You are what you are

People tend to describe themselves using a lot of things that, in my opinion, have nothing to do with who they actually are. You are not your name, the place you where born or the country you where born in. You are not the day you when you where born, the arbitrary position of various celestial bodies at the moment of your birth or the god thrown upon you. You are not the past, choices you never made. Strip yourself of all these things and take a look at yourself. Who are you?

People are, above all else, their own choices and thoughts. The music they listen to, the books they read, the ones they love, the ones they befriend, the purpose they chose, the road they chose to walk…

Weekly Awesome Person – Norman E. Borlaug

I may have missed my really late Sunday night post but I’m getting a really early Tuesday post. But enough about me and unto the guy that puts superheroes to shame. Suppose Batman saves about two people every night from death. Spiderman, not having to face traffic, can save three and Superman saves about five because he’s, you know, Superman and he can fly. That means one of the most famous trio of superheroes can save 10 people a night.To reach up to the number of people mister Norman E. Borlaug is credited of saving they would need about 100 million nights. Or about 270,000 years.

Who was he?

Norman E. Borlaug was a famous humanitarian scientist with a PhD in plant pathology and genetics.  He also won quite a few awards including a Noble Peace Prize and Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest award civilian honor. Using his knowledge he developed several wheat varieties.

Why was he awesome?

Like I’ve said in the begging, mister Norman E. Borlaug is credited with saving about a billion people, although estimates vary, from starvation.  His wheat was able to grow in hostile environments, it was stronger and provided a higher yield. As a result of his research in Mexico and implementation of his crops Mexico became wheat exporter in 1963. His research was implemented in Pakistan, India and, later, in South Africa saving a whole bunch of people. Even after he retired he continued to be an activist, teacher and researcher. He was also featured in a Penn and Teller: Bullshit! episode which makes him even more awesome. You can read up on him on his wiki page or find and view episode 11 of the first series of Penn and Teller: Bullshit! .

 

 

Weekly awesome person – James Randi

     Having not written anything in ages I realized I needed something to help get me started. So I the idea that I could write about awesome people and, in the process, help their awesomeness reach new people. Now onward to this week’s awesome person: James Randi.

Who is he?

     James Randi, full name Randall James Hamilton Zwinge, born August 7, 1928 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a magician, writer and skeptic. He started out as a conjurer and escape artist, first with his real name and then as “The Amazing Randi“.

Why is he so awesome?

     Aside from totally looking like a wizard, James Randi is, as he refers to himself, an investigator into the claims of paranormal and supernatural claims. He has actively exposed psychics, faith healers and all other sorts of charlatans, including the once very famous Uri Geller (He was a sort of superstar back in his days apparently). He also started the James Randi Educational Foundation which offers the “The One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge” to anyone who can prove they have paranormal abilities in a controlled environment. The prize has grown in size from 100 dollars, when it was offered for the first time in 1968, to 1000, 10.000, 100.000 and finally to 1.000.000 in 1996 ( Hint: The prize has yet to be won.) Randi also offers out the prestigious and highly coveted “Pigasus awards”:

     Originally known as the Uri awards, named after Uri Geller, the Pigasus awards are offered for some of the most mind numbing things you’ll ever hear about, such as:

*Professor William A. Tiller , who said that although the evidence for psychic events was very shaky and originates with persons of doubtful credibility, it should be taken seriously because there is so much of it.

*The Pentagon for spending $6 million to determine whether burning the photo of a Soviet missile would destroy the missile.

Awards are presented by Randi on April 1st. There are 5 categories at this time:

1. To the scientist who said or did the silliest thing relating to parapsychology in the preceding twelve months.
2. To the funding organization that supports the most useless parapsychological study during the year.
3. To the media outlet that reported as fact the most outrageous paranormal claim.
4. To the “psychic” performer who fools the greatest number of people with the least effort in that twelve-month period.
5. The most persistent refusal to face reality.

 

Mister Randi also broke two world records which I forgot to mention:

• Randi was in a sealed casket underwater for an hour and 44 minutes, which broke Houdini’s record of one hour and 33 minutes set on August 5, 1926.
• Randi was encased in a block of ice for 55 minutes.

Purpose is born from imperfection

Perfection is dull. As dull as one could get. Imagine a perfect sphere. Golden, glowing and mind blowing. And what now? You can only look in awe for so long. And there’s nothing you could do to it, it’s perfect. Nor can you do anything with it for you would taint it with imperfection. All is still because no action is possible. Now imagine that the sphere cracks.  Now you can’t watch anymore. You have to fix it. This presents options. These options in turn generate decisions and thus the world is set in motion. Through the glory of imperfection  purpose appears and we chase it until the end of our time. And we come define ourselves through the purpose we choose and through the choices we make to fix those imperfections. Every choice is a part of  us and in turn defines us.

In the end, perfection is something to chase after not achieve. The only action left in the presence of perfection is worship and it lacks purpose.

New Blog!!

Nu ştiu de ce, dar am! Am şi unul mai vechi pe care poate o sa mai scriu dar îl pastrez şi pe ăsta nou.