LangeCommentsMemo1-2Kenner

Memo 1: Yoga: I’m interested in your comments about the institutionalization of yoga in the “why now” section. I wonder if you think the institutional configuration of yoga has any effects on how yoga changes people’s values and ontological perceptions. Might a comparative study of differently institutionalized forms of yoga be appropriate? Bodywork: You seem to be interested in how massage is gradually being reincorporated into medical practice. I wonder if it might be interesting to find out why massage was excluded from those practices as well. You seem very bullish on massage as a therapy; however, I’d wonder if you will take any time to examine the baser, perhaps darker, world of massage as it relates to sex work, or whether this type of massage is of such a different type than the one you’re focusing on that it can be excluded from study. Astrology: I find your questions about the relationship between astronomy and astrology fascinating; however, you seem to suggest focusing on a one way relationship, i.e. how do new astronomical findings influence astrology. It seems to me, and I could be wrong about this, that astrology predates astronomy. If that is the case, than shouldn’t part of you historical study be the ways in which astronomy emerged out of astrology, and the way findings in astrology have been translated into astronomical knowledge?

Memo 2: I think you are awfully hard on yourself in the habits section. Giving up, for example, is not necessarily a terrible thing. Nietzsche wrote somewhere that the thought of suicide got him through many a long night, and I personally think that the thought of giving up on something has been similarly beneficial to me. Some people can never give up on a project, no matter how ill-conceived. I think you should cut yourself a break on that score. Likewise, your neurosis of poking holes in pre-established theories and descriptions of the world can be a very useful trait if harnessed effectively. Your comment about walking through walls reminded me of Major General Albert Stubblebine’s research, maybe you should add military research on walking through walls to your list in memo 1.