Mind-Blown

So today a few of us crashed into Tembusu Residence (through means which I shall not reveal) and joined some sort of tea session in which Cherie's sister showcased her 8min stop-motion film that was created over a period of 3 years together with another lady (together they are an art collaboration named Stick and Balloon).

Really love watching animations and stop-motions - though I don't know every single one of such works, but such things never fail to make me get this warm fuzzy feeling.

This video is a short clip down within 48 hours in a competition in which contestants have to come up with a short animation within 48 hours. yep. enjoy!

Anyway today I felt really mind-blown during Childhood and Youth tutorial, in which we discussed on youth transitions and critical moments. The structure that we live in and the choices we make influence the kind of critical moments we experience - eventually leading to a possible fateful moment whereby we decide to do something, we change, we experience a turning point.

 

The diagram above would explain things clearer. Pathway being the life course that we are force to walk in limited by the 'structure' that we are in; socioeconomic factors, gender, race and ethnicity; simply the groups we belong to. Trajectory being the 'agency'; the choices one make, the interaction of one with his/her environment and with other people (symbolic interactionism), and one of the reading talks about a 'cultural toolkit' in which youths choose, take and experiment to become who they choose to become - affects aspirations. (very similar to the idea of existentialism uh? I wonder if there's a link...)

So looking at the above diagram, critical moments which lead to the fateful moment, is when one breaks out of one's pathway. I shall cease to go on here as the point of me writing these down is basically because of the 'million dollar question' that my tutor posed," Can we engineer critical moments to bring about radical transformation to people bound by a certain pathway, bringing about a change? If so, how, and can it be sustained?" 

After all, the founders of social sciences (like our dear Marx, Weber and Durkheim) founded social sciences mainly to scientifically test theories and apply them to life (simply put of course); for what's the point of learning philosophy if nothing is changed?

I immediately wonder if such theories can be used to come up with holistic approaches and policies towards improving the lives of people...?

love my major.