Romeo + Juliet

 

The movie adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet by Baz Luhrmann is a unique and unconventional take on the classic play. It features his signature extravagant style and colorful visuals while staying true to the original story. The setting is modern-day Los Angeles, and the characters wield guns instead of swords while using Shakespearean language, including words like "thee" and "thy," typically found in English poetry classes. One of the most iconic scenes from the play is the balcony scene, where Romeo and Juliet secretly meet despite the obstacles in their way. This scene has been cited by cognitive scientist Steven Pinker as an example of the brain's ability to find solutions when faced with challenges, especially when fueled by hormones such as testosterone. 
 

Well, let's see if I can connect my love for Baz movie and biology. Biology has its uniqueness, and despite biological systems following the principles studied in physics, chemistry, and math, they require a separate discipline to study living things. To quote Mark Latash, "If I park my car in the garage and come back the next day or a month later, it will be in the same place (if it hasn't been stolen). However, if I leave a living dog or frog, it will move in whichever direction it wants." This illustrates the need for biology as a distinct discipline and some unique characters.  
 

Off to the next part of the story.  Biological subsystems are most of the time redundant. One of the redundant structures we read in college is the circle of Wills. For my one non-PT reader it is a description of the blood circulation of the brain. You will see redundancy in the motor system to the respiratory system. We also read there may be latent pathways of the central nervous system also. What are you getting at- come to the point you- I Hear you 
 

When a biological subsystem is affected, the redundancy and healing mechanisms come into play, and the system finds a solution to avoid losing vital chemicals and keep millions of mitochondria functioning. Even if a blood vessel is clogged, it does not mean that the cells will be deprived of nutrients and oxygen. The system becomes like Romeo in search of Juliet and finds alternate pathways to ensure the cells' survival. This is like how we adapted during the SWD work when the whole of Chennai was like Takeshian castle, finding alternate routes to reach our destinations. The system is quite robust. This is for joint denegation gang, the joint is not in the right alignment gang, the muscle is not in the right length, the upper cross moron gang. The system is robust. 
Pray then how do we get diseases.  

All the systems have an upper limit. It is not the great Vadivelu. It must give away. That's what is when the system takes us into a” disease” or a sudden event (heart attack or brain attack). As the system is complex it is difficult to” predict” when that will happen. yearly screening for breast cancer, ”whole body checkup” is just a scam to get money from healthy people formulated by people who were tired of waiting for sick people. 
 

PS- if you have not seen Bazs Romeo + Juliet, you need to watch it for 2 reasons

1. a young Decaprio 2. just for the beautiful Shirley Manson singing Crush- just beautiful and soul crushing when she says- i will die for you Love Hariohm

 
 

learning- no one comprehends what they read

Learning can sometimes feel like a self-centered activity because it provides a sense of validation and accomplishment. However, it's also important for keeping the mind engaged and preventing it from becoming overwhelmed. Everyone has their own preferred methods of learning, and for me, watching and reading are the most effective ways to absorb new information. 

Observing oneself and others can be a valuable way to learn about human behavior and interactions. However, for I have an aversion towards human interaction, this method can pose a challenge. It can be difficult to honestly inquire about oneself and recognize personal faults or mistakes, as it's often easier to convince oneself that they did the best they could or shift blame onto others. Nonetheless, self-reflection and self-awareness are important tools for personal growth and development, and can lead to more fulfilling and positive relationships with others.

For me Reading is certainly be a more accessible way to learn, especially for those who may have difficulty with human interaction or observation. With advancements in technology, computer animations and simulations can also provide a visual representation of complex concepts and help enhance the learning experience. However, it's important to remember that reading and watching can only take you so far - practical application and real-world experience are also crucial for fully understanding and mastering a subject.. 

I started reading about PT, real PT not the shit they teach you in college, after i finished my UG. PG as we all know is just a club where you come, play, eat and chat- no learning. 

So lets start the blog- how to learn. Well remember when you read- you cannot comprehend many things. When i say the system has emergent property and the movements and emotions emerge- many of you many not understand. I did not. When i first listened to the lectures of Robert sapolsky i did not comprehend. I kept on. When i read the book "choas" which was a suggestion by robert- i did not comprehend many parts. I kept on. When i read and listen to David Chalmers talk about   hard problem and easy problem- i started understanding it better. Still more reading of works of skeven pinker (How the mind works by Pinker), and David Dennets books- I  still did not comprehend the whole book- but you start understanding the issues of brain better. You keep on reading from connectomes to philosophy. The brain starts to do its magic. It starts to put all these information in a organized fashion. It starts to "see", it starts forming synapses, connections and neurons. It starts to comprehend what i read. It starts to see the pattern in all these information. 

Someone asks a question or i want to show off what I learnt- the brain makes my speech flow with all these information and makes its understandable in words to others. Well the brain thinks others understand- of course many dont as it has not yet organized it properly and unable to communicate properly. More time goes- it starts to learn more- it starts to communicate better. Still not good enough as Denelzil says- explain to me as though i am a  6year old in Philadelphia -I am unable to explain it. 

But the brain seems to have some clarity. It makes connections with these complex weird ideas to my patients and to the "self". 

It slowly removes the mist in the seeing eye, the brain is learning.

So whats with all the show off and name dropping, you ask?  Well my young friends- if you are reading you cannot comprehend everything. When you are reading, it is normal to not comprehend everything immediately. Learning takes time, so it's important to keep going even if you don't understand something at first. Don't get discouraged if you don't understand everything in one go, because no one does. The key is to persist and keep reading, allowing your brain the time it needs to comprehend the material. It's important to remember that everyone's brain is the same, whether you went to a great school or not. The difference is in the determination to keep learning. By continuing to read and learn, you are allowing your brain to change and grow, because the brain changes with what we do.

So what did i learn from all these books- can i share it as though i am saying it to a 6 year old
The human system is complex system which can do beautiful things from knowing the barracuda is frying in the pan before you enter the house and know it tastes good.  When you sit to eat it- it know how to take it from the plate to you mouth even when you are watching "reels" with so much competence. How does it do? we dont know- its a very hard problem and difficult to solve. 
But at the same time we know the beautiful human system is a beautiful machine without a "designer". The system does do things competently without any comprehension. It does not need to understand how to do it- it will do it.
I know it is not understandable - but as usual i can understand.

Love

Hariohm

Self control

 Self control is sort of a vague term. It can mean different things to different people. The theories regarding those is also context specific. Theories on what it is, what are the components are many and very interesting.

 I believe one of the things which can be cultivated and can learned is that, I remember when i lose my self control- i spiral out of control- losing my self, leading to more lose of self control. Well, the brain can learn- so we can learn self control. I think Sidharth was correct in many aspects of Psychology - from our sensory organs dont give us correct picture to self control. 

So what part if self control do i have to improve to be successful. Again you can define success as you like it.  So what do i have to learn to control- delay gratification. If you want you can google marshmallow effect . The experiment was replicated in different cultures and seem to have got the same results.

Marshmallow experiment is a funny experiment- you give a child a marshmallow and say- if  you eat it after a certain amount of time (say 15 minutes) you will get another or more. The researcher leaves the room. Most of the child just eat eat them. some after sometime of looking at it. Some children have patience- and dont eat it. Well these children develop into do better in life. 

This self control of not looking for instant satisfaction- joined phd , tell them you have to plan for 2 years to plan the study, you know people who dont do it- are key board phds. looking for short cuts- dont worry your success if going to come through other ways, we are a very corrupt society so we can achieve success also through other means. But if you want to succeed with a different definition- delay your gratification. 

There are many parts to self control- but this is one important factor and i think it can be learned and taught to our children. Well, in the middle age i dont know how many in my age group can learn- but our children can be taught. But please note- one factor of a complex phenomenon- the self control.

I think when we buddha said, there is no self and if we can get a epiphany there is no sense - i think self control is easy. That guy had some wonderful insights than any other human- well may be darwin.

o, the tea is read- i cant delay that- cold tea is just ehhhh   

Self esteem

 I lost my self esteem some years back. It is a by- product of depression and well depression and self are in a vicious circle. The influence each other and make it worse. It is not that, it is always in the low- it feels like a cyclic weather. It goes up, down, plateaus and then it rains- thats the worst period- not the weather. 

I am reading and learning more and about these things and learnt something new and interesting. People with high self esteem, well as we assume over estimate what they can do- well i never did, probably my self esteem was not always high in the first place. Some of my friends have pointed out i have always been afraid to be "positive". I could not believe- well it seems so true.

The advantage of depression is - "we" see the world for what it is. We dont over estimate. We see the true picture it seems. What a depression thing isnt it. The POV from my mind when i am depressed is sometimes bleak. I see the world as a horrible place where we are all hunting each other- well thats the true picture isnt it. 

If you think you have a higher self  esteem- you are lucky - you may be more happier. But that does not guarantee any success.  People have pointed out i always see the "flaw" in what they try. I dont encourage them. Well- sadly thats true. I dont- I rarely something positive about what people have achieved- this is relation to PT and all walks of life- hahaha. One of the reasons i hate all politicians, I am assuming (cant stop writing in passive voice). I usually or have rarely said positive things about people achievement. It may stem from my bleak way of seeing the world, but also i am not impressed that easily. That includes what i think i have achieved- weather real or perceived. It seems I like to ruin self esteem of people.

I used to have high self-esteem, but it was lost as a result of depression. This depression and self-esteem are intertwined, influencing each other and making things worse. It's like a cyclic weather pattern that goes up, down, plateaus, and then crashes. The worst part is when it rains.

I have been learning more about these topics and discovered that people with high self-esteem are often assumed to overestimate their abilities. But this was not the case for me, as I never overestimated my abilities, which suggests that my self-esteem was never really high to begin with. My friends have pointed out that I have always been afraid of being positive. I couldn't believe it at first, but it seems to be true.

One advantage of depression is that it allows us to see the world for what it is, without overestimating. Our perspective becomes bleak, and we see the world as a terrible place where everyone is hunting each other. Although this may not be a positive viewpoint, it is a true one.

If you have high self-esteem, you are lucky, as it may make you happier. But it does not guarantee success. I have been told that I always see the flaws in others' attempts and rarely say anything positive. This is true in all aspects of my life, including my relationships and my opinions about politicians. I don't like to ruin people's self-esteem, but I rarely praise others' accomplishments, even my own. This may stem from my bleak view of the world, but it also means that I am not easily impressed.

So people have accused that i am ruining the self image of students or PTs. Well guilty as charged. I have tried, but as they say the mouth wants to say the frontal brain is not allowing. There are few people i have said or told in my lectures as PTs who have done good work and achieved professional excellence. The common PTs i have named in many talks are: Cynthia, Prakash and Vasanthan. Sadly Vasanthan has still not achieved what he should.

To achieve something it seems you dont need a good self esteem- it is self control. How true was Siddharth. He said you can learn self control and see the world for what it is. but i am digressing- self control is what makes people achieve. I think the success of Prakash is because of his self control. I know the rejections, the not so moving professional life, not so successful studies- he had the self control not to lose his self and keep on. So if you want to achieve true greatness not some IAP- best PT award or some toilet paper publications - learn self control.

I think the first step is for us to learn whats sef control- lets start       .