An experiment in self-empowerment - Any Volunteers?

by Frannie Banannie 63 Replies latest jw friends

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  Frannie Banannie

  Interesting post. What are you proposing?

  DoubleEdge, what I'm proposing is an experiment in human behavior using the idea from the Eidophonic experiment. Considering that the experiment with the Eidophone could be viably translated into our daily lives, why not begin on a certain day and time to eschew everything negative from our speech and tone of voice and written words and attempt to vocalize and write only positive thoughts and ideas.....and see if and how it affects our own personal environment, whether positively or perhaps, not at all? I've wanted to try this for myself, but was hesitant because I'd rather have input from others for comparison, so any results couldn't be considered just my imagination or my own thinking that affected the outcome.

  I'm in.

  Terrific, Outbutnotdown! I'm considering we could probably formally begin a week from today....that will give those that mostly visit JWD on the weekends time to see this thread. Of course, it won't hurt to begin practicing on it ahead of time.

  Frannie (of the washin' my mouth out with soap class)
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  Markfromcali

  For example. My wife is Romanian. The romanian verb "To Do" is "Fach" (spelled phoenetically). When conjugated, it sounds like "F*CK" (yes, it sounds just like that dirtiest of dirty words... at least, it is a dirty word in english). If you hear Romanians speaking, to the English ear it sounds like they are frequently using the "F" word.

  Makes you wonder what the Nike slogan is in Romanian...

  LOL, Quotes! I'm sure, as I already answered a similar question from AlanB, re: the patterns with the drum, it would work no matter what language is used because it's the tone of the voice WITH the words that makes the positive language affective (includes laughter and singing). I think drum heads/skins are multi-lingual...and speak the language of love, a musical one.

  So if you really wanted to have a positive effect it would involve eliminating that tone rather than certain words spoken with that tone wouldn't you, if you wanted to go deeper than just typical words with the negative association. Actually you'd need to be aware of this to be thorough anyway, because words that are otherwise neutral might have a negative association for you, so you'd have to take note of that rather than just go with a standard list of negative words. Of course that just means being aware of what you say, a hard "Fach" perhaps? Opps that probably doesn't help..
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  Frannie Banannie

  So if you really wanted to have a positive effect it would involve eliminating that tone rather than certain words spoken with that tone wouldn't you, if you wanted to go deeper than just typical words with the negative association. Actually you'd need to be aware of this to be thorough anyway, because words that are otherwise neutral might have a negative association for you, so you'd have to take note of that rather than just go with a standard list of negative words. Of course that just means being aware of what you say, a hard "Fach" perhaps? Opps that probably doesn't help..

  Yes, Mark, it's gonna take a lot of concentration to begin with...I've slipped up about half a dozen times since I posted this topic (sighs). Actually, I've heard people really using a super positive tone of voice when speaking to others and I don't see how they do it alla time....but I'm really going to try....I'm practicing ahead of time, beginning now...

  Frannie
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  Markfromcali

  Well just don't beat yourself up over how well you're doing, after all that would be negative. For that matter, the negative parts are just as much you as the positive isn't it? I tend to emphasize that more and then there is a certain equanimity, and you just might find that those negative associations fall away from a lot of words/things.
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  Frannie Banannie

  Well just don't beat yourself up over how well you're doing, after all that would be negative. For that matter, the negative parts are just as much you as the positive isn't it? I tend to emphasize that more and then there is a certain equanimity, and you just might find that those negative associations fall away from a lot of words/things.

  Yer right, Mark. Even my posting about it isn't positive. And it's the negative parts of my thinking and speech, etc. that I'm trying to get rid of or at least control.

  Frannie
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  Markfromcali

  What if you just let go of judgements of positive and negative? There's a saying that seems to be catching on these days, "it's all good." Now of course if there is a judgement about judgement then it's just the same thing, so what I'm really saying is to just not take that whole thing too seriously. Obviously that comes in handy in a practical way sometimes, you just don't have to believe it's the absolute truth of existence, even as far as your self is concerned.

  The attitude and intent with which you approach it is what's important right, just don't worry about being perfect and getting every single thing. I mentioned that to make a point, which is really to point out the futility of the nit-picky approach. The thing is you don't want the intent of self-empowerment to become self-struggle. In otherwords, don't be reproving yourself, counsel yourself, or even trying to label part of yourself as bad association, or heaven forbid disfellowshipping a part of yourself.

  Sometimes people just tend to speak negatively, that's just kind of the way they are. But after you've been around them a while you might notice it's not as big a deal anymore, not just as far as you're concerned because of it getting old but you might notice they don't make a big deal about their complaining or whatever either. It's just talk. Of course it might be more exciting for them to do the negative me bit on a new person, but because you know each other pretty well that drama has worn off. I'd say if you can get there without starting new drama that would be far more useful than nailing a number of incidents of negative speech. You might say it's a matter of getting bored with it.
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  Frannie Banannie

  Points well taken, Mark. Thanks. From where do you get your insightfulness on this subject?

  Frannie
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  Markfromcali

  After I posted that I thought of a good way to sum it up, which is as far as empowerment is concerned there is more power in your self working as a coherent whole rather than one part struggling for domination over another.

  I tend to notice mindsets which are divisive like this because for one I've done it like anybody else, and I guess I just woke up and realized I don't want to do this anymore. As useful as they are, I don't see why any of us would want to reduce ourselves to a way of thinking. It's one thing for thinking to be something we do, which it actually is, it's another to try to make it what we ARE. That's just crazy, why would you want to be held to that limited range of activity? Reminds me of that joke about the song "we all live in a yellow subroutine.."
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  ballistic

  Well, FB, I sat here with my headphones on, reading your post again I said a few words and got my hairs standing on end. Is that what I'm supposed to do? Well it felt pretty good from here.
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  Frannie Banannie

  After I posted that I thought of a good way to sum it up, which is as far as empowerment is concerned there is more power in your self working as a coherent whole rather than one part struggling for domination over another.

  I tend to notice mindsets which are divisive like this because for one I've done it like anybody else, and I guess I just woke up and realized I don't want to do this anymore. As useful as they are, I don't see why any of us would want to reduce ourselves to a way of thinking. It's one thing for thinking to be something we do, which it actually is, it's another to try to make it what we ARE. That's just crazy, why would you want to be held to that limited range of activity? Reminds me of that joke about the song "we all live in a yellow subroutine.."

  Perhaps, Mark.....but I'd really like to experiment with this.....I think it's worth a try to see if there really ARE some positive affects on our lives. I'm talking about a temporary experiment, not a permanent radical change in lifestyle.

  Well, FB, I sat here with my headphones on, reading your post again I said a few words and got my hairs standing on end. Is that what I'm supposed to do? Well it felt pretty good from here.

  I dunno, Ballistic...what words didja say, eh? And why did they make yer hair stand on end?

  Frannie