Perspective, habituation, adaptation

So many things are in constant motion. And we, it seems whether we persist or advance, constantly find ourselves anew.

I, for example, found myself salivating on the bus at the thought of sushi and rushing for an assortment of maki and nigiri at the nearest take-out. Change, you see, is not random. Change is adaptive. If all around there's raw fish to be had, it will be raw fish that you will eventually desire; and this in itself I find a rather extreme example (although the inhabitants of BC bluntly attribute the craving for sushi to minerals in the fish).

I came here and it was as if I was all this city was not and this city was all I wasn't. To coexist, one had to change, and I must say Vancouver seems quite unaffected by my presence. So I guess it is I that changed. As a word of caution, I point out the subtle inner workings through which such changes came about.

First step: perspective. I guess it started out with one good day at the lab. Having asked my colleagues what they do here for fun (actually meaning what kind of music they like to listen to when they go out or what they prefer to drink, if they go out in large or small groups, if they prefer dancing or going to performances...) I received two answers that took me aback.

"I like to go skiing" one said,

"I mostly prefer scuba-diving" said another.

Those were the only answers to this question I've received so far; on separate occasions I should point out! When my expression betrayed my bewilderment and I was in turn asked to answer I had to revisit all that I took for granted and say something quite fundamental "I like to go out".

So on this day I was greeted in the morning with an unusual proposal from my colleagues. "There is one guy who works just down the hall who also likes 'going out', so we asked him if you could join him some time! Would you like to?" This was, in all its peculiarity, a very sweet gesture. As "going out" was now officially a hobby, it seems I would get to practice it a bit. This had to make me smile.

Add to this several positive occurrences in my work and I left that day feeling cheerful. Have you noticed how everything looks so much nicer when you're cheerful? it's quite amazing, you see the same things as before but now they seem fundamentally transformed; the people on the bus were smiling, the corporate buildings looked docile and the urge to blow smoke in everyone's face had subsided!

Through perspective, you deeply influence what is out there. It almost seems like the choices we make in life, what we keep and defend versus what we reject and strive to change, solely depend on what perspective we happen to take when we first encounter them. I have so many examples of this, and they will probably be mentioned throughout these memoirs at some point, but I think this may be self evident, though surprising if you state it as fact.

Second step: habituation. There are, surely, those things we encounter which we have already made negative associations to. There are things we just don't like, or have the conviction of not liking (my list here: smoking on the streets, living alone and living with TV). What happens then if we are forced to put up with them?

As it turns out, the mind has an amazing ability to tolerate reoccurring nuisances; habituation. It's as if your mind gives you some time in which it makes you fully aware that a situation is undesirable (you feel bad) and motivates you to somehow change it; when it sees, however, that this keeps coming up without you being able to do anything about it, the mind gives up and decides to live with it. You are not bothered anymore and are relieved of the urge to change.

The potential danger of this phenomenon is obvious. When a situation is introduced that people don't like, they tend to revolt against it. If this situation is not refuted quickly, then the less likely it is to be refuted at all. A situation which endures this critical period of habituation, is stabilized regardless of whether it is desirable or not. I can think of many, many revolting establishments that survive on this principle.

Third step: adaptation. It's been tough, but 10 days into this ordeal, I think the city and I finally managed to mutually tolerate each other. This is far from being able to enjoy the time spent here, however things around look less alien and most probably so do I. But don't take me wrong; I accept this fact without aversion only because I hope that all these traits will quickly be remedied when back in Goettingen; apart maybe from my new found addiction to sushi. After all, I do have a passion for addictions!