I'm going to have tea with a friend and see and hear about her trip to Turkey. I've always wanted to see Istanbul and travel in that area. They did a tour, so I want to get her feedback on how that was. I hope that we will travel a bit more when my husband retires, but it depends on how we get along on less money. It's always a toss up whether to fix the old house or old cabin or travel. I think the cabin is our destination this summer. But I love to hear about others' adventures, and armchair travel is in some ways the best. I am a sucker for a book with an exotic locale and characters from another culture.
I am reading the Geography of the Mind, about research attempting to determine if people in the west have different brains than people in the East, or the differences in thinking are environmental. It is fascinating to read about tests done that show dramatic differences. Children in the East begin by learning a majority of verbs, while toddlers in the West learn nouns. This reflects very different ways of raising children. In the West we want them to be independent, in the East, interdependent. I am loving the book.
Interestingly, when I do the tests in the book I often see them with an Eastern bias. Either this has always been with me, or my mind has changed over the years of studying Buddhism. I know for sure my mind is constantly changing and has always done so, and I do not believe in stasis. Everything I've ever experienced has convinced me of my interdependence as well. Some of that may be Native American viewpoint, which seems to mirror the Eastern view more closely. No wonder the culture clash occurred in this country and continues with immigrants, especially Asian people. This is an eye opening book.
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