The value of silence

There is irony in writing about silence. To promote something with it's opposite is rather cheeky. But in meditation today I was reminded of it's key importance. When you sit and try to think only of the breath, for example, the mind revolts because the breath is a prison. The reality of breath is less far less interesting than the experiences the mind can produce for itself.

But there is value in staying in this prison for a while. Within this prison very little is happening. It is peaceful - with the key exception of the revolted, and revolting mental reaction. It's true that some matters of real interest can arise, observation of unusual and subtle sensation. However,  it is essentially sensory deprivation. This forces the cluttered mind to clean itself up, to deal only with what is right in front of it. This is a very useful skill for those moments when one really needs to pay attention, for example when learning a new skill or sizing someone up. "Now" is the only time your mind receives new information.

Once you begin to pay attention to the prison, it is not quite what it seems. The breath is complex. The mind seeing the breath is complex. Against the backdrop of a chaotic mind this complexity is lost, but against a backdrop of relative peace this subtlety shines and is fascinating. And it is shocking how quickly and violently "normal" thoughts can break into this new-found idyllic world, literally tearing it apart.

Speech is almost always part of disruptive "normal" thoughts. A more subtle form of speech occurs, some call it "noting" - this is the process of simply naming what you find. It can also occur that questions arise "What is this?" or "Am I doing this right?" or "Is this really a sensation?". These mental verbalizations don't seriously disrupt the experience. However, words do prevent forward progress.

With practice, it is possible to eliminate all verbalizations, even the subtle ones. This is done by simply realizing when you're doing it, and stopping. Even in mid sentence. If one sets a special intention to eliminate words, it becomes relatively easy to do in only a few sittings. And one finds the meditations more meaningful and interesting.

Security wisdom from years ago

The security of a signal is inversely proportional to the distance between the sender and receiver.

There are only two fundamental ways to control a signal: control the box or control the pipe. Clever encryption schemes make controlling the pipe impossible - therefore there will be economic and political pressure to control the box.

Is money really the reason to eliminate the death penalty?

For years I've been against the death penalty for the simple reason that, if it ever turns out the judicial system made a mistake on a particular case, the sentence is irrevocable. That is, the death penalty implies a level of judicial reliability that is unattainable. My opposition to the death penalty is opposition to the idea of the infallibility of authority.

John van de Camp (former DA of LA and AG for CA) wrote an interesting LA Times opinion piece claiming that the death penalty costs California $125m/year, and that it should therefore be eliminated. My reaction to this was a complex mix of happy surprise, doubt, and disgust. His claim is that California could save one billion dollars in 5 years.

Put in such stark terms, the elimination of the death penalty seems like a no-brainer. The generally conservative people in favor of death penalty also tend to be fiscally conservative, and this becomes "easy money".

But I also have a hard time believing van de Camp's numbers. Why would it cost an extra $90k per  prisoner to have them on death row? Where does that money go? Could that possibly be true?

If it is true, van de Camp's article becomes less of an argument against the death penalty and more an expose about the inordinate costs of doing some as simple as killing people. I mean, I don't want the state to kill people, but I also don't understand why it costs so much to do it.

In truth, I think that van de Camp is right. In a way I'm glad the state is so incompetent that it makes this decision easy. I'd prefer it, of course, if the state was both competent AND wise. But if incompetence paths the path for wisdom, so be it.


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On Photography

I really like it when people like my photography. For example, someone favorited and asked me to share this beach ball shot.

And I've had other photos requested for books and the like.

But lately, my output has reduced significantly. A big part of this was the theft of my camera equipment. However, even having since replaced it, I've noticed the puzzles of light, color, focus, depth-of-field, subject don't seem to hold my interest. I certainly appreciate other people's work a lot more these days - I am particularly impressed with technical, commercial photography (which, I know, doesn't get a whole lot of love. but I don't understand why. Making things look like their Platonic ideal is interesting, difficult, and beautiful). However, I am less drawn to the art than I was.

And now I am leaving on an extended trip around the world. Photos (and perhaps videos) are expected. That is why I'm renewing my Flickr pro account. However, I'm also going to return my fancy D90 gear (thanks Costco!). I just don't want to lug a lot of heavy equipment. Some of my favorite travel photography was off of a P&C camera - and I know why: the odds of the camera being there is inversely proportional to it's size and weight.

Perhaps most importantly, documenting the experience should never ever eclipse having the experience.

So, with my beat up old SD400 (and water-tight enclosure!), I hope to apply what I've learned about photography, and increase my output once again.