September 2007 – William Dare

what is good writing?

Michael Sean

My thoughts on good writing…

Genuine authentic good writing is something I eagerly breathe in, hoping that in the process I can make it apart of me so that I might produce work as equally invigorating. Good writing invokes an emotional eagerness, an emotional response of inquisitiveness that is more exciting and magnetic that anything else you could be doing at that moment. It is alluring in the most curious way. It has an enlightening edge that cuts deep. It picks you up and your mind forgets the words. A script inside your body begins to resonate with this truth as your imagination dances around possibilities. It’s no longer a chore. It’s no longer a book. It’s an experience that transcends basic communication. Good writing keeps your mind in the here and now, in motion. It doesn’t matter what it’s dwelling on, past or present. It’s fierce. It’s bold. It’s fresh and new and properly lit in a way you’ve never seen it before. It tastes a little different, smells a little different. The combinations of experiences you’ve explored to date are melting into internal imagery that produces natural fluidity in your understanding. You’re every faculty is engaged and prompt and willing. It is ready to go. Your heart is fluttering and you’re anxious for the feelings to begin or end or endure the thrill of the journey. It’s all in between. It’s a masterful collection of anything and everything you’ve dreamed to create in that moment.

I read what moves me, and I write when I’m moved. I only want to write from my heart, where my feelings dictate my fingers, where I enter a state of conscious unconsciousness. Time stops and my eyes pass through the screen or paper into my thoughts where I swim and skim off the top of my subconscious. My vibrations are in sync with every cell in my body. This is sometimes brief. A flash of inspiration like a white light. Sometimes it lasts for hours until my attention is forced to be drawn elsewhere. I only want to write in order to let people know that someone feels like they do. I want to capture the curiosity, capture the eagerness, capture the appeal of another consciousness, or subconscious. Maybe these words will replay at night in their dreams. Maybe a single word I present in my productions will be the last word in a revelation to could change their life. Who knows? I just want to relay and relate.

Writing is an art, much like music or painting. There are many aspects that make an artist more powerful and talented than the others in his field. Recognizing and refining these aspects are essential for the artist to excel as he pours himself into his work so that another soul may be touched through a medium such as art.

Just as notes are fundamental to a musician or paint is vital to a painter, so is vocabulary essential for a writer. A good vocabulary allows for experiences or understandings to be encoded with emotional or mental stimulus, into a single word for digestion. A single misplaced word can mean the difference between a mutual understanding and a complete miscommunication. Vocabulary provides the raw resources for our imagination to constructs our thoughts. Just like as single note on a musical ledger synthesizes and harmonizes with our inner self, so can a word resonate with unique feelings and ideas. The style is simply the writer’s soul communicating as much honest detail as possible from his heart to the readers. Like the detailed brush stroked of a painting, or the symphonic arrangement of musical notes, it is something that is personal and rarely duplicable. These two elements, when arranged into a coherent melodious message, will bloom causing ideas to refract perspective, reflect insight, and color the landscape of our mind with the proper contrasts and shades of the story.

To be a competent writer there needs to be emotional engagement. The emotional inspiration is what makes the writing personable. If the writer is less than enthused about the writing, it will seem meaningless, void of any value, dry and rigid. The commonality and fluidity of human emotion will cause a reader to look past the basic metaphysical realm of grammatical traditional prose and into a much deeper message of meaning.

I want to see a writer who is obsessed with communicating his heart and soul. To be a good writer you need to bear all. Screw all the mindless jargon. It’s boring. What I want is raw human emotion. I want sheer brutal honesty. I want the ‘what is’. I want to take something from the experience. I want to grasp his unique assimilation and response to human experience totally naked and free. When I can smell and taste and feel the message and the thoughts and feelings, when I’m in the writers mind, shaking and breathing heavy, than I know that the writer is competent. He will find whatever way possible to relay this kind of message.

In the end, competent writing is an individual expression. To what degree you want to expose this individuality will determine the reader’s response. The writer shouldn’t worry whether or not everyone can relate. You cannot please everyone. The only thought to be given is to those that have the imagination to engage so that they can testify in their deepest of gut that what is being translated is real and tangible- no matter how intangible their thoughts and feelings are. The grammar, the style, the vocabulary, the iteration, the prose…. It will come naturally after you have beaten the hell out of the negative instincts that cause you to shy away from exposing your soul. Those technicalities, those formal traditions of proper communication and dialect, used for uniformity, will come as you relate the whole truths that represent human experience in its rawest most honest state.

Personally as a writer, I want to know what I’m doing right.

I want to be successful. I want a teacher who facilitates success. I’ve read a lot of books about success. That universal word, success, relates to personal excellence in any progressive worthwhile ideal or endeavor. I’ve learned to focus entirely on the positive. A positive mental attitude is the only thing that encourages the will to rise to the challenge. Nothing else allows for proper growth. Anything else stifles or stagnates. Negativity is the weed that chokes out the beautiful flower you’ve worked hard to plant and prune and water throughout the seasons of your life. It will kill all enthusiasm and all progress. Avoid watering the weeds by giving them attention. The key is focus on the solution. Eighty percent of your focus should be on the solution, twenty percent on the problem. I want a teacher who successfully communicates positively.

When you are running a race you do not want to keep your eyes on the starting line, otherwise you’ll never leave. You want to focus entirely on the finish line, and direct every ounce of energy and focus to get you there. Your desire should be to learn whatever you can to improve your chances of arrival and the efficiency and effectiveness of the time and effort allocated to get you there.

As a writer, I want to hear whether I’m going in the right direction or not. I want to hear about my strengths- what captures your attention, what works. I want to hear what you’re looking for. I want my creativity fostered, encouraged, and guided. I do not want hedges, or boundaries, or blockades. I will grow restless and confused and produce mediocre works for you- when all I want is to produce the very best work for myself. To properly express the holistic mind and the assimilated truths I’ve gathered that represent my unique experiences and perspective.

A detail I specifically look for from a teacher, speaking from my individual opinion as a student, is the ability to ask good questions. I am looking for questions that inspire me to think, to dig deeper. I do not want answers. I want questions. I want a teacher who asks me questions so that I, as a student, can arrive at an answer as I see its relative importance to me. I want to arrive at the intrinsic value of an answer through my own deductive reasoning and intuition. I want to earn it. I want to pave that path. I am unique and I want its significance and meaning to stay that way. When I ask a question, I want a question in return. That- to me- is the difference between a good teacher, who teaches the students to actually think for themselves and develop their own creative imaginative learning style that leads to the development of a unique individual, and the teacher who fuels the degenerate society we live in to willingly accept the answers we’re fed by our superiors.

I want something so eye catching is spurs everyone to believe. Everyone to partake. I want a life so full of curiosity and answers, joy and adventure that everyone wants apart of it. I want something that everyone wants. I want to have that. I want to be envied. To have people fight over that dream. I want everyone, no matter if they want it or not, to feel something when they talk to me, when they see my life, my actions. I want them to feel a certain something. Even as my hands travel over this electric plastic machine I call a computer. I am translating my feelings without a thought to an interface that records my animate feelings. I am so far removed from any of this electric stimulus. I wish I could capture your heart. If you were here right now I would. I would touch your face. I would look deep in your ryes. And I would mouth those words. No matter. I am slightly bruised. Definitely intoxicated and all I find myself wondering is what will tomorrow bring. I’ll go to sleep tonight peacefully, open a book before I drift, and read the words of Rousseau. Sick and lost. Just like all the rest. All the writers. All the philosophers. They are lost and drifting. An assimilation of their remote, narrowed experiences. Sleep with that man. He makes you feel that way. He makes you wet. That’s not genuine. That’s not becoming. He’s intelligent. That’s bullshit. He’s a senile atheist just like you. Which is why you warm so closely…. I ramble and ramble and ramble and

waking morning.

Beads of sweat roll down my face. My hair is matted and sticking to my forehead. My breathing is heavy. My heart is beating. I’m calm but raging. Our skin touches and sticks. I feel powerfully weak. I swallow hard on top of my heavy breathing. The covers are stuffy. It’s bright. Light fills the room. I sigh and breathe in deeply. She smells like fresh flowers. A euphoric satisfaction clothes me.
I point my toes and stretch my legs, curling and bending, arching my back and twisting my neck as I reach up. She rests her head on my chest and wraps her legs around me. I stare at the ceiling and wonder about my day. Totally comfortable and content. Totally. These feelings override any and all tendencies to over think. Life is simple in these moments. Frozen in the here and now and the future seems so hopeful and bright. If I could capture these moments and open them in my more knotted days. They would untangle everything.
Those butterflies. They’re perched on my heart. Swimming in that thick fluid in my chest cavity. Feelings. Emotions. They sometimes come up into my throat but I push them back down and they flutter some more. The window breeze fills the room and my skin chills with the sweat. She pulls herself even closer. I can see her thinking. Blinking. I can feel her breathing. Her warmth emanating. I’m keeping her safe. She’s keeping me warm. It’s a safe feeling of warmth. I can feel her toes dancing along her feet playfully entranced with mine. It’s a bright day. Still morning but bright. Cool. Sharp. Colorful. Full on contrast. That’s how I feel.

what is a leader?

a leader. A leader is always thinking of answers. The buck stops with him. He plans for the future. influencing people to look to their full potential to aid them there. a leader is selfless. always does right. no matter what to occasion. no matter what the audience, what the public opinion. a leader does what he says and when he makes a mistake or messes up, he apologies emphatically and does whatever he can to fix the problem. a leader listens to people. he listens what they are saying and is compassionate towards their ideas and opinions. he genuinely listens. he encourages. a leader has integrity. he does right when no one is looking. a leader sets the example. speaks with authority. he exemplifies good nature. never backs down. never is timid. speaks out. collaborates with others. a leader may not have all the answers but he will find the answers and he finds the people who can get the answers to work together and produce positive results.

simple words

sometimes words aren’t enough to capture the simple things in life. too many words ruin a perfect moment. too many thoughts make things complicated. I’m bored. I have a mountain of homework. Im sure i do anyway. I hate ruining things. I need to collect my thoughts.

not enough

we were all crazy. in this dream of reality.

WE were all crazy. sitting in circles. in a deep semicircle tube that held us and our little projects. the ones we held in our minds. we work on them when our thoughts are idle.
There were elevators. They brought us up and down and sideways. We jumped on to explore but we were never allowed to leave. There were yards, and even pools for swimming. There were lockers. Rows of wooden lockers. We were herded and kept on video for the most part. They watched us. Conflicts would arise once and while.
I was approached by a boy. He told me in the shyest, the most obvious- the most painfully direct, indirect way- that he did not like me talking to her. His girl. She initiated me. He didn’t want to be the bad guy- but he didn’t like me talking to her.
The pools were blue and shallow- so we wouldn’t drown. I hid my food in the lockers. Rain always leaked through- Sopping everything. My laptop was my only connection the the outside world. I didn’t like living through a machine.
The yards were dangerous. It was always a spectacle watching the others maneuver their way around the dogs and up the ladders, perching themselves on little roof peaks, while the canines foamed below.
I was more concerned with the military operations. They were upstairs, a few stories above the shared group area. The faces were blurred. Group times happened to be the happiest and most nauseating times. They were always controlled by those taller women with powerful voices. Eclectic. Crazy with power. but we were crazy. it was a sick operation. we slept and filled out forms all day long. I was tired and the talk was cheap. it was redundant. the people here were crazy. they were crazy. not me. i was the only sane one.
I decided i had enough. I filled out my papers. With brutal accuracy and speed and as much as i thought it would matter today… as I slowed toward the end… i realized it didnt. No. this was a sick game of perfection. I played the game though. i decided to go to the courts. The second floor after my nap. I walked into the room with its shallow wooden ceilings. It was a small room. The judge examined papers in the front. there were all types of people. people painting. Some with their designer European or Japanese clothes. Others ragged and bland, standing with with hands on their hips. they watched others as we watched them.
I remembered earlier that day. We were washing the boat and I was finishing my forms- I was committed to going home. The bastards kept making noise. Never the friendly ones. and no… it was never their fault. They always escaped the blame. Their obnoxious distracting mannerisms. i flipped out. once. twice. three times. throwing the wooden chair across the deck.yelling with veins bursting and my brow panting caution. they saw the crazy in my eyes. but all i wanted was to be sane again. isn’t that enough to make a man crazy? they left me there to finish.
i walked to the front on the line only to hear them tell me i wast qualified to leave. I’ve been here for months. at first i as alright. at first i was fine. i took part in swimming, the group time, the teachers. i toyed with these plans. I was done. Someone told me of the man upstairs. in charge of the operations. one at least. we crowed into the waiting room as the elevator took us to our cubby. i wasn’t ready to go back to my wonder world of sick journal entries and standardize form filling. I asked to go up. the girl looked at me and we were up. i glanced to the left of the elevator. there was a wooden door. i want to go there. she looked at me again. pulled a key from here pocket, placed it the steal casing in from of her and turned it while pressing 8. 8 stood out. I don’t remember why.
i walked through the wooden door, grabbing its generic stainless steal handle and pulling it towards me. a carpeted room amphitheater. chairs descending down. I was up. i walked the upper level. there were flags. there was a hustle and urgency in the air. a man, balding but plenty of energy, looked at me and asked me where i was going. i explained i was here to see her. he asked me to wait and he went off. I looked around. there were flags. all countries i think. organizations maybe? im not sure. the room was large with a stage at the center. i was looking down, though not down at all at the top right corner of the room. there was a desk in front of me. i looked down. i almost missed the man. he was old. a general. fat. hairy. gray hair. ingrown hairs. a mellow tone. a kind apologetic voice. he told me his story- and mine. i wasn’t listening. i was engrossed with the details. he was no military man. the uniform said nothing but general with its gold oak leaf trimming. no insignia. it made me wonder. a family- smiling and seemingly anxious piled out of the elevator. i moved as they walked past us. they walked on the sky walk to her office. i got distracted.

i wandered into more offices. everyone in uniform. pretty blind to my presence. there were pretty people here. some anyway. they wore designer clothes. i decided to check my hygiene. i looked to the center of the room. the changing curtains were there. green and white. it housed a place to take off clothes and freshen up. there was music. i peered through the curtains. slid them shut as best i could to hide from the hustle of business activities all around me. the wind blew them open and closed but- i didnt care. i took off my shirt. i caught some eyes from behind the curtains. she said ‘take it off’ i just blushed and ignored the flirtatious play. she came up from behind me dancing. she was tall and she had a vibrant smile and curves. i got it in me to dance along. it was playful. we touched and it was genuine enjoyment. for me anyway. i had no idea who she was. i remembered that and i continued on my business.
i peered into an accounting room. I overheard converstaion. ‘whos in your office’ i looked around. it was a nut. a complete nut. uttering some insanities to himself. an old wee man. he typed away on the accounting typewriter. ‘it doesn’t matter unless you sign the form’ just then a woman peaks in and smiles. ‘oh hes fine by me. I’ll sign him’. he was a nut.
I dont remember much else. the military operations and accounting offices were spearheading this fascist operation of standardized testing at a premium rate. cashing in on our insanities. we were in control but completely out of control. i was sick of it. what is this. what is this world we live in. Maybe I wasn’t the smartest, but i knew how to get what i want. and that would take me anyway. because i got what i wanted. or so i thought.

they were crazy. we sat in circle… a semicircular tubing housing our vices and sloth vegetative state. it swung and moved like it was alive. no one was accountable for themselves. excuses were made and accepted. it was perverse and sick.

Journal Entry #1

“Feeding your own Gators”

My own gators. Feed those monsters inside me. If I don’t, they will fester and feed on me. Eating me slowly from the inside out. Who are these monsters? They are the dark matter within the depths of my mind. They are a black hole summoned by vicious thoughts and temptations that suck my being inward, suffocating my true intentions, masking my whole heart. I deny their existence. Not because they never existed, but because you are not your past, nor a collection of your ongoing thoughts. These evils that yearn to be exorcised, as the teach called it, are nothing more than indulgent desires. The formula for ridding their existence exists in denouncing their being.
Yeah- I know my vices. There are blemishes on my perfect intent. I long for perfection and fall short in comparison. I willfully refuse to surrender my integrity. It is a paradox of give and take. Perfection that never exists and the ongoing pursuit, despite my attempts to castrate myself with these tendencies they are apart of me, but I am not apart of them. My flesh and my human nature, abiding to the fundamental laws of the universe, knows no other commands. My will is steadfast, but my mind is penetrable. Lurking behind the actions that solemnly swear to my manifested thoughts are those actions, the lure of sultry eyes, that peer into the shadows looking for comfort in the shade. Light is my guiding force that illuminates my path. Yet- the same path, cannot be seen clearly when I turn to look at the darkness behind and around me. That very light that leads me, casts the very shadows that cause me to stumble. That cause my eyes to fixate on things that are unreal but so very visible.
The gators- those reptilian creatures that drag their bodies on the soiled earth. Cold blooded and anxiously waiting for the opportunity to lash their vengeance upon another victim. They brood in the depths of the soul. Denying it’s existence is denying the imagination. The soul is apart of you. That swirling mass of mixed decisions. You pluck every premeditated action from this pool of filth, looking to nab the little shard of good worth to fend off the gators. Human nature. The flesh. Our soul, being constructed by the will to routinely plunge our hand into the cesspool of right and wrong. We do not necessary have to have a conscious when we feed those dark creatures. We fan the flames but never add fuel to the fire. We escape conviction, yet acknowledge their presence. Those evil desires. They eat and claw and bellow like a smoldering dragon.
We do good just to keep ourselves from drowning. Some people rarely give it that much thought. We do good to keep ourselves from drowning. Do people give any thought to the pool, to the reptiles that we chase, and grab us, pulling us under.

where are those dreamy lonely eyes? A crushing weight dissipates throughout my chest. my head is heavy. my mind it fuzzy. I long to sleep inside you. the white covers tucked over our head. giggling and smiling as our bodies warm together. those smiling eyes looking through blond hair-

music

Although it can be any number of things I find it fascinating to deal with a concept such as music. It can be interpreted any number of ways and mean any number of things. When you listen, it is not just an analog wave that travels through the air to beat upon your drum without poise. It hold’s power and meaning within those waves. These dynamics are only there if explored, and only felt if feelings are initiated. The music must hold significance to your affectionate self.

Interior & Exterior relationships

Stories. Stories transcend explanation.

In every experience, in every interpretation, there lies a relationship between self and that of the occurrence. Either literally or metaphorically, you are engaged in a meaningful intimate relationship that is prompted by the desire to examine the dynamics involved, as well as how they react towards previous experiences. I will state that reality is rarely real, rather a conjecture of assimilated facts and relationships. The facts of any reality are reinforced outcomes that provide a constant source of reliance when testing variables to other unknowns; or when hypothesizing (you might say philosophizing) the relationships that exist between these facts. The dynamics are endless and soon supporting evidence, namely facts for the sake of stability, run out. What remains is a question in which you must settle for an answer based on what your assimilated experiences and intuitions have led you to deduct as true. This seems like a faulty way of approaching life but it seems that this is the way people perceive reality.
The exterior landscape of our mind acts much like a collage would if we glanced at the array of snapshots organized and orchestrated to provide the most significant meaningful interpretation possible. It’s the exterior landscape. Our eyes look at what is, through our eyes. We choose to see matter existing and we allow it to pass through our eyes and encode itself into an image that we place in the back of our mind. Now the greater collection of these images the more correlations can be made. The exterior landscape of our mind consists of the logical processes of life. What the sky looks like. How clouds move and form and dissipate through evaporation or precipitation. What a woman looks like. What the sound of laughter resembles. What different forms the landscape portrays. The erosion in the soil, the rivers and streams, the luminous trees extending upward coated in a sheen brilliance of chlorophyll saturated leaves, the ocherous discrepancies in a striated mountain. People of different races. A vibrant color, a shape, a design. There are the elements we use to shape our exterior landscape. We perceive them to be real.
The interior landscape exists on a much more universal plane. It deals with metaphorical, analogical, relational consistencies and patterns. This is the formula we use to deduce meaning from the exterior landscape. It makes the inanimate, animate. The interior landscape sees beyond tangible patterns and explores the relationship between one perceived entity and another. This creates understanding that fuels future assumptions and allows more significance to be gleaned from the exterior landscape. New concepts, insights, and ideas are aroused that give substantial meaning to once potentially unimaginable visions and experiences. The interior landscape is a universal language that can only be spoken and understood if the proper exterior landscape exists to incubate these metaphorical connections. The interior landscape must be tilled through extensive attention to detail. Keen and open experiences, even brief aphorisms that resonate and illustrate tangible tested qualities of truth- provide details, that paint and color in the regions of intentional brush strokes left by the assimilation of the interior landscape. The less color- the less comprehension is transcended to others for relation. You can work with very little experiences and deduct very similar conclusions. Your limits are imposed by your lack of imagination within the interior landscape. Not due to lack of tools and opportunities provided by abundant experiences supplementing your exterior.
The drive for communicating foreign contexts of exterior landscapes and the intrinsic meaningful relationships of the interior landscape behind them, from one person to another, truly relies on the ability and understanding to communicate on an interior level. To make the relationships identifiable through sheer honesty of the formula used to assimilate the experience. Every story has a formula that consists of much more than basic nouns and pro-nouns and prepositions. It is the diction, the rhetoric, the language, and gesture, and style- totally separate from intellect- that fits together in a universal communicable truth that arrives at the ears of the listener. It involves the faculties of the metaphysical intuition, which resonate with truth and integrity, to embrace the extended shared experience. You can grow just from hearing another’s story. His interpretation- His perception of assimilated events stowed away carefully in a supportive woven web of meaning.

No matter if you don’t understand this concept. The significance of thinking has degraded generously the past century. Thinking is a job, and as long as we aren’t getting paid to do so, we’d rather rely on tangible crutches to do our thinking and form the relationships we use to signify meaning. It seems rare in this culture at least that creativity is original. It’s all copped and cropped. We are no longer stimulated to think. I feel that this lack of enthusiasm is due to the misconception that it’s all been thought before. That all your answers are out there. Except for the basic anomalies of God and existence and dimensions- there are only lose ends to be tied up and soon enough they will too be explored. It may be hard to recognize the meaning in something so trivial as the lost art communicating of multiple levels.

There is a dark giant cloud of cultural, economic, and political oppression that exists to convince us that our interpretations are as irrelevant in the scheme of life as a single drop of water is irrelevant to the whole ocean. I’d like to see beyond that significance.

waves

man oh man. i am feeling interesting right now. i told myself a few years ago that I’d never let my feelings dictate how i live my life. i dont know how much of that is true. I am searching for a passion that appeals to my logic and my feelings. I always stray from emotional discourse pertaining to my life. I dwell on it in my inner cavities and it fumigates deep in my heart but i’d never let it make me who i am. I prefer the solitary reliance on hearty logic that weaves itsr way into my agenda. Feelings make me feel alive though. This is a huge paradox that i live in. For years i was a victim to my feelings. How i felt dictated life at any given time. There was no logic involved really. flawed logic like ” If i feel great, life is great… is it not?” or if i felt bad, life was bad. but no. life is good no matter what. as long as you’re actions support the belief that life is good then no matter what you feel you should know life is good. and good thoughts bread good feelings… do they not? it is easy to think bad thought when your hormones and biochemicals communicate differently… but a single thought can bread the best of feelings from those neurotransmitters. anyway. Logic.
Reason.

A woman. I dream about feelings. I dont like letting feelings interrupt a logically constructed existence. Feelings go contrary to my logic far too often. I love her. Then chase her mike. It would hinder your plan for success. alright. i wont. maybe it’s never been worth it. maybe not.Chase her mike. She won’t appreciate the sacrifice. Its not about you mike its about her. well who’s gonna think about me then? she’s not thinking of me. what if she is? its never ideal. Feelings are never Ideal. Feelings are never logically based. How i wished they were. A perfect relationship would be a logically orchestrated symphony of emotional discharge. Does that paint the picture? maybe it sounds too logical. A beautifully woven sea of harmonious understandings of love. nope. its never that mutual. The best of the relationships may touch on those magnificent waves but they never stay on those crests so close to heaven. eventually you come down and the wave beats its ferocity and power against the bow which weakens the heart and causes a change in course. Its a delicate balance of risking trust to feel.

Linear.

you skip a beat. look to see who else is watching. i bury my feet in the sand. lay back and throw my eyes to the sky. my limpid thoughts trickle between my memories and feelings. the sand is warm as my toes nudge further down, as my thoughts intertwine with desires and dreams.

My mind is clogged at the moment. I need to consciously enjoy myself. even then it seems like a chore. down time. where is me time? not thinking at all. i will find it.

my unicorn

I want new. I can’t wait to love again. I’ve tasted it. I’ll never forget the taste. I’ll never give up till I taste it again. Whatever it takes. as long as it’s with that person who is everything i could ask for and more. Someone that i wouldn’t mind taking on the worst they have to offer, just to taste the best another day. I would put up with it. Isn’t that love? even when they say no more and walk away… I won’t chase. but they’ll know exactly where they left me if they ever search to remember. Love, even if its with someone you’ve seen everyday, is something you’ll never get tired of. It makes life better. it gives it meaning. It makes it exciting and fresh. It invokes those feelings of childishness and curiosity. senseless enjoyment. wasting time… but its with them and they’re in your arms… and you wouldn’t trade that time for any amount of anything. ah. you know. dates. going anywhere with them because anywhere with them is new and always exciting. there is never a dull moment.you could figure them out forever. I just want a girl who’s never done finding herself. I dont ever want a girl who thinks she’s done growing as a person. she needs to be thinking and weighing and looking for meaning all the time. it makes it so much fun to be with someone who i am always getting to know as they continually get to know their full potential. and i cant wait to find a woman who i can encourage. and give my all to. to help her achieve her amazing potential. i would give my everything to see her achieve her desire and bask in the accomplishment. just to catch a glimpse of those smiling eyes and be in the presence of the warm glow of happiness she emanates. i would give my everything to her. to foster her. to love her. to encourage her. i would love to be crazy with her. ridiculously free and happy. id love to sit on our porch overlooking weathered ocean dunes and witness the heavenly surge of ocean waters creep towards us… as every crashing wave dissolves its form and sound into the atmosphere. to hold hands. just to touch. to feel our souls touch from across the room when i catch her eye. she’ll be my unicorn… but she’ll be mine.

i dunnooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Abridged Essay- Locus of control and Explanatory Style- Summary and Reflection

Locus of control is an expression of awareness regarding responsibility on a continuum ranging from internal or external. Internal Locus of control is the realized responsibility one has for causes of meaningful circumstances, whereas external locus of control is where the responsibility for circumstances is placed on external causes. Keeping yourself motivated is difficult when you maintain an external locus of control. You believe there is little you can do to bring you to where you want to be. An internal locus of control is accepting that factors for getting you to where you want to go are in your control. When you have an internal locus of control the responsibility you have to yourself for achievement is greater. When you believe your abilities, task difficulty, effort, and luck are internal, stable, controllable, and specific you no longer struggle with the idea that things are beyond your control or that you are flawed. You directly increase motivation by this empowering mentality.
Authors Schulmulsky and Gobbo conducted research with LD’s that pointed out a correlation between students with an internal locus of control and their explanatory style. While having an internal locus of control is the first step towards assuming responsibility and being open to progress towards achievement, the explanatory style in which they face circumstances in paramount in dictating their success. Research showed that LD’s tend to carry a more internal pessimistic explanatory style that directly relates to their diagnosis and their self efficacy. This causes them to view negative behavior or circumstances as something they are responsible for but out of their control, something global and stable. The internal optimistic explanatory style viewed negative behaviors or circumstances as a personal responsibility but view them as more unstable, controllable, and specifically caused. The study showed that an optimistic explanatory style correlated with higher levels of self esteem, self-image and self efficacy while an internal pessimistic explanatory style associated with depression, anxiety and hopelessness.
I scored high on the assessment towards an internal locus of control. This is no surprise as I am fully aware of the responsibility I have to making myself a success, something I attribute to no other. I’ve developed immensely throughout the years, and most recently experienced more life changing epiphanies than any other time in my life. In hindsight, I recognized the times I associated with a more external locus of control caused the most direct stunts on my personal development. As I matured and I developed an understanding of myself and my responsibilities, I leaned all the more toward an internal locus of control. The major turning point in my progression has been the change from that of a negative explanatory style to that of an optimistic explanatory style. I no longer care what the formal education system or diagnoses say about my abilities (or disabilities interpreted as lack of ability for a long time). I know what I want, and I have willed myself to put faith in shaping the life I expect to achieve through the appropriate time and energy allocated to factors within my circle of influence that would ensure success. No one will get me there but me, and no one can tell me what abilities I possess or don’t possess that will dictate whether or not I succeed, because I will do or learn whatever it takes.
In conclusion, there is nothing that will circumvent the resolve of a determined soul. I recognize my responsibility to search for solutions that would pave the road for success. A positive mentality or an optimistic explanatory style is the only suggestion I need to lean on as thoughts pass to and fro within my mind. Weeds of negative thought must be constantly groomed and constant attention to the positive qualities I’ve accumulated through persistent effort. The only factor that would hinder my success is the lack of a positive mental attitude (and to not grow, adapt, change, remain open to new ideas…you get my point). I would feel very disappointed knowing it’s a responsibility I have to myself to succeed and knowingly let any excuse of lack of ability or doubt in my expectations be the reason for failure.

Assimilated Summary of Locus of Control, Attribution Theory and Explanatory Style

Michael S. XXX
9-13-07
LOC Reflection

The locus of control is locality on a bilateral continuum that dictates the level of awareness one has regarding his/ her control over occurring circumstances. The two poles in reference are established as having an internal or external location of control to ones circumstances. In laymen’s terms, a scale to measure the responsibility one takes on in deciding how his behavior could directly affect the outcome of a situation(s). The locus of control offers a more measurable and spatially comprehensible method of looking into the behaviors that dictate the outcomes of specific situations for people on a habitual basis. When looking at the two extremes of locus, the external end of the spectrum is closely comparable to having a philosophy of determinism (or causality), where very little of your efforts can actually change the past or present circumstance. The external locus connotes a very irrational and powerless approach of explaining behaviors towards life and associates with persons of a very limited idea of personal responsibility. External locus is when direct casualty is placed on an outside event and outside of personal control. On the other extreme is internal locus. This refers to one who approaches circumstances with an acknowledged responsibility for shaping their future through constant thought to appropriate reactions and rational decisions that would lead to fulfilling one’s obligation to expectations. The extreme internal locus of control is most closely relatable to the philosophy of humanism, where faith in anything but self is denounced and determining one’s destiny is realized by embracing any and all responsibility they have for their actions to determine their future. The causality is placed on factors within the person as an explanation for what happens to them. The issue of motivation begins as one sees the significance in applying consistent effort to an expectation and succeeds. Only after realizing the power of responsibility one has over their life can one begin to orient towards an internal locus of control. This coincides directly with the explanatory style of learning where one sets expectations and fulfills them through discipline and acting upon the belief of competency. When one realizes that by simply assuming all responsibility for achieving, and recognizes the circle of influence he has over controllable factors, can he can effectively and efficiently tackle relative tasks that would allow of maximum growth towards expectations. Yet, these expectations can be positive or negative. The optimistic or pessimistic explanatory style is the determining factor that dictates success after an internal locus of control is realized and achieved.
There are many factors used to gauge an idea of effort involved in an undertaking. How we perceive these factors plays a huge role on the language we use to communicate and understand undertakings and expectations. Our communication and comprehension cognitive processes are developed and influenced continually throughout our lives by parental conditioning, habitual behavior reinforced by expectancy, sociological, cultural, or ethnic influences. What it comes down to is how you perceive situations. There is nothing that is too hard. There are factors that are out of your control, but it is up to you to recognize these factors so that you can allocate proper time and energy where needed to succeed. You have been half product of circumstance, half product of will until you reach an age of responsibility for the things you have control of. The more maturity, the more one recognizes ones ability to respond accordingly to their circumstances and succeed with their expectations.
In relation to task difficulty, what is simply being communicated is that certain time and energy will need to be allocated to accomplish the task. This is only to communicate so we can have a better understanding of the preparation we should take to approach the task. Many times we think task difficulty is something that one can actually fail to accomplish and never ever accomplish. (THAT IS CRAZY.) Excuse me. That kind of mentality is that of a pessimistic explanatory style. What we need to realize is that nothing is ever too difficult. This is done by adopting an optimistic explanatory style. We need to train ourselves to focus and persevere through discipline and consistent applied willpower to accomplish the task. As we approach the challenge we might not have the tools it takes to overcome the task. What this directly indicates is that we need to acquire the tools and knowledge to overcome it. It is a given opportunity to grow and to develop one’s abilities. No one has set abilities. We continually add by the constant application of principles and values that brought us previous success. Effort is relative as well. Effort is the time and energy needed to complete the task. If you don’t have the tools and don’t know how to use them then the task will seem difficult and the effort applied will be much. The way to work more efficiently and effectively is by getting into the habit of succeeding. When you succeed you reinforce what is necessary to acquire and articulate knowledge to achieve. There is life, but there is no luck. A roman philosopher quoted it best when he said “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” I believe that, and anyone with a positive internal locus of control would agree that you are fully responsible to prepare yourself for life and its opportunities and challenges- both of which can provide you with positive growth when proper preparation is obtained. When responsibility is realized, and you owe it to no one but yourself to succeed, than task difficulty, luck, ability, and effort are all pretty consistently stable and controllable.
The correlation existing between locus of control and explanatory style is that of the realized potential of the individual and the expectations they hold for themselves as they approach a task. AD/HD tendencies seem to associate a pessimistic explanatory style and internal locus of control for any failure in a particular task yet hold a very optimistic explanatory style and internal locus of control when successful in a task. LD/ADHD students used in research by Schulsky & Gobbo showed that using the attribution theory towards internal locus of self efficacy were able to elevate self-esteem, perceived control, perceived success, and academic emotions. The attribution retraining reinforces an increase in self-image leading to realized internal control and responsibility that allows for elevated measurable progress. When individuals act out these expectations and project the image of achieved success their performance matches up. These ADHD students tend to associate failures with lack of ability, an internal, stable, uncontrollable, global cause whereas students of a ‘control group’ associate failures with an internal, unstable, controllable, specific causality. The importance of an optimistic explanatory style is to boost self efficacy in order to achieve a view that failures are unstable, controllable, and specifically caused instead of something inherently flawed within them and beyond their control. ADHD students that hold this internal locus of control and use a pessimistic explanatory style tend to produce results of lacking self efficacy, leading to anxiousness and depression due to the thought that something is inherently wrong with them.
This summary shows that an internal locus of control is not necessarily a positive thing. Thinking that one is flawed is a devastating concept to live with and approach life with. The formal education system and diagnosis’s can actually be devastating disadvantages to students who have unique personalities and learn differently. They know they are capable beings, yet they begin to come to believe that they have something wrong with them and this negative internal attribution style affects the growth and competency within classrooms and undertakings in life.
I originally found this research abstract and it came off as psycho babble to illustrate very fundamental points about human achievement. I find after thorough reading and intense yearning for comprehension and understanding that it is enlightening and supportive to ideas that were currently held about my own abilities. It re-illustrated and colored new precepts I’ve acquired the past year about success and my abilities as I committed my time and energy to finding the secrets to success and achievement. Growing up I knew I was smarter than many of my peers. This was an internal attribution style I held for my abilities as a person separate from any other opinion. In the classroom my personality (medically called ADHD) conflicted with the rigid standards of the formal education system. This resulted in a gradual negative/pessimistic explanatory/attribution style that maimed my progress as a student in the classroom. (This next part blew my mind so bear with any tangents) Throughout my childhood I unknowingly relied on medication as a means to achieve. When I was on meds I did well, when I wasn’t it was obvious and my negative behavior was attributed to this. This research accurately identifies my previous perceptions of medication as an external stable specific uncontrollable cause. I was medicated from the first grade until seventh when it was decided that medication was more of a crutch than healthy assistance. When I was removed my ability to perform and produce positive desirable behaviors in the classroom was poor. In seventh grade my grades dropped and anxiety and depression set in. Severe external emotional factors such as parents with high positive expectations and hard disciplinary styles conflicted with my negative explanatory style that, try as I might, my efforts were not able to produce. This was compounded with the suicidal death of a best friend. Having a high internal locus of control I interpreted these factors in a negative attribution style which lead to depression, anxiety and a host of other usual behavioral inconsistencies. I was medicated for a variety of psychological diagnosis, but at the heart, using my hind-sight bias, I was only acting out my reinforced expectancies. I struggled with self efficacy and although I had high expectations for myself, the formal classroom stifled my ability to succeed and caused failures to be accepted as inevitable. Fortunately, I overcame any negative feelings of depression at the start of my senior year as I assumed an internal positive responsibility for the right to be happy and not live a depressing negative emotionally defeating life. I realized my circle of influence and placed external casualty on circumstances when needed.
In summary, this trend continued throughout high school until senior year when I ultimately confronted the way I really felt about my incompatibility with the education system and my belief that I was no good for it. I simply ceased all effort in the classrooms, leading to failure to graduate. I was alright with this. I let myself do it. I refused to struggle with things that were, at the time in my perceptions, out of my control. It was two years later, after failing high school, getting kicked out of my home, and after getting a taste of the real world and the basic responsibilities for survival did I change my internal explanatory style to a positive approach and took responsibility for my life fearlessly. This was a decision motivated by sheer will and the desire to directly change the expectations I had for myself. I saw how I was living, and I saw how I wanted to live. I refused to make excuses or call myself flawed. I was willing and capable and I saw that there were people far worse than me that tackled life and its challenges with huge success through persistence and determination. I made the decision to study every successful man, and read every book I could get my hands on written by the people who’ve experienced success in their endeavors first hand. I decided to learn from the best. I read libraries of books on personal development and auto-biographies of the greatest successes. Every book I read was backed by the intent to further my understanding of what it takes for achievement. Each book was reinforcement for desire of positive success and the belief that I can have whatever I want if I’m willing to get expend the proper time and energy. Two quotes resonate as inspirational fuel that reminds me of the obligation I have to myself and my ability for success: “”What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”-Emerson” and ““Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing in the world is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. -Calvin Coolidge””. Together they reminded me that I have a plan and I can be as unconventional as I want. No one can stop me and my desire for success. As long as that desire is there nothing can hinder my progress. “People may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do.”-Lewis Cass. I decided to back up all desire with immediate action.
In conclusion, correlating and translating my personal philosophy in terms of the essay at hand, I will say that I have a relatively new sense of positive internal control over my direct responsibilities towards achievement and that my explanatory style has assumed an ever increasing optimistic perception towards my set expectations and goals for success. I still struggle with old habits of thinking that sometimes barrage my confidence. Although I have a relatively high internal locus of control, 80 according to the survey, I struggle with being positive. Positivity is the ONLY way to make progress. NEVER does progress come from negative thinking, and if it does, it is never realized. An internal locus of control is good when it is reinforced with a positive mentality or explanatory style but can be detrimental when reinforced with a negative mentality. Having an external locus of control puts you in no position for progress because responsibility is not realized. I’ve learned to cope best by disregarding those negative mentalities by submerging myself in inspiring text by those who have lived success and encouraged achievement on every possible level in their lives. As long as I have a worthy ideal and I know exactly where I want to be and exactly what that looks like, I can reinforce that valuable ideal with action that directly reinforces my direction and confidence.

Research References and Articles used in this essay include:
“Explanatory Style and College Students with ADHD” by Solvegi Shmulsky & Ken Gobbo (2007)

“Are You the Master of Your Fate” by Rotter, J.B.(1966) Generalized expectancies for internal vs. external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 80, 1-28

and Rebecca Matte’s Powerpoint presentation “Locus of Control, Attribution Theory and Explanatory Style” (2007)

Ferver

i went out last night. went to a friends cabin. it was about a forty five minute drive north. I suppose it was a good time. I think you decide when you are having a good time. They don’t happen, and they’re not given situations. I am unsatisfied with where I’m at at this school. No offense to anyone but this is not what I want. Im not sure anyone does here tho. I want more. and im looking forward to getting more. i need some emotional stimulation. nothing shallow. I want people to peak my interest. does that happen anymore? do people ever surprise me anymore? am i chasing something too good to be true? how deep am i looking? i hate the smell of rotten beer and cigarette. i want fresh. like fresh white sheets. in a room with the windows open and white draperies flowing in the wind. my eyes are heavy. my breathing is shallow

if you are stupid, can you recognize intelligence? do stupid people recognize intelligence when they here it? or are they so ignorant that it hurts to listen?

ive been sitting in my room all day. im gonna go for a walk. its getting cold. ripping tearing slicing gnawing.

Life is a river… moving whether you are or not.

Life. Is in your face every minute. You have to be on your toes. Constantly evaluating progress and potential actions that would either lead you away or closer to your goals. Constant self awareness. You need direction always. You need to project a positive constructive self-image that emanates everything you want to strive for. Be conscious all the time. Be responsible. You are not a collection of those around you. You are not a reflection of your circumstances. You are infinitely powerful. It is up to you to realize that potential in a life time. Endurance. Its a race. Life is a challenge. It requires disciplined effort. You have to constantly apply your best efforts, starting with your best thoughts, every moment you’re given the choice. Time is limited. Life will pass you by. You must move forward. If you wait for life to come to you… it won’t. It keeps on moving.

Life is like a river… you are floating downstream… you’re desires lie upstream. You have the choice… swim…to pursue those desires… believe that you are capable of that kind of endurance not matter how fast the river is moving and churning and your muscles are burning.. OR… you can float on your back… take the easy route… yea… maybe your happy… in those brief moments when you don’t think about everything your missing out on… your deepest desires remaining unfulfilled…you lower your expectations and except the minimum that life has to offer… you ever tell yourself that there are opportunities and they will come to me… until you wake up and you realize how unhappy you are… and you blame the river… and the rocks and the turbulence… yea thats easy. avoid responsibility. but there are those who recognize their potential.. and thier desires are real enough and their passion is strong enough that they swim thier hardest day in and day out until they reach every one of their desires that lay ahead. until they are now longer swimming against a river but they have come to a place of serenity where they can enjoy the fruits of thier efforts and they look back see how hard and painful they worked and the contrast makes the sweet taste of success and its rewards all that better.

“Everything was better back when everything was worse.” Essay exploring struggle and gratification

Summary of “The Newfoundland Conundrum”

“Everything was better back when everything was worse.”

In his essay “The Newfoundland Conundrum”, taken from the book “The Iambics of Newfoundland”, Robert Finch translates the experiences of an associate writer’s unique travels that left him with a very real and complex idea of finding ‘salvation’ in nature. The essay takes away the looking glass in which we perceive the world from our ‘gregarious’ and ‘technological’ lifestyles, and draws the reader to look into a seemingly uncomfortable and distant world where the people’s main source of reliance was put not on the things seen, but on things unseen, as a source of satisfaction. The direct conundrum the essay describes was due to the paradox encountered with the realization that the very technological advances we strive for (inevitably necessary and undeniably predictable in the evolution of mans race) are the very thing sapping satisfaction from life and add to our ever growing neuroses that technology makes life easier.
The essay explores the relationship these distant, ill-resourced out-ports achieved with nature and the “psyche” that enabled them to maintain an appreciation and satisfaction for life that is unusual considering their circumstances. He explains how unsatisfied life seemed to be despite the level of comfort experienced living among his urban populace, surrounded with technological amenities that reduced these harsh realities of survival to nil. Life was harsh and relentless for these people, and examples of the natural tendency to escape those realities were evident as seen in the push to Confederate with Canada as referendums passed to aid in making a life easier. This, the author notes, is part of the evolutionary process and these very hardships are what propel man to achieve technological advances- the very advances that we depend on to make life easier are what make true satisfaction out of reach.
In summary, the essay gives us an indirect glimpse into the benefits of struggling for survival and why gratitude and salvation is prevalent in those who struggle to survive, and why it is in many today that satisfaction with comfortable and easy lifestyles is just out of reach. Delayed gratification is the only way that allows for a deep contrast so we can full take satisfaction in achieving any goal or surviving any hardship.

simple and desire

Sometimes i desire to be simple. Where the weight of my words were never weighed and i could breath a thought as easily as i felt it. Where I can be in the here and now and enjoy the twinkle of satisfaction from feeling free of over thinking. Where I wasn’t in constant struggle with my past habits. Where I could tell people what i really thought and i wouldn’t involving me holding anything back. My thoughts are like streams and rivers that run dry or come crashing with such force that people can’t hold it all. My mind is like a endless surge that rises above mountains and sinks below the sand all in a day. I have passion and desire that can be contrasted and compared to love & hate.

I want to contribute. I go out of my way to make connections. i don’t ever feel like i waste my time when i experience new things. ever. i love every foreign concept, novel idea, new experience, or unique people. I want to incorporate as much novelty as i can into my life.

my eyes scan the back of my mind. My gaze is transient. My heart pumps images and flashes into the trenches of understanding.

Good Article- Interesting take on effective teaching techniques and learning

Bad Link 😦

Fascinating article I found about the stimulating effects of ‘controversy’ (challenging arguments) as a constructive- more efficient- teaching technique in the academic world.
A recurring thought I constantly find myself stumbling over is that class is usually boring and unstimulating ( I do believe that you get out whatever you put in); and teachers, in my opinion (despite what they might say on the contrary) don’t challenge the students to think for their own good and find intrinsic value in material relative and personal to them. As this article indicated, controversy is vitally important in the learning process. By challenging predisposed perceptions of information, you need to think deep using logic and many other thinking abilities to dig up knowledge that would support or end the argument or stance. I sorta feel that teachers are so rhetorical with their course we don’t put much thought into it for ourselves. We more or less let the information ‘float’ on our thoughts- so its there to recall when we have a test or just till the end of the course- when it should be saturating itself in our mental faculties as we weigh importance and significance to our lives and every day thought processes. By challenge, I want to “figure out” why I’m being told what I’m being told as opposed to being told why I know, and why I shouldn’t know.
I could go on but you get the idea. Interesting article if you also don’t think that the academic environment of college or highschool or “the formal education system” is engaging as it probably should be. I get more out of reading the material of interest on my own time and simply surrounding myself (hanging out) with people who have the same interest to exchange ideas and controversies ( shoot the breeze) about why I interpreted it as I do. You know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever had a good conversation with someone that left you with those feelings of certainty, confidence, intellect, and a wider world view of things. You challenged your brain and you rose to the occasion, fully engaging all your mental faculties.

what is our responsibilities as a college student?

A phenomenal amount of insight was gained while reading as well as a renewed sense of responsibility as a college student. This was especially insightful in supporting some of my preexisting habits I’ve already incorporated into my daily routine as the formula for ensured success in and out of the classroom.
Proper sleep in essential for proper brain functioning. Not only for proper cognitive learning and efficiently absorbing new ideas and concepts, but also in effectively storing memories that can be recalled with better insight and accuracy. Poor sleep degrades the minds ability to not only learn, but the ability to recall information to ones peak ability is impaired. Sleep after learning new tasks allows the mind to solidify these new concepts into the memory by activating the same areas that were used to learn the task while you are awake. Proper sleep that consists of a routine eight hours of sleep a night, is important for studying, test taking, and just optimally absorbing the most material in the classroom and text. In addition power naps are greatly beneficial after learning material, or directly before having to recall previous information learned.
Also, scanning the whole text to get an general idea of the material, followed up by sleep will better prepare the mind for absorbing information when you read text more thoroughly when you wake.
Although the idea is less than original, it became apparent that the more emotionally engaged the mind is in the subject matter, the more apt it is to memorize and recall information due to the areas of the brain involved with memory and emotion being very close together. The intrinsic value lies in that the more passionate you are about a subject and material, the more you’re likely to retain and process information. So get passionate for Learning and College and you will succeed, just like everything else you’re passionate in.
Our responsibility is recognizing the importance of discipline to a given task, and keeping you’re eyes on the end goal and reward. This delayed gratification and self-control, when learned and put into effect through habit, proves to increase overall academic success, as well as concentration, your ability to think, perseverance and, in my opinion, the ability to cope the stress. This is why it’s important to set goals and stick to them. This is especially true with ADD where the ability to cope with impulses using self-control wasn’t learned early on.
The will to learn also increases the minds ability to think and absorb information. In this way we are more receptive to persuasion, which includes words from educators and teachers which include pep talks and inspirational motivation through audio and books. This can alter the way the mind thinks by tapping into and mobilizing brains reserve energy to learn.
Another obvious responsibility as a college student is our diet. It’s vitally important to uptake the appropriate nutrition to sustain peak mind and body function. Hydration is important in the transport and distribution of nutrients and energy (glucose) to all over the body. Hydration also helps lubricate the body in aiding in cell to cell function as well as intracellular function. Dehydration impairs the ability to learn drastically. Complex carbohydrates supply the mind and body with a steady supply of glucose energy. Protein rich foods contain amino acids that are absolutely necessary in order for the main and circuitry of the brain to work accordingly. Long chain fatty acids such as Omega 3 and 6 literally make up the composition of the brain. Physical exercise aids in increases circulation and therefore increased overall health.
Diet, Sleep, being passionate about learning, being disciplined, and the will to learn are our main responsibilities as college students.

Learning and knowledge

Guide Questions: Answer in 1-2 complete sentences
1. How does learning differ from knowledge?
Learning is the acquisition and assimilation of new truths coupled with a belief system which leads to a revelation of a set perimeter of knowledge and insight. Learning is an active process that involves comparing and contrasting past and current experiences in order to gain clarity towards a certain understanding, whereas knowledge is a concrete form of solidified findings deduced through the process of learning- though knowledge can constantly be improved upon and added to.

2. How can learning be facilitated from a ….
a. Physiological Perspective? Sleep is especially important for the mind to organize and manage new experiences that would lead to a better insight and understanding of an application. Another often overlooked physiological perspective in the learning process is the importance of physical exercise and a well balanced diet; in order for the mind to work properly it needs to be a well lubricated, nutrient and oxygen rich machine so that the metabolism and system as a whole functions to its utmost capabilities, pumping important glucose and nutrients to vital parts of the brain as well as carrying away detrimental free-radicals and oxidative properties that would inhibit peak brain function.
b. Social Perspective? Either by examining a group or a single person, the ability to relate to other humans is highly important in the learning process due to the efficiency of being able to exchange only the most important information that we can assimilate that would transversely lead to knowledge and understanding that is relatable due to similar experiences and effective communication. Social communication, in the aspect of learning, from one person to another in paramount due to the variety of ways humans are able to relay information, either verbally- through certain vocabulary, use of metaphors and similes, voice inflections to signify importance, speed of speech, structure of ideas and concepts , visually- through body language or the ability of using props to convey and idea, and emotionally – through the bond and trust between two people and the significance or urgency of the message being communicated.
c. Emotional Perspective? The more emotionally involved we are in the learning process the more apt we are to retain memories and regurgitate information which is all due to the fact that more parts of the brain are engaged when emotions and accompanying hormones are present.
d. Executive Functioning Perspective? Executive functioning is fundamental in applying what concepts and ideas we’ve absorbed through the learning process towards a situation or exemplify them in the real world. It is our ability to apply what we know which is more or less how skilled we are as a person in any given task, which if we look at it in the proper light can be awesome when you look at it through the rewards of repetition to either clarify understanding or reinforce what we’ve learn.

3. How does communication facilitate learning? As mentioned before, communication is a key in the process of learning. People are able to collectively pass along information that is deemed relative to a given situation in a variety of ways both verbally and non-verbally, which is very important at accurately relaying specific information in order to maintain a clear cut understanding of knowledge.

4. How does goal-setting facilitate learning? Goal setting is immensely important in knowing exactly where and what the standard is. By setting goals you spatially have an understanding at the energy and time needed to take you to that point; this is especially encouraging when you set goals you know a feasible due to the accomplishments of others in the past or around you.

Cold and Sharp

“Knowledge without practice is useless.
Practice without knowledge is dangerous.” –Confucius

I read that quote and I liked it.

Some imagery comes to mind. i was thinking of the importance of continual education… or ongoing personal development rather. Its a never ending process. I think of the mind much like a sword. Its sharp. Cutting through obstacles and the weeds of deception and lies. It is capable of combating many false doctrines that you’d encounter in life. I think of the mind like a sword. You need to continually sharpen your sword. after all you are constantly using it in every day life. No use going to battles with a dull blade. and after all.. such a waste when a finely honed sword isn’t used. We constantly need to submerse ourselves in truth and education as to develop our mind to the utmost degree. We also need to know how to use our mind. like Confucius says ‘knowledge with out practice is useless. Practice without knowledge is dangerous.’ if we don’t know how to apply our mind, or dont know how to properly yield a fine sword in battle, chances are we will be injured or injure ourselves.

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I dunno. Im in thr mountains in Vermont. Its awfully cold in the evening. Hot in my room tho. The hum of fans saturate the cubicle of living space. Its almost trancing. I am two years ahead of most students here. I took off two years to organize my priorities. Ive matured immensely in these two years in ways i never thought I would. The new students here are lost. Immature. And i dont say that in a negative sense. Fundamentally they haven’t found something worth living for. That is sad, yet they are young. They have no responsibilities, nor have they ever had to take on any. This is the most expensive school in the country. The parents of the majority of these kids are Doctors, Lawyers, Businessmen, or high level government workers. A small minority are here on grants and scholarships. At any rate. A good majority of these kids are under developed. I was probably just like them at some point. Probably worse until i tooks the reins of responsibility. I seek the top five percent of society. err. not society. Society is like a flock of ignorant sheep who sway with the wind and follow the Shepard. I’m looking for the Shepard, but the very best of them. I want to lead. To give them understanding and help them break from the bondage that lack of truth offers. I want to spread the realities of truth. To help people achieve happiness and success and thier full potential. hm.

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The Learning Brain.