3/28/2022

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

Once again, you have been eclipsed in the news. This time Will Smith (WCS3) is getting all of the attention for assaulting Chris Rock (CJR) at the Oscars last night. WCS3 was triggered by CSR’s joke about WCS3 wife’s hair. Isn’t it troubling that violence is becoming the automatic response to insults? You will recall that MI men’s basketball coach, Juwan Howard, hit a WI coach after a game in Feb. I worry that Coronavirus (CV) has made folks lose their minds!

I will once again put in a plug for meditation.  According to Alarik T. Arenander at the Brain Research Institute, the root cause of violence is stress induced imbalance in the brain. This brain imbalance is caused by chronic exposure to threats. In WCS3’s case he grew up with a physically abusive father.

ATA claims that hundreds of studies show that meditation “enlivens consciousness” & promotes “brain coherence.” My understanding of the mechanism is that when we work to quiet our brain & try to stop thinking, we exercise our prefrontal cortex. It’s a paradox that exerting effort to prevent thoughts, leads to a stronger brain. Since CV has taken such a toll, perhaps we should have a nation-wide meditation break each day.

            On a different matter, I have 3 thoughts about that budget you are unveiling today.

1)    Put in some $$ to support the people in Myanmar.

2)    Cut defense spending – War is not the answer

3)    Be careful about a minimal “income tax” on billionaires. They are like roaches. They have an army of lawyers & accountants who will eventually stymie any new effort to contain them.

I find it promising that VOZ is open to adopting a neutral stance. I hope the people of Russia hear about that.

            BYBS,

            RCA