Photo c/o t3rmin4t0r via Flickr
LIFE IS A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION
“I just need to start writing…”
That is what I told myself this morning after thinking about the many different possible ways to go about this project. So here I go.
The night comes upon us sooner. The air is a little cooler. And only memories of a summer past will remain with us until the next summer season.
It has been a great summer. One to remember. But as always time has gone by too quickly. There was so much more I needed to accomplish. But alas, time stops for no mortal & simply continues its seemingly boundless march forward. All we can do is hold onto the memories of times past & live the utmost in the present moment.
The present moment.
That most important moment in every Individual’s life. There is that old saying: “No time like the present” Of course there is also that old latin phrase: carpe diem – seize the day. It is what I must do. It is what we all must do. It is how we enjoy life to its fullest.
Then there are no regrets for times past & only hopes for times future. This moment right now is all we have. Seize it.
Tell me about your experiences living in the moment. Share with us how seizing your day gave you a sense of happiness & completeness. Please feel free to use the comment form below. Until next time…
Bitcoin. We’ve all heard about it. How it has changed the way the finance world works. How criminal organizations have used it to launder money. How the US government & many individuals see it as illegal. How intrepid entrepreneurs have made millions & then lost them all in a heart beat…
So is there anything to this digital currency revolution or is it just another get-rich-quick scheme based on hallow promises?
At bottom every man knows well enough that he is a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as he is, ever be put together a second time.
Angst means fear or anxiety (anguish is its Latinate equivalent, and anxious, anxiety are of similar origin). The word angst was introduced into English from the Danish, Norwegian and Dutch word angst and the German word Angst. It is attested since the 19th century in English translations of the works of Kierkegaard and Freud.[1][2][3] It is used in English to describe an intense feeling of apprehension, anxiety, or inner turmoil.
In German, the technical terminology of psychology and philosophy distinguishes between Angst and Furcht in that Furcht is a negative anticipation regarding a concrete threat, while Angst is a non-directional and unmotivated emotion. In common language, however, Angst is the normal word for “fear”, while Furcht is an elevated synonym.[4]
In other languages having the meaning of the Latin word pavor for “fear”, the derived words differ in meaning, e.g. as in the French anxiété and peur. The word Angst has existed since the 8th century, from the Proto-Indo-European root*anghu-, “restraint” from which Old High German angust developed.[5] It is pre-cognate with the Latin angustia, “tensity, tightness” and angor, “choking, clogging”; compare to the Ancient Greek ἄγχω (ankho) “strangle”.
I am one who counts myself a part of Generation X. As such, perhaps I have had a generational predisposition toward “Angst”. In so many of the cultural endeavours & thoughts of my generation – not to mention the Philosophies I studied at University – this idea of “Angst” has predominated. From the Grunge music I listened to, to the philosophical ideas of the Existentialists – this idea coursed through my final years of formal education.
So am I filled with Angst?
Do you take me as a scarecrow?
Do I not yearn to fly?
Crucified and stuffed with straw, condemned to live a lie
from Dirge For A Mutinous Philosopher
Captain Vulpine
The image of a lonely Scarecrow protecting a farmer’s field is an archetype most of us can envision instantly. There they stand, lonely & protective – yet ultimately powerless. As Captain Vulpine says in his amazing song: “condemned to live a lie”
“We do not know what we want and yet we are responsible for what we are – that is the fact.”
– Jean Paul Sartre
About a week or so ago I posted some Sartre quotes & promised to share my thoughts on this famous Existentialist’s words. The above quote has always sparked deep ideas in my mind. Let me expand on some of my thoughts…
We are born, creatures in this existence, with endless Possibility laid out before us. Anything & everything is Possible. All it takes is for us to decide – to Choose what we want. Yet the problem is we rarely know what we want. Sure, we are told a lot of things as we grow up & experience the world around us. Our parents, our teachers, our friends & society in general tell us all about the good life & what we should expect & want out of it. Yet do any of these things Truly equate with what we want as Individuals?
“Et bien, tuer toutes les Philosophes!”
(Well then, kill all the Philosophers!)
There was once a golden age of thought when men & women would ask those deeper & more meaningful questions. Those most important questions that seem vital to our very existence. Various discussions would follow & Individuals would share their ideas & their experiences – hoping to find Truth.
Truth.
That is what it is all about in the end.
“Is our technology changing what it means to be human that much?
This is a question without a definitive answer … so far. Futurists claim we are already cyborgs (we have glasses and pacemakers and use Google instead of memorizing things) and are going to keep changing, while leading sociologists of technology like Sherry Turkle point out that this often has more in common with malnutrition than evolution: just as eating junk food will keep us alive but not make us healthy, social networking and modern media are a cheap substitute that doesn’t really fulfill our needs as human beings.
New Existentialist Eugene Taylor has suggested that trying to deliberately “advance” the human species has been tried many times before, and always failed. “
This is from a very interesting article on the subject. Well worth the read.
What are your thoughts on how technology is changing human society & the actions/thoughts of Individuals? Do you think Empathy is something we can teach, or are (as the author suggests) times of solitude also important to help humanize ourselves? Let me know your thoughts in the comment space below.
Children have the ability to amaze & to inspire us beyond the bounds of what we think is possible. Take for example my eight year old son. We were on our way home from our weekly Beaver meeting & he started asking me about God. Now, we have talked about God before, a subject that he is keenly interested in. My wife & I have him enrolled in a Catholic school, even though neither of us are Catholic. The reason why he is enrolled in a Catholic school is because it was the only school in town at the time that offered French Immersion education.
Anyway, about this Theological discussion. I can’t quite remember how it all started, but I do know that he brought up the subject…
Sacred Knowledge 