All Is Love

While watching Where The Wild Things Are recently, I was impressed with the soundtrack. It also smacked of something very familiar. Turns out the tracks were sung by the lead singer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. See what happens when an indie rock artist tries her hand at children's music:

In My Opinion, No. 3: Space Exploration

What value is there in exploring the vacuum of space?

Though I detest the Metro Express newspaper, I occasionally read it when I forget to bring a book with me. This week one poll asked a very similar question to the one above, eliciting this response from a reader named "Steve":

No. Sending humans into space to explore Mars or any more of the solar system or beyond is an incredible waste of time and money. We should continue only with unmanned space exploration until such time as we find some new technology to send humans very cheaply[...].

This argument is problematic for two reasons: First, "Steve" does not understand economics very well. We do not improve a technology, if not through its constant use. The technology to send a human farther than the moon will never become inexpensive except through experimentation, trial, and refinement. We do not build a better bicycle by thinking about bikes. We test what is available, make possible improvements, test the new prototype, correct for errors, ad infinitum. If there was one good thing to come out of the Cold War, it was the money poured into NASA and the technology that developed as a result. And I'm not talking about the technology that only rocket scientists use. Next time "Steve" uses his cell phone to make a long-distance call, he should think about whether this technology would even exist today had Russia not been innovative enough to launch Sputnik.

The second reason Steve's comment bothers me is because it dismisses space exploration, calling it an incredible waste. The attitude strikes me as very utilitarian. What's in it for me? he asks. Moon rocks are worthless; therefore, exploring the moon is worthless. This sentiment is uninspired, to say the least.

I contest that exploration has intrinsic worth, and its value, then, is immeasurable. While I am well aware that Columbus' expedition was at least partly fueled by commercial interests and certainly led to cross-cultural complications, I admire his guts and attitude. Sure, he could have stayed in Europe. And Latter-day Saints could have stayed in the Salt Lake Valley. And Hagoth could have stayed in Bountiful. Lehi could have stayed in the Arabian peninsula. The Israelites could have stayed in Egypt. Adam and Eve could have stayed in Eden. And we could have stayed with God in heaven and never come here. And really, that's all we would ever do without exploration, sit in the bottom of a valley and believe the sun revolves around us. The attitude to leave things be, lead a sedentary lifestyle or run in the same course we always have, is not only uninspiring, it's damning.

Earth is our home, and I hope we always feel that way, no matter where we go or what happens. But it is the tiniest of blips in the cosmos. Aren't any of us still the least bit curious? And don't we want our grandchildren to see a little more of it firsthand? Looking at postcards of France or actually traveling there: I choose the latter.

It's a Date: The Right Stuff

So, let's imagine you've been dating a variety of LDS women and you find yourself wondering exactly what is it you should be evaluating. How can you tell if one is more right for you than another? "Of course she should be attractive to you, [but] one good yardstick as to whether a person might be the right one for you is this: in her presence, do you think your noblest thoughts, do you aspire to your finest deeds, do you wish you were better than you are?" (Ezra Taft Benson, May 1988).

"And, of course, moderates!"

For many years now I've identified myself as politically moderate. But John Cleese makes this very convincing case for an entirely different political stance:

It's a Date: Live in the Moment

Today's dating tip is almost a direct quote from Sister Oaks. The idea Courage Wolf, in all his ferocity, wants to impress on you is that you don't want to pin your happiness on some event on the horizon, but to enjoy life taking advantage of today's dating opportunities. A bunch of tomorrows lead to empty yesterdays.

Sister Oaks: "Many of you are in singles wards. [...] in this environment of possible future mates and with only a short window of time, some singles focus almost all their energy in a frenetic search for a husband or wife. Instead of enjoying this unique time to meet others in a similar single situation, they become preoccupied with a nagging fear that marriage is escaping them. They become frustrated with their single condition."

President Uchtdorf addresses this very concern: "[...] do not wait for someone else to make your life complete. [...] Instead, seek to reach your potential as a child of God."

In short, carpe diem. What you do with the "diem" once you've "carpe-d" it is up to you.

"Statistics": A Poem

For an FHE activity last night, we wrote poems using only the words found in assorted magazine and newspaper articles. I liked mine, so I thought I'd post it here. It's tentatively titled "Statistics":

Presents, staggering, were not ready;
the numbers reportedly are serious;
10 minutes,
10 questions,
10 years;
significantly higher, contrary to perceptions;
panelists, programs, presentation, puzzlement;
spend less, get more;
too little, too late.

A number noted, know names;
new national need to work more closely;
a supermajority in research and service
says a survey of reconciliation,
reception, perceptions, referendum, information;
demographics should not be dismissed but determined.

Gasp! Another Nephew?

I know what you're thinking: I just had a new nephew a couple of months ago! Well, eat your hearts out, because, that's right, I've been blessed with yet another. My sister gave birth last Wednesday to a handsome little boy. His name is Madsen Kevin Whittier. Welcome to the world, man.

It's a Date: Up to Bat

Today is Friday and that means it's date night. Working up the courage to ask someone out (which should be done at least 48 hours in advance) can be difficult and daunting. So here's an inspiring poster, brought to you by Courage Wolf, to all single men everywhere:

(Actual results may vary)

"Sorry" Just Doesn't Cut It

I love the English language for many reasons--it's versatile, with between 600,000 to 1 million words to choose from; it's literarily rich, the first language of many a great writer; it's global, the lingua franca of the modern era; and it's familiar, my first and primary language. But, despite its charms, English and I don't always get along, especially when it comes to the phrase "I'm sorry."

Don't get me wrong; I'm not unapologetic. But English's limitations are to blame for a lot of confusion in my life, because it simply fails me when I want to say "I'm sorry." The word itself can mean so many different things: regret, empathy, apology, compunction, even surprise. How can my addressee know which of these eclectic meanings I wish to express?

I think Portuguese does a much better job. There is no direct equivalent to the English phrase "I'm sorry" in Brazil. One must pick between three phrases: com licença, sinto muito, and desculpe. Each has its place and, if used appropriately, delineates exactly what the speaker means to say.

When you're on the metro escalator and someone is standing on the left side, instead of the right, you might say com licença to let them know you're there trying to pass. If you know you must brush up against someone to get by them in a jammed place, there's another place to use it. Com licença literally means "with license," a polite way of asking permission to slightly inconvenience. A polite Brazilian might say sim, i.e. yes, I give you permission.

Sinto muito is one of my favorites, and literally means, "I feel much." Its role is to express empathy and does so in a way that I cannot adequately replicate in English. Americans tend to compensate by saying "I'm so sorry" instead of simply "I'm sorry," but that just doesn't seem to be enough. I had a friend in college who was in a tremendous amount of pain after back surgery. She was sitting on a sofa in the study hall visibly crying because her meds were not giving her much, if any, relief. We were all concerned and each said "I'm sorry," to which she repeatedly responded, "It's not your fault." That exchange stands out to me now as the must wretched failure of the English phrase "I'm sorry." We knew it wasn't our fault, but lacked the words to really express how much we felt for her.

Finally, desculpe is for when you've hurt or offended someone and seek to make amends. Fights with family members, repentance, betrayed confidences, or wounded feelings all might warrant a heartfelt desculpe. The word literally means "un-guilt." If that is not enough, the words me perdoa, "pardon (or absolve) me" really express deep contrition, penance, repentance, and hope for a restoration of trust and good-feeling. It just seems to mean so much more than the lame, unspecific "I'm sorry."

So, com licença, I may start using these Portuguese terms around you instead, especially if I know you read my blog. Believe me, life will make a whole lot more sense once you learn them.

Nephew and Interview

I'm going to against the grain and not blogging about the Snowpocalypse. I may do a recap once all the hype has died down.

Instead, first of all, I need to congratulate my brother Isaac and his wife Katie on the birth of their new son, Hudson. I have two nieces and two nephews now and another one is expected in a couple of months. Hudson was born a whopping 9 lbs. and, as legend has it, already able to hold up his own head. He was born 11 days overdue and he must have spent that extra time doing crunches. Hudson looks just like his dad to me--dark hair, Isaac's nose. I hope to see him really soon. Anyone want to buy my train ticket?!
Second, turns out I am a finalist in the application process for the Ph.D program at Penn State. Professor Beebee of their Comparative Literature department called me early last week to schedule a phone interview for the following day. He had tried to reach me by e-mail but the power had been knocked out. I was fairly excited and nervous in the intervening 24 hours, especially since PSU has the best program of the three to which I applied. The interview actually seemed fairly informal and conversational. Part of it was in Portguese, at which I felt rusty but still fairly fluent. I think it went well overall and I'm excited to hear back from them. But It will be sad to go; I feel rather attached to D.C. now, but I know that this is the right direction for my career.