I think John Donne is a wise man:
Death be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so. For, those, whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow. Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
God employs several translators; some pieces are translated by age, some by sickness, some by war, some by justice.
Wicked is not much worse than indiscreet.
School sucks. Don't think that I say that because I don't like it or anything. It really does suck. Where is the structure? They say we should take math, science, English, social studies, and a foreign language. We ought to be allowed to choose what books we want to read and what courses we want to take. We should be able to pick our major as a freshman and take courses relevant to that major so that when we arrive at college we aren't scatterfucked with information that is unfamiliar to us. Math is cool, but it depends on the subject matter. Take geometry and algebra, for example. Most of the bologna learned in these classes does not come back in any way, shape or form save an SAT or similar standardized test. Once you get to pre-calculus, you are trained to believe that what you are doing has some kind of real world value. It doesn't. I can't really speak for calculus, because I am not taking Advanced Placement, but what we've done in honors is just algebra with a few caveats. Statistics is an excellent class that is the most reasonable "math" that I've scene. You systematically go about sorting information. That's fun, but you must have it in you. If you don't then you shouldn't be required to ever take the class. The same rule applies with lower level high school maths (especially if you anticipate being a humanities major). Science is something that should cease being a requirement as well. If you naturally are interested in biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy, or any of the countless science electives, then by all means take these classes! If you aren't curious about said subjects, you shouldn't have to take them. I have to admit that I hated biology, chemistry, and physics at first, but I grew to appreciate them. I had an epiphany of sorts though: when I'm majoring in accounting, science won't matter. I like English, but it is too screwed up as a class. We read books that most of us have no interest in and have to do assignments related to them. For instance, I like to read, but only about topics that amaze me (politics, business, sports statistics). If we could only choose what books we read and do reports on them everything would work so much better. Instead, we are left to discuss the assigned text. I don't care about what other people have to say concerning a literary work because what they say is subjective. I would participate more...if, perchance, my opinion actually mattered. I've been asked before why I don't participate all that often and that honestly is my reason. Grammar, though, is a particularly effective element that needs to be studied by every writer. Social studies is a very broad term for a lengthy list of courses. You have your histories, politics, sociology, justice + crim, and psychology classes under the "social studies" umbrella. In order to take one of these classes, one should have a particular appetite. I think everyone should take a politics class to become familiar with governing institutions that have the potential to dissolve rights. Other than that requirement, one should be able to pick and choose. I've always been a history and politics guy, so taking these classes was naturally appealing. Joe Schmo, a to-be physics major, shouldn't have to. Finally, we have foreign language. Does anyone logically need to learn a language besides English? Nope. If you want to though, you should have that right. What am I trying to say? I am trying to say that public schooling is terrible. A college like system should be instituted that allows for greater concentration on certain subjects. Abolish the MCAS. Abolish requirements. Abolish the income tax, too, while you are at it. Now, I must go back to being the slave to the master I've served for the past twelve years.
If we are all in fact products of our own environment than it is unfair for one to simply "give up" on someone else, because they are essentially playing with the cards they've been dealt. The best way to conquer the schism, if you will, is through serious patience and constant communication. Another key element is finding similar interests and working from there. I.E, most humans enjoy music, if you want to persuade someone to your views/opinions/beliefs, because you believe his or hers is negative and dangerous, well you could show them a band that fervently promotes your view. A perfect situation would be introducing the song, "Prison Song" by S.O.A.D. to your friend (who loves the Drug War and is extremely Conservative) and explaining the meaning and then continuing with a discussion. Don't yell, but rather speak to them with respect and acknowledge their views and where you feel they are flawed. Present your, what I call medium points first, good solid,reasonable points, then you nail them with your best evidence, and of course throw in the final average points. Stats are always helpful too. Don't rely too heavily on the hypothetical. Fortunately, your friend will at least see your side and make some changes in his views. Ideally he will completely agree with you, which is very possible, if strategically concentrated. Note: don't brainwash them! Always make sure, you are open to other ideas then your own.
I walked downstairs to see what was for dinner (just a few minutes ago) when I happened to notice soft core pornography on the T.V! I am not talking about Jenna Jameson and Briana Banks making out, not that, but instead a music video. I didn't pay attention to who was doing the hollering (I think they call it rapping nowadays); I noticed two girls next to a flashing wall with their roundish boobs on display. They weren't standing there innocently either -- they were doing dance moves akin to what you see in strip clubs (I wouldn't know, but I do). Now, let me just get this clear: If I want my daily fixing of pornography (I think Chris calls it "hamburgers"), I can just type in some obnoxious phrase in my little Google search bar, be it "woman and dog" or "tub girl". Since when did MTV Hits become Girls Gone Wild? What ever happened to real music videos? Occasionally, I will see The Verve's Bittersweet Symphony video (one of my favorites of all time) come on, but a couple of hours later I see scantily clad black girls. I fucking hate censorship, but they need to get this shit off the tube. The end.
I hate swearing like this too, but I'm sorry.
Honestly, I don't know much about philosophy. I know that it is the study of how to live (thanks, Wikipedia). I've been hearing a lot about philosophy lately be it Chris DeCarlo, the Petit Prince and or Rick Astley. Anyway, I wanted to research some philosophies and then share to you my views on them.
Realism: This is the belief that things have real existence outside of the mind. Realism makes sense as we can sense everything around us tangibly.
Nominalism: Contrasting realism is nominalism. This is the belief that things existence in universal terms only. One could definitely argue this, I mean is 2+2 really 4? We can't empirically say that it is.
Rationalism: This is the belief that emphasizes human reason. Scientifically rationalism makes sense, but must everything be comprehended by the human mind? Somethings we just can't explain rationally.
Skepticism: This is the belief that nothing can be known. Skepticism can branch into academic and religious areas and in general it seems to be just an easy way out. If one embraces skepticism, one is embracing nothing.
