A cacophony of noise

positive thinking, vision No Responses »
Apr 022010

Love that word. I am probably not using it properly. It was too good to pass up.

Remember Minority Report? The movie in which people drove their cars up buildings and down the other side? People were all abuzz about the movie when it came out imagining what the future would look like. Flying cars, flying people, cars driving up buildings, the list was endless. And to a large extent, oh so wrong.

Humans can barely take two steps on the sidewalk without colliding into one another. We have far too many accidents on a daily basis. Imagine driving flying cars. Colliding 30 ft off the ground and crashing down on top of someones head, or other cars below you. Run out of gas? good luck.  I guess all cars will be equipped with parachutes that deploy much like air bags to ensure a safe landing. The idea is preposterous. That is all we need, to transfer our congestion to the air.

The same for telepathy. We have dreamed for years to have the ability to communicate telepathically. How would that work exactly? Do we have to have line of sight to communicate with one another? How do we make sure that only the recipient hears what we have to say? Would our thoughts be broadcast for all? Cacophony I say. So many people walk around these days with their ears plugged into their own music. They are shutting out the outside world. Too much noise. Telepathic communication is doomed. I refuse to think for all to hear. Bad enough I have a blog to air my thoughts on.

And so we come to a discussion about self help. The idea that our imagination can rule the world. Imagine it and it will happen. Think hard enough about it and it will happen. As Mr. Ronak Shah has espoused, you can crash through walls and move ships with your thoughts. By the way, I do not know Mr Shah. He came to this site of his own will which is what a blog is all about and has expressed his opinion.

I do believe in the power of positive thinking. Surrounding yourself with people who are more positive than negative. Positive feelings feed on other positive feelings. Negative people bring a room down almost as soon as they walk in. There is no power in being negative. To extend this and say that our imagination can rule the world is totally erroneous and fraught with issues.

There I am sitting in the living room and decide that I want to renovate my kitchen. All I have to do is think hard, concentrate, ficus, and wish it to be. Presto digito, I have a new kitchen. My wife, who is sitting beside me, also wants a new kitchen. There we sit side by side watching the kitchen rebuild itself into a gaudesque creation since we cannot agree on the outcome and our thoughts are being developed before our eyes. I have been planning our kitchen renovation for a couple of years now and keep changing my mind around a particular theme. The planning process is wonderful.

Can we, should we be able to change our surroundings based on our thoughts? I very much doubt it.

It is said that we are using only 10% of our brain power. I am not sure how we can arrive at that conclusion. At least we have a number we can aim for. I am not sure what this information reveals about us. Is this a negative? Should we be using more? What if we were using 100%, would that be optimal, or we wish for more brain power having reached our zenith? I am very unclear about this. What is the optimal amount?

So it goes with the power of positive thinking. We are never certain as to what is good for us.  The adage, careful what you wish for would never be truer. We are, as human beings, confused as to what is good or bad. What is good for us and what is not. The benefits of certain actions become clear sometimes well into the future. Other repercussions may appear to have nothing to do with the original decision or action. That 10% capacity saves us from ourselves.

I have not known anyone who can move mountains by mere thought, nor crash through walls.

The world of computers comes up with new and novel ideas, and often gets bogged down in the details. We want to be able to communicate freely with one another. It has to be secure, and so we come with encryption. The art of garbling the message at one end and deciphering it at the other. The encryption algorithms are getting more and more complicated as people keep breaking the codes making such communication untenable. At some point the overhead required to create and maintain the encryption will overwhelm the message.

It is a complicated process. Would we have to somehow come up with the same sort of technology in our own thoughts and imagination? Encrypt our wishes so that only the desired parties can read it? Will we have to devote some of our thoughts and energies to overcoming eavesdropping?

Too many holes in this concept. People should really think things through and discuss it with others before hitting the send button.

Thanks for listening.

Posted by Farokh at 08:03

Ronak Shah – a Second Response

cancer, positive thinking 77 Responses »
Apr 012010

Some rules of engagement first:

1. Do not insult or denigrate my mother

2. Do not insult or denigrate my doctors

3. Do not insult or denigrate my nurses

4. Do not insult or denigrate my family

5. Do not insult or denigrate my belief system

6. Keep your tone and comments civil so we can continue with the discussion.

**********************************************************************

I will address the points you have made one at a time.

Read the Louise hay book before it is too late:

Too late meaning that I will be dead. I am not afraid of death. It is the only certainty in life. Everything that is born will die at some point. Neither too late nor too early, but right on time. I will welcome death when it arrives as it will liberate me from the constraints of the physical body, much as being born liberated the baby from the constraints of the womb.

I have nothing against Ms. Hay. Her experiences might make for an interesting read. Her advice is not definitive, and might work in some measure for some. I will see if I can make time to tread her book. I am not fighting cancer. Cancer cells live in our bodies all the time and are triggered into activity by some set of circumstances. Fighting the cancer means I am fighting my own body. I would rather meditate and learn to love my body. Fighting  creates inflammation which feeds cancer cells. Love reduces inflammation starving the cells. I would rather love than fight.

As I said in my previous comments, there are a large number of different kinds of cancer. What works in one situation may not work in another. To say nothing of the different reactions of body and mind to whatever we throw at our systems. There are far too many unknowns to make any single system the ultimate answer to a riddle. Cancer is a riddle.

All that happens in your life is because of your persistent strong thoughts whether positive or negative:

I am doomed. I am very passionate about what I believe. I have strong opinions, for good or bad. I could not possibly remain neutral as you are suggesting. I will leave that to the Swiss. Neutrality of thought and behaviour is the bane of our existence. Everything that happens is due to the passion of someone. I do not see passionate people dying of cancer in any greater numbers than anyone else. I will not cease to be passionate about my beliefs.

If you just sit and cry that you have cancer and believe what the doc believes, I think you will never realise the truth that life is infinite:

Last point first. Life on this earth is finite. You die, someone buries you, and you are done. The question is, do you believe in an afterlife?

I am not sitting and crying that I have cancer. I thought I made that clear in my last post. Far from it. I cry a lot out of joy. The surprise in the kindness shown me by people. The vendor from whom I have not made a purchase who says a prayer for me. The client who insists on having lunch to make sure I am OK. The client who calls once a week to make sure I am OK. The friend who visits once a week for a cup of coffee and a laugh. None are required to do any of this. They do it out of love and compassion. And yes, I cry when I receive their love and caring thoughts. I cry when people wish me a happy birthday and many more to come. I do not feel sorry for myself. I feel joyous at being surrounded by so many loving and kind people.

My oncologist made it very clear that he can only do so much for me. The medications will do what they do. The rest is up to me. I thought I made that clear as well. A doctor who believes in wellness. A doctor who hugs his patients. A doctor who listens and is not not bothered by any of the question. A doctor who does not believe that knowing what type of cancer you have will help in your healing. A doctor who believes you should be well, to help yourself. Do I believe him? Yes. And I will defend him to the end of my days.  You do not have the right to disparage him in any way.

If you keep ranting, you will get nowhere:

My blog is a sure indication of my thought process. I have come a long ways from the beginning of this journey. My rantings now have to do more with a wandering mind, rather than any dissatisfaction with my situation. Do I get upset from time to time? Of course I do. No one in their right mind would not. It is a very strange place to be. A bag glued to your stomach that you have to clean at 2 in the morning, or 4, or 6 or whenever it decides to activate itself. Nothing more bizarre. Nothing that reminds you of your condition more. Life goes on.

There are a lot of people who’ve gotten cured even if a fucking doctor says there is no cure for cancer:

True enough. Compare the numbers of people who have been cured and the ones who have succumbed. The latter win, if there is such a thing. Far outnumber the others. I have cousins who have outlived the expectations of the doctor. The doctor is not all knowing. He/she bases their arguments on past experiences. There is no way for them to know anything about what you are going through. That is what makes my oncologist such an angel. He is not second guessing anything and is quite open about what he know and does not know.  Love the guy. Have I said that before? And don’t swear at him.

If you think you’re a powerless being, I think I’ll often see you ranting than seeing you take action:

I don’t rant. See above. Take action? I have taken action. I have little choice. Life has changed.

I see that you find your self hope less, but hey, do me a favor… become hopeful:

I am dying to know what gives you the impression that my self hope is low. It is very high. It gets low right after Chemo Therapy which tires me out. I do talk about death as not being a negative. I really do not see death in that light. I will live as long as I can, and live well. Enjoy the company of friends and relatives. Go traveling. Take pictures. Observe life. Enjoy the company of my lovely wife and amazing son. What more could a person ask for? Low self worth is not one of my issues.

If you don’t read these two books, don;t reply back because then you;re not respecting the good I want to bring in your life. Certainly:

Lets get something very clear. My blog, my decision whether I respond to comments or not. In fact my decision to allow your comments to go through or not. My decision to relegate you to the spam folder or not. So far, I am enjoying the discussion. Respect for what you are trying to do? Respect is earned over time. It is certainly not a given. Specially when you decide to insult my mother, doctor, and belief system.  I might very well read the books, or not. That is for me to decide. Not reading them does not show a lack of respect to anyone. It is just my decision. You are not in a position to dictate anything.

Do I believe in God:

That has been made very clear over and over again. Yes. I am a member of the Baha’i Faith. Belief in God is a matter of Faith, not positive proof. I was having a discussion with a friend about the creation of the universe. When did it happen? How did it happen? The Big Bang is the explanation du jour. Discussions about the existence of God and the creation of the universe bog down finally in the ultimate question: What created God? What created the Big Bang? Both sides fall flat on the last point. Out of nowhere comes a big bang or God. What created each? There is no answer. My joke is that God lit the fuse that created the big bang.

Have you ever seen God?

Not sure. Let me know what he looks like, and I will let you know. Not seeing something does not make its existence null and void. We do not see emotions or a myriad of other things in our lives. That does not negate the existence of feeling and emotions. Nor does it negate the existence of God. It is simply a matter of Faith.

Well, if you can believe in things and experiences that you’ve not seen ever just because your mother said or a fucking IGNORANT doctor says so, I am sure you need to believe in the power of the UNIVERSE. You can answer only those questions you know answers of so better remove your self-ignorance and increase your consciousness:

Don’t denigrate my mother. Or my doctor, who turns out to be a very smart man. I am not sure why we shy away from using the word God. The power of the universe? Could that not be God? Why not just call it God. Self ignorance is an interesting turn of phrase, I am not sure what it means. Are you saying that I am deliberately keeping myself ignorant? Are you not doing the same by denying my belief system? The wisdom of my mother? Everyone should be listened to, which is why I am letting you post your comments. And also why I am responding. Everyone has a glimmer of something in what they say that might make a difference.

Baha’is believe in the independent investigation of the truth. This places the responsibility of choosing a religion squarely on the shoulders of the believer. We have to decide what path we wish to pursue at the age of maturity – 15. We do not become de facto Baha’is. We have to make a conscious decision, hopefully after studying our options. We are allowed to change our minds. Nothing wrong with that. Your assertion that my thoughts, beliefs and way of life is influenced solely by my mother are misplaced. She had an influence, of course, as all mothers do. They are the first educators of the children. At some point, we grow up into who we are independent of parental influences.

If you read the books and implement whatever is written in it, I AM 100000000000000000% SURE YOU WILL OVERCOME CANCER.
Are you a loser or a winner? You decide.

Overcome cancer. I have cancer in my lungs, liver (both lobes) and pelvic area.  I will eventually succumb to its will, but not today or tomorrow. It will happen at some point in the far future. It is not even on my radar at this point. I am not sure why this has to be so black and white. What makes a person a winner or loser? Is it just their attitude? So many are winners in one way and losers in another. You might be a winner at business, but a loser at marriage. What are you, a winner or a loser. Not so clear what the answer is.

Finally:

I notice by your web site that you are located in India. I have no experience or knowledge of the health care system in India. I have become very familiar with the Canadian one. It has been a fabulous experience. From the many doctors and nurses that have looked after me, the volunteers, the clerks, the support staff, all have been amazing. I am surrounded by a bunch of very caring people.  Please refrain from calling my doctor ignorant. None of them have been. I have read the report from the operating room. I do not understand some of the terminology. What I can tell you is that there was an amazing amount of thought and deliberation that went into the decisions that were made. I was asleep and in no position to contribute. It is nice to know that the doctors spent as much time as they did on making their decisions. None were taken lightly.

The doctors in my hospital meet regularly to discuss our case. We are not left at the discretion of a single person. Quite a system has been put in place. It is not without its hiccups. Nonetheless, a fine system.

You sound very angry, and I have no way of knowing why. You have not answered my questions:

Do you believe in God?

What experience have you had with cancer? You or someone near you? You have read the books and, contrary to your advice of maintaining neutrality, seem very passionate about your beliefs. Why?

Cancer patients are very supportive of one another. There are no judgments. None of us got cancer on purpose and we will not take the blame for our condition. You certainly do not have the right to pass judgment on any of us. Blaming the victim is disingenuous.  You should read some of the stuff on the WHO site. 11.5 million people died of cancer last year. Not one of them is to be blamed. And don’t tell me they are all ignorant, and that the secret lies in the hands of these two authors.

That is all for now. Looking forward to your reply. And please keep it civil.

Posted by Farokh at 15:38
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