INSIDIOUS HONKING

I cannot understand the increasing lack of civility in the world at large, although, on second thought, I actually do. I know it has to do with stress!

Stress leads directly to less civility. People are so concerned about their own survival – although they may not frame it in those terms – and may not even be aware that it’s an existential question of survival – that they stop caring about the impact their behavior is having on others. They stop noticing. Their stress breeds more stress – in their lives and in those who relate to them – and even in those who just happen to pass by them without actually appearing to interact.

Our energy moves around with us. If we are stressed and out of balance, that energy is even more contagious than the pathogens like bacteria and viruses that we constantly hear we need to protect ourselves from. This is quite a paradox. A well-functioning immune system can protect us from pathogens. This fact is not shared in news broadcasts about the danger of exposure to the flu and the need to be vaccinated. Further, the first step to improve one’s immunity is to neutralize stress. Behaving with civility toward others reduces stress all around. Many do not realize is that when they vent their anger and impatience, they increase it. The absolute amount of stressful energies in the field we all share increases. Transforming those emotions and being tolerant and civil to one another can go far to further public heatlh.

But I digress.

My intention was to rant about honking. It seems these days that if you stop for a pedestrian, or for a light that’s turned yellow, or if you don’t start out from the gate like a race horse the second that a light turns green, you are apt to find the driver in the car behind you honking to vent his/her frustration. Horns are great for emergencies. They are not intended for indiscriminate use by bullies, people impatient with the world, and people who assume that encased in the anonymity and protective metal casing of their private vehicle, they are entitled to vent their anger and frustration on those around them.

Noise is a major stressor. Indiscriminate use of the horn to express impatience can actually be hazardous, leading to a startle reaction, diverting a driver’s attention from the road as s/he wonders what the honking signifies, where it is coming from, and how to best respond. Excess and/or unexpected noise triggers the physiology of the stress response – promoting shallow breathing, rapid heart rate, and a number of other physical changes that prepare the body to cope with an emergency. The startle response of an infant to a loud noise provides an excellent example of what happens when this response is triggered by a loud noise.

An examination of a little bit of subtle anatomy can help us understand in part how noise plays such a strenuous role in flipping physiology to turn on the stress response. The acupuncture meridian associated with the endocrine system is known as Triple Warmer (aka Triple Heater). The meridian begins at the outside edge of the ring finger, and follows a path through the wrist and elbow to the shoulder and from there along the neck to the bony prominence behind the ear. It then travels on the scalp around the ear to the temple. At the temple, the meridian reaches deep into the brain, connecting with the hypothalamus gland. In this capacity, triple warmer communicates with the brain and nervous system, the endocrine system, and the rest of the meridians.

Through its connection with the hypothalamus gland, triple warmer informs the endocrine system when and how to react to the environment. The adrenal glands play a significant role in the endocrine system. They sit directly over the kidneys, and secrete the hormones that play a large role in precipitating the physiological changes that together make up the stress response. The purpose of these changes is to prepare the body to fight, freeze, or flee. This mechanism is ancient; it was established long ago in the evolutionary path of human ancestors. Thus the stress response can be said to be responsible for the survival of most species.

In Five Element Theory, specific emotions are associated with each yin and yang organ pair within an element. Taoists observed that fear and its related feelings – including terror, shock, doubt, uncertainty, skepticism - is the emotion most closely associated with the energy of the Kidneys and Bladder. Those are the yin and yang organs of the water element, which also rules the glands.

It is no coincidence that the adrenal gland is located directly above the kidneys, for it is fear, shock, terror, and the like that trigger this gland to release the hormones that lead to the changes we have come to associate with the stress response.

Further, according to five element theory, a sense organ corresponds to each element. The ears are the sense organ most closely connected to the kidneys. Looking at a picture of the kidney, you will find that its shape is similar to that of the ear. In the embryo, cells separate, with one group going on to form the kidneys and the other forming the ears. As the embryo develops, the connection between kidneys and ears remains strong.

And as we mentioned about, Triple Warmer runs around the ears. It gathers information to share with the hypothalamus gland – and thus the nervous system, the endocrine glands, and the rest of the acupuncture meridians. So a loud noise, like a honking horn, is designed to alert the organism to danger and to precipitate a cavalcade of hormones and nervous impulses that activate the stress response, putting the organism in full alert, in survival mode.

As documented by Peter Levine, animals in the wild are able to discharge these responses by running, and shaking. Unfortunately humans have suppressed this natural method of discharging excess stress. In the effort to suppress this energy, however, it leaks through the porous membrane – skin and aura – and permeates the surrounding space. That is why we can sense when others around us are distressed, angry, or sad. And why indiscriminate creation of loud noise, like honking in traffic, can turn out to be insidious and even dangerous.

There are many ways to work directly to diminish the stress response, including meditation, qigong, and Eden Energy Medicine. The first step, however, is awareness. With greater awareness comes more presence. Noticing when one is angry, impatient, disappointed, or anxious gives one the opportunity to transform that energy, rather than displaying it and infecting others. If one merely takes a moment to actually feel the emotion that is present before reacting and expressing it, the energy will dissipate.

The shift implied by this understanding underlies the motto: Be the Change You Want to See.