When I was visiting with my little nephew this past weekend, I suddenly had a sense of how frustrating life must be when you're four months old. I could sense that he was trying to get at his environment and manipulate the world around him, but he hadn't even necessarily connected the neurons that told him that if you want to see something you have to look at it. It would be infuriating, honestly, knowing that there was some cool object somewhere else, but not knowing that you have to turn your head to see it. He got to the point of exasperation frequently. He had no way of communicating short of crying, which is imprecise to put it mildly. Crying is the bodily equivalent of saying "Something's wrong somewhere in the world."
I was really trying to understand my little nephew's reactions, and observe how he was acquiring his information, because I wanted to be the one with the magic touch -- the baby whisperer. Unfortunately, I failed with the rest of them. I realize that a lot of the cries come from sheer discomfort, but there was no clear way to differentiate these from the more complex desires that are unfolding in relation to the world at hand. A newborn seems to want to just feed and have a change once in awhile, but people learn fast. In a mere four months, Théo has become increasingly intrigued with the world around him, but that also means he's quickly realized his current powerlessness in relation to that world. It seems horrible, but I guess it's a good motivator to learn. It's a funny route to mastery, but nature's astounding in its adaptations.
I also realized that I've had a vaguely similar experience in the not-so-distant past. When I would have meetings with my spectacularly brilliant doctoral supervisors, I'd occasionally be left with this aching head and sense of numbness. I'd be pretty much wiped intellectually for the rest of the day. Being a baby must be like having that feeling all the time. Every second of every day, without a break except for when you pass out from sheer exhaustion. Brain hurt is the feeling of having to make all of your connections from scratch, without a single concept to hang them on. Everything is invention, and that is a ton of work. Being a baby must be infinitely harder than getting a PhD, and yet pretty much everyone seems to manage it. It's kind of amazing how well it actually works.
Anyway, kudos to my in-laws for toughing it out through what must be a very difficult phase for everyone. They're doing a great job, and I can only dream of showing the patience and dedication they do when my time comes. Indeed, kudos to anyone who's currently making it though this phase!
I was really trying to understand my little nephew's reactions, and observe how he was acquiring his information, because I wanted to be the one with the magic touch -- the baby whisperer. Unfortunately, I failed with the rest of them. I realize that a lot of the cries come from sheer discomfort, but there was no clear way to differentiate these from the more complex desires that are unfolding in relation to the world at hand. A newborn seems to want to just feed and have a change once in awhile, but people learn fast. In a mere four months, Théo has become increasingly intrigued with the world around him, but that also means he's quickly realized his current powerlessness in relation to that world. It seems horrible, but I guess it's a good motivator to learn. It's a funny route to mastery, but nature's astounding in its adaptations.
I also realized that I've had a vaguely similar experience in the not-so-distant past. When I would have meetings with my spectacularly brilliant doctoral supervisors, I'd occasionally be left with this aching head and sense of numbness. I'd be pretty much wiped intellectually for the rest of the day. Being a baby must be like having that feeling all the time. Every second of every day, without a break except for when you pass out from sheer exhaustion. Brain hurt is the feeling of having to make all of your connections from scratch, without a single concept to hang them on. Everything is invention, and that is a ton of work. Being a baby must be infinitely harder than getting a PhD, and yet pretty much everyone seems to manage it. It's kind of amazing how well it actually works.
Anyway, kudos to my in-laws for toughing it out through what must be a very difficult phase for everyone. They're doing a great job, and I can only dream of showing the patience and dedication they do when my time comes. Indeed, kudos to anyone who's currently making it though this phase!
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