Epicycle 4
Week 1
November 11th, 2013
Theories and their Validity
We started the day with some logic and argumentation with an essay on the legal status of abortion. We didn’t have a heated conversation, but in was intense in some parts. Still, it was a good logical and analytical exercise and it made me think of other perspectives to see this problem I wasn’t aware before. After this, we had Newton, but it was a very slow dialogue in which you could tell we were not really prepared to encounter the class. At the end, we talked about our responsibility as learners and the process of experimenting true knowledge and the sensation of really knowing something. Andrew told us a fable about how understanding is like this metamorphic creature that you have to hold on and not let go because by the passing of time it would get more tamed until you dominate it. Understanding is that creature you must dominate in your life.
After Newton, we watched a documentary on Harvey’s theory and how he created experiments to test his hypothesis. Later, we talked about what makes a theory better than other, and specifically, what makes Harvey’s theory better than Galen’s and the ones before him. Of the things that were remarked the most was their level of simplicity, of logic, supporting evidence, and that feeling that they make more sense. Another thing that I liked about the documentary is how good observer Harvey was. I mean, he got into every detail to understand how the heart works so he can later create this theory that would revolutionize the whole anatomical understanding.
Theories and their Validity
We started the day with some logic and argumentation with an essay on the legal status of abortion. We didn’t have a heated conversation, but in was intense in some parts. Still, it was a good logical and analytical exercise and it made me think of other perspectives to see this problem I wasn’t aware before. After this, we had Newton, but it was a very slow dialogue in which you could tell we were not really prepared to encounter the class. At the end, we talked about our responsibility as learners and the process of experimenting true knowledge and the sensation of really knowing something. Andrew told us a fable about how understanding is like this metamorphic creature that you have to hold on and not let go because by the passing of time it would get more tamed until you dominate it. Understanding is that creature you must dominate in your life.
After Newton, we watched a documentary on Harvey’s theory and how he created experiments to test his hypothesis. Later, we talked about what makes a theory better than other, and specifically, what makes Harvey’s theory better than Galen’s and the ones before him. Of the things that were remarked the most was their level of simplicity, of logic, supporting evidence, and that feeling that they make more sense. Another thing that I liked about the documentary is how good observer Harvey was. I mean, he got into every detail to understand how the heart works so he can later create this theory that would revolutionize the whole anatomical understanding.
November 12th, 2013
What we can learn from magic…
In the morning meeting, we talked about our Thanksgiving planning with the first-year students and then we had our dialogue on art. We didn’t have the dialogue on the Act of Creation because we had a visiting professor, which resulted in the most interesting part of the day.
His name is Luis Alberto Iglesias Gómez, and he’s a translator (English to Spanish) and a magician. He came to the MPC to tell us more about the history of magic and how it has evolved during time.
I learned a lot in this topic and got motivated to keep learning about it and even learning some magic tricks. The truth is that I’ve always loved magic, but haven’t practiced that much to do it, so I think it would be a good challenge to do some. At the end of his presentation, he told us two lessons he has learned from professional magicians, but that are applicable to everyone. The first is that they believe in themselves. They are their passion and they live for it. I think that’s one of the most essential factors that determine whether you live a happy life or not, and it’s what’s going to make you reach your goals. The second lesson was that if you don’t value what you do, nobody will. This is the essence of self-esteem and in order to value something else, first you have to value yourself. It’s also about having balance in your life and about being good with yourself in order to provide value to others and just as you value yourself, others will also value you.
What we can learn from magic…
In the morning meeting, we talked about our Thanksgiving planning with the first-year students and then we had our dialogue on art. We didn’t have the dialogue on the Act of Creation because we had a visiting professor, which resulted in the most interesting part of the day.
His name is Luis Alberto Iglesias Gómez, and he’s a translator (English to Spanish) and a magician. He came to the MPC to tell us more about the history of magic and how it has evolved during time.
I learned a lot in this topic and got motivated to keep learning about it and even learning some magic tricks. The truth is that I’ve always loved magic, but haven’t practiced that much to do it, so I think it would be a good challenge to do some. At the end of his presentation, he told us two lessons he has learned from professional magicians, but that are applicable to everyone. The first is that they believe in themselves. They are their passion and they live for it. I think that’s one of the most essential factors that determine whether you live a happy life or not, and it’s what’s going to make you reach your goals. The second lesson was that if you don’t value what you do, nobody will. This is the essence of self-esteem and in order to value something else, first you have to value yourself. It’s also about having balance in your life and about being good with yourself in order to provide value to others and just as you value yourself, others will also value you.
November 13th, 2013
Anticipated, Determined, Ideal, and Natural Christmas
Today was a day very charged of many subjects and ideas and connections. We had a very anticipated Christmas morning meeting guided by Javi P, in which we made some decorations and stocking to adorn our MPC room. We even put a Christmas tree!
Then, we had some Newton and discussed his rules for philosophizing, and especially his claim that “Nature is simple”. We also talked about our standards for choosing a theory over other and what makes us decide one. We also had a biology dialogue about Claude Bernard’s work, An Introduction to the Study of Experimental Medicine. We found that it relates a lot with our previous dialogue about Newton and talked about determinism and the difference between organic and inorganic things. Lastly, we had our Human Action dialogue, although it was a contest, which we enjoyed a lot. We also won!
So, how did all of these relate? Well, Newton and Bernard’s work are the ones more related, mainly because of our perceptions of nature and how this affect other areas of our knowledge and morality. It also gives us the opportunity to discussed the notion that our behavior can be determined by certain laws, so up to what point we would have free will and what is the role of reason? Also, we are in the need to define the objective of science and how it can help us progress as human beings or give us reasons to avoid morality, as determinism would lead us. In all of these, Human Action is also related by telling us the role of ideas in the development of knowledge and society.
Anticipated, Determined, Ideal, and Natural Christmas
Today was a day very charged of many subjects and ideas and connections. We had a very anticipated Christmas morning meeting guided by Javi P, in which we made some decorations and stocking to adorn our MPC room. We even put a Christmas tree!
Then, we had some Newton and discussed his rules for philosophizing, and especially his claim that “Nature is simple”. We also talked about our standards for choosing a theory over other and what makes us decide one. We also had a biology dialogue about Claude Bernard’s work, An Introduction to the Study of Experimental Medicine. We found that it relates a lot with our previous dialogue about Newton and talked about determinism and the difference between organic and inorganic things. Lastly, we had our Human Action dialogue, although it was a contest, which we enjoyed a lot. We also won!
So, how did all of these relate? Well, Newton and Bernard’s work are the ones more related, mainly because of our perceptions of nature and how this affect other areas of our knowledge and morality. It also gives us the opportunity to discussed the notion that our behavior can be determined by certain laws, so up to what point we would have free will and what is the role of reason? Also, we are in the need to define the objective of science and how it can help us progress as human beings or give us reasons to avoid morality, as determinism would lead us. In all of these, Human Action is also related by telling us the role of ideas in the development of knowledge and society.
November 14th, 2013
Creation and Having Honesty with Yourself
Our start of the day was very particular. I guess no other college students have started their day by making yoga together guided by a visiting professor. If you remember Luis, the translator and magician who visited us on Tuesday, then it wouldn’t be of much surprise to know that we has been a yoga professor for 14 years, and so he offered to give us a class. It was very interesting and relaxing. It was a different and funny way to start the day.
Later, on our art epicycle, Milagro Quiroa visited us. She’s a friend of Javi T, and agreed to meet us. She’s also the daughter of a famous Guatemalan artist, member of the Grupo Vértebra. I had very good insights during this dialogue, and she said some things that impacted me. Among the main ones was the importance of being honest with yourself in order to do your art. It’s about thinking what is it that really inspires you. If we are truly honest, then we won’t be afraid of confronting that white canvas and create something wonderful. Another thing was that she thinks everything has been done in art. The true creations arise from processing all of these, decomposing it, and arranging it in a different way, and our creations may not require much effort, but the training it’s required to take them out of our mind into the real work, that’s what requires hard work and training.
Finally, we had the dialogue on the Act of Creation. I had three important reminders of the importance of environment in creating something. So, the first one is about the importance of mutual interactions in our learning and discovery process. Second, is that the ethics of a scientists and a discoverer is to always be a learner. And third, is about the relation between creation and problem solving with entrepreneurship and how we create value in society. It was a good day!
Creation and Having Honesty with Yourself
Our start of the day was very particular. I guess no other college students have started their day by making yoga together guided by a visiting professor. If you remember Luis, the translator and magician who visited us on Tuesday, then it wouldn’t be of much surprise to know that we has been a yoga professor for 14 years, and so he offered to give us a class. It was very interesting and relaxing. It was a different and funny way to start the day.
Later, on our art epicycle, Milagro Quiroa visited us. She’s a friend of Javi T, and agreed to meet us. She’s also the daughter of a famous Guatemalan artist, member of the Grupo Vértebra. I had very good insights during this dialogue, and she said some things that impacted me. Among the main ones was the importance of being honest with yourself in order to do your art. It’s about thinking what is it that really inspires you. If we are truly honest, then we won’t be afraid of confronting that white canvas and create something wonderful. Another thing was that she thinks everything has been done in art. The true creations arise from processing all of these, decomposing it, and arranging it in a different way, and our creations may not require much effort, but the training it’s required to take them out of our mind into the real work, that’s what requires hard work and training.
Finally, we had the dialogue on the Act of Creation. I had three important reminders of the importance of environment in creating something. So, the first one is about the importance of mutual interactions in our learning and discovery process. Second, is that the ethics of a scientists and a discoverer is to always be a learner. And third, is about the relation between creation and problem solving with entrepreneurship and how we create value in society. It was a good day!
Week 2
November 18th, 2013
The Importance of True Understanding Part 1
When I was in school, I had a couple of classes and labs of biology, in which I learned about the anatomy of plants, animals, and the human body. I guess nothing more special than the traditional teaching about that subject, very similar in all schools. So, I used to read the textbook, participated in discussions, got good grades at my texts, and eventually exonerated from the final exam due to my understanding.
A lot of these didn’t require too much effort. I had the textbook, the teacher answered my questions, and it wasn’t required to understand deeply the subject. When I encountered with Harvey’s book, On the Motion of the Heart and the Blood in Animals, I was a little dubious about how significant that text might’ve been for my learning. I mean, we already know the conclusions and the work that came after it, so why bother by going all over it from the beginning, even before Harvey’s theory? Still, I decided to give it a try and learn from this experience. Until the heart dissection, I had a good idea about Harvey’s theory, but when I experimented with the heart and understood how it works, the Aha! moment appeared.
This made me think about our learning process and the importance of re-creating the discoveries made by the great minds before us. So, it’s not only about learning or memorizing a theory, but experiencing that process of discovery in order to truly understand the given theory. This is what makes the difference.
The Importance of True Understanding Part 1
When I was in school, I had a couple of classes and labs of biology, in which I learned about the anatomy of plants, animals, and the human body. I guess nothing more special than the traditional teaching about that subject, very similar in all schools. So, I used to read the textbook, participated in discussions, got good grades at my texts, and eventually exonerated from the final exam due to my understanding.
A lot of these didn’t require too much effort. I had the textbook, the teacher answered my questions, and it wasn’t required to understand deeply the subject. When I encountered with Harvey’s book, On the Motion of the Heart and the Blood in Animals, I was a little dubious about how significant that text might’ve been for my learning. I mean, we already know the conclusions and the work that came after it, so why bother by going all over it from the beginning, even before Harvey’s theory? Still, I decided to give it a try and learn from this experience. Until the heart dissection, I had a good idea about Harvey’s theory, but when I experimented with the heart and understood how it works, the Aha! moment appeared.
This made me think about our learning process and the importance of re-creating the discoveries made by the great minds before us. So, it’s not only about learning or memorizing a theory, but experiencing that process of discovery in order to truly understand the given theory. This is what makes the difference.
November 19th, 2013
The Importance of True Understanding Part 2
I recently read an article titled, Forget about Inspiration: Just go to work!. I won’t get into details with the article, but what got to my attention is the common perspective that inspiration happens spontaneously and we can only control certain conditions that will give rise to it, but we don’t choose the moment we feel inspired. Although this might be true in some part, I don’t think that many people that think that way understand how this process emerges. By the way, I’m taking inspiration in the sense of the Aha! moment or that moment when we create something.
Arthur Koestler, as I have told you before, gives us a theory on how this process emerges. Summarizing, it’s the bisociation of two previously unrelated matrices. This link also requires that the discoverer is skillful in both matrices or at least has a good knowledge of them. But this explained too simple here, so I’ll include one more variable (although there are many more).
This variable is the ability to do magic. Discoverers have to learn how to do some magic. Magic is the illusion that what we think was impossible suddenly becomes possible, like David Copperfield flying. In the case of the discoverers, this means that they have to be able to depart from the rule-governed world in order to find an answer to a problem that was previously thought impossible or not thought at all. It’s about wanting to know the unknown, and knowing it by thinking outside a static box.
The Importance of True Understanding Part 2
I recently read an article titled, Forget about Inspiration: Just go to work!. I won’t get into details with the article, but what got to my attention is the common perspective that inspiration happens spontaneously and we can only control certain conditions that will give rise to it, but we don’t choose the moment we feel inspired. Although this might be true in some part, I don’t think that many people that think that way understand how this process emerges. By the way, I’m taking inspiration in the sense of the Aha! moment or that moment when we create something.
Arthur Koestler, as I have told you before, gives us a theory on how this process emerges. Summarizing, it’s the bisociation of two previously unrelated matrices. This link also requires that the discoverer is skillful in both matrices or at least has a good knowledge of them. But this explained too simple here, so I’ll include one more variable (although there are many more).
This variable is the ability to do magic. Discoverers have to learn how to do some magic. Magic is the illusion that what we think was impossible suddenly becomes possible, like David Copperfield flying. In the case of the discoverers, this means that they have to be able to depart from the rule-governed world in order to find an answer to a problem that was previously thought impossible or not thought at all. It’s about wanting to know the unknown, and knowing it by thinking outside a static box.
November 20th, 2013
The Importance of True Understanding Part 3
(What the Internet is doing to our brains)
Coming to the campus, I was listening to a podcast about what the Internet is doing to our brains. I was perplexed. I couldn’t believe that something with the capacity to be so useful and good for the progress of humanity, can be at the same time so detrimental to our health, intelligence, and progress as well. The Internet is a great example of how something can be good or bad depending on the intention of the user. After all, the Internet can’t do anything without someone that uses it.
This was a call to be more intentional on everything I do. Human beings are the meaning creator and we must not forget this. I wanted to keep hearing opinions about this, so I decided to bring it up during our Socrates Café. I heard opinions in favor and against this position, as well as some personal experiences. I was a good opportunity to learn more about what people think and give meaning to the things they value, although some of them I may not be in agreement.
From this whole experience, I understood a little more about the importance of being intentional in everything we do. Things can be good or bad. In fact, things are neither good nor bad, they are just things. We are the ones that decide if they are good or bad based on how we use them. Whether we find the mean to use them, i.e. the right amount and purpose for using them, then they would be good as Aristotle says in Nicomachean Ethics. If we take them to the extremes, we can expect them to be harmful.
The Importance of True Understanding Part 3
(What the Internet is doing to our brains)
Coming to the campus, I was listening to a podcast about what the Internet is doing to our brains. I was perplexed. I couldn’t believe that something with the capacity to be so useful and good for the progress of humanity, can be at the same time so detrimental to our health, intelligence, and progress as well. The Internet is a great example of how something can be good or bad depending on the intention of the user. After all, the Internet can’t do anything without someone that uses it.
This was a call to be more intentional on everything I do. Human beings are the meaning creator and we must not forget this. I wanted to keep hearing opinions about this, so I decided to bring it up during our Socrates Café. I heard opinions in favor and against this position, as well as some personal experiences. I was a good opportunity to learn more about what people think and give meaning to the things they value, although some of them I may not be in agreement.
From this whole experience, I understood a little more about the importance of being intentional in everything we do. Things can be good or bad. In fact, things are neither good nor bad, they are just things. We are the ones that decide if they are good or bad based on how we use them. Whether we find the mean to use them, i.e. the right amount and purpose for using them, then they would be good as Aristotle says in Nicomachean Ethics. If we take them to the extremes, we can expect them to be harmful.
November 21st, 2013
The Importance of True Understanding Part 4
(Geometry, Logic, and Intuition)
I started the day talking about how we create stereotypes and the positive and negative consequences of having them, about the capacity of our brains and whether we could be able to use a larger part of the brain in order to develop more intelligence, about evolution, about the discoveries of Tycho Brahe and Kepler, about Aristotle and his relation to UFM, and finally about cannibalism and the scene where Hannibal Lector eats someone else’s brain. All of these in under an hour at the Polanyi Café during the morning meeting. It was a great conversation with Eric, Javi P, Jose, and Melanie.
Although I could talk all day about these topics, something else caught more my attention. We were talking during the Math dialogue, about the importance Euclid and geometry in other areas of life. The development of proofs had been of great relevance to the development of logic and creativity. These two may not seem related at first, but when we understand the without each other geometry and many other areas wouldn’t have been created, then we’ll see the connection. The idea is how we get something from nothing. First, we must start with some givens or axioms. These axioms would allow us to work and create, so we can later verify and prove. So, we have axioms and then we have an end, which can be anything we want to achieve; e.g. an equilateral triangle. Based on that, we must proceed by being creative and figuring out solutions to complete the problem and that means trail and error. When we have figured it out, we need to justify it and this is where logic takes the steer. This is the part where they meet and work together.
The Importance of True Understanding Part 4
(Geometry, Logic, and Intuition)
I started the day talking about how we create stereotypes and the positive and negative consequences of having them, about the capacity of our brains and whether we could be able to use a larger part of the brain in order to develop more intelligence, about evolution, about the discoveries of Tycho Brahe and Kepler, about Aristotle and his relation to UFM, and finally about cannibalism and the scene where Hannibal Lector eats someone else’s brain. All of these in under an hour at the Polanyi Café during the morning meeting. It was a great conversation with Eric, Javi P, Jose, and Melanie.
Although I could talk all day about these topics, something else caught more my attention. We were talking during the Math dialogue, about the importance Euclid and geometry in other areas of life. The development of proofs had been of great relevance to the development of logic and creativity. These two may not seem related at first, but when we understand the without each other geometry and many other areas wouldn’t have been created, then we’ll see the connection. The idea is how we get something from nothing. First, we must start with some givens or axioms. These axioms would allow us to work and create, so we can later verify and prove. So, we have axioms and then we have an end, which can be anything we want to achieve; e.g. an equilateral triangle. Based on that, we must proceed by being creative and figuring out solutions to complete the problem and that means trail and error. When we have figured it out, we need to justify it and this is where logic takes the steer. This is the part where they meet and work together.
Week 3
November 25th, 2013
Newton and the implications of his work
Approaching our last sessions on Principia Mathematica by Newton, we’ve seen some of his theory applications to real life. This, I have to say, has been the most interesting part of the book. It’s something that you can observe and make the connections between his theoretical work with natural phenomena. The most exciting part came on Friday. We were proving Book III Proposition 8 Corollary I, which states, “Hence can be found and compared among each other the weights of bodies on different planets.” In other words, by doing this corollary, you would be able to compare any weight on the surface of any planet. Our task was to know how much we would weight on the surface of Jupiter.
Now, Javi T. and Lore started this corollary, but they were having some trouble on Wednesday and we got a little behind, so we decided to finish it on Friday. We dedicated more than two hours doing it, but finally reached to the awesome answer. According to our observations (that is, Newton’s observations), we would weight around 2.1665 times on Jupiter’s surface than on Earth’s.
The conclusion is amazing, but what’s more interesting is the fact that we have never been on Jupiter and still we can make such predictions. Of course, this is very difficult if not impossible to verify, but that’s the nature of science and that’s how we’ve made great progress. Sometimes, we just have to have that leap of faith in believing that what we’re doing would lead to something greater we never imagined, like Einstein’s theory of relativity.
Newton and the implications of his work
Approaching our last sessions on Principia Mathematica by Newton, we’ve seen some of his theory applications to real life. This, I have to say, has been the most interesting part of the book. It’s something that you can observe and make the connections between his theoretical work with natural phenomena. The most exciting part came on Friday. We were proving Book III Proposition 8 Corollary I, which states, “Hence can be found and compared among each other the weights of bodies on different planets.” In other words, by doing this corollary, you would be able to compare any weight on the surface of any planet. Our task was to know how much we would weight on the surface of Jupiter.
Now, Javi T. and Lore started this corollary, but they were having some trouble on Wednesday and we got a little behind, so we decided to finish it on Friday. We dedicated more than two hours doing it, but finally reached to the awesome answer. According to our observations (that is, Newton’s observations), we would weight around 2.1665 times on Jupiter’s surface than on Earth’s.
The conclusion is amazing, but what’s more interesting is the fact that we have never been on Jupiter and still we can make such predictions. Of course, this is very difficult if not impossible to verify, but that’s the nature of science and that’s how we’ve made great progress. Sometimes, we just have to have that leap of faith in believing that what we’re doing would lead to something greater we never imagined, like Einstein’s theory of relativity.
November 26th, 2013
Why some countries are poor? And a perspective of the future…
I’ve heard a lot of people (and sometimes I’ve said it too), that third-world countries, like Guatemala, are poor because of many factors such as geographical location, culture, ethnics, country size, natural resources, or education. All of these are apparent valid reasons, at least to the common mind, but few really think about the causes that originate poverty. Only some think that the true cause of poverty is the rule of law and the respect for private property.
Today, Fernando Monterroso came to visit us and talked about this. First, he explained the common perception of the apparent causes of poverty and argued with some examples why these are not valid. Then, he explained why having a government that protects private property, contracts, and is there to provide a good rule of law, is so important in the development of a country. This personal and juridical safety is what brings investment, creating opportunities, increasing the demand for human capital, bringing higher salaries, and thus creating more wealth.
Finally, he gave his perspective about the future, and this gave me a lot of good insights about the requirements to be more successful in the future. The most important were about the skills needed to highlight in a competitive world. The first one was to have updated knowledge. In a world of information, there’s no other way to keep it up if you are not updated with the last discoveries and insights. The second is the capacity to adapt. We know this since Darwin, but it would get tougher now. The third and final is the capacity to make decisions in an environment of uncertainty. Great insights to keep in mind and to strive to improve!
Why some countries are poor? And a perspective of the future…
I’ve heard a lot of people (and sometimes I’ve said it too), that third-world countries, like Guatemala, are poor because of many factors such as geographical location, culture, ethnics, country size, natural resources, or education. All of these are apparent valid reasons, at least to the common mind, but few really think about the causes that originate poverty. Only some think that the true cause of poverty is the rule of law and the respect for private property.
Today, Fernando Monterroso came to visit us and talked about this. First, he explained the common perception of the apparent causes of poverty and argued with some examples why these are not valid. Then, he explained why having a government that protects private property, contracts, and is there to provide a good rule of law, is so important in the development of a country. This personal and juridical safety is what brings investment, creating opportunities, increasing the demand for human capital, bringing higher salaries, and thus creating more wealth.
Finally, he gave his perspective about the future, and this gave me a lot of good insights about the requirements to be more successful in the future. The most important were about the skills needed to highlight in a competitive world. The first one was to have updated knowledge. In a world of information, there’s no other way to keep it up if you are not updated with the last discoveries and insights. The second is the capacity to adapt. We know this since Darwin, but it would get tougher now. The third and final is the capacity to make decisions in an environment of uncertainty. Great insights to keep in mind and to strive to improve!
November 27th, 2013
Every Evolution has a History
I knew some people were bug collectors, but I’ve never seen one collection myself. Except, maybe on a museum and on the Internet, but that lacks the passion of the collector since you don’t know him or her personally. Today, I had the privilege to see one of the largest and most important insect collections, specialized mainly in beetles.
We went to Universidad del Valle and visited Jack Schuster and his entomology lab. It was amazing. Since we were reading Darwin, everything we saw made more sense. The differences between species, the patterns of certain specie that look like another, why some species are found in very distant places, why species become extinct, etc. I could keep on going, but I think you got my point. Hearing Dr. Schuster’s explanations and showing some of his discoveries was very nice and enriching, since it was from someone doing what he loves to do.
One of the things that he kept remarking was that we should always think about how things happened. In other words, to think about why some species have some variations and about the story behind it. This made it way more interesting, and I think that’s where great discoveries come from. Sometimes (most of the time I think), you don’t have all the information available and in order to complete the story or discovery, you must fill in the gaps of it and that’s the work of your imagination and creativity.
Every Evolution has a History
I knew some people were bug collectors, but I’ve never seen one collection myself. Except, maybe on a museum and on the Internet, but that lacks the passion of the collector since you don’t know him or her personally. Today, I had the privilege to see one of the largest and most important insect collections, specialized mainly in beetles.
We went to Universidad del Valle and visited Jack Schuster and his entomology lab. It was amazing. Since we were reading Darwin, everything we saw made more sense. The differences between species, the patterns of certain specie that look like another, why some species are found in very distant places, why species become extinct, etc. I could keep on going, but I think you got my point. Hearing Dr. Schuster’s explanations and showing some of his discoveries was very nice and enriching, since it was from someone doing what he loves to do.
One of the things that he kept remarking was that we should always think about how things happened. In other words, to think about why some species have some variations and about the story behind it. This made it way more interesting, and I think that’s where great discoveries come from. Sometimes (most of the time I think), you don’t have all the information available and in order to complete the story or discovery, you must fill in the gaps of it and that’s the work of your imagination and creativity.
November 28th, 2013
An amazing reason to eat turkey!
I love to eat turkey. The meals are just delicious. You have mashed potatoes, sweet potato with marshmallows, a good salad, green beans, bread, turkey, turkey, and more turkey, and of course, some great pies and cakes and ice cream. Plus, it’s all decorated with Christmas things and it’s just a very good feeling of comfort and happiness.
This year was no different in that. I had three Thanksgivings and they all were amazing. The first one at Kata’s home with all the MPC’ers (second years). The second with everyone at MPC and the ones that have contributed in some way to make it happen. And the third one was with my family. When being at each of these and also the days before them, I thought about the meaning of this celebration. I started thinking about the things I’m grateful for and arrived at a great insight.
I’ve noticed in the past months that I’m the owner of my life, and I know this sounds a little cliché and obvious, but I’ve concluded that not many people realized this. By being the owner of your life, you are taking the responsibility of all your actions and the person that you’ll become. I’m grateful for my life and for having the capacity to choose what I think is best for me and that would make me a happier person. I’m also grateful for being able to choose the people I let into my life and that my interaction with these are making me a better person each day. So, when I realized all of these and have this feeling of gratefulness and happiness, eating turkey becomes a second dish.
An amazing reason to eat turkey!
I love to eat turkey. The meals are just delicious. You have mashed potatoes, sweet potato with marshmallows, a good salad, green beans, bread, turkey, turkey, and more turkey, and of course, some great pies and cakes and ice cream. Plus, it’s all decorated with Christmas things and it’s just a very good feeling of comfort and happiness.
This year was no different in that. I had three Thanksgivings and they all were amazing. The first one at Kata’s home with all the MPC’ers (second years). The second with everyone at MPC and the ones that have contributed in some way to make it happen. And the third one was with my family. When being at each of these and also the days before them, I thought about the meaning of this celebration. I started thinking about the things I’m grateful for and arrived at a great insight.
I’ve noticed in the past months that I’m the owner of my life, and I know this sounds a little cliché and obvious, but I’ve concluded that not many people realized this. By being the owner of your life, you are taking the responsibility of all your actions and the person that you’ll become. I’m grateful for my life and for having the capacity to choose what I think is best for me and that would make me a happier person. I’m also grateful for being able to choose the people I let into my life and that my interaction with these are making me a better person each day. So, when I realized all of these and have this feeling of gratefulness and happiness, eating turkey becomes a second dish.