THE BRAIN

The Most Mysterious Part of the Human Body

By Shirley Moulton - Founder, The ACADEMi of Life, NYC

In honor of stroke awareness month, The ACADEMi of Life presents an Evening in Conversation with Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor a Harvard trained brain scientist who studied her own stroke as it happened and lived to tell this astonishing story. Details of the event on 5/11/11 in NYC at http://bit.ly/dF3CoQ

Take a look at this amazing musical video: An ODE to the BRAIN featuring Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor by The Symphony of Science, which is a musical project designed to deliver scientific knowledge and philosophy in musical form http://bit.ly/euurgM. The words to the song in the video are below.

It's amazing to consider that I'm holding in my hands
The place where someone once felt, thought, and loved
For centuries, scientists have been battling to understand
What this unappealing object is all about

Here is this mass of jelly
You can hold in the palm of your hands
And it can contemplate the vastness of interstellar space

The brain has evolved from the inside out
It's structure reflects all the stages through which it has passed

Information in the form of energy
Streams in simultaneously
Through all of our sensory systems

And then it explodes into this enormous collage
Of what this present moment looks like
What it feels like
And what it sounds like

And then it explodes into this enormous collage
And in this moment we are perfect
We are whole and we are beautiful

It appears rather gruesome
Wrinkled like a walnut, and with the consistency of mushroom
What we know is encoded in cells called neurons
And there are something like a hundred trillion neural connections
This intricate and marvelous network of neurons has been called
An enchanted loom

The neurons store sounds too, and snatches of music
Whole orchestras play inside our heads

20 million volumes worth of information
Is inside the heads of every one of us
The brain is a very big place
In a very small space

No longer at the mercy of the reptile brain
We can change ourselves
Think of the possibilities

Think of your brain as a newspaper
Think of all the information it can store
But it doesn't take up too much room
Because it's folded

We see with the eyes
But we see with the brain as well
And seeing with the brain
Is often called imagination

It is the most mysterious part of the human body
And yet it dominates the way we live our adult lives
It is the brain!

HAPPINESS

Why happiness matters!
By Shirley Moulton - Founder, The ACADEMi of Life, NYC


‘The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation.’ Everyone wants to be happy, yet many are not.

I recently read about an organization called Action for Happiness whose mission is to bring happiness to the world. It’s really a ‘movement for positive social change bringing together people from all walks of life who want to play a part in creating a happier society for everyone.’

I was completely taken with its mission as it’s so closely aligned with the purpose of The ACADEMi of Life; so I joined the movement. Once you join the movement, the ten keys to happiness (GREAT DREAM) below are shared. You will also get a set of personal aspirations for life.

TEN KEYS TO A HAPPIER LIFE

Giving - Do things for others
Relating - Connect with people
Exercising - Take care of your body
Appreciating - Notice the world around
Trying out - Keep learning new things

D irection - Have goals to look forward to
Resilience - Find ways to bounce back
E motion - Take a positive approach
A cceptance - Be comfortable with who you are
M eaning - Be part of something bigger

On their site (www.actionforhappiness.org) I found an iPhone app called mappiness, used to track your happiness. It is a part of a research project at the London School of Economics. I downloaded the app and use it to track and submit my happiness data on a daily basis.

I am thrilled and excited that this organization exists to serve as the focal point for a fundamental shift in cultural values. We need social enterprises like Action for Happiness and The ACADEMi of Life to bring together groups of like-minded people who will commit themselves to try to produce more happiness in the world and less misery. I remain confident that we can create a society in which people feel better inside themselves – where they are happier.

Dalai Lama: "Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."

LOVE

WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?
By Shirley Moulton - Founder, The ACADEMi of Life, NYC


As we enter a month usually focused on our relationships with others, take a moment to remember the importance of your relationship with yourself.

Who can help us understand love, love of self and others, better than the courageous, funny and self-deprecating author Elizabeth Gilbert. This award-winning writer and NYT bestselling author (EAT, PRAY, LOVE – A story of self-discovery and COMMITTED – A love story) needs no introduction. Her books are a fascinating meditation on marriage, men, relationships, infatuation, and family, and – ultimately – an enthralling celebration and understanding of love.

So please join us on February 24th, at 7pm at The New York Society for Ethical Culture as The ACADEMi of Life presents An Evening in Conversation with Elizabeth Gilbert.

Here are a few things you probably don’t know about her.

• She is an expert on men.
• She impersonated a man for a week for an article she was writing for GQ magazine.
• She worked as a bartender at a bar named Coyote Ugly Salon on NY’s lower east side.
• She wrote an article for GQ magazine on her bartending experience which later became the movie Coyote Ugly.
• She met her future husband in the Coyote Ugly Salon.
• Her first book was a short story collection called PILGRIMS, which was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway award.
• EAT, PRAY, LOVE was translated into over thirty languages and sold over 10 million copies.
• Her TED talk on Creativity is one of the most watched.
• In 2008, Time Magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Here are a few powerful nuggets from her recent book Committed

• Infatuation the most perilous aspect of human desire – that famously distracted state in which you cannot concentrate on anything other than the object of your obsession.
• People are far more susceptible to infatuation when they are going through delicate or vulnerable times in their lives. The more unsettled and unbalanced we feel, the more quickly and recklessly we are likely to fall in love.
• Divorce is the second most stressful experience most people will ever undergo in their lives. The emotional havoc that accompanies divorce is often colossal.
• Part of what makes the experience of divorce so dreadful is the emotional ambivalence.
• It can be difficult, if not impossible, for many divorced people ever to rest in a state of pure grief, pure anger, or pure relief when it comes to feelings about one’s ex-spouse.
• All human beings have failings, so to be fully seen by somebody, and to be loved anyhow-this is a human offering that can border on the miraculous.
• Marriage, childbearing and child rearing are personal, complicated and generally ambivalent decisions.
• Childless women who are a part of the ‘Auntie Brigade’ should be honored and celebrated for they often take upon themselves the task of nurturing those who are not their official biological responsibility.
• If you honestly want a society in which people choose their own partners on the basis of personal affection, then you must prepare yourself for the inevitable. There will be broken hearts; there will be broken lives. Exactly because the human heart is such a mystery.

As the big love day approaches, take a moment to ponder this observation: the most important relationship and the greatest love affair you will ever have is the one with self. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Don’t miss this candid modern dialogue with Elizabeth Gilbert on these very important topics. Details http://bit.ly/fUnTC5

Family

…what does it mean?
By Shirley Moulton - Founder, The ACADEMi of Life, NYC


As the holidays approach, the conversations begin regarding the dread and duty people feel about spending time with their family. It seems as if we have been conditioned or socialized to believe that we must love and get along with our families. Life has taught me that love cannot be legislated, coerced or demanded, it has to be authentically given…even to our family.

What is this thing called family anyway? We are born and we get to meet these people called our parents; Mom & Dad…we become sons and daughters. We also get to meet the extended family, grandma and grandpa, sisters, brothers and cousins. Then later we meet the nieces and nephews and grand nieces and grand nephews. The western culture dictionary definition of family (from Latin: familiare) is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity (same blood), affinity, or co-residence.

Throughout the years we discover that we have varying levels of affection for these people to whom we are connected by blood. Some we love, some we like and some we don’t care for at all. I have had friends who have confessed that they feel as if they were strangers in their own families, yet they yearn for the ‘belonginess’ of a family. I have had mothers tell me how much they dislike their kids, and I have had brothers and sisters relate the difficulties they have getting along with their siblings.

Why is there is so much strife within a family? Families test us, they bring out the best and worst in us. As in other relationships, the family serves as a basic training ground to redress pass hurts and disappointments and if we can get pass that and only show love, then we become better people and the world becomes a better place. Families are really our spiritual practice…the milieu where we learn to become our best selves despite the challenges of ‘getting along’.

I know from personal experience that as much as my immediate family can be challenging and dysfunctional at times, there is nothing more memorable than spending quality time with them. The shared history, the loving moments, the birth of the new ones, the fights, the disappointments, the divorces, the marriages, the deaths, are all necessary and important experiences for us to learn and grow in love. I cannot imagine what life would be like without them.

The true essence of our creation is Love. Love is what rules the universe, so to be able to transcend and love the people closest to us who truly know our weaknesses and frailties, is the ultimate in unconditional love. As human we have a difficult time loving ourselves and other unconditionally. To date, I have found that a mother is generally the only person on earth, who comes closest to delivering unconditional love…the person who will continually and consistently be there to support and love her children, even the ‘most troubled'.

As we celebrate the holidays, let’s try hard to love, to see the good in all, be emphatic, be understanding and tolerant. Know that our negative actions and reactions are all coming from our wounded childhood traumas… so when Grandma says something that really makes you crazy…just pause, take a breath and smile! Happy Holidays!

TRUE WEALTH

Raising Balanced, Responsible, Productive Children!
By Shirley Moulton - Founder, The ACADEMi of Life, NYC


‘Mama may have, Papa may, but God bless the child that’s got his own’ – Billie Holiday

How do you raise children that are emotionally balanced, productive and have decent values? For eons, the answer to this question has eluded most parents; especially wealthy ones. There seems to be no guaranteed formulas or guidelines for raising ‘successful’ kids.

Increasingly we read about children of the wealthy leading less than productive, values driven lives. The stories in the media are endless regarding the ‘curse of rich kids,’ the excessive partying, drugs and alcohol use. The parents of these children face significant challenges of raising them to become responsible, emotionally balanced adults who grow up to be contributing members of society with meaningful lives of their own.

The increasing money culture in the US ‘is producing a record number of heirs—but handing down values is harder than handing down wealth.’ In fact Bill Gates, the wealthiest man in the world has proclaimed his intention to leave each of his children only about $10 million and Warren Buffett, the second richest, has said, “I want to give my kids enough so that they could feel that they could do anything, but not so much that they could do nothing.”

‘It suggests that two of the richest men on the planet see their own fortunes as a ticking time bomb—and potentially corrosive to their children’s future well-being.’ No one learned this better than Warren Buffett’s son, Peter Buffett Author, Composer, Emmy Award-winning Musician & Philanthropist. His recent book ‘Life Is What You Make It’ reveals that the real inheritance handed down from his parents was a philosophy: forge your own path in life regardless of your circumstances. It is a creed that has allowed him to follow his own passions, establish his own identity, and reap his own successes.

Buffett and Gates philosophy is supported by Harris Stratyner, a Manhattan psychologist who reveals that the thing that most distressed rich kids fantasize about when it comes to their family money, is not that they have too much of it, but “that they’d made it themselves.” It’s often difficult for them to feel fulfilled about anything valuable that has been handed down to them, since self-esteem and self-worth are generally tied to achieving your own successes.

In NYC on 11/11/2010 A Conversation and Concert with Peter Buffett "for young people seeking to find his or her place in the world, and for every family hoping to give their children the best possible start in life.” http://bit.ly/8YlMti

IDEAS TO LIVE BY FROM THE MUSIC OF Bob Marley

A spiritual genius!

By Shirley Moulton - Founder, The ACADEMi of Life, NYC


Spirituality has nothing to do with what you believe but everything to do with your state of consciousness. Your inner spirit.

Bob Marley was a seeker who was never afraid to look within. I consider him to be a musical prophet, a spiritual genius and a timeless mystic. He left a body of work that is instructive and can help us live a more meaningful and fulfilling life. Below are quotes from his music. I have taken the liberty of categorizing the messages.

Self- Awareness
Life is one big road with lots of signs.
Open your eyes and look within are you satisfied with the life you're living.
Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind.

Positivity
If you get down and quarrel every day, you're saying prayers to the devil, I say. Why not help one another on the way… makes it much easier.
Don't worry about a thing: because every little thing is gonna be alright.
I say, you just can’t live that negative way…make way for the positive day.

Love
Can a woman's tender care seize towards the child she bears.
Love the life you live. Live the life you love.

World Peace-Oneness
Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandon…there will be WAR.
One love one heart.

Trust
Man to Man is so unjust…you don’t know who to trust! Your worst enemy can be your best friend and your best friend your worst enemy.
Only your friends know your secret so only they can reveal it.

Universal Truths
In the abundance of water, the fool is thirsty.
The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.
He who fight and run away, live to fight another day.
You ain’t gonna miss your water until your well runs dry.
You can fool some people sometimes, but you can't fool all the people all the time.

“As a culture we're starving for some real connection; something we can grab onto and make sense of us. Few people are up to the challenge of doing the work; the real spiritual work that requires us to look inside; to look at the real motivations behind the actions we take. You want to know yourself. Look at what's motivating you.” - Geneen Roth

ON AGING

I am getting older…yet I feel young on the inside!
By Shirley Moulton - Founder, The ACADEMi of Life, NYC


Most of us are so afraid of getting old and as a result don’t embrace the aging process. What is this thing called growing old and why am I so afraid of it? Why do I spend hours plucking any visible signs of grey hairs from my scalp? (If I keep this up I am going to be bald very soon) As I lament getting older, the crazy thing is I feel young on the inside. Is there a difference between inner age and outer age?

From the outside I see and feel that the years are rapidly passing by, yet on the inside I feel calm, young and vital. When I look at photographs of myself I notice that my looks change from decade to decade, however the daily looks at me in the mirror don't reveal the dramatic changes of the aging process. I am grateful for the gradual, imperceptible daily rate of the aging, giving me time to grow accustomed to my face.

I recently read an article on celebrating older women by British actress, Harriet Walter and she concludes that ‘there’s something within us that lasts beyond youth and that we shouldn’t feel insecure and scared about getting older.’ Eckhart Tolle, author and spiritual teacher believes that ‘the inner aliveness never gets old…there is the eternal, timeless, formless dimension that you feel on the inside… pay attention to the inner age and less on your external age,’ he counsels.

I realize that a big part of the insecurity and fear of aging is the fear of dying. I am reminded that it's the destiny of all forms; a flower, an apple, a pet or a human being, to age and die. I believe we should be taught at an early age that aging is inevitable and acceptance of our wrinkles, grey hair and gradual decline is our destiny. With acceptance comes peace and if we can accept this fact, then we can truly make peace with aging.

Tolle also believes that when the physical form starts to age, the state of ‘Being’ is more valuable to us than the state of ‘Doing’ and we should attempt to get in touch with that inner age, that inner aliveness that never ages…our spirits. In older civilizations old people embody the realm of spirit and are deeply respected and revered and I think we need to learn how to honor this sacredness in aging which could bring us to a deeper dimension in our lives.

I think this is good advice and I am going to heed it!