The Chinese Archer. The Power of the Mind.

This ancient Buddhist fable is meant for one of my closest friends who just happens to think she is going to die before 30:

"There was once in China an expert archer. One day she went to a very high mountain with her bow on her back. While strolling on the mountain, she became thirsty and wanted some water to drink. Fortunately, she found a small spring under a bush, and she immediately bent over the water to drink it out of her hands until her thirst was quenched.



When she finished drinking, however, she thought she saw a snake crawling in the water. She immediately felt sick. She became seriously nervous about the water in her stomach, feeling something wriggling in it. When she got back home she became seriously ill. Numerous doctors gave her medical treatment, but in vain; finally, she became nothing but skin and bones, resigning herself to die.

One day a traveler stopped at her home. Seeing the condition of the patient, she asked the reason. The patient told him that she saw a snake crawling in the water of the spring and that she had swallowed the snake. The traveler said thats he could cure the illness if the patient would do as he told her to do, taking him to the same spring where she had drunk the water.

He told the patient, who was bearing the same bow on her back, to take the same pose as she had before. The patient reluctantly bent over the water and was just going to scoop it up in her hands when she screamed out that a snake was crawling in the water again. The man told her to be quiet and to observe the snake more closely. The archer got control of herself and found that it was not a snake at all, but the shadow of the bow she was carrying on her back.



The archer realized that the snake she thought she had swallowed before was only the shadow of her bow. After this, she felt quite relieved, and soon she regained her health.

We must recognize that often, our mind is the creator of our 'fate.'

Emissions: It's What's for Dinner

Beef and climate change? What's the beef?

The folks over at TreeHugger reference a new study published in New Scientist magazine that argues that eating one kilogram (approximately 2.2lbs) of beef to the equivalent emissions as driving for three hours while leaving all the lights on at home!

Now, I am all for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but I'm not willing to argue that people should stop eating red meat. Quite the contrary! I do think, however, that it's important that we--as a society and individually--do everything we can to improve the quality of our beef!

“The scientists behind the study are calling for a range of measures to reduce the carbon footprint of the industry. These include better waste management and reducing the interval between calving by a month, which the authors say could reduce the environmental impact by nearly 6%. A Swedish study conducted in 2003 claimed that raising organic beef on grass rather than feed, reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 40% and consumed 85% less energy.”

Years ago, our government began heavily subsidizing the corn industry. The beef industry began feeding cattle corn (and soy) feed. It became "more efficient" to grow and store corn than to maintain grass land and pastures.

The good news is that alternatives do exist! The industry for grass-fed beef has taken off. A year ago, Time had an article describing "The Grass-Fed Revolution":

"It makes sense. Grass is a low-starch, high-protein fibrous food, in contrast to carbohydrate-rich, low-fiber corn and soybeans. When animals are 100% grass-fed, their meat is not only lower in saturated fats but also slightly higher in omega-3 fatty acids, the healthy fats found in salmon and flaxseed, which studies indicate may help prevent heart disease and bolster the immune system."

Memories past

We all have memories of good times, and of bad times in our life. After watching a movie last week I started to think about a question raised by the film. What if we could erase someone–erase all memories in our head of a relationship with someone? I quickly decided that, even though certain relationship(s) ended terribly, that I would never want to forget everything.



In some ways, memories are like beaches. Always changing as the tide moves in and out...at times the tide will deliver wonderful sea shells, while other times the beach becomes overrun by jellyfish and littered with trash.

Over time, memories long past can become distorted. During a relationship, memories can even evolve to represent idyllic fragments of a fractured whole. If things turn sour, those same great memories are often hidden away to somehow ease any fleeting sorrow. At the same time, the mind works to excavate old hatchets.

It seems that only once we become comfortable with and recognize both the good and the bad, the bliss and the regret, only then do we become adjusted to the thoughts long past. At that point, one becomes free from the push and pull of our memories.

my liitle butter cup