Physics Week 9: Synthesis
MY MORNING 7/23/17: WRITTEN IN ENGLISH (E) PRIME
I recall opening my eyes and my clock appeared to read 8:30 EST. I prepared a blend of Reishi Roast and green tea with coconut creamer. My body felt tired and I sensed a sluggish mind. I made a decision to do laundry, which seemed to me liked a productive use of time at that moment. Stepping out my door I noticed a blob of human feces on my stairwell. It appeared that someone left the front gate ajar. I assumed at that moment that the neighbor with the long hair did it while purchasing a Yerba Mate spritzer at the bodega. I made the decision not to clean the feces for several reasons. Reason number 1: I imagined being nauseated. Reason number 2: I felt frustrated by my neighbor for leaving the gate open and thought he should clean it as punishment and as a reminder that the landlord probably installed the gate for the purpose of keeping unwanted folk (and their waste products) out. I held my nose and proceeded. On my walk, I detoured to the corner store with the intention of breaking the $50 bill I had been saving for several months. The teller appeared surprised to receive this bill. He seemed impressed. I felt embarrassed and misrepresented. I could not recall a recent time that I held such a bill in my hand. Just then a woman walked into the store and asked if anyone had heard about the International Cafe robbery. I felt sad and frustrated for the store owner, an Eritrean woman named Zahra. "That darn Scaffolding," said the woman. In my opinion, this woman believed that the scaffolding made the robbery possible. I agreed and felt relieved that there was no longer scaffolding on my building. This feeling was exaggerated by the defecation on my stairs. Despite the preceding 10 minutes, I maintained a strong sense of safety in my neighborhood.
THE LANGUAGE OF PHYSICS: EAST MEETS WEST
The absolute quality of conventional physics i.e newtonian physics would be difficult to discuss in E prime. There is after all a right and a wrong, with little room for interpretation. New age physics, like quantum mechanics, challenges conventional physics with elements of uncertainty and the potential power of observation. When looking at the way that language depicts Quantum mechanics, many have noticed correlations with eastern philosophies. Niels Bohr, noticed a connection with atomic theory and the writings of Buddha and Lao Tzu. Heisenberg, a quantum mechanics pioneer, alined some of his findings with traditional Japanese texts. New Physics seems to cross over into a philosophical realm that transcends many boundaries established by language and culture.
Language is a powerful tool, though it has limitations when trying to discuss non-absolute philosophical concepts. Bruce Holbrook argues that western language is "unstable over time" and lacks the freedom of expression whereas Chinese language, which does not distinguish past present or future, depicts an essence that spans through generations. Gary Zucav discusses how certain Chinese words have multiple meanings, in his book "Dancing with Wu Li Masters." For example the word for physics, "Wu Li" also translates as Patterns of Organic Energy, My Way, Nonsense, I clutch my Ideas, and enlightenment. This is a beautiful depiction of the Eastern holistic continum as it relates to Quantum Mechanics and the limitations of western language.
References:
http://www.phych.utah.edu/gordon/classes/Phy4905Docs/PsychHistory/Cards/EastWest.html
Zukav, Gary. The Dancing Wu Li Masters. Harper One, 1979.
Holbrook, Bruce. The Stone Monkey. Willian Morrow, 1981.
I recall opening my eyes and my clock appeared to read 8:30 EST. I prepared a blend of Reishi Roast and green tea with coconut creamer. My body felt tired and I sensed a sluggish mind. I made a decision to do laundry, which seemed to me liked a productive use of time at that moment. Stepping out my door I noticed a blob of human feces on my stairwell. It appeared that someone left the front gate ajar. I assumed at that moment that the neighbor with the long hair did it while purchasing a Yerba Mate spritzer at the bodega. I made the decision not to clean the feces for several reasons. Reason number 1: I imagined being nauseated. Reason number 2: I felt frustrated by my neighbor for leaving the gate open and thought he should clean it as punishment and as a reminder that the landlord probably installed the gate for the purpose of keeping unwanted folk (and their waste products) out. I held my nose and proceeded. On my walk, I detoured to the corner store with the intention of breaking the $50 bill I had been saving for several months. The teller appeared surprised to receive this bill. He seemed impressed. I felt embarrassed and misrepresented. I could not recall a recent time that I held such a bill in my hand. Just then a woman walked into the store and asked if anyone had heard about the International Cafe robbery. I felt sad and frustrated for the store owner, an Eritrean woman named Zahra. "That darn Scaffolding," said the woman. In my opinion, this woman believed that the scaffolding made the robbery possible. I agreed and felt relieved that there was no longer scaffolding on my building. This feeling was exaggerated by the defecation on my stairs. Despite the preceding 10 minutes, I maintained a strong sense of safety in my neighborhood.
THE LANGUAGE OF PHYSICS: EAST MEETS WEST
The absolute quality of conventional physics i.e newtonian physics would be difficult to discuss in E prime. There is after all a right and a wrong, with little room for interpretation. New age physics, like quantum mechanics, challenges conventional physics with elements of uncertainty and the potential power of observation. When looking at the way that language depicts Quantum mechanics, many have noticed correlations with eastern philosophies. Niels Bohr, noticed a connection with atomic theory and the writings of Buddha and Lao Tzu. Heisenberg, a quantum mechanics pioneer, alined some of his findings with traditional Japanese texts. New Physics seems to cross over into a philosophical realm that transcends many boundaries established by language and culture.
Language is a powerful tool, though it has limitations when trying to discuss non-absolute philosophical concepts. Bruce Holbrook argues that western language is "unstable over time" and lacks the freedom of expression whereas Chinese language, which does not distinguish past present or future, depicts an essence that spans through generations. Gary Zucav discusses how certain Chinese words have multiple meanings, in his book "Dancing with Wu Li Masters." For example the word for physics, "Wu Li" also translates as Patterns of Organic Energy, My Way, Nonsense, I clutch my Ideas, and enlightenment. This is a beautiful depiction of the Eastern holistic continum as it relates to Quantum Mechanics and the limitations of western language.
References:
http://www.phych.utah.edu/gordon/classes/Phy4905Docs/PsychHistory/Cards/EastWest.html
Zukav, Gary. The Dancing Wu Li Masters. Harper One, 1979.
Holbrook, Bruce. The Stone Monkey. Willian Morrow, 1981.
Perhaps, these choices:
ReplyDeleteA note at the neighbor's door asking if he left the gate ajar may be a way of resolving the gate dilemma, not that you asked for a solution. Just saying.
If you approach him first, he may feel compelled to discard the feces. Whatever his response, his attention to the gate may greatly improved. And, you may make this neighbor a nice friend. I suppose, this would be more of an e-Prime.
Or, (depending on its' consistency) stick the feces in front of his door. Wu Li.