Life Is What We Make of It

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21

Great post and discussion. A little over a week ago, I luckily caught a radio interview with Brene Brown. For me, the interview put into words things that I'd known in my gut, but not really known how to put into words. I think that in Brown's language, “emotional resilience” would be “living whole-heartedly.” And that's mostly what this interview is about:

http://www.onbeing.org/program/brene-brown-on-vulnerability/4928/audio

I find that my progress on things emotional is anything but linear-- I fall back into old habits more often than I'd like. But this interview blew me away, and was a good reminder of a way to live more “whole-heartedly." I've shared the link with several good friends and even my own daughter over the past week or so and it seems to fit well here.

22

One last thing. Turtles…what's wrong with placid and unflappable? I resemble that statement. smiley
The turtle is my photo for archetypal reasons:

  • able to carry 200 times its weight

  • deliberate in ritual and lives to old age

  • depicts earth's antiquity, solidity, continuity, and wisdom

  • its inner dome comprises the totality of the cosmos

  • the musical rhythms of the universe mythically originate with the tortoise

  • Hermes fashioned the first of all lyres from the tortoise shell

  • Not afraid of diving deep into the darkness of mud

  • They can be agile when they want to be, as anyone who has tried to move a snapping turtle can attest

Sorry, I just had to stick up for my old friend the turtle…okay, I'm just poking fun, but seriously the turtle is an amazing animal and symbol, and I for one strive for inward turtleness.

23

I agree. This type of conversation is what attracts me to PP. An emotional maturity in dealing with our potential difficulties. I've been a meditator/mindfulness practitioner for over 10 years. That practice seems to have similar results to various modern therapies in the initial stages. There is insight into one's emotional and psychological makeup. Thoughts and emotions are tightly connected but not the same. It is possible for awareness to observe both without being involved and trapped. I see my thoughts and emotions fly by and laugh because my mind is hilariously silly. In it's quest to be in control, it comes up with all manner of fake realities! The somatic practice would be great too. The unconscious mind does not seem to be verbal. It seems to be sensation and blurry imagery. Verbal thoughts seem to be part of the conscious mind just some are so wickedly fast that we don't normally catch them. Once one crosses certain events/stages there are experiences/altered states that are so profound as to easy qualify for the title of religious experiences. I am convinced those experiences change the physiology of the brain. And don't just believe any of this. Look for yourself!
Thanks for letting me ramble on. My meditation practice has been wonderfully transformative and I can be passionate about it. Best to all.

24
Chris,
This is an excellent article with numerous excellent contributions from many folks here as well.  As someone who, both as an avocation and as an avidly engaged-in vocation, studied, worked, and developed in the area of somatics, this topic is a much needed and valuable one, secondary only to spiritual development (which, while linked to and overlapping with spiritual development, is superceded by spiritual development).  I can comment on specifics more in-depth later when I have the time but one particular aspect of the article demanded immediate attention.
 
 I take strong issue with one particular sentence you wrote.
 
"Perhaps not a lot, but one marked difference between communism and capitalism is that the former provides at least the basics of sustenance."
 
You may wish to edit or amend this statement.  Certainly the Ukrainians who were victims of the Holodomor were not provided the basics of sustenance.  Millions of them died of starvation that was intentional, not accidental.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor
So too dissidents, "undesirable" ethnicities, captured civilian populations, POWs, and others were systematically worked and starved to death by the millions courtesy of the USSR Communists.
 
Perhaps you may wish to read some books such as Bessarabian Knight by Immanuel Weiss and read some of what the USSR communists did.  Raping German-Russian females, for example (German colonists in Russia and other Eastern European areas who emigrated back to Germany and then were overrun by the advancing Russians in World War 2) and then nailing their naked and brutalized still living bodies onto barn doors in spread eagle crucifixion position is not something that should ever be ignored.
http://www.amazon.com/Bessarabian-knight-peasant-swastika-Immanuel/product-reviews/B0006F3N3A
Conquering the Wind touches on this subject as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Conquering-Wind-Amy-Brungardt-Toepfer/dp/0914222082
 
The USSR communists were known for outright murder of their own troops (from Stalin's massive purges to the classic Roman style decimation of troops who ran from the Germans at the Battle of Stalingrad).  They also massively purged the military officer class of Poland.  I could go on and on as the list of deprivations and atrocities against a host of nations is almost endless.  The Chinese Communists and Cambodian Communists committed similar crimes against humanity, very often involving selectively starving massive numbers of their populations.  Yet many of these evil deeds seem to have faded from the consciousness of the West as Communism is now being looked at again as a possible viable alternative to Capitalism.  Observe the past differences between the USA and the USSR, West Germany and East Germany, South Korea and North Korea, etc. to see how well that worked out.  I'm certain you must be aware of much of this history and therefore I'm shocked that you could make such a statement.  I hope it was simply a careless oversight and nothing more.
25

 
I don't think anyone can argue about the long list of atrocities associated with historical implementations of Communism  but  Chris's statement is contextually accurate for the demise of the Soviet Union   the physical infrastructure did include housing for everybody transportation etc.   read Dimitri  Orlov's  Reinventing Collapse for good description of USSR collapse advantages.
What is interesting is your emotional reaction to the statement which speaks to  the basic thesis of the article.  It obviously triggered a hot button for you.  When I read it I nodded and thought about Orlov's analysis.
One doesn't have to dig very deep to find atrocities, massacres displaced populations  tortures etc  associated with Capitalism,  Mercantilism or any other ism.    Churchilll in India,  King Leopold in the Congo,  Bush in Iraq,  Johnson/Nixon in Indochina.  US  killed more people carpet bombing in Cambodia than the Khmer Rouge who arguably weren't really communist.  
Once you start digging, you realize alternative histories exist with different perspectives for everything.
If you want to really blow your mind read Christopher Hitchens on the Missionary Position:  Mother Theresa in theory and practice.
 
mememonkey

26

Another reason body/somatic/experiential therapies have not made mainstream, besides the lack of evidence based research  suziegruber points out, is this kind of therapy is impactful, hence at times messy & chaotic. There has also been a lot of trial & some error as these therapies were evolving, again not without consequences since impactful. I prefer family therapy if practical as I think it also meets the somatic criteria quite naturally, but there are  obviously times individual is needed. Also I think sometimes experiences that are cognitive, emotive, etc. are best matched to current needs, but I agree that talk therapy alone is very slow.
The reason I believe this focus Chris is making is so important is I believe we[humanity] desperately need an acceleration[lurch, perhaps] forward to survive/thrive. We are so far from the right operating principles that rewiring/reprogramming is necessary, &  is also going to happen.   

27

Troof -You wrote:

I'm certain you must be aware of much of this history and therefore I'm shocked that you could make such a statement.  I hope it was simply a careless oversight and nothing more.
Interesting.  I didn't interpret what Chris said in that way at all, and as a result I remain unshocked.  I just read what he wrote and thought, "hmm, that's interesting."  I am reminded of Chris's two lines from this same post:
Two people can experience the exact same event, but one might be completely thrilled by it while the other could be utterly devastated. The difference is often the scripts each person has running in their heads, which determine their individual perception of the event.
When I'm projecting stories onto the people around me, as expressed in the video, it's so much easier to be miserable, find faults, and think the worst.
And I'll include a corollary, written by me:
I am responsible for the interpretations I place upon other people's words that sometimes go far beyond the scope of what was actually written, for my own detection of sub-texts and subtle messages, and for my own internal programming that seems to execute this without my conscious control, and as a result I am alone responsible for the degree of shock that I feel as a direct result all this interpretation!
In case it wasn't clear, I didn't get the sense that Chris was suggesting we ignore history and give Communism a try.   And I found it both timely and fascinating that you did.  
28

[quote=mememonkey][quote=troof]
C
The USSR communists were known for outright murder of their own troops (from Stalin's massive purges to the classic Roman style decimation of troops who ran from the Germans at the Battle of Stalingrad).  They also massively purged the military officer class of Poland.  I could go on and on as the list of deprivations and atrocities against a host of nations is almost endless.  The Chinese Communists and Cambodian Communists committed similar crimes against humanity, very often involving selectively starving massive numbers of their populations.  Yet many of these evil deeds seem to have faded from the consciousness of the West as Communism is now being looked at again as a possible viable alternative to Capitalism.  Observe the past differences between the USA and the USSR, West Germany and East Germany, South Korea and North Korea, etc. to see how well that worked out.  I'm certain you must be aware of much of this history and therefore I'm shocked that you could make such a statement.  I hope it was simply a careless oversight and nothing more.
[/quote]
 
I don't think anyone can argue about the long list of atrocities associated with historical implementations of Communism  but  Chris's statement is contextually accurate for the demise of the Soviet Union   the physical infrastructure did include housing for everybody transportation etc.   read Dimitri  Orlov's  Reinventing Collapse for good description of USSR collapse advantages.
What is interesting is your emotional reaction to the statement which speaks to  the basic thesis of the article.  It obviously triggered a hot button for you.  When I read it I nodded and thought about Orlov's analysis.
One doesn't have to dig very deep to find atrocities, massacres displaced populations  tortures etc  associated with Capitalism,  Mercantilism or any other ism.    Churchilll in India,  King Leopold in the Congo,  Bush in Iraq,  Johnson/Nixon in Indochina.  US  killed more people carpet bombing in Cambodia than the Khmer Rouge who arguably weren't really communist.  
Once you start digging, you realize alternative histories exist with different perspectives for everything.
If you want to really blow your mind read Christopher Hitchens on the Missionary Position:  Mother Theresa in theory and practice.
 
mememonkey
[/quote]
"US  killed more people carpet bombing in Cambodia than the Khmer Rouge who arguably weren't really communist."
Could you provide a sound reference for this statement?  Were you in Cambodia?  You're saying that US carpet bombing killed over 2,000,000 people?  Also, do you understand the difference between warfare and demicide?
Indeed alternative histories exist with different perspectives for everything but only one truth exists.  For a sense of scale, look at who tops this list.
 
 
Also, I have a friend who lived in the Soviet Union during the time you speak of.  He disagrees with Orlov's contention.  Do you understand Orlov's agenda?  And I have family who lived during the previous times I speak of.  I'm speaking of realities and family history.  Would you minimalize the Holocaust to someone who is Jewish because of Joshua slaughtering the many different tribes in the promised land?
And of course, this is a hot button.  You don't think I realized that when I made this statement?  There is something called righteous anger.  Failure to speak to simply get along or to be emotionally neutral is, to me, akin to a form of immorality and cowardice.  You were designed with emotions for a particular reason.  There is an increased survival potential tied with emotion.  If you think being emotionless in such a context is advantageous, I'd be interested in your explanation of why mankind evolved with emotion rather than without.  Mr. Spock is fiction, not reality.  
 

29

[quote=davefairtex]In case it wasn't clear, I didn't get the sense that Chris was suggesting we ignore history and give Communism a try.   And I found it both timely and fascinating that you did.
[/quote]
Dave,
In case it wasn't clear, my primary contention was with the accuracy of the following statement:
"Perhaps not a lot, but one marked difference between communism and capitalism is that the former provides at least the basics of sustenance."
I find it both timely and fascinating that you chose to ignore the very statement that I most strongly emphasized and preceded with bold text.
And whether I chose to be shocked or not is my prerogative.  Why do you wish to invalidate my personal experience?  Am I not entitled to it as a human being?
 

30

Ah - note the emotions that come up when belief systems are touched upon. I always know when beliefs vs. opinions are in play because of the emotional content of the response.
I'm really not at all interested in opening up belief oriented topics for 'discussion' because beliefs are largely immune to being shifted via conversation, which is doubly true for internet based discussions. That's why we don't do partisan politics, religion, or which 'ism' is the best organizing principle for humans here at Peak Prosperity.

For the record I am not a proponent, hidden or otherwise, for any particular belief based system or stance. I am not quietly working to advance or subvert any one belief based system over another. I think our path forward requires an unflinching look at facts and data and as much rational and conscious thought as we can muster knowing that we have very a active and controlling emotion-based limbic system operating all the time.

If I do have a belief system it's that all the major 'isms' out there are wholly unsuited to the task of usefully organizing humans for the challenge of living sustainably and peacefully within our natural and economic budgets.

With that said, I think it's also important to fearlessly say what you believe to be true and right, and sometimes emotion helps to lift us over the cultural barriers that would otherwise have us sit by politely.

Here are two great examples of that, both of which are well worth your time to view:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCNIBV87wV4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYwTU7z6BI

Finally, Troof, I would note that your list rather conveniently begins in 1900, which was right after a number of mass mortality events that coincided with capitalism.

For example, the U.S. Native American population in the year 1500 was estimated to be around 15 million but had been reduced to only 237,000 by 1900, making it one of the most sustained periods of genocide on record.

I don't lay that at the feet of capitalism, but at the feet of humans because such regrettable behaviors are the constant in history, not random exceptions that arose because any one particular cultural or economic system was in operation.

Further, I am no longer of the mind that it is only our occasional reckless disdain for each other that deserves our outrage. The reckless ways that we destroy habitats and non-human species are symptoms of the same unconscious drives that ultimately will cost us far more than we seem to be able to appreciate in the moment.

Emotional resilience is, for me, mainly a task of becoming more and more conscious. The first step for me in that process always begins with an act of noticing. I might notice some information in a new way, or simply notice my reaction to something without having the depth of understanding required to really know how it all connects.

If I read Davefairtex's post above on Improving Reality, he uses the same process, where the feelings and emotions that arise are first noticed and then followed as they are a clue that something(s) lurk beneath.

So that's the first thing, noticing.

And it's no more complicated than that. "Hey, look at that, a strong reaction. Hunh."

31

While I have no argument at all with the prescription Chris offers here, I think that just like self-help books, it speaks many truths but the implementation is difficult. Case in point: the author and speaker in that commencement speech (This is Water), David Foster Wallace, who had the incredible insights he offered to those graduating seniors in 2005, committed suicide only three short years later in 2008. Perhaps that proves nothing but it is my experience that for many people, even the brightest and most insightful among us, emotional resilience remains elusive. (As Wendy alluded to here, I believe that stems from childhood trauma - of a type that many of us have suffered and don't even realize it - but that is another discussion for another day.)

32

Well put. Dave.I've also found the references to Orlov very relevant here. He's written plenty about the Russian men who drank themselves to death upon finding that everything they'd believed in had vanished.   
Orlov holds a special place for me. For about ten years, Russian language and culture was a consuming passion of mine. I studied and traveled in the USSR, and I spoke excellent Russian. So watching Orlov's presentation on comparative collapse indirectly lead me to the Crash Course and set me off in a new direction. He argues that so many features of the grim, shabby day-to-day reality of life under communism made a culture that was almost ideally suited to deal with collapse, in sharp contrast to the USA today. Just a few examples: 1) no just-in-time inventory or tight supply chains, instead, lots of hoarded supplies and grey-market activities enabled theft and barter when it all fell apart. 2) no private (mortgaged) houses, but state-owned housing, at least a crappy apartment, for pretty much everyone 3) very few cars, but functional public transport, already running where people lived, and  buses/trains, etc. continued to run throughout the collapse. 4) Basic medical care, not for profit, for everyone. No heart-bypass, no MRI or CAT scans, but basic medical/dental was in place.
Nobody argues that life was great under communism, but it was precisely all the ways that people were already coping with its shortcomings that made it easier to deal with the final collapse. Anyone who ever saw the place would have to agree, I think.

33

I cannot lie to myself.  And when I know 'its true' I actually hear a guitar strum (no joke).  If you can bullshit yourself, others are easy.  For me, I'm not reading a book to understand me - I'm brutally honest with myself and that allows me to be honest with others, good or bad.   Its my generation.  I asked my wife, 1 - 10, what am I?  She said 8 with no hesitation.   And good or bad, in the moment when it hurts or heals, I'll cull what went right/wrong and apply it to tomorrow.  It's amusing to me to read posts from smart people snub each other because they haven't read 'the right books' or have studied the wrong history or such.  Personal experiences are usually hammered pretty good too because its just one persons experience and therefore likely not representative of the big picture (apparently).  The powers of observation - noticing - are indeed a skill set of value.  But you've either got 'em or you don't - although everybody is good at noticing personally interesting things/views/etc.  I'm a noticing freak.  In college I'd go to the Minneapolis airport just to 'people-watch'.  It was just so interesting, still is. 
My issue with the thread is the focus of the thread.  Its an article that should have been read, thought about and considered…then nothing.  A focus on the self, period.  But, somebody posts based on their views and we're off to the races.  While I'm interested in Chris' message - I've no idea what he's talking about, or so many of the posts that followed.  Maybe I should amend my first sentence - what the hell are you smart people talking about?  Then add yoga?  Anyway, its just kind of interesting to me to watch, I mean notice how others views are generally, not universally, categorized into 'friend' or 'enemy' based on someone's response.  The polarized take away is limiting and I think reflective of our larger society - we're rapidly approaching the point of no more discussion.  We just don't seem to want to debate what we know.  The preachiest generation seems to be running out of people who want to listen.   I don't post as much, I know what will come of it.  Its not just me, look at the posts from members of the site for up to several years and many, many have only posted a few times.  Maybe their noticing.  Regardless, this nomad would be willing to look at what you're talking about - Chris or whoever, is there a good site - that's clear and concise?  Hope so.   Thank you.

34

I'm really not at all interested in opening up belief oriented topics for 'discussion' because beliefs are largely immune to being shifted via conversation, which is doubly true for internet based discussions. That's why we don't do partisan politics, religion, or which 'ism' is the best organizing principle for humans here at Peak Prosperity.

Yep - PP is a wonderful meeting place to share information and discuss things.  Thanks CM and Team!

35
Its not just me, look at the posts from members of the site for up to several years and many, many have only posted a few times.  Maybe their noticing.
I am not a prolific writer here in the comments but enjoy the oftentimes rich and insightful perspectives.  The learning I have gotten from this site is deep and real for me.  I am reminded of a young female engineer straight out of school that started employment where I work about a year ago.  She was in a lot of meetings and never said anything, ever.  I had formed an opinion of her work performance that was quite negative because of her lack of vocal communication in groups.  Then a couple of months ago she was assigned an important project where she had to present to the group how the project was progressing. The long and short of the story is that she blew everyone away with her skill and confidence!  I had this preconceived notion that she was incompetent because she was mostly silent in our meetings.  So much to learn...
36

[quote=cmartenson]Emotional resilience is, for me, mainly a task of becoming more and more conscious. The first step for me in that process always begins with an act of noticing. I might notice some information in a new way, or simply notice my reaction to something without having the depth of understanding required to really know how it all connects.
…
So that's the first thing, noticing.
And it's no more complicated than that. "Hey, look at that, a strong reaction. Hunh."
[/quote]

  What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. It is the continuous practice of touching life deeply in every moment of daily life. To be mindful is to be truly alive, present and at one with those around you and with what you are doing.  Source
37

But not Of it.
 

 

38

I've learned so much from following Peak Prosperity for a couple of years now, and am very glad to see Emotionality coming up more often as a part of Resiliency planning. For me, my journey toward a resilient life began with sitting with my emotions. I am a writer, and sifting through the various and unstoppable sequence of events which saw my childhood home slip off the shrinking edge of the middle class was quite the task. 
www.thebookofgardens.com

I think there are some avenues for sitting with our emotionality which come out of Tradition that are highly rational, highly practical, and free of dogmatic persuasion. I was born into a rather well-to-do oil-city suburb, and that I even approached the subject of meditation (let alone to later write a book on the subject) seems rather amazing. That is: I grew up in an Unconscious neighbourhood, and something in my Gen-X psyche was screaming from the start that "Something Is Wrong With This Narrative!"

Enter mindfulness, meditation, and emotional resiliency.

https://peakprosperity.com/users/phil42

Learning about economics became inevitable, and Chris Martenson (and friends) have become an indispensable part of my daily routine. I have only begun setting up a profile here, and am greatly looking forward to participating in further discussions and connecting with like minded people. 

Thank you Chris! Your work has been a relief to discover.

Phil

39

Your story catches my eye & ear, as I'm often finding myself in the shoes of your 'anti-hero.' :)Speaking in groups is something I still work on. I'm excellent in five people or less, or, being a professional actor, I'm fantastic if I have a script(!) However, impromptu meetings with six or more people… I clam up… and Observe.
I thought "shyness" was my problem. If anything, my ability to Observe - Everything - in great inter-personal detail is the "problem." Our lovely and little human brains have difficulty processing the waves of information that come through it from our incredible human Mind, the psyche. :slight_smile:
I've had a few managerial positions in non-arts related work, and though time is often of the essence, it's the quiet observers whose appreciation of encouragement is second to none, bringing back a vigor and commitment that is - yes - very surprising and delightful.
Thanks again for your post. I really appreciate the quality you capture of never knowing what is really under the surface of a Person. Best to you & yours - Phil

40

I love the truthseeking going on in this thread… the acknowledgement of mind:body holistic connection… the interplay between Chris and Troof… I really appreciate how Troof has been a catalyst for some often difficult discussion.   
Treemagnet said,

The powers of observation - noticing - are indeed a skill set of value.  But you've either got 'em or you don't - although everybody is good at noticing personally interesting things/views/etc.  I'm a noticing freak.  In college I'd go to the Minneapolis airport just to 'people-watch'.  It was just so interesting, still is.
So I was at the minimart/gas station this morning at the peak of the rush .. had just got back into my car parked at a pump when this big Suburban-like SUV lumbers by slowly on its way to the exit, a middle-aged woman blithly smoking a cig. is driving the beast.  I am struck by a sound... a rhythmic ka-thumping sound.. like something being run over again and again.  I open my door and get back out to see and hear better.. and then I see it - the rear driver's tire is completely, and I mean completely, flat.  The sound is from the tire itself.  Now the woman is at the exit.. I am contemplating running out after her to warn her, but she has an opening and is pulling out toward the highway entrances just down the road.  I just stand there, kind of paralyzed, watching her make her way toward the highway.. she appears to be getting on in the direction opposite to what I will be traveling.  I imagine her pulled off to the side several miles down with a smoking ring of rubber and a ruined rim..... then I notice a woman at a different pump who is just looking at me like I am crazy.. wondering why I would be so obsessed with this SUV as it left and drove down the road - why I am standing there, outside my car with the door open, mouth agape.

This experience seems the perfect metaphor to me…  I take all that I have learned here and elsewhere, and I see sure disaster ahead, monetary and otherwise.  As so many of us have experienced, most folks don't want to, won't, or can't see it, even though the tire is clearly flat and the outcome of driving on it down the highway is not in question.  

I have in the past railed on folks like CHS and DaveF when they preach strong dollar, and good hearted folks have tried to psychoanalyze me out of my cognitive dissonance.  Well… it turns out I like my cognitive dissonance, because I, like Treemagnet, happen to be a noticing freak… and I notice when something has changed.  I will present you two quotes… one from an older CHS strong dollar piece, and one from a very recent piece CHS wrote, which I recommend;

From 11/18/2012

http://charleshughsmith.blogspot.com/2012/11/understanding-exorbitant-privilege-of.html
If we follow the above analysis carefully, we can understand why those worrying about a surplus of dollars got it wrong: the real problem going forward for exporting nations will be the scarcity of dollars.
 
This explains the dynamics that will continue pushing the dollar higher for years to come. This is not an intuitively easy set of forces to grasp, and so many will reject it out of habit. That could prove to be a costly error.
And, from two days ago
http://www.oftwominds.com/blogdec13/whats-real-fake12-13.html
How is the Federal Reserve's creation of money out of thin air not officially sanctioned forgery, a forgery we accept because we are like the collectors who are willing to buy forgeries as masterpieces, as long as they're good forgeries, rather than forego the joy of owning a masterpiece?

Just as the belief in the provenance of a masterpiece creates its value in the marketplace, so it is with money: if it is created by a central bank and ultimately backed by the State's right to tax its citizenry, we consider it legitimate, even though it is clearly an intrinsically worthless forgery of real value (i.e. gold, silver, land, cans of beans, machine tools, etc.).

And just as the value of a masterpiece is shattered by the loss of faith in its value, so it is with money: should the belief that creates the value fade, so to will the practical utility of the money.

Any doubts about the value of the euro, yuan, yen or dollar are dismissed by the mainstream as the confused ravings of a lunatic fringe, because maintaining the faith in the provenance of paper money is essential to the power created by financial engineering. But it's worth keeping in mind that this belief in the value of money created out of thin air by the conjurer's wand is just that, a belief.

I am always happy to see another paperbug wake up.  This is why I write.. this is why I rail.  It is just this simple.  No psychobabble needed to help explain it away.