Week 4- Article 2: Why We Like What We Like

Central Argument: We like what we like because of the context we experience these things in.


Why do we like the things we like? What gives us that thirst to do things that are pleasurable for us? Well, Alva Noe, in her article "Why We Like What We Like," explores this dilemma and tells us that we like what we like because of the context we experience these things in. I agree with her because the context or experience gives us a particular feeling we like feeling.
Doing certain things triggers feeling which we then like feeling. For example, I love art. I love drawing and painting and being creative. When I sit in that wide room with the sunlight flowing in, I forget everything else. In that room, its only that paint brush and me, only that sketchbook and me. The feeling that builds up when I paint is that of joy and happiness. I feel relaxed and comfortable. I don't worry about anything else. The satisfaction and joy builds up till my throat pushing everything else aside. I let my imaginations go running and let my heart lead the way. Because I enjoying doing art so much, I do it again and again. I don't get sick of it because art is something I can let myself be absolutely controlled by, no matter how good or bad the results may turn out. This example shows me how painting, for example, triggers a relaxed and joyful feeling in me that I love and that I try to get more of by continuing what I do with art.
 In addition to triggering a special feeling, we do something we like because of the significant impact it has on our collected sphere of experiences. In the novel Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, she talks about two modern Chinese girls. They are beautiful and wealthy and can take advantage of the luxuries of the day. They frequently visit an artist for whom they model. He paints them beautifully and sells these paintings to the newspapers and magazines for advertisements. The author specifically describes the girls' feeling and thoughts as they model for him. The moment when he captures every detail of their posing, from the lighting to the folds of their skirts, stays with the two girls for a long time. Even after they have shifted to Chinatown in the States, they still recall those good days when they led such comfortable lives. They frequently recall the studio and the artist and remember how much of a luxurious and comfortable life they had had. They only remember all this because the thoughts and feelings they felt at that time left a remarkable scar in their memories to cherish even after such a long time. This example shows us why we do something we like, and it is because doing these things have a deep and significant affect on our memories.
Through these two examples, one can see how doing things we like have an impact on us: they trigger special feelings inside of us and they also leave heavy scars in our memories that we can call back later on.