I was talking to a friend today about my last tree hugging experience. He became very interested in the blind folding experience, and said that there is a dark restaurant in Shanghai where people dine in absolute darkness. And some customers say the dark room makes them focus more on the taste of the food.
I haven't eaten in darkness, but walking in darkness is another interesting experience. Not knowing the situation I am in could make me anxious. And I would start to make contingency plans. But one can never plan for change, because change is always faster than plan. Some psychologist study suggested that we are afraid of darkness because we have not overcame the fear human being suffered during ancient times that they might be eaten by beast after dark through. Evolution hasn't help us realize that there is no beast in the civilized world. It's interesting how after living in a civilized word for some twenty years, knowing no beast will eat us, we are sometimes still afraid of darkness.
Kafka gives another explanation. He thinks the thing we are really afraid of is not darkness, but uncertainty. We are afraid of unable to plan ahead and thus loss control. But after living for some twenty years, we should also have noticed that sometimes, the plan just does not work something happened and we lost control and don't know what to do. So maybe it is time we start enjoy not to have a plan sometime, and let our life lead us. Planning is indeed making choices, while making choices indeed means forgo chances. We try to debate and calculate, and try to utilize by choosing the one with the minimal opportunity cost. But life is continuous. The “best” choice you made now is very likely to close a door somewhere later in your life. It sounds depressing, What might sound more depressing is that life is also unrepeatable. I sometimes wish life is an experiment where I can control variables and see the results. But we can't re-live. How we live is just like how we walk in darkness. We do not know where the way lead to. One path we chose will lead us further away from something, and it is difficult to find our way back to the original point. However, most importantly, life is full of surprises. So why don't we give up control and let others lead the way sometime. It might open up a whole different world.
I found when I travel without a travel book, I aways find something out of expectation, be it a witty graffiti on the wall, or a restaurant of great value. While if I travel with a guide, I am basically going through all the touristic places and tick my list. If you want to find the gem in life, let life lead you. You will be surprised what darkness has to offer.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Companies VS. Ecologies
Yesterday in the botanical garden I met my friend Renaud who studied landscape architecture and now working in the garden as an internship. He was curious what course we are taking in there. So I told him it's Companies in Ecologies, and it is a business elective.
"But isn't business, economies in contradict with ecologies?" he asked.
Well, yes in a way. It depends on the ideology you believe in. If one believes in the shareholder model which is to maximize the profit of shareholders, it might seem right that companies and ecologies can't co-exist. But if you believe in the stake-holder model that a company should engage in the interests of all the relevant parties in the society, then being ecologically friendly should just be one of the many goals a company seeks.
While I have some other friends who are anarchies, and hate anything that is capitalist or materialist. For them, any company is just an evil organization destroying the world and our brain. When they heard that I am taking this curse,they acted in the way like I am joking. Pfft, companies just want to earn money, their so-called sustainable development is just to please the consumers, and it is some what a fetishism for the company now to be eco-friendly.
Well, it is difficult to tell the real intention of the companies. As sometimes we don't even know the real intention why we do certain things ourselves. Maybe we want to be green so that we can be included in a friend group we like. Who knows? But we can't deny that companies are now the engines of the society, whether it is a lucky thing or not. To save the planet, we need all powers possible. If companies are willing to make changes and participate in the green revolution. They should be more than welcome.
As a consumer, we should be happy so see that we are not only the puppets under the marketing tools, but now we are channeling the companies to use practices that pleases us. However, then, to please part of the consumers who care about the environment, companies raises awareness among other consumers who might not initially realize the seriousness of the environmental problems. So companies and consumers depend on each other to realize their goals. There should not be hatred in between, but collaborations.
"But isn't business, economies in contradict with ecologies?" he asked.
Well, yes in a way. It depends on the ideology you believe in. If one believes in the shareholder model which is to maximize the profit of shareholders, it might seem right that companies and ecologies can't co-exist. But if you believe in the stake-holder model that a company should engage in the interests of all the relevant parties in the society, then being ecologically friendly should just be one of the many goals a company seeks.
While I have some other friends who are anarchies, and hate anything that is capitalist or materialist. For them, any company is just an evil organization destroying the world and our brain. When they heard that I am taking this curse,they acted in the way like I am joking. Pfft, companies just want to earn money, their so-called sustainable development is just to please the consumers, and it is some what a fetishism for the company now to be eco-friendly.
Well, it is difficult to tell the real intention of the companies. As sometimes we don't even know the real intention why we do certain things ourselves. Maybe we want to be green so that we can be included in a friend group we like. Who knows? But we can't deny that companies are now the engines of the society, whether it is a lucky thing or not. To save the planet, we need all powers possible. If companies are willing to make changes and participate in the green revolution. They should be more than welcome.
As a consumer, we should be happy so see that we are not only the puppets under the marketing tools, but now we are channeling the companies to use practices that pleases us. However, then, to please part of the consumers who care about the environment, companies raises awareness among other consumers who might not initially realize the seriousness of the environmental problems. So companies and consumers depend on each other to realize their goals. There should not be hatred in between, but collaborations.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Really hugging the tree
I hugged a tree today! It was one of the missions of today's course. I got blind folded by Anthea. She took me to a tree. I spent sometime with my happy tree friend. I touched it, smelt it. Then Anthea took me to somewhere else, and un-blind-fold me. Then I need to find my tree friend.
It is a new experience for me. First the blind fold. I recall we tried to walk on the street with eyes closed when we were in junior high school. And a friend would walk with eyes open, and warn us about steps, people or other obstacles. But we could not do it because we fear that by the time our friend warned us about the obstacles, it'd already be too late. Anthea did not direct me verbally, but put her arm around my waist and guided me by slightly adjust her force on her arm. This makes me a lot easier to follow. There are all kinds of researches on the physical distance in different countries. Me, from Asia, is known for physically distant. But for me personally is not true. I think as long as one does not cross the line, some friendly physical contact is very welcoming. I've seen people with a "free hug" sign in Barcelona last month. I tapped one of the girls on the shoulder and gave her a hug. It felt great. Also, it is interesting to see people, esp. Europeans, when they are greeting me, they are not sure if they should kiss me on the cheek, like they do to their fellow Europeans, or they should just keep a distant. A lot of times, I will have to make the move and embrace them. Just thought this is kind of funny.
Touching the tree also feels nice. Acer Pseudoplatanus (or Gewone Esdoorn in Dutch, in English would be something like pseudo-plane maple) is the tree friend Anthea picked for me. The bark feels smooth, and there is no low branch in my reach.I can feel the tree is tilted to one side, but it is still strong. I pushed it, it didn't shake a slightest bit, so I couldn't hear the sound of the leaves shaking. It is also very thick. I can't have my arms closed when hugging it. It is reliable. It feels like to lean on the tree. I put all my body weight onto it, and it feels so safe and comfortable that I can even take a nap like that. And here are some photos of my tree friend.
After that Anthea took me through a different route to back to where we started, and unfolded me. It didn't take me too long to find my tree friend back, because Anthea didn't take me too far away, and the fact that the tree is tilted make it easy to recognize. It's also interesting to see the tree and compare to what I imagined it to be. They are a little different.
Later we gathered and the professor Gail Whiteman asked us to reflect on the experience. Some student said that they found the tree with instinct. I did rather by logical thinking and finding my direction back, because the tree was not too far from the class, and we passsed by some very recognizable places like a bridge and the bird house, as I can hear the birds sound. But I think I would try this again and ask my friend to do it through a much longer way, and then find my tree friend.
I think it would be an interesting thing to do with friends. The blind folding and guiding helps to build friendship by giving yourself to your friend or/and look after your friend. And it is something different from the daily life. And by experiencing something new we can already enhance the friendship.
So, if you haven't hugged a tree yet. Do it, or better, with a friend.
It is a new experience for me. First the blind fold. I recall we tried to walk on the street with eyes closed when we were in junior high school. And a friend would walk with eyes open, and warn us about steps, people or other obstacles. But we could not do it because we fear that by the time our friend warned us about the obstacles, it'd already be too late. Anthea did not direct me verbally, but put her arm around my waist and guided me by slightly adjust her force on her arm. This makes me a lot easier to follow. There are all kinds of researches on the physical distance in different countries. Me, from Asia, is known for physically distant. But for me personally is not true. I think as long as one does not cross the line, some friendly physical contact is very welcoming. I've seen people with a "free hug" sign in Barcelona last month. I tapped one of the girls on the shoulder and gave her a hug. It felt great. Also, it is interesting to see people, esp. Europeans, when they are greeting me, they are not sure if they should kiss me on the cheek, like they do to their fellow Europeans, or they should just keep a distant. A lot of times, I will have to make the move and embrace them. Just thought this is kind of funny.
Touching the tree also feels nice. Acer Pseudoplatanus (or Gewone Esdoorn in Dutch, in English would be something like pseudo-plane maple) is the tree friend Anthea picked for me. The bark feels smooth, and there is no low branch in my reach.I can feel the tree is tilted to one side, but it is still strong. I pushed it, it didn't shake a slightest bit, so I couldn't hear the sound of the leaves shaking. It is also very thick. I can't have my arms closed when hugging it. It is reliable. It feels like to lean on the tree. I put all my body weight onto it, and it feels so safe and comfortable that I can even take a nap like that. And here are some photos of my tree friend.
After that Anthea took me through a different route to back to where we started, and unfolded me. It didn't take me too long to find my tree friend back, because Anthea didn't take me too far away, and the fact that the tree is tilted make it easy to recognize. It's also interesting to see the tree and compare to what I imagined it to be. They are a little different.
Later we gathered and the professor Gail Whiteman asked us to reflect on the experience. Some student said that they found the tree with instinct. I did rather by logical thinking and finding my direction back, because the tree was not too far from the class, and we passsed by some very recognizable places like a bridge and the bird house, as I can hear the birds sound. But I think I would try this again and ask my friend to do it through a much longer way, and then find my tree friend.
I think it would be an interesting thing to do with friends. The blind folding and guiding helps to build friendship by giving yourself to your friend or/and look after your friend. And it is something different from the daily life. And by experiencing something new we can already enhance the friendship.
So, if you haven't hugged a tree yet. Do it, or better, with a friend.
My Tree Hugging Blog Has Been Created!
Have you hugged a tree before? Yes? Great, we shared some common experience. No? Then do it! It feels different.
So why am I blogging, and why this strange name, and what is it all about?
I am on my exchange semester in Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University this semester. This block, I am taking a course called "Companies in Ecologies". I have studied or practiced business for five and a half year now. But I have always wanted to do something else. I have a lot of ideas, but I don't know which one to pick. Or if I picked one, I might end up still want to do something else. "Life is else where" as the title of a Milan Kundera book so suggested. Or as Freud pointed out that there is always a "lack" in us because of the fear that mother does not have a pennis, so we keep on searching for things to fill this gap. And in building up desire to fill the gap and then fulfill our desire we created an enjoyment. But reality is always a step away from our desired stage, so we keeps on desire, try to realize it, then enjoyed it but also disappointed at it. It goes on and on. Or as the Slovenian philosopher Zizek suggested "fantasy teached us how to desire", yet any attempts to realize the fantasy can never live up itself.
Ok, it's too complicated. In short, I always want to try different things. And I am happy that I have the opportunity to still be a student till today. The best thing of being a student is you can experiment so many things, and a lot of gate will open for you just because you are a student. One way I experiment is by taking all kinds of courses from different disiplines. I've taking courses on film study, art history, theater, philosophy, sociology, food and beverage, just to name a few. And now I am taking some ecology course.
What is this course about? This deserves another post. But this course was known as the "tree hugging" course in the university. Hence the "hug a tree" in the name. And the course takes place in Trompenburg Tuinen & Arboretum, a lovely beautiful botenical garden with water running, flowers blooming and birds singing, and sometimes cats stalking and ducks mating. A major reason I chose this course is the location. How nice it is to be away from the computer and sit among trees. Although we do not drink a tea and have a treat in the class, but the environment really reminds me how beautiful life is. But I've kept a journal for the course, in a notebook. Then I thought why don't I blog about this? I can add a lot more multimedia material to it. So, voila, this is the birth story of the blog.
So why am I blogging, and why this strange name, and what is it all about?
I am on my exchange semester in Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University this semester. This block, I am taking a course called "Companies in Ecologies". I have studied or practiced business for five and a half year now. But I have always wanted to do something else. I have a lot of ideas, but I don't know which one to pick. Or if I picked one, I might end up still want to do something else. "Life is else where" as the title of a Milan Kundera book so suggested. Or as Freud pointed out that there is always a "lack" in us because of the fear that mother does not have a pennis, so we keep on searching for things to fill this gap. And in building up desire to fill the gap and then fulfill our desire we created an enjoyment. But reality is always a step away from our desired stage, so we keeps on desire, try to realize it, then enjoyed it but also disappointed at it. It goes on and on. Or as the Slovenian philosopher Zizek suggested "fantasy teached us how to desire", yet any attempts to realize the fantasy can never live up itself.
Ok, it's too complicated. In short, I always want to try different things. And I am happy that I have the opportunity to still be a student till today. The best thing of being a student is you can experiment so many things, and a lot of gate will open for you just because you are a student. One way I experiment is by taking all kinds of courses from different disiplines. I've taking courses on film study, art history, theater, philosophy, sociology, food and beverage, just to name a few. And now I am taking some ecology course.
What is this course about? This deserves another post. But this course was known as the "tree hugging" course in the university. Hence the "hug a tree" in the name. And the course takes place in Trompenburg Tuinen & Arboretum, a lovely beautiful botenical garden with water running, flowers blooming and birds singing, and sometimes cats stalking and ducks mating. A major reason I chose this course is the location. How nice it is to be away from the computer and sit among trees. Although we do not drink a tea and have a treat in the class, but the environment really reminds me how beautiful life is. But I've kept a journal for the course, in a notebook. Then I thought why don't I blog about this? I can add a lot more multimedia material to it. So, voila, this is the birth story of the blog.
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