Messages in Media

For me, classes have started to blend together; my professors have begun giving lectures on the same topics and they can seem fairly repetitive. I found one of these topics to be fairly interesting: "Are we just born that way?" Gendered messages in the media and cultural nurturing tend to be different in every society. From a young age, children are placed in an environment and are told, based on their gender, how to proceed; each human group determines its own ideas of what's masculine and feminine and what's proper and not proper. For example, the common greeting among friends and relatives in Chile consists of a hug and a handshake and sometimes embellished with a kiss on the right cheek for women. It is repeated when saying goodbye. As for Americans, personal space is valued and most would consider a kiss forward instead of friendly.

Changing residency from one part of the country to the other, I have learned that even states and different social societies can be drastically different. When I can hear Disney songs sung in public places and where words like "rad" are still cool, it feels like living in a different world.

Every collective group of people holds themselves to different social norms and I have begun to notice them more frequently.

AT BYU...

1. Hold the door if the next guy is within 15 feet of you and you may get stuck there for five minutes while ushering in the crowd.

2. It is ok to run through the dorm at night and yell as long as you are doing it with friends.

3. If there are no empty tables available, sit diagonally from someone and don't even worry about talking to them.

To be a pioneer

"You don't have to push a handcart...to be a pioneer!" Children's Songbook #218

In the past couple weeks I've gained a deeper appreciation for pioneers - not just for my plains-crossing ancestors but for every person in every aspect of society who has established a new way of doing something. This appreciation had come, oddly enough, through my research class.

This research class is called Phage Hunters, and the objective of the course is to find, isolate, and analyze a novel mycobacteriophage (a virus that infects bacteria). I have been extremely lucky in my work so far: I was able to find my phage right away and progress through the research steps quickly because my particular phage has a relatively fast infection cycle, requiring only one day of incubation instead of the more typical two. Because of this success, I have been one of the first in the class to move on to each stage of research.

Now, this is the second year that Phage Hunters has been offered at BYU, but that doesn't mean that all of the procedures have already been established. We have done a lot of revising, changing things that didn't work out last year and trying to find the most effective and efficient protocol.

That is where my pioneer appreciation fits in.

I took my phage to the electron microscopy technician three times before I finally got really good images. We adjusted the stain, then the buffer solution, then the level of sterilization before I was able to get high-quality, clear pictures of my phage. I enjoyed participating in that problem-solving process, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. But my classmates aren't going to have to go through that hassle. The main problems have been solved, and they will just have to follow directions for a method that we already know works.

So many aspects of life are like that. Even with simple things like cooking, exercising, or even studying, somebody else has gone before and figured out the best way (or at least a good way) to do it.

I am grateful for those figures of the past who problem-solved and set precedents so that, at least in most areas of life, I don't have to perform multiple experiments to make things work.

Is that my grandpa?

While losing the battle between my willpower and the heaviness of my eye lids, I found myself almost dozing in my Chemistry Class. I had been up till what could be hazily considered either late night or early morning, and my exhaustion was beginning to really set it. My brain had stopped comprehending what I was writing about 15 minutes prior and I was just about to enter the danger zone of dozing with my eyes open. That is until something sparked my attention.
My professor had been droning on (in explicit detail) about the many many experiments which had gone into the formation of our present day model of the atom. As he was explaining the very cumbersome "oil drop" experiment credited to Millikan, he began to smirk and added very proudly, "But I will let you all in on a little secret. The real brain behind the experiment was BYU's own Harvey Fletcher."
I was instantly knocked out of my comma of drowsiness. Wait; was that my grandpa that he just mentioned? I knew he had contributed to the discovery of what I thought was the electron but I had never really known exactly what he had done. For the remainder of the class I absorbed every word with great detail. I took copies notes and hung onto every syllable that my professor uttered.
And then what Professor Pierotti had been talking about in class suddenly made sense. it was the week that we had been discussing ethos pathos and logos, but it was the idea of ethos that had struck me. Ethos is the idea of playing up to someone's emotions in order to persuade them or convince them of your point of view. Hearing my grandfather's name had connected me personally to the classroom discussion. I felt tied to the lecture from then on and completely captivated. So without even know it, my professor had drawn me into the class by getting me emotionally invested in what he was saying.
Note to self: Ethos can be extremely effective.

Evolution Versus Religion

Over the past few weeks we have been learning about evolution in my PDBIO 120 class. I had always thought that evolution was a concept created by scientists to replace religion in their lives. I never recognized the value of evolution or the way that it is the fundamental basis of much of our scientific knowledge. I had previously read Elder Bruce R. McConkie's entry under evolution in Mormon Doctrine, and had found that in his views evolution is an impossiblity, a farce, a lie. However, my biology professor (he actually calls himself an evolutionary biologist) encouraged us to open our minds to the concept of biology. We read through the BYU approved Evolution Packet, and my findings were surprising. Contrary to what Elder McConkie had declared, the statements made by the First Presidency did not seem to condemn the concept of evolution.

Now, some may ask, how can we truly believe in evolution and believe in divine design. Well I would suggest that perhaps evolution IS divinely designed. Now I am not saying that humans are evolved from apes that were evolved from fish--no, the First Presidency statement was definitely opposed to that. Men are from Adam, and Adam from God. We know that. However, they said that what can be proved with science we will embrace with joy. I think that many people in our latter-day saint communities have discounted a viable explanation for the diversity of living organisms.

I personally believe that God has created each living and nonliving thing upon this earth. However, I am very open to the idea that He has caused them to change and vary over time--that evolution is indeed a part of God's mighty plan. For, evolution is not a myth. No, evolution is fact. We have studied different strains of viruses and bacteria evolve quickly to different environments. Rather, the application of this evolution is what contains all the controversy. I say that religion and evolution are not in opposition to one another. I say that they are both essential parts of a brilliant truth. We just must decide for ourselves how to accept and apply each into our own lives, according to the Spirit within us.

Deep Thoughts!

A couple of days ago I woke up, and had nowhere to go. As any college freshman boy would, I stayed in bed. But I really wasn't that tired, and so I thought. Honestly, I just began to think. I thought about life as a huge timeline. I thought about how my perspectives have changed and how marvelous the amount of knowledge I had gained in life. Then I marveled at how much more I have to learn! But the most awe inspiring thought was when I considered this: the 12 months from May 2010 to May 2011 will be the most critical and mercurial months of my life.

In May 2010, I graduated from my high school of 450 students. In June, I moved away from home, forever. I now life in a completely different climate, with all new people, all new situations, and attending a university with nearly 100 times the amount of students that my high school had. I attended summer semester, but didn't see it as that big of a change. I saw it more as a temporary home. But recently I am seeing things in a different light. This year, is the start of a whole era of my life.

The daily decisions, friends, and critical choices I make in the next year will steer me in one direction or another. Preparing for a mission, taking classes to apply for business school and making the right friends are all part of this new era.

So many deep thoughts; I think it's time to go back to TV.

Rhetoric and the Power of the Word

In TMA 201 (History of Performance, Ancient to Renaissance), we briefly learned the history of rhetoricians, actors, and the society's interactions around them in Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire.

In Ancient Greece, actors and rhetoricians seemed to run the society. Playwrights were generally powerful and actors were as well. Philosophers, especially Socrates and Plato, disliked this. They saw the level of power in rhetoricians as over-invested, and expected them to do evil with their unwarranted power. Socrates was recorded as mocking orators and saying at the trial for his life that he should be judged by the facts, not by his oratory skills. Plato said the ideal state would not have actors, and complained of the power of rhetoricians in the execution of his mentor, Socrates.

In the Roman Empire, actors were considered below society and rhetoric was the art of state leaders. Cicero's explanations of rhetoric would be used in the Renaissance and is still used as a basis text for some on the art of rhetoric. Thankfully, we are learning it without translations and two thousand years in between us and Cicero, but in more tangible terms.

Because of the nature of modern communication, it is not easy nor acceptable to do what the Romans and Greeks did: pay someone to get on the anachronistic soap box and make a speech for your cause in the marketplace. Probably the closest analogy of rhetoricians to our society are salesmen/saleswomen. And who doesn't love them?

Trying to force across one's opinion isn't usually a favorable task. One seeking wealth will better find it through years of purposeful education rather than political speeches for support, in contrast to these ancient societies with rhetoricians that would support anything for the right price. But we will be trying to persuade someone in many discussions, even if we are truly in the right. A remark in one of my Chemical Engineering classes was something to the effect of "It's not good enough to be right, you have to convince your boss you're right as well."

Although rhetoric is not a word commonly in our mind, the art of persuasion is used do a degree in everything we do, and is essential to our success, from résumés to teaching. In order to profit from this, we must use our words precisely and skillfully, remembering what we wish to convey to the other side.

Introduction to Family Processes

I was having a difficult time thinking of what I was going to talk about in this blog. Then i remembered devotional from yesterday. It just so happens that the speaker was the author of my Introduction to Family Processes book, Randal D. Day. In class, we've been learning about how to do family research, conflicts in families, personality, change in families, and many other concepts pertaining to family life. It has all been very interesting so, of course, I was excted to hear what Randal D. Day had to say. In his talk, he covered many ideas, not all of which connected with my class discussions, but the ones that did really stuck out to me. First of all, he said that genuine love, patience, and long-suffering are needed to create good relationships with others. Relationships in a family are one of the central focuses of all family research. Having a healthy relationship with all members of the family is so important for strengthening the family and helping to achieve the goals they make as a family. It's also important to attempt to fix any unhealthy relationsihp or dilemmas in the family. Randal D. Day instructed us to "see dilemmas through sacred lenses." I really liked this idea. Whenever there is conflict within a family unit, it's important to resolve the conflict with Christ in mind-thinking of what he would do in similar situations. Also, think of these dilemmas as opportunities to grow and be strengthened rather than a burdens and misfortunes. I've always been interested in studying family processes and I've been really enjoying the class. I was so glad to have the opportunity to listen to Randal D. Day at this devotional. I learned a lot from him about family life, and having him relate different concepts of family life to spiritual concepts provided some new insights as well.

Plato and Man's Search for Truth

The modern world would like to tell us that the truth is ambiguous. And unfortunately, it's true.

In junior high physics, we learned that Newton's Three Laws place certain parameters on the motion of objects. They're true. Objects will retain their motion unless acted upon by another force. Force equals the product of mass and acceleration. For every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Or are the laws false? As objects approach the subatomic level, Newton's Laws don't hold. Near massive objects, where the space-time continuum is warped, the Laws fail to explain what is observed.

What is truth, then? May truth change with time? Is truth determinable by the individual; meaning, can I decide what is and isn't true for myself? The answer is no.

In Plato's Republic, he presents the allegory of the cave. In his allegory, prisoners are born and raised in a cave where their heads are locked in place, forcing them to stare at a wall in front of them. The only observation they have of reality is the shadows on the wall cast by the light. "To the prisoners," Plato wrote, "the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images on the wall."

This is what we call relative truth. Thus, man's search for truth is often confounded by his own perspective--or lack thereof. We are but prisoners in darkness (See Isaiah 49:9).

While man may set parameters to explain observable phenomena, our parameters are rarely perfect. Truth is never relative to context.

Truth is eternal. It is light. It manages to persevere even through long periods of falsities and ignorance. Man ought not to define truth for himself, but rather to seek understanding of it. It is what is past, what is present, and what is to come. Vivat veritas!

Tennis and Biology

Walking to my tennis class today, I was thinking what on earth am I going to write on this weeks blog. I was trying to think of recent connections I had made and, although there were some, they were usually just a word. As I walked onto the tennis court I bounced the ball up and down. I began hitting back and forth with my partner and then I began thinking about the homework that is due tomorrow for my biology class and how, yesterday, we had just talked about Kinetic Energy. As I continued to play with my partner(I won of course), I started to think how hitting this tennis ball related to kinetic energy. Ah hah! A connection!

The definition of Kinetic Energy is the energy of motion. Simple enough. Tennis is motion. Every time I hit that tennis ball, I used kinetic energy to get it over the net. Everything that is involved in tennis requires some sort of energy. Throwing the ball up for the toss, hitting it, running up to retrieve a ball, and jumping up and down to celebrate the win. It's ironic how a class that I hate so much and a class that I love so much can, in fact, be interrelated.

The Ultimate College Class

College has been really good to me so far. I've been making great friends and learning a lot of very interesting concepts. The biggest revelation I have had this year is that everything relates to Archaeology. No joke! This class has included at least one idea from every single other class I have! It related to biology through genetics and evolution, to accoustics through seismic data collection, to writing through logical fallacies, and to folk dance through the topic of how many different factors influence a people's culture.
But the best connection ever was the one I made between my Book of Mormon class and Archaeology. Recently in my religion class, we discussed how Lehi's familly was able to survive in the wilderness on raw meat. The Lord blessed the meat that it tasted sweet to them and gave them strength to continue their journey. The very next Archaeology class was all about the cooking theory. In this lecture, the professor stated that research has shown that our bodies are unable to survive well on a strictly raw food diet. We simply cannot get enough energy out of raw foods! This testified to me that Heavenly Father had a huge part in making sure Lehi's family made it to the Americas safely.
So really, instead of taking six different classes, I could have just taken Archaeology this semester!