Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with perspective

Perspective/emotions on a situation changed? Self, self-help, fiction?

zeek321 — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:33:26 -0800

Have you felt one way that was impotent or powerless, but now you feel calm and empowered? And the only thing that changed was you? I'd like to learn how to make this more likely to happen to me. I'm looking for personal examples, self-help-type book examples, and examples in fiction. What happened? How did you do it? Or how did it happen to you?

The example I can think of is feeling dejected or powerless when having to deal with an authority figure, and now, say, you pity them and it's easy to genuinely effectively interact with them.

Starting over

nidora — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:34:02 -0800

Anybody have any experience with needing to come to a fresh start? I am blessed with an abundance of things, but this last year has been tough. I still have a roof over my head, but I had to move back in with my parents at the age of 37. Not exactly what somebody my age wants to be doing, but will out of necessity. I recently finished graduate school about a month ago. I finished with a degree in counseling psychology. It's kind of ironic, since I am supposed to have solutions for other people, but I can't even get my own life together.

I don't want to have a pity party, but I can say that I have made more errors than most along the way. Everyone tells me that failures are learning experiences. That might be true, but they also are a reflection of how you are doing in the world.

I'm not sure how the rest of my life is going to pan out. I would love to say that I'm going to become a great therapist, but I'm not even sure whether I should go down that path. How can I give others advice about anxiety and depression when I have had my own fair share of that throughout my life?

I am an expert on making something simple, complicated. I'm not sure what else to share with everyone? My life is a mess and the only one that I can blame is myself.

If there is anyone out there who has had to come to a clean start from the way that they were living their lives, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Right now, I feel discouraged and that I am losing perspective. The truth is that I'm a mess.

Any input would be greatly appreciated concerning starting your life over again.

Perspective drawing calculation

strangeguitars — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 19:31:16 -0800

If I want to draw something in one-point perspective, say, like a set of railroad tracks where the vanishing point is on the horizon, and the tracks are represented on the picture plane by an equilateral triangle (they appear that way to the viewer), the apex of the triangle being the vanishing point on the horizon and the base of the triangle is where the tracks meet the picture plane, how do I calculate where the railroad ties would be? (Given that in 3D they are evenly spaced. Also, I'm not really concerned with the thickness of the ties -- we can consider the ties to simply be horizontal lines.) Note: I want to do this mathematically, not by eye. I would like to be able to formulate where the "ties" meet the sides (or alternatively where they cross the middle (the height of the equilateral triangle on the picture plane)).

A Swiftly-Tilting Planchette

mikurski — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 18:15:49 -0800

Help me identify an optical illusion where abstract blotches of color on a page turn into words/an image when viewed from the side/edge of the page. I remember seeing this visual effect somewhere when I was younger - when your point of view is perpendicular to the page, all you see is abstract art, but as your viewpoint comes down parallel to the page, letters and words appear out of nowhere.

The effect is similar to this image, but I remember (and am looking for) something that I could duplicate by hand - I thought this would be a neat technique to use on a costume sword, so words appear when you're looking down the point.

Other avenues of research have lead me to things like forced perspective techniques and Anamorphosis.

Identification of the kind of effect this is would be swell - most of my searching has come up with illusions dealing with relative size of perceived angles. References would be useful, especially if they provide details of 'how it's made' for me to reference.

Once, twice, three times, maybe

Passillododorconquail Buttonquivorybidododorbacon — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:03:18 -0800

I have been married, my marriage didn't work out. Please share the unique and unexpected concerns you encountered in your second or subsequent marriage(s). The ending of my marriage wasn't a bitter or hostile experience for either of us, but the process generated a lot of stress, paperwork and expenses. I am not soured on the idea of marriage in general, but I find myself wondering if I should consider marrying again in the future, or if I should call it one and done.

I could use some of your hindsight, but I don't want this to be an open-ended chatfilter-type question. Instead, I'd like to ask those of you who have been married twice or more: what are important things -- positive or negative -- that you wish you'd known before getting married again? What do you wish you'd known about marrying someone who hasn't been married before, when you have been? What do you wish you'd known or done differently that would have helped you avoid so many remarriages? How did your remarriage complicate matters involving your children as they grew up, and vice-versa?

Obviously each person's situation is unique, and so I am trying to gather information that can help me focus my thoughts, so I can have a more healthy perspective about my own situation and my own future choices. Keep in mind I have children from my first marriage, and a friendly relationship with their mother and extended family.

Great big gods, teeny tiny temples!

KathrynT — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 18:02:37 -0800

Why did all the supposed-to-be-massive sets in Immortals 3D look tiny? Did it have something to do with the fact that it's a 3D conversion? It was like the whole thing was shot in tilt-shift. I saw Immortals 3D with the husband last night -- terrible movie by the way, but pretty -- and one thing that struck me was that all the enormous buildings just somehow looked minuscule. Like the Sybelline temple somehow appeared to be about the size of a Rubik's cube, with teeny tiny little Greeks walking around it. It was very much like the effect given by tilt-shift photography.

I know this was a 3D conversion, but I've never actually seen a movie in 3D before so I have nothing to compare it to. I also have exceptionally good vision (20/15); would that have anything to do with it? Or was it just done really badly?

I don't want to miss the life in front of me!

sprezzy — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:37:00 -0800

How do I learn to focus on my own life? I feel like I'm generally a happy person. I'm a young 20-something in the creative field--I have a great job, I have friends/family/boyfriend who love me, I'm financially stable, I'm healthy (as far as I know). I know that I am very very lucky (oh man, am I lucky!), and I thank God that I have so many blessings in my life.

However, I keep getting distracted with other people's lives. Even though I know that logically it makes no sense to compare myself to others, I keep falling into the trap. I usually feel great when I DO focus on my own life--I'm happy when I plan things out for myself, and when I actually buckle down and get things done I feel satisfied and accomplished. I'll finish a large project, cook a good meal, reach a personal goal etc etc and feel really good about life, but THEN I'll notice that oh hey! this friend was off doing something much more fun, that friend went to a cool event and I missed out, and this other friend managed to finish a project, cook a good meal, AND landscape their entire backyard and read the collected works of Shakespeare all in the same time it took me to finish my stuff! How the heck do they manage to do it!?

This is particularly bad when it comes to work stuff. I'll feel like I'm doing pretty well at work, but I get way too interested in what my co-workers are doing. Example: Team mate goes to talk to senior-person. I think: "Oh man, is he getting advice? That's a good idea, how come I didn't think to step up and get advice from that person? This will probably benefit his career. I wonder what I'm missing?!" I start feeling like others are doing the "right steps" to get ahead, and I need to hurry and catch up. I feel like I'm never doing/learning enough. It becomes very distracting.

Lately it feels like this kind of distraction has been taking over more of my life. I don't want to think like this...I start to feel anxious and my brain starts aching. I don't like the person I become, always consumed with what others are doing. When I stop and think about it, I KNOW that I have much to be thankful for and these notions are probably selfish and silly, but they always come back. If a friend had told me this about him/herself I would know all the right things to say (it's not about status/accomplishments, find joy in your own life, volunteer, etc etc) but I'm not living it.

How do I let go and focus on me (not in the bad way, but in the healthy way)? If you've gone through this, what are things you have done that helped you re-focus?

Thanks in advance :)

What ingredients make for great sex for you, women? Honest questioner seeks honest answers

sleeping beauty — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 10:42:00 -0800

Women, what makes a sexual experience rank high for YOU? I'm not just asking about technique, but the whole ball of wax. What makes it the best for you? I want women's perspectives.....on what makes a sexual experience rank high in your book. Men, if you answer, please share what your woman/partner really thinks/says/responds to, not what you think they think. (!) There are lots of me-fi post about good sex, but they don't address what I'm looking for.

In the last year or so at the ripe young age of 45-46, my sex life has dramatically changed. I think it's a combo of hormonal changes (increased libido and confidence/energy), major physical/self-care changes, and at the root, philosophical/psychological/personal/spiritual changes.

Freeing or detaching myself from negative, critical, 'superior,' contemptuous people in the key relationships in my life (manfriend, boss, roommate, best friends) also fits into the equation.

The resulting increase in my self-worth and my interest in sex, along with a deep-settled confidence in my own sexuality (even with my various 'limitations') -- is remarkably freeing. Honestly, it's surprised me. I used to wonder if I was just asexual or something.

For years, I thought I was experiencing great sex, and in some instances, I was. However, my recent internet research and present 'liberated' experiences have been more than enlightening. There is SO much more to be had than I ever imagined!

Being in condemning relationships trains you to be happy with whatever little crumbs you get. You expect so little. Withholding, controlling partners mess up your reality.

So now, I'd like to know what is possible! What can be experienced? What feelings are possible? What makes wonderful, beautiful, amazing, pleasurable, "rock your world," even ecstatic sex? And, (where) does "love" fit in the recipe?

I would so appreciate your answers in REAL PEOPLE experience...in the context of real life. honest, please (not tv or internet fantasies or memories from short-lived relationships with people you didn't really know in real time. been there, done that).

Please keep in mind, I am 46, not 22, and those imaginary, "perfect" romances I once had don't happen now that years of reality have set in. People and romances can still be amazing to me, but the imperfect and "daily" unfolds much sooner now, (as some of you know! ; )

I'm in search of realistic and attainable.

Thanks, y'all, for your kindness and generosity in sharing honestly.
Sleeping (well, waking now) Beauty

What are perspectives on Behaviorism

rebent — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 09:22:50 -0800

How does the world view Behavioral Psychology? I keep getting conflicting viewpoints on how mainstream or accepted it is. I am currently a student of Organizational Behavior Management, and even from the professors and students do I get different perspectives on how the world sees Behaviorism. In particular,

Does your field / profession ever use behavioral psychology?
Does your field / profession have a positive or negative additude towards behavioral psychology?
What reasons do you have for accepting / rejecting it?
Is the field thriving? Or is it a last reminant of a discredited field?
Is there a large effort to discredit behaviorism for political/economic reasons? Or do the members of the field collectively suffer from a persecution complex?

about.com definition

searching for thoughtful, in-depth criticism of Wikileaks

TayBridge — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 13:34:53 -0800

Looking for thoughtful criticism (either pro- or anti-) on WikiLeaks, in particular works that explore WikiLeaks' moral dimensions and/or historical context. Really hoping to find stuff that provides a larger perspective, not just news. Examples: Jaron Lanier in The Atlantic, Henry Porter in the Guardian. Thanks!

Should I get divorced?

skaffen42 — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:52:05 -0800

RelationshipFilter: Kind of at my wits end here, so turning to the collective for some perspective. My wife and I have been together for 10 years, living together for eight and married for six. Now I'm considering a divorce... much more inside. Like in so many cases, the problem is money. We started dating while she was in grad school, and like most grad students she had none of it. I paid for everything, but didn't mind. Part of dating a grad student.

Then she finished her studies and started working. At about the same time we moved in together. She paid her share of the rent money, but I still paid for everything else. Groceries, eating out, bills, vacation, etc. I even paid her car payments for a while. She still never had any money, and pleaded poverty when it came to paying for anything.

We got really serious and ended up getting married and buying a condo together. Situation continued, and she still didn't have any money, and did not contribute other than paying her part of the mortgage. By now she was pretty well established in her job and making decent money, and I was beginning to wonder what was going on. We kept separate finances, but it was beginning to be obvious that something was wrong. By my best estimate she should have had about $1800 a month in disposable income, yet I was still paying for everything. And I really do mean everything - even her gym membership.

Then about 4 years ago things started to unravel. I started finding out about credit card debt and personal loans she had taken out. Lots more than she should ever have needed. She claimed that this was all due to student loan debt that she was trying to pay off, and was the reason she was in so much financial trouble. It ends with me bailing her out of her debt, paying some of it from my personal savings and some from out home equity loan.

I breath a sigh of relief and think it is all over. Then it happens again. Yet more maxed out credit cards. This time she says it was debt she hadn't wanted to tell me about earlier. Because she didn't want to upset me. Like an idiot I bail her out again. By now it is clear that the real problem is that she spends money on clothes and random stuff she doesn't need, basically treating shopping as a hobby. She swears she will get her spending under control, and I give her another chance.

This plays out two or three more times, until the beginning of this year where I basicially threaten her with divorce if she ever spends another cent without me agreeing to it first. I set her up with a very limited discretionary budget that she can spend as she wants, and the I control the rest of the money. Most of what is left of her income is now being used to pay off the remaining debt, which should be gone in about 3 years.

So now that everything is under control, why am I thinking of getting the hell out of this marriage? Well, I just realized that I have spent the last decade of my life with somebody who has been blatantly lying to me every day. And that I am now living in a situation where instead of trusting my wife, I am having to check her credit reports to make sure she hasn't been spending behind my back again. If I had trusted her less in the beginning, things would never have gotten this bad, so now I am even pissed off at myself for trusting her. While she is not a bad person, and I think she really has things under control this time, I am just not sure if I can trust her ever again.

So Mefites... give me some perspective here. Am I taking this too seriously? I mean, at least she didn't cheat on me. In the end it is just money, isn't it?

Please please please let me want what I want.

myaskme — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:09:36 -0800

I've realized that my fundamental drive is to avoid negative consequences, rather than to achieve positive outcomes. I'd like to change this. Can you help? As an example, I hate (and try to avoid) making plans because I'm generally on call 24/7 at work, and I might have to cancel or change my plans, and that is very frustrating. I stick around at this job (which I don't like and feel that I don't have a particular aptitude for) because I don't want to end up unemployed and destitute, though I have a lot of good skills, a great resume and a large nest egg, and could do any number of things instead. I can always find 10 different horrors to avoid (sometimes entirely fantastical), but I have a hard time thinking--"I'm going to have a great time at the beach this Saturday with my friends!" or "I am really good at XYZ, I should do that instead of my current job!"

My life is replete with scenarios in which I take the "protected" path and minimize the chance of a bad outcome, but I find it constraining. I'd love to spend more time striving for the things I want, not fleeing from the things I don't.

I am already in therapy, but I'd appreciate hearing coping strategies you might have--mantras, books, success stories. Thanks!

Just another day in the salt mines.

armoir from antproof case — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:16:53 -0800

What are your strategies for girding yourself against the chaos or banality of the modern office workplace ? How do you manage to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous requests, insanity-induced decisionmaking, and mass amounts of meaninglessness? For sure, those who are gainfully employed at this moment in history are more fortunate than they might know, but perspective is difficult to achieve, or keep, when the pile of unfinished TPS reports on the desk is about to topple over & shred your soul by a million tiny papercuts. What thoughts do you keep in your head, or spirits do you bring into your heart (or substances into your body?). Quotes, movies, books, blogs, etc.. -- all are welcome. Extra points for recommendations that are particularly geared towards 'life' in a tech / software company.

Help me see the big picture.

the foreground — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 11:28:40 -0800

How can I learn to see with an Asian eye? I can't remember exactly where I read it, but the main idea is that when people from Eastern cultures view a painting, they tend to take in the whole of it first before they focus on individual details, whereas Westerners tend to do the opposite, honing in on the detail that catches their eye first before taking a step back and viewing the whole.

I know I am an extreme example of the latter style, but it goes beyond mere paintings to practical situations like when I walk into a crowded room and only see one person I know when in reality there might be two or three people there I know and end up inadvertently ignoring them until I realize they are there. Basically, I would be a terrible spy.

Does anyone have any tips or strategies for what I might be able to do to get better at taking in the whole picture, in the Asian style? I would also appreciate any other tips on how to increase my awareness and observational abilities in general, or whether people think this is even something that can be done?

Thanks!

Is this job awful? Or am I crazy?

Anonymous — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:20:34 -0800

Determining the difference between self sabotage and glutton for punishment with a job that's great on paper? (Way too much inside.) Kinda as a follow up to this question, I stayed in a job that I hate, hoping for the next great perfect thing out there and am actively hunting.

However, this is at least the fourth job in a string of jobs that are awful to me, awesome to other people.

I'm starting to think that I can't be happy careerwise or that I find some way to ruin/bail/destroy jobs the more successful I get. Or maybe this job really sucks.

On the pluses:
- I make a lot of money. More than I ever expected to make, more than my parents combined incomes on their best day, more than I believe I am worth, more than I need
- I am appreciated in general. I've just been appointed director, raise, stock, sent gift baskets from folks, get time with the CEO to talk about my concerns
- I rarely have to work nights or weekends. While there's lots of work, I can freelance out what my team can't do (when they're tangible deliverables, not meetings or politics)
- I have been able to assemble a great team under me -- awesome people, solid skill sets. Every team has its weak links, but we've gotten rid of folks that truly not doing their job, now it's just about getting people to "the next level"
- The boss I had professional (and some personal) concerns about has left the company, partially because of my and my coworkers contributions to his review
- What the company makes is (in general) awesome and they're more morally and environmentally responsible than any other company that makes things that I know of
- Little travel. I've had jobs where I traveled every week to small, crappy airports for 1 day jaunts. When I do travel for work, they're beautiful places, planned a quarter in advance and for a week or so. And they only happen twice a year about.

The minuses (as I perceive them):
- Hostile atmosphere. Everyone is constantly dissatisfied with our larger division in general (although they tend to like my team) mostly over political/territorial issues and it makes getting the simplest things incredibly difficult
- Lack of savvy in my skill set. No one fully "gets" what I do, but they all have control over the final outcome. Everyone thinks they can do my job better than I can, or wants to do the "fun" part of my team's job without the hard work
- Glacial pace. I have to work for a year on something to move it an inch, and chances are, it'll get reverted
- Meetings. I spend 6 or so hours of every day in meetings, with some days with 13 hours.
- Lack of leadership/decisiveness. Everyone's empowered to say no, no one's empowered to say yes and no one but me will make a *final* decision. And mine often gets overridden after I've used my "political capital" to defend something
- Lack of clear roles and responsibilities for what I do. We have set deliverables and we do great with those, but we also end up taking up a lot of clean up and fixes for things that don't seem to belong to anyone. And these are incredibly difficult to staff/resource/budget for or use a freelancer on
- Lack of innovation/response to consumers. We make products for the kind of people who make our products, and that market is shrinking. We say we want to make products for non-engineers, but it's like spray painting a skillsaw pink and saying we make products for women. We're also incredibly outdated internally with the systems and technology we use
- I'm always stressed. Work nightmares, panic attacks, coping behaviors (overeating, drinking)
- Commute. Although, to be frank, I leave so stressed out and frustrated that I need two hours a day to just stare at car bumpers
- I feel like a fraud. Between the pay and the title and the power given to me, I feel like I don't really deserve it. I don't want to fool anyone. I didn't get an MBA. Even if my team likes me, I don't really want to be a full-time manager/meeting goer. When they ask me where I see my career going, everything I want to do doesn't align with what the company needs.

With your fresh and experienced perspective, am I just making my brain think this is bad because I am green to this kind of corporate management and there's some magic way to make it all better and love this job? Or make me think I'm fishing all day?
Or does this sound like a toxic environment that's paying me and spoiling me because it's awful and that's what they need to do to keep me?

Preempting possible questions:
- Most of my experience is not in a large corporate environment
- I've managed before, but 1 or 2 people, not a vast team including people whose jobs I couldn't actually do (technical and project management folks)
- I love all my old jobs in hindsight, but hate them while I'm in them
- My favorite job of all time was a non-food, customer service position that I rocked and I left that for a job that "got me somewhere in my career"
- I am neurotic, overthink everything and no, therapy has not helped
- My skill set for what I want to be doing (not managing) is atrophying, but i don't have energy to freelance on the side

annunciation

ebesan — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:22:09 -0800

Annunciation. Have long been fascinated by representations of the Annunciation. A great story, covered by many artists. Esp. interested in the architectural, interior/exterior elements, diptych, or triptych layouts, and varying perspectives. (such as the tiny window at the vanishing point). Have a small collection of colored postcards/prints, (mostly Italian, Fra Angelico, etc) but would like to expand it, and understand more about the ideas behind them. Cultures vary. Viewpoints vary. Times change. Any leads/ideas/ opinions welcome.

Help me fight perspective!

Carillon — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:10:35 -0800

I want to make an optical illusion with wood. How can I fool the eye into thinking these pillars are all the same size? I have a long plank of wood and I want to put pillars on it, so that if you raise the plank to eye-level, all pillars look the same size. I think this is possible, like widening the top of a tower to make it look straight, but I can't find any literature or formulas to make this work. I mean I know that I could just eyeball it, but I was really hoping to do this as precisely as possible. Any help would be great, thanks!

What if the world was a glorious donut?

reverend cuttle — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:09:05 -0800

If I'm sitting on the terraformed surface of a Culture orbital, what does the horizon look like? For those unfamiliar with Iain Banks' Culture novels, imagine an artificial ring spinning on its axis and revolving around a star. People live on the inside (concave) surface of the ring.

Ostensibly, the curvature of the ring is gradual enough that the ground beneath them appears flat, as it does on the convex surface of the Earth. But what do they see when they look to the horizon? Can they see the far edge of the ring? Every time I try and picture this, my brain stops working.

Thanks for indulging a nerd.

"Oooh, look, an exotic native woman!" "Buzz off."

divabat — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 10:55:09 -0800

What are some good travel guide websites that aren't so Western-centric and don't treat other countries like exotic sights to gawk at? I just rediscovered Matador after randomly signing up for it years ago, and while it looks really promising, it does have a really strong colonial "we are American tourists off to see the exotic isles and be really awesome Americans saving the world" vibe around it. It's something I've noticed with travel companies in Australia too - I was at STA Travel's promo for gap years and to me it felt like the rest of the world was there for their entertainment, or that they were humble foreigners trying to civilize the savages with their volunteer jobs, or something.

Being Malaysian, and being used to being made exotic, that sort of vibe never really sat right with me. I've been travelling since I was a baby, I _love_ to travel, and I love volunteering wherever I can (I was on a world tour that was part performance part community work - best time ever). But I don't click with the party-hard, white-kid-saving-the-world-by-teaching-English, befriend-other-backpackers type lifestyle that groups like Matador and STA Travel tend to espouse.

Are there any other good websites and resources for travel that have a different view on things? I'm after more how-to sort of stuff, like the best organisations doing X or the most interesting things about Y in Z country, or how to pack for a trip (as opposed to personal stories of travel). I'm 23, so something geared for youth is great, but again I'm not much of a club-hopper type. Anything that can take account of currencies that don't really translate well overseas (Europe for Really Cheap!) would be great.

Thanks!

3D GeometryFilter: Is there a mathematical equation that defines relative lengths of objects at different depths of field for humans?

miasma — Sat, 16 May 2009 15:07:19 -0800

Is there an equation that defines the change in apparent size as a function of distance from the viewer? Basically, if I'm looking at a set of railroad tracks head on, if one plank is like 10 ft away, it appears to be one size. The same plank 20 ft away appears smaller. What is the relative size difference? Put another way, how big does a 1ft line appear to be at 10 ft, at 20 ft, etc.? Furthermore, is there an angle of convergence? Just like the planks on a railroad track will converge to a single point, if i wanted two planks at different distances to appear to be in the same overlapping plane, where would I need to place them?

Coming and going in Korean and English

stavrosthewonderchicken — Tue, 27 May 2008 02:35:51 -0800

Languages: 'I'm coming' versus 'I'm going' in response to 'Come here!' So one of my students and I were talking about this, and I didn't have a good answer. In English, when your Mom says 'Come here!' the normal response is 'I'm coming'.

In Korean, the response translates directly to 'I'm going'. There's an interesting shift in perspective there (in English, I'm coming to you from your POV, in Korean I'm going over there from my POV), or interesting to me, at least, and one that I can't really explain, even by pulling explanations out of my butt, which is, I admit, my wont sometimes.

It's odd, because given the individual/group-centric cultural tendencies in play, I would have expected the opposite result. I expect that it may just boil down to English's tendency to respond to a question (unless it's 'do') or command using the same verb previously used, but I wonder if there's more happening.

So, yeah, two part question. Anybody have any ideas what's going on here, and for our speakers of other languages, which way do the languages you know express the motion in this situation?

looking for outside-the-box thinkers who changed the world

klanawa — Sat, 17 May 2008 23:02:46 -0800

looking for examples of world-changing innovation as the result of seeing a conventional thing in an unconventional way. my girlfriend has a writinging assignment wherein she must discuss a world-changing event (could be in the sciences but preferrably not, which is what makes it difficult) that came as the result of one's ability to see things in a new light. this last thing is key: there has to have been some pivotal point where our protagonist has had a revelatory shift in perspective on some possibly mundane thing.

we're thinking along the lines of one of the many connections in the documentary "connections" except less accidental and more visionary.

also, more obscure is probably better... nothing really comes to mind, except the usual sciency suspects.

How to Change my Worrywort Perspective

gb77 — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 12:58:21 -0800

How do I Change my Worrywort Perspective? Hi, everyone, I'm GB and I'm a chronic worrier.

Somehow, someway, along the way (I'm a 43 y.o. male) I've grown into a world class worrier. It's so bad I suspect I don't even realize how much I worry anymore. Sometimes I worry that I'm not worrying enough about something.

Over xmas, while I was under an awful project deadline, I had a short span where I suddenly had this great perspective: "Life is too short. Don't live your life worrying. Ease up. It'll all work out."

Well, that didn't last long. I'm back to my old self.

Remember the main character, Peter, from the movie *Office Space*, after he had that hypnosis session? He was so laid back, so zen, he looked unflappably happy. That's what I want -- or as close as I can get to it without becoming an irresponsible idiot.

Any thoughts?

Why can't you believe everything you read in a history book?

Dasein — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 05:36:52 -0800

I'm looking for two brief historical accounts of the same event or events, to show how history can be distorted. Bonus points if the events relate to European encounters with indigenous peoples in the Americas. It doesn't matter what event or period of history this recounts. I'm just looking for a couple of paragraphs in each account - and it can be as specific as the conduct of the Conquistadors in a particular battle or as broad as the settlement of the American West. The key things is to show how historical events for which we have good documentary evidence can be presented radically differently, especially in a propagandistic way with the more traditional account.

It doesn't really matter if the more modern account is itself not balanced, as long as it's at variance with the first. Thanks very much!

What were Eleanor Roosevelt's exact words?

albernathy0 — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:25:11 -0800

Hello, a while ago I heard a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt but since then I haven't been able to find it anywhere. It was along the lines of your mind growing with your experiences and age. The quote expresses her initial worry when as a late teenager she assumed her mind would maintain the same (limited) mindset, paradigm, mentality even into her adult, aged years. If I remember correctly the quote is short, being only a line or two. Thank you so much, this quote is very important to me!