Perceiving Reality

Life satisfaction is correlated more to a person’s inward state, than to a person’s outward circumstances. This concept is the key to understanding the science behind happiness. In our culture we often assume that the circumstances of our external world predict our happiness. But in reality, psychologists say if they know everything about ones external world, they can only predict 10 percent of that persons long-term happiness. This means 90 percent of long-term happiness is predicted by the lens through which one sees the external world—not necessarily how it really is.

Reality is relative. In fact, reality may be perceived as different for two people in the same circumstances. Personal reality comes through how one inwardly see the world. My definition of reality is the lens through which the brain views the world. That lens is what shapes individual reality. If we can change our perspective—by changing the lens through which we view the world—we can control our happiness.

Shakespeare

A grand legend through the centuries—William Shakespeare is undoubtedly the most well-known playwright of all time. He was a bit of a mysterious fellow, but we know he was born in England, and most of his plays were performed at the Globe Theatre in London. Shakespeare is credited with lavish praise for shaping modern drama and theatre. His plays remain a widely regarded part of theatre entertainment throughout the modern world.

Love’s Labor’s Lost is one of Shakespeare’s more unique plays. Abundant with quick wittedness and one of Shakespeare’s early comedies, it breaks the norm from his traditional comedic plays because it does not end with marriage.  It was first performed around 1594, and was first printed in 1598. Shakespearian scholars say Love’s Labor’s Lost targets Shakespeare’s most intellectual crowd; perhaps it was written for the entertainment of university students. The play is rich with literary illusions, sophisticated word choice, and contemporary poetic forms. 

The Four Gospels

In studying the four gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke will often record an event that John speaks nothing of; likewise, John will record an event that the other authors speak nothing of. Each book is a whole by itself, and at the same time, each book is also part of the whole, as they come together in the harmony of one book.

Together the four Gospels tell who Jesus was, but they are more testimonies than biographies. They descried the character of Christ more so than the day-by-day story line of his ministry.  The testimonies in the gospels tell who Jesus was, what he said, what he did, and why it was important.

Thoroughly reading the four gospels this semester has brought me to a deeper understanding of his nature. I’ve discovered that it is essential to know of the Lord in order to believe in him. The more I learn of the Savior the deeper the roots of my faith grow.  

Positive Psychology

In a recent Ted Talk, Shawn Achor explained how he studied the happiness of the Harvard freshmen class. He said no matter how happy the students were when they got accepted to Harvard, after the first two weeks of school their brains were focused, not on the privilege of being there, or on their classes. Their brains were instead, focused on the competition, the workload, the hassles, the stresses, and the complaints. The students had forgotten to be happy about the privilege of studying at Harvard.

Achor’s study demonstrates how happiness is correlated to the inward state more than to outward circumstances. This concept is the key to understanding the science of happiness. In our culture we often assume that the circumstances of our external world predict our happiness. But in reality, Achor says “if I know everything about your external world, I can only predict 10 percent of your long-term happiness,” which means 90 percent of long-term happiness is predicted by the lens through which we see the external world. 

The Science of Happiness

I just listened to the most fantastic "Ted Talk," called The Happy way to Better Work. It's about positive psychology and the science of happiness. Below is a portion of my favorite part. Very Enlightening. 

"First, every time your brain has a success, you just changed the goalpost of what success looked like. You got good grades, now you have to get better grades, you got into a good school and after you get into a better school, you got a good job, now you have to get a better job, you hit your sales target, we're going to change your sales target. And if happiness is on the opposite side of success, your brain never gets there. What we've done is we've pushed happiness over the cognitive horizon as a society. And that's because we think we have to be successful, then we'll be happier."

"But the real problem is our brains work in the opposite order. If you can raise somebody's level of positivity in the present, then their brain experiences what we now call a happiness advantage, which is your brain at positive performs significantly better than it does at negative, neutral or stressed. Your intelligence rises, your creativity rises, your energy levels rise. In fact, what we've found is that every single business outcome improves."  

Charity

Charity is a thread woven through all the standard works. Nephi explains charity as the highest, noblest, and strongest kind of love, he defines it as the most joyous to the soul. And Paul’s writings to the Corinthians talk about faith, hope, and charity—and his conclusion is “the greatest of these is charity.” Through Paul’s phenomenal discourse on charity we learn that charity is a state of being, that it isn’t doing more, it’s being more.  

I think of charity as a sign of spiritual refinement. I think charity becomes part of us as we put off the natural man and become a new creature in Christ. Perhaps we become charitable, as we grow closer to Christ, because the more time we spend with him the more his characteristics influence us. It’s the same with happiness; we are all the happiest when we are closest to Heavenly Father. In my opinion this is because he is a radiantly happy being, and the more time we spend communing with him, the more his happiness rubs off on us. 

Merry-Go-Rounds: Solution to Ghana's problem

Problem one: Students in Ghana have no way to do their homework at night because they have no light.

Problem two: Students only have one toy on the playground—a soccer ball.

A group of BYU students found the solution to both problems— a merry-go-round. This merry-go-round is designed specifically to create electricity, so students in Ghana can charge their lamp lights and have light to study in the evenings.

The merry-go-round also solves the second problem. Ghana students can play on the merry-go-round during recess, which powers the generator, which in turn acts as an energy source to lanterns. This allows the students to take the lanterns home so they can study into the evenings.

Professor Shumway of BYU, has visited Ghana several times to teach teachers how the merry-go-rounds works. During his visits to Ghana he usually educates school staff on how to teach students the science behind the magical merry-go-round. Additionally, the education behind the miraculous playground piece serves as a catalyst in getting students to think about the magnificence of science and technology. 

Eating late at Night

Ideas from an Article I Recently Read:

Does it matter how late we eat? Traditionally it is believed that eating late at night isn’t good for the digestive system. An article claims, “Our medical science has repeatedly attempted to show that it shouldn’t matter how late we eat just as long as we are burning the calories.” For example fad diets often say to not eat after 7p.m. but if a person is going to stay up until 12a.m. then it’s necessary to eat late in order to keep the metabolism going.

Eating late affects the body in different ways than eating during the day. “If we consume most of our calories at night, our bodies are not able to process the food as efficiently as they do during the day.” Furthermore, “if we lie down with a belly full of food, we are putting a strain on our system.” Eating habits like this often lead to waking up feeling lethargic.

Kate Killgo

A day in the life of Kate Killgo, a waitress and singer at Babe’s Chicken Dinner House in Dallas, Texas.

Welcome to Babes Chicken Dinner House! Have you been here before? No. Alrighty, let me tell ya how the menu works. All you order is the meat, and all sides come with it. We’ve got seven meats to choose from, you have the option of fried chicken, smoked chicken, chicken fried steak, chicken fingers, fried cat fish, pork spare ribs, and Mama Joe’s roast. For the sides you get all you can eat mashed potatoes, cream corn, cream gravy, green beans, and our vegetable of the day, and since it’s the weekend that black eyed peas!! Everyone’s favorite.

And I HOPE you’re hungry because one servin of fried chicken is half a bird! So loosen your belt buckles folks because we’ve got made from scratch desserts. Prepare to waddle out of here ladies and gentlemen.

*Libel*

In libel cases, the plaintiff has the burden of proof to show that the defendant’s actions satisfy all six elements of libel: (1) The statement must be a statement of fact, (2) the statement must be published, (3) the statement must be “of and concerning” the plaintiff, (4) the statement must be defamatory, (5) the statement must be false, and (6) the defendant must be at fault for the statement. Fault can be established either through intent, which either entails reckless disregard for the truth or actual knowledge of the falsity, or through negligence. If the plaintiff fails to prove any of the six elements, the suit fails.

I just think this is such a funny leaflet! Hahahaha

The following questions and answers are excerpts from the leaflet produced by London Greenpeace:

·What’s the connection between McDonald’s and starvation in the ‘Third World’?

o McDonald's is one of several giant corporations with investments in vast tracts of land in poor countries . . . evicting the small farmers that live there growing food for their own people.

·Why is it wrong for McDonald’s to destroy rainforests?

o McDonald's and Burger King are two of the many US corporations using lethal poisons to destroy vast areas of Central American rainforest to create grazing pastures for cattle to be sent back to the States as burgers and pet food. . .

·How does McDonald’s deliberately exploit children?

o The food they're seduced into eating (the children) is at best mediocre, at worst poisonous.

·In what way is McDonald’s responsible for torture and murder?

o In the slaughterhouse, animals often struggle to escape. Cattle become frantic as they watch the animal before them in the killing-line being prodded, beaten, electrocuted, and knifed.

Super Foods You Should be Eating!

Beans: pinto, navy, Great Northern, lima, garbanzo, lentils, green beans, sugar snap peas, & green peas (labeled vegetarian)

-At least ½ cup serving weakly

Acqui Berries: blueberries, purple grapes, cranberries, boysenberries, raspberries, strawberries, currants, blackberries, & cherries (when in a juice, make sure it’s freshly squeezed and 100% real juice)

-1 to 2 cups daily

 

Broccoli: brussel sprouts, cabbage, turnips, cauliflower &/ collards  -1/2 cup daily

Oats: wheat germ, ground flaxseed & oil, brown rice, barley, wheat, buck wheat, rye, millet, bulger wheat, amaranth, quinoa, triticale, kamut, yellow corn, wild rice, spelt, &  courscous (only eat if contains at least 3 grams of fiber per serving, and is whole grain)   -5 to 7 servings daily

Oranges: lemons, white & pink grapefruit, kumquats, tangerines, & limes   -1 servings daily

Pumpkin: carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, & orange bell peppers   -1/2 cup daily

Wild salmon: Alaskan halibut, canned albacore tuna, herring, trout, sea bass, oysters, & clams   -2 to 4 times weakly

Soy: tofu, soy milk, soy nuts, edamame, tempe, &  miso   -15 grams of soy protein daily

Spinach: kale, collards, swiss chard, mustard greens, turnip greens, bok choy, romaine lettuce,&  orange bell peppers

-1 cup steamed, 2 cups raw, most days

Tomatoes: watermelon, Japanese perimmons, redfleshed papaya, strawberries, guava   -3 to 5 servings weekly

Turkey(skinless breast): skinless turkey breast   -3 to 4 servings weakly

Red Meat: lean cuts   -1 time weakly

Walnuts: almonds, pistachios, sesame seeds, peanuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, pecans, hazelnuts, cashews

-1 ounce, 5 times weakly

Yogurt: (low fat or nonfat varieties, no artificial colors, whey protein listed on label)   -2 cups daily

Where I Come From

I experienced a VERY unique upbringing . . . I was born at home in Little Shasta, CA- population one hundred and sixty (people that is). Little Shasta is nestled in a lush green valley between the Cascade Mountains, and the grand Mt. Shasta, a 14,000 ft volcano. I wouldn’t even consider it a town, it’s more a farming community. There is a two-room school house, a little white evangelical church, a row of mailboxes, and a cemetery. All the houses are spread apart. My house is actually five miles up a dirt road from “the main” part of Little Shasta.

You may ask why in the world my family chose to live in such a place. Well, six generations ago my family purchased land to run cattle on, to feed the California gold miners. So since 1852 the cattle ranch has been passed through the generations. Now my dad runs the operation with his three brothers. Life is slower in Little Shasta. Joy comes from drinking lemonade and watching the sun go down after a long day in the saddle… 

Journal Vent

It’s been a rough week… On Wednesday morning my backpack zipper busted, and I had to carry around my heavy backpack in front of me for the rest of the day. On Wednesday afternoon my computer quite working. I couldn’t type anything without “code errors” popping up, so I took it to the IT desk on the second floor of the Wilk. They said they could fix it, but it would be about five days until it would be ready to pick up. I walked home computerless, noteless (because I take all my notes on my computer), and holding my backpack like a small child…

I called my brother to complain and he said, “Go to rent-a-center on Center Street and rent a computer so you can do your homework.” So I went to rent-a-center, they did a background check like I was a criminal, called all my family members, and charged me up the wazoo. But, at least I had a computer at this point. I started to not feel very well, so I went home and went to bed, hoping to wake up early and start the new day fresh and ready to be productive. That didn’t happen…

I woke up horribly sick. The worst I’ve felt in like a year. I couldn’t even focus on studying. I felt defeated and hopeless, like everything was going against me that week. I knew I needed to put my mood in the right place so I opened my quote book, hoping for an attitude adjustment. I read, “I will not wonder of the success I could have if my situation were different. It is not different and I will make a success with what material I have.” I liked that. I realized the stupid little things I let ruin my day are really quite irrelevant and I am SO blessed. I went on with the rest of the day with a bit of a better disposition J

Destroy Procrastination With Action

It’s the beginning of a new semester and this time around I am going to be my best self. I am a junior now and there is an aspect of school I haven’t mastered yet. Now is the time…

In the past I’ve fallen into the hole of procrastination. Procrastination is a temptation of the evil one and the consequence is misery. Although my grades turned out, the path to getting there was miserable because I was always stressed and cramming. Not to mention I never learn as much when I cram study, run to the testing center, then press delete to the information as soon as I walk down the stairs by the duck pond.

This semester I will destroy procrastination with action. No more will I inflict such horrible experiences upon myself. I will magnify my education. I will complete my work days before it is due. I will work ahead so my life can flow harmoniously. Sweet will be the reward.