#11 - VCAD - Assess Virtual Communication Capabilities

Learn two suggestions for getting into the flow state. 

In the previous episode we suggested that the state of flow could be a good measure of qualty-of-life. The more time we spend in the flow, the greater our quality of life. So, how can we find more flow in our lives? 

Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi, the father of flow, found that the flow state arises when there is a dynamic interplay between challenge and resources (skill).  We need to challenge ourselves and we need to develop the skills and resources needed to meet those challenges. 

Steven Kotler, who studies peak performance in the flow state, has found that finding flow is a process that has four stages. Two stages, struggle and release, come before the actual flow state. And one stage, the involves recovery and renewal, comes after the flow state. 

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My "Qualongevity" goal is to flourish and enhance my quality of life as I age.  But, what do I mean by quality of life? How will I know when I am flourishing?  How will I measure the quality of my life.?

In this episode, I suggest that the state of flow - that state when we are so absorbed in an activity that time stands still - might be a good measure of quality-of-life. My life will be worth living if I can still engage in activities that activate a flow state. The more time I spend in the flow state, the higher my quality-of-life. 

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One of the huge issues facing the nation is whether Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for alleged crimes committed during and after his term as President of the United States?  Is Donald Trump - or anyone else - above the law? 

On the face of it the answer seems obvious. In the United States no one is above the law, not even Presidents. But, Trump is disputing this idea. In our system of government, the courts have the final say in this kind of dispute. It is important, therefore, that we understand the laws of the land and how the courts are making their decisions. Are they based on law and the Constitution or on politics? 

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the nation’s second highest court, has ruled unanimously that Trump is NOT immune from prosecution, nor is he above the law. They explained every aspect of their decision in a 67-page document. 

To make it easier for everyone to have access to this important decision, and to understand how the U.S. Court of Appeals came to their decision, I've recorded three of the four main sections of the  US Court of Appeals Ruling. 

The IS TRUMP ABOVE THE LAW? series of  podcasts offers a reading of the following sections of the U.S. Court of Appeals ruling: 

Section I - Background 

Section III - Executive Immunity

Section IV - Double Jeopardy Principle & Conclusion. 

For the sake of time I did not record Section II which discusses why the U.S. Court of Appeals has jurisdiction to make a decision on this matter. 
 
 The Supreme Court apparently feels compelled to have the final say on Trump’s immunity claims and will hear oral arguments during the week of April 22 on a single question: "Whether and if so to what extent does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office." 

It will be important to understand whether the Supreme Court uses the law or politics to make their decision.  

Support our work to promote creative aging. Subscribe to the MINDRAMP Podcast.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the nation’s second highest court, has ruled unanimously that Trump is NOT immune from prosecution, nor is he above the law. They explained every aspect of their decision in a 67-page document. 

To make it easier for everyone to have access to this important ruling, and to understand how the U.S. Court of Appeals came to their decision, I've recorded three of the four main sections of the  US Court of Appeals Ruling. 

The IS TRUMP ABOVE THE LAW? series of  podcasts offers a reading of the following sections of the U.S. Court of Appeals ruling: 

Section I - Background 

Section III - Executive Immunity

Section IV - Double Jeopardy Principle & Conclusion. 

For the sake of time I did not record Section II which discusses why the U.S. Court of Appeals has jurisdiction to make a decision on this matter. 
 
 The Supreme Court apparently feels compelled to have the final say on Trump’s immunity claims and will hear oral arguments during the week of April 22 on a single question: "Whether and if so to what extent does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office." 

It will be interesting to what basis the Supreme Court uses for their decision - the law or politics. 

Support our work to promote creative aging. Subscribe to the MINDRAMP Podcast.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the nation’s second highest court, has ruled unanimously that Trump is NOT immune from prosecution, nor is he above the law. They explained every aspect of their decision in a 67-page document. 

To make it easier for everyone to have access to this important decision, and to understand how the U.S. Court of Appeals came to their decision, I've recorded three of the four main sections of the  US Court of Appeals Ruling. 

The IS TRUMP ABOVE THE LAW? series of  podcasts offers a reading of the following sections of the U.S. Court of Appeals ruling: 

Section I - Background 

Section III - Executive Immunity

Section IV - Double Jeopardy Principle & Conclusion. 

For the sake of time I did not record Section II which discusses why the U.S. Court of Appeals has jurisdiction to make a decision on this matter. 
 
 The Supreme Court apparently feels compelled to have the final say on Trump’s immunity claims and will hear oral arguments during the week of April 22 on a single question: "Whether and if so to what extent does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office." 

It will be interesting to what basis the Supreme Court uses for their decision - the law or politics. 

Support our work to promote creative aging. Subscribe to the MINDRAMP Podcast.

Neuroscientist Richie Davidson 's research on well-being indicates that positive plastic changes to our brain occur around four dimensions of experience, each of which contributes to our ability to flourish. 

AWARENESS, CONNECTION, INSIGHT AND PURPOSE

in this episode I review Davidson's definition for each dimension and explore how they can aid us to flourish as we age. 

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Dr. Richie Davidson 's work offers a framework for the cultivation of well-being. 

Davidson's extensive research  suggests there are four key domains that are central to the subjective experience of well-being. Further, and importantly, each area  can be strengthened through training. 

We can learn flourish by learning to enhance our: 

• Awareness
• Connection 
• Insight 
• Purposed 

Dr. Richie Davidson is best known for his groundbreaking work studying emotion and the brain. His research is broadly focused on the neural bases of emotion and emotional style as well as methods to promote human flourishing, including meditation and related contemplative practices. He is a friend and confidante of the Dalai Lama, has studied the brains of highly Buddhist monks, and is the worlds leading expert on how meditation makes both short-term and long-term changes to our brains.  

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In the previous episode I introduced the hemisphere hypothesis put forward by British scholar Iain McGilchrist. The hemisphere hypothesis posits that the two hemisphere of our brains have unique, largely incompatible, ways of relating to the world.

The right hemisphere can be characterized as our sensual mind and the left hemisphere as our conceptual mind.  We get confused, conflicted and alienated when our conceptual mind dominates and makes us lose our connection with our sensory mind.

In this episode I want to share my version of a story that McGilchrist uses to illustrate the relationship between our two hemispheres. It dramatizes his observation that things go wrong when collaboration between the hemispheres breaks down and the conceptual mind (LH) dominates.  McGilchrist's  story is called The Master and His Emissary, which is also the name of his 2009 book that introduces the hemisphere hypothesis.  

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Why do we struggle with life, and with old age in particular?  

I believe that the hemisphere hypothesis, as explained by British scholar Iain McGilchrist, offers a fertile framework for thinking about why we suffer mental conflict and confusion. Just as important, it offers guidelines about what we can do to limit our suffering. 

The basic idea of the hemisphere hypothesis is that the two hemispheres of our brain  provide us with two very different ways of relating to the world. One perspective can be characterized as direct experience (sensory) and the other perspective as conceptual.  One experiences the world as it is, the other creates ideas and concepts about the the reality we experience.

When the two perspectives collaborate with each other, our minds work magnificently.  Too often, however, our conceptual mind dominates and suppresses the perspective of the sensory mind. When this happens we live in a world of concepts and lose direct touch with reality. To flkourish, we need to restore collaborative balance between these two perspectives

Learn more about the hemisphere hypothesis and how it influences our ability to flourish in this episode.  

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To increase our healthspan as we age  we need our brains to be as healthy as possible.  MINDRAMP has developed the Behavioral Roots of Brain Health to help identify risky behaviors that should be avoided and protective behaviors that should be adopted. 

To flourish, we need more than a healthy brain. We also need a nimble and well-trained mind that can adopt beneficial mindsets and inhibit mindsets that cause us to suffer. The FLOURISH AS YOU AGE series focuses on the mental management side of the equation.

So, how do we begin to identify beneficial mindsets? As I explain in this episode, the hemisphere hypothesis, as articulated by scholar Iain McGilchrist ,offers a very useful framework for differentiating between helpful and harmful states of mind.  

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