Mindful Matter

The pandemic of racism.

The coronavirus has caused pain and suffering beyond belief. But recent events have brought to light another sickness that has impacted far more people in America than the coronavirus.  It has lasted centuries, killed millions and continues to affect people today — most recently through the senseless murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Jamar Clark, Philando Castile, Dreasjon Reed, Botham Jean, Ezell Ford, Michelle Shirley, Stephon Clark, Laquan McDonald, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, and far too many others.  These aren’t just names, these are lives — Black lives, and they matter. And even when deaths aren’t involved, this sickness causes pain and suffering in the lives of millions every single day.  The metaphorical sickness we are referring to, of course, is racism.  Unlike most afflictions, the ones who are infected are not the ones who are most affected. The symptoms — income inequality, mass incarceration, police brutality, residential racial steering and displacement, exclusion from opportunities, voter suppression, segregation in education, unequal access to healthcare, the list continues... — disproportionately impact Black communities in America. Similar to the effects of racism, the coronavirus has caused suffering around the world.  But unlike racism, the coronavirus is not limited by your race. It can infect anyone, including those with privilege and power. Maybe that’s why action was immediately taken to combat the coronavirus, with nationwide quarantines, trillion-dollar economic stimulus packages, radical changes to the way we work and how our schools run, major shifts in how we interact with each other, and personal behavior changes. In a matter of months, the virus set in motion a rapid shift in how the world works. This shift wasn’t easy, but it was necessary to ensure that fewer people would suffer from the coronavirus’ effects. If we are serious about addressing racism in America, we need to address it like the pandemic that it is. The path to peace, justice, and progress comes through the difficult but important work of digging up the roots of racism within this country, and within each of us. Only by understanding the pain this pandemic causes can we start making the radical changes needed for us to heal and grow together. Not sure where to begin? We found this curated Anti-racism Resource Guide helpful in our own journeys to learn more and take action. To doing the work, Mike and Dave RadparvarCo-Founders, Holstee

Always invert.

Carl Gustav Jacobi was a German mathematician in the early 1800s, famous for his study of elliptical integrals. As a professor, Jacobi was known to tell his students, “Man muss immer umkehren.” Roughly translated: "One must always invert.” (Finally, my college German class put to use!) Jacobi was guiding his students toward the idea that it’s easier to understand complex equations when you work backwards from a clear result. Inverting isn’t just practical in math, but also in life. With this month’s theme of Simplicity, I have been thinking of ways to simplify my life — my commitments, my material possessions, even the digital content I consume. I’m having a difficult time cutting things back. I just don’t know what to get rid of. Taking Jacobi's advice, I decided to invert the question. Instead of asking myself what I need to get rid of, I imagined what a more simplified life would look like. What was I doing? What was I wearing? What was I reading? How was I spending my time? The question went from, “What do I need to get rid of?” to, “What do I want to keep?” Start with the end in mind, Dave RadparvarCo-Founder, Holstee P.S. Speaking of starting with the end in mind, in our Digital Welcome Guide we challenge you to write your own eulogy and to imagine how you might be remembered in order to help ground you in the values you choose to live today. It’s a powerful exercise that I often return to. In case you are curious, here is my eulogy which I wrote and shared a couple years ago.

If we are gonna heal, let it be glorious.

This week we are continuing to lean into uncertainty, as new questions arise and new inspiration finds us. We were most moved by author and activist Sonya Renee Taylor’s powerful call to dream and prepare for a new, more glorious world to come: “We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-corona existence was not normal other than we normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding, hate and lack. We should not long to return my friends. We are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment. One that fits all of humanity and nature. What we have been forced to leave behind we needed to leave behind. What is getting us through is what we will need to take forward, all the rest is up to us. DREAM. While [you] have so much time. DREAM of the life you want. DREAM of the world you desire to exist in. Look for the places in your new dreams that have parts of the old world and remove them. What is the dream then? From there we can add to the collective weaving of whatever it is that is next. If we are gonna heal, let it be glorious.” Take a moment to write down your dream — of the life you want and the world you want to exist in. What does your life in this new world look like? In what ways does this new world look different from the old world? Journal your response, privately and for free, at Reflection.app. To our collective, glorious healing, Dave RadparvarCo-Founder, Holstee

Leaning into uncertainty.

“Times of great uncertainty serve as wake-up calls in our lives, inviting us to lean into whatever is awoken, curious and compassionate about what wants to emerge. We deepen trust as we explore moments we may have never imagined, with perspectives we never expected to hold. This is the birthplace of compassion, creativity, action, and transformation.”These wise words from our friends at Gratefulness.org struck a chord with me. The uncertainty, the loss, and the everyday challenges we are experiencing right now can shake our foundation. They can cause us to question our understanding of the world and our place in it.But the uncertainty around this pandemic can be re-tooled into an inquiry — a deep dive exploration into all aspects of our lives. If we lean into this reflection process and the daunting questions that come with it, this period might even be the start of a profound transformation.My question for you today is: How has the pandemic changed your perspective? What values and priorities will you have coming out of this experience that you didn't have before?Journal your response, privately and for free, at Reflection.app.Wishing you clarity and perspective through reflection, Dave RadparvarCo-Founder, Holstee

There is fear, but there does not have to be hate.

With this month's theme of Wellness, we are constantly looking for ways to keep our balance amidst the uncertainty. A friend recently shared the poem Lockdown by Brother Richard Hendrick. It’s a beautiful and powerful message for what is currently unfolding around the world. We are re-sharing it below and have highlighted a few lines that we found particularly moving. We hope that reading it helps slow things down and brings a few moments of peace to your day, like it did for us. Wishing you health, comfort, and safety, Mike and Dave RadparvarCo-Founders, Holstee   Lockdown Yes there is fear.Yes there is isolation.Yes there is panic buying.Yes there is sickness.Yes there is even death.But,They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noiseYou can hear the birds again.They say that after just a few weeks of quietThe sky is no longer thick with fumesBut blue and grey and clear.They say that in the streets of AssisiPeople are singing to each otheracross the empty squares,keeping their windows openso that those who are alonemay hear the sounds of family around them.They say that a hotel in the West of IrelandIs offering free meals and delivery to the housebound.Today a young woman I knowis busy spreading fliers with her numberthrough the neighbourhoodSo that the elders may have someone to call on.Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Templesare preparing to welcomeand shelter the homeless, the sick, the wearyAll over the world people are slowing down and reflectingAll over the world people are looking at their neighbours in a new wayAll over the world people are waking up to a new realityTo how big we really are.To how little control we really have.To what really matters.To Love.So we pray and we remember thatYes there is fear.But there does not have to be hate.Yes there is isolation.But there does not have to be loneliness.Yes there is panic buying.But there does not have to be meanness.Yes there is sickness.But there does not have to be disease of the soul.Yes there is even death.But there can always be a rebirth of love.Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now.Today, breathe.Listen, behind the factory noises of your panicThe birds are singing againThe sky is clearing,Spring is coming,And we are always encompassed by Love.Open the windows of your soulAnd though you may not be ableto touch across the empty square,Sing. Brother Richard HendrickMarch 13, 2020

Staying grounded in uncertain times.

I wasn’t planning on writing anything about the coronavirus. The truth is, I am finding it hard to focus on anything in this present moment. The uncertainty has me unsettled. The present is constantly overshadowed by thoughts of the future. What if my friends or family get the virus? What if our city goes into full lockdown mode? How is the world going to recover?   Feeling overwhelmed, I turned to my journal and reflected on past moments of uncertainty. I started making a list of things to remember, things that could ground me, bring perspective and return me to the present. I wanted to send these to you in an email in case there is something in here that resonates with you — but also because I’d love to hear how you are coping.  Here are a few items from the list: Meditation. Impermanence, or anicca as it is called in the Buddhist tradition, is the idea that things are constantly changing. And that we can observe that change without becoming consumed by it. A core concept behind Vipassana meditation and mindfulness is to experience the feeling of anicca in your own body by becoming aware of your bodily sensations without reacting to them with desire or aversion. Practicing this during meditation helps prepare us so that when we are met with unexpected sensations or experiences in our everyday lives, we are better prepared to experience them with a healthy level of perspective and equanimity. I have been returning to meditation regularly these past few weeks to help recenter me.  Practice gratitude. This may sound counter-intuitive when it seems like there’s more to be scared, angry or anxious about. But I come back to these words from Brother David Steindl-Rast: “I didn't say we can be grateful for everything. I said we can be grateful in every given moment…” It is not that we need to be grateful for the virus or the school closings or the delayed travel plans. But every single moment has something that we can give thanks for, if we open ourselves up to it. Our breath — which reminds us that we have the opportunity to be here and be present — is a perfect example. Journaling. Just writing things down does wonders to help me sort through and get to the bottom of how I am actually feeling. This email is a perfect example. It started with a rant answering the seemingly simple question I am prompted with every time I open my journaling app: “Hey Dave, how are you feeling today?” Getting these thoughts out of my head and onto the page is a way of acknowledging the thoughts that are racing around my head. And as I acknowledge the thoughts, I notice that they begin to quiet. Support each other. In difficult times, it’s easy to think we are alone, especially with the currently prescribed “social distancing”. Reach out to those you care about — but instead of just trading fears and anxieties, try bringing a positive element to the conversation. Let your loved ones know you are thinking about them and tell them something you appreciate about them. Spreading the love is a great way to feel the love. Support others and you will feel supported. I’d love to hear, how do you stay grounded in times of uncertainty? Dave RadparvarCo-Founder, Holstee  

The chairman of the mind.

I am the kind of person whose mind doesn’t stop racing. It is my default mode; I’m constantly thinking through what has happened and what could be — avoiding, at all costs, the present moment. At times, I like to think of this as an asset that helps me come up with new ideas. But most of the time, this non-stop background dialogue is distracting, exhausting, and often anxiety-inducing. My mind will replay something that went wrong until I thoroughly feel horrible. Or, it starts randomly highlighting all the things on my never ending to-do list or surfacing all the things that could go wrong with our upcoming round of production. Listening to a recent Tim Ferris interview with physicist Safi Bahcall, I was reminded that I’m not alone. In fact, Safi has come up with a pretty clever way of working with — not against — the thoughts that attempt to hijack our minds, time, and energy. He suggests that we begin by personifying each type of thought. For example, the voice that is constantly replaying that bad investment you made months ago — call that voice Mr. Money. The voice that is constantly creating concerns about what could go wrong on your next camping trip — call that voice Concerned Camper. The voice that keeps obsessing about the moment you made a mistake at work — say hello to Worried Worker. And on and on, repeating for each voice in your head that is fighting for your attention. Safi, calls this the “Chairman of the Mind” technique (though feel free to call it the Chairwoman or Chairperson of the Mind technique too). He explains how he visualizes a mock “board meeting” when his thoughts are getting the best of him: “You start by assuming positive intent. The character that’s stewing about the work, you thank them for their thoughts and you say... ‘I hear you — the reason you’re replaying this video in my head is that something happened today and you’re replaying that video over and over; there’s a very good reason that you’re doing that, and I appreciate that because you’re watching out for me. You want me to learn the lesson from that video.’ … You analyze it and you say, ‘Here’s what you’re trying to tell me. It’s this lesson. I said this stupid thing to my boss. I really shouldn’t do that. in this situation, here’s what I should do.’ And then you ask… ‘Did I get the lesson right?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Was that good?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Do you want to keep going, or was that enough for tonight?’… ‘No, we’re done.’ Boom, sits down. Then you go to the next… You start by thanking it for watching out for you. Assume positive intent. Instead of making enemies with your thoughts and trying to suppress them, you become partners with them, friends with them. Now, you walk through one by one, each of the three or four or five characters that were playing videos or audio about stuff that happened that day that you are stewing about. You just walk around the table. As soon as you’re done, as soon as the last person says, ‘Okay, I’m done,’ you feel this incredible calm… Because these guys are done.” In Safi’s experience, these voices — like people — just want our acknowledgment. And when we take a moment, hear them out, and seek the lessons, the thoughts dissipate and we are better for having learned from them. I was lying in bed the other night with thoughts racing and I gave this a try. To my surprise, I found it to be an effective, even enjoyable, way to acknowledge and organize the thoughts in my mind. Taking this technique a bit further, I have found that writing is an incredible way of getting thoughts out of my head and onto the page. We built Reflection.app for that exact reason. Beyond just being an oasis for your thoughts, Reflection.app guides you every month through a monthly review so you can identify patterns and set new intentions. I like to think of it as a Vice-Chair to my Board of Directors :-) Dave RadparvarCo-Founder, Holstee

Understanding value in the stock market — and in life.

During a finance class I took in college, I learned an important lesson about the stock market — but also about life. I learned that the current state of reality can be overshadowed by expectations. For example, if a publicly traded company's sales or earnings fall short of analyst expectations, it can cause the company's valuation (and stock price) to drop — even if the company is otherwise performing well. This is because the current market valuation usually includes future expectations (sales, expenses, market growth, etc). While this is an important reality of the stock market, it doesn't need to be how we evaluate our own lives. In other words, we don't need to compare how things are with how we expected them to be in order to determine the value of what we have right now. This comparison trap makes it very hard to feel gratitude in the present moment. Our fixation on ‘what was’ and ‘what could be’ makes it difficult to see ‘what is’. It isn’t that we need to be grateful for everything. But in every moment, if we open ourselves to it, there is something to be grateful for. Dave RadparvarCo-Founder, Holstee

Want to be happy? Be grateful.