Family Relations

Families have interesting internal structures. In my family my mother controls the family, even though my father does more work for the family. For me I am more drawn to my mother because of this controlling factor, I'm not really sure why but if there is something bad that happened I am more inclined to talk to my mother about it... Maybe Freud was right that sons are closer to their mothers. What adds to my confusion as to why I am more inclined to talk to my mother is that my father and I have similar traits and enjoy similar things. We are both sailors, accomplished in the midwest. We like similar music and we are both interested in fixing things before we throw them away and buy another or go without something. But even through our similarities we are not especially close, I dont go to him for problems, but then again I dont go to my mother for problems either. That is just who I have grown up to be, I'd rather be independent and solve my own issues that tell my parents. So for me this idea of  parent and child relationships is quite difficult. I wouldn't consider myself to have a normal relationship with either.

What do I know?

How do I know what I know? That is a very good question, I want to think that what I have learned is true, and that things I hear are also true. But do I actually know that everything around me, everything said to me, everything I read is true? No, of course not. And being disappointed by something that I believed to be true but really wasn't is one of the worst feelings you can have. Being sure of something and then it ends up being false and you ideals and hope are crushed. But that situation is only in the most personal sense. If I found out that 1+1=3, to be honest I wouldn't care aside from the fact that all of my math classes since 1st grade have been based of 1+1=2.. So in reality we can only hope that what we know is true. For some things it'll never be clear cut as to right or wrong, truth or lie, black or white.

My purpose

My purpose. 
 First I think I should try to define what I believe purpose is, a purpose is something a person is best at, that aids in their own life to make them feel complete and so they feel they are contributing but also something that helps others too. I don't believe finding a purpose is an easy task, in actuality I think it may be one of the hardest things as humans we try to do. 
 For myself I think this is an impossible question to answer at this point in my life. I am not sure what I am doing to help everyone around me, that's serves a purpose that lasts longer than a day or a week. But just because I don't believe I have one now does not mean that I don't believe I'll eventually have one. I think a true purpose comes later in life when you are not being treated as a kid or a child which seems to persist with adults no matter if you are the same size have the same things to say or for that matter have more intelligent things to say. So what I am trying to say is that a purpose is like wisdom, you have to earn it, and you cannot just have it instantly. 

God In 2010

What or who is god in 2010? As a person who is not religious I do not seek out god for problems I have or thank him for good things that happen to me, but if there is a god and he did create the earth I respect him deeply, and if I could, I would tell him he did a pretty good job.
           But what purpose does god have in a society that is slowly finding out how we were created or what our past looked like through science, and soon possibly we may find out all the secrets of the world and how we came to be? For the time being I believe god still holds a purpose, for people who could not bear the thought that people  are alone in the universe god provide a much needed pillar in which to lean and feel stable. For people who need to have a purpose in life god helps them too, what could be more worth while than serving a higher cause or being who at the end of your life will welcome you to paradise with open arms, or for that matter greet you with open arms and 72 virgins. It serves society a higher cause as well, if society had a bunch of people who were killing each other and robbing, and doing other crimes to others we would have a very serious problem, but in most religions, god says that doing all those crazy acts is bad and he will not greet you at the gates to paradise.
       So what is god? God is a way to make it from day to day, continue a family tradition, a higher being to please. He is our way of making life meaningful and letting the wonder of the world be explained if not through reason, through intelligent design.

An Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living

From what we have learned from Socrates, we know that an unexamined life is not worth living. By this Socrate means that if we live our lives without analyzing what is around us then we will not truly being living and life not worthing living is something truly sad. All people should examine their lives and not just go day to day without the concept of time or space even coming into the equation. As a society we should should always examine life, because what do we know is true and what do we know is not? And what about ourselves is true and what is not? the only way to answer this it to really reflect on ourselves and to try to realize what really lays behind what we see on a daily basis, why do we do the things we do? Why do others act the way they do in accordance to our actions? These are all questions to ask ourselves and if we do so we are no longer living an unexamined life and we live the way Socrates tried to teach people.

Modern Gadfly, Stephen Marley

Stephen Marley, is a truly interesting character, he uses his amazing musical ability to try to change the world and to open people up to the idea that what the world is to them is not actually how it is. Stephen Marley is son of Bob Marley, who we all know and have at least one song of his on our Ipod or computers. He has truly kept his father's legacy going by making music that is free from hatred and tries to break stereotypes that society has. He constantly tries to tell people through his songs that the world is not how we see it. In one of his most famous songs, entitled, "Mind Control" Stephen's opening line is "Don't let them mould your mind, They want to control mankind". This statement can be directly linked to Socrates who tried to make people think differently and to question what people around them were saying until they could prove truth from falsehood. Although Socrates was less concerned about the control of mankind, Stephen has added this for emphasis of the fact that we as a society are taught things and people rarely question them because we simply take them as fact. Stephen tackels this problem head on in another line that soon follows the one I already put earlier, "When you trust in their deceit, Your mind causes your defeat".
      Stephen Marley truly has helped me perceive the world differently, even in the slightest sense. He wants people to see the world and to see a new reality, even if he makes you see one aspect of life differently, maybe itll get the ball rolling and you will start to see everything around you differently.

Justin falconer passed away this week after living a short but eventful life which will be remembered by those he left behind. Justin was a kind caring person who helped others when they needed it most. He will be remembered for his ability to sail and all of the places he went to compete for sailing. He affected people with his charismatic ability to pick up a conversation with those around him who he made friends with and carried the friendship for years. He also gained a great deal of knowledge about bicycles which was one of the great passions. He loved the idea that bikes could get people around faster than cars and at the same time he believed in the environmental aspects too. He believed that the wilderness was a real place of beauty and it when he was in state parks and camping areas he was truly happy, his ashes will be spread over both aspects of the earth, water and untouched land the two places he felt truly at home.