The Internal/External Universe of Aikido

Abstract:

Aikido is a martial art whose predominant philosophy is focusing on the center of oneself and how this relates to the universe outside of ourselves. It also focuses on conflict resolution and how to protect one’s opponent as well as oneself. This certainly applies to social psychology and how we apply the teachings of aikido in the world we live in.

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The interaction that the author of this paper is primarily involved with on a daily basis is that of his internal existence in relation to that of the external universe. If there was to be one point in his life that triggered his awareness of this relationship, it would be his venture into the study of aikido and its subsequent teachings. The secret of aikido is to make yourself become one with the universe and to go along with its natural movements. One who has attained this secret holds the universe in himself and can say, “I am the universe.” (Ueshiba) Ueshiba and Kisshomaru state that “the word “universe” is usually thought of as some overwhelmingly grand concept, but in actuality it is very concrete and centered within one’s own body.”(2002) With this training, the author strives to understand the principles of ki through actual experience and employ various techniques to make those principles part of our everyday consciousness.

A very important aspect of the author’s training with regards to self and the universe is the idea of circular motion. Every circle has a center, and it is this center that is the focal point of existence. Circular movements allow us to avoid collision with an opposing force, and facilitate harmonization. In order to create a true circle, there must be a firm center. An example of this concept is that of a spinning top. A top revolves around a stable center, yet hardly appears to move at all. If you touch the top slightly however, it will immediately fly off with a burst of centrifugal force, and its latent power becomes evident. The concept of the top is a perfect example of stillness within movement or sumikiri.

One very effective method of keeping the author’s center, he has found is breathing from the seika tanden. The seika tanden is the psychophysical point about two inches below the navel. The author has found that it is essential to remind himself that the ki that

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animates his own body is the same ki that animates the entire universe. As a result, all of the circular movements of aikido are never contrary to principles of nature. Control the breath and unite the self with the natural rhythm of the universe.

The earth was born from the universe and those who flourish in that life-giving environment can directly become one with nature. They never oppose natural law, and never try to control things through force. Such people manifest a natural matter-of-fact equanimity. Such an attitude, based on deep experience, can be a great plus in a variety of social settings. If the author trains in a natural and fulfilling manner, with equanimity and a solid center, a tremendous amount of ki energy will be generated.

This will be of great benefit to oneself and society. To achieve this state of being is a much greater accomplishment and of greater value than attaining victory in some contest.

With aikido human beings at large can transcend the distinction between mind and body and relate this to the remainder of the universe. Ki power that emerges naturally and directly enables human beings to experience the joy, power, freedom and flexibility of existence on a daily basis. Living vibrantly with true vigor, we can meet any challenge and accommodate ourselves to any contingency. The practice of aikido can make this all possible and this emphasis on harmonization and accommodation accounts for its followers around the world.

On a personal note, the author has seen many transformations in the dojo with students who did not have balance or a strong center, and go on to become incredible men and women as a result of their training in aikido. When training with a partner, the ki of both (or in some cases multiple opponents) is transferred and the individual with the greater ki

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and pure emptiness will be able to subdue, while at the same time protecting both the opponent and himself simultaneously. The writer mentions this because in the dojo training follows certain rules. On the street however, anything can happen, making it difficult for us to retain our equanimity. It is rather easy to maintain equanimity in ideal circumstances, such as a classroom, dojo or any other protected and sheltered environment; one of the goals of aikido is to teach us how to maintain this equanimity regardless of a given situation no matter how harrowing or difficult.

This is perhaps where the study aikido best applies to the realities of the external existence of humankind. In addition to the training of aikido, meditation is perhaps one of the most significant pathways that the author has found in bringing peace to himself and the rest of society at large. Research has shown that Western awareness of this phenomena has only occurred in the past 35 years or so; since then however, there have been great strides in knowing more. As far as self-efficacy is concerned with relation my the writer’s practice in aikido, he has reached a point in his life where visualization has been mastered, and because of this visualization, his self-efficacy has been focused and accurate every time a production of any sort arises. The visualization may be seconds in response to an initial occurrence such as a mugger threatening his life (which has occurred), or it may be strategically modeled as in a chess match (relate the chess match to life situations). On any note, the author’s self-efficacy is well intact.

References

Orme-Johnson, D.W.& Haynes, C.T.(1981). EEG phase coherence, pure consciousness, creativity and TM-Sidhi experiences. International Journal of Neuroscience, 13, 211-217.

Ueshiba, K. & Ueshiba, M. (2002). Kihan Aikido: Kihon-hen. New York: Kodansha.

Execution

Execution in America has been a controversial subject of debate in recent decades. However, execution and torture itself goes back thousands of years and was turned into what those at the time considered an art form, in the middle ages. It is important for me to illustrate some of the methods of torture and execution throughout history for one to have a grasp of the current debate as to whether or not execution is an ethical practice in today’s society. This writing does not intend to prove pro or con as a just finality since such a proclamation would be futile. Instead, I will bring to light the stark realities of what human beings are capable of and what can possibly be considered social norms or deviancy based on chronological, sociological, ethical and moral situations.

I will go into detail of only a few of the methods of torture used throughout certain periods of history for the sake of the length constraints of this paper, though such illustrations will be more than adequate in leading up to the current ethical considerations on the subject of execution and torture.

The practice of torture and execution goes back to ancient times, though the documented specifics of such events date back to the middle ages, and the frequency and prevalence of these occurrences were also at their peak during this time.

In addition, these tortures and subsequent executions were often witnessed by a great deal of spectators as a form of entertainment; refreshments would be served and parties held in the protagonists honor.

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Two specific cases are as follows: Widely applied in the armed forces, and initiated by the Spanish and utilized up to and including the last century, The Spanish Donkey was the means by which traitors, deserters and insubordinates were dealt with. The torture consisted of seating the victim, hands tied behind the back, astride a wall, the top of which resembled an inverted ‘V’. Weights were then attached to the ankles, these being slowly increased until the victim’s body split in two. This type of device also existed in the British army, though , instead of a cumbersome wall, the appliance was made by nailing suitably shaped wooden planks together in the shape of a horse, its backbone forming a sharp ridge about eight or nine feet long, thereby allowing more than one victim to be punished at a time.

Due to the risk of death, even when prescribed only as a minor punishment, It was realized that, unlike floggings and similar corrective measures, which healed fairly rapidly, the donkey could incapacitate a soldier and make him permanently unfit for army duties, and so the practice was eventually discontinued.

Naval captains of most nations, even as recently as the nineteenth century, had absolute authority over their crews and took whatever measures they saw fit in order to maintain discipline. Serious crimes such as incitement of mutiny, striking an officer and the like, warranted the death sentence. One method of administering this verdict was something called keel-hauling. In 1710 an English Sailor, guilty of blasphemy was stripped of all his clothes except for a strip of cloth around his loins. He was suspended by blocks and pulleys, and these were fastened to the opposite extremities of the yard-arm and a weight

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was hung upon his legs to sink him to a competent depth.

By this apparatus he was drawn up close to the yard-arm, then let fall into the sea where, by hauling on the pulleys of the other end of the yard, he was passed under the ship’s bottom and after some little time, was hoisted up on the other side of the ship; this after sufficient intervals of breathing, was repeated two or three times.

It should be remembered that the height of the old sailing ships was considerable, the fall in itself resulting in possible injury being sustained on hitting the surface of the sea; then to be half drowned, dragged across the hull, which was invariably encrusted with barnacles, limpets, mollusks and other marine creatures, their shells rasping flesh and muscle off ones bones, must have been an ordeal indeed.

Two other methods of torture and execution that are certainly more recent are The Electric Chair and Lethal Injection. The chair was first used on William Kemmler in 1890 in Auburn, New York and injection introduced in the 1970’s. The latter many consider to be the most humane way of putting someone to death in history. However, this may not be true in all cases, especially if the chemical mixture is not perfect, which can result in a very agonizing end.

Lethal injection will be discussed in concentration here since this is the most controversial, recent and common method of execution in the United States in this day and age.

Jonathan Groner, an Ohio doctor of pediatric surgery in Columbus’ Children’s Hospital and associate professor at Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health states “ A humane execution in the ultimate paradox.” The reason for this paradox is that

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in order to execute people without “inflicting torture” states would have to employ licensed doctors to administer the chemical cocktail, but medical professionals are bound to an oath and ethics to do no harm, and are ethically unable to participate in executions. Groner more specifically calls this cycle the “executioner’s paradox.” Using Ohio State as a template, this writer can illustrate as done earlier , the specifics of the lethal injection procedure and protocol; it is as follows:

The prisoner is strapped to a stretcher and injected with anesthetic sodium pentothal. Without anesthesia the inmate would experience asphyxiation, a severe burning sensation, and cardiac arrest. Now unconscious, the prisoner is injected with pancuronium bromide, which paralyses muscles including the lungs and diaphragm. Pavulon is often used in immobilizing patients during surgical procedures.

The two drugs are followed by an injection of potassium chloride, which causes cardiac arrest; this would also produce tremendous pain to a conscious inmate.

A study published in 2005 by the English medical journal Lancet, authors found that on the basis of toxicology reports from six U.S. states 43% of prisoners had remained conscious after the dose of sedatives was administered. The Lancet concluded that “It would be a cruel way to die: awake, paralyzed, unable to move, to breath, while potassium burned through your veins.”

The question still looms however, with the eye for an eye society; and it is a very valid question. How would you feel if the same inmate receiving death by injection had murdered your wife, daughter ect. I suppose very good questions like this cannot be answered unless it has actually occurred to an individual. Is a life sentence in prison more

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of a punishment than death? Those on death row sometimes remain there for years before they walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Groner states that in regards to this current question, “All of Europe does not execute people. Our founding fathers conscious decision was that we wouldn’t be an eye for an eye society. I would also say that you can judge a society by is prisons. How we take care of society’s ill off reflects on a society at large; and there is nobody worse off than a death row inmate.”

This is a bit off point for our purposes here however. The true issue here lies with “the executioners”, who are essentially the licensed doctors who are actually giving the final death blow. Is it unethical for doctors to aid in the administration and execution of individuals? In my honest opinion, yes. Do I think that other methods of execution would not put doctors in the position as executioner? Yes. Do I think that lethal injection should be discarded in favor of other methods of execution that do not place doctors in the questionable ehical practice of execution? Yes. This intellectual venture was not about abolishing or not abolishing the death penalty, it was a matter of the ethics involved for the doctors who must take part in such events. I do not think that they should be involved in the process.

References

Sturm, D. (2006, October 12). Is lethal injection barbaric? Ohio revisits the ethics of execution. The Free Press. Retrieved April 12, 2007, from

http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/2/2006/2178

Abbot, G. (2005) Execution: The Guillotine, the Pendulum, the Thousand Cuts, the Spanish Donkey, and 66 Other Ways of Putting Someone to Death. New York New York: St. Martin’s Press.

Sexuality in Europe

Introduction

European sexuality has long been more open and accepted than in North America. In addition, North America is only now beginning to realize that borrowing European sexual attitudes is healthier in the fact that it can decrease sex crimes. I will illustrate these points given the proper channels. I will also go into greater depth in the areas of female orgasm, and how European females have more potent orgasms in general because their view of sexuality is one of freedom and health, as opposed to guilt and it being looked down upon. Erotic art museums will be tapped upon as well, illustrating how European nations are the leader in this area, and how sex is showcased for the beauty it holds, rather than sweeping it under the carpet.

Finally, I will present some opposing viewpoints to my research.

Abstract

I have elected to use much more than only two articles for my information regarding this topic; therefore I cannot adhere to only two sources, as it would be professionally irresponsible. I will cite my sources throughout the paper accordingly and will have a substantial reference page. Let us begin.

Below are a list of stats on rape per country between 1998-2000 which is recent enough to get a clear idea of what we are dealing with here; with the U.S. far surpassing all European nations.

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Rapes per country in ’98-00 are as follows:

United States

- 89,110 Spain - 5,664 Norway - 555 Netherlands - 1,648

United Kingdom - 8,593 France - 8,458 Finland - 579 Denmark - 497

Germany - 7,499 Poland - 2,399 Ireland - 218 Switzerland - 404

Bulgaria - 593 Hungary - 589 Estonia - 73 Belarus - 530

Lithuania - 183 Romania - 1,110 Czech Republic - 500

Russia - 6,978 Latvia - 104 Moldova - 200 Slovenia - 86

Italy - 2,336 Portugal - 385 Ukraine - 1,151 Slovakia - 129

Greece - 114

Per capita you ask? The U.S. is number 9 out of the top 65 countries. The U.S. is also far above any other European nation per capita.

(Seventh United Nations Survey of Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems, covering the period 1998 - 2000 (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Centre for International Crime Prevention)

The question still remains as to why? Why do European nations have such a low rate of rape compared to the U.S.? My hypothesis is that because sexuality in Europe has always been open and regarded as beautiful, the need to commit violent repressed rage in a sexual way is less likely to occur. However, in contrast to the U.S. where sex is seen and perceived as “dirty”, “wrong” and immoral, the degree to which the repression manifests itself as anger grows stronger especially in men. In addition with regard to women, American women in general are more likely to be afraid to engage in a sexual relations with sexually aggressive men and/or women and thus will have a harder time achieving orgasm, than will a more freethinking European female. Of course I am referring to any sexual advance or activity that does not involve children, animals or humiliation or pain.

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“Eastern European females, specifically from Russia, Hungary and Bulgaria are the most sexually active in the world, by having sex 150 times per year.” (Durex 2003) Italian females are the most likely to achieve an orgasm every time they have sex according to the 2004 Durex survey. Also found in the 2004 Durex survey, Croatians, Hungarians and Italian females were the most sexually satisfied and thus did not need to fake orgasms. In the 2005 Durex survey, it should not be a suprise that again the European females top the list in sexual satisfaction, with Polish and Belgians coming in at 57% and 56% respectively.

The Swedes and Scandinavians top the list of who wanted more sex, thus illustrating the healthy drive European females have toward sex. Also in the 2005 Durex survey the overall winners as being the most sexual are Greek females with the Croats coming in second. The point is clear that European females enjoy sex and are more proficient at it than their American counterparts.

Erotic art is another facet of European sexual culture that has set the standards for the United States. I will not delve too far into the past regarding this, however I will look at the current phenomena. Sex museums or now better known as erotic art museums, became most popular in Europe in the 1960’s. Of course the most concentrated number of erotic art museums exist in Europe and only about a handful exist in the U.S. The list in Europe contains such places as: -The Mussee in Paris which opened in 1998

-De Wallen in Amsterdam’s Red Light District

-The Venus Temple also in Amsterdam’s Red Light District is the oldest operating sex museum upon opening in 1985.

- The Erotic Art Museum in Hamburg , Germany

- The Beate Uhse Erotic Museum in Berlin, which is the largest erotic museum in the

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world.

- The Museum Erotica in Copenhagen, Denmark

- The Museo de la Erotica in Barcelona, Spain

- The Erotic Art Museum in St. Petersburg Russia claims to have the remains of Raputin’s penis.

The first erotic art museum to open in the U.S. was in New York City called the Museum of Sex in 2002.

In Miami Beach the World Erotic Art Museum opened its doors in 2005. Surely children should not be exposed to this kind of art, since they do not have the emotional or intellectual insight to grasp what the work is offering, but they should be opened up to this as adolescents and shown how sex is beautiful and natural and not a sin, and indeed patrons of the Museums in Europe come from all walks of life, including adolescents. For every position in life there is an opposite, and the case is no different here. There have been many opponents to free sexual attitudes in the history of man, or at least in the history of the United States.

Some say that pornography for instance, leads to greater violence against women; I am not one of those people. In fact I believe that it is quite the opposite. In the 70’s and 80’s feminists such as Andrea Dworkin claimed that viewing pornography leads to greater sex crimes particularly against women. A lower per capita crime rate as discussed earlier has led not only myself but others to conclude that the availability of porn in European nations such as The Netherlands and Sweden leads to fewer sex crimes, since the repression is nonexistent and there is a medium for healthy males to release sexual feelings in a nonviolent way. (Polinski 2006)

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There is also evidence that areas in the U.S. where there is limited internet access, in turn leads to a higher incidence of rape. (D’Amato 2006)

There is also the argument that viewing erotic images in any form or engaging in vast amounts of sexual activity will lead to violence. Back in the 1980’s there was a huge debate in this area in relation to heavy metal music. The fact is, that a well psychologically rounded individual who views erotic images understands the line between what is on display and what is a social norm. However, those with already existing or predisposed tendencies toward violence will likely be affected by these images in a negative way; thus the problem lies with the individual and not with the art form.

Conclusion

Sex is a beautiful and natural occurrence; to ignore this fact would be unnatural. Of course, there are sociological norms that must be dealt with and considered before engaging in any sexual practice. The point of this paper is to try and bring to light my point that sexual freedom and expression is not dirty, should not be looked down upon, and should be cherished. Europeans had the right idea from the beginning, and it seems as if at least some of their practices are making ripples (not waves as of yet) here in America. I truly believe that with open sexuality comes fewer hate crimes, sex crimes, violent crimes and rapes.

In addition, open sexuality actually gives women more power than inhibits them from it, and brings a more level playing field to the sexes. The female orgasm is a phenomena and we have only tapped the surface as of yet; no pun intended. Female sexuality (female orgasm and ejaculation especially) is, in my opinion, an area that I just may make my career, since it encompasses so many things and is still so much a mystery. I look forward to it all

References

Pornography, rape and the internet. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.

D'Amato, Anthony (June 23, 2006). Porn Up, Rape Down. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.

http://www.durex.com/uk/globalsexsurvey/2005results.asp Retrieved on 2007-03-12.

DON'T STRESS

Thesis Statement: Prevention is the key to alleviating, if not eliminating many of societies woes such as, drug addiction, abuse and violence of all kinds, and physiological ailments and desease.

Introduction

In many cases, as I will illustrate later based on empirical data, the stress that humans suffer, and the consequences thereof, are created subconsciously and can be a thing of the past with proper techniques in self awareness and meditation. This is nothing new to the world; however it is new to Western medicine. The work of Freud in the early 1900’s is regared as many as the birth of psychology. In contrast many of Freud’s “discoveries” had already been in existence for over 2500 years.

An introduction and knowledge of these ancient concepts will enable the human populus to prevent any stress related phenomenon, and consequently achieve a calm and peace within themselves, regardless of any social situation or atmosphere. The power always begins and ends within. Grasping this concept is the key that will unlock the door to universal enlightenment.

Physiological Changes

I will begin by delving directly into the long documented benefits on physiology in relation to meditation of all styles, since I want to establish a concrete platform on which to build my own thesis. In addition, I would like to dispell any doubts from individuals who may not want to believe.

To begin, a relatively brief history of meditation is in order before the physiological effects are discussed. In all likelihood, meditation as humans have come to know it today started in India about 2500 years ago by a young man named Siddhartga Gautama (The Buddha).

Perhaps the most powerful and beautiful aspect of Buddhism is how it has taken the shape of the container that has held it in each place it has settled. A bowl can be narrow and tall or wide and short, simple or ornate, yet hold its contents well. Inevitably, Buddhism has also changed the vessel, and this transformation was no more evident than when Buddhism reached China and spread to Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. The practices of Buddhism as they existed in India and were transmitted southward to countries like Sri Lanka and Thailand probably resemble their origins more closely today than they do in the countries of the northern transmission (Smith, 2000).

Research shows that Western awarness of this phenomena has only occurred in the past 35 years or so. Since then however, there have been great strides in knowing more.

By itself, meditation is an effective treatment for reducing stress (Benson, 1995; Calderon & Schneider, 1999; Kulkarni, 1998; Shapiro, et al., 1998; Walton, et al., 1995). These factors may be instrumental in explaining the reports that meditation can improve outcomes of chronically ill patients (Anton, 1999; Davis, et al., 1998; Speca, et al., 2000; Vedanthan, et al., 1998; Young, 1999; Zaza, et al., 1999). One study even reported that Psoriasis patients recovered faster when including a meditation regimen into treatment (Kabat-Zinn, et al., 1998). Meditation has also become a popular tool in psychotherapy as a relaxation technique (eg. Benson, 1978) and to stimulate insight (Shapiro, 1995).

Some of the more popular techniques used in research are transcendental meditation (TM), Hatha yoga, and various forms of the method popularized by Herbert Benson in Studying the "relaxation response" (Benson, 1975). Benson was a real groundbreaker when it came to the true physiological benefits of meditation. Decreases in renal (kidney) and hepatic (liver) blood flow during meditation has been hypothesized as being due to increased muscle, skin, or brain blood-flow demands (Jevning, et al., 1978). Further research found that muscle and skin blood flow did not increase as renal and hepatic blood flow decreased, implicating an increase in blood flow to the brain (Jevning, et al., 1979; Jevning, 1992).

In addition to the work these great researchers, blood pressure has also been documented. Reductions in systolic blood pressure have been observed during experimental sessions (Barnes, et al., 1999; Castillo, et al., 2000; Lee, et al., 2000; Wallace, et al., 1971), as well as for long-term practitioners (Wallace, et al., 1983). One can also look to a distinct brain wave activity during meditation, which does not relate to sleep or dream states. For instance, it should come as no surprise that among the well-documented effects of meditation is the alteration of brain-wave patterns. Dozens of studies have shown an increase in alpha rhythms, which are correlated with a state of relaxed alertness. In addition, numerous studies have shown enhanced synchronization of alpha rhythms among four regions of the brain; right, left, front, and back. This may be an indication of increased coherence of brain-wave activity (Ibid., p. 15-18).

Sleep, rest, and meditation have been compared on EEG, and like other physiological measures, and with few exceptions (Fenwick, et al., 1977), meditation has been found to have its own signature (Banquet, 1973; Farrow, 1982; Herbert & Lehmann, 1977; Jacobs, et al., 1996). For example, long-term meditators in meditative states have been found to produce theta-burst activity, whereas such a phenomenon has not been found in restful or sleeping states (Herbert & Lehmann, 1977).

The relationship between pain and stress can be better understood with the excellent work of Dr. Kabat-Zinn, and how this research has really opened up people’s eyes and hearts to the benfits of meditation and how it relieves stress. Dr. Kabat-Zinn's studies have demonstrated decreases in many kinds of pain in people who had been unresponsive to standard medical treatment. A large majority of the patients in Kabat-Zinn’s studies who were taught to meditate improved, while control groups of similar patients showed no significant improvement. Various related studies have shown improvement in pain from muscle tension, headaches, dysmenorrhea, and other conditions (ibid., p.30).

Another very influential figure in the study of meditation and its inherent health benfits is a man by the name of Deepak Chopra. Deepak Chopra, M.D., is a physician and author who practices TM. Trained as an endocrinologist, he now practices traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine (which emphasizes the use of herbs and meditation) in Massachusetts, and has authored several best-selling, highly influential books on holism, the best-known of which is Quantum Healing. Dr. Chopra also serves on a review panel for the National Institutes of Health Office of Alternative Medicine.

In his book Unconditional Life: Discovering the Power to Fulfill Your Dreams, he provides a set of questions with which to evaluate meditative practices.

"There are any number of important issues to consider when evaluating a form of meditation—above all: Did my mind actually find the silence I was seeking? Was I psychologically comfortable during and after meditation? Did my old self begin to change as a result of having meditated? Is there more truth in my self?"(Chopra)

It is important to note that all of the work these individuals have done are only scratching the surface.

Monetary Issues

A survey showed that the number of Americans who use such therapies rose from about 33 percent in 1990 to more than 42 percent in 1997 (Eisenberg, 1998). In addition, Americans spent over $27 billion on these therapies that year, more than was spent on out-of-pocket expenses for all U.S. hospitalizations. The U.S. government has also increased its financial interest in alternative medicines, increasing available funding for National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) from $2 million dollars in 1993 to 68.7 million in 2000.

Conclusion

All of the above is a combination of information of two articles with all of the necessary points in determining the intrinsic relationship of meditation and its contribution to the well being of humans. There is no doubt that all of this research is in its infancy and as professionals in the filed are aware, this is only scratching the surface. As technology grows and becomes more adaptable, the human species can expect to achieve higher levels of consciousness and awareness with very hard work and dedication.

References

Anand, B.W., China, G.S., & Singh, B. (1961). Studies on Shri Ramananda Yogi during his stay in an air- tight box. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 49, 82-89.

Anton, P. A. (1999). Stress and mind-body impact on the course of inflammatory bowel diseases. Semin Gastrointest Dis 10(1), 14-9.

Badawi, K., Wallace, R.K., Rouzere, A.M., Orme-Johnson, D. (1984). Electrophysical changes during periods of respiratory suspension in the transcendental meditation technique. Psychosomatic Medicine, 46, 267-276.

Baldwin, M. C. (1999). Psychological and physiological influences of Hatha Yoga training on healthy, exercising adults. (yoga, stress, wellness), Boston U., US. Dissertation Abstracts International, A (Humanities and Social Sciences), 60(4-A), Oct 1999, 1031.

Banquet, J.P. (1972). EEG and meditation. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 33, 454.

Banquet, J.P. (1973). Spectral analysis of the EEG in meditation. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neuropsychology, 42, 143-151.

Barnes, V. A., Treiber, F. A,.et al. (1999). Acute effects of transcendental meditation on hemodynamic functioning in middle-aged adults. Psychosom Med 61(4), 525-31.

Bennett, J.E., Trinder, J. (1976). Hemispheric laterality and cognitive style associated with transcendental meditation. Psychophysiology, 14, 293-296.

Benson, H. (1975). The Relaxation Response. New York: Avon Books.

Benson, H., Frankel, F. H., et al. (1978). Treatment of anxiety: a comparison of the usefulness of self-hypnosis and a meditational relaxation technique. An overview. Psychother Psychosom, 30(3-4), 229-42.

Bevan, A.J.W. (1980). Endocrine changes in Transendental Meditation. Clinical ExperimentalPharmacology and Physiology, 7(2), 75-76.

Bujatti, M., & Riederer, P. (1976). Serotonin, noradrenaline, and dopamine metabolites in the transcendental meditation technique. Journal of Neural Transmission, 39, 257-267.

Buselli, E. F. and E. M. Stuart (1999). Influence of psychosocial factors and biopsychosocial interventions on outcomes after myocardial infarction. J Cardiovasc Nurs 13(3), 60-72.

Calderon, R., Jr., R. H. Schneider, et al. (1999). Stress, stress reduction and hypercholesterolemia in African Americans: a review." Ethn Dis 9(3), 451-62.

Castillo, R.A., Schneider, R.H., Alexander, C.N., Cook, R., Myers, H., Nidich, S., Haney, C., Rainforth, M.,& Salerno, J. (2000). Effects of stress reduction on carotid atherosclerosis in hypertensive African Americans. Stroke, 31(3), 456-466.

Castillo-Richmond, A., Schneider, R. H., et al. (2000). Effects of stress reduction on carotid atherosclerosis in hypertensive African Americans. Stroke 31(3), 568-73.

Corby, J. C., W. T. Roth, et al. (1978). "Psychophysiological correlates of the practice of Tantric Yoga meditation." Arch Gen Psychiatry 35(5): 571-7.

Craven, J.L. (1989). "Meditation and psychotherapy." Can J Psychiatry, 34(7), 648-53.

Davis, P. A., Gold,, E. B., et al. (1998). The use of complementary/alternative medicine for the treatment of asthma in the United States. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 8(2), 73-7.

Dunn, B. R., Hartigan, J. A., et al. (1999). Concentration and mindfulness meditations: unique forms of consciousness? Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 24(3), 147-65.

Eisenberg, D.M., Davis, R.B., Ettner, S.L., Appel, S., Wilkey, S., Van Rompay, M., Kessler, R.C. (1998). Trends in Alternative Medicine Use in the United States, 1990-1997: Results of a Follow-Up National Survey. Journal of the American Medical Association. 280(18),1569-75.

Elias, A. N., Guich, S., et al. (2000). Ketosis with enhanced GABAergic tone promotes physiological changes in transcendental meditation. Med Hypotheses 54(4), 660-2.

Elias, A.N., & Wilson, A.F. (1995). Serum hormonal concentrations following transcendental meditation-potential role of gamma aminobutryic acid. Medical Hypotheses, 44, 287-291.

Epstein, M. (1995). Thoughts Without a Thinker. New York: Basic Books.

Ernst, C. W. (1998). The psychophysiology of ecstasy in Sufism and Yoga. N C Med J 59(3), 182-4.

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Appendix

Creativity can sometimes be a scary thing. True innovators are often laughed at, distained, beaten, killed, and in some cases become legends; the latter maybe the scariest of all if it happens very quickly. Anyway, I think that this course has given me some room to flex my creative muscle and I thank the students and teacher for that.

Without effectiveness, the world would cease to exist, or at least cease to exist in a productive fashion. A nation need not be a world power to achieve this phenomena. Many small villages in Asia and/or Africa use effectiveness and efficiency probably better than most other places on Earth, since they have so little, they do vast amounts with what they are given. However, many spoiled people have many material possessions and do not do much with their lives, and further complain that they do not have more.

"Cold"

"Cold"

-by Peter Cooper Band

Cold. Nothing. Barren. Desolate. What a place to be? A wonderful place. My eyes can now see. Nothing in the way. Open. Vast. Nothing. It is cold.

Red Rain

"Red Rain"


The rain started to patter down on the roof, windows and deck of Susie McFadden’s dwelling. She lay in her bed and realized how much she
loved the rain, especially during the day, and even more especially when her parents were not home. There was something about the rain Susie found comforting. Perhaps it was because the rain was representative of her own tears
inside her heart.

She was most at peace when she had the house all to herself, it was raining outside and that she knew her fuck-buddy was on the way over. Susie and Victor Holloway started dating back in senior year of high school. She was now a Sophomore at Penn State University, and Victor (Vic as all of his friends knew him as) got a job as a welder. Vic was also a huge practical joker.

While Susie spread her long, lean body across the bed, she recalled an instance where Vic’s practical joking awakened feelings inside of her that she never knew she had. The previous year, Vic knew that Susie’s parents would not be home and that he would be going over to her house to fuck her. At this point in the relationship, Vic wanted to call it quits, and had devised a plan to get out of it in a blaze of glory.

He knew the alarm code for the house and had friends who could easily jimmy the lock on the back door with a credit card. Vic told them the code, informed them as to when the parents were leaving, and let them know when he was going to get Susie out of the house. Vic got Susie to agree to meet him at Tony’s Pizza for lunch before heading back to the house.

Everything went smoothly and according to plan, and when Ned, Ralph and Arnold got in the house, they were to hide in Susie’s bedroom closet. The closet had long narrow folding doors with small slits in them, and visibility of the bed was clear. One could also not see into the closet. After Vic and Susie finished lunch, they headed back to her place and almost immediately started at it.




They sucked face and rolled tongues hard, then soft. Alternating at a pace that started to make Susie drip with anticipation, soaking her panties. Vic moved down and started kissing her neck. Susie moaned in a guttural way, and it was at this point that Vic took his cue as he picked her up by the ass and carried her up the stairs with her legs wrapped around him.

As they entered the bedroom, he tossed her halfway across the room onto the bed like a rag doll. Vic started undressing and Susie did the same, but Vic told her to leave her socks, sneakers and bra on. He left his boots on as well for good traction. Vic took her and held her in the air facing him. His stiff cock was already in position to move in and he dropped Susie right on it.

“Holy shit!” Susie gasped. Once they had a good rhythm established, the synchronization continued for a while, before switching positions. He bent Susie over the side of the bed, all the while never pulling out. Vic rocked hard for another long while and announced he was on the verge. Susie pushed him off and knelt in front of him, looked up and said, “Let me feel it here!”

Vic exploded and caked Susie’s face, at which point Ned, Ralph and Arnold stormed out of the closet, and all of them including Vic yelled “Surprise!” Naturally, Susie was initially scared shitless, but after a moment realized that being watched without her knowledge turned her on incredibly. She kicked them out except for Vic who decided to stay behind and listen to Susie officially give him the ax. Instead she said. “It made me so hot knowing that your friends saw
the whole thing.

“It did?” Vic asked amazed.

“Oh God yeah.”

“Want to do a threesome?” Vic asked.

“For now I just want them to watch, but not from the closet.”





“It can be arranged.” He said. Since then they had an extremely open relationship. Just the thought of the first time made her wet. Just as she started to move down with her hand, there was a knock at the door. Vic never knocks on the door, she thought to herself

Susie quickly threw on a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt and proceeded downstairs. As she approached the door she heard the sound of children laughing. Upon opening the door, a group of six or seven children dressed in outlandish garb shouted “Trick-or-treat!”

Susie did not go to classes today and in the midst of her reminiscent fantasy, she forgot it was Halloween. She hated Halloween. Trick-or-treaters bothered the shit out of her, and she thought that the evening she had planned would be filled with constant interruptions.

“Hi kids.” She said, faking enthusiasm for the kid’s sake. “Sorry. I don’t have any candy. I just ran out.”

“Ran out?! It’s only four thirty in the afternoon!” One of the young lads said defiantly. Almost immediately after the comment, a kid dressed as a skeleton hurled an egg at her, splattering it all over the front of her cheap T-shirt.

“You little bastards!” She screamed, then slammed the door. Then she heard a couple of eggs pelt the door behind her, and the fading laughter and glee of the little monsters. Susie closed the blinds in the front of the house and shut the lights to create the illusion of no one being at home. The phone suddenly rang. Jumping at the sound, she approached the phone as if it were a cobra ready to strike.

“Hello?” She said. Her voice a bit shaky.

“Hi babe” Vic said. Susie’s heart soared when she heard his voice.





“I’ll be a little late tonight, but not much. I got caught up at work, so I’ll show up in around half an hour.”

“Please hurry Vic. I’m starting to get the Halloween heebie-jeebies.”

“I’ll do my best to get out of here as soon as I can. Is there anything you want me to pick up before I come over?”

“Just you babe.”

“Bye.” Vic said.

“Bye sweetie.”

The phone clicked and Susie put the phone down softly, then listened to the silence in the dark house. It was deafening. She ran back upstairs and went to her room. She laid down and dozed off for a few minutes. The ringing of the phone woke her from her slumber. Susie picked it up on the first ring since the phone was right next to her bed.

“Hello?” She said in a whisper. No response. Only deep steady breathing “Vic?” Nothing. “Fuck you!” she screamed into the phone and slammed it down.

Susie figured that it was Vic or one of his buddies playing one of their practical jokes on her, especially during Halloween. At least she hoped it was one of them. What if it wasn’t? She started to get hungry. Susie always got hungry when she was nervous, and now she was very hungry. Upon entering the kitchen, which was spacious yet sterile, since her parents never cooked, she was surprised to see that it had been cooked in when she turned on the light. She saw that the stove had been used to cook what looked like a piece of meat of some sort, in a frying pan. Only the greasy remnants remained, but she could smell it for sure.






Now she was beyond freaked out and ran straight for her front door. When she opened it, Susie almost did not notice the severed foot on the doorstep..After being transfixed on the foot, she realized that it was a man’s foot. That was all she could make of it. Then the phone rang again. Susie was in too much of a state of shock to be frightened by it this time. Almost unconsciously, she walked from the threshold to the phone in the living room and picked it up.

“Yes?” she answered. Her voice trembling with fear and trepidation.

“Honey?” Vic said.

“Oh God Vic! Please come over! My God there is a severed foot on the front porch! I don’t know what’s going on. I need you here now!”

“I’m sorry Susie. I’ve just called to say good-bye.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

The next thing she heard was Vic screaming in anguish. It was the sort of scream that could not possibly be fake. It was a real genuine scream of anguish and suffering, from a very real source of punishment. It sounded as if he may be getting raped. She also heard another man in the background laughing with lunacy in his voice. Finally the phone went dead.

She went back to the front door. When she got to it, Susie remembered that it had been open all the time she was on the phone. Anyone could have snuck in and she would not have known, and now she was in some trouble since she lived a few miles away from campus in the Pennsylvania country, and she had been car pooling this week because her car was being serviced. Susie knew she was isolated and that her problems were just beginning.

When she looked down at the doorstep the foot was gone, and a note was in it’s place.




“Your boyfriend is a good footless fuck.” It said. Nothing more.

The rain was coming down harder now and the wind was kicking up. She assumed there would be no more Trick-or-Treaters tonight. She was surprised at the ones who showed up earlier and now wished they would come back. Even the company of those little shits would make her feel better than being alone. She closed the door and locked it. Using her cell phone to call her parents, who would not be home for hours, or anyone else was out of the question since she had no service where her house was.

Susie went to the house phone and tried to call her parents, but the line was dead as Micheal Jackson’s career. It had been cut, and the only way to communicate out was by her computer. The only thing was that she had dial-up, and since the phone line was severed, that would also be out of the question. The last possible resort Susie had was to venture out of the house and tread the mile or so to the nearest road and flag someone for help.

The thought and consequences of this were burning in her brain. Would he be waiting outside for her? If she did make it out to the road, would the person she flagged down be the one who was tormenting her? Susie felt paranoid, except that her fears were not based on false suspicion. There was a huge crash of thunder, and it was now getting very dark outside. Not only from the rain storm but from the natural occurrence of the sun disappearing like a helpless child drowning on the horizon.

Susie did not like guns, but this was surely a time that she wish she had one. Her father was a yuppie who did not believe in violence, though who would want to take the word of a yuppie since everything they stood for in the sixties is completely contradictory to how they turned out. She continued to stand at the foot of her stairs and think to herself: Guns are surely for pussies who are so insecure and full of fear that they need to have them laying around in order to feel safe. It does not help that the US government continually pumps it’s citizens full of fear on a daily basis in the news and through many other means. Plus any human being who pulls a gun on another totally helpless human being is the lowest form of rat shit that I can think of.




“Why am I thinking of this?” she asked herself out loud. She decided to go back into the kitchen, take some knives with her and run as fast as she could to the
main road for help. It was about a mile, but at this point it might as well be a thousand. Susie knew that someone was watching her, and she knew that someone wanted her to suffer in some unimaginable way. After collecting a large butcher knife from the kitchen, she went to the garage from the inside entrance of the house and grabbed a flashlight.

Susie stood in the garage for a moment and collected her thoughts and courage. She was ready to make the run and did not give a second thought about the rain. She did feel fortunate that she was not a princess type who never got her hands dirty. She could be tough if she had to. Susie opened up the garage door from inside. As it opened, the chains on it rustled and it creaked and moaned, and she felt like she was in a tomb that was being opened up to the cruel world. Upon it being opened, it also gave way to the view of darkness. Almost pitch black now, and only the sound of thunder and pelting rain to fill her mind.

Susie closed the garage and jetted out before the door closed. Then she walked a few feet and turned on the flashlight, half expecting the see the demented face of a madman looking at her with lunacy and brilliance in his eyes. Nothing. She
started walking, then trotting, and finally ran as fast as she could through the woods. It is not easy in the black of night and rain. After moving for about five minutes, she thought she should keep a steady walk instead.

“I cannot afford to break my ankle right now.” She said aloud to herself. Another thing that worried her was that it was much easier for a person to move in stealth throughout the woods when it was raining. With lumber and leaves matted down with water, they did not rustle and snap as they would if they were dry. That was good for her, but what if someone was following her out here? Plus Susie had the flashlight. It would not be hard for whatever was out there to see what direction she was going.






After what seemed like an eternity she saw a clearing where the road was. Susie stumbled out to it and tried to regain some of her composure. She hoped to God that a police car would drive by. No such luck. However, after a while of walking in the direction of campus, a gray Dodge pickup truck approached and came to a stop right next to her.

The driver opened his window and said “Car trouble?”

Without thinking, Susie jumped right in the truck and told the driver “Take me to the police station!”

“What’s the problem?”

“My boyfriend is dead and someone has broken into my house.”

“Hang on” the driver said.

Suddenly the truck was almost at full speed before turning down the dirt road that led to the back of Susie’s house.

“Why are you going this way?!” Susie demanded.

Then it became much too clear to her. This guy knew where she lived. When he pulled up to the front of her house another man came from nowhere wearing an Emmit Kelly mask and dragged her out of the car. A third man wearing a George Bush mask taped her mouth, ankles and hands.

“Happy Halloween bitch!” the man in the G.W. mask shouted. They took her inside the house up to her bedroom, and to Susie’s horror saw Vic nailed to the wall with huge metal slugs. Both his feet had been cut off and there was a knitting needle through his scrotum. His dead blank stare made Susie want to be
someplace else. Any fucking place than right here. Right now.





From behind she was thrown onto the bed and given an injection by the driver, while the men in masks held her still. Then they untaped her legs and pulled off her sweat pants and panties. The two men pulled each leg back and taped her ankles to the headboard. The pain of this was minimal for Susie, though she pretended to be in more pain hoping that these low class pieces of shit would have some sort of mercy on her. Suddenly she felt the effects of the injection and now she really did not feel pain. In addition she started to blackout.

She was awakened just in time to see a figure enter the room and decapitate all three men with a samurai sword. Then two other men entered. They untied Susie and being up close to them, she realized that it was Ned, Arnold and Ralph. Ned, Arnold and Ralph received the same call that Susie did with Vic on the other end of the line. Ralph knew Vic was on his way over here and wanted to check it out. He was a student of Judo and decided to take his sword for
insurance, in case this was not just a Halloween prank.

Moments later her yuppie parents came home to the carnage and terror and Susie’s father stood in the doorway of her bedroom with a dumbfounded look on
his face and sniveled ‘What happened?”

“Happy Halloween Dad.”
Story by:
Peter Cooper
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A taste of the Eastern flavor

In this paper I shall discuss issues realating to Western, Eastern and North American
traditions, and how they are contradictory. How they have been contradictory for thousands of years. I will base half of this scholarship on historical fact, and half on my own experience, perceptions and oppinions. Extensive technical jargon will be excluded, and my advocacy for Eastern psychological insights and how they apply not only to music, but life, will be discussed.


Since five-hundred A.D.the European Classical movement has been continuing it's course of development. It contains a very impressive and extensive history to say the least. It was at this
time that Western civilization emerged from the "Dark Ages" after the fall of The Roman Empire. The following twelve centuries or so, saw the development of the Christian Church, who would dominate Europe by instigating "Holy" wars with the East, administering their own brand of justice, establishing universities, and basically dictating the destiny of art, music and literature as they saw fit. It is believed that Pope Gregory I codified what is today known as Gregorian chant during this time, and it was also during this time (The Middle Ages) that western culture saw their first great name in music, Guillaume de Machaut.
Breezing right along here, the Renaissance, which is noted from about fourteen-twenty to
sixteen-hundred saw the flowering of secular music. Dance and instrumental music was in abundance
and was usually not notated. This bit here is similar to the approach of the blues, and rock and
roll some roughly five-hundred years later in North America and is perhaps why it was referred to as
"devil's music". Non-secular music also saw many developments with the introduction of polyphony and the pioneering Giovanni da Palestrina.
Then came what is my personal favorite period of Western Classical music, if I had to pick
only one, The Baroque Age, which is thought to exist from sixteen hundred to seventeen-fifty and taken from the name of the architecture of the time. It was during this period that composers were constantly trying to out do each other in terms of pride, pomp and ornamentation. In my oppinion, it is the most productive and radical period in the history of music because of this competition. The most beautiful counterpoint exists in this period and has not been exeded since. It has that gorgeous pulse to it and everything falls right into place at just the right time.
In addition, opera was introduced to the world by the Italians. The one and only thing I do not like about this period is the concept of musicians being percieved as servants by the aristicracy, and unfortunatly, this idea has remained as truth for the masses ever since. Notable names from this period include J.S. Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Albinoni, Monteverdi and Scarlatti among others.
The Classical period followed with a stripping down of the extravagance of the Baroque by such composers as Gluck. It is generally known to start in seventeen-fifty, however the historical date it concluded varies. In my oppinion it should always be considered eighteen twenty seven, with the significance of Beethoven's death as the end of an era. Mozart and Hayden along with Beethoven are considered to be the three giants of the period, and forms such as the minuet and symphony among others were born here. Vienna, Austria became the mecca of Europe where students would come to study and this still holds true today.
By the end of this period, the envelope was starting to be pushed
in terms of form and tecnique, notably with Schubert taking the torch from LVB and
running with it into the Romantic era.
Romanticisim was a movement from eighteen twenty seven to the turn of the next century, where composers had an almost extreme tendency to show their emotive potential. On many occasions, in my oppinion, orchestral works by Berlioz, Brahms, and Schumann seem to wander aimlessly. Of course this was common in this period. Plenty of fire and emotion, but no definate structure to keep it in line, which gives many of the pieces a sort of, over self-indulgant feel. Rules were being made and broken as they went along, thus the music was very chaotic. However, many new developments and improvements were made to already existing instruments, especially the piano, and entirely new ones were created, which gave the symphonic structure a notably richer, fuller and more powerful effect and sound .
The two nationalist composers Verdi and Wagner virtually dominated opera in this period.
The twentieth century or (modern) era, basically continues in this expanding of musical
boundaries which gives the music a feeling of insecurity. Composers such as Bartok and Schoenberg really explored the uses of unorthodox harmonies, therefore the music has lots of tension and not much resolution. However, a glimmer of hope of returning to a more structured approach existed in composers Puccini and Rachmaninoff. Finally, french composer Claude Debussy was notable in exploring the different tonality of music of the East such as Asian and Indian music, though he did not adhere much to it's theory and philosophy. I will delve into that very shortly, since it is the approach I use in my music, both writing, teaching and performing it.
Obviously all of the above is a condensed historical journey of Western Classical music. I will not go into detail about it's theories since I believe that it's theories are very much exessive and unnecessary, as is Western science and medicine, though I will make direct contrasts between East and West to illustrate my point.
As the twentieth century martial artist and philosopher Bruce Lee once said, "When there is freedom from mechanical conditioning, there is simplicity. The classical man is just a bundle of routine, ideas and tradition. If you follow the classical pattern, you are understanding the routine, the tradition, the shadow. You are not understanding yourself." This is the most concise way I can express my feeling towards how Western Classical music is taught and learned. Of course there are postive elements to this system which I will adress in my conclusion, however the body of this paper is to bring outside concepts to the table and expose the weak points of Western culture and thought.
Here I will directly relate the Eastern theory of music, using Japanese theory as a model, and why I think it is more effective than the Western approach. First of all, Japanese theory derived from Chinese music theory, which dates back as far as at least five hundred B.C. Of course, this pre-dates any form of Western classical theory by about one thousand years. In fact, in almost every aspect of civilization, the East was well established and doing things, long before anything in the West, therefore it deserves it's proper respect, and this is one of the main reasons why I do not comprehend why only Western Classical music is subjected to students in Europe and North America as "The Way". More on this later. The Japanese beleive in the philosophy of esoteric and exoteric music. All music is based on two fundamental human functions: speech and movement. Speech is representative of music in it's tones, cadences and rhythms. That is to say, music is an exaggeration of the tonal and rhythmical qualities of human speech. Movement is saying that music gives sound to the movement of the body. Exoteric music is designed to be comprehended and feasable to perform by a large number of people, which tends to be closer to the origins of music in speech and movement. Esoteric music is designed for an elite bunch who cannot understand or perform the music without a specific kind of training. This approach tends to veer away from the true origins of what music really is. It also causes some, not all, in this area to aquire a snobbish attitude.
However, few would disagree, in any culture, that this esoteric value deepens one's understanding of how music is performed and listened to. It is the reason why most laymen do not like certain styles of music, it does not necessarily have to be classical. They simply don't understand it. In Japanese music theory, again derived from the Chinese, and it is notable to say that the Japanese adopted most of their culture from the Chinese up until they severed ties in nine hundred and seven A.D. after the fall of the Tang dynasty, is rooted in it's value of simplicity. The scale consisted of only five notes, or the pentatonic scale, which blues players would perform hundreds of variations on thousands of years later. These five notes relate to the other "fives". The other fives are the material agents and elements in nature:

Kung(Earth) 1st note, Shang(Metal) 2nd note, Chiao(Wood) 3rd note, Cheng(Fire)4thnote,Yu (Water)5th.
This was, and still is in my oppinion, a sophisticated theory of change. All change, in life
and in music is governed by these five agents and how they interact with each other. Yin and Yang was also incorporated into the musical theory of Japan, with the pentatonic scale being divided into ryo and ritsu(male and female). The most important, or as the west would say, the dominant, degree in the pentatonic scale is the third. The Japanese refer to this as the "cornerstone". In the West, everything is built upon the "tonic" or first scale degree. In Chinese and Japanese theory, the cornerstone(Chiao) is what dictates if a scale is ryo or ritsu. For instance, if Kung and Chiao form a perfect third in any particular scale and key, the scale is male, if Kung and Chiao form a perfect fourth of a scale in a particular key, it is female. This works in any Western scale as well, though we are dealing with the pentatonic here. Also, Japanese theory based itself on eight categories of sound:

Metal(bells), Stone(chimes), Earth(ocarina), Leather(drums), Silk(stringed instruments), Wood(double reed wind instuments), Gourd(sho), and Bamboo(flute).



The differences between the approaches of East and West should be obvious enough. The
benefits of the West's approach is in the preservation of the material by it's system of notation.
It produces dead on accurate translation from the original composers, and creates some of the most beautyful music in creation. Though it is not the "only" beautyful music in creation. I suppose that is my beef with the system of the West in general. It is narrow minded in it's acceptance of different styles, and looks upon them as inferior in many cases. As I stated earlier, this is not the case of all, but a significant amount of Classical musicians have this attitude of "elite" and it makes me sick frankly.

However, it is this very thing that causes it's rigidity and lack of fluidity in it's approach to
handing it down from generation to generation. There is very little room, if any, for personal
interpretation and creativity. Too many "rules" that tell you "that is not correct", therefor it is
not beautyful or acceptable. I would hope that classical readers do not take this personally, since
we are all musicians, and that the ultimate objective in music is to take the listener into the
psyche and emotional state of the performer and piece. Certain musicians are simply more adept, or at least more willing to do that than others. Mature musicians also know that there is more than one way to obtain this objective, which transcends technique and theory. My point is that in almost all universities, the effects, theories, methods and approaches to music of all civilizations, cultures and styles should be represented. Showing how they can interact and be in flowing harmony with one another, as opposed to shutting itself off from it, thus creating truly well rounded and versed musicians. Not only well rounded in one style.


The Eastern theory has been in existence far longer than Western thought, and should be offered as a field of study in more University music programs. It prides itself on the beauty of simplicity rather than exess. It strips away the unessentials so that the truth can be revealed.
It is not rigid in it's forms and teqniques. It's theory uses the harmony of nature and the universe as it's guide, where Western Classical uses mathmatics to govern it's harmony. Music is not mathmatical or logical. It should not be demeaned by intellectualization. Music should be felt, with very little thought involved. It should flow like water so that it can assume all forms. It should penetrate every fiber of one's being, not just the brain. Again, quoting Bruce Lee, " Don't think. Feel. It is like a finger pointing away to the moon. Don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss out on all that heavenly glory".

Dyker Park

Dyker Park
by Peter Cooper copyright 2004
http://www.petercooper.biz/
Many thoughts were racing through Cane Mulligan's mind as he stepped on the rubber and faced and faced the last batter of the game. (Will I see what I saw for the past month? Will I hear what I heard for the past month. I wish I could keep this game going forever, so I won't have to face what I witnessed for the past month another night. Please God help me!) The game was going to be a blowout and shutout with the score being eleven to nothing in favor of Cane's team the Vipors. Scalia High's baseball team. Dusk was fast approaching and the evening was well on it's way to being the first chill of the coming winter. The fields of Dyker Park have no lights, and Cane knows that if he does not wrap this one up, the game will be called on account of darkness, and that his teamates will string him up by the balls if he lets their eleven runs and whole season go to waste. This was the championship game after all.
Cane faced the inevitable and struck out the final batter as a chorus of cheers resounded from the stands and everyone rushed the mound to celebrate. As he weaved quietly through the crowd of people who were having fun, he looked in vain for his father and sister. Like many other important times in his life, they were not here to cheer him on. Cane Mulligan entered the golf course to go home as nobody noticed him vanish.
The golf course of Dyker Park was used as a shortcut by most kids in the neighborhood to head home or wherever they were headed. He first discovered the golfcourse when he and his best friend Jake Marino were riding their bikes back in grammar school, and found a busted out portion of the fencing surrounding it and decided to chart out new territory. Jake and Cane basically had their whole neighborhood of Bayhurst,Brooklyn known like the back of their hand. Coincidentally, they had both become familiar with the fronts of their hands as well, dreaming of the girls in class or the ones in the stack of videos and magazines Jake's older brother kept in his room.
While Cane walked home on this chilly October 30th night, he remembered those days and how carefree and burdenless life was. Now, just like his life, Dyker Park seemed much darker, sinister and foreboding than ever before. The golfcourse of Dyker Park was a public one and was not significantly different from millions of others. It had bunkers, ponds, hills and old men and women in ridiculous looking outfits and driving little carts. That was during the day. At night anyone could be waiting behind the next tree or bush waiting to pounce. The sun was now setting and the shadows were getting very long.
Cane had walked halfway through the park and at this point nothing could be heard in the five square mile area exept for crickets sounding their approval at the arrival of twilight, and the loons responding in the eerie call of the nocturnal. "The children of the night. What music they make!" He looked over at one particular slope that he recalled sledding on most every winter of his childhood. It was this thought that kept him from turning his Fruit of the Looms into a fudge factory, because he was scared. Very scared.
Cane could not help supress the images and sounds burned into his memory from this past month, which happened to be October. The images of the fires, the howling of dogs, squealing of pigs, erotic moans of women, chanting, high pitched agony of cats. He remembered trying to get a look, but only saw fire in the distance and those sounds. Those horrible sounds! He thought to himself (There is no train service from the park to my house. If I take the bus it will be an hour and a half, if I'm lucky and if I walk all the way around, it will be close to three hours. Brooklyn is a big place. At least this way is only an hour.) He also continued thinking (God damn that coach Werner! Not letting us bring cell phones to the game! And actually doing inspections!)
Cane's heart was racing and he started to sweat again, but not from pitching an entire game. It was from good old fashioned panic and terror as he suddenly felt a heavy hand on the back of his neck. He turned his body around faster than Reagan McNeil's head, and was beholding the tall man in a red cloak and hood staring back at him. He could not make out the features, as the figure was surrounded by darkness. Cane did not want to find out. He ran full speed toward the other end of the park hoping to God that he would make it out alive. Another ten minutes later, he did. He stopped when he got out to the open streets to catch his breath and look behind him for the first time. Nothing. He ran the next mille home without looking back. The figure back in the park, stood, looking dreamily at his hands. In one of them was a lock of Cane's long curly hair.
The next day at school, everyone was congratulating him on a job well done in the game. Suddenly almost all of the females in school were throwing themselves at him, and this caught him off guard since he was never the ladies man.(Pimpled scarred skin, skinny, lanky and socially akward) He took particular interest in one of them however. Janet Tully was a very attractive senior with blonde hair, round breasts and a nice tight rump.
"I heard you were amazing at the game last night Cane." she said to him as he was opening his locker.
"Yeah I guess so." Cane replied, shrugging his shoulders and looking absently at the floor. "Listen" she continued. "I want to take you out tonight. Just you and me. No friends. I'll pick you up at eight o'clock. Don't say no because I know you don't work tonight and how can you resist this?" At which point she slyly lifted up her short skirt to expose her finely trimmed airline strip over her rosy pink beaver, and then quickly cupped his schlong over his pants. "Ok" was all Cane could muster at the moment. After regaining his composure for a moment he added,
"I live at 8872" when he was cut off by Janet.
"I know where you live."
"How?"
"I just do. Plus I'm a big fan of yours." Just like that she was gone down the crowded hallway after ducking into the girl's bathroom. (Jeez, that was creepy in way way) Cane thought to himslef.(But what the hell, she seems like an easy lay.)
Later on in the day, during his last period history class, Cane suddenly felt an intense throbbing in his loins, and he quickly acheived a hard on and ejaculated in his pants. All in about one minute. He looked down and noticed the huge wet spot showing through his light brown jeans. Cindy Spitz, who sat next to him, caught this entire episode and gave him an extremely seductive look as she tongued the top of her eraser. He felt dizzy and quickly packed up his books and walked out of class.
After rushing to the gym, while holding his backpack in front of his crotch, and changing into his dirty sweats, Cane hopped on the bus and went home. Larry, Cane's father, was sitting in his lounge chair watching a documentary on David Berkowitz when he asked his son,
"Home early today son huh?"
"Yes dad. Mr. Coleman let us out early."
"Are you sure nothing out of the ordinary happened today?"
"No. I mean yes. Yes I'm sure nothing out of the ordinary happened today."
"Why are you wearing your gym clothes."
"Oh, some kid spilled fruit punch on me during lunch, so I had to change. By the way dad, I am going out tonight."
"Have a date?"
"Yes."
"Alright, I'll see you later. I'm going out tonight also."
Larry went out on certain nights and kept a weird schedual, but Cane never questioned where he went to. He knew his father could have a raging temper. Cane went up to his room, then jumped in the shower. While showering, he realized what a truly bizarre and horrific two days it had been. A bizarre month as well. Strange feelings and occurances have been happening to him all month. Cane thought (My God, why was everyone, especially the girls, being so nice to me, and one of them even showing me her snatch and groping my dick in the hallway and asking me out. Then the hard on and the cumming. My head has also been feeling pleasantly dizzy all week. I don't even want to remember last night either. And why was dad so inquisitive? It was almost as if he knew exactly what was going on. He never seemed that interested. On the way back to his bedroom, his sister Chloe had her door ajar then suddenly peered out at Cane, then slammed the door shut when he saw her.
"What the fuck is going on?" he muttered to himself.
He took a nap. When he woke up a seven his father and sister were both gone. He got dressed and wandered around in the dark empty house by himself. The doorbell rang at precisely eight o'clock. Cane opened the door and saw Janet in a delightfully tight sweater, accentuating her round supple breasts, and very tight hip hugging jeans, accentuating an ass that could be rocked and hammered till she begged him to stop.(at least that's what Cane thought) She led him to her car down the dimly lit street and they both stepped into the 2000 Chevy Tahoe. Women who drove trucks turned Cane on for some reason. He was also aware that a feeling swept through his body, that he would go along with anything. Cane Mulligan felt utterly powerless.
"Are you feeling good tonight?" Janet asked.
"I feel like I'v never felt before and I can't quite describe it. The feeling is getting stronger and stronger too."
"Does it feel like your body is just one big giant orgasam?"
"Yeah, that pretty much describes it, but why do I feel like this?"
"I am going to show you soon enough if you want."
"I want! I want!"
Sometime between this point and the arrival of their destination, Cane completely forgot all about the past month. Forgot all about the strange noises in the park, the screams, the moans. Forgot all exept the image of the figure in the hood amidst the darkness. He was completely in the moment.
"Where are you taking me?" he asked. "I want to know now."
"We aren't going someplace that you have not already been before is all I can tell you right now. I don't mean to keep you in suspense, but I am not permitted."
"What do you mean not permitted? His protestations were only verbal in nature. Internally, he was curious to say the least about what the coming evening was to hold for him. Nothing was holding him back now.
"You will find out everything soon enough. Don't worry everything will be fine." Janet assured him.
They continued driving in silence for about another twenty minutes when Cane realized they were headed for Dyker Park. Ripples of fear flowed through every fiber of his being with the understanding that Cane Mulligan's life was about to change for the rest of his life for better or worse, and the absolute worst thing about all of this was that by some supernatural force, he was powerless to stop or resist anything. The Tahoe pulled up along the baseball diamonds side of the park and Cane and Janet stepped out.
As they approached the entrance to the gates they were approached by a stranger who came out of the shadows; or what at first appeared to be a stranger in plain clothes. He walked up to them and said nothing, then raised his left and and signaled for Janet to proceed with Cane. They all entered the park together and it was at this point that Cane realized who the stranger was. It was Mr. Simmons, Scalia High's principal. In addition Cane's conscience completely dissipated. He was not even verbalizing his being uncomfortable. Earlier, he at least knew something was not quite right. Now he knew he was under a spell and did not care. He loved it. He wanted to cum.
As they crossed the basesball diamonds, Mr. Simmons began telling him,
"We are glad you've come Cane. We've been waiting for this night a long time. Since the day you were born as a matter of fact. We in the tribe have decided that this would be the night. Or should I say the stars decided it long ago. Your ceremony awaits Cane. You are ready to join the family."
Mr. Simmons, Janet and Cane stepped through a hole in the fence that led to the golf course. Just as they did so, Janet and Mr. Simmons stopped and donned their cloaks and hoods. Janet in a black one and Mr. Simmons in red. Cane could see better now than the previous night because a blazing bonfire was burning bright in a clearing about a hundred yards away. The cloaks were made of a heavy fabric of some kind, and the hoods kept their faces hidden, but were not pointy like the KU Klux Klan's.
It did not suprise Cane that they were Satan worshipers. He knew that outside of rituals and services, they looked and behaved like everyone else, and could be anyone. Teachers, babysitters, mothers, fathers, politicians. Anyone. They walked down a well developed path and came out through the clearing. Cane paused in his tracks and looked at the image his eyes were gazing upon.
A group of about twenty-five people(the identity of which could not be determined at this point because of the uniforms) were standing around the bonfire in silence. When they noticed the arrival of visitors, the whole lot turned in sync and faced them. A chant in latin was started by what Cane could now determine was the high priestess, as the high priest came over and ushered him over to the fire.
As the chant subsided, the high priest continued on in English saying,
"On the eve of our hallows, we are all pleased to welcome our son Cane into the life of darkness and beauty! We have nourished, guided and protected him since he was brought into being, and is now ready to enter with full awareness of who he is and what his purpose shall be! Now we shall reveal ourselves to our son Cane so that he may know what needs to be done!"
All of the members of the tribe took of their hoods and showed their faces to him. Cane had a feeling of shock and contented understanding. There before him stood some of his teachers from grammar school, Jake Marino, Coach Werner, his sister Mary, and his father, who was the high priest. The high priestess he did not recognize, but was soon to learn something.
"This is your mother Cane." Larry told him.
His sister Mary came out of the brush holding a baby which belonged to her. Tonight was not a night of sacrificing animals. It was a night of human sacrifice. Child sacrifice. Mary handed the baby to Cane, while the tribe circled around the fire once again. Chanting(in German now) continued as Cane threw the infant in the fire. It made a high pitched squealing sound then fell silent. A wild orgy of writhing ecstacy concluded the ceremony on the hallows eve in Dyker Park.