Posted by jason on July 25, 2001 at 10:54:46:
In Reply to: Re: Drat!!! Tag the true sea!!! Alarm the living necktie!!! posted by kat on July 24, 2001 at 21:15:03:
: Umm, I'm intrigued what sort of 'odd things'?
On a simple level: If a boy wanted to send me a letter to wish me happy jellyfish day -- and instead of a letter, he filled the envelope with sand.
On a deeper level: If I talked to a girl and she said something that seems to dig a little deeper than what floats on the top of most conversations, like:
Me: "...exactly! I have a similar 'unusable' collection, except mine is matchbooks."
Her: "So you have matchbooks from many different places, but instead putting them on display, you actually use them?"
Me: "Right - my display happens to be wherever the matchbook lands when I take it out of my pocket."
Her: "So, one could say that you aren't exactly the 'neatest' of individuals?"
Me: "If one were so inclined..."
Her: "I don't see how a 'collection' of matchbooks is similar in any way to my batteries... I mean, part of the interesting thing about batteries is that they retain a 'memory' of their own - quite literally, which is why rechargeables will only last for a certain number of charges."
Me: "With the matchbooks, I associate my own memories to them..."
Her: "Which can be done with batteries as well -- I have two 'AA' batteries that used to live in my calculator. It just so happened that when the batteries died, took them out and put them in my purse to remind myself to get new ones. I went shopping one day and happened upon a shiny, new solar calculator, and bought it -- I had forgotten about the batteries. One day, several months later, I was cleaning out my purse and found the batteries. I thought about how useless they were, and how useless the calculator was without them, and I decided to keep them. I don't know whatever happened to that old calculator..."
: Also as far as emotion goes, where would your interst be in that regard?
For me, emotion is hard to define, which is why it interests me -- this is the same context that spirituality interests me. Paul said that we percieve spiritual things as if we are looking through a darkly tinted window. I feel that emotion is a waymark toward spiritual understanding. Just like a child that learns how to stand is an initial movement toward running. But more than that, emotion covers many of the 'why' aspects of everyday actions and decisions. It is almost that emotion bridges the concrete to the abstract. But remember what I first said -- "for me, emotion is hard to define" so this description I just gave, although accurate from my perspective, has not necessarily weathered the storm of discourse.
:Human behavior?
King's X has a song called "Human Behavior." Human behavior, as it pertains to emotion, is cool, but human behavior as it pertains to religion is much cooler (and in many cases, more frightening). I like to actively watch people and learn from them. You know, most people know the "right" way to do things (remove all standard theological inferences here, please ;-). For example, when I was 12 years old, I went to summer camp. We had to pass a swimming test to see what kids were allowed to do when swimming in the lake. There was a shallow area, a deeper area that was easily reached by the lifeguards, and a floating platform out in the middle of the lake. We all had to take this test so that the chaperones would know what are abilities were. I have always been a good swimmer, so when I took the test, I really exaggerated my skills. I swam part of the test freestyle; I swam another part using the breaststroke; and I swam the final part on my back. Needless to say, I had a great time diving from the floating platform! We do this in life, too. We know the "pure" way to do things, and whenever our "skills" are put to the test, we rise to the occasion, but usually, day-to-day, we are a bit sloppier (or at least, I am). Learning these kinds of things about myself and other people is interesting and fun (especially when coming up with informal challenges to put people on the spot -- just ask PS for directions sometime!)
:The physiological aspect of emotion?
Short-term things like crying or laughing are "useful" from the standpoint that you get instant feedback (I don't mean that crying is useful - I just mean that when you are crying, you usually instantly know how you feel, or if you are with someone who is crying, you know how that person feels). I want to know the long-term aspects. Why does someone decide to go on a diet? I'm sure that at some level, there is an emotional motive. I like to dig down and figure those things out.
:Words that define emotion? Psycology? Cause and effect?
Words are fun, but are many times misleading. For example, when you say, "Words that define emotion," do you mean "Terminology used to break down emotional concepts?" or do you mean, "Things you say when you are emotional to explain how you are feeling?" or do you mean, "Words to say to give form or meaning to emotion?" To me, I am not so much interested in static words on a page that lay out instructions per se. They can be a great teaching/learning tool, and I study in this format, but the interesting part of definitions is when they take their first breath. If you said to me that "Emotion is life." My "cornball meter" would measure in the eight to nine register. But two weeks later, when I'm sad about a break-up, I might realize that the sadness I feel is a reminder that I have feelings and that regardless of my sorrow, I go on living, I might realize (in a less corny, more dynamic sense) that "emotion is life."
: I like your scrambled subject line!
Thanks! Was it Interesting? Odd? Emotional?
Thanks for the reply...