The Dark Path

[Mikal]

Yes Lesk...we reap what we sow....once upon a time I sowed a small prayer...I reaped a "gold Key"....

Carl Jung stated the meaning of a key...insight...

Defintion of insight.....

The capacity to discern the true nature of a situation; penetration.
The act or outcome of grasping the inward or hidden nature of things or of perceiving in an intuitive manner.

yes indeed, we reap what we sow....I basically ask for a higher understanding...it was not ask from the mind but from the heart....


Mikal

[labelwench]

Having explored some of the "darker aspects" of graveyard shift, perhaps I should elaborate briefly on some of the benefits.

I have seen more beautiful sunrises and sunsets than many will enjoy in a lifetime.

During the long dark of winter, I am driving home into the daylight and enjoy several hours of same before I retire in mid-afternoon.

Horses are my passion and hobby. Working a traditional 9-5 would leave me little daylight to spend with them during the winter months. This arrangement actually suits their needs for interaction quite well.

I now have a "socially acceptable" reason for not participating in some of society's expectations. Ditto for my personality or lack thereof...

While many persons have little choice in their employment options, there is presently a great range of opportunity in the Yukon, and I am not bound to this course except by personal interest in the study of this phenomena. It is convenient for the present to have myself and so many others as test subjects to observe.

Labelwench

[austintorn@aol.com]

As living pearls we’re strung out right and left,
Lovely and beautiful on the Earth’s breast.
Her bosom heaves, and one by one we’re cleft:
A thousand truths die, until none are left.

Shifting Through the Graveyard

There is an old churchyard, a large one that yet yawns to receive the deceased, as it has for 300 years. Real cobwebs stretched across the archway…

Angel statues beckoned us in, but were really just there to carry forth the souls of the dead to the heavens…

An inscription read:

All the world’s wealth can’t extend the power
That drains the cup and withers the flower.
What would be the price of a moment’s breath
Purchased from Death’s hand at this final hour?

We had crept on into the heart of the graveyard, even letting it get to us so as to be totally receptive, and saw some freshly covered graves… our rosy cheeks and warm breath exhaling mist— the only life here in Corruption’s dim dwelling place, decrepit death everywhere around and underground as the Earth’s final benediction composed for the decomposing…

Alarmed, we wandered among some tombstones,
Under which rested little more than bones,
Where from the life had fled when dreams were dead,
Which under us became life’s stepping stones.

Not all poems are pleasant—some speak of death,
Of life’s end, separate by just a breath
We saw tombstones overgrown, under swept,
Names unknown—and to all the message saith:

Read Me, it said, engraved beyond the brink,
You, who live, up above: of life go drink;
And you, underneath, now lying so dead:
Rest in peace, RELAX—it’s later than you think!

…but we saw no souls rising, heard nothing, and noted nothing unusual at all in any way whatsoever, nor could we ever, for invisible they all were and are and ever will be.

Although it felt quite spooky, we knew that this feeling only came from an association with invented legends, but we could understand how and why they could have been made up, for, in the old days, when there was some sound or movement heard, but nothing found, they still suspected someone or something about, such as spirits and ghosts.

—Whence Cometh Our Help —

Born from stardust and nourished by sunlight,
I’ve filled my cup with wonders of delight.
Life is a treasure, a radiant gem,
A vision that I’ll never see again.

From the cold night beneath the stars… back… to the warmth… of the log fire…

The stars are eternity’s running-lights—
They shine, even through the fathomless night!
From what bright star came the gleam in your eyes?
To what distant sun returns your smile’s light?

[Mikal]

The meaning of the term..."The Devil's Advocate".....digging up dark matters is never a nice thing one has to do...however, bringing dark matters into the light of day is a matter of integrity.....


Mikal

[Mohan.C]

Which of the many paths
Have we taken beyond the sunset.
After our life ends.
No one knows what's left.

In the grave yard lies
Our body so bereaved!
With the end of life,
God's grace, have we received?

Just, dropped in guys, everyone can continue with the discussion that was going on.

About the thread I've got to say. I sleep very late, around 2 a.m some times at 5 in the morning. I guess once a person gets accustomed to it. It does not affect one's health so much. Or may be it depends on the person.
I think I am psychologically more active in the night, since some of the best ideas come at night. Many people are night creatures. I am saying this even though I know, this is about how people working night shifts get affected. There's always the option of sleeping on the job.

[austintorn@aol.com]

My night shift job is testing mattresses, bed gravity, doing dream research and incorporating ideas [I sleep on them].

[racecar]

dark matters....

My daughter had a new friend over to go bowling and spend the night. The girl's step-dad brought her over so he could meet us, see where we live and give us their contact info. He aslo wanted to make sure we would be driving them to/from the bowling alley. I was impressed with his show of concern and thoughtfulness. Coincidentally the step-dad was my son's second grade teacher for about 3 weeks before I removed him from the school.

Getting to know the girl was easy as she was very open and friendly. Her mom has lukemia for the fourth time. They just moved up here last year to be near the grandmother who is a nurse. The mom just got married. They are fixing up a house and have no more money so she wants to run a daycare in the home. The mom is also abusive. She hits her girls. The step-dad hasn't done anything because it will complicate his teaching career and I suspect his marriage.

I'm guessing that the mom knows it's not okay to abuse her kids. Why does she do it?

A long line of defense and preventative measures failed to protect this girl in her own home.

Do you want to hear about my friend who was raped, repeatedly, by her step-dad? How he gave her money as she got older and her mother didn't do anything about it? How she can't look at people without hate and shame in her eyes?

You know what I'm most sorry about? That I can't help whether I tell pretty stories or ugly stories. Sucks is the understatement of the century.

[Mohan.C]

dark matters....

You know what I'm most sorry about? That I can't help whether I tell pretty stories or ugly stories. Sucks is the understatement of the century.

You favor life, he sides with death,
I straddle the fence and my balls hurt.

-Jim Morrison.

[leskey]

Hi, all.

Defintion of insight.....

The capacity to discern the true nature of a situation; penetration.
The act or outcome of grasping the inward or hidden nature of things or of perceiving in an intuitive manner.

yes indeed, we reap what we sow....I basically ask for a higher understanding...it was not ask from the mind but from the heart....

The power to change the componded mistakes of society lies with each and every idividual member of that society. It begins with the re-acknowledgement of the familial obligation to children which has long been long-overdue, partly because of cultivated, societal and cultural inequities.

For decades now Western society has played the "rights" of the individual at the cost of the "responsiblities" of that individual. The result being increasing distance and separation in relationships, the glue that binds societies together.

dark matters....

Getting to know the girl was easy as she was very open and friendly. Her mom has lukemia for the fourth time. They just moved up here last year to be near the grandmother who is a nurse. The mom just got married. They are fixing up a house and have no more money so she wants to run a daycare in the home. The mom is also abusive. She hits her girls. The step-dad hasn't done anything because it will complicate his teaching career and I suspect his marriage.

I'm guessing that the mom knows it's not okay to abuse her kids. Why does she do it?

A long line of defense and preventative measures failed to protect this girl in her own home.

Whilst this may have strayed a little off the topic, there are pertinent aspects to your quandery, racecar:

. the individual repeats learned behaviour; and
. this individual's ill-health is a clear indication of stress - perhaps in her thinking and therefore in her ability to cope with life.

This video may be of interest:

http://www.edutopia.org/richard-davidson-sel-brain-video

And this is a lengthy read, but very informative:

http://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart-head-heart-interactions.html

The heart communicates with the brain and body in four ways:

• Neurological communication (nervous system)
• Biophysical communication (pulse wave)
• Biochemical communication (hormones)
• Energetic communication (electromagnetic fields)

It may be as simple as learning to think with our hearts and love (feel) with our minds.

[labelwench]

The Dark Path wends its way through many dark matters, some more disturbing than others. If all things are connected, then by studying and observing any one of the strands, we may well gain a greater understanding of the whole.

Many occupations pose risks to the worker and frequently offer greater rewards and incentives as compensation. While the benefits are easy to analyse, the true cost has not been closely examined.

Grocery night shift is not a glamorous occupation, so there is little ego gratification to gain. The financial compensation is somewhat higher, but not sufficiently so to mitigate the negatives. Far more consideration needs to be applied to a health benefits package, and actions that may prevent some of the more deleterious effects of working against natural forces.

One of the challenges that I worked through personally,was cummulative minor injuries and chronic aches and pains. These seemed to be repetitive strain injuries from excessive walking, climbing, kneeling, lifting and weight bearing.

My remedial research led me back along the paths of nutrition and sleep disruption.

Of most interest was one assertion that I stumbled on: that the body effects most of it's repairs during the night cycle. Sleeping during other hours of the day will not afford these benefits to the same degree. I am capable of sleeping almost anywhere/anytime that I choose, but the rest that I was getting did not seem to bring relief.

My next experiment was to completely change over to a "day cycle" when on my days off, by staying up for a 20-24 hour period at the end of my week, and returning to night shift on an afternoon nap. The body began to heal.

I reduced my days of work from three to five, and changed employers. Still night shift, same tasks. Recovery came at a much faster rate.

After four months, I added one more shift at my former employment venue. These venues are of different scales and provide me with additional research and study parameters.

My present theory is that there may be an upper limit to the number of hours that even the most adaptive individuals may work at graveyard shift before the compromises are too great.

I am looking for the way to balance the needs of the many with the needs of the few.

Labelwench