Learning new things

I can't agree with Ayrton Senna more when he said:

‎"There is a, a great desire on me on improving; getting better. That makes me happy. And everytime that I feel I am slowing down my learning process, my learning curve is getting flatter or whatever, then it doesn't make me very happy. That applies not only as a profession, as a racing driver, but also as a man."

A few weeks ago, I started getting into guns. I took a 10 hour class on handgun safety, and I plan to take more to continue to improve. The next one will likely be personal protection inside the home. I really hope I never have to use what I'm learning, but it's fun to learn, and I like preparing myself as best as possible for unpredictable circumstances.

I don't like being limited by the equipment I use. This applies to all my hobbies. I want to be the limiting factor. I like having a lot of room for self improvement. This makes for a steep learning curve where, often times, the quality of my things is not proportional to my skill. This is challenging. Challenging is fun.

This is my 1911 (chambered, as the original, for the .45 ACP cartridge). The design was standardized 100 years ago during WWI. It was the standard issue side arm for the US armed forces from 1911 to 1985. The parts from 100 years ago are identical to the parts of today. Literally, exactly the same design. It's simple, and it's easy to see the singular function of each component. I am able to disassemble and reassemble with no tools, in about 5 minutes (but haven't timed myself, yet). It is fun to shoot, and has quite a kick. Having joined the local gun club and range, I'm enjoying improving. It will be a long time before I'm equipment limited. I'm certainly the limiting factor, and that is fun.

On happiness and optimism

On this day 10 years ago, I was in German 4 when our high school principle came over the intercom and told teachers to turn on the TV. It could be that I was overly naive, or just couldn't imagine how terrible it must have been to be affected directly by the days events; but I did not fully understand the significance of the days events. One thing was for sure, it happened, and it will be in the history books forever. We will not forget. However, our remembrance should not be in sadness or hatred, but in optimism and hope. We learned of the foolishness of intolerance. This is a two way street. We must try and understand each other and accept that we are all different. If a book written millennia ago says we should be intolerant of certain groups, does that make it right?

A lot can change in 10 years. Education, travel, and time can help provide worldwide context to events of this nature. These three things will help individually, but I believe their true power is only manifest when coupled with the unique power of the human mind to make sense of multiple, seemingly unrelated facts. This does not require belief, only facts and effort. Even if the facts are difficult to find, we must try. If we can't find the facts, we can speculate and hypothesize. Speculation and hypothesis do not equate to fact; and this must always be remembered. If forgotten, it is challenging not to fool yourself. The effort required is not reduced once we find a fact. We must think, attempt to find context, and use it to construct our view of the world. A fact may be proven wrong or inaccurate, and at that time it is important to reconsider how that changes your world view. When building your world view, a fact can not be disregarded, especially if it is an uncomfortable one. New facts can be uncomfortable, and difficult to accept. Just because they can be hard to accept, that doesn't change the fact itself. It is important to look forward and determine the best possible course of action.

"We can find a resonance, a harmony between the way we think, and the way the world works. When he found that his long cherished beliefs did not agree with the most precise observations, he accepted the uncomfortable facts. He preferred the hard truth to his dearest illusions. That..is the heart of science."
~Carl Sagan on Johannas Kepler and his acceptance of his failed theory

A lot can change in 3 weeks. On my way to work on a Tuesday morning, I got a call from my mom. She goes on to tell me that doctors have found that she has cancer. A second opinion since has confirmed the diagnosis. Talk about a difficult fact to accept, but nothing changes it. We can be optimistic and look on the bright side; they found it early. They found it using new, very sensitive equipment. Using equipment from just a few years ago would not have found it. There is reason to be optimistic. The day after I learned this, my dad went into the hospital for a scheduled knee replacement. He is working through rehabilitation now, and is doing very well. We can be happy about his progress, and optimistic for his full recovery. It's not possible to find happiness in all situations, but that doesn't mean we can't be optimistic and hopeful. Let's understand the situation and make the best decision for moving forward.

"Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere."
~Van Wilder (movie)

A lot can change in 6 days. Happiness has been easy to find this week...smiling and laughing a lot. Funny how just reading text can do that. I over analyze everything and am always trying to predict things. For this, I blame engineering...but it has also taught me to realize that predictions are just that, and can be wrong. I don't like being wrong, but regardless, with engineering it is easy because there (so far) has never a possibility of someone getting hurt. This is completely different. I didn't learn this in school. I'm trying to learn. Learning is fun. :)

"You just have to put yourself out there and hope they like you back! This isn't a game! This is my life."
~Just Friends (movie)