Welcome to the January 26th edition of 5-Shot Friday, which periodically collapses to a one-shot, single topic focus on health and wellness.
Some thoughts about getting your year rolling, if indeed it is.
Ready Player One, the film adaptation of Ernest Cline’s 2011 novel, will have a lot going for it when it premiers in March: Steven Spielberg, ‘80s references that anyone older than 40 MUST recognize, a trailer with a stirring, can’t-buy-this-in-stores soundtrack variation from Willie Wonka And the Chocolate Factory, and…the OASIS.
An immersive, virtual reality world where humanity’s masses live out their fantasies as their idealized, digital selves.
The image that I can’t unsee happens at 1:25 in this more detailed YouTube trailer: Columbus, Ohio looking grungier than San Pedro in a level 5 Chinese smog alert.
And the pole dancing, jogging suit clad trailer park lady:
The contrast between the pixel perfect digital world, and grim reality. And Spielberg’s voiceover sounding matter of fact, yet so prophetic:
“There’s a dystopian society, and the fabric of our economy is crumbling; it’s a good time to escape. So virtual reality will be…a super drug.”
We don’t yet have widespread virtual or augmented reality (though you can buy VR headsets at Best Buy or Amazon.com). But we have our own super drug, our own immersive reality distortion field, and it’s already the defining feature of modern life.
The entirety of the Internet (particularly social media), news outlets, advertisements, all things digitally mobile, and all things megacorporate – assemble into a dopamine-driven fugue state that’s the new opiate of the masses. Not as in “life is hard, people need pain relief,” but rather, “we’re into narcotic overdose.”
When you’re doped out on opioids or any other super drug, you zone out, you don’t even know you’re zoning out, and bit by bit, you surrender the moments of your life.
You voluntarily give over your precious health points. Game Over when they drop to zero.
Wonderful things have come from our OASIS, and a good deal more are on the way.
I drove a regular car for years, using a toll road to get to work and back home in a timely fashion, 5 days a week. I switched to an electric vehicle, now use the HOV carpool lane, and the money I save on toll fees covers the car payments. The car pays for itself, and that’s even before the gas savings.
I’m impressed as heck with Elon Musk, Teslas, and Solar City’s batteries and nextgen solar panels. Uber, Airbnb, and personalized DNA sequencing. PatientsLikeMe and 23andme. Crowdfunding. SpaceX. The Arab Spring and #MeToo. FitBits, Siri and Alexa, and HTC Vives. Personalized medicine and stem cells from the blood draw. Secure texting your doctor, and dermatology by cell phone.
No question, there is an abundance of innovation, of breaking free of past constraints and turning ideals into life-improving realities.
And, yes, on-screen CG has gotten to the point where it can be invisible, indistinguishable from the reality it portrays. Someday, VR will be the same.
It’s now the 4th week past New Year’s, did you set any New Year’s Resolutions?
How are those going?
If you keep a journal or diary when was the last time you reviewed it, and adjusted your actions to make better progress? Are you mulling over the same issues, year after year?
To date, there’s no dopamine rush from reviewing your finances, planning a budget, or deciding to have “the talk” with a difficult family member or coworker. There’s a relatively teeny surge that comes from working out, or achieving a personal best.
Many achievements with the most bankable long-term value – health, wellness, fitness, financial stability, familial solidity – do not have an instant, sexy payoff. That’s very unlike things in our OASIS, which are engineered to give you a neurohormonal kick in the pants so you’ll come back, stick around the virtual space, and very likely buy something, adopt someone else’s perspective, or vote in a specific way.
Do you even remember what your own personal goals are, much less how you planned on achieving them?
How much of each day do you spend, basically playing someone else’s video game?
Spoiler alert: if you want to go naked into Ready Player One, either the movie or the book, skip what follows, though it’s not that big a reveal.
The hero of Cline’s story, Wade? He and his compadres make it to the end, and he finds the Easter Egg prize that gives him a $500 billion and complete ownership of the OASIS, despite the machinations of the corporate overlords stopping at nothing to steal it for themselves (bummer of a story if it ended any other way, in the tradition of Star Wars, Rogue One: And they all died).
But in the book, the original creator of the OASIS shows Wade one final secret that only he will have access to: a red button that will erase the entirety of the OASIS, down to its source code. The option to get rid of the virtual fantasy world for all of humanity.
“I created the OASIS because I never felt at home in the real world. I didn’t know how to connect with the people there. I was afraid, for all of my life. Right up until I knew it was ending. That was when I realized, as terrifying and painful as reality can be, it’s also the only place where you can find true happiness. Because reality is real…. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Don’t hide in here forever.”
Strength coach Dan John is famous for this training advice, inspired by one of his heroes, the legendary Olympian and wrestling coach, Dan Gable:
“If it’s important, do it every day. If it’s not important, don’t do it at all.”
The preposition is key: important to whom? If you’re doing something every day, let it be something important TO YOU. Not to Google, Apple, YouTube, Twitter, CNN, Disney, or McDonald’s. You.
Clarify, to yourself, what is critical to you, what superpower you need to develop, what legacy you must create, what goals you must attain. Keep them in the forefront of your mind; touch them like a lodestone or a valuable locket, each and every day. Track them like a thirsty elephant matriarch tracks the summer rain – pretty much to the exclusion of all else.
Examples?
Medical
Wellness
Fitness
Emotional
Financial
Familial
None of these things will create themselves, if you chase everything in the OASIS. That dazzling world of bits, bytes, and ideas is only going to get prettier, more high rez, and more all-encompassing.
Best to develop some selective, walk away skills now.
Dr. Bunten is originally from Huntington Beach, CA. He attended high school in Tokyo, Japan, went to college at UC San Diego and then to medical school in the Midwest. He returned home to California for residency training in Family Medicine at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. His immediate family all reside in Huntington Beach.
Dr Fishbein has been in the practice of family medicine for over 35 years in Irvine. He received his undergraduate degree from Southern Illinois University, medical degree from Chicago Medical School, and completed his family medicine residency at Memorial Hospital of Long Beach.
Dr. Kim is the Medical Director of Family Care Centers, Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Hoag Hospital, and a recipient of the Physicians of Excellence award from the Orange County Medical Association. He is Board Certified in Family Medicine, and has been practicing in our community for over 20 years.
Dr. Memon is a board certified Family Medicine physician and recently completed her fellowship in Geriatrics at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. She attended Saint George’s University, School of Medicine and completed her residency at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Her interest in medicine started at an early age and has since evolved into a passionate career.
Dr. Gina Nguyen obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UC Irvine where she graduated Suma Cum Laude. She went to USC Keck School of Medicine, and returned to UC Irvine for a Family Medicine Residency. Since 2005, she worked at Kaiser Permanente, VNCOC, and Family Care Center Urgent Care.
Dr. Williams is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Sports Medicine. He is a native to Orange County and returned home after completing his medical degree at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. After completing his residency in family practice he successfully completed a fellowship in sports medicine.
Dr. Hye Lee is a board-certified Family Practice Physician, affiliated with the American Osteopathic Association and the American College of Osteopathic Family Practice.She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UC Riverside and earned her medical degree from Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center. Afterward, she did her internship at Downey Regional Medical Center in California and has been a primary care physician since 2005.
Dr. Coyne is a board certified family practice physician and a California native. He completed his undergraduate degree at UCLA before earning his medical degree at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Dr Coyne spent 6 years in the US Air Force at Andrews and Luke Air Force bases, eventually separating as a Major. He enjoys working with patients of all ages.”
Dr. Jay Friehling is a Family Practice physician who has worked in Orange County since 1981. Born in Florida, he received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and then earned a Medical Degree at the New York Medical College.” His healthcare interests include Diabetes, Geriatric Care, and Hospice Care.
Dr. Jennifer Shoquist is board certified in Family Medicine. Her special interest is woman’s health and her practice accepts patients from 6 years old to seniors. Dr. Shoquist received her M.D. degree at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston in Houston, Texas, and did her residency with Memorial Family Practice at memorial Southwest Hospital in Houston, Texas.
Dr. Tom is a board certified family medicine physician and native Californian. He received his bachelors of science with great distinction in biochemistry and honors in chemistry. Dr. Tom was awarded a Regents Scholarship to attend medical school at UC Irvine.
Dr. Yan attended Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her Family Practice residency at Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield, California. She joined Family Care Center in 2001. She chose Family Practice because she enjoys working with a wide variety of people and because it provides a unique opportunity for continuing care.
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