Life and Duty

There's a passage I've come across recently (roughly sourced from the Talmud?),

Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.

which I'd re-interpret to,

Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief; you are not obligated to complete the work. But, neither are you free to abandon it. Act with justice. Love with mercy. Walk with humility.

because:

• not everything can be done right away (or overnight), even attitude/approach (sometimes it's what takes the longest). Patience is truly a virtue. So now is optional.
• the original, while good, reads like statement(Do not...)-command(Do..Do..Do...)-statement(You...).  Or practice, then theory.  I find it more engaging the other way around.  To each their own.

Keys to Life, Part II: KTL in C-Major

About a year ago, came up with some more followup thoughts to this post.  Basically a revised list:

1. Care/Compassion
   Soft on the people (almost everybody has a story), hard on the issue
2. Context
   Scenario, Timing, and Balance
3. Confidence
   Knowing + Doing
4. Contacts
   i.e. networking: who you know, not what you know
5. Completion/Comprehensiveness
   Set your expectations (i.e. goals) and achieve/produce them
6. Commitment
   You can't do #5 for everything.  Pick your battles (#2 helps with the picking).  But once they are, be in it to win it (sorry for all the cliches).
7. Hunt for your happiness
   And have fun doing it!  Half (or more) of that happiness is from the journey, as much as the destination!

So hopefully it's pretty self-explanatory.  And no, it's not all C's (that's why it's C-major and not C-total, har-har-har), but the theme of the message is that at some point in your life, one/some of these seven are going to be the subject of your focus to reach that next point of evolution in your being.

Tennis Tourney: Lessons Learned

Just some notes, re: sports psychology, for a tennis tourney I took part in on behalf of my Condo.  Obviously, can apply to non-Tennis things too.

Technique:

• active feet, quick tempo, NO LAZINESS!
• aggressive semi-western play.  don't revert back to eastern grip/swing mechanics...
• serve: spring before swing!  Every serve is opportunity to control the point, don't waste it with worries of a double fault!
• feel, feel, feel!  relax your nerves, believe in your form, hammer down your hand-eye coordination (for racquet sweet spot), your directions (front-back, left-rights), your spins (tops, backs & sides)
• keep your ankle brace in your TENNIS bag, not your ROCK CLIMBING bag (doh!)

Psychology:

• visualization.  required.  Both pre-game and in-game
• pre-game pump-up with past videos?
• maintain a high-energy, positive, mindset throughout the game, no matter the result
• e.g. game 1 of raptors/bucks ECF (via post-game-commentary from Longo)
• every opponent will require adjustments in game, figure out what they are, ASAP
• unlike combat sports: tennis requires more back & forth, less of a pummeling mentality, so BE PATIENT, CALM YOUR NERVES, STAY LOOSE (but stay on guard)
• HAVE FUN!  LAUGH (don't GROWL) at your errors; balance the serious with the silly
• Day of tourney is your test, too late to finish homework on the day of.  So go out there, figure out your feel (internal & external), figure out your opponent, believe (and have confidence) in yourself, then go get your win!

If capitalism works everywhere

If one was trying to get away from a pack of wolves by climbing up a tree, it doesn't matter how high the hands and head gets, if the feet are still dragging behind near the ground...you're going to become dog food.

That, at it's core, is why -- all things considered equal -- I would rather help the needy and the have-nots, over progressing the status and luxury of the elite.  Because while capitalism is great at getting people ahead, we're only as strong as our weakest link (cliche, I know).  Case in point, wouldn't it be reasonable to say that it was capitalism at its extreme, that has caused this "worst financial crisis since the Great Depression"?  Food for thought.

More to come when I can find the time...

My Rules #3

I heard this on some news report on TV a while back. From a US political candidate running against the former CEO of eBay for the Governor, think it might've been Jerry Brown, who admitted it being from a Japanese source (i.e. proverb):

Life and death are serious matters. Time waits for no one. Do your best.

In how I see it, your early 20s is when the academic learning of the world is (mostly) done.  The late 20s is, generally, when the practical learning of the world is (also mostly) "complete" (travel, career, etc.); at least such that there's enough that's understood to start on that Magnus Opus of yours, in one's 30s.  Once that mindset is committed to (i.e. to leave your mark in this world), is when it finally sets in: time is finite, bullshit is not to be tolerated, go get your worth and build your empire (in whichever life pillar it manifests in).

No Fear

A life lived in fear, is no life at all.  I would rather live a short life as a free man, than survive an eternity as a slave...

Purpose

"There is no escaping reason; no denying purpose. Because as we both know, without purpose, we would not exist."  -- Agent Smith (Matrix: Revolutions)

I had an epiphany tonight.  For the longest time, I've always thought and felt that my purpose -- my meaning of life -- was set: to help people who needed help.  I've come to realize that that is not the case.

I think my issue was that I had confused an observed need/demand in this world, with my ability/supply to fill it.  That is: there are people in the world who need help, and I have the ability to help.  But the kicker is that there are numerous needs/demands in this world, why pick the one that I did?  The answer is simple: that was the one that was most glaring to me at the time.  As I continue to age, and continue to experience life from different angles, the set of observed need/demand has increased, to a point where I've come to re-evaluate my ostensibly concrete purpose.

Although I no longer *think* this way, I still feel it -- this charitable, philanthropic feeling; despite all the new needs/demands I've come to observe in the world, none comes close with respect to the altruism contained in the first.

Heh, I *so* feel like Neo after he saw the Architect: lost and without clear purpose (now, all I need is to be able to zap lightning out from my fingers, :P).  But in the end, our purpose is what we make of it, and we figure it out as we go along...

more thoughts about this to come...pertaining to:
- what I've done so far to reach my original purpose.
     - Considering I've been working almost none-stop while graduating, the answer is almost a big fat 0.
- where I see myself in the not-too-distant future.
     - Ha, working non-stop...
- crap....is *this* the pre-cursor to mid-life crisis?!??!!

My Rules #2

Quick one, something I came up on my own (though there's probably someone who thought of this before me):

 

- When in doubt, go without.

My Rules

Rather than give it some fancy name like "manifesto" or "personal axioms", I prefer sweet and simple (for now).  Here goes:

 

- No rule is unbreakable (this rule included...try wrapping your head around that one, ;P) without reason.

- KISS: Keep It Sweet & Simple.

   - Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler. -- Einstein

- Do no harm.

   - do no harm -- Hippocrates

- Never stop improving.

- Question everything.

   - "Doubt everything that you take on...That is very important...Information is information, after all...open your eyes, clear out your ears, and look & listen to the world...use your own brain...after you've doubted everything, there is a possibility of something real to believe in...to believe in something, doubt everything." -- Cowboy Bebop unreleased episode

 

More to come as I remember them...

Don't forget to wear sunscreen (Key's to Life)

A few years back (hmmm, about 5 years, actually -- half a decade...) there was a song called "Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen" by Baz Luhrman.  You can look up the lyrics on your own.  But the first part of it goes like this:

----------

Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis or reliable then my own meandering experience.  I will dispense this advice....now.

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Good advice.  Now I want to do the same, but just for a specific subject: keys to life.

I find there are two three:

• balance
• timing
• context/perspective

I won't go too deep into explanation, as it can get very verbose, and it's really not that hard to understand if you give it a little thought.  If you can control and/or perfect these in your life, the world can be your oyster.

And now a few secondaries:

• ambition
• perseverance
• resolve
• conviction

Yes there's some overlap here.  The secondaries aren't fully baked.  Will update when I get to 'em

The beauty of rain

There was some pretty heavy rainfall tonight in Toronto.  Just a couple of observations I came up with due to it:

 

1.  Tonight was the second time this year, where I explicitly witnessed a sort of border between an area with no rainfall, and an area with a lot, and having no choice but to drive straight through it.  It's quite an experience, from being sunny (or just dry, as in tonight, when the sun had already set while I was driving home), you see in front of you a haze that you're not too sure about.  Then the raindrops are seen more clearly, then the sound of a shower get louder and louder, until you're fully engulfed in the rain, where the wipers can't wash the rain off the windshield fast enough and there's nothing you can do to get rid of the sound of the rain bombing down upon your car.  What beauty!

 

2.  The view at my place rocks!  Not only do I hear and see all the rain as well compared to when I'm in the car, but the big windows let me see practically every lightning bolt on the west side of Don Mills -- all the way to Etobicoke/Mississauga/Brampton!  I wish I had something that could take some pictures that would do the lightning bolts some justice.  As a side note, has anyone ever seen ORANGE lightning bolts outside of a lab?  I can now say that I have!

 

Dan

Memory Lane - Agnostic Atheism

I used to have a personal website, where I had a section for my thoughts and opinions.  The website's gone, but I still have some of the writings.  So thought I'd put them here and give my current take on whatever I was talking about: in this case, it's Agnosticism.

 

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Why I'm an Agnostic Atheist (May '03)

 

Because there are times when I believe in the existence of a higher power, and there are times when I don't.

According to others, that reasoning would probably constitute the definition of agnosticism, since if you believe in the existence of a higher power some of the time, then that means you don't disbelieve in the existence of a higher power all of the time, and therefore, you're not an atheist, but only an agnosticist (is that correct? "agnosticist"?).

 

I would agree with such a person if it wasn't for my belief that one should not make claims unless they have substantial proof to back it up. In the case of the existence of a higher power, I don't have any. All I have is an inkling, a feeling, that something more exists that is beyond our current objective understanding of the universe, and that's not enough for me. It might be enough for some people -- on smaller matters, it's might even be enough for me -- but for large matters such as religion (or lack thereof), it's not for me.

 

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Not much has changed since then.  The belief is pretty much still the same.  I would only add two things: 1. I would definitely say that I'm non-religious.  2. I rarely think about this anymore.  Whether you're Christian or Buddhist or Muslim or Jewish or Hindu or nothing at all, as long as you have a good heart and a kind nature, that's all that really matters.

Memory Lane - Christianity

I used to have a personal website, where I had a section for my thoughts and opinions.  The website's gone, but I still have some of the writings.  So thought I'd put them here and give my current take on whatever I was talking about: in this case, it's Christianity.

 

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Why I'm not Christian (May '03)

Let me make this clear from the very top -- my purpose of this rant is not to bash Christianity. Like almost everything in this world, there is a good and bad side. IMHO (I hope you weren't expecting a completely formal essay, here), the only reason why people (including me) say something is exclusively good or bad, is only because they're too shallow to see the entire picture.

So anyway, let me start of with what I find good about Christianity. For the most part, the underlying themes of the religion is very noble: love thy neighbour, love thy mother and father, treat others as you would want to be treated, etc., etc.

Now for what I find at fault with Christianity. I think one of the biggest problems with Christianity is that it's too ambiguous. Because of the ambiguity, different interpretations of the scripture in it's "Book" have been made, and preached. As a result, no one can really say what Christianity is, because different groups have different definitions, and so who is to say which is "the true word of God"??? This severely cripples Christianity from truly being a legitimate religion, because without definition, you have no substance. More to follow.

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Well, roughly 5 years later, finally following up with more, :).  Not much has changed in this regard -- I'm still not Christian, and don't see myself being one any time soon.

 

Lately, however, I've been exposed to sources that are a bit less tolerant of Christianity than me: the Zeitgeist movie, evolutionists (e.g. Richard Dawkins), etc. which has me leaning a bit towards sentiments like "y'know, you really shouldn't be Christian (because of this reason or that reason)".  But mostly, I'm still indifferent, so long as people have a good heart, I could care less about their religious beliefs.

Memory Lane - Golf

I used to have a personal website, where I had a section for my thoughts and opinions.  The website's gone, but I still have some of the writings.  So thought I'd put them here and give my current take on whatever I was talking about: in this case, it's golf.

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Why Golf isn't a Sport  (May '03)

   Interestingly enough, the definition of a sport is much more detailed than most people think. That's why sport channels show things like spelling bees (and to a lesser extent, dog shows or horse back riding/racing) -- because one of the components of a sport is the strategy required and the psychological stress that one is put through. That is why chess is considered a sport; same goes for darts, or billiards, or golf.

   So yes, golf is a sport in the same way that chess, darts, or billiards are sports as well. However, a game where the professional "athletes" have other people carry their golf bags, and ride around in over-sized go-karts rather than walk that short distance from one hole to the next, is definitely not in the same league as truly physically, as well as pscyhologically, stressing sports such as basketball, tennis, hockey, badminton, etc., etc. Even marathon walking is more of a sport in that respect, than golf. The only reason why golf is so popular in our media (other than Mr. Woods) as compared to the other sports that lack the physical component of a sport, is because golf is a popular past-time among the quasi-omnipotent, middle-aged businessman, who want to still believe that they're still athletes. The people who control the media (also mostly quasi-omnipotent, middle-aged businessmen), pick up on this, and start sending out the message, "hey, fellow out-of-shape businessmen, don't bother taking up an actual sport, you can still be 'young, and athletic' by playing golf..." with their media vessels. Being in the businessman's nature to take the route most effortless, he chooses golf over a sport that would actually get them in better shape. And then the snowball starts to roll: tournaments, golf memberships, golf equipment, merchandise -- money, money, money. It's all about the all-mighty dollar. Why do you think golf is such an expensive sport? If it were popular among the poor, do you think a single golf club would charge as much as they do? Although, if it were popular among the poor, the concept of golf "clubs" would be non-existent.

   Am I saying that the only people that play golf are quasi-omnipotent, middle-aged, white collar workers? Definitely not. What I am saying is that without them, golf would not be where it is today.

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Haha, it sure seemed like I was picking up some steam near the end of the second paragraph, :)

My general belief that golf is a sport in the same league as pool or darts, hasn't changed: the actual game, compared to other sports, is not very physically demanding.  But it can be fun, challenging, and rewarding -- just like all other sports.  I personally enjoy going to the driving range, it provides a good vessel for stress relief.

I also stick by my guns about the demographic that has boosted the game to the level of popularity it's at.  But I also concede that a lot of it's popularity (roughly in the past decade) has also be due to a younger generation, who have had younger golf stars to look up to.

So what am I saying?  Basically that my thoughts about golf have been roughly the same, what's changed is that I've realized that there are bigger issues to direct my sense of injustice towards.

Determinism

One of the reasons why I like this movie so much is because of it's discussion's on Determinism.

Merovingian: ...You see, there is only one constant, one universal, it is the only real truth: causality. Action. Reaction. Cause and effect.

Morpheus: Everything begins with choice.

Merovingian: No. Wrong. Choice is an illusion, created between those with power, and those without. .....  This is the nature of the universe. We struggle against it, we fight to deny it, but it is of course pretense, it is a lie. Beneath our poised appearance, the truth is we are completely out of control. Causality. There is no escape from it, we are forever slaves to it. Our only hope, our only peace is to understand it, to understand the `why.' `Why' is what separates us from them, you from me. `Why' is the only real social power, without it you are powerless.

But does that mean we might as well just stay in bed?  Well no, to reference a reasonably articulate webpage (http://home.lbcc.cc.ca.us/~mlawrence/Splinter_files/Watching%20Matrix.htm):

Ghost’s Compatibilism: While most people tend to think that either free will or causal determinism is true (but not both), Ghost offers a different perspective in the video clips from Enter the Matrix. He says: “You know me Niobe, it’s not a choice, it’s a way of life.” Ghost seems to suggest that his character determines his action. Like the Merovingian, he believes that cannot do otherwise.  But Ghost does not regard this as a restriction upon his freedom. Since he does what he most wants to do, he sees himself as free and causally determined at the same time.

 

For me, It's a mix of Ghost and Merovingian.  "It's not a choice, it's a way of life."  Although I perceive many things to be choices, and I proceed to "make the choice", I wouldn't be surprised to find out that it's all just an illusion.

Quote

Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength, and your greatest weakness.

 

- The Architect (from Matrix: Revolutions)

Quote

...all things excellent are as difficult as they are rare.

 

- Benedict De Spinoza (1632 – 1677)

If a tree falls...

"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

I remember someone explaining to me that there are two points to this question, wikipedia shows three (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_a_tree_falls_in_a_forest).  For me, my answer would be a bit more pragmatic.  Yes, it makes a sound because:

 

1.  As stated in that wikipedia page, "Sound as it is mechanically understood will occur, but sound as it is understood by sensation will not occur."  Sensation is highly subjective, hence, give me the mechanical in this case.

 

2.  If it were the case that it doesn't "make a sound", then is the homeless really homeless?  Is the poor really poor?  Is the enemy really non-existent?  The essence of a surprise, is based on actions not being perceived until the moment of surprise.  But if it's the case that no perception equals no existence, then the surprise should never occur (because the steps leading up to the surprise were never perceived).  The integral point is here is causality.  Just because you don't perceive/observe a certain link in the causal chain, doesn't mean that chain doesn't exist, or that you won't ever perceive/observe a link further down that same chain.

Blanket/Quilt Theory

It's easiest to put in point form (as I have with my rough notes on this):

 

- our universe (as we currently understand it) can be thought of as a big, unfinished quilt, continually being knit at the top

- each thread in the blanket represents an individual life; ergo some threads are longer than others, and some threads are interwoven (representing the relationship with other lives in the world) with a lot of other threads (whereas some other threads are interwoven with a very few)

- the blanket should look v-shaped, where the top of the blanket is always expanding (think of time as being the y axis)

- w/ this theory, time travel would not be possible (a la autoinfanticide, or the grandfather paradox), because threads would only be allowed to be woven upwards -- downward weaving would be impossible, since the blanket below has already been woven and cannot be unwoven

   - having said this, interdimensional/parallel-universe type of travel is theoretically possible, were several blankets may be "stacked" up on each other (or pressed side by side)

 

Profound thought

Just thought to use the blog to mark down the stuff that sometimes runs through my head.  This will be probably be the first of many.

"There is nothing either good or bad that thinking does not make so." -- Hamlet