Your Gateway To Programming Pt.1

There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't pursue a career in programming if that is something you wish to do. As daunting as it seems, programming is one of the most straight-forward and easy to understand skills in the digital world. I will be giving you a "readers digest" of programming; distilling that which is necessary to know in order to gain a foundation upon which a solid programming skillset can be built. With that said, let's get into it!

The first thing to understand is that programming is essentially just speaking English. When you say "I want a gold car", "car" is the noun, "gold" is the adjective AKA the word that adds context to the noun or enriches the noun, and "I want" is the action. 

If you think about it, the entire fabric of reality is based and created with these 3 ingredients: The object/the noun + The sizzle/empowering the noun by adding depth to it in a meaningful way + your relationship or way of interfacing with said object. If you can think of your entire life in that way, it will quickly help you see the various components that make up the whole that is your Life, and Reality.

Now this is very crucial to understand because it facilitates the necessary ability to unravel objects or see objects as a group of components that have together to create the object. Because understanding how things work on a fundamental level--seeing a component as its own independant part AND as a piece, amongst many other pieces, that is doing its part to contribute to the overall efficiency, growth, and success of its group--will grant you the clear, laser-focused insight, clarity, and vision you need to truly understand the WHAT that is need of programming. 

For the sake of understanding, let us define programming as "the act of focusing our awareness on a particular component of our Reality for the sake of a particular goal". So for example, if I say I want to program my computer to wake me up at 9:00AM, I'm essentially desiring to manipulate the particular components of my computer's makeup--the hardware, the software, and how they come together to create the operating system that powers the machine while simultaneously granting us the opportunity and the means to interface with the machine--that deal with time-setting and alarms to come together in a way that they produce an effect in my Reality that causes me to wake up at 9:00AM..I know this is sounding kinda heady, but bare with me, if you can internalize this mindset and view Life in this way, the advanced programming concepts you'll run into later will be a pieceee of cake! 

Anyways, moving right along, now that you have learned how to un-ravel and un-package your Reality in this way, let us now learn how to translate this into programming words.

In the programming world, nouns are called variables (this is OVERLYYY simplified version of what's going on, and I just skipped 3 million steps in one, and I know this, so dev friendzz NO KILL ME!!), and we say that they are allllll sorts of different TYPES of variables, because we want to give due respect to the different types of nouns available in Life. For example, we have numbers, places, events, and, more importantly, OUR RESPONSE to these numbers, places, and events when they are presented and packaged in front of us in one particular form/way or another (meaning, do we like this, true or false). Because of this, a proper, particular and specific name is given to each different type of noun and these different types of nouns are called data types.

In the programming world:

-The proper name/data type for whole numbers (1, 2, 3, 4..) is int (abbreviated for integer), whereas the proper name for fraction numbers (2.5, 3.7, 9.0) is double.

-The proper name/data type for pure letters, or nouns devoid of any number ("car", mouse, "love", "empathy", "building"..) is string.

-The proper name/data type for our response to these numbers, places, events, etc is bool (abbreviated for boolean). I must take a moment to talk about this particular name for a minute because it creates the WEB ITSELF, the underlying thinking framework of programming itself. It might seem like a weird unrelated tangent, but bear with me, it all comes together with $waggness ;)

If we really think about it, the ENTIRE sum of alllll our decisions in Life essentially come down to 2 choices: Do or don't do. Left or right. True or false. This is because Nature, and Life Itself exists in a fluid state of duality moving back-and-forth between 2 opposing forces; masculine/feminine. Push/Pull . Up/Down. It is reflected across ALL dimensions/layers/realms of Life and it is not a surprise that the same would be true in the programming world. Now, let's back up to the part where I said all our decisions essentially come down to 2 choices, and the magic formula I spoke of above.

When you decide to go to the gym for example, you have 2 things occuring. First the wish is created in its totality. For the sake of this context, let's call it a complete thought, and define this has a thought containing the 3 elements mentioned above (object/noun + The sizzle/empowering the noun by giving depth to it in a meaningful way + your relationship or way of interfacing with said object). 

"I want to go to the gym". "gym" - noun, "to go" - my interface, but no sizzle/no adjective or word added in order to empower the noun by giving it depth in a meaningful way and there lies the bare, naked reason why sooo many of us want to go, but end up not going. 

"I want to go to the epiccc fakkin gym" is significantly better, and it does not even need any deconstruction. I would confidently bet that the overall energy of your body quickly jumped up a few levels/you tapped into your Dormant Potential a bit deeper and unleashed more of your ki as you were reading this phrase. The SHEER difference in energy felt in the 2 statements directly prove how powerful words are, and how vital and beneficial it is to give respect to those nouns by showing them dat extra love in any possible way, at every possible opportunity.

Anyways, if the energy released in the complete thought is powerful enough to be felt, the desired effect will occur/your wish shall be granted. Thus, you could say that it is this simple 2-step process that is in play when manipulating Reality:

Is there a complete thought?

-If true, Reality is manipulated.

-If false, Reality is not manipulated.

And if you think about it, that is the basis of confidence, and the underlying reason behind why we HAVE confidence that in our choices. 

Are you confident in this choice?

-If true, you will feel ecstacy and joy, and make the choice with 100% certainty and execution.

-If false, you will not feel ecstacy and joy, and will not be as certain.

This is why I spoke recently of striving and doing everything possible to becoming more in-tune with our emotions and WHOLEHEARTEDLY listening to what they are telling us. 

If a decision we are contemplating to make is making us feel icky, there's a strong chance it should not be taken, and that you might need to find out more information before even being ABLE to make an informed decision. If a potential decision is making us feel joyful and appreciative, there's a strong chance it should be taken. The body is a highly, highly HIGHLY advanced multi-dimensional vehicle of operation, and everything in it is designed to help you navigate Life, Space, and Time properly and at optimum level...you just gotta be humble, pay attention and listen to it, and take reallll good care of it!! You can't expect grade-A output when you're providing shit-grade input ;)

Anyways, now that we've established the groundwork of decision-making, let us extrapolate it in the programming sense.

When you go outside, and check for the sun, the only thing you're concerned of is finding the sun. If the sun is there, the answer is true. If the sun is not there, the answer is false.

When you're buying groceries on a budget, and checking to see if an item of leisure can be acquired, the only thing you're concerned of is if it's within the range of your budget. If it's within your budget, the answer is true. If it's not within your budget, the answer is false.

Thus, this is not only how we live and operate, but it's also how we program.

If you're building a simple calculator, and you're working on the multiplication portion of the program, all you need to be concerned with is if the multiplication button has been clicked:

-If the multiplication button has been clicked, the answer is true, and the two values provided by the user must be multiplied by each other, and the result being displayed in a clean and elegant way. 

-If the multiplication button has not been clicked, the answer is false, and the two values provided by the user should not be multiplied by each other. You would then repeat this same logic for the addition, subtraction, and division portions of the program, and Tadaaa, 

*Siri Voice* "Congratulations, you have successfully programmed a calculator." All it took was figuring out what components I needed to make a calculator; the components for each possible mathematical operation, the gathering and manipulating of 2 values, and the elegant displayal of the resulting value of the mathematical operation.

Also, do you see how the ability to un-package the calculator and fundamentally understand the components that come in place to create a calculator? Seee!!!..Told you I wasn't crazy ;)

Ah, in saying this I realize that I have not yet talked about how values or data is stored and manipulated in programming, so let's do that now!

As a quick recall, we now know that in programming:

-Numbers are called ints when they are whole numbers and double when they are fractions

-Letters and words are called strings 

-Our logic in programming is essentially founded on a binary perception of seeing reality; true or false.

Now, to do anything with numbers, letters, or any other form of data for that matter, that piece of data must be declared and given a name that is used to reference it. For the sake of clarity, let us define data has the multi-dimensional representations of Reality that we are able to gather, and process--via the vehicle that is Language, which typically consists of numbers and letters--to help us paint a more precise picture of what Reality actually looks like.

Now to use a piece of data in your program, you must first make it usable by doing something we call "defining a variable" in the programming world. For the sake of context, let's define defining a variable as the act of creating Space in your program and referencing that specific Space in your program with its own name, so that your piece of data can be saved in that specific Space in your program, thus enabling your program to access that particular Space, interface with the Space and read your piece of data, and interact with that piece of data in a meaningful way. The reason why this occurs is because the Space used by data is not saved until it is defined has a variable. I could go into technical details, but I don't feel like I could explain it in a simple and clear way. But anyways, back to what I was saying, defining variables is how you make data matter to your program.

This is essentially stating to Reality "Here exists something extremely special to me, and I'll need to be connected to it forever for my component to work!"

You declare a variable by defining what type of data it is (is it an int, a double, or a string?), giving it a name, and setting its value (for example an int variable to represent the number 5, or a string variable to represent the word love). 

Just like most languages allow for atleast 6 different POVs, yet conjugate verbs differently, each programming language has its own rules for this process.

Some are more particular than others because they're operating on a deeper layer of Reality, which demands greater clarity and surgical precision from them, making sure that they accurately identify the correct object that needs to be modified via programming!! It's soo easy to forget people's names, even if you made the deepest connection with them..how much more what the hell a particular piece of code is talking about..when you're superr exhausted mentally, and you've been staring at code for hourssss!!! 

THIS IS LITERALLLLY WHY I MEDITATE, on top of eating well, and working out!! I'm able to go for hours, and hours, and hours, decreasing my work rate over time, while maintaining the highest quality of my work simply because my brain shifts to my MindPower tank when its low on energy...and all it takes is implementing diaphragmatic breathing, Smiling/making myself laugh, and cultivating long-term/Big Picture thinking :) And the best part is ANYONE CAN DO IT!!!

Sorry, side tangent. Where was I? Oh yeah programming languages and their syntax (which for the sake of clarity, we will define a programming language's syntax as the organization and use of the written language--letters, words, symbols, and special characters--in a way that is most aligned and coherent with the context or layer of Reality that the programming language deals with. 

It could be working on the data infrastructure layer--which for the sake of clarity, we will simply define as understanding and consciously choosing the geometric structure my own personal micro multi-dimensional data takes when it ebbs and flows as it interfaces with the World's global macro multi-dimensional data-- programming servers--which for the sake of simplicity and clarity, we will simply define servers as sources, hmm even better TRANSMITTERS! of data. In today's world, the use of many different types of servers is the pre-dominant way data is moved around, at high speeds, in high frequency, and across large distances to accept, send, or reject particular types of data. So in this context for example, because programming here will be more geared towards questions like "What is causing the kink in the Force/Flow of data? Where is the missing Connection? How can I increase the strength of relationships that my servers have amongst one another" the syntax will reflect a more relational, "this connects with that" visual look.

Or It could even be working on the application development layer--which for the sake of clarity, we will simply define as using the digital medium to LITERALLY cause a FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT in Reality with the hopes that it eradicates the ONLY type of problem we have left to deal with, since our collective victory as a species over Mazlow's hierarchy of needs--lifestyle problems--with the singular mission to make our PRESENT-DAY World a DRAMATICALLY cooler, dare I even say..$waggier ;) !!??--and better place to live in while engineering a self-sustainable, self-propelled, growth-oriented Foundation that cultivates and curates the World's Ecosystem so that our descendants come out, STR8 FROM THE GATTT, operating at their highest level of potential and inhabitate a World that is the lightest, and best World that it can possibly be, empowering them with the abilities necessary to fly...LITERALLY. So in this context for example, because programming here will typically take a more "the Earth is hurting because of this issue-->go the 3000% and learn the History and Contextual Factors that went unheeded and brought this issue into Existence-->Think Compassionately, Move Empathetically" type of approach, the syntax will cause you to think 2x and see each component of your program, each line of code as sacred and thus requiring you to take the time to fundamentally understand how each component needs to come together in order to achieve the goal of the application. Thus, the syntax in this context will reflect a more holistic look, where each component helps build the next.

I'm sorry, that was another hugeee tangent!! >.> The point of that is to help people understand that every programming language has its primary use, and that it's ultimately up to you, what you're specifically trying to do, and how you decide to do it that ultimately determines the programming language you're going to use!!

Back to what I was talking about, declaring a variable. As previously mentioned, you must state the data type, the variable name and the value that you wish the variable to hold to declare a variable. It typically looks something like this:

int variableName=4;

string variableName2="empathy and wisdom";

bool isItSunny=true;

The most important thing to remember is that no two variable can have the same name. This is to ensure that everything can always be referenced. If it's hard enough for parents who name their kid Joe and Joe to call the proper Joe at the right time, imagine a non-human entity lol!!

Anyways, once you create your variable, you can begin to play with your data. The same rules AKA everything that is common sense to do with letters and numbers in everyday life applies in the programming world. So you can add, subtract, multiply, divide, etc.. numbers, but you can only add and subtract letters from each other. If you have fully internalized this concept, then you know that the possibilities are truly endless!! 

Now, quick question for you. What if you wanted to save data in your program in a way that it NEVER changes. Meaning, once you define and set its value, that value stays like that forever. Maybe to save data for your birthdate! Well you can do so by defining what the programming world calls a constant! 

In most programming languages, the process for doing so stays the same as for a variable, the only difference is the addition of the keyword representing a constant variable for that particular programming language. It usually looks something like this:

const int birthday=10161992;

Op, now let me back track a little and talk about defining variables so that you may better understand what keywords are.

As I mentioned previously, to define a variable, you need:

-to state its data type (int, double, boolean, string)

-to give it a name (and it can't be a keyword, which I will get into now)

-define its value.

Now, there exists a list of words that have been set aside to return valuable pieces of information about our data if we so need it, like the keyword sizeof, which returns the size of the variable or how much Space is taken up by the variable, or the keyword const, which declares the variable as a constant. These keywords are there to essentially extend the possibilities of the logic we can create to build our program. For the sake of clarity and simplicity, let us define the logic of our program as the sequential series of events that occur in Reality as a result of our programming. 

For example, to get shower, get dressed and eat, you had to wake up and open your eyes, get up and get out of bed, p00p/pee longg time (if you're me), step into the shower naked, turn on the water, scrub your body with body wash and rinse it off, turn off the water, pick up the toothbrush along with the toothpaste, apply the toothpaste onto the toothbrush, scrub teeth, go into wardrobe and pick out clothes to wear, go to the kitchen and fix yourself breakfast.

And as a result of allll these small micro events, the end macro result is you got showered, got dressed, and ate. Tadaa!! 

By the way, the small micro events that we just listed out in order to achieve the end result of showering, getting dressed, and eating, in plain English, devoid of any technojargon, is called the pseudocode of a program in the programming world. 

It is extremely imperative to sit down and come up with the pseudo code, to clearly and fundamentally understand the small steps in between where you are and where you want to be. This is why I started out this post by hammering on the cultivating the ability to un-package the program as a whole into its small components, thus gaining a deeper insight into how the small components should come together and work as a whole. Doing this is a gamechanger since in every situation you find yourself in, your Mind will open up in a completely different way; you'll be able to trulyy see the multi-dimensional aspect of Reality, seeing the Big Picture and the small, micro events that occur in between, allowing you to clearly see any missing link or kink in between. And THAT, my friend is when things start to get fun. THAT'S when true engineering begins :)

With that said, I think I'll stop here for today, and let you go play for a bit. 

So how about a quick recap:

-Programming is not has scary as it looks

-Programming logic is basically built on a binary approach to thinking about events in the world. If condition is true, do this. If condition is false, do that.

-Cultivate the ability to un-package Reality; go from seeing the whole of an object, to the individual components that make up that object, to how they come together to work as a whole

-To be able to do anything meaningful with any piece of data, I must first define it as a variable

-To define a variable, I must state its data type, give it a name, and set its value

-There are 4 commonly used data types; ints for whole numbers, double for fractions, strings for letters, and boolean for true/false

-Constant variables are used to create variables with values that never change

-Pseudocode is the sequence of events that should occur so that my program does what I want.

As I mentioned, my goal is to provide an overview of the main concepts and ideas of programming without delving specifically on a particular programming language. This is because the programming language you use is directly predicated on what you're trying to accomplish and the resources you have available, and how you decide to approach it. 

I'm hoping that my posts essentially de-mistify the programming world for you, builds a foundation for a programming skillset if you are interested in pursuing it by explaining and tying together the main higher level, over-arching concepts, ideas, and viewpoints that run commonly across all programming languages, while imparting you with viewpoints and perspectives that can truly be gamechangers, helping you in your growth by keeping you focused on what truly matters.

We'll continue next time with FUNCTIONS; how a group of variables come together to create gamechangers.

Hope this helps and as always,

$waggg the fuckk out ;)

#gamechanger