In the multitudes of experiences, one must experience heaven and hell. Where one sets one's beliefs in unmoving stone, that is one's faith. And mine is set in love, in companionship, in living. And music, beauty, words, smiles, laughter, magic and coffee.
About Me
- Xavier
- Youth. Self Proclaimed (or maybe just a lofty fantasy) global citizen. Idealist. Wants to change the world. Thus crazy like hell. Has issues with sloth! (how am i supposed to change the world now?) Dreamer and wanderer
Saturday, September 29, 2012
All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten
IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC some villagers practice a unique form of logging. If a tree is too large to be felled with an ax, the natives cut it down by yelling at it. (Can't lay my hands on the article, but I swear I read it). Woodsmen with special powers creep up on a tree just at dawn and suddenly scream at the top of their lungs. They continue this for thirty days. The tree dies and falls over. The theory is that the hollering kills the spirit of the tree. According to the villagers, it always works.
Ah, those poor naive innocents. Such quaintly charming habits of the jungle. Screaming at trees, indeed. How primitive. Too bad they don't have the advantages of modern technology and the scientific mind.
Me? I yell at my wife. And yell at the telephone and the lawn mower. And yell at the TV and the newspaper and my children. I've ever been known to shake my fist and yell at the sky at times.
Man next door yells at his car a lot. And this summer I heard him yell at a stepladder for most of an afternoon. We modern, urban, educated folks yell at traffic and umpires and bills and banks and machines - especially machines. Machines and relatives get most of the yelling.
Don't know what good it does. Machines and things just sit there. Even kicking doesn't always help. As for people, well, the Solomon Islanders may have a point. Yelling at living things does tend to kill the spirit in them. Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will break our hearts.
-Robert Fulghum-
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
HELL YEA
"For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can't readily accept the God formula, the big answers don't remain stone-written. We adjust to new conditions and discoveries. We are pliable. Love need not be a command nor faith a dictum. I am my own god. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state, and our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us."
I believe in God though, though not the Church xD
I believe in God though, though not the Church xD
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Bolster, verb
"I am very careful whenever I know you’re on the phone with your father. I know you’ll come to me eventually, and we’ll talk you through it. But I have to wait — you need your time. In the meantime, I’m careful what songs I play. I try to speak to you with my selections."
-The Lover's Dictionary"
BEARGH
Saw this picture last night on tumblr. It's motivational. It's inspiring. But I must disagree to this s***. If you need to move on a bicycle to keep your balance, what does it show? It shows you don't know how to ride a bicycle well. Same with life. If you have to keep moving to keep your balance in life. there's something wrong. fundamentally wrong. and no shit's gonna save you, and all that's gonna happen is that you're going to keep moving faster and faster. and soon, you'll crash. you'll burn. Stop when you still can and fix the problems.
Face them. Don't just ride on.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Eulogy
Tonight, I stood among the ashes of so many people who are no longer with us, and the body of one, and the hearts of many who still are. Each one of these many people carry with them a story. A story which brought them here. So many different stories all coming together to conclude the story of one. And how many more stories which failed to be brought here, so many different stories going away not to conclude this one.
Okay, I am not making sense now. Good night blog.
Okay, I am not making sense now. Good night blog.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
The Gauntlet
Well I just got back from a break in the fight
I was weighing in heavy but still feeling alright
all I hear in the distance - mines and shells
here come the sirens wailing another attack to be repelled
Do you think we're gonna make it?
I don't know unless we try
you could sit here scared to move
or we could take them by surprise
it's submission that they want
it's surrender that they need
when we're doing it their way
their aims will be achieved
They're gonna come when you're not ready
when you're not too well-prepared
they're gonna prey upon your weakness
no man's soul is ever spared
you've got to stand up, yeah, and fight them
show them what it's all about
this man is not for sale
there will be no backing down.
[Chorus:]
Stand up and fight and I'll stand up with you
We shall succeed,
Stand up and fight and I'll stand up with you
They won't get me, they won't get me
though they never cease to try
they won't get me, they won't get me
I would rather fight and die
they won't get me, they won't get me
well my friend will they get you?
when they get you, when they get you
tell me what you're gonna do?
Do you think we're gonna make it?
I don't know unless we try
you could sit here scared to move
or we could take them by surprise
it's submission that they want
it's surrender that they need
when we're doing it their way
their aims will be achieved.
They're gonna come when you're not ready
when you're not too well-prepared
they're gonna prey upon your weakness
no man's soul is ever spared
you've got to stand up, yeah, and fight them
show them what it's all about
this man is not for sale
there will be no backing down.
[Chorus: x2]
Stand up and fight and I'll stand up with you
We shall succeed
Stand up and fight and I'll stand up with you
STAND UP AND FIGHT!
I was weighing in heavy but still feeling alright
all I hear in the distance - mines and shells
here come the sirens wailing another attack to be repelled
Do you think we're gonna make it?
I don't know unless we try
you could sit here scared to move
or we could take them by surprise
it's submission that they want
it's surrender that they need
when we're doing it their way
their aims will be achieved
They're gonna come when you're not ready
when you're not too well-prepared
they're gonna prey upon your weakness
no man's soul is ever spared
you've got to stand up, yeah, and fight them
show them what it's all about
this man is not for sale
there will be no backing down.
[Chorus:]
Stand up and fight and I'll stand up with you
We shall succeed,
Stand up and fight and I'll stand up with you
They won't get me, they won't get me
though they never cease to try
they won't get me, they won't get me
I would rather fight and die
they won't get me, they won't get me
well my friend will they get you?
when they get you, when they get you
tell me what you're gonna do?
Do you think we're gonna make it?
I don't know unless we try
you could sit here scared to move
or we could take them by surprise
it's submission that they want
it's surrender that they need
when we're doing it their way
their aims will be achieved.
They're gonna come when you're not ready
when you're not too well-prepared
they're gonna prey upon your weakness
no man's soul is ever spared
you've got to stand up, yeah, and fight them
show them what it's all about
this man is not for sale
there will be no backing down.
[Chorus: x2]
Stand up and fight and I'll stand up with you
We shall succeed
Stand up and fight and I'll stand up with you
STAND UP AND FIGHT!
HAHA
You know what is irrational? It's how happy I feel watching you sleep right there where you're sleeping xD It's so weird, I find it cute, and I'm really happy to see you there xD
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Memories of the young me
The hippocampus is a brain structure thought to be crucially involved in the formation of memory for facts and events. At birth and in early childhood this structure is not fully grown, and so memory of birth is unlikely. What's interesting is that the brain structure for emotional memory, the amygdala, is mature in infancy - the outcome of these two facts being that an emotionally significant event during infancy may affect the way a child behaves later in life despite them not being able to remember the actual event.
-David Sant, Oxford-
In other words, many times, remembering an incidence when one is very young, very small still, would result in being fully able to relive the entire emotional feeling, yet not remembering what caused it. Or only fragments of it.
Names
Aella
"Whirlwind", "speed"
Athena
Wisdom (Greek Origin)
Emer
Swift (Gaelic Origin from eimh "swift")
Shannon
Wisdom (Gaelic Origin from sean "old,wise" abhann "river"
"Whirlwind", "speed"
Athena
Wisdom (Greek Origin)
Emer
Swift (Gaelic Origin from eimh "swift")
Shannon
Wisdom (Gaelic Origin from sean "old,wise" abhann "river"
Happy Birthday
Hey...
Happy 17th Birthday... I don't know if I should directly wish you... And thus (this). This is the 4th year which I'm wishing you "Happy Birthday" and the context for every year has changed so much... I hope I'll keep wishing you "Happy Birthday" for years to come :)
All the best!
Happy 17th Birthday... I don't know if I should directly wish you... And thus (this). This is the 4th year which I'm wishing you "Happy Birthday" and the context for every year has changed so much... I hope I'll keep wishing you "Happy Birthday" for years to come :)
All the best!
Friday, September 14, 2012
Confidence
Someone just douche-bag-ly said that I had to be more confident in myself (well, not toooo douche-bag-ly, but in a very rough and straight in the face way) and he mentioned too that it's very easy for one to do so, that it is merely a change of mindset (or something along those lines...) butbutbutbut... I must disagree... Sure, one can restart life anew with confidence, but doing so is wrong, and stupid. One has lived a life of however long one has lived, and to ignore everything, throwing away all the experiences that one has lived through, it simply feels very wasted and unauthentic.
One must analyse their own lives, their stories, to find out why they lost their confidence and only then, one can fully heal from it.
And I guess that's what I should try to do.
It's not about denial, it's not about reinventing yourself, it's about embracing who you are and what made you so, embracing both the past & present.
One must analyse their own lives, their stories, to find out why they lost their confidence and only then, one can fully heal from it.
And I guess that's what I should try to do.
It's not about denial, it's not about reinventing yourself, it's about embracing who you are and what made you so, embracing both the past & present.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Kiss From A Rose
"To me you're like a grown addiction that I can't deny, won't you tell me is that healthy, baby?"
我实在太依赖这你了。不只是胸怀、不只是神志,甚至肌肉、骨头也好难受。我猜得对吧:这瘾的确是个错误。
How much easier would it have been if I did nothing.
我实在太依赖这你了。不只是胸怀、不只是神志,甚至肌肉、骨头也好难受。我猜得对吧:这瘾的确是个错误。
Saturday, September 8, 2012
BLOG IM SO SORRYYYYYY!!!!
Okay, firstly, I did not keep to my 1 word a day for 20 days thing. D:
Secondly, my last few posts have been 1 liners....
I think I have to explain myself:
Firstly, I am very caught up with many things in life!
1. SolidWorks!
I need to learn how to use SolidWorks ASAP if not DCARP is screwed!!!!
2. AgNP ARP
We're revving up and going onto the next phase of experimentations! Need to be much more careful and cautious. Not to mention I need to put much more thought into that now that we're progressing into light irradiation!
3. Korra
Yes I know this is not work! But come on! The Adventures of Korra, the sequel to The Adventures of Aang (Yes, I love Nick's Avatar series!) has book 1 totally out and I just finished watching the whole thing. Doesn't help that I'm now totally waiting for book 2 to be out! I really love how even despite the fact that this whole show is merely cartoon and all, the character development for most of the characters in Aang were very well done! Although this is currently lacking in Korra, we gotto cut some slack! We're only a quarter our way through Korra for now! AND I LOVE NAGA!!! AND TENZIN'S KIDS ARE SOOOO CUUTTEEEE especially Meelo! HAHAHAHA!
*On a side note, did i ever mention how i rather the old kind of cartoon instead of the newer "realistic" CGI stuff ><
4. StarCraft
I'm back to starcraft! Just finished watching 2 live matches between a friend and an online competitor! ZvZ matches! Both were so intense like crazy! Gotto watch the replay and learn how these boys played the matches! it's a whole notch above how i'm playing D:
andandand... WORK >< hai....
Secondly, my last few posts have been 1 liners....
I think I have to explain myself:
Firstly, I am very caught up with many things in life!
1. SolidWorks!
I need to learn how to use SolidWorks ASAP if not DCARP is screwed!!!!
2. AgNP ARP
We're revving up and going onto the next phase of experimentations! Need to be much more careful and cautious. Not to mention I need to put much more thought into that now that we're progressing into light irradiation!
3. Korra
Yes I know this is not work! But come on! The Adventures of Korra, the sequel to The Adventures of Aang (Yes, I love Nick's Avatar series!) has book 1 totally out and I just finished watching the whole thing. Doesn't help that I'm now totally waiting for book 2 to be out! I really love how even despite the fact that this whole show is merely cartoon and all, the character development for most of the characters in Aang were very well done! Although this is currently lacking in Korra, we gotto cut some slack! We're only a quarter our way through Korra for now! AND I LOVE NAGA!!! AND TENZIN'S KIDS ARE SOOOO CUUTTEEEE especially Meelo! HAHAHAHA!
*On a side note, did i ever mention how i rather the old kind of cartoon instead of the newer "realistic" CGI stuff ><
4. StarCraft
I'm back to starcraft! Just finished watching 2 live matches between a friend and an online competitor! ZvZ matches! Both were so intense like crazy! Gotto watch the replay and learn how these boys played the matches! it's a whole notch above how i'm playing D:
andandand... WORK >< hai....
Friday, September 7, 2012
Talking (2)
"It's okay to be scared. The important thing is to talk about our fears. Because if we don't, they can throw us off balance."
-Tenzin-
"Admitting your fears is the first and most difficult step in overcoming them"
-Tenzin-
"Admitting your fears is the first and most difficult step in overcoming them"
Friday, August 31, 2012
Cloud
I'm in a cloud of sorts now. My thoughts are all dispersed so much around in my mindscape, just so... ethereal. And the cloud doesn't look good. I guess since I can't really see this imaginary cloud of mine, I should say "It doesn't feel good". But "look" seems to resonate with what I'm feeling more. Something's wrong in the cloud. But it's all mist. Sure, I can just push it all aside and live on with life. But is that the right thing to do?
There's something toxic in the cloud. And it's eating me, slowly, somehow. Yet there's nothing I can do now. It's pretty thick. And from in there, all the cloud's done is to irrationalize.
There's nothing bothering me. Nothing concrete. Yet deep down, something is. Irrational.
There's something toxic in the cloud. And it's eating me, slowly, somehow. Yet there's nothing I can do now. It's pretty thick. And from in there, all the cloud's done is to irrationalize.
There's nothing bothering me. Nothing concrete. Yet deep down, something is. Irrational.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Stay
Stay here. Don't leave.
Stay here. Don't leave. 2 statements of desire. Desire of companionship. A direct request of physical companionship.
Only because of an implicit emotional attachment, lives intertwined. I guess I am learning, learning to let people go. Doesn't mean it's easy. Not at all.
Stay here. Don't leave. 2 statements of desire. Desire of companionship. A direct request of physical companionship.
Only because of an implicit emotional attachment, lives intertwined. I guess I am learning, learning to let people go. Doesn't mean it's easy. Not at all.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
I Want It All
Talking
How much does talking change the thoughts and views of people? Sure does a lot. Words. What's so powerful about sound? Sure, it's energy. But with so much less raw power as compared to other forms of energy. The power of words transcends the physical. Words hit hard to the mind, the soul, the heart.
Sure took very long, but LD has changed his perception of the results for the election. No overriding to be done now. But that is, for now. What happened? It's not my words which changed anything. Neither is it the elder captain. Nor the current one to keep the record straight and clean. It's an outsider. The well-said words of an outsider.
Those well-said words. How did they affect me? The fire in me is quenched. What if LD and the outsider had done this all on purpose. The whole set-up. Just something to silent the desires and thoughts of mine. A cacophony of words. A cacophony of words made to dance through the defenses and rigors of my mind. Not words hitting hard. But words slipping.
If I did not realize the possibility of this "discordant mixture of sounds" being not so random, carefully planned and directed. Would I just bounce on along with life feeling satisfied? Would that be better?
I do realize this possibility, though. Is this, too, carefully planned and directed? Maybe to confuse me and put me off guard? To shake my attention from the tasks at hand?
Talking. Thinking. These words hold much more meaning than words can place. Or maybe, it's just me. Too ill-skilled to use my talking to affect the thinking of others. My words unable to capture my thoughts. Unable to capture the conversations running and dancing in this mindscape of mine.
If words can wield so much power, how much more can actions wield?
Sure took very long, but LD has changed his perception of the results for the election. No overriding to be done now. But that is, for now. What happened? It's not my words which changed anything. Neither is it the elder captain. Nor the current one to keep the record straight and clean. It's an outsider. The well-said words of an outsider.
Those well-said words. How did they affect me? The fire in me is quenched. What if LD and the outsider had done this all on purpose. The whole set-up. Just something to silent the desires and thoughts of mine. A cacophony of words. A cacophony of words made to dance through the defenses and rigors of my mind. Not words hitting hard. But words slipping.
If I did not realize the possibility of this "discordant mixture of sounds" being not so random, carefully planned and directed. Would I just bounce on along with life feeling satisfied? Would that be better?
I do realize this possibility, though. Is this, too, carefully planned and directed? Maybe to confuse me and put me off guard? To shake my attention from the tasks at hand?
Talking. Thinking. These words hold much more meaning than words can place. Or maybe, it's just me. Too ill-skilled to use my talking to affect the thinking of others. My words unable to capture my thoughts. Unable to capture the conversations running and dancing in this mindscape of mine.
If words can wield so much power, how much more can actions wield?
Judge
Which mortal man has the right to judge? No man is given the power to judge. Only the entirety of mankind can hold judgement against one man. The formation of the social contract, gives the right to society to judge upon a man. But yet once more, what if one chooses not to partake in this contract? What then? How then? It would no longer be right. It will be ruthless. But it will still be done. Necessary. Or so they claim
Monday, August 27, 2012
Random Word List
Here's a list of random words from http://watchout4snakes.com/creativitytools/randomword/randomwordplus.aspx
1. Intake
2. Commodity
3. Lock
4. Craft
5. Surprise
6. Stay
7. Girlfriend
8. Cloud
9. Smoking
10. Flood
11. Sacking
12. Boiling
13. Judge
14. Talking
15. Cue
16. Angelic
17. Giddier
18. Hottest
19. Ethically
20. Expressly
You may wonder what in the world I'm doing! Well, I have decided that for the next 20 days, i shall post about one of these words in the list! Hope it runs well and interesting! xD
1. Intake
2. Commodity
3. Lock
4. Craft
5. Surprise
6. Stay
7. Girlfriend
8. Cloud
9. Smoking
10. Flood
11. Sacking
12. Boiling
13. Judge
14. Talking
15. Cue
16. Angelic
17. Giddier
18. Hottest
19. Ethically
20. Expressly
You may wonder what in the world I'm doing! Well, I have decided that for the next 20 days, i shall post about one of these words in the list! Hope it runs well and interesting! xD
Worthy
Worthy adj.
1. Deserving effort, attention or respect.
Am I worthy of you? Am I worthy of all these roles I have been given, or born to? Am I worthy of my birthright? Or am I only worthy of doubts? Doubts which incapacitate men.
1. Deserving effort, attention or respect.
Am I worthy of you? Am I worthy of all these roles I have been given, or born to? Am I worthy of my birthright? Or am I only worthy of doubts? Doubts which incapacitate men.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
A Wonderful Jewel
An iridescence beyond compare, dazzling from the brightest hues of yellow to the coldest shades of black onyx. This wonderful jewel, which dances in all its vivid colors above us, yet we do not see. But if time were to dash, to make the sky as beautifully radiant as it can be, would our lives be nothing but insignificant compared to welkin?
Maybe that's it. The passing of thyme in our relative is simply a crawl, but thyme was meant to run, and in its running, the heavens shall dance in its full glory, in different to the runnings of the seeds of Gaia.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
It's absurd. It's anesthetic (part 2)
Say all you want, poor souls! Is life so fast for you that all you can see is the external?
Monday, August 20, 2012
It's absurd. It's anesthetic
It's absurd. It's anesthetic
-The Jackal-
The Jackal said this in reference to the fact that people rationalize methods/forms of killing. But thinking about it... Isn't this true for everything? Whenever things get messy/difficult/confusing, we rationalize the impacts/implications and all the "leaves" and "branches" of the issue without tackling the core of it. The trunk. The roots.
Satisfied with our lies, our denials, we move on, thinking we conquered it. But no.
-The Jackal-
The Jackal said this in reference to the fact that people rationalize methods/forms of killing. But thinking about it... Isn't this true for everything? Whenever things get messy/difficult/confusing, we rationalize the impacts/implications and all the "leaves" and "branches" of the issue without tackling the core of it. The trunk. The roots.
Satisfied with our lies, our denials, we move on, thinking we conquered it. But no.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, “If I were any better, I would be twins!”
He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, “I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?” Jerry replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.’ I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.”
“Yeah, right, it’s not that easy,” I protested.
“Yes it is,” Jerry said. “Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live life.”
I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body. I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, “If I were any better, I’d be twins. Wanna see my scars?”
I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. “The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,” Jerry replied. “Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live.”
“Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?” I asked. Jerry continued, “The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, ‘He’s a dead man.’ I knew I needed to take action.”
“What did you do?” I asked.
“Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me,” said Jerry. “She asked if I was allergic to anything. ‘Yes,’ I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply… I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Bullets!’ Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.”
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.
By Francie Baltazar-Schwartz
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Aug 11 2012
In the times of lords and barons and the aristocracy, men were not born equal. Some men were born better than others. A class above others. And everyone knew that, everyone acknowledged that. The aristocracy took care of those of lower classes, for it is their duty, a responsibility attached to their birthright.
In out times, all men are born equal. Equal in chance, equal in rights. Or so they say. And they say. Equal men now fight implicit wars against each others to grapple on to the top. And everyone knows that. Men against men. No quarters, no sympathy. After all, everyone is born equal. Equal in doubt, equal in viciousness, equal in ferocity. I win, you lose. Equality is our birthright, with no responsibilities attached.
In the time of aristocracy, groups of men pit themselves against groups of men. House against house. Clans against clans. The resultant spoils distributed unevenly across the various classes. Unevenly, but at least, distributed.
In our time of equalness, every man fights for his own. When men rally together to fight a common foe, and emerges victorious, they don't share the spoils. They fight over it. Ally against ally. Comrade against comrade.
And that, is the ugliness of the world we live in now
In out times, all men are born equal. Equal in chance, equal in rights. Or so they say. And they say. Equal men now fight implicit wars against each others to grapple on to the top. And everyone knows that. Men against men. No quarters, no sympathy. After all, everyone is born equal. Equal in doubt, equal in viciousness, equal in ferocity. I win, you lose. Equality is our birthright, with no responsibilities attached.
In the time of aristocracy, groups of men pit themselves against groups of men. House against house. Clans against clans. The resultant spoils distributed unevenly across the various classes. Unevenly, but at least, distributed.
In our time of equalness, every man fights for his own. When men rally together to fight a common foe, and emerges victorious, they don't share the spoils. They fight over it. Ally against ally. Comrade against comrade.
And that, is the ugliness of the world we live in now
Friday, August 10, 2012
Breaking a Man
You can't break a man the way you break a dog or a horse. The harder you beat a man, the taller he stands. To break a man's will, to break his spirit, you have to break his mind. Men have this idea that we can fight with dignity, that there's a proper way to kill someone. It's absurd. It's anesthetic; we need it to endure the bloody horror of murder. You must destroy that idea. Show them what a messy, terrible thing it is to kill a man, and then show them that you relish in it. Shoot to wound, then execute the wounded. Burn them. Take them in close combat. Destroy their preconceptions of what a man is and you become their personal monster. When they fear you, you become stronger. You become better. But let's never forget: it's a display, it's a posture, like a lion's roar or a gorilla thumping at its chest. If you lose yourself in the display, if you succumb to the horror, then you become the monster. You become reduced; not more than a man, but less - and it can be fatal.
-The Jackal-
-The Jackal-
The Social Contract
Let's take a very mathematical view (game theory) on the concept of a social contract...
The definition of the social contract is simply the surrender of some of our rights for the protection of ourselves.
Let's explore this concept logically~
In a system of 2 people:
Let us take a simplistic view that A can kill B and vice versa, and that upon killing the other, the survivor can take the belongings of the other.
If either kills the other:
If one does not kill the other (they enter into a social contract):
It is pretty obvious that in a system of 2 people, the social contract fails.
In a system of 3 people:
Using the same simplistic view:
If one kills one of the other:
Now let's put in a new concept, that the possibility of killing successfully is proportionate to the amount of possessions one has. (on a macro perspective, take it as though a nation with more resources can have higher chance of conquering a nation with less)
If one does not kill the other (they enter into a social contract):
If one does not kill the other (they enter into a social contract):
Before we head on to a system of 5 people, let us note some of the changes which are occuring in the advantages/disadvantages of killing (as written above).
We can conclude that the social contract will be broken if the advantages of killing outweighs the advantages of being nice and not killing.
As more people are bound into the social contract, the benefits of killing starts to decrease in relative to being nice, let's prove this with a system of 5 people~
If one does not kill the other (they enter into a social contract):
The definition of the social contract is simply the surrender of some of our rights for the protection of ourselves.
Let's explore this concept logically~
In a system of 2 people:
Let us take a simplistic view that A can kill B and vice versa, and that upon killing the other, the survivor can take the belongings of the other.
If either kills the other:
- The killer gains the other's possession
- The killer removes the risk of being killed (there's no one else to kill him!
If one does not kill the other (they enter into a social contract):
- They each keep the possessions of their own
- There is this big risk of being killed by the other as after one dies, there is no one else to uphold the tenets/law of the social contract.
It is pretty obvious that in a system of 2 people, the social contract fails.
In a system of 3 people:
Using the same simplistic view:
If one kills one of the other:
- The killer gains the other's possession
- The killer removes one chance of being killed (one less person out there possible to kill him)
Now let's put in a new concept, that the possibility of killing successfully is proportionate to the amount of possessions one has. (on a macro perspective, take it as though a nation with more resources can have higher chance of conquering a nation with less)
- The killer has an upper hand against the remaining survivor, and can thus subject power over him (or even kill him if the killer wants)
If one does not kill the other (they enter into a social contract):
- They each keep the possessions of their own
- There is this big risk of being killed by one of the others as after one dies, there is one who can try to uphold the tenets/laws of the social contract, but will ultimately fail.
In a system of 4 people:
Using the same simplistic view:
If one kills one of the other:
- The killer gains the other's possession
- The killer removes one chance of being killed (one less person out there possible to kill him)
- The killer has an upper hand against the remaining 2 survivor, individually, and can thus subject power over him (or even kill him if the killer wants). BUT if the 2 remaining survivors team up together, then the killer will only be on par with both of the 2 survivors. (though pragmatically possibly less)
If one does not kill the other (they enter into a social contract):
- They each keep the possessions of their own
- There is a risk of being killed by one of the others as after one dies, the killer will be on an equal standing (or almost equal stand) as the 2 remaining non-killing survivors.
Before we head on to a system of 5 people, let us note some of the changes which are occuring in the advantages/disadvantages of killing (as written above).
We can conclude that the social contract will be broken if the advantages of killing outweighs the advantages of being nice and not killing.
As more people are bound into the social contract, the benefits of killing starts to decrease in relative to being nice, let's prove this with a system of 5 people~
In a system of 5 people:
Using the same simplistic view:
If one kills one of the other:
- The killer gains the other's possession
- The killer removes one chance of being killed (one less person out there possible to kill him)
- The killer does NOT have an upper hand against the remaining 3 survivors, for individually, the killer can overpower and thus subject power over any other one(or even kill him if the killer wants). BUT if the 3 remaining survivors team up together, then the killer will be on risk of being killed, after all, the other 3 will acknowledge that the killing tendencies of our killer is potentially detrimental to their own well being.
If one does not kill the other (they enter into a social contract):
- They each keep the possessions of their own
- There is a risk of being killed by one of the others BUT they can at least be at a peace of mind to know that if someone kills them, their killer will not survive either.
Notes:
- I assume that everyone wants to live
- I assume that everyone would want to live better if possible
- I assumed that killers act on their own (no collaboration in killing), if such a contract comes in, then ohh well, everything will be much different now.
- I did not take into account the fact that an attempt of killing another person may result in injury which will make oneself more vulnerable.
- In the same way, I did not take into account the element of time or skill (the killer can quickly kill everyone else before they can react) and the killer may be ultra buff and can kill 3 people in single combat kinda thing.
- AND I assumed that upon the existence of a killer, everyone else would team up together to stop the guy who broke the social contract.
The existence of collaboration in killing results in the possibility that killing can still occur on a large scale if a group of people decides to kill another group; a consensus breaking of the social contract.
The fact that killing another person may result in injury dissuades people from killing each other even further than just simply through the tenets of the social contract.
Time/Skill factors come in to a large extent! Individuals will try to make themselves more skilled at eliminating others as if that happens, they may ultimately be able to exert control over the rest (either after killing some poor dude, or without killing at all). This will result in all individuals making themselves more skilled at killing, not only to gain control, but due to the fear of being killed if they become (relatively) too weak.
If there are clear signs of disharmony and potential that upon a murder, the rest will not rise together to fight (or kill) the breaker of the social contract, killing has a higher chance of happening.
My longest post in a really long while... (possibly even my longest) shall elaborate on more next time!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Today is a bad day... Okay, chem hons quiz not too bad... English AQ... not to bad... but PE WAS LIKE SHIT!! hai.. barely touched the ball.... hai. then running training... i totally suck. cant even do 300m in 1 minute... how am i supposed to run 4x400m relay?! sian la... got work to do, but dont feel like doing at all...
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
July 25th 2012, 3 days without you
Wow... Today was one rough day. Chemistry in class assignment was like gosh... I feel so horrible after chemistry in class assignment... I totally do not get electrochemistry >< I have to revise hard this weekend, and if then, i still do not understand, needa get help from Mrs Soong ASAP before the test! Hai... So stupid. I can't do chem major well at all... hai... ><
Then ARP! Wow. Learnt so much! We went down to learn from Aaron (Dr Kwan's Research Assistant) regarding how to do the reactions and all! Super cool! BUT SUPER FAIL! We screwed up big time haha. Added too much reactants here, added too little reactants there. Left the NaBH4 exposed too long without putting the other compounds! (NOTE: put it in the last! It's very unstable!) Our solution ended up some weird black yellow color when it was supposed to be light yellow... ohhwell. Aaron said he had to make 20 sets of solutions before he actually made one which was decent... meh ><
Was having a thumping bad headache halfway through the experimentation... well it's much better now i guess... after sleeping from 7-9pm... gonna sleep soon again after settling some stuff... ><
Tomorrow morning have to revise for Chemistry Honors Quiz + Study for English AQ sian... >< AND RUNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!
haha, tomorrow is a long day... but once tmr is over... :) things would look much better... ball by ball, step by step... hai...
Well... Life without you doesn't seem so unbearable afterall... But there's still that silent ache... How are you doing? hai...
Then ARP! Wow. Learnt so much! We went down to learn from Aaron (Dr Kwan's Research Assistant) regarding how to do the reactions and all! Super cool! BUT SUPER FAIL! We screwed up big time haha. Added too much reactants here, added too little reactants there. Left the NaBH4 exposed too long without putting the other compounds! (NOTE: put it in the last! It's very unstable!) Our solution ended up some weird black yellow color when it was supposed to be light yellow... ohhwell. Aaron said he had to make 20 sets of solutions before he actually made one which was decent... meh ><
Was having a thumping bad headache halfway through the experimentation... well it's much better now i guess... after sleeping from 7-9pm... gonna sleep soon again after settling some stuff... ><
Tomorrow morning have to revise for Chemistry Honors Quiz + Study for English AQ sian... >< AND RUNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!
haha, tomorrow is a long day... but once tmr is over... :) things would look much better... ball by ball, step by step... hai...
Well... Life without you doesn't seem so unbearable afterall... But there's still that silent ache... How are you doing? hai...
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Bored
1) Does people treat you as a side dish ?
I think so xD
2) What is your most favourite thing to do ? Sleep!
3) What is the first thing that comes to your mind of when you think of love ? er. Pain
4) What kind of boyfriend/girlfriend do you want ? HMM xD
5) Is there somebody in your heart right now ? Should be...
6) Do you believe that you can survive without money ? I actually think so HAHA
7) Are you afraid of pain ? Who's not? But that does not mean it's not good
8) What do you feel like doing now ? Sleeping
9) If there is someone you love, will you confess to him/her ? I guess so xD
10) List 5 things/people you dislike now. My headache, my messy room, my groupmates for not replying me, HOMEWORK! erm dunno la :/
11) What is your 5 most passionate things at the moment ? How do things become passionate?
12) If you have to eat 1 thing for your whole life, what would that be ? beef? or chicken? or egg?
13) If you have a chance to be rich or happy, which one will you choose ? happy.
14) If you have the chance, which part of your character would you like to change ? insensitiveness
15) If you are unhappy, what will you do ? listen to music and pray?
16) Which country do you like the most ? AUstralia? Singapore? O:
17) Which is your favourite band ? DROPKICK MURPHYS MAN!!!!!
18) Are you happy ? That is one tough question
19) What are the three things you like about your family ? Funny, Open, apart
2) What is your most favourite thing to do ? Sleep!
3) What is the first thing that comes to your mind of when you think of love ? er. Pain
4) What kind of boyfriend/girlfriend do you want ? HMM xD
5) Is there somebody in your heart right now ? Should be...
6) Do you believe that you can survive without money ? I actually think so HAHA
7) Are you afraid of pain ? Who's not? But that does not mean it's not good
8) What do you feel like doing now ? Sleeping
9) If there is someone you love, will you confess to him/her ? I guess so xD
10) List 5 things/people you dislike now. My headache, my messy room, my groupmates for not replying me, HOMEWORK! erm dunno la :/
11) What is your 5 most passionate things at the moment ? How do things become passionate?
12) If you have to eat 1 thing for your whole life, what would that be ? beef? or chicken? or egg?
13) If you have a chance to be rich or happy, which one will you choose ? happy.
14) If you have the chance, which part of your character would you like to change ? insensitiveness
15) If you are unhappy, what will you do ? listen to music and pray?
16) Which country do you like the most ? AUstralia? Singapore? O:
17) Which is your favourite band ? DROPKICK MURPHYS MAN!!!!!
18) Are you happy ? That is one tough question
19) What are the three things you like about your family ? Funny, Open, apart
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Wants
- fire...
- & Good company
- Pretty much thats all...
