Saturday, December 31, 2011

Forgotten What I've Read

Here are the top 11 books I read in 2011. Don't ask me what I've learned from them - most of their contents have been lost into my subconscious. 

1. The Republic by Plato
2. The Hero of a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
3. Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
4. Ethics by Baruch Spinoza
5. Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
6. Memories, Dreams and Reflections by Carl Jung
7. The Wealth of Nations (I-III) by Adam Smith
8. Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant
9. Public Opinion by Walter Lippmann
10. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
11. Symposium and The Death of Socrates by Plato

If there is one thing I've learned from these books, it is that stoicism rules. 

Happy new year 2012!

p/s: Do not worry if the world is going to end in 2012, or even if it doesn't. If our conscience is clear and if we live life for the present, then we are always ready to face our death - for what is death but a prolonged sleep? If we've been good, then there should be no nightmares for us, and whatever will happen to us when we are awoken, let God be the Judge!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

No News is..




..good news. 

Monday, November 28, 2011

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Dante's Destination



As he was growing tired of climbing the steep mountain to reach Heaven, Dante begged his guide: 


"How far we have to journey: for the hill
Mounts higher, than this sight of mine can mount." 


Thus his guide replied:


"Such is this steep ascent,
That it is ever difficult at first.
But more a man proceeds, less evil grows.
When pleasant it shall seem to thee, so much
That upward going shall be easy to thee
As in a vessel to go down the tide,
Then of this path thou wilt have reach'd the end.
There hope to rest thee from thy toil." 



Then as they continued their journey, at one point, Dante suddenly realized that his steps were getting lighter and easier to take. He asked:


"Say, master, of what heavy thing have I
Been lightened, that scarce aught the sense of toil
Affects me journeying?"


His guide then answered him: 

"When sin's broad characters, 

that yet remain upon thy temples, 
though well nigh effaced, shall be, as one is, all clean razed out,
Then shall thy feet by heartiness of will be so overcome, 

they not alone shall feel no sense of labour, 
but delight much more shall wait them, 
urged along their upward way."




-----
Quotes from Divine Comedy by Dante (1265-1321)

Monday, November 14, 2011

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

From An Ideology To A Cult

As a huge fan of the mythologist Joseph Campbell, I was really excited when I found out that a documentary film about his ideas are playing in selected cinemas in the US. When I was watching the trailer (below), I suddenly realized how close this admiration of Joseph Campbell has been turning into a cult of its own.

Having said that, I still recommend you his book, "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" and I still admire his works. However, like any other great books, revolutionary ideas and personalities of the past, the process of turning these into cults - ie. blind devotion to ideas, beliefs and rigid observation of rituals - always begin with widespread misreading of those originally reasonable ideas, through secondary interpretation (interpret the interpretation, or, comments on the commentaries).

When a cult is established, its followers usually never bother to read the primary source - the original work - where the first definition of terms and ideas are established by the author. For example, in Campbell's case,  if you only watch the film, read my comments of his work and just quotes from his books, I don't think you can fully grasp his ideas yet. You might even imagine this to be just another new-age self-help scheme - like "The Secret" - only with a different tagline: "Follow your bliss", and I don't blame you for that. Some might even fall into such scheme.

Ironically, the genius of Joseph Campbell was in his realization that all myths, folklores, and religions simply point toward the attempt to understand human existence and making sense of daily life, and the literal or historical truths behind these are irrelevant. Far from trying to establish a new form of myth, his focus was more on the study of the established ones. Of course, his thoughts were not formed out of vacuum, as they often refer to findings in psychoanalysis, especially of Carl Jung.

Now if you have read this far, let me reward you with a token of appreciation, because I know not many people would do so. The trailer below is for the documentary film I mentioned above, called "Finding Joe". It's up to you to watch it, read the book, or do something else, useful or otherwise. Follow your bliss!



Finding Joe - Trailer V.7 from pat solomon on Vimeo.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Lure of Anarchy

What does freedom mean? Maybe we could ask the Libyans. With Gaddafi's death, they have finally attained freedom from his rule. And so in other Arab countries we see their people fighting for freedom from the rule of their despotic leaders - a phenomenon recognized as the Arab Spring. Egypt is now free from Mubarak, Tunisia from Ben Ali, and now Libya from Gaddafi. 

What we also learn from the news recently, is that on the streets of New York, and in many parts of Europe, anti-capitalist protests are taking place in response to the financial crisis, which is squarely blamed on greedy bankers and evil manipulators of the financial institution. Have we become enslaved by capitalism?

So what is freedom? To me the best definition was given by Emile Durkheim, a French sociologist, "To be free is not to do what one pleases, it is to be master of oneself."

What we must realize, is that freedom from one system, does not entail total freedom from any system - it can only be followed by the rule of another. As what Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher, wrote in his book, Leviathan in 1651,
Cover of the book I'm reading, Leviathan (1651) 
"[Whosoever] thinking sovereign power too great, will seek to make it less, must subject himself, to the power, that can limit it; that is to say, to a greater [power]"
Thus we observe that tyrannical rule is inevitable in every communist state, because to impose the communist economic system (common ownership of all property) it requires a government with unlimited power to restrain men's natural impulse to have all things for himself. 


On the other hand, capitalism (rights to own property), which is practised in democracies, breeds greed and inequality. Hence, we are lured to anarchy (absolute freedom from a central authority). 


Fortunately we are reminded by Hobbes, not to fall into this trap of embracing anarchy, in the same paragraph of his book that I have quoted above, that:
"[Of] unlimited power, men may imagine many evil consequences, yet the consequences of [not having this authority], which is perpetual war of every man against his neighbour, are much worse. The condition of man in this life shall never be without inconveniences" 

Friday, September 16, 2011

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Pride & Perseverance

Listen to this.
It begins with a big challenge.
Then it continues for 9 minutes with pride and perseverance.
And finally, it ends with acceptance.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Challenge Completed

Voltaire (1694-1778) - French writer and philosopher
 Earlier this year, I challenged myself to read 50 books throughout 2011. I have always set to follow the path of those who came before me - to study their wisdom, heed their advice, and learn from their mistakes - by reading what they have put down in paper. Of course, not all sages wrote books. Some of those that I read were published posthumously (after the author has passed away); others, were not received well when they were first published; while others were popular right from the beginning. 

Last night, in one of my journeys in the London Underground, I completed this challenge - as I read the closing paragraph of a satire entitled Candide (1759) by Voltaire. 
"All that is very well," answered Candide, "but let us cultivate our garden."
It is story of a young man named Candide, who was taught that all in life is good - only humans make it bad. He truly admired his teacher and accepted his philosophy wholeheartedly - but then something happened. Later, Candide found it difficult to hold on to this blind optimism, as misery and tragedy befell him and almost everyone around him - including his teacher. Fortunately, it was not a sad ending for him - but his was not a truly happy ending either. 

All these books that I read this year have been nonfiction - except the last one, Candide. This change of genre may be a sign to my future reading list. I wonder where it will take me next.

....


Monday, August 15, 2011

One Year Abroad

It's almost unbelievable. 
I have already spent one year away from home. 

Then again, I have never truly left home - it is where I am. 

Of course I love my family, and I do miss them.
It's been a year since we last hugged and kissed each other. 
I also miss my friends whom I have not met for a year and I'd love to spend time with. 
But I'm not saddened by these thoughts.

That's because love is not mere hugs and kisses. 
Love is not mere company and embrace. 
Love is the sacred bond that traverses infinite space and time. 

Love is not to be returned. 
It can only be initiated.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

London Riots - A Black Swan Event

Despite any attempt to make sense of the recent unrest in London streets, I think we should admit that it had caught everyone by surprise. It had a great impact on many people - especially the victims of looters, muggers and rioters; and also to the police, and the UK government - that we all wonder why we didn't expect this to happen at all.


There was a time when the Europeans thought that black swans do not exist, as they had never seen one - until they 'discover' them in Australia.


Nassim Nicholas Taleb had a name for the unexpected, highly significant, retrospectively predictable event: the black swan. In his book, The Black Swan, he discussed the impact of the highly improbable; and since it pervades history, how are we to live with these uncertainties. It's futile, he said, to make predictions about the future, as we can never truly understand the full force of history.


However, we can try to account for all possible futures, but accept what then happen and admit our ignorance of its causes. Just remember that even those with the smallest probabilities can occur - and those that are most probable, do not necessarily happen. With that in mind, I think we can live our lives happily discovering the good surprises that come, and not get badly injured by the unpredictable harmful events as we are mindful of its possibility.


Who would have imagined that suddenly in many streets of London, groups of young 'rioters' go rogue - smashing windows, looting shops, and burning them down? Could we have anticipated the riots and prevented the unrest from getting to such a massive scale? Well, I think not. Maybe the police could have taken a stronger stance against the rioters; Maybe the kids could have been better educated and had better parenting; Maybe the government could have tackled poverty and social inequalities better. They didn't - but we should not be quick as to blame them on all that had happened. 

Saturday, July 23, 2011

The Power of Love

"Hate is increased by being returned, but can be destroyed by love"

Ethics (1677)
Baruch Spinoza

Friday, July 15, 2011

Monday, July 4, 2011

Not a Morning Person? This Quote Might Help

     " In the morning when thou risest unwillingly, let this thought be present- I am rising to the work of a human being. Why then am I dissatisfied if I am going to do the things for which I exist and for which I was brought into the world? Or have I been made for this, to lie in the bed-clothes and keep myself warm?- But this is more pleasant.- Dost thou exist then to take thy pleasure, and not at all for action or exertion? Dost thou not see the little plants, the little birds, the ants, the spiders, the bees working together to put in order their several parts of the universe? And art thou unwilling to do the work of a human being, and dost thou not make haste to do that which is according to thy nature?- But it is necessary to take rest also.- It is necessary: however nature has fixed bounds to this too: she has fixed bounds both to eating and drinking, and yet thou goest beyond these bounds, beyond what is sufficient; yet in thy acts it is not so, but thou stoppest short of what thou canst do. So thou lovest not thyself, for if thou didst, thou wouldst love thy nature and her will. But those who love their several arts exhaust themselves in working at them unwashed and without food; but thou valuest thy own own nature less than the turner values the turning art, or the dancer the dancing art, or the lover of money values his money, or the vainglorious man his little glory. And such men, when they have a violent affection to a thing, choose neither to eat nor to sleep rather than to perfect the things which they care for. But are the acts which concern society more vile in thy eyes and less worthy of thy labour? " 
Marcus Aurelius
Meditations (written in 167 AD)

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Why the Movie SENNA is Rated 100% Fresh

Let me re-quote Joseph Campbell (I've done this beforetwice!) from his revolutionary work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, to show you that Senna has what all the best movies have in common: a familiar plot about the hero as deftly described by Campbell in that book.  If you've watched Senna, you'd know what I mean.

The mythological hero, setting forth from his commonday hut or castle, is lured, carried away, or else voluntarily proceeds, to the threshold of adventure.
There he encounters a shadow presence that guards the passage.  The hero may defeat or conciliate this power and go alive into the kingdom of the dark (brother-battle, dragon-battle; offering, charm), or be slain by the opponent and descend in death (dismemberment, crucifixion). 
Beyond the threshold, then, the hero journeys through a world of unfamiliar yet strangely intimate forces, some of which severely threaten him (tests), some of which give magical aid (helpers). 
When he arrives at the nadir of the mythological round, he undergoes a supreme ordeal and gains his reward. 
The triumph may be represented as the hero’s sexual union with the goddess-mother of the world (sacred marriage), his recognition by the father-creator (father atonement), his own divination (apotheosis), or again - if the powers have remained unfriendly to him – his theft of the boon he came to gain (bride-theft, fire-theft); intrinsically it is an expansion of consciousness and therewith of being (illumination, transfiguration, freedom). 
The final work is that of return. If the powers have blessed the hero, he now sets forth under their protection (emissary); if not, he flees and is pursued (transformation flight, obstacle flight).
At the return threshold the transcendental powers must remain behind; the hero re-emerges from the kingdom of dread (return, resurrection).  




The boon that he brings restores the world (elixir).


Essentially, we all want to be told the same old story again and again.

....

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

100 Before Graduation

The complete list by guardian.co.uk 


Well at least I have done five, 95 to go!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Embracing the Classical Era

Classical Greece was a truly remarkable time. It was the age of the discovery of Western thought and philosophy - when Plato, a student of Socrates, wrote his masterpieces, and founded the first Western Academy. Having gone halfway through one of Plato's most renowned writing, The Republic, I now find that it is by far the greatest book I have ever read. It's time for me to rediscover other classical writings as well


Friday, May 27, 2011

Curiosity Doesn't Kill

Life is not about the search for the right answers. If it is, then all advisors, experts, like scientists and fortune-tellers are grossly overpaid - they give too many wrong answers. 

For instance, none of the experts were able to warn us on the financial crises, and, despite the complex mathematical models and fancy economic theories, our cost of living is still skyrocketing. Also, even after ages of weather forecasting, we are not capable to accurately predict and avoid natural catastrophes and there are still thousands of casualties in tornadoes, floods, tsunamis, etc. Plus, we get asked to pay so much for talks that tell us how to get rich, although despite this, we'd still be trying to make ends meet; or we could buy countless books to teach us how to live, and still cry silently at our misfortunes.

So is it wrong to find the right answers? No. What is wrong is to make life all about getting the perfect answer. What makes a person wiser is not what he knows, it's what he can ask about. And that's why I believe life is about the search for more questions. 

Think about it. Physicists (and most people) have always been longing to find the Theory of Everything, but what they truly dream of is beyond that - unimaginable mysteries out there waiting to be discovered, if only we knew the Theory of Everything.

Before Al-Khwarizmi 'discovered' the algorithm, no one could have possibly thought about applying the method to create new technology like the computer - what more to imagine the Internet, or, Facebook! It's impossible to tell where our discoveries can bring us to.

Curiosity did not kill the cat. A curious cat may die of a tragic accident, but the dull cat that survives may live to never discover its own life's potentials. 


It's good to learn something new; better, to understand it; best, to ask new questions from that understanding. 

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The Neutral State of Mind


I finally got a jolt of reality from the exams briefing today that I have two months before my finals, so I really need to start working hard for it. Is there enough time for me to do my revision? Should I worry that I might fail if I'm still not prepared come July? 

I hate to worry about anything because it's counterproductive. But of course, one cannot be too complacent either. So where is the balance, to get worried or to be complacent? 

Don't worry. Like the diagram above shows: whatever the circumstances, there's never a reason to worry. Yes, you can argue that our worry can nudge us towards making a real effort on solving a problem. That's a fair point.

However, I believe it's never good to do something just because we worry about the consequences of not doing it. It's much better if we choose to do something out of interest - however absurd and far-reaching as it may sound - even when it comes to very demanding tasks like work and study. So hey, let's do something because we want to. That's true bliss!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

A Moment of Silence

I'm trying to find the right things to share in this blog, using the right words. It can be difficult sometimes. Like Joseph Campbell once said, 
“The best things cannot be told, the second best are misunderstood. 
After that comes civilized conversation; after that, mass indoctrination; 
after that, intercultural exchange."

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Conflicts of Interest

Why are dictators always in denial of the crimes against their own people? Why do bad singers go for auditions? Why is the world getting freakier everyday - with earthquakes, tsunami, protests, wars, financial crises, sex scandals etc? 

Bad advice. Of course dictators would believe that their countrymen are always supporting them, because the ones who'd want them to stay (their beneficiaries/cronies) keep asking them to do so. Otherwise, the cronies will lose their business/influence/respect.  

Of course some people who cannot sing, honestly believe that they can because their doting parents and loving girlfriend/boyfriend tell them they sound good. Otherwise, they get really upset. And of course we find this quite common in reality TV talent shows, because the producers deliberately feature bad singers in their program, and edit out those with moderate talent. Otherwise, their ratings would be much lower - TV viewers want to be entertained. And why are there so many sensational stories in the news today? Because they are sensational, and news broadcasters sell news.


Everyone gets misleading advices everyday. It's not that other people are inherently unreliable when we ask them for an advice - for most of the time, they are honest. However,  some people have a certain conflict of interest when they give us advice, so we end up having dictators in denial, disappointed auditionees, and anxious newsreaders.  

So what can we do to find the right advice, filter out the bad ones - and ultimately make better decisions?

(1) Rule out any conflict of interest: when a salesman reviews his own product for you ("You really need this multi-touch, multi-task, dual-camera with dual-flash, ultra-light & ultra-thin Epad"), you know you ought to take his advice with a pinch of salt. Scientific journal articles are known to have authors declare any conflict of interest - if they've worked with a drug company, etc.

(2) Deliberately limit the effects of certain decisions: US Presidents cannot get re-elected more than twice, but dictators rule 'till death do them apart'. So if one day you get chosen to lead an organization, step down before you get kicked out. Do it like Dr M, do it unexpectedly - even with all the pleas to ask him to stay, our country now has moved on, hopefully. And instead of deciding to put all your hopes into becoming a professional artist/athlete just because your mum said you're good at something; get proper training, and compete with others first. Finally, just because you hate somebody, don't hate him/her too much. But what if we love somebody? 

(3) Consider the silent evidence: some lunatics have burned the Quran in the US, and another group of lunatics have attacked UN staff in Afghanistan in response. What was not reported were the millions of Americans who didn't go out burning the Quran, and billions of Muslims who didn't go attacking UN members. So don't get too anxious about those incidents - although, in the latter, human lives were lost.


...
Conflict of interest: The author declares that he does not own an Ipad; that he was not affected by the natural disasters; and, that he is not a professional artist/athlete. haha

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Halfway There

Can we truly be halfway anywhere? I'm halfway through my 50 book challenge this year (and it's still March), so should I stop reading after my fiftieth book? I'm halfway through my medical course (there's a halfway dinner this Friday), so should I stop studying medicine after my graduation? 

The most recent book I read, The Age of Absurdity by Michael Foley is about why it is becoming harder for us to be happy in our modern age, and one of the answers he found was the illusion of potential. We see this almost everyday, everywhere: Buy 'this', it is good for you (substitute 'this' with phones, laptops, cars, houses, clothes, books, holiday trips, college degree, love, marriage, power etc.).

The point he was making, I think, was that we must not be fooled by the illusion of easily becoming happy, satisfied, and fulfilled by merely owning those items. In fact, it is as likely that we become un-happy, un-satisfied and un-fulfilled when we get things like a new phone, car, trip etc. This dissatisfaction worsens as we get bombarded with adverts which suggest even more potential from buying newer products.

However, I'm not trying to ask anyone to consider dispensing the purchase of anything, or disbelieve the potential of everything. No, what I suggest is that we should appreciate our current predicament - Happiness is not about having what you want, it is wanting what you have. Instead of whingeing (read:complaining) and keep asking for more, let's be rational and consider what's best for us to do now, based not just upon the potential these things purport to bring us, but also on our current status (Is my phone/car/laptop working well enough for now?).

In other words, do not dwell too much on the potential of stuff - like, say what my medical degree, or reading 50 books - might bring us. What drives us to work/study/live should not be  the 'potential' of future happiness. We should work/study/live for the sake of working/studying/living - because we want it, like it, enjoy it, deserve it.

Of course, in due time, we will eventually discover the potential of doing/owning things naturally; and be fulfilled, happy and satisfied - in reality, not fantasy. So, to answer my first question: No, I'm not halfway there. I'm here.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Election Economics

With Malaysia's economy doing so well right now, even Pak Lah could have won the recent by-elections - as BN have done so under Najib's leadership. 

If the numbers I got from the Economist are right, our inflation rate (CPI =+2.4%), and unemployment rate are both low (3.2%) - as compared to, say, Egypt's high inflation rate (CPI =10.8%) and high unemployment rate (8.9%). In fact, our economy grew 7.4% last year.

Forget about all the other issues in the media like HINDRAF, Anwar's sodomy trial, etc. The only thing that preoccupies people's mind at the voting booth is their own wellbeing. 
Am I happy? Yes, of course. I got a job, a car, a house and my family is all well. Why bother changing the government if everything is doing well.

Am I being too cynical? Maybe. But if you think about it, what I'm getting at here makes sense. The country's economy is a good indicator of our government's overall competence - taking into account all other factors like the global economy - although it's a gross oversimplification. Even when it's down to pure luck, the bottom line is all that matters.

In good times, the incumbent government would get almost all the credits for a healthy economy - whether they deserve it or not - and get elected again easily. On the flip side, in bad times, as in the 2008 'political tsunami' in Malaysia (with petrol price increase), people would always punish the government in power (BN lost the 2/3rd majority).

In reality when people vote, they care less about the real causes of a financial crisis (when there is one), or a poor local economy. When a lot of people cannot find job; when petrol and food prices are intolerably high; they would protest with their votes - although a poor economy is not always the result of poor governance. Look at the list below: 

Year     %vote (BN)  Leadership
1995       65.2            Mahathir
1998       56.5            Mahathir
2004      63.9            Pak Lah
2008      52.2            Pak Lah
(source: Wikipedia)

It's not so obvious now that Pak Lah's weak leadership could alone help explain why BN lost the 2/3rd majority in 2008, as Mahathir also suffered badly in 1998 from the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis. The better explanation - perhaps a more cynical one - would be that it's all about the money.

..
Of course, this is not a new insight. This paper written in 2004 has found that the economy does indeed influence the outcome of elections (although it may be as likely that there is just an association, instead of causation). More interestingly, the author also found that voters in richer and better educated countries are better able to distinguish 'competence' of the incumbent government (World GDP growth - National GDP growth), from luck (World GDP growth alone).

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Public Debate: Hindu vs Christian faith

I haven't learned much from watching this, but it's an interesting public discourse nevertheless.


Friday, February 25, 2011

We just want to be able to live like human beings

"Let me be clear, the change that is taking place across the region is being driven by the people of the region. This change does not represent the work of the United States, or any foreign power. It represents the aspiration of people who are seeking a better life. As one Libyan said, 'We just want to be able to live like human beings.' It is the most basic of aspirations that is driving this change." 
President Obama on the revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa (video)


Watch the video below of an experiment to find out how monkeys - who are also primates, like us - react to apparent injustice (would they notice it at all?). While the first monkey (Vulcan) gets a dry biscuit if he returns a token, the second monkey (Virgil) gets a  juicy grape when he returns the same token. Notice how Vulcan reacts to this blatant injustice. [start at 2:06]


It's fairly obvious then, why Tunisians, Egyptians, and now Libyans get so angry and frustrated at their leaders. They only want to live like the people in other countries: from the busy commuters of New York, London, Shanghai and Singapore; to the suburban dwellers of other cities; and the farmers and fishermen in smaller towns. Even monkeys get riled up if they are treated unequally!

We just want to be able to live like human beings - that is, like the better ones among us.


...

Monday, February 21, 2011

It's more infectious than fanaticism, thank goodness!

...
"The freedom of thought and action that is necessary for discovering the truth is a precursor...to the more expansive ideal of political and civil freedom, a meme that spreads easily, apparently. It is much more infectious than fanaticism, thank goodness. The cat is out of the bag. There is no way that enforced ignorance can win in the long run. You can't readily uneducate people.  

As communications technology makes it harder and harder for leaders to shield their people from outside information.... the floodgates will open all over the world with tumultuous effects." 

[pg 303-304]
Daniel C. Dennett: Freedom Evolves (2003)


Saturday, February 5, 2011

Monday, January 31, 2011

Hang Tuah - The Hero With A Thousand Faces

In my last post, A Very Familiar Plot, I've quoted at length the book by Joseph Campbell entitled 'The Hero With A Thousand Faces' its main thesis: that (familiar) plot encompassing all myths, legends, fairy tales and great stories of all time. Now I am curious, whether or not Hang Tuah is just another (our local) version of that Hero as uncovered by Joseph Campbell.


And so our journey begins...

PART 1: DEPARTURE (The hero leaves his everyday life, defeats a shadowy power & receives a charm)
 Hang Tuah became the Sultan's constant aide, accompanying the King... On one visit to Majapahit, Taming Sari, a famous Majapahit warrior, challenged Hang Tuah to a duel. After a brutal fight, Hang Tuah emerged as winner and the ruler of Majapahit bestowed upon him Taming Sari’s kris or weapon...purported to be magical, empowering its owner with invincibility... source of Hang Tuah’s alleged supernatural abilities.

PART 2: INITIATION (The hero faces challenges throughout his journey, with some magical aid, becomes triumphant, gains recognition/atonement)
 Rumours being circulated that Hang Tuah was having an illicit affair with one of the Sultan's stewardess dayang. The Sultan sentenced Hang Tuah to death without trial for the alleged offense. Believing that Hang Tuah was dead...Hang Jebat avenged his friend's death...wreaked havoc onto the royal court... The Bendahara then informed the Sultan that the only man able to stop Hang Jebat, Hang Tuah, was still alive.


PART 3: RETURN (The hero re-emerges from the kingdom of dread and restores the world with the boon that he brings)
 The Bendahara recalled Hang Tuah from his hiding place and the warrior was given full amnesty by the Sultan and instructed to kill Hang Jebat. After seven gruelling days of fighting, Hang Tuah was able to kill Hang Jebat.
(source: Wikipedia) 

Saturday, January 29, 2011

A Very Familiar Plot

It pervades almost all fairy tales and heroic legends from time immemorial. Even in this 'modern-age', it is the very foundation of the most entertaining stories ever told in books, on film or television. It is the adventure of the 'Hero with a thousand faces', as Joseph Campbell would call him. And his story goes like this (from page 245 of that book):

The mythological hero, setting forth from his commonday hut or castle, is lured, carried away, or else voluntarily proceeds, to the threshold of adventure. There he encounters a shadow presence that guards the passage.  
The hero may defeat or conciliate this power and go alive into the kingdom of the dark (brother-battle, dragon-battle; offering, charm), or be slain by the opponent and descend in death (dismemberment, crucifixion). 
Beyond the threshold, then, the hero journeys through a world of unfamiliar yet strangely intimate forces, some of which severely threaten him (tests), some of which give magical aid (helpers). 
When he arrives at the nadir of the mythological round, he undergoes a supreme ordeal and gains his reward. The triumph may be represented as the hero’s sexual union with the goddess-mother of the world (sacred marriage), his recognition by the father-creator (father atonement), his own divination (apotheosis), or again - if the powers have remained unfriendly to him – his theft of the boon he came to gain (bride-theft, fire-theft); intrinsically it is an expansion of consciousness and therewith of being (illumination, transfiguration, freedom). 
The final work is that of return. If the powers have blessed the hero, he now sets forth under their protection (emissary); if not, he flees and is pursued (transformation flight, obstacle flight). At the return threshold the transcendental powers must remain behind; the hero re-emerges from the kingdom of dread (return, resurrection).  
The boon that he brings restores the world (elixir).



Saturday, January 22, 2011

50 Book Challenge


‘The first step towards the attainment of real discovery was the humiliating confession of ignorance.' 
Sir Humphry Davy (1778 - 1829)


And so I humbly admit my ignorance. Even if I will fail to achieve the Romantic ethos of 'real discovery', I strongly hold that there is still much to learn from what others have already discovered. From Archimedes to Newton; Smith to Keynes; Cook to Armstrong; Hippocrates to Jenner. Great men and women have long toiled to unravel the mysteries, disprove false beliefs, and ultimately, enable us to understand a little more about our life and the Universe we live in.
  
I challenge myself to read 50 books this year - a tall order especially while studying medicine, but not impossible - hoping to understand what these great people have long did. Yes, I'm treading a road already taken by others - by merely absorbing second-hand knowledge. But to follow the steps of Sir Davy towards making a real discovery, I shall begin with a 'humiliating confession of ignorance.'

...
Find out the 10 best books I read in 2010.

MY KZ, UR BF

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Too Many Medical Graduates - Signs & Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

There will be too many doctors (too soon) in Malaysia, some people believe. As a medical student, I think I should be worried about the prospect of my medical career since it will get much more competitive in the near future. But I'm not. Maybe I'm still in denial of the 'issue', but I'm not concerned about it and I have good reasons for this (will talk about this in another post).

Now, if the surge of medical graduates is a 'symptom', I believe that most people have made the wrong diagnosis. Unfortunately, this may have lead us to 'write' the wrong prescriptions, which (may in turn) bore a poor prognosis for the country. 

Gaga concert analogy
Enough with the medical metaphors. It's time for a thought experiment: Let's assume 'medical degrees' to be concert tickets for a very popular act, say, Lady Gaga; and that there are 2 ways of getting the tickets: 

(1) [free] sponsored tickets in January
(2) [charged] purchasable tickets later in February

The Lady Gaga concert is in March. So, you could either get the (free) sponsored tickets in January, or buy one in February. 

If half of all tickets have already been distributed (for free) in January, what will be left for the others (fans of Gaga) are the tickets in February. However, because only half of the tickets is left, there will be a very high demand for the remaining seats. The organizer knows this, and as expected, they jack up (increase) the price of the February tickets.

And what do you think the organizer would do next? Hold more concerts, of course - until Gaga gets too tired to perform, or her fans get tired of her! 

My speculation
What follows is my speculation to use this Gaga concert metaphor in order to describe our 'too many doctors' issue in MalaysiaUsually, most bright students (not all) opt to study medicine when they apply for scholarship, and they get it. Fortunately for them, the competition for a medical degree sponsorship is greatly eased, because many equally bright students did not apply for scholarship as they are not eligible for it. 

When many seats in the medical course have been taken up by the sponsored students, there will be little left for non-sponsored ones. This ultimately results in an artificially higher 'demand' for the non-sponsored seats. Consequently, private medical schools are able to charge exorbitant fees - and new ones spring into existence with this alluring financial prospect. In other words, they 'hold more concerts'.

My proposal
So should we abolish government sponsorship for medical degree altogether? No!! What I propose is this: give out scholarship to those who cannot afford the fees (below a certain household income bracket) only AFTER they have been accepted by the medical schools. To get back to the Gaga concert analogy above, instead of distributing free/sponsored tickets in January, the sponsor should only pay for those who have competed for the tickets in February (along with everybody else) but could not afford to buy the tickets themselves.


...Of course, my analogies and proposals are far from perfect or foolproof. In the bigger picture, they might apply to other degree courses as well. Those looking for my 'diagnosis' of the issue might be disappointed - come again another time. As much as I'd like to discuss more about this, I think I should rest for now. To be continued...

About Me

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Medical practitioner. Amateur philosopher, pianist and composer.