Writing, Science and the “Not-Knowing” Mind

I’ve been following the work of David Eagleman for some time, partly because of the content and partly because this guy combines curiosity, creativity and the scientific method so enthusiastically.  A neuroscientist who tackles everything from how to avert the collapse of civilization, law, time, the afterlife and now getting “under the hood of conscious awareness,”  Eagleman digs into how our brains really affect our behaviors, our decisions and our experience of the world.  He’s entertaining and fearless, but what I like most about him is he is always willing to reveal his ongoing discomfort with not knowing and be an advocate of the philosophy of uncertainty.

Robert Jensen’s terrific interview with Eagleman, “The Struggle for the (Possible) Soul of David Eagleman”   illustrates Eagleman’s struggle “… between the confidence-bordering-on-hubris of a neuroscientist and the humility-that-produces-doubt of a writer who knows he’s chewing on questions that won’t be solved in this or any other age,” and reminds me why maintaining humility and a  “not-knowing”or “beginner’s” mind  is so essential to creativity AND the scientific process.   Buddhist teacher Gil Fronsdal describes “not-knowing” this way:

“Not-knowing means not being limited by what we know, holding what we know lightly so that we are ready for it to be different. Maybe things are this way. But maybe they are not.”

“An expert may know a subject deeply, yet be blinded to new possibilities by his or her preconceived ideas. In contrast, a beginner may see with fresh, unbiased eyes. The practice of beginner’s mind is to cultivate an ability to meet life without preconceived ideas, interpretations, or judgments.”

Do you ascribe to the philosophy of uncertainty and a not-knowing mind when you create?

Unapologetically Committed to PLACES–Marino’s Lunch

I just got back from the National Main Street Conference in Baltimore where hundreds of managers and fans of historic preservation and revitalization gathered to pump each other up to continue doing what they do.  There were many examples of success and lots of suggestions for making cities all over America better PLACES to live.   The following comment in the closing speech from sociologist and writer Robyn Ryle summed it up for me:

“…external landscapes… shape the very ground of our consciousness, the way we see ourselves, the wider world, and our relationship to it.”

Then you can imagine my dismay when upon returning home to my beloved small town of Staunton, VA–an artsy, quirky and truly unique PLACE, I discovered a strong rumor that one of its most unusual destinations, Marino’s Lunch was going to close down.

Now there are lots of ways to describe this iconic local joint, but nothing really captures being squeezed like sardines into a dive (term most definitely affectionate) full of musicians and characters who are crazy about playing music except the word PLACE.  Marino’s Lunch is one of those defining pieces of history and community that is infectious and authentic.  The spirit of “we are all in this together” flows through every person that plops down on a bar stool.  No matter who you are or what you like, if you are an observant person you can’t help but feel it, breathe it, let it the vibrations of stringed instruments and raspy voices and clanking plates and bottles connect you to the deep roots of the human soul.  For nearly 100 years, this little hole in the wall has been a remarkable mediation on who we are, where we’ve been and where we choose to live.

Saving places like Marino’s Lunch may not always be possible, but finding ways to continually remember and revisit why place matters IS possible.  I’m often reminded of  Wendell Berry’s quote “If you don’t know where you are, you don’t know who you are,” when I  describe my own passion for what Robyn Ryle calls being a “place-ist.”   She says: ” I am a feminist.  An environmentalist.  An anti-racist.  A place-ist.  I am unapologetically committed to places.” Me too Robyn.

Staunton Virginia is a  Great American Main Street Community that has a terrific culture of preservation. I hope we will band together to remember and revisit the enormous legacy of PLACES like Marino’s Lunch hold.  In the very least,  let’s archive what it has meant to our town.  Photo sets & articles about Marino’s that I could find online are posted below.  Got more?  Drop me a comment and I’ll link them here.

The Professional Foreigner
Photos by Pat Jarrett
Photos by Peter Aaslestad
Sitting on a g at Mario’s

Point-Know-Buy – The Next Frontier?

QR codes, still a mystery to some folks, may be obsolete before the ink is dry. According to trendwatching.com, “the next frontier is visual info-gratification: consumers accessing information about objects encountered in the real world, in more natural ways and while on-the-go, simply by pointing their smartphones* at anything interesting.”

Applications for smart phones that gather information from real-world objects are rapidly hitting the market. From DIY health apps that will keep track of changes in your moles (not kidding) to an app that can identify bird calls, the potential to access information instantly is here.

Trendwatching’s February Briefing offers some amazing examples of how this emerging technology could revolutionize how creative entrepreneurs  buy and sell. 

Source: www.trendwatching.com. One of the world’s leading trend firms, trendwatching.com sends out its free, monthly Trend Briefings to more than 160,000 subscribers worldwide.

Creativity as Tranformation: Of Sticks and Stones Spotlight

Creativity is a powerful tool for overcoming the most challenging of life’s obstacles.  Colleague Mari Selby and I recently launched a project called Of Sticks and Stones aimed at showcasing the use of creativity to transform fear, anger and aggression to compassionate action.  As the project grows, there will be a Facebook community, an ezine, online seminars, writing groups and an ebook publishing company.

We want to spotlight examples of people using creativity to make it through adversity, and each week we will feature someone new. Send us your suggestions, tell us your story! Give witness to the everyday heroes that are seldom seen…but always inspire us to LIVE.

Of Sticks and Stones Spotlight this week:

Sarah & the Dinosaur – a play about a girl, her cancer and a dinosaur.

Donate to the Sarah & the Dinosaur Kickstarter Project.

Cool Tools–Is the Evernote App Google for Our Brains?

Strangely enough, Google, and now maybe a new software application called Evernote, may help me age a little more gracefully.   I’ve always been an information geek–not in a “I know a lot of shit” way–but in the “I can find it” research librarian way.  I like digging for answers to obscure and curious questions and finding applications for the info in my life.

What my brain doesn’t do well is file that information.  This is not a new dilemma, it’s been with me all my life.   If I don’t handle information in a very specific hands-on way, I have a terrible time finding it again.  I made my way through school as a copious note-taker, chapter out-liner and chart-maker.  In my personal life I don’t remember the names of books or plots or songs or bands I like.  I can’t remember a movie I saw a week ago, nor can I retell a story or joke.  In my work life, I have learned to adapt with maps and charts and lists.  Sometimes I am required to write or do things over and over to make them stick in my memory.  And now as I age, I’m noticing the time it takes to manage my memory is increasing. It’s worrisome.

So how have Google, and now possibly Evernote revolutionized my memory challenges and eased my mind?    I have stopped worrying that information found is immediately lost without having to make charts and lists and maps for finding it again.  With Google, I know that I can get to what I need to remember with just a snippet of information.

But what about all the personal details of my life, my work? Managing personal information has become more and more overwhelming.  I have huge lists of bookmarked websites, emails with links, piles of materials filed/stashed in my office, notes on calendars and on my phone.   Now what?

Enter Evernote, a software application geared to help with filing bits of personal information so it can be found again.  Author and journalist David Freedman,  takes an in-depth look at Inc.’s Company of the Year, their amazing rise to the top in “Say Hello to Your New Brain on Evernote”. 

Will Evernote help me with my personal information struggles?  I’m downloading it now.  I’ll let you know how it goes, that is if I can remember to make a note of that.

“Refuse to be driven mad by the world”

I adopted this mantra of Eckhardt Tolle’s last year for the holidays and realized it is very appropriate throughout the year… “I refuse to be driven mad by the world.”

Remembering to embrace spaciousness can be difficult in our fast-paced, demanding lives, but it’s always accessible and always effective no matter what situation we find ourselves in.  The skill of re-entering spaciousness comes the moment you realize it’s gone (without judging yourself for losing it in the first place!). Ah, how perfect and easy is that?  No lengthy ritual, no special equipment, no need to fit another practice into our busy lives.  Just noticing is enough.

Will Mapping the Brain Alter Our Creativity?

A group of researchers at Harvard are on a quest to crack the puzzle of the human genome and build a full map, or connectome, of the brain.   Austin Allen wonders in his article “Will Neuroscience Kill the Novel?”  if knowing our brains so well will change our literature, or for that matter, all the arts?   Does a glut of the literal “sharpen our appetite for the metaphorical?”  or will it be a cultural shift from which there’s no turning back?

Read the article and decide for yourself, but I’m with Allen when he says “the day the brain in fully mapped, writers will find a way to turn it into a foreign country.”   LIKE.

This discussion reminds me of Ian McEwan’s take on technology killing the novel.  He says that there’s something in us that “…needs to examine the fine print of human behavior and human relationships.”   Seems to me neither technology nor neuroscience can replace that need.  Ever.