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Evan Bailyn on
Thursday, January 19th, 2012 with
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Growing up, my parents always paid an extraordinary amount of attention to me. They vigorously encouraged my interests, causing me to believe that I could be anything I wanted to in life. The affirmation I received from getting good grades in school and being accepted socially further confirmed my feeling that I was, in a way, blessed. Not even the low points in my adolescence aroused any real self-doubt in me, for I felt that despite whatever was happening, I ...
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Evan Bailyn on
Thursday, January 19th, 2012 with
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The most interesting people I know all have one thing in common - they think about things. While thinking may not sound like a special activity, very few people use their minds actively; instead, they go through life making passive associations, allowing whatever words or images float to the forefront of their minds to convey their thoughts. This tendency to live blurrily, rather than with acuity and awareness, inhibits communication on a large scale in our society. The result is ...
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Evan Bailyn on
Thursday, January 19th, 2012 with
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One major trait of Peter Pan Syndromers is a desire to remain eternally youthful. A natural corollary to that characteristic, which I embody perfectly, is a strong fear of death. I am inconsolably afraid of death - so afraid that I cannot even allow it to float around in my mind as I can with other fears. When its dreary countenance comes to the surface of my mind, an instinct kicks in that automatically expels it before it has time ...
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Evan Bailyn on
Thursday, January 19th, 2012 with
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Every time we go out in public, we engage in a series of elaborate social scripts so that we can get along with other people. Pleasantries, formalities, and personal space conventions are all examples of automated behaviors that we exhibit because we seek approval from those around us. They are a common ground for us to stand on, a compromise of our natural inclinations for the sake of civility.
These learned behaviors are useful, of course; the world would be chaotic ...
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Evan Bailyn on
Thursday, January 19th, 2012 with
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Security is the unacknowledged object of all of life’s journeys. Most of us are born with it, owing to the fact that our parents bring us up and care for us; but slowly, at distinct points in our adolescence, that security gets chipped away. The first time we realize that we cannot depend on our parents for money, protection, or encouragement, we lose a piece of our security, and each successive time, we lose a little bit more. Finally, we ...
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Evan Bailyn on
Thursday, January 19th, 2012 with
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One big difference beween children and adults is that the latter often possesses a permanent defense mechanism known as being “fine.” Whenever I hear someone say that they are fine, usually in response to “how are you,” I get a little uncomfortable. “Fine,” to me, is like saying “I’m hanging in there.” It implies that the person is living out of habit, not out of enthusiasm.
If you ask a five year-old how he is doing, he will either not answer ...
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Evan Bailyn on
Thursday, January 19th, 2012 with
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When people speak of art in everyday conversation, they are usually speaking about the art of the upper classes. Art collectors, art history majors, and art museums all partake in a narrowly-defined form of art that has been decided upon by academics and by affluent, white-haired men and women.
It is wonderful that this type of art exists, for there are a lot of beautiful works within its scope; however, it should not be seen as the only art. Art, like ...
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Posted by
Evan Bailyn on
Thursday, January 19th, 2012 with
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One of my ultimate goals in life is to start a progressive school which focuses on developing a passion for living and self-knowledge in children. Schools nowadays have a rote, one-size-fits-all curriculum, which is conducive to learning for only a small percentage of students. My ideal school would be communication-based, blending aspects of social work, conflict resolution, team building, and traditional learning.
Classes would be limited to fifteen students, a size small enough to allow individual attention but large enough to ...
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Evan Bailyn on
Thursday, January 19th, 2012 with
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Time is a metaphor used to express the non-spatial distance between events. What we commonly refer to as time is actually measured time, or time as defined by clocks, daylight, and revolutions of the earth. However, a more satisfying version of time is perceived time, or time as defined by our own minds.
The difference between measured and perceived time is easy to illustrate: I am in the waiting room of a doctor’s office and it seems like I’ve been there ...
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Posted by
Evan Bailyn on
Thursday, January 19th, 2012 with
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Peter Pan syndrome is a deep-seated belief that one will never, and must never, grow up. It is named after the legendary character of the same name who lived in Neverland, a place where kids are immune to aging.
The story of Peter Pan fascinated me as early as five years old, way before I knew what it was like to feel like an adult. I still keep an image in my mind of a particular moment in the play, when ...
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