Don't Panic

Reasons why panicking is bad:

Panicking makes it take longer to solve problems. Solutions that arise from panic can only be used as temporary measures at best, and at worst, they exacerbate the situation, rather than relieve it. On a more personal level, panicking increases stress levels, which affects hormones and brain chemistry, lowers the immune system and generally causes the body's physical state to complement one's mental collapse.

Staying calm does not do any of these things. Although it may take longer to come up with a solution to a problem, the solution will be more effective and more stable than the panicked one. Also, it will create less stress.

Since it seems obvious that remaining calm is better than panicking, why is it instinctual for so many people to panic when problems come up? Life is better without panicking. Perhaps it is because of the feeling of immediacy that panicking brings. Even when generating endless amounts of worthless solutions, there is a general feeling of accomplishment, that the problem is being solved. The more time consuming process of coming up with reasonable solutions to problems does not feel as though the problem is actually being solved.

Fight against the instinct, don't panic.

The Water Wheel

A short while ago, I saw a fountain with a water wheel. When the fountain was filled with water, the wheel could be set into motion. After the initial push to start the wheel going, the wheel was powered by the water itself, carrying the water from the bottom of the fountain, to the top, where it would fall down a chute back to the bottom. This system is closed and after the first push, does not interact with anything outside itself, but can it still have meaning? Without even awareness of itself, is the water wheel’s existence capable of having significance? If not, why does it exist?

Perhaps the importance of the water wheel is focused entirely in the first push. There is an initial dependence on outside forces even though it is completely independent afterward. The creation of a perpetual system is significant because someone or something has reached out beyond itself. But why does all significance have to involve outside interaction? The wheel itself is interacting with the water. Within the system, there is motion and relationships. Yet, even when it is motionless, the fact remains that there is a water wheel in the fountain, when there could just as easily not be one. One outcome of circumstance has won out over another. Perhaps that is significant in and of itself and does not need a larger meaning.

Introduction: A Note On Anonymity

The following entries were assigned as a class project, and out of respect for the privacy of our thoughts, we do not have to share our journals with the entire class. So why did I choose to make this journal a blog? On the internet, anybody has access to what I write and can comment and critique at will. Yet without any advertising (and I do not intend to advertise), it is unlikely that many people will stumble upon this blog, leaving it doomed to obscurity. Even in the unlikely event that this blog does gain a following, none of my readers will know who I am; I will be nothing but a voice. This way, should anyone come across this blog, my thoughts and ideas will be judged for themselves and will not be tainted by the bias that comes from knowing the author. If you do know who I am, please keep this information to yourself. I am a student.