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I have this nasty habit, and if human nature be similar, I suspect you may have it too. You see, whenever I walk into our out of a building and someone is close behind, I have this horrible tendency to actually stand there holding the door in an attempt to let the same person through with minimal work needed to open the door. A small vice, I suppose, but one that has been ingrained into me since my no doubt traumatizing childhood. My parents, my teachers, my companions have all conspired against me in order to ensure that my virtue is held back. All things considered, though, I turned up alright...so far. I've managed to pull myself up by the boot straps in order to escape an unwholesome character. A good parent tries to instill good habits in their child, habits that will be useful to child later in life. Holding doors for people is useful in keeping people from wanting to kick the crap out of you. Trust me, just don't do it once and look back to see the look on that pers...

This article was originally written on Aug. 5th, 2008 Take Your Time Patience is a virtue, but not always. You see, there are just some times when quickness is hailed supreme, especially when considering decision making. A person who is able to make decisions at a lightning-quick pace is usually praised; someone who not only makes tough decisions, but makes them fast, and makes them with confidence. These traits usually go hand in hand with the business profession, and as the US and the world is constantly becoming more and more "business-esque," then these traits also become valued by most of society. Let's face it, when it comes to practicality, there's nothing better than a person who is swift to decide and decides with confidence. "A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week." - George S. Patton There is alot of truth to these words. Getting things done requires the ability to assess the situation, come up w...

I've got more companions When I'm all alone. Flesh is fetching. ~ Alone , Amorphis I believe the biggest motivator that drove me to the study of philosophy is that horrible feeling I used to have while lying awake at night looking at the ceiling. My professor, Dr. Eugene Rice has told me once before that everybody is a philosopher but not everyone realizes it. And really, it is true. Those moments in the middle of the day, sitting in my desk in high school, thinking the "thoughts of the universe" as my teacher used to say. Those aren't exclusive to a handful of people. They come to all of us in one form or another. They come with a rage and relentlessness rarely seen in the world. And the worst part is...they come when we're alone. They come when there is no friend to protect us, when there is no wise teacher to guide us, and when we least want them to. Our own minds are capable of great things, but they are also capable of imprisoning us. Ther...

I do not think it to be too controversial a statement to say that there is a proper place for emotions in a life well-lived. The dilemma lies not in getting rid of emotions, surely no one wants to do such a thing, but it is being able to have control over your emotions. A person must be able to (1) pinpoint their feelings, (2) know why they are feeling it, and (3) take measures in order to either keep that feeling alive or attempt to dispel it. If you are able to determine both (1) and (2) , then (3) will come easier. You have to know what the problem is in order to fix it. Pinpointing a feeling involves looking at the situation of which the feeling was aroused. The context of which the feeling exists will allow for the feeling to be properly examined. If you feel tense in a classroom you may be nervous about a test if there is one that day. If there is not, you may have to look at other relevant facts. Perhaps you didn't do the reading for the day, perhaps there i...

The ancient thinker Lao Tzu is known for having attempted to describe the correct way of living. This "way" is literally called "the way," or the Tao (there are many alternate spellings for both Lao Tzu and the Tao). One of the main themes put forth in Taoism is the "essenciality" of getting back to nature, getting back to the Tao, and going with the flow. And finding this flow invokes one of the main examples in Taoism; that of water. Water is inherently a constant changing substance that shapes and conforms to every situation it is in. This example of water was popularized by Bruce Lee in his various writings and interviews: Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it be...

In order to achieve a happy life, a rational person must be able to take responsibility for himself. What this means is that a person should be able to know the ins and outs of who they are, what they are going to do, and why they are going to do it. Of course this is just in the realm of decision-making. But decision making is a tremendously large aspect of our lives. Most of our days our filled with very small to fantastically large decisions. As I type write now, I decide which sentence will come after which. I decide how I want this article to look and feel. These are relatively small decisions compared to others such as deciding whether or not to get married, deciding on a college field of study, and deciding just what career you wish to pursue. These decisions are much harder to sift through. There are so many factors involved that it may seem impossible to determine which fork in the road to follow. But they are decisions that will have to be made by most sometime i...

There are many facts of life that are continually present to us. The fact that we see these things time and time again means that they should be considered staples of the way we live. But, alas, most of the time we end up forgetting these things. Sometimes life has a harsh way of reminding us again, but if we try to remember these foundations, we find ourselves in a better spot on the path to success. While there are unarguably more than five of these pieces of knowledge, I believe the five I have picked are extremely relevant in order to set yourself up for success. 1.) It Takes Hard Work to Achieve Anything Worthwhile This single point is probably the one that is forgotten the most. You can see this point prevalent in most of society today. There are an abundance of commercials on television everyday that promise quick fixes to problems that cannot be fixed in an instant. Want to get out of debt? It will take a planned and patient approach. Want to lose weight? It w...