We live in a very individualistic society. Well, that's assuming that you people reading this come from a Western background. But even if you don't, those ideas are spreading and filtering more into the Eastern, and other more group-oriented societies.
As such, a heck of a lot of importance is placed upon the individual. Their freedom; their rights; their independence. It's this last one that has been highlighted in this instance.
Independence is an interesting idea. The word is quite simple; the "in-" prefix, usually rendering the opposite meaning of something, or not-something; and then "dependence", or the degree to which one relies upon others for basic needs and supplies. So, essentially, it's saying that you don't rely on other people for anything.
Now, in a lot of ways, that's a great thing to have. Being a teenager, living at home, barely scraping enough to get through the week - it feels good when I can pay for things by myself. When I can do my own work, that sort of thing. And independence is a good thing to develop, so that you're not being demanding of other people, and just draining them rather than contributing yourself.
However, that can be taken to a bit of an extreme. You can get the idea that you need to do everything completely by yourself; that asking for any help is weak, and that friends are just for those who can't fend for themselves. News Flash: Nobody can, all the time. Some people can do so more than others, true. But we all have spots where we need help. A hand to lift us up.
It seems to be a popular idea - well, I shouldn't use that word. That would suggest that people like it. Common, that works better.
It seems to be a common idea that people are always alone. No matter how many are near them, how many friends they have, they are always alone.
Two things to say to that.
Firstly, God's always there, so nobody is ever alone. Yes, he's always watching, whatever you happening to be doing at the time. And people get worried about Big Brother... Thankfully, he's not Zeus. Otherwise we'd all be shocking human crispies by now.
Secondly, if you're not into the whole "God" thing - then, even when nobody is physically there with you; they're still with you in your mind. You have a connection, that means that even if they are gone, they can still be with you. I know that I'm never alone, and I won't be dying alone; even if there's no one there. Actually, I'm glad they aren't all there, because you'd need a cathedral or two to fit them all. Maybe a small football field. Football, not soccer. :P
So, to sum up. Individual independence is good, but don't get obsessed over it.
Thursday, 29 November 2012
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
Double Decade.
Today, I turned twenty.
That's pretty cool.
Was going to write something deep and meaningful and such, but hey, that'll do nicely.
;)
That's pretty cool.
Was going to write something deep and meaningful and such, but hey, that'll do nicely.
;)
Sunday, 25 November 2012
Words of Wisdom.
Before we take a look into the various benefits of wisdom, let's first attempt to define it. One simple way I've seen it is explained is something like this: Knowledge x Experience = Wisdom. General rule of thumb. Seems to work fairly well. Doesn't mean that if you're young, you automatically have no wisdom, and if you're old, you automatically have heaps. It's experience, not time.
The longing after wisdom has been a long-time goal of man; often because wisdom brings with it many people seeking your counsel, and often also a high position within society. Recognition and status; they are usually what has been sought after, much more than the wisdom in itself. All too often, it has been only a means to an end.
However, not always; history tells us of some wise men who were ridiculed or hated by society. Plato, of course, is the best example here; he even described himself as the stinging gnat on the backside of the horse of Athens.
Wisdom, it would seem, however, changes significantly with the times. Things that were called wise by Plato may well not be called as such today - and quite certainly vice versa. For example, phrases like "Greed is good," or "The more you have, the happier you'll be," or even "Look out for no. 1 - yourself!" are all coined by a consumerist market. They're not words of wisdom, they're selling points. Though, for all we know, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," could originally have come from a fruit seller. So perhaps wisdom in itself doesn't change - but what is called wise may.
As such, if you do put wisdom as your most important object, or goal; make sure it is not simply worldly wisdom, or wisdom that is created by men who are trying to create some increased cash flow to their pockets. Find true wisdom. That is a worthy goal.
The longing after wisdom has been a long-time goal of man; often because wisdom brings with it many people seeking your counsel, and often also a high position within society. Recognition and status; they are usually what has been sought after, much more than the wisdom in itself. All too often, it has been only a means to an end.
However, not always; history tells us of some wise men who were ridiculed or hated by society. Plato, of course, is the best example here; he even described himself as the stinging gnat on the backside of the horse of Athens.
Wisdom, it would seem, however, changes significantly with the times. Things that were called wise by Plato may well not be called as such today - and quite certainly vice versa. For example, phrases like "Greed is good," or "The more you have, the happier you'll be," or even "Look out for no. 1 - yourself!" are all coined by a consumerist market. They're not words of wisdom, they're selling points. Though, for all we know, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," could originally have come from a fruit seller. So perhaps wisdom in itself doesn't change - but what is called wise may.
As such, if you do put wisdom as your most important object, or goal; make sure it is not simply worldly wisdom, or wisdom that is created by men who are trying to create some increased cash flow to their pockets. Find true wisdom. That is a worthy goal.
Matters of some importance.
I'm using this post for two different things, to kill the proverbial double avians with the singular geological formation.
Firstly, had a couple of things happen lately in regards to music. Someone's gotten in touch with me about writing some score for a short film; someone else has gotten in touch with me about doing some music together, with YouTubes in mind; and then there's the possibility that one of my projects for uni could have a bit of further application. Which is cool. Takes up more of my time without really adding to the bank balance, true, but hopefully they'll lead to other opportunities, which will lead to more, etc. Snowballing is the idea. But we'll see how that goes.
Also, going to do a little mini-series, similar to one I did towards the end of last year, again based on different people's responses to a question. The question, in this instance, is asking what idea or quality they consider to be most important to them. In that itself, of course, different people will interpret it differently - primarily in what they consider "important" to mean in this context. Some will take it to mean that which is most basic; that which is primary (that is, without it, other things do not work); that which is central; that which is concentrated upon, or given attention to - many different meanings can be taken.
I got a few more answers than last time. Because of the nature of the question, in this case, there's not so much a 'right' answer; I might agree with some more than others, but I can't really present my view as being more 'right'. As such, here are some of the answers I received: wisdom; individual independence; trust; quidditch (There's a troll! Troll, in the dungeon! :P); integrity; honesty; and happiness. (Trust and happiness were both suggested by the one person, but I'm separating them here for now.) I'm not planning to do a post on Quidditch, interesting as I'm sure that would be. Honesty, trust and integrity are quite linked together, so I might actually tackle them in the one post. The rest I'll do as well. So that'll make four posts, plus I'll do one at the end on my answer. If you saw my final answer from my last mini-series, you'll probably be able to guess the lines along which this one will be as well.
Firstly, had a couple of things happen lately in regards to music. Someone's gotten in touch with me about writing some score for a short film; someone else has gotten in touch with me about doing some music together, with YouTubes in mind; and then there's the possibility that one of my projects for uni could have a bit of further application. Which is cool. Takes up more of my time without really adding to the bank balance, true, but hopefully they'll lead to other opportunities, which will lead to more, etc. Snowballing is the idea. But we'll see how that goes.
Also, going to do a little mini-series, similar to one I did towards the end of last year, again based on different people's responses to a question. The question, in this instance, is asking what idea or quality they consider to be most important to them. In that itself, of course, different people will interpret it differently - primarily in what they consider "important" to mean in this context. Some will take it to mean that which is most basic; that which is primary (that is, without it, other things do not work); that which is central; that which is concentrated upon, or given attention to - many different meanings can be taken.
I got a few more answers than last time. Because of the nature of the question, in this case, there's not so much a 'right' answer; I might agree with some more than others, but I can't really present my view as being more 'right'. As such, here are some of the answers I received: wisdom; individual independence; trust; quidditch (There's a troll! Troll, in the dungeon! :P); integrity; honesty; and happiness. (Trust and happiness were both suggested by the one person, but I'm separating them here for now.) I'm not planning to do a post on Quidditch, interesting as I'm sure that would be. Honesty, trust and integrity are quite linked together, so I might actually tackle them in the one post. The rest I'll do as well. So that'll make four posts, plus I'll do one at the end on my answer. If you saw my final answer from my last mini-series, you'll probably be able to guess the lines along which this one will be as well.
Saturday, 24 November 2012
Multi-faceted.
I've mentioned before that I'm quite complex; there's a lot to my personality. Sometimes it feels a bit like the Yu-Gi-Oh! episode where his two personalities are shown as two realms - one like a child's bedroom, the other an Escherian realm of sorts.
But I had the idea, at one point, of writing a book which had a short story based around each aspect of my personality; each route I could take. I came up with 31 different options that were completely viable and unique, straight off the top of my head. I'm already thinking of more. And each of them, really, could be a book in themselves. A million possible futures.
Of course, if you believe the 'many worlds' theory, then all of them will occur in different tangential timestreams or some such. Every single possibility accounted for. So, in some possible world out there, maybe I'd even be married by now. I've got some friends that are, or that got married when they were younger than I am now. So if that theory's right, then there'd be a few of those.
It's an interesting idea. But not one I plan to pursue. I like to live in what actually is, not in a million and one "what if?"s. Otherwise, I'd never make it through the day. The possibilities and opportunities in this world, and what I have, are already enough to swamp me many times over. God is good!
But I had the idea, at one point, of writing a book which had a short story based around each aspect of my personality; each route I could take. I came up with 31 different options that were completely viable and unique, straight off the top of my head. I'm already thinking of more. And each of them, really, could be a book in themselves. A million possible futures.
Of course, if you believe the 'many worlds' theory, then all of them will occur in different tangential timestreams or some such. Every single possibility accounted for. So, in some possible world out there, maybe I'd even be married by now. I've got some friends that are, or that got married when they were younger than I am now. So if that theory's right, then there'd be a few of those.
It's an interesting idea. But not one I plan to pursue. I like to live in what actually is, not in a million and one "what if?"s. Otherwise, I'd never make it through the day. The possibilities and opportunities in this world, and what I have, are already enough to swamp me many times over. God is good!
Friday, 23 November 2012
Birds of a feather.
There are two sayings that go around, that seem to be almost contrary to each other: "birds of a feather flock together," and "opposites attract,". One seems to be saying that relationships are based on commonalities, while the other seems to suggest that people who are very different find themselves drawn together.
According to a lecture I had in first year psychology, the former is true of long-lasting relationships; the latter more of short, more spontaneous ones. That doesn't mean that you have to be similar to have a relationship with someone else; it just helps sometimes.
But imagine if there was no-one like you. In the world, you were completely unique, in at least something; you couldn't relate to anyone else about it, because it was just you. Then, you'd feel alone. And we're social creatures. Some people try to fight that, but it's innate. We're designed to be together, not apart. Not by ourselves. Interdependent, not independent.
Just a thought I had. Which actually gives me an idea for a next post, or perhaps a mini-series...we'll see what happens.
According to a lecture I had in first year psychology, the former is true of long-lasting relationships; the latter more of short, more spontaneous ones. That doesn't mean that you have to be similar to have a relationship with someone else; it just helps sometimes.
But imagine if there was no-one like you. In the world, you were completely unique, in at least something; you couldn't relate to anyone else about it, because it was just you. Then, you'd feel alone. And we're social creatures. Some people try to fight that, but it's innate. We're designed to be together, not apart. Not by ourselves. Interdependent, not independent.
Just a thought I had. Which actually gives me an idea for a next post, or perhaps a mini-series...we'll see what happens.
Saturday, 17 November 2012
The measure of a person.
There's a line in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; where Sirius says that you shouldn't judge someone by how they treat their equals, but their lessers. Along the same lines, I came up with this idea; don't judge someone by how they treat other people when said people are at their best, but rather when they are at their worst.
Let me draw that out a little. If someone is being nice to you, it's fairly easy to be nice to them. It's easy to be nice to your friends, particularly when they're being friendly. But what about if they're drunk? What about if they're asleep? What if they've been having drugs? Are throwing insults at you?
If, even after all of that, you can still treat them with kindness and some respect; then that is a far greater measure of a person than seeing if you can do the same while they're being nice to you.
Let me draw that out a little. If someone is being nice to you, it's fairly easy to be nice to them. It's easy to be nice to your friends, particularly when they're being friendly. But what about if they're drunk? What about if they're asleep? What if they've been having drugs? Are throwing insults at you?
If, even after all of that, you can still treat them with kindness and some respect; then that is a far greater measure of a person than seeing if you can do the same while they're being nice to you.
Subtext.
I've mentioned a million and one times, I know, I'm not great at communication. This time, I'm looking a bit closer at subtext.
Subtext is something I can actually pick up. Sort of. Generally, how it happens is something along these lines: Person A will present Line B with Subtext C.
I'll pick up B straight away, and wonder at C. My brain will then think - ah, but it could also be D, E, F or G. And, actually, we shouldn't forget H through to M. Actually, just throw the whole alphabet in, to be safe. It will still hang on to C as the most likely, but I won't really mention it unless it comes up a fair bit, and fairly obviously. I've been wrong before, and it gets . . . awkward. I'm very bad when it comes to dealing with awkward.
So I can actually pick it up, and a fair bit earlier than people would guess. I just don't let on. Particularly if it's a subtext I'm not liking the possible implications of. In that instance, I'll likely throw whatever I've got at it so that I don't have to deal with said implications. As mentioned, not good at dealing with awkward.
Admittedly, that's probably mainly because I've had next to no experience at dealing with it, so running away from it won't really help. I just make it very difficult for myself - you can't exactly start at the shallow end of the pool when only jumping off the diving board is what actually scares you. It's not really going to help. :P
Subtext is something I can actually pick up. Sort of. Generally, how it happens is something along these lines: Person A will present Line B with Subtext C.
I'll pick up B straight away, and wonder at C. My brain will then think - ah, but it could also be D, E, F or G. And, actually, we shouldn't forget H through to M. Actually, just throw the whole alphabet in, to be safe. It will still hang on to C as the most likely, but I won't really mention it unless it comes up a fair bit, and fairly obviously. I've been wrong before, and it gets . . . awkward. I'm very bad when it comes to dealing with awkward.
So I can actually pick it up, and a fair bit earlier than people would guess. I just don't let on. Particularly if it's a subtext I'm not liking the possible implications of. In that instance, I'll likely throw whatever I've got at it so that I don't have to deal with said implications. As mentioned, not good at dealing with awkward.
Admittedly, that's probably mainly because I've had next to no experience at dealing with it, so running away from it won't really help. I just make it very difficult for myself - you can't exactly start at the shallow end of the pool when only jumping off the diving board is what actually scares you. It's not really going to help. :P
Friday, 16 November 2012
The end of an age.
Yes, I know. I have to go back for a screening next week, and I haven't had my graduation yet. But everything I have to do is over. So humour me.
The Fourth Age of the book of Raymond, chapter of Brendan, is coming to a close. He has passed through the short but sweet First Age of before school; made it past the introductory Second Age of primary school; tackled the turmoils of the Third Age of high school; and finally, has conquered the wandering traverses of the Fourth Age of university.
It's strange. I'm only 19, and I've just finished uni. By the time I graduate, I'll be 20, but still. It's a bit weird. And now, I'm supposed to find a place in the world. Make my contribution. Earn a living. Buy a place. Raise a family of future contributors, living-earners, place-buyers and family-raisers. *sigh* But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. OK, I'm pretty much there, really. I'm just waiting a little.
It's been a good three years. I've learned a lot, from staff and students alike. Both have become friends; both, hopefully, I will keep in touch with through the years to come.
I've grown a lot over these years. Not so much physically, maybe a couple of centimetres. But in terms of who I am; I'm a better person than I was when I started, and that's due in large part to many of the great friends I've made while at uni.
There's so many things I could say; so many memories I could hearken back to; so many people I could highlight. But you've all been so amazing, I really can't list them all here. Perhaps a few honourable mentions, however.
Tom, Mark, and Micky - the original crew. Some of the first guys I met, and some of the best friends I've had in the course. Also some of the best pianists I know, and all better than me, damn it. And all left handed! Strange coincidences.
Javen - for never forgetting to bring along his guitar, or his smile. Always great to laugh and jam with, my man.
Jessie and Flick - the inseparable duo of awesomeness. Ridiculous voice + ridiculous piano skills = these two brilliant girls.
Most of you at some point or another - for always having something that I can help you out with.
Josh - for singing my song, and letting me sing his. It was pretty awesome, and we'll have to do it again sometime.
Mozart - for playing in pretty much all of my performances ever; putting up with me talking to him all the time; and always challenging me.
There are many, many more awesome things I could say about any and all of you, but I don't want this to be too ridiculously long. Suffice it to say - you've all been amazing, it's been incredible knowing you all, and we will be keeping in touch. We will be. Or else. :P Or else I get annoyed, I dunno.
But it's going to be very sad saying goodbye to you all, after knowing you for all this time. I know you're all going to be amazing at doing whatever it is you end up doing, whenever you manage to find it. Just keep on searching, keep on hoping, keep on keeping on and you'll get there.
:)
The Fourth Age of the book of Raymond, chapter of Brendan, is coming to a close. He has passed through the short but sweet First Age of before school; made it past the introductory Second Age of primary school; tackled the turmoils of the Third Age of high school; and finally, has conquered the wandering traverses of the Fourth Age of university.
It's strange. I'm only 19, and I've just finished uni. By the time I graduate, I'll be 20, but still. It's a bit weird. And now, I'm supposed to find a place in the world. Make my contribution. Earn a living. Buy a place. Raise a family of future contributors, living-earners, place-buyers and family-raisers. *sigh* But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. OK, I'm pretty much there, really. I'm just waiting a little.
It's been a good three years. I've learned a lot, from staff and students alike. Both have become friends; both, hopefully, I will keep in touch with through the years to come.
I've grown a lot over these years. Not so much physically, maybe a couple of centimetres. But in terms of who I am; I'm a better person than I was when I started, and that's due in large part to many of the great friends I've made while at uni.
There's so many things I could say; so many memories I could hearken back to; so many people I could highlight. But you've all been so amazing, I really can't list them all here. Perhaps a few honourable mentions, however.
Tom, Mark, and Micky - the original crew. Some of the first guys I met, and some of the best friends I've had in the course. Also some of the best pianists I know, and all better than me, damn it. And all left handed! Strange coincidences.
Javen - for never forgetting to bring along his guitar, or his smile. Always great to laugh and jam with, my man.
Jessie and Flick - the inseparable duo of awesomeness. Ridiculous voice + ridiculous piano skills = these two brilliant girls.
Most of you at some point or another - for always having something that I can help you out with.
Josh - for singing my song, and letting me sing his. It was pretty awesome, and we'll have to do it again sometime.
Mozart - for playing in pretty much all of my performances ever; putting up with me talking to him all the time; and always challenging me.
There are many, many more awesome things I could say about any and all of you, but I don't want this to be too ridiculously long. Suffice it to say - you've all been amazing, it's been incredible knowing you all, and we will be keeping in touch. We will be. Or else. :P Or else I get annoyed, I dunno.
But it's going to be very sad saying goodbye to you all, after knowing you for all this time. I know you're all going to be amazing at doing whatever it is you end up doing, whenever you manage to find it. Just keep on searching, keep on hoping, keep on keeping on and you'll get there.
:)
Tuesday, 13 November 2012
Niner-niner.
Now, I'm not much of a maths fan. But I am good at it. And I am a numbers fan. Nine is one of the cooler numbers around, really. Though, admittedly, it's only so cool because it's a base-10 number system. (For those unaware, that just means that there are ten digits - 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Binary, on the other hand, is a base-2 number system.)
Now, the big cool thing about nine is to do with something called a digit sum. A digit sum is basically taking all the digits in a number, and continually adding them together until you only have one digit left. The digit sum of any multiple of 9 is also 9. As such, it's a very handy way of making digit sums very easy, even with long numbers. You can take out the 0s straight away. Then you take out all the 9s. Then you pair up other numbers to make 9s - 4s and 5s, 3s and 6s, 2s and 7s, 1s and 8s. Whatever you've got left over is pretty simple, really. Unless you've just got lots of the same number, then it's just annoying.
For example, this number - 786,050,256,256,705,202,500,575,903,598,792,256. I just randomly typed the number keys, then added the commas in. Taking the 0s and 9s out already gets it down a lot. 78652562567522557535872256. Then the pairs. 8655656525555825. Double 5s are 1. 86662825. Triple 6 is 18, a multiple of 9. Easy takeout. And we're left with 82825. That's two tens and a 5, which is 25, which is 7. Too easy.
Nine is also the first odd non-prime number. Unless you count 1. Which you probably should. :P
It's cool, OK?
Yes, I'm a bit of a maths nerd. I've also, in my spare time, attempted to figure out a formula to calculate the number of squares of any size in a square grid, and the same thing for triangles in a triangle grid. That one's hard.
Now, the big cool thing about nine is to do with something called a digit sum. A digit sum is basically taking all the digits in a number, and continually adding them together until you only have one digit left. The digit sum of any multiple of 9 is also 9. As such, it's a very handy way of making digit sums very easy, even with long numbers. You can take out the 0s straight away. Then you take out all the 9s. Then you pair up other numbers to make 9s - 4s and 5s, 3s and 6s, 2s and 7s, 1s and 8s. Whatever you've got left over is pretty simple, really. Unless you've just got lots of the same number, then it's just annoying.
For example, this number - 786,050,256,256,705,202,500,575,903,598,792,256. I just randomly typed the number keys, then added the commas in. Taking the 0s and 9s out already gets it down a lot. 78652562567522557535872256. Then the pairs. 8655656525555825. Double 5s are 1. 86662825. Triple 6 is 18, a multiple of 9. Easy takeout. And we're left with 82825. That's two tens and a 5, which is 25, which is 7. Too easy.
Nine is also the first odd non-prime number. Unless you count 1. Which you probably should. :P
It's cool, OK?
Yes, I'm a bit of a maths nerd. I've also, in my spare time, attempted to figure out a formula to calculate the number of squares of any size in a square grid, and the same thing for triangles in a triangle grid. That one's hard.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)