Kimmo's Blog (classic)

I was expending my time at the local Universitys cafeteria with some people who share my major. We were discussing on the subject one of their seminar papers that one of them had just finished.

The discussion concluded with the writer becoming, with one strike (as it appeared to me) of academic understanding, aware of that she really didn’t know anything about the subject she had written, about the reason why she chose to write about the subject and why she chose exactly those people whos ideas she wrote about. I felt priviledged and somewhat humbled to be in present with such happening. Some people leave the academia never to have experienced anything like she did. Hell, some people leave this life without that experience.

What she went through right there and then was, in my not-so-humble-opinion, the most solid offering the University can offer to you. In this case becoming aware of your own shortcummings as a knowledge-wielding creature. Doubt, self-reflection and mistakes are what keeps this boat going.

Normally I don’t make any attempts at New Year resolutions, but this year something happened. Some ideas I had for my future existence took and manifested themselves in Language. The content of whose follows.

First of all, more self-discipline. Self-discipline will lead to self-respect. Self-respect will lead to better life. The mechanism at work here is left as an exercise for the reader.

Developing self-discipline in practice means the development of body and mind. Development of body means acquiring more ninja-skills, pizza only once in two weeks, self-made only, alcohol consumed only within a social context, better diet in general, among others. Development of mind consists of, with everything mentioned above, adopting the idea I read in Larry Nivens Ringworld Engineers:”At some point you are going to have to do something to resolve this situation, why that couldn’t be now?” and putting it to practice in various, appropriate situations. I will also try and play more computer games, read more comics and literature.

Most important idea is however that there is no slipping back. I might progress slowly but that’s fine as long as there is genuine progress.

I will also strive to become a better, more frequent blogger.