I read Andy's blog post, "Dialectics: Ignorance and Knowledge", where Andy analyzed the two subjects and weighed their benefits. Here's what I said:
Andy,
Once again you have written a blog post that I could relate to on an intellectual standpoint. I agree with you. To me, Cypher was the only "free" crew member of the Nebuchadnezzar who had any sort of sanity and logic. After experiencing two dynamically different lifestyles, one that was bleak and dangerous, and the other being hopeful and steak-filled, Cypher made the conscious decision to return to the Matrix and live a luxurious, peaceful life. The only criticism I have about his decision is that he endangered the lives of his peers. So overall, I'm on board with Cypher's intentions, and not his plan. I strive for happiness; I have stated before that it is my one and only goal. Therefore, Andy, I believe I would act as you would: to return to the Matrix. However, although happiness is what I strive for, I would hate to give up knowledge and embrace ignorance to achieve that happiness. This is a game of balance, one that both of us will have to deal with in the future. Bravo.
Next, I read Kali's "Dialectics: The Conscious and Unconscious Mind", where Kali defined both mental states to the realities of the Matrix. In response to her words, I said:
Kali,
I'm impressed you delved this deeply into the subject of the conscious and unconscious mind. To me at least, this is a topic which I find quite difficult to articulate with words. I have a few things to say that might mess with your mind a little bit. It is understandable how you associated the real, dark, and sentinel-infested world with the conscious mind and the Matrix with the unconscious one. However, is the Matrix world really unconscious? Literally, millions of human beings are by definition, unconscious, suspended in tanks of pink goo. But on the flip-side, is this unconscious state of mind directly reflected in the Matrix world? Is it safe to assume that these people are living unconsciously? Something about this assumption bugs me. First off, the subjects of the Matrix did not live a restricted, despotically influenced life. Everyone has choices in the Matrix. Let's say that you live in the Matrix, and there is a Subway and a McDonalds in front of you. Aren't you consciously making a decision to choose what you wanted for lunch? I agree with you on the basis that everyone's life within the Matrix is influenced by their unconscious selves outside of the Matrix, but it is interesting to see that in itself, the Matrix is a very conscious world. The Matrix is like a lucid dream: a subconscious extension of the unconscious, where consciousness is possible. Say that three times fast.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Dialectics: Reality and Simulation
"What is 'real'. How do you define 'real'. If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, taste and see, then 'real' is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain... Welcome to the desert of the 'real'." The Matrix's revolutionary leader Morpheus brings this brain convulsing question to mind. At which point does the world around us fail to differentiate the two: Reality and Simulation. When will humanity lose sight of reality and live in a world of simulation, of the unreal? Will our lives ever be the representations of a few lines of code? The fact is, we may never know. Our current reality may be a Matrix, the grandest of all simulations. By definition, the two may seem to be worlds apart, but they are more intertwined than you can ever imagine.
Reality. It's definition comes as a simple answer to most of us. Most would say that something can be categorized as "real" when it can be observed by the senses, and sense can be made out of that something. However, there is more to reality than this simple definition.Take a stroll in a park for example. The wind feels cool against your skin, the grass sways as a result of that wind, the sun casts shadows in the ways that it should, your feet meet the ground firmly by each step you take. Everything in this picture is real. However, there is more to this picture than the observable things like the sun, wind, ground, and grass. Why do we assume that the grass will sway in the wind? Why do we expect our feet to hit the ground, and not fall through it? These ideas, although not necessarily tangible and "observable", they are as real as the wind and the sun. The same goes for the Matrix.
In the frame of the movie, the Matrix exists, does it not? It is an actual world, created by the machines to harvest human energy. Here, people will most likely say, "Woah, hold up, the Matrix is a simulation, not an actual world." And to those people I say, "Shut up, you're wrong." If ideas can be entirely real, what is bound by the definition of real? Why are simulations excluded from this categorization? They shouldn't be. In the Matrix, Neo remembered eating some delectable noodles at some diner. But did Neo actually eat those noodles? Hell yeah he did. Sure he didn't eat those noodles outside of the Matrix, or outside of the simulation, but you would be wrong if you said that Neo did not really eat those noodles at all. He remembered eating them and he remembered how good they were because he stuffed those tasty noodles down his throat in the Matrix. Within the frame of the Matrix, he ate real noodles, and you cannot deny that reality. Therefore, the Matrix is an actual world; it is an extension of reality.
At a glance, the terms Reality and Simulation may seem like antonyms, but they are not. To me, Simulations are merely another Reality. To me, there is no such thing as something that isn't real. Just because something does not exist, it should not be excluded from the all encompassing Reality. Hundreds of years ago, a computer seemed just as laughable as the possibility of a Matrix does now. And yes we may be in an a Matrix at this very moment, it is entirely possible and very real. At first these ideas and concepts blew my brain all over the floor, but since them I've recollected the pieces and accepted this truth. If I'm living in a simulation, it's one hell of a reality.
Reality. It's definition comes as a simple answer to most of us. Most would say that something can be categorized as "real" when it can be observed by the senses, and sense can be made out of that something. However, there is more to reality than this simple definition.Take a stroll in a park for example. The wind feels cool against your skin, the grass sways as a result of that wind, the sun casts shadows in the ways that it should, your feet meet the ground firmly by each step you take. Everything in this picture is real. However, there is more to this picture than the observable things like the sun, wind, ground, and grass. Why do we assume that the grass will sway in the wind? Why do we expect our feet to hit the ground, and not fall through it? These ideas, although not necessarily tangible and "observable", they are as real as the wind and the sun. The same goes for the Matrix.
In the frame of the movie, the Matrix exists, does it not? It is an actual world, created by the machines to harvest human energy. Here, people will most likely say, "Woah, hold up, the Matrix is a simulation, not an actual world." And to those people I say, "Shut up, you're wrong." If ideas can be entirely real, what is bound by the definition of real? Why are simulations excluded from this categorization? They shouldn't be. In the Matrix, Neo remembered eating some delectable noodles at some diner. But did Neo actually eat those noodles? Hell yeah he did. Sure he didn't eat those noodles outside of the Matrix, or outside of the simulation, but you would be wrong if you said that Neo did not really eat those noodles at all. He remembered eating them and he remembered how good they were because he stuffed those tasty noodles down his throat in the Matrix. Within the frame of the Matrix, he ate real noodles, and you cannot deny that reality. Therefore, the Matrix is an actual world; it is an extension of reality.
At a glance, the terms Reality and Simulation may seem like antonyms, but they are not. To me, Simulations are merely another Reality. To me, there is no such thing as something that isn't real. Just because something does not exist, it should not be excluded from the all encompassing Reality. Hundreds of years ago, a computer seemed just as laughable as the possibility of a Matrix does now. And yes we may be in an a Matrix at this very moment, it is entirely possible and very real. At first these ideas and concepts blew my brain all over the floor, but since them I've recollected the pieces and accepted this truth. If I'm living in a simulation, it's one hell of a reality.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Metacognition: Jane Eyre Mash-up
When my teacher said that we were to do something unorthodox and liberating for our next project, I was genuinely excited. I was tired of squeezing my creative juices into stories or essays. I was tired of paper. So then we were assigned this "mash-up" project at the conclusion of the modernist classic Jane Eyre. At first, I was utterly confused on the task at hand. I'm not completely sure what threw me off about this assignment, but I think it was the fact that mash-ups tend to be extremely unconventional, whereas Jane Eyre appeared to be the most conventional. The project seemed to clash against the "included in almost every single high school curriculum" kind of book that Jane Eyre is known to be. Well I disregarded this concern and our group dived headfirst into this project, thinking "at least it's not another essay". However, I could have never realized that this assignment would be just as mentally stimulating as any other project that I have ever worked on.
Mash-up. The words insinuate an almost chaotic composition of elements. Stumbling mostly in the dark, our group did just that; we composed chaos. We took a bunch of elements that had something to do with Individualism (our main theme) and literally mashed them together. We were unable to find a way to cohesively string together these elements in a satisfactory way. This got pretty frustrating as none of us could agree on anything, but in our defense, who can during chaos? What our project needed was a guide line, a kind of railroad track to keep our elements and progress in order. Our information needed to flow.
I found inspiration in the art-form that I had gotten tired of: stories. I realized that a successful mash-up tells a story, just in a completely different way. In a story, everything isn't chaotically presented at once. Instead, things are revealed in a gradual manner. There are plot twists, character developments, plot developments, and insightful dialogues that individually deepen the story and raise it to new heights. If we treated our mash-up in this manner, I knew that we would actually accomplish something in the time that our group worked together and eventually reach success. We reanalyzed our project, and decided to solely focus on our subtitle about individualism, "Passion liberates a free spirit". Instead of finding elements that solely commented on the generic theme of Individualism, we adjusted these elements to accentuate our take on the matter.
The ordering of our elements turned out to be vital to our mash-up's message. Once we knew the story we were going to tell, our elements eventually just fell into place. Although it took a while for our group to get on the right track, I was generally satisfied with our collective thought process throughout this project. Although we encountered the occasional hiccup, we worked with each other and challenged each other to make mental leaps in order to solve the problem at hand. This mental evolution that occurs as a result of work is an immensely satisfying feeling. Although much time was wasted assembling a chaotic mess of a mash-up, the mental payoff made the entire process worth it. Who would have known that a "Mash-up" would incur a sense of clarity within me.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Metacognition: Not So Short Story
A short story has the ability to provoke a magnitude of insights and emotions, at times more so than a full-fledged novel. In addition to this, as their name suggests, they are short. That's right, the longest of short stories may clock in at an unimaginable ten pages. What's not to love about them? Such power can be compacted in such a brief story. Immediately after hearing that we would be writing one for English class, I was excited. I couldn't wait to tackle this important yet easier challenge. I thought it would be like a delightful spring-time jog through a park: brief, wonderful, and still a decent workout. I could not have been farther than the truth.
Right from the get go, I was stuck. Our preliminary job was simple: to create a setting, or a world in which our story will exist. My problem wasn't that I had trouble creating this setting. No, making this scenario was easy. I had seen plenty of movies, read many books, and studied many aspects of this world in my sixteen years of living. I believe that I understood the themes of our world to a passable degree, or enough so to formulate possible insightful settings. Instead, my issue was that my creative brain was working against me. I was unable to choose a foundation for my story that I was completely satisfied with. For two hours, I sat in front of a blank computer screen as the ideas appeared and disappeared in front of my eyes. There was too much opportunity, if that makes any sense at all.
Once I had decided on my setting, which happened to include a homeless person in New York City, things lightened up. Next we were given the task of actually writing the story itself. This included character development and the creation of the actual plot. This creation was where I found the most enjoyment. This part of the story writing process is where the imagination thrives. This entire world that you can create simply by a few strokes of the keyboard, it's surely something. Your own vision is created, and that liberty is lacking in much of our lives. And so, I crafted my story with two things in mind. Opportunities of further insights, and the whole "Form Is Content" shin-dig that we have been butting our heads with throughout the entire year. As the plot extended, I learned more about my own story than I had previously imagined. I was satisfied.
The next few steps were the grind. From then on, it was a battle of constant revision. The purpose of these revisions were to clarify, structurally stabilize, and to provide a greater emotional depth. That last part was the most difficult. It was stressed that we should add a continuous pressure on our characters to further emotional depth and to provoke a change in our characters. I divined that the pressure should not be blatant and obvious, but rather subtle and lingering. However, I struggled. I could not find a suitable way to dump all this pressure on my character without feeling like it was a bit too much. Many revisions were made in my story in which I deleted numerous parts where the pressure was too obvious and too forced. It was difficult for me to find that healthy balance, but I eventually achieved what I was aiming for.
As a result of this process, I something quite interesting. If you are aiming for the top tier, aiming to create something worth recognition, any creative piece requires intense thought, a surprising amount of depth, and at times meticulous correction. Even with the amount of time that I invested into my short story. I believe that there are even more opportunities for my story to be polished and perfected. I just haven't found them yet. However, watching something you created grow and develop into something worth showing is truly a satisfying feeling. A short story is no jog in the park, but instead, it is a marathon. The whole twenty-six miles and then some.
Right from the get go, I was stuck. Our preliminary job was simple: to create a setting, or a world in which our story will exist. My problem wasn't that I had trouble creating this setting. No, making this scenario was easy. I had seen plenty of movies, read many books, and studied many aspects of this world in my sixteen years of living. I believe that I understood the themes of our world to a passable degree, or enough so to formulate possible insightful settings. Instead, my issue was that my creative brain was working against me. I was unable to choose a foundation for my story that I was completely satisfied with. For two hours, I sat in front of a blank computer screen as the ideas appeared and disappeared in front of my eyes. There was too much opportunity, if that makes any sense at all.
Once I had decided on my setting, which happened to include a homeless person in New York City, things lightened up. Next we were given the task of actually writing the story itself. This included character development and the creation of the actual plot. This creation was where I found the most enjoyment. This part of the story writing process is where the imagination thrives. This entire world that you can create simply by a few strokes of the keyboard, it's surely something. Your own vision is created, and that liberty is lacking in much of our lives. And so, I crafted my story with two things in mind. Opportunities of further insights, and the whole "Form Is Content" shin-dig that we have been butting our heads with throughout the entire year. As the plot extended, I learned more about my own story than I had previously imagined. I was satisfied.
The next few steps were the grind. From then on, it was a battle of constant revision. The purpose of these revisions were to clarify, structurally stabilize, and to provide a greater emotional depth. That last part was the most difficult. It was stressed that we should add a continuous pressure on our characters to further emotional depth and to provoke a change in our characters. I divined that the pressure should not be blatant and obvious, but rather subtle and lingering. However, I struggled. I could not find a suitable way to dump all this pressure on my character without feeling like it was a bit too much. Many revisions were made in my story in which I deleted numerous parts where the pressure was too obvious and too forced. It was difficult for me to find that healthy balance, but I eventually achieved what I was aiming for.
As a result of this process, I something quite interesting. If you are aiming for the top tier, aiming to create something worth recognition, any creative piece requires intense thought, a surprising amount of depth, and at times meticulous correction. Even with the amount of time that I invested into my short story. I believe that there are even more opportunities for my story to be polished and perfected. I just haven't found them yet. However, watching something you created grow and develop into something worth showing is truly a satisfying feeling. A short story is no jog in the park, but instead, it is a marathon. The whole twenty-six miles and then some.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Change of Mind: Being Different
There are billions of people on this planet, and we all strive for the same thing. As a society, we idolize the elite and strive to emulate their wealth and success. These were my beliefs, and I found absolutely no fault in living by these goals. I now realize that I used to have a very misconstrued view of the common goal of society. By experiencing the process of writing a short story and by analyzing the themes of the movie Once, I began to see it all differently. We should all embrace our individuality and strive to work off of those strengths, instead of trying to fantasize about unrealistic possibilities.
Growing up, everyone is subconsciously and unknowingly fed these ideas that lead them to believe that life's goal is to be successful. I am not arguing against that; it's a fine goal. However, people attempt to reach this goal by being something that they are clearly not. I used to marvel at incredible businessmen and athletes and drool at their incredible stories. There are those who strive to be like Bill Gates, and bask in the wealth of the world. There are those who strive to be like Michael Jordan or Lebron James and dominate the court with an uncanny and other-worldly ability. I was no different. I grew up trying to be like my brother. He was so ridiculously talented at everything that I was interested in. Whether it was through art or music, I always knew his future was going to entail one hell of a life. But in those fields, my future was non-existent.
I began to recognize the power of individuality when I was writing my short story. As I was crafting and shaping the narrative of my story, I was struggling on how to add pressure to my character. In my story, the protagonist had to somehow interact with a homeless man in order to learn more about herself. As I was pondering countless scenarios in which this interaction would occur, a sudden and random insight struck me. I was not limited in the paths I could take. It was my story. I could have the two characters meet on the peak of Mt. Everest if I wanted them to (although the setting was New York City...) I was the author and it was in my power to do what I wished. This insight allowed me to find what I believed to be a perfect scenario for the story, as it shed all limitations. This self-prescribed power was interesting to me. It was interesting because I knew that each and every one of my classmates had the same power, and they each produced a unique and beautiful story. It was quite impressive.
Another influence in my change of mind was the movie Once. The thing that captured my interest was that fact that it was a love story that was so different than the rest. All of the raw emotion and feelings that the characters felt were fused with the music. It was a type of love story that I have never seen before, and it worked so well. I could tell that the movie did not have any feeble attempt to be like any famous love story in history, but rather chose to set its own stage, and be drastically different yet equally astounding.
The combination of the two insights led to my complete change of mind. Why strive to be so successful in the same tracks as someone who had previously struggled to make his own mark? Is that truly success? There is no thrill, no life worth living in a life with those goals. We must set our own stages, and each be elite in our own unique, and individual ways. There are billions of people on this planet, and we are all different people. Make the most of it.
Growing up, everyone is subconsciously and unknowingly fed these ideas that lead them to believe that life's goal is to be successful. I am not arguing against that; it's a fine goal. However, people attempt to reach this goal by being something that they are clearly not. I used to marvel at incredible businessmen and athletes and drool at their incredible stories. There are those who strive to be like Bill Gates, and bask in the wealth of the world. There are those who strive to be like Michael Jordan or Lebron James and dominate the court with an uncanny and other-worldly ability. I was no different. I grew up trying to be like my brother. He was so ridiculously talented at everything that I was interested in. Whether it was through art or music, I always knew his future was going to entail one hell of a life. But in those fields, my future was non-existent.
I began to recognize the power of individuality when I was writing my short story. As I was crafting and shaping the narrative of my story, I was struggling on how to add pressure to my character. In my story, the protagonist had to somehow interact with a homeless man in order to learn more about herself. As I was pondering countless scenarios in which this interaction would occur, a sudden and random insight struck me. I was not limited in the paths I could take. It was my story. I could have the two characters meet on the peak of Mt. Everest if I wanted them to (although the setting was New York City...) I was the author and it was in my power to do what I wished. This insight allowed me to find what I believed to be a perfect scenario for the story, as it shed all limitations. This self-prescribed power was interesting to me. It was interesting because I knew that each and every one of my classmates had the same power, and they each produced a unique and beautiful story. It was quite impressive.
Another influence in my change of mind was the movie Once. The thing that captured my interest was that fact that it was a love story that was so different than the rest. All of the raw emotion and feelings that the characters felt were fused with the music. It was a type of love story that I have never seen before, and it worked so well. I could tell that the movie did not have any feeble attempt to be like any famous love story in history, but rather chose to set its own stage, and be drastically different yet equally astounding.
The combination of the two insights led to my complete change of mind. Why strive to be so successful in the same tracks as someone who had previously struggled to make his own mark? Is that truly success? There is no thrill, no life worth living in a life with those goals. We must set our own stages, and each be elite in our own unique, and individual ways. There are billions of people on this planet, and we are all different people. Make the most of it.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
An Inconvenient Truth: Nobody is Incorruptible
Ever since I was a small child, I was raised to believe the notion that perseverance always trumps temptation. In school or at home, that concept was drilled and cemented into my mind. With a strong will, anything can be achieved. However, as a result of growing up and reading of Kurtz's fall in The Heart of Darkness, I have encountered a truly inconvenient truth. There is no such thing as an incorruptible character; there is no infallible will.
Maybe it is just the pessimist within me speaking again, but this truth is challenging everything that I have ever believed in terms of morality and judgement. As a child, I was spoon-fed stories of heroes who rise to withstand whatever evil hurls their way. Yes, there is a point in the story where the hero's knees buckle under the pressure of the almost impossible situation that they are thrust into. However, the hero always rises, triumphing in the very end. It is always a perfect story. Although it makes for a very entertaining movie, novel, or comic book, is it okay for our society to be leading people towards this idea?
The story of Mr. Kurtz directly resonates with this inconvenient truth. From the various accounts that described Kurtz's character before he entered the Congo, it would be safe to assume that he was pure at heart. He was respected as a master of speech and loved as a fiancee. He seemed unbreakable, but the Congo shattered him. The massive quest for ivory and the immense authority and power entrusted with him was too much to handle. Greed and the lack of restraint allowed the darkness to slither into his once good being. In a matter of years, Mr. Kurtz turned from a businessman to an egotistical tyrant, with severed heads mounted around his throne.
Although it is an extreme example, I believe that Kurtz's fall is a good representation of reality. In fact, I have seen stronger wills fall to lesser evils than the Congo's heart of darkness. It is sad, but I cannot find it within the human character to best temptation, to not allow it to change and alter your personality. The way I see it, the human character is almost like Play-Doh. It is easily molded and shaped; the slightest impact can dent its structure. It is incredibly hard and almost impossible to resist the blows to our malleable personalities. This incurs a great deal of personal strife within me, as I used to take a great pride preserving my morals and my character. Whenever I find myself slipping against my personal moral compass, I usually beat myself over it. After being taught to make the best decisions and to always stay true to myself, how can I not?
The best thing for me to do is to ditch that simplistic mindset completely. We live in a world without perfection. I now realize that it is impossible to avoid the bad. It will always come to manipulate you and twist you in whatever way it pleases; that's just the way people are wired. However, if evils can affect this character mold, so can the good things in life. Acts of kindness can shape a character in ways that trump the temptations of evil. Therefore, the best thing for me to do, and for everyone to do, is allow yourself to be changed by the things that are worth it, more than by the things that aren't. If you can't be incorruptible, strive to be as damn close as possible.
Maybe it is just the pessimist within me speaking again, but this truth is challenging everything that I have ever believed in terms of morality and judgement. As a child, I was spoon-fed stories of heroes who rise to withstand whatever evil hurls their way. Yes, there is a point in the story where the hero's knees buckle under the pressure of the almost impossible situation that they are thrust into. However, the hero always rises, triumphing in the very end. It is always a perfect story. Although it makes for a very entertaining movie, novel, or comic book, is it okay for our society to be leading people towards this idea?
The story of Mr. Kurtz directly resonates with this inconvenient truth. From the various accounts that described Kurtz's character before he entered the Congo, it would be safe to assume that he was pure at heart. He was respected as a master of speech and loved as a fiancee. He seemed unbreakable, but the Congo shattered him. The massive quest for ivory and the immense authority and power entrusted with him was too much to handle. Greed and the lack of restraint allowed the darkness to slither into his once good being. In a matter of years, Mr. Kurtz turned from a businessman to an egotistical tyrant, with severed heads mounted around his throne.
Although it is an extreme example, I believe that Kurtz's fall is a good representation of reality. In fact, I have seen stronger wills fall to lesser evils than the Congo's heart of darkness. It is sad, but I cannot find it within the human character to best temptation, to not allow it to change and alter your personality. The way I see it, the human character is almost like Play-Doh. It is easily molded and shaped; the slightest impact can dent its structure. It is incredibly hard and almost impossible to resist the blows to our malleable personalities. This incurs a great deal of personal strife within me, as I used to take a great pride preserving my morals and my character. Whenever I find myself slipping against my personal moral compass, I usually beat myself over it. After being taught to make the best decisions and to always stay true to myself, how can I not?
The best thing for me to do is to ditch that simplistic mindset completely. We live in a world without perfection. I now realize that it is impossible to avoid the bad. It will always come to manipulate you and twist you in whatever way it pleases; that's just the way people are wired. However, if evils can affect this character mold, so can the good things in life. Acts of kindness can shape a character in ways that trump the temptations of evil. Therefore, the best thing for me to do, and for everyone to do, is allow yourself to be changed by the things that are worth it, more than by the things that aren't. If you can't be incorruptible, strive to be as damn close as possible.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Blogging Around
I read and commented on Andy's blog, titled Metacognition: Poem Process. He detailed his arduous journey of writing poetry. From first thinking of an idea that would serve as the foundation of his poem to the actual execution of the poem itself, Andy explained his constantly changing emotions and mindsets. To his blog entry, I responded:
Andy,
I love how you compared your poetry writing process to the army. The teacher being the commander and the poem being the goal, your thoughts truly captures the frustration and difficulty of the task of writing an artistic, unique, and beautiful poem. I can relate to everything you have stated in the blog. I felt your pain, your pressure, and most importantly your eventual success. The thing that I believed was the root of much of our preliminary anguish was the fact that this assignment was the first time in my schooling history that I have dived head first into the vast ocean of poetry. I was extremely uneasy and unsure what exactly our commander wanted from us, but as we now both know, it was a level of thinking well within our grasps. Poetry does not have to be deep and obscure at the surface to be brilliant. Who knew that the words describing a simple fast food joint would entrance all of our minds. I am glad to have heard your scrumptious Subway poem, and let us march on to bigger things.
I also read Pedro's Metacognition: Get Organized blog. In this blog, he described how he cleaned his extremely messy, "Hurricane Sandy"- ravaged room, and how that specific process triggered an epiphany. He realized that order and structure in a person's physical surrounding directly relieves the mind of stress. To that, I responded:
Pedro,
I wholeheartedly agree with your message and what your experience brought to you. It truly is magnificent how one's physical environment directly correlates to their mental state. Our lives are always cluttered and busy with the enormous amounts of pressure that school loads onto our shoulders. We are constantly in motion, constantly thinking and exhausting our bodies and minds. With this, I think we have found a temporary relief to our hectic lives. Whether it be your room or my garage, there is always something to be cleaned, which in turn cleanses ourselves. I am glad to have figured this out, knowing that bearing the thousand pound burden of stress can weaken our resolves. So maintain what you're doing, it'll make you feel that much better.
Andy,
I love how you compared your poetry writing process to the army. The teacher being the commander and the poem being the goal, your thoughts truly captures the frustration and difficulty of the task of writing an artistic, unique, and beautiful poem. I can relate to everything you have stated in the blog. I felt your pain, your pressure, and most importantly your eventual success. The thing that I believed was the root of much of our preliminary anguish was the fact that this assignment was the first time in my schooling history that I have dived head first into the vast ocean of poetry. I was extremely uneasy and unsure what exactly our commander wanted from us, but as we now both know, it was a level of thinking well within our grasps. Poetry does not have to be deep and obscure at the surface to be brilliant. Who knew that the words describing a simple fast food joint would entrance all of our minds. I am glad to have heard your scrumptious Subway poem, and let us march on to bigger things.
I also read Pedro's Metacognition: Get Organized blog. In this blog, he described how he cleaned his extremely messy, "Hurricane Sandy"- ravaged room, and how that specific process triggered an epiphany. He realized that order and structure in a person's physical surrounding directly relieves the mind of stress. To that, I responded:
Pedro,
I wholeheartedly agree with your message and what your experience brought to you. It truly is magnificent how one's physical environment directly correlates to their mental state. Our lives are always cluttered and busy with the enormous amounts of pressure that school loads onto our shoulders. We are constantly in motion, constantly thinking and exhausting our bodies and minds. With this, I think we have found a temporary relief to our hectic lives. Whether it be your room or my garage, there is always something to be cleaned, which in turn cleanses ourselves. I am glad to have figured this out, knowing that bearing the thousand pound burden of stress can weaken our resolves. So maintain what you're doing, it'll make you feel that much better.
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