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If you Google search "wise quotes", in about 0.07 seconds you can find 46,400,000 results.  Anything from Plato, Buddha, and Confucius to Jimmy Hendrix and Eisenhower.  People talk about all sorts of things, and if you are famous enough, i.e. played in a movie, been auto-tuned in a popular song, or released a sex tape, then people will tend to listen.  And some people will tend to write these things down and pass them off as wisdom later on.

I've always thought the best movies were the ones that had the hero dying at the end. The tale finishes with the fade to black and we are left with a sense of closure, with the satisfaction of knowing that the hero went out like a flame, fighting until the very end. We are not concerned with whether or not he went on to die of old age, no doubt never seeing another adventure. We do not care if his lessons learned actually aided him later on in life or if he just became a lazy drunkard, abandoning his friends and family. We are not worried because the story is complete. It results in a final climax, leading to the resolution and there are no more questions to be answered. Any question has died with the hero, there is no sense in continued worry.

I guess this is going to be the question that I will ultimately be trying to answer for my Senior Thesis, and what a way to try to culminate my experience at college. But the way I figure it, why not go for that question? Why not try to take on a topic that is especially challenging. Challenging for many reasons. First, it can become so cliche; everyone has a way of answering the question. Secondly, because to answer it in a meaningful way is extremely difficult.

Cancer. I overheard someone this morning talking about a relative who had been taken off treatment as it was inevitable the cancer was going to soon take her life. The woman is young, spending as many hours as she can with her two children and husband. There it was. Here I had been sitting here pondering over how tired I was from lifting earlier this morning and here it was; my friendly reminder that I haven't got jack shit to complain about. It comes every once in a while and usually comes when the thought had escaped my mind, as it usually does once I start worrying about my own important little life again. Over and over again, the cycle continues. I get reminded that I need to stop worrying about my petty problems, but over time I begin to worry again, but those moments come once more and remind me of my shitty attitude. Reading this you may be beginning to think the same thing. The fact that your Starbuck's Iced Caramel Machiatto had just a little too much milk? Seems ...

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...

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...

It is often the case that we end up becoming so involved with something that it becomes part of our lifestyle. And this particular thing becomes so engrained within us that to think ourselves without it would be absurd. This is because as humans, as part of life, we have a knack for adaptation. We adapt to things in such a way as to do things with the utmost of efficiency. It is a hinderance for survival if the mind and body have to do extra work. So we find ourselves getting "schedulized." We have a certain way of doing things at certain times. Is there a problem with this fact? No. There is nothing wrong with keeping to a schedule. Some of the greatest things one can get out of life require a constant "chipping away," a constistency. Knowledge, Strength, Relationships; these things all require "putting in your time" so to speak and sometimes that means getting schedulized. It may mean setting a time out of the day to read a book, visit the g...

Perspective is a word that can be used in many different ways. This is because the idea of perspective itself can deal with the greatest of objects to the most miniscule. It deals with not only the senses, but the realm of ideas, philosophy, attitude, perception, and values. The idea of perspective is also relational, as it deals with a person's or people's outlook upon the world. What is perspective, then? It's the way by which a person makes sense of the "world." As a young child's conciousness grows, the ability to percieve grows, and the ability to be cognitive of this perception grows. This growth, however, occurs within the child's present experience. His perspective cannot grow beyond his ability to percieve. The fact remains though that each person has a different perspective. This is true because each person experiences in differing, although perhaps minute, ways. This can be extremely advantageous. Because of the fact that our p...

There are two key aspects of a person's life: The world as it is and the person's relationship with it. The world represents things that are beyond our control, things outside of ourselves while our relationship represents what our reactions are to these things or surroundings. Looking from a vantage point concerned with growth and the fulfilling of a person's potential, both of these aspects can be used to achieve these goals. A person has a greater chance of growing in an environment that allows this growth to occur, whatever that environment may be. A person growing up always hunting for food for the next meal will have a difficult time moving beyond this life. When basic needs are not met, we don't have time to worry about fulfilling our potential. An environment that supplies for the basic needs of a person supplies a strong foundation on which that person can build themselves. The psychologist Maslow created the hierarchy of needs in order to reach the pinnacl...

The following was originally written on July 28, 2005. It seems that no matter how hard I work on my body I'm always forced to battle an injury. No matter how fast I get I'm always slow. No matter how long I wait, I realize I must wait longer. And no matter how much I learn I'm continually reminded that I know nothing. It seems to me that defeating one obstacle just brings a greater, tougher challenge in my path. I just don't understand anymore and might not want to. But I know one thing. I pray to God in all his grace that I never quit battling them, never quit trying, never give up. Because when that happens, that will be the day I die. I might not die physically, but I'll just be a dead man walking . Sometimes I have to ask what it's all for. Why do I even get up in the morning? Why do I continually try and try and never reach Valhalla? But then I just shrug it off. I'm too busy taking on my next challenge.

The following was originally written on July 28, 2005. As a person on this earth I am constantly searching for something to fill the void inside me. Constantly searching for happiness I guess. And I always thought everyone else was doing the same. Finding their own form of it. But I was wrong. It seem there are two kinds of people on this earth. Those who are searching for happiness...and those who seek to escape pain. But what could be the difference between those? Alot, actually. My coach tells the team once in a while that we should go try to win, and not try to not lose. When you try to win, you put everything you have into it, so that you may win. When you just try to not lose, you just do what's needed to get by, the minimum of what is asked of you. The same can be said in this dilemma. People searching for happiness will continue searching for this cause. People seeking to escape pain and suffering will try but soon realize it's harder than they thought...

The following was originally written on May 29, 2005. The great master and "philosophizer" Bruce Lee once said, "I am the cause of my own ignorance." This remains one of the best quotes I've ever heard, not only because Bruce Lee is the man, but because it is one of the truest qoutes I've ever heard. Each man has complete control over his own mind and body (given you don't have any detrimental psychological or physical illnesses). Then why doesn't every man or woman able have the physique or goals they wish? Because somewhere along the way they allowed themselves to be swayed by their own minds. They listened to the side of them that likes being in the comfort zone they've come to love, the side that requires no pressure because if you don't try to be great, there can be no failure. Well to me, a person trying something and actually working at it and failing, is ten times greater than the guy standing there watching, saying to himself, ...

The following was originally written on May 25, 2005. "Most do not fully see this truth that life is difficult. Instead they moan more or less incessantly, noisily or subtly, about the enormity of their problems, their burdens, and their difficulties as if life were generally easy, as if life should be easy. They voice their belief, noisily or subtly, that their difficulties represent a unique kind of affliction that should not be and that has somehow been especially visited upon them, or else upon their families, their tribe, their class, their nation, their race or even their species, and not upon others." -- Dr. M. Scott Peck I was sitting in class the other day, when our teacher started to give us information on scholarship oppurtunities. Now I usually don't listen to these but one particularly grabbed my attention. The contributors called for the students interested to write a paper or essay on the hardships they've faced. They wanted to pick students whom...

The following was originally written on July 22, 2005. Everyone makes mistakes. But only a chosen few are able to understand and grow from them. All the rest? ...It's not there fault. The weather was bad. They weren't feeling very well. Their too busy coming up with a justification or excuse for their faults. Why is this? Nobody wants to be uncomfortable, but this happens often in our lives. We have to make tough decisions. A mistake is only another step to your goal, albeit a higher and tougher step, but you move on, learn and grow. Only most people are willing to shift the blame onto something else. It wasn't there fault. But the problem is they're just denying themselves a greater learning experience. Something which can help them to become a greater person. So you made a mistake. Big deal. Only fools dwell on the mistakes of others. Introspect on your own life and tell me if you've been the person to shift the blame on others or the hero who realizes his ow...

The following was originally written on June 13, 2005. I look around all the time and see people that have stopped growing. And when I use the word "growing," I don't mean physically. They reached a point to where they no longer need to learn anything, see anything, or do anything different than what they're used to. In short, they've become content. They've fallen into a comfort zone that provides everything they need. I have fallen into this zone before and it was the worst time of my life. Everyday was the same. There were no challenges, no obstacles that I had to face. I almost just seemed to float through the day as if it were a dream. I had an emptiness inside that wouldn't and couldn't be satisfied. That's when I decided it. I would refuse to be content with myself, my abilities, and my character. I look around and see zombies. People that would go to their grave the same person they were today. But I won't have that. I intend to g...

"The centipede was happy quite, until the toad in fun Said "Pray tell which leg goes after which ?" And worked her mind to such a pitch She lay distracted in the ditch Considering how to run." Next time your walking down the sidewalk, think deeply about the motion of your walk. You'll quickly find yourself carrying out this small task with the utmost of awkwardness. You won't be able to remember how you normally walk. This isn't exclusive to walking either. Many activities fail to go our way when we think too deeply and try to override our reflex, our natural flow. Many times the greatest sports stars play best when they are in "the zone." Their actions are thoughtless, they act with extreme efficiency without any hesitation. In many cases, an artist's best work will come about when they just put their pencil to the paper and start drawing. Even writer's block occurs when they are desperately searching for an idea, trying to fo...

The subject of good and evil is one that pervades many religious, philosophical, and even lawful discussions around the globe. The study of ethics must be an endeavor from the normal, everyday citizen to the highest leader because whether we like it or not, ethics is something that must be considered in our day and age. The questions are nearly boundless. Are good and evil concepts that exist objectively beyond humans or are they things that are dictated by the individual or society? Can we use reason to come to the ethical truth, or must it be handed down from a supernatural being? The first thing to remember about ethics is that it studies two main things; namely what "is," and what "ought" to be. This is important to remember because if something "is" it doesn't neccesarily follow that it "ought" to be that way. Also, there are usually three big schools of thought when it comes to ethics. Moral Relativism dictates that there ar...