J-Lu caught me on Friday in the first floor kitchen and then asked me, "Kai, so do I have to defend myself next Friday in the panel meeting." I answered, "well, put it that way, there is no right or wrong here, as long as you are clear in the thing you explained, it should be fine. At this stage, you need to know the big direction, explaining each step of the way, how you want to go about addressing the research issue, it should be fine." J-Lu is my PhD student going to have her first year review meeting next Friday. As expected, she is nervous, but BB (my colleague who co-supervise her with me) and I think she is fine. She only need a bit of confidence.
Clarity in argument is one important key in research, rather than right or wrong. When one is clear, one knows what one is doing, the short-coming, one knows what is there, what is not there, and can express (presenting or writing it out) it well and tell everyone. More importantly, one simply understands. When one is clear, he is not biased by the right or wrong of the argument or the matter, he is calm and peaceful because he is clear. This becomes convincing for the listeners or readers because everything about the speaker or the writer becomes so effortless, making the presentation or the written piece of work an enjoyment to be engaged in.
There are only so many things in life that one can classify as right or wrong, like we all know robbery is wrong, killing people is wrong and stealing is wrong. If everything is that clear-cut, living will be so easy and also quite boring. Some may be restricted by the thought of religious belief and practices to classify what is right or wrong. It is often a lot harder to deal with the matter of "right" and "wrong" the older we get as we are "on our own", unlike while young, where our parents and teacher still represent the "authority".
The important question remains: are we clear about the reason and rationale (not the same as rationalizing) behind for living life the way we want it and want to (not the same as classifying it "right" or "wrong")? The next question is, are you feeling at ease with yourselves, whatever situation and however you are living your "chosen" life, if so, perhaps you are clear about the situation and can present to others a sense of ease and effortlessness. Clarity and awareness of any situation is the first step, knowing what's there and not there help you move forward more constructively in life. It is not often easy, however, thinking and working on this often will help us sort our mind out gradually and help us see the light, one way or another.
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