Magical

Here's one of my favorite pics from Bagan, Myanmar.  Bagan is a magical place.  Normally, I don't like going back to places I've been already, but I'd like to go back to Myanmar one day if I can. 

Everyone is equally talented at something

Really?  You think so?

The nature of nature is chaos.  Some may argue that a more diverse group is evolutionarily superior to a less diverse one, and although that does makes sense, I believe that the universe was made to be chaotic from the start.  Just look at the stars and the nebula - there are no other living organisms to our knowledge, but they are still chaotic and random in nature.  The chaotic nature of evolution is in sync with nature, not the other way around.

So to say that we are all equally talented at something goes against the notion that our natural world is random. 

It pains me to say this, but there are some people that suck at everything.  Based on our observation of nature and statistics, this is quite true.  It might feel so wrong, emotionally, but we all know at least one person like this.  Of course, there are a few fortunate people that are good at multiple things, but they are as seldom as the people who suck at everything.

I had a friend who said to me, "you know, I think most people overlook the meaning of the word average.  It means just that."  We both chuckled, because it's true.  By definition, most people are average, and average, means average. 

I really want to write about something, but I have nothing to write about. 

The difference between this line and the last was 5 minutes.  Still nothing. 

...

I have a friend from America that will visit me today.  I'm quite excited. 

My hypothesis on why so many conservatives are religious.

Couple years ago, I read a newspaper article about a study on brain differences between self-identified democrats and republicans.  Democrats, it turned out, tended to have larger anterior cingulate cortex, which processes empathy, decision making, etc., while republicans had larger amygdala, a region that recognizes threats. 

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/political-views-tied-brain-structure/story?id=13317961

To me, this makes a lot of sense.  Think about all the liberal agenda and positions: immigration reforms, universal health care, social security, etc.  All these are basically politics of empathy.  Now if you take the republican agenda and positions: national security, lower debt, less immigration, etc., all this is basically politics of fear.  And I might add, characteristics of people with developed anterior cingulate cortex is that they're more comfortable with uncertainty.  

There's another group of people who are driven by fear.  More precisely, fear of death.  Care to guess?

Why do people believe in religion?  Well, there can be many reasons, but you can't argue against the fact that a significant number of people believe in it because of the idea of afterlife.  Some people may deny this because it makes them seem cowardly or uncool, but can you separate Christianity, for example, from afterlife?  You really can't, can you?  The main idea of Christianity is that Jesus Christ sacrificed himself and took your sins away, but if there is no afterlife, who would give a damn? 

Think about it.  You have this original sin.  You never really felt guilty about the sin - after all, you didn't even know the existence of it until some missionary or pastor told you.  Not only that, but someone you've never seen or met, died for you, everyone preceding you, and everyone that will be born from here on after.  And now you can live the rest of your vindicated life... until you die... and that is that.  This scenario really doesn't work well, because even if you weren't vindicated from the sin (that you never committed), the result is identical. 

This whole "Jesus-sacrificed-himself-on-the-cross-for-you," idea works best if there is an afterlife.  You were supposed to burn in hell for eternity because of your sins, but Jesus Christ, the son of God, saved you by sacrificing himself.  If this were the case, Jesus's death now makes a significant difference.  The idea makes sense and is quite effective.  I don't think it's a coincidence that hell is only mentioned after Jesus in the bible.

People may be Christians for other reasons, but you can't argue against the fact that afterlife is deeply embedded into Christian doctrine, and that many people directly or indirectly are drawn to Christianity and other religions because of afterlife. 

And such fascination with afterlife can be a mere curiosity, but it's also a fear of uncertainty.  Nothing in this world is more uncertain than what happens after death.  Religion attempts to appease the fear of death through promise of an afterlife. 

Of course, I'm not saying that everyone believes in religion because they fear death, but it plays a significant role.  How many significant religious doctrines and themes fall apart if you take the factor of afterlife away?  Quite a few.  It is my opinion that afterlife is deeply embedded with super majority of all religion, and underneath all that is human's innate fear of death and uncertainty. 

What would be really interesting is if scientists did a study on whether religious people have larger amygdala or not.  My hypothesis is that they do. 

So perhaps, it makes complete sense why there aren't many liberal Christians in America.  There are few, but not many.  As a slight liberal myself, I always knew my views were different from so many pastors and other religious figures.  Now I have a hypothesis that explains the difference. 

I've said this a gazillion times, but people often make decisions based on emotions (fear) and then rationalize the decision, not the other way around. 

Why I strive to be a minimalist

"Why do I talk about the benefits of failure?  Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential.  I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me."

J.K. Rowling



If you you "strip away the inessential," what you have left is either nothing or perfection.