Cruelty: Are we born with it?

Today I heard an interesting idea. The idea was that, unless tamed or given rules, all humans are born evil. But how do we know if this is true? I think that we can all agree that no matter the person, we are all capable of harm. We were known in the stone age to kill each other for food, and are still known to kill animals for food. We hurt things and people around us every day, but why? According to a recent study by Dr. Gerhard Roth, weak development in the lower central lobe can result in crime and bad behavior. But why? Well, the lower central lobe of the brain is responsible for feeling sympathy and empathy, and if some of that part of the brain is missing, many reactions can be bad. For example, if a person watches another person in front of him die, they will feel negative emotions, resulting in sadness and depression. However, if a person with a small lower central lobe watched a person die, they would feel little to no emotion, and sometimes even pleasure. But why does it seem like people who have good intentions, can be so evil? Let's travel back in time to the Aurora, CO shootings in July of 2012. Here you have a man who is attending a college in Colorado after receiving a full-payed scholarship for mathematics. He was recently turned down in another U.S. school, for unknown reasons, until recently. As it turns out, at his first interview with a school, he didn't pass his behavioral test because of... schizophrenia. The man believed he was "Joker" from the Batman movies. The street definition for schizophrenia is "a total loss of reality," which is exactly what happened to this man. He truly believed that he was "Joker," which later caused him to shoot a room full of people in a movie theater. He dyed his hair, practiced his lines, and truly believed that he was "Joker," and that his only purpose was to harm the world. But what caused this brilliant person to think like this? No one knows. It could be because of many different things. But was it because he had weak development in his central lobe? Well, for now, we don't know. So this post doesn't answer the question to begin with, but the moral of the story is: It's important to be nice to everyone, because you have no idea what kind of day that person is having.

Theory of Mind

There's something in my life that I often like to think about, which is the theory of mind. The theory of mind is the perception of curiosity, or in other words, the ability to question. I find this an intriguing theory, not because of its factors, but rather because of its existence. The fact of the matter is, we don't know if something as crazy as "Theory of Mind" even exists. Take an ape for example. The ape has the ability to use hand gestures, creating a sense of feeling for humans to perceive. However, in all of our years of documenting, never has an ape displayed the feeling of... thought. Strange, right? This points to the possibility that apes and other animals around us lack the ability to question, but how do we know what happens in their mind? Take an apple for example. Most people, when asked what the color of the apple is, would reply, "red." But how do we know that person is experiencing the same color we perceive in our head? Yes, we both agree the color of the apple is red. But what if that person is really experiencing something that I think is blue? This theory is called "Qualia." This theory's definition is the philosophy of living, conscious perception. Each individual perceives colors differently, we know that for sure, but how differently? A blind person would have no idea what the color red looked like if you asked him, because he has never seen color before. If you ask a blind person, "Do you just see black all of the time?" they would have no idea how to respond because they physically have not seen black before. The theory of mind and the theory of qualia are very intense thoughts, but the bottom line is, you see differently than I do. So keep asking questions, keep thinking, and keep being human.

Passion

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about my title. My title, "passion is key," is practically the motto of my life. I swear by the word, passion. For me, it's incredibly hard to get quality and quantity out of anything in a timely manner if I don't have a passion for it. I've noticed, and many others have noticed, that my work does exceedingly well when I have a passion for the subject, and only average when I don't. Today's post is short, but in conclusion,
find your passion, and don't settle until you find it.

Best Friend

In theory, this person should't exist. He is a paradigm, something that in essence, shouldn't even be allowed in a person's life. He's a paradigm because he's my best friend, but he's also my co-worker. There's nothing more spectacular than the feeling of accomplishment and friendship at the same time. He's my biggest role model, my biggest influence, and my motivator. He may drive me insane at times with his crazy wishes, however he usually is right in the end, which astonishes me. There is no one or nothing for that matter that has taught me more in life, which I find amazing. He has showed me more in life than my own parents have, which once again, shouldn't even happen. This is why I find it so peculiar. He is an excellent person to look up to, but why does he have this effect over me? As I ponder this question, I remember all of the excellent and hilarious memories I've had with him, and I couldn't be more proud of them, even if I was a complete idiot. I've said the words, "Why couldn't I have known you earlier," and I'm still not sure if he will end up being a life-long friend. However, so far, I've had a hell of a time with him, and I don't see it getting any worse. He truly does make me feel like I matter, in a sense that no one has ever done before.

To Ian