The Brexit conundrum.

It seems that the U.K. Parliament simply cannot make up its mind as to Brexit.

I am not saying that the members of parliament are not doing their jobs. I understand the complexity of the Catch-22 situation. It is simply not a question of whether or not to leave the European Union. There are too many parameters, and the sheer combination of them diversifies the "phase space" of possible options so that no single stance would be able to command a majority. It is such a kerfuffle. 

When one cannot make up one's mind, the usual strategy is to keep the status quo. It is not a good idea to make any moves unless one is sure in which direction one is going. One would be advised to stay in the same position.

However, in this case, it is not entirely certain what the "status quo" actually means. You would think that remaining in the EU would be the "status quo." However, when you consider the result of the referendum in 2016, it might appear that leaving the EU would be the "status quo", or the default position. 

So here's the heart of the current U.K. conundrum, from cognitive point of view. The situation is too complex to make a clear decision. Under such circumstances, normally, one would be advised to keep the status quo. However, it is not clear what the status actually quo means in this case, specifically, whether to leave the European Union or not. 

The situation the U.K. parliament and Mrs. May are facing is actually more complex than the original Catch-22 situation. Fingers crossed that the peoples of the U.K. would somehow muddle through.

After Life: Sometimes Rembrandt, and occasionally Shakespeare.

Ricky Gervais has consistently exhibited a genius for depicting the worst in humans, and yet, in a mastery way that leaves a tinder of hope at the end. It is almost like alchemy. In a ride with this comedian, one experiences moments of frustration, sadness, and bewilderment, but finally, one is almost guaranteed to be left with a refreshing and enthralling endorsement of the human condition. One feels that the trip has been quite worthwhile, a great testimony of the powers of the art.

The Netflix series After Life is no exception. The protagonist sets out to give the worst time to people around him, with an expression of disgust on his face, but never with an outright malice. He is too intelligent to be oblivious of one's own shortcomings. One cannot be a pure evil unless one forgets or ignores one's own limitations, as is evidenced by some famous persons in the world today. 

Everything seems to be so miserable for the man. But then, things start to happen, and through a poignant process of self-recognition, reconciliation, and acceptance, the protagonist starts to love life again, if with a gingerly touch at first.

The most unique character of this 6 part series is perhaps the tonality of the cinematic experience, especially in terms of emotion that comes one's way while watching it. It is sometimes Rembrandt, and occasionally Shakespeare. After Life is a celebration of human existence, not only on its bright sides but also shades of dark. It is the contrast of the bright and dark that makes life sparkle with joy.

Where comedy approaches in spirit great works of drama

Steve Coogan's character, Alan Partridge, is excellent in that he exposes the ignorance, prejudice, stupidity, and vulnerability in all of us. The good work is being carried on in This Time with Alan Partridge.

When an intelligent comedian (such as Steve Coogan) plays the role of a prejudiced person (such as Alan Partridge), the result is strangely therapeutic. It is perhaps the blessing of metacognition.

In order to depict a mindless moron, one needs to make keen observations in the everyday, seeing how people fall into the pitfalls of mediocrity. 

No person is hundred percent vile, nor perfectly good. It is only human to be complacent in one's imperfection. A good comedian captures the human nature and makes a truthful portrait of it. That's where comedy approaches in spirit great works of drama, such as those by William Shakespeare. 

Real people change. Numbers don't.

The ongoing difficulties concerning Brexit in the U.K. seem to suggest the importance of keeping your judgement implicit.

A referendum might appear to be a straightforward way to make a people's judgement. However, measurement of the people's will is only statistical. Even if we come up with a statistically significant result, there is no guarantee that the people's will would stay the same over time.

This is probably why we have members of parliament, who are elected by the people, engaged in continuing debates over issues. Real people are not numbers. Their opinions change all the time.  Most crucially, their judgements are at least partially based on intuitions which are implicit, not on explicit rules or numbers.

The ongoing Brexit fiasco, which as someone who admires the culture and traditions and above all people of the U.K. greatly hopes would come to a settlement soon, does seem to show the risks involved in putting too much emphasis, a fixed significance in particular, on a specific number supposedly representing the will of the people at a given time. 

Real people change. Numbers don't.

A lesson in life's fundamental conditions of radical changeability.

It is official. Cherry blossoms are here this year again.

The Japanese craze for cherry blossoms (sakura) is world famous now. The love for the five-petal flower is so deeply embedded in the Japanese psyche that we take it almost for granted, like the air we breathe.

The essence of the cherry blossoms is that they are so ephemeral. The first blooming of the cherry blossoms is always a major news making national headlines, partly because it is so unpredictable. Once they bloom, you cannot tell how long they will last. The whole affair is tinged with subtle and transient signs. You must learn to read and interpret these elusive manifestations of nature. 

Unpredictability and ephemerality are the hallmarks of the cherry blossom phenomenon. The blooming and perishing of these lovely flowers is a lesson in life's fundamental conditions of radical changeability, repeated every year.

Naomi Osaka's inner peace.

Tennis player Naomi Osaka sometimes mentions inner peace as a guiding principle in her performance. This is very interesting.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s famous flow refers to the state of mind where the maximum performance is achieved. When one is in the flow, one is concentrated on one's task. One is relaxed, rather than nervous, and one feels that what one is doing at the time is the ultimate reward, rather than the social recognition or material compensations that might follow.

It would also appear that some athletes experience a special state of mind sometimes referred to as the zone. Hiroyasu Shimizu, a speed skater who won the Gold Medal in Men's 500 meter competition in Nagano Olympics, once described to me the zone he experienced in one race. "I could see the trajectory I should follow as a golden line of light on the ice," said Shimizu. Shimizu also testified that when he broke the world record, it felt almost effortless, with the whole feat done in a relaxed mode. "When one is very pressured and makes too much conscious efforts to win, the result is often disappointing," said Shimizu.

There are at present no accepted classification of such special mind states as flow or zone. Here, for the sake of convenience, let us assume that flow is a generic state of optimum concentration. A state of flow would be something that could in principle be practiced on a daily basis. A zone, in turn, would be a special subset of the flow, a heightened state of the mind which could be achieved only after a long period of hard training, accompanied by a peak performance, which could be realized only a few times at best in an athlete' career.

In relation to flow and zone, where does Naomi Osaka's inner peace stand? In terms of being concentrated and yet relaxed, inner peace might be yet another way to refer to the flow. Alternatively, since Osaka uses the word inner peace as she reflects the final match in the Australian Open (which she won), it could be an alternative expression for the zone. In any case, the wording is an original one, and gives us insights into the mind of a top athlete in a make or break situation.

Achieving a top performance requires being connected to one's core self, while in a harmonious relationship with the environment. It does not help to ignore the given conditions or try to overcome what cannot be overcome. Paradoxically, one has to accept oneself, no matter what one is capable of or incapable of, at a critical moment, to achieve the highest performance possible. After all, one would have done all one could have done in the preparations, practicing, thinking, overcoming challenges, going through mental training, etc. When one stands in the court on the day of the final, the preparations are over and all one has to do and could do there and then would be to simply become one with one's self as one would be on that particular day.

Since both flow and zone are known to be disturbed by noise, external and internal, the latter including one's overzealous ambitions and conscious control, inner peace might mean the removal of such factors, in a spirit of Zen, streamlining potentially complex and overcrowded cognitive space.

Perhaps we should all strive to achieve an inner peace in the increasingly complex world.

My lovely whale lyrics

My lovely whale

Ken Mogi

My lovely whale

You know you're free

Wherever you go

You can have fun.

You can see the cherry blossoms

You can climb Mt. Fuji

You can go to see Kabuki

You can even have a go at sumo.

Our lovely whale

You know you're free 

Whenever you fly

We will see the sky

How beautiful is the ocean

how graceful you are

The sun is above shining

And the moon will soon arise.

My lovely whale

You know you're free

Wherever you go

You can have fun.

You can see the cherry blossoms

You can climb Mt. Fuji

You can go to see Kabuki

You can even have a go at sumo.

My lovely whale

You know you're free

Wherever you go

You can have fun.

Our lovely whale

You know you're free 

Whenever you fly

We will see the sky

Created on 26th December 2018

Song available below.