Deep Dives: shame, smells, and shaming people
Research Study on the power of shame - The true trigger of shame: social devaluation is sufficient, wrongdoing is unnecessary - I’m starting with this research study. It was referenced by Susan Cain, author of the bestselling books, Bitter-Sweet and Quiet.
Joseph Dick was accused of rape and murder. As the case unfolded, it revealed a hideous side-effect of shame. In any case, studies are often pretty boring. This one - while having its boring spots - is well-written and, at times, gripping. I couldn’t take my eyes or mind off the first section. Shame takes us to very bad places. People who deal in shame frequently drive the cab that takes us there. Go to Susan Cain’s link and learn more about what you can do. Don’t worry. She’s not the nagging kind.
A poem about smell and mindfulness. G. K. Chesterton wasn’t a mindfulness instructor but his understanding of the senses as a component of mindful attention is a big part of his poem The Song of Quoodle.
They haven’t got no noses, The fallen sons of Eve; Even the smell of roses Is not what they supposes;
But more than mind discloses And more than men believe.
They haven’t got no noses, They cannot even tell When door and darkness closes The park a Jew encloses, Where even the law of Moses Will let you steal a smell.
The brilliant smell of water, The brave smell of a stone, The smell of dew and thunder, The old bones buried under, Are things in which they blunder And err, if left alone.
The wind from winter forests, The scent of scentless flowers, The breath of brides’ adorning, The smell of snare and warning, The smell of Sunday morning, God gave to us for ours
And Quoodle here discloses All things that Quoodle can, They haven’t got no noses, They haven’t got no noses, And goodness only knowses The Noselessness of Man.
The Ermahgerd Meme - remember the Ermagherd meme? That poor girl who looked like she was from the Deep South who spun every single word with a drawl. Well, you might find it interesting to learn about the meme and about the girl behind the picture. Not everything is as it seemed. Check out the humorous, insightful article at Vanity Fair.