My first blog homework for SG! I'm sorry for not posting more content, but it's been a little hard to get at my laptop comfortably with where I've been healing, but feeling pretty mobile again! I'll definitely be blogging more 'regular me' stuff and whatnot too :) I'm going to try and stay away from really mainstream stuff since it's probably nothing new and for the most part, I'm not sure if the quotes I like really fall under inspirational, but here is my piece!
"Be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
OK, so I'm pretty sure everyone has heard this one, but it's good! I try to bring this to mind when I'm feeling upset or frustrated. If something is bothering me, I need to do something to change it or not let it get to me. I guess in that sense, I kind of blend this quote with the Christian Serenity prayer - "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." I don't personally identify with organized religion or the concept of God, but I was raised Lutheran and there are certainly some good underlying messages in religion too. If I had to put a label on it, I would probably call myself atheist/pagan. Anyway, I think it is good to recognize the difference between concepts that are out of our control and being able to take small steps to achieve the changes we can.
"Even so, I still want to be a destroyer who can save others." - Allen Walker (D. Grayman)
This quote is actually from one of my favorite animes, but it probably makes sense to add a little context. In the Grayman world, people that are grieving over the loss of a loved one become primary targets for making a deal with the 'Millennium Earl', in which he promises to bring the deceased back to life. However, in fairly traditional satanic style, there is a catch to the deal - the deceased person is brought back as a sort of slave demon with little control but to kill and the unlucky person that made the deal is usually the first victim. Allen Walker exists as an exorcist within this world - he destroys the demonic body in order to free the enslaved human soul within. That being said, I suppose I see this as a quote that can be generally applied. I think balance is important in life - without darkness, we wouldn't appreciate the light, homeostasis, and so on. In some extreme cases, total destruction is necessary to make way for something new and better - a concept that can be applied to a very small or large scale. Additionally, I feel this quote is relevant to me as a student of psychology and forensic psychology in particular. Everyone tends to have some type of 'inner demons' whether the cause of a severe disorder or mental disruption or those that are more 'normally' functioning. I'm interested in finding the biological source of what causes people to do horrendous things (ie school shootings, the Holocaust, etc) because if we are able to identify the neurological disruption, we stand a better chance of helping those people before that kind of turn in behavior and stop those atrocities from happening. In this way, I think psychology is kind of similar to exorcism.
“Many people hear voices when no one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing.” - Margaret Chittenden
This quote means a couple of different things to me again and kind of ties into the last one too. Basically, we are all a little crazy or think maybe we're not so 'normal', but in reasonable cases, the difference between being driven mad or not is just being able to accept and explore the person you are, rather than trying to reject it or let another person inhibit you. Also, as an artist, writer, and all around eclectic person, I can definitely identify with hearing many voices - though not in the literal sense! When I write a character or even just put together a new look for myself, I am stepping into that persona - thinking and moving a certain way, but it's all still an aspect of me!
"It may be that we are puppets-puppets controlled by the strings of society. But at least we are puppets with perception, with awareness. And perhaps our awareness is the first step to our liberation." - Stanley Milgram
Haha, so this quote is pretty far from inspirational, but Stanley Milgram is basically my role model and inspiration for going into the area of forensic psychology that I am studying. For anyone unfamiliar, he is most well known for his research on the Holocaust and his electroshock obedience experiments. Though disturbing and very unethical by today's standards, Milgram contributed some pretty important concepts to the field of psychology. It's pretty scary to think what regular people are capable of simply because they are obeying authority. I think it is important to understand concepts like this in terms of independent and critical thinking, questioning authority when it is appropriate, and being very careful about the type of people that we place in power. Like many issues, the first step in being able to bring about change and improvement is to be able to recognize that which motivates and controls us.
"Probatio Diabolica" "(Latin: "devil's proof", "diabolical proof") is a legal requirement to achieve an impossible proof. Where a legal system would appear to require an impossible proof, the remedies are reversing the burden of proof, or giving additional rights to the individual facing the probatio diabolica. The Devil's Proof is the logical dilemma that while evidence will prove the existence of something, the lack of evidence fails to disprove it. In essence, the opposing statement's lack of proof makes the statement true in some sense. This connects with the idea that, while substantial evidence may prove the devil's existence, there is no evidence that denies the devil's existence; therefore, one cannot deny the devil's existence." (Source: Wikipedia - I know this doesn't count as an academic source, but I just wanted to provide the definition as well and this is accurate)
This last one isn't really a quote, but this is the phrase tattooed on my tummy! I felt like this was suited to me for a number of different reasons, but it is definitely one of those that is more meaningful to the wearer! In addition to just liking the concept, I have struggled a long time trying to decide between law and psychology as areas of academic expertise. Forensic psychology was my happy compromise between the two and I feel like this term sort of encompasses that for me. On the other hand, the term is also a consistent point in another piece of work I really like - Umineko no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry) - a set of Japanese light novels that was also made into an anime. What I really love are all the educated references to religion, demonology, physics, philosophy, Schrodinger, Fredian and Jungian concepts (the collective unconscious, in particular), alchemy, witchcraft, gore, unrequited love, mental instability, psychology, and ALL SORTS. These are all subjects that I am interested in and again, this term just sort of brings it all together for me.
So, I could totally keep going, but this turned out way longer than I expected! It won't always be a wall of text, I promise, but I hope you like my first blog homework :) Thank you so much for reading and wanting to know a little more about me!
