To Be or Not to Be - #Occupy Style

To be or not to be,

that is the question.

1
To go up against almost insurmountable odds,

Or back down and submit.

2
To be a virtuous being in pursuit of happiness,

Or a coward driven by fear.

3
To wield the sword of truth,

and cut down all unreason,

(Or to throw it into lake,

and hope someone finds it later.)

4
To stand for non-initiation of force,

Or to condone it with silent consent.

5
To live a life without real human connection and empathy,

Or to live in small, silent, subconscious fear of others.

6
To hold reason, evidence and truth above people,

Or to give up reason to be with the unreasonable.

7
To live up to one's ideals,

Or to back down and fall short of one's potential.

8
To realize that your time is limited,

Or to live a life of delusion.

9
There is no question really,

Just words and excuses to let you not see reality.

10
That your life is yours to live;
It can be awesome and all you want it to be;
But time is slipping away...
Rise up and live it!

This is an infinitely extendable poem. Feel free to add!!


Here's a talk (TED) by a Poet!

"We're all going to die — and poems can help us live with that."

Lucy: A Movie Review

A way overdue movie review for a movie most people probably aren't going to watch/rewatch now.

Lucy... the New Woman.

Directed by Luc Besson, this movie is reminiscent of the Fifth Element, the Professional and other action movies. There is more than enough action to go around, but there is more than meets the eye...

Plot Summary

Credits. A cell becomes 2 cells, then 4 cells, then 8 cells, doubling.

We open with an ape/chimp/monkey drinking from a river. A montage ensues taking us through the passage of time, of human progress from prehistoric to civilization to horse-drawn to modern Taipei.

A young woman, Lucy, is persuaded to be a drug mule. She gets the drugs inserted into her abdomen before being sent to another country. Unfortunately, she is intercepted by a rival gang, where she gets beaten up. The package in her abdomen rips open, and she begins to become superhuman. Overcoming her captors with extreme ease, she proceeds to take revenge on the drug gangs, informing the authorities of the situation.

While things cool down, she goes to contact a certain top expert (Morgan Freeman) in this field. She tells him she has "read all his research" and wants to know what is going to happen to her. He does not know. She tells him she knows that the drug CPH4 is slowly killing her.

So, she goes back to exacting revenge on the gangs, but this time, with the goal of retrieving all the other drugs. She finds that she needs it to survive.

Eventually, she meets the Expert, who has brought his fellow top-expert friends along (they look like bewildered dorks). They analyze the drug, while a firefight ensues outside, between the authorities and the gang who want their drugs back.

Eventually, the gang breaks through, after employing an anti-tank missile. The gang boss hangs there, his pistol aimed at Lucy. I can't think why he would do such a thing, but it seems to be important to the plot.

A time travel sequence brings Lucy backwards and forwards in space and time, as she appears to gain the ability to effortlessly manipulate space and time. Eventually, she returns to the room only to become this black goo that eats all the equipment in the room

The movie ends with the villains dead and a shiny, space-black flashdrive being created.

Analysis

Here are some truly significant excerpts I thought everyone who did/didn't watch the movie should know.

When cells grow in a hostile environment, they will choose immortality.
When cells grow in a friendly environment, they reproduce.

The Myth of 10% Brain usage

Are we really using 10% of the brain's neurons? No, that's just an urban myth. I'm thinking 10% potential sounds about right - my brain could be doing wildly awesome things, but only after the training and learning required to even comprehend such knowledge bases.

"One factor to rule them all" CPH4. For some, a growth hormone. For others, certain death from overdose.

The Role of Force

While most of the action (shooting and car-chases) are pretty much for entertainment, much of the brutality is there to shock. By that, I mean the hiding of drugs in the abdomen via surgery.

The Obsolete of the State

Before being tipped off by Lucy, drug enforcement officials are sitting around and basically ineffective. Their security measures are pretty useless too.

If you think about it, the only reason why drugs must be smuggled via such extreme means is because the drugs are illegal. Understanding this, Lucy was as much a victim of the State, as she was of the mafia-like drug gang.

Men are Useless

Yes, that's right. Feminism is everywhere. Every man are absolutely and totally useless. The cops, all men, are only good for killing the criminals, who are also, all men. The "top scientists" of all fields are men, but all are incompetent jaw-droppers in the face of almighty Lucy. Lucy's sidekicks all want her sexually, but Lucy is like this asexual organism.

If women were given the treatment the men are given, the movie would never be made. When men are treated this way, most men have no problems with it.

2001:A Space Odyssey

Honestly, I can never cease to be amazed at how many tributes to 2001:A Space Odyssey are in remotely sci-fi, philosophical movies. Lucy is uncannily similar to 2001 in plot and visual metaphor.

The Matrix

Anonymous agents perfectly dressed in black suits? Uploading yourself into any screen or electronic device? Downloading skills and information at will? The bending of reality?

The violent, deceptive Win-Lose world. The Win-Win world evolves out of the Win-Lose cut-throat world. Technology grows out of it. That's the story of the human race, for now. What is done with the technology determines whether we boom or bust.

Integration. 

The Singularity, achievable by recognizing fully human potential. It is not machines who will cause the Singularity, but human beings aided by machines.

The meaning of life

In a voice over at the beginning of the film we hear "Life was given to us a billion years ago. What have we done with it?" At the film's conclusion another voice over tells us "Life was given to us a billion years ago. Now you know what you can do with it." 

At the end of her lifespan, she turns all her knowledge into a USB flashdrive and hands it to the scientists to help the world. The movie argues that the meaning of life is to realize you are part of a bigger whole, and so serving the world is the meaning of your life, and everybody's.

Internet of EVERYTHING

Download any skill, all of every kind of science. Hardwork all nonsense now. Beat the experts of different fields within a few seconds, by somehow reading everything they ever published. Isn't that a modern, info-age notion of Enlightenment, as being able to process data and make decisions quickly.

Cell Mitosis, Cell Integration. Monoliths.

Cells separate, and specialize as a human being grows. Eventually though, the film makes the argument that self-actualization is achieved by becoming whole again.

Deux Ex Machina. You know exactly what's going to happen the moment she starts evolving...10%...20%...30%...40%... so on ... 100%. You know no bullet can touch her.

Digital Immortality, if you so choose to accept it.

In the end, Lucy becomes this organic supercomputer that proceeds to consume all the other computers in the room, before creating a USB flashdrive to store all that she had learnt. She then ceases to be a physical form, turning the screens to "I am everywhere". 

Which reminds me of... the starchild at the end of 2001.

Transcending physical existence is one of those things that only movies and art can do. The movie makers have full control of the "reality" on screen, its space and time... and even your mind. You may not be conscious of all the details, but your unconscious is affected... all the time. As the name "unconscious" goes, you are

Think it Through Critically, or Be Subconsciously Programmed...

How I Solved a 10-year old Insecurity in Less Than 5 Minutes

Dear Reader(s), 

This article may change the way you see me, past, present and future. I hope you get something out of it.

Cheers,

Eugene.

Problem

I have an insecurity.

I have always had a fear of being alone.

- Darkness

- Friends leaving.

- Being picked up late back in school.

- Socializing.

- Friends not texting back.

It's a terrible burden that has sapped energy.

Change

OK, it took 5-7 years to build up to this. But 5 minutes max was all it took to understand and uproot this. Some remnants could still exist, but as of today, none have been discovered or attributed to this.

Trigger

Long story short, I am sitting at the office OTing one night, feeling very productive but kinda lonely. So I talked about Kumon with a friend. He talks about flushing Kumon papers and coming up with all kinds of excuses not to do them (eg. down the toilet, throwing them in the trash). I realized I was always the good student and did all the Kumon, even if it meant overtime. (Overtime at age 7 lol.)

And then out of nowhere, I made a connection. The loneliness of OT was the same as the loneliness experienced by the younger me, all those times when I was picked up late, in detention, etc.

Change

• Realizing the emotionally significant experiences, going as far back as possible: 
• Childhood: Since kindergarten, my caregivers kept being late coming over. I waited for hours. It was bad enough to see everyone else gone home, or out to play and not being able to join. I felt abandoned. On top of this, I had separate issues about social anxiety, which only multiplied its effects. 
• Early Childhood: Left in daycare center. For whatever reason, I can only recall short segments.
• "It's not my fault." (or "It's not your fault"):
• The realization that there is no inherent defect in me, that my issue is caused by certain external factors outside my control. 
• The realization that I am paying for the bad decisions of some people. 
• Because it is caused by external factors in the past, I see my freedom, power to choose.
• HOWEVER, stopping here would create another problem called "Victim Mentality". So...
• Self-reaffirmation
• I have done very well given this. 
• Purpose: Inoculates against self-criticism.
• "I am actually very different.": 
• Links my best work, experiences, happiness. 
• Gather up all my finest moments.
• The things I can have and do without this issue.
• What will I do differently from now on?
• Solving a major hurdle is kinda useless, if I didn't then move forwards.
• What is my new vision? 
• Redefine all relationships as mutually-supportive and never due to loneliness.
• What is the underlying "human nature"? To what extent are humans "social animals"?
• Curiosity, Rational research needed.

Aftermath

Before this, I had an immense issues dealing with loneliness. 

Now, I have less than 10% of the original. I used to wait for people to respond on whatsapp, watch their last seen time/date. It also made it very difficult to actually sit down and do individual work, because I feared being alone. Now I don't care anymore, except for matters of business urgency. 

I used to feel isolated, lonely and homesick. Now, I can feel almost none of it, simply because I expect to feel isolated, lonely and homesick and don't have any of it anymore. It's a strange feeling, like opening my eyes after a good night's sleep. As my mind synchronizes, the remaining anxiety are disappearing.

Considering myself as an introvert, I did well independently, but as I grew up and went through the "socialization phases", the issue began to affect me. I had to be out and always doing something with others. Sometime, it became hard to stay put and focused on hard stuff. This affected my university grades. 

I can only wonder where I would be now, if I didn't have this issue, or had it resolved early on.

I have come home, wherever I am. 

And ahead of time. I'd hate to be going through this during a mid-life crisis in my 40s. For that I'll be ever grateful.

Impact

As far as I can tell, I have met many with similar anxieties (who have no idea). Logically, these issues will persist forever or are patched, until one fixes them. Over the course of a lifetime, they can be a massive drain on happiness, satisfaction and productivity. 

Most people need to be seriously affected to seek help with their bugs. Ironically, this means that people who have milder forms, or are adept at coping with or avoid the bug, may have less incentive to figure it out and tolerate these bugs for longer. 

Why should people fix their bugs completely, no matter what? 

• Murphy's Law. Because bugs always come back to haunt them. At the worst times possible.
• All bugs persist until the day they are fixed, or the host dies. All bugs are lifetime max-security prison sentences. 
• You will live better. Most bugs sap mental energy.
• Able to discover your intrinsic motivation. Issues prevent motivation, cause procrastination. "What do you want?". 
• For other people. So that the world has less assholes, less violence. So that you can bring the best to the world. Many issues cause negative feelings towards others. No, that's an understatement. Why are people supporting violence against others, which is completely morally insane?
• So that the world can change.

Work. Could this prevent one from moving forwards? Do unresolved issues prevent an increase in performance? 

Relationships? What can an attachment disorder do to a relationship? How many relationships have not worked because of insecurities? Could this lead one to stay in a bad relationship? Ever heard of the slang "Clingy Girlfriend"? 

Old age? What happens when one's kids are gone and one is in a nursing home or hospital? Could this be a cause of senior depression?

Denialism is common, possibly due to ignorance,defense mechanisms. "I am no problems!" is the most frequently heard words spoken in group counselling sessions. Such people almost always have the most unresolved issues.

TakeAway

Resolving issues can be incredibly fast with the knowhow.

Self-therapy is easy.

Personal development can be completely free and open-source.

We are a few steps away from resolving issues. The problem is not "HOW?", but "WHY?".

A world with no government, no violence is 100% technically (psychologically, sociologically) feasible.

What to do about...Occupy Central - The Final Solution

This is the result of a lifetime (so far...) of experiences, critical thinking and research. However, it doesn't belong to me. It's there for all to see.

Update:

So it has come to this. Protesters, possibly agent provocateurs...possibly even a co-opted movement.
It's not an effective way to change. However, it seems the most logical for many, and so it will go on. It will run its course, wherever that may lead.

This is the solution as I see it.

Assumptions:
Initiation of Force is morally wrong, for any reason.
Morality is fundamentally based on non-aggression principle.
Non-aggression principle is a universal, natural necessity for any social group, and hence desired for all humans coexisting.

• Proof: Pro-aggression principle would mean everybody must destroy everybody else immediately. For groups to form means some are not attacking. Attacking destroys group, so the only way a group exists is through non-aggression principle. Apply the same concept to property & stealing.

The state has legal monopoly over the Initiation of Force.
The initiation of force is against the non-aggression principle and immoral.
Hence the state is immoral.

The state can change its image, but that does not change its definition.
If one works for the state, then one is working for an immoral cause.
This is the original sin that poisons all the morally-good deeds state agencies do do.

Building freedom starts from early childhood.
Every experience, every habit, belief, attitude builds on previous memory. So one must go back chronologically to find the root cause of every behavior.
Teach children that you don't initiate force to get what you want. It is wrong.
That means parents and adults don't initiate any kind of force against kids, for any reason. It's that simple.

Teach kids HOW to think, to be confident.
Don't need to teach WHAT to think. A rational, whole mind exposed to irrationality will see it for what it is. The mind will come to the logical conclusion, which has a tendency to always be constant.

When most people have minds like this, a kind of herd immunity will arise that protects the rest, but eliminates the disease. The rest can then grow.


How will we reach this new utopia naturally and WITHOUT any Initiation of Force?
Thinking rationally, rethinking, challenging, viewing concepts with new eyes!
Acting upon those rational thoughts.
Philosophy, Psychology, Science, Technology.


How will we actually reach this utopia?
Technology.
Economic instability. This encourages/rewards people who taking risks in investment, spending. All good for new stuff.
Startups. Imagine multiple times the number of startups now solving all sorts of problems, with almost everybody involved.
Alternative currencies, markets, medicine, therapy, distributed communications.
Social networking. (Continuously evolving. Free from the ground up.)
Massive "population explosion" with AIs through a series of open-source AI breakthroughs. (Unpredictable timeframe.) Humans would face very stiff competition from highly scalable, rapidly growing, effectively immortal beings with mental abilities far exceeding our own.


How can we fail? Why is it Urgent?
Science, technology  are double-edged swords.
All the tech created to control, destroy indiscriminately is catching up with us...Eg. AI, advanced analytics, spy tech, military, psychological techniques. Our power to initiate force vastly outmatches our power to love and think.
Something big will happen sooner or later...Eg. world war, major financial disasters, public hysteria.
If you as an individual conscious entity dies. (Humanity doesn't fail, you just don't get to see the good results :) )


Who will win?
The rational side will, eventually. The question is how quickly - in our lifetime would be AWESOME!
Humanity, historically speaking has been getting more rational. For most of history, I'm not sure humans even understood reason, evidence, philosophy.
If you consider all possibilities, this is the only fate that matters. Tyranny, dark ages...that just means we haven't quite evolved fully yet. Nuclear extinction, asteroids...not much can be done if it really happens. Dismissed!


How many people?
Millions at least (Libertarians, all sorts of fringe groups).
Growing exponentially (Nature of social media and a persistent, rational message).
Information absorbed into public consciousness, becoming public knowledge...effectively permanent. (Who hasn't heard of "childhood trauma"? Insecurities? PTSD? Counselling? Don't hit children? Homeschooling?)

Nobody knows. Probably more than most would think.


How soon?
Unpredictable. Some places may reach this state faster than others.
Conservatively, give it a generation or two.
Throw in some accompanying socioeconomic changes and the changes are huge and getting bigger exponentially.



What can you do?
You know how Christians spread the Gospel?
Just spread the word any opportunity you get. Be persistent.
Christianity, Rome were not built in a day.


Can this all be wrong?
Oh, of course.
Feel free to present your arguments! :)



Tangents:

Could sentient alien life have reached this?
Probably. The non-aggression principle is quite universal. At some point, they are going to have to do this, or the technology they created was going to consume them.


Is this what 2001: A Space Odyssey is about?
Possibly. Man (Dave Bowman) must use his brain, body and off-the-shelf tech to overcome tech, manipulation and untruths, or be consumed. When Man does overcome them, he attains some sort of enlightenment.

Man is in the vacuum of the airlock, without gravity. He has precious seconds to shut out the deadly void of space, turn the air on, get gravity. Once that is done, it will all work out. But this is the crucial step.


A work in progress...

IPhone 6: The Sexiest, Most Insightful iPhone Ever

To 炒 or not to 炒, that is the question.

From the moment I knew IPhone 6/6 Plus were up for grabs, my world has changed completely. I believe things I would not have believed just a week or two ago.

First, came the shock.

I was reading the news one morning. It had hit main news.

What? China blocking iPhone sales for national security reasons?

Next came the price estimates. Rationally, I knew it was highly lucrative and you really couldn't lose. Emotionally, I felt it was kind of wrong in some way. I'm sure many minds have gone through this cognitive dissonance.

Is it moral? Is it OK?

I argue that it is not only moral and rational, but a great thing to do... on 2 reasons.

• Why are we even doing this? Because the Chinese authorities has decided that if it says iPhones are banned, then people will stop wanting them. This in itself is immoral, because seizure, fines and detention violates the IoF criteria.
• The simple law of supply and demand requires that prices go up when demand far outgrows supply.
• Providing goods that the market wants and you will get a reward. This is a moral thing to do.
• Defying immorality is part of being moral. 

Non-religious folk seem to be very happy with the opportunity to make a quick and significant buck. The Christians I know are somewhat divided. 

The Pro Camp

• It has nothing to do with sin. (Kind of weak. What if you can look at it as a god-given opportunity?)

The Anti Camp

• Greed!!! You people are greedy!!!
• Idol-worshippers!!! Arrr!
• Be content with what you have.
• Boycott FoxConn!!!

Perhaps the most fun I've had, besides having a go at the iPhone draws and speed contests, is convincing people with hang-ups that the situation is simply not due to some flaw in "human nature" (eg. Greed, envy, idol-worship) but an entirely reasonable response to an unreasonable market barrier. And as for FoxConn, I think the Anti(s) have a point, although Foxconn does seem to make too many electronics to effectively avoid.

For the hardliners though, I reserved a joke I remember from long ago...

A priest is trapped on a roof with a few other people by a flood. The water is rising fast. 

A boat floats past. 

"Get onboard", the skipper says.

"No, I am waiting for God to save me.", the priest signs and prays.

Eventually, it gets too dangerous and the boat leaves with the other survivors.

A lifeline is thrown.

"Hook onto it and let's go!", the firefighters shout, across the raging floodwaters.

"No, I am waiting for God to save me.", the priest signs and prays.

The firefighters move on.

A helicopter swoops in.

"Get in the basket and we'll winch you to safety!", the loudspeakers boomed a pilots voice.

"No, I am waiting for God to save me. I'm sure he will come", the priest signs and prays.

The helicopter move on to other cases.

Soon after, the roof collapses and the priest is swept away, dies and goes to heaven. 
The priest asks God, "Why didn't you come?? :(". God replies, "I did. I sent the boat, lifeline and helicopter."

Moment of Truth

It was always a game to me. Up until the moment when I somehow became the first person in my office to successfully places orders, it was all fun and suspense. Then it happened, and I realized I had to make a choice. Looking side to side and realizing how lucky I was to get in so quickly, I decided to go through with the order and check it all out.

Envy

Envy...it's all over the place. You try posting good results on your whatsapp peer group and people will start getting envious. I have felt that too.

Envy is a pretty composite emotion. It's partly just being happy for the other person and partly jealous. It's cognitive dissonance. Envy is the unconscious awareness of discrepancy and dissonance between self and "other" even though "other" is more a fantasy than a real person. 

Envy arises when one compares oneself to others. That leads to a few questions...

• Why compare yourself to others?
• What can you learn from having this envy?

The first question has an obvious answer - insecurity. You are not sure you will get what you need. This could be due to past experience and various beliefs one holds about money and life.

The second question is more open-ended. I learnt a few things. 

I learnt that I had subconscious lobby groups that felt I was not being pro-active enough. (I never intended to buy any in the beginning.) At the critical moment of iPhone6 or iPhone6Plus, I went for the iPhone6s 16GB. It turned out very well, actually.

I learnt I had been assimilated into HK young culture... from the first day of HKUST, I felt there was a lot of "beat your peers", "beat the mean!". When I felt I was falling behind, it made me feel envy. Envy leads to more envy.

I learnt that I could be more decisive and play the game harder.

I learnt that there are way more rational, clever people out there.

To Conclude

When God gives you iPhones, make your iProfit!

Cheers!

What to do about ... Occupy Central

I think there are a few points everybody should understand.

• You have influence of the government to the degree where it is convenient for the government to listen. That means you either play small and try to be convenient, OR you play so big, the powers-that-be would rather do what you want. Playing big is kind of hard if you are playing on their turf, that is, anything physical... including sitting-ins, strikes, etc.

• Government is initiation of force. If you get hit, arrested or worse, it's what is natural. You don't cry "Tiger Brutality!" if you get your arm eaten by a tiger...it's just its nature. 

• How can you know that the above? 
• Try not paying your taxes! Eventually you end up in prison. Physically refuse and you might end up with worse.
• All that a government does is use your tax money for other things, programs, democratic elections etc. There's no need to consider the morality/nature/cost/benefits of the programs, when its very source is the initiation of force. 

What is the best move?

• You want to make an impact? Do anything related to kids. I personally go to 2 volunteering activities every week. I play with kids, help the shy ones socialize and have fun and most importantly, I educate the parents every moment I get. I tell them the truth - 
• Kids don't choose their parents. Nobody chose their parents. Some have great childhoods, others take on problems that hurts them all their lives. You on the other hand, can be a better parent.
• Never raise your voice, period.
• Never hit anyone, especially not children.
• Always talk to them, about everything. Always listen attentively. Listen, and children will pour their heart out to you. 

Children become adults, but carry their baggage with them until it is removed. Adults for the most part, have too much scar tissue, defenses. This makes them hard to change at a deeper level.

Change the kids, and HK will change... before you know it. :)

Update:

So it has come to this. Protesters, possibly agent provocateurs...
It's not an effective way to change. However, it is the most logical, and so it will go on.

Assumption:
Initiation of Force is morally wrong, for any reason.

The state has legal monopoly over the Initiation of Force.
The initiation of force is against the non-aggression principle and immoral.
Hence the state is immoral.

The state can change its image, but that does not change its definition.
If one works for the state, then one is working for an immoral cause.
This is the original sin that poisons the good deeds state agencies do do.

Building freedom starts from the very beginning.
Teach children that you don't initiate force to get what you want. It is just wrong.
That means parents and adults don't initiate any kind of force against kids, for any reason. It's that simple.

Teach kids to think for themselves, to be confident.
No specific education is necessary. A rational, whole mind exposed to irrationality will see it for what it is. The mind will come to the logical conclusion.

How will we reach this new utopia naturally?
Thinking rationally, acting upon those rational thoughts.
Startups.
Alternative currencies.

Give it a generation or two. Throw in some accompanying movements and the changes are going to be huge.