Archives (page 2 of 25)

September 15, 2024

Real Eyes, Realize, Real Lies

The concept of real eyes probably comes from how some bankers can detect fake money in seconds.

Yes, bank tellers and cashiers receive training on how to recognize counterfeit money with their hands. Banks constantly show them the texture, security features, and printing of the genuine currency. These bank employees eventually handle real money all the time that they can now tell when a note does not feel the way it should.

This special training reminds me of this famous phrase – Real Eyes Realize Real Lies.

The statement plays on the homophonic nature of the words:

“Real Eyes” – Seeing things as they truly are, without deception or illusion.
“Realize” – To become fully aware or understand clearly.
“Real Lies” – Actual deceptions or falsehoods, as opposed to minor or white lies.

Two things are emphasized here. Awareness and Insight.

“Real Eyes Realize Real Lies” suggests that those who truly “see” or perceive reality (i.e., those with “real eyes”) can “realize” or understand the truth, and in doing so, they can discern or detect “real lies” (deception or falsehoods).

Let’s break down this phrase together and check if it applies to you.

Developing Real Eyes

Seeing things as they truly are means you must perceive reality clearly without your bias.

Observe the world objectively and accurately. Free from deception or self-deception. It’s about recognizing the truth of a situation, free from wishful thinking, assumptions or false appearances.

To develop “real eyes”, you must understand the facts. First, be aware of your own biases, emotions and thought patterns. Then, give yourself the space to process information thoroughly before making decisions or forming opinions.

To see reality, you must look deeper to understand underlying truths.

Real Eyes Realize Real Lies

How to Realize

The next step is to become fully aware and understand clearly.

To “realize”, you must understand. And understanding comes from learning. Constantly seek to educate yourself, ask questions and explore new perspectives.

See issues from angles you may not have considered and deepen your understanding of the world.

Uncovering Real Lies

When someone tells you real lies, they present false information or conceal the truth.

Beneath the surface, they are deliberately attempting to mislead or deceive you with the intent to harm or gain an advantage. It can be gaslighting, cheating or manipulation. Or straight up fraud

Truth is still superior to facts.

To uncover real lies, you must always verify information. Trust but verify. Challenge unclear or vague statements with follow-up questions to see if the story holds up.

By being observant, verifying claims, and staying aware of common deceptive tactics, you can better protect yourself from significant lies and manipulation.

What Matters Most

In the end, you must value critical thinking and skepticism.

Encourage yourself to question what you are told. Seek a deeper understanding of reality. Make wise decisions and prevent yourself from being deceived.

When you see clearly (with “real eyes”), you become aware of (“realize”) the deceptions (“real lies”) around you. In other words, it suggests that by looking at the world with clarity and wisdom, you can discern the truth from falsehoods and see through deceptions.

Be the banker that can detect fake money in seconds.

Real Eyes Realize Real Lies.

September 8, 2024

Johari Window: The Best Way to Increase Your Self-Awareness

The Johari Window is an easy and scientifically proven method to help you increase your self-awareness and your understanding of others.

I learnt this technique this week.

You see, a long time, two psychologists developed a framework to help people better understand their relationship with themselves and others. Their names were Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham. And guess what they called it…

“The Johari Window”

They named the model using a combination of their first names. These psychologists made the right naming choice. Because the Johari Window soon became a widely used model for understanding and training self-awareness, personal development, interpersonal relationships and team building.

And here’s how you can take advantage of this model.

How does this model work?

The Johari Window enhances your perception about yourself and how others see you.

This model is based on two ideas – Feedback and Disclosure. You can acquire trust by revealing information about yourself to others (Disclosure). And you can also acquire trust by learning more about yourself from others’ feedback.

The Johari Window represents you through four quadrants or rooms.

Each of the four rooms represents a personal detail, motivation, emotion, and whether you or others know the information, from four different perspectives.

What are the Four Rooms of the Johari Window?

Two of these rooms represent self and the other two represent the part unknown to self but to others:

The Open Room:

This part represents your conscious self that you are aware of and that others know.

Your attitudes, behaviors, motivations, values and way of life. This zone becomes your open self because you and others know it. You move within this arena with freedom.

In this room, you are an “open book.”

The Hidden Room:

This represents the things you know about yourself but others do not know.

The hidden room or façade can be any personal information which you feel reluctant to reveal. Your feelings, past experiences, fears and secrets. You might keep this information private because it affects your relationships with others.

The hidden room reveals deep insights, because how you see yourself is inconsistent with how you behave.

The Blind Spot:

This zone represents the things others see but you do not know.

Other people are bound to interpret yourself differently than you expect. So it’s important to approach this room with curiosity, not defensiveness. Ask questions to learn more about their perspectives.

After hearing their answers, ask them – What actions and behavior have I done that led to your answers. See your blind spot as a great opportunity to learn and increase your self-awareness.

The Unknown Room:

This is information unknown to yourself and others.

Underestimated abilities. Repressed or subconscious feelings. Conditioned behaviour or attitudes from childhood. These are examples of the unknown room.

You can unlock your unknown room through varying processes, either by self-discovery or observation by others.

How to use the Johari Window

Your target becomes simple now that you fully understand each room of the Johari Window.

Expanding your open room at the expense of the unknown and Blind spot results in greater knowledge of yourself. Voluntary disclosing your private room in greater interpersonal intimacy and friendship.

Reduce your blind spot by seeking feedback from others. Move information from the hidden room by taking time to reveal aspects of yourself to others. Then explore your unknown room by discovering your hidden abilities or by observing other people.

Most importantly, increase your open room to fully maximize your Johari Window.

What is the Ideal Johari Window?

A person with an ideal Johari Window has a significant open room.

Your goal is to expand this public domain. Do this by disclosing more about yourself to others. Also accept feedback from others.

A significant public domain shows that people know you well and that you are conscious of your own capabilities, emotions, and behaviors. This understanding between you and others improves your own effectiveness and makes social interactions easier.

You might even start feeling like Gojo Satoru at some point.

The greatest in your era.

Monsters or Doctors - Can People Really Change

August 18, 2024

Monsters and Doctors: Can People Really Change?

The theory of Monsters and Doctors came to life after watching a thriller series.

I watched this series this year and it got me confused for weeks after I finished watching it.

The series was about a young brilliant neurosurgeon who risked his career to save the life of a critically wounded boy. Nine years later, the boy now a charismatic young man reappeared to the surgeon, admitted to being a serial killer and disappeared again. The brilliant neurosurgeon felt guilty, deciding to kill this young man even though he was the one who saved him earlier.

Monster. That’s the name of the series.

What is this Series About?

In its simple fictional characters, Monster tackled complex realistic questions. Throughout the series, the characters showed that the line between good and evil is not always clear. Power in the wrong hands always corrupt those around it. And actions meant to do good can have devastating outcomes.

Much of the core battle in Monster is the ideological war between Tenma and Johan.

In the story, Tenma is the young brilliant neurosurgeon and believes all life is precious. Johan is the boy who was saved but grows up to believe all life is meaningless. Tenma represents the good side of humanity while Johan is the bad one.

The story becomes more interesting because of the sides they belonged to.

After Tenma’s first encounter with adult Johan, the doctor abandons his career to right his wrongs. Tenma believed it was his duty to pursue and kill Johan to make amends for the havoc being wrought about his former patient. Meanwhile, Johan continued to kill people and wants to break Tenma psychologically by making him a murderer.

Yet at the end, there is a twist.

Understanding the Original Monsters and Doctors

Hypothetically, if I asked you to choose between Johan and Dr. Tenma, who will you pick?

With this brief character overview, it is so easy to choose Dr. Tenma. He saves people and is a doctor. The doctor is the good guy.

However, there is a short story in the series that briefly explained the nature of Johan:

The Nameless Monster

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a nameless monster.

The monster was dying to have a name.

So the monster made up his mind, and set out on a journey to look for one.

But the world was such a very large place.

The monster split in two, and went on separate journeys.

One went east.

The other headed west.

The one who went east came upon a village.

There was a blacksmith who lived at the village’s entrance.

“Mr. Blacksmith, please give me your name!” said the monster.

“I can’t give you my name!” replied the blacksmith.

‘If you give me your name, I’ll go inside you and make you strong,” said the monster.

“Really?” said the blacksmith, “If you make me stronger, I’ll give you my name.”

The monster went into the blacksmith.

And so, the monster became Otto the blacksmith.

Otto was the strongest man in town.

But then one day he said, “Look at me! Look at me! The monster inside of me is getting bigger!”

Munch munch, chomp chomp, gobble gobble, gulp.

The hungry monster ate up Otto from the inside out.

Once again, he was a monster without a name.

Next, he went into Hans the shoemaker.

However…

Munch munch, chomp chomp, gobble gobble, gulp.

Once again, he went back to being a monster without a name.

Then, he became Thomas the hunter.

But soon…

Munch munch, chomp chomp, gobble gobble, gulp.

Back he went to being a monster without a name.

The monster next went to a castle to look for a nice name.

He came upon a very sick boy who lived in that castle.

“If you give me your name, I’ll make you strong,” said the monster.

The boy replied, “If you can make me healthy and strong, I will give you my name!”

So the monster jumped right into the boy.

And the boy became full of vigor.

The king was overjoyed.

He announced, “The prince is healthy! The prince is strong!”

The monster became quite fond of the boy’s name.

He was also quite pleased with his royal life in the castle.

So he controlled himself no matter how ravenous his appetite became.

Day after day, despite his growing hunger, the monster stayed put inside the boy.

But finally, the hunger just became too great…

“Look at me! Look at me!” said the boy, “The monster inside of me has gotten this big!”

The boy devoured the king and all his servants.

Munch munch, chomp chomp, gobble gobble, gulp.

The castle was lonely now with everyone gone, so the boy left on a journey.

He walked and walked for days.

And then one day, the boy came upon the monster who had gone west.

“I have a name!” said the boy, “And it’s such a wonderful one at that!”

But the monster who went west replied, “Who needs a name? I’m perfectly happy without one. After all, that’s what we are – nameless monsters.”

The boy ate up the monster who went west.

At last he had found a name, but there was no longer anyone to call him by it.

Such a shame, because Johan was such a wonderful name.

What happens at the end of the series?

In the final episodes, Johan eventually comes face-to-face with Tenma and urges the surgeon to shoot him.

Tenma doesn’t go through with it, and then a drunk guy arrives and shoots Johan instead. The police show up on the scene. As it happens, Tenma is the only surgeon qualified to save Johan’s life.

Despite having embarked on a long, painful journey to eliminate the monster he had created, Tenma saves Johan’s life and ends up choosing good over evil yet again.

The Monster Series Poster – Monsters or Doctors

Are you part of the Monsters or Doctors?

Monster is a complex and thought-provoking series.

Maybe it can be a good watch for you. Just FYI, it has a slow burn with sentimental flashbacks but staying true to the end is worth it.

And then there are also old philosophical questions of the moral nature of mankind:

Can People Really Change?

Are people born good and they are later corrupted? Or are there some who are born evil? Can a person be completely evil and irredeemable?

Most importantly – Are we monsters or doctors?

It’s up to you to interpret.