Learning

Learning

Cenote Samula near Valladolid, Mexico (~150km to Cancun) - The tree on top and then below.
The roots reach all the way down into a large cavern where it is possible to swim.

Looks can be deceiving. That is one phrase that I've taken to heart over my life journey.
Translation - it is possible to learn something from anyone, anywhere, at any time. It is just a matter of
fine tuning our senses - sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste, and that "6th sense" --- our gut feelings.

On my extended journey I've been fortunate to have the time to optimize my senses
to maximize learning at any given moment. Combined with self-developed techniques to
"cleanse the mind." I've gotten rid of the stereotyping of others, labeling of self and others, and the need
to be critical and/or defensive over other people's ideas and belief systems. This has helped tremendously
in my ability to see things as they are, and not as I or others imagine them to be.

-----

Learning hasn't only come from travel, but from leveraging the fruits of the
information explosion that have occurred in our lifetimes.

One of the best things I started doing while traveling and living abroad was to start learning by watching
documentaries - alot of them. Prior to that, reading books was my primary method of learning independently.
For quite a few years, finding and viewing documentaries was central to improving myself and my knowledgebase.
Tempered with the realization that it was/is the application of knowledge which forms experiences which change our behavior.

Watched 200+ complete documentaries on nutrition, brain science, genetics, psychology, advanced technologies, science of light / water / EMF (electromagnetic frequencies) / sound (cymatics), archaeology, natural & human history, astronomy, spiritual matters.
From independent to National Geographic, BBC, Discovery Channel, History Channel, CBC, and PBS.

Continual improvement

Process improvement comes in many forms and names. It has been a part of me for a long time, in my
DNA so to speak. It is one reason I took so easily to some of my roles as a software configuration /
change management manager. Improving and optimizing the software development process came naturally to me.

However, there is a danger of always striving to improve processes. We can become overly critical of
others who either are "inefficient in our eyes," or we can become "overly efficient" at a single thing / set of
tasks. We then may miss the bigger picture. For example, we become "so good" at our job that we sacrifice
our health - physical / mental well being, which then degrades our performance later, a law of diminishing
returns. Or we may be overly focused on optimizing a given set of processes / tasks that we don't see a
competitive threat or new business opportunity. On a personal level - it can lead to unnecessary impatience,
(repressed) anger, stress, dissatisfaction, or lack of appreciation for other people's capabilities / limitations.
Watching people try to get the perfect camera shot while fiddling with their gear, and then
"losing sight" of a beautiful landscape or moment, is a similar example from traveling.

I've certainly been guilty of these in one form or another, but I've learned to find the right balance, for me anyway.
Whether it's been personal self-improvement of health, finding ways to travel / backpack lighter, finding better gear,
route optimization, how to analyze new situations faster, or improving my knowledge of interpersonal
communications, I always try to keep the larger goal in mind.

Invisibility

May 2006 - Invisibility Cloak (MSNBC)

2006 Invisibility Cloak Findings at Duke University --- 2008 AP News - Invisibility a Reality?

Invisibility: Science Sensei 11

Oct.2, 2007 - Gold rings create first true invisibility cloak Invisibility (New Scientist) -- Invisibility: Soon to be the new black (Seattle Times)