all the positive and all the negative aspects; as we explore all the frustrations we have whilst with her, and compare them to the joy we get from simply being around her, we come out ahead. In a way, maturity gives us a process for assessing and constructing an ‘emotional balance sheet’ with withdrawals and deposits, and to use it in our decision-making through life.

So to answer the original question: Can we fall out of love? Sure we can: “What goes up, must also come down”. But we never really stop loving those with whom we established a deep emotional connection. This is true for most romantic and platonic forms of love. And in this sense, we can never truly ‘fall our of love’.

Stumble It!

Do you believe in Karma?

Yesterday I came across a blog post that related the sad story of a 76 year-old Trishaw driver in Singapore who was taunted and abused by 3 young and (obviously) immature men. (link to Youtube video)

In the last sentence of the post, the author extols us to “take a good look at those bastards and remember their faces. Ever see them around when you travel, don’t hesitate to give them good punches in their faces and kick their crotches between their legs.“It was interesting to see that he post was entitled “I believe inKarma; Do you?”, because with this closing paragraph, the author revealed a very shallow understanding of the law of cause and effect, or ‘Karma’.

Just as fascinating as the post itself was the litany of comments that followed. A few went along the lines of “I am Catholic, so I’m not supposed to believe in Karma… “. There were also references to the Bible’s reference to “What a man sows, this he will reap” (St Paul’s letter to the Calatians 6:7). And another one said “These two should get the karma they deserve.”

I must admit it was disturbing to see 3 young and fit men riding in the back of a trishaw that was pulled by someone twice their age. To see the lack of respect shown to this man trying to earn a decent living was heart breaking. And I do believe that sooner or later, what you do catches up with you. I have no doubt these 3 will suffer the consequences of their actions.

But the original post reminded me just how misunderstood is the concept of karma. ‘Buddhism for busy people’, by David Michie is one of the best and easiest to understand books I have read about Buddhism; and has a great explanation of Karma and its more interesting details:

You see, it’s not only the big things we do that matter. We don’t have to do anything as dramatic as defraud our employers, or write a large cheque to charity, to create negative or positive karma. Both of those actions, like all others, began as ideas in our minds, so that it is here, in our mind, that karma arises.

We all tend to have habitual thoughts, or attitudes, and we need to be very careful about these. Often they build up, and have a cumulative effect which is immense. As Buddha said in the Dharmapadda:

The word manifests as the word;
The word manifests as the deed;
The deed develops into a habit;
And habit hardens into character;
So watch the thought and its ways with care,
and let it spring from love borne out of concern for all beings…
As the shadow follows the body,
as we think so we become.

We can see then how these young men’s actions are already part of their karma. And how they will also continue to shape their future and destinies. What is worth highlighting is that according to the passage above the mere thought of violence is something we must carefully watch and guard against just as much as we guard against violence itself. It is in thoughts that our Karma is born, Buddha argued.

Within this context, the original writer’s desire to have other people seek these men and punch them in the face or groin is just as heinous as the act that these 3 committed when taunting the old man. I know it sounds extreme, but let’s explore how that could be true. The thought gave rise to the words on the blog. The words on the blog may plant a seed on some Singaporean visitors’ minds. And these seeds may germinate and develop into actions. And who is to say these actions may not target some innocent bystander that ‘looked like’ one of them?

Both Buddha and Jesus spoke of love and compassion. Jesus himself loved those that were considered ‘unlovable’ by most of his contemporaries: Prostitutes; Thieves; Criminals. Buddha teaches us to have compassion for those that are confused and do not yet understand the nature of Samsara. Jesus teaches us to offer the other cheek. It all comes down to Karma, in a way. Read the words above. Think of the consequences that your thoughts can have. Watch carefully, and sow the habit (and the character) of love and compassion in your everyday life.

There is one more misconception that is evident in the original post and the comments that followed. Karma, as a Buddhist concept, is closely related to the idea that our current life is one of many that we have lived, one of many that will be lived. Reincarnation is a key tenet of the Buddhist philosophy, as it means that ‘getting it wrong’ will simply mean a longer path to Nirvana (salvation, in Christian terms). Unlike the Christian view that we have ‘just one chance’ and will then be judged, with the result of going either to heaven or to hell; Buddhists explain that we have an infinite number of lives to learn from our mistakes (Although some would say that getting ’stuck’ in this crazy world for a long number of lives would be the same as being in hell, and that the two views are thus in fact one and the same). Within this context, the comments made by others to the original post miss the point: Karma does not dictate that these 3 men will be ‘punished’ for their actions. Rather, Karma articulates that their actions will have a consequence. That is why Karma is also called ” The Law of Cause and Effect”. It does not establish a punishment; simply that whatever thoughts and actions we have and live will have a reaction (consequence), and we will have to live with them.

Response to a fellow blogger – Part 1

Hello reader; we find each other again. I have an announcement to make. Over the last month, I found someone very similar, and at the same time very different to me. His name is Andres Melo, and like me, he is a Colombian expatriate in an English speaking country (Canada).
Like me, he has a reflective blog. Unlike me, he works in academia instead of industry. And unlike me (an engineer by training and trade), he studied Political Philosophy and is well versed in the classical and contemporary philosophers. His latest post prompted me to write a comment in his blog. But this comment grew; and grew; and grew! Suddenly, I realised what I had was not a comment; but instead an entire new post for my blog. And I had only covered the first topic of two that I originally envisioned leaving as a response to his insightful essay. As a result, I have decided to post that entry here, and refer him (using the comments section of his post) to come over and join us in this place.

I encourage you to read his essay before you come back to finish reading this entry; and the next one. You will have a greater understanding of my words and messages if you decide to follow my advise. I hope you enjoy this reflection, and that you will at least give Andres’ blog a try. It is a fascinating, if sometimes long, read.

-The crazy Colombian

REFLECTIVE COMMENT #1 – ON WRITING STYLES

As you know, I was born in Colombia. I lived there until age 24. Then I migrated to Sydney, and have been living here for 13 years.

You will also remember how I love writing. To those that know me in real life, this is strange in a way, given how I have always been classified as a ‘numbers person’ . I am an engineer, after all; My workplace is a bank; and my work regards ‘marketing analytics’ using sophisticated statistical techniques.

Yet I have experienced a deep stream of literacy in my life. I have written short poems. I have written small essays. I have written academic papers (none of which were published, by the way). I have written short stories.

I have also read. A lot. All types of books. Serious books. Frivolous books. Short, tall, thick, thin books. Fiction and Non-Fiction; From thrillers to biographies. I have enjoyed business books, science fiction books, and real science books. You name any style, and it is almost for sure I can find at least one book from the genre that has gone through my hands.

Sorry, I kind of went on a tangent there. There is a reason why I mention this deep interest in letters, this passion of mine for words. Throughout the last 13 years, I was forced to be more aware of my natural writing style. Through this increased awareness, I have come to the conclusion that Spanish is a ‘flowery’ language. Take a book by any of our highest-ranked writers: Garcia Marquez; Laura Esquivel; Isabel Allende, or any other of your choice. Then observe the length of their phrases; the lengthy, sometimes incredibly tortuous path of description and narrative that are used to describe the situation at hand; the complex minutiae of the moment they are trying to capture in simple and sometimes not-so-simple words. Go back and look at Andres’ own essay, the one that prompted me to think again about this. Observe the length and richness of his phrases. Then come back and contrast them with the first part of these reflections. Do you notice a difference? Long vs short. Beauty vs utility. I have found that English is a much more utilitarian language, as a general rule. And I have noticed how much better I express myself in English when I force myself to write shorter phrases. Now, don’t get me wrong. There are ways to embed beauty in short English sentences. There are great poets. Great writers. Great English masters who use a style of writing that goes through similarly complex paths as those of our Spanish-writing colleagues. By the same token, there are Spanish speaking writers with horrendously long phrases; with phrases which have no beauty and are hard to understand; with phrases made obscure through a lack of pauses and punctuation. Yet my observation still stands. As one that likes to call himself an Omega type of individual, I have also experimented with both styles. And in the process, I have achieved a higher awareness of the possibilities. I have also enjoyed the journey of discovery, and admired it for is beauty and the pleasure that it gave me. Like a surgeon that is awed by the beauty of his drawings of the human body; this engineer has at times been awed by the beauty of his ruminations in a different language.

I encourage you to try it out. There is no ‘write’ or ‘wrong’ (yes, I misspelled that on purpose). Try a different voice, and enjoy laughing at yourself if it sounds typically
burlesque. Admire it if it sounds beautifully different. Ignore it if it sounds honestly
annoying. But play nevertheless. You will find yourself a more rounded individual for the experience.

The theory of chaos

Image: blue on a tree by Carlos R

Who would have thought that an esoteric branch of mathematics could explain some of the cufrrent problems of poor mexicans? Chaos theory explains the latest problem for this segment of Mexican society.

At the heart of this argument lies the classic ‘butterfly effect‘. According to Wikipedia,the butterfly effect “… refers to the idea that a butterfly’s wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that ultimately cause a tornado to appear“. In this case, there is no butterfly; rather, an insatiable petrol-hungry beast: North America. With the trend in petrol supplies and price increases, George Bush’s administration has been promoting the generation of significant quantities of bio-diesel, and corn is one of the bio-material sources used by bio-diesel manufacturers.

Since the USA and Mexico have a Free Trade agreement, it is extremely easy (and cheap) for these producers to source it corn from this third-world country. The result is an exhorbitant increase in local prices of corn throughout Mexico. Now the poor no longer can buy tortilla’s, one of their basic staples.

The theory of chaos:
NAFTA + Global economics + Petrol crisis = poor Mexicans going hungry.

There *is* an ‘I’ in Team

A team of individuals that all think the same way usually does not achieve the level of ‘high-performing team’. This is dictated by Intellectual Darwinism, which stipulates that to have a rich intellectual environment, we need diversity of ideas, experience and skills.

But a team so diverse that its individuals have perspectives, ideas and opinions with “too much diversity” can quickly become a group of people that can’t agree about anything. Such a group rarely becomes high-performing.

Common wisdom says that there is no I in Team; Reality says that a good team is one where there is a balance between diversity in individuals , and the ability to put the team’s interest and purpose ahead of individual passions. In another words, we need to have many aligned I’s in a high-performing Team.