Ravit's Blog

 I feel absolutely swamped with work. Up about chest high. I'm proud to have sacrificed some things today in pursuit of school, which I consider one of my highest priorities. I sacrificed my daily game(s) of chess. At the same time, though I have a bunch of things to get done at any given time of day, I still enjoy breaks, though achieving this balance is a constant struggle. I fear not taking enough breaks, because then I just stop working immediately after I finish a large chunk of work. Either I become burned out, or feel justified in taking a large amount of time off. I certainly feel privileged to have a good amount of reasonably engaging work on my list. It's better than being left empty-handed on a raft floating in the middle of the ocean. That's for sure. It's also a good deal better than spending one's time devoid of social interaction or a variety of activities, as one becomes in solitary confinement. I am absolutely grateful not to be in solitary confinem...

Nobody has the power to attack a good comedian. This is the thought that came to my mind, and I want to find out whether it is true or not. Comedy is the heart of truth. Unlike almost any other job, the success of one's performance in comedy cannot be faked. The audience poses a judgement, and a brutal one at that. They either give you their approval or they don't. If they don't approve, it can cut one right to the core. The person blushes and feels red-hot embarrassed in front of a crowd. That kind of comedian failed at their attempt at gaining the respect and admiration, or at least commisseration, of the crowd. After all, that's what a good comedian does, right? If he wants to make people laugh, he must make them feel at ease, and make himself feel understood in the minds of his audience. A good comedian has the audience in hysterics. That only happens when they have captured the attention of the audience. Thus due to the high degree of honesty present in comedy, a g...

Before beginning to write, I thought for three minutes about what to write. Having not generated any tenable ideas for this post, I looked to the present and thought I'd write about my life as it is.  Today is Friday night, so I've been thinking ahead to my day tomorrow, Saturday. I've noticed a pattern--that my Saturdays tend to be full of procrastination. It's not that I decide to write the day off and take a break; it's worse. I set goals for myself that I am unable to fulfill. For example, I might decide to get through my physics homework that day, but never get it done. It's a dirty habit that spoils the mood. It's not that easy either to write the day off, strange as that seems. I seem to be inevitably drawn to my computer, and to want to entertain myself, such as by watching YouTube. I find that there's something relaxing and salutary even in intentional relaxation, such as deciding to sit outside and read a book. There's nothing particularly ...

 I don't know whether Tolstoy was influenced by religious ideas when he wrote Anna Karenina , but there seems to be a connection between the fate and decisions of Anna and the fate and decisions of man when the devil visits him. They say that when devil visits man, all reason and logic are thrown out the window. The devil presents man an ideal scenario, a life that is too good to be true. And it often is too good to be true. Anna falls in love with Vronsky (which is somewhat disturbing, to be frank). She apparently forgets about her son, whom at one point she could not bear to be away from. Her husband, who was perfectly fine, now seems "ugly". The part of the story involving Anna being persuaded by her husband mirrors the interactions of Pinnocio and the cricket. Pinnochio can pretend to believe that what the cricket says is not true. The puppet has power over the cricket, and can crush the salutary, but bitter chirps of the cricket if he wishes. He does so, and closes h...

 There's something incredibly positive about reinforcing one's positive behaviors. Today, I'm happy to say that unlike yesterday, I properly disciplined myself during the day and adhered to my goals. Yesterday, I had failed to do so, and spent much of my time playing chess, more than I had planned to allow myself to play. That night, I felt bad about not following my goal and regretted my decision. There's so much temptation that goes into breaking a bad habit. I'm in the middle of listening a podcast between Russell Brand and Peterson (I started a couple days ago, haven't yet finished). Brand was describing his experience escaping from his adolescent addictions, which, admittedly, seem much more severe than mine currently.  Nonetheless, one of his observations during that time in his life, one that was pivotal to his recovery, was the idea that it was not an impossibility for him to be apart from the temptations he had made the mistake of succumbing to earlier,...

 Since I've told myself I'll write every day, it probably won't be a good idea to skip today, even though I have little that comes to mind easily. Today, I made a mistake and disappointed myself. But I don't want to talk about that. I'll talk about something a bit more interesting. The idea of "hacking" has a strange appeal to the mind. Simply being forbidden to do something generates an interest in that thing and an urge to do it. Restrictions that complicate an otherwise simple task are only part of the reason that hacking is appealing. Reverse engineering, such as attempting to understand the internals of an executable by dumping the assembly code from an ELF executable or reading the ROM of a video game cartridge, is certainly not intended for the end user of the product and even sometimes illegal (for example, it's illegal to reverse engineer Word). But, the prospect of being sneaky and nonetheless finding out some information that was supposed to...

Goal 1: Limit the amount of online chess I play. Why is playing too much chess a problem for me? When I play too much online chess, I derive a high amount of pleasure from playing rapid games. If I play without restriction, it becomes difficult to stop playing once I've started. I tend to divert my attention away from more important priorities, such as homework or school lectures. How will I know whether I've achieved this goal?  I will have played <= 45 minutes per day for at least 27 out of the next 30 days. What will happen if I don't achieve this goal? When I feel the urge to keep playing past 45 minutes, how can I stop myself? This is difficult. I know that continuing to play will give me pleasure. But I also know that there is a sense of lingering dissatisfaction that ensues later that day, which makes me feel shameful and makes me regret not having spent the time instead on more productive tasks. The latter feeling is wiser, realer, and longer lasting. I've f...

Is it possible to dislike a stand-up comedian? I suppose so. But if too many people dislike a stand-up, they would no longer be a successful comedian. But, I think it is so hard to shame a stand-up comedian or to break them in an interview. The character of a comic has to come across as genuine for them to be good at their job. They have to be someone one can relate to. But what has fascinated me the most today as I watched videos of several comedians (Russell Peters, Chris D'elia, Kevin Hart, Joe Rogan) is that they are almost always dominant in a social setting, particularly in interviews. The comics have a voice that one always wants to listen to, and they know that. They have the power to laugh at a question or to redirect any heat from an interviewer back at them. They sometimes straight up "roast" the interviewer. Interestingly enough, this seems to be a trait that popular politicians possess. The one that most readily comes to mind is Obama. I get that his involvem...

I think it's fair to say that communist ideas and economic systems have played a large role in shaping the past. I thought I would share a couple of ideas I had. Communism detracts from individual sovereignty. By minimizing the impact of class or hierarchy divisions in society, a goal inherent to communism. Because people are not masters of their own creations in a communist society, their individual contributions become drowned out. As far as I know, at the individual level, whether individuals work or not plays a small role in the outcome of the state as well as their personal life. Because they cannot reap the fruit of their own labor for themselves, they lose internal motivation of working. When I think about why I undertake goals of any kind, ranging from going out for a run to practicing the piano, the primary factor that drives me is either the reward or lack of punishment. If I can attain something real, something tangible or emotional as a consequence of working, or if I w...

I've often imagined waking up floating on a raft in the middle of the ocean. Nothing to see but ocean miles around. I don't know where I am, and if the fishies below me know, then they couldn't tell me. Days would go by. Months. I would suffer. There would be no continuity from my past life. What happened to the bed I was sleeping on? What about my family and friends? The scary part is--there would be no one to answer my questions. How would I get food and water? How would I even live? I would hardly even know the answer to that question. I would be entirely disconnected from all sources of comfort. No one around me to comfort me or to keep me from going mad. No one would know where I've gone, or where even to come looking for me. No one but the unchanging pale blue sky, the one reminder that I am still on Earth. What would I do on the raft? What would I do in such a situation? How would I sustain myself? I would be forced to live like a monk. I certainly hope to have a...

 Nicholas Levin in Anna Karenina is a character that caught my attention, when I read the first description of him that appeared in the novel. His character is the type to elicit pity. He tried hard once in life, by setting his aim on a lofty goal, by sacrificing earthly pleasures, by dedicating himself to becoming a monk. But others ridiculed him. He lost his ambition, and turned to alcohol and other base pleasures that he knows to be wrong. Nicholas's brother Levin (ugh these names are so confusing, I mean the Levin who loves Kitty) even feels sorry for his brother, and regrets having ever laughed at Nicholas. Nicholas reminds me a lot of the type of person that Jordan Peterson tells you not to be. Brooding. Resentful. Convinced that the world is against them. Fearing death. Wandering aimlessly. And, worst of all, resenting the world and oneself beyond forgiveness. I wish Nicholas would have gotten back and tried up again. And fallen again. And stood up and tried again. Nicholas...

It's a bit tough to come up with serious topics to write about on days when I haven't prepared such topics beforehand. Today is one of those days. So, I thought I'd write about a bit more specific and lighthearted topic. 5 Reasons to Groom Oneself. Showering. Moisturizing. Getting a haircut. Clipping one's nails. Wearing cleaned and ironed clothes. Wearing fresh socks. Putting on deodorant. Combing one's hair. Make a good impression. Improve the way others perceive you. Dress respectably. Dress like a gentleman. People want to be closer to you. It's easier to be near something that smells good and looks good. Feeling fresh. It's easier to convince oneself of one's proactivity and readiness to do the day's work. You stay clean. It's better than staying ... not clean. You may act in a more orderly way. I think feeling tidy rather than unkempt helps to negotiate with oneself and act with more purpose. PS I'm currently reading Anna Karenina (~75 ...

Today, I went on an adventure. I went on a walk with my brother to a place I've never walked alone. We walked through a foreign neighborhood, behind a newspaper office, beside a freight railroad track, across a plot of open land, and we ran through the indoor parking garage of our closed library. The journey was thrilling. Our journey What made our adventure even more thrilling to me, beside the abundance of new places we visited, is the independence I felt. Surprising that I've hardly walked on the stretch of land that leads parallel to the railroad track from behind the newspaper office, leading all the way to the Great Mall, though this exciting place is so close to where I live, less than a block away. My 20-minute rebellious journey with my brother today made me remember other "adventurous" places on Main Street, where I live. The first I have mentioned, a roughly 5000 square meter open piece of land in front of a railroad track nestled between the library and Mi...

Typically, when I come across text or speech that makes me feel uncomfortable, angry, or that makes me think something along the lines of "This is so utterly wrong and foolish, it's ridiculous." It's not infrequently that I become provoked by some ideas or expression, sometimes after listening to something on the radio or reading something on the news. I read  this article  this morning, and it provoked a strong negative reaction within me. I found myself disagreeing with the statements, but also . I want to try to rationalize my reaction, and attempt to understand why I not only disagree but vehemently oppose the content of that article. Before I start, I must ask myself why I am going to start picking on this article. For some reason, what is mentioned in that article matters to me. Perhaps it comes from interactions with my peers and understanding others' belief systems. If my best friend or close family member were to adopt such a belief structure as outlined ...

People express themselves creatively through art. Strokes of a paintbrush on a canvas. Graphite streaking across paper. Unconscious feelings and emotions can manifest themselves subliminally, unconsciously. Some works of art are interpreted differently from person to person. But nonetheless, there is a certain degree of objectivity when it comes to the beauty of art. It's tough to make the argument that a three year old's preschool self-portrait is more aesthetically pleasing than the Sistine Chapel, for example. And there's no dearth of capable artists in this world, either. There are artists who can draw or paint so realistically that they capture the essence of a scene or a moment, together with its full range of emotion. I recently listened to a podcast of Juliette Fogra, the illustrator of Dr. Peterson's second book. I found her illustrations impressive. Not brilliant or outlook-changing, but nevertheless enough for me to admire her work and her skillset. Hyperreal...

At the time of writing this, I've read (and have been fascinated) by three of John Steinbeck's novels (/ novella)-- Of Mice and Men , East of Eden , and The Grapes of Wrath . After reading these three, and reflecting a bit, I've come to admire Steinbeck's ability to relate the difficulties of human life, and the depths of human life through a touching tale. For example, the journey of Tom Joad with his family along the perilous and taxing route westward was not devoid of its fair share of misery and commentary on the brutal malice of life, from the dearth of food and deaths of family members to the lack of motivation and alcoholism that ensues along the way. Uncle John's alcoholism, Rosasharn's baby's death, Tom's brother's abandonment of the family, and the uncertainty of even the preacher, who typically is a sure sign of purity, hope, and faith. The plight of George and Lennie is no bed of roses either. George's life is rife with difficult deci...

 It was only when Abraham had attained what he wanted most, a son, that God made him foraske it. It was only when George was on the verge of fulfilling their dream that their plans failed. It was only when Jane loved Rochester the most that morality compelled her to leave him. In all situations, the decision-makers--Abraham, George, and Jane--had to make a choice. And a difficult choice. All three made the morally correct and meaninful choice: the choice to leave behind what they loved in the interest of something bigger of meaningful. In two out of the three cases, they who chose right were given back the object they unhesitatingly sacrificed. Abraham was spared the difficult decision of killing his son by the hand of an angel, and Jane, after willing herself away from her master against the wishes of her heart and nearly dying in the process, was reunited with Rochester. But, what about George? He... shot Lennie. His joint dream with Lennie now would never be fulfilled, at least ...

 I watched the movie "Mud" yesterday. Mud is a naive person, naive enough to believe in the purity of his girlfriend, and to never doubt that she would ever think of forsaking him. But Juniper forsakes Mud. Mud's world loses its simple goodness. When Mud works on the boat, enlisting Ellis and Neckbone for help, he executes a plan. He strives to carry out a series of steps, culminating in him fleeing from the police and his home. Nearing the end of that plan, Mud's realization that Juniper does not love Mud enough to run away with him causes him to doubt something he had never doubted before: the difficulty of maintaining a relationship, and potential asymmetry that exists throughout its lifetime. Mud never gets to fulfill his plan. Like George and Lennie.