Threes in Space

Threes define us in space.  Three dimensions shape our world.  Literally.  Height, width and depth.  If you extend those measures using Cartesian coordinates in three dimensions, you will produce the X, Y and Z axes.  On these you are able to plot any point in space.  Astronomers looking out into that space orient themselves to objects in the sky by using earthly references to latitude, longitude and azimuth.  Pilots know about roll, pitch and yaw.  Carpenters think in terms of plumb, level and square.  Or length, width and thickness.

Our understanding of three-dimensional space is thought to be learned unconciously during infancy and is closely related to hand-eye coordination.  The visual ability to perceive the world in three dimensions is called depth perception.

U.S. Navy Seals snipers use code for three dimensions when sighting in on a target.  “We used color codes for each side: white, front: black, rear: green the building’s own right; and red, the building’s left….The phonetic alphabet designated each floor: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta….Windows were numbered left to right: one, two, three….If someone moved in the front left window, I’d report the window: White, Bravo, One.  Thus we cut down on needless chatter,” writes Howard Wasdin in Seal Team Six.

A new camera called the Lytro uses an underlying technique, “light-field photography,” to allow the viewer to change the focus to any layer from foreground to background in the field of view—after the photograph is taken!  The result is a photograph that’s less a slice of visual information than a cube from which you can choose whichever layer would make the most pleasing two-dimensional image for printing and framing.  Pretty cool.

Three Keys to Happiness

Randy Taran, who is founder and chief happiness officer of Project Happiness, writes about Three Keys to Lasting Happiness.  He says, “If you had to choose three keys to lasting happiness, what would they be?  For me, those keys are gratitude, connecting with others and giving.  It is not rocket science, although science has proven how these habits can make you live longer, enjoy better health and get more joy out of life.….Gratitude: A simple practice of writing down or otherwise reflecting on a few things you are grateful for has huge benefits.  Psychologists Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough have researched that gratitude is the ‘forgotten factor’ in happiness research.  The benefits of expressing gratitude range from improved physical health to improved mental alertness….Connection:  In our culture, there are all sorts of classic heroes—often loners who make their way despite all obstacles.  Yet, there is an underlying longing for connection that we all share at some level.  The Dalai Lama points out, ‘We human beings are social beings.  We come into the world as the result of others' actions.  We survive here in dependence on others.  Whether we like it or not, there is hardly a moment of our lives when we do not benefit from others' activities.  For this reason, it is hardly surprising that most of our happiness arises in the context of our relationships with others.’…Giving: here are many ways of giving; we can volunteer; we can be present for a conversation; we can give gifts to others.  We've all heard the expression that money cannot buy happiness.  Taking that a step further, a 2008 study showed that spending money on others leads to higher happiness levels than spending money on oneself.”

For more see www.huffingtonpost.com/randy-taran/the-key-to-happiness b 10004566.html (July 2011).

Pathways to Success with Exercise

Fulfill the 3 C’s: Comprehension, Commitment and Confidence.

• Comprehension—understand the reason why it is important for you to exercise on a regular basis by talking with a health care professional or by reading educational exercise materials.  This will provide a strong base for your commitment.

• Commitment—make a personal decision to place exercise as a priority in your day’s activities.  Make exercise a ritual.  Write time for exercise in your appointment book—in ink.

• Confidence—set small, reasonable goals.  Reward and praise yourself when reaching the steps that will lead you to your ultimate objective.  Don’t let small setbacks sabotage your long-term success.

Threes in the Arts

Threes appear frequently in the visual, written and performing arts.  Here’s a poem from Carl Sandburg.

“Threes” by Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) was written in 1922. 

I was a boy when I heard three red words
a thousand Frenchmen died in the streets
for: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity—I asked
why men die for words.

I was older; men with mustaches, sideburns,
lilacs, told me the high golden words are:
Mother, Home, and Heaven—other older men with
face decorations said: God, Duty, Immortality
—they sang these threes slow from deep lungs.

Years ticked off their say-so on the great clocks
of doom and damnation, soup, and nuts: meteors flashed
their say-so: and out of great Russia came three
dusky syllables workmen took guns and went out to die
for: Bread, Peace, Land.

And I met a marine of the U.S.A., a leatherneck with a girl on his knee
for a memory in ports circling the earth and he said: Tell me how to say
three things and I always get by—gimme a plate of ham and eggs--how
much—and—do you love me, kid?