On "Equality in Argument"

"Men are born equal but they are also born different" -  Erich Fromm
And therein lies my point.

Logic is fair and just, is it not?
The basis of arguments is the search for truth, using logical deduction from facts.
We base our arguments on what we know (or think) is logical,
because it is what puts us and the opponent on level grounds of discussion,
where we substantiate our points through flows of deduction and facts.
And there is usually at the end of the argument, Ceteris Paribus, one truth
which is the only truth that makes logical sense.
And then the truth becomes a fact.

On that basis, there can never be two opposing truths, like A>1 and A<1, at the same time/space/context.
There is no "more true" or "less true", simply because there is no measure of extent for truth.
The truth is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
No truth is more true or less true than another truth.
If not, it would be like saying "This apple is more apple than this apple"...

That established, back to "Men are born equal" and the most convoluted part.
Can personal experiences be taken into account during arguments? (Parents have more personal experience than us, but are they necessarily always right?)
Granted, one with more relevant personal experiences might be able to provide a more convincing argument about a certain subject.
Yet, "Ethos" was separated from "Logos" for a reason, because they are simply different.
Even though both constitute to an argument, the search for truth should ideally be based solely on "Logos",
as it is the only thing that can convince generations and ideologies to come.
Ethos, no matter how powerful, can never overcome logic. (Logic says you need to have a break once in a while. Parents say you need to study constantly and not waste your time. Which do you believe?)
Drawing back to the apple metaphor,
one cannot accept the argument that "My apple is more apple because I know what an apple is like more than you"
Several fallacies can be seen from this.
1. You can never fully understand what the opponent knows, and cannot assume that the opponent knows less than you do. ("Because I am your parent and older than you." Sounds familiar?)
2. As established above, an apple cannot be more apple than another.

Then, to "they are also born different".
Arguments are not channels for us to impress our thoughts onto the opponent.
Especially if what one is trying to impress is fallacious or just plain not-true. ("You should use the computer less because the only thing you can use it for is playing games."...WTH)
Imagine "My apple is more apple than your apple because in my reasoning, an apple is blue in colour.
I believe I am always correct because I know more than you about apples,
and you should think the same as me because I am always correct.
Therefore you should think I am correct!"
Take a while to think, cos it really makes not sense at all.
Its like saying "I'm right because I'm right"...(IF definition of "your parent" = someone who is right, "I'm right because I'm "your parent" = ?)

In fact, even if we really know something is the truth, we cannot just simply force others to think the same way, right?
Think human rights, freedom of thought...
One should have the choice to follow that truth or to acknowledge but not apply it.
Just like an apple is good for health (truth), so you should eat apples (follow). ("I'm your parent, so you should do what I choose to let you do, no more, no less")
That doesn't mean you should always eat apples, right?
That's what I meant by acknowledging the truth, but not putting it into application.
Its not a sin or something bad, but just a difference in choice.
We are all different, so we cannot be expected to make the same choices,
which links back to why arguments are not channels for us to impress our choices onto others. (Much less threats and "blackmail" like "If you don't listen to me, you won't get your allowance"...)

Why all these blabbering? Highlight the entire text to see the hidden brackets.
Sigh...(Parents, we can never win an argument against them, can we? They've got the "PARENT" veto...)

Busying...

Haha, haven't been blogging for a while cos of so many stuff other than schoolwork...
Learning to play the Double Bass,
Reading new books for GP,
Trying something new etc. etc.

 

Not surprisingly, it is doing all these things that make my life feel worthwhile.
I mean, what is there to look forward to if our lives are only centered around studies?
It is not that learning is a bad thing, but our rigid education system just doesn't fit people like me.
Having a fixed set of syllabus, standardized tests and examination formats,
these just feel so restrictive and suffocating.
Haiz, but the system, we are in...

Suicide Thoughts?

Hmmm, I was thinking, "If I have suicide thoughts, what will they be like?"
Not that it have or ever had, but just curious XP
Youtubed "Suicide Song" and found "Hungarian suicide song".
Many versions tho, but personal favourite is by Diamanda Galas.
Listened to it on repeat while typing this to see if it can inspire anything...
I suppose my suicide thoughts can be as follows:

Not bad, not bad at all...
Hmmm...
...

p.s. Actually thinking abt gutiar stuff when typing...a bit hard to get into the mood...

My Bad Habits

After all the stuff about interview skills and image management,
just feel like I should compile some of my bad habits.

1) Easily sidetrackedThis is probably the easiest to describe XP
Took me 4hrs to finish this post, chatting on msn n stuffs...
Also, once Guitar stuff comes about, then my school work is gone...
Bad habit.

2) Care too much about othersThis kinda puts me in weird situations sometimes.
Cleaning up tables in hawker centers, picking up random rubbish on the floor.
Singaporeans don't really do those a lot, do they?
Then stuff like standing on the bus so others can sit, even tho there are quite many seats left,
pretending not to see an empty seat so others behind can go to it etc.
Especially for ladies, cos it just feels wrong if I don't...
Then there is the compulsive shifting of my stuffs (bags, pencil cases etc) when people are making their way past them.
Its not like it would really clear the way for them or something, but I'll just do it automatically...
Bad habit.

3) Reading too deep Its all about the English...
I mean, if you know the connotations behind a simple greeting,
its kinda hard to just accept it as it is.
Loaded questions, fallacious arguments etc that people just take for granted...
Bad habit.

4) Thinking too long before talkingMakes my speaking tempo slow down significantly...ya.
Just feel that sometimes there is a need to think more carefully and choose each word carefully.
But ya, then it would sound kinda abnormal with I speak like that.
Bad habit.

5) Doing what I shouldn't do without letting others knowYa, without letting others know then...
Bad habit.

That's all i can think of, as of now...

My most famous "Anonymous" comment

Music acts as a bridge between the musician and the audience.
It establishes a unique connection between emotions and the soul.
Notes act as the medium for which lures out our innate responses to sounds,
guiding the change of emotions down a chord.
Dynamics set the heartbeat of the audience,
be it the calmness of Largo or the excitement of Presto, the flow of Legato or the impact of Staccato.
In a sense, music embodies the emotions of the musician, which would resonate with the feelings of the audience.

Emotions shape music, which in turn shapes emotions.

Hahaha XD

On Love and True Love

I haven't been in a relationship before, nor am currently in one.
Just thought it would be interesting to give my 0.5 cents worth on this.

Honestly, much my interpretations come from observations.
Its not that many people around me are in love (openly, that is),
just bits and pieces here and there.

Another source of my interpretations, probably the most significant, is music and songs.
Love is like one of the most, if not the most, common theme in contemporary music and songs.
Its even kinda hard to find a song that doesn't touch on love...

What is LOVE?I shan't use any dictionary definitions, since it defeats the entire point...
After listening to so many ballads, I have some idea of this things (I guess).

They sing about many forms and allusions of love,
the burning flame of intense love,
the pristine sunset beach of passionate love,
the black seduction of scandalous love,
the pure white snow of innocent love.

They sing about how love can be expressed,
the sharing of joy and happiness,
the courage of braving challenges and breaking rules,
the sacrifice of one individual for the other.

I've seen some sort of influence these stuff have on people.
People trying to express their "friendship" with these "expressions".
Kinda awkward, mostly for those in the knowing (i.e. me) XP

What I feel, is that love is less of a "thing", more of a "concept".
Love differs from one individual to another.
It is impossible to distinguish and pin-point exactly what is love and what isn't.
I mean, you can't say that people who love each other must sacrifice their entire self for the other,
cos many of times there is no use or need to, so it just doesn't make sense.

I don't think love is a kind of need, cos many have survived without it.
I don't think it is a "want"/desire too, though many people take it as so, cos its a disgrace to the concept itself.

So, What exactly is LOVE?
The closest I can get is that it is a unique form of connection.
It is that invisible line that draws two individuals together.
The individuals involved might or might not know it is there, but it definitely is.
Is it predestined by fate, then? In a sense, I would say yes.
It is by chance of the slimmest kind, that two individuals who have the potential for this kind of connection meet each other,
get to know each other and finally realise that this connection called "Love" exists between them.
It is not about the sacrifices and challenges, but the intensity of this connection between them,
that might make them do "stupid" things.

Then, What is True Love?
Some people argue that true love is love that never dies
because if a love dies, it is not true love.
Can immediately see the ridiculousness in that?
My take is that there is no such thing as "True" Love.
Love is just love, as true as it is.
How can one fake a unique connection anyway?
If they can, then its probably not even love to begin with.

Ya, that's all I have to say.
For now.

Complex Complexes

Superiority complex and Inferiority complex.
Have been to both and gotten over them.
Shall speak from personal experience then.

Complexes are curious things.
They are centered on the relative perceived hierarchy system of the individual.
Their scale of measure, personal level on the hierarchy, and even the positions of others in the hierarchy,
varies very largely from one to another.
Sometimes there is a "sandwich situation", when some people are above you, some below you (two-tailed).
Then there is also the "extreme situation", when either all people are above you (left-tailed) or all people are below you (right-tailed).

Superiority complex is based on either the two-tailed system or the right-tailed system.
It exists because they feel that they are from another more elite stratum,
either to the rest of the population or just those that the individual is communicating with.
Its scale of measure usually based on the characters/traits that the individual perceives to exceed/excel in,
like level of intelligence, level of maturity, appearance etc.

Inferiority complex is based on either the two-tailed system or the left-tailed system.
It exists because they feel that they are from another inferior stratum,
either to the rest of the population or just those that the individual is communicating with.
Its scale of measure usually based on the characters/traits that the individual perceives to lack,
like authority, confidence, ability etc.

These complexes are based on PERCEPTIONS, not FACTS.
What you think is true may not be what is true.
And even if the perceptions turn out to be true,
it is just plain irrational to reject or alter communication with others just because of differences in traits and character.
I mean, each of us is unique, just like the person next to us.
Living with a complex, reflecting the word exactly, is complex.
Why not just remove the masks, the barriers and the coloured lens,
and be happy?

Happy day XD

Today is a happy day! XD
Sing until like crazy liao.
Who says Perf Arts grp cannot be fun?

On a side note, hope that I managed to convey the true meaning of a performance.
The success of a performance is not judged purely by its technical proficiency,
but mostly on its non-technical aspects.
Energy of the performers, joy of the stage, happiness of the music,
all of these leak into the audience ~
It is the atmosphere, not just the sounds, that provides that essence of a performance.
Complexity isn't everything, simple can be just as perfect.

Ignorance is Bliss ~

Knowledge is a scary thing...

Everything you see, hear, feel etc. has a meaning,

to be interpreted by the mind to form knowledge.

From knowledge, with the right skills and logic, derives inferences, suspicions, conclusions, and mindsets.

These mindsets shape who we are, how we act, and what we do.

Scary thing, how a simple observation can manipulate what defines us.

It is especially so, when you instinctively notice all the minute and often neglected details around you.
But these are the details that carry so much information and insight.
Micro-expressions, unconscious behaviors, register changes.
Even more so when you are trained (or self-taught to, in a sense) to interpret and draw conclusions from them.

I mean, knowing what another person is really thinking about is nevertheless a good thing,
but seeing through the hidden thoughts of the person beside you, without clearly understanding the context, is dangerous and painful.
People lie, cover their feelings and mask their intentions. That is a fact.
But more often than not, they have some reason to do so, be it image management, fear of authority, situational restraints etc.
It just doesn't seem right to be knowing that they are hiding something without knowing the full story.


Strangers are still ok, but friends is another matter altogether.
Who likes who, who dislikes who,
who is flirting with but is pretending to be conversing with who,
who hates but is pretending to make friendly conversation with who,

who has a crush on who, who knows someone has a crush on him/herself but is pretending not to know,

who likes who and knows that who likes him/her too, but is pretending not to know and waiting for who to make the first move,

who knows who secretly likes who but is jealous and wants to steal who from who.

.

.

.

Mostly relationship matters.

Imagine knowing all these...

You'll have to think through your every move and not accidentally fall into any "traps".

Ridiculous? Impossible? You're not me...

Sometimes, its best to just pretend you didn't see anything, hear anything, or know anything.

But that said, you can never "pretend" to yourself,

cos you know something happened,
and you know that it means something.

Ignorance is Bliss ~