Epiphany #12

"The great thing about the English language is that there are many ways to learn it."


This epiphany of mine is horribly worded. I wrote it down during my second day of Music In Israel, a class that focuses on how all cultures collide in Israel through Judaism and otherwise. This may have gotten me thinking about universal languages, or communication in general. When I visited Taiwan, I learned some Chinese and how the same word in a different tone can mean something completely different. Alternatively, I thought about how English (and I guess many other Western languages) can be much easier to learn in that sense, since English doesn't really have any specific tones. 

Maybe I was just suddenly super jazzed about the fact that it's not difficult for me to comprehend somebody who only knows basic English or has a strong accent. Glad I already know any language, to be honest.

Epiphany #11

"Normal force = will to survive by all objects?!"


I often ask myself, "Why is the world the way it is? Why do atoms stick together and form objects like desks or people? Why is anything a solid material?" I know it's probably electromagnetism or something, but if creatures on Earth can participate in natural selection, then so can anything else. 
In Physics, we were learning about the normal/support force and how roller coasters work. I wasn't comprehending why the support force existed from the track to the car, so my professor made up a more basic example with a table, the floor, and a book. There is the normal force of the table on the book, and of the book on the table, and also the normal force of the floor on the table! I understood how it worked well enough, but I was still completely confused as to WHY the force exists. The answer was that the normal force is keeping the table from falling into the center of the Earth. 

But still, I ask, WHY!

Then I thought, perhaps way back when, the universe would try out different realities of physics that, through trials and errors, resulted in a matter as solid as Earth. Perhaps a planet like Earth might have formed, but the only difference was that physics allowed objects to fall right through it. Maybe the planet's own will to survive has allowed the physics of solids and support forces to exist.

Epiphany #10

"Writing string quartets for electro is more eco-friendly."

In Physics, we were learning about Hooke's law, and I suddenly realized that writing string quartets for techno music is perhaps better for the environment than listening to a DJ at a rave. My reasoning behind this was the fact that dance parties and raves require many, many outlets. There are so many strobe lights and lasers to plug in, and the speakers probably require a hefty amount of energy to blast the music. Since I've been wanting to arrange some more electro-house songs for string quartet, it crossed my mind that having four instruments powered only by humans definitely saves more energy than a giant dance party. Or any other concert, for that matter.

Although, there are always exceptions: 

Epiphany #9

"Rhetoric = ruling the world. Perceptions."

This is my first epiphany of the new school year! It happened in Physics for Future Presidents, where I am usually extremely attentive in class, but lightbulbs have their way of lighting up whenever they please. I must have been pondering minoring in Rhetoric, and I was thinking of the skills that I could possess by studying the subject more. The way I understand it, rhetoric gives one the ability to persuade an audience, or change people's perceptions. Rhetoric also teaches the skill of knowing when someone else is using a tool of persuasion. I was thinking about this, and then coupling it with the idea that all we "know" of the world is just known through our perceptions, and we as a human race have created things to identify and things to be real. Since our world's entire reality is all just a bunch of perceptions, learning rhetoric may be my key to ruling the world! (In a completely non-dominant way, of course.)
I think this epiphany came about because of Physics for Future Presidents's first class, where my professor first made the enormous disclaimer that physics is just another way of looking at the world. Reality is what I make it, nobody can tell me otherwise.

Epiphany #8

"You can only rise (transcend) so high before you have to realize that you, yourself, are also human."


I always hear friends talking about becoming vegetarian and vegan, or people trying their best to not be wasteful. I'm all for these things, becoming more eco-friendly and not consuming as much of the earth's resources as others, but there are those people who become so obsessed and extreme with their conservation that they may think that they are on the brink of becoming a human that doesn't do any damage to the earth whatsoever. (Of course, this could be totally off track, but it is a potential future for me that I have thought out, so I can judge it as much as I want.) As much as we try to conserve energy and choose healthy alternatives to dead cow, we are all human. That said, we all consume a lot of material and we all exert various pressures on sad mother Earth. This is a part of human life, and no matter how much you try to tone it down, we're still people who need water and food to survive. I'm never going to be able to reach maximum conservationist swag, because I suck away oxygen every day and I flush poop into sewers and I drink water frequently. 
This epiphany can also obviously be applied to anything; anyone who has a big head or thinks himself invincible at anytime has got to remind himself that he's a person just like the rest of us. 

Epiphany #7

"Outlook on life = outlook on yourself. Embrace."


Alright, so it's been a while since I've looked over my epiphanies, and my Linguistics class had its final exam months ago. But I was looking over my final study guide (it's all just a bunch of rainbow highlighter scribbles), and I even had epiphanies while STUDYING for my Linguistics final! 
Anyway, I heard from somewhere, perhaps it was a Lulu Lemon poster, that your outlook on life is a direct reflection on what you think of yourself. This epiphany was just a realization that since I'm getting two outlooks for the price of one, I'd better just be positive no matter what. I should embrace my flaws and my mistakes, and I should understand that I'm beautiful the way I am. Now, applying this to life itself (and the universe, and everything) may be a little more difficult for some, because it requires full embrace of everything that is. And some parts of life suck; some parts about Earth and human civilization suck as well. Modern society has had its share of mistakes and (albeit sometimes significant) flaws, but I should be willing to forgive life and find the beauty in it. 

Epiphany #6

“If I have to make the excuse that open relationships are more natural, I should probably just get another boyfriend.” 

In this particular lecture, I think a GSI was teaching it, and I didn’t need to copy down as many notes because the powerpoint slides were online. So I really let my mind drift. It probably didn’t have to drift all that far before I reached the revelation that I shouldn’t settle for anybody less than satisfactory. If you haven’t noticed already, I tend to think a lot about boys and romance in general. It’s such a vague and fun subject to think about, though, especially for an 18 year old girl, so I’m not too embarrassed to admit it. Oh love. I’ve often made the excuse that I don’t have a boyfriend because I enjoy being single. And gosh darn, it’s in our blood to naturally want more than one partner! Polygamous relationships are natural! Free love! 

And then I realized, if I constantly have to make this assertion, I will probably never actually end up in a serious monogamous relationship. Which is fine, as long as I’m thinking along the lines that I shouldn’t have to choose between one person or another. But if this continues to happen, maybe I’m just not doing it right: maybe I’ll be picking the wrong partners for me. And I do have confidence that I am capable of being faithful to one partner (and one only). It’s just a matter of who it is. 

Epiphany #5

“I just had a vision for a music video. Inspiration” 

Now, this revelation might actually have to do with the lecture in Linguistics that day. We discussed “speech communities,” and “insiders vs. outsiders.” When people “code-switch”, or speak Spanglish, for instance, only the people who speak both fluently will accurately understand all that’s going on in the conversation. Perhaps this is just a coincidence, but it goes a little with my music video vision. “Inspiration” is a song I’ve wanted to write for a while, but every time I think about it (I’ve thought about it for a few years now), I’m only thinking of how to best visualize the music. In other words, I’ve just had visions of how the music video will go. 

When I was in high school, I made a mental (and perhaps physical) list of people who inspired me. These people were mostly students from my school; certain multi-instrumentalists, or spontaneous individuals who I looked up to, or wanted to marry. Anyway, I had made a list, and in my music video vision, I pictured a person (me) encountering such people in little snapshot moments that defined their inspiration to me. For example, I  know this guy who said he was working on a CD; he plays several instruments, and he is the reason I went through an electric bass guitar phase in junior year. Things like that.

So as I’m sitting in Linguistics, I consider a different route of inspiration. Something having to do with heartbreak and love, and all that mushy stuff. I envisioned a girl spending quality time with a boy, his charisma and humor inspiring her to take more chances, or maybe try skateboarding, I don’t know. As I’m writing about this now, I realize that the story is a little close to home, but screw it. So the girl is inspired by the boy she loves (or whatever), but here is my twist (kind of): Even after the girl’s heart is broken, and the guy leaves her and starts loving somebody else, the girl finds inspiration in the two bodies that walk away. She is inspired by the heartbreak that the dude has given her. Am I weird to say that? 

That’s where the Linguistics lecture may have connected in. The girl becomes an outsider as she watches another happy couple, like an outsider in a speech community. I guess it could be like if I, an English only speaker, were to sit in on an entirely French conversation. I’d be an outsider, but I would be so inspired and soothed by the French language it wouldn’t matter (maybe that example was a stretch). 

Epiphany #4

“String ensemble = orgy.”

I love music. In fact, I love it so much I’d marry it and make love to it. During a lecture on models of language revitalization, I considered the fact that all great musicians take their work seriously and love every second they spend playing an instrument. And in a string ensemble, or an orchestra, or any music ensemble for that matter, the chemistry between players has to be decent enough so that musical voices can interact with each other effectively and expressively. As I was thinking this, I thought, hey, that sounds a lot like having sex. I thought of the times I’ve played in ensembles or quartets, and you must listen and respond to the other melodies and harmonies to create a living amoeba of song (for lack of better words). Depending on the style of music or the feeling you want to get across to the audience, the interactions between instruments can either be affectionate or clashing, but to stay close to the orgy idea, either way it should give off a fun, effortlessly loving vibe. To me, anyway. 

Epiphany #3

“I just had an epiphany about human interactions and a jigsaw puzzle metaphor.”

One day, a long time ago, I wrote down some poetic sentence: “Society is a jigsaw puzzle, and somewhere I belong.” And I think I was pondering that idea, and maybe expanding it in my mind. Before, I was just thinking of myself as one jigsaw puzzle piece, and other people or perhaps values were the other pieces. But during this lecture, I had an idea about people having several tiny jigsaw pieces themselves, that represented their lifestyles and hobbies, etc. And then other people connected themselves to those pieces, maybe on a three-dimensional level. Then the people connected with the other people connect with other people, and then you have a giant intertwined web of jigsaw puzzle pieces. Which I realize makes the jigsaw puzzle metaphor a little more complicated and not as accurate, but whatever.

Epiphany #2

“I can’t even begin to understand it, but it’s beautiful.”
This is in conjunction with a little doodle I made of a couple sparkling stars. Perhaps I was pondering about the wonders of space? Or anything else that is unexplainably awesome? Like love, or capitalism? That day in Linguistics we introduced language endangerment and how to revitalize a language once it’s gone. I seriously doubt that has anything to do with the epiphany.

Actually, I just realized that this day’s lecture was on Valentine’s Day. This epiphany was most definitely related to love.

Epiphany #1

“Professor’s voice sounds like peanut butter and malt.”
This was the first epiphany I had, or at least the first time I decided to write down any ideas that popped into my head during class. It was perhaps a couple weeks into the course, and I finally realized that her voice is tasty and whole and sticky. I like it.