Great article about new research on where and how people become geniuses. It’s the nurturing that makes the nature of things.
From the BBC article: Where do athletic and artistic abilities come from? With phrases like “gifted musician”, “natural athlete” and “innate intelligence”, we have long assumed that talent is a genetic thing some of us have and others don’t.
But new science suggests the source of abilities is much more interesting and improvisational. It turns out that everything we are is a developmental process and this includes what we get from our genes.
A friend asked, “How has a vow of poverty manifested itself?”
For the basics like work, job, and belongings: I decided as a teen to strive to work only for good people who are honest and run a business that would not bring harm to others. As an adult I worked for free in a number of businesses, turned down full time employment resulting in job creations for others, and routinely gave away my belongings.
I studied and worked with a group facilitator from 1981 to 1996, assisting, co-facilitating, and facilitating movement based creative and expressive arts therapy groups. I chose to not get paid thus enabling more folks access to the workshops by keeping the cost lower.
In the mid 1980’s I helped someone I barely knew build his house, and sometimes got gas money but was never paid.
Worked at an antique store for 18 years, which was owned by good and kind people. Not a high paying job, but I was paid in learning a new skill (archival framing) and got to handle and see beautiful antique art work.
Chose to not accept full time employment at two different facilities I worked at thus enabling the hiring of 2 more therapists.
Volunteered at various community organizations over the years and occasionally offered workshops for no cost.
Giving away 4 different working vehicles over the years to folks that needed transport. Giving away my belongings to individuals and the Good Will.
Currently I don’t work. My SS is only a bit less than what I was paid as a senior counselor facilitating in/out patient groups.
These decisions were choices that I made to lend support to how I wanted … and yes …. needed to live. To cultivate and keep in mind , heart and body a focused connection with all around me in a prayerful practical way.
Interesting story from USA-NPR. “A new study suggests that people actually don’t use (those kinds of) extreme facial expressions to judge how a person is feeling. Instead, surprisingly, people rely on body cues.”
This, of course is not a surprise to Dance Movement Therapists. 🙂 We are trained to assess peoples feelings based on among other things, their whole body.
This story reminded me of a quote from W.B. Yeats; ““We only believe those thoughts which have been conceived not in the brain but in the whole body.”
In the context of this story I guess it would be: “We only believe those emotions expressed by the whole body and not just the face” R.B. Brunner
Researchers from German universities investigated 25 young adults who limited their phone use to essential tasks for 72 hours, using MRI scans and psychological tests before and after the restriction period. The core finding was that images of smartphones after the restriction triggered changes in brain regions associated with reward processing and cravings, similar to patterns observed in substance addictions. These neural changes were specifically linked to dopamine and serotonin systems, supporting the hypothesis that excessive smartphone use can be addictive. Although brain activity showed these changes, the psychological tests did not register significant changes in the participants’ mood or reported cravings during the brief period of restriction.
Creativity is akin to insanity, say scientists who have been studying how the mind works. Brain scans reveal striking similarities in the thought pathways of highly creative people and those with schizophrenia. Both groups lack important receptors used to filter and direct thought. It could be this uninhibited processing that allows creative people to "think outside the box", say experts from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute. more here BBC News
In the groups that I helped to co-facilitate in the ’80’s and ’90’s … at the end of a long day of movement and processing, folks would just lay down on the floor very close to each other. That was generally referred to as a puppy pile.
Interesting website with oodles of info and graphics expressing said info: Trading Economics provides its users with accurate information for 232 countries including historical data for more than 300.000 economic indicators, exchange rates, stock market indexes, government bond yields and commodity prices. Our data is regularly checked for inconsistencies and based on official sources; with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, central banks and national statistics bureaus being the most important. TradingEconomics.com has received more than 20 million page views from more than 200 countries.
On the 250th anniversary of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations, this episode revisits a book that laid the foundations of modern economics and then considers the tensions between free markets and industrial policy today. It highlights the ways in which specialization and global trade remain powerful drivers of prosperity, reflecting Smith’s insight that self-interest can benefit society when shaped by competition and institutions, while noting the ongoing relevance of his warnings about moral judgment, the rule of law, and resistance to cronyism.
Adam Smith argued that free markets only work when they rely on a foundation of moral sentiment, trust, and ethical behavior—often rooted in justice—to function effectively. While he acknowledged religious frameworks, his focus was on self-interest, justice, and the “invisible hand” within a well-regulated society. [1, 2, 3] Key insights regarding Smith’s views on morality and markets include:
• Moral Foundations: Smith argued that for markets to function, participants must have integrity, as low trust increases transaction costs. • Role of Ethics: His work emphasizes that true capitalism requires justice, not just self-interest, and thrives when there is a level playing field and fair rules. • Justice over Religion: Smith believed that a system of “natural liberty” required a framework of justice to prevent the “master” class from oppressing workers. • Invisible Hand: Smith believed the “invisible hand” works best when individuals, pursuing their own interests, are guided by a societal, and often divine, order. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
I have learned a lot about the Creative Arts and Dance Movement Therapy in particular over many years as first a participant, then co-facilitator, then facilitator. I have come to know the far reaching effects that movement has in discovering one’s own thoughts and feelings. I have come to recognize others feelings by witnessing their movement as well.
In one situation I spend time directing a group of clients to move in ways that expressed relaxation for them. Ten people moving in ten different ways, all expressing the same thing. Later the group shared their experience first with a movement and then with verbal processing. The clients discovered new ways of relaxing and being relaxed by exploring and witnessing others move and share.
We can all learn new ways of moving and being moved by witnessing others. As children we learned patterns of movement from our care givers and from our culture. As adults we add to our developmental movement patterns by incorporating the uniqueness of who we are. As we mature and age, our movement patterns change again to reflect where in our lives we are.
We all move, everyone of us. With our breath, our smiles and frowns, our heart beat, and more. It is what we have in common. It is who we are.
RichardbBrunner 