Confident Performance-- Getting To It

When I am performing, I am rarely satisfied with the result.  What I do, i.e. every performance whether it is riding, golf, pool, or acting, seems to be inferior in some way.  This is because I have an ideal performance in mind and rarely, if ever, achieve it.  This is not true of analytic endeavors, I am confident of my ability to analyze and reach conclusions, agreeable to others or not.  My track record in the analytic arena is very good. 

When finishing an acting effort, whether a monologue or a scene in a  play or movie, I come away thinking that it was not very good because there is no objective measure for me to use for comparison.  There is, by definition, no objective measure of performance; it is always subjective.  Each member of the audience reacts in his own way.  Yet there is an overall feeling about a performance that members of the audience get, it is portrayal of the character in that situation and they discuss it afterwards.  I think it is this discussion phase that bothers me; I care very much what they say.

It is a bit different when participating in golf, pool, or riding; I know right away if my performance was good or not.  There are objective measures for these activities: good hits, sink the ball and gain shape,  clear the jumps in sequence.

“When in a competitive or conspicuous situation, I keep my mind on my objective and stay aware of my surroundings.”  This is one of my daily affirmations and it contains the wisdom necessary for this conundrum.  As has often happened in the past, writing out the feelings and the situation brings forth a conclusion, a prescription for success.

Aha!  The missing ingredient is an objective in every situation where I feel less than comfortable, less than confident.  And this is not just in the overall situation but in each increment of the situation from curtain to applause.

There may be many “beats” to the scene; each one has to have an objective to which it is played.  This is true in all performances, whenever I am engaged in doing anything that involves doing rather than thinking.  Just to be clear, it pertains to riding, golf, pool, and acting.

The art of managing the situation is in the ability to be able to decide on the objective without taking a lot of time to figure it out because when one is living (and acting) at the speed of life, one doesn't have the luxury of sitting back and analyzing the situation as it unfolds.  

A script affords some hints, this is a good thing, but on the stage the action may deviate from the script and spontaneity is required; the scene has to stay on track.  It is the same in the other endeavors, what happens isn't always what was planned so reacting, regrouping, and resetting is required.

The performance of an action may not be perfect and this must be forgiven but having an objective in mind before performing it is paramount.  Constantly minding the objective, reforming it,  and executing the act as consciously as possible will eventually bring the level of performance to higher levels, even stardom.

The beauty of this conclusion is astounding to me: the basic ingredient for my confidence is to have an objective for every action to be taken.

This Is Deep

The 4th Way by Ouspensky and books by and about Gurdjieff started me on my quest of exploring life and living and eventually, after more than thirty-five years, I’ve arrived where I am today.  My starting point was this lifetime and this brain-body and my thinking took me to definitions of life, organized life, its purpose, and the interdependency of all forms of it.

As an aside, a long time ago I deduced that there must be what I called a cross-over particle that vacillates between energy and matter; so small that the energy absorbed or released by it is not significant.  Now that particle has a scientific name, the god particle, and the search is on for it in particle theory physics.

There are more levels of this being than I understand but a macro picture of it would be a physical brain-body, which has developed incrementally over billions of years into a work of grand complexity that has been studied scientifically and almost understood.  Genetic history is another  part of the brain-body and has not been fathomed to any meaningful depth.  There is personality, which is not quite physical and has been observed and described but never really understood on more than an empirical basis.  Then there are personae that are formed to cope with specific situations and once formed never disappear.

Some situations are repeated and eventually these oft used personae along with the personality and physical appearance become what is recognized as the named person.  The combination of brain-body, genetic history, personality, and personae combine to form one principal component of the being.

The other part of the being co-exists on a different plane; I call this Master.  Master is that part of the being that recurs through lifetimes until he is perfected into permanence and becomes an entity that continues existence without the need for a physical body; an entity that exists as a part of Essence,  a spiritual congregation.  Since we don’t have a clue other than imagination about this level of existence it isn't productive to formulate more than recognition of it.  It could be that the congregation of Essence lends encouragement and guidance to Master as he pursues his development.

One common problem in thinking about this is caused by our insistence on using the noun, time.  There is no such thing outside of the physical world.  Our definition of time is based on planetary movement; it is a measurement that we use to reference past, present, and future events and activities.  It is meaningless when one leaves the physical realm.  Brain-bodies are formed, born, grow, develop, deteriorate, and die.  Time is irrelevant to Master; he uses brain-bodies for his development. 

Brain-bodies provide Master a means for his development but they can never know or find out what Master wants or needs for it; he is mute and patient.  It seems that he is able to intervene when the brain-body is engaged in activities that are contrary to his development and the primordial battle between brain-body’s desire to satisfy appetites and Master’s desire to develop takes place.  Master wins the battle by effecting changes in behavior, causing the premature death of the brain-body, or simply waiting for death to occur.

The being is active.  There seem to be several levels of activity available: automatic body functions, responses to sensations caused by senses, organs, and glands, such as hunger, thirst, evacuation, sexual pressures, to name a few; and the satisfaction of imagination.  Imagination is the source of voluntary action and such actions may be compatible with the development of Master. 

All activities are carried out by personae that have been inherited through genetic memory or developed to cope with situations encountered as the being lives in the world with other beings and other forms of organized life.

Who does what and when is the job of a driver persona.  In a theatrical analogy where there is a multitude as a cast of characters as well as costume, lighting, sound, and scenery technicians, the driver persona would be the director.  He calls out the appropriate persona to handle the situation at hand.

There is likewise an observing persona who rates the performance of the persona called forth.  This observing persona is the judge and critic that have been described in another essay.  The driver is objective, the observer is subjective.  The propriety of selection and the extent of judgment and criticism are likewise subject to evaluation.  This would be necessary to maintain control, make appropriate selections of personae, and keep judgments and criticisms constructive.

This suggests a superior persona, one who is closer to Master than the driver persona and the observing persona.  If driver and observer are objective and subjective and each has an important oversight function; then the superior persona is that which keeps them in sync, in constructive balance, provides the equanimity that allows the being to develop along the path necessary for Master’s development.  Because Master is mute, there is no definitive way of knowing what his needs are; thus success of the superior persona in this endeavor is never consciously known by the being, except Master.

Master is patient as well; there is no time factor in his existence.  Yet an indicator of the compatibility of actions taken by the rest of the being are incremental revelations that are seemingly not connected to Master, a certain peace that comes with doing his will, and physical well-being that can be seen as an absence of disease and angst.  The reverse is also true.

The being has to cope with life as it is experienced now; external factors may dictate actions that are on a side track from the development of Master.  It stands to reason that as long as such actions are not detrimental to his development, Master abides.

Another aside, there are some new revelations included in this essay that have only recently been allowed. 

Peace of Mind

The hero frequently encounters almost insurmountable barriers that must be overcome on the mythological path upon which he sets out  to reach the awaiting maiden in her father’s castle.  Often they take the form of a fire breathing dragon or an ogre giant.  He has to cross chasms and swollen rivers, fight off fierce opponents, and perform one final heroic task before being successful. 

Life is that mythological path, the accumulation of skills necessary to reach a permanent state of being.  This is the aim of our lifetime, that which is set out to be accomplished.

It occurred to me that pushing my comfort zone is what evokes the overzealous internal judge and critic in me because it is I who has had a strict judge and harsh critic impressed upon him.  Decisions made to move onward and upward feed into them but it is only during the pushing of the envelope and not when the skill has been assimilated and performance is in the Skilled quadrant. 

The following Performance Paradox 2x2 illustrates the point:

The judge and critic are very active all during the Training and Intern phases but when Skilled is reached they abate because performance occurs without it being necessary for Observing I to be aware of it.

Peace of mind may be achieved earlier if one is aware of what’s happening inside one’s head and discounts the internal comments and criticisms.  The importance of maintaining a favorable attitude, of being oblivious to one’s image, of remembering past accomplishments, of being certain of aim, of maintaining relationships, and dwelling on what is happening now cannot be overstated.

The performer rehearses, learns lines, and makes what seems to be frustratingly slow progress until, voila, one day he emotes according to the blocking and the script and carries away the audience with his performance; he convincingly becomes the character.

The player practices his shots and keeps missing until one day he doesn't miss any more.

In between there are the false starts of almost knowing only to have a miscue or a missed shot pop up and open the door to discouragement.  When this happens after the performer/player has reached the top of the learning curve, he can take it in stride, the judge and critic don’t comment.  If it happens before the confidence hump has been crossed, the player/performer may suffer setbacks in his progress.   This is when he has to call upon his base of past accomplishments, current direction, and current relationships to rally to go on.

From where or how is the strict judge and harsh critic developed?  It occurs when a sensitive child is criticized by adults in superior positions.  This can be a parent, teacher, pastor, or even a neighbor but it has to happen frequently and consistently for some period of time.  The impressionable youth is galvanized into judging himself to be inferior and criticizing his performance as being less than acceptable.

The judgment and criticism may seem benign, even necessary by the adult providing them but the result is the over development of an internal judge and critic who feed on the less than perfect performance of a neophyte.   It only abates when the desired skill is either abandoned or attained.  All too often it is abandoned when the pain of trying to achieve is too much to bear.

It isn't the occasional or infrequent judgment and criticism but constant nagging that finally causes frustration and a feeling of futility to be engendered in the subject.  And unfortunately, it cannot be reversed by praise and support.

All have judge and critic; they are essential and act as the arbiters of performance and in cases of morals and ethics they are sometimes called conscience.  The subject of this writing is the strict judge and harsh critic; these can range from being a big nuisance to pathological.

Once the internal judge and critic are established, they last a lifetime.  This is why it is so important to rationalize the existence of them and work through the tough times and get to the “skilled” level in spite of them.

The only alternative is to give up development in favor of vicariously enjoying life through imagination.  The imagined great things that could have been; the imagined shared success of heroes in performances or athletics, the imagined transformation of what one actually does to what one would like to have happen. 

If you’re like me, you have suffered the slings and arrows of the strict judge and harsh critic.  If you have likewise invested the time and psychic energy into figuring it out, you will have reached the same or similar conclusions about what to do about it.

Develop a sense of humor; it is absolutely essential, especially when dealing with the self.  And be reminded to take yourself and anyone else less seriously. It’s difficult but when accomplished successfully the benefits are worth the effort.  

Whither 2012 and On

Continuing with thinking about “The Wisdom of Dreams,” it follows that in order to dream about having something more than or different from what one currently is experiencing, one has to at least verbalize that dream.  Our minds communicate internally using language so in order for all the pertinent personae to be able to work towards the attainment of a Dream thoughts have to be transmitted to them; for this we use language as the basic means.

There are other means.  Since we experience environment through the five senses, then all of these can be, and should be used to qualify the dream so it can be understood by all.  Then there are the esoteric sources of Aim/Dream that have a great deal of influence on what we do; these are understood by a very few but available to all.

These means are beyond the scope of my understanding at the moment but are, however, understood to exist. Since they are neither rational nor sensual they may well be termed Spiritual, i.e., coming from sources that are not physical.  Some that come to mind are: influences from Universal Consciousness into which we tap from time to time and those that Master brings from past experiences that he wants to complete or experience again at a different level.

 These spiritual Aims are not necessarily verbalized nor sensed in any way but exist and their presence is evident from acts that seem random; efforts that take place but are not reasonably intended, places in which we find ourselves but have no reason for being, people we encounter in the course of events seemingly accidently, people to whom we are attracted, things to which we tend without rational intention.

There is little rational control over these Aims, they will be pursued in this lifetime or the next and so on; but pursued they will be until permanency is attained. When that happens, there is no longer a need for a physical presence to pursue aim and the Being moves on but to where, there is no clue. 

If one can accept that there is a Master inside this Brain-body that is bound to it but at the same time apart from it, then one is better able to understand the previous paragraph.  Meanwhile, in order to keep this Brain-body interested in the events of this lifetime, attempts need to be made to discover the esoteric Aim and work towards achieving it as the Brain-body verbalizes its own Dreams/ Aims.

As long as these are not in conflict with those of Master there is no dissonance and these Dreams/Aims can be pursued without causing angst.  It has been my experience that when pursuing s.t. that was later seen in conflict with the Aim of Master, all sorts of physical and emotional issues arose until it was abandoned and once again peace and harmony descended upon the Brain-body.  This could be confused with conscience but it is somewhat more than that.

This leads to the conclusion that one can do whatever he wants as long as it is not at cross-purposes with the Aim of Master.  Much of what we want and wind up doing may come from past life experiences where we participated in some activity/endeavor and it was pleasant and enjoyable and now those previous experiences are sought once again.  These can explain why we live in this or that location, this or that house, enjoy visiting this or that location, reading about this or that previous set of events, doing this or that activity, and/or having this or that possession.

Concurrency exists among the Master, past lifetimes, and the current lifetime as long as there is no major antimony of Aims.  A way to assure this harmony is to examine those Dreams/Aims that we can verbalize and make reasonable assurance that they are in harmony with the current status of the Brain-body.

A way to do this is to take the Planning Categories, Life Categories, and Traits and Features that are used and make a determination of how well satisfied one is with the current state of affairs; reaffirm this dream or change it to one that more completely, more appropriately leads one to where he would like to be or go.

In order to make this analysis, a sheet has been added to Planning Evolution that is an examination of each of these, starting with where I thought it would be now but made at the end of 2011; state whether to keep on this track or not; If not, to what would it change; if yes, what meaningful change is indicated; then assess the degree of desire and the degree of effort for achieving it.

The planning time is from the solstice to the New Year but this analysis may precede that by some weeks because it will take time and more than one pass to make it meaningful.  It stands to reason that planning for the year can only take place after these dreams/aims are put in place.

Concurrent with this effort is a similar examination of the twenty endeavors that allow one to choose from a variety of options that he would do right here, right now; while waiting.  The idea behind this would be to abandon any endeavor that is no longer desirable and replace it with another that may be more so.

It is often more convenient to stay with s.t. that is obsolete than make the changes necessary to embrace s.t. new.  I can tell that French and Sketching are two to which too little time is given but I don’t know what would take their place.  That is the point of making this analysis, is there s.t. else that would be more happily pursued than ignored and avoided?

Some endeavors are necessities, such as End Game, Financial, Fitness, Physical, and Yard and House, but all the others are “on the table” because examination and verification are the only way that one can be assured of moving towards what he wants.

The Wisdom of Dreaming

It’s the fourth day of November and we just adjusted the clocks for standard time; that always conjures up an image of things coming to an end, the season being over, the cycle at its apogee.   It seems that way because we are in the closing months of the year,  the days are getting shorter, the sun is lower in the sky, the daily temperatures are getting lower, trees have lost their leaves, plants are going dormant or dying.  It evokes a frame of mind, the end of a cycle.

Yet we must recall that it is indeed a cycle and that this is neither an end nor a beginning but a natural progression of the passing of the present.  The game analogy doesn't fit because the game (life) isn't over, it isn’t finished,  the final reckoning hasn't taken place but it goes on and in a larger sense the cycle is eternal.

As I sit here and write this I am forcing myself to examine a process that I put in place about the time we went to Houston in 1985.  It consisted of making plans and setting goals on an annual basis and looking at it weekly to formulate objectives that would move toward the accomplishment of the larger annual goals.

It has been successful and after 25 or more years I can say it with confidence.  And yet one has to ask, to what degree has it been successful?  When one looks at an absolute scale of accomplishment, one can say that much more could have been done, more accomplishments, more fame, more fortune, more, more, more.  It is safe to say that what limits this one is his thinking.

The important realization that is being experienced here and now is that there is no end of the year.  There is no time limit set on what one wants to accomplish except those set by regulation and agreement with others, such as performance dates, tax reporting, license renewals, and start and end times of various events.

Our dreams, as we establish and pursue them, are a personal matter and not a matter of Goals, Objectives, Tasks, and the performance thereof; that comes later.  Rather they are stated desired end results  that become so well understood by the complete being that any and all pertinent personae are aware of them and working on them all the time.

We are part of the universal consciousness, which is collectively all of organized life, and things happen for us because we are tapped into it.  The clearer the dream, the more easily it is realized because we are more receptive to prompts from this universal consciousness. 

This phenomenon has been postulated as “The Secret” and the adherents of that as the complete answer would have one rely totally on concentration on dreams as the means of realizing them.  There are many examples of this and they are powerful endorsements of this concept. 

The setting of goals according to dreams, then plans and strategies to accomplish them is a cognitive process that adds to the probability of realizing dreams.  It is not, however, the only process that is in play.  There are other activities going on all around us that are also working toward the achievement of dreams.

Yet I look at the Ohio River and I can dream and concentrate from now on and there will never be a bridge over it.  The bridge comes when the dream is quantified, planned, and a viable strategy is put in place to accomplish it.  The same is true of individual dreams.  Universal consciousness may present opportunities for realizing them but the individual still has to do the work.

For dreams that don’t require quantification, that don’t require others to be involved on a conscious and rational basis, that are more of “state of being” rather than tangible results, they can be realized without an objective planning method.  As I look back on statements made over the years, it is obvious that I achieved that dream and went on, or achieved it and continue to enjoy it, or am still working to achieve it.  Then there are many more dreams that were achieved by setting specific goals, objectives, tasks, and accomplishing them according to some timetable.

While it is reaffirmed that there is no end of year in the cycle of life, it is still a good framework for reaffirming dreams and planning.  It must, however, be tempered with some judgment; such as staying open to opportunities that come one’s way and not be hidebound by statements made up to twelve months ago.

Such a framework also provides the basis for adjudging opportunities and the changes they may represent.  Without a well-constructed plan based on dreams and desires one could begin to meander through life with a new set of dreams and goals every other day.  When one has the aforementioned framework in place and is presented with what would seem to be a dramatic change of plan, one can quickly assess the possibilities that it represents and either embrace or refuse it.

Staying busy while waiting for opportunity to knock is also important.  It is to this end that one can develop a set of endeavors to be pursued; I have eighteen of them and they provide more than enough opportunity to be involved in doing something constructive as the present passes.  The only caveat that is necessary is that the priority of endeavors be maintained and Acting and Writing are more important than the others; in other words playing pool instead of going to rehearsal is not acceptable.

This has been a good exercise in examining what was considered to be ipso facto. Yet when questioned it came apart then back together again reaffirming what has been the practice but with some improvement.  The year is not the same as a game with a beginning and end of play but a continuing saga.  The realization of the pragmatic truth of realizing dreams; that a planning period is useful for reminding one of what he has set out to do and also be reminded to be flexible to embrace opportunities that arise.

While You Wait

I always seem to be waiting for some future event but what I am doing now, as  I wait, makes all the difference.  In the grand scheme of things, we are all waiting to die; even if that thought is morose, it is true.  The one life event that we cannot escape is the death of this living organism we call our body.  And what we do while we are waiting for that to happen is what makes life interesting.

I’ve been to Medicaid facilities that provide minimal space and care to those who cannot afford anything better.  These places are the last stop on the way out for a lot of people.  It seems that once ensconced in one there is no getting out.  One has to be destitute to get in, so how can one get out.  Many of these people are quite literally sitting around waiting to die.  They gaze disinterestedly at a TV screen, or simply sit there and look at whatever passes into their field of view.  They aren’t doing much of anything more than waiting—to die.

This can be thought of as an extreme but is it?  How many others are sitting around in their houses, apartments, trailers, or rooms and pass the time of day in a distracted way watching whatever comes into view, mostly daytime television programs.  But these and others, me included, spend a lot of their time distracted from their lifetime aim.

If one were to answer the question, “What are you doing?” by saying, “I am working on aim,” he/she would know that they are participating in life and living and progressing towards achievement of that aim.  To be able to honestly state this as the answer to the question is far from an easy thing to do.  It requires that one know what his/her aim is and then that he/she be able to select activities that are consistent with achieving it.

One of the features of a large organization is the departmentalization of activities that allow a worker to do that specific thing that fulfills his role.  All resources are provided for him and it is up to him to get the required results that fulfill his purpose.  Organizations evolve, what was a required role ten years ago may no longer be appropo to the current requirements.  But specialization (departmentalization) continues to be the way large organizations operate to achieve whatever results they require.

It can be argued that the organizational model reflect the way beings are structured.  IOW, we are departmentalized in order to achieve aim.  There are many activities that the body performs as it lives that are specialized; even some of these are further subdivided into even more specialized activities.

Think of digestion for example; a large quantity of material is ingested during the course of a day-week-month-year-lifetime, all of it is masticated, mixed with saliva, swallowed, passed into the stomach, dissolved, passed into the intestines, metabolized into useful compounds on a molecular level, made available to where it is needed, traded for used, damaged, or useless molecules, which are then carried away.  I don’t even know what I’m writing about except that it is a huge, highly specialized activity that goes on constantly throughout the life of the body and one that does not require the concern of the “active” part of the mind, except to select what to ingest.  This same thing is true for other bodily activities, all with the express purpose of allowing the being to work on s.t. else; ideally to work on aim. 

The nature of the organization of the brain-body goes beyond the support of the physical functions.  The many personae that are part of the being also have desires and aims that may or may not be consistent with other personae in the being.

A gross example is those personae in the sexual center that have the ultimate aim of procreating and reproducing the species.  There are times that needs of these personae become so urgent that other, more important needs of the being are put aside.  This phenomenon occurs not only in the context of the sexual center but also among the other centers as well.

There is always the danger that an activity to satisfy appetites, i.e. physical gratification, takes precedence over those that tend to achieve lifetime aim.  It takes a strong true “I” to deal with these.  It is only the strength of the desire of the true “I” of the being to achieve the aim of the lifetime that rescues the being from perdition.  

Other aims of personae that comprise the being are there for the doing.  It can only be hoped that having done them will advance the being towards his aim of this lifetime.

There are also many subordinate aims that can be selected for work.  My endeavors, for example, each has an aim, a reason for being pursued and writing this blog is one example; it is not necessarily my ultimate aim but certainly an aim worth pursuing.  Working on these other aims can result in strengthening the ability of the being to achieve lifetime aim.  Work on lifetime aim can be accomplished in the background while working on subordinate aims is carried out by those personae in the driver's seat.  

"Sunday, Sweet Sunday..."

Seldom do programs, plays, or movies resonate with me to such an extent that time is spent dwelling on them but once in a while one seeps through.  This is the case with a recently viewed episode of the Andy Griffith show from 1962, reinforced by comments made by Deanna O’Daniel in her memoirs of life growing up in Louisville and environs.  That which comes to mind is the concept of a day of rest, when all things are closed and people do nothing except relax from the weekly schedule.

One can say that I am only on that schedule that I impose upon myself but lately I am seeing more of my time being allocated to obligations of one kind or another.  For example, starting last week I joined the cast of a play that rehearses on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the Whodunnit rehearsals will overlap with this and go on until performances in November and December, Stage Movement classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays,  my pool teams compete on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Saturdays are for riding, golf on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, deliver meals on every third Thursday, Rotary Club meetings on Tuesday mornings,  and spend time as necessary as Community Services chairperson.  In addition to these there is time that must be spent learning lines and songs for current productions and other chores.  And just now I agreed to work in the lobby for the current Whodunnit production.  Maybe this is why the concept of a day of rest is rising to the surface. 

The day of rest is meant to be a time that the brain is allowed to regroup and restore some sense of calm to the being and it requires a certain discipline of its own to accomplish.  The description provided by Deanna O’Daniel, the AGS, and my memory of Sundays at home from 1940 to 1960 is consistent. 

One goes to church in the morning after a breakfast of coffee cake and coffee, comes home to read the Sunday paper, eats a large noon meal together at the table, then cleans up the mess, and simply sits around the rest of the day.  Usually mom would lie down across the bed, pop would lie on the sofa in the living room, Barbara and I listened to Sam Spade, The Shadow, and Gangbusters detective stories on the radio from time to time later on Sunday afternoon, otherwise we did nothing in particular.  the evening  supper, was usually very simple, hot dogs, sausages, or lunch meat, potato salad or maybe pork and beans, and tomatoes.  We rarely had company.  Then after supper or even during, we’d listen to the radio for the Jack Benny Show.  I think it came on at 6pm central time there in Saint Louis.  This was the routine except for the many Sundays we went to Troy but even there the routine was very similar.

There is biblical reference to a day of rest and it has been adopted by religions throughout the centuries.  The concept may have been around for a lot longer than recorded history, we don’t know.  It is certainly commonsensical to take a day of rest and seven days is a good enough interval in between.  It almost makes me wonder if there isn’t some sort of psychological reason for it.

We sleep several hours every day and this was brought about by the light-dark cycle of the day but even this sleep phenomenon is deeper than simply being in the dark and waiting for daylight.  All day long the brain is besieged by situations that have to be handled and it winds up a little jumbled up after a while.  “So everyday along about evening, when the sunlight’s beginning to fail…” we are overcome, eventually, by fatigue that is both mental and perhaps physical. 

Rest and even sleep is necessary for the maintenance work required on the body and the brain.  I’ve dealt with sleep in previous writing and won’t go into it here.  Suffice it to say that not all of the brain-body goes dormant during first state; there are many facets of it that work in the background to rejuvenate the being.

It stands to reason that there may be situations that transcend the daily wake-sleep cycle and these are reconciled by the day of rest.  It is important to  follow this idea by being involved in some activity that is completely abnormal, has little or no stress involved with it, and resist the temptation to get involved with activities that are taken up during rest of the week.

The timing of once a week is interesting.  Did we evolve into it after we decided to measure time by seven-day periods or did we start using weeks after it was innately discovered that the brain-body needed a day of rest in addition to several hours of sleep every day?  There is a lot of conjecture about how the seven-day week was adopted; the upshot is that it fits nicely in almost all aspects of our understanding of life and living.  Ancients had five visible planets plus the sun and the moon, the number seven is special in almost all mythology, and it fits our personal needs if we let it.

The concept of a day of rest, for me now at this time of my life, is an emphasis of the other side of that coin.  One day of rest and six days of activities, working on Aim.  It would be too easy to allow myself to have several days of rest during the week and not work on Aim.

The conclusion to which I am coming is that a day of rest is as necessary as is a night of sleep but only if one’s days are taken up with obligations which impose some form or other of stress.  It should be noted here that stress build-up is a personal thing and not to be judged by anyone else.  Some people are able to cope with incredible situations and keep a perspective while others get overwhelmed by seemingly minor issues.  Only the bearer of stress can know the extent of concern that exists.  A day of rest allows the mind to reset itself.  A day of rest opens six to activity.