Antifragile: Notes about PTG and Mechanical vs the Organic.

 Notes from book I am currently reading

-Post Traumatic Growth: 

I am so appreciative of this term. It made me realize how I’ve been conditioned to see all my past experiences (war, abuse, abandonment) as purely “traumatic.” No one ever pointed out the benefits that all that stress and trauma brought into my life.

People always have stated that I am an artist thanks to those negative experiences, but I was already an artist. Those experiences enriched me as an artist. It gave me more to material to work with. Which is why is so hard for me, almost impossible to focus on only one way of expression. I keep breaking from one thing to the next, although I have slowed down a lot lately. Partly because my life became more anti-fragile. Very stable, no more chaos, less stressors. 

I’ve become very aware over the years, of how beneficial it was for me, not to grow up with the comfort and privilege that many other artists had. I met some that graduated from famous expensive art schools, received all the academy of art from the best, yet, they are unable to break from the academic standards. They are afraid of risk and fragile to change.  

El Salvador was the perfect chaotic environment for me!...the war, the circus, earthquakes, floods, crime, the sexual harassment by men everywhere definitely built a kind of character in me that has helped me not only on my artistic path, but in many others, which I hadn't considered until now. 

- The Mechanical vs the Organic. 

I needed to read and re-type this part. No comments here, because the message is very clear. This is straight from the book: 

Mechanical: Non Complex. needs continuous repair and maintenance. Hates Randomness Has no need for recovery. Has no or little interdependence. Stressers cause material fatigue. Ages with use. Wear and Tear. Under compensates from shocks. Time brings only senescence 

Organic: Complex is self healing. Loves Randomness. Has need for recovery between stressers. Has an high degree of interdependence. Absence of stressers causes atrophy.Ages with disuse. Overcompensates from shocks. Time brings aging and senescence.