Lots of Ideas

I had the good fortune to interview Linus Pauling in 1992, two years before his death at age 93. I was in the process of researching for my book Everyday Wonders, and since his institute was a five-minute bike ride from our home in Palo Alto, it wasn’t too much of an effort!

Pauling is one of a handful to have been awarded two Nobel Prizes, and to mind his spearheading of the effort to ban atmospheric nuclear testing (which won him the Peace Prize) is one of the most important actions ever taken by an individual. One reason I wanted to interview him was that he seemed to exemplify the particular quality I was exploring in my book, i.e. wonder, or curiosity. If a prize were ever awarded for curiosity, he’d win it hands down. He was interested in just everything.

I asked him how he’d come up with so many good ideas. He replied, “I come up with a lot of ideas. Most of them are wrong. A few turn out to be correct. The main thing is to start off with a lot of them.” (I’m paraphrasing slightly.)

Most folks would call this “brainstorming.” Louisa and I use it a lot: throw out any and all ideas, don’t stop to evaluate or criticize (especially the latter!), just ping-pong thoughts back and fro, writing them down as they are voiced. And that’s the idea of this blog. Ideas, all of them, throw them all into the ring. Plenty of time to figure out what’s workable and what isn’t later.

So in that spirit, thinking about the topic of meditation (as a step in feeling gratitude for what we've got, by-passing the brain's insistence for more), for a book, and article, a speech…here’s what I’m coming up with:

Sit Down and Shut Up!
Fault-free Meditation for Body and Mind

OR

The Why, Who, How,Where and When of Meditation
The Natural Approach to a Healthy Body and Mind

OR

There’s No Such Thing as Bad (or Good) Meditation
The Natural Approach to a Healthy Body and Mind

“First time anyone’s told me I’m doing it right” story—you can’t do it wrong.
http://chsz.blogspot.com/2006/11/thursdays-at-jail.html

Psychological benefits of meditation
Other benefits: good for creativity, big-picture thinking,
What meditation isn’t (religious, flaky,
How to meditate
Difficulties—physical pain, frustration,
Solo vs. group
Meditation at work
History of meditation (Hinduism, Buddhism). Meditation vs. prayer

Why meditate?
Who meditate?
How meditate?
Where meditate?
When meditate?