A most excellent day yesterday when we went to old favourite places in Thailand, Railay and Phra Nang beaches. I first went to these places about 30 years ago, indeed they have been taken over by tourists now but still have a natural beauty, no wonder I liked them so much all those years ago but in former times they were more desolate, now more like Orchard rd in Singapore.
Mars
And humans are soon going to Mars. I think the only way for us to save our planet from global warming and the like is to evolve and move away from our monetisation of everything we know. Then perhaps we can take our place in the universe as the species from the blue planet in the solar system where they call the bright light the sun. I think we should start emphasising existence and experience for human beings rather than always reducing our abstractions to money. Indeed money was a useful and necessary metaphor for us, a third dimensional creature, and it has helped us to evolve as far as we have but we can now go beyond primitive man to ultimately interact with other life in this universe.
And for fellow coma victims, I think Thai massage helps incredibly as it stimulates the brain for various body sensations although the brain also seems to be remembering my defects from before coma, most notably tinnitus. The ringing in my left ear has returned. I can even remember tinnitus as it bothered me greatly.
Ao Nang
Being in Thailand for another Christmas is most excellent. Only posting with Christmas greetings as it is Christmas for me today, a German Christmas, the 24th of December.
Ao Nang
I thought to write another post about my fascination with airports on this trip but thought better of it and not to bother any readers with my diatribe. So I write from the plane instead. We’re returning to one of my favorite places to celebrate Christmas / New Year, Ao Nang, Thailand. We have been there the last 3 Christmases I think, and met an old friend there for New Years eve a couple ago. Anyway the main point of this post is to wish other coma victims a merry Christmas and happy new year, we’ve made it to another Christmas. I can’t really remember the one before my accident but know it was at my sisters place in Eltham Australia, now Ao Nang in Thailand.
For other coma victims with walking problems the first place to start is heel / toe. I walked at the gym on the treadmill using my heel first recently, afterwards I got a familiar sensation in my leg, physical but one of confidence I thought. The very first time I have had that sensation after 5 years. I’ve been focussing on heel first for the past two years and have noticed very gradual improvement. I’m trying always to make the bad side function like the good one. The good foot turns up quite sharply when I take steps walking, if my right foot can do that naturally I will almost be walking normally I suspect. On the plane I needed to fill in my arrival card but was determined to try and do it myself rather than have my wife complete it for me as she usually does. I also often try to lift my good leg knee and balance on my bad one while holding a rail or wall with my right hand. I would sometimes fall over while trying to balance on my right leg in this way but not anymore after doing it for about a year. It’s slowly getting better. I have many such games that I play with myself to try and improve my balance, walking and the right side of my body after coma. Although the worst thing now is that my brain is remembering Menier’s disease. Just anticipating an episode of tinnitus like I had before my accident where I couldn’t walk at all. I did get tinnitus once 3 years ago, about a week of difficulty but it stopped. So many things my brain and body are telling me but I don’t know how to answer.
More interesting though are my other two common topics on this blog, evolution and global warming. Through the human creation of AI we are evolving. Also I suspect the prospects of human survival are diminishing as the planet warms. They have taken a bad turn with Trump giving important environmental posts to people who don’t believe in climate change despite the scientific communities measurements and the fact the poles are disappearing. Even Trump himself doesn’t believe in climate change. Perhaps it is time for human extinction after all. The earth will become a rock without vegetation after warming. Flying here cruising at 36,000 feet there was a fog, I remember flying at 20,000 feet there was always blue sky as you were flying above the clouds. Indeed global warming is having an impact now.
Westworld
And it would be great if the AI series Westworld went to the next dimension both literally and figuratively when it continues in the second series and suggests aliens have created humans and the material world we live in. When it talks of memory I am absorbed as I have lost mine. There are many profound statements in it. Quite a meaningful series Westworld, it expresses deep questions about consciousness. Clearly a series created by humans and so limited to our concepts of consciousness but it does explore consciousness well. Indeed it suggests consciousness is a maze in which the perceiving individual is at the core. Maybe AI will become self aware when we have defined self awareness well enough, and humans might understand consciousness and the workings of the brain better. Maybe we might interact with AI in this way. It is humans that are creating AI, a deep exploration of consciousness, the non-material world. A series very much about humanity and evolution, where might AI take us? Also as Hopkin’s character says the creation of the AI Westworld is for human entertainment with murder and sex, the narrative as they call it, and the series is also a narrative, a tv show.
Christmas
My walk got worse after the gym last week, after two visits, hopefully it’s getting close to the last bad turn as the brain adjusts. There has been many setbacks. It seems to be getting better but then it always takes a large step back. It’s been doing that since I left hospital. But I believe repetition helps the brain develop new pathways. I suspect that the only reason I can now walk badly is because of the gym, even if my stride has had setbacks we must be repetitive in our actions. Perhaps for hearing or other issues we need to practice and be repetitive too, if we are listening to the piano just always affirm mentally that indeed it is the piano. I watched the ‘coma’ documentary from the US and it described such issues for other coma victims, hearing and the like. I don’t believe I will ever be normal again just approaching it as I now am. Luckily enough for me my hearing or sight wasn’t effected but we don’t know what was, human perception is a subtle thing, as is the workings of the brain. We must make efforts. I can remember Christmas, a celebration of the birth of christ where all people represents christ and get presents. And so we give gifts to everyone we know, it’s life’s birthday. A new walking stick for me please.
