A Small Analysis

This was my first impression when I saw this blog:

”…Wow, this is what people in the world today are doing. Is this… disappointment?”

My first thought was to leave, and for a short time, I did. Then, I thought it might be interesting to see what happens. Overall, sitting here and observing hasn’t done that much for me, but there have been recent events that made it a little more fun. Such as reading the comments.

One of the things that kind of bothered me since I started thinking is that people who work on the monthly articles do the same topic. This month’s theme is impressions. Yet, both the articles on impressions have been about first impressions. What happened to the other types of impressions? What about the kind of impressions that can forever twist an innocent mind into something hideous? What happened to the kind a psychologist can have on a hikkomori? Have they been forgotten? You may have gotten the job you wanted, but how is working there going to change you?

I haven’t bothered to take a second look at the articles past last month since the labels seem to be flying off to articles that might only mention it once to hint at the theme, but it still holds true. Most of the articles were on the downside of expectations when things go wrong. I can understand that that might be a memorable part of the cycle, but it’s not going to be as much if all of us are teaching the same life lessons. We get different opinions on that, but as we present our points of view, the focus on the subject becomes narrower. If we think about first impressions all the time, we’re going to loose track of what else is important. So what if we got that interview because you looked like a nerd? You won’t be able to hold that job if you just slack off after that. First impressions are important, but there are other things that are just as important.

I know how stupid most people think this article sounds. The person who barely wrote anything, done almost nothing around here, is telling people that they should think about other things. Why don’t I just write an article about the different kinds of impressions? That wouldn’t do much. It would only be another monthly article, just another pile of words to add to the growing heap. This way, the tendency itself is spoken to. This way, we can look at this and see how we can improve. I may not do much, but that doesn’t mean I can’t donate my two cents.

So, now I ask you. Are we going to focus our observations on a specific coordinate, or are we going to think about the entire plane?

And to keep the idea of impressions circling about, a simple doodled tribute. Wow, this is perhaps the worst thing I have ever written and drawn. But for now, the quality of the picture isn't the most important part.

Expectations –The Absurd and the Feasible

Yes. We’re all familiar with expectations. Everyone has them, everyone’s seen them before. For now, let’s look at them a bit more in detail. There are three different kinds – ones that are ridiculously high, ones that are doable, and ones that we could surpass without effort. Out of these three, the ones that give people the most trouble are the ones that stray between the border of reality and chaos.

At least once, you’ll see someone who assumes your capabilities are greater than they truly are. Maybe this is your insane math teacher that gives out impossible tests and expects you to be able to maintain an average of at least 99%. Perhaps it’s your parents, who want you to become a surgeon despite the fact that you have hemophobia. It’s even possible that the one with high standards is none other than yourself, stressing out over your latest 10 point essay.

So, what would most people do if and when this happens to them? Let’s look the situation with the teacher first. If asked, the average person would probably reply “I’d get really mad at that teacher and request a change in classes from my counselor.” Now, consider what you probably would do. Although there would be much whining, not that many people would probably take action. Why? Because most people don’t have the nerve to tell the teacher outright that they couldn’t teach someone how to open a file on Windows XP, let alone teach their class geometry. The idea of a teacher holding a grudge against you is simply too intimidating for most people.

If a teacher holding a grudge against you is that powerful, the thought of having a close person dislike you even slightly is just as, if not even more stressful. Telling your dad “I’m sorry, but there’s no way I can be the perfect prosecutor you’ve always wanted me to be. It’s all just too boring. I’m going to be a stunt person,” is pretty bad, but they’re also your parents. They’ll probably understand, unless they’ve been manipulating you for the past ten years. Not to mention, it would really suck if you were stuck at law school thinking about skydiving.

Thinking about all of this, isn’t it clear why most people hold their tongue and suffer instead of going and doing something about it? Well, if you really need it clarified, let me spell a few out.

A. They’re scared.

As mentioned in the example with the teacher, there are negative side effects to trying that people might not consider worth the risk.

B. They don’t want to hurt the other person’s feelings.

Imagine you had a good girlfriend/boyfriend. Unfortunately, you both disagree on where to live. Do you really want to deny them a life in the city that they’ve grown familiar with?

C. They don’t want to admit that they can’t do it.

Try putting yourself in this situation – You’ve spent your entire summer training to make the cross country team. Guess what, you made it in. Congratulations. The coach announces that you will be training by running 5 miles nonstop every day. Even though you’ve been training all summer, you’re not that great at running. You know you’ll fail and be dropped, but you don’t say anything. Just because you don’t want to admit your entire summer’s been a waste.

D. Other.

What? You can't seriously expect me to list everything here. It's long enough as it is, and I can't think up every situation that exists

Either way, it's time for this old man to end his ranting.

Sendak