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Experiment: Five Days with No Shoes
Pre-Intro: Taking part in this experiment to go shoeless for five days should be beneficial in opening up some more understanding towards these emotions, and offer some more insight into ways to combat, strengthen and resolve various issues that need attention. ‘Travel’, (or simply ‘substantial change in environment’) does have psychologically therapeutic effects, and this being an important area of my work. I aim at doing more research into this by taking part in this experiment. This was an attempt to closely observe emotions in situations that I perceived myself as being ‘unusual’ from the crowd. It was an intentional encounter with the emotions similar to ‘fear’ and ‘shame’, and the ensuing study of how to restructure them into something better. It is to study and observe the mind while it was at work, from a self-imposed, hence more neutral, logical perspective. In this essay, I am going to look at how I did the experiment, what happened during it, and what the results of it were.
Goal: The difficulties involved in the concept of ‘setting yourself apart from the crowd’ tend to be amongst the biggest obstacles that many people face in their lives. These emotions and can be immensely complicated when people are trying to find their way in the world, resulting in situations that are hard for people to understand and manage. All people experience emotions such as ‘fear’ and ‘shame’ to differing extents and we will look at the two emotions in a bit more depth. For different individuals, the intensity of the emotions felt range on a broad spectrum from serving only as a minor barrier to personal-growth for some, but for others it can have more adverse effects that lead to various psychological and health issues. Emotions such as fear and shame can be combatted through confidence and courage building, but also depend on other factors. As emotions can be transferrable between individuals and between groups of people (i.e. cultures, societies etc.), the research needs to be environment-based too (i.e. this time being Thailand). Many individuals tend to feel strongly disempowered and imprisoned by these emotions and I aim to get a deeper and clearer understanding of these emotions and mental functions in relation to larger environmental/cultural influences. This is to continue to research and improve on our travel-based educational platform as a useful tool for our students and society.
The Beginning; The Story
I Am Getting My Socks Dirty!
For the past few days here in Bangkok, Thailand, I have been continuously going about daily life with no shoes on – mostly in white socks, and sometimes barefoot. During the first couple of days, I kept it slightly more low-key; like a timid cat checking out an unfamiliar environment, with just short ‘excursions’ to get food, or drinks, or to buy something at 7Eleven - all close to where I was staying. The area is known as Khaosan Road, a backpacker’s haven, where there are a couple of streets loaded with everything the weary or tempted tourist might want. There are bars, cafés, parks, temples, and plenty of people and street-side action to get distracted with at almost any time of the day and night. This infamous travelers’ hub tends to attract and retain a number of ‘unique’ travelers that easily intermingle amongst the more common-looking tourists, and it is commonplace to see rather endearing styles of fashion on display; tattoos, piercings, ‘rare’ hairstyles, and the occasional bare-footer. Although the ones sporting bare feet often tend to be hippies, drunk people, or locals that, by the looks of them, seem to be poorer or less of the sane type. I am in none of those categories, I hope. I’m just one of the normal people on the street, but I just ‘happened’ to be in my white socks. The area itself is a very familiar place to me, but the lack of shoes created a new headspace inside of me – such a change caused me to have to relearn the environment. It was an extremely uneasy thing to do and an extremely unusual feeling.
Why Do Such A Thing?
I’m doing this experiment for a number of reasons. A colleague and I are putting together a roughly twenty-minute video of the experiment with a short and simple discussion related to our work in the fields of travel-related education, psychology and therapy. This talk is mainly focused towards Chinese people (it is in Chinese) on the topic of pushing your psychological boundaries and acceptance of being different from the crowd. Understanding psychology cannot be done solely by observation or on paper, so getting to the core of many of the psychological and habitual issues needs to experienced first-hand. Many of our students (both teenage and particularly adults, including students’ parents) tend to often struggle with the acceptance of being different from the crowd and suffer from excuses that avoid the root of their difficulties. To us, as teachers, this psychological state needs to be pushed and prodded at for the sake of expanding our understanding of their experience. It is not that we are fearless or shameless as such – far from it - but we lead a traveling lifestyle in diverse environments where social and cultural constraints have less of an impact on our day-to-day choices and social encounters. So, I jumped right into this experiment and the ideas, observations and thoughts from the process will be shared in this essay. Who would guess that doing such things could open up a new world to me?
1.Why Does Our Sense of Self Have to Be So Strong?
Fear, nervousness and excitement tend to be confused by the brain as they all stimulate the same biological reactions, such as speeding up the heart rate. It is possible for the brain to confuse what it is actually experiencing. When an emotion of, perhaps, nervousness (activated by the brain telling you that you are different from the others) fear kicks in and the brain looks for things it perceives as ‘threats’. In my case, while being in socks in public, these ‘threats’ tended more likely to be people who might easily notice me; like people walking towards me or people sitting idly by that could possibly make some noticeable sort of remark. It would be these types of perceived ‘threats’ that I would find myself naturally trying to avoid eye contact with or maybe even subconsciously try to change my walking path to avoid ‘confrontation’. People that tended to be busy with their own affairs gave me no concerns at all. There also tended to be differences in perception between people you tend to associate more closely with; whether you know them or not, or would you ever see them again (i.e., the guesthouse staff that see you coming in and out each day without shoes on) - this tended to give me a stronger reaction. Similarly, stronger reactions were evoked from people I either genetically or culturally identified more with – i.e., different genders, ethnicities and age groups. These psychological reactions tended to be based on solely what people could possibly think of me and the strength of the reaction depended on these factors. It is not that I really minded, because walking in socks is far from the height of difficulty in this world, but I was observing my brain tending to be more active when it was trying to figure out my best ‘survival’ strategies in unfamiliar situations. Questions such as who would I most likely get approval from, who would mostly would stare or give me a negative reaction, who would I bring embarrassment to… these questions fill the brain as it is terrified of being ostracized by the group. Walking the streets in white socks could possibly be enough to make you a laughing stock. That is a terrifying feeling for a person. So, this is something that needed to be understood, looked at and conquered. I mean, it is my brain’s job to keep me safe and alive (and being part of the group is vital for survival), but it is my job to keep my brain in check!
During the next couple of days, I started venturing a bit further away from Khaosan Road as I began to feel less and less self-conscious. I then found myself at a Thammasat University having lunch by the river side. My socks tended to still be bright white on the tops, but had black footprints on the bottoms. Sometimes I started thinking that the dirtier they were the more natural it looked. I don’t know what to make of that – maybe it was more acceptance of the state of them. I enjoyed my time there. I walked back with an ice-coffee I bought from a street stall and sat in the park for a couple of hours pondering over the situation. My colleague and I had filmed a part of it to put into the video. The real importance comes down to not just the action of walking shoeless, but the following mental reflection over the what happened during the experience to make sure the brain understands what it is actually seeing and doing as it experiences and reacts to all this new stuff. This is all the brain’s doings, none of it is orchestrated by me. This goes for any situation in life really, but this process is often overlooked, as we move on to the next task ahead. Instead, I walked along the hot sticky street to a park further along the riverside where I laid down in a shady patch of grass under a massive twisted tropical tree and let everything sink in. The brain is automatically doing a lot of stuff I am not even aware of nor wanting to permit it to do, but it is more up to me to to understand that and learn to control what is going on instead. Skills like that should get me higher places than a good pair of sturdy hiking boots could ever. It seems going barefoot just may hold some magic.
2.Happily Hiding Behind Excuses
Oh, we humans know how to hide. While walking around the streets, into stores, happily soaking up the Bangkok atmosphere, I found myself hiding behind excuses for being shoeless. Despite my body (and bright white socks) being physically exposed for the world to see, but in my mind, I was aiming at quelling the inner dragon of self-consciousness. I thought I had more of a reason, for anyone who may look at me, to be shoeless in the late afternoon than the morning – maybe I had walked a long way and I had blisters, maybe my shoes broke, maybe I was hot? In the morning, by contrast, it just more looked like the guy couldn’t be bothered putting on his shoes. So, I went out in the morning too, not just using the heat as an excuse, or hiding behind the darkness of night. Having a small backpack with me was a good way to hide too. Could this guy be suffering from any of the above situations, and obviously his shoes are in his bag, the random passer-by would think. So, when I could, I would try go out empty-handed where possible. The only pity is I quite like to carry a small backpack with my camera for a bit of photography, and a bottle of water in it. I found taking off my glasses was another good way to not be able to see if people were staring or not, making me feel like I was more in my own world – listening to music could have the same effect. So, I kept the glasses on, and music off. I’d go with my coworker who was in bare feet, that felt more easier as there was the distraction of chatter and dialog about the experiment to hide behind. Going out alone would up the ante, put on a bit more stress, so I made sure to do this too. These are the tactics the brain employs to reason with myself as why to be shoeless. I mean what if someone asks where my shoes are, I could stumble and think of lies, but that won’t get anyone to paradise. All this led me to have to accept and address the root of the issue: “I am just the guy who is out in his socks”. No hiding. No denying. Dress the way you feel good, stand up straight, put yourself into a confident and open physical position, tell yourself ‘you are just the guy who wears his socks’. Be ready to give sincere eye-contact and engage in conversation with anyone you encounter and just walk on forward. What you tell yourself and how you behave decides the outcome and supporting the fundamental truth of the matter gets you where you need to be faster.
By the third day, after having had more and more physical practice of being out and about with no shoes on, plus having had plenty of mental exploration and conversation regarding the many aspects of the experience, things started to feel more natural. My mind was changing towards self-acceptance and encouragement towards such a lifestyle of endeavor, discovery and self-growth. By this time, I found myself hopping into a taxi one evening to go to MBK center shopping mall. I was originally planning to leave for India the day after, so I wanted to buy a couple of bits and pieces. I spent about two hours in the mall; the bottoms of my socks were rather dirty, but the whole time I was possibly even more relaxed than I would have been if I were in shoes. I am not really a fan of malls, but I found that I was more in a peaceful world of my own more so than a noisy mall of shoppers. I came back in a tuk-tuk and wandered back to my guesthouse through the busy bar district of Khaosan. It was if it were any normal day. To my surprise, I was relatively unaware of my lack of shoes.
3.Tackling the Bull in the Cage
It is the only way to address the issue and gain something true from your endeavors. If you carry yourself confidently, who can belittle you? If you accept the truth, who can deny it? The thing is, the world is like a mirror, if you don’t care, the world doesn’t care either. The world reflects back what is in your mind and in your heart. When I was subconsciously unaware of the fact I was in a busy shopping mall in my socks, to me, it seemed that the whole world was unaware of it. When I was stressed or uncomfortable, then it felt like the world was glaring at me. The subconscious mind brought out all sorts of perceived threats. The mind needs to be trained in order to live out the life you want to live. I have to admit, sometimes it felt weird having my coworker take photos of me while in socks in some public space somewhere with people all around, but you just have to tell yourself: “I accept everything that comes with this.” Maybe no one even saw, or maybe someone did see and probably forgot about it within three seconds. If they do remember it would be because they thought it was cool. Others are welcome to do whatever they want with their observations. But, remember, the noise is inside you.
By the fourth day, I had decided that I was too much invested into this project and to run off to India prematurely wouldn’t be the best choice. I wanted to continue a bit, and I wanted to put the video together (although it was my coworker who mainly took control of that part), and I wanted to write this down. Environment is utmost, and while I am still in this environment, I am more likely to order my ideas in a clearer way. I imagine the smell of curries and sounds of horns in the streets of Bangalore will take my mind away to other places. When you’re focused and enjoying something productive you should stride to stay in that state. Change (or disruption) to an environment is unsettling for a person, and I know this well as that is where my general main work’s focus lies – travel-related education, psychology and therapy. I happened to go to MBK once again, of course in my socks, and wandered the streets nearby and came back by public bus. Over the last day or two before leaving for India, I didn’t plan on any such sock-walks, didn’t aim for any such mental or physical stimulation, but instead, just a quiet calm mood to weather away the hot afternoons and get this writing done. But I realized by habit, I still went out in my socks for a morning coffee and 7eleven for bottles of water, and even out for dinner. It had become a new sort of comfort zone. No one likes the feeling of retraction, so maybe just now putting on shoes, feels a little like that. I actually really like who I am when I am out in my socks. I love the mental stimulation and feeling of freedom. Having seen the videos of myself out and about, I tend to think, under the circumstances, I looked rather confident and natural. I liked the way I looked and even more so, how I felt. The self-affirmation of something is almost more crucial than the actual activity itself.
4.Setting Things Straight
The truth is, walking around a city in a pair of white socks is not the epitome of difficulty in this world; to some it would be easy, and to others, mortifying. What is considered ‘difficult’ depends on you, and your previous experiences and interests. The thing is, when confronting your fear, or looking to expand you comfort zone, you need to not only delve directly into it, but you may also need to negotiate with yourself that much more difficult things exist. If you compare your difficulties to other things that are more difficult, then you reduce the size of your perceived burden. You may even need to actively seek out such things to confirm to yourself that they do indeed exist. Things are only small when compared with something bigger, just as the Earth is big if you travel by horse, but very tiny when observed from the moon. So, sometimes to aim at something you perceive as ‘big’ or ‘difficult’, then you may need to not only grind slowly and steadily in its direction, but also hack backwards at it to reduce the perceived size of it. There, that is something a bit more complicated to contemplate. Ha!
You may notice a theme here in that nowhere mentioned was any negative situations being mentioned. That is because during the five-day experiment, there were never any such occurrences. There are many nationalities around Khaosan, and never received a difficulty from anyone. I noticed people occasionally looked. I would also emphasize the word ‘looked’, and not ‘stared’. But on the contrary, I need to mention that no matter what you’re wearing or doing people do look. Yes, I noticed people occasionally still looked while I was wearing flip-flops. People have eyes after all, and they need to set their vision on something, so that’s forgivable. Maybe I just have nice (although hairy) legs? Ha-ha. But, maybe it is something more than that. Maybe it is something about the Thai people and the atmosphere they have created to be inclusive, tolerant and open-minded. To expand on this topic, I will need to keep up my white sock-walking activities across other parts of the world in order to work towards the core of such assumptions.
What Can Thai Attitude Offer The World?
However, the Thai people’s attitude towards life is rather healthy. It seems to be that if something does not harm anyone, then it is not really worth worrying about. That is a fair take on life. I noticed on the rare occasion when someone did not know what to make of me being in my socks, then substitute was a smile or laughter. That takes you back to the ‘world being a mirror’ philosophy; if you are self-conscious or flustered under a circumstance a laugh can be perceived as a snigger or an intrusion. When your soul and mind are calm, a laugh could be perceived as a friendly sign of acceptance or interest. It seems the Thais are slower in their reactions and judgements, allowing themselves sufficient time for a reasonable and proper response to ensue. I like the fact they are natural and thoughtful in their responses, something obviously passed down through their Buddhist faith. I would say, as a whole, I got a more neutral to positive reception anywhere I went in my socks. The interesting thing is, that is the same Thai reception I have received anywhere under almost any circumstance - with shoes on or off. But of course, there would be places you wouldn’t want to go in your socks, just as you wouldn’t swim in the sea or go to bed while wearing your shoes. Well, you can do that and why not if that is what you want - who are we to judge? But, it seems here in Thailand, if you are reasonable in your attitude and polite in your behavior, the Thais will treat you with the same respect. Hats off (or shoes off) to the Thais for that. We can all learn a lot from them.
Your Growth Is Your Gift To The World
It is also your own responsibility to work at expanding your comfort zone. There is not a single soul that does not want to become a bigger and better version of themselves. Explore and grow; that what souls do. It is your job to dig out what it needs and how to go about it. Sock-walking is just my own personal way, among others. But I also find it necessary that people take on such things. It is quite funny to know that all along during the beginning of the experiment, my brain was constantly doing all it could to help me avoid being ostracized by other humans. It was working to keep me surviving in optimal fashion. However, on the flipside, being the same as everyone does not necessarily get you anywhere at all. The ‘herd mentality’ is not lauded; it is not held in high regard. In fact, it is the opposite. I would believe that my getting out in my white socks is a rather positive thing in many people’s perceptions. I could see it and feel that at times. Maybe someone else just happened to think a little thought such as, ‘yeah, why not.’ Being a bit different reaffirms in others’ minds that possibilities exist. It is like the idea of recycling or reducing plastic use; you only really get the idea of when you are reminded of it, or see others taking part in it. My experiment probably does far better for the world that one would imagine.
My Unexpected Gains
I actually feel I have been through a type of therapy myself. I feel energetic. I had to make a quick phone call to an elderly neighbor in China, and she mentioned the change in my tone of voice. I was quite astonished when she said I sounded younger. My eyes feel bright. The flame in my soul feels steady. Making the video and seeing myself in it looking confident and actually liking the look of it, made me feel rather positive about myself. I feel mentally light. Maybe it’s because of Thailand itself and the abundance of sunshine. Maybe it is just because of finishing a two-week work project to Nepal with a group of my students. Maybe I am feeling a natural and positive shift towards a new segment of growth in my field. Or maybe I am feeling physically light, because having walked without shoes on, you begin to tread more lightly and carefully, and are more focused and intentional in your footsteps. Buddhist monks tend to go barefoot, as it seems to have a meditative effect, or maybe bare-footedness offers a boost of energy from the beneath the Earth; something like the opposite of soaking up vitamin D from the sun above. Maybe it was the psychological pushing and prodding of my internal world that met the instinctual need for physical stimulation of the body. Maybe it was sensual stimulation of the mind and feet; something we get too little of in the modern world. I think it was all of the above together that reenergized my body, and reinvigorated the mind and soul and I feel that I have given myself some psychological and perceptual reorganizing, something like a software upgrade. It feels something like coming out after a good Thai Massage.
An Experiment Resulting In The Restructuring the Subconscious View the World
However way, when you throw yourself into the deep end for an experiment in self-growth, it is not always easy and does take some courage and effort. And, so it should. Everything worthwhile always involves an element of difficulty. Why should one be rewarded without having put in any work anyway? Personally, I am very satisfied with this experiment and it has been an interesting, fun and valuable experience and I am sure I will enjoy the benefits of it for a long time to come. I will probably try to keep up with the occasional sock-walk when and where possible, and will aim at attempting the experiment again in other parts of the world. So, if next time you see a guy out in his white socks, it just might be me. Cheers!
Note:
Yes, I got several pairs of socks dirty. They washed up well when hand washed in the shower. I got zero holes in them. I received zero cuts or injuries from being out shoeless during these five days.
In recent Flickr posts I have speculated that some of the unrefined behaviours of the Little Owl may be due to their gene pool having been influenced by a process of domestication, concluding that, were this to be the case, there should be cultural artefacts reflecting an intimate proximity with man from over both time and geography.
Here, it can be argued that Little Owl behaviours that do not seem to favour survival become 'logical' when viewed as having been selected for an environment guided by the behaviours, rewards and needs of man: domestication.
Nature asks for a clean nest for chicks: man asks for a constant cadence of attack towards any rodents, small birds or even large insects near grain stores or food production. Regarding pest control, this is a requirement outside of issues like hunger and need.
Nature usually asks for a wary degree of nervosity: man asks for an ability to stay calm inside his 'adapted' environment.
Nature asks for an element of territory: man asks that domesticated animals cohabit in higher numbers in merged or compressed territories.
Nature asks that Owls, with their large eyes, adapt to night hunting - a time zone where rodents are openly relaxed; man asks for 24hr/7 vigilance.
The selection of traits out from a species gene pool was applied to dogs, cats, sheep, cows and maybe ... the Little Owl?
It can be argued that the traits of pest control, night vision and access to a 360° 'neck rotation' vista-of-vigilance are all assets adapted for man's prehistoric needs - certainly from the neolithic ages of deforestation when nests and chicks would appear from the bounce and crack of fallen trees, and maybe, at times, from earlier ages.
Having 'friendly' and reliable animals around habitation can also be pleasant, and the pleasure of young animals, 'pets' and even wide eyed 'Furbies' evokes very real emotions that must have deep roots for humans. Having large beady eyes and a 'squark' may also have been reassuring for new sedentary crofting settlements near to (previously stigmatized?) rugged zones that might hide 'shock animals', myths or bandits.
Today we associate the farm cat with pest control and the dog with guarding 'property' - during some, or many of the ages of prehistory, these roles may have been afforded to the owl - with or without the help of the domesticated cat or dog. The smallest and least glutton species of owl is perhaps the Little Owl – and the 'low calory' specification of this pigeon-sized bird may have made it best-fitted to man's needs. Here, all owls may have been subjected to occasional 'falconry-esque' training, with the Little Owl simply being more generalised and 'long-term' than other species of owl: simply a typical co-voyager with man, to the point of general pan geographical training and ultimately domestication?
Today we may from time to time see trained birds of prey and be amazed at how well they can adapt their behaviours to man's regimes of will. This hypothesis for the Little Owl is not that of training birds of prey, an action that does not necessarily procure changes in the species gene pool. Man's contact with the Little Owl may have started with adopted chicks, followed by 'bird of prey training' (applied Falconry) followed by selection between generations according to traits and thus the drive to domestication. Perhaps a similar process is occurring today with the pheasant, as generations of breeders and chicks pass again and again through the hunter's and breeder's cages?
In a past post (see below) I illustrated the degree to which abstraction can drawn into an animal's real form via schematic simplification. I illustrate this with examples of late neolithic and early bronze age abstractions for cows and bulls and then propose a first schematic for an owl - an anthomorphic owl. In keeping with this initial post, some of the images in the selection above may be deemed to be anthomorphic owl images, others pure owl images and others 'escaped schematic'.
Seeing an anthomorphic animal does not automatically trigger the word 'shamen' - 'shamen' being perhaps today's most fashionable word in prehisitory, but fashion can be fickle, over-sized, ill-fitting and gratuitous... Most of the statue menhirs around the Pic Saint Loup might be said to have owl-like eyes, and it may seem odd that they are all honouring a single projected role.
A people who see themselves as having the qualities of observation and patience witnessed in an owl may want to align their identity with that animal, in the same way that a people with a bull's 'force and perseverance' and a cow's 'milk of food and nurture' might want to associate with the bull or cow; and a people with an agility of mind, flexibility and omnipotent mobility may want to associate with a goat; the resounding beauty of birds of paradise and so on... Today, sports-clubs can associate with qualities of animals. Another avenue into an anthro-owl schematic that bypasses a direct shamanic interpretation is that of the cultural story with a link between ancestors and owls. Both of these topics - of a population's 'living' flesh and blood owl-like qualities and 'collective consciousness', and, an owl-like 'manifestation' of a people's dead also have the potential to coexist. Here a shaman may align to the horse, or 'abstract progenitor being' ... with the general population aligning with the owl, or many other cultural and spiritual appreciations that are simply not available to us today and must remain mysteries.
Of the artforms featured in the above montage, some may be judged by readers to not be influenced by owls; others from the examples may have had owl origins and experienced phase-changes over time. Likewise, the individual 'owl figures' may have been greatly different symbols, as each of the figures are taken from a wide geography and chronology. With many, many thousands of miles between some of the examples, and whole ages of time, differences of meaning are to be expected: remembering that here, with this montage, we are simply looking through squinted and imperfect minds-eyes to see if we might just be able to see evidence of owls and man in the sort of relationship that might correlate with an environment of proximity necessary for domestication – nothing more (and no need for scales).
The montage features copyright free images of an early domesticated cat (Felis silvestris lybica), an example of a public domain mouse, (here greedy to eat sweet-smelling food stores of next seasons seeds and this year's winter food storage), and then the same Little Owl (Athene noctua) modified for a past post. Thanks to all photographers. The question is, who guarded the grain from the mouse after the neolithic revolution? – a headstrong cat, or a hunter bird that can sit between a limited number of adjacent perches, above a target and have the aptitude to just wait?
We know that anti-vermin trenches were built in Tell Brak, Syria (5500 ybp) and that they were sprinkled with an early 'rat poison'; we know that secure grain pits were built and sealed; that the neolithic brought in new ceramic pot technologies - pots fired and sealed and even hung above the ground on cordes ... but we also know that grain spills when making bread, and that cracks form and inquisitive pesty minds find ways through; we also know that mice and rats can establish warrens and tunnels that were avoided when man was on the move – so, as the whole of the neolithic year rested on the management of production, it must be recognised that additional omnipotent protector eyes would certainly help to keep the environment in order during both the day and night. Were these eyes cats, owls, both or none?
The aim here is simply to show potential icons of owls abstracted by man with a credible distance and time to sustain an argument for domestication, and here we have 5000 years and 4000km. Some schematics may be deemed too spurious and others may be added, for example neolithic Algerian owls (alas I was unable to find public domain images).
Left: A stele found in the ancient city state of Mari in eastern Syria (4,900 ybp and 3,759 ybp). This stele is thought to be from the beginning of the third millennium BC. The site has suffered in recent years from theft and artefact death. The idea that the large round owl eyes can see both at night and in the day, and that this quality inducted to also represent the sun and the moon may be mused. Here is an article on the subject. I doubt its interpretation of the triangle and it seems to be a way to suggest plumage and even a darker triangle on the bird.
pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9a1e/546b387a539198da8526c9e208c...
Second left: Portugal slate owl. From between 5,500-4,750 ybp. As far as I understand this example is from Valencina de la Concepción and is on show at the Museo Arqueológico de Sevilla [MAS] in Spain. Details of this and other plaques appear in this article:
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone...
Centre left: Guadalquivir Valley alabaster idol from the Chalcolithic 3rd millennium BC
www.man.es/man/en/coleccion/catalogo-cronologico/prehisto...
Centre right: A protocorinthian aryballos in the form of an owl from around 2660 ybp, so a small Peloponnese Greek pot for holding perfumed oil.
www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/corinthian-aryballos-shap...
Near right: From the Perdigões site in the Evora region of Portugal with a museum in Reguengos de Monsaraz. The image is the head of a long and fascinating anthomorphic figure with owl-like features to the face.
Right: Athena Owl. Greek bowl or skyphos (deep drinking cup), from the Aléria Museum, 2700 ybp in Corsica. Taken from a Flickr post with permission and thanks to Andy Hammond.
www.ngv.vic.gov.au/essay/the-owls-of-athena-some-comments...
Lower left bowl: Los Millares bowl - 3200–2300 BC from a very important late neolithic village in Almeria in southern Spain. A Wiki commons image.
virtual3dugr.prehistoriayarqueologia.org/modelos3D?title=...
Lower centre: Eye idol from the early city state of Tell Brak in Syria 5600 ybp (a few examples of these idols are also found outside the confines of the city, but when marriage and 'souvenir collection' is factored-out, the loci of Tell Brak and an adjacent town seems to resume its zone of influence. On saying that, both the eye idols and the spectacle idols were of extreme importance to this early city, its people, and temple. Do we see the element of attentiveness and watching with a hint of owl and a hint of landscape and astres?
Low right: spectacle idol, again Tell Brak so late Uruk period 5300-5000ybp Syria. These artefacts are from a unique site that will be looked at in more detail in a future post and there is obviously more to them than schematic description alone. These last two images are from my archive.
Was the owl a bird fleetingly glimpsed by hunters in trees and on branches, or was it an integral part of village life and culture helping to make early crofting conglomerates become functional ideas that could seed through populations? Do these images support the idea that to get to such a broad level of abstraction and integration within the culture of man, the owl, or even more specifically the Little Owl may have been following mankind from within his most intimate lifestyles rather than simply flying around outside? Certainly at some point the domestic cat took over the role of pest control, but was there a before? And if the Owl lived within and between man, it is hard to imagine that spooky, morbid or cryptic meanings would be attached to his schematics and abstractions, as the animal would more likely be a trusted and loved feature for all generations - perhaps a sublimation of ideas such as 'big man', 'wisdom', common sense, attentiveness and loyalty. Here, the dynamic "Athens" of "Athene noctua" was perhaps a first age after prehistory, and simply a city still been in contact with a deeper synchronicity, as the Little Owl lived its integrated urban life as a sacred and protected animal through the city streets symbolising a personification of wisdom: a last cry from a distance of age rather than a first symbol of civilisation.
AJM 23.06.20
High potential? Parents want to know
Psychological examinations are increasingly common to identify gifted children. It’s a trend that hides a complex reality, as gifted children can also be prone to failure.
Enéa gets good marks. But she disturbs the class, talks a lot and complains often. This situation surprises her mother, Stéphanie Laurent. At home, this seven-year old schoolgirl from Lausanne is quiet, responsible and not the type to bother others. What’s wrong? School. Enéa is bored. A teacher friend advised Stéphanie Laurent to enter her daughter for tests to determine whether she was “high potential”. And the result came back positive.
High potential (HP) children are referred to as gifted or precocious. They are sometimes compared with child prodigies, which is one reason for the increase in requests for psychological examinations. “Interest in these tests is growing,” states Pierre Fumeaux, a child psychiatrist at Lausanne University Hospital who is currently conducting a study on the subject. “A few years ago when parents or teachers had to deal with a difficult student, they would ask the doctor if the child was hyperactive. Now the term ‘high potential’ has taken centre stage in the media.” Contrary to popular belief, gifted is not always synonymous with success. High potential children can also be prone to failure.
A different brain
To be diagnosed as “HP”, an individual has to obtain a score of at least 130 on IQ tests. “But the score isn’t enough,” explains Claudia Jankech, a psychotherapist in Lausanne specialised in child and teenager psychology. “We also need to understand their family and social context and their personality.”
Surprisingly, a high number of HP children have trouble in school. “When it’s too easy for them, they get used to being on autopilot,” says the psychologist. “They’ve never learnt how to learn.” These difficulties are partly due to what specialists call arborescent thinking. “Normal people develop logical reasoning through linear, sequential thinking. However, the thought process in HP children is like fireworks exploding with ideas and impressive intuition. They can solve complex equations but will have difficulty explaining how they came up with the answer,” explains Pierre Fumeaux.
Surprisingly, a high number of HP children have trouble in school. “When it’s too easy for them, they get used to being on autopilot,” says the psychologist. “They’ve never learnt how to learn.”
Studies suggest that HP children’s brains function differently. Information moves better between the two cerebral hemispheres. “We assume that they use both their left and right brains easily and have excellent abilities in both logic and creativity,” says the child psychiatrist. “Other work has shown that HP children can more easily juggle with concepts and think in the abstract, such as performing mental calculations. “In a functional MRI, a dye is injected to highlight the areas of the brain with the highest blood flow.
Using a scanner, we can then see which areas are activated,” Pierre Fumeaux explains. “A stimulus or given task will activate certain areas of the brain in normal individuals. In HP children, sometimes several larger areas are activated at the same time,” he adds. These indicators help doctors understand how an HP mind works. “But our knowledge in neuroscience remains limited,” the researcher admits. “Being high potential is not an illness, but a special cognitive ability. And that’s not a priority for researchers.”
INTERVIEW: “The methods of diagnosis are debatable”
In a survey conducted on gifted children, the French sociologist Wilfried Lignier noted that specialists do not agree about the tests designed to diagnose giftedness.
In Vivo You observe that most gifted children don’t have difficulty in school or psychological problems. Why then do parents have them take tests?
Wilfried Lignier These parents are very concerned that their children will face difficulties, whereas they actually have every chance of success. They think that the school’s assessment is not enough. Psychology offers greater legitimacy for their concerns.
IV You approach giftedness as a “debated and debatable” issue. Why?
WL Many psychologists don’t recognise giftedness mainly because they doubt the credibility of IQ tests. These tests are meant to assess something other than academic skills, but in form they are quite similar to the exercises performed in school. Furthermore, children also have this impression. After the test is over, some say that they did well in the “maths” section, referring to the logical reasoning, or the “language” section, referring to the vocabulary. Being so similar to exercises done in school, these tests contradict the idea that intelligence isn’t the same as academic performance. Yet most of the social repercussions expected from test results are based on the idea that they tell a truth that school does not.
IV You show that the diagnosis swings in favour of one gender. How do you explain that high potential is more often diagnosed in boys?
WL Parents tend to express greater concern about their future, as it more readily carries their hopes of upward social mobility. The fact that boys have greater chances of having “symptoms”, such as openly expressing their boredom or not being able to stay still, also plays a role.
Hyper-sensitivity
HP children also typically have emotional characteristics featuring high sensitivity or a high level of empathy. Stéphanie Laurent’s two other children, boys, have also been diagnosed as high potential. “Nathael, age six, cries at Christmas because poor people are cold and have nothing to eat.” His hyper-sensitivity distresses him. “It can take on huge proportions. At one point, Mathys, age eight, felt unreasonable fear because he knew that there was a core on fire at the centre of the earth.” Myriam Bickle Graz, a developmental paediatrician at Lausanne University Hospital who wrote a thesis on the subject, says, “The children seen at consultations were often overwhelmed by their emotions. For some, it was incredibly difficult; they have no filter,” she explains. “The fear of death, for example, comes very early.” They develop symptoms such as anxiety, sleep disorders, strained relationships with other children and aggression.
THE HAPPIEST HP CHILDREN ARE THOSE WHO ARE NOT IDENTIFIED AS SUCH AND MANAGE TO ADAPT.
As in the Laurent family, there are often several gifted siblings. “Not all siblings are necessarily going to be HP, but there is a certain degree of genetic heritage. However, that hasn’t been proven scientifically,” explains Myriam Bickle Graz. “It remains a clinical observation.”
Although some high potential children suffer, the majority of them lead normal lives. As summed up by Pierre Fumeaux, “the happiest HP children are those who are not identified as such and manage to adapt.”
Arborescent thinking deploying in several directions, simultaneously, extremely fast and without boundaries. While it is a important source of creativity, it also implies: Difficulties to identify relevant information; all these thoughts in all directions may be confusing when the child is faced with a question, a problem or a task at school, An absolute need to organise these thoughts within a sturdy frame so that the child feels affectively, emotionally and socially secure. A “global” information processing system, with analogic and intuitive thinking. While it enables a very rich and deep understanding, with photographic memory, it also implies: Serious difficulties to adapt to the traditional schooling systems which treat information in details and sequentially (one thing after the other), An inability to develop arguments or justify their reasoning. Gifted children usually can’t explain their results, they consider the answers obvious, they know intuitively. The necessity to use in parallel the traditional school learning methods and their own knowledge aquisition systems; they do not want to feel useless, rejected or stupid. A thinking mode that needs meaning to function and complexity to develop and bloom. While it is an endless source of information data stored in an exceptional memory, it also implies: Difficulties or even refusal to acquire skills or information which they consider useless, too simple or not exciting enough to justify their attention and efforts, Constant challenges of established rules and norms, to satisfy their needs for meaning, To “learn how to learn” while taming their impatience through inventive and stimulating methodologies, with deep enrichment on all subjects. A way of thinking constantly integrating affective aspects of its environment. While it is a rich incentive to learning, it also implies: Frustration, even rejection of some teachers whom they see as incompetent in their teaching methods or behaviours, Excessive, even pathological reactions if these children, who try to master their environment and their variations, cannot find reassurance. They are scared by what they do not understand and they know, from a very young age, many things that they cannot put in perspective due to their short life experience. A need for constant reassurance on their learning progress, with a learning methodology adapted to their needs and offering a long-term continuity and homogeneity, thus reducing affective disruptions as much as possible.
anhugar.wifeo.com/arborescent-way-of-thinking.php A difficulty encountered by many gifed children is the fact that they think in an arborescent way instead of a linear one. The usual teaching methods are linear - when forced to learn in that mode, gifted children need to make a lot of efforts to voluntarily slow-down their “processing” thinking pace.
Arborescent thinking is very adequate for gifted people; it allows them to use all their mental capacities and their knowledge simultaneously. However, it needs to be guided and framed otherwise their thinking takes them far away from the subject of that day.
Here is an example from Jeanne Siaud-Fachin: The teacher gives a spelling test. He dictates “the boat sails on the sea”. The gifted child will initially visualize an image of a boat on the sea before seeing the sentence made of 6 words. Following the image, her thoughts will go in all directions: well, it is not a good idea to sail today because there is a lot of wind are there any people on that boat? my friend Frank owns a boat, he’s lucky but his parents are divorced, that is not fun I hope my parents will never get divorced yet, Frank has twice as many presents for Christmas now that he has 2 homes which reminds me, I have not yet prepared a wish-list for Christmas etc. While the other children have finished writing the initial sentance, the gifted child does not remember it at all and if she’s pressed, she may write the last sentence that went through her head “ I have not yet prepared a wish-list for Christmas ”.
Also
www.talentdifferent.com/la-pensee-en-arborescence-901.htm...
www.asep-suisse.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_docman&am... (pdf) How to help such children overcome their ‘handicap’
From the main link in the title (translated from the French by Google Chrome, I think): Surprisingly, a high number of high potential children have trouble in school. “When it’s too easy for them, they get used to being on autopilot,” says the psychologist. “They’ve never learnt how to learn.” These difficulties are partly due to what specialists call arborescent thinking. “Normal people develop logical reasoning through linear, sequential thinking. However, the thought process in HP children is like fireworks exploding with ideas and impressive intuition. They can solve complex equations but will have difficulty explaining how they came up with the answer,” explains Pierre Fumeaux.
Surprisingly, a high number of HP children have trouble in school. “When it’s too easy for them, they get used to being on autopilot,” says the psychologist. “They’ve never learnt how to learn.”
Studies suggest that HP children’s brains function differently. Information moves better between the two cerebral hemispheres. “We assume that they use both their left and right brains easily and have excellent abilities in both logic and creativity,” says the child psychiatrist. “Other work has shown that HP children can more easily juggle with concepts and think in the abstract, such as performing mental calculations. “In a functional MRI, a dye is injected to highlight the areas of the brain with the highest blood flow.
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American Diner. I would have liked to say "typical", but in the end this one ended up with too many innovative features... Still, I hope it can pass as a late 50´ies diner. Name still to be decided. Suggestions welcome!
But then they send me away to teach me how to be sensible,
Logical, responsible, practical.
And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable,
Clinical, intellectual, cynical.
-- Supertramp, The Logical Song
Welcome in the first BDSM-Escape Room of Headlights
Your patience, logical thinking and your ability to combinate will be proved in this game.
If you want to riddle yourself or to line up your sub is up to you-even if you are not into the whole BDSM stuff- the rooms are not unsolvable.
goal:
is to traverse the rooms, to unravel the mysteries, open doors-find keywords or crack codes. Not everything in a room is necessary but either nothing is insignificant.
look at the rooms and the items well and check first of all if you can hear any sounds (tones and surrounding sounds) because there can be waiting some acoustic riddles at some places.
Are we born understanding that there are some undeniable truths that can never be altered? Are we hard-wired to understand logical algorithms and speak in languages that everyone in the universe can understand, the language of numbers? Or are these ideas imprinted upon our sponge-like minds starting after taking our first breath?
We all start off in this world the same way: as a small insignificant seemingly empty egg. However, we are all equipped with the same powerful language that remains a constant throughout the universe and is the foundation for almost everything in life: math/science. We are all born with a unique intelligence and aptitude towards any number of talents and all we have to do is realize our potential.
I don’t believe that you have to be idolized or written about in books for centuries in order to affect change in the world. There are plenty of anonymous people out there who have made their undeniable mark upon the world; their legacy will never die. These people seem small and insignificant but what they do matters. You don’t have to be a genius to change the world or make a difference; you just have to have the ambition to push for your dreams no matter what comes your way.
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