The Monkey and the Fish...
Dec. 6th, 2024 10:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. I think I may throw this story at anyone who provides me with unsolicited advice or unhelpful advice in the future? Or anyone who says: "well, that's not what I would do if I had that problem". Actually I will throw this story at them, maybe even bash them over the head with it a few times?
"Here is the Buddhist story and its interpretation:
The story goes like this:
There was a monkey who lived in a forest tree, by a river. One day, the monkey saw a fish swimming in the river and thought the fish was struggling. Feeling compassionate, the monkey resolved to save the fish. It swiftly climbed down the tree, reached out, and grabbed the fish from the water. It then climbed back up and laid the fish on a tree branch. There, the fish flapped violently and soon died. The monkey was puzzled, it had only wanted to help.
This story highlights a fundamental idea about different perspectives, environments, and misunderstanding.
The monkey, being a land-dwelling creature, interpreted the fish's swimming as struggling or suffering because it judged the situation based on its own environment and experience. It saw the fish being underwater, not breathing air as it does, and assumed that the fish was in peril. In its well-intentioned efforts to help, it took the fish out of its natural environment and put it into its own environment, thus leading to the fish's demise.
The moral of the story is a caution against assuming that what is right or natural for one being necessarily applies to others. It warns us of the dangers of imposing our own perspectives and ways of living onto others without truly understanding their needs, their nature, or their environment. This parable also encourages us to develop a deep sense of understanding and empathy for the diverse perspectives and needs of different beings, recognizing that each has its own unique way of being in the world.
Or...just don't give unsolicited advice to folks on social media. It rarely ends well.
2. Long somewhat stressful week - glad it's over. Today was better - in part because I slept 7 hours and fifty-nine minutes. Yet, still dozed on the train and at work, while I didn't doze at all yesterday with just three hours of sleep. Go figure.
Realized something - I think the reason I've never had sleep paralysis - is I don't sleep on my back, I sleep on my side. I can't sleep on my back - due to back and neck issues. I also don't dream that much. I average about 50 minutes to two hours of REM or dream time nightly, four-five hours of CORE (which is light sleep, or step above Deep), and anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half of Deep sleep. It goes REM, CORE, Deep, or sometimes CORE, Deep, Core, REM.
I don't remember my dreams that much of late - because I'm not dreaming that much. I dreamed a lot more, and far more vividly when I was younger. Should I be concerned? I don't know. I have decided not to be. I am not going to worry about things that I can't control. Considering how worried I am about the ones I can control...and how many there are...
3. The Pitfalls of Being Gluten Intolerant (and Diabetic) in a world full of well ..glutens?
* Grocery Shopping is frustrating when you have dietary restrictions. Particularly certain dietary restrictions, such as sugar and gluten intolerance. Although I've gotten used to reading labels, I just wish the print were bigger. I couldn't find things I wanted.
Now that gluten free is no longer a fad (damn people - I want to curse the people who decided to undo the fad with gluten intolerance - can I do that? No, that would be mean and evil), it's harder to find this stuff in non-health food stores.
Yes, yes, I know it's in places like Whole Foods, Trader Joes, etc. Although, it should be mentioned that not all of these stores are created equal. Just because your Whole Foods or Trader Joes in your neighborhood has it - doesn't mean it will elsewhere. Shocking, I know, but there it is.
Also, not all health food stores are created equal. And health food stores are about twice as expensive as other grocery stores.
Met Fresh is a five minute walk from my apartment, and about five minutes from the subway, if that. It's close. Foodtown is about fifteen to twenty minutes. The CO-OP is about a thirty minute walk. The Frontiere Health Food Store is a twenty minute walk. Whole Foods, which isn't that big or great and insanely expensive is a twenty-five minute subway ride and fifteen minute walk (carting groceries on and off a subway isn't fun and I try to avoid, if possible - in short, I'll do it, but rarely, and usually en route home from work). Trader Joes is even less convenient, since it's about a twenty-thirty minute walk to a subway, and a twenty minute subway ride.
People who drive everywhere do not understand this. (Points to the Monkey and Fish story above). They also do not understand why I don't take cabs or ubers everywhere. (It's expensive. It takes forever. I get anxious in cars in the city, and am prone to motion sickness. Trains are free - perk from my job, and I can read, write, and watch people on them. Points to Monkey and Fish story again.) Sigh. This is what happens when all folks know about a place is what they see on television or on visits to just one small section of it.
* Trips - I was looking at G Adventures Solo-ish travels, and while more affordable than most, a lot of trips had culinary experiences on them that included making things like tortillas (probably flour not corn), and pasta.
Spain might be safe. Not certain. It had a lot of food excursions.
Every once and a while, I think, fuck-it, I'm going to eat whatever I want.
But I've gotten ill one too many times, and have a delicate digestive system as it is - so no. I think not. It's amazing what a great motivator pain and sickness truly is? And who wants to get sick while traveling? Particularly with digestive problems?
People ask me - don't you cheat? How can you stay off of it? And be that disciplined?
I don't like getting sick? Points at the Monkey and the Fish.
One friend didn't understand why I ate chocolate when it could give me heartburn or make me wired, etc. Well, the truth was - it didn't really? And it wasn't bad. Also I'd given up everything else. Points at the Monkey and the Fish story.
4. Here's a picture I took of the night sky at sunset in my neighborhood. Hopefully, it will appear below...
"Here is the Buddhist story and its interpretation:
The story goes like this:
There was a monkey who lived in a forest tree, by a river. One day, the monkey saw a fish swimming in the river and thought the fish was struggling. Feeling compassionate, the monkey resolved to save the fish. It swiftly climbed down the tree, reached out, and grabbed the fish from the water. It then climbed back up and laid the fish on a tree branch. There, the fish flapped violently and soon died. The monkey was puzzled, it had only wanted to help.
This story highlights a fundamental idea about different perspectives, environments, and misunderstanding.
The monkey, being a land-dwelling creature, interpreted the fish's swimming as struggling or suffering because it judged the situation based on its own environment and experience. It saw the fish being underwater, not breathing air as it does, and assumed that the fish was in peril. In its well-intentioned efforts to help, it took the fish out of its natural environment and put it into its own environment, thus leading to the fish's demise.
The moral of the story is a caution against assuming that what is right or natural for one being necessarily applies to others. It warns us of the dangers of imposing our own perspectives and ways of living onto others without truly understanding their needs, their nature, or their environment. This parable also encourages us to develop a deep sense of understanding and empathy for the diverse perspectives and needs of different beings, recognizing that each has its own unique way of being in the world.
Or...just don't give unsolicited advice to folks on social media. It rarely ends well.
2. Long somewhat stressful week - glad it's over. Today was better - in part because I slept 7 hours and fifty-nine minutes. Yet, still dozed on the train and at work, while I didn't doze at all yesterday with just three hours of sleep. Go figure.
Realized something - I think the reason I've never had sleep paralysis - is I don't sleep on my back, I sleep on my side. I can't sleep on my back - due to back and neck issues. I also don't dream that much. I average about 50 minutes to two hours of REM or dream time nightly, four-five hours of CORE (which is light sleep, or step above Deep), and anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half of Deep sleep. It goes REM, CORE, Deep, or sometimes CORE, Deep, Core, REM.
I don't remember my dreams that much of late - because I'm not dreaming that much. I dreamed a lot more, and far more vividly when I was younger. Should I be concerned? I don't know. I have decided not to be. I am not going to worry about things that I can't control. Considering how worried I am about the ones I can control...and how many there are...
3. The Pitfalls of Being Gluten Intolerant (and Diabetic) in a world full of well ..glutens?
* Grocery Shopping is frustrating when you have dietary restrictions. Particularly certain dietary restrictions, such as sugar and gluten intolerance. Although I've gotten used to reading labels, I just wish the print were bigger. I couldn't find things I wanted.
Now that gluten free is no longer a fad (damn people - I want to curse the people who decided to undo the fad with gluten intolerance - can I do that? No, that would be mean and evil), it's harder to find this stuff in non-health food stores.
Yes, yes, I know it's in places like Whole Foods, Trader Joes, etc. Although, it should be mentioned that not all of these stores are created equal. Just because your Whole Foods or Trader Joes in your neighborhood has it - doesn't mean it will elsewhere. Shocking, I know, but there it is.
Also, not all health food stores are created equal. And health food stores are about twice as expensive as other grocery stores.
Met Fresh is a five minute walk from my apartment, and about five minutes from the subway, if that. It's close. Foodtown is about fifteen to twenty minutes. The CO-OP is about a thirty minute walk. The Frontiere Health Food Store is a twenty minute walk. Whole Foods, which isn't that big or great and insanely expensive is a twenty-five minute subway ride and fifteen minute walk (carting groceries on and off a subway isn't fun and I try to avoid, if possible - in short, I'll do it, but rarely, and usually en route home from work). Trader Joes is even less convenient, since it's about a twenty-thirty minute walk to a subway, and a twenty minute subway ride.
People who drive everywhere do not understand this. (Points to the Monkey and Fish story above). They also do not understand why I don't take cabs or ubers everywhere. (It's expensive. It takes forever. I get anxious in cars in the city, and am prone to motion sickness. Trains are free - perk from my job, and I can read, write, and watch people on them. Points to Monkey and Fish story again.) Sigh. This is what happens when all folks know about a place is what they see on television or on visits to just one small section of it.
* Trips - I was looking at G Adventures Solo-ish travels, and while more affordable than most, a lot of trips had culinary experiences on them that included making things like tortillas (probably flour not corn), and pasta.
Spain might be safe. Not certain. It had a lot of food excursions.
Every once and a while, I think, fuck-it, I'm going to eat whatever I want.
But I've gotten ill one too many times, and have a delicate digestive system as it is - so no. I think not. It's amazing what a great motivator pain and sickness truly is? And who wants to get sick while traveling? Particularly with digestive problems?
People ask me - don't you cheat? How can you stay off of it? And be that disciplined?
I don't like getting sick? Points at the Monkey and the Fish.
One friend didn't understand why I ate chocolate when it could give me heartburn or make me wired, etc. Well, the truth was - it didn't really? And it wasn't bad. Also I'd given up everything else. Points at the Monkey and the Fish story.
4. Here's a picture I took of the night sky at sunset in my neighborhood. Hopefully, it will appear below...
no subject
Date: 2024-12-07 11:44 am (UTC)I do sleep on my back plenty so that fits.
I remember my dreams more when I get to wake up naturally instead of being awoken by an alarm or whatever.
no subject
Date: 2024-12-07 03:00 pm (UTC)I was thinking about the sleep paralysis thing? And it makes a kind of logical sort of sense - that it would occur if you sleep on your back. That the semi-conscious mind, which is dream state, comes up with reasons for why the chest feels constricted, or there's something sitting on it, causing difficulties with breathing. When in reality it's probably just that you are sleeping on your back, or your head isn't elevated properly, or you are aligned wrong, or your nasal passage is obstructed somehow and the breathing passage has been obstructed. I found that out from reading up on sleep apena.
I remember my dreams more when I get to wake up naturally instead of being awoken by an alarm or whatever.
Interesting. Now that I think about it? So do I. That kind of makes sense - getting used to being awoken by an alarm - my body tends to go from REM to Core, so I don't remember the dream as well, because I'm usually being jarred out of light sleep. Or I've been jarred from the dream, and it gets dislodged or floats away faster. Than waking up naturally, where the dream kind of just melts away.
no subject
Date: 2024-12-11 05:30 pm (UTC)I definitely miss E TN for a few reasons, some of which generalize rather beyond it even to when I lived in Ohio. A short summary of probably most of them is: I like the weather - hot, sunny summers, thunderstorms, not days of light rain. Tech jobs pay more and developed land is cheaper, so I can have a large house, see open landscapes, easily drive to and park at places, save and spend more, etc. There is such variety of terrain and great national and state parks. And, in the US, I can buy a few acres outside the city and just do what I like there if I don't bother anybody. For some reason, I feel more at home there in I way I don't in my native country. Somehow, it's not about the people, it's about the culture and what I can do comfortably.
However, here in Glasgow, the weather suits R. much better (she hates hot, humid weather), the culture suits both R. and her eldest much better, they fear racism and violence in the US, and I want them to feel happy and comfortable. I can be happy enough in a fair range of places as long as I'm with R. so here we are.
no subject
Date: 2024-12-11 05:40 pm (UTC)With her on hot humid summers though.
no subject
Date: 2024-12-11 06:39 pm (UTC)I believe statistics put modern NYC as now being a relatively safe place. There's some resentment here of immigrants putting a strain on public services (apparently from people who don't notice it's commonly immigrants providing those services) though that's of less concern.
no subject
Date: 2024-12-11 08:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-12 10:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-12 01:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-13 09:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-14 12:15 am (UTC)And you should see what they do with visiting dignitaries, the royal family....