Reading Walter Isaacson's new biography, Steve Jobs,* I began to wonder if Jobs had lived his life under the influence of anxiety.
Early in his career, Jobs was asked to work the less populated night shift: he was irritating too many co-workers on the day shift. During his lifetime, Jobs explored new possibilities, abandoned the familiar, and exercised his creativity. Last week we learned that all four of these factors are related one way or another to anxiety.
Isaacson was warned by Jobs's foes, as well as his friends, to watch out for Mr. Jobs's tendency to see life through a "reality distortion field."
The phrase, "reality distortion field," grabbed my attention. We learned in previous posts that anxiety can distort how we see the world. Could viewing reality through a "reality distortion field" mean we could see as many options and possibilities as Mr. Jobs was able to see in his short lifetime?
Could viewing our experience through a "reality distortion field" counteract the brain's negative default setting? Would we see something different than we saw through the sheer black curtain?
Brain scientists used to believe that the mind was merely the activity of the brain; neuropsychologist and meditation teacher Rick Hanson**, PH.D. and a host of other scientists, now suggest the mind is an embodied relational process.
This suggests to me that when the mind (picture the mind as an embodied relational process) is taught a skill (concentration), the mind can change the brain by how it moves through the organ of the brain. The mind can remodel the brain!
Did Job use a "reality distortion field" to change his brain? What changes are you going to make with your "reality distortion field?"
What do you think a "reality distortion field" is?
Please let me know.
*Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs,2011. (Note to readers - I skimmed this 600+ page biography.)
** Rick Hanson, PH.D., Buddha's Brain, 2009. (Note to readers - I'm in process of reading this excellent book)
Thanks for exploring the mystery - Nicky Mendenhall
