A healthy mind pays more attention to what is good than to what is bad.
—St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
✏️ The Rat Race (1 Nov 2020)
We know what we are, but know not what we may be.
William Shakespeare
The quarantine period during the COVID-19 pandemic was a good opportunity for me to reassess how I spend my time. I've written already at length about the closeness I feel towards death, which is not in any type of melancholic or suicidal sense. The breath of impending mortality is exhilarating and shocks me into action. I can more easily forgive myself for small indulgences or transgressions in my otherwise rigid lifestyle, whether that be a carbohydrate-infused deviation from my otherwise repetitive diet or a weekend of lacklustre production (however, consistency is key and one must always practice moderation in everything).
I no longer see life as the rat race that I saw it as when I was an undergraduate. Perhaps it was only me, but I always felt like the next step was pre-determined for me. When one graduates elementary school, one goes to high school, and then on to university. It was only when I left undergraduate school, with the training wheels suddenly ripped off, that I began to experience the double-edged sword of liberty and an uncertain future. It is both anxiety-inducing and exciting to not know what the future holds.
When one truly starts living the life they are drawn to, the days suddenly become shorter and the years shorter still. The clock is ticking for all of us; there is no time to waste in becoming who you want to be. Or learning the things you want to learn. There is no better time than now.
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.
Unknown
Ex nihilo nihil fit.
💡 Food for Thought
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
🧬 Book of the Week — Advice for a Young Investigator by Santiago Ramon Y Cajal
This is an excellent book for graduate students, or anyone looking to undertake research endeavours.
Santiago Ramón y Cajal was a mythic figure in science. Hailed as the father of modern anatomy and neurobiology, he was largely responsible for the modern conception of the brain. His groundbreaking works were New Ideas on the Structure of the Nervous System and Histology of the Nervous System in Man and Vertebrates. In addition to leaving a legacy of unparalleled scientific research, Cajal sought to educate the novice scientist about how science was done and how he thought it should be done. This recently rediscovered classic, first published in 1897, is an anecdotal guide for the perplexed new investigator as well as a refreshing resource for the old pro.
Cajal was a pragmatist, aware of the pitfalls of being too idealistic—and he had a sense of humor, particularly evident in his diagnoses of various stereotypes of eccentric scientists. The book covers everything from valuable personality traits for an investigator to social factors conducive to scientific work.
Link to PDF version here!
Good luck in 2023!
AT