Pure, Applied and Emotion

By Thomas Sim, 29 Nov, 2006

The key moving forces of life are Nature, Economics and Perception. I will attempt to explain these forces through the terms Pure, Applied and Emotion. This article is about these forces and how their interaction can affects our lives. To begin with, let me start with some questions.

Question No.1. When we first come to this world, what did we do?
Question No.2. When we first go to school, what were we told?
Question No.3. When we first get our salary, what did our parents say?

Question No.1 Answer: We cried!
Question No.2 Answer: Behave WELL, Don't cry!
Question No.3 Answer: Keep you MONEY, Don't simply spend!

See, we originally need to cry (Positive Emotional Action), but we are brought up to be opposite - Don't cry (Negative Emotional Action). Isn't it this world an irony? Read my other article on What an irony.

Nature, Economics and Perception

The answers of the questions can't run away from the three distinctive and yet connected factors above. We cried when we were born, it was NATURAL. Biologically, we cried for attention (to be cared and given - food, shelter and security) and for heat generation. In the old days, before the advent of heater, babies cried for warmth. This is the first FORCE - Nature.

Then, eventually we learned through culture and time that we should not show our fear and emotion. The reason is that in most culture, showing no fear and no emotion, we would be praised. 'Son, you are a brave boy' - kind of line. Many of us had been scared and sometimes threatened to hold back our tears when we first went to school. We needed to be brave, or PERCEIVED to be brave and behave well. This is the third FORCE - Perception.

Then, when we first have control of our earning ability, we were told to be careful about it. Don't simply spend is the 'GOLDEN TRUTH' passed down generations to generations. It came to the extent that some even demand all the earnings to be kept by the mother (why not the FATHER?), because you just can't trust that boy (including the Father). This is the second FORCE - Economics.

Then, how about the relation to the title of this article? How do Pure, Applied and Emotion link to the forces of Nature, Economics and Emotion?

The table below shows the summary of the interaction of the 3 forces:

Pure------------Applied-------------Emotion
Nature---------Economics----------Perception

Now, we need to take a step backward to discuss the issue of definition.

What are the meanings of terms Pure, Applied and Emotion?

In academics, people call them basic sciences, application technology and social (Arts) studies respectively. More easily understood are examples like: Biology, Chemistry, Physics (Pure Science), Polymer Science, Food Technology (Applied Science) and Culture, Marketing and Communication (People's Perception - Emotions).

In our interaction with the community, we can put ourselves into the interaction of these three different categories as described above. Pure, Applied and Emotion. This is the core purposes of discussion in this article.


Next, let us see the most basic of the forms, factors, forces of these elements - which I call the 'F-hybrids'. I would use this F-hybrid to explain the interaction between Nature, Economics and Perception.

Forms ---------------------- Factors ------------------------- Forces
Pure ------------------------ Applied ------------------------- 3 Elements
Life/Knowledge ----------- Aging/Learning ---------------- Nature
Assets/Liabilities --------- Earning/Spending ------------- Economics
Product/Services --------- Reputation/Name -------------- Perception

The F-hybrids (Tools to understand the FORCES)

This so called F - words put the different categories of things or actions to clarify our discussions. For instance, In Forces of NATURE, life span is altered by aging. Simply put, if we age faster, we have a shorter life span. Another example is Knowledge. Knowledge is accumulated by learning, where knowledge is a pure form - like books, but its content is affected by a application of factors, like learning or unlearning.

Similarly, in Forces of ECONOMICS, assets and liabilities are pure forms, and the factors that affect their existence are earning and spending. This is the easiest to understand because we are troubled mainly by this element throughout our lives. In this material way of life, the Economics forces some time can really take us down.

For PERCEPTION, it is a little more abstract, Products and Services is moved by the Reputation or Name that the company earned from the market. However, let us go deeper into the understanding of the element PERCEPTION. We need to take into consideration a third party, in other words - people's PERCEPTION, not our own perception. Hence, unlike the earlier two elements, the forces of PERCEPTION is more complex as it demands NON-SELF PERCEPTION. Perception affects reputation and name of a product or company, thus causing the variety of EMOTION towards the Product or Services. To give a simple example, your liking of a person (Product) is due to your Emotion towards his/her manner (Reputation/Name). Different people may have DIFFERENT EMOTIONS towards the SAME Product/Service. In short, Emotion is the process and Perception is the resultant 'Outcome'.

So now I know all about these forms, factors and forces, but what can we do about them?

Yes, we can develop ways to control the FACTORS. Through the control of these parameters, we achieve the end result we desire to see. But, Hello! What do you mean by "CONTROL the FACTORS"?

Controlling the FACTORS

Forms--------------Factors ========= Controlling Factors ====== Forces
Life/Knowledge -- Aging/Learning ==== Believe =============== Nature
Assets/Liabilities - Earning/Spending = Change =============== Economics
Products/Services - Reputation/Name = Innovation ============ Emotion

There is nothing much we could do about aging or wear and tear or crying when we are babies. However, believing in what NATURE has to offer is important to change our limitation and expectation. It has some miracle ways of switching our minds off from the impossibles and concentrate on the possibles. This is what most religion is teaching us about. Imagine when a cancer patient is dying - NATURE controls his/her death. However, if he/she can embrace certain belief, then it is a less painful death. For Knowledge, it is believing that one can learn and no such person is forever stupid, that many great men achieved great academic achievements in history.

In earning and spending, which ultimately contribute to how much assets and liabilities one has, it is by changing the earning or spending pattern that the equation can be altered. If you want to save more, you could reduce the spending urge or increase your earning capability. By doing nothing and expecting the change in equilibrium is a dream that will never come through. Many knows that but never want to accept the equation.

In the Products/Services category, it is a bit complicated. You can say why can't I CHANGE the way I promote or sell my products/services? It would still contribute to better Reputation/Name, hence better Perception of my Products/Services. Yes, it is the possible that change could bring to better results. But because it involves Perception, it is not simply a 'CHANGE' - it demands 'THINKING OUT OF THE BOX' kind of change. I use the word - INNOVATION.

INNOVATION carries the meaning of change further in a 'never done before' way. It also carries the EMOTIONAL component of 'IMPACT' which is important in evaluating the forces of 3rd party - PERCEPTION. Therefore, by innovatively changing the way we carry ourselves and taking into consideration other people (3rd Party) viewpoint, we can control the forces of PERCEPTION in our daily lives.

So much being said, but be forewarned that controlling factors are easy to appreciate but difficult to CONTROL. Why?

Especially in CHANGE and INNOVATION, we have to be concerned about where is the benchmark, limits or which is right or wrong. We don't want to start changing our spending or earning pattern to achieve the assets and liabilities we aspire but be regretted later on, eg. to increase earning, one takes up multiple jobs but end up getting sick or die in an industrial accident!

The INTERNAL Controlling Factors - the ultimate Moving Factors

Forms ------------ Factors ===== Controlling Factors = Internal Factors = Forces
Life/Knowledge - Aging/Learning ------- Believe ===== Self-awareness = Nature
Assets/Liabilities - Earning/Spending = Change ===== Self-realization = Economics
Products/Services - Reputation/Name = Innovation == Self-respect ==== Emotion

Forces of NATURE cannot be challenged! So, we should be aware of them. This is the first Internal Factor we must master - SELF-AWARENESS. Look into the mirrow, and take a honest opinion on yourself, if you think you are not superman, please accept the fact that you aren't. It is knowing your limits that you can believe that your abilities are. In our modern way of life, you can't aspect to be a supermodel weighing 100kg!

The second force of life is ECONOMICS, and to realise how much we need to spend/save to live a standard of our own, it takes lots of wisdom in SELF-REALIZATION. Most people need to realise that earning a five figure salary is not the only way to happiness.

And, the last and the most important of all; which means if you can't have all three - be this one you must remember - is SELF-RESPECT!

Why? In the battle of PERCEPTIONS, there is usually no right or wrong. And there is the other factor called POWER!

POWER is the ultimate PERCEPTION; all factors discounted in! To illustrate this point, the view point of those in power is taken as the benchmark or truth. In between, there is a lot of EMOTION in the process of establishing the PERCEPTION, due to the imbalance of POWER among those who express individual POWERS. Therefore, it takes a strong man to stand up to the different viewpoints and respect his own. This I call SELF-RESPECT.

Self-respect is the origin of many other things. Having self-respect is the key victory in molding innovative ideas and pushing others to EMOTIONALLY accept one as a POWERFUL leader.