Roses are Red, or So It's Been Said

Too Crazy to be True?

How does your map of reality compare to others?

For some, it’s drastically different. As seen in The Rosie Project, Don Tillman, a quirky genetics professor who lacks social grace, initially sets off to find a wife through an algorithmic approach. 

He’s more logical, methodical, and economical than the average Joe. Despite Don Tillman’s brilliance and ability to think objectively, he found much difficulty connecting with his colleagues, peers, and the rest of the world. Don’s disadvantage was his underdeveloped ability to convey emotions and empathy for other people. 

While he ultimately was successful in finding love through his weird and predictable method of trial and error, the realisticness of this situation is still a concern for some. Arguments have been made that the love match is improbable because of Don’s characteristics that make him difficult to be compatible with. Thus, those who agree with the scenario previously described would deem Don’s love story to be idealistic. Contrarily, one can present that there’s a love match for everyone given the right amount of effort is put in. Of course, there are more realities than the ones mentioned.

Exploring Bridges Between Logic & Love

One way or another, these various realities or explanations for the way one sees the world can be related to one’s experiences. Daniel Kahneman, renowned psychologist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in Economics, uses the acronym WYSIATI (What You See Is All There Is). This describes how even though people may understand that there are many perspectives different from their own, it is difficult to process such sentiments as reality. 

With WYSIATI in mind, if one were to ask others to reflect upon their own lives to answer the mysterious

question of love, it would only limit the person to familiar experiences. This is a consequence of “our almost unlimited ability to ignore our ignorance” (Kahneman, 2011). So, for this very reason, the most effective method to stimulate a well-rounded discussion would be to elicit a multitude of responses from an open-minded, thought-provoking community, such as the one we hope to build with KumaThoughts. Why limit to a few realities when there are a myriad of other maps to take out and explore?

Statistically, there are over 7 billion people in this world. We haven’t even been able to personally interact with more than .01% of the population. Who’s to say that the other 99.99% can experience such a fantasy beyond our own limited experiences?

(Originally published on previous website)