Koans

Koans are something I haven't looked too much into until I read about them in thi week's chapter. I decided to to a bit of reading about what they are.

In short, koans are public and non-mystic stories, questions, or statements that make someone contemplative. The purpose of a koan is to meditate on them and come up with an answer to the question. It is meant to make you think about things, even if its in a way you wouldn't have thought to. You break down previous concepts and see things in new lights. They are not to be seen as rational, logical, and complex. They're meant to be seen as experiential, practical, and simple while often being symbolic. Koans are often used to test your progress in the Zen tradition. However, its not a right/wrong test because there's no one set meaning for a koan. There are hundreds of contradictory commentaries for each Koan (of which there are thousands).

They were invented in China and then moved to Japan where many more were added. However, in my opinion, there are more created every day. On Reddit, there is a popular subreddit called "Shower Thoughts". The "about" reads as follows:

A subreddit for you to share those miniature epiphanies you have that highlight the oddities within the familiar.

"Showerthought" is a loose term that applies to the types of thoughts you might have while carrying out a routine task like showering, driving, or daydreaming. At their best, Showerthoughts are universally relatable and find the amusing/interesting within the mundane.

Some of my favorites from there include:

• If EA suffers big enough losses from the backlash of Battlefront 2 (a video game where you had to pay a lot to unlock things), and it all started because some guy couldn't unlock Vader, this will be the second time Anakin brought balance to something.
• It kinda makes sense that the target audience for fidget spinners lost interest in them so quickly
• It must suck to be an air conditioner repairman. You spend your day working in buildings that have no air conditioning. When it's fixed and finally cool, you leave.
• The laws that we are supposed to be fully aware of and abide by are so complex that there is an entire profession dedicated to understanding them. One that takes 8 years to master.
• I wish I were as fat as the first time I thought I was fat.
• Being "Jr." or "the Second" is the real life equivalent of having to put numbers after a username.
• If millennials aren't getting married, eventually they will be blamed for destroying the divorce lawyer market
• The mentality "it's only $5, why not buy it?" has probably cost me over $5000 dollars in my lifetime
• If I appeared in front of my dog through teleportation, he would oversee the fact that I teleported and be happy that I'm home
• The reason "the real joke is always in the comments" is because it's way easier to add comedy than to create it from nothing. This is why your hilarious friend can't just go on stage and do stand up.
• Every semicolon I have ever used has been a shot in the dark
• Saying "uh huh" in phone conversations with my mom is like mashing the button to speed up conversations with non-playable character in video games.
• At special occasions girls with curly hair straighten it and girls with straight hair curl it.
• It’s weird how “Fact-checking” and “News” are treated like two separate concepts nowadays.
• If there was an STD that decreased the size of male genitalia, nobody would think twice about wearing a condom ever again.