Tuesday, April 19, 2005
The Big Post for the week.
I had a wonderful friday night.
I watched What The Bleep Do We Know? a flim about mental perspective and quantum physics.
It was actually pretty lame considering what I expected it to be. But then again, my dad was a PhD in Philosophy, and a lot of the stuff the movie lightly touched on (like Plato kicking a stone as an example of when your mind meets reality) was the kind of stuff my Dad talked to me about while growing up. Right now I'm reading Chomsky, without any of his prodding. That asshole.
Julie didn't find it too stimulating, because she's a psycho-biology major. So stuff about neurons wiring and firing together wasn't exactly new to her. Bonus points for pointing out how the movie contradicted itself by talking about how psychology limits us by classifying disorder by the apparent symptoms, not the cause. Then later it goes on to describe psychological disorders as a cause of neurological malfunction.
Just to be a dick here, let's literally say that parts of us are blinking in and out of existing at the "subatomic" level, maybe there's a component that doesn't show up? A soul? Maybe when it gets bent out of shape, we have neurological malfunctions.
Anyway, we still found it to be a good film. Daring, considering what passes for "intelligent" at the box office. But intellectuals that follow any of the topics they try to touch on will find it kinda "soundbite-ish".
Bonus points for all the nerdy star trek lingo like "Holodeck" by some of the PhDs, using it like it was offical terminology and expecting all of us to know it. You're such dorks.
I love star trek, because nothing could be a more unrealistic version of our future. And without trekkies, what would maxim magazine make fun on a monthly basis?
But it was a good evening because I ate Ben and Jerry's, Discusses the movie at length with someone, and people called me. Three seperate calls to hang out with people. That's a first. And just when I was getting used to the anti-social life of making techno that sucks.
But honestly, considering how it was from some distant friends I've been trying to close the gap with, it made me feel good to know they're trying to.
I've been running a lot and that helps me focus my reflexive nature much better then meditation. My mind really stops churning and asks the right questions, lets me sift through just the right memories I need. Meditation leaves me feeling like I lost a pint of blood.
One of the thoughts I had was on the subject of clean breaks. I've made a few of them lately. One of them even involved breaking a promise to always be friends with someone. I've concluded this time, keeping my word really isn't in their best interest. I think its hard to understand until you think about sacrifice, its not something you give up for yourself, it something you give up TO someone. FOR someone.
And I thought about how toxic anger is. And how I'm confusing impatient and anger. So I'm resolving to let my anger go. At friends, at co workers, at mortal enemies who've i've wished death by testicular cancer on...I'm going to try to let it go.
And I'm going to let go of the anger i have directed at myself. It was incredibly stupid to think that you could hold a butterfly by its wings, but in the end, everyone is going to straighten up and fly right.
I watched What The Bleep Do We Know? a flim about mental perspective and quantum physics.
It was actually pretty lame considering what I expected it to be. But then again, my dad was a PhD in Philosophy, and a lot of the stuff the movie lightly touched on (like Plato kicking a stone as an example of when your mind meets reality) was the kind of stuff my Dad talked to me about while growing up. Right now I'm reading Chomsky, without any of his prodding. That asshole.
Julie didn't find it too stimulating, because she's a psycho-biology major. So stuff about neurons wiring and firing together wasn't exactly new to her. Bonus points for pointing out how the movie contradicted itself by talking about how psychology limits us by classifying disorder by the apparent symptoms, not the cause. Then later it goes on to describe psychological disorders as a cause of neurological malfunction.
Just to be a dick here, let's literally say that parts of us are blinking in and out of existing at the "subatomic" level, maybe there's a component that doesn't show up? A soul? Maybe when it gets bent out of shape, we have neurological malfunctions.
Anyway, we still found it to be a good film. Daring, considering what passes for "intelligent" at the box office. But intellectuals that follow any of the topics they try to touch on will find it kinda "soundbite-ish".
Bonus points for all the nerdy star trek lingo like "Holodeck" by some of the PhDs, using it like it was offical terminology and expecting all of us to know it. You're such dorks.
I love star trek, because nothing could be a more unrealistic version of our future. And without trekkies, what would maxim magazine make fun on a monthly basis?
But it was a good evening because I ate Ben and Jerry's, Discusses the movie at length with someone, and people called me. Three seperate calls to hang out with people. That's a first. And just when I was getting used to the anti-social life of making techno that sucks.
But honestly, considering how it was from some distant friends I've been trying to close the gap with, it made me feel good to know they're trying to.
I've been running a lot and that helps me focus my reflexive nature much better then meditation. My mind really stops churning and asks the right questions, lets me sift through just the right memories I need. Meditation leaves me feeling like I lost a pint of blood.
One of the thoughts I had was on the subject of clean breaks. I've made a few of them lately. One of them even involved breaking a promise to always be friends with someone. I've concluded this time, keeping my word really isn't in their best interest. I think its hard to understand until you think about sacrifice, its not something you give up for yourself, it something you give up TO someone. FOR someone.
And I thought about how toxic anger is. And how I'm confusing impatient and anger. So I'm resolving to let my anger go. At friends, at co workers, at mortal enemies who've i've wished death by testicular cancer on...I'm going to try to let it go.
And I'm going to let go of the anger i have directed at myself. It was incredibly stupid to think that you could hold a butterfly by its wings, but in the end, everyone is going to straighten up and fly right.
