HOW TO DECIDE

The "why move" is a good question, and i have been working very hard at answering that question, to the extent of creating a quasi computer model to serve people like i or young people such as my nephew and niece who have no clue.  Well for now, its just for me because i change so much.

Its quite complicated for me to manipulate how to choose, but that is not what you asked, well, actually it fits the same model.  How do i choose and why are the same thing i guess.  Last night i got something up and running but since its...well ok i just saved it as a pdf file....its not pretty, but have a peek at the pdf attachment.  The picture is broken, like an unfinished picture puzzle.

I attach it...it did not save very well but if you look at the pdf file you might get the idea of what i am trying to do.  Please keep in confidential because in fact i think if i can develop it it may have "self-help book" potential especially for the late high-school demographic.  However, if you can see where i am heading with it, many of life's values don't appear in our minds until later, and in fact they are continually changing, so should apply to all ages.  This graphic thing i am trying to make can actually show that already but not in a clear way to you or other people.

So, with this rudimentary thingmabob, i can answer the question for me, but to explain it...well, i better try now because i would have to, were it a book.

Hmmm...this is my first try.... 

Ones' personal values about her/his life are a never ending and changing collage of colors over the 100 years we are given to enjoy (give or take 50).  They are a range of brightly colored stalactites and stalagmites in a globular cave in which a thinking animal can sit and contemplate its life.  If viewed in time sequence from the day of birth to the end, new values appear, some disappear only to resurface at a later time, and some fade for this person's ever.

Plato projected shadows on a cave, in 1970 we had overhead projectors that we could overlay, today i have an apple computer which i can use to overlay almost in movie style, these values of my life.  Lots of problems exist however, such as we are forever self deceiving about our values, or i mean it is hard to be truthful about what we really like because of societal pressures to make us feel otherwise about our desires.

This is 2011.  I can focus on my values at this time and can not really predict how they will change next year, so i will act on the now.  If i can get to the point of having my cave of colored stalactites represent my now in life, the "decision" set up can be done.  One just has to take the 1 or more new life-options and show this: "How, if i were in the NEW situation, does the new situation satisfy my list of "NOW" values.  The now is not the new.  The now is my present situation (job, girlfriend, place to live etc) and the new is, well, for my present example, my new possible jobs, of which i must decide within a month.

My now is Harbin and the Harbin institute of Technology.  My news are 2, one beig Hainan University in Haikou, Hainan, the other is SiChuan University in ChengDu, SiChuan.  I must first create a "picture" of each of these places, a cave of colors so to speak.  Then, i must overlay as in the old style overhead projector my now with the news.

This overlay can be done in a rudimentary way with what i have created so far, but its a long way from "user-friendly".  For myself, i can use it to make the present decision and to answer your question.  Among the reasons I must leave are 1) availability of Philosophy students to chat with 2) the demographics of my classroom students, 3)  Love in my life in general 4) environmental health 5) access to mountains for hiking and inspiration 6) access to other desirable Asia travel destinations 6) ability to create and record music - un-inspirational here 7) teachers to teach me chinese 8) suitable library information for me to read 9) availability of high variety of cheap fresh fruit 10) weather 11) outdoor recreation opportunities - ocean swimming in hainan and mountains in SiChuan

So there you have it baby eyes, 11 reasons to go.  On the graphs i created, there are about 5 compelling reasons to stay in Harbin, which under normal circumstances would be, no, WAS very confusing just 2 days ago.  Now i can see it much more clearly.  If $ was as important to me as it was 30 years ago, i believe the scale would be much more difficult to tip in a southerly direction because here at Harbin U they treat us very well.  I have worked all of about 50 hours in my 7 fully paid weeks so far.  My lung infection is gone but they tell me to rest for another 2 weeks then work.  This kind of kind treatment makes leaving a hugely difficult decision to do.