2011 was quite a hectic year for me. The desperately busy work that started in 2010 extended well into this year and has only intensified since. 'Overwhelmed' seems to be the overarching feeling of 2011. Much has happened, from the March earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku, to a dysfunctional Congress, the world indeed has become much less stable in recent memory. It hasn't all been bad though. On a more personal level, you've made new friends, rekindled old friendships. The Taiko community has opened up to a whole new level, and I have become a part of this growing movement. I started grad school in a good program and a good group. Whatever twists and turns may come in the near future have yet to be determined, but it is a start for now. Overall it has been a very reasonable year.
2012 seems to bear more challenges however. The dysfunction of your government will likely be exacerbated by the presidential election. Congress will make your life harder, not better. You will again lose friends to life transitions. Southern California will become lonelier because of it. Work will be more intense and more volatile towards the end of next year. I hope 2012 will be easier for you than 2011 was for me, however I don't believe that will be the case.
May you have the strength to bear action and responsibilities for the duties you shall assume in 2012.
May you have the creativity and skills to solve the problems placed before you.
May you have the courage to establish new and meaningful relationships with those around you. We have not done particularly well here in recent years, although it is not entirely your fault and neither have you entirely failed in this regard. The world outside of college is a difficult environment to make new friends unless you take specific action. May you embark on these important journeys and comport yourself with the values you hold dear. As we both know, solitude has its comforts, however it risks an unbearable loneliness that slowly eats at you from the inside out.
May you find the strength to battle your demons and the cunning to evade them.
May you find the resilience and motivation to see your duties through to the end. There are many challenges to come. Confront them honorably and honestly.
On a more corporeal level, may you better take advantage of the natural resources around you. You live in an area that many few have access to. Do not take it for granted.
May the weather be varied and without extreme. 2011 was a good year for weather, although I would still prefer more rain.
Lastly, may 2012 find more stability than 2011. Certainly, we live in a relatively stable age and place. This peace looks to be slowly unraveling however. Although these are merely the wishes of one insignificant man, I hope that at the very least, the increased volatility of our world will lead to better things.
And if it so happens that the world ends in 2012, may you be at peace with the end of this age... and when the next one begins and we're all still here... may the next age be a glorious one.
Peace be with you Brother.
C.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
The Awkward Stage of Intermediate
Its been a long time since I last wrote. It hasn't been for lack of trying, rather life has gotten the upper hand this past winter, and I am only now regaining control. Unfortunately, I think I left a piece of me behind. I feel meaner, more critical, and to a large extent, a lot less happy, and a lot lonelier. In between all the fires, I've been left wondering, how did I get here? Why am I in this state? Is there anything to be gained by being like this...?
Perhaps its best to start with the cycle of mastery. Any art can more or less be broken down into the three levels: Novice, Intermediate, and Master. This model is not necessarily restricted to any particular art as it is largely the way human beings absorb and use knowledge. It can be grossly generalized in the following.
The beginner or novice is a state many of my readership should be familiar with. It truly is a wonderful state in that everything is new and exciting. It is where the learning curve is typically the shallowest, and a modest amount of effort can reap tremendous gains. Although it is the most awkward state, it is also the state in which transgressions are most easily forgiven. The most interesting things tend to happen here, because there is no form; there are no habits; it is pure innocence colliding with the world and thus generating something new.
The intermediate level is where the novice has gained enough knowledge and skill to break things. It is the level at which the practitioner applies his tools to everything and finds his knowledge and skills staring back at him in everything. Ego is at its most dangerous in this state. In a school, the know-nothing novice would blindly follow the master's instruction and safely traverse the ebb and flow of a given art, it is the intermediate practitioner who is more likely to challenge the open sea or disregard or misinterpret given instruction. Perhaps it is here where the learning curve tends to be the steepest, and most practitioners drown. It is, however, a necessary step, because this level is where the practitioner's skill is judged by the real world (as opposed to the classroom). Those new ideas generated by the novice, while wonderful and cute, may not mean much outside the classroom.
Mastery comes many different ways, but often, the end result is a return to a state much like the novice. Where the intermediate practitioner typically has a large toolset at his disposal and sought a different nail for every hammer in his possession, the master and novice is more likely to reach for a single tool for a multitude of tasks. While the novice clings to a single tool based on familiarity, the master usually chooses the tool most suitable for her particular characteristics after finding the large intermediate toolset too cumbersome to wield. Its not that those tools are gone, rather, they are relegated to the rare occasion that her tool of mastery is not sufficient for the task. Of course, mastery is not a terminal path, rather it merely seeking to continually minimize the intermediate toolset and seek new and interesting ways to apply one's mastery.
I guess I'll leave it at that for tonight. Hopefully I can hold on to this thread and continue on coherently. Its crazy obvious what state I'm in, as the past is always rosy and beautiful, the present is a mixed bag of good and bad... and well the future is the future...
Perhaps its best to start with the cycle of mastery. Any art can more or less be broken down into the three levels: Novice, Intermediate, and Master. This model is not necessarily restricted to any particular art as it is largely the way human beings absorb and use knowledge. It can be grossly generalized in the following.
The beginner or novice is a state many of my readership should be familiar with. It truly is a wonderful state in that everything is new and exciting. It is where the learning curve is typically the shallowest, and a modest amount of effort can reap tremendous gains. Although it is the most awkward state, it is also the state in which transgressions are most easily forgiven. The most interesting things tend to happen here, because there is no form; there are no habits; it is pure innocence colliding with the world and thus generating something new.
The intermediate level is where the novice has gained enough knowledge and skill to break things. It is the level at which the practitioner applies his tools to everything and finds his knowledge and skills staring back at him in everything. Ego is at its most dangerous in this state. In a school, the know-nothing novice would blindly follow the master's instruction and safely traverse the ebb and flow of a given art, it is the intermediate practitioner who is more likely to challenge the open sea or disregard or misinterpret given instruction. Perhaps it is here where the learning curve tends to be the steepest, and most practitioners drown. It is, however, a necessary step, because this level is where the practitioner's skill is judged by the real world (as opposed to the classroom). Those new ideas generated by the novice, while wonderful and cute, may not mean much outside the classroom.
Mastery comes many different ways, but often, the end result is a return to a state much like the novice. Where the intermediate practitioner typically has a large toolset at his disposal and sought a different nail for every hammer in his possession, the master and novice is more likely to reach for a single tool for a multitude of tasks. While the novice clings to a single tool based on familiarity, the master usually chooses the tool most suitable for her particular characteristics after finding the large intermediate toolset too cumbersome to wield. Its not that those tools are gone, rather, they are relegated to the rare occasion that her tool of mastery is not sufficient for the task. Of course, mastery is not a terminal path, rather it merely seeking to continually minimize the intermediate toolset and seek new and interesting ways to apply one's mastery.
I guess I'll leave it at that for tonight. Hopefully I can hold on to this thread and continue on coherently. Its crazy obvious what state I'm in, as the past is always rosy and beautiful, the present is a mixed bag of good and bad... and well the future is the future...
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