So far it had seemed that he was indeed getting what he wished for; For the most part at least. He had gone through meeting relatives he rarely saw – many of which annoyed him quite a bit. He noticed the way they were treating his aunt Judy oddly. Almost as if she was cursed by the old man’s passing. From what David had learn via somewhat listening to conversations people took for granted he wasn’t paying attention to, his grandfather had just come to visit his daughter, Judy three days before his death. She said she did not notice anything strange about him, he was just his usual self. However, she did say that there was an almost tranquil tone to his voice when he spoke. And that he would look at her for a while, only issue was that he was more looking through her than at her. A day before the old man’s death David’s grandmother had made it to see him. Judy had said they spent a lot of time together, almost as if they were saying their last goodbyes. But the way things had happened was that it was Judy who came across his dead body first, not his wife. And because of that, the others now somehow thought that she was contaminated by such a discovery.
David came back from his own little world to find that just about an hour and a half had past. The s
The old man himself was quite something during his venture alive. It was well known that he liked to travel all over the world. It was amazing – he could never stay in one place for long, but he always came back home, no matter what. Every since his death, David heard more and more about the man he called ‘grandfather’.
He never let his pride get the best of him. Even as a child, he had wisdom beyond his years. And that wisdom only got larger as he grew older…
All of these and more were a part of the numerous anecdotes that had been floating around family and friends. David’s own mother though, had been the source of what David thought to be the most interesting story of all. She had picked on her son’s vague display of emotion and decided to have a few words with him, right before
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Part II, Chapter II second draft
David sat in the last row of his mother’s mini-van. His closest family members were all surrounding him, all of them wearing the same basic ensemble most appropriate for grieving. The black and white pieces of various clothing, mixed and matched in ways that varied from person to person. Even David was dressed to play his part.
He looked around quietly to take in the scene in front of him. The air within the car held a sort of somber tone, as they made their way to the funeral home. Everyone was together yet separated. Trapped within their own little worlds of sorrow. David understood that the adults, being the only ones to really remember his grandfather were in fact truly taking this the hardest. But it was his cousins that he wondered about the most. Whether or not their behavior was out of respect or a collective state of melancholy influenced by their parents had yet to be determined.
David then shifted his attention to the window directly to his left, deciding that focusing too much on it would be a waste. Instead he preferred his head to go on about the past two weeks’ activities…
He had almost turned into a madman. He kept rolling the events of that day in his mind, over and over again, adamant on figuring out what it was and how to re-induce it. His many online searches and New-Age book readings finally brought him some kind of an outcome. Four days after the news of his Grandfather’s passing, David sat in bed thinking about all he had read. His investigation had lead him to the topic of out of body experiences or OBEs for short and so he began to weigh out the possibilities of it being the answer to his problems.
Around a good five minutes into his mental debate, he felt the sweet of call of sleep begin to set in. He did not bother to fight it, he merely just embraced it and fell into a merry slumber, or so he thought. The next thing he remembered was that he awoke. Only thing was it was not his body that was awake. He could feel that part of himself still in the same position he dozed off in, but this, this was something new. This new part of him, the him he embodied now was slightly hovering over the bed. There was a sort of dual presence within him. One that knew and understood the shape that was still on the bed and another that was really just a blob of conciseness. They were in so many ways connected and distant. And he felt all of it. After the brief sense of interest and amusement he held towards being in this state, the bubble of enthusiasm soon broke. He was over come by a sense of fear that accompanied being exposed in such a way. His mind started to think about all of the negative stories he read about people never re-attaching themselves, apparent demons that walked the earth in search of opportunities for harm. All of this made him scramble – for lack of a better word – back to his body, eager to fix the semi-spilt pieces of himself. That panic stayed with him long after he was safely grounded back into his rightful place. And yet, through all of that anxiety his sense of wonder returned. He seemed even more fascinated now, confidant that he was on the right path.
His bout of reminiscence had ended. He looked around himself again to find that everyone was starting to pile out of the car. They had reached the home. One of his younger cousins had turned to him and asked if he was coming. David quickly murmured a sound of affirmation and followed behind, wishing that the day would be over as quickly and painlessly as possible.
He looked around quietly to take in the scene in front of him. The air within the car held a sort of somber tone, as they made their way to the funeral home. Everyone was together yet separated. Trapped within their own little worlds of sorrow. David understood that the adults, being the only ones to really remember his grandfather were in fact truly taking this the hardest. But it was his cousins that he wondered about the most. Whether or not their behavior was out of respect or a collective state of melancholy influenced by their parents had yet to be determined.
David then shifted his attention to the window directly to his left, deciding that focusing too much on it would be a waste. Instead he preferred his head to go on about the past two weeks’ activities…
He had almost turned into a madman. He kept rolling the events of that day in his mind, over and over again, adamant on figuring out what it was and how to re-induce it. His many online searches and New-Age book readings finally brought him some kind of an outcome. Four days after the news of his Grandfather’s passing, David sat in bed thinking about all he had read. His investigation had lead him to the topic of out of body experiences or OBEs for short and so he began to weigh out the possibilities of it being the answer to his problems.
Around a good five minutes into his mental debate, he felt the sweet of call of sleep begin to set in. He did not bother to fight it, he merely just embraced it and fell into a merry slumber, or so he thought. The next thing he remembered was that he awoke. Only thing was it was not his body that was awake. He could feel that part of himself still in the same position he dozed off in, but this, this was something new. This new part of him, the him he embodied now was slightly hovering over the bed. There was a sort of dual presence within him. One that knew and understood the shape that was still on the bed and another that was really just a blob of conciseness. They were in so many ways connected and distant. And he felt all of it. After the brief sense of interest and amusement he held towards being in this state, the bubble of enthusiasm soon broke. He was over come by a sense of fear that accompanied being exposed in such a way. His mind started to think about all of the negative stories he read about people never re-attaching themselves, apparent demons that walked the earth in search of opportunities for harm. All of this made him scramble – for lack of a better word – back to his body, eager to fix the semi-spilt pieces of himself. That panic stayed with him long after he was safely grounded back into his rightful place. And yet, through all of that anxiety his sense of wonder returned. He seemed even more fascinated now, confidant that he was on the right path.
His bout of reminiscence had ended. He looked around himself again to find that everyone was starting to pile out of the car. They had reached the home. One of his younger cousins had turned to him and asked if he was coming. David quickly murmured a sound of affirmation and followed behind, wishing that the day would be over as quickly and painlessly as possible.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Part II, Chapter II first draft
David sat in the last row of his mother’s mini-van. His closest family members were all surrounding him, all of them wearing the same basic ensemble most appropriate for grieving. The black and white pieces of various clothing, mixed and matched in ways that varied from person to person. Even David was dressed to play his part.
He looked around quietly to take in the scene in front of him. The air within the car held a sort of somber tone, as they made their way to the funeral home. Everyone was together yet separated. Trapped within their own little worlds of sorrow. David understood that the adults, being the only ones to really remember his grandfather were in fact truly taking this the hardest. But it was his cousins that he wondered about the most. Whether or not their behavior was out of respect or a collective state of melancholy influenced by their parents had yet to be determined.
David then shifted his attention to the window directly to his left, deciding that focusing too much on it would be a waste. Instead he preferred his head to go on about the past two weeks’ activities…
He had almost turned into a madman. He kept rolling the events of that day in his mind, over and over again, adamant on figuring out what it was and how to re-induce it. His many online searches and New-Age book readings finally brought him some kind of an outcome. Four days after the news of his Grandfather’s passing, David sat in bed thinking about all he had read. His investigation had lead him to the topic of out of body experiences or OBEs for short and so he began to weigh out the possibilities of it being the answer to his problems.
Around a good five minutes into his mental debate, he felt the sweet of call of sleep begin to set in. He did not bother to fight it, he merely just embraced it feel into a merry slumber, or so he thought. The next thing he remembered was that he awoke. Only thing was it was not his body that was awake. He could feel that part of himself still in the same position he dozed off in, but this, this was something new. This new part of him, the him he embodied now was slightly hovering over the bed. There was a sort of dual presence within him. One that knew and understood the shape that was still on the bed and another that was really just a blob of conciseness. They were in so many ways connected and distant. And he felt all of it. After the brief sense of interest and amusment he held towards being in this state, the bubble of enthusiasm soon broke. He was over come by a sense of fear that accompanied being exposed in such a way. His mind started to think about all of the negative stories he read about people never re-attaching themselves, apparent demons that walked the earth in search of opportunities for harm. All of this made him scramble – for lack of a better word – back to his body, eager to fix the semi-spilt pieces of himself.
He looked around quietly to take in the scene in front of him. The air within the car held a sort of somber tone, as they made their way to the funeral home. Everyone was together yet separated. Trapped within their own little worlds of sorrow. David understood that the adults, being the only ones to really remember his grandfather were in fact truly taking this the hardest. But it was his cousins that he wondered about the most. Whether or not their behavior was out of respect or a collective state of melancholy influenced by their parents had yet to be determined.
David then shifted his attention to the window directly to his left, deciding that focusing too much on it would be a waste. Instead he preferred his head to go on about the past two weeks’ activities…
He had almost turned into a madman. He kept rolling the events of that day in his mind, over and over again, adamant on figuring out what it was and how to re-induce it. His many online searches and New-Age book readings finally brought him some kind of an outcome. Four days after the news of his Grandfather’s passing, David sat in bed thinking about all he had read. His investigation had lead him to the topic of out of body experiences or OBEs for short and so he began to weigh out the possibilities of it being the answer to his problems.
Around a good five minutes into his mental debate, he felt the sweet of call of sleep begin to set in. He did not bother to fight it, he merely just embraced it feel into a merry slumber, or so he thought. The next thing he remembered was that he awoke. Only thing was it was not his body that was awake. He could feel that part of himself still in the same position he dozed off in, but this, this was something new. This new part of him, the him he embodied now was slightly hovering over the bed. There was a sort of dual presence within him. One that knew and understood the shape that was still on the bed and another that was really just a blob of conciseness. They were in so many ways connected and distant. And he felt all of it. After the brief sense of interest and amusment he held towards being in this state, the bubble of enthusiasm soon broke. He was over come by a sense of fear that accompanied being exposed in such a way. His mind started to think about all of the negative stories he read about people never re-attaching themselves, apparent demons that walked the earth in search of opportunities for harm. All of this made him scramble – for lack of a better word – back to his body, eager to fix the semi-spilt pieces of himself.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Part I, Chapter I, First draft
Part I
Chapter I
And so he’s dead, hmm?
Thought David, a 16 year old who just entered his sophomore year of high school. His aunt, the sister of his father was on the other end of phone. David held it in his hands albeit rather loosely. He felt numb. Not sad nor angry, just simply numb. Did that explain his bout of apathy? The lackluster thought he’d just had?
His aunt, now breaking down continued. “I’m sorry to tell you first David. I’d meant to get your mother or father - your father especially – but you picked up the phone and…. Oh my god your grandfather is dead…” Her voice trailed off, the stream of tears blocking any coherent thought.
“Auntie Judy,” David started. “I know, I know. I’ll get my dad for you, please just give me a moment.”
He put the phone down slowly, as if a sound would disrupt her. As he moved further away from the living room, he could still hear her wails of sorrow for her lost father. For this, he began to feel horrible. He began to understand what this would put his family through, and he had no choice but to inform the others.
He found his father in the back yard. He looked at his dad for a moment before calling for his attention.
“Hey, I just heard the phone ring. Who was it?”
“Auntie Judy,” he replied. “Dad it’s really important. Granddad - something happened.”
He watched the look on his father’s face. It went from it’s usual bright-eyed self to a look that epitomized worry and confusion.
They both hurried back silently to the phone where Judy had been waiting, all the while David was still in a state of detachment. He saw as his father picked up the phone, asked a few questions, and fell into the same distress as his sister.
He kept watching and watching, wondering why he could not do more. Why he couldn’t feel anything. But then, it happened. The corners of his vision started to blacken. The darkness ate away at the light until the only thing he could see was what fell within a circle. He began to blink in an futile attempt to fix whatever has happening but it didn’t work. Next everything around him started to break down. He could not see what should have been around him – instead the image that replaced it was quite mesmerizing. It was of what looked to be a stream of luminous treads. The treads were just floating in front of him, moving like wavelengths on a chart. He then simply forgot about everything. He forgot about his grandfather, his dad, even his almost apathetic behavior towards the horrible news. All that mattered now were the thread-like objects here. So close he could almost touch them. So close in fact that….
The jerk came suddenly, harsh and unforgiving. Reality came swirling back into view, giving him whiplash in the process. His breathing became shot, coming in at uneven paces and he felt frantic.
“Hey, hey David. Get up! Get up!”
He was hearing his father’s voice, faint like a whisper. As he inched closer and closer to proper consciousness, he found himself on the floor with his father kneeling over him.
“Look, I know today has been very stressful and all.” His father looked at him, desperately trying to keep himself calm for what he thought to be the sake of his son. “ Go to bed. I’ll take care of very thing else and wait for you mom to get home.”
He then helped David up and helped him to his room. After his father had left the room with one more worried glance, David began to ponder.
What was that? He asked himself. That – whatever it was – has never happened before. Maybe that's why I didn’t feel anything about the news of his death. Maybe it took its toll on me mentally…
He laid back on his bed, eyes struck on the ceiling. He really did not like this, any of it. But somehow he could not get that feeling out of his head. The feeling that he had a fleeting glimpse of something more. Something that had to be explained.
For some time he went on like this, flipping the day’s event over and over in his mind. As sleep finally drew closer, he fell into it with one thought and one thought only:
I’m going to find out what it was. No matter what.
Chapter I
And so he’s dead, hmm?
Thought David, a 16 year old who just entered his sophomore year of high school. His aunt, the sister of his father was on the other end of phone. David held it in his hands albeit rather loosely. He felt numb. Not sad nor angry, just simply numb. Did that explain his bout of apathy? The lackluster thought he’d just had?
His aunt, now breaking down continued. “I’m sorry to tell you first David. I’d meant to get your mother or father - your father especially – but you picked up the phone and…. Oh my god your grandfather is dead…” Her voice trailed off, the stream of tears blocking any coherent thought.
“Auntie Judy,” David started. “I know, I know. I’ll get my dad for you, please just give me a moment.”
He put the phone down slowly, as if a sound would disrupt her. As he moved further away from the living room, he could still hear her wails of sorrow for her lost father. For this, he began to feel horrible. He began to understand what this would put his family through, and he had no choice but to inform the others.
He found his father in the back yard. He looked at his dad for a moment before calling for his attention.
“Hey, I just heard the phone ring. Who was it?”
“Auntie Judy,” he replied. “Dad it’s really important. Granddad - something happened.”
He watched the look on his father’s face. It went from it’s usual bright-eyed self to a look that epitomized worry and confusion.
They both hurried back silently to the phone where Judy had been waiting, all the while David was still in a state of detachment. He saw as his father picked up the phone, asked a few questions, and fell into the same distress as his sister.
He kept watching and watching, wondering why he could not do more. Why he couldn’t feel anything. But then, it happened. The corners of his vision started to blacken. The darkness ate away at the light until the only thing he could see was what fell within a circle. He began to blink in an futile attempt to fix whatever has happening but it didn’t work. Next everything around him started to break down. He could not see what should have been around him – instead the image that replaced it was quite mesmerizing. It was of what looked to be a stream of luminous treads. The treads were just floating in front of him, moving like wavelengths on a chart. He then simply forgot about everything. He forgot about his grandfather, his dad, even his almost apathetic behavior towards the horrible news. All that mattered now were the thread-like objects here. So close he could almost touch them. So close in fact that….
The jerk came suddenly, harsh and unforgiving. Reality came swirling back into view, giving him whiplash in the process. His breathing became shot, coming in at uneven paces and he felt frantic.
“Hey, hey David. Get up! Get up!”
He was hearing his father’s voice, faint like a whisper. As he inched closer and closer to proper consciousness, he found himself on the floor with his father kneeling over him.
“Look, I know today has been very stressful and all.” His father looked at him, desperately trying to keep himself calm for what he thought to be the sake of his son. “ Go to bed. I’ll take care of very thing else and wait for you mom to get home.”
He then helped David up and helped him to his room. After his father had left the room with one more worried glance, David began to ponder.
What was that? He asked himself. That – whatever it was – has never happened before. Maybe that's why I didn’t feel anything about the news of his death. Maybe it took its toll on me mentally…
He laid back on his bed, eyes struck on the ceiling. He really did not like this, any of it. But somehow he could not get that feeling out of his head. The feeling that he had a fleeting glimpse of something more. Something that had to be explained.
For some time he went on like this, flipping the day’s event over and over in his mind. As sleep finally drew closer, he fell into it with one thought and one thought only:
I’m going to find out what it was. No matter what.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Modern Day Prophet 5/4/08
In class, we have been discussion the revelation troupe and its prophets in terms of literature, film, and music. From all of that work, we see how the troupe and its accompanying elements play out in a realm of the authors’ creation. But what about living, breathing prophets? Where in our world today can we find such individuals? Well, after looking hi and low, I have found one I believe is worthy of being discussed. His name is George Soros, one of the world’s most successful investors. But he is not only interested in matters of finances, he is also interested in leaving the world with a brand new way of thinking – he wants to reconnect the dots that we all have so obediently fastened together to show us just how our old methods just aren't cutting it.
Before actually getting into George and his revelation(s), it’s important to go over his past. He was born in Hungary in 1930 into a Jewish family and was able to escape the Nazi’s advancement into his country. He then moved to England, and soon afterwards moved to America, all the while gaining more and more experience as an investor.
One of his main theories is the theory of reflexivity. As described in a nutshell in a New York Times article gave this explanation of it, in relation to the economy:
The premise behind reflexivity appears similar to deconstruction. Deconstruction aims to take two binary oppositions and show that they are in fact not binary at all. They are both interconnected. Reflexivity seems to be doing the same general idea with causation. Cause and effect, while not exactly holding a binary opposition to them are still tried as two fairly separate objects. Because A happens B will then also happen as a result. But with reflexivity, B does indeed happen because of A but A within itself is also affected by the end result of B. The degrees of separation are broken down to show how it is a circle of influence between the two or more occurrences. A is dependent on B as much as B is dependent on A.
Soros has also demonstrated a completely faithful following to his own message. He has repeatedly stated that through the use of reflexivity, he has been able to become the mogul that is he. He has also spent a lot of time advocating spreading out the message, like a proper prophet should. Here is an excerpt from a speech of his:
I myself do think that there is some truth to reflexivity. I can see how it applies to the situations that I’ve tested it on, but I do feel that there may be some holes in the theory. One question I have is just what makes an event lead into another event, while it would have gone into any number of other perfectly reasonable actions (why does A lead into B, when it could have gone to C, D, or even E)? Does reflexivity take this into consideration or does it just deal with what did in fact happen and not the possibility of other outcomes? Also when you draw the lines of influence from the result to the cause, can you look beyond the point of the event itself to see how the cause and the result perpetuate themselves in later incidents? Even though I have these questions, I think that reflexivity is worth continuing to explore, if for nothing more than finding answers to my questions.
Before actually getting into George and his revelation(s), it’s important to go over his past. He was born in Hungary in 1930 into a Jewish family and was able to escape the Nazi’s advancement into his country. He then moved to England, and soon afterwards moved to America, all the while gaining more and more experience as an investor.
One of his main theories is the theory of reflexivity. As described in a nutshell in a New York Times article gave this explanation of it, in relation to the economy:
[Reflexivity is] The idea is that people’s biases and actions can affect the direction of the underlying economy, undermining the conventional theory that markets tend toward some sort of equilibrium.
To recap, trading markets and the like are influenced by people’s actions and likes and dislikes. When you take the basics of reflexivity without applying it to anything, you end up with the explanation of it being how the cause and effect of something is in fact circular and not linear, as is what is popularly thought. The normally labeled “causes” and “effects” then end up begin closely tied together, influencing each other’s state of existence.The premise behind reflexivity appears similar to deconstruction. Deconstruction aims to take two binary oppositions and show that they are in fact not binary at all. They are both interconnected. Reflexivity seems to be doing the same general idea with causation. Cause and effect, while not exactly holding a binary opposition to them are still tried as two fairly separate objects. Because A happens B will then also happen as a result. But with reflexivity, B does indeed happen because of A but A within itself is also affected by the end result of B. The degrees of separation are broken down to show how it is a circle of influence between the two or more occurrences. A is dependent on B as much as B is dependent on A.
Soros has also demonstrated a completely faithful following to his own message. He has repeatedly stated that through the use of reflexivity, he has been able to become the mogul that is he. He has also spent a lot of time advocating spreading out the message, like a proper prophet should. Here is an excerpt from a speech of his:
When Rudi Dornbusch invited me to speak at this conference, he gave me a totally free hand in deciding what I wanted to talk about. Well, I want to discuss a subject which fascinates me but doesn’t seem to interest others very much. That is my theory of reflexivity, which has guided me both in making money and in giving money away, but has received very little serious consideration from anybody else… It has been out of print for the last several years but demand has been building up as a result of my increased visibility, not to say notoriety, and now the book is being re-issued. I think this is a good time to get the theory seriously considered.
As he himself states, he has not been taken seriously with the theory, but he still continues to preach its ideals in his writings. In addition to this, he also utilizes it in his actions. When one looks into what he has been able to accomplish, it is difficult not to say that maybe he knows what he saying. I believe that a prophet living in accordance to his own message is a vital part of conveying whatever it may be to the masses – It gives evidence to their target audience of how things can turn out if they listen and follow.I myself do think that there is some truth to reflexivity. I can see how it applies to the situations that I’ve tested it on, but I do feel that there may be some holes in the theory. One question I have is just what makes an event lead into another event, while it would have gone into any number of other perfectly reasonable actions (why does A lead into B, when it could have gone to C, D, or even E)? Does reflexivity take this into consideration or does it just deal with what did in fact happen and not the possibility of other outcomes? Also when you draw the lines of influence from the result to the cause, can you look beyond the point of the event itself to see how the cause and the result perpetuate themselves in later incidents? Even though I have these questions, I think that reflexivity is worth continuing to explore, if for nothing more than finding answers to my questions.
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