Reading the first chapter reminded me a lot of playing Mindtrap with my friends in middle school. It would pose questions like these:
Picture a bridge four kilometers long and strong enough to hold ten thousand kilograms, but no more. A loaded transport truck weighing exactly ten thousand kilograms drives onto the bridge. At the halfway point, a sparrow weighing 30 grams lands on the truck, yet the bridge doesn't collapse. How could this be?
The answer is:
The truck will have used up 30 grams of gasoline by the time it reached the halfway point.
Playing these games for hours upon end has helped me with lateral thinking and questioning what is presented in front you. But the sad thing about society is that from the moment you enter school, you are trained to be part of the group; to follow rules and not question. It continues into professional career as well. People rarely react negatively to conservatism and status quo, but present a radical idea and you suddenly have a lot of attention on yourself.
I don’t get why fierce competition is a terrible thing for musicians but the author is delighted some student had his heart broken. Both instances, losing a competition or a girlfriend, can be sources of creativity. Should the musician take up heavy drinking so he can use that experience in his music? Or kill a man in Reno, just to watch him die? I don’t see the causation of either. There’s a great Mr. Show sketch that has parents depriving their kid of affection as a baby so he would have confused feelings about love and grow up to be a famous playwright. Here’s the clip:
http://www.ifc.com/videos/mr-show-205-brightcove.php
I liked the idea of contribution. The problem with that – for me – is I know I cannot be that type of person when my own personal schedule is jam-packed. The author specifically mentioned this exact thing and how he went to speak to the old people anyway. I know that going to Full Sail has robbed me of some of generosity in the world. I’m a worse boyfriend. A worse friend. Worse at work. I’m just much more busy and stressed out. I know my limitations. But I did like the idea of this…
Bryan,
ReplyDeleteI understand your comment regarding the radical idea and attention, I am constantly enjoying this attention at work, in fact I believe it's one of my primary duties at work to provide additional customer value and question the status quo. The decision to do so is definitely chancy, sometime I fall down, but then again if we don't take chances...we can never succeed and learn by our failures. Don't give up!
While I agree with most of our reading this week, I too wondered about the "suffering musician" syndrome. While the short term "craziness" of your current schedule may be some cause for concern, I too feel concern regarding what I have not accomplished, or simply a good fiction book I'd like to read, I have enjoyed my Full Sail experience. The end is in sight...
I have enjoyed Full Sail as well, don't get me wrong! But like you said, wouldn't "wasting" a couple of hours reading a novel be so nice? Or maybe I could clean the garage like I said I would 4 months ago!
ReplyDeleteJust like both of you, I have enjoyed the Full Sail journey a lot, I have grown as a person, but I have missed so much as a newlywed. I feel constantly overworked, tired, frustrated, and stressed and, many times, I just wish I could say "yes, let's go camping in the Smokies and not worry about the time", or "yes, I'd like to sit down and watch a 3-hour movie with you", or "how about I cook something this evening" or "let's drive for ten hours until we reach the beach and come just on time (around 7:30 a.m. Monday) to make it to work!" but I haven't. I hate the feeling of "I'm 'wasting' time" when I'm having the time of my life with the man of my life. I can't wait for graduation. I can't wait to feel good 'wasting' time. I can't wait to live again.
ReplyDeleteBryan,
ReplyDeleteI like how you talk about your games you played as a kid to relate to the reading. You make a valid point why is fierce competition so bad? I believe if be push people out of their comfort zones it will make them a better person and professional.-Great post!
@ Bryan Antos
ReplyDeleteIt is a very thin line between encouragement and pushing too much.You have to be careful when it comes to competition and teaching students how to deal with challenges and competition. Unfortunately, the world is competitive and you have to be prepared for that. However, what has worked for me personally is to keep a balanced life. I want to do well and my best when it comes to my work, but I cannot let it affect the standard of life. If I don't have balance, everything I do suffers, including my school work.
Bryan Antos wrote:
ReplyDelete“ Playing these games for hours upon end has helped me with lateral thinking and questioning what is presented in front you. But the sad thing about society is that from the moment you enter school, you are trained to be part of the group; to follow rules and not question. It continues into professional career as well. People rarely react negatively to conservatism and status quo, but present a radical idea and you suddenly have a lot of attention on yourself.”
@Bryan- I agree with you. I love my kids that did learn to think through these types of games-you can usually pick them out in a high school class within the first week. So sad that more children don’t play them. We must change schools, but I don’t know how.
I also agree with you that when you shake the status quo, you suddenly have authority figures questioning you. Again, I find this sad. Why can’t they listen first? So much in the world changed (for the better) when people questioned the current system. Alas, people, such as myself, have obligations and bills, etc. So I must go along with much of it in order to keep a paycheck coming in.
Wow, sparked a lot of conversation... this is one of the things that i love about our program, that we can't afford to pose pie-in-the-sky theories, because we all have to bridge our ideal visions with the daily grind. Loved the Mr. Show clip.
ReplyDelete