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Part 42

2/29/2016

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 42: Parallel Thinking - Seeing the Forest with the Trees

Things are as they are. Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.
-ALAN WATTS (1915-1973)

One of Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's astute observations as described in Part 40 (Alternative Thought Processes), is that while the temporal orientation of the left hemisphere focuses on the past and the future (like Ekido's), that of the right hemisphere focuses on the present moment (like Tanzan's). The left hemisphere's clinging to the past and fretting about the future—instead about letting go in the present moment, being in the Zone or Flow—has a much stronger behavioral impact than we would like to imagine. It is not a coincidence that while the left hemisphere operates in incessant chatter, judging, verbally-based mode and more vulnerable to blind obedience, the right one operates in deep inner peace, observing, visually-based mode, and less vulnerable to blind obedience.

As implied in Part 36 (Being in the "Zone") yet worth repeating, parallel right brain thinking is conducive to secularism and tolerance towards pluralism and diversity. On the other hand, serial left brain thinking is conducive to blind inclination to monopolize the truth which results in black-and-white "us versus them" dichotomies. "All monotheisms are, by their nature, anti-pluralistic," British author David Aaronovitch (b. 1954) suggests, "Paganism, on the other hand, is much better suited to modern ideas of tolerance and human rights. Under polytheism you can choose your own god overtly." Judge for yourself.

Those who are offended by Aaronovitch are respectfully advised to survey the Middle East, the cradle of the great Abrahamic religions. Within the last 70 years the region has been engulfed by nothing but continuous religious holy wars, sectarian violence, and barbaric tribalism. This paradox goes beyond the Middle East, where various secular societies fare much better than religious ones. To recite Phil Zuckerman in Think Religion Makes Society Less Violent? Think Again (Los Angeles Times, October 30, 2015), the most secular societies (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Czech Republic, Estonia, Japan, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Germany, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Vietnam, Hungary, China and Belgium) fare the best in terms of crime rates, prosperity, equality, freedom, democracy, women's rights, human rights, educational attainment and life expectancy. (Poor human rights records in Vietnam and China are notable exceptions.) On the other hand, the most religious societies (Nigeria, Uganda, the Philippines, Pakistan, Morocco, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Colombia, Senegal, Malawi, Indonesia, Brazil, Peru, Jordan, Algeria, Ghana, Venezuela, Mexico and Sierra Leone) tend to be the most problem-ridden in terms of high violent crime rates, high infant mortality rates, high poverty rates and high rates of corruption.

Pathetically, all these dramas just happen on earth, a tiny planet orbiting around an average star among a hundred thousand million other stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Adding insult to injury, that average star (which we call the "sun") is located about 27,000 light-years from the center of Milky Way which has a diameter of 100,000 light years. The Milky Way itself is but one among 100 billion to 200 billion galaxies (according to astrophysicist Mario Livio) or even a trillion galaxies (according to theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking) in the observable universe. That is by excluding the possibility of 'cosmic inflation' which entertains the existence of a multiverse (meta-universe) consisting of parallel universes!

"Things are as they are," as Alan Watts put it. Right stars and wrong stars, right galaxies and wrong galaxies, right gods and wrong gods, right religions and wrong religions, even no religions—does it even matter? Is there a holy war between Mario Livo and Stephen Hawking because of their different guesstimates on the number of galaxies in the universe?

Which brings us back to Dr. Taylor's feeling of deep inner peace due to her left brain stroke. Parallel thinking entails the ability to not only see the holy trees, but also see the barbaric forests (or jungles, if you will) of violence, hypocrisy, and tribalism which subsequently have caused corruption and social injustice condoned in organized religions, thanks to the coalescence, if not the collusion, between clergy infallibility and the political status quo. As observed by Roman poet and philosopher Titus Lucretius Carus (94-49 BCE): "All religions are equally sublime to the ignorant, useful to the politician, and ridiculous to the philosopher." Carus' observation was later echoed by French author Stendahl (1783-1842): "All religions are founded on the fear of the many and the cleverness of the few."

[To be continued.]
Johannes Tan, Indonesian Translator & Conference Interpreter

Part 41.5

2/22/2016

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 41.5: Intermission

Due to an out-of-state interpreting assignment and a translation deadline, Part 42 will only be posted next week, February 29, 2016. Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding and patience.

Johannes Tan, Indonesian Translator & Conference Interpreter

Part 41

2/15/2016

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 41: Linear Thinking - Seeing the Trees without the Forest

The eye cannot see itself, but the human brain can certainly think of itself.
-OLD CHINESE PROVERB

Dr. Taylor's observation as described in Part 40 (Alternative Thought Processes) is actually far from new. What is new is her insider's perspective. Even in the mid-19th century, French neurosurgeon Pierre Paul Broca (1824-1880) noted that damage to the left hemisphere often results in speech impairment, while that on the right side more likely causes attention deficit and difficulties in retaining spatial. Broca’s discovery was further supported by Austrian neurologist Carl Wernicke (1848-1905) who identified the Wernicke’s area in the left brain that is responsible both for comprehension and vocabulary skills.

In a classic experiment cited in Scientific American magazine (July 2009), Dean C. Dells of the University of California, San Diego, and his colleagues asked brain-damaged patients to study a picture of a large capital H which is made up of smaller A’s, then redraw it from memory. Patients with damage to the right hemisphere—thus dependent solely on the left hemisphere—often drew simply scattered random A’s over the page. On the other hand, patients with damage to the left hemisphere often just drew a large capital H with no A’s. The experiment shows that while patients with damage to the right hemisphere (thus dependent solely on the left hemisphere) see minute details and fail to see the Big Picture, while patients with damage to the left hemisphere (thus dependent solely on the right hemisphere) see the Big Picture and fail to observe minute details. In a nutshell, the left hemisphere facilitates details, while the right one facilitates the Big Picture. While left hemisphere facilitates seeing the trees without the forest, the right one facilitates seeing the forest with the trees.

This brings us back to Part 40 (Alternative Thought Processes). You may recall that Maltese physician and psychologist Edward de Bono (b. 1933) coined new terms in thought processes, most notably "lateral thinking" and "parallel thinking." Parallel thinking, according to de Bono, is a constructive alternative to "adversarial thinking" or "linear thinking", long advocated by what he called "the Greek gang of three": Socrates (469-399 BC), Plato (427-348 BC) and Aristotle (384-322 BC). It focuses more on explorations outside the box, thus looking for "what can be" rather than for "what is."

Not surprisingly, adversarial or linear thinking, by default, nourishes monotheism, monopoly of truth, and totalitarianism as it applies a reductionist and dialectic "either/or" approach (and vice versa). On the other hand, parallel thinking, by default, nourishes pluralism and values diversity of opinions as it applies a holistic "both+and" approach (and vice versa). While historically one approach has generated reductionism, cruelty and violence in the great Abrahamic religions, the other has inspired pacifism and holism in Zen-inspired martial arts.

What seemed like a paradox—violence in Abrahamic religions, pacifism in Zen-inspired martial arts—now looks more and more like logical consequences in which thought processes influence behavior. All we have to do is to synthesize five lessons. First, is the parable of Tanzan and Ekido in Part 23 (Do We Choose a Belief or Does a Belief Choose Us?). Second, is the parable of The World Fair of Religions in Part 10 (The Pope who would have Burned his own Father). Third, is Edward de Bono's notion of parallel thinking. Fourth, is Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's feeling of deep inner peace due to her left brain stroke. Fifth, is the clinical experiment on brain-damaged patients conducted by Dean C. Dells of the University of California, San Diego.

When the dust settles, the violence in religions and pacifism in Zen-inspired martial arts is not a matter of "in spite of." Instead, it's a matter of "because of."

[To be continued.]
Johannes Tan, Indonesian Translator & Conference Interpreter

Part 40

2/8/2016

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 40: Alternative Thought Processes

To experience peace does not mean that your life is always blissful.
It means that you are capable of tapping into a blissful state of mind
amidst the normal chaos of a hectic life.
-JILL BOLTE TAYLOR, My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey

By now it's crystal clear that parables—whether about Tanzan and Ekido, or about The World Fair of Religions—reveals a lot about different thought processes. We hardly think much about, let alone examine, our thought process. This is indeed a shame, considering how sophisticated the human brain actually is. According to Harvard Professor Emeritus of Astronomy and Science History Owen Gingerich (b. 1930) in God's Goof (2001), there are 100 billion neurons in the brain, and each neuron connects with about 10,000 other neurons. The number of synaptic interconnections in a single human brain greatly exceeds the number of stars in the Milky Way: a quadrillion synapses (a one with 15 zeros) versus two hundred billion stars (a two with 11 zeros).

But back to thought process, what is it anyway? Surprisingly, the Oxford and American Heritage dictionaries exclude the phrase. Collins defines it as "the process or act of using your mind to consider or think about something," while MacMillan defines it as "the way in which your mind works, or the process of thinking about something." Lame definitions don't help much, do they? Then, perhaps we need to turn to Maltese physician and psychologist Edward de Bono (b. 1933) who is considered a world-class authority on the subject of thinking. He went as far as suggesting to teach thinking as an academic subject in schools. In half a dozen books that he authored—among others New Think: The Use of Lateral Thinking in the Generation of New Ideas, Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step By Step, and Six Thinking Hats—he coined several terms, most notably "lateral thinking" and "parallel thinking."

Parallel thinking, according to de Bono, is a constructive alternative to "adversarial thinking" or "linear thinking", long advocated by what he referred to as "the Greek gang of three": Socrates (469-399 BC), Plato (427-348 BC) and Aristotle (384-322 BC). In short, parallel thinking focuses more on explorations, thus looking for "what can be" rather than for "what is." It is a thought process in which "focus is split in specific directions." While adversarial or linear thinking applies a reductionist and dialectic "either/or" approach, parallel thinking applies a holistic "both+and" approach. While historically one approach has generated reductionism, cruelty and violence in the great Abrahamic religions, the other has inspired pacifism and holism in Zen-inspired martial arts.

Just thinking about this paradox may give one a stroke. Perhaps that's what is exactly needed! In 1996, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor (b. 1959) experienced a massive stroke in her left brain at age 37. She is not your average Jill, but an acclaimed neuro-anatomist specializing in the postmortem investigation of the human brain and affiliated with the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center. There are many brain scientists all over the world, and there have been even more patients suffering from brain injuries. However Dr. Taylor has uniquely experienced brain trauma both as a scientist and as a patient, from the inside-out, from the outside-in. Therefore, her minute-by-minute account of her experience is not only unique, but authoritative. (Please see above video if you haven't done so.)

Clearly Dr. Taylor's personal experience provided her (and us) with an invaluable before/after comparison. In her landmark book My Stroke of Insight (2008), she provides invaluable insights and first hand accounts on the merits of the often under-estimated, animal-like, right brain thinking. During the stroke that made her temporarily depended only on her right brain—considered to be the lower, animal, more primitive brain—she felt that it is “the gateway to enlightenment and nirvana” for it gives her the ability to thinks holistically and peacefully. Since the left brain organizes details in a linear and methodical configuration, it manifests the concept of time into the past, present, and future. On the other hand, the right brain only focuses on the present, thus it is "free to think intuitively outside the box." Though her discovery itself was actually not new, what was new is that it was experienced first hand by a brain scientist.

[To be continued.]
Johannes Tan, Indonesian Translator & Conference Interpreter

Part 39

2/1/2016

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 39: The Tyranny of the Demagoguery and Totalitarianism

Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious.
If a human disagrees with you, let him live.
In a hundred billion galaxies you will not find another.
-CARL SAGAN (1934-1996)

Perhaps the best case against the significance of "I" was made by American astronomer, cosmologist and astrophysicist, Carl Sagan (1934-1996) in his famous piece, Pale Blue Dot.

"Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves," said Sagan. Furthermore:

“How is it that hardly any major religion has looked at science and concluded, “This is better than we thought! The Universe is much bigger than our prophets said, grander, more subtle, more elegant?” Instead they say, “No, no, no! My god is a little god, and I want him to stay that way.” A religion, old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the Universe as revealed by modern science might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths.”

Thus, religion and astronomy.

Astronomy, as defined in the Oxford dictionary, is "the branch of science that deals with celestial objects, space, and the physical universe as a whole." Since ancient cultures identified celestial objects with gods and spirits, historically the first astronomers were priests. In fact, until the 17th century astronomy and astrology were intertwined and only separated thanks to the 18th century Age of Enlightenment. I have always wondered why a tiny little country like Vatican has a world-class observatory and astronomy library. A Google search confirms that the Vatican Library collection of astronomical books and scientific journals, transferred to the Observatory in 1910, includes a collection of rare antique books written by astronomy giants such as Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, and Kepler, to name just a few.

So significant was the influence of religion on astronomy (and vice versa) that the motions of celestial objects have been used to keep track of time to observe religious holidays, for example Easter and Eid al-Fitr. The Gregorian calendar that we currently use is a solar calendar (synchronized to the motion of the sun); the Islamic Hijra calendar is a lunar one (synchronized to the motion of the moon); while the Hindu and Hebrew calendars are lunisolar (synchronized to the motion of both the moon and the sun). Indeed the Gregorian calendar is named after Pope Gregory XIII (1502-1585), who introduced it in 1582 to replace the Julian calendar.

Yet ironically throughout centuries, time and again, religion after religion have failed to perceive, what Sagan so eloquently described, that the Universe is much bigger, grander, more subtle, more elegant than what our prophets said. Yes, with their lips, believers scream their minds to the heaven that God is the greatest, omnipotent, almighty, omniscient and so on, but their bigoted, prejudiced and intolerant acts fall short to walk the talk. While the motions of celestial objects have been used to determine religious holidays, lessons learned from astronomy have failed to instill humility among Homo sapiens as well as to eradicate their delusional self-importance. Instead of inspiring holism, the utilization of astronomy generates nothing but reductionism.

Simply look at those endless holy wars and perpetual sectarian violence. Organized religions have always divided insiders from outsiders, in-groups from out-groups, "us" from "them", the "chosen" from the "unchosen", "my" God from "your" Allah and "his" Yahweh. Derogatory terms—for example kafirs, infidels, heathens, heretics—only proves that believers are constantly taught to suspect outsiders with contempt. Pluralism is a taboo. "If my own father were a heretic," Pope Paul IV (1476-1559) declared, "I would personally gather the wood to burn him." The Bible states: "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14). Likewise the Qur'an declares: "You will find others who wish to obtain security from you and [to] obtain security from their people . . . So if they do not withdraw from you or offer you peace or restrain their hands, then seize them and kill them wherever you overtake them. And those - we have made for you against them a clear authorization" (Surah An-Nisaa 4-91).

This naked demagoguery and totalitarianism raises the question: If a believer thinks that the merely existence of infidels, skeptics, cartoonists, and scientists can destroy his faith so easily, then isn't his faith quite fragile? In other words, does such believer even pass the acid test of being a true believer? Not surprisingly, reductionism practiced in organized religions has promoted primordial tribalism. "If you scratch any aggressive tribalism or nationalism, you usually find beneath its surface a religious core, some older binding energy of belief or superstition… that is capable of transforming itself into a death-force, with the peculiar annihilating energies of belief…," American journalist Lance Morrow wrote, "Religious hatreds tend to be merciless and absolute." In closing, allow me to repeat the introspective parable written by no other than a Jesuit priest, Anthony de Mello (1931-1987) in The Song of the Bird (1982), as cited in Part 10 (The Pope who would have Burned his own Father).

My friend and I went to the fair. The World Fair of Religions. Not a trade fair. But the competition was as fierce, the propaganda loud. At the Jewish stall we were given handouts that said that God was all-compassionate and the Jews were his Chosen People. The Jews. No other people were as chosen as they.

At the Muslim stall we learned that God was all-merciful and Mohammed his only Prophet. Salvation comes from listening to God’s Prophet. At the Christian stall, we discovered that God is love and there is no salvation outside the Church. Join the Church or risk damnation forever.

On the way out I asked my friend, "What do you think of God?" He replied, “He’s bigoted, fanatical, and cruel.” Back home, I said to God, “How do you put up with this sort of thing, Lord? Don’t you see they have been giving you a bad name for centuries?”

God said, “It wasn’t I who organized the fair. In fact, I’d be too ashamed to visit it.”

[To be continued.]
Johannes Tan, Indonesian Translator & Conference Interpreter

Part 42

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 42: Parallel Thinking - Seeing the Forest with the Trees

Part 41.5

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 41.5: Intermission

Part 41

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 41: Linear Thinking - Seeing the Trees without the Forest

Part 40

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 40: Alternative Thought Processes

Part 39

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 39: The Tyranny of the Demagoguery and Totalitarianism

Continuously exploring literal, semantic, idiomatic, contextual, metaphorical, symptomatic, conceptual and metaphysical meanings of everything worth thinking about.

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Part 42

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima SyndromePart 42: Parallel Thinking - Seeing the Forest with the Trees

Part 41.5

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima SyndromePart 41.5: Intermission

Part 41

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima SyndromePart 41: Linear Thinking - Seeing the Trees without the Forest

Part 40

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima SyndromePart 40: Alternative Thought Processes

Part 39

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima SyndromePart 39: The Tyranny of the Demagoguery and Totalitarianism

Continuously exploring literal, semantic, idiomatic, contextual, metaphorical, symptomatic, conceptual and metaphysical meanings of everything worth thinking about.

Archives

Categories

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 42: Parallel Thinking - Seeing the Forest with the Trees

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 41.5: Intermission

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 41: Linear Thinking - Seeing the Trees without the Forest

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 40: Alternative Thought Processes

Between Stockholm Syndrome and Lima Syndrome
Part 39: The Tyranny of the Demagoguery and Totalitarianism