The Group

I can’t be thankful for just one person in our philosophy class. In the back, we have a group going, so I have going to mention everybody.

Araceli: Your smile brightens my day…just kidding. But I do like your happy personality. You’re one of the few girls I know that’s not about drama. I’m happy I’m working with you and Sam in the project because I know I won’t be doing all the work like when I work with other people whose names I am not going to mention.

Jacky: My favorite Asian guy (he picked that title by the way). We go back since freshman year Spanish. You asked me for the answers back then, and you still do now. Some things never change. Good for you Jacky.

Shem (Grandson of Hem): My star dancer. We were in S.L.A. together, so you’ve seen me at my worst. Dude you’re awesome too bad I barely met you this year.

Campos: Oh Campos what can I say…skip. Just kidding that would be mean. All I can really think of is you need to believe in what you do more. That sounds really lame, but it’s true. Stand by your ideas.

Phil: PHILIP HOW HAVE WE BEEN IN THE SAME DIVISION FOR FOUR YEARS AND NEVER SPOKEN UNTIL THIS CLASS? That’s sad and really makes us look bad. You are so much fun to make fun of Campos with. You are the one in the group who sits there and makes us all look prettier. You have a key role and deliver everyday.

Jessica: You’re the only other girl in our discussion group. Thank you for helping me think while the guys are being their helpful selves.

A Letter to the Author

Dear Cormac McCarthy,

So…not sure what I’m supposed to be writing in this letter, but it has to be at least 250 words sooo I’m trying to kill some space.

Just kidding.

Not really.

Ok, I’m going to start for real now.

I really liked The Road. I love reading literature that examines the morality and basic nature of humanity. Some of the things in the book were absolutely horrid and made me feel disgusted, but it made a point. How far are people willing to go to survive? The sad thing is, most of what happened in the book would probably happen if there we some sort of disaster. It showed the best and worst of what people have to offer. It did give me some faith that some things will never change.

The love felt between parent and child or just within family in general can never be taken away. There will always be good people. Even in the face of death, the father and son remained the “good guys” until the end. I was very surprised that the book had a happy ending. Would it be too much for me to assume that it means you have an optimistic view of humanity too? Cause that’s what I got out of it.

Your writing style suited the book perfectly. It was very bare and with little structure. It almost seemed poetic rather than prose. It helped to set the atmosphere because it was also desolate and chaotic.

Sincerely,

Vanessa Rangel

the next chapter

Our road to extinction. Charles Bukowski discusses how the current state of society is an indication of where we are heading. Many choose to ignore or tone down the issues because it’s the easier thing to do. Well, it’s not the right thing to do. It would scare many to say the extinction of the human race is inevitable, but it’s true.

Bukowski isn’t making too far of a stretch when he says that eventually there will be nothing. Half of the events listed have already been happening. There is corruption everywhere in politics. Health care and the legal system benefit people with money the most. We are distracted by the Kardashians or the Lohans everyday. What are we really in control of anymore? What do we really own? The truth is the only things we do own are the most trivial objects. Even if you’re done making payments on your house, the government can still take it away. All they have to do is pay you compensation based on a price they create.

Yes, we are the most high thinking species on the planet, but that doesn’t make us exempt from extinction. It just means that it’s probably going to be done by us rather than another animal. It’s a very pessimistic view of humanity. I would LOVE to believe that if there were some sort of disaster, people would come together and thrive again. But I highly doubt it. The last line is very poignant to me: “The sun still hidden there Awaiting the next chapter.” We make up so little of the Earth’s history. We are just one chapter. When we are gone, we will be replaced by other life, and it will all happen again.

a direction for the class

A good class keeps students stimulated. It allows us the educational freedom to pursue our thoughts whichever way we please in order to come to an idea. It doesn’t have to be by a rigid plan or follow the schedule exactly. There should always be a little wiggle room. With more opportunities to think for themselves, students are given the chance to learn not only about a subject but about how their minds work.

So far, philosophy class has managed to do these things.
It’s one of the few classes that I actually have to think in. Yeah I know that doesn’t sound good, but it’s true. A lot of my past courses were mostly a one-sided lecture type of class where all we had to do was take notes. I like lectures but without discussion to back them up, they become forgettable. I don’t really talk a lot in discussions, but I do think more. For once, I begin to think backwards. Why do I think this way? How did I come to this conclusion? Is it really what I believe?

There is good balance between guidance and direction. We are not told what to think. There is never really a wrong answer…just some that are better. The direction we get is pretty basic, and it’s all we really need. I don’t like to be handed the correct answer and then memorize it. I’m curious to see how we’re going to wrap up the class at the end of the year. I think the unpredictability is a good thing.

And no I’m not trying to kiss up to the class…just putting that out there

poor girl...she has a face only a mother could love

The bond between mother and child is a stronger connection than one could articulate. It’s a sublime spark made even before birth. The child is literally part of the mother and nothing could replace that. Most of us have a weak spot for our moms. I know I could never talk bad about mine (and even if I do I feel terrible). I am a self-professed momma’s girl.

That mother and daughter bond is very strong between us. I know she cares. She may not be one of those traditional moms who cooks all the time or says her feelings, but it’s the little things that matter. I love it when we just sit on my bed and talk. She’ll tell me about her worries and then I to her. The way she still tries to clean me up or fix my hair shows that she has that nurturing instinct that I think is one of the more beautiful aspects of people. As annoying as it may be, nothing says, “I’m a mom,” more than when she tells me to put on a jacket because it’s going to be cold.

While reading The Road, it got me thinking about the bond between parent and child. Even though I’m older, I know that if I were left with either my mom or dad I would become dependent on them. It would become my duty to keep them safe and stay together. I couldn’t imagine leaving them after being through some of the things described in the book. The Road demonstrates how even in a post-apocalyptic hell-hole, a father will still put the happiness and well-being of his child above everything else. Parents are the only people that I can think of that will love you unconditionally.

how do I know what I know?

      How can I say for sure that I know what I know? Sometimes I find myself questioning whether or not we all come to a true consensus of knowing the same things. Like, how do I know for sure my perception of aqua is the same as that guy’s perception of aqua? It leaves me stumped. The only things we know are what we find true in our reality, things we’ve proven to be true by experience.
I know to not touch a sparkler because it’s very hot and hot burns. I learned this from a Fourth of July barbeque when I was six, and my parents thought it was cool for me to play with a sparkler. Yes, this is a very base example because everyone can agree that too much hot burns, but the important thing is that we know it to be true.
      When I say experience, I don’t only mean past experiences and memories. It also includes the senses, how we experience things. I don’t agree with Descartes. I feel that his level of skepticism allows too little to be true. I believe my perception to be true to me because it is what I have to go by. I don’t believe that I’m being deceived everyday by my senses. When I see my mom, I recognize her as my mom, and I know that’s my mom.
      Knowledge is very subjective. It depends on the individual’s personal experiences to determine what they know. However, there are universal concepts that we’ve come to agree on. Those are true facts.

you mean the world to me

Our meaning and why man has been put on earth is one of the fundamental questions people often ask. It is the root of everything. If we knew our meaning, than we would perhaps know our purpose. However, if we do in fact have no true meaning on this Earth, than do we have no purpose? I’ll admit that sometimes I feel like the most insignificant dot imaginable. There are billions of people on this Earth which is a mere spec in the galaxy let alone the universe. I know, it bums me out too. I’ve come to terms with the fact that there may not be a set purpose for everything. I’m not saying that it’s the truth set in stone, but I could see it as a possibility. But…I could never say that we have no meaning. Everyone is connected to one another, and everyone makes an impact in some shape or form. It all has to add up to something greater. I can’t even articulate what it is. Everyone (well most people) feel the need to accomplish something or have goals on life. Where does this desire come from? Other people must feel the same way as I do though or else no one would be asking, “What is our meaning?”