Are you paying attention?
Just a brief synchronicity…
I’ve had Marc Ian Barasch’s “Field Notes on the Compassionate Life-A Search for the Soul of Kindness” on order at the BPL since I read an excerpt of it in Shambala Sun, which I mentioned in this LJ posting. After a 16-day wait, it finally was available and I checked the book out yesterday, immediately digesting the first 50 pages at the BPL while waiting for Milton Glaser’s lecture. After the lecture, I read the second chapter before going to bed. Chapter 2 is titled “Empathy: You in Me, Me in You”, and deals with whether there’s a biological basis for our human faculty of empathy. A major theme is the discovery of what are called “mirror neurons” in both humans and the great apes, something I hadn’t heard anything about before.
Less than 12 hours later, I wake up and perform my morning Web ritual. One of my select few news feed is from Space.com, and there’s a new article entitled “Scientists Say Everyone Can Read Minds”. Sounds kind of similar, no? Well, if you go to the article, it’s all about the discovery of what are called “mirror neurons” in both humans and the great apes.
Sure, synchronicity happens, and probably even moreso in today’s world of specialized syndicated news feeds and “knowledge of the moment”. Even so, that seems to be a particularly noteworthy juxtaposition.
A full report on “Field Notes” will be forthcoming. I’m still very hopeful that it’ll live up to the high expectations I’ve formed for it, but we’ll just have to see about that.