Meme w/ Meaning

For purposes of full disclosure, I didn't see this as a meme on another blog. But a meme has to start somewhere. Why not here?

I promise...
...to live to my utmost potential.
...to be held accountable to myself and my standards.
...to get up when I fall down.
...to say what needs to be heard.
...to make the world a better place.
...to be the rock that some friends need to lean against.
...to never stop reading.
...to fight stagnation.
...to fight anarchy.
...to find beauty in the small things.
...to find humor in the large things.
...to allow myself to love.
...to allow myself to be loved.
...to avoid total self-destruction.
...to update my blogs when it's necessary.

...to keep my promises.

A Timely Reminder

(Sounds dangerously like sophilosophy to me.)

Desiderata
Commonly attributed to Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

A Wellspring of Fire

A series of...setbacks have recently hindered my progress in life somewhat. I can't afford to let it stop me, of course. And that statement alone is all it takes to drive me forward. Usually. [Readers don't get a back story. What readers will receive is one person's analysis of the interior power of an individual.]

Repeat: I can't afford to let it stop me, of course.

Is it that easy? Well, yes. You run into a wall that extends infinitely in either direction and you are left with two choices at the core of the problem: scale the wall, or lay down at its base and cease forward travel. In more general terms: when life gets you down, you either stay down or you get back up.

Now the hollers from the more astute members of the class. "If it were THAT easy, everyone would be doing it!" or "Nothing can be that simple when put into real practice..." or "Might work for you, but what about me?" or whatever other complaints they have. And those complaints are all valid.

Nothing is ever THAT easy, eh?

My original point stands though: despite the variables, the choices are either to get back up or to lay down (or go back the way you came, I suppose). The decision you make is up to you.

First of all, if you're reading this, you're a wall-climber. I try not to associate with people who fear the walls for the simple reason that I don't want it to rub off on me. But I digress.

ADDRESSING the problem and its possible solutions is easy. Choosing is a bit harder, for it's easy to ignore the wall and go about your business. Let's try always to avoid that choice, shall we? If only for the usual reasons that we only live once, that we have goals and dreams and hopes and loves, that we only have so many hours in a day, and that we can't afford to let things stand in the way of our potential.

If you're still reading and not grumbling angrily (I hear something about how the veil of ignorance was threatened) then we have much to discuss. Wall-climbers, rejoice!

I said earlier it was easy to choose. Caveat: it's hard, hard, hard to do. As your classmates grumbled earlier, if it was easy then it would be done. And I should point out right now (better late than never) that I'm not going to talk about what you do to overcome your wall. This isn't a self-help blog. Go meditate, visualize, throw money at it, pray, scream, cut throats, break laws, make babies, see counselors, see doctors, or have midlife crises at your heart's content.

No, I'm talking about that wellspring of...something that erupts within a person and gives them the motivation, energy, and endurance to scale walls. That's what I've been rolling around in this mind of mine for days now.

I hope you've all felt it, or will in the near future. The wellspring is this force, when an insurmountable issue stands in your way and all seems hopeless for so long. Suddenly something provokes a burning push deep within your self. This fiery wave surges through your body, mind, and soul; it reignites your passions and your will to move forward.

Take a moment. Do you know what I'm talking about? Have you felt it before? Where does it come from? Is it bottomless? How do we draw upon it in times of need? Does everyone have one? Is it a desirable tool to use?

Personally, mine never triggers when I think I need it to. I can never make it trigger without help. And it always happens in a burst (wake the fuck up) and then a few weeks of warm burning before it cools off. It always needs a person to trigger it forcefully, coupled with sensory pushes (certain songs or smells at certain times, emotional surges via movies or the news). And it never does what I think it will. I mean, it NEVER does what I think it will. Maybe it's better to say it never does what I think I need it to do.

Long post short, I've decided to call this the wellspring. One of my (many) passive goals is to try to understand this, put words to a wholly irrational and emotional process that (I hope!) everyone experiences at one point or another.

I don't think I'll ever truly figure it out. And I hope I don't. Figuring it out would grant it rules and logic and, I think, totally ruin it for me. I just want to have fun poking at it, and hopefully I can get more wall-climbers recruited along the way.

Voices of the People: Intro

I think it important to note that I am a long-time purveyor of the public transportation system. At first it was a matter of necessity, and it later became a matter of preference. To me, there's something comforting about starting your morning with a stress-free commute to work and ending the day with the sort of mindless reflection that comes to a person when they're in transit and not worrying about the drive.

But beyond that daily time of personal reflection, there is another honorable and priceless benefit to the usage of public transportation: the public. Public transportation gives the astute traveler the opportunity to mingle with a diverse variety of the common folk, those everyday Joes. And I absolutely loved it.

Side rant. Of course it may be easier to drive yourself to and from your busy life. Windows down, radio blaring, maybe a cell phone to your ear. Surrounded by people just like you and never having to look them in the eye. Certainly symbolic of our society today. Tune in the radio and tune out the world; we have our own problems and don't have time to care about the others.

This simply isn't the case for the average PT traveler. I mean, sure, you can plug into your iPod for the duration and be left alone. But if so, you're missing out on so much. Think about it. Humans are inherently social animals, yet every major invention we use on a daily basis makes it a point to isolate you. We are hermits adrift in a sea of hermits; forever surrounded yet always alone.

Is this seriously how we want to live?

I used to spend about 20 minutes on the bus every morning and about 45 every evening (I lived on an admittedly inefficient route). That's a full hour per day of golden time. Time to meditate and to learn. This is the time you are thrust in a small area with people you would never, ever be with otherwise. And if you're smart enough to grab the bull by the horns, this is the greatest hour of your day.

Businesspeople concerned about the environment or energy prices; single mothers hurrying to work; retired men going to meet their ilk at the coffee shop; the homeless that are simply looking for some air conditioning on a hot July afternoon; college students; high school dropouts; salaried managers; minimum wage junkies; your best friend; your worst enemy...and all crammed together in a moving room on a daily basis.

I've met grandmothers working because they couldn't afford not to, and they've changed my world views on life and death. I've met teenage lesbian couples hiding on the bus because they're not accepted elsewhere, and they've taught me that the world is still intolerant and unaccepting. I've met black single mothers that took the bus because they chose Christmas for their kids over a used car, and they've taught me that the love of a family can conquer all.

And I like to think that maybe, just maybe, the young white male that smiled and listened to their stories helped lift their burdens, helped make the world a better place for them.

From the first week that I used the PT system, I always wanted to share the insights and stories I picked up along the way. Hopefully I can do that here. My "Voices of the People" posts will be just that. I plan to recollect the experiences of the last few years and share the inevitable new ones that come along.

It's a big world with a lot of people all struggling just to be. We should all yearn to learn from one another. Take the bus, even if you have nowhere to go. Learn to smile and listen and share yourself.

You'll learn something.

Introducing...

...the Sophilosopher, a modern practitioner of sophilosophy, the practice of intertwining sophism and philosophy.

Who is the Sophilosopher? What is sophilosophy? Herein he defines both within the scope of his personal world view. Be forewarned, the conclusions reached by the following definitions are his and subject to dispute; the truths are relative. They are nonetheless true to him.

Read, and learn:
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Sophism (n) - In Ancient Greece, the sophists were a group of teachers of philosophy and rhetoric. Sophos or sophia were words of Greek origin meaning wisdom, or one with expertise within a specific domain. These words later evolved to mean a general wisdom about human affairs, including politics and ethics.

During the times of great philosophers (Socrates in particular), the sophists by comparison were greedy blasphemers.

Regardless, those times have changed.

Many sophists held a relativistic view on cognition and knowledge. Their system of beliefs contains criticism of religion, law, and ethics. One could make the argument that such relativity is shallow and without meaning, holding no truth.

Isn't it better to consider such critical thinking of relative sciences to lead to better affirmation of such beliefs?

Aren't the best held theories and beliefs able to stand up for themselves against the onslaught of criticism and study?

The sophists were also desired in the world of politics for the art of rhetoric. This style, derided by many in the age of sophism, is now obvious and prevalent in political society. To be able to debate, to dispute--yes, even to doublespeak--are now considered both virtue and vice in public oration. The sophists knew this, and practiced the art of rhetoric accordingly.

From this came the ability to analyze and argue both sides of an argument. Further, from this came the desire to win an argument...often by any means necessary. It is easy to assume that this makes a sophist inherently insincere in their argument. However, this writer begs a different interpretation.

There exists (subject to interpretations, opinions, and world views) a right and a wrong to any affirmation, theory, stance, speech, policy, and sentence. However, it is safe to assume that between these stark blacks and whites there exists a wide range of gray. It is the skill, the duty of every sophist to represent this gray zone.

There exist infinite shades of gray in the real world. A sophist exists to ensure the blacks and the whites are convinced of this.

Ergo...

Sophism (n) - The artful practice of rhetoric, discussion, and debate fueled by insight, intellect, and an open mind.
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Philosophy (n) - Philosophy has many different meanings for many different people, perhaps as it should. It is derived from the Greek philosophia, meaning the love of wisdom. There are countless definitions of philosophy, countless schools of research, countless areas of discussion. It is probably best explained as a collective system of rational thinking and seeking answers. In fact, the concept of philosophy is incredibly vast and diverse, but can arguably be boiled down as a given collective of particular perceived truths.

Sure, that's an oversimplification, but why make this introduction longer than necessary?

One's personal philosophy is one's collection of perceived truths. One has to stress the word "perceived" because new truths are constantly being discovered, debunked, described, and delivered as the years roll by.

A philosopher is a finder of the answer to a question. In a field of gray, it is a philosopher's job to define the black and the white. They concern themselves not with relativity, whether their discovery is agreeable, or even whether the world cares.

Philosophy (n) - The constant act of defining reality; what is truth and what is fiction.
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Now that we've got that pedantic preaching aside, we can answer the question: what is sophilosophy? Well, it's a combination of sophism and philosophy, the errant offspring of the two.

1. Sophilosophy is the protection of the doubt that cushions truth. When a zealot is sure he is right, he will never be aware of his wrongs.

2. Sophilosophy is the reconciliation of two truths that contradict. Whether God makes the sun rise, Apollo careens across the sky, or Earth orbits a gaseous celestial body: the sun still rises every morning.

3. Sophilosophy is the bulwark against which truth is either strengthened or destroyed. A sophilosopher is able and willing to attack even the truths they believe, for a strong truth will survive and the weak truths will fall to such scrutiny.

4. Sophilosophy is the understanding that the gray exists for a reason and it should be defended. When everyone is passive and sure, the pool of ideas will grow stagnant. A sophilosopher actively petitions the unsure, forcing them to constantly struggle for their own ideas.

5. Sophilosophy is the acknowledgment that one set of a sophilosopher's rules will probably not apply to anyone else, as well as the acknowledgment that the list is subject to change.

6. Sophilosophy is the evolution of truth, ideas, and society at large.
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This blog is one self-described sophilosopher's outlook on life. He makes no promises, no claims to greatness, no clamor for profit or readership. He simply hopes to stand quietly on his soapbox and say what needs to be said about whatever he happens to notice. He trusts in advance that you'll understand, and doesn't care if you fail to.