Monday, December 5, 2011

December 3rd, 2011 [Upstairs Room, Krishna's House, Male Patan, Pokhara, Nepal] Pain has a purpose

    Pain is not always a bad thing. Pain drives us to new hights away from itself, to seek pleasure in new areas beyond. Without pain or suffering there would be no reason to do anything. Pain is the base for any uncomfortable thing, be it physical or emotional. Pain is the source of all innovation. Necessity is not the mother of all invention. Intuition, experience, but above all a desire for change, a result of pain, are the necessary requirements for invention.
I should probably start, after my awesome introduction (lolz), with a definition of pain. Definitons are very important (I promise to write more about the importance of definitions later). Anyways, pain, I think, is any sort of undesired physical or psychological ( I think emotional can be considered under this umbrella term, right?) condition felt by an individual. This condition could be considered caused by any external or internal event with relation to the individual. Pain tells us that something is wrong and needs to change.
For example, you touch a hot stove and you feel pain in the form of heat damage to nerves on your finger. The resulting pain notifies you of the undesireable situation, a burn, and that action needs to be taken to remedy the situation, aka something is wrong and needs to change. You draw your finger back and change the situation for the better.
The previous example also gives rise to another dimension of the definiton of pain. Pain is a teacher. Pain turns events into experience. Without pain we would not grow wiser or smarter. We would continue to make the same mistakes and never move forward towards, well, anything. There would be no reason to live.
In this sense, pain can be said to be similar to black holes, especially the monsters that lurk in the center of galactic cores. They are deadly, nothing escapes them, everything is devoured, but, without a central core of immense gravity there would be no galaxies, no clumps of stars, no planets, really, no us. They keep galaxies together and structured. Pain is the same. Pain, keeps our lives in order, sets limits for tolerence and allows, paradoxically, a greater reason for living than living itself.
This brings us to an interesting phenomena, pain as pleasure. (Assuming that they are not mutually exclusive and that they are opposites, both, haha, will be covered in a later essay) The individual who seeks pain is not an exception to the rule of pleasure over pain because pleasure and pain are only abstract concepts that can and should be applied in a way that helps us to understand the subject under study, in a more complete fashion. In this specific case a reversal of the two concepts seems in order, that is, pain becomes pleasure and pleasure becomes pain. Notwithstanding the ambiguous change up, the concept remains clear. That pain is avoided, not in the physical, but in the abstract sense.
Pain is an importaint part of life. Without it we would not drive to higher ground. Also, we would probably die a hell of a lot more often. Really, pain keeps us alive. At least, pain makes us avoid the unberable parts and guides us to seek the pleasure in life.

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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

September 14, 2011 [Rm 2, Hotel Panorama Point, Tadapani, Nepal] Death is an environment


   Death is a transfer of energy. I want to define energy because being vague is only fun when searching for abstract ideas of abstract concepts. The energy I'm talking about is the energy that sustains life as we know it. The chemical conversion of energy stored in matter to energy that can be used to perform work. I guess you could equate this with Calories.
   When a living being can no longer absorb the required energy to survive, its function as a living thing ceases and it dies. So the transfer of energy that is death is a net loss for the organism that previously had said energy. The transfer is a loss, relative to the organism. This simple concept is common to all forms of life, self-conscious or not, and is fundamental to both.
   What I want to focus on now, in this context, is the idea of conquering this natural and seemingly inevitable process. Humans have been extremely successful in spreading out over the various environments of this planet. Every stage of long term adaptation of homo sapiens has stemmed from the use of technology. From stone and flint, to agriculture and animal husbandry, to words and language and written symbols. Especially in the case of the latter, humanity has been able to acrue knowledge and wisdom to better suit their environment to their preference.
   This manifest adaptation even goes beyond what one would normally consider a traditional environment. In social situations adapting can be key to survival, or at least efficient function in a society. Understanting who is in charge or how social processes work, for example, can more often than not determine how long an individual can sucessfully survive and thrive in a social setting.
   FInally, let me sum all my points togeather. Humans are dominant on planet Earth because we have the skill to adapt to various environments. These environments need not be traditional in the sense on physical environments. Death is a common feature of all living things. Birth leads to death. Can the very real conditions of life and death not also be considered as non-traditional environments? Can death lead to life? Can we not control death?
   I want to make explicitly clear here that I am not discussing suicide. Yes suicide is a choice when it comes to choosing when a being dies, but the choice is permanent. In the context of environments, the change between life and death is not a premanent decision. It is a barrier to be crossed and to return from. Not something to permanently stay on one side or the other. Life is challenging, death is peaceful, it's the transition that is troublesome. Why does it have to be troublesome? Why do we have to lose when the border is transgressed?
   I also want to make abundanly clear that I do not have the power to overcome death. This, er, essay is merely a philosophical statement that in essence says: if we have the technology we should pursue it.
   Now! The fun part, moral dilemmas. And as always, non-existant invisible audience, feel free to comment and disagree with me because that is the only way we are aver going to get anywhere, that is the only way we can refine arguments and really determine what is worth arguing about. Arguing changes the nature of truth, let's change it together.
   The greatest and most pressing moral, and prehaps physical, dilemma is the case of over population. That if we have the technology to prevent death and even return people from death, that there will be too many people alive. That death, the natural conclusion to any living organisms life, is natural for a reason. There is only one solution to this, something that I will most surely address in later posts, expansion.
   If we can extend our lifetimes, the universe becomes not just a dream or a longing gaze at the night sky, but a real, tangible location. As real and as close as a room in your house or a convenience store down on the corner. If we can take a greater chunk of time, we can explore these wonders. These pillars of existance that, for all intents and purposes, streach out to infinity. Suddenly, leaving this cradle, this earth, becomes a reality. The stars are our new home, space is our highway. An interstellar civilization. A level of production, of trade, of communication, of ideas, of imagination, of art, of thought, of wisdom....that no one in the history of this planet could ever even begin to picture. A renaissance ten-thousand times greater than the European Renaissance. A flow of ideas that you can not even understand. Every corner and strech of humanity vibrantly alive. ....and people wonder why I think we should leave this planet....it's too small, I say.
   But I don't think it's going to be all hopes and dreams. Wars will probably be worse. As technology advances, weapons become more deadly. Atrocities will probably become worse before they become better. Disparity in economic wealth. Political dominance and control over subservient populations. Human rights abuses. I guess, you could say, that it's going to get much better and much worse. But it has to get worse, before it can get better....
   Wow, that was a romp through my mind. Exits are to your left and we hope you had a good time. Echo One-Three-Six Air appriciates your business and we hope that you will fly with us again soon! .....luggage can be picked-up at carousel 14...

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Thursday, September 1, 2011

September 1, 2011 [Be Happy Restaurant, Pokhara, Nepal] The Buddha was wrong...

Ok, well, I should clarify myself. I don't know all of the Buddha's teachings so I can't say he was wrong on everything. At least, not quite yet....

    Anyways, my argument centers around the notion that "life is suffering." The Buddha proclaimed this as fact after observing the four encounters on the road. This idea that "life is suffering" comes from firsthand experience of the Buddha in the everyday world. The acceptance of this tenet of Buddhism is easy to believe in because there is so much suffering in the world and it can be seen at all levels and at all times.

    However, I think that saying "life is suffering" is a very myopic view of the world. Such a large blanket statement is no way to interpret the world. Surely life is not always pain or misery. There is ample evidence to the contrary. Even the Buddha did not always suffer during his life. Many people do suffer in life, but they do not always suffer. There are always degrees and intensity to suffering as well as joy. Life is not one or the other. Even in extreme suffering there can be joy as well as the opposite, in extreme joy there can be suffering.

    So, my solution to this dilemma? A blanket statement. Before you criticize me, bear with my logic. blanket statements do not usually work for the simple reason that they are too specific. My blanket statement about life is hopefully more vague and therefore more widely applicable to various situations. The statement is this: life is mortal. When I use the statement "life is mortal" I mean that life is many things. It is suffering, it is pleasure, it is joy and pain. It is limited, it is transient, it is short. It is encapsulated by death on all sides. The human life is mortal.

(more on the " life is encapsulated by death" in later posts)

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Friday, August 12, 2011

August 13, 2011 [Incheon/Seoul Intl] -Episode One, Part Two-

    I did forget to mention to my nonexistant, invisible audience yesterday, the reason I was at the international terminal at LAX. I am traveling to Kathmandu, Nepal. Why? Well..."I choose to go to Nepal. I choose to go to Nepal in this decade and do the other things (grad school), not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of my energies and skills, because that challenge is one that I am willing to accept." Obviously paraphrased, but significant nonetheless.
    I am travelling to Nepal because I want to, it's really as simple as that. Ever since that first cultural anthropology class (did I mention I'm a novice anthropologist? Fully accredited to boot!) I've always wanted to immerse myself in a foreign culture ( I am from the United States, bugger, I should probably put that in my profile at some point) and I wanted that culture to be on the other side of Earth. (You know, the blue green marble, nice place, Mostly Harmless)

Korea is interesting, at least the airport and Korea Air are. I don't have tome to really get into the country now. Everything feels hyper-westernized. The stewardesses remind me of a nostalgic 1960s flying experience, the advertising is over the top in the airport, gigantic screens chock full of western ideas and influences. Efficiency is everywhere in the airport. From the way planes are boarded and disembarked, the separation of passengers is explicit. One group leaves a different way than how the next group arrives. Departures are isolated from arrivals. It is, in this "scary!" post 9/11 world, a security designer's wet dream. Isolation, impenetrable isolation. The only way you can transfer between the two is with an escort by an authorized person.
     However this is all complete wild speculation by someone sitting in an airport and is no more valid than, say trying to discern the cultural psyche of the average New Yorker by spending 6 hours at JFK. For more information see: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/7929.html

  
    One quick complaint down here at the end. Damn blogspot has everything in Korean! I can't tell what tab does what, where links lead, and I hope at the end of this I don't delete everything I've written...er....typed. Wait...wait! Hope! Google Chrome to the rescue! "This page is in Korean would you like to translate it?" ....Yes!
....
....
....Success!

Look at that ladies and gentleman! Life as it happens! 

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Thursday, August 11, 2011

August 11, 2011 [Los Angeles Intl] -Episode One-

    A ha, and here we are. I have a blog. I have joined the many others who partake in this interesting method of telling the world what you want to tell the world! Except....nobody seems to listen, honestly, how do I know that someone will read this? Odds are, no one will. I'm too obscure. In the world wide web I amount to a naught, a zero, a nothing. Which is sort of a relief. No responsibility, no fear! I am a free man!
    Now, down to business. I decided to start this blog after reading, courtesy of Stumble, an article about what it takes to be a good PhD student,....ahem sorry, successful PhD student. This person, who I've never heard of tells me that there are three, THREE!!!!, characteristics of a successful graduate student. Aaannnnnd, they are...in,,,,no partic-ular order.......... Perseverance, Tenacity and Cognacity (maybe). Oh and something about blogs. So.....I decided to start one. And here I am, about to make the jump over the large pond to the west, aka The Pacific Ocean, waiting in an under-construction terminal, aka the Tom Bradley International Terminal, sitting in front of gate 138, aka theawesomegate. Why theawseomegate? Because I get to take a BUS to my PLANE which is a 747-400, SEVEN FOURTY SEVEN-FOUR HUNDRED!
   Did I mention I like planes? and Trains? and (some) Automobiles? Especially planes though....

   Hey, don't look at this blog like I'm crazy, I'm not, I swear. (Mwahh ha ha haha ha!) This is practice for myself. Like I said before...PhD...hopefully.....at least a Masters.

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