Catskill Cottage Seed - Latest Comments in Of bad backs and sprained ankles

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

ccseed — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:02:07 -0000

Hey Sid,
The Strangelove analogy is super. Perhaps that the challenge, knowing that it does not displease us, to stop pretending it to be otherwise and actually do something about. Shadow work is so slippery sometimes.

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

sid parham — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:40:23 -0000

I just assumed that he has always been Dr. Strangelove and was now just admitting it.

As to the pleasure in others pain issue my favotie cynic the Duc de La Rouchfouchaud says that "there is something in the misforoftune of even our best friends that does not displease us."

<abbr>sid parham´s last blog post..Social Life, Social Media, and Business</abbr>

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

ccseed — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:14:49 -0000

Oh man Henie, that not good and I have very little knowledge of what I might do about it. Perhaps I should pare down on some of the widgets...
Anyways, that kind of feedback is really important too...so thanks.

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

Henie — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:11:00 -0000

Hi Richard...
This comment has nothing to do with above post but...
Just FYI, everytime I visit your site my IE stops working and boots me out. I don't think it's from my end because it only happens when I'm in your site. But maybe it is? hmmm?

Thanks!

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

ccseed — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:22:21 -0000

Hey Lee,
It's great that you did a follow up comment. Your closing thought, of the difference in how the two men handled the transition, is very interesting and I will be on the lookout for the Miller book.

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

Lee Marshall — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:17:43 -0000

Thank you for the recommendation for the Max Piccard book. My own recommendation for the psychology of Hitler is Alice Miller's "The Untouched Key: Tracing Childhood Trauma in Creativity and Destructiveness."

While I am aware that my own intolerance of intolerant people, like Nazis and racists of all stripes, is in some ways a projection of my own dislike of my own intolerance of them, I have still been able to live my own life in such a way as to work toward supporting their own rights, while hating their opinions.

Cheney can be a great target for projection, as can Bush, but their actual record of instigating and supporting torture of prisoners at Abu Grabe and other prisons stands by itself, and has been verbally verified by Cheney. Perhaps it would be interesting to consider why Bush was able to acquit himself reasonably honorably during the transition, but Cheney was not.

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

ccseed — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:26:31 -0000

Hi Rich,
I think it is truly sad that many of us can't help but feel the story is concocted, in some way manipulated to serves some agenda. The fact is that over the last eight years the American people and the world was lied to and deceit sows distrust. The rumors based in distrust can only be expected based on the track record. Thanks for weighing in.

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

ccseed — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:22:23 -0000

Yes Henie, we share that belief.

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

ccseed — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:21:47 -0000

That's quite a emotion filled riff Lee.
While I do not find it easy to lay the blame of our current situation on any one person, I recognize how Mr. Cheney has become a target of projection. In as much as we place Darth Vader over there, he can slip in the back door and take us unawares. My favorite book on this subject is a hard to find work by the phenomonologist Max Piccard titled "Hitler in Ourselves."

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

Rich Largman — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:16:34 -0000

Clearly the past administration has done some damage to my soul and trust. I have to admit that when I heard Cheney was going to be in a wheel chair, a fleeting thought crossed my consciousness that this was the final chapter of an evil brilliance. That in a final moment where resentment and hatred could show up for all the "damage" that has been done, he created an image that not only portrayed that of a harmless victim begging our sympathy, but also one that evokes the memories of other leaders of the past in FDR.

So, perhaps it was yet again more evil brilliance. Or, maybe he just hurt his back.

That said, I do believe there is a lot to your thinking here that mirrors that of Louise Hay and what she has to say about the body and how things manifest in it.

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

Henie — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:13:59 -0000

I believe there are no accidents.

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

Lee Marshall — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:10:42 -0000

I read a great article in More Magazine recently about physical psychotherapy, and I have found the theory that we hold our emotions in our bodies to be personally true for me. Thank you for this thoughtful essay.

I don't want to take anything away from the respectful and serious analysis presented here, however . . . in my opinion, Dick Cheney has been such a force for evil in the world for so many years that I have zero sympathy for him at this point. He has great health care coverage, courtesy of the American taxpayer - insurance he wouldn't have been able to get if he had to buy it on the open market the way he advocates for the common people (like me, who doesn't have any), so I'm not worried about his injury.

This is also the man who approved torture for our state enemies, which I find a source of tremendous national shame, so I don't care about his pain either; who deserves it more richly?

Humor helps me cope with the stress of living with real human evil (not the *fun, ironic or fictional supernatural evil* that I embody so well - heh heh), so I'm going to jump right on the cheap shot humor bandwagon here.

The wheelchair image moves Cheney appropriately from the image of Darth Vader (to whom he has often been compared) to the image of the wizened, ugly old Emperor in Return of the Jedi. He's lost his power, youth, and any virility he might ever have had. Now he is going to be left to stew in the bitterness of the abyss where his soul used to be.

Randi Rhodes suggested that the reason he was moving his own boxes was because they probably held documentation of some of his top secret illegal activities that he still desperately wants to keep secret (so he can stay out of prison, where he probably belongs, in my opinion - Randi didn't say that).

And my girlfriend said she thought it wasn't really that he hurt his back moving boxes, it was that someone finally took that stick out of his ass and he collapsed.

Thank you, ladies and germs. I'm here through Monday. Try the veal.

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

ccseed — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:01:06 -0000

Certainly Susan, he might have just overdone it a bit. The question I continue to ask is does the unconscious push us into these situations. Reflecting on my own life, the answer is a resounding yes.

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

Susan Mazza — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:54:53 -0000

Your post provokes two thoughts for me...

1. Why is it that we find humor in amother's pain? You point to the Road Runner. The Three Stooges comes to mind.

2. As someone who had back surgery 6 months ago I have explored Dr Sarno's work and found it both helpful and enlightening on my journey. Barely being able to walk and or not being able to sit down for 4 months teaches you a lot of lessons and is a major wake up call for the ego. But at the end of the day I had an accident that caused major damage and until I had the damage repaired I could only recover so far. I am doing great now. Could it be that Cheney just overdid it a bit? Maybe it means nothing more than that.

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

ccseed — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:49:02 -0000

Julie,
A reflection like this would be mean spirited if it didn't hope to illuminate the shadow within all of us...Thanks for your contribution.

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

Julie — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:19:12 -0000

I had the same thought, so I'm happy to see your consideration of this idea and the discussion. My only add would be that our perceptions reflect our own psyche so what do we learn about ourselves as we look at him?

<abbr>Julie´s last blog post..New Years Resolution #101: Integrating social media into my company. Ugh.</abbr>

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

ccseed — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:07:26 -0000

Hi Barbara,
That's fascinating...thanks for the link.

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

Barbara Uechi — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:00:24 -0000

Louise Hay describes lower back issues as relating to finances and loss of power. Perhaps Dick has some concerns in both areas? See http://goharrison.com/blog/...

<abbr>Barbara Uechi´s last blog post..Making Joy & Peace a Conditioned Response</abbr>

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

ccseed — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:29:47 -0000

Hi Ligia,
Thanks so much for sharing that resource with all of us. I've been reading an interesting Jungian text that relates skin ailments to archetypal "issues."
And thanks for pointing out the trickster at play...

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

ccseed — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:27:05 -0000

Hey Jay,
Great insight into your own sabotage mechanisms...while some will jump on this point to ridicule the man, that is not my intention. Life will have it's way with all of us and I am cautious not to cast my own mold by ridiculing others. I do think we can all recognize these dynamics at play within us, as you so aptly have commented.

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

Ligia Buzan — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:25:45 -0000

In his book, "Healing Back Pain-- the Mind-Body Connection" Dr John Sarno shows how unresolved (and un-acknowledged) issues of frustration, rigidity, fear, etc manifest at the body level, more often than not, as back pain. As soon as patients agrees to face and work with their issues, the pain is gone. Dick Cheney may have had a serious problem in letting go of power-- it showed. The subconscious is the Trickster. Very good story!

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

ccseed — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:24:31 -0000

Hi Douglas,
I appreciate the balance and the thoughtfulness of your response. I like to think of his situation as a lesson for us all, and that our own bumps and bruses might have another level of messaging for us.

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

Jay — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:22:06 -0000

Our subconcious does not play by the same rules of our conscious. Mr. Dick there might not be consciously aware of his guilt he has for his whole adult life, but deep down the inner conflict is always making itself known. I know for me, I have always hated the corporate world, but went into it for the money anyway. While I am a very easy going guy who gets along with everyone, my bosses never liked me, and I always sabatoged my chances for advancement. It is only in hindsight that I realize that my subconscious (Inner Noodle) was steering me the whole time. Thanks Richard for saying what we were all thinking! :-)

<abbr>Jay´s last blog post..The Ripple Effect</abbr>

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

ccseed — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:21:56 -0000

Amanda,
It's interesting that his energy blocked your practice. I'm not surprised that it had that effect on you. I hope you make it a point to reconnect to your practice by finding someone soon to send your caring energy into...

Re: Of bad backs and sprained ankles

Douglas Cootey — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:20:04 -0000

I wonder if the irony and humor is only in the eye of the beholder. Those who supported President Bush or had back problems might have seen the outcome for Cheney differently. Mignon Fogerty of Grammar Girl fame recently posted an episode about this issue regarding Sarah Palin and the unfortunate turkey accident. (Irony, November 2008 http://grammar.quickanddirt.... I recommend viewing it. Mignon, who politically did not align with Sarah Palin in the slightest, handled the topic professionally and with balance.

The human mind specializes at seeking patterns. This survival mechanism constantly scans the environment for patterns to anticipate upcoming events. The downside is that if we are not careful we tend to draw connections when they aren't there. It is a form of pareidolia, in my opinion, where we see shapes and faces in clouds that don't exist. Cause & effect? Karma? Humor? It all depends on our viewpoint.

To me, however, this is an ironic situation. The world's second most powerful man, the architect of so many American policies over the past decade, is reduced to a helpless invalid on his last day of office. I wouldn't go so far as to find it funny as others have done, however.

Interesting post. Thanks for sharing.

~Douglas
@TheLaughingImp/@DouglasCootey on Twitter

<abbr>Douglas Cootey´s last blog post..Depression Blogs You Might Find Interesting</abbr>