Part III...

Wow

i like squares

I remember in middle school one day I came to the realization that the 4th dimension was time. I thought this was the most revolutionary idea at the time, and it was probably the only thought that ran through my head for a solid week. Now that I'm older I've come to the realization that people have been aware of this for a really long time. Still I want to expand on this and touch on some things that may be pertinent, perhaps even useful.

Speaking in absolutes, time isn't actually the "4th dimension". From our perspective time is a variable that we aren't able to control whatsoever. Not only that, but we can only recognize our existence at one point in time. We may remember the past but that's nothing more than a memory or an image stored in the brain. Not any more real than a picture stored in a camera. Imagine if we existed in the 4th dimension. Time becomes not a variable, but a dimension that we exist in. The past, present, and future becomes a "location" that we exist in, kind of like how 3-dimensional space is the location that we exist in right now. If God exists through all of time, then time must be a constant for him. If so, is there a variable that God travels through in the same way that we travel through time?

We always have a tendency to live in moments. In whatever form it appears in, pleasure has such a strong influence in our lives. Pride, lust, greed, sloth, gluttony, etc., are all grounded in a specific moment in time. A specific point of reference in which that happiness comes from. At that moment everything in the past and the future becomes irrelevant, and all focus is diverted towards the present. "Pride, lust, greed, sloth, gluttony"--I just listed off things that are "bad" but by no means is pleasure limited. Spending quality time with close friends, scoring the winning goal, rejoicing the election of a new President...all moments in which we rejoice in the present.

Part II...

"A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be." - Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky wasn't known for his stature, strength, or speed. He was unimpressive in those regards even before he joined the NHL. Instead what placed him above every other hockey player was his awareness of the flow of the game. He would skilfully dodge checks, predict where the puck was heading, and always make the right decision at the right time. The same goes with poker. What separates a professional from an amateur isn't their ability to keep a straight face nor is it their ability to read an opponent's face. Although impressive, reading another person's hand is not what makes a profitable poker player either. Poker skill is in the ability to predict the opponent's next move. Skillful poker is making decisions based on what puts you in the best position in the future.

Unfortunately not everyone is blessed with the amazing abilities of Wayne Gretzky and thus this awareness is something that lacks in our day to day lives. If Wayne Gretzky was a President, perhaps he could have avoided this economic crisis...Unfortunately as long as I have plenty of money in the bank, and people convincing me that the future is bright, I feel no need to worry about what may happen in the future, the 4th dimension. My attention shifts to pleasure. Pleasure in the daily happenings of being in Ann Arbor. No one's going to tell me that my undying love for computer programming or bowling is harmful. After all, if I pursue a programming related career I'll be able to fit perfectly into a niche in society that is in high demand--software development. And outside of the second hand smoke, bowling is a fun, relaxing, SOCIAL hobby that can be enjoyed with everyone else. But what if it's exactly these things, being consumed by these seemingly innocent, perhaps even "productive" activities, that ends up distracting us and fucking us over?

Alcohol is not the only way to get piss drunk.

I wonder what it's like to be grown up. I've heard that as you get older you start to see a ceiling above you, and that ceiling becomes clearer and clearer with each passing day. I've seen that as people get older they become more content with what they have with each passing day. I've seen life that was so vibrant and bright grow dimmer and dimmer with each passing day. One day in church I heard the pastor urge the congregation to never let their passion for evangelism fade. He shared about how people often lose interest in church community after college, justifying the whole thing as "just a phase".

"Grown up" uses the past tense because the growing process is done. There is nothing left for itself but to follow the laws of physics and gradually decay. Bones rust and the flesh weakens. Finally upon death we decompose back into nature. Eventually there's no trace left of our own identity in this world. Not a single soul left that remembers those contributions to this world, which you were once so proud of. Of course that's such a sad and depressing thought that I never like to think about it. I guess we're the first species to become conscious of this inconvenient truth. Ironically we approach it in the same way that every other organism in this universe does. Just focus on the task at hand. Don't bite the hand that feeds, don't bother if that person's an inconvenience, and WHATEVER YOU DO don't look under the foundation. You might realize that there really is nothing underneath.

Tiny, noiseless sparks in the sky.

TONG POO

that's some nasty shit