Weekly Linkage: Art, Science, and Spirituality

It’s been a hot minute since I posted any links. Apparently this is also the Elf Sternberg addition, since three of his posts appear here. Good stuff.

• Lands of Dream Donation Drive – Jonas is doing one of the coolest donation drive ideas I’ve seen. Donate, and receive a detailed description and beautiful picture from the Lands of Dream. What in the hell is the Lands of Dream? Go play The Book of Living Magic. Took me about an hour (I read every description!), and everything about it is gorgeous: the art, the writing, and the music. Then take a look at some of the art/writing that Verena and Jonas are producing as part of their drive.

  Then donate. (Mine is in the queue, and I’m so excited to see what I get!)

• Embracing pain | dooce® – “What this therapy enabled me to do as well was hold that blight in my bare hands and cover it with tears. Because the Heather who had mounted all those excuses would have acknowledged it, tipped her hat, and moved right along. Too much to get done to dwell on such things.”
• Elf M. Sternberg – On picking up Stoicism… – My own struggle with Buddhism separation from other people led me to examine the idea of the Bodhisattva, but that feels… arrogant. Elitist. Dragging people to enlightenment. I don’t like it when skeptics who are assholes do it, so why would I want to join the party?

  I’ve become too much of a people person to want to detach and be a pure observer. I’m not sure that Stoicism is a good fit for me, but after reading Elf’s account, my curiosity is piqued.

• Sugar, and candy, do not make kids hyper | The Incidental Economist – Ah-ha! I know so many parents who buy into the idea that sugar makes kids hyper; I even believed it myself about my little sister. Apparently, not true.
• The Tiny Life , Archive » A New Take On Time Management – “I’d rather be fulfilled than obedient. And it turns out that when I’m fulfilled, I’m…fulfilled – whether I’m productive or not. And that gives me plenty of energy to be more focused on what matters most, which makes me truly productive. It’s a beautiful thing.”

  I disagree with the sense of entitlement that’s all over the article (“yep, I think it’s your birthright to feel that hot about your work in the world” o_O), but I wholly agree in being more careful in choosing what to be responsible for. It’s so easy for me to feel that every “should” is *my* “should”.

• What Choosing Peace Does NOT Mean – Steady Mom – A more… grounded alternative to the Ecosalon/Tiny Life article.
• Start A Business For Under $1000 | The Mogul Mom – Since I’ve been on the business tip lately, here’s an article that, while the advice itself might not be super-new to me, the sheer quantity of money the woman spent originally is.
• Elf M. Sternberg – It’s not hard to understand. – “Many people believe you need a PhD in economics to understand what went wrong in 2008. This is a myth.”

  I’ve heard it explained before in person by a very knowledgeable gent (who’s a federal money geek to begin with), but seeing it in writing makes it much easier to decipher the acronyms. I also recommend Lawrence Lessig’s Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress–and a Plan to Stop It.

• Elf M. Sternberg – Protest The Hero – “If there’s one thing I have in common with Honor Harrington, it’s that I don’t feel like a freaking hero for doing my duty. But this happens all the time. There’s apparently something vaguely ‘heroic’ about sticking by your commitment for 26 years, a commitment made with eyes open and with no mitigating circumstances.”
• Managing Your Health Savings Account – Discusses the basics of HSAs–what you can spend them on, how much you can save, what type of plans they come with.
• MRI’s under attack – I can certainly speak to the expense of getting an MRI. The base cost (before insurance negotiated it down and coinsurance applied) was $2800 for the equipment use itself.