Form and Context

Form and context are best explained in this video (30 min) or by massively understating that:
Form = The perfectly rippled sand in the desert
Context = The wind blowing, the sun, etc.

In nature context can dictate the form, add all of the context together and you get the form of a tree growing around a fence and leaning towards the sun.

When we design from scratch we decide form from our understanding of context, which is why there are so many poorly designed things (ie. the Apple app. store or a two party political system). These are derived from a poor understanding of context.

Humans are a mixture of both. Context decides if we have scars or are malnourished (and thus small) or if we are abused as children. Form designed from scratch is what job we choose to work at, what neighborhood we live in (as adults), who we marry, what religion (however, often chosen by context needs to be chosen by form) how many kids we have (as of the last 40 years), etc.

When was the last time you sat down and figured out what is form in your life that you are letting be designed by context (your diet?). And when was the last time you struggled designing something your context has total control over (your past?).

Theory of Everything

I've heard it said that Einstein was always most interested in discovering the theory of everything, one theory that tied all the different sciences together. This is intriguing in theology because I've always thought that something that is a belief should be backed by another belief. Just keep following the belief trail about different assumptions and it may lead you to a rather shaking foundation etc.

Business tends to run this way as well, you see giant companies acting foolish and receiving a fools reward vs. other companies that seemed to have figured out their business theory of everything, basing all of their products off of it. Southwest - no frills, cheap air travel. Starbucks - high end, coffee related daily rewards. Nike - be you but better.

It's all around, one day is the world spinning once on its axis, one year is the world spinning around the sun as an axis. An eight pound baby is born and yet contains all of the essential organs and body functions that a two hundred pound forty year old adult does.

This is why truly smart people are interested by everything, because everything is one thing and one thing represents everything. Einstein new this about music, Richard Branson knows this about each and every person, he has filled up seven hundred pocket notebooks with other peoples thoughts from everyday conversations he has had throughout his life. Robert Gelinas knows this about jazz and Christianity.

When you figure something out, relate it immediately to everything else in your life and see if you are not enlightened by yourself. And if you are having trouble with something, retreat to an area of expertise and search for the answers there.

Completely...

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Completely aware, and acting on it.





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Dead already

It's in style to talk about all of the sheeple out there living in suburbia who are dead already, the sleep walkers.

Lincoln said, "Most men die at 20, they just aren't buried for another forty years". The underlying theme in the film Zombie Land (gory and wonderful). George Ivanovitch Gurdjief stated it as "A considerable percentage of the people we meet in the streets of a great town are people who are empty inside, that is, they are actually already dead."

But this is where it has stayed, hundreds of years we have been warned about sleep walking, becoming the zombie, dying on the inside. Stop the warnings, bring on the solution, and while we're at it let's take this theory to the next level.

The Solution

Wake up and stop being a loser who does what their shown/told.

The Next Level

Death on the outside. How about living a life on the outside that is repugnant to those who are dead on the inside?

You know those people, those people in little matching boxes driving little matching boxes trying to save 100k to send their kids to little matching boxes so finally at 70 they can finish the royal flush by sliding quietly into rows in... little matching boxes.

Live a life that looks like death to those people. Live a life where a company doesn't market to you because you are not a demographic.

Happyness

Tim Ferris once said that the opposite of happiness is not sadness, it's boredom. This statement alone can change your thinking, but let me take it a step further. What is the opposite of sadness?

Stability.

You have a friend that has just found out their mom was in a car accident, would you invite them to a day at the amusement park to lift their spirits with a few roller coaster rides? Of course this seems silly, you would tell them to find out if their mom was ok, get some information, if she was close by to go visit. All of these things are like little pillars around this person creating stability.

You can run pretty far with this. If you are financially traumatized, don't try and get rich, just get your feet under you until things settle. If you are going through health issues, don't train for a marathon, just start eating healthy and getting fresh air every day. Relationship problems, sit and have a quiet meal with your partner, don't try and recreate your honeymoon.

Lastly, if you are unhappy, get out and do something. You will not find happiness in a slightly newer car, a slightly bigger house, one more outfit, a vacation in Europe instead of Florida. All of these things represent leveling up your comfort and stability. Instead, push yourself. Maybe you do need to train for that marathon.