Tracing Ideas: Inside to Out

     Hello again and thank you for joining me here. I apologize for taking some time since my last entry. I've been learning the ropes of a new job and getting situated into a new apartment as of late, but today I'm back on the horse and ready to ride. Just in case there are any new arrivals on the scene, let's recap a bit just to bring today's post into perspective.

     One of the earlier posts, "Noticing Noticing: Learning to Learn" explored the general steps of how people learn any skill as they approach a level of 'Mastery'. "Pondering the Particularities of Precision" entered into what actually happens when one 'improves' their ability at a particular skill. The underlying idea being that 'precision' within the variables of an activity is how we classify anything as being done well. If precision is the characteristic of things done well, as a counterpoint, "Precisely: What I was Thinking" offered 'clumsiness' as the characteristic at the opposite end of the spectrum. This article also started to introduce the role awareness plays in performing precisely. Next "Clumsiness and Climbing Castles" united the steps of learning with the idea of clumsiness and precision to form what I've coined as 'The learning Lens' and a metaphor for achieving mastery.

      Next, "A Look at Systems Through the Learning Lens" took a step back in order to introduce the idea of how we tend to look at 'The System', or universe, in 'layers'. This then led into "Looking at Layers: The Power of Perception" which attempted to demonstrate how our perception of the 'layers' is a result of our 'relative perspective' and the tools we use to observe the different parts of the system. The most important idea it brought up was that our relationship with each of the 'layers' is an opportunity to apply 'the learning lens' in order to foster increasingly precise interactions with that level of the system. Next then, "An Inner Model Out There" started to take a specific look at the layers of the system that actually exist inside of our mind, and how it's possible and especially important to foster an increasingly precise relationship with these levels. "Getting in the Zone: Somewhere Between the Ears" presented the idea of 'the zone', how it relates to precision, and what is going on when one is actually in 'the zone'. Also, it introduced the most significant obstacle to precision, 'the ego'. "Battling the Brainstem" offered a brief explanation of the source of ego and how on the global scale people have decided to actively limit its' role in society. Most recently "Stuck in the Middle with You" attempted to more precisely point out ways that ego voices its' influence on us and how that impedes our ability to perform precisely on both the short and long term.

     At this point then, I would like to continue considering precision with the learning lens, moving out through the 'layers'. Thus far we've considered the level of perceiving with "An Inner Model", focus/attention was addressed with "Getting in the Zone" and thinking with "Stuck in the Middle". As we continue to look at layers farther from our point of perception, it will hopefully become increasingly clear how these inner levels set the stage for our relationships with the outer levels.

     The next layers we encounter after those associated with the mind are those related to the body. Now, the body cannot be properly understood if looked at as one whole in and of itself. The body has many layers and each level requires specific awareness and action in order to foster a precise and healthy relationship with it. Basically the body is made up of a series of systems: skeletal, nervous, cardiovascular/respiratory, endocrine, and organ systems (digestive, urinal, reproductive, skin). Each of the subsystems affect each other. If one system is out of whack, it's almost impossible for the others to be in precise health.

     For example I participated in a lot of sports growing up, and especially basketball. Basketball is a fast paced sport that really puts a lot of wear and tear on a body. Over the years, the subsystem of mine that took the most damage was my skeleton and especially in my lower spine. At one point, my spine was so out of alignment, it started pinching nerves in my lower back making it hard to even move at times. For a few years, I took long breaks from high impact sports and picked up less active hobbies thinking that time would heal me. Every couple of months, I would feel alright and go out to play a pick up game or go for a run. Time and time again it would cause my back to lock up for days in a row. Often, I wouldn't even be able to walk.

     Finally, I decided to seek help from a chiropractor. Essentially, chiropractors make physical adjustments to the skeletal structure. This proved to relieve unnecessary pressure on my nervous system. However, here's the catch. My spine had been out of alignment for quite a while. During that period I spent a lot of time working out anyway, which caused my muscular system to grow over top my crooked spine. Simple spinal adjustments weren't enough on their own because my muscles would eventually pull my spine back to the position that the muscular system had grown into. For me the best solution has been yoga in conjunction with spinal adjustments to address both issues. Working on multiple subsystems of the body has helped put my bones in more precise alignment (relieving pain) and given my muscles the ability to hold it there. However, with the body (and with all other levels of the system) precision isn't a destination so much as it is the way one does things in the present. No amount of precision today can guarantee it for tomorrow, next week, next year or the next decade.

     With such a long introduction and recap, I'll keep the rest a bit short for today. The key idea here is that problems at one level unavoidably affect other levels as well. This is true on the purely physical side of things, but later we'll explore how issues can reach both into and from the mental levels as well. Not to mention there is also that old trickster, the ego, who can interfere with precision on any level. That, however, shall be a conversation for another time. Thank you as always for joining me. I greatly appreciate your time here and if you ever have a question, critique or observation, I would love to hear it.

Stuck in the Middle with You

     As always, it's a pleasure to share your company here so thank you for coming along on this philosophical journey. About a week ago, the conversation started to really dig into this idea of ego. Ego is likely how people experience the survival tendency we call instinct in other creatures. It is something that is naturally occurring in all animals on Earth, however, at least as a collective, humans have decided to take limiting measures on this 'naturally' driving force. Most overtly we do this by organising into something we've coined as "society", which is has a higher imposed order on top of what's required by nature. It's a higher imposed order in the sense that it is guided by a large set of rules that are more strict than what would be allowed in a natural free for all. It is also likely that the thoughts that created that "order" originated in a "higher" region of the brain called the neocortex (See "Battling the Brain Stem"). On an individual level, everyone has a unique relationship with his/her own ego and has their own reasons (or lack their of) for controlling it, letting it control them, or even justifying it. In terms of this blog, the most significant problem with ego is that it interferes with acting precisely on many levels (See "Precisely: What I was Thinking").

     Different cultures have developed varying relationships and language that help us to think about the subject. Fortunately, English actually has a number of terms that are used quite commonly to help point out the phenomena. Ego can often be used as a synonym for self. However, that does not mean it encompasses our entire being. It can be more useful and easier to conceptualizing  when thought of as a third party that happens to exist in the same brain space as the actively conscious mind. Looking at it this way makes it possible to develop an increasingly precise relationship with it over time. (see "Looking at Layers: the Power of Perception)

     Some of the English terms that attempt to point to this thing called ego are "self-control", "self-awareness" "acting selfishly" and even the phrase, "get over your self". Thefreedictionary.com gives this definition which seems to sum up the concept nicely. "egotism - the practice of thought, speech, and conduct expressing high self-regard or self-exaltation, usually without skepticism or humility." A commonly used visual metaphor is that of an angel and devil on each shoulder. In this metaphor, the ego voice (devil) attempts to convince a person to act selfishly, even at the expense of others. The higher self (angel) advises a person on what would be better considering everyone's point of view. Lastly the person in the middle, actually making the decision and taking action, is us. 

     Now one may be thinking, "Ego and instinct got us to this point. It has ensured the survival of the human race and probably all other species leading up to this point, so why go and turn our backs on it now?" That is certainly true that it has gotten us here. If we never gave a thought to it, people would likely go on surviving in some manner. However, for anyone interested in working towards precision, understanding this concept can play a critical role in helping one get there more quickly. One reason for this is because ego type, "natural", urges are generally very short sited. While they may help us survive now, it gives little thought to others or even to our own being in the long run. Ego thirsts to be satisfied quickly. It loves instant gratification. Each individual's ego wants something in the present to satisfy itself, but often it is so short sited that it hinders its own long term progress. While its' existence helps the continuation of people as a whole, it does not ensure the healthiest, longest, nor happiest life for the individual it inhabits.

     For example, let's imagine being at a buffet. It's been my experience that even when I'm completely full and in no need of anything else, historically, I have continued consuming to the point of discomfort. In the moment, I just wanted to taste something more. (The desire to taste more, and repeatedly, is how the ego communicates to my conscious mind in order to get me to act.) Now my long term goals may consist of me getting in shape, or even wanting to feel good on the walk home. However, in satisfying my (ego's) very short term desires, I acted in a way that is actually working against the goals set forth by my higher cognitive self. If I want to have a precise relationship with my body and maintain it in shape, giving into this particular ego drive is causing me to act clumsily. (See "Clumsiness and Climbing Castles" for clarity on what I mean by clumsy)

     Another example I've noticed in myself is when I go out with friends on a weekend. From time to time we'll enjoy some drinks which can add some fun to the evening. There is nothing inherently wrong with enjoying some adult beverages with friends. However, when thinking only about the moment, I may consume one more than I should. The next day I might find myself hung-over, lazy and slow. In this scenario maybe I spend the day watching more TV and resting than doing exercise and reading. Instead of making a nutritious meal, I order a pizza. Now, I'll repeat, there is nothing inherently wrong with enjoying some drinks and a night out, but when my short term desires for a fun evening get in the way of my long term goals (learning, exercising, using my free day more productively) then that is clumsy. The urges to place higher importance on the here and now with little or no regard to the moments that follow leads to actions that are less precise than they could otherwise be. As talked about in previous posts, precision is the defining characteristic of things done well. Long term precision has to do with control throughout increasingly extended periods of time. This includes moving from day to day, week to week, month to month to however long it can be maintained.

     In short, one way ego presents itself is in the desire to indulge in the here and now, without regarding what's to come. Indulging ego in this way can get in the way of realizing longer term goals that have been proposed by higher regions of the brain, a higher self even. This is not the only way that ego exists however. Clearly some people work long and hard for selfish means over a period of time. This too hinders the precision of society and even the world, but that must be saved for a future conversation. Thank so very much for joining me. As always, feel free to send me a message with any thoughts, critiques, or questions that may help clarify these posts. Until then, have a good one!

Battling the Brainstem

     Hola amigos, and thank you for joining me again. Recently we've entered into the process of looking at relationships between our consciously thinking selves and everything else that is out there in the "system" (see "Looking at Layers"). "Precision" seems to be the underlying characteristic of any activity we perceive as done "well" (see "Precisely: What I was Thinking"). So then, the idea is to use "the learning lens" (See "Clumsiness and Climbing castles) to help foster increasingly precise relationships with the various levels of that system, including our 'selves' and others. In my previous post, I made an attempt to bring attention to something I refer to as "ego". Today I would like to more thoroughly explore the topic so it will be easier to see how it relates as we continue to move out through the other layers of the system that lay increasingly farther from our relative points of perception. Also, I know my posts have been getting longer as of late so I will attempt keep them more directed and precise.

     Before getting into today's topic, I feel as though I need to make my intentions as clear as possible so as to not offend anyone reading this and other similar articles in the future. These posts are intended to help individuals notice the extremely subtle nature of a phenomena in people called ego. It's something that is very hard to notice because it exists on a layer of our being underneath our actively conscious mind. It should be noted that it is a phenomena that exists in all people naturally so this post IS NOT meant to be a judgement or attack of any kind in regards to individuals. If one feels damage to their pride for any reason, please understand it was unintentional on my part. However, it may be good to note that it is the thing inside us, the part that gets offended and/or prideful, to which I'm trying to bring our attention. This topic must be expanded upon because it is an essential piece of the puzzle for anyone attempting to pursue precision on any or all levels of his or her existence.

     So one of the most seemingly important questions may be the following: If we all have an ego, where does it come from? There, of course, is no clear answer to that (such is the problem with all 'origin' type questions) but ego is probably the most direct way that we experience what we call 'instinct' in other creatures. It likely originates from "lower" parts of the brain, including the stem that is responsible for our autonomic systems and survival tendencies. It influences what we do as we grow up, and our experiences and actions help to shape the neural pathways in the higher regions of the brain. This leaves a neural impression of our lower desires on the higher regions of our brain which in turns strengthens the voice of our ego. Obviously it is far more complex than that but this is sufficient for the current conversation. Historically speaking and into the present day, ego/instinct is the thing that has kept us alive and propagating the species. It has played a critical role in bringing us to the present and will continue to do so as long as we exist. However, now that survival is quite a bit simpler compared to previous eras, letting our ego/instinct guide our lives can be dangerous and destructive to ourselves and others. It also gets in the way of us behaving precisely.

     Physically speaking, one of the critical distinguishing characteristics of humans from other mobile beings on this planet (i. e. animals) is that the part of our brain called the neocortex is very large. It represents around 80% of our total brain mass and is the outer, grey, wrinkly layer that we generally think of when we picture a brain. This is the portion the brain where complex cognitive thinking takes place (which allows us to figure out how to manipulate tools and other aspects of life). It is also is largely in control of 'voluntary movement', and 'voluntary thinking' as well. We are greatly influenced by our instinctual nature, but because of this large control center that allows us to voluntarily decide how we act, we are not simply victims of following urges of our survival consciousness.

     The fact that we have organized into "society" is one of the clearest examples of how humans, collectively, have decided against letting our natural tendencies determine our existence. What I mean is there are laws of nature. Living things need an energy source, food, and also water in order to survive. In nature, if one being has (or is) food, there is nothing stopping another being from taking that food by any means including cunning, brutality and even killing. Society however has many 'extra' rules, so to speak. We often call them "laws" but essentially they are rules to limit behaviors that are otherwise allowed in nature, that we perceive as contrary to how we want to live. In the terms of this blog, I may say that laws are generally rules that encourage us to live with each other more precisely. For example, there are speed limits and traffic lights because if all traffic flows at an even rate and people take turns, everyone collectively can move about more efficiently or "precisely". When individuals don't follow the rules, running lights, speeding and weaving in and out of traffic, it causes wrecks, stop and go sections and a general slow down, usually for everyone else. All of those inconveniences I would call examples of "clumsiness" in a traffic setting.

     So this is probably enough for today. I like the idea of keeping entries short and to the point. Often times my longer posts are a result of me getting too impatient, giving into my ego, and as a result creating entries that are less precise than I hope for. I will return to this subject in the near future to explore how ego manifests itself on a more individual level, ways to notice it, and how that detracts from acting precisely in one's own life. Thank you very much for joining me and I look forward to hearing from you in the future.

Getting in the Zone: Somewhere Between the Ears

     Hello there and thank you for joining me once again, or perhaps for your first time. I must start today off by saying thank you to everyone who has decided to spend any time here with me since I started this project a couple months ago. Yesterday, this blog reached its first modest mile stone, reaching and passing 1000 total views with audience members ranging from 20 countries. While this started as a way for me to give some order to my thoughts, you joining me and even engaging in the conversation has really kept me motivated, so thank you again. I truly appreciate your “presence”.

     Now then, as of late we've entered into this idea of applying the learning lens (See "Clumsiness and Climbing Castles") to the various levels of life. The previous post "An Inner Model Out There" made an attempt to shed light on the subjective nature of our perceptions. In essence, the first layer with which we have a relationship is with ourselves and in particular with something that I've come to call "ego" (for any students of psychology, this different from the idea of ego that Freud described, but not completely unrelated.) Today I would like to explore the effects of ego and how it is one of the primary obstacles in keeping us from acting precisely and seeing objectively. For anyone wondering why "precision" is important, I would ask him or her, if they were interested, in returning to the posts "Pondering the Particularities of Precision" and "Precisely: What I was Thinking".

     Since acting precisely is of special interest to us, considering “the zone” might provide us with more material to work with. First off, one may ask, what is the zone? Many people will know what I’m referring to, but let’s see if there’s a way to bring everyone’s awareness precisely to the point. I whole heartedly believe that everyone has experienced the zone at one point or another. Think about whatever activity you do best or even anything that you do well. If you have ever experienced a period of time where you are just completely in that activity, with no distractions, and whatever you’re doing just works…. That’s it.

      Most commonly the term is used by athletes, describing periods of time where they perform flawlessly, or at least as precisely as possible for a duration of time. While they are there, it’s as if nothing else exists outside the field of play. As observers, we just see a great performance. However, this is not just a state reserved for athletes.

     People can experience the zone while taking part in any other activity as well. When drawing, an artist may reach a point when they are completely focused on the work at hand. Thinking stops and the pencil or paint brush almost seems to be running on autopilot. It’s often from this state that great artists produce their best work. Reading is another great example. When one engages in a book so fully that it has transported them out of the room, they just may have entered the zone. In this setting, the experience can feel as if the reader is observing the actions of a story rather than looking at the words. It can be shocking if someone interrupts and brings them crashing back into the room, breaking their concentration. The zone could be explained via any activity from playing music, cooking, meditating, walking, cleaning up around the house or anything else that we do.

     Hopefully some of these examples give some context to the idea, but the underlying characteristic of the zone seems to be this; the mind is fully engaged in the activity, without being separated from it with “word thoughts” “picture thoughts” or other distractions. A great baseball player once said, “You can’t think and hit a baseball”. Being in the zone isn’t about thinking through the action, it’s about simply doing it. A batter has no time to think “yes, now swing.” The ball would have already passed. His awareness is simply in his hands, ready to act, and swings when it feels right. When giving a speech, the zone feels like just talking about the material, never allowing interfering thoughts to enter the picture. As soon as the thought, “there are a lot of people out there, I am in front of them” enters one’s mind, the person becomes one step removed from just talking about the material (and probably starts to get nervous). Any sort of “I am doing…” thought immediately separates one’s concentration from that which they are doing, and stops them from just acting, denying them access to the zone.

     This is important because only when people completely unite their awareness on what they are doing can they act as precisely as possible. Most people only do this for short periods of time, and generally only while they are performing a task with which they have much skill and practice. This is probably because they are very familiar with that activity. Unfortunately, even when doing activities we know well, there’s no easy way to just “get in the zone”.

     Generally speaking, people clearly prefer doing things precisely and nobody likes to act clumsily. So, the question must be raised, what keeps us from being in the zone all time? What is the obstacle that keeps us from acting as precisely as possible throughout our day. While this is not something easy to observe, and the term is not something I have coined myself, it's our egos that continuously get in our way. For anyone who doesn't quite understand what I mean, I have an experiment that may help one to become acquainted with his or her ego.

     We tend to believe that we have total control of ourselves, but most of us are influenced by impulse far more often than we think. So here’s the experiment: Set a goal of closing your eyes and not thinking in words, pictures, or with other ideas for just 5 minutes. If we really have as much control as we like to believe, it should extend all the way to control over our very own mind/brain. If ever a thought enters the mind, simply brush it off and return to not thinking. Focusing on a point such as breath may aid in this experiment. For those interested, go ahead and try it now…………….

     Now you don’t owe me any sort of answer because this was a personal experience attempting to help individuals understand what I am referring to when I use the term ego. So, was setting the goal of not thinking enough to simply silence your mind? During the five min period, did anything pop up? Maybe wondering why we were doing this, maybe getting bored and just wanting to get up, maybe urges to go to the bathroom or get some water? Perhaps imagining another place you wanted to be, or revising a conversation you had that day? Maybe the voice was so strong that it convinced some that they could understand what it would be like even without trying the experiment…

     For those who did have thoughts during the trial, that is perfectly normal. That is one way ego communicates with us and attempts to influence actions. It is there nearly always, and specifically it is that thinking that keeps people out of the zone. When those type of thoughts arise while we are doing something, it prevents us from acting as precisely as possible because it separates us one degree from simply acting. Our mind is not fully engaged in the activity, rather its thinking about doing it.

     This can be a difficult concept to understand and this post has already gone on too long, but it would be more confusing in the long run to stop short. I will certainly return to this topic in a variety of ways, hopefully helping people to ‘Notice’ what I’m talking about (See “Noticing Noticing: Learning to Learn”). Remember, noticing is the first step to learning. If we haven’t noticed something, we are oblivious to it and it’s like that thing simply doesn’t exist. This is one of the most significant topics because developing a precise relationship with each of our 'selves' has extremely far reaching affects into the rest of our lives, not to mention the lives of others, and it all begins somewhere between the ears.

An Inner Model Out There

     Well hello there and welcome back. Thank you for joining me, as always. I know my last two posts may have been a change of pace. Maybe some have yet to see their relevance. The truth is both of them were intended as a sort of introduction to bring us to the series of posts that I get to start today. A couple times now, I've sat down with a topic in mind, and found there was no logical place to start. For example, when I began writing this blog, "Two infinity and Beyond" and "There's a Method to the Madness" were not relevant points in my awareness. However, I found it impossible to get to "Noticing Noticing" without giving some context. These last few entries were no different. So now I will begin exploring the significance of applying the learning lens (see "Clumsiness and Climbing Castles") to the various layers of "the system" that has been the topic of the previous two posts ("A look at systems through the learning lens" and "Looking at Layers: The Power of Perception").

     The most important pieces of the last two posts are that 1) each person has a unique perspective which is 2) both relative and limited.  The word relative is important and points to the idea of relationships between the observer and that with which she or he interacts. Each person's awareness and perspective is limited by the specific set of relationships (s)he has experienced throughout his/her life. In this sense, relationships refers not only to those between people, but also to those between objects, places, groups, etc. This is significant because each relationship is an opportunity to apply "the learning lens", fostering more precise interactions between the two.

     So maybe this is getting complicated, but let's start to bring it into context. Specifically, we are only aware of what our experience has shown us. If something has yet to be experienced or introduced to us, it's as if that thing does not exist. That is to say, something that lies outside of a person's awareness simply does not exist for that person. Example: if all of a sudden a person materialized in the room where you are, then explained perfectly how it worked and taught you how to do it yourself, it would drastically alter your understanding of the universe and the laws of physics. If someone simply tells you this is possible, it probably won't do much to change your reality. However, the second you experience it, and are completely convinced that it exists, it is permanently something that will affect your perception of the universe and whats possible.

     Another way to look at it may be such. The universe exists out there, all around us. Inside of our brains is another, active running model of that universe. The one in our head is completely based off of what we have seen. It is a sort of mirror image of the real one out there. One problem is that the model in our head is only a partial model, based on our experiences and specifically the parts of the universe we've seen and experienced. Based on the concept of infinity (see "Two Infinity and Beyond") it is necessarily the case the the model is only partial and lacking information.

     Also, this model has been partially constructed by others such as scientists, religious figures and or any other person who has ever shared details about how the universe might be. For example, the model of most people reading this probably has the Earth moving around the Sun in an elliptical manner, and the Moon around the Earth. However, an extremely small percentage (probably no one) have ever taken the measurements and crunched the numbers themselves to demonstrate that this is certainly the case. We're just taking someone else's word on that one, and rightfully so. We have to trust others because there's no way we could possibly test every little "fact" discovered previously.

     Now here's the crux of the post. Each person has a working model of the universe running in their head. It very closely resembles the real one "out there" that's all around us because it is based on it. However, and this is the key, what we perceive is not the real one out there, but the model we have running in our brains. This is why "paranoid" people actually perceive people coming after them every time they catch a funny glance from a stranger. Also, why "crazy" people have such a hard time understanding what others see as obvious. Whatever is going on in their minds is completely real for them. There are a few movies in recent years that do a great job of demonstrating how powerful perception really is. If anyone is having difficulty really grasping this point, I would highly recommend a few movies such as "Eternal Happiness of a Spotless Mind", "Shutter Island" or even "The Truman Show" (sorry to put two Jim Carry flicks in there). This is also the reason Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny seemed so real until the illusion was broken. Its why magicians actually seem to be doing something super natural until the "trick" is learned. Have you ever seen an illusion performed after you knew how it worked? Once you know, all you can see is what's going on behind the scenes that pulls it all together.

     Now, I don't want to drag on much longer, and it already seems that I won't be completely entering the topic how I originally planned. However, I hope the following idea is a little more grounded now. Our perspective is subjective. We often, even usually, project aspects of our inner state onto what we observe around us. So the most significant relationship to which we can apply the learning lens and develop an increasingly precise relationship is to our "selves". Developing an increasingly precise relationship between our conscious mind and our more instinctual nature, which some have come to call "ego", can lead to powerful shifts in perspective and help us to see the world more objectively.

     Thank you for joining me here. If you ever have any questions or something seems unclear, please feel free to send me a message or email. I'll leave you with this, an entertaining video that probably demonstrates what I'm talking about more clearly than I ever could in words. Hope its not too offensive to anyone. Thanks again.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCHRkoMD3EM

Looking at Layers: The Power of Perception

     We left the conversation introducing the idea of systems and their different layers. For this conversation a "layer" of the system will refer to a particular level of organization. The posts in reference to chaos and order more thoroughly explore what is meant by the different layers (see "There's a Method to the Madness") however, considering the following may also help to clarify. Different bodies of knowledge and science in general are dedicated to gathering as much information as possible about specific layers of the system. For example, chemists focus on the layer of atoms and molecules, biologists look at the layers where life exists, environmentalists may analyze the layer of ecosystems and oceans, meteorologists focus on the atmospheric level, astronomers tend to look at the planetary, solar system and even galactic layers. There are obviously many more than those I just mentioned. These layers follow the same infinity principle mentioned previously (see "Two Infinity and Beyond"). On the largest scale, everything is part of one large interrelated system. Without at least one perspective or a point of view, there is no real distinction between the layers. The system as a whole simply exists as a large moving body of mass, and no differentiation of "layers" or "levels" is even possible.

     Now, that may seem like a rather obvious statement. I think the classic line "If a tree falls and there's no one to hear it, does it still make a sound?" attempts to bring our awareness to the same point. A common response or sentiment to that statement is, "who cares?" In that particular scenario, no one actually cares, and the event has no "meaning" in the human sense of the word. However, a defining feature of the human experience (also a defining feature for all other animals, plants, and any other living organism) is that it is restricted to a specific location and therefore has a relative perspective (that is, a singular perspective in relationship to the whole system).

   Any singular point of view does not simply exist. For that point of view to occur some tools are necessary. For anyone reading this those tools likely consist of eyes, ears, nose, skin, mouth and additionally, the most important tool of all, our brain which allows us to synthesize the raw data obtained by the previously mentioned items and turn it into something meaningful. For this reason some branches of philosophy actually suggest a total of six senses in humans that result from those six tools. The last sense being that which occurs as a result from our brain tool, some may call this "intuition", "synthesizing" or simply "thinking".

     Physically speaking, these tools are of a certain size. Each one also has a limited range of input that it can detect. For example, our eyes only see what we know as the color spectrum. Each of the other sense organs have their own relative limits (what might this mean in terms of the mind then?) Because we exist at a certain size and can only detect a specific range of input, we can begin to identify the origin of our relative perspective. Consequently, the layers of the system begin to emerge because of their significance and relationship to us.

     In other words, we identify different layers of the system because of our limited, relative, perspective. The first layers only emerge when we look at the their relationship to us. The most apparent layer is that which we perceive without the help of additional tools (if you want to see it, just look around). Other layers are based on how we observe them in relation to each other. Many layers were never identified prior to tools of modern science such as the telescope, microscope and electromagnetic sensors. For example, our solar system has a relationship to The Milky Way, which also has a relationship to the other galaxies. Comparatively, we are extremely small, therefore those layers are largely understood in relation to each other.

     Here is where I will leave the conversation for today. Thank you so much for joining me here. I know that time can often be an extremely scarce resource, and I do not take your time here for granted. Hopefully this post helps to more clearly explain what I mean by the terms "layer" or "level" of the system. In the future I will attempt to explore their significance in relation to "the learning lens" (see "Clumsiness and Climbing Castles"). Thank you again.



   

   

A Look at Systems through the Learning Lens

     Welcome back to all my fellow wonderers out there. Thank you for wandering back into my neck of the forest. At this point in the conversation, we have constructed a tool of sorts (See Clumsiness and Climbing Castles). This tool could be thought of as a lens, through which we can analyze anything we do. For this conversation I will refer to it as "the learning lens". Admittedly so, it is not a very precise tool, but it does give us a way to identify where we can make improvements. Regardless of what we do, precision within the parameters of the activity is usually the goal (See Precisely: What I was Thinking). Oddly enough, when things go precisely, we tend to hardly notice. When something goes wrong however, it is often blatantly obvious. In the learning process, the most vital step is 'Noticing' (see Noticing Noticing: Learning to Learn).  Clumsiness then is the opposite of precision and also the key to recognizing where we can make improvements.

     While doing something very specific such as throwing a ball or speaking a new language, it is fairly easy to see how this tool can be applied. Example: If I throw a ball to someone, but it goes sailing over their head or into the dirt, obviously my throw lacked precision (one could also say it was a clumsy throw). I could then start examining where the throw went wrong. If it was high, I probably released it too early. If it landed in the dirt, I perhaps released it too late or didn't throw it hard enough. While trying out a foreign language, if my partner cannot understand me, it likely has something to do with the clumsy way I pronounced my words or perhaps my lack of precise vocabulary. That can even be true in a person's native language. 

     Both of these settings are perfectly appropriate for applying the learning lens. Using it properly can help us notice what went wrong, thus showing where we can make improvements. Recently however, I have come to believe that this tool is equally, if not more, useful when considering other aspects of my life that have less to do with acquiring specific skills and more to do with the general way I interact with everything and everyone around me. To more thoroughly explain what I mean by this, I would like to open up the conversation to the topic of systems. Later, I will explore how the learning lens can be applied to the various levels of the system.

     Merriam Webster online gives us the following as an entry point into the topic "System - : a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole." 

     In less academic terms, a system is a big thing that is made up of smaller things. Systems exist all around us, and they don't stop there. Each person is an individual system, made up of many smaller systems working in unison. A few of them are the skeletal, cardiovascular, nervous, digestive, muscular and endocrine systems. Also, each one of us makes up a whole part of any number of larger systems such as families, social circles, schools, communities, neighborhoods, cities, states, countries, continental populations, the world, biological life, animals, primates and humans. (see Two infinity and Beyond) Objectively speaking, everything and everyone is interrelated (atomically, chemically, biologically, socially, gravitationally, electromagnetically, etc) and forms one super system that is simultaneously too small and too large for any individual to completely comprehend or even observe. Subjectively speaking, it is possible to divide the whole into any number of smaller subsystems for analysis. It is important to note that any division one makes is essentially arbitrary and only exists because we think about it so.

     This is where I will leave the conversation for today. As you have perhaps already noticed, the previous paragraph begins to transition us from the general idea of learning to the various contexts in which we may apply it. Thank you again for joining my thoughts here. To anyone who has been following along since the beginning, it could be interesting to return to the opening poem "Mosaic of Mind". It may, or may not, take on a different meaning as this idea continues to more fully branch out. Again, thank you, thank you, thank you for reading along. I really cannot explain how grateful I am for your company!

     

Clumsiness and Climbing Castles

     I apologize for not writing over the last week or so. There are many sides of life and each one requires its' own type of precision. Lately I've been occupied with several of those. Today, however, I get to return to watering my tree so to speak. (See Mosaic of Mind)
 
     We left off introducing the idea of clumsiness. For this discussion, clumsiness refers to doing things with a lack of precision. Another way to think of it could be awkward, uneasy, or doing things poorly. Adding this to the discussion, we sort of top off a very general picture of learning

     Whenever a person does any activity, including moving, walking, talking, writing, thinking, socializing, painting, cooking, karate, skating or anything else, their actions fall somewhere on a spectrum between completely clumsy and perfectly precise.

Clumsy------------------------------------Precise

     As it turns out, no one really likes to be clumsy. In different activities, clumsiness takes various forms, but no one enjoys it regardless of where it shows up.  It's never fun to trip down the stairs or to stub a toe. Eating burnt or poorly seasoned food is never the preferred option. It's equally unappealing to watch a sporting or theatrical event with many overt mistakes compared to a precise performance or fierce competition.

     Naturally then, the question of how to move from clumsy to precise is of great relevance. Fortunately, we already have a model of the path. (See Noticing Noticing: Learning to Learn) Perhaps a visual analogy will help bring the idea full circle.

     Attempting to do any activity could be compared to entering a many spired castle, endlessly tall. The ground floor is the level of least precision, clumsiness. Desiring to become more precise, one may take the challenge to climb to higher levels. The steps up each spiral stare case spire are the learning process, and continually reveals things that previously went unnoticed. Practice is the driving force for moving up the stairs. Climbing high enough, one may begin to achieve a certain level of precision within one spire of a given activity. However, all activities have many spires to climb. To precisely understand as much of the castle as possible, one must climb its' various towers independently. Unfortunately, it is impossible to climb all of the spires no matter the castle. All the castles are simply too big. (See Two Infinity and Beyond) In fact, that's why we have whole teams of people exploring all the castles we can find, generation after generation. Whole groups of people focus on one spire, climbing farther than previously possible by working together. Others go on gathering reports from the various groups, trying to understand the whole castle. Others still put together maps of the whole country side mapping all the castles and their relation to each other.

     So whenever a person attempts to do anything, how well they do it falls somewhere on the spectrum between clumsy and precise. Ultimately, that classification is a subjective judgement, and one should not value his or herself by where they fall on that scale. Rather, this spectrum is meant to be used as a tool to approach the topic of learning. No matter where a person lands on the scale, it is possible to move up the spires and become more precise over time. Even the most gifted person in the world at anything is never as good as that same person after a year of practice.

     My hopes are that by 'Noticing' the pattern, people will be able to climb the spires that interest them. On a personal note, noticing clumsiness in my life has helped me become aware of many things to which I was previously 'oblivious'. Its extremely hard to recognize the things we don't know (if you don't know something, its like it simply doesn't exist to you.) However, its easy to notice when things do not go smoothly (precisely). When things go wrong, trace the origin of the problem. More often than not, I find something I could have done to make the whole thing go better, and frequently that search leads me back to my self. Thank you again to everyone reading along.

   
   

Precisely: What I was Thinking

     At this point, we are really starting to dig into the topic of precision. Previously, after going over the general learning process, I made an attempt to show the connection between it and chaos/order (see "Where Chaos Meets Learning" and "Where Learning Meets Order").  My last post began to look at precision by considering Masters of various trades. The reason for showing those examples was to demonstrate the following point: Mastery of any skill is measured by the level of precision one has over the variables relating to that skill.

     Each of the previously mentioned masters (see "Pondering the Particularities of Precision")  had a unique set of variables that they had to take into consideration in order to perform as precisely as possible. For the painter the variables consisted of color mixing, perspective, layout, lighting techniques, brush techniques, a visual knowledge of everything to be painted and more. The master chef's variables looked like types of food and their flavors, spices, slicing techniques, cook times, style, texture, and presentation among other things. Thirdly, the martial artists had to be mindful  of variables such as body control and balance, speed, flow, and the sequence of their katas and more. It should be mentioned that these are just a few of the many variables each of the respective masters would consider while working their craft.
   
     So then, if masters embody precision, what does the learning process look like on the other end of the spectrum? Taking a look at the characteristics of beginners could be helpful to more thoroughly understand the topic still.

     After that build up, it is probably no surprise to hear that beginners of any skill are usually NOT precise. Imagine a person trying out roller skating for the first time. As they stand, their legs might wobble. Their arms out, grasping for balance, legs kicking out as they fight to keep the skates under their legs. Without any experience, beginners are generally oblivious to all the variables. Their overall lack of control makes them look 'clumsy'.

     Taking on a new skill can feel chaotic for a beginner. When they step out onto the rink, they have never seen the floor from this perspective. Everyone is moving so fast. While they are trying to figure out how to move themselves without feeling so shaky, everyone is zipping past. It is impossible to anticipate where anyone else is going so they may just hold onto the edge for stability. The variables are everywhere and consist of things like their own balance and momentum, figuring out how to build speed and stop, and even the general flow of the crowd. While there is definately a method to all the madness, beginners feel lost in the disarray.

     Another thing, most beginners focus much of their attention on how they appear to everyone else. It is not 'cool' to be stumbling around the rink with one hand on the wall. What's 'cool' is to be gliding between everyone, alternating between forward or backward while making it look effortless all the while. Focusing on how they are perceived by others means they are NOT focused on skating nicely around the rink. Their attention is split, one part thinking about skating, one part worrying about what everyone else thinks. To do something as precisely as possible, the practitioner must focus their awareness completely on what they are doing.

     In summary, masters embody precision. Beginners then embody clumsiness. What allows masters to act precisely is an awareness of the variables within a given activity, knowledge of how the variables interrelate, and an internalized feel for the action based on practice and experience. For many reasons, beginners are unaware of the majority of variables. Experience reveals the subtleties of an activity over time. However being aware of the variables does not yield precision by itself. While performing an activity, one must completely concentrate their awareness on what they are doing or they will likely overlook some of the variables, resulting in 'clumsiness'.

Pondering the Particularities of Precision

     Finally, I feel we have reached a point in this conversation to properly consider chaos and order within the realm of learning and ideas. Since this blog has thus far focused on uniting ideas, let's start there. When learning a skill or about an area of knowledge, precision is the underlying principal in play.

    It may help to revisit the overall learning process (see "Noticing Noticing: Learning to Learn" for a more complete explanation)

1. Oblivious
2. Noticing
3. Conceptually understanding
4. Internalizing (muscle memory)

5. Repeat 1-4 many times
6. Mastery.

     A good way to notice precision in action could be to consider a few masters in various trades. For example, some master painters can recreate a landscape so precisely, it looks like a photograph. To do this they must precisely paint each item, in the exact right position, while simultaneously and precisely applying perspective techniques and angles of light to create the effect of distance. If any part is slightly misplaced, even an unaware observer will think, "There's something just not right here..."

     To create a gourmet meal, master chefs must precisely cut and prepare many ingredients (each one a variable of its own.) Of course, the flavor must be precisely crafted and be accompanied by an alluring smell and texture. A great meal will have layers of preparation. That's not to mention appearance. For master chefs, precise presentation brings their craft to the next level of precision. All this must be done within a very specific window of time, or the food will be cold. Anyone who's worked at a restaurant can probably tell you what cooks think of cold food.

    Martial artists are another great example. People may work for years to receive their black belt. This surely must denote a certain level of precision, but there are still higher levels of precision to pursue. Let us consider two martial artists, one a 9th degree black belt and the other a black belt of the 10th degree, both in karate. For fun and competition, these two artists may perform a kata (a choreographed arrangement of punches, blocks and kicks.) To a group of people who know nothing about karate, myself included, we probably would not notice who did a better job or why. Maybe one kick was not quite high enough, or a punch snapped a little too slow, and with the elbow rolled down instead of sideways. An 11th degree black belt who was also watching would notice the extremely subtle ways that the 10th degree black belt was more precise than his less experienced counterpart. The rest of us would be left oblivious and in wonder.

                       
     This is where I would like to stop for today. Hopefully, this will help some to notice the importance of precision. It plays a role in everything we do including walking, talking, picking things up, setting them down, driving a car, caring for ourselves, sleeping and more. Later I will revisit the topic to see how noticing precision can help us in becoming more precise ourselves. Also, we will begin to apply the precision principal to group coordination. Thank you so much to anyone who's keeping up with me here. It is an honor and a pleasure to have your company. Until we meet again...

Where Learning Meets Order

     I've come to realize that the ideas I wish to express are getting more complicated in nature.  Therefore my posts will be truncated into smaller, more manageable posts from here on out (or so I say for now.)

    In earlier posts, I brought up a fundamental phenomena in the universe. This would be the chaos/order feedback loop as I've come to call it recently (see "There's a Method to the Madness".) In my last post I made an attempt to follow that pattern and its impact on the organization of the physical universe, its' continuation into the biological mechanism, and extension into life and animal consciousness/awareness. As mentioned in the previous post, this conversation is working towards the intersection of chaos/order and learning. After an extremely brief, yet simultaneously long winded, overview, we have nearly arrived. Before we jump right in, there are some concepts that should be reviewed and perhaps revised as we move from the objective occurrences that arranged the universe to the subjective experience of learning and idea acquisition.

     Though the conditions of chaos and order continually fluctuate, there are some uniting traits throughout. Thus far, the condition of chaos has been characterized by high levels of variability within a given setting. In the physical ordering it means lots of variability of the actual elements and molecules. On the biological level, the variables that cause chaos are the ratios of food in comparison to the population of a given organism (there are many other variables at this level as well.) Order is then when the conditions have relatively few variables, when the condition is stable. Before consciousness comes into play, I say that the chaos/order phenomena has caused the universe to be organized in a more "specific" way. Specific refers to the lack of intention that has accompanied the increasingly ordered arrangement of material particles in the universe. As we move into learning, chaos and order will still continue to present themselves in new settings and with new faces. However, "specific" will start to be replaced by the word "precise" as intention enters the picture.

     Though learning is not always intentional by the learner, it does seem to require some level of active awareness. Because I am trying to combine these ideas in a way that can help us actively learn, intention plays an integral role in the process. When intention unites with doing anything, precision is the underlying quality for which we strive. Precision within a given field is the defining characteristic that masters of any trade share.

Where Chaos Meets Learning

     In my last post, we entered into a subject that is quite interesting to me, patterns in regards to learning. Now here, I am talking about learning in a very general sense. For this discussion, I will define it as a person's or group of people's acquisition of skills and/or knowledge. Since the chaos/order feedback loop (see "There's a method to the Madness,") seems to influence all levels of organization, revisiting the topic may reveal other patterns in the learning process as well. Here I would like to begin a discussion working towards the intersection of those two topics.

     Before getting too far ahead of myself, I would like to first consider the concept of hierarchy. Many come to consider the word in terms of some things being better,worse, or more significant than others. Here, I would like to try to remove as much subjectivity/judgement from the term as possible. In this setting hierarchy refers to the levels of organization in the universe and to the order of events that occurred to bring us to the present. It would be possible to analyze the chaos/order loop from an infinite number of entry points or levels. It is also necessary to point out that every step/level in the universe's arrangement was equally important for the process to bring us to the present. This conversation however is working towards chaos/order and learning so I would like to discuss three steps that may bring us there more directly:

1) The ordering of the physical world from a molecular to galactic level
2) The specific mechanism of biological life, which is an organization of the material universe
3) The development of "consciousness/self-awareness" from life.

Eventually arriving at

4) Noticing patterns in learning based on "consciousness/awareness"

     When considering chaos and order, we may notice that as time progresses forward, the physical, material world becomes increasingly organized in a more specific, hierarchical, manner. We see this in the way that all things are made from the organization of ever smaller systems, and over time, these systems continually interact, creating both an increasing number of layers of organization and additional types of interactions. For example elements make molecules, molecules come together to create planets, stars and solar systems, these planets and stars become the setting for more specific organization of molecules, such as life. Life then becomes the setting to continue the pattern. It begins simply and continues to increase in the number of layers it contains and also in the number of types of interactions that occur. One could even argue that, since life is one of the rarest occurrences in the known universe, which creates very unique configurations of atoms, all the currently living things on Earth are the most specifically organized sets of molecules the universe has put together thus far.

    If we continue to consider these specific organizations of molecules in motion, i.e. life on Earth, more relevant patterns might begin to appear still. Again, I would like to revisit hierarchy in terms of life and the chaos/order feedback loop. A thought experiment may help us get there. Consider a space where the process of life just began on the most simplistic scale possible. There is one single celled organism that can for the first time replicate itself. This organism is in a particular order/configuration, made of a cell, made of molecules made of elements made of protons, neutrons, and electrons made of.... made of... As before mentioned, this formation is unique and can replicate itself, therefor after some time, there would be a relatively large population of just that organism. Since all the organisms are the same, there are very few types of interactions that occur between them. Things are orderly with relatively few variables. It's possible that the new life doesn't even interact with its replicas in a way that's necessary for their asexual replication cycle. However, eventually the resource that is required for the replication process becomes scarce and there is a constraint on the population. Only the fittest survive and that is the key. The probability of survival increases for the organisms adapt in a way that increases their probability of survival.  So now, there are two types of organisms that interact with each other. Because there is more than one type of organism, there are more ways for them to interact. This increases the number of variables and interactions possible. This could be considered a hierarchical step forward. If over time we reached ten organisms, there would be exponentially more possible interactions. With this increasing number of interactions comes a newly developing chaos.

     Over millions of years, an untold number of survival techniques come and go, throwing the biological state of the world from chaotic explosions of life in short periods of time, to haulting periods of order, then physical restraints (limits in space and resources or natural disasters) come to push the world back to chaos. In this way five kingdoms of life came to exist on our planet. Those five being: Monera (single celled organism), Protists (mostly singled celled life with a nucleus), Fungi, Plants and Animals. Of the living things on the Earth, life in the animal kingdom requires the most specific arrangements of atoms to function properly because animal life is more dynamic, moving in nature. The process of regular motion innately contains more variables than smaller or sedentary life. Therefore animal life is the most complex, specific arrangement of atoms the universe has produced up to the present.

     Within animals, vertebrates, creatures with brains, bones and nervous systems were the latest, most specific arrangements to join the party. From our current observations of life, the most complex single part of an animal would certainly have to be its brain. Out of all the brains on Earth, the human brain most drastically sets itself apart from its peers. This brain, is made of the same particles, elements, that make up the physical universe, and is the product of the specific chain of events known as biological life. Following the chaos/order loop logic, it would make sense that the specifically organized brain of human beings would become the setting for another round of order and chaos, and it is. Our mind is the ground where, now, our ideas and consciousness continue the cycle from chaos to order to chaos and around again. Just as the material and biological world is conditioned, and becomes more specifically intricate, based on the previous organization of smaller parts, ideas too are conditioned by both the physical setting and previous ideas that came before it.

     To wrap this conversation up I would like to recap the general idea. The Chaos/order feedback loop is one of the basic organizational phenomena in the universe. It can be observed from the smallest physical level onward. Billions of years of chaos/order, within the laws of physics, moves the universe to more and more specific types of organizations, such as clouds, planets, stars, solar systems, etc. Once the majority of variables are removed from any term of chaos, become stable, orderly. From this state forms the first live organism. Life is where chaos and order continues once the physical world is organized in a stable enough order. Life, over time, changes to more elaborate, specifically structured organisms thanks to chaos and order in their new setting, nature. This eventually results in consciousness, as a survival tool most likely, in animals with brains. A brain provides a setting for consciousnesses or self awareness, and consciousness is the setting for what we call learning.

     Well this is where I would like to leave the conversation for today. I highly doubt anyone was too worried, but I sincerely apologize for the delay producing this entry. I started working on it the day after my previous post and have worked on it everyday since. I was having trouble finding words to appropriately depict what I see as the chaos/order loop through the different levels of organization (physical, biological, conceptual). If anyone feels could not follow chaos and order through those settings, please let me know so I can find a different way to get there. My next post will bring us to learning and its' relevance in regards to chaos and order. Thank you as always.

Noticing Noticing: Learning to Learn

     Learning anything from juggling, climbing a rock, cooking a meal, engineering a building, reading a book, speaking a foreign language, or playing an instrument all have something in common. They are all things a person does not know how to do innately, and they can all be learned through proper exposure and experience. While any skill and/or body of knowledge has its' own particularities, underlying pattern in the way a person comes to comprehend and wield it.

     Understanding the general process of learning can help us on any specific journey to knowledge acquisition. Primarily, knowing that learning is a multi-step process helps one stay content and focused at any particular interval. Previously, I would find myself getting frustrated and wasting time when I hit a rough patch, slowing my progress. Also if I didn't simply see what was going on from the onset, I was more likely to negatively judge the topic and lose interest in it completely. In short, understanding the process has given me the capability to withhold judgement about my own abilities while progressing more quickly and consistently.

     Many have explained this process with a varying number of steps. Here is a synthesized version that helps me approach any subject. As usual, I would like to start with a general pattern before jumping into the specifics.

     The critical stages of learning can be characterized by the following:

1) Being oblivious to the topic (Unaware)

2) Noticing

3) Intellectually/Conceptually understanding the topic

4) Internalizing the concepts through application/practice
5) Repeat step 2-4, noticing and internalizing more nuanced aspects of the activity on each cycle
.
..
...
....
..
...
..
.
..some time later..
.

6) Mastery

     Children are perfect examples to view this process because much of what they are learning, we "adults" already "know," and can therefore relate to the progression more thoroughly. My favorite illustration of this process was the first one that was shown to me so let's start there.

     Tying shoes is a skill that most of us come to master over time. We repeat it so often that we all achieve a high level of fluency eventually. Toddlers however may still have a long way to go on their shoe tying journey. Let us, then, take a look at Tommy the toddler. Tommy uses Velcro shoes, and they suit him just fine. In fact, Tommy is currently 1) Oblivious to the fact that shoes come any other way. He is far too distracted by the many other novelties the world constantly presents him. One day, during a walk, Tommy's dad stops, bends down, and begins playing with his shoes. Tommy implicitly knew that both him and his dad wore shoes but now he has 2) Noticed a key distinction. Dad's shoes have laces that work quite differently than Tommy's own. Obviously, Tommy, who admires his father, is sparked with a desire to learn this new skill. (Generally speaking, this desire to learn the skill could be considered a hidden step between stages 2 and 3 because without it, no one ever continues forward.)

     Next comes the process of acquiring the skill. Tommy's dad teaches him a nice poem, as sort of a mental crutch, "loop, swoop, and pull". This helps Tommy 3) Conceptually understand the process of tying shoes. At this stage, Tommy understands in his head what needs to happen, more or less, but does not always have success. So from now on, Tommy wears shoes with laces. Everyday, he ties his own shoes which allows him to 4) Internalize the process through application, or by "building muscle memory." 5) Then the process starts to repeat again. By practicing everday, he starts 2) noticing things that he was 1) oblivious to. For instance, 3) Tommy starts to understand that shoes still fall off if the laces aren't pulled tight or if the knot sits loosely over the tongue of the shoe. So he 4) practices getting his laces snug each time he ties them.  Over the years, he may go on noticing little subtleties of tying different types of shoes or laces (step 5). Now, at 18, Tommy can throw his shoes on, his hands precisely tying a double knot, while he's looking up, yelling at a friend "Hey, wait for me!" This could be considered as some sort of 6) Mastery of shoe laces.

     When looking closely, one may notice that the process is less linear than it is like a spiral staircase. In this sense, mastery is not so much a destination as it is everything above a certain level on the climb. One can never completely dominate a subject because (like the second type of infinity) it is literally impossible to know everything about any one thing. One can simply more thoroughly understand it, comprehending the variables. Perhaps even one day utilizing that skill on a new endeavor.
     Everyone wants to become a master, however, the most crucial stage in the learning process is moving from 1 to 2. Becoming aware of a topic, or the variables specific to a topic, is necessary before any sort of meaningful, useful, understanding or application takes place.
     This is where I will leave the topic for today, but I will certainly return to this subject in the future. Thank you for joining me here and please don't hesitate to drop a comment if you feel so inclined!

There's a Method to the Madness (Continued)

     So if chaos to order and chaos from order is such a basic pattern, where do we see it in the real world? Well, we can see it repeated in almost every aspect of the universe. On an atomic level, it's happening constantly around us. For example if we take a hypothetical space and fill it with lots of different elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, other elements, and sufficient energy, we wouldn't be surprised to find an increasing amount of water showing up over time. At first not much, but eventually more water molecules would begin to form and gather creating pools, slowing down over time as there became less independent hydrogen and oxygen to use, until the majority of the water that could possibly form did so. As more water gathered together, some of the elements might start floating around in the water. The water now becoming the setting for other interactions to take place. Water molecules are much more complex than the individual elements of which they are made.

     If there were other elements present in the original setting (pre-water), they too may have come together to form more complex molecules. Perhaps these molecules would now be floating around the water. These become the new variables drifting around. As they float about, they will certainly run into each other and perhaps create something more complex still such as different proteins. Once enough proteins have formed, they too may run into each other forming something more complex still. And you guessed it, these more complex things may interact to become something even more complicated. If they get large enough, maybe something smaller will begin forming on them as well. They would then be the new setting for another branch of the order/chaos circle and a variable in a larger one at the same time. At each step the product of the previous stage becomes the basic building block for the following. As time progresses and the number of interactions increases, the organization of the system becomes increasingly precise or at the very least, specific.

     Even people's ideas/thoughts, on an individual and societal level, seem to progress this way. Obviously it's impossible to know exactly what was going on in the minds of different people throughout history and even in the present. Many of us aren't even sure of what's going on up there in our own minds. However, if anything could indicate what a person or people think, it would have to be their actions. So perhaps we will be able to identify the chaos/order circle in this context as well.

    Now I'm not an expert in biology or anthropology or history or anything of the sort, so what I want to do is a thought experiment using a very general understanding of human progress, in hopes of better understanding the chaos/order loop. At some point in human history, our ancestors started using basic tools such as rocks that were found. At that time, there was probably a large scale of variability with activities like hunting. Even when one found an animal (such as a deer), it would certainly escape some percentage of the time. For argument sake lets say at this specific moment in our thought experiment the deer gets away 70% of the time (pretty chaotic for the hungry hunters one might say.) As tools and hunting techniques (both things that stem from ideas of the people) became more precise, that percentage started to drop. The invention of spears ups the likely hood of a kill at close range, enhanced techniques allows people to more consistently get in range. These tools and skills remove many of the variables in the hunting game, making it more "orderly". Maybe reducing the probability of escape for the deer down to 10% or less. Perhaps eventually even killing multiple animals on every outing. With this much order, why would chaos ever return? The problem would be when human's became too good at hunting, reducing the population of the deer while simultaneously increasing the people population.

    Now order could no longer continue in the same way. Things got chaotic again as different groups of hunting people ran into each other while chasing food. Perhaps fights ensued leaving some people to go hungry. In any case, the variables in the food game started to appear again. Now that there's so little food and so much competition between people, maybe we're back to eating only 70% of the time. There was a silver lining however, because people were starting to understand how they could manipulate things in the world (like with tools) to make things easier. This sort of thinking became the basis for the push into agriculture. Some people figured out how to manipulate plants and less intelligent animals like tools for their own benefit. It turns out that this type of organization around agriculture was pretty efficient and now people did not have to fight as much as before. Fighting certainly occurred, but principally a new era of order emerged, one that we might refer to as society.

     Societies easily demonstrate this process of order and chaos time and time again all the way to the present, and likely into the future. Once we start organizing in societies we have to consider that different groups of people began progressing down different lines of chaos/order. For example, only some of the people figured out agriculture and things became orderly for a while. Eventually some of the especially good hunters, the one's who pushed all the others away from hunting, might have stumbled upon one of these agricultural settlements (which would seem food rich to nomad hunters). Hunting people would probably be more advanced in the ways of confrontation seeing as they still hunted regularly. They would cause chaos in the settlements, taking food by force. This chaos would cause a new order to be necessary. Maybe organizing people into farmers for food, and guards to protect the farmers and food. This causes chaos for nomads when they can't eat. This may cause the nomads to organize with other groups, or more sneakily so they could overcome the settlements again, causing chaos. This may lead to cities building and organizing wall structures to keep the nomads out. Once walled towns or even cities begin to appear, the chaos/order pattern repeats as the people develop increasingly more specific/precise ideas about what's fair or just, throwing society into chaos until it can be ordered in accordance to the new ideas.

    A few other quick examples where one may notice this pattern is 1) this blog, as I stumble through my varying thoughts they seem round about. Over time, in weeks, months, or even years they will become increasingly organized. Its even possible that they become the basis for a book, simple cartoon drawings, a play, a thesis or simply a lens through which I can view the world around me. 2) Any business or organization/event. At first it is very chaotic, until it is better understood. Then once it's boiled down to the necessities, one can super organize it into a true production. With businesses we see this in the form of expansion. A store starts with one, only sort of organized location. It improves its performance and organization, and if successful enough becomes two. Each unit organized the same way, however the boss feels more chaos learning to organize two places at once. When that is better organized, maybe three or four more locations will come to exist quickly, and the process continues. 3) Any sports team/dancers/acrobats or group activity. Playing charades with friends a few weeks ago I noticed at first, the topics varied greatly. People had a hard time coming up with good subjects. Performers were awkward and unsure as well. Over time, the topics became more relevant, performers more concise and turns went increasingly quick. It started chaotic and as we all got better, an order started to develop.

     There must be countless other instances of this, so if anyone has any examples of chaos to order that they notice, and would like to share, I would love to hear of it. Before entering this topic, I was unaware of how chaotic it was going to be. I see now that it may be necessary for me to return to this idea at a later date to more concisely organize it. Thank you, again, to anyone who has made it with me this far. I am honored by your time spent here more than I can possible convey.

There's a Method to the Madness

     As chaotic as this world can be at times, there are certainly some fundamental patterns that we can observe. The sun rises in the East, sets in the West; life begins, develops, and eventually yields a new round of life to start over; tides rise and fall twice each day. One of the most fundamental patterns is the tendency for things to move from chaos to order, then from the new order begins a new round of chaos on a more precise level.      

     What starts the pattern, order or chaos, seems to be a chicken or the egg type of question. For that reason, thinking about it as a continuous circle may be helpful. That being said, let's start with chaos since that's where the most action can be observed. Chaos, in all cases, seems to have a sort of expiration date or duration. That is easy enough to conceive seeing as nothing lasts forever, even great stars collapse when their energy is exhausted. At the beginning of chaos, there is the highest likelihood for maximum level of disorder. Amidst all the chaos, there are always certain interactions that can occur that will create slightly more stable structures and remove some of the variables from the mess. This is probably because even extremely unlikely events are all but guaranteed to occur when the timeline is drawn out long enough. As time moves forward, these more permanent, lasting, stable structures continue to absorb an increasing amount of the randomness.
   

     It's important to note that whatever characteristic defined the chaos never completely goes away. What it does do is continually approach a specific limit that it never quite reaches (similar to the second type of infinity discussed previously- http://world-centric.blogspot.com/2012/02/two-infinity-and-beyond.html). In any case, the changes that were occurring continue at a decreasing, more stable, rate. This stability, or order, becomes the basis for a new round of chaos, constructed of the more specifically organized structures that emerged. From here, the pattern repeats. These larger structures become the new variables in their own realm of chaos, interactions happen that unite them, removing some of the chaos, this happens at a decreasing rate. From these larger structures begins to emerge an overall order, and those larger structures become the basic unit for the next round of ordering, and the process repeats.

     Tomorrow I will expand on this idea with some specific examples of the phenomena. Thank you again to those who have stuck it out to here. If there are ever any questions, doubts, or even people just wanting to play devil's advocate, please raise your question. This blog is very much based on observation so if someone observes something that doesn't fit the scheme, it is necessary for me to incorporate into my superstructure of ideas. Thanks again.

Two Infinity and beyond

   A few days back, a particularly relevant idea was presented to me by a good friend who tends to present me with relevant ideas. The topic at hand was infinity however the explanation was really quite simple. For the purposes of this discussion we will explore two ways of considering the idea of infinity.

     First, there is the idea with which we are most familiar. If there is a number line, it is simply moving forever in either the positive or negative direction. Conceivably, one never runs into a limit when counting in either direction, thus arriving at infinity or negative infinity.

      The second type of infinity is more like looking at the number line strictly between the numbers 0 and 1. Between 0 and 1, it's possible to make an infinite number of divisions, mathematically and theoretically speaking. For example you could divide the line at .01 or .011 or .0111 or .01111 or .011111. The point being, it is possible to add an additional 1 an infinite number of times, at any point between those two numbers. Each number refers to a slightly different point on the number line. When an additional 1 is added in the next decimal point to the right, we are zeroing in on a more specific spot, however it can always be made more specific by adding an additional 1 to the end.

     For me, the most relevant application of these two types of infinity is in the way a person's mind comes to  understand the world around them. For example, there are an infinite number of physical items that a person could know about including everything from rocks, water, trees, animals, tables, houses, computers, sports, artistic creations, cars, food, buildings, stars, planets, solar systems, galaxies and ultimately (I'm going to suggest) an infinite number of other things. There are also things that are less tangible and sometimes purely intellectual such as languages, mathematics, philosophy, opinions, dances, music, and other bodies of knowledge that could also be counted as things in this sense. Whether talking about psychical material items or ideas, the universe constantly produces more on its approach to infinity. This would be an application of the fist type of infinity.

    The second type can be understood in the way that there is an infinite amount of information to know about any one of those previously mentioned items. For example no matter how much a person cares about and wishes to learn about dogs, they can never truly know everything. The most knowledgable person in the world about dogs would still lack the knowledge of how many hairs their own dog presently possesses, how much blood, the number of breaths taken that day, or any number of other ridiculously precise pieces of information. Any item could be broken down in this fashion, but could never be completely understood because there is no limit of information in regards to any particular item.

     Lastly, there is almost a third type of infinity (which could actually fit in with the second type) that comes from those first two put together. With every additional thing that comes to exist, ideas or physical things, comes an additional relationship between that new thing and everything that already was. For example, when a new discovery in chemistry is made, it must then be observed how it relates, or doesn't, to all previous findings. This third type is sort of like adding an exponent of infinity to the number of things that were being counted.

     Hopefully this general take on infinity will help me explore other more specific topics later such as precision, learning, and awareness.

Super Structure of Ideas

    In our increasingly intricate and organized existences here on planet Earth, innumerable theories and ideas come to be every day. Most of them are extremely specific to certain activities, sports, arts, economics, social interactions, animal interactions, food, health, and/or any other topic someone can fathom. As influential as any one of these individual branches of thought are, what interests me are the larger scale ideas that seem to affect all of the sub categories in one way or another. These patterns that repeat regardless of the specific branch of thought or activity give a certain universality, or context, to all the smaller occurrences. This blog space certainly will not be dedicated exclusively to those ideas. However, seeing as these subtle super structures influence all the particularities, in my opinion, they merit some exploration. I have found that as I better recognize these larger scale patterns, it becomes increasingly easier for me to understand and learn about specific subjects that affect me and that I affect in turn.

     This post is purposefully lacking specific examples of this phenomena. It is meant to create a general framework one could use to better understand topics that I will later expand upon. Some of those topics include but are not limited to the following: Chaos to order, Learning and precision, Awareness, Vision, and Epiphanies.

    Lastly, thank you to anyone taking time to explore this space with me. My hope is that through exploring and documenting some specific branches of thought of mine, I will continue to notice some of the larger super structures that were always there, influencing me from the beginning. Again, Thank You.