Thursday 10 January 2008

Children, don't try this at home!


First, the preamble:
(Can I say that?)

Anyway, I have been browsing a book with the overly ambitious title of Instant Analysis by David J Lieberman. In one of the last chapters he talks about shaking up your mental and physical routines, those mechanical patterns in your life.

Some of the exercises he lists as ways of interrupting the physical patterns are:

◊ Change the order in which you put on your shoes
◊ Pick up the phone or drink with your other hand
◊ Rearrange your house, office, desk
◊ Wear your watch on your other arm

You get the idea. His intention is to shake up your life (just a little!) and increase your awareness of yourself and the world around you.

Now, about the post proper...

Many moons ago, when I was about 12-ish, a (former) friend dared me to ride my bike while holding the left handle with my right hand and the right handle with my left hand.

It's trickier than you imagine.

When the bike starts to veer left, your brain says 'steer right' but your right hand is on the left handle so you very quickly do a four point landing on the gravel.

The four points in question being two knees and two palms.

There are some patterns that I recommend you leave alone.
...

5 comments:

  1. Now the first part of this wouldn't be that difficult for me cause i'm ambidexterous. but i'm leaving the bicycle alone.

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  2. I'd give my right arm to be ambidexterous.

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  3. definitely succeeded in shaking you up! I'm not sure this would work to make me more self aware - I think it would just be profoundly irritating!

    I'm thinking that any vacation would accomplish much the same thing pleasurably - and you're about to go on a mega vacation. Now THAT will mess with established boundaries/patterns! (can you hear the jealousy in my words?)

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  4. Shaving one's beard with a cut-throat razor would be another to leave deeply ingrained in those mechanical pattern grooves, methinks, fellas.

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  5. I do think my capacity for stupid is quite alarmingly large.
    However, I would have evaded that just by instinct I think!

    Animal cunning??

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