I guess there's a stereotype out there that weird folk are creative. Or was it that creative folk are weird. Regardless, I get the impression that being different seems to have a tendency to spur creativity.
I would think about the constraints one encounters when being different, and it is well established that constraints encourage creativity simply because you can't go through them so you need to find ways to go around. And of course, being different also tends to mean one doesn't find oneself entrenched in the in-groups where group think rules, so it becomes that bit easier to think for yourself. In fact, it often forces one to think about how group dynamics work in the first place, and that leads one to question a lot more. That questioning contributes to creativity as well.
When the difference is something that really forces one out of a group, be it a difference in psychology, sexual orientation or even culture, one either strikes out solo or finds oneself being quite miserable shoehorning oneself like a square peg in a round hole. Alternatively, one just finds a similar group and blends in instead.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
On Emptiness
I've been giving my feelings of emptiness some thought. I've considered the things that made me truly feel, and others that I desperately try to repeatedly do in order to feel better about myself. I think the problem I have is related to living all my life in a single city.I believe I've previously written on the topic, where I feel like a small towner who's never seen a city. Now I think that the problem is endemic to the city.
Here's the context: I have seen pretty much all there is to see in this city, and I do go on trips overseas. The trips to the countries right next door may expose me to different cultures, but they are also born of the same climate. Going through the region does little more than show me more of the same albeit in a different, possibly slightly more dangerous cultural context.
To get the truly unique experiences that I've found to fuel my zest for life, I've found the need to go farther abroad. Unfortunately, the cost of doing so is quite prohibitive, and is hardly an option for a weekend getaway. While each of those away from home experiences impacts me greatly and I don't easily forget them, they are sufficiently few and far between that they may as well be fantasies that I can come back to from time to time.
I find myself hungering for different locales, and seek out what I can within the city itself. Granted, these do exist. I round a corner that nobody visits, and I see something that is so far from the norm that I am actually refreshed. I hung out with a friend there today, and she felt it too. It was a sense of liberation, and honestly neither of us wished to leave.
Sadly, I do realize that such places are limited, and it is only a matter of time before I find them all. At that point, I can truly say that I have explored the city. That is also when I find that I sicken more of the place that no longer holds mysteries for me. Perhaps I am simply jaded and need to take a break from here to satisfy my wanderlust.
Sometimes I wonder why I feel the way I do, and why others can settle down in contentment. I guess in a way I just don't fit in with the culture around here, and frankly I feel more like an anthropologist studying a foreign tribe than being a member of the tribe. On the other hand, I have been told by multiple people that I am different, alien. They can see it, and know that I am not like the others, but I guess the next logical question is why the others are the way they are. Then I ask myself the million dollar question: Where is home?
Here's the context: I have seen pretty much all there is to see in this city, and I do go on trips overseas. The trips to the countries right next door may expose me to different cultures, but they are also born of the same climate. Going through the region does little more than show me more of the same albeit in a different, possibly slightly more dangerous cultural context.
To get the truly unique experiences that I've found to fuel my zest for life, I've found the need to go farther abroad. Unfortunately, the cost of doing so is quite prohibitive, and is hardly an option for a weekend getaway. While each of those away from home experiences impacts me greatly and I don't easily forget them, they are sufficiently few and far between that they may as well be fantasies that I can come back to from time to time.
I find myself hungering for different locales, and seek out what I can within the city itself. Granted, these do exist. I round a corner that nobody visits, and I see something that is so far from the norm that I am actually refreshed. I hung out with a friend there today, and she felt it too. It was a sense of liberation, and honestly neither of us wished to leave.
Sadly, I do realize that such places are limited, and it is only a matter of time before I find them all. At that point, I can truly say that I have explored the city. That is also when I find that I sicken more of the place that no longer holds mysteries for me. Perhaps I am simply jaded and need to take a break from here to satisfy my wanderlust.
Sometimes I wonder why I feel the way I do, and why others can settle down in contentment. I guess in a way I just don't fit in with the culture around here, and frankly I feel more like an anthropologist studying a foreign tribe than being a member of the tribe. On the other hand, I have been told by multiple people that I am different, alien. They can see it, and know that I am not like the others, but I guess the next logical question is why the others are the way they are. Then I ask myself the million dollar question: Where is home?
Saturday, February 16, 2013
The Last Village
I live in a highly developed city, where everything is urban and forested areas are rare. Rarer yet are the relatively wild lands, where modern developments have yet to intrude. I visited one such place today. It is the last traditional village in the city.
Now, it is strange that I feel this fascination with a place similar to that which my parents have grown up in. I brought them along, and frankly they were bored. It's too familiar to them. Yet, for me, it is a new experience. The unpaved roads covered in mud and dotted with large puddles. The buildings built of makeshift materials very much like your average shanty. Despite that, there was something missing, I realized. It didn't smell.
I've been to slums and shanties. The thing they have in common is the smell. A place that is unwashed, rubbish everywhere and animal dung all over the place. There's a distinct aroma to such places. That very scent was missing, which I guess felt like a rather unusual omission. Visually it looked and felt like a traditional village, yet some of the sounds and the smells were missing.
Despite that, I felt a sense of achievement, however small that was. I found yet another place that told me that there was more to the image of my city than the postcard images. I find that I like hunting down such places, that there is something new that I can find each day. More importantly, I have managed to personally document yet another piece of the old country that will be washed away by the tides of progress shortly. Soon, all that remains of the past will be memories, and perhaps my images will serve to bolster those memories.
Now, it is strange that I feel this fascination with a place similar to that which my parents have grown up in. I brought them along, and frankly they were bored. It's too familiar to them. Yet, for me, it is a new experience. The unpaved roads covered in mud and dotted with large puddles. The buildings built of makeshift materials very much like your average shanty. Despite that, there was something missing, I realized. It didn't smell.
I've been to slums and shanties. The thing they have in common is the smell. A place that is unwashed, rubbish everywhere and animal dung all over the place. There's a distinct aroma to such places. That very scent was missing, which I guess felt like a rather unusual omission. Visually it looked and felt like a traditional village, yet some of the sounds and the smells were missing.
Despite that, I felt a sense of achievement, however small that was. I found yet another place that told me that there was more to the image of my city than the postcard images. I find that I like hunting down such places, that there is something new that I can find each day. More importantly, I have managed to personally document yet another piece of the old country that will be washed away by the tides of progress shortly. Soon, all that remains of the past will be memories, and perhaps my images will serve to bolster those memories.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Selective Critical Thinking
Everyone is capable of critical thinking. So far I think nobody's capable of being critical of everything all the time. It's probably too tiring to be so. Yet, the inconsistencies do bother me. Take my parents for example: They're perfectly capable of critical thinking and routinely question the relationships between people they spot and are able to understand the implications of government policies. They think on a daily basis.
The problem is, they will not think about the things that they learned from young. The funny thing is that's the first thing I've started re-examining, because I've come to realize that I've been taught many incorrect "facts" as a kid, and my re-education is ongoing. Unfortunately for them, the superstitions learned from young remain firmly ingrained in their psyche. No attempt has been made to re-examine their lives.
That said, I think it is practically impossible to be critical about everything. There will always be things that one takes for granted, and indeed it seems to be impossible not to take anything for granted. Yet, when there is an opportunity to rethink one's stand, one should take the opportunity. to do so. That is probably the best way one can be assured that they will keep growing throughout their lives.
The problem is, they will not think about the things that they learned from young. The funny thing is that's the first thing I've started re-examining, because I've come to realize that I've been taught many incorrect "facts" as a kid, and my re-education is ongoing. Unfortunately for them, the superstitions learned from young remain firmly ingrained in their psyche. No attempt has been made to re-examine their lives.
That said, I think it is practically impossible to be critical about everything. There will always be things that one takes for granted, and indeed it seems to be impossible not to take anything for granted. Yet, when there is an opportunity to rethink one's stand, one should take the opportunity. to do so. That is probably the best way one can be assured that they will keep growing throughout their lives.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Zero Dark Thirty
Kill UBL. That is the mission. I was amused that some people thought UBL was a mistake, but it's really Usama Bin Laden (alternative spelling). Regardless, the movie was a fairly decent depiction of the struggles and intrigue involved in the hunt. That includes the enhanced interrogation techniques, Black Sites and the ultimate deployment of the SEAL team.
Overall the show's rather visceral, and avoids gratuitous violence in a way that makes the sporadic violence presented all the more poignant. I think the pacing is brilliant, and that makes for a satisfying movie experience. I'd recommend it with a healthy 7.5/10.
Overall the show's rather visceral, and avoids gratuitous violence in a way that makes the sporadic violence presented all the more poignant. I think the pacing is brilliant, and that makes for a satisfying movie experience. I'd recommend it with a healthy 7.5/10.
Sunday, February 03, 2013
Make-Work
Humans are remarkably good at creating make-work especially when in a hurry. Ironically, this is tends to lead to reduced progress despite the massive expenditure of effort. I think it akin to splashing around when drowning. Not only does this not help one stay afloat, it also tends to lead to the sort of tiredness that ensures a swifter drowning.
A good example of make-work is company meetings. There are times when a meeting of minds is critical to agreeing upon a mutually beneficial course of action. Unfortunately, it's all too easy to turn a productive meeting into make-work by calling meetings at the slightest hint of disagreement. Meeting spam ultimately results in massive expenditure of effort to little effect: considering the time spent ruminating, one might well have simply made progress towards the intended solution. Something like a drowning person thrashing about.
Sadly, the make-work can look disturbingly real, and superstition sets in. That is, successes in implementation can be attributed to the presence of meetings while failures are attributed to the absence of them. As we know, that's actually a typical failure of empiricism and makes for rather poor decision making.
Perhaps a better way would be the analysis of a problem and breaking it down into its constituent parts, then assigning each part to the respective subject matter experts for further analysis. Discussions should never be limited to meetings, and should be free flowing instead.
Considering the general problem of make-work, a lot of the problems seem to be avoidable by careful analysis rather than the choice of blindly doing anything random instead. Doing so would result in the kinds of strange behavior I see on a regular basis.
A good example of make-work is company meetings. There are times when a meeting of minds is critical to agreeing upon a mutually beneficial course of action. Unfortunately, it's all too easy to turn a productive meeting into make-work by calling meetings at the slightest hint of disagreement. Meeting spam ultimately results in massive expenditure of effort to little effect: considering the time spent ruminating, one might well have simply made progress towards the intended solution. Something like a drowning person thrashing about.
Sadly, the make-work can look disturbingly real, and superstition sets in. That is, successes in implementation can be attributed to the presence of meetings while failures are attributed to the absence of them. As we know, that's actually a typical failure of empiricism and makes for rather poor decision making.
Perhaps a better way would be the analysis of a problem and breaking it down into its constituent parts, then assigning each part to the respective subject matter experts for further analysis. Discussions should never be limited to meetings, and should be free flowing instead.
Considering the general problem of make-work, a lot of the problems seem to be avoidable by careful analysis rather than the choice of blindly doing anything random instead. Doing so would result in the kinds of strange behavior I see on a regular basis.
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