Thesis Paradox

I think it's pretty well known that humans are creatures of habit. We always want to return to the familiar, the things that we know, the life we understand. It's one reason why men marry wives who are like their mothers, and why some prisoners want to return to prison. And I think this is why it's so hard to finish a PhD thesis.

You see, a PhD student has been doing their thesis for years, and you start to develop a habit. "Doing the thesis" is a solid, predictable part of your life. Your lovers can come and go, you can move country or change jobs, but the thesis remains a constant presence in your life.

So when it comes time to "finish" the thesis, you start to worry. What is life going to be like when my thesis is done? Will that piece of paper fill the void it leaves in my life? When I finish, what will I have then? What will I do?

Of course, the obvious answer is "you will have the rest of your life". Once you're finished with your thesis, you'll be able to "anything that has nothing to do with your thesis". We should celebrate! But, when you think about it, this isn't a good answer at all. It leaves the PhD student with two options:

1. Quit doing your thesis, right now. Why bother finishing when that final piece of paper adds nothing to your life? You can quit the thesis right now, and go do something you enjoy.
2. Continue doing your thesis for eternity. It's a constant, it's been in your life for years, it's the evil that you know. It's comforting in a sick, twisted, masochistic way.

There is nothing in human nature that encourages a PhD student to finish their thesis. There's no impact on your life once you finish the thesis, with the exception of having that 'one daily constant' removed from your life. It's ridiculous.

In other news, I found a bug in my thesis code. Re-running all my experiments now. :P

Less Goods, More Services

I've been thinking about how we, as a society, consume and dispose of too much stuff. There's a reasonably good online video (sorry, don't have the link handy) that points out how we're taught to be "good little consumers". The rationale is that the economy will likely grind to a halt if people stop spending. We hear this mantra regularly - "we have to spend our way out of a recession", "buy locally made goods to keep the local economy strong", etc.

But then I started thinking. Why do we have to spend money on goods? Why not just spend it on services? Employment is a means of wealth redistribution, and so I know that it is far better for society and the economy to have maximum employment. But why does this "employment" have to mean more mining, more oil consumption, more pollution, etc?

I really want to reduce the amount of goods that I buy/use/dispose of, but still want to (a) reward myself for hard work and (b) keep money flowing through the economy. So instead of rewarding myself with more food, I could pay $10 for a quick shoulder massage. Instead of buying a new pair of shoes, I could pay someone to fix my old ones. If there are goods that can't be substituted by services, then I still have to buy them. But instead of rewarding myself with the latest electronics, I could get my bicycle tuned and go for a ride.

Just a thought I'm having.