Reflection 2

I find it easy to put myself in another person’s shoes. I feel that I empathize with others subconsciously. It is as natural to me as breathing and for me to control it is more difficult for me than attempt to control my own breathing. I feel that I can put myself in the shoes of another by talking, looking or just sitting next to him or her. I also find it difficult to separate myself from the needs of those around me because I feel that I can feel how much they need something or that I can feel how much something is bothering them.

 
When I listen to someone I’m not only listening to the words that they say but I listen to how they say something and to body language. I listen for patterns that tell me the way that someone takes in information from their environment. I also listen for patterns of thought and emotion on various topics. I listen and look for values and ideals. I feel that this is more of a product of intuition than an analysis because some people are very good at disguising their true feelings. Since I rely on my intuition I’m not sure how it works.

 
I feel that by combining my perception of how someone else is feeling with what I see about them or what I know about them that I am able to combine the emotional sense with the physical facts and imagine myself in the person’s position. I know that most times that what we see may be different from what is actually going on so I always keep that in mind. I think that our consciousness is a product of our thoughts and emotions. If I can zero in on one and make inferences about the other I think that I may accurately imagine myself in someone else’s shoes.

Weblog 4: How Do I Know?

Looking at something changes it. The act of observing changes that which is observed. These are two ways of explaining the Uncertainty Principle. The Uncertainty Principle which was theorized by Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr, states that one cannot not know both the position and velocity of an object at any given time with 100% certainty or a 0% margin of error. The Uncertainty Principle is one of the foundations of modern quantum mechanics because it supports the observation that one can never know exactly where an electron is while it orbits an atom. One can only give a statistical probability that an electron will be in a given location at a specific time. Scientists use light rays and other forms of electromagnetic radiation to determine an electrons position and velocity. Electrons absorb light energy in the form of photons. When an electron absorbs light, its kinetic energy increases and it can jump to higher energy levels. The more intense and narrow the light source, the less exact the velocity measurement will be but the more exact the position measurement will be because of the pinpoint accuracy of the smaller spotlight. On the flip side, the less intense and broader the light source, the better scope the observer has on the exact velocity of an electron but the less certain the observer is to the electrons position because the object could be anywhere within the illuminated area. In short the more you know about an electrons velocity or momentum, the less you know about an electrons position and vice versa.

Put another way this phenomena is analogous to the imaginary scenario where your car is moving down the road at 50 miles per hour. While you are coasting down the road, a police officer points her radar gun at your car to determine your speed, in shooting radiowaves at your car she causes your car to teleport 2 miles down the road instantaneously. So while the officer may know that you were traveling at exactly 50 miles per hour she will have a much less certain idea of where you were when she took your reading. Of course the officer would appear to know exactly where you were and exactly how fast you were going but there is always a margin of error with data collection whether we admit it or not. This of course sounds silly on a visible scale when dealing with massive objects. For example it appears to those that observe me sitting in my chair typing this paper that they know with absolutely certainty that I am sitting at an exact position and moving at zero velocity in relation to them. While this seems true with most things that we observe, when conducting experiments on a scale the size of an electron this is a reality to most scientists. The Uncertainty Principle has also been used by philosophers and lawyers alike when they use such sayings as: “the more you look, the less you know,” and “I’ve seen enough to know that I haven’t seen it all.” It is an existential perspective where we are masters of our own reality and reality is how we define it.

There are many people that believe that there is an ultimate answer to life and to the universe itself.  String Theorists believe that if they keep trying they will find out the equation that answers it all.  What is the reason why we believe we want to be absolutely certain about everything?  Maybe we want to know it all.  Maybe we want to have a definitive purpose and direction or maybe we want to bend cause and effect to our wills.  We can’t control a situation completely if we aren’t above it pulling the strings.  If we are a part of that which we observe by merely observing we can never have complete control or be completely certain of all the details of that which we are controlling.   The Uncertainty Principle implies a certain amount of disorder and a random structure to life. Are we afraid of chaos?  Of certain things or everything being up to chance?  Many people, both the empiricists and the creationists, believe that there is a perfect order to life.  Whether only God knows this order or whether science can one day determine it, some believe that there is a perfect structure underlying everything. Einstein himself said that “God doesn’t roll dice.”  The paradox is that the more that we pursue the truth, the greater role we play in reality and the more impact we have on it. The more impact we have, the more we change things and the less we can be sure of in the end. The pursuit of the truth or of reality changes it. No one can be too sure of everything so we shouldn’t set our expectations so high that we will be disappointed. We should accept that reality is bigger than ourselves and not so be egotistical or vain to know that we can know everything that there is to know. At the same time we should be optimistic because we are able to influence our position in the world and we can even influence the world itself. Einstein also stated that “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious,” and I agree with that statement completely and whole heartedly. To me the universe, the world and all the life in it has an exceptional beauty to it, in form, function and potential. I’d rather not insult the artistic nature of all that is by hoping in vain to dissect and explain all of it in infinitesimal detail.

 

Topic Triage

1.  I am talking about the Uncertainty Principle.  I’m talking about how the act of observing changes that which is observed.

2.  I am saying that the Uncertainty Principle brings up questions as to our ability to know what was going before we looked at something and whether we can truly separate ourselves from a system that we are observing.  The Uncertainty Principle has implications regarding cause and effect, the human factor, complete order, total chaos, what is real and what is not.

3.  I am saying that this because I want the reader to question his or her influence on cause and effect.  I want the reader to question how much influence they have in the world because if we can alter a system just by observing than we have more influence than we otherwise might have thought.  I also want the reader to question the possiblity of discovering an absolute truth to everything  if we can never know what was there before we looked because our looking changes what was there.  I want the reader to consider how much of the world is order and how much is chaos.

4.  If shining a light on an electron can change its position and momentum and we take in a lot of our daily information with our eyes which interpret stimuli from light then we have to question how much of what we see is a product of our interpretation and how much is from what was there before we looked.  I can also use analogies to court cases where a case seems cut and dry until new information comes to light because the more you look, the less you know.  I want to define Uncertainty scientifically, discuss the seeming paradoxes that it presents and talk about its philosophical ramifications.

5.  The reader should care because the act of questioning can help the reader to determine his or her level of involvment, sense of control and the extent to which the reader is certain about some or all things.  The reader can question the structure of reality and his or her potential to influence reality.

Reflection 1

I was at the laundromat and this guy approached me saying that he knew me from somewhere. He seemed like a cool guy and we exchanged contact information. A few days later he was at the store and asked me to come chill and I said ok. We chilled but he seemed nervous the whole time and he started texting me often after that. I found out later that he was gay and that I had accidentally gone on a date with a gay marine.

I was at the Laundromat and this short black marine said “heyyy.” I said “waddup.” He said “I know you, I’ve been watching you work out at the gym. You’re always there at the same time as me. You’re Puerto Rican aren’t you.” I said “yup.” He said “I love Puerto Ricans.” I thought that this conversation was kind of strange but I gave the guy the benefit of the doubt and we talked some more about military life, philosophy and religion. He seemed really anxious but otherwise cool in my opinion. Before he left he suggested that we exchanged numbers since we both lived on the same base and we could hang out sometime. He texted me the next day asking when we could hang out I told him I didn’t know. He texted me the day after asking the same thing but I had just gotten off of a 24 hour shift and I told him that I was too tired. The day after that he texted me again asking if I wanted to go to the Post Exchange with him and I said ok. When I met him at the Exchange he seemed even more nervous than the first time. We just looked around and nothing seemed to interest him except the clothes. As we were walking we past several attractive women I looked over at him to see if he noticed and he never seemed to. He then suggested that we go watch a movie in a lounge. I sat down on the sofa and he sat down next to me even though there were plenty of other chairs available. He was still acting nervous and he made conversation during the movie. The movie ended and I told him I was going back to my room. When I got back to my room he texted me telling me what a great time he had. The next day he texted me asking when I wanted to hang out again. I told him I was busy but he kept texting me. When he wouldn’t let up it finally hit me that he had been hitting on me the whole time and I hadn’t realized. I was in disbelief in regards to how I could have been so oblivious. I asked a female friend of mine her opinion and she said that the guy was gay and that he was definitely interested in me. She said “Reuben let me handle this.” She texted him saying “I think you have the wrong idea about me.” He immediately freaked out and said that he just wanted to be friends and that he didn’t know what I was talking about. My friend said that his reaction confirmed his suspicion. It turns out that I got asked out and went out on a date with a gay guy without even realizing it.

The long version is the version that actually happened. It is more embarrassing because it shows how naïve I was, however the long version is actually more hilarious. I leave out the stranger details of the beginning dialogue at the Laundromat because they show how clueless I was.

Weblog 3: What do I See?

As I sit alone with my biscotti and six dollar coffee I notice that I am being scrutinized. I suppose maybe it’s just human nature, and I mean you have got to admit when you see someone alone you wonder, “why”?  You question; do they have friends, what about family, or maybe they’re just a plain loser; now is that fair? It doesn’t really matter, that’s just the way the world works. But, then there is the flipside; how do you feel when you’re no longer the one doing the scrutinizing? Whether we like it or not we act differently around others than we do when it’s just ourselves.

                For example, there is a quite blonde girl that sits in the corner every morning presumably myspacing away on her little pink laptop and she never really looks up from it; and if you do happen to catch her gaze her cheeks flush and then she quickly looks away. So therefore you would classify her as shy right? Wrong. One day I wasn’t able to make it in, in the morning so I decided to stop by the coffee shop in the afternoon, and do you know what I observed; a complete change in personality? The previously assumed shy blonde, being as obnoxious as ever, and for one reason and one reason only, she had two friends with her.

                I know it sounds corny to use the statement “strength in numbers” but some people just open up better when they are in the company of others whom they feel comfortable with. Another light bulb that was switched on in my time there is that you’re more approachable when you’re alone. Maybe it’s because people don’t feel as challenged or nervous to approach someone flying solo, but I have discovered that unknown group settings tend to scare them off.

               Some days I brought friends with me, you know grab some coffee and maybe some breakfast before we had to join the rest of the world. Well at first I didn’t notice but the barista smiled at me every time I came in with my group of friends, but it was only the next time when I arrived alone that she initiated a conversation. I have two theories as to why she may have acted in this manner. My first theory is maybe she was just trying to work up the courage, but my second and more probable theory is that it was because I was alone. It’s less scary to approach a single person than an individual in a group.

               In conclusion I think people are insecure by nature. We find situations less difficult when we don’t have to go it alone. Admit it more times than not your more outgoing when you have someone your familiar with by your side; I know I am. We thrive on each other; the sad thing is I don’t think many of us would make it at all if we were forced to go it alone. Independence isn’t natural it’s learned, and I think it would be a good quality for the majority of the population to take on.

Weblog 2: First Person Stories

I happen to be an idealist and a dreamer and an important lesson I learned in life was about reality. Reality can work with me or against me. It is up to me to accept both the good realities and the dark realities of human nature. If something goes wrong I can explain some of the pain away by deluding myself about what really happened or I can embrace what really happened even though it can be painful. I have learned that reality and human nature can not be altered by wishful thinking, delusions of grandeur, denial and shifting blame. It occurred to me one day when I had been let down one time too many. The specific event is not fresh in my mind because the epiphany was brought on by an accumulation of experience. I went from wishing for the best and expecting the best to wishing for the best and having a contingency plan in case things occurred normally.

I have found from my own experience that denying reality occurs in one of two ways. Usually someone may take himself or herself too seriously and will deny his or her own flaws. Whenever a flaw causes a person to make a mistake, said person will shift the blame to someone else or to some bizarre misfortune. A person will do this because it is easier to blame someone else and to forget the pain of a letdown but in the process the person is likely to repeat the mistake or to commit a similar mistake. More mistakes means more pain but denying responsibility dulls the pain. So denying one’s flaws and mistakes leads to a dull chronic pain. Accepting full responsibility can be more painful because it tells the person that they have a flaw or shortcoming that would be better off corrected. To many people accepting such a fact is a very painful blow to the ego. It is better in the long run to accept responsibility when one is culpable. Short term pain leads to positive change and prevents future mistakes after a while one makes fewer and fewer mistakes and is happier and happier as a result. I’m more of the opposite.

I always think the best in people and when something goes wrong I want to rationalize someone’s mistakes. This is another way of denying reality because the reality is that other people are responsible for their mistakes and I shouldn’t try to take the blame for them or to deny that they did any wrong. This denial of the reality that people are going to be people and let me down causes each letdown to be as painful as the first. This denial also prevents me to see disappointments and letdowns coming when I should. Accepting that some people will never transcend their flaws and do good for others is disenchanting but it’s a reality of life. Accepting reality doesn’t mean losing hope because there exist plenty of people who will do impossible and extraordinary things for one another in the name of love, compassion and empathy. When I remind myself of these instances, reality seems very optimistic and inspiring and I am better suited to face the world.

 

1. What am I talking about? (Define, describe, or explain your topic.) I am discussing reality.  I explain how perceptions of reality can vary greatly from one person to the next.  I explain that I believe in finding parts of the answer by utilizing different routes of soul searching and reasoning.
2. What am I saying about it? (Ask yourself the So What? question until you get a satisfying answer.) I explain how people can fit reality to suit their own needs instead of fitting their actions to work with reality.  I explain how each of us in one way or another try to bend reality to our own way of thinking.
3. Why am I saying this? ( What meaning do I want my readers to know or understand after reading my story?) I want to encourage my readers to take a closer look at themselves and the world.  I want my readers to learn something new about themselves and how they fit into the world.  I want my readers to find their own meaning and to grow through the process of questioning.
4. How is this so? (Show readers how this is so with details that describe and explain the events of the story.)  I use details describing the evolution of my perspectives and hopes.  I explain how it is easy to adopt extremist points of view in order to prevent ourselves from having to change.
5. Why should readers care? (What is interesting, surprising, or important about this?) I think that each of us can make a difference but that the power comes from within.  Reality works with us or against us.  Readers should care because they can improve their lives and the lives of others by constantly working to improve and to touch the lives of others.

Weblog 1: Twice Told Tales

Maxine Hong Kingston, “On Discovery”

Describe one story you were told as a child–a fairy tale, local legend, family history, etc. Narrate the story as you remember it, and then explain the message the story contains–its moral, theme, or point. What does it teach children–about love, family, or staying away from strangers, for example? What does it teach about the area where you were raised or about the members of your family in their lives before your birth?

There once was a town in Germany called Hamblin and it was infested by rats. The rats covered the floors of every home. There was no room to roam or stand in the village. The villagers were angry and wanted something to be done. Then a strange man wearing a large hat walked into the village and offered to rid the village of all the rats. The mayor of the city agreed to let the man do what was necessary to remove the rats. The man drew a pipe from his coat and played a strange tune. All the rats came out of the houses in droves. They followed the piper in a hypnotic trance. The piper led the rats through the forest and to the western river where all the rats drowned.
The piper returned to the town and stood before the mayor requesting his reward. The mayor laughed and told the piper that he lied, there was no reward. So the piper was withdrew his pipe for the second time. This time the melody caused all of the children to leave their homes. They danced as they were led by the piper to the end of the forest and into a cave. The cave closed and the children were never heard from again. The mayor and townspeople searched and searched but could never find the cave or the piper again.

The obvious lesson to this story is to keep your promises, commitments and responsibilities. If you do not you will suffer consequences that will most often be negative because vengeance and justice are strong aspects of human nature. The mayor gave the piper his word that he would be paid to remove the rats from the village. He went against his word. The lesson here is to be honest and keep one’s word. The mayor thought that piper would not retaliate. This is another lesson. One should never underestimate the resourcefulness or principles of anyone especially someone that one is doing business with. The mayor lied so the children were lost. The lesson is do something wrong and suffer the consequences. Another lesson is live by the sword and die by the sword. The mayor’s lie rid the village of rats thanks to the piper. The mayor’s lie also angered the piper and caused the piper to make the children disappear in the same way that he killed the rats. This is very ironic that the piper did his service and reaped his vengeance by the same mechanism. The story teaches children to keep their word and to be honest with people especially those that have done good for them in the first place. The story also teaches children that people are equally capable of good and evil and to be careful with who they associate or do business with.

My first blog. Yay!

I’m looking forward to blogging as this is something that I would have never done if not for this class.  I’m not used to journaling my thoughts.  I’ve never taken to the aside as a theatrical device.  I feel like Doug Funnie or Clarissa Explains it All.  How cool.

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