In Defense of our What We See, and What We Miss

     As an introduction to the topic of perception, I would like to share the following videos: Selective Attention Test, and Test Your Awareness: Whodunnit?

Selective Attention Test [link]

Test Your Awareness: Whodunnit? [link]

   While these videos might appear to be simply humorous at first glance, there's no denying that they're also thought-provoking. As the busy, distracted human beings that we sometimes tend to be, I think sometimes we'd like to believe that we're the ones to blame for our inattentiveness. What most people don't know, however, is that there are scientific explanations as to why we focus on certain details, while we ignore others. Science can explain why we seem to focus subconsciously or automatically. 

     Nowadays it's very easy, cliché even, to blame technology. It's easy to blame our modern, hectic, day-to-day lives. I don't want to deny that those factors have an influence... But I can't help but feel that when we adopt this mentality, we're doing a disservice to ourselves. 

     As it turns out, it would be physically impossible for our brains to pay attention to everything, all the time, even if we wanted to. Our bodies are constantly being bombarded with all different kinds of stimuli. If our brain tried to process all of those at the same time, our senses would get overwhelmed. Not just that; the process of taking in all that stimuli would be downright draining. Our brains know how to prioritize: they recognize what matters now and what can be ignored or dealt with later. From the moment we wake up it is not really up to us, but rather up to our brains, to decide what to pay attention to and what to ignore. 

     That being said, it is always possible to re-train our brain to focus on different things. I am reminded of a quote from the book Perspective: Amateur Eyes by Alexandra Horowitz:

Though paying attention seems simple, there are numerous forms of payment. I reckon that every child has been admonished by teacher or parent to "pay attention." But no one tells you how to do that.

It's true: growing up, the concept of attention is one of those things that we learn by context. We understand the connotation of the word, even if we don't exactly know it's denotation. We are never shown just how to pay attention. Similarly, we are never shown how concentration works, either. That's not to say that we grow up noticing the wrong things. Yet it must be established that when talking about perception, apart from the scientific angle, there's also a social one. We grown up and learn to concentrate on certain serious things. We are taught to value schoolwork, chores, and responsibilities, while leaving more "trivial" things (sightseeing, daydreaming) aside. Somewhere along the line, we forget just how multifarious the idea of attention is, and of all the potential that it holds. 

     In the ever-constant process of prioritizing and forgetting, of paying attention and ignoring, it's important to maintain an optimistic attitude. After all, we should respect our brains for what they do, not resent them for what they forget. Will your life change because you stopped on your way to work in order to smell flowers? Will your fate be transformed if you make the decision to stare at the clouds for ten minutes everyday? Perhaps not, but then again, maybe we shouldn't ask for that much. Perhaps the greatest thing about perspective is the fact that it's never set in stone. Once you start thinking about perception and realize just how much you've been missing, it's easy to feel disheartened. But once you reclaim your attention, once you begin to observe the world around you actively instead of passively, you realize that there's so much more to explore. 

"¿Te gusta el inglés?" / Do you like English?

   Last week, my university held a conference titled The lexicon in varieties of English around the world: PR, USA, Malta. The event, hosted by Dr. Manfred Krug, exposed the findings from an investigation whose purpose was to determine the similarities and differences between the English spoken in Puerto Rico, and the English spoken in the island of Malta. Additionally, the presentation included information contrasting the English used in the United States with the English from the UK. 

   While the lecture's focus was simply to expose its findings, and not so much to analyze the contents, it's important for us to look back on the history of these four countries. We can't discuss the English language without establishing the historical context. What today we call the United States of America began as a few colonies made up of immigrants from all over Europe, but especially the United Kingdom. Eventually, in 1898, it was the US that took over Puerto Rico, who was previously colonized by Spain. Similarly, Malta was originally controlled by the French until the UK took power for about 150 years. 

   I do not know about the culture in Malta, but in Puerto Rico there's a small sector of our population that is extremely hostile to the English language, as a direct result of our relationship with the US. Some people don't see it as an advantage, and don't take into account that it's the language spoken in many of our "sister islands" (such as Jamaica). It is seen as something purely political, a constant reminder of the US involvement and domination in Puerto Rico. 

   Despite these hostile feelings, Puerto Rico still recognizes English as one of the island's official languages. It would be interesting to investigate and learn more about Malta's history with imperialism and the general social attitude towards English.

   Speaking now on a personal level, as a Puerto Rican, I think perhaps we are being too hard on ourselves. We assume the worst of our country: we feel like we're leaving Spanish behind, conveniently ignoring the fact that Spanish, too, was an imposed language. We fear that we're losing our culture, that our Spanish is so full of anglicisms that it's shameful, and that we're the Latin American country who speak Spanish the worst.

   My father travels every month as part of his job, and I've had this conversation with him before. He always ends up saying the same thing: it doesn't matter if you're in Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Suriname or Panama. English, as one of the most spoken languages in the world, has had a tremendous influence on hundreds of countries. The words "póster" (poster) is accepted by the Royal Spanish Academy of Language. Many Spaniards even use the world "puzle" for puzzle, despite the fact that there's already a Spanish word for that. 

   There's no denying that from a political perspective, Puerto Rico's relationship with the US sometimes makes us uncomfortable. There's nothing wrong with having discussions about imperialism and colonialism. Yet, it definitely puts a strain on how we talk about and discuss the topic of language. A nation's language isn't just a reflection of its past, it's an indicator of its future. As a country, Puerto Rico's historical journey has been filled with ups and downs, but for better or worse, our languages –both Spanish and English– are an intrinsic part of that journey. 

"Running Brave" - A journey of independence

There may not be an "I" in "team," but there's certainly an "I" in "running."

   In many ways, the movie Running Brave contains a lot of the traditional tropes found in sports movies: it's based on a true story and features an underdog, who we all root for, who goes to extreme lengths to become a champion. He faces challenges, and gets pushed around until he finally rises up to the challenge.

   One trope that it doesn't use, however, is the typical "teamwork" cliché. In these kinds of films, there's almost always an emphasis on coming together in order to win the big game. In many occasions, two foil characters must put their differences aside and come together in order to win. Even if they don't win, this loss is never portrayed as a bad thing. The moral of the story, after all, is that working together is the most important thing.

   Running Brave is many things. It's a journey movie. It's a film about sports. It tackles issues like prejudice and racism. It's about overcoming personal, social, and cultural barriers in order to win. But make no mistake: this movie is not, in any shape, way or form, about teamwork. This trope is so prevalent in Hollywood, that as I watched the movie I patiently waiting for Bill to bond with his fellow teammates. I kept waiting for those friendships to flourish, yet they never did.

   When Bill first starts running, he's going on this journey for himself. His Native American heritage is an important part of his identity, and so it becomes an extension of him. His family isn't forcing him to run. He's running for himself and for his people, as one. However, when he arrives at his university, we see other forces influencing his journey. He's forced to run for a coach who doesn't respect him and to represent a college that won't even let him participate in a fraternity. He wants to wait for the other athletes, to develop a sense of friendship with them, and yet his coach is constantly cutting him off.

   His journey as an athlete can be divided into two parts: his internal journey, and his external journey. His internal struggle has to do with transitioning into a "white" world and finding where he belongs. His external journey is a reflection of that: he leaves the reservation, goes to the "real world", goes back to the reservation to do some thinking, and then leaves again. At one point, he forgets his purpose for running. On one hand, he wasn't allowed to run for and with his team; but on the other hand, he was scolded when he interacted with Native Americans from other teams

   He wanted to run for his tribe, for his home, while being physically away from home. He was able to maintain that connection alive for some time, but eventually he had to go back to remind himself why his running career mattered. He had to make a physically journey to his hometown in order to pick himself up again and remind himself his real reasons for running.

   Billy Mill's journeys –both internal and external– did not revolve around teamwork in the traditional sense. He was running alone yes, but the most important thing was for him was to avoid feeling isolated. In his case, teamwork isn't about physical, athletic cooperation. Here, teamwork is about Billy running by himself, but being supported by his people back home.

What does it take to spark an internal journey?

I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.  

   Ever since I was 13 or 14 years old, I have felt that my life is too stationary for my taste, although I am aware that in reality that's not entirely true. I was born and raised here in Puerto Rico, but lived for two and a half years in Brazil. Additionally, my mother is Venezuelan, so as a child I also spent many summers visiting my relatives. Growing up, my family was always planning some sort of trip, even if it was simply to visit my great-grandmother in Mayagüez.  

   However, as I grew up, family trips became less and less frequent. With every passing year, I was filled with more wanderlust. I began to feel mentally stuck. Looking back, I sort of convinced myself that any potential internal journeys were tied to whether or not I took an actual, physical trip. I had spent years watching movies about characters who travel and have amazing adventures. How could I grow as a person if I always stayed in one place? As I was about to learn, I would eventually go on a vacation that would, indeed, spark an internal reflection. Yet it wasn't going to be the kind of reflection I originally had in mind.   

   Last December, I went on a vacation with my family to Ohio. We rented a cabin and had a family reunion with almost twenty of our relatives. While the experience itself was wonderful, it wasn't long until I felt as if something was missing. We got settled in, exchanged gifts, caught up with each other's lives, and went shopping. Then, after a few days, the atmosphere was... calm. I was expecting this trip to be action-packed, and I was sure that we would have something new to do every day. Yet looking back, we spent most of our free time inside the cabin, playing board games. 

   

 

   In other words, after a while the vacation felt exactly like being at home. I'd been so sure that the simple fact that we were on vacation was going to change us. The trips I am able to take are so few and so far in between, that I hopped on a plane with the certainty that this experience was going to make me a more philosophical, complex human being. My internal journey hinged on the trip and on the experiences I would have while traveling.  

   For the longest time, I truly believed that personal growth always had to be tied with travel. Not because I thought that internal journeys couldn't occur without some sort of trip, but rather because I thought that exploring the world always affected people. It is now that I realize that some people travel the world without ever appreciating it, while others stay in one place their whole lives and still feel fulfilled.

    

   On the plane ride home, I came to terms with the fact that internal and external journeys are two completely different things. If I want to experience emotional and mental growth, it is up to me to read, write, and think my way through the journey.