Zen flesh vs. Zen bones…Kerouac was "accused" (by a Zen Buddhist priest) of not having Zen bones…this gets me thinking…how does one acquire their bones? For me…it's through writing…before the writing comes reading…and note taking while I read…notes lead me to write…which show me that I need to read more…take more notes…go back to writing…it's a cycle.
Ok...another way to earn my bones is to avoid distraction. I need to re-set my schedule as to when (and how often) I will be checking in to my social media (something that can be seen in different ways...as I explore below). Right now I have my email set to send me notification when someone Tweets me or FB's me so I don't really need to get on either during the day...to check on things. Siri (my digital assistant...thank you Steve Jobs) can help me with Tweets...if I have something to say and I have Twitterfeed set up to send to both Twitter and FB via my blog if I have something to say. The key is discipline...being home on Winter break is a good test because while I'm teaching there just isn't time. Note: I have yet to check in to any social media today...as of this post...it's 3:07 pm.
Switching to another book I've been wanting to read, the new Steve Jobs biography, I find myself pausing for a few moments...
This is exactly what I'm doing with my research...trying to figure out who I am and how my work fits into things. My Zen bones will come from a fusion of things...teaching, reading, writing, yoga and meditation...reading the Steve Jobs biography is helping me see this...one is not more important than the other...they are interdependent.
Another quote from the Jobs biography..."Timothy Leary had declared that personal computers had become the new LSD..." another interesting quote from the Jobs biography. Seeing a connection to an earlier quote in the book..."Vegetarianism and Zen Buddhism, meditation and spirituality, acid and rock..." Might my "acid" be social media coupled with my interest in Error?
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