Every October, movie fans flock to theaters to see the newest scary release. I like to make a plan to watch as many horror films as I can--modern or classic, psychological or slasher. In fact, horror movies are not limited only to October. It seems there is a new horror movie in theaters every month and on Netflix every week. And I could just as easily put on Silence of the Lambs or Halloween in April as I could in the fall. As a form of entertainment, we seek out fear and crave terrifying situations. As long as it’s happening to someone else. As long as it’s fictional.
Despite our seeming obsession with the macabre, humans certainly try and avoid fears in real life. It goes without saying, none of us want to be trapped in a house stalked by a killer. Luckily, almost no one has to endure this terror, but this doesn’t mean our lives are entirely absent of fear. Our forms of fear are less intense, but equally affecting.
People confront fears on a daily basis at a personal level as well as at a global level. We may be afraid of our boss which prevents us from advancing in our career. Or we may be afraid of our commute which prevents from even getting to work. Or we may be afraid of global warming and nuclear war which prevents us from getting out of bed. These are all fears, however irrational, that people could possibly be forced to manage.
For most people, the above concerns would not even register. But there may be little truths hidden in these fears that may seem a little more familiar. For example, we may be afraid of disappointing our boss if our work is not up to usual standards. This a far more valid fear that affects our daily life. What’s interesting, though, instead of destroying us, this fear could be a tool to inspire us to work harder.
Fear can also be a benefit or a hindrance in creating art. Imagine a person so proud of a song she wrote or a painting he made. The natural place to share this work is the Internet. But what about the countless examples we have of faceless commenters tearing down creative work for no personal gain? All it takes is that spark of fear and the budding artist will never share their work. The fear of being attacked online is painful, of course, because it is symbolic of the fear of failing.
The most commonly expressed fears always seem to be external, like snakes, flights, or heights. Often the fears circle back to pain or death. Failure, on the contrary, is more of an internal fear. The pain of failure is often a more emotional one, but still just as real.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Stress: A Weird Heat Companion
Stress, as they say, takes years off our lives. Supposedly, it damages backs, overworks hearts, and prematurely turns hair grey. When we become stressed, we may also become unpleasant and lash out at others. It’s an overall uncomfortable feeling, being stressed. But stress can also be a great motivator.
Stress is a metaphorical two-way street. If we let it define us and affect us, it can be crushing and debilitating. At its worst, we are unable to focus on anything else until we alleviate some of the stress. But at the same time, we need a little pressure in our lives or we will begin to stagnate. A small amount of stress can be this good pressure, pushing us—hopefully easily—towards accomplishing a goal. How does this work? Imagine feeling overwhelmed by a school project. You could either a) allow yourself to be overwhelmed completely and collapse under pressure, or b) compartmentalize the project out to a manageable level and complete a worthy submission. Nearly everyone has experienced a similar situation--to one result or the other.
I’m a firm believer in the mentality that if we are experiencing stress about something, it means we care. Whether this care is worthwhile and spent towards something meaningful may be a different question. Stressing about a big exam may be worthwhile because we care about something important; likewise, worrying about a baseball game may not be as crucial. It comes down to priorities. Consider, in another context, we use stress for emphasis, i.e. “I can’t stress this enough…” Truly, then, a legitimate stress should be saved for something actually important.
Another important consideration is whether or not the object of our stress is within our control. I’ll be the first to admit, I have felt high amounts of anxiety watching a Tigers game. This is stupid because the game is far out of my control. Stressing about the aforementioned big exam may be valid, therefore, depending on the amount of proper studying. Preparing for the test allows you to exercise some amount of control over the situation.
How we respond to stress is just as important as how we react to the failure of giving into it. Suppose the thought of that exam was so mind-numbing to us that we gave in to the pressure and did not study. Rather than confront the stress, we failed to prepare for it, thus avoiding it altogether. Then, as expected, we failed the test. What then? After such a traumatic experience, it would be better to turn that stress into a learning experience and know how to react to it the next chance we get.
I don’t think the correct answer is to completely quell stress altogether. As I said, stress under the right situation can inspire us and lead us to some great things. Instead, we should use stress as a resource. To me, it is akin to the concept of working better under a deadline. And little stresses early in life can make a person better prepared to deal with bigger ones later on. As difficult as that may seem--and it is easier said than done--treating stress as a motivator rather than a deterrent can lead to a more enjoyable lifestyle.
Stress is a metaphorical two-way street. If we let it define us and affect us, it can be crushing and debilitating. At its worst, we are unable to focus on anything else until we alleviate some of the stress. But at the same time, we need a little pressure in our lives or we will begin to stagnate. A small amount of stress can be this good pressure, pushing us—hopefully easily—towards accomplishing a goal. How does this work? Imagine feeling overwhelmed by a school project. You could either a) allow yourself to be overwhelmed completely and collapse under pressure, or b) compartmentalize the project out to a manageable level and complete a worthy submission. Nearly everyone has experienced a similar situation--to one result or the other.
I’m a firm believer in the mentality that if we are experiencing stress about something, it means we care. Whether this care is worthwhile and spent towards something meaningful may be a different question. Stressing about a big exam may be worthwhile because we care about something important; likewise, worrying about a baseball game may not be as crucial. It comes down to priorities. Consider, in another context, we use stress for emphasis, i.e. “I can’t stress this enough…” Truly, then, a legitimate stress should be saved for something actually important.
Another important consideration is whether or not the object of our stress is within our control. I’ll be the first to admit, I have felt high amounts of anxiety watching a Tigers game. This is stupid because the game is far out of my control. Stressing about the aforementioned big exam may be valid, therefore, depending on the amount of proper studying. Preparing for the test allows you to exercise some amount of control over the situation.
How we respond to stress is just as important as how we react to the failure of giving into it. Suppose the thought of that exam was so mind-numbing to us that we gave in to the pressure and did not study. Rather than confront the stress, we failed to prepare for it, thus avoiding it altogether. Then, as expected, we failed the test. What then? After such a traumatic experience, it would be better to turn that stress into a learning experience and know how to react to it the next chance we get.
I don’t think the correct answer is to completely quell stress altogether. As I said, stress under the right situation can inspire us and lead us to some great things. Instead, we should use stress as a resource. To me, it is akin to the concept of working better under a deadline. And little stresses early in life can make a person better prepared to deal with bigger ones later on. As difficult as that may seem--and it is easier said than done--treating stress as a motivator rather than a deterrent can lead to a more enjoyable lifestyle.
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Moving: A Weird Heat Companion
No one likes to move. I mean, the physical act of packing up all of your things so they can be safely transported to a new place, then unpacking it all in the right places, working with three different companies to figure out electricity, water, Internet, all while worrying if you chose the right space. That’s stressful. It’s why we so often ask for friends’ help doing it.
But the actual moving and settling process is a great one. It is a reset from one part of your life to a new one. A chance to start fresh with a new living space and make it your own. If nothing else, it is a nice change of scenery.
Metaphorically, moving to a new house or apartment can signal a change from one phase of life to the next. Even if the change is not drastic--you are still at the same school, still in the same relationship--you are a little older and more mature. For example, you may have not been able to cook in a previous apartment, but you taught yourself how in the following house. In short, you are a different person, regardless of any similarities. There are still pieces of yourself left behind, though. I cannot drive past one of my old houses or apartments without experiencing a flood of memories1. And trust me, I make it a point to drive past old haunts.
Like most college students, I moved once every ten months or so, all throughout undergraduate and grad school. And while I always hated unpacking at a new place knowing this was as clean as I would ever see it, I always looked forward to how I would use each area. Granted, after moving, I always told myself I never wanted to go through the process again, but there is an undeniable sense of relief in getting it all done.
Now that I have been at my current address for several years, my belongings have dispersed and settled and I have no interest in boxing it all up. I still have that excitement, however, in the prospect seeing how it would look in a different apartment.
Another nice part of moving is that it may force you to pare down on some unnecessary things. The longer we remain in one place, the more stuff we seem to accumulate. Rather than go through the trouble of boxing it all up and ship it somewhere new, moving allows us to shed some of that weight and trash it. In the end, we are (hopefully) left with the essentials. After a move, we have a new place to start collecting junk again.
For me, I can accomplish at least some of the moving sensation by simply rearranging furniture. This gives the same old area a chance to look fresh and new. Adding new furniture altogether can change the demeanor of a room as well. Even a quick once-over with a vacuum or picking up trash can give that new-place feel. But nothing short of packing up your things and turning in your keys can give that sense of a new phase in life.
But the actual moving and settling process is a great one. It is a reset from one part of your life to a new one. A chance to start fresh with a new living space and make it your own. If nothing else, it is a nice change of scenery.
Metaphorically, moving to a new house or apartment can signal a change from one phase of life to the next. Even if the change is not drastic--you are still at the same school, still in the same relationship--you are a little older and more mature. For example, you may have not been able to cook in a previous apartment, but you taught yourself how in the following house. In short, you are a different person, regardless of any similarities. There are still pieces of yourself left behind, though. I cannot drive past one of my old houses or apartments without experiencing a flood of memories1. And trust me, I make it a point to drive past old haunts.
Like most college students, I moved once every ten months or so, all throughout undergraduate and grad school. And while I always hated unpacking at a new place knowing this was as clean as I would ever see it, I always looked forward to how I would use each area. Granted, after moving, I always told myself I never wanted to go through the process again, but there is an undeniable sense of relief in getting it all done.
Now that I have been at my current address for several years, my belongings have dispersed and settled and I have no interest in boxing it all up. I still have that excitement, however, in the prospect seeing how it would look in a different apartment.
Another nice part of moving is that it may force you to pare down on some unnecessary things. The longer we remain in one place, the more stuff we seem to accumulate. Rather than go through the trouble of boxing it all up and ship it somewhere new, moving allows us to shed some of that weight and trash it. In the end, we are (hopefully) left with the essentials. After a move, we have a new place to start collecting junk again.
For me, I can accomplish at least some of the moving sensation by simply rearranging furniture. This gives the same old area a chance to look fresh and new. Adding new furniture altogether can change the demeanor of a room as well. Even a quick once-over with a vacuum or picking up trash can give that new-place feel. But nothing short of packing up your things and turning in your keys can give that sense of a new phase in life.
1 In fact, my friends and former roommates have a theory that you must go through at least one cycle at another living place before the really great memories start coming back. Something about nostalgia, I’m sure.↩
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Social Media: A Weird Heat Companion
I have a complex relationship with social media, and I suspect most other people do as well. On the one hand, there is something entertaining about easily staying in communication with friends and family. People are reunited across great distances as if they were still in the same town or neighborhood or school. But this idyllic impression of social media is soon lost in practicality. On the other hand, social media can waste time at best and engender abuse, horde personal information, and spread falsehoods at the very worst. We are at a point where, I speculate, social media is responsible for the decisions made in most facets of our lives. This is mostly not provable, because the entities of Facebook, Twitter, et al. are so broad.
It is easier to look at social media as two separate concepts: “social” plus “media.”
For a long time, I have been struck by the ridiculousness of the seeming validity of social media. To judge oneself by the amount of friends, followers, likes, and reposts is not an accurate representation of our true selves. But the social qualities of various platforms is undeniable. It is a quick, easy way to surround yourself with like-minded individuals, united around themes and conversations. This can form, however, the dreaded “echo chamber” of too many people all in agreement. How social is that?
Furthermore, the virtual nature of these products means participants in online conversations lose the physical interaction. This means people can say whatever they want to whomever they want with little or no repercussions. For the vast majority of us, human decency is enough to keep us civil. But for a few people, hiding behind a screen is all that is needed for negativity to come out, which will only spawn more hatred. No social media platform is safe from rampant meanness.
The other larger problem with social media is the actual media half. The common complaint with media, however well-founded, is that it is a business and only shows us a sensationalized picture. Unfortunately, social media does the same thing. When you have a system of individuals sharing ideas, the same stories are naturally going to rise to the top. Therefore, readers have to work harder to evaluate information, work which is not always done. We have all been guilty of misreading a story online.
All that said, I still turn to social media as a lens for events. Instead of being the be-all-end-all integral to the goings-on of our world, social media is an effective tool to cultivate and bear witness to mass opinions. It is a forest, and our opinions are the trees. But we cannot get lost in the forest. And when discussions lose civility, I’ve had enough. Social media is just a tool; it shouldn’t be turned to drive people apart.
It is easier to look at social media as two separate concepts: “social” plus “media.”
For a long time, I have been struck by the ridiculousness of the seeming validity of social media. To judge oneself by the amount of friends, followers, likes, and reposts is not an accurate representation of our true selves. But the social qualities of various platforms is undeniable. It is a quick, easy way to surround yourself with like-minded individuals, united around themes and conversations. This can form, however, the dreaded “echo chamber” of too many people all in agreement. How social is that?
Furthermore, the virtual nature of these products means participants in online conversations lose the physical interaction. This means people can say whatever they want to whomever they want with little or no repercussions. For the vast majority of us, human decency is enough to keep us civil. But for a few people, hiding behind a screen is all that is needed for negativity to come out, which will only spawn more hatred. No social media platform is safe from rampant meanness.
The other larger problem with social media is the actual media half. The common complaint with media, however well-founded, is that it is a business and only shows us a sensationalized picture. Unfortunately, social media does the same thing. When you have a system of individuals sharing ideas, the same stories are naturally going to rise to the top. Therefore, readers have to work harder to evaluate information, work which is not always done. We have all been guilty of misreading a story online.
All that said, I still turn to social media as a lens for events. Instead of being the be-all-end-all integral to the goings-on of our world, social media is an effective tool to cultivate and bear witness to mass opinions. It is a forest, and our opinions are the trees. But we cannot get lost in the forest. And when discussions lose civility, I’ve had enough. Social media is just a tool; it shouldn’t be turned to drive people apart.
Friday, July 27, 2018
Health: A Weird Heat Companion
Health is undeniably a good thing. We strive to stay in good health for the obvious benefits of a happier and longer life. No one ever wants to be sick, so we work to remain on the opposite side. Isn’t it interesting, then, that the work we do to stay healthy is not often considered “fun”? It’s not at all that being healthy is bad, but the practice of staying healthy is actually quite boring.
Look at the stereotypical examples of health. What do you have to eat to stay healthy? Fruits and vegetables are the top of the food pyramid, certainly not chips and candy. What makes a healthy person “in shape”? Going to the gym or running, not reading a book or watching TV. Even sleeping soundly, which is supposed to increase our overall well-being, isn’t particularly exciting1. I suppose the counterpoint to this is sitting, which purportedly takes years off a life, is not very interesting either. It is, however, when coupled with something rad like video games.
Of course, many people enjoy fruits, vegetables, and working out. I eat some combination of my daily value every day for lunch and dinner. But I would never claim an apple--the paragon of health--to be enormously fun. Not as fun as a bag of Twizzlers. Some people get a rush out of physical exertion when working out. But that feeling is usually coupled with aches, pains, and exhaustion.
Put another way, think of what we use to reward ourselves and others. If a child does something admirable, they earn a piece of candy. After we finish studying for an exam, we allow ourselves an hour of TV. What is conventionally considered “unhealthy” is typically a positive reinforcement! There is an opposition here.
In the end, what is considered healthy may not be exciting, but they are unquestionably beneficial. If something tastes good, there’s a chance it was processed to be that way and is lousy for you as a result. Meanwhile, just because something is bland doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be eaten2. As with American literature, Moby Dick may not be much fun, but it is definitely important.
1 But it is excellent.↩
2 I have a celery stalk nearly every day for lunch.↩
Look at the stereotypical examples of health. What do you have to eat to stay healthy? Fruits and vegetables are the top of the food pyramid, certainly not chips and candy. What makes a healthy person “in shape”? Going to the gym or running, not reading a book or watching TV. Even sleeping soundly, which is supposed to increase our overall well-being, isn’t particularly exciting1. I suppose the counterpoint to this is sitting, which purportedly takes years off a life, is not very interesting either. It is, however, when coupled with something rad like video games.
Of course, many people enjoy fruits, vegetables, and working out. I eat some combination of my daily value every day for lunch and dinner. But I would never claim an apple--the paragon of health--to be enormously fun. Not as fun as a bag of Twizzlers. Some people get a rush out of physical exertion when working out. But that feeling is usually coupled with aches, pains, and exhaustion.
Put another way, think of what we use to reward ourselves and others. If a child does something admirable, they earn a piece of candy. After we finish studying for an exam, we allow ourselves an hour of TV. What is conventionally considered “unhealthy” is typically a positive reinforcement! There is an opposition here.
In the end, what is considered healthy may not be exciting, but they are unquestionably beneficial. If something tastes good, there’s a chance it was processed to be that way and is lousy for you as a result. Meanwhile, just because something is bland doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be eaten2. As with American literature, Moby Dick may not be much fun, but it is definitely important.
1 But it is excellent.↩
2 I have a celery stalk nearly every day for lunch.↩
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