The Psycho-Biology of the Body and Personality

So the first speaker gave this really funny joke it was so funny he prayed first we would not be scandalized. All about cognitive reframing within married life.

I had one correction and two quick questions. He had said all animals can swim apart from Humans. Throw one in water they swim but we drown because human voices wake us sort of thing. I told him my belief was that no primates can swim naturaliter but humans can learn to swim. I have never thrown primates into a lake and I base my belief on an episode of that time travel programme when Dr Beckett took the form of a space chimp. But I didn't tell him that I said I had read it somewhere since he had read his thing somewhere he gave me that one.

The two questions I had oh my memory is failing. Second was on Twins. Oh Roger Bannister and the 4 minute mile. Within a month 30 peeps had broken the four minute mile with the year 300. Now I could have gone with a qabalistic or Hindu numerological understanding but I suggested perhaps it might not have been a change in belief, what's the word it's from CBT relapse prevention theory never mind, I said in the West they are getting more Spiritual just as in India they value Science more. Morphic Fields. Bannister changed the morphic field around humanity enabling everyone to run faster. Not sure what that Usain Bolt will do for us.

And on Twins he mentioned a famous twin study, the one where the sisters are reunited on the same day and wear the same outfit same mannerisms etc. I just said in my experience white people lie (I don't mean you Oliver) and they have a congenital fault for lying when it comes to twins studies. He said in his experience they didn't lie all the time and CBS reported the story. I think he means Fox CBS.

After the talk a Missionary Catechist with the poor CMIs the ones who want to do mission work with the villages instead of getting american degrees and having high level talks with Brahmins invited me to visit his centre 7 hours away. I thanked him and said of course if he was serious. I don't think he was. I did explain I might be a seen as a trouble maker but the point of the day is if I start believing everyone loves and respects me then they will.

Oh I did have a crack at his friend mind. How come they just use american heroes to explain the theory, Ford Napoleon Hill and Admiral Lord Nelson. And how come they always boast about their american masters and doctorate I answered because their Indian ones give them shame, the white man's degree they believe has more juju. He agreed but he didn't then tell me proudly about his american degrees. Ah the priest was a good american motivational speaker but they are ten a penny in the US and I was really here for some good old fashioned Indian stuff, I should have gone to California. All the same a lot cheaper here and if I go to California might as well get a good barber and tailor and start giving seminars.

Second talk by Fr Matthew oh so he is the one I should have been talking to. Brain Biology bullshit. I wasn't completely dismissive but I think I took too long formulating the question more of a counter thesis saying he really didn't know what he was talking about but in a really humble tentative way, and I put on my tentative, sensitive voice and everything. Anyway I managed to get the last line out before he could complain.

He had said research in the 1970s had dismissed the effectiveness of drug treatment for angina. My dad died in the 70s because there was no treatment then for heart disease apart from the willow bark which Hippocrates mentioned. I suggested perhaps modern research stresses statins as the greatest single advance in the treatment of heart disease unless of course it was all a belief system hype about the latest. I stopped critizing drug multi-nationals when I came to India and saw folk outwith basic medical health care. Then I suggested one extreme was type 1 diabetes until the discovery of insulin it meant certain death after chronic painful illness in 20 years regardless of your beliefs. Then my favourite the Social and Spiritual aspects of TB. The biological model has TB as symptomatic of a Bacterium. Bacteria respond to anti-biotics. However TB dropped in incidence from 1850 onwards and anti-biotics were discovered by Fleming only in the 1940s. Hence TB can be seen as a symptom of a social disease. Poor housing, and malnutrition throw up TB. Cure the social diseases and the body will take care of itself. With the Spiritual disease it is a form of spiritual ascesis similar to the Jain final way of Moksha, a bit like She Irom Chanu Sharmilah, I did not forget her, Oh let my left hand wither. It was the ascesis of Carmel that promoted the TB, the embrace of the beloved, eating the corruption of the body away from within until only pure inviolate spirit remained. Yep it pissed him off. But in all humility this time I really had something far more impressive to say than the speaker, although the first guy's joke was really funny.

What's the point in asking a trouble maker not to ask questions it's like telling Irom not to go on Hunger Strikes. Though I will take a break during the bible study which is at 3.30 unless the speaker is really interesting, he is more likely to be offering basic info so I'll bring my bible check out the references and pray with Martha Irom.