Is love or is it not? That is the question. Does love really exist as an independent entity or is it simply a human creation which could be either helping the chaotic world in which we exist stay afloat or accelerating its demise?
Many claim that love just is and it cannot be questioned or defined. However, I believe that whatever cannot be defined it must, as a result, be inexistent. In this case, if love can be defined into existence, it could potentially be a frantic entity.
Love is, to begin with, a four lettered word that presents itself as a beautiful set. The letters that compose the word simply match each other. It is has roots in old English as well as old German and Latin. The interesting discovery is that is comes from the Latin word lubēre which means to please. This finding immediately makes one ponder the question: to please who? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines love as a strong human affection which proceeding from one’s inadequacy, one necessitates and seeks someone who completes oneself. As well as an attachment, enthusiasm or devotion towards another being/thing; or holding someone dear which in the search for reciprocity in the desire for union, provides fulfillment, happiness, and energy to stay together, communicate and create. It is a feeling of surrendering to someone or something. Chaos not yet mentioned.
Society considers love a complement of various factors. Love functions then in a spectrum that ranges from simply wanting to see someone special to thinking that the presence of that person is necessary.
In love’s space between the ends of that spectrum, there are many different stages. Love is more an obsession or a habit. When one loves, one is expected to think about only one person day and night, to have an irresistible desire to hold that person in one’s arms. Yet, one is at the same time expected to continue a life in such a state. It is impossible. Love dictates that even if one tries to banish any trace of the object of one’s affection, one will not succeed in doing so. In the same way, there is not anyone who can compare to the beauty that the object of one’s affection embodies. That beauty goes beyond any physical boundaries. The moment one is said to have fallen in love with someone that person who has newly acquired our favor becomes unique. That person is supposed to become the center of our world without our knowledge. I repeat, how could one then lead a normal life after such an event? Impossible, I tell you! There is no such thing as this love societies speaks of, how could there be?!
Furthermore, once is supposed to experience a shiver and heartbeat acceleration when the object of one’s affection is present. This strange feeling can be controlled but not for long since the minimal show of affection is said to make it recur. Society claims the existence of a certain feeling of protection involved in the idea of love.
Nevertheless, love is not all personified by happiness. It is also claimed to be filled with despair and concern. One cannot dominate the idea that the person who is the object of one’s affection could not be doing well. Even worse, that said person might not be there the next day whether due to what would be considered a disaster, namely death, or simply to the fact that what one thought was an eternal connection might actually be time constricted.
One renegades of society if such relationship does end without realizing that society was the one who created it to begin with. One does not comprehend that the only eternal items that one possesses are the ones that one has in the present and that it will be thus while they last.
If we all thought that love really exists and that this societal definition of it is what love is, then the world would be far more chaotic than what it is now. We would all focus in these relationships that we hope to make eternal; only thinking about the future which will prevent us from enjoying the present.
At the end, in order for the world to remain afloat love is a luxury that we cannot all enjoy. It is a fight between those who want the boat to stay in the surface and those who want to sink it: which side are you on?
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Last Legal Form of Slavery
Is it possible for slavery to still be a common practice despite the belief that it was abolished over a hundred years ago?
While many would argue that slavery has been long abolished, it is in fact a torture that many people experience in the present day. Marriage –heterosexual marriage that is- has been a long standing tradition through which women have been reduced to functional slavery.
Historically, marriage is recognized by religion, law and society. Society recognizes two people living together as a marriage because they are sharing responsibility. Law condemns marriage as a contract that springs to life through a civil process. On its part, religion blesses a marriage. A marriage usually takes places in order to provide for legal, social and economic stability, the necessary accommodation for the formation of a family unit with the procreation, nurturing and education of children. It also legitimizes sexual relations. Some people feel the need to make a public declaration of affection and marriage is used as a tool for such declaration, but there are also those who marry to obtain citizenship thus marriage is also a business.
In order for a marriage to be recognized as legitimate it needs to be consummated. The failure to do so would provide for a genuine justification to invalidate the marriage. Also, in most societies the death of one of the partners marks the end of the marriage while in others this only applies when the woman dies; otherwise the woman must be buried with her husband’s body (as is required by the Hindu religion) . In many others, a divorce is also accepted as a way to terminate the marriage.
However, a marriage does not end there. As slaves were bought and deprived of their freedom and compelled to work, so were women in the ancient days. There is a slight difference with the present state of slavery experienced by women; they are not longer economically bought as objects. However, they are largely still denied their freedom and are constrained to doing a work they do not necessarily enjoy or was part of their desires. In the present day, a diamond ring is usually the device used by a man to ask a woman in marriage. When the “right man” has the “right ring,” a woman agrees to marriage. But this only symbolizes how a slave is only sold to the person willing to pay the “right price.”
In the past, the groom’s family had to pay a “bride price” which paid for the right to marry the women he had chosen. In other cases, a dowry has to be paid by the bride’s family to the groom which further sentences women not only as objects, but as rather invaluable objects if the family of the bride must pay the groom to marry her. The financial transaction that takes place between the groom and the bride’s family does not at any given moment considers the bride as the person that she is. After the marriage, the now wife became known as the property of the husband and was often called “his property.” In this sense marriage was a simple market transaction in which the wife became a slave to her husband since he owned her.
In the same way, a woman was thought to be the property of her parents. Nevertheless, since the man was considered the owner of everything then she was directly a property of her father. Thus, the father would walk her down the aisle (which is still a common practice) as a way to signify his delivering her to her new owner. Through marriage, then, a woman merely changed owners.
Even though this is not as drastic in the present day, women are still bound in most societies to a functional slave state when they marry. Women must give up their professional careers, if any, in order to have children and take care of them. Marriage for women draws a parallel with giving an alcoholic a soup of wine because they are mocked with the need to taste the heaven of which many speak knowing that it is not necessary beneficial to their public and private persona.
Redefine marriage into an equally divided set of responsibilities, obligations and joys, but without the institution behind it; or, is the infamous diamond ring such a necessity as to be worth playing the role of the condemned submissive slave? Nonetheless, the fear of loneliness prevails for many.
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Most Infamous Religion
Is soccer only one more of the many sports practiced around the world or does its popularity go beyond the realm of the other not so widely acclaimed sports?
As a young child, I grew up going to church, must I clarify: Catholic Church. Yes, I admit that the people attending the church were overflowing with faith, most of the time that is. Yet, at the opposite side of the spectrum Sunday was not only the day to attend holy mass, but the sacred day of soccer matches. Whether on television, radio or at the field, soccer was never to be missed on a Sunday. Everyone had a team for which the will went so far as to betting one’s life for the game. The same way one was immersed into believing that an eternal joy was to follow an earthly existence if one only managed to follow the teachings of church. Old traditions die hard, but some harder than others. I have realized that soccer has a far stronger grip on humanity than Christianity. After all, people do switch religions when they find that another belief system fits them better than the one they previously were devoted to. But soccer, soccer is forever.
The preceding claim is supported by the multiple evidence that can be collected. FIFA’s president can take the role of the Pope while FIFA itself acts as the ruling body for soccer around the world as the Vatican does for Catholicism. The President of the each National Soccer Association functions as the Cardinal of each country serves to the Catholic faith. And one can move down through soccer hierarchy as well as church’s hierarchy, but that would make for a weak argument. In other terms, however, this will be easier to grasp as a possibility.
In a simple scenario, aliens are observing humans from cyber space and they are trying to understand what is that we hold on to as a higher unit. Their answer will be found in a soccer match. Let us take this image step by step. First, there are thousands of people ready to watch a soccer match, a world cup final, close and personal at the Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, commonly called Estádio do Maracanã located in Brazil, which once was the largest stadium in the world. What do aliens see? They observe a group of priests fighting a battle which will lead them to acquire the favor of those watching the game. Plus, the aliens have access to the satellites that send the signal to each house in which everyone who could not be at the stadium is also watching the game. Soccer attracts everyone. The young, the old, women and men whereas religion can only get a hold of those that have lost hope because while young they did not do much to help themselves as well as those young ones who do not yet know any better.
When time comes around for a world cup, every one wants to know how their national team is doing. Dare I say it, even those who preach that soccer is not worth their time as a sport or those who simply advocate alienation from sports in general. This so strange an event boast an audience twice that of the Summer Olympic games. The world cup carries a power that even the four most powerful religions in the world do not posses as an ability to command billions of their non-followers at their maximal event even if it happens only every four years.
There is a reason to believe that Soccer’s Ten Commandments, which can be derived from the rules of the game –otherwise known as soccer’s bible–, are more widely respected than those of religion. I’ll let you be the judge of them:
Thou shall not love any other sport but soccer.
Thou shall not make wrongful use of the name of soccer.
Thou shall remember the finals of all tournaments and keep them holy.
Thou shall honor your team: national & league.
Thou shall not score against.
Thou shall not switch teams.
Thou shall not prevent another team mate from scoring.
Thou shall not deny the team when it loses.
Thou shall not covet thoughts in favor of other teams.
Thou shall not covet your neighbor’s team.
Remember that to those watching from outer space, soccer is much, much more than a simple sport.
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
As a young child, I grew up going to church, must I clarify: Catholic Church. Yes, I admit that the people attending the church were overflowing with faith, most of the time that is. Yet, at the opposite side of the spectrum Sunday was not only the day to attend holy mass, but the sacred day of soccer matches. Whether on television, radio or at the field, soccer was never to be missed on a Sunday. Everyone had a team for which the will went so far as to betting one’s life for the game. The same way one was immersed into believing that an eternal joy was to follow an earthly existence if one only managed to follow the teachings of church. Old traditions die hard, but some harder than others. I have realized that soccer has a far stronger grip on humanity than Christianity. After all, people do switch religions when they find that another belief system fits them better than the one they previously were devoted to. But soccer, soccer is forever.
The preceding claim is supported by the multiple evidence that can be collected. FIFA’s president can take the role of the Pope while FIFA itself acts as the ruling body for soccer around the world as the Vatican does for Catholicism. The President of the each National Soccer Association functions as the Cardinal of each country serves to the Catholic faith. And one can move down through soccer hierarchy as well as church’s hierarchy, but that would make for a weak argument. In other terms, however, this will be easier to grasp as a possibility.
In a simple scenario, aliens are observing humans from cyber space and they are trying to understand what is that we hold on to as a higher unit. Their answer will be found in a soccer match. Let us take this image step by step. First, there are thousands of people ready to watch a soccer match, a world cup final, close and personal at the Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, commonly called Estádio do Maracanã located in Brazil, which once was the largest stadium in the world. What do aliens see? They observe a group of priests fighting a battle which will lead them to acquire the favor of those watching the game. Plus, the aliens have access to the satellites that send the signal to each house in which everyone who could not be at the stadium is also watching the game. Soccer attracts everyone. The young, the old, women and men whereas religion can only get a hold of those that have lost hope because while young they did not do much to help themselves as well as those young ones who do not yet know any better.
When time comes around for a world cup, every one wants to know how their national team is doing. Dare I say it, even those who preach that soccer is not worth their time as a sport or those who simply advocate alienation from sports in general. This so strange an event boast an audience twice that of the Summer Olympic games. The world cup carries a power that even the four most powerful religions in the world do not posses as an ability to command billions of their non-followers at their maximal event even if it happens only every four years.
There is a reason to believe that Soccer’s Ten Commandments, which can be derived from the rules of the game –otherwise known as soccer’s bible–, are more widely respected than those of religion. I’ll let you be the judge of them:
Thou shall not love any other sport but soccer.
Thou shall not make wrongful use of the name of soccer.
Thou shall remember the finals of all tournaments and keep them holy.
Thou shall honor your team: national & league.
Thou shall not score against.
Thou shall not switch teams.
Thou shall not prevent another team mate from scoring.
Thou shall not deny the team when it loses.
Thou shall not covet thoughts in favor of other teams.
Thou shall not covet your neighbor’s team.
Remember that to those watching from outer space, soccer is much, much more than a simple sport.
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
The Alternative to Slavery
Is immigration in the United States the new form of slavery although perhaps a much cheaper alternative? I am afraid it is so.
In the past, it was a transaction between the people who kidnapped those who became slaves and those who bought them. In the present day, migration (to the United States) is not longer a sole individually driven enterprise. It has become an economic transaction between the sending and the receiving country as a result of which both countries are benefited at different levels. Since not all companies are able to either off-shore or outsource their production or services, workers, otherwise known as immigrants are imported. In this particular case cheap labor comes to the source of work which is not done by American citizens as opposed to said job been sent overseas. Immigrants are simply another tool to increase profits; and, as long as the drive for those profits exists within any sector of the economy where immigrants can take jobs, immigration will continue to be the alternative to slavery.
There is a famous phrase which claims that the reason immigrants are hired is because there are jobs that Americans simply will not do. However, Americans are willing to take some of the most dangerous jobs in world yet the argument still stands that Americans will not pick fruits and vegetables. The reason why Americans are not willing to take those agriculture jobs is because the wages farmers offer are to low and not because the job is too difficult. Immigrants become the tool to keep prices low and profits high.
Illegal immigrants are the perfect alternative for slavery. Not only are they paid low wages, but since they are undocumented, they do not claim workers’ compensation, or sue the employers for any age, race or sex discrimination. At the same time, immigrants do not claim health insurance nor do they have the support of unions to demand higher wages or vacations. All of this, of course, comes in handy to employers because it facilitates their job and increases their profits. In the same way, immigrants do not know that they still have rights regardless of their legal status; and, since employers also threaten them with calling the INS, immigrants are forced to comply.
Americans will not engage in picking fruits and vegetables if there are immigrants to do the job and keep prices low. Thus, wage differentials play a big role in the demand for immigrants. The demand for labor in the United States has always been high and the supply seems to never be high enough to reach equilibrium. That is a direct result of the fact that the demand for labor in certain industries is a demand for (illegal) immigrants who will do the work for a lower wage and who will cause less problems to the employer.
Immigrants are at the lower level of the labor pyramid. They are a scarce resource that is precious to many employers because they will decrease production costs and increase their profits. Present day immigration is a way for businesses that remain in this country to acquire what those sending their manufacturing abroad obtain at their new location. Immigrants are willing to do jobs that others are not willing to do only because they do not have a better prospect at home; and, those who could do the those jobs here choose not to because there are immigrants to do them.
Equilibrium in the market will not be reached until immigrants are not longer treated as slaves. They need to be accepted, if not appreciated, for what they are: human beings. They pay taxes but are not allowed to receive any benefits from it. Immigrants are law abiding citizens the same way Americans are. Likewise, they also make mistakes, but it does not mean that they should be treated as simple tools that function as robots to increase profits and do not have any needs.
On a little note, slaves were forced to forgo their cultures, and so are immigrants with the theory of the melting pot. Immigrants won’t melt.
When a debate on immigration arises, time should be taken to consider the situation in which immigrants find themselves. It is true that a lot of them do not cross the border through legal means. But such events do not mean they should suffer the consequences forever when after crossing the border, they abide to the rules to the best of their abilities.
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
In the past, it was a transaction between the people who kidnapped those who became slaves and those who bought them. In the present day, migration (to the United States) is not longer a sole individually driven enterprise. It has become an economic transaction between the sending and the receiving country as a result of which both countries are benefited at different levels. Since not all companies are able to either off-shore or outsource their production or services, workers, otherwise known as immigrants are imported. In this particular case cheap labor comes to the source of work which is not done by American citizens as opposed to said job been sent overseas. Immigrants are simply another tool to increase profits; and, as long as the drive for those profits exists within any sector of the economy where immigrants can take jobs, immigration will continue to be the alternative to slavery.
There is a famous phrase which claims that the reason immigrants are hired is because there are jobs that Americans simply will not do. However, Americans are willing to take some of the most dangerous jobs in world yet the argument still stands that Americans will not pick fruits and vegetables. The reason why Americans are not willing to take those agriculture jobs is because the wages farmers offer are to low and not because the job is too difficult. Immigrants become the tool to keep prices low and profits high.
Illegal immigrants are the perfect alternative for slavery. Not only are they paid low wages, but since they are undocumented, they do not claim workers’ compensation, or sue the employers for any age, race or sex discrimination. At the same time, immigrants do not claim health insurance nor do they have the support of unions to demand higher wages or vacations. All of this, of course, comes in handy to employers because it facilitates their job and increases their profits. In the same way, immigrants do not know that they still have rights regardless of their legal status; and, since employers also threaten them with calling the INS, immigrants are forced to comply.
Americans will not engage in picking fruits and vegetables if there are immigrants to do the job and keep prices low. Thus, wage differentials play a big role in the demand for immigrants. The demand for labor in the United States has always been high and the supply seems to never be high enough to reach equilibrium. That is a direct result of the fact that the demand for labor in certain industries is a demand for (illegal) immigrants who will do the work for a lower wage and who will cause less problems to the employer.
Immigrants are at the lower level of the labor pyramid. They are a scarce resource that is precious to many employers because they will decrease production costs and increase their profits. Present day immigration is a way for businesses that remain in this country to acquire what those sending their manufacturing abroad obtain at their new location. Immigrants are willing to do jobs that others are not willing to do only because they do not have a better prospect at home; and, those who could do the those jobs here choose not to because there are immigrants to do them.
Equilibrium in the market will not be reached until immigrants are not longer treated as slaves. They need to be accepted, if not appreciated, for what they are: human beings. They pay taxes but are not allowed to receive any benefits from it. Immigrants are law abiding citizens the same way Americans are. Likewise, they also make mistakes, but it does not mean that they should be treated as simple tools that function as robots to increase profits and do not have any needs.
On a little note, slaves were forced to forgo their cultures, and so are immigrants with the theory of the melting pot. Immigrants won’t melt.
When a debate on immigration arises, time should be taken to consider the situation in which immigrants find themselves. It is true that a lot of them do not cross the border through legal means. But such events do not mean they should suffer the consequences forever when after crossing the border, they abide to the rules to the best of their abilities.
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Practice Dating: Go Shopping
Is the complicated search for the perfect love match equivalent to the search for the perfect outfit to wear on multiple occasions? There seem to be many parallels.
In both cases, there are comparable stages. In the art of shopping one must undergo the sometimes enjoyable yet dreadful practice of window shopping. This means that the so called shopper is only, at least for the time being, able to admire the would-be perfect outfits without actually acquiring them for his/her personal collection. This practice implies, of course, that one must first visit a nearly insane amount of stores in order to find possible options. Said options must have separate pieces that fit nicely with each other while also fitting flawlessly on our body once we put it on. In the same way, one tends to look for a perfect person who is to become the object of our affection. That person must possess the ideal set of characteristics that fit immaculately in a package. The search for that person takes place at countless locations and at many different times. This search is sometimes intentional and others unintentional but always unconsciously conscious.
Subsequently, one must make sure the outfit is available for sale since some stores do sell out of certain items early in the season; and more importantly if the chosen outfit is available in the searcher’s size. Otherwise, one must make sure the person who has caught one’s attention is indeed single as well as at least slightly interested in the person wanting that information is.
The next step in the road of shopping is paying a visit to the dressing room in order to try on what one has chosen. This is not always a pleasant trip since in the process one might find that the different pieces that make up the outfit are not as perfectly fitting as one judged them on the window. One might, in fact, like pieces of that outfit. At the same time, there might be other pieces that we do not like at all. Parts of that outfit might make us look gorgeous while others make us look hideous. The question to face then becomes what to do if the outfit is not so perfect after all? That inquiry is not so easy to answer when the subject that raised it happens to be a person. When we think we have found the perfect object in which to focus on affection, we simply set up a date. Such event is the equivalent of the visit to the dressing room. During the date one attempts with the best effort to become acquainted with the other person; who to our dismay more often than not turns out to be not as wonderful as we first judged. There might, in fact, be certain characteristics that we absolutely find as reasons to be devoted that person while there might be others which we encounter as outrageously unacceptable. The interrogative appears again: what to do in those instances? One must begin the search again, as we do with the outfit.
One then comes across a new difficulty: buy the outfit if one does like it or begin a relationship if the former applies to that special person. If one chooses to take the outfit home, by not means does that imply the outfit was in fact perfect, rather it was perfect for the one who bought it. One wears the outfit, but in the process the outfit suffers minor changes that prevent one from wearing it subsequently. In the same way, the person one chooses to be in a relationship with at first seems to be great. But one might begin to discover certain other traits that one does not like about that person and as a result consider a drastic measure although one usually endures in hopes that one might be wrong or that change will come about. However, one often finds that the person we have chosen also tends to suffer alterations or make mistakes. Such events might prompt us to end the relationship. Some people believe in second chances, but outfits should never be worn after one has realized they have a defect.
It seems then, the only way to find the perfect outfit is to have it tailored and meticulously cared for. Nevertheless, the secret to find our one impeccable love is simply to keep trying because love is not custom made... yet. It should enjoy, however, customized care.
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
In both cases, there are comparable stages. In the art of shopping one must undergo the sometimes enjoyable yet dreadful practice of window shopping. This means that the so called shopper is only, at least for the time being, able to admire the would-be perfect outfits without actually acquiring them for his/her personal collection. This practice implies, of course, that one must first visit a nearly insane amount of stores in order to find possible options. Said options must have separate pieces that fit nicely with each other while also fitting flawlessly on our body once we put it on. In the same way, one tends to look for a perfect person who is to become the object of our affection. That person must possess the ideal set of characteristics that fit immaculately in a package. The search for that person takes place at countless locations and at many different times. This search is sometimes intentional and others unintentional but always unconsciously conscious.
Subsequently, one must make sure the outfit is available for sale since some stores do sell out of certain items early in the season; and more importantly if the chosen outfit is available in the searcher’s size. Otherwise, one must make sure the person who has caught one’s attention is indeed single as well as at least slightly interested in the person wanting that information is.
The next step in the road of shopping is paying a visit to the dressing room in order to try on what one has chosen. This is not always a pleasant trip since in the process one might find that the different pieces that make up the outfit are not as perfectly fitting as one judged them on the window. One might, in fact, like pieces of that outfit. At the same time, there might be other pieces that we do not like at all. Parts of that outfit might make us look gorgeous while others make us look hideous. The question to face then becomes what to do if the outfit is not so perfect after all? That inquiry is not so easy to answer when the subject that raised it happens to be a person. When we think we have found the perfect object in which to focus on affection, we simply set up a date. Such event is the equivalent of the visit to the dressing room. During the date one attempts with the best effort to become acquainted with the other person; who to our dismay more often than not turns out to be not as wonderful as we first judged. There might, in fact, be certain characteristics that we absolutely find as reasons to be devoted that person while there might be others which we encounter as outrageously unacceptable. The interrogative appears again: what to do in those instances? One must begin the search again, as we do with the outfit.
One then comes across a new difficulty: buy the outfit if one does like it or begin a relationship if the former applies to that special person. If one chooses to take the outfit home, by not means does that imply the outfit was in fact perfect, rather it was perfect for the one who bought it. One wears the outfit, but in the process the outfit suffers minor changes that prevent one from wearing it subsequently. In the same way, the person one chooses to be in a relationship with at first seems to be great. But one might begin to discover certain other traits that one does not like about that person and as a result consider a drastic measure although one usually endures in hopes that one might be wrong or that change will come about. However, one often finds that the person we have chosen also tends to suffer alterations or make mistakes. Such events might prompt us to end the relationship. Some people believe in second chances, but outfits should never be worn after one has realized they have a defect.
It seems then, the only way to find the perfect outfit is to have it tailored and meticulously cared for. Nevertheless, the secret to find our one impeccable love is simply to keep trying because love is not custom made... yet. It should enjoy, however, customized care.
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Platonism for the Commoners
Is Christian theology simply a way to demystify Greek philosophy in order for the masses to understand it? While there is not a mathematical proof about this theory, there exists evidence which seems to support it.
To begin, a direct reference to the bible: St. John has the following sentence in his gospels: “In the beginning there was word and with word there was god.” That is an undeniable platonic reference. is a direct translation from the Greek which also means reason. Thus, St. John, whoever he was in order to write the gospels, must have known the other meaning of logos in order to associate it with god. Otherwise, it does not seem as something very enlightening to relate god with word.
Platonic ontology is driven by the need to find the absolute “One” which can only be reached by the reason which comes from innate ideas. In a parallel with Christianity, the “One” would be god, and the way to reach him seems to be the same, except Christianity emphasizes a different kind of reason than that to which Platonic epistemology refers to. Christianity is interested in a rather spiritual reason. However, both types of reasons are related to each other in the sense that we as human beings are born with the knowledge that, according to Platonism, there are forms and, according to Christianity, that there is a god. The highest form is the Form of the Good and is the basis for the rest. God is the basis for everything there is in Christian theology.
If Plato was the one who presented the realm of forms to humanity, then Jesus would be his equivalent since according to the gospels he came to this material world in order to teach humanity his father’s doctrine.
Plato’s Republic is one of, if not the most, influential philosophical works. In said book, Plato presents the ideal community, the ultimate rulers and the different models to rule. In the same way, the bible seems to present humanity with the idea of the perfect world through merely trying to teach how to go about building it, but refraining from showing what the finished work would look like. The Republic is a more direct guideline towards building the perfect inhabitable place. The perfect rulers are the philosophers in Plato’s word which directly relate to the priests as god’s instruments for ruling Earth.
Plato presents the metaphor of the sun. Said metaphor presents the sun as the source of “light” which in this case represents knowledge as well as the Form of the Good. This idea is sometimes interpreted to be Plato’s concept of god. The metaphor is about what the reality crucially means and how one attains the understanding of it. Likewise, god represents the essential source of light in Christianity. God is the Supreme Being the same way the Form of Good is the Supreme Form. Early Christian thought understood the forms of which Plato talks about as the thoughts of god which shows another connection.
The Allegory of the Cave is a well known passage in Plato’s Republic in which a man walks out into the sun and after experiencing light he is not longer able to live inside the cave, yet those who remained in the cave do not understand what he means when he speaks of the light. In this sense, this man has reached the light, reason, which he must share with the rest of the people with whom he was on the cave in order for those who remained to also become possessors of light. Otherwise, the one man who has found the light would become a bizarre creature to his past companions. In the same way, god’s word should be spread, the gospels claim. If one becomes acquainted with Christian thought, one must share it with the world in order for god’s teachings to help humanity as opposed to selfishly keep them to oneself. The problem here becomes that one is involuntarily forced to share god’s teachings that could be found in the bible which for all we know was only written by men in the same way Plato’s Republic was.
Christianity and Platonism are not, of course, all the available options in this department. But I am sure that other religions also have similar relations with Platonism. What do you practice then, the real thing otherwise known as Platonism or a spin off whatever it might be called?
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
To begin, a direct reference to the bible: St. John has the following sentence in his gospels: “In the beginning there was word and with word there was god.” That is an undeniable platonic reference.
Platonic ontology is driven by the need to find the absolute “One” which can only be reached by the reason which comes from innate ideas. In a parallel with Christianity, the “One” would be god, and the way to reach him seems to be the same, except Christianity emphasizes a different kind of reason than that to which Platonic epistemology refers to. Christianity is interested in a rather spiritual reason. However, both types of reasons are related to each other in the sense that we as human beings are born with the knowledge that, according to Platonism, there are forms and, according to Christianity, that there is a god. The highest form is the Form of the Good and is the basis for the rest. God is the basis for everything there is in Christian theology.
If Plato was the one who presented the realm of forms to humanity, then Jesus would be his equivalent since according to the gospels he came to this material world in order to teach humanity his father’s doctrine.
Plato’s Republic is one of, if not the most, influential philosophical works. In said book, Plato presents the ideal community, the ultimate rulers and the different models to rule. In the same way, the bible seems to present humanity with the idea of the perfect world through merely trying to teach how to go about building it, but refraining from showing what the finished work would look like. The Republic is a more direct guideline towards building the perfect inhabitable place. The perfect rulers are the philosophers in Plato’s word which directly relate to the priests as god’s instruments for ruling Earth.
Plato presents the metaphor of the sun. Said metaphor presents the sun as the source of “light” which in this case represents knowledge as well as the Form of the Good. This idea is sometimes interpreted to be Plato’s concept of god. The metaphor is about what the reality crucially means and how one attains the understanding of it. Likewise, god represents the essential source of light in Christianity. God is the Supreme Being the same way the Form of Good is the Supreme Form. Early Christian thought understood the forms of which Plato talks about as the thoughts of god which shows another connection.
The Allegory of the Cave is a well known passage in Plato’s Republic in which a man walks out into the sun and after experiencing light he is not longer able to live inside the cave, yet those who remained in the cave do not understand what he means when he speaks of the light. In this sense, this man has reached the light, reason, which he must share with the rest of the people with whom he was on the cave in order for those who remained to also become possessors of light. Otherwise, the one man who has found the light would become a bizarre creature to his past companions. In the same way, god’s word should be spread, the gospels claim. If one becomes acquainted with Christian thought, one must share it with the world in order for god’s teachings to help humanity as opposed to selfishly keep them to oneself. The problem here becomes that one is involuntarily forced to share god’s teachings that could be found in the bible which for all we know was only written by men in the same way Plato’s Republic was.
Christianity and Platonism are not, of course, all the available options in this department. But I am sure that other religions also have similar relations with Platonism. What do you practice then, the real thing otherwise known as Platonism or a spin off whatever it might be called?
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Self-Produced Reality
Is it possible for what we tend to call reality to be a genuine entity in which we can rely in order to justify our every day existence? It certainly seems to be so, but there is not any way to be convinced.
Reality is that which is totally determined. However, I find that not to be constantly the case. If reality was indeed totally determined, then there would not be absolutely anything worth fighting for. The end of the road would already be known and we could just sit and enjoy the ride rather than trying to change the path the train takes and doing our best to prevent if from derailing. This, however, is not the case at all. We continually engage into the very selfish practice of picking and choosing what to consider as important part of our lives, and through that, even if it is a subconscious practice, we decide what pieces form our reality. Nonetheless, we refuse to accept such fact.
So often the situations in which we find ourselves and the people we find ourselves surrounded by turn out to be such disappointments. In which cases, we simply move on. That is a performance which is otherwise known as changing our reality. Provided the world is not the perfect place to spend our existence, we must recognize that it is so only because it is a representation of our ideas. In turn, our lives are but a reflection of such ideas. But since as human beings we naturally thrive for the best, we are powerful enough to make of the world as we please even though our decisions are not always the most widely accepted.
The reason we find ourselves in situations we do not enjoy is because we put ourselves in those situations. After careful deliberation, I have decided that anything that happens to us is because we allow it to do so. There are signs that we must be cautious enough to understand in order to avoid such situations. To our dismay, however, we are incapable of recognizing such signs until the worst has passed. By which time, we assure ourselves that there is absolutely not any way in which we could have known what was coming. But too late do we realize we were wrong and we could have predicted those situations and with that absent prediction we could have escaped them.
A question that is quite bothersome: how do we wind up surrounded by the wrong people? The answer: our doing. We tend to make certain traits in us more pronounced which in turn tends to attract the wrong people towards us. Whether we find ourselves with the not so perfect friends or with the wrong object of our affection, it is always a direct result of our actions. This is due to our judgment or lack thereof. We must become acquainted with the people we surround ourselves with early in order to avoid any later problems of discomfort and the cruel realization that the people with whom we spend most of our time are far from who we thought them to be.
As it becomes obvious through these minimalist arguments, one holds the power to create the reality in which we want to exist. A great life is, of course, never guaranteed. But it is rather completely dependent on our good judgment. What goes wrong is never the situation and in the same way the people around us do not change in a split second. We, unconscious but simply choose not to be aware of those things that make situations and people mistakes before they actually become one. We must be careful to make the world the a representation of the ideas that would make it the proper place we wish to inhabit as opposed to those which are flawed and would only lead to decay.
If the situation shall present itself in which there is absolutely not a sign of future light, fear not. There is always a way out of a self perpetrated misery. Pain is undeniably inevitable. But in the cases it must appear, suffering is only optional.
Advice: Please do make sure that your reality is totally determined by you. Also, that your world is but a reflection of your own ideas. Otherwise, it is neither your reality nor your world at all. It is simply someone else’s play, the one in which you have taken a role as a delightful puppet.
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
Reality is that which is totally determined. However, I find that not to be constantly the case. If reality was indeed totally determined, then there would not be absolutely anything worth fighting for. The end of the road would already be known and we could just sit and enjoy the ride rather than trying to change the path the train takes and doing our best to prevent if from derailing. This, however, is not the case at all. We continually engage into the very selfish practice of picking and choosing what to consider as important part of our lives, and through that, even if it is a subconscious practice, we decide what pieces form our reality. Nonetheless, we refuse to accept such fact.
So often the situations in which we find ourselves and the people we find ourselves surrounded by turn out to be such disappointments. In which cases, we simply move on. That is a performance which is otherwise known as changing our reality. Provided the world is not the perfect place to spend our existence, we must recognize that it is so only because it is a representation of our ideas. In turn, our lives are but a reflection of such ideas. But since as human beings we naturally thrive for the best, we are powerful enough to make of the world as we please even though our decisions are not always the most widely accepted.
The reason we find ourselves in situations we do not enjoy is because we put ourselves in those situations. After careful deliberation, I have decided that anything that happens to us is because we allow it to do so. There are signs that we must be cautious enough to understand in order to avoid such situations. To our dismay, however, we are incapable of recognizing such signs until the worst has passed. By which time, we assure ourselves that there is absolutely not any way in which we could have known what was coming. But too late do we realize we were wrong and we could have predicted those situations and with that absent prediction we could have escaped them.
A question that is quite bothersome: how do we wind up surrounded by the wrong people? The answer: our doing. We tend to make certain traits in us more pronounced which in turn tends to attract the wrong people towards us. Whether we find ourselves with the not so perfect friends or with the wrong object of our affection, it is always a direct result of our actions. This is due to our judgment or lack thereof. We must become acquainted with the people we surround ourselves with early in order to avoid any later problems of discomfort and the cruel realization that the people with whom we spend most of our time are far from who we thought them to be.
As it becomes obvious through these minimalist arguments, one holds the power to create the reality in which we want to exist. A great life is, of course, never guaranteed. But it is rather completely dependent on our good judgment. What goes wrong is never the situation and in the same way the people around us do not change in a split second. We, unconscious but simply choose not to be aware of those things that make situations and people mistakes before they actually become one. We must be careful to make the world the a representation of the ideas that would make it the proper place we wish to inhabit as opposed to those which are flawed and would only lead to decay.
If the situation shall present itself in which there is absolutely not a sign of future light, fear not. There is always a way out of a self perpetrated misery. Pain is undeniably inevitable. But in the cases it must appear, suffering is only optional.
Advice: Please do make sure that your reality is totally determined by you. Also, that your world is but a reflection of your own ideas. Otherwise, it is neither your reality nor your world at all. It is simply someone else’s play, the one in which you have taken a role as a delightful puppet.
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Unattainable Reality
Is happiness an attainable reality or a wild dream? Happiness is overrated. If I think about it, such conclusion becomes clear. What is happiness? How am I to know the answer to such question if I always want to be “happier”; which ultimately suggests that I am not happy from the beginning?
Happiness is not what people tell me; it is what I make of it. I’ll stop for a moment and ponder on the interrogative…
To start simple: a clear cut definition is needed, or the lack thereof. There is not a definition of happiness other than knowing that it should be our aim. Nevertheless, what is there is only an insufferable desire to reach it. Since the moment in which we are able to separate between what a smile may entail and what a tear must mean, we incline towards what seems more joyful: smiles. We see tears as entities full of sorrow. We do not, however, possess enough information and understanding to distinguish the meaning both items have.
Happiness is not a simple smile, it necessitates more. Happiness itself is relative because what can make one happy might only bring distress to another. For some it means having the latest gadget out there, or the new it fashion item, the best car –the list goes on. But happiness could also mean something as simple as a, worth the tautology, smile from the object of our affection or seeing our family. Happiness then means very different things for very different people: material or not. Happiness relies on other items to be called so; otherwise, it is another simple state of mind.
Then, there is the other theory which says that happiness is rather a contingency. It is part of the process of existing. There is not any destination to which, upon arrival one would feel fulfilled and, well, happy. In other words, the mere fact that material objects or certain people or certain immaterial states or receiving the various kinds of affection that can be displayed make us happy is but a coincidence. In short, there is not anything which can actually make us happy. We must just be happy at any given moment with any given possession or people we find ourselves with.
A dream provided that is a wild idea, is still a possible definition for happiness. When in desperation, one turns to anything in order not to find oneself lost. This would imply, unfortunately, that happiness is in fact unattainable. But that would also question the times in which we have felt happy. In those cases, if it wasn’t happiness, then what was it? Perhaps happiness is just an unattainable reality.
Finally, I present my personal attempt to define such an abstract idea. I find it very comfortable but at the same time a bit illegitimate. On the one hand, it is pleasing because it applies well to me as it is. But every person is a world, thus making it unjustifiable as a general idea.
Happiness for me is who I am. I am aware arrogance is believed to be the word. Think about it, however, and the reason will become clear. I must be happy with who I am I first in order to find this so called happiness. Otherwise, there won’t be anything or anyone to make me happy. But there is more to it. Happiness is enjoying the moment I am in because there will never be a repetition of it. Life is too short for regrets. So, one must live the moments presented to us as they come and allow them to bring happiness to our very life. Happiness must be the people around us: family, friends, perhaps even an object of our affection. In one way or another, every person with whom we share a relationship should be an ingredient that condiments our happiness not the extra element that spoils the recipe.
At the end, happiness is a roller coaster of emotions because we never really know that we are actually happy until we are not for a second, then we become aware of our previous state of happiness and thrive to return to such state. However, all we need to know is that: happiness lies within, not around.
Take a second and ponder on the subject. Perhaps happiness is after all, not such an unattainable reality rather one of those rare dreams that can actually come true in the not so distant future.
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
Happiness is not what people tell me; it is what I make of it. I’ll stop for a moment and ponder on the interrogative…
To start simple: a clear cut definition is needed, or the lack thereof. There is not a definition of happiness other than knowing that it should be our aim. Nevertheless, what is there is only an insufferable desire to reach it. Since the moment in which we are able to separate between what a smile may entail and what a tear must mean, we incline towards what seems more joyful: smiles. We see tears as entities full of sorrow. We do not, however, possess enough information and understanding to distinguish the meaning both items have.
Happiness is not a simple smile, it necessitates more. Happiness itself is relative because what can make one happy might only bring distress to another. For some it means having the latest gadget out there, or the new it fashion item, the best car –the list goes on. But happiness could also mean something as simple as a, worth the tautology, smile from the object of our affection or seeing our family. Happiness then means very different things for very different people: material or not. Happiness relies on other items to be called so; otherwise, it is another simple state of mind.
Then, there is the other theory which says that happiness is rather a contingency. It is part of the process of existing. There is not any destination to which, upon arrival one would feel fulfilled and, well, happy. In other words, the mere fact that material objects or certain people or certain immaterial states or receiving the various kinds of affection that can be displayed make us happy is but a coincidence. In short, there is not anything which can actually make us happy. We must just be happy at any given moment with any given possession or people we find ourselves with.
A dream provided that is a wild idea, is still a possible definition for happiness. When in desperation, one turns to anything in order not to find oneself lost. This would imply, unfortunately, that happiness is in fact unattainable. But that would also question the times in which we have felt happy. In those cases, if it wasn’t happiness, then what was it? Perhaps happiness is just an unattainable reality.
Finally, I present my personal attempt to define such an abstract idea. I find it very comfortable but at the same time a bit illegitimate. On the one hand, it is pleasing because it applies well to me as it is. But every person is a world, thus making it unjustifiable as a general idea.
Happiness for me is who I am. I am aware arrogance is believed to be the word. Think about it, however, and the reason will become clear. I must be happy with who I am I first in order to find this so called happiness. Otherwise, there won’t be anything or anyone to make me happy. But there is more to it. Happiness is enjoying the moment I am in because there will never be a repetition of it. Life is too short for regrets. So, one must live the moments presented to us as they come and allow them to bring happiness to our very life. Happiness must be the people around us: family, friends, perhaps even an object of our affection. In one way or another, every person with whom we share a relationship should be an ingredient that condiments our happiness not the extra element that spoils the recipe.
At the end, happiness is a roller coaster of emotions because we never really know that we are actually happy until we are not for a second, then we become aware of our previous state of happiness and thrive to return to such state. However, all we need to know is that: happiness lies within, not around.
Take a second and ponder on the subject. Perhaps happiness is after all, not such an unattainable reality rather one of those rare dreams that can actually come true in the not so distant future.
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
