Bio - How I Came to ACCHS
I was raised in a(n), more typical than I would like to think, atypical family situation. My parents, both contemporary MDs, divorced when I was four and I had a split childhood between the bay area, where I was born, and Minnesota, where both of my parents' families live. Suffice it to say that I feel that my parents did the best that they could but both were not able to give my siblings and I the care or attention that developing human beings need. Looking back I now see that whenever either of my workaholic parents (separately) encountered a problem with one of us, they both would respond with quick fixes, pills and/or criticism/judgement to suppress the symptom of a deeper imbalance that would have been more sustainably addressed through diet, lifestyle or deeper/more personalized examination and/or connection.
By the time I reached my early 20's my inner and outer lives were off kilter. I had lost my faith in the Kaiser Health Insurance Plan that I was lucky enough to be provided with through my father's job (until age 26 thanks to Obamacare). I began seeking alternatives (herbalism, meditation, cleanses, mind altering substances) to change both my physical and mental states. During this time I studied Language, Metaphor, Cultural Assumptions and Sustainability and wrote a thesis on the American Mindset and global trends in Environment and Politics in order to receive a bachelors degree in 2011.
After I graduated I felt discouraged by the present state of affairs and was unsure how to proceed in living a life of integrity given my knowledge of so many institutions that appeared (to me) to undermine human, animal and plant environmental and global health and peace. Over the last three years I have tried many things, moved around quite a bit and basically floundered while learning what it was that I did not want to do with my life.
Then, less than two years ago, I met a graduate of ACCHS, Naandi. She rented a studio/treatment room in the back of the tattoo shop where I was working at the time. I began receiving acupuncture. Naandi bore witness without judgement to the emotional and physical spaces I was moving through in my life. I began to realize that I can make the most out of the present and direct my energy where I want to see growth. Slowly things in my life began to shift and I began moving in the direction of the healing arts. I received two certificates in Swedish and Therapeutic Massage last year and then decided that I want to be a catalyst for positive change in the lives of others who are struggling, like Naandi was/is for me. I became a first hand witness to the power of Chinese Medicine and Healing Connection, so here I am.
Class Discussion on Animal Intelligence and Cloning
I enjoyed the discussion in class about animal intelligence. It was provocative to problematize the notion of intelligence in general. It makes me wonder what intelligence is, it seems to be an ability...is it the ability to behave in a desired fashion, to complete certain tasks, to communicate understanding, to operate within certain controlling/designing structures. Whatever 'intelligence' is, it seems to be relative to whomever is measuring it.
I also appreciated the discussion of cloning, but I fear I came across as anti-human cloning in the end. I want to express my lack of a position with respect to whether or not anyone should attempt to clone a human being. I don't know what to think about human cloning, Im sure there are positives to be gained from it in the health technology sector, and I wonder just what the negative impacts of such technology might be. I feel like there are many ways that cloning human beings could be problematic. We are currently struggling to gain equality for second class citizens of many kinds all over the world and here domestically. How would clones be considered politically, socially, etc? That is the kind of space my mind started toward. I also thought of a half dozen science fictions novels/films... but thats a discussion for another time and place.
Darwinism -
This is an interesting idea, and I am glad someone came up with it because it is not necessarily obvious in the present moment. It resonates with many philosophies and other truths about the world, that everything is in a constant state of change. It is unfortunate that some people used this theory to rationalize injustice, but that possibility seems to lie within everything.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/ what an amazing website! I will return to it in the future to explore more thoroughly.
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/ also a great resource for a more academic understanding of evolution
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