Living The Emerson Rule

September 25, 2014December 30, 2022

Probabilities, Science and Math – Living in the “elbow of the curve”

The title drew me to David J. Hand’s book: The Improbability Principle, Why Coincidences, Miracles, and Rare Events Happen Every Day. I love looking for coincidences; call them signs – they inform my worldview and actions I take – put together with math, even better. This book is about statistics, math; probabilities! My fascination with these subjects started a few years ago when I stumbled across an article about Ray Kurzweil and the elbow of the curve on Ari Einbinder’s Blog – Real Clever Science.

Einbinder explains that in Kurzweil’s book, The Age of Spiritual Machines, he “..talks a lot about technology’s rate of increase, which is exponential. An exponential curve starts off rather level but when it starts to noticeably turn upward it quickly does so and shoots off the top of the chart. But that little bend where the increase begins – that’s the year 2010. As Kurzweil emphasizes, “we’re in the elbow of the curve”.” (Check out Einbinder’s site for an interesting analogy about chess and grains of rice.)

Science, technology – math! Fascinating – Exciting – Astonishing! But science has little room for myths, legends or fables – not even Jung’s synchronicity. Hand points out that the “Law of Inevitability,” the “Law of Truly Large Numbers” – and how our brains work with the “Law of Near Enough” – tell me anything is possible/ probable! They can explain my “signs.”

Definitely appreciate the point Hand makes about “the normal distribution” (aka the bell curve) when he says it “doesn’t actually exist in nature.” I’ve been telling people at my company that FOR YEARS, especially when they pigeon hole us during our annual reviews. Still – something is missing. Where is purpose? Where is meaning?

I find the “Integral” theories advocated by Ken Wilbur more compelling. These theories don’t discount folklore, traditions and faith – nor do they discount science. Wilbur takes an integrative approach, including, enveloping and transcending. Today is steeped in history; we transform and morph as we learn and grow to new levels of understanding. Tomorrow we will ride the elbow of the curve – taking the best, leaving the rest.

My ride? Includes signs & science – intent on giving today’s reality a thumping.

“The more attention you put on coincidences and the more you inquire into their significance, the more often the coincidences occur and the more clearly their meaning comes into view.”

– Deepak Chopra, The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire

September 19, 2014December 30, 2022

Priorities of Life … Truth or Self-will?

What do I want from life? What’s important to me?
How do I get guidance from the Universe? When should I trust my intuition?
Is my intuition the Universe talking? Or is it simply self-will – and the choices made from this place turn out REALLY BAD? How do I know the difference?
Do I take the next right step and have faith that “all will be revealed?” Do I have the patience to wait?

So Many Questions!!! Are there any answers?
Oh Jeez – another question!

No one can know why things happen the way they do – in retrospect we may get a glimmer of an idea. But honestly, I see the world from a small speck of infinite space – and I just don’t know. Still, from this speck in space (called me) I will take ownership of my life. I will consider and meditate on what is a priority for me.

1987 ... 2004 ... 2014 — 1987 … 2004 … 2014

I started writing lists about my wants, goals and priorities over 25 years ago. I heard that when I write things down they are more likely to materialize – and I want that edge. Since then, I found this theme all over the place; from workplace S.M.A.R.T goals and development plans, gratitude lists, personal inventories, prayer lists, bucket lists, weight-loss and dietary goals … you name it, someone recommends you write it down. No doubt there’s an “app for that!”

I asked a few close friends to share with me their top goals, as well as how they actually spent their time the past 7-days. The exercise was recommended in the book by Dain Heer, Being You, Changing The World. He suggested we do two things:

Think “on what you spent most of your time, energy, thoughts and emotions on the last 7 days” – write down these things.
Then consider: “what five priorities would contribute to generating, creating and instituting the life and living I would truly like to have?” – write down these things.

I am not alone to find my time, day-to-day, spent making a living, doing chores, dealing with the constant barrage of media and junk mail, listening to the voices in my head … focusing on things other than what I say are my priorities.

And these Top Five Priorities – these things I believe will create the life I truly want; they are noble goals and require commitment, effort and discipline (uh, yeah). The Universe probably wants me to go there.

New question – How can I change my world so that my day-to-day actions are my top priorities, and my top priorities are my day-to-day?

I ask this question – and know the Universe will bring the answer. Then comes the hardest question – What can I do to have the patience to wait for it?

“What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” (Mark 11:24)

September 15, 2014December 30, 2022

What I Already Know

“It’s what we know already that often prevents us from learning.” – Claude Bernard

One of my email newsletters brought me this quote Wednesday. Most of my feeds get read, acknowledged and deleted. But at this one I paused. What is it about this quote that strikes me as important?

I checked out Claude Bernard. He was a man of science in the 1800’s. His field was physiology and medicine. This line was pulled from “An Introduction to the Study of Experimental Medicine.” He believed in scientific observation, and counseled an open mind when experiments were undertaken.

Four days gone, and I’m still asking the question. What do I already know that is preventing me from learning? If I wait and am willing to hear – have the courage to hear – it will be revealed.

September 14, 2014December 30, 2022

You Are Yelling

I was interrupted while I was speaking during a business meeting/ conference call this week by a colleague who whispered loudly: “You are yelling” …

It is disconcerting to be interrupted like that mid-speech, in front of people, whether or not they could see (or hear) the exchange. I don’t think his motives were bad; he probably meant to help. My initial reaction was annoyance. Of course I had to keep talking (being mid-sentence), but I was definitely thrown.

Days later I was still bugged. Was I really that loud? WTH? Do I need to do something? Say something to him? How do I handle this unsolicited feedback? Is it him or is it me? Could my annoyance be signaling a past wound? My ex-husband used to call me “Bullhorn Hawk” when he wanted me to quiet down. Do I have unresolved issues there? Why is this bugging me so much?

AAARRRG!!! Please stop the voices inside my head!!!

Michael A. Singer says in The Untethered Soul that if I’m smart, I’ll “take the time to step back, examine this voice, and get to know it better.” Although I may not be to objective (since it is literally in my face/ head) – so I have to step way back and just “watch it converse.” I am not that voice. I am who notices that the voice exists.

When I step back and watch I find my mind constantly jabbering about something. Singer says the best way to free myself from this nonstop noise is to simply stop and listen to it – observe it. I can’t stop it by force of will. It is not me. The only way out of this trap is to know that it is not me. So by being conscious I can decide that I’m not going there – into the snare of not me and I will let go of all that junk. Singer also suggests:

“If you truly want to grow spiritually, you’ll realize that keeping your stuff is keeping you trapped. Eventually you’ll want out, at any cost. You will then realize that life is actually trying to help you. Life is surrounding you with people and situations that stimulate growth. You don’t have to decide who’s right or wrong. You don’t have to worry about other people’s issues. You only have to be willing to open your heart in the face of anything and everything, and permit the purification process to take place. When you do this, the first thing you’ll see is that situations will unfold that hit your stuff. But, in truth, that’s exactly what has been happening your entire life. The only difference is that now you see it as a good thing because it’s an opportunity to let go.

So thank you dude for helping me!