Christianity, Islam and Judaism

When the Romans conquered Corinth in Greece during a series of wars in 146 BC, the Roman Empire became the “world power” of its day. By the time Jesus was born in Palestine, the Romans, living under the rule of Herod, numbered about five million, including all the Greeks. Jesus, a Jew, was born into the powerful Roman Empire. Some say Jesus ministered in the region for about three years before his execution. His teachings challenged conventional thinking to become the core of Christianity that, today, is the largest religion in the world with about one-third of the population as its adherents. Christianity is divided into three main branches: Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant. The second largest religion is Islam. Islam follows the teaching of the prophet Muhammad. Shia, Sunni and Ismaili are three major sects of Islam. Judaism is the 12th largest of today’s religions. In North America there are three main branches—Orthodox, Reform and Conservative. Each religion, curiously, has its roots in the life of Abraham. “The Prophet Abraham is claimed by Jews as the ancestor of the Israelites, while his son Ishmael (Isma'il) is seen in Muslim tradition as the ancestor of the Arabs. In Christian tradition, Abraham is described as a ‘father in faith’ (Romans 4), which suggests that all three religions come from one source.”      

from Threes, Chapter 4, “Threes in Religion and Mythology” 

A mini e-book based on this chapter is available for free download from Amazon today. 

Threes in Palmistry

In the practice of palmistry or chiromancy, triangles that appear on the palm of the hand have degrees of importance and meaning.  “Triangles formed in different places of the palm signify different traits of the individual.  For instance, the triangles formed by clear, flawless and deep lines are considered compassionate.  The size of the triangle is directly associated with good results and good fortune.  If the triangle is big, its benefits and good luck are also enormous.  Triangles sometimes found in the mid-palm indicate the person is very lucky, theist and progressive.”

from Threes, Chapter 2, “Threes in Math”  

Dunbar’s Number and Group Dynamics

Military units have typical sizes that promote strong and effective working relationships and make group management easier to accomplish. For instance, a platoon might consist of 12 to 15 individuals and have one or two officers in charge. In the early 1990s, an English anthropologist named Robin Dunbar theorized that the maximum size for any stable group of primates was determined by brain size—specifically, the size of the neocortex. The neocortex is involved in sensory perceptions, spatial reasoning, conscious thought and language. The larger the neocortex, he reasoned, the more individuals with whom they could maintain personal relationships. Dunbar compared primate brains to human brains and used the differential to predict the ideal size for a group of humans. The number he came up with was 147.8 people. Rounded up to 150, it became known as Dunbar’s number. That number, 150, has also been called a friendship circle, a limit of the number of (functionally active) friends and acquaintances you can have in your life at any time. Funeral directors know this and typically will print 200 programs for a memorial service. A U.S. Army company has about 150 individuals, give or take a few.   

A survey of ethnographic data found that hunter-gatherers around the world lived in shifting communities that ranged from 90 to 221 people, with an average of 148. Neolithic villages in Mesopotamia were thought to have around 150 people. The Roman army of the classical period used a formation of 130 men—called a maniple or double century—in combat. Hutterite communities in South Dakota split after reaching 150 people because, in their opinion, anything larger cannot be controlled by peer pressure alone. Hutterites, by the way, are one of three religious groups that trace their roots to the Radical Reformation in Europe in the 16th century. The other two groups are the Amish and the Mennonites.   

from Threes, Chapter 5, “Threes in Psychology and Sociology”  

Flow

“You are in an ecstatic state to such a point that you feel as though you almost don’t exist,” says Hungarian psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi.   Athletes can experience these feelings when they perform at such a high level that they feel invincible, when they seem to float through the competition, their bodies able to do whatever they will them to do.  It does not happen often, and when it does, it is unforgettable.  It tends to accompany a state of mind characterized by a trance-like intense, yet seemingly effortless and enjoyable, concentration of mental and physical effort.  It can be accompanied by a feeling of joy.  Csíkszentmihályi calls it Flow.

Flow is the mental state in which a person is immersed in feelings of energized focus, full involvement, and success in an activity.  Studied extensively by Csíkszentmihályi, the concept has been applied to many fields.  According to Csíkszentmihályi, Flow is completely focused motivation.  It is a single-minded immersion and represents perhaps the ultimate in harnessing the emotions in the service of performing.  In Flow the emotions are not just contained and channeled, but they are also positive, energized, and aligned with the task at hand.  “The hallmark of flow is a feeling of spontaneous joy, even rapture, while performing a task although flow is also described as a deep focus on nothing but the activity—not even oneself or one's emotions.”

The athlete cannot force Flow.  It just happens.  A Flow state will be most likely to occur when someone is wholeheartedly performing a task or activity for intrinsic purposes and sometimes with little regard for the benefit.

These three conditions are necessary to achieve Flow:        

1.      The athlete or performer must be involved in an activity with a clear set of goals.  Goals add direction and structure. 

2.      He or she must have a good balance between the perceived challenges of the task at hand and his or her own perceived skills.  He or she must have confidence that he or she is capable of completing the challenge successfully.  

3.      The task or challenge must have clear and immediate feedback.  Feedback helps the person negotiate any changing demands and allows him or her to adjust his or her performance to maintain the flow state.           

from Threes, Chapter 10, “Threes in Sports and Games” 

Read more about Flow, Zone and Joy in my new Kindle mini-e-book, Threes in Sports and Games, that’s available now at Amazon.