Jon Low published his latest Defensive Pistolcraft newsletter last Friday. Most of the content, as you would expect, revolve around the topics of firearms and self-defense. But he included this email which I liked:
From an email from Orion Taraban, Psy.D., Wednesday, November 6th, 2024 -- "The joys of tidying up."
One of my favorite times of day is the ten minutes I spend every morning tidying up. I usually do this while my breakfast is (mostly) cooking itself, which provides the perfect time-bounded opportunity to scurry about the house to complete this pleasant chore. It's just so satisfying to watch the previous night's disarray slowly give over to organization and order. Everything in its right place.
Our living environment is a reflection of our consciousness. Disorder without is very often an indication of disorder within. However, the relationship here is bidirectional. And this is fortunate, as a little clutter is much easier to sort through than the detritus of our pasts. If you're feeling stuck or out of sorts, one of the easiest ways to bring a little more clarity into your thinking is to clean and organize your living space.
I've found this is especially true if you're struggling with depression. In this state, even the most basic tasks can seem overwhelming – which can keep people immobilized in despair. It's important to combat this feeling by chaining sequences of small wins. Start with what is immediately on hand and acknowledge your effort. Laundry is great for this: there are always clothes to be cleaned. And I've found that – even if I do nothing else all day – I somehow feel accomplished if I'm able to finish a load.
Warmly,
Orion
In a similar vein, Jon cites to a piece entitled "Burnout and A Bottle Of Water" by Ross Hick, which discusses the danger of emotional burn out. If you believe in end times prophecy, you know that the world will go through a period referred to as the Tribulation. Things will be bad--really bad--and mental and spiritual health and fitness will probably be more important than physical fitness. So, just as you would learn exercises to get physically fit, you should learn exercises to become mental fit.
Also be sure to check out some of the tips Jon has for students of the gun. For instance, he mentions that he had a student that was so tense that she was literally trembling when trying to shoot. He recommends (and describes) an exercise to learn how to relax your muscles:
Lay flat on your back on the floor (if you do it in bed, you might fall asleep before completed, because you would be too comfortable). If you are uncomfortable to the point of pain, stack a couple of pillows under your knees to cause some bend, put a pillow under each heel. If you can avoid pillows under your head, that would be best.
Starting with your toes and working to your abdominal muscles, tighten each muscle, one at a time, as tight as you can, then release the tension. You might need to get a diagram of all of the muscle groups in the human body, so you don't miss any.
Starting at your finger tips and working to your shoulders, tighten and release each muscle, one at a time.
Starting at your lower back and working to the top of your head (muscles in your scalp), tighten and release each muscle, one at a time.
Rest for a minimum of 15 minutes. If you fall asleep, that's okay.
Repeat daily.
Initially, it may take you several hours to hit every muscle group. But with practice and daily repetition, you'll get it down to about half and hour. Initially, you will find it exhausting, and may not be able to finish. That's okay, try again tomorrow. With deliberate dedicated practice you will be able to do it easily. At some point you will have an epiphany and understand what you are doing. It's not something that I can be easily explained in human language. But it's not mystical either. It's just that you figure it out on your own.
You get control of your muscles and elevate kinesthetic awareness. And you will be able to relax your muscles in stressful situations.
He has some other exercises and tips as well for students of the gun.
Jon also includes links and comments related to science and cryptography. For instance, check out the link a series of YouTube videos by Looking Glass Universe on quantum mechanics. Also, Jon notes a video from FermiLab discussing the speed of gravity. Jon points out the curious matter that according to the video there was a two-second difference between when a gravity wave arrived from a distant collision of two neutron stars and when a pulse of gamma radiation reached orbital telescopes. The video brushes over this difference, but Jon believes it is a significant fact.
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