Becoming Wise - Krista Tippett

I liked Krista Tippet's earlier book Speaking of Faith , so I was pleased to find Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living at my local library. Krista shares her life lessons and combines these with the vast experience of over 400 conversation partners from 2003 to 2015.

She separates her book into Words, Flesh, Love, Faith, and Hope. In the Word chapter she speaks out against forcing people to find consensus where none exists. Instead she advocates finding the crack where there can be an honest discussion about differences. She describes individuals working on opposite sides of the abortion debate honestly trying to understand each others position without being forced to agree.

In Love, she advocates agape love born out of compassion but not pity. One of her interview subjects describes Tonglen mediation without naming it. She develops compassion for others who are sharing her pain and sends out love to them with a deep shared understanding.

In Faith, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks talks about the surprising relevance of the prophet Isaiah to Martin Luther King. Words from over 2,700 years ago from Chapter 40 have the power move an individual. He also quotes W.H. Auden, "We must love one another or die." He is hopeful that the power to destroy each other over are difference can be held in check through the power of love.

With all of the different voices in this book I found it difficult to grab on to a specific idea. The diversity of thoughts and opinions make for a challenging read but worthwhile in the quest for wisdom.

Krista Tippet - Becoming Wise - 6 min. 

Tools for becoming wise - 6 min. 

An evening on being with Krista Tippet - 56 minutes

Chernobyl Herbarium - fragments of an exploded consciousness by Michael Marder and Anais Tondeur

Radiographic photos by Anais Tondeur from the book the Chernobyl Herbarium

Michael Marder and Anais Tondeur use words and photos to describe the aftermath of the nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl in their short book, Chernobyl Herbarium - fragments of an exploded consciousness 

As a child, Mr Marder's parent moved him to a seaside resort near Chernobyl to improve his respiratory condition.  He spent time unaware of his exposure to radioactive fallout. The irony of the event and the years taken from him by this unfortunate circumstance fuels his writing.

He expresses anger at the Soviets for covering up the problem. He bemoans the scarring of the earth creating toxic zones to fuel the need for energy. He would like us to be more like plants, taking in energy from the sun and converting it for our use.

The hauntingly beautiful plant radiographs by Anais Tondeur form a real life example of Buddist Tonglen meditation as described by Michael Marder. The plants take in the pain of the world and breath out a beautiful radioactive light. 

Inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone, researchers are observing this post apocalyptic experiment to determine if humans or radioactivity are more harmful to animal and plant life. Thirty years after the accident National Geographic reviewed the effects of the Chernobyl exclusion zone on wildlife.

Chernobyl Nature 30 year later - National Geographic - 3 min.

Jim Beasley Chernobyl Wildlife - TED talk - 15 min.

Chernobyl Zone - 30 years after the disaster - 25 min. 

Preventing Chronic Pain - A Human Systems Approach - Coursera - Dr. James Fricton

The Seven Realms - from the  on-line class on Preventing Chronic Pain 

Just finished taking U of Minnesota professor Dr. James Fricton's Coursera on-line class Preventing Chronic Pain - A Human Systems Approach. This course provides a 360 view of chronic pain focused on a transformative model of health care. In this model the patient is not a passive receptor of medical care but takes responsibility for 80% of the success of pain management. This requires an integrative approach involving many health care providers for complex cases and training of patients to adapt the habits to prevent chronic pain or manage the effects of chronic pain on their life.

The ten week self-paced course includes two lessons each week with video lectures a discussion question and a brief multiple choice quiz that requires an 80% passing grade. At the end of each lecture a colleague interviews Dr. Fricton about a portion of the The Last Scroll book that deals with the topic covered in the lectures.

Dr. James Fricton wrote this romantic suspense book, The Last Scroll: A Novel, to highlight the seven realms that people need develop and foster to have a healthy life. The book starts in Minnesota and then shifts to Italy where researchers are uncovering the secrets of recently uncovered Dead Sea Scroll.

Several guest lecturers drill down on topics related to pain and nerve response in the peripheral and central nervous system. The relative effectiveness of various pain medications for different types of pain are covered. After separate lectures on headaches and fibromyalgia, a summary lecture explores the overlap of multiple chronic pain disorders.

Lecturers discuss the close relationship between physical injury and psychological stress to pain response. The discussion on referred myofascial pain improved my understanding of how a pressure point in one part of the body can trigger pain at a location far from the source.

Lectures also cover nutrition, exercise, guided meditation, safe practices and ergonomics. The ergonomic program fits into my current role at the University. We posted stretching exercises designed by graduate students in kinesiology to reduce the likelihood of injury on the job.

At the end of the course Dr Fricton interviews individuals from various disciplines practicing in the field of pain management. He also offers his vision for a system of transformative health care, that improves patient outcomes, improves coordination of care, and reduces costs.

Dr. James Fricton - Transformative Care - 5 min.

Pain, the nervous system, patient control, and the 7 realms - 4 min. 

Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World by Eric Metaxas

My basic understanding of Martin Luther came from confirmation classes held at my rural Lutheran Church. We covered his 95 theses and Luther's concern over the Catholic Church's sale of indulgences used to shorten or end time in purgatory. Eric Metaxas book, Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World, brings the level of detail on Martin Luther's life to a very granular level.

For example: archaeologists have recently excavated the childhood home of Martin Luther. From the animal bones at the garbage pit by the house they could determine the kinds of food they ate and infer the relative level of wealth in the family. Luther's health problems are also described in painful detail. See several stories about kidney stones.

This book would make a great series on Netflix or Amazon with Luther remaining just barely one step ahead of Roman Empire and Catholic Church authorities wanting to burn him at the stake. The plague would suddenly appear in a town cutting lives short. Many people also die for the cause or die too young. His story includes rescues, romance, and excellent verbal jousting with colorful insults.

As a writer and debater Luther stood well above others at his time. His combined knowledge of the bible, Greek and Latin gave him an advantage over many other other monks and priests who only read biblical commentaries based on the poorly translated Latin Vulgate bible. When facing his accusers he was required to give his opening remarks and answer questions in both Latin and German.

The development of the printing press allowed Luther's voluminous writings to receive a wide distribution. Printers were happy to sell his books and translations as he did not request royalties for his work. Luther also lost control of how his work was used and deliberate misinterpretations of his writing were used to fuel a violent peasant rebellion which provoked an equally violent quashing of the rebellion by the nobles.

In the 20th Century, Nazis plucked some of Luther's later antisemitic writing in a tract to justify the systematic killing of over 6 million Jews. These particular writings conflicted with Luther's earlier and later writings on the subject. When people wish to do evil to people who are different than themselves they will use anything at their disposal to accomplish it.

We have Luther to thank for bibles in the pews at church, congregational singing (he composed several hymns), and services preached in the language of the common people. He also fostered a climate of freedom to question authority with the all the positive and negative consequences.

Eric Metaxas on Martin Luther - 56 minutes

Conversation with Eric Metaxas about Martin Luther - 93 minutes

Mayo Clinic: The Science of Integrative Medicine - The Great Courses

Science of Integrated Medicine

The Mayo Clinic's The Science of Integrated Medicine - The Great Courses is available for purchase from the Great Courses, Amazon or from the Great Courses Signature Collection through Amazon Prime.

This course is a good complement to The Science of Natural Healing course. The instructor, Brent A. Bauer, MD, takes the class on a guided tour of the evidence based information for best practices in integrative medicine.

He covers the various dietary supplements with noting the concerns about side effects and the cross reactions with many prescription medications.

I was surprised that he was not a big proponent of yoga as a form of exercise. Studies that he cited only showed minimal benefit. The downside of yoga is the high rate of injury due to the awkward poses required for some of the more advanced classes. I discussed this with several people after I took this class and found many of them reporting yoga related injuries or chronic pain. Dr. Bauer recommended Tai Chi or Qigong instead as the list of benefits was extensive, in particular cardiovascular, with very little downside.

The Science of Integrated Medicine - 2 min.

Mayo Clinic Integrated Medicine Overview - 2 min. 

Mayo Clinic Radio - Integrative Medicine - 19 min. 

Dr. Bauer on Complementary and Integrated Medicine - 54 min.