Memory

Memories are the most precious objects one can possess. They are a reservoir of thoughts, ones' entire history. Without a memory one would be lost, with a sense of unnerving-nous if your like me or completely carefree if your not, laying your eyes on the world time and time again with new, sheer fascination. I suppose there would be no reason to be lost until the scary thought dawns on you...you question yourself: Who am I?...and immediately stop dead in thought.

Some memories are so vividly captured in our minds. Others faded and grey. Some are like an entertaining slide show of images. Some like silent motion pictures. Others with sound but muffled. Then there are the other ones. The ones that are attached with a strong sense of emotion that spreads within, burning deeply as the image flickers in mind. Strange, since the memory can be so old.

The memories of ones' childhood are most valuable and very significant. What one chooses to remember from ones' childhood or simply does without choice is quite fickle. You can ask yourself: Why do I remember that, specifically? While other millions of memories realised last for a mere spark and quickly fizzle out, fading away and lost. Child memories are quite a mystery. They are like boulders in a lake, with some strangle, ancient, mystical aura about them. Some will hold a strong significance being a driving force of how one lives the rest of ones' life. Others will wither and erode as values change and we forget. And the remainder...well, they remain a mystery. Perhaps a shrink can help you there.

Once a memory is gone it won't materialise no more. Memories themselves are the remnant of the past. You lose it, it's gone. It's like wiping clean your history - ALT CTRL DELETE.

Small things amuse small minds

When was the last time that you stopped to appreciate the sunset? Pause for more than a glance at how delicate the orchids are on the table? Admire the graceful movements or subtle gestures of a stranger on the street or an acquaintance near by?

All the little things in life add so much depth to this world. Perhaps we have become so succumbed to the fast, complex 21st Century that is only ever going to speed up, we are blind to all else at slower pace. Children, who have all the time in the world without a worry or concern in sight can indulge in such peacefulness. They find curiosity, intrigue, humour and joy in the most simplest of things and thoughts. An adult on the other hand merely glances and sees not much past the ordinary. I am speaking in general of course, not everyone is like that. But within the smallest of moments of...silence and self awareness one can find a slice of untouched wonder in this world.

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"...Sit down in the middle of a busy mall or similar bustling environment whether indoors or out, and just watch people move by..." ...not exactly her words but was a suggestion by an art teacher once trying to pique the class's 'inner' inspirations. Can't say I tried it but probably had did it in passing, my mind tends to wander... The idea was really to take notice of the intricacies of people's behavioural attributes and somehow imagine each and everyone's life story. Perhaps a life story is a bit too much but subtle gestures, facial expressions, posture and stance can easily paint an illustration of sentiments.

Give a child a camera and they can take photographs of the most fascinating things. Who knows maybe they can. I recall watching a news segment of such a story once.

Can you recall the last time you had a completely innocent child-like thought about...anything?

The hypothetical person

A hypothetical... a reasonable person. Someone that would perform only the rational in any given situation, kind of like a test dummy, FYI is the examination in common law for negligence: a duty of care and breach of that duty. The reasonable person if he/she did exist, flawless in all forms of thought, perfect and complete, accurate and error-less would be...One. Dull. Person.

Rationality, is the sensible action or way of thinking that would be applied in good judgment...within reason. I would say logical, but that cuts it onto a different plane. Logical is...robotic and emotionless. No conscience defining right and wrong in confinement to humane. Only the definition for success. Take a game of chess. The highly abstracted form: simple and fun of the otherwise bloody, battered and brutal reality of war. The one motive and objective is to succeed, and by all means ruthlessly cut your way to the finish. Logic is mechanical. To cherish is illogical in a game of life and death but it is rational to care. Real setting: to cherish life... Why are you battling in the first place? Your sinning! ...you lose the war, the kingdom and the crown; you may even die because your too weak to not strike the last blow to the enemy king at you feet. Game setting: what life? It's just plastic pieces. No harm at all except you may want to spare your friends' feelings because they suck! (I'm a beginner myself I suck too.)

Logic is correctness in its most basic function. Rationality adds colour to correctness.

A hypothetical scenario: a naive, innocent three year old; no knowledge of the effects of extreme heat on human flesh, places hand on burning hot stove. How did he reach the height of the stove? Climbed an ever so conveniently placed chair. Why was stove burning hot? Hypothetical parent just finished cooking and had conveniently just left the kitchen leaving hypothetical son alone, conveniently too, in kitchen. The following reaction: instantaneously withdraws hand and is washed with an overwhelming need and does cry, scream...possible momentary loss of balance...Pause. Is it rationality or instinct? What? Is it rationality or instinct that he never touches the stove again? The reaction and the sobbing and tantrum that follows is instinct from the searing of the second degree burn. It would be easy to say instinct warns him of the potential of high temperatures for life. That ingrained feeling of fear/doubt/flashing caution sign from somewhere inside. Well it can be confused with that. But doesn't rationality fit better? It is he's discretion, sensible judgment to 'never do that again'. ...It's strange to say a three year old uses discretion.

Rationality grows. It is the ability to learn from mistakes, to learn in general. All the reasoning that puts one and one together to give the outcome of two. The building blocks...Lego being put together as a child concentrates with deep expression on whatever it is that his building.

So the reasonable person...maybe he/she is not dull. But always right. How annoying! He/she is logical, sees the black and white but is also rational, sees also grey. Does not follow a manual set in stone, adapts. The same but fifteen year old hypothetical boy won't sob from the same offence for the sake of his dignity...or so I hope. What man would he grow up to be if he did?

Myths or magic, anyone?

Myths and legends...why the obsession? From the mythological creatures of dragons, griffins, giant sea serpents to the human formed like sorcerers, angels, demons, dwarfs, mermaids et cetera, et cetera. Why, I seem to have always been so drawn to such ancient tall tales myself. Rather intriguing yet repulsive at times. Ugh! with some monstrous descriptions. So the magical scene has been re-alighted in pop culture with Harry Potter...Lord of the Rings...Merlin, the movie and the more current BBC series...and more, moving into the gaming world for example World of Warcraft commonly known as WOW, Diablo I, II and coming soon III!!!...and a lot more!

So...the fanciful world, so adoring I could go on about each creature that I've ever heard about maybe for a short while. Shall I begin then?

No, actually can't be bother. Maybe some other time or maybe not at all. If magic and mythology is what floats your boat then Wikipedia is all you need! Not the ideal resource and definitely shouldn't be encouraged coming from a uni student but eh, what can you do? In my first ever semester of uni even a lecture once said,

"...strange, how you can replace your entire six years of high school education with Wikipedia."

What's there to talk about then?

...Right, the "obsession". I seem to have realised I pose too many questions in my posts and never answer them but that really is because all my rambling is solely opinion.

"Without data you're just another person with an opinion." famous statistician, W. Edwards Deming.

For all I know, I may know nothing.

So back to the "obsession." So why the myths? and why the legends? Hm... I suppose the answer is it is a way to escape. To go away to somewhere different, unbelievable, fanciful...adventurous and daring! To be someone we're not.

The devil wears Prada

Brain dead rant.

Society is so caught up in its little world. All it does is focus on the insignificant crap. Creating unnecessary junk, dressing up 'wants' into 'needs'. It has become so magnified that it will catch fire because it's so phony. The science of marketing, although retains some dignity in it's behavioral/psychological analysis in selling but its end purpose is just some fake "mumbo jumbo". The promotional campaigns are so saturated in the mind set of "Look at me! Look at me! Don't look at them! Look at me! Buy me! Buy me! Buy me!!!" It's insane to have to believe this is what the end has come to. Must we live in such a shallow, aesthetic obsessed world. The way of selling has become filled with fake sincerity, fake smiles and all. The angel faced sales assistant with the ninety watt beam is really just the gloating devil wearing his flashy Prada gear. Why all this fakeness? What happened to the honesty? The big conspicuous agenda of profits, profits and more profits cannot be disguised by any sweet, charming voice.