UPDATE: I turned off the word verification--FYI

Hi Gang--If you keep getting stuck on word verification loading and haven't been able to post, I just turned it off so try again and let me know if you can post ok now, email me at idnasss@yahoo.com with further questions. Did you watch the oscars? What did you think? For extra credit type you response below and connect it to our class in some way--Smiles--Sandra

Perceptions: Reality or Fiction...Chpt 3

Hi Gang! Hope you had a nice long weekend! This week we examine our perceptions, experiences shaped by the 5 senses: Hearing, seeing, tasting, smell and touch--Consider a statement such as: I know it happened: I saw it with my own eyes! Sounds convincing, right? But what if the one-who-saw-it was not sober? What if the witness was color-blind? What if the person watching was prejudiced against the type of person they claim to have seen do something?

For this blog, give us an example (personal or an experience of a character in a book or movie) of a time someone thought they were certain about something, I mean really sure things were one way, only to discover later that there was more to the story, things weren't quite as they originally seemed...According to Wood on p. 78, we explain our perceptions in ways that make sense to us--TO US...there's the ego and our "self" making it about us...we construct explanations for what others do...fill in the blanks with our own sets of ideas, thoughts and experiences...please apply this concept of interpretation to your example. Adios amigos! --S

Self, Ego and "I Want MORE!!!"

Moving from chpt 2 to chpt 3 in your textbook: In The New Earth, Tolle reminds us that the ego, which plays a major roll in shaping our self image --wants us to want--that is to say--The ego of our mind encourages us to feel disastisfied or want more than we have. You can see how this was important for species evolution or development: it sounds motivating, right? A drive to do better, improve yourself--that's gotta be good! But what about when it leads to unhappiness and even violence--Today--it is so easy to get so stuck in wanting we forget to ever be satisfied with what we have right now--or accept who we are without "stuff"--Wanting keeps you living in the future, when your goal should be presence, or living in the "Now." The ego equates 'wanting' with 'being' says Tolle on p. 45 of his book. What about you, have you ever longed for something, wanted it and wished for it, looked forward to it, and when you finally got it, well--it was not as satisfying as you'd dreamed, or you immediately turned to a new "want?" Our identitity, or as Wood calls it "our created self" shouldn't rely on things we have.

For this blog give us a personal example: It's ok to be humorous, humor helps break down barriers and get to know who we really are, without our "stuff!" Tell us about a time you got something you wanted and just ended up wanting more or something else or ended up disappointed. This could be a gift, clothes, technology, a relationship--whatever. Are you ready now to see eyond the "stuff" in your life?

Blog 2: What the B*&&#?

Have you seen the film "What the bleep do we know?" It is really different, but it basically explores notions of quantum physics, or the science of 'the very small'--what's interesting is that this newer consideration of our scientific universe insists that there are multiple possibilities for your life experience and you choose the one you'll have--a fancy way to say: You choose your own destiny! As we explore chapter 2 and explore ideas about the self (intra- personal communication) check out the website or the actual movie (I don't know if there is anything on you-tube?) but here is the movie site: http://www.whatthebleep.com/ - you can watch the film and use it when you write your first paper as a reference, watch it and write a journal entry for extra credit--for this blog, tell us about an unusual film you'd reccomend (with some relevence to the course or school in general, but comedy is ok) and give an example of intra- or inter-personal communication in the film you suggest! Thanks! S