6.12.2008

Shadow boxing with creativity

A few days ago I was surfing the web trying to find anything that would interest me. I think that the Internet is such a powerful tool for exploring ideas and learning new things. As I was surfing, I came across a painting that I have not looked at since I was taking an art class in high school. Salvador Dali's brilliant masterpiece, the persistence of memory.



It made me think about the importance of imagination and creativity. It made me reflect on how monotonous things can be, and how as individuals we all have the power to break free of the overwhelmingly boring day to day chores some of us tend to succumb to.

The persistence of memory is so unique and interesting that i can't help but be jealous of the world that Dali must have lived in. Imagine seeing the world through his eyes. I suspect that it must have been a lot like dreaming while your awake...

In the following weeks, as i begin to develop this blog, I will start incorporating some of the ideas that i have been dying to get out of the box (see previous post). I don't have a structure of how I'm going to relay my thoughts and ideas just yet, but i think i will be needing one. Apparently people need this type of construct to keep them interested... But, this is about me and my way right? We'll see how it goes.

Thank you Dali for sharing your output with us, For those of you that are not familiar, its probably worth checking out this Wikipedia article on him.

Live.

6.09.2008

The Black Box Theory




'The "black box theory of consciousness" states that the mind can be fully understood once the inputs and outputs are well defined. This is usually followed with radical skepticism that the possibility of ever successfully describing the underlying structure, mechanism, and dynamics of the mind will ever be possible...'

Basically what this means is that we may be able to observe and analyze what information is "input" into the mind, and witness the various forms of the magnificent creations it can "output", but we may never be able to understand the actual mechanism involved in this process. Alas, the mind is a black box that can really only be defined by its inputs and its outputs.

It is from this theory that i entitled my blog "the black box chronicles". Simply, I am chronicling the thoughts and ideas that come from my black box, and the the memories and experiences that shape them.

6.03.2008

The Art of Making Mistakes...

Making mistakes is definitely an art form. The art lies in learning from your mistakes, and allowing them to teach you how to be a better person. This sounds like a cliche, but this is probably among the most important tools you can have in life. Can you imagine a world where people never learned from their mistakes? We would still have famine... wars... murder... and... wait... i guess this world is a good example of people not learning fro their mistakes. Think about the amount of people on this planet, (especially the well educated and powerful leaders) who neglect this important aspect of being a human. This is a testament to how hard it really is to pull ourselves outside of the instinctual habit of defending our mistakes, while being too proud to admit them. But pride is a difficult hurdle to overcome, especially when your consistently confronted with the pride of others. I strongly believe that shedding your ego can help define you character and instill peace in your heart, as well as in the hearts of those that are close to you.

life is too short to give certain experiences (as well as pride) the power to exclusively determine how you perceive the world. It is undoubtedly true that life experiences are valuable. They teach us that fire burns, and that jumping from a roof is not a good idea... but some things must be reanalyzed and reprogrammed into the brain. To take a step back and rethink who you are and how you see the world is a constant process, and its a life long journey. It's never ending.

I'm going to learn how to make the most beautiful mistakes by allowing them to teach me about myself, and about what it means to be human. I think thats the art of making mistakes.