Intangible

Before I get started on my Thursday blog, I have a story.

I have very clear and definable moments in my life were I feel both gratitude and sympathy for the people in my life. Two moments come two mind. A few weeks ago I walked into my living room and announced, “It vexes me that my ass is lopsided.” The other happened earlier today. I was washing my hands and playing out some random scenario in my head and started making sound effects to go along with what was going on in my head.  It wasn’t until later that I realized that it might be strange to hear someone make dinosaur sounds while they washed their hands in the bathroom sink.

To all my friends and loved ones: thank you and I am sorry.

So, I read an article yesterday about Samoa skipping Friday. The government got together and decided that December 30, 2011 just won’t happen and they are skipping straight from today to Saturday.  Screw Friday, it is Saturday.

They had really sound, logical reasons for this alteration to the agreed upon calendar, but that doesn’t make it any less awesome.

It inspired me. So much of our lives are lives are ruled by realities that are things we simply agreed are true. Some things are truths no matter what you believe; you won’t suddenly float off if you stop believing in gravity, and the passage of time does exist. You can refuse to accept that you will die all you want but eventually you will cease to be. Other things, though, are just some shit we got together and decided to accept as the way of things.

Fuck you reality!

There is a cycle of light and dark and a progression of seasons but the ideas of months and weeks are a man made concepts. We place value in strange stuff. Gold? Really? It is kind of a useless metal. I think it conduct electricity well but mostly, it has value because it is rare and some people think it is pretty. People will kill other people over pieces of paper but consider other pieces of paper valueless.

A lot of these agreed upon things are pretty ridiculous, and we have completely stopped questioning them. Really, stock markets? That is about as tangible as phasers from Star Trek.

I typed “I am inspired to stop accepting reality.”

Let’s be honest here. I have been at odds with reality for a long time. I think it is pretty obvious that I live in my own little Selina universe that happens to coincide with the normal reality in certain spots. (Do I need to remind you guys that I made dinosaur sounds while washing my hands?)

Now, though, Samoa has given me a fantastic excuse for my weirdness. I am just questioning the validity of your agreed upon values. No, really I do on purpose, with intent. I am trying to show the world what it means to really live a life well examined. I am empowering you to make your own realities and grasp firm on to your own destinies. Seriously.  No, really, it’s not just that I am weird and incapable of fathoming normalcy.

Also…

Liberal Arts people, never let physicists make you feel bad about the relevancy of your work. I have learned a little about quantum physics and that is just as crazy as anything we study. Schrodinger’s cat is some crazy ass science fiction shit right there.