Human123, Author at Goong Goong

Cherchez la femme, and a man

A battle of the sexes goes on not only in the outside world, but is an intrinsic part of our everyday living and being. Unless you, the reader, came from planets other than Earth, Mars, or Venus.

Science is finding hard evidence of the differences between male and female brains, as described in this article from livescience. They found a major distinction in how various parts of the most vital organ connect in young brains of male and female participants of the study.

How Men's Brains Are Wired Differently Than Women's — How Men’s Brains Are Wired Differently Than Women’s

My teacher Johwa Choi delved deep into the principle of Eum and Yang in TaeGeukDo training for human completion. The female and male characters are referred to as Eum and Yang, respectively. These concepts are much more general and encompassing than our limited notions of female and male, and are not meant to discriminate or suppress any part of the whole.

Emotions are more like female energy Eum, while thinking, mental energy represents Yang. This system constantly regenerates itself – thoughts generate emotions, emotions serve as a backdrop of thoughts. The landscape is changing dramatically or not changing at all depending on a director’s temperament and his or her ability to refresh the scene.

At times it feels like the system is having a life of its own, and the only way to be free of it is to pass out or go to sleep. Have you ever felt that way? I sure have. In meditation, a common practice it to let the thoughts flow, which in my understanding is solving the yang problem with the eum treatment, being non-judgmental and observing calmly. What should we do about emotions then? It depends. They are much harder to recognize than thoughts. They, too, can be further categorized as positively (yang) or negatively (eum) charged.

My job requires me to use a lot of yang energy, mental energy. It is easy to get engrossed in it, especially when I have to deliver on tight deadlines. After a while I lose awareness of my body – sloppy posture, shallow breathing, clouded judgment. I start feeling tension, tiredness, fatigue, lack of energy, and work becomes a burden. My body is sending me the signals; my Eum is saying – don’t forget me, I am here. It urges me to take care of it. I go to a private room and do some stretching, deep breathing, meditation for about 15 minutes. I feel entirely refreshed and ready to take on the next challenges. This is the power of Eum and Yang’s harmonious symbiosis, the heterosexual romance of the mind and body.

Back to basics: Uncomplicate the self

3 Comments / Brain Have Fun / By Human123

Driven to get to the bottom of the highly sophisticated system of high frequency trading and find an answer to a seemingly simple question – what happened to the U.S. stock market? – Flash Boys from a recent bestseller by Michael Lewis inspire and remind us that it is possible to keep integrity, honesty, and passion in the unlikeliest of places – the Wall street.

The last chapters provide insight on the danger of large complex systems, big data, and desire to succeed at all costs. The companies that were able to exploit the market built these complex structures using top talent in order to manipulate the data, the market, and society at large.

Complexity and simplicity, sophistication and simplemindedness – we all possess these traits and tendencies within ourselves. A human being is a microcosm of all that is familiar and all that is mysterious, with an unending flow of information – physical and chemical processes, mental and emotional constructs, and an unrelenting desire to thrive almost at any cost.

My teacher Master Johwa says in his book: “You are so complicated because there is you, there is you who wants to become one with you, there is the true you, and there are others as well. You are so complex.” When I drift away from my true self far enough, I start struggling – my mood is down, I am having more negative thoughts, becoming more judgmental, stubborn, closed. I know what I need to do – meditate, but I try to manipulate myself into making excuses – I am so tired, I did such a great job today and I deserve the rest, I just want to relax. However, I have been doing it long enough to know that I am rigging my own system and no matter what I tell myself, I know the truth. One evening I was tired and I knew I had to do it, but I said – let me lie down for a little and then I will meditate. I asked myself out loud before drifting to sleep – Do you want enlightenment or do you want comfort? Loosing consciousness to sleep was my answer on that evening. Despair not, a next day comes with new opportunities and challenges.

With varying success I land myself on a meditation cushion at the end of the day and I sit quietly. I sit and I struggle. All the residues of the day come to me, emotions I did not want to attach to as long as I did – good or bad, thoughts I did not invite. After a while the chatter subsides, my breathing gets deeper, and the magic begins. I can’t explain precisely how and why it works, but it works every time. Some days are so good and deeply satisfying, especially when I experience the timeless time phenomenon and an hour of meditation feels like 15 minutes. But even on days when I am not able to go deep, I still notice the healing effects – shoulder and neck pain disappears, chest becomes open, and head is much clearer.

Unlike the ending in Flash Boys, I would like to close with hopeful suspense. I look forward to a day when this becomes effortless and I live as my true self every single moment. That day may be far or near, or it may not even come in this lifetime. Nevertheless, I am getting all these benefits anyway – becoming happier, joyful, loving, and peaceful.

What if every human being assumes a personal responsibility of coming back to basics, to the true harmony within?

“Just living is not enough,” said the butterfly, “one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” – Hans Christian Andersen