Do or Do Not, There is no Try (Gasp!)

The Power of Self-Efficacy

True Q – S6E6

Self-efficacy! WTF is that! And why would I read this? Trust me. This is about the power of you. Here's how it rolls out:

Amanda Rogers, a young adult comes on board the Enterprise. It becomes apparent she has telekinetic powers, making objects appear and disappear. Q appears and informs the Captain that he created the warp core breach to determine if ‘the girl’ was Q. Apparently she was because she stopped the breach. Q answers Amanda’s questions about what they (Q) can do: “To put it simply, we’re omnipotent. There’s nothing, nothing we can’t do.” Amanda asks, “And what do you do with this power?” Q responds smugly with, “Anything. We. Want.”

He asks her what she would like to see and then tells her how to go about it. Amanda says, “I’d like to know what my parents look like.” Q tells her how to do it: “So do it. Summon the image. Think about them. Evoke the memory. You can do it, Amanda. Trust me. Close your eyes. Close your eyes. In your mind, return to the time when you were an infant. Think about your parents. Remember them. Good. Good. Now, open your eyes.” She sees her parents in front of her holding a baby and realizes with joy and what appears as resolution that they loved her.

Q gives us clues as to how to create intentions that yield results – image, memory, and focus. Even quantum physics tells us that what we think is what we get. There is enough science out there to prove to us that these things make a difference. I’m not talking about hocus-pocus stuff. I’m talking about hard science. Dr Bruce Lipton (2005), a cell biologist discovered that a cell’s life is controlled by its environment, not its genes. Further, he recognized that beliefs had an effect on cells in humans. Hence my statement, “What you think is what you get!”

Q and the Continuum represent the archetype of our personal power. In psychology, we call it self-efficacy. According to Bandura (1994), a psychologist known for his research in self-efficacy, it is “the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations.” It is knowing that you have the ability to accomplish what you set out to do.

Maybe that's one reason we like technology and gaming, because we can change things. We create alter egos through our personal avatars and influence others in MMORPG’s. We get really good at gaming. Why? Because we have just enough accomplishment to create a sense of self-efficacy. This motivates us to continue. We are going for the hit. We persevere. We get creative. We are motivated.

This is a transferrable skill that we don’t fully utilize. We sometimes pre-judge the possibility of success before we even start. For example, “Well, there’s no sense in applying to BCIT for the Computer Science degree because they probably won’t let me in.” Or “The Medieval Blacksmithing Course if full, so there’s no sense in getting on the waiting list.” I also notice what happens when we let ourselves throw all these pre-judgments aside and ‘just do it’. Portals to new worlds open.

Amanda says to Dr. Crusher, “If it were you, if suddenly you could have anything you wanted, what would it be?”And later, Q says to Amanda, “Your future contains wonders you can’t even imagine. The universe could be your playground.” What if you framed your life with these statements as a foundation for your actions. When I think of the universe as being my playground, I feel energized and experience a sense of self-efficacy and motivation. I'm 'good to go'.

As a vision and possibility coach, I have watched empowerment and results skyrocket with this framework. I would love to be a personal coach just for geeks. They have so much to offer, yet sometimes, their gifts seem to be stuck or hidden under a garment absent of self-efficacy.

Toward the end, Amanda resolves her struggle and resistance with, “Ever since I got here, I’ve been fighting this. I’ve been denying the truth. Denying what I am. I am Q.” 

I think this is an excellent model for us. To accept ourselves as we are. And to go for what we want. To develop who we are. What parts of you have you been resisting? Resistance is futile. You can do and be anything you want. Engage!

References

Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy. In V. S. Ramachaudran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behavior, 4. New York: Academic Press, pp. 71-81.

Lipton, Bruce (2005). The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter and Miracles. Santa Rosa, CA: Mountain of Love/Elite.

I See Patterns!

The Neuroscience of Rumination

Legacy  - S4E6

A bit of background: In this episode we encounter Ishara, the sister of Tasha Yar, the Enterprise security officer who was killed in the line of duty. Missed by many of the crew, they quickly transfer some of their feelings of affection for Tasha to Ishara. After another federation ship lands on Ishara’s planet to escape a warp core breach, she agrees to help the Enterprise rescue the crew members that were taken hostage by a warring faction on her planet.

At the beginning of the episode, Ishara is curious about Data’s ability to experience friendship. He says, “even among humans, friendship is sometimes less an emotional response and more a sense of familiarity…As I experience certain sensory input patterns, my mental pathways become accustomed to them. The input is eventually anticipated. And even missed when absent.” Ishara responds, “Like my sister.”

What appears to be a discussion about friendship is really an explanation of Data’s patterns. Neurologically, it is the same with us.  In 1959 Donald Hebb, a Canadian psychologist described how learning links neurons in new ways. From this neuro-scientist, Carla Shatz coined the memetic phrase “neurons that fire together, wire together” (Doidge, 2007). In the movie What the Bleep do we Know, there is an excellent portrayal of how this works. The brain cells known as neurons have branches known as dentrites that align with the branches of other neurons with a space in between called a synapse. These dendrites ‘fire’ electro-chemical messages to another dendrite across the synapse. It shows how these neurons move and align with other neurons to create repeated firing as we repeatedly think the same thoughts or perform the same actions,  such as in being with a friend on a regular basis. When the regularity of friendship is removed, the result is that we miss them. The wiring is anticipating them but they are gone.

These patterns can be pleasant or unpleasant. One form of an unpleasant pattern is rumination. You know like when someone pisses you off and you have this internal dialogue with the other person over and over. Or when you feel threatened about something, and you keep having the same repeated thoughts, talking to yourself to explain it or change the way you feel about it, but nothing changes. Rumination. Yuk!

As geeks, we often obsess. Maybe you are wondering how to address the fight you had with your girlfriend last night. May you can’t turn off the tap of thoughts about how to ask that girl out in your chemistry class. Maybe you make a hundred different ways to tell someone that you want to end the relationship, but you don’t want to hurt her feelings. What else do you obsess about? I bet you want to stop. But how?

The answer involves neuroplasticity. Patterns can be changed. What wires together can be unwired.

Want to know a neat trick from the field of psychology? When you find yourself ruminating, say, “Stop.” Yeah. Yeah. I know. Sounds too simple, doesn’t it? Well, it isnt. And, it’s effective. The thoughts may be back a few seconds later. So you do it again. And again. 

Research shows that rumination feeds anxiety and depression. It has been my personal experience that repeated use of this “Stop!” method has the desired effect. Better than throwing a can of gasoline on the already flaming thoughts. The rumination becomes less frequent and less intense.You can create new wiring! Patternus interruptus successful!

At the end of this episode, Data describes to Riker what comes close to our human counterpart of rumination: “Recent events have left me puzzled, Sir. It has been days since Ishara left. And yet my thoughts seem to dwell on her. Almost as if I was experiencing a feedback loop in my pneumonic network.” This loop is a brilliant representation of what we experience as humans when we chew the thought cud. So, if you have a “feedback loop” you can use this wiring and unwiring knowledge to ‘end the program’. Just say, “Stop!”

References

Doidge, N. (2007). The brain that changes itself: Stories of personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science. New York: Viking.­­

The Communicator is Broken!

Family Conflict and Resolution
Homeward – S7E13

Although this episode is about rescuing a people from a dying planet and wresting with the prime directive, it is also about navigating the challenges in relationship. In this case the challenge is between Worf and his brother. Worf’s brother is the leader of the Boraalan tribe on the dying planet and is determined to lead them to safety in a subversive way that involves the Enterprise whether they like it or not. Worf is assigned the task of going down to the planet to respond to the distress call. As he is surgically altered to look like a Boraalan, he has a dialogue with Dr. Crusher. She asks about his brother. Worf responds with, “We are brothers.” (sigh), that tone that signifies challenges. It is his foster brother. He describes them as having many disagreements growing up. His brother has a mind of his own, but can’t follow rules. He also balances it with, “But he has many fine qualities. He’s brilliant, persuasive, a natural leader.”

Nikolai (Worf's foster brother) beams up to the ship to request that the Captain creates a biosphere for the dying planet in order to rescue one of the small tribes with whom he lives. Picard informs him that he cannot help him as the prime directive was designed to ensure non-interference.

The Conflict

After we watch the atmosphere of the planet disappear and destroy a civilization Worf tracks a power drain to Holodeck 5 only to find that his brother has transported all of the tribe onto the holodeck which he has set to conform to the physical characteristics on the planet. Worf is furious. Nikolai responds with, “I’ve done what you have refused to do. I’ve saved them.” I wasn’t going to let those people die just because your Captain started quoting Federation dogma to me.”

Worf: Your duty was to respect the Captain’s orders and uphold the prime directive. 

Nikolai: Duty. That’s all that really matters to you, isn’t it? Well, I refuse to be bound by an abstraction. The lives of the people of Boraal are far more important to me. You worry too much, Worf. You always did. Everything will work out.

Worf: You have disgraced yourself. And you have disgraced me. I want nothing more to do with you.

In the next scene, we find Nikolai convincing the Captain to look for an M class planet for the tribe. 

What can the Captain do? He is left with little choice. To make matters worse, they have trouble keeping the holodeck simulation stable so that the Boraalans do not know that they are on a star ship. Meanwhile, the Captain orders Worf to stay with and monitor Nikolai on the holodeck since he has already caused enough trouble. Worf resists but obeys orders. Worf explains the intermittent malfunction of the holodeck to the tribe as a good omen. Nikolai says, “Apparently, we’re not such a bad team after all.” Worf responds emphatically with, “We are not a team. I am here because Captain Picard ordered me here!”

They start to bicker more heatedly.

Nikolai: Worf, don’t we both share the same goal? Aren’t we both trying to make this plan work?

Worf: Only because you forced us into it. 

Nikolai: I’m not ashamed of what I did. I’m not sorry I saved their lives.

Worf: You have not changed. You still expect people to solve the problems you create.

Nikolai: I’m not here to work out the issues of our childhood. I’m here to save a people who I care about. And, if that upsets you, then so be it.

Nikolai walks away. Worf looks troubled.

Worf: Everywhere you go, you create chaos. How many times did our parents lie awake at night wondering what kind of trouble you were in.

Nikolai: (Sarcastically) Oh! If only I could have been like you! Worf. The perfect son! 

Worf: I was not perfect. But I was not wild and disobedient!

Nikolai: Of course not. You were too busy doing your duty.

Worf: I would rather be accused of that than making our mother weep. But I see it is clear you have no intention of changing. I see no reason to discuss it further.

Then Nikolai’s mate reveals to Worf that she is carrying Nikolai’s child. Worf is outraged.

Worf to Nikolai: How could you have mated with a Boraalan?! What were you thinking?!

Nikolai: I don’t owe you an explanation. 

Worf: As usual, you are only thinking of yourself.

Nikolai: And, as usual, you are here to point out the error of my ways.

Worf: You have treated [her] with dishonor!

Nikolai: I have not! I love her and we’re going to raise our child together.

Worf: (Shouting) That is not possible. I cannot allow you to remain here.

Nikolai: You will have to kill me first!

(Both getting ready to fight physically, fists drawn back, ready to punch). At this point, the holodeck malfunctions again and their attention is diverted to the malfunction.

The Resolution

Worf: I do not want to fight you, Nikolai. 

Nikolai: Things were never easy between us, were they? (looking sad) It’s my fault. If I’d been more like you, we wouldn’t have had so many problems.

Worf: No. If you had been more like me, these people would not be here now. You gave them a chance at a new life.

Nikolai: And I intend to share that life with them. The village will need a new chronicle. Someone will have to begin it. My child will need a father. My place is here. I’m finally taking responsibility. 

Worf: (Smiling). You were never good at drawing. How will you keep a chronicle? 

Nikolai: I learn quickly.

Worf: Then perhaps there is hope.

Worf takes the initiative to give his brother a manly hug. His brother hugs him back. They are both smiling.

What has changed?

In the last scene between Worf and his brother, Nikolai takes responsibility for the effects of his nature causing problems. Worf points out that those very qualities are what saved a tribe of people. Nikolai assets that he is taking responsibility by assuming the role of chronicler, staying with them, and raising a family. Worf expresses a bit of humour at Nikolai taking the role of chronicler when he can’t draw very well. Nikolai expresses his ability to learn quickly and Worf, in return, expresses hope.

I see the qualities of good communication in the last dialogue between Worf and Nikolai. Each of them acknowledge ‘what is’, take responsibility for their own actions and acknowledge the honorable qualities in the other, three elements involved in successful communication and resolution (Rosenberg, 1999).

Reference

Rosenberg, M. B. (1999). Nonviolent communication: A language of compassion. Del Mar, CA: PuddleDancer Press.

Be Here Now

Savoring the moment

The Game -- S5E6

About six minutes into the episode, there is a perfect example of savoring. Why is this so important? Savoring is the process by which we are completely in the moment (mindfulness) and stretch a moment to enjoy it longer. The Positive Psychology research suggests that, when we practice savoring in our lives, we create the benefit of more happiness and less depression (Lyubomirsky, 2007). It has more benefit than what we may think. Savoring on a daily basis creates an accumulation of positive emotional experiences which contributes to higher mental acuity, stronger immune systems, and increased creativity (Fredrickson, 2000). Who knew? Savoring is described as “any thoughts or behaviors capable of generating, intensifying, and prolonging enjoyment” (Lyubomirsky, 2007, p. 191). It is an important part of what creates happy human beings and Star Trek did a wonderful job portraying savoring in this example: 

Counsellor Troi is in ten forward just sitting down to start eating a decadent chocolate-layered dessert. Riker joins her and comments on her extravagant treat. Troi says, “It’s not just a matter of taste. It’s the whole experience. First of all, you have to spoon the fudge around the rim leaving only the ice cream in the middle. Then, you gently spoon the ice cream around the sides like you’re sculpting it. Relish every bite. Make every one an event. And then, with the last scoopful, close your eyes. (Here, they show a close up of Troi’s face with her eyes closed, slowly putting one spoon of the dessert in her mouth and a large smile slowly spreads across her face. Riker says, “I had no idea it was such a ritual.” Troi responds with, “Chocolate is a serious thing.”

Savoring is one of the main ‘positive psychology interventions’ (PPI) in the literature. It has much research behind it as a way of increasing happiness. It’s a way all of us can keep the bogeyman of pessimism at bay as well as increase our enjoyment of life. 

Fredrickson, B. L., & Losada, M. F. (2005). Positive affect and the complex dynamics of human flourishing. American Psychologist, 60(7), 678.

Lyubomirsky, S. (2007). The how of happiness: A new approach to getting the life you want. New York: Penguin Books.

World of Warcrack

The Neuropsychology of Pleasure and Addiction
The Game – S5E6

The Neuro Dance Trance Begins...

Now who doesn't want pleasure. It's one of the necessities of life. However, when it interferes with other parts, it's worth looking at more closely. The writers in this episode create a very clever approach at some of the consequences of a game brought on board by Riker from the planet, Risa. The game involves a headset that has an optical wand in front of each eye. A holographic image of discs and funnels is presented to the player and when the player gets a disc to go into the funnel, they are rewarded with a release of serotonin. It is so rewarding that everyone starts playing it and the whole ship goes into a kind of a trance. 

Wesley, visiting the Enterprise while on vacation from Starfleet Academy, meets Robin in engineering, also around his own age, and together, they start looking into this phenomenon. They load the game into a sensor computer system that reports the process that occurs in the human brain. Here’s what they say: “I’ve loaded the neurological behavior program. It’s activating the reticular formation (a network of neurons in the brainstem). There’s heavy synaptic (electrochemical signals from one nerve cell or neuron to another) activity all over the place. I wonder what happens after prolonged exposure? The effects seem centered around the frontal lobe. It’s stimulating the septal area. That’s the pleasure centre of the brain. Whatever this thing does, it must feel pretty good. No wonder it’s so popular. Look at this. Serotonin (a neurotransmitter that contributes to feelings of well-being) levels are way off. Let’s run a neuro-chemical analysis. I’m seeing widespread bonding to neuro-receptors (a process that occurs in addiction). Correct me if I’m wrong, but this looks like a psychotropic reaction. Are you saying you think the game’s addictive? What’s going on in the prefrontal cortex? Doesn’t that area control higher reasoning? Yeah. It sure does. I better go talk to the Captain.”

So, aside from my explanations in brackets above, this dialogue gives us some 101 education in brain anatomy and function. It tells us that the septal area of the brain is involved in registering pleasure and the prefrontal cortex is responsible for higher reasoning. They leave it up to us to know some of the other terms like synaptic activity, serotonin and psychotropic. And they imply that higher reasoning is dampened with the addictive qualities of the game.

This account of the trance-like quality of the game, the excess of serotonin in the brain, the increased drive for pleasure and decreased functioning of high reasoning are all elements of addiction, whether its games, alcohol, drugs, relationships, sex, exercise, eating, not eating, or other forms of addiction. All of these things can be normal and required in our lives. It is when we can't stop doing them in an excess that interferes with other normal functioning that it becomes what is considered psychopathology. The brain functions of reasoning and feeling become at odds here.

Leveling Up

One of my friends said to me that he had lost two years of his life to World of Warcraft. He referred to it as “Warcrack.” So, when we recognize that we are missing out on other parts of our lives due to an addiction, what can we do about it? How do we level up?

I believe that addiction just starts out as a way of obtaining pleasure and evading uncomfortable emotions. And we need both. But when something like gaming becomes an escape because we don't have the emotional resiliency to deal with the everyday challenges and adversities of life, we need a new approach.

So what is the key to moving to the next level. One of the keys to creating freedom of choice is to observe our emotions with an inquiring mind much like Data does, and to be able to sit with our uncomfortable emotions, building emotional muscle if you will. If we can build impulse control (and we can) by being the observer rather than the reactor, we can see what the impulse is asking for, we can interrupt the habitual pattern set up in our brain, and find other ways to get our very normal human needs met.

Patternus Interruptus

Later in the episode, Data comes to the bridge and flashes an intermittent light with a palm beacon that seems to ‘break the spell’ of the game.

See? The writers have it right. Interruption is the trick. Neuroscience shows that when we interrupt the firing of the neurons of a particular pattern we weaken the wiring of that pattern. Freedom from addiction lies at the heart of this concept. It's the same concept as changing a habit. They are not that different. Maybe the intensity of addiction is stronger than habit but the strategy of changing it is the same.

This episode was an excellent portrayal of the concepts involved in pleasure tipping into addiction, the neuroscience behind it, and the interruption strategy necessary to change it.

Is there anything in this episode that is helpful to you for changing a habit, pattern, or addiction? Change the name, change the frame.

Emotional Tribbles for Data

How to Describe an Emotion

Descent – S6E26

In this episode the Borg attack the Federation, but this time they’re acting as individuals rather than a collective. Data experiences his first emotions while fighting them. Since studying and writing about emotions is my specialty, I will not attempt any summary of the episode, and, instead, comment on the dialogue that focuses on emotion.

This episode opens up with Data playing poker with Stephen Hawking playing himself, Isaac Newton, and Einstein. The scene portrays the personalities of each of the characters; Stephen as amiable, Isaac as an arrogant boor, and Einstein also as amiable. The point of playing, as Data says, was, “When I play poker with my shipmates, it often appears to be a useful forum for exploring the different facets of humanity. I was curious to see how three of history’s greatest minds would interact in this setting. So far, it is proved to be most illuminating.”

The next scene shows the Enterprise being attacked by the Borg. In defending themselves from the Borg attack, Data, with his hand around the neck of one of the Borg, repeatedly says, “Stop it.” and is scowling. Shortly thereafter, we see his closed fist slowly releasing and Riker says, “Data, are you alright?” Data responds with a yes, sir. Riker asks: “What happened?” Data says with a confused look on his face, “I got angry.” He asks to be relieved of duty. In the next scene Data and Geordi attempt to describe emotions.

Data: I believe I’ve experienced my first emotion.

Geordi: No offense, Data, but how would you know a flash of anger from some odd kind of power surge.

Data: You are correct in that I have no frame of reference to confirm my hypothesis. In fact, I am unable to provide a verbal description of the experience. Perhaps you could describe how it feels to be angry. I could then use that as a reference.

Geordi attempting to describe anger: When I feel angry, first I uh first I feel hostile.

Data: Could you describe feeling hostile?

Geordi: Yeah, it’s like feeling belligerent, combative.

Data: Could you describe feeling angry without referring to other feelings?

Geordi (faltering): No. I guess I can’t. I just (sic) feel angry.

Data: That was my experience as well. I simply felt angry.

This dialogue portrays that we (human beings, as well as emotional androids) just ‘know’ what our feelings are even though we may not always be able to describe them.

Sensations and Interpretations

In another scene with Counsellor Troi, Data explores trying to experience emotion at will. He chooses everything but anger. Troi asks why.

Data: Anger is a negative emotion. I wanted to concentrate on something more positive.

Troi: Data, feelings aren’t positive and negative. They simply exist. It’s what we do with those feelings that becomes good or bad. For example, feeling angry about an injustice could lead someone to take a positive action to correct it.

This is a concept that most of us have difficulty with, including me. Feelings aren’t positive and negative? A distinction here: The experience of emotions may be pleasant or unpleasant and the judgment of feelings may be positive or negative. What I have discovered is that experiencing a basic emotion can be pleasant (joy) or unpleasant (anxiety). How we judge ourselves in light of having an emotion is another matter. 

Both pleasant and unpleasant emotions give us information that is useful to guide us in making decisions. They tell us what we need or want, what to move towards or away from, what our values are, what gives us meaning, about how we perceive ourselves or others, and understanding our beliefs about life. Emotions 'drive the bus' or the Enterprise or our body. We can let them drive us without being conscious or we can develop recognition of the information they contain. Understanding the messages in emotions and acting on them appropriately is described in my first book (Vanderpol, 2005). According to a neuroscientist, Candace Pert, emotions are chemical messengers of information (Pert, 1997).

Rumi says, Let yourselves be quietly drawn by the deeper pull of what you truly love. How would you know what you truly love? Why, emotions, of course! When something excites you or inspires you, when it is a pleasant feeling, that would be a clue that you are headed in the direction of your calling, your gifts, your talents, and what gives you purpose and meaning, what you value. And I agree with
Troi. It’s what we do with those feeling that becomes good or bad. How we act on our emotions have consequences that help or harm you.

Decoding the Message

Data and Troi continue...

Data continues: But my study of humanity indicates there are some emotions that are harmful, such as jealousy or hatred.

Troi: Those are very strong emotions and you’re right. Very little good can come from them. But I don’t think that an exploration of anger need necessarily to hatred or malice.

All emotions have a function. Emotions in their pure form are messages, signals. Anger signals boundary violation. Fear signals danger, psychological or physical. Sadness signals loss. Joy signals fulfillment. All emotions have valuable information.

I disagree with Troi that very little good can come from jealousy. My personal experience of jealousy that I didn’t listen to in my marriage revealed longstanding infidelity. I had a feeling but couldn’t believe it of him and doubted me, so I ignored it. A decade of my life and health went down the tubes. I could have been writing this book! It was a message that said Listen. Something is not right here. Protect yourself. I paid a high emotional cost for not listening.

However, jealousy (and its close cousin envy) can also be a message of low self-regard breeding insecurity and thinking that the 'other' doesn't think you're good enough and you will lose them. In that case, the message may be saying that you do not own your inherent worth and your good qualities. And envy may be telling you that you are not following your calling. I think that much good can come from jealousy and envy if we decode the message. And this leads right into the next part of Data's curiosity about emotions.

Data continues, But what if it does, Counsellor? What if those are the only emotions I am capable of experiencing? Would that not make me a bad person?

Ah, here we are again. At the crux of the matter. I think this is where we shy away from looking at ourselves and what our emotions are telling us. If they provide information about ourselves that we don’t like, or that they make us feel like a bad person, this is where denial sets in. Here is where removing self-judgment and replacing it with self-compassion allows us to look more honestly at ourselves. A practice worth well, um, practicing, especially to counteract cultural messages of harsh judgment and shame if we are not 'a certain way'.

What if we operated on the premise that we are all noble human beings just growing into our nobility? Our growth and nobility begin with embracing who we are as we are right now with compassion and kindness.

The Geek Emotional Code

But aren't we geeks supposed to be cool? Doesn't that mean we're not supposed to show emotions, or maybe even have them? That we're detached, that we can handle it all? Bullshit. We're human. We have emotions. We may push them away to look cool, to remain true to our logical nature. But we're missing half the picture. Okay. So, here's the vision. What if the geek emotional culture said we're bright, quick, logical AND integrated. Whatever emotions we have, we allow ourselves to have them, listen to the information they have for us, and express that in who we are. Would you be willing to use feeling words in your vocabulary. On my website (www.johannavanderpol.com) I compiled a list of more than 400 feeling words. What if we used them?

What if it was cool in our culture to have a geeknacular that included the recognition and expression of emotions, straight up, the other half of who we are? It is a culture change, I grant you that. But I think we would be way cooler if we could honor more fully this important part of what makes us human. There is much creativity, innovation, and deeper connections to be had with our fellow geeks and other humans as we expand into our emotional nature.

I wonder, what are the things that hold us back? What are the things that hold you back? These are the questions, that, onced aired, open the pathway to moving forward. Please post your comments to this question at the bottom of this post. I am curious.

Your Emotional Nemisis (mohaha)

And another morsel of worth:

Data: When I think back on the incident, I realize that I was also experiencing another sensation. It was not the same as anger. But I think it was an emotion.

Troi: When exactly did you feel this other emotion?

Data: It was just after I had killed the Borg. I looked down at his body. I felt something.

Troi: If you had to give this feeling a name, what would you call it?

Data: I believe it was (sic) pleasure. (du, du, dum music).

When have you felt pleasure at causing pain to another because of what they had done to you? What does it do to you when you see that in yourself? How do you feel about yourself? Personally, I have seen this quality in myself and I don’t like it. I used to feel ashamed, but now that I am more compassionate with myself these days, I look at it as information. I still feel uncomfortable that I want to cause another human being pain, when they have caused me pain, because it is in conflict with my principle of wanting the best for others. I want to think of myself as more enlightened or evolved than someone who takes revenge on another, or manipulates them through punishment. However, by being able to be compassionate with myself, I am able to look more deeply and more honestly at myself and see where I would like to grow or change something about myself. And, I just notice these qualities in myself. I am not gripped to act on them. It just serves as information to me that inspires me to continue to work on myself. I am sure that we all have these places in our psyche that morph into a thousand different forms.

All this dialogue in Star Trek about emotions touch on very important points about the messages that emotions have for our learning and growth.

Now, geeks get to mine the depths of Star Trek in this book for the dialogue that exemplifies the knowledge coming from the latest research in positive psychology (the study of what’s right with us) and emotional intelligence.

Understanding your emotions

Understanding your emotions is part of the RHUME model that I describe in my first book (Vanderpol, 2005). Star Trek gives us a dialogue here about the experience and understanding of emotions. This is a great spring board for us geeks to use to start understanding our emotions and looking more closely at the information they are trying to convey.

--------------------

Pert, C. (2003). Molecules of emotion: Why you feel the way you feel. Toronto: Scribner.
Vanderpol, J. (2005). Honouring Your Emotions: Why it Matters. Cowichan Bay, BC: Nine Lives Publishing.

A Brave New World

Time’s Arrow Part II – S6E1

The Framework

Part I and II of this episode gives us a biographical glimpse into the character Samuel Clemens (yes, Mark Twain, the writer). He is brought aboard the enterprise and escorted to his quarters by Counsellor Troi. As they amble along a corridor and enter the turbo-lift, an interesting conversation ensues:

There are many ways of looking at the future. The way of looking determines the way of being. Clemens shares his cynical vision of what he sees on the Enterprise with Troi and Troi fills in the gaps:

Clemens: Well. I’m not so impressed with this future. Huge star ships and weapons that can no doubt destroy entire cities and military conquest as a way of life?

Troi: Is that what you see here?

Clemens: Well, I know what you say. That this is a vessel of exploration and your mission is to discover new worlds. That’s what the Spanish said. And the Dutch. And the Portuguese. That’s what all conquerors say. I’m sure that’s what you told that blue-skinned fellow I just saw before you brought him here to serve you. 

Troi: He’s one of the thousand species that we’ve encountered. We live in a peaceful Federation with most of them. The people you see are here by choice.

Clemens: So, there are a privileged few who serve on these ships, living in luxury and wanting for nothing, but what about everybody else? What about the poor? You ignore them.

Troi: Poverty was eliminated on earth a long time ago. And a lot of other things disappeared with it. Hopelessness. Despair. Cruelty.

Clemens: Young lady, I come from a time when men achieve power and wealth by standing on the backs of the poor, where prejudice and intolerance are common-place, and power is an end unto itself. And you’re telling me that isn’t how it is anymore?

Troi: That’s right.

Clemens: Mmm. Maybe, it’s worth giving up cigars for after all. 

The Vision

Perhaps, when we read the above dialogue, we see our current world in much the same way as Clemens -- with oppression, prejudice, intolerance and abuse of power. However, as much as that may still be true, we can also create a vision and, from there, a reality where the extremes of wealth and poverty are abolished, where power no longer creates injustice and oppression, and where prejudice is eliminated. And, if we look closer at our world today, we see many people creating these changes based on this new vision.

It can start with a positive framework that can be used by individuals, organizations, governments and communities. For example, Dr. David Cooperrider, a Professor in Social Entrepreneurship, and the founder of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) enlightens us with research that shows what happens when we focus on what is already going right. To appreciate, to see those things worth valuing and to inquire, to search, question and discover is at the heart of AI. Cooperrider (2012) applies strategies arising from this research in thousands of organizations around the world with a framework from Peter Drucker that says, “The task of leadership is to create an alignment of strengths in ways that make a system’s weaknesses irrelevant.”

Strengths-based approaches (including positive psychology) have a much higher success rate than focusing on weaknesses. For example, the common deficit-bias in organizations creates measurements of what goes wrong including deficiencies in people. “People excel only by amplifying strengths, not by fixing weakness” Leaders who “elevate strengths, see what works, and evoke what’s next” create results such as engagement in companies from 2:1 to 10:1, and high engagement organizations have 3.9 times the earnings-per-share growth rate. This is the culture that created positivity and possibility at Southwest and Amazon. Two transformational examples of positive inquiry in organizations.

The Action

And lest geeks reading this post think there is nothing to be done for our pathetic world, think about our own power. As Richard Darell of Bit Rebels points out, geeks rule the world. He has a good point, especially when we look at the founders of multinational computer companies such as Google, Microsoft and of course Apple. They have had tremendous influence on our culture. We are full of good ideas and work in creating the IT of now and the future. We govern how people navigate their lives. And so we can get geeky with the positive psychology frameworks that are being researched and developed today and use them.

AI (no, not artificial intelligence - appreciative inquiry) could be used as we create our own visions of how we would like the world to be and then initiate practices using our own strengths to ‘make it so’. The concept portrayed in this episode where Clemens sees a world where we have eliminated poverty, power issues, prejudice, and intolerance begins with a positive foundation and a world-embracing vision. As we adopt AI and similar principles on which to base the practice of our lives at the micro and macro level, we see sustainable change in the world. There is still hope and still time. And, the time is now. Geeks of the world unite! 'Make it so!'

It is within the grasp of policy makers, governments, corporations, communities and individuals to work toward this vision. But it begins with having it. Star Trek gives us that. Repeatedly.

Cooperrider, D. (2012). Three circles of the strengths revolution. Leadership Excellence. March 2012. p 3-4.

-------------------------

For good geeky gawking go to Richard Darell's site: www.bitrebels.com