Whatever...

Add captioconfluence.crbs.ucsd.edu:  Amygdala

When I was living in Los Angeles, one of my wisest and most profound yoga teachers would remind his classes constantly of the power of the word "whatever" in our lives.

This word has many meanings.  It has multi-faceted applications.  It is about moving on when you need to move on and saying "whatever" as a way to end the endless introspection and analysis that moving on from things we don't want to move from imply. It could about an ex-boyfriend, a nasty boss, an abusive family member, etc., etc.  It is also about deciding to let sleeping dogs lie when you know that while there is something that you could explore further - like being given the cold shoulder by a friend from no apparent reason - you decide it's not worth your time and energy for some reason coming from inside of you.  At a more profound level, it is also about accepting life's ups and downs without engaging emotionally in the drama of being either enthusiastic or in mourning depending on whether you are going up or down. Whatever rarely means to me that you don't care...there is an implication that there is a conscious decision one's made behind the use of the word.

I am feeling a little bit sarcastic today.  A friend just called about going to a movie.  This is a friend that likes to watch the kind of movies that are so disturbing I end up having nightmares for several days unless I consciously decide the plot is not believable.  She proposed seeing a movie tomorrow and I said I would research it to make sure it wasn't depressing.  I said, "I wouldn't want to throw myself out the window after seeing this movie since I live above a balcony".  I also made a couple of other similar jokes and she  said that my humor was a little dark today.  I think sarcastic is more like it.  I once read - I don't remember the source - that idealists are the most sarcastic.  I don't know how true that is although I would include myself as part of the Idealist Society, that very exclusive association where only sensitive and idealistic people are accepted.  There aren't too many of us in New York, at least I haven't met a significant critical mass of kindred spirits just yet.

I woke up with a funny sense of humor today.  Maybe my amygdala is more active today than other days - or maybe it's the pingala?

Whatever...