On Communication Culture

Of the few communication cultures I know of, I have to say that none are quite as complicated, inefficient and possibly absurd as that of the Chinese. In fact, it appears to be a well-meaning system corrupted and taken to extremes.

In its ideal form, the Chinese style of communication would lead to harmony in discussions. By minimizing conflict, things can get done better and faster without wasting energy on needless infighting. It also leaves everyone with better morale, having known that they have a group they can get along with.

Unfortunately, reality creates a bunch of frightened people doing their best to avoid becoming the nail that sticks out. Worse yet, such a system encourages group think and the propagation of bad ideas given the habitual way-giving. In fact, the whole communication system becomes a power play whereby members hold out on providing their opinions until someone is brave (or stupid) enough to blacken their names by speaking out.

Sparta Revisited

Much as the way of womens' lives in Sparta was admirable, there were factors that were less than desirable. For one, the relatively poor education of the people led to a batch of rather poor tacticians and diplomats. Military might can only take a country so far before its numbers wear thin and the helots began to revolt.

In fact, it was very sad that a militaristic state could be so poorly versed in advanced battlefield tactics. While the other states of the time were relatively rigid in their tactics, it seemed unusual that a state serving as a huge military camp could fail to continually innovate its tactics rather than to concentrate purely on the training of its troops.

Finally...I'd say: Field the women. How unusual that, in Sparta's last days, its able-bodied womenfolk were not brought to the field. In their pride, Spartan men scorned ranged weapons as womanly devices. What better troop to wield those...than women? Of course, this could all be due to the strange fixation on maintaining walls of phalluses.

10'000 BC

I just watched a caveman flick. Ok, technically, it probably was not meant to be as such, but it really is hard to think otherwise (what, with all those mammoths and prehistoric birds). Anyway, the film has its fair bit of standard Hollywood action. I'm not entirely sure how much I like the way the protagonist turned out to really be more of an accidental hero whose exploits were the result of blind luck rather than any measure of heroic effort or skill.

Of course, this is not to mention that the geography's really rather messed up, what having tribals moving from snowy peaks to tropical (apparently) jungles and then into the desert. Really quite a journey for people on foot. Better yet, it leaves me wondering why slavers would go to such lengths to gather a handful of slaves from such distant lands. Seems quite counter-intuitive for me, but I am ever-willing to suspend my disbelief.

Unfortunately, the film also bears the marks of inadequate visual narrative. The constant presence of a disembodied narrator is pretty much a hallmark of a film that cannot stand alone without explication. Moreover, there was evidence of throwaway characters and melodrama. There is such a thing as having too much drama in a single scene. Falling into a pit of spikes that is getting flooded while having vultures pecking at meat overhead while having a sabertooth tiger below (and actually taking the time to free it) is pushing the limits of even my willing suspension of disbelief.

Overall, I felt the film was pretty run of the mill and that means it does not get more than a 6/10 from me. It was an interesting take on the lives of people in the past, but could really have saved themselves a lot of trouble by not giving the film a specific date as a title, since that would only cause erudites to question its historical accuracy.

Email Addiction

Article Here

Researchers appear to have little better to do than to investigate technology "addictions". It is remarkably easy to problematize emails as a form of addiction. What is strange is how they never seem to problematize the exact same issue in a wider context: Humans are social addicts. Every symptom of addiction mentioned within that article can also be applied to social addiction.

Consider this: I would like to point out that the majority of humans are social addicts. Like other addicts, social people experience cravings, urges, withdrawal and tolerance, requiring more and better social contact or more and more hours with other people. In fact, social addiction can lead to excessive socializing, sexual pre-occupations and lots of talking. I would say that these addicts use socializing as a way to escape their lonely reality. Addicts may be addicted to everything from the sheer act of talking, to social events, shopping or three-dimensional, multi-human events known as meetings.

It is remarkably simple to rehash social interactions in the form of an addiction simply because it IS a form of addiction. Humans are so addicted to being social that they do not realize it is an addiction. Emails and online communications are exactly what they are: Communications. In fact, they are merely communications over an electronic medium. It is not as if the people are actually totally attached to the electronics for their own sake, but have become increasingly attached to their precious electronics because it brings them socially closer to other humans!

Performance Anxiety

Performance anxiety can be a nasty thing. I suppose everyone feels it from time to time, and the luckier of the bunch will allow it to drive them to greater heights. There will always be some, though, who merely become crippled when faced by the exact same demon. It effectively becomes a case of self-taught helplessness whereby one will simply feel that the results are not up to the mark and simply stop trying: All without any form of negative feedback.

This would result in a vicious cycle of self-rejection and disappointment. In fact, it can utterly destroy one's drive. When one starts experiencing such a cycle, it is prudent to stop it dead, preferably with a long pointy stake to the heart. Otherwise, it may fester and render one helpless in the face of adversity.

Time

Time is a matter of priorities. Even though many try to assert that there is insufficient time, it is really an example of an incompatibility between their needs and wants. For example, there will always be some that want more money. An average working class person would likely have to work longer hours to achieve that want. Unfortunately, it also takes away the time needed to enjoy oneself.

A sensible person would therefore have to logically weigh between work and freedom, balancing the two within the bounds of the sands of time. It is not unlikely, however, that the occasional irrational person tries to achieve both ends within the same time frame. In an ideal situation, what would result is stress. In a worse situation, the person would simply be unable to fulfill both and feel exceedingly helpless.

Competence

Competence is an illusion. Undoubtedly, there will be some who believe they are competent at something and rightly feel confident about what they can and will do. Unfortunately, much of the "competence" experienced by many people would be somewhere between imaginary and utterly fictional.

For example, a game about people would immediately put a large proportion of the audience at ease: Being humans, they already assume that they have a very sound working knowledge of the needs, wants, behaviours and just about every other aspect of human existence. Of course, everything from then on would merely serve to maintain that illusion. Even if they take 5 minutes to learn how to play the game, they would feel very much better for it and pat themselves on the back for learning so quickly on a platform they are experts at. Conversely, the 5 minutes spent learning a new game they never felt competent at would probably be the longest 5 minutes of their lives! Who on earth could possibly understand the inner workings of arcane divine voodoo using bolts as mana?

Over exaggeration, perhaps, but a rather common trend amongst humans. It must be remembered that the average human is rather an emotional creature that lives on perceptions rather than concrete measures. A minute can seem far longer if it involves something they are not familiar with. As for competence? Assuming competence and subsequently failing at that very same act can do wonders for one's self-esteem...

Unwritten Rules

Humans learn by observing others. When everyone does things one way, it is perceived to be the correct way things are done. After all, the big, dumb, unwashed masses cannot possibly be wrong. Still, one must deign to consider the implications of such learning: What the great big, dumb, unwashed mess...er...masses does not do will also be perceived as incorrect.

Take for example the common metro. There are seats on the train, and great big open spaces. On a normal rush hour, those spaces would be taken up. On other off-peak times, the spaces open up to varying degrees. Sometimes, there just are no seats available, but lots of spaces.

Interestingly enough, very few actually consider sitting on the floor. While some may argue that doing so would result in obstruction to others, there are invariably nooks and crannies that can accommodate sitting and still not pose an obstruction. Even this little bit of practicality is largely ignored in favor of the norm of sitting (on seats) and standing on the train.

Such is the way of unwritten rules. By extension, these unwritten rules are established everywhere. In fact, owing to the average humans' lack of consciousness of the origins of their motivations, many accept these rules unquestioningly and find it exceptionally unusual that one should flout them...

Asking Why

One of the biggest problems with modern society is that nobody ever seems to ask why. When one is young, one learns much by asking why. Why is a rainbow a rainbow? Why is the sky blue? Eventually, one gets many answers to all the questions, and one starts to "grow up".

Later in life, it becomes increasingly unfashionable to ask why. In the teenage years, "why" becomes more a question of defiance than a prompt towards real learning. Once one reaches adulthood, "why" becomes an expression of ignorance rather than the quest for knowledge.

This is all very dangerous, the least of which can result in the stagnation of knowledge amongst the people. It can lead to several unquestioned "truths" that are harmful to the people as a whole to go unnoticed and unquestioned for extended periods of time. At worst, it allows for the abuse of authority.

Who's At Fault Now?

Being judgmental in a tense situation is insidious. In fact, I catch myself blaming others when the going gets tough. It is a cowardly and unacceptable thing, and should be overcome by mental discipline whenever it rears its ugly head.

As usual, such thoughts have their origins masked in the comforting veneer of logic. Something is going seriously wrong and I am doing my best. Therefore, some other person is at fault. He’s not working hard enough. She’s not skilled enough. Logically, I already know I am doing my best and therefore someone else must be at fault.

It must therefore be considered, the possibility that one isn’t really doing one’s best. Working hard alone has little bearing on putting in one’s best effort. Sometimes, chewing gum all day and having a flash of insight can be greater than merely brainstorming all day and churning out mediocre ideas wrought of an exhausted mind. Under the pretense of “productivity”, the quality of one’s work suffers.

Therefore, when one starts pointing that finger, one should ask whether one is truly doing one’s best. Of course, we already know that we’re doing our best. It’s a given, because everyone else is always at fault.