Fluid Mosaic

As an undergrad bio major at UC Davis, I learned that cell membranes are composed primarily of a phospholipid bilayer—a double layer of fatty acids. The double layer gives each cell the stability of a solid and the fluidity of liquid. Embedded within the cell membrane are gateway structures that allow nutrients in and send waste products out. Blood sugar, compromised in diabetics, is controlled by an insulin-regulated gateway. Because these gateways float around in the bilayer, the overall structure is called a fluid mosaic. I really like the dualistic quality of the fluid mosaic model. The duality of stability and fluidity is, in a way, intelligent at the level of microscopic cells. It's also intelligent at the level of daily life. I tend to be overly structured in my routines and commitments. This has certain advantages: Cycling through my structural commitments—writing, exercise, and various other pursuits—adds up to progress over time. The downside is that it can lead to rigidity. Once in a while, my best friend gently reminds me that I could be a little more flexible. She's right, flexibility and fluidity are essential. Apparently, Stephanie and the common cell have formed an alliance; together, they teach me how to be more balanced—and more intelligent.

First Feelings, Then Reasons

I'm busy. Are you? Right now, the most important people in my life, those I love most, all seem to face packed and shifty agendas. Lives lived full to the brim inevitably produce oscillations of mood. This is common to humanity—feelings change within a day, a week, a year. All human souls experience the spectrum of emotions. People have different baselines though, similar to the hypothesized "set point" of weight. The idea is that if we diet and lose ten pounds, our weight very commonly rebounds to the set point that the body somehow remembers. Emotions have a set point, too, which like the weight set point varies from person to person. Some people are constitutionally happy; others tend toward the melancholy end of the scale. But even around emotional set points, feelings fluctuate. We usually think of moods as responses to life events. Unfairness, put downs, and failures make us sad or mad; friendship, success, and pleasure make us happy. The funny thing, though, is that our mood can shift without an immediate knowledge of the reasons why. We might ask ourselves, "Why do I feel sad? or "Why am I happy?" It's a funny quirk of the psyche that, very often, we feel before we know. For those who exalt rationality and downgrade emotions, there is reason to reconsider: Which is more basic to human nature?

Do the Right Thing

Finding a solid basis for moral action is difficult. Laws are one guide, yet courts and legislatures routinely make decisions that make legal behaviors illegal, and vice versa. The Prohibition is an example. Moral behavior is trickier. Standards of morality also shift over time. Every society shares a collective sense of proper behavior, but around that consensus people inevitably differ to some degree. Between cultures, too, standards of morality vary. What forces, then, construct our moral sense? Vitally important are the rules of homes, schools, and communities that strongly shape a child's sense of right and wrong. Books, especially the Scriptures, also serve as influences or even definitive standards. Some say that more is caught than taught, and so role models are important. The life and conduct of a real person presents a flesh-and-blood pattern to which we try to conform. The heuristic, "What would Jesus do?" is, for many, the ultimate metric. All these influences converge to form our internal moral compass, our conscience. Is there a standard for all? At an abstract level, yes--"Love thy neighbor" is profoundly effective as a general rule, but its expressions are wildly variable. This means that we have creative freedom in the particulars; we are not moral clones. This is not an endorsement of relativism, but a concession to our imperfect knowledge of perfect morality in the details of life. Applied to the question, "What is the right thing?" this stance implies that the expressions of good, right, and loving actions are limitless.

H & M Auto

Today, without fanfare, Hilly and I opened H & M Auto. Our specialty is roadside repairs. Sometime in the late morning, I took a call from our first customer. A young lady, new to the area, phoned in semi-desperation. She explained that she had parked her Honda Accord miles from home and it would not restart. This was not completely unexpected. That very morning, a kind young gentleman, woken from sleep by the very same lady, drove to her home and jump-started the car. Alas, the jump was no permanent fix. When the call came to H & M, Hilly and I sprung into action. We quickly diagnosed the problem as a dead battery five years overdue for failure. Clumps of green gooey power on the terminals proved the case. We secured a replacement battery, and after only 2 1/2 hours the Honda was ready to go. With a turn of a key, the car fired up with gusto. Satisfied by a job well done, Hilly and I closed business and headed home. On its very first day of business, H & M Auto was a singular success.

Jim Was Right

A few years ago, a UCI professor named Jim gave a talk on how to lead a meeting. Jim is one of those all-too-rare academics who is not only smart, he also has strong people skills--a great combination for leadership in a university or any other setting. One idea from the talk stuck with me, and it's amazingly simple: Whenever you lead a meeting, do so with a clear idea of the outcomes you want. According to this principle, a leader should not only introduce ideas, problems, and decision points. The leader should also have in mind the most desirable conclusions that will emerge from the meeting--whether or not to accept an idea, how to solve the problem, or what decision should be made. This all makes sense but for one factor: The stance hints of manipulation, or even Machiavellianism, because the leader has a hidden agenda, a personal agenda behind the public agenda. I would be skeptical about the moral rectitude of this strategy if it not were for the generosity and goodwill that Jim so consistently exhibits. He is no manipulator. So how is the tension resolved? I think it's simply that productive leadership has an end in mind. That end need not be etched in stone; effective leaders, I believe, will respond positively to the good ideas that others bring to the table. But a good leader is not clueless about how to proceed. With an end in mind, wandering is minimized. Instead of being lost in the fog, the well-led group finds a way.

Chi and XX

Last night we had dinner with with Xu family at 2 Blake. We live at 24 Blake at the opposite end of the street. Blake Court is not the most neighborly of neighborhoods, but last night's dinner with the Xuses countered the trend. Xiaochiang and Selena are from mainland China. Both are non-citizens, but their 6 month old son, Gordon, is a red-blooded American by birth. He is very good natured and, Selena says with conviction, "very smart." We don't doubt it. Xiaochiang and Selena are smart, too. Selena is an accountant with an import/export firm in LA that conducts trade with China. Gordon's dad, whose supercool initials are XX, is an assistant professor in the medical school. Over a delicious homemade meal that included seaweed soup, we discussed international trade, currency exchange, politics, and the world economy. At some point, our conversation shifted to kung fu and tai chi (complete with an awesome demo by Gordon's grandpa). Xiaochiang knows a lot about the Chinese martial arts, their underlying philosophies, and the value of these traditions for promoting health. I was fascinated, but through it all I wanted to know what Xiaochiang thought about chi--the Chinese word for universal energy that flows through our bodies. Given his dedication to the advancement of science, did he think chi was real? Xiaochiang seemed to discredit stories about instant diagnosis or healing by chi gong masters, but I could not tell what he believed about chi itself. Even now, I still wonder: Is chi a real entity? If the existence of chi were confirmed it would present a major challenge to Western science--more so, I believe, than to monotheistic faith. No doubt the universe holds mysteries that, once discovered, will shake our current assumptions. We need not fear: Truth that is strange is still truth. Earthshaking ideas? Bring them on.

Pulse

When medical trauma is potentially fatal, medical professionals quickly check the victim's pulse. A steady heartbeat is good news: Life abides. In much the same way, healthy lives are experienced as steady rhythms--sowing and reaping, the progression of seasons, and the recurrence of holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. Our daily routines--meals, chores, shopping cleaning, and relaxing--are wave sets that tell us it's alright. Calamities and disasters, on the other hand, break up the rhythm and bring pain. Is life cyclical? Eastern philosophy would say so, but the Western mind tends to see experience as a linear progression--a steady upward climb. The Eastern view has much to recommend it. We gather with those we love for a time, but must say goodbye for a while. My mother has been visiting this weekend. After a fully pleasant 48 hours here in the southland, she will return this afternoon to her home in the Bay Area. Fortunately, we will see her and the rest of the Nor Cal Gang a month from now. When we gather, we'll enjoy each other's company, eat together, and laugh excessively. When it's time, we'll return to our semi-separate lives. We will do so optimistically, confident in the expectation that we will soon meet again to enjoy each other's company. In this cyclical way, life and love are affirmed. Together, we feel the pulse and know that all is well.