Be What You Want
Posted: March 31, 2012 Filed under: Philosophy, Random Thoughts | Tags: adulthood, age, celebrities, change, desires, growth, idol, idolization, independence, individuality, learning, maturity, old, people, philosophy, society, youth 2 CommentsI used to, and still do, view other people — especially those who’ve been highly acclaimed — with a special reverence, as if they were mystical and their characteristics were divine. I felt that I was ordinary, even boring, and I wanted to be like those other people.
Those other people are called idols.
I think, however, that they feel and act almost the same way I do. They’re not as magical or mystic as I once imagined. Here’s an example to explain why this is so: when I was in elementary school and I looked up to kids who were older than I was — even those who were in the 5th or 6th grade — I viewed them with a sort of distant admiration and mysticism. I thought that when I’d reach their age, I’d be older and cooler and generally more special. But when I’d reach their age, I’d feel, think, and act exactly as I had years before. The same thing happened in middle school — I viewed the high schoolers with that same fascination. And now that I’m in high school, I can say that it’s nothing special. I feel exactly the same as I did when I was five.
Instead of feeling simply ordinary, though, I think they may try to act certain ways — how they want to act. But I’m not completely sure. Maybe everyone does this to some extent. I, for one, don’t actively do it, or notice myself doing it.
In any event, it’s best to pretend to be who you want to be — in other words, to be who you want. Although I wouldn’t recommend trying to copy someone else. Sure, take hints from what you observe: if you get an idea from a particular way someone thinks or acts, and you think it would benefit you, try it out. But don’t do it for the sake of trying to be like that person. In other words, take what you want from others, but don’t be other people. Observe. Learn. Change. Be what you want — not who you want. After all, you, as a “who,” are made up of all your individual qualities, experiences, habits — your “what”s.
Risk
Posted: March 30, 2012 Filed under: Random Thoughts | Tags: accomplishments, challenge, change, complacency, difficulty, discomfort, ease, growth, happiness, improve, improvement, learn, motivation, risk, satisfaction, success, uncertainty Leave a commentHow successful can you be if you don’t take risks?
If you live comfortably and complacently your entire life, are you really challenging yourself? I don’t think so. Setting goals and working toward them requires effort, some time investment, perhaps a bit of stress and pain… You need to sacrifice the immediately pleasurable things — the things we’d tend to do if we didn’t think to take risks and live uncomfortably — in order to Get Stuff Done.
The motivation behind challenges and significant actions is the motivation for change. This change requires the breaking or reworking of old habits and the installment of new ones. This is why few people are able to get so many significant tasks done: changing is hard! Quitting smoking, devoting oneself to the gym every day, abstaining from using the word “like” as a speech filler… The old habits are so deeply ingrained, so it’s much easier to sink back into satisfaction and the comfort zone (in other words, to not Get Stuff Done).
It seems that breaking old habits, sticking to new ones, taking risks, and living with some discomfort or uncertainty are all important and related. Not only that, but they’re necessary to grow, improve, achieve, and change…
Synthesis, Study Guides, Review Sheets…
Posted: March 28, 2012 Filed under: Education, Random Thoughts | Tags: advanced placement, ap exams, college, education, high school, how-to, learning, learning to learn, review sheets, school, scott h young, study guides, synthesis, synthesizing information, university Leave a commentNow that AP exams are only a month and a half away, classes at my school have begun reviewing for them. I decided to check the homework my teachers have been posting, out of curiosity. After perusing various assignments, I discovered that they posted review sheets for the exams, containing condensed relevant information. And then it struck me: why don’t they make their students make their own review sheets?
I’ve been doing this a lot recently for tests and unit summaries — it’s what Scott H Young calls “synthesizing” information, and I find it extremely helpful. It’s akin to the Feynman Technique that he’s written about, except that instead of teaching just one idea by writing it down, you teach the entire unit, but in a condensed, concise form that reaffirms what you know. When you can explain how to do it on paper, you often have a very good idea of how all the concepts in the unit fit together.
So, yes, teachers: distributing pre-synthesized material is great. But the mental effort that a student puts into making one for himself is very different — much more thorough and engaged, and thus more likely to be remembered — from that of reading a pre-made one.
Whether my teachers do it or not, it’s helpful enough that I’m definitely going to do it.
The Evil of Tests, Part 2
Posted: March 27, 2012 Filed under: Education, Random Thoughts | Tags: american education system, college, education, education system, learning, reform, revolution, school, standardized tests, success, teaching to the test, testing, tests, university Leave a commentArguably, the pressure of studying for tests serves as an incentive for learning. I believe this is true, but only if the student approaches the task of studying for the test with an open mind. By this, I mean that he does not have the typical bored, distressed, apathetic mindset that the education system seems to have instilled in many — unfortunately, these types of students are few and far between. Many simply do not value school, tests, and education so highly.
Even those students who can tolerate the unfortunate reality of this system are not benefiting as much as they could. A common class-room complaint is, “Okay, I know how to do this for the test, but when am I going to use this outside of the classroom?” An honest answer would be that, for the typical person, very little will be “useful.” Without getting anything meaningful from a course, a student can pass and appeal to others on paper without the result being intellectually beneficial.
I don’t want my view to come across as completely anti-test. In fact, I think that some kind of evaluation is absolutely necessary — otherwise, how would you measure progress, see how well students are learning, and ensure that teaching methods are doing something to enrich students’ minds? Tests are helpful, and, removed from the context of reality, they should be viewed as such.
But the way schools do it now is absolutely wrong. Many students get the impression that in order to succeed in life, they have to subject themselves to all kinds of irrational pains and focus only on what the system wants and finds impressive — high test grades, lots of advanced classes, etc. — no matter how wasteful and stressful it may be. Other students do not value school so highly, because the heavy emphasis on testing is perceived as painful and irrelevant to everyday life, so they simply don’t try. And others try, but cannot possibly succeed in the restricted testing environment, because they deviate from the mold in some important way.
Evidently, problems exist in the system; I’ve laid a few of them out in various ways. Now, what would a better education system look like — possibly from a historical or scientific perspective — and how could we take steps to implement it?
A Review of Tesla: Man Out of Time
Posted: March 23, 2012 Filed under: Book Reviews | Tags: albert einstein, biographies, biography, book review, cheney, electricity, man out of time, margaret cheney, mystery, nikola tesla, physics, politics, richard feynman, science, steve jobs, tesla, tesla: man out of time Leave a commentTesla: Man Out of Time, by Margaret Cheney, is, of course, about the great Serbian scientist Nikola Tesla. It details his life, works, idiosyncrasies, challenges, and thoughts. Cheney’s frankness, combined with Tesla’s peculiarities, make for an almost sarcastic-sounding text — in a good way (I actually chuckled several times while I was reading it).
I had always imagined myself liking Tesla, as per my Father’s interest and suggestion that I would also find him interesting. And it’s true. Tesla is one of my idols, but not just because he was brilliant and prolific. The way Cheney describes him and his wacky adventures, you’d doubt much of what this book has to say — his obsession with caring for pigeons, his extreme abstinence from sleep, his multi-million-volt experiments, and his ability to predict and work toward future inventions and discoveries are just a few examples that demonstrate how unique Tesla is.
If Tesla is not only such an incredible character, but also a pivotal inventor, then why doesn’t he get more coverage and admiration? As I progressed through the book, I found myself repeating this question and puzzling over it in frustration. Cheney, however, is aware of this historical and social quirk, and she attributes his under-coverage to his tendency to always be on the side that lacked money, authority, and political leverage.
As this truth was being revealed to me, I became increasingly annoyed with it. But I was able to find the good in this: 1. It served as another example of how morally ill society, politics, and the people with money and power tend to be; 2. It increased my respect for Tesla. After realizing this, I looked at the scientist as being more outlandish and individualistic — two qualities which I deeply cherish.
Another admirable quality that appears not only in Tesla but in just about every successful and famed scientist is obsession. I’d like to think that I’m productive, but boy, Tesla got a lot done! I’d like to think that his inventions and ideas were all real and that he was able to prove that he could carry them through; however, I became a bit doubtful when Cheney wrote that he didn’t take very good notes, so no one has been able to figure out how a large collection of his inventions and ideas work. This certainly adds to the mystery surrounding him, but I can’t help but wonder whether some were just hoaxes… Moral of the story: take good notes.
I’ve also read biographies of Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman, and Steve Jobs. I’d recommend reading this one if you’re into biographies and science as much as I am. Overall, it’s a great introduction to the life of a madman without getting too involved in the complexity of his work!
It Comes In Waves (More Lessons from The Independent Gaming Community)
Posted: March 19, 2012 Filed under: Philosophy, Random Thoughts | Tags: boredom, diligence, discipline, excitement, game developers, happiness, indie, indie game developers, indie games, motivation, passion, tenacity, the independent gaming community, the independent gaming source, tigforums, tigsource, work Leave a commentI was recently reading through a thread on the TIGForums about how independent game developers stay motivated while working on projects. As a teenager who is unsure what he wants to do with his life and has attempted and failed to complete multiple projects, I read this chain of posts with a keen eye, searching for whatever novel tips I could find.
The consensus was that people who are passionate about making games invariably run into parts of their projects that they don’t enjoy working on, but that the successful ones brave through those parts regardless of how they feel. A poster made the analogy of motivation coming in waves: you have alternating periods of excitement and boredom — motivation and a lack thereof — and that as long as you continue to work, even when you’re at one of the lows of the wave, you’ll eventually return to a high point on the wave and feel good about working again. If you drop off of the wave when you’re at a low point, you won’t get anything done.
It seems to me that, if this wave analogy is generally true, I’ve started my projects as I’m rising to the top of a crest, and that I give up at the first or second valley — in other words, far too early.
Many posters agreed with this analogy, and I’d like to borrow it and apply it not only to motivation, but to other feelings and qualities of the mind — happiness comes and goes with sadness, excitement with boredom, etc. I’d also like to apply it to other areas of work, and passions in general. From what the experienced folk from TIGForums tell me, no single activity is 100% enjoyable 100% of the time for any given person.
This idea shocked me. I had honestly believed that genuine “passion” was something that a fortunate few were gifted with, and that they did what they loved with excitement and vigor all the time. Sure, I thought, there are some times where they don’t optimally enjoy certain parts of what they do, but they stick with it because they’re always excited about it — in other words, because they find it easy.
In past, whenever I’ve felt elated and passionate about doing something, I’ve been able to work at it so diligently and efficiently because I didn’t have the mental barriers of boredom and a “lack of motivation” — continuing with the activities, in other words, felt easy. That’s what I mean by “easy.” No, developing a game, building a rocket, or completing a painting isn’t “easy,” but it feels a boatload less difficult when you’re enjoying it. (Perhaps by “easy” I mean that something about the situation allows you to persist in more or less a state of flow, regardless of its actual difficulty.)
Before reading this post, I’d been advised that I should find a career in “something I’m passionate about.” Wise advice. I’d also heard that even my passions will not always be enjoyable. Also wise advice. But before I had read this post, I hadn’t realized that the implications of these completely separate ideas could be combined. But the posters to this TIGSource thread seem to suggest that, in fact, the two ideas are inseparable. Motivation, even for the passionate ones (or, rather, for the activities or pursuits you’re passionate about), comes and goes, and even the best hit their walls. Bob Dylan, for one, says that he thinks of walking away from music every day. But he still does it.
The indie developers have rocked my world. It appears that I’m going to have to work on my discipline.
Vegetarianism and Longevity
Posted: March 17, 2012 Filed under: Random Thoughts | Tags: dietary habits, health, health improvements, life expectancy, longevity, medicine, technological innovation, technology, the china study, the future, the singularity, veganism, vegetarian diet 1 CommentI’m adapting to the vegetarian diet: I had a delicious bowl of fruit, raisins, and yogurt this morning for breakfast, a bit of salad and a bunch of nuts and raisins for lunch, and a container of tofu for dinner. I just had a small portion of what was left over from breakfast.
Even though I don’t feel much different (I had already been on a fairly healthy diet), I’m glad that I’m not eating meats, and I wonder what the longterm effects will be. Will I feel better in a month, a year, or when I’m 40? Is it likely that I’ll live longer? I don’t know. What I do know, from reading The China Study, is that staying away from meat is a very healthy policy, and that meat certainly isn’t necessary to survive. So, why not adopt the vegetarian regime? It can’t hurt.
Speaking of which, how long can I expect to live — not only given my new diet (which will hopefully lengthen my lifespan), but also the influx of new technology at increasingly faster rates over the next sixty years? And given the opportunity, would I want to live for 120, 140, 200, or 1000 years? How comfortably would I be living?
I have to admit: being able to live that long might be cool. The way I see it is that I’d be able to spend long periods of time (i.e., two or three decades) focusing on one career or interest, pushing aside all others. After feeling accomplished in the field and wanting to move on, I could then safely resign (at least temporarily) from my work and move onto another interest. Since my lifespan would assuredly be “sufficiently long,” I’d not have to worry about not having enough time to devote to each interest.
Which is one of my current concerns. I’m interested in so much; limiting myself to just one career from the time I settle into something fulfilling until the time I retire — assuming this is the path I’ll take, which I feel it may not be, as I may work past retirement age — makes me believe that I may not do everything I want to. This would be disappointing!
That is, of course, assuming that I’ll only be alive as long as the people who live the longest lives (~80-90 years) today. Given more time and roughly the same vitality during my later years, I’d be able to focus on multiple interests. I hope that this is the case — I want to explore, learn, and grow as much as possible!
So, how long should I expect to live? At this point, can we make a reasonable prediction? With technology advancing so quickly, it’s hard to tell.
A Culture Against Polymathism
Posted: March 12, 2012 Filed under: Philosophy, Random Thoughts | Tags: activities, aspects of life, career, commitments, culture, da vinci, donatello, hobbies, interests, life, money, open doors, philosophy, polymath, pressure, renaissance, sensible attitude, society, variety Leave a commentHere’s a sensible attitude for my internship, since my feet aren’t firmly planted on the programming boat: treat work like school. In other words, treat work like work. In other words, don’t obsess about it, and don’t let it interfere with the other activities you want to pursue and tasks you want to accomplish. I have lots of open doors in front of me, and it’s difficult to get a good feel for each room at this point — doing so requires an active commitment and a lot of time.
My mentioning this probably goes to show how pressuring society is — “Be good at one thing!” “Find out what you want to do — quick!” It seems like businesses and colleges just don’t want you to be good at multiple things these days.
But why not? Take a look at the polymaths of the Renaissance. These guys were open to anything and everything, and they approached all aspects of life with curiosity and energy, extracting the absolute most from each. They were probably interested in different things at different points; they didn’t satisfy themselves with just one activity.
This polymath-attitude more accurately captures how I feel about my future and my interests right now: I’m open to being a writer, a traveler, a programmer, an engineer, an entrepreneur, a social scientist, an economist, a teacher… My interests vary frequently, and I continually revise my methods for getting things done, trying different approaches, etc. I can’t imagine restricting myself to just one pursuit. I think I’d be happy if I were stuck with any, but I don’t want to be stuck. I don’t think the accomplished polymaths of the Renaissance would have liked it, either. (Then again, maybe they had to hop from discipline to discipline because none was as advanced as such disciplines are today… In any case, I imagine they kept themselves busy enough that they were relatively happy.)
The Evil of Tests, Part 1
Posted: March 10, 2012 Filed under: Education | Tags: boredom, education, evaluation, exams, interest, learning, research, school, students, subject material, teaching to the test, testing, tests, youth Leave a commentNaturally, the way to measure a person’s ability in a certain field is thought a test. In academia, these are pieces of paper with questions pertaining to the unit or collection of topics covered and expected to have been taught and learned. The number of right and wrong answers are used to determine how much the test-taker knows — how competent he is with the subject. In sporting and athletics, skill and competence are tested using other measures. No matter what discipline people are being evaluated in, there are always measures used to figure out how competent someone is — and how their ability compares with others’.
In theory, tests should work — that’s why they were made: to evaluate. Recently, however, more and more students have gotten the impression that in order to succeed, they need to not only pass, but ace their tests. This unusual motivation runs counter to the purpose of tests: tests are supposed to be used to determine how well an individual knows subject material, can think in a certain field, or any number of qualities about the individual… Of course, some people will naturally tend to try to learn the material better — out of interest, ideally.
However, not everyone “learns” out of interest. The issue of the legitimacy of standardized tests has become widespread, especially as America’s financial situation has blighted, average intelligence and ability have risen, and competitiveness has become ingrained in more cultures. When people have access to old tests, preparation material, and exactly the information they need to know to do well on exams, then how good a job do these sorts of evaluations actually do?
The Wandering Mind 