The Joy of Learning
As I withdrew further from college, I immersed myself in the process of learning things. It wasn't about chasing grades or accolades; it was about gaining knowledge that resonated with me, things I could enjoy learning about.
-Psychology-
I started with psychology, diving into concepts that intrigued me. For instance, I learned about:
Confirmation Bias: This is when people look for information that supports their already-held beliefs. For example, if someone believes a certain political opinion, they might only watch news channels that share that viewpoint, ignoring others.
Cognitive Dissonance: This happens when someone feels uncomfortable because their actions don't match their beliefs. For instance, if someone believes in being healthy but often eats junk food, they might feel guilty or conflicted inside.
The Halo Effect: This is a cognitive bias where our overall impression of someone influences how we feel and think about their specific traits.
The Stanford Prison Experiment: This study explored how situational factors and perceived power can influence behavior. In the experiment, college students were randomly assigned to be either guards or prisoners in a simulated prison environment. The results showed how quickly the guards began to exhibit abusive and cruel behaviors, even though they knew it was an experiment.
-Economics-
Economics wasn't just abstract theories—it was surprisingly practical. For example;
Endowment Effect: People tend to value things they own more highly than things they don't, leading to poor decision-making.
Loss Aversion: People feel the pain of losing something more strongly than the pleasure of gaining something of equal value.
Prisoner's Dilemma: Two people acting in their own interest may not cooperate, even if it's best for both, leading to worse outcomes.
-Pretty similar to psychology-
-Chess-
In chess, I practiced specific openings like;
Hypermodern Approach
Concept: Allow your opponent to occupy the center with pawns early and then undermine it with attacks.
Example:
1. 1. Nf3 d5
2. 2. g3 c5
3. 3. Bg2 Nc6
4. 4. d3 e5
Idea: White avoids classical pawn control in the center and instead aims to attack the center with pieces and pawns later, particularly targeting e4 and d4.
I also learned how to think several moves ahead. For example;
The Exchange Sacrifice
Concept: Sacrifice a rook for a knight or bishop to dominate the board.
Example:
1. 1. e4 e5
2. 2. Nf3 Nc6
3. 3. Bb5 a6
4. 4. Ba4 Nf6
5. 5. O-O Nxe4
6. 6. d4 b5
7. 7. Bb3 d5
8. 8. dxe5 Be6
9. 9. Nc3 Nxc3
10. 10. bxc3
Idea: White accepts doubled pawns but gains superior piece activity and long-term attacking chances on the kingside.
-Mahjong-
Mahjong became another passion, though learning it wasn't easy. I studied the yaku, the specific winning hands required to score points, like riichi (a ready hand declared with confidence) or tanyao (a hand made only of simple tiles).
One of the hardest lessons was learning to read discarded tiles. For example, if an opponent discarded a lot of "bamboo" tiles, it was likely they weren't building a bamboo hand. This wasn't just a game of luck; it was about reading patterns, memorizing tiles, and anticipating your opponent's strategy.
Applying the strategies like;
-Tile Efficiency (Speed and Flexibility)-
Key Idea: Build your hand as quickly as possible while maintaining flexibility for multiple winning combinations.
Focus on completing sequences (shuntsu) over triplets (koutsu), as they are more flexible.
Discard isolated tiles and honor tiles (winds and dragons) that don't align with your hand's direction early in the game.
Prioritize open-ended waits (e.g., 4-5 can form with either a 3 or a 6) over closed waits (e.g., 3-4 needs only a 2).
-Deception and Bluffing-
Key Idea: Mislead opponents about your hand's direction.
Discard tiles that suggest a different hand than what you're building (e.g., discard honor tiles to imply you're not going for Yakuhai).
Delay discarding key tiles to make opponents think they are safe.
Meld strategically to make others believe you're pursuing a specific yaku.
-Risky High-Value Hands-
Key Idea: Take calculated risks to pursue rare, high-scoring yaku when necessary.
Go for flushes (Chinitsu or Honitsu) if you have many tiles of one suit early on.
Aim for a concealed hand or yakuman (e.g., Thirteen Orphans, Four Concealed Triplets) if the starting hand is promising.
Balance the risk of failing against the potential reward, especially if you're behind in points.
-Rubik's Cube-
The Rubik's Cube started as a frustrating mess of colors, but I quickly realized it wasn't random. I followed:
-The beginner method-
The basic approach involves solving it layer by layer, first making a cross on one side, then solving the first two layers, and finally focusing on the last one.
Each time I solved the cube faster, I felt a growing sense of mastery. My best time went from minutes to under a minute, and I even learned advanced methods like
CFOP: This is a faster, more advanced method used by expert solvers. It's a series of steps that involves cross, F2L (First Two Layers), OLL (Orientation of the Last Layer), and PLL (Permutation of the Last Layer).
-Mental Visualization-
When I didn't have access to tools like a chessboard or Rubik's Cube all the time, I trained myself to visualize them in my mind. For instance, I would picture a chessboard and imagine playing an entire game against myself. I kept track of every piece's position, mentally testing strategies like castling or setting up traps like discovered attacks.
Similarly, I practiced visualizing a Rubik's Cube, imagining each rotation and predicting where pieces would land. This skill came in handy during bus rides or dull moments when I couldn't physically solve the cube. It strengthened my focus and sharpened my problem-solving skills.
-Fighting-
Fighting one was interesting though their are things like
-Footsies and Spacing-
Key Idea: Control the neutral game by managing distance and baiting your opponent into making mistakes.
Stay just outside your opponent's attack range, and punish whiffed attacks with your own moves.
Use small movements (dashes, crouches, or short hops) to bait an attack, then counter.
Learn the effective range of your character's moves and maintain that range to maximize your threat zone.
Which can help in a fight but i came to a realisation that fighting is mostly based on a lucky shots skills has very less use of it in a serious confrontation.
-Cooking-
Cooking started as a necessity but quickly became an art. I experimented with simple recipes, like perfecting an omelette, learning how to beat eggs for the right consistency and when to flip without breaking it.
I ventured into making dishes like fried rice, figuring out the importance of prepping ingredients beforehand and adding soy sauce at the right moment for the perfect flavor. I even tried baking, once making a loaf of bread from scratch—kneading the dough, letting it rise, and savoring the fresh aroma as it came out of the oven.
Each skill I picked up was just an isolated activity; it had no ripple effect on how I saw the world.Not saying it in a bad way. Psychology helped me understand people. Economics made me view decisions more critically. Chess and mahjong sharpened my mind. The Rubik's Cube and visualization strengthened my focus, while fighting and cooking taught me discipline and independence. And that was it.
-I wanted to learn more about the things that this world has to offer in my life-
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