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Posts from the ‘Matthew’ Category

Aug 3

Neo
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Simulacra and Simulations

As an undergraduate, I helped run a psychology lab for a professor where we did cognitive experiments on Psychology 101 students. My major was Cognitive Science and I spent most of my free time reading anything I could get my hand on the subject. I would read an author’s paper in a journal and flip to their references and then read those papers and flip to those references until I found what seemed to be primary sources – though largely unattributed – it was the philosophers, of course. Carl Jung was among those whose contribution to the field of cognitive science was conveniently buried under tons of footnotes and references.
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Jul 29

Babe-Ruth-at-bat
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Don’t Be Bashful

The larger the company the less agile they are. This is a basic truism of business. In fact, companies often spend millions of dollars trying to improve processes, streamline workflows, and reduce unnecessary staff – all with the aim of becoming more agile, more competitive. Smaller companies can react more quickly to market changes. What is the tipping point though? There are plenty of large companies doing very well. Some companies are reporting earnings completely off the charts. These sorts of earnings can evoke disgusted reactions from even the greediest of greedy. So, what is the secret?
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Mar 20

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You Have Colorectal Cancer

This has been a rough week. After CT scans, PET scans, colonoscopies, and biopsies a close family member was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer. Three days later surgeons removed an entire large intestine and have already scheduled chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

I can’t imagine hearing a doctor say, “You have cancer”. It must be like being struck by lightning – it comes out of nowhere. Your entire life changes instantly. 100 years ago this would be a death sentence but thanks to advances in science and medicine people can continue living for decades after treatment. Even with these advances, the state of the art in cancer treatment is barbaric. Some day doctors will heal the damaged tissue with some Star Trek looking device and wonder how me made it through these dark ages.

In almost all cases, life is preferable to death. As I sit here in her hospital room watching her recover, I’m so happy that she is still here – I hope I can appreciate every moment with her. She has been made to pay a high price for her life and though her faith in God is strong I know that the road ahead is going to be very painful.

If you’re over 50 years old and have not had a colonoscopy, don’t be stupid, get one now. It’s a fairly simple procedure and it may save your life.

Feb 22

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Photos From India

It’s hard to capture the reality of India – the beauty, the animals, the poverty, and the smiling kids if you are a really crappy photographer like me. So, I’ve put together a slide show from my trip to Delhi plus pictures from other parts of India that I want to visit next time. At the beginning of Mahabharata, Vyasa says, “once you have finished reading this poem, at the end you will be someone else.” India is the same way – India does not change for you. India changes you.

Jan 7

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India: A Land of Contradiction

I came to India to see how people here live – day to day. How important is commerce, religion, family? What I’ve found is that India is not that different from Europe or the United States. Their concerns are the same as ours. Religion here ranges from the superficial to the profound; commerce is the engine that drives the country; and family is very important. I wasn’t sure what to expect and perhaps expecting something different was a little silly in hindsight. I tend to focus on commonality rather than differences but here are some differences:

  • The people here are incredibly curious – curious about everything. I’m a minority here and get lots stares and smiles. When I am filming or taking pictures complete strangers walk up and want me to take their picture. It’s inexplicable to me.
  • There is no concept of waiting in line. There are so many people competing for attention that the solution is to just rush any service counter and push until you get to the front. It’s not considered rude – it’s just the way it is.
  • Traffic follows pretty much the same rules. If you can squeeze in between two lanes of traffic in the middle, go for it! Surprisingly, I’ve yet to see any serious accidents. There are dividing lines on the road but they are a complete waste of paint. There are also traffic lights but they are largely ignored unless a few police officers are directing traffic. The power grid goes down so often that you can easily understand why people ignore the traffic lights – most of the time they do not even work.
  • The poverty is everywhere. In fact, it is so ubiquitous that it’s easy to ignore. It appears the poorest people do not do most of the begging because they are busy doing whatever jobs they can find. The state hires street sweepers – not the big machines like in the US – to sweep the streets with straw brooms. They are everywhere sweeping away. In a dusty city like Delhi, it’s an endless job. I’ll have to write more about poverty later as I haven’t had a chance to really mentally process this side of India.
  • Construction is everywhere. You can see the tangible results of the massive influx of money into India. There is no doubt that India’s potential is yet to be tapped.
  • I’ve also discovered that there is no reason to learn Hindi if you want to do business in India. Everyone with a college education speaks English and there are enough signs in English that an American can easily find their way around. However, without knowing Hindi you really miss out on the heart of the culture. Most of the working class do not speak English and that’s the majority of the population – at least in Delhi. If you want to understand India, you’ll have to learn the language.

That’s all I’ve got for now. I will write more later…

Sep 20

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Varanasi, Banaras, Kashi, and Ganga

After reading and wondering about India my whole life, I’m finally going. I will be there for about 3 weeks. My main destination is Varanasi and the many small villages between there and Delhi. Though I’ve tried to learn a bit of the impenetrable Hindi language I am lucky that most Indians speak English. So, even if I get completely lost perhaps I will be able to get back on course with some help.

Friends (especially my Indian friends) always ask: Why India? There are so many other great places on the planet to go. From what I’ve learned so far, India is just about as different from America or Europe as you can get. If there is a spiritual axis that the world spins on, its center is India. In some places, little has changed since the days of the Mahabharata 6,000 years ago. No doubt sometimes it will be tiring, annoying, miserable, disgusting, and heart wrenching but it will be different. Different is what I’m always looking for.

Here is a summary of Varanasi from Wikipedia:

According to legend, the city was founded by the Hindu deity, Lord Shiva, around 5,000 years ago, thus making it one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the country. It is one of the seven sacred cities of Hindus. Many Hindu scriptures, including the Rig Veda, Skanda Purana, Ramayana, and the Mahabharata, mention the city. Varanasi is generally believed to be about 3,000 years old.

Why the fascination with the Hindu religion? Of all of the world’s mythologies, Hinduism is by far the most expansive, creative, and strangely accurate in describing the universe. Hinduism is less about humans and more about the universe – it’s not a personalized religion like Islam or Christianity. There is something sublime about a religion that understands that humanity is not the culmination of creation but only a small part of something much more amazing. It’s what amazed Carl Sagan about Hindu cosmology and it’s what amazes me, as well.

Why learn Hindi? Sanskrit? As Joseph Campbell said, “Sanskrit is the world’s great spiritual language.” Sanskrit shares a common ancestor with Latin. Linguists are still stumped on what that common, parent language was but the syntax of Latin and Sanskrit are so striking that it has become a race among linguists to uncover the this “mother” language. Hindi is distant offspring of Sanskrit. They both use an almost identical Devanagari alphabet. India is broken up in two linguistic regions: Devanagari and Dravidian. If you are really interested there are thousands of excellent papers out there exploring these connections. As an interesting side-note, there is a tradition that has Jesus spending his formative years in India – the so call “missing years”. Interestingly, linguists believe there is a strong connection between Brahmi (the origin of Devanagari) and Aramaic (the language that Jesus spoke). That sounds like a pretty exciting reason to me.

I will post pictures and journal during the trip. I will be leaving Dec 29. And for those that don’t believe I’ll dunk myself in the Ganges, I’ll take pictures. Wish me luck.

Sep 13

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Out of the Darkness

When I was in 9th grade a friend named David shot himself over a break up with a middle school girlfriend. 10 years ago Preston, a friend and a great athlete, died from a drug overdose. 5 years ago my buddy and long-time neighbor Seth took his own life after the Katrina hurricane destroyed his home. And, four years ago, after struggling with alcoholism, my buddy Tara also made the choice that she couldn’t go on living. Even though suicide affects us all the reasons are poorly understood. It’s not a topic most people even feel comfortable talking about – it just seems so out of balance with the natural order. Research has shown that major depression and bipolar disorder are to blame in most cases. Of course, like in murder, some people may just do it in the heat of the moment – caught up in emotions so powerful there doesn’t seem to be another way out.

Thankfully, there are organizations out there that are promoting awareness and funding research. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), a 501(c)(3) organization, has been at the forefront of a wide range of suicide prevention initiatives – each designed to reduce loss of life from suicide. They are investing in groundbreaking research, new educational campaigns, innovative demonstration projects and critical policy work. And they are also expanding their assistance to people whose lives have been affected by suicide, reaching out to offer support and offering opportunities to become involved in prevention.

I know there are thousands of demands on your time and money but why not take a second to donate $5 to Tammy (Tara’s sister). She will be one of the thousands of people around the country that will be walking in the AFSP’s 2009 Out of the Darkness Community Walk on November 7, 2009. Please make a small donation to Tammy in memory of her sister, Tara, if you can.

Donate here.

Sep 4

Fall / Winter 2009 Reading List

Here is what I’ve been reading. I’ve finished some of these already but I’ll go ahead and list them…

  • NurtureShock by Po Bronson
  • Every Patient Tells a Story by Lisa Sanders
  • The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
  • Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales by Nelson Mandela
  • Moby Dick by Herman Melville
  • FREE: The Future of a Radical Price by Chris Anderson
  • Welcome to Your Brain by Sandra Aamodt
  • Yes! by Noah J. Goldstein
  • The Five Most Important Questions by Peter F. Drucker
  • The 360-Degree Leader by John C. Maxwell
  • How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer
  • The Motley Fool Million Dollar Portfolio by David Gardner
  • Rule #1 by Phil Town
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