It took me about a month of receiving free daily newsletters from Nautilus magazine before I finally subscribed to it. The science magazine has not disappointed me, and I still enjoy its newsletters because they link to interesting stories in other publications. Today’s newsletter included links to stories in the New York Times,(trees that benefit from being struck by lightning); the BBC, (a unique fossil where the muscles, sinews, tendons and even guts are all preserved); and Phys.org, (strange things happening to the tectonic plates deep below the earth’s surface).
The free newsletter permits subscribers to read one story a month in Nautilus itself and they definitely lured me in that way to a full subscription. Today’s Nautilus story focused on a new book about physicist Albert Einstein’s spiritual side, written by neuroscientist Kieren Fox.
What captured my interest in this interview with Fox was the notion that free will is a slow process enhanced by discipline. Here’s the quote from Fox:
Through conscious effort, you can become a more free being who develops free will, or almost grows freedom with increased exertion and with increased restraint. It’s a discipline-equals-freedom idea, where the more you discipline yourself, the more free you are to live according to your own ideals, regardless of what’s happening in the world.
This notion will take some processing, but experientially, I find it compelling. I have a tendency to jump to anger for reasons that others might question. Lately I’ve been trying, when anger is my first response, to recognize it, keep from reacting and ponder other potential reactions. It’s a kind of emotional discipline still in developmental stages.
With dance, I have discovered that regular practice builds muscle memory. My body knows without constant direction what to do, allowing me more freedom to explore and add to my dance.
Susan Palmer's Exquisite Now 