Paradox of Self

I've been waxing philosophical lately about what I will coin, "the paradox of self." After a diversity seminar at work a few weeks ago, I realized that there exists a whole new dimension to stereotypes that I had never considered before. Individuals can define themselves by different groups, traits, and beliefs without being the whole of that group. That is obvious. That is the basis of faulty stereotypes and categorizations. The CIA Factbook can't tell you who a person of FILL IN NATIONALITY HERE truly is. I think that type of ridiculous stereotyping is easy to recognize (or at least ought to be).

However, individuals can also define themselves in seemingly opposing terms. Part of the essence of humanity rests within a paradox. Stereotyping is not just assuming that a person fits a bill because of one of their identifiers, but also that they can not identify with other traits on a conditional basis. I can be a religious feminist. A conservative humanitarian. A procrastinator go-getter. An intellectual idiot. An outgoing introvert. A dreamer and a realist. I can be one thing and the exact "opposite." Humans are composed of layers and layers of identities with varying levels of densities.

If people could figure this out, there would be a lot less misunderstanding in the world. Unfortunately, many groups or ideological followers expect fellow identifiers to believe or act the same as them. BUT, here's the news. This type of prejudice, faulty logic, stereotyping is wrong and detrimental to the exploration of human identity in both self and in others. The costs of refusing to recognize paradoxes are great.

It has taken me many years to recognize the paradox within myself and regarding others. I can be two things at once, and nobody can tell me that one part of me invalidates another part. Within all humans exist a paradox; and this paradox is a valid way of expressing and defining one's self, no matter the contradictory social messages that suggests otherwise.

Sold Out (Literally)

Allmylifeforsale follows the project of one brave soul. A guy who sold everything he owned (in the most literal sense) on Ebay. He listed every item he owned on the popular auction site with a starting bid of 99 cents. I think he must've been slightly crazy or extremely sensible. It's hard to tell which of the two. The website says:

John Freyer catalogued and sold nearly everything that he owned, from his kitchen cutlery to his personal hygiene products, his Star Wars sheets and finally even the domain name Allmylifeforsale.com itself....

To date he has sold more than 600 items including his false teeth, a full size office copier, personal photographs, and his winter coat (in the middle of the winter).

Soon his belongings were sold all over the world, with a bag of Porky's BBQ Pork Skins making its way to Japan, and a chair ending up in the Museum of Modern Art. With almost all the objects in his life now gone, he started the second phase of his journey: to visit his onetime possessions in their new homes.

Ummm? Crazy. I bet he didn't sell the $$$ in his bank account though. He had to make a killing off the revenue from his project. He got loads of publicity, and he has made a book about his misadventures too.

I still have lingering questions about his project. Like did he sell his sentimental possessions? Where did he live? What did he wear? How did he survive without, you know, stuff?

I guess that's the point though. His idea was inspired; not only as an art form, but also as a sociology study about the relationship between possessions and the self. Note my post on Pack Ratism as well as an excellent blog, The Unclutterer, for an exploration of these topics. I'm guessing Mr. Freyer is the proud owner of lots of new shiny THINGS now. I don't think it possible to not accumulate things in modern society...

You've got to move it move it

According to an article in Boston Globe, "Don't Just Stand There, Think," everything we understand is confined to and defined by the movement that humans make. They refer to this new theory as embodied cognition. The article says:

But today, neuroscientists, linguists, and philosophers are making much bolder claims. A few argue that human characteristics like empathy, or concepts like time and space, or even the deep structure of language and some of the most profound principles of mathematics, can ultimately be traced to the idiosyncrasies of the human body.

I think that is an interesting concept, especially in linguistics. When learning a new language, one of the most confusing things is whether you are saying "I gave the pop rocks to you” or "You gave the pop rocks to me" for example. Hand motions make conceptualization a lot easier, and you would never point at yourself if you really meant 'you'. I totally believe that our understanding (at least through language) is contingent on bodily movement.

I decided to post a photo of artwork from one of my favorite artists of all time, Alexander Calder. His works are kinetic.

Sad? Give happiness a try.

I think that the Happiness Project book/blog is a good idea. I quote from Gretchen Rubin:

THE HAPPINESS PROJECT--a memoir about the year I spent test-driving every principle, tip, theory, and scientific study I could find, whether from Aristotle or St. Therese or Martin Seligman or Oprah. THE HAPPINESS PROJECT will gather these rules for living and report on what works and what doesn’t.

The Happiness Project

I think happiness studies are so intriguing. I really think happiness has a lot to do with personality and environment or perception of relativity.

Although shifting the topic a little, one of my favorite quotes of all times is by John Tomlinson (although I think he was quoting it from Katz and Liebes) "Unhappiness is the greatest leveler."

Think about that in your social stratification, globalization, and economic welfare studies. Who cares what you've got if you are less unhappy than others? If people who have everything are still unhappy, and people who have nothing are unhappy, is it really a redistribution of wealth that is indeed needed, or something else?

Atlantic City, Baby

For Thanksgiving we went to Atlantic City as I mentioned before. We actually didn't do any gambling, but we did walk around the casinos to see the hustle and bustle of the city. Let me just tell you. Those casinos must make a fortune. I had no idea that so many people play slot machines. There were literally hundreds upon hundreds lined up in a row and people swarming everywhere.

At first I thought the atmosphere was exciting, but then I started feeling pretty down. Think of how many people are throwing their money away. Also, you'll know if you've ever been to Atlantic City, across the streets from all the casinos are shady liquor stores and pawn shops that "Buy GOLD for CASH." The part of the city that is not touristy is grim and scary.

If you want to gamble and you have money set aside for entertainment go for it. I'm not being judgemental. Unfortunately, I'm afraid too many people are decieving themselves into thinking they'll walk away a winner, and end up broke and depressed themselves.

The Glitz and Glam don't last forever.