D-Day

Deployment day is today after several months of work. Finally we are a breath away from go live. It’s been a long project with almost 2 years of unceasing labor, confusion, big breaks, difficult challenges, redemption and resolution. But the way is not clear yet. Today will be the first remote test. But everything will be in place with everybody on call to respond. The ball is with Big Blue who has repeatedly delayed the deployment that caused us to stay the weekend in Nevada. It was a good idea to stay because the allotted 2 day stay was really not enough. But it was a hair rising ride with combination of a structured methodology, agile methods and the usual seat of the pants confusion. Nevertheless, it has reached this point which is a major step despite what happens today.

There are a lot of problems in the start-up and most folks are spinning the story wrongly. One’s perception is the key and despite the difficult journey one feels that definite progress has been achieved. My old boss is leading the charge despite moving to a new position a few months ago. He is still fully invested and there is no way he could leave it alone. He even admits that he caused the mess. Sometimes I feel that he is thrashing out wildly like an old boxer using the old moves to fight the enemy but the enemy has evolved with the rules of the game changing as well. So he is like an old fighter fighting a young challenger with new rules. Fortunately, he is not alone and everyone is pitching in to help move the project along.

It was an eventful trip with a great weekend of travels around the lake, to the nearby mountains and ski-resorts, playing billiards, exploring the casinos and great food in different restaurants. Reno is an old mining town with vestiges of the Wild West. The cities nearby evoke memories of romantic time: Carson City, Virginia City, Border Town, Lake Tahoe. These are cities heard or seen in the old Western television shows or movies with legendary actors like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood or Steve McQueen. It’s a thrill to be in the actual place where all those stories actually happen. There is a large bronze statue in the hotel lobby of a horse and rider in tribute to the Pony Express. The Pony Express is that ancient relic of delivering mail where one rider handed off the mail to another fresh rider until the destination is reached. The bronze plaque says that the record was achieved in delivering the news of the victory of Abraham Lincoln from East to the West states.

Its fitting that the pilot is done in this city of pioneers where individual labor and sacrifice is the key to success. We will find out at the end of the day if everything will turn out well. Last night after dinner we went to the center of town to the excellent hotel Silver Legacy. It’s an old hotel – the best I have seen so far with elaborate carpets and well lighted places with elegant slots machines and gambling tables. This is an old replica of a silver mining rig that looks like the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It was designed by Eiffel himself for his friend, who was the richest silver miner in Nevada, The hotel was built in the site of the silver mine that made him rich. There was painting in the lobby of scenes from the Wild West – cowboys in horses, Main Street with dusty lanes. The huge silver rig in a dome that replicated the sky above gave the exact feeling of how it was like in those days.

Asian Pioneers

The Donner Party memorial is a few miles north of Lake Tahoe. It’s a memorial to the party of pioneers who perished in the terrible winter of 1846 and 1847 on their way to California. The pioneers with their families got caught in a mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada. We went to the memorial after circling Lake Tahoe. We traveled from Reno. It was a spectacular drive with the mountain tops covered with snow. The mountains of the Sierra Nevada surround the city of Reno, which lies on a flat plain. The mountains around Lake Tahoe are snow capped but the mountains towards Las Vegas are semi-desert, with no trees or snow. These mountains are filled with rocks and large boulders and covered with brown earth. It is in striking contrast to the mountains towards California which have fir trees and snow.

The memorial had glass cases filled with old relics. There was one case about the Chinese laborers who worked on the Western railroads. Chinese laborers where often ‘shanghaied’ or kidnapped from China to work as indigent labor. The casinos in Reno are full of Asians mostly of Chinese immigrants. I can’t help but think that these Asians are the descendants of those railroad workers. The exhibit talked about racial purges and it would not stretch the imagination that these purges where aimed at the Chinese communities who have settled near the railroad stations. The nearest town is Truckee with a highway going to Reno. I can see the railroad tracks from the highway as we drove along the highway to Reno. The hotel I stayed in has slight traces of seediness, unlike the one in Las Vegas. These were a lot of young people in the hotel casino and most had their ski gear, ready to ski in Mt. Rose which is north of Lake Tahoe.

The television series ‘Kung Fu’ is about a Shoalin monk and his adventures in the west. A martial arts expert in the land of cowboys and Indians. At that time, it was a unique story because the history of the Chinese experience building railroads, the racial struggles, the rise in prosperities of Chinatown were never known. I had always thought about the rich merchant Chinese who lived in the Philippines and not the indigent Chinese laborers who were exploited in near slavery conditions. Slavery seemed to be the exclusive story of African Americans and the story of the other races that were treated harshly has not been told. So I was glad to see the exhibit about the Chinese laborers in the Donner party memorial. It was like their struggles and contributions are finally being recognized. The Chinese heritage and other Asian immigrants have every right to be in the country because of the contribution by their country men in the country’s development.

It’s like everything is turning full circle. It is ironic that China is buying Treasury bonds to keep the country functioning. Asian sovereign funds are helping Western countries survive their financial problems. Instead of the manual labor of the past, it is the money and skills that are the contributing to the economy. On a personal level, I am here for work, installing software in a warehouse, something that I have done many times in Asia; in Thailand, China, Japan and the Philippines.  Now the assignment is in Nevada, where Asian laborers have toiled in a previous century. In a certain way, nothing has changed and the world has always been a global economy, where different actors from foreign lands have always worked together. The pendulum has swung in the opposite direction with the East ascendant. It feels like one is riding a wave at the right time. There will be opposition as there usually is and the messy deployment in Reno is an example.

Experiential Learning

After going thru the ‘confusion’ of understanding ‘meta cognition’ and writing, one breaks out and realizes that it’s all useless mental churning again. It does provide a few moments of insight but disappears into the every day reality of writer’s block. Understanding ‘meta cognition’ does not provide concrete steps; only theory and eventual confusion. One can’t help but re-read the article and theories again with the confounding remark ‘say what again?’ So it’s back to intellectual masturbation. Happily one forces himself to attend interesting workshops where there are exercises that one does – an experiential type of learning rather than reading the latest studies on writing. I think this maybe the best way to learn ala Toastmaster. Perhaps it’s the best method for me - actual practice instead of book learning (but I do blog which should amount to something).

Another option is to attend a scribbler’s meetings where one gets to read one’s work in front of a group. These meetings are sponsored by the library and one get to listen to other would-be-writers and also get some friendly criticism of one’s work. One gets to share and read out aloud one’s words.  I guess it’s externalizing one’s deeply held ‘private’ work. One realizes that one would not have the confidence and ease to attend workshops or scribbler’s meetings without the practice of Toastmasters. It’s the missing link to one’s development as one would have gotten a fair amount of exposure in public settings without losing one’s composure. It’s like an act or role or armor the shrouds the person’s shyness or awkwardness; providing a basic polish to an otherwise raw exterior. Perhaps it’s also a re-structuring of one’s internal psyche into the glare of social interactions and public acceptance as speaker or writer.

Scribbler meetings are like the Inklings gatherings in Oxford where writers like C.S.Lewis and J.R. Tolkien read their works to their close friends. They would meet after work in nearby pubs or restaurants, drinking beer and having discussion well into the early morning. Great books have come out of these meetings like the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the adventures of Narnia. These are not writers by profession but intellectuals or lecturers in the Oxford university circuit. The library has a new exhibit on the Inklings (after their excellent series on Lincoln) but I don’t think there are any lectures planned. So I borrowed books and DVDs on the Inklings.  The library has held a lot of interesting exhibits and lectures this year on personal finance, legal matters (wills and probates), Lincoln and now the Inklings. It’s the best library system that I have experienced so far, devoted to learning and improving one’s self.

Last Monday, on a dark and rainy night, I traveled after work to the nearby county to attend an interesting writing workshop. It was an interesting seminar conducted by a teacher who attended the famous Black Mountain College in North Carolina. After giving an inspiring lecture, we were divided into groups and went about writing poetry. The first step was to write in free form on 3 photographs one has chosen from a book. The second step was to pass one’s work to your group mate so he or she would encircle interesting passages from their point of view. In the third step, the work is passed to a third person who would list down in another paper those interesting passages. Finally, based on the passages, one would try to make a poem by rearranging sentences, editing, adding and deleting words. It was an interesting exercise where one would create poetry from a photograph after following a series of seemingly random choices by others.

My group individually chose 3 photographs: an old lady sitting in a room, a small town in the plains with a full moon above and snow capped mountains in the distance and a young woman bathing in an underground stream with sunlight peeking through the cave openings. The resulting poem that came out is listed below.

The Essence of Mystery

She is old and young
Arms outstretched
Staring out into the darkness
A windswept white cloud expanse;
She looks out into the distance
Mysterious aging landscape.

Wise Blood

John Huston’s movie ‘Wise Blood’ is said to be a faithful literal translation of Flannery O’Connor’s book. I guess it’s the closest experience that one could get to understand O’Connor’s work aside from reading her book. John Huston has a good record bringing great novels to screen and I guess he is the best director for film adaptations. I especially liked his films ‘Under the Volcano’, ‘Red Badge of Courage’, ‘Moby Dick’, ‘Maltese Falcon’ and ‘The Man Who Would be King.’  These are all famous books from well-known authors. The DVD ‘Wise Blood’ also contains an audio clip of Flannery O’Connor reading her short story classic ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find.’ Combining both the film and the audio clip and supplemented by information from the Internet was enough to know a lot about the writer.

Southern gothic is a term often used by critics for writers like O’Conner and others like William Faulkner. One gets a good idea what the term means watching the movie and listening to the short story. O’Conner said that ‘southern gothic’ is usually a term used by Northerners where otherwise it would be called ‘realistic.’ The movie reminds me of Robert Altman’s film ‘Nashville’ with its ensemble collection of interesting or rather unusual stories and people. Both are locales based in the South. Perhaps Southern Gothic refers to tragic stories brought forth with the defeat in the War against the States. Some may argue that a foretaste is seen in Pickett’s charge in the Battle of Gettysburg. - the suicidal charge in an open field again the well-entrenched Union army. Finally, the total war in Sherman’s march through Georgia and the Carolinas which sealed the fate of the Confederacy.

There is a vein of strange tragedy flowing along the South that bring out things like ‘True Blood’ (i.e. vampires and werewolves in Louisiana) and the ‘Walking Dead’ (i.e. zombies in Atlanta). Perhaps these are the present manifestation of Southern Gothic started by writers like O’Connor. Tonight I will be watching her autobiography and perhaps a movie called ‘Grey Gardens’ – about an eccentric mother and daughter living in poverty in a huge house in the Hampton. Very gothic but not Southern so I guess it’s a trait that exists in all the states. Southern folks are like the salt of the earth – people who are down to earth and God fearing. The disastrous civil war led them forcibly to achieve a sort of spiritual grace – a transformation away from bigotry and slavery. Although vestiges of the South still exists (ex. a southern congressman shouting ‘You Lie’ during a black President’s state of the union address), the transformation is legally complete ever since the passage of the 13th amendment.

Defeat and tragedy are the necessary ingredients of romanticism. The failure of the Philippine revolution, the execution of Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio and Antonio Luna are similar examples in the Philippines. There is a strain of a lost but brilliant cause similarly in the fall of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Perhaps there is a sort of Philippine gothic that exists in the works of writer’s like Nick Joaquin. Combining both the Southern and Philippine gothic may be an interesting idea to pursue. I learned about these Southern writers in my last writing workshop. I had seen the DVD ‘Wise Blood’ in the library for sometime but needed a context to borrow it. The recent Lincoln lectures also brought out my interest on Southern history and culture so I have been borrowing works on Lincoln and the Civil War. I intend to watch ‘God and Generals’ and ‘Gone with The Wind’ during the Thanks giving holidays.

Writing workshops is a good way to expand one’s interest and I intend to spend time in more workshops next year. This helps me increase my meta cognition on writing. I have read a lot on meta cognition since reading that article in Poets & Writers. In fact, mind mapping is an act of meta cognition because it’s a meta model of one’s thinking. To be able to act or change or improve one’s thinking due to the exercise of meta cognition is the goal. Similarly one should develop meta models on writing and that’s the purpose of attending workshops. One’s learning experience and thinking skills are improved though I am still working out my writing meta models. I hope to replicate my success in public speaking brought about by attending Toastmasters. Hence, attending writing workshops, literary readings and learning more about writing via books or magazines like Poet & Writers is my strategy (or is it tragedy)?

But the only way is to write and I now have a plan. One has achieved a level of confidence and experience and age plus diminishing years that there is really no other choice. It’s really a simple game and one will try a combination of dictation, ‘natural writing techniques’, software tools like Novel Writer and yWriter to get started. Last night I seemed to have an epiphany thinking that there is no journey in life. Life is not really a series of steps following a plan to achieve a goal. It’s only the here and now that is important. Perhaps I was influenced by a line by the main character in ‘Wise Blood’ Hazel Motes. He said something about one’s past, present and future. It had a charming truth that escapes me at this moment when I write these words. It sounded funny especially since he is a so-called preacher from the Church of Christ without Christ.

The Metacog Itch

When one discovers the joy of mind mapping, one can’t help but keep using the tool in what ever tasks one is engaged in. There is a certain fulfillment that is felt in the act of making a mind map – a sort of creative release that allows one to see things better. It helps one understand complex ideas and clarify tasks. It was like seeing how one thinks inside of one’s biological brain. In fact the main purpose was to get an association of ideas and concepts into a graphical context though the visual creation is itself a fulfilling job.  According to some articles, it is a step towards improving one’s metacognition. The urge to mind map is like scratching one’s metacognitive itch.

Visual thinking in all its variation is like extending one’s mind. These tools provide an additional skill that acts like a visual metaphor – away from the usual linear words that one usual comes up with. It moves away from the abstract plane of words into a more creative plane that supposedly uses both sides of the brain. Hence, it’s a visual representation of ‘thinking about thinking’. Perhaps the literal sense-making has its limitation that a pictorial representation is the natural step forward. It has helped me become a better worker by simplifying complex ideas and improve understanding. But is it also an act of meta cognition that it provides a picture or window to one’s thinking ability? A view of the window is in itself an act of understanding.

The act of drawing within a visual tool like mind mapping is therefore an act of thinking and understanding. Now what does one see in a picture? An idea or situation expressed in a drawing that it outside the limitation of words. Does drawing make one a better writer? Perhaps it is another practice of creativity and self-expression that fulfills one’s artistic urge. The important impact is the ‘behind the scenes’ understanding that occurs in the subconscious that improves meta cognition. In fact it is the divorce from the ego that is the starting point – a realization that thinking and cognition is a skill that can be enhanced. Faulty thinking or cognition is a not a flaw of the person but a skill like dancing to be developed.

The act of meta cognition occurs when one is aware of the various thinking tools one can apply to understand better. For example, one can choose cognitive therapy, mind-mapping, other visual thinking tools like concept maps and Edward de Bono’s various thinking techniques (like lateral thinking) to improve cognition. The awareness of various techniques plus understanding one’s thinking process is meta cognition. Applying the different learning methods is also meta cognition - whether one learns from lectures, reading, doing things, watching videos or attending workshops. Meta cognition in writing means learning about the different techniques in both thinking and writing and applying the best tools that fits one’s personality. Visual writing techniques described in the book ‘Natural Writing’ is one interesting method.

One realizes that there are different techniques in writing. Dictation, long hand, or typing into the computer is some of the actual mechanical tasks. But one can also do free- form writing, making outlines or scenes, writing about writing, using index cards, writing standing up or sitting down, writing in the morning or evening, making several drafts or writing the novel in one go, using software like Novel Writing or yWriter that attempts to breakdown the writing craft into a structured software procedure and so on. I guess it is a way of growing up – to move away from the romantic idea of the genius writer or thinker working alone and in solitude into a more  collaborative and mature method that uses all sorts of tools open to both the writer and thinker. Understanding all these techniques which include attending writing workshops are steps forward in understanding meta cognition (in writing) and being a good writer.

Metacognition and Writing

Metacognition is defined as ‘thinking about thinking’. According to the theory, one can learn more if one is aware of how one learns. Metacognition is a skill and good learners have this ability. There are ways to develop metacognition and one way is via visual thinking tools like mind mapping. Writing and reflection via journaling can also stimulate metacognition. This theory has been around since the 1970’s and I have come across this word a few times but it has passed me by. Only after reading an article in Poet & Writers by a writer called Dennis Cass was I able to understand its implication for writers. I checked his blog and he is also exploring the use of digital dictation to speed up writing. Talk about synchronicity!

According to the author, writing well occurs if one has a high level of metacognition. To understand the thinking process in all it’s nuances. Realizing that thinking is a skill and not related to the person is the first step. It goes beyond one’s ego though this is the first hurdle. One can say I did not understand topic A or topic B so I need to learn more about it, maybe by experiencing instead of just reading about it. Perhaps undertaking experiential learning activities like Toastmasters for public speaking and writing workshops for writing may be a step in developing a high level of metacognition. Understanding cognitive therapy was an avenue to reducing stress and I guess another step towards improving metacognition.

Is the urge towards blogging or journal writing an innate urge towards improving one’s metacognition? Is this really the urge for learning instead of the urge for writing? The point of the Poets & Writer’s article is to say that the processes are linked. One becomes a better writer when one achieves the ability for metacognition. I guess this means that one is truly divorced from the writing process – away from the ego identifying itself with the written work. Writing then become a journey of cognition, a series of events that improves one’s cognitive ability. In fact, some authors even say that the act of writing is already a step towards metacognition. Metacognition is like achieving a detachment on one’s thinking – by observing one’s thinking process similar to meditation.

The writer’s journey is in fact a journey of cognition or, to be exact, towards metacognition. It is not a lonely journey and one needs to have collaboration and help in achieving growth. The Toastmaster and writing workshop are collaborative experiences and a supportive way to learn. One tires of the lonely genius and it’s a road that one does not even need to make. There were a lot of good sentences in the article that I like. There was one from Saul Bellow which said ‘a writer is a reader who tries emulating’. So being a writer is being a reader and synthesizing both streams requires a thinking ability which includes metacognition. So being a writer does not mean having the raw reading and writing skill but having achieved an advanced thinking level that reflects on his developed self.

The Power of New

There always something new around here. But no one can ever hope to know everything. Nevertheless one strives to do so. With all these new gadgets or ideas or events, one is afraid to lose touch. Maybe the secret is to get off the grid, to live in some wilderness and await the apocalypse. Or maybe wait for the zombies to come out. There is a strange strain of apocalyptic thinking that reverberates in recent science fiction. Recently there has been an influx of movies on zombies, alien invasion and end of the world scenarios. Japanese cinema also has this strain with their Godzilla movies. I read somewhere that this strange predilection is due to a reaction to the war, their devastating defeat (especially with the use of atomic weapons) and occupation.

The recent zombie series is based in Atlanta, Georgia – the new South of Jimmy Carter. The hit series ‘True Blood’ is based on Louisiana. Following the Japanese analogy, is the strain of apocalypse thinking due to the Civil War or the fall of the South? A lot of Southern writers seem to follow some Gothic genre like Flannery O’Connor or William Faulkner. It maybe the terrible consequences of the War Between the States that affected the sub-consciousness of Southern folks. This is not a new idea. On the other hand, war often results in good images as well. The returning hero in Asian lore, driven by the return of Douglas McArthur to the Philippines perhaps. Or the cavalry to the rescue in those early Cowboy and Indians pictures. Or the eradication of slavery.

It’s this new understanding that attracts the nerd, to try to discover the hidden meaning of popular culture. There is always something new – a new discovery, idea or gadget. But one day this curiosity will wear itself out and one cannot keep up with the flow of information. Recent evidence indicates that multi-tasking and increasing stimuli affect the brain. The brain ages more if it is constantly bombarded with new ideas and concepts. Perhaps that is the reason why man ages in his mind – the constant effort to try and be relevant by mastering a new lifestyle or new ideas or gadgets. Maybe it is also the reason for bankruptcy or increasing debt as one wish to buy all these new stuff. Is it the noble desire to start anew? Like a re-birth or a resurrection or maybe like being a born-again Christian.

This is the power of the new but now the constant change comes at a blistering pace. It’s impossible to keep up and the only way to survive is to stop all stimuli and retreat to the wilderness or, at least, to some nature preserve to re-charge one’s mental batteries. Most people who live a long life are those mystics or sages who live in caves far away from society. It’s often in some place away from some fast paced city or society. Strange that the Japanese are some of the longest living people despite having one of the most fast paced, modern societies on Earth. But the Japanese are also one of those rare people who seem to have preserved their old culture well into modern life. Perhaps the Japanese are not deluded by the new and maybe their Zen philosophy and meditation is the answer.

First Sentences

The workshop was about interesting first lines in a novel or short story. The intention was to hook the reader into reading one’s book. Some intriguing examples were given from works by authors like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Flannery O’Conner and Charles Dickens. I had always thought that writers begin their work with a sentence and some really do. I thought I was one of those following the seemingly effortless work of Ernest Hemingway. But in fact most writers derive the first sentence after doing a fair bit of editing or re-drafting. The writer ‘dusts off the soil to get to an interesting fossil’ was the metaphor used by the speaker. With that statement, I realize that I belong to the former much to my belated regret.

So goes my journey into the waters of writing workshops. I should have attended these seminars long ago but it is only in this country that one has the choice and freedom. It’s amazing that there are so many writing programs out there and even those that are reasonable on one’s budget. It’s as if the whole structure of society is built to develop oneself and be the best that one can be. It’s the first time I have experienced this kind of opportunity which is not available in the other countries I have lived. It’s the mark of a developed nation that a worthwhile activity is to try to develop your fellow citizens even without earning a buck. Of course, there are a lot of programs out there that cost a lot of money but there are still those creative writing programs that exist in small community centers.

Going to creative writing workshops is a lot like going to Toastmasters. One should have the courage to step up and speak in front of people. But it is more than that as one needs to read out his creative work in front of the group. It feels like opening one’s shell and being exposed to public ridicule. It’s a good experience and actually reading ones work and hearing the words spoken aloud feels like a catharsis. In fact, it feels like being at play and the angst-ridden neurotic thoughts of creating and writing and introspective thinking is lost in the wayside. Instead it feels like being in a game or in the classroom where one can make mistakes and learn. I guess that’s the good point in workshops because it brings you out of yourself. With the other people in class, one sees that it is some sort of sport or skill that can be learned and not an anxious hellish ordeal driven by the pressure to create.
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In a way, public speaking courses like Toastmasters prepare one for this experience. It makes you relax and express yourself better. So writing becomes a holistic development of the whole person. The act of ‘writing’ a book is no longer being alone in solitude with pen in paper or typing in a computer but verbal communication in front of people. Recently, I installed the software Dragon Digital Speaking in my net book. I could literally talk and create a book by speaking. The writer Dan Brown is said to work this way. Other famous writers have done this as well like Winston Churchill dictating his books to a secretary or Alexander Dumas dictating his stories to his associates in his atelier in Paris. So there are historically precedents in working this way.

If one does develop in this manner, then one’s journey starts by being a diarist writing in long hand, followed by typing into an electronic journal followed by blogging then, finally, dictating into a computer to get out the first draft. It’s a progression of steps, of incremental improvements, with episodes of public speaking and writing and making speeches. So it becomes not only a private expression via written means but public expression. Hence, it’s really communication in all its aspects. Perhaps it’s a return to the oral tradition where the earlier works like Homer’s Iliad where reputedly stories told in front of a fire or in eating places before being written down in paper. Telling stories started as a communal act, speaking publicly to an audience before Gutenberg and the written and published word replaced the story teller. Perhaps to be a writer one must return to the story teller of old.

Visual Mulch

There are few visually inclined people around than one would think. There is always the phrase that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ that is popular. It does mean something especially when trying to explain complex things. But one is surprised that it really does not help some folks. Maybe I exaggerate. Perhaps that is why one should read Tufte – the so-called guru of visual expression. I had bought his three landmark text books but I have not had a chance to read them. Possessing them already gives one a satisfied feeling. The next step is usually to read and I am preserving that for a rainy day. A library is supposed to be kept for a rainy day. Now as one gets older the rainy day comes much closer. In fact one accumulates a library for one’s old age – to have company and comfort among books and the many stories within them.

At work, one is often explaining things. Often talking heads fill the space that one sees with only the mouth moving and the verbiage hurling past you with a sign of recognition or understanding. Now here come visual thinking techniques. Does it really help? Making pictures seems like an extravagance because it assumes abstract reasoning or elitist understanding. But sometime its not there and it become visual verbiage. Nevertheless it’s a good exercise for the creator – to exercise one’s expression and creativity. Sometimes there is a glimmer of understanding – recognition that communication has been achieved. But it seems to be rare and far between. This is why great orators are a wonder. There are few who are not only great orators but great thinkers as well.

When Lincoln passed away, one of his cabinet members said, ‘this is one for the ages.’ There was no mistaking that a great man had gone. Compared to other people, including the current president, Lincoln’s oratory seems very simple. It reaches sublime heights without sounding extravagant and indulgent. Sadly, today’s orators lack this quality. Perhaps because today’s leaders have led a comfortable life. Not the hard life of Lincoln. He is self-taught but did not lack confidence or self-esteem. These days one will feel uncertain if he lacks a formal education, at least at the college level. There is a lack of grit and home spun common sense existing today. Perhaps it exists in folksy people like Sarah Palin who most sophisticates look down upon. Lincoln was ridiculed in his day as well although I am not at all suggesting that Palin is Lincoln-like.

Most common folks do not have the sophisticated high mindedness of visual thinking techniques. In fact the simplicity of thought is a good quality without the self-deluding and self churning mentality of a confused mind. I guess these folks would not waste time writing here in a blog as well. But it is a form of exercise like going to the gym. But this thinking and writing exercises will not make one a Lincoln who derived his brilliance by going through a difficult life. Perhaps going through this self-inflicted exercise is like simulating a tough life but the result is arrogance instead of humility. This is the secret of the great ones because they do not think they are better than other people. Other folks think that having a lot of experience, books, education and stuff makes them rise above the rest which is the fatal mistake of hubris.

The Ascent of Nonsense

Niall Ferguson’s book ‘The Ascent of Money’ is an interesting book that attempts to give a historical and global framework to today’s financial crisis. I understand he finished the book a few months before the collapse of Lehman Brothers. So timely was the subject of the book that it was enough to give it a boost for people who are inclined to look at the past in order to understand the future. Niall Ferguson is a good writer and I enjoyed his book on the British Empire. He is the type of author who likes to think broadly and deeply ala Paul Johnson. Intellectually, they may both inhabit the same political spectrum with possible right wing imperialist tendencies of the Winston Churchill mold. Intelligent Englishmen who look nostalgically at their old realm and who like the United States to lead the world in the manner of the British Empire.

But Ferguson is a good and intelligent writer who may be considered a revisionist in his views of history. He writes knowledgeably of the Venice, Shakespeare, economic hit men, John Law, bubbles and speculation and other relevant subjects on money and finance. He looks at his subject from a broad view and lacks the detailed economic and financial analysis that other writers provide in their analysis of the financial crisis. The main thesis of his book is that the rise of finance and money mirrors the rise of man and society. He even references the work of people like Yunos of Grameen bank fame and Latin American economists like those who advised the Pinochet government in Chile.  He is not squeamish in expressing the cold hard facts of life even at the expense of life. An interesting supplement of his book is ‘The Money Nexus’ – a work depicting the intersection wars and money and finance.

I guess he is the sort of writer that the Bush neo – conservatives would love. If they needed an erudite Oxford trained intellectual who teaches in Harvard to provide a justification for all their actions then Ferguson fits the bill. Reading the first few chapters of  ‘The Money Nexus’, he gives a good argument that wars today have less casualties and perhaps attributes it to advanced weaponry. He seems to say that wars today cost less than in the past despite the fact that the Iraq war cost billions. Ferguson does not shy away from controversy and his Wikipedia entry expresses a lot of his controversial ideas. for example, England should not have entered into World War I, a German victory during that war would have resulted in a sort of Economic Union (EU), Germany was pushed into the war by France and so on. He leans toward Germany rather than France with regards to European leadership today.

Ferguson is the opposite of the left leaning writer Naomi Klein – another writer with brilliant ideas (ex. ‘The Shock Doctrine’). Both these writers seem to inhabit a different sphere with their intellectual dexterity. Both have interesting ideas on the why thing occur in the world. I guess they both would be considered true intellectuals. In contrast perhaps to someone like Abraham Lincoln who is self-taught and credited with only one year of formal education. But I have no doubt that Abe would be the person with the correct solution when faced with a problem. The reasoning behind such action like the emancipation proclamation was not done through brilliant intellectual reasoning but a more practical and insightful analysis. Perhaps it is like ‘game theory’ in the most basic and intuitive sense. I guess that is the real American tradition that disdains intellectualism despite the brilliant ideas into a more practical mod of thinking. I guess reading these books provide a sort of mental exercise but not to be taken seriously.

Hi-Tech’s Philosopher

I just read William Gibson’s book ‘Idoru’ written in the 1990s and part of his ‘bridge’ trilogy. I am set to start reading his latest book ‘Zero History.’  Admittedly his works seems light and his sentences are brief, Zen-like, and similar to Japanese koans. Minimalism is the word that comes to mind when reading his works. Lately I seemed to have transferred my fondness for the spy novel to science fiction – particularly of the Gibson variety. Gibson is perhaps unlike the more established science fiction writers like Isaac Asimov or Frank Herbert, authors I have never read except watched film adaptations of their books. In fact, I never liked science fiction except to watch the genre in movies (‘Star Wars’) or television (‘Star Trek’) where the plots are better illustrated than read. But Gibson is different because his subjects seem to be more accessible and timely.

His works have different ‘down-to-earth’ themes such as pattern recognition, advertising, Internet, artificial intelligence and high technology. He does not write about aliens or space exploration or about strange viruses and so on.  In fact his novels seem tame and disciplined, without the extravagant imagination of a Jules Verne. His work seems to evoke a sleek well-designed gadget like the iPhone or the iPad. But his recent works also talk about spies and conspiracy and the nexus of technology, advertising, commercial spy work, Internet and rock bands. A strange mix that is very interesting. I used to have the same devotion to the spy novels of John le Carre and Ian Fleming but the fall of communism may have removed the romanticism of spies. Instead it’s all about technology today.

The inexorable march of technology and innovation has immediate consequences to one’s lifestyle or one’s future that everyone is a futurologist; enjoying the latest technology due to the falling prices of hardware and software. It’s now becoming a specialist world where every one could buy an Apple product and step into the future. In the meantime, the Internet is evolving in some sort of invisible parallel universe like a separate country growing organically like those buildings in ‘Idoru’, constructing itself via nanotechnology after a devastating earthquake. The new world is a world where science fiction is no longer fiction but every day reality. Perhaps not yet in the way things occur in Gibson’s books (except for his last 3 books which seem closer to today’s reality).

This is Gibson role - as a seer who helps people navigate the new technical world. John le Carre may have written about how countries really work in their spy battles but that age is now gone; replaced by technology. Indeed, spy craft is no longer the purview of people like George Smiley or James Bond but of super computers and satellites shifting through vast amounts of electronic data to discover patterns and, thereby, discern terrorist attacks or battle plans or foreign espionage or conspiracy. The spy world has moved into science fiction. Perhaps this is the meaning of Gibson’s latest trilogy, ‘Pattern Recognition’, ‘Spook Country’ and ‘Zero History.’  But his books are sparse and elegant as compared to le Carre’s dense Shakespearean like plotting. But his succinct sentences can contain deep ideas exposing only the tip of the iceberg like the deceptively simple Apple interface hiding an extremely sophisticated operating system underneath.

In today’s high technology society, the science fiction writer is its philosopher. Shakespeare writes in his day about kings and queens, or Le Carre, in the height of the cold war, about spies and espionage. Now in the convergence of communication, computers, television, music, film, Internet and everything else being digitized, there is a new magic and mystery given life by technology. So William Gibson is providing the same role that writers in the past have done. To write about present times, to educate, entertain and philosophize about reality. He is technology’s philosopher - trying to give meaning to today’s scientific enchantment and confusion. A new world where the forces of commerce, government and military are all trying to use the latest scientific equipment to further their goals. It’s no longer the stuff of science fiction but maybe literature in the tradition of George Orwell or Franz Kafka

Election Day

Why is Election Day close to Halloween or all Saints day? Maybe the expectation of monsters and frightening events is the reason. After all, going through the surprise of people wearing scary costumes and celebrating the dead, one is already used to horror and no surprise when seeing the election results. Now that is the frightening event. What sort of monsters will one find with the result of the elections? Last night the new television series premiered called the ‘Walking Dead’ - another one of those shows trying to capitalize on the zombies’ genre. The real walking dead or zombies may probably come after the results of the election.

I am being unfair. I don’t mean the coming winners or losers but the state of gridlock in politics. Gridlock and division means no work gets done. When no work is done, then it’s like being dead. Maybe that is the reason for the recent popularity of the zombies’ show. The television show was quite good but slow. I guess the producers are trying to stretch out the plot into a season full of interesting episodes. But I don’t get to see my favorite shows like ‘Rubicon’ and ‘Mad Men.’ The AMC television network is hot, coming out with all these interesting shows. For instance, ‘Rubicon’ is about a conspiracy of intelligence leaders who manufacture a terrorist incident for profit.

There were some stories of a coming terrorist attack since last month. There were alerts in Europe especially in France. Over the weekend, there was a discovery of a bomb plot; to detonate a bomb mid-air. Perhaps there are a few folks who would like to create an incident to influence the coming elections. Similar to what had happened in the past in Spain and, perhaps, England. The plot in ‘Rubicon’ seems to parallel reality especially over the weekend. Luckily the good guys won and the plot was foiled. Now comes the ‘Walking Dead’ and we shall see if this prediction comes to pass as well after the election.

The economy is not doing well as most people have expected despite the recovery and avoidance of a double dip recession. The worst maybe over but employment is still high at about 9 +%.  The environment is not conducive to incumbents because as seen in the ‘mad men’ shouting about losing jobs, homes and savings. One finds it funny that people accuse the government of increasing its role in the economy and in the same breadth accuse it of not doing enough to create jobs and improve the economy. It’s disingenuous to say that wrong policies are the result of the current malaise. What should be celebrated, in fact, is what did not happen - a collapse of the financial system that would have caused a world-wide depression.

Last night I had a sinking feeling of disorientation; that I have been procrastinating for too long. Under the guise of learning, exploring or expanding one’s horizon, I have distracted myself to middle age. Watching ‘Into Great Silence’ and speaking with my friend who were over for a Halloween lunch made me realize how trivial one’s life is. Time is running out and one should focus on the essential goal. I wasted my time watching movies or reading books like ‘Happy’, ‘Linked’ and ‘The Junior Officers Reading Club’. All these books were marginal works that seemed to promise a depth or relevancy that was not there. It would have been better if one spent the weekend in a drunken stupor.

Lincoln: the Constitution and the Civil War

There’s an excellent exhibit traveling around the country. This month the exhibit arrived at the local library. The exhibit is about Lincoln. A series of seminars are scheduled at the library to coincide with the exhibit. I attended 3 seminars so far which were great. I learn more about Lincoln with the exhibit and listening to the talks than in reading about him. I had a chance to borrow some movie like ‘Gettysburg’ to supplement the experience. It’s a great way to learn about history. What is interesting is the question and answer session after the talks. Everyone gets to say what he or she thinks including uncomfortable questions about the civil war. This is more poignant being in the deep South in an election year.

Last night the talk was about presidential speeches. The talk before that was a visit by Lincoln himself – actually a professor who was re-enacting the former president. So one gets to see Abe himself in the flesh although he was way too short compared to the real person. The kids liked the show I think and the hall was full with some students in the audience. Like last night’s talk, there where prickly questions asked; especially being in the Southern state that started the secession that ignited the Civil War itself. The wounds have not healed yet it seems though these folks where in the minority. I guess from the reaction of the audience most of the folks have accepted the result of that war.
 

On the way to the library I saw some pretty young ladies waving the flag with some placards. I was not able to read what was written but I heard later that they were actually protesting the talk. This gave the evening a tint of drama and expectations of dread. One person in the audience questioned the right of Lincoln and the federal government to wage a war on a secessionist state. I guess this boils down to the old argument of state versus federal rights. The speaker deftly answered the question in my view by evoking the sin of slavery. The war was God’s punishment to both North and South for allowing the sin of slavery to fester. So the war was a sort of redemption for the country to renew itself and the union. According to the speaker, that was the content of Lincoln’s 2nd inaugural speech.

The vocal opposition or perhaps the remnants of the Confederacy speak about the numbers of people who have died in the war. I can’t help but think of the millions of people who died in the Philippines during the Philippine – American war (or the Philippine insurrection as some here would state). I guess it’s a matter of perspective on who is the victim or victor and who writes history. Perhaps the wars of foreign intervention in places like the Philippines or Vietnam still needs to be paid back and the resulting ‘blowback’ is penance again this infractions. But one cannot help but feel the growth of a great country trying to find its way like a bull in a porcelain shop. I read somewhere that one knows the greatness of a country by its civil wars.

This reminds me of China where literally millions of people have died in its many internal wars. This is why I don’t believe the nay sayers who predict the coming self-destruction of China who will collapse on its own contradictions like the former Soviet Union. It’s a country revolving around its own orbit – unaffected by what other people or external forces would like to inflict. Not even the rise of India will ever reach what it has achieved today. It will always be the ‘middle kingdom’ surviving midway between Heaven and Earth. But this does not mean the exclusion of others because there will be other ‘middle kingdoms’ as well in the Americas and Europe. I guess too much high minded talk can get one loose in his head after attending these talks.  

Segway to Novel Writing

In the past weeks I have attended 2 writing workshops. I plan to attend more. I used to scoff at the idea of workshops, preferring the romantic picture of a lone writer genius, slaving away at work. This is the illusion one gets reading Hemingway. In fact, Hemingway was a working journalist who crafted his style with day to day journalism. Following the 10,000 hour rule, Hemingway would have gotten the required allotment in his newspaper work and his creative writing work. He also had good mentors or guides like Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound and Maxwell Perkins – the legendary editor who also helped writers like Thomas Wolfe and F. Scott Fitzgerald. So Hemingway was no lone genius but someone who had actual writing experiences plus a host of gifted writers who helped and guided him.


The romantic notion of the writer is debunked by Ayn Rand in her series of essays on fiction writing. Ayn Rand is often called the mentor of the far-right, extolling ideas like objectivism or capitalism in its most extreme form. Not someone I would normally look up to. But her experience in collectivism has brought her to the point where romantic notions like communism could never really work in real life. So she can be seen as a realist and so she brought her steely eyed, unblinking look to novel writing. She had indeed written some good books of fiction which I confess I have not read. The books are well regarded by some and she serves as the inspiration for gifted people like Alan Greenspan – the musician turned economist turned consultant turned presidential adviser turned Federal Reserve chairman.      

Ayn Rand seems to be the guiding light for the current libertarian movement. “I am John Galt’ signs appear in Tea Party gatherings (where John Galt is a hero in one of her novels). Anyway, it is her insight on writing that I particularly like. It’s a no-nonsense hard look on the art of writing that has cured me of my romanticism. But after that insight, I find that I am unable to move forward. So here comes the great event – one’s discovery of writing workshops. Workshops are everywhere here, offered at different budgets. I am glad to have reached here at the time of my reflections on writing. It has come at a right time as I seem to be turning into myself, becoming neurotic and self absorbed. Workshops allow you to go out of yourself, where writing exercises – doing them and reading your work – feels like being at play. One realizes that writing is a joyful experience and not some angst-filled endeavor.

It feels like being on the speedway to become a novelist. I was so proud or arrogant or even naive to reject all sorts of help that I rejected workshops or enrolling in creating writing courses. One has missed the mark of youthful achievement – writing the great books in one’s twenties or thirties. Unfortunately, one heads to middle age having done nothing except writing journals and blogs and discovering workshops. But all is not lost because one is in a land where one can start anew. It’s a birthright in this country and one is like a child ready to try out the latest new thing. It’s this extraordinary ability for renewal that is unique. Everyone has a second chance no matter his age or education and I am glad that one would discover the joy of workshops even at middle age.

Transformation via Facebook

There is an article in ‘Wired’ magazine on Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) that attempts to explain the organization’s success from a scientific perspective. Another article in the magazine questions the relevance of the usual method of science inquiry. These days with data seemingly in abundance, the scientific method is turned on its head. According to the writer, instead of making a hypothesis and then undertaking an experiment to prove (or disprove) a thesis, one should in its place amass large data sets and determine associations or patterns from the data, thereby proving or disproving or even creating a new thesis. This method is made possible where organization like Google have access to large amounts of data. New companies like ‘23 and me’ have the ability to amass large data sets for precisely this reason. See: https://www.23andme.com/

It’s an interesting argument that remains to be proven. But it’s a paradigm shift that could result in speedy development of medical cures as well as radical changes in technology. It’s the rapid development of so-called crowd sourcing where the web facilitates massive participation. This was put to good use in the recent election with the use of Face book to help elect a new administration. Social media is the new thing and new ideas like ‘socialnomics’ attempt to explain this phenomenon. The book’s second title states ‘how social media transforms the way we live and do business’. Looks like an interesting book that tries to exploit the current trend. See:  http://socialnomics.net/ .
    
Nowadays social network sites like Face book or You Tube have a large number of users that are bigger than the populations of some countries. It is these web-based social network applications that are used more today than ‘Goggle’ or ‘Yahoo’ or Windows or other such famous application in the recent past.

Web-based social networking is increasing in usage not because of the prevalence of computers but other new gizmos. Mobile devices such as smart phones or devices that carved out  new niches in the market like iPads or devices like Sony Dash and even television sets including gizmos like Boxee, Roku, Apple TV or Google TV, widen the ability to access the Internet and it’s social networking applications. I guess this is the next revolution driving innovation. The computer in its usual form may have reached their apex of innovation. Only the software and the Internet is driving change. Perhaps the only thing left are incremental changes like touch screen, wireless connection to television and so on. The action is happening in mobile devices and other gizmos that widen the gateway to the Internet. It’s this new wave driving mobile software like location driven social networking.

The ‘Wired’ article that interested me was the piece on AA. The AA sessions sometimes reminds one of Toastmaster. Both organizations rely on a group setting that help transform individual members. The trans formative event occurs when the group is actively helping one to transcend his or her limitations. Similarly, this is the value of writing workshops – a group setting that helps you become a writer. I guess this proves that no one is an island and one is really a social animal and needs ‘psychological’ or ‘spiritual’ nourishment in a group setting to grow. Isn’t this social networking in action? I guess self-help organizations are really social organization where the group to helps the individual. Social networking is really technology facilitating group interactions. Perhaps one feels less alone in the world when one sees his friends (new and long lost) in Face book, for example, that he is strengthened to move on with his life. It’s the feeling that his life matters and that his progress in life is a source of wonder for his friends and relatives watching his growth in Face book. I guess social networking is the true redemption or saving grace of technology.

Project Work

Yesterday I attended our monthly Toastmaster meeting. For the first time, I felt relaxed and confident. Usually in public settings, one’s has normal feelings of insecurity and awkwardness. But now I felt I was among friends who accept me for what I am. But it was also because one has found himself more since coming to a distant locale. I know who I am and it is usually in a foreign place that one discovers who he is. One understands the differences in one’s culture and upbringing when compared to the local born. For instance, I have purchased more books by Philippine authors since my days in college. It’s also the Toastmaster experience where one needs to have an image of one self to be able to communicate sincerely. I guess I have reached that stage in having formed a self-image adapted to local circumstances.

It is not that one has to form a ‘mask’ in order to face others. But one should seek a compromise that would fit the ‘stereotype’ that local born folks have of someone from Asia. At the end of the day, it’s an open culture with a mix of heritage although more of the European one. So ones need to assert his identity but not to the extent that it would prevent assimilation. It is seeking this compromise of retaining one’s identity while accepting the local perception of one’s culture that one avoids the chest-thumping chauvinism present in most immigrant experiences. It is this journey and eventual acceptance that is the subject of most migrant movies or of moving to a new neighborhood or school and so on. In most cases, it is not only a voyage for work but also of self-actualization.

In my vocation, I get to do what I usually do in the past but with different actors in a new culture. It’s intimidating because one needs a level of self-confidence beyond one’s usual capacity. But that is self-doubt because the job is not new except for the people and place. Instead of working with software developers in the Philippines or India, one is now working with developers from Cleveland, Ohio. The culture and pace of work plus the sensibilities are a lot different. The culture of working in the South is also a whole different encounter. It’s more delightful and relaxed as compared to the hectic and delirious pace of Asia. But it’s the same project based work with the same methodology and milestones. One is just applying the same principles that have helped me in the past: using visual techniques, consistent follow-up and attention to details.

The key anywhere in the world is interpersonal skills. In my case, it’s getting close to the folks but with the risk of losing sight of the big picture. So using visual techniques is a way to see the big picture as attention to details forces one to focus on the trees (not the forest). Visual techniques are especially good when working with remote teams spread out all over the country or the globe. I feel that it’s coming together and the Toastmaster experience has helped me in my new job by helping me think on my feet and speaking in front of people. It’s as if all the threads of my past experiences are coming together in a tapestry that is me; evolving to meet the current environment and achieving a sort of transformation. Writing workshops may be the final step in helping round out one’s experience and understanding. Being a writer is not only about one’s skills but also one’s growth as a person in his milieu.

Writing Workshops

I attended my first creative writing workshop last Sunday. It was a revelation to me because it was so easy. One could think too much that one has gone beyond realistic expectations. This is the same ‘over thinking’ problem. It seemed to be like a game where one could sit down and scribble a scene or vignette. It seemed like a joke but in fact the joke was on me. It’s like one has been looking far and wide for a secret when in fact it was right in front of you. One always thought that writing was a gut wrenching exercise, filled with angst, suffering and, eventual, revelation. In reality, it is as simple as biking or swimming if one has contributed sufficient time to practice.

The effect of attending creative writing workshop is similar to Toastmaster. It allows you an opportunity to speak in front of people. Overcoming shyness and awkwardness of public speaking is the first step. The writing workshops allow you to read your work in front of people and hear your own words spoken publicly. It also allows you to measure your words with others who are also first time writers who are scribbling as well. The unintended comparison give a gauge on how you have developed or how you rate with fellow first time scribblers. I think I would not have the confidence of attending writing workshops without my experiences in Toastmaster. The learning experience now seems to go hand in hand

Are creative writing workshops a natural next step after Toastmasters? Or is this the natural progression for ‘self-taught’ neurotic, part-time writers like me? Firstly, I think the experience is revelatory in that it removes the mistaken impression that writing is a mysterious and mystical experience. It’s the lesson Ayn Rand tries to teach in her book, ‘The Art of Writing.’. The writing workshops are like ‘baby steps’ in the same way that Toastmaster is a way to develop one’s speaking skills. Unfortunately, there is no equivalent organization for writers like Toastmasters is to speakers. Both experiences provide a venue to express oneself: one in speaking and another in writing. But the road for the writer is much more difficult.

These avenues remove one’s delusion and over thinking tendencies. The experience brings one back to a realistic frame work. Back to square one or back to the drawing board. There is too much mental ‘noise’ that one has to get rid off. Speaking in Toastmaster allows you the opportunity to get rid of the noise when speaking in front of people. It’s the noise that contributes to self-doubt, anxiety and fear. Writing workshops also provide you that opportunity to reduce mental noise. It’s a way to gain experience before stepping into the real arena. This ‘actual’ experience with fellow travelers is the real education that one gets. But it’s only a modest education considering what real experience one would get as a teacher or journalist, for example.

So venues like writing workshops and Toastmasters are a minor substitute in getting real world experience. It’s a training ground for the battle ahead. Also, it’s only in modern countries that one has access to reasonable writing workshops. The sensibility, maturity and accessibility to English speaking writers are unavailable in developing countries. On the other hand, Toastmasters has perfected a club method that can be replicated anywhere in the world and so one has access to speaking experiences almost everywhere. But one has to prepare and understand what these experiences can provide so one can benefit from them. One has understand the limitation and be open to all that the experience can provide; to intelligently grow from that ‘meager’ but useful practice.

Game Theory in Dating

John Nash, the Nobel Prize winning economist who expanded the literature of game theory, adding the notion of equilibrium to the original work of John von Neumann. In the Hollywood movie, John Nash played by Russell Crowe formalized his theories based on a social problem – dating his female college mates. If the movie is to be believed, he needed a strategy to date girls. So his game theory was fed by his social awkwardness as he needed a way to successfully date girls. I believe his ideas were successful in getting more dates. So game theory has every day social applications, not only in high level endeavors like planning for nuclear strikes or in high level negotiations. In You Tube, there is even a video in using game theory to get a raise.

It’s a good framework to analyze every day situations. It removes the emotional content inherent in interpersonal relationships. One transcends the normal ego-related reaction and instead goes above to a higher objective level. It’s the level of a ‘game’ similar to sports like chess, basketball and so on. Without the ego, thinking is calm and controlled - with an emphasis on strategy instead of getting ahead over one’s ‘enemy’. It’s not really a strategy of getting an upper hand but deciding on a course of action following your opponent’s choice. A good example was the tobacco companies’ decision to follow the government’s request to stop tobacco advertising. It is the famous prisoner’s dilemma where staying silent is not the best option (even if it’s the best return) and, instead, confesses to the police and gets a lesser prison sentence.

The decision is made based on the reaction of the other party. From this perspective, it is making a decision based on getting the better deal for all. So the basis of the decision is not constructed in isolation but in how the others react. The benefit may not be as great as you would have wanted but based on the best outcome considering the reaction of the other party. Applied to dating, I believe the movie suggests asking the 2nd or 3rd best looking girl (or guy) rather than the best looking one. The best looking girl (or guy) will likely get a lot of offers from other suitors and the chances of John Nash succeeding is remote. At the other end of the scale, choosing the least attractive girl (or guy) may provide the best result but not the best return to the suitor.

It’s a wise course of action but for some folks who have an intuitive sense of game theory, perhaps like the Chinese who have centuries of experience, it would seem like common sense.  Game theory is a way to create a dynamic technique to reach a wise decision. It’s been around for some time but not well understood in its day to day application. Today, one has a sense to raise one’s thinking and decision making skills into a higher level. New technology is changing the landscape of everyday life. It’s a new world that one has to adapt to. It’s an incentive to change one’s mode of thought when faced with a changing world. It reminds one of the changing landscapes like in the movie ‘Inception’ – with buildings crumbling or folding upwards to the sky, shorelines collapsing or gravity suddenly suspended that one walks on ceiling or walls – but still working towards a goal and changing tactics as the situation changes.

It’s a way of acting or making decisions in a fluid situation. Perhaps it is like playing multi-level chess. Game theory give one a foundation for thinking – like kindergarten – and one should scale up to more difficult problems as one lives his life. One always wondered about the decisions of people like Henry Kissinger or Mao or Deng – who seem to follow the beat of a different drum when making decisions. Reading their works or biographies one detects a high level of strategic thought that is beyond the layman. Perhaps game theory is a way to match wits with grand thinkers or strategists. It’s no longer a matter of following one’s values or beliefs or gut reaction in making strategic choices but following a mechanism that incorporates the situational reality. Hence, one is playing a game with other players.