Men and Monsters

“Bradley understands love. He’s going to make it just fine as a human being, and the only things I personally choose to exterminate are demons.”

~ Dante, Devil May Cry episode 3 

With how much time people spend wondering about who they are and what their purpose really is in the grand scheme of things, perhaps it’s to be expected that so many stories concern themselves with the question of what it really means to be a human being. Or, as it may turn out, what it means not to be a human being—whether or not you really have to have supernatural powers or come from another dimension to be a demon.

As a fantasy writer, I also have a certain fascination with the philosophical details of these questions.

It’s interesting how often emotions of caring or love are associated with a person’s humanity. I have to admit that such an association appeals to me, but I wonder if perhaps this has more to do with what we want to believe than what is actually true. Likewise, we call the people who do terrible and evil things monsters because we don’t want to believe that a human being—a being like ourselves—would ever commit such cruelties.

of course, that’s the rather pessimistic view of things.

Defining Genius

“A genius is someone who can find joy in living even stuck out in the middle of nowhere”

~ Tin Peng 

Or, as I like to phrase it, a genius is someone who knows how to enjoy life. The quote above is a rough translation from Chinese.

This was my cousin’s definition of a genius, and it’s by far my favorite. We were headed to dinner with some of her parents’ friends, and—as often happens when being introduced to new families—my aunt got to talking about how outstanding their son was. Usually, this means how well he did in school, what school he went to, or how successful he has been in his career. My cousin, seated in the car beside me, remarked that yes, she thought their son was a genius too, but that it wasn’t just that he did well in school and was very smart. She thought he was a genius because he did great in school without having to try very hard, and because he was the kind of person who could find something interesting no matter where he was.

I never forgot her comment. Most people probably wouldn’t lot “enjoying life” in with the usual qualities of genius, but I think that it makes a lot of sense in its way. After all, being able to enjoy life isn’t always as simple as it sounds, and being able to do so no matter where you are is truly a gift in itself.

Caught in the Rush

“Organize, don't agonize.”

~ Nancy Pelosi 

If you’ve been living in America for any length of time, you’re probably no stranger to waiting in line. Waiting in line can be quite tiring, but at the same time, I think I rather appreciate the custom—especially after spending a week in Beijing, China where the idea of people waiting patiently in line for anything feels like just a dream.

There are so many people in Beijing that it gives a whole new meaning to “crowded”. As Dad’s Beijing colleague put it, you don’t even have to walk when you’re taking the subway. You just drift on and off the shuttle, carried along by the press of the masses. After last week, I can honestly say that that’s no exaggeration, especially during rush hours, which come before 9:00 AM in the morning and start again at 4:00 PM in the afternoon. There were so many people on the shuttle that I didn’t have to hold on to anything to stay upright despite the motions of the shuttle, and when we pulled into or out of a station, you could feel the entire mass of people swaying a little forward and back inside the shuttle as one, gigantic entity. Getting off at our stop was an exercise in timing, how to get out as quickly as possible before the people behind us shoved us out instead. Getting on and off the bus could be much the same, a mad, shoving scramble for space where you either win or you don’t. According to one of the people that we met, the Chinese government used to employ people at every bus stop—back before the subway was built—whose job it was to give the last person getting on the bus a hard push so that everyone could squeeze on and the door could close behind them.

I suppose the entire experience put the matter of organization very much on my mind. Waiting in line for your turn can be boring, but in a lot of ways, it has a certain kind of efficiency. Or at least it’s a safer alternative. Just crossing the street can be such an ordeal when all the cars are turning—red light or green light—and people are walking—red light or green light—all looking for the best chance to squeeze past and be on their way.

Chaos makes getting things done quickly much tougher. Not to mention disorganization can be a huge source of stress.

Funny though... When people are really disorganized, they can seem really busy and productive. Whereas really organized people can get work done much faster and end up with more free time, and can consequentially seem more lazy or unproductive to the casual observer...