Monday, December 10, 2007
To Know Thy Self is Devine
In the course of ones life if they can say that they truly know themselves they have accomplished much. One of the hardest and most rewarding things to be able to is to discover who you truly are as a person. This sounds simple but imagine all the times people are caught between decisions. For example when I was applying to Providence I had to decide whether I would pursue a degree in political science or pre-law. I couldn't for the life of me decide, I keep confusing my own will with my parents and my mentors ideas. I just couldn't decide what I truly wanted to do. This was because even today I still don't truly know myself. That day however I learned a little more about who I am as a person. As I made my decision I thought about a lot of things including all the reasons I ever wanted to pursue these two fields. As I thought I remembered why I had originally been interested in history and the study of government. I thought of my childhood watching the history channel and being fascinated with the different history's and politics of foreign nations. I related everything to the tails of great American heroes. Then I began to ponder why I had considered pre-law. The answer was my interest in pre-law was just and extension of my great passion for history and politics. The idea of pre-law was put into my head by my parents who believed that it would help me to be better prepared for law school after my stead in college. Although their idea was valid and had no manipulating malice the fact was that it didn't fit who I was. I love history and because I realized this about myself I gained greater knowledge about not only what I want to do with my life but also information that I can use the next time in need to make a tough decision. To truly know ones self is all empowering, imagine all the insight one could possess if they just knew what to pursue. Some people spend their entire lives looking for the right job that fits them or looking for their purpose but can never find what really makes them happy. When one is truly aware of themselves they are able to not only master their strengths but also avoid and control their weaknesses. My greatest weakness is my tendency to procrastinate. I always put off school work or other things I need to do. I wait too long at times to start my work and I have seen it affect my life, I have missed out on many things that I truly wanted because I waited to long. my tendency to procrastinate has hurt me not only in school but in my personal life. My parents and my family are often very upset with me over an assortment of common grievances that all stem from my inability to just get my act together and finish my work. For me this terrible weakness is truly a plague, because inside I know I want to get my work done I just can seem to settle down and do it. I can remember literally wasting an entire Saturday doing a simple little project for my social studies class because if couldn't seem to get into the work I just sat around moving from room to room doing stupid stuff and playing around. Ten hours later I am staring at the clock wondering were all the time went. I hate having weakness I feel that there is not excuse for being particularly weak in one areas however at times I just cant seem to help myself, its like I am impeding my own forward progress because I cant get out of my own way. It is extremely frustrating to have to deal with this kind of hindering problem because I also know what it feels like to be right on the ball. There are times when I am ready and on time with everything getting my work done and doing what I have to do. When I compare the to selves I begin to realize that my problem lies more with my motivation than any inability to focus. because i know myself I am able to combat my weakness by creating goals for myself to keep on task but for me my greatest weakness will always be my procrastination. I would like to think that I process many strengths that can be considered my great strengths. However I believe my greatest strength is my shrewdness. Throughout my life I have used my cunning to get me out of tight situations and to gain superior edge on my opponents. I have always been able to speak well and this is important when you need to talk yourself out of trouble. I have always trusted my mouth to win in situations where a clever tongue is the only affective means of escape. When I was younger I used my shrewdness and my ability to speak to get me out of many slippery situations at our old pool club. One example of this was when I changed the specials board on the snack bar and wrote explicit things on it I was able to convince the club manager that it was not me and in fact none the kids at the club because none of use were in the vicinity at the time of the incident. These skills are not only useful for getting out of trouble but they are also helpful in all of life. Being prepared to talk or argue something is a skill that few people have. to present a clear logical argument with out planning ahead of time is an extremely useful skill. being able to think on your feet is something that i believe is invaluable in this world, it gives you me not only power but also a sense of confidence that allows me to function better. I have really gained appreciation for the power that a series of quick well placed words can have on people. I believe my ability to think quickly and cleverly I still my greatest strength. People often say that they have trouble writing or talking about their strengths and weaknesses. They say that they feel uncomfortable bragging about their strengths and that they don't recognize their faults. This is true in some cases however if you know yourself well this should be no challenge. I feel that I know myself quite well, I had no problem looking at myself from a distance and realizing what my faults and strengths are. My faults are very apparent in my person however my strengths are harder to define because a lot of them intertwine into one idea. However, I can say with certainty that I have a very good fix on what my strengths and weakness are. I don't know if most people take the time to sit down and think. Who am I as a person? If more people did then they would not have such a hard time speaking about their strengths and weaknesses. The only reason I can see why people difficulty finding the pros and cons of their character is that they are not familiar with their own person. they don't know what makes them tick or what drives them to succeed. These motivating concepts have been left unanalyzed within many of these peoples heads. They are constantly unconsciously driving them to do things however the people who they run have no idea why they are doing what they are doing because they never took the time to self reflect on who they are. That is why people who don't know themselves have no idea of what their best traits are and those who have looked into their own souls know who they are.
What to write
AA AA AA AA AA AA AA AA AA AA AA AA 999999999999999999999999999999999 777777777777777777777777777777777777 999999999999999999999999999999
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Let go and Let God
Thomas Finnucan
Best Piece of Advice
Let Go and Let God
It was the middle of the summer following my junior year of high school and I was feeling very nervous. I was frantically comparing my SAT scores, GPA, and QPA to the people that were accepted from Amity to the colleges that I wanted to go to. I was trying to figure out what schools were realistic and what schools were out of my reach. This process was causing me tons of grief I was getting really frustrated and mad. I kept saying to myself “What is the point in doing all this work if I am not going to end up where I want.”
I was feed up with the college process, I was tired of visiting schools and I was tired of writing swim coaches letters I just wanted the whole process to be over and done with. This was when I looked over onto the file cabinet and saw my recruiting letter from The College of the Holy Cross just sitting there not mailed. I thought to my self for a moment “Is that the letter to the swim coach that was supposed to go out last week? It can’t be that letter because that letter was the thank you response for visit he had with me at the school.”At this moment I began to panic I was so previously overwhelmed with college stuff that this final setback pushed me over the edge. I couldn’t believe that the letter hadn’t been sent. My mind was so clouded by the crushing volume of tasks I had to complete for colleges that I let this little problem throw me off the edge. I instantly became infuriated with the incompetence of my family. I had asked them to complete one simple task, send out my recruiting letters but they were incapable of doing this. I threw the work that was in front of me off my desk and got up to send the late Holy Cross letter. It was at this moment that my mom came into the room to see what I had been yelling about. I explained to her in a rather rude tone that we had forgotten to send the recruiting letter and that now I probably wasn’t going to get into Holy Cross. At this moment my mother said to me one of the most valuable pieces of advice that I have ever heard. It was simple and clear “Let go and let god.” She said there is nothing you can do to fix the letter. She told me that I had to realize that when things become out of our control we must realize that they are out of our control and accept that their fate lies in the hands of god. I looked at her for a moment and then realized that she was right. My bickering and worrying over the letter wasn’t really going to accomplish anything all it was going to do would be to make me upset and worried and ultimately slow down my college process. I thanked her for her advice and continued to fill out paperwork and right essay and such for colleges. It wasn’t for a good twenty minutes that I realized what my mother’s advice really meant. She wasn’t just speaking about the letter she was speaking about my current state of panic over schools. My junior year grades were closed, my SATs were in, and my swimming times were submitted. All the aspects of the college search and application process that I had direct control of were essentially completed. There was not reason for me to feel the way that I felt, there was no need to feel pressured and rushed. I needed to realize that the rest of this process was in higher powers hands not mine. And this allowed me to realize that things were okay and that I could relax a little and not be so pressured by work. This advice surely saved my sanity.
This bit of advice has helped me through many situations I have applied it to many situations were I have been nervous or anxious over a troublesome event that I have not control over. It figures that my mother would be the one to give me this advice; my mother has always been my source of wisdom in this case the old saying mother knows best is really true. My mother got the term “Let go and let god” from one of her catholic school teacher seminars however it think that the idea goes beyond the idea of religion. The idea of turning things over to god does not need to be literally it simply means to let go of things and let fate or destiny take care of things. It is the idea of letting go of your problems because there is nothing more you can do which gives this advice power. People always tend to try to latch on to problems that they cannot control this is unhealthy and breeds unhappiness and stress. Only when one realizes that they must stop worrying over the problems in their life and turn them over to a higher power can they truly be at peace. I believe that this peace of advice holds true because for all of us we try to fix things that are beyond our power. This advice teaches us to let go of these things and focus on what we can control, thus helping us to live healthier better lives.
Best Piece of Advice
Let Go and Let God
It was the middle of the summer following my junior year of high school and I was feeling very nervous. I was frantically comparing my SAT scores, GPA, and QPA to the people that were accepted from Amity to the colleges that I wanted to go to. I was trying to figure out what schools were realistic and what schools were out of my reach. This process was causing me tons of grief I was getting really frustrated and mad. I kept saying to myself “What is the point in doing all this work if I am not going to end up where I want.”
I was feed up with the college process, I was tired of visiting schools and I was tired of writing swim coaches letters I just wanted the whole process to be over and done with. This was when I looked over onto the file cabinet and saw my recruiting letter from The College of the Holy Cross just sitting there not mailed. I thought to my self for a moment “Is that the letter to the swim coach that was supposed to go out last week? It can’t be that letter because that letter was the thank you response for visit he had with me at the school.”At this moment I began to panic I was so previously overwhelmed with college stuff that this final setback pushed me over the edge. I couldn’t believe that the letter hadn’t been sent. My mind was so clouded by the crushing volume of tasks I had to complete for colleges that I let this little problem throw me off the edge. I instantly became infuriated with the incompetence of my family. I had asked them to complete one simple task, send out my recruiting letters but they were incapable of doing this. I threw the work that was in front of me off my desk and got up to send the late Holy Cross letter. It was at this moment that my mom came into the room to see what I had been yelling about. I explained to her in a rather rude tone that we had forgotten to send the recruiting letter and that now I probably wasn’t going to get into Holy Cross. At this moment my mother said to me one of the most valuable pieces of advice that I have ever heard. It was simple and clear “Let go and let god.” She said there is nothing you can do to fix the letter. She told me that I had to realize that when things become out of our control we must realize that they are out of our control and accept that their fate lies in the hands of god. I looked at her for a moment and then realized that she was right. My bickering and worrying over the letter wasn’t really going to accomplish anything all it was going to do would be to make me upset and worried and ultimately slow down my college process. I thanked her for her advice and continued to fill out paperwork and right essay and such for colleges. It wasn’t for a good twenty minutes that I realized what my mother’s advice really meant. She wasn’t just speaking about the letter she was speaking about my current state of panic over schools. My junior year grades were closed, my SATs were in, and my swimming times were submitted. All the aspects of the college search and application process that I had direct control of were essentially completed. There was not reason for me to feel the way that I felt, there was no need to feel pressured and rushed. I needed to realize that the rest of this process was in higher powers hands not mine. And this allowed me to realize that things were okay and that I could relax a little and not be so pressured by work. This advice surely saved my sanity.
This bit of advice has helped me through many situations I have applied it to many situations were I have been nervous or anxious over a troublesome event that I have not control over. It figures that my mother would be the one to give me this advice; my mother has always been my source of wisdom in this case the old saying mother knows best is really true. My mother got the term “Let go and let god” from one of her catholic school teacher seminars however it think that the idea goes beyond the idea of religion. The idea of turning things over to god does not need to be literally it simply means to let go of things and let fate or destiny take care of things. It is the idea of letting go of your problems because there is nothing more you can do which gives this advice power. People always tend to try to latch on to problems that they cannot control this is unhealthy and breeds unhappiness and stress. Only when one realizes that they must stop worrying over the problems in their life and turn them over to a higher power can they truly be at peace. I believe that this peace of advice holds true because for all of us we try to fix things that are beyond our power. This advice teaches us to let go of these things and focus on what we can control, thus helping us to live healthier better lives.
Friday, October 19, 2007
VALUE OF LIFE IS RELATIVE
When we examine a person’s life we attempt to see whether or not that person lived a good, meaningful life. As a society, more often than not we determine the value of a life by a person’s major accomplishments. Everyone carries a different opinion about what acts or achievements warrant a persons life to be truly meaningful but one cannot argue that a person's existence is never wasted if they accomplish what they truly want with there life. In fact the idea of doing what you truly love with the time that is given to you is quiet noble and thus worthy of being deemed a life with value. To make my life meaningful there are several acts that I would need to accomplish before my death. They are fighting for a noble cause, passing on ideas and values to my children, finding a state of peace before I die, finding true friendship, and do something to help the greater good. I feel that these ideas or events substantiate a life of meaning and significance. For me nothing speaks louder of a life well lived than doing something great. When I look around I see so many things wrong with the world today whether it is terrorism or famine, genocide or global warming there are so many things to fix. There are so many opportunities to make a difference in the world. Obviously no one person can go out and solve the problems of our day single handedly, however one can help. Imagine before you die looking back at all you lived through and all you have done and being able to say I helped but an end to global warming, I did my part. I have seen this satisfaction of a job well done and a life well lived with many war veterans from World War II. No matter where they were or what they did the people who took part in that great crusade can say that they helped put an end to one of the most tyrannical powers in all of human history and that they saved the world from certain darkness. I would want to be able say that I did something of worldly importance, to know that I stood and fought something that strongly opposed. This idea for me brings together several ideals that I would hope to live my life by courage, honor, and integrity. By doing such a thing as fighting these ideals would be immortalized along with my actions. Another thing I would want to do before I died would be to take all the things I learned throughout my life and pass it on to the next generation. Everything that I believe is good and moral and just I would pass on to my children for them to pass down to there children and so forth. By doing this I would accomplish two things, first it would allow a part of my being to be preserved vicariously through the ideas and principles passed down generation to generation. It would also allow me to leave a positive mark on lives of youth before I died. There can be no greater achievement in life than passing on the values of honor and loyalty and love to young people who are unsure of there own paths. To guide them and help them succeed bye revealing your own past mistakes so that the next generations are saved those hardships. When you think about this value in terms of humanity you would wish that everyone would pass down to the next generation. Imagine that if we simply guided our youths around were we stumbled as youths how much easier there lives would be. By passing on our morals and advice to the next generation we complete our lives and our purpose and truly add meaning to our existence. Something that I believe everyone wants to achieve before they die is a sense of peace and tranquility at some point. Up to this point in my life I have never experienced a moment that I can remember where I wasn’t thinking about what I have to do next. Even after I overcome a huge obstacle in my life there always seems to be something looming in the horizon. Before I die I want to know what it feels like to not have to worry, I want to make peace with my self. The only time I have seen people at total peace is normally once they are very old and retired, there families are all grown up and they no longer have any responsibilities. I love the clamor of life, I love jumping from one task to another and the sense of accomplishment I feel after finishing something big. However to reach that sense of nirvana or serenity with all that is around you is truly an accomplishment that only a few well dissevered people are allotted. I think that if we all tried to slow ourselves down as a society and learned from these people we would find ourselves to be truly happy. Humanity has always been rambunctious and violent. As people we don’t see the flaws in this until we are very old and experience the peace that true freedom gives us. The people that experiences these freedoms are only able to because they have made peace within themselves with the fact that there responsibility’s are over and they may finally rest. These people have accomplished all they have set out to do thus leaving them with no regrets and peace. I hope that someday I may be able to finally settle and let go of life’s tension for this is truly a mark of and meaningfully life. True friendship is hard to find in this world. With everyone so busy and only interested in making money people are less likely to form really meaningful friendships. By meaningful friendships I don’t mean people that you hangout with and joke with, I am speaking of companionship. The idea of knowing that someone always has your back and is willing to be there with you until the end is one that would give anyone a smile. We all seek this sort of companionship but rarely find it. Before I die I would want to know that I had a friend a true friend and that I experience what it was like to have a person always on your side. When you have this sort of friendship you know your have lived a good life one that really means something because you were able to trust in another person. As a society we almost fear this kind of trust. We feel like if we trust someone else they will eventually let us down we are very paranoid of being deceived. That is why these kind of true friendships are rare. That’s why these sorts of friendships are common amongst people who have to trust each other. I know that on my football team we all share a certain bond. When your out there playing everyone needs to rely and trust one another to do there job so that we can succeed as a group. I personally value this sort of trust and look for it in my friendships. This bond of trust that I experienced in football is probably why I feel that this kind of friendship is such a valuable thing in life. Finally before I die I would want to do something for someone else. Whenever I help someone, whether it be helping an old man up the stairs or carrying groceries for somebody I get a sense of pride and purpose that really makes me feel good. One could imagine that helping others gives true meaning to an individual’s life. If someone spent there whole life helping the poor we would say that that person lived a good important existence. My ambition in life is do something for someone that really makes a difference in there life; to use my abilities and my strengths to help someone out less fortunate than me. Society really supports this path; humanity is always looking out for itself and one another. There is nothing more honorable than helping the weak or the down trodden and this view is really great because it enables people to do something with the skills they have to help the unfortunate. And this is truly righteous and definitely worth trying to accomplish. All of my life goals are things that I believe would make my life meaningful. However as long as we strive to make something of ourselves we will always have meaning in our lives. Everyone has things that they want to do in life things that they aspire to be or do and as long as we attempt to do these things we have created value in our lives.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Permanence
The Permanence of Life
To understand humanity’s issue with death we must first understand humanity’s love for life. As a species, we love life; we love its excitement and its hardship. We love everything it brings to us such as love, friendship, fun, romance, heroics and everything else. We have such a desire to live that we do not know how to cope with the fact that when we die all, this might end. We do not want to face the fact that death is an end to our part. There is trouble in accepting our departure from the world of the living. In life on earth, even though faiths and religions have views on the afterlife, we still have our fears.
When Gilgamesh witnesses the death of Enkidu he searches for immortality he does not want to face the fact that he too could end up like his friend and no longer be able to enjoy this world. We must note that during Gilgamesh’s time there was no concept of a glorious afterlife thus the fear and uncertainty of death would have been far greater than during a time where an afterlife existed in religion. Never the less, when Gilgamesh reaches Utnapishtim he is meet with this response, “There is no permanence.” This statement is true in a physical sense. In the world, nothing is permanent. Utnapishtim was referring to the physical Gilgamesh and that all mortals will die. Even though individuals die humanity will continue to exist. However, I believe that we all have the potential to live on in or works and accomplishments on this earth. For example a hero like Achilles has been dead for ages however he lives on in his legend and in the memory of what he accomplished. in the same way a person may live forever in the way that the knowledge and the values we pass down to each coming generation gets built upon and passed down to new generations, we live on in the ideas we leave behind. I think that this is what Utnapishtim meant when he commented on permanence. He was talking about an earthy sense of permanence that we all die but through our lives we allow for humanities survival after our deaths.
I think that our world accepts this version of permanence, I think we are very reluctant to face physical death however the majority accepts it as inevitable. It seems that people accept that they will in fact die, look at life insurance people gamble on dying before the insurance company thinks they will to collect money for their families. Actually the idea of having life insurance is almost a way for people to feel that once they die they will still have a connection to this world that they will still be able to affect the world of the living even when they have long departed from it. In this way they are able to exist in the lives of the people who have inherited this money. And through them they live on. This is an example of how Utnapishtim view on permanence is apparent in the modern world. Although we die, we are all looking for ways to survive through others. I think these ideas of permanence and trying to live on give humanity a reason for life. To the individual the idea of having his/or her own existence terminated is almost unfathomable. What does it mean to not existing? I myself have wonder why we pursue life when all there is waiting for us is death. Six or seven years ago I felt very frightened about death and its repercussions; I looked to religion and found comfort in its ideas of living a good honorable life and the rewards that follow in the afterlife. I still believe this but I also believe that the purpose of life or rather what keeps us going in life is the idea of how will I be remembered. Everyone wants to have a good life one that is fun and worthwhile; but one that has purpose a life that is worth living to those that come after us. I find comfort in the idea that I will be remembered; this is the very reason why I strive to live to a certain code. A large portion of humanity also feels this way whether it is mother or father raising their children or a humanitarian helping others they have made a difference and one that will carry them on into time. They may die but they will be carried on through their work. I believe this is why people have no problem living with death on the horizon, because they have hope of living through others; vicariously. Because of our religious views and ideas of affecting the world after we have gone humanity as come to better terms with death than those of Gilgamesh’s time. We no longer weep at the realization that we all must die like Gilgamesh did. We have a created a certain order with our ideas of life after death. A belief that if we live well no matter what we will live on either in some sort of heavenly rest or in the people we influence or possibly both. We better acknowledge an individual's life as not being permanent while affirming that humanities permanence lies with the passing of ideas through generations, this allows us to accept our mortality and live life to its potential.
To understand humanity’s issue with death we must first understand humanity’s love for life. As a species, we love life; we love its excitement and its hardship. We love everything it brings to us such as love, friendship, fun, romance, heroics and everything else. We have such a desire to live that we do not know how to cope with the fact that when we die all, this might end. We do not want to face the fact that death is an end to our part. There is trouble in accepting our departure from the world of the living. In life on earth, even though faiths and religions have views on the afterlife, we still have our fears.
When Gilgamesh witnesses the death of Enkidu he searches for immortality he does not want to face the fact that he too could end up like his friend and no longer be able to enjoy this world. We must note that during Gilgamesh’s time there was no concept of a glorious afterlife thus the fear and uncertainty of death would have been far greater than during a time where an afterlife existed in religion. Never the less, when Gilgamesh reaches Utnapishtim he is meet with this response, “There is no permanence.” This statement is true in a physical sense. In the world, nothing is permanent. Utnapishtim was referring to the physical Gilgamesh and that all mortals will die. Even though individuals die humanity will continue to exist. However, I believe that we all have the potential to live on in or works and accomplishments on this earth. For example a hero like Achilles has been dead for ages however he lives on in his legend and in the memory of what he accomplished. in the same way a person may live forever in the way that the knowledge and the values we pass down to each coming generation gets built upon and passed down to new generations, we live on in the ideas we leave behind. I think that this is what Utnapishtim meant when he commented on permanence. He was talking about an earthy sense of permanence that we all die but through our lives we allow for humanities survival after our deaths.
I think that our world accepts this version of permanence, I think we are very reluctant to face physical death however the majority accepts it as inevitable. It seems that people accept that they will in fact die, look at life insurance people gamble on dying before the insurance company thinks they will to collect money for their families. Actually the idea of having life insurance is almost a way for people to feel that once they die they will still have a connection to this world that they will still be able to affect the world of the living even when they have long departed from it. In this way they are able to exist in the lives of the people who have inherited this money. And through them they live on. This is an example of how Utnapishtim view on permanence is apparent in the modern world. Although we die, we are all looking for ways to survive through others. I think these ideas of permanence and trying to live on give humanity a reason for life. To the individual the idea of having his/or her own existence terminated is almost unfathomable. What does it mean to not existing? I myself have wonder why we pursue life when all there is waiting for us is death. Six or seven years ago I felt very frightened about death and its repercussions; I looked to religion and found comfort in its ideas of living a good honorable life and the rewards that follow in the afterlife. I still believe this but I also believe that the purpose of life or rather what keeps us going in life is the idea of how will I be remembered. Everyone wants to have a good life one that is fun and worthwhile; but one that has purpose a life that is worth living to those that come after us. I find comfort in the idea that I will be remembered; this is the very reason why I strive to live to a certain code. A large portion of humanity also feels this way whether it is mother or father raising their children or a humanitarian helping others they have made a difference and one that will carry them on into time. They may die but they will be carried on through their work. I believe this is why people have no problem living with death on the horizon, because they have hope of living through others; vicariously. Because of our religious views and ideas of affecting the world after we have gone humanity as come to better terms with death than those of Gilgamesh’s time. We no longer weep at the realization that we all must die like Gilgamesh did. We have a created a certain order with our ideas of life after death. A belief that if we live well no matter what we will live on either in some sort of heavenly rest or in the people we influence or possibly both. We better acknowledge an individual's life as not being permanent while affirming that humanities permanence lies with the passing of ideas through generations, this allows us to accept our mortality and live life to its potential.
Permanence
The Permanence of Life
To understand humanity’s issue with death we must first understand humanity’s love for life. As a species, we love life; we love its excitement and its hardship. We love everything it brings to us such as love, friendship, fun, romance, heroics and everything else. We have such a desire to live that we do not know how to cope with the fact that when we die all, this might end. We do not want to face the fact that death is an end to our part. There is trouble in accepting our departure from the world of the living. In life on earth, even though faiths and religions have views on the afterlife, we still have our fears.
When Gilgamesh witnesses the death of Enkidu he searches for immortality he does not want to face the fact that he too could end up like his friend and no longer be able to enjoy this world. We must note that during Gilgamesh’s time there was no concept of a glorious afterlife thus the fear and uncertainty of death would have been far greater than during a time where an afterlife existed in religion. Never the less, when Gilgamesh reaches Utnapishtim he is meet with this response, “There is no permanence.” This statement is true in a physical sense. In the world, nothing is permanent. Utnapishtim was referring to the physical Gilgamesh and that all mortals will die. Even though individuals die humanity will continue to exist. However, I believe that we all have the potential to live on in or works and accomplishments on this earth. For example a hero like Achilles has been dead for ages however he lives on in his legend and in the memory of what he accomplished. in the same way a person may live forever in the way that the knowledge and the values we pass down to each coming generation gets built upon and passed down to new generations, we live on in the ideas we leave behind. I think that this is what Utnapishtim meant when he commented on permanence. He was talking about an earthy sense of permanence that we all die but through our lives we allow for humanities survival after our deaths.
I think that our world accepts this version of permanence, I think we are very reluctant to face physical death however the majority accepts it as inevitable. It seems that people accept that they will in fact die, look at life insurance people gamble on dying before the insurance company thinks they will to collect money for their families. Actually the idea of having life insurance is almost a way for people to feel that once they die they will still have a connection to this world that they will still be able to affect the world of the living even when they have long departed from it. In this way they are able to exist in the lives of the people who have inherited this money. And through them they live on. This is an example of how Utnapishtim view on permanence is apparent in the modern world. Although we die, we are all looking for ways to survive through others. I think these ideas of permanence and trying to live on give humanity a reason for life. To the individual the idea of having his/or her own existence terminated is almost unfathomable. What does it mean to not existing? I myself have wonder why we pursue life when all there is waiting for us is death. Six or seven years ago I felt very frightened about death and its repercussions; I looked to religion and found comfort in its ideas of living a good honorable life and the rewards that follow in the afterlife. I still believe this but I also believe that the purpose of life or rather what keeps us going in life is the idea of how will I be remembered. Everyone wants to have a good life one that is fun and worthwhile; but one that has purpose a life that is worth living to those that come after us. I find comfort in the idea that I will be remembered; this is the very reason why I strive to live to a certain code. A large portion of humanity also feels this way whether it is mother or father raising their children or a humanitarian helping others they have made a difference and one that will carry them on into time. They may die but they will be carried on through their work. I believe this is why people have no problem living with death on the horizon, because they have hope of living through others; vicariously. Because of our religious views and ideas of affecting the world after we have gone humanity as come to better terms with death than those of Gilgamesh’s time. We no longer weep at the realization that we all must die like Gilgamesh did. We have a created a certain order with our ideas of life after death. A belief that if we live well no matter what we will live on either in some sort of heavenly rest or in the people we influence or possibly both. We better acknowledge an individual's life as not being permanent while affirming that humanities permanence lies with the passing of ideas through generations, this allows us to accept our mortality and live life to its potential.
To understand humanity’s issue with death we must first understand humanity’s love for life. As a species, we love life; we love its excitement and its hardship. We love everything it brings to us such as love, friendship, fun, romance, heroics and everything else. We have such a desire to live that we do not know how to cope with the fact that when we die all, this might end. We do not want to face the fact that death is an end to our part. There is trouble in accepting our departure from the world of the living. In life on earth, even though faiths and religions have views on the afterlife, we still have our fears.
When Gilgamesh witnesses the death of Enkidu he searches for immortality he does not want to face the fact that he too could end up like his friend and no longer be able to enjoy this world. We must note that during Gilgamesh’s time there was no concept of a glorious afterlife thus the fear and uncertainty of death would have been far greater than during a time where an afterlife existed in religion. Never the less, when Gilgamesh reaches Utnapishtim he is meet with this response, “There is no permanence.” This statement is true in a physical sense. In the world, nothing is permanent. Utnapishtim was referring to the physical Gilgamesh and that all mortals will die. Even though individuals die humanity will continue to exist. However, I believe that we all have the potential to live on in or works and accomplishments on this earth. For example a hero like Achilles has been dead for ages however he lives on in his legend and in the memory of what he accomplished. in the same way a person may live forever in the way that the knowledge and the values we pass down to each coming generation gets built upon and passed down to new generations, we live on in the ideas we leave behind. I think that this is what Utnapishtim meant when he commented on permanence. He was talking about an earthy sense of permanence that we all die but through our lives we allow for humanities survival after our deaths.
I think that our world accepts this version of permanence, I think we are very reluctant to face physical death however the majority accepts it as inevitable. It seems that people accept that they will in fact die, look at life insurance people gamble on dying before the insurance company thinks they will to collect money for their families. Actually the idea of having life insurance is almost a way for people to feel that once they die they will still have a connection to this world that they will still be able to affect the world of the living even when they have long departed from it. In this way they are able to exist in the lives of the people who have inherited this money. And through them they live on. This is an example of how Utnapishtim view on permanence is apparent in the modern world. Although we die, we are all looking for ways to survive through others. I think these ideas of permanence and trying to live on give humanity a reason for life. To the individual the idea of having his/or her own existence terminated is almost unfathomable. What does it mean to not existing? I myself have wonder why we pursue life when all there is waiting for us is death. Six or seven years ago I felt very frightened about death and its repercussions; I looked to religion and found comfort in its ideas of living a good honorable life and the rewards that follow in the afterlife. I still believe this but I also believe that the purpose of life or rather what keeps us going in life is the idea of how will I be remembered. Everyone wants to have a good life one that is fun and worthwhile; but one that has purpose a life that is worth living to those that come after us. I find comfort in the idea that I will be remembered; this is the very reason why I strive to live to a certain code. A large portion of humanity also feels this way whether it is mother or father raising their children or a humanitarian helping others they have made a difference and one that will carry them on into time. They may die but they will be carried on through their work. I believe this is why people have no problem living with death on the horizon, because they have hope of living through others; vicariously. Because of our religious views and ideas of affecting the world after we have gone humanity as come to better terms with death than those of Gilgamesh’s time. We no longer weep at the realization that we all must die like Gilgamesh did. We have a created a certain order with our ideas of life after death. A belief that if we live well no matter what we will live on either in some sort of heavenly rest or in the people we influence or possibly both. We better acknowledge an individual's life as not being permanent while affirming that humanities permanence lies with the passing of ideas through generations, this allows us to accept our mortality and live life to its potential.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Heroes big and small
When one thinks of a hero the first image that comes to mind is a mighty man of incredible ability and perseverance. Someone that even in the face of great danger will hold true to the ideals and beliefs that they value. Heroic characters are common in literature and film. These characters represent the truest and most honorable ideals of the societies from which they were created. In some works the heroes are mighty warriors who are selfless and courageous, while other heroes are average people who do extraordinary things. The one thing that seems to be universal in all heroes is that they are unwilling to waiver there ideals and honor to usually unfathomable opposition. This idea is clearly apparent in many of our most famous works. Luke Skywalker a great warrior and Jedi is constantly faced with overwhelming opposition from the “dark side” he could have easily at any time given up his ideals at any time and joined is father Darth Vader. Luke refuses to surrender his cause and instead stands and fights the enemy. Luke is a hero because he would rather fight and die than be taken by the darkness. Similar is the tale of Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings. Frodo a small average hobbit finds himself the only hope for the deliverance of middle earth and the end to Saurons evil. Unlike Luke, Frodo is not a warrior actually quite the opposite he is a peaceful person who is torn apart by the violence and evil of war. However the two characters are true heroes because they hold fast and do not wavier there ideals of truth, justice, and all that is inherently good even when faced with extreme adversity.
Any hero is driven by his or her defense of a certain set of ideals. This definition of a hero holds true in all situations of true unadulterated heroism. A fireman risks his life while running into a burning building to save a child because he defending the ideal of helping the innocent. This definition also holds true in the great literary works such as the Odyssey, The adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Whether it was Odysseus or Huck Finn or even Indiana Jones all of these characters where in the end fighting to defend a set of moral values, a code that they hold dear to them. Although the actions of these characters are great and courageous they are not the defining piece that makes a hero a hero. Most see only the courageous charge or the valiant last stand. What they don’t see is the hero’s inner struggle to keep fighting for his cause no matter how hard. It is the conscious decision to fight for what they believe in no matter what the peril that makes a hero true. The common misconception that Heroes are defined by there heroic actions seems to keep women from the spotlight. Because of woman’s absence from the battle field until just recently that whole field of heroism has been pretty much none existent. That is why we don’t see women as the heroes in the major works of literature and film. However women as heroes are actually very common. By what I believe to be a true hero women more times than not fit the definition quite well. As a society we look for the obvious heroes the warriors the big risk takers and the sometimes foolhardy; however we miss out on the quite heroes’ women especially.
Throughout history women have demonstrated selfless, courageous, and often extremely dangerous acts in order to defend there ideals. To demonstrate these actions in defense of an ideal is to be a hero so why are heroines not adorning the stories and literature of today. Sexism and bigotry could play a role in this but I think the issue roots in the fact that women are everyday heroes rather than the epic style of hero seen in the movies and literature. For example the everyday woman who is a single mother and works two jobs so that she can send her children to a good school so they may have a better future for themselves. To me this woman is a hero her self sacrifice warrants her distinction as a hero. But because her actions are not on a grand scale she is just an average hardworking person to society, even though she is a true hero.
The hero carries with him an important functional purpose in our society. Because heroes are so inherently good and because they stand for a cause we look up to them. We emulate heroes and aspire to be like them. When we read there stories we dream to be able to hold our ground like they did we hope to be able to stand our ground like the hero did. Heroes carry with them the pure ideals that all people aspire to live up to.
"Unhappy the land that needs heroes." Bertold Brecht
I don’t believe this is true because I believe that we all need heroes in orde to strive to be better people. Heroes provide us with a goal of excellence that we must strive to reach. In my opinon a land without heroes is land without hope.
Any hero is driven by his or her defense of a certain set of ideals. This definition of a hero holds true in all situations of true unadulterated heroism. A fireman risks his life while running into a burning building to save a child because he defending the ideal of helping the innocent. This definition also holds true in the great literary works such as the Odyssey, The adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Whether it was Odysseus or Huck Finn or even Indiana Jones all of these characters where in the end fighting to defend a set of moral values, a code that they hold dear to them. Although the actions of these characters are great and courageous they are not the defining piece that makes a hero a hero. Most see only the courageous charge or the valiant last stand. What they don’t see is the hero’s inner struggle to keep fighting for his cause no matter how hard. It is the conscious decision to fight for what they believe in no matter what the peril that makes a hero true. The common misconception that Heroes are defined by there heroic actions seems to keep women from the spotlight. Because of woman’s absence from the battle field until just recently that whole field of heroism has been pretty much none existent. That is why we don’t see women as the heroes in the major works of literature and film. However women as heroes are actually very common. By what I believe to be a true hero women more times than not fit the definition quite well. As a society we look for the obvious heroes the warriors the big risk takers and the sometimes foolhardy; however we miss out on the quite heroes’ women especially.
Throughout history women have demonstrated selfless, courageous, and often extremely dangerous acts in order to defend there ideals. To demonstrate these actions in defense of an ideal is to be a hero so why are heroines not adorning the stories and literature of today. Sexism and bigotry could play a role in this but I think the issue roots in the fact that women are everyday heroes rather than the epic style of hero seen in the movies and literature. For example the everyday woman who is a single mother and works two jobs so that she can send her children to a good school so they may have a better future for themselves. To me this woman is a hero her self sacrifice warrants her distinction as a hero. But because her actions are not on a grand scale she is just an average hardworking person to society, even though she is a true hero.
The hero carries with him an important functional purpose in our society. Because heroes are so inherently good and because they stand for a cause we look up to them. We emulate heroes and aspire to be like them. When we read there stories we dream to be able to hold our ground like they did we hope to be able to stand our ground like the hero did. Heroes carry with them the pure ideals that all people aspire to live up to.
"Unhappy the land that needs heroes." Bertold Brecht
I don’t believe this is true because I believe that we all need heroes in orde to strive to be better people. Heroes provide us with a goal of excellence that we must strive to reach. In my opinon a land without heroes is land without hope.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
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