monkey see, monkey do serves as a personal blog and creative outlet for
david evans.
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the human brain is so interesting. and this story by the creator of dilbert and how he lost and regained his voice is really amazing.
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rode in my first critical mass yesterday, wearing a huge afro wig and a powder blue track suit in the spirit of halloween.
it such a blast to take over the city streets. it was also an really interesting and odd mix of laid back and aggressive energy. some of the riders are clearly anti-car and make a point to harass any drivers who try to sneak through (by corking them) or past the ride in spite of it. last night there was one fight with a driver that i witnessed, probably an escalation of that aggression mixed with alcohol. but for the most part it was just laid back fun and a somewhat political statement.
father son stories often pull on my heart strings, but this story about dick and rich hoyt published last summer in sports illustrated is just amazing. it also includes a youtube video that is a must see.
i was as interested in the story as i was the inclusion of a short video clip. it created such a rich experience for me. the next few years i expect more and more video to appear in our online experience.
for example, every non profit should produce a small ‘micro-ad’ shot on-the-cheap and then embed that on their web site. it’s so easy to do, and turns a static web site into something where you can really experience the people or the place or whatever the site is describing.
the meditation web sites i help care for, for example, really need this. how much more approachable would a meditation center be if you could click on a video and experience what it’s like to walk up to the front door, walk in and sit down and see the space and maybe even the people for a minute. i’m sure that would remove tons of fear or uncertainty for people. any business could do this, it’s cheap and easy now and it just communicates so much more subconscious information that people can’t get otherwise.
from an interview with my friend ronan hallowell and the famous comparative religions scholar huston smith
“Love is the movement within life that carries us, that enables us, that causes us to break out of the ’skin encapsulated’ ego. Without love, we are self-centered, but love enables us to move the center of our lives outside our ego. Therefore it expands our lives and needless to say, enriches it. Any human being would give anything to love or be loved. When it really happens, it is like heaven on earth.”
ok, working south of market is definitely rich. there are so many different kinds of people going this way and that; in a hurry; all pushed up against each other. it’s exciting and very urban.
i’m also experiencing a lot of neurosis, aggression, poverty, and degradation all around me. there are pockets of uplifted space, parks and well kept buildings. and there are many people without homes or showers, living in the alleys or sidewalks and under overpasses. today i walked by someone taking a dump in the nearby bus stop. i’ve never seen that kind of degrading situation before, or such a visual symbol of it. this poor person i suspect has such health problems he had no choice but to do that on the spot. and it woke me up to how hard it must be for so many people. and in the midst of such wealth and privilege - the wealthiest country in the world in fact - we just don’t take care of each other very well.
my tibetan teacher is about to run the chicago marathon again. he’s not just a meditation cushion couch potato. the chicago sun has a cute article about him today.
took a private rock climbing lesson this week, and worked a lot on ‘resting’ while climbing and different kinds of holds. but the combination of that class and continuing to crank (did two 10c’s and two 10d’s on tuesday) is leaving my arms wrecked. they’re jelly. even after a couple days of rest they were spagetti noodles this morning when i tried to climb again. guess i’m getting a good workout!
week two in my “returning to rock climbing” story and today i finished two 5.10c’s; i’m getting stronger and i’m remembering more and more of my body mechanics. i’m also just getting more relaxed and comfortable.
i think when i started climbing they didn’t have this a, b, c, d rating system yet. just tells you how old i’m getting. but i like it, makes it easier to measure progress.
it feel so much better to have my office slightly distant from where i’m living, instead of a home office. i’m only about a mile and a half from home, but just having a ‘place’ feels right. there’s just something about environment and setting an intention in a space.
it’s also interesting to be working closer to downtown. i had lunch with an old friend near the financial district, ran into an old housemate from college on the street, and was pretty energized by all the people and attitudes. life is good.
spirit rock, just north of san francisco, is holding a seven day silent meditation retreat for scientists. it’s designed to “…introduce researchers in the mind sciences to in-depth training in meditation and to explore ways in which a rigorous and systematic approach to introspection can inform scientific research. This event has been organized by scientists, for scientists…”
looks like this is somewhat organized by the mind & life institute folks, who have a twenty year long conversation going now between his holiness the dalai lama and neuroscientists, finding cross over points between modern neuroscience research and buddhist theory and practice.