Friday, February 17, 2012
"No man is an island." -John Donne
This quote is all about the togetherness that we humans share. Donne is trying to purvey the message that no one is ever truly alone, and that there is always someone out there who will recognize and appreciate our existence. This quote is also trying to show that total isolation is never a good thing. While it may be desirable to escape from the pressures of everyday life and society once in a while, we must not forget that we are social creatures by nature and are simply not capable of achieving all that we wish to without the help of others. Everyone is necessary and we are all playing a part in the big picture. No man is an island and no one is truly alone.
"Hell is other people." -Jean-Paul Sartre
This quote brings me back to one of my profound beliefs that perception is reality. This tactic, although not always beneficial or honest, plays a tremendous role in determining how people react to their lives. The way people perceive their environment is crucial in understanding their persona. Sartre's quote is narcissistic and does not speak optimistically about society. He believes that we as people are creating a terrible reality and that our malicious traits are expressed more significantly than our beneficial ones. While humans can and have made the world a terrible places over the course of history. I do not believe that most of us are out to create a disutopian world and try to make life hard on others. That being said, we humans do mess up quite often and Sartre could view these actions as humanity mindlessly creating a hellish world for ourselves; which is often true. One of my favorite quotes to keep in mind, although negative in connotation is, "the road to hell is paved with good intent." I keep this mind to make sure my actions are not just quick solutions to problems or are setting up further disasters, but that my actions are responsible, practical, and will provide a realistic solution. I find that people often "nice" their way into a bad situation by trying to find solutions in the wrong places. Perhaps this is what Sartre is referring to. Maybe he is not saying that humans are terrible or unintelligent, but that we use our abilities blindly and create a hell for ourselves without the guidance of wisdom.
This quote is all about the togetherness that we humans share. Donne is trying to purvey the message that no one is ever truly alone, and that there is always someone out there who will recognize and appreciate our existence. This quote is also trying to show that total isolation is never a good thing. While it may be desirable to escape from the pressures of everyday life and society once in a while, we must not forget that we are social creatures by nature and are simply not capable of achieving all that we wish to without the help of others. Everyone is necessary and we are all playing a part in the big picture. No man is an island and no one is truly alone.
"Hell is other people." -Jean-Paul Sartre
This quote brings me back to one of my profound beliefs that perception is reality. This tactic, although not always beneficial or honest, plays a tremendous role in determining how people react to their lives. The way people perceive their environment is crucial in understanding their persona. Sartre's quote is narcissistic and does not speak optimistically about society. He believes that we as people are creating a terrible reality and that our malicious traits are expressed more significantly than our beneficial ones. While humans can and have made the world a terrible places over the course of history. I do not believe that most of us are out to create a disutopian world and try to make life hard on others. That being said, we humans do mess up quite often and Sartre could view these actions as humanity mindlessly creating a hellish world for ourselves; which is often true. One of my favorite quotes to keep in mind, although negative in connotation is, "the road to hell is paved with good intent." I keep this mind to make sure my actions are not just quick solutions to problems or are setting up further disasters, but that my actions are responsible, practical, and will provide a realistic solution. I find that people often "nice" their way into a bad situation by trying to find solutions in the wrong places. Perhaps this is what Sartre is referring to. Maybe he is not saying that humans are terrible or unintelligent, but that we use our abilities blindly and create a hell for ourselves without the guidance of wisdom.
" Being alone never felt right. Sometimes it felt good, but it never felt right." -Charles Bukowski
This quote sufficiently describes my personal views on loneliness. In this quote, Bukowski points out that we as humans can find much refuge and understanding when we are alone, however it is not in our human nature to be entirely lonesome. I enjoy loneliness at certain times, especially as a teenager. It feels good to be able to slip away and just think, meditate, or goof around without feeling like I am being judged. I've been able to enhance my understanding of my social experiences in an in-depth way by synthesizing everything that goes on during the day and trying to make sense of it when I am alone. That being said, I've also been able to take away a great deal of my learning about myself and life through conversing with other people. To me, life is basically like trying to balance literally everything we are exposed to on some scale that doesn't tell you when everything is right, forcing you to use your judgement. I like how in this quote Bukowski says that loneliness can feel good, but it never feels right. I agree with that sentiment 90% of the time. Most of the time, I appreciate loneliness, but I retain the ever yearning desire to share and express among other people. However, there are certain times when I am alone and everything in the current moment aligns and for that moment, loneliness feels right. At the moment I feel alone, but I am reminded that my brain and my body are the only things I can truly own or control in this life and the acceptance of that truth makes me feel full and excited to use my abilities to the fullest.
"Virtue is sufficient for happiness." -Socrates
Socrates' point of view here makes a great deal of sense. He explains that it is what we value inside that determines our happiness and expresses that happiness is the most subjective emotion we can attain. Happiness is something completely left up to a person's perspective and what they value. Some people think they find happiness in material things and surrounding themselves with physical representations of their wealth, others find happiness in being able to spur emotions in people and in appreciating the beauty of the world. The number of happiness-creators is limitless. Let us live lives that find happiness not in things with a price tag, but in the joyous emotions that are created within us, forces that cannot be seen, but are only felt and believed in. Happiness is a force, that radiates through out the world at different times, sometimes evading others for longer than they expect. Happiness is found through appreciation and in the fact that we humans cannot help but be swept up by the belief that we are all playing a role in mankind's destiny.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
You're Never Truly Alone
Recently, we read articles from Ezra Klein and Roger Ebert on loneliness and how other people (primarily people with disabilities) deal with loneliness. Klein gave examples of how people who cannot function to their fullest mental potential with their physical bodies can now turn to the internet and video games to help them be able to control certain abilities they do not have in real life. This gives people a sense of fullness online, especially if for some reason they cannot interact with people socially everyday. Roger Ebert describes his reality of not being able to talk and how he can hardly physically vocalize himself in public. However, because of the internet and it's ability to connect him with people with whom he can no longer talk to or even possibly have never communicated with otherwise, he has found a new perspective on socializing. Ebert speaks of how it can become lonely inside his own head but once he turns on his laptop is he instantly engaged in diverse and deep conversations. This outlet has helped him keep a sense of social sanity now that he's unable to talk, but he can express everything he wants to share with the world through the internet and have conversations online with his readers.
Sometimes I do truly feel lonely, but mostly I am rather content with myself. I am someone who's perfectly content with silence. For example, when things suddenly get quiet in class after a conversation dies out kids might be inclined to say "awkward" or make strange eye contact. I however, am perfectly fine with silence. It is more suitable to reflect and come up with a new statement in silence than in commotion. Like everything silence has it's role, and if people stepped back and reflected upon their own actions and the world more often, they would find that silence has a much more important role than one may initially think. As far as loneliness goes, I definitely do feel that way sometimes. However, for me, this is a two way street. I intentionally stay out of the "social scene" among my peers. I have a few really good friends that are all different and that I am thankful for, and a bunch of people who I know and who's company I enjoy, or at the very least, put up with. I stay removed from the big social scene because it allows me to keep better keep my independence plus I have found that there are very few kids my age who see things from the point of view I do. I always enjoy a good conversation with people and I know that interacting with people is important to both self-fulfillment and advancing socially and economically in life, but I prefer not to get involved in the whole "he said she said" thing because frankly, I really don't care. One of my life goals is "to not get caught up in the rat race".
Because I am introvert who enjoys the company of people but not necessarily their constant presence and opinions I stay largely out of the party scene and other small hangouts. I try to never attend two parties in back to back nights, which may occur during the summer, simply so I can keep my distance from others, which I value and enjoy. My greatest social strength is that I do not belong to a clique. This is proved by the fact that I have five best friends, people that have always been there for me, people I can really count on, but they are all different in subtle but important ways and they are not all even friends with each other. This social strategy has allowed me to have friends from just about every grade and background still while always maintaining my genuineness. However I am often left out of simple hangouts since I am not fully involved in my friend's own cliques. My way of socializing is hard to explain and difficult to balance, but this method certainly suits me best and I have developed some simple rules to follow to master it. I sometimes do feel lonely, but I know the reasons why and I am content with my lifestyle.
Loneliness is not something I look to cure. I embrace being alone as a chance to evaluate myself and learn some new things without the constant judgement of someone else. It can be fun, it's very subtle, and it separates me from most of my friends who are constantly either with people or "plugged in". When I am by myself I like to write, read, listen to music, play guitar, ride my bike, do something simple but productive, or go take a walk through my woods. I need to be secure with my own emotions and perspective before I begin reaching out to others, so I use loneliness as a time to reflect on other people and my relationships with them, and to make sure I don't lose my integrity or values around peer pressure. Surfing the internet certainly helps crave my curiosity about numerous topics, however after about an hour on the computer my eyes hurt from looking at the screen and content starts losing its effect on me so I move on to something else.
There is one situation, though, that really makes me despise loneliness. Sometimes, I feel disconnected more those close to me, especially with the handful of girls in my grade that I am truly attracted to (to me, attractive means intellectually, physically, philosophically) and I feel like I can't express my true feelings to them correctly. This basically comes back to a lack of self confidence because I am lame. Loneliness really bites at me when I realize that I have so many great things to share, learn, and enjoy with someone, alone, away from the people scene, and I can't quite convey that to them as I wish I would. What I was to gain is the ability to share what I learn both when I am alone and with others, to someone and have them enjoy it and we'll both be interested and amused. I feel like I haven't gained anything until I've shared it with someone else and a positive effect on them, or at least make them think.
Such is the reason why I agree with Ebert's quote. Despite all of our introspective wonders and the enjoyment of time spent away from the speed of everyday life, people are fundamentally social creatures, and we want to share our experiences with others. Through all of my time spent alone, the lesson that has stuck out to me is that I need to share, comfort, and create with others something larger than ourselves. It is the ability to have a positive impact on someone else's life, to make them wonder, desire, and become more whole, that I seek to provide in my life. I know that in doing this, others will naturally return the favor. Despite all of the time we spend confiding alone or on the internet, let us not forget that it is human nature to socialize with people in the most real way we can. For people like Ebert, that method has no choice but to have a social presence exclusively online, but for the rest of the physically and mentally able world, let's take what we've learned away from the machines and the time spent alone; take it and turn it into something beautiful!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Life in a Day
Life in a Day is a movie filmed by thousands of people around the world on July 24, 2010. People were prompted to record what they did on that particular Saturday and submit their footage to a specific Youtube location where it would be gathered for editing. Everyone's footage, whether it was filmed with a cell phone or an expensive video camera, was accounted for. The footage was professionally edited and set to music to create an image of what life is like for people around the world.
The scenes in this movie ranged from funny, to sad, to serious. For me, there were three scenes that were especially memorable. Early in the movie, during the morning section, viewers are presented with a scene in which a young boy and his father go about their morning routine. They live in a small Japanese apartment, crowded with various possessions. The young boy is only about three years old and demonstrates enormous curiosity and maturity. He embodies all of the traits of a wondrous child. His father seems to have been put through his fair share of stress in his life, but seems to be renewed each day through their morning routine and the extraordinary spirit his son emits. My favorite "character" in this film was the Korean man who was riding his bike around the world. He seemed like someone with a purpose and focus in life. I admired that fact that even though he was just one singular person, without a large following, trying to do his best to make the world a better place.
Another scene that I appreciated was the final one in which a young woman is talking about her day into the camera at night. At first, she seems like is going to do something drastic as her tone is almost desperate. However, as she continues to speak she talks about how nothing significant or life-changing occurred during her day, but how that was alright and that she is thankful to be alive. This was the scene in the movie that I could identify with most. To me, there are so many days when I just stare out the window wishing I could be doing something memorable. I often feel like I waste entire days just doing nothing that's going to improve my own life or the life of another. It's just 24 hours that come and go. However, the girl at the end of the movie helped me reconnect with what I appreciate about life. Right now, I don't expect everyday to be exciting or dramatic nor do I really want them all to be. As I look back, I truly do feel like I am the luckiest person in the world to be in the position I am in and be able to view the world from where I do. I could write a whole book talking about why I feel so lucky, but some things are best kept for one's self. I have learned to accept that life overall is idle, not too much happens from day to day but there are certain moments, whether enormous in their scope or subtle, that "make" a person's life and evolve them over time. I am some one who lives for these moments, I am some one who does not seek out life changing moments but instead bases my decisions of what I intend to gain out of something and sees whether these decisions take me. I feel like the most important things in life wind up finding you; it's just a matter of being able to step outside of your comfort zone and make wise decisions and accept what fate will bring into your life. To me, fate and freewill combine in one's life to create their destiny.
There were a few scenes in this movie that made me feel negatively. One scene was filmed in what looked like the poor middle east and there is a father-like figure talking about how his family shared one small room and how he had a mentally disabled son whom they had to literally tie to a pole everyday to keep him from wandering off. It made me appreciate how high of a respect for all life we have in America and how inhumanely less fortunate people are treated in third world countries. When you consider that the man and his family live in a poor region where education is available for very few, you realize that there really is not much else he can do for his disabled son to keep him safe, but such a crude method as tying someone to a pole really had an impact on me. Another powerful scene was the one that showed the tragedy that occurred during the Love Festival in Germany. Thousands of people were gathered to have a goodtime and suddenly tragedy struck out of nowhere killing 18 people. Did the people who were crushed in the tunnel deserve to die that after noon? No. But it reaffirmed with me how fate and move one's life in often cruel ways. I am sure good people died in the tunnel that day. However, fate shows us how life simply is not fair, and we cannot expect it to be or even try to ensure it to be. Certain things are outside of our control and will always be. To me, the most liberating moment in my life was when I accepted that life isn't fair and I realized that I can still move on, prosper, and have a positive influence if I am prepared to embrace the bad and the good and not let either get to my head. The sooner you can accept that life isn't fair, the sooner you can move on to making the world a better place.
To me, being human means to live with integrity, honesty, and courage. This was shown numerous times during the film in how it depicted people simply trying to make the best out of their lives, be thankful for what they have, and their endless yearn to do better. We as humans are constantly searching for meaning in life and an explanation of what we cannot comprehend. This is because it is simply human nature to feel stable and secure. Such is the reason why we value our family above all things. We wish to act harmoniously with nature and the universe yet find ourselves further from this each day as we instead connect more with "stuff". To me, there are two sides to every person, their public and their natural selves. The way people act in public can often be crude, emotionally unattached and look like a desperate plea for conformity to any group that will take them in. Public life makes people often times look very selfish because we are constantly judging ourselves and each other. Then there's private life. You can observe this side of a person when you get to know them extremely well and you establish a relationship with them when no one is try to impress the other. This is when you get to know people best, when they are most candid. I know many many people who are much more enjoyable to be around privately than privately. When you strip people away from the impression that they need to fit in our that they are being judged and simply get to know them, you find that people are very similar. We all have consciences. We all are compassionate. We all value hard work and look down upon the simply lazy person. We're all wild, We're all free. We all believe, whether it is in a religious figure or in something haven't been able to identify. Figuring out life's mysterious and achieving a sense of understanding are what all humans are in pursuit of. Also, when you get to know some one extremely well, you realize that we all despise people who act only to be impressive in public. People who strive for only popularity or material possessions. Basically, as you get to know people in a deeply person way, you realize that we are all extremely alike and most of disagreements stem from the way people act in public, not the truly emotional events and about life. I think that people all have universal emotions and we all want to do good, they way that people portray these things in their lives, however can often become distorted. To me, the most admirable person is the same person who is strong both willfully and even to a certain degree physically both privately and publicly. A person who is able to put things in perspective and not loose their cool when challenge. A person who firmly rooted without being ignorant. A person who can interpret the difference between a beggar and someone who is helpless. A person who has purpose in their lives and lives with integrity for they know that everything that occurs in this universe and as an effect, whether minute or incomprehensibly large on everything else in the universe. If you figure out a way to do this, tell me how.
All humans share the same emotions. We all have happiness, sadness, doubt, pride...the list goes on and on. However, these emotions take different forms in peoples' lives all around the world. For example, American parents feel extremely proud when their child graduates high school as that moment is a big turning point in their lives. However, a family in say Pakistan may feel the same emotion of pride when their child learns how to take care of the family's flock of goats because that means that their child will have the ability to prosper and provide for their family in a society where education is not as common or revered as highly. People as a whole are extremely competitive as well and revere family with the utmost of our ability. The quest to exceed has long been an endeavor of humanity.
This film is filled with examples of juxtapositions. In one moment, after observing a poor family in the middle east where water and natural resources are scarce, the movie switches to a lawn being watered in wealthy Dubai where they obviously have water to spare. Another example would be when the film shows the crowded streets of India where people get around on mules, scooters, or on foot and then it switches to an image of a man taking his Lamborghini out for a spin.
I would definitely recommend this film to a friend. It depicts the way life is lived around the world and provides a good sense of just who the other people we share this Earth with, are. To actually see the way that people around the world live gave me a new sense of awareness for what the world is actually like. It showed by that while America is probably the overall best place in the world to be born into and to live, it is far from the norm. Life in a Day also showed me that most people around the world aren't unlike myself, and it did a masterful job of expressing the wonderous, passionate, and ceaseless human spirit.
The scenes in this movie ranged from funny, to sad, to serious. For me, there were three scenes that were especially memorable. Early in the movie, during the morning section, viewers are presented with a scene in which a young boy and his father go about their morning routine. They live in a small Japanese apartment, crowded with various possessions. The young boy is only about three years old and demonstrates enormous curiosity and maturity. He embodies all of the traits of a wondrous child. His father seems to have been put through his fair share of stress in his life, but seems to be renewed each day through their morning routine and the extraordinary spirit his son emits. My favorite "character" in this film was the Korean man who was riding his bike around the world. He seemed like someone with a purpose and focus in life. I admired that fact that even though he was just one singular person, without a large following, trying to do his best to make the world a better place.
Another scene that I appreciated was the final one in which a young woman is talking about her day into the camera at night. At first, she seems like is going to do something drastic as her tone is almost desperate. However, as she continues to speak she talks about how nothing significant or life-changing occurred during her day, but how that was alright and that she is thankful to be alive. This was the scene in the movie that I could identify with most. To me, there are so many days when I just stare out the window wishing I could be doing something memorable. I often feel like I waste entire days just doing nothing that's going to improve my own life or the life of another. It's just 24 hours that come and go. However, the girl at the end of the movie helped me reconnect with what I appreciate about life. Right now, I don't expect everyday to be exciting or dramatic nor do I really want them all to be. As I look back, I truly do feel like I am the luckiest person in the world to be in the position I am in and be able to view the world from where I do. I could write a whole book talking about why I feel so lucky, but some things are best kept for one's self. I have learned to accept that life overall is idle, not too much happens from day to day but there are certain moments, whether enormous in their scope or subtle, that "make" a person's life and evolve them over time. I am some one who lives for these moments, I am some one who does not seek out life changing moments but instead bases my decisions of what I intend to gain out of something and sees whether these decisions take me. I feel like the most important things in life wind up finding you; it's just a matter of being able to step outside of your comfort zone and make wise decisions and accept what fate will bring into your life. To me, fate and freewill combine in one's life to create their destiny.
There were a few scenes in this movie that made me feel negatively. One scene was filmed in what looked like the poor middle east and there is a father-like figure talking about how his family shared one small room and how he had a mentally disabled son whom they had to literally tie to a pole everyday to keep him from wandering off. It made me appreciate how high of a respect for all life we have in America and how inhumanely less fortunate people are treated in third world countries. When you consider that the man and his family live in a poor region where education is available for very few, you realize that there really is not much else he can do for his disabled son to keep him safe, but such a crude method as tying someone to a pole really had an impact on me. Another powerful scene was the one that showed the tragedy that occurred during the Love Festival in Germany. Thousands of people were gathered to have a goodtime and suddenly tragedy struck out of nowhere killing 18 people. Did the people who were crushed in the tunnel deserve to die that after noon? No. But it reaffirmed with me how fate and move one's life in often cruel ways. I am sure good people died in the tunnel that day. However, fate shows us how life simply is not fair, and we cannot expect it to be or even try to ensure it to be. Certain things are outside of our control and will always be. To me, the most liberating moment in my life was when I accepted that life isn't fair and I realized that I can still move on, prosper, and have a positive influence if I am prepared to embrace the bad and the good and not let either get to my head. The sooner you can accept that life isn't fair, the sooner you can move on to making the world a better place.
To me, being human means to live with integrity, honesty, and courage. This was shown numerous times during the film in how it depicted people simply trying to make the best out of their lives, be thankful for what they have, and their endless yearn to do better. We as humans are constantly searching for meaning in life and an explanation of what we cannot comprehend. This is because it is simply human nature to feel stable and secure. Such is the reason why we value our family above all things. We wish to act harmoniously with nature and the universe yet find ourselves further from this each day as we instead connect more with "stuff". To me, there are two sides to every person, their public and their natural selves. The way people act in public can often be crude, emotionally unattached and look like a desperate plea for conformity to any group that will take them in. Public life makes people often times look very selfish because we are constantly judging ourselves and each other. Then there's private life. You can observe this side of a person when you get to know them extremely well and you establish a relationship with them when no one is try to impress the other. This is when you get to know people best, when they are most candid. I know many many people who are much more enjoyable to be around privately than privately. When you strip people away from the impression that they need to fit in our that they are being judged and simply get to know them, you find that people are very similar. We all have consciences. We all are compassionate. We all value hard work and look down upon the simply lazy person. We're all wild, We're all free. We all believe, whether it is in a religious figure or in something haven't been able to identify. Figuring out life's mysterious and achieving a sense of understanding are what all humans are in pursuit of. Also, when you get to know some one extremely well, you realize that we all despise people who act only to be impressive in public. People who strive for only popularity or material possessions. Basically, as you get to know people in a deeply person way, you realize that we are all extremely alike and most of disagreements stem from the way people act in public, not the truly emotional events and about life. I think that people all have universal emotions and we all want to do good, they way that people portray these things in their lives, however can often become distorted. To me, the most admirable person is the same person who is strong both willfully and even to a certain degree physically both privately and publicly. A person who is able to put things in perspective and not loose their cool when challenge. A person who firmly rooted without being ignorant. A person who can interpret the difference between a beggar and someone who is helpless. A person who has purpose in their lives and lives with integrity for they know that everything that occurs in this universe and as an effect, whether minute or incomprehensibly large on everything else in the universe. If you figure out a way to do this, tell me how.
All humans share the same emotions. We all have happiness, sadness, doubt, pride...the list goes on and on. However, these emotions take different forms in peoples' lives all around the world. For example, American parents feel extremely proud when their child graduates high school as that moment is a big turning point in their lives. However, a family in say Pakistan may feel the same emotion of pride when their child learns how to take care of the family's flock of goats because that means that their child will have the ability to prosper and provide for their family in a society where education is not as common or revered as highly. People as a whole are extremely competitive as well and revere family with the utmost of our ability. The quest to exceed has long been an endeavor of humanity.
This film is filled with examples of juxtapositions. In one moment, after observing a poor family in the middle east where water and natural resources are scarce, the movie switches to a lawn being watered in wealthy Dubai where they obviously have water to spare. Another example would be when the film shows the crowded streets of India where people get around on mules, scooters, or on foot and then it switches to an image of a man taking his Lamborghini out for a spin.
I would definitely recommend this film to a friend. It depicts the way life is lived around the world and provides a good sense of just who the other people we share this Earth with, are. To actually see the way that people around the world live gave me a new sense of awareness for what the world is actually like. It showed by that while America is probably the overall best place in the world to be born into and to live, it is far from the norm. Life in a Day also showed me that most people around the world aren't unlike myself, and it did a masterful job of expressing the wonderous, passionate, and ceaseless human spirit.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Dreams
There are four major theories on dreams proposed by Freud, Jung, Adler, and the biological theory on dreams.
Freud basically thought that the purpose of dreams was to guard our sleep by replacing images from our sub conscious mind which he saw as harmful. He thought that dreams were an expression of the darker thoughts we supress during waking hours.
Adler felt that the purpose of dreams was for our minds to help make sense of what we experienced during the day. Dreams help us cope with our emotions.
Jung mostly agreed with Freud but he believed that the purpose of dreams was to instill emotional balance.
The biological theory on dreams is that basically the images we see in dreams mean nothing and that dreams a merlely a by-product of R.E.M. activity.
One time, I had this crazy dream that a jogged from the school down Rt. 68 and 206 to the Wawa on 206 in Bordentown at which point my dreaming self realized there's no way I would be able to run all the way back to the school and then I woke up.
My guess is that I didn't really have much to dream about this night and that my mind was just filling with images and thoughts about what I did that day since I went on a run early that morning and went up to the Hamilton Marketplace later that day. This dream would defintiely support that biological theory that dreams mean nothing. It also could support Jung's theory that dreams are reflective of emotional stability because I was not feeling much emotional turmoil over break when I had this dream.
Friday, May 20, 2011
OUTLIERS
Thursday, May 19, 2011
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