Think Deeply
• Do statements have to be true or false? Could they be neither, or even both? This piece in Aeon explores ancient Greek logic, ancient Buddhism, and modern philosophy/mathematics. If you start here with this quote, “The nature of things is to have no nature; it is their non-nature that is their nature. For they have only one nature: no-nature,” you might not want to continue reading. But hang in there!
• By the end you will believe in catuskoti, ‘four corners’: there are four possibilities regarding any statement: true (and true only), false (and false only), both true and false, or neither true nor false.
• Can’t picture a statement that is both true and false? This statement is false. Or a statement neither true nor false: the first pope in the 22nd century will be African.
• Eventually the author gets to ineffable statements that cannot be placed into any of the 4 categories. A fascinating read, make sure you are in a quiet room with no distractions.
Music
• Sleeping at Last has several albums, one of which is Atlas: II. Most of the songs have vocals, but a few are instrumental only. Hearing has a cool build up and sounds like it belongs in a movie.
Move
• Looking for more ways to incorporate movement into your life? This monster post gives 57 ways. 11 different work tricks. Tons to try around the house. Different ways to move in the gym. Brush your teeth with your nondominant hand, stand on one leg while you do chores, stretch while getting dressed, focus on far away objects, stretch while walking through doorways or on your way up stairs, make faces, walk super slow, walk backwards, ok that’s almost 10.
• Check out the article yourself, but look 20 feet away for 20 seconds first.
Poison
• We all know small doses of many poisons are well tolerated, and some can actually benefit humans (hormesis). When I go on a tirade about the right amount of stress, I usually say that although low levels of many stressors can benefit us, some toxins are bad in any amount, eg. cyanide, mercury, etc.
• But I somehow came across this 2015 article showing apparent evolution of the ability to metabolize arsenic. The ancestors of this group in the Argentinian Andes have been exposed to high levels of arsenic in the groundwater, and therefore over time nature selected for people who had enzyme polymorphisms. An editorial accompanies the piece.
• I am not saying anyone should go get arsenic, and this does not prove that low doses could actually help people, but it is interesting to see how resilient humans are in light of prior exposure to environmental challenges.
• A friend reminded me of the potential medicinal benefit of Cinnabar, which contains mercury. Again, do not go out and eat this stuff. Just open your mind a bit.
• Do you plan on sending any emails today? This short list of 7 behaviors can up your game.
• My favorite one is, well darn they are all really good: No more than 3 paragraphs, don’t add the recipient until you have finished writing the email, order your topics from most to least important, don’t send emails when experiencing strong emotions, start new email chains when the trail is cumbersome, don’t say urgent unless you mean it.
Snacks
• If you are trying to limit chips and crackers but need something to dip, check out these mushrooms. Costco seems to have stopped carrying them but they are still available on Amazon. Low carb, solid ingredients, salty and a little sweet.
Quote
The whole law of human existence consists in nothing other than a man’s always being able to bow before the immeasurably great. If people are deprived of the immeasurably great, they will not live and will die in despair. The immeasurable and infinite are as necessary for man as the small planet he inhabits.
-Dostoyevsky
