I have been blogging on several serious topics up to this point. Just for fun, I want to share something not quite so serious, that a friend sent to me. It keeps its charm and complexity through more than one replay. It was created by Alan Becker in 2003, and can be found at the following link:
http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs13/f/2007/077/2/e/Animator_vs__Animation_by_alanbecker.swf
I hope that you have as much fun watching it as I have had. If not for the Internet bringing us all together as a community, we would not have access to knowledge of many things, too many of them serious. Just as much, we would miss some of the joy that human creativity can bring to all of us, for lack of a way to share it. So for a change of pace, please point your mouse, click and play to enjoy.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Meditation Is Practical
This particular blog is meant to be more in the nature of a real blog. I have been getting some feed back from family, who naturally hold the privilege of saying what they really think. One just told me that they quit reading after the third paragraph of the last blog. Another, quite delicately, put it that my blogs are not really blogs. They are right: what I have been doing is very long for a blog, and a bit involved. I started this blog because it was a requirement to write ten 3-page blogs (with citations) for a graduate level class in community social work, connecting the topic to class readings as well. Three pages is long for a typical blog, and connecting a topic back to the textbook increases the length even while it adds perspective. Because of the feedback, and because I am quite simply running out of time to continue with the mini-term paper approach, this blog is supposed to be more like a typical blog, on meditation and its practical side effects.
I started meditating last summer, when I took a short class in contemplative meditation, essentially a form of transcendental meditation. I would never have considered or continued any form of meditation normally, but this was very simple to do, and seemed to have practical benefits almost immediately. After a few weeks I noticed that meditating helped me to think more clearly afterward, especially when I was writing papers or studying. Although emotions do surface during meditation, if I was feeling anxious about something or a little down, meditating for 20 minutes made these feelings more tolerable. Strangely, the hardest thing about meditation was making the time to do it on a reliable basis. Yet the benefits I received after a fairly short period of practice were enough to encourage me to persist.
I didn't understand what was happening till I read a book recommended for my community social work class. It had an intriguing title "How God Changes Your Brain," written by Newberg and Waldman in 2009. It was recommended because it dealt with neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is a long word that describes the ability of the brain to undergo structural changes throughout life in response to the environment and to how the brain is used. Permanent changes in the brain occur far more rapidly than previously believed, especially if strongly stimulated. The title aroused my curiosity, as the title almost sells the book, though I would also say that the title was both accurate and misleading.
One of the things emphasized in the meditation class was that it was the continuing practice itself that should be viewed as the goal, not whether any particular state of mind was always achieved. Newberg and Waldman write similarly, finding that it was the actual process of meditation that produced permanent neural changes, regardless of whether or not there was a religious orientation. Meditation is focused attention. It affects specific neural circuits that are also linked to social awareness and compassion, increasing blood flow to the cognitive prefrontal cortex and decreasing blood flow to the emotional centers. Meditation has been found to improve cognition at any age, as well as to decrease feelings of anxiety and depression. However, there is a flip side to this effect. Meditation only does this if the focus of meditation is positive. Meditation with a focus on something unpleasant, such as an angry God, actually damages the brain.
Work and associated activities seem to often require multitasking in our society. To relax and recover, leisure activities seem to be single focus activities, such as playing sports, musical activities, videos, games, reading, painting, pottery, and other creative outlets. Due to neuroplasticity, whatever we chose to do changes the neural connections in the brain. If meditation can have both positive and negative effects depending on where the emphasis is placed, then what happens in the brain with other repetitive activities that require focused attention?
With meditation, because of the neurological pathways activated, there are positive side effects of increased cognition, social awareness, compassion, and a decrease of negative emotions. We live in ever widening communities, and changes we create in ourselves contribute one way or another to the society that we create as a group. If simple meditation became a more common practice, if more of us stopped and focused our awareness on just one positive thought for a brief period each day, then I think it is possible that it could affect others around us, and the communities in which we live.
I started meditating last summer, when I took a short class in contemplative meditation, essentially a form of transcendental meditation. I would never have considered or continued any form of meditation normally, but this was very simple to do, and seemed to have practical benefits almost immediately. After a few weeks I noticed that meditating helped me to think more clearly afterward, especially when I was writing papers or studying. Although emotions do surface during meditation, if I was feeling anxious about something or a little down, meditating for 20 minutes made these feelings more tolerable. Strangely, the hardest thing about meditation was making the time to do it on a reliable basis. Yet the benefits I received after a fairly short period of practice were enough to encourage me to persist.
I didn't understand what was happening till I read a book recommended for my community social work class. It had an intriguing title "How God Changes Your Brain," written by Newberg and Waldman in 2009. It was recommended because it dealt with neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is a long word that describes the ability of the brain to undergo structural changes throughout life in response to the environment and to how the brain is used. Permanent changes in the brain occur far more rapidly than previously believed, especially if strongly stimulated. The title aroused my curiosity, as the title almost sells the book, though I would also say that the title was both accurate and misleading.
One of the things emphasized in the meditation class was that it was the continuing practice itself that should be viewed as the goal, not whether any particular state of mind was always achieved. Newberg and Waldman write similarly, finding that it was the actual process of meditation that produced permanent neural changes, regardless of whether or not there was a religious orientation. Meditation is focused attention. It affects specific neural circuits that are also linked to social awareness and compassion, increasing blood flow to the cognitive prefrontal cortex and decreasing blood flow to the emotional centers. Meditation has been found to improve cognition at any age, as well as to decrease feelings of anxiety and depression. However, there is a flip side to this effect. Meditation only does this if the focus of meditation is positive. Meditation with a focus on something unpleasant, such as an angry God, actually damages the brain.
Work and associated activities seem to often require multitasking in our society. To relax and recover, leisure activities seem to be single focus activities, such as playing sports, musical activities, videos, games, reading, painting, pottery, and other creative outlets. Due to neuroplasticity, whatever we chose to do changes the neural connections in the brain. If meditation can have both positive and negative effects depending on where the emphasis is placed, then what happens in the brain with other repetitive activities that require focused attention?
With meditation, because of the neurological pathways activated, there are positive side effects of increased cognition, social awareness, compassion, and a decrease of negative emotions. We live in ever widening communities, and changes we create in ourselves contribute one way or another to the society that we create as a group. If simple meditation became a more common practice, if more of us stopped and focused our awareness on just one positive thought for a brief period each day, then I think it is possible that it could affect others around us, and the communities in which we live.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Community Social Work After the Earthquake in Haiti: Sustainable Development
Haiti has the reputation of being the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. Before a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, near the Haitian capitol, there were over 10,000 relief agencies with a presence in Haiti, along with the UN peacekeeping force (Kidder, 2010). The response of governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGO) to the disaster in Haiti has been massive, yet the news is filled with the lack of coordination of aid and difficulties in delivery of available supplies. Granted, the aid groups were affected by the quake as well, but they were also spread out over the country. What is complicating communication and coordination between the earthquake relief effort and the people of Haiti?
Democracy Now (2010, January 22) looked into this question, interviewing people in Haiti while traveling from the capitol to the epicenter of the quake: Léogâne.
Democracy Now found that the main problem with aid distribution is due to the designation of “Red Zones,” which place restrictions on access to many areas based on security concerns. In these zones, aid groups travel in sealed vehicles, out of contact with the people they are there to help. Food is distributed from hovering helicopters rather than face-to-face on the ground. There is a fear of the Haitian people blocking the establishment of good communications with community leaders, as well as a lack of interpreters that could be available within the Haitian population. The people of Haiti have banded together into community groups to help each other, but are frustrated by their inability to obtain things like fuel to move the resources they do have. For instance, there is available water, water trucks and Haitian drivers available to distribute water from wells, but no gas for the water trucks. The local community knows what it has, and what it can do, but communication between natural helping networks in the community and the aid groups is lacking. Instead of following good community social work practice and tapping into the community as a first step, the first concern has been security.
Democracy Now, in another set of interviews on January 14, 2010, detailed the history of Haiti and its relationships to western governments, particularly the US government. The US has had a historically poor relationship with Haiti. In news reports the response of the US has centered around the military first securing control of the airport and putting priority on security concerns, as opposed to the responses from other governments in the area.
The large loss of life in the Haitian capitol, Port-au-Prince, is related to the presence of shantytowns built up along the hillsides and along ravines in the least desirable areas of the city. There has been an exodus of people from the countryside to the city in search of manufacturing jobs. Before the effort to industrialize initiated by outsiders, Haiti had an agrarian economy. The question now is how best to help Haiti rebuild into a healthier, sustainable economy. Haitians lack even the bare essentials of adequate food and water in the city, and survival is at the forefront of their concern. Even without a nearby earthquake, the economic situation of Haitian people crowded into Port-au-Prince would be unacceptable. Their labor and the economic rewards of industrialization have not been for the benefit of Haitians as a people, but for the economic benefit of others (Hallward, 2010, January 13).
Before anything else can happen for the good of the people of Haiti, they need to be able to feed and provide for their own families reliably. Haitians are best served at this time by helping them to help themselves by employing them for the short-term needs of a disaster, and networking with their own community leaders. Following this, a grass-roots redevelopment effort in sustainable agriculture can be the start of an economic base that will benefit the people of Haiti first, and eventually provide excess agricultural commodities to sell and raise the standard of living. Schobert and Barron (2004) describe a successful sustainable agricultural program sponsored by World Hunger Relief in Haiti. It built upon Haiti’s small, subsistence farming tradition, instead of imposing an outside view of economic development built on a supply of cheap labor for manufacturing plants, in cities that cannot provide basic services or safe housing for the numbers of people displaced from the countryside.
The first, most basic step in utilizing community strengths after the earthquake is partnership with the people of Haiti. Community resources should be sought out and built upon, not overlooked due to fear and security issues. For those able to help financially, consider focusing on those organizations that emphasize the community work approach. These NGOs place a priority on employing Haitians and partnering with community leaders. The most effective ones will be organizations with a previous history in Haiti and established community connections. This information is available on the website for InterAction, the largest coalition of US led NGOs in relief efforts. The InterAction listing describes the varied approaches of the NGO’s providing relief efforts in Haiti.
Howard, P. (2010, January 13). Our role in Haiti’s plight [Electronic version]. Guardian (no pgs). Retrieved February 21, 2010, from
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/13/our-role-in-haitis-plight
InterAction (n.d.). Interaction members respond to the earthquake in Haiti. Retrieved March 2, 2010, from http://www.interaction.org/crisis-list/earthquake-haiti
Kidder, T. (2010, January 13). Country without a net [Electronic Version]. New York Times. Retrieved February 26, 2010, from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/opinion/14kidder.html
Schobert, F. M. & Barron, D. A. (2004). Community development in an international setting: The role of sustainable agriculture in social work practice. In T. L. Scales & C. L. Streeter (Eds.), Rural social work: Building and sustaining community assets (pp. 178-191). Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Brooks/Cole/Thomson Learning.
Security “Red Zones” in Haiti preventing large aid groups from effectively distributing aid. (2010, January 22). Democracy Now. Retrieved February 26, 2009, from http://www.democracynow.org/2010/1/22/security_red_zones_in_haiti_preventing
US policy in Haiti over decades “Lays the foundation for why impact of natural disaster is so severe.” (2010, January 14). Democracy Now. Retrieved February 26, 2009, from http://www.democracynow.org/2010/1/14/us_policy_in_haiti_over_decades
Democracy Now (2010, January 22) looked into this question, interviewing people in Haiti while traveling from the capitol to the epicenter of the quake: Léogâne.
Democracy Now found that the main problem with aid distribution is due to the designation of “Red Zones,” which place restrictions on access to many areas based on security concerns. In these zones, aid groups travel in sealed vehicles, out of contact with the people they are there to help. Food is distributed from hovering helicopters rather than face-to-face on the ground. There is a fear of the Haitian people blocking the establishment of good communications with community leaders, as well as a lack of interpreters that could be available within the Haitian population. The people of Haiti have banded together into community groups to help each other, but are frustrated by their inability to obtain things like fuel to move the resources they do have. For instance, there is available water, water trucks and Haitian drivers available to distribute water from wells, but no gas for the water trucks. The local community knows what it has, and what it can do, but communication between natural helping networks in the community and the aid groups is lacking. Instead of following good community social work practice and tapping into the community as a first step, the first concern has been security.
Democracy Now, in another set of interviews on January 14, 2010, detailed the history of Haiti and its relationships to western governments, particularly the US government. The US has had a historically poor relationship with Haiti. In news reports the response of the US has centered around the military first securing control of the airport and putting priority on security concerns, as opposed to the responses from other governments in the area.
The large loss of life in the Haitian capitol, Port-au-Prince, is related to the presence of shantytowns built up along the hillsides and along ravines in the least desirable areas of the city. There has been an exodus of people from the countryside to the city in search of manufacturing jobs. Before the effort to industrialize initiated by outsiders, Haiti had an agrarian economy. The question now is how best to help Haiti rebuild into a healthier, sustainable economy. Haitians lack even the bare essentials of adequate food and water in the city, and survival is at the forefront of their concern. Even without a nearby earthquake, the economic situation of Haitian people crowded into Port-au-Prince would be unacceptable. Their labor and the economic rewards of industrialization have not been for the benefit of Haitians as a people, but for the economic benefit of others (Hallward, 2010, January 13).
Before anything else can happen for the good of the people of Haiti, they need to be able to feed and provide for their own families reliably. Haitians are best served at this time by helping them to help themselves by employing them for the short-term needs of a disaster, and networking with their own community leaders. Following this, a grass-roots redevelopment effort in sustainable agriculture can be the start of an economic base that will benefit the people of Haiti first, and eventually provide excess agricultural commodities to sell and raise the standard of living. Schobert and Barron (2004) describe a successful sustainable agricultural program sponsored by World Hunger Relief in Haiti. It built upon Haiti’s small, subsistence farming tradition, instead of imposing an outside view of economic development built on a supply of cheap labor for manufacturing plants, in cities that cannot provide basic services or safe housing for the numbers of people displaced from the countryside.
The first, most basic step in utilizing community strengths after the earthquake is partnership with the people of Haiti. Community resources should be sought out and built upon, not overlooked due to fear and security issues. For those able to help financially, consider focusing on those organizations that emphasize the community work approach. These NGOs place a priority on employing Haitians and partnering with community leaders. The most effective ones will be organizations with a previous history in Haiti and established community connections. This information is available on the website for InterAction, the largest coalition of US led NGOs in relief efforts. The InterAction listing describes the varied approaches of the NGO’s providing relief efforts in Haiti.
References
Howard, P. (2010, January 13). Our role in Haiti’s plight [Electronic version]. Guardian (no pgs). Retrieved February 21, 2010, from
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/13/our-role-in-haitis-plight
InterAction (n.d.). Interaction members respond to the earthquake in Haiti. Retrieved March 2, 2010, from http://www.interaction.org/crisis-list/earthquake-haiti
Kidder, T. (2010, January 13). Country without a net [Electronic Version]. New York Times. Retrieved February 26, 2010, from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/opinion/14kidder.html
Schobert, F. M. & Barron, D. A. (2004). Community development in an international setting: The role of sustainable agriculture in social work practice. In T. L. Scales & C. L. Streeter (Eds.), Rural social work: Building and sustaining community assets (pp. 178-191). Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Brooks/Cole/Thomson Learning.
Security “Red Zones” in Haiti preventing large aid groups from effectively distributing aid. (2010, January 22). Democracy Now. Retrieved February 26, 2009, from http://www.democracynow.org/2010/1/22/security_red_zones_in_haiti_preventing
US policy in Haiti over decades “Lays the foundation for why impact of natural disaster is so severe.” (2010, January 14). Democracy Now. Retrieved February 26, 2009, from http://www.democracynow.org/2010/1/14/us_policy_in_haiti_over_decades
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