Money
I am very open about the fact that I like money. I like earning it, saving it, growing it and spending it. I often get into arguments with people who do not repay loans and have a general discomfort of people who cannot effectively manage their finances.
Becoming a doctor has been a lifelong goal for me and this year has been especially exciting as I am finally getting some hands-on (in a sense) experience. When people learn that I am studying to become a doctor, they immediately assume that money was the motivating factor, and up until this semester I had begun to believe them. However, the instant I enter an examination room (hot on the heels of an actual doctor), I feel comfortable, knowledgeable, and excited.
The History of Love
I recently attended a very interesting lecture about the evolution of love. It was refreshing to hear love discussed so calculative, and I thought I would write about the best parts.
Note: Graphic adapted from course material
The professor discussed the selective advantages and disadvantages (the course was Evolutionary Biology) to love and how it has changed over species and time. Like many other emotions and sensations, love today is a balance between the most efficient and most effective way to improve oneself. If you love too much, you risk being vulnerable to predators or expending too much energy. If you don’t love enough, you face the consequences of less interaction among kin and group members.
Is that all there is to love? Is it not something bigger, or does it not – at least – include something more powerful?
The Internet and Anonymity
Among some truly strange queries, I have been finding an increasing number of searches for my name coming up in my referrer logs. This can only mean that people I know (or maybe a stalker?) have decided to look me up and have found my online home.
When I first began this site, I decided that it would be a private, anonymous home where I could write whatever I wanted without it being linked to me in any way. I adopted the online name “Thame” (which is actually my real name) and wrote in relative peace for a few months. As the website grew, I became a little worried that my façade would be broken and my life would come rushing out of every monitor on the planet. Luckily, this did not happen and I continued, nameless, until a few weeks ago when a few strategic links rocketed me to the number one position for my name or last name.
The Binding Problem
I came across a very interesting question while doing some research for my Consciousness article called the “Binding Problem”. This problem concerns how consciousness and the advanced thought it entails is formed by the wide and seemingly independent actions of the brain. How is the distinct sense of self – the “I” – interpreted from the mess of neuron firings occurring throughout the CNS (central nervous system)?
Beauty
I walked confidently down the spine of the campus, mentally setting my path through the very center and following it regardless of any obstacles. To either side were large buildings, each with a structural, practical beauty that is difficult to describe. A few patches of the road were occupied by small groups, but the majority were staggering to their next class. I walked past one student with a particularly contemplative stare – one that I imagine I wear most of the time, but they passed quickly and I could no longer recall their face. Another student passed me with an uncomfortable stride staring intently at their goal, in this case, Capen Hall. To my left were a pair of girls, recounting an interesting event from the previous night. This is only a snapshot of my day, illustrating the paths, goals, viewpoints, and priorities of my peers.