Just imagine “the box” is your brain. That one eventually tends to “start working outside the box, ” whilst still attached to all those things of science boxed?

I mention a issue about “deep play” that is extremely important in context of trying to find that right word. While trying to find it, there must be this emotive attachment. It is about the process itself. It had to touch a “physical domain in the brain” for it to be retrievable, and holds vast importance? After that you own it. You reflect it?

You might say “do not trust this flash of insight” (Hirameki seems like a good word to me as well) from daily workings? It is an intuitive process, so “working it” after having it is extremely important. You have “defined the position” from which your are now seeing?

According to one view, a koan embodies a realized principle, or law of reality. Koans often appear paradoxical or linguistically meaningless dialogs or questions. The ‘answer’ to the koan involves a transformation of perspective or consciousness, which may be either radical or subtle, but not to be confused with the experience of metanoia in Christianity. They are a tool to allow the student to approach enlightenment by essentially ’short-circuiting’ the logical way we order the world. In order to try to answer these often unanswerable problems, the thinker may be forced to create new mental pathways. Those pathways then may be useful for other problems, thus producing a “mind expansion” effect.

One may say that it changes the “total perspective” so that in itself you have become a model of, the model worked. By example, a Koan holds something of “schematic value?” It leaves some thoughts “about the process in itself.”

It’s sort of like creating an “open doorway,” to new avenues of thought capable. It is not “mystical by nature.” It just is. New routes to the math never before seen?

Things can be conducive to it I think, yet in the practise of the koan, is it about “knowing how deep one has to go?” A lot of stimuli can make it difficult for some, while “selective stimuli” can be found conducive in my opinion. Sitting by a river perhaps. The right Music in the background. Finding thought process in absences of our working day?

Those in the beginning may have to take the time to find that place in themself first and such stimuli may be counter productive. Listen to your own heart beat. How slow can it go and what does it reflect of what is happening with you? One had to calm the waters before you can see into it’s depths? This has an “emotive valuation” to it?

Cheers!

Hirameki.

I think I have found my word!

Thank you very much.

-cvj

In Japanese language there is a word ‘hirameki’- mental lightening. It describes a moment when suddenly every single cell in your whole being is turned on by piercing insight or creative scintillation. It adds the jolting sensation to ‘eureka’. It may not be as deep as ‘quale’, but more intuitive.

The error was in the first line:

“You laughed when I said
the positive ions were jumping
around in the air.
Yet could you explain the crackling
of the atmosphere -
the way space took shape
and became alive?”

We were walking on the beach - it should have been negative ions. And he was an artist and wasn’t laughing because I was wrong, but because he didn’t know any better and it sounded silly. Gee, nineteen years to fix a mistake in a poem!

Too bad I can’t post the whole poem (it has not-for-public-consumption type of details), because it leads to the inexplicability of paintings and words to describe certain thoughts, in this case it was desire. How does one paint desire? But the whole notebook is rather interesting, at least to me right now, and I thank you Clifford and Supernova for leading me on a rather circuitous route to realizing some things. See what unknown ways a blog can touch someone?

Now I shall go back to freefalling…from leaving my job. Thanks again.

(I could not control the spacing between “shape” and “and became alive?” I don’t know how to fix it.)

I will say regarding these moments, that there are terms for them, and I recall a poem I wrote many years ago about “synaptic moments.” There’s also Spalding Gray’s “Swimming to Cambodia” topic of his “perfect moment.” These are similar in ways, because both signify the moment when “things come together” in your mind.

In order for that to happen there has to be a “psychological moment” defined by Webster’s as:

Main Entry: psychological moment
Function: noun
: the occasion when the mental atmosphere is most certain to be favorable to the full effect of an action or event (wait for the psychological moment to present a bold proposal)

I would say more, but it’s hard to be eloquent or thorough during work. But again, it’s nice to know someone had an issue with “misled”…the Internet is a big place. I need to go find that poem…thanks for reminding me.

By “causes and implications” I was trying to communicate that I felt the moment was not only the realization of a misconception, but also an experience that illuminated many other aspects of my life. It had something to do with the fact that I was a fast and voracious reader as a young child, and often read words before I heard them pronounced. It had something to do with the verbal puzzles and wordplay that fascinated me (and that I still enjoy — despite being a scientist, I’m much better at remembering words and letters than numbers, and can manipulate them in my head much more easily). It made me wonder what other words were out there that I was reading incorrectly and whether anyone else had ever made that mistake (I later met a friend who told the same story, so I suspect it’s not uncommon). And it made me think about words that don’t exist in English, but should — “misle” had some connection with “miser” in my mind, and connoted something meaner and sneakier to me than “mislead.”

“Aha” indeed.

Thanks for those thoughts. I must get around to reading that book one day.

I have not looked over at CV for a while. Will look for the article you mention and get back to you if there is anything to say. May take a day or two as I’ve just come back from a trip and have a backlog of things to do.

Cheers,

-cvj

BTW CVJ. what is your take on the ‘cult of genius’ debate currently raging over at your old stomping ground over at Cosmic Bariance?

“At some point I made the connection, realizing my error along with all its causes and implications.”

What do you think the causes and implications were? I’d very much like the favor of a reply, thank you.

-cvj

This is kind of a “Zen-like” or “smooth” or “connected” feeling.

My favorite example is when I NAIL an ILS approach - totally on the localizer and the glideslope, making the only infinitesimally necessary changes to maintain the cross section of both, and being on the right time sequence and doing it seemingly effortlessly and it all just works, me and the plane and the approach and the runway coming up and ATC, etc.

Sara T.
(noticing once again when I’ve not flown for a few weeks I talk about it alot more!)

I’ve been lucky enough to have a few scientific “aha” moments too, and the feeling is amazingly addictive. I sometimes think we all became scientists simply in order to chase that feeling! “Serendipity” is another term that captures some of its aspects, but certainly not all.

All I can say is, you ain’t no Mick Jagger because you certainly can get satisfaction.

Wow… I derive immense satisfaction from singing along with “I can’t get no satisfaction.” I didn’t realize how weird that was until now…

Cheers,

-cvj

Also, I’m with Feynman — self-gratification, and the Feeling, can be useful, but that’s not why we do them.

Out of curiousity, what were your other four top favourite feelings?

–IP

well, we all have to do stuff we hate, but I see what you mean. By ‘making the difference’ I didn’t mean to say the rest isn’t important. But I’d also like to mention that what we do on our ‘job’ isn’t it. The German word for profession is ‘Beruf’ which means actually more a ‘calling’ or so. I’ve always thought this applies to far more than what-you-do-to-pay-the-rent. It’s more about finding your place in the world, but that doesn’t have to be in your job.

I’ll have to sound a word or two of caution there. There’s a ton of absolutely vital stuff out there that’s being done by people who hate doing it, but have little choice. We must not forget.

As for the cows… yes, they are brilliant. And don’t forget the various painted cows that you can find on the sidewalks of various cities…. “cows on parade”. I used to love those. Are they still happening, or did that all stop?

-cvj

Evolution doesn’t work unless the happiness of one is tuned to the progress and well-being of the whole. It’s without any doubt that those of us who genuinely love their job are the ones that make the difference.

… sorry, can’t resist:

“Physics is like sex: sure, it may give some practical results, but that’s not why we do it.” — Richard P. Feynman

@Amara: Thanks for the cows :-), it did make me laugh. (Sometimes these comment section surely drift off into the absurd, so I’ll try to avoid more free association).

Best,

B.