Perception and Reality – Page 3 – Jeffrey Noethe, Ph.D.

April 6, 2010January 21, 2020Expectations, Mindfulness, Perception and Reality, Self-Care, Trust and Control

A Formula for Suffering (Part 3)

This three-part series uses mathematics, specifically algebra, as a metaphor for exploring and illustrating the relationships between the aspects of human experience that relate to suffering. In Part 2, we consolidated our previous equations into a single formula, which I dubbed the Unified Theory of Human Suffering: (14) Suffering = (Feeling x Control / Trust) + (Stress / Coping) This formula says that, if we […]

April 3, 2010January 21, 2020Expectations, Mindfulness, Perception and Reality, Self-Care, Trust and Control

A Formula for Suffering (Part 2)

In Part 1, we concluded that, while feelings (i.e. emotions and sensations) are a constant in life, suffering can be reduced by letting go of control. However, control also serves as a coping mechanism for handling stress, so reduced control means reduced coping, which can add to suffering. Here are the formulas we used to represent these lines of thought: (10) Suffering = Feeling x […]

March 19, 2010January 21, 2020Expectations, Mindfulness, Perception and Reality, Self-Care, Trust and Control

A Formula for Suffering (Part 1)

Metaphors come in all shapes and sizes, which is good, because different people resonate with different images or concepts. Sometimes, even mathematics can be helpful in exploring an idea. A prime example is using algebra to better understand the nature of suffering. As a starting point, we will use two formulas that are attributed to Shinzen Young and his Fundamental Theorem of Human Happiness: (1) […]

March 8, 2010October 10, 2010Expectations, Perception and Reality, Trust and Control

Believing is Seeing

The idea of the self-fulfilling prophecy is that sometimes, for better or worse, we can make something true simply by believing in it. This basic concept goes by a wide variety of names such as the expectancy effect, the Pygmalion or Rosenthal effect, the placebo effect, the law of attraction, and the secret. Some people would like to believe that this phenomenon is an absolute […]

February 12, 2010October 10, 2010Perception and Reality

The Life of Trees

We tend to think of trees as largely inanimate, but maybe this is merely because our human lives move so fast. If we could observe the world at a tree’s pace, we might see something entirely different. Imagine speeding up time so that months pass before us like seconds. What do we see? First, there is no darkness. Daylight merely flickers as the sun passes […]