Life-of-the-mind/

UCTV

University of California Television (UCTV) is making a host of videos available on its website —

— during this period of social distancing. Among them, with descriptions courtesy of UCTV (text written by the UCTV staff):

“‘The Great Gate of Kiev’ — La Jolla Symphony and Chorus”: Concert favorite “Pictures at an Exhibition” is a suite in 10 movements by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky. The work was inspired by a visit to an art museum and dedicated to his deceased friend, artist Viktor Hartmann. The movements are often performed as stand-alone pieces, and the 10th “picture,” the majestic “The Great Gate of Kiev,” is one of the most popular. It depicts Hartmann’s sketch of a proposed city gate topped by cupolas in which carillons ring. As with the other parts of the suite, “Great Gate” was famously orchestrated by Maurice Revel, based upon Mussorgsky’s original piano score.

“How to Deal With Your Unruly Mind: Meditation”: The medical community has increasingly embraced the psychological and medical benefits of mindfulness, as practiced through meditation. Author and lecturer Jon Kabat-zinn, founder of the Mindfulnessbased Stress Reduction program and considered a “mindfulness guru,” defines the practice as the human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. Kabat-zinn cites research showing that when you train your brain to be mindful, you’re actually remodeling its physical structure, as parts of the brain light up that aren’t normally active when “cruising on autopilot.”

“Exploring the Human-ape Paradox: Childhood”: Humans have cultural traits that set us apart from other primates, including our capabilities for language, kinship, marriage and childhood. Loughborough University’s Barry Bogin examines the distinctive stage of human childhood development, between the ages of about 3 to 7 years. (In contrast, most apes nurse their infants from 4 to 7 years.) The need to feed and care for their progeny motivated our ancestors to create new biocultural systems, which eventually evolved into uniquely human forms. This may account for why people grow up in such a strange way, taking over 20 years to reach fully productive and reproductive adulthood.