Becoming Woman: Consciousness of Condition

From birth, to live as a woman, person of color, or any individual from a marginalized group in society requires a consciousness of possessing a multi-layered identity. To some degree, all people must view themselves in context to their community, their culture, and the greater society in which they exist. However, for some groups, in particular, women, sense of self has historically been embedded in their relationship to figures outside of themselves. So much that, a consciousness of an identity independent from others is a radical act. It may not seem so radical, as contemporary American society has essentially concluded that women are of equal standing to men; however, this folly is rooted in an ignorance of the multi-dimensional character and societal “code-switching” that is required by women on a daily basis. [Read more…]

Living Idealistically through Pragmatism

Ideally, life would consist of a planned and consistent schedule that does not suffer from the constraints of time. An idealist functions within a softly padded and comfortable boundary of utopian perfection, one that fits the vision they have created beforehand. Therefore, the narrow path the idealist fits themself into may enable a content emotional state; negatively, however, a dejected emotional state may cultivate because their set goals become difficult to come into fruition. The possibility of change, for instance, tests this dichotomy by either disrupting the state of stagnance or the established plan. The idealist then must choose to embody either Apollo, the God of the Sun, who signifies stability and truth, or Dionysus, the God of Earth, who signifies renewal and irrationality. The irrationality of time is then accompanied with precision of time, a process to regularize a constantly fluctuating world. Therefore, creating a predetermined and timed blueprint of the future coincides with the idealist’s vision, yet places them a very unidealistic world. Embodying a union of an idealistic and realistic mindset maintains a happy medium and balance within the human condition because the outcomes of life are ever changing, yet uncontrolled by time. [Read more…]

We live our lives by our clocks, calendars, and alarms; forever at the whim of the massive machinery of society’s definition and application of time. But time should no longer be viewed from afar as a deeply conceptual being. It must be taken from society’s unyielding grip and shared between the individual and society. The role of time in life is to allow individuals to pursue passions with the pressure of death far over the horizon. However, death should not be viewed this far away and the past and future may have far too much bearing on the present time in contemporary society. Our society transforms  people’s appreciation of time into a constricting and weighty entity. Wielded as an abstract concept, time bears a diminished importance and prevents a reevaluation of its uses by the average person. [Read more…]

The Self: Our Modern Preoccupation

Life is not about living anymore; at least not for the vast majority of people.  More than anything, life today is not about about living simply because it does not have to be. One need not travel back to the time of hunter-gatherers and the like to find a world where daily life was principally concerned with survival. Just two hundred years ago, though a multitude of fundamental technological changes had been made, much of the world lived an agriculture and trade-based lifestyle where everyday was devoted to preserving one’s own life and those of his or her family. This is not to say that people today do not work for the sake of preserving their and their family members’ lives. However there is a fundamental difference between the farm lifestyle of two or three centuries ago compared to the lives people live today, even if they are perhaps involved in farming. The fundamental difference has to do with the focus, the expectations, and perceptions of life as well as oneself in it. In earlier life, work was more directly, more fundamentally linked to survival. [Read more…]

What Are You Waiting For?

As grim as it sounds, we are all just waiting to die. We are born into this world with no explanation and die with no explanation. Most people seek out an eventful life full of happiness, adventures and wealth. From a purely scientific point of view, however, it cannot be argued that the fate of a man who never aspires nor reaches the greatness of another man is in any way different. Why, then, do we strive to be the wealthiest, most powerful and extraordinary human beings we can, all while knowing that we are all inevitably left to die? This question may lead us to the contemplation of suicide, the shortcut to our fate, which we are conditioned to look down upon. But what if suicide were not a sin and tragic, but on the contrary a praiseworthy act? What if what happens after death is unimaginably better than life on earth? What are we doing wasting our time waiting for this greatness? [Read more…]