TED Community » Jerry Keusch

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Enriching our experience of life.

An idea worth spreading

There is an Indian proverb that says that everyone is a house with four rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional, and a spiritual . Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time but unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person.

Talk to me about

How we can enrich our life by developing our; mind, body, emotions, and spirit.

People don't know that I'm good at

Tango. Well perhaps in another years time!

Comments

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• +1

  A reply on Conversation: How do you A) Define HAPPINESS and B) Sustain it?

  Nov 23 2011: Tina,
  
  Thank you so much for such a thoughtful reply.
  
  I agree that an inner calm comes from reuniting ourself with our natural state.
  
  Meditation comes in many forms and interpretations, and means different things to different people. For me meditation in its most fundamental form is stilling the mind, by focusing our attention on the breath, we begin the process of slowing down the thinking. We become conscious of our thoughts and allow them to drift past. Finally, gaps open up between our thoughts and within these gaps we can access our natural state. (Please excuse me teaching my grandmother to suck eggs here, but I'm going somewhere with this.)
  
  What is interesting is that we return to the body to still our mind and to access our natural state. My interpretation is an obvious one, and that is your use of jogging returns your attention to the body allowing you to access your natural state.
  
  It also seems that you achieve two benefits for the price of one. In that not only does your jogging bring you back to your natural state, but you also benefit from the invigoration of exercise and the release of endorphins, the 'jogger's high.'
  
  It is extremely encouraging that this 'habit' has allowed you to recreate your life, in such a positive and authentic manner. That it has created a higher purpose which has provided you with the motivation to change as a person.
  
  My route has taken a different path, I started with meditation and listening to the teachings of Thich Nhat Hahn. However, I am beginning to see that mind and body are one, and that we can enrich our experience of life to a higher level by developing, training, both our mind and our body.
  
  Thank you for your insight on jogging and exercise, I am very grateful. I commend to you the teachings of Thich Nhat Hahn. Once we have rediscovered our natural state there are many treasures to be savoured which have been discovered and recorded by noble minds over the millenia.
  
  In peace.

• A reply on Conversation: How do you A) Define HAPPINESS and B) Sustain it?

  Nov 22 2011: Hi Tina,
  
  I know you are an evangelist for jogging, and I commend you for it. And I understand that for you jogging has been your route to a happier and healthier life. Indeed, a life full of meaning.
  
  This is a hypothetical question, but if exercise had not been an option for you, do you think you would have found another route to happiness and a fulfilled life.Please excuse the far fetched scenario, but I'm interested to know if you think you could get to where you are now by a different route.
  
  Thanks
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: What brings you deep joy, meaning, purpose in life?

  Nov 21 2011: There are two interpretations to your question. The first is, What ticks all three boxes? ( i.e. deep joy, and meaning, and purpose). The second is, what ticks any of the three boxes? (i.e. deep joy, or meaning, or purpose.)
  
  As I think that meaning and purpose are practically synonyms, I am going to assume that you want to know what ticks all three boxes. In which case I am interested to know if you believe that, if a person has meaning and purpose in life then they must also have deep joy?
  
  What brings meaning and purpose to life is such an important question, because at a fundamental level if we are going to have any hope of improving ourselves, of living better lives, we need something to move us. We need motivation.
  
  I consider that if we can find meaning, a purpose in life, we have a flame that will drive us forward. That will transform intentions into action.
  
  For many people in the world their faith is what provides them with meaning and purpose, and if they experience religious rapture, then I am sure this ticks the deep joy box as well.
  
  I derive meaning and purpose from a deep appreciation for the gift of life and a wish to make the most of each precious moment. This is not a religious devotion, I am just damn grateful for being here. As for deep joy, this box doesn't get ticked just because I have meaning and purpose. It is more like a light that comes on every now and again whenever I experience those blissful moments that are the icing on life's cake.
  
  A very interesting question, I do hope you get lots of replies.

• A reply on Conversation: What motivates you?

  Nov 18 2011: It seems like your couch is a wonderful place for contemplation and meditation. Perhaps we should make a couch our own personal shrine. :-)

• A reply on Conversation: What motivates you?

  Nov 18 2011: Thanks Robert for taking the time to give me a detailed reply.
  
  Its a wonderful insight how you create your own future, but live your life in the NOW.
  
  Truly enlightening. Thank you.

• A reply on Conversation: What are the 5 most powerful tools which help, inspire, drive adults to "take action" NOW towards _________________?

  Nov 17 2011: A very interesting list Stephen. Do you think that they could all be sorted under the general headings, Fear and Pleasure? Or is there a third or fourth category that you would sort them under?
  
  As a matter of interest what would be your next 5 Motivators, and how would you sort them?
  
  With interest and curiousity,
  
  Jerry

• A reply on Conversation: What motivates you?

  Nov 17 2011: I'm interested in this reply for two reasons Robert.
  
  Firstly, Tomorrow or Manana, for many people is an excuse to put things off, why is it a motivator for you?
  
  Secondly, we hear about the importance of living in the Now. Focusing our attention on the past or the future removes us away from the reality of the present moment, and the vitality of living, again why is the the future a motivator for you?

• A reply on Conversation: What motivates you?

  Nov 17 2011: Thats interesting Timothy. For a lot of people boredom can slip into depression which ends up in lethargy. And we can become trapped in this cycle. What's going on in your mind when boredom spurs you on to such a creative impulse?

• A reply on Conversation: What motivates you?

  Nov 17 2011: Yea, Fear and Pleasure are the two Motivators. Everything else falls under one of these two headings.

• A comment on Conversation: Which books have inspired you the most?

  Nov 16 2011: 'The Four Hour Work Week' by Tim Ferris. In keeping with the title of the book Tim gives a blue print for escaping from the shackles of Work. However, it is easy to miss the whole point and purpose of the book which is the importance of building a life that excites us. Tim calls this Lifestyle planning. In our society and culture many of us have no life beyond our work, this book urges us to live life and relegate work to the minimum time and effort required to liberate ourselves.