Thailand Cave Rescue

How did the boys get out?

All of the 12 Thai boys who became stranded inside a flooded cave network were successfully rescued, along with their coach on Wednesday (11/7/2018). The perilous operation to extract them took place as rainy weather moved in ...

18 days underground: the key events

https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2018/jul/03/thailand-cave-rescue-where-were-the-boys-found-and-how-can-they-be-rescued

  

The Moo Pa (Wild Boars) academy team, whose ages range from 11 to 16, became trapped with their 25-year-old coach, Ekaphol Chantawong, inside the six-mile Tham Luang cave in the Doi Nang Non mountain range on 23 June.

Nine days later rescue divers located the team sheltering on a ledge surrounded by water. About two miles of narrow, flooded passageways separated their refuge from the main entrance. Efforts to pump water out began immediately as authorities tried to take advantage of a break in monsoon rains.

How did the rescue work?

Round-the-clock pumping paid off with conditions said to be walkable in some parts of the cave. But the rescue operation still hinged on the boys using scuba equipment despite having no previous diving experience. Each boy was to be accompanied by two divers with the rescuers facing an 11-hour round trip.

The miraculous story of the Thai cave rescue

Thai cave rescue: Challenges divers face in operation

Gaming Disorder 電玩成癮

容易分心吗？不能离开手机吗？玩手机上瘾是精神疾病？

http://www.sinchew.com.my/node/1766099

世界衛生組織今年初決定將「電玩成癮 (gaming disorder)」列為精神疾病，並於今年六月18日生效。「電玩成癮」的症狀包括，無法控制地玩電子遊戲、常將電子遊戲放在其他生活興趣之前、即使有負面後果亦持續或增加打電玩的時間等等。

據世衛標準，要判斷是否屬於「電玩成癮」患者，被診斷者的沉迷電玩行為必須導致其個人、家庭、社會、教育、職業或其他重要功能領域方面面臨重大傷害，而且至少持續一年。

世衛指出，與電玩相關的健康問題不限於「電玩成癮」，還包括身體活動不足、飲食不健康、視力或聽力問題、肌肉骨骼問題、睡眠不足以及社會心理功能問題等等。

1、【无手机恐惧症】典型症状是不愿关机、总想看看有没有未接来电或者新信息、连接不上网络时会感到焦虑、经常给电池充电以及带着手机去卫生间。

2、【“鼠标手”、“触屏指”】经常用大拇指玩智能手机的人，其手部肌肉长时间保持快速、紧张的运动，易导致手指、腕部关节过度劳损和手部肌肉痉挛。

3、【干眼综合症】长时间地盯着屏幕，会导致干眼、眼睛疲劳酸痛、头痛及视力模糊等。

4、【“低头族”增加患脊椎病的可能】人类的头部重量约4.5公斤，身体长时间前倾，会让脊柱承受过多压力，导致颈部、头部和肩部疼痛。

5、【手机通话过长致听力下降】

6、【幽灵震动综合症】手机虽然没有响起铃声，但用户却产生这种错觉。手机在震动，幻响。

7、【睡梦中发短信】这种行为通常发生在入睡后两小时内，除了在睡梦中发短信而不自知，会产生令人尴尬的对话外，还会打乱深度睡眠进程，导致人起床后感到精疲力竭，影响大脑功能。

8、【自拍是种“病”？】迷恋自拍可能是年轻人自恋或极度自卑，缺乏自信或自我意识的明显标志，可能使他或她出现其他问题。

9、【注意力缺陷、多动症】经常处在多任务状态的人在处理工作时的注意力显著下降，这大大削减了我们思考的能力。

由于韩国打电动人数超多，韩国政府早已抢先世卫，在2016年 将电玩游戏归类为上瘾物，像毒品与酒精一样，将电玩成瘾视为疾病进行管理。

早在2014年新加坡一些精神病专家已向卫生部门提议把网络成瘾症和手机上瘾症列为精神疾病。

http://games.ifeng.com/shehui/detail_2014_06/17/36875173_0.shtml

新加坡鹰阁医疗中心（Gleneagles Medical Centre）的精神病医生Adrian Wong指出，手机上瘾和网络成瘾应被列为一种精神病。许多患者过度沉溺上网和社交媒体，导致焦虑症状。一位18岁男孩，因网络成瘾，垢面蓬头、胡渣满面，被父亲拔掉网络线后痛苦难耐，必须送医接受抗忧郁治疗。

新加坡中央医院医生Tan Kian Hian指出，智能手机出现令“低头族”比比皆是。青少年在走路、排队甚至过马路的时候都在玩手机。

新加坡南洋理工大学的助理教授Teresa，他对手机上瘾的定义是这样的：用户不停查看手机；或者用户当无法使用手机时表现对数码设备的渴望，感到焦虑，导致学习和工作效率下降。他同时指出，父母不能为了安抚哭闹的孩子而给他们玩智能手机或者平板电脑。

去年南阳理工大学的一群本科生就在校内发起名为“把手机调到朋友模式”的活动，鼓励学生在和朋友或者恋人一起的时候把手机放下。新加坡计划在今年年中对学前儿童父母开展“网络健康”教育，教导父母不要过早让孩子接触数码设备。

中国专家则表示，现在人离不开手机与其说是上瘾、有精神疾病，不如说是依赖手机作为逃避工作的借口。人们应该少玩手机，更应该充实自己的生活。

http://js.ifeng.com/humanity/detail_2014_06/19/2456142_0.shtml

手机上瘾并非年轻人的专利，年近50的钟先生今年才换了智能手机就有了相见恨晚的感情。“现在网上什么资讯都有，我拿个手机天下大事都知道了。”

南京的国家心理咨询师俞旋表示∶大多数长时间玩手机的人并非精神方面出了问题，而是该反思自己的生活态度。“很多人玩手机，说自己有瘾其实是不想好好工作的借口。如果有正确的生活态度，生活过得很充实，也没必要天天挂在网上。”

电玩成瘾（gaming disorder）如何诊断与治疗

https://www.zaobao.com.sg/zlifestyle/beauty-health/story20180123-829251

电玩是否占据你日常生活大部分时间？

从起床开始，电玩是不是你最常想的事？

如果因为电玩影响日常作息，或许已经对电玩上瘾，患上“电玩失调”。

国立成瘾治疗服务专科顾问医生张炜彬说：“诊断准则包括：无法打电玩时会出现戒断症状（withdrawal symptoms），试图少打电玩却无法成功，欺骗家人或其他人自己有多沉迷电玩，利用电玩逃避或舒缓消极情绪，以及因为电玩阻碍工作、学业或感情。”

电玩失调症的初期症状和体征包括：

- 花极多时间打电玩

- 为了打电玩而迟迟不睡，结果缺乏休息

- 因为打电玩而忽略生活大事

- 无法打电玩时，会感觉烦躁、焦虑不安

- 因打电玩影响正常作息，例如旷课或没有上班

2016和2017年，约50人因电玩行为问题而向国立成瘾治疗服务求助，求助人数维持在稳定水平；其中，10岁至19岁的青年人数占最大比例。

张医生说：“电玩失调和其他成瘾病症有许多共通处，所以许多治疗原则都可以应用于此。世界卫生组织的决定不会影响我们采取的介入方式，治疗针对患者的症状，以及因为电玩行为问题而造成的障碍。治疗时间因人而异，因为要看电玩行为问题有多严重，以及患者是否同时患有其他心理健康疾病。”

电玩失调的治疗由国立成瘾治疗服务的治疗团队携手进行：心理医生会评估个别患者的问题严重程度，以及是否同时患有其他心理健康问题如抑郁症或焦虑症。如有其他心理健康问题，或须采取药物治疗。此外成瘾辅导员会利用动机式访谈法（motivational interviewing）。这是一种强调协作的对话技巧，目的是强化自我改变的动机和意识。张炜彬医生解释：“动机式访谈法是关键技巧，因为很多时候，患者不会意识到自己的成瘾问题有多严重，也抗拒改变。”

此外，辅导员会采取其他针对行为和认知的策略进行辅导。“行为策略”包括帮助患者策划日常活动，以正常活动取代电玩。“认知策略”则有助改变患者对于电玩的偏执。要是患者还在求学，辅导员也会和校方协调，帮助患者重新适应学校环境。

要知道自己是否对电玩或互联网上瘾，

可登录国立成瘾治疗服务官网，使用网上自我测试：

www.nams.sg/helpseekers/internet-and-gaming/Pages/self-assessment-tool.aspx

如果怀疑家人或朋友患上电玩失调症，张炜彬医生建议：和对方谈谈，表示关心；要是无法好好沟通，可把相关求助资讯放在对方容易看得到的地方。

智能手机普及化，越来越多人机不离手。除了电玩，手机和互联网也可能让人成瘾。要知道自己是否过度使用手机或上网，可利用一些应用程序（App）或网络工具记录自己的使用习惯。

张炜彬医生说：“了解自己的使用习惯，有助认清自己是否过度沉迷于某些东西。”

至于孩童，家长可以透过下列方法培养良好上网习惯：

限制孩童上网或使用电脑、平板或手机的时间。

和孩子预设固定电玩时间。

由家长在电脑或平板上设定上网限制（parental control settings）

家长应知道孩子在玩哪些电玩。

把电玩器材摆在大家都看得到的地方，方便家长监控电玩时间和器材的使用方法。

電玩成癮列精神病 專家主張全家治療

http://www.singtao.ca/toronto/2850566/2018-07-03/post-%E9%9B%BB%E7%8E%A9%E6%88%90%E7%99%AE%E5%88%97%E7%B2%BE%E7%A5%9E%E7%97%85-%E5%B0%88%E5%AE%B6%E4%B8%BB%E5%BC%B5%E5%85%A8%E5%AE%B6%E6%B2%BB%E7%99%82/ 

加拿大資深輔導員黃承斌指出，他在該領域工作十多年來，發現電玩成癮現象日趨嚴重，不少患者「病入膏肓」時才來求助，且多數是其親友代為求助。

有大學生就認為，跟其他玩家一起在線參與的遊戲，往往會較易成癮。

全家治療時需作180度轉變準備

他分析說，出現「電玩成癮」的原因和其他成瘾症，如吸煙、吸毒、賭博等类似，多数是在人们需要面对压力时，转而寻求一种较为熟悉的活动来舒解压力与焦虑。卑詩省列治文市電玩成癮者約有六成為亞裔，而年輕人出現成癮問題不純屬個人問題，更是整個家庭的問題，亟需全家人一起努力才能改變。

因此，在治療成癮症時，輔導員會了解造成壓力的根本原因，從而將該壓力先去除，才可解決「電玩成癮」問題。

黃承斌更指出，造成成癮症並非患者一個人的問題，很多時候是整個家庭造成。他稱不少亞裔家庭望子成龍心切，對孩子施加很大壓力，有的堪稱「殘忍」，更有許多家長將自己的心情好壞，完全寄託在孩子的成績單上。他說，家長不能要求孩子為自己的心情負責，孩子的人生更不是為了家長而活，因此在對「電玩成癮」的治療上，輔導員將會對家庭整體進行治療，有時甚至成癮者本人不出現都沒有問題。他說，家庭在治療電玩成癮者問題時，全家都需要做好180度大轉變的準備。如果家人對成癮者進行責罵，家庭氣氛不和諧，治療效果只會變糟。

黃承斌還表示，家長應積極幫助孩子參與非電子類活動，同時家長自己減壓，從而減少帶給孩子的壓力。若出現成癮問題，應及早向專業人士或機構求助，如列治文癖癮服務協會(Richmond Addiction Services Society)等。

Comfort Zone + Optimal Anxiety

The Science of Breaking Out of Your Comfort Zone, and Why You Should

By Alan Henry     |     7/03/2013     |     lifehacker.com

https://lifehacker.com/the-science-of-breaking-out-of-your-comfort-zone-and-w-656426705

You've seen inspirational quotes that encourage you to get out and do something strange—something you wouldn't normally do—but getting out of your routine just takes so much work. There's actually a lot of science that explains why it's so hard to break out of your comfort zone, and why it's good for you when you do it. With a little understanding and a few adjustments, you can break away from your routine and do great things.

It's important to push the boundaries of your comfort zone, and when you do, it's kind of a big deal. But what is the "comfort zone" exactly? Why is it that we tend to get comfortable with the familiar and our routines, but when we're introduced to new and interesting things, the glimmer fades so quickly? Finally, what benefit do we derive from breaking out of our comfort zone, and how do we do it? Answering those questions is a tall order, but it's not too hard to do.

The Science of Your "Comfort Zone," and Why It's So Hard to Leave It

Simply, your comfort zone is a behavioral space where your activities and behaviors fit a routine and pattern that minimizes stress and risk. It provides a state of mental security. You benefit in obvious ways: regular happiness, low anxiety, and reduced stress.

The idea of the comfort zone goes back to a classic experiment in psychology. Back in 1908, psychologists Robert M. Yerkes and John D. Dodson explained that a state of relative comfort created a steady level of performance In order to maximize performance, however, we need a state of relative anxiety—a space where our stress levels are slightly higher than normal. This space is called "Optimal Anxiety," and it's just outside our comfort zone. Too much anxiety and we're too stressed to be productive, and our performance drops off sharply.

The idea of optimal anxiety isn't anything new. Anyone who's ever pushed themselves to get to the next level or accomplish something knows that when you really challenge yourself, you can turn up amazing results. More than a few studies support the point. However, pushing too hard can actually cause a negative result, and reinforce the idea that challenging yourself is a bad idea. It's our natural tendency to return to an anxiety neutral, comfortable state. You can understand why it's so hard to kick your brain out of your comfort zone.

Even so, your comfort zone is neither a good or bad thing. It's a natural state that most people trend towards. Leaving it means increased risk and anxiety, which can have positive and negative results (which we'll get to in a moment), but don't demonize your comfort zone as something holding you back. We all need that head-space where we're least anxious and stressed so we can process the benefits we get when we leave it.

 

What You Get When You Break Free and Try New Things

Optimal anxiety is that place where your mental productivity and performance reach their peak. Still, "increased performance" and "enhanced productivity" just sound like "do more stuff." What do you really get when you're willing to step outside of your comfort zone?

• You'll be more productive. Comfort kills productivity because without the sense of unease that comes from having deadlines and expectations, we tend to phone it in and do the minimum required to get by. We lose the drive and ambition to do more and learn new things. We also fall into the "work trap," where we feign "busy" as a way to stay in our comfort zones and avoid doing new things. Pushing your personal boundaries can help you hit your stride sooner, get more done, and find smarter ways to work.
• You'll have an easier time dealing with new and unexpected changes. In this article at The New York Times, Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston, explains that one of the worst things we can do is pretend fear and uncertainty don't exist. By taking risks in a controlled fashion and challenging yourself to things you normally wouldn't do, you can experience some of that uncertainty in a controlled, manageable environment. Learning to live outside your comfort zone when you choose to can prep you for life changes that force you out of it.
• You'll find it easier to push your boundaries in the future. Once you start stepping out of your comfort zone, it gets easier over time. This same NYT article explains that as you step out of your comfort zone, you'll become accustomed to that state of optimal anxiety. "Productive discomfort," as they call it, becomes more normal to you, and you're willing to push farther before your performance falls off. This idea is well illustrated in this infographic at Future Science Leaders. At the bottom, you'll see that as you challenge yourself, your comfort zone adjusts so what was difficult and anxiety-inducing becomes easier as you repeat it.
• You'll find it easier to brainstorm and harness your creativity. This is a soft benefit, but it's fairly common knowledge (and it's easily reproducible) that seeking new experiences, learning new skills, and opening the door to new ideas inspire us and educate us in a way that little else does. Trying new things can make us reflect on our old ideas and where they clash with our new knowledge, and inspire us to learn more and challenge confirmation bias, our tendency to only seek out information we already agree with. Even in the short term, a positively uncomfortable experience can help us brainstorm, see old problems in a new light, and tackle the challenges we face with new energy.

The benefits you get after stepping outside of your comfort zone can linger. There's the overall self-improvement you get through the skills you're learning, the new foods you're trying, the new country you're visiting, and the new job you're interviewing for. There's also the soft mental benefits you get from broadening your horizons.

How to Break Out of Your Comfort Zone

Outside your comfort zone can be a good place to be, as long as you don't tip the scales too far. It's important to remember there's a difference between the kind of controlled anxiety we're talking about and the very real anxiety that many people struggle with every day. Everyone's comfort zone is different, and what may expand your horizons may paralyze someone else. Remember, optimal anxiety can bring out your best, but too much is a bad thing.

Here are some ways to break out (and by proxy, expand) your comfort zone without going too far:

• Do everyday things differently. Take a different route to work. Try a new restaurant without checking Yelp first. Go vegetarian for a week, or a month. Try a new operating system. Recalibrate your reality. Whether the change you make is large or small, make a change in the way you do things on a day-to-day basis. Look for the perspective that comes from any change, even if it's negative. Don't be put off if things don't work out the way you planned.
• Take your time making decisions. Sometimes slowing down is all it takesto make you uncomfortable—especially if speed and quick thinking are prized in your work or personal life. Slow down, observe what's going on, take your time to interpret what you see, and then intervene. Sometimes just defending your right to make an educated decision can push you out of your comfort zone. Think, don't just react.
• Trust yourself and make snap decisions. We're contradicting ourselves, but there's a good reason. Just as there are people who thrive on snap decisions, others are more comfortable weighing all of the possible options several times, over and over again. Sometimes making a snap call is in order, just to get things moving. Doing so can help you kickstart your personal projects and teach you to trust your judgement. It'll also show you there's fallout to quick decisions as well as slow ones.
• Do it in small steps. It takes a lot of courage to break out of your comfort zone. You get the same benefits whether you go in with both feet as you do if you start slow, so don't be afraid to start slow. If you're socially anxious, don't assume you have to muster the courage to ask your crush on a date right away, just say hello to them and see where you can go from there. Identify your fears, and then face them step by step.

There are lots of other ways to stretch your personal boundaries. You could learn a new language or skill. Learning a new language has multiple benefits, many of which extend to learning any new skill. Connect with people that inspire you, or volunteer with an organization that does great work. Travel, whether you go around the block or across the globe. If you've lived your whole life seeing the world from your front door, you're missing out. Visiting new and different places is perhaps one of the best ways to really broaden your perspectives, and it doesn't have to be expensive or difficult to do. The experiences you have may be mind-blowing or regrettable, but that doesn't matter. The point is that you're doing it, and you're pushing yourself past the mental blocks that tell you to do nothing.

Trying new things is difficult. If it weren't, breaking out of your comfort zone would be easy and we'd do it all the time. It's just as important to understand how habits form and how we can break them as it is to press yourself out of your comfort zone by doing specific things.

 

Why It's Important to Return To Your Comfort Zone from Time to Time

You can't live outside of your comfort zone all the time. You need to come back from time to time to process your experiences. The last thing you want is for the new and interesting to quickly become commonplace and boring. This phenomenon, called hedonistic adaptation, is the natural tendency to be impressed by new things only to have the incredible become ordinary after a short time. It's why we can have access to the greatest repository of human knowledge ever created (the internet) at our fingertips (on our smart phones) and still get so bored that all we think of is how quickly we can get newer, faster access. In one way it drives us forward, but in another it keeps us from appreciating the subtle and the everyday.

You can fight this by trying new, smaller things. Ordering something new at a restaurant where you get the same thing every visit can be eye-opening the same way visiting a new country can be, and both push you out of your comfortable spaces. Diversify the challenges you embrace so you don't just push your boundaries in the same direction. If you've been learning Latin-based languages and you find yourself bored, switch gears to a language with a completely different set of characters. If you've taken up running, instead of just trying to run longer and farther, try challenging yourself to run on different terrain. You still get the challenge, but you broaden your horizons in a different way.

 

Take It Slow, and Make Stretching Your Boundaries a Habit Of Its Own

The point of stepping out of your comfort zone is to embrace new experiences and to get to that state of optimal anxiety in a controlled, managed way, not to stress yourself out. Take time to reflect on your experiences so you can reap the benefits and apply them to your day to day activities. Then do something else interesting and new. Make it a habit if you can. Try something new every week, or every month. Our own Adam Dachis has committed himself to doing something weird and new every week, just to test his boundaries.

Similarly, don't limit yourself to big, huge experiences. Maybe meditation pushes you out of your comfort zone just as much as bungee jumping. Try the former if you've already done the latter. The goal isn't to become an adrenaline junkie—you just want to learn to learn what you're really capable of. That's another reason why it's important to return to a comfortable state sometimes and just relax. Just don't forget to bring back as much as you can carry from those inspired, creative, productive, and slightly uncomfortable moments when you do.

Learn, Unlearn and Relearn (Alvin Toffler)

The illiterate of the 21st century

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A15yU0u4U_4

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.

― Alvin Toffler

Live as if your were to die tomorrow.

Learn as if you were to live forever.

― Gandhi

I cannot teach anybody anything,

I can only make them think.

― Socrates

Anyone who stops learning is old,

Whether at twenty or eighty.

― Henry Ford

I never teach my pupils;

I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.

― Albert Einstein

  

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3030.Alvin_Toffler

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

― Powershift: Knowledge, Wealth, and Power at the Edge of the 21st Century

“Psychologist Herbert Gerjuoy: The new education must teach the individual how to classify and reclassify information, how to evaluate its veracity, how to change categories when necessary, how to move from the concrete to the abstract and back, how to look at problems from a new direction—how to teach himself.”

  

“If you don't have a strategy, you're part of someone else's strategy.” 

“You’ve got to think about big things while you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.” 

  

“Change is not merely necessary to life - it is life.” 

“To survive, to avert what we have termed future shock, the individual must become infinitely more adaptable and capable than ever before. We must search out totally new ways to anchor ourselves, for all the old roots - religion, nation, community, family, or profession - are now shaking under the hurricane impact of the accelerative thrust. It is no longer resources that limit decisions, it is the decision that makes the resources.”

― Alvin Toffler, Future Shock

“The future always comes too fast and in the wrong order.” 

21世紀的文盲，不是那些不會讀和寫的人，而是那些不懂得學習、忘記所學和從新學習的人 (停止学习、不懂得舍弃学习到的一些东西与不能再学习的人)。

21世纪的文盲 - 那些停止学习的人

http://www.12reads.cn/34215.html

A Doubtful Mind Is A Confused Mind

A Doubtful Mind: Is it a Positive or Negative State of Mind?

http://futureofcio.blogspot.my/2015/03/a-doubtful-mind-is-it-positive-or.html

Carpenters have a pretty good working balance: "Measure twice. Cut once."  

Doubt, is a natural instinct provided to all the creatures in life.  
By nature, doubt, is a highly protective instinct, to be used in moderation. When used in excess, it can work against progress. Like many other characters we are born with, it has to be used in moderation and subjected to examination. And like many other things, it's sort of paradoxical.    

Doubt, like conscience, is a regulator of our mind.

A doubtful mind has its positive side, it is our natural endowment to create, to invent and to change. All inventions in the world, all creative processes including free thinking stem from our ability to doubt the concepts, ideologies, doctrines imposed upon us by society, religion, culture etc. Without doubts, free thinking is not possible. And without free thinking, the progress of knowledge and desired changes required with changing epochs, changing environmental and technical challenges would not be possible. The growth of mankind will be stagnant, all inventions and creative process that take us forward in evolutionary scale will come to a standstill. But doubt in a disproportionate magnitude turns into suspicion and pathological condition.

Doubtful mind seems paradoxical, with both bright and shadow side.

If doubt is a brief precursor that stimulates questioning and learning, then it is a healthy, positive state of mind. When doubt becomes internalized as self-doubt and begins to erode one's self confidence, then it is a negative state of mind. If, doubt leading to strive for knowledge and action for betterment is the only way to grow. If, doubt leading to further doubt may still be good if ultimately leads to knowledge and action. But, doubt leading to inaction and closed mindedness is killer. So it depends on what we do with that doubt - how we respond to it. Doubt may encourage us to gain more understanding - that would be positive. But remaining always in doubt is negative state of mind! Doubt may be from ignorance and a reason to simply deny what we do not understand - that would be negative as well.

The wise says, "if you doubt at first, doubt again."

which means that any doubtful situation or thought should not be left unattended especially when the impact of that situation is possibly big. You can not leave anything unaddressed which may put your activities/plans in jeopardy. Having said that, if you have doubt, you can take next baby step to see the reaction. If reaction is big, take back the step and reanalyze, redetermine and restrategize. Doubts about a possible impediment, devising ways to overcome the impediment, being prepared for some enroute 'surprises' (either pleasant or otherwise), in the journey, courage, confidence to face unpleasant surprises are the aspects we have to look for. With all the efforts, the end results may not exactly be the way we foresaw, but would likely, if not definitely, be one that would benefit many.

A doubt is a doubt. It has no state of mind.

Some say doubt has no specific state of mind, it is attributed to it by ‘us’.
A state of mind is attributed to it by 'us' - at times, even without knowing what the doubt is, without considering its relevance or otherwise to the objective. If only we make an effort on these lines before attributing a status to it, things would be much better. Maybe doubt is just our interpretation of, or label for, some external stimulus?

Balance is the key.

Doubt in its reasonable proportion is a positive force of mind: creative, innovative and more often than not is path-breaking, thereby effecting bifurcation point in human history. Societies across the world put emphasis on conventional wisdom as the quintessential value for life. This is because; societies obstinately discourage change and conserve ideas and doctrines for maintaining social order and functionality. Free thinkers normally do not fall in line with the dogmatic and obsolete social systems. They pose threat and menace to the complacency of the common man’s perception of life and living values. Hence, balance is needed. Unbalanced thinking causes for motion. Balance causes for stability and status.

Therefore, the right dose of doubt stimulates critical thinking and human progress, but too much doubt causes conflict and close mindedness.

“Doubts are good. Confusion is excellent. Questions are awesome. All these are attempts to expand the wisdom of mind.”

Simon Huggins – Quora
It depends on what you mean by confused.

If you mean that your mind is jumbled, and you cannot make decisions nor follow trains of thought easily, you may have a little (or lot of) ADD - I.e. Attention Deficit Disorder. This is generally bad if you want to avoid going around in circles not getting anything useful accomplished.

On the other hand, it can be good for creative activities where you want to see where flights of fancy take you - but best done when killing time by doing something useful like having a shower or going on a run.

Otherwise, a confused mind can benefit from using techniques to help funnel it - To Do lists, post it note reminders, alarms on your mobile (eg.  to actually look at your to do list), that kind of thing.

If by confused you mean having Alzheimers then that's bad. Few people come off well with Alzheimers.

If by confused you mean that you don't understand what the world is all about, that the rules make no sense, and that you feel like an alien dropped on a strange planet designed by mad people, you probably have Aspergers. In which case that is bad from a social communication point of view, but good because you get to discover those rules and because you can see them from an outsider's point of view, you get to play with them so that they fit you better. Sure that makes you eccentric, but who needs normal?

So on balance, confused gives you more choices (so long as Alzheimers is not the cause) so gets my thumbs up, so long as you learn to channel your confusion.

Kjell Pettersson – Quora
It depends. If your mind is rigid, confusion might be an opening and provide an opportunity for you to come out of a mindset that is lacking in flexibility.

Confusion may also be an adequate response to a situation that is not that intelligible. To pretend one knows it all when one does not is not helpful, to oneself or others.

However, practically speaking, in everyday life, confusion is often something we wish to avoid. Confusing time tables at the train station will not make our minds more flexible and Nirvana approach faster.

“- Confusion means you are growing.
  - When growth defies all boundaries it become malignant.
  - Now you can draw the line.”

Kai-Fu Lee: Jobs Will Be Replaced... But That's Okay

Future Education: Is artificial intelligence (A.I.) actually intelligent?

Kai-Fu Lee (李開復), CEO of Sinovation Ventures, was interviewed during Davos 2018 | World Economic Forum.
https://www.weforum.org/focus/davos-2018

Lee is a Taiwanese venture capitalist, technology executive, writer, and computer scientist. He formerly worked in Apple (1990), SGI, Microsoft, and Google China (2006).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGmuuppF8lo

给儿子的一封信：上大学为了什么？

上大学为了什么？

又开学了，大学四年已过去了一半，回望过去的两年，是得到的多还是失去的多？有过苦读努力的经历吗？我想这都不是要反省的内容，但应该有过一些思考，思考的结果应是一把尺子，用过去的经历度量未来的行为，给剩下的学习、生活提供一个努力的标准。我知道你这次英语六级考得稀乱，过去我会说是因为你努力不够等等，但今天我认为是一件好事，只要你把这个成绩与你为此所做的努力作一个比，这个比值就是一个尺度，下次考试用这把尺子是一定可以量出你所要的成绩的。很羡慕你生长在一个高度信息化的社会，但愿你手中的电脑能为你的学习给予最大的帮助，在这余下两年极其宝贵的大学生活里，过得更加精彩，更加充实，更有意义。本不想说的，但想来想去还是想问一问你，也给你一些建议，希望你能参考。

一、你的目标确定了吗

我一直认为大学生是要有自己的人生目标的，无论今后你是干什么，在大学学习期间是要有一个奋斗目标的，并为之努力和奋斗过，这才是上大学的意义。我不想说这种目标的境界要有多高，但应该有一个适合自己的目标计划，若没有确立这样的人生目标，生活和学习的目的就不会明确，也就无法产生意志力，那么又怎样去锻炼个人的毅力，又如何去刻苦学习、努力奋斗，又怎样去对未来充满信心。这里我都没有用问号，是不想你对我有所反感。

我可以充分的相信和肯定的认为：你不是一个糊涂人，你对个人前途有过憧憬，也有打算，但我还是要提醒你，朦胧的向往与人生的目标是有差别的，前者阿Q也有过，而你必须明确：你现在所有行动的结果都将决定你未来的一切，为未来奠定基础，但愿这样的基础是牢固的。因此我不得不对你的第一个问是：大学的目标确立了吗？本来对自己所要达到的目的，应该是确定得越早越好的，也就是说大一就应该如此，我想现在再次提醒还来得及。

相对于自己：目标的确立要略高于自己的能力，这样才有奋斗的意义；相对于社会：目标要尽可能的高，越高越有意义。前者体现个人价值，后者体现社会价值，目标的社会价值越大，对目标憧憬的欲望就越强烈，这就是要确立目标的意义所在。

二、意志、毅力的培养和自信心的建立

目标的确立、计划的制定，不是花架子，是要催生意志力的产生，是要培养自身毅力的。意志是人的精神力量，要成为一个优秀的人才，需要意志坚强，勤奋有毅力，敢于探索，能够承受生活的痛苦和折磨。坚强的意志需要顽强的毅力来巩固，而毅力的培养需要有持之以恒的精神，需要通过艰难的锻炼，只有通过艰苦的磨练，才能建立个人的自信心。自信心就是要建立必胜的坚强信念，要相信自己的能力，相信通过艰苦的努力，梦想是能走进现实的。有自信心的人，目标就成功的一半。把握好大学最后两年的机会，努力锻炼自己，自信才会赢。因此我对你的第二个问是：你对你的目标有热度吗？母鸡在孵小鸡时，它必须保持21天持续的、恒等的温度，否则就前功尽弃了。我想你应该是从目标确立的那一天起，就应该充满热情地去做这件事情，而不是不冷不热——温热。

三、时间管理和知识管理

你在中学时，我就与你谈论过时间管理的问题，时间对每一个人都是一样的，管理自己的时间就是管理自己，而要管理好自己的时间就要有明确的计划，任何计划都是与时间有关的，计划也不是凭空而想的，是要写成文字的。一份计划至少有两个作用：对未来的行为有一个明确的指向、安排；对目标的进程起一个监督作用。计划也是需要调整的，这种调整是为了充分地保障目标的实现，一个人不断地制定计划和调整计划，说明这个人是有目的地生活，否则生活就很盲目。

假期里与你谈论过知识管理的问题，在这个知识爆炸的时代里，知识的管理特为重要，知识有很多，不是所有知识对自己都有用，要学有用的知识，既是有用的知识可能一辈子也学不完，这就需要管理好自己要用的知识，电脑是最好的管理知识的工具，希望你能用好它。在今年央视的青年歌手大奖赛上，余秋雨评委就多次提到过知识的时效性问题，有些知识与时代的发展已渐渐远去，而新的知识不断产生，对于IT业尤其如此，这里我不仅是提醒你做好自己的知识管理，而且还希望你在做知识管理方面有所建树。

因此我对你的第三问是个连问：你的时间管理得如何？知识管理的问题想过没有？已说了时间、知识两个方面，还要提到一个空间的问题，网络已让空间的概念对我们个人不是太重要了，在网上只要轻轻地点一下鼠标，可以得到我们想要而不知道它存放在世界哪一个角落的服务器上的资料，这也许是知识管理对空间的作用吧！我希望你用好网络，服务于自己的学习，特别是要利用好网络学习好外语；用好网络服务于自己的知识管理。

四、方法和思想的建立

我一直认为大学是产生知识的地方，知识是通过一些有效的方法（如实践）而获得的，一个人在大学期间，究竟应当培养怎样的素质？这是每个大学生应该认真思索的问题。大学学习不同于中学，学习的目标是在获得知识的同时，培养自己独立思考、独立行动的能力，掌握获取知识的方法，在知识爆炸的时代，知识总在不断更新。因此对大学生而言，应当把培养自己独立思考和独立判断的能力放在首位，提高分析问题和解决问题的能力，大学期间就是要培养这样的能力。这种能力将在未来的人生路上，时刻影响着个人的思维方式，影响着个人的人生道路。

大学也是产生思想的地方，我不指望你成为思想家，只是希望你做一个有头脑的人。因此我要说也就是我要提醒你的是：一个人有没有思想，是检验这个人是否真的受过高等教育（我的本意并不鄙视没有上过大学的人，本人就未上过正规的大学）没有，我希望你在学好专业知识的基础上，多读一点书，这个问题过去我也曾经说过，总之是要通过大学四年的学习，建立起个人的人生观、价值观，做一个有思想的人。

五、职业规划问题

本来谈论职业规划问题是一个还早的事情，但现实情况说明现在不谈可能太晚了一点，因为有一句话已深入人心了，“大学毕业即失业”，现在大学生找工作是一件比较难的问题，既然是问题，就有必要去认真对待，其实我还是认为，大学生找工作难是一个相对的问题，而非绝对的问题，每年有不少的大学生找不到工作，但毕竟是有一部分人找到了工作，而且找到了不错的工作，我想这样的差别就是在于是否做好了个人的职业规划工作有关。资源太少，导致竞争的激烈，在竞争中能否取胜，就在于是否有个人竞争优势，你的竞争优势是什么？这可能没有人能帮助你，需要你自己去找，去培养，希望你通过不断的实践，去发掘自己的竞争优势并不断地加以培养，比如在学习方面有很多的课程，这些课程的学习就是今后工作的某一方向，在你学习的专业中，也有很多的分支，那些课程学来很有趣、很轻松，那些分支你很感兴趣，哪就是你的优势所在，把它学扎实一点、学深一点，这就是优势的培养，希望你能好好把握，也希望你能做好自己的职业规划工作，大概人和人的不同，就在于是否很早就确立了自己的人生规划和职业发展方向。

好了，要谈的总是有很多，大学的生活也是很丰富多彩的，但我最后要提醒你的是：大学生活最值得回忆的是——如何苦读与奋斗，这对于一个成功人事是一个必然的经历，也只有成功的人回忆自己的奋斗史才有内容、才有意义。