Shepherd of Being

 A "Shepherd of Being," caught my eye yesterday as I was reading a book. It is how Martin Heidegger referred to our role in our own lives. In his view, we need to stand on the sideline and accept whatever fate grants us.

Passive and unappealing as Heidegger's idea appears, it actually stems from his profound personal experience. In the 1930s, he actively supported the German Nazi movement. Its anti-minority policies were masterminded and enacted by his fellow human beings, and himself. When he conceived the idea of a "Shepherd of Being," a decade or so after the war had ended, his thinking was that since humans were capable of committing so many crimes, perhaps it was better for them to stand by and simply watch their destiny unfold in front of their eyes.

In my mind, accepting the "Shepherd of Being" stance toward our fate is no justification for genocide and other crimes committed in the 1930s and 40s by the Nazis. Nonetheless, accepting our fate, if combined with other concepts, is a powerful and graceful way living.  More on the mystery concepts in the next blog entry! :)

We Learn From Stories, Not Theories

As children we revere and emulate the heroes of books and cartoons: Alice in Wonderland, Mary Poppins, Nancy Drew, to name a few. As we grow older, we look for a more “scientific” solution to our problems and seek help in books or individuals who advocate the use of theories that are the key to solving our problems. “If you do x, y, and z, and if you stick to them, you will resolve situation a,” they proclaim. And if you do not manage to follow through the x, y, or z, it is your own failure, not the theory’s.

It is more empowering, in my view, to resurrect the inner child within us, and to let ourselves learn from stories of other grown-up children like us. Their stories offer a wealth of information about struggles and ways of overcoming them, from dealing with addiction and abuse to  living with a disability, exploring gender boundaries, losing a beloved friend, switching careers, having one’s ideas censored, being homeless, etc. The breadth of issues and the socioeconomic, racial, and political diversity of people who deal with them are enormous. The stories are everywhere: in memoirs, ethnographies, biographies, in-depth interviews, and people around us, ready to draw us in, to fascinate us, to sow the seeds of passion or doubt, provide a different perspective or insight, strengthen our resolve to pursue a goal, nurture our imagination, etc.

Stories are empowering because they highlight the vast human potential to overcome pain and numerous obstacles. In minute details, we can retrace someone’s deep sense of sadness before they achieved happiness, disease before they reclaimed health, failure before they made their dreams come true. We can discover a range of emotions that accompany the passage from the unwanted to the desired state of affairs. Finally, we can relate to or try to understand someone’s path in life.    

In doing so, we can also understand our own lives, see pieces of ourselves in others’ stories:  “If this person, under these many difficulties could overcome their problem, perhaps, if I try hard enough, I can do that, too,” we may reflect. And as we seek solutions, we are free to pick as many stories as it takes to make up our own story of personal growth. A story that, perhaps one day, will help others find their way to lead a more joyful and fulfilled life.  

Breaking Down Terrorism with Kindness & Communication

"There is no military solution to terrorism," Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani recently stated at a conference, where he was referring to a UNICEF-sponsored "rehabilitation" program  for the former Taliban recruits. What is, then, the solution? In addition to literacy, it is kindness, communication, and offering opportunities and support that the teenage boys had been deprived of at home, before the Taliban approached them. 

Listen to NPR's Report from which the quote was taken.

I took the picture of the heart from the Drawing Animated Heart Tutorial

Stereotyping Does Not Pay Off, Literally

Stereotyping entails simplifying: you get rid of all the differences that make us unique just so you can pin a label of race, disability, sexual orientation, etc, often without bothering to ask or listen to those labeled whether they agree with your rationale or not.  And precisely because stereotyping ignores differences, it does not pay off, literally, as research shows.

In NPR's report, "Minorities at the Movies fill Seats, But Not Screens," Karen Grigsby Bates explains how despite the fact that racial minorities spend more money on movies and entertainment, they are not playing leading roles in many Hollywood movies. The oversimplification of the Latino or black audiences means that various segments of these minorities are being ignored. For instance, the Latino population, while speaking Spanish, comes from countries as diverse as Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Cuba, etc. Not only their cultural background varies, but also their socio-economic status, religious beliefs, education, to name just a few basic differences.

I do not care very much about the profits or loses of the entertainment industry, but I do think that many individuals from diverse fields that cater to a wide audience, such as marketers, sales reps, people who work in the tourist industry, etc, may view this research as a useful lesson. If larger profit margins would convince them to rid themselves of stereotypes, our society would still be better off in the end. Perverse as it sounds then, their desire to get richer would be a good thing; it would pay off!

Stuffed Tomatoes

I recently was told by a naturopathic doctor that for now, while my digestive system is very weak and being healed, I should not eat too many raw foods, which are harder to digest. I really do feel better when I eat food that is warm, but since it is summer, I also do want to eat light meals, not stews. So below is a recipe I came up with yesterday. On the Joy Blog, I put it under snacks and appetizers, but this was actually our dinner--it just depends how many tomatoes you bake!

Go to the Recipe Page

On a Lighter Note...

In the shadows of the trees
In the rustle of the leaves
Echo echoes her own song note after note
In the wind that serenades
To the clouds, its sky soul mates
Echo echoes with the wind cord after cord...



Enjoy Echo by Victor Tsaran. By the way, if you are in the Bay Area on July 2nd, you can hear him play the song live at Angelica's Bistro

"Shade it black": Turning Sorrow into Wisdom

I never stop being fascinated with stories of people who go through hardship and then gather enough strength and willpower to help or inspire others. One of such stories is related in Jess Goodell's memoir, "Shade it black: Death and after in Iraq." Goodell was a marine and when she was serving in Iraq, her task was to recover and process the remains of fallen soldiers.



Despite her best intentions, the remains of some soldiers could only partially be recovered; the body parts that were missing were shaded in black in the official military documents she had to prepare. She was also responsible for documenting and returning to families anything that the soldiers carried in their pockets: from spoons and trash to photos of girlfriends and fetuses that would become their children.

When Goodell came back from Iraq, she was told not to share her experiences with the civilians, so as not to expose them to the darkest yes unavoidable side of any war. Yet, having struggled with the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for several years, the former marine has not only confronted and described her experiences, but wants to help other veterans cope with their horrific memories. She started her education in a community college and is now pursuing her PhD in psychology, so she can become a counselor who will combine her knowledge of psychology with her own weighty past.

Follow the link to listen to an extensive interview with Jess Goodell on NPR's Fresh Air

Humanity's Downfall: Putting Numbers Before Design

 In his latest book, "Car guys vs. bean counters: The battle for the soul of American Business," and interview with Kai Ryssdal, Bob Lutz, a former vice chairman of General Motors reveals the biggest mistake that the American car companies make: they rely on numbers as the determinant of the companies' profits and future growth. Unfortunately, Lutz states, the love for numbers is the virtue still instilled in students of business schools. The consequence of this is that the future leaders of the business world are taught to "skimp and see how much cost can we strip out before people actually protest"!

The interview is entitled "The U.S. car industry's downfall: Putting numbers before design," but I would argue that the unconditional love for numbers is not just car industry's, not just business's, but humanity's downfall, which is relevant to minorities of all sorts, social norms, and stereotypes. This is because once the numbers determine the course of action, individual needs and desires are overlooked (and frankly, some business opportunities are lost). Numbers breed arrogance because the number-glorifying philosophy often boils down to this simple assumption, "If you are not in the majority, you are a loser, you are not like others, you choose not to fit in. It is not us, the number-lovers who have failed to include you."

So, seven billion people or so out there, it is time for a paradigm shift or else, by chance, you may find yourself on the wrong side, in the minority!

Beauty is Power

Designing beautiful objects and surroundings is not merely a whim; beauty influences the way we act. When the cleaning crew at the Utrecht railway station in the Netherlands went on strike for a week, people at the station were much more likely to be rude to one another, and they adhered a lot more to racial stereotypes. Follow the link to the article/podcast to hear more about the research.

Ideas Must Flow, not Overgrow

"Since you are what you eat," a squirrel said, "I guess I am nuts." I am paraphrasing here the joke that Joan Borysenko brings up in her article, "Move it or Lose it: Why Exercise makes you smarter." Borysenko stresses the importance of exercise not only for our physical but also our psychological well-being. When we exercise, she states, our brain actually grows new neurons and rewires its circuits, making it easier to adapt to changes, to grow, to expand beyond our comfort ones. 

In addition to the "you are what you eat" paradigm though, I want to stress the fact that "you are what you think" deserves equal attention. Therefore, along with the physical exercises that help you renew and rewire your brain, it is also important to constantly keep your mind  open to new ideas. They should be flowing freely through your mind like water of a clear spring, not the stagnant water of an algae-overgrown lake. Such lakes suffocate as time passes, and so do our minds when we let them overgrow with old, unjustified, deeply rooted convictions from 10, 20, 30 years ago. So as we age, we can become rigid, stale, unyielding, or wiser, more emphatic, more understanding.

And it is superbly easy to keep our mind from overgrowing with old ideas. Anyone can do that. In fact, many children do that, but then they grow out of it while they learn to please and to adjust to the norms and rules of the world around them. What is the "that" and "it" that I refer to? Questioning. Only when we never take anything for granted, only when we reevaluate our thoughts, can we remain open-minded. Really? Is that so?

The Joy and Beauty of a Colorful Life

My article about the joy and beauty of a colorful life is now live on the Yahoo Accessibility Blog. In my mind, colors are associated with being alive and with expressing the joy of living. I've been fascinated by colors since childhood, and I am always on a lookout for new color combinations and manifestations in unexpected places. In the article, I included several photos that illustrate these notions. Enjoy!

Welcome To Life in Joy!

A warm welcome to anybody who happened to stumble upon my very first blog entry related to Life in Joy. The site's focus is on education (i.e. healthy recipes, health benefits of spices & seasonings, the meaning of colors), as well as celebration of beauty and joy in daily life (i.e. surrounding oneself with colorful flowers or wearing creative, colorful clothing). Naturally, there are many other ways to celebrate life, just as there are more recipes and spices that will be added to the site over time.


"Why call the site Life in Joy?" You may ponder. Haven't I seen and read about the horrific stories of genocide, malnutrition, mistreatment of humans all around the world? Haven't I lived through a personal tragedy? The answer to both questions is YES, and that is precisely why I want to celebrate the joy in life that we live here, now, without really knowing what changes will await us tomorrow, in an hour, the very next moment.The joy in life is fleeting and marred by scares and horrific memories. While I have no power to prolong the joyful moments, I can embellish them, endow them with more beauty and meaning, so that the next time they are overshadowed by sorrow, their charm may bring on a trace of a smile.