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As I muse over last week class discussions and reading of Emerson’s essays, I can’t help but to look even further to when I first started the semester. I remember how we, as an entire class, stood up in the center of the room, rotated in a circle, stopped, and had very quick conversations with each other.  That was supposed to be an example of philosophy. At the time, I didn’t understand the meaning of the exercise. I walked out of class that day discounting it as being purely Romper Room child’s play. However, every week, I’m finding that exercise, to be a vivid illustration of what philosophy really is.                 British philosopher, Bertrand Russell wrote, “It follows to that if several people are looking at the table at the same … Read entire article »

                  I can’t remember how many times, over the years, I’ve heard the phrase uttered from women, “All men are jerks!” Coincidently, I can’t seem to remember any film that amplified that phase so loudly until I watched “Thelma and Louise.” If there was a social message that Callie Khouri was trying to deliver, she successfully packaged a negative image of American men, from beginning to end, for women across the America to embrace.                 The image of Thelma’s husband, Darryl (Christopher McDonald) is one of an insensitive, foul-mouthed, egotistical, control freak who shows no appreciation towards his loving wife.  Khouri creates the image of Darryl before he has even entered the scene. Louise (Susan Sarandon) becomes agitated about the fact that Thelma (Geena Davis) hasn’t asked Darryl if she could … Read entire article »

                While reading Emerson’s essays, “History” and “Self-Reliance”, a common characteristic started to emerge between Emerson, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Socrates. They were all men who broke away from populace thinking. Emerson, like King and Socrates, wanted to agitate, with a purpose, the minds of common people. For example, Emerson writes, “Man is timid and apologetic; he is no longer upright; he dares not say “I think,” I am,” but quotes some saint or sage.” Emerson gives an insightful view of his prospective of society. It reminded me of the cartoon with two cavemen. Both are standing there with two stones, but one of the cavemen has a brighter idea. He chisels away the four edges of this huge stone, twice his size, in order to make it … Read entire article »

Here is another list of unfamilar words in Emerson’s essay entitled, “Self-Reliance.” Admonition latent naught lustre bard firmament providence connexion aspirant Prattle Piquancy Hark Conciliate Cumber eclat Lethe Absolve suffrage titular ephemeral capitulate Pule Lintels alms sot … Read entire article »

I began reading Emerson’s Essay for my philosophy class. Because of the time it was written, I found it quite challenging to first read due the vocabulary used during this time. I thought I would go back a second time and create a list of unfamiliar words so others might use as a reference guide for their reading as well. Inlet Explicable Epoch Centrifugal Centripetal Odious Alcibiades Proteus Catiline Solomon Inviolable Sacerdotal stoic lineament accost discourse Oracle Annals ether angularity manipular martyrdom proxy Belzoni Catacombs pedants ere metempsychosis mutable … Read entire article »

Last week, I was totally unprepared for two quizzes. The first quiz was in my philosophy class. That same day, I had another quiz in my film class. By the time my film instructor handed my quiz, I was so frustrated, tired, and disappointed with my unpreparedness, that I handed my quiz to my instructor with only my name on it, and left class early. When I finally arrived home, I took out my film book and started reading. I read until 11:00 p.m. When the weekend arrived, I tried to see where I allocated my time. Friday, after my main job, I worked my second part-time job from 2:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. I arrived at home around 10:00 p.m. too exhausted to study. Saturday morning, I got up at 5:00 a.m. to read the … Read entire article »

I thought I was smart, sly even. I had found an audio reading of Plato’s Euthyphro on the internet. I was looking for anything to assist me in getting through, what seemed like, at the moment, a difficult dialog reading. Not only did I find a complete, forty-minute audio reading, but also several websites that offered interpretation of the dialog between Socrates and Euthyphro. And to strengthen my knowledge, I researched the history on Socrates. After listening to the entire mp3 audio file, carefully taking notes along the way, I thought I had a good grasp of the ideas and lessons in Plato’s Euthyphro. I acquired a sense of confidence that I would bring to class and proudly display to my classmates. I was prepared.  Call me an expert even. … Read entire article »

Yesterday I tried to squeeze in a day as much as I could; homework, work, and finally, to end the day, sitting in a coffeehouse to draw. By the time I reached the coffeehouse they were ready to close. So, I went home, only to fall asleep shortly after I arrived. Yesterday represented a day of my life. What was I trying to accomplish? What was motivating me? What were the reasons that I choose to fill  my weekend with those activities? These questions, I have pondered for forty-four years, were resolved. A conclusion has been reached. Finally, I can idle my internal thinking machine and move on with life. The Personal Experience Each morning I get up to blog. I share my personal thoughts and experiences for the world to see. Why do I this strange ritual each … Read entire article »

I’ve pretty much have a normal routine now, going to work, school, and my photography mentorship throughout the week. For the most part, all homework must be done over a weekend, starting Friday afternoon. My schedule is too tight to attempt to do homework during the week. Yesterday, I had a chance to finish up my oil painting project. One of the things I’ve noticed as a college student is my increased interaction with younger people. It sometimes feels as if I’m completely out of place. For example, last night I found myself defending my work ethic with one of my co-workers. D.J. is a 19 year old college student who isn’t your typical 19 year old. I find him to be a pretty intelligent person to converse with. During one of our conversations we had last night, he made mention to … Read entire article »