Note To Self:

EDIT: in order to understand this post better I have provided three videos for you to watch. they are about 20 mins each, but are filled with wisdom. i invite you to truly watch them. i’m positive it’ll change your outlook on life as it has for me.

“Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity”

“Mike Rowe, the host of “Dirty Jobs,” tells some compelling (and horrifying) real-life job stories. Listen for his insights and observations about the nature of hard work, and how it’s been unjustifiably degraded in society today.”

“The MIT Media Lab’s John Maeda lives at the intersection of technology and art, a place that can get very complicated. Here he talks about paring down to basics.”

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trag·e·dy [traj'i-de]
–noun, plural -dies.

1.     a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction.

…that is the definition given by dictionary.com. Although, that is not the meaning that I am trying to infer… the Aristotelian’s definition is the one that I would like to share with you guys. Aristotle said that ‘tragedy’ is…

“the moment when a hero comes face to face with his true identity.”

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I came across a link on facebook that made me realize that most of the things that I’ve been doing in the past… were all wrong. From eating to studying to maintaining relationships… I was reminded of how I was doing it all wrong. I can elaborate more on this topic, but I’ll save that for another time.

I learned two new words along the way. And those are anagnorisis and peripeteia. Anagnorisis is the greek word for ‘discovery.’ The transition from ignorance to knowledge. And peripeteia is the moment (or the realization) in the great tragedies.

Everyday, I experience anagnorisis through school, work, and other daily routines. And that’s when the tragedy happens; when I have to decide for myself… “what is the most effective best way of doing this… or doing that…” Human beings love complexity, but I like to keep things simple. Every now and then, I get carried away with things.

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TED.com has awakened me to my senses. After watching a handful of speakers, I vowed to myself… starting on April 1, 2009 – I will live life entirely in simplicity.

I purchased John Maeda’s book “Laws of Simplicity” today, and I can’t wait for it to arrive in the mail! I will start living a more simple life starting with my room. I’ve gotten rid of most of my knick knacks, but I need to step up to the next level. And that’s where MUJI comes in. Day by day, I will be organizing my life to so that my tragedies won’t be as complex.

I probably sound like a broken record by now, but then again… since when did I ever make sense. Since my discovery of TED.com, my priorities and goals have been so vivid, I am more determined now than ever to finish what I’ve started begin a new chapter in my life.

“It is about living life with more enjoyment and less pain.”