Good Samaritan Stabbed Aiding Woman, then Bleeds to Death on Sidewalk - over an Hour and a Half!

The headlines are unbelievable, the video is stunning!

A man comes across a woman being mugged, gets stabbed repeatedly in the chest coming to her aid, then lies dying on the sidewalk for over an hour and a half while people walk past in … in New York!

What is so unbelievable is that up to 20 people walked past him, some paused to stare at him and one even took a cell phone picture of him as he lay dying! Couldn’t one of them have dialed 9-1-1 so as to get some medical assistance for the man? Couldn’t the woman he rescued have called police to report the foiled mugging and secured assistance for her rescuer?

The only answer I can find is the “Bystander Problem” described in “The Tipping Point“. While the “Bystander Problem” may provide an explanation as to why no one took the initiative to call for assistance, it doesn’t absolve any of them for not doing so.

News Stories Document Tragedy

The news story in the The New York Post (see below) is an example of a number of stories, in newspapers, TV News, blogs, etc., describing an incident on or about April 24, 2010 in New York.

Briefly, a homeless man came upon a woman being mugged and stepped in to assist. The incident occurred just out of the field of view of a surveillance camera, which shows the man moving off screen, then staggering back in to view where he subsequently collapses.

What makes the tragedy so unbelievable is the fact that he lay on the sidewalk for over an hour and a half, bleeding to death, while people walked by.

“In the wake of the bloodshed, a man came out of a nearby building and chillingly took a mobile phone photo of the victim before leaving.

In several instances, pairs of people gawked at Tale-Yax without doing anything.

Later, another man stopped, leaned over and vigorously shook Tale-Yax’s body. After lifting the victim’s head and body to reveal a pool of blood, he also walked off.”

One wonders how up to 20, presumably civilized, people could wander by a man dying on the sidewalk and not render some assistance, even if only to call 9-1-1. What about the woman being mugged? Wouldn’t she call the police to report the attempted mugging, .. the injured man who assisted her?

I find this to be stunningly unbelievable, however, there was, apparently, a similar situation in Queens in 1964. Subsequent research by psychologists Bibb Latane and John Darley resulted in identifying the “Bystander Problem“.

US ‘good Samaritan” left to die

Passersby ignore dying New York homeless man stabbed after saving woman

Stabbed hero dies as more than 20 people stroll past him

“The Tipping Point”

by Malcolm Gladwell

I found the following reference in Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point” describing a similar situation in which thirty-eight witnesses watched and did nothing as Kitty Genovese was attacked and killed over half an hour.

While I find these situations unbelievable and hope I would act in a similar situation, one has to wonder. You never know what you will do in a given situation until it occurs. But I hope that if I were to come across someone injured and requiring assistance, I would take action.

The Bystander Problem

A Famous Example

The following is quoted from Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point“:

“One of the most famous incidents in New York City history, for example, was the 1964 stabbing death of a young Queens woman by the name of Kitty Genovese. Genovese was chased by her assailant and attacked three times on the street, over the course of half an hour, as thirty-eight of her neighbors watched form their windows. During that time, however, non of the thirty-eight witnesses called the police. The case provoked rounds of self-recrimination. It became symbolic of the cold and dehumanizing effects of urban life. Abe Rosenthal, who would later become editor of the New York Times, wrote in a book about the case:

Nobody can say why the thirty-eight did not life the phone while Miss Genovese was being attacked, since they cannot say themselves. It can be assumed, however, that their apathy was indeed one of the big-city variety. It is almost a matter of psychological survival, if one is surrounded and pressed by millions of people, to prevent them from constantly impinging on you, and the only way to do this is to ignore them as often as possible. Indifference to one’s neighbor and his troubles is a conditioned reflex in life inn New York as it is in other big cities.

This is the kind of environmental explanation that makes intuitive sense to us. The anonymity and alienation of big-city life makes people hard and unfeeling. The truth about Genovese, however, turns out to be a little more complicated - and more interesting.”

The “Bystander Problem”

Human Studies

“Two New York City psychologists - Bibb Latane of Columbia University and John Darley of New York University - subsequently conducted a series of studies to try to understand what they dubbed the “bystander problem”. They staged emergencies of one kind or another in different situation in order to see who would come and help. What they found, surprisingly, was that the one factor above all else that predicted helping behaviour was how many witnesses there were to the event. …

When people are in a group, in other words, responsibility for acting is diffused. They assume that someone else will make the call, or they assume that because no one else is acting, the apparent problem … isn’t really a problem. In the case of Kitty Genovese, then, social psychologists like Latane and Darley argue, the lesson is not that no one called despite the fact that thirty-eight people heard her scream; it’s that no called because thirty-eight people heard her scream.

Summary

Psychologists have, apparently, offered an explanation as to why such situations, as stunning and unbelievable as they are, might occur. While it might be possible to rationalize how it might occur, it doesn’t absolve the 20 people who walked by of their responsibility to act, if only to call 9-1-1.

While it may be a result of big city indifference, we still believe ourselves to be civilized and to act towards others in a humanitarian manner. In my mind, this incident casts doubt on the extent to which we are civilized and that our humanitarian sentiments are precious only when we don’t have to get personally involved.

Chances are that none of the people reading this were one of the infamous “20″, however, they were representatives for all of us at that time and place. Can we be absolutely confident that we would not have acted in exactly the same way?

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The Law of Attraction has been widely quoted throughout the Internet, largely on the basis of the release of “The Secret” and the books by Esther and Jerry Hicks. At the most extreme end of the Law of Attraction continuum, its advocates would have us believe that, in order to realize (or manifest) our hearts wildest desires, all we need to do is to visualize that desire and release it to the Universe in order for it to manifest into our lives.

I would argue that the other end of the continuum could be referred to as “The Protestant Work Ethic”, or something similar (”Nose to the Grindstone”, perhaps). I believe the “Law of Attraction” should, more properly, be referred to as the initial component to a “Plan of Action”.

Law of Attraction

Defined

Arguably, the movie “The Secret” (and/or its companion book by the same name), is the best known source for the resurgence of interest in the “Law of Attraction”, one of 11 man-made “Natural Laws” (as opposed to “Natural Laws” everywhere present, definable and testable in Nature).

In its simplest form, the following summarizes the four steps underlying the “Law of Attraction” (from Wiipedia):

“1. Know exactly what you want.
2. Ask the universe for it.
3. Feel, behave and know as if the object of your desire is already yours (visualize).
4. Be open to receive it and let go of (the attachment to) the outcome”.

It has been further argued that “… thinking of what one does not have … manifests itself in not having, while if one abides by these principles, and avoids “negative” thoughts, the universe will manifest a person’s desires”.

Problems with this Definition

In Contrast to Natural Laws

Natural Laws are those that are testable, repeatable and can be consistently relied upon (i.e. they are universal and unchangeable). Man-made laws, on the other hand, cannot be testable, must be taken on faith and are inconsistent (i..e they are dependent upon the local environment (the individual’s mind) and are NOT universal). (Note: universal means applicable throughout the known Universe, as opposed to Universal meaning some Intelligence underlying the universe).

A review of the Wikipedia posting (under “Criticism”) documents some of the criticisms surrounding the “Law of Attraction”. In addition, a review of sites throughout the internet (particularly blogs) will reveal a widely diverse range of opinion, ranging from those strongly endorsing the “Law of Attraction” (and, typically, promoting some sort of “Law of Attraction” product) to those thoroughly disappointed and disillusioned with the law as a result of their failed attempts to utilize it.

For further commentary, please refer to the following articles on the subject:

Law of Attraction - A Contrary Opinion
Challenge to the Conventional Law of Attraction
Quantum Theory and the Law of Attraction

The Law of Attraction as the first step in a Plan of Action

Visualizing a Goal

In my opinion, the “Law of Attraction” significantly benefits from people’s experience to a point, then uses misinformation and pseudo-science to progress beyond the rational to the irrational. With reference to the above four steps, with any goal, we need to know what it is we want. The more accurately and thoroughly we can define our goal(s), the better our chances of realizing it.

For example, you would be more likely to “realize” (or “manifest”) a vacation to a specific five star resort in Cancun, Mexico than simply a “vacation”. Having specified a goal to Cancun, you will be looking for deals and opportunities, planning the best dates to go, booking time off work and so on. Simply desiring to take a vacation, it will remain an ambiguous goal, not likely to be achieved. In this context, “Know Exactly What you Want” is consistent with recommendations for “Goal-Setting”

The second step, however, “Ask the Universe For it”, is the point at which the irrational departs from the rational. For believers in “Faith” (i.\e. religions), the Universe would be an alternate reference to “God” or other religious icon. For New Agers, however, it is an unspecified Intelligence underlying the Universe that allows believers to have the powers of a God, with none of the moral responsibility.

The idea espoused here is that the believer sends out his / her desire in the form of “mental vibrations”, carrying their desire to the Universe in order to become manifest. The problem here is that the mental signal (electrical neural impulses) are so weak, it is difficult to rationalize how they might pass beyond the cranium, let alone out into the Universe. Every electrical current generates a corresponding magnetic field, however, it is difficult to rationalize how a magnetic field associated with a single thought impulse might even be detected. Finally, any electromagnetic signal decreases as a square of the distance from the source. Under the Inverse-square (a universal Natural Law), a weak electrical or magnetic signal originating in the brain would, in all likelihood, not even have enough energy to travel to the cranium, let alone through the cranium and out into the universe in order to become manifest.

“Feel, behave and know as if the object of your desire is already yours (visualize)”. I agree with the proposal to “Feel” and “Know” your goal has been achieved, however, I suggest healthy caution with regard to behaving as if it is already yours. I wouldn’t want to behave as though I had a million dollars before I was physically in possession of that sum of money. I have heard of stories (which we will generously regard as rumours) of people who had built businesses based on their visions of a client base, only to fail when the client base failed to materialize.

“Be open to receive it and let go of (the attachment to) the outcome”. I heartily endorse the propose to receive an outcome for the heart’s desire, however, I believe there to be a fundamental step missing in this four step plan - specifically, action.

Action

The Missing Component

Action is, I believe, the fundamental step missing in every discussion of the “Law of Attraction”. Action is barely mentioned in “The Secret” and is entirely missing in most discussions by its proponents. In essence, its strongest advocates are promoting the concept of “Something for Nothing”. This concept is the mental equivalent of the “Perpetual Motion Machine”, which violates the First Law of Thermodynamics (again, unfortunately for Law of Attraction advocates, a universal, Natural Law).

I suggest that if one thinks rationally about every success in life, it has been achieved through the implementation of a plan, whether consciously or unconsciously. Most failures in life have been the direct result of the lack or failure of a plan.

If I were to walk down the street tomorrow and stumble across $1 million in cash, it is almost certain that it did not manifest for me (despite my strongest visualization of this desire). Somewhere, some financial institution or criminal element (who else would potentially lose $1 million) would be desperately trying to recover that money. It is unlikely and improbable that I would be able to keep it.

Are the Differences merely Semantic?

Some may argue that the differences between these interpretations of the “Law of Attraction” are merely semantic. I would strongly disagree with this viewpoint, however, as one perspective leaves us helpless while the other empowers us.

Statements have been made to the effect that we manifest every aspect of our lives as a result of our thoughts, that our minds create our reality. As a result of this perspective, the victim of crime has brought the crime upon themselves, our health issues reflect our negative thoughts and so on. If we don’t want negative events in our lives, don’t think negative thoughts. While there is some evidence that a negative attitude can, and probably does, have a negative impact on our lives, I believe it stretches credibility too far to state that every health issue is the result of a negative thought pattern.

Some illnesses are genetic, some are environmental and others have a definite cause and effect relationship, irregardless of mental attitude. Taken to the extreme, I find it utterly implausible that a premature baby has brought it’s circumstance upon itself through a negative thought pattern.

This perspective incapacitates us and, as stated in the Wikipedia entry, can have harmful to dangerous outcomes through its emphasis on the statement that every circumstance in our lives is the manifestation of our thoughts.

On the other hand, having the ability to take action, to implement a plan, empowers us. Through careful planning, we can overcome life’s obstacles, we can prepare for possibilities and eventualities. Plans provide us with hope where circumstances seem bleak. Plans, with accompanying action, allow us to face life’s circumstances and address the results.

Most importantly, action may contribute significantly to healing. Advocates of the “Law of Attraction” deny healing, compounding hopelessness and depression over life’s circumstances by attributing our reality to our thoughts.

Inspirational YouTube Video

Below is an example of an individual who has overcome a major obstacles in life beyond most of the rest of us. Despite his handicaps, he is pursuing, even embracing, life according to a plan implemented to develop the skills he needs.

Summary

My life’s successes and failures are directly attributable to plans or lack thereof. The “Law of Attraction” has no basis in fact and, more importantly, life’s circumstances in any meaningful manner. The “Law of Attraction” is untestable, unverifiable, non-reproducible and violates several known Natural Laws. (Note: being Natural Laws and not man-made laws, they cannot be repealed).

Many of the classic books in the “Personal Development” genre are available on the Integrated Success Program web-site, with additional material available on the Integrated Success Program Blog.

A PDF copy of this article is available for download from Article Trader.

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Creative Visualization

Effectively Utilized by so Few

Creative Visualization is only one use for Imagination, allowing us to picture in our minds an object (or objects), (an) outcome and/or a future we desire. As such, Creative Visualization has a virtually infinite number of uses, limited only by our imagination. Indeed, visualizing is a highly recommended aspect of goal setting and, as any desired outcome can be considered a goal, it is safe to state that virtually anything created by mankind was visualized to some degree before becoming a reality. Indeed, the potential of Creative Visualization is so great that some modern proponents of the “Law of Attraction” promote the perspective that Visualization can completely replace the required component of “Action” in “manifesting” one’s goals.

Tools to Assist Visualization

Visionboards and Mind Movies

Visualization has been strongly recommended in association with Goal Setting. Two aids commonly recommended with regard to assisting Creative Visualization as a tool for visualizing your desired goals are Visionboards and Mind Movies.

Visionboards are a collection of static images (i.e. photographs, advertisements, brochures, etc ) representing your goals. The images are pasted or posted on a variety of different mediums (i.e. posters, cork boards, bulletin boards, etc) and then placed in a prominent position where you can view it multiple times throughout the day. A more modern version would be to compile your collection of images representing your goals in digital format and use the resulting digital collage as a background on your computer, stored on your iPhone or Blackberry for easy, daily access or to print as a poster size print for your wall.

A more recent version of the static Visionboard idea is a dynamic Mind Movie. A Mind Movie is relatively easy to make, using easily accessible software which may already be present on your computer. A Mind Movie can be a dynamic set of images (i.e. photographs) arranged in slide show format, with a variety of animations available for presenting images and text, Alternatively, a Mind Movie might include or even consist entirely of short video clips. The resulting movie can then be enhanced through the use of inspiring music or other audio files. Again, once completed, the resutling digital file can be placed on your computer, iPhone and/or Blackberry for ease of access virtually anywhere.

The Aspect of Creation

Visualization is a powerful tool in, and of, itself, however, the emphasis of this lense is CreativeVisualization, or the utilization of Visualization in creating, and realizing, potential. Visionboards and Mind Movies are examples of realizing goals, and even dreams, through the use of Visualization. Through the use of Visionboards and/or Mind movies, you are actively realizing your goals, your desired outcomes, by creating the circumstances necessary.

For example, if you are currently employed as a receptionist and it is your desire to become President of the company for which you work, there are probably some proactive actions necessary to create the circumstances in which you might be considered for the position. You may need to further your education, acquire education and/or skills necessary to a corporate President. You might need to become more aggressive in having your skills noticed by upper level management in order to advance up the corporate ladder. Perhaps there are lateral transfers to other branches or locations that might provide better opportunities for advancement, requiring re-location of you and your family. By establishing your goal and setting your mind firmly upon its realization, Napoleon Hill’s Burning Desire, you will find yourself recognizing, and becoming more open to, opportunities as they pertain to realization of your goal.

There is an important disctinction to be made here between the technique I am advocating and that generally proposed under “The Law of Attraction”. I am advocating a greater awareness to opportunities as they present themselves, NOT creating opportunities through the power of your mind. You willl be able to create opportunities as you work with, and influence, people around you. You will create opportunities through recognition of your work ethic, abilities, integrity, honesty, skill set, etc. as they are recognized by your peers and management. In short, it will take effort and action on your part in order for you to recognize and/or create opportunities conducive to your advancement.

If, however, you simply sit at your desk all day, visualizing your goal and waiting for the “Law of Attraction” to manifest your desired goal, you will likely find yourself fired for being lazy and day-dreaming at work.

Visualize your desired outcome as fully and completely as possible, then undertake Directed Action towards its fruition.

Imagination

The Basis for Visualization

Successful visualizing is dependent upon the power of your imagination. If you are unable to imagine an outcome, it is iunlikely to be realized. Furthermore, the mind is like any other muscle in the body. If unused, it will atrophe and wither (figuratively). However, if you exercise your mindt, it will gain strength and ability.

Therefore, don’t get frustrated if your first attempts at Creative Visualization are disappointing. Use a Visionboard and/or Mind Movie to supplement the progressive training of your imagination. Use resources such as “The Silva Method“ to develop the power of your mind and to assist with developing your imaginative ability.

In short, identify and establish your goal, your desired outcome, then use every tool available to move yourself toward it … on a daily basis.

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By definition, “Self-Confidence” is the confidence you have in yourself which, in turn, is the result of a complex combination of mental attitude, life experience and/or circumstance, genetic attributes and social and physical environment as they pertain to “Self”.

Some aspects which contribute to Self Confidence, like genetic attributes, manifest themselves as physical attributes which society may deem as undesirable, contributing to a possible loss of Self Confidence. Mental Attitude, which derives from thoughts and beliefs pertaining to oneself, may or may not be accurate, depending upon other aspects of character such as Self Esteem. Finally, social and physical environment are dependent upon the specific setting in which you find yourself at any given point in time.

Most, with the possible exceptions of life experience and physical setting, are susceptible to change if the desire to undertake such change exists in sufficient strength to act.

A Definition

“The socio-psychological concept of self-confidence relates to self-assuredness in one’s personal judgment, ability, power, etc., sometimes manifested excessively.[1]

Another definition is the belief of believing in you; to believe that one is able to accomplish what one sets out to do, to overcome obstacles and challenges (Peixe, 2009).

- Wikipedia

Mental Attitude

Mental Programming

In previous lenses, I briefly discussed The Sub-conscious Mind, as well as the concepts of Auto-suggestion and, more generally, Mental Programming. Mental Attitude is very important, even critical, to your level of Self Confidence at any given time.

It is important to realize that one’s level of Self Confidence will vary from time to time, from setting to setting and/or according to changes in circumstance within any given environment (whether social or physical). For example, I am much more comfortable and confident making a presentation to an audience now than when I was in university (temporal). I am much more confident with my family at home than with my family in an airport (setting). Finally, I am much more confident by myself in an empty ballroom than in a ballroom filled with people (social setting and/or circumstance).

With specific reference to a presentation, the content is identical between my home where I practice my presentation delivery and the event at which it is delivered. The differences are: 1) setting, 2) circumstance and/or social setting (a technical conference, for instance), and 3) physical environment (at the podium in front of the audience). The major difference, however, is the mental stress associated with the event, the presentation. Ideally, you are well versed and familiar with the subject matter, have practiced the presentation to the point you can deliver it by memory and are, in every way, prepared. The success of your presentation delivery then depends upon your mental attitude in dealing with the stress of the presentation.

Some speakers have a Mental Attitude that allows them to appear, and sometimes actually feel, completely relaxed and comfortable in front of an audience. Others feel immobilized by fear and some even get violently sick at the thought of a public presentation.

Part of the solution is practice, beginning with small, friendly audiences and building to larger audiences comprised of strangers. To complement practice, I strongly suggest one of the Mental Programming techniques that are widely available (i.e. The Silva Method).

The moment a presentation is successfully delivered (or a contract successfully completed, or a tournament or competition finished) comes the feeling of relief at having the event behind you. If the event has been completed to the best of your ability, then there is usually an increase in your Self Confidence. If you have won the event (tournament or competition), then you may feel supremely confident (imagine the feeling of the recent Olympic Gold Medalists!).

Successes contribute significantly to an increased feeling of Self Confidence.

Life Experience

We are the Sum Total of our Thoughts and Experiences

At any given point in time, if we think of it as a equivalent to a static “photograph”, who we are represents the totality of our thoughts and experiences to that point in time. Every success and every failure, and more specifically, how we dealt with them, has had an effect on our character. The aspects of our character governs our behaviour in any given situation, our response to every event, and has left its imprint on our memories which, over time, develop in to our belief system. Our belief system represents the filter through which we view and interpret every subsequent experience and event.

If one suffers from low Self Confidence, then that filter may be one of fear and self doubt. If one’s Self Confidence is too high, then that filter may become one of arrogance and thoughtlessness toward our fellow man / woman. Again, it must be remembered we are isolating Self Confidence out of a complex array of inter-dependent emotions and character traits.

Recognizing that our Belief System, our “filter system”, may bias our perception of our experience allows us the opportunity to critically evaluate basis for our current level of Self Confidence. A recurring theme in literature and entertainment is that of the “Ugly Duckling” and some versions of the “Rags to Riches” story. In “The Ugly Duckling”, an “ugly” gosling develops into the beautiful swan, which is really a story of concealed, or dormant, beauty blossoming (or manifesting) itself over time. However, an inherent message is that Self Confidence is co-dependent upon beauty.

The Rags to Riches theme conceals the message under an overall transition from poverty to wealth, as portrayed in the various themes on “Cinderella”. Coupled with the transition from poverty to wealth, is a coincident transition from “plain-ness” to regal beauty (as portrayed in “The Princess Diaries”) and a more subtle increase in Self Confidence. One possible message inherent in this theme is that Self Confidence if co-dependent upon wealth (or “riches”).

Genetic Attributes

Rewarded / Penalized by Society

Some of our physical (and mental) attributes are dictated by our genes and, as a result, we are unable to do anything about it. Some people require glasses, others don’t. Some people have prominent features, others don’t. Some people have god-like physiques, most don’t.

Society is fickle with regard to what it accepts as desirable attributes … and what are not. If one examines the statues from ancient Greek culture and compares them with the latest and greatest fashion model, one might note some discrepancies with regard to an idealized physique, specifically the female figure. Today’s idealized societal standard for the female figure is extremely difficult to achieve, let alone maintain in a healthy manner. This has led to thousands (millions?) of young women with eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia) desperately trying to attain “perfection”, a goal that may be the result of re-touching photographs in order to promote an idealized figure [1], [2], [3], [4].

In the case of males, there has been documented abuse of steroids in both amateur and professional athletes in order to attain greater muscle mass and athletic performance, despite the documented health hazards. Similarly, this trend has some basis in a societal standard for the idealized male physique, without the commitment over time required to achieve it in a healthy manner. Once again, this tendency (desire?) is not exclusively an issue of Self Confidence, but certainly has elements of Self Confidence pertaining to a slight figure (generally associated with a mild and meek personality) in contrast to a muscular physique (generally associated with strength and assertiveness). It is important to distinguish stereotypes as idealized in the media from real ife. Slight and slender people are not necessarily mild and meek, nor are big people necessarily strong and assertive. (Note: I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to meet Bruce Lee in a dark alley if he were mad at me! He certainly had a slight, although muscular, physique).

In many instances, we may not notice on others the very same physical attributes we feel are undesirable and unattractive in ourselves. There are instances of actors and actresses with big noses, poor posture, who wear glasses, too tall, too small, over weight, underweight, … and so on … and so on. They may have Self Esteem issues with regard to these genetic attributes, but it often doesn’t affect their Self Confidence (at least in the public eye, which is where we see and evaluate them).

Some might argue that this is better described as an issue of low Self Esteem, however, I would argue that given the complex inter-dependency between character aspects, low Self Confidence contributes to low Self Esteem (and vice versa).

Social Environment

One of the Easiest … and hardest to Change

The social environment in which one associates with others can be one of the most difficult factors contributing to Self Confidence. In writing this, I am thinking specifically of High School and the social dynamics there. Again, this time of life represents such a crucial Rite of passage between childhood and adulthood that it has been the subject of many movies and books. Young men and women are trying so desperately hard to find a place in which to fit, in such a limited range of social environments. The least criticism from one or more peers in a given social group can be devastating, crushing a fragile state of Self Confidence instantaneously. Having the benefit of hindsight, I now fully realize how little value the opinions of my peers and others held for me.

Using my case, specifically, I decided my “friends” in high school were more destructive than beneficial to me and so I dropped the entire set of friends in the year I took off between high school and university. I entered university 1 year behind my “peers” and. as a result, ended up making an entirely new set of friends in that first year of university. They accepted me for who I was and I felt part of a group, for the first time in a long time. I have since lost touch with those friends and life has progressed, however, they unknowingly got me through a difficult time in my life as a young adult. For that, I am very grateful for the value of their friendship at that time.

Other social environments are just as damaging, ranging from work, clubs, formal and informal organizations and so on. Some,such as gangs, can be very difficult to leave, others require only a decision once you have recognized they are damaging. The difficulty is that you are leaving a “comfort zone” for the unknown, another group, club, work environment, etc. The decision is based on weighing whether the damage to your Self Confidence is less than your fear (uncertainty) of the unknown. Some damage can be overcome and/or compensated by an active program of affirmations and mental programming while you wait for the situation to change (for example, at work). In other cases, you must simply make the decision to leave that social environment … then LEAVE! The decision, ultimately, is yours to make.

Physical Environment

Potentially More Difficult to Change

Obviously, to the extent possible, if one’s physical environment is contributing to an overall decrease in one’s level of Self Confidence, one should make every reasonable attempt to change, or move to, a physical environment more favourable. However, in some cases, changing, or moving, to a different physical environment is not feasible, practical or safe. For example, a prison inmate on the first day of incarceration may experience a considerable decline in the level of Self Confidence, yet he / she is almost certainly unable to change the physical location and must, therefore, undertake a change in mental attitude. Facing an emergency situation is almost certain to challenge one’s level of Self Confidence. In some cases, leaving the area, thereby removing oneself from the dangerous environment, is the obvious choice to make. However, as in the case of being lost, that would be the worst decision to make, so such a decision must be tempered by rationale thought.

Changing one’s physical environment, if damaging to one’s Self Confidence, ranges from very easy to very difficult. Again if at all possible, remove oneself at the earliest possible moment from such an environment.

The one qualifier I would make to the above is if there is a valuable lesson to be learned (and if the environment is not dangerous). For example, for some people, the prospect of making a public presentation is, quite literally, a source of dread. Some people would rather face physical injury, or worse, than speak in a public setting. For most people, making a public presentation is not dangerous, but rather a source of extreme mental stress. The decision to be made, in this specific example, is whether one might face the fear, make the presentation and be better able to face the prospect of making a public presentation in the future. Could the experience of facing the fear and making the public presentation actually contribute an increase in Self Confidence? Might successfully making the presentation be the lesson to be learned, the valuable experience gained, by remaining in such a physical environment?

Temporal

Changes over Time

As several of the aspects contributing to Self Confidence are related to setting (space) and/or change (time), one’s level of Self Confidence is, therefore, also subject to temporal (i.e. changes in time) aspects. One might be very Self Confident in a given setting at one time, yet utterly lacking Self Confidence at another, subject to circumstance, experience, and a host of other possible changes, ranging from minor to dramatic.

As an example, a Grade 1 student is, generally, very uncertain and lacking Self Confidence on the morning of the first day of school. Yet that same student, on the morning of the last day of Grade 1 exudes, generally, a far different level of Self Confidence. At the end of that first year, our student is now dealing with a known set of circumstances, despite the fact that they are generally the same. Over that year, however, our student has come to know the teacher and the other students in class, the school organization and environment. A better example might be to visit our student at 8 a.m. and at 2:55 p.m. on the first day of school, noting any changes in Self Confidence. In the morning, everything about school is an unknown. At the end of the first day, fears have been replaced with knowledge and experience and, in all likelihood, school was not as bad as was initially feared.

We all have similar uncertainties (fears) with regard to the unknowns in our lives, the first day of work or a blind date, for example. In general, our “fears” are worse than the realities. As we address each fear, address each uncertainty, we gain the experience of that situation, as well as the realization, ideally, that there was a difference between our fears and the reality. Successfully facing our fears, addressing our uncertainties, increases our level of Self Confidence with regard to facing the same, or similar, situation in the future. Ideally, it also contributes to our level of Self Confidence is facing completely different unknowns as well.

Increasing Self Confidence

As an Active Program

The key point to this article is that one’s level of Self Confidence is subject to change, it should be expected to increase or decrease as one’s circumstances and setting changes throughout the day, from day to day, week to week, month to month and year to year. Recognizing that the level of one’s Self Confidence changes is the first step to undertaking a program of active intervention, actively increasing one’s overall level of Self Confidence.

Self-Confidence Formula

From “The Law of Success” by Napoleon Hill

“SELF-CONFIDENCE FORMULA

First: I know that I have the ability to achieve the object of my definite purpose, therefore I demand of myself persistent, aggressive and continuous action toward its attainment.

Second: I realize that the dominating thoughts of my mind eventually reproduce themselves in outward, bodily action, and gradually transform themselves into physical reality, therefore I will concentrate My mind for thirty minutes daily upon the task of thinking of the person I intend to be, by creating a mental picture of this person and then transforming that picture into reality through practical service.

Third: I know that through the principle of Auto-suggestion, any desire that I persistently hold in my mind will eventually seek expression through some practical means of realizing it, therefore I shall devote ten minutes daily to demanding of myself the development of the factors named in the sixteen lessons of this Reading Course on the Law of Success.

Fourth: I have clearly mapped out and written down a description of my definite purpose in life, for the coming five years. I have set a price on my services for each of these five years; a price that I intend to earn and receive, through strict application of the principle of efficient, satisfactory service which I will render in advance.

Fifth: I fully realize that no wealth or position can long endure unless built upon truth and justice, therefore I will engage in no transaction which does not benefit all whom it affects. I will succeed by attracting to me the forces I wish to use, and the co-operation of other people. I will induce others to serve me because I will first serve them. I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness and cynicism by developing love for all humanity, because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me success. I will cause others to believe in me because I will believe in them and in myself.

I will sign my name to this formula, commit it to memory and repeat it aloud once a day with full faith that it will gradually influence my entire life so that I will become a successful and happy worker in my chosen field of endeavor.

Signed ____________________________________________.”

Napoleon Hill - Law of Success - Chapter 3 - Self-Confidence

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A great Universal Truth is that:

“Whatever the mInd of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve“

W. Clement Stone

A review of the great advances in the history of mankind confirms this truth. Many of mankind’s greatest achievements have been based on great conceptions (plans, goals) acted upon with believe in their eventual achievement. A great example, although seemingly trivial, was the invention of the incandescent light bulb. It is almost a cliche how Thomas Edison undertook approximately 2,000 experiments in which a light bulb based on a tungsten filament would not work, yet persisted (with believe), resulting in the incandescent light bulb.

CONCEPTION, acted upon with strong BELIEF, resulting in successful ACHIEVEMENT.

“YOUR GREATEST ASSET … LIES BETWEEN YOUR EARS”

- Earl Nightingale

Our Brain

A Fascinating Organ
Our brains are simply another organ hosted within our bodies. Yet the complexity of thought (abstract, rational, etc) and the potential capacity offered by our brains is immense.

Our brains host the Autonomic Nervous System, which manages and operates the basic functions and requirements of the body (heart rate, respiration, digestion, etc.). Our conscious thoughts and actions, our conscious state, is exceedingly difficult to rigorously define and yet is so commonplace to our daily lives we barely give it thought until it is damaged or ceases to function properly. Finally, our sub-conscious mind operates continuously, collecting and compiling the information comprising our belief system, our character traits and our personalities, yet very few people give any thought to their sub-conscious mind. The three aspects of an individuals mind are all hosted by, and located within, our brains.

Our Mind

Intangible, yet Critical
“Intangible, yet Critical” is such a basic statement and yet captures so much!

The Mind is, indeed, intangible. It is hosted, without doubt, within the Mind and can be documented based upon electrical impulses, with specific aspects of the Mind (and even personality, moods, etc0 distinguishable using advanced instrumentation such as MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). However, no one has yet held a MIND in their hand.

The Mind is so obviously Critical as a human being with a brain, but no mind (i.e. no brain activity) is in a “Vegetative” or “Minimally Conscious” state (see these The New Scientist articles [1], [2], [3], [4],[5]). According to our current understanding, no interaction is possible between the person in a vegetative state and one in a conscious state. In fact, given our current level of understanding, a significant question exists as to whether a person in a vegetative state has a mind, or simply has a minimally functioning brain.

Our Greatest Asset

A Brief Historical Perspective
Everyone owns a Mind, free and clear, unencumbered by debt or liability. What to do with it?

Many squander it, choosing to fore go an education (either through the public, private or home school route) and utilize electronic (i.e. TV, mp3 players, etc) and/or chemical means to escape, even temporarily, daily life. Many, due to life circumstance, are unable to take fullest advantage of the potential of their minds.

Some, however, choose to pursue a life-long program of educating their mind. The more information one has stored, or access to, the more potential for unconventional lines of thought leading to opportunities for discovery, invention and /or self-improvement. The advantage of an education, whether formalized through schooling or informal through life experience and self-directed study, is to expose oneself to the thoughts of others, the products of the workings of others minds and the results associated with those thoughts.

Everything to which we are exposed in our society, our culture and our lifestyle is the result of the workings of someone else’s mind. Fashion, buildings, art, literature, lifestyles, entertainment and so many other aspects of our lives have evolved as mankind, specifically society, has developed and matured over time. As mankind develops and matures, the products of our thinking have been, to a great degree, been preserved in the artifacts of our culture and society.

The sum total of mankind’s development, to date, is available to anyone with access to our art, literature, mathematical and scientific records, each of which documents the products of people minds through time. In the current age of electronic exchange of information, we have access to huge volumes of information, or variable quality and reliability, representing the complete spectrum of human thoughts and opinions.

Our Greatest Asset

What to do with it?
We each have a mind and are fully equipped to utilize it. The manner and degree to which we utilize out minds is entirely up to us.

It is my firm belief that one’s education never ends. Once we have finished our institutionalized education (whether public, private or home school), we should embark on our informal education. An institutional education serves to give us an, essentially, uniform level of education with our peers in society. It gives us a basic grounding, in varying degrees) in mathematics, science, social science, art and literature. From this basic level of education, we should, ideally, have identified more specific areas of interest which we should pursue independently, using the resources available to us.

It is my strong opinion that one of these areas should be Personal Development. As a Christian, one of the themes that strikes me from the Bible is that there is considerable room for improvement in our lifestyles and Spirituality. It is difficult enough to live up to the standards of Paul, let alone Jesus.

Personal Development

A Personal Program
There are so many resources available for Personal Development from which to develop a personalized program for oneself. I have compiled a partial list of some of the resources I have utilized in my personal program on the Integrated Success Program blog-site. There are considerably more available beyond those I compiled.

Personally, I believe one of the areas in which the greatest advances can be made in Personal Development is in the sub-conscious mind utilizing mental programming. While I, personally, use and recommend “The Silva Method“, others methods may work equally well or better for others and should be explored to identify the method(s) best suited to an individual’s own program of Personal Development.

Your Greatest Asset

Continued and On-going Development
The human mind is a wonderful thing, and terrible when wasted. The mind offers virtually unlimited potential to most people, if only they would utilize it. Untold hours are squandered in a virtual trance in front of the TV in today’s society. Individually, we may never contribute to society in the same manner as Shakespeare, Einstein, Ghandi, Descartes, Socrates or so many other wonderful examples of notable and worthy individuals. However, one never knows the extent to which we might be taken as a role model for the next major contributor to society. Perhaps our son or daughter, niece or nephew, neighbour, student, peer, associate and so on.

Perhaps it is simply exemplifying the change we wish to see in the world.

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Constructive Criticism is offered to a person and/or situation by an individual or group, having a desire to improve that person or situation, on the basis of specific, pertinent knowledge. As such, by definition, Constructive Criticism has high value to the recipient(s).

One must exercise great caution in distinguishing between Constructive Criticism and a simple Opinion, as well as placing an appropriate value on each.

Determine whether you have been offered an opinion or an accurate assessment - <strong>then treat it accordingly!</strong>

Constructive Criticism - Defined

“Constructive criticism, or constructive analysis, is a compassionate attitude towards the person qualified for criticism. Having higher experience, gifts, respect, knowledge in specific field and being able to verbally convince at the same time, this person is intending to uplift the other person materially, morally, emotionally or spiritually. For high probability in succeeding compassionate criticism, the critic has to be in some kind of healthy personal relationship with the other one, which is normally a parent to child, friend to friend, teacher to student, spouse to spouse or any kind of recognized authority in specific field. Hence the word constructive is used so that something is created or visible outcome generated rather than the opposite.”

- Wikipedia

Opinion - Defined

“An opinion is a subjective statement or thought about an issue or topic, and is the result of emotion or interpretation of facts. An opinion may be supported by an argument, although people may draw opposing opinions from the same set of facts. Opinions rarely change without new arguments being presented. However, it can be reasoned that one opinion is better supported by the facts than another by analysing the supporting arguments. [1]

An opinion may be the result of a person’s perspective, understanding, particular feelings, beliefs, and desires. <strong>In casual use, the term opinion may refer to unsubstantiated information, in contrast to knowledge and fact-based beliefs.</strong>” (Note: emphasis added)

- Wikipedia

Opinions

Do They Have Any Value?

In the Canadian Comedy scene, Rick Mercer has often undertaken trips to the United States for the express purpose of humour at the expense of Americans. For my purposes here, the lesson contained is that such comedy relies upon, and documents, a human weakness.

In his comedy segment, Rick Mercer will interview selected Americans about supposed “issues” in Canada in order to solicit <strong>OPINIONS</strong> from the American subject. Canadians, knowing the issue is contrived, find humour in the opinions offered by our American counterparts in a vacuum of information and fact, simply that provided by Rick Mercer. It is important to note that Americans seeking further information upon which to base their opinions are not shown, as this would be counter productive to the segment.

The program relies exclusively on the fact that people, not just Americans but all of us, are often ready to render an unambiguous and strong positional opinion <strong>DESPITE THE FACT THAT WE HAVE NOT ASCERTAINED THE FACTS</strong>.

On the basis of this statement, one must be careful with respect to how much value to place on someone’s opinion of you, what you have done, what you represent, etc. as they may not have relied upon some, or even all, the facts in order to formulate their opinion.

Constructive Criticism

A Valuable Resource for Personal Development

Constructive Criticism should be carefully considered, but not necessarily acted upon, as it represents a potentially valuable resource with regard to evaluating oneself as part of your ongoing program of Personal Development. Unless, of course, it is simply an opinion.

Using the definition above, Constructive Criticism is founded upon compassion and a healthy relationship between the source and recipient of such criticism. Furthermore, it is, ultimately, intended “… to uplift the other person materially, morally, emotionally (and/)or spiritually.” Therefore, legitimate Constructive Criticism is intended for constructive purposes, to help oneself improve and address possible weaknesses or undesirable charater traits not recognized.

Almost by definition, someone offering Constructive Criticism should be altruistic in their motivations. Constructive Criticism should, ideally, be offered for the benefit of the recipient, not the source.

However, life is not ideal and motivations are generally not altruistic. Therefore, one must always consider the context of any advice in an attempt to determine whether it is an Opinion or Constructive Criticism.

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As parents, we may feel that the tension between us and our teenage children is unique, despite the fact that our friends may relate virtually identical stories with respect to their children.

Smelling the Roses

Another version of the Same Thought

“The Gift of an Ordinary Day” is simply a recognition of the value of the commonplace.

As parents, we celebrate and rejoice in the victories and successes of our children. We agonize and sympathize with their defeats and difficulties. We empathize with their respective discoveries in their growth and passage through Life.

To the extent possible, we attempt to ease their passage, overcome obstacles and recognize the lessons to be learned. And, finally, at some point, we must release them to become the adults they wish to become.

Katrina Kenison Reads From “The Gift of an Ordinary Day”

This is a YouTube video of Katrina Kenison reading from her latest book “The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother’s Memoir“.

The message is not new, in fact, it is widespread, virtually Universal, to caring parents. For that very reason, it may be disregarded by our children. Similarly, the attitudes of our children is common (although I won’t say Universal) and, although we personalize it because we care so much, it is not a unique reaction.

For me, the value of the video is that it may help us to realize that our situations and reactions are not unique. Parents and their children everywhere, through many different countries and cultures, experience they same tension between children wanting to pull away from their parents so as to assume the role of an adult and their parents wanting to nurture and protect them as they have from birth.

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Is it simply an issue of semantics, or is suffering a Failure more significant than a Defeat. More importantly, have you suffered a Setback, a Defeat or a Failure? Defining it properly and seeing it in its proper perspective is critical to subsequent outcomes.

The most important aspect is to determine whether:

1. You can learn anything from the situation (whether Setback, Failure or Defeat) so as not to repeat it,
2. You can recover and move on,
3. You will allow the situation to make YOU a Failure or can you successfully separate YOURSELF from the SITUATION and move on toward your goals?

Setback, Defeat or Failure?

Define it Properly!

From Webster’s New World Dictionary:

Setback - “2. to reverse or hinder the progress of …”

Defeat- “1. to win victory over; overcome; beat, 2. to bring to nothing; frustrate, 3. to make null and void, 4. to undo; destroy …”

Failure - “1. the act, state or fact of failing; specifically, a) a falling short, b) a losing of power or strength, c) a breakdown in operation or function, d) neglect or omission, e) a not succeeding in doing or becoming, f) a becoming bankrupt; 2. a person or thing that fails …”

“Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm”
- Winston Churchill

Perspectives to Consider

When dealing with Setbacks

1. STOP using “Failure” wth reference to setbacks and, IN PARTICULAR, with reference to YOURSELF!. Circumstances may conspire to produce a failure in a given venture, however, that does not make YOU a Failure!

2. Don’t take a Setback personally! A venture may have suffered a SETBACKor even failed, however, you stilll have potential to pursue other ventures. If a given Setback was a result of something you did / didn’t do - learn from it so it doesn’t happen again. If a failure was the result of a weakness you have, ADDRESS the weakness! If you require education, get it. If you lack confidence, use the wealth of Personal Development tools available to you to increase your Self-Confidence.

3. Be Prepared! Proper evaluation and thorough assessment of risk wil help you prepare to a possible setback of any given venture. Think of the application process for a loan at a bannk, for instance. Ideally, a Loans Officer wants as much detail with regard to your financial resources as possble so as to assess the risk associated with the loan. Similarly, assess the risk of the ventures you propose to enter and prepare a plan for both its possible success AND possible failure.

4. Fail Intelligently!A mouse in a maze, searching for the cheese at the centre, needs to make a correct (Success) or wrong (Failure) choice at each opening. After a mnumber of successive tries, the mouse eventually learns the faster route to the centre. In similar manner, life oftens presents us with choices and it is inevitable that we will make some wrong choices, perceived as Setbacks, Failures ot otherwise. We need to learn from wrong choices and move on to towards our goals.

5. Never Give Up! “Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense”

- Winston Churchill
(The man who saw England through the Battle of Britain in World War II - What more need I say?)

How you Perceive Your Setback

Will it become a Failure or a Defeat?

Perception is so critical in so many aspects of life and life’s setbacks are no exception. One person sees “The glass half full”, while the another sees “The glass half empty”.

How you perceive any setback you face will determine the extent of its effects. The last year has seen us face, globally, the worst recession since the Great Depression of 1929 and many have been affected to varying degrees. The last year has seen virtually all of us face setbacks. Whether they become Failures or Defeats is up to us.

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With Opening Ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games days away, it seems like a suitable time to discuss “Realizing Your Dreams”.

Almost 2,500 athletes, having trained for years to perfect their technique and shave hundredths of a second from their “Personal Best” times will compete against other athletes for the right to wear a Gold, Silver or Bronze medal in their respective events. Generally, a Gold Medal in the Olympics represents the lifelong dream of many, if not all, the athletes there.

All of these athletes, their coaches and families, have sacrificed to varying degrees in order to earn the right to represent, and compete on behalf of, their respective countries and realize their “Olympic Dream”.

What lessons can we learn from their example?

The Olympic Athlete

Selected Above Their Peers

In order to perform satisfactorily as a professional athlete, a scheduled program of training is required. In order to perform at an Olympic level, the level of training (and commitment) is markedly increased. This is evidenced in the selection process through which an athlete is selected to represent their country in their chosen sport.

An athlete must have a demonstrated ability in their sport. This is a given, however, if not an actual prodigy their ability must exceed that of virtually every other athlete in their country, on a consistent basis. This ability is, generally, demonstrated at an escalating level of sporting events as their career progresses, first at a local level, then at a regional to national level, culminating at the international level at which point they are competing against, not only their teammates but athletes from other countries.

In order to compete successfully at this level, they need to be at (or near) the top of their sport. At this level, they are (generally) no longer learning new skills, but refining them so as to shave crucial hundredths of a second off their time. They are pushing their mental barriers, to take themselves a little further beyond their current capabilities and/or limitations.

The Training Regime

Life Revolves Around Training

Training, ideally, for an Olympic level athlete is a carefully scheduled mixture of physical training and relaxation / recuperation designed to bring an athlete to their maximum performance level at “The Games”. Training is frequent enough to hone the athletes skills and body to a peak of performance ability with enough intentionally scheduled time for their bodies to recuperate / rejuvenate / recover from injury.

Furthermore, athletes don’t simply train for a couple of months prior to an event, it takes years to achieve the skill and athletic ability to compete at an Olympic level.

“In fact, while there are exceptions, coaches and trainers say it’s common for athletes to invest four to eight years training in a sport before making an Olympic team”
- Forbes July 23, 2008

Furthermore, athletes at the Olympic level are continually pushing their limitations , both physical and mental.

A Burning Desire

Passion For the Goal

In Napoleon Hill’s Philosophy of Success (as presented in “Think and Grow Rich” and “Law of Success”), he emphasizes not simply desire, but a “BURNING DESIRE” for ones goals. This is certainly the case for Olympic caliber athletes like Hayley Wickenheiser, who played with a broken wrist in the 2006 games in Torino and was named one of the 25 toughest athletes in the world by Sports Illustrated.

The “Medal Dream” of an Olympic athlete is NOT simply a dream for the athlete, but a “GOAL WITH A DEADLINE“. The 2010 Winter Olympics are scheduled between February 12 and 28th, 2010. In order to successfully compete at the peak of their ability, they must be ready for that time-frame. Furthermore, in order to reach that peak in their performance, they are scheduling their training regime years in advance.

Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.” - Napoleon Hill

Visualization

“The Zone”

In many sporting events these days, particularly at International events, one will see the athletes moving their bodies as they visualize their upcoming event. This is particularly evident at diving events and freestyle ski events in which they are moving their bodies in three dimensions as part of their preparations. They are visualizing the movements required of their bodies, remembering the feelings within their bodies as they successfully completed the same moves in earlier practice / competition. They are mentally programming their bodies as an integral component of their preparation.

Competitors in others events may not be as obvious in their visualization. Competitors in Luge, Bobsled and Downhill Skiing (among others) will be visualizing the track or course, mentally going over every inch, paying particular attention to those areas offering the greatest threat to their success. The competitors may only have limited opportunity to physically run the course in training before actually competing, however, they will be running the track / course, together with the associated challenges, through their heads many times before they ever compete.

Mental Programming

Reaching “The Zone”

The News Tribune posted an article entitled “Push Like an Olympic Athlete in which they describe an athlete’s performance and concentration in “The Zone”.

“The zone has been described as “a heightened sense of awareness.” Everything becomes easy. Time seems slower, so there’s plenty of time to catch the ball or to make the next turn or to leap ahead of the pack. Everything seems to flow, so that there are no individual motions, it’s all one movement. There’s an absolute sense of certainty that any desired move can be made without a miss, without a mistake. Other athletes, even other people, may be THERE, but they are dim and behind. In the zone, an athlete KNOWS he or she is invincible”.

Another perspective addresses athletes performance as a function of the stress they face and feel before and during their event. In this example, biofeedback and neurofeedback are utilized to help athletes monitor their level of stress and, more importantly, reduce it in an attempt to optimize their performance.

Other techniques that have been, and probably will be, utilized include Neurolinguistic programming (NLP), Creative Visualization, meditation for relaxation and others.

Summary

How Does This Apply To Me?

Most of us are not, and probably will not be, Olympic level athletes, let alone professional athletes but can we take any lessons away from an examination of Olympic (or elite) athletes?

First of all, they have strong, to BURNING, Desire to reach their goal of competing in the Olympics. Many, if not most, have a further goal of wining a medal, ideally the gold. Do we, similarly, have a BURNING DESIRE to reach and fulfill our goals and dreams?

Secondly, elite athletes are continually training to push the limits of their mental and physical capabilities, to extend their limitations. Are we, similarly, continually working toward our goals to the same extent, literally or figuratively, as an elite athlete works toward their goals? Are we prepared to make the similar sacrifices to achieve our goals? For example, are we willing to give up fattening foods in order to reduce our weight?

Finally, do we utilize all the tools, mental and physical, available to us to assist us in reaching our goals? Do we explore the possibilities available to us?

“Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.” - Napoleon Hill

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I have incorporated a fascinating set of YouTube videos featuring Peter Russell presenting his view of Consciousness comprising a fundamental aspect of the Universe, equivalent to space, time and matter. The videos comprise a single presentation by Peter Russell, divided up into 7, approximately ten minute clips.

The presentation in it’s entirety presents considerable food for thought and is well worth watching. It certainly provides some material to ponder.

Consciousness

A Working Definition
There are many different proposals with respect to the specific criteria that define consciousness, or conscious awareness. For example, recent research into coma patients has distinguished between a vegetative state and a minimally conscious state (see these “The New Scientist” articles [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]). These brief articles hint at the ethical and scientific issues associated with defining “Consciousness”.

There have been a wide range of potential criteria proposed for defining “consciousness” and, as a result, a widely acceptable definition of the conscious state, or consciousness, has proven to be very difficult, even elusive, to establish. For the purposes of this article, we will use the following definition (taken from Wikipedia and references therein):

“Consciousness is subjective experience or awareness or wakefulness or the executive control system of the mind[1] It is an umbrella term that may refer to a variety of mental phenomena [2]. Although humans realize what everyday experiences are, consciousness refuses to be defined, philosophers note (e.g. John Searle in The Oxford Companion to Philosophy)”.[3]

“Anything that we are aware of at a given moment forms part of our consciousness, making conscious experience at once the most familiar and most mysterious aspect of our lives”

- Schneider and Velmans, 2007[4]

Awareness

An Intrinsic component of Consciousness
“Awareness”is the state or ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of events, objects or sensory patterns. In this level of consciousness, sense data can be confirmed by an observer without necessarily implying understanding. More broadly, it is the state or quality of being aware of something” (Wikipedia).

In the series of YouTube video clips below (comprising sequential portion of a single presentation), Awareness is proposed as an intrinsic component of Consciousness, a means of recognizing and defining Consciousness.

Primacy of Consciousness

The following YouTube video clips comprise a single presentation by Peter Russell, sub-divided into 7 approximately 10 minute clips.

In this series of video clips, Peter Russell presents his interpretation of “Consciousness”.

Clip #1

The basic problem associated with “Consciousness” is the fact that we can’t measure it and, if we can’t measure it, there is no way to prove it exists in the framework of the scientific method.

In this first clip, Peter Russell presents a review of Consciousness and how one might begin trying to define it, with the resulting difficuties inherent in such a definition. The two foundation stones upon which he begins to develop his argument is that:

1. “One thing we can’t deny is that we are conscious:., and
2. “We can’t deny we are experiencing“.

Of course, one can’t define “Consciousness” by stating we are conscious and so he proceeds from there to the fact that something that is Conscious is also Self-Aware, integrating Awareness and the Capacity for Awareness into Consciousness.

Clip #2

Proceeding from the Ability to Experience, Peter Russell describes an analogy of a movie projector (or slide projector, etc.) as a means of producing an image on a screen, representing a “Form”. He then goes on to propose other kinds of Forms associated with Consciousness.

“Our consciousness has the potential to become every experience we ever have, or could ever have or any being could ever have”.

“We all know we’re conscious and there’s no way to explain it” which leads to “The Hard Problem”:

“How does something as immaterial as consciousness arise from something as unconscious as matter?”.

- David Chalmers (University of Arizona)

Peter Russell then introduces the term “Paradigm” as:

“The accepted theories, values, and scientific practices within which a particular field of science operates”

- Thomas Kuhn
(The structure of Scientific Revolutions)

and discusses the revolution in thinking in moving from the Geocentric Worldview of the Universe to the Copernican Worldview as an example.

Clip #3

Having defined a “Paradigm” and given an example of a “Paradigm Shift” from a Geocentric to Copernican Worldview, Peter Russell then defines the 6 steps defining the process of a Paradigm Shift, as follows:

1. The existing paradigm encounters an anomaly (an inexplicable observation),
2. Initially, the anomaly is ignored or rejected,
3. People try to explain the anomaly within the existing paradigm,
4. A new paradigm is proposed in which the anomaly is resolved,
5. The establishment rejects the new model, often ridicules its proponents, and
6. The new paradigm finally gains acceptance as it accounts for new observations.

“Every Truth passes though three stages before it is recognized:

1. First, it is ridiculed
2. Second, it is opposed
3. Third, it is regarded as self-evident

- Arthur Schopenhauer

Having defined a Paradigm, Peter Russell then defines a Metaparadigm as:

“The paradigm behind the paradigms” or,

the basic foundation upon which subsequent paradigms have been built.

The first “Metaparadigm of Science Peter Russell proposes is that:

“The real world is the material world. Space, time, and matter are primary”.

with the corresponding anomaly being “Consciousness” as:

• It cannot be doubted and
• It cannot be explained

One of the unquestioned assumptions of the current metaparadigm is that:

“Matter is insentient”

At this point, Peter Russell proposes an alternate Metaparadigm:

“Consciousness is a fundamental quality of the cosmos - as fundamental as space, time and matter”

that some level of consciousness extends down through all lifeforms to matter itself.

Clip #4

Peter Russell references parallels in the thinking of mystics with regard to Reality.

“Consciousness is in everything, Everything is in consciousness”.

Given that all of our information with regard to the world comes to us through our five senses,

“Everything we know is an experience in the mind”.

“The mind experiences qualities which are purely offspring of the mind alone”.
- A.N. Whitehead

“We assume there is an objective reality”.

Clip #5

The second unquestioned assumption of the current metaparadigm Peter Russell proposes is that:

“There is an objective reality”.

and proposes the Alternate Metaparadigm that:

“There is nothing but consciousness. Consciousness is more fundamental than space, time, and matter”.

Out of Einstein’s “Space-time” continuum comes the properties of “Space” and “Time”.

Clip #6

Peter Russell now introduces the “Principle of Least Action” as:

“In any process, Nature always does it (the process) in a way that the amount of Action is a minimum”.

After introducing some equations in Mechanical Physics, Peter Russell points out that the definition of “Action” is application of Energy acting over a period of Time, as follows:

Action (ML^2)/T = Energy (ML^2/T^2) x Time (T),
where M = mass, L = distance, “^2″ = squared and T= Time.

Furthermore, {Planck’s constant, in units of ergs / sec (or Energy / second) is equivalent to “Action”, therefore,

“Every photon of light is an identical unit of Action“.

“Whatever the underlying “Field is (whether a Unified Field or a Field of Consciousness), it’s first manifestation is Action”.

Finally, Manifestation is Action (or Activity).

From this train of thought, Peter Russell then states that “Sensory Forms” consist of “Matter”, “Space”, “Time”, “Particle / Wave (Duality)”, “Causality” and “Locality”.

Clip #7

Peter Russell concludes with a comparison of mystical statements of “I-ness”, “Am-ness” and God-hood with his argument of Consciousness as a fundamental property.

Summary

I found the presentation to be very interesting and thought provoking. His discussion of Time and Distance from the perspective of (a photon) of light to be very interesting, as it “travels” from Emission to Absorption.

As Peter Russell progressed in his arguments toward his proposal of all matter as having “some level of consciousness”, I was struck by the principle of “Anthropomorphism” with regard to his example of throwing a jellyfish on a fire. In this example, he is suggesting that we feel something (remorse?) if we were to throw a lower life form (the jellyfish) onto a fire. Obviously, this is a form of violence upon the jellyfish and what, I believe, he is implying is that we might experience recognition of another consciousness.

An alternative perspective for this example is that we are “projecting” ourselves onto the jellyfish, imagining what it might feel (if it had some level of consciousness / intelligence) and are, therefore, guilty of “Anthropomorphism“.

Personally, I find this to be a critical point in the progression of his argument. If we can accept the “intuitive” proposal that some level of consciousness extends down to the level of matter, then the progression beyond to “Consciousness” as a primary aspect of the Universe, equivalent (or even more fundamental) to Space, Time and Matter, can be evaluated

If, however, one believes that progression to be an aspect of Anthropomorphism, then the progression fails.

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