impressionised
• Posted by Mana on December 18th, 2007
This is a response to Birdman’s post, which can be read here.
Quote: Med is a bit of a factory line, sorting the good from the bad, and if you ever think twice about doing things your own way, you’re out. (unquote)
Heck yes. Or else we wouldn’t be doing communicology. And that incident about someone failing communicology on the notice board wouldn’t have happened.
Quote: The perceived difference between the sexes is not as great as, well, perceived. (unquote)
How do you perceive it? I notice that while cross-dressing is the norm at many AMSS events there are definite male and female ways to act, to speak. And there are some people that are male and definitely act female, and others female that act male. However, apart from those, I would have to say there certainly is an appreciable difference between the sexes.
Quote: Life is totally boring if you stay within comfort zones.
Agreed but not fully. While I certainly stepped outside of my comfort zone this year (what with coming from an all boys school) and enjoyed it a lot as a result, sometimes you have to step back into your comfort zone and look at what you’re doing. Or at least, I think I have to. Because there are some times where if I don’t, something bad happens, and then I feel crap for the next few days. While feeling crap is in no way always boring (though you can feel crap from being really bored) it isn’t always desirable and can definitely make life a bit of a drag.
Quote: experience doesn’t come with age, experience comes with bloody experience.
I also have little respect for those people that ask to be respected because of their “experience” because of their age. I used to hate it (still do) when I was asked (especially in asian culture) to show some respect for those much older than me. Of course, being the stuck up little brat I was at the time I didn’t see why I should respect them when they hadn’t really done anything that I could look up to. Instead I looked down at them because I was happy with my (now I realise, mediocre) achievements that I had achieved all by myself and they hadn’t ever got anything close to thank you very much. And I guess that is where the rebellion starts.
As I said I still don’t respect people for being older than me. If anything I respect them for being younger than me because that usually means they’ve achieved something that I couldn’t achieve as fast. Or of course, what they have done. And I highly respect what you have done. 
Though this is coming from the point of view of someone who does respect you a lot, I would say you are possibly the most emotionally precocious person I know with possibly one exception (which is kind of why I respect you a lot). Though there is always room for self improvement, I guess riding the wave of esteem every so often isn’t so bad; I mean, what exactly are you supposed to do once you achieve a goal? Sure, there are greater goals to achieve but stop and be happy. When you wake up the next morning thinking what the heck you were thinking you know it’s time to work towards the next goal.
And though a set of achievements does not make a person what they are it certainly does not leave them unchanged. Isn’t that the point of achievement; to change oneself? Or to change the image of oneself, I guess, that thing which we express because we cannot truly be ourself?
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Help me discover myself
As I walk along this path unending
And all the way I’ve been pretending
Someone else is me
Help me recover myself
As I lay upon this hard earth dreaming
All the while my thoughts are streaming
Something else is wrong
And pick me up when I am down
And rise with me when I ascend
And keep me moving forward and I’ll
Do the same for you
My friend.
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hmm I understand your perspective in saying that age does not necessarily equate with experience, but often it does. Perhaps it is possible for someone at age 20 to cram in as much “variety” (if not ‘quantity’) of experience of life in general than someone at age 60 (I would say it is highly unlikely but I suppose not impossible depending on the 60 year old and the 20 year old’s life events & constitution/inclinations). However, from the perspective of a medical practitioner or from a medical point of view, does it not become altogether impossible to say that someone (however intelligent or accelerated s/he might be in their studies) at age 20 could possibly have lived through the same variety and certainly not quantity of experiences as the 60 year old - for one the very nature of the times and historical events would mean that the 60 year old has had to learn to successfully adapt to far greater changes in technology, war/peace conditions and economy where medicine is concerned than the 20 year old. Personally, I think that is what people are respectful of when they approach someone who is aged - that they have had to live through a lot, and that can be said regardless of their background - thus I would have to say that I disagree and say that age (just the experience of living in itself) affords experience and to me that affords at least some respect.
kc said this on December 18th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
hmmm that’s true. good point. more age does not equate to more experience, perhaps more accurate is that age equates to deserving of respect, which I do agree with.
So Tony, I think that an older person certainly does deserve respect just because they are older, and one of the reasons may be what kc has described. However, somehow I think you would respect an older person just because they are older as well. In fact I’ve seen that and know that from our experiences together.
Quote: “I would say you are possibly the most emotionally precocious person I know with possibly one exception”
Well, isn’t that fitting?
Anyway, onto that topic of experience with age.
I have little respect for those that ASK to be respected. You don’t ask to be respected. You just are, or, you aren’t.
Though age does afford experience (usually) and Jonathan, I’m pretty sure I know what you mean by “the experiences together” - especially visiting places to “improve communication skills” - but it really was evident that the people we talked to had life experience and I highly respect that. Though I guess it is easier to assume the life experience is there already if the person is older. I would still not respect someone immediately from just finding how old they are without knowing who they are.