To Turn a Blind Eye

 “There she stood, the One-Eyed Doe,” murmured the crusty sailor, “grazing serenely on the steps to the sea. With her one eye, she watchfully gazed toward the forest, wary of the teeth that rend and tear. With her other eye she turned to the sea, the treacherous sea, the traitorous sea, expecting nothing but safety.”

The crusty sailor paused. He sat back in his chair, the low lamplight casting a dreary glow on the misty night, the other sailors milling about with one ear to the old man. He continued:

“And that’s how I came upon her, sailing on toward that great rock face, and seeing my chance. And in coming upon her, I realized that the usually flighty doe was blind in her eye, the eye turned toward the sea, the reckless sea, the deceiving sea. For had she seen me, she would have dashed. And then I shot. That graceful doe fell, and on the air I could have sworn I heard her cry, ‘Fool! Fool! I came out of the woods and to the sea expecting safety, and found the end instead.’

“Lads, be vigilant, for to turn a blind eye on what is always safe is to accept that it may kill you when it is not. Else, you are just a One-Eyed Doe.”

Credentialing: The Process of Realizing It's a Problem - UPDATED

               I have come to the realization that the way people approach and think about credentialing in 2015 needs to change. This call for change, that I have a great desire to see fulfilled, has come a long way since my initial feelings about those who create certification process for actuaries. I initially was a little mad about how hard they make the credentialing process, but later realized that it wasn't that they thought they were too smart, but rather it was from the wrong perspective. Eventually I realized that the way we think about credentialing, or gaining certifications in general, in 2015 is way far off of where the focus should be, and that this was the real problem that I was trying to address. More and more evidence became clear to me that inappropriate stigmas, dogmas, and ways of approaching credentialing existed when I started to do some research to historical time periods and ideologies which we discussed during our rhetoric and civilization class at BYU. After receiving feedback from classmates on my blog posts as well as in class I was able to come up with a presentation that I think anyone can relate to in some way, and feel a little bit of the need for the change that I see.

                I think with clear communication and applications to important lessons from history, others will see the need to make some changes to the world of certifications and credentialing. This is not just a needed change within the actuarial world, but in the world as a whole. 

Credentialing's Connections to 18th, 19th, and 20th Century themes

Initial thoughts

-Considering: Depending on the difficulty of the assignment, I may take a more general approach to the dogma of credentialing, rather than focusing just on Actuarial Credentialing.

-I really like Macey's comparison to mercantilism on this topic. Credentialing shouldn’t be the mark of someone’s success or ability, it should be their output and what they can do for the company/person/position/etc. More certifications shouldn’t be the key sign of someone being better fit for a job, task, or position.

New Ideas

-Liberalism

                I think the idea that was expressed in the Drogin text of “self-development without interference” is very key to the problems that credentialism causes. With the focuses becoming more on the piece of paper, or the letters before or after someone’s professional status, the real goal of learning or achieving what is truly desired is lost somewhere in along the way when someone realizes that in today’s world it doesn't matter how much you learn/accomplish you don’t get the piece of paper or professional designation.

-Romanticism

                Explore the ideas of originality and genius as causes why there should be less effort spent credentialing and more effort developing talents and valuable skills.

Chief Seattle's Similes and Metaphors

                As I served my LDS mission nearby and on many of the reservations that may have been part of the offer which Chief Seattle addresses in his speech, I thought it was more than appropriate for me to do some rhetorical analysis on his words.

                Chief Seattle’s address is chalked full of beautiful metaphors and similes. Because this document was not only translated twice before making it to English I am not sure how much of these wonderful sayings are in an essence the original words of the Chief, but it is certainly the foundation of how he builds his argument. He does a great job at analyzing the past and building his speech to the current moment giving his speech both a judicial (review of the past) and epideictic (present issue) feel.

The name of Chief Seattle's Tribe

          He touches on some of the ideas of “self-development without interference” which we discussed in class the other day, in regards to his people and the new settlers in his area. He uses these liberalistic ideals to compare and contrast his argument, to make a list of pros and cons, and to eventually state what it would take for him to agree to the terms of the reservation deal. It is evident more than anything else at these points that Chief Seattle paid good attention to the Kairos of the situation at hand. There were likely many opinions as to what should be done with regards to the offer from the “white men”, and it is clear from this speech that the Chief was very tactful and careful to not step on anyone’s toes, or rather not include any possible thoughts that his tribe may have had. 

Importance of the Fourth Estate

               Ferdinand Lassalle’s “the Working Man’s Programme” really typifies some of Lassalle’s socialist ideas which took place during a break out of revolution in Germany during the 1800’s. His ideas received a lot of pushback, which caused Ferdinand to do some prison time, but also moved him almost effortlessly to the leadership of the new forming political party at the head of the social working class at the time. In his address about the importance of the working class, or the “Fourth Estate”, he uses a great deal of well thought out rhetoric to address his audiences and time his speech appropriately.

                Lassalle’s goal is to convince his audience of the importance of having the working class be involved in the state, and that their involvement will better all people of all classes, not just the individual. Lassalle uses Marx’s ideas about social change as a basis of authority for his arguments. This is really interesting as he eventually pulls away from Marx and uses those ideas to compare and contrast to his view that the state itself can be the tool to bring social reform. This is a powerful technique as he is able to appeal to all his audience members by mentioning ideals from the thoughts of Marx and then making it more in line with what is already in place. Some would call this a cowardly approach to a revolutionary speech, but I think it is a clever way, a “sales tactic” if you will, type of approach to transfer enthusiasm about his ideas to his audience.

              

              There is a great deal of pathos in Ferdinand Lassalle’s speech, but I feel it is used in a different way than some of the usual ways rhetoricians of the revolutionary age used this appeal.  Instead of using it to the effect of stirring the crowd to action by building their emotions, he uses it to show how much he cares about his ideas, and how much he emotionally feels these ideas are needed in the state. This has an effect on an audience that respects Lassalle’s ethos. Those that see his passion are stirred to action not by direct feelings that were conjured up in them by Ferdinand’s words, but by Ferdinand’s own emotion for this topic. This is a common approach used in coaching sports and is very effective if the relationship with your audience is strong. “What’s important to you, is now important to us” is a phrase that sums up well how Lassalle used the pathetic appeal in this speech.

Small Piece of Paper: Big Problems

This video wraps up some of my thoughts on the perception that future actuaries need to go through the same process that the preceding generations went through to become certified.  Although this is a very specific topic to my field of study I hope that you can't take away some of the highlights to some of the more general dogmas with regards to credentialing. (Some of the other students in our class have done their videos/blog posts about this topic.)

(Hopefully this video updates soon so that it doesn't look as raw as it currently does. Either way, Enjoy!)

Don't Tell An Actuary He's "Too Smart"

            I never back down from a challenge. As expected I have received a lot of pushback to my new ideas surrounding the certification of actuaries from a couple of actuaries who have been around the block a few times. As I previously discussed in my last post, I feel that actuaries in general have a mentality about them that is almost unavoidable in feeling “smarter” than others. I have felt this in myself from time to time as I tirelessly work and sacrifice my time to pass actuarial exams. When I do pass them. I too can sometimes become “big-headed”. It is a vicious cycle that needs to be stopped.

            This semester I have had the opportunity to take a class from a visiting Actuary. His class is amazing and his insights are great, as there aren't any fellowship actuaries currently teaching at BYU. I asked him what he thought about the exams, and if this dogma of being “smarter” than others existed, and was leading to the difficulty of the exams. He quickly shot me down, and stated that the exams are not a product of a better-than-the-world mentality, and that they have to be difficult to ensure actuaries know what they are doing. A response I expected as Joe’s comment suggested.

            I also messaged an actuary on LinkedIn who is in a group with me titled, The Entry Level Actuary. He responded almost identically to my teacher, saying that no such dogma existed among professional actuaries, and that the exams should be harder if anything else.

            So was I completely wrong? Perhaps. But I think it is also fair to suggest that those I talked with about this issue have a skewed frame of reference in which they would be unlikely to respond in any other manner than in which the one they already have. These were two men who had sacrificed many hours to take 8-10 actuarial exams, sacrificing time from family, friends, work, and school work to accomplish professional goals. They aren't about to say that the exams they sacrificed over are too hard, and especially that they are hard because of some kind of poor mentality among actuaries.

            The world is changing, and because of this there are more people out there that could be actuaries but can't because of an outdated thought about the requirements. Actuaries of the future need to change their frame of reference and see that more can be done to allow those who are able to be actuaries to become certified. 

Being "Too" Smart

                Actuaries have a running joke about the accounting CPA exam in which they claim “CPA” stands for “Can’t-Pass-Actuarial-Exams”. As an aspiring actuary I think that this joke has some actual weight to it, in the sense that passing actuarial exams is a very difficult process. The actuarial exam process is the reason why many people don’t ever consider pursuing a career in actuarial science, and why a lot of people haven't heard of an actuary. However, I have recently heard it wasn't always like this.

                The exams used to be a lot easier. In turn, more people passed the exams and became credentialed actuaries. Because of this there were more and more actuaries that didn’t really know what they were doing on the job, but had become credentialed by memorizing a few formulas. The organizations that administer the exams have “solved” this problem by making the exams now a days ridiculously hard. It is common knowledge that to have a chance at passing an exam you must study 100 hours outside of your class time for every hour of that specific exam. My knee jerk reaction to the difficulty of the exams is to demand a change and to make these exams easier, but recently I have realized there is a larger issue at hand.

An unfortunate dogma I've felt in the Actuarial field

Actuaries write these exams. There is without question somewhat of a “pride” factor that has caused these exams to evolve into what they are today. There is a sense that those who make up the Society of Actuaries want as few as possible to make it to the top credential. Making the exams easier isn't going to change this way of thought. Actuaries everywhere need to embrace those who may be slightly less mathematically gifted but still work hard enough to become a practicing actuary. 

Seattle & Snow: "A No Go"

             

The northwest corner of the state of Washington is known for many things, one of which is its weather. For a good nine months out of the year you can expect it to rain at least once every week. Natives to the area are so used to the precipitation it does not seem to bother most of them… until the temperature starts to plummet, conditions are just right, and a rare occurrence takes place creating absolute mayhem: snow starts falling. Because snow is so rare in this part of the country Seattle and most of the surrounding cities are very ill prepared for this type of weather. Worst of all are the roads which, after a good hour or two of snowy conditions, become indistinguishable from a demolition derby event.

                I witnessed one of these destructive events first hand as a missionary for the LDS church. Two other missionaries and I were driving a van and attempting to drive up an unplowed snow covered hill, which rounded around the bend to top it all off. Cars were literally stacked bumper to bumper, the brave (and yet ignorant) continued to try and make their way through the mess of cars, completely ignoring any sensible driving laws and painted lines on the road. We were jumping out of the van attempting to brace our van as it slid down the hill, nearly hitting a woman’s car. To top the day off a semi came and jack knifed down the middle of the hill, proceeding cars falling suite like a life size game of Tetris with cars as the building blocks.

 

                No longer do I ever complain about traffic laws, or other roadway authorities. Without them driving would be… well… not driving.

The Role of the Past: Essential or Prevalent?

“Ugly hell gape not! Come not, Lucifer! 
I’ll burn my books—” - Dr. Faustus, (The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus)

Dr. Faustus makes a fatal deal

            If someone as rooted in the humanistic ideals of the renaissance, as the fictional character of Dr. Faustus was, can turn on all of their vast knowledge they had gained to turn back to God truly the idea of returning to the past had perhaps the largest implications during the renaissance time period. Christopher Marlowe’s character is clear evidence that Psalm 42 (from the Vulgate Bible) had major relevance during the renaissance time period, which states in English “In the same way that the stag is drawn unto the sources of water, so is my soul drawn unto you, God.” In considering this, how big of an effect did the past have upon the other themes present during the renaissance? My initial conclusion was this: without the ideas of the past (Greek and Roman rhetoric, religious traditions of medieval and Christian eras) that the other major themes present during the renaissance such as exploration, humanism, and the rise of the reformation would have never came to be.

            With similar fire that Martin Luther had in his response to Erasmus of Rotterdam on the topic of free will, I brought these thoughts to my classmate’s attention. Of those of whom I was discussing the importance of returning to the past, Kekoa asked a question that forced me to reconsider my previous position, and reevaluate the important role that the past had during the renaissance. He proposed, “Is it really that the other themes would not exist without the role of returning to the past, or is it simply the most overlapping theme of the period, with respect to the other themes?” What a question! The studied carelessness of his question really pushed me into a corner, which soon opened up into a brand new space full of what was most likely a more appropriate idea concerning this theme of returning to the past.

Mount Ventoux

            Rather than being the keystone to the other themes of the renaissance, the idea and importance of returning to the past for many of the major figures during this time period was that of a basis to build their own ideas. Petrarch climb up Mount Ventoux is very illustrative of what the past’s role was in all the other themes of the renaissance. There Petrarch could see back and forth, past and future, and see things from a far, which allows the eye to pick out the good and leave the bad. Much of the returning to the past done during the renaissance and reformation was done in this light. Erasmus of Rotterdam clearly returned to reason over scriptural testimony in his address on free will. Erasmus is one who clearly had respect for and a desire to understand the rhetoricians of the past, giving much respect to the systematized rhetoric of Aristotle. The act of reflecting on the sources, and returning to the past completely shaped the way that humanistic ideas formed, as well as other themes present during the reformation and renaissance.

Wycliffe: Precursor to Reformation

               

     John Wycliffe was known as the “morning star of the reformation”, preparing the way for later reformers like Martin Luther. Wycliffe’s Sixth Sunday After Easter sermon I think is particularly unique in the way that he is able to tie in his bashing of the pope while discussing scriptures and other doctrinal topics that apply to a more general audience.

     Wycliffe uses multiple quotes from Christ as the basis of the “proof” for his argument. After explaining and expounding on Jesus’s words he is able to compare and contrast both how this could apply to the general population as a whole and how it is evidence that the pope and other priests are corrupt. This rhetorical approach is unique and leaves the main idea of his sermon up for “debate”… I use the quotations to infer that at the time Wycliffe’s approach might have been able to detour some of his detractors away from the real purpose of his sermon, but for us today it is clear that his message is primarily focused on the corruption of the Catholic Church and its leaders.

Smeagol: A dual personality character from Lord of the Rings

     Tone, which in this sermon is two-fold, also plays an important rhetorical role throughout. It’s as if he is almost a Sméagol like character, calmly explaining his doctrinal views of the Holy Ghost and the devils trickery, then going into an accusatory rage, pointing out the pope and other leader’s flaws and even stating that they have “killed Christ” from the church’s purpose. Wycliffe’s tone in this sermon is a good blend of the tones which Erasmus and Martin Luther used in their respective speeches on free will, which makes sense given Wycliffe’s position and time in history: both wanting to push his ideas of reform, but not incriminate himself to the point where he would no longer have the ability to give such sermons.  

Obscurity vs Certainty: Erasmus & Martin Luther on Free-Will

           With topics of religion it is my personal opinion that the delivery and invention of one’s argument is often far more important than the truths or content therein. Erasmus & Martin Luther both take very different angles when making their arguments on free-will.

Erasmus

            Erasmus’s mode of argumentation, not even to mention his actual view on what he is arguing, is that of reason before scripture or doctrine. Erasmus uses his own to reason and logic to rationalize his arguments. Instead of scriptural references, he uses powerful analogies, such as the boy who can’t reach an apple without his father’s help, to really drive home his ideas… but he wouldn't let the untrained audience know that. There were loads of scriptures throughout Erasmus arguments, but their inclusion was primarily a tool used to balance Erasmus arguments of “man meriting salvation” and “God’s grace”. Martin Luther would later argue “Erasmus speaks out of both sides of his mouth”, which I think is a valid observation, although I feel that Erasmus did it quite effectively. Erasmus further used the scriptures for their uncertainty rather than to back up doctrinal truths. This uncertainty of the scriptures is another effective invention by Erasmus in building his two sided argument on the existence of free-will and God’s grace.

A key scripture argued/used by both Erasmus & Luther

Luther

            Because Martin Luther’s Bondage of The Will is in direct response to Erasmus’s argument his approach is quite different in many ways. Martin Luther focused wholly on divine truths back by the scriptures, counter arguing Erasmus use of scriptures. Luther focused on what he believed to be the certainty of scriptures, which he argued that if any verse seemed obscure it was due to the weakness of the reader, not the Word itself. He continues to use the scriptures as a foundation of certainty to back up his arguments and attack Erasmus’s. This method of Luther’s was clear when he said that Erasmus argues “like a man drunk or asleep” blurting out things here and there.

So who won the debate?

            As a Mormon I was able to see a little of truth in both arguments. Interestingly I felt more apt to side with Erasmus because of his rhetorical style, using both the scriptures and reason to back the duality of his argument. For Christian humanists & people of the reformation however might have sided more with Martin Luther as his argument was a little more “happy” or easier on the ears than Erasmus’s.  

Of Marraige

          "Marriage is like a cage; one sees the birds outside desperate to get in, and those inside equally desperate to get out."- Michel de Montaigne

Doesn't this picture sum up well what Montaigne said?

                Marriage is a topic that the current world is not only having trouble defining, but also struggling to determine its value. There are so many unique opinions and views on marriage in the current world that sometimes it is hard to not only keep track of them all, but also decipher who is right and who is wrong. Can anyone be right or wrong when it come to the topic of marriage?

            At Brigham Young University in a heavy LDS environment marriage is seen as key to happiness in life and eternal salvation. Marriages occur at a much younger age than the average U.S. marriage and also tend to see couples have children sooner and in greater abundance. In contrast the average American view of marriage is referred to as “settling down”. Marriage is done later in life, after college life and freedom have been experienced. Marriage is seen as something someone does when in love, and not as a necessary part of having a happy life. These are only two brief descriptions of some of the views of marriage that exist in our current time.

So.. does it really even matter how people view and define marriage?

How the world chooses to define and treat marriage will dramatically affect people’s lives, because it has traditionally been the structure in which new generations have learned and grown up in. As this structure of marriage changes and fluctuates so will the cultures and civilizations of the world. Consider a friend of mine whose mother taught her about the purpose of marriage. My friend was informed that each marriage has a purpose, that first you should marry someone to gain a little bit of money, then a second marriage for love and physical attraction, and a final marriage to settle down with someone you can stand for the rest of your mortal existence. This concept was so foreign to me personally that it now made sense why so many of my friend’s choices were so different than mine. The way people choose to define topics that involve any type of moral decisions, such as marriage, will affect the way that cultures grows and develops in a community. 

An Unexpected Rattlesnake... I mean lesson

There it was, Mt. Olympus: a nearing 10,000 foot vertical climb. Hiking that mountain was something that I personally vowed never to do, until a friendly challenged irked my pride and I found myself standing at the base ready to ascend to the summit. My distaste for hiking had never been more evident than in that moment in which I hoped for at least a great view and a memorable experience with a friend once I had reached the top. Although these thoughts were what I assumed to be my only fleeting chances at having any type of positive experiences from this vertical climb, I ended up being presently surprised.

            The view at the top was spectacular, putting my world in which I grew up in (the Salt Lake Valley) into a seemingly small sphere of view. Because of the steepness of the mountain I was nearly forced to run down the path as my friend and I made our decent. Nearly halfway down as I attempted to try and keep my pace at a slight jog I heard a gut wrenching sound. “Stop! Don’t come any further!” I yelled back at my companion as he was a little ways behind me, “I just heard a rattlesnake in the bushes!” My friend, not native to Utah, ignored my warning and proceeded down the path towards me. Just as he did a rattlesnake came right out of the bushes and onto the path. Luckily we both escaped unharmed, but if the timing had been just a few seconds different one or both of us could have been bitten, and left with possibly fatal wounds as medical contact and help was hours out of reach. This experience left me thinking about how vulnerable I was (and all those who face potentially deadly situations) by not having any chance of getting to aid in time. I never have been more grateful for emergency services, and close by hospitals than I am now. They are truly a great safety for us all.

The Positive Side to Being an Evil Politician: Machiavellianism

Truth is there probably isn't any. However, this is something that Niccolo Machiavelli might have argued with. Machiavelli believed that leaders should do whatever is necessary to accomplish political or leadership driven tasks. In his book The Prince Machiavelli said “it is better to be feared than be loved; for, in general, men are ungrateful, inconstant, hypocritical … and covetous of gain.” This mirrors some of my own characteristics when I served as a leader during my LDS mission. Although it isn't okay to lie, cheat, or do anything immoral to accomplish any task at hand, sometimes you must make the task at hand the first priority, ahead of being friends with your fellow missionaries, coworkers, or employees to be sure that it is completed successfully. Much of my leadership experience during my LDS mission tippy-toed close to some of the aspects of being a “Machiavellian”, which some might argue isn't the best approach, but given the successful work that took place during these efforts it is fair to say that Niccolo Machiavelli had a point in his political ideas.

            Machiavelli also brought forth main stream Renaissance ideas into the political sphere. His book The Prince, which focuses on what it takes to be a strong leader, had the intent to help unite the Italian city states because they were weak compared to surrounding countries that had a more unified state set up. In a political way this continued the celebration of individualism which was a recurring theme of the Renaissance. Although Machiavelli wanted the city states to be united it was not so much a communal idea as it was a unifying of Italian states from the rest of the world. This is the same type of individualism that is more easily present with the art and poetry of the time.

A Castle, Golf Course, and Angry Scotsman

I still don't think I fully appreciate the great opportunity I had to travel to Europe with my parents when I was about 15 years old. We spent most of our time there in Scotland where many of our Muir ancestors are from. While in Scotland we got to learn more about our ancestors as well as tour a very secluded castle where they once lived.

Depiction of the Muir castle in the 1800's

The Muir family line has been a major part of Scottish history for the last 1000 years or so. Due to one of my ancestors major part in a battle during European history, King Alexander III made sure that he and his descendants would be able to receive and keep the Rowallan (also known as Muir) Castle in Scotland. Many of my famous ancestors, such as Elizabeth Mure lived in this castle and became connected through marriage to royal lines of blood. The continuing decedents took part in a lot of battles throughout the coming years before the family eventually held no part in the castle, and it became a historical site in the 20^th century.

My Parents & I at the Castle in 2006 

 Due to my immaturity at the time all I remember of my visit to the castle is the fight we almost got in with a full blown Scotsman. The castle, although a historical site, now resides on land owned by a golf course, which at the time was under construction. In attempting to tour the castle a man with a gun approached us. If we didn't have the two heads of the National Scotland History Association as our tour guides we might never have been able to pass the fiery Scotsman which guarded the castle, let alone leave the castle alive.

Knowledge vs Understanding

           The comparison of Cicero’s De Inventione and De Oratore really struck home with me in something that has been on my mind quite a bit recently. This time of the year here at BYU is the time where a lot of companies are recruiting for internships in my field, and I hear so many of my fellow students say that they “know” they want to pursue a certain type of work in my field. In asking these fellow students of mine why they feel so strongly about a certain discipline of our future field they rarely respond with a sensible or logical answer, to provide any reason to their decision. I see this concept mirrored in Cicero’s writing, as it is an easy comparison to make because Cicero wrote De Inventione as a “graduating” student himself.

           In De Inventione Cicero expresses much of what any student would express if asked about their studies: basically a recitation of their text books, and the knowledge of what was originally learned by professionals in that subject. Cicero more or less repeats what we learn from Aristotle’s systemization of rhetoric with some of his own thoughts and take always, which does show that he truly understands the material. However, just because we understand something doesn’t mean that we may be necessarily good at it or like the material we know so well. At this point, Oratory has yet to be proven in Cicero’s own life. This is where De Oratre comes in.

Has Cicero changed or developed his ideas after 30 years of legal & political experience? De Oratre shows that the answer to this question is that Cicero has applied his knowledge and developed not only a reinforced knowledge of oratory through experience, but his own conclusions about oratory in practice. “Yet no discipline yields greater rewards or has done more for civilization than oratory” is one of the many clear statements that Cicero makes that shows he now understands rhetoric at a level in which he is able to teach rhetorical theory of his own. De Oratre is evidence that even Cicero, a genius in the art of rhetoric, needed experience applying his knowledge in order to come to a full understanding of it.

Communication and Persuasion in the Actuarial Field

For those who have never heard of an actuary before: actuaries calculate and minimize the financial consequences of risk, using mathematics, statistics, finance, economics, and other areas dealing with risk management. Most actuaries work for insurance companies or large consulting firms. My interest in the actuarial field resides mostly in the consulting side of the industry, in which communication and persuasion skills are not just valuable but absolutely necessary in becoming a successful consulting actuary.

Consulting actuaries’ most common circumstance for communication will be with clients. Many of these interactions will be through email, phone, or even video calls for the lower level associate actuaries. For the partners or fellowship actuaries, a lot of travel and actual face to face contact with clients is necessary. These face to face interactions is where the persuasion takes place. It is here that the client really needs to feel like they can trust the firm that is analyzing their risk. It is the actuary’s job to persuade them that their company needs their risk minimized by the actuary’s specific consulting firm and why they aren't better off going to another actuarial consulting firm. This interaction between the head actuaries and the clients is at the heart of the business of consulting actuarial work. It is also important that not only skills of persuasion can be applied in these situations, but that clear communication, with respect to the clients understanding of analytical terms, is achieved. Without strong communication and persuasion skills it is harder to accomplish the goals of these personal interactions.

The actuarial field is very unique, especially the consulting side. It requires advanced analytical and interpersonal skills. Communication is mostly deliberative, but judicial and epideictic also play a role in actuarial profession. Those who can master both the required analytical skills, and these genres of communication can become very successful actuaries.

I became interested in becoming an actuary during my first semester of college after my LDS mission. I learned about what they did during a basic accounting class and it seemed to fit what I was looking for at the time. During my mission I saw the power of communication and business. This gave me a desire to find a career where I could combine my mathematical skills, with my growing communication and interpersonal skills. The actuarial field was a perfect fit!

The information I have shared today came from interacting with professionals in the industry, and others in information sessions and internship interviews for actuarial positions. This information is clearly valuable, and only increases my desire to continue pursuing this career path.

R&R: Romans and Racing

2006 Lamborghini Diablo ~ 500+ Horsepower

For as long as I can remember I have been way into cars, especially fast cars. I had an amazing experience driving a 2006 Lamborghini Diablo on a closed course over this last summer. The thrill of the race itself is a very unique and exhilarating experience. Did the romans ever experience or seek after thrills similar to these?

           Although they didn't have "500 horses" pushing them around a track, the Romans had a passion for horse and chariot racing. Although most of these races were borrowed from the Greek institutions of them, the Romans really perfected and advanced chariot racing into what is seen in most modern movies today. 

Depiction of a very eventful chariot race

Stylistic Arguments for Music & Studying

Tropes about music’s effect on studying:

-Read my original post about music and studying here: Music & The Mind

1.       Metaphor/Simile

·         “If studying is like attempting to read a road map, then music is a GPS.”

·         This is a combination of a metaphor and a simile. The simile is referencing the act of studying and the metaphor directly compares music to a GPS. I like the use of both here as many people have experienced the pain of trying using a road map, but then experienced the simplicity of having a GPS, which is implied by the metaphor.

2.       Paronomasia

·         “Studying with music brings reward, while studying without brings discord.”

·        Both reward and discord end in the same sound, but differ in meaning. What I like most about this statement is the omitted word music from the second part of the statement, and then the word discord to complete the pun has reference to music itself.

3.       Anthimeria

·         “By the looks of these grades, I’d guess you have really been musicing up your studies.”

·         This makes music into a verb, and implies the idea that adding music to this person’s studies has become a regular thing, and produces good results.

4.       Hyperbole

·         “Music isn't a simple aid! It is a catalyst to achieving otherwise unattainable results!”

·         Obviously this is an exaggerated claim, like a hyperbole should be. It also helps that the understatement of the power of music is made clear before the over exaggerated statement of its usefulness.

5.       Oxymoron

·         “Studying is an act of understanding confusion, when music is not involved.”

·         Understanding and confusion are clearly the opposite of each other, and when placed together create a paradoxical idea. Studying for many people can be an attempt to understand things that are confusing and new to them. Music is an aid to the confusion.

Schemes about music’s effect on studying:

1.       Parallelism

·         “Studying is required; music is optional; but both is success.”

·         The parallel parts, which there are three of, are all in the form of “____ is ____”. Although it words a little funny to me I think that the idea is clear, and brings a strong argument to the table.

2.       Anastrophe

·         “Greater focus, music brings to studying.”

·         Much like master Yoda from the Star Wars series the beginning or focus of the sentence becomes “greater focus” rather than music or studying. I think this scheme really helps your audience focus on the benefits of whatever you are arguing.

3.       Ellipsis

·         “Studying with music is assuredly effective, while studying without can go anywhere.”

·         I really think this ellipsis is powerful in my example/topic because it is able to represent exactly what I am arguing: studying with and without music. When music is in the first part of the sentence it ends with a positive word, while when music is missing but implied in the second part of the sentence it ends on a less positive note.

4.       Alliteration

·         “A study with sublime sounds shall score stupendous success, while a study shorn of a single strain of song will settle for sufficiency.”

·         The repeated S’s at the begging and throughout most of the words in this sentence make it sound very smart. I think this specific example is powerful because it is able to incorporate two things (music and studying), without ever using the word music.