Keys Through Analogies

When I look at life, I sometimes forget how I do so. This is the most important thing, really. If you do not know how to teach yourself, then you cannot learn. To me, it's important to get down the method or something like a method, of how I go about reflection and examining life. I usually begin a lesson with the most obvious questions such as :Why did this work? Why did this not? What could have been improved? Was this the best outcome? etc. These questions lead to other questions like: Is there some kind of balance within the world? What is the lesson to be learned here? and so on. These questions can be answered with words, but I feel analogies play a vital role in understanding things. I even have an analogy for my method of understanding It's something like this: Think of life mathematically. Every set of numbers has an equation. Just as the slope of a linear line is Y=mx+b, there is an equation for every slope, for every set of numbers. This relates to life because , in the example of fulfillment, we ask how do we reach fulfillment? Well I know what it takes in certain circumstances, but that's not what I'm looking for. What I am looking for is an ultimate rule, such as "fulfillment is always achieved through selflessness; always self-full through selflessness" according to Lao Tzu in the modesty verse from the Tao Te Ching. This let's me see the "equation" for a certain subject and not just one solution, a way to find a solution every time.-That is my way of looking at how I reflect (reflecting reflection itself, ha ha). However, this for me applies to for everything. Every equation I believe I find, I create an analogy for to completely understand it. Why create an analogy? It is easier to look at a smaller specimen and ask why, where rules are simple, than it is to look up, where rules are far more complex and ask why? Things, or equations rather, in life appear not just once, but many times, big and small and the same equation. Why work with bigger numbers (looking up where things are more complicated) when you can work with smaller, easier numbers (things are more simple)? To support my idea, I will add that Michio Kaku (a famous theoretical physicist), the co-founder of string field theory, and a "communicator" and "popularizer" of science, uses analogies to understand and explain as well. In his book, Hyperspace, he examines fish in a pond. After observing the way the fish have no idea about the world outside the pond because they are in the pond, and it is simple to us because we are beyond the pond, he concludes with what I would call an equation, that things get simpler when looking "down" rather than "up". He says that it is easier to travel "up" and look "down" on things because they will become more simple. This idea introduces the layman into the theory of hyperspace, and how the universe and it's many laws become simpler as we travel into higher dimensions. One final analogy of this is the ancients, which also belongs to Michio Kaku that resides within his book Hyperspace. To them [the ancients] the weather was a mystery but now, as we can travel "up" into space, we see the pattern of the weather and the answer becomes obvious to some extent. So you see, rather than explaining the theory of hyperspace with "ok well there's 10 dimensions and there are these big strings that vibrate up there..." and so on, he creates analogies. Through the fish-pond analogy we learn that things do become simpler as we travel "up", through an analogy of light he will explain why the theory of hyperspace concludes superstrings make up all the things we know, and so on. All can be explained and understood through analogy. Even when being lectured we should make analogies. In every class make analogies. In computer science, when learning about Object Oriented Programming the object is to learn why we create "check points" in programming. I create an analogy, which is templates, and conclude that we sometimes don't need to write code over and over again so we create check points, or within the analogy a template, to save time.
Nature repeats itself, big and small, black and white, old and new, eastern and western, the same rules apply.. just find a simpler way to express this and you will understand, not just know.
"Those who know, do. Those who understand, teach." - Aristotle
5.8.11

Foolish Immunity

Like all things, we must not accept truths as truth until we personally understand why it is the truth. This is accomplished by challenging what people call the truth. Ask questions! If it's really the truth it will withstand any question without breaking a sweat, but if it's a lie, or just wrong it won't hold up so well. Many great thinkers have philosophized about morals, ethics, government, life itself etc. They have many different views and some just can't be solidified into just one view, because it is perspective. However, there are things that are just a matter of discovering the truth, but this is of course not without risk. Thinkers could have gone wrong somewhere in the many words they have spoken, after we are human, we are fallible. This is why it is so important to simply ask Why? How? etc. It serves as a fool proof system if every generation tests it, finding potential errors and also extending definitions further than what they already have been. This principle applies to more than just philosophies, it applies to life, such as people and authority. If we meet someone new for the first time, we do not know how they are. Are they sincere with integrity or devious and deceptive? We don't know so we cannot assume, we must stick to the principle. Ask questions and use logic! When it comes to authority, we must not submit blindly to it, ask questions! You've got the right! Once upon a time, an officer stopped me for no good reason. I was doing nothing and had nothing illegal so I didn't run or anything foolish like that. He then asked me to sit, and I demanded an answer, " Sir, with all due respect I see no reason to do so. Why do you ask me to sit?" He replied with "Just sit down!" I didn't understand why and therefore stood my ground until he gave me clarity to his reasoning. He said "Look, most people like to run off on me, and I don't know you so I can't assume you won't do that, so I ask of you to sit hindering your ability to get away!" His reply made perfect sense, and I would do the same, so I sat. After a search, he released me. There was nothing wrong with what either of us did, but he could have asked me to do something else, and I probably wouldn't know why, so what if it were something against my rights? Yes, he didn't do anything wrong be he could have, and because I don't know him, I have to take appropriate precautions which is to not assume, simply ask! And that is what I did. So you see this principle will help protect, secure and advance us humans. Protect us from abuse by forces such as authority which in many great men's eyes should not be trusted. Secure us by avoiding deviance and deception with questions providing clarity and also secure things such as philosophies by rechecking their truthfulness and accuracy. Advance us by taking things further but still retaining wisdom such as adding to philosophies and extending them. This principle will help prevent unnecessary things such as ideas supporting lazy habits of humans. For example the remote. Why? Why do we need it? Tell me because I do not know, and if you created it, you must know!
Just another method of thought which I live with, aiding me ever so deeply, ever so reliably.

"If you would be a real truth seeker, you must at least once in all your life doubt, as far as possible, all things."-Rene Descartes.
3.23.11

Passion

"When life hits you, you'll find out why I no longer have such an active imagination with such curiosity." is the gist of what I was told a few days ago. The older woman is intelligent and that I have to respect. However I am no idiot; I question why. Why? What is it about life that will make me stop? What is it that made YOU stop? She replied with "Kids, money, working" etc. So it occurred to me that these things were obstacles or as she called it "life". Life itself was in the way for her. She basically said to me "Alec, I know your in the age group that has a lot of time to think.. just think and think and think! Not me anymore.. I haven't the time. When life hits you, you won't either." I disagreed stating that many people don't question what's right in front of their faces, yet I do. I also stated that I have a lot to do! Besides school I have many side projects and studies I concern myself with, yet I still find myself thinking and thinking. Even though these projects are about my thoughts and these studies about my interests, I get distracted. Distracted from distractions essentially. So why her? Why has she stopped? I haven't. Yes, she is right about life and how it has not hit me, but I do believe my curiosity is me, I am curious so it will not die. What stopped her? Was she simply not as interested as I? I then asked her, "Do you believe life is sad?" She answered with "Yes I do." That might explain why she no longer questions. I myself, find sadness with the results of my questions and it really is difficult to continue, but I must. I then asked "Is ignorance happiness, to you at least?" She said "Yes". Further proving her perspective on life. I mean it must be sad, because if it were good why would she choose to ignore it? It seems to me that she chose kids, a partner and working over her liking of questioning things. These things seem to be necessity, but they aren't. As she pointed out to me, many great thinkers are older men without wives and kids that would tear him from his passion. So it is possible, people have done it. I have a passion for thinking, I am passionately curious. I , at this point in life, debate whether I would want to go to college, whether I want kids and a wife. Many people would drop dead over the thought as they see it as a routine. This is not me, it is only an option. I love to talk about what drives me, the many philosophies Lao Tzu, Confucius etc kept. I simply love it! That is what I want to do with my life, above all. Sure I consider going to college.. but for what? To support my passion. I want to become wealthy enough early in life, that I will not be forced to work the rest of my life, leaving room to do what I love; think! I think about having kids and a wife, but that is only one way to achieve happiness, but I believe there are multiple if not many. If a wife and kids are going to pull me from this dream and passion I say no. This is what happened to the lady above. She chose her partner and kids over what I chose, my contemplations. Perhaps I can have both, but I shall see in time. Perhaps, you're asking why I love to think so much. To some extent I cannot explain why. As for the other, I wish to help the world. How will I help? Doing what men life Lao Tzu and Confucius have done, thinking up the morals they live by and teaching them. Da Vinci even, the man had many ideas and had many journals that later aided science because all he did was think. There is a lot we can do. Also, I simply just wish to understand the world, and to come to terms with myself and why I am; why I exist. Although I would love this, there is a chance that I will just be wise with nothing more to offer than my rambles. To me that doesn't sound so bad, but I wish for more of course. Even if I do end up a wise old man with not much to show for myself except my findings, I shall still consider myself a success. I gave an effort. Not just any effort though. I gave an effort towards a struggle not many dare to face. An effort that many, such as the woman above, has declined. The effort is discovering why I exist, why people exist, their purpose, self actualization etc. If the world were to try they would all be successes. The truth is, not everybody can be as great as Lao Tzu, Confucius, Einstein, Da Vinci etc. but we can all try and that is where my mind is at today.
Confucius says "It doesn't matter how slow you go, just do not stop."
I say "It doesn't matter how far you get, just give it an effort and you went far enough for me."

Variable Infinitum

It seems the world is a variable. How do I figure? It varies! Changes! In , at the very least, two ways. The world goes through physical changes independently, and through the enduring of mankind. It also goes through a more metaphorical change. When people say the world has changed they usually mean the people in it. It’s funny because they probably have no idea how right they are. You see if people are a part of this world and they change than the world changes, even if the slightest change, a change. To think about this in a mathematical sense, the world is a product of many variables. These variables, such as the world itself, humans, animals etc are all variables like x, m, k etc. If one of the many variables change even slightly, the product will change, and even more so with larger numbers. However humans are no small variable. If humans were to have a percentage of 100 over all variables deciding the worlds fate, it would be something high up. Perhaps, a fourth or a third, maybe even half but who knows. Meanwhile, animals and the like would have a much smaller percentage. Yes they are important but we as humans are the ones who can impact the world and far greater scales ever so rapidly. The topic of this passage is not to discuss man-kinds leverage over the world, although that is a very interesting topic. It is to discuss products of humans and humans. Extreme variables with extreme variables. I refer to humans as “extreme” variables because they can vary is so many ways such as acts, emotions, perception each with it’s own complexities. Thing’s like friendship and love require two extreme variables, so more than often the outcome is unpredictable. You don’t know what kind of person someone is when you meet them, therefore you don’t know how well you two will mix. In mathematical terms, you don’t know what variable you are dealing with so you don’t know what kind of product to expect. Because nothing is ever for sure, and even more so with variables such as humans, we must take a leap of faith when attempting to establish things like Love and Friendship. People might argue that no, it’s not a leap of faith because they “just know” it’s not, but the indisputable truth is that yes it is. Let me explain my logic: When dealing with Love people spend time, talk and all of that with their partner to try to figure out his/her feelings and if they are true and who they are as a person(what qualities they have, which themselves are variables). It can be analogized with a mathematician solving for x but stuck with y, a, b , g and many more mystery variables (which he can only hope are nice numbers) from finding x. Furthermore after finding x, those mystery variables are still a mystery! A mathematician cannot logically assume a variable, much less many variables! He can however, take a leap of faith, hoping that he will guess the exact value of each one (what are the chances?) but is very prone to fallibility, to error. However, despite all of the possible years of hard work, it can all be taken away. A man can realize his partner was not who he’d hoped she was (the mathematician will realize he had GUESSED wrong.). There are a seemingly endless list of other possible bad outcomes but I’m not going to go into that. Proceeding on, at the end of the day a man can only hope that his woman feels the same for him, and all of that. It’s like lovers are in a tunnel with a flashlight. The light comes on every once in a while so the man see’s some truth but not enough to understand it, just enough to know it’s there. Just enough to hope the rest of it is to his liking which is a lot to expect and hope for when they are so many possible outcomes for a human. A human has many aspects and hoping for a specific combination of outcomes out of many is putting yourself out there quite a bit. Friendship is quite similar. You can only hope your friend matches the definition of a friend, and throughout life there are many hardships which seem to be attempting to corrupt ones values (in other words make one untrustworthy, deceptive and the like) which will lead to failed friendships in the future. Now that I think about it in such profound depth, it’s a scary thing. It seems to be a gamble with the odds exponentially stacked against each and every single one of us. However, people have long said one doesn’t need much besides love and friendship for a good life, for happiness. It’s sad to know that even if one gives his/her best efforts, they are still not guaranteed a trustworthy person matching the definition of a friend, or a lover with a relationship between the two matching the definition of love. If we need these things to be happy, and those are not guaranteed, than neither is our happiness. We can’t act in such a prejudice matter, expecting peoples unknown variables are what we want, or at least to out liking, but it sometimes seems as if we must. It seems it’s all or nothing. Why must the way of the world be such?

Insanity and Differences as a Whole

Insanity, they think a perspective different from their own is something else... they think it's crazy! If it's not sane, then it must be INSANE! I believe insanity is just another way of life. It has different gifts and different flaws than the way of life many people live by (sanity). I think the gift it brings (or at least could bring) is unsurpassed creativity, because insane people see the world in a different way. The flaw is things like paranoia, generally being a little "off" or "strange" and things of that nature. However, as previously stated, I believe it is just another way of life. When dealing with ways of life, one can be simple with little positives and little negatives... but how fun would that be? One can be average which I to me means having medium positive with medium negative (normal ups and downs in life). Now when I say positive I mean things like Ipods, going out to eat etc. and the negative is working to make the money to afford those luxuries. A simpleton would not have the luxuries of that way of life, but he/she also wouldn't have the work it brings either. You see each is balanced. This relates to insanity because I believe insanity is just an extreme life style. One can be, to put it simply, simple, average or extreme. Insanity as a life style has great flaws with great rewards, and if you ask me, the greatest reward is of sacrifice. If you're getting a great reward, then you must be sacrificing something great, or suffering great flaw/pain to balance it correct? This, to me matches the definition of insanity. Let's take a look at another example... John Nash. This man was a genius, and was awarding many prizes such as the Nobel memorial prize in economics science, the Leroy P. Steele Prize and a few more representatives of great achievement... of greatness. This greatness came with a great cost; Nash was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Nash was basically an insane genius. Sometimes that's what it takes to reach greatness like that. Mr. Einstein was also a genius and won many awards representing great achievement as well as greatness in one aspect. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics, the Time Person of the Century award and a few more. However this man was not a schizophrenic, or anything else of that nature. One does not need to be insane to reach such greatness. Einstein said himself "I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious." showing that he did not have anything special, at least to himself. To me, he had unsurpassed patience as well as curiosity. I believe that he was gifted but perhaps not in the way that we all think. Maybe it wasn't his raw genius that came up with relativity theory maybe it was his patience. Maybe when a human mind ponders such things long enough it will come up with a testable answer, which in Einstein's case was relativity theory. Yet again the idea of an extremity shows up. Just as Nash had the extremity style of insanity, Einstein had the extremity style of patience. It wasn't the raw genius of these men, or at least not just the raw genius. These men had two different careers. Nash was a mathematician while Einstein was a physicist... just two different perspectives, two different methods of understanding all there is to be understood. This is the way of a successful future world. We will never end differences by killing each other in war, and as H. G. Wells put it “If we don’t end war, war will end us.” So you see that is at least 2 reasons why war is simply ignorant, brute, and uncivil. Rather than being rational and honorable men, we fight like the way we did 100, 1000, 2000 years ago. Why have we not learned that a war will solve nothing? We should honor and cherish differences. For this concept is what will allow us, not as a specific race, culture or any junk like that, but as a species to more closely understand the world, the universe and everything else to be understood. Once again I refer to the tower analogy. How can we see the whole picture with only one perspective? (Keep in mind when I say perspective I mean that each perspective is like a person standing somewhere that is unable to move around the tower) If we keep fighting each other, racing against who will see the whole picture first, we should work together as a species. It’s the same with all kinds of differences. Cultures, music, race, interests etc. should all be united. Do you think the pilgrims came to America and murdered the Indians (they did just not right away) because they farmed different? No, they learned from them. Everyone has something to share, whether it is knowledge, wisdom, laughter or whatever! Do you think Science can function without mathematics or English?! I can go on and on, but need I say more? Do I really need to say more for people to understand? Can’t you feel it in your heart that it’s wrong to treat people different because of differences? No it’s just ignorance. I believe the human mind is the most powerful thing in the universe, but ignorance is not power. If we are truly mighty we should at least be smart enough to have unity and realize that we cannot get to the stars and beyond if we cannot get past petty problems that we create amongst ourselves.
“The surest way to corrupt youth is to instruct him to hold to less esteem those who think alike rather than those who think differently.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

Special Days..?

I don't seem to feel them anymore, the special days like Christmas, Birthdays etc. They seem like normal days to me now and I don't think I'm alone. Let me explain: The birthday symbolizes a child's mentality of an event so significant that it is worth looking forward to consistently, believing that the next one will be better than the last, when in reality the effects of the event dull until it is simply another day.
Why does this happen? Children are always excited, hyper, active and generally joyous. Why does this often slow or even stop? A friend and I discussed this, and she says that it's up to the person whether a day is significant or not and also that it is them who makes it significant. I then said to her does this mean that it is all in your head? Let me provide and example: My birthday is December 19th. So, like most people, I celebrate. Sure it feels great but there is no unique feeling specifically to that day, but that's not the point. The point is if my birthday was August 5th, December 19th would be just another day right? So you see, it's us humans who assign this special event on whatever day of out choosing. There is no actual significance it is only us saying it's my birthday!
If we didn't remember our birthdays, would we feel any different on our birthday as appose to any other day? Hardly.
It's somewhat sad that we must tell ourselves "This day is special!" when really it's not. It is almost as if we lie to ourselves, we fool ourselves into thinking one day is greater than the next. Eventually as children grow up, the feel it. They don't consciously say "Hey my birthday is Lame! It feels like yesterday! I don't feel any older!" (well maybe sometimes they do). They usually feel it subconsciously. Subconsciously they start to notice it feeling dull, like any other day, but they don't know why... at least not consciously. During the time when a child feels so excited about an event that an adult finds almost insignificant, they display true ignorance and obliviousness. Sometimes I wish I could fool myself into a child's mind, to share to ignorance. Back when I was so Immaculate, attentive, Joyous.. and the like. Even though there is nothing significant.. they feel otherwise. Why? Honestly I don't think they would feel much of anything if we didn't make a big deal about birthdays, but we do. We constantly say "What do you want for your birthday!? What do you want to do for your birthday?!".. and so on. This is, even though we don't realize it, a trick. We are fooling the little ones into thinking a birthday is a big deal. Sure great to be alive but there is truly nothing different about it. It is only when we age, and "mature" that we notice there's nothing different. So continuing, I sometimes wish I could be in a child's state of mind, when my birthday was amazing, when there was nothing better than Christmas, when I was on top of the world again every time I became a year older... etc. However, I cannot. There are many forms of this thought. I can think of it as wanting to be a child again, I can think about it as wanting to be old, or to be consolidated.. or whatever.
But I cannot.
I cannot.
The only question is this a positive thing.. or a negative one?
Here's something to reason with:
Reality is just what you perceive it to be, so perceive well...

Deja Vu

Can you feel it? I know I can. The sense of ultimate exhaustion. Generally being tired and depraved of energy? A great example is being bored during summer vacation or something of that nature but simply being too tired to do something. You know you can’t just lay in bed, but your mind implores you to do so. Why is it that kids of 50 years ago were unstoppable while today’s youth is almost immovable? I know technology does not help but is there something deeper? Perhaps it’s the restless, repetitious schedule we live and breathe in. I’ve spoken of this before. Doing the same routine daily, 8 periods of school then coming home to homework. Doing that until the weekend comes, repeating that until the summer, and repeating all of that until you are out school. Can you imagine a free spirit? What do you think of? Probably someone running free, doing whatever he/she chooses with smiles and laughter. Compare this to reality. In my scenario, I always feel too tired to run, too trapped and constrained to school to do what my mind loves (which is mathematics not being an idiot), too busy to fit in my schedule anything of true enjoyment, too worried about obligations such as school to smile. What people don’t see is why they are still so tired even after 8..9..10+ hours of sleep. It’s because inside us, our minds are tired. Our bodies are replenished every night with sleep but our minds never get a break. They do, you say? I disagree, even at night we have dreams our minds create to keep itself busy. Why? I believe our minds know that if it stops.. it will no longer have the ability to start up again. How does it keep going in the first place? Objects in motion stay in motion. Starting up is the hardest part, but once in motion, once active, our minds require less and less energy to keep up the pace. It seems my mind is running on empty. Is has almost no energy of it’s own anymore. Energy is now almost all provided by previous energy from the law of motion, the law of Inertia. However even after giving literally everything it has to offer, the mind still seems unsatisfied with what is has done. There always seems to be something missing. The object, concept, feeling or whatever it is, is different for everyone but how can a mind be so broken and still be unfulfilled? I know it to be true, we don’t have everything we want. However make no mistake, I do believe this is best. We should NOT have everything, because if such a state were to be achieved all objects and the like would be deprived of value. So yes we shouldn’t have everything but our minds need to slow down a bit. If we aren’t going to have everything, our minds shouldn’t act as if we are by always working so vigorously. Don’t you wish you can pause life and allow your mind to catch it’s breathe?

Go to sleep

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