http://www.sevenof.com“You can’t use a Western mind to understand Eastern philosophy. To really understand it, you have to change your mind.” ~ Dr. Nan Lu, OMD
Dr. Lu used this quote to close his talk about Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Integrative Healthcare Symposium earlier this month. It reminded me of how often we try to understand a new concept based upon our past learning. Of course, this is entirely logical. Our experience gives us a language and lens by which to process novel ideas. Though just because this pattern is logical, doesn’t mean it always serves. What’s perhaps more powerful, and yet more difficult to do as we get older, is to just take a learning as is without trying to compare it to what we already know.
This is how children learn. They’re little sponges. No prejudices, no judgements, no nagging voice in the back of their minds that is chattering away. They take a new lesson as just that – new and to be appreciated in its own right.
What if we could do that as new situations and experiences come into our lives? What if we could set aside that chattering, monkey mind, and just take in the new information for all the glory it has in its own right? If we could do that then I am confident that there isn’t a single challenge in all the challenges our world now faces that we wouldn’t be able to solve.
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
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4 thoughts on “Beginning: Let New Experiences Be New”
Christa – I am re-reading a book that you might like that kind of links to this topic: How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman, M.D. It’s a well-written look at cognitive errors doctors make, how and why, and ways for patients and doctors to be aware of these tendencies to minimize their effect on care. Both times I’ve read it, it’s made me think about how to make improvements in my own approach to analysis and problem solving, medical or otherwise.
The East tends to value direct, intuitive experiences.
By contrast, the West tends to favor rationalism.
Guatam Buddha left family and kingdom to find himself.
He wanted to discover the inner state of being, to be sure.
It was not based on cold, logical analysis, but it was a way of being instead of becoming. That’s why “the wisdom of the East” has become such a stereotype in the West today.
The West celebrates Bill Gates, while the East reveres its holy men, who give things up in the pursuit of mysticism.
Thanks for sharing a wonderful post. Cheers to your life.
Hi Archan,
It amazes me how different cultures shape a person’s thoughts and actions. Despite all we have in common, I’m always intrigued by what makes us different and all that we can learn from those differences.
Christa Avampato 
Christa – I am re-reading a book that you might like that kind of links to this topic: How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman, M.D. It’s a well-written look at cognitive errors doctors make, how and why, and ways for patients and doctors to be aware of these tendencies to minimize their effect on care. Both times I’ve read it, it’s made me think about how to make improvements in my own approach to analysis and problem solving, medical or otherwise.
Happy Wednesday!
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Hi MJ! This is awesome adding it to my queue! Thank you so much for passing on the recommendation.
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Christa,
The East tends to value direct, intuitive experiences.
By contrast, the West tends to favor rationalism.
Guatam Buddha left family and kingdom to find himself.
He wanted to discover the inner state of being, to be sure.
It was not based on cold, logical analysis, but it was a way of being instead of becoming. That’s why “the wisdom of the East” has become such a stereotype in the West today.
The West celebrates Bill Gates, while the East reveres its holy men, who give things up in the pursuit of mysticism.
Thanks for sharing a wonderful post. Cheers to your life.
LikeLike
Hi Archan,
It amazes me how different cultures shape a person’s thoughts and actions. Despite all we have in common, I’m always intrigued by what makes us different and all that we can learn from those differences.
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