Schrodinger's Scratch



I’m not going to lie; I embodied a nerd while writing this- I fully pulled out my AP World notes from 6 months ago just to make the reference I wanted to : D 



"Don't put off until tomorrow what can be done today"
-Sensei Wu, Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitsu

Along with being one of the greatest quotes to come out of cinema, Sensei is a prime example of logic. Bro is the most anti-procrastination guy possible. Sensei is not akrasia. Not only does he act in his own self-interest (though not always the best idea, Morro deserved better), but he helps others do what’s right.  

When posed the question that akrasia undoubtedly fosters, I can’t help but feel that people act against their own self-interest out of instinct and innate desire.  

Socrates, the keystone philosopher of Ancient Greece, was an Epic in his own right: he died because he asked too many questions, his desire for knowledge all consuming, and his insistent inquiries causing him to fall off the tightrope. Socrates WAS akrasia—a lack of self-preservation— where his thirst for knowledge surpassed logic and led to his demise. Socrates wanted to be omniscient, he wanted to know (although he wanted to know everything there was to know, to a point where he was yapping at his execution). My point is, everyone is a Socrates, an akrasia, at some point...socrates is also definitely the guy to push the red "don't push" button

Okay, yes, maybe that was a dramatic example, but akrasia could be as simple as a mosquito bite: to scratch or not to scratch? The answer should always be to deny, yet the sweet, short-lived relief that’s tandem with spreading the mosquito toxin feels primordial in the moment. You know scratching isn’t a cure-all, but it’s a feel-good. We as humans innately want that relief, but our brains are battling to keep us from doing more harm. Socrates knew he was probing further and further into hostile territory with his words, but he lost to his akrasia, his desire for knowledge (Hugo Strange moment, iykyk), the same way any common person has lost to Schrodinger’s Scratch.  

 

Akrasia is not logic, but innate. It’s made of wars, not battles, and succeeding is never winning.  

 

...this is essentially a PSA for anti-scratch policy with mosquito bites: don't scratch ‘em! 

Comments

  1. LaurenApril 6, 2025 at 12:35 PM

    I loved reading this blog, and how you included so many different topics to connect at the end. Your example of Socrates as the personification of akraisa was very well thought out. Your style is also very good throughout. Great job! Lauren

    ReplyDelete
  2. MadhaviApril 6, 2025 at 1:04 PM

    Using the mosquito bite issue was a great metaphor for our struggles with ourselves, especially as summer approaches and I will be scratching the bites because I don’t care what you say. Also, yes you are a nerd for bringing historical context into a blog post but it really embodied the idea of Akrasia and enhanced your writing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 6, 2025 at 8:57 PM

    The Schrodinger's cat reference is PEAK!! I bet that’d be golden essay content.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anusha GuptaJune 2, 2025 at 9:08 PM

    Jumana - I like your humorous tone throughout the blog! I also enjoyed the allusions to Hamlet and ancient Greeks. I think you did a great job defining akrasia for us humans today!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Coffee isn't a Close Substitute

Image
Tea and Coffee, much to my dismay, do actually have much in common.   Both provide caffeine, are comforting, usually brown in color, and are one’s best friend the night before a test you procrastinated studying for. ..but they aren’t replacements for each other.   The United States has taken pride in being a country living on coffee ( and d estroying tea for that matter ), having many fast-food chains specializing in having coffee ready for the graveyard shifts.   India’s pride, if not Virat Kohli or Hrit hik Roshan , has got be chai. Every household has a slightly different way of preparing it, yet we can all agree our dads need it at least twice a day.   The concept of ‘home’ is a complex one, maybe even more than my mom’s masala chai recipe , but much like chai, it’s a little different for everyone. While watching The Swimmers, I initially felt so proud of myself for being able to understand a good amount of the Arabic spoken, but it quickly shifted to gu...
Read more

The Tea Burned Too Hot, The Burn Scarred

Image
It's honestly pathetic how blindsided I’ve become from just one person, but eh, it got me to realize something.    Your worst enemies are never the ones who are crystal clear .    They hide behind a cloud covering your consciousness and wait until you’re at your highest. Good enemies want to take you down while you’re up.    Just when you thought the last assignment was done, the last battle had a white flag flying higher than any arrows or bullets, he emerges from the mist with college applications.    Suddenly school isn’t the wars ’ denouement , but the end of a peace treaty.    We are trading one prison for another.   L' enfant du Regiment, and injured girl covered by the jacket of the soldier who bandaged her before going back to battle, leaving her on a tomb to keep her out of sight. She's "protected," but the battle rages on. You’re telling me he couldn’t stop with these assignments and tests, but had to add on essay...
Read more

PSA: Stop Killing Older Brothers, I literally Can't Take it Anymore

Image
I have watched my older brother die twelve different times .   I’ve seen him drown in a frozen lake trying to save his sister. I’ve watched as he threw himself in front of a shower of arrows while telling me to run. I’ve turned around to see him run back into a burning building just for the flames to beat him.   I’ve seen his body harvested for the powers they hold and then used against me. I’ve seen him fight for his life and mine, only to be stabbed, and when he looked around for help, no one came to his aid.   I don’t know how to save him, and I’ve failed 12 times already. How can I shield a trope that haunts me in every last thing I watch and read?   Whether I see him as Jack Frost, Tadashi, Rei, Kai Smith, or Kayen, I always feel the same pain, like I could’ve reached deep enough into the screen that I could grab their hand and tell him it’s not worth it. That maybe playing inside instead of the ice was a better idea, or that the fire wasn’t wort...
Read more