"Mathematicians are born, not made." I quote Jules Henri Poincare, one of the last universal mathematicians whose words I can attest to because I was not born with a natural understanding of mathematics. My strength lies in language. This past week, I attended a graduation at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. I witnessed over 500 young women and men earn their bachelor, master and doctoral degree in some aspect of math or computing. I say some aspect because math exists at different levels, just as the English language ranges from primary to higher syntax of poetry. We all learn elementary math; a small number of us study higher math and an even smaller number become the thought behind a new equation; in other words, those few become what mathematicians oddly enough tend to compare themselves to, "the poets of their profession."
This past week, I spent time among these "poets." I learned that mathematics is the purest form of thought, and though we often think of mathematicians in the image of the absent minded professor, a nerd, or someone submerged in a solitary world, they are indeed expressive, interactive and emotional people who are fond of music. Of course, just because mathematicians are fond of music doesn't mean that all musicians are fond of mathematics. (Did I just put an algebraic equation into words?) Mathematicians seem to approach life in its simplest and purest form...where external factors are removed. They perceive beauty and harmony in the relationship between objects and elements, and the external world becomes non-existent. Jules Henri Poincare had a great reverence toward beauty of life but was quick to define beauty as..."that profounder beauty which comes from the harmonious order of the parts, and which a pure intelligence can grasp."
The air that day among the 500 and some graduates and professors carried a childlike innocence, resonating with sounds of harmonious pleasure, delighted at the gathering of creative minds. There were graduates from all fields of math... Real Math, Applied Math, Absolute Math, Algebra, Celestial Math, Calculus, Computer, Discrete Math, Experimental Math, Geometry, Game theory, Information theory, Optimization, Recreational Math, Probability and Statistics, Quantitative Math, Topology, Mnemonics, and...need I say more? Math is in every aspect of our lives.
Until this last week, mathematics was an enigma characterised by the impression of numbers and calculations and tables taught at school. I used to think it was strictly rational, abstract, cold and soulless. I stand corrected. Though I am not born a mathematician and know that I cannot be made one, I now appreciate that mathematics, in a way, is as much an art as it is a science.
"A real mathematician has to have the soul of a poet." (Mathematician Karl Weierstrass)
FYI, the person near and dear to my heart whose graduation I attended is a beautiful young woman who literally is a poet of her profession.
This I humbly speak.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Praise the Man
Much is said of the woman who works hard in and out of the home. Much is said of the woman who strives for equality in the work force and whose monetary reward earned, or lack thereof, becomes the measure of her equality. (Another subject altogether to be left for another day.) Much is said of the working woman. But what of the working man? I think he deserves mention.
I admire the working man of today. He has stepped in to take on some of the responsibilities that woman has worked hard to shed off her shoulders in the process of attempting to lose the title of homemaker. Man now helps with the budgeting, planning meals, shopping, cooking, laundry, washing, getting children ready for school, taking them to school, bathing and dressing them, feeding them, reading to them, playing with them, putting them to bed, fixing things, entertaining guests, and, often solves a problem without bitching and moaning. Man is a problem solver. He is brought up to be one. He finds a solution and he goes straight to it, regardless of whether it is what you want. He is pragmatic and solves your problem with a simple "you should..."
I appreciate the working man of today. He takes responsibility for his actions. He doesn't make excuses. He is, afterall, brought up to be the designated risk-taker even if the risk is emotional. Is not man the one who takes the ultimate emotional risk when, not knowing the outcome, he makes the first move by asking "Will you marry me?"?
I value the working man of today. He suppresses his sense of isolation when women or daughters are recognized as caregivers to parents even though in 2004, the NAC/AARP found 40% of all caregivers to be men. And though man is often made to feel less needed by the modern woman's lack of regard for his masculinity by seeking to be a single parent, he is still the first to rush women and children out of burning buildings, put them in lifeboats first and help navigate them through high waters.
I praise the working man of today. He is still chivalrous despite being "scolded" for his lack of sensitivity toward his "equal" counter-gender. Next time a car breaks down, chances are, it's a man whose going to stop and offer to help. Carrying something heavy? Chances are a man is going to offer his help with it.
I like the working man of today. He is as educated as his female equal. He holds a full time job. He takes on the homemaker responsibilities with pleasure and enjoys time with his children. He is responsible and takes over what once was the predominantly female role of caregiver. He is not as emotionally shut down as once thought he was, and he does not bitch and moan. He is helpful off-road and in house. He is chivalrous; and if his upbringing to protect and shelter has not been altered, he will do so with blind faith for his family, his spouse and child. Praise the man, for he is found in your father, your brother, your husband, and your son. Praise the man.
This I humbly speak...
I admire the working man of today. He has stepped in to take on some of the responsibilities that woman has worked hard to shed off her shoulders in the process of attempting to lose the title of homemaker. Man now helps with the budgeting, planning meals, shopping, cooking, laundry, washing, getting children ready for school, taking them to school, bathing and dressing them, feeding them, reading to them, playing with them, putting them to bed, fixing things, entertaining guests, and, often solves a problem without bitching and moaning. Man is a problem solver. He is brought up to be one. He finds a solution and he goes straight to it, regardless of whether it is what you want. He is pragmatic and solves your problem with a simple "you should..."
I appreciate the working man of today. He takes responsibility for his actions. He doesn't make excuses. He is, afterall, brought up to be the designated risk-taker even if the risk is emotional. Is not man the one who takes the ultimate emotional risk when, not knowing the outcome, he makes the first move by asking "Will you marry me?"?
I value the working man of today. He suppresses his sense of isolation when women or daughters are recognized as caregivers to parents even though in 2004, the NAC/AARP found 40% of all caregivers to be men. And though man is often made to feel less needed by the modern woman's lack of regard for his masculinity by seeking to be a single parent, he is still the first to rush women and children out of burning buildings, put them in lifeboats first and help navigate them through high waters.
I praise the working man of today. He is still chivalrous despite being "scolded" for his lack of sensitivity toward his "equal" counter-gender. Next time a car breaks down, chances are, it's a man whose going to stop and offer to help. Carrying something heavy? Chances are a man is going to offer his help with it.
I like the working man of today. He is as educated as his female equal. He holds a full time job. He takes on the homemaker responsibilities with pleasure and enjoys time with his children. He is responsible and takes over what once was the predominantly female role of caregiver. He is not as emotionally shut down as once thought he was, and he does not bitch and moan. He is helpful off-road and in house. He is chivalrous; and if his upbringing to protect and shelter has not been altered, he will do so with blind faith for his family, his spouse and child. Praise the man, for he is found in your father, your brother, your husband, and your son. Praise the man.
This I humbly speak...
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Celebrate the Graduate
Thirty some years ago I stood behind a podium and presented the valedictorian address to the graduating class of a small private college in the city of La Verne, California, known as the University of La Verne. Now, as I recall the "speech," I come to realize that the message then was rooted in dreams and passions of making the world a better place. Not much has changed today. We celebrate our graduates at the threshold of their lives and give them the same weight of responsibility to become extraordinary citizens of humanity, to serve mankind and to leave the world better than they found it.
Today, I celebrate the graduate. I ask that you keep an open mind and recognize the wisdom revealed by life as a crucial catalyst to your education. The process of learning is life long. I recall a few years back when I saw my father look through TIME magazine, intrigued by news and science articles highlighted on the cover. He scanned the articles, shook his head as he put aside the magazine with a forlorn smile and said, "So much more to read, so much more to learn, yet so little time." My father was 93.
Most of you will choose to seek further studies and attain higher grounds. You will be challenged, you will compete and you will perform with professionalism achieving the highest points of your desires. As important as your obligations are as doctors, scientists, lawyers, business leaders, athletes, educators, remember that you are human beings first and your human connections, parents, family, spouses, children, friends are the most important investments you will make. Do not fall prey to becoming victims of your lives. Become the heroes.
Find humor in your lives. Take time to laugh with your human connections. Your view of the world will become more realistic. You will become less egocentric and more humble when you reach that "AHA" moment, the moment of success. But more importantly, humor will make you feel less defeated in times of trouble, because inevitably, you will meet failure, you will meet disappointment. And when you have to face the dilemmas of good and evil, and are lost in the delicate shadings between the two, remember your purpose, remember this day, the day when classmates, family, faculty and friends celebrated you as a graduate and entrusted you with the future. Surround yourself with those human connections who will remind you of your beauty when you feel ugly; who will believe in your innocence when you feel guilty; who will make you whole again when you feel crushed; and who will set you on the right path when you feel you have strayed.
Education is a life long process. And in the process do not neglect to pay your debts owed for your existence. Remember that the higher your achievement in the measure of your success, the greater your debt to the past. Do not let it be said of you what Voltaire the French poet said of one of Louis XIV ministers that "this man is guilty of all the good he did not do." Pay your debts of the past through deeds of love and service. Root your lives in justice, compassion and humility and listen to the voice of your heart's knowledge even when nobody else is looking.
Think all this, do all this with a strong faith in humanity, and you will have done an extraordinary task in a world that will be a better place.
Congratulations, Graduate!
This I humbly speak ...
Today, I celebrate the graduate. I ask that you keep an open mind and recognize the wisdom revealed by life as a crucial catalyst to your education. The process of learning is life long. I recall a few years back when I saw my father look through TIME magazine, intrigued by news and science articles highlighted on the cover. He scanned the articles, shook his head as he put aside the magazine with a forlorn smile and said, "So much more to read, so much more to learn, yet so little time." My father was 93.
Most of you will choose to seek further studies and attain higher grounds. You will be challenged, you will compete and you will perform with professionalism achieving the highest points of your desires. As important as your obligations are as doctors, scientists, lawyers, business leaders, athletes, educators, remember that you are human beings first and your human connections, parents, family, spouses, children, friends are the most important investments you will make. Do not fall prey to becoming victims of your lives. Become the heroes.
Find humor in your lives. Take time to laugh with your human connections. Your view of the world will become more realistic. You will become less egocentric and more humble when you reach that "AHA" moment, the moment of success. But more importantly, humor will make you feel less defeated in times of trouble, because inevitably, you will meet failure, you will meet disappointment. And when you have to face the dilemmas of good and evil, and are lost in the delicate shadings between the two, remember your purpose, remember this day, the day when classmates, family, faculty and friends celebrated you as a graduate and entrusted you with the future. Surround yourself with those human connections who will remind you of your beauty when you feel ugly; who will believe in your innocence when you feel guilty; who will make you whole again when you feel crushed; and who will set you on the right path when you feel you have strayed.
Education is a life long process. And in the process do not neglect to pay your debts owed for your existence. Remember that the higher your achievement in the measure of your success, the greater your debt to the past. Do not let it be said of you what Voltaire the French poet said of one of Louis XIV ministers that "this man is guilty of all the good he did not do." Pay your debts of the past through deeds of love and service. Root your lives in justice, compassion and humility and listen to the voice of your heart's knowledge even when nobody else is looking.
Think all this, do all this with a strong faith in humanity, and you will have done an extraordinary task in a world that will be a better place.
Congratulations, Graduate!
This I humbly speak ...
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