CoPhi: Questions, Nov 23-25

Friday, November 20, 2020

Questions, Nov 23-25

Remember to post your points grand total for the semester (not including blog post & final presentation points) with your final weekly essay.

Something a little different, for our last week:

After viewing Bertrand Russell's message below, what do you think Immanuel Kant's (or Susan Neiman's) and William James's (or John Kaag's) messages to future generations would be (see the concluding chapters of WGU and SSHM)? What is yours? Mine would include Kurt Vonnegut's:

"What are the facts, and what is the truth that the facts bear out?

...Love is wise, hatred is foolish..."

What will you tell them about how people in the 2020s either did or did not become "good ancestors"? Did they reach and reject "Peak Fantasyland" then, and begin to really value truth, facts, and reality?

"...seven trillion people will be born over the next 50,000 years.

How will all these future generations look back on us and the legacy we're leaving for them?

...A global movement has started to emerge of people committed to decolonizing the future..."

And what do you think future generations' message might be, to us? Will it be anything like the following?

A message from the future...

"We knew that we needed to save the planet and that we had all the technology to do it, but people were scared. They said it was too big, too fast, not practical. I think that’s because they just couldn’t picture it yet..."

A message from the future II...

"We are all now stuck in a science fiction novel that we are writing together." Kim Stanley Robinson
"Where there is no vision, the people perish." Abe Lincoln
"The really vital question for us all is, What is this world going to be? What is life eventually to make of itself?" William James

170 comments:

Barbara FrizzellNovember 22, 2020 at 4:48 PM
Does the U-Bend surprise you? 199 Does it encourage you to think more positively about aging?
The U-bend actually makes a lot of sense to me. This book has reiterated many times that the 20’s are not the best time of our lives because they’re often the hardest. The people at the bottom of the U are the people who repeatedly tell those in their 20’s that it only gets worse from there. For them that is true, they have not begun to go back up on the other side. But does it make me feel better about aging? I’d lean towards no. I fear growing up because I’ll mean I have to claim responsibility for the world and my generation’s choices. It already scared me when I was finally old enough to vote and I saw my friends voting, because I knew that our voices mattered. Getting past your 20’s means being old enough to make a change, hold office, and raise kids. How we do all of those things matters so much. Before now, it’s been easy (and kind of fun) to point out the flaws in the world because I did not feel responsible for them yet. Now all the things that I hate about my city, state, country, and world I am responsible for. I know I’m not solely responsible, we all are, but this does not mean any one person should sit on their hands and look to other people to make the change. I look up to places like California because though many people make fun of them for being the “granola” type or for being vegans/for reducing waste, they made helping the planet/their society a trend. That is very cool to me and I hope that trend spreads. I fear growing up and taking responsibility, but this does not mean that I won’t do it and that I’m not excited to do it. I’ve already seen my generation do some very cool things (including buying out tickets to a Trump rally and not going, as well as writing a musical on tiktok) and I think we can continue to do positive things in the future. But I would also like to add that I am very excited to be old. The middle might be hard, but I cannot wait to get to the other side. I look up to my Grandma a lot and I’m excited that one day I’ll be old and have the privilege to be honored and loved like her.
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Simon PergandeNovember 23, 2020 at 1:39 PM
Claiming responsibility for your actions in this world is certainly something I do not hear many people talk about. When we are kids relying on our parents, our education system, and the people around us, it is a shock to grow out of that and enter a world in which you are responsible for your own decisions. I do however disagree with you with regards to your responsibility for your generations choices because you are NOT responsible for any other human beings choices other than your own. Every individual views the world in their own unique way and is therefore accountable for their own decisions in life.
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Simon PergandeNovember 23, 2020 at 1:51 PM
11/23/20
Simon Pergande,
Weekly Essay (+3 points)
Question: Do you think fear of growing up is really fear of living, not dying? 230
In short I do believe that is the case that growing up is the fear of living and not dying. In most cases, we don not think of our inevitable death on a daily basis as the things that are to come in the moment are really things to do with life. We worry about our education, we worry about the careers that we will pursue, we worry about the the amount of money we make to be able to support ourselves, and we worry about a myriad of other issues that come with the package of living. Perhaps this is the reason my generation is so insistent on removing responsibility from one's self and instead placing the blame on others. I believe I have mentioned this quote in a previous post but I will mention it again as I believe it fits in this case: We live in a world where it is popular to be negative - Kevin Hart. Looking at mainstream media and at social media sites such as twitter, one can easily see the negativity in which people submerge their lives with as people cheer them on thinking they are somehow enlightened by having a grim view of everything in the world. Perhaps this is a coping mechanism for the fear of living that engulfs the lives of so many young people today who lost the sight of purpose in their lives. Limit the influence of social media in your life and go pursue purpose that will make you excited to live life rather than dread it.
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Bailey StephensNovember 23, 2020 at 3:38 PM
Why Grow Up author Susan Neiman is discussing Sophocles when she makes the statement that “growing up means realizing that no time in one’s life is the best one” (202). I think that she is right on this one point. I think that any time could be the best time (or worst) based on personal circumstances and possibilities. I do not think that any specific time is either good or bad. Most people have some things that are going well and either things that could be improved. For instance, my parents might say enjoy high school and college because “they are the best time of your life.” However, that might be the time they enjoyed the most because of their circumstances. Since we are spending so much of our lives right now on lockdown, we might end up picking another time to be the best time. Or we may discover that there are even good things in quarantine and maybe in a few years we will look back at it thoughtfully as a simpler time that was not that bad. The author goes on to compare the seasons of life to the seasons of the year. Some people prefer Spring while others might Fall. She suggests to appreciate the beauty of each season, whether it be Spring flowers or Autumn leaves. She doesn’t want you to be the person who moves to Florida so all your seasons can look the same. Her advice is to “resolve to savour every second of joy each season contains” (202). So overall everyone should appreciate the now, and when you look back as you age, you will have fond memories from every point in your life.
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Simon PergandeNovember 23, 2020 at 4:30 PM
Good and bad times certainly come and go throughout ones lifetime. I think it is also true that it is subjective as to what is a good time and what is a bad time as it depends on perspective. It is also impossible to predict the future so a perceived "bad event" at a given moment may actually be good in the long run. I have heard stories of people having a bad time missing a flight but it turned out to be a blessing as the plane ends up crashing.
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Ammar IdrisNovember 24, 2020 at 12:06 PM
• Do you expect the next 10 years of your life to be better than the last? What will you do to fulfill that expectation? 221
I honestly believe that the next 10 years of my life will be 100 times better than the previous 10. This is a very optimistic way of thinking but let me explain myself; I am currently 18 and the last 10 years would be form 8-18 and I never really made decisions for myself it was always my parents or guardian. I didn’t understand what I liked and disliked, and I never had the freedom to experience the world! I was tied down by school, parents and responsibilities. I understand the struggles and responsibilities that come with becoming an adult but there are also so many more opportunities to express yourself. From 18-28 I hope to be married and traveling the world! I would also would have graduated college and started my career! To make these goals a reality I need to focus on myself and work extremely hard because 10 years sounds like a long time, but to achieve those mighty tasks I need to constantly improve myself for the better.

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Nate CarleyNovember 24, 2020 at 2:37 PM
• What will you do to escape, or avoid falling into, Fantasyland?

I will do everything in my power to become someone who is hellbent on the truth. Logic has always been a big deal for me, and I think it is important that we be constantly ware of what “picks our pockets or breaks our legs.” This world is full of people who want to live in their own form of reality, so much so that they are willing to drag us all in with them. Kurt Andersen has done a fantastic, no pun intended, job with this piece of work and I am eternally grateful. However, this book has a lot to contend with and I for one will be on the side of truth. Even though it may be inviable that we lose I still think it is our duty to continue to fight this battle. With that being said, I think it can be said that with every book a person reads they are no longer the same after. I hope to read far more than just this book on the subject, and I hope I will see even more clearly the issues with this country than even Kurt Andersen and with books like the ones assigned in this class I am sure I am on my way. Thank you all for joining me on this experience and I hope your interest in philosophy persists.
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Mohap SiddigNovember 24, 2020 at 5:09 PM
Do you think fear of growing up is really fear of living, not dying?230

This is a really good question. I think that is so true. I always hear people say a lot that I fear to grow up. I don’t think this is because of death. In fact, I think it’s because there fear for going through the things, we all don’t want to go through. That’s being a grown up. From my own perspective I am also scared to grow up. That is because there is so much I don’t want to go through. For example, taking care of a whole family isn’t easy. Also, working for almost your whole life is also something I don’t want to do. There is a lot that only adults have to do, and I don’t want to go through all of that. I’m sure most people also don’t want to go through. Also not being able to the things that you used to do in your young age is also something that I feel most people tend to not want (including me). Even if people did feel like they wanted to get to that stage, I feel like once they get to that point in life, they get tired quick and wish that they never had to get to that point. Also, I feel like most people just want to stay in their teenage years because those are the best years of your life and you are an adult but you don’t really have to do everything the adults have to do.

Total Points: 70/70

Responded to: Barbara Frizzell (1pt)

Responded to: Simon Pergande (1pt)
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Mai-Thi KieuNovember 24, 2020 at 5:19 PM
Do you agree about "the greatest use of life"? 169

How does chance make the difference between resignation and hope? 174

This maybe a ramble, so sorry to whoever is reading, I'm not sure if I'll be able to answer the question properly,but at least gives some ideas to build on.When it talked about the green sign saying, "Life is worth living" and Kaag said Life is simply lived until it is not. Whether it be because of old age and you reached to your limits, or if you turned to a dark corner and you're on the edge of the world. We've all had dark moments in our life and we have encountered friends or a family members who have these suicidal moments, but when we meet a stranger ready to make the jump, we can't neglect someone from taking this action.

I feel like it's by our nature, our empathy for others that we want to reach out for others and give an individual a chance to live longer. When someone says," Life is worth living" sometimes you have to ask,"why?". It could be because some of us have dreams to accomplish, there's some people that want to explore more into life, or maybe there's like a goal to obtain. There's seems to be a sense of purpose when it comes to life that makes us want to be satisfied.However when it comes to our dark moments, I feel it happens for no apparent reason or if stems from a negative aspect of our life whether it be the past haunting us now or the present when something is taunting and discouraging us. In the generation of society, as we advanced in technology,time seems to fly even more quickly.The way the industry changes can cause a lot of pressure for someone to maintain a position,if someone is coming to replace. I feel like people have loss a piece of who they are, and it's more like seeing a mirage of who they want to be.When Kagg talked about," if you throw an item off the bridge, it's GONE." (174-175) as a representation of the process of passing away. Something so precious left your sight, you miss them, and you feel like it's with you, but really it's gone. You can meet many people in the world, but the moment one of them passed away, it's painful. Because no one can replace that person since they are unique. However,when I read it that sentence. I kept thinking about the discrimination in this world and the normalization of things that are deemed inappropriate, or essential worker suffering or passing away because of the pandemic. I wondered if society views us as expendable, that causes us to take the darker route. I feel like either we give purpose in our life that we strive to life or life offers an opportunity for us to choose.
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Don EnssNovember 24, 2020 at 5:34 PM
Thoughts on Bertrand Russell’s video
In the video, Bertrand Russell was asked what advice he would give to people a thousand years from now. He narrowed it to two elements: Rely on the facts when studying or asking questions and choose love over hate.
While I agree with his advice, it made me wonder what life will be like in 3030. In 1010 much of Europe was in the grip of the “Dark Ages” and in 2020 some like Kurt Andersen might justifiably say that some of us have reverted to our own Dark Ages where ignorance and conspiracies abound.
When we look at how far we have advanced technologically in one thousand years, it is hard to imagine how much further we will advance in another thousand years. What will life be like then? Will population growth follow a Malthusian expansion and have to be curtailed because of limited space and food resources. I think it is reasonable to expect that most vehicles will be powered by non-petroleum energy, but will most jobs be performed by some automatons and what will humans do for work.
Will the U.S. even exist as we know it today, or will another country or governmental system take control and dictate the rules Americans are to live by? Will our minds be preprogrammed to only believe a certain way? Will many of the diseases that cause illness and death be eliminated or will we have new ones? Will people exist to one hundred and fifty but only live mentally to one hundred?
Russell’s advice is certainly appropriate for the next fifty to one hundred years, but a thousand years from now, I am not sure what people will be like then. How will they interact with each other? Let’s hope that they will rely on facts and will still understand what it means to love one another.
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Don EnssNovember 24, 2020 at 6:07 PM
Were we good ancestors?
I won’t speak for anyone else because that would presuppose that I knew what motivated them and I do not know that. I will only say that I did not do my share and was not as responsible as I should have been when it came to protecting the environment.
Yes, I participated in Earth Day and various drives to pick up litter and to sort trash into recyclables early on, but frankly after a while it was simply easier to throw the trash into one bin and take it out to the curbside for its weekly pickup. Could I have created a compost pile and put grass clippings and leaves in it and used it for the garden? Yes, but it was more bother than it was worth and the remnants of the compost pile are still there overgrown by weeds and ivy. The garden was destroyed when a large tree fell on it that’s still there because of not wanting anyone to come out will the virus is still prevalent, so not much use for mulch. Any debris now goes into a plastic bag and into the trash can for weekly pickup and deposition to the land fill along with other plastic bags used to bring home groceries.
I failed you because I was selfish and only thought about what made me comfortable and did not want to be inconvenienced with taking the necessary actions to protect the planet. It did not affect me directly and perhaps I figured that a future generation would solve the problem. I couldn’t see clearly and far enough into the future to see the damage I was doing. I thought of myself as only a small part and doubted that my contribution was that significant.
But I am still here, so it is not too late to change my habits and so I will begin to separate at least the plastic bottles from the rest of the trash and see if I can work with the trash collection company to see if they would be willing to offer a separate pickup of just plastics or cans. Also, I will find an environmental organization like the one involved in cleaning up our oceans and make a donation to them. I cannot change my past behavior, but I can at least try to do something now.
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BlakeNovember 24, 2020 at 7:00 PM
Blake Hughes
Section 010
My Essay (+3)
Comments (+2): Simon Pergande & Mohap Siddig
Overall Points: 70 (I have the maximum amount of points for each week; hopefully, I have been able to keep track of it all)
Weekly Question #14:

“Did you ‘grow up in a home filled with good books and articulate people’? Did that ‘enlarge your mind’ and world?”

I grew up in a small town in East TN, so you can imagine how extremely ignorant, uncultured, and distasteful most people were – and still are, unfortunately.
However, my parents, grandparents and friends that are considered like family, drastically made up for all of the negatives I had to go to school with, etc.
My parents educated me from very early on about important issues such as racism, sexism, and the general woes that people faced in life. Was it a bit morbid for me to learn about what was happening on the news, day to day, with murders, car wrecks, etc.? Yes, maybe so, lmao.
But, it’s because of me being educated on the things that happen in the world, that made me who I am today, and helped me be more mature, and compassionate, throughout life.
Despite being stuck in an environment with people who aren’t open minded, I feel as if I was very educated, and brought up knowing a lot, thanks to my parents. I am very proud to say so, and very honored to have the knowledge I have, at a young age.
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Cory RobertsNovember 24, 2020 at 8:08 PM
• Do you expect the next 10 years of your life to be better than the last? What will you do to fulfill that expectation? 221

Yes, without a doubt in my mind I expect the next ten years to become better than the last ten years I have experienced in life. Ten years ago I was 8 years old and during the decade I have been through much. However this previous decade was filled with a lot of trials and tribulations. Many mistakes were made that taught me lessons throughout the years. Growing up under a strict home and having certain restrictions in my eyes, held me back at times. On the contrary, living in a household like this also kept me from making things worse for myself in life. Ten years from now I will be 28 years old. By this time I will have gained my degree in Psychology, maybe even my masters, I also will be a couple years into my career, in my own home, and just experiencing life and continuing to grow as an individual. I would like to refrain myself from staying too deep into debt or hopefully debt-free. The years after college will be the years I and many others will be coming into their primes and these impactful years can shape who we are, what we do, and how we live for many years to come. Knowing this, I want to do all I can to be the best person I can be throughout this upcoming next 10 years in order to set myself straight for many of the other years that will come as well in my life.
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Alexa KruszewskiNovember 24, 2020 at 11:06 PM
What will you do to escape, or avoid falling into, Fantasyland?
Personally, with the society we live in, I think it’s almost impossible not to, and especially for my generation. Andersen himself says that, “We have passed through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole. American has mutated into fantasyland” (Andersen 6). He highlights social media and the media in general as a large contributor to our mutation into fantasyland. All these movies and books that we dedicate so much time and energy into that we forget what we’re supposed to be living in around us. Inhaling news and using it as fact without researching it ourselves. By these standards, I’m a little hopeless thinking that Fantasyland is easy to escape from. As an effort, quadruple check your facts, don’t spread your fantasy as fact, and start to call out the true and untrue.
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Zoe HovingaNovember 24, 2020 at 11:34 PM
Have you ever experienced "the sublime or the religious" in some mundane activity (like Whitman on the ferry)? 182
Kaag concludes his book with a sunset, which Neiman (201) says young people typically have no time for. Do you?

I can answer these together: every single day. If I don't watch the sunset, I watch the sunrise because I am frequently still up and working that early. If I miss either, I go out and I spend time watching the sky and the moon. To quote William Morris, "The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life". There is nothing more sublime (by both Kant and Burke's definitions) than to take time, especially in nature, to find peace in being so small and experiencing something so vast as the sky or the ground.

Are you a meliorist? 143-4
Yes! Meliorism is the philosophical backbone of my spiritual practice. I can't change everything in the natural process but I can use what I do have control over to improve things and create change for the better. Life and the world are hard to say the least, there's no arguing that this is the best it can be and that type of thinking stunts growth. At the same time though, the world is big and beautiful and full of kindness so it's not so bad, either. Thinking that this life is the worst that it could be would also stunt growth because you resign yourself to not trying to make anything better. It simply is what it is, the difference is in how we perceive things and how we act because that is what we are in control of - this is thinking that causes change because you never settle for less than the possibility of improvement yet never blind yourself to the challenges that may come with it.
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MirandaNovember 25, 2020 at 12:30 AM
For this week's post my question I am going to write about is:
Can you "tell someone how to think for herself"? 215
I personally do not think anyone can tell anyone how to think. Everyone is in charge of their own thoughts and feelings towards things. According to the book "Why Grow Up",it states how people should think for oneself and put oneself in the place of everyone else. People may have opinions and or advice on how to think but everyone needs and can think for their own self. It also states in the book to be an agreement with oneself. Agreeing is very important and find who you truly first thing. Once you find who you truly are you won't have to care what others think of you and you can just learn for yourself.
total points 70/70 not including midterm
this weeks post +3 for essay and +2 for responses
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Emily KlunkNovember 25, 2020 at 9:22 AM
Must James’s “unseen order” be something supernatural? Or can it just be aspects of nature not yet understood?
Throughout the history of humanity, nature’s laws have been elusive. People today may scoff at the legends of the past wondering how people could have possibly come to believe in such things but that is rather elitist given all the technology/science/knowledge we have today to help us navigate our world. Even to this day, there are realms of our world that we have not explored even as we push to the stars. One legend that always come to mind when speaking to the explanation of our sensory intakes that grew to legend is the Kraken. A giant cephalopod that haunted the oceans, destroying ships and of course had a taste for human flesh. The Kraken was even included in Systema Naturae (1735) by the pioneer of biological classification Carl Linnaeus. It was not until 1853 that a giant squid washed up on a beach that could explain the myth. These terrifying creatures have an average size of 33 feet for males and 39 feet for females. If you saw that swimming next to your fishing boat during a storm, I’d imagine your view of it would be rather fearsome as well. Though perhaps the Kraken was real, a holdover from perhaps the Prehistoric age and it’s remains are now laying at the bottom of the ocean that we have only investigated 5% of. The definition of supernatural I have always liked is “(of a manifestation or event) attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature.” All the natural laws we have now were found via the investigation of our world, attempts to debunk the legends of old. It is only supernatural until it can be explained, perhaps some things will never be fully explained but that keeps people exploring. “…Creator has eternally intended this department of nature to remain baffling, to prompt our curiosities and hopes and suspicions…” (James 178)
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Daniel LopezNovember 25, 2020 at 10:24 AM
Daniel Lopez, Section 1030-011

What do you think it means to say "truth is our story about the facts"? 134

This concept actually makes sense to me since in the world of marketing, one could say the same thing about a product or service. The "offer" is not the actual product itself but the angle that product is sold from. In other words, what the marketer says the potential problem it solves will be is based on the target audience's goals, current struggles, and overall mindset. Two identical products can be sold with very different stories to different audiences.

In the same way, just as the author mentioned how our interpretation of the facts is never one-to-one and our language and conception of the facts can only go so far, each person will inevitably experience the facts slightly differently. The fact two people who experienced the exact same hardship yet can lead incredibly different lives speaks to this; one person saw their tragedy and played the victim while the other saw it as a chance to grow and make something of themselves. This often more or less comes down to each person's interpretation of the facts through the lens of their values, which to an extent, plays into pragmatism as one will typically approach facts based on how it benefits their own life or the lessons to be learned from it.

Weekly essay 8/27/20 (3 pts)
Weekly essay 9/3/20 (3 pts)
Weekly essay 9/10/20 (3 pts)
Weekly essay 9/17/20 (3 pts)
Weekly essay 9/24/20 (3 pts)
Weekly essay 10/01/20 (3 pts)
Weekly essay 10/08/20 (3 pts)
Weekly essay N/A (0 pts)
Midterm essay N/A (0 pts)
Weekly essay 10/19/20 (3 pts)
Weekly essay 10/29/20 (3 pts)
Weekly essay 11/05/20 (3 pts)
Weekly essay 11/12/20 (3 pts)
Weekly essay 11/19/20 (0 pts)
Weekly essay 11/25/20 (3 pts)
Total: 36 pts
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Betsy AkpotuNovember 25, 2020 at 10:45 AM
Betsy Akpotu
Final Weekly Essay # 13
PHIL 1030-010
11/25/2020

Is Peter Pan a worthy hero for a grown up? Not really. Peter Pan, if you read the actually book of Peter Pan, he did something to the kids which I really did not like plus he is kind of odd to me. Peter Pan fights Caption Hook and Caption Hook gets eating by the Crocodile that have the time clock in its stomach. Peter Pan refers to children that they do not want to grow up and stay a kid forever which is not good for children because children need to know that you have to grow up sooner or later. Are the people you know who possess the soundest judgment and the most common sense also the wisest? Yes. My mom is the wisest and not judgment but she could argue a lot some time to time. My older brother, yes, he judges a lot and sometime I want to tell him to stop judging other people including me and just once admit you lost and move on plus apologizes for your actions and say thank you to people. I spend time with my uncle a lot on his farm and he is wiser than my family. I talk to him more because his mind is more at peace.
What will you do to escape, or avoid falling into, Fantasyland? 1. Do not watch the NEWS because everyone is so judgement. 2. Read a book that make you laugh, any book that fill up your imagination. 3. Play video games or get some fresh air and spend some times with your friends and make new one plus travel to place that you have not seen before. Fantasyland, if I can talk to the author I would say this Let it go and move on. The past has already been written again in this modern time and its happening again and it’s sad to me that we cannot move on about this world. It is shameful for me that this world is still too small and if we can’t change about this and not repeat the same cycle, then there is no hope for us at all.
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Kimmie SteakleyNovember 25, 2020 at 12:32 PM
Do the older people in your life (grandparents for example) "manage emotions more smoothly" or remember fewer negative things?

I am not completely sure, but I do believe that the older people in my life tend to not dwell on negative things. It is hard to say for sure because growing up, kids tend to see the actions of authority figures such as grandparents differently than they may have been. For example, I do not remember many instances of my grandparents being upset, but that could be due to me as a child focusing on my own feelings most and assuming that my parents and grandparents were somewhat perfect people. Still, as I think back on it and look at my remaining grandparents' actions well, they do seem to manage some emotions more smoothly. Though they still get upset, they seem generally to be able to get over things somewhat quicker. However, they are not perfect and still do remain upset when they are sometimes. I think that moving on from negative emotions is not forgetting negative things that happen, but choosing to focus on the better things instead. Hopefully by the time someone grows to an older age, they have accomplished many of the things that they wanted to in life. I believe that if this has happened, the person will likely be able to focus on all of the good things in their life rather than the bad. This is why I believe that some older people are able to sort through their emotions better, though they are still human and each person manages them selves in different ways.
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Matt KolzowNovember 25, 2020 at 2:24 PM
This comment has been removed by the author.
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Matthew PaceNovember 25, 2020 at 2:25 PM
Do you think fear of growing up is really fear of living, not dying?

I think it is primarily a fear of ever growing responsibility, which can hit kids especially hard in their compulsory education days. I can remember high school especially being a quite unbearable time in my life in which I wished I could return to the days of recess and 1 homework assignment a week, being constantly bogged down by useless busy work which was meant to "prepare me for college" (even though college has been far easier) in combination with recently getting a job. This is why I believe suicide rates are so high amongst high school kids, they feel like they can't possibly take anything more overwhelming than this if this is just supposed to be "preparation for the real world" so they become afraid to live in a world where they in their minds can't possibly succeed. This is why I feel that adults shouldn't be so hard against high school students who are struggling with a newfound overwhelming level of responsibility, they should instead remind them that college and career work while demanding of attention and determination are also both far more free and rewarding than high school and part time work. Dying should never be a more favorable proposition than living especially for people so young with so much left to live for, whether it be starting a family and bringing another being into this world with limitless potential or pursuing their dream career and recognizing their own potential. It is however still a very prevalent issue, and I hope that parents and teachers alike both take action to ensure those they have responsibility for don't fear living as a grown up.

Weekly essay +3
Replied to Mohap Siddig +1
Replied to Nate Carley +1

Total: 68/70
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Matt KolzowNovember 25, 2020 at 2:25 PM
"Everything makes sense. Just not to you or me." 133 Does this make sense?

In a weird way it does, since we all have our own ideas of what makes sense. We all have what we perceive to make the most sense in the world, so when something goes against it we immediately believe the world doesn't make sense. The world does and is how it is, we can just perceive it to be weird or be strange. If we compared the views of an adult to a child for example, a child might find things in the world to not make much sense but an adult may find that it all makes sense. Age, background, experiences in different parts of the world, all of these can change our views on what makes sense in the world compared to everyone around us. Which means we are all always going to have the world not make sense. It's weird, but knowing the world is always going to not make sense to us, has it make the most sense. It's been strange to think about this question, but while it might not make sense on first analysis of the quote, it actually makes a lot more sense when thinking about in our interpretations of the world.

Section 011
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Kiera RiordanNovember 25, 2020 at 2:57 PM

Do you expect the next 10 years of your life to be better than the last? What will you do to fulfill that expectation?

I believe every year I become more and more hopeful of a better future and have a more positive outlook on life. When I was younger l I did not think very highly of myself and it took a while to grow and find my confidence. I have found respect for myself and I think that is a big thing in life when you take care of yourself and love yourself, you’re able to love the people around you and not try to bring others down because of your own insecurities. I do expect the next ten years of my life to be better than my last because I have a more positive outlook on life than I did the last ten years. I have realized that life is not about the materialistic things, unlike what I use to think. I have realized that life is making the best of what you have and always striving to do better, and now that I have come to this understanding, I do expect the next ten years to be pretty good. Especially now that I am entering into adulthood and have a chance to be fully in control on my life.
I hope to find a way to travel for a little bit (once this pandemic is over) and if I can’t do that in the next ten years then I hope to do it before I die. I also expect to graduate college and find a meaningful job. Honestly, I’m just excited for wherever life takes me.

Weekly essay +3
Comment (Kimmie Steakley) +1
Comment (Daniel Lopez) +1

Week: 5/5
Overall: 70/70
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Gavin BrownNovember 25, 2020 at 3:31 PM
Is Peter Pan a worthy hero for a grown up?

No, Peter Pan is not a worthy hero for a grown up. That's kind of the whole point of the story isn't it? He spends a lifetime avoiding adulthood. He resents it, actually. He doesn't want the responsibility or the maturity that comes along with it. As a young adult in today's world, responsibility and maturity is imperative to succeeding in life. I need to go through college to get a degree so that I can then get a job and a house and contribute to society. None of this is possible without responsibility, or at least not possible to a high degree. This is not easy, however. That's why as we grow up, we look to movies, books, and even people in real life for role models. They help us set a goal. They help us see where we want to eventually be. Role models can be very helpful to a person striving to be the best version of themselves, that is, unless your role model is peter pan. He represents all of the things an adult in today's world should try to avoid in order to be successful. As adults, we can look back at peter pan and on our childhood and reminisce about the good times and how care free we were, but at a certain point, it is imperative that we move on. It's a stage in life that cannot last forever. We only have so much time on this earth, and we can't waste it being children.
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Zalen IngramNovember 25, 2020 at 4:40 PM
The concept of Fantasyland is one that I hope a majority of America and to an extent the rest of world understands, and how that any group or person can fall into that sweet, molasses-like sludge. I believe that I am currently no where near falling into that trap, but who's to say I'm not already in it? We take many things for granted without even a second glance at it, and once we realize the repercussions there's only a slight shock before we're pulled towards our next distraction. Of course, this is just a side effect to a larger, more dangerous influence of Fantasyland: denial. In the corners and cesspools of the Internet, you can easily find those who believe in conspiracy and pseudoscience that are far fetched beyond what I thought was possible. Those same uneducated groups with their mindsets so deeply rooted, when confronted with confirmed facts, they'll easily double down with a Facebook link or even their own work if they're that far gone. This has always been an issue in all of mankind's recorded history, with our understanding of the past when we look back at how Galileo was ridiculed and prosecuted against the Church. We are able to understand that we must accept these newly found discoveries and not repeat history. However, as it shows in these times not all of us are too keen on acceptance, and have led to their own understandings. This is why I believe that I have not fallen into Fantasyland, for I choose to listen to others and come to my own conclusions based on the surefire facts. Of course, an anti-vaxxer could say the exact same thing and believe it to the end, right after declaring they as well have not entered Fantasyland, would they be wrong in their mind? Not at all, but to everyone else, it would be rather apparent. That's why I think the statement of whether or not I'm in Fantasyland to be a difficult one to make, for who's to say? All I can say is that I hope I'm not.
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Kate AllenNovember 25, 2020 at 5:38 PM
And what do you think future generations' message might be, to us? Will it be anything like the following?
After watching the video, it really opened up my eyes about how many opportunities we have missed to improve the environment. I knew it was bad and that we hadn't acted as fast as we should have. But hearing her say (i think it was) 1989 was the year they could have really started fixing everything is very sad and frustrating to hear. I think that if we don't act now we will receive a message like this in the future. We have had so many chances to help the environment and save species, but have not taken it. We keep losing species and their habitats. If things don't have dramatic change soon, we will receive a message like this again, it my even be worse. People would rather try and challenge the idea that global warming even exists and have conspiracy theories than do something about it. There is plenty of evidence it exists and is harming our planet. If we don't want to hear something like this again in the future people need to start believing in science and doing what's best for the planet rather than what's best for their wallet. I hope that YouTube video opened up other people's eyes as it did mine. I'm glad there are people out there advocating for these things because we have wasted too much time already. I don't want the time of our planet to be shorter than it already is. I hope people will open up their eyes and see everything that is going on.
section 11
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Eli FeckNovember 25, 2020 at 6:36 PM
"Everything makes sense. Just not to you or me." 133 Does this make sense?
I agree with this portion of the statement, but not the statement in its entirety. In context, the quote is referring to a woman who had put all her belief in Christianity, and anytime she did not understand something she simply tacked it up to the divine plan. I do not agree with the religious aspect of this quote. In my opinion, it shows ignorance for someone who is unable to grasp an idea or concept or simple existence, and therefore claim it is the doing or will of some deity. I would agree with the portion of the quote above, that everything does make sense. Humans are not omniscient beings; they are simply incapable of possessing an infinite amount of knowledge. Even with the technology we have today, there are things about the universe, and even this planet that we call home, that we are unable to grasp and reason with; for example, we still do not know for sure what lies inside a black hole, past the event horizon, and we are still unable to cure ailments of the body, such as cancer. If we can not even heal our own diseases, how are we supposed to be capable of possessing knowledge about other things? Humans seem to think that there is nothing smarter or better suited for survival than them, and for now that may be true. In a thousand years, that could change. Humanity may be extinct, with a new species evolving to take our place. Can we grasp this concept? Does it make sense that our world is temporary, hectic, chaotic, and always moving? From an objective point of view, everything must make sense, we are just beings incapable of understanding everything. #12
Weekly Essay
Comment on Emily Klunk’s post
Comment on Kimmie Steakley’s post
70/70 points
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Brittney SherrellNovember 25, 2020 at 6:47 PM
Do you think fear of growing up is really fear of living, not dying? 230

I never quite understood the basic concept of growing up as a child, nor do I think many of us ever did; nowadays, though, I believe that as we realize we are indeed growing older with each passing day, we come to perhaps fear the very idea of continuing to live. Sure, I certainly fear death - rather, how I might die, but the very idea of living and growing up is scary in itself. As I grow up, I find that I don't find the same joy in some things like I did as a child, ranging from foods, drinks, games, etc. On top of that, I've started to fear living so long I might not understand the views of coming generations, much like I think older generations with ours (genZ specifically in my case.) I don't want to stick to one solid mindsight for the rest of my life as I continue to grow older, you know? In general I guess I just wonder, day after day, what tomorrow will bring - whether it be good or bad, of course, I would have no idea of knowing.
Total points - 70/70
weekly essay +3
commented on kate and gavin's posts +2
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Jurnee HollowayNovember 25, 2020 at 7:42 PM
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Jurnee HollowayNovember 25, 2020 at 7:54 PM
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Jurnee HollowayNovember 25, 2020 at 7:55 PM
Philosophy: Why Grow Up?: Do you look forward to "giving back"? 204

We all know that giving back can return the favor of the person or the receiver in a positive way. I've seen at work that customers pay for another's person order behind them and they keep it going. The look on their faces are just shocking and overwhelmed. Even celebrities give back to the people such as foundations/organizations, give healthy and clean food for the homeless, and even normal people and students that are in high school and college as well. Giving back is such a heart warming and thoughtful gesture that everyone should get to experience in their lives.

There are a whole bunch of people who donate clothes to the less fortune, canned goods, even do 5k walks to support the preemie babies, and much more. Every ounce of gesture is benefiting the next and so forth.

Section 12
Weekly essay +3
Comment (Kiera Riordan) +1
Comment (Matthew Pace) +1

Week: 5/5
Overall: 70/70
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Shelby PittmanNovember 25, 2020 at 8:06 PM
Section 10
Reply to Simon Pergande and Ammar Idris
65/70
"Everything makes sense. Just not to you or me." 133 Does this make sense?
Honestly, yes this does make sense. Everything has a reason or a purpose, whether we know that now or not. Science throughout the ages is a great example of this. Think back to history class when the plague was the topic of discussion. For all we knew, people were just dying out of nowhere. Obviously, they knew there was an illness, but not how or why it happened. We also didn’t know about germs for an incredibly long time. Now that we have this information, that makes sense. From a more personal standpoint, think about the times your parents told you no and you could not understand what their reason was, but looking back at into it makes perfect sense. Things seem like they have no rhyme or reason, but that is not always the case. We don’t have to understand everything right now. That won’t genuinely help anyone. Ignorance truly is bliss, but we do need to try to make sense of things to further growth as a society. So yes, everything does in some way make sense. We just may not know it quite yet.

Do you yet realize "that no time of one's life is the best one"?
Yes, I do. It’s actually fascinating in high school how many adults told me to cheer up and that these are the best years I will ever have while I had real problems going on much worse than my peers. The truth is every portion of your life has trials. There is no part of life that will ever be easy or truly great. Some days suck less than others, but to be so naïve as to say there’s one spot that is better than the rest doesn’t seem too accurate.
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Anna CollinsNovember 25, 2020 at 10:03 PM
Do you think the fear of growing up is really fear of living, not dying?

At first thought, many people may say they are not scared to grow up and in fact, that they are excited. It always seems that whatever is next is going to be what satisfies, when in reality, there will always be a longing for more. When we are in middle school, we long to be in high school, and when we are in high school, we long for college, and when we are in college we long to graduate. It always feels that the present moment or our present circumstances are unsatisfying compared to the future. Because of this approach, it may be easy to say we long to grow up or that we long to live. However, beneath this idea is the reality that we will never be satisfied in life. To acknowledge our fear of growing up means understanding that we won’t be satisfied in the way we imagine. We may fear dying, but we also fear the pain that comes with the longing to be satisfied. Understanding this reality does invoke a fear of growing up and hence a fear of living. In order to combat this fear, we must come to grips with the reality of our situation. No matter how much we have, whether money or fame or community or love, we will always crave more. This is a factor of the human condition and it has the power to imprison us in sorrow or free us in truth. To know that our longings will never be truly fulfilled can be heartbreaking. However, understanding this reality can also give us the courage to believe there is something more to life. When we acknowledge our insurmountable desire, we can be at peace with dissatisfaction and therefore enjoy more of what life truly is- which is a striving and a yearning for a completeness that we will never reach.
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Anna CollinsNovember 25, 2020 at 10:08 PM
weekly essay: 3+
commented on Bailey Stephen's and Nate Carley's post: 2+
this week: 5 points
overall: 70 points
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Alexandra JassoNovember 25, 2020 at 10:45 PM
What will you do to escape, or avoid falling into, Fantasyland?

We live in a country that seems to value in believing what you choose to believe and live it for themselves. While some may see that as a positive attribute, it has become the reason on why our country is divided. The reason is that the truth can often be painful for some people and is hard to digest. In most cases, instead of facing it and be forcing to accept the painful reality, we make up stories and fantasies to cope and hide from reality and slowly, it begins to cloud our judgement and all our decisions. Eventually, we begin to drag others to our own versions of reality in hopes of making it become the truth itself.
Of-course, I have been guilty of this and I have fallen down the rabbit hole of what many call Fantasyland. Whenever I find myself trapped in Fantasyland, I would often had to remind myself of where I come from and look around to see how that differs from mine. Next, whenever I do look at the news or headline on social media, I would have to remind myself that this is just one version of the what could be the truth. While it may not be my truth, it's just one person perspective of reality. Afterwards, I have to remind myself not to get involve in shaping one's beliefs for personal reasons. When I don't agree with some's beliefs, I don't get involve unless it threatens me personally. Finally, I must remember that it's important to gain knowledge and perspective from different parts of the world as I must understand them and know where do they come from and how they fit in to all of this. Only then can I try and understand the truth. The right version even if it takes me a while.
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Pedro RojasNovember 26, 2020 at 12:59 AM
Do you think fear of growing up is really fear of living, not dying?

-I personally believe I fear most is growing up. I've been exposed to a lot of life threatening situations and not to be weird I slowly came to terms with it. Not saying I want it to happen no sir not at all, but just more ideal that one day it will be my time and that it's normal. I fear growing more because I want to be someone important that can provide for those he loves and can provide back to his community. Also, I don't want to be a disappointment and be able to look back and be proud of all the goals I've achieved.

Do you look forward to "giving back"?

- yes, indeed I do I would like to mainly give back to my mom and stepdad. My mom because she worked to provide for me and created the person I am today. My stepdad is the only person I consider a father figure and I to others I introduce him as my Dad because he taught me everything I know if it wasn't for him I wouldn't know how to work in the field I desire to be in. Finally, I'd like to give back in general people from y community and those in need because being able to bring someone happiness for at least a day will bring lots of joy and money cant replace that.

Do you expect the next 10 years of your life to be better than the last? What will you do to fulfill that expectation?

- Yes I do I'm planning on taking the knowledge from my last 10 years and learn from my mistakes to grow.
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Tom P.November 26, 2020 at 1:10 PM
Do i expect the next 10 years of my life to better than the last ten? In almost every single semblance of that statement do i sure as hell hope so. At 21 i was kicked out and slept on the street for awhile, kicked out of my uncles house after, then slept on my cousins couch. The army, while the best job i ever had, also provided some of the worst and some of the most painful things i have ever done. Yes they uilt some character, but in another sense i still have nerve damage in my big toes. While married, i was sent a text saying they weren't coming back and on deployment my ex invited ten different guys into my bed then blamed me for the chlamydia she got that i have never had. I intend whole heartedly to make damn sure my next ten years looks better. I am i school hoping to get into nursing or maybe another related field. I have a lady by my side that would never falter in holding me accountable. I have bought a house, adopted my animals, and am driving a nice old car (even though it needs some updates). These next ten years can hopefully, knock on wood, be nowhere near as bad as the last ten.

commented on Brittney Sherrell and Gavin Brown
Semester grand total 65/70
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Adam ChambersNovember 26, 2020 at 1:51 PM
Adam Chambers
Section 12
26 Nov 2020

Q: Do you yet realize "that no time of one's life is the best one"?

I don’t realize this at all or accept that it actually holds any truth.

While the concept of any one experience or time within one person’s life being “the best” is a bit hard due to many experiences being enjoyable or notable in completely separate ways and that our experiences and subsequent enjoyment therein are highly dependent on our mental state and mood at the time, I find the idea that general parts of ones’ life aren’t better than others preposterous. It feels to me that this “realization” or seemingly inevitable conclusion comes from a place of relative comfort and safety, wherein the one proposing it and those around them are free to live their lives without having to deal with trauma or despair beyond the occasional financial trouble or loss of a loved one due to illness/age. Ask anyone who’s ever been displaced by war or natural disaster, anyone who’s ever lost parts of their body and senses that most of us take for granted every day or who spends their nights thrashing and yelling as they struggle to cope with PTSD. I think you’d be hard pressed to find any of them who wouldn’t consider the time before the pain to be objectively better and wish they could go back. The road ahead isn’t always lined with silver and glistening with opportunities to grow and thrive as people. Often times it seems darker than the one behind.

That being said. I do agree with Susan Neiman on the importance of finding joy where we can and savoring it, but I feel that the idea that growing up is simply focusing on the good and not lingering on the bad seems a bit childish in itself and doesn’t take into account that serious enough trauma can permanently reduce or destroy our receptivity to joy at all.

Semester Total:
38/70 (?)
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Moustafa ShamdeenNovember 26, 2020 at 4:11 PM
Do you think fear of growing up is really fear of living, not dying? 230

I think definitely to an extent I agree with that. I think people ARE scared of dying, even though it's so natural, because it feels so unnatural and leaves this void, but I do think the fear of growing up is more a fear about how your life shapes out to be. Everyone lives in the present, obviously it's subjective to our own viewpoints, but EVERYONE lives in the present. The future however, is completely unknown, you can make guesses, you can look at trends, you can check your star sign, but at the end of the day, it's completely unknown. When you graduate high school, graduate college, get your first salary job, get married, buy a house, have kids, so on and so forth, those are all unknowns. I mean its a really scary though at all times, it's kind of corny to say this, but no one really knows what the future might hold. Maybe your fields jobs aren't in high demand, maybe that salary isn't what you wanted it to be, maybe you don't get married, or can't afford the house, or can't have kids, and on top of all those uncertainties, there's more responsibilities, bills, taxes, insurance, providing for your family, maybe moving out and worrying what to eat for the night, just in general, growing up is extremely scary. But I think that's okay, it'd be much weirder if you were prepared for all of that, I think life is about going through that, I think there's not anyone who doesn't feel that way, and because people have done it before, Im sure myself, and people far into the future can do it too.

Section 12
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Henry MoseleyNovember 26, 2020 at 5:45 PM
Do you expect the next 10 years of your life to be better than the last? What will you do to fulfill that expectation?
Sec 10

All I can do is hope that the next 10 years of my life are better than my last. I hope to accomplish a lot of things in that time. I will truly be starting my life and hopefully buying my own house. Several dreams that I want to fulfill with such little time to make them come true. In order to keep myself on track, I will always remember my goals. I will do what needs to be done in order to progress in life. I am excited to see what the next 10 years of my life holds.
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TylerjonesNovember 26, 2020 at 7:12 PM
Question: "Do you expect the next 10 years of your life to be better than the last? What will you do to fulfill that expectation? 221"
Answer: I believe that the next ten years of my life will be better than the last ten. If everything goes as planned the next ten years I will accomplish the most important goals I have in my life. I plan to be a husband, buy a house, be a father, to have finished school, to have traveled the world a little more, become a world champion in my sport, compete in the next two paralympic games and medal at those games. In the next ten years I plan to do such great things. I will absolutely make these things happen.To fulfill these expectations I have I will actively work hard everyday for what I want. I will give glory and trust in God for the oppurtunities presented to me and never turn down a chance to better myself. I will work on my relationship with God and continue working on myself. I believe that by honoring God he will help me in achieving the goals I have set. Mark my words, I give thanks to God for everything and I will be known around the world and I will use my success to glorify the Lord.
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Michael ClancyNovember 26, 2020 at 7:17 PM
Do the older people in your life (grandparents for example) "manage emotions more smoothly" or remember fewer negative things?
When it comes to the older people in my life I think the root of it comes straight to experience. When they are faced with challenging times in which their mental state is challenged I think they are able to use prior experiences to help cope with these hard times. I also think that because of experience that in times of sadness they are able to look at those around them and capture a sense of pure joy because they are more grateful for what they have. I also think that they are more able to express and find positive ways of dealing with these issues in comparison to people of my age who are always trying to mask their insecurities and act as though nothing bothers them. When it comes to an older generation I also think it stems from how and what time period they were raised in. I often find myself having to always find something to do to entertain myself in some aspect and when I do not have something going on I feel down or lonely in different aspects. I think this is a product of technology and how it always is there so your mind is always active. But for an older generation who did not grow up with these technologies they learned to live their lives normally without always having to be entertained.
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Douglas HauserNovember 26, 2020 at 7:54 PM
Do the older people in your life (grandparents for example) "manage emotions more smoothly" or remember fewer negative things?

All of the older people in my life manage their emotions a lot more smoothly than others. My Grandmother can tell me about countless hardships that she has dealt with during her life and she is always able to keep he cool. I think that they have also has their strong emotions for most of their memories and there has always been something worse that happened to them in the past so they don't react to things as intensely as younger people. This also depends how these people react to different actions. if they are optimistic than they might not have a hard time forgetting about bad memories and moving on, and the older you get the better you are with dealing with these problems as soon as they arise.

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Anna JohnsonNovember 26, 2020 at 8:53 PM
Section 10
The U-Bend does surprise me a little bit, but after considering it, it does make sense. Neiman quotes a statistic that on average, happiness declines until around the age of 46 before beginning to increase again. This makes sense because by that age, people are more likely to have a career which can support them, and also they have had enough time to learn how to be happy. I do find these studies to be encouraging, however 46 seems like a long ways away. I definitely think older people tend to be better at managing their emotions more smoothly. My mom is 64 and is always the first to laugh at herself. This is likely also a major reason why older people tend to be happier as well. I don’t totally agree with James that people’s character is set, like plaster, by the time they are 30. I do agree that he is correct in many cases, people tend to figure out their principles and values and stick with them. However, there are definitely exceptions to the rule. I do appreciate the thought that no time of one’s life is the best one. Young people yearning to be older and old people yearning to be young is wasted effort. I think whoever is able to embrace the time they have whenever is what’s precious.
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Anthony OzohNovember 26, 2020 at 10:40 PM
Kaag concludes his book with a sunset, which Neiman says young people typically have no time for- Do you? Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I always have time for a sunset. I always kind of found them calming but I really didn’t care that much. Now, since I’ve came to college, I really notice it a lot more, maybe because I like to walk the trailheads. Speaking of trailheads Murfreesboro has so many that everyone should check out if they have the time; I even stumbled on the MTSU water tower with my girlfriend a few months ago like 20 minutes before sunset. Also, I don’t know what it is about Murfreesboro, but the sunsets here are very vibrant like, we were driving back from walk last week and the sky literally looked like a rainbow. I used to never get sunsets like that in South Nashville.
"It's more common to think about death in your twenties than it is in your fifties..." Do you hope that's true? Yes, I hope that is very true in our case. Mostly, I’m hoping to live a good life with as much of my regret behind me but also, there is a part of me that is just hoping that any one of the technological breakthroughs we’re on the verge of lead to some kind of radical life extension. I wouldn’t put money on it but, some scientist said he has it working on rats so I don’t know what that could entail in the next 20-30 years but I’m hopeful.
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Killian GunnNovember 26, 2020 at 11:55 PM
I want to give everyone just a bit of encouragement with some advice that I wrote to myself.
“If you’re struggling to make yourself do something—like building a healthy habit—don’t tell yourself that you’ll do it tomorrow morning, evening, or night. DO IT THEN AND THERE, right in the heat of your motivation. Only then, will you be able to do it AGAIN tomorrow.”
“People who have REAL power don’t boast about it. They don’t react to uncomfortable situations or negative people. They do subtle things. They speak as if everything they say is important and as if they don’t need people to hear it. When he or she believes that they have power, others around them tend to believe it.”
“Instead of repeating a process over and over, break the cycle and create a path that goes forward. In my case, instead of getting angry when people make assumptions, understand why it happens and learn how to use that as to your advantage.”
“Honor the pain of your past by not forcing others to needlessly endure it themselves.”
“If you are sharing your ideas and opinions with others and they start pulling back, let up and give them a final compelling question. Then simply leave.”
“If you find yourself to be obsessed with a person or an object(s), distance yourself from it. The only good obsession to have is for the process of becoming a better human.”
“The Ultimate Sacrifice is not to DIE for others but to LIVE and SERVE others. I’ve noticed that boys are taught by nearly all cultures and forms of entertainment that giving up their lives for someone or something is THE ULTIMATE sacrifice. IT’S NOT.”
“Do not tell yourself you are not a warrior because you are not consistent in challenging the limits of your body. Tell yourself you are a warrior because you consistently challenge the limits of your mind. As an example, I struggle to make myself workout intensely everyday; but I have no problem making myself intensely work my intellect.”
“Relinquish your desire for nostalgia. If those feelings are not genuine and are forced, then you need to move on and create new happy memories.
“Constantly be skeptical of your perception of other people’s actions and ideas. As for me, I notoriously will think that something a person did or said is stupid when I don’t understand it. This happens because when I don’t immediately know how it can be helpful or positive, I ASSUME that it is negative or harmful.
“Understand your negative attributes; then alter your perception of them to be your strengths.”
“Do you want to be right or do you want to be comfortable? In other words, do you want to win every battle or do you want to be comfortable after every battle? Not every argument is worth being right at the end.”
“MOST IMPORTANTLY!! Don’t take things personally; because most of the time, what other people do isn’t about you. In fact, they probably weren’t thinking about you when they did that thing you didn’t like.
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Nicolas SmithNovember 27, 2020 at 1:32 AM
Throughout the semester i have completed a weekly essay + 2-3 comments per week/every week except for this previous week due to the holidays substantial momentum. i dont know exactly what this score equates to but i hope it is sufficient
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Khushi PatelNovember 27, 2020 at 8:14 PM
Do you expect the next 10 years of your life to be better than the last? What will you do to fulfill that expectation?
I believe that my future will be more better than my past. I always wanted to see what will my life in the future, what will be my career and what will I become? I have many dreams and aspirations that i would like to accomplish within the next ten years to come. In ten years, i can see myself having many of my goal accomplished, if not accomplished, I will be working on accomplishing those goals to fulfil my life. We all know when growing up that we all wanted that fairy tale ending with the house, car, kids, and the dog. Ten years from now i plan to be coming out of college with several degrees, and being happy. School has always been an important goal in my life. I love helping other people with their sickness.
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Khushi PatelNovember 27, 2020 at 8:22 PM
weekly post +3
responded to Douglas Hauser and Tylerjones +2
Total (65/70)
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Mason SchoonoverNovember 28, 2020 at 5:28 PM
Do you expect the next 10 years of your life to be better than the last? What will you do to fulfill that expectation?
I feel that the next 10 years of my life will be just as good as the last 10. Not better and not worse. I think the next ten years will be some of the most important years of my life. I will probably get married and get a job that will last me for my life. I want to be an airline pilot that flies for FedEx. I think it would be very cool to go and fly a Boeing 757 all around the world and see it from a different perspective. I will graduate college with hopefully a 4.0 which is my goal. I have been working very hard and over the first three semesters I will hold a 4.0 so I only have 5 to go but that is a long way. I think the next 10 years is when life really happens. It is kind of the part in life where people usually find their path they will lead for the rest of their life.
I think the last 10 years of my life have been very good and I think I am a very blessed person who has been taught the right way to try and work hard and earn the things that I have. I also think I have a lot people to thank for that. I am blessed to be able to go to college and learn the things that I am learning. Hopefully here in the next couple years I will be able to put it all together and become a pilot like I talked about. The plan is to get all my ratings which are private, tailwheel, instrument, commercial 1 and 2, and then become an instructor for the school. I then have to get 1000 hours of time and then try and land a job on an airline. That is the plan right now and hopefully it will all come together in a few years.
70/70 points 29/28 comments 14/14 essays
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Andrew KrogerNovember 30, 2020 at 1:29 PM
I think i was at 52 or 47 out of 70.
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Carter StephensDecember 3, 2020 at 9:03 AM
-Will the next 10 years be the best years of your life?
I don't want to sound overly or pointlessly optimistic, but I 100% believe that the next 10 ears will be the greatest I have had so far. I believe this because of the fact that as you get older, you learn more, whether by study or experience. I believe that I will continuously acquire both of these, so that that 10 years down the road, I will be a far more experienced and knowledgeable person in many different things. I love learning, whether it is in the books or experience, so I think that as long as God allows me to keep on living, I am going to always continue learning and getting better. I've certainly learned a lot in this class, and I am very glad that I chose to take it. Good luck to everyone!
Total points should be at 60, not including the final presentation. Thanks Dr. Oliver!

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Cole WalkerDecember 6, 2020 at 3:37 PM
Is Peter Pan a worthy hero for a grown-up?
I think that Peter Pen doesn't need to be any adult hero or personal favorite character. He doesn't resemble any maturity and responsibility but operates in a childlike, overprotective, egotistical, and territorial manor. If a normal adult were to take hold of certain habits and behaviors that Peter Pan has they would surely be unsuccessful at best and a fool.

Do you look forward to "giving back"?
I think it would be a very wholesome experience to be in the position to give freely. At the same time though it might also become more of a hobby to you if done too much such as many celebrities that give to large organizations just to be seen or have the camera on them. I have given back a little this year, as it is the first year that I've had a steady job. I bought the people important to me Christmas gifts this year and that was a really humbling thing to do.
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Patrick wolffDecember 7, 2020 at 4:57 PM
Do the older people in your life (grandparents for example) "manage emotions more smoothly" or remember fewer negative things?

I believe this is true. I believe our grandparents had a more positive few of america than kids today. I believe this is due to social media making kids insecure and perfect standards that people can't live up to. I believe that kids today do not like america as it stands while our grandparents love the american values. How did we get this disconnect. Well my experience is that this disconnect comes from schools. As the political climate changed I saw the teachings in schools change to only reflect that of one politcal party. This is the reason why I believe kids are demoaralized.
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Texts Fall 2024

REQUIRED: Nigel Warburton, LITTLE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY (LHP) (etext linked below)... Susan Neiman, WHY GROW UP (WGU)... John Kaag, SICK SOULS, HEALTHY MINDS: How William James Can Save Your Life (SS)... Eric Weiner, THE SOCRATES EXPRESS: In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers (Weiner_)... RECOMMENDED (and available for 3-day checkout at the library): Mariana Allesandri, NIGHT VISION: seeing ourselves through dark moods... Kurt Andersen, FANTASYLAND: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History by Kurt Andersen (FL) ... Julian Baggini, HOW THE WORLD THINKS (HWT)... Kaag & J. van Belle, BE NOT AFRAID OF LIFE: In the Words of William James... Robert Richardson, THREE ROADS BACK: How Emerson, Thoreau, and William James Responded to the Greatest Losses of Their Lives... Kieran Setiya, LIFE IS HARD (LH)

JPO bio

The author of "William James's Springs of Delight: The Return to Life, (VU Press, 2001) " Phil Oliver specializes in the American philosophical tradition with supporting interests in applied ethics (particularly Bioethics and Environmental Ethics), Anglo-American literature, history, humanism, naturalism, science and exploration, peripatetic ("walking & talking") philosophy, baseball, cycling, swimming, the pursuit of happiness, and the perpetual dawn of day. One of his favorite MTSU courses is The Philosophy of Happiness. He is academic advisor for minors in American Culture (American Studies), and a founding board member and current Vice-President of the William James Society. You can follow him on Threads, Instagram (@OSOPHER), Substack (philoliver.substack.com) and on his blogsite Up@dawn (jposopher.blogspot.com) but of course, as Immanuel Kant and Monty Python's Brian Cohen agreed: You don't have to follow anybody. "Sapere aude," have the courage to think for yourself. But not by yourself. Good philosophy collaborates and converses.

Philosophy tutor & Writing Center

The tutor for this year is Elle Robinson. Her email address, should you need to contact her, is: ljr3s@mtmail.mtsu.edu ... Her hours will be Mondays & Wednesdays, 6 pm until 7:45 pm, Feb 19--Apr 24. She will offer tutoring in the library... No tutoring will be offered during Spring Break... WRITING CENTER: The Margaret H. Ordoubadian University Writing Center is located in LIB 362 and online at www.mtsu.edu/writing-center. Here, students can receive valuable (and FREE!) one-to-one assistance in person or online on writing projects for any course. Please make your appointment by stopping by LIB 362, calling 615-904-8237, or visiting the UWC website. Visit early and often! https://www.mtsu.edu/writing-center/

Gymnasiums of the Mind

"Followers of the Greek Aristotle were known as peripatetics because they passed their days strolling and mind-wrestling through the groves of the Academe. The Romans’ equally high opinion of walking was summed up pithily in the Latin proverb: “It is solved by walking.” Nearly every philosopher-poet worth his salt has voiced similar sentiments. Erasmus recommended a little walk before supper and “after supper do the same.” Thomas Hobbes had an inkwell built into his walking stick to more easily jot down his brainstorms during his rambles. Jean- Jacques Rousseau claimed he could only meditate when walking: “When I stop, I cease to think,” he said. “My mind only works with my legs.” Søren Kierkegaard believed he’d walked himself into his best thoughts. In his brief life Henry David Thoreau walked an estimated 250,000 miles, or ten times the circumference of earth. “I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits,” wrote Thoreau, “unless I spend four hours a day at least – and it is commonly more than that – sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields absolutely free from worldly engagements.” Thoreau’s landlord and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson characterized walking as “gymnastics for the mind...” Christopher Orlet, Philosophy Now https://philosophynow.org/issues/44/The_Gymnasiums_of_the_Mind

Admirable profession

"...Most of the luxuries, and many of the so called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind. With respect to luxuries and comforts, the wisest have ever lived a more simple and meagre life than the poor. The ancient philosophers, Chinese, Hindoo, Persian, and Greek, were a class than which none has been poorer in outward riches, none so rich in inward. We know not much about them. It is remarkable that we know so much of them as we do. The same is true of the more modern reformers and benefactors of their race. None can be an impartial or wise observer of human life but from the vantage ground of what we should call voluntary poverty. Of a life of luxury the fruit is luxury, whether in agriculture, or commerce, or literature, or art. There are nowadays professors of philosophy, but not philosophers. Yet it is admirable to profess because it was once admirable to live..."

"I went to the woods because...

I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion... "

"I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there...

Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not spare any more time for that one. It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves. I had not lived there a week before my feet wore a path from my door to the pond-side; and though it is five or six years since I trod it, it is still quite distinct. It is true, I fear that others may have fallen into it, and so helped to keep it open. The surface of the earth is soft and impressible by the feet of men; and so with the paths which the mind travels. How worn and dusty, then, must be the highways of the world, how deep the ruts of tradition and conformity! I did not wish to take a cabin passage, but rather to go before the mast and on the deck of the world, for there I could best see the moonlight amid the mountains. I do not wish to go below now... I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours..."

Where he lived, and what he lived for

"Let us settle ourselves, and work and wedge our feet downward through the mud and slush of opinion, and prejudice, and tradition, and delusion, and appearance, that alluvion which covers the globe, through Paris and London, through New York and Boston and Concord, through church and state, through poetry and philosophy and religion, till we come to a hard bottom and rocks in place, which we can call reality, and say, This is, and no mistake; and then begin, having a point d’appui, below freshet and frost and fire, a place where you might found a wall or a state, or set a lamp-post safely, or perhaps a gauge, not a Nilometer, but a Realometer, that future ages might know how deep a freshet of shams and appearances had gathered from time to time. If you stand right fronting and face to face to a fact, you will see the sun glimmer on both its surfaces, as if it were a cimeter, and feel its sweet edge dividing you through the heart and marrow, and so you will happily conclude your mortal career. Be it life or death, we crave only reality. If we are really dying, let us hear the rattle in our throats and feel cold in the extremities; if we are alive, let us go about our business."

Vote!

"The 2024 election is going to be decided by people under 30, who have the most at stake, and they need to register to vote in order to make a difference. That’s the answer, simple democracy." -GK... Please visit TennVoterLookup if you would like to check your Tennessee registration status or check RockTheVote.org. TN residents can update or change their information on the TN Government's website. If you're currently registered in another county it may be easier for you to vote here. Register in Rutherford County: https://www.mtsu.edu/amerdem/register-to-vote.php

Thinking is a social activity

"We do not (on Justice Holmes's reasoning) permit the free expression of ideas because some individual may have the right one. No individual alone can have the right one. We permit free expression because we need the resources of the whole group to get us the ideas we need. Thinking is a social activity. I tolerate your thought because it is part of my thought—even when my thought defines itself in opposition to yours." — The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America by Louis Menand https://a.co/8qI6C9a

A proper education

“The complexity of our present trouble suggests as never before that we need to change our present concept of education. Education is not properly an industry, and its proper use is not to serve industries, either by job-training or by industry-subsidized research. It's proper use is to enable citizens to live lives that are economically, politically, socially, and culturally responsible. This cannot be done by gathering or "accessing" what we now call "information" - which is to say facts without context and therefore without priority. A proper education enables young people to put their lives in order, which means knowing what things are more important than other things; it means putting first things first.” ― Wendell Berry

The college project

“The American college may be considered a continuation, at the human level, of the self-education process of the earth itself: universe education, earth education, and human education are stages of development in a single unbroken process...The entire college project can be seen as that of enabling the student to understand the immense story of the universe and the role of the student in creating the next phase of the story.” --Thomas Berry, “The American College in the Ecological Age,” in The Dream of the Earth

Planting seeds

One thing is certain: if our educational system does not honestly and explicitly promote the central tenet of science—that nothing is sacred—then we encourage myth and prejudice to endure. We need to equip our children with tools to avoid the mistakes of the past while constructing a better, and more sustainable, world for themselves and future generations. We won’t do that by dodging inevitable and important questions about facts and faith. Instead of punting on those questions, we owe it to the next generation to plant the seeds of doubt." Lawrence M. Krauss, "Teaching Doubt"-The New Yorker

Enlightened thoughts

“Reason drives your search to make sense of the world by pushing you to ask why things are as they are. For theoretical reason, the outcome of that search becomes science; for practical reason, the outcome is a more just world.”

“A defence of the Enlightenment is a defence of the modern world, along with all its possibilities for self-criticism and transformation. If you’re committed to Enlightenment, you’re committed to understanding the world in order to improve it.”

“Freedom cannot simply mean doing whatever strikes you at the moment: that way you're a slave to any whim or passing fancy. Real freedom involves control over your life as a whole, learning to make plans and promises and decisions, to take responsibility for your actions' consequences.”

“Doing what you can to move your part of the world closer to the way that it should be, while never losing sight of the way that it is, is what being a grown-up comes to.”
― Susan Neiman, Why Grow Up?: Subversive Thoughts for an Infantile Age

The thinkers of the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment saw an urgent need for a secular foundation for morality, because they were haunted by a historical memory of centuries of religious carnage: the Crusades, the Inquisition, witch hunts, the European wars of religion. They laid that foundation in what we now call humanism, which privileges the well-being of individual men, women, and children over the glory of the tribe, race, nation, or religion. It is individuals, not groups, who are sentient—who feel pleasure and pain, fulfillment and anguish. Whether it is framed as the goal of providing the greatest happiness for the greatest number or as a categorical imperative to treat people as ends rather than means, it was the universal capacity of a person to suffer and flourish, they said, that called on our moral concern.”

“The Enlightenment thus translated the ultimate question ‘How can I be saved?’ into the pragmatic ‘How can I be happy?’—thereby heralding a new praxis of personal and social adjustment.”

“The ideals of the Enlightenment are products of human reason, but they always struggle with other strands of human nature: loyalty to tribe, deference to authority, magical thinking, the blaming of misfortune on evildoers.”― Steven Pinker, Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress

“We must cultivate our garden.”

“Think for yourself and let others enjoy the privilege of doing so too.” Voltaire

“Education begins the gentleman, but reading, good company and reflection must finish him.”

“To love truth for truth's sake is the principal part of human perfection in this world, and the seed-plot of all other virtues.” ― John Locke

“One unerring mark of the love of truth is not entertaining any proposition with greater assurance than the proofs it is built upon will warrant.”

“I pretend not to teach, but to inquire; and therefore cannot but confess here again,–that external and internal sensation are the only passages I can find of knowledge to the understanding. These alone, as far as I can discover, are the windows by which light is let into this DARK ROOM. For, methinks, the understanding is not much unlike a closet wholly shut from light, with only some little openings left, to let in external visible resemblances, or ideas of things without: which, would they but stay there, and lie so orderly as to be found upon occasion, it would very much resemble the understanding of a man, in reference to all objects of sight, and the ideas of them.”

― John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

“Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains. Those who think themselves the masters of others are indeed greater slaves than they.”

“Why should we build our happiness on the opinons of others, when we can find it in our own hearts?”
― Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract and Discourses

“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”

“It does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are 20 gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.”

I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.― Thomas Jefferson, Letters of Thomas Jefferson

Religion. Your reason is now mature enough to examine this object. In the first place, divest yourself of all bias in favor of novelty & singularity of opinion... shake off all the fears & servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear... ...Do not be frightened from this inquiry by any fear of its consequences. If it ends in a belief that there is no God, you will find incitements to virtue in the comfort and pleasantness you feel in its exercise, and the love of others which it will procure you... In fine, I repeat, you must lay aside all prejudice on both sides, and neither believe nor reject anything, because any other persons, or description of persons, have rejected or believed it... [Jefferson, Letter to his nephew, Peter Carr, advising him in matters of religion, 1787]”

“The true value of a human being can be found in the degree to which he has attained liberation from the self.”― Albert Einstein

“There is strong shadow where there is much light.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Götz von Berlichingen

“How could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?”
― Plato, The Allegory of the Cave

“Enlightenment means taking full responsibility for your life.”
― William Blake

“To live is not to breathe but to act. It is to make use of our organs, our senses, our faculties, of all the parts of ourselves which give us the sentiment of our existence. The man who has lived the most is not he who has counted the most years but he who has most felt life.”
― Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, or On Education

“We owe a huge debt to Galileo for emancipating us all from the stupid belief in an Earth-centered or man-centered (let alone God-centered) system. He quite literally taught us our place and allowed us to go on to make extraordinary advances in knowledge.”
― Christopher Hitchens

“It is not easy to convey, unless one has experienced it, the dramatic feeling of sudden enlightenment that floods the mind when the right idea finally clicks into place. One immediately sees how many previously puzzling facts are neatly explained by the new hypothesis. One could kick oneself for not having the idea earlier, it now seems so obvious. Yet before, everything was in a fog.”
― Francis Crick, What Mad Pursuit

“I am a humanist, which means, in part, that I have tried to behave decently without expectations of rewards or punishments after I am dead.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
==

“For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.”

“Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality. When we recognize our place in an immensity of light‐years and in the passage of ages, when we grasp the intricacy, beauty, and subtlety of life, then that soaring feeling, that sense of elation and humility combined, is surely spiritual. So are our emotions in the presence of great art or music or literature, or acts of exemplary selfless courage such as those of Mohandas Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr. The notion that science and spirituality are somehow mutually exclusive does a disservice to both.”

“I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time -- when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness...

The dumbing down of American life is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30 second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance”

“We've arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces.”

“If we can't think for ourselves, if we're unwilling to question authority, then we're just putty in the hands of those in power. But if the citizens are educated and form their own opinions, then those in power work for us. In every country, we should be teaching our children the scientific method and the reasons for a Bill of Rights. With it comes a certain decency, humility and community spirit. In the demon-haunted world that we inhabit by virtue of being human, this may be all that stands between us and the enveloping darkness.”
― Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

==
On the other hand, eastern enlightenment...

“Not thinking about anything is Zen. Once you know this, walking, sitting, or lying down, everything you do is Zen.”
― Bodhidharma, The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma

How to add links, embed videos etc.

Videos: in Blogger, after clicking on "New Post"-- 1. Copy the URL of the video you want to share. 2. Click on "More options" on the far right of the toolbar above, then Insert Video icon (3d from left) 3. Select YouTube 5. Select Search 6. Paste the URL & Select it == To insert links: 1. Highlight a word or phrase in your text 2. Click on the link icon 3. Paste the URL address of the site or passage you want to link to == To insert graphics, either just copy-&-paste... OR, click on the "insert image" icon (to the right of the link icon, to the left of the "insert video" icon) and select the appropriate option == To embed Google Books pages: 1. Find the book you want to embed. 2. Select Preview 3. Select (click on) the page you want to embed. 4. Click More Actions (the three vertical dots in the upper right) 5. Select Embed (unless you just want to link the page) 6. Copy the code 7. In edit mode on blogger, select the pen icon in the upper left and click on HTML view 8. Paste the code == Familiarize yourself with the edit icons in the drop-down menu (link, insert image, insert video, etc.) Always make sure, after you Publish, that the formatting is correct on the blogsite. If not, click More options (the three horizontal dots in the upper right) and then Clear Formatting on the far right (the T with a diagonal slash).