julianlaboy

Heeeey, that's not boring! Haha It is kind of tedious if one wants to give money as a gift. It's very relaxing, really! It also helps with motor coordination, eye perception, and other stuff. I have two books on dollar bill origami and ended up cutting paper of that shape. Plus, I get to use different colors by cutting other kind of papers. It gets kind of stinky if someone folds something out of money... Also, there are some models that require dollar bills because they make use of the images of the bill.

Nice! Someday I wish to sell some models in a website like Etsy, or maybe my own. I made earrings, but Christmas ornaments are also a great idea! And as for models, this is the best that I have done. From a huge piece of paper, and with lots and lots of steps: From Japanese Satoshi Kamiya, an "ancient dragon". (I wanted to stay in the "Eastern" theme) (Edit: I can't see the image I just posted! how come?)

For wet paper folding, I use a simple sponge and a spraying bottle with water. From experience, I end up only applying water to the final model, since I use cheap paper I spray some water, move the paper to a desirable shape and hope that it stays that way until it gets dry (some air would be good). If you do have some good quality paper, spraying with water from the start would be awesome (at least until the square shape end ups being a trapezoid or weird round thing). I probably just wrote what you already read somewhere else, but yeah, it is a great technique. My best work came from it (A mammoth by Satoshi Kamiya). And yeah, so little time for so many great things!!

That's probably very historically accurate! Haha!

I do not know how many facts people know from Puerto Rico, where I live. Right now, there are many many corrupt politicians in power. Also, there have occurred more than a thousand homicides in this year alone. Keep in mind the size of the island (35 miles X 100 miles) and that of the population (around 4 million). With those facts, ti immediately came to mind the following quote: "When people are hard to control, it is because of the contrivances of their governments, which make them hard to control", Tao Te Ching. I usually do not participate in political activities, since I really do not enjoy such competitions and since it is not in my nature to do much about it. However, things are getting out of control and I feel like I have to contribute some good deeds. I still do not like the idea of being involved in political acts, but these are troubled times and I want everyone to just get along and live in a more harmonious and balanced way. What would you do in such a situation?

I do not believe that the world of politics is a complete opposite. Nor do I believe that "politics" is a kind of synonym with "corruption". It is like a gun: by itself, it does almost nothing; it needs a being triggering (directly or indirectly) and almost always, it also needs an intention. I can open bottles with a gun or make a hole in a wall for hanging stuff. However, guns also have the capacity to kill people (I know that they were not invented for opening bottles...).

You said, "So, I removed myself from the political arena completely out of disgust. Now after several years of sitting outside of their mayhem, I can no longer tell who is who. I mean, they say completely different things, and make different promises, but it all just ends up in the same place. The type of people in power will (most likely) always be in power. To want power and hold on to power, you have to be ambitious." I completely understand you. I no longer see the three parties because they are just three colors that represent the same thing: people who want power and be called the majority for more and better control of everything around them. Of course, I am not saying that every person that is into politics is the same way. However, the line between people who are and people who are not like that is very, very thin. And that is because one can indeed "is at the risk of losing self", as you said. That is, a self that relates to "others" in the harmonious and balanced way that I mentioned. One loses that self to replace it with an objective self, one that only keeps in mind that "they are not" a list of things that the "others" are. This easily brings competitive thinking and that easily can bring harmful oppositions. You are also right when you said that times always have some kind of trouble. It is when it reaches a certain degree that I call it "troubled times". As I said, more than a thousand homicides in this year alone. I do not pretend to change everyone or a single individual. I just feel that some kind of action is necessary so that some kind of contribution to spreading peace could be attained. I understand what you say, that "No matter what changes are made from the outside, there will still be some who want to impose their will forcefully" and that "The type of people in power will (most likely) always be in power". I do plan to move away, but that is because I wanted to finish some studies in another country. But it really bothers me that these politicians, the ones that were elected by the people of their own country, get away with so much. Maybe it's me that ended up being really attached to what happens here. Anyway, I will end up moving out, but not without contributing something in the field of Education. I think that the best bet here would come from teaching, from early childhood to post-secondary levels, to work for a kind of place that is worth living for. So, that will cover two of your recommended things to do (although I will have to endure it also, since I am saving up some money for the "moving out" thing) Oh!, and thanks for your observations!

Music is wonderful, indeed. Its effects go from mind to body, and viceversa, since they are interrelated. And that's a relatively new science in the West, since the majority of people believed that a function of the mind could not change any part of the body. But it really does! A neuroscientist, by the name of Alvaro Pascual Leone, in 1995, did a series of studies with two groups of people: one group would practice a piano exercise with their hands, and another group would merely think about playing the piano exercise with their hands. Both groups created new neurological maps on their brains related to the exercise and music! So, thinking, and especially a very focused kind of thinking,can create changes in the body. And music, since it affects the mind, also changes the body. An explanation of that research can be found in Jeffrey Schwartz, a psychiatrist, and Sharon Begley's, a science journalist, book titled "The mind and the brain: Neuroplasticity and the power of mental force" (2002). What I wonder is whether repetitive music has a different effect on people than "more complex" musical melodies. I believe that that depends on the effect of that kind of music on a particular individual. I think that musical simplicity or complexity alone does not directly correlates with some kind of mind-body change. Focused attention, what a person enjoys most, and other environmental and individual factors have to be in a kind of harmony so a to change the physical and mental health of a person. That of course is my opinion and what certain western and eastern scientists and thinkers believe. Very interesting! This just in! http://www.lafayette.edu/about/news/2011/11/28/the-neuroscience-of-music-course-explores-how-song-can-help-heal-the-brain/ News about this topic!

Hi! My name is Julian Laboy and I write from the island of Puerto Rico. Recently, I completed my Masters Degree in Academic/Research Psychology. My thesis consists on contributions of Taoism (specifically, Classical Taoism)to non-traditional theories of Psychology. My main ideas are the following: there are hegemonic paradigms in Psychology that establish a separation between mind and body, a separation between reason and emotions, and "knowing" as something that we discover (for example, our "self" as a finished product); I argued in favor of a union of mind-body, I said that there is always some degree of emotion, even when we make use of reason, and that knowledge is relative, a construction or a conventionalism that is specific to our surroundings and what we are. In other words, I respect a lot the teachings of Classical Taoism (by around the time of the Han Dynasty, with texts as the DaoDeJing, the Chuang Tzu and the Wen Tzu). To me, Taoist teachings are common sense, but I do acknowledge the fact that I may be biased because we usually see as common sense that which we are familiar with or what we usually agree upon. I also realize that "he who knows does not talk; he who talks does not know", but it is still good to make some friends to talk about shared ideas or argue in favor of counterdiscourses Nice to know everyone!

I agree with you that the Tao Te Ching is a very psychological text, among other things. I also agree with you that this post has served its purpose. I was thinking of changing this post to the Discussion part of the forum soon ... will do.

Question: You have told me about the process of the work, but I don't know all the different terms- please instruct me. Answer: The different terms are just symbols- none are beyond body and mind. [From: The Book of Balance and Harmony; translated by Thomas Cleary, 2003, p. 400]

Marblehead, that is some pretty funny stuff there. Haha. Sorry to read about your encounter with the black-hole there. And ChiDragon, thanks! What do you think about Taoism teaching Psychology some manners?

I have 1 or 2 CD's of Symphony X and they do vary it up a little more than Rhapsody. I am excited because now we are going to have two bands: Rhapsody of Fire (with the guy on keyboards as leader) and Rhapsody (with guitarist Luca Turilli as leader). And, I had not heard of Ayreon. I am hearing it now and it sounds very interesting! Thanks, I will listen to it more to see if it sticks!

Ok, I have listened all of them. The thing with Taake is that I do not like so much screaming in my songs. Amon Amarth had good melodies, but I also do not like very much the guttural sounds. Sorry, difference of opinion here. Mercyful Fate was better, in my opinion. And in the case of lyrics, the same happens to me with Rhapsody/Rhapsody of Fire. They sing about stories that they create. I kind of do not like very much that, because with such great melody and harmony between instruments, they should have some meanings. Well, they do have meanings, but they make the stories for the sake of the stories, instead of making them to teach something, as it happens with the analogical thinking of Taoism. Still, I really recommend their music.

You know what? After I started reading Taoist texts, I began to read a lot less than I used to. If I questioned myself about it, I always replied "because I am busy enjoying life". I even thought that after reading Taoist texts, I read everything that I had to read! Such common sense, IMO (Ha! See? Now I know how and when to use it). Those kind of texts definitely bring change to those who pay close attention to and practice their content. Still, I do enjoy from time to time some books about different topics. Although, when you see a commercial about an upcoming documentary about the microcosm, please tell me about it!

Well, I think you may enjoy this book: http://www.amazon.com/Microcosmos-Billion-Years-Microbial-Evolution/dp/0520210646/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322237990&sr=1-2 Its perspective is evolutionary and it is a sort of history of life. I think they argue in favor of the mitochondrial DNA example that we talked about. Just in case you feel like reading something like that

I'll search for them and will tell you about my experience later!

I enjoy a lot Rhapsody of Fire. For example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH4HIn5Pfvg That kind of metal I call "Viking Metal" because I always imagine vikings sailing on ships, drinking beer and being all viking-y like... Some types of metal make me smile or even calm my thinking. I think that alone is worth something. And good luck with the taoist band and the 40 minute album of silent meditation, Hahaha.

dorshugla, are you from Puerto Rico? And to everyone else, I hear a lot of Rhapsody/Rhapsody of Fire, Vivaldi, Blind Guardian, Michiru Yamane, among others...

Yes, it has been said that a possible mechanism that explains it is mitochondrial DNA, since it is the one that stays more or less untouched from generation to generation. By the way, and here I am going to another topic, I was amazed to find out about the possibility of that type of DNA to be what was ages ago another organism! Then, we are a product of two organisms uniting to form a new whole. That is wonderful. Some biologists argue that that is why we have the traditional DNA and mitochondrial DNA. Props to nature...

See? I had to look for "IMO" in the urban dictionary. Hehe. And yeah, cheers to helping anyone!

In my opinion, Jung was not all about individuation. He does accept some growth and change, but it is growth and change that occurs inside a set of specific Archetypes. Those, I believe, are inborn forms of intuition and necessary determinants of all psychic processes. Those, together with Instincts, form a "collective unconscious", a term concerned with universal and inherited contents that go beyond the personal and the individual. I also believe those to be static labels. By the way, I am not saying that he was lazy. We can all learn a lot by reading his texts. On the other hand, I agree that Taoism does contain certain 'typologies'. However, in my opinion also, if referring to Classical Taoism, those 'categories' or 'types' are based on an analogical or correlative kind of thinking (here, I know, I am using another typology so as to anatomize our experience, as you said) vs what I was referring to and criticizing in my last comment, a causal kind of thinking (I believe Jung argues in favor of this last one). With analogical or correlative kind of thinking I support Roger Ames and David Hall's idea that states that here we see an acceptance of change or process over rest and permanence and that it "[...]seeks to account for states of affairs by appeal to correlative procedures rather than by determining agencies or principles" (1995, p.xviii). By contrast, Jung's collective unconscious' (instincts and archetypes) ultimate end are rest and permanence of specific patterns of behavior and thinking. Another example is his use of Mandalas: he accepts change in us, but that comes to an ultimate end of a fixed and static "self". I am not saying that one idea or the other is correct. I accept multiple "truths" and interpretations of our world, or worlds. The problem is like that of a weapon in the wrong hands. It is like the saying that a gun does not kill people because it is people that kill people. Some theories, in the wrong hands, tend to do harm. For example, Hitler made use of the concept of collective unconsciousness and transformed it into a "collective shadow" (an inflated ego that makes one evil) that he later projected onto Jews. It took me a whole hour to write this. Haha. The thing is, I want to be extra careful because I do not want to be seen as problematic or something like that. I do share a lot of ideas and values with members of this forum, including you (cat). You know, I worry, hehe.

Kudos, there. In that particular topic, I really like the works of Chilean biologist Humberto Maturana. He calls that "structural coupling". I know, fancy name for "we create the world and the world creates us", but I like Academia We create our worlds because of what we are (mind-body). But, the world sets the conditions for us to be what we are and it is because of that that, in turn, it creates us. And it is not a "what came first" kind of question. It is a simultaneous process. At least, that's my opinion also...

I really do not like Psychology that much, after all. At least Clinical Psychology. It is probably the "tell me your problems and I will tell you what to do" kind of thing that sets me off. So, I will not be beneficial in helping some of the members, as you said. Haha. By the way, this is a challenge to me because I am not used to writing in English! If the first guy said that he was nothing, I am less than that in here!