Andy's Blog

To Be or Not To Be......

2009-04-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

What is the meaning of life?

This simple question has plagued philosophers and theologists for centuries.

Yet furthermore the question should probably be turned more inward, who are we? Or better yet who am I? I have a firm belief that everyone has a purpose in life. There is something that, naturally, everyone can and should excel at. This is our true identity, and many of us may never find that.

Lately I have been struggling with this question. I have a very obsessive personality, which means that when I get into something new, I get into it, 150%. The problem is that because of this, whatever it is I have just gotten into, usually absorbs my life. Therefore since I have recently begun to come down from my latest obsession, it was though I couldn't remember what I used to do before it.

However even more recently I have begun to re-discover who it is that I am. My point is that everyone should find that one thing that they excel at. Furthermore you should capture it and study it and excel and grow in it as much as possible.

........

2009-04-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

So for some reason I have nothing to blog about!

Which honestly makes no sense. This weekend, hell the past two weeks, have been absolutely outrageous. Most people wouldn't even believe the stories, psh I hardly do and they happened to me! Really the only way to describe the last two weeks is WTF!!!

But anyway I digress. Even for these two crazy weeks, I sit here right now, and feel nothing. I actually dont even feel sad or happy, well I do feel full, but thats cuz I just ate half a large buffalo bomb pizza from AKs, which I highly recommend. But mainly I think it is because my emotions are just so run down. After the roller coater they have been on for the past two weeks, I think they have decided to check out and take a break.

S0 thats it for now.....

The Great Non-Debate

2009-03-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

Ok so for this weeks blog we're supposed to blog about the cloning debate we had the other day.

The problem with that is that there really was no debate. Instead of a debate one side made a point, usually not even regarding cloning, which the other side agreed with. This went back and forth for about 3-4 topics.

Another problem with trying to debate a topic like cloning is that most people have a very structured opinion on the topic. Now when a person with one view is put on the side that is supposed to argue to opposite view, it can make it very hard to come up with arguments to debate.

Lastly arguing the topic of cloning almost always leads to a moral/religious debate. Both of these subjects are very opinionated and hard to argue. Neither of them are based in fact but more of a feeling, which is very hard to describe and almost impossible to make someone else see your point of view on.

State in the Union

2009-03-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

State. What is it? Where does it come from? How do we get it?

First lets look at what is state. Many people throw around the word state, yet many people do not understand what it means. Most people have felt it, but can not describe it, yet we've all experienced it. Every have a moment where everything, and I mean everything, clicks? When your writing a paper and you hand seems to move on its own. Or your in a martial arts fight and everything seems to be in slow motion. Or your talking to a girl and the next thing you know the two of you are walking down the street arm in arm. These are state moments. State is when all cannons of the brain are firing and everything has become so internalized that you no longer consciously think about it, it is the point where you have reached unconscious competence. That is state.

Where does state come from and how do we get it? State is just that a mental state that we get ourselves into. That pumped up ready to take on the world mentality. Therefore it comes from just that, our brains. But its not that simple, if we were to just "convince" ourselves we had hit state, it would not be nearly as effective. Therefore we have to get our bodies involved as well. For a martial artist, he goes through the motions, while mentally visualizing the fight. For the jock, they jump up and down, slap each other around, and scream, all the while picturing that perfect play in their minds. These processes release endorphins into the blood stream. Our metabolism increases, our hearts beat faster. Our brains are now supplied with all the chemicals they need to fire on all cylinders. This is how you achieve state, through mental and physical stimulation.

When in state the past and the future are not concerns. We are absorbed in the moment with no fear of consequences. We are able to do things we never dreamed imaginable. Every type of person has that state and everyone can achieve it. Most people dont realize it, or even understand it. Yet we all have done it.

Overload and Reboot

2009-03-05T18:49:00.001-08:00

It can be very overwhelming. There is so much information out there, some of it is accurate, and most of it is fluff. I know for me, my first month in the community I was a keyboard jockey. I read and watched and absorbed as much information as possible, and at the end of it all, I had no idea what was going on!

I had studied so much information that my brain was overloaded. When I starting going out in the field there was so much knowledge in my head that I didn’t know how to sort it all out. I had everything from Cocky/Funny lines, to routines stacks, to negs, to transitions, and everything in between up there.

I would walk into a venue and automatically look for the first set to open. OK now transition, DHV, look for IOIs, qualify, wont qualify? OK back to DHV, now she qualifies, on to comfort, and then compliance test. She wont comply! Back to comfort, crap I’m losing her. There she goes, off with her friends. Not to mention that the entire time I am also trying to focus on eye contact, body language, and kino. I’m sorry but for that was too much, I just couldn’t do it.

The male mind has 4-6 areas of the brain that handle tasking. This is why we can only do about 2-4 things at a time. Women, on the other hand, have 14-16 areas designated to multi-tasking! Hence why they can watch T.V., talk on the phone, paint their nails, and still tell the kids dinner is in the oven. This is why women can walk into a room, and within the first minute, she can tell you who is going out with who, who is sleeping with who, who is angry with who, and who likes who. It’s quite amazing actually.

Does this mean that for us guys, all hope is lost? Not at all

The Four Levels of Competence:
1. Unconscious incompetence
2. Conscious incompetence
3. Conscious competence
4. Unconscious competence

• Unconscious Incompetence – You DO NOT know what you are doing wrong
• Conscious Incompetence – You DO know what you are doing wrong
• Conscious Competence – You realize that you are doing right
• Conscious Incompetence – You DO NOT think about what you are doing right (internalized)

As you can see you are only conscious for two and three. This means that instead of dwelling on the unconscious parts, especially four, rather you should be focusing on what you KNOW and not what you DON’T. Many people figure out what they do correctly and then stick on only that, which leads to stagnation and stunts growth.

If we consider that we are only conscious for two out of the four acts, then logically it would make sense to focus on those parts only. We also know that we can only conscious focus on roughly 2-4 tasks that once. Now what does this mean for us? It means that we can make social artistry much simpler.

At first, as many of you know, this whole process can be very overwhelming. This is a way to make it simpler. First sit down and get off the computer. Chances are you know al the theory there is to know. Now look inside and figure out what you do wrong, and write it down! Dig deep to find every single tiny one. You have now reached level two, you understand what you are doing wrong.

Since the male mind can only focus on 2-4 tasks at once, pick only 2-4! There is no point in trying to work on everything at once; your mind cannot handle it. This technique is referred to as “small chunking”. It also makes sense to start at the bottom, work first on your opening skills. A house will not stand with out a strong foundation.

So as an example we’ll use kino and body language. So your not comfortable with touching people and giving negative body language. Next time you go out “exaggerate to calibrate”. What this means is that if you were afraid to touch people, don’t stop touching them. You will be pleasantly surprised at how much you can get away with. Or escalate faster, or both, it doesn’t matter. Once you have realized what does work, you have now reached level three, conscious competence. You know understand what to do right, so continue doing it. You reach level four when you stop thinking about what it is you have been working on, it has now become internalized. Does this mean you done? Should you stay where you are? NO! Move onto the next sticking point.

The main idea here is to “small chunk”. Instead of trying to focus on every aspect of an interaction at once, take it in pieces, start small and stay small. My thought process is no longer, open, rock back, transition, lock-in, DHV, qualify. She won’t qualify? Crap, back to DHV, negative body language and neg. Ok she just qualified, isolate. But her friends are there. Strong eye contact, build up and DHV friends. All right isolate and build comfort. No this process is way to complicated and confusing. Instead I open, its unconscious now, I banter and turn away, internalized, then my mind clicks on, touch. Touch the shoulder first; pull away before she pushes away. Next hug, arm around shoulder. See I am now only focused on one thing and my thought process is centered on it. This makes my life a lot easier and a lot simpler. The key to my thought process is “small chunking”.

Hope this helps!

Deep Down Inside

2009-02-26T18:31:00.000-08:00

There are certain groups in high school. I believe they are call clicks. Every high school has them, the jocks, the nerds, the pretty girls, the to-cool-for-school kids, the skaters, and I mean these are to just name a few. Most people fit into one of these groups. Most people also tell you that when you move to college, you can become who ever you want, start a new. Unfortunately most people also know that that usually never happens. Anyway I digress.

Back to my original point of the clicks. Many people also believe that these groups are as different as oranges and apples. Yet there is something I have discovered throughout my time here at college. Apples and oranges are still fruit, round, colorful, fruit.

Much like apples and oranges, and the fact that they are indeed very similar, so too are the "clicks" of society. It does not matter weather you are a jock, cool kid, or the pretty girl, we are all human beings.

Further more deep down inside, weather people like to admit it or not, we are all dorks! Everyone enjoys a good Disney movie, everyone plays video games, and everyone has that secret that they like. For some people its Harry Potter, others its Star Wars, doesnt matter we all have one.

WE ARE ALL DORKS!!!!!

The Big Question

2009-02-19T18:31:00.000-08:00

Its funny.

No really it is.

What drives man? Or humans for that matter?

Why exist? Why keep moving forward?

Many people try and answer the question of what is life? I on the other hand am not so concerned with what is life? we are already here, therefore why and try to explain something that has already happened. Instead of asking what is life? I would prefer to ask what to do with life?

"Stop and smell the rose"....... seems to be a common saying amongst people. Yet it seems to contradict the vast majority of the human race.

Many people seem to think that the goal of life is to earn money, marry, have children, and live happily ever after. Well this view is particularly western, but that is a discussion for another post.

So how do people go about getting to their goal? They go to school, where they go to classes and do homework. They then secure a high paying job, at which they work over 80 hours a week. They go out, maybe, on the weekends, usually with friends from work. They meet a member of the opposite sex, usually through work, and get married. They buy a house and have 2.5 kids.

This seems to be the general idea of a happy life. Yet most marriages, in today age, end within the first 5 years. Why is that? Why is it that many parents today say never have kids? Why are more and more people getting fired?

If you ask me todays ideal life, doesnt seem so ideal..............

The Filter Is Strong With This One

2009-02-12T16:52:00.000-08:00

So the other day I may have said some things that I may not have entirely felt. The other day for class we went to the Museum of Fine Arts and started discussing religious art. In my last blog post I stated that I did not enjoy the trip, nor did I see how it could have fit into class.

I was then pulled out of town due to a family event. Therefore I was unable to attend the next class, where we more than likely would have discussed the field trip. Being pulled away and surrounded by family did however allow me to do some thinking. After speaking with a very wise friend of mine, I have made a realization.

Emotions are nothing more than a result of the way we view the world. Secondly beliefs are nothing more than a filter through which we see the world. Therefore our beliefs directly effect our emotions. Many people move through the world with limiting and negative beliefs, which usually center around themselves. Instead I have been made aware that there is a different way of traveling through life. Now, instead of events and actions being negative and personal, I view them as positive and non-personal.

One such event that I can use to describe this new view of the world is this...... Imagine that you are driving down the road and someone cuts you off. Most people will begin to swear and possibly even flip them "the bird". These actions are due to the fact that that person probably thinks to themselves that they were cut off because the other person was an a-hole. Now instead what if the action was viewed in the other way. The person that sped out into traffic, may have been a pregnant women who needed to get the hospital, now it is no longer about you and in truth you did them a favor. Viewing the event this way is much more pleasurable and nice.

Therefore I am sorry for the comments and remarks that I made in my earlier post. I am now beginning to understand that art and technology go hand-in-hand, and that it did all start with religious art work. Therefore our field trip and discussion makes perfect sense.

I Just Don't Get It

2009-02-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

So the other day we took a trip to the Museum of Fine Arts. Now normally I like the museum, the Asian arts and Japanese Garden are some of my favorites. Yet when we went the other day, I wanted to do nothing but shoot myself.

First off we did not talk about any art other than religious art. I was unaware that people were allowed to even teach about religion in school, although technically Wentworth is private, therefore I do not think it is illegal. However for someone, such as myself, that has no interest in religion, especially Christianity, learning about this art is nothing but absolutely boring.

Further more the class is entitled Art and Technology, I see no correlation to technology in religious art. Now if, on the other hand, we had gone to the Museum of Science, that I could understand. Granted I probably would have wondered from the class and got lost, even though I still did that slightly, I would have learned a lot more.

The Next Civil War

2009-01-28T08:43:00.000-08:00

"Most species do their own evolving, making it up as they go along, which is the way Nature intended. And this is all natural and organic and in tune with mysterious cycles of the cosmos, which believes that theirs nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fiber and, in some cases, backbone." - Terry Pratchett

The other day in class we began to discuss weather robots will inherit the Earth or not. The topics of longevity and life span came up. Studies show that even though the average life span of a human has changed over the years, due to advances in modern technology, the max life is still only about 115 years. Further more no animal, that has been discovered, has lived past 200 years.

The relationship between apes and humans came up as well. Research shows that even though we are only a few genes off from apes and monkeys, we are able to live almost twice as long as them. This brings rise to the question of if we were to change only a few more genes, could we live twice as long? Or would it take more than that? A research company in Sweden is developing a pill that contains an enyzme found in red wine. This pill when taken everyday for the rest of your life will prolong it by at least 50 years.

Of course the topic of inorganic replacements came around too. Yet amongst all of these discussions the same topic came up every time. Even if we are able to prolong our lives, through artificial replacements or gene therapy or whatever, our bodies still age. There would be no point in living to 200 if for the last 100 years we were unable to even walk.

Therefore I am a firm believer that there is a bigger concern out there. With the mapping of the human genome, gene technology is starting to come about. I, along with many others, feel that in the future, which may not be too far away, human beings will begin to be genetically engineered in the womb. Say a mother is carrying a child, and it is discovered that the baby will be born with MS or some other life threatening disease. Through the use of gene manipulation we would be able to go into the womb and augment a few genes and then a healthy baby would be born.

Gene manipulation then brings up a moral aspect. People will then begin to design their children. This way they would be 6'2" 210 lbs. with blonde hair and blue eyes. Yet a moral issue is brought up in, is man now trying to play god? Further more a rift will begin to form between mankind, a division between the genetically manipulated and the natural "god" born. This in turn could create the next civil war, but not between people of the same continent or country, but instead between all of human kind.

What reprocushions will mapping the human genome really bring?........

Nature Vs. Culture

2009-01-26T12:49:00.000-08:00

"Genes and family may determine the foundation of a house, but time and place determine its form" - Jerome Kagan

The other day in class we began talking about nature vs. culture. First off the phrase caught me off guard, due to the fact that I usually hear it as nature vs. nurture not culture. So then I decided to see if there was a difference to the two.

Nurture:

Something that nourishes; sustenance.
The act of bringing up.
Biology. The sum of environmental influences and conditions acting on an organism.

Culture:

1. The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought.
2. These patterns, traits, and products considered as the expression of a particular period, class, community, or population: Edwardian culture; Japanese culture; the culture of poverty.
3. These patterns, traits, and products considered with respect to a particular category, such as a field, subject, or mode of expression: religious culture in the Middle Ages; musical culture; oral culture.
4. The predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of a group or organization.
Intellectual and artistic activity and the works produced by it.
1. Development of the intellect through training or education.
2. Enlightenment resulting from such training or education.
A high degree of taste and refinement formed by aesthetic and intellectual training.
Special training and development: voice culture for singers and actors.
The cultivation of soil; tillage.
The breeding of animals or growing of plants, especially to produce improved stock.
Biology.
1. The growing of microorganisms, tissue cells, or other living matter in a specially prepared nutrient medium.
2. Such a growth or colony, as of bacteria.

So the question then becomes which is correct? To be honest I am not sure that question can be answered as it was the root of the discuss to begin with, choice.

I have recently started studying human interaction and this topic fits perfectly. Is everything that we learn, from the way we communicate with each other, to the feelings we have for each other, genetically ingrained in us, or is it something that we unconsciously develop?

From what I have gathered many people, including myself, feel that it is a combination of the two. There are many aspects of ourselves that seem to be inherit no matter where someone lives. Certain body language, such as open palms to symbolize submission, have been seen across the globe. When a male walks into a social situation and straightens up, trying to attract the attention of a female, he is exhibiting behavior seen in almost all human males, as well as other animal species as well.

Yet on the other hand there are certain vernacular words, such as wicked or dope, that are specific to certain areas of the world. A recent study also showed that since woman's right, in Sweden, came before many other countries, women in that country seem to be more forward as well as open about their sexuality. This in turn may be seen in other women in the world, yet there is no other place in the world with such a high density of them.

Therefore I fully believe that it requires a careful balance of instinctual and learned subconscience thoughts to make up the interactions between human beings.