To Lessen War

Here are some of the voices I've heard concerning this (disclaimer, there's some profanity): Laci Green Casey Neistat Tim Urban (Wait But Why) Ethan & Hila Klein (H3H3) June Lapine (Shoe0nHead) VOX Media CGP Grey Top post on r/endlesswar School of Life Slavoj Žižek Simone Giertz This is in addition to personal conversations, conversations in classes, and to the exception of most news sites, which I don't really trust to have integrity (I don't trust VOX all that much either, but at least they're coherent). The two that resonate the most: H3H3's video is a good goofy video, Slavoj Žižek is pretty fantastic to listen to; but regardless and of course, all have their merits. Here's what I want to say to all of those who felt they needed to save this country and perhaps the world from Trump. Feelings Feelings are powerful and are useful. Without them we have difficulty connecting with each other. In my experience, feelings are the spark of ...

The Orlando shooting has me thinking. Honestly, not as much as other mass shootings have - for the reason that in the process of avoiding grieving the loss of my brother I have become much more adept at being ignorant to tragedy. This doesn't mean that I am not grieving, either this shooting or my brother, as I might make it sound, only that I have an overactive streak of ignorance in this way, more active than I think is healthy anyway But this streak aside, I have this to say: There are two competing processes here: Process 1 - where people en masse debate blame, and Process 2 - an internal process of grief, by which tragedy is reconciled with the beauty of life. Grieve - that is the proper process. Process 2 Like I said, I have a streak of ignorance that stunts my progress in this department, but I'm trying. I'm learning to invite in tragedy, and I'm also learning to appreciate the beauty of life, and not have it completely dashed by tragedies like this. I'm...

Science education as it currently stands is only geared towards teaching how to solve certain kinds of problems (though you can learn how to solve them really well).  Even the ill-structured problems in science and engineering have a particular structure, and the idea of an ill-structured problem in physics never comes close to being an ill-structured problem I feel is really important. Scientists and engineers are really good at creating problems for their solutions, and are really good at solving problems because they know they can.  I think people need to know that they can solve other bigger problems that currently aren't in the purview of science for traditional and pseudo-philosophical reasons.  Yeah okay, we've made a more efficient fridge, or something equally trivial, and if you can make a living off of that I think there might be a problem. Bigger and more definitely a problem, some of these "efficient fridges" are harmful to people, and there is a strong ...

Contrary to what my previous post on professionalism would have a reader believe, I was accepted to a research program a few months ago.  Stuck with the unrealistic demands of time, mental inertia, and social deprivation made on myself during the academic year I've been unable to properly write until recently, though I have drafted a few posts about things that I consider very important. My current balance of free time and work is, in a word, harmonious.  And the contrast between my current stress level and that which I was experiencing two weeks ago allows me to realize something. I never want to purposefully be that stressed again.  The work ethic that I was subscribing to was poisonously ignorant of my ability to do anything other than satisfy criteria, whether those criteria be academic or pertaining to my extra curricular activity. All the more I see the necessity of art and unbounded thinking as well as the necessity of relevance.  My desire to accomplish ...

I have never been accepted to anything (a scholarship, a college, a job, a research opportunity) that asked me to write an essay, or a statement of intent.  I consider it a small miracle that I even got into the college that I'm going to now. I'm not sure why this occurs, but I do know that when I have written essays I have had a few ideas in mind, some of them dumb (I'll let you decide which). - Honesty is the best policy.  If this wasn't true, and I did get the job based on boasting, how would I know if the job was "right" for me? - Money is not as important as everyone thinks it is.  I used to bring up in statements of intent how cool it was that this research opportunity would trade money for my time to perform a duty that I would do even without being paid!  I still think there are more relevant alternatives to capitalism, but I don't know what they are yet.  I'm currently living comfortably, and could live slightly poorer and be okay, for m...

I fully conceived writing this blog after a few things   - After science writing seemed to me like it was not responsible for all kinds of thinking   - After noticing the breadth of my thinking during a reprieve from the crucible that is college   - After a fun night of drinking   - After starting to write the fiction bouncing around in my head for two years or so   - After realizing this as an efficient and useful way of indirectly contributing to the intellect of humanity, as opposed to a direct way, which would be teaching professionally This blog will not accurately be me, though I will try to be as honest as possible (for my sake and yours) and I won't try to create a persona for this blog.  In the past my writing smacked of attempts at self definition, of yelling at myself loud enough to believe things (you may have experienced writing like that before).  Thinking will change as I write this, and I do not expect my inquiry to be all and e...