Greetings, dear friends -
Every Monday I can, I attend Conscious Dance Mondays (CDM) in Hong Kong. Conscious Dance “can be defined as unchoreographed, intentionally nonevaluative mindful movement commonly practiced in a group setting for purposes of authentic self-expression, self-discovery, interpersonal connectedness, and personal healing or growth.”
Each week at CDM Hong Kong, we dance to a different theme facilitated by that week’s facilitator, who choses the theme, constructs the playlist, and speaks guidelines into the session as needed.
At one point in the dance last week themed self-love, the facilitator invited us to find a partner. This partner would be our mirror. My mirror was about a head taller than me and of a different hair color, hair curliness, accent, gender, and face structure than my own. “Is this what I look like?” I thought.
The music invoked activity, we danced facing each other, shifting side to side, first with subtle arm movements, then larger ones, then more dramatic shifts from one leg to the next, then they jumped and I jumped. Jump jump jump. Star jump. Jump and spin, jump and spin. They jumped and touch the ceiling beam. I jumped too and Ah! I couldn't reach it! I tried again, then touched it with my finger, but breaking our mirroring. Looking jubilant, they returned to spin jumps, raising an arm in celebration, and I returned to mirroring them. Jump spin left. Jump spin right.
The song completed as the next began, this one active yet flexible. "I am your mirror now," they told me. I thought I'd carry forward their energy but my body thought otherwise. I still wanted to be strong and powerful, but I found myself slowing down, gradually transferring weight onto one leg, the other leg bending while the foot slid up the standing leg, slowly, as if prepared, then straightening, extending into the air, pointing the foot as upward as it would go, torso leaning the opposite direction to counterbalance. My mirror followed. The foot in the air came down and my weight transferred through what we call horse pose in tai chi. Weight now shifted, the first standing leg now repeated the movement, bending, sliding the foot up the standing leg, extending into the air, torso leaning the other opposite direction in counterbalance. My mirror followed, wobbling.
The hovering leg returned to earth, and my next movements were a series of lilting, still transferring weight from one leg to the other, neither of them leaving the ground this time. I perceived my moves as simple and slow, and I perceived my mirror concentrating, almost reproducing my movements but not as fluidly as I perceived them. Was I not fluid, was I wobbling too? Or maybe, I was challenging them, thinking, “hey, can you do this? Oh look, yes you can!”
My lilts slowed, I stood straight, then put one hand on top of the other, both on top of my hurt. I lowered my eyelids leaving just a crack, breathed deep, smiled, and stayed there. The music continued and I stood still, and stayed still as the mirror segment of the session ended.
After the dance, our group contemplated their experience playing with this theme of self-love on the dance floor. As I listened to others’ sharing, my mind couldn’t let go of the mirror experience… something felt… complicated.
I think this is why… facing our mirror is the most complex part of self-love.
In the mirror dance, I faced someone so apparently different from me, but I found myself capable of the same actions - whether it was jumping, spinning, trying to balance on one foot, shaking and falling down - perhaps not an exact mirror in detail, but certainly in form.
Here’s the question that rose from the contemplation:
When have I looked at or observed someone seemingly different - in appearance, behavior, even values - then learned that they reflected something I too possess or am capable of - for better or worse?
Maybe on a crowded sidewalk someone suddenly stopped and changed direction and I crashed into them, getting angry and calling them an idiot. Didn’t I change my mind about which train to take when I was in the subway station the other evening and reverse direction in the rush hour crowd?
Maybe someone seemed disproportionately over-shrieked at a cockroach and I felt contempt. Didn’t I scream and jump that night I found a spider between my shirt and jacket? (I like spiders for the record, I was just startled.)
Maybe someone cut in line and I thought they were an inconsiderate and unfair person. Oh, have I never done that?
Or worse mistakes.
In psychology, the term for this is projections and refers to attributing one’s own emotions or traits to another person. This is usually unconscious and involves failing to own one’s traits. Often it is discussed negatively - someone being unable to admit their own anger, fear, jealousy and accusing another person of behaving that way. Admiration, when taken to the extreme of idolizing, is also a form of projection, of attributing seemingly positive qualities onto someone else. Either way, when one is projecting, one is emotionally involved with something they are not owning, and distorting their picture of the human they are projecting onto.
Why not own it?
It can feel highly uncomfortable, even scary, embarrassing, to admit our flaws and mistakes. We also may have hangups or insecurities about owning our better qualities and skills too.
Projections occur naturally as a way humans relate and read each other, but taken to extremes distorts our perceptions of reality, causing issues like shifting blame. Overall, when we project something about us onto another person and disown it in ourselves, we give away our power to do something about it - how can we control something we believe we don’t have?
So what did my mirror dance remind me about life?
Face people, see how they mirror me - they need not be my doppleganger to reflect something about me - accept and own all the ways in which they mirror me, and love the full package.
See how they mirror me for worse - what do I despise in them - have they done something that seemed vain, inconsiderate, narrow-minded, absent-minded, simple-minded, un-minded… and for better - what do I admire in them - have they done something like told a good story, be kind, made me laugh, created something interesting or impressive, solved a problem, had a great idea, sat there and listened well.
Chances are, I have all those traits in me - perhaps blended in a different formula of proportions - they’re all there nonetheless, and life is a lot easier if I accept that, maybe even love it.
This is probably not what you expected from a scientist - scientists are very human though - if you are a scientist, have you ever labelled a labmate as inconsiderate for something using up a supply and not replacing it, or labelled them as conniving for sharing your idea with someone else, or assumed brilliance in a famous professor?
Regardless of how you self identify - I invite you to a 5-minute contemplation.
Recall a time when you faced someone you didn't like or who did something you didn't like. Unhurriedly, describe the time, sticking to the facts, including what you felt and thought.
And if you try this exercise, do you notice anything happening in your body? Maybe something in the pace of the breath, maybe in the heart rate, maybe warm or cold sensations. Just notice.
Try this again, now recalling someone you admire.
Now that that's out, what are you learning about yourself?
Positive change is a long road. Hang in there! Thank you for your consistent support!
What’s happening in business?
Conscious Dance Mondays - One need not dance to observe our mirrors in others, but if you would like to and you’re in Hong Kong…
Join us for Conscious Dance Mondays - Mondays at 7 pm at Dance Concept Studio in Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
Read more about it through the founders’ page and/or explore our weekly themes through our Facebook page. To receive details, reply to this email or send a message through the Facebook page.
Featured last week - Empathy & Solidarity Practice - if you are in Hong Kong OR outside of Hong Kong and would like to cultivate values like acceptance, courage, and responsibility. It is open to anyone who wants to work on these values and there is no commitment to participate each week.
To receive the meeting link, sign up here: Empathy & Solidarity Practice.
Fridays in March - 10:00 - 11:15 am HKT.
There are promoted here as both regular practices of mine that have helped me grow and move forward with business and personal relationships. Gratefully, both have invited more involvement from me, accelerating my growth and learning and enhancing the services I provide as a researcher, writer, facilitator, and coach.
This week’s science post
Biomedical science benefits all of us, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or race, etc.
Many efforts are underway to improve diversity in biomedical science so that the fields of biotechnology and healthcare as a whole can provide solutions that serve the entire population.
This goal will be difficult to reach, however, if the proportion of leaders from minority groups currently underrepresented in the field does not increase.
A study in the United States examined graduation trends for doctorate (PhD and DSc) programs in biomedical informatics from 2002 to 2017 in the United States.
Over these 16 years, 2426 individuals earned doctorate degrees in a descipline related to biomedical informatics. Of these, 5.7% identified as Hispanic, 3.2% as Black, and 2.8% in other groups, including multiracial and Indigenous American. In other words, 11.7% identified as being from a URM group.
Notably, the trend from 2002 through 2017 hardly changed for underrepresented minorities:
In 2002, 61.8% identified as White, 23.6% as Asian, and 14.6% as one of the underrepresented minorities
In 2017, 45.3% identified as White, 39.5% as Asian, and 15.2% as underrepresented minorities
At the time this study was published, Black Americans represented 13.4% of the US population, but only 3.2% of biomedical informatics PhDs and 4.5% of STEM PhDs.
The data on doctoral degrees were collected from the National Science Foundation Survey of Earned Doctorates, an annual survey of ~54,000 doctoral graduates in all fields across the United States.
Of course, there are nuances and complexities with defining underrepresented minorities based on self-reported race and ethnicity versus lived experience and the biomedical informatics field itself.
Nonetheless, this research indicates that there was no significant change in the representation of underrepresented minorities in the field over 16 years - the field seems stuck despite efforts to change that.
This type of research can answer the question "Where are we now?" so that we can answer questions like "Where would we like to go?", "What do we need to do to get there?" and "Are we stuck? Why are we stuck"
The full study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association - do look at the graph.
For the population demographics, check U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts 2020
Like what you read here? Clear Water Science Consulting provides science translation, research, editing, consulting, project management, and communication solutions, among other services, to broaden the accessibility and impacts of science for all stakeholders, including the public. Please contact us to discuss ideas and projects.
Human Resources – the most important resource in any enterprise
Mateo Bradford - Mateo grew up in the UK and at an early career conference, found an opportunity to join a startup idea resonating with his values of story-telling, growth, and thought leadership. Now working virtually from the island of Mindanao, Philippines, closer to his family roots, he is the business growth manager for Pikkal & Co, a global podcast services company that facilitates getting prospective guests - typically business owners, entrepreneurs, artists, and corporate leaders in front of the audience of existing podcasts. If you have an audience you'd like to reach through podcast - people interested in more functional teams, sustainable investing, mattress manufacturing in India…you name it - Pikkal can help you identify podcast hosts who already have an audience of thousands and then help you prepare content and presence, handle administration and logistics, and analyze the reach and engagement of the podcast content. Mateo is a great questioner and listener - if you'd like to hear about their latest offering for small-medium enterprises (SME) - Podcast Guesting Pro, PGP - click on his name to connect.
Interesting (Re)Read
Never Split the Difference: Negotiate As If Your Life Depended on It - By Chris Voss with Tahl Raz - Chris Voss spent 24 years in US FBI's (Federal Bureau of Investigation) Crisis Negotiation Unit and served as the lead international hostage and kidnapping negotiator from 2003 through 2007. The FBI developed negotiation tactics, many of them in contrast with common business negotiation advice, that could lead to getting everything they wanted - there's no splitting the difference when human lives are part of the outcome. This book details how listening, empathy, calibrated questioning, labeling, anchoring, massive preparation, and knowing that there are things you don't know that you don't know can humanize almost any negotiation - from a business deal, a car sale, a massive layoff, holidays with a grumpy relative, and parenting - so that all sides agree to the deal.
Reading this book the second time (the first time described in RoundUp #062 of November 2021) highlighted that negotiation is an information-gathering activity, where listening, curiosity, and human connection usually outrank brass-knuckle assertive persuasion.
Interesting Watches
Kim’s Convenience - Season 1 (out of 5) - A sitcom (now on Netflix) portraying the subtle tensions of family, culture, parenthood, business, marriage, friendship, sexuality, and cohabitation through a Korean-Canadian family living in Toronto.
Thank you for reading!
About
The Clear Water RoundUp is Clear Water Science Consulting’s regular newsletter – a collection of sharable business updates and insights, news from select locales, and features of interesting people and media.
Clear Water Science Consulting empowers science and scientists through effective communication. Our main activities are science communication (content creation, editing, technical review) and full-suite coaching for people scientists and researchers (communication coaching, research coaching, career coaching) – one-on-one and workshops.
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