Mathematicians do not go Crazy by attending lectures, going to conferences, teaching calculus, or even studying for and taking tests. Mathematicians go Crazy because everything is going along swimmingly and then one day there is a Problem that they know they should be able to solve, a Problem that looks and feels like it shouldn't be too hard, but they can't do it. So they say "not all solutions are immediate, try diferent things, be patient with yourself, give it time, you know all this..." So they try different things and give it time, and still, no solution. So they must take a break and come back another time, and in the meanwhile, there's other homework to do, and supper to cook, and blogs to read, and places to drive, and groceries to buy, but all the while, the Problem is not on their mind but in their mind, and it is all they can really see. So they go at it again, and again- every path is a dead end, every method fails, every new direction ends in a brick wall. And they say to themselves, really, it's okay, this time you can Let It Go, You Know You Don't Have To Solve Every Problem, No One Can Solve Every Problem, this class is still worthwhile even if you can't solve every problem, your grade will still be Fine even without this ONE LOUSY STINKING PROBLEM~
But with persistence, other difficult problems have succumbed and been lassoed and wrestled to the ground, so maybe, just maybe, if you keep trying, try one more thing, try one old thing again?... should I look for hints on the internet? no don't, what if you find the solution?, then it would all be over, just keep looking, look everywhere, look in your Cereal and the Problem is there, look in your Bed and the problem is there, look in your Closet and the problem is there.
Look in your Mirror and the problem is there~
Because the Problem is all in your Head.
Your Head has a Problem.
And that is the definition of Crazy.
~QED
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2 comments:
Cliff's Notes:
1) My mental health is really not as bad as it seems, really it's not. Really.
2) Did y'all all catch the Southern/Western theme? the problems were "lassoed," etc? It's 'cause my professor is called The Mathematical Cowboy.
3) If anyone out there knows how many k-sets can be formed from the set {1,2,3, ... n} such that no two consecutive integers are included, will you let me know (that you know)? BUT DON'T DARE tell me the answer. I'll never forgive you. But I might beg you for a hint at some point in the future.
The allusion that caught my mind was to Psalm 139.
Your agony convinces me that math is poetry.
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