Hypothesis:  Technology is making people lazier.  Here’s a simple equation:  average work pace * Time = Work output.  Someone can work at a certain pace to produce an amount of work after an amount of time.  People will often use work outputs to gauge when they have completed a day’s worth of work.  The problem is people have been using the work outputs of past generations as their references for their own outputs.  Thanks to technology, our work pace can reach larger magnitudes than previous generations.  This means we can achieve the same work outputs as previous generations but in less time.  Therefore we put less effort over time because technology multiplies it to match that of our predecessors.  

When my dad was in college, if he needed a scientific article on a certain subject, he would scour the archives of his university’s library.  If they were organized by subject, he would have to look through the stacks of journals to identify which ones were reputable, published within the last ten years, and pertained to his specific topic.  Today, by searching keywords from my library’s online homepage, I can obtain a list of peer-reviewed, recently published scientific articles that are related to my research topic within minutes.   

The problem is that rather than using technology’s boost to increase our work outputs, we use it to decrease the amount of actual time we spend being productive.  Even though it takes ten minutes of actual work to pull up a list of scientific articles, it sometimes takes an hour.  Let’s say at 2 PM someone sits down to obtain the list.  But first, they check Facebook.  They find a friend had posted a link to Reddit where they later find a link to a YouTube video and before they know it, it’s 2:45 PM.  We need to stop using technology to accomplish the same amount of work with less effort and start figuring how to use it so we can accomplish more in a day’s worth of work.    

13 Reasons Why is a Netflix original series consisting of thirteen, one-hour episodes.  The premise follows a teenage boy (Clay) who tries to navigate the disorienting experience of losing a friend (Hannah) to suicide.  Clay’s wandering takes a sharp turn when a mysterious collection of audio tapes appears on his front doorstep.  On the tapes, Clay discovers a recording of Hannah providing her listeners with thirteen reasons why she committed her act of self-violence.  

I relish stories that make me evaluate my understanding of something.  13 Reasons Why triumphs in this regard by fleshing out several aspects revolving around suicide.  One aspect that caught my attention is the feeling of powerlessness exhibited not just from Hannah but from her “bullies” as well.  It has been a notion of mine that feeling powerless can drive someone to search for weaker individuals.  He or she then proceeds to bully them as a way of obtaining a sense of power or control.  Watching this concept played throughout the series was thought-provoking.

An aspect portrayed that was more novel to me was the concept of allotting guilt.  Watching the characters decide who’s truly at fault is a motif in almost every episode.  Throughout the audio tape recordings, Hannah calls out individuals she accuses of driving her towards suicide.  Consisting primarily of her high school classmates, these individuals quarrel among each other, some somberly acknowledge their contribution, while others deny even a shred of liability.  There is a particular idea presented in the show that left me in deep contemplation.  A few characters, “friends” and “enemies” alike, suggest to Hannah that part of the ridicule she receives might be attributed to poor decisions on her part.  I have never contemplated the idea of a suicide victim having their own share of guilt; possibly by behaving in a manner, against better judgment, that escalates their desperate situation.   

I’m grateful to the series for expanding my point-of-view.

Consuming junk food has always been my go-to method for overcoming life’s most demanding moments.  This method has several advantages over other stress-relieving methods.  First, it can be utilized anywhere and anytime, someone can keep snacks on their person otherwise, a vending machine or store is usually a short walk away.  Second,  gratification is felt immediately upon consumption.  Third, junk food can be consumed while doing pretty much anything; studying for college exams was much more tolerable with a bag of chips.  All-in-all, it is a very convenient method.

Although this lifestyle choice kept me in a jolly mood throughout my arduous journey toward medical school, I still had to deal with consequences, like being overweight.  Also, as an aspiring medical doctor who is aware of our nation’s obesity problem, I cannot help but feel my cherished strategy conflicts with the goals of my future career.  

Upon graduating from college three years ago, I began a weight loss journey and looked into different dietary regimens.  Something I have come to hypothesize is that people experience varying degrees of joy from consuming junk food.  I disagree with the quote:  “a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.” If I have a candy bar in the morning, I will reminisce over its flavor well into the late evening.  Also, substituting my snacks with healthy alternative did not make me feel “full-of-life” as several coaches claimed it would.  Rather, I began feeling more irritable and experiencing a restlessness that kept me from focusing on projects I had in front of me.  Perhaps my body is still adjusting to the healthier diet.        

Due to my fondness for junk food, I believe I can empathize with people who are told by their doctors to change their unhealthy eating habits.  I hope to discover helpful tips during my new endeavor so I can someday cater to patients who are struggling with managing their weight.

Take a moment to recognize that public libraries are amazing.  For one, the library environment makes being productive is easy.   In the library, you are surrounded by individuals who are working or building upon their knowledge.  Also, the noise level is just right.  It has enough ambient noise to keep you from feeling restless, but not too noisy to distract you from work.

During times when I feel I am being unproductive, a trip to the library will help me switch gears.  This place of productivity has helped me throughout my high school and undergraduate careers.  At times when I was overloaded with work and felt a desire to find a change of scenery from my room, the library always served well as a workplace away from home.  The best are libraries that are open 24/7.  The library at my university was open 24/7 and I took advantage of it, spending several seventeen-hour days.

Of course, libraries also have their astounding collection of books, magazines, movies, games, toys, all free for the public to use or borrow.  History, autobiographies, novels, business, technology, health, computing, home development, listing off the different subjects as I explore the rows of shelves, I have to fight off a part of me that wants to collect an armful of books in an attempt to learn about every topic.

When my younger brother and I were kids, the library was a treasured place.  Our father was a graduate student and my mom stayed at home to care for us, as such, we made our living expenses small.  So imagine the excitement my brother and I had after walking into our public library and being told that we could pick any book, board game, puppet, video tape we wanted.  It was during this time that I promised myself that I would someday contribute to my local public library in appreciation for the part mine had in my childhood.  

For me, a good movie keeps you guessing.  It encapsulates something about our existence and masterfully portrays it.  A good movie will encourage its audience to evaluate their perceptions of not just of their surroundings, but possibly of themselves as well.   Also, a good movie’s effects on its viewers never wane, even after the film has been viewed countless times.  Unfortunately, for over the past decade, only a handful of movies have met my expectations.  I attribute this disappointment to a lack of creativity in movies; they have become too formulaic.

I have the notion that the film industry has replaced ingenuity with the latest recommendations from various calculated analyses.  I would not be surprised to learn that Hollywood utilizes a computer program that determines the relationship between different factors seen in movies and box office turnout.  Then, the program outputs a combination of factors that if incorporated in a movie will likely increase its box office success.  A film crew is then brought together to work with the recommendations supplied by the program.

I have considered the possibility that I have almost watched all there is to see and that leaves everything “new” to be rehashed material.  I am sure I would have greatly enjoyed Avatar (2009) if I had never seen Pocahontas (1995).  On another note, I recognize the risks of venturing off the beaten path of cinema.  Producing a movie for theaters costs millions of dollars.  Sometimes, a film crew has to borrow the money.  With such a grand amount of money on the line, it is hard to turn down reliable methods for generating a profit.

For now, I am content with going to the theater just to watch something cool.  Although, I still look forward to encountering a new movie that will meet my expectations.  A movie with something new to share.

You hear the pitter patter rain makes when the drops meet a glass surface.  It’s a chilly night.  You look outside; however, all you see due to the absence of light outside, and abundance of light inside, is a reflection of you and almost the entire cafe that’s sheltering you.  You see your warm-hot beverage on a small, square table in front of you.  You also notice that you are still wrapped in your winter attire and begin to feel a little hot.  You take off a layer of clothing to make yourself comfortable.

The sound of a ding followed by your name grabs your attention.  You get out of your seat to approach the cafe counter and find two small plates waiting for you.  On each plate is a large chocolate chip cookie.  After taking a moment to inhale the pleasant aroma, you pick up the two plates, one in each hand, and take them to the table where you had been sitting.  

Both plates make that familiar sound as you set them down at the same time.  You take your seat and gander at the irresistible treats in front of you.  You ordered two chocolate chip cookies.  One is hard with large chocolate chunks and the other is soft and gooey.  

Your eyes rapidly switch focus between the two cookies before they finally settle on the soft cookie.  You lift it with your thumb, pointer and middle finger just over the plate.  The cookie doesn’t tear.  With a light wave, the cookie tears in half, landing back onto the plate.  It passes your inspection of being just the right level of gooeyness.

You set the half cookie down and proceed to snap half the hard cookie off the plate. You dunk the half in your warm drink and stir it for a few seconds and then emerge it out.  The half-cookie remains intact as you let it drip.  You then lean forward and take a massive bite of the soaked bit.  You lean back in your chair, chew, swallow, inhale, and exhale.  You turn towards the window and see your face looking at you with a smile of pure bliss

“You miss 100% of shots you don’t take” – Wayne Gretzky

I don’t like this quote.  I realize that it is trying to teach us there are lost opportunities from not taking shots.  It is just that I don’t see missing a shot and abstaining as the same thing.  I find individuals often won’t take a shot because they want to avoid the possibility of witnessing their incapability.  Rather, people might be content abstaining and thereby leaving the outcome in the dark.  That way, they can at least tell themselves they might have succeeded if they took a shot.  In other words, I don’t like this quote because people feel a lesser pang from abstaining than from shooting and missing.  

I would be more satisfied if the quote was slightly altered to:  “you can’t make any shots if you don’t take them.”  I feel it is more agreeable on all accounts and is in a greater tie with people’s perceptions of reality; just as you won’t see yourself miss, you won’t get to see yourself succeed either.  The question now becomes how do we prevent people from losing out on opportunities?

What if I try and fail?  One answer I think that often comes up is the feeling of embarrassment.  I think the significance of embarrassment is underestimated.  “There are two things [most] people are afraid of:  death and embarrassment.  Only fools try to overcome death.  But it takes real guts to conquer embarrassment” (Gintama).  I think what can encourage people to take a shot is helping them realize that there might be things more frightening than embarrassment.  The fear of being alone.  The fear of being unable to help people dear to you.  The fear of having zero control over the events that transpire throughout your life.  By putting things into perspective, people might become motivated to reach for their aspirations and to start taking shots.  

 

The stressful challenges I faced during my undergrad were more manageable when I worked alongside my friends.  I remember one Saturday morning when we were studying in the library.  We were preparing for an organic chemistry (o-chem) exam on Monday and a general biology exam on Tuesday.  Due to a physics exam we had the day before, we had pretty much just begun preparing for these two upcoming exams.    

I was listing all the topics our tests would cover and when I finished the list for o-chem, I closed my eyes and began massaging my temples.  I fully realized the immense volume of work that lied ahead.  I opened my eyes to check what my friends were doing.  One was sitting in front of me, across the library table;  he was reviewing one of our old quizzes.  Within a few seconds, he looked up at me.  His eyes were wide-open and his mouth shut tight.  We recognized in the other’s face how overwhelmed we likely looked.  We both started chuckling and gave the other a singular nod of encouragement.  He returned to his quiz, and I to the first topic on my list.  

The seventy-two hours that followed felt like a marathon.  Each day we staggered from the library at 3 am and dragged ourselves back at 8 to resume studying.  We had coffee runs and food runs.  We kept each other off Facebook and YouTube.  We assisted each other if one of us got stuck on a question.  For the questions that none of us knew, we took turns emailing our professor for help.  We were nearing the end of our rope, but before we knew it, it was Tuesday and we were handing in our biology test; we made it!

A week later, our tests were graded, and we each received A’s on our exams.  I felt overwhelmed that Saturday morning; however, having my friends working alongside me helped me focus and gave me the determination to give our undertaking everything I had.  

I volunteer at an afterschool program where I assist children with their homework.  On my first day, I was assisting a second grader with his multiplication assignment.  He had not memorized his times table and was not allowed to use a calculator.  After he saw the assignment, he reached for his calculator and I reminded him that he couldn’t use it for this assignment.  He turned to me and replied, “I’ll finish this later,” and he ran off to play with a lego set.  I followed him and politely insisted that he should return to his assignment but he continued playing as if he didn’t  hear me.   

I empathized with the young boy.  Solving ‘8 x 7’ does not seem very exciting to a child.  Every time he saw the problem I would have to stop him from using his calculator and explain to him why he could not use it.  I have always felt the long-term benefits of an education are too difficult for most children to understand.  Until a child becomes interested enough to want to learn, parents, teachers, and even volunteers should strive to make learning enjoyable.  On my first day of volunteering, I realized that completing my objectives would require some ingenuity and creativity.  

I needed to capture the child’s interest to get him to learn.  With this in mind, I printed out images of different Pokemon on the classroom’s computer and devised a quick learning game.  I approached the child and asked if he wanted to play a Pokemon game with me.  He excitedly agreed and I told him the way to win the game was by using your Pokemon’s strongest attack.  Each attack move had a different multiplication problem tied to it that the child had to solve to uncover the damage it could inflict on an opponent.  My plan successfully motivated the child to solve his math problems.  The next day, however, I found the game’s novelty diminished along with the child’s interest in it.  Ah, well!  On to the next plan.

            Working towards getting into medical school is an extreme financial expenditure. Let’s start from high school. The first order of business is attaining a bachelor’s degree. If you go in-state, your costs will likely total $25,000 per year. If you go out-of-state, your costs will likely total $50,000 per year. For the total four years, you are looking at either $100,000 or $200,000 total.

            Next, let’s talk MCAT. The AAMC charges $275 to anyone who decides to take the MCAT. If you decide to purchase preparation material, it will cost from a few hundred dollars for books, to a few thousand dollars for the classes.

            Now that the two requirements for acceptance are completed, the next step is, of course, to apply! The AAMC charges $160 for the first school you apply to, and $36 for each additional school. Let’s say you apply for fifteen schools. That comes to a total of $664. Next, each individual school will charge a fee for their individual (secondary) applications. The average fee for me was $95. Total cost for these secondary applications comes out to be $1,425. Total application process: $2090.

            Congratulations, four of the schools you applied to have invited you for an interview. Let’s say one of these schools is in-state, meaning you do not have to pay for a flight, a car, and place to stay over night. A round-trip plane ticket with a night at a cheap motel, plus a car will likely be around $400. Total for three out-of-state interviews, $1,200.        

            You did it. One of the schools has gotten back to you with an acceptance.  Years of work and financial investment have paid off. Financial cost of getting into medical school: ~$5,800, plus $100,000 (in-state) or $200,000 (out-of-state).