WARNING: SEX ENTRY AHEAD!
if you are under the age of 12 and/or don't want the entire Steven Colbert chapter on Sex&Dating spoiled before you have a chance to read it then STOP NOW!
I bet if you were to skim my entire blog and were forced by either time contraints or an evil pots-and-pans robot (Family Guy? anyone? anyone?) to read just one entry it would be this one. Sicko!
Before I get into this stimulating topic, I'd like to take the time to address all you prospective bachelors who might be looking for some insight into my own sexual wants and desires and state that I am a lesbian virgin who has pledged to remain celibate for the duration of my sexless life, which should be an extremely easy task since I am genetically asexual.
Note that though there is some contradiction in simultaneously embracing lesbianism, asexuality, celibacy, and virginity, I am above the constraints of modern sexual categories and am therefor able to practice all four.
Great, so now you can read this blog as an objective theorization about Sex that in no way reflects my own lesbian, virgin, celibate, asexual perspective. Bring on the heat!
THINGS I DID TODAY THAT WERE SEXUAL:
- listened to "you and me baby aint nothin' but mammals" and pictured myself as a pornographer on the Discovery channel
- listened to the Beatle's "Why Don't we Just Do it in the Road" and succumbed to the invitation
- studied Ancient Greece
- walked through the Time-Warner building in Columbus Circle (google the artwork and you'll know what I mean)
- watched Quill in my Children & the Media class
- discussed Sex in both my Children & the Media class and my Freedom of Expression class
- peed in an airport restroom while making sexual advances at the man in the next urinal (didn't think I had it in me did you?)
- read Stephen Colbert's chapter on Sex & Dating and the one on Homosexuals
- ate chocolate
- went to yoga
- swallowed
- scanned the collection of pornographic spam that I've been accumulating in my AOL mailbox
- ate baby carrots (S.C. would be proud!)
- watched two ants fornicating in Central park
- walked through Times Square
- included Fluffy in an email to my dad
- took the train (come on? long, silver shaft that spits out commuters when it reaches its destination and charges more money for tickets during peak time?)
- had sex with Johnny Depp...
- solved world hunger (didn't tell anyone) (hey that's hott, right?)
sooo lets talk about sex baby! Really, lets. I got an email today -apparently a "very naughty girl" likes me! This may be a little presumptuous of me, but i think she might be it, you know, "the one." I don't want to open the email because I don't think I am yet ready to embrace such a colossal realization, to take that huge step towards a new life yet, but I will, eventually, I will! So if you are reading this, very naughty girl, please wait for me. I'll....come(sp?) around... eventually.
Why does it seem that America, society, is so anti-pleasure? The media, religious institutions, and even many of our families are scared of sex, yet it is a natural, anatomically sound, procreationally essential, historically significant, beautiful thing. We have been conditioned to fear it, though. PENIS = BAD! VAGINA = UNSPOKEN WORD THAT MUST BE SUBSTITUTED FOR 'VAJAJAY!' (I'll admit, I shun it too). COPULATION = HEDONISTIC! Seriously, think about elementary school, middle school, and high school sex talks. What did they consist of? Not anatomical representations of the body and of two (or three, four, whatever floats your boat... I prefer seven) bodies conjoing into one entity. God forbid we learn the logistics of sex. What we heard were stories about AIDS, HIV, and other horrifying STDs. I remember being grossed out by over-exaggerated pictures of gential warts and other arcane diseases. It is enough to turn one celibate! When I got to Fordham, our freshman orientation consisted of each student receiving a cup of water. Some were chemically altered to turn pink when another chemical was poured into them. We were instructed to share our water with four other people chosen at random. At the end, we got to see the "ramifications" of our choice to "engage in sexual intercourse" with these random constituents; most of us had aquired an "STD." SEX IS BAD. This is the message that many of us have grown up with. And it is counter-productive because we eventually have to unlearn this fallacious message and relearn the valid fact that SEX IS GOOD.
We are fundamentally ambivalent about sex.
The mass media has it's own sexual agenda (sex sells, so use it excessively and with reckless abandon - be sure to include it in Disney movies and cartoons targeted at children so they will become more productive consumers...come on.... Sponge Bob doesn't have those abnormally large and ecstatic eyes because he just ate a Krabby Patty.... Squidworth was pleasuring him. And it's no coincidence that Donald Duck isn't wearing pants. He's surrepticiously promoting public nudity.)
Society has it's own sexual agenda (they secretly want kids to become more sexual at a younger age so they can scapegoat them and relinquish themselves from public scrutiny when things like rape, assault, and adultery accidentally occur)
Politicians have their own sexual agenda (see "society" above and add "and use these sex-fiends as compaign initiatives")
Our body has it's own agenda (it knows what it wants and what it wants is to feel good).
sooooooooo what should we do with all this and how do we deal with these competing forces?
When I went to the Alex Grey museum for a second time (better than the first time, definitely going back for round 3) I noticed that in his Cosmic Christ painting there were two opposing sexual images at the bottom of the Tree of Life (which, on the dark side, depicted man and all the savagery he has inflicted on the earth and on the other, the light side, nature and all the serenity that is inherent in it). On the dark side, there was what looked like a demon having sex with some decrepid character that looked like she(?) was dead. On the other side, the light side, was a depiction of sex leading to procreation. Clearly, the message was that recreational sex is bad and procreational sex is good. Is this valid? Is sex only good when it is used to bear children? According to Steven Colbert, "sex is power - the power to create life, the power to ruin life, and the power to sex it up good." So sex can either feel good, do good, or do bad.
Sex is animalistic. This is both the savagery and the beauty of it.
Steven Colbert - "There is nothing more beautiful thatn two mature people who are in a committed, loving relationship doing something unspeakable debasing."
We gain knowledge and develop our intellects so that we can rise above other species int he animal kingdom, but then we sink to their level when we copulate. Ironic? Or proof that we are all equal brothers and sisters in the circle of life? If he latter is true then it provides an argument for beastiality, something that has been condemned as henious in our elitist culture. I envision a future in which Lions will fornicate with mice and sheep will sleep with jungle birds.
Stevie tellingly provides a list of fornicating animals and their sexual styles:
1. Earthworms - they do it everywhere...under rocks, in the driveway, underground. "I don't care if you're an adult in worm years, Mr. Worm - if you can't handle tending a few thousand cocoons, don't ventrally fertilize your hermaphoditic partner."
2. Ants - They do it everywhere too, but not for procreational purposes (there are enough of them already). They do it because they enjoy it and they do it "in plain sight of picnics - part of the sick thrill."
3. Tigers - aquire their life partners via stalking (they track down their prospective mates when they ar ready to have children and then seduce them into procreating via roaring.
4. Bowerbirds - their females are snyonymous with human females today. They force the males bowerbirds to build elaborate nests and then pick one based on his architectural prowess.
5. New Mexico Whiptail Lizard - They reproduce by partheogenesis (the way God intended... see the subliminal indication? Genesis?)
These are just a few of the many fornicating beasts... others include dogs, cats, and mice. But that's it. The others are simply products of evolution. Whales too. They evolve from cats.
So we are subject to our animal instincts. We try to rid outselves of them, but they seem to be unriddable. We still hunger for food and thirst for water. Men want women to blow them and women want men to suck their tits, I, of course, being the exception. There's an argument for all you animal activists.
I hope that the rest of your day is just as spicy as this blog was. Have a great day...in bed.
xoxoxXXXoxo
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Sermon
Raking leaves with a little bit of God...upon request..
As summer flowers give way to autumn leaves and the warm weather evolves into crisper weather, a quick glance outside reveals that we truly have a lot to be thankful for. The smell of brisk autumn air, fall festivals, pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks, and, of course, the notoriously beautiful New England fall foliage. We are right now in the peak of fall, when the leaves are at their most vibrant and shades of red, orange, and yellow color the trees. We are blessed to be surrounded by such natural beauty.
However, these same leaves that we marvel at now were the reason why my brother and I dreaded the onset of fall when we were children; fall meant leaves and leaves meant raking. Needless to say, we found every possible excuse to try and get out of raking the leaves. One year, we tried to convince Dad that the leaves were a sort of lawn ornament that made the yard look more colorful and so should be allowed to stay on the ground. Another year, we discovered that our rakes were made of weak plastic and that if we pushed instead of pulled the leaves then the rakes would break we couldn’t resume raking until Dad bought new ones. There were a lot of broken rakes that season. Despite these and other furtive attempts, every year was the same. We would rake up a pile of leaves that my Dad would then stuff into a barrel and carry across the street to dump in the woods. While he was disposing of them, my brother and I would frantically try and throw as many of the remaining leaves as we could into the neighbor’s yard so that we wouldn’t have to deal with them ourselves.
Our plan always seemed to backfire. Sooner or later the leaves would blow back into our yard and we would have to rake them up. We thought we were fooling Dad and outsmarting the system, but we were only fooling ourselves. Sometimes he would play along, consciously ignoring the huge pile of leaves that lay just over the neighbor’s fence, but he knew what we were up to.
I wish I could say that we eventually learned to embrace the inescapable task of raking leaves and undertook it with a renewed sense of satisfaction in knowing that the hard manual labor that we put in would be well worth it in the end when we were left with a beautiful, leaf-free yard. But what really happened was that we both left the yards behind and went to college, I in New York where “vegetation” is a foreign word and Nick in California where the only thing falling from the trees are coconuts. However, we can both look back and appreciate the lessons that leaf raking and our unsuccessful attempts to avoid it taught us.
We always tried to get rid of the leaves because we didn’t appreciate the subtle forces inherent in leaf-raking that were surreptitiously shaping our characters every time we raked. The leaves kept coming back to us for a reason; because raking was really a call to having faith that the benefits would out weigh and long outlive the suffering.
Having faith is a theme that we have heard over and over again in the Gospel readings of the past month. Two weeks ago the gospel reading was about Christ calming the Sea. Last week we saw him healing the Gentile demoniac, and this week, he heals the woman with a flow of blood and raises the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue. We are called to place our faith in God, just as the young woman with the flow of blood did when the touched Jesus and as the ruler of the synagogue did when he asked Christ to heal his dying daughter. We place our faith in Christ so that we might know and marvel at his works just as we know and marvel at the changing colors of the autumn leaves.
As summer flowers give way to autumn leaves and the warm weather evolves into crisper weather, a quick glance outside reveals that we truly have a lot to be thankful for. The smell of brisk autumn air, fall festivals, pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks, and, of course, the notoriously beautiful New England fall foliage. We are right now in the peak of fall, when the leaves are at their most vibrant and shades of red, orange, and yellow color the trees. We are blessed to be surrounded by such natural beauty.
However, these same leaves that we marvel at now were the reason why my brother and I dreaded the onset of fall when we were children; fall meant leaves and leaves meant raking. Needless to say, we found every possible excuse to try and get out of raking the leaves. One year, we tried to convince Dad that the leaves were a sort of lawn ornament that made the yard look more colorful and so should be allowed to stay on the ground. Another year, we discovered that our rakes were made of weak plastic and that if we pushed instead of pulled the leaves then the rakes would break we couldn’t resume raking until Dad bought new ones. There were a lot of broken rakes that season. Despite these and other furtive attempts, every year was the same. We would rake up a pile of leaves that my Dad would then stuff into a barrel and carry across the street to dump in the woods. While he was disposing of them, my brother and I would frantically try and throw as many of the remaining leaves as we could into the neighbor’s yard so that we wouldn’t have to deal with them ourselves.
Our plan always seemed to backfire. Sooner or later the leaves would blow back into our yard and we would have to rake them up. We thought we were fooling Dad and outsmarting the system, but we were only fooling ourselves. Sometimes he would play along, consciously ignoring the huge pile of leaves that lay just over the neighbor’s fence, but he knew what we were up to.
I wish I could say that we eventually learned to embrace the inescapable task of raking leaves and undertook it with a renewed sense of satisfaction in knowing that the hard manual labor that we put in would be well worth it in the end when we were left with a beautiful, leaf-free yard. But what really happened was that we both left the yards behind and went to college, I in New York where “vegetation” is a foreign word and Nick in California where the only thing falling from the trees are coconuts. However, we can both look back and appreciate the lessons that leaf raking and our unsuccessful attempts to avoid it taught us.
We always tried to get rid of the leaves because we didn’t appreciate the subtle forces inherent in leaf-raking that were surreptitiously shaping our characters every time we raked. The leaves kept coming back to us for a reason; because raking was really a call to having faith that the benefits would out weigh and long outlive the suffering.
Having faith is a theme that we have heard over and over again in the Gospel readings of the past month. Two weeks ago the gospel reading was about Christ calming the Sea. Last week we saw him healing the Gentile demoniac, and this week, he heals the woman with a flow of blood and raises the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue. We are called to place our faith in God, just as the young woman with the flow of blood did when the touched Jesus and as the ruler of the synagogue did when he asked Christ to heal his dying daughter. We place our faith in Christ so that we might know and marvel at his works just as we know and marvel at the changing colors of the autumn leaves.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
A Beautiful Blog
Finished A Beautiful Mind today. Great book. I highly reccomend it. I've never taken an economics course and didn't even really know the definition of economics before I delved into the book and now I want to minor in it!! haha. I think I just have to pick a minor. Then I'll be OK because I know I am capable of falling in love with whatever I pick because I am interested in basically every field of study so it is just a matter of committing to one.
John Nash was a really eccentric, brilliant, reclusive, focused intellectual. I almost felt like I was living his life while I was reading the book. I definitely put myself in his shoes for most of the book. Sometimes I put myself in Alicia's (his wife), but mostly his. I'm curious, is this what everyone does when they are reading a biography? Or do they read it like an outsider looking in?
I found a sequel to the biography. It's called A Beautiful Math and while A Beautiful Mind focused on John Nash as a person , this one focuses on his math. The former is essentially a product of the latter. I read the first two chapters of it today (I can't believe I am choosing economics over Colbert!) and, among other, things, it introduced the concept of game-theory and the philosophies of Newton (the God of physics), Smith (the God of economics), and Darwin (the god of natural science). The order in which these three bodies of knowledge emerged was
1. Newton's philosophies about physical sciences (ie. gravity)
2. Smith's theories about ends and means - economics (invisible hand of govt., free-market economy)
3. Darwin's theories about human development (evolution, survival of the fittest)
I think it's ironic that Darwin theorized that only the strongest will survive (a theory that permeates essentially all life realms) AFTER Smith theorized that a govt. should play a minimal role in market affairs because Smith was theorizing about human behavior while Darwin was theorizing about humans themselves. The order seems a bit out of wack and when you look at the underlying principles that guide both smith and darwin's work we can see that they are the same.
off to yoga.
more later.
I love John Nash <3<3<3
and sushi <3<3<3
John Nash was a really eccentric, brilliant, reclusive, focused intellectual. I almost felt like I was living his life while I was reading the book. I definitely put myself in his shoes for most of the book. Sometimes I put myself in Alicia's (his wife), but mostly his. I'm curious, is this what everyone does when they are reading a biography? Or do they read it like an outsider looking in?
I found a sequel to the biography. It's called A Beautiful Math and while A Beautiful Mind focused on John Nash as a person , this one focuses on his math. The former is essentially a product of the latter. I read the first two chapters of it today (I can't believe I am choosing economics over Colbert!) and, among other, things, it introduced the concept of game-theory and the philosophies of Newton (the God of physics), Smith (the God of economics), and Darwin (the god of natural science). The order in which these three bodies of knowledge emerged was
1. Newton's philosophies about physical sciences (ie. gravity)
2. Smith's theories about ends and means - economics (invisible hand of govt., free-market economy)
3. Darwin's theories about human development (evolution, survival of the fittest)
I think it's ironic that Darwin theorized that only the strongest will survive (a theory that permeates essentially all life realms) AFTER Smith theorized that a govt. should play a minimal role in market affairs because Smith was theorizing about human behavior while Darwin was theorizing about humans themselves. The order seems a bit out of wack and when you look at the underlying principles that guide both smith and darwin's work we can see that they are the same.
off to yoga.
more later.
I love John Nash <3<3<3
and sushi <3<3<3
Friday, October 19, 2007
Gymnastics Article #1
The ancient Greeks did it naked. The Romans had it banned. The Christians deplored it as dangerous. Yet is has nonetheless survived the test of time and risen as a glorified art form that tests the limits of the mind-body-spirit complex in an aesthetically compelling practice. Gymnastics has evolved into one of the most internaionally celebrated sports. It is performed at an amateur, expert, and Olympic level and not only offers fans an aethetically pleasing dance of physicality and gracefulness - it prepares its participants for the real world.
Should I give in to my Big Mac craving or do I want to indulge in Sushi? What color shoes should I wear with that striped shirt? Should I go out for a night-on-the town with friends or stay in and catch up on some Steven King? The problems that we face in gymnastics often surrepticiously mirror the ones that we face in the real world. Deciding what to eat, wear, or do with our spare time is a lot easier when we have been making consequential decisions all of our lives. Making a commitment to stay on the beam after a wobbly backhandspring could make-or-break a routine, just like resolving to return a phone-call to a client could make-or-break the relationship we have with that client.
The world of gymnastics is one small microcosm in the great macrocosmic universe and the practice of it prepares us for living, dealing, and coping in an often daunting, complex, and trying world. Just like religion, art, business, school, athletics, politics, economics, and acedemia oftentimes collide in the real-world, beam, bars, floor, and vault (the four women's artistic events) also do in gymnastics. The mental and physical tools that enable us to master (or come lose to!) these four disciplines also do so in real-life.
Enrolling our children in gymnastic is one of the single most important things we can do to help ensure that they will be able to handle stress and cope with the ever-changing world that they will inevitably be thrust into. Gymnastics is a progression that begins with mommy-and-me classes, which then progress into preschool, non-competitve, competitive (comulsory and optional), and eventually either college-level or elite level gymnastics.
Gymnastics is, in essence, a child's initiation into the world of choices and choices are what dictate the course of our lives. An infant in a mommy-and-me class chooses whether or not to walk across the beam alone or to hold mommy's hand in the process. A competitive gymnast chooses which body part to move at a certain time and they see the effects of that choice at the conclusion of the skill. A more experienced gymnast may even choose between which human system to employ when performaing a skill (skeletal or muscular).
Gymnastics helps children become autonomus, socially engaged, hard-working, heatlthy, and intellectually adept individuals. These are the inredgiants that parents hope that their children, as they grow into adolsecents and eventually adults, will encompass.
The mind-body-spirit trinity is apparent moreso in gymnastics than in any other sport because of the simultaneous physical, mental, and spiritual demands it places on its participates. Beam requires a mix of balance, power, precision, and stability. Floor requires tenacity, grace, and willful endurance. Bars requires fluidity and strength. Vault demands speed, quick-thinking, and tight, clear objectives. All of these qualities are what we aspire, as people who continue to seek happiness and fulfillment in life, aspire to encompass. So why not cultviate in our children these same qualities from the get-go by putting them in a sport that may also eventually relieve us of our finanical obligation to put them through college?
Gymnastics, if practiced correctly, spawns outstanding individuals who are able to survive and thrive in an increasingly demanding universe.
New article - about mommy-and-me classes specifically (target age-group)...
In mommy-and-me classes, infants are given that all-important foundation that they need to build-off of. They develop motor skills and learn, essentially, how to move. They develope balance and concentration by walking across a low beam while holding mommy's hand. They learn how to manipulate their bodies and what the effect of moving a certain limb in a certain direction can have by jumping on a trampoline. They experience the phenomenon of moving each body part in tandem as a means by which to pull themselves over a low bar (with the help of a coach of course!). They develop arm strength by hanging on a low bar, courage by jumping into the pit, and cognition by maneuvering their way through an obstacle course. Bright colored beanbags, hula-hoops, and mats are used in order to apeal to their visual-spatial sense.
New article - more specifically about the gymnast rather than the practice of gymnastics in general....
We marvel at them as they flip across a four-inch slab of wood raised four feet off the ground and land without a wobble. We gasp as they tumble their way into space, twisting and flipping (often simultaneously) and rebouding off of what, to the naked, eye, looks like nothing more than a big blue carpet. We stare in amazement as they sprint their fastest towards an inanimate apparatus, then use it to propell themselves up and over and land seemlessly without moving a muscle. And we watch in wonder as they muscle and contort their bodies in swings and counter-swings that propell them up, over, around, and awaya from bar to bar. This is the sport of Women's Gymnastics at its finest.
Gymnastics is one big metaphor for life.
Should I give in to my Big Mac craving or do I want to indulge in Sushi? What color shoes should I wear with that striped shirt? Should I go out for a night-on-the town with friends or stay in and catch up on some Steven King? The problems that we face in gymnastics often surrepticiously mirror the ones that we face in the real world. Deciding what to eat, wear, or do with our spare time is a lot easier when we have been making consequential decisions all of our lives. Making a commitment to stay on the beam after a wobbly backhandspring could make-or-break a routine, just like resolving to return a phone-call to a client could make-or-break the relationship we have with that client.
The world of gymnastics is one small microcosm in the great macrocosmic universe and the practice of it prepares us for living, dealing, and coping in an often daunting, complex, and trying world. Just like religion, art, business, school, athletics, politics, economics, and acedemia oftentimes collide in the real-world, beam, bars, floor, and vault (the four women's artistic events) also do in gymnastics. The mental and physical tools that enable us to master (or come lose to!) these four disciplines also do so in real-life.
Enrolling our children in gymnastic is one of the single most important things we can do to help ensure that they will be able to handle stress and cope with the ever-changing world that they will inevitably be thrust into. Gymnastics is a progression that begins with mommy-and-me classes, which then progress into preschool, non-competitve, competitive (comulsory and optional), and eventually either college-level or elite level gymnastics.
Gymnastics is, in essence, a child's initiation into the world of choices and choices are what dictate the course of our lives. An infant in a mommy-and-me class chooses whether or not to walk across the beam alone or to hold mommy's hand in the process. A competitive gymnast chooses which body part to move at a certain time and they see the effects of that choice at the conclusion of the skill. A more experienced gymnast may even choose between which human system to employ when performaing a skill (skeletal or muscular).
Gymnastics helps children become autonomus, socially engaged, hard-working, heatlthy, and intellectually adept individuals. These are the inredgiants that parents hope that their children, as they grow into adolsecents and eventually adults, will encompass.
The mind-body-spirit trinity is apparent moreso in gymnastics than in any other sport because of the simultaneous physical, mental, and spiritual demands it places on its participates. Beam requires a mix of balance, power, precision, and stability. Floor requires tenacity, grace, and willful endurance. Bars requires fluidity and strength. Vault demands speed, quick-thinking, and tight, clear objectives. All of these qualities are what we aspire, as people who continue to seek happiness and fulfillment in life, aspire to encompass. So why not cultviate in our children these same qualities from the get-go by putting them in a sport that may also eventually relieve us of our finanical obligation to put them through college?
Gymnastics, if practiced correctly, spawns outstanding individuals who are able to survive and thrive in an increasingly demanding universe.
New article - about mommy-and-me classes specifically (target age-group)...
In mommy-and-me classes, infants are given that all-important foundation that they need to build-off of. They develop motor skills and learn, essentially, how to move. They develope balance and concentration by walking across a low beam while holding mommy's hand. They learn how to manipulate their bodies and what the effect of moving a certain limb in a certain direction can have by jumping on a trampoline. They experience the phenomenon of moving each body part in tandem as a means by which to pull themselves over a low bar (with the help of a coach of course!). They develop arm strength by hanging on a low bar, courage by jumping into the pit, and cognition by maneuvering their way through an obstacle course. Bright colored beanbags, hula-hoops, and mats are used in order to apeal to their visual-spatial sense.
New article - more specifically about the gymnast rather than the practice of gymnastics in general....
We marvel at them as they flip across a four-inch slab of wood raised four feet off the ground and land without a wobble. We gasp as they tumble their way into space, twisting and flipping (often simultaneously) and rebouding off of what, to the naked, eye, looks like nothing more than a big blue carpet. We stare in amazement as they sprint their fastest towards an inanimate apparatus, then use it to propell themselves up and over and land seemlessly without moving a muscle. And we watch in wonder as they muscle and contort their bodies in swings and counter-swings that propell them up, over, around, and awaya from bar to bar. This is the sport of Women's Gymnastics at its finest.
Gymnastics is one big metaphor for life.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
The reality of reality
sooooooo I was having a debate about reality in which I presupposed that the reality of reality is an imaginary idea that we have constructed in order to make sense of a world in which reality doesn't even really exist.
The reality of "reality" is that there is no reality and there are no facts, only assumptions whose existence is dependent on the paradox of symbioticism (I made that word up, but you get the idea, and it SHOULD BE A WORD because YOU can use extrapolation to extricate its meaning from its root word [symbiotic], but I've had this argument already so I'll opt not to digress, even though I already have.....).
A fact is something that is self-evident, that is proven, that we know, and that we can use to form the core of our hypothesi, theories, principles, formulas, equations etc. We know that a fact exists and therefor we do not have to go through the painsaking process of proving that it exists. However, the fact of the matter is that a "fact" only exists when it is considered in realtion to other "facts."
Reality, which is factual, only exists in a perceptual sense.
For instance, we know that global warming exists because we see it happening, becuase we see glaciers melting and polar bears dying, but what if we couldn't see the effects of it? Then would it still exist? Would pollution still be causing the ozone layer to depleat? We only KNOW that it exists because of perceptual clues.
Likewise, did death exist before the first person died? Or did the act of dying only enable us to know that death existed because it BECAME a reality.
On the other end of the scale, does time-travel exist just becuase it isn't real now?
Schrodinger's Uncertainty principle can be used to prove this. According to the uncertainty principle, the momentum and the position of an electron cannot be simultaneously known given the fact that the electron is a perpertually moving object in space. If we know its momentum then we cannot know its position because it has since moved. If we know its position then we cannot know its momentum because we are calculating position according to a series of set coordinates that do not move.
I think that knowing this about subatomic particles enables us to deduce information about life in general because life as a whole is in a constant state of motion because we are made up of matter which is made up partially of electrons. I think if I remember correctly "What the Bleep do we know?" discusses this. We assume things are real because we need to be able to make sense of the world. We are living in a fictional universe that cannot be proven based on facts. (which is an argument for religion, but I won't get into that).
Another piece of evidence against the reality of reality is the observer effect. If reality is perceptual, if things only exist to us if we can see, hear, smell, touch, taste, or if we can learn about them, or read about them, then the mere act of "observing" them changes them.
also... this is cool.... in Star Trek, time-travel was plausible because they invented a machine called the "Heisenburg compensator" which was able to capture particles in motion (in essence, to know the position and the momentum of a particle) and transport them into another time.
another also, here's a quote from A Beautiful Mind that proves the futility of trying to put a finger on the reality of reality:
Nash made his own agenda quite clear. 'To me one of the best things about the Heisenberg paper is its restriction to the observable quantities. I want to find a different and more satisfying under-picture of a non-observable reality.' It was this attempt that Nash would blame, decades later in a lecture to psychiatrists, for triggering his mental illness- calling his attempt to resolve contradictions in quantum theory possibly overreaching and psychologcally destabilizaing."
sweet stuff.
The reality of "reality" is that there is no reality and there are no facts, only assumptions whose existence is dependent on the paradox of symbioticism (I made that word up, but you get the idea, and it SHOULD BE A WORD because YOU can use extrapolation to extricate its meaning from its root word [symbiotic], but I've had this argument already so I'll opt not to digress, even though I already have.....).
A fact is something that is self-evident, that is proven, that we know, and that we can use to form the core of our hypothesi, theories, principles, formulas, equations etc. We know that a fact exists and therefor we do not have to go through the painsaking process of proving that it exists. However, the fact of the matter is that a "fact" only exists when it is considered in realtion to other "facts."
Reality, which is factual, only exists in a perceptual sense.
For instance, we know that global warming exists because we see it happening, becuase we see glaciers melting and polar bears dying, but what if we couldn't see the effects of it? Then would it still exist? Would pollution still be causing the ozone layer to depleat? We only KNOW that it exists because of perceptual clues.
Likewise, did death exist before the first person died? Or did the act of dying only enable us to know that death existed because it BECAME a reality.
On the other end of the scale, does time-travel exist just becuase it isn't real now?
Schrodinger's Uncertainty principle can be used to prove this. According to the uncertainty principle, the momentum and the position of an electron cannot be simultaneously known given the fact that the electron is a perpertually moving object in space. If we know its momentum then we cannot know its position because it has since moved. If we know its position then we cannot know its momentum because we are calculating position according to a series of set coordinates that do not move.
I think that knowing this about subatomic particles enables us to deduce information about life in general because life as a whole is in a constant state of motion because we are made up of matter which is made up partially of electrons. I think if I remember correctly "What the Bleep do we know?" discusses this. We assume things are real because we need to be able to make sense of the world. We are living in a fictional universe that cannot be proven based on facts. (which is an argument for religion, but I won't get into that).
Another piece of evidence against the reality of reality is the observer effect. If reality is perceptual, if things only exist to us if we can see, hear, smell, touch, taste, or if we can learn about them, or read about them, then the mere act of "observing" them changes them.
also... this is cool.... in Star Trek, time-travel was plausible because they invented a machine called the "Heisenburg compensator" which was able to capture particles in motion (in essence, to know the position and the momentum of a particle) and transport them into another time.
another also, here's a quote from A Beautiful Mind that proves the futility of trying to put a finger on the reality of reality:
Nash made his own agenda quite clear. 'To me one of the best things about the Heisenberg paper is its restriction to the observable quantities. I want to find a different and more satisfying under-picture of a non-observable reality.' It was this attempt that Nash would blame, decades later in a lecture to psychiatrists, for triggering his mental illness- calling his attempt to resolve contradictions in quantum theory possibly overreaching and psychologcally destabilizaing."
sweet stuff.
GYMNASTICS
So I found this sweet writing internship that requires you to come up with new articles about a specific topic that you get to choose off of a list of many that are offered. I was surprised to see "Gymnastics" nestled inoccuously amongst a heap of brodder subjects like politics, computers, podcasting, newlyweds, and...cheese. Seriously, chees was in there haha. Which doesn't prove my point that gymnastics seemed a bit out of place, but is nonetheless very funny! How many articles can possibly be written about cheese? Cows make milk, humans make cheese from it, it molds, sometimes it has holes, mice like it....well, maybe there are a lot of topics that can be written about it, but still.
Anyway, the internship requires you to submit a sample of writing about your chosen topic and clearly gymnastics is what I am best suited to write about and since I have no samples except a few arbitrary opinion columbs scattered here and there I need to come up with some. SOOOOO..... here is a stream of consciousness about gymnastics topics that I can potential blog about...
mind over matter, being centered, breathing, endurance, 90% mental 10% physical aspect of gymnastics, conditioning and flexibility- having a good amount of both, eating healthy, eating smart,- are there things that we shouldn't be allowed to eat? what does this do to us in the future? what to eat before workout, after working, before competition, during competition, curing workout, what to drink, how to teach young gymnastics about eating healthy. eating health = eating balanced, , BALANCE in all areas (conditioning, flexibility, eating, training, mental, physical, competition) research into coaching styles- the yeller, the patient coach, the spotter, that lazy coach, the coach that enphasisesz strength, different perspective abotu competing - how much of it, how to USE competitions, the political nature of gymnastics, children and gymnastics - bein careful about how you touch them, waht you say to them, how you teach them, what you are ingraing into their young and vulnerable minds, - concentration development, dance, leaps and jumps, progression, preschoolers, cognition, different techniques for preschoolers, punishment: what to use and whatt it teaches children (ie. should pushups be used as a punishment and candy as a reward? what does this teach kids? - to hate pushups and love candy), response of children, best techniques - humor? balancing fun with work, winning vs losing, progression -the value of patience . you want to ideally keep moving forward not backward so you need to look to the future - self-preservation - if you get injured a lot now you won;t have a future.
vault - explosiveness - running techniques, different running drills, shoulder blocks, board, reach, landing, different vaults work better with different gymnastics
ie. smaller gymnastics with more stomache strength tend to be able to rotate faster so a Front-front would probably be the best choice and a gymnast with a long line would look better doing a yurchenko. oftentimes judging is subjective though it tries to be objective based on how a gymnast looks so choosing the skill or choreogrphing a routine based on the gymnast is essential
coaching beam -beam drills
from drills to skills
skeletal muscular system and deciding which to use and when - constant neogitiation - listen to your body - balance of pushing through the pain and knowing when to stop
teamwork
allegiance
communication
callouses on hands -development
grips -
the impotance of the handstand for every single event
floor - explosiveness - techniques roundoff quickness .... endurance work smart, not hard!
"she works hard, but she doesn't work smart"
parents in the gym - when to step in when not to - parents vs coach dialogue.
competition training
percentage that nerves factor in.
bars - constant negotioation - arm strength
boys gymnastics vs girls gymnastics - elegance vs power.
flooor music personality
pit training, spotting, belts, trampoline training, tramp bar helpfulness
skill progression
conditioning drills should mirror and work to progressively lead you towards learning the actual skills
conditioning is different for every girl every gymnastics is different
developmental differences nature nurture
family life, religion, work ethic..all factors
Anyway, the internship requires you to submit a sample of writing about your chosen topic and clearly gymnastics is what I am best suited to write about and since I have no samples except a few arbitrary opinion columbs scattered here and there I need to come up with some. SOOOOO..... here is a stream of consciousness about gymnastics topics that I can potential blog about...
mind over matter, being centered, breathing, endurance, 90% mental 10% physical aspect of gymnastics, conditioning and flexibility- having a good amount of both, eating healthy, eating smart,- are there things that we shouldn't be allowed to eat? what does this do to us in the future? what to eat before workout, after working, before competition, during competition, curing workout, what to drink, how to teach young gymnastics about eating healthy. eating health = eating balanced, , BALANCE in all areas (conditioning, flexibility, eating, training, mental, physical, competition) research into coaching styles- the yeller, the patient coach, the spotter, that lazy coach, the coach that enphasisesz strength, different perspective abotu competing - how much of it, how to USE competitions, the political nature of gymnastics, children and gymnastics - bein careful about how you touch them, waht you say to them, how you teach them, what you are ingraing into their young and vulnerable minds, - concentration development, dance, leaps and jumps, progression, preschoolers, cognition, different techniques for preschoolers, punishment: what to use and whatt it teaches children (ie. should pushups be used as a punishment and candy as a reward? what does this teach kids? - to hate pushups and love candy), response of children, best techniques - humor? balancing fun with work, winning vs losing, progression -the value of patience . you want to ideally keep moving forward not backward so you need to look to the future - self-preservation - if you get injured a lot now you won;t have a future.
vault - explosiveness - running techniques, different running drills, shoulder blocks, board, reach, landing, different vaults work better with different gymnastics
ie. smaller gymnastics with more stomache strength tend to be able to rotate faster so a Front-front would probably be the best choice and a gymnast with a long line would look better doing a yurchenko. oftentimes judging is subjective though it tries to be objective based on how a gymnast looks so choosing the skill or choreogrphing a routine based on the gymnast is essential
bars- arm strength, development, stomach strength, progressions - teach kids skills that will rpogress to bigger skills - ie. a front hip circle is not one of my favorite skills because it really doesnt progress into a lot. whyt is bars typically the hardest event to coach/learn? Spotting on bars -challenging - fearlessness on the bar - release moves, dismounts, mounts, giants.... floor bar, bounce drills, handstands.... content...combinations.... SMART choreography. strength. PRESS HANDSTAND content = giants, release moves, bar changes, pirouettes, kips, dismounts, mounts.
repetition of drills - knowing how to used your body - how to pull yourself over the bar - arch vs hollow - knowing your body positions
beam -balance, cell chatter, negotiation, using all parts of your body in tandem, being aware, being patient, knowing where you are in space, staying centered, fluidity, breath- let your breath guide you through the routine - maintaining a balance between grace and power, the clock, progression -from floor to high beam, mounts, dismounts, content of routine, choreography, flair, what sets your routine a aprt from the next? developments historically -beam used to be lot less chalennging than it is today - now gymnasts do standing fulls in level 10, before a backhandspring was considered elite.
floor - power, undurance, dance - your chance to show your individuality, each routine should be made to fit the gymnast - choosing floor music, tumbling passes -content, roundoff, line drills, tumbling into the pit, transition from pit to floor, mats, spotting, twisting, twisting vs flippinf, combinations, landings - girls ahve the advantage of the lunge, but they have the disadvantage of having to stay with the music (among other jarring differences), progressive drills, working up your endurance, routines in a row, routines without tumbling, staying in the lines, dance, jumps leaps (becominging increasingly less important?), gym-acro combos.
compulsaries vs optionals vs elites vs college gymnasts vs high school gymnasts
beam as a metaphor for life because life is all about balance.coaching beam -beam drills
from drills to skills
skeletal muscular system and deciding which to use and when - constant neogitiation - listen to your body - balance of pushing through the pain and knowing when to stop
teamwork
allegiance
communication
callouses on hands -development
grips -
the impotance of the handstand for every single event
floor - explosiveness - techniques roundoff quickness .... endurance work smart, not hard!
"she works hard, but she doesn't work smart"
parents in the gym - when to step in when not to - parents vs coach dialogue.
competition training
percentage that nerves factor in.
bars - constant negotioation - arm strength
boys gymnastics vs girls gymnastics - elegance vs power.
flooor music personality
pit training, spotting, belts, trampoline training, tramp bar helpfulness
skill progression
conditioning drills should mirror and work to progressively lead you towards learning the actual skills
conditioning is different for every girl every gymnastics is different
developmental differences nature nurture
family life, religion, work ethic..all factors
the judge, the college scout, other coaches, other parents, your parents, influences
remembering that gymnastics is just one part of your life and different sources (coach, parent, gymnast, teamate, judge) have different perspectives.Saturday, October 13, 2007
Basic Summary of the Good Life
Go ahead, read it, learn it, live it, and love it! I invite you! ...........
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrendor be on good terms with all persons. Speak truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull & ignorant; they too have their story.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater or lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.
- Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrendor be on good terms with all persons. Speak truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull & ignorant; they too have their story.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater or lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.
- Desiderata
Friday, October 12, 2007
Confusion!
What the fuck?
What are their never any answers?
I understand now why a lot of the great minds were depressed (seriously.. check out their pictures - those aren't happy faces); because they had the intuitive ability to arrive at the Truth.... the abstract truth not the concrete truth... but when they got there they realized that there really was none. That the truth that they had been striving for wasn't anywhere to be found and that their reasoning was really all circuitous and pointless. That they couldn't really believe in anything except the truth that there was nothing to believe in.
I think this might be Nietzche's point tough honestly I've never read it and am biased against him because his famous one liner is "God is Dead."
I am reading about John Nash in A Beautiful Mind, for instance. He wasn't born schizophrenic, but he developed into one after he was thrust into the world of mathematics (not to blame math for his disease) - a world of concrete formulas, of axioms, of assumptions that are necessarily taken for granted and adopted as fact if bigger, deeper, humanistic, economic, militaristic problems can plausibly be solved. John Nash was brilliant because he never assumed anything to be true. When he was taught a principle that some greater mind had established as fact, he didn't take for granted that it was true. Instead, he figured it out for himself and made his own proof. Then, when he had mastered these "proofs," when he could recall mathematical axioms and formulas and constants like pi and avagadro's constant etc.etc, he sought to delve into unknown fields where their were still unsolved problems and solve them. He was on a quest to shed light where there was darkness.
He later came to believe that there were martians telling him what to do (I haven't gotten to that part yet).
In other words, he became schizophrenic.
Schizophrenia
1.
a severe mental disorder characterized by some, but not necessarily all, of the following features: emotional blunting, intellectual deterioration, social isolation, disorganized speech and behavior, delusions, and hallucinations.
2.
a state characterized by the coexistence of contradictory or incompatible elements.
3.
Any of a group of psychotic disorders usually characterized by withdrawal from reality, illogical patterns of thinking, delusions, and hallucinations, and accompanied in varying degrees by other emotional, behavioral, or intellectual disturbances. Schizophrenia is associated with dopamine imbalances in the brain and may have an underlying genetic cause.
4.
A situation or condition that results from the coexistence of disparate or antagonistic qualities, identities, or activities.
I think "the coexistence of disparate or antagonistic forces" best sums up the disease.
If this is the definition of schizophrenia then the whold nature of the world is schizophrenic.
I think that the world in which we live breeds schitzophrenia in people and that we are all schizophrenics and that those who are labeled as schizophrenics are done so because their behavior is indicative of the fact that they refuse to accept a reality that doesn't even exist in the first place.
We all accept reality, they don't. Maybe because of genetics, maybe not. I think it is probably a nature/nurture thing, although I should note that I am REALLY biased against genetics.
(this is a digression, but someone I know, for instance, always thinks that he/she is sick. I think that he/she is making himself/herself sick and that genetics has nothing to do with it at all.)
When asked how someone as brilliant as he, with a mind as brilliant and discerning as his, could have possibly believed that aliens were directing his motives and actions, John Nash responded:
"because they came to me the same way the answers to my mathematical solutions came to me."
So how did his mathematical solutions come to him? They came to him through the sequential process of...
1. learning about established mathematical truths
2. proving for himself that they were true using other mathematical truths
3. using those same mathematical proofs to solve problems in fields in which there were unsolved problems.
so, we canarguably assume that he came to his theories about aliens, a product of his schizophrenia, which is defined as believing that the "coexistence of antagonistc forces" is reality by...
1. learning about the established truths about reality
2. proving for himself that these truths were real using other established truths about reality
3. using those same conclusions about reality to attempt to shed light on questions about reality that he had.
When the "reality of reality" failed to adequetly answer his questions, he became schizophrenic.
This is because there is no established reality. It is subjective.
All of the great minds seemed to realize this, yet all of them established their own truths about reality, and "great philosophers" like John Stuart Mill and John Milton attempt to use the very existence of and potential for learning about those truths to justify Libertarianism, which denounces the suppresion of any viewpoint for fear that it might contain even one iota of a truth, that of which might not even exist in the first place.
note that how John Nash developed schizophrenia is only my opinion. Maybe the acceptance of subjective abstract truths is really our own individual shield of schizophrenia. When we each, individually "hold these, our truths to be self-evident" then we have something to fall back upon. We have an end goal in sight.
So what, if any, should this end goal ideally be?
For Aristotle it was Happiness.
For Christians it is Heaven.
I believe it is heaven.
keyword believe.
which is an abstract thing.
but a necessary thing.
I think.
again, it seems, that the surrendor to love, which is also an abstract thing, it the only thing we can do.
peace!
What are their never any answers?
I understand now why a lot of the great minds were depressed (seriously.. check out their pictures - those aren't happy faces); because they had the intuitive ability to arrive at the Truth.... the abstract truth not the concrete truth... but when they got there they realized that there really was none. That the truth that they had been striving for wasn't anywhere to be found and that their reasoning was really all circuitous and pointless. That they couldn't really believe in anything except the truth that there was nothing to believe in.
I think this might be Nietzche's point tough honestly I've never read it and am biased against him because his famous one liner is "God is Dead."
I am reading about John Nash in A Beautiful Mind, for instance. He wasn't born schizophrenic, but he developed into one after he was thrust into the world of mathematics (not to blame math for his disease) - a world of concrete formulas, of axioms, of assumptions that are necessarily taken for granted and adopted as fact if bigger, deeper, humanistic, economic, militaristic problems can plausibly be solved. John Nash was brilliant because he never assumed anything to be true. When he was taught a principle that some greater mind had established as fact, he didn't take for granted that it was true. Instead, he figured it out for himself and made his own proof. Then, when he had mastered these "proofs," when he could recall mathematical axioms and formulas and constants like pi and avagadro's constant etc.etc, he sought to delve into unknown fields where their were still unsolved problems and solve them. He was on a quest to shed light where there was darkness.
He later came to believe that there were martians telling him what to do (I haven't gotten to that part yet).
In other words, he became schizophrenic.
Schizophrenia
1.
a severe mental disorder characterized by some, but not necessarily all, of the following features: emotional blunting, intellectual deterioration, social isolation, disorganized speech and behavior, delusions, and hallucinations.
2.
a state characterized by the coexistence of contradictory or incompatible elements.
3.
Any of a group of psychotic disorders usually characterized by withdrawal from reality, illogical patterns of thinking, delusions, and hallucinations, and accompanied in varying degrees by other emotional, behavioral, or intellectual disturbances. Schizophrenia is associated with dopamine imbalances in the brain and may have an underlying genetic cause.
4.
A situation or condition that results from the coexistence of disparate or antagonistic qualities, identities, or activities.
I think "the coexistence of disparate or antagonistic forces" best sums up the disease.
If this is the definition of schizophrenia then the whold nature of the world is schizophrenic.
I think that the world in which we live breeds schitzophrenia in people and that we are all schizophrenics and that those who are labeled as schizophrenics are done so because their behavior is indicative of the fact that they refuse to accept a reality that doesn't even exist in the first place.
We all accept reality, they don't. Maybe because of genetics, maybe not. I think it is probably a nature/nurture thing, although I should note that I am REALLY biased against genetics.
(this is a digression, but someone I know, for instance, always thinks that he/she is sick. I think that he/she is making himself/herself sick and that genetics has nothing to do with it at all.)
When asked how someone as brilliant as he, with a mind as brilliant and discerning as his, could have possibly believed that aliens were directing his motives and actions, John Nash responded:
"because they came to me the same way the answers to my mathematical solutions came to me."
So how did his mathematical solutions come to him? They came to him through the sequential process of...
1. learning about established mathematical truths
2. proving for himself that they were true using other mathematical truths
3. using those same mathematical proofs to solve problems in fields in which there were unsolved problems.
so, we canarguably assume that he came to his theories about aliens, a product of his schizophrenia, which is defined as believing that the "coexistence of antagonistc forces" is reality by...
1. learning about the established truths about reality
2. proving for himself that these truths were real using other established truths about reality
3. using those same conclusions about reality to attempt to shed light on questions about reality that he had.
When the "reality of reality" failed to adequetly answer his questions, he became schizophrenic.
This is because there is no established reality. It is subjective.
All of the great minds seemed to realize this, yet all of them established their own truths about reality, and "great philosophers" like John Stuart Mill and John Milton attempt to use the very existence of and potential for learning about those truths to justify Libertarianism, which denounces the suppresion of any viewpoint for fear that it might contain even one iota of a truth, that of which might not even exist in the first place.
note that how John Nash developed schizophrenia is only my opinion. Maybe the acceptance of subjective abstract truths is really our own individual shield of schizophrenia. When we each, individually "hold these, our truths to be self-evident" then we have something to fall back upon. We have an end goal in sight.
So what, if any, should this end goal ideally be?
For Aristotle it was Happiness.
For Christians it is Heaven.
I believe it is heaven.
keyword believe.
which is an abstract thing.
but a necessary thing.
I think.
again, it seems, that the surrendor to love, which is also an abstract thing, it the only thing we can do.
peace!
Monday, October 8, 2007
On Education
I am confused about education so I'm going to use this blog to try and sift through the mess. It seems as if the prosepct of educating everyone is a Catch22. There are many forms of education. One can be book-smart, street-smart, socailly-smart, politically-smart. There are many subcategories to being educated. One way in which society educates its people is by maintaing an open channel of communication out of which they have access to the facts. We learn about our government fromt he media, from newspapers, television, the internet, magazines, blogs...we have access to it almost everywhere. Which means that we also have access to a lot of opinions that might not be the whole truth and nothing but the truth. We have access to information that might be marred with biases, with ulterior motives, with propaganda, with factless ramblings. How, then, can we combat these falsehoods? The answer seems to lie somewhere in education. We need to be educated so we can differentiate between the truth and a lie. BUT the way we educate ourselves is by absorbing a free flow of information. BUT absorbing a free flow of information might mean absorbing a lie. And if we unwittingly absorb a lie then how do we know if it is a lie if we can't differentiate between the truth and a lie, or if we don;t know that we SHOULD differentiate between the truth and and a lie, or if we don't know that the Truth even exists, or if we don;t know that we are even capable of differentiating between the two?????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Education enables us to be educated, yet it is a developemental process. By restricting the flow of information, by censoring an idea just because we don't think that someone is ready to interpret it in a way that won't be self-detrimental, which might then lead such a corrupted person to corrupt other, larger numbers of people, which might then lead to revolts that seek to overthrow the government, which might then lead to a nation that is nolonger a cohesive unit and therefor sees no problem in conspiring against other nations, which then leads to world wars, which then leads to wars with extraterrestrials from other planets, so soon the whole UNIVERSE is coconspiring against each other.....we are thereby impedeing the educational process itself!
I used to think that I was a lot happy when I didn't know. This is a product of gymnastics I think. Actually, it is a product of metacognition, of knowing that i know and then looking back and comparing my childhood -when I was naive and innocent to now, when I am aware and engaged. Gymnastics was easier when I was mindlessly going through the moves and not bogged down in all the extra baggage that came with knowing (ie. fear - because i became aware of consequences). But I think I am actually a lot happier now that I know, that I am able to consciously make rational and irrational decisions (haha).
So life is all about trial-and-error right? We try and we err and hopefully we learn from our errors and try again and err in some other way and learn again and fix old problems and try new things that inevitably pose new problems which we are also supposed to fix, then where do we draw the line???????? If we already know that something is going to be an error, then why not stop it before it happens? This is what censoring is all about. But then if we censor things we are barring people who might not have experienced those things from ever having the chance to try and to err?????????????????????????????????????????????????
Don't even get me started on truth. I think the conclusion I have about the nature of truth is that concrete truth (ie. this is a keyboard) is abstracted from the abstract Truth. This must then be the truth after which we all strive... the universal properties of truth lie in the abstract truth, not in the concrete truth because truth is circumstantial.
Also, women in Japan think that they carry a baby for 10 months, not 9.
Just saying.
ahhhh.
Education enables us to be educated, yet it is a developemental process. By restricting the flow of information, by censoring an idea just because we don't think that someone is ready to interpret it in a way that won't be self-detrimental, which might then lead such a corrupted person to corrupt other, larger numbers of people, which might then lead to revolts that seek to overthrow the government, which might then lead to a nation that is nolonger a cohesive unit and therefor sees no problem in conspiring against other nations, which then leads to world wars, which then leads to wars with extraterrestrials from other planets, so soon the whole UNIVERSE is coconspiring against each other.....we are thereby impedeing the educational process itself!
I used to think that I was a lot happy when I didn't know. This is a product of gymnastics I think. Actually, it is a product of metacognition, of knowing that i know and then looking back and comparing my childhood -when I was naive and innocent to now, when I am aware and engaged. Gymnastics was easier when I was mindlessly going through the moves and not bogged down in all the extra baggage that came with knowing (ie. fear - because i became aware of consequences). But I think I am actually a lot happier now that I know, that I am able to consciously make rational and irrational decisions (haha).
So life is all about trial-and-error right? We try and we err and hopefully we learn from our errors and try again and err in some other way and learn again and fix old problems and try new things that inevitably pose new problems which we are also supposed to fix, then where do we draw the line???????? If we already know that something is going to be an error, then why not stop it before it happens? This is what censoring is all about. But then if we censor things we are barring people who might not have experienced those things from ever having the chance to try and to err?????????????????????????????????????????????????
Don't even get me started on truth. I think the conclusion I have about the nature of truth is that concrete truth (ie. this is a keyboard) is abstracted from the abstract Truth. This must then be the truth after which we all strive... the universal properties of truth lie in the abstract truth, not in the concrete truth because truth is circumstantial.
Also, women in Japan think that they carry a baby for 10 months, not 9.
Just saying.
ahhhh.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Education Day @ the Seminary
What a great day. Honestly, so refreshing. Why has everything been so refreshing lately? I am blessed.
It was my first time at the Seminary and I honestly didn't want to leave haha. I don't think I'll ever (how presumptious ) be able to embrace all-encompassing asceticism, but I definitely considered it for a good 10 minutes!
The whole place was so serene; the environment, the people, the buildings. It was like a cloud of light and peace had been permanetly placed over the entire establishment.
The liturgy started @ 930 and lasted for 2 hours, but it went by in a flash. It was a very powerful experience having all of those priests/bishop clustered together in one giant divine liturgy. The choir was gorgeous. They sung the hymns the way church hymns are meant to be sung; with dissperate voice parts and melodies that never once sounded dissonant. Then we ate, sat through a ketnote speech, listened to a panel discussion, and went to an OCF meeting.
Some important points were made/said/brought to our attention throughout the day:
"matter matters" -one of the priests who participated in the panel discussion about the use of icons and other Orthodox symbols.
"when you are not infectious, you cannot be contagious" - about embracing our faith, letting it "infect" us so that we can "infect" others.
"go forth in peace" - this was one of the main points of the sermon that the dean of the Seminary gave. It is the end of the liturgy and a missionary call that we all know. These are the last lingering words of our Sunday service, but I think their recitation and constant repitition has desensitized us to the impact that they can and should be having on us and the impact that by witnessing and adhering to them and making them a part of their daily lives, living the word of God, that we can and should be having on others. The dean talked about the Sunday liturgy as a reaffiramtion of faith that doesn't end@ 11:15 when we kiss the cross. The Sunday liturgy is just a "piece" of the "peace" that we should be constantly forging wit' our broz and hoez in Christ, bitch.
I learned that Orthodoxy began in Alaska (and I thought it only had value as an oil-rich land mass!).
I learned about Saints like St. Innocent, he lived and breathed the word of God. There were other examples given, those whose names escape me, but they all essentially did the same thing; evangelized through their lifestyles and their constant affirmations of faith through their actions. They didn't make nonbelievers feel bad for not believing. They simply persuaded them to believe by setting an example of what great things can ensue from believeing.
The OCF speaker talked about God not as a Judge in the Court, but as a Healer in a hospital. We, then, are his patients and the life-path is one in which the end goal is to be healed. It is a healing process. He pointed out why we can't condemn the man who condemns God and laud the man who helps feed the poor; because you never know what the intent is behind these actions. The man who is condemning God might have, for instance, been abused and lost touch with God and condemning God was his way of opening up a necessary dialogue with God, his way of affirming that the relationship between God is one of love because you cannot comdemn someone for not loving you if you don't first believe that they are capable of doing so.
The dean of the Seminary gave the sermon. He talked about the story of the Talents...... I found this....
Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30
On another topic, the only thing we can do is love and be loved in return.
ugh.
It was my first time at the Seminary and I honestly didn't want to leave haha. I don't think I'll ever (how presumptious ) be able to embrace all-encompassing asceticism, but I definitely considered it for a good 10 minutes!
The whole place was so serene; the environment, the people, the buildings. It was like a cloud of light and peace had been permanetly placed over the entire establishment.
The liturgy started @ 930 and lasted for 2 hours, but it went by in a flash. It was a very powerful experience having all of those priests/bishop clustered together in one giant divine liturgy. The choir was gorgeous. They sung the hymns the way church hymns are meant to be sung; with dissperate voice parts and melodies that never once sounded dissonant. Then we ate, sat through a ketnote speech, listened to a panel discussion, and went to an OCF meeting.
Some important points were made/said/brought to our attention throughout the day:
"matter matters" -one of the priests who participated in the panel discussion about the use of icons and other Orthodox symbols.
"when you are not infectious, you cannot be contagious" - about embracing our faith, letting it "infect" us so that we can "infect" others.
"go forth in peace" - this was one of the main points of the sermon that the dean of the Seminary gave. It is the end of the liturgy and a missionary call that we all know. These are the last lingering words of our Sunday service, but I think their recitation and constant repitition has desensitized us to the impact that they can and should be having on us and the impact that by witnessing and adhering to them and making them a part of their daily lives, living the word of God, that we can and should be having on others. The dean talked about the Sunday liturgy as a reaffiramtion of faith that doesn't end@ 11:15 when we kiss the cross. The Sunday liturgy is just a "piece" of the "peace" that we should be constantly forging wit' our broz and hoez in Christ, bitch.
I learned that Orthodoxy began in Alaska (and I thought it only had value as an oil-rich land mass!).
I learned about Saints like St. Innocent, he lived and breathed the word of God. There were other examples given, those whose names escape me, but they all essentially did the same thing; evangelized through their lifestyles and their constant affirmations of faith through their actions. They didn't make nonbelievers feel bad for not believing. They simply persuaded them to believe by setting an example of what great things can ensue from believeing.
The OCF speaker talked about God not as a Judge in the Court, but as a Healer in a hospital. We, then, are his patients and the life-path is one in which the end goal is to be healed. It is a healing process. He pointed out why we can't condemn the man who condemns God and laud the man who helps feed the poor; because you never know what the intent is behind these actions. The man who is condemning God might have, for instance, been abused and lost touch with God and condemning God was his way of opening up a necessary dialogue with God, his way of affirming that the relationship between God is one of love because you cannot comdemn someone for not loving you if you don't first believe that they are capable of doing so.
The dean of the Seminary gave the sermon. He talked about the story of the Talents...... I found this....
The Money in Trust (or The Talents)
14 "For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; 15 to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more. 17 So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, `Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.' 21 His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.' 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, `Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.' 23 His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.' 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, `Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' 26 But his master answered him, `You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.'
"Lord, be the ruler of my heart and thoughts, be the king of my home and relationships, and be the master of my work and service. Help me to make good use of the gifts, talents, time, and resources you give me for your glory and your kingdom."
so, basically, it is our JOB as Orthodox Christians who are resolute in our devotion to cultivate the "gifts" that God has given us. He doesn't care if or who we choose to marry and what our occupation is, as long as the motivating factor behind our actions is a pursuit of the kingdom of Heaven.
On another topic, the only thing we can do is love and be loved in return.
ugh.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Hershey's; Unchanged since 1899!
hmmmm.... interesting...
"...and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed."
Why are we predisposed to warrant the accumluation of experiences that will contribute to our own sufferage? Why are we will voluntary martyrs (and why do I supplement rhetoric that speaks for itself with rhetoric that will enhance its already apparent meaning lol) to the cause of self-affliction? Apparently history can be used to demonstrate why we are unwilling to change; because it is harder to reconform than to conform. It is a phenomenon that is not only applicable to nations and governments, but also to each individual experience. And I guess all of these individual experiences make up a nation which incites the arguably necessary formulation of government, which is a pattern that permeates not only the case of our obsession with voluntary self-suffering. We can extrapolize about virtually everything. Our beliefs and theories about government are essentially a scaled-down version of how ew view ourselves. Which is very off-topic, but still very relevant!
Anyway, I guess this line from the Declaration of Indepedence can partially be interpreted as an imploration to overcome our fear of change and accept the fact that maybe, just maybe we need to.
Also, I think I have a love-hate relationship with my major. I love it because I'm learning about of the propaganda that marketers use to seduce consumers, the behind-the-scenes side of advertising and the market-based economy that simultaneously corrupts and enhances the eocnomic arena. But I find myself intrigued by it and enthusiastic about learning about it not becuase i want to pursue a career in any of these fields, but because I want to cultivate defense mechanisms. So why should I major in a field that I want to shield myself against? ugh! I love learning. I hate learning. I love being educated. I hate being educated. I would unconditionally love being educated if people didn't direct the psychological and intellectual recources that education enables them to ahve for manipulative purposes. I love ranting about how I possibly hate education even though I love it. I love laughing at the irony of me ranting about hating education when it is the force that enables me do so. Ahhh. I truly understand why people love math, computer science, natural science, etc.etc.etc..... because they just ARE. There are new developments and new theorems that can be discovered and tossed around, but their sole purpose isn't malicious.....unless people make make them malicious. ahhh.
I want to fall in love with my major. Which means that i want to be able to devote myself whole-heartedly to it and embrace it with every inch of my being without having to second-guess whether or not it is something that I want to be a part of me, because that is essentially what "falling in love" means, right? You fall "into" something/someone and you let that something/someone fall "into" you. It is really a symbiotic phenomenon this love thing is. It is completely consensual.
I think it's amazing how people interpret other people and how people view innate value........ I think that the paradox of the concept of "innate" is that it really is subjective. Maybe I am generalizing and maybe my theory must be taken with a grain of salt, but I think that it is relevant for the most part....
Photographers may view everyone as having intrinsic photogenic value. If they aren't photogenic then they may not be worth paying attention to.
Doctors may view everyone has having intrinisc medical value. They may catageorize everyone based on his or her ability to be viewed as a specimen. From this point of view, "patients" with rare diseases may be more "valuable" than healthy individuals.
Teachers may value students who are more intellectually apt than other students.
Athletic coaches may value those who are athletically endowed.
Marketers see everyone as a consumer.
Psychologists see everyone as a brain.
A priest sees everyone as having spiritual worth.
Are any of those value systems more right then the next? Is there one "right" way to view the worl, humanity, after which all of these other interpretations of value are secondary?
Intrinsic value then becomes a paradoxical matter of perspective, right?
This is basically why we "should" all strive to "Surrendor to Love".... because you never know what is going on inside another person, how they choose to view and interpret the world, waht they value, how they are "using" you. Traditionally I think that to "use" someone has been connated negatively when, in fact, we all "use" people. It is just a matter of how we choose to do so.
The surrendor to love is so great. It is really the only thing that we can do. It is the only force that won't let you done. It is the matter from which God is made of.
...Everyone has innate value. Everyone has something to offer to the world. ...
“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, not how it compares with other expression. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is on a queer, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makesus more alive than the others.”
~Martha Graham
...so relevant, so important, so rejuvinating.
love.
"...and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed."
Why are we predisposed to warrant the accumluation of experiences that will contribute to our own sufferage? Why are we will voluntary martyrs (and why do I supplement rhetoric that speaks for itself with rhetoric that will enhance its already apparent meaning lol) to the cause of self-affliction? Apparently history can be used to demonstrate why we are unwilling to change; because it is harder to reconform than to conform. It is a phenomenon that is not only applicable to nations and governments, but also to each individual experience. And I guess all of these individual experiences make up a nation which incites the arguably necessary formulation of government, which is a pattern that permeates not only the case of our obsession with voluntary self-suffering. We can extrapolize about virtually everything. Our beliefs and theories about government are essentially a scaled-down version of how ew view ourselves. Which is very off-topic, but still very relevant!
Anyway, I guess this line from the Declaration of Indepedence can partially be interpreted as an imploration to overcome our fear of change and accept the fact that maybe, just maybe we need to.
Also, I think I have a love-hate relationship with my major. I love it because I'm learning about of the propaganda that marketers use to seduce consumers, the behind-the-scenes side of advertising and the market-based economy that simultaneously corrupts and enhances the eocnomic arena. But I find myself intrigued by it and enthusiastic about learning about it not becuase i want to pursue a career in any of these fields, but because I want to cultivate defense mechanisms. So why should I major in a field that I want to shield myself against? ugh! I love learning. I hate learning. I love being educated. I hate being educated. I would unconditionally love being educated if people didn't direct the psychological and intellectual recources that education enables them to ahve for manipulative purposes. I love ranting about how I possibly hate education even though I love it. I love laughing at the irony of me ranting about hating education when it is the force that enables me do so. Ahhh. I truly understand why people love math, computer science, natural science, etc.etc.etc..... because they just ARE. There are new developments and new theorems that can be discovered and tossed around, but their sole purpose isn't malicious.....unless people make make them malicious. ahhh.
I want to fall in love with my major. Which means that i want to be able to devote myself whole-heartedly to it and embrace it with every inch of my being without having to second-guess whether or not it is something that I want to be a part of me, because that is essentially what "falling in love" means, right? You fall "into" something/someone and you let that something/someone fall "into" you. It is really a symbiotic phenomenon this love thing is. It is completely consensual.
I think it's amazing how people interpret other people and how people view innate value........ I think that the paradox of the concept of "innate" is that it really is subjective. Maybe I am generalizing and maybe my theory must be taken with a grain of salt, but I think that it is relevant for the most part....
Photographers may view everyone as having intrinsic photogenic value. If they aren't photogenic then they may not be worth paying attention to.
Doctors may view everyone has having intrinisc medical value. They may catageorize everyone based on his or her ability to be viewed as a specimen. From this point of view, "patients" with rare diseases may be more "valuable" than healthy individuals.
Teachers may value students who are more intellectually apt than other students.
Athletic coaches may value those who are athletically endowed.
Marketers see everyone as a consumer.
Psychologists see everyone as a brain.
A priest sees everyone as having spiritual worth.
Are any of those value systems more right then the next? Is there one "right" way to view the worl, humanity, after which all of these other interpretations of value are secondary?
Intrinsic value then becomes a paradoxical matter of perspective, right?
This is basically why we "should" all strive to "Surrendor to Love".... because you never know what is going on inside another person, how they choose to view and interpret the world, waht they value, how they are "using" you. Traditionally I think that to "use" someone has been connated negatively when, in fact, we all "use" people. It is just a matter of how we choose to do so.
The surrendor to love is so great. It is really the only thing that we can do. It is the only force that won't let you done. It is the matter from which God is made of.
...Everyone has innate value. Everyone has something to offer to the world. ...
“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, not how it compares with other expression. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is on a queer, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makesus more alive than the others.”
~Martha Graham
...so relevant, so important, so rejuvinating.
love.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Getting Kinky
So I decided to walk to Grand Central after yoga today in order to take advantage of the last, lingering warm-weather days and in hopes that I'd bump into some unusual NYC spectacle (which usually ends up happening). I wanted to read up some more on Alex Grey so I wandered into a Barnes & Nobles where I was roped in (a fitting desciption) to listening to a campaign speech/book talk given by "Kinky Friedman," a Texas politician who lost the race for governor (.......he claims it was because of money issues........). He was promoting his book You can Lead a Politician to Water, But you Can't Make him Think, an ironic title given his occupation, yet a fitting autobiographical title. He introduced himself with a nice, southern "where the Hell am I?" from the CD aisle out of which he emerged, apparently lost and confused about the hard-to-navigate lanes, all of which run parallel to each other and lead to the front of the store. After that he proceeded to make a few racially charged Jewish jokes, one about Hitler, and an arcane one that involved a penis. The cigar he carried never left his hand - he used it as a pointer and a lead into another stab at humor. "I'm not too fond of Bloomberg. He adopted the smoking-ban that barred me from lighting up outside this building." When asked if he ever considered that his cigar-toting tactic was setting a bad example to youths, he claimed that he was pro-cigar, yet anti-cigarrette. He then proceeded to advertise his "Kinky Friedman Cigar Line," which I thought was another joke, but apparently is a real busines pursuit according to his website, www.kinkyfriedman.com, which also features his Salsa and "Original Texas Jewboy" T-shirt line He finished up the night by reading a quote from his book that was basically the same cricket-in-hand-of-wise-blind-man story that was used in SuperBad, but with a southern twist. Honestly, I got a kick out of the whole ridiculous campaign and I still question whether or not "Kinky" was actually an actor masquerading as a Texas politician. At least he was against the death penalty..... and Jewish people. Just kidding. About the Jewish people. Not the death penalty.
wild.
wild.
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